Break for few days.
Will be on holidays with family. No internet access. Blog post resuming on January 5th.
Meanwhile, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
2010, here we come!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
In the Name of Peace
John 16
31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will[d] have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Today, this verse especially speaks to me very much. I am at a transition season, whereby I am learning to adapt to my new life....going into the working world, taking a new outlook on things, trying out something new, stepping into the unknown not knowing what is in store for me.....and a lot more other decisions for the future.
At times thinking about all these things can be quite messy and very doubtful. Like the disciples of Jesus who are at a point of worry very much about their future. Because they do not know how their world would be like in time to come without Jesus, when Jesus gone back to His Father. But Jesus clearly said this, everything else would be scattered, there will be trials there will be tribulations...Now that you believe that I am Christ, you will have peace in Me no matter how bad situation may be.
The revelation of your identity in Christ should give you peace. The revelation of God's position in your life should give you the courage to keep on keeping on in the face of circumstances. Even though I am stepping intothe working world, and honestly I always feel that I am not very street smart, and there will be a lot of challenges I face....But I am assured that Jesus will bring me through. I have a great destiny in God. Peace of God shall be upon me, and together with Jesus I can also overcome the world.=)
It is a short verse that I meditate on today. Hope it blesses you!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Disclaimer
hehehee...ok a short disclaimer.
Apparently, according to someone (you know who you are XP), these blog posts are very long. Well, true. If you are wondering why, it is because this is my actual devotion here. So the purpose of this blog is to share with a few who happen to be interested in the insights I have while reading the word of God. And it is also for myself to keep track with what I have learned for the day (I usually do that in a journal). Nonetheless, it is not mandatory for all of you to read everything yap? If you are interested, do read on, if not...it is okay. Just a medium for us to learn the Word of God together.
I will try to keep it as short as I can. OK? *cross fingers*
But trust me.You will have fun reading it :))
Love~
Apparently, according to someone (you know who you are XP), these blog posts are very long. Well, true. If you are wondering why, it is because this is my actual devotion here. So the purpose of this blog is to share with a few who happen to be interested in the insights I have while reading the word of God. And it is also for myself to keep track with what I have learned for the day (I usually do that in a journal). Nonetheless, it is not mandatory for all of you to read everything yap? If you are interested, do read on, if not...it is okay. Just a medium for us to learn the Word of God together.
I will try to keep it as short as I can. OK? *cross fingers*
But trust me.You will have fun reading it :))
Love~
The Joshua Generation
Joshua 1
The LORD Commands Joshua
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea [a] on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 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. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
10 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: 11 "Go through the camp and tell the people, 'Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.' "
Being the Joshua generation for God at this very given time is absolutely necessary. Living in the end times, people are no longer afraid of heaven and hell, they do not care about eternal life, but what is in store for them at the current life! People are no longer receptive to the gospel as before. To them, these things are just lies. Something psychological to make all of us feel better. As Science and Technology take over our generation, people reason more than ever now, everything else is related to facts and proof, people who believe very much in God are called delusional. "Why are they so fanatical about their God?" Well friends, the fact is this. We are all living in a time whereby challenges are vast and a lot, persecutions are everywhere and hostile (verbally or physically). What do we do then?
I always find encouragement as I read Joshua 1. Today, I wished God would actually speak to all Christians like how He spoke to Joshua so clearly. That He would be with Joshua, never leaving him nor forsaking him until the land is given over to the Israelites. God COMMANDED Joshua to be strong and courageous. Not once, but many times. Be strong and courageous....Why do we need that? Because God knows perfectly well, that it is not going to be easy, and it is going to be really scary to lead a group of people to battle. A lot of times I tell my members, I would want to build a generation of army. Not only Christians who will come to cell group and service every week. But who are on fire, and are willing to fight the good fight, claim the nation for Jesus. Well, I desire that. But thinking of actually doing it, is it scary? Yes! I won't deny it! The amount of persecution, discouragements, fear of failing, fear of causing another to fall, rejection, circumstances (hey, we are merely humans...) does mount over you at times. There will be voices that says: Oh come on, who do you think you are but just a little small potato?
But each time I read this passage, I take courage. Personally, I feel strong again. Why? Because God clearly said to Joshua when he was facing all the possible negative voices....: Have I not COMMANDED you to be strong and courageous?...It takes courage. It takes strength, to keep going when everything is unsure, and the only Hope you ever have is God. In a Non- Christian setting, in a family full of non-believers, in a college full of intellectualism mindset, in a world that people are no longer afraid to mock you in the open....this is exactly what we all need. To fight the good fight, and to be a strong army, just trusting and knowing that God will not leave us. I want to be the Joshua generation, not only in church, but at home in my family, in my marketplace.
How would we keep our faith, be strong and know that God would be with us? It is simple really. In this verse it says, " do not let the Book of Law depart from your mouth!"....In other words, read and meditate on the word of God (the bible) day and night, night and day. Then and only then, you will discover strength, faith and the character of God. It gives you confidence. It gives you courage. I love this verse very very much and reading it gives me courage too. See right after God spoke to Joshua, immediately he commanded his officers to get his people ready to claim the land and God is going to give it into the hands of the Israelites. See that Joshua did not doubt. He did not say...God may give it to you, or by God's grace we will get the possesion. No! He said: Three days from now, you WILL cross the Jordan here to GO IN and TAKE possession of the land the Lord your God IS GIVING you for your own! One word from God, strengthen him and give him a whole new and confident outlook about his mission.
And finally....in Verse 16
16 Then they answered Joshua, "Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you as he was with Moses. 18 Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey your words, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!"
When Joshua had the confidence, and God was with them, with a leadership that is closely connected to God, the people has no fear. See, one's leadership is very much closely knitted to his confidence and him knowing the resources he has to win. You think the people are blindly saying "CHARGE!" to everything Joshua commanded? They must have been won over by his influence and know for sure God was with him! The people captured Joshua's spirit and become the Joshua generation. They did not doubt, they did not fear. In fact, they said: Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go! ....whoever rebels against your word and does not obey your words, whatever you may command them, will be put to death! Only be strong and courageous!!!
They also have the strong and courageous spirit. And one thing I admire about these people is that, they do not know Joshua as well as Moses. They have not seen Joshua do miracles like Moses, but they still obey his authority, knowing that Moses had now pass the baton to Joshua. How many of us as followers have actually supported our leader like how these Israelites had? Very rare. Often we would comment, oh this is leader is not as good as that leader, this leader is not fluent, so we do not want to respect him/her. Then my friend, with an attitude like that, we would find fault with any leadership placed over us. Why? Becuase human are not perfect. If you cannot accept the immediate leader place over your lives, then don't dream about serving greater man of God. People always start from humble beginning. God will only give you a greater responsibility if you are faithful in small things first.
And, remember...the people who are able to go into the Promised Land to claim their possessions are those who were 20 and below from the time the two spies (Caleb and Joshua) decided that with God it is possible to win over the land....they are people with a different mindset. Mindset that is not defeated but faith-filled. That is the reason why God will use young people mightily. They are brave, they have faith like a child, they are courageous, and they are flexible.
But some of us as young as we are act like an old man / woman. When our leaders ask us to do certain things, we criticize! We cannot see things coming to pass. Today my challenge for all of us is this, let's be a Joshua generation that win over our nation for Christ. To be faith-filled and courageous. We have to cling on to God, be strong and courageous, adhere to the Word of God, and most importantly, have the spirit that says....Oh God...Oh my leader, wherever you send me I will go. Whatever you ask me to do I will do. I will not talk about the impossibilities but the possibilities. I will help YOU fulfill your vision. And a Joshua generation spirit does not choose a leader for themselves, they respect the authority given to the leaders above them and still run after the vision of whichever leader place above them.
So here's my question for you, friend. Will you be the Joshua generation today? It is not easy, definitely challenging....but POSSIBLE for EVERYONE. The choice is yours. =)
LOL...this picture is funny. but at least they look fierce :P
Have a great day ahead!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Jeremiah 17: 5-10
Just finished devotion. Feels good when we come before God without agenda, just enjoying His company. Today let's do something different. Looking at Jeremiah 17 verse 5 onwards, lets try to break the verses into parts...
The man whotrust in man, people, and the circumstances around him, instead of God, who do not rely on Faith and God as strength, but rely on his own flesh, mind, thoughts, intelligence, will wither to nothingness...like shrub in the desert and will not know when good things come. Well, to me this simply happens not because God curses that person, but because that person do not know how to discern the things of God. And even if God meant to bless him, he would not know, because he is too dependent on his flesh. On what seems to be the right thing or "feels" right to do, instead of what God wants him to do.
The man who place his faith and trust on God will be like a tree planted by the waters. Let's picture this, the tree = us, water = God. Trees planted by the water will have its root spread out in very vast areas, we learn that in science, correct? In other words, it grows well and have abundance (planted by the river, and river never runs dry! It keeps flowing, it is not fixed like ponds or lake). More than that, the tree will be glorious (ever green), fruitful, contributive and useful to the society and the things around it. Trees that grow well is able to hold the ground strong and firm, when its root spread out (no landscape problem in that area), it yields fruits for the inhabitants living around it, it always look good (with green leaf)...and yes indeed, when circumstances arise (heat), there is no need to be fearful. Problems may come, but a person who hopes in the Lord will never need to be afraid of not being able to solve it. Because, God is the water/river that gives life and solution to the tree (us). So the river of living water (God) is capable of ensuring the tree (us) from experiencing drought (burnt out / backslide). But what do we need to do? We need to HOPE ON THE LORD. Again, here it speaks of two kind of people. People who made different decisions and choices when it comes to God.
Here, the bible is painting a picture of the human heart. It is deceitful (manipulative, selfish, in order to get things done its way), and desperately wicked! Truthfully, a lot of times people say follow your heart in everything you do? But try following your heart without self-control (ok...don't try it). You will lose your cool easily, murder a person whenever you feel like killing them, get involved in things that would bring you pleasure (good or bad for your body). Why? because the heart says so! Very emotional based. Like the bible says, each of us in our heart already planted 13 deadly sins. But will these seeds of sin grow? Yes. When we feed it!! Can we stop it from growing. Yes also. With the Word of God and the strength of the Spirit. The heart is very connected to the flesh. So we often have to bring in a third person to break the connection. The Holy Spirit. That is what we called...purifying the heart. The Holy Spirit acts like a filter. To filter out the heart's improper desire, and make it proper to be yielded through our being. Often we sing the song of clean hands, pure heart. But what does pure heart really means? It means this. The desperately wicked heart, being cleansed, filtered and renewed.
This part of the passage is the one that jumps up to be the most. God searches the heart....He knows the content and the intent. What are your motivations in doing certain things. Is it out of selfish desire, or a pure heart? "I test the mind"....When I read this, this phrase truly jumped up to me a lot. It shows that God would search your heart and knows the content of it but yet He will still test your mind! See a lot of time people say, think with your heart, not your mind. What you really want deep inside. Follow the flow, follow your heart! But at times, thinking with your heart can be quite a disaster. What if what you want is not in God's will? Or perhaps you want to do certain things to really fulfill your pleasure, but knowing that it is a sin, does make a difference, right? This verse to me reflect how decisions made by human are being tested. See...God SEARCH the heart....He knows the content of it, but God also knows that the mind is the one that act upon it. That is why the TEST only comes on the mind. So, we can face temptations to sin, but whether we sin or not is a different story. The test comes not with the temptation we face, but the action we yield in conjunction to the temptation. The TEST on the mind fails, when the negative desires of the heart OVERPOWER the mind. The TEST of the mind pass with flying colors, when the mind is able to discern the intent of the heart, exercise self-control, and produce the right acts.
But what about following your heart for the passion and dreams you have? So do we make our heart our mind or our mind our heart? My conviction is, there are certain things, we can allow our heart to take lead....but there are also certain things that we need to use our head and mind to take control. Not everything from the heart is totally pure. Unless purified by the Holy Spirit, following your heart to fulfill your fleshly desire can be quite dangerous. So there needs to be a balance between the heart and the mind.
The verse ended with
Here, I see a good Father in play. God wants to give us all things. But he is very careful. We can pray for something sincerely, but at times the answer could be a no. According to the results of the search of the heart and the test of the mind. And according to the fruit of your doings. Good trees, will bear good fruits. Bad trees will bear bad fruits. So if your heart is pure, your intent are with the will of God, and you act carefully upon what you feel (test every thoughts that come into play in your mind), I believe God will grant you this according to your ways (your prayers or doing), and see to it that good fruit will be bore. I always remember what my hometown pastor (Pastor Dalbir) always tell me. He said one thing. I will not judge a church by what it is doing, but by the fruits that it produces. :)) And true enough, the fruits or the results of your action will be revealed in due season according to how your heart and mind comes together to produce the action.
Wow...Hope you guys are blessed! :) The Word of God is could be a milk or a bread to different people.
Different people may feel the same passage speaks differently to each of them. So feel free to share what these passages speaks to each of you individually. It would be interesting to see how different words are being revealed to different people at different season and walks of lives.
Jeremiah 17
5 Thus says the LORD:
“ Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes flesh his strength,
Whose heart departs from the LORD.
6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,
And shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
In a salt land which is not inhabited.
The man whotrust in man, people, and the circumstances around him, instead of God, who do not rely on Faith and God as strength, but rely on his own flesh, mind, thoughts, intelligence, will wither to nothingness...like shrub in the desert and will not know when good things come. Well, to me this simply happens not because God curses that person, but because that person do not know how to discern the things of God. And even if God meant to bless him, he would not know, because he is too dependent on his flesh. On what seems to be the right thing or "feels" right to do, instead of what God wants him to do.
7 “ Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
And whose hope is the LORD.
8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
The man who place his faith and trust on God will be like a tree planted by the waters. Let's picture this, the tree = us, water = God. Trees planted by the water will have its root spread out in very vast areas, we learn that in science, correct? In other words, it grows well and have abundance (planted by the river, and river never runs dry! It keeps flowing, it is not fixed like ponds or lake). More than that, the tree will be glorious (ever green), fruitful, contributive and useful to the society and the things around it. Trees that grow well is able to hold the ground strong and firm, when its root spread out (no landscape problem in that area), it yields fruits for the inhabitants living around it, it always look good (with green leaf)...and yes indeed, when circumstances arise (heat), there is no need to be fearful. Problems may come, but a person who hopes in the Lord will never need to be afraid of not being able to solve it. Because, God is the water/river that gives life and solution to the tree (us). So the river of living water (God) is capable of ensuring the tree (us) from experiencing drought (burnt out / backslide). But what do we need to do? We need to HOPE ON THE LORD. Again, here it speaks of two kind of people. People who made different decisions and choices when it comes to God.
9 “ The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
Here, the bible is painting a picture of the human heart. It is deceitful (manipulative, selfish, in order to get things done its way), and desperately wicked! Truthfully, a lot of times people say follow your heart in everything you do? But try following your heart without self-control (ok...don't try it). You will lose your cool easily, murder a person whenever you feel like killing them, get involved in things that would bring you pleasure (good or bad for your body). Why? because the heart says so! Very emotional based. Like the bible says, each of us in our heart already planted 13 deadly sins. But will these seeds of sin grow? Yes. When we feed it!! Can we stop it from growing. Yes also. With the Word of God and the strength of the Spirit. The heart is very connected to the flesh. So we often have to bring in a third person to break the connection. The Holy Spirit. That is what we called...purifying the heart. The Holy Spirit acts like a filter. To filter out the heart's improper desire, and make it proper to be yielded through our being. Often we sing the song of clean hands, pure heart. But what does pure heart really means? It means this. The desperately wicked heart, being cleansed, filtered and renewed.
10 I, the LORD, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.
This part of the passage is the one that jumps up to be the most. God searches the heart....He knows the content and the intent. What are your motivations in doing certain things. Is it out of selfish desire, or a pure heart? "I test the mind"....When I read this, this phrase truly jumped up to me a lot. It shows that God would search your heart and knows the content of it but yet He will still test your mind! See a lot of time people say, think with your heart, not your mind. What you really want deep inside. Follow the flow, follow your heart! But at times, thinking with your heart can be quite a disaster. What if what you want is not in God's will? Or perhaps you want to do certain things to really fulfill your pleasure, but knowing that it is a sin, does make a difference, right? This verse to me reflect how decisions made by human are being tested. See...God SEARCH the heart....He knows the content of it, but God also knows that the mind is the one that act upon it. That is why the TEST only comes on the mind. So, we can face temptations to sin, but whether we sin or not is a different story. The test comes not with the temptation we face, but the action we yield in conjunction to the temptation. The TEST on the mind fails, when the negative desires of the heart OVERPOWER the mind. The TEST of the mind pass with flying colors, when the mind is able to discern the intent of the heart, exercise self-control, and produce the right acts.
But what about following your heart for the passion and dreams you have? So do we make our heart our mind or our mind our heart? My conviction is, there are certain things, we can allow our heart to take lead....but there are also certain things that we need to use our head and mind to take control. Not everything from the heart is totally pure. Unless purified by the Holy Spirit, following your heart to fulfill your fleshly desire can be quite dangerous. So there needs to be a balance between the heart and the mind.
The verse ended with
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.
Here, I see a good Father in play. God wants to give us all things. But he is very careful. We can pray for something sincerely, but at times the answer could be a no. According to the results of the search of the heart and the test of the mind. And according to the fruit of your doings. Good trees, will bear good fruits. Bad trees will bear bad fruits. So if your heart is pure, your intent are with the will of God, and you act carefully upon what you feel (test every thoughts that come into play in your mind), I believe God will grant you this according to your ways (your prayers or doing), and see to it that good fruit will be bore. I always remember what my hometown pastor (Pastor Dalbir) always tell me. He said one thing. I will not judge a church by what it is doing, but by the fruits that it produces. :)) And true enough, the fruits or the results of your action will be revealed in due season according to how your heart and mind comes together to produce the action.
Wow...Hope you guys are blessed! :) The Word of God is could be a milk or a bread to different people.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Anti-Partiality
Finally finished my house chores. Here is the post for the day. Feel free to initiate any discussions! =)
James 2
Beware of Personal Favoritism
1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,”a]">[a] you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,”b]">[b] also said, “Do not murder.”c]">[c]Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.So in James 2 here, the people of God were warned to not look at status to treat a person right, but rather treat everyone equally. For there is no favoritism in the kingdom of God. Then, why does it seem that God has chosen the poor to have more faith and the rich seemingly destined for doomed?
Ha....here is where I find the bible becomes interesting. You see, often we take things as they are as we read. But knowing the heart of God, does make a difference when we read the context.
Reading the bible, at times we often wondered, why God seem to favor the "poor" so much? So are we suppose to be poor to be godly? Well....I don't know bout you guys, but I do not deny the fact that I once thought that Christian need to be poor in order to be a great man or woman of God. Well...I was proven WRONG of course. Haha.
Who are the poor in this context? I have came to realize that, God favor the poor, not because they are physically poor, or materialistically lacking. But, the "poor" here refers to those who are often hungry and wanting more of something. For instance, if you are materialistically poor, you would not complain there is too much money. Right? In fact you would want more money! And you would learn to be grateful with what you have, because you know a lot of things in your life don't come easy! Well, here, I believe the poor refers to those who are always wanting more of God. Those who really rely very much on God. If you are poor, you would know that without God you really cannot survive. So you always need a miracle! You will always be humble and grateful.
Speaking about the rich (as referred to those who think that they can have anything they want in the world), those who are rich rarely have anything in lack, and are often proud (not all but usually). Why? Because they think they can have anything they want, they can do anything they want, they can buy anything they want. They can afford to be INDEPENDENT of God. They do not need God. They already have everything.
So then, is it better to be poor than rich? The answer is NO. We can be rich financially, but still poor spiritually. In other words, if we are able to have a lot of possession, and yet still humble ourselves, wanting more of God, God has no problem with abundant finances. In fact, the bible says, God wants us to prosper in EVERY WAY. This means, even financially. So what is the point of the verses in James 2?
It calls for equality in the kingdom of God. The first shall be the last and the last shall be the first. God will humble the proud and make the humble rise. So our call as Christian here is we do not set status among people. We do not discriminate others just because of who they were or who they are. Oh, you are rich, so you can sit at the front seat. You are poor. Go all the way to the BACK! Your father is a sinner, you have no rights to be in the church. You have committed adultery, you cannot be part of our church. You are a gay! Get out of our church....You are from such a complicated background, a broken home...please don't mix with my kids!
Bible says, when you do that...when you have partiality in acceptance....YOU SIN! Who does the Kingdom of God belong to? To everyone. The poor, the rich, the sinners, the saints. Jesus came to this world, not for the righteous, but for the sinners. He set an example when He decided to eat with the tax collectors, receive the love of a prostitute so on and so forth. Who are we indeed to judge? Are we God? Can we determine who will enter heaven? Or are we given the authority to preserve the church only for the people we think "worthy?"....the RICH?
The one thing that I admire Pastor Kevin is when he said, whatever past a person carries, or whatever struggles (whether gay or not gay, whether adulterers or not adulterers, whether prisoners or drug addicts) we open the church and welcome all of them. If they still sin, our job is not to condemn or reject them, but to guide and teach and support them, hoping that one day the power of God is going to change them inside out. We cannot change a person. But God can. All we can do is to be a vessel for God to use to impact and engage the lives of others. So are we to judge?
The bible says....God desires mercy more than judgment. So today, if we have judged and we have partiality in accepting others, then we have already sinned. And there is no such thing is greater or smaller sin. When you sin, you sin. Big or small...
Let's live a life right before God, and start loving our neighbors as ourselves. :))
God despised partiality. Partiality = lukewarm. And when you are neither hot nor cold, God will spit you out. Choose your side today. You can either be totally accepting, or totally rejecting.
Hope you are blessed. Have a great day ahead!
The Criminals on the Crosses
I did not have the time to post anything in the morning because this morning, the connection wasn't good. So here is some thoughts I have on the passage I read.
LUKE 23
32Two others, both criminals, were taken along with him for execution.
33When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left.
34-35Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them; they don't know what they're doing."
Dividing up his clothes, they threw dice for them. The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, "He saved others. Let's see him save himself! The Messiah of God—ha! The Chosen—ha!"
36-37The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him, making a game of it. They toasted him with sour wine: "So you're King of the Jews! Save yourself!"
38Printed over him was a sign: this is the king of the jews.
39One of the criminals hanging alongside cursed him: "Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!"
40-41But the other one made him shut up: "Have you no fear of God? You're getting the same as him. We deserve this, but not him—he did nothing to deserve this."
42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom."
43He said, "Don't worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise."
44-46By now it was noon. The whole earth became dark, the darkness lasting three hours—a total blackout. The Temple curtain split right down the middle. Jesus called loudly, "Father, I place my life in your hands!" Then he breathed his last.
(For easy reference: Since it is not written which side both criminals are at, let's just assume, the criminal on the right is the one that defended Jesus, and the criminal on the left is the one that mocked Jesus)
To me, these two criminals, the right and the left are light the little angel and little devil in our heads. One will question our identity, be very negative and try to manipulate our feelings. The other, always encourage, always help us remember who we are and allow us to have something to hold on to in moments of devastation. Reading this, reminded me again of the constant struggle that HUMAN will always have, and very less likely to escape. Unless if you are dead. The struggle between the flesh and the spirit is always existent.
I was once in the other extremities whereby I succumb very much to the voice of the little devil. But eversince being equipped with the Word of God, I find the little devil's voice being trumped over almost everytime when it tries to voice out. So COOL! haha...But see, the battle between these two voices are always there. When one voice is easily overcome by the other, it doesn't mean the struggle don't exist! It just meant which side you have fed on more, and which side is stronger in your life! That is the reason why people often struggle to do the right thing. At times, they get confused. And they begin to lose sense of who they are and got into the wrong things as they search for their true identity. The battle of the voices is always a battle of identity. Between who you SHOULD be, and who you FEEL like being.
Even Jesus Himself, His identity was questioned over and over again, even nearing death, on the cross, He was again hurled insults and question over and over again. Jesus did not quiver nor was He shaken. He knew exactly who He was and what He was sent to earth for, and He accomplished His mission. Could He have saved Himself? I believe yes. He could have asked the angels to come down and burn everyone who mocked at Him even! But He chose not to. He chose to do the right thing, and stick to the Word of God.
Today in life, when we are faced with difficult situation, even at the brink of the cross, people mock us, whose voice do you listen to? The right or the left? See, Jesus was very secure, and He knew what to respond to. The whole place was mocking Him, even the left criminal. But He gave no respond. But the moment the right criminal defended Him and spoke to Him....He said: Today you will be with me in paradise....
Jesus responded to the right voice. As I said, the voices in our head will constantly make us struggle. Should we be emotional or not? Should we get upset or not? Should we feel certain way? Should we react certain way? What if we feel injustice? In the flesh I feel so much like doing something, I feel so much like sinning!....But which voice would you choose to respond to?
See, it is always easier to respond to the flesh, to the little devil's voice inside of you. Why? Because it gives momentary glory, momentary pleasure. It makes you feel good about YOURSELF. Do you think it is not easy for Jesus to respond to the mockery and say something negative? I believe He struggled to keep His thoughts and actions pure. He was under such torment yet people were still not giving Him a break! He had all the reason to be upset and angry. He had the all the rights to shout at the mocking crowd, defend Himself, and feel good for a little while with all that He was going through. But, He did not. He did not respond at all....But, Jesus chose to ONLY respond when the right criminal spoke to Him....He gave an UNUSUAL respond that is an example for all of us today... When we face the struggle of two voices, what do we do? Ignore the little devil and respond promptly to the little angel! XD
Looking at the right criminal, he too gave an unusual respond! Analyzing this just amazes me. He decided to defend Jesus on the cross because he decided to do the right thing. To defend justice. Despite of what majority were saying, what the crowd was saying. Even on the cross, he could care less about justifying his own life. He defended Jesus instead, in the midst of his punishment, at times when it is understandable for him to curse the law and the unfairness of life. But, he did not. See, let us imagine. Logically if we were put on the cross, in pain and under the heat, wouldn't we just mind our own businesses, and let Jesus worry about His own problem? Well, this criminal to me, is amazing. He didn't just defend Jesus. I believe that very day, this criminal had TRUE REPENTANCE.....maybe he did hear about Jesus. But, I believe more than just true repentance, that very moment on the cross, his eyes were open. He had a REVELATION.
He saw Jesus as more than just another man on the cross along with them. He took the last strength left in his body, defended Jesus, and asked Jesus for forgiveness, and asked Jesus to remember him when His kingdom come...He could have kept quiet and succumb to the voice that said: who are you to ask Jesus to remember you? You are just a criminal! A nobody! You are on the cross now, it is too late to do anything! You couldn't have repay all your mistakes now. Its too late! But he did not. He chose an UNUSUAL respond. He chose to listen to the voice that said: He is the Messiah. The Christ, the Son of the Living God! Ask Him for forgiveness now! You will enter paradise. He did. And tadaa.....He entered heaven that day.
So, who would you listen to? who would you respond to? And who would you want to be?
The right criminal, or the left criminal?
The choice is yours =))
LUKE 23
32Two others, both criminals, were taken along with him for execution.
33When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left.
34-35Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them; they don't know what they're doing."
Dividing up his clothes, they threw dice for them. The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, "He saved others. Let's see him save himself! The Messiah of God—ha! The Chosen—ha!"
36-37The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him, making a game of it. They toasted him with sour wine: "So you're King of the Jews! Save yourself!"
38Printed over him was a sign: this is the king of the jews.
39One of the criminals hanging alongside cursed him: "Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!"
40-41But the other one made him shut up: "Have you no fear of God? You're getting the same as him. We deserve this, but not him—he did nothing to deserve this."
42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom."
43He said, "Don't worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise."
44-46By now it was noon. The whole earth became dark, the darkness lasting three hours—a total blackout. The Temple curtain split right down the middle. Jesus called loudly, "Father, I place my life in your hands!" Then he breathed his last.
(For easy reference: Since it is not written which side both criminals are at, let's just assume, the criminal on the right is the one that defended Jesus, and the criminal on the left is the one that mocked Jesus)
To me, these two criminals, the right and the left are light the little angel and little devil in our heads. One will question our identity, be very negative and try to manipulate our feelings. The other, always encourage, always help us remember who we are and allow us to have something to hold on to in moments of devastation. Reading this, reminded me again of the constant struggle that HUMAN will always have, and very less likely to escape. Unless if you are dead. The struggle between the flesh and the spirit is always existent.
I was once in the other extremities whereby I succumb very much to the voice of the little devil. But eversince being equipped with the Word of God, I find the little devil's voice being trumped over almost everytime when it tries to voice out. So COOL! haha...But see, the battle between these two voices are always there. When one voice is easily overcome by the other, it doesn't mean the struggle don't exist! It just meant which side you have fed on more, and which side is stronger in your life! That is the reason why people often struggle to do the right thing. At times, they get confused. And they begin to lose sense of who they are and got into the wrong things as they search for their true identity. The battle of the voices is always a battle of identity. Between who you SHOULD be, and who you FEEL like being.
Even Jesus Himself, His identity was questioned over and over again, even nearing death, on the cross, He was again hurled insults and question over and over again. Jesus did not quiver nor was He shaken. He knew exactly who He was and what He was sent to earth for, and He accomplished His mission. Could He have saved Himself? I believe yes. He could have asked the angels to come down and burn everyone who mocked at Him even! But He chose not to. He chose to do the right thing, and stick to the Word of God.
Today in life, when we are faced with difficult situation, even at the brink of the cross, people mock us, whose voice do you listen to? The right or the left? See, Jesus was very secure, and He knew what to respond to. The whole place was mocking Him, even the left criminal. But He gave no respond. But the moment the right criminal defended Him and spoke to Him....He said: Today you will be with me in paradise....
Jesus responded to the right voice. As I said, the voices in our head will constantly make us struggle. Should we be emotional or not? Should we get upset or not? Should we feel certain way? Should we react certain way? What if we feel injustice? In the flesh I feel so much like doing something, I feel so much like sinning!....But which voice would you choose to respond to?
See, it is always easier to respond to the flesh, to the little devil's voice inside of you. Why? Because it gives momentary glory, momentary pleasure. It makes you feel good about YOURSELF. Do you think it is not easy for Jesus to respond to the mockery and say something negative? I believe He struggled to keep His thoughts and actions pure. He was under such torment yet people were still not giving Him a break! He had all the reason to be upset and angry. He had the all the rights to shout at the mocking crowd, defend Himself, and feel good for a little while with all that He was going through. But, He did not. He did not respond at all....But, Jesus chose to ONLY respond when the right criminal spoke to Him....He gave an UNUSUAL respond that is an example for all of us today... When we face the struggle of two voices, what do we do? Ignore the little devil and respond promptly to the little angel! XD
Looking at the right criminal, he too gave an unusual respond! Analyzing this just amazes me. He decided to defend Jesus on the cross because he decided to do the right thing. To defend justice. Despite of what majority were saying, what the crowd was saying. Even on the cross, he could care less about justifying his own life. He defended Jesus instead, in the midst of his punishment, at times when it is understandable for him to curse the law and the unfairness of life. But, he did not. See, let us imagine. Logically if we were put on the cross, in pain and under the heat, wouldn't we just mind our own businesses, and let Jesus worry about His own problem? Well, this criminal to me, is amazing. He didn't just defend Jesus. I believe that very day, this criminal had TRUE REPENTANCE.....maybe he did hear about Jesus. But, I believe more than just true repentance, that very moment on the cross, his eyes were open. He had a REVELATION.
He saw Jesus as more than just another man on the cross along with them. He took the last strength left in his body, defended Jesus, and asked Jesus for forgiveness, and asked Jesus to remember him when His kingdom come...He could have kept quiet and succumb to the voice that said: who are you to ask Jesus to remember you? You are just a criminal! A nobody! You are on the cross now, it is too late to do anything! You couldn't have repay all your mistakes now. Its too late! But he did not. He chose an UNUSUAL respond. He chose to listen to the voice that said: He is the Messiah. The Christ, the Son of the Living God! Ask Him for forgiveness now! You will enter paradise. He did. And tadaa.....He entered heaven that day.
So, who would you listen to? who would you respond to? And who would you want to be?
The right criminal, or the left criminal?
The choice is yours =))
Officiate the First Blog
Hey guys,
This blog is specially for those who want to keep really close connection with me. I have already promised my members in E30 and E45 that I will post up devotional stuffs online so that we can continue keeping in touch. Feel free to drop by and give a thought or two. This blog would be very discussional based :))
Love,
Hazel
This blog is specially for those who want to keep really close connection with me. I have already promised my members in E30 and E45 that I will post up devotional stuffs online so that we can continue keeping in touch. Feel free to drop by and give a thought or two. This blog would be very discussional based :))
Love,
Hazel
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