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.

Even when Jesus died, her love for her Lord diminished not. Why were Mary and the other women at the tomb even before the dawn of the morning? Couldn’t the preparations for the dead body wait until first light? How will they get passed the large stone covering the tomb? The Lord is first in her heart. He is her why. How is not so important. He was buried in haste so everyone could observe the Passover. Jesus is the Passover lamb. And He is also the first-born slain. He is our sacrifice and our substitute. He shed His blood and took the judgement. But everyone was too busy to keep the symbol and missed the reality.

Joseph of Arimathea stepped up to request for the body as did Nicodemus with a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes. Rabbi Nicodemus sought our Lord for some answers and it was to him that our Lord spoke how the Son of Man would be lifted up just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness. Here the Lord is. Lifted up. Executed as a condemned criminal, but innocent, blameless. Nicodemus brought the spices. The Lord’s trial and crucifixion happened so suddenly, but it is as if he had it ready and on hand. He was obviously wealthy, and generous. But the Lord’s body had already been anointed, by Mary with the costly and fragrant spikenard at his feet in Simon the leper’s house. The spikenard had been saved for this hour and she broke the vial and poured it all out on Jesus. How could she save any of it for herself. Jesus gave all. Jesus received her gift. She was approved and commended.

Early in the morning, when it was still dark, Mary Magdalene comes with the other women to properly prepare the body. Love. This is not done for show or reward, their beloved Rabboni was dead. Were Mary and the women fools for going to the tomb? Which of them was strong enough to roll the stone away? Were they expecting the eleven disciples to be there, too?

You could say, well, they didn’t figure out that Jesus was going to rise again either. The angels told them, “He is not here. Why are you looking for the living among the dead.” Well, we too, are slow to believe and slow to understand just as the disciples were, and they didn’t have the complete Scriptures like we do. But Mary Magdalene’s love, foolish as it may appear, persisted. She was rewarded. Our resurrected Lord Jesus appeared to her first. Seeing and talking to angels is quite something, but to Mary, Christ is everything. Her devotion did not end at Jesus’ burial. Neither did the life of her Lord. The Lord arose and remained at the tomb before He ascended to the Father since He told her as such. Surely He knew that love would compel her and the other women to come to the tomb early. Even still, they did come to the tomb. And He waited for them. The disciples, at least Peter and John, came when alerted — and left. Mary stayed. Why did she stay? Someone took her Lord. Even the dead body is precious to her. She wasn’t leaving until she had her Lord. Why did the Lord wait to go to the Father?

“Mary!” Mary’s devotion is not in vain. How Jesus loves us. We have been forgiven much. Do we love Him much? At His Return, will the Lord find us having broken our alabaster vials and pouring out the precious ointment on His Body? Will He find us eagerly seeking after Him while it is still dark so that He can meet us and fulfill all our longing to be with Him. Will we be Mary?

It’s April 8th. This April is unlike any April I’ve ever experienced. I didn’t step out of the house today, not even to go to work. When I was last out of the house a few days ago, there were cars on the road, but zero traffic. No traffic in Southern California. Haven’t seen that in decades. I never heard of PPE until a few weeks ago. The news is Coronavirus 24-7 so, it’s better to leave the TV off. Death counts and infection rates in any corner of the world slow drips sadness into any heart. This is not the world that I’m used to.

But somethings don’t change. Today is the start of Passover. Jewish families around the globe remember how their ancestors survived the last of the ten plaques of judgment upon the land of Egypt around 3500 years ago. At the very first Passover, to spare the first-born in the family, the Jewish ancestors were instructed to take a one-year old lamb from the flock, slaughter it, and take some of it’s blood and paint it on their door post. That lamb was supposed to be without any blemishes, roasted whole on a spit, eaten with bitter herbs and unleavened bread while the people were to be dressed for a journey. On the next day, from the nourishment of this meal, they were to embark on a mass exodus out of Egypt in haste. During the night, this last plague resulted in the death of the first-born in the house. In every house except the houses where the blood of that lamb had been applied to the door post, there was a casualty of the plague. The first-born was found dead in the morning. Death passed over the blood-stained homes and the first-born males were all spared within the houses of the people of Israel who believed in God’s instruction. Even at the very time this occurred, the people of Israel were instructed to celebrate this occasion every year. Over 3000 years later, Jewish families still celebrate this historical and miraculous event that happened to their forefathers. They still memorialize how the blood of the spotless lamb allowed the first-born to live as the plague passed-over their blood-stained homes.

So, hopefully, you saw this link on the bottom of the business card and got curious.

Yes, I am a Christian.

It could mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but perhaps you’re reading this to see what it means to me and what it could mean for you.

It means that Jesus Christ is my life. It means to me that even as I struggle in life sometimes, I am never alone. It means that because I am a Christian, sometimes I struggle because it is no longer just about me. Sometimes I want to do or say something but the life of Christ within does not want to do that or say that. You might say, why struggle then. Just do whatever you want. You only live once. Why be subject to limitations or restrictions. Do you.

Would we tell a person with diabetes, “eat whatever you want, you only live once?” Or to tell a child who has found a lighter and enjoys setting things on fire, “if you like it, do it!” Why do we try to convince the diabetic to stick to their diet or try to take the lighter from the child? Yes, we have this one life, so isn’t it most reasonable to make the most of it?  Within limitations as in these simple examples, there is life, quality of life, extension of life. So, limitations are not necessarily a bad thing at all. As Christians, we tend to emphasize all the obvious benefits of having Christ as life because they are overwhelmingly wonderful: peace with God and man; knowing the love of God by experience and expression; forgiveness; contentment; joy; eternal life—all that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is, has been given me by faith. Wow.

What is faith? Isn’t it just believing? I understand faith as the means for me to sense God. Like hearing is for the detection and receiving of sound waves that are not visible, faith is for the detection and receiving of spiritual things, as the Bible tells us, God is Spirit. Which one of our organs faiths? That would be our human spirit. It is deeper than our soul, the heart of who we are, and it is aided by our hearing and seeing and speaking.

So, how did I become a Christian? For me, it started with this realization that I was a sinner, that I wasn’t right with God. I didn’t come to this realization on my own. Another Christian pointed this out as the Bible says, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” I had heard this before, but this time it was different. It was as if some extra light was shed on me and I was able to see myself as a sinner. I did things I would rather not have others know about, that I rather hide and try to justify, even though I didn’t kill anyone, I know I had done things that were wrong and it wasn’t hard for me to do those things. Sin. When I came to see that I was a sinner, then all the thing I heard about Jesus, the Son of God, dying on a cross on a hill near Jerusalem to take my punishment for my sin because He loved me, started to be relevant to me. His resurrection from the dead, on the third day, (which is why we celebrate Easter) was so accessible. Did I understand it all, no. But I was touched, and I accepted or received this truth to be mine. And when I did so, I knew something had changed within me, but I couldn’t explain it. I have come to realize that Jesus Christ came to be my life, taking residence in my spirit, and now, things were different.

So, if you are likewise touched as you are reading this, as simple as this is, you can do what I did at that time, which was to simply pray, or talk to God, who is omnipresent, (everywhere),

“Dear Lord God, I am a sinner, too. I want to know forgiveness, I want to know your love. I want to receive Jesus as my life. I accept that He died for me and He rose from the grave. Please give me faith. Thank you for loving me.”

If you prayed this sincerely, the Bible says that if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us and to cleanse us from unrighteousness. And confession or profession is expressing what is in our heart. This profession is what saves us, the Bible says, and Christ is now our life! Can you leave a message here if you prayed?

And yes, I will get back to the limitations.

Stanzas two and three appear to reflect on how grace worked on the writer’s heart: 

     ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
     And grace my fears relieved;
     How precious did that grace appear
     The hour I first believed.

     Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
     I have already come;
     ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
     And grace will lead me home.

At the hour we first believed, the life of Jesus the Son makes us alive to God. Up to that point, we were dead or numb to God. This was discussed in the previous post on this hymn. So, now that the writer’s spirit is no longer deadened, there is a realization that He ought to fear. But fear what? Fear whom?

Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) is one disease specifically mentioned in the Bible and we are familiar with it through photographs of the ravages of this disfiguring disease. Those affected by it often have missing fingers or toes, facial disfigurement, or some bodily contortion. This is not from a flesh-eating bacteria. Mycobacterium leprae is a bacteria that attacks the nerves and so result in a loss of sensation of the infected. Grossly, when the tissue loses the ability to sense heat or cold or a cut or a sprain, a simple injury can lead to a devastating result because the affected person isn’t aware that they have been hurt. Instead of attending to the injury, they can compound the injury carelessly. So, fingers can suffer 3rd and 4th degree burns without pain. For the affected person living in impoverished conditions, during the night, a small rodent may nibble away at a wounded site and the person doesn’t feel anything to fend off the offender and thus exacerbate the injury. So, the harm is done, but they are not particularly bothered by it. (For a full picture of leprosy and our spiritual condition, I recommend The Gift of Pain by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey)

So in the same way, we can live in opposition to God without much awareness of it. We lack fear or reverence for God. We who were created in God’s image allow harm to ourselves, see nothing wrong with it, and don’t seem to mind that it’s happening. Since we are not conscious of God, we think nothing of taking the name of God in vain, so cursing is easy, it rolls off the tongue with minimal effort. But the name of Jesus Christ is the name of God’s precious Son whom God sent to the world to save us from our sin. The Bible tells us that when we call on His precious name, we are wondrously saved. (I tested this and must tell you that it is true. “O Lord Jesus, I need You..”) How can we then take His name and make the greatest blessing into a lowly curse. When we misuse it so readily, we more easily dismiss it’s true power and preciousness.

How can anyone handle fellow human beings like property, or worse, bought and sold and treated contemptuously without feeling? Without feeling. Slavery still exists in the 21st century in the form of human trafficking. So, if we think that society has “evolved” over the last 200 years or so, think again. The kind of tearing down of fellow human beings on social media is a clear demonstration that callousness has not improved with time and social enlightenment. Whatever the vice, maybe at one time, there was some twinge of guilt or inward objections raised by a sensitive conscience, but over time, even that conscience can become seared, too numb to raise any objections at all. But just because we cannot feel danger, it doesn’t mean danger doesn’t exist. Just because we can’t sense God’s presence or notice His handiwork in the natural world surrounding us, it doesn’t mean He isn’t there.

So, for humanity, losing God-consciousness has been the greatest tragedy. The Bible reveals that rebellion to God has introduced the factor of Sin which rendered humanity dead or numb to God. Almighty God, who cannot be limited by time, space, and matter, has provided the antidote to our deadened spiritual condition in the person of the resurrected Jesus Christ, our only remedy. When at first we are awakened to God, we see our own state of wretchedness and our need for salvation. It is like the nerves being brought back to life and now we sense the pain from all the damage that has come from living callously. And at that moment of despair from our helplessness, Jesus provides the solution. The Bible says that we were redeemed by His precious blood. He comes not only to make us aware of our sinfulness, He comes to exchange His God-conscious life for our God-callous life.

Now, the commandments of God are not merely rules to live by, but the expression of the life of Jesus, (who forever lives in obedience to the eternal Father and His commands)being lived out in you and me. So grace led me to see my wretchedness, to fear for my sinfulness, to appreciate that God has a purpose for my being, and grace provide the solution to my fallen state of being in the person of the resurrected Jesus Christ. Now it becomes possible to live our life as God meant it to be lived. And as we navigate through this life, with all its temptations, and trials, and failures, and difficulties, the life of Jesus remains: He will not abandon us. He will see us through. Grace is taking us all the way to God’s end, when the transforming work of God is complete in us. John Newton was on a slave ship for many journeys, some as the captain even, but towards the end of his life, we can see the life of Jesus at work in him. He eventually wrote a pamphlet on the horrors of the slave trade and distributed the publication to the members of the British Parliament. He worked with William Wilberforce and others to abolish the slave trade in Great Britain. But God had to first work it out an exchange in his heart. In their hearts. In all our hearts. Until it’s all the Son’s heart.

Amazing grace.

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene *came early to the tomb, while it *was still dark, and *saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. So she *ran and *came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and *said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; and stooping and looking in, he *saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. And so Simon Peter also *came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he *saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. So the disciples went away again to their own homes.
But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she *saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. And they *said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She *said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” When she had said this, she turned around and *saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus *said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she *said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus *said to her, “Mary!” She turned and *said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). Jesus *said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene *came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.  John 20:1-18 NASB

*for the modern English reader, the translators changed the present tense of the original Greek, to the easier to understand past tense of modern American English.

One of my favorite resurrection morning songs is “I’ve Just Seen Jesus.” I was always awed by this inspired duet by Sandy Patty and Larnelle Harris.

The Mary mentioned here love the Lord. Death did not change her love. She was not deterred by the pre-dawn darkness, by being at a tomb, by the large stone rolled over the tomb opening. She just wanted to be where Jesus is. We are told to seek Him while He may be found. She sought for Jesus even when Jesus was dead and buried. I don’t know if the other women returned to the tomb with her along with Peter and John, but Mary returned, and even when the disciples went back to their own homes after seeing the empty tomb, Mary lingered. She wasn’t going anywhere. Her love is persistent. I loved the other Mary that anointed the Lord for burial with the broken vial of expensive spikenard. She loves the Lord. What a comfort to the Savior before the brutality of the Cross. And I love this Mary, whose love would not let the Lord go, even in death. So, even when all hope seems lost, we can still love the Lord like Mary, and in the midst of our brokenness and sorrow, we might hear our Lord in Resurrection call us by name! I want to testify, too, “I have seen the Lord!” 

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.  For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.  Romans 5:6-10

No greater love than Jesus dying on the Cross of Calvary. No greater power.              Believe and Receive.

Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.

This, the power of the cross:
Christ became sin for us,
Took the blame, bore the wrath:
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face
Bearing the awesome weight of sin;
Every bitter thought,
Every evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.

Now the daylight flees,
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
‘Finished!’ the victory cry.

Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death,
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.

This, the power of the cross:
Son of God, slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Stuart Townend & Keith Getty
Copyright © 2005 Thankyou Music (Adm. by CapitolCMGPublishing.com excl. UK & Europe, adm. by Integrity Music, part of the David C Cook family, songs@integritymusic.com)

The most familiar hymn of all time might be Amazing Grace. Just a few bars of the melody is all that is needed for most to join in singing:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.

Perhaps the other stanzas are less familiar but this first one is quite recognizable to most Americans. It’s rare to watch footage of the now-too-familiar candlelight vigil or a somber memorial when this song isn’t played prominently or at least in the background. It’s a soundtrack to Americans in mourning.

But though the melody evokes strong emotions, nearly a tragic sweetness, the words ought to instill hope midst sorrow. I want to address the melody in a later blog but I want to highlight something that has recently occurred to me about the powerful truths this first stanza reveals.

I was at first considering the “sound” that is mentioned here. What is that sound so sweet? I polled some valued people and many wonderful answers were given. But I understand the sound to be… the name of Jesus. The Bible tells us that God the Father gave His Beloved Son, Jesus, the name which is above every name and the only name by which a person can be saved. Jesus saves. Jesus is the sweetest name I know.

Before any of us called on Jesus, there wasn’t even the realization that we were wretched. If a room is dim, it’s hard to see yourself in the mirror, but when it’s brightly lit, all the blemishes become quite apparent. In the light of Jesus Christ, not only can we see our own wretchedness but there is grace to acknowledge our own wretchedness. Perhaps we might compare ourselves to the song writer and say, “I’m not a God-cursing slave-trader,” which was John Newton at one point in his life. True, but would you examine your thoughts over the last 24 hours? All of them. Any murderous thoughts? If your thought-life were to be broadcasted like a movie, what kind of ratings might it be given? And yet, the Bible tells us that Jesus died on the cross for my sins. Those committed, those yet to be acted upon, those in progress. Not only so, the blood He shed on the Cross dealt with the Sin nature within me, not just the sins I commit. He gave all who believes in Him His very own life, so in God’s eyes, God sees His Son in place of the wretch like me.

You might tell me, so what? I don’t believe the Bible and I am still a good person. Why this talk of sin all the time? Ah, this consideration is the perfect lead-in to the next two lines. I once was lost. Truly, someone who is lost might not be fully aware of it. If you don’t have a charted path, anywhere will do. If I don’t know I have a destination or a home, I can wander in the world without the thought of being lost. But if someone leads me home or to my purposed destination, I would then realize that prior to that, I was lost, but now I’m found. Newton makes it so simple.

But the last line about being blind is revelatory. To someone born blind, sight means very little. There would be little motivation to see. Furthermore, any attempts to describe things visually would seem like utter nonsense. And the truth of the matter is that we are all born blind to God. To perceive a smell, we need a functioning nose. To perceive a sight we need functioning eyes. To perceive God, who is Spirit, we need a functioning spirit. And until we see for the first time, we would never even realize we were blind. When Jesus saves us, He gives us His life and His life makes our dormant spirit alive. And with a living functioning spirit, we perceive God in ways we could never perceive before. Before we believed in Jesus, the things of God seemed so fantastical, but afterwards, we just want to tell others, this is real. But like someone seeing for the first time, we still stumble in explaining what we “see” to others who haven’t seen. But we can say this about ourselves, … was blind but now I see.

If the things of God seem ridiculous to you, won’t you consider that every one who has trusted Jesus was once in the exact same place as you. And throughout the ages, we all give the same witness. God gave His only Son, Jesus, not only to save us from sin and the judgment of us as sinners, but much more, that we may have Jesus’ eternal, death-conquering life. That is our purpose: Jesus Christ. This is why humanity is here on earth. This week, the world remembers Jesus’ substitutionary death on a Roman cross and His death-conquering resurrection on Easter Sunday. We have been given the reality of this truth in Jesus’ resurrection life moment by moment. When we believe, our eyes for God are opened. This is amazing grace.

Stanza two…