Day 1 - John Minami
Is there a specific Bible passage or verse that comes to mind in the context of “Less of Me and More of Him”?
Matthew 19:16-22 “And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”
This passage is about a rich man who, to his credit, did all of these great things for the Lord. However, when Jesus asked him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor, he went away disheartened. As I was reflecting on this passage, I felt like the rich man sometimes. I serve a lot, give a lot, and tell God, “God, look at my deeds. Look at me. Look at my accomplishments. Look at what I have done in Your name.” And yes, I feel that God is proud of me for those things, but He wants me to give even more of myself, of my heart to Him. And that’s been hard for me at times. I tend to hide behind my accomplishments, sacrifices, service, and pat myself on the back, and call it a day. But I think in this season of life, God wants me to lay down everything I’ve done, even in His name, and continue to seek after Him. I shouldn’t be satisfied by meeting some standard I have in my head, but instead, I should seek after the Lord daily. God has a lot more in plan for my life, and I want to be ready and excited for what's to come.
Briefly explain which areas of your life you find most difficult to surrender to Christ.
I think the small moments I have in the day are difficult. After spending a long Saturday and Sunday at church, I often like to relax in my free time, whether it is playing games or watching shows. I feel like I deserve this time because I did a “good job” that weekend. It’s as if I want to draw a line with God and say, “I gave you what feels like 12 hours today. Let me have an hour or two to myself, away from you.” Of course, rest and relaxation is important, but I shouldn't want to "turn off" being Christian during these times. Whatever I am doing, even if it’s resting, I want to keep Christ in mind, ensuring that it remains a form of worship, even through something as simple as mindfulness.
Share the areas of your life that have shifted from self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness.
One area of my life that has shifted from self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness is my family relationships. Over the years, my family has caused me grief in various ways, leading me to often vent and complain to my friends about every wrong they have committed against me. While I receive words of encouragement and understanding, and sometimes even justification for my anger and frustration, God has been deeply working on my heart in the past year. Despite their wrongs, I’ve realized they wronged God far more, yet His love prevails. Through Christ, I’ve gained insights and glimpses into the love that He has for them. How can I not have the same? This area of my life has been a huge journey for my heart, and I have been diligently working on it.
What are some practical ways you can display Christ to those around you?
One way I like to show Christ to those around me is by investing time. One day, all of us believers will share an eternity in heaven with each other and with Christ. But what about our time here? Our time here is limited due to the demands of work, family, friends, hobbies, and church. I feel as if I never have enough. Thinking of Christ's brief earthly ministry, I’m reminded of how He spent His time with people, especially the less fortunate. I want to work on opening myself up to spending more time with the Lord and others as He calls me to.