Our pastor said on the pulpit yesterday : It is only when our spiritual state is fed and sated, that we can enjoy ourselves without fear of feeding the flesh.
I have a friend, a widow in her late 50's, retired and very rich. She loves to go for expensive holidays. Every year, she'll have at least 5 to 8 vacations overseas. Last year, she went to Turkey, The Balkans, England, China, Bali Indonesia just to name a few. I've lost track of the places she went this year, but I know she just came back from China last week, and will be going to Taiwan next week. I get tired just by thinking of her whirlwind vacations.
It's all very glamorous. But somehow, somewhere between England and China, the 'pearl' has lost its lustre. No, she didn't get bored, not yet anyway. But it suddenly dawned onto her that it's just another day, just another place to visit. Nothing to look forward to anymore. She just keeps on taking vacations, but it seems to me, empty vacations, not meaningful vacations. She no longer feels contentment. She just has to go everywhere around the world. It has become more like a goal, and vacations have become a religion to her. But again, no contentment. Her spirit is not at peace. Her home is like a hotel to her, a place to stay when she's........well, home.
~~When we enjoy ourselves, even with the simplest act of watching tv, if our spirit has not been fed with the Word, we will watch one programme after another, till past midnight at times, because we keep wanting more. Will we feel contented the next day? Probably not. We'll be too busy keeping sleep at bay during work hours, and get irritable when things go wrong. But when we reach home, we'll switch on the tv again, and the same cycle repeats itself.
~~When we indulge ourselves by playing computer games, if our spirit has not been fed, 1 hour of zapping aliens will turn into 5 hours of 'killing spree'. Will we be contented? Probably not, as our spirit will be in too much turmoil after all the zappings and killings for the past 5 hours. We'll probably take a short nap, and a quick bite after the nap. Then back to the computer again to repeat the zapping and killing process.
~~When we go shopping, if our spirit has not been fed, we'll end up overspending and falling into the 'impulse purchase' trap. Will we be contented with our purchases? Probably not, as we'll be too busy trying to balance our paychecks with our credit card payments! That is, till our next shopping spree, when we'll conveniently forget about our paychecks and credit card woes, because we need to pander to our 'wants'.
The list goes on. Alcohol, cigarettes. It's always the case of I'll just have one. And one will never stay one. Without a 'fed and sated' spirit in control, the flesh will rear its ugly head again and again, and in the end, we'll end up as addicts, hurting not just our spiritual state, but our physical state as well.
When our spirit is not fed with God's word, we will feed our flesh. When we feed our flesh, we step into an endless cycle. A sinister cycle. The flesh will never feel satisfied. We'll keep wanting more......and more.......and more.
Hence in a nutshell, feed our spirit, not our flesh. It's only safe for us to enjoy ourselves and indulge in our whims when our spirit is fed. For it's only when our spirit is fed that we'll be able to truly enjoy ourselves and feel genuine contentment.
And when our spirit is fed, we will never become addicts.
Rainbow as Sign
Monday, October 28, 2013
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Trinity God
A troubled girl came to church, and was comforted.
She brought her equally troubled brother to church, and he obeyed.
Their mother, who was at her wit's end, saw her transformed children and came to church. She believed.
The grandmother, seeing the Word of God transform the lives of her faithful daughter and her faithful grandchildren, came to church and accepted Christ.
The grandfather followed suit.
And the light came upon their family, banishing the darkness.
More of their family members followed.
By the Manifestation of Christ's Authority, the mother and her children have shown their family what being a Christian is truly about. They are now guided solely by the Conviction of the Holy Spirit. Their transformed lives in God have convinced their family that the Lord is indeed good. Hence the family gospelisation.
Being a Christian. What does it mean?
Being a Christian means to demolish our old mindsets. Die and resurrect with Christ and become born-again Christians. Model our lives after Jesus Christ. Let Him manifest His authority within us, in our homes, in our working fields, among friends, acquaintances and strangers. Let them see for themselves what being a Christian is like.
Being a Christian means not enforcing our own will in all situations. Wait for the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and be guided solely by the Holy Spirit. We won't have any baggage chaining us down if we simply leave everything to the Holy Spirit.
God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The Trinity God. The only answer to all problems.
She brought her equally troubled brother to church, and he obeyed.
Their mother, who was at her wit's end, saw her transformed children and came to church. She believed.
The grandmother, seeing the Word of God transform the lives of her faithful daughter and her faithful grandchildren, came to church and accepted Christ.
The grandfather followed suit.
And the light came upon their family, banishing the darkness.
More of their family members followed.
By the Manifestation of Christ's Authority, the mother and her children have shown their family what being a Christian is truly about. They are now guided solely by the Conviction of the Holy Spirit. Their transformed lives in God have convinced their family that the Lord is indeed good. Hence the family gospelisation.
Being a Christian. What does it mean?
- Being a Christian does not mean we need to memorise biblical verses.
- Being a Christian does not mean we have to drag every Tom, Dick & Harry from the streets to evangelise to them.
- Being a Christian does not mean holding on to the law and judging people as sinners.
- Being a Christian does not mean going around with a holier-than-thou attitude.
Being a Christian means to demolish our old mindsets. Die and resurrect with Christ and become born-again Christians. Model our lives after Jesus Christ. Let Him manifest His authority within us, in our homes, in our working fields, among friends, acquaintances and strangers. Let them see for themselves what being a Christian is like.
Being a Christian means not enforcing our own will in all situations. Wait for the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and be guided solely by the Holy Spirit. We won't have any baggage chaining us down if we simply leave everything to the Holy Spirit.
God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The Trinity God. The only answer to all problems.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Words of Anger
I have an unmarried friend in her late forties who is a self-professed independent singleton. She often says that married women often get stressed out by their husbands and children, resulting in premature ageing and illness. The way she carries herself is akin to a fundamentalist of the anti-marriage movement. Every single time, whenever her lady friends start a relationship or tie the knot, they become her target of sarcasm, barbs and thinly-veiled insults. She starts to gossip about their boyfriends, husbands or their overall relationship with the men in their lives.
I have been at the receiving end of her anger and sarcasm these past few years.
Before Mister Caveman came into my life, we have been close. Whenever she needed a helping hand, which was, and still is, very often ( though she's a self-professed independent singleton, she doesn't drive, can't handle a crisis and emotionally fragile ), my phone number was her 911. A band of us women ( married and otherwise ) rallied around her when she had a housing crisis in 2008. We also rallied around her when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, which happily, she has recovered since. Despite criticising her friends' husbands as useless / jerks etc, the husbands were also there to lend a helping hand. She started to aim her barbs at me when I started a relationship with Mister Caveman. Even now, after a few years and after my marriage, the barbs and stings continue to come.
She started the barbs a few years ago with 'loaded' jokes, started circulating some gossip among mutual friends, tried to make me feel guilty for not being able to pander to her needs as often as she likes. She was offended that I didn't confide in her regarding my relationship ( but seeing how she made my other friends the butt of her gossip, would I dare to confide in her? ). The barbs and sarcasm came every now and then, even now. It got to the point that she told me sarcastically that I 'serve' my husband with such 'filial piety' last week. For that instant, I almost boiled over like boiling water.
Is it anger? Is it discontent? Is it jealousy? Is it the no-longer-so-frequent-use of her free taxi and driver ( aka my car and me ) that gives her cause to try to hurt me or to make me feel guilty for giving up my membership of the Sisterhood of Singletons?
There were times when throwing back darts of sarcasm with her face as my target was tantalising! Hurling back barbs that could hurt her also seems very tempting! But the Holy Spirit always stops me at the last moment. If I play tit for tat, not only it will make the situation worse, what can I gain by hurting her, except a moment's satisfaction, which will definitely be followed by guilt?
(Eph4: 26-27) In your anger, do not sin........Do not give Devil a foothold.
So in the end, I did nothing. I do not need to sink to her level to get back at her. Why should I get back at her anyway? It will only cause me more hurt and anger if I give in to my initial anger. In an afterthought, these barbs hurt her more than me, as she keeps spewing them out like venom. If we hold on to the very simple truth, that God is with us, and we are loved, words like these won't have the power to hurt us. If we don't give these words the power to enter our spirit and poison us, it will only remain words. Merely words.
And words don't hurt, unless you allow it to. But that doesn't mean we can't keep so-called friends like these at arm's length!
I have been at the receiving end of her anger and sarcasm these past few years.
Before Mister Caveman came into my life, we have been close. Whenever she needed a helping hand, which was, and still is, very often ( though she's a self-professed independent singleton, she doesn't drive, can't handle a crisis and emotionally fragile ), my phone number was her 911. A band of us women ( married and otherwise ) rallied around her when she had a housing crisis in 2008. We also rallied around her when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, which happily, she has recovered since. Despite criticising her friends' husbands as useless / jerks etc, the husbands were also there to lend a helping hand. She started to aim her barbs at me when I started a relationship with Mister Caveman. Even now, after a few years and after my marriage, the barbs and stings continue to come.
She started the barbs a few years ago with 'loaded' jokes, started circulating some gossip among mutual friends, tried to make me feel guilty for not being able to pander to her needs as often as she likes. She was offended that I didn't confide in her regarding my relationship ( but seeing how she made my other friends the butt of her gossip, would I dare to confide in her? ). The barbs and sarcasm came every now and then, even now. It got to the point that she told me sarcastically that I 'serve' my husband with such 'filial piety' last week. For that instant, I almost boiled over like boiling water.
Is it anger? Is it discontent? Is it jealousy? Is it the no-longer-so-frequent-use of her free taxi and driver ( aka my car and me ) that gives her cause to try to hurt me or to make me feel guilty for giving up my membership of the Sisterhood of Singletons?
There were times when throwing back darts of sarcasm with her face as my target was tantalising! Hurling back barbs that could hurt her also seems very tempting! But the Holy Spirit always stops me at the last moment. If I play tit for tat, not only it will make the situation worse, what can I gain by hurting her, except a moment's satisfaction, which will definitely be followed by guilt?
- Anger can lead us into saying things we do not mean, doing things we would not have done. And what we've said and done in anger could do irreparable harm.
- Anger is a tool that is used by the forces of darkness to destroy relationships, to cause unrest and spiritual turmoil.
- Anger camouflaged as jokes and sarcasm leads to bitterness of the spirit, or probably in this case, anger camouflaged as jokes and sarcasm is the result of bitterness of the spirit.
- Anger is an emotional trap that is easy to fall into.
- Anger is also an escape for those with emotional problems.
- Anger masks hurts, discontent, bitterness, jealousy, insecurity, fear and all other negative emotions which a person wants to hide from.
- Anger distorts reality, and closes the heart to the blessings God provide in abundance.
(Eph4: 26-27) In your anger, do not sin........Do not give Devil a foothold.
So in the end, I did nothing. I do not need to sink to her level to get back at her. Why should I get back at her anyway? It will only cause me more hurt and anger if I give in to my initial anger. In an afterthought, these barbs hurt her more than me, as she keeps spewing them out like venom. If we hold on to the very simple truth, that God is with us, and we are loved, words like these won't have the power to hurt us. If we don't give these words the power to enter our spirit and poison us, it will only remain words. Merely words.
And words don't hurt, unless you allow it to. But that doesn't mean we can't keep so-called friends like these at arm's length!
Monday, October 14, 2013
Law and Faith
Justification by faith. We are no longer bound by law but by faith and love. Simply by knowing this is a release in itself.
How many people are being bound by law? How many people are frustrated by the can do's and the cannot do's? Children are frustrated of being curbed of their natural curiosity by laws set by parents. Adults are constantly frustrated by laws set by their bosses, of being forced to surrender their 'family time' to be seen as assets to companies. We bind ourselves by laws set by ourselves to comport ourselves with decorum fit for public eyes.
People go to church because going to church has become a routine in their lives, as it is the law to go to church on the Sabbath day. People give tithes because they 'have' to give 10 percent of their earnings to the church. With this mindset, these people are still bound by the law. But when you are free from the law, and walk by faith and love, we realise that we go to church every Sunday, not because the law decrees it to be so, but because we hunger for God's guidance, and that we want to use the pulpit messages as a guide for the entire week yet to come. We have the heart to die and resurrect with Christ because of love and faith. Because we believe. We give tithes not because we have to, but because of God's blessing, and to be free from financial bondage. Money will have no power, or less power over us if we can give 10 percent of our income freely to God every month.
The law is a cold light with a hardness that glints like cold steel. Faith and love exude a warm, rosy glow. To be bound by the law is to be shackled like a slave. Like Hagar the slave woman and her child. The child of Sarah the free woman enjoys the covenant of God. We are the children of Sarah. Though we are the gentiles, the day we welcome the perfect God into our hearts and willing to live our lives for Him, we cease to become slaves. We cease to be bound by the law. We have become the descendants of Abraham. By faith and love, we are free.
But this freedom does not give us an excuse to indulge in excess. It does not give us license to pander to the longings of our earthly flesh. The Holy Spirit will constantly fight with our wants and longings. To give in would have been too easy. The temptations of the world are great. Temptations of the eye, temptations of the heart, temptations of riches and glory, temptations of power. The temptations to judge, to appear superior, to command. The temptations to turn to philosophy and self intelligence to solve our problems instead of turning to God. The Holy Spirit within us battles against these temptations. So if we let the Holy Spirit control us, we will free ourselves from the law that shackles us, and are able live a life that is guided solely by the Truth, and by faith and love.
And to live by the Holy Spirit, and by faith and love, we will enjoy the true assurance of being the children of God. We are truly free.
Pondering on Paul's letter to the Galatians.
How many people are being bound by law? How many people are frustrated by the can do's and the cannot do's? Children are frustrated of being curbed of their natural curiosity by laws set by parents. Adults are constantly frustrated by laws set by their bosses, of being forced to surrender their 'family time' to be seen as assets to companies. We bind ourselves by laws set by ourselves to comport ourselves with decorum fit for public eyes.
People go to church because going to church has become a routine in their lives, as it is the law to go to church on the Sabbath day. People give tithes because they 'have' to give 10 percent of their earnings to the church. With this mindset, these people are still bound by the law. But when you are free from the law, and walk by faith and love, we realise that we go to church every Sunday, not because the law decrees it to be so, but because we hunger for God's guidance, and that we want to use the pulpit messages as a guide for the entire week yet to come. We have the heart to die and resurrect with Christ because of love and faith. Because we believe. We give tithes not because we have to, but because of God's blessing, and to be free from financial bondage. Money will have no power, or less power over us if we can give 10 percent of our income freely to God every month.
The law is a cold light with a hardness that glints like cold steel. Faith and love exude a warm, rosy glow. To be bound by the law is to be shackled like a slave. Like Hagar the slave woman and her child. The child of Sarah the free woman enjoys the covenant of God. We are the children of Sarah. Though we are the gentiles, the day we welcome the perfect God into our hearts and willing to live our lives for Him, we cease to become slaves. We cease to be bound by the law. We have become the descendants of Abraham. By faith and love, we are free.
But this freedom does not give us an excuse to indulge in excess. It does not give us license to pander to the longings of our earthly flesh. The Holy Spirit will constantly fight with our wants and longings. To give in would have been too easy. The temptations of the world are great. Temptations of the eye, temptations of the heart, temptations of riches and glory, temptations of power. The temptations to judge, to appear superior, to command. The temptations to turn to philosophy and self intelligence to solve our problems instead of turning to God. The Holy Spirit within us battles against these temptations. So if we let the Holy Spirit control us, we will free ourselves from the law that shackles us, and are able live a life that is guided solely by the Truth, and by faith and love.
And to live by the Holy Spirit, and by faith and love, we will enjoy the true assurance of being the children of God. We are truly free.
Pondering on Paul's letter to the Galatians.
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