Posting alot in April

This month is probably the most posts I have had.

Crazy!

This is a kind of useless post.  Before, it has been

stuff I've been learning or thinking about or listening.

Now, it's just an information about the real life world,

specifically my life.

I started my research for graduate schools that have

M.A. and Ph.D for clinical psychology.  I realized there

isn't many here in Socal...  but a lot in other areas.  While

I'm kind of excited to travel to a different area other

than California, I don't want to leave California.  The

fact that I'm more comfortable here, that Berean is

here, and that my family is here as well, it's hard for 

me to pretty much tell myself now that I may spend 

4 years or so in school somewhere else.

I know I don't have to worry too much about it until 2

years later, but I want to prepare myself for what I

am getting myself into as well as my school work right

now.  Probably people will say "well Justin, if that's your

only option, then you'll have to take it" or "God will lead

you the right way."  Yeah, He will and I hope I'll be able

to respond in humble way.

As of the first response, yeah... I guess I have too...

The Concept of Faith and Works

This is a tough idea to take in (least for me) for not only today,

but also with yesterday's devotionals.  I'll try my best to

portray my thoughts in a clear and hopefully right way in terms

of what is said in Scripture.

Expositing the text James 2, I realized this is an enriching

chapter that really hurts my head, trying to find what it is

trying to say.  I feel that the concept isn't hard, but the

application is.  What James 2 states that salvation from grace

by faith leads to the necessary result of works.  I believe that

that is true, but a question instantly pops up about legalism.

As being incompetent about the knowledge of legalism, what I

think of legalism is doing a spiritual act with the knowledge that

that will save the person committing the action.  We definitely

would not want to fall into that, but it's been an issue in my mind.

I believe and understand that we are not exempt from being an

instrument to God's sovereign plan.  In fact, I feel it's ridiculous

for us to pray to God to save someone we know, but not to take

actions about our prayer.  One might ask: "Don't you have faith in

what God can do?"  That is not the issue that needs to be address,

for I do have faith that God has the power to do anything.  The fact

is that faith in what God can do will lead us to take action.  While we

pray for the unsaved, we have to go to and seize the opportunities

given by God to share our faith.  The Gospel has the saving powers,

and we are instruments of God's plan.

This makes total sense, but I feel it is a bit difficult to apply.  Maybe

because we are comfortable of believing that God will do all the work

(that sounds more like idleness to me).  Whatever the reason, I know

I struggle to apply this in my life.  It's difficult and it hurts my head

thinking about this rather simple truth.

Corporate Worship

It's something I've been thinking about for the past

few days.  What I'm about to say may be a bit

prestigious for me to say, but it's what I come to realize as

corporate worship is and I'm sorry if there is something

wrong with what I say.

As a side note, this is about the praise aspect of worship.

I know worship is not only limited to praise but also to

everything we do.  For this blog posting, it's about the

praise aspect of worship.

Worship is praising God and glorifying him in whatever

we do.  In the case of praise, we sing out in whatever

way to our God the Father with a humble heart.

The issue sometimes come to corporate worship and

how to go about it and the song chosen for worship.

In terms of the song chosen, there has been arguments

about what should be played in terms of the message

given.  One adamant side prefers the songs to be more

Christ-oriented and less "I/me/myself" songs.  It's all

good and well, but sometimes people who argue this tends

to not take as much importance to the "I/me/myself" songs.

Those songs, I feel, are responses about our hearts or

the message we have heard.  For example, taking the

song "Lord I offer my life".  What a great song! What a

song to proclaim that God is the Almighty in our lives

and that we, as humble slaves to righteousness, hand it

to God as living sacrifices.  Songs like this are great ways

to respond back to God.  David in Psalms praised God for 

not only who he is but also what he can do as a servant of 

God.  He lifts up everything he has to God who is the Almighty 

and sovereign.

In terms of corporate worship, I've wondered if it was okay

for the praise leader, being compelled and broken by the

message of the songs, to get on knees and praise God.

Initially, if the leader's heart was in the right place and was

doing it out of genuinely love for him, then it would be

alright.  Though I think it's all right, I'll have to look at it

in a corporate worship.  If everyone were to praise God

by how the Spirit compells them to, it would bring utter chaos

during worship.

The imagery of a corporate worship, for me, is something like

this: a huge body of believers in God, praising in one voice and

in one unison to the Lord God Almighty.  The band and music

becomes irrelevant in this worship but the people in the band joins

the body and praise God.  ALL eyes and voices are on God where

it should be.  That is the corporate worship of the body of believers.

MercyMe New? Song

Not sure if it is a new song that I heard from them,

but they never fail to make some very good songs

filled with imagery from the lyrics.  Here it is!

Finally Home - MercyMe

I'm gonna wrap my arms around my daddy's neck 

and tell him that I've missed him 

and tell himall about the man that i became 

and hope that it pleased him 

there's so much i want to say
there's so much i want you to know.

[chorus]
When i finally make it home

when i finally make it home.

Then I'll gaze upon the throne of the King 

frozen in my steps 

and all the questions that i swore 

i would ask words just won't come yet 

so amazed at what I've seen 

so much more than this old mind can hold.

And the sweetest sound my ears have yet to hear voices on angels.

Enjoy!  One of their other songs is I Can Only Imagine.

Good Friday

The day where Christ died on the cross to save us from

our sins.  The day he was betrayed by one of his own

disciples.  The day he was mocked and beaten by the

soldiers, chief high priests, and robbers.  The day that

God left His son to die on the cross.  The day the curtains

of the temple were torn.

Today, April 10, was the day that we were saved for our

Sin.  It's a very emotional and sobering moment to mediate

upon what Christ has done.  The message that should never,

ever be hardened in our hearts.  The message that gives us

joy and love toward our God, the Father.  The message of

the Gospel.

We put Christ on the cross.  We were the crowds who wanted

to crucify him.  We were the crowds who wanted the criminal

Barabbas to be freed instead of Jesus.  We were the ones who

mocked him and send him to the Cross.  Ultimately, it was

God who put his son on the cross.  We were there to fulfill the

prophecy and to do what God has planned.

How great is our God to save us from our sins.  How painful it

was for the Father to see His only Son dying on the cross.  How

humbling it is for Christ to bear the mockery and to die for us

sinners when he was perfect.  How great is our God, the Father.

What Annoys Me the Most

This is a little rant, but it's something that has been really

bothering me lately.  Recently, on the news, I watched a

lady ranting about the fact that she's happy about 9/11

and the death of the soldiers who died in Iraq.  To top all

of that, she tries to back it up with religion.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XkgOdb8tdA&feature=related

On UCI Campus, the similar situation is presented with

people and their signs saying "If you don't believe in

God, you'll go to hell."

So, what's wrong with this? Aren't they speaking the truth?

Yes, God is a wrathful God, but that's not the only

characteristic that describes who He is.  He is love and mercy.

It just bothers me that people try to bring others who aren't

saved by scaring them.  If the emphasis is all about not

going to hell, then what Christ has done on the cross isn't

the important message.

Don't get me wrong; we are saved from the death that we

received, but we also received a new life, a life that can only

be given by God's mercy and grace on us.

However, the other extreme needs to be addressed too.  We

can't only emphasize the fact that God is love and mercy and

that he will forgive you.  God will discipline you like a Father

disciplines his child, but it is out of love.

Beauty of the Lord

Thanks to Eddie for reminding me of this.

When I walk around the park in UCI, I also stare off into trees

and bask in the beauty of it.  Whenever I see pictures of

beautiful scenery, I just stare at it for a little longer.  When I see

these things, I stop and stare at it.  I think to myself, "This is

what God created."

God created this tree to bloom such beautiful leaves.  God created

the scenery in awestruck ways.  I wonder if that's what Adam and

Eve thought in the Garden of Eden.  What God has created

is what I can see of God's beauty.  It's not his full beauty, but a 

glimpse of something even greater.

What an amazing scene of God's beauty.  I smile and walk away,

continuing to think about His beauty.