Today Jesus taught me about:
- How God wants us to treat the poor
- Protecting the unity of the Church
- How God transforms our lives to free us from our old lives of sin
- We will learn from God our whole lives, in every single aspect and situation he has us in
Today I spent time with Alain in his hometown of Fairview. I’m blown away by how God changes people’s lives. I am thankful to the Lord of being able to watch and be with a brother in his time of need. We are on our 21st day and chapter of Purpose Driven Life and I have to say this book from pastor Rick Warren has been guiding us to God’s Word and giving insight of his will and purpose in general for our lives. I have seen it open up Alain to refocus and reevaluate all the things in his life from relationships at work, home and in Church.
People's homes off of the main highway, Commonwealth Ave. On my way to Fairview city
The day started with meeting Alain at SM Fairview (the big mall in North Fairview city). I almost threw up from motion sickness on these air-conditioned buses. I had to get off near Philcoa and I reflected on the community that we didn’t go to today that we usually spend time at every Saturday. I wondered if I could go there myself. It’s true that if you have help with another person, you get more return for your work. So I have prayed to Jesus on what I am to learn about the day being postponed for next week’s events.
With Barangay Arboretum kids at saturday's outreach. Alex on my left, his first time there
I arrived at SM Fairview right at the same time as Alain did and he was able to reflect on the morning as he was not able to meet up with his morning appointment with a pastor because the pastor was sick. We prayed for the pastor and discussed the events this morning up until our lunch at Wham! Burgers (good burgers by the way for cheap). As we finished, 2 little girls came up to us, probably ages 5 and 7, holding a piece of paper with some writing. They held out their hand gesturing to ask for money. We hesitated and I asked them if they wanted my half-drank Fit n’ Right juice. They said yes and Alain gave them 10 pesos.
I asked Alain what he felt about that incident and it brought up past thoughts of how my attitude used to be about the poor. I had no care for them, I would only give when I felt like it, and often I second guessed if it was helping them or enabling them to remain in a begging condition. I suggested we go into God’s Word and read some verses in the Bible from looking at the index of my Life Application Study Bible that my brother Jin Kim had blessed me with back in June of 2008. This has been my armor, my helmet, my shield and my sword; all of my protection against remaining in darkness of my old life of loss and confusion.
Ephesians 6:13-17
“13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Thank you Lord for your word.
Verses about giving us insight to help the poor were: Proverbs 14:31, Amos 5:12, and Galatians 2:10. God blesses us with the opportunity to help the poor and needy when they come to ask and they ask us exactly how we can help. The least we can do is to give the little we have. Better yet, love with your heart openly the way God intends and give cheerfully and with joy knowing you are obeying and loving God when you do so.
Mother sleeping with child off of Aurora Blvd near Katipunan Ave in Quezon City
I was quickly comparing to what we gave them: we gave them a measly 20 cents (USD conversion) and a drink I half drank and didn’t like. I pray that we can always give without hesitation and always give our best, since our best is not ours to begin with and we should give gracefully (where recipient receives an unmerited gift) as God gives to us gracefully with us allowing to be forgiven of our sins and having eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ even though we sin, constantly. I pray to Jesus that our hearts can open up to how he wants us to be with everyone, especially those in need regardless if they are poor or rich in wealth. I’m also really concerned for those that are poor in spirit.
Alain and I praised God for this lesson and then went to Wendy’s to read our chapter on Protecting the unity of the Church. I asked that Alain lead and I can see there is a different dynamic when someone moves from listening to being the one that shared by leading. They receive more insights and get to direct the flow of the conversation. I know God was moving in Alain’s heart as he felt convicted to show his appreciation to those that have helped him thus far. Alain shared that we must always thank and help our leaders as they have great responsibilities for the entire congregation. I pray all of the believers in the world can seek unity and building of the imperfect church. We are all sinners and created differently. By our nature there will be issues. But with God’s help and guidance, and us open to his will for our lives, he will be loved and served. Thank you Lord.
Continuing to reflect on the day after watching Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (terrible movie) and then having merienda (snack) at Alain’s house, the Holy Spirit lead us that we will be learning throughout our entire lives in every single moment and experience that God has us in. There is hope, there is joy, there is peace, there is strength and there is excitement knowing that God has his best interests in us, for us, and with us. Thank you Father for your love. God, please guide as how to serve, grow and love you.
