Personally, I feel that my generation is closer to eternity than ever. With all the things said 2000 years ago and beyond - in the Bible - coming into fruition everyday, it is hard to ignore that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is coming back very soon. Nobody knows when, for the Lord comes like a thief in the night when no one is expecting.
The only best thing that "real" Christians do is to propagate the Word so that many people will have the chance to come to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the Lord does not delight in the death of the wicked, but that they may come to repentance and have everlasting life in heaven. Christians need to abide in the commands of Jesus by loving the Lord God above all things, and to love other people as God has loved us and gave Himself for us.
Christians should not be caught up with the things and worries of the world, but be ready all the time to be caught up to eternity! One thing I fear is that, many people who expect to be in heaven may not be there - that includes friends, relatives, and people close to me. For even if we find time to share the things of God, they may seem to listen but really not have the understanding and attention. I always think about the event in the Bible when people will call Lord, Lord, but Jesus (who is the Righful Judge and King) will tell them He does not know them. How sad would that be, that even now people prefer to be Christian-like but really are not. They are wolves in sheeps clothing.
For the most part, it is a personal choice. We cannot tell who is who, but only the Lord Jesus Christ who reads the minds and hearts of every person on earth. Every second of our time, we are getting at the edge of eternity, and what have we done for Jesus? Only one life will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last. Are we doing something for the sake of Jesus Christ now? Loving God, loving people, feeding the poor, helping the sick, leading others to Christ, being good steward, and many other things Jesus wanted us to do for Him? Or, are we caught up in our own small selfish world simply feeding our lust, our desires, our own pleasures, ripping others off, being puffed up in pride, and other stuff of the Devil?
Wake up now Christian, let us redeem the time! For the Lord is nigh, ready to take us up with Him in heaven - and when all things were said and done, no more regretting, no more sorrow and pain, but everlasting feast and fellowship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! To God be the glory now and forever - in heaven and on the earth!
Living and Active
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Heavenly Minded
Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. (Colossians 3:2 NLT)
Everything on earth has an expiration date. Your brand new car can be out modeled in few months, your computer is good as junk in few years, your cell phone is a shameful piece of electronics in a year or two that you feel pitiful when you use it in public, your no-wrinkle ironed-out jeans becomes out of style when these worn out, lot-of-holes jeans became the fashion – and so much more. All because of the marketing tricks and convincing sales pitches that you wanted to be up-to-date and become crazy about so many things in life, even when it is not necessary.
We are so caught up with material things, even as Christians, that we give much priority on them. There are so many things in life that takes a large chunk of our time, effort, and energy – that we feel left out in the woods if we do not have them. And many times even draw us away from our fellowship with God. In this passage, Paul – who was in prison in Rome, was writing to the Christians in Colosse to consider their new life in Christ, and not to live as carnal believers – that is, not going back to their old lifestyle.
We as modern Christians ought to live as new persons in Christ. We need to leave behind our past life which is hell-bound, and more forward with our heaven-bound life in Christ. We need to “set” our hearts and minds on heavenly matters, and not on earthly matters which last only for a while. The love of money, worship of worldly things, desire for illicit relationships, impurity, lust, evil desires, greediness, anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, lying, and dirty language - need to be taken out of our system. They have no part in our new life in Christ.
We need to replace them with love, peace, patience, hope, long suffering, gentleness, humility, hospitality, kindness, and compassion. Our life is just a mist (James 4:14) and we need to spend our energy and time on heavenly things. Let us not endanger our eternal rewards in heaven, and possibly even lose our fellowship with God by living in our past.
Everything on earth has an expiration date. Your brand new car can be out modeled in few months, your computer is good as junk in few years, your cell phone is a shameful piece of electronics in a year or two that you feel pitiful when you use it in public, your no-wrinkle ironed-out jeans becomes out of style when these worn out, lot-of-holes jeans became the fashion – and so much more. All because of the marketing tricks and convincing sales pitches that you wanted to be up-to-date and become crazy about so many things in life, even when it is not necessary.
We are so caught up with material things, even as Christians, that we give much priority on them. There are so many things in life that takes a large chunk of our time, effort, and energy – that we feel left out in the woods if we do not have them. And many times even draw us away from our fellowship with God. In this passage, Paul – who was in prison in Rome, was writing to the Christians in Colosse to consider their new life in Christ, and not to live as carnal believers – that is, not going back to their old lifestyle.
We as modern Christians ought to live as new persons in Christ. We need to leave behind our past life which is hell-bound, and more forward with our heaven-bound life in Christ. We need to “set” our hearts and minds on heavenly matters, and not on earthly matters which last only for a while. The love of money, worship of worldly things, desire for illicit relationships, impurity, lust, evil desires, greediness, anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, lying, and dirty language - need to be taken out of our system. They have no part in our new life in Christ.
We need to replace them with love, peace, patience, hope, long suffering, gentleness, humility, hospitality, kindness, and compassion. Our life is just a mist (James 4:14) and we need to spend our energy and time on heavenly things. Let us not endanger our eternal rewards in heaven, and possibly even lose our fellowship with God by living in our past.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A People For God
Read first: Genesis 28:10-15
Jacob was fleeing for his life for deceiving his brother Esau. He tricked Esau by selling his birth right for a bowl of stew. In the Middle East, patriarchal importance is highly valued. The first born normally acquires most of the rights in the family. Yet, we saw that Esau did not give much importance in his position being the firstborn. Although, this must happen to fulfill what God had said in Gen 25:23, “that the older shall serve the younger”.
Now Jacob was asked by his mom and dad (Zak and Becky) to flee to his Uncle Laban some five hundred miles away to Haran (a place in modern day Turkey), for they do not want him to marry a girl not belonging to the family line. On the way, Jacob took a stone pillow and set asleep for the night. In a dream, he saw a ladder from earth to heaven and angels of God ascending and descending through it. And the Lord appeared to him and reminded him that his descendants will be countless as dust and spreads through all the earth. And in his seed, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. The same promise given to Abraham and Isaac, was passed on to Jacob.
The Seed is the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to earth to save and bless all the families of the earth. Through Jesus Christ, any one who believes and trusts in Him will be gathered together as people for God. Those who reject Jesus Christ will belong to the Devil and his angels. God does not want to send anyone to hell, for He does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23). Because of His love for all people, He made a way for us to get back to that lost relationship with God when Adam infected every person with the deadly sin. We also know that the Ladder whom the angels ascend and descend through is the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:50-51). He bridges between heaven and earth so that everyone who dares to go through Him might pass through and escape the gulf of hell. Jesus also said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
All people who used to have no hope and no inheritance of the promise of heaven, are now welcome to apply for citizenship in heaven. The promised Seed of old, had now come and living among us. Many people are being rejected for application, entrance, residency, or citizenship in the United States, but heaven is far more greater than any other place – for it is the place where God reigns and living with His people. The best thing is, it is open for any one who acknowledges and trusts in the Seed and Ladder, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. We just need the passport of faith, and the desire to live for Him and make Jesus the Lord of our life.
Jacob was fleeing for his life for deceiving his brother Esau. He tricked Esau by selling his birth right for a bowl of stew. In the Middle East, patriarchal importance is highly valued. The first born normally acquires most of the rights in the family. Yet, we saw that Esau did not give much importance in his position being the firstborn. Although, this must happen to fulfill what God had said in Gen 25:23, “that the older shall serve the younger”.
Now Jacob was asked by his mom and dad (Zak and Becky) to flee to his Uncle Laban some five hundred miles away to Haran (a place in modern day Turkey), for they do not want him to marry a girl not belonging to the family line. On the way, Jacob took a stone pillow and set asleep for the night. In a dream, he saw a ladder from earth to heaven and angels of God ascending and descending through it. And the Lord appeared to him and reminded him that his descendants will be countless as dust and spreads through all the earth. And in his seed, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. The same promise given to Abraham and Isaac, was passed on to Jacob.
The Seed is the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to earth to save and bless all the families of the earth. Through Jesus Christ, any one who believes and trusts in Him will be gathered together as people for God. Those who reject Jesus Christ will belong to the Devil and his angels. God does not want to send anyone to hell, for He does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23). Because of His love for all people, He made a way for us to get back to that lost relationship with God when Adam infected every person with the deadly sin. We also know that the Ladder whom the angels ascend and descend through is the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:50-51). He bridges between heaven and earth so that everyone who dares to go through Him might pass through and escape the gulf of hell. Jesus also said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
All people who used to have no hope and no inheritance of the promise of heaven, are now welcome to apply for citizenship in heaven. The promised Seed of old, had now come and living among us. Many people are being rejected for application, entrance, residency, or citizenship in the United States, but heaven is far more greater than any other place – for it is the place where God reigns and living with His people. The best thing is, it is open for any one who acknowledges and trusts in the Seed and Ladder, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. We just need the passport of faith, and the desire to live for Him and make Jesus the Lord of our life.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
The Fall Of Humanity
Read first: Genesis 3:1-19
The shrewdest animal (verse 1) – Eve had no encounter with other humans except Adam and the animals. Here, we see that Satan used the shrewdest animal God had created, the serpent – a cunning, tricky, and sharp animal – to deceive the woman. Satan still uses such kind of material to trick and deceive many people today, including Christians. In fact, that is one of the characteristics of the anti-Christ when he comes to deceive and mislead many people. The guy who has the cunning ability to persuade and convince people, very smart, very sharp, but tricky.
The lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and pride of life (verses 2-6) – The Devil often uses the same technique that works every time – lusts and pride – to trap people into sinning. He also started by planting doubt into the woman’s mind by asking “Did God really say…?” which is also his way of taking out the warning signs in our lives. Even advertising and marketing companies apply similar techniques to sell products. Appealing to the eyes, it will make you look good and feel good, it will make you proud and known by others, only to find out it is not even close to the truth.
The guilt of sinning (verses 7-13) – Guilt always comes last. When we succumb into temptation and had transpired into sin, we will know it’s too late and guilt comes creeping in. Sin suddenly detaches our fellowship with God, and we start focusing on ourselves. Only to find out we are naked before God like Adam and Eve, and we try to hide from God. We also see here the love and gentleness of God towards Adam and Eve. Instead of opening up the ground to swallow them, God came as Father seeking His hiding and ashamed kids. Although God knows everything that had transpired between the Devil, Adam, and Eve – God came out calling in gentle loving voice “Where are you?” Even now, we know that the Lord is calling us out and the lost ones to bring back the fellowship with Him – only when we acknowledge our sin and fault and confess our sin before Him. God is so good!
The penalty of sin (verses 14-19) – What God had warned, God will do. So, when we violate the warning signs God had given, we will “surely” suffer. In this case, Adam and Eve will “surely” die when they will disobey the command not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:16-17). I also believe the game of “passing the buck” among politicians originated here J. Adam did not want to take the responsibility and passed it over to Eve, Eve likewise passed it to the serpent, the serpent had no one to blame. The poor serpent was the first to get the penalty, then Eve, then Adam.
Many people today thought that they are getting away even when they commit sin continually. The truth is, sin works for its wages – death! (Romans 6:23). No one is capable of paying for the wages of his or her sin. Our blood money is not just enough. But we thank God for providing the complete payment – He sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross, shed His blood, and washed away the death penalty with all its fine prints. And God is offering it as the gift (Ephesians 2:8). If we believe that God did it so for us and are willing to accept His gift of eternal life – then we are in fact changing family status from the devil (John 8:44) to getting adopted into God’s family (Romans 8:15), and changing our eternal address from hell to heaven.
The shrewdest animal (verse 1) – Eve had no encounter with other humans except Adam and the animals. Here, we see that Satan used the shrewdest animal God had created, the serpent – a cunning, tricky, and sharp animal – to deceive the woman. Satan still uses such kind of material to trick and deceive many people today, including Christians. In fact, that is one of the characteristics of the anti-Christ when he comes to deceive and mislead many people. The guy who has the cunning ability to persuade and convince people, very smart, very sharp, but tricky.
The lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and pride of life (verses 2-6) – The Devil often uses the same technique that works every time – lusts and pride – to trap people into sinning. He also started by planting doubt into the woman’s mind by asking “Did God really say…?” which is also his way of taking out the warning signs in our lives. Even advertising and marketing companies apply similar techniques to sell products. Appealing to the eyes, it will make you look good and feel good, it will make you proud and known by others, only to find out it is not even close to the truth.
The guilt of sinning (verses 7-13) – Guilt always comes last. When we succumb into temptation and had transpired into sin, we will know it’s too late and guilt comes creeping in. Sin suddenly detaches our fellowship with God, and we start focusing on ourselves. Only to find out we are naked before God like Adam and Eve, and we try to hide from God. We also see here the love and gentleness of God towards Adam and Eve. Instead of opening up the ground to swallow them, God came as Father seeking His hiding and ashamed kids. Although God knows everything that had transpired between the Devil, Adam, and Eve – God came out calling in gentle loving voice “Where are you?” Even now, we know that the Lord is calling us out and the lost ones to bring back the fellowship with Him – only when we acknowledge our sin and fault and confess our sin before Him. God is so good!
The penalty of sin (verses 14-19) – What God had warned, God will do. So, when we violate the warning signs God had given, we will “surely” suffer. In this case, Adam and Eve will “surely” die when they will disobey the command not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:16-17). I also believe the game of “passing the buck” among politicians originated here J. Adam did not want to take the responsibility and passed it over to Eve, Eve likewise passed it to the serpent, the serpent had no one to blame. The poor serpent was the first to get the penalty, then Eve, then Adam.
Many people today thought that they are getting away even when they commit sin continually. The truth is, sin works for its wages – death! (Romans 6:23). No one is capable of paying for the wages of his or her sin. Our blood money is not just enough. But we thank God for providing the complete payment – He sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross, shed His blood, and washed away the death penalty with all its fine prints. And God is offering it as the gift (Ephesians 2:8). If we believe that God did it so for us and are willing to accept His gift of eternal life – then we are in fact changing family status from the devil (John 8:44) to getting adopted into God’s family (Romans 8:15), and changing our eternal address from hell to heaven.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Poor and Needy
“The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.” (Mark 14:7 NIV)
“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:2 NIV)
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'” (Matthew 25:40 NIV)
I was always puzzled why we have poor people especially in third world countries, and even in rich and developed countries like the USA, EU, Japan, or even in oil rich countries like KSA. As I connect some of the verses I have read, it made more sense why we need poor and needy people. Of course, many poor people are poor because of their own doing or just simply being lazy. But there are poor people who are victims of injustices or results of unfortunate circumstances like calamities and similar situations.
Even then, Jesus Himself had told us to have poor people with us. For whatever reason, I believe they are instruments for the testing of our faith, compassion, love, and care for other people – even as Jesus had compassion on all people. Jesus wants us to practice and experience what He is like, for this brings us also humility of heart and greater love for other people. People who have no capacity to pay us back or to love us back – for by then, it is a way that we can have inheritance and rewards in heaven (Matt 25:34).
For the hungry, we give food and the Bread of Life. For the thirsty, we give drink and the Water of Life. For the stranger, we provide shelter and bring them to the House of the Lord. For the clothe less, we provide clothing. For the sick and prisoners, we have to visit them and comfort them with the Word of God. We are so much blessed by God that we need to bless other people, and to become channels of blessings. Who knows, angels are sent as poor in our doorsteps to test our love and compassion – be willing to help and accommodate. And don’t worry, surely God will give you a hint in your heart whether the poor is real or not.
As we see so many calamities and needy people in many places, may we learn to practice generosity and compassion, as the Lord continue to shower us blessings and the capacity to give. Bless and be blessed.
“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:2 NIV)
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'” (Matthew 25:40 NIV)
I was always puzzled why we have poor people especially in third world countries, and even in rich and developed countries like the USA, EU, Japan, or even in oil rich countries like KSA. As I connect some of the verses I have read, it made more sense why we need poor and needy people. Of course, many poor people are poor because of their own doing or just simply being lazy. But there are poor people who are victims of injustices or results of unfortunate circumstances like calamities and similar situations.
Even then, Jesus Himself had told us to have poor people with us. For whatever reason, I believe they are instruments for the testing of our faith, compassion, love, and care for other people – even as Jesus had compassion on all people. Jesus wants us to practice and experience what He is like, for this brings us also humility of heart and greater love for other people. People who have no capacity to pay us back or to love us back – for by then, it is a way that we can have inheritance and rewards in heaven (Matt 25:34).
For the hungry, we give food and the Bread of Life. For the thirsty, we give drink and the Water of Life. For the stranger, we provide shelter and bring them to the House of the Lord. For the clothe less, we provide clothing. For the sick and prisoners, we have to visit them and comfort them with the Word of God. We are so much blessed by God that we need to bless other people, and to become channels of blessings. Who knows, angels are sent as poor in our doorsteps to test our love and compassion – be willing to help and accommodate. And don’t worry, surely God will give you a hint in your heart whether the poor is real or not.
As we see so many calamities and needy people in many places, may we learn to practice generosity and compassion, as the Lord continue to shower us blessings and the capacity to give. Bless and be blessed.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Staying connected ….
22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:22-25 NKJV)
There is nothing much more important – next to having a God - than being connected to a community of people, if you are a person created to live on this wild and lonely earth. People used to send enveloped mails and post cards, call by telephone, meet in one place and get together – fulfilling some needs of the human desire being connected to each other. Until the electronic age came where meetings and gatherings are slowly being replaced by impersonal emails, online conferences, social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Friendster, MySpace, and many others. People sit more often in front of the computer screen, than spending time with other people personally. Yet still, this only shows that getting connected is another important missing piece in the life of an individual.
In the life of a Christian, it is a command to gather together as body of believers in Christ … as we see the Day approaching, referring to Christ’s eminent return. Not only because we wanted to see each other, but more importantly to help and encourage each other in the Word, after all, the power of encouragement comes from the Word of God. We notice that there are three collective phrases from verses 22 to 24, “let us ...” which include you and other believers getting together. I personally tried to get alone myself and study and meditate on God’s Word. Somehow it worked for few weeks, until I still have that longing to be in a body of believers. It could be that the Holy Spirit is putting that desire in my heart to fellowship with other believers whenever I go into the Word. If that’s what it is, then God’s Word is worth believing that staying connected is a must. Verse 25 says, not to forsake assembling of ourselves together. It’s not just getting together but assembling together – which means everyone has a function to perform in the body of believers, like assembling a piece of puzzle, assembling an engine block, or whatever thing that needs to work together in unity to fulfill a purpose. Everyone has a purpose whether we do highlights or lowest job in the body – God is the one who rewards and elevates everyone in the body, so we still need to get together and do what God wanted us to perform in the body.
In our daily walk as Christians, we need to remember the “let us” commands. I would like to share this paraphrased version in The Message: “So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.”
Let’s get connected to God and with other believers more often. Either by going to church regularly or attending Christian fellowships where the Bible is preached and Christ is glorified and magnified.
There is nothing much more important – next to having a God - than being connected to a community of people, if you are a person created to live on this wild and lonely earth. People used to send enveloped mails and post cards, call by telephone, meet in one place and get together – fulfilling some needs of the human desire being connected to each other. Until the electronic age came where meetings and gatherings are slowly being replaced by impersonal emails, online conferences, social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Friendster, MySpace, and many others. People sit more often in front of the computer screen, than spending time with other people personally. Yet still, this only shows that getting connected is another important missing piece in the life of an individual.
In the life of a Christian, it is a command to gather together as body of believers in Christ … as we see the Day approaching, referring to Christ’s eminent return. Not only because we wanted to see each other, but more importantly to help and encourage each other in the Word, after all, the power of encouragement comes from the Word of God. We notice that there are three collective phrases from verses 22 to 24, “let us ...” which include you and other believers getting together. I personally tried to get alone myself and study and meditate on God’s Word. Somehow it worked for few weeks, until I still have that longing to be in a body of believers. It could be that the Holy Spirit is putting that desire in my heart to fellowship with other believers whenever I go into the Word. If that’s what it is, then God’s Word is worth believing that staying connected is a must. Verse 25 says, not to forsake assembling of ourselves together. It’s not just getting together but assembling together – which means everyone has a function to perform in the body of believers, like assembling a piece of puzzle, assembling an engine block, or whatever thing that needs to work together in unity to fulfill a purpose. Everyone has a purpose whether we do highlights or lowest job in the body – God is the one who rewards and elevates everyone in the body, so we still need to get together and do what God wanted us to perform in the body.
In our daily walk as Christians, we need to remember the “let us” commands. I would like to share this paraphrased version in The Message: “So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.”
Let’s get connected to God and with other believers more often. Either by going to church regularly or attending Christian fellowships where the Bible is preached and Christ is glorified and magnified.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Live Right Side Up in Upside Down World
Ever since the "world's title deed" given by God to Adam to rule over the earth - was handed over to Satan by deception, our world had become upside down. Life became shortened, morality became corrupted every day, what's right is now considered wrong, what's wrong is now right, what's cool is hot, what's hot is cool, what's bad is good or nice, what's good or nice is bad, and so on ... as you hear words you haven't thought before and become confused everyday.
But as Christians, we thank God that we have the Instruction Manual of Life - the Bible. Where we base all thoughts, all doctrines, all teachings, and everything under the sun on the light of the Word of God. And we see that many of the main stream teachings and thoughts are exactly opposite or contrary to the Bible. Why is that? You may ask. Well, the world and it's powers are governed by the one who rules this world - the Devil. Of course, everything the Devil does is within the bounds of God's permission (remember Job's story?), because God is still the One on the Highest Throne. The Devil's throne is only in this world.
The world promotes pride, the Bible promotes humility. The world says, amass wealth and live happy, the Bible says give what you have and be more blessed. The world says, climb up the ranks at any cost and be popular and known, the Bible says be servant of all and you'll be lifted up. So, why all these lowliness and meekness (power under control) in the Bible while the world is enjoying in pride? The Father knows best, it is the way to more fulfilling life - now and eternal. Pride puffs you up for short period, then you're all alone facing vanity. Learn from the king who had it all, King Solomon of old; learn from one of the world's richest guy Howard Hughes - who ended up miserably, and many more who pursued wealth, pride, and happiness only to find it empty - it's all vanity! If you could be better than King Solomon, Howard Hughes, or even Bill Gates - and say it's not vanity, then I will say the Bible is wrong and never to be read or believed in. Yet, since it is God's Word and tested for all generations - then let's stand for what it teaches. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" (2 Timothy 3:16 KJV)
But as Christians, we thank God that we have the Instruction Manual of Life - the Bible. Where we base all thoughts, all doctrines, all teachings, and everything under the sun on the light of the Word of God. And we see that many of the main stream teachings and thoughts are exactly opposite or contrary to the Bible. Why is that? You may ask. Well, the world and it's powers are governed by the one who rules this world - the Devil. Of course, everything the Devil does is within the bounds of God's permission (remember Job's story?), because God is still the One on the Highest Throne. The Devil's throne is only in this world.
The world promotes pride, the Bible promotes humility. The world says, amass wealth and live happy, the Bible says give what you have and be more blessed. The world says, climb up the ranks at any cost and be popular and known, the Bible says be servant of all and you'll be lifted up. So, why all these lowliness and meekness (power under control) in the Bible while the world is enjoying in pride? The Father knows best, it is the way to more fulfilling life - now and eternal. Pride puffs you up for short period, then you're all alone facing vanity. Learn from the king who had it all, King Solomon of old; learn from one of the world's richest guy Howard Hughes - who ended up miserably, and many more who pursued wealth, pride, and happiness only to find it empty - it's all vanity! If you could be better than King Solomon, Howard Hughes, or even Bill Gates - and say it's not vanity, then I will say the Bible is wrong and never to be read or believed in. Yet, since it is God's Word and tested for all generations - then let's stand for what it teaches. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" (2 Timothy 3:16 KJV)
Friday, August 28, 2009
God's Love and Ours
1 John 4:7-12
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
Why do we need to love God?
It is the most appropriate thing for a Christian to do - because we are born of God and we know God. It is our best expression of worship before the Lord - for God is love. Not doing it could mean we are of the Devil. God first loved us, even when we don't deserve it, by sending Jesus Christ to die and pay for the penalty of our sins. Wouldn't we be grateful by loving the Lord back?
Why do we need to love others - including those who hate us?
That's how we make God's love complete in us - by loving others unconditionally. We need to reflect God's love for us towards other people. God loves those people in our surrounding, and it's just right that we love them too. In heaven, you may be seeing them FOREVER anyways - just think about that if you hate them here on earth. How difficult it could have been for Stephen if he hated Saul (Paul) for persecuting him, now that they are both in heaven forever!
That's why we need to practice loving God, and other Christians, and other people .... it's just the godly and heavenly thing to do.
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
Why do we need to love God?
It is the most appropriate thing for a Christian to do - because we are born of God and we know God. It is our best expression of worship before the Lord - for God is love. Not doing it could mean we are of the Devil. God first loved us, even when we don't deserve it, by sending Jesus Christ to die and pay for the penalty of our sins. Wouldn't we be grateful by loving the Lord back?
Why do we need to love others - including those who hate us?
That's how we make God's love complete in us - by loving others unconditionally. We need to reflect God's love for us towards other people. God loves those people in our surrounding, and it's just right that we love them too. In heaven, you may be seeing them FOREVER anyways - just think about that if you hate them here on earth. How difficult it could have been for Stephen if he hated Saul (Paul) for persecuting him, now that they are both in heaven forever!
That's why we need to practice loving God, and other Christians, and other people .... it's just the godly and heavenly thing to do.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Pre-screening of Christ's Mission
John 13
verse 1 - ..... Jesus loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
Even if Jesus knows that His disciples are quarreling who's the greatest (Luke 22:24) and did not care to wash their dirty, smelly, stinking feet after walking several miles before eating (which was a cultural practice in Middle East), even if he knows that Judas will betray Him few hours from that time, even if Peter will deny Him later on, and even if His disciples will desert Him for a time ..... Jesus showed them what LOVE really is, and He gave them an example (verse 15). Instead of giving a sermon on cleaning dirty feet and 10-steps how to become a servant, He himself stood up and showed them how to serve each other with humility.
verse 2 - And supper being ended (this means supper has just begun and on-going)
verse 4 – Jesus rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took towel and girded Himself.
Imagine everybody is eating and busy arguing, Jesus interrupted on His meal and took the attitude of a servant – by taking off His outer garment and girding a towel around His waist, because no one dared to do the task of a servant. While His disciples were busy conversing, thinking about themselves, thinking what's the next opportunity to brag themselves and ride on Jesus' popularity, Jesus was preparing to show them how to be a servant, how to be humble, and how to love people despite of their failures and weaknesses.
Verse 5 - ..... He poured out water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet
It is interesting to know that Jesus prepared everything and made sure there is water for washing and cleansing His disciples feet. In Luke 22:7-13, He ordered His disciples to look for an upper room for Passover celebration, where a man was “carrying a pitcher of water”.
This is just an ultimate example of loving others and how Jesus loved the world (John 3:16), by humbling Himself even if He is the Master, even if He is God. Love is what the disciples need to continue on Jesus’ ministry. Otherwise, they will all be “clanging cymbals” (1 Cor 13:1), and without Jesus’ character in them, for God is Love.
Jesus involved Himself in the dirt of His disciples’ feet, without saying a thing. That’s how we should love other people – getting involved, not much word, but just doing it.
Verse 8 – Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!"
If we refuse to be washed – constant spiritual cleansing (1 John 1:9), we will not enjoy our fellowship with Christ. Even if we were cleansed by bath (verse 10) – which is being washed and saved in the blood of Jesus, we need constant cleansing because our feet gets dirty, we always sin.
Verse 10 – .... therefore He said, “You are not all clean”
This is a dangerous situation for many people who profess to be in Christ. When in fact, they really are not, like Judas. Same way, many Christians claim to be so, but they are not really in Christ. Meaning, they always look like Christians, speak like Christians, walk like Christians, but not really Christians.
Despite all these, Jesus loved everybody …. Showing that we must love even our enemies. For who knows, they can always come to the saving knowledge of Jesus, like Saul (Paul). Unfortunately, Judas took the wrong decision and missed the work of Christ.
Verse 16 – Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.
Even if Jesus had brought down Himself through humility, He is still the Lord – He is still the God. Yet He came down and be like us that we can call Him friend (John 15:15).
Summary:
He took out His kingship outer garment, and wrapped himself in humanity’s linen towel, taking the form of a servant – but He is still God, to wash us and cleanse us from our sins (our dirty feet). He did this to give us example of servanthood, humility, and love - to God and to others, even our enemies (even our Judas’!). To wash their feet (forgive them), and make it dry (to love them without condition). Verse 12, “So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again”. After coming to wash our sins, He rose again from the dead, He took back His kingship garment and sat down at the right hand of God – waiting for us to eat with Him again and have fellowship with Him. Meanwhile, we do communion here on earth to remember and prepare ourselves for that bigger and better feast with Jesus in heaven.
What does it say?
• About God’s Love for us (verse 1) – remember that Jesus is few hours from death (during passover feast, which is illegal according to Jewish law) and He wants to leave an important message and thought to His disciples.
What does it mean?
• God loved us that He came to become a servant, took out His garment of heavenly kingship, wrapped Himself in the towel of humanity, offered Himself for us that we might become clean (righteous before God), even while we were yet sinners (proud, bragging, unwilling to serve like His disciples).
What does it teach?
• That we should love one another too, and by that, people would know that we are His disciples. We too should take the form of servant and wash others (forgive them) and love them (make them dry and comfortable) – verse 5.
What does it require?
• Willingness to be cleaned – we cannot enjoy fellowship with the Lord if we have dirty feet (sin in our heart). Don’t be the attitude of Peter (during that time).
• Humility – we should be humble and available to be a servant of Christ. Not like Peter who had the arrogance, and even want to take advantage the goodness of the Lord. We are not to abuse and take advantage of the goodness of others too. Yet, we know Peter had matured through the years and followed Christ faithfully even to his death being crucified upside down - thinking he's not worthy being crucified like Christ.
• Constant communion with Christ and with fellow believers. Sit back and dine with Jesus at the bread of His Word regularly.
• Know that Jesus is still our God and Master, even if He called us friends.
verse 1 - ..... Jesus loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
Even if Jesus knows that His disciples are quarreling who's the greatest (Luke 22:24) and did not care to wash their dirty, smelly, stinking feet after walking several miles before eating (which was a cultural practice in Middle East), even if he knows that Judas will betray Him few hours from that time, even if Peter will deny Him later on, and even if His disciples will desert Him for a time ..... Jesus showed them what LOVE really is, and He gave them an example (verse 15). Instead of giving a sermon on cleaning dirty feet and 10-steps how to become a servant, He himself stood up and showed them how to serve each other with humility.
verse 2 - And supper being ended (this means supper has just begun and on-going)
verse 4 – Jesus rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took towel and girded Himself.
Imagine everybody is eating and busy arguing, Jesus interrupted on His meal and took the attitude of a servant – by taking off His outer garment and girding a towel around His waist, because no one dared to do the task of a servant. While His disciples were busy conversing, thinking about themselves, thinking what's the next opportunity to brag themselves and ride on Jesus' popularity, Jesus was preparing to show them how to be a servant, how to be humble, and how to love people despite of their failures and weaknesses.
Verse 5 - ..... He poured out water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet
It is interesting to know that Jesus prepared everything and made sure there is water for washing and cleansing His disciples feet. In Luke 22:7-13, He ordered His disciples to look for an upper room for Passover celebration, where a man was “carrying a pitcher of water”.
This is just an ultimate example of loving others and how Jesus loved the world (John 3:16), by humbling Himself even if He is the Master, even if He is God. Love is what the disciples need to continue on Jesus’ ministry. Otherwise, they will all be “clanging cymbals” (1 Cor 13:1), and without Jesus’ character in them, for God is Love.
Jesus involved Himself in the dirt of His disciples’ feet, without saying a thing. That’s how we should love other people – getting involved, not much word, but just doing it.
Verse 8 – Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!"
If we refuse to be washed – constant spiritual cleansing (1 John 1:9), we will not enjoy our fellowship with Christ. Even if we were cleansed by bath (verse 10) – which is being washed and saved in the blood of Jesus, we need constant cleansing because our feet gets dirty, we always sin.
Verse 10 – .... therefore He said, “You are not all clean”
This is a dangerous situation for many people who profess to be in Christ. When in fact, they really are not, like Judas. Same way, many Christians claim to be so, but they are not really in Christ. Meaning, they always look like Christians, speak like Christians, walk like Christians, but not really Christians.
Despite all these, Jesus loved everybody …. Showing that we must love even our enemies. For who knows, they can always come to the saving knowledge of Jesus, like Saul (Paul). Unfortunately, Judas took the wrong decision and missed the work of Christ.
Verse 16 – Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.
Even if Jesus had brought down Himself through humility, He is still the Lord – He is still the God. Yet He came down and be like us that we can call Him friend (John 15:15).
Summary:
He took out His kingship outer garment, and wrapped himself in humanity’s linen towel, taking the form of a servant – but He is still God, to wash us and cleanse us from our sins (our dirty feet). He did this to give us example of servanthood, humility, and love - to God and to others, even our enemies (even our Judas’!). To wash their feet (forgive them), and make it dry (to love them without condition). Verse 12, “So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again”. After coming to wash our sins, He rose again from the dead, He took back His kingship garment and sat down at the right hand of God – waiting for us to eat with Him again and have fellowship with Him. Meanwhile, we do communion here on earth to remember and prepare ourselves for that bigger and better feast with Jesus in heaven.
What does it say?
• About God’s Love for us (verse 1) – remember that Jesus is few hours from death (during passover feast, which is illegal according to Jewish law) and He wants to leave an important message and thought to His disciples.
What does it mean?
• God loved us that He came to become a servant, took out His garment of heavenly kingship, wrapped Himself in the towel of humanity, offered Himself for us that we might become clean (righteous before God), even while we were yet sinners (proud, bragging, unwilling to serve like His disciples).
What does it teach?
• That we should love one another too, and by that, people would know that we are His disciples. We too should take the form of servant and wash others (forgive them) and love them (make them dry and comfortable) – verse 5.
What does it require?
• Willingness to be cleaned – we cannot enjoy fellowship with the Lord if we have dirty feet (sin in our heart). Don’t be the attitude of Peter (during that time).
• Humility – we should be humble and available to be a servant of Christ. Not like Peter who had the arrogance, and even want to take advantage the goodness of the Lord. We are not to abuse and take advantage of the goodness of others too. Yet, we know Peter had matured through the years and followed Christ faithfully even to his death being crucified upside down - thinking he's not worthy being crucified like Christ.
• Constant communion with Christ and with fellow believers. Sit back and dine with Jesus at the bread of His Word regularly.
• Know that Jesus is still our God and Master, even if He called us friends.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Why Do We Need To Worship God?
This is a question many people are asking themselves and others. Why do we need to worship God? Is God some kind of low esteem that He requires worship from people? Is God on some cosmic egoistic trip that He gets mad if we don’t worship Him? The answer is NO. God is totally fine trillions and gazillions of years even before He created the earth and the whole universe, and every living thing including you and me. In fact, God doesn’t need us – He is complete in Himself. He can exist even without humanity, from eternity to eternity. God had already set-up His worship teams of angels long before we were created. A third of them rebelled because of pride and became fallen angels – the primary worship leader then became Lucifer or Satan (Isaiah 14:12).
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Gen 1:31). When God created the earth and everything in it, it was perfect. And in itself, it reflects the marvelous wonder of God’s power and majesty. The creation itself brings praise and glory to God. Not a single person on earth who could have seen the beauty of creation would not have marveled nor have been filled with awe. Jesus said in Luke 19:40 that if people would be silent and not worship, the stones and rocks could not just wait to burst out in praise and adoration to its Creator! Never mind the trees, the flowers, the birds, the wind, and the seasons, the moon, and the stars – they are worshiping God everyday, and you could not just ignore them.
Now, the Lord created man and woman in His own image (Gen 1:27). “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” says Paul in Ephesians 2:9. We too are God’s creation, in fact the most important of all God’s creation, and we must reflect God’s glory in our lives and bound to do good works. But we cannot do it because sin separated us from God – and all have sinned without exception (Rom 3:23). Yet because of God’s love for us, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins and pay all our sin at full price. And that is the greatest gift we can have from God – only if we believe to be so and accept it by faith (Eph 2:8).
Having that gift of salvation alone is the most important reason why we should give thanks and worship to God the Father, who reconciled us back to Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. Expressing our worship and adoration to the God of our salvation here on earth is the best practice we can do. It is a glimpse of what’s going on now in heaven where the angels and saints are worshiping God at all times. If the king of rock, king of pop, king of jazz, and whatever king of music have died and did not waver to sing and entertain people and audiences and themselves – so much more the saints and angels of the Lord God Almighty will not waver to sing praise and worship to the King of kings and Lord of lords! It wouldn’t be boring as you think.
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Gen 1:31). When God created the earth and everything in it, it was perfect. And in itself, it reflects the marvelous wonder of God’s power and majesty. The creation itself brings praise and glory to God. Not a single person on earth who could have seen the beauty of creation would not have marveled nor have been filled with awe. Jesus said in Luke 19:40 that if people would be silent and not worship, the stones and rocks could not just wait to burst out in praise and adoration to its Creator! Never mind the trees, the flowers, the birds, the wind, and the seasons, the moon, and the stars – they are worshiping God everyday, and you could not just ignore them.
Now, the Lord created man and woman in His own image (Gen 1:27). “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” says Paul in Ephesians 2:9. We too are God’s creation, in fact the most important of all God’s creation, and we must reflect God’s glory in our lives and bound to do good works. But we cannot do it because sin separated us from God – and all have sinned without exception (Rom 3:23). Yet because of God’s love for us, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins and pay all our sin at full price. And that is the greatest gift we can have from God – only if we believe to be so and accept it by faith (Eph 2:8).
Having that gift of salvation alone is the most important reason why we should give thanks and worship to God the Father, who reconciled us back to Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. Expressing our worship and adoration to the God of our salvation here on earth is the best practice we can do. It is a glimpse of what’s going on now in heaven where the angels and saints are worshiping God at all times. If the king of rock, king of pop, king of jazz, and whatever king of music have died and did not waver to sing and entertain people and audiences and themselves – so much more the saints and angels of the Lord God Almighty will not waver to sing praise and worship to the King of kings and Lord of lords! It wouldn’t be boring as you think.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Are You Persecuting Christ?
Acts 9: 1 and 4-5
Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples ….
"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.
"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied.
Are You Persecuting Christ?
Many times we are unaware that we Christians are persecuting our own Savior Jesus Christ. When we throw accusations to our fellow believers, when we talk against their back, when we hate them, when we wish they will fall, when we wish they will not succeed, when we pray the Lord won’t bless them, and the list goes on and on and on. It is sad but it is happening among the believers in Christ. Christians biting at each other.
It is what Saul (now Paul) had been doing before his conversion. He taught he was doing service to the Lord by letting the Christians persecuted, and remaining blameless by not doing the stoning himself but approving the stoning of Stephen. Yet later on, he wanted to do it hands-on by himself grabbing and throwing Christians into jail, thinking he became more zealous in his service to God doing that way.
Christians are no less than Saul in persecuting Christians and Christ when they are eager to put down those who don’t agree with their belief system and practices. When Christians practice “holier than thou” attitude and judge those who fall into temptation and sin instead of helping them up to recover. The principle of Matthew 25:40 still applies from the time of Jesus, to Paul, and until today – whatever we do to the least of our brothers (young or old, rich or poor, known or unknown) we do it to the Lord. And likewise, whatever we did not do to the least of our brothers – we did not do it to the Lord (v.45).
Jesus Christ shed His blood for everyone who believed and became Christians. He bought their eternal salvation with the price of His life, and stored their souls in heaven as trophies. And so, if we look down into other Christians for whom Christ died with intention of putting them down, or destroying them, or hurting them, or to be stumbling block for them – we are in fact trying to destroy or annul the very work of Christ at the cross. We are in fact persecuting Christ himself. Now in the afterlife, when we will be seeing each in heaven for eternity - could we bear them forever, if in this world we don’t love them?
Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples ….
"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.
"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied.
Are You Persecuting Christ?
Many times we are unaware that we Christians are persecuting our own Savior Jesus Christ. When we throw accusations to our fellow believers, when we talk against their back, when we hate them, when we wish they will fall, when we wish they will not succeed, when we pray the Lord won’t bless them, and the list goes on and on and on. It is sad but it is happening among the believers in Christ. Christians biting at each other.
It is what Saul (now Paul) had been doing before his conversion. He taught he was doing service to the Lord by letting the Christians persecuted, and remaining blameless by not doing the stoning himself but approving the stoning of Stephen. Yet later on, he wanted to do it hands-on by himself grabbing and throwing Christians into jail, thinking he became more zealous in his service to God doing that way.
Christians are no less than Saul in persecuting Christians and Christ when they are eager to put down those who don’t agree with their belief system and practices. When Christians practice “holier than thou” attitude and judge those who fall into temptation and sin instead of helping them up to recover. The principle of Matthew 25:40 still applies from the time of Jesus, to Paul, and until today – whatever we do to the least of our brothers (young or old, rich or poor, known or unknown) we do it to the Lord. And likewise, whatever we did not do to the least of our brothers – we did not do it to the Lord (v.45).
Jesus Christ shed His blood for everyone who believed and became Christians. He bought their eternal salvation with the price of His life, and stored their souls in heaven as trophies. And so, if we look down into other Christians for whom Christ died with intention of putting them down, or destroying them, or hurting them, or to be stumbling block for them – we are in fact trying to destroy or annul the very work of Christ at the cross. We are in fact persecuting Christ himself. Now in the afterlife, when we will be seeing each in heaven for eternity - could we bear them forever, if in this world we don’t love them?
What The Hell?
Luke 16:22-24
"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
Read Luke 16:19-31
What The Hell?
Yes, you may say that ten times or hundred times, but there really is a hell. The very place people don’t want to think about, and trying to ease up in their conscience what the hell will be like by making an expression out of it. Jesus himself mentioned about hell to warn us how not to go there. Because of God’s love for us – He sent Jesus Christ to die at the cross to become the Bridge between us and God. For sin has separated us from God the Father. Hell was created for the Devil and his angels, and God sends no one there. It is a person’s decision and attitude that drives him or her to hell.
First, hell is a place of torment and agony (vv.23-24). If you don’t know what agony is, try hitting your fingernail with hammer and have a small glimpse of agony. There’s no such thing as partying in hell where friends are waiting – nope, torture is waiting. It is a solitary place where a person is being torn down but never consumed. The place where the worm eats up the body but never dies and the fire is never quenched (Mark 9:48). In our passage, the rich man was in desert of fire, choking in thirst, his saliva dried up, and no water.
Second, in hell, people have remembrance of their past lives (v. 25). The rich man wished that he should have not driven himself in that place of torment, but it’s too late. A person can live a good life, not hurting anyone, not ripping off other people, but still can go to hell. Our own righteousness and good works cannot rescue us from hell. By default, we are condemned already if we don’t believe in the finished work of Jesus (John 3:18). We need to satisfy God’s requirement to avoid hell - and only Jesus have satisfied that. There’s no other solution or way except Jesus.
Third, hell is an ultimate destination – there’s no temporary place holder and no transferring (v. 26-27). After appointment with death, the judgment follows whether a person goes to heaven or hell (Hebrews 9:27). There is no more appealing, no more pardoning – it is final. So, if a person is being convicted in his or her heart by the Holy Spirit to give his or her life to Jesus Christ – and decided to delay, it may be too late when death strikes at any moment.
"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
Read Luke 16:19-31
What The Hell?
Yes, you may say that ten times or hundred times, but there really is a hell. The very place people don’t want to think about, and trying to ease up in their conscience what the hell will be like by making an expression out of it. Jesus himself mentioned about hell to warn us how not to go there. Because of God’s love for us – He sent Jesus Christ to die at the cross to become the Bridge between us and God. For sin has separated us from God the Father. Hell was created for the Devil and his angels, and God sends no one there. It is a person’s decision and attitude that drives him or her to hell.
First, hell is a place of torment and agony (vv.23-24). If you don’t know what agony is, try hitting your fingernail with hammer and have a small glimpse of agony. There’s no such thing as partying in hell where friends are waiting – nope, torture is waiting. It is a solitary place where a person is being torn down but never consumed. The place where the worm eats up the body but never dies and the fire is never quenched (Mark 9:48). In our passage, the rich man was in desert of fire, choking in thirst, his saliva dried up, and no water.
Second, in hell, people have remembrance of their past lives (v. 25). The rich man wished that he should have not driven himself in that place of torment, but it’s too late. A person can live a good life, not hurting anyone, not ripping off other people, but still can go to hell. Our own righteousness and good works cannot rescue us from hell. By default, we are condemned already if we don’t believe in the finished work of Jesus (John 3:18). We need to satisfy God’s requirement to avoid hell - and only Jesus have satisfied that. There’s no other solution or way except Jesus.
Third, hell is an ultimate destination – there’s no temporary place holder and no transferring (v. 26-27). After appointment with death, the judgment follows whether a person goes to heaven or hell (Hebrews 9:27). There is no more appealing, no more pardoning – it is final. So, if a person is being convicted in his or her heart by the Holy Spirit to give his or her life to Jesus Christ – and decided to delay, it may be too late when death strikes at any moment.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Thoughts from God’s Word
Meditations on the Book of Job
Chapter 1
Job:
• he is blamess and upright
• he feared God and shunned evil
• had 10 offsprings – 7 sons and 3 daughters
• had 7000 sheeps and 3000 camels
• had 500 yoke of oxen and 500 female donkeys
• he is the greatest of all people of the East (in today's economy, he was Bill Gates in richness!)
• did daily burnt offerings for each son and daughter for sanctification (just imagine the amount of animal blood flowing everyday!)
- God and Satan was aware of Job. God and Satan can be aware of us too!
- God and Satan talks about people, especially God’s people
- Satan skims through the earth and checks what’s going on (he is not all knowing, not all powerful, and not all present - only God is!)
- God puts a hedge of protection on Job’s life. 3-layers: around him, around his household, and around all on every side (God protects Christians too, under His wings, by His angels, with His mighty shield)
- Satan challenges God and asks permission to take out the first 2-layers (a true Christian could not be possibly demon possessed, God is in control of Christian lives)
- Satan does not waste a second once permission is given to touch God’s people (Satan is more than happy to destroy you, and he does not take a day-off until he makes you fall down)
- In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong (v.22) - that's the true mark of God's people. Life here is temporary, we're not home yet, our destination is heaven!
Man-made Marks in Heaven
The only man-made thing in heaven are the scars and wound marks in Jesus' body.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Our Father in Heaven
Jesus commanded us to pray when He said "... therefore, pray", even when God already knows what we "needed". The Father God also wants to hear what we "wanted" for we are His children and He delights in our prayers.
Matthew 6: 9-13
… For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Our Father, Creator of the heavens and the earth, we worship and glorify Your Holy Name. Even as the angels proclaim You as Holy, holy, holy! help us to do the same. For You alone are the Most High God, You alone are worthy of praise, You are the Alpha and the Omega, You are the Sovereign and Everlasting God, and there is none like You. Your Name is lifted up on high in the praise of Your people. We honor You Lord.
Give us this day our daily bread.
We thank you Lord for the daily provisions You are giving us – the food, the shelter, our families. Thank you for Your mercy and grace – they are new every morning. We come and refresh ourselves in You. Thank You for the new life You’ve given us, thank You for the salvation we have in Jesus, thank You for the new day. Thank You for the air we breathe, thank You for Your creation, the trees, the flowers, the birds, the things that we normally see around us but don’t appreciate. Thank You for our finances, the job we have, the health, the strength, the wisdom, and the ability to work. Thank You for keeping us safe in our travels and troubles. Thank You for the trials that make us strong and dependent on You. Thank You for the joy and peace You give us. Thank You for the Word that guides us and the Holy Spirit that convicts us. Thank You for Your faithfulness and loving kindness. Thank You that we have a Great God and we need nothing else.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
Make us a better person and not bitter. Give us Lord the ability to love, to forgive, and to extend our patience. In the world full of hatred and anger, help us to forgive – when we wake up in the morning, on the road, at work, at school, at home, and even when we ponder alone. Help us to remember the forgiveness You are giving us each day – it’s just overwhelming when we think how gracious and merciful You are. Help us to extend that forgiveness to others – and by loving them instead.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
Temptation is all around us, help us Lord to withstand and to keep a pure mind and a pure heart. Make us strong to resist and run away from temptation in every way we can. Deliver us Lord according to Your grace when the devil tempts us.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
For the rest of the day, help us to honor You Lord by the way we live – to glorify You for You alone are God, now and forever. Amen.
Matthew 6: 9-13
… For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Our Father, Creator of the heavens and the earth, we worship and glorify Your Holy Name. Even as the angels proclaim You as Holy, holy, holy! help us to do the same. For You alone are the Most High God, You alone are worthy of praise, You are the Alpha and the Omega, You are the Sovereign and Everlasting God, and there is none like You. Your Name is lifted up on high in the praise of Your people. We honor You Lord.
Give us this day our daily bread.
We thank you Lord for the daily provisions You are giving us – the food, the shelter, our families. Thank you for Your mercy and grace – they are new every morning. We come and refresh ourselves in You. Thank You for the new life You’ve given us, thank You for the salvation we have in Jesus, thank You for the new day. Thank You for the air we breathe, thank You for Your creation, the trees, the flowers, the birds, the things that we normally see around us but don’t appreciate. Thank You for our finances, the job we have, the health, the strength, the wisdom, and the ability to work. Thank You for keeping us safe in our travels and troubles. Thank You for the trials that make us strong and dependent on You. Thank You for the joy and peace You give us. Thank You for the Word that guides us and the Holy Spirit that convicts us. Thank You for Your faithfulness and loving kindness. Thank You that we have a Great God and we need nothing else.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
Make us a better person and not bitter. Give us Lord the ability to love, to forgive, and to extend our patience. In the world full of hatred and anger, help us to forgive – when we wake up in the morning, on the road, at work, at school, at home, and even when we ponder alone. Help us to remember the forgiveness You are giving us each day – it’s just overwhelming when we think how gracious and merciful You are. Help us to extend that forgiveness to others – and by loving them instead.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
Temptation is all around us, help us Lord to withstand and to keep a pure mind and a pure heart. Make us strong to resist and run away from temptation in every way we can. Deliver us Lord according to Your grace when the devil tempts us.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
For the rest of the day, help us to honor You Lord by the way we live – to glorify You for You alone are God, now and forever. Amen.
Monday, May 25, 2009
What Makes You Sin?
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
The Corinthian Christians had a distorted view of the grace of God. They assume that they can tolerate Christian brothers who continually sin, and let the grace of God cover their every sin. After all, God’s grace is sufficient to cover multitude of sins. While it is true that God is super gracious, it is not an excuse to commit more sins. Not only the Corinthian Christians have these kinds of problem, but even more with Christians today.
In these verses, Paul stresses the need for constant sanctification of Christians from worldliness. Jesus came and died on the cross to wash, sanctify, and justify those who acknowledge His work of love, and accept Him as Lord and Savior. And if you are a person who did just that, then you have the righteousness of Jesus to stand before the Almighty God in the Day of Judgment. Getting our fire insurance through Jesus Christ is just one part, the other part is for Christians to fulfill the rest of the contract – of living righteous and blameless life like Jesus did, and be effective witnesses of God’s goodness and holiness so that the world may believe.
Are you a Christian who constantly sins? Don’t be deceived, Paul said, have your mind, soul, and spirit cleansed constantly - or you’re endangering your inheritance in God’s kingdom if you continue practicing those things listed above. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:5-6). You may not lose your salvation, but you may lose your fellowship (cast out), vitality (withered), and rewards (burned).
The Corinthian Christians had a distorted view of the grace of God. They assume that they can tolerate Christian brothers who continually sin, and let the grace of God cover their every sin. After all, God’s grace is sufficient to cover multitude of sins. While it is true that God is super gracious, it is not an excuse to commit more sins. Not only the Corinthian Christians have these kinds of problem, but even more with Christians today.
In these verses, Paul stresses the need for constant sanctification of Christians from worldliness. Jesus came and died on the cross to wash, sanctify, and justify those who acknowledge His work of love, and accept Him as Lord and Savior. And if you are a person who did just that, then you have the righteousness of Jesus to stand before the Almighty God in the Day of Judgment. Getting our fire insurance through Jesus Christ is just one part, the other part is for Christians to fulfill the rest of the contract – of living righteous and blameless life like Jesus did, and be effective witnesses of God’s goodness and holiness so that the world may believe.
Are you a Christian who constantly sins? Don’t be deceived, Paul said, have your mind, soul, and spirit cleansed constantly - or you’re endangering your inheritance in God’s kingdom if you continue practicing those things listed above. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:5-6). You may not lose your salvation, but you may lose your fellowship (cast out), vitality (withered), and rewards (burned).
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Pure Greed and Selfishness
Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. (Matthew 2:16)
If we study the Word of God again and again, much if not all the killing of innocent lives such as babies are the results of pure greed and selfishness of the mighty and powerful. Starting from the time of Pharaoh, until the time of Herod, and even mostly these days! Why? Simply because people want to enjoy their lives, their power, their influence, and stay alive as long as they can! It is greed and selfishness – pure and simple.
In America, many people are now celebrating for the signing of the stem cell research program which was banned by the previous administration for around eight years. Although, this is a very sensitive issue, the Word of God is still the best place to check what’s going on. Everything is all about morality, not science. God created life, and now scientists wanted to play gods. They can now decide who should live and who must die. Evidently, he who has the money and power can live, and the innocent blood will be sacrificed. We have our modern Herods these days.
Life is in the blood, and the only thing that can cry out to God for justice is our blood. Abel’s blood cried out to God, and Cain was brought to judgment even without the CSI’s. Modern CSI’s rely on the unique DNA structure of our blood to catch murderers and perpetuators. Most importantly, the blood of Jesus is so powerful to save a person from death to life everlasting.
So, are human embryos just another stage of mutation and adaptation into a different stage of life, which some may say a fish stage? The Word of God said He knows us even before we were born (Eph. 1:4), He assigned us a life, name, and identity. And finally, God also sets our expiration date (Heb. 9:27).
If we study the Word of God again and again, much if not all the killing of innocent lives such as babies are the results of pure greed and selfishness of the mighty and powerful. Starting from the time of Pharaoh, until the time of Herod, and even mostly these days! Why? Simply because people want to enjoy their lives, their power, their influence, and stay alive as long as they can! It is greed and selfishness – pure and simple.
In America, many people are now celebrating for the signing of the stem cell research program which was banned by the previous administration for around eight years. Although, this is a very sensitive issue, the Word of God is still the best place to check what’s going on. Everything is all about morality, not science. God created life, and now scientists wanted to play gods. They can now decide who should live and who must die. Evidently, he who has the money and power can live, and the innocent blood will be sacrificed. We have our modern Herods these days.
Life is in the blood, and the only thing that can cry out to God for justice is our blood. Abel’s blood cried out to God, and Cain was brought to judgment even without the CSI’s. Modern CSI’s rely on the unique DNA structure of our blood to catch murderers and perpetuators. Most importantly, the blood of Jesus is so powerful to save a person from death to life everlasting.
So, are human embryos just another stage of mutation and adaptation into a different stage of life, which some may say a fish stage? The Word of God said He knows us even before we were born (Eph. 1:4), He assigned us a life, name, and identity. And finally, God also sets our expiration date (Heb. 9:27).
Where Your Heart Is
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
A twenty-dollar bill and a one-dollar bill were sitting inside the bolt in a bank. Getting bored, they started to chat with each other. The twenty-dollar proudly said, “Know what, I got a very exciting experience! I went to Las Vegas, to Reno, to Atlantic City, to Macau, to Hawaii, to the beautiful resorts and casinos you can think of. It was a lot of fun!”. “What about you?”, he asked the one-dollar. The one-dollar bill said, “Well, I had been to many churches. To Baptist churches, to Catholic churches, to Presbyterian churches, and many more churches! That’s where I had been.”
Many times we are guilty of not truly worshipping the Lord in our tithes and offerings. We really did not get when Jesus said we had to prioritize on heavenly things instead of our earthly matters. Of course, the Lord does not need our money – because He is able to rain down money from heaven if He wants to. He created the heavens and the earth, and more importantly created human beings in His own image. But the Lord wants His people to practice love and generosity in the real sense, and to be more like Jesus, who sacrificed for us at the cross without expecting any in return.
In the first place, our tithes and offerings do not benefit the Lord – we ourselves are the beneficiaries. He gave us the gift of giving, that we may learn to give, that others may be blessed, that they will learn to give, that more people will be blessed, that He will bless our hearts, that we may glorify God, and God keeps giving us more desire to give (2 Cor 6:9-15). O, what a world we live in if people just keeps getting generous and loving all the time. Sadly, the enemy is successful in doing the reverse and so we are living in a corrupted world.
Jesus gave the alternative in these passages for those who cannot afford and to those who are wealthy. He leveled the playing ground, such that no person has advantage over the other. He offered heavenly accounts, for anyone who wants to invest. It is an investment of the heart, where your love is – if you love material things, or you love the heavenly things. That will be determined where your heart really is.
A twenty-dollar bill and a one-dollar bill were sitting inside the bolt in a bank. Getting bored, they started to chat with each other. The twenty-dollar proudly said, “Know what, I got a very exciting experience! I went to Las Vegas, to Reno, to Atlantic City, to Macau, to Hawaii, to the beautiful resorts and casinos you can think of. It was a lot of fun!”. “What about you?”, he asked the one-dollar. The one-dollar bill said, “Well, I had been to many churches. To Baptist churches, to Catholic churches, to Presbyterian churches, and many more churches! That’s where I had been.”
Many times we are guilty of not truly worshipping the Lord in our tithes and offerings. We really did not get when Jesus said we had to prioritize on heavenly things instead of our earthly matters. Of course, the Lord does not need our money – because He is able to rain down money from heaven if He wants to. He created the heavens and the earth, and more importantly created human beings in His own image. But the Lord wants His people to practice love and generosity in the real sense, and to be more like Jesus, who sacrificed for us at the cross without expecting any in return.
In the first place, our tithes and offerings do not benefit the Lord – we ourselves are the beneficiaries. He gave us the gift of giving, that we may learn to give, that others may be blessed, that they will learn to give, that more people will be blessed, that He will bless our hearts, that we may glorify God, and God keeps giving us more desire to give (2 Cor 6:9-15). O, what a world we live in if people just keeps getting generous and loving all the time. Sadly, the enemy is successful in doing the reverse and so we are living in a corrupted world.
Jesus gave the alternative in these passages for those who cannot afford and to those who are wealthy. He leveled the playing ground, such that no person has advantage over the other. He offered heavenly accounts, for anyone who wants to invest. It is an investment of the heart, where your love is – if you love material things, or you love the heavenly things. That will be determined where your heart really is.
2nd Commandment - Love Others As Yourself
… Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. (Luke 6:27-28)
Read: Luke chapter 6
Loving other people who loves you is easy, and even sinners do the same – Jesus said. If you are a person who dedicated your life to following Jesus Christ, it will not deposit any credit to your heavenly account if you do that. But repaying evil with good is the ultimate test – it will really show the character of God the Father in your life, and that what counts! Verse 35 even says …. He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
This story cracks me up: Somewhere in Minnesota, an elderly woman who has no job, no source of income, and virtually having nothing always opens up the door every morning and thanking God for the day and His provisions. An irate atheist neighbor planned to test the faith of the woman. He bought bags of groceries, put it on the woman’s door before dawn, and waited at the back of the bush to see what the woman would say that morning. Some minutes passed by and the old woman opened her door and began thanking God for the bags of groceries. Even before she finished thanking the Lord, the atheist man sprung up from the bush and told the woman in somewhat ridiculing voice he put the things there. The woman again prayed, “Thank you Lord, for even using the devil to deliver me the goods!”.
Well, it may not totally reflect the thought for the day … but one thing is for sure, we should be always thankful no matter what. And love God and other people without any condition, even if it hurts. After all, God saved us from the fires of hell through the blood of Jesus Christ without any cost for us. All we need to do is to have faith and believe that Jesus did, when He cried … “It is finished.”
Read: Luke chapter 6
Loving other people who loves you is easy, and even sinners do the same – Jesus said. If you are a person who dedicated your life to following Jesus Christ, it will not deposit any credit to your heavenly account if you do that. But repaying evil with good is the ultimate test – it will really show the character of God the Father in your life, and that what counts! Verse 35 even says …. He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
This story cracks me up: Somewhere in Minnesota, an elderly woman who has no job, no source of income, and virtually having nothing always opens up the door every morning and thanking God for the day and His provisions. An irate atheist neighbor planned to test the faith of the woman. He bought bags of groceries, put it on the woman’s door before dawn, and waited at the back of the bush to see what the woman would say that morning. Some minutes passed by and the old woman opened her door and began thanking God for the bags of groceries. Even before she finished thanking the Lord, the atheist man sprung up from the bush and told the woman in somewhat ridiculing voice he put the things there. The woman again prayed, “Thank you Lord, for even using the devil to deliver me the goods!”.
Well, it may not totally reflect the thought for the day … but one thing is for sure, we should be always thankful no matter what. And love God and other people without any condition, even if it hurts. After all, God saved us from the fires of hell through the blood of Jesus Christ without any cost for us. All we need to do is to have faith and believe that Jesus did, when He cried … “It is finished.”
On Abortion
So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive." (Exodus 1:22)
Sometimes we need to look back into history. Abortion and killing of innocent babies had been there since the beginning. And the purpose is always the same: convenience and selfish ambitions. Here, the Egyptian Pharaoh wanted to kill all Hebrew male babies to lessen the threat of future uprising. Herod in Matthew 2, wanted to kill all boys below two years old to eliminate the threat to his throne. Today, abortion of innocent lives is in much wider scale. It includes male and female babies alike, all for the convenience of the mother or parents, and the government.
It only did not cover the Pharaoic or Herodic style of execution, but also of Hitler’s style where the weak and sickly were eliminated. Roe v. Wade law made all these possible, and hardly promoted by Planned Parenthood. All for the convenience of the mothers, but mostly of the government. And even now, it is planned to be promoted in less fortunate countries to be funded by American tax payers.
On the contrary, Jesus promoted the better alternative. To care and love the children, for God’s kingdom is made up for the innocence like those of the children – pure and unadulterated (Matthew 19). He is the Giver of Life, and everyone He gave breath to is worth to be loved and cared. Jesus did not favor the strong and mighty, but gave grace to the weak, poor, and lowly. For those who cannot defend themselves, but only rely on the protection and guidance of the Lord God Almighty.
When it comes to the issue of abortion, people are divided. But here, we see two midwives (Shiphrah and Puah) standing on their beliefs, defying the Pharaoh, and eventually God honored them and blessed them for they spared the children.
Sometimes we need to look back into history. Abortion and killing of innocent babies had been there since the beginning. And the purpose is always the same: convenience and selfish ambitions. Here, the Egyptian Pharaoh wanted to kill all Hebrew male babies to lessen the threat of future uprising. Herod in Matthew 2, wanted to kill all boys below two years old to eliminate the threat to his throne. Today, abortion of innocent lives is in much wider scale. It includes male and female babies alike, all for the convenience of the mother or parents, and the government.
It only did not cover the Pharaoic or Herodic style of execution, but also of Hitler’s style where the weak and sickly were eliminated. Roe v. Wade law made all these possible, and hardly promoted by Planned Parenthood. All for the convenience of the mothers, but mostly of the government. And even now, it is planned to be promoted in less fortunate countries to be funded by American tax payers.
On the contrary, Jesus promoted the better alternative. To care and love the children, for God’s kingdom is made up for the innocence like those of the children – pure and unadulterated (Matthew 19). He is the Giver of Life, and everyone He gave breath to is worth to be loved and cared. Jesus did not favor the strong and mighty, but gave grace to the weak, poor, and lowly. For those who cannot defend themselves, but only rely on the protection and guidance of the Lord God Almighty.
When it comes to the issue of abortion, people are divided. But here, we see two midwives (Shiphrah and Puah) standing on their beliefs, defying the Pharaoh, and eventually God honored them and blessed them for they spared the children.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Faith Check - Am I Really A Christian?
2 Corinthians 13:5-6 (NKJV)
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.
It is an alarming statistics in many communities today that many people claim themselves to be Christians, while in reality - they are not. Many who professed to be Christians do not actually read the Bible, they do not attend church and Bible studies, and have nothing to do in obeying and following the teachings and commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ.
On the contrary, they have their form of religiosity – something they have control of, something they can put aside, do their own thing, and go back and do the rituals again. They have some form of godliness, but denying its power (2 Tim. 3:5). As the Apostle Paul commanded the Corinthian believers to examine themselves to really know whether they belong to the house of faith or not, we also must examine ourselves today whether we comply with the character of a real Christian or not.
If we fail the test, we are endangering ourselves from being rejected when we stand before the Lord Jesus Christ. "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' " (Matt. 7:22-23).
Yes, on that day, when God will separate the grains from the chaffs, the sheep from the goats, and the plants from the weeds. Few have chosen the road less traveled – the narrow path to salvation, while many followed the broadways to destruction which leads to death.
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.
It is an alarming statistics in many communities today that many people claim themselves to be Christians, while in reality - they are not. Many who professed to be Christians do not actually read the Bible, they do not attend church and Bible studies, and have nothing to do in obeying and following the teachings and commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ.
On the contrary, they have their form of religiosity – something they have control of, something they can put aside, do their own thing, and go back and do the rituals again. They have some form of godliness, but denying its power (2 Tim. 3:5). As the Apostle Paul commanded the Corinthian believers to examine themselves to really know whether they belong to the house of faith or not, we also must examine ourselves today whether we comply with the character of a real Christian or not.
If we fail the test, we are endangering ourselves from being rejected when we stand before the Lord Jesus Christ. "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' " (Matt. 7:22-23).
Yes, on that day, when God will separate the grains from the chaffs, the sheep from the goats, and the plants from the weeds. Few have chosen the road less traveled – the narrow path to salvation, while many followed the broadways to destruction which leads to death.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Times Of Trials
I guess these are the times of trials for most of us, whether you are a Christian or not - I am saying in a "wider scale". The times when major economies are down, when many people lost their homes, their jobs, and consequently lost some part of their lives - like loved ones, friends, and many more. The time when people expect the unexpected, people just don't see it coming their way, people were unprepared. Are these the times of the "end times"? I think partly it is, the time when the Lord is giving us wake up call before something else more important happens.
But for a Christian, these kind of times are to be expected - it would surely come in our lives. I want to read from the Scriptures (James 1:2-7):
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
This instance will separate the boys from men, it separates the grains from the chaffs. I like how the term "various" was described. It was like the coat that Jacob made for his son Joseph, the coat with various colors. The trials will come in different forms, different colors, different intensities, and different pressures. It is always fitted into our situation, and God always makes sure it is just enough for our bearing - not overweight, not overload, but just enough. Good enough that we will be able to get through it if we remain under its pressure.
When we go through these kind of times, let us count it all joy! Joy is the supernatural in-filling of God in our hearts, not merely an external happiness but an inward experience of God's supply of grace even in the midst of physical and emotional hardships. Paul and Silas can praise God even at the point of being chained in a prison dungeon. We just need to know that God is in control, God is on the throne, and He knows what's going on in our lives. That is called wisdom! Only Christians have this wisdom that is supplied by God and it is for the asking. The only condition is that, it must be asked "in faith". A person who asks God for leading and guidance but keeps on doubting will never receive wisdom. And when trial comes, he just keeps solving it his way instead of relying on God who gives liberally and generously.
Trust God in times of trials, for each of us must go through purification process before joining Him in His holy place called heaven, for all eternity.
But for a Christian, these kind of times are to be expected - it would surely come in our lives. I want to read from the Scriptures (James 1:2-7):
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
This instance will separate the boys from men, it separates the grains from the chaffs. I like how the term "various" was described. It was like the coat that Jacob made for his son Joseph, the coat with various colors. The trials will come in different forms, different colors, different intensities, and different pressures. It is always fitted into our situation, and God always makes sure it is just enough for our bearing - not overweight, not overload, but just enough. Good enough that we will be able to get through it if we remain under its pressure.
When we go through these kind of times, let us count it all joy! Joy is the supernatural in-filling of God in our hearts, not merely an external happiness but an inward experience of God's supply of grace even in the midst of physical and emotional hardships. Paul and Silas can praise God even at the point of being chained in a prison dungeon. We just need to know that God is in control, God is on the throne, and He knows what's going on in our lives. That is called wisdom! Only Christians have this wisdom that is supplied by God and it is for the asking. The only condition is that, it must be asked "in faith". A person who asks God for leading and guidance but keeps on doubting will never receive wisdom. And when trial comes, he just keeps solving it his way instead of relying on God who gives liberally and generously.
Trust God in times of trials, for each of us must go through purification process before joining Him in His holy place called heaven, for all eternity.
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