How to Overcome Jealousy

Last week I shared about being broken and letting the light of Christ shine. Today's thought is a further reflection on the same theme.

One common struggle among Christians is jealousy. It could be jealousy over a another's Gucci handbag, a better car, a more successful career or even "better" children. As I shared last week pastors are not immune to the same poison of jealousy. If another pastor has a bigger church, we may boil inside with jealousy.

Where does jealousy come from, and how can we overcome it? Jealousy exists because at the heart of hearts we want to be the greatest. We want to be the best--not Joe, not Jane, but me! Jealousy is comparative by nature and stems from our desire to be better...than others. How can we overcome it? God's answer is radical. He says, "Consider others better than yourself (Phil. 2:3)." We struggle with jealousy because we want to be better than others, but God says simply, "Consider others better than yourself." Another person carries a better handbag? Just consider her better: "She is better than I am." Another has a more successful career? Just consider him better than you: "He is smarter. He is a better man." Do not fight and try to make yourself look better. Surrender and acknowledge others as better. That is Jesus' answer.

God's call for us is not to build our name, our own empire, but to serve others, and to disappear. This is the paradox of Jesus' teaching: "Whoever wants to be great must be a servant of all." A servant has no empire of his/her own. He/she serves another. He/she works to make others great. God calls us to serve others, entirely expend ourselves for the sake of others. That person will be called great in God's sight.

When we can consider others better than ourselves, we will be free. We will no longer live to be something that we are not--to impress others, to look better to others than we are, or even just to think about what others think about us. We will be truly free and be what we are made to be.

Break Me and Shine

About a month ago I saw a vision in my prayer. I was praying that God would break me. I knew that I was full of my ego, concerns for my success, my appearance before others, etc., so I was asking God to break me. While I prayed, I saw a small metal ball (the ball had a metal covering, not full of metal), which I recognized to represent me. I asked God, "Lord, break it. Crush it." As I prayed, I saw a bat come down and strike it. When the bat struck it, I was sure that the metal ball would collapse . Instead, when the cover ed, I saw that inside the metal cover was a ball of shining light, which I recognized as the light of Christ, and the light was beginning to shine through the . I realized that when I break, I do not get crushed. Instead, I finally release Christ to shine through me.

I still struggle mightily with my ego. When I hear about someone other pastor's success, I get jealous. I still want my name to be big instead of the name of Jesus Christ. I am desperately aware how little the love of Christ I have in my heart toward other people.

Everyday I pray that God would break me. Paradoxically, when my ego is broken, I will be set free and become truly myself--who God made me to be, how God has made me shine the light of Christ.

P.S. Please pray for the Connections Conference. It is happening this week, Mon-Wed.

The Value of a Soul

I sat in a room full of strangers. Over a hundred people I have never known before. An odd sensation came over me. Who are they? What are they? I could not connect. I felt even if they all died, it would make no difference to me.

One phenomenon of the (post-)modern age is that we are trained to see people as tools. If you are a store owner, when someone walks in, that person looks like a walking dollar sign, a potential consumer. If you are a manager, you look at an employee for what he/she can do in the job. If a politician, a person may simply be a number--the vote he/she can cast for you. We see people not for their intrinsic value, but for their extrinsic value.

Much of this utilitarian view of others te our perspective because we view ourselves the same way. We think our worth is in our utilitarian worth: how much money we make, how valuable we are to the company, etc.

But God says our worth is infinite because He made us in His image. We are more precious than the most ancient artifact--even if broken, infinitely valuable. God cares for each person; that's why each of us is of an infinite value. Yes, even that drunk sleeping on the side of the street, or that person in the pit of sin. Christ died for each soul, you and me, and them, and that's why each person is infinitely valuable.

May we look at each person we meet as a person of infinite value each day instead of a tool. May we look at each person as one that God cares for and Christ died for. May we care for them, as Christ would, and share Christ with them.

Hardship, A Blessing?

When we encounter difficulties or disappointments, we usually deplore. “Why?” It may be the loss of a job, relationship, or sickness. We consider a hardship a curse. God views hardships differently though. For God, hardships are necessary tools to mold a person for a greater purpose for the long haul.

While we live with short-term views, God works with long views. We want to have success NOW! God easily take 10 years and put us through hardship for the purpose of training us. Ten years is an investment for next fifty years, 5 generations, or even 500 years. That was the case with Joseph, David, Lincoln, and FDR among many others.

A Korean saying goes: “Hardship while young is worth even paying for.” There are things that can be achieved only through hardships. Only hardships can produce inner character that produces people who make long-term difference. Money cannot buy it. Even expensive trainers and training programs cannot help us. Only the furnace of hardship can produce a character of steely strength that can endure great challenges.

One key question for people being considered for leadership is “What major obstacles have you overcome in your life?” Without overcoming major challenges people lack the character to endure the future challenges.

Hardship is a not a curse, but a blessing. God is taking you through a training course. If you are experiencing hardship, believe that God is training you right now for a long-term future. Give thanks.

Impart Your Heart , Oh God

I love to build. What I build is the church. I love to think about how to build the church, get strategies from God, bring right people together, and execute and finally see the building rise. There is great joy in building. And what I build is the Kingdom of God!

However, God reminds me there is something more important than building even the church. That is the heart. At the bottom, is my heart growing? Is my love for God growing? Is my heart-connection with God growing stronger? Or is my heart neglected by the excitement of building something, even the church? Heart matters far more. If my heart is neglected because of ministries, at the end I lose. My focus must always be to grow my heart.

If you are like me, you enjoy building something, whether it is a house, a company, or a ministry. But God says, "Grow your heart." Grow your heart toward Him. Develop a bigger love for the Father and the Son. Grow a bigger heart for people. If we build the largest company/church, and lose a heart of tender compassion for another person, we would have lost, not gain. We, human beings, live from the heart. If our heart dies, we die.

I am praying especially for a heart for the lost. "Lord, impart your compassion for the spiritually lost on my heart. Let my heart be broken by their spiritual lostness." It is not "Lord, let the church grow," but "Let my heart grow." Let us pray that God would grow our hearts. Your prayer may be about growing your heart toward God, or your family, or the poor. May we become people of the biggest hearts.

For Your Eyes Only

Would you like to be great?

The phrase "a man after [God's] own heart" which refers to King David is a for every follower of Christ, but many people do not know the context in which this phrase was spoken. This phrase was first spoken by Prophet Samuel to King Saul, whom David later replaced: "Your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD's command." (1 Samuel 13:14)

What was Saul's problem that he would be rejected? Essentially Saul cared more about what people thought about him than what God thought about him. He craved for people's praise more than God's praise. He wanted to look great in people's eyes than in God's eyes. That was it. In the scenario that precedes the judgment just mentioned, Saul does not fully obey God's specific command to destroy the enemies. He reserves the best animals so that he can look generous to his generals, and he does not kill the enemy king because he wants to feel magnanimous. Generosity and magnanimity are wonderful characteristics, but not when God has specifically ordered the opposite. Saul was great in the eyes of people, and he wanted to keep his image. That was his downfall.

Even after the judgment, Saul tragically seeks people's praise. He asks Samuel, "Fine with the judgment, but right now, please come and acknowledge me before the people so that they would think greatly of me."

In the mean time, David is a nobody. He is a teenage boy who has no status, no recognition. His own father thinks little of him. But David loves God. While no one sees, he plays his hand harp, and makes songs to God--something a boy who cares about others' recognition would not do. People's praise counted nothing for him. And thus he was chosen.

We do so many things to look before others. Much of our pursuit--clothes, cars, house, jobs, or even spouses and kids--is about looking good to others. God calls all that abominable.

Care not for what other people think. That will be a shackle that binds you. Care for God's eyes only. You will be set free from so many things that holds you. You will be able to make significant differences eternally. You will be great truly, in His eyes.

Myanmar and My Checkbook

Myanmar happened. But my heart was not moved. One of the disadvantages of information world is that we get information-overload. We hear the bad news from all over the world ALL THE TIME. The effects are: despair (it's too much) and debilitation (does what we do make any difference?). Besides, Myanmar was far away.

My perception changed only when I received Eliza's email: that we can make a contribution through World Vision by making a few click on the computer. Here was a practical, easy way to make a difference. Now, I felt I had do something about it. Otherwise, I would feel guilty. If compassion would not do the job, let guilt have its way.

We are taking an offering for Myanmar this Sunday. Constant news of disaster can make us numb to the needs of the world. The only logical life response, I think, is to give up all things for the poor, as Jesus gave all things and became poor for us (2 Cor. 8:9). In not being able to do so, we close our hearts to the cry of the poor. We ignore the needs. We ought not. God will hold us guilty if we do.

I urge you to make a sacrificial giving. Giving must hurt. We must give until it hurts us. Do not transfer your regular offering to Myanmar; you will be cheating. Give until it hurts. Most of us can give $100, or even $1000 without hurting at all.

Jesus told us to invest into eternity. "Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven" (Matt. 5:20). Will you have treasure in heaven when you get there?

I want our church to be a 51% church someday. 51% church is a church that gives 51% of its offering for missions (to the poor and for the gospel). We give currently about 39%. I hope we can make transition to give 51%. If our people would give proper tithe and offerings, we easily can. I hope you get rich, eternally.