Currenty, I am reading this amazing book by Philip Yancey titled "The Jesus I never knew". Seriously speaking, I was amazed by how little I know and how shallow my own understanding is on my own Saviour. The Lord opened my eyes on so many issues that are happening in the world. Philip Yancey posts a very relevant question before the starting of this particular chapter; why don't sinners like being around us? During His time, tax-collectors, prostitutes, lepers, blinds flocked around Him. They were regarded as the lowest of the lowest in their society. Somehow, they felt at east around Him. In contrast, respectable people in the society in His time gave rather cold response towards Jesus Christ. Pharisees (holy men of His time) were cautious of Him. Why is there a reverse in the trend?It got me thinking of my own church and many more churches i've attended or heard before. Do we cater to those truly in need of salvation/love/assurance/Savior? or Do we just cater to the main stream? Drug addicts, alcoholics, convict/ex-convicts, drop-outs, outcasts and other individual who is labelled as the "rubbish" of the society, are in need of acceptance and compassion. I believe that God's mercy and abundance grace are reaching out to them even before I am thinking of typing this entry. I believe that Holy Spirit is working within this community of people or even within every single individual. As part of the body of Christ, is the church (I'm refering to christian community because it is not the building that make a church but it is the people that gather together to worship God)doing something to seek out this people?
Then, I asked myself, what can I do?or rather, am I going to do something about it?Do I have the courage to take the first step? Is this my calling?

Truly, as I am reading this book, I felt so much lesser than I used to feel. Lesser in terms of love for people, in terms of compassion for others and definitely much more imperfect. I can't make it on my own. That is for sure. If I try to strive for perfection, I'll end up condemning myself even more for my inability to meet God's perfect standard. For it is said in Matthew 5:48 "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." No one can ask for discount in terms of perfection according to God's standard. The sermon on the mount says it all.
Human by its nature is sinful no matter how much good deeds I try to do in order to "make up" for my wrongs. There is no such thing called "covering up my wrong doings by doing good deeds" because everything I did throughout my life will be judge on the day when Christ come again. My imperfection and the fact that sin leads to death resulted in my desperation for helps. Praise God that Jesus Christ found me. He came in the likeness of sinful flesh yet righteouss and sinless. He took all the world's sin to Himself and nailed them to the cross, died for us and gave us His righteousness so that we who accept Christ as Saviour and Lord will be blameless in front of the Father and therefore become God's children. Praise God!!
As Philip Yancey put it; it's His absolute grace (undeserved favor) that redeemed me from eternal condemnation in hell. Not only redeemed but the Father clothed me in glory and honor. Most importantly, God love me and everyone in the world even before I am a believer. Remember John 3:16 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.
To quote Philip Yancey again
"We are all desperate (whether we want to admit it or not) and that is in fact the only state appropriate to a human being who wants to know God. Having fallen from the absolute Ideal (God's standard of perfection), we have nowhere to land but in the safety net of absolute grace."
To those who are interested, get this book. The Lord will open your eyes. Amen

~KatZ~

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