May 15, 2016

The Shepherd's Corner

THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER

In our Bible Study Fellowship last week Santy said something that really blessed me. She said, we all wish to have a smooth, problem-free life. But, the persons God uses are not those whose lives are smooth, but rather those who are strong. And, they become strong because of the hard and winding road they must travel.

I must admit that I was one of those guys who wished that my life would be as straight as an arrow. I tried to do everything by the book hoping the outcome would turn out to be as planned. But, the past few years have shattered this incorrect notion of life that I held on. I learned the outcome can be very different.

There is something else I have learned: By faith I must thank God for whatever it is He brings into my life, albeit how unpleasant it is. Thanking Him is in order because what He gives me is good for me. There is something that He sees—which I don’t—that causes His concern. So, by faith I thank Him.

As a church we have been through a lot. A number of us have lost our loved ones and some have been struck by chronic illness. As we speak, our sister Devi is still in the hospital recuperating from brain hemorrhage. And, some are facing uncertainty in various forms.

Like a ship, we have been battered, but we have not been beaten. We may not be able to walk and may have to crawl, but, crawl we do! We hold on to faith—that God is not only all-powerful that everything is in His hands, but that He is also all-good, that He is allowing everything to happen for our own good. So, hold on to faith and by faith, thank Him, because, “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” (Isaiah 7:9)

Pastor Paul

More Shepherd's Corner Articles

The Shepherd's Corner - June 21, 2015
THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER Like many other things in life, fathering is not an exact science. There are rules to follow but abiding by these rules do not necessarily guarantee the expected results. Conversely, violating these rules do not always bring about negative results. Gordon MacDonald, current c...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - January 22, 2023
Happy Chinese New Year.  May the Lord’s goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives.  We don’t know what awaits us, but we know what we have left behind, at least in California.  Many who worked at giant media companies like Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, and CBS lost...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - March 20, 2022
The other day when Santy and I were visiting our grandchildren, our daughter asked one of them, “How much do you love Kung-Kung?”  He right away answered, “Five hundred!”  When asked how much he loves Pho-Pho, he also replied, “Five hundred!”  When asked how many teeth he ...
Read More