by prayer and petition

October 23, 2003

since i last spoke with amanda on sunday, i've been thinking a lot about philippians 4:6, "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

we talked briefly about prayer and why we need to petition before God our requests. it may seem strange to pray about a particular item on a day-to-day basis, since God already knows what's on our hearts and does not need us to pray about things in order for Him to move (He is in no way bound by anything we say or do, since He is God). so i'd like to attempt to offer some potential explanations to why paul wrote what he did. mind you, i must say that i am not limiting prayer to simply requests, as prayer is communion with God. but for the sake of this entry, that will be how i refer to prayer as; supplication.

1) praying on a regular basis for a specific items reminds us that we have prayed about it
we are forgetful people. it's natural to not remember everything that happens in our lives. new information comes in, old information goes out. it's the way things are. can you honestly remember the exact words you spoke to a friend a week ago? highly unlikely. the same happens when we pray about something. if we call out to God in a brief, fleeting moment, there is no way we will remember it. to remedy this, by praying regularly, we will remember our requests (the reason why this is, is because we transfer the information to our long term memory from our short term memory. long term memory is permanent storage.)

2) praying on a regular basis puts our faith, trust and dependency in God
by constantly saturating a specific item in prayer, we naturally place our faith and trust in God. we are saying to God that we believe He is exceedingly capable of providing everything that we need, and that we will depend on Him and not on ourselves. it moves us from a me-oriented perspective to a He-oriented perspective.

3) praying on a regular basis reminds us that God is alive and active
when God responds to our request, and we don't remember it, we will most likely attribute the circumstance to something other than God. we then take the glory away from God and place it onto something else. we may even forget that God is active in our lives. when we see that God has responded to our request, we marvel, we stand in awe of Him. we praise Him for answering us. we praise Him for being alive and active in our lives. we praise Him for His provisions.

4) praying on a regular basis teaches us about the nature of God
if God does not answer us immediately, we learn that God acts in His timing and in His ways. in a growing "fast-food" society, we what things when we want it and how we want it. and what we do not realize is that the things we want and desire may indeed be more harmful to us than good. God, being the Creator of the Universe is omniscient and knows what is best for us. He knows the best timing and the best ways for us. so by having to petition about something, we learn this truth. we learn that God does not operate on our 'level'. that His ways our higher than ours.

perhaps the reason why paul told us to pray and petition for things was for the benefit of our own faith!

missing: cecelia zhang

October 21, 2003

on monday, october 20th, 2003, the zhang family went to wake up their little 9 year-old daughter, cecilia, but she was nowhere to be found in their home. they had last seen her sunday night when she went to bed. police found that the window to their daughter's room was broken. it is believed that this was a kidnapping/abduction. the province has gone under the first amber alert (see
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1066687810687&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968705899037 for details), which basically sends out information to the media so that people are informed and can be on the lookout. one of the most frightening aspects of this is that she was taken from her OWN home. not off the street or in a public place, but from the safety of her own home. what is this world coming to?

pray for the zhang family. pray for cecilia's safety. the more time passes, the less likely it is to find her.

for the full story, visit
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1066687810794&call_pageid=1066730587756&col=1066730587749

have you heard?

October 19, 2003

it's interesting to observe how people respond to something 'noteworthy'. i found out several days ago that shane & shane were coming to canada (montreal, quebec) on june 5th from the good ol' people on the stripey boards. knowing this, i tell two people, silas and justin (the craziest shane fans other than myself) about it since montreal really isn't that far away. and so that was that. a few days passed on and today, i noticed that comments about shane and shane's visit were made on two journals that i read often (ms. amanda w. and ms. rachel c.).

i wonder just how many people have heard about this event since that day. who knows? who's excited about it? who wants to go? it seems to be spreading like a wildfire.

we love to tell people about good news. we love to tell people about exciting events or things that are happening in our lives or around us. it's human nature. when something good happens, it's a natural response to tell someone else about it. as children, when we get a sticker for an assignment or test, we show our parents. as teenagers, when we do well at something, we might share that with our friends and family. as young adults, the same holds true. we gravitate to this mentality of sharing goodness with people. i remember when i was accepted into the york/sheridan program, i immediately told my family and friends. i couldn't contain the joy i had and i wanted to share it with others. if i hear a gorgeous new song, i tell people about it. if i hear a really amazing message, i tell people about it. and the thing is, i'm not worried about what people may think about me when i tell them. i just want to share it with them.

why is it, then, do we keep the greatest news of all to ourselves? why do we hoard it? why are we so afraid of what people may think about us when we tell them? how is it different from any other good news that we share? there is one difference. it's life changing. it's radical. it's revolutionary. it's eternal. it's love. and yet, for some reason, knowing all of this, we fail royally at letting people know. we focus too much on ourselves and what people may think about us afterwards, and that hinders us. it becomes a barrier that we stumble over. we don't want to step on other people's toes by saying the wrong thing. the truth of the matter is, we are just too caught up with ourselves more often than not or we simply do not care enough to tell people.

if we could wrap our hearts around this concept of sharing good news with people, the Gospel would reach more hearts that need to hear it. and the fact is, we don't need to learn how to share good news with people. we're already experts at that. what we do need to learn, is how to share the RIGHT kind of news to people. the life-changing news. the wonderful news about Jesus Christ and His wondrous sacrifice for us. and if we don't know how to do that, then we need to ask our Father to help us, to fall so passionately in love with Him, that He's the only thing we think about all day long, and He's the only one we speak about all day long.

four men in the book of second kings had the right idea, "then they said to each other, "we're not doing right. this is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. if we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. let's go at once and report this to the royal palace." (2 kings 7:9 [NIV])

this needs to be our goal, that "all over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth" (colossians 1:6 [NIV])

have you heard? Jesus, the Savior of the world is alive and well and He loves everybody on planet earth. no matter what you've done or where you are, it doesn't matter. He loves you and cares for you. And He wants nothing more, than to be in a loving relationship with you.

the cost of following Christ (part II)

October 11, 2003

a thought that has been resting on my mind for the past little while has been regarding the cost of following Christ. i've been reading a book called "don't waste your life" by john piper and the chapters thus far deal a lot with it. the verses that i've been memorizing in philippians deals with it. the sermon i heard last sunday about the favour of God (by david nasser at 7:22) dealt with it. the passage of Scripture that we talked about at SALT last night dealt with it briefly. when pui-wing (our Bible study leader) mentioned that we'll suffer as a Christian, a complete silence blanketed the room, as if a bomb had hit. why are we so afraid of talking about this reality?

the church doesn't talk a lot about suffering as a Christian. we've somehow fallen into a trap of believing that Christianity is this "if you accept Christ, you will be happy for the rest of your life" notion. we've fallen into a whole kind of prayer of jabez mentality which is basically that God is out to bless us. we talk a lot about how there's all these 'benefits' of being a Christian, that heaven is our home, that God has a unique plan for our lives. and while these are true, we fail miserably at understanding the complete picture of the Christian life. did Christ ever say that living the Christian life was an easy life, full of perpetual happiness?

Christ suffered. so shall we. it's clearly stated in john 15:20, "remember the words i spoke to you: 'no servant is greater than his master.' if they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when and how. there's different types of suffering that we will face. romans 8:35 says, "who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?".

why are we so afraid to present the sobering reality of this truth? maybe because it's hard to accept. it's hard to swallow. no one in their right mind would welcome suffering if they could avoid it. we're so drunk with convenience (in the words of david nasser) in our lives that we desire things that only better ourselves or make us happy. we don't want to endure hardship at the sake of our own convenience. that's just how we are. we live in a self-absorbed, it's all about me society. as a Christian, we should be living in it's an all about Him society. where it has everything to do with the glory of God, and has nothing to do about us. if that means being persecuted for the glory of God, then so be it. if it means dying for the glory of God, so be it. can we wrap our hearts around that? philippians 1:21 says "for to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" do we really believe that?

if we truly love God, then everything will pale in comparison to Him. and that includes our convenience, our comfort, and even our own lives. because at the end of the day, at the end of it all, it's all about Him.

"not to us , O LORD, not to us but to Your name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness." (psalm 115:1 [NIV])

the cost of following Christ

October 6, 2003

there is a longing in every soul for something more, for something greater, for something higher.

i had a chance to talk to a friend today on the phone for a while and she explained to me a situation she was in. it involved a girl, who in my opinion, has a desparate need for Jesus. a person who is crying out for the love of a Saviour. the story about her is pretty incredible. this girl has been moved from room to room in her apartment over the past few months. she apparently has incredibly sensitive hearing and the slightest sounds gets on her nerves. so she complains, complains and complains some more. as a result, she's considered annoying and doesn't have a lot of friends. in fact, most people don't want to be around her. her father doesn't seem to care too much about her but does give her what she wants. this girl makes complaints about noises that local residents apparently make, even if they aren't in their rooms! kind of strange, if you ask me. there's way more to the story, but i don't need to go into more depth.

what i can say from knowing all this, is that she is crying out for attention. her actions reflect this. she's longing for someone to love her, someone to care for her, someone to accept her for who she is. maybe something happened to her in her past that's caused her to be like this. but the fact of the matter is, she needs Jesus. she needs someone who is so passionately in love with Christ, that they would be willing to sacrifice their time and maybe even their own pride to befriend her. someone would be willing to endure potential hardship and 'suffering' for the sake of Christ.

Christ didn't call us to love the lovable. anyone can do that. it's not hard to befriend someone who is pleasant. we are called to love everyone, lovable or not. the fact that God created them makes them beautiful. everyone is beautiful in God's eyes. everyone is loved by God. and so as believers, we too must love them. Christ would have. and if we're following Christ, we should too. no matter the cost.

this girl, is but a small representation of a lot of broken and hurting people in this sinful and fallen world. there may even be people around you that are crying out, that are longing for a loving Saviour to wrap them in His loving arms. but if we are so absorbed in ourselves, we won't see it. if we're too busy to be inconvenienced with the needs of others, we'll simply find these types of people as annoying or unpleasant. and we won't bother with them. because who wants to be around someone who is bitter, who complains, who is constantly angry? Jesus Christ. He would have. He hung around all the rejects and outcasts of society. did He care about His reputation or the potential consequences of being around them? not at all. He looked past all of their external actions and looked straight to their heart. the world needs more people like Jesus Christ. and since Jesus returned to heaven, the responsibility is on our shoulders. we need to reflect the love of Christ in everything we do. we need to reflect the love of Christ to all the outcasts and rejects of society. who else will if we don't?

are we willing to lay down everything for the Cross of Christ? even if it means ridicule, even if it means rejection, even if it means pain and suffering? 2 timothy 3:12 says this: "in fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted". it all comes down to one realization. that our lives are not our own. that our lives were bought by the blood of Jesus. that our lives were graciously given to us by God and entrusted to us. because at the end of the day, it's not about us. it's all about Him. are we willing to return to Him the life that He gave to us no matter the cost?

this world desparately needs passionate lovers of God who are willing to do anything, and i mean anything for Christ.

"what is more, i consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake i have lost all things. i consider them rubbish , that i may gain Christ " (philippians 3:18 [NIV])

"but he said to me, "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." therefore i will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. that is why, for Christ's sake, i delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. for when i am weak, then i am strong." (2 corinthians 12:9-10 [NIV])

the favour of God

October 5, 2003

i awoke this morning to find that i had no means of getting to church. my parents had driven my car last night and forgot to return the keys to me. i searched the house, scrambling to find my keys but to no avail. it was in vain. i was perplexed. why was i stuck at home? i don't believe there's such things as coincidences for a Christian. so my imagination ran wild, and i figured it was so i could open the house to potential buyers. i was so off!

i decided to sit down and listen to a 7:22 sermon, as my sunday sermon. i haven't had a chance to just sit and listen to 7:22 lately, and so here was my opportunity. i had already 'listened' (listened defined as me intensely concentrating on designing my font with it in the background) a few times before, and the ending story that david nasser used about beth moore really struck a chord deep within. but today, it was so different. i just sat and watched it. the Holy Spirit began to stir in my heart this morning and God really convicted me of things in my life. one being that i need to stop fixing my eyes on what i want, my own selfish desires (about buying a house), and focus it on God and on others. because despite all the things i think i've experienced, it's not about me at all. it's all about God. it always comes back to that. because it's from God that everything exists. it's from God that i exist.

i realized this morning that i've been pushing to purchase this "dream" house that i could live in when we move. and the more i've pushed for it, the more i've failed to realize our families' needs and financial situation. i've failed to see that my dad wants me to be happy, and the more i push for this ideal, the more he tries to make that ideal happen. but the fact of the matter is, is that my dad isn't getting any younger. in fact, he should be able to retire soon and not worry about debt or what have you. and by moving into this ideal home, he'd have to in fact work more to pay off the debt.

how self-centred am i? all i cared about was getting what i wanted, not thinking twice about anything else. maybe that's why we haven't sold our house. because i've been so caught up in myself that i've asked my mom to tell our real estate agent to look for houses that just aren't right for us. perhaps we've been looking in all the wrong places. i figure when we find the house that's right for us, that's the time when someone will make an offer on our house.

i also realized this morning, that the favour of God has the potential to be incredibly dangerous and have big 'consequences' from the world's point of view. and i've decided that despite all of that, i still want it. no matter what that entails, i am committed to the lordship of Christ as the authority of my life. because my life is not my own (jeremiah 10:23). because i was created for the glory of God. i want to live a life that is completely surrendered and submitted to God. i want to be a vessel by which He can act through and use to display His own glory and magnify Himself. that's my heart's prayer.

i don't want to be ordinary. Christ-followers should not be ordinary. think about it for a second. Jesus Christ lives INSIDE of us and we live in Him, and Christ lives inside of God. the Holy Spirit also DWELLS in us. it's like we're in this big God sandwich. we have the unlimited resources of God. we have unlimited strength in God. we have unlimited possibilities in God. how is that ordinary? it's not. not at all. we are called to be set apart. we are called to live in the world, but not be of it. our home is heaven. our lives should reflect that! our lives should draw people closer to the Son of God.

set me apart for the glory of Your name o God.
set me apart for the glory of Your fame.
that all might see and know Your wondrous beauty and grace.