7 Days of "Do It!": Day #1

In my sermon this past Sunday, I challenged my church to 7 Days of Obedience. Jesus says in John 7:17 that "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own." The idea is that Jesus isn't as concerned with how much of the Word of God we can take in as he is with how well we put out what we take in. Do we CHOOSE TO DO what we hear and learn?

So the challenge is to ask at the end of each day this week: "What did I choose to do today in direct response to God's word?"

I think those of us who are serious about God often ask ourselves, "Did I spend time with God today?", or "Did I read my Bible today?" But the challenge challenges us to be intentional in actually putting out the things we take in.

So I'm deciding to blog each of these 7 days, as a report on how I do on this "Do It!" Challenge. Figure it'll keep me accountable. Figure that those reading this will take up the challenge as well.

DAY #1:
This is WAY HARDER than I thought. I realize just after one day how intentional I gotta be in thinking about what I've learned, and remembering what I've read. It's even harder trying to be intentional about living it out.

But at the last hour, God spoke to me. I was writing a response email to a female at my church. It was a very kind email I received, and I typed up a response and was about to send it out. I wrestled within whether or not I should include Monica on the cc. But I thought "It's not a big deal. Plus, she might make a matter out of nothing."

I told Monica previously that I would always include her in any correspondence that I have with any female so that it would NEVER be one-on-one, whether in ministry, in person, in a room, or even via email.

But sometimes I'm tempted to think, "This is seriously no big deal. I don't really need to include Monica in this, do I? It's so innocent".

But yesterday in my Bible reading, Proverbs 11 taught me that: "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity."

In active obedience to God's word spoken to me, I had Monica read the email before sending it out, as well as included her in the cc."

"Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."- Jesus (Luke 11:28)

... The Lord Taketh Away.

I just returned home with my brother from San Francisco. My Grandma passed away last Thursday at 9:30am. She was 93 years old.

I had time to reflect during the funeral service today. As I sat there, I was regretful that I never once shared a meaningful conversation with my Grandma. Because she only speaks a particular dialect of Chinese (Taishanese, or Toisan), and I only speak English, we were always extremely limited in our communication. I wept in regret as her Eulogy was presented.

HOWEVER, in Christ, mourning turns into dancing. I'm reminded that He is Risen, Jesus Christ my Lord.

And because He is Risen, I know she will rise. She is a child of God by faith. And my hope isn't just that I shall one day see her again... my hope is that on that day I will communicate with her for the FIRST time.

I don't know if we'll be chattin' it up in Toisan, or if she'll be speaking in English.

But I know that it'll be with the same language we use to glorify and worship our God. It'll be in the heavenly language that people from all tribes and nations, people and tongue, will use as we fellowship with each other and with the Lamb of Glory.



Rev 7:9-10 "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb... And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb."