I became a Christian as a sixth grader and since that day I received Christ for my forgiveness and as my Savior and friend and life really, I have found God faithful and the Bible to be true and trustworthy.

So, my family immigrated to the United States when I was in grade school. And I knew only a few words of English and without English as Second Language programs in public school in those days, you were plopped down in a class and expected to learn by assimilation. And so in essence, at school, I was blind because what I could see of the words didn’t have meaning to me, and deaf because all the instructions I heard were unintelligible, and dumb for I could not speak in a way that others around me could understand. But there was a lot going on around me and the only things that got through loud and clear was teasing and getting bullied. I didn’t need to understand English to understand that.

But I grew up in a loving Christian home and had a lot of support. But life in America was challenging. Ever since I was a small child, at church and at home, I heard in Chinese, and later in English, about our God who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. I heard about how Jesus came for sinners, died on the cross so that sinners could be forgiven and saved from their sins. I heard about Jesus being buried in a tomb and then on the third day, He rose from the dead and the women who went to the tomb to anoint his body when it was still dark. They got there only to find in the tomb the burial cloths, the linen wrappings but no Jesus. When Mary lingered weeping at the tomb, the Lord Jesus met her resurrected from the dead. They were loved much by the Lord and how they loved and devoted themselves to the Lord Jesus in response. And I heard how the Lord restored Peter after he had denied three times even knowing the Lord Jesus.

I was very familiar with the Bible, even quite touched and inspired by the gospel accounts. But you know, I had this thought that Jesus did die for sinners, but how do I figure in since I wasn’t a sinner. I was a good kid. Got good grades, listened to my parents and compared to most kids and even my own siblings, above average good.

Well, in the sixth grade, during Sunday school, by now I could understand spoken English quite well, the teacher gave a very simple message about the good news of salvation. She told us how we need to have our sins forgiven and to accept Jesus as our Savior and into our hearts. The message was very simple and everything she said I had heard before, but that morning, it was as if the words were lights shining into my heart and I saw that I was a sinner. I hadn’t killed anyone, nor bowed down to idols, (and I saw a lot of that growing up in Asia) but I saw in a very simple way that in the ways that I thought I was good was not good enough in the eyes of perfectly righteous God. Sometimes our conscience tells us that, but that day, the Word exposed my heart. What no one else could see, God sees. On that day, it was just a simple recognition that I was a sinner in the eyes of God and, I receive Jesus, for forgiveness, for this sinner, for salvation, for life. At the exact same time we see our sinful hearts exposed, God comes with love and forgiveness in His Son. So, when the teacher led us to pray, I prayed with her and confessed I was a sinner. And in simple faith, I received Jesus for my forgiveness and as my Savior, my life.

For us to be a Christian is not so much that we believe in a certain doctrine or creed, we are Christians because we have received Christ’s life. It’s a life thing. A relational thing. And since those days in sixth grade, I can talk to my Lord in prayer at all times. And lots of my prayers from those days until now relate to my need. Lord, please do this for me, do that for me, help me find my keys, can you get that bully’s family to move and go to a different school or something, I can’t understand this assignment, help me on this test.

More and more, I realize that I need Him more than I need the help He provides. And prayer is not always a thing to do before meals and at prayer times. All day long, “O Lord, I need You.” Just the other day, I was doing an eye exam, I am an optometrist by occupation, and I can get across my instructions fairly well, even with non-English speakers, but this man was not getting it and I began to lose patience and became frustrated. Just then, as I often do, I paused, and breathed, Lord, I need You. Seems kind of humbling maybe, but the Bible tells us, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. And I don’t know how the Lord does this in us, (just like I am still amazed at how we see and how the cornea is a living tissue and yet optically transparent) anyway, the Lord becomes grace to me and in me. I know that this man had a much better experience of an eye exam from that point on when I turned to the Lord and let Christ in me be expressed in me towards this man.

I am convinced that this life we live here on earth is meant to be lived powered by Christ. We enjoy Christ as grace and people around us received grace because of Christ in us. I haven’t yet reached the end of His mercy nor exhausted God’s grace. And I am finding out still the greatness of the salvation I received all those years ago. It is much more than just my own personal salvation. God has a plan for us, each of us, to live out the life of Christ, and much more, for us all to express His life and fulfill His purpose in a greater way that can only happen when His people come together in oneness. We are here for His glory, that is amazing! He has given us the precious Bible that we can be filled with the Word of God to live on and to know Him: the Word and Christ’s life. God so loved us!

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

I dare say, when Jesus cries out to the weary and heavy burdened, as some translation renders it, is He not calling everyone you know? It matters not which corner of the earth you inhabit, you are either physically tired, emotionally tired, mentally tired or tired in every possible way. Is it related to COVID? Is it from the financial strain from sky-rocketing costs of even basic needs? Are the news of political upheaval and conflict abroad and right here in the US creating anxiety and despair? How about crime and violence in our own neighborhoods reaching our very own welcome mats? And the sadness and sense of emptiness and powerlessness invading the hearts of the generation growing up knowing life as we knew it cancelled. So, would you have to agree that Jesus is calling everyone you know especially YOU?

How can Jesus give rest to the weary and burdened? How can He give rest to any of us? We haven’t been able to give ourselves any rest even as we try so how can Jesus? Perhaps that is just it. We are not able to give ourselves rest as most of the unrest we feel comes from ourselves. Are we not our own worst enemies? The burdens we carry have zero positive impact on our own lives. Worry and stress does nothing about the outcome of the very situation we worry and stress about, but we fret, we worry, we stress as if our lives depend on it. How many ailments we suffer in our bodies have their source in stress? A lot more than we realize. World-wide, there has been a rise in autoimmune disorders, that is when the immune system goes haywire and attacks the body’s own healthy cells as if these targeted cells were some foreign micro-organisms needing to be destroyed. We are truly our own worst enemies. That theme invades our lives physically, mentally, and psychologically.

Then there is guilt. How can I come to a Holy God? Jesus is righteous and Holy and I am as far from righteous and holy as one gets. That is the truth. That is an inescapable fact. But you see, Jesus was not calling the holy and righteous, but sinners. In the gospel of Mark, the Lord Jesus was criticized by the religious leaders for eating a meal with whom these leaders considered to be sinners, and this was Jesus’ response, (2:17) And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” So, it was the very self-righteous religious leaders that missed out on the invitation. Jesus is calling us just as we are. And if these religious leaders truly examined themselves in light of a perfect and holy God, they would have also responded to Jesus’ call. In fact, there is none righteous in light of a perfect and holy God, so, truly, the way is opened for everyone to come to Jesus.

Charlotte Elliot lived during the turn of the century from 1789 to 1871. She had very poor health and lived bedridden for most of her life. She wanted to do great things for God but her suffering and pain and poor health only made her quite depressed and miserable. And when an evangelist had spoken a word that rang in heart, she was led to come to Christ but felt that she had to clean her life up before becoming a Christian. The evangelist told her to “Come to Him, just as you are.” And that is what our Lord Jesus is still calling us to do. Come, all of you, come. Come in your weariness and burden of sin. I will give your rest from your vain efforts. So, out of all her experiences of suffering, this song was born. And in all the years, decades, centuries since this song was born in her heart, the call of Jesus to come to Him has also reached our hearts.

Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He alone can remove the burden of sin and guilt from our hearts. He alone can take us from the unending running in place at the hamster wheel and give us meaning and purpose to our existence. Is this not true rest, true rest of our being when we let God love us, just as we are, and let Him fulfill His great intention and purpose for our lives. Charlotte Elliot came in her struggles and bedridden state, just as she was. The Lamb of God used her in all her miserable suffering just as she was and gave her this hymn to give to the weary and heavy burdened world. This hymn has travelled across the globe more than she would have if she could have, and it endures over the centuries well beyond her 82 years on earth, and has reached the hearts of an unfathomable number of hurting people as she demonstrates coming to Jesus just as she was.  

Shall I not also come to the Lamb of God, just as I am? Jesus I COME, I COME!

Just as I am – without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,
-O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am – and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
-O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am – though toss’d about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
-O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am – poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need, in Thee to find,
-O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am – Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
-O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am – Thy love unknown
Has broken every barrier down;
Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
-O Lamb of God, I come, I come!     ~ Charlotte Elliot

What? Did I hear that right? I think it’s a misspeak, a typo… No, that is the title of the song. And it rings, perhaps, more true than the original song as more of us who are loved by the Lord struggle during these times of uncertainty and shroudedness. There was a time that I was so on fire for the Lord, zeal overflow, that I could shout it out, Come, all ye faithful and not see the contradiction in myself whatsoever. Well, thankfully, we are called to come just as we are, weary, heavy-ladened, thirsty, squanderers, sinners, rebels. And there is only one faithful, and in Him alone can we be found faithful. So, there will never be any contradiction when we consider that we are in Christ. He indeed is faithful. This song encouraged me very deeply. And the backstory to the song underscores and punctuates that sentiment. Wherever you find yourself, there is room to turn and come to Him. I have found Him true to His word. Nowhere else is there true rest and acceptance but in Christ. And if you have not yet come to Christ, just tell Him, I come, just as You called me, just as I am in my weariness, with my burdens, I come.

Lyrics to O Come All You UNfaithful (by Lisa Clow and Bob Kauflin)

[Verse 1]
O, come all you unfaithful
Come, weakened, unstable
Come, know you are not alone
O, come barren and waiting ones
Weary of praying, come
See what your God has done

[Chorus]
Christ is born
Christ is born
Christ is born for you

[Verse 2]
O, come bitter and broken
Come with fears unspoken
Come taste of his perfect love
O, come guilty and hiding ones
There is no need to run
See what your God has done

[Chorus]
Christ is born
Christ is born
Christ is born for you

[Bridge]
He’s the lamb who was given
Slain for our pardon
His promise, his peace
For those who believe
He’s thе lamb who given
Slain for our pardon
His promise, his peacе
For those who believe

[Verse 3]
So, come though you have nothing
Come, he is the offering
Come, see what your God has done

[Chorus]
Christ is born
Christ is born
Christ is born for you
Christ is born
Christ is born
Christ is born for you

Can hardly imagine that this monumental day occurred 20 years ago. Peter called early in the morning from his hotel room in DC to tell us to turn on the news. The images were hard to comprehend. We had been in those towering skyscrapers when we visited our cousins a few years prior. The World Trade Center buildings were built to last, like the Titanic. Symbols of power and wealth and prestige reduced to bent steel and rubble. The collapse of many structures took countless lives of the people working their 9-to-5’s in those buildings and the first responders rushing in to rescue them. Their lives were taken that day, and they leave behind the shattered lives of their survivors.

Certainly, this was the wake-up call of all wake-up calls. Things made to last well beyond the lifetime of the builder, monuments to be admired and for building empires, brought down to rubble heaps in a matter of hours. Does it matter what motivated the terrorists to want to take America down? How many targets were not hit that day because God restrained through heroic and quick-thinking actions of people on the alert? This portion of Scripture in Luke 13 that Joni references was referenced this past Lord’s Day regarding the tower of Siloam that fell. (verses 4-5) Were the people who died in the tower collapse of Siloam or on 9-11 somehow worse than the rest of us that survived? Jesus gave this response to the people, repent, else we will all perish.

For any who are old enough to experience all the emotions of that fateful day in 2001, do you still get that gut-punch feeling when you think back to the scenes of that day and the weeks that followed? For me, for the first time, I felt America was “vulnerable,” the invincibility of the United States of America vaporized in the burning towers. But, out of the destruction came cameraderie, patriotism, gratitude, and repentance. Churches filled in response to the awareness that we had forgotten somehow that mankind was created in the image of God for God. We were busy building our own towers of success and power and wealth while taking for granted the protection we enjoy in the security of this God-fearing (and God-protecting) nation.

This crazy pandemic, no matter what you think about it, has brought us once again to face our meaning and mortality. And this wake-up call is not just for America, but for the entire world. The terrorists could only hijack so many jumbo jets to hit selected targets. We are now facing an enemy smaller than a dot of ink, ever-morphing, ever-multiplying, breaking through man’s best efforts, indiscriminately upending the daily activities of every single person on this planet earth in some way even to the point of death. Our hearts are awakened again. How do we repent in response? “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” Whatever path we find ourselves taking, we can turn back to God. There is grace to repent, to turn back, grace has a name, Jesus. God’s Son took our punishment for going against God and won forgiveness and reconciliation for us on a cross on Mount Calvary. We let go of our past and take Jesus and all He has done and all He is in exchange.

God’s building work endures for eternity. Everything we can see will pass away in a short time or in a long time. Are you aware that God loves you? Take God’s offer of love right now. When we believe on Jesus, we shall not perish, but have Eternal Life, Jesus’ overcoming life. Call on Jesus and be saved.

Don’t wait another day.

Today’s portion. Matthew 1.
Matthew 1:21. “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Following Abraham, our Father of Faith, and all the generations onward, the challenge of faith comes to Joseph, this righteous man whose virgin fiancée is now pregnant. How was she to clear her name and how was he to keep his honor? By faith. They believed and looked past themselves and submitted to the Will of God and fulfilled what was spoken by the Lord through the prophets.

“Behold, the Virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” which translated means, “God with us.” (vs 23, Isaiah 7:14)

God is with us, not as a angel appearing to us at times, but as the Holy Spirit, ever and always with us, guiding and teaching us all things. How do we submit to our loving Savior today?

Listen and find encouragement.

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28-29‬

Dad always enjoyed telling the story about taking me to get my blood typing test done when I was around 7 years old. Maybe some of you have heard it, maybe several times. I know I’ve heard it countless times. What transpired I vaguely remember. Back in Taiwan, they would cut the ear lobe and get a blood drop on a glass slide. I can’t remember why it was needed, but it was before coming here to the US so maybe the blood type was required on some immigration forms, and apparently, I was the only one missing that information.

I was usually attached to my mom and followed her around all day, to the market, on errands, to the sisters meetings, everywhere. Mom has always been the family dynamo and managed so much on the homefront in order to free Dad to devote his time to the Word, to prayer, and to service. And it was rare for me to have any time with Dad all by myself. But this time, Dad took me. I think he took me on the Vespa after school. I remember having that short conversation that he found so memorable as we walked out of the testing place. I remember him being amused and laughing at my inquiry to him. When we came home, he promptly told mom and everyone we knew, it seemed. For decades, there was hardly a mention of that conversation. But for a few years just before Dad went home to be with the Lord, he started to tell that story again, lots of times. Many other events had been long forgotten, but this exchange stuck. I would over-hear him tell that story again over the meal at church to some patient brothers or sisters who would chuckle with him as he got to the punch line, as if they were hearing it for the first time. I was a bit exasperated. I don’t particularly find the story flattering and the humor level is lacking, but that interaction we had brought Dad joy, even after all the decades passed. It was told lovingly. I wish I could have stopped whatever I was doing, wherever I was heading, and sat down with him, see the twinkle in his eyes as he told the story, and chuckled with him at the punchline.

I miss you, Baba.

At the rate events are unfolding in the world today, are we not in the end times? Only our heavenly Father knows the moment when Christ our Lord will return for us. Perhaps it won’t be long before we see each other again.

Yes, I’m loving the Lord. I want to be ready. Until then, Baba, Happy Father’s Day.