Walking with God

Psalm 1:1   Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delights is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.

Our intimacy with God first began in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve walked with God.  The word "walk" not only indicates physical movement, but oneness and unity in heart and mind - intimacy.  We were created intimately; God breathed into dust and created humanity in His image.  Adam and Eve were created to be God's people, and God was the true and only God for Adam and Eve.

It is this very communion with God - spending time with Him - which leads to intimacy.

The first two verses in Psalm 1 indicate that a person is blessed when he or she willingly delights in meditating on God's Law instead of spending time with the wicked and sinners.
More than any other Christians discipline, it is reading and meditating on God's Word that develops our intimacy with God, because true intimacy can only result when we deeply know, in both mind and heart, who God is and what He has done.
Intimacy with God is a privilege freely given to us by Christ in His
sacrifice on the cross.  He removed our sins so that we might dwell with God.  But in this, we need to be fully aware that any pattern of habitual, unrepented sin will not only be a hindrance to increasing intimacy, but will be something that takes away from whatever intimacy with God we may already have.

In Psalm 51:11-12, David pleads that God might not take away the relationship of intimacy with Him.  These two verses, which start the second half of the psalm, reflect David's heartfelt desire for continued intimacy with God.  David understood that sin separates us from God, so he pleads that God might deal with the issue of sin so that intimacy might not ever be lost.

This must be our very attitude as well.  Rather than becoming complacent or giving up entirely, we ought to follow David's lead and continue to confess our sins so that we remain in intimate relationship with our God .  For that is the reason why we were created; and in so doing, we honor God.

[Extracted from LIVING LIFE : August 2012 - Honoring God through Intimacy by Steven Oh]

Giving is sowing

Giving is sowing.

In 2 Corinthians 9:6-7  Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

How do we excel in giving?

"Giving is not a luxury of the rich, but the privilege of the poor."

When do we ever get excited about giving?  We are always more excited about receiving.  I remember we were given a love gift of RM100 by a pastor after a counselling session many years back.  We were very much taken aback; a love gift from a pastor - of all person.  From that time onward, we learn to listen to our heart and the Spirit.  Giving is beyond the gift, its the joy and the warm that goes with it.

The first gift we need to give to God is ourselves.  We cannot offer God anything that is acceptable to Him until we have offered ourselves.

Righteousness

Definition : Righteousness is the state of moral perfection by God to enter heaven.

However, the Bible clearly states that human beings cannot achieve righteousness through their own efforts: "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin." (Romans 3:20, NIV)

The law, or the Ten Commandments, shows us how far we fall short of God's standards.  The only solution to that dilemma is God's plan of salvation.

People receive righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.  Christ, the sinless Son of God, took humanity's sin upon Himself and became the willing, perfect sacrifice, suffering the punishment mankind deserved.  God the Father accepted Jesus' sacrifice, through which human beings can become justified. 

In turn, believers receive righteousness from Christ.  This doctrine is called imputation.  Christ's perfect righteousness is applied to imperfect human.

The Old Testament tells us that because of the sin of Adam, we, his descendants, have inherited his sinful nature.  God set up a system in Old Testament times where people sacrificed animals to atone for their sins.  The shedding of blood was required.

When Jesus entered the world, things changed.  His crucifixion and resurrection satisfied God's justice.  Christ's shed blood covers our sins.  No more sacrifices or works are required.  The apostle Paul explains how we receive righteousness through Christ in the book of Romans.

Salvation through this crediting of righteousness is a free gift, which is the doctrine of grace.  Salvation by grace through faith in Jesus is the essence of Christianity.  No other religion offers grace.  They all require some type of works on behalf of the participant - Jack Zavada.

 

Righteousness   - It depicts a lamb  "羊"  over me   "我",  signifying that the blood of the Lamb covers my sin so that I then stand righteous and justified before God.

[God and the Ancient Chinese by Samuel Wang & Ethel R.Nelson - pg 112]