Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Reset Button
Having decided to work, study part time and so on inevitably have packed myself with endless activities daily. And this desire to have personal retreat/just some holidays to catch up with work and so on is immense. I have heard a lot of friends commenting on how I could possibly do this. Some say that in order to keep up with work, studies and so on, something must be sacrificed. This is true, everyone has only 24 hours, and I have to pack more activities than others, I would have to sacrifice: so my sleep (rest time), my family time (sometimes I think the fact that my family is not around in Singapore sometimes just make it easy for me to entirely to relax on this aspect), my time with friends are all kept to the minimum.
But come to think of it, even those without any part time degree, without any time and effort demanding job, they would still be dissatisfied with the amount of time they have. People always long to have extra time.
This year, our church's theme is going deeper and wider in our encounter with God and so far for the past few weeks, the theme of the sermons have been finding Christ in work, in studies...and basically in everything we do. On the surface, these seem to be very common topics. Maybe to some, these are just reminders. But somehow, feel that there is a deeper message behind it that God wants to convey to me. Wwhen I dwell on what have been preached over the week and follow what have been advised and spoken to me during the sermons, a very strong message sipped through these reflections: Christ serves as the ultimate reset button in my life.
When I load my days with activities, it's like opening a lot of programs in the computers and there would be a point when we are overloaded and the machine just hangs. At this point of time, there is nothing that you can do except to press the reset button. To some, this reset button is going for a cup of coffee; to some, it maybe going for exercise; to some, it maybe playing mahjong; to some, going on a short trip. And if you get advise from some Christians friends advising to Christians, it maybe spending time with God.
But as we all know, we need to do quiet time, we need to spend at least some few minutes reading His Word everyday. This has also become programmed as one of the many programmes in our daily routine that opening this program, sometimes would just add to the load of the already loaded computer. So it offers no help to the situation. Honestly speaking, I am sure some of us do find it that way....
As believer, we have no doubt that our God is the ultimate place that we should seek help from. But sometimes, through our daily commitment, we have forgotten that He is the ultimate reset button and not a program inside the computer. And doing our quiet time and spending time with Him is not the extra program that we need to slot in our schedule everyday. It's actually invoking the reset button that everything in the life is once again back to a no load condition.
This is a perception problem, I suppose. And perhaps this is the essence of the example that a woman spend 10 minutes every morning reading the Bible but she could not hear from Him. And yet, when she spend the same amount of time doing her hobby attending to the plants, she proclaimed that she has encountered God.
Anna
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Time
________________________________________________________________
Progress is step by step. One grade at a time. One town at a time. You never just arrive - you must take the journey. It's part of the process and just as important as the destination. Go for consistency - doing well for the long haul. Not just quick bursts of enthusiasm. Growth takes time and continued effort.
If we are faithful with what we have (looking after it well), God will give us more. Are you ruling well over the little you have? Are you faithful with what you've got? Looking for more without dealing well with what you've got is immaturity. God looks at how well we handle what we have to determine what we can receive (read Luke 12:48). God rewards faithfulness. Note Jesus' parables - "Well done, good and faithful servant.”
To the unsuccessful person, time doesn’t matter. Life moves according to chance. What comes, comes. What doesn’t, doesn’t. To the successful person, time is not to be wasted. Time gives motivation for setting goals, planning carefully and setting priorities.
Moses saw the need for using time wisely.
Ps 90:12. So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. NKJV
How many days do you have left? Take some time to ponder this …
Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening it deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day.
What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!!!
Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME.
Every morning, it credits us with 86,400 seconds.
Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose.
It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft.
Each day it opens a new account for you.
Each night it burns the remains of the day.
If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours.
There is no going back.
There is no drawing against “tomorrow.”
You must live in the present on today’s deposits.
Invest it so as to get from it the utmost.
The clock is running.
Make the most of today.
Conclusion
God’s gift to you is your potential. Your gift back to Him is what you do with it (see Matt.25:14-30). Get ready for another cycle of the seasons. Start thinking about your next harvest. When you see the returns of your labour, you want to start dreaming again and the cycle of the seasons commences once again. Move to an even greater harvest and more diverse crops. Become a better farmer. May you live a fruitful life that brings honour and glory to God!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Love someone
- Ed -
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Written by Adrian Tan, author of The Teenage Textbook (1988), was the guest-of-honour at a recent NTU convocation ceremony. This was his speech to the graduating class of 2008
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I must say thank you to the faculty and staff of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information for inviting me to give your convocation address. It’s a wonderful honour and a privilege for me to speak here for ten minutes without fear of contradiction, defamation or retaliation. I say this as a Singaporean and more so as a husband.
My wife is a wonderful person and perfect in every way except one. She is the editor of a magazine. She corrects people for a living. She has honed her expert skills over a quarter of a century, mostly by practising at home during conversations between her and me.
On the other hand, I am a litigator. Essentially, I spend my day telling people how wrong they are. I make my living being disagreeable.
Nevertheless, there is perfect harmony in our matrimonial home. That is because when an editor and a litigator have an argument, the one who triumphs is always the wife.
And so I want to start by giving one piece of advice to the men: when you’ve already won her heart, you don’t need to win every argument.
Marriage is considered one milestone of life. Some of you may already be married. Some of you may never be married. Some of you will be married. Some of you will enjoy the experience so much, you will be married many, many times. Good for you.
The next big milestone in your life is today: your graduation. The end of education. You’re done learning.
You’ve probably been told the big lie that “Learning is a lifelong process” and that therefore you will continue studying and taking masters’ degrees and doctorates and professorships and so on. You know the sort of people who tell you that? Teachers. Don’t you think there is some measure of conflict of interest? They are in the business of learning, after all. Where would they be without you? They need you to be repeat customers.
The good news is that they’re wrong.
The bad news is that you don’t need further education because your entire life is over. It is gone. That may come as a shock to some of you. You’re in your teens or early twenties. People may tell you that you will live to be 70, 80, 90 years old. That is your life expectancy.
I love that term: life expectancy. We all understand the term to mean the average life span of a group of people. But I’m here to talk about a bigger idea, which is what you expect from your life.
You may be very happy to know that Singapore is currently ranked as the country with the third highest life expectancy. We are behind Andorra and Japan, and tied with San Marino. It seems quite clear why people in those countries, and ours, live so long. We share one thing in common: our football teams are all hopeless. There’s very little danger of any of our citizens having their pulses raised by watching us play in the World Cup. Spectators are more likely to be lulled into a gentle and restful nap.
Singaporeans have a life expectancy of 81.8 years. Singapore men live to an average of 79.21 years, while Singapore women live more than five years longer, probably to take into account the additional time they need to spend in the bathroom.
So here you are, in your twenties, thinking that you’ll have another 40 years to go. Four decades in which to live long and prosper.
Bad news. Read the papers. There are people dropping dead when they’re 50, 40, 30 years old. Or quite possibly just after finishing their convocation. They would be very disappointed that they didn’t meet their life expectancy.
I’m here to tell you this. Forget about your life expectancy.
After all, it’s calculated based on an average. And you never, ever want to expect being average.
Revisit those expectations. You might be looking forward to working, falling in love, marrying, raising a family. You are told that, as graduates, you should expect to find a job paying so much, where your hours are so much, where your responsibilities are so much.
That is what is expected of you. And if you live up to it, it will be an awful waste.
If you expect that, you will be limiting yourself. You will be living your life according to boundaries set by average people. I have nothing against average people. But no one should aspire to be them. And you don’t need years of education by the best minds in Singapore to prepare you to be average.
What you should prepare for is mess. Life’s a mess. You are not entitled to expect anything from it. Life is not fair. Everything does not balance out in the end. Life happens, and you have no control over it. Good and bad things happen to you day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment. Your degree is a poor armour against fate.
Don’t expect anything. Erase all life expectancies. Just live. Your life is over as of today. At this point in time, you have grown as tall as you will ever be, you are physically the fittest you will ever be in your entire life and you are probably looking the best that you will ever look. This is as good as it gets. It is all downhill from here. Or up. No one knows.
What does this mean for you? It is good that your life is over.
Since your life is over, you are free. Let me tell you the many wonderful things that you can do when you are free.
The most important is this: do not work.
Work is anything that you are compelled to do. By its very nature, it is undesirable.
Work kills. The Japanese have a term “Karoshi”, which means death from overwork. That’s the most dramatic form of how work can kill. But it can also kill you in more subtle ways. If you work, then day by day, bit by bit, your soul is chipped away, disintegrating until there’s nothing left. A rock has been ground into sand and dust.
There’s a common misconception that work is necessary. You will meet people working at miserable jobs. They tell you they are “making a living”. No, they’re not. They’re dying, frittering away their fast-extinguishing lives doing things which are, at best, meaningless and, at worst, harmful.
People will tell you that work ennobles you, that work lends you a certain dignity. Work makes you free. The slogan “Arbeit macht frei” was placed at the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps. Utter nonsense.
Do not waste the vast majority of your life doing something you hate so that you can spend the small remainder sliver of your life in modest comfort. You may never reach that end anyway.
Resist the temptation to get a job. Instead, play. Find something you enjoy doing. Do it. Over and over again. You will become good at it for two reasons: you like it, and you do it often. Soon, that will have value in itself.
I like arguing, and I love language. So, I became a litigator. I enjoy it and I would do it for free. If I didn’t do that, I would’ve been in some other type of work that still involved writing fiction – probably a sports journalist.
So what should you do? You will find your own niche. I don’t imagine you will need to look very hard. By this time in your life, you will have a very good idea of what you will want to do. In fact, I’ll go further and say the ideal situation would be that you will not be able to stop yourself pursuing your passions. By this time you should know what your obsessions are. If you enjoy showing off your knowledge and feeling superior, you might become a teacher.
Find that pursuit that will energise you, consume you, become an obsession. Each day, you must rise with a restless enthusiasm. If you don’t, you are working.
Most of you will end up in activities which involve communication. To those of you I have a second message: be wary of the truth. I’m not asking you to speak it, or write it, for there are times when it is dangerous or impossible to do those things. The truth has a great capacity to offend and injure, and you will find that the closer you are to someone, the more care you must take to disguise or even conceal the truth. Often, there is great virtue in being evasive, or equivocating. There is also great skill. Any child can blurt out the truth, without thought to the consequences. It takes great maturity to appreciate the value of silence.
In order to be wary of the truth, you must first know it. That requires great frankness to yourself. Never fool the person in the mirror.
I have told you that your life is over, that you should not work, and that you should avoid telling the truth. I now say this to you: be hated.
It’s not as easy as it sounds. Do you know anyone who hates you? Yet every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated, not just by one person, but often by a great many. That hatred is so strong it has caused those great figures to be shunned, abused, murdered and in one famous instance, nailed to a cross.
One does not have to be evil to be hated. In fact, it’s often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one’s own convictions. It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions. Then one will gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average. That cannot be your role. There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself. Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong.
The other side of the coin is this: fall in love.
I didn’t say “be loved”. That requires too much compromise. If one changes one’s looks, personality and values, one can be loved by anyone.
Rather, I exhort you to love another human being. It may seem odd for me to tell you this. You may expect it to happen naturally, without deliberation. That is false. Modern society is anti-love. We’ve taken a microscope to everyone to bring out their flaws and shortcomings. It far easier to find a reason not to love someone, than otherwise. Rejection requires only one reason. Love requires complete acceptance. It is hard work – the only kind of work that I find palatable.
Loving someone has great benefits. There is admiration, learning, attraction and something which, for the want of a better word, we call happiness. In loving someone, we become inspired to better ourselves in every way. We learn the truth worthlessness of material things. We celebrate being human. Loving is good for the soul.
Loving someone is therefore very important, and it is also important to choose the right person. Despite popular culture, love doesn’t happen by chance, at first sight, across a crowded dance floor. It grows slowly, sinking roots first before branching and blossoming. It is not a silly weed, but a mighty tree that weathers every storm.
You will find, that when you have someone to love, that the face is less important than the brain, and the body is less important than the heart.
You will also find that it is no great tragedy if your love is not reciprocated. You are not doing it to be loved back. Its value is to inspire you.
Finally, you will find that there is no half-measure when it comes to loving someone. You either don’t, or you do with every cell in your body, completely and utterly, without reservation or apology. It consumes you, and you are reborn, all the better for it.
Don’t work. Avoid telling the truth. Be hated. Love someone.
Monday, November 15, 2010
"The trial of your faith" 1 Peter 1:7
"The trial of your faith." - 1 Peter 1:7
"Faith untried may be true faith, but it is sure to be little faith, and it is likely to remain dwarfish so long as it is without trials. Faith never prospers so well as when all things are against her: tempests are her trainers, and lightnings are her illuminators. When a calm reigns on the sea, spread the sails as you will, the ship moves not to its harbour; for on a slumbering ocean the keel sleeps too. Let the winds rush howling forth, and let the waters lift up themselves, then, though the vessel may rock, and her deck may be washed with waves, and her mast may creak under the pressure of the full and swelling sail, it is then that she makes headway towards her desired haven. No flowers wear so lovely a blue as those which grow at the foot of the frozen glacier; no stars gleam so brightly as those which glisten in the polar sky; no water tastes so sweet as that which springs amid the desert sand; and no faith is so precious as that which lives and triumphs in adversity. Tried faith brings experience. You could not have believed your own weakness had you not been compelled to pass through the rivers; and you would never have known God's strength had you not been supported amid the water-floods. Faith increases in solidity, assurance, and intensity, the more it is exercised with tribulation. Faith is precious, and its trial is precious too.
Let not this, however, discourage those who are young in faith. You will have trials enough without seeking them: the full portion will be measured out to you in due season. Meanwhile, if you cannot yet claim the result of long experience, thank God for what grace you have; praise him for that degree of holy confidence whereunto you have attained: walk according to that rule, and you shall yet have more and more of the blessing of God, till your faith shall remove mountains and conquer impossibilities." Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
The temptations around are trials to make our faith stronger.
Anna
Friday, October 08, 2010
To communicate.....
However, I really wonder if we have really put this intelligence to good use. I'm really frustrated at times when there are either reluctance of communication or inability to communicate.
At work, different teams although speaking in English, but just don't seem to get messages across in meetings. Very often, I find myself more confused after meeting than before.
In day-to-day life, some of my friends prefer to avoid communication and even tell me that communication is not necessary.
I used to be very afraid of animals because when I look at them, I have no idea what they are thinking. I cannot communicate with them. I had this naive thinking that human beings are less dangerous because we can communicate. But I really think that in the modern society, this is really true.
The advance of technology has robbed people off of the ability to communicate perhaps. People think that smses, emails and so on are the replacements of talking face-to-face. To me, these are all subject to personal interpretation of the readers and they are the worst form of communication.
I think a vital quality for being true to Christ is in our relationships with God and with other people. These are also embedded in the ten commandments to love. Shouldn't proper communication be used to facilitate this and make things simpler in this world? Or am I just one-sided in this view?
Anna
Sunday, September 19, 2010
A Beautiful Psalm
7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD's unfailing love
surrounds the man who trusts in him.
11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
-Ed-
Monday, September 06, 2010
Bible Verses
8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Exodus 15
11 "Who among the gods is like you, O LORD ?
Who is like you—
majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
working wonders?
13 "In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.
for the past week, these verses have ministered to me. Just thought of sharing this with everyone.
-Ed-
Saturday, August 28, 2010
I CAN DO IT
The below scene from "Facing the Giants" really encouraged me when I felt like giving up. It's about how a coach motivated the american football team when they were discouraged despite that his job as a coach was at stake of being replaced due to several poor seasons as well as some family issues. In order to find a solution to these problems, he prays to God for help. He creates a new coaching philosophy and decides to praise God after each game, no matter what the result. At the same time he guides and urges each one of his players to give the maximum effort, and motivates them to believe they can win under God´s guidance. This reminded me of how Jesus is always cheering us on when we feel like giving up! DON'T GIVE UP! YOU CAN DO IT!
In the second video, Nick Vujicic, borned without limbs, asked "What do you do when life seems to have put you into a position where everything seems hopeless, difficult and pointless?" His attititude of gratitude is inspirational. NEVER GIVE UP is his motto. When we fall, we need to get back up! Not easy but we can do everything through Him who gives us strength!
-Diana-
Thursday, August 12, 2010
I AM
And fearing the future…
Suddenly my Lord was speaking:
“MY NAME IS I AM.” He paused.
I waited. He continued,
“WHEN YOU LIVE IN THE PAST,
WITH ITS MISTAKES AND REGRETS,
IT IS HARD. I AM NOT THERE. MY NAME IS NOT I WAS.
WHEN YOU LIVE IN THE FUTURE,
WITH ITS PROBLEMS AND FEARS,
IT IS HARD. I AM NOT THERE. MY NAME IS NOT I WILL BE.
WHEN YOU LIVE IN THE MOMENT,
IT IS NOT HARD.
I AM HERE. MY NAME IS I AM.”
- Ed -
taken from a book i read
If I had my life to live over again
I would relax, I would limber up, I would be sillier than I have been this trip
I know of very few things I would take seriously.
I would take more trips. I would be crazier.
I would climb more mountains, swim more rivers, and watch more sunsets.
I would do more walking and looking.
I would est more ice cream and less beans.
I would have more actual troubles, and fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I’m one of those people who lives life prophylactically and sensibly hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I’ve had my moments, and if I had to do it over again I’d have more of them.
In fact, I’d try to have nothing else, just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead each day. I’ve been one of those people who never go anywhere without a thermometer, a hotwater bottle, a gargle, a raincoat, aspirin and a parachute.
If I had to do it over again I would go places, do things and travel lighter than I have.
If I had my life to live over I would start barefooted earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall.
I would play hookey more.
I wouldn’t make such good grades, except by accident.
I would ride on more merry-go-rounds.
I’d pick more daisies.
-Ed-
lifted from a book i am reading
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Joy
When my family/friends overcome a crisis or something good happens to him, I am joyful. This can only happen if I love them
2. When we meet God’s purpose, we become joyful
I was full of joy when Yuxing and my grandma came to Christ.
I was full of joy when cell group is so happy together and growing in Christ
I was full of joy during praise and worship
3. Joy can exist in times of persecution
Lifted from “The Story of Early Christianity: The first 500 years”
The Twelve Christians of Carthage
On July 17 (ed: today is July 17!!!), AD 180, twelve faithful Christians were beheaded at Scilli near Carthage for refusing to deny their Lord Jesus. The proconsul (Roman Administrator)…gave the order for them to be executed, they exclaimed with joy. “Thanks be to God!” This was their chance to show their love for Jesus.
Blandina, a young slave girl
Blandina was the last to die. The bloodthirsty mob had never seen such courage. She had earnestly encouraged her friends to remain steadfast to the end even as she watched them die. The day before, she had been tortured, hung on a stake, lashed and roasted on the iron chair. Despite what she had gone through, she entered the arena with joy and thanksgiving. A wild and angry bull rushed in. It took her upon its horns and tossed her into the air several times before she finally died.
4. God is interested in us
God is interested in us, not just the rewards but in our character. He desires us to be mature and complete.
James 1:2-4
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
-ed-
Monday, June 28, 2010
Good bible commentary website.
http://www.enduringword.com/library_commentaries.htm
I often read David Guzik's commentary. Highly recommended. Two thumbs up!!
-ed-
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
How the Lord really bless Moses, even when he is a baby?
1. Moses is a fine child. Some translation says beautiful
2. Moses’s mother managed to hide him for the first 3 months without getting caught
3. It is someone special who found Moses.
- Pharaoh’s daughter
- Pharaoh’s daughter have to be bathing at that exact time. Right place, right time
- She has to feel sorry for Moses
- She did not kill the baby despite knowing that he is a Hebrew baby
4. They found Moses’ mother as the Hebrew mother to nurse Moses. Now, Moses’ mother is paid to raise Moses. Tragedy to blessing. Amazing! Never lose hope even when the cards are down.
5. Moses was blessed to be the Pharoah’s son. He is so blessed as illustrated in the below commentary.
Being the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter, Moses was in the royal family. The ancient Jewish historian Josephus says Moses was heir to the throne of Egypt and that while a young man, Moses lead the armies of Egypt in victorious battle against the Ethiopians. Certainly, he was raised with both the science and learning of Egypt. Acts 7:22 says, Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds. Egypt was one of the most academic and scientific societies on the earth at that time. It is reasonable to think that Moses was instructed in geography, history, grammar, writing, literature, philosophy, and music.
Learning Lesson
If the Lord is your backer, he will really take care of you. Even when tragedy strike, no worries. God will still change it to a blessing. I can recall some ex in my life:
i) Daddy died - My whole family turned to the Lord
ii) Wallet lost - My faith is strengthened as the Lord answers my prayer
God is amazing. Just let him take care of you. No need to worry. He has a great plan for us. Just enjoy life. Be joyful and be in cruise control. God is real and he loves us. I am so blessed!!!
-ed-
Monday, June 07, 2010
Heart of service
I suppose a sincere smile on a person's face is an indication of the presence of this "love" and it can only be reflected from someone who draws strength from God's everlasting source of love and reflect it in everything he does --> the fruit of the Spirit --> the distinction of a true Christian.
Anna
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Our Struggles Can Glorify God
For the past 2 weeks, I have wondered why God has allowed certain struggles in my life. Doesn't God want me to have a victorious Christian life so that I may be joyful to praise him? Why then does God allow me to be defeated by struggles then?
I believe that today's sermon by Pastor John has shed some light. He mentioned that contrary to my belief that struggles are bad, they can actually be used to glorify God.
Psalm 50:15
"And call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."
Recently, I met Jonathan for dinner on a weekday. He mentioned something that really impacted me. "Our struggles can drive us two ways, either away from God or towards God"
I now personally believe that struggles are not to be shunned or despised, they can bring us closer to God and can be used to glorify him. In our struggles in life, we can give glory to God when we see that he has brought us through.
Rui Jie
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Be confident in the Lord
Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.
-ed-
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Supremacy of Christ
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
-ed-
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Joy is contagious and good
This blessed grace of joy is very contagious
It is a great privilege, I think, to meet a truly happy man, a graciously happy man. My mind goes back at this moment to that dear man of God who used to be with us, years ago, whom we called "Old Father Dransfield." What a lump of sunshine that man was! I think that I never came into this place with a heavy heart, but the very sight of him seemed to fill me with exhilaration, for his joy was wholly in his God! An old man and full of years, but as full of happiness as he was full of days; always having something to tell you to encourage you. He constantly made a discovery of some fresh mercy for which we were again to praise God. O dear brethren, let us rejoice in the Lord, that we may set others rejoicing!
Joy in the Lord is influential for good
There are many more flies caught with honey than with vinegar; and there are many more sinners brought to Christ by happy Christians than by doleful Christians. Let us sing unto the Lord as long as we live; and, maybe, some weary sinner, who has discovered the emptiness of sinful pleasure, will say to himself, "Why, after all, there must be something real about the of these Christians; let me go and learn how I may have it."
-ed-
Monday, May 17, 2010
Everything is a loss except for knowing Christ
7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
Philippians 3:12-14 (New International Version)
Pressing on Toward the Goal
12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
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Knowing Jesus Christ, our Creator and King, is something so precious. Everything will fade away except for the knowledge of knowing who Christ is.
Maybe our trials and temptations are all parts of God's plan & purpose for us to know him better. And, in this perspective, it will mean that we should be thankful for life's ups and downs, for we can discover the hidden gems of who God is and what God is doing through our life.
-ed-
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Jesus - our humble King!
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Phi 2:6-8
-Ed-