God's Plan and Intention

God's original plan and intention for mankind are clearly explained in Genesis 1, verse 31. After God created day and night, skies, oceans, animals, and us (human beings), "God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good."

God gave us the beautiful earth and everything in it for our enjoyment and fulfillment. God really loves us and has a good plan for our lives. Contrary to what you heard and learned, God intends for us to have happy lives!!! God is not cruel and unkind. God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). In Jeremiah 29:11, God says, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

When you see pain, suffering, and deaths in the world, the problems are not from God--they are actually from us. The first human couple rebelled against God. We (everyone of us) became disobedient. We turned away from God and followed our own plans and desires. From the beginning of the world, we sinned and continue to sin.

If we follow God and God's Word, we will save ourselves a great deal from all heartache and pain. If you notice, the present problems in the world such as crime, wars, violence, divorces, abortion, and abuses come directly from our own rebellion. We "deviate" from God's instruction, which is His good intention for us. God's instructions for living a life can be found in the Bible. God's advice is valuable. The problem is we don't take God's Word seriously enough. That's why we suffer and make other people suffer.

The great Christian thinker, author, and apologist G.K. Chesterton was once asked by the Times to contribute an article on the topic "What's wrong with the world?" Chesterton wrote the magazine's editor back in one sentence: "Dear Sirs, I am. Sincerely yours, G. K. Chesterton."

"I am" and actually "we all are" the problems that the world has. Most people, unfortunately and sadly, blame everything on God but never look at their own faults.

We need to be humble before God by confessing our sins and turning away from them.

We need to follow God's perfect plan for our lives.

Joy to the World

What can be more joyful than spending time with someone you love on a special day like Christmas? God has given us the most wonderful gift, Jesus Christ, a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger. We are grateful to God because God has reached out to us through Jesus. Without Jesus, there will be no peace, no joy, no hope, no reconciliation between God and men. That's why the angel announced in Luke 2:10 and 11,

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

The angel told us not to be afraid of anything because there will be a great joy and good news. The birth of Christ is the GOOD NEWS, and this good news is for ALL people, not just for some groups of people. Jesus is the Lord and Savior who loves us and saves us from our sins. He gave His life so that we can have an abundant life now and an eternal life later. What a wonderful, loving God we have!

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones!

God and the Rich Man

I have an interesting phone conversation with my Thai friend this week. We talk about possessions like houses, cars, jewelry, etc. We agree that material things do not always bring a person's happiness. In my life, we (my friend and I)see many rich people having a miserable life. What is an importance of having a big house, nice cars, nice vacations and gadgets in our lives? Everyone is pursuing these things? And what is a goal of being a Christian?

Jesus says "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and
give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."(Matthew 19:21). There are similar references in Matthew 6:20 and Luke 12:33. God is interested in our pursue of Him, not in how big our house is. He is interested in our spiritual growth, our faithfulness, our understanding, our devotion, and our obedience to Him. After we die and stand in front of the throne of Jesus, He will ask us what we did when we live on earth, were we kind to other people, did we help anyone to know Him? did we love others, did we help strangers in need? There won't be questions about how big is our house or how much education you have.

We watched a video about the Egyptian empire this week. Those kings were very rich but their palaces and possessions turn into dust today. Material things are very short-lived and temporal.

Christian refugees and orphans in Thailand

Bluetree, an Irish Christian band, recently visited, Freedom Tent, an interactive exhibit set up by Christian Freedom International (CFI). The band talked about lives of Christian Karen refugees living along the Thai-Burmese borders.

The children in this video are mostly orphans. Their parents and relatives are killed by Burma's totalitarian government. Despite difficulties, the children really love Jesus with all they have.

Christian Freedom International has been working in Thailand, helping the persecuted, for years. They deliver rice, Bibles, and medical aids to those in need.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtW0BBcjWyg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma0YR9273iI&feature=related

Light of the World in Thai

This is a really nice video for Thais, describing a plan of salvation that is very easy to understand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jRCSWLeoro

Amazing Worship

I've just got back from visiting Thailand, my home country. I had an opportunity to worship with vibrant Thai churches, listen to heartfelt testimonies, and pray along with them. The Lord is doing a mighty work in Thailand, bringing Thai people to Himself. I am greatly encouraged to see the church's enthusiasm, their zeal to share the gospel (Good News), and their love for Jesus. What an amazing trip!

Below is another active, great Thai/international church here in Seattle area, USA. I am amazed at how God uses these wonderful people to bring hope to the world! Their music is uplifting.

The church is called New Hope International Church. Pastor Lao and Da are kind, humble servants of the Lord whose love for God and others is compelling and contagious! Their ministry has touched so many lives (including mine). Visit their website at http://www.newhic.org/



"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24)

The God Who Connected

I remember when I was a child. I was sitting in a religious room in my house praying to lifeless statues. There was no peace in my heart. The statues were made out of stones and metal. They could not hear me. They could not talk. There were no responses, no comfort.

After I became a Christian, I know that God hears my prayers and He can feel what I feel. Human sufferings are not new to God because God was here on earth! He experienced sufferings, hurt, rejection, persecution, betrayal, poverty, sickness, and everything that I've ever experienced and more. Jesus Christ is so humble and kind. He mingled with low-class people, poor people, sick people, lepers, the handicapped, and the outcasts of the society.

Jesus is compassionate. He went everywhere to heal sick people, to preach the good news. He is actually the best social worker in the whole universe. He is someone we should look up to and follow his examples. We have been looking for heroes at the wrong places---Hollywood movie stars, sports figures, singers, famous authors, our friends, presidents, kings and etc. But the real hero is Jesus Christ who suffers all things and dies for our sins so that we can have an eternal life. This is what prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 53, "He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows."

Lately, I have been reading the Book of Mark. I noticed how Jesus interacted and connected with poor and sick villagers. These people were invisible in the society---no one cared about them. They were in the background and people just walked by them. But Jesus took time to minister to them. It was amazing to read about how Jesus related to them in a special way.

In Mark 7, Jesus drove a demon out of a young girl. He then healed a deaf and mute man who begged him to place his hand on him. In Mark 8, Jesus fed a large crowd with bread and fish otherwise the crowd would collapse with hunger and exhaustion. In the same chapter, Jesus healed a blind man at a town called Bethsaida.

Jesus is welcoming everyone into God's kingdom. You don't have to be rich, powerful,educated, strong, attractive, or have a certain race. Just come to Him with a heart of repentance and believe that He can cleanse your sins and He is the only way to salvation. Only through Jesus, you will be forgiven and reconciled to God. The Bible says, "If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Happy Easter Day (two days late)!!!