Knowing God

Friends,

Humility is never easily learned. It is often too quickly taught, and too slowly received. I do not claim to have learned humility, but I hear God calling me to pursue it. How do I then pursue humility without then taking pride in it?

"Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." ~Psalm 46:10

For me, humility was first experienced. Two years ago, I suffered an acute onset of psoriatic arthritis, a chronic condition affecting skin and joints throughout the body. In my worst state, I despised every waking second. Laying in bed and sitting in a chair was difficult; walking was nearly impossible. God spoke to me when I was angriest at Him, feeling unjustly crippled. He taught me to trust in His power and His name, when I was most helpless and resentful.

God picked me up that summer from a paralysis of which I was not aware until I suffered a physical paralysis. I trusted in my abilities and my energy, a fatal flaw of my service to Him.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness..." ~2 Corinthians 12:9

Thus, the second thing I have learned about humility is that it is purposeful and practiced in the worship of God. While people have claimed to have asserted dominance over many things in this world, no one has salvation from sin without God's grace. It is an incredible thing, in view of eternity, how insignificant our achievements are with respect to our great insufficiency.

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is the LORD... Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For you are my praise." ~Jeremiah 17:7,14

The motto of The Navigators is, "To know Christ, and to make Him known." This week, the staff team will be training and preparing for a semester of life with the students, beginning with thousands of incoming freshmen. My ministry depends first on my willingness to allow God to be my trust and to be my praise. Not only is He the one I worship, but also the one behind the act of worship.

Therefore, I request only that you pray these verses for me, that I might see clearly the God I serve. Satan is working hard; I need all of you.

By His Grace,
Jon Chen