We all have goals, challenges, and problems that seem impossible, and for me, that includes my company’s sales goals for 2025, running my personal business, and the political crisis in South Korea. The company’s poor sales last year resulted in massive layoffs, my personal business has been stagnant for several years, and I’m actually in the red, but I’m keeping the electric truck I invested in so I don’t get rid of it. The political situation in South Korea is as chaotic as it was when liberal democracy and communist ideas clashed in the immediate aftermath of the country’s liberation. The president is facing an impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court, but it’s an unjust trial with a pre-determined outcome, which weighs heavily on my mind. This is not just a matter of impeaching the president, but a threat to the liberal democratic system from anti-state forces that have long infiltrated all areas of the country, including society, economy, culture, and security. Just as the book Claws of the Panda provided evidence of the CCP’s meddling in Canadian elections, there is also plenty of evidence of systematic stealing of elections in South Korea, and violations of the laws of logarithms that are statistically impossible, as pointed out by Producer Lee in ‘Unanswered questions’.

The book All In, which we are reading together as a church, reminded me that I need to be all in with God in 2025. When I thought about what it means to be all in with God, I realized that it means doing my best in the little things that are entrusted to me, such as doing my best in my job and business, obeying the authority of the church and serving in the ministries of the church, and building up my brothers and sisters in the community with my finances and time. It was also about actively spreading the word of truth that I realized and understood and being a follower of Jesus. I also meditated that all-in is about getting up from your comfort zone and taking action. Some people may have worried or maybe even criticized Peter when they saw him drown after following Jesus for a short walk on the water, but they didn’t experience the miracle of walking on water after all. It is when I get up and walk in faith and not fear that miracles happen and my unprepared situation changes. It’s when we act in faith that God steps in, like Jonathan, who recklessly attacked the Philistine army, turned the tide, or Queen Esther, who risked her life to speak truth to the king and saved the entire Jewish people. It’s the Go, Set, Ready sequence we talked about in the book.

One example of hesitation and failure to go all in is the rich young ruler in the Bible. During a conversation with Jesus, this rich young man is heartbroken at the suggestion that he follow all of God’s laws, sell everything he owns, and follow Jesus. When Jesus analogizes that it’s harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than it is for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle, he tells his astonished disciples that what is impossible for man is possible for God. I resonated with what my pastor said, that it comes down to a choice: will I let fear drag me down or will I step out in faith? I also understood the pastor’s statement that the reason God intervenes and makes things happen in situations that are impossible through our own efforts is because God is sovereign and works for His glory. So I attended the Friday praise service and gave my full tithe, praising God and praying earnestly for the salvation of my family, for my neighbors, and for the victory of our great nation.