Day 19 - Shelley Chung
Is there a specific Bible passage or verse that comes to mind in the context of “Less of Me and More of Him”?
1 Corinthians 9:23-27 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
In this passage, Paul compares his ministry to a runner in a race. An athlete strives to receive a perishable prize, but we strive for an imperishable one. Paul had many flaws and fears, but he wrote with certainty of his purpose. His fear wasn’t if he was going to heaven but failing to please God. I find myself keeping tally marks with God a lot of the time. I thought that if I served in ministry, attended service, or prayed a certain amount of times a week, I would have a better chance of getting into heaven. As doing all of these is important, my focus was on whether or not I have eternal life when it should have been on pleasing God. I pray that during this Lent season, I run with the assurance of the imperishable prize rather than trusting in my strength and understanding.
Briefly explain which areas of your life you find most difficult to surrender to Christ.
I find it most difficult to surrender my expectations to please the Lord. As I mentioned above, I expect God to fulfill my desires in life for the good deeds I am doing. I want to focus on pleasing God and not on what I can get.
Share the areas of your life that have shifted from self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness.
One area that has shifted from self-centeredness to Christ-centered is how I have been serving in the youth ministry. I was so worried if I was doing the right thing on Sundays and saying the right things to my students. Laying down my worries about being judged by others and focusing on doing what God wants to do with me in this ministry has been more rewarding. Turning my focus to love the students with God’s love instead keeps me locked in with the theme “Less of Me and More of Him.” I am simply making room for God to do what He desires through me.
What are some practical ways you can display Christ to those around you?
I can display Christ to those around me by loving them as Jesus does. This goes for my actions, my words, and everything in between. There are days when I think I’ve loved others enough so I can take a break. But as His love for us is endless and perfect, I want to continually abide in His love so that I can love His children as He does.