Remembering Reward

Luke 14:28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost?” The other day I asked one of our CEOs if he had any prayer requests. He operates his company in an emerging market where common business practices would be seen as outright fraud in the west. He replied “Always need supernatural help to get level playing field. We’re always fighting uphill cause of what we’re willing (or not willing) to do… It’s a real competitive disadvantage – if we could do what others were willing to do we’d get things done much faster and cheaper.” I told him that in the short term it might feel like doing the right thing bears a significant cost. You can get ahead by hurting people and the planet in the short term, but I believe that catches up with you eventually. When you take the high road, it might be a bit slower, but you gain the trust of people and of God, and that always leads to better results. This CEO has refused to bend, and it’s felt like a significant cost. But his company is now the market leader and still growing faster than any of his competitors. In the long term the trade is a no-brainer. Jesus told the crowd in Luke 14 to count the cost. That wasn’t to deter them from following him, but to illustrate that the rewards for giving up everything to do the right thing are THAT great. So today I face a number of situations in my life that seem like life-and-death short term costs. My wife was hospitalized last week, my friend is in a coma and my dad’s cancer has progressed to stage 4. As I prayed this morning I felt God remind me of his goodness, and then ask me the following. “If you really know that I am a good, then you know that the reward to come from these costly situations are more than worthwhile in the long term. Rather than fixating on short term relief, are you willing to focus on trusting my plan?”

Lord, sometimes doing the right thing involves a painful business deal. Sometimes it involves sacrificing earthly possessions for your church. But sometimes it’s as simple as changing my perspective to see things as you see them. Help me to count the cost, but help me more to remember the infinite reward of a loving relationship with you. In your son’s name, Amen.

Surgery Day

Psalm 136:4 “Give thanks to him who does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever.” About a year ago, we found out that my dad has cancer. After a tortuous process of preparation, the first surgery failed, and I felt quite a bit of frustration with the doctors. Emotions in the family ran high. I felt a lot of guilt for not being able to be there. Then I decided to just suck it up and visited Seoul three times, quarantining for four weeks on each trip. By June 30th I had spent three months of 2021 in quarantine. But in the midst of the struggle my earthly father exhibited nothing but the love and optimism of my father in heaven. Always ready to crack a joke, dad always made sure to let us know that he was just fine, and that everything was going to end up well. He leaned into his relationships, spending more time with his family and friends. He started playing tennis 4 times a week in the midst of chemotherapy. Well, I write this as my dad is back on the operating table today. I would never wish cancer on anyone, but there have been so many good things that came out of this experience. It’s brought us closer as a family, and it’s definitely given us the opportunity to grow in our faith. Last night Elaine asked me if I was worried. “Honestly… nope.” “How come?” “Cause God’s got this.” Lord thank you for healing my dad. I know that today you are going to demonstrate what I already know to be true... that the name of cancer stands no chance against the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you that the victory has already been won. I come into line with your goodness and grace today. In your son’s name, Amen.

Living In Harmony

Psalm 133:1 “How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!” Our eldest Kyan had a really rough day yesterday. After what he felt was an unfair scolding from Elaine, he threw a tantrum. Then our youngest Nate Nate went and destroyed the Minecraft creation Kyan had worked on for hours. He threw another tantrum. By the time our daily devotional came around before bedtime, Kyan was totally pooped and really ready for the day to be over. I explained a bit about game theory and how humans are probably wired to employ a strategy of reciprocity when dealing with others. But God calls us a higher standard. “Jesus said, ‘if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.’ Kyan, you know that if you want to start a company someday, the bigger the vision the more excited people will be to join you. Why shoot for a normal goal when you can shoot for a big, hairy audacious goal? I know it feels unfair, and I can explain why Mama has the right to raise her voice while you don’t, but that’s not really the point. Even if she was being totally unreasonable, God calls you to and then empowers you to live up to an impossible standard of loving even when it’s unfair. Because that’s what Jesus did.” Lord, thank you for comforting my son. Thank you for teachable moments, and thank you for moments with the greatest teacher the world has ever known. Thank you for empowering us to live in harmony with our brothers and sisters. In your son’s name, Amen.