March 22

Dirty Cash

A few days ago, I went to a local fast-food restaurant for lunch. It was a shop that cooked all different types of fried dishes, such as shrimp, fish, and chicken. All of the frying oil smells clung everywhere especially to me. I ordered one of my favorite dishes, which was fried shrimp. Then while waiting, I overheard a conversation between the owner and her teenage son. The mom gave him some allowance out of the cash drawer for a school field trip for the next day. But the son asked for some other bills because they strongly smelled of oils and chicken. “Mom, this is really smelly. Do you have some clean bills?” Then his mom replied, “Jack, it may look dirty and smell bad, but the value of the cash is still the same no matter what.”

We all came from various backgrounds and different lifestyles. Some of you might have easier lives while others may have tougher ones. You might carry a lot of emotional baggage from some unfavorable life experiences in the past. But you should remember that no matter what you have been through, the value of who you are as a child of God will never change. You are a precious child of God and beloved by His unchanging grace. God never degrades the value of who you are no matter what, and He will accomplish His purpose for your life.

Be confident in who you are and have a positive attitude about your identity. You are who you are, purchased by Jesus’ blood. So, you are precious and very valuable

March 15

Key Prayer 

1 Tim. 2:1 "First of all, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people."

I parked my car at a public parking lot in LA and then proceeded to take the shuttle bus to the airport. Looking down, I noticed in the shuttle bus that there was a key chain stuck between the seats with many keys dangling from it. It seemed that the previous passenger who came from the airport, got off the bus leaving the keys and keychain behind. I told the driver about the keys that I found and he said, "Oh No!" He immediately turned the bus back around to the parking lot where a young couple with two little children were standing. I could see the looks on their faces of anguish and worry. The keys did belong to them. They thought they had lost them and did not know what they would do without them. One of the keys was for their car. The husband held both of my hands thanking me several times saying, "You saved my life today." All the other passengers on the bus were laughing and cheering. He said, "I have never been so thankful to see my keys ever!"

On the way back to the airport, I pulled out my keys from my backpack and made sure they were all attached. Then I realized that each key is actually very important to me. One of them was my car keys, of course. Then while riding the bus, I decided to pray for each key, "Thank you for providing me the car and helping me to drive safely each day." The next one was the key to Susan's mother's house, so I prayed for her health. Then the next one was the key to my house in LA, and I prayed for my family who lives there. The last one was the key to my mailbox, and I prayed for all the people who deliver mail no matter how harsh the weather may be.

There is an old Korean saying, "the darkest spot is right under the lamp." It means the most important thing you're looking for is right next to you, and you often miss it.

Our keys are made to keep our valuable assets safely secured. It, however, could possibly be that we miss them or don't pay any attention to them because they are always there with us or we believe they are always there because the keys are always with us. Maybe, those keys should remind us of the people and places who we need to pray for today.

Let’s look at our keys today and see if we are missing the opportunity to pray for those that each key brings to mind. When looking at our keys, don't miss those opportunity to pray for those people we need to remember.

Feb 22

The True Forgiver

Psalm 139: 3-5 “You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.”

My brother and I had a long conversation on skype last week. Since we hadn’t talked after the beginning of this year, he and I took some time and had a nice chat. Thanks to the genius of modern technology!!! It was good to catch up with him.  In fact, we haven’t had a chance to have a long and nice talk since I moved to this country.  During our conversation, I realized that something was nagging in my brother for a long time.  It was a such a burden in his heart.  It was about my relationship with my family in Korea.  He wanted to say something before but didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, so it festered in his heart for years.  He felt he had all the responsibility and obligation to the family since he was there, and I was not.  After listening to him, I felt offensive at first but then later I sincerely apologized for my ignorance and insensitivity to what he was going through.  You know, my brother is a nice and humble guy.  He accepted my apology, and all seems well now.

After the conversation, I felt that my one-time apology might not be enough, because forgiveness is not a quick process. To be truly forgiven by a person, we need to allow ourselves to feel the pain of what was lost in the person. We need to at least think about the similar sorrowful steps which developed within the person. Then our asking for forgiveness could be truthful and genuine.

But is it possible for us to feel the same level of pain that the other person went through?

Are we able to understand the years of agony which might have haunted the person in many different areas psychologically, physically or emotionally?

On the other hand, can we find a person who went through the same level of experiences we had, so he/she can truly understand what we have been through?

I would doubt that we would meet that person.

That’s why we need to come to the Lord.

Etymological sense of Lent in old West Germanic is “langitinaz,” which means “long days.” Or “lengthening of day.” Our Lord has known us for a long period of time.  Our Savior is the only one who can truly see us through, deeply understand why we did what we did. Jesus does not momentarily visit us, but He has known us before we were even born. That’s why we need to meet Him daily and confess what we have been through.  He is our true forgiver, comforter, and Savior. Our Lord, who truly knows you, says “You are forgiven.” 

Feb 8

Who is in your frame? 

Matthew 6:26 “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

As I was driving along the beautiful scenery of the Utah desert, this picturesque postcard-looking area remained in my drive for a few hours. Of course, many tourists were seen taking photographs of this majestic nature. I also pulled over to one of the most popular places and saw a few professional photographers setting up their cameras and gear to try and capture this charming environment.

Then, luckily, I had a chance to talk to one of the photographers and asked, “What does it take to get that perfect shot?” I expected him to say something along the lines of, “A good digital camera,” or, “great lighting,” or, “high-definition zoom lens,” or even, “a great editing software.”  But instead, his answer surprised me, “Frame.” “Capturing an image in the right frame from the right angle is especially important. It is the most basic of lessons, but also the most crucial for a professional photographer.”

What picture frame do you see in your life? Is this frame a true depiction of who you are and what you do? Or does this frame confine you and limit your level of faith and potential? If so, this type of limitation is measured by the world and those people are only seeking superficial benefits for improving one's own self worth.

Our Lord sees your innermost secret from your inner self and values your life with His gracious views of all the little things you do, all the thoughts you have, and all the actions you have performed. In the Lord’s frame, you are precious and a treasure because you are created in the image of God.