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Showing posts from August, 2009

Faith comes from hearing

This is a real story. Last Thursday, a few of us paid a visit to one of our friend's mother. She is a 98 years old lady. Although she had a fall, she is still very cheerful. She is a Christian who loves God. I decided to ask this friend more of her mother. How does she become a christian, I wondered? My friend told me that her mother was saved in year 2002. Before she becomes a christian, my friend always make an effort to tell her mum whenever she goes to a church meeting or attend any christian seminar. Initially her mum tells her not to go. But she continues to tell her where she goes and what she enjoys. She did it faithfully, day after day. Soon miracle happens. Her mum became interested to know more about this God the christian believes. Bit by bit her faith increases. Thus do not belittle whenever we share with our friends, relatives and family members. Faith comes from hearing, ie. hearing the word of God. When we are willing to share the gospel with others, mi

Isaiah 59:10

A little mother, leading a baby girl about four years of age boarded a street car.... She sat down and took her daughter upon her lap. Beside her sat a woman who held a lovely bouquet of roses; and attracted by the sweet face of the child with the big blue eyes, the woman took one flower from the bouquet and offered it to the little tot. "Here is a rose for you, darling," she said. The child looked strangely at her and then drew back. Puzzled, the woman repeated her offer, and this time touched the child's hand with the petals of the rose. The child seemed frightened, for in confusion she quickly reached up and touched her mother's face to attract her attention. The mother turned to the kindly woman beside her and spoke just four words. Upon her careworn face there was a sweetly sad little smile that told an eloquently tragic tale of a mother heart. "My darling is blind." Blind! Oh yes, physical blindness arouses the emotion of pity in the hearts of all

Is your prayer always answered?

If not, consider the following verses:- Mark 11:22-26 22And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. I enjoy that there are 7 keys to answered prayer as revealed in the above portion:- 1) Faith in God 2) Hearing from Jesus 3) Exercising faith 4) Do not doubt 5) Believe in what you say will come to pass 6) Expect to receive 7) Remove hindrances I need to

How to run the Christian Race

Hebrews 12:1-3 1. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Today, our brother shared that all christians are put into a race. This is not a competitive race but a race of endurance. We need to run with perseverance. We need to fix our eyes on Jesus so that we will not grow weary and lose heart. Sometimes, if we look at our conditions, our situation, it is easy to lose heart. However, when we focus on Jesus, we are uplifted. Another thing we must learn is to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so ea

Are you discouraged?

Consider these verses:- Ephesian 1: 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. To us who believe, the power that flows through us is the same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead.

Let him receive (Matthew 19:12)

It is not so hard to give as it is to have to receive. To be obliged to take a gift makes us agree with the words of the Lord Jesus when He said."It is more blessed to give than to receive." Then we see that it is harder to take gracefully the kindness of our friends. But when we must receive, then that is the will of God for us, and just then more beneficial to us than giving. We must be willing, not only to serve, but to be served; not only to bear others' burdens, but to let others bear ours; not only to minister to the sick, but to be simply and thankfully ministered unto; not only give, but to receive. It is sometimes the will of God that we should let others do the will of God, and ourselves be the occasions instead of the authors of kindness. How can there be any giving, any serving, if there be no receiving? Someone must receive if another is to give. We give joy to the giver when we become the grateful receiver. Thus, as paradoxical as it may seem, in receiv

You are special!!

Do you know that you are made in the image of God? In another word, you resemble God! Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all[b] the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” You are formed by God out of the dust of the ground and God breathed into you the breath of life. Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. We are God's wonderful masterpiece. Psalm 139:14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well

Just be simple

I love the story on five loaves and two fish very much: And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food." But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish ." He said, "Bring them here to Me." Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides wo

Great and marvellous are Thy works!

Revelations 15:3 Sometimes people wonder why prayers are not answered promptly, or why the reply is not what they expected. The following story will help them to understand. Three large trees in a forest prayed that they might choose what they would be converted into when they were felled. One prayed to be made into a beautiful palace; the second, to be a large ship to sail the seven seas; the third to stay in the forest and always point toward God. One day the woodman came and chopped down the first tree, but instead of a palace, it was made into a common stable, wherein was born the fairest Babe in all creation. The second tree was made into a small ship that was launched on the Sea of Galilee, on the deck of which stood a tall young man who told the multitudes:"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it abundantly." The third tree was made into a cross, and to it men nailed that young man, the loveliest personality that ever walked the earth. Ever s

The cloud and the fire

I am always amazed by the cloud and the fire that guided the Israelites on their journey to the promised land. Numbers 9:15-23 15. On the day the tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. 16. That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire. 17. Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. 18. At the LORD's command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19. When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the LORD's order and did not set out. 20. Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the LORD's command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. 21. Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evenin

PASS IT ON! Matthew 28:19-20

If a man has religion, he must give it away. It is to be shared. Have you ever wondered what would happen to the Gospel of Christ if one generation failed to pass it on? Someone once told this story of Jesus: When He had finished His work here on earth, He was met by the angel Gabriel. Gabriel asked, "Have you seen to it that you left an organized group down on earth to carry on your work? Are you sure that there are some who will be diligent and faithful?" Jesus answered Gabriel, "I have left word with Peter, James and John, and Mary and Martha. They are dependable. They will tell others and make my Word known to men. The work will go on." Gabriel, though an angel, knew the frailties of human nature. He pursued the issue further, "What if they forget? You should have made other plans?" Jesus quietly replied , with a look of confidence on His face, "I made no plans. I am counting on them."

THE BIG DIFFERENCE

I was considering the prayers made by the Pharisee and another one made by a tax collector. Prayer by a Pharisee 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. Prayer by a tax collector Luke 18:13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, 'O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.' What did Jesus said of the prayer made by these two men? Luke 18:14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Reflection : It is only when we become aware of God in His holiness, then will we become aware of our personal sin like the tax collector.

THE ONE & ONLY WAY

Sometimes, in life, you find that there is only one way that leads to a particular destination. Taking a wrong way will not lead you there. There are times when you encounter a kind soul that direct you back to the right path and finally you reach your destination. However, sometimes, we may not have a second chance. In the past, when people preach the gospel to me, I always told them that religion teaches people to do good. As long as I do good, I don’t need to believe in a God. But thank God, I still receive a second chance. Many people know that God is love but not many know that God is holy and righteous. Being a holy God, he cannot tolerates sin and being righteous, the wages of sin is death. The soul that sinned, he must die. But God is love. How to satisfy His righteousness and holiness? His holiness and righteousness cannot allow him to close one eye and ignore our sins. The Bible states clearly that without shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. (Hebrews 9:

MINUTE MEDITATIONS FOR TODAY

John 6:37 "I will never drive away anyone who comes to Me." Reflections:These words should inspire faith and hope. Our Lord asks for nothing extraordinary - only that I go to Him. This means that I must choose Him above all else - that I must with a sincere and honest intention take the road which leads to Him. Then, in His grace, He will welcome me - even if I should come to Him as a sinner, like the prodigal son. Prayer : My Saviour, how good You are! Do not be far from me, but grant that some day I may reach the happiness of my supernatural destiny and hear You say "Well done, good and faithful servant. Amen

HEART DISEASE

Just read a book on the Bible Cure for Heart Disease by Don Colbert, M.D. and would like to share how you can improve your heart condition by making changes to your diet. First, you can make an effort to decrease or avoid fried foods, red meats, hot dogs and other cured meats. Also reduce the intake of eggs, high fat diary products, butter, cream, lard and other saturated fats. Finally, cut back and then eliminate high-sugar foods, including ice-cream, pies, cakes, cookies, candies, white bread, processed foods, refined cereals, chips and other chip-like snack foods, salty foods and soft drinks. Sometimes, we begin to ask, then what do I eat? There are all kinds of wonderful things to add to your diet in the process! Eat primarily fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Also enjoy lean meats such as chicken breast, turkey breast and fish (but remember to peel the skins off the chicken and turkey). Using extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil instead of other vegetable oils also benefits