The 20th Day of the 40-Day Journey: True Hope

Friedrich Nietzsche has a famous quote: “Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torment of man.”  Do you agree?  I would say, it depends on what you are hoping for.  False hope brings humiliation and disappointment and prolongs the torment.  True hope should not.  But is there a true hope?

Yes!  In his letter to the Roman Christians, Paul tells us that there is a hope that does not disappoint us or put us to shame.

Romans 5

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

This hope that does not bring us disappointment or shame is the hope of the glory of God (v2b).  No matter how weak, ungodly, or aimless we were or are, God’s divine character will be instilled in us (8:17, 18, 21, 30).

How can we be sure that this hope is true?

First, God’s grace initiated it (v1-3).  We gain this hope not by our achievements but through Jesus Christ.  It is God who has been striving to reach us and give us the gift.  The hope through Jesus Christ comes to us through the grace of God.

Second, believers’ lives prove it (v3,4).  We no longer have to fear suffering; instead, we can boast in the trials and tribulations that afflict us in this present evil age.  In the storms of life, we are made stronger, transformed by God, and gain proven character.  Without dark nights, there would be no bright morning dawn.  Without the suffering on Good Friday, there would be no glorious Easter Sunday.  Against all odds, suffering produces in us more hope, because even though we are still imperfect, God will complete what He has started in us until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6).

Finally, Christ’s love confirms it (v5-8).  In times of torment and despair, the Spirit of God speaks to us and reminds us of Christ’s death and God’s unyielding love for us.  We find the authentication of our hope in the love of God.  As God’s children who are secure in the love of God, we dare to hope even in the midst of sufferings!

Let’s pray,

Thank You, Lord, for Your grace in Christ so that we can rejoice in our true hope of a glorious future, even in the midst of our present sufferings.  Always remind us of the love You have shown us in Christ so that we can have the firm assurance of this hope.  In Jesus’ name, Amen! 

The 19th Day of the 40-Day Journey: Enter God’s Rest

Worship is such a central experience in the life of God’s people.  When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, He gave Moses the mission to bring the Israelites out of Egypt for the purpose of worshipping God (Ex 3:12).  Unfortunately, we know that their worship experience in the wilderness was not a success.  The entire generation, including Moses, wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, died in the wilderness, and was never able to enter God’s Promised Land.

Worship matters.  The way we worship matters.  How should we worship God?  Let’s learn from Psalm 95.

1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.

3 For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. 


4 In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. 5 The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land.

6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; 


7 for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.

Today, if only you would hear His voice, 


8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, 
9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. 
10 For forty years I was angry with that generation; 
I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 
11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter My rest.’”

From this beloved Psalm, we learn that when God’s people gather to worship, we rejoice in the Lord with shouts and songs (v1,2), recount God’s greatness and goodness because He creates and cares (v3-5,7a), revere God in humility (v6), and respond to God in faith and obedience (v7b-11).

Of all the Rs, are you surprised that “responding” is so important in worship?  In fact, when we hear God’s voice, our response should be faith and obedience, so that we may enter God’s rest.  The life of Israelites serves as our antithesis.

In Meribah and Massah, the Isaelites tested and tried God again by demanding God to prove Himself by demonstrating His power and faithfulness.  They asked God to give them water.  Asking is not a problem.  Jesus wants us to ask in faith (Matt. 7:7-12).  The problem is the attitude of their heart.  They didn’t ask in faith.  They asked in unbelief and irreverence.

Their rebellious action at Meribah and Massah occurred even after they saw God’s many signs and wonders.  God had just liberated them from the bondage of slavery in Egypt by ten miracles (Ex 5-12:42), rescued them from Pharaoh’s pursuit by opening a dry path through the raging Red Sea (Ex 14), transformed the bitter water to become sweet at Marah (Ex 15:22-27), and gave them both manna and meat (Ex 16). 

They heard the word of God but didn’t believe, trust, and obey.  Their hearts hardened a little bit more each time they rebelled, until they reached the point of no return at Kadesh-Barnea near the Promised Land.  There, they once again rejected God’s promise, were rejected by God, and never entered the Promised Land (Numb 13:26-14:23).

With unbelief and disobedience, the entire generation failed to worship God properly and, as a consequence, failed to enter God’s rest – the Promised Land.

God is still speaking and calling.  Today, God calls us to His rest, the rest in Christ: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28)

Are you experiencing the rest of Christ?  When you hear the word of God, may your heart be soft.  Come to Jesus, trust in God’s goodness, and obey the Spirit’s leading in every aspect of your life.  Today!

Let’s pray:

Lord, thank You for the promise of rest in Christ.  Forgive me that my heart has been hard.  Help me to hear Your gentle voice and hasten to do what You desire for me.  I cannot claim that I am better than the Israelites in Marah and Meribah.  I want to give You control of my thoughts, emotions, words, and actions.  In Jesus’ name, Amen!

The 18th Day of the 40-Day Journey: Our Rock

As Jesus’ followers, the journey of life and path of discipleship have been anything but easy and smooth.  We worry, and are at times weary, overwhelmed, and even worn out.  We fear, fail, and struggle with our flaws.  We are thirsty along the way.  We look everywhere to find a way to quench our thirst, but in the end, we find ourselves even more wanting.

How can we quench our thirst in this weary journey?

The Israelites, who were called out of slavery in Egypt and journeyed through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land flowing milk and honey, asked the same question.

Exodus 17

Water From the Rock

1 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”

Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?”

3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

5 The LORD answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

The journey in the wilderness that began with God’s calling out of Egypt and ended with the eventual arrival at the Promised Land was long and arduous for the Israelites.  There was the threat of Pharaoh’s army, the barrier of the raging Red Sea, the issue of water quality, and the problem of food shortages.  But God proved that He was faithful to them and provided what they needed in each of the challenges.

But they found themselves confronting the same challenge again.  No water in an arid desert land under scorching heat!  They were getting impatient with both Moses and God.  They quarreled (that’s what Meribah means): “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” (v3)  We know that God provided before.  But why doesn’t He just open a stream before we even get thirsty?  Who knows if He will provide or not this time?  Is He really able to quench our thirst?

They were testing (Massah) God’s faithfulness, love, and power.

God’s response to such unbelief and irreverence was full of grace.  He led them to a rock.  And the rock provided them with the water that quenched their thirst.

We, like the Israelites in the wilderness, are in between our first call out of slavery with Christ and our final destination of heavenly glory.  We have a lot of needs and challenges, no matter how strong we appear.

What are you facing in your journey of life today?  Are you longing for love, security, and significance?  Are you thirsting for power, possessions, or recognition as a substitute for your secure status in Christ as God’s child?  Are you doubting God’s faithfulness, love, and power?

Come to the Rock!

In fact, the Rock that gave water to the Israelites at Massah and Meribah accompanied the Israelites throughout their journey.  That Rock is Christ (1 Cor 10:4)!

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “Everyone who drinks this water (physical water) will be thirsty again, but those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

Come to the Rock for the living water of eternal life! 

Take a few minutes to ask God to show you why your current thirst has not been quenched, if you have been seeking satisfaction in the wrong places.  Pray for the Spirit to bring you back to Christ, the Rock!

The 15th Day of the 40-Day Journey: New Beginning

Are new beginnings possible?  Can people be transformed?  Can a community (be it a family or a church) be renewed?

That was the kind of question that Nicodemus asked Jesus one night.

John 3:1-17  

1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again.”

4 “How can anyone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Even with all his accomplishments as an esteemed Jewish official and teacher of the Law, Nicodemus knew that he was missing something powerful in life that Jesus could offer.  Jesus said that Nicodemus needed to a new birth (v3)!

“How can anyone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus found Jesus’ answer incredible.

How can people change after a lifetime of addictions, convictions, inclinations, or even genetic dispositions?  Is there any hope of renewal and transformation for a community that been damage by our bad and ugly self-centeredness? 

Jesus’ answer was “Yes.”  But “flesh gives birth to flesh” (6a), so no amount of scrupulous pharisaic obedience to the Law, commands, and regulations will do.  Neither will all of our self-help, self-polishing, self-improvement, or self-determination.  Being “born again/above” is being “born of the Spirit.”  Only the Spirit of God makes this spiritual birth happen (v5-8).  We cannot control the process, just as a baby cannot control the process of his or her own birth.  This is the life of child-like faith.

Are new beginnings possible? Yes, the Spirit of God brings new beginnings and transformation into the lives of believers and believing communities.  Our response can only be to give up control and to trust and obey the work of the Spirit. We can give up control and rest in the care of the Spirit because the love of God triumphs over all fears (v16; 1 Jn 4:18).

The power of the Spirit works in mysterious yet exciting ways far beyond our imagination (v8a).  As you pray, ask the Spirit to show you His ongoing activities in your life and in the lives of others in your community around you and offer your thanksgiving.  If you have a hard time detecting the work of the Spirit, ask the Spirit to grant you spiritual sensitivity so you can be more attentive to His guidance.  Ask the Spirit to show you where in your life you need to hand control over Him.  Then trust and obey His leading for today.

And expect the Spirit at work as you prepare to worship the Lord this Sunday!

The 14th Day of the 40-Day Journey: Only by Faith

As the children of God and the followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to “live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Phil 1:27).  This is indeed a high calling toward an exciting life of “stardom” (Phil 2:15b).  One of dangers of living with this goal in mind is that many of us gradually tend to focus on our outward behaviors and to measure our relationship with God according our accomplishments.

But the Bible teaches us a markedly different way of relating to God and of being His children.  This way is to believe in what God says and trust in God’s goodness.  This is the way of faith.  Abraham is the primary example of faith, as Paul presents in Romans 4:

1 What then shall we say that Abraham, the forefather of us Jews, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  4 Now to anyone who works, their wages are not credited to them as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However, to anyone who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.

13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”  He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

God promised to make Abraham great, to give him countless descendants, and to make him a blessing to the whole world (Gen 12:1-3; 15:1-5).  Abraham believed God’s promise (Gen 12:4a; 15:6).  Beyond that, Abraham didn't do anything special for God.  He didn’t have to keep God’s law, since the law came 400 years later.  He was not even circumcised (Gen 17).

Yet, God considered Abraham righteous.  It means that Abraham had a right standing before God or a right relationship with God.  He was considered righteous (justified) simply because of his faith (v3 & Gen 15:6).

To be religious, to be spiritual, to have a right relationship with God, is to believe in God’s promises and to trust in God’s goodness in this journey of ours called life.

What are God’s promises to us? 

We are promised an abundant life when we accept Jesus (Jn 10:10).

We are promised forgiveness if we confess our sins (1Jn 1:7-9).

We are promised a life of peace, joy, love … if we are guided by the Spirit (Gal 5:16-23).

We are promised _____________ (so many more examples in Scripture)

How can we trust in God’s goodness rather than relying on our own accomplishments?

Only those who are secure in love can live a trusting life.  We need to remain in the love of Christ (Jn 15:9).  To do so, we need to know God’s promises from His Word and to hear from God afresh until we are 100% sure of our identity as a child of the gracious heavenly Father  (no longer living as an orphan, not relating to God as though we were employees of a demanding boss).

Those who are trusting God will give up control and follow and obey God’s commands.  And this is the way of faith.

Take a minute to pray to God, ask Him to reveal His love clearly to you, and obey His leading for today.

The 13th Day of the 40-Day Journey: True Help

The journey of a sojourner is not easy.  The sojourner needs help often, but sometimes not all the help is truly helpful.  Some help may be merely a distraction, while other times, the “help” could pose danger to the life of the sojourner.

When Abram and his wife Sarai set foot on their journey to God’s promised greatness and blessings (Gen 12:1-4a; Rom 4:1-5, 13-17), they needed much help.  Not all the help was truly helpful.  They sought help from foreign kings for security, and the kings almost broke their family (Gen 12:10-20; 20).  Their own efforts (self-help) to bring about an offspring for Abram actually brought unceasing headaches and heartbreaks to Abram and his descendents (Gen 16, 21).

During later Old Testament times, faithful pilgrims to Jerusalem needed help on their journey.  Along the way, there were threats of bandits and robbers, of the extreme desert conditions, and of the dangerous rocky paths.  Where could they find help as they traveled on their journey?

Psalm 121
A song of ascents.

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from? 
2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip — He who watches over you will not slumber; 
4 indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you — the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 
6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm— He will watch over your life; 
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. 


On the hills along the pilgrimage, there were probably many sites of idol worship set up by other mountain dwellers and travelers.  Yet the faithful pilgrims chose to acknowledge only the LORD (v1), because He is “the Maker of heaven and earth” whose protection could provide them true safety day and night and, in fact, throughout all of life (v2-8).  The LORD is the only One who gives and sustains life.  Only help from Him, not from any idols in the hills, could ensure that they would reach their destination. 

Where does your help come from?  Does your help and sense of security come from things other than God, things such as your position in life, your possessions, or your profession, all of which could be considered idols when they take the place of God?  Or do you perhaps overly trust in your own abilities or personality?  Those are not your true help. They can only lead you astray and cannot ensure that you reach the destination that God has planned for you in your life.

So let’s keep our eyes upon the LORD, not upon any idols, so we can complete the journey of life successfully.

How do we keep our eyes only upon the LORD?  In this 40-day journey, let’s start with the simple spiritual exercise of ABC:

Admit our sin of idol worship after asking the Holy Spirit to identify all the idols we depend on in our lives;

Believe in God’s power and goodness;

Commit to do one thing that pleases God.  It could be to reconcile with someone, to get ride of a bad habit, to participate in worship regularly, to pray regularly, to start a Bible reading plan, to encourage one person each week through a phone call, to join a Bible study group, to initiate a new ministry, …

May the Lord make your 40-day journey a fresh beginning of a blessed life-long spiritual journey with the Lord!

Let’s pray,

Dear Lord, even though there are many idols from which I am tempted to seek protection and help, please keep me at Your side so that I may always and only be devoted to You throughout my life’s journey, and especially during this 40-day journey with You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The 12th Day of the 40-Day Journey: Becoming Great

Do you notice that many best sellers are the books that teach people how to be great, at least in some way? Great people are influential leaders.  People value their opinions and look them up as role models.  Who wouldn’t want to be great?

But many people have failed because they try to pursuit their greatness in their own way.

Adam and Eve tried once.  To become great, they decided to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  They received punishment instead (Gen 3)

Humans after the flood tried again.  They decided to build the tower of Babel.  Instead of success, their languages were confused, and they were scattered “over the face of the whole earth.” (Gen 11:10)

But one day, God called Abram (later changed name to Abraham), an obscure herdsman with no obvious talents and whose wife was barren.  God promised him greatness.

Genesis 12:1-4a

1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; 
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; 
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him

As far as we know, this was first promise of greatness that God gave to a person.  Abram didn’t seek out greatness, but God sought him out.  It was purely God’s will and God’s grace. 

Abram apparently responded immediately.  “So Abram went, as the LORD had told him” (v4a).  He had to leave many of those he loved behind, and he didn’t know where he was heading (v1).  To trust and obey, putting faith into action, is the way to obtain greatness.

True greatness reflects God’s will and God’s way. 

Abraham never saw the greatness God promised him by the time he died.  His descendents, the Israelites, had to learn the way of greatness generation after generation.  Whenever they tried to gain greatness on their own terms, they failed, until they lost their land and their nation and were reduced to become a people in exile.  How could “all the people on earth” be blessed through them? (v3)

Then Jesus came.  A descendant of Abraham, as well as the Son of God, He followed God’s will and God’s way.  He trusted and obeyed God.  He walked the Via Dolorosa – the Way of Suffering – and died on the cross.  He rose again three days later.  He reigns with the Father on His heavenly throne.  He is the greatest human ever lived!

And the greatness of Abraham eventually came to the whole world through Jesus Christ.  It is God’s will that we can experience true greatness through Him:

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.  Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

Imagine how much influence a godly life can be on the world!  If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you should have a life of greatness already, a life of influence and blessing to those around you.

How much do you treasure your new life in Christ?  If you find yourself seeking greatness outside your identity in Jesus Christ, you are not on the right track, and you are heading to a defeat.  So turn around and reconnect to Jesus as a branch to the Vine.  Start to trust and obey God’s will for your life, daily.  The fruit of true greatness will flow from your life.

Let’s pray:

Dear Lord, I thank You for giving me everything I need in order to live a godly life, as You have graciously promised.  Forgive me for my attempts to pursue greatness apart from You.  Please lead me continually, and fill me with Yourself, so that I may trust You and obey You, and You can use my life to influence and bless others for the sake of Your kingdom.  In Jesus’ name, Amen!