Devotional Time with God

I’m not perfect. I realize that’s from the beginning. I also don’t have a good record of keeping peace in my friends at work or church. It’s my abrasive personality. Something that I have to work hard to change and continue to refine.

I need to change, because God commanded me to get along with other believers:

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:3

I must seek peace. I must not get involved in gossip. I must find solutions to conflict. I must take the higher ground because that’s what Jesus would do.

I must keep harmony and unity in the church. Gods loves to bless a peaceful church.

I sometimes confuse that I have to work hard for my salvation. I thought I have to attend church, do good deeds, give donations, to buy my way to heaven.

I got it backwards!

It turns out Jesus died for me and that’s the simple grace for my salvation. The love for another, the good deeds, the attendance in fellowship with other believers, are the results of my belief in God.

Not only I believe in my salvation, I also belong in God’s family. It’s only natural.

In the same way, we are many, but in Christ we are all one body. Each one is a part of that body, and each part belongs to all the other parts.

Romans 12:5

One of most the intense moral, political, and legal issue is California’s Proposition 8: Banning Same-Sex Marriage. It hits closer to home.  My opinion on Proposition 8 is not about discrimination, but rather the twisted lies and deceit set forth by the people who are against it.

I support Proposition 8.

It’s not about hate of fellow human beings. It’s not about the tax breaks. It’s not about denying health care access to anyone.

It is about moral standards set by God.

The bible says marriage is for a man and woman, sacred, and must be protected. It also says that homosexuality lifestyle is a sin. As a Christian, I have to abide by what the bible says because it is God’s word.

It is about my parental rights.

I don’t want my daughter to be forced to learn about homosexuality at an early age. My wife and I will decide when she’s old enough to understand and form her own opinion on the subject. The State’s public school system must not force the idea that same-sex parents is acceptable. Anyone who is religious clearly disagrees. Just as the atheists are against at the idea of the Lord’s Prayer in our schools, we want our rights to go against any immoral teachings. As parents, we decide what’s right for our child’s education. We should not have to go to jail because we protested against the public school’s enforcement of same-sex marriage education, like they did to David Parker in Lexington, Massachusetts.

It is about democracy.

America’s forefathers were Christians, and they set the principles and ethics for this country in a constitution based on God. They made this country great. In year 2000, the people clearly voted against same-sex marriage. However, it saddens me to learn the about judges who decided to overturn this democratic outcome. Here we are now, in 2008, again with the people voted against same-sex marriage. This is America: We Vote – for the good of the many, not the few. The people has clearly spoken.  We don’t use scare tactics and hide behind “civil rights” arguments. Bill Daily’s comment on Louis Gray’s blog has pretty much echoed my conclusion: It turns out the church and its members’ rights are the one being cast aside.

I’ve known many people who are gay. They’re nice and loving people, just like me. What is different is their lifestyle, and that’s the only thing I don’t agree with. However, that doesn’t stop me from caring or talking with them. Most of my church-going and Bible-believing friends have the same view. People may argue that the church should not force their views on every one else, but it also applies to everyone else not forcing the issue on the church and its members. The definition of marriage between man and woman have not changed for thousands of years. Why should 2% of the world population suddenly make it mandatory for that to change?

Proposition 8 is about the people’s rights, and that means for BOTH SIDES have to be respected. Children must not be the pawn of this argument. Democracy must still be used before we make any big changes to system. Being informed is required for everyone, avoiding finger pointing and lies. All it takes is a little civility, and treat each with respect and dignity.

God, I pray that you will give us, the patience and grace to handle this issue.  Give us the abundance of love for each other, that we don’t simply get angry at each other.  Rather, we want to be able to agree to disagree, and decide on the matter in a democratic and civilized way.  Let your will be done, Lord.  Amen.

Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Proverbs 3:9-10

This is God’s promise: He will overflow me with blessing if I give my first offering to Him. This is the concept of Tithe. It’s one of the most difficult concept in the bible because it requires a giant leap of faith to give 10% of my gross income to the Church. It’s a subject of controversy because people have concerns about giving that much money to a church that might abuse it. Of course, not all church will misuse it. I know for certain that Saddleback Church will not because Pastor Rick just offered the congregation a challenge: tithe for the next 3 months – if I’m not blessed, closer to God, and my life enriched, Rick will refund the money out of his own pocket! He strongly believe tithing works, and I do too. It happened in my life and I learned God’s blessing thru tithing.

Another important note is that tithing is for God. That means it’s an act of worship, in a house of worship. Tithing is for the church, not a third party charity or organization.

Tithing is a test of my trust in God. I trust my future in God with my faith in Him.

What am I personally doing to protect unity in my church family right now?

The Purpose Driven Life, p. 167

I am in a warm and loving church because everyone cares about Christ, the community, and others. Saddleback Church has been the forefront in caring for the homeless in Orange County, honours the civil servants such as fire fighters and police force, and preach the word of God actively to the world. The church also takes care of its congregation by providing me with convenient time to attend a service, over 500 ministries to try, over 5000 small groups to join up, and many support groups to help anyone in trouble. Pastor Rick and his pastoral staff teach practical bible-based ways to equip my life.

However, I belong to an imperfect church. Why? Because I am not perfect. I had been to churches where gossip was rampant. I was in a church where the pastoral staff was removed because “he sinned”, but the congregation never knew about it directly (too many secrets). I had been to a church that was too methodic and strict. I had also been to a church where the leaders worry about how the church would look from the outside, and everyone acted superficial. No church is perfect because the people are not perfect.

But, I must try to get along. I must try to give my best effort to help my brothers and sisters. I must give my time to nurture relationship and fellowship. I must try to be like Jesus, because Jesus loves His church. I must love other believers, as Jesus has paid with His blood to save us.

So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

Romans 14:19 (NLT)

Does my level of involvement in my local church demonstrate that I love and am committed to God’s family?

The Purpose Driven Life, p. 137

Saddleback Church is huge. I mean BIG. There are over 30,000 people in attendance, many small groups to choose from, and many ministries to participate in. Sometimes it is difficult to fit in a church that size. Fortunately, it’s a church that encourages spiritual growth. I may not know everyone, but I am getting to know a few already. Jeff and Katie are the current host of the small group that we attend. Previously, we’ve known several others.

I have to become more active in the church. We’ve already attended Class 101 and must now take it to the next steps (201, 301, etc.) It is my goal to use my God-given talent for the church to use. I have a life time to establish this, but I’m praying that it will be sooner. I am putting in time, talent, and treasure for God’s work through the church.

You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.

2 Corinthians 4:5 (NLT)

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

– Genesis 1:1

It all started with God. It will always be that way. Essentially, our existence depends on our creator and He’s got a plan for us even before we arrive here on earth. That is the message that Pastor Rick Warren is delivering to everyone within the next 40 days. He started the 40 Days of Purpose series at Saddleback Church and its congregation all over the world. It is also based on his popular The Purpose Driven Life book which outlines a topic in each chapter, that is to be read one day at a time for 40 days. The book has a profound (yet practical) message and has changed a lot of people’s lives, including mine.

Within the next few days, I’m excited to re-study this book and re-learn God’s plan for me.