No Slackers

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary in doing good." - Hebrews 12:1-3

Below is a carving of the crucifixtion that hangs on the wall of the Cathedral Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

It is a beautiful church built in 1886 as a new building for a Catholic congregation dating back to 1610. The message of the cross is wonderfully portrayed around Catholic Church buildings in various works of art that were painstakingly prepared and preserved. Without dedicated people contributing time and resources, this would never have happened.

With the new year, it is good to read the above verses again, reflect on the last year, and consider what we should do to re-arrage our own priorities. How much time and resources did we waste? Certainly we need a career to take care of family, as well as build relations and get our studies done. On the other hand, there may have been a lot of time and resources wasted on sin, or just plain wasted in idleness or computer games or shopping or ... As we try to rationalize whether or not a particular activity was sinful or not, the real standard is whether or not we were able to "run with perseverance the race marked out for us", which isn't a physical race but rather a race of using our talents to serve God. With this criteria, there are certainly activities that aren’t inherently sinful, but distract from whatever direction God has set for us.

HIGHLIGHTED PRAYER

Reflect on the last year. Talk to the Lord about what you should do differently for the coming year. A wonderful part of God’s plan is that we all must run the “race”, but we all have a different one. When we get older, the notion of a race is more apparent as we have much to do before the Lord takes us home. May God show us what the race is that is for each one of us as we strive to do His will.

PRAY FOR OUR CONGREGATION

Please pray for those among us who are being negatively affected by the economic downturn. Pray that they will have faith in God and that God would provide for them.

Please pray for our Leadership Prayer Summit on 1/10. Our leaders will be going up to the Newark Prayer Mountain (Coyote Hills) to pray for ourselves and to pray for our church as we go into the New Year.

Please pray that people will register for our Winter Retreat. We’ve designed it to be a catalyst for spiritual and community growth and we’d love for everyone to be there for that experience.

Please pray for good health: Baby Dylan Hui; Kathy Thomas, who’s expecting; and for those who are sick.

PRAY FOR THE REST OF OUR CHURCH

The Mandarin group is working on a new Sunday School teaching curriculum and efforts are being made to train new teachers. Pray that God’s blessings and guidance would be with them as they choose materials. Pray that God would raise up teachers from among them who are empowered by the Holy Spirit.

The Cantonese congregation has requested prayer for some of the members who have attended regularly but not yet been baptized. May the Lord touch their hearts – along with others from the English and Mandarin congregations – to make this public statement of a relationship with our Lord.

Time to plan for next year's Taiwan mission trip! Pray for the planning of this and that God would be preparing His mission field in Taiwan and our church to participate.

PRAY ABOUT HOW GOD IS LEADING YOU ON HIS MISSION

PRAY FOR THREE (3) OF YOUR UN-CHURCHED FRIENDS/FAMILY

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Amen