My hope and faith

"I remember my affliction and my wandering,  the bitterness and the gall.

I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore

I have hope:  Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never

fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."                    Lamentations 3:19-24

God has been challenging me by many different ways.  At same time Satan has been attacking me a lot.   However I am so grateful for God's mercy and his great love. 

For I remember the time when I was walking in the darkness, for I remember the time when I was lost, I can have hope in Him. I can have faith that God is everything in my life.

I say to myself,"The Lord is my portion;therefore I will wait for him."

I am excited how God is going to use me for his glory.

 

    

Being myself

"You are precious and honored in my sight,and....I love you."     Isaiah 43:4

"Man looks at the outward appearance,but the LORD looks at the heart."   1 Samuel 16:7

"See,I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me."  Isaiah 49:16

"This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."  Matthew  3:17

I am not perfect. Sometimes I have to ask couple times to understand. Sometimes people laugh at me. Sometimes I feel I am so stupid. But God loves me who be created by God. That is all. That is enough for me.   

"I am the way and the truth and the life."     John 14:6

God is working in Japanese life!!

Tonight we had 16 people for bible study.  It was very small group for Friday night but I believed that it was Gods will.   

Well here is the beginning.  When we were going to pray for our food one Japanese woman showed up.  I went to  the door and introduced myself. She told me that when she was walking around Lighthouse while ago some women asked her to come to Lighthouse to join our activity. That day she didn't come but she remembers about Lighthouse and today she felt like to pray. That's why she came to Lighthouse.  She had no idea about Lighthouse and she was thinking Lighthouse is Japanese church. She told me that she went some shrine today(because it is new years) and also she wanted to pray at church.  I guessed she is not believer yet.  Anyway I asked her to join for dinner.  She started to introduce herself to everyone. 

I sat next to her and asked her about herself. She told me where she is from and that she has been traveling many country. She seemed really positive woman. I gave her Japanese bible. 

During bible study(well tonight Jim was not here so we shared what we study in bible or what we pray for ourselves etc...) she asked me some questions about bible.  She has no idea about bible but she kept saying she wants to buy same bible I have(Japanese one and English one).  I told her  I wold explain about bible and show her book store. 

After bible study(we finished at 8p.m.!) she started to talking to some people so I was just waiting for her.  I was seeking what God is telling me to share with her and why he brought her to Lighthouse tonight. She was enjoying to talk to people. After every one left around 9:30p.m.  I took her to library. She started talking to me about her story. As soon as she started I understood why God brought her tonight.  We have talked about two hours.  I gave her some Japanese christian books which are for non believer or new believer. 

She is seeking love. She wants to know if love is the most important thing in her life. 

She reminded me of myself. Once I was like her. Her story is similar to my story. 

She is about 40. She kept saying that it would be too late to find out what she wants to do or to learn about anything.  I told her that it would never be too late. We learn every day in our lives. I asked her if I can pray for her. She said it's ok so I held her hands and prayed for her.

She told me that she was so glad to come and meet people here and she was so filled. She asked me if she can come back again even she is not thinking to become a Christian just she wants to read the bible. I said "Of cause!" I gave her my email address and Lighthouse website.  

 

I pray that God comforts her heart and surrounds her with his love and take all sadness or pain from her. I also ask God to use me or people from Lighthouse to share his love with her. 

This verse just came to my mind.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."    1 John 4:7

I will continue to pray for her salvation. I would like to ask you to pray for her salvation too. 

God also showed me the reason God put me here at Lighthouse. 

 

Change Things with Knowledge

"Commit way to the Lord; trust also in Him and He will bring it to pass."  Psalm 37:5

We are all eager for our situations and relationships to change, but nothing will change in our live s without knowledge of God's Word. In Hosea 4:6 says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."  Change comes through prayer, and through waiting patiently on God. While we are waiting for God to solve our problems, we are not to complain to everybody else about our situation.  God tells us to trust Him. He is not asking us to trust the people involved in our problems; He is asking us to trust Him. There is a difference. He is faithful to rescue us from all our trouble.    (Starting your day right  By Joyce Meyer)

This is from my morning devotions book. 

I have been to Michigan for two weeks last month.  I have met many godly women there.  God put many desires of being godly woman in my heart.  I was so excited to be changed by God. 

Since I have came back here in Japan, I have been so busy. I feel I came back to my normal life here. Then I have realized that I have not been changed.  I have started being up set myself because I was not doing whatever I thought I should do to be godly woman. 

I was not listening to him or trusting Him because I was busy trying to be a godly women whom I created.  I asked him to forgive me. 

My life has been changing so much since I came to Christ.  Some times I get confused but then I tell myself "God who found me and gave me Hope in my life is charging my life. There is nothing I have to worry about. Whatever he gives me is all I need. This is all about him not about me."

I am so thankful because I alive now for his glory.  Because my life has a purpose now. 

 

    

My angels

This coming Sunday will be my last day working at Chapel as nursery worker. I have been working there five years.  Yes it is a big part of my life. I have met so many children there. I am not ready for leaving there. I am not ready for leaving children.  They are my angels.  They are my sunshine.  I will miss them so much.   

My weakness

"You are my strength when I am weak  You are the treasure That I seek   You are my all in all.

Seeking you as a precious jew'l  Lord to give up I'd be a fool You are my all in all.

Taking my sin  My cross my shame  Rising again I bless your name  You are my all in all.

When I fall down You pick me up  When I am dry You fill my cup  You are my all in all.

Jesus Lamb of God  Worthy is your name   Jesus Lame of God  Worthy is your name."

I have been listening to this song and I can't stop weeping.

Today was a rough day.  I tried to cheer up but I couldn't.  How weak I am......

I used to feel guilty when I was weak and I hated my weakness.  Still sometimes I feel guilty but I am always encouraged by this verse. 

"He said to me 'My grace is sufficient for you,for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why,for Christ's sake I delight in weaknesses,in insults ,in hardships,in   persecutions,in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."    2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I am going to cry out to God tonight and I will have a new day tomorrow again. 

 

My 2nd birthday as Christian

Today is my 2nd birthday as Christian.  I am 2 years old Christian now.   21st,October,2006  I accepted  Jesus as my saver.  Since then my life has changed.  God gave me the purpose of my life.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son Of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained though the law, Christ died for nothing."    GALATIANS  2:20-21 

Without him, I am nothing.  Because of his died, my life is valuable.