leap

Posted on December 10, 2004 by Dana

When the unborn baby heard of the coming of Messiah, he jumped for joy! “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!’”

Just as a ‘young’ John the Baptist was excited two thousand years ago, a nine-month-old John celebrates now! As our friends Pete and Mary led worship Sunday, John stood and danced and tapped his foot. A smiling mother watched her growing son, and I’ll bet an all-seeing Father laughed with delight.

He created us to worship… to sing… to dance… and to present our gifts to the Savior. No matter how young or old or how rich or poor, Jesus came to bring joy to the world. How wonderful the news!

But He also came to bring a sword. Conflict is inevitable when Light penetrates darkness. “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

And those who love Him most may have hearts pierced with sorrow as true goodness is scorned and rejected. Simeon prophesied to Mary, “This child is destined to cause the rising and falling of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” Why would we crucify the only good man that ever lived? But history’s most horrible injustice brings the best news of all! “My sin – O the bliss of this glorious thought – my sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the Cross and I bear it no more! Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, oh my soul!”

Leap for joy and dance to the music! God is with us! Immanuel!

“At this my heart pounds and leaps from its place. Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth. He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth. After that comes the sound of his roar; he thunders with his majestic voice. When his voice resounds he holds nothing back. God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.” Job 37:1-5

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Ye Su

Posted on December 3, 2004 by Dana

“Wo yi jing ding gao gen sui Ye Su…” This phrase, repeated three times, was sung to a familiar tune Susan and I quickly recognized. “I have decided to follow Jesus… no turning back, no turning back.”

It was a special honor to sing this song with young Chinese Christians who may risk more than we can imagine as they say ‘yes’ to the Lord. Dangers vary in the different provinces of China, but all must consider Jesus’ instruction to count the cost.

One young lady we met in QingDao radiated the joy of the Lord as she has decided to follow Him. When asked what would happen if her employer found that she was a Christian, she explained there was already a difference between certain workers. “A person doing my job gets paid four times what I do if he is a member of the Communist Party. If it were known that I was a Christian, I am confident I would lose my job.” Is this young lady foolish to take such risks with her livelihood?

“My cross I’ll carry til I see Jesus… no turning back, no turning back.” On June 17, 2004, in Guizhou Province, a young lady and her mother-in-law were arrested for handing out Bibles and Christian literature. When the mother-in-law was released on June 23, she was horrified to hear that her daughter-in-law had died at the hands of her captors. A husband and four-year-old son have lost a wife and mother. Were these Christians foolish to share the Gospel in their land?

David Aikman, former Beijing Bureau Chief for Time magazine, described a visit to an underground seminary in his book, JESUS IN BEIJING. In a class he attended, the students sang a song with great enthusiasm: “China, China, rise up to share the Gospel because God loves you.” Recognizing an American among them, the students added a second verse: “America, America, rise up to share the Gospel because God loves you.”

Is the cost of discipleship greater in one nation than in another? The cost of Heaven was the same… the precious blood of the Lamb. The enemy of God is the same… though his strategies may vary. The King is the same… though some have difficulty understanding the concept of supreme authority. Is it not reasonable to conclude that God expects the same of all who want to follow the Son… everything?

“The cross before me, the world behind me… no turning back, I’ll follow Him.” Focus totally on the cross, and see what the world says… no matter where you live. When we walk toward the cross, we turn our back on this world. Paul wrote, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” The world says avoid anything that causes pain or discomfort. Jesus says, “Pick up your cross and follow Me.”

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple… (Jesus then tells of a tower builder and a king who had to count the cost)… In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26-33

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thanksgiving

Posted on November 20, 2004 by Dana

If you’re not careful, when you go to a foreign country you’ll tend to give the most thanks for things that may not be very important in the Kingdom of God. “I thank you, Lord, that my country is not like this one! We have so much more and are so much smarter! Thank you that our food does not taste like this food! Thank you for dishwashers and televisions! Thank you that we all have cars and that our streets aren’t so crowded! Thank you that public restrooms are so much more pleasant in our land! Thank you, Lord, that I don’t live here!”

An even worse thanksgiving was described by Jesus in a parable:

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said,’God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)

God sees perfectly! And on that day when we all see clearly, we may find everything upside down. The places in the world where the Kingdom is advancing most are those places where we would probably not want to live. Some of the children of God with the strongest faith would be pitied by most in our land. Just as the poor widow Jesus pointed out in the temple, some of the ones who are most generous would not even be noticed by those who give out of their wealth.

It is right to give thanks for country and heritage and food, but as we celebrate this week, let’s humbly remember our greatest blessing: A Father loved the world so much He gave His precious Son, so those who realized they were lost and needed mercy could put all their hope in Him and become children of God. Our King wants to eat with us! :)

“These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 3:14-22

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religions

Posted on November 13, 2004 by Dana

Five men from India were easily noticed as we stood in line at Incheon airport in South Korea. Each wore an orange robe and had a red dot painted on his forehead. We spent the night in a hotel inside the airport, but with sleep patterns still on Atlanta time, I woke up at 4:00 in the morning and decided to get up and walk around. On my walk I saw the Hindu men in a lobby area. They were sitting cross-legged on the floor with heads bowed in prayer or meditation. “These guys are dedicated”, I thought to myself.

Our first day in China, we visited a Buddhist temple where faithful monks with shaven heads chanted, burned incense, and tended the compound. At the end of the week, we traveled north of the city of QingDao and saw a Taoist temple strategically built to give spectacular views of the mountains and the sea. Just before leaving on our trip, I overheard a Muslim decline food and drink, saying he was in the middle of a forty day fast in observance of Ramadan.

Witnessing other religions being practiced brings a few thoughts to mind. First, I praise God for His brilliant plan to save the world. Man will never be saved by what he does… we can only be saved by what God has done. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Other religions in this world are based on the works of the religious, but God knows we can never reach Him by our own effort. ‘You must come to Me by faith. Trust My Son and I will give you life. Salvation will be a gift of grace that prevents you from boasting.’

I dare not arrogantly look down on the Hindu priests, who are simply practicing what they have been taught. Instead, I praise the Author of salvation, realizing that even my faith is a gift. He now tells me to love others the same way He loves me. “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.” (John 14:16-17)

Do you think He would give us souls? Do we love enough to ask?

God’s truth exposes the deception of other religions, but probing questions easily come to mind. Do the Hindu priests love their false gods more that I love the True and Living God? Do the Buddhist offerings to an idol outshine what I offer Jehovah? Do the Muslim fasts and prayers to a false prophet exceed my dedication to the true Messiah?

What if I admit I don’t even follow Jesus’ greatest commands? What if I cannot honestly say I love the Lord with all my heart? What if I do not love my neighbor as I should? The true God simply tells us to be honest and humbly go to the Source. “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30) What other God invites so lovingly and supplies so abundantly? Dare we go anywhere else?

If your love is lacking, ask and believe. “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” If your prayer life is weak, ask for grace. “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” If your offering to the Father is little, step out in faith and give Him what is most precious. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.”

Because He first loved us, we can love Him. Shall we?

“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” Romans 12:3

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quick note

Posted on October 26, 2004 by Dana

Since I won’t be able to send anything for a while, I thought I would let everyone know we got a good report from the doctor today. We praise God and thank you for all your prayers.

Love,
Dana

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