Just sharing.

[beensetfree]

God will finish what He has begun!
Who Am I... in Christ?

In The Lord Jesus Christ - I am secure...
hidden in Christ

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Colossians 3:3,4 KJV

__________________

... God will finish what He has begun!

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Philippians 1:6 KJV

__________________

...I can be confident that God is working
to conform me to Christ's Image

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Romans 8:28,29

__________________

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

__________________

Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“Afterward.”

Hebrews 12:11

How happy are tried Christians, afterwards. No calm more deep than that which succeeds a storm. Who has not rejoiced in clear shinings after rain? Victorious banquets are for well-exercised soldiers. After killing the lion we eat the honey; after climbing the Hill Difficulty, we sit down in the arbour to rest; after traversing the Valley of Humiliation, after fighting with Apollyon, the shining one appears, with the healing branch from the tree of life.

Our sorrows, like the passing keels of the vessels upon the sea, leave a silver line of holy light behind them “afterwards.” It is peace, sweet, deep peace, which follows the horrible turmoil which once reigned in our tormented, guilty souls. See, then, the happy estate of a Christian! He has his best things last, and he therefore in this world receives his worst things first. But even his worst things are “afterward” good things, harsh ploughings yielding joyful harvests. Even now he grows rich by his losses, he rises by his falls, he lives by dying, and becomes full by being emptied; if, then, his grievous afflictions yield him so much peaceable fruit in this life, what shall be the full vintage of joy “afterwards” in heaven?

If his dark nights are as bright as the world's days, what shall his days be? If even his starlight is more splendid than the sun, what must his sunlight be? If he can sing in a dungeon, how sweetly will he sing in heaven! If he can praise the Lord in the fires, how will he extol him before the eternal throne! If evil be good to him now, what will the overflowing goodness of God be to him then? Oh, blessed “afterward!” Who would not be a Christian? Who would not bear the present cross for the crown which cometh afterwards? But herein is work for patience, for the rest is not for to-day, nor the triumph for the present, but “afterward.” Wait, O soul, and let patience have her perfect work.

 

[beensetfree]

How I Came To Believe In Jesus’ Resurrection


Resurrection Sunday changed history forever but people are still asking is there any proof of the resurrection?
The Historical Jesus
We know that Resurrection Sunday was part of history, but this epic event also changed history, but people still ask, “Is there any real proof of the resurrection of Jesus Christ?” Could you prove it to anyone that asks you about it? You can talk to people about evidence for the resurrection, but many still won’t believe because they choose not to believe. They don’t even think about it, but it’s not a matter of physical or historical evidence that makes a person believe.

It’s a matter of the heart. Jesus told His disciples, “For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Matt 16:17), and concerning what is to come, the Apostle Paul writes, “God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God” (1 Cor 2:9), so Jesus won’t be known by empirical evidence, because “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor 2:14). Only God can change the human heart (Prov 21:1), but He may use us as a means to do so, especially when it comes to loving others (John 13:34-35). Christians already know that their hope in Christ is not a hope-so faith, but a know-so faith. God has shown it to them.

The Innocent
The great lineage of Jesus Christ is recorded at the beginning of Luke. The names of all these men are historical facts. Even the census that Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem for was registered in the king’s census (Luke 2:1-5), and besides that, thousands upon thousands of witnesses not only knew Jesus by sight, but they acknowledged that He was the Messiah and related to King David’s lineage (Luke 1:1-10, 18:35-43). He was referred to as the Son of David (Matt 15:22, 20:30), and not once in the gospels did the chief priests, the scribes, the Pharisees or the Sadducees ever catch Jesus in a sin or every proved that He ever had sinned or broken the law. Pontius Pilate declared, “I find no guilt in him” (John 19:4), and tragically, many of these religious rulers knew that Jesus was from God, but for fear of losing their authority and positions, or getting put out of the synagogue, most denied Him in the end. The religious leaders all conspired to kill Him, despite the fact that He had not sinned nor broken Jewish or Roman law (Luke 20:20-26, 19:28-40, 20:20-26), and He was hated without cause (Psalm 69:4; John 15:26).

Eye Witnesses
In any court of law, eye witnesses are an invaluable source of finding the truth. In the whole of Judea and Samaria, there were several hundred eye witnesses who saw Jesus before, and more importantly, after His crucifixion, death, and resurrection (Luke 24:15-24, Act 1:3-4, 2:31-32, 9:3, 17, I Cor 15:4-8, 9:1, II Pet 1:16-21, John 3:2, 15:27, I John 1:1-3, 14). Hundreds others saw the empty tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, which Joseph had given for Jesus’ burial site and Jesus public execution was most certainly known by all, as the Roman’s had a custom of crucifying criminals near major roadways. They did this as a “warning sign” for all who entered or lived under Roman dominion, so the knowledge of Jesus’ crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection was known even into the Roman Empire, and later, beyond.


The Apostle’s Creed
The resurrection was so important to the early church because it is the essence of the gospel. Paul calls the gospel “of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep” (1 Cor 15:3-6).

This was so important that within three to eight years after His death, Apostle’s Creed was created with the intent of protecting these eye witness’s accounts and codifying their testimonies accurately, both for present and future generations. Jude wrote “I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1: 3), so even in the church’s infancy, they were already contending for the original gospel (1 Cor 15:3-6). Paul told Timothy he must “Fight the good fight of the faith” (1st Tim 6:12), because so many were preaching another gospel and not the one Jesus delivered.

Gnosticism
Within a few years, some churches had already been infiltrated with the Gnostics who felt it was only through knowledge that one could be saved, and it was only for a select few, however the Creed announces to everyone publicly that the only way we can be saved is through Jesus Christ (John 6:44) and the free gift of eternal life (Eph 2:8-9). The Creed has grown in the last two thousand years, but its basic tenets have not changed much.

If it has grown, it has only grown to resist the plethora of unsound doctrines floating around out there. It should act as a hedge against heresy and other (false) gospels. The Creed was not written from a blind-faith perspective or formulated by suppositions. It was created by eye witnesses who had seen Jesus before His death and after His resurrection. Today, He sits at the right hand of the Father directing His church as its Head. The old saying holds true; most people would live for a lie, but few would die for one. Especially one that they knew was not true.

Conclusion
I have faith in God, but I did not come to believe on my own. I was dead in my sins and needed quickening by God’s Spirt, so I came believe, but only because God wanted me to believe. I have faith, but what is this faith I have? God defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). The Greek word used for “assurance” is hypostasis, and means “a setting, a place,” or “that which has a foundation,” and the Greek word (elegchos) used for conviction means, “a proof, that by which something is proven or a tested conviction.”

Webster’s definition of faith seems perfectly fitting: Having an allegiance to duty or a person… loyalty, belief and trust in God, confidence in something or someone, so faith involves an act of the will. It is not blind faith, but faith that has assurance, is foundational, has inward and outward evidence, and has been proven by the person having such faith. For those things not seen (God), we have a foundational belief and overwhelming conviction of its truthfulness, so it’s not a hope-so faith, but a know-so faith…but that’s something only you can prove to be true.

 

[beensetfree]

I can do all things in Him
Who Am I... in Christ?

In The Lord Jesus Christ - I am special...
able to do all things in Him

I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Philippians 4:12,13 KJV

__________________

... a minister of reconciliation

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 NIV

__________________

... God chose me to bear fruit for Him!

You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another.

John 15:16,17 NASB

__________________

"Forbidden fruits create many jams"

Be ye holy!

__________________

Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“And he requested for himself that he might die.”

1 Kings 19:4

It was a remarkable thing that the man who was never to die, for whom God had ordained an infinitely better lot, the man who should be carried to heaven in a chariot of fire, and be translated, that he should not see death — should thus pray, “Let me die, I am no better than my fathers.” We have here a memorable proof that God does not always answer prayer in kind, though he always does in effect.

He gave Elias something better than that which he asked for, and thus really heard and answered him. Strange was it that the lion-hearted Elijah should be so depressed by Jezebel's threat as to ask to die, and blessedly kind was it on the part of our heavenly Father that he did not take his desponding servant at his word. There is a limit to the doctrine of the prayer of faith. We are not to expect that God will give us everything we choose to ask for. We know that we sometimes ask, and do not receive, because we ask amiss.

If we ask for that which is not promised — if we run counter to the spirit which the Lord would have us cultivate — if we ask contrary to his will, or to the decrees of his providence — if we ask merely for the gratification of our own ease, and without an eye to his glory, we must not expect that we shall receive. Yet, when we ask in faith, nothing doubting, if we receive not the precise thing asked for, we shall receive an equivalent, and more than an equivalent, for it. As one remarks, “If the Lord does not pay in silver, he will in gold; and if he does not pay in gold, he will in diamonds.”

If he does not give you precisely what you ask for, he will give you that which is tantamount to it, and that which you will greatly rejoice to receive in lieu thereof. Be then, dear reader, much in prayer, and make this evening a season of earnest intercession, but take heed what you ask.

 

[beensetfree]

The Polish Underground


A fighter in the Polish underground resistance movement from 1939 to 1944, Mr. Stypulkowski was captured by the Russian army at the end of the war. He and 15 other Poles were taken to Russia to stand trial for treason. Since these Polish "double-agents" had in fact helped to defeat the Nazis, the prosecutors had no evidence that they aided the enemy. The only way to convict them would be to get them to make a full confession.

Prior to the trial, guards rigorously interrogated the men, attempting to break them mentally, emotionally, and spiritually--to destroy their integrity--so they would confess to anything demanded of them. Fifteen of the 16 men broke under the grueling pressure. Only Stypulkowski held out. He endured 69 nights of brutal questioning in a series of 141 interrogations. At one point even his interrogator had a mental breakdown and had to be replaced. Relentlessly his tormentors examined everything he had done, or hadn't done, to find anything that could be used against him. They found plenty of dirt--Stypulkowski was no saint--but they were unable to extract a confession for the crimes of which he was being accused.

Starved, sleep-deprived, and in constant terror, Stypulkowski resisted even in the face of the signed confessions of his best friends blaming him for their trouble. His torturers told him his case was hopeless and as good as closed. They advised him to plead guilty so they could lessen his sentence; otherwise, he could expect certain death. But Stypulkowski continued refusing to make the full confession they wanted. He confidently stated that he had not been a traitor and could not confess to something which was not true. Throughout all these horrors he kept his Christian faith vital by regular prayer. He subordinated every other loyalty to his loyalty to Christ. Most impressive of all was the completely natural way that he witnessed about his faith.

At his trial he pled "not guilty," expecting to pay for the rebellion with his life. However, mainly because of the western observers who attended the trial, the Russians reluctantly dropped the charges against Stypulkowski and he was freed.

Stypulkowski endured because he daily presented himself to God and to his accusers in absolute honesty. Knowing he was accepted and loved by God, forgiven and cleansed by his Savior, he freely admitted to all the wrongdoing his enemies uncovered from his past. "I never felt it necessary to justify myself with excuses," he recalls. "When they showed me I was a coward, I already knew it. When they shook their fingers at me with accusations of filthy, lewd feelings, I already knew it. When they showed me a reflection of myself with all my inadequacies, I said to them, But gentlemen, I am much worse than that.' For you see, I had learned it was unnecessary for me to justify myself; One had already done that for me--Jesus Christ!" He could freely admit his personal failures because he knew they had all been taken care of at the Cross. All who have that kind of faith in Jesus Christ are also justified--"we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand" (Romans 5:12). Counting on God's justifying grace, we can find the courage to face the truth about ourselves and experience healing.

 

[beensetfree]

God Is For Us! So, Who Will Stand Against Us? The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him: and the Lord shall cover him all the day long. Deut. 33:12 KJV __________________ I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Psalm 16:8 KJV __________________ The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1 KJV __________________ May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 NIV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love.”

Hosea 11:4

Our heavenly Father often draws us with the cords of love; but ah! how backward we are to run towards him! How slowly do we respond to his gentle impulses! He draws us to exercise a more simple faith in him; but we have not yet attained to Abraham's confidence; we do not leave our worldly cares with God, but, like Martha, we cumber ourselves with much serving. Our meagre faith brings leanness into our souls; we do not open our mouths wide, though God has promised to fill them.

Does he not this evening draw us to trust him? Can we not hear him say, “Come, my child, and trust me. The veil is rent; enter into my presence, and approach boldly to the throne of my grace. I am worthy of thy fullest confidence, cast thy cares on me. Shake thyself from the dust of thy cares, and put on thy beautiful garments of joy.” But, alas! though called with tones of love to the blessed exercise of this comforting grace, we will not come.

At another time he draws us to closer communion with himself. We have been sitting on the doorstep of God's house, and he bids us advance into the banqueting hall and sup with him, but we decline the honour. There are secret rooms not yet opened to us; Jesus invites us to enter them, but we hold back. Shame on our cold hearts! We are but poor lovers of our sweet Lord Jesus, not fit to be his servants, much less to be his brides, and yet he hath exalted us to be bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, married to him by a glorious marriage-covenant.

Herein is love! But it is love which takes no denial. If we obey not the gentle drawings of his love, he will send affliction to drive us into closer intimacy with himself. Have us nearer he will. What foolish children we are to refuse those bands of love, and so bring upon our backs that scourge of small cords, which Jesus knows how to use!

 

[beensetfree]

Stephen, The First Jesus Freak
Jerusalem, Israel
34 A.D.

Across the courtroom, the young man on trial continued preaching. The jury fidgeted nervously as he told of their religious heritage and forefathers. What did Abraham and Moses have to do with Jesus? Another young man in the audience, about the same age as the defendant, seemed not to be listening. His mind was already made up on the matter of this Jesus follower. The crowd of Jewish leaders, however, grew more agitated at every word from the young defendant.

Suddenly the preacher turned to the audience. ?You stubborn and hardheaded people! You?re always fighting against the Holy Spirit, just like your ancestors did. They killed the prophets who told about the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have turned against Him and killed Him. You have received the law of God, but you have not kept it.?

When the crowd heard this, they were even more furious, but the defendant ignored their growing anger. His face glowed like that of an angel, and he stopped talking and pointed to the ceiling. ?Look! I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.?

This was too much. Yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him. They dragged him out of the city to stone him. He continued preaching all the way.

The young man who had been in the audience, one Saul of Tarsus, followed after them. He stood a short distance away from the defendant, looking steadily at the sky as the mob grew larger. The cries grew more heated now. A man handed Saul his coat, then stooped to pick up a stone as though waiting for a signal from Saul. Saul lowered his gaze, then looked directly into the man?s eyes and nodded. It was time to silence the young preacher.

Stephen, the defendant, continued despite the crowd?s jeers, because the Man he was telling them about was so important to him. He couldn?t stop talking about Him. Several more men had now removed their coats, handed them to Saul, and began gathering rocks, many of them so large that the men had to lift them with both hands.

?This blasphemer must be dealt with!?

?He speaks against Moses!?

?We don?t want to hear about your Jesus anymore!?

A rock sailed past Stephen?s head. He stopped speaking long enough to duck it, dazed for a moment, then stood to continue. The second rock caught him near his temple, and he fell to his knees. Another hit his shoulder. Then there were too many to count.

?No more Jesus talk!?

?Let this be a study to all who would proclaim this Jesus!?

Another stone found its mark. Then another. He couldn?t open his eyes for the sting of the blood. His clothes were torn by the blows and blood dripped freely from the tatters. He began to pray, ?Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.? Then he scanned the crowd until his eyes locked with those of the young man who held the bundle of coats. ?And Lord,? he continued, ?do not hold this sin against them.?

When he said those words, Stephen died.

Slowly men gathered their coats from young Saul, who was soon alone with the body of the young preacher. Saul had come to Jerusalem to help silence this growing craze about Jesus of Nazareth. Despite his hatred, he could not shake the young man?s words and how fearlessly he had faced death. He stood staring at the body of the first martyr for this Jesus. The glow that had so angered Saul was still on the young man?s face. He had seen it as the smug pride of a heretic, but could it have been something else? He quenched the thought and turned away, more determined than ever to crush this Jesus movement.

Read the Bible?s account of this event in Acts 7 and find out what happened to Saul in Acts 9! As you read, keep in mind that it all started with a seed placed in his heart by a young man full of faith, grace, and power -- a Jesus Freak who could not stop telling people about Jesus, even if it meant sacrificing his life.

* * *

?But the Lord said to Ananais, ?This man is my chosen instrument to carry my Name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my Name.??

(Acts 9:15-16, NIV).

 

[beensetfree]

He Is Always With Us Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 1 Peter 4:13-14 NIV __________________ "These all died in faith, ...and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." Hebrews 11:13 __________________ Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Matthew 8:20 __________________ Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. Psalm 90:1,2 NIV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“There is corn in Egypt.”

Genesis 42:2

Famine pinched all the nations, and it seemed inevitable that Jacob and his family should suffer great want; but the God of providence, who never forgets the objects of electing love, had stored a granary for his people by giving the Egyptians warning of the scarcity, and leading them to treasure up the grain of the years of plenty. Little did Jacob expect deliverance from Egypt, but there was the corn in store for him. Believer, though all things are apparently against thee, rest assured that God has made a reservation on thy behalf; in the roll of thy griefs there is a saving clause. Somehow he will deliver thee, and somewhere he will provide for thee.

The quarter from which thy rescue shall arise may be a very unexpected one, but help will assuredly come in thine extremity, and thou shalt magnify the name of the Lord. If men do not feed thee, ravens shall; and if earth yield not wheat, heaven shall drop with manna. Therefore be of good courage, and rest quietly in the Lord. God can make the sun rise in the west if he pleases, and make the source of distress the channel of delight. The corn in Egypt was all in the hands of the beloved Joseph; he opened or closed the granaries at will.

And so the riches of providence are all in the absolute power of our Lord Jesus, who will dispense them liberally to his people. Joseph was abundantly ready to succour his own family; and Jesus is unceasing in his faithful care for his brethren. Our business is to go after the help which is provided for us: we must not sit still in despondency, but bestir ourselves. Prayer will bear us soon into the presence of our royal Brother: once before his throne we have only to ask and have: his stores are not exhausted; there is corn still: his heart is not hard, he will give the corn to us. Lord, forgive our unbelief, and this evening constrain us to draw largely from thy fulness and receive grace for grace.

 

[beensetfree]

Five Things I Notice In Godly People



What are some of the marks of a Christ-follower? What do they look like?
Humility
I know no one alive who has had the humility that Jesus Christ had. Even those who I know that are some of the most humble people on earth are no match for Jesus’ humility, and if we’re not humble, then God is opposed to us. It is to the humble that God “gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). The word for “opposes” actually means “to range in battle” or “be at war with,” so if you do not humble ourselves and start believing our own stuff, then God is at war with us.

The Devil’s pride caused his great fall (Isaiah 14:12-15). The Bible teaches that “One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor” (Prov 29:23), echoing what Jesus said: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). Want to know what humility looks like? Look to Christ, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:6-8).

Submission
If Jesus Christ, Who is God, can humble Himself and submit Himself to the Father, you know that’s what God desires in us too. In fact, we cannot submit to authority without first having humility, so that’s why we must remain humble if we desire to submit to the will of God. Jesus submitted to the Father’s will and not His own, even though He prayed three times to have the cup removed. Jesus still prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).

Can we pray in such a way? If we know something very painful is coming up, and pray for it to be removed, but it isn’t, can we still see that God’s will is being done and trust that (Rom 8:28)? Even Jesus Christ said, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38). We were born and called by God, not to do our own will, but to do the will of God. This means we must submit to God, but we cannot submit to God’s will until we humble ourselves.

Self-Sacrificing
Jesus was the greatest picture of self-sacrificial living the world has ever seen, and will ever see. Jesus told His disciples that, “whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43-45). More than once, the disciples were trying to figure out who would be the greatest in the kingdom, but Christ reminded them that “those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them” (Mark 10:42), however that’s not the Christian’s approach.

While the disciples were deciding, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 18:1), Jesus rebuked them by saying, “unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 18:2-3). Of course, “turn” means to repent in this context, so they must repent of this pride and arrogance of seeking to be the greatest in the kingdom, and become humble like a little child. Instead of being child-like, they were being childish. They sought others to serve them instead of seeing that it should be the other way around. The greatest of all are not those with the greatest number of servants, but those who serve the greatest number of people.


Being Persecuted
Jesus reassures us that if they persecuted Him, they will persecute us. Why? Because “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12), however it doesn’t cut just for the sake of hurting, but it cuts in order to heal. A surgeon has to make some painful cuts, but it’s not done just so he or she can just make cuts. Rather, it’s in order that the patient might live. We are not going to fare any better than Jesus did when we tell others they must repent and believe or the wrath of God abides on them (John 3:36b). This will anger some, but this is what Jesus said, not us! Christ reminds us that “A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours” (John 15:20).

The late Dr. Adrian Rogers once said that the truth will do one of two things; it will set you free or it will make you really mad. The Word of God can comfort the afflicted but it can also afflict the comfortable. It all depends on where a person’s heart is at. Of course, that’s not going to win us a popularity contest, but if you know the bridge’s out around a blind corner, you’re not going to be shy and say, “Well, that’s none of my business if that car decides to take that road.” If God uses us as a means to bring people to Christ, its worth being persecuted, isn’t it? What a tiny price to pay for a human soul to be saved!?

A Godly Life
When we see people who are living a godly life, it’s not by accident, but by choice. God saves us to bring us into the kingdom, and we’re not where we used to be, but we’re not yet where we need to be. Every believer should be striving to live a life of holiness and a life that pleases God, but of course, we still sin. All of us fall short of God’s glory (Rom 3:23), but the difference is, when we sin, we confess it, we repent of it, and we strive to not fall into it again.

Most believers I know can look back at their lives, 5 or 10 years (or more) ago and see how they’ve grown in holiness. I know we’ll never achieve sinless perfection in this life, but we should be sinning less…at least less than we used to sin. If there’s no marked difference in a person’s life after they said they’ve trusted in Christ, it could be that they’re growing more slowly than others, but if there is no change in lifestyle at all, and they’re living like they did before, then the seed of God’s Word fell on thorny ground and was chocked out by the cares of this world.

Conclusion
What do I notice most in a godly person? Often, it’s that irrepressible joy! That broad, infectious smile and that humble spirit. By the way, we can’t take credit for this because the Holy Spirit is the One Who bears fruit in us, because of ourselves, we can do absolutely nothing (John 15:5), and nothing is not a little something. It is only through Christ that we can do anything (Phil 4:13), but anything that is within the will of God. If it is not for His glory, then it is worth nothing, because nothing else matters. As the Psalmist wrote, “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness” (Psalm 115:1), so “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name” (Psalm 96:8a), and “Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen” (Psalm 72:19)!

 

[beensetfree]

Work While It Is Day! Rest Later...Work While It Is Day! Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13,14 NIV __________________ "He also who is slack in his work is brother to him who destroys." Proverbs 18:9 NASB __________________ "Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity." Colossians 4:5 NASB __________________ Each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. I Corinthians 3:13,14 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“Behold, thou art fair, my Beloved.”

Song of Solomon 1:16

From every point our Well-beloved is most fair. Our various experiences are meant by our heavenly Father to furnish fresh standpoints from which we may view the loveliness of Jesus; how amiable are our trials when they carry us aloft where we may gain clearer views of Jesus than ordinary life could afford us! We have seen him from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, and he has shone upon us as the sun in his strength; but we have seen him also “from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards,” and he has lost none of his loveliness. From the languishing of a sick bed, from the borders of the grave, have we turned our eyes to our soul's spouse, and he has never been otherwise than “all fair.”

Many of his saints have looked upon him from the gloom of dungeons, and from the red flames of the stake, yet have they never uttered an ill word of him, but have died extolling his surpassing charms. Oh, noble and pleasant employment to be for ever gazing at our sweet Lord Jesus! Is it not unspeakably delightful to view the Saviour in all his offices, and to perceive him matchless in each?—to shift the kaleidoscope, as it were, and to find fresh combinations of peerless graces? In the manger and in eternity, on the cross and on his throne, in the garden and in his kingdom, among thieves or in the midst of cherubim, he is everywhere “altogether lovely.”

Examine carefully every little act of his life, and every trait of his character, and he is as lovely in the minute as in the majestic. Judge him as you will, you cannot censure; weigh him as you please, and he will not be found wanting. Eternity shall not discover the shadow of a spot in our Beloved, but rather, as ages revolve, his hidden glories shall shine forth with yet more inconceivable splendour, and his unutterable loveliness shall more and more ravish all celestial minds.

 

[beensetfree]

WALKING IN HIS BEAUTY



"She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies, And all that's best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes...." --Lord Byron

She is tall and slim?spiritual, funny, irreverent, and serious. With her red-gold hair and her sea-green eyes, she is all that is good and right with the world. She is twenty-nine, a Christian, and single. She is all I wish I had been. She is my daughter, and no woman could ask for a better friend.

Helen is a successful, advanced engineering student, studying classes that I can?t spell or pronounce. She is faithful in action and in spirit. She seeks the Lord every day, in scripture and in service. She loves to cook. She is creative. She is pure magic with children. She would make a wonderful wife and mother, but Helen is not looking for a husband. Helen is waiting on God. We forget that. We forget to wait on Him.

Helen was very popular in high school. With a hilarious sense of humor, she can mimic any voice or accent, but Helen?s humor is usually directed at herself. She has made many mistakes in her young life. She is not perfect. However, what she lacks in perfection, Helen makes up for in unadulterated, hard work. She wasn't particularly religious in high-school, nor afterwards, but somewhere around the age of twenty, Helen made a covenant. She drew a line in the sand, and she dared the enemy to cross. It was a bitter struggle for Helen, trying to battle the enemy on her own power. By the time that she reached her twenty-third birthday, Helen realized that she could not continue her battle alone. And that is where Helen came into the presence of God, and where she began to submit her will to His.

We try to put God into a box and give him limits, but He has no limits, and He doesn't fit where we want Him to. God goes where He will, and He blesses whom He will, and if we find ourselves in the m&d, He's usually there before us...waiting to lift us up. God wooed Helen. He courted Her, and in His Word, Helen saw a love story -- her love story, of the Lover of her soul and His bride.

In the Song of Solomon, Helen saw a personal wooing and a promise of the Beloved, Jesus, for each individual. Somehow we Christians can believe that our Savior, willingly dragged a cross, up a rocky hill, after being beaten nearly to death, for all of us, as a group. However, Christ did not die for ?us.? He died for ME?and He died for YOU. Jesus died, was buried and rose again -- for each of us, and if there was only one person on the earth, He still would have come and shed His blood for that individual.

Why is it that we can't believe that Christ is the perfect lover of our soul? Gentle. Wooing.

Are we embarrassed? Uncomfortable? Sadly, even among Christians, I think we confuse "love" with "lust." I think we believe the world, and we forget the Spirit -- the Holy Spirit. I think we reach for momentary pleasure, and we starve ourselves of true happiness. I think we, on this tiny planet, are starved for love. Again, I think that we Christians have grown to believe the world.

I am Helen?s mother. God took me, a woman raised with a distorted religious view and two violent marriages ? divorced, alone, penniless, with no means of support, thrown out onto the street with three kids and no clue, and God met me where I landed. From nowhere, He brought me, and He formed me into a new creation! His creation!

He transformed my life. He rescued me from a religious cult. He saved my children, and He brought me together with the love of my life, my husband, Louie. He took three abused and hurting little girls, and he found a godly man to be their father -- a real father! God did all this! Not once, with all my figuring, and thinking, and planning, and all my mistakes did I find happiness. Only God could have brought me to where He was all the time...waiting for me, at the bottom of my life. He lifted me from the m&d, and He brought me into His Kingdom, the Kingdom of God.

THIS IS THE MIRACLE! I, now, belong to God! Oh, I loved Him with a passionate love, but I loved Him as a stranger, reading about a person I did not know. Someone, whom I desired to know, but DID NOT KNOW! Praise God, that He knew the difference. God knew that once I began to accept His grace, I would find my first love, Jesus.

It has been over twenty years. I'm no longer young. I'm no longer a beautiful, young thing, but, my husband, the love of my life; and, Jesus, the Lover of my soul look at me, and I know that I am beautiful. I walk in happiness, because of my personal, individual, wooing, loving God, and the man I should have waited for, but didn't. I should have waited on God, and I did not. I should have waited for my husband, but I did not.

So, you can see why I say that Helen walks in beauty. It is easy to see the obvious. She is lovely. She is brilliant. But Helen's radiance, her beauty, comes from deep within, where God dwells. Now, at 57, as I look at myself, as I count every pore, numbering every line, and knowing that my youth is gone, I still know that I am beautiful, because I see myself through the love of my husband, and I see myself through the eyes of Jesus.

So, my message is simple ? WAIT ON GOD! I cannot say that loud enough. Seek Him. Seek Him in His Word. Seek Him in prayer. Let NO ONE, and nothing come between you and Him. You have free will. You have the choice. When you stumble and fall , REACH UP! Christ is there to lift you up. Keep your eyes on His light! If that Light ever moves, YOU are going in the wrong direction! If you think this world will ever give you happiness, YOU'RE STANDING IN THE WRONG LINE!

JESUS. He brings peace, if you let Him, even in your turmoil, and Jesus brings Victory, even in defeat. Lean on Him. Trust in Him. WAIT ON GOD! Go about your daily life -- school, work, play. Put your hand in His. Don't worry about tomorrow, and don't try to make tomorrow become today.

I promise that if you wait on God, you will be persecuted. You will be considered strange to others. You will be given ungodly advice, sometimes by godly people, who confuse ?opinion? for the Holy Spirit. You will feel weary. You will feel lonely, sometimes; but God will never fail you, and He will NEVER leave you alone.

Do not settle for the world's view. Do not settle for the world's best. Wait on God, for HIS best. I did not wait on God, when I was young and beautiful. I am learning from Helen. I am learning to wait on God, so that I, too, may walk in His beauty.

 

[beensetfree]

Does God Tempt Us? When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:13-15 NIV __________________ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:7-8 NIV __________________ God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Psalm 46:1-3 NIV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ.”

Philippians 1:27

The word “conversation” does not merely mean our talk and converse with one another, but the whole course of our life and behaviour in the world. The Greek word signifies the actions and the privileges of citizenship: and thus we are commanded to let our actions, as citizens of the New Jerusalem, be such as becometh the gospel of Christ. What sort of conversation is this?

In the first place, the gospel is very simple. So Christians should be simple and plain in their habits. There should be about our manner, our speech, our dress, our whole behaviour, that simplicity which is the very soul of beauty. The gospel is pre-eminently true, it is gold without dross; and the Christian's life will be lustreless and valueless without the jewel of truth. The gospel is a very fearless gospel, it boldly proclaims the truth, whether men like it or not: we must be equally faithful and unflinching.

But the gospel is also very gentle. Mark this spirit in its Founder: “a bruised reed he will not break.” Some professors are sharper than a thorn-hedge; such men are not like Jesus. Let us seek to win others by the gentleness of our words and acts. The gospel is very loving. It is the message of the God of love to a lost and fallen race. Christ's last command to his disciples was, “Love one another.”

O for more real, hearty union and love to all the saints; for more tender compassion towards the souls of the worst and vilest of men! We must not forget that the gospel of Christ is holy. It never excuses sin: it pardons it, but only through an atonement. If our life is to resemble the gospel, we must shun, not merely the grosser vices, but everything that would hinder our perfect conformity to Christ. For his sake, for our own sakes, and for the sakes of others, we must strive day by day to let our conversation be more in accordance with his gospel.

 

[beensetfree]

What The Bible Says About Mercy



The Bible mentions mercy frequently. What are some of the more profound Bible verses about mercy? What Bible verses are your favorites when it talks about mercy?

Mercy Defined
You’ve probably heard mercy as not getting what we truly deserve. In other words, if God was not merciful, we would receive the full measure of His wrath because we’ve all broken God’s law. The only time when God was not merciful was when Jesus was on the cross. That’s when the entire wrath of God was poured out on Him for what should have been poured out on us. Webster defines mercy as compassion or forbearance shown, especially to an offender…showing leniency. Jesus said, “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matt 9:13). Jesus was saying this to the Pharisees because they had scorned Him for eating with tax collectors and sinners, but they completely missed the point.

Jesus was a friend of sinners but an enemy to those who were “religious” or self-righteous. He came to save that which was lost and not to those who believed that they were already righteous. There is more hope for a murderer than one who thinks that they don’t need the forgiveness of God because they’re already “good.” That’s contrary to biblical teaching (Rom 3:10-12, 23). Somehow they thought their works were a sufficient sacrifice to God. They didn’t believe they needed God’s mercy, but how wrong they were. They not only needed His mercy, but they should have focused more on mercy than sacrifice. The Pharisees weren’t merciful to sinners, and later, they showed no mercy to Jesus at Calvary.

Mercy Shown
Jesus spoke about mercy in the Beatitudes, saying, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matt 5:7), so what does it mean to be merciful to others? Jude wrote that we are to “have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh” (Jude 1:22-23), and Jude appears to be writing this in the context of persevering in the faith because he contrasts the gospel presentation of mercy with one of fear. If one has not trusted in Christ, then God is angry at the sinner every day (Psalm 7:11). Even now His wrath is being stored up against that Day (Rom 2:5-6), but it is God’s wrath that makes God’s mercy relevant.

Even in the Old Testament, God said that “the LORD your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him” (2 Chron 30:9). Return in this context means to repent and turn away from their sin (idolatry) and turn to God and place their trust in Him. This is why we’re told to “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36), but what does that look like? It means to “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28). If we really understood just how merciful God has been to us, then I believe we would be more merciful to those who hate us and persecute us. Why? Because God first loved us; even when we were still sinners; Jesus died for us while we were still His enemies (Rom 5:6-10). What a powerful display of the mercy of God. He didn’t wait for us to believe in Him and then die for us. No, He died for ungodly, wicked enemies before they were even born (us!).

Mercy Received
The author of Hebrews writes, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16). The psalmist adds, “For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy to all them that call on you” (Psalm 86:5). If you were a convicted criminal and headed to jail, you probably wouldn’t receive any mercy from the judge, but God’s mercy is called “plenteous” and available to “all that call on” upon Him.

He is “good, and ready to forgive,” which is what mercy is all about. Receiving God’s mercy means that someday we can enter the presence of God because we now have the righteousness of Christ (2 Cor 5:21). When Moses sought to see the glory of God, “The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty…” (Ex 34:6-7a).

Forms of Mercy
Discipline might not seem like a form of mercy but Nehemiah wrote about the time in which Judah had fallen into idolatry and was then taken into captivity. Reflecting on that, he wrote, “But after they had rest they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you delivered them according to your mercies” (Neh 9:28). God is still delivering people from their bondage, but it’s the bondage that sin has on them and the captivity that it brings (Rom 6:6), so He is still hearing their cries and having mercy upon all who would call upon Him.

Trials often bring us to our knees, and as a loving father disciplines his own children, so God chastens every child of His (Heb 12:6). God’s discipline is actually part of His mercy because if He never disciplined us it would mean that He really didn’t care about us. Parents discipline their children so they won’t hurt themselves, and surely that’s done in love, so David had it right in writing, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes” (Psalm 119:71).

Conclusion
One man told the Christian sitting next to him that he didn’t need God’s forgiveness because he was no longer a sinner. If that man felt that way, wouldn’t his view of God’s mercy be skewed? On the other hand, if we knew that our sins offended a holy God, and that this man who claimed he wasn’t a sinner, but probably sinned before his feet hit the floor this morning (like all of us), saw no need to confess. He thought, “If I’m not a sinner, what do I have to confess,” so that Christian asked him if he was married. The man said yes, so he asked the “sinless” man, “What if you hurt your wife in some way?

Would you feel it’s unnecessary to confess it and apologize for it? Since you’re already married and have a relationship with your wife, does this mean you don’t have to apologize anymore?” The Apostle John wrote, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8), and “If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:10), so if we say we’re no longer sinners, then one of us is lying, and it isn’t God.

 

[Psalm23]

Over the last few weeks, one can really feel very upset, emotionally, when you tuned to the TV news stations. There is not an iota of good news but every news that we saw are nothing but depressing. The latest being extreme climate and young people are taking to streets all over the world appealing governments to react positively to the situations. Time apparently is now running out. Scientists and environments have admitted they have estimated the situation wrongly. The deterioration is much more seriously than what they have been projecting. Governments will always try to justify that the use of coals and bio-fuel are necessary for economic growth and look at the fires in Indonesia and Amazon, we can simply conclude human are just wicked. They set fire to clear the forest to plant crops. But in the process, the fires are out of control. The PSI in some cities in Indonesia reaches 700! How on earth you can live in that kind of air atmosphere! When I think of this, I can't help but to sympathise the people there.

We saw also countries are protesting for all kind of reasons and the protests supposedly to be peaceful turns out to be violent and at times become deadly - we saw now Indonesians are protesting for proposed new laws banning certain sexual practices, and the prolonged protests in Hong Kong which also started as a result of proposed new laws that could extradite Hong Kong people to trialled in China's court. We see the protest has really really turn violent.

If we go further we can relate all these to Holy Scripture of the Bible and these are clearly the signs of end time.

However, in particular, when I saw the news of Hong Kong, inevitable I have a flashback of what had happened in Singapore in the 1950s and the 1960s. There were riots by students and workers from Hock Lee Bus Company, Singapore Traction Company, Harbour Board. Chinese students staged a boycott of classes and examinations. When you go and read the history, inevitable the word "Communist" would come to the text. It is a historical fact that Communist China was the "blackhands" instigating these riots. It is a historical fact that Communist China supported the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) headed by Chin Peng to create social unrest in Singapore and Malaya and to some extend even in Thailand. The Communist China had not just supported them morally but provided in all kinds of military logistics and political machineries - fire arms, explosive, radio stations to broadcast Communist idealogies to countries in South East Asia.

This has inevitable drawn me to a Bible verse: Galatians 6:7 - Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap (KJV).

What the situation in Hong Kong is not only very similar to the situation in Singapore in the 1950s and the 1960s. In fact, is much worst. You have now HK students refused to go classes, teachers joined in the boycott, their transport system MTR under severe attack and destruction, police seems quite helpless and is running of resource to handle the situation and many more. The Chief Executive appear to calm the situation on and off and each time the situation seems getting worst. Not thousands. But millions of people poured out into the streets of Hong Kong over the last 16 weekends. Interestingly enough, China is now accusing this unrest is caused by "blackhands" from America and UK! What an irony!

A big lesson for us as believe - Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you. (Matthew 7:12), besides Galatians 6:7.

It may take time, but the past misdeed will finally be caught up if we don't repent and as believers, we need to fully repent and fully turn away from our past misdeeds and never to repeat those things. Saying sorry is one thing; to really turn away from the sin way is another thing.

Biblically-speaking - Is Communist China now eating the very poison that they had prescribed to Singapore and Malaya in the 1950s and the 1960s? Are they reaping what they sowed in the first place?

God Bless
Psalm 23

 

[beensetfree]

Thank you brother...indeed something to think and pray about during these last days.

Blessings.

Over the last few weeks, one can really feel very upset, emotionally, when you tuned to the TV news stations. There is not an iota of good news but every news that we saw are nothing but depressing. The latest being extreme climate and young people are taking to streets all over the world appealing governments to react positively to the situations. Time apparently is now running out. Scientists and environments have admitted they have estimated the situation wrongly. The deterioration is much more seriously than what they have been projecting. Governments will always try to justify that the use of coals and bio-fuel are necessary for economic growth and look at the fires in Indonesia and Amazon, we can simply conclude human are just wicked. They set fire to clear the forest to plant crops. But in the process, the fires are out of control. The PSI in some cities in Indonesia reaches 700! How on earth you can live in that kind of air atmosphere! When I think of this, I can't help but to sympathise the people there.

We saw also countries are protesting for all kind of reasons and the protests supposedly to be peaceful turns out to be violent and at times become deadly - we saw now Indonesians are protesting for proposed new laws banning certain sexual practices, and the prolonged protests in Hong Kong which also started as a result of proposed new laws that could extradite Hong Kong people to trialled in China's court. We see the protest has really really turn violent.

If we go further we can relate all these to Holy Scripture of the Bible and these are clearly the signs of end time.

However, in particular, when I saw the news of Hong Kong, inevitable I have a flashback of what had happened in Singapore in the 1950s and the 1960s. There were riots by students and workers from Hock Lee Bus Company, Singapore Traction Company, Harbour Board. Chinese students staged a boycott of classes and examinations. When you go and read the history, inevitable the word "Communist" would come to the text. It is a historical fact that Communist China was the "blackhands" instigating these riots. It is a historical fact that Communist China supported the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) headed by Chin Peng to create social unrest in Singapore and Malaya and to some extend even in Thailand. The Communist China had not just supported them morally but provided in all kinds of military logistics and political machineries - fire arms, explosive, radio stations to broadcast Communist idealogies to countries in South East Asia.

This has inevitable drawn me to a Bible verse: Galatians 6:7 - Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap (KJV).

What the situation in Hong Kong is not only very similar to the situation in Singapore in the 1950s and the 1960s. In fact, is much worst. You have now HK students refused to go classes, teachers joined in the boycott, their transport system MTR under severe attack and destruction, police seems quite helpless and is running of resource to handle the situation and many more. The Chief Executive appear to calm the situation on and off and each time the situation seems getting worst. Not thousands. But millions of people poured out into the streets of Hong Kong over the last 16 weekends. Interestingly enough, China is now accusing this unrest is caused by "blackhands" from America and UK! What an irony!

A big lesson for us as believe - Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you. (Matthew 7:12), besides Galatians 6:7.

It may take time, but the past misdeed will finally be caught up if we don't repent and as believers, we need to fully repent and fully turn away from our past misdeeds and never to repeat those things. Saying sorry is one thing; to really turn away from the sin way is another thing.

Biblically-speaking - Is Communist China now eating the very poison that they had prescribed to Singapore and Malaya in the 1950s and the 1960s? Are they reaping what they sowed in the first place?

God Bless
Psalm 23