John 21:18-22 (NCV)
18 I tell you the truth, when you were younger, you tied your own belt and went where you wanted. But when you are old, you will put out your hands and someone else will tie you and take you where you don't want to go." 19 (Jesus said this to show how Peter would die to give glory to God.) Then Jesus said to Peter, "Follow me!"
20 Peter turned and saw that the follower Jesus loved was walking behind them. (This was the follower who had leaned against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who will turn against you?")21 When Peter saw him behind them, he asked Jesus, "Lord, what about him?"
22 Jesus answered, "If I want him to live until I come back, that is not your business. You follow me."
I have come to realise after so long that my walk with Jesus is quite unique. My situation and set of challenges differ a fair bit from the typical Christian. I am not trying to make myself out to be special. In fact, given the choice I'll choose to be the typical Christian anytime. Fortunately or unfortunately, I do not have the choice and having been through all that I have been through has made me the person I am today. Coming to terms with myself and my walk can be and has been tough to say the least.
I find myself very often like Peter in the scriptures above. When Jesus gave specific instructions to follow Him, Peter was more concerned about someone else other than himself. I suppose I am similar to Peter in a slightly different way. I too tend to ask "What about so and so?" I also tend to question why I have to go through what I have gone through and am still going through. I sometimes envy others whom I know are not and will never go through my situations and circumstances in life.
"I wish I was better looking."
"I wish my parents are super rich and I do not have to work so I can pursue my dreams."
"I wish I was more charismatic."
"I wish I was taller."
"I wish my voice was deeper."
As I read through the scriptures above on my way to work today, I felt that Jesus' answer to Peter was very apt for me and my attitude as well.
22 Jesus answered, "If I want him to live until I come back, that is not your business. You follow me."
Whatever I go through, it's my walk before Jesus. Everyone has their own walk with Jesus. It is not my business to find out how others walk. I am to follow Jesus and have my own walk before Him. Help me to remember that Lord......
Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Divine Health And Healing
Just some verses on health and healing......
Isaiah 53:4-5 (NASB) Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God and afflicted. 5) But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
1 Peter 2:24 (NASB) and He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
Matthew 8:17 (NASB) This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:"He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases."
Romans 8:11 (NASB) But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Isaiah 53:4-5 (NASB) Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God and afflicted. 5) But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
1 Peter 2:24 (NASB) and He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
Matthew 8:17 (NASB) This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:"He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases."
Romans 8:11 (NASB) But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Strongholds
Just a thought. I only saw this over the weekend. 2 Corinthians 10:4 (Amplified) says "For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds," Usually strongholds refer to things that have been built up over a long period of time and are really difficult to overcome. I know for myself that there are a number of strongholds in my life. Thank God that His weapons can overthrow as well as destroy them.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
"What? Are We Blind Too?"
The above question was taken from John 9:40 (NIV). It was asked by the Pharisees after Jesus had healed a man born blind and commented that it was for judgement that He (Jesus) had come into the world, so that the blind would see and those who see would become blind.
To me, that is such an ironic question because we know that the Pharisees were the "blind" ones and yet they were not aware of it. My question to myself is "Am I like that too?" Many times I have come across people who are so oblivious to their faults and attitudes that it kind of shocks me. It is like it's so darn obvious but yet the person does not seem to be the least aware. The Chinese have this phrase 旁观者清 which in essence means that the outsider sees the clearer picture. I think it is so true. Sometimes certain traits of my character are so norm to me that it really takes someone else to tell me about it. I pray that God will have people in my life who would tell me if they feel I have a flaw in my character.
To me, that is such an ironic question because we know that the Pharisees were the "blind" ones and yet they were not aware of it. My question to myself is "Am I like that too?" Many times I have come across people who are so oblivious to their faults and attitudes that it kind of shocks me. It is like it's so darn obvious but yet the person does not seem to be the least aware. The Chinese have this phrase 旁观者清 which in essence means that the outsider sees the clearer picture. I think it is so true. Sometimes certain traits of my character are so norm to me that it really takes someone else to tell me about it. I pray that God will have people in my life who would tell me if they feel I have a flaw in my character.
In Everything
Philippians 4:6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. Amplified Bible (bolding's mine)
This verses is commonly an encouragement verse to me, but occasionally it becomes a minor rebuke to me as well. I was listening about to my brother complaining about his wife and also listening to stuff happening in church. And after that I was happily or maybe not so happily giving my point of view about his wife and the happenings in church. It was only after he left and I was alone thinking back about what was spoken and lamenting to God about the existence of weird people, especially weird Christians that I realised one thing...... I had listened, I had gossiped, I had lamented but I had not prayed! In the midst of all the getting emo and stuff I had neglected the most important thing and that was to pray.
I had to recompose myself and start to pray about all the stuff that I had an issue with. And I take that as a rebuke. The bible is so clear about not gossiping yet I still continue to do so. The bible is so clear about praying about everything, yet I seldom do. Hmmm, will bear this in mind....... God help me......
This verses is commonly an encouragement verse to me, but occasionally it becomes a minor rebuke to me as well. I was listening about to my brother complaining about his wife and also listening to stuff happening in church. And after that I was happily or maybe not so happily giving my point of view about his wife and the happenings in church. It was only after he left and I was alone thinking back about what was spoken and lamenting to God about the existence of weird people, especially weird Christians that I realised one thing...... I had listened, I had gossiped, I had lamented but I had not prayed! In the midst of all the getting emo and stuff I had neglected the most important thing and that was to pray.
I had to recompose myself and start to pray about all the stuff that I had an issue with. And I take that as a rebuke. The bible is so clear about not gossiping yet I still continue to do so. The bible is so clear about praying about everything, yet I seldom do. Hmmm, will bear this in mind....... God help me......
Monday, October 26, 2009
Divine Protection
Just heard from a colleague that a doctor in my department died in an accident. Apparently he is only 37. It was really sad because he left a wife and two kids (one on the way). This made me ponder about the fragility of life. But as I thought more about it, I felt reminded that life is not meant to be this way and life is NOT as fragile as it seems. In the bible we have countless references to show that 1) God desires for us to live long. 2) God desires for us to be protected. I will type out the whole of Psalm 91 and from there we can pretty much see God's heart towards His children......
Psalm 91(NASB) says,......
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty
I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in Whom I trust!"
For it is He Who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and a bulwark.
You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;
Or of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
A thousand may fall your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But it shall not approach you.
You will only look on with your eyes
And see the recompense of the wicked.
For you have made the LORD, my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place.
No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plaque come near your tent.
For He will give His angels charge concerning you,
To guard you in all your ways.
They will bear you up in their hands,
That you do not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread upon the lion and cobra,
The young lion and serpent you will trample down.
"Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him securely on high, because he has known my name.
He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With a long life I will satisfy him
And let him see My salvation."
The above is Psalm 91 from the NASB version (boldings added by me). I believe that this psalm is more than enough to prove God's heart for His people. Even as I typed this psalm out I could feel faith arising in me. Some other scriptures that relate to this topic is
Ephesians 6:2-3 (NASB) that says: Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with promise), so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the Earth.
1 Thessalonians 5:23,24 (NLT) that says: Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus comes again. God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful.
Galatians 1:4 (Amplified) that says: Who gave (yielded) Himself up [to atone] for our sins [and to save and sanctify us], in order to rescue and deliver us from this present wicked age and world order, in accordance with the will and purpose and plan of our God and Father--
These are only some that I can rattle off my mind. If I go into a word study, I am sure I can find way more references than these. So while I am on this Earth, I want to be in a place where I am trusting God for all these promises. It certainly beats going around afraid and worried about the 'fragility' of life. This certainly makes life a whole lot more worryfree......
Psalm 91(NASB) says,......
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty
I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in Whom I trust!"
For it is He Who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and a bulwark.
You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;
Or of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
A thousand may fall your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But it shall not approach you.
You will only look on with your eyes
And see the recompense of the wicked.
For you have made the LORD, my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place.
No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plaque come near your tent.
For He will give His angels charge concerning you,
To guard you in all your ways.
They will bear you up in their hands,
That you do not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread upon the lion and cobra,
The young lion and serpent you will trample down.
"Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him securely on high, because he has known my name.
He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With a long life I will satisfy him
And let him see My salvation."
The above is Psalm 91 from the NASB version (boldings added by me). I believe that this psalm is more than enough to prove God's heart for His people. Even as I typed this psalm out I could feel faith arising in me. Some other scriptures that relate to this topic is
Ephesians 6:2-3 (NASB) that says: Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with promise), so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the Earth.
1 Thessalonians 5:23,24 (NLT) that says: Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus comes again. God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful.
Galatians 1:4 (Amplified) that says: Who gave (yielded) Himself up [to atone] for our sins [and to save and sanctify us], in order to rescue and deliver us from this present wicked age and world order, in accordance with the will and purpose and plan of our God and Father--
These are only some that I can rattle off my mind. If I go into a word study, I am sure I can find way more references than these. So while I am on this Earth, I want to be in a place where I am trusting God for all these promises. It certainly beats going around afraid and worried about the 'fragility' of life. This certainly makes life a whole lot more worryfree......
Friday, October 23, 2009
Unity Of The Faith
Friend: "So what denomination are you?"
Me: "Err, we do not quite have a denomination but if you REALLY want to classify, I guess it should be 'Charismatic' or 'Word of Faith'."
Very common question that pops up during my chats with acquaintances. I used to be very proud of answering such a question a long time ago but now I am not. In fact I would prefer not to have to answer such a question if I could choose. Why? For one, I do not like to idea of being 'boxed up' under any particular denomination by anyone as if they knew fully what that denomination meant. I would be the first to admit I am very ignorant about the various denominations that exists. Another reason is that I do not believe that God enjoys having His children divided and classified under various denominations. It seems to me from the bible that God does classify people but His classifications are way simpler than what we do nowadays. For example, a few of the denominations that I have heard about that exists are Catholics, Baptists, Charismatics, Protestants, Evangelicals, Anglicans, Church of God, etc. When God classifies people, He uses very simple classifications like Jews and Gentiles, believers and unbelievers, children of God and children of the devil, etc which very simply breaks down into 3 categories Jews, Christians and non-Christians.
So God only sees the world in 3 categories but sadly His children try to divide themselves into many more divisions because of the differences in doctrines. I am not a father myself but I have yet to find any father who enjoys seeing divisions between his kids. What more when it comes to the perfect Father God? But we don't give a rip about it. As long as it satisfies our doctrine and perception of God, who cares if there is division among us? At least that seems to be the vibes I get from most denominational people, myself included. So sad. It is really interesting to note that many things in the bible really is not as complicated as we make them out to be. When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about salvation, He only had 5 words, "You must be born again." But how many times do we hear of things that we have to do to be saved or remain saved after that?
When Jesus prayed His priestly prayer on the night He was betrayed, He highlighted God's heart over His church, "that they may be one even as We are." as found in John 17:11
I like the way the apostle Paul talked about gifts given to the church in his letter to the Ephesians which is generally accepted to be for the whole church.
Ephesians 4:11-13 (NASB) And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
It's interesting that nothing is mentioned about unity of doctrine or anything like it. But we seem to be wanting a unity of doctrine more than anything such that anyone who does not stick to our doctrine, we tend to dismiss them in our mind already. I ever heard of a friend who was in my former church and firmly believes with his whole heart that the "Grace" message needs to be brought to the whole world as if it is the only important message around. I might be wrong in this but I do not agree that any single message is of that significant importance that it overshadows everything else. Take for example when Jesus was speaking to the various churches in the book of Revelation, He did not have a single message to all of them. In fact He spoke different issues to different churches. He did not just preach "Grace" for example to all of them. The different churches were at different junctures in their own walk with Him and thus needed different messages spoken to them. There is never a one size fits all message to everyone. Granted, there are certain doctrines which are basic for all believers for example salvation. But no one or no church does have a monopoly over a doctrine that the whole church must know.
Hmmm, seems like we have slipped a fair bit from what God would like for us to be. Think we really need to go back to the basics prescribed in the bible rather than the ideas passed to us by people or even by the church if those ideas are not biblical.
Me: "Err, we do not quite have a denomination but if you REALLY want to classify, I guess it should be 'Charismatic' or 'Word of Faith'."
Very common question that pops up during my chats with acquaintances. I used to be very proud of answering such a question a long time ago but now I am not. In fact I would prefer not to have to answer such a question if I could choose. Why? For one, I do not like to idea of being 'boxed up' under any particular denomination by anyone as if they knew fully what that denomination meant. I would be the first to admit I am very ignorant about the various denominations that exists. Another reason is that I do not believe that God enjoys having His children divided and classified under various denominations. It seems to me from the bible that God does classify people but His classifications are way simpler than what we do nowadays. For example, a few of the denominations that I have heard about that exists are Catholics, Baptists, Charismatics, Protestants, Evangelicals, Anglicans, Church of God, etc. When God classifies people, He uses very simple classifications like Jews and Gentiles, believers and unbelievers, children of God and children of the devil, etc which very simply breaks down into 3 categories Jews, Christians and non-Christians.
So God only sees the world in 3 categories but sadly His children try to divide themselves into many more divisions because of the differences in doctrines. I am not a father myself but I have yet to find any father who enjoys seeing divisions between his kids. What more when it comes to the perfect Father God? But we don't give a rip about it. As long as it satisfies our doctrine and perception of God, who cares if there is division among us? At least that seems to be the vibes I get from most denominational people, myself included. So sad. It is really interesting to note that many things in the bible really is not as complicated as we make them out to be. When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about salvation, He only had 5 words, "You must be born again." But how many times do we hear of things that we have to do to be saved or remain saved after that?
When Jesus prayed His priestly prayer on the night He was betrayed, He highlighted God's heart over His church, "that they may be one even as We are." as found in John 17:11
I like the way the apostle Paul talked about gifts given to the church in his letter to the Ephesians which is generally accepted to be for the whole church.
Ephesians 4:11-13 (NASB) And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
It's interesting that nothing is mentioned about unity of doctrine or anything like it. But we seem to be wanting a unity of doctrine more than anything such that anyone who does not stick to our doctrine, we tend to dismiss them in our mind already. I ever heard of a friend who was in my former church and firmly believes with his whole heart that the "Grace" message needs to be brought to the whole world as if it is the only important message around. I might be wrong in this but I do not agree that any single message is of that significant importance that it overshadows everything else. Take for example when Jesus was speaking to the various churches in the book of Revelation, He did not have a single message to all of them. In fact He spoke different issues to different churches. He did not just preach "Grace" for example to all of them. The different churches were at different junctures in their own walk with Him and thus needed different messages spoken to them. There is never a one size fits all message to everyone. Granted, there are certain doctrines which are basic for all believers for example salvation. But no one or no church does have a monopoly over a doctrine that the whole church must know.
Hmmm, seems like we have slipped a fair bit from what God would like for us to be. Think we really need to go back to the basics prescribed in the bible rather than the ideas passed to us by people or even by the church if those ideas are not biblical.
Monday, October 19, 2009
A Blog For The Word
Hi. Welcome to the biblical side, a blog where I pen down lessons I learn from the scriptures. Nope, I am not some well-known preacher or evangelist. I am pretty much the guy next door with no spectacular track record to show. In many aspects of life I am still very challenged. But it seems to me that God has a particular liking and attraction to people who in the natural "cannot make it". He seems to enjoy to using unqualified people to show forth His glory and power.
1Co 1:26-29 (NASB) For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.
After all, that will surely prove that He(God) must be the One at work. So I guess that means I qualify.
1Co 1:26-29 (NASB) For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.
After all, that will surely prove that He(God) must be the One at work. So I guess that means I qualify.
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