Do You See Your Calling?

"... seperated to the gospel of God..." (Romans 1:1). Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the gospel of God. The one all-important thing is that the gospel of God should be recognized as the abiding reality. Reality is not human goodness, or holiness, or heaven, or hell- it is redemption. The need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker today. As workers, we have to get used to the revelation that redemption is the only reality. Personal holiness is an effect of redemption, not the cause of it. If we place our faith in human goodness we will go under when testing comes. Paul did not say that he seperated himself, but "when it pleased God, who seperated me..." (Galatians 1:15). Paul was not overly interested in his own character. And as long as our eyes are focused on our own personal holiness, we will never even get close to the full reality of redemption. Christian workers fail because they place their desire for their own holiness above their desire to know God. "Don't ask me to be confronted with the strong reality of redemption on behalf of the filth of human life surrounding me today; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes." To talk that way is a sign that the reality of the gospel of God has not begun to touch me. There is no reckless abandon to God in that. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character. Paul was not conscious of himself. He was recklessly abandoned, totally surrendered, and seperated by God for one purpose- to proclaim the gospel of God (see Romans 9:3). [from "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

The Dilemma of Obedience

"Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision" (1 Samuel 3:15). God never speaks to us in dramatic ways, but in ways that are easy to misunderstand. Then we say, "I wonder if that is God's voice?" Isaiah said that the Lord spoke to him "with a strong hand," that is, by the pressure of his circumstances (Isaiah 8:11). Without the sovereign hand of God Himself, nothing touches our lives. Do we discern His hand at work, or do we see things as mere occurrences? Get into the habit of saying, "Speak, LORD," and life will become a romance (1 Samuel 3:9). Every time circumstances press in on you, say, "Speak, LORD," and make time to listen. Chasening is more than a means of discipline- it is meant to bring me to the point of saying, "Speak, LORD." Think back to a time when God spoke to you. Do you remember what He said? Was it Luke 11:13, or was it 1 Thessalonians 5:23? As we listen, our ears become more sensitive, and like Jesus, we will hear God all the time. Should I tell "Eli" what God has shown me? This is where the dilemma of obedience hits us. We disobey God by becoming amateur providences and thinking, "I must shield 'Eli'" who represents the best people we know. God did not tell Samuel to tell Eli- he had to decide that for himself. God's message to you may hurt your "Eli," but trying to prevent suffering in another's life will prove to be an obstruction between your soul and God. It is at your own risk that you prevent someone's right hand being cut off or right eye being plucked out (see Matthew 5:29-30). Never ask another person's advice about anything God makes you decide before Him. If you ask advice, you will almost always side with Satan. "... I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood..." (Galatians 1:16). [from "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

Matthew 2:1-12

Is my life like that of the three wise men who ended up in Jerusalem? Matthew 2:1-12 1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6 " 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'" 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. The day we call Christmas on December 25 is the day after tomorrow. What is Christmas? It is the day we celebrate in remembrance of the birth of our Savior. Our church has come here to this place together in celebration and in worship. Why do we celebrate the birth of Jesus? Why do we celebrate? Is it just because it is a holiday? Is it because of the presents we receive? Is it because we get a day off of work? Why do we celebrate? Why do we celebrate with joy the day we call Christmas? Because God came into flesh to take away our sins. So that is why we celebrate? Are you sure? When we celebrate a birthday we send out invitations. Who receives the invitations? Who receives the invitation to come to the party? The one who is favored by the one sending out invitations. Family. Family? When a grandparent is celebrating their birthday do little children receive invitations to come? We invite friends and the people we desire to have there. We invite those who we are most comfortable around. When you receive an invitation do you feel good or bad? You feel good. You also feel burdened. If I am able to attend the party and reap a benefit from attending then I will be able to suffer a small burden and take a gift and offer it to them. But if I am to attend the party and give a gift but see no gain in attending it then could I go to the party with a joyful heart? Rather than attend you find a way to make an excuse to not go. You make excuses. In any invitation there are different scenarios. If you have received the invitation to the birthday celebration of Jesus, are you sure of your relationship between yourself and him? Are you certain of your relationship with Jesus that you have come here to celebrate and worship with joy in receiving the invitation to celebrate the birth of our Savior? If that is so, then the one who has invited us to this celebration, he is the one who is above all, and if we are burdened to bring a gift worthy of him, what gift can we bring to him as we celebrate this Christmas? What have you brought before him to celebrate this Christmas day? What have you brought before him? Did you bring him money, merit, pride, your will? What can you bring before God and declare to him that Lord I have brought this gift for you? We know that our Lord came to die for our sins. What is the most precious thing that we can give to him? We do not need to say it, but we all know what it is. It is all of our pride, self confidence. It is the decision to participate in the crucifixion with Jesus. Only in this way can we celebrate in this day. Is this not the gift that would be pleasing to our Lord? He is not looking for gifts that you gave based on your circumstance. Jesus came to give us life. He came to save us from our sins and to make us sons of God. He came to gave us eternal life. We need nothing else. Why do we nothing else? Aside from what we eat, drink and use for our needs, we will be leaving everything else behind when we die. We have come into the world empty-handed. When we leave we will also be leaving empty-handed. Just like when we go on a trip we are entertained for a brief moment, this life is but a passing moment. If you had all the money in the world would you be taking it with you in the end? Nobody can take it with them. If you have traveled all 50 states and have enjoyed yourself greatly are you going to be taking that with you? You will not. Though you may have dressed in the finest clothes and eaten of the finest foods are you taking that with you in the end? In the end everything is useless. If you were to use money freely and were to celebrate in festivities daily what use is it in the end? You will be leaving it all behind when you go. Just as we have come into the world with nothing we will be leaving the world with nothing. We will be standing before God and judged for the fruit of our lives. It will be from the decision to lay down our lives and to put our faith in the one who had come to die on the cross for my sins to live a life based on that faith. That is what we will be taking with us in the end. When we go before God we will be able to tell him that we have lived our life for Jesus. But if we live our lives according to our desires then in the end we will only receive punishment. How do we want to stand before God and participate in the celebration of the birth of his Son? As I have said in the beginning, we must be sure of our relationship with Jesus as we come before him to celebrate his birth and bring the gifts of our lives to him. In our Internet café, we have put up some interesting pictures recently. Have you seen them? One of the pictures showed the longest traffic jam in the world and that was in China. Do you know how long it was? 100 mile. 100 miles? That is 160 km. No. 250. 250? Almost. It was about 150 miles. If you are traveling at 60 miles an hour to go 150 miles would take more than two hours. But if you are traveling in a traffic jam it may take days. They did not describe the reason for the traffic jam. There was also a picture that showed the merging of two separate seas. In the resort town of Skagen in Denmark where the Baltic and North Seas meet. Though the bodies of water meet they do not mix. You can see the different colors as the bodies of water hit each other. The reason they do not mix is because of different densities in salt. We don't know the reason for the traffic jam whether it is an accident or if it is construction. In my life that I live to follow Jesus if there is an accident, if I make a mistake, then for those who are following after me, my family and my neighbors, who will resolve this accident for them? Who will fix this problem for them? Unless I fix the problem before me no one will be able to pass. My wife, children, husband, fellow workers, no one will be able to pass because of the problem I have created. I am becoming a major hindrance in their lives. Knowing this can I live the Christian life in laziness? When we live for ourselves, do we realize the results of our actions as we say we live our lives of faith? We do not. When we drive who is the best driver? Is it the one who drives the fastest? The one who drives the best is the defensive driver. This driver is aware of all that is going on around them. Whether someone is on their cell phone texting, drunk driving, falling asleep. Depending on what the other drivers are doing the defensive driver evades those other individuals. The good driver is aware of their surroundings and is able to avoid dangerous situations and get to their destination safely. Our life of faith is the same. I am trying to make it to my Savior, but I must be aware of my surroundings and see if it is safe or if it is dangerous and filled with temptations and situations that are trying to keep me from making it safely to my Lord. If I get into an accident not only will the other person suffer but I too will suffer because of the accident. Likewise in our lives of faith we may think that we are going safely to our Lord, but because of what our wives may say or someone around us may say, if that causes us to stumble and it becomes an accident in our lives then we will all suffer in our walk together. There will be a traffic jam and we will not be able to move. We will be creating a major problem for ourselves. There are times when we experience delays on the freeway due to construction, but these are to better the conditions of the road so that we may travel better. In our spiritual walk through training at times we may suffer delays but if it better our lives we can be patient and work through these times. But in these times when those around us give us guidance, though we may not desire to do that, in obedience as we humble ourselves then can we experience growth and change and progress. But in the accident if we refuse to change and fix the problem that we must re-examine our lives and think of what it is that we are trying to do. Unless we are careful in our thoughts, speech, and action there is a great possibility of having many problems in our lives. As we are able to see two bodies of water merge and not mix because of its densities, when I live the life of faith, though I may go out into the world there will be a separation from it. But if my faith is weak, and I am not for in my foundation of Jesus, and I am unable to overcome temptation, then because I have no foundation, when trials come I will fall, I will not be able to show my faith. When we come to church we put on an appearance of faith but when we open our eyes we notice that we are lost in the world. The world shows us that when there are two different entities that they will not mix, but when we say we believe in Jesus and go out into the world and mix with the world are we truly living the life of Jesus? If we are not then when we stand before God we will be charged for this, but also while we are living here others will see us and not be able to tell if we are followers of Jesus. Then can God receive glory from me? No. No matter where I go or what I do there must be a separation in my life of the Spirit which reflects Jesus and the rest of the world so that I can boldly say I am a Christian. Is this not the life that we should be living? In the hymn All Glory Laud and Honor in verse three the verse says that before the passion and suffering many sing their hymns of praise to him. We all know the story they saying hosanna to him but what happened after he was captured? Everyone left him and ran away. Even the disciples ran away. Though we say Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, and follow him but if today you were told to die for him rather than die you would want to run away. You question "why should I die?" You say "they should be the ones to die." This makes us the same as them. We sing when we are happy. We sing when things go the way we want. But when we are told to die for Jesus we pack up our things and walk out the door. Is this the life we are to live for which Jesus came and died? No it is not. When we look at today's Scripture how are we prepared to meet our Lord? How can we come prepared to celebrate this day of Christmas? The star that the three wise men were following, why did it not lead them to Bethlehem but why did they go and up to Jerusalem? Have you ever thought about this? Why did the star go to Jerusalem? What would've happened had they gone straight to Bethlehem? What would have not had happened? Have you ever thought about this? Had they not gone to Jerusalem and going straight to Bethlehem, they would have given their gifts and left without incident. But Herod waited for them and when they did not return Herod had all the children under two years of age children. This could have been avoided. Why did they go there and why did this incident happen? I did not understand. Does it make sense to you? Why? And because I did not understand I kept asking the Lord and kept trying to figure out why this had happened and I do not have the time to go over all of the reasons and explanations. But let us look at this one example, when you are given visions and have dreams after are you living your life in obedience according to the word? You do not. Like the three wise men the star is guiding them. Where are they headed? They are going to Israel. Is this not so? Noticing that the star is leading them to Israel, what did they then assume? It is not written in the Bible, but I think they went to Jerusalem because kings are born in palaces. So rather than pursuing the star all the way to the end, they made a decision and went themselves to Jerusalem and ended up in the palace. Today when we pray and we have been given an answer to our prayers, unless you follow the Lord and keep him in mind until the end, you will end up somewhere else and may cause an incident just like the slaying of countless children. I am asking that we do not live this kind of life. When the three wise men were with Herod they explained everything to him including the birthplace of Bethlehem. But did any one person follow them to go see this new King? Was there one person who was curious enough to follow these three men? None. Whether it is the king, the Messiah, or Jesus, unless one finds something of benefit for themselves they will not give up their lives no matter who appears. Though people knew that the Messiah had been born and they had seen people come to worship Him, others did not follow nor even care enough to confirm. Is this the state of my life of faith then what does it have to do with our Lord? What is important is not to see the star, nor to bow down and worship, what really matters is my personal relationship with him and living the life of obedience until the end which is the true Christian life. When they knew that it was Bethlehem they did not need the star to guide them to Bethlehem. When they were reminded that it was Bethlehem and came out and saw the star guide them again, we can see that they did not follow completely in obedience but was sidetracked by their own thoughts. If we examine ourselves we can see that many times in our lives that we make this same mistake. Through these problems good things do not occur Through the Bible we can see that there is great suffering. Should we not be living our lives and keep from making these kinds of mistakes? When someone tells us something that we like to hear we are excited and happy. But the moment someone says you did something wrong, you need to change this, you need to fix this, we respond by saying that I will pray about it? Rather than say yes to the correction and the teaching we decide if it will be something that we will do. We are being told to obey that which we find difficult to do but we respond by saying no. Though we have been invited to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we must examine ourselves to see if we have come in preparation worthy of this celebration. We must be completely committed in living our life of faith so that we may pursue it until the end just as we would follow the star rightly to the end. Then our lives could be without incidence that we cause. But rather than live our lives this way we make excuses and complain that it is difficult. We have been called to be one body in Christ through our relationships and our circumstances, but the temptation of this world is not about becoming one, but it is rather about the individual. It is about your satisfaction your needs and your desires being met with which we are tempted. When we ask children "what is it that you desire most?" It is all about what they want for themselves whether it is the new iPhone, iPad or any other thing. They want to possess it for themselves. I am not sure about in the US, but when I go travel to Korea, I was shocked. The youth gather to dine together, or to spend time together, but what are they doing? Though they have met and are sitting to share a meal one hand is going to the food while their eyes are stuck to their phones. Why meet to dine together? They have no concern for the other person across from them. They are being entertained by their phones. The person across from them may as well be a stranger. I was shocked. Why meet other people? Why gather together? Why not go eat by your self? Though they have physically come together their entire being is focused on their phones. People are continuously building walls around themselves and separating themselves from others. If I sit across from Charles and have a conversation with him and look at him I am able to tell if he is lying or being sincere. But to be completely focused on the material object, though there may be truth and there also may be many lies. If you get lost in these things people forget that you can ruin your lives because of it. You may have more knowledge and more information because you are connected to he Internet, but your relationships with others which is about giving, receiving, serving, helping and being helped, will be destroyed. Who gives this kind of temptation? The devil traps us so that we are unable to help others and to separate us from others by giving us more of the things of this world. This is like the three wise men who were following the star but then thought to themselves that they King would be born in the palace and then headed in the direction where they thought would be right. This is the attitude when we come before God and worship Would he be pleased to accept this worship from us? Would he accept our worship? Parents provide birthday parties for their children. But as a child continues to grow outside of the teachings of their parents would the birthday parties continue to get better? If last year you spent $100 on your child's birthday party and during the year the child received good grades, listened well would you not this year then want to spend $200 on the party? Is this not the heart of someone who wants to give? When we come before our Lord and we continue to grow spiritually in him, would not the celebrations that he gives us yearly be more abundant time continues on? But last year we celebrated with the hundred dollar party, but during the year I did not live a life that was representative of the life that Jesus came to give for me, then how will I be able to attend the following year's celebration? With what guarantee will I have that our Lord will answer my prayer when I call out to him? Will I be invited to the following Celebration? Will I receive an invitation to bring gifts and celebrate? Will I be the one who is able to receive these invitations and to join in the celebrations? The degree to which I am invited and the celebration is set before me is dependent on my obedience. I am the one who is capable of receiving the blessings of God. I must be the one to do it. How? I must persevere until the end in obedience to the word and follow our Lord then will I be blessed. We have come here not just to eat, drink, and rest. We eat, drink and rest by surrendering our pride and focusing all our speech and lives around serving Jesus so that this time can be a time that glorifies God. When God shows us our faults we must truly repent so to be forgiven. Then as we make new plans God will bless us and we can receive the blessings from Him. May everything in your life revolve around Jesus in speech and in action. May this celebration of the birth of our Lord be a time that gives glory to our God. Sermon by Pastor Howard Park Translation by Miguel Park

How Could Someone Be So Ignorant!

"who are You, Lord?" (Acts 26:15). The LORD spoke thus to me with a strong hand..." (Isaiah 8:11). There is no escape when our Lord speaks. He always comes using His authority and taking hold of our understanding. Has the voice of God come to you directly? If it has, you cannot mistake the intimate insistence with which it has spoken to you. God speaks in the language you know best- not through your ears, but through your circumstances. God has to destroy our determined confidence in our own convictions. We say, "I know that this is what I should do"- and suddenly the voice of God speaks in a way that overwhelms us by revealing the deapth of our ignorance. We show our ignorance of Him in the very way we decide to serve Him. We serve Jesus in a spirit that is not His, and hurt Him by our defense of Him. We push His claims in the spirit of the devil; our words sound all right, but the spirit is that of an enemy. "He ... rebuked them, and said, 'You do not know what manner of spirit you are of'" (Luke 9:55). The spirit of our Lord in His followers is described in 1 Corinthians 13. Have I been persecuting Jesus by an eager determination to serve Him in my own way? If I feel I have done my duty, yet have hurt Him in the process, I can be sure that this was not my duty. My way will not be to foster a meek and quiet spirit, only the spirit of self-satisfaction. We presume that whatever is unpleasant is our duty! Is that anything like the spirit of our Lord- "I delight to do Your will, O my God..." (Psalm 40:8). [from "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

How Could Someone So Persecute Jesus!

"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? (Acts 26:14). Are you determined to have your own way in living for God? We will never be free from this trap until we are brought into the experience of the baptism of "the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11). Stubbornness and self-will will always stab Jesus Christ. It may hurt no one else, but it wounds His Spirit. Whenever we are obstinate and self-willed and set on our own ambitions, we are persecuting Him. Whenever we rely on self-respect, we systemically disturb and grieve His Spirit. And when we finally understand that it is Jesus we have been persecuting all this time, it is the most crushing revelation ever. Is the Word of God tremendously penetrating and sharp in me as I hand it on to you, or does my life betray the things I profess to teach? I may teach sanctification and yet exhibit the spirit of Satan, the very spirit that persecute Jesus Christ. The Spirit of Jesus is conscious of only one thing- a perfect oneness with the Father. And He tells us, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29). All I do should be based on a perfect oneness with Him, not on a self-willed determination to be godly. This will mean that others may use me, go around me, or completely ignore me, but if I will submit to it for His sake, I will prevent Jesus Christ from being persecuted. [from "Mu Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

Look Again and Think

"Do not worry about your life..." (Matthew 6:25). A warning which needs to be repeated is that "the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches," and the lust of other things, will choke out the life of God in us (Matthew 13:22). We are never free from the recurring waves of this invasion. If the frontline of attack is not about clothes and food, it may be about money or the lack of money; or friends or lack of friends; or the line may be drawn over difficult circumstances. It is one steady invasion, and these things will come in like a flood, unless we allow the Spirit of God raise up the banner against it. "I say to you, do not worry about your life...." Our Lord says to be careful only about one thing- our relationship to Him. But our common sense shouts loudly and says, "That is absurd, I must consider how I am going to live, and I must consider what I am going to eat and drink." Jesus says you must not. Beware of allowing yourself to think that He says this while not understanding your circumstances. Jesus Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things to the point where they become the primary concern of our life. Whenever there are competing concerns in your life, be sure you always put your relationship to God first. "Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (6:34). How much trouble has begun to threaten you today? What kind of mean little demons have been looking into your life and saying, "What are your plans for next month- or next summer?" Jesus tells us not to worry about any of these things. Look again and think. Keep your mind on the "much more" of your heavenly Father (6:30). [from "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

What Can You Do?

Look Again and Consecrate

"If God clothes the grass of the field..., will He not much more clothe you...?" (Matthew 6:30). Simple statement of Jesus is always a puzzle to us because we will not be simple. How can we maintain the simplicity of Jesus so that we may understand Him? By receiving His Spirit, recognizing and relying on Him, and obeying Him as He brings us the truth of His Word, life will become amazingly simple. Jesus asks us to consider that "if God so clothes the grass of the field..." how "much more" will He clothe you, if you keep your relationship with Him right with Him? Every time we loose ground in our fellowship with God, it is because we have disrespectfully thought that we knew better than Jesus Christ. We have allowed "the cares of this world" to enter in (Matthew 13:22), while forgetting the "much more" of our Heavenly Father. "Look at the birds of the air..." (6:26). Their function is to obey the instincts God placed within them, and God watches over them. Jesus said that if you have the right relationship with Him and will obey His Spirit within you, then God will care for your "feathers" too. "Consider the lilies of the field..." (6:28). They grow where they are planted. Many of us refuse to grow where God plants us. Therefore, we don't take root anywhere. Jesus said if we would obey the life of God within us, He would look after all other things. Did Jesus Christ lie to us? Are we experiencing the "much more" He promised? If we are not, it is because we are not obeying the life God has given us and have cluttered our minds with confusing thoughts and worries. How much time have we waisted asking God senseless questions while we should be absolutely free to concentrate on our service to Him? Consecration is the act of continually seperating myself from everything except that which God has appointed me to do. It is not a one-time experience but an ongoing process. Am I continually seperating myself and looking to God every day of my life? [from "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

Leave Room for God

"When it pleased God..." (Galatians 1:15). As servants of God, we must make room for Him- to give God "elbow room." We plan and figure and predict that this or that will happen, but we forget to make room for God to come in as He chooses. Would we be surprised if God came into our meeting or onto our preaching in a way we had never expected Him to come? Do not look for God to come in a particular way, but do look for Him. The way to make room for Him is to expect Him to come, but not in a certain way. No matter how well we may know God, the great lesson to learn is that He may break in any minute. We tend to overlook this element of surprise, yet God never works in any other way. Suddenly- God meets our life- "... when it pleased God...." Keep your life so constantly in touch with God that His surprising power can break through at any point. Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come in as He decides. [from "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

God's Overpowering Purpose

"I have appeared to you for this purpose..." (Acts 26:16). The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was not a passing emotional experience, but a vision that had very clear and emphatic directions for him. And Paul stated, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19). Our Lord said to Paul, in effect, "Your whole life is to be overpowered or subdued by Me; you are to have no end, no aim, and no purpose but Mine." And the Lord says to us, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go..." (John 15:16). When we are born again, if we are spiritual at all, we have visions of what Jesus wants us to be. It is important that I learn not to be "disobedient to the heavenly vision"- not to doubt that it can be attained. It is not enough to give mental assent to the fact that God has redeemed the world, nor even to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did a reality in my life. I must have the foundation of a personal relationship with Him. Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim. He was brought into a vivid, personal, overpowering relationship with Jesus Christ. Acts 26:16 is tremendously compelling "... to make you a minister and a witness...." There would be nothing there without a personal relationship. Paul was devoted to a Person, not to a cause. He was absolutely Jesus Christ's. He saw nothing else and he lived for nothing else. "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). [from "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

Transformed by Beholding

"We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image..." (2 Corinthians 3:18). The greatest characteristic a Christian can exhibit is this completely unveiled openness before God, which allows that person's life to become a mirror for others. When the Spirit fills us, we are transformed, and by beholding God we become mirrors. You can always tell when someone has been beholding the glory of the Lord, because your inner spirit senses that he mirrors the Lord's own charater. Beware of anything that would spot or tarnish that mirror in you. It is almost always something good that will stain it- something good, but not what is best. The most important rule for us is to concentrating on keeping our lives open to God. Let everything else including work, clothes, and food to be set aside. The busyness of things obscures our concentration on God. We must maintain a position of beholding Him, keeping our lives completely spiritual through and through. Let other things come and go as they will; let other people criticize us as they will; but never allow anything to obscure the life that "is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). Never let a hurried lifestyle disturbe the relationship of abiding in Him. This is an easy thing to allow, but we must guard against it. The most difficult lesson of the Christian life is learning how to continue "beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord...." [from "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

Am I Looking to God?

"Look to Me, and be saved..." (Isaiah 45:22). Do we expect God to come to us with His blessings and save us? He says, "Look to Me, and be saved...." The greatest difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and His blessings are what make it so difficult. Troubles almost always make us look to God, but His blessings tend to divert our attention elsewhere. The basic lesson of the Sermon on the Mount is to narrow all our interests until your mind, heart, and body are focused on Jesus Christ. "Look to Me...." Many of us have a mental picture of what a Christian should be, and looking at this image in other Christians' lives becomes a hinderance to our focusing on God. This is not salvation- it is not simple enough. He says, in effect, "Look to Me and you are saved," not "You will be saved someday." We will find what we are looking for if we will concentrate on Him. We get distracted from God and irritable with Him while He continues to say to us, "Look to Me, and be saved...." Our difficulties, our trials, and our worries about tomorrow all vanish when we look to God. Wake yourself up and look to God. Build your hope on Him. No matter how many things seem to be pressing in on you, be determined to push them aside and look to Him. "Look to Me...." Salvation is yours the moment you look. [from "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

Recall What God Remembers

"Thus says the LORD: 'I remember... the kindness of your youth...'" (Jeremiah 2:2). Am I as spontaneously kind to God as I used to be, or am I only expecting God to be kind to me? Does everything in my life fill His heart with gladness, or do I constantly complain because things don't seem to be going my way? A person who has forgotten what God treasures will not be filled with joy. It is wonderful to remember that Jesus Christ has needs which we can meet- "Give Me a drink" (John 4:7). How much kindness have I shown Him in the past week? Has my life been a good reflection on His reputation? God is saying to His people, "You are not in love with Me now, but I remember a time when you were." He says, "I remember... the love of your betrothal..." (Jeremiah 2:2). Am I as filled to overflowing with love for Jesus Christ as I was in the beginning, when I went out of my way to prove my devotion to Him? Does He ever find me pondering the time when I cared only for Him? Is that where I am now, or have I chosen man's wisdom over true love for Him? Am I so in love with Him that I take no thought for where He might lead me? Or am I watching to see how much respect I get as I measure how much service I should give Him? As I recall what God remembers about me, I may also begin to realize that He is not what He used to be to me. When this happens, I should allow the shame and humiliation it creates in my life, because it will bring godly sorrow, and "godly sorrow produces repentence..." (2 Corinthians 7:10). [from "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

Vision and Darkness

"When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fepp upon him" (Genesis 15:12). Whenever God gives a vision to a Christian, it is as if He puts him in "the shadow of His hand" (Isaiah 49:2). The saint's duty is to be still and listen. There is a "darkness" that comes from too much light- that is the time to listen. The story of Abram and Hagar in Genesis 16 is an excellent example of listening to so-called good advice during a time of darkness, rather than waiting for God to send the light. When God gives you a vision and darkness follows, wait. God will bring the vision He has given you to reality in your life if you will wait on His timing. Never try to help God fulfill His word. Abram went through thirteen years of silence, but in those years all of his self-sufficiency was destroyed. He grew past the point of relying on his own common sense. Those years of silence were a time of discipline, not a period of God's displeasure. There is never any need to pretend that your life is filled with joy and confidence; just wait upon God and be grounded in Him (see Isaiah 50:10-11). Do I trust at all in the flesh? Or have I learned to go beyond all confidence in myself and other people of God? Do I trust in books and prayers or other joys in my life? Or have I placed my confidence in God Himself, not in His blessings? "I am Almighty God..."- El-Shaddai, the All-Powerful God (Genesis 17:1). The reason we are all being disciplined is that we will know God is real. As soon as God becomes real to us, people pale by comparison, becoming shadows of reality. Nothing that other saints do or say can ever upset the one who is built on God. [from "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

The Call of The Natural Life

"When it pleased God... to reveal His Son in me..." (Galatians 1:15-16). The call of God is not a call to serve Him in any particular way. My contact with the nature of God will shape my understanding of His call and will help me realize what I truly desire to do for Him. The call of God is an expression‍ of His nature; the service which results in my life is suited to me and is an expression‍ of my nature. The call of the natural life was stated by the apostle Paul- "When it pleased God... to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him [that is, purely and solemnly express Him] among the Gentiles...." Service is the overflow which pours from a life filled with love and devotion. But strictly speacking, there is no call to that. Service is what I bring to the relationship and is the reflection of my identification with the nature of God. Service becomes a natural part of my life. God brings me into the proper relationship with Himself so that I can understand His call, and then I serve Him on my own out of a motivation of absolute love. Service to God is the deliberate love-gift of a nature that has heard the call of God. Service is an expression‍ of my nature, and God's call is an expression‍ of His nature. Therefore, when I receive His nature and hear His call, His divine voice resounds throughtout His nature and mine and the two become one in service. The Son of God reveals Himself in me, and out of devotion to Him service becomes my everyday way of life. [from "My Utlost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

The Voice of The Nature of God

"I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?'" (Isaiah 6:8). When we talk about the call of God, we often forget the most important thing, namely, the nature of Him who calls. There are many things calling each of us today. Some of these calls will be answered, and others will not even be heard. The call is the expression‍ of the nature of the One who calls, and we can only recognize the call if that same nature is in us. The call of God is the expression‍ of God's nature, not ours. God providentially weaves the threads of His call through our lives, and only we can distinguish them. It is the threading of God's voice directly to us over a certain concern, and it is useless to seek another person's opinion of it. Our dealings over the call of God should be kept exclusively between ourselves and Him. The call of God is not a reflection of my nature; my personal desires and temperament are of no consideration. As long as I dwell on my own qualities and traits and think about what I am suited for, I will never hear the call of God. But when God brings me into the right relationship with Himself, I will be in the same condition Isaiah was. Isaiah was so attunes to God, because of the great crisis he had just endured, that the call of God penetrated his soul. The majority of us cannot hear anything but ourselves. And we cannot hear anything God says. But to be brought to the place where we can hear the call of God is to be profoundly changed. [from "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

Matthew 6:33-34; John 15:4-5

You cannot bear fruit apart from the vine. Matthew 6:33-34 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. John 15:4-5 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. My question to you is are you applying this verse into your daily life? Are you applying this to your life? Are you capable of living a life without worry? Is it possible? Are you without worry? It says not to worry about tomorrow but we worry about the following year. Those of us who raise children, we worry about the welfare of our children decades from now. Is this not so? What does the Bible say? It says to live your life only concerned about your work today. Concern yourself with today. Though we have been given the Word what does it mean when we are unable to apply it in our lives? What does it ultimately mean? To not live according to the Word means you do not believe the Word. It means you do not believe God. The Holy Spirit has come and given us everything we need to know about Jesus. But not living according to this Word means I do not believe it. Am I wrong? I have used this example many times before. If there is food before you, unless you eat of it you will not know if it is good or not. But once you taste it you will know. Next time you are presented with the same food, you will know because of experience what to expect with confidence. But in our lives there are times where things do not turn out how we expect. Things happen. Though you may buy expensive fruit, do they all taste the same? For those who have a sophisticated palate are even aware that within the same fruit the side that had more exposure to sun taste slightly different than the side which had less sun. But as we are unable to judge these things perfectly with our eyes so it is with our very lives. Likewise, if we only have knowledge of the word of God and only accept it as such, will we ever be able to apply it in our lives? You will not. Just like you have never tasted the fruit, you have never tried to apply it into your life. Therefore, you will not be able to live a life of obedience. Not living a life of obedience means you do not believe in the word. Having eaten of it and to say that it is good, bad or that you are full are all possible outcomes. If someone told you that something was poison, and the person next to you ate it and died, would you eat of it as well? Would you say that you would like to taste it as well? Would you say that just like all fruit taste different that the poison may have affect you differently and that you may not die? Is there such a person? No one would eat it. In such matters we are sure. Do we apply the teachings of the Bible into our lives? There are many teachings in the Bible that teach us that if we eat of it we will die. There are also many teachings that tell us we will be full, be blessed, and many good things as well. But there are also many teachings that warn us of death. There are many of us who are willing to taste death. How do we do this? The answer is simple. We do what we are told not to do and we do not do that which we are told to do. That is it. It says do not worry, then we are not to worry. But we do. We are ones unable to reap all the benefits that is given to us in the Word. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. Are we in Jesus? We do not bear fruit because I do not remain in Him and He is not in me. But who do we blame? We blame God for not giving to us. Rather than confess to God that it is my fault for not living a life in him, we blame God for not giving us our blessing which we use as an excuse for us not being in Him. The cause is that we have fallen away from Jesus, we must realize this. But rather then find the cause of our problems, we focus on the blessings that we have not received. Like Paula had prayed for us before worship, we only ask God to give us, but we refuse to give our lives to be one with Him. Can we bear much fruit like Jesus commands us to? If we look to the cause as to why we do not bear much fruit, and we see that it is because we have fallen away from Jesus, then we must ask the question do we have anything to do with Jesus? If we have fallen away from Jesus, nothing to do with Jesus, then we are dead. To be dead signifies that we have thrown away our privilege to enter into Heaven. But we tell God that we believed in him at one time in the past. You may have believed him at one time in the past, but you fail to live the life bearing fruit in Him today. A life that does not bear fruit signifies that you are no longer attached to the root. These flowers that you see here no matter how pretty they are, they are dead. We say that they are fresh flowers. Flowers that are living our fresh, but these have already been cut from the root. They are dead. It does not matter what nutrients you provide it, they are already dead. Though you may do many things in the name of Jesus, if you are detached from him, you will not bear fruit. You are like these flowers, you are already dead. On our last day what will be the judgment that we receive? We must examine ourselves. 2012 is coming to an end and it is now time for us to get everything into order. From my birth until now, what kind of life have I been living in relation to our Lord? The Scriptures tell us that Jesus stands at the door and knocks, but if I open the door that he may come in but if I do not open the door and he cannot enter. Have I opened the door to my heart? And if he has entered, then my life should be that of the life of Jesus. We say with our mouths that we have opened the door to our hearts. We tell them to be our king to guide us and to lead us. But the moment he commands us to do something through his Word, we say "no". We tell him to leave. Then when an emergency hits us, we call on the name of our Lord again. Is this the life that we should be living? Do we examine ourselves to see if this is the condition of our lives? If this is so then we must make a new decision and live a new life of faith and repent, without it what will we say to Him when we are called to stand before Him? We are told not to worry, but the moment we open our eyes we begin to worry. There are more things that are dissatisfying to our eyes then pleasing to our eyes. Do you agree? When something satisfies us we can't help from having the biggest smile. But the moment we start to frown and we get bothered signifies that we are not satisfied that something is not meeting our standard. We easily recognize the expression on people's faces. It does not matter how they present themselves. We know when one is full of worry. That means that we are filled with pride. We are proud because there is nothing that can satisfy our needs. That is pride. We need money but there is no money. We desire recognition but we receive none. All our employees do not work to our standards. Everywhere we go and everyone we meet gives us stress. This builds up to the point that it shows on our faces. It is because our hearts have changed and there is no peace and it shows on our faces. This means that we are living a life without Jesus and filling ourselves with all the worries and anxieties of this world. Your face shows that you are not in Jesus and Jesus is not in you. Yet, we come before God with our problems and ask him to resolve them for us. We complain about our lack of money, our lack of work, our poor health. But our Lord tells us to not worry about anything. He tells us to only do what we are commanded to do today. He tells us that if we seek his righteousness and his kingdom first, everything else will be taking care of for us. But rather than seek his righteousness and his kingdom we seek to satisfy our own desires. That is why we are filled with worries and anxieties and it shows on our faces and people choose not to be around us. Without Jesus in our hearts, people have a hard time loving us. You can have the finest clothes and the nicest hair but if you have Jesus in your heart then you will be truly beautiful. Your face will shine bright. But we miss the foundation of it all, and try to make only our outward appearance beautiful. If I have truly been saved, then my life will be transformed. We fail to recognize that pride is the reason for our worries and our anxieties. In our lives we are filled with worries, anxieties, and complaints. We hate others. We are unable to forgive. We are unable to love. A child desires something from their parents, but the parent is unable to provide, will that child honor their parents? When anyone desires something and puts out a hand and does not receive that which was desired and is not content, and the discontent continues to grow within their heart, and they are unable to forgive, it will eventually become a disease. Why does our Lord teach us through his Word to forgive and love? Is it because our wives are the most beautiful? Is it because our husbands are the most reassuring? Is it because our children or our parents are the best? Nobody is perfect. Even the best lack something and make mistakes. We are not to hold these things against those before us. Rather we are to look at ourselves and forgive them because God will then be able to forgive me and I can receive His love. Our Lord tells us to forgive and to love. It is not to bless the other person. Examine yourselves. You may not want to forgive your spouse, you may not even have the heart to do so but when you forgive them you are the one who will be at peace. You're not pleased with your children. Is there anyone who is pleased with their children? Your greed is too great. You desire your child to be the greatest but they are not. Are you satisfied? You are not because they have not achieved what you desired. If you are unable to find peace and contentment and refuse to let go of it in your heart, who will be the one to end up getting sick? You will be the one to get sick. Who holds the key to life? God does. If God gave you that child so that he will use him for his purpose, then all you are to do is report to God what you do and surrender your worries and anxieties to him. But we raise our children in the manner which pleases us. We reward them for our pleasure. If I purchase a gift for my child whether it is clothes for all car, and I see that my child is pleased, then who becomes satisfied? I am satisfied seeing that my child is satisfied. In truth, the child may have desired something else. But because I am unaware, I give according to my standard. It is for my satisfaction. This is not how we are to do things. The problem with this is because we reward according to our standards we do not reward according to the child's age and this leads to other problems. Do you know your child? You do not, but when you try to give them things because you do not know them you give according to your standard. To give according to you or your standards means it is not right for that child. God is raising up that child to do his work. But when I do things to the child according to my standards, am I allowing God to do his work or am I hindering him? There are times when you are hindering God's work. Through your worries and your desires you lead that child into your own direction. Surrender this to God. Today we sang these hymns. We sang to the Lord asking him to be our Shepherd and to be our guide. We also sing that he saved us through his blood. If you truly believe that he is leading you to green pastures then are you to follow him in obedience or should you not? You are to follow in obedience but what does that mean? It is to let go of the way you think and follow the commands given to us in his word. You may see the path before you as narrow and difficult, but where will this path lead to if God is guiding you through it? Though we suffer cuts and bruises because of the difficult path and refuse to go, you must make it through this path in order to get to green pastures and streams of living water. It is the fastest way. You must go in obedience, but rather than go in obedience we say "no". We face many problems in our lives. Is there anyone who does not want to move up in their position in life? Wherever there are positions people naturally want to go one step higher, make a little more money. Everyone enjoys the good things in life. Whom are we to serve in our hearts? We are to serve God and our Lord Jesus and have a relationship with them. I have three sons, and there is one thing that they will never be able to get rid of. That is their family name. If a child did not like their family name and decided to change it what will those who previously knew the child think of that child? Will they think that the child did something good? By changing their own family name others will look down on them. So why do I bring this up? Recently when I went to Korea as we were checking in there were a few of us in line. It was not too busy. The supervisor of the airline received a phone call and came rushing to one of the employees and told them to do nothing except wait for the special guest to arrive. Who was this VIP? They were not coming immediately, they would be here in five minutes, but still the airline was making arrangements to receive this person. I was very curious. Eventually two people had arrived, but what I saw was that one person seemed not as prominent as the other individual. After we boarded one of the persons close to me while the VIP sat in business class. As I heard the conversation of that person with an individual next to him I realized that the person who he came with was someone very special. Another passenger kept telling the individual to make most of this opportunity and to do well. Is the person who is sitting close to me someone important that he is receiving such attention from someone he does not know? He is only being lifted up because of the VIP that he has accompanied. Is this not how our world works? Do you want to be lifted up? Then if you are with the highest individual, then you too will be lifted up with them. You will receive VIP treatment. If I accompany the highest person, the most important person then I too will be lifted up. The God whom you believe, the God whom you should be serving, He is the greatest. He is the Creator of all things. If you will accompany him, then wherever you go, you can be lifted up, but do you think this way as you live your life? Do you? For those of you who do business and run your own businesses, you put up Bible verses on your walls, even those nonbelievers will put anything that speaks a blessing on their walls. Pastors, elders, and deacons label their titles on their business cards. It is all for show. But in their lives, in their speech it is no different from that of the world. All the things of this world are within them. Where is Jesus? This is why you never move up higher. This is why where ever you go you are knocked down. You fail to realize that you are not living a life serving our Lord. We do not realize that we have pushed our Lord aside. To live a life with Jesus does not mean to just walk side-by-side, if I am even detached from him by a millimeter then I am dead. To be cut off from the root means that even a millimeter of space signifies death. The presence of space means death. If I am even the smallest bit outside of Jesus and the Holy Spirit then I must realize that I am dead. We think that we can always call upon him when we need him, and do what we want with him by our side. Rather than live a life with Jesus inside of us we put him next to us. Is this not the reason why we have problems in our lives? In our trip to Korea we counseled others. There was a pastor and his wife who had come to receive prayer. After receiving prayer they said yes to obey God, but after leaving they refused to do what they had said they would do. Rather than submit to God they questioned why. This is not the type of obedience that God desires. There was another lady who had gone to seminary school but had a hard time converting her husband to Christ. She complained of all that she had been doing for her husband to change. She begged her husband to believe in Christ and did all that she could within her power to try to make him change. We told her to love her husband unconditionally as Jesus loves us without conditions. We told her to love her husband even if he does not believe in Jesus, to love him as her husband. She could not do it. Are you truly loving with the love of Jesus? Is this the path to pastorship? No. 36:20? She could not forgive her husband because he did not satisfy her. Then if people come to her and they do not grow in faith that meets her satisfaction, then can she forgive them and love them? She cannot. Then we met someone completely different. This person thought that he could hold on to his wife and follow her into heaven. When we told him he could not then he asked how would he be able to enter into heaven? We told him that it was dependent upon his faith whether he would go to heaven or not. When he was told this, he said he would do it. "I will do it" was his response. He decided to do God's work. These are three completely different individuals. We see these people in our lives. There are those call themselves servants of God. They are pastors, elders, deacons, members of churches, born into families and generations of believers. When a pastor prays for them or tells them something they are quick to say yes in front of them. But the moment they turn around and leave they start shaking their heads and making excuses. This is how some people live their lives of faith. Others require their needs to be met. They base their faith on their demands. These individuals live their lives of faith dependent on their demands being met. Then there are those who thought that they were doing enough. And when they are told that that is not the way, the immediately stand up, and make the decision to go and do as they are commanded. We have seen these people. How will you live your life? The Bible is clear today that if we remain in Christ and he remains in us and we do not worry about the things of tomorrow but only do as we are commanded to do today then because God will use me for His purpose, because I am going where He is going, then in that place I am a VIP. But from a worldview it may not be a place of recognition. When we think of being lifted up we think of high places, merit and increase in pay. When we look at the world there is only one top position. God may not put us there. When we build a rocket there is only one point at the top, but to build the entire rocket it takes a foundation for it to be built upon. When we humble ourselves and go to the places where God desires to use us, it is in this place that we will be recognized for our work. This is what it means to be blessed. What does it mean to remain in him and he in us? It is a life where I am not seen. It is a life where our Lord is seen. It is not my thoughts that I follow but it is the thoughts of Jesus that guide me and I go in obedience. As we bring 2012 to a close, as we remember the times where we refused to follow God and ended up where we have. Let us re-examine ourselves. Let us decide to put aside the ways of the old. Let us surrender all our thoughts, pride, and selfishness. Let us confess like Paul and say that we are already dead in Christ. Let us start the new year in the direction where God leads us. Let us follow on obedience in the path he leads us. Let us remain in him and allow him to remain in us. Let us no longer worry about tomorrow but do that which we are commanded to do today. Let us decide to live this life and confess to God that we will do so. As you live this life in the place where he guides you, may your life give God glory. Sermon by Pastor Howard Park Translation by Miguel Park

Do You Walk In White?

"We were buried with Him... that just as Christ was raised from the dead... even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4). No one experiences complete sanctification through a "white funeral"- the burial of the old life. If there has never been this crucial moment of change through death, sanctification will never be more than an elusive dream. There must be a "white funeral," a death with only one resurrection- a resurrection into the life of Jesus Christ. Nothing can defeat a life like this. It has oneness with God for only one purpose- to be a witness for Him. Have you really come to your last days? You have often come to them in your mind, but have you really experienced them? You cannot die or go to your funeral in a mood of excitement. Death means you stop being. You must agree with God and stop being the intensely striving kind of Christian you have been. We avoid the cemetery and continually refuse our own death. It will not happen by striving, but by yielding to death. It is dying- being "baptizied into His death" (Romans 6:3). Have you had your "white funeral," or are you piously deceiving your own soul? Has there been a point in your life which you now mark as your last day. Is there a place in your life to which you go back in memory with humility and overwhelming gratitude, so that you can honestly proclaim, "Yes, it was then, at my 'white funeral,' that I made an agreement with God." "This is the will of God, your sanctification..." (1 Thessalonian 4;3). Once you truly realize this is God's will, you will enter into the process of sanctification as natural process. Are you willing to experience that "white funeral" now? Will you agree with Him that this is your last day on earth? The moment of agreement depends on you. [from "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

Called by God

"I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me'" (Isaiah 6:8). God did not direct His call to Isaiah- Isaiah overheard God saying, "... who will go for Us?" The call of God is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whenever I hear God's call or not depends on ther condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude. "Many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14). That is, few prove that they are the chosen ones. The chosen ones are those who have come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and have had their spiritual condition changed and their ears opened. Then they hear "the voice of the Lord" continually asking, "... who will go for Us?" However God doesn't single out someone and say, "Now, you go." He did not force His will on Isaiah. Isaiah was in the presence of God, and he overheard the call. His response, performed in complete freedom, could only be to say, "Here am I! Send me." Remove the thought from your mind of expecting God to come to force you or plead with you. When our Lord called His disciples, He did it without irresistible pressure from the outside. The quiet, yet passionate, insistence of His "Follow Me" was spoken to men whose every sense was receptive (Matthew 4:19). If we will allow the Holy Spirit to bring us face to face with God, we too will hear what Isaiah heard- "the voice of the Lord." In perfect freedom we too will say, "Here am I! Send me."

Have You Ever Been Alone With God?

"When they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples" (Mark 4:34). Our Solitude with Him. Jesus doesn't take us aside and explain things to us all the time; He explains things to us as we are able to understand them. The lives of others are examples for us, but God requires us to examine our own souls. It is slow work- so slow that it takes God all the time and eternity to make a man or woman confirm‍ to His purpose. We can only be used by God after we allow Him to show us the deep, hidden areas of our own character. It is astounding how ignorant we are about ourselves! We don't even recognize the envy, laziness, or pride within us when we see it. But Jesus will reveal to us everything we have held within ourselves before His grace began to work. How many of us have learned to look inwardly with courage? We have to get rid of the idea that we understand ourselves. That is always the last bit of pride to go. The only One who understands us is God. The greatest curse in our spiritual life is pride. If we have ever had a glimpse of what we are like in the sight of God, we will never say, "Oh, I'm so unworthy." We will understand that this goes without saying. But as long as there is any doubt that we are unworthy, God will continue to close us in until He gets us alone. Whenever there is any element of pride or conceit remaining, Jesus can't teach us anything. He will allow us to experience heartbreak or the disappointment we feel when our intellectual pride is wounded. He will reveal numerous misplaced affections or desires- things over which we never thought He would have to get us alone. Many things are shown to us, often without effect. But when God gets us alone over them, they will be clear. [from "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

What My Obedience To God Costs Other People

"As they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon..., and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus" (Luke 23:26). If we obey God, it is going to cost other people more than it cost us, and that is where the pain begins. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost anything- it is a delight. But to those who do not love Him, our obedience does cost a great deal. If we obey God, it will mean that other people's plans are upset. They will ridicule us as if to say, "You call this Christianity?" We could prevent the suffering, but not if we are obedient to God. We must let the cost be paid. When our obedience begins to cost others, our human pride entrenches itself and we say, "I will never accept anything from anyone." But we must, or disobey God. We have no right to think that the type of relationships we have with others should be any different from those the Lord Himself had (see Luke 8:1-3). A lack of progress in our spiritual life results when we try to bear all the costs ourselves. And actually, we cannot. Because we are so involved in the universal purposes of God, others are immediately affected by our obedience to Him. Will we remain faithful in our obedience to God and be willing to suffer the humiliation of refusing to be independent? Or will we do just the opposite and say, "I will not cause other prople to suffer"? We can disobey God if we choose, and it will bring immediate relief to the situatuin, but it will grieve our Lord. If, however, we obey God, He will care for those who have suffered the consequences of our obedience. We must simply obey and leave all the consequences with Him. Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience to Him. [from "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

The Opened Sight

"I now send you, to open their eyes... that they may receive forgiveness of sins..." (Acts 26:17-18). This verse is the greatest example of the true essence of the message of a disciple of Jesus Christ in all of the New Testament. God's first sovereign work of grace is summed up in the words, "... that they may receive forgiveness of sins...." When a person fails in his personal Christian life, it is usually because he has never received anything. The only sign that a person is saved is that he has received something from Jesus Christ. Our jab as workers for God is to open people's eyes so that they may turn themselves form darkness to light. But that is not salvation; it is conversion- only the effort of an awakened human being. I do not think it is too broad a statement to say that the majority of so-called Christians are like this. Their eyes are open, but they have received nothing. Conversion is not generation. This is a neglected fact in our preaching today. When a person is born again, he knows that it is because he has received something as a gift from Almighty God and not because of his own decision. People may make vows and promises, and may be determined to follow through, but none of this is salvation. Salvation means that we are brought to the place where we are able to receive something from God on the authority of Jesus Christ, namely, forgiveness of sins. This is followed by God's second mighty work of grace: "... an inheritance among those who are sanctified...." In sanctification, the one who has been born again deliberately gives up his right to himself to Jesus Christ, and identifies himself entrely with God's ministry to others. [from "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

Prayerful Inner-Searching

"May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless..." (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Your whole spirit...." The great, mysterious work of the Holy Spirit is in the deep recesses of our being which we cannot reach. Read Psalm 139. The Psalmist implies- "O Lord, You are the God of the early mornings, the God of the late nignts, the God of the mountain peaks, and the God of the sea. But my God, my soul has horizons further away than those of early mornings, deeper darkness than the nights of earth, higher peaks than any mountain peaks, greater depths than any sea in nature. You who are the God of all these, be my God. I cannot reach to the heights or to the depths; there are motives I cannot discover, dreams I cannot realize. My God, search me." Do we believe that God can fortify and protect our thought processes far beyond where we can go? "... the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). If this means cleasing only on our conscious level, may God have mercy on us. The man who has been dulled by sin will say that he is not even conscious of it. But the cleansing from sin we experience will reach to the heights and depths of our spirit if we will "walk in the light as He is in the light" (1:7). The same Spirit that fed the life of Jesus Christ will feed the life of our spirit. It is only when we are protected by God with the miraculous sacredness of the Holy Spirit that our spirit, soul, and body can be preserved in pure uprightness until the coming of Jesus- no longer condemned in God's sight. We should more frequently allow our minds to meditate on these great, massive truths of God. [from "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers]

Matthew 3:1-11

Filled with the Holy Spirit and bearing the fruit of repentance. Matthew 3:1-11 1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' " 4 John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. This is the same scripture that we studied last week. I spoke to you about repentance. After repentance there must be a life that bears the fruit of repentance. This must start with in each of us and in our families. Between husband and wives, between parents and children. Have you resolved the issues within your families this past week? I would like for you to take the time to examine and see if you are truly committed to living a life of repentance and bearing the fruit of it within yourselves and your family. At times I use examples from my life. As you know, we have a garden in our back yard. In order to have this garden, we had to get rid of the weeds. Are there only vegetables that grow or are there also weeds? There are weeds. In order to make it easier to walk through the garden I had made a path with steppingstones, first pulling up the weeds then covering it with the material that prevents the weeds from growing up and covering that with the stones. The weeds continue to grow up through the material and in between the stones. What I want you to understand is though I may think I had pulled out all the weeds, I was not able to do so. As I dig up the weeds at times part of the roots that I miss will be put back in the dirt and these roots will grow deep into the soil. In order to prepare for the coming season, I started to remove the stones to get rid of some of the weeds beneath it. What I thought would be simple work, just to pull the weeds out, turns out to be much more difficult than I had thought. Do you know why? The weeds that are sitting on top that pierced through the material are rooted deep in the soil. All the weeds are now connected to each other. Unless I remove the covering material it will be impossible to remove the weeds. And because the weeds are all coming up through the material in different areas it is not easy to remove. The work is extremely difficult. Without the stones and the covering material it would be easy to just uproot the weed. But now with all the covering material and the stones, in order to remove the weeds, it takes much more work because everything is all connected. What I thought would take me a couple of hours has taken me three days. I give you this example because though you say that you have repented, you may have simply covered it up with something else and that sin has taken root deep within you. Though you may have covered it up with the appearance of Jesus, will that sin stop growing? It grows like the weeds. If the root of sin is within you it will continue to grow slowly, and when you try to uproot it later it will be much more difficult then had you started in the beginning. I am reminded of this again this week. We easily open our mouths in repentance and say that we have turned from our sin, that we have thrown away our old lives. We also put on an appearance of change. Unless we have truly been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit repentance will be difficult. If I reflect back on my life and see that I have not truly repented from sin, and that the roots of sin are still sprouting weeds, then it will be much more difficult to repent today than when I first sought repentance. Repentance becomes more difficult as time passes on. You must know this and then make your decision. When you choose to turn your life over to God does the road before you become easy? I am sure that you know that it does not get easy. The weather is good so that we continue to grow vegetables year round. As I care for the garden there are times when I notice that there are different plants growing where we did not plant those seeds. What did Jesus say in the parable about the owner and the weeds? When the workers asked if they should remove the weeds the owner told the workers to leave them alone. I also notice weeds in with the vegetables I leave them alone. When something else is growing besides that which you have planted, that means then those seeds have been planted in that place. Though I may think that I have planted the word of God in my heart, but rather than obedience, if I live in fear, anxiety, doubt, anger and all my old habits of sin then I have either failed to truly repent of my sin, or something that I have seen and heard from television, Internet or people around me has planted itself in me and this is slowly coming out of me. If I meet someone today and I allow them to influence me, though I may seem that I am well, it is possible that I have allowed them to plant evil in me and tempt me to fall into sin. Though I may seem that I am living according to the word of God, if anger, discontent, complaining and frustration come out of me then the seeds of sin are planted in me and growing. I must live a life where I deal with this sin, but because of laziness we wait, but until when? It will be the harvest. What happens to you in the end when you know that sin is growing within you through your thoughts, speech, and action? You will be held accountable for your actions before the Lord, but we fail to realize this. We think it is as easy as picking up something and throwing it away in the garbage. All the seeds that we continue to plant our lives will be brought forth in judgment before our Lord. We do not realize this and this is why we do not repent. We ask ourselves what's wrong with a little bit of sin? What's wrong with watching TV? You can watch it. What's wrong with playing games? You can play games. Maybe you get a little bit angry or frustrated, things like this happen. When these things add up, the entire direction of my life will have been changed. We know that when we shoot at a target, if we are off just a little bit from the starting point then we will miss what we aim for. Currently North Korea is trying to launch a rocket. If there is even a little problem with one of its parts, will that rocket launch properly? It will not. Last time they tried, soon after the launch the rocket exploded. They lack the technology. It is not the lack of funds. Because other people succeed does not guarantee that you will succeed as well. Unless you attain what those who have succeeded have, it will be a waste of time, money, and you will be embarrassed. You have confessed to God that you will obey, but if there is a little problem, will you be able to launch out properly? That means though you confessed to God that you will obey you will not be able to live the life of obedience. The moment you start out you will catch on fire and burn. To explode while you are trying to live a life of obedience means that it is not Jesus who is reflected in your life but it is the sin. Not only will I be ridiculed but I will not shine forth the glory of God in my life. We do not think about this. Rather we make excuses for our sin. When a nation launches a rocket and fails, it is not only embarrassing to those who built the rocket but it also affects the image of the country. Though the Bible teaches us to live a life that gives glory to God, if I do not live this life, then I am a sinner who fails to reflect God's glory. Yet we think it is alright to get angry, to get frustrated, to speak evil once in a while, but it is the culmination of these moments that hinder us from finishing the job completely. Rather than tighten the bolts, they remain loose which eventually means accidents will happen. You will end up being a sinner if your old self continues to live rather then Jesus in you. Is it repentance if your sin continues to be? Are you repenting? You did not repent. You get angry, you complain. When I get angry, my wife lets me know, but rather than humbling myself and stopping the anger, I get angry to the maximum, and then it is too late. It is easier to squash your anger when it starts. Though you may think you can resolve the issue after your anger has exploded by that time it is too late, because the poison has already entered your body. Why is repentance difficult? Repentance must bear fruit. Though we call upon the Lord we do not bear fruit and this is our problem. If there are bad seeds that have been planted in our hearts through the things we see, think, hear and by the people around us, then what should we plant in our hearts? I must plant the things that will bear good fruit. Just as the teacher of the law replied to Jesus it is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength and to love your neighbors as yourself. If we live the life of sowing the seeds of love by planting the word of God in my heart then there will be harvest of love, and though there may be some weeds that grow we can overcome them with the abundance harvest of love. We put much effort in listening to the advice of the world. But when it comes to obeying the word of God we assume that we know but there is no obedience to it. Why do we not obey? A pastor had shared his story recently. He was not well, so he was given advice to exercise. He decided to play ping-pong. After a few months he became confident. He asked this coach "with this much skill am I not good enough?" The coach said he did not know. Why? The reason being that though you have practiced the technique, when you go out in competition that is when you will truly be tested. In practice you are taught that when someone hits a ball a certain way it will come in a certain direction then you can get it back a certain way. But in the competition does the opponent hit the ball slowly to give you time to think about what you are going to do? The ping-pong ball is fast. When will you have time to look at the ball to think and decide what you are going to do? Does the ball wait for you? It does not. The moment you see the ball come your muscle reacts. It is not a question of seeing, thinking and doing, but it is more of a muscle reaction to the ball through practice. A boxer must act to his opponent. All teams and coaches respond to the movements of the opponent. If I decide today to follow Jesus and obey, you do not have time to think about the passage of scripture, the verse that tells you how to deal with anger when someone is trying to get you to be angry. Rather you must have sown the seeds of love within your heart so that when someone tries to get you to be angry you respond with love. This is the life of a Christian that others must see. Though we have knowledge of the Bible, we lack the application of it in our lives. Therefore when someone tempts us we fall into it. When someone comes to tempt us we fall into it an end up taking pleasure in it. Why? My muscles, my heart, have not been disciplined to deny sin in my life. The time it takes to recognize sin and decide what to do about it the seeds are being planted and show up in my life. We do not realize the same in our lives. We must discipline ourselves to immediately recognize sin, say no to it, and live a life that denies it. You must have this discipline so that no matter what temptation you are faced with in life you can overcome and be victorious. As you sit at home watching TV and thinking your own thoughts have you not already imagined everything? If you are going to meet someone later in the day, have you not already thought about what you are going to say and what they are going to say? If you are having good thoughts the conversation with yourself ends up where? If you are having bad thoughts where does that conversation take you? For example, you think that your child did something wrong. It would be fine if you would just stop after addressing the issue, but you go and add the next thing and the next thing, and then you get excited and decide to take action. What does that mean? You are taking the place of God and trying to lead the child to where you want them to go. You are standing in God's place, but you do not think so. You do not see where God is leading the child, but you have decided in your mind what you will do and are trying to lead that child into the path you choose. Who is the one in control? It is God. But if I decide what the result is to be and lead someone to my choosing, then I sit in the highest seat of pride. You make excuses saying that you a worried and anxious. It is because you fail to surrender it all to God. You are slowly going down the path of sin. When you have a job to do you think about everything. And you decide what you want the result to be so you do whatever it takes to achieve it. Have you surrendered your work to the One who is in control? You did not. Where is God who is supposed to be your Master? You meet people, have customers and see patients. You do not heal these patients. Having faith to surrender to God who is the One who heals, allows God to use you for His work. This must be the attitude in our hearts so that others may see the fragrance of Jesus Christ in our lives, but is it so? Whether it is an athlete, business person, a person who is skilled or knowledgeable, they all want to reveal the talent they posses. With the passing of time, the greatest athlete in the world will lose their place to someone else. The smartest person will be replaced by the next smartest person. The best doctor, the best dealing business person will be replaced by someone else. Even if I want myself to be revealed, eventually someone who is better will replace me. If I live a life that is surrendered to God, a life that is in complete obedience, this life will be one that is not surpassed by others. If I am unable to fulfill that which has been given to me, then someone else must be raised up to fulfill the demand. Then there will have to be someone who must surpass me. If I am to save ten souls but I do not, then in order to save those, someone else must be raised up to save them. But if I live in complete obedience in saving the ten souls, then I have done what I was given and have fulfilled God's purpose and no one can take that from my life. Then when I stand before God having done what I was given completely, I will be rewarded and live a joyful life eternally with my Lord. We do not understand this concept. We think a life filled with the Holy Spirit is making lots of money, having power when we call upon the Lord, having our prayers answered, seeing visions and because you walk with the Lord, everything in your life is to be well and think that it is all God's will. Is this truly how it is? Is this the life that the Bible teaches us is the life filled with the Holy Spirit? To have visions when we close our eyes, having all our prayers answered, is this the life filled with the Holy Spirit? Is it correct? Besides Jesus who lived the life that was most filled with Holy Spirit? Stephen? No, he heard the gospel and as filled with the spirit but there was one who was filled with the Spirit in their mother's womb. It is John the Baptist. Today if a parent doesn't want to keep their baby they go and abort the child which is not even given a chance to be born, but in the womb of his mother John was filled with the Spirit that he danced in the womb when he met Jesus who was also in His mother' womb. Who has ever been more filled with the Spirit? Is this life that John the Baptist lived a life of wealth? Did he sit in a position of status? Was he educated in their schools? What did he do? He was filled with the Spirit and lived in the desert. It was not even a life in the city. If you we're asked to live a life of the Spirit in this manner, would you? We think that being filled with the Spirit is about having power, having prayers answered, casting out demons, healing the sick. The life of the Spirit that John the Baptist lives was not one that was a part of the world. He scolded the most educated teachers of the Law who are the Pharisees and Saducees. If I am filled with the Spirit and I see that the pastor is wrong, then I must be able to go to the pastor and have the ability to point it out. But if you think that you do not have the right to do that because someone is a pastor then you are not filled with the Spirit. But to be able to be filled with the Spirit and stand before someone and point out their mistake means that I must be able to reflect on my life and see that I am living completely in obedience to the Word. By living in obedience to the Word I am able to preach it in confidence. By not being stained by the world I am able to have the power to judge the world. A king married someone he should not have. He was scolded. Later he was killed because of it. 35:23? The life of the Spirit is not worried about life or death. But we are concerned about life and death. We worry about our status, our appearance to others. We think that these are the things of the Spirit but this is not right. We mentioned Stephen earlier. Stephen was filled with the Spirit gave one sermon and then he died. If you were told to receive this type of Spirit would you want to? Will you say amen to it? We do not want to. Truthfully, we would rather do a little less but live a bit longer. Then is what we speak and our actions one? We are living a life that does not follow the faith we confess. We sit here and readily accept what is being said and think nothing of it because we do not repent from the sin that is being shown to us by the Spirit according to the Word. We must resolve these things in our lives so that we can live a life as true Christians bearing the fruit of repentance. These are some of the reasons why we must repent. In the Bible we can see that there are even those who were very well disciplined but when they were not alert had fallen into sin. One who stands out is David. Was there any one more disciplined than him? He refused to kill his enemy even though he had the chance because he refused to kill one who had been anointed by God. He put the life and death of an individual in the hand of God. Even when Saul tried to kill him, David always stood on God's sides till the end. You are all aware of the disciplined life of David. He was always awake during the most difficult times in war and when he was being chased. But he fell into sin after he awoke from a nap. If it is easy to fall into sin the moment you let down your guard, are you as disciplined as King David? Is your life truly disciplined? It is not. Your training is not over because you see visions, have spiritual power, and because your prayers are being answered. Even David who was trained through the most difficult of circumstances fell into sin the moment he let down his guard. Then how must we live? Though he repented God took the child and never was the sword to leave the house of David. You must remember this. All you remember may be that God had forgiven him and everything was alright. But in the life of his family there was to be war. To allow the sword to remain in the family signifies that God punishes for sin. This is what you must remember when you decide to repent. Saul was humble before he was king. But after he became king, out of pride he made many mistakes. He forgot about his country. Then he died. When we remember King Saul how do we remember him? David cried and cried and repented and through his family God would send an eternal savior. But Saul was discarded by God. If we see this. If we humble ourselves before God today and he raises us up, shows us visions, blesses us, but we get greedy and desire to maintain that which has been given to us, then those who come after me will forget about me and my name will be erased from the book of life. How foolish it would be to be this person? In the New Testament we are told about Ananias and Sapphira. Though they did not give a sermon nor testimony they were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were filled with the Holy Spirit, filled with a desire that moved them to sell all their possessions, but in a brief moment they were filled with doubt and worry and deceived the Spirit. If we see this, then we must know that what is important is not to see if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, nor is it important to simply humble ourselves before God, nor is it important to have much training like David, but what is truly important is to always be awake until we are called to stand before God so that we do not fall into the path of sin. It is an incredible training. Every day, every hour, each moment is a battlefield for us. This is the life of a Christian. If you are obedient 99%, it is the one percent of disobedience that plants the seed of sin in your heart and then like David, Saul, and Ananias and Sapphira you fall into the path of sin, then must we be awake or are you satisfied the way you are? The devil will allow us the 99% but it is the 1% that he uses against us. It is the 1% which causes you to fall into sin. Though God will use our 99% if I let go of his hand then it will be my fault. God is not the one who lets go of us. God is the one who fills me with his Spirit and gives me all that I need, I am the one who fails in keeping what he has entrusted to me. Why? It is the years of life in which I store up my own wisdom, experiences, stubbornness. I refuse to let go of myself. We do not understand the ways of God because it does not fit into our mind frame. Our thoughts get in the way. We want to try and do things our way. Because you have lived your life, you try to instill what you have learned into your child and this worries you. Parents who say they are concerned for their children are the ones who have a hard time letting go of them. They are the ones who have a tight grip on their child. I used to be this way. I understand. When God is guiding your child but you hold onto that child by 1% then God will let you do as you wish with the child and he will let go. Whether you hold on to 1% or refuse to let go of 99% it is the same. It is better to surrender completely, or grab a hold of it 100%. But if you understand that it does not work because you hold onto it 100%, then surrender yourself before God, as we see in the lives of those who have gone before us, not only must we see how they were successful, we must see their mistakes and decide not to make the same mistakes. This will speed up the learning process. But rather than learning from their mistakes and waking up to truth, we look at the blessings that they have received and desire for these blessings. If we look and compare, the results of sin are more profound than the effects of blessings. I'm not sure if it is good to use Abraham as an example, but we can see that the child he received for his faith is the country of Israel which is a small country. Is that not so? But his seed of the flesh is an entire Arab nation. Which is greater? Which is the greater blessing? What is the greater problem? Does not what the Arab nations have in terms of power and treasure something desirable? In today's time all countries and nations are having to appease this power. Is this God's way? If we look at the things of this world and desire treasures and power then we may be envious of these things. But if we look to God in obedience and realize that this is not the way, then what must I decide and how am I to give my life over to God? When we say we are giving our lives to God and living for him and then it is not about living in the desert and being in lonely places like John the Baptist, nor is it about having wealth or lacking it, nor is it about achieving status or being humble. It is being led by the Holy Spirit, though no one gives me recognition, and living according to the Word. This is the life of obedience. What does it mean to have content life? Can you answer this question? What is the most content life? I am asking from a worldly view. Is it having a bigger house, a nice car, a good salary, is this happiness? Happiness is not measured by houses for money. It is fundamentally the sense of being satisfied. Though I have less money if I am content then I am happy. Though my house maybe small if I am content and then I am happy. Though I may have less of an education if I am confident in what I know then I am happy. Though others may look at me and say that I am lacking, if I am content in what I eat and drink and what I do, then I am happy. Though my children may not meet my expectations if I am able to see them and take pleasure in them simply because they are my children then I can be happy. This is the standard of life. What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? It is being filled with the Holy Spirit, living the life that God has granted me, living in obedience to the Spirit, living a life to give glory to God, and being content in God. This is like John the Baptist, who was filled with the Holy Spirit, Living in the desert though nobody gave him any recognition, and living a life believing in truth, and proclaiming the truth and boldness, not being concerned with what he ate drink or wore. If you realize that to live in the Spirit means to be content, then in order to live this life, there must be true repentance that removes the roots of sin in my life, so that I am able to live this life. Although we have lived our lives with our thoughts, habits and experiences, the reason we continue to worry and be anxious is because we do not truly repent. We have not given our lives to God. We give him lip service. But if we realize that we are not giving truly of our lives, we must truly repent in order to be victorious. In order to be victorious through repentance we must remove all the roots of sin. Not a repentance that only scratches the surface. Newtons third law of motion says that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Just like these laws describe the rules of nature when we see sin we must oppose it. I must have trained myself to be able to do this, so that I may live a life in victory. In order to live this life we must continually plan the word of God in our hearts, and continually plant the love of Jesus in our hearts, so that we may allow the love to grow in our hearts, and reap a harvest of love and the word and bear the fruit of true repentance. We have an obligation to live our lives and give glory to God and that is through the life of repentance. We have been commanded to give glory to God. In order to live this life I am asking that you search your hearts on the spirit of repentance. As we bring 2012 to a close, may you get everything in order, and with a clean heart and may you turn to God and give him glory through your life that bears the fruit of repentance. May God answer this request.