Place: Home + Church
Time: 8 AM
Duration: 20+20 mins
Streak: 28 Days
Previous Streak: 34 (ended Nov 12)

Scripture — Psalm 39:7–11

7 Now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions.
Don’t make me the reproach of the foolish.
9 I was mute. I didn’t open my mouth,
because you did it.
10 Remove your scourge away from me.
I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
11 When you correct man with rebukes for sin,
you consume his wealth like a moth.
Surely every man is but a breath. Selah.

Today’s meditation verse speaks about how God rebukes us for sin. When that happens, all we can do is place our hope in Him. God wants us to see how sin impacts our walk with Him, and so when He disciplines me, I will not complain. All I can do is pray in hope that He will remove it.

This passage puts into perspective some of the things I am going through right now. I feel turmoil in my heart, but I have accepted it and pray to God for deliverance. My hope in Him will never change. Through the ups and downs of life — through good times and bad — I have always cried out to God. There may have been seasons where I forgot Him, but I am always drawn back. He attracts me both in fullness and in brokenness.

Today I woke up and washed up earlier than usual, which gave me a 20-minute window before leaving for church to do my sit. I took the opportunity to quiet myself. Then I headed to church with my mom. We arrived early, which gave me another 20 minutes to spend with God.

Neither sit was particularly focused. My mind kept wandering, mostly toward the question: What does God want me to do? By the end of the second sit, before the service properly began, one message stood out clearly — continue spreading His love through Twitter.

In my small way, when I reply to people with God’s blessing, I am reminding them that our God is alive. It may feel insignificant to me, but we never know who might see it and receive the encouragement they need.

Another thought came to me: using the energy test for prediction markets. Instead of trying to fish for coins that will pump, could the energy test be used for testing dichotomies? It was an interesting idea, and one I plan to explore on Space tomorrow.

Since I’m already talking about it, why not bring the energy test into it? That thought excited me, and it was probably one of the reasons my mind wandered so much today. Tomorrow will be a test — both for this idea and for my ability to do a 45-minute sit. I’m excited to see what comes next.

Today’s sermon was about surprises, with Scripture from Matthew 1:18–25 — the passage of Mary receiving the news that she would conceive Jesus.

In this season of Advent, we live in anticipation. We look forward to celebrating Jesus’ first coming even as we await His second.

As surprising as Jesus’ arrival on earth was, it is also surprising that Mary was chosen. As the Son of God, we might expect Him to be born into royalty — to kings and queens — but instead He came through an ordinary young woman.

Imagine the shock Mary herself must have felt when the angel Gabriel told her that her son would bring about a kingdom with no end. She didn’t respond with excitement or delight, but with confusion: “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

She wasn’t focused on the good news — she was overwhelmed by the impossibility of it.

We are so familiar with the story that the virgin birth feels normal to us. But from Mary’s perspective, it was anything but. She faced the risk of public shame, rejection, and even death by stoning for being pregnant while unmarried. It was life-threatening and incredibly heavy. That is why she asked the question.

Yet after the initial shock, she surrendered. She accepted God’s calling, knowing the cost. She put her reputation — and her life — on the line for the Lord.

That brings us to a hard question:
How willing are we to put our reputation and our lives on the line for our Lord, who went all the way for us?

We also need to consider Joseph’s perspective. In hindsight, we see it as an honour to raise Jesus. But imagine the responsibility he felt — a carpenter entrusted with raising the hope of generations.

With privilege comes responsibility.

We, too, are privileged to be adopted sons and daughters of God through Christ. But with that privilege comes responsibility — not only to believe in Jesus, but to live lives of joy and to spread the good news.

God is our protector, but Joseph was entrusted with responsibility — and he accepted it. Both Mary and Joseph obeyed God’s instructions and served Him faithfully. We can be willing servants too, if we allow God to use us.

Another surprise is Jesus’ birthplace. He could have been born in Rome, Athens, Alexandria, or Jerusalem — cities fitting for a king. Instead, He was born in Bethlehem, fulfilling the promise that the Messiah would come from the line of David.

It was so unexpected that it even caught King Herod off guard.

This shows us that God uses the small and the seemingly insignificant. We may feel small, but the God within us is not. He can and will use us if we are willing — in ways we cannot imagine.

The greatest surprise is this:
God loved us so much that He sent His Son to save us.

He owed us nothing. He could have left us to die in our sin. Instead, He chose love. He didn’t demand a standard we could never meet — He met it for us through Jesus.

God showed His love, and Jesus showed it fully by giving His life for us.

That love never changes.
That is the greatest surprise of all.

Do not wait any longer to accept this gift. Our Creator has given us a present — and we must choose to receive it.

If this spoke to you, I invite you to pray this simple prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven,
Thank You for loving me.
Thank You for giving me the greatest gift of all — Your Son, Jesus Christ.
I believe that He died on the cross for my sins
and that He rose again so that I may have new life.
I turn away from my old ways and turn toward You.
Come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior.
Thank You for Your grace, Your mercy, and Your love.
I receive You now by faith.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, I rejoice with you. If you need someone to talk to, feel free to reach out — I’d be more than happy to share more about His love.

God bless you this Sunday, and may you have a wonderful week ahead as we move closer to Christmas. 🎄

God loves me. I love you.
Chúa yêu con. Con yêu bạn.

If this spoke to your heart or encouraged you today, consider subscribing to follow along my journey of faith, meditation, rebuilding, and crypto — one day at a time. Your support means more than you know. ❤️

Place: Home + Church
Time: 8 AM
Duration: 20+20 mins
Streak: 28 Days
Previous Streak: 34 (ended Nov 12)

Scripture — Psalm 39:7–11

7 Now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions.
Don’t make me the reproach of the foolish.
9 I was mute. I didn’t open my mouth,
because you did it.
10 Remove your scourge away from me.
I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
11 When you correct man with rebukes for sin,
you consume his wealth like a moth.
Surely every man is but a breath. Selah.

Today’s meditation verse speaks about how God rebukes us for sin. When that happens, all we can do is place our hope in Him. God wants us to see how sin impacts our walk with Him, and so when He disciplines me, I will not complain. All I can do is pray in hope that He will remove it.

This passage puts into perspective some of the things I am going through right now. I feel turmoil in my heart, but I have accepted it and pray to God for deliverance. My hope in Him will never change. Through the ups and downs of life — through good times and bad — I have always cried out to God. There may have been seasons where I forgot Him, but I am always drawn back. He attracts me both in fullness and in brokenness.

Today I woke up and washed up earlier than usual, which gave me a 20-minute window before leaving for church to do my sit. I took the opportunity to quiet myself. Then I headed to church with my mom. We arrived early, which gave me another 20 minutes to spend with God.

Neither sit was particularly focused. My mind kept wandering, mostly toward the question: What does God want me to do? By the end of the second sit, before the service properly began, one message stood out clearly — continue spreading His love through Twitter.

In my small way, when I reply to people with God’s blessing, I am reminding them that our God is alive. It may feel insignificant to me, but we never know who might see it and receive the encouragement they need.

Another thought came to me: using the energy test for prediction markets. Instead of trying to fish for coins that will pump, could the energy test be used for testing dichotomies? It was an interesting idea, and one I plan to explore on Space tomorrow.

Since I’m already talking about it, why not bring the energy test into it? That thought excited me, and it was probably one of the reasons my mind wandered so much today. Tomorrow will be a test — both for this idea and for my ability to do a 45-minute sit. I’m excited to see what comes next.

Today’s sermon was about surprises, with Scripture from Matthew 1:18–25 — the passage of Mary receiving the news that she would conceive Jesus.

In this season of Advent, we live in anticipation. We look forward to celebrating Jesus’ first coming even as we await His second.

As surprising as Jesus’ arrival on earth was, it is also surprising that Mary was chosen. As the Son of God, we might expect Him to be born into royalty — to kings and queens — but instead He came through an ordinary young woman.

Imagine the shock Mary herself must have felt when the angel Gabriel told her that her son would bring about a kingdom with no end. She didn’t respond with excitement or delight, but with confusion: “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

She wasn’t focused on the good news — she was overwhelmed by the impossibility of it.

We are so familiar with the story that the virgin birth feels normal to us. But from Mary’s perspective, it was anything but. She faced the risk of public shame, rejection, and even death by stoning for being pregnant while unmarried. It was life-threatening and incredibly heavy. That is why she asked the question.

Yet after the initial shock, she surrendered. She accepted God’s calling, knowing the cost. She put her reputation — and her life — on the line for the Lord.

That brings us to a hard question:
How willing are we to put our reputation and our lives on the line for our Lord, who went all the way for us?

We also need to consider Joseph’s perspective. In hindsight, we see it as an honour to raise Jesus. But imagine the responsibility he felt — a carpenter entrusted with raising the hope of generations.

With privilege comes responsibility.

We, too, are privileged to be adopted sons and daughters of God through Christ. But with that privilege comes responsibility — not only to believe in Jesus, but to live lives of joy and to spread the good news.

God is our protector, but Joseph was entrusted with responsibility — and he accepted it. Both Mary and Joseph obeyed God’s instructions and served Him faithfully. We can be willing servants too, if we allow God to use us.

Another surprise is Jesus’ birthplace. He could have been born in Rome, Athens, Alexandria, or Jerusalem — cities fitting for a king. Instead, He was born in Bethlehem, fulfilling the promise that the Messiah would come from the line of David.

It was so unexpected that it even caught King Herod off guard.

This shows us that God uses the small and the seemingly insignificant. We may feel small, but the God within us is not. He can and will use us if we are willing — in ways we cannot imagine.

The greatest surprise is this:
God loved us so much that He sent His Son to save us.

He owed us nothing. He could have left us to die in our sin. Instead, He chose love. He didn’t demand a standard we could never meet — He met it for us through Jesus.

God showed His love, and Jesus showed it fully by giving His life for us.

That love never changes.
That is the greatest surprise of all.

Do not wait any longer to accept this gift. Our Creator has given us a present — and we must choose to receive it.

If this spoke to you, I invite you to pray this simple prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven,
Thank You for loving me.
Thank You for giving me the greatest gift of all — Your Son, Jesus Christ.
I believe that He died on the cross for my sins
and that He rose again so that I may have new life.
I turn away from my old ways and turn toward You.
Come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior.
Thank You for Your grace, Your mercy, and Your love.
I receive You now by faith.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, I rejoice with you. If you need someone to talk to, feel free to reach out — I’d be more than happy to share more about His love.

God bless you this Sunday, and may you have a wonderful week ahead as we move closer to Christmas. 🎄

God loves me. I love you.
Chúa yêu con. Con yêu bạn.

If this spoke to your heart or encouraged you today, consider subscribing to follow along my journey of faith, meditation, rebuilding, and crypto — one day at a time. Your support means more than you know. ❤️