Sunday, December 20, 2009
'But I tell you who hear me; Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you....'Luke 6:27As time passes by, God always instill more and more thoughts in my mind, telling me that I have this to overcome that to overcome. And this post responds directly to the last post that I've post which is forgiveness. When we say forgive, we forgive those who wronged us by reconciliation and make peace with them. But there is a greater calling beyond apply the heart of forgiveness. Which is Love our enemies, to good to those that oppose you.Well 1st thing when I get this verse from God, I was like whoa!! Hardcore stuff man, God you are really testing me to the limits. As further on, I began thinking about people that wronged me, people that I dislike, people that annoys me, and the mind of this things just kept on coming and coming and coming. Well certainly I can say this is not easy for me at all!But why love our enemies ?'If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?' Matthew 6:46It is stated in the bible clearly, what is the reason behind loving our enemies, the people that despise us, people that we dislike or hate. If we were to love someone that love us also and that we have good impression towards the guy/girl, wouldn't it be easy? since we are okay with them. There is no need of like putting any extra effort just to try to even communicated with the individual since we are okay whit each other.But on the other hand, loving your enemies, now this is a though call. Imagine how can we try to love someone that we hate and despise so much, knowing that the person might have wrong us so many times, until the unbearable extend. But God tells us to love these kind of people!! Why? It's quite simple yet hard to do actually. If we were to love someone we already love it will be easy to accept them but, if we were to learn how to love those we hate, we really need to calm down our hearts and put everything aside to just try to accept them and care for them. But by doing show, it shows a more genuine heart because although it was hard to accept certain facts about the person that we dislike, we try to put effort in trying to understand more bout them and try to help what ever we can do.It will be hard but is shows more of a genuine heart.If Jesus can love us so much even though we are the one who put Him on the cross and crucified Him, I'm sure that through Him we can learn more and be more like Him. Definitely I can say it's impossible for us to just love our enemies just like that But with God everything can be done. Jesus came down to show us all this ways, ways of loving those who persecute us and those we despise. And as a follower by all means, we should try to learn more about how to be a obedient follower and try to be more like Him.So may we learn more and more on how to love our enemies despise that they had wrong us at most times, God is love and as Christians we should learn how to love those who had wronged us but rather than just dwell ourselves in the midst of anger and revenge. Love covers everything, and with the help of God nothing is impossible.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."Luke 5:23-24It has been 2 years since I accepted Christ as my God, Lord and Saviour. Through out this walk I can say that I've gone through quite a lot of problem due to my disobedience. But God is graceful, for I did so many wrong thing that had made Him upset and even at this moment I'm still making fault can causing Him to be disappointed at me. Which leads to todays post about forgiveness. It's something that is easy to say but hard to be done.Why forgiving people is important ? Ultimately it is because of God's love and grace towards us sinful men. Jesus came down to show the true way of walking our life as Christians and for our sake He was crucify on the cross and His blood had wash all our sins away making us able to connect with God again. We should know that we are so bless because although we had sinned so much but yet God's love and grace had given us salvation and we are all forgiven as long as we repent and follow Christ.Knowing that we are all forgiven by God's grace, shouldn't we be doing the same rather than displeasing God by judging others and not forgiving them by holding on on their faults and wrong doings? Through out my walk as a Christian I can say that this is one of the part that I'm lacking of. The heart of forgiving towards others. Even though I always said it's okay no offence taken, but at most of the times I just can't seemed to really forgive the person that have wronged me. Even as time passes by my grudge still withholds at times. Mainly this problem come from my pride and ego which thank God that He is helping me overcome it at this moment. Really pray that I can overcome this weakness of mine and advance further towards God's kingdom.Going back to the topic.Why is forgiving that hard ? It is because most of us can't even forgive ourself to begin with. We are always aware about our own faults and most of the time when we repent and we keep falling back on the same spot which cause us to feel diminish and unworthy to accept God's forgiveness. And unable to forgive ourself we are also unable to forgive other as when we see our weakness on other people. By continuing focusing on our sin and not thinking of ways to overcome it will just lead us to a more negative part of our life which we will keep on dwelling on our faults and distancing ourself for God."Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28) For God had already teach us the right thing to do when we wronged Him. is to repent and asking God to help us in overcoming our weaknesses rather than keep saying sorry to God and dwelling on our own faults. What is the use of dwelling unto the past when we can't do anything except sulking and being emotional. The right thing we should do is to focus back on God and God will definitely help us go through this walk together.By learning that we will eventually learn how to forgive others also. God had forgiven us so many times and yet we had failed Him most of the time, so if we are still unable to learn that from God, we are really unworthy of being forgiven by God. As a Christian we live in a big body Christ and our job is to help those which need our help. And if we do not learn how to forgive those who had wrong us in past how can we help them when we ourselves have grudge on them. We should take out the splinter in our own eyes before looking at others. This is how Jesus was when He was on earth. God had forgive us long time before all of us are born, and we should take a repenting heart to seek forgiveness and let not Satan affect us by using our own faults and pull us down. God forgives and with a genuine heart for God definitely we can overcome our weaknesses with God's help. And if we know how good is God definitely we will try our best not to repeat the mistakes again to hurt God, and by knowing God's grace to us, we as Christians should also learn the true ways of forgiving other as how God had forgiven us at the beginning.May we know of our God's amazing love and grace and also learn how to apply it in our daily life's as we get more closer to Him. Let not our hearts be influence by Satan's lies because Jesus already won the war long time ago. We are all already forgiven and we should learn how to forgive others.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
'..... he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet...'John 13:5How often that we think we are better others? In terms of academic, family background, wealth, relationship with others, our knowledge toward God's word. This is off something that is seen in our daily life's. We always compare ourself with others and judging them, labeling them accordingly to what we see with out naked eyes. And with that we become selective and choose people that we feel comfort to help with, at the same time being ignorant towards those of doesn't give benefits for us.From time to time we are labeling people, giving them names and we just ignored those who are lesser compare to us. But, this is not of what God wants! In the bible, it was show through Jesus that he lived His life as a leader which serve other regardless of their ranks and status. This lifestyle of Jesus is the way of life that we should follow. By serving others and helping those who are indeed rather than kicking those group of people aside and just ignore every single one of them.The quoted verse above is from the story when of Jesus knew Judas was going to betray Him but yet he still teach serve them and was his feet knowing everything that is gonna happen next and at the same time He taught the disciples to do of the same thing to others also. From that passage we knew how Jesus is. Jesus is fully man but also fully God at the same time. But He showed to all of us what is the true meaning of being a Christian, which is to serve others and helping others but not of just doing things and claiming glory to ourself.But nowadays what are we doing ? Instead of serving others like how Jesus taught, we took up the pride and walk another way most of the time. Being a Christian which means to be more and more like Christ but not just being a worldly 'cekap' Christian. All of us should humble down ourself and serve others like what Jesus did. 'I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sends him.'John 13:16We must always remember that God is our master and He is of Pure and Holy. we can never compare ourself to Him. He is our master and as followers we are to be submit to Him. It was never like go and serve those who you feel comfort with, but it should be go and serve those who are indeed. And to do that we must learn how to put down our pride so that we will always remember that no matter how great we are in God's eyes we are all of the same, filthy sinners and displeases God.I know most of the time its hard, I often struggle in this part also. Always thinking highly of myself and just being plain ignorant to those which of I feel is lesser than me and I will just look down at them. But those are the people that needs my help more than any of my other friends. Pride kills, seriously and only by humbling down ourself only we will learn how to love others as how God loves us in the 1st place. We sinned so much and yet God loves us so much, and we who don't deserve any of God's love at the first place should also helping others to see God's love for them instead of just being selfish.We are all of the same, our body is covered with sin. But by God's love and grace we are given a second chance. As a true follower of Christ, we should instead of taking the love to ourself, we should show others about God's amazing love and grace and guide them into God's kingdom. And we are to remember that we are not any great, but we are disciple of Jesus, and as a disciple our job is to follow what the masters says and being submissive to our master.So may we know that we are not worthy of being love by God what more becoming His son. But we are given a second chance by God's grace and love. And as His sons we should follow His command and His way of servanthood. Because without God giving another chance we are all definitely going to hell.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Emotion... something simple and yet hard to understand of.Emotion is something of that is in every human being on earth. It is emotions that make us human in a way. So that we will have feelings of, happy, joy, sad, angry.It is true that emotions makes us feel more but, emotions will also lead us to stray if we are no able to control and handle it maturely.In our Christian walk, we are suppose to be of sensitive towards God's word and his calling to us. But instead, I'm quite sure that most of us are being affected so much by our emotions rather than be much of obedient and more selfcontrol towards ourself. Well, that can't be blame though since we human are sinful in nature and deceitful.As is was also written in Jeremiah 'The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?'Jeremiah 17:9Our heart will always lead us into astray if God is not in the picture. No matter how good we can be, we are still humans and humans always tend to repeat the same mistakes again and again. At the end of the day we are still sinful people in God's eyes but made righteous through Jesus. So the right thing to do is not to try to suppress the 'emoness' in ourself but rather learn how to let it out to God and learn how to overcome it ultimately. If we are to only holding back those feelings but not try to overcome it, somewhere someday it will still lead to where one reach their limits and KABOOM!!! There goes the emo streak again.I myself is a very emotional type of guy, I can say that I can hardly control my feelings and emotions when I'm frustrated and stress up. And it has been bothering me so much, which also cause a lot of friends to move far aways from me due to the unstable emotion. It WAS NEVER easy for me even right now. But I know I have God in me now to help me overcome it, definitely at times I will still feel emotional but I know how to channel it of rather than try to attempt stuff that will cause people to dislike me more.'Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be trouble and don't be afraid.'John 14:27 God brings peace to our hearts if we let Him in to intervene in our daily livings. Doesn't mean that one you have peace things will just like miraculously turn out to be okay also. Instead God provides us with a calm and peaceful heart so that we will have a clearer mind set on what we should do next rather than being influence by what is of Satan's lies and also our deceitful hearts. Let not of those control our life but let God work miracles in our life as we learn to depends on Him more and more.'And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.'1 Peter 5:10God's plans for us are definitely not to hurt us more but to bless us and teach us more about His way. And God will restore everything that is of His will in the end of the day once we overcome those trials that God put us in. For all this trials are to build our spiritual life up but not to stumble it.So may we be more open up towards God's voices and know that we need Him so much to intervene in our life's to show us and teach us the true way of life. It was never easy but it is also never things that we cannot handle of. Trust in God and as time goes, we will see the fruit that we've planted.
Monday, December 14, 2009
"But I am among you as one who serves."Luke 22:27In todays scripture we might get a little bit idea of where I'm gonna head today. Today I'm gonna discuss about servanthood. How a Christian should react when we are in a ministry. Due to this era's teaching, leadership has been taught in a very different perspective. We always take leader as someone which is of in full control and also full of authority. Leaders now a days are to govern everything that they could, control everything that they could to lead the group or an organization towards certain target. Truly in some point this kind of leadership is effective in handling certain situation . But, this is not of what God meant as a mark of a good leader. Instead, Jesus himself had portray a very good view on what a mark of a true leader should be like.Do you know why leaders are elected to become leaders? And who is the ultimate leader that allow their election to be done? In ultimately, leaders are elected to guide and lead us in our life's. In church leaders are like pastors, church elder, youth leader and so on. These are the people that is anointed by God himself so that they will help God in God's ministry by guiding new Christians and also teaching them how to be a true disciple so that in the future they can also be good Christians leaders that will continue on God's work on earth. But what is it should a leader having rather than all that worldly leadership quality that we always see so often in around us?It is the servanthood quality that God is trying to imply to us. When Jesus came down to earth and at the age he started His ministry, Jesus portrayed a very good servanthood example to all of us. Instead of coming down from the heaven and declare His is God Almighty and send fear and wraith to the people, Jesus He walk a righteous life during His times on earth. He was always there to care about others more than Himself. Jesus was never self centered and He was always going around serving people and helping people with a humble heart of a servant. He does not take pride in His works but yet He give all the glory back to the Father in heaven.This is the mark of a true leader, serving others that are in need rather than just command and codenamed those who did wrong. But sadly to say, in this world today there are Churches that misinterpreter the meaning of what is a good leader. Some of the Church leader will often take advantage of their authority as a leader and put words of not from God just for the purpose of deceiving the other believers to gain benefits from it. This is a very sad fact to be know.Because what ever we do in earth is always under God's will and God's plan Himself. And definitely we have NO rights AT ALL to even change whatever God wants to tell us to do. Because mens heart a always deceitful and we can't make the right choice or say the right things without God's guidance and advise.Philippians 2:5-11
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.Through this passage we can clearly see how God expects and want a leader or a servant of God should be. Ultimately Jesus is a perfect example of a true leader. A leader that came down in flesh and walk the earth to show the true and the right way for all of us, WE just need to remember and remind ourself all the time, there is nothing to be claim for ourself when we did something for God. Because we could've never did it without God's help and God's love for us. All the glory goes back to God which at the very beginning that had forgiven us for our sins and mold us to be who we are now. SO there IS NOTHING for us to claim glory of. We must always remember our role are as servants of God on earth. Regardless we are leaders of churches of just leaders of other things also. We might be the one telling them what to do, but the wisdom to leading them comes from God ultimately. No men can do and make the right choice correctly just by follow their own intuition but not God's advice and guidance.God should always be the centered of everything, so that we wont take the glory to ourself but to God.So may we know our true roles on earth are as God's servants but not of leaders that rule others based on our own knowledge. God is the center of everything and only God Himself can provide the right choice and what is the best choice for all of us. All we need to do is to obey God's will and follow the footstep of Jesus so that we can be more and more of a servant leader to the others rather than a worldly leader.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
'Why do you call me, " Lord, Lord,"and do not do what I say?' Luke 6:46Well I guess this is a very common thing that we as modern Christian are facing today. Proclaiming that we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ but do not actions to show our Love to God. It is true that we are saved by God's grace as long as we repent, confess our sins and believe the Jesus is the only way to God's kingdom. But, what is there to proclaim about when all that is done is just saying it out. What is faith without actions? Is it still call faith? when we face problems in our life's and we just complain that things are just so hard to go through it and most of the time we will just give up and sulk and 'emo' at the corner.Was talking to a friend today about hard times. hard times as in trials that we as Christian will go through. One thing that we told me made me think a lot, he said,"Just compare ourself with the other Christians that is in those country where Christianity is banned and those who believe in the Lord are persecuted and tortured. Yet their faith is still unto the Lord regardless of what situation they are facing." That really made me realize how childish I had been all this while. Dwelling on what has been done wrong and just holding on to that feeling thinking bout it all the time, yet actions to overcome it are very limited. In fact those other Christians out there are suffering more than us yet their faith in the Lord is so strong. What bout myself? what bout some of us here ? Sometimes is just the slightest thing that God ask us to give up or just leave behind for now but yet we are already so heave hearted to just let it go. But can't be blame since we are all humans.We can always be a believer, but with that 'insubordination' heart of ours we can never be a good disciple, and a good follower. At the end of the day we will be caught in between our desire and also God's plans for us. It was never a bed of roses walking a Christian life style, but with God by our side, there will be a calm and peace feeling even though when we are in totally deep shit. Because God heal the broken hearted and through Him everything will can be done accordingly to His will.We as just humans always put God's capability into a small box, limiting our understanding bout Him. But He is God, the one and only God Almighty, the one that create the heavens and earth, the breath life into us giving us life. God is just so awesome and great, nothing is IMPOSSIBLE for Him. SO rather than thinking that God why this, why that, why don't we start focusing on," God just tell me what is need to be done.""But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."Luke 6:49We can always say how much we love God and how much we have faith in Him, but all will be tested when the real torrent structs our lives. Can we act accordingly to the word of God? or we just dwell and just stay on the very spot thinking nothing be be done no more? It was never easy, 100% bout it, that's why God sent Holy Spirits to help us and guide us through these hard times, and all we need to do is just to be more sensitive to His voice.As what was written in the book of Job.He replied," You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"Job 2:10When God bless us we will always say how good He is, but when hard times approaches can we still say the same? But God is of same and will never change, we just need to remember that no matter what hard things that hit us God wouldn't allowed it if we can't handle it and definitely there will be a solid reason why God allowed it to happen. For God's plans are always to bless us but not to bring harm to us. We just need to remember that.So may we be more of a follow rather than just a believer. Because God is always good and never ever His plans is to bring harm to us."For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."Jeremiah 29:11
Friday, December 11, 2009
' ..... you have only one Master and you are all brothers,'Matthew 23:8As we know so well in this world, we are given free will to do things we want to, to make choices that we want to as long as it is suitable for the society to accept and also ethical. But given free will yet we are still bound by stuff like emotions, feelings, and other factors that will lead us to make choices based on those reasons. But other than that what is the other factor that will cause us to make different choices that we should have made in our life's ? Leaders...Whether you like it or not, our life is always control by someone or something. Just for example, our parents ? our friends ? money ? I bet you are thinking that even though I have friends but I still make my own decisions. But well if you observed carefully in a group of friends there will be always prune to have one acting as a leader suggesting stuff to do and so and basically he/she will have more influence in the group. Take it this way the leader that I'm portraying here is someone or something that will lead our life's towards different endings that God may want us to be.Take another example money? Money is definitely another leader in most of the people now a days. People are willing to work for extra hours, doing all sort kinds of things including backstabbing or lying even so to gain money. Which lead to a ungodly life.But all in all there is only one leader that can lead us to the right path, which is Jesus Christ !!!Worldly people might say why Jesus? He is just another somebody that got nail on the cross for spreading His religion. But the truth is we know that's wrong. Jesus is the ultimate leader that we should follow. Why? (1) He is God.
(2) Even as men on earth we walk His life sinless and faithful to the Lord.
(3) He is so pure, yet he is known as 'Friend of sinners'
(4) He loves everyone of us.There are just too many aspect to say that Jesus IS our leader and the leader that we should really follow. As my personal experience, a lot of times I had been focusing on other stuff which means I put other as my leader more than Him. My friends, my computer, my girlfriend and etc.. And guess what, when I kept on doing this everything that I though it was so perfectly happening just falls apart and my attitude just tend to get back to how I used to be before becoming a follower of Christ.See, God is so important in our lives. We can always say that we can have our self control, but hey how long can you last all by yourself? At the end of the day you will just fail and fall back of square one. I dare say that we cannot ever control our decision and emotions nicely without God in our lives. He is the one that is doing the magic in our life's. The Holy Spirit in us gives us the conviction to follow whatever God ask us to do, and without it we will just fall back to where we started after being tempted and so on.It's never easy following Christ's footstep, even He Himself was persecuted and was nail on the cross. But because of Jesus, it gave us hope. Jesus came down as full men to walk the word of God among us and showed us that we can be better and better and more like Him if we just try hard enough and be faithful to God. And through Jesus we are all saved.Jesus answered," I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."John 14:6Jesus is the only way for us to return back to God's kingdom. And this is the ultimate fulfillment in our lives but not by holding on to other worldly stuff that you can't take away after you've died. And as to be a disciple of Christ we have to 1st die to our old self and follow Him as a new creation."Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."Matthew 16:24-25So as what the bible say, we can only find full purpose in our life through Jesus once we deny ourself. Which means of letting go all those that we shouldn't hold on to. So that our hearts can concentrate on God Himself only.May we just learn more and more on how to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ, and we will put down our lives and take up the cross and follow Jesus. Cause he is the only way.
Thanks to all the blogs i referred to(countless) for html code help :) (esp. cyn' and sixseven)
Adobe Photoshop Elements for supernatural abilities