Month: April 2018

Diversity.

 

The word is pervasive in colleges, the workplace, even within religious groups. Diversity is good. It has provided opportunities for disenfranchised groups, like women and minorities, to enter institutions of higher education and the workforce. If an organization or individual does not pledge allegiance to diversity, this very denial may invite ostracism and rebuke.

 

Self-proclaimed pundits and atheists charge that the Christian religion and Christians are prejudiced and inclusive, the antithesis of diversity. They claim the Bible is misogynistic, racist, and exclusive. I wonder how many of those who spew such venom have ever read the entire Bible or are they only willing to lift selected verses out of context to support their contentions? Like any work of literature, sacred or otherwise, the Bible must be read and understood in totality.

 

Throughout the Bible, the theme of redemption is constant. God is always reaching out toward man to restore the relationship that sin destroyed. From the beginning of human history, God has chosen different groups of people to proclaim His message. The Jews were the first group and the entire world was to be blessed by their spiritual leadership. But in spite of the tremendous blessings that God bestowed upon them, they were disobedient to God and chose to follow other gods and indulge their selfish ambitions. God did not abandon His people and continued to work through history and sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to be born as a Jew, a descendant of King David. Jesus proclaimed the Gospel, the Good News to all peoples and every nation. The final prophecies, found in Revelation, the last book of the Bible, completes the story of redemption.

 

…For you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation…

Revelation 5:9 (ESV)

 

Diversity.

 

God so loved this world that He gave His only Son Jesus Christ that WHOEVER believes in Him, will not perish but have eternal life. All races, genders, income levels-all are welcome!

 

God embraces diversity because He created all of us!

 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

 

Jake and I were returning from an afternoon at the beach in the summer before my senior year in high school. Although he had visited my home many times, he had never driven the streets. We were two blocks away from my home and approaching a four way intersection with a stop sign that was positioned slightly outside the line of sight, and on this day, it was definitely outside of my friend’s sight.

 

“Jake! That was a stop sign!”

 

We raced past the stop sign and into the intersection, straight into an oncoming car which T-boned us. The unmistakable sound of crunched metal followed as I beheld the face of driver of the smashed car, inches from my face. Thankfully, no one was hurt but obviously we were all quite shaken. On that day, God intervened and preserved the life of myself, my friend, and the driver of the other car. It was a stop sign, barely visible and clearly ignored.

 

And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him.

Matthew 26:49-50 (ESV)

 

Jesus Christ gave His betrayer, Judas Iscariot, a chance to repent but he ignored it. In full knowledge of His betrayal, with a loving embrace and kiss, Jesus called Judas His friend, a stop sign that God placed in the path of Judas, to allow him to repent. Visible and clearly ignored.

 

God sometimes places large stop signs in my path to stop me from sinning or to redirect my path. I readily see these, anyone can. It is the smaller stop signs, nearly hidden from my sight, that I need to heed. I pray that I will not be so intent on satisfying my own desires that I fail to recognize the stop signs that God places in my life to turn me to do His will.

 

Amen!

 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

 

When I practiced medicine in Pohnpei, Micronesia, I became friends with my Burmese neighbor. He was a specialist in making prosthetics and in his spare time, he played keyboards and sang for a pop band in Burma. During his stay in Micronesia, he pursued his music and brought a portable electronic keyboard. It was the type of keyboard that sampled a variety of sounds such as an organ, trumpet, stringed instruments as well as providing a rhythm sections with drums and a bass. With his added voice, he was a one man band.

 

On Saturday and Sunday afternoons, he would practice and the melodies filled the apartment complex. It became a favorite pastime of the neighborhood children to gather outside his door and sing along. One of his favorite songs had a familiar melody which he sang in Burmese. One day, he asked me, “Do you know this song? It is a very famous American song!”

 

“I know!” I nodded. “The melody sounds so familiar but you sing it in Burmese. What is the title in English?”

 

“I don’t know!” He laughed. “We just play it and everyone loves it!”

 

“So what is the song about?”

 

“It’s about these guys hanging out on a corner and they are singing and they are trying to pick up girls! It’s really funny!”

 

I nodded. “I’m sure it is.” I kept replaying the melody in my mind. “Man, it sounds so familiar!”

 

“It’s very popular! I’m surprised you don’t know it!”

 

After my two month clinical rotation in Pohnpei, I returned to Hawaii. A few months later I was listening to my car radio and there it was! The unmistakable guitar riff and drum beat. “Down on the Corner” by Creedence Clearwater Revival! A classic rock song! It was the same tune that my Burmese friend played and sang. I didn’t recognize it because, not only was it done in a different language, his rhythm and feel were completely different from the original recording. As my head bounced along to the driving beat of the familiar tune, warm memories of my friend embraced me as I smiled and fondly remembered his unique and entertaining interpretation of the song.  

 

Familiar themes imaginatively reinvented may seem elusive upon first encounter. My friend had uniquely interpreted a classic song and brought forth a fresh performance. It was the same song, just presented in a new light.

 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Hebrews 13:8 (ESV)

 

God’s Word is unchanging because God is unchanging. It is the presentation of the Good News that changes as it is presented to billions of people around the world, transcending languages, cultures, and political ideologies. Jesus Christ is the Master of breaking down all barriers. From befriending foreigners, adulterers, thieves, murderers, politicians, lawyers, rich and poor-Jesus spoke to all with an uncompromising message. All need to confess and repent of their sins and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. His mastery was presenting the same message and personalizing it for each encounter.

 

Unique interpretations of the same message. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

 

There have been times in my journey with God that I have doubted the security and eternal nature of my salvation. During these seems, I besought God for His reassurance. These episodes inevitably followed a sinful escapade in my life. I may have lost my temper or been unreasonably impatient with someone. In more egregious accounts, I willfully disobeyed God and chose to follow my sinful desires. God, in His mercy and grace, brought me to my knees to confess and repent of my sins. But in spite of His loving kindness, I sometimes wondered if I was truly saved? Would someone who has experienced the unsearchable and unfathomable depths of God’s love, truly turn away from Him?

 

A recent incident grounded me in the assurance of my salvation. My daughter was going through a difficult time in her life. As we attended our Sunday church service and listened to the sermon, I know the Holy Spirit was convicting me of my sins. The sermon was an uncompromising message, Jesus Christ centered and focused solely upon the holiness of God. As we exited the church, I turned to her and said, “Sweetheart, how did you like the sermon? I know it was a pretty tough message.”

 

Without missing a beat, she replied, “I liked the message. I needed to hear it.”

 

Tears welled up in my eyes. Throughout the sermon, I was praying that God would draw her closer to Him. All I cared about was she would find peace with God. Later, as I reflected upon this answered prayer, I realized that God was working in my heart as well. If I was not truly saved, why would I care about my daughter’s spiritual welfare? Why would I care if anyone was saved? Why would I even care about anyone else?

 

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

1 Timothy 2:3-4 (ESV)

 

When I reflect upon the intense longing and pain I have for those whom I love who do not know the unlimited grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, this is all the reassurance I need of my own salvation. I want the best that this life has to offer to all I know and meet. What greater gift is there than God’s eternal salvation?

 

I care about others because God cares for all of us.

Praise God for His mercy and grace!

 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

 

 

A college classmate of mine began his lifelong love of bodybuilding when he was a freshman. The changes in his behavior and physique were striking. He entered college as a skinny and shy young man but within a few months, the burgeoning muscles were noticeable and he made sure everyone was aware of the changes. He soon began using performance enhancing drugs and with his growing ego, it was a toxic combination and powerful narcotic. When other people cautioned him about his lifestyle, he dismissed them as jealous wimps. His gospel was the latest bodybuilding magazines from which he liberally quoted, boring everyone within earshot. It was his dream and no one would stand in his way.

 

I saw him about six years later at a random encounter in a university cafeteria. He was grotesquely huge and his facial features had changed, coarsened by the years of steroid use. As I surveyed his physique, he smirked at my shocked expression and said, “You’re impressed, aren’t you? Are you jealous?”

 

“Sure…” I muttered. “You’re impressive!” I was attempting to hide my disdain. It was useless to give a medical opinion, it would be discarded and unheeded, like all other advice he was given. I was familiar with the tragic side effects of many of the performance enhancing drugs he was taking. Skin changes, hypertension, heart disease, osteoporosis…and then it becomes serious. Liver disease, including tumors, bone marrow and immune disturbances, and lest anyone forget, the mood disturbances. He was egotistical, even combative, and it was a vicious and slippery slope he descended since he deemed these very character traits as critical to his success.

 

For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.

Ecclesiastes 5:7 (ESV)

 

Bodybuilding is an honorable sport, but like any activity, taken to an extreme and forsaking all, even at the expense of one’s health, it comes with a terrible price. The irony was he convinced himself and all who would listen that he was doing this for his health.

 

It is easy to point the finger and be critical of my friend’s behavior. Yet, how often do I see others abusing their bodies all under the moniker of better health? Fad diets, nutritional supplements, enemas. As a physician, I have witnessed the damaging effects when each of these activities have been taken to an extreme. Why do we continue to pursue these dubious pursuits?

 

We are dreamers with restless spirits. God created us to reach beyond our perceived limitations. But there is a God-shaped hole in our hearts and only God can fill it. No physical beauty, academic achievement, or financial success will ever achieve this. Only God. And when our dreams veer off course to pursue our desires rather than God’s guidance, this is vanity and disappointment is certain.

 

Fearing God means to revere Him, to realize that we can never find happiness and contentment without Him. He has given us the answer. Confess and repent of your sins and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Only then will our dreams be fulfilled.

Amen!

 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

 

 

Several of my dermatology residents recently attended a national dermatology conference. One favorite pastime for many dermatology training programs participating at these national meetings is to organize an alumni evening, an opportunity for current residents and faculty to be reunited with alumni. When I queried the residents if they organized an alumni evening, they all shook their heads. “Maybe next year! The chief resident needs to organize this!” All eyes turned to the chief, who was sitting next to me at the multi-head microscope.

 

“Yes!” the chief resident smiled. “We need to meet our ancestors!”

 

We all laughed uproariously!

Ancestors! One usually employs this term for family members older than grandparents, or forerunners of current technology. Although humorous, it was quite accurate. Our dermatology program was built upon the efforts and sacrifices of those who preceded us-our ancestors!

 

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 (ESV)

 

The beautiful promise that God gives all believers in Jesus Christ is someday in Heaven, we will meet our ancestors. Not only mine, but the ancestor of every believer who has confessed and repented of their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  My mother and godfather will be there! The Apostle Paul and Peter! Adam, Abraham, and Moses! And what about the hundreds of Old Testament saints, faithfully recorded in the books of Numbers and Chronicles? Some of these names are mentioned only once in the Bible but are placed there by the Holy Spirit so that we will always remember their faith and sacrifices to God. The stories they will share with us someday will be amazing!

 

We do need to meet our ancestors! What a glorious reunion that will be!

 

Amen!

 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

 

My first stay at a Bread and Breakfast Inn was my honeymoon. A lovely cottage, it was three floors of exquisitely decorated rooms, each with different themes such as roses or birds. Our suite was on the top floor and appropriately named, The Angel Room. The soaring ceilings were painted with dozens of images of hovering angels, levitating through clouds and rainbows. Gossamer strands of lace were suspended around the light fixtures and window dressings. Porcelain figurines of angels adorned the night stands and side tables. And lest we still missed the point, dozens of books were placed on the coffee tables, expounding upon the lore of these celestial beings.

 

As I perused the books on angels, most touted the merit and benefits of praying to angels. An elaborate hierarchy of angels, ranging from personal guardian angels to named angels overseeing different activities of life, was presented. Some passages even advocated that prayers to angels took precedence over praying to God. It was bewildering and I wondered if I was missing out on God’s blessings by not heeding this advice.

 

Angels appear many times in the Bible. From guarding the entrance to the Garden of Eden, to announcing the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to carrying out the final judgment leading to Armageddon-God uses angels as messengers and agents to carry out His plans. They are powerful created beings; even Satan is a fallen angel. Their lofty and esteemed positions may be a persuasive reason to think that we should pray to angels as intercessors to God, but the Bible is very clear regarding to whom we should direct our prayers.

 

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Hebrews 1:3-4 (ESV)

 

Angels are important agents of God but we do not pray to them or through them as supplication to God. Only Jesus Christ is worthy and deserving of this honor. Jesus Christ is the radiance of the glory of God. He is God. He is not a created being like angels. Jesus is our intercessor with God, the Father.

 

Someday in Heaven, all believers in Jesus Christ will rule over the angels. God will grant us this privilege because we are created in the image of God and redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. No angel can ever claim this blessing.  

 

What a mighty and loving God we serve!

 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

 

 

Astronaut Scott Kelly lived in space at the International Space Station for 340 days. Such an experience would be life changing for anyone; for Astronaut Kelly, it also changed his DNA gene expression.

Initial reports erroneously stated that Astronaut Kelly’s DNA changed by 7%. That would be a biological impossibility since Kelly would literally become a new species. Kelly is an identical twin and before he left the earth, he and his brother had their DNA analyzed. As expected, the prior DNA analysis was an exact match. After returning to earth, nearly a year later, the DNA was still identical but what doctor’s discovered was 7% of his genes had a different expression. Although it seems logical to conclude that the unusual rigors of space travel and radiation caused the altered expression, scientists are still unsure. One less glamorous explanation could be that these changes would have occurred regardless of whether Kelly was in space or not. More research needs to be conducted but this pilot study does illustrate how gene expression is dynamic and influenced by numerous variables.

 

All living creatures have DNA, the chemical molecules that encode our genetic makeup. Sequences of DNA are arranged in units known as genes and these genes are arranged on longer strands of DNA and organized into chromosomes. When a gene is activated, it leads to the production of a chemical or protein, a process known as expression. An incredibly complex system of biochemical controls regulate the expression of all of our genes. The controls are predominantly regulated by other genes but can be influenced by environmental changes, including illness, fatigue, poor nutrition, and radiation.

 

We are all created in the image of God and imbued with God’s character. We know God’s character through His revelation in the Bible and through His Son, Jesus Christ. The expression and revelation of God’s character is different for many believers and is influenced not only by their inborn character, but also by the environmental influences. Is God a Father, brother, friend, or a judge? God is all of these and much more.

 

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

 

My circumstances determine how I perceive God. When I am in pain, I cling to God’s expression as a loving Father. When I have sinned, I beseech His expression as a compassionate and merciful judge. But the paramount expression of God’s character in my life is reserved for His grace. Scarcely a day passes when I do not thank God for His grace, His unmerited and undeserved favor and love for saving me. There is nothing good in me. I cannot go for a minute before a sinful thought enters my mind. In this wretched state, the only hope I have is the saving grace of God through Jesus Christ. When I confessed and repented of my sins and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, He gave me His Holy Spirit to dwell within me. Sin is still present but God, through His Holy Spirit, continues to transform and conform me into the image of His Perfect Son.

 

God has many different expressions of His character and all of them are true. Praise God that He never changes!

 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

 

During my medical residency training, a senior colleague, whom I greatly respected, was dismayed over my choice of clothes. “You don’t dress like a professional”, he bemoaned.  A snappy dresser, one day, he pulled me aside and thrust a book into my hands. “You need to read this!” This book was allegedly used by numerous executives from America’s top companies, to educate them to dress properly. It was a trove of examples of business appropriate attire, casual attire, techniques to mix and match colors and patterns, proper use of accessories…anything that would place the upwardly mobile man on the path to success.

 

I naively accepted my colleague’s gift and the book’s advice and transformed my wardrobe accordingly. I did receive some positive feedback, certainly from my colleague who set me on this track. A few months later, I reviewed my closet filled with new neckties, dress shirts and pants, and suits, and I reflected upon the changes in my life. My bank account was depleted. I spent more time concerned about my appearance than my attitude or my progress as a resident. I was even critical of other colleague’s attire, assuming they, too, needed to be enlightened on how to dress properly.

 

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)

 

I was dressing, but not for success, only to impress. What began as a laudable excursion was descending into a deplorable shipwreck. I was obsessed with improving my appearance but not improving my character. It was only by confessing and repenting of my sins to Jesus Christ did the Holy Spirit guide me in recognizing the arrogance and haughty attitude that I had so casually and easily embraced. God had to transform the ugliness of my heart to recognize my outward appearance would never improve until I allowed Him to change my inward attitude.

 

It was a humbling lesson and one that I am pleased that God taught me.

 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.

It was the end of a grueling week. It was nearly twenty years ago and my colleagues and I were completing an assignment at a remote laboratory at the request of my partners. We were putting in 12-14 hour days and my nerves were frayed. I was so exhausted I literally could not sleep, my mind racing, reviewing the issues and problems of the day. Even the weekends were not relaxing. The workload was so oppressive, we needed to work on Saturday and Sunday just to catch up with our backlog of work. On Sunday morning, my colleague turned to me and said, “Dude! We need to rest! Even God rested on the seventh day!”

 

I heartily agreed and we took the rest of the day off. The remaining cases would have to wait until Monday. We needed to rest. After all, even God rested, right?

 

But why would God need to rest?

 

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Exodus 20:8-11 (ESV)

 

The first three commandments focus upon man’s relationship to God. The commandment to keep the Sabbath is the fourth commandment. The remaining six commandments focus upon man’s relationship with his neighbor. God first brings us into a relationship with Him. He gives us time to ponder the splendor of His Majesty. Then, we are to take His blessings and bless others out of gratitude. Simple formula. God in. Rest. God out. We labor from rest, not rest from labor. It is a critical distinction.

 

God does not need to rest. We do. He created the Sabbath so that we understand the importance to set aside a day or time to rest in Him. We reflect upon Him to restore our energy and bestow His love unto others. In times of physical and mental stress, I need to be deliberate and take time to rest in God. Sadly, I frequently neglect this commandment of God. I convince myself that I can never labor enough in my job or role as a father or husband. After all, isn’t this what God has called me to be? Am I not doing God’s work when I labor for Him? Yes. But God also asks me to rest and in my hypercompetitive and sinful disobedience, I have twisted and ignored God’s command to rest in Him. The result is a life that is not filled with the Holy Spirit, but filled with drudgery.

 

Praise God that He loves all of us so deeply that He commands us to rest in Him!

 

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.