Our team went to Mt Sinai two days ago. It was my third time there, but my first time to see the sunrise. I really enjoy the night hiking. We were the first group of people arriving at the peak (at nearly 2am), and we got the best spot to see the sunrise, which was about 4 hours away - the five of us slept on a mattress with a blanket, and a cap to cover our face. I slept for half an hour, then couldn't fall asleep again as people started arriving at the peak, and it was really cold. I could feel the wind on my face and body, and I kept shaking ... The sunrise was beautiful. Looking at the sunrise, I wondered what Moses was feeling and thinking when he saw the sunrise here on Mt Sinai thousand years ago. When we were traveling in Sinai, it just reminded me of the Israelites thousand years ago. It could be easy for us to make a comment on their disobedience to God despite of how He had been faithfully protecting and providing for them. However, looking at the harsh environment, I could imagine myself complaining to God not long after I left Egypt, where there was food and water though I was a slave there.

Similarly, sometimes it is so easy for us to make a comment or judgment on other Christians. Perhaps we do not understand why they cannot trust God in their difficulties. Perhaps we make an inconsiderate comment of how they turn away from God. Perhaps we make a judgment of how they can be so lukewarm towards God. We always, even without us noticing, try impose our standards on others (even it is from the Bible), demanding others to follow suit without walking with them in love. It is not that we have to agree or compromise with what others are doing or thinking, but we should not make a judgment on other people so easily (in fact, we should not judge), especially without knowing all the facts. Rather, we should have empathy and compassion (not mere pity). We have to try put ourselves in their shoes to see what they are going through and how they are suffering. God can change a person right away, but He has chosen to create in us a need of other people. In this community, we are not to fix problems of someone else's life, but to reflect the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ as we learn to love one another, and to grow to maturity by practising true humility. In fact, it can be more difficult to love our brothers and sisters than others, that is why it is a commandment. It is not our nature to love, especially when the Bible teaches us to love even our enemies.

Indeed, we desperately need one another in our spiritual walk. We also desperately need the Holy Spirit to help us, train us, mold us, and discipline us so that each one of us will become more like Jesus Christ, and the church will become the bride whom Jesus Christ is pleased with. And we desperately need to build a community where love, faith, trust can be found.

And I am greatly reminded by Philippians 1:21 today (we are using Philippians as devotional materials) - "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." It is only when we live our daily life for Jesus Christ then our death can be a gain - to God, to oureselves and to others. Very often we forget that what we do does have eternal value, and that we are going to see our Lord face to face one day. Can we see our Lord without shame, and say, as Paul can boldly claim -"to die is gain", "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness ..."(2 Timothy 4:7)