Undercover Boss

Watch this video when you have the time..one of the most inspiring & uplifting videos I've seen in a while! God bless brother David Kim.
WATCH VIDEO HERE

Why the challenge?

Brief Reflection...

Some people might be curious as to why I didn't make this challenge a really public thing, or why I even did the challenge at all. To be honest, this blog wasn't really about anything but my own relationship with Jesus. Yes, I have told people about my challenge, and at times I have posted some documentation of this challenge on facebook, but ultimately, I created this blog as a personal account of my spiritual progression. In short, I wanted to see if I could, in some small way, live out the things that I've been preaching. I've come to learn that following Jesus really can't be defined by a weekly ritual of attending church or doing x-number of ministry works or donating a certain amount to missions. Though these things are not inherently bad, the heart that fuels each of these actions should ultimately be one of true, honest, and genuine love. And that love, I believe, is often reflected in our daily lives; in how we respond to conflict; in our habits, thoughts, attitudes, and innermost feelings that no one can see but us and Jesus.

It's been so easy to blow up my reputation with words and church talk without really backing it up with any real evidence in my life. And that is why I took this challenge. It's been a whole year, and I definitely feel like I've grown exponentially, but there is still SO much for me to learn as a person that this can't possibly mark the end. I don't claim to have "mastered" loving others; in fact, this challenge has in many ways helped me see how unloving I am at times. And yet, it is through Christ that I have been redeemed by His blood, and it is through HIS strength that I can do all things [Philippians 4:13]. By the grace of God I will continue to love Jesus and love others, although I may not necessarily keep to a strict schedule of blogging it every day.

& thanks to anyone who has been reading my blog and showing support :) GOD BLESS YOU & HAPPY EASTER!

365 DAYS OF LOVE: CONCLUSION

 SOO, it has finally been a whole year since my 365 days of love. It's quite a miracle that I was able to see so many different opportunities to love each day, whether its big or small! For my last day of love, I...
-Ended up going to Olive Garden wayy earlier than everyone else, so I got the number for a table first and waited 45 min. By the time everyone came, our table was ready!
-Prayed for the church/each other at a prayer meeting
-(Sunday) Helped out with Easter Sunday School for the kids! Even though I signed up to do the egg hunt at the appropriate time, there were alot of people who came and wanted to help out even though they didnt sign up. Egg hunt was a super popular station and they ended up having too many people there and not enough people doing crafts, so I volunteered to leave the egg hunt and go do crafts instead! It was still super fun and the kiddies were adorable as always.
-Attended my friend's baptism and showed support! CONGRATS KEV KIM!
-Donated $25 to the 30 hour famine fund! Hooray for hunger!!
-Finally, my last act of love was committing to continue loving more and more each day, even if it isn't in the form of a "365 day" challenge. The end of this challenge is just the beginning: I'm excited to see what more God has to teach me about love! HERE WE GO.

Joshua 1-6, 23-24, 365 DAYS OF LOVE #364

NOTES: JOSHUA 1-6:
-The Lord commands Joshua to succeed Moses and to lead the Israelites
-"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them: (v6)
-Joshua sent two spies to Jericho, and they stayed in the house of the prostitute Rahab.
-The King of Jericho heard about this and demanded Rahab to tell him where the spies were, but she hid them on the roof and did not reveal their location
-Because of this, Rahab makes a deal with the spies that they will save her and her family when the walls of Jericho fall down
-The Lord guides Joshua to lead the people to cross the Jordan river
-The Fall of Jericho: Joshua's army marched around the city once for six days
-On the seventh day, they marched with trumpets. When a long blast is sounded and all the people should, tghe city will collapse
-Rahab and her family were saved

ACT OF LOVE: Today, I helped my mom move a desk in Josiah's room since her back was still kind of fragile and she didnt want to over-exert herself. Also, I DROVE to church today after my very first driving lesson! It was extremely nervewracking to say the least, but in the end I got my family all there in one piece!

Deuteronomy 5-8, 28-31, 34, 365 DAYS OF LOVE #363

NOTES: DEUTERONOMY 5-8:
-Deut. 6: The Ten Commandments
-"So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess" (Deut 5:32-33)
-"But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands" (Deut. 7:8)
-"Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands...Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disiciplines you" (8:3-5)
DEUTORONOMY 28-31:
-Blessings for Obedience; Curses for disobedience;
"The Lord will establish you as his holy people....if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways" (28:9)
-"The Lord will send on your curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to....because of the evil you have done in forsaking him" (28:20)
-"For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess" (30:15)
-Chapter 31: Joshua succeeds Moses, Israel's Rebllion is predicted
Chapter 34: "And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said...Moses was a hundred and wenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone."
"Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face..."

ACT OF LOVE: Helped my mother write a thank-you note to my neighbor who helped her look for Bambi when he ran away today. Also, helped my dad set up a new desk that we bought for Josiah's room!

Numbers 3, 4, 6, 11-14, 365 DAYS OF LOVE #361-362

NOTES: Journey to the Promised Land
NUMBERS 3-4
-The Lord gives Moses and Aaron commands about the Levites, the Kohathites, the Gershonites, the Merarites and the numbering of Levite Clans
-"The Lord also said to Moses, "I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are  mine, for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether man or animal. They are to be mine. I am the Lord.""
NUMBERS 6
-The Lord gives Moses instructions for anyone who wants to "make a special vow, a vow of separation to the Lord as a Nazirite"
-During his vow of separation, no razor may be used on his head. Then, he is to shave off his dedicated hair and present it into the fire as a sacrifice
NUMBERS 11-14
-"Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused"(11:1)
-Then the people complained to Moses that they had no meat to eat; only manna. Moses went to the Lord and asked for help. The Lord replied and promised that they will have enough meat to eat for a whole month
-"Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea. It brought them down all around the camp to about three feet above the ground, as far as a day's walk in any direction." (11.31)
-"But while the meat was still between their teeth...the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague."
-Chapter 12: Miriam and Aaron oppose Moses
-The two began to gossip and talk against Moses for he had married a Cushite woman. The Lord heard this, and rebuked them by making Miriam leprous and confining her outside the camp for seven days
-The Lord commands Moses to send men to explore the land of canaan, and they returned with a report: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey!...But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large" (12:27)
CHAPTER 14: THE PEOPLE REBEL
-The people began to complain and rebel against Moses and Aaron, and threaten to stone them
-The Lord said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they" (14:11)
-"The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation. In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now" (v18)
-The Lord says, "Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand...As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. But you--your bodies will fall in this desert. "

ACT OF LOVE #361: Went to a court case and a city council meeting yesterday with three of my friends for government. I didn't bring the worksheet I had to fill out, so I needed to copy my friend's after the meetings. Since they let me borrow their paper, I took the liberty of taking notes and getting all the information down (Judge name, attorneys, courtroom number, city council members, etc).

ACT OF LOVE #362: Since my mom's lower back has been hurting alot, someone suggested that she take a hot bath. We have a jacuzzi in my parent's bathroom, but my mom didn't know how to use it. Took the time to figure out how to use the jacuzzi, and prepared a really relaxing bath for her! She really enjoyed it.

Leviticus 1, 10-11, 16, 25-26, 365 DAYS OF LOVE #360

NOTES: LEVITICUS 1, 10-11
-Aaron's sons offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, and they died
-The Lord commands Aaron to not let his sons drink wine or other fermented drink when going into the Tent of Meeting
-"You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and clean, and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through moses" (10:10)
-The Lord gives Moses and Aaron instruction on clean and unclean food (chapter 11)
-LEVITICUS 16, 25-26
-After Aaron's sons die, the Lord commands him to make atonement for himself and his household through burnt sacrifices
-The Lord gives Moses commands for his people upon entering the promised land
-"When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord" (for six years)
-"Count off seven sabbaths of years--seven times seven years--so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years.....In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own property"
-"Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves....I am the Lord your God. Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord. If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands,...I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you."
-"But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror....I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies" (chapter 26)
-"But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their fathers....I will remember the land...I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely. But for their sake I wwill remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord"

ACT OF LOVE: Today, my friend really wanted to eat Chik-fil-A for lunch, but didn't have enough money, so I gave him the money he needed to buy a chicken sandwich and a cookie ($2).
At home, I helped my dad download iTunes on the computer so that he could use the iPad he bought for family in China.

Exodus 1-5, 12-14, 20, 365 DAYS OF LOVE #359

NOTES: EXODUS 1-5:
-Israelites are oppressed: the king of Egypt enslaved the Israelites and tried to kill off all the boys. However, because the midwives were obedient to God and did not kill the boys, God blessed them and increased their number. The Pharaoh commanded his people to throw all the boys into the Nile
-A Levite woman gave birth to a son, but did not kill him. When he was too old to hide, she made a basket and put the child in it along the banks of the Nile river. Pharaoh's daughter found the child and felt sorry for it, so he became her son, named Moses
-Moses flees to Midian after killing an Egyptian and being pursued by Pharaoh. By the time he returned to the Israelites, the king of Egypt died and the Israelites were crying out to God in their slavery
-God speaks to Moses through a burning bush, and He tells Moses that God plans to use him to bring his people out of Egypt
-"Moses said to the Lord, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.'
The Lord said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say" (v11-12)
-Moses meets with his brother, Aaron, and tells him about the signs that he received from God. Together, they go to their people and the people worshipped.
-Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh to free their people, but instead Pharaoh commands his soldiers to stop supplying straw to make bricks to the Israelites, and still demand the same quota to be reached. The Israelites complained to Moses and Aaron for their trouble, and Moses returns to the Lord.
EXODUS 12-14: PASSOVER
-The Lord instructs Moses to sacrifice a perfect lamb on the tenth day of the first lamb, and to smear its blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes to protect them from God's wrath toward the Egyptions
-Gives Moses instructions for Passover. Then at midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, including the firstborn of Pharaoh
-Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and tells them to go, and the Israelites did as the Lord instructied
-EXODUS 20: THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
1). You shall have no other gods before me.
2). You shall not have any other idols
3) You shall not misuse the name of the Lord
4). Remember the Sabbath
5). Honor your father and your mother
6). You shall not murder
7). You shall not commit adultery
8). You shall not steal
9). You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor
10) You shall not covet

ACT OF LOVE: My mother injured her lower back, and has difficulty walking & doing some basic tasks. When we came home from lunch, I offered to give her a massage! Massaged her for about 30-40min, and she really enjoyed it :)

Job 1-3, 38-42, 365 DAYS OF LOVE #358

NOTES: The story of Job, who was an "blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil"
-JOB'S 1ST TEST:
-The Lord is talking to Satan, and Satan challenges God to test Job and to "strike everything he has" (v.11) to see if Job is truly faithful and upright. God agrees to let Satan do whatever he wants with his possessions, but not to lay a finger on Job himself
-Job's oxen and donkeys are attacked and killed off; his sheep and servants die in a great fire from heaven, and his house collapsed on his family, killing all of them.
Job's reply: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised" (21).
-JOB'S 2ND TEST:
-Satan once again challenges God to test Job by attacking his flesh
-Job is afflicted with "painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head"(v.7)
-Job's wife tells him to curse God and die, but Job replies, "...Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"
-Job's friends came and sat on the ground for seven days and seven nights with him. Afterwards, he speaks and curses the day of his birth in sorrow and grief
-THE LORD SPEAKS (ch28-42)
-Responds with hypothetical questions: Where was Job when He laid the earth's foundation?
-God reminds Job of His great power through creation and His power over nature
-"Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?"
-Job's reply to the Lord: "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge? Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know" (42:2-3)
-Afterwards, the Lord made Job prosperous and gave him twice as much as he did before; the Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first.
What was interesting to me was that there was a good three chapters (2 pages) dedicated to the Lord's power over creation, specifying to each animal and creature. And yet, those three pages still aren't enough to capture the depth of the Lord's power. Even glancing at such an expansive list is humbling at the least; it truly does show how our thoughts and ways are different from the Lord's (Isaiah 55). 

ACT OF LOVE: Today was day TWO of the theatre competition. Once again, I was left with nothing to carry, so I carried my friend's giant duffel bag filled with her laptop, costume, makeup, and miscellaneous stuff whenever we needed to travel to/from the bus.
When I got home, I helped my sister a bit with giving my nephew a bath and watching him while she took a shower. He cried a few minutes after I started watching him, so I returned him to his dad haha.

Genesis 12, 15 & 22 365 DAYS OF LOVE #357

NOTES: Basically, these three chapters centered around the rules and regulations for cleanliness and uncleanliness. Genesis 12 and 15 talk about what a woman should do during her monthly period (for then she is unclean), and the sacrifices that she is to make (two doves and a pigeon).
Genesis 15 talks about discharges causing uncleanliness for a man, and how to cleanse himself.
Genesis 22 talks about sacrifices and unacceptable sacrifices for the Lord.
To be honest, while reading this, I did not really understand why there were so many passages selected about sacrifices and cleanliness, especially since it doesn't really seem applicable to today. However, one thing I do think it emphasizes is the magnitude of God's high standard of perfection, and how it is impossible for any sinful being to fully compensate. In Genesis 15, it states that " You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place, which is among them. Ready this also makes me all the more thankful for Jesus Christ and his sacrificing for our sins, so that we no longer rely on the things of the Old Testament for cleanliness and purity.

ACT OF LOVE: Today, I had many chances to do acts of love!
Since there was the CSULB Theatre Festival today, each person was assigned to carry something from the bus to our tent and back. I had to carry a case of water, but since someone already took my case, I didn't have one. My friend had to carry another case, but she thought it was too heavy for her to carry so I carried it for her! Then, another friend was getting tired of carry her wooden box around, so I offered to carry it for her even though it wasn't my responsibility. I seriously think I gained more muscle mass today.
Later on, I heard someone talking about how she wishes she could buy a drink, so I gave her a dollar to buy water! She was so surprised and happy that I would give her money for free lol.
Also, me and another girl in my class were both doing monologues at the same time in the same place. I finished earlier than her and had the option of leaving, but I felt kind of bad that no one stayed to watch her, so I waited for her to do her monologue. Gave her moral support even though I don't really know her that well.

Genesis 1-3, 365 DAYS OF LOVE #356

*Decided to try out a Bible Reading plan. I'm doing the 61-day reading plan that covers key stories in the Bible from the Old to the New Testament. It's not a comprehensive study, but I thought it'd be good to brush up on some basic Bible stories!

NOTES: GENESIS 1-THE BEGINNING
Day 1) God said, "let there be light"; created night and day
Day 2) Created the sky that separated water from water
Day 3) Made dry ground and called it land; produced fruit and trees and vegetation
Day 4) Sun and moon; made greater light for the day and lesser light for night
Day 5) Created creatures of the sea and winged creatures of the sky
Day 6) Made all the creatures according to its likeness so that they would multiply and be fruitful
Day 7) Rest
GENESIS 2-ADAM & EVE
-"Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being" (2:7)
-God put Adam in the Garden to take care of it, but he had no suitable partner
-Took one of his ribs during a deep sleep, and formed woman; that is why when the woman leaves her father and marries a man, they become one flesh
-Gave them free reign of the garden, except to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil
GENESIS 3-THE FALL
-The serpent tempts Eve by questioning God's commands and telling her that she will gain wisdom by eating the fruit
-Eve took the fruit and ate it, then gave some to her husband. After eating the fruit, they saw that they were naked, and were ashamed. They hid from the Lord.
-As punishment, the serpent is forced to crawl on his belly and there is emnity between serpent and woman
-To Eve, she will experience severe childbearing pains, and her desire will be for her husband
-To Adam, he will toil for food all the days of his life
-God then clothed them and banished them from the Garden of Eden, where they will labor for the rest of their lives
Also, this passage reminded me of Phil Wickham's song, "Eden":

ACT OF LOVE: Was talking to my friend today and she told me how she was kind of bummed that no one asked her to sponsor for 30 Hour Famine, which is tomorrow. Even though I won't be participating this year because of a theatre festival, I asked her for a donation on behalf of HSF! haha. Also, decided to become a sponsor for my friends who will be doing the 30 hour fast tomorrow!

Psalm 65, 365 DAYS OF LOVE #354-355

NOTES:¹ Praise awaits^[b] you, our God, in Zion; 

   to you our vows will be fulfilled.
² You who answer prayer,
   to you all people will come.
³ When we were overwhelmed by sins,
   you forgave^[c] our transgressions.
⁴ Blessed are those you choose
   and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,
   of your holy temple.

 ⁵ You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
   God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
   and of the farthest seas,
⁶ who formed the mountains by your power,
   having armed yourself with strength,
⁷ who stilled the roaring of the seas,
   the roaring of their waves,
   and the turmoil of the nations.
⁸ The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
   where morning dawns, where evening fades,
   you call forth songs of joy.

 ⁹ You care for the land and water it;
   you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
   to provide the people with grain,
   for so you have ordained it.^[d]
10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
   you soften it with showers and bless its crops.
¹¹ You crown the year with your bounty,
   and your carts overflow with abundance.
¹² The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
   the hills are clothed with gladness.
¹³ The meadows are covered with flocks
   and the valleys are mantled with grain;
   they shout for joy and sing.

ACT OF LOVE #354: My friend recently began to volunteer with an organization called LiNK (Liberty in North Korea), where another friend of mine works as a staff member. They are hosting a golfing tournament fundraiser for their cause, and my friend wanted me to help spread awareness. I helped him out by spreading the word on facebook and letting my church friends know about it too!

ACT OF LOVE #355: Today in class, the teacher we had wanted to do an activity where each group would made a model of something, and we would vote on the one we liked best. My group wasn't feeling it much today and didn't want to participate in the voting, but I decided to just go up and vote for my group, since I felt kind of bad for the sub.

Fear of God, 365 DAYS OF LOVE #353

NOTES: Should Christians Fear God? --Youtube clip
-1 Peter 1:17-19 "live your lives here as strangers in reverent fear..." "not with perishable things...that you were redeemed....but with the precious blood of Christ"
-Luke 12:4-5 "do not be afraid of those who kill the body....Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has the power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him."
-Titus 1:16 "they claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good"
-What do my actions indicate?
-"detestable, disobedient" actions are often referred to as committing crimes or doing something exceptionally bad. Yet, I think a closer look at some Biblical truths that God gives us shows that even to be "lukewarm" is detestable in God's eyes, and disobedient to one's calling as  Christian in nature. [Revelation 3:16-17]
Not inheriting the kingdom of God through bad practices:
-1 Corinth 6:9-11, Gal. 5:19-21, Eph. 5:3-5, Col 3:5-11, Rev. 21:8, Rev. 22:14-15
-Phil 2:12-13; "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling..."
-Collaborate with the Holy Spirit to live a righteous life through our conduct; being responsive to the Spirit
-Acts 9:31 "walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Spirit, they were multiplied"
Acts 10:34-35 "whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him"
-We need to fear God to understand the consequence of sin
-Rev. 20:12-15
-Jesus is coming back!
-until you can understand the righteous judgement of God, you cannot fully understand His love.

Simple but significant message. I love good theology :)

ACT OF LOVE: My friend IMed me at around 11:40-ish and wanted to talk about a video clip centering on fear of God as Christians. He asked if I would do a joint QT together and discuss it when were done. Since I still had alot of homework to do and was building momentum, I initially decided that I would just do it when I was finished. However, I decided to forgo my hw for a while and do the QT with him immediately so he wouldn't have to wait. Had an interesting discussion about having a healthy relationship between fear of God and understanding His perfect love.

Matthew 7, 365 DAYS OF LOVE#346-352

NOTES: ¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
During the sermon, Jason pointed out that quite often, the "broad road" is often one that does not look inherently bad, but are rather small habits that give way to destruction. Examples: Most people have never physically killed another person, but Jesus said to even be hateful towards another is to commit murder in your heart. Perhaps not everyone has committed a physical act of adultery, but Jesus says even looking at someone else lustfully is committing adultery in your heart. [Matt 5:21-30]

True and False Prophets

    ¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Sometimes, perhaps as an excuse for rationalizing sin, I hear the argument that just because someone is doing something sinful, one should not judge them because only God can see their heart. However, I think this passage perfectly addresses this argument: though we are saved purely by grace and are justified through faith in Christ, our fruit is a natural byproduct of the condition of our hearts. As Christians are made new in Christ and are no longer slaves to their old nature, producing "good fruit" is evidence of their transformation in Christ. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 

True and False Disciples

    ²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
I think this excerpt really brings into like what the "will of my Father" is. Though deeds such as casting out demons and miracles are often included in godly actions, the acts alone are not some sort of ticket into heaven. Rather, God looks at the heart. 

The Wise and Foolish Builders

    ²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

 ²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹ because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Main point: building your house on rock takes more time and energy, and it is often easier and more tempting to use a sandy base. However, once rain and wind comes, only those built on rocky foundation will last through trials. 

ACT OF LOVE #346: Received complementary snacks (cheese/crackers, bag of mixed peanuts) for being stuck in the last row of the airplane. I knew my mom liked peanuts, so I gave them to her, and she really enjoyed it!

 #347: As I left Pittsburgh, I wrote a brief thank-you note to the hotel cleaning staff on the pad of paper that they gave us.

#348: Each time we went to the airport, I sat at our gate and watched all the luggage so my parents could go use the restroom and walk around/browse stores before our flight boarded.

 #349: At Rice: my host was helping organize a milk&cookies open studio for the freshman architecture class. I helped her and her friend carry cartons of milk from the Baker dining hall to the archi building.

#350: Resolved not to complain even after one of my connecting flights got delayed 1.5 hours, which caused us to miss our next flight and have a total delay of 6 hours. (We had to wait 4-5 hours for the next flight on Standby). Also, let a mother and her two children leave the plane before me so they could get to their flight more quickly.

#351: Carried both me and my parent's luggage up to our rooms after we arrived at home yesterday, even though I wasn't asked to.

#352: Wrote an encouragement on facebook group, "The Power of Prayer" encouraging people to continue praying and being persistent!

Matthew 7, 365 DAYS OF LOVE #344&345

NOTES:

udging Others

 ¹ “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

   ³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

   ⁶ “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Ask, Seek, Knock

    ⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

   ⁹ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ¹² So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

ACT OF LOVE #344: Took away some time to especially pray for me fellow seniors at BOL who are either appealing to schools or being waitlisted, or who simply don't know where they will be matriculating. Prayed for guidance and that schools would look favorably on their appeals/waitlisting statuses and that God would guide them to the college most suitable for them :)
Also, stayed up late to wait for the laundry to finish and folded my parents' laundry so they could sleep earlier <3

ACT OF LOVE #345: Spent a small chunk of my afternoon taking a walk with my mother and talking with her about college and Rice. She really enjoyed being able to take a stroll with me!

Psalm 64, 365 DAYS OF LOVE #341-343

PASSAGE: ¹ Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint; 

   protect my life from the threat of the enemy.

 ² Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
   from the plots of evildoers.
³ They sharpen their tongues like swords
   and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.
⁴ They shoot from ambush at the innocent;
   they shoot suddenly, without fear.

 ⁵ They encourage each other in evil plans,
   they talk about hiding their snares;
   they say, “Who will see it^[b]?”
⁶ They plot injustice and say,
   “We have devised a perfect plan!”
   Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.

 ⁷ But God will shoot them with his arrows;
   they will suddenly be struck down.
⁸ He will turn their own tongues against them
   and bring them to ruin;
   all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
⁹ All people will fear;
   they will proclaim the works of God
   and ponder what he has done.

 ¹⁰ The righteous will rejoice in the LORD
   and take refuge in him;
   all the upright in heart will glory in him!

ACT OF LOVE #341: CSF had to buy supplies for Spring Fling, and originally it was my friend's job to buy cups for the root beer floats we were to sell. Since I was already at Costco, I decided to buy all the cups instead (especially since her mom wasn't that willing to buy so many cups)!

ACT OF LOVE #342: Went to Disneyland with my drama family, Play Prod. In the beginning, my friend was hungry and I had a mandarin in my backpack so I gave it to her! At first she didn't want to take my food, but I insisted and she enjoyed it :)

ACT OF LOVE #343: Today was Spring Fling at school! I was supposed to help clean up, but I also went early before lunch to help set up the booth and clean up afterwards too. Also stayed during lunch to help advertise our Root Beer floats for $1.50!