Sometimes despair sets in and we think to ourselves, “This is never going to change…” “This” could be a person, a situation, or even you! Perhaps it’s your spouse who’s got a nasty habit as long as you’ve known him/her. Perhaps it’s your job/family situation you’ve been wanting to change for years. Perhaps it’s your […]
Proverbs 27:14–Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing. It may be an exaggeration to say that good intentions are completely irrelevant. But if those good intentions resulted into a disaster, we would be so overcome with the disaster, that we would hardly consider the good intentions the person had. Ideally we […]
Sometimes, we don’t recognize God’s answer to our prayers because God’s answer was far bigger and grander than what we have asked for. We are like a small child who asked for a candy and God has given us the whole chain of candy stores, and because we haven’t received exactly what we prayed for, […]
Proverbs 27:23-24–Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, 24 for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations? 25 When the grass is gone and the new growth appears and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered, 26 the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a […]
I must be getting old! I’ve always liked to listen to other pastors’ sermons, but now I enjoy listening to older pastors rather than the younger pastors. Perhaps because I realize it in myself, but in general, the longer you walk with Christ, the more complete your theology becomes. When I was a young pastor, I […]
It is amazing to what extent mothers will go to protect and provide for their children. In my (Korean) culture, mothers won’t hesitate to take the blame for their children’s crimes. They’d rather go to jail and even be executed if it would mean that their child will be spared. And as a parent who […]
Proverbs 27:1–Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. When we truly analyze how we prepare for the coming days, weeks, or months, we generally assume and plan that we know what is going to happen, which is not all bad. But we can lose joy and expectation by negatively presuming that things will continue […]
Yesterday in our Community Group, we were talking about our past church experiences. And we all agreed that we have encountered many “pharisees.” At the risk of becoming ones ourselves, we want to guard our hearts against it. Consider what Jesus said about them in Matthew 23:1-36. You are a pharisee if… – You do good […]
Proverbs 27:12–The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. Throughout the Bible, God uses a lot of metaphors regarding our eyesight. Not just dealing with people who are physically unable to see, but spiritually blind. Void of the light of Christ, and unable to see in the midst of darkness… […]
In the last few weeks, I have made one of the most important discoveries about Christian life. I have always assumed that the Bible taught us about God so that we can put that knowledge to living a fuller and better life. Put another way, we are given the knowledge of God for the purpose of applying it […]