This is one of the most encouraging and challenging messages I’ve heard in a long time. Can you believe that Joy Dawson is 84 years old? She is so alive and full of conviction. She’s a great, no-nonsense Bible teacher. I like how she makes no apologies for sharing verse after verse. Unlike some speakers, she makes sense and doesn’t ramble. Watch through to the end for some awesome stories of miraculous deliverances by angels. Continue reading “The Pioneering Minority plus God by Joy Dawson”
Chengdu SaaS Startup Feasibility
Is it feasible to setup an R&D unit in Chengdu, China as a way to “jump start” my SaaS startup and get it to scale?
A feasibility study is one of the first requirements when submitting an application to the Chinese government to set up a wholly foreign owned enterprise (WFOE) in China. This post is a feasibility study as to whether setting up a SaaS in Chengdu makes business sense. Continue reading “Chengdu SaaS Startup Feasibility”
Investing in China’s Second Tier Cities
Setting up businesses in a second tier city, rather than in first tier cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou or Shenzhen, is certainly less-glamorous. But they are certainly not without their benefits:
- cheaper labor costs (with comparable quality to that of first tier cities)
- cheaper rent
- cheaper energy costs
- favorable local policies
- steady flow of workers
- faster city development
- less chance that employees will quit to get jobs with a competitor
- if you later wish to move to a first tier city, key employees will be more willing to relocate with you than the other way around (going from a first to second tier city) Continue reading “Investing in China’s Second Tier Cities”
Learning Mandarin Chinese in Chengdu
Learning the Chinese language is a great way to start out if you are relocating to China. It’s also a great way to get a student visa to officially stay in China for more than 30, 60 or 90 days at a time (i.e., the typical limits of a tourist visa). So your question is where to study Chinese.
Here is a forum thread from 2003 which mention the following universities in Chengdu:
- South West University of Finance and Economics
- Sichuan University (no website for Chinese learners)
- Sichuan Normal University (couldn’t find a website for their Chinese program)
- Southwest Jiaotong University (Chinese program … not found)
- Southwest University for Nationalities (no English version website) Continue reading “Learning Mandarin Chinese in Chengdu”
Keep Current with New Music on YouTube
I’d never been one to spend hours on YouTube “just cuz”… browsing around. But today I discovered a great use for YouTube. People upload all kinds of music videos with songs from all kinds of artists. In the old days, you’d have to listen to the radio to learn new songs or just go our and buy the latest CDs. Today, all you need to do is go to YouTube. Yeah, I know…I only just now figured this out. Major music labels have official YouTube channels where they publish official music videos from their artists.
Here is a playlist of 18 (new) Christian songs that I had never heard of until this morning.
Doctor Who: Animated Mini-Series
Doctor Who is one of my favorite sci-fi shows. Two animated mini series have been released: The Infinite Quest (2007) and Dreamland (2009) with David Tennant as voice talent for The Doctor. You can watch both mini series, with all episodes, in the YouTube playlists below. I have to admit though that they are pretty juvenile and meant for kids. Dreamland is more interesting than Infinite Quest.
The Infinite Quest
Dreamland
Video Playlists for Small Groups
My wife has had severe nausea due to pregnancy for the last five weeks. For two Sundays we were house bound. So we had church at home. We had worship on YouTube and watched a sermon on iBethel.tv. Church in bed was great! Praise God for the Internet!
Last night we were talking to some missionary friends who told us a wonderful story of thousands of people who had just gotten saved in a revival. How do you disciple thousands of people who get saved at once? House churches. But you’d need hundreds of leaders trained and ready to go. That’s a problem. Most churches don’t have enough small group leaders as it is where is no revival. Continue reading “Video Playlists for Small Groups”
To Chengdu, or not to Chengdu?
We are planning on taking the plunge into the unknown. Should we relocate to China? Right now we are considering the city of Chengdu (成都), the capital of the Sichuan (四川) province, known for its spicy food. Chengdu is a city of 4.75 million people with another 6.5 million in its surrounding administrative area.
Map of the City
The city planners of Chengdu, not unlike those of Beijing, laid out the city in concentric circles. Chengdu has three such “ring roads”. The first ring road contains the old part of the city. As the city grew, new construction spread out from the center. To familiarize myself with the city, I made a custom Google Map (see below) and marked all the places of interest to me. Notice all the Starbucks stores! Much to its favor, in my book, the city also has a United States consulate, located in the southern part of city center. Many expatriates live in this area as well. The high-tech zone is further south; so perhaps we should live there.
View Chengdu Map in a larger map
Subway opening in October 2010
Line 1 of the Chengdu Metro is scheduled to open in October 2010. If we move to Chengdu, it’d be great to live near a metro station, especially considering that Chengdu has the third-highest number of cars among Chinese cities and has a horrendous traffic problem. The approximate locations of the Line 1 metro stations are marked above in turqoise markers.
Check out other maps of the Metro lines:
Weather
Chengdu weather is mild. The Qinling Mountains to the north shelter Chengdu from cold northeast winds from Siberia in the winter. Chengdu winter temperatures rarely drop below freezing. The summer is hot but not as bad as the Three Furnaces of China, namely Wuhan, Nanjing and Chongqing. But highs of 85°F is really not bad at all. The one bummer about Chengdu is that it has about the least amount of sunshine per year of all of China (and even less than London). Most days are cloudy even when there isn’t any rain. Locals say that your skin gets really nice and soft as a result of all the humidity. Here is the current weather forecast for Chengdu.
You must have a browser that supports iframes to view the BBC weather forecast
Pollution
China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection publishes daily air quality data on every city in China. The following is a chart of air quality for April and March 2010.
When looking at the API and Grade figures, lower is cleaner; higher is more polluted. This means sadly that Chengdu is a dirty city. The main pollutant seems to be PM10. This is simply a generic way of saying that the pollution contains very fine particulate matter (less than 10 microns in diameter) which is very small. The smaller the particulate matter, then longer it can stay in the air. In the case of PM10 it will remain in the air for weeks unless there is rain. Larger particles are filtered out by your nose. But PM10 are so fine that they settle in your bronchi and lungs. The smallest particles penetrate not only the lungs but other organs including the brain and can cause similar brain damage as that found in Alzheimer patients.
If we do move to China, one of the first things I will do is purchase an air filtration system for our apartment.
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DATASTATISTICS/Resources/table3_13.pdf
Cost of Living in Chengdu
Apparently its about 64% more expensive to live in Shanghai than Chengdu and 37% more expensive in Beijing. Honolulu is the 25th most expensive city in the world, according to a 2009 report by ECA International. That makes Honolulu just a bit more expensive than Beijing and Shanghai, which ranked 26th and 28th, respectively. The same report ranks Chengdu as the 19th most expensive city in Asia. For comparison, Beijing and Shanghai rank as the 5th and 6th most expensive cities in Asia.
Videos of Chengdu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAsa_1Ygk2s
This video by the popular film director, Zhang Yimou, gives a romantic view of Chengdu, which was named one of China’s top ten most livable cities.
Video of a guy riding his bicycle through Chengdu’s downtown. Give you a nice view of the city. From 2006.
Chengdu Promotional Video
Driving through Chengdu’s Downtown
Chengdu Dialect
The dialect spoken in Chengdu and Sichuan is very different from Mandarin Chinese.
Prison Break in the Sichuan Dialect!
Titanic in Sichuanese!
Links
General Websites
- Wikipedia page on Chengdu
- GoChengdoo – general purpose website on the city
- Chengdoo City Life Magazine
- Chengdu Grooves – expat magazine
- More Chengdu – entertainment, food expat magazine
- Maxxelli Chengdu City Guide (PDF, 364 KB)
Photos
- Set of Photos by treasuresthouhast
- Various Flicker photos on Chengdu
- SmugMug galleries on Chengdu
- Photobucket pictures on Chengdu
- Chengdu pictures on PicasaWeb
- Chengdu photos on WebShots
Travel Sites
Blogs
Expat Forums
Real Estate
- My House in China – great database of rental and sales listings
- Maxelli – download their PDF overview of available apartment buildings
- Klein Consulting Expatriate Services
Weather
Transportation
- Chengdu Metro – the first of five lines is opening in the latter part of 2010
Great Mate Traits
The Bible teaches Christians to not be unequally yoked with an unbeliever when entering into partnering relationships (2 Corinthians 6:14-18
). The reasoning behind this command, like all other commands in Scripture, is not to lay oppressive burdens upon people designed to control or limit them. Instead, we will be blessed when we obey these wise and sensible commands. Continue reading “Great Mate Traits”
Newsletter March 2010
Dear friends and family,
So much has happened since the beginning of the year when we sent out our last newsletter. We …
- went to Taiwan
- applied for China visas to visit friends in Chengdu
- (Truman) preached at a Brazilian church
- all caught a stomach virus (and learned about household hygiene)
- celebrated birthday week for Elisabeth
And now we are preparing for two upcoming events:
- Elisabeth’s mom’s 60th birthday party
- a two day relationship seminar for singles called OnePlusOne
New Hope Taipei
During our visit to Taiwan (Jan 3-13) we got to spend quality time with the pastors of New Hope Taipei, Steven and Joyce Hsaio. They shared their vision for the new church, scheduled to open in August of this year, and introduced us to other team members. It was a great trip of discovering more of how we would fit into this ministry and also the practical side of living in Taipei. And of course, we did some touristy stuff! Steven and Joyce took us to a museum, drove us out to nearby mountains too see an amazing view of Taipei, took us to Taipei 101, and all throughout, treated us to delicious Taiwanese food! We were also blessed to visit a YWAM base in the nearby county of Danshui and throughout the trip, reconnected with old friends from Hawaii who were living in or visiting Taipei. Now, back in Japan, we are prayerfully considering what we should do in the future. We know that God has great plans and we’re trusting in Him to speak to us!
OnePlusOne
As for the “Relationship Seminar”, it started from a casual conversation between us and Elisabeth’s sister, Joanna, who leads the youth ministry at church. Families in Japan often have no real sense of love, security, or trust. Many fathers are absent (physically and emotionally) and sexual immorality is commonplace. Many single Christians in Japan struggle with finding a suitable spouse and relationship problems between family members seem too difficult to overcome. But, we know Someone who has the answers! We are so excited about presenting this 2 day seminar to single Christians in our city of Hamamatsu and have invited 8 churches to participate! Please pray for us as we prepare and seek God for what to say, how to say it, and most of all, for His presence and power to touch the lives of these dear believers. The dates are March 26th and 27th!
OnePlusOne seminar flyer (2.6 MB)
Misc News
Last month we got to take a road trip to visit a town that used to be a village for ninjas! We visited the museum and later got to relax in an onsen. What a life!
Spring is almost here. Last weekend was warm enough to wear a T-shirt to the park where we took pictures in front of ume (or plum) trees that are in bloom.
On the night before Elisabeth’s birthday the Fowler’s watched Noah so we could go out on a movie date, our first movie out since Truman’s mom watched Noah back in May 2009 so we could see Star Trek. First we went to a fantastic little mom-n-pop tempura restaurant where the cook actually dips the tempura into the boiling pot of oil with his fingers. Then we got to watch Avatar in 3D. That was fun! On her birthday we had a surprise party with lots of family and friends that have known her since she was a child.
Noah had his first haircut, is walking all the time now and laughs all the time. Our little boy is getting bigger!
We are so thankful for all of you and never stop missing you!!! Thank you for your prayers…they REALLY help! Keep sending us updates and pics of you and your family! We love hearing from you!
Love,
Truman, Elisabeth and Noah
p.s. You can click on any of the above pictures to see more photos.
Hi-Fi Prophets Don’t Judge
If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. (John 12:47-48)
We know theologically that Jesus Christ was both human and divine. As a human being, he is the prime example of what a sinless person looks like … someone who is completely yielded and obedient to God; someone who is in constant and unbroken connection with God. He was a prophet who was perfectly true, without the influence of the flesh.
Jesus never spoke independently of the Father God. Everything he said was in obedience to a command the Father had given for him to deliver as the Father’s message. The Christ was the perfect example of a servant of God, who does not inject his own personal message, but truly represents God and delivers messages of God.
High fidelity (or hi-fi) sound systems reproduce recorded sound with very high quality, that is to say that it reproduces sound with minimal amounts of noise or distortion. Christ, of course, was a prophet who spoke with perfect fidelity. Everyone who speaks as a representative of the Lord, must strive for high fidelity reproduction of God’s holy word.
Moses, one of the greatest prophets of the Lord, had to be sentenced to death because he interjected his personal anger into a miracle that God commanded him to perform (Numbers 20:11). Moses tainted the purity of God’s message by striking the rock when God hadn’t commanded him to do so. Anyone who speaks on God’s behalf, or teaches in church, is to be like an interpreter. The interpreter is responsible to both the speaker and listeners that they translate what was spoken with high fidelity. If the original meaning is distorted in translation, the interpreter breaches the trust placed in them by the speaker and listener. Failing to stay true to the original meaning and intent of the speaker is a severe ethical failure in legal/courtroom interpretation. Certainly the holy word of the Lord deserves the highest fidelity interpretation possible.
Jesus makes a very interesting statement in John 12:47-48 when He said that he won’t judge people for not obeying his words; the word itself will judge the disobedient. Isn’t the Christ divine? Doesn’t He sit on the throne in heaven? Isn’t He also the Word of God so isn’t Jesus the same as the word He spoke? I believe Jesus was speaking as a human being while on earth. I believe he was speaking as a human prophet should, perfectly yielded to God, in constant connection with Holy Spirit, reproducing with perfect fidelity the messages of God. The Christ did not come to judge the world, but to save it by dying for us on the cross. But while he was on earth in public ministry, he served as the perfect example of a human servant of God.
We, too, are not to judge people. If God gives us His messages to deliver, that doesn’t give us equal standing with God that we should presume we are qualified to judge others by our own wisdom. Even the Christ did not do that. Instead we are to humble ourselves by quieting our own fleshly reactions and yield all lordship over our thoughts and feelings over to Holy Spirit. This internal kneeling before the Lord is the proper posture for God’s prophets, teachers, worship leaders and all servants of God. No one should presume to speak on God’s behalf out of fleshly wisdom. But if God commands us to speak, we should reproduce His word with high fidelity. Our job is always to love our neighbor. But in this case our job will be to love our neighbor and to act as a delivery mechanism for God’s word: a mouthpiece, a speaker cabinet, a hi-fi sound system. By commanding us to speak, God has placed a trust in us to reproduce His word without noise or distortion. We dare not breach that trust by contaminating His holy word with fleshly opinion. If we have truly delivered the word of God, then the word itself will judge people for disobedience. It is never our place to judge.
Long Robes, Long Prayers, Long Noses
And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation (Luke 20:45-47).
What a sobering critique! I would be ashamed to be spoken of by You that way by my Lord. Religious people, listen up (…and I’m speaking to myself, too): fake “Christian” busybodies will receive the greater condemnation.
Long Robes
The scribes liked being admired and honored by others. They enjoyed a high position in society. Their long robes were a mark of that position. They were greeted in the marketplace and sat in the best seats in the synagogues.
What are some outward symbols of religious status today? Perhaps some of these:
- sitting in the front row at church
- sitting on the stage
- being on a soloist at church
- having people call you “Pastor” or “Dr.”
- having the title “elder” or “deacon”
- wearing WWJD pins (who does that anymore?)
Do you rush to grab seats in the front row? Maybe this isn’t wrong. Perhaps you just want to be up close because you think you can worship God better right at the front of the church. Perhaps it is to show enthusiastic participation in the “body life” of the church. Or is it because you want to be seen by others in the best seats in the church? Only God knows our own heart motivations.
When I sang on the worship team at a megachurch, I was easily recognized in the hallways and greeted by people I didn’t know. It always made me feel uncomfortable. I shied away from such honor. But that’s not the right approach either. It smacks of false humility. I should rather graciously love each person who greets me and endeavor to have a true heart-to-heart connection, with joy and warmth.
Long Prayers
It’s not wrong to pray long prayers as long as its Spirit-led and sincere. The Lord taught us to pray and not give up, even if you have to ask again and again (Luke 18:1). We aren’t, however, supposed to drone on and on meaninglessly with canned mantras. But there isn’t anything wrong with praying for a long time. Jesus would pray all night long! He did encourage us however to pray in secret rather than in public to be seen by others. The problem with the scribes is that they made long prayers in public only so people would think they are holy. These kinds of prayers will offer no reward whatsoever.
If the long robes were outward symbols of “fake faith”, then the scribe’s long prayers were behaviors of false religion. Long prayers can represent anything we do in the name of God that really isn’t backed by true faith acting out in response to a command of God.
Long Noses
The scribes practiced their religion before others so they could be seen. Their long robes and long prayers made them “look” holy, but it was all a lie! So they had proverbial “long noses” like Pinnochio. Religion-for-show is not pure faith. Jesus elsewhere says that we’ll get no reward for that kind of religion. Pure religion rather is keeping yourself from evil and helping orphans and widows. In contrast the scribes devoured widows’ houses. What did that mean? Did they demand some exorbitant temple tax from poor widows who couldn’t afford it? Maybe that was the poor widow who gave her last two pennies. Perhaps they scribes over preached the religious importance of giving to the temple.
All this makes me want to be a “secret Christian”. Is there something undesirable about that term. “If you are a real believer, shouldn’t you stand up for your faith?” Yes, but most of the time I think we can keep our faith to ourselves. Jesus taught that we should give, pray and fast in secret (Matthew 6). The heavenly Father will see our spiritual acts of obedience done in secret for an audience of One. There are definitely times for public unashamed ministry where we preach or lead worship, exhort or rebuke. But we should do public ministry in response to God’s leading. We should speak what we hear God speaking; and do what we see Him doing … whether in public or in private.
Lord God, make me a true servant that serves You alone. Help me not to usurp Your rightful place as Lord and Master over my life. Let me steward this life for Your glory, not mine. Lord, may this blog bring glory to You, not to me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
380円 per month Wireless Gate Wifi with BB Mobilepoint in Japan
I finally just figured out how to sign into the paid wifi account I signed up for a month ago with Wireless Gate‘s Yodobashi 380 yen per month plan. That’s a great price! But making it work for an English speaker is not a simple task.
It took a lot of Google Translating of their webpages to get through the signup form. The last field on the signup form requires a promo code, which I found somewhere online. Look for プロモーションコード in the last field which means Promotion Code. It looks like they prefill 12601231 now. Here’s the form translated into English for your convenience.
At some point you might also need the account management page.
It took a LOT of trial and error before I was able to finally connect via the BB Mobile Point hotspots which are available at McDonald’s across Japan. To save someone else from frustration, here’s how to do it.
First connect find a McDonald’s near you. You can use their online map to search for available hotspots. Here’s a link to a map of area of Hamamatsu where I’m living. Hotspots don’t load up right away on the map, you may have to click and drag the map.
Once, you’re at a McDonalds, connect to the mobilepoint wifi hotspot.
You have to connect via WEP and enter this code: 696177616b
There are also passwords for livedoor Wireless and the NRT-Airport.
Once you’ve connected to the hotspot, open up your browser. You’ll be taken to a login form that says “BB Mobile Point” at the top.
For your username enter: your-user-ID@wig
For your password, just enter whatever password you had set when you signed up.
Unfortunately, the BB Mobile Point hotspot at the McDonalds (i.e., the one near Zaza in downtown Hamamatsu) where I’m first trying this is very spotty and continually loses connection. I do not recommend the Wireless Gate wifi service. Save yourself the headache and stay home. Maybe the connection is better at other McDonalds. I hope so.
UPDATE: The MobilePoint connection at the McDonalds on the ground floor of the Hamamatsu eki is reasonably fast. It also doesn’t drop quite as often … only once in the last ten minutes! Also, I’m sitting at Tully’s (which is right by the McDonalds) so I’ve finally almost duplicated my Starbucks in the U.S. with free AT&T wifi work environment.
UPDATE 4/28/2010: MobilePoint speed test at the Hamamatsu eki McDonalds.
You have to connect via WEP and enter this code: 696177616b
Then once you’ve connected to the hotspot, open up your browser. You’ll be taken to a login form that says “BB Mobile Point” at the top.
For your username enter your username, the @ symbol and then “wig”.
For your password, just enter whatever password you had set when you signed up.
Keep Both Parents From Getting Sick
Noah got sick on Tuesday and by Thursday night both Elisabeth and I vomited twice and ended up sleeping away all day and night on Friday and much of Saturday. Thankfully Elisabeth’s family are nearby and they helped us watch Noah both on Friday and Saturday so we could recover. But we may move soon not be near help like that. It’s time we learned how to best to keep the entire family from getting sick at the same time.
Wash Hands, Wash Hands!
This is the heartfelt advice our doctor friend, Steven Orimoto, MD. Florence Nightingale‘s hand-washing campaign for hygiene maybe 150 years old but its wisdom still rings true.
A BabyZone article recommends that frequent hand washing be a rule for every family member especially:
- before eating and cooking
- after using the bathroom
- after cleaning around the house
- after touching animals, including family pets
- after visiting or taking care of any sick friends or relatives
- after blowing one’s nose, coughing, or sneezing
- after being outside (playing, doing yard work, walking the dog, etc.)
Eat Your Own Food
One of the first things I learned as a husband was that I was now the household garbage can. Any food Elisabeth didn’t want to eat, I ate. When I became a father and Noah started to eat table food, I ate Noah’s leftovers, too. Yes, it’s a wonder that I didn’t gain weight!
When Noah was sick, I automatically ate his leftover food. Maybe I got his stomach virus then and later passed it onto Elisabeth.
Every family member should have their own cups, eating utensils, own towel and own food.
Cough Into Your Elbow
Coughing in your hands lends itself to spreading germs because you will mostly likely touch something two seconds later. Instead cough into elbow which almost nothing touches.
Disinfect
Just so you know I’m not a germophobe, I’ll admit that I think people who use hand sanitizers ten times a day are over doing it. Once I was at Borders Cafe and I watched a man find a table and use a hand sanitizer squirt bottle to wiped down his entire table before using it. That might be a bit excessive.
However it makes sense to use an alcohol to sanitize a phone or remote control after it’s been used by a family member who is sick. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can kill bacteria and some virus that won’t go away with just hand washing. And studies show that using hand alcohol doesn’t dry out your skin.
A study entitled, “Illness Transmission in the Home: A Possible Role for Alcohol-Based Hand Gels“, published in 2005 made the following conclusion: “In homes with young children enrolled in child care, illness transmission to family members occurs frequently. Alcohol-based hand gel use was associated with reduced respiratory illness transmission in the home.” A full-text version of the article is available online.
I hate stomach flu, don’t you? Gastroenteritis, or stomach flu, as it is commonly known, is caused by the one of several viruses including the rotavirus. Interestingly, the above study noted that alcohol kills the rotavirus whereas hand washing with plain soap only served to spread it around. Did you know that half a million children under the age of five die from the rotavirus every year? This sobering factoid (PDF) is from the World Health Organization. Okay, that’s mostly from developing countries. But the rotavirus can be deadly.
Beware of the poop! Feces of a person infected with the rotavirus may contain 10+ trillion infectious particles per gram. It only takes a hundred particles to infect you.
Word to the wise: use a hand sanitizer after blowing your nose or changing a diaper.
Go Easy on Milk Products After Stomach Flu
This isn’t anything about preventing other family members from getting sick, but it is so interesting. My mom always told me not to eat dairy products after you get sick. Now I’ve found medical evidence why. The rotavirus destroys cells in your intestines called enterocytes, which are responsible for secreting lactase which is what allows you to digest milk. Restoration of enterocytes may take a few weeks, so go easy on the milk and cheese for a while.
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure
- Make sure not to skip meals. Immunity doesn’t function well when you’re malnourished.
- Get plenty of liquid so your system can flush away viruses and waste that can cause sickness.
- Eat good bacteria found in yogurt or probiotic capsules.
- Get plenty of rest every night.
The Hundred Ten Percent
Ten Healed of Leprosy (Luke 17:11-19)
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
100% Faith, 100% Healing
“Go and show yourselves to the priests,” Jesus told the ten lepers who pleaded with Him to heal them. Only one, a Samaritan, returned to thank the Lord. And Jesus’ response was, “Weren’t all ten cleansed?” One thing that strikes me here is the Lord’s firm conviction that all ten were healed. He knew they were healed. There was no doubt in His mind. He believed and knew that there was 100% healing.
Lord, give me faith to believe. Help me to be at that place where I believe that You are working through me and that I will have not even a single trace of doubt. Lord, transform me and help me to grow.
10% Worship
Receiving the blessing of God is not a time to be all prim and proper. The response of the Samaritan leper was to praise God with a loud voice. He was happy! He was ecstatic! He couldn’t help but go back to the Lord Jesus, fall at his feet, and on his face give thanks to the Lord. This is a picture of gratitude and rejoicing. Hallelujah!
Sadly, though, just as in this story, even today not many rejoice at their salvation. Even if they are saved, they don’t rejoice and worship the Lord with abandon.
Lord, help me to have the Samaritan’s kind of joy at my salvation! I want to return to You and praise You loudly, falling on my face and give thanks to You, Lord. Help me to see Your blessings. I want to be that ten percent that realizes the wonderful gift given to me. I don’t want to be the ninety percent that simply goes on my way, unthankful, with the blessing of God but an unchanged heart. Lord, transform me that I may not only receive Your blessing but also be transformed on the inside to humbly and gratefully rejoice with excitement!
Help me to believe in You 100% and be the 10% that worships You with joy!