Letters to Annie: Thank Your for Insisting Upon Mutual Respect

Dear Annie,

As I read the Scripture today, my heart-fall on this verse: “Here is a simple rule-of-thumb for behaviour: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get” (Matthew 7:12, The Message). This verse reminds me of you. Us. Annie, do you remember when you said to me that you respect me and in return, I should respect you too? You’re wise. As a man, I should say it first. My older friend once asked me, “Do you respect yourself enough to demand that your date respect you, too? Please, please, please answer that question with a resounding YES!” I nodded my head. “I told my youths, especially the young girls,” my desperate friend continued, “if you don’t respect yourself, other people may find it easy to take advantage of you.”

He urged me to understand this: the more you respect yourself and your partner, the more likely you are to make smart decisions and the smarter decisions you make, the more reasons you’ll have to respect yourself. This statement reminds me of a quote: “If you are willing to honor a person out of respect for God, you can be assured that God will honor you.” So, Annie, I asked my friend, how to avoid making such bad decisions and get self-respect? He gave me four tips: 1) Don’t do things that you know to be immoral, imprudent, or impulsive; 2) Make the conscious effort to invest yourself in activities that improve your own life and the lives of others; 3) Associate yourself with people who encourage you to think and behave in ways that are pleasing to God; and 4) Ask your Heavenly Father to guide your path and direct your thoughts. Then he told me to tell you: “Make sure Richard respects you and you respect yourself, and both of you respect God. Demand this from him!” I wrote it down because he looked very serious.

Thank you for respecting me – and I respect you. May God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit be honor and respect in our lives. That’s for now. I hope to hear from you soon. I miss you so much.

This much,

Richard

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

King Herod's Plot to Kill Jesus (Unfair Battle... God always Win!)

“[King] Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘A cry was heard in Ramah – weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead’” (Matthew 2:16-18, NLT).

Evil is real. The Bible explains that ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed God and sin entered the world, people have been born sinners; thus, doing what is wrong come naturally. We tend to look out for ourselves and our own interests first. Taken to extreme, self-centeredness leads to every imaginable evil act. History documents the terrible acts of the evil king Herod, especially concerning potential rivals to the throne. In his later years, Herod had three of his sons killed as well as his wife and many actual or suspected conspirators. Herod didn’t hesitate to spill blood to secure his power. Obsessed with himself, he felt threatened by a helpless baby who might one day become king. After all, the wise men said, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2).

Bethlehem was only a few miles from Jerusalem. Herod expected the wise men to return to him after finding the child they sought. When he learned they had gone home without reporting the location of the child, Herod took out his anger on innocent children. [When Emperor Augustus heard that among the boys under two years old whom Herod had ordered killed, his own son was also killed, he said: “It is better to be Herod's pig, than his son!”].

We may question how God could permit such terrible atrocities, even as he allowed Jesus to escape. But Matthew, the gospel writer, a Jew, knew all too well that the history of God’s people was littered with evil acts against them. The Messiah’s arrival caused Satan to unleash an arsenal of evil, in this instance using Herod. Satan, throughout history, have tried (and still trying) to eliminate God’s people – the Jews – from the face of the earth. Satan know that it is from the Jews that the Messiah would come. In the past, through Pharaoh of Egypt, Satan tried systematically to murder every Jewish male baby but Moses survived; through Haman, Persian Empire officer, Satan tried to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews but God called Queen Esther and Mordechai to rescued their people; through King Saul, Satan tried to kill David because he know that the Messiah would come from the line of David but he failed; through wicked Queen Athaliah, the daughter of the notorious King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, Satan plotted the killing of her own grandchildren and anyone that belong to the line of David to secure the throne but baby Joash, the only remaining direct link to the kingly Davidic line, was rescued and hidden in the Temple; through Adolf Hitler, Stalin, etc. Satan failed all the time! God win! Killing Jesus? Yeah, right... Jesus rose from the grave!

Think about this: Today, Satan is working overtime to thwart God’s plan. But don’t worry! Jesus told his disciples and us to pray “rescue us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13) and thus, we need to pray for God’s continued protection and guidance. In Christ, God have a beautiful plan for each one of us. Like how God continue to protect His people, the Jews, (even sometime they behave very badly) God still keep His promise because He is faithful. Like how God accomplished His plan through His Son, Jesus Christ, who would be the King of the Jews, the Messiah, the Saviour of the world, God will always win over Satan’s plot and Herod’s brutal action. Like all of these and more, you can trust in Him. Why? Because in the end, God will always, ALWAYS WIN!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

                                           

Have You Considered the Smartness of Jesus?

Jesus is smart. Have you heard anybody says that they want to be smart like Jesus? Or people adore him because he is smart? Or have you listen to a sermon entitled ‘The Smartness of Jesus’? Holy, yes. Glorious, yes. Loving, yes. Smart? Well... I adore Jesus more since the day I discover that he is smart. I want to be like Jesus. Jesus, I pray.

Before Jesus sends his twelve apostles out for mission trip, he instructed them, “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16, NLT). Wolves, sheep, snakes and doves. “Wolves” sound very dangerous. “As sheep” is quite offensive but we get used to it already. “As doves” is rather lovely and sweet. I like. “As snake”, well, did Jesus really said that? Snake reminds me of the serpent in the Garden of Eden. That deceitful creature. It is like saying, ‘Richard, in this very dangerous world, as my disciple you must be holy as the Spirit and be as cunning as Satan.’ Be as shrewd as snakes!

In other word, Jesus is asking us to be smart and cunning. I love this. When I read the Gospel stories, I can’t help but stand amaze at his wisdom and smartness. For example, when the Pharisees wanted to trick him by asking, “Now tell us what do you think about this: is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” If Jesus says yes then he will be accuse as Roman supporter and the people will surely going to protest against him for that. If Jesus says no then the Pharisees will say that Jesus is teaching people to go against the Roman. How to solve this wicked-tricky question? Easy. Jesus asked them to show a coin and they showed a Roman coin. He then asked again, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. “Well then, give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God” (Matthew 22:15-22). Brilliant! Jesus was not only smart but he managed bring God-consciousness into the minds of the Pharisees.

Another example, Jesus’ authority was challenged. The religious leaders demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?” “I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?” They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask us why we didn’t believe John. But if we say it was merely human, we’ll be mobbed because the people believe John was a prophet.” So they finally replied, “We don’t know.” And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.” (Matthew 21:23-27). Brilliant! Jesus was cunning as snake! Very smart!

One more example, a woman caught in adultery. The enemies asked Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The Law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” Again, this is a trick question. If Jesus says stone her, then Jesus’ credibility as Messiah or Saviour of the world is at stake. If Jesus says don’t stone her, then Jesus will be accused of the Law-breaker. Jesus pause for a while, stood up straight and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” (John 8:1-11). People were condemned by their own sins and the woman went back home with the assurance of forgiveness. Jesus is smart? Yes, yes, yes!

Jesus is holy and glorious and loving – and smart.

I adore you more Jesus.

“Be as shrewd as snakes!” Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.