How are you guys doing?  For those of you who haven’t heard, Jacob Yang (Peter & Hanna’s son) was born early yesterday morning.  It’s been challenging physically for Hanna and so they won’t be accepting any visitors at this time.  I’ll keep you guys posted when more details come along.  I want to ask you guys to be in prayer for their family esp. Jacob.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Friday, May 18th – Psalm 24-27

Who do you trust?  A lot of our course in life is really determined by who we choose to trust.  Trust in the right people and you can end up well off or benefiting greatly.  Trusting in the wrong people can lead you to prison, hook on substances or far away from the Lord.  There is a common theme that we see throughout our chapters today which is that it is the wisely choice that we can make to truly trust in the Lord.  Now what does it mean to trust in the Lord.  Some people think that it only applies to eternal life.  I trust that Jesus will take me to heaven.  But this trust means more than that.  It means entrust every aspect of our lives to Him.  So when an individual trusts the Triune God, they are trusting their finances, thoughts, education, relationships, etc. all into the Lord’s hands.  A big part of this is seeking His Word for direction and guidance.  That’s why as believers we can’t simply say that I trust in God and not use His
words or follow them.  It’s like saying I trust my parents but I’m not going to listen to them or heed any of their advice.  What does that trust really mean then?

For David, he knew that there was no one that he could trust more than the Lord.  That’s why he would cherish the Word and try most times to be faithful to His commands.  For us to grow in genuine trust means that we need to take His Word more to heart day after day and seek to use it as the guiding principle of our lives.

Have a wonderful weekend in the Lord everyone and God bless!

SDG,
P. Ben

Hope you guys are having a good week.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Thurs, May 17th – Psalm 22-23

There are those few psalms which are the Messianic psalms which give us a picture of what the Messiah would be like and what He would have to endure.  Psalm 22 is one of the clearest pictures of this as we see the type of persecution that He would have to endure, the way in which He would suffer and the things that he would say.  This was also one of those psalms that virtually every Jew memorizes.  Any faithful Jew would have memorized this chapter.  So you could imagine how shocking it must have been for those Jews that were at the cross, seeing Psalm 22 unfold before their very eyes.  One commentator made such a brilliant point.  How did David know the details of a Persian form of capital punishment?  This could only be possible if the info was given divinely.

Later we go to the best known chapter in the book of Psalms, Psalm 23.  Even those who are not believers will find comfort in the words of the Psalmist.  Here is something really assuring knowing that someone is there for us, protecting us and guiding us.  It is clear from this passage that the only One that can lead us to the quiet waters of redemption is the Lord Himself.  This psalm is more than merely poetic it points to biblical truth.  Goodness and love can only follow us when we trust the Shepherd.  If we trust in ourselves or others, that will never follow.  We need to remember to trust the Shepherd, Jesus Christ always and turn to Him in all things.

Take care guys and God bless!

SDG,
P. Ben

Good News!!!  We have extended the deadline to sign up for the retreat to THIS Sunday, May 20th.  Make sure to sign up if you haven’t done so.  Also we will cover Chs. 22-24.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Wed, May 16th – Psalm 19-21

There are certain things that bring us joy in life: the company of good friends, eating a phenomenal meal, or going to a concert with our favorite band performing.  One of the greatest joys for me is seeing my kids laughing uncontrollably.  I could be having one of the worst days and then seeing that will make me smile.  Reading thru these chapters really brings me joy.  It brings joy b/c there is a beauty in the words.  I love the fact that our Lord is in control and that His Word sustains us.  Sometimes it’s easy to forget this and so we need that daily reminder.

Continuing in chapter 20, we see the greatest blessing that we can give others.  It’s not money or love but God’s blessings upon them.  As David speaks to the reader, I picture being there receiving the blessing from David himself.  How amazing would it have been to hear these words from David himself.  So the way that we can be this blessing is knowing the Lord more thru His Word and sharing this with others.

Remember to sign up for our retreat if you haven’t done so already.  Take care guys and God bless!

Coram Deo,
P. Ben

Hope you guys are enjoying your week so far.  A reminder that we’ll be having EM Bible Study and College Bible Study on Wed & Fri.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Tues, May 15th – Psalm 14-16

Why is it so important to read Scripture in context?  It’s important b/c it is easy to make the Bible say what you want it to say.  One example that we see of this is in Psalm 14:1 where it states that there is no God.  Of course this is only part of the verse.  The entire verse states that the fool says that there is no God.  One trend that I’ve seen grow over the past years is that believers are taking greater steps to really study the Word and not just glance over it.  It leads to a deeper appreciation of the gospel.  

Chapter 15 really challenged me to see what the standards are in getting into heaven… whoevers walk is blameless.  Based on this standard, can any of us stand?  Not a chance.  One unique aspect of the Psalms is that it points forward to the gospel.  It doesn’t lay out a works based salvation but to the Great Shepherd that can be the only One that leads us to true righteousness.

As we look more to His Word and the beauty of worship, can we gain a greater appreciation of what we have in Jesus.  My hope and prayer is that we can.

Take care everyone and much blessings.

Grace and Peace,
P. Ben

How’s it going?  It’s great to see so many of you guys signing up for our EM Retreat.  I really want to encourage you guys to PRAY for yourself, and all those who will be coming.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Mon, May 14th – Psalm 1, 5, 8

Most of us are familiar with the book of Psalms.  Some of the most famous chapters in the entire Bible reside here.  But we may not know why this long book was even written.  Contrary to some opinions, the book of Psalms was not presented as simply a poetic piece but a means by which God’s people could worship the Lord.  It would give the people a way to know the Lord and worship Him in a way that was honoring to Him.  

Starting in chapter 1, this was really a blessed reminder to me after a long weekend.  It reminds me that I need to find my continual delight in the Lord.  There are so many things that we can delight in, children, possessions, success and we can tell that we delight in these things simply by our response.  The passionate response of a buzzer beater or a great movie.  Those are great things but is there anything greater than who God is and what He does for us.

In our later chapters, we see how the Lord comforts us even when we don’t deserve to be noticed by Him.  All of us go thru down moments in our lives and we wonder if there is any relief in sight.  God reassures that He is in control and that He will sustain us in all things.  

Have a great week in the Lord everyone and God bless!

SDG,
P. Ben

Hope that you guys can join us for P. Dan’s ordination service tonight at 745pm.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Friday, May 11th – Job 38-39

There are so many things that we take for granted in our lives from the air that we breathe to the sustaining of life.  But when you really think about it, how amazing is it that we are able to survive and go on everyday.  As we conclude our look at the book of Job, God finally speaks.  God doesn’t apologize or try to justify Himself but He lays out His greatness.  As you go thru these verses, you can’t help but to be amazed and ponder on the greatness of our God.  Who is the One that governs the weather, humanity, determines personalities, etc…  only the Lord.

Reading thru this I was challenged once again to not take anything for granted.  Life is a precious gift from the Lord.  Also the friends and family that are in my life are not a random chance blessing but sovereignly provided by the Lord.  And when you realize who gives us the gifts that we have, it helps you to greater appreciate what you have and how to show gratitude back.

Have a great weekend everyone and God bless!

SDG,
P. Ben

We will have College Bible Study tomorrow at 6pm followed by dinner at church.  At 745pm, there will be a special service to celebrate P. Dan’s ordination.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Thurs, May 10th – Job 27-28

Some of the best and deepest writings come from tortured souls.  One of the best modern writers, Ernest Hemingway lived a charmed life but ended up killing himself.  You could probably conclude that the reasoning behind this is that tragedy forces you to search your deepest intuitions and emotions and drives you to find a vehicle to express it.  Reading our chapters today, you really see the depths of Job’s heart.  Even at the darkest moments of his life, he would display his respect and trust in the Lord.  He knew that there was only One that control every affair of life and had the greatest wisdom, it would be the Lord Himself.

Someone once said that you can really see the character of an individual when they go thru adversity.  When people are on their deathbed or on the fronts lines of a battlefield, you can see what they are truly made of.  How amazing it is to see Job and his unwavering devotion to the Lord.

Take care everyone and God bless!

SDG,
P. Ben

How’s it going?  A reminder that P. Dan’s ordination service will be this Friday at 745pm.  Hope you guys can come out and support him.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Wed, May 9th – Job 6-7

Sometimes we wonder if it is OK to complain to the Lord.  We can feel like we’re being disrespectful or unappreciative.  But the more that you look at God’s Word, you would see that the Lord wants us to be honest and genuine with us even if we aren’t satisfied with our lot in life.  We see this with our chapters today with Job and his venting before the Lord.  Reading thru this is gut wrentching and refreshing at the same time.  It’s hard to read someone that is suffering in such an intense fashion but it is also revealing to see the heart of someone who is truly broken.

The greater question that we should ask ourselves is why we don’t see this more often within the local church.  Some may say that it’s b/c most of us don’t go thru such tremendous difficulties.  But I would say that the greater reason is that we’re fearful of what the response would be if we’re genuinely honest and transparent before fellow brothers and sisters.  A growing and maturing church is one that can honestly share our deeper thoughts and emotions before each other w/o feeling like we would be ostracized or judged.  Praying that that type of community becomes more and more of a reality here.  

Thanks so much for everything guys and God bless!

SDG,
P. Ben

For those of you who do not have facebook, here is a link to our promo
video for our upcoming retreat. There should also be links to download the
forms you will need to sign. Please make sure to sign up by this Sunday,
May 13th!

http://newlifecolorado.net/retreat

Looking forward to spending some quality time with you all at the beautiful
Colorado mountains!!

Daniel Pak

How are things?  Hope you guys can join us for one of our bible studies and P. Dan’s ordination service on Friday.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Tues, May 8th – Job 1-2

When we look at the level of suffering that people have went thru in their lives, most of us would consider ourselves fortunate that we haven’t suffered to any great degree.  Today we read the story of Job and the intense suffering that he had to endure.  It began in a great way with this faithful man of God that had numerous possessions and a large family.  The Lord would allow suffering in his life to the point where he would lose virtually all of his possessions and all of his children.  Obviously he was completely devastated but things only got worse as he developed painful sores all over his body and he would use pieces of broken pottery to scratch his sores.  

Reading thru this story again, I can’t help but to be moved by the response of his friends.  How bad could Job’s demeanor have been if his friends tore their robes b/c of his condition.  Most of us have seen our friends in bad circumstances from time to time but not to the point where we want to lose it.  Job’s suffering was real and it sets up the entire narrative of his relationship with the Lord and his relationship with his wife and friends.

Most of us would never want to go thru this but if we did, how would it affect our relationship with Him.

Take care guys and much blessings,

Coram Deo,
P. Ben