April 5, 2025

The cartridges in the church printer was running low, and the warning on the screen was on for a few days. I put a note in my mental checklist, ‘restock the cartridges.’ You know, purchasing the cartridges does not require a big task. With just a few clicks, it will be ordered and delivered within couple of business days. I say to myself, I will do it when I get home. Then I would forget. A couple of days go by, and then I remind myself, only to forget again. By the time you need to make copies on the printer (especially color copies), you are in trouble. I procrastinated the simple task that would only take a few minutes, that resulted in less par quality of colors on our church bulletin. I wonder if you have similar experiences at home.

I am reminded of the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25. The virgins all took their lamps in preparation to meet the bridegroom. Half of them prepared extra oil, just in case. The other half thought that what they had was just enough. The issue is that “the brideggroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.” Matthew 25:5. While they fell asleep, the lamps must have gone out, and when the groom finally appeared, the foolish ones could not join the marching procession because they couldn’t light their lamps. I don’t know whether it was an easy or a difficult task to prepare extra oil beforehand. These five did not have extra replacement oil ready when it was needed. The key is that we need to be ready. “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” Matthew 25:13. I hope that this is a good reminder that we always need to be prepared for the second coming of Jesus!

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March 29, 2025

Mary and Joseph dedicated Jesus after He was born. We find that story in Luke 2. All the first borns were dedicated because they belonged to God, as God spared the lives of the firstborns at Passover by the blood of the lambs that were painted on the doors. Therefore, animals were sacrificed at baby dedications. It was to signify their redemption.

After the dedication, the family returned back home to Nazareth. Luke writes twice in the chapter that Jesus grew in wisdom. “And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” (verse 20); “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (veres 52)

During Jesus’ early years, He did not exercise His divinity and grew up as a human being, in which He was under Mary and Joseph’s care. We could only imagine from the Scriptures what Mary did to raise Jesus, and I could only imagine that she did her best to raise her Son in a godly way. The fact that she dedicated Jesus after birth testifies of her commitment to raise Jesus according to God’s ways. Therefore, Jesus was filled with wisdom as He was growing. James 3:17 writes that wisdom is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” It’s not easy to say this describes the childhood of any person. Yet, this was made possible in Jesus’ childhood. He became our Example.

As parents, we need to follow the examples of Mary, and seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance teaching our children to walk in God’s ways, and help them to grow in wisdom, like Jesus. James also tells us in 1:5 that if we lack wisdom, “ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” I believe God will also give us wisdom to lead our children to grow in wisdom as well, when we seek His help.

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March 22, 2025

I had another encounter with a raccoon the other night. I was coming back from the church board meeting and the time was close to 10 pm. Since we live in a townhouse-style condo, smaller trash trucks come in on Fridays to pick up the trash. The drivers will get off the truck and throw the trash bags into the back of the truck. So some of the neighbors will just leave the bags in the driveway instead of putting them out in trash bins; that way, they don’t have to bring them back in the bins in the morning. Anyway, as I was returning home, I noticed a raccoon trying to open one of the trash bags that were sitting outside our neighbor’s house. Curious, I stopped my car and stared at the raccoon. It moved behind a tree and peeked to see me. I thought it was going to run away immediately with the headlight beaming out of the car. Instead, it stood there for about two minutes, staring back at me, and finally decided to walk away. I have a feeling it came out again after I went into my garage, but I will never know that.

The raccoon took advantage of the situation because the trash bags were not placed in the trash bin, as it shoul have been. They were not protected; they were vulnerable. Ephesians 6:10-20 talks about the whole armor of God. In verse 11, Paul tells that we must put on the armor of God “that you may be able to stand the wiles of the devil.” The devil is always looking for its prey to attack on and will not hesitate to attack you when you are not protected. Therefore, the Bible tells us that we must be equipped with the whole armor of God. “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:14-18.

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