A passage to medidate on

1 Peter 1
1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

The part of this passage that really sticks out to me are those 4 words, "strangers in the world"

I decided to stay in South Korea for another year. My current contract ends at the end of February. I'll be coming back to the States for one month, then I'll stay in Korea from April 2009 till April 2010. Wow, it seems so long when I put it that way. I thought about the decision a lot, and I prayed about it, and talked to many people, and I feel this is what God wants me to do right now. I feel at peace about the decision, but it doesn't mean that there aren't many things floating around in my head.

Ever since I graduated college I came to a very hard realization: This world will not satisfy us. It can't and it never will. College was a very idealistic, optomistic time for me. The world was at my fingertips, and I couldn't wait to show it what I was made of. Now, almost a year and a half out of college, that idealism has I wouldn't say faded, but been transformed into something else. I think in college, I was not ultimately looking for my satisfaction in Christ. I saw Christ as a means of finding satisfaction in the world. I knew that without Christ, I wouldn't be satisfied, but perhaps, I thought of Christ as more of a means, than the end.

But as I medidate on the word more and more, and as I here the word faithfully preached to me throught men like Eddie Byung (my pastor here in Korea), John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Eric Mason, John MacArthur, Duce Branch, and others, I see that my focus was in the wrong place. I think, Piper more than anyone, has opened my eyes to the real purpose of life. He has a great rearrangement Westminster's cheif end of man, he puts it as "The chief end of man is to glorify God BY enjoying him forever. The world and what it has to offer can never satisfy the human soul, because our ultimate satisfaction can only come through Christ.

And I think through all of my times of reflection here in Korea, this is one of the things I've come to realize most. This world is not our ultimate home. We are strangers on this earth. Living in Korea for this long now, this place feels like my home now. I feel completely comfortable here. I have many great friends, a good church, a steady job, and the culture fits with my personality very well I think. And yet, I know there's more than this. Maybe at times, I thought my restlessness was due to the fact that I wasn't in my home country. If I just went back to the States, then peace would settle in my heart. But that's not true either, and having to make the decision to stay for another year really confirmed that to me. Now please don't take that as meaning that I don't want to come back to the States. I do. I desperately do. I can't wait to come back in March. I miss all of you soooooooo much. I often dream about just being with my family and friends again. I take very seriously the views that C.S. Lewis had on friends. He said that friends make the place special, not the place itself. Which is why I have strong connections to both Korea and the States, because I have so many great people that I care about in both.

That was kind of a tangent, but basically yeah, I've been thinking about this "strangers" aspect of our lives. If it is true that we are strangers, what does that mean about our commitments and attachments to the things of this world? To me, it's a very liberating idea that this is all temporary. Having an eternal perspective really frees you to be much more daring and bold for the sake of Christ. Maybe that's what I'm learning. That this world is not the chief end, and because of that, my sight and focus needs to be adjusted, and my goals need to shift as well. I don't think this sense of restlessness will go away until I'm face to face with my maker and savior.

My prayer is that I would continually seek after Christ each day, making Him the ultimate source of my joy, enjoyment, and satisfaction; and with that as my foundation, allowing him to lead me wherever he wants me to go, being free to do whatever God wants me to do for the Kingdom of God:)

3rd perm

Hey guys, I got a perm again. This time I got something called a "baby perm." Which means it's really curly this time^^. I like it!