Urim's SJ life

[ifheiswillingsobeit]

Proverbs 10:5 says, A sensible person gathers the crops when they are ready; it is a disgrace to sleep through the time of harvest.

And it got me thinking. What happens if I apply this verse towards the Great Commission? Jesus said that the harvest is ready and plentiful but there are not enough harvesters. We as Christians, as DISCIPLES of CHRIST, are the "harvesters". Yet, many of us "sleep" through the time of harvest. I'm not talking only about physical sleep, but that we are wasting out lives away on looking for jobs, going to school, studying, going to fun social events, going to church, going to fellowship, etc. No, I shouldn't say wasting out time, since many of these things are good things.

But, as I look outside my window, I notice what Jesus meant when he said that the harvest is plentiful and ready. There are so many, many, many broken and lost people in this city; in this world. I spend most of my days looking for a job to sustain myself whilst praying to God to provide for my needs. But I'm not doing what HE asked me to do. All this time I'm asking God for stuff, and yet I don't "Go to all peoples everywhere and make them HIS disciples" and I definitely don't "baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit" and the last part? "Teaching them to obey everything HE has commanded me"? Will HE be with me always to the end of the age? (Matthew 28:19-20)

I remember the last CT&Worship for the past year. It was barely even two weeks ago. During the praise, Max Park, challenged me (and probably many others) through his interpretation of the Prodigal Son.

Since that night, I've been troubled by heavy and sinful thoughts. 5/7 days a week, I go out looking for jobs, dropping my resume in at several places. Usually I go out for 2-5 hours each day. I sleep for about 8-10 hours. I have 9-14 hours of free time... which I could be using to just take a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood and meeting strangers just so I can be able to share the Joy of the Gospel.

Maybe, if I do what God asks me to do instead of wasting my time looking for jobs outside and online, maybe... He will provide for my needs in more mysterious ways. All I need to do is step forward and answer His call to share the Gospel to everyone who lives near Toronto SRB.

I am financially running low, and it's getting harder to travel further away looking for work, so why not give it a try? After all, it is a disgrace to sleep through the time of harvest. If anyone living in Toronto don't have much to do other than work and summer school, let's meet up and hold summer evangelism meetings.

[ifheiswillingsobeit]

I'm on God's side. I will always be. No matter what may come to break me down.

[ifheiswillingsobeit]

QT for May

1 - Hosea 9  2 - Hosea 10 3 - Hosea 11 4 - Hosea 12 5 - Exodus 1 6 - Exodus 2 7 - Exodus 3 8 - Exodus 4 9 - Exodus 5 10 - Exodus 6 11 - Exodus 7 12 - Exodus 8 13 - Exodus 9 14 - Exodus 10 15 - Exodus 11 16 - Exodus 12 17 - Exodus 13 18 - Exodus 14 19 - Exodus 15 20 - Exodus 16 21 - Exodus 17 22 - Exodus 18 23 - Exodus 19 24 - Exodus 20 25 - Exodus 21 26 - Exodus 22 27 - Exodus 23 28 - Exodus 24 29 - Exodus 25 30 - Exodus 26 31 - Exodus 27

[ifheiswillingsobeit]

Hiatus? An apology to my subscribers/readers....

I'm sorry guys for the long super hiatus I've been in.... blame the mechanics of schoolwork and exams for that. I will update now while I still have the time. My next exam is in 9 days...

[ifheiswillingsobeit]

QT for April

Apr. 1 - 2 Samuel 19 Apr. 2 - 2 Samuel 20 Apr. 3 - 2 Samuel 21 Apr. 4 - 2 Samuel 22 Apr. 5 - 2 Samuel 23 Apr. 6 - 2 Samuel 24 Apr. 7 - Ecclesiastes 1 Apr. 8 - Ecclesiastes 2 Apr. 9 - Ecclesiastes 3 Apr. 10 - Ecclesiastes 4 Apr. 11 - Ecclesiastes 5 Apr. 12 - Ecclesiastes 6 Apr. 13 - Ecclesiastes 7 Apr. 14 - Ecclesiastes 8 Apr. 15 - Ecclesiastes 9 Apr. 16 - Ecclesiastes 10 Apr. 17 - Ecclesiastes 11 Apr. 18 - Ecclesiastes 12 Apr. 19 - Ruth 1 Apr. 20 - Ruth 2 Apr. 21 - Ruth 3 Apr. 22 - Ruth 4 Apr. 23 - Hosea 1 Apr. 24 - Hosea 2 Apr. 25 - Hosea 3 Apr. 26 - Hosea 4 Apr. 27 - Hosea 5 Apr. 28 - Hosea 6 Apr. 29 - Hosea 7 Apr. 30 - Hosea 8

[ifheiswillingsobeit]

QT for March

March 1: 1 Samuel 23 March 2: 1 Samuel 24 March 3: 1 Samuel 25  March 4: 1 Samuel 26 March 5: 1 Samuel 27 March 6: 1 Samuel 28 March 7: 1 Samuel 29 March 8: 1 Samuel 30 March 9: 1 Samuel 31 March 10: Jonah 1 March 11: Jonah 2 March 12: Jonah 3 March 13: Jonah 4 March 14: 2 Samuel 1 March 15: 2 Samuel 2 March 16: 2 Samuel 3 March 17: 2 Samuel 4 March 18: 2 Samuel 5 March 19: 2 Samuel 6 March 20: 2 Samuel 7 March 21: 2 Samuel 8 March 22: 2 Samuel 9 March 23: 2 Samuel 10 March 24: 2 Samuel 11 March 25: 2 Samuel 12 March 26: 2 Samuel 13 March 27: 2 Samuel 14 March 28: 2 Samuel 15 March 29: 2 Samuel 16 March 30: 2 Samuel 17 March 31: 2 Samuel 18

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[ifheiswillingsobeit]

QT for February

1 - Esther 9 2 - Esther 10 3 - Malachi 1 4 - Malachi 2 5 - Malachi 3 6 - Malachi 4 7 - 1 Samuel 1 8 - 1 Samuel 2 9 - 1 Samuel 3 10 - 1 Samuel 4 11 - 1 Samuel 5 12 - 1 Samuel 6 13 - 1 Samuel 7 14 - 1 Samuel 8 15 - 1 Samuel 9 16 - 1 Samuel 10 17 - 1 Samuel 11 18 - 1 Samuel 12 19 - 1 Samuel 13 20 - 1 Samuel 14 21 - 1 Samuel 15 22 - 1 Samuel 16 23 - 1 Samuel 17 24 - 1 Samuel 18 25 - 1 Samuel 19 26 - 1 Samuel 20 27 - 1 Samuel 21 28 - 1 Samuel 22

[ifheiswillingsobeit]

QT Day Twenty-One: Nehemiah 12

Observation: I noticed that there are so many interesting people with a wide variety of names. Normally, you'd think with so many common names in this world, there's not a lot of creativity and variety in the naming of children these days. A lot of immigrants often choose to have common western names in the new language but wouldn't this count for loss of culture and indirect/unconscious assimilation into another culture?

From this point of view I realized that the God we serve must be an amazing God to be able to give each and every human being an unique name as well as an unique mind and body. The Babel Tower and the confusion of language wasn't an accident but served its purpose in creating cultures and race.

Aside from this observation, I also noted that Nehemiah goes through a lot of wall dedication and regulations to ensure temple worship is proper and formalized. It was also surprising to learn that the people would stand on the wall and dedicate it by praising God in this way. Exactly how high was the wall in the first place? o_o

Interpretation: Even the smallest to the largest of details, a leader should make every use of his resources and make quick but wise decisions at all times to ensure that no time is wasted. Nehemiah does all of that and more. I figure if I want to become a SJ, I will need to meditate on God's word more and pray more regularly to be more fully prepared and ready to be one of His chosen leaders for His people.

Application: In preparation for SJ, I will study the Word of God more regularly and pray and fast and meditate during the excess of time that He gave me while I study for school.

[ifheiswillingsobeit]

QT Day Twenty: Nehemiah 11

Nehemiah 11:23.

There were royal regulations stating how the clans should take turns in leading the Temple music each day.

Just as there are regulations stating how to take turns in leader temple music, I feel that regulations should be made stating how to take turns in leading worship and praise in chapel and in CT. Having one worship leader is sometime good for consistency, but also training and raising up multiple leaders for praise and worship is also a good idea.

[ifheiswillingsobeit]

QT Day Nineteen: Nehemiah 10

Nehemiah 10:36.

The first son born to each of us we will take to the priests in the Temple and there, as required by the Law, dedicate him to God.

As the first born son, I know that my parents had dedicated me to God, to serve Him with all my might and heart and soul and mind, for my whole life was dedicated to Him.

It is therefore my duty to not only serve my parents but also to serve God for as long as my life on earth is.

Nehemiah 10:39.

We will not neglect the house of our God.

This last line of this verse. What is the house of God? Today, we know that we, our bodies, are the temple of God. The house of God. The HOUSE of God. We, therefore should not neglect the temple which is our own body, and take care of it, keeping it healthy, clean and pure for God.

Amen.

[ifheiswillingsobeit]

QT Day Eighteen: Nehemiah 9:22-38

Nehemiah 9:30.

Year after year you patiently warned them.

God is patient. Enough said. He warns us of the temptations of the Devil; he warns us of the sinful distractions of our enemies.

Nehemiah 9:31.

And yet, because your mercy is great,     you did not forsake or destroy them. You are a gracious and merciful God!

Again, like yesterday, I read this one verse. God is a merciful God. His Mercy is so great, that he will never ever abandon or destroy us.

Thank you God, for being so ever patient and merciful and gracious.

Nehemiah 9:33.

You have done right to punish us;     you have been faithful, even though we have sinned.

God is a holy and pure God. He will always continue to ever be faithful, even when we sin and are unfaithful to Him.

[ifheiswillingsobeit]

QT Day Seventeen: Nehemiah 9:1-21

Nehemiah 9:3.

For about three hours the Law of the Lord their God was read to them, and for the next three hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God.

I do find it necessary to take a lot of time to confess our sins and worship God. Sometimes when I go to CT, I really am able to sense God's presence through the prayer times. Sometimes these prayer times may go on for more than an hour, but usually they are shorter. Seeing God's holy people come face to face with Him, shedding tears in confession of their sins, and then joyfully praising God with hearts of peace and rest; it makes me glad.

Nehemiah 9:5,6,8,17,19.

Stand up and praise the Lord your God;     praise him forever and ever! Let everyone praise his glorious name,     although no human praise is great enough.

You, Lord, you alone are Lord;

You kept your promise, because you are faithful.

But you are a God who forgives;     you are gracious and loving, slow to be angry. Your mercy is great; you did not forsake them.

But you did not abandon them there in the desert,     for your mercy is great.

Through these series of verses, I learned more about who God is. It is fascinating to know that our praise is never enough for Him who is Holy. Even the angels and heavenly powers bow down and worship Him; so why should we neglect our worship for Him?

Yes, you Lord, you alone are God. We say this as a reminder to ourselves that God is Lord above all lords, and that no other power shall have any effect towards us. He is a God who keeps His Promises and His mercy is Great.

He will never abandon us, he will never forsake us, for His mercy is Great.

Amen.

Nehemiah 9:21.

Through forty years in the desert     you provided all that they needed;

If God provided for forty years all that the Israelites needed, then why would he not do so for us in this modern age? So then, take heart, and be still for He is God; for He Provides. Trust in Him, who provides.

[ifheiswillingsobeit]

QT Day Sixteen: Nehemiah 8:13-18

Nehemiah 8:17.

All the people who had come back from captivity built shelters and lived in them. This was the first time it had been done since the days of Joshua son of Nun, and everybody was excited and happy.

It is a strange feeling reading about this event. That everybody is excited to give additional offerings to the Lord symbolizes the excitement of being able to worship God through your gifts and talents after being reunited with God.

[ifheiswillingsobeit]

QT Day Fifteen: Nehemiah 8:1-12

Nehemiah 8:2.

So Ezra brought it to the place where the people had gathered—men, women, and the children who were old enough to understand.

I've italicized the portion I focused on.

People had gathered to listen to God's law, and not only the adults but also children who were old enough to understand; I take it that these children were at least of the age of 9 or 10.

My younger sister, after turning 11 last year, began to do a daily bible reading with my parents and also joined in on the bible studies at church every Sunday morning. Her intense spiritual curiosity and understanding surprises me even today. At such a young age, or so I thought. She may be as old as me, spiritually.

Nehemiah 8:10.

Now go home and have a feast. Share your food and wine with those who don't have enough. Today is holy to our Lord, so don't be sad. The joy that the Lord gives you will make you strong.

When it said that today is holy to our Lord and that the people should not be sad... I realized the truth that everyday today is holy to our Lord, since it is a day that has been sanctified through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We should be joyful everyday. For without Christ's death on the cross for our sins, every day will be like a hell for us, more so for those who don't believe. We live by Faith in God's perfect and wonderful plan for our lives. Why be sad when every day, God may hold wonderful surprises for each and every one of his children?

Nehemiah 8:11-12.

The Levites went around calming the people and telling them not to be sad on such a holy day.

So all the people went home and ate and drank joyfully and shared what they had with others, because they understood what had been read to them.

The Levites went around calming people and cheering them up. In the same way, we Christian leaders should do the same for our disciples and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

Communion shouldn't be shared once in awhile, but should be done more often, maybe every week or even twice weekly. Every day should be a day of remembrance to what our Lord Jesus Christ had done for all of mankind.

[ifheiswillingsobeit]

A look into Week 2: Prayer Warriors Fasting Night

This past Friday night I took part in an event that marks a changing point in Agape Impact's mission for this year. Called, "Prayer Warriors Fasting Night" this event started at midnight on Friday and continued on until an hour past noon the next day. A total of 37 hours. Some students may have fasted for more than this based on when they last ate a meal or snack on Thursday Night. However, the number of hours is not what matters most.

I was excited and pumped to join this event. I fast regularly, at least once a week, and praying is part of my daily life. I tried to encourage more students to join this event because I knew of the many spiritual benefits of fasting and praying.

A separate program was held after CT on Friday at around 10pm. There were quite a number of students there, a few each from their respective campuses, representing their student bodies. My heart warmed at the sight of other brothers and sisters in Christ praising God and praying for each other.

We played a game of prayer bingo, where we gathered up names and prayer topics, afterwards of which we took some time to pray for the people we collected the names and topics from.

We had a message delivered by Matthew GSN. There were several worship sessions to help keep us awake and focused on God.

After another round of prayer in one group, we were finally given a lot of time to pray for our individual prayer topics. Everyone in the group came with at least 100 prayer topics. The prayer topics ranged in categories of personal, family, friends, soonwons, missions, etc.

I prayed for about 30-45 minutes and after going through all of my prayer topics (I had written them down with a lot of specific details so it was easier to relay what my heart wanted to tell God), at around 2am, the lights were turned off to signal the end of the night. However, the meeting room and chapel room were still open for those who wanted to continue praying.

Realizing that there was not a lot of room for the number of guys who came to the event, we all squeezed in tight as we fell into a somewhat-deep slumber. What I mean is that many of us were restless and could not get proper sleep. I felt God's presence moving so violently and passionately in the room where we slept. I was moved to pray even as I fell asleep, and God gave me peace.

Morning came, and many of us roused from our sleep, an hour behind schedule. The night was slightly chilly and it was a miracle that nobody had caught a cold, or so I believe it so.

After washing up and getting prepared for the next session, we all met in the youth lounge room of the building. A brief greeting followed immediately by QT and sharing soon engulfed the room we were in. I could feel the Holy Spirit's guidance as we read through the passage for that morning.

After sharing, we had a brief prayer and message by Byron GSN, and continued on with more prayer. We finished the day with some worship, some cleaning and finally some food to break-the-fast.

This was a night not only of good experience but also of a reminder from God that there is so much that He gave us, that we should not take for granted.

I want to thank God for bringing me to this event that night. I also want to thank the GSNs and SRs who organized this day and night and morning of fasting and praying.

Thank you.

[ifheiswillingsobeit]

QT Day Fourteen: Nehemiah 7:61-73

Nehemiah 7:65.

The Jewish governor told them that they could not eat the food offered to God until there was a priest who could use the Urim and Thummim.

I just happened to see my name here, so I selfishly took more time on this one verse.

But as I read this verse I realized that to eat the food offered to God, we ourselves had to be spiritually cleansed and ready to serve God. For Urim means light and revelation, whilst Thummim means perfection; we need to be prepared to be the light that God meant us to be in this world, we need to trust in God's perfect plan for us.