Through their blows, the persecutors and the persecuted came to know one another. This is an important gain for both of us, as we continue to walk through persecution. This is what it means when we Chinese say: “Out of blows, knowledge grows!”
There will always be conflicts for people who grow up in a traditional Chinese education, because a Chinese education is an atheistic education. But I never doubted the existence of God. The existence of God was as natural to me as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. It was as natural to me as getting up in the morning.
I am a subversive patriot because, despite the progress we have made as a nation, America is not my best hope for "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." My ultimate allegiance is to a King who gave up his own life, liberty, and happiness to redeem us from the tyranny of sin.
We know that we ourselves have received mercy, but do we also look forward to the vision of this psalm? Do we long for the day when those who persecute us, those who accuse us without reason, and those who put us in prison also receive the mercy of God?
Read MoreWe take the things we have for granted, and a consumerist mindset leads us to complain about our city. It is easy for us to become angry at the injustice happening in our cities, and sometimes we wish to escape. But when we practice prayer walking in the city, this is all reversed. Instead of viewing our city as something to consume for ourselves, in prayer walking, we repent, revive, and bless our cities.
Read MoreEvery day the news media reports frightening stories about the “powers” in society, telling us obedience to God will bind and limit our freedom. Yet the truth is freedom can only come through service to the One who created us. God still reigns in power; in him, we find refuge from all fears.
Read MoreThis group of songs were probably the last psalms sung by the Lord Jesus before his suffering. This reminds us that the fulfillment of the story of the Exodus from Egypt is based on God’s nature, a nature which stoops down to and delivers the lowly.
Read MoreGod’s people believe in the presence of the Creator of heaven and earth because of the things they have heard and seen. Throughout the ages, God’s people again and again witness the proof of his presence.
Read MoreWhen I look at my own culture and world, I am struck how we face the same work problems as Chinese, and how our societal response mirrors that of China. At the same time, in the U.S. our population is smaller and there are more potential paths to success, so it seems we are a few years behind China in openly embracing attitudes like tang ping or bai lan.
Read MoreChristians today need a correct understanding of faith and life in order to know how to spend their time on earth and not waste their precious years of life. We need not fear the inevitability of death, nor lament life’s shortness. We know we are in the hands of the living God.
Read MoreChristianity is the only belief system that allows, even respects, human doubt. The core of Christian faith is based on Jesus giving himself to the human race as a gift.
Read MoreIf your work makes you feel more prideful than ever; if your work causes you to feel overwhelming anxiety; if you are unceasingly busy, day and night, and have no time to rest – heed the wisdom of Scripture. Stop immediately, shift your focus, and look to the One who truly builds and maintains. He “gives to his beloved sleep.” In the Lord, you will find true rest.
Read MoreOnly after experiencing the Lord can one truly believe that all creation will eventually submit to and serve him. Only after experiencing God can one have faith in what Psalm 8 promises at the end: that this world will ultimately bow at his feet, and utter from the heart: “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
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