Be Content in All Circumstances

1 Corinthians 7:17-24  

17  Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them.  This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.

18  Was a man already circumcised when he was called?  He should not become uncircumcised.  Was a man uncircumcised when he was called?  He should not be circumcised.

19  Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing.  Keeping God’s commands is what counts.

20  Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.

21  Were you a slave when you were called?  Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so.

22  For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave.

23  You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings.

24  Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.

God had called the believers back in Apostle Paul’s time to their different lots in life, either Jew or Gentile (circumcised or uncircumcised), and either slave or free.  We are to follow God in our current situation.  Think about how challenging it can be to obey God under these circumstances:

-living in wartime or peacetime

-living in persecution or religious freedom

-born in a certain race/nationality vs another

-being single or married or widowed or divorced

-being employed or unemployed

-having money in the bank or burdened with debt

-enjoying good health or enduring long-term illness or disability

-parenting young children or adjusting to the empty nest

-having children you didn't plan for or afford or struggling with infertility

-born into powerful influential family or ordinary common one

-born into large family or small family or orphaned

-educated and talented or not given opportunity to be educated

There are many of life’s circumstances that are not mentioned above, but every one presents its unique challenges.  Rather than grumbling about our hardship, we should “bloom where we are planted.”  1 Cor. 7:19 reminded me of another passage that Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11-12: “I have learned to be content in whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”  Paul was sharing with the church in Corinth what he was learning from the Lord in his circumstances. The most important part is this: “Keeping God’s commands is what counts.”

Father God, help me learn to be content where You have placed me.  Help me not to covet someone else’s life, but to bear spiritual fruit where You have planted me to be.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Who's Judging Me?

1 Cor. 4:3-5         

3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.

4  My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent.  It is the Lord who judges me.

5  Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes.  He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart.  At that time each will receive their praise from God.

To me, this sounds a lot like dying to oneself and putting on the new self in 2 Cor 5:17.  Most of us are our own harshest critic, and we can level that same standard onto another person.  However this passage says that I have to get to a point of not caring about what others think of me (v.3), but how God will judge me should weigh far more heavily than how others judge me.  Dying to myself goes beyond just listening to a well-thought out and doctrinally-correct sermon or Bible study.  It means putting my faith in action. 

Sometimes being in “public” ministry exposes me to people’s judgment about my teaching or singing.  It’s a hard place to be, yet the spiritual needs of the church calls for this kind of ministry.  Whether I’m teaching in women’s Sunday School or recording a new worship song, I feel the glare of people’s opinions and preconceived notions.  If I let the weight of people’s judgments press me down, then I will never go forward.  I can’t be preoccupied by other’s opinions of me, but rather ask myself, “Am I doing what God has called me to do?”  If God’s calling means being a leader, teaching others, having a ministry beyond whom I’m comfortable and familiar with, am I willing to accept all that it encompasses, including unfair criticism and judgment?  I have to keep in mind that it is the Lord who ultimately will judge me (v.4), and He will judge me fairly and lovingly.  That gives me confidence to go forward.

God’s wisdom, not mine

1 Corinthians 2:1-5, 3:12-13        

1         …When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom, as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.

2         For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

3         I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.

4         My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,

5         So that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

Thank you for praying for me and Pastor Tim while we were in Malaysia and South Korea on our personal missions trip.  Indeed, it’s not by our own power or ability that we can minister God’s truth and love to others, but it’s God’s power residing in us.  One of my more memorable experiences was visiting a leprosy hospital in Malaysia and having a chance to do personal evangelism there.   Many of the men were only half dressed, and almost all were missing a foot, leg, or other body parts.  I was so reluctant to go inside the male patient ward, but the female evangelist who brought us there and my husband marched in without hesitation and started talking to the patients.  I decided to stand by the entrance and take pictures.  God saw my weak faith and moved a little old man in a wheelchair to come right up to me, talked to me, and invited me in.  I told him truthfully that if he didn’t invite me, I would not have gone inside.  We struck up a conversation, and I felt during the course of our conversation that God was telling me that this leper was very lonely.  Almost all the lepers were outcasts in their families due to the stigma of their illness, but one of the Chinese churches there visits them every week.  (How’s that for local evangelism?!)  Even though this leper did not believe the Bible is true, I told him that if he feels lonely, he can always talk to God.  When human relationships fail, he can reach out for God.  I asked to take a picture of him so that I can pray for him when I get back home.  Incidentally, my husband ended up leading the male patient he was conversing with to Christ!

How about you?  We cannot serve on our own strength, nor in our own timetable, and definitely not in our own past experiences or education.  Faith is not exercised in doing the things we’re good at or comfortable in (v.4-5), but faith gets stronger when we obey God in the things that test us and make us uncomfortable.  The longer I walk on this journey with Christ, the more I realize that God wants me to say “yes” to Him on harder, faith-stretching tasks and experiences.  If I had refused the leper’s invitation, I would have missed out on a memorable experience to bear testimony for God.  Even though it made me very uncomfortable, I’m glad I obeyed God.

Lastly, I’d like to leave you with this thought.  In the end, all of us will have to answer to God for how we live our lives and how we serve Him.  “If any man builds on this foundation [Jesus Christ] using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.  It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.”  (1 Cor 3:12-13)

Throwing It All Overboard

Acts 27  

18  We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard.

19  On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle with their own hands.

20  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

22  [Paul said]”…I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.

23  Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and…serve stood beside me

24  and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul.  You must stand trial before Caesar, and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ “

30  In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow.

31  Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.”

32  So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.

33  Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat, “For the last 14 days…you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything.”

35  …he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all…

36  They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.

38  When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.

39  When daylight came…they saw a bay with a sandy beach…

40  Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea…

41  But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground.  The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.

42  The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping.

43  But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan…

44  …everyone reached land safely.

For the past 3 days, I’ve been following Paul’s harrowing journey at sea to Rome in my daily devotions.  God’s peace prevailed in Paul through the violent storm in such a way that he repeatedly encouraged and advised other passengers on the ship (v.22-24, 31, 33-34).  God’s favor rested on Paul, a prisoner, which even the centurion would listen to his instructions and move to protect his life (v.31, 43).  But what’s not so obvious is the loss of all material things to the sailors in this dangerous voyage here—cargo (v.18), ship’s tackle (v.19), lifeboat (v.32), grain/food (v.38), anchors (v.40), and finally the ship itself (v.41).  Trials tend to strip away everything we hold dear.  The sailors started out full of all the supplies and equipment needed to sail to Rome.  Now they were left empty, except for the promises of God spoken through Paul.  When we experience trials in life, ultimately, clinging to God and His Word, His character, and His relationship with us are what will carry us through.

Building Unity

Acts 21:15-26 

15  After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem.

16  Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay.  He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples.

17  When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us warmly.18  the next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present.

19  Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

20 When they heard this, they praised God.  Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.

21  They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs.

22  What shall we do?  They will certainly hear that you have come,

23  so do what we tell you.  There are four men with us who have made a vow.

24  Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved.  Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law.

25  As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”

26  The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them.  Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.

By the grace and power of God, Paul was a passionate Pharisee who had turned into the first Christian missionary to the Gentiles, with great success and much sacrifice.  After nearly 2 months of reading the book of Acts in my daily devotions, the number of new believers and the places where the gospel had spread under Paul’s ministry truly astounded me.  Yet the Holy Spirit had moved Paul to go back to Jerusalem, with much warning about his future imprisonment.  He reported to the Jewish church elders there all that God has accomplished through his ministry.  Then the elder reported to Paul the trouble brewing among the Jewish believers towards him and his ministry.  Paul could very well ignore this report and went on his way back to spreading the gospel among the Gentiles.  He could have opposed the authority of the Jewish church elders, some who were uneducated fishermen, whereas he was a highly educated Pharisee.  After all, these men would not know more about Jewish law than he would! Instead, he submitted to church authority and worked to bridge the gap between the Jewish believers in Jerusalem and himself by publicly observing the law the very next day.  Before the week was over, this decision had cost him his freedom. 

Why did Paul make such a costly decision?  For the sake of unity in the church, he and the Jewish elders wanted to put an end to rumors and lies about Paul not observing the law.  This lie might have caused Jewish brothers and sisters to stumble in their newfound faith.  Paul was sensitive to how his actions, or lack of, can affect other believers.  Paul was attempting not to make observing the law the dividing issue in the early Church, and he publicly tried to reconcile with the Jewish believers.  Today, there are a lot of issues that divides the body of Christ.  What are we doing to build unity and not let side issues distract us? 

When I was in a workplace Bible study, I was witnessing for Christ along with African American sisters and a couple of messianic Jewish brothers for a few years.  In college, one of my best friends had roots in a Pentecostal/assembly of God church.  We had spent many hours praying with one another, encouraging, and leading an evangelistic Bible study together in college.  Almost all my college Christian friends were Caucasian, and a couple of Hispanic sisters belonged to one of my Bible study groups.  After I married my husband, I minister in Chinese churches for more than 20 years, learning Cantonese and improving my Mandarin so that I can better fellowship with sisters and brothers.  One of my best prayer partners was a Cantonese sister, and two sisters from Beijing and I served the Lord closely together.  Can you guess that I am a second-generation Chinese Christian, born in Taiwan, grew up in Chicago area, raised in and serve in conservative Chinese churches all my life?  The bond of Christ should be our strongest bond.

Getting More Than You've Asked For

Acts 3:1-10  

1          One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon.

2        Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.

3         When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.

4        Peter looked straight at him, as did John.  Then Peter said, “Look at us!”

5        So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

6        Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

7        Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.

8       He jumped to his feet and began to walk.  Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.

9         When all the people saw him walking and praising God,

10     They recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

This is a very familiar Bible story involving the disciples Peter and John, the lame man, and the people at the temple as spectators.  Everyone knew who the lame man was, for he was at the temple gate every day for a number of years.  Every day when the man asked for money, he expected a few coins from temple worshipers who pitied him or moved by God’s compassion, perhaps some quiet rebuffs.  What he didn't think to ask for and had given up all hope for was healing.  No doctor or political leader or any powerful person could have given him this.  Only Jesus could!

But on that day, everything changed for him.  The lame man received much more than he had asked for.  He asked for money, but he received healing, freedom from a life of begging, a new beginning, and a powerful undeniable testimony!  He was set free from a lifetime of helplessness and shame, no longer dependent on other people’s charity.  He can work for a living, and he can walk/skip/run/ jump to the temple to worship God.  Tears of gratitude streaming form his face, shouts of joy pouring from his lips, strong legs and feet leaping and dancing are all evident on this once-lame man.  No one could ignore him now, not even the religious establishment who were so against Jesus and His followers.

What about me?  Am I ignoring what God is showing to me?  Did I ask Jesus for some answer to prayer, only to receive something far greater than what I have asked for?  Receiving this greater answer to prayer would require much more faith on my part, much more persecution in my life, but also much more spiritual blessings.   The lame man would have forgotten who have given him money, but he would never forget Who have healed him and changed his life.  He became a living breathing testimony of God’s power to the people in his community.  Let’s ask and expect great things from God.   Let us experience unforgettable encounters with God and grow in our faith and devotion to Him!

Terah's tragedy

Gen. 11:26-32 

26  After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27  This is the account of Terah’s family line.  Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.  And Haran became the father of Lot.

28  While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.

29  Abram and Nahor both married.  The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah.

30  Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.

31  Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan.  But when they came to Harran, they settled there.

32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.

Out of so many people listed in the first genealogies in Genesis 4-5 and 10-11, only a few were truly noteworthy.  Some of those few were marked by abhorrent wickedness, such as Cain (Gen 4:1-11 murder of brother Abel and, Lamech (Gen 4:19-24 murder and adultery).  Others lived in extraordinary righteousness, such as Enoch (Gen 5:21-24  walking with God and never experienced death) and Noah (Gen 6:8-9, 22, 7:5 did everything God had commanded for building the ark and saving His creation).  Most names passed yawningly by without even a note about what they had achieved, except for having “other sons and daughters.”  However, Terah’s family was sadly significant due to the three tragedies that had fallen on him.  He experienced the death of his son Haran, which only 2 fathers written in the Bible had experienced, Adam and Jared (Enoch’s father).  The death of a child is one of the most heartbreaking trials a parent could ever experience, no matter what age.   Was Haran’s death from a mysterious fatal illness, a vengeance-filled murder, or an unfortunate accident?  We may never know.  Secondly, his daughter-in-law Sarai, Abram’s wife, was the first woman noted in the Bible to be childless.  While everyone else’s families were blessed with many sons and daughters, Abram and Sarai bore the daily stigma of childlessness. Terah could not enjoy being a grandfather to children of his oldest son Abram.  Perhaps to escape the wagging tongues and prying eyes of all the neighbors and relatives, or perhaps to flee from the many painful memories, Terah decided to take Abram and Sarai, and his grandson Lot, and move from Ur to Canaan.  But they never made it.  Instead, they settled in Harran, and there Terah died.  He never completed his goal of reaching Canaan. 

If the accounts in Genesis were an early indication of the state of the human race, then only a few of us live a life of significance in God’s eyes.  All this misfortune had caused Abram to seek the face of God and hear His voice.  From the long list of mundane lives, Abram’s life stood out.  God had turned Terah’s tragedy into a great spiritual blessing, both in reaching Canaan, the promised land, and for giving Abram a son named Isaac, and the godly lineage that followed, ending with Jesus the long-awaited Messiah. What kind of life do you choose to live?  What is your response to the tragedies that you faced in your life?  May you resolve to live a significant life before God.

 (Thanks to my husband Tim, for his matchless spiritual insight into this passage!)