So I recently re-watched the movie series "Godfather" which is considered one of the greatest movie films. There is a famous quote which is "I gonna make an offer you cannot refuse", which is what the head of one of the mafia family (the Godfather) says to accomplish what he wants. The Godfather has so many power and influence that he can make anything happens. He does that via intimidation and threats. So people will yield to his wishes.
This makes me think about what compels people to follow their "religion". What motives people to follow the "god" they believe in? Some might do it because of fear (if I don't meet the requirement then I cannot make it), some might do it just because of family tradition, some might do it because of physical rewards, etc. What makes Christianity unique (in my opinion) is that we don't obey God because we are forced to or by fear or threats, but we do so because we are willing.
We follow Jesus because we have received a precious offer that we cannot refuse, which is the gift of eternal life that is available to us through faith in Christ because of His death on the cross as an atonement for our sins, and His resurrection. This offer is so gracious that we don't do anything to deserve it, but it's freely given to us. This offer restores us to live in the way that we were meant to live, in our original purpose, which is to glorify our Creator!
However, to follow Jesus is not an easy task, as there will be many struggles since Jesus Himself suffered and was rejected, and as His followers, we should not expect anything different. But the joy to walk with Christ, the sweetness of fellowship, and the constant bombardments of God's grace keeps me motivated to follow Him.
"For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." - 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013
I don't need a gunbuster machine
Recently I watched an anime series called Gunbuster 2, which is about giant robots (called Gunbuster) fighting alien monsters. Well it's more than that. It is pretty enjoyable as there are some epic outrageous fights that are very memorable, and the series emphasizes the importance of hard work, self-confidence, and friendship.
The pilots of these Gunbusters are pilots gifted with special mental abilities that allow them to crazy things (like tunneling), but they are also arrogant and full of themselves because they are the only ones able to fight the monsters. So people see them as a the top of the society class. Unfortunately, their special powers are temporal, so once they lose them, they become devastated.
So one humble girl was able to join their team of pilots because she had the potential to acquire these special abilities. But since she didn't have these abilities, then all the other pilots look down on her, and avoided hanging out with her. So this girl goes on a journey to get herself a Gunbuster machine because she wanted to be recognized by another pilot (who she looked up as an older sister). For the sake of making the story short, the pilots are ambushed, and this girl suddenly comes back and "awakens" her true power which is like thousand times more powerful than the current Gunbusters.
What is awesome is that she realized that having a Gunbuster or not, it is not important, that she is not defined by what she has or by what she can do. Her worth is based on her inner person, and she works hard to cultivate a stronger character in her.
Many times, I struggled with the fact that I tend to define myself with what I can do in school, at work, and in church. And I am driven to do these things so that I can accomplish something and that I can find my worth based on what I have accomplished. This often has led me to be over-worked, exhausted, and burnt out.
Truly, I always need to be reminded on my identity as a loved child of God. Christ has shed his blood for me, so my identity is based on Christ! I don't have to accomplish stuff to prove my worth, because God has already ransomed me at a very high cost. So instead of working hard to prove who I am, I should focus on working on my inner character with the help of the Spirit, so that more of Christ can be manifested in me, and accomplish great things so that people can give glory to God.
The pilots of these Gunbusters are pilots gifted with special mental abilities that allow them to crazy things (like tunneling), but they are also arrogant and full of themselves because they are the only ones able to fight the monsters. So people see them as a the top of the society class. Unfortunately, their special powers are temporal, so once they lose them, they become devastated.
So one humble girl was able to join their team of pilots because she had the potential to acquire these special abilities. But since she didn't have these abilities, then all the other pilots look down on her, and avoided hanging out with her. So this girl goes on a journey to get herself a Gunbuster machine because she wanted to be recognized by another pilot (who she looked up as an older sister). For the sake of making the story short, the pilots are ambushed, and this girl suddenly comes back and "awakens" her true power which is like thousand times more powerful than the current Gunbusters.
What is awesome is that she realized that having a Gunbuster or not, it is not important, that she is not defined by what she has or by what she can do. Her worth is based on her inner person, and she works hard to cultivate a stronger character in her.
Many times, I struggled with the fact that I tend to define myself with what I can do in school, at work, and in church. And I am driven to do these things so that I can accomplish something and that I can find my worth based on what I have accomplished. This often has led me to be over-worked, exhausted, and burnt out.
Truly, I always need to be reminded on my identity as a loved child of God. Christ has shed his blood for me, so my identity is based on Christ! I don't have to accomplish stuff to prove my worth, because God has already ransomed me at a very high cost. So instead of working hard to prove who I am, I should focus on working on my inner character with the help of the Spirit, so that more of Christ can be manifested in me, and accomplish great things so that people can give glory to God.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Character
This weekend I had a great time in a bachelor's party, and it is truly a joy to witness a brother (who I know for very long time) to grow in the maturity of the Lord, and now committing to marriage.
We did a wide variety of events including paintball, wings night, watching the worst movie ever, manly breakfast, wall climbing, all you can eat sushi, cheap steak lunch... it was pretty awesome. As well, we had a time of prayer to encourage our brother in this new journey. Also, we had very late night sharing, where we talked about various spiritual topics, and it is really encouraging to see a brother sharing about their God-given burdens, and the desire of their hearts to walk with the Lord. Really treasure these times (not sure why it has to always happened at post 1am).
Of course we talked about the role of the man in a marriage relationship, and the aspect of "spiritual leadership" was brought up. For most of us, we see this accomplished through investing time in prayer time and bible study with the spouse, and serving the Lord together. But this brother shared that these activities are very good, but it is not just about that. It is also about growing in the character of Christ, to grow into a man who can love his wife unconditionally, who can make the right decisions in difficult times, who can make sure the relationships stay centered in Christ. I think this is good.
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." - Ephesians 5:25-27
We did a wide variety of events including paintball, wings night, watching the worst movie ever, manly breakfast, wall climbing, all you can eat sushi, cheap steak lunch... it was pretty awesome. As well, we had a time of prayer to encourage our brother in this new journey. Also, we had very late night sharing, where we talked about various spiritual topics, and it is really encouraging to see a brother sharing about their God-given burdens, and the desire of their hearts to walk with the Lord. Really treasure these times (not sure why it has to always happened at post 1am).
Of course we talked about the role of the man in a marriage relationship, and the aspect of "spiritual leadership" was brought up. For most of us, we see this accomplished through investing time in prayer time and bible study with the spouse, and serving the Lord together. But this brother shared that these activities are very good, but it is not just about that. It is also about growing in the character of Christ, to grow into a man who can love his wife unconditionally, who can make the right decisions in difficult times, who can make sure the relationships stay centered in Christ. I think this is good.
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." - Ephesians 5:25-27
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