How Perfect is His Love for Us

by James Fung (Dec 24, 2017)

Every time I shut my eyes

All I see is His Love

How deep

How wide

How low

How high

How rich

And beautiful

How perfect is His love for us

And it is us that He loves

Not just me or you

How wonderful

How lovely

How sweet

How joyful

This peace

This compatibility

How perfect is His love for us

Wrapped in perfection

We’re perfectly speechless

How free

How true

How easy

How fun

No bullshit

All freedom

How perfect is His love for us

He is the Vine

That entwines our branches

How natural

How nourishing

How filled

How connected

We overflow

This House of God

How perfect is His love for us

Philia Love

The first love you learn about as a Christian is probably Agape Love, the love for all people, Christ-like love, unconditional love. But a lesser known word for love that Greeks also use is Philia, family love. It is also a word that one would use with friends that they are intimate and vulnerable to one another. And so lately, I've been learning about becoming open, honest and vulnerable in my love for those around me. With family and also with others. And it's been refreshing.

The thing is, most people have an open personality up to a limit. They let you know what they are comfortable with letting you know, and always seem to have a wall, and you can spend years at the wall and maybe never ever get inside, because inside, we're all vulnerable. But that's how misunderstandings, gossip and broken relationships come, when you can't see further than a certain point, and you start questioning, judging, losing understanding for that person.

And so, even though it might hurt initially to open up and become vulnerable to people, it won't hurt as much as not being vulnerable in the long run. Open, honest relationships help you to see, to love and to relate. That is why it's called family love, because you're more likely to have this type of honesty with those that you grew up with, that you have nothing to hide from.

And in the process of becoming more open, I find that after we grow up, we often try to build a wall around our choice of lifestyle and block important people out, people in our family even, and it's a sad choice that I have made in the past, but I've been brought to see that it doesn't help me or anyone to keep these walls, and so I'm tearing them down and investing in family, in philia again. Ultimately, family is a Gift from God, an unconditional source of love that empowers you and supports you to experience more of the world God's created and also helps you to love and live more at ease. It's evident that people with great love with their families are more joyful and have more peace. When you're not at war with someone so close, you don't lose energy in that fight every day in your heart, but rather gain every day that you are loved, and it's where it should be.

Of course, some families are harder to love, but every bit of love is a choice, and an investment, so I would encourage you to redeem and restore your relationship with your family with the love that you receive from God. It's a worthy investment, and it will help you to learn to love even more, and to be able to do even greater things once you have peace inside of your home, the very first community that God gives us, and the closest one at heart even when you don't feel it. Then you can understand even more what it means to love, and it will be a blessing to all your relationships outside the family.

As I'm also starting to take up this quest, to restore the philia in my life to which God intended it to be, I expect to gain much from it, more understanding of love, of God and of what life is all about. I can't wait. I know it will be difficult to restore, but the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is far too bright to not desire it. I want to have open, honest, loving connections with those in my family, and I sure will put in the effort to restore and build them up again. I can't wait!

Here's a prophetic picture of what I feel God is going to do with the hardened hearts and broken relationships in my life. The sword of God is going to strike down on the hardness, and we will all have breakthrough, and glory after glory. Painted by someone in the Incubator Ministries. 

Side note: I find that I might become a bit more vulnerable on here as well, since I'm being renewed and transformed in that direction. Which isn't a bad thing at all.

Perfect Creation

After a season of self-doubt, I had a conversation with God in the shower.. Funny how most good conversations with God happen in the shower, but I figure there's something beautiful to do with meditating next to water. So in the conversation, I was processing my problems and God raised a question..

"James, what do you like about yourself?"

Well, I said "Thanks for asking, well.." and it began an unravelling process which was very loving and affirming, and I discarded the lies of the enemy by separating the truths of God. Seeing that I have the mind of Christ, my thoughts will be similar to that of God's for myself. So I started listing out all the things I liked about me..

• I'm a very loving person. I love how I love, I don't look at a person through the specs of the world, but at what I can love about them. Sometimes it's difficult, but I know I will always love because God first loved us.
• I love how I am a humble person. That I always have open ears to listen, and learn from people, even people that I don't always expect to learn from, I will be willing to learn from. And it's helped me grow a lot as a person, as well as in my character. And there is somewhat scarring from an old church saying, that says "if you say you're humble, then you're not." because you should acknowledge yourself in honesty, and humility is neither overvaluing yourself, nor undervaluing.
• I love how much I stick to God's plan and God's will. We all try our best to do that, and so at any point of time, when we are walking with God, we are actually perfect for His plan for us for that day, every single day, we are perfect because we are loved, we are redeemed through Christ, and we are becoming who He made us to be, which means we are who He made us to be now at this present time. Hence, perfect! 

Then, I asked Him.. "Sometimes I get criticized a lot at work, and I make mistakes.. And I don't feel so perfect then, and it happens a lot. What is that about?" And He answers me.

It's just how I perceive it. And of course, other people aren't perfect either, and they can have bad attitude or tones, but really, what their role is isn't to push me or shame me or guilt me or cause me to have doubts about myself. Rather, they remind me of the direction I am taking, and help to keep me on the path. What they provide are reminders, and not criticism.

And so, you and I, we all are a perfect Creation.. Not just a work in progress, but perfect in every way, in our spirit, in our body, in our soul, and in each and every day, we are special, we are awesome, and we are just what God intended to use to bless the world today! Sometimes we need to figure things out, but that's how we are made to function, and it doesn't take a penny away from our worth in God's eyes, and definitely we are priceless regardless of what the world thinks.

So embrace who you are today, because you are a Perfect Gift from God to the world each and every day!

The Adventure of Love

I recall a little more than a year ago, someone prophesied over me that they saw Jesus like a knight on a horse, holding out his hand, and was going to take me on a new adventure. It's all true! As I continue to use these new gifts of love that God has given me, two things really stand out for me:

"Love the person in front of you." 
This has got to be the greatest blessing I have ever received, to not need to choose who to love, or why to love, but just to love the person immediately before me as much as Christ loves me. We love because He first loved us. That is all the condition we need to love with unconditional love! I am so glad to finally reach a point where I can start doing this. It took so long, but I'm so glad to be finally free! I love it, absolutely love it. Because when you can truly love any person that stands in front of you, you already know what God wants to do with them, what God can do with them, and what God will do with them, and all that's left is to let Love do what Love wants, can and will do!

Clearly hearing from God
Whether it is when I pray, when I hear the Word, when I prophesy, the Words of God are crystal clear! Because my desire to love is so strong, and so close to what's in God's heart, that there are no longer hiccups in this.. and because I've been so obedient to seek Him when I pray for others, deliver what He has to say, and meditate to know His heart, that everything is just crystal clear! It's amazing because we are way past bragging rights.. actually doing what God wants, when He wants, and seeing the results of it immediately is absolutely amazing!

I am so excited to love, to go on this Love adventure! I am beside myself with joy and exhilaration! I cannot wait to love, I cannot wait to pray for people, I cannot wait to build others up, I cannot wait to open the Word, I cannot wait to see lives changed, because I assure you.. Lives will change! God wastes nothing! So stoked!

From Squire to Knight: My Story of Faith.

I updated some of the information on this blog to better reflect my understanding of my calling and my current state of being. And with that, the title and introduction of this blog have changed, and the description or blurb is now a poem.

From Squire to Knight: My Story of Faith.
by James Fung (August 3, 2017)

My spirit shines and my soul roars in fire,
As I fortify my stance and raise my sword.
But let not the world see me in all this splendour,
And miss the reason for my Cause
This banner of love, this Cross I bear
Points the way out to the Perfect Saviour.

New Desires

In the past two weeks, I've been reminded once more through meeting up with a few friends in ministry and discussing possibilities: What is God's desire for me? What has He put into my heart to do, and pursue to the ends of the earth and to my very last breath?

Looking back at the last six months, I realised that God has been putting new desires into my heart. Desires that every Christian wants, but rather than simply wanting them, I now have it rooted in my heart such that I cannot shake them easily even if I try. Some, you have already heard of, and some are new discoveries in even the last two weeks.

New Desire #1: Wise Stewardship
Over the last few months, I have become a better steward of God's resources to me. Not just mammon but also my time, my knowledge, my gifts, and my attitude towards financial stewardship. Not only have I started tithing the correct amount, I have also started choosing to be wise with every dollar and checking all my assets and liabilities, to ensure that every dollar and every cent of my past, present and future are accounted for. And when possible, I would actualize benefits that can be used to give God even higher glory. Even in the smallest amounts, such as my Air Miles, if I can be a more knowledgeable steward of these, even when I fly or spend very little, I can definitely gather more flying opportunities and touch lives outside of Hong Kong whenever I can. Or how I eat, how I spend, how I give and how I treat money to represent a generous God, not out of vanity, but out of deeply rooted faith and truth. I believe if I followed the Bible to the dot on how to manage my resources, I will be trusted with even more, and will be able to bless even more people in the process.

New Desire #2: Thirst for the Word
As you know, I've started meditating on the Word seven or eight months ago, and initially, it was just out of curiosity. After learning the revelations that others, Mike Bickle and Andrew Wommack, receive from meditating over Scripture, and seeing the proof in Scripture itself, I decided to take a leaf from their books, and do likewise. The result is eminent. I started loving the Word, desiring the Word even more than anything else in life, and started receiving a deeper understanding of the Word, and clearer revelations and closer partnership with the Holy Spirit. It was a complete breakthrough and spiritual upgrade!

New Desire #3: Unconditional Love
Over the past year, I've learnt to be as obedient as possible to the Holy Spirit, even when there are things that I'd rather do another way, I'd attempt to listen and do as I'm told first, and evaluate the difference, and always, with the Holy Spirit, the results are ideal. So during my trip to Vancouver, I followed every stroke every dot of His instructions, and quickly discovered that He intends to upgrade my love. Up to this point, I had been persevering to love, especially people that require extra grace due to different circumstances; personal differences, communication difficulty, misunderstandings, preferences, attraction, etc. And it's always been a thorn on my side that I don't love as equally and evenly as I should. Well, this time I knew that the Holy Spirit wanted to show me and surprise me, so I persevered and loved exactly who He had instructed me to love. As a result, I was able to see what the Holy Spirit is doing in their lives, what He wanted me to do, and what blessings followed when I obeyed. And needless to say, it was amazing, unbelievable and life-changing. And now, I desire to love more people, more deeply, and less selectively, because I know now that every thing I do is a seed, and every seed I sow will be reaped! And I just desire to love each new person deeply, because I can really feel God's love for them so much more.

New Desire #4: Mentor, Uplift and Breakdown the Word
This is as new as it gets, a revelation that I received only between Wednesday and today, as I have been attending some new Bible studies with completely new people, and as I've explained, there's an insurmountably, overwhelmingly, gushing amount of love that's just flowing out of me to every single person that I'm meeting, that and together with my love for the Word has combined and made a new spiritual gift baby, and the wondrous revelation that I would love for everyone to be as blessed as I have been through understanding the Word. And so, I have the greatest desire to dramatize Bible reading, pray before and during Bible studies and fellowship, etc. in order to ask the Holy Spirit to breakdown and pour out any Word that He may have for each one, and with every Scripture being used, I receive instant revelation and application for various people around me, and has been desiring so much for them to see the beauty in these Words! Reminds me of a Word that I received in March 2016, when a spiritual mentor had discerned for me that I had a pastoral gift, and could possibly consider becoming a revival pastor. On top of this, a Word that I received recently and confirmed over several occasions from different people, is that I generally speak to the heart, and somehow through discernment, knowledge and wisdom, am able to mentor, empower, uplift, complete people through normal mundane conversations. And so this really then, gives me a spark of encouragement and inspiration towards what is to come!

So after seeing all of these new desires, I ask myself a question that I have often asked: What would I want to do to impact this world if money was not an issue? What do I think is the desire that God has created in me every since He formed me in His mind? Is it still teaching? Or is it a means to an end? I think New Desire #4 is pretty darn close to what I want to be doing for the rest of my life. I want to be walking with people, loving them unconditionally, and teaching the Word more than anything else in the world.  There is at this moment, nothing I love more than this. In fact, there were times when I meet new people, especially Christians who are on fire for God, that I would wonder.. if I'd be meeting my future wife sometime too, but in this past month, this concern did not bother me, but rather the desire to love unconditionally has been so strong that nothing else really did matter, except for me to love on people, and to help them experience that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God through recognizing Him in his Word and in their experiences of Him. 

And so, seeking after God's own heart has become my one and only desire and motivation, and it's exciting to see where this leads! I still don't have a solid answer as to what my calling is, but these are some darn good hints! Stay tune for more.

Adventuring with God in Vancouver

I recently got to go back to my hometown: Vancouver. The last time I was back I was still a teenager, so clearly a lot has changed. I never had the autonomy of choosing what I wanted to do while I was there, and I never was a adult in Vancouver on fire for God. So clearly.. there was a lot to do in shortly 2 weeks.

A couple of years ago, I had started experiencing what travel means when you're going with God, and as I have grown to walk in the Spirit for ministry, I have learnt that there is no adventure too big for the Spirit, as long as you solely (and souly!) let the Spirit lead you. And thus that is exactly what I did.

In my preparation, I had decided to go to a few meetups and to get connected with the local community, and it's funny, because when I drop by to visit churches, people (even pastors) give me weird looks as to why I'd like to plug in when I'm only visiting for 2 weeks, and really only there for 1 Sunday. It was because I feel that it is important to have global support for what I'm doing in Christ, and clearly, I have already started reaching and touching lives all over the world these past few years. So I am psyched and stoked and thrilled and smashed and totally down for what was coming, what surprises the Spirit was going to give me, and what lessons there were to learn, because surely there will be upgrades for my coming year! And boy, was I right!

Starting in Hong Kong, we were running seriously (1 hour) late for our flight, but got notice that our flight was delayed while we were on the bus, and instead, we had time for dinner, and it was pretty awesome. The flight was really good, and when we landed, the sunset greeted us in an amazing view of the sky. It was like someone took the frame off of God's canvas, aka Hong Kong's high-rise buildings. And it was good.

Second or third day after arrival, I went to my first meetup, but I had arrived 90 minutes before the meetup was to take place, and I had received a lot of warning from my friends on what type of area I was meeting up in, as it was W Hastings and Cambie, and apparently, it wasn't a pleasant street to be on. One look around gave me all I needed to know about it. There were angry people everywhere, people deprived of home, food, and safety, and a guarded drug store, and a rough, if not crazy and unwelcoming crowd. Holy Spirit said I should go on a prayer walk, so I did. I bought an excellent burger from a burger joint nearby, and a drink, and gave them to someone in need, then walked around the whole block praying in tongues and interacting with people that I discerned to be safe but needed love, and stayed away from people who were unsafe, and it was all a new experience for me, but I had timely advice from a missionary friend on how to pray and love in slums, and that's what I did. It was great knowing that every seed I sow will be reaped, and before and after each encounter, I would pray for God's provision, God's love, and their eventual salvation knowing that the God I pray to loves them even more than I. This sort of activity, I continued to carry out whenever possible, and also from this experience and another significant one, I realised that God wanted most to teach me how to love unconditionally in various contexts during this trip. He was going to double, triple, expand, overflow the capacity of my heart.

Then I started forming bonds with people, relating to them with only God's love for them, love that is kind, gentle, patient, that perseveres, hopes, trusts, is not rude, and does not demand its own way. And in the entire time I was there, I constantly prayed for them, asking God to continue to sow and continue to reap these fruits that I have planted even after I leave in shortly 2 weeks or less. And if possible, create opportunities for me to speak into people's hearts, as well as create bonds that would last beyond this visit. And as I had only the desires of God in my heart, they were given to me. I met and touched the lives of 13 individuals whom I connected with on this trip, through various settings, Meetups and churches, and continued fellowship as I made sure to find time to invest and love on them at least 2 times before I left, and thanks to God's grace and provision, I was able to share valuable memories and impart inspiration, love and some wisdom unto them. And it was good.

I went to church events with the agenda to only do what Spirit asks, and speak when the Spirit speaks, and pray for people when the Spirit prompts, and that led to some pretty cool adventures. I first met a Korean girl at CityLights church and somewhat asked a guy at the church to guide us both to the Skytrain, and as we were walking there, we realized that the Spirit had arranged this encounter as this guy had a Korean wife and a daughter who weren't attending church, and so instead of just going to the Skytrain, we went up to visit, and some seeds were planted. Next, I went to Broadway Young Adults service, and there I met a couple of people that I needed to prophesy over, encourage and break down the Word with, and it was also very encouraging for all of us. Despite only having spent 2 days with them, I felt closer with them than anyone else, because we had broken bread and broken Word together. The next church I went to was Coastal Church, and there I was led to pray for a few broken ankles, saw some unbelief and prayed to intercede, and also imparted upon a young girl God's vision or desire for her to go into ministry in the Middle East. And when Spirit leads, it's not about thinking about what to do, even though you often then you need to think to find out. It's more praying and waiting until something catches your eye or something happens. And that's mostly it.

So I had a really amazing 2 weeks in Canada, catching up with friends, and family, and also walking in the Spirit and learning how to love, and I will write more about how this ties into what God has been working on with me these last few months.

Financial Stewardship

The Gospel is about love, and so is much of the New Testament, but did you know that there are around 500 references on love in the Bible, but more than 2000 references on money and possessions? That's because while love is the heart of the Word, stewardship is the body. The very first and only job Adam was given soon after being created was stewardship over all the resources of the earth. That job has not been taken back from men, we still have this job today.

While without love, all the possessions in the world are meaningless; love is given to us as the Philosophy with which we are to do our work. Our work is stewardship over all the resources God has given us, prayers, time, earthly resources, relationships, and ourselves.

After meditating on this teaching, I have started to live out the Word in my life in various ways. Started counting the seconds I spend in the shower, eating what is necessary but no longer indulging in things unnecessary, squeezing in appointments to do more and connect more than squeezing out time to relax, overcoming stress as a barrier and using it as a motivator to work more efficiently, praying more about stewardship and learning as much as possible about managing the resources given to me already, and this continues to unfold and surprise me as I keep my mind open for ways to be absolutely wise with my stewardship of my time on earth.

I have heard many a sermon on stewardship and had never taken it in so seriously as I have now, and much of the time in the past, I had been clinging onto "my" time and "my" money and "my" circumstances, and had not thought it possible to be a steward. But, when seeing more clearly now that finances, tithes, are the first level of faith, for where your money is, truly, your heart is also. When you tithe a significant percentage of your hard earned income, you are released from this scarcity mentality, to acknowledge how much God has provided for and will provide for you, and it creates a shift in your faith, and your heart, and your partnership with Him. He doesn't actually need our money, but it is through this voluntary gesture that our hearts are unlocked regarding stewardship.

We say we want to love, and we say we want to further His kingdom, but just giving mindlessly and loving without intention or goals will not achieve it. It is all about intentionality. When you are wise in your stewardship, for the purpose of expanding His kingdom, you start making choices that qualifies you as a better steward. And as we know from the Bible, when we are wise with God's money, or even when we are wise with other people's money, they too will trust us with more, let alone God who owns everything and desires to let go for us to manage it all.

And He does want to let us manage it. That is why Jesus taught quite a lot on Kingdom Stewardship too, through his parables and teachings. And so does Solomon. If we just seize this truth in our lives, it will change how we live, how we see, and how we win as not just redeemed humanity, but true heirs of God. Living in abundance in faith, in power, and in resources for the sake of loving all, blessing all, and glorifying God.

My eyes have been opened to new and endless possibilities, as I continue to streamline my life to His calling, His mission and His purpose for my life, and as I continue to strip down barriers that prevent me from actualizing the abundant life that He gives. I will continue to move in kingdom power and authority, and be a blessing to all that I am blessed to meet. And truly be a candle in the dark.

Mirror

by James Fung (June 11, 2017)

No matter where I am
Desert, mountains, cities, dumps
No man-made structures
Nor birthed by thine hands
Will obstruct Thy Face
Nor blemish Thine Heart

Beautiful is He
Who adorns the earth
With wonders upon wonders
On the sixth day created
The beauty that I see
With these eyes You adorned
In the beauty that is me

Choices

As I've shared before, I've always wanted to be in ministry, and always felt that God has great plans for me, that I will be leading my own ministry, with my own school and orphanage, and shelter.. and it would be BIG. And in the process of being prepared and trained by God, I had thought that I was in my current, relatively small ministry for that very purpose: to be trained.

Now I don't deny that I'm here to be trained, and that God still has great plans for me, but I have come to recognise that some of these thoughts had been in vain and had sought for my own glorification than God. And these delusions of grandeur, I had been walking on an arrogant path. But with much praise to God, I have gotten off of that high horse. As unbeknown to me, this journey of training and pruning that I took this year, started in August 2016, and now almost at its end in June 2017, had been something that God had seriously planned for me. He knew what I needed, and He gave it to me. One would think that's amazing, and it absolutely was, but it was some serious hard work as well as a lot of humbling.

When I started, I felt close to God, I felt privileged, I felt that I was talented and of good character, and boy, was I wrong! In the months to follow, God showed me first my arrogance, then my lack of relationship with Him, then my lack of good character and commitment, and it is all true, and as I walked this painful walk of realisation, I managed to stay on the path from knowing very clearly that this was what God had in mind for me, and I persevered.. to the point of giving up several times, but I did not. I relied on my proof that God had spoken to me audibly about this job, and when it became too hard to just hang onto that, I relied on my desire to grow out of my poor character, and when that wasn't enough, I relied on my knowledge that it will not get easier even if I moved onto the next opportunity. And finally, these past few months, with uncertainty in my future as I am not sure if my contract will be renewed or not, but still desiring to stay.. I relied on the one most important and basic thing that I learnt while serving here, and that is: to choose to do right.

The fact that there may be no tangible reward, that I may not be able to continue, and even though God has already shown me the next phase, I needed to floor the gas in order to give God my best, and to keep my personal growth on the verge. And so, I chose to be committed because I can. I chose to overcome stress by knowing that I can do all things through Christ. I chose to have joy in my overly hectic life because I have the fruits of the Spirit. I no longer sought for a reason or to validate what I was feeling, but rather, made the choice to be. And when everything became a choice, my life sprung to life. I was committed because I chose to be committed. I was full of joy because I chose to be full of joy. I was diligent, faithful, meek, good, loving, peaceful, abundant.. because I made the choice to believe the Word more than what I was experiencing in the natural.

And so now.. I don't know what comes next, but I do know, I have grown closer to be the man that God made me to be, and I know I have much power in my faith and my choices, and that it really doesn't matter to me whether I lead a ministry or not, whether I am known or not, whether I am part of a big ministry or a small one. God is apparent in my life because of the choices that I make, not where I'm situated, or who the world knows me as. So I'm perfectly happy working and staying unknown for the rest of my life, if it brings me even closer to God, and if I can grow as much as I have grown thus far. However, I do believe growth is exponential, especially character growth, good character upgrades every good gift.

Be blessed, my friends. Remember, you can choose to be more than what this world is willing to give, because the King of this world has already given to you in all abundance in life, it just depends on how much of the cookie you have the courage to receive and how much faith you have to believe it.

The Window of Heaven

by James Fung (June 7, 2017)

At the end of each busy day
I just have to lift my eyes
To see your amazing grace
As far as east is from the west
In this multi-colored sky
In this beautiful embrace

The Church of Fake-It Till U Make-It

by James Fung (May 21, 2017)

Man, in his arrogance, strives to have the appearance
Of holiness, blessedness and perfection with much vanity;
Falls and stumbles in darkness time and again, till his pride
Is slowly chipped away revealing a tender heart.

Falling to his knees for the last time,
He lowers his eyes from the crown of the throne to the feet,
Where he finds the humility to see and taste and hear
The simple ways of the blessed, walking anew in the favour that he finally sees.

Legacy

I've always sought after God's Will for me. After receiving endless visions, and confirmation for a calling.. I have always sought to find and reach God's final calling for me. That's where I had it all wrong. God's initial and final calling for us is the same, to Love God, and to Love our neighbor as ourselves. And as I examine these facts, and delve deeper into what it means to live for Christ, I came to the simplest conclusion: this life is my calling.

I like to quantify things, even little things that don't need to be quantified, but that's how I am. And so I would say 98% of our Legacy, our calling or primary output in God's kingdom and God's plan for us is how we live this life we are living right now. It's not that 2% which comes in the form of your ministry work, your ultimate ministry accomplishments, your orphanage or outreach organization, the number of workshops you give, sermons you preach, etc. All of that really take up only 2% of your Kingdom efforts. And here's why: the lives you change on a day to day basis take up 25-30% of your Legacy. Lately God's been sending people whose lives I've changed, improved, edified, uplifted back my way, and each of them, with God's help, have become so much more, and each of them thank me in their unique ways. And in the face of my current struggles in ministry, it really shines through to empower me to keep at it. To be stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Cor 15:58) because our work in the Lord is never in vain. That is the promise. Then how we live our lives, and how people see us, and are inspired by us even without our knowledge.. that takes up another 10-15%. So what is the remaining 50%, you ask me? That is how you discipline your life so that when you have children and grandchildren, what they learn from you and pass on, that is the bulk of your legacy. At my current age and single living, it seems like its 50% because all the other things take up more weight, but I am convinced that when I actually have children, and watch them grow, I'll see my Legacy unfold a thousandfolds. And that's why, I now see this as my ultimate calling. To live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (1 Pet 2:12)

And why must I start now? Well, character takes a long time to grow, and being a diligent parent as we're called to be means that I am to be diligent in growing to be a godly husband and parent for my child to see, to learn, and to also become one in the future. When you are diligent, you'll realise that our growth in God never ends, and if we're willing to receive His instructions and wisdom, He will always bless us. And it is all about having that Kingdom lifestyle tomorrow today.

I haven't given up on having an epic calling either, but that epic calling will sort itself in due time. The most epic of my calling and legacy will still be the life that I live, the testimony that I speak, walk, and breathe. This is my legacy. This life, and that of my descendants.

Commitment

Dear friends,

I've talked a lot about wanting my own ministry. I've talked a lot about wanting to serve God all my life, but have my actions reflected that sort of commitment? What does my life look like at the moment? It looks pretty mundane, pretty normal as a city dweller. I work 8:30am to 6:30pm, five days a week, then on the weekends, I hit the gym, I attend fellowship, catch up with brothers, and attend church, and catch up with more people. During the week, sometimes I want to catch up with people too. That all seems pretty normal, but the catching up and fellowship takes up a lot of time, and eats into my rest and my time with God. I don't sleep on time on Saturdays because I've been treating it as a free day away from the work schedule, but that affects the rest of my week. I try to hang out with too many friends on the weekend, and that uses up too much energy. As a result, I'm merely hanging on when it comes to growing, learning, and serving. That's not what I want at all. That's not the level of commitment I need to reach the goal that I am running this race for. I'm not running this marathon simply to keep off the bus, I am running it to win. So the longer I serve Him, the more I understand what Paul is talking about through his own life of ministry.

"Know you not that they who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain. And every man that strives for self control is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not with uncertainty; so fight I, not as one that beats the air: But I roughly treat my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified." - 1 Cor 9:24-27 (KJV)

This season, God has been speaking to me a lot about commitment. I've picked up my cross, but am I really carrying it with every ounce of energy I have, or am I merely dragging it from one corner? Am I making the sacrifices needed to get to where God wants me in the short time that I have? Am I taking every step to ensure victory? It's called a partnership for a reason. Am I walking this 3-legged race, or am I the one standing still and yet demanding to win the race? 

I need to stay focused, stay committed. And truly have the faith and the character to do His work. 

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, since you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." - 1 Cor 15:58 (KJV)

"Whatever you might do, work from the soul, as to the Lord.." - Col 3:23a (BLB)

So pray for me, brothers and sisters, that I may work for the victory of the Lord and not just be tagging along, that I may grow in this work to the point where I can lead a successful ministry. For I know I am called to disciple, to teach diligently that others may come to know God through healing, restoration, and walking with me as I walk with God, as I follow the footsteps of Jesus.

In Christ,

James

Meditation and Godly Character

These past few months have been about growing deeper in my relationship with God, while I hadn't had so much visible progress as I had with my gifts in the past two years, I have been called to grow in 2 primary areas that are even more important to God than how we use our gifts: Character and Relationship with God.

Joshua 1:8 says, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."

I have been spending many hours meditating. On Scripture that I don't know, and on Scripture that I do know. And as a result, I've been receiving more and more truth and revelation from God about them. It may not be amazing life-changing revelation, but I believe the more we know about God, the more we can grow in relationship with Him, and thus, the more we can truly be Christ-like.

I have spent 1-4 weeks on average on short passages or even individual verses, and I find that the more I meditate, the more I keep God's Word from departing from my lips, and keep them on my mind all the time, the more I'm able to reflect and grow in my character. I also realise that though it is painfully slow to grow in our character, it is through character growth that God makes us prosperous and successful in lives. By changing our hearts, renewing our minds, transforming us from within, He is guiding our bottom line, when we grow in our character, the stand that we take automatically upgrades. The things we can no longer stand for becomes clear, our desires, passion, what we are willing to fight for increases a thousandfold when we intentionally grow in Christ-like character.

And even though I don't always have my Bible with me, there are times when I just set aside time and intentionally meditate (while on the go) on Scripture that I already know, and because we are intentional and God is always ready to reveal more of His truth, there is always something new, something deeper you can receive from the same verses.

So.. this season is about keeping close to God's Word, growing in my knowledge of Him through meditating on all things good (Phil 4:8), and through keeping His Word close and constant in my heart. And being intentional with character growth.

My other reason for being so intentional about character growth is that our children or our flock tend to copy our flaws, and for the purpose of leading the flock that God entrusts to me, and for bringing up healthy children that love and glorify Him, I am motivated to keep my heart on task. I don't know when I'll have children, but I sure want to be a good example when that happens and not pass on things that will make them suffer unnecessarily.

2017

At the beginning of 2017, I would like to spend a brief moment looking back at my memories of God.

1998 - The year I came to Christ, having discovered by proxy how real His love for us is through college students who I had looked up to, crying in prayer for a God so loving, to touch their hearts.

1999 - The year I was wounded in my heart, and found that God can help me with that.

2000 - The year God told me that my life is His, and it is sacred. The year He told me He had a plan for me, it is a plan for good and will give me a hope and a future.

2002 - The year I met with brothers and sisters halfway across the world for the first time. He opened up my world, and showed me a love so rich, so colorful, and so exciting that I yearned to serve Him more. (Went to Germany and Switzerland on my first missions trip)

2002-2010 - The years God assured me that no matter where I am, or what I do, or how bad I do, He is always there for me, helping me in every way I let Him. The years I started to reach out to Him whenever I fell.

2010 - The year God said I have not forsaken you, I have been preparing your way for this. The year God continued to prepare my way for bigger and better things.

2011 - The year God assured me that His plan is perfect and wonderful, and He will reward my faith with more faith.

2012 - The year I lost my way, but God had not stopped working for my good. He continued to prepare my way for when I was to return, but also wept tears of sorrow knowing the pain that I will go through as the consequences of my actions and choices.

2013-2014 - The years God welcomed me back to His side, nursed me when I was down, carried me as I bore my sins.

2014 - The year God rescued me from the depths of my pain, and restored me to where I was before I lost my way, and continued to bless me and pour His knowledge into me as I was willing to hear.

2015-2016 - The years God doubled my portion, released in me gifts, and restored my soul. Blessed me abundantly in every area of my life, and prepared me for ministry.

2016 - The year God brought me back into ministry, but also the year God leveled my poppies, and brought my pride down 10 notches. The year God revealed to me more of my scars from before, and what I must go through to become an even better man of God.

And so.. this is where I find myself at the start of 2017, humbled.. still broken, but knowing that no matter how lost, how hurt, how broken, how far I leave His side, He will never leave mine, and He will nurse me, He will teach me, and He will restore me to even greater things than ever before, as long as I turn to Him.

2017 - The year God restores me to greater glory, closer relationship with Him, and brings me further along His uninterrupted plan for me. The year full of blessings, so much that I cannot count. The year full of joy, and peace, and hope because He is my Lord, He is my Shepherd.