[Finding God in All Things] Day 23 – Giftless Men Facing a Giftful God

Farmer of Hearts - Finding God in All Things

We acknowledge that the reflections of these past few days have been challenging, much like the challenging requirements Jesus sets for being His disciples. Jesus wants us to face our relationship with Him, to understand who He truly is for us, and not just establish a relationship based on hearsay or imitation of others’ relationships with God. He also prompts us to reflect on our identity as His followers, so as not to waste our precious Christian life. While the opportunity to be a Christian is an honour, we must ask ourselves: do we genuinely feel honoured, or do we feel reluctant, or even burdened?

Let’s recall why the rich young man ran up to Jesus to seek counsel from the one whom he called "Good Teacher". He seemed clear about what he needed – he earnestly sought salvation, to "inherit eternal life". What about you? Why do you run up to Jesus and follow Him? Is it a thirst for divine blessings? A desire based on a fear of missing out? Seeking inner peace, and peace of mind? Pursuing the joy and the reward of eternal life? Or perhaps specific and individual reasons? Regardless of your original purpose or intentions, now is the time to dig deeper into your motivations and goals.

Without a clear and convincing goal, life lacks direction, let alone any motivation to move towards a worthwhile life goal. Such a life becomes a mere routine, surviving day by day, dealing with challenges as they come, or spending a lifetime constantly pursuing the next achievement or opportunity for pleasure. Without goals or ideals, life becomes mere existence, devoid of meaning and value. If the goal of life is limited to the present world, the efforts to accumulate our "treasures" will also have an "expiration date". Therefore, it is worth spending time reflecting on why we choose to be Christians and why we exist in this world.

As Christians, if we don't know what goals we are striving for, it is impossible to understand why Jesus has such high expectations of us. Without understanding, there is no trust, and we cannot have a good relationship with the Lord, let alone enjoy the life and identity of being a Christian! Everything becomes futile and dull, and even painful and bitter. Do you have such feelings or experiences?

Suppose we also share the rich young man's desire, earnestly hoping to "inherit eternal life". We need to further ask ourselves, why do we wish to attain eternal life? Is it the same as longing for “eternal happiness”? We need to be honest with ourselves and with God. If we desire to "inherit eternal life", the only way is that we long to return to the Father's house. This "Father's house" is the dwelling place that Jesus promised to prepare for us, where we can eternally "dwell with the Lord".

On the contrary, if what we long for is not eternal communion with God but the "eternal joy" and "eternal abode" that God promises to bestow upon us, then our hearts will focus solely on pursuing those gifts and rewards, disregarding and neglecting the God who gives us these gifts out of love.

If this is the case, no wonder we feel puzzled, frustrated, and even disgusted by the requirements of our Lord Jesus, who has given us great gifts! It’s no wonder that we don’t take these demands seriously, and even feel that Jesus is harsh and unreasonable and intentionally making things difficult for us, without realizing the painstaking efforts of Jesus and the deep love behind it all.

At this moment, we need to ask ourselves: is our eternal goal the gift itself, or the One who gives the gift? If it is the former, shall we re-examine this intention? Is it fair to our God, who gives us gifts and loves us deeply? How would our Heavenly Father feel?

Reflection

Being a Christian should be an honour. Now, please ask yourself honestly, do you feel honoured? Or do you feel a sense of reluctance and helplessness, or that it is a burden?

The rich young man ran up to Jesus, seeking salvation with an expectation to "inherit eternal life." What about you? Why do you run to Jesus and desire to follow Him?

Now, in the presence of the Lord, sincerely face and examine yourself: Is your eternal goal the gift of "eternal life", or is it the God in front of you, the One who "created you, loves you, and saves you" and presents you with gifts?

Today’s Prayer

Father in heaven, how have You endured my contempt, indifference, and even disrespectful treatment towards You? How could You bear it? I have consistently approached You with the wrong mindset and attitude, insulting You as my God and even as a gift-giver! I have never taken the time to truly understand or appreciate how much You have given me and how deeply You love me. Before You, I have been incessantly demanding this and asking for that, like a creditor seeking repayment from a debtor! How on earth did You endure it?

From today onwards, I hope You will feel a little better! Thank You for Your tolerance and boundless patience, enduring my rudeness, selfishness, pride, and my abuse of the freedom You gave me, constantly hurting You!

I pray that You enlighten me to use the free will You have given me to choose to approach You every day, to ask about and understand Your feelings. I am determined to rectify my mindset and behaviour, and to learn to focus on You, but not just on the gifts You have given me!

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The following is the “Farmer of Hearts: Finding God in All Things” team, including FLL staff and volunteers. Please kindly pray for them. May God protect them and sustain their physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

Project Manager: Michael Lam
Writer: Paul Yeung
Editors: Bonny Chan, Rosa Tse
English Editors: Bonny Chan, Paul Yeung
Mandarin Editor: Anthony X.
Cantonese Narrator: Margaret Woo
English Narrator: Bonny Chan
Mandarin Narrator: Rene Ren
Audio Editors: Fonte Ip, Sander Lee, Margaret Woo
YouTube Editors: Fonte Ip, Sander Lee, Arnold Chan
Graphics: Francis Lai, Rosa Tse
Website: Patricia Young, Angela Wong
Podcast: Angela Wong
Social Media: Yollie Leung, Carmen Tsang, Rosa Tse
Theme Music:
“Friends Only” by Introvert Pianist https://www.youtube.com/@introvertpianist
“Watercolor Lilies” by Aaron Kenny https://youtube.com/@contactkennya

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