Deeper life

There are many stages of Christian experience and maturity which we consistently find among the professing children of God.

The degrees and forms of Christians men's living are, "common", "special", and "perfect".  The first two of these may begun and ended in this life.  You can enter into perfection but you cannot enter in fully.  The third may by the grace of God begin here but it shall last without end in the bliss of heaven.

A "common" Christian is one who is of ordinary quality and ability.  He is not distinguished by superiority of any kind - ie. a mediocre Christians.  They are halfway up to the peak.  They are not halfway to heaven but halfway up to where they ought to be, halfway between the valley and the peak.   They are morally above the hardened sinner but they are spiritually beneath the shinning saint.

A "special" Christian is one who have the desire and spirit of apostle Paul's.  A desire to gain Christ (Philippians 3:8) and to be found in Him (Philippians 3:9), and to know Him (Philippians 3:10).  The person also has an earnest desire to press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of (Philippians 3:12) and press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.(Philippians 3:14).

Many people want to talk about deeper life but no one seems to want to know and love God for himself!  God is the deeper life!   Jesus Christ Himself is the deeper life, and as we plunge on into the knowledge on the triune God, our heart moves on into the blessedness of His fellowship.
The basic teaching of the deeper Christian life is the willingness to let Jesus Christ Himself be glorified in us and through us.

[Extract from A.W.Tozer - I Talk Back To The Devil]

DIFFICULTIES IN OUR LIVES GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD

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]

Handling Adversity

What kept us from bitterness?

 A man of integrity and godliness.

First, Job claimed God's loving sovereignty.  He believed that the Lord who gave had every right to take away (Job 1:21; 2:10).  Job looked up claiming his Lord's right to rule over his life.

Second, he counted on God's promise of resurrection.  "Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God" (Job 19:25-26).  Job looked ahead, counting on his Lord's promise to make all things bright and beautiful in the life beyond.

Third, he confessed his own lack of understanding.  What a relief this bring!  He didn't feel obligated to explain why (Job 42:2-4).  Job looked within, confessing his inability to put it all together.

He rested his adversity with God, not feeling forced to answer why.

When we're looking in all the right directions, we won't take the wrong turn.

[Extracted from "Day by Day with Charles Swindoll]

A   ADVERSITY

B   BUILDS         

C   CHARACTER

Why we should not worry

"An anxious heart weights a man down" (Proverb 12:25).

Anxiety also steals emotional peace and removes spiritual assurance.

The Bible reminds us why we should not worry :

Firstly, worry is foolish (Luke 12:22-24).  It is falling into the folly of the rich fool who believed that his life consisted of his possessions.  But life is more than food and clothes, and God has promised us that He will care for us, much more so than He does for His creatures, the birds.  To worry is foolishly to forget that we are God's valued children and He is our loving Father.

Secondly, worry is futile (Luke 12:25-28)

Worry can shorten life, but it can not lengthen it - and God who gives beauty to the fields will not strip us bare.  Anxiety denies the care of God - and all to no effect.  So the alternative is not to be "careless" but "trust-full".  A little bit of reflection helps us to recognize that most worry is about things that can't be changed (the past), things that can't be controlled (the present), or things that might not happen (the future).

Thirdly, worry is faithless (Luke 12:29-31).

To be absorbed with physical and personal needs is ultimately to be captured by unbelief.  If the  gospel is really true, our lives should be different qualitatively from the lives of pagans.

Worry is the product of an inadequate understanding of our Father.  He is the One who knows, cares, and acts.  The way we look at God determines the way we will look at life, and this will determine what we worry about.

Our great need is to worry about the right thing.  That is, to seek His kingdom.  We do not refrain from worrying.  We replace concern about secondary things with concern about the primary thing.  Only His kingdom is worthy of our ultimate concern.

[Extract from "Jesus' parables about money" by Gary Inrig]

Conflicts

What is a conflict?

A conflict is an emotional collision.  It is stress caused by incompatible desires or demands.  It is what occurs when we have two or more impulses in competition with one another.

Conflict may be internal or external - that is, it may occur within a character's mind or between a character and exterior forces.  Conflict is most visible between two or more characters, usually a protagonist and an antagonist, but can occur in many different forms.
The basic types of conflict in fiction have been commonly codified as "man against man", "man against nature", "man against self".  In each case, "man" is the universal and refers to women as well.

"Man against man" conflict involves stories where characters are against each other.  This is an external conflict.
"Man against nature" conflict is an external struggle positioning the hero against an animal or a force of nature.
With "man against self" conflict, the struggle is internal.  A character must overcome his own natures or make a choice between two or more paths - good or evil; logic and emotion.
[Wikipedia - conflict]

Knowing our limitations, God urges us to "cast all our anxieties on Him" (1 Peter 5:7) and to replace worry with active, specific prayer (Philippian 4:6).  Prayer may not stop the collision, but, like seat belts, it sure can protect us from serious damage.

James asked us to  "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4)

What makes you happy?

On Monday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak made an announcement that the Government needs to work at not only increasing the people's earning capacity, but also on making sure that they are happy.

So, what is happiness to you???

To a hawker selling 'keropok' - happiness is being able to sell all his produce daily while to an ant - happiness is having enough sugar for a lifetime and not getting squashed by a shoe.

Happiness does not have much to do with material goods or high achievement, but it boils down to our outlook in life, and the quality of our relationship with the people around us.

Real happiness is overcoming our negativity and beginning to count our blessing so we can experience the mysterious beauty of life.  It is about learning to surrender, release the need to control and allow our lives to unfold in its own unique and organic way.  It is about becoming fully human.  Solomon tells us that God grants happiness to us as a privilege (Ecclesiastes. 3:12, 7:14; 11:9)

God's Word tells us that true happiness comes by keeping God's law.

Proverbs 16:20 tells us "Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trust in the Lord".

Pleasure or happiness is dependent on circumstances, but joy is inward and is not disturbed by one's environment.

Pleasure is built on self-seeking, but joy is based on self-sacrifice.

The world offers "passing pleasures" (Hebrews 11:25), but the Lord Jesus offers to give us full and lasting joy (John 15:11).

HAPPINESS  DEPENDS  ON  HAPPENINGS;  JOY  DEPENDS  ON  JESUS!

HAPPINESS  IS  SOMETHING  YOU  CHOOSE.

"Keng Hwa"

"Keng Hwa" (in Hokkien) or Epiphyllum oxypetalum (Dutchman's   Pipe,   kardable,   Night   Queen  or निशागंधीNishagandhi or Gul-e-Bakawali) is a species of cactus and one of the most cultivated  species  in  the genus.  It is a variety of nightblooming Cereus and  often confused with species of Selenicereus.  [Wikipedia]

The plant was given to us by a church's friend  about  3  years ago.  From the leaf  cutting,  we  just  'poke'  and planted it.  After 3 years, in June, among the many snaky,  flat  and  long leaves, we saw a bud sprout from the edge of a  leaf,  not the tip.  We waited night after night, but  the flower did  not bloom and the bud wither after a few days.

In mid August, we saw 3 buds sprouting again.  And on 27 August, we waited patiently from 11.45 pm  to witness how the bud manifest into a pure white flower the size of a medium dinner plate.  

What a magnificient creation of God.

Dwelling in His holy hill

Psalm 15:1-3  Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?  Who may live on your mountain?  The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and cast no slur on others.

To dwell in God's intimate presence and fellowship with Him, we must walk in integrity, we must work righteousness and we must speak the truth in our hearts.

We must avoid slander with our tongue, and we must not do evil to our neighbour.  We must also not take up a reproach, or receive a reproach, against our friends.  This emphasizes the importance of obedience and completeness of moral conduct.

We should always seek to do right in the sight of God.  (Exodus 19:5-6; Ephesians 2:10)

We must obey God from the heart (Luke 6:45; Philippians 1:9-10)

We must treat others as we want to be treated - lives by the rule of love (Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14)