November 20, 2016

The Shepherd's Corner

[:en]THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER

God does not make junks but He does have a junkyard—a large one, I should say. We are God’s creation and we are no junks; we were, after all, created in His image. We can think and we can create; we can know and we can distinguish good from bad, right from wrong. We are no junks; we are God’s esteemed work-piece.

But, God has a junkyard; it is the place where He throws away all the junks—or the messes—we have created as a result of many bad decisions we have made. God never rejects the junks we bring to Him. He never says these junks are way too ugly to be in His junkyard. And, He never says that the lot is full. There is always room for the junks we bring to Him.

There are countless things I can thank God for but there is nothing that touches my heart like His forgiveness. I know I am a sinner and I have committed sins—bad and shameful acts. To know that I am forgiven gives me joy and peace. And, to know that I am forgiven has motivated me to be a better person—to be more like Him. The wonderful thing about wanting to be a better person is the moment we say it, He, then, gives us power and lends His hands to help. The fact that we are as we are today—a little better than yesterday—is a result of God’s work in us. For this, we give thanks to God.

In his book, Sources of Strength, former president Jimmy Carter writes, “. . . we can’t be truly thankful unless we are willing to acknowledge our need for God. After all, if the good things we enjoy are our own doing . . . then we really don’t owe God anything.” The good, the love, the patience, etc are God’s doing in us. The home, the friends, the job, etc are God’s gifts to us. We are merely the recipients of them all. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Pastor Paul[:id]THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER

God does not make junks but He does have a junkyard—a large one, I should say. We are God’s creation and we are no junks; we were, after all, created in His image. We can think and we can create; we can know and we can distinguish good from bad, right from wrong. We are no junks; we are God’s esteemed work-piece.

But, God has a junkyard; it is the place where He throws away all the junks—or the messes—we have created as a result of many bad decisions we have made. God never rejects the junks we bring to Him. He never says these junks are way too ugly to be in His junkyard. And, He never says that the lot is full. There is always room for the junks we bring to Him.

There are countless things I can thank God for but there is nothing that touches my heart like His forgiveness. I know I am a sinner and I have committed sins—bad and shameful acts. To know that I am forgiven gives me joy and peace. And, to know that I am forgiven has motivated me to be a better person—to be more like Him. The wonderful thing about wanting to be a better person is the moment we say it, He, then, gives us power and lends His hands to help. The fact that we are as we are today—a little better than yesterday—is a result of God’s work in us. For this, we give thanks to God.

In his book, Sources of Strength, former president Jimmy Carter writes, “. . . we can’t be truly thankful unless we are willing to acknowledge our need for God. After all, if the good things we enjoy are our own doing . . . then we really don’t owe God anything.” The good, the love, the patience, etc are God’s doing in us. The home, the friends, the job, etc are God’s gifts to us. We are merely the recipients of them all. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Pastor Paul[:]

More Shepherd's Corner Articles

The Shepherd's Corner - May 26, 2024
Jessy was introduced to Santy and me by a physician friend of ours more than a decade ago while she was seeking treatment here in Los Angeles.  At the time she was in her late 20s, looking as healthy as anybody in that age group but inside, there’s this chronic disease called multiple scleros...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - September 8, 2019
THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER Justin was a brilliant philosopher before he became a Christian. After he became a Christian, he did not abandon philosophy. Instead he kept his profession and life’s calling because he said, after he became a Christian, he became a “better philosopher.” Justin, who liv...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - June 10, 2018
THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER The other day when I was swimming in YMCA, I talked to an elderly Asian couple....
Read More