Day 33 - Abraham Chung

Is there a specific Bible passage or verse that comes to mind in the context of “Less of Me and More of Him”?

Mark 10:17-22 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

During one of the Saturday morning prayers, we heard a message from Mark 10:17-22. A rich man approaches Jesus and asks what he needs to do to inherit eternal life. We're familiar with the story and the outcome of the dialogue, but I was especially challenged by Pastor Amos' focus on the attitude of the rich man in how he approached Jesus and how he already had his expectations when asking Jesus this question. It made me reflect on whether or not this attitude is prevalent in my own life. And I think this is an area of "me" that I need to see less of to see more of Jesus.

Briefly explain which areas of your life you find most difficult to surrender to Christ.

Continuing the thought from the first question, I still struggle to go to God first in my decision-making. Whether it's for work, family, or church, I often think, "What do I need to do?" What is the best thing for me to do here?” "How can I improve this?" I want to surrender that and be free from the arrogant thought that my decisions and actions are best for me. I want to prayerfully ask, "What does God want in this situation?" in all circumstances, and have the faith to obey.

Share the areas of your life that have shifted from self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness.

I have been challenging myself to grow in empathy and love others in ways they need to be loved, not simply in ways I am comfortable with. Christ always looks to what we need, and I'm praying I will grow to have the same compassionate and unconditional love. 

What are some practical ways you can display Christ to those around you?

I think I've still been underestimating the impact that time with God (in Scripture and prayer) can have on my daily life. The time I spend in prayer always leads me to be even more prayerful, to remember all the other people and circumstances I want to pray for, and to grow my heart for God's Word, kingdom, and people. I want to be more deliberate in setting that time apart for God.