09/01
O Land of lands. To You we give,
Our hearts, our prayers, our service free;
For You your sons shall nobly live,
And at your need shall die for You. Whittier, J. G. "Our Country"
Two J's
I love two J's and no third; one is Jesus, and the other is Japan. I do not know which I love more, Jesus or Japan. I am hated by my countrymen for Jesus' sake as foreign belief, and I am disliked by foreign missionaries for Japan's sake as national and narrow. No matter how I may lose all my friend, but I cannot lose Jesus and Japan. . . Jesus and Japan; my faith is not a circle with one center; it is an ellipse with two centers. My heart and mind revolve around the two dear names. And I know that one strengthens the other; Jesus strengthens and purifies my love for Japan; and Japan clarifies and objectives my love for Jesus. Were it not for the two, I would become a mere dreamer, a fanatic, an amorphous universal man.
09/02
But I pray to God for you not to do evil, none. And not that we may appear approved, but that you should do the good things, though we are deemed to be reprobates. 2 Corinthians 13: 7
Do Good
The best is to do good by believing in Christ; that is, to be forced by Him to do good. The next best is to imitate Christ and do good after His example. The third best is to do good, though not knowing Christ, by listening to nature's voices. Then offence to God's will because of ignorance is still pardonable. But the worst and unpardonable is to know Christ, study the Bible, teach theology, and yet to hate brothers, plot their pitfalls and inwardly pleasure to see their fault. God judges those who profess to be devout in faith but commit sins.
09/03
I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all brothers and sisters, that the fellowship of your faith may operate in a full knowledge of every good thing in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation over your love, because the hearts of the brothers and sisters have been refreshed by you. Philemon 1: 4-7
Letters of Love
There was no correspondence among the Oriental nations in the past. Correspondence literally does not mean mere exchange of reports. It means response, that is, I love him or her and he or she responds with the same love of his or hers. Responding with love is the meaning of correspondence. I will not write letters to let my friends know of happenings around me. Newspapers can do this. I do not write to my friends to get new knowledge. Books will do this. What I do expect of my letters is to let my friends know their love cherished me. This indeed is the reason why correspondence is so valuable. Without love, there is no correspondence. Love overflowing into letters is correspondence. If there is any gospel of love, this will be the letters of correspondence.
09/04
We glory in tribulation also, knowing that tribulation work out patience, and patience works out experience, and experience works out hope. And hope does not make us disappointed, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit given to us. Romans 5: 3-5
Mercy and Tribulation
Mercy comes not through fortune but through tribulation. In other words, suffering must precede before receiving God's mercy. No faith and joy come without hardships just as no fire flames without fuel. Fear and anxiety precede faith as smoke precedes fire. Only when fear and anxiety burnt with heavenly fire, they turn into heavenly peace and joy in our mind. Sound faith cannot be reached without passing through tribulations.
09/05
The Spirit breathes where He wants, and you hear His voice, but you do not know from where He comes, and where He goes; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit. John 3: 8
Surroundings and Spirit
Surroundings though perfect can never create a Christian; but the Holy Spirit creates Christians out of most imperfect surroundings. This faithless generation thinks it possible to create a Christian in mechanical ways, by providing what they call Christian surroundings; but the Christian they thus makes is no true Christian at all, but a manufactured imitation as lifeless as any piece of fabric that comes out of their factories. Money, organizations and educational institutions cannot create a Christian. Only God by His Holy Spirit creates true Christians outside of mission-schools. The Spirit alone can and does create Christians regardless of their surroundings. The so-called "influences" have but little to do in creating Christians.
09/06
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth to those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14
Step Forward
A Christian never looks back, but looks ahead. He or she never seeks the best in the past, but in the future. He or she studies history, not because of his or her quest of the ideal in old sages but because of his pursuit of the origin of eternal life. The Nation of God, which He or she is longing, comes the last. Everything, till then, is temporal and imperfection. Even historical Jesus cannot be said to be the perfected Christ. "Our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20). This is a Christian's life. Naturally he or she is an idealist, who is unable to be satisfied with the past and present. He or she is an eternal youth, ever pressing to the front. He or she dislikes gravestones and monuments, but likes to be inspired with the heavenly hymns.
09/07
For we have no power against the truth, but for the truth. 2 Corinthians 13: 8
Follow Truth
The truth is understood not by hearing but by following it. It is especially the case of the truth of faith. Truth is not word but reality. The surest truth comes from learning by hands. One who listens to the truth but does not follow will end one's life without understanding the truth. Carlyle says, "produce and produce." One cannot understand the truth without producing, or at least trying to produce. One who avoids to follow the truth, excusing one's weakness has no understanding of the truth. One who just reads and listens but does not follow the truth will end one's life without reaching the truth. Jesus says, "My teaching is not mine, but His that sent me. If anyone will follow His will, one shall know of the teaching, whether it be of God or of myself." (John 7:16-17). The only way to prove the truth of Christianity is to follow it.
09/08
Jesus answered and said to her, Whoever drinks of this water shall thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him or her shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him or her shall be in him or her a well of water springing up into everlasting life. John 4:13-14
Faith, Source of All
Faith ties a person to infinite God, who is the source of ethic, knowledge and skill. The person thereby reaches the source of power. Thus the person can keep ethic without regulating oneself with rules. The person who discovers the well of love within one's heart can provides others the water of life effortlessly. Not only ethical behavior flows out of the well, but also one's understanding develops remarkably as a consequence of freedom of spirit and heart. Faith does not stay mere faith, but produces the spirit of free study as well and thereby develops science and philosophy. By faith, industry develops and enterprise flourishes. Strike the harden rock of the heart with the stick of faith, and flows out all goodness out of the heart.
09/09
My Father works until now, and I work. John 5:17
Ongoing Work
Who can criticize the incompleteness of an ongoing work while a sculptor is working on the marble materials? Only at the completion of the work, artist's ideal and value become revealed. The analogy tells the ongoing work of God, the creator of the universe. The universe as well as human beings is an ongoing work of God. We are called a son of God, but we still now repeat falling into sin. Are we a true believer? This world despises our incompleteness and doubts our incapable belief. Yet we are given the way of perfection and thereby called a son of God. We believe we will become perfect when our savior come again with glory.
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