Secret of New Year Breakthrough

“But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and pressing forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3: 13, 14).

A tragedy happened to a pastor’s family along the highway. The pastor and his wife were in the front seats of their mini van. Six of their children were in the back. When their gas tank was hit by a piece of steel, their mini van burst into flames, killing 5 of the children and wounding the 6th. The pastor and his wife miraculously survived. Helplessly watching her children die, the mother turned to her pastor-husband and said: “This is what God has been preparing us for all of our lives.”

What a faith! That kind of godly trust despite what happened did not come at the moment of tragic impact. It has been there developing for very long periods. To develop that kind of faith in God takes a lot of time and discipline. It’s the kind of spirituality that enables Christians to press on and grow at a deeper level within their lifetime.

Leaders do face personal problems or tragedies like everyone else. Jonathan Edwards was fired from the pastorate. Billy Graham preached to millions when his son was a prodigal. John Wesley and Abraham Lincoln had difficult wives. Charles Spurgeon suffered from obesity and severe depression. Nelson Mandela saved Africa but he was not able to save his broken family. John Osteen founded Lakewood Church while being a divorced pastor. In all of these examples, we have yet to meet a successful leader who continually dwelled on past difficulties and tragedies.

Personally, being a Christian leader and pastor myself, I know how hard it is when faced with personal crises. I knew the extreme difficulty of standing up for God’s ways under terrible circumstances. This year 2007, I experienced an unspeakable pain and suffering at the hand of one I trusted so much. I was badly hurt. Then, as I moved on, it dawned on me that all of those past experiences in my family, my church and seminary years etc. were all part of God’s training for me for this “big event!” I can also say, “This is what God has been preparing me for all of my life!” Indeed, I needed to be equipped enough to pass this test of faith and “press forward” in Christ.

Friend, today, this new year 2008, may be the day to turn the disappointments of your past into God’s re-appointments. Do not be held hostage by anything negative from your personal history. Press on towards a breakthrough for your future!

Making Life Rich

This past week, I did a quick survey on the internet. And I discovered over 101,000,000 websites on “getting rich.” I also saw on TV the other day the happy face of a pregnant, unmarried woman. She became an instant millionaire for winning in a TV game show. Everybody cheers!

Media programs and advertisements promise that having millions, a brand new car, a huge mansion, or travels worldwide will be just the ticket to make life rich. We may not admit it, but each of us is capable of asking “Lord, make me rich!”

When it comes right down to it, that appears to be the greatest need of countless people today. What with almost 50% of the world’s population living on an income of $3 per week – most of them in Asia and Africa! Then, think also of the vast difference between those who have so much when others have so little.

Henry Ward Beecher once wrote, “No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his wallet. It is the heart that makes a man rich.”

In truth, money does not really make anyone rich (though I wouldn’t mind having lots of it for God’s missionaries!). But being in CHRIST has. I am profoundly enriched to know that I have a God who loves me in a world characterized by selfishness and sin. Spiritual wealth in Jesus is immeasurably more valuable than material wealth.

As the years go by, my personal budget seems to be shrinking each time. Part of it has something to do with wanting more because others have more. So it’s enlightening to thank God all the time. To “count your many blessings” that would help keep us from the trap of covetousness (1 Tim. 6: 6-10).

The other part has to do with what John Bunyan calls basic “concernments.” The author of “Pilgrim’s Progress” was imprisoned for over 12 years for preaching the Gospel, leaving behind a wife and children with great burdens.

Bunyan wrote: “But that which helped me in this temptation was the consideration of this Scripture, ‘Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive, and let thy widows trust in Me’ (Jer. 49:11). I had this consideration, that if I should now venture all for God, I engaged God to take care of my concernments.”

Such takes a fair degree of faith. A concerned friend asked me recently about “clear amounts” of support and plans for my upcoming missionary journey. Of course, there are already some in place, as I continue to put action behind my prayers.

But in the main, whenever God calls, the principle is always to “walk by faith, not by sight.” If I can see everything happening, then I don’t really need any faith.

Over the years, my family and I never lacked what we really need. God has always taken care of us. The “Head of the Church” is head of my family and my children. As we do our part, his plan and promise is to prosper us, to give us hope and a future (Jer. 29:11). And I’m sure He will never change.

Now, I’m reminded again of what makes me or anyone truly rich, with or without money.

“He will dwell on high; his place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; bread will be given him, his water will be sure” (Isaiah 33:16).

A Funny, Dancing Christmas Greeting from My Kids!

Hello everybody! I know how busy and crazy this time of the year can be. Let's always remember the birth of Christ our Savior. He is the reason for the season. But let's also remember that this time is also for the kids and to have fun! Watch my kids now -- Christine, 14; Paul, 12; and Angel, 5 -- as they send you their funny, dancing "Merry Christmas!" greeting for you and your family ! Have a meaningful, Spirit-filled holiday.

I Have A Dream

I have a dream.

I get off to very rough months and moves. Crushed. Discouraged. Confused. Then one day I see 1 Peter 5:10 written on the wall. Before the Lord settles me, He refines me through the fire.

Even more, He shows that no earthly location, relationship, or possession is permanent. I must instead be established and settled in Him. He’s moving me on.

I open my face to the sky to feel the air. I’m touching another land to serve Him. Just another chapter of what God has been doing through me over the years. That is, for the nations.

Things enchant me about God’s new assignment. Shadows of trees beyond the snow. Houses made of bricks and red tile roofs. Streets washed clean by autumn rains. Silence in the mountains.

I see a vision of the Only One. I have total faith in Him. No second thoughts about distance, about sacrifice, about strange language and culture, or about what will be left behind. He calls. I just respond.

I forgive all the discomforts. I wrap myself with thick jackets and layers of socks without getting warm. I wander through busy streets and subways. All along, wishing everybody speaks my tongue. I endure some longings inside my heart.

Over time, the strangeness and newness wear off. Flowers wilt. Empty windows. Faceless walls. I listen to quiet sounds bouncing off the cool prayer mountains. I hug myself inside my coat.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the illusion breaks. It becomes an enemy to the vision of the One who calls. Oh, I wonder what people mean by “love-hate relationship.” Again, I’m crushing and molding pieces. To form an image – a true, lasting one this time.

Lastly, in my dream, I see multi-colored natives. They’ve become established and settled. I witness great numbers of souls come to Him. With a shudder, I began to understand God’s mysterious ways. And long to be home, finally.

“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” (1 Peter 5:10).

The Man Who Reached the Peak of Mt. Everest

On May 10, 1996, author and mountain climber Jon Krakauer reached the peak of the world’s highest mountain, Mt. Everest. He wrote, after reaching the summit, “I understood on some dim, detached level that the sweep of earth beneath my feet was a spectacular sight. I’d been fantasizing about this moment, and the release of emotion that would accompany it, for many months. But now that I was finally here, standing on the summit of Mt. Everest, I just could not summon the energy to care.”

Earthly goods and goals can never fully satisfy. They’re not the real “peak.” Recently, I became conscious of this endless reminder from God. During an out of town organizational planning retreat, I spent many private moments of prayer all throughout amid planning on ministry figures and dollars. We Christians call prayer, drawing near to God, indispensable in ministry. We always find time for important things. The time we give to prayer will be a true measure of its importance to us. But, strange paradox, I found that most of us find it hard to pray. We know God’s Word calls for it. Yet we still fail to give importance and time to intercede alone and together with others.

The real “peak” is somewhere else. Apostle Paul told the Philippian believers, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). Each upward climb towards that eternal goal in Christ brings complete soul-satisfaction. In this regard, how precious to realize God values and honors prayer! What happens within us in His presence is a far higher “peak” than any earthly gains we reap from doing things.

How well are you and I striving to reach that “peak?”