Weekly Reflection

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

Are You Ready to Give an Answer for Your Faith?

I have found that God continuously works in me through different seasons of my life. While He refines both my physical and spiritual being, my answer to why I said "yes" to Jesus' love has never changed. However, each year, He reveals my purpose with increasing clarity.

This new year, God has made it abundantly clear to me what my faith and purpose in the Gospel of Jesus are grounded in. I do not believe that sharing the Gospel, according to Jesus, is meant merely to grow an earthly congregation. The Gospel’s impact is far greater because God’s kingdom is spiritual. I firmly believe that salvation is only possible through Jesus Christ. There is no single congregation or denomination that has perfected the path to salvation. If any group or person believes their way is the only way to God, they are placing God in a human-made box, limited by worldly understanding.  Every congregation has flaws because Satan, our accuser, works tirelessly to sow confusion, deception, pride, and self-sufficiency in the hearts and minds of those who seek to make Jesus their Lord, including leaders and teachers (Ephesians, Revelation 2 & 3, Proverbs 4:23, 1 Peter 4:12-19). This is why embracing and understanding the Holy Spirit—whom Jesus promised as our teacher and counselor—is crucial (John 14:13-18, 25-26).

In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

Are You Living as an Heir in God’s Kingdom?

Have you allowed Satan and his demons to make you feel like a second-class citizen in God’s kingdom? Paul, who was called by Jesus and transformed by the power of God, understood firsthand what it meant to be made equal in the kingdom of God. Take a moment to reflect on the passage we just read. Through Jesus Christ, we—the Gentiles—have been granted the same rights as Israel. This is why, under the new covenant, the Israelites are no longer the sole chosen people of God.

"So in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:26-29)

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.

Are You Alienated from God?

Are you merely going through the motions of religion without a true spiritual foundation? In this passage, the apostle Paul warns us that we cannot expect to be set apart and free from Satan’s accusations if we continue to live without rejecting our sinful behavior and fully surrendering our lives to Christ. Transformation comes only through Christ, not by empty religious rituals.

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’⁸ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time, I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

If we continue to willfully live in sins after we become a Christian, why did Jesus die for our sins (Hebrews 10:26)? Throughout the years walking with the Lord, I have heard different reasons why people are not able to change their sinful nature after they decide to surrender their lives to God. What strikes me is how religious leaders are becoming afraid to warn people about the wages of sin being death (Romans 6:23). It becomes evident that many pastors, clergy, ministers, teachers, and evangelists are more fearful of how society will react to them instead of preaching the full Gospel. Consequently, sin seems to become the norm of the church. Religious leaders who are in ministry have different reasons why they prefer to teach about Jesus the savior, grace, peace, redeemer, healer, provider, and the many feel-good gospel messages that people want to hear, and rightly so. However, Jesus the Lord, Judge, King of Kings who expects repentance, transformation, surrender, commitment, who is coming back is not taught or is sometimes mentioned in a passive and light manner.

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

In last week's devotional, I asked a question toward the end: Jesus is coming back, are you ready to face your Creator? This is not a question for just those who do not know Christ, it's also for me and anyone who professes to know Christ as their Lord and Savior (Matthew 12:43-45, 2 Peter 2:19-22). We should be alarmed by the fact that only a few will find the road to God, according to Jesus (Matthew 7:13-14). If you identify yourself as a Christian, have you thought about the possibility that our pride and confidence in our intellectual knowledge of God is our downfall that can cause us to miss the narrow road toward God's kingdom? Proverbs 28:26 says, "Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe." How does one walk in wisdom? We are bombarded with different energies all around us, spewing information into our minds from the moment we open our eyes until we close them at nighttime. That is why I have decided to believe and listen to the only man who lived on this earth and who also lives in heaven and understands the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” Jesus Christ (Proverbs 9:10, John 3:13). Jesus said only in him can we find peace in this world. He went further to remind us that trouble is part of our existence in this world, and he tells us "But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Not only did he overcome the world He is coming back to complete his promise (Revelation 19:11-16).

Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Have you ever asked why did God planted the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden?  Let’s be real! Everyone who hears, reads, or listens to this part of God’s creation ponder on that question.  To understands God's mindset, you can't skip His last warning in verse 17: "…but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die" God does not practice trickery. From the beginning of creation, He gave us options. Unfortunately, many continue to choose death instead of life. In Genesis chapter 3, humans chose to listen to Satan's voice instead of God regarding the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The serpent was not Satan, but it had tendencies that invited the spirit of Satan to lead Eve and Adam astray. For many years, I have heard sermons suggesting that the woman was weaker, which is why Satan approached her first. As I read scripture and observed different species (female and male), I believe a unique transition occurred during the fall of humankind in the garden. Satan knew that if he could get through the stronger link, it would be easier to draw the weaker link to follow. Initially, God created men to represent His strength in authority. For example, God gave Adam instructions about what would happen if he ate from the tree and expected him to lead Eve. Eve was not yet created when God gave Adam these instructions; therefore, we can only assume Adam shared them with her because she repeated them to the serpent.