Korean American Christian Blog

I've had the opportunity to see the initial transformations of a person into a new life as a Christian. It's amazing how it has often been through this person and others alike that tangible truth can be revealed to me, often with exposing my own sin. 

The other week, him along with others members of our church were sharing our thoughts on 2 Corinthians 1. The first section talks about comforting others as we have been comforted. This friend of mine brought up a situation he was involved in earlier that week, where in the heat of some wedding chaos, he influenced the groom to un-invite one of the guests because of something he had said/done. Soon after, a guilt weighed heavily on his heart. He prayed (something that he would not have done prior to becoming a Christian), and he read through the Gospels. He came across the parable of the unforgiving servant, where a master forgave his servant for not paying him back. Mercy was given in this situation so that the servant would experience it and thus be able to be merciful to others. 

A thought crossed my mind and so I asked my friend if whether he would have understood his sin without having read the Bible. He responded, "probably not." 

It sheds light on Apostle Paul bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles. God had given them a conscience, but without the law, they could not acquire concrete discernment that came from the law to convict them to Christ.  

Now, I am convicted. I, too, have graciously been given a conscience, but it's a conscience that is often polluted with self-doubt, insecurity, worldliness and my own desires. I seek wisdom, but I don't actively pursue hearing God speak to me through His words. I am defenseless despite strategy without proper gear in a time of war. 

And so, I have made this Lent period as a time to read through the New Testament. I am careful, however, to make sure that I understand that by reading through the Word, I am unable to make myself more holy than others, but rather I do it because I have already been called to be holy, thus I obtain the desires to be rooted in God's word. It's work in a sense that I am putting my faith into action, but it is NOT work in that I am working for my salvation. 

Please join me not just in this year's Lent, but everyday to be actively rooted in God's word, firmly planted in the ground in and out of seasons.