We are Co-workers, and We are also Brothers and Sisters

All of the ISEEDers and Apprentices went to one of our staff couples' home for seminar and lunch today. During lunch time, we had the chance to hear their testimonies and know them better. The fellowship time we had today was precious and great, as we are studying "Cross-cultural Servanthood", we all find that we can't not go deeper into a culture, a community, a group, or a person until we dwell in their lives.

One thing God constantly reminds me is to love my brothers and sisters as my brothers and sisters, sometimes even start from seeing and recognizing them as my brothers and sisters in heaven. They are not my cousins, my extended relatives, but my siblings with the same Father, so how much should I love them? Many times in church, when I feel awkward standing in line for something or talking with people that I have never seen before, simply because I do not see this person as my sibling, God would speak to me and remind me that this is your brother/sister. Or when I have conflicts with others, the Bible tells us to seek reconciliations with others, just thinking one day when we meet each other again in heaven, I must regret a lot for having my flesh take over me and having all the argument and conflicts with others without being willing to apologize to others.

I think the fellowship life written in Acts is very attractive to many of us, while also seems so hard for many of us. I ask the Lord to teach me how to love my brothers and sisters. Knowing that we will be in heaven worshiping God forever in the eternal life, and I want to be well equipped on earth now and prepare for that joyful time! 

How Do We Feel about Time That Has Passed

It is funny to see that every time I write the blog, I wanted to start with "time flies", and it is actually how I feel! It is amazing to see that January has already passed for this new year.

I went to Urbana 2015 Conference after Christmas Day, the most influential moment for me at the conference was when Pastor David Platt stated that "before you go into missions, make sure yourself is not missing Jesus".

Do you have the same feeling as I have that "Oh, I could have better used my time! I could have spent more time on reading Bible, praying, meditating, growing in the Lord..." Yes, I could have. But what is more important compared with just regretting for the past is to learn from the past and improve the future. By God's grace, we are forgiven and given a new life, we need to repent for our sins and mistakes, and we also need to learn to embrace God's grace and remembering that Jesus has paid the price for us, what a marvelous gift that compels us to surrender our lives to Him.

So for this new year, I want to pray for you who is reading this blog and myself that God will give us the strength and wisdom to live a Jesus centered life. Do not let the past make you passive, instead, ask God to transform our characters and help us to aiming for the higher call.