As the Falling Rain

I respect Asians very much. They are often hardworking, intelligent, and family oriented. Historically, they were among the most highly civilized nations. Many times when speaking of her Vietnamese and Hmong friends, my sister mentions how level-headed they are compared to herself and her other friends. But what makes them that way? It seems to me it is often based on honour— honouring your family and culture. To disgrace your family's name is almost unspeakable. As Christians, what should govern us? I believe it is honour, too. God says, "Them that honour Me I will honour" 1 Samuel 2:30. What kept such great men like Joseph, Daniel, Nehemiah, and Paul— and above all, Jesus— so steadfast? Love for God, of course. But what would that love lead them to do? We honour and obey our parents when we love them. It is the same with God. Such men like Joseph and Daniel cared for God's honour— they wanted to rightly reflect His character to others because they loved Him. ...

Photo: My dad. :)  Sitting by the river on a rock, I noticed a little skeleton-like object. As I looked a little closer, it looked like what had been a dragonfly nymph.   I had gone home with some friends this particular Sabbath, because we were planning to go to Bar Harbor the next day. We went for a walk by a river that was near my friends' house, and we were all supposed to look for object lessons in nature, and share them with the others after our walk. (Unfortunately, I didn't share this one then-or any of the other ones I gained- but I can share this one now!) As I looked at the nymph shell, I thought about how the nymph had to completely leave behind it's exoskeleton to become a dragonfly- a new creature.   So it is with us. We must completely leave off the old nature if we would be Christians. The dragonfly couldn't be half nymph and half dragonfly. We can't be half with the world and half with Christ...

Mandarin Duck Artists are often said to be their own worst critics. Maybe it's because we see all the defects that no one else seems to notice. We see the misaligned eyes, the crooked nose; we know what didn't come out just as we had planned. But aside from that, I believe the Great Master Artist has an artist's eye, too- albeit in a different sense. Here is an interesting quote from The Desire of Ages , p. 826: "Tell the people of Him who is 'the Chiefest among ten thousand,' and the One 'altogether lovely.' The Song of Solomon 5:10, 16. Words alone cannot tell it. Let it be reflected in the character and manifested in the life. Christ is sitting for His portrait in every disciple. Every one God has predestinated to be 'conformed to the image of His Son.' Romans 8:29. In every one Christ's long-suffering love, His holiness, meekness, mercy, and truth are to be manifested to the world." King James Version American S...

  "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:1-3        Charity- without it we cannot truly serve God. Without His love, it doesn't matter how many languages I could speak, or how fluently; how much I understand about scripture; how much money I give to God's cause; how much even of myself I give; how well I can draw; how well I could play an instrument or how well I could sing, or anything else I could do. It isn't in a flurry of activity that love for God is shown- it is in the motives ruling those actions, "...

  By faith, as wandering pilgrims here, We sojourn in this vale of tears, It points us to His coming, near, That ends our sighs, and groans, and fears, Though raging hosts of foes assail, The conqueror’s trophies, won, will be; Through sword and flame we shall prevail By faith, and gain the victory!   Though clouds and tempests, hovering near, May o’er thy pathway seem to frown, It bids them quickly disappear, And brings the promised blessing down. It breaks the bands that round thee cling- From sin and bondage sets thee free, To rise on its triumphant wing, And shout, by faith, the victory!                                                  Faith, living faith, ascends the skies, To Christ, within the seco...

    A couple of Sabbaths ago, I was throwing away my plate and putting my dirty silverware in the sink after potluck. As I was going back to sit with my sister, a lady- we'll call her Anna- stopped me. She asked me what caused my sister's cerebral palsy, because it concerned someone close to her.   I did my best to explain... but I was so inadequate! "My Mom can explain it better than me", was all I could say. I felt so stupid! I couldn't even explain what cerebral palsy was!     This incident reminded of when we witness. I don't want to be caught off my guard- unable to explain what I believe. I don't want to have to be ever referring others to someone else because they "can explain it better than me"! "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15. "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to...

Photo courtesy of: learn.corel.com "How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence." Psalm 62:3     I know it may sound depressing, but what are bowing walls and tottering fences like? They are weak. According to this verse we can be like that, too. But, what  makes us weak? Because they "imagine mischief against a man". That word mischief also means evil or iniquity . Any time we think anything bad about others, it makes us weaker. It has been said that speaking (or even thinking) evil about others does not make them, but ourselves, more evil. May we each pray, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." Psalm 19:14.