Weeds of Life

Temptation is one of the most familiar experiences of the true child of God, but some seem to be tempted much more than others.

"Temptations are like Satan knocking at our heart and when we see him there we should let Jesus answer the door !"

Working in the flower beds always reminded us of the Christian life, where weeds in our spiritual life grow as quickly as weeds in our flower bed. So what are the weeds in our lives?

Galatians 5: 16-21 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Recently, we have the priviledged to counsel and encourage a young couple facing a 'third party' crisis. Their problems started after the birth of their first son. Initially, it was lack of communication, then it was discontentment, frustation and resentment.

Dr Tim LaHaye, pastor of Scott Memorial Baptist Church lays down the six keys for marital happiness as Maturity, Submission, Love, Communication, Prayer and Christ.

Marriage is the place designed by God to brings the opposite sexes to complement each other. The daily parts and pieces of marriage do not automatically fall into place as loving and living with your partner takes daily determination and practice - and the giving of oneself for the good of the other. God planned for a man and woman to be more than mates - to be helpmates. Herein lies the secret of a happy marriage. The other secret is - Jesus Christ is the ONLY acceptable 'third party' in a marriage.

Galatians 5:22-26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

YOU WON'T STUMBLE IN THE DARK IF YOU WALK IN THE LIGHT OF GOD'S WORD.

Dwell with Understanding

Marriage is a beautiful, exciting adventure when God is the unifying ingredient.
Today, I'll be married for 24 years to the same person. To my wife, you're the only one for me, through each joy and triumph, spat or fuss. You are the one available when I needed you most; and the one at time, doing what you don't feel like doing. You are the one that interceed for me when I am out of track. You are the one that can read my moods, or deal with all my attitudes. Whether I am all alone, or in a crowd, I know you'll always make me proud.

When I am sad, you will dry my tears; When I am scared, you will comfort my fear; When I am worried, you gave me hope; When I am confused, you help me to cope;

I can truly declared as Genesis 2:23 said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, for she was taken out of man."

I have learned to appreciate your unique qualities and take the responsibility to understand you. With you in the house married life is interesting and it stretches our understanding for each others. Your patient understanding and loving tenderness have made our marriage an increasingly joyous experience. Your inner beauty, like your physical beauty, has improved through these twenty-four years.

The love you show throughout the years, and the kindness and the thoughtfulness in everything you do are things that will always mean far more that words can ever say. I'm thankful for the many things and dreams we share. You really makes my world a brighter place to live.

Peter wrote : Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. [1 Peter 3:7]

I want you to know that I feel especially blessed by God to have a wife so dear like you HAPPY ANNIVERSARY with all my love.

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

MARRIAGE THRIVES IN A CLIMATE OF LOVE AND RESPECT

World's Highest Paid Professions - Mother

Mother's profession can be categorized as a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations. Their job is never done and it never will be until they finished their journey here. They are not paid much in terms of monetary but they are mainly rewarded emotionally. To most mothers, family time is the most important as it is a time of bonding. It is here where their children interact for information and advice.
Most of the efforts, sacrifices, and expressions of love our mother have given us are usually not recognized or appreciated but they are genuine.

Laura Prieto, an associate professor of history and women's studies in Boston said : Mothers Day was meant to be, and still is, an ideal of motherhood, when mothers were supposed to dedicate themselves to nurturing their children and making a cozy, safe home.

On this special day, may we thank God for the mothers who have molded our hearts. As we honour them, we fulfill the truth of Proverbs 31:28 - Her children rise up and call her blessed: Her husband also, and he praises her.

"A MOTHER WILL ALWAYS LOVE HER SON, NO MATTER HOW OLD HE IS"

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POWER for Living

Every Christian is to grow spiritually. The following POWER acrostic will help you to remember the essential elements to spiritual progress.

PRAY. The Christian who wants to grow, communicates with God through prayer. He expresses his gratitude to Him, confesses his sins, and comes to Him with his requests for himsef and for others. God promises to be near to all who come to Him in prayer (Psalms 145:18)
OBEY. In John 14, Jesus said that our obedience to His commands is an indicator of our love for Him (v v 15, 21, 23). We can't do it in our own strength, however, that's one of the reasons He gave us the Holy Spirit (v v 16-17). As we yield to Him, the Spirit provides the power to walk in obedience (Galatians 5:16-25)
WORSHIP. A Christian's devotion to God is to be continuous. Privately, he should worship God in his thoughts and prayers (Psalms 34:1). Publicly, he should unite with fellow believers in a local assembly to bring praise to God (Psalm 111:1; Hebrews 10:24-25)
EVANGELIZE. The good news of the gospel is to be shared. As we tell others what Christ has done for us, we will find ourselves growing by spiritual leaps and bounds (Matthews 28:19-20).
READ. The most direct source of a Christian's spiritual growth is the Bible. It must be read regularly because it is his milk and strong meat (1 Peter 2:2; Hebrews 5:12-14). It tells us how to live (Psalms 119:105). It is God's word to us today.
[Extracted from Discovery Series - How Do You Live the Christian Life]

Day Trip To Padang Besar

On Labour Day, we gathered in front of Wisma Jelutong at 7-30 am before we journeyed to Seberang Jaya to picked up Micheal Ong and his family for our day trip to Padang Besar, a town bordering Perlis/Thailand.

Our bus of 44 [including the tour guide, Bro. Rodney] then journeyed to Sungai Petani for our breakfast. After breakfast, we continued our trip to Kota Kayangan Museum, located about 12 km from Kangar. The museum ground were once a palace under the reign of Sultan Dhiauddin Mukarram Shah (1661-1687). It displays archaeological relics as well as historical artefacts.

Before heading to Gua Kelam Recreational Park, a place tucked away in the town of Kaki Bukit, we stop to collect our lunch (Tua Pau). All of us gathered under some trees in Gua Kelam Recreational Park for lunch before continuing our exploration of Gua Kelam. Gua Kelam [Cave of Darkness] was famous for tin ore cave mining during the middle of last century. Historically, it got its name from the tin ore miners which uses carbide lamp to lighten the caves.

We arrived at Padang Besar, a quaint border town at about 2pm where we spent 2 hours shopping for food and clothing, handicraft as well as household items.
Before heading home to Penang, we detoured to Permatang Tengah, KhunThai Village Restaurant for an early dinner.

Praise God for a wonderful trip.

Kota Kayang Museum

the 'tua pau'

The 'curse' of modern life

Study : US students suffer from internet addiction.

American college students are hooked on cell phones, social media and the internet and showing symptoms similar to drug and alcohol addictions, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of Maryland who asked 200 students to give up all media for one full day found that after 24 hours many showed signs of withdrawal, craving and anxiety along with an inability to function well wihout their media and social links.

But it seems to be an affliction of modern life. In one extreme example in South Korea reported by the media, a couple allegedly neglected their three months daughter, who died of malnutriction, because they were on the computer for up to 12 hours a day raising a virtual child.

[The Sunday Star dated 25 April 2010]

This 'curse' or addiction are essentially terms that have been applied to those that spend excessive amounts of time online at the expense of and to the detriment of other aspects of their lives.

So this 'curse' is real and to avoid this addiction why not get addicted to JESUS instead. Because only Jesus can fill any vacumn that you have in your life.

We should then cultivate the habits of growing in the Lord through the following :-

The Habit of Prayer as in Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

The Habit of Study as in James 1:25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

The Habit of Fellowship as in Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Through all this habits, we can spent our time more fruitful and at the same time grow closer to be Christlike.

A Piece of Clay

Are you willing to be shape by God?
In Psalm 139, David describes God as fashioning his tiny body together in the darkness of his mother's womb. [verse 13]

Genesis 2:7 records the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Even as God have shaped us since we are in our mother's womb, let us continue to submit to Him, as he mould us daily in our walk with Him - like clay in the hand of the potter.

We need to regularly read the Bible and pray for the Holy Spirit to help us understand what it says? Nothing is more important than spending time with God each day to allow him to shape us into the person he wants us to be. There is no short cut to spiritual intimacy; ever Christian needs to cultivate a lifestyle of persistent prayer and intimacy with God.

Jeremaiah 18:6 "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.

How is your health, spiritually?

Spiritual health is not determined by how we look, but by how we live. It is not enough for us to talk about faith, we must live out our faith. The Lord calls us to be people of inner substance, not just outward appearance - thus we are to demonstrate the reality of His presence in us by an attitude of humility.

Psalm 139:23-24 records "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Even as we ask God to search us, we need to humble ourselves as God reveal to us our attitude and behavior that need to be change.

Firstly, do not harbor any BITTERNESS, as bitterness only consumes the vessel that contains it. Secondly, avoid clinging to critical attitudes, and thinking too highly of oneself.

Mark 7:21-23 "For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' "

If we allow God to controls our inside, then we will be genuine on the outside.

Warnings !!!

The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death. - Proverbs 13:14

God has provided us with "warnings" for our protection. The book of Proverbs is filled with warnings about evil and it encourages us to seek wisdom. In Proverbs 13, the principal author Solomon, provides God's instructions for His people to deal successfully with the practical affairs of everyday life.
verse 1 - advices us to heed the instructions and rebukes of our father while verse 3 reminded us to guard our mouth. Verses 7 to 11 cautious us not to occupied ourselves with materialistic things and avoid dishonesty.

In Joel 2:12-17, God used the prophet Joel to encourage His people to pay attention to the warning light on their spiritual life. Prosperity had caused them to become complacent and negligent in their commitment to the Lord. Their faith had degenerated into empty formalities and their lives into moral bankruptcy. So God sent a plague of locusts to ruin crops in order to get His people's attention, causing them to change their behaviour and turn to Him with their whole heart.

First John 1:9 reminds us : "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

TO AVOID GOING WRONG, FOLLOW GOD'S LEADING.

TO BUILD A GODLY LIFE, LET GOD BE THE ARCHITECT AND HIS WORD THE BLUEPRINT.

The Pursuit Of Happiness

Everyone is looking for happiness, and people follow many avenues trying to find it. They look for it in money, fancy cars, self-improvement programs, parties, luxurious homes, or promoting a cause.

That's a wrong list. The right one is found in Matthew 5. Jesus taught us that deep and lasting happiness comes from being right with God. He said we are blessed, or happy, when we are :
Poor in spirit - recognizing our desperate need for God.
Mourning - realizing the awfulness of sin and being genuinely sorry for it.
Meek - demonstrating self-control, even when we are mistreated.
Hungry and thirsty for righteousness - longing to be holy and pure.
Merciful - showing mercy to others, just as God shows mercy to us.
Pure in heart - being single minded and sincere in our devotion to Christ.
Peacemakers - sharing the peace Christ offers, and promoting peace with one another.
Persecuted - being willing to suffer for Jesus' sake.

Looking for happiness? Follow Jesus' way.
[Extracted from Our Daily Bread written by Dave Branon]

HAPPINESS DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU ARE, NOT ON WHAT YOU HAVE.