So it is gradual....

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Philippians 2:12-13

I have been reading a book called "Fit for the Master's Use" by F.B.Meyer. It's really old book but has given me much inspiration so far.

I'd like to share one little portion with you this time.

So God deals with you and me. He does not turn the heart upside down and empty it of every sin at once. First the twilight, and we put away obvious sin; then morning, and we put away other sins not seen before; then eleven o'clock in the morning, and we put away deeper sins that we had missed; until it comes sins, the small dust we had missed. We see deeper, deeper down, and every year a man is saved more completely from the power of known sin. So it is gradual.

You see how kind God is??
I am so amazed at His kindness in working in my heart.
We all have to admit unless God works within us, we cannot substantially changed.
He does bring radical change sometimes, but most of the time, He deals with us gradually.
He does not show us above what we can handle.
As we read the Word and meditate upon it. He, through the work of the Spirit, shows and convicts of our sins.
At same time, He perfectly knows how much we can handle and helps us go through.

I trust in this Gracious and Merciful God.

「そういうわけですから、愛する人たち、いつも従順であったように、私がいるときだけでなく、私のいない今はなおさら、恐れおおのいて自分の救いの達成に努めなさい。

神はみこころのままに、あなたがたのうちに働いて志を立たせ、事を行わせてくださるのです。」

ピリピ２：１２−１３

最近読んでいる本に、F.B.Meyer著の「Fit For The Master's Use」（訳：主に用いられるのために）というのがあります。
これまで読んでいて、多くのインスピレーションを受けました。
その中の一つをここでシェアしたいと思います。（がんばって訳してみます）

「このように、神は私とあなたを扱われます。神は心をひっくり返して、一度に心にある罪をすべて取り除くというような事はなさりません。初めに、薄明かりがあり、私たちは明らかな罪を取り去ります。そうしたら、朝日が来て、私たちはこれまで見れなかった他の罪を取り去ります。そして、午前１１時になるとこれまで見落としていたもっと深いところの罪を取り去ります。私たちはだんだんと深い深いところを見て、年を重ねる度に人は知られている罪の力からさらに完璧に救われるのです。そういうわけで、それは漸進的なのです。」

私は、このような神の恵み、優しさに感謝します！
自分が圧倒されて、諦めたくなるような目には神は会わされないのです。
むしろ、一つ一つ、みことばを通して、罪が示され。一つ一つ、神の助けをもって、取り扱っていく。それが、クリスチャンライフ！

本当に、このような神が私の神であることは感謝以外の何ものでもありません！

主に栄光

Soli Deo Gloria

Truth, is It offensive??

I posted my article of "Who made God?" on my YMCA Dorm's blog the other day.

I thought it will be good chance get readers to think about God and agitate them into searching for God.
Well, it did not turn out as I hoped to be.

Some students came to me and asked to delete the post.
They said "it is your own view of God. And I don't want to you impose your thought on us and others who read this blog." and "It is inappropriate for our blog, because people will see and become not to want to come to our dorm."

Well, honestly, at first I thought "Come on, think about what YMCA stands for!!! Young Men' Christian Association right?", " where in the world did the 'C' go??"

Their reasons seemed to me so irrational. Because when I think what our group really is(Christian Association) and the post is not that imposing one.
After all, what really took place was that they were offended by the things I wrote.

But, I decided to delete it in order not to cause conflicts anyways.
It really hurt me and grieved as well. I was really discouraged by the fact that how they reacted is not what I had expected and hoped.

Jesus had same experience on the earth.
No one could have won the argument with Him.
No one could have prove that He was not Messiah.
No one had legal ground to crucify Him.
............the list goes on and on
But, yet, they did not accept Him.

The experience like those raised anger in my heart which turned into bitterness.
But the truth is that God Loves Them and want them to know and love Himself.
And I know, in my mind, He has sent me to these very people to tell them about Him.
But I said to God, "Why, Lord? Why they cannot take it?"
God gave me this Scripture,

"And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will."
2Timothy2:25-26

Bible tells me that when I think them being my enemy, what is happening is that they are trapped by the enemy, Satan. They are under the power of enemy like we once were.

All I can do is keep praying that God will give me His peace and encouragement.
And that He will also give me a opportunity to share the Gospel.
And that He will free them from the bondage of sin.

Readers, Please Pray for me and my dorm-mates!!!

Sin is creepy!!!

"I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve."
Jeremiah 17:10

In the last post, I mentioned to the Chinese medicine store that I went to in Hong Kong.
In the store, we, group of tourists, were taken to the small room and received the explanation of the Chinese medicine. ( in other words, I was taken to the place that I can't escape from the sales.)

Well, I ended up buying nothing there, but the explanation they gave was really interesting.

The sales woman told us that poison in human body is hard to find but everyone, no exception, has it to some degree. And what matter is that weather we continue to stock the poison in the body or we get rid of it time to time, taking it out of the body.

Same can be said to a spiritual health. Sin is creepy. It often looks good in our eyes.
Remember the story that took place in garden of Eden. It is described (it's not a apple, we all know ) " the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes". Then next moment you know, she took and eat it and so did Adam.
Not only they broke the order God had given to them, they didn't acknowledge their responsibility.

One sin leads to another. One compromise lead to another.
Take a look at life of Lot. He is one of the ultimate compromiser in the Bible.
Lived in wicked city Sodom, became the leader of the city somehow, living immoral lifestyle.

Are you getting weaker and weaker spiritually? Compromising things that you shouldn't?
The further you get from the Lord, the harder it becomes to go back to Him.

Sin is scary one, guys. Watch out!!!
Let us ask God to search and bring the light into my heart and make us pure!!