Joy in Him alone

The pot is bursting!

2008-09-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

One thing I know that I have found
Through all the troubles that surround
You are the Rock that never fails, You never fail

One thing I know that I believe
Through every blessing I receive
You are the only One that stays, You always stay

Chorus
You never change, You're still the same
You are the Everlasting God
You will remain after the day is gone and the things of earth have passed
Everlasting God

He puts everything together..
He is SO big that I cant fathom about it!
And His love is SO big and somemore everlasting too. W.O.W.
I wondered before that how can someone focus on so many people and cared about them so much and know about everyone's life!Then I asked myself then that "how can you be formed?", "how can this whole world be formed?".It can't be Big Bang because Big bang can't possibly put everything ie the world, the sun, everything in place like as in exactly the place where lives can exist! Even Big bang can't possibly bang the small wonderful cell in our body together aint it? He must be a God and i think God sometimes do things that we humans can't fathom. Our humans brain are just limited i guess.
Anyway, in another topic, these few weeks i learnt that God really wants to teach me about humility. He loves His children to be humble. I don't think I like kids with pride also anyway. So does God!I've got to learn alot and I know that the Holy Spirit is guiding me through it. Hope I will not disobey the Spirit and choose to rebel! Though its hard, i know, to slowly take off the pride that has been sticking very effectively in me, but no matter what, i want to reach that point of humility that God wants in my life. He is an awesome God. There's just SO many other things He revealed to me and everything is just so clear now and I really don't want to be a hypocrite anymore! Anyway,I realised that if you want to change eventhough you don't have that strong will too yet, just pray and ask for God's help cuz sometimes somethings we will not be able to clean it without God's cleansing and guidance. Just ask and seek for Him and He shall direct you His way of doing things. But i think before that, you have to be truthful to yourself. Don't lie to yourself even consciously or unconsciously doing it.haha!sometimes i think that i lied to myself so much until i don't really know who am i. im really breaking off from that and i want to seek my trueself which God wants me to be so He can also work effectively in my life! I just pray that every single day my heart is right in Him. I realise how it is to be holy in His eyes. Im not sure whether Daddy'll still can use someone who is not holy, maybe He can cuz He is God and can do anything at all. Well, there are testimonies like this anyway but i just want to be ready and be righteous in His eyes so i can be used more effectively?lol, is that what its called? i want to be ready if He wants me to do something and to serve Him. Let my eyes, my ears and all of my other senses to be sensing for You! Though i know there are a lot of distractions in my life and life will get more bumpy ahead after spm, i don't want myself to be wanting more of the world than You! Help me Lord! Help me to reach the point of absolute intimacy with You! I've got A LOT to learn!=)

-back to books...i hope!lol!- =P

musings - light

2008-09-01T01:45:00.000-07:00

I have learned some things last few days.
God must be really patient with me these few days!
Im so sorry that I let God down and strayed away from Him one moment of time!
I was really worried of my studies, well, my worrying is to the point that I try to escape it, to diverge my thoughts into somewhere else, telling myself there's still time yet.
In the same time, I was spending a lot of time reading the Bible, to study it, to sing worship, to pray, to think about God. Looking at it now, it's like talking to a father and spending time with Him without really wanting to hear what He tells me to do and that i should do.
Its just that fear that i'll never catch up studying all of the things I've left behind in form 4 and half of form 5. Not adding in the expectation from my parents, relatives and teachers too, me myself also wanting to see that I can do it.
Before that crucial point of time, there's just these things in my head, whether conscious or unconscious, stirring and stirring.
First is to serve Him, reading Bible, spending time with Him, thinking about Him, thinking that what's the use of knowing all the knowledge in the world if the Word of God is more useful in later life, and that its just no use, the end of time is very near and i should do something out there instead of sitting here studying about sejarah malaysia. I was really in the point of giving up my studies and imagining myself devoting my life in serving God as a missionary and really wanting to wish it happen. So there goes my mood to study.
But when that crucial point of time came, I started to think, "Hey!I can't be thinking about God and all of that thing all the time!" And at that time, my mind has only two options.
First is to continue doing like this, drawing myself closer and closer to God (i wonder) and second, to put my eyes off Him for a while.
When that second point came into my mind, I was being greatly disturbed about what my parents and my relatives said about me being "paranoid" and taking seriously about my relationship with God eventhough my heart did not admit it, but it sort of registered into my mind( how weak am i eh?). I was also starting to think back about when i was form 3. All the indulgence, as in WHOLE MIND indulgence in studies, thinking about science stuffs, perfectionism in all subjects which had lead me to excellence results. At that time, I still don't know Jesus, well, eventhough I accepted Him but I didn't follow Him after that confession. I had put Him to wait until after pmr at that time. While i was thinking about all of these, I suddenly thought that why should I be so indulged in my relationship with God? Why can't i just follow some other friends, that they are just..normal? I don't have to follow God, I don't have to be close to Him, my parents ain't Christian anyway, so its okay, you should be excused etc. etc. I was also thinking that if I'm not close to Him, I don't have to follow what He says even the ones i don't really want to follow (being rebellious there i see yeethong*shake shake head*), so that i can just have fun outside in the world. That was like , " oh my gosh!" I'm planning to leave Him, going towards the world, wanting to gain the "riches" of the world, wanting to just forget about Him, wanting to just give up. Is this called spiritual laziness? lol! SO yeah, its THHHAAAAT worse k? I was planning for HOLY SPIRIT BREAK!i wonder is there such word again?oh well, just a modification..hehe..okay back to where i was, hmm.yeah!
That option looks sooo much more tempting, and i think i had already wanting to stretch one of my legs there..O.O..but still i was holding back. I thought back and said "I don't wanna leave God, do I?NO WAY!" I was feeling guilty of even thinking of sending my impulse to my brain and the brain has already half way sending the impulse through my efferent neurones to my muscles in my right leg to be contracted!LOl, okay,( iwas studying BIo you see). Really guilty, but i know this feeling, the last time this feeling came and visit me, i think i strayed quite far away from Him. Later on only i know that, if i ask for His forgiveness, He'll forgive me but i HAVE to forgive myself too and leaving what is already the past, to strain for what is forward. Just confess your sin to God, and move forward! Everyone stumbles right? its just the matter of whether after you stumble, u are willing to let God pull you up.
I am glad that I went over that bump, and im praying that I will be able to overcome all the others bump that i will face next time. Now God even give me the will to study, and to understand the things that i read, that will to study is definitely there, but, but ,,what adds into this bonus is that I'm doing it, going through this studying thingy with God. =)
Bytheway, God is smart!!wonderful things he created in our bodies, just for us, and also the marvellous creations out there.phew!
they are just absolutely creative!
Ohyeah, currently im taking a course on learning the Bible more. Its under World Bible School.
Hope that I can really learn more about the things in the Bible and that the hunger for God's word is always there! Its marvellous to think that the whole Bible is a whole lot of letter from God to us. We're the reader of the letter from Big Daddy! Wheee!

kthen, gotta go back to marvel on those kidneys God designed

toodles

2008-08-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

Lord
My heart longs for you
My soul thirsts for you
My spirit yearns for you

Fill me up to the brim
Let me to be changed to a brand-new wine skin
Just change me from the inside out
circumcise my heart, Lord

i don't care
i just want myself to be filled up completely in You
i don't care
even if there are stones casted,
spits being spitted,
contempt look everywhere,
mocks and jeers pierced in every direction
I still want to follow You, Lord..

i don't care of what others will say
i don't care of how ugly i looked standing
with my hands raise high to You
i don't care
because i know You are worthy of all things
You are worthy to be praised
You are the love of my life
You are God!
The Loving Heavenly Father
My Father in Heaven!

Let my eyes not to be weary
Let my ears not to be distracted
Let my heart be right in You
Let my mind and thinking to be holy
Let my mouth to speak righteously
Let my everything to be in You
So i can continue to look up to You
To turn to You in all things
To seek for You
And to bring glory to You!

Just use me oh Lord
Make me to be ready
Help me to bring glory to Your name
Let me to be fully willing to do that
Even if it costs a lot to me
Let me to be willing
But i know, if its bringing all of myself to You
It's worth it.
Help me to continue to trust in You.
to trust that you are always there
behind the picture of the mess i'm currently seeing
behind all the impossibilities
behind that black veil
that You are now looking at me
sitting and typing on my computer
Still loving me so much

I want to be brave in You
I want to stand strong in You
I want to hold onto that shield and sword
And just not be afraid or discouraged
Let my meekness to be lighted up in Your bravery
And that I'll just move forward without looking and dwelling in my past mistakes
To just grasp on what is forward, running towards it.

I love you, Jesus.

How i wait for that one day when i can hear You laugh joyfully!

The Hard Place

2008-06-05T07:54:00.000-07:00

The best place is often the hardest place of all.

C.S. Lewis wrote, "We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be."

How true.

I'm posting some lyrics from Third Day's "Tunnel" today because (and for reasons I cannot go into here) Sandy and I find ourselves in a tunnel of sorts. I awoke this day humming this song and grateful for the encouragement in it. Though it does not mention the Lord (much to my dismay), it is understood that the only real hope is found in Christ Jesus.

Of the many reasons for trials is the perspective that God allows us to pass through the fire to show His body and the world how His love and Life can come through in vessels that are consumed.

Sandy and I found out about 4:30 yesterday afternoon that our faith is on trial (1 Peter 1:7-These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed)
(1 Peter 4:12 - Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.).

Some will be watching and judging along the way. God forbid, they will have their opinions why we face this recent drama. Some, sad to say, just enjoy seeing the calamity in others. Still others are dying to see Jesus in it and our prayer is that we will show them Jesus.

Pound us into dust, Lord, and consume us until we are no more. We want the Life of Christ to be carried on through our dying! (2 Corinthians 4:10,11)

In that same chapter, the Apostle Paul speaks of a tight, constricted place. A tunnel, perhaps, that narrows the deeper one descends. "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed..." he wrote. Literally, 'we are squeezed on every side but we are NOT stuck there...' (v8) How wonderful! In Christ there is always a way out, a way up, and a way through!

In conversation this evening, Sandy and I were blessed by the Spirit of God who reminded us: often when we find ourselves in a hard place, we give all our attention to the circumstances at hand and forget that all we go through--ALL of it--is to prepare us for eternity! This, too, will pass. And in glory, it will not be remembered but the blessing that comes from it will shine on from glory to glory! (please read Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 3:18)

Those of you who know and love us, lift us to the Lord to remember these things. May your prayer be that the Life of God will come through Sandy, Graham and me. That what we face is undoubtedly a Tunnel of Love; that here is a place with no wriggle room so the Father can once again renew His covenant of chesed (Hebrew, 'loyal love') with His children. Praise Him in the Hard Place!

HOPEfully, you too will find His strength through these words to carry on. Indeed, child of God, there is light at the end of your tunnel for you...

Well I won't pretend to know what you're thinking
And I can't begin to know what you're going through
And I won't deny the pain that you're feeling
But I'm gonna try and give a little hope to you
Just remember what I told you
There's so much you're living for

There's a light at the end of this tunnel
There's a light at the end of this tunnel for you
For you
There's a light at the end of this tunnel
Shining bright at the end of this tunnel for you
For you
So keep holding on

You got your disappointments and sorrows
You ought to share the weight of that load with me
Then you will find that the light of tomorrow
Well it brings new life for your eyes to see
So remember what I told you
There's so much you're living for

There's a light at the end of this tunnel
There's a light at the end of this tunnel for you
For you
There's a light at the end of this tunnel
Shining bright at the end of this tunnel for you
For you

So keep holding on
Keep holding on...

Give thanks to God for this Pasture of Peace he has provided for us to lie down upon today...

Hearing God

2008-05-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

I know God speaks today as I have learned to listen for and hear His voice. I opine(express an opinion) that I do not hear it more readily or clearly but that can be easily explained by a failure to do His bidding or when I seek my own way. He will not talk to people who are too busy talking themselves, or, worse, walking out of ear-shot of Him! No, the ones who hear His still, small voice are those who pay the extra wad of cash (alert: metaphor) for a pair of ear buds that can tune into the still, small stuff—His hidden strains and quiet refrains and the delicate tinklings of a higher frequency.

Jesus said,

"My teaching is not Mine but His who sent Me. If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself." (John 7:16,17)

A friend of mine says of this passage: "those who hear the Lord are the ones willing to put the 'amen' in front of their prayers as well as at the end." In other words, when we surrender our need to know and give up our 'right' to choose whether what He says is for us or not, then the Lord will speak with great clarity(clearness) and frequency.

Jesus also said, "My sheep hear and distinguish My Voice." (John 10:27) How does a Shepherd speak to his lambs? "This is the way" or "Follow Me!" and He even calls them by their pet names. When Saul was converted and blinded, God spoke to Ananias and gave him specific instructions as to where to find him, even giving him the address (see Acts 9:11)! You just have to have cleaned-out ears.

Charles Spurgeon said,

"Note well that we must hear Jesus speak if we expect Him to hear us speak. If we have no ear for Christ, He will have no ear for us. In proportion as we hear, we shall be heard.

"Moreover, what is heard must remain, must live in us, and must abide in our character as a force and a power. We must receive the truths which Jesus taught, the precepts which He issued, and the movements of His Spirit within us; or we shall have no power at the Mercy Seat." (Spurgeon, The Cheque-Book of the Bank of Faith)

Did you know that God sings? Imagine what that sounds like? To paraphrase, "He that hath ears to hear" let him listen through the Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that He "rejoices over us with singing."costly means of obedience and sacrifice. With a duddy pair of earphones ('nother metaphor), you'll miss some of the most beautiful music God has to offer you.

Go ahead, spend the extra. You'll NEVER regret it.

God's Hair Club

2008-05-13T23:32:00.000-07:00

A number of years ago I heard a sermon relating to Samson and the after-effects of his departure from the Lord. Though a tragic figure, there is a scriptural gem that shines against the bleak(depressing) background of Samson's life.

There he was in the threshing house,
now with hollowed sockets where proud eyes once dwelt,
chained to a post and trudging in infinite circles,
grinding out the wheat for his captors(a person who has captured a person).
Each day he heard the laughter and endured the scorn. "Praise our gods!" they bellowed.
"Yours is dead but our gods have triumphed!"

Each laborious step from the humiliated hero sounded the woeful(unhappy) cadence(rhythmic flow) of failure, shame and regret. His scalp, chopped unmercifully, ragged and butchered and running with blood boasted precious few sprouts of hair here and there. The glory had departed. The crown had fallen from his head.

Each day he wished they would just kill him and get it over with.

Each day brought more humiliation and reminders of what he had and what now was lost.
But, with arms powerless to break loose of his bands and ghastly sockets running with ooze, his broken heart began to seek the Lord.

The merciful One looked upon His exiled(expelled) servant with pity as He heard the symphonic strains of that penitent(feeling sorrow for sin) soul. Wiped away in one glorious infinitesimal(indefinitely small) speck of time were the years of rebellion and the miles of philandering(carry on a sexual affair).

The ledgers(account book), once filled with the horrific smudges of sins, were erased with a mighty swipe of God's righteous Hand!
And then, just to shut the mouths of the accusers, the most amazing thing happened:

"...and the hair of his head began to grow again..."[Judges 16:22]

We know that his hair did not give him strength but it surely symbolized God's powerful Hand upon him.

When the hair was shorn(cut), it indicated that the Spirit of the Lord had withdrawn Himself.

Ah, but when the hair began to grow back–oh yes! When sprigs(small branch) of hair pushed through the surface of that barren scalp–the Philistines must have sensed a change of order was forthcoming! And indeed it was. This tortured soul became victor once again as God raised the roof and brought the house down!

Some weeks ago I had begun to notice that I was drifting from the Lord. My "wood was wet" so to speak.

I knew that I was permanently indwelt by the Spirit of God and that He does not come and go at will,
but I also knew that I was capable of drifting away from the warming coals of God and toward the shadows of self-will and deceit(act of deceiving).

And indeed I had. But as I look back now, with joy, I have seen that my "hair" has begun to grow again! A fire has returned, spiritual eyes have refocused and my heart palpitates(shake) with the very Life of God.

Perhaps you have detected a cold front heading in your direction. Or perhaps a cooling in your heart. That mournful breeze can feel like an arctic blast across a baldened head! Hey, we've all been members of God's Hair Club from time to time! And, I would suspect, we'll rejoin again sooner or later (let's pray later!). Why not let the grace of God massage life back into that dome(head) of yours. Pray for spiritual sight restoration. Are you tired yet of trudging on and getting nowhere? Sick of the crunch of failure beneath your feet? The mocking laughter of the enemy all around you? Do what Samson did. Turn to your Deliverer and be free. Get rid of the toupee(a man's wig). It looks silly on you anyway.

Are those hair plugs I see coming through your scalp? Praise God! Before long you'll be needing a comb.

[pasturescott.blogspot.com]

The nth Degree : A Passover Meditation (reflection)

2008-05-09T04:52:00.000-07:00

A warm Palestine breeze fluttered through the open windows of the upper room. The torches glowing from the plastered walls danced and played in cadence(rhythmic pattern) at the onset(start) of dusk-light. Outside, in the lonely avenues, all was quiet as the swelled Jerusalem populace observed this most sacred of Jewish holy days within their homes and tents.

He must have had something on His mind as He sat there watching His disciples engage over the Passover meal.

From the looks of things, in the dim wash of early evening, the Savior's face was etched with unclarified emotion.

Deep springs of passion rose to meet His eyes and His accepting countenance(appearance) fairly (honestly) depicted(described) a fatherly tenderness(softness).

That's not to say there weren't conflicting themes within. Yeshua could see the long night ahead.

There was Peter–brave Peter–chuckling at some inside joke, stealing a wondering glance at the Rabbi, then going back to his innocent revelry(into the party) with deep-chested(broad chest)gusto(keen enjoyment).
This hard-edged(realistic, rigid) , soft-hearted fisherman, who had made no bones (no problems) about his allegiance(loyalty) to Messiah, would lie, curse and deny in just a few hours.

There was
innocent John Mark, in whose home they now reposed(rest), quietly listening to several conversations at once.
He was the youngest and most impressionable(easily impressed).
And, not long from hence, this future gospeler would run scared into the night, leaving his outer cloak in the hands of a Roman guard.
A casualty of war.
A scattered sheep.

Jesus' eyes took it all in.
Thomas' pensiveness(dreamily thoughtful - usually with some sadness)
Philip's wariness.
Simon and Matthew engaging in their nightly verbal fisticuffs(fight with fists)
John, beloved John, unsuccessfully imploring them to take the high road of brotherly love.

The Savior smiled, seeing His ragtag (mixed up) band, knowing each of their weaknesses and marveling that these were the men who would joyfully choose the narrow road and carry their crosses without apology.

But first they would fall away before returning for good. He softly chuckled to Himself, "Baby steps. A lot of baby steps…"

Rousted from His own revelry, His eyes fastened on
Judas, and Yeshua was instantly transported back to the matter at hand.
They exchanged piercing glances and Mary's Son could already see satan enter into the heart of the only disciple from Judah.
With eyes locked, the Father showed Him flashes of what was about to transpire and the only begotten could not help but wince in response.
The isolation in the garden. The betrayal. The blows. The scattering of His closest friends. The tearing of flesh. The horror in His mother's eyes. The hardest walk of His life. Becoming sin. The scapegoat. The turning of His Father's back…

Suddenly, raised voices from nearby dissipated these haunting images and He wondered at the interruption. Snapping back to the present, the Son of Man could hear that His men were once again at odds over their ranking in the future Kingdom. Each was brandishing their resume. He called me first…I was in the room when the little girl was raised from the dead…how could you be ahead of me? You couldn't even heal that man's son!…surely you remember that I cast thirty-seven demons out of that old woman in Nain! No one at this table can say that!…

Here He was, the sin-Substitue of the world and His men were not even sympathetic to His impending(about to happen) plight(condition).

Judas was licking his chops and lining his wallet. They were indifferent, insensitive and prideful. And something else: they were selfish and inconsiderate.

Already well into the evening's festivities, not one of these guys even thought about the dirty feet in that circle. Except for the Son of Man.

And yet, knowing what He was facing, and worse still having to put up with such tomfoolery(foolish behaviour) from friends, Messiah could not shake a deeper feeling that kept rising to the surface: He loved these guys to the nth degree! John must have been a keen observer for it was he that wrote the amazing words found in his gospel:

"Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them to the end…" (13:1)

To the utmost. To the max. The nth degree. Can you imagine? With all that was churning in His fragile psyche(human soul) on that night, He was most concerned for His men. He, the Passover Lamb, slotted for execution, the just for the unjust, innocent blood, unblemished(lacking faults) nature. What was on His mind? Would these men know how much I loved them?

He not only taught the "second mile", He was the Second Mile! Check that: He was the nth mile!

Go the second mile and you will still be eternally behind the Christ you follow!
No way you can outlive, outlove, outgive and outserve this One.
Not a chance.

The following is well documented in scripture.
Jesus rose from the supper, took a towel and basin and washed each of the disciples' feet.
Even wicked Judas.

Each splash of water resounded with "I love you."
Every wipe of the towel on newly bathed feet carried with it the proclamation, "I forgive you."
As he restored the sandals to their rightful owners, His unspoken word was "I will never leave you, nor forsake you."

He showed us how, in this tender example and supremest of illustrations, that no matter how bad things may be for us, we can still take time to serve.

He also demonstrated that when evil is present, our love can overshadow the wickedest of situations.

And lastly (this is challenging, I know), there is no ministry so low and degrading when the Father calls us to rise from our place and serve— even the most undeserving.

By the by, who says we aren't the most undeserving?

[pasturescott.blogspot.com]

The Prodigal Son

2008-05-07T00:15:00.000-07:00

Not Qetsatsah

For such effrontery (shameless boldness), he should have been slapped and shown the door. The unmitigated (not lessened) gall (shameless boldness). Such gumption (aggresiveness).

A rich kid, wanting to see the world, asked for, nay(and not only so but), demanded his share of the family fortune.

His slice of the pie. His cut of the cake. Trouble was, that was not the way things were done in his culture. To ask for an inheritance while the patriarch (the male head of a family) was still alive was tantamount(equivalent) to wishing him dead. It was unthinkable!

So begins the age-old story of the prodigal (wasteful) son as told by the Master storyteller Himself. From its very outset (start) Jesus had hooked His audience and they were sitting on the edge of their seats to hear what this good Jewish father–whoever he was–would do in response to such an insolent(disrespectful) lad(boy). What He said next must have raised the ire(intense anger) meter in the room to mercurial levels.

The father gave the son what he wanted, not what he deserved.

The boy was entitled to a third of the family estate and this enigmatic (mysterious) father, who should have disowned the ingrate (ungrateful person) on the spot, signed over the deed to him. Not wasting any time, the boy sold the land and left kindred (kin) and kind for the gaming tables, lusty vixens (female fox) and great lights of Vanity Fair. As the father grieved over the son of his loins(reproductive organs),
the final sounds of his son's presence in the home were the harsh slamming of the door and the plaintive song of heavy coins clinking and slapping in all the degenerate's pockets as the prodigal disappeared over the horizon.

Hands curled into fists and casual breathing turned into snorts of disapproval as the listeners got caught up in the story. Who is this kid, they thought. Let's drag him outside the city wall and rock him to sleep! To add insult to injured egos, the story takes a pathetic twist. The son, it turns out, blew his fortune while he was away in a presumably (probably) gentile (christian) district. Far from home, friendless and penniless now, the kid looks for employment. Anywhere. Anything. As Jesus spills this refrain (saying something), you can just imagine the smugness that begins to loosen their strained expressions and censuring (strong expression of disapproval) smiles curving on the faces of this elitist (pride in belonging to a certain group) gaggle of Pharisees. Serves the punk right. Okay, now we're gonna hear about some justice, you just wait and see…

Qetsatsah! Oh yes, the very thought of it rallied the room! Surely the boy had to undergo the painful lesson of qetsatsah!

In Jesus' time, there was a law on the books that stated if any Jew were to sell any part of Jewish land to a gentile, said person would experience a ceremony in which they would be banned and cut off from their people. Exiled with no contact with their kith or kin ever again! In a sense, that's what this kid had done. He had taken the money from the sale of his section of land and hawked it all in gentile dives!

As the whispers of qetsatsah sliced through the gathering like flashes from a harvester's scythe (curving blade), they pictured it all in their greedy little minds. An angry village, headlined by the shamed father, meet the boy at the town limits with a jar of burned nuts and corn in hand. The jar or jars are smashed at his feet with shouts of "You are no longer accepted! You are cut off from your family and your people!"

These PhD's of law were licking their chops, expecting the story to climax and end on this point. But were they in for a surprise! The father in the story, hero rather than victim, defied(resisted) all convention(meeting) with his outlandish (freakishly strange) behavior. He gave the son what he wanted not what he deserved and then he waited longingly for his son to return home! Then, when the son does gather his wits and turns toward the porch light of mercy (actually, he thought it would be the humiliation of qetsatsah) what does he see come flying toward him on two feet but a rejoicing father who falls on his neck and kisses the skin off his face?

The son expected retribution (punishment), but the father wanted reconciliation. This unconventional father who bit his lip when the son demanded the unthinkable. This eccentric Dad who waited and watched toward the horizon for the puff of dust he hoped would be a returning son, day after blessed day when he should have bid him riddance. This unflappable father who raced an angry village on unsteady legs, running for all he was worth, beating a path to his astonished son, making dead sure that the boy's first sights and sounds of home would be the joyous sobs and relieved cries of a father who wouldn't let the memory of his son fade, rather than bear him facing a hostile crowd, smashed jars of hateful harvest at his feet.

Even though he deserved it.

"Dad, I deserve qetsatsah…"

"No, my son. Not qetsatsah. Smell the prize beef, my lad, the best of the herd! Here is my robe…my ring…"

"But Dad, what I did…you just don't know all I've–"

"What you did, son, was come home. It was my love that drew you back. You may have left our home, but you never left my sight."

"I owe you, father. Make me one of your slaves! Work me double and triple-shifts. Seven days a week! I will work the rest of my life kissing your feet and the ground you walk upon to repay what I've taken from you–and the shame I've caused…oh, dear God, the shame…!"

"Nonsense! You could never repay me and I would never ask you to, my son. I am rich already with the return of my child! Come, let us celebrate…the wasted years have been redeemed!"

In my imagining, I see Jesus stopping here and eyeing his audience. Do you see it, His eyes plead. Do you? Can you see yourselves as the insolent lad…? Oh, how I wish you could…

No? Okayyyyy…well then (ahem), let me move on to the next act of the drama…let's talk about the other brother…

[pasturescott.blogspot.com]

The wonders of names in Bible

2008-05-05T06:42:00.000-07:00

Adam– Man
Seth– Appointed
Enosh– Mortal
Kenan– Sorrow
Mahalalel– The blessed God
Jared– Shall come down
Enoch– Teaching
Methuselah–His death shall bring
Lamech– The despairing
Noah– Rest

Still need a hint? Okay.

The names, put together, tell the story of stories. Let's write it out:

"Man [was] appointed mortal sorrow but the Blessed God shall come down teaching and His death shall bring the despairing [His] Rest."

The story of stories, to be sure. And that's not all…

Isn't it wonderful that he put YOUR name in His story?

The Visitation of Grace

2008-05-04T04:34:00.000-07:00

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men…"

(Titus 2:11)

Graham and I talked through it together afterward.
He asked if people can truly be possessed with the devil by making covenants with him.
If so, are such covenants permanent?
We went to the story of the demoniac that greeted our Savior at the dark end of the Sea.

Deep gashes and oozing wounds covered this shell of a man who no doubt was emaciated by the host of demons that sucked the life from him.

"We are legion(very great in number)," an otherworldly voice piped through the pitiful creature.

The Messiah ordered the host of demons out of the man.

By the way, a legion of soldiers in the Roman army (the occupying force in Palestine in that day) consisted of 6000 men!
No doubt for this man to have hosted such a plague of evil, covenants and agreements had to be made,

but with a word from Christ, the destructive force pillaging the man's spirit was sent packing and he became a NEW man!

On the same day (verily, in the same HOUR!) that this man was howling in a cemetary and cursing God, the tables were turned upright and:

"…the former demoniac begged Him (Jesus) that he might be with Him." (Mark 5:18)

Did you catch that? "Former" demoniac!

When Grace in living Flesh visited his lair, the liar was dispelled and the Son of Life moved in!
What a glorious visitation!

The point Graham and I uncovered was simply that, yes,

covenants may be made with the enemy,
BUT they do not have to be permanent when Grace draws nigh.

My son said, "I wish I lived in Jesus' day…" and when I asked why, he adroitly responded, "so that I could see Him do cool stuff so I can always believe!"

Explaining that

miracles were not designed to make us believe but to prove the deity of Christ,
I told Graham that there were CROWDS of people who witnessed His miracles and yet walked away from Jesus, shaking their heads with disdain (see John 6:26; 12:37).

No, dear son, we do not believe through the means of natural sight but by the word of Christ that visits our heart.

"Faith comes by HEARING and hearing by the Word of God…" (Rom. 10:17).

Hearing, not seeing, God says.

We do not believe by what our sight translates for us naturally but

by what God speaks into our heart

and we activate that through the faith that is given to us by God.

Graham sat on the edge of the couch considering this for a few moments, then he left the room, muttering the words, "but that's so hard…"

Ah, the pangs of youth! Who need to see, touch, feel and handle…

But are we any different?

[pasturescott.blogspot.com]

Paying the Price

2008-05-01T05:16:00.000-07:00

p/s : I stumbled upon this pastor's blog one day and i decided to read his every posts starting from his May 2006 posts. Hope that these posts can help me in my walk with Jesus Christ! There's just so many to know about which I didn't realise or know!

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Paying the Price

And the story goes something like this:
The Lord came to Adam and told him that he was going to create another human being for companionship.

“She will be female and beautiful, the most gorgeous creature your eyes have ever seen,” the Lord explained. “She will meet you at the door with a kiss when you come home from work and will have a cold beverage in hand for your refreshment.”

Adam leaned in, getting more interested.

The Lord continued, “And that’s not all. She will have the sweetest scent and will guide you to your chair where she will give you your newspaper and massage your achy feet. Then she will call you to a table where she has prepared all your favorite foods—every single night of your life!”

“Wonderful!” Adam exclaimed, jumping to his feet, “but what will all this cost me?”

“An arm and a leg,” the Lord replied.

Adam thought for a moment then asked, “What could I get for a rib?”

That apocryphal(being questionable) story underlines a malady(any disease of the body) that many of us live with:

We just aren’t willing to pay the price for God’s best.
We often settle for the good when the Lord is holding out His very best with an invitation to anyone who dares come after it.

Moses forsook Egypt and all its treasures that he might become a Friend of God. Rather than staying at the base of the mountain with the congregation, he dared climb all the way to the top and disappeared within the fire and smoke. The Lord invited him and he came and the rest is history.

That’s paying the price.

Recently I was pouting to the Lord about why I didn’t have certain “abilities” in ministry like some others and I heard His loving yet firm reply: “Because they pay the price and you don’t.” Ouch.

Abandon your nets and I will make you fishers of men, He tells us.
Take up your cross daily and follow me.
Sell all you have and you will have treasure in heaven.
Love not the world.
Paying the price.
How far will you go for the Savior?

I went out for my high school’s varsity football team my junior year and the first day of practice the coach instructed everyone seeking a skill position to run thirty laps around the track. He told the rest to run fifteen. Now, I was a strong runner with powerful legs along with some illusive moves that could have benefited the backfield, but I chose to run the fifteen laps because it was a hot August morning and I hated to run! I spent my high school career on the line instead of in the backfield because I wasn’t willing to pay the price. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with playing on the line, but there is if you are made for the backfield.

Paul the apostle paid the price. He left nothing on the field. In some ways, he is the Moses of the New Testament for he forsook prominence in the world for the preeminence of Christ and became God’s messenger of a new covenant. Through shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonments, persecutions and ultimately martyrdom, he was spent for the cause Christ called him to. He said, “I will gladly spend and be spent for you…” (2 Cor.12:15). He would not be deterred with namby-pamby half-heartedness but gave every last drop of his existence for the Lord and His church. That’s the meaning of the word “spend” in that verse: to be drained.

Paul let God squeeze every single ounce out of him.

That’s what I call the ‘currency of the committed’.

Here’s my life, Lord;
take it and spend it as you wish
for it is not mine to decide where or how or how much
but my whole life is a tithe to you.
Use me, spend me, drain me…for your glory.
It’s not too much to ask of us, is it?
May we be known as those who are willing
to pay the price for the One
who spent an eternal sum to capture us for His pleasure.

Even if it costs us an arm and a leg.

credit:

[http://pasturescott.blogspot.com]

Being Hurt

2008-04-02T05:27:00.001-07:00

BEING HURT

by Dr. R.L. Shaw

People often ask the question, "What do you do when you are hurt by a church member? Why did they hurt me? Will I ever stop being hurt?

Hurt. What is hurt?

We get hurt in the world and get over it. We get hurt in the church and expect it not to happen. Why? Who comes to church. Who sings in the choir? Who ushers on the usher board. People who have come from the world.
Why do we think that people who go to church are perfect? They are striving for perfection.
Therefore, hurt is a part of life, not just the Christian life.
Remember what Paul went through (2 Corinthians 4:8-12; 6:4-6).

Jesus is our greatest example of hurt in the church (Isaiah 53:3-5).

Is there supposed to be no hurt? What about the Pastor? Does he ever get hurt? What about the dedicated Pastor who preaches Sunday after Sunday and continues to see people doing the opposite of what he's preaching. Does that hurt?
It hurts when any parent wants the best for his child and doesn't see it manifest.

Does that mean he or she should stop preaching?
No, it means he must function past the hurt.

Hurt is a part of life, but we must learn how to take advantage of the hurt.

There is some lesson to be learned in every hurt we encounter. There are some lessons we would never even acknowledge without going through certain things that demand us to acknowledge them. We learn what we want and we learn what we don't want in the midst of hurt. We learn what is right and we learn what is wrong in the midst of our hurt.

Sometimes we are blind and deaf until hurt knocks on our door and all of a sudden we wake up.

Hurt is an alarm clock that in many cases brings us back to reality.

We must learn how to benefit from the hurt. We, most of all, must function past the hurt. The last time you were hurt, did you feel like you would never get over it? But guess what? You did. The last time you were hurt, did you feel like the hurt would never end? But guess what? It did.

We must teach people how to get over hurts because hurts are a part of life, whether it's with a friend, relative or in a relationship. The hurts that we go through try to prevent us from being able to function effectively.

Hurt is one of the number one killers of effectiveness, because it controls the correct functioning of the emotions, which perverts ones thinking process.

We think about all the wrong things when we are hurt, because we allow the hurt to wreck our emotions. Hurts cause us to say things that we shouldn't say. Hurts cause us to do things that we shouldn't do. Hurts cause to react in ways that we regret later. All of this is because our emotions have been affected and infected. We must learn how to not let the hurt penetrate and permeate our souls. Anything that controls your emotions, at that time, controls your thought process. The worst decisions were made during times of hurt - decisions that we sometimes spend the rest of our lives trying to correct. Yes, hurt is real and it's real in the church.
Sometimes God even allows the hurts to come in our lives to see where our commitment lies. For instance, if God calls you to a church, and because you get hurt you leave. Did God change his mind about the call? No. Every hurt that transpires in the church, is not intentional. Mainly because everybody, and I do mean everybody, is growing and developing into what is ordained for them to become (predestined and preordained).

Our focus must not be on the hurt, but what the hurt does for you.
We love to quote

[Galations 5:22-23]

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

and talk about the fruit of the spirit.

But in actuality the fruit of the spirit is not manifest in ones life without a negative experience first. Look at hurt as something that if you respond to it incorrectly it will become a barrier on the road that you are traveling on. All of us are traveling on a road that is leading to our destiny. But there are things that happen that try to get us out of our lane. Only what is destined for you can be achieved by remaining on your road. This is why our focus must not be on the hurt, but what the hurt does for you. What we fail to realize is that so many things we never really appreciate until we experience the opposite reaction. We appreciate people that are time conscious after meeting people who are late all the time. We appreciate being up after we experience being down.

Everyone gets over hurt if they continue to move on. What hinders is when you stop in the hurt and meditate on it.

This is why the Word tells us what to meditate on.

(Phil. 4:8)
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.

So I guess if we compare ourselves to Christ, we have nothing to complain about. We should almost say, "Bring it on." Because it's coming any way.

It is impossible to keep moving forward if you meditate on your hurt. Whatever you meditate is the determining factor for what you will do or say next. Hurt usually amplifies itself in our thought process because of our own meditation. We make the mole hills become mountains, even when they are not. Hurt is a process to go through; an experience to get over. It's not a stopping point. It's not a period, but a comma.

The next time you are hurt, first stop and ask yourself,
"What could the person who hurt you possibly be going through that caused them to do whatever they did?
People, in many cases, hurt others because they are hurt.
If you are hurt in a relationship, you must realize what they are missing out on that is causing them to act the way they are acting.
The next time you are hurt, ask yourself, "What problem do they have?"
Ask yourself "Is this situation or person important enough to destroy me emotionally?"
When anything can stop you and cause you to alter your personality, that thing has become too important.
The next time you get hurt, say to yourself not why did it happen, but "I'm getting over this."

Silence

2008-03-31T07:29:00.000-07:00

Stop and listen
- being silent in the presence of God (and others) in order to hear what they are saying.

"Sometimes I tend to say that 'the Lord is not speaking to me', but i refuse to stop and listen."

"I believe when I am silent before God, its when I can receive His love. Because I am doing nothing or expecting nothing, it is easy to receive."

"Being silent is a discipline that God's been teaching. There are a lot of noise from normal noise to virtual noise. There are a lot of aspects to the practice of silence!"

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If we learn the secret of carrying a living silence in the center of our being, we can listen (to God) on the run. The listening silence can become intertwined with all our inward prayers. A few moments of relaxed silence, alone, everyday are desperately important - Thomas Kelly

Silence is a needed ingredient of our lives if we hope to deepen our intimacy with God.

[Psalm 46:10]
Be still and know I am God.

[Isaiah 30:15]
... In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength ...

[Exodus 14:14]
The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.

We long for silence and yet we are afraid of silence. For when the outer world is quiet, we begin to hear our inner noise. Our heads are filled with chatter; …in the silence we begin to realize that we are everywhere but here.
- J. Vennard

The noise of our world has become a way of separating us from ourselves and from God.
The continual noise does not let us hear what is going on deep within.
As a result we live unexamined lives.
We live lives where there is no depth.

Think about these questions and explore with God your attitude toward silence.

When you think of being silent what feelings, thoughts, images arise within you?
What has been your experience of silence as a child, adolescent, adult?
How do you use silence with others?
Has anyone ever used his or her silence to punish you? What was that like for you?
When has silence deepened a relationship?
How does being silent in a group affect you?
Was there ever a time in your life when you experience silence as a gift…what was that like? What were the positive results that came from that time?
Do you long for more silence (be honest with yourself)?
If not, why are you resistant to silence?
What frightens you about being silent with yourself…being silent with God?
If so, where and when do you long for more silence in your life?
What is the difference for you between silence alone and silence in a group?
What can be the benefits of being silent with God?

Silence is difficult for most people. It can make us feel helpless, fearful, and vulnerable. We rely on words to manage, control, manipulate and protect, and in silence that is all taken away from us.

When we make room for silence we make rooms for ourselves…
Silence invites the unknown, the untamed, the wild, the shy, the unfathomable –
that which rarely has a chance to surface within us.”
- Gunilla Norris

Your internal silence will be a place of peace, a place of being with God and yourself…a place where you experience the grace, mercy, faithfulness, compassion and power of God in a personally transforming way no matter what may surround you.

Silence helps to create an empty space in your busy life for God.
Silence prepares you to hear the words of God.
Thus silence is not the end but a vehicle for paying attention to God.
It calls you to be present in the moment…to show up and place yourself in the way of God.
God is always present but you are not always present to God…silence enables you to be present to God.

It is so hard to be silent, silent with my mouth, but even more, silent with my heart.
There is so much talking going on within me.
It seems that I am always involved in inner debates with my friends, my enemies, my supporters, my opponents my colleagues, my rivals, and myself.
But this inner debate reveals how far my heart is from You.
- Henri Nouwen

[Psalm 37 :7]
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. ...

[Psalm46:10]
Be still and know I am God.

True silence is the rest of the mind;
it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment. - William Penn

( Source from www.abidinginthevine.com )