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Dear Friend,
How are you? Hope you had or are having a good day today? On August 11th, 2021, I got up before 6am in the morning. It was so hard for me to get up early in the morning for the past few months, especially after my mom had to be admitted to the hospital twice in May and her dementia got worse. Yet, our Heavenly Father is always gracious and merciful. My mom’s dementia got a little better and she didn’t really disturb my sleep much at night. Graciously enough, I resumed downloading the dreams that I think were from the Lord, though not daily. And I really wanted to get up early in the morning to take a walk for an hour so that I asked the Lord to wake me up early in the morning, sharing my desire. To my amazement, I felt the Lord really nudged me and I was wide-awake even before my alarm rang. So, I was able to go out for a walk these days. In the beginning, I tried to take a walk as working-out, but it was hot and humid even in the early morning. Then, I thought I would rather take a seat in the table in a nearby museum to read the Words, praise Him and pray. And it turned out to be my best hour of the day! I really enjoyed my time alone with the Lord for about 1 and 1/2 hours under the shade at the table. Every evening, I asked the Father to wake me up in the next morning and He did it faithfully. So, in the morning on August 11th, I was enjoying reading His Words in my journal that I wrote down from the Bible a few months ago and singing worship songs with prayers. Then, on my mobile phone, the worship song, “What kind of greatness” written by Graham Kendrick was played out. I got to know this song only recently like the last Christmas, and I liked the song and downloaded it into my mobile phone. Then, when I heard the song again that morning in quite a while, I sang along, reading the lyrics. Suddenly, all the lyrics just hit me, and I couldn’t stop my tears. And I thanked Him, as I changed my bag to a bigger one on that day, which had enough Kleenex in it. “What kind of greatness can this be That chose to be made small? Exchanging untold majesty For a world so pitiful That God should come as one of us I'll never understand The more I hear the story told The more amazed I am Oh what else can I do But kneel and worship you And come just as I am My whole life an offering The One in whom we live and move In swaddling cloths lies bound The voice that cried "let there be light" Asleep without a sound The One who strode among the stars And called each one by name Lies helpless in a mother's arms And must learn to walk again What greater love could he have shown To shamed humanity Yet human pride hates to believe In such deep humility But nations now may see his grace And know that he is near When his meek heart, his words, his works Are incarnate in us here” Even though I listened to this song and sang along a few times in the past, it was my first time that every single word in the lyrics touched my spirit to tears. I couldn’t really thank Jesus enough for His tremendous sacrifice for me. Later in the day at home, I was reading the last chapter of a Flo Ellers’ book, “Activating the Angelic” and read a question, “Are You Willing to Die for Jesus?” I felt this is really difficult to answer, though I think I already answered the question long ago. The author Flo Ellers wrote: When God asks you a question like that, you cannot answer Him quickly, mindlessly, or carelessly—for He will take you at your word. I prayed and contemplated the price that I would have to pay to live fully for Him. Some Christian teachers tell us that we do not have to pay a price because Jesus already paid the price. Oh really? He did pay the ultimate price, but He requires something of us if we want to go beyond the superficial and go deep in Him. This kind of Christianity is not for the fickle or capricious. Ellers, Flo. Activating the Angelic: Keys to Releasing the Holy Spirit and Unlocking the Miraculous (p. 234). Destiny Image. Kindle Edition. After finishing the last chapter of the book and before going to bed, I again said to the Father, “Father, I set my heart to die for Jesus and live for Jesus!” And in the next day, I was able to get up early in the morning and went to my precious place for the time with the Lord. Thinking of the song, “What kind of greatness” I listened to the other day, I replayed it on my mobile phone, reading the lyrics. Only then did I realize that Jesus didn’t die on the cross only, but He actually died when He agreed to be incarnated. He is God. Just like the lyrics of the song say, He is the One who created light! He is the Creator and Possessor of the universe. Yet, He chose to be born as a mere human being. Imagine that you, after living as a human being with some kind of dignity, chose to be born and live as a deer or a skunk, knowing your identity as a human being. What a great sacrifice it could be? But Jesus submitted to God, the Father and was born as a human being. His 33 years of life here on earth was the total death for us. His death was not just on the cross! Imagine that our Creator could have said to Joseph and Maria, His earthly parents, “Dad, Mom, there are better ways to do this and that! (I know better than you do!)” when He was told by them to do something at home or in Joseph’s business. But He would have simply obeyed them as their Child, “Yes, Dad! Sure, Mom, I will do that.” Friend, can you live, sacrificing all you can do and forgetting so-called your entitlement even for a year? Perhaps you shouldn’t say anything, even when you know better than others, or you are misunderstood, or you are taken advantage of by others. And can you still live with the meekness and gentleness in your heart toward the evil and the proud, like Jesus did? A few days after this thought on His incarnation, His death and love, I happened to read an interesting conversation between Pastor John Fenn and his angel in one of his encounters with his angel, in his book “Pursuing The Seasons of God”: As my angel stood there talking to me about heaven I asked him: “How do you relate to Jesus?” In my mind I realized they had seen everything Jesus had done for man. He started talking about Jesus being worthy to be worshiped and glorified; and said, “You have to understand, we know him as Creator.” Then slower to let me grasp what he was saying, “We know Him as Creator. He is worthy to be glorified and you are worthy to serve over us because he loves you so very much.” He continued. “Though we knew what was taking place when he left heaven, we did not personally understand. We had no way of comparing his great act of love for you with anything we had ever experienced or had ever seen him do. The creation of the universe pales beside the act of him leaving heaven to become one of his creations.”…. My angel continued, “We do not comprehend his great love for you, that he would strip himself of all authority and honor and lay it down to become one of his creation. That he would give all that up for man. We do not understand this.” Friend, I share this, not because I reach the point where I should be, but I want to encourage us to meditate what Jesus did for us and what humiliation He had to endure as a human being. Yet, He chose to live with us in a human body in eternity! What kind of greatness and kindness He has! We will never outgive or outlove Him. Friend, are you willing to die for Him in your daily life? I pray we are, in Jesus’ name. Have a bliss! Yunee I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20) Comments are closed.
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