The Ambassador of God 3

Dear Friend,
How are you?  I’m well.

I read Pastor John Fenn’s book, Roadmap for Spiritual Growth in this July and he wrote about Beatitude in the first few chapters.  Today, I would like to share what he wrote on the peacemakers:
“Matthew 5:9 says blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the children of God. A peacemaker is not a diplomat. Go back to 2 Corinthians 5:19, that is to say that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself not charging their trespasses to them and He has given to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we as ambassadors for Christ as though God is begging you through us, we pray you be reconciled to God. The peacemakers that Jesus is talking about in Matthew 5 has nothing to do with the political realm. It has nothing to do with making peace between brothers and sisters. A peacemaker is a witness for Christ, an ambassador who tells people to be reconciled to God.
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We are peacemakers. We urge people to reconcile with God. We want to give people part of what we have. We help people make their peace with God.
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It is our lives which provide the evidence to the unbeliever, to the person who is poor in spirit. It is our lives which provides the proof that Jesus is Lord, and that He truly rose from the dead and is the Son of God. They can see the turnaround in our own loves from being poor in spirit. In a room of 100 people, if I asked for a show of hands how many people got saved at a Billy Graham Crusade or some other church service, the number of hands that would go up would be under five. If you asked how many were born again through a friend, the number is 95. And that would include if you actually made the commitment after hearing a radio show or your friend had influence in your life which caused you to think in those terms.
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Your life provides the evidence for someone else. You are a peacemaker, therefore you are called a child of God. In other words, you become identified as being with the Lord when you start reaching out to others and urging them to make their peace with God. 
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So, be a peacemaker and just tell others your testimony.”

Friend, do you want to be a peacemaker?  I do.  And today, I would like to share a few testimonies about the Father, hoping I would be His ambassador.
If you’ve read my blogs from the beginning, (hopefully) you might remember that I shared some stories on the Father’s giving me two flavors of cookies I liked through a friend of mine and satisfying my cravings for some foods through another friend, who didn’t know about that at all.  Many times, He blew me away, in small matters that I didn’t even ask Him for.  And He reminded me that He is my Father Who cares for me even in small things.

In this June, when my family had a getaway in a hotel in a nearby city, we signed up for bed & breakfast package.  After we checked in, I stopped by the buffet restaurant where we would have breakfast the next morning, in order to make a reservation.  I wanted to reserve seats just next to the window to have a central park view.  And more importantly, I wanted to ask the employee to give us a table in an isolated area for mom, if any, considering the covid-19.  But to my disappointment, the employee in the restaurant said that they have no reservation system, but first come, first served.  So, the next morning, we went to the restaurant and a waitress guided us to a table.  And I was simply amazed, as she  gave us seats just next to the window where we could see a central park and there was none around our table.  The waitress guided other guests to the seats far away from ours.  I was so thankful to our Father for His kindness, even when I didn’t ask Him for it.  He knows my heart.  His kindness in the restaurant continued to the very next day, when we departed.  He gave us the exact same seats in the next morning, too.  Then, in a couple of weeks, we had a family lunch.  It was a few days before my sister and brother-in-law went back to their home in California.  I reserved a buffet restaurant in Four Seasons hotel, as it provides a private dining room with some additional charge and it’s close to our place.  So, I booked a private dining room for mom.  As I’ve never been there before, I had no idea as to what the restaurant looks like, but hoped our room would be close to a restroom.  My mom tends to go to restroom every 5 minutes, whenever she goes out.  I think it’s more like mental or psychological problem than physical, since her dementia developed further.  At home, she is totally ok.  But whenever I try to change her clothes for going somewhere, she goes to toilet every few minutes.  But in the restroom, many times, she said on the toilet, “No pee…”  Anyway, knowing she would go to toilet every few minutes while we were having lunch, I simply hoped the restroom is close to our private room.  When we got to the restaurant, a  waiter guided us to our private room.  And lo, behold, it is right next to the corridor to the restroom.  Again, I was so thankful to the Father’s kindness.  He knows every single detail in my heart and my heart desire.  Even though I didn’t ask Him for it, He provided!

And another story in May last year.  When my mom was in emergency room due to hyponatremia, she was told to be admitted to the hospital, after being treated almost 24 hours in the emergency room.  But due to the room constraints under the pandemic, the hospital wasn’t able to tell us when exactly she would be admitted.  From the previous hospitalization a few weeks back, I understood the hospital’s policy on the covid-19 test.  Any caregiver who would stay with patients should take the PCR test.  But for whatever reasons he/she leaves the hospital even for a few hours, he/she should be tested again.  So, I wanted to go back to my place, to grab my clothes and so forth, before my mom was admitted to the hospital and was standing by, sleeping on the bed in the emergency room.  It was after 11:30pm.  And I asked a nurse whether I could go out for 30 minutes or so, to grab my stuffs.  He was very kind and said, “Please go and be in a hurry to be back.  Tonight, I have less patients so I can attend to your mother often.”  Being thankful, I went out.  It was midnight.  There were still a few buses running on the street, but I had no clue as to when the next bus would come or whether there would be no more bus to go toward my place.  The area is not as dangerous as other cities in the world, but less people and less cars on the street at night.  And it’s been ages since I tried to grab a taxi or a bus at that late hour in Seoul.  My heart was pounding while walking toward the bus stop and I saw none on the street.  I was wondering whether I was able to take a taxi or a bus.  I had a taxi application in my phone, but I had to set up some personal information so I gave up the idea, being in hurry.  And I kept walking toward the bus stop on the dark street, not knowing whether the bus would be still available.  I had mixed feelings from time sensitiveness, kind of fear from literal darkness at night and my darkness on the public transportation status at that hour.  Then, just in front of my eyes, there was a vacant taxi coming toward me and I raised my hand and waved it to catch it.  Awww, I was relieved, when it stopped.  It was a black taxi, which is premium and whose drivers are usually kind.  And I found out the taxi driver was super kind.  He understood my situation and he said he would wait for me so that I would take my time to grab my stuffs.  He drove me for the round trip.  What a good Father I have!  I felt He watches over me.

Lastly, just this Monday, I had a monthly zoom meeting with my pastor in Singapore and others.  At the end of the meeting, my pastor prayed for my family and me.  When he prayed for me, he said something like this (I paraphrase):
Father, You know Yunee seldom prays for herself, but for others.  But You know her desire in her heart and You would give her more than what she can imagine.

I was so touched, as I knew he heard the voice of the Holy Spirit.  And the Father showed His love through his prayer that He knows everything: my desires, my needs.  The next morning, when I prayed, I repented of some thoughts over the past couple of days.  Forgetting that He is such a good Father, my mind was full of the negative thoughts or worries from the devil.  And I was moved into tears, thinking of His goodness and kindness.  Since my pastor's prayer the other night, I felt I was changed and had peace.

Friend, I believe you also have your own evidence in your life.  It’s my prayer that we become the peacemakers with our testimonies on our good good Father.  Blessed are you, as you’re a peacemaker.

Have a bliss!
Yunee

Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works! (Psalms 105:1~2)