One Life At A Time

By Rev Albert Kang

When I was working as a book illustrator at a local publishing company, I learned the meaning of “confirmation”. Every morning, my editor required all the artists to report to him to confirm the artworks that they must produce. It was vital process because from time to time, different artworks took on different priorities. If we were ignored this instruction and went ahead without editor’s approval, we would be sternly lectured. After all these years, I could still hear his stern voice, “Remember, you need confirmation and not assumption.”

Seek Ye First The Kingdom of God

In similar fashion, you need to come to God for confirmation so that you might know what He wants you to be and do. You may not need to do it every morning but you do need to be alert just in case there is a change of plan. To begin with, everyone needs to confirm his or her destiny by verifying with God about His will for his or her life. The Bible states:

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

To “seek first” means to look and choose this first. This activity of seeking His kingdom should be on the top of all your priorities. The kingdom of God is not a kingdom if He is not the King. The purpose of you seeking the kingdom is not just that you be an anonymous citizen but that you become a part of the King’s household. King Richard the Lion Heart was asked where was his kingdom after his brother, Prince John, usurped the throne. He replied, “Where there is a heart beating for King Richard, there lies my kingdom”.  What a wonderful answer! Likewise, God’s kingdom is not a geographical location but more of an affection allocation. Where do you find the kingdom of God? You find it wherever there is heart that is beating for Christ.

Seeking after His kingdom also means seeking for God to rule over you. The rule of God is not that of a tyrant but a father. He does not whip you into submission but gently draw you to the destiny that He has for you. Without His destiny and guidance, you will be like a ship in a raging ocean, without the power to overcome the waves and the direction to know where you are going. Your life will be like driftwood and not an ocean liner.

God’s Righteousness

You are to seek His righteousness too. There is a right way and a wrong way to live. Right way leads to the right destiny. God’s righteousness has to do not only with the results but with the process too. Along your pilgrimage, your attitude and behavior are most important to Him. Are you expressing the righteousness of God in everything that you do and say? Are you living a life according to the right standard and moving onto the right direction? If you do, then when you pursue after His standard, God promises to bless you. “All these things” means that He will grant you all the essential earthly blessings necessary to bring His fulfillment to your life. To put it simply, if you sought after one side of the coin, the other side is always there.

International Service

Next Sunday, we will carry out another of God’s dream for our church. We will be launching the International Service at 8:30 AM. We believe that this is God’s newest assignment for us as the local body of Christ. Our conviction is that God wants us to reach out beyond the Filipino community to other communities. Last year, one of our church leaders had a vision about this International Service and so this coming Sunday will become a confirmation to that vision.

We realize that launching this service will not be a bed of roses. There will be challenges but they must never perturb us. We believe that the 8.30 AM International Service is an additional way by which the Lord wants us to bless His people so as to create an impact for His kingdom.

The Star Thrower

Let me end this article with this story by Loren Eiseley that affected me years ago:

Once upon a time, there was a wise man, who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
As he got closer, he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?" The young man paused, looked up and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."
"I guess I should have asked, Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"
"The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die."
"But young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!"
The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves. "It made a difference for that one!”

His response surprised the man. He was upset. He didn't know how to reply. So instead, he turned away and walked back to the cottage to begin his writings.

All day long as he wrote, the image of the young man haunted him. He tried to ignore it, but the vision persisted. Finally, late in the afternoon he realized that he the scientist, he the poet, had missed out on the essential nature of the young man's actions. Because he realized that what the young man was doing was choosing not to be an observer in the universe and make a difference. He was embarrassed.

That night he went to bed troubled. When the morning came he awoke knowing that he had to do something. So he got up, put on his clothes, went to the beach and found the young man. And with him he spent the rest of the morning throwing starfish into the ocean. You see, what that young man's actions represent is something that is special in each and everyone of us. We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference. And if we can, like that young man, become aware of that gift, we gain through the strength of our vision the power to shape the future.
And that is your challenge. And that is my challenge. We must each find our starfish. And if we throw our stars wisely and well, I have no question that the 21st century is going to be a wonderful place.

Let’s remember that our church has been called by God not just to grow in size but to make a difference. Let us impact one life at a time. V