Love.

whollynew:

There are times when we must hold our tongues, saints. Don’t you dare tear down what is to be built up. Don’t you dare have the audacity to destroy what is to be edified. 

“It’s the moment when humanity
Is overcome by majesty
When grace is ushered in for good
And all our scars are understood
When mercy takes its rightful place
And all these questions fade away
When out of the weakness we must bow
And hear You say ‘It’s over now’”

Dan,

You are overly-ambitious and just a bit selfish.
You need to learn to play your role, even if it may not be the biggest one.
The role you play might not be the one you want, but it will be the most crucial and perfect one exclusive to you.
God knows what He’s doing.
Accept it. 

Father..
I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.
There is so much garbage in my heart right now.
I’ve compromised Your grace and I’ve called it freedom. But each day I was compromising Your grace, I was only tightening the shackles on my wrists and ankles.
I’ve piled things on top of You in my heart, to the point where I couldn’t even hear You shouting my name.

But these situations You’ve placed me in..
The complete anguish in my heart right now..
You haven’t given up on me.
For that, words can’t express my gratitude.
So instead, I choose to seek You in this anguish.
I choose to give You my heart.
I’m coming back to the heart of worship..
It’s all about You. 

Give me peace towards the things I cannot control.
But give me an undying, unwavering passion towards the things I can.

If You’re calling me to sit and pray, I will obey.
If You’re calling me to stand up and take action, I will obey.

I feel like a man.

HAHA.

Praise be to God who has nurtured me and led me these past 17 years.
I only pray for more fruitful and blessed years to come. 

In all situations, point the finger at yourself.
Think, “What can I do for this situation?” 

Grilling the actions of others, Christian or Non-Christian, inevitably breeds pride.
You can’t control what they do.
But you can control what you do.

“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”
- Hebrews 12:14

I think this is a topic that needs to be confronted within the Church.

Have we been doing it all wrong?

Brothers and sisters, where has the empathy gone? The compassion?
Are we so consumed with ourselves, that we’ve lost sight of those bearing their crosses right next to us?

With hearts set on a mutual goal, we run this Christian race.
But we don’t run alone. We run with each other.
So when a brother falls flat on his face and is struggling to get up, what do we do?

We toss Philippians 4:13 in his direction and continue to run.

This is the sad reality of today.
But no! I refuse to believe that this is what the Body has amounted to.
God calls us to so much more than that.
He calls us to walk with one another in love. 
What does that look like? 

When a brother or sister is going through a difficult time, whether it be self-harm, depression, anger, etc., often times the last thing he/she wants to hear is someone preaching some bible verses.
The verses may be pertinent to the situation, but simply tossing them out can be completely counter-productive and insensitive.

If I were to come to Christ with my deepest problems, I’m confident He wouldn’t toss scripture at me and leave it there.
He would act on it.
He would pray for me.
He would remind me of His love.
He would gently restore me, bringing my senses back to peace.
He wouldn’t leave me struggling on the floor; He would pick me up and walk side by side with me.

In the same way, we are called to do just that!
Don’t let them feel attacked.
Don’t let them feel judged.
Don’t preach at them.
Pray for patience and understanding.
Pray for them.
Walk right next to them and remind them that they are loved. 

Love entails sacrifice.
And I’m failing to see the sacrifice in so many areas of the Church today.

Father,
Lead us.
I can’t empathize perfectly with anybody. Only you can do that.
But if there is an ounce of Your love inside of me, let it shine.
Don’t let me become jaded, Lord.
Allow me to hurt, allow me to break. Let other’s pains be real to me.
Christ, just as you wept over Jerusalem and prayed for Your children, allow me to share that compassion.
Here I am Father, use me.
In Christ’s beautiful name I pray, amen. 

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
-Eph. 5:1-2 

samuelychoi:

God, You could love me more in a moment, than all the lovers could in a lifetime…

I’m just torturing myself.

Dependence on God means denial of self.

C’mon Dan.

It is absolutely beautiful outside.
I look up into the sky and I just stand in awe.
Despite any low points in my day, seeing the beauty all around really grounds me.
I am loved by the King of the Universe.
The Creator of the Earth and all its inhabitants.
My problems seem a lot less smaller now.

You are glorious, Father.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.”
Psalm 19:1