Hey Guys,
There are (at least) two errors a Christian can make with regards to pleasure: idolatry OR ungodly fear of idolatry. I'm not talking about sinful desires but the simple joys in life like marriage, children, careers, good food/wine, ministries, and hobbies. Most believers are, I assume, well aware of the dangers of the first error, but perhaps not as many are aware of the dangers of the second. The first leads to ungodly attachments while the second leads to ungodly asceticism, the rejection of good gifts of God and mistaking self-denial for holiness.
I recently came to realize that I harbour some serious fears of idolizing marriage through a very grace-filled conversation. I irrationally feared that a happily married life would distract me away from God and was gently warned that such a guarded approach to relationships is doomed to fail. It's as if knowing God doesn't owe me, a sinner, even one millisecond of that kind of happiness (true) yet wishes it for me (also true) fills me with feelings of guilt, inadequacy, and fear rather than humbled thankfulness. And there lies the heart of the problem, I STILL struggle with accepting grace! This idea was further underlined during a weekend church conference on the beatitudes. The word Jesus used for "blessed" (makarios) has a secondary meaning of being happy/fulfilled. In other words, God desires our delight and happiness. The key is basing our happiness on godly values. If my desire for marriage is based on the display of Christ's glory, the sanctifying work of raising a family, genuine delight at the prospect of raising godly children, experiencing love and intimacy with another Christ-centered human being. If these are the kinds of reasons my desire for a wife is based on, then there's no reason for me to feel ashamed, believe myself unworthy, or live in constant fear of idolizing a wife God Himself wants to give me.
Ecclesiastes reminds us that earthly joys and pleasures are God's gifts, meant to inspire praise and thanksgiving. Whether the error lies in idolatry or fear of idolatry, the solution to both is the same: Thankfulness. Genuine, humble, grace-filled thankfulness as we constantly acknowledge God as the source of all good things in our lives. Encouragement for the week, whether your struggle lies in idolatry or fear of idolatry, be filled with thankfulness to God for the many blessings in life - refuse the enemy any foothold for condemnation.
Have a very happy Wednesday!
Edward
"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." 1 John 4:18
"Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to the deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer." 1 Timothy 4:1-4
"If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:11
Epic mullet guy manages to salvage that annoying Friday song into something that actually sounds good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw8IEd3LDzg
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Happy Wednesday (Assumptions) (03/16/2011)
"So Haman came in, and the king said to him, 'What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honour?' And Haman said to himself, 'Whom would the king delight to honour more than me?'" Esther 6:6
Hey Guys,
I've been slowly making my way through the book of Esther and came across a story familiar to perhaps many of you. In this hilarious encounter, Haman (the antagonist) believed the king intended to pay him honour when the king intended to honour Mordecai, Haman's enemy. Of course, Haman lists what he thought to be appropriate treatment for himself only to have his words backfire as he was promptly ordered to do for Mordecai everything he prescribed. The main point I pulled from this passage is the automatic assumption Haman made concerning who the king "delights to honour."
Can you relate to Haman's presumptuousness? Continuous belief that we are the object of other people's conversations/thoughts/moods (whether positive or negative) is an unhealthy and prideful preoccupation. The world does not revolve around us and assumptions to the contrary often lead to baseless conclusions. Our minds can turn misunderstandings into insults, platonic compliments into flirtation, and a general bad mood into bitterness specifically directed at our persons. It constantly amazes and saddens me how such assumptions can completely dictate how I view or act towards people as I hold grudges against phantom insults.
What's worse, after I've determined the assumption to be false, it often fails to change my attitude towards them! This suggests that my distaste is, more often than not, the fruit of my own sinfulness that predisposes me to hold untrue assumptions to begin with.
I am TOTALLY aware that people are not perfect. Some people in our lives ARE in fact annoying, or rude, or inconsiderate, or offensive, or racist, or hippocritical, or judgmental, or emotionally draining, or needy, or bad tempered, or controlling, or any spectrum of complaint you could possibly list about the human race. I think we should take wise steps to protect ourselves, but I also firmly believe that it is unfair to allow ourselves to think (or worse, to gossip) untrue things about these people in our lives.
Encouragement for the week: in humility consider the possibility that you might not be the center of everyone's world; be wary of baseless assumptions that so often colour our relationships in ugly shades; and may we extend grace to sinful humanity as recipients of God's grace towards our own sinful nature.
Have a happy Wednesday!
Edward
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour." Exodus 20:16
"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3
Cutest puppy EVAR!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8G4YgQyEMk&feature=related
Hey Guys,
I've been slowly making my way through the book of Esther and came across a story familiar to perhaps many of you. In this hilarious encounter, Haman (the antagonist) believed the king intended to pay him honour when the king intended to honour Mordecai, Haman's enemy. Of course, Haman lists what he thought to be appropriate treatment for himself only to have his words backfire as he was promptly ordered to do for Mordecai everything he prescribed. The main point I pulled from this passage is the automatic assumption Haman made concerning who the king "delights to honour."
Can you relate to Haman's presumptuousness? Continuous belief that we are the object of other people's conversations/thoughts/moods (whether positive or negative) is an unhealthy and prideful preoccupation. The world does not revolve around us and assumptions to the contrary often lead to baseless conclusions. Our minds can turn misunderstandings into insults, platonic compliments into flirtation, and a general bad mood into bitterness specifically directed at our persons. It constantly amazes and saddens me how such assumptions can completely dictate how I view or act towards people as I hold grudges against phantom insults.
What's worse, after I've determined the assumption to be false, it often fails to change my attitude towards them! This suggests that my distaste is, more often than not, the fruit of my own sinfulness that predisposes me to hold untrue assumptions to begin with.
I am TOTALLY aware that people are not perfect. Some people in our lives ARE in fact annoying, or rude, or inconsiderate, or offensive, or racist, or hippocritical, or judgmental, or emotionally draining, or needy, or bad tempered, or controlling, or any spectrum of complaint you could possibly list about the human race. I think we should take wise steps to protect ourselves, but I also firmly believe that it is unfair to allow ourselves to think (or worse, to gossip) untrue things about these people in our lives.
Encouragement for the week: in humility consider the possibility that you might not be the center of everyone's world; be wary of baseless assumptions that so often colour our relationships in ugly shades; and may we extend grace to sinful humanity as recipients of God's grace towards our own sinful nature.
Have a happy Wednesday!
Edward
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour." Exodus 20:16
"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3
Cutest puppy EVAR!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8G4YgQyEMk&feature=related
Monday, March 14, 2011
Happy Wednesday (Souls) (03/09/2011)
Hi guys,
I usually have a fairly good grasp on where to go with these emails; but every now and then I end up with just a vague idea/truth, and I'm stuck fumbling for words to explain why I think it's important. What I've felt reminded of recently is that people have souls. A simple truth, yes, but one with massive implications on how we should do life.
Genesis tells us that we are Imago Dei, made in the image of God. Every person born, lived, and died today was created to display God. A woman's beauty is not there to satisfy my eyes but to display God. My mother's selfless devotion to our family is not there for my convenience but to display God. A future marriage/family is not there to satisfy my needs and significance, but to display God. I find myself in constant need of that reminder, the tendency is always to see my own needs and desires first. That kind of selfishness tend to forget that the people in my life have souls and see them merely as an end towards fulfilling my needs and wants. Internalizing this truth that people are made in the image of God and have immortal souls should FREE us from an unhealthy preoccupation with seeing our own needs met and allows us to see the needs of others. It is a wonderfully liberating world view and one that, I would attest, leads to greater happiness. I think one of the first steps in building a gospel community that guides its members towards Christ-likeness, requires we see souls in each other.
I think seeing souls in others is an essential component in ministry and evangelism. A friend once said that ministry needs to be more than projects, it needs to be about people. Another friend, with regards to his research about homosexuality during seminary, said that this was not a dry subject for him, but that he sees the faces of his homosexual friends as he's reading the bible and works of godly men and as he tries to understand how best to minister to them. I agree with them. How knowing that our nonbelieving friends and family have either heaven or hell bound souls should move us to greater efforts in our evangelism.
Lastly, realizing that WE ourselves have souls should motivate us! What are we feeding our souls? Do we stuff ourselves on entertainment, on inflated opinions of ourselves and our needs, on the lie that our happiness and comfort is of the highest, absolute importance? Or do we feed our souls gospel truths that lead towards maturity in Christ; the humility to place others before us and count God's glory as weightier than our own?
Every drop of humanity, you and me included, are given by God an immortal soul. Encouragement for the week, see that soul in ourselves and in each other and act on that truth.
Have a happy Wednesday!
Edward
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them." Genesis 1:27-28a
"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others." Philippians 2:3-4
"Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul." 1 Peter 2:11
Break dancing baby. Its not just a kid being cute, he's actually got mad moves..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiNUkDnDMFA&feature=rec-LGOUT-farside_rn-2r-18-HM
I usually have a fairly good grasp on where to go with these emails; but every now and then I end up with just a vague idea/truth, and I'm stuck fumbling for words to explain why I think it's important. What I've felt reminded of recently is that people have souls. A simple truth, yes, but one with massive implications on how we should do life.
Genesis tells us that we are Imago Dei, made in the image of God. Every person born, lived, and died today was created to display God. A woman's beauty is not there to satisfy my eyes but to display God. My mother's selfless devotion to our family is not there for my convenience but to display God. A future marriage/family is not there to satisfy my needs and significance, but to display God. I find myself in constant need of that reminder, the tendency is always to see my own needs and desires first. That kind of selfishness tend to forget that the people in my life have souls and see them merely as an end towards fulfilling my needs and wants. Internalizing this truth that people are made in the image of God and have immortal souls should FREE us from an unhealthy preoccupation with seeing our own needs met and allows us to see the needs of others. It is a wonderfully liberating world view and one that, I would attest, leads to greater happiness. I think one of the first steps in building a gospel community that guides its members towards Christ-likeness, requires we see souls in each other.
I think seeing souls in others is an essential component in ministry and evangelism. A friend once said that ministry needs to be more than projects, it needs to be about people. Another friend, with regards to his research about homosexuality during seminary, said that this was not a dry subject for him, but that he sees the faces of his homosexual friends as he's reading the bible and works of godly men and as he tries to understand how best to minister to them. I agree with them. How knowing that our nonbelieving friends and family have either heaven or hell bound souls should move us to greater efforts in our evangelism.
Lastly, realizing that WE ourselves have souls should motivate us! What are we feeding our souls? Do we stuff ourselves on entertainment, on inflated opinions of ourselves and our needs, on the lie that our happiness and comfort is of the highest, absolute importance? Or do we feed our souls gospel truths that lead towards maturity in Christ; the humility to place others before us and count God's glory as weightier than our own?
Every drop of humanity, you and me included, are given by God an immortal soul. Encouragement for the week, see that soul in ourselves and in each other and act on that truth.
Have a happy Wednesday!
Edward
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them." Genesis 1:27-28a
"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others." Philippians 2:3-4
"Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul." 1 Peter 2:11
Break dancing baby. Its not just a kid being cute, he's actually got mad moves..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiNUkDnDMFA&feature=rec-LGOUT-farside_rn-2r-18-HM
Happy Wednesday (Prayer - again) (03/02/2011)
Hey Guys,
Last sunday, i had the honour(?) of being prayed for by an elderly, Chinese lady with regards to a future Mrs Lin. Her parting words was an insistence that I prayed for said wifey on a daily basis. First, a quick side note. The lady obviously said what she did out of good intentions, so I accepted it gracefully; but lets be careful when we attempt to encourage single Christians in this way, lest you (un)intentionally imply that they are somehow incomplete until they're married. I believe single believers play a valuable role in the kingdom of God and disagree with the notion that, despite being satisfied in Christ, I would need a spouse in order to be truly happy. Having said that, onto my main point.
Apart from being an awkwardly loud, and (noticeably) public announcement of my singleness (to the amusement of several middle aged, Asian ladies outside Ranch 99), her final admonishment actually served to remind me of something important. For just a second after she told me to pray for my own future spouse, my immediate thought was this: Did God not already predetermined that, if I were to marry, who my wife would be? If so, what is the point of me praying about it. Then my mind expanded on the thought: What then, if all outcomes are pre-written, is the point of prayer at all? Right then I realized I was treading dangerous, ungodly grounds. Have you ever thought this way? There are many good reasons why we should pray even though God already knows how it'll all play out.
- God delights in our prayers when they're prayed in faith. Prayer is thus an act of worship.
"...the prayer of the upright is His delight." Proverbs 15:8b
- Our relationship with God is just that, a relationship. A relationship requires conversation in order to grow, and prayer is that conversation.
- Prayer reminds us of our dependency on God and dispels the illusion of self control we so love to hold onto. It does this by making us aware of answered prayers and seeing all good things as gifts from God. Without prayer, any good thing in my life is more easily viewed as the result of my own effort rather than God's grace. God hates that kind of arrogance.
- Prayer allows us to humbly accept God's will when it is contrary to our own. It is certainly easier to shrug off disappointments in life if our desires went unsaid before God, yet how little faith it takes go about our days in this prayerless lifestyle? If our primary reason for lack of prayer or hope in God is a fear of disappointment from a God who loves us, then we've damnably missed the point!
"I say to God, my rock: 'Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?' ...Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." Psalm 42:9-11
- Lastly, the idea that because God already decided how things will play out prayer is unnecessary, is a faulty one. It is a matter of cause and effect. While the events in history are foreknown and predestined by God, they will not come to pass without a cause, therefore even causes (such as prayer) are preordained. Prayer is therefore a cause by which the events prayed for can come to pass. By way of analogy, God may ordain my life be spared from being trapped in a hypothetical burning building, but He could also have ordained that my salvation come from a fire extinguisher and the presence of mind to fight off the panic and use it. The fire extinguisher is the cause and my life being saved is the effect; without using the fire extinguisher, I die. So it could be with the success or failure of our marriages, whether or not we find a job, whether our future children will be godly or not - God uses our prayers as the causes to such effects. I do not fully understand how prayer would lead to, say, a future wife; but I choose to believe, by faith, the words of James when he said:
"You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." James 4:2-3
John Piper has a wonderfully confusing article on this subject in the form of a short conversation between a prayerful and a prayerless man.
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/articles/prayer-and-predestination
Encouragement for the week, dare to hope in God and work to develop a prayerful lifestyle. It matters.
Have a happy Wednesday!
Edward
Stunning display of BMX awesomeness, thanks to sister for showing me this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj6ho1-G6tw
Last sunday, i had the honour(?) of being prayed for by an elderly, Chinese lady with regards to a future Mrs Lin. Her parting words was an insistence that I prayed for said wifey on a daily basis. First, a quick side note. The lady obviously said what she did out of good intentions, so I accepted it gracefully; but lets be careful when we attempt to encourage single Christians in this way, lest you (un)intentionally imply that they are somehow incomplete until they're married. I believe single believers play a valuable role in the kingdom of God and disagree with the notion that, despite being satisfied in Christ, I would need a spouse in order to be truly happy. Having said that, onto my main point.
Apart from being an awkwardly loud, and (noticeably) public announcement of my singleness (to the amusement of several middle aged, Asian ladies outside Ranch 99), her final admonishment actually served to remind me of something important. For just a second after she told me to pray for my own future spouse, my immediate thought was this: Did God not already predetermined that, if I were to marry, who my wife would be? If so, what is the point of me praying about it. Then my mind expanded on the thought: What then, if all outcomes are pre-written, is the point of prayer at all? Right then I realized I was treading dangerous, ungodly grounds. Have you ever thought this way? There are many good reasons why we should pray even though God already knows how it'll all play out.
- God delights in our prayers when they're prayed in faith. Prayer is thus an act of worship.
"...the prayer of the upright is His delight." Proverbs 15:8b
- Our relationship with God is just that, a relationship. A relationship requires conversation in order to grow, and prayer is that conversation.
- Prayer reminds us of our dependency on God and dispels the illusion of self control we so love to hold onto. It does this by making us aware of answered prayers and seeing all good things as gifts from God. Without prayer, any good thing in my life is more easily viewed as the result of my own effort rather than God's grace. God hates that kind of arrogance.
- Prayer allows us to humbly accept God's will when it is contrary to our own. It is certainly easier to shrug off disappointments in life if our desires went unsaid before God, yet how little faith it takes go about our days in this prayerless lifestyle? If our primary reason for lack of prayer or hope in God is a fear of disappointment from a God who loves us, then we've damnably missed the point!
"I say to God, my rock: 'Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?' ...Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." Psalm 42:9-11
- Lastly, the idea that because God already decided how things will play out prayer is unnecessary, is a faulty one. It is a matter of cause and effect. While the events in history are foreknown and predestined by God, they will not come to pass without a cause, therefore even causes (such as prayer) are preordained. Prayer is therefore a cause by which the events prayed for can come to pass. By way of analogy, God may ordain my life be spared from being trapped in a hypothetical burning building, but He could also have ordained that my salvation come from a fire extinguisher and the presence of mind to fight off the panic and use it. The fire extinguisher is the cause and my life being saved is the effect; without using the fire extinguisher, I die. So it could be with the success or failure of our marriages, whether or not we find a job, whether our future children will be godly or not - God uses our prayers as the causes to such effects. I do not fully understand how prayer would lead to, say, a future wife; but I choose to believe, by faith, the words of James when he said:
"You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." James 4:2-3
John Piper has a wonderfully confusing article on this subject in the form of a short conversation between a prayerful and a prayerless man.
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/articles/prayer-and-predestination
Encouragement for the week, dare to hope in God and work to develop a prayerful lifestyle. It matters.
Have a happy Wednesday!
Edward
Stunning display of BMX awesomeness, thanks to sister for showing me this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj6ho1-G6tw
Happy Thursday (Rejoice) (02/10/2011)
Hey guys,
As some of you have pointed out, it's been a rather long hiatus since my last email. There's a couple of reasons for this: busyness, computer at work dying on me, but perhaps the most prominent and honest one would be a lack in my devotions of late. As I've mentioned before, these emails are a tremendous blessing to me as an accountability system; if I am silent, chances are I am not growing/learning and am quickly reminded. For this I thank you. The terrifying part of drifting from Christ is the turtle-like speed at which it takes place. It starts off with compromises, neglect of worship and study, and eventually leads to sins and temptations. You do not notice the drift until you're hundreds of meters offshore. This is where I am. Apologies if I've recently lied the words "I'm doing fine" to any of you who've asked. This morning, after weeks of telling myself i needed to press back into Christ, I started swimming.
"Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory..." 1 Peter 1:8
While I still professed love and faith in Christ these last couple of weeks, I had no joy in either my love nor faith. That kind of joyless christianity leads nowhere. If loving Christ means experiencing him as precious, then for me to say I love him yet hold no joy in that love would be a lie. Nobody can honestly claim to love their spouse yet not take joy in that claim, and Christ is infinitely more lovely than a (possible?) future Mrs Lin. By the same token, so great is the grace extended in God's promises that for me to reluctantly trust in Christ for my salvation would be like an apathetic response to a billion dollar debt cancelled. It's just not possible, if these promises are truly believed, a debt greater than a billion dollars has been cancelled for me and I should not be able to trust in Christ without excitement.
Beyond prayer or church attendance or bible studies, the heart of christianity is to love and trust in Christ and to rejoice in that love and trust. There can be no true love nor faith without a deeply positive feeling. This is NOT to say love and faith are merely based on emotions alone, but it IS to say that joy is an absolutely essential component in both. Encouragement for/from Edward this week: Take moments to be joyful at the fact that you're saved and that God is good. If the Spirit is alive in you, reflections on Christ's character, deeds, and promises in your life should move you towards a deeply joyful feeling towards God that refuses to allow any drifting and, for those of us who have drifted, draws us back towards the shore.
It is good to be swimming again, happy Thursday!
Edward
"Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth..." 1 Corinthians 13:6
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." Philippians 4:4
Animals talking with English accents = awesomeness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV6I1_o6vrY&feature=player_embedded#
As some of you have pointed out, it's been a rather long hiatus since my last email. There's a couple of reasons for this: busyness, computer at work dying on me, but perhaps the most prominent and honest one would be a lack in my devotions of late. As I've mentioned before, these emails are a tremendous blessing to me as an accountability system; if I am silent, chances are I am not growing/learning and am quickly reminded. For this I thank you. The terrifying part of drifting from Christ is the turtle-like speed at which it takes place. It starts off with compromises, neglect of worship and study, and eventually leads to sins and temptations. You do not notice the drift until you're hundreds of meters offshore. This is where I am. Apologies if I've recently lied the words "I'm doing fine" to any of you who've asked. This morning, after weeks of telling myself i needed to press back into Christ, I started swimming.
"Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory..." 1 Peter 1:8
While I still professed love and faith in Christ these last couple of weeks, I had no joy in either my love nor faith. That kind of joyless christianity leads nowhere. If loving Christ means experiencing him as precious, then for me to say I love him yet hold no joy in that love would be a lie. Nobody can honestly claim to love their spouse yet not take joy in that claim, and Christ is infinitely more lovely than a (possible?) future Mrs Lin. By the same token, so great is the grace extended in God's promises that for me to reluctantly trust in Christ for my salvation would be like an apathetic response to a billion dollar debt cancelled. It's just not possible, if these promises are truly believed, a debt greater than a billion dollars has been cancelled for me and I should not be able to trust in Christ without excitement.
Beyond prayer or church attendance or bible studies, the heart of christianity is to love and trust in Christ and to rejoice in that love and trust. There can be no true love nor faith without a deeply positive feeling. This is NOT to say love and faith are merely based on emotions alone, but it IS to say that joy is an absolutely essential component in both. Encouragement for/from Edward this week: Take moments to be joyful at the fact that you're saved and that God is good. If the Spirit is alive in you, reflections on Christ's character, deeds, and promises in your life should move you towards a deeply joyful feeling towards God that refuses to allow any drifting and, for those of us who have drifted, draws us back towards the shore.
It is good to be swimming again, happy Thursday!
Edward
"Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth..." 1 Corinthians 13:6
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." Philippians 4:4
Animals talking with English accents = awesomeness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV6I1_o6vrY&feature=player_embedded#
Happy Thursday (Fight) (01/06/2011)
"Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way...so that your prayers may not be hindered. Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing." 1 Peter 3:7-9
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: ...a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace." - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Hey Guys,
For the record, yes, I AM writing this because I've been in a few fights recently. People have differing opinions, values, and priorities. Because of this, fights are inevitable. I've always loved how the bible is honest enough to assume fights do occur and instead of telling us to never argue, it teaches us to be loving and humble when we do. Below are a series of habits that I found helpful on past battlefields. I do not always do them perfectly, but these are some of the targets that I aim for as I strive to live biblically. My hope is that in sharing these with you, they may serve you well in future/present conflicts.
Wisdom: I am constantly learning to pick my battles wisely, not every issue is worth fighting over. Surrender is sometimes the better option. Also, I am often tempted to foolishly point out the flaws of the person I'm fighting with (eg trust issues, etc) that I perceive to have caused the fight. In my experience, digging at the person's personal problems mid-fight always worsened the situation. It's never effective, yet I do this so often!
Patience: Silence serves better than words at times. It is often wiser to stoically take in verbal abuse as opposed to defending against every accusation in the heat of the moment. Even more importantly, I needed to learn my limits and when to temporarily pause the discussion. There are times when I've had to tell the other that I needed to stop because I was getting close to boiling point and did not want to say hurtful things that I do not mean.
Humility: During breaks between fights, I look for faults (mine not theirs). I am in a constant struggle against the tendency is to shift blame off of myself and onto others. I look for ways that I initiated or continued the conflict, for patterns of arrogance and stubbornness, and ways that I was unloving. Once that's done, I pray and bless them as scripture calls us to do.
Peace: Apologizing is an art form. To time it right, not too soon (they're still angry) and not too late (they stop caring). To be genuine. To do so without bringing up their faults but to focus entirely on my own. This may seem to give the impression of weak willed submission, but in actuality it demonstrates maturity and is generally well received and reciprocated.
Encouragement for the week: when you get into arguments, do so w/ love, humility, and reconciliation as your goals as opposed to being right.
Have a happy Thursday!
Edward
extremely ungrateful, yet adorable baby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cSudpyEU9w
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: ...a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace." - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Hey Guys,
For the record, yes, I AM writing this because I've been in a few fights recently. People have differing opinions, values, and priorities. Because of this, fights are inevitable. I've always loved how the bible is honest enough to assume fights do occur and instead of telling us to never argue, it teaches us to be loving and humble when we do. Below are a series of habits that I found helpful on past battlefields. I do not always do them perfectly, but these are some of the targets that I aim for as I strive to live biblically. My hope is that in sharing these with you, they may serve you well in future/present conflicts.
Wisdom: I am constantly learning to pick my battles wisely, not every issue is worth fighting over. Surrender is sometimes the better option. Also, I am often tempted to foolishly point out the flaws of the person I'm fighting with (eg trust issues, etc) that I perceive to have caused the fight. In my experience, digging at the person's personal problems mid-fight always worsened the situation. It's never effective, yet I do this so often!
Patience: Silence serves better than words at times. It is often wiser to stoically take in verbal abuse as opposed to defending against every accusation in the heat of the moment. Even more importantly, I needed to learn my limits and when to temporarily pause the discussion. There are times when I've had to tell the other that I needed to stop because I was getting close to boiling point and did not want to say hurtful things that I do not mean.
Humility: During breaks between fights, I look for faults (mine not theirs). I am in a constant struggle against the tendency is to shift blame off of myself and onto others. I look for ways that I initiated or continued the conflict, for patterns of arrogance and stubbornness, and ways that I was unloving. Once that's done, I pray and bless them as scripture calls us to do.
Peace: Apologizing is an art form. To time it right, not too soon (they're still angry) and not too late (they stop caring). To be genuine. To do so without bringing up their faults but to focus entirely on my own. This may seem to give the impression of weak willed submission, but in actuality it demonstrates maturity and is generally well received and reciprocated.
Encouragement for the week: when you get into arguments, do so w/ love, humility, and reconciliation as your goals as opposed to being right.
Have a happy Thursday!
Edward
extremely ungrateful, yet adorable baby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cSudpyEU9w
Happy Wednesday (Prayer) (12/22/2010)
Hey Guys,
I've been reading Church Planter by Darrin Patrick, with a few guys from church. It is a blunt little book that starts off by pointing out what qualities good church leaders should and should not have. I'm embarrassed to admit I lack so many good traits and entertain so many bad ones. Perhaps the most notable deficiency I've come across thus far in this self examination is a rich, private prayer life.
Many people are excellent at public prayer. The author insists that the real gauge of spiritual maturity is not the quality of my public prayers but my private ones. This is alarming to me. The beautiful and eloquent lines that flows so easily I pray publicly contrast starkly with the barely coherent, choppy, overly emotion driven, inconsistent brief snatches that characterize my private prayer life. I've noticed this lack in the past but have never been THIS convicted. I was rudely reminded that Jesus essentially likens my prayer pattern to that of the pharisees! Be careful of mistaking such infrequent prayer habits as intimacy with God, the way close friends/family sometimes go for periods without needing to say anything. The truth is, when I fall into such shoddy patterns of prayer I'm rarely in tune with God.
The main objective of prayer is NOT to submit requests, to ask for guidance/help, to thank him, or even to repent of sins. The main objective is and always should be to know God. To know his character, to know what he thinks of me, to know the grace he has extended over my life, and to grow in intimacy with him. I am lovingly reminded that this is not possible with sporadic 30 second prayers.
Encouragement for the week: Look to your private prayer life. How about this, just before I click "Send" on this wednesday email, I'll take the time to pray in a proper and coherent way as I normally would in public. Those who empathize with my deficiency do likewise after you finish reading this email, deal? Lets pursue an active private prayer life.
Happy Wednesday and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Edward
"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Matthew 6:5-6
A Hunter [blank] a Bear (type in whatever in the blank)
http://www.youtube.com/user/tippexperience
I've been reading Church Planter by Darrin Patrick, with a few guys from church. It is a blunt little book that starts off by pointing out what qualities good church leaders should and should not have. I'm embarrassed to admit I lack so many good traits and entertain so many bad ones. Perhaps the most notable deficiency I've come across thus far in this self examination is a rich, private prayer life.
Many people are excellent at public prayer. The author insists that the real gauge of spiritual maturity is not the quality of my public prayers but my private ones. This is alarming to me. The beautiful and eloquent lines that flows so easily I pray publicly contrast starkly with the barely coherent, choppy, overly emotion driven, inconsistent brief snatches that characterize my private prayer life. I've noticed this lack in the past but have never been THIS convicted. I was rudely reminded that Jesus essentially likens my prayer pattern to that of the pharisees! Be careful of mistaking such infrequent prayer habits as intimacy with God, the way close friends/family sometimes go for periods without needing to say anything. The truth is, when I fall into such shoddy patterns of prayer I'm rarely in tune with God.
The main objective of prayer is NOT to submit requests, to ask for guidance/help, to thank him, or even to repent of sins. The main objective is and always should be to know God. To know his character, to know what he thinks of me, to know the grace he has extended over my life, and to grow in intimacy with him. I am lovingly reminded that this is not possible with sporadic 30 second prayers.
Encouragement for the week: Look to your private prayer life. How about this, just before I click "Send" on this wednesday email, I'll take the time to pray in a proper and coherent way as I normally would in public. Those who empathize with my deficiency do likewise after you finish reading this email, deal? Lets pursue an active private prayer life.
Happy Wednesday and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Edward
"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Matthew 6:5-6
A Hunter [blank] a Bear (type in whatever in the blank)
http://www.youtube.com/user/tippexperience
Happy Wednesday (Retaliation) (12/08/2010)
Hey Guys,
"For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly... For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example... When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly." 1 Peter 2:19-23
I've noticed over the years that when I am under criticism/attack, whether it is deserved or not, my first impulse is defense. The motivation for my defense is almost always one of significance. How dare this person belittle my worth, or my opinion, or my words/actions! God help me, my defense often even lead me to launch unjust attacks of my own. How different this is from turning other the cheek!
This was a convicting little passage for me. A few things I drew from it this morning, when I am accused and tempted to rush to my defense, I should be mindful of God. I should be centering my worth on God and not the object my accuser is attacking. Since I'm most angry/emotionally affected when something I value highly is attacked, my indignation at such insults should prompt me to examine my life for patterns of idolatry.
Furthermore, Peter harshly reminds us that we are CALLED to suffer unjustly from time to time. I can think of two reasons for God to permit these temporary injustices in our lives. The first is for the purpose of sanctifying us and teaching us to follow Christ's example. The second was found in verse 9 - which tells us that we are chosen for the purpose of proclaiming God's worth. Such that turning my cheek at undeserved insults when I have the power AND the "right" to retaliate would so contradict the way the world operates - that it forces people to see the nature of Christ in me. In this way, I glorify God with my non-resistance.
This passage was written to christians who were persecuted for their faith. While most of us do not face religious persecution on their scale, I think most of us come under fire at some point during our weeks - sometimes undeservedly so. Turning the other cheek goes beyond merely non-retaliation (which is purely surface level) but goes deep into our identity in Christ and his example/mandate to love and bless our enemies. Do not live an abused life or let people take advantage of you, but always think of how best to glorify God. Encouragement for the week, be so "mindful of God" that when you are attacked, you not only accept the insult, but genuinely desire good things for your accuser and for God to be made known.
Happy Wednesday!
Edward
"But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." - Matthew 5:39
"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' To the contrary, ''If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." - Romans 12:19-21
Cute/sad clip of ducklings blown off their feet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEBLt6Kd9EY
"For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly... For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example... When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly." 1 Peter 2:19-23
I've noticed over the years that when I am under criticism/attack, whether it is deserved or not, my first impulse is defense. The motivation for my defense is almost always one of significance. How dare this person belittle my worth, or my opinion, or my words/actions! God help me, my defense often even lead me to launch unjust attacks of my own. How different this is from turning other the cheek!
This was a convicting little passage for me. A few things I drew from it this morning, when I am accused and tempted to rush to my defense, I should be mindful of God. I should be centering my worth on God and not the object my accuser is attacking. Since I'm most angry/emotionally affected when something I value highly is attacked, my indignation at such insults should prompt me to examine my life for patterns of idolatry.
Furthermore, Peter harshly reminds us that we are CALLED to suffer unjustly from time to time. I can think of two reasons for God to permit these temporary injustices in our lives. The first is for the purpose of sanctifying us and teaching us to follow Christ's example. The second was found in verse 9 - which tells us that we are chosen for the purpose of proclaiming God's worth. Such that turning my cheek at undeserved insults when I have the power AND the "right" to retaliate would so contradict the way the world operates - that it forces people to see the nature of Christ in me. In this way, I glorify God with my non-resistance.
This passage was written to christians who were persecuted for their faith. While most of us do not face religious persecution on their scale, I think most of us come under fire at some point during our weeks - sometimes undeservedly so. Turning the other cheek goes beyond merely non-retaliation (which is purely surface level) but goes deep into our identity in Christ and his example/mandate to love and bless our enemies. Do not live an abused life or let people take advantage of you, but always think of how best to glorify God. Encouragement for the week, be so "mindful of God" that when you are attacked, you not only accept the insult, but genuinely desire good things for your accuser and for God to be made known.
Happy Wednesday!
Edward
"But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." - Matthew 5:39
"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' To the contrary, ''If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." - Romans 12:19-21
Cute/sad clip of ducklings blown off their feet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEBLt6Kd9EY
Happy Wednesday (Gratitude) (11/24/2010)
Sup guys,
some thoughts about thankfulness this morning. The first was a simple reminder to myself that the focus of genuine gratitude should always be the giver - its immediate happiness comes not from the value of the gift itself but from the act of giving.
The second is a realization that the practice of gratitude is an exercise in humility. Gratitude increases with the undeservedness of the receiver. I rarely feel thankful towards my employer for a paycheck because i earned what i received. But thankfulness is present when I am given something I did not earn, it is greater when it is something i did not deserve, and it is greatest when it is something i will never able to repay. To be able to receive such gifts takes a VERY humble person. The humble finds great joy in thanking others. It is the proud who find themselves with a ceaseless need to maneuver their social standings such that they are constantly being thanked by everyone around them.
But what about the words "it is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35)? That line, if misunderstood, becomes dangerous to an application-crazy church culture. There is nothing wrong with acts of kindness that naturally results in heartfelt "thank yous." What I have a problem with is my tendency to disguise a desire for praise and adoration with generosity and the illusion of self sufficiency this kind of "giving" tends to breed in me. I hate these things about myself...it's unbelievable how vain I can be. To be a humble giver, I must first learn to be a humble receiver. To be a humble receiver, I must acknowledge myself as limited and in much need of grace, kindness, and mercy from not only God, but people as well.
Encouragement for the week: as we enter thanksgiving, may we find a humble delight in acknowledging our needs and how they're being met by God and people around us with God-exalting gratitude.
Happy Wednesday!
Edward
"We love because [God] first loved us." - 1 John 4:19
"Peter said to him, 'You shall never wash my feet.' Jesus answered him, 'If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.'" - John 13:6-7
"For although they knew God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man..." - Romans 1:21-23
baby monkey riding a piglet....backwards..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_sfnQDr1-o&feature=player_embedded
some thoughts about thankfulness this morning. The first was a simple reminder to myself that the focus of genuine gratitude should always be the giver - its immediate happiness comes not from the value of the gift itself but from the act of giving.
The second is a realization that the practice of gratitude is an exercise in humility. Gratitude increases with the undeservedness of the receiver. I rarely feel thankful towards my employer for a paycheck because i earned what i received. But thankfulness is present when I am given something I did not earn, it is greater when it is something i did not deserve, and it is greatest when it is something i will never able to repay. To be able to receive such gifts takes a VERY humble person. The humble finds great joy in thanking others. It is the proud who find themselves with a ceaseless need to maneuver their social standings such that they are constantly being thanked by everyone around them.
But what about the words "it is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35)? That line, if misunderstood, becomes dangerous to an application-crazy church culture. There is nothing wrong with acts of kindness that naturally results in heartfelt "thank yous." What I have a problem with is my tendency to disguise a desire for praise and adoration with generosity and the illusion of self sufficiency this kind of "giving" tends to breed in me. I hate these things about myself...it's unbelievable how vain I can be. To be a humble giver, I must first learn to be a humble receiver. To be a humble receiver, I must acknowledge myself as limited and in much need of grace, kindness, and mercy from not only God, but people as well.
Encouragement for the week: as we enter thanksgiving, may we find a humble delight in acknowledging our needs and how they're being met by God and people around us with God-exalting gratitude.
Happy Wednesday!
Edward
"We love because [God] first loved us." - 1 John 4:19
"Peter said to him, 'You shall never wash my feet.' Jesus answered him, 'If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.'" - John 13:6-7
"For although they knew God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man..." - Romans 1:21-23
baby monkey riding a piglet....backwards..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_sfnQDr1-o&feature=player_embedded
Happy Wednesday (Hospitality) (11/17/2010)
"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied graces." - 1 Peter 4:8-10
Sup guys,
For some reason, I've been hearing a lot of messages and random bits of encouragements regarding hospitality and generosity recently. This seems providentially appropriate given the season, and serves well to prepare me for the upcoming months as family gatherings has always been a taxing and stressful time for the Lin household.
I was reminded that the key to being hospitable and generous without grumbling is to remember that the apartment I live in is not mine, that the turkey I bought is not mine, that the charm and jokes I employ to amuse my guests are not mine. Everything I am and everything I "own" belongs to God's and He has called me to be a good steward of the gifts He's given me.
I was reminded that I am to love people, especially people that are difficult to love, because I was first loved by God - and that by loving them, I demonstrate that He has loved me first.
Above all else, I am reminded that my hospitality and generosity towards family and friends aren't there to make me appear hospitable or generous, and so garner such a reputation for myself. Rather, it is to prompt the recipients of my generosity to offer thanks to God and thus glorify Him with my generosity. If my acts of generosity does not result in greater love/community and a greater appreciation for God and His works, then my efforts are in vain - no matter how socially rewarding it is.
May we all demonstrate the love that God has planted in us through Christ-exalting hospitality in this upcoming holiday season and take up generosity as a habit once the season's through.
Have a happy wednesday and, in case I dont write next week, happy thanxgiving!
Edward
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." - 1 John 4:7-8
"You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God." - 2 Corinthians 9:11-12
In light of some recent, exciting announcements, I thought this clip was appropriate =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd3oYFS9g9I
Sup guys,
For some reason, I've been hearing a lot of messages and random bits of encouragements regarding hospitality and generosity recently. This seems providentially appropriate given the season, and serves well to prepare me for the upcoming months as family gatherings has always been a taxing and stressful time for the Lin household.
I was reminded that the key to being hospitable and generous without grumbling is to remember that the apartment I live in is not mine, that the turkey I bought is not mine, that the charm and jokes I employ to amuse my guests are not mine. Everything I am and everything I "own" belongs to God's and He has called me to be a good steward of the gifts He's given me.
I was reminded that I am to love people, especially people that are difficult to love, because I was first loved by God - and that by loving them, I demonstrate that He has loved me first.
Above all else, I am reminded that my hospitality and generosity towards family and friends aren't there to make me appear hospitable or generous, and so garner such a reputation for myself. Rather, it is to prompt the recipients of my generosity to offer thanks to God and thus glorify Him with my generosity. If my acts of generosity does not result in greater love/community and a greater appreciation for God and His works, then my efforts are in vain - no matter how socially rewarding it is.
May we all demonstrate the love that God has planted in us through Christ-exalting hospitality in this upcoming holiday season and take up generosity as a habit once the season's through.
Have a happy wednesday and, in case I dont write next week, happy thanxgiving!
Edward
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." - 1 John 4:7-8
"You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God." - 2 Corinthians 9:11-12
In light of some recent, exciting announcements, I thought this clip was appropriate =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd3oYFS9g9I
Happy Wednesday (Anxiety) (11/03/2010)
"I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker." - Isaiah 51:12-13
It's not surprising that being in the waiting period of an application cycle for medical school potentially generates a marvelous amount of anxiety. what i've been learning recently though, is that anxiety is a subtle form of pride. This may be surprising to some, since pride is usually associated with arrogant self confidence which would appear to be the direct opposite of anxiety. But lets take a look at what pride is, when you get down to the root of it, pride is really a refusal to treat God as God. This manifests itself in refusing to honour him above yourself, in disobeying him, and perhaps most importantly, in refusing to trust in him. In other words, pride can manifest as self reliance as we come to believe in our own sufficiency instead of God's grace.
The only reason anyone would feel anxious, is if they placed their trust in themselves or other people, and find that trust to be misplaced. God asks a strange and uncomfortable question in Isaiah 51, "Who do you think you are to be afraid? What gives you the right to worry?" "Who do you think you are, Edward, to fear med school admissions boards?" "Who do you think you are to worry about your family's finances?" "What gives you the RIGHT to worry about the future when I've already said I would take care of you?" What I do, in worrying, is attempt to wrest control of my life from God's hands and place it in my own. It is prideful, it is sinful, and it requires of me daily repentance.
Humility is so much more than a reputation for modesty, it is an utter regard for the holiness and sovereignty of God and a sober view of our own sinful and limited state. It should have a bearing on how we love others, and it should seep into how we handle stresses and difficulties that arise from our day to day living. Encouragement for the week, pray for a deeper trust in God in our moments of anxiety. Learning to cast the objects of our worries onto God is one of the starting points of humility, and God LOVES to see us do this.
Have a happy wednesday!
Edward
"...Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility towards one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties upon him, because he cares for you." - 1 Peter:5-7
"But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no saviour. It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought; but when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me." - Hosea 13:4-6
Ultimate rick roll, courtesy of Jon.
http://gizmodo.com/5669317/student-hides-rick-astleys-song-in-college-paper
It's not surprising that being in the waiting period of an application cycle for medical school potentially generates a marvelous amount of anxiety. what i've been learning recently though, is that anxiety is a subtle form of pride. This may be surprising to some, since pride is usually associated with arrogant self confidence which would appear to be the direct opposite of anxiety. But lets take a look at what pride is, when you get down to the root of it, pride is really a refusal to treat God as God. This manifests itself in refusing to honour him above yourself, in disobeying him, and perhaps most importantly, in refusing to trust in him. In other words, pride can manifest as self reliance as we come to believe in our own sufficiency instead of God's grace.
The only reason anyone would feel anxious, is if they placed their trust in themselves or other people, and find that trust to be misplaced. God asks a strange and uncomfortable question in Isaiah 51, "Who do you think you are to be afraid? What gives you the right to worry?" "Who do you think you are, Edward, to fear med school admissions boards?" "Who do you think you are to worry about your family's finances?" "What gives you the RIGHT to worry about the future when I've already said I would take care of you?" What I do, in worrying, is attempt to wrest control of my life from God's hands and place it in my own. It is prideful, it is sinful, and it requires of me daily repentance.
Humility is so much more than a reputation for modesty, it is an utter regard for the holiness and sovereignty of God and a sober view of our own sinful and limited state. It should have a bearing on how we love others, and it should seep into how we handle stresses and difficulties that arise from our day to day living. Encouragement for the week, pray for a deeper trust in God in our moments of anxiety. Learning to cast the objects of our worries onto God is one of the starting points of humility, and God LOVES to see us do this.
Have a happy wednesday!
Edward
"...Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility towards one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties upon him, because he cares for you." - 1 Peter:5-7
"But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no saviour. It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought; but when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me." - Hosea 13:4-6
Ultimate rick roll, courtesy of Jon.
http://gizmodo.com/5669317/student-hides-rick-astleys-song-in-college-paper
Happy Wednesday (repentance) (10/20/2010)
"For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgement." - Psalm 51:3-4
sup guys,
I came across this familiar psalm earlier this week, it was written by david after nathan exposed his adulterous relationship with bathsheba. This passage came at a particularly great time for me as I'm going through a season of struggle not only with sin, but also apathy towards my sins.
One thing's always bothered me about how david said to God "against you and you only have I sinned." what about bathseba, whom he raped? or uriah, her husband, whom he murdered? or the child who died as a result of his sin? I came to this understanding: we hurt people, we sin against God. We apologize to people, we repent to God. There is a subtle but profound difference between the two. Repentance is more than an apology in the form of a prayer, it is an acknowledgment of God's proper place of sovereignty in our lives and our failure to hold God in highest regard. Because that's what "sin" really boils down to, failing to attribute to God his proper worth in our lives and falling into idolatry. pornography, spousal abuse, and habitual lying are merely surface level manifestations of a rebellion that goes much deeper, and it is that rebellion that requires repenting. This is why Jesus upped the ante when he said that even lustful thoughts and unvoiced hatred counts as sins; because even without actions, our thoughts (although they hurt no one) betray how far short we fall from God's holy standards, demonstrating again and again our need for a saviour.
If I treat repentance as merely an apology, i can (and will) put it off when im angry, when i do not feel like it, when I feel i can justify my sins with pathetic excuses. I know this about myself because, thats EXACTLY what I do when I do not feel like apologizing to a person I have wronged. So my prayer for myself and encouragement to you all this week is to consider deeply where sin dwells in your life. more than the surface level behaviours and addictions, but areas where you've perhaps never realized you were openly rebelling against God. Then to hold that sin up to God, realize that it was our sins that held Christ upon the cross and let Godly sorrow lead you into God-honouring repentance.
Happy Wednesday to you all,
Edward
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." - 1 John 1:9-10
"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" - Romans 7:24-25
"For Godly sorrow produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly sorrow produces death." - 2 Corinthians 7:10
Adorable clip of dog saying grace before breakfast, courtesy of fanny =D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9-3zfs33a0
sup guys,
I came across this familiar psalm earlier this week, it was written by david after nathan exposed his adulterous relationship with bathsheba. This passage came at a particularly great time for me as I'm going through a season of struggle not only with sin, but also apathy towards my sins.
One thing's always bothered me about how david said to God "against you and you only have I sinned." what about bathseba, whom he raped? or uriah, her husband, whom he murdered? or the child who died as a result of his sin? I came to this understanding: we hurt people, we sin against God. We apologize to people, we repent to God. There is a subtle but profound difference between the two. Repentance is more than an apology in the form of a prayer, it is an acknowledgment of God's proper place of sovereignty in our lives and our failure to hold God in highest regard. Because that's what "sin" really boils down to, failing to attribute to God his proper worth in our lives and falling into idolatry. pornography, spousal abuse, and habitual lying are merely surface level manifestations of a rebellion that goes much deeper, and it is that rebellion that requires repenting. This is why Jesus upped the ante when he said that even lustful thoughts and unvoiced hatred counts as sins; because even without actions, our thoughts (although they hurt no one) betray how far short we fall from God's holy standards, demonstrating again and again our need for a saviour.
If I treat repentance as merely an apology, i can (and will) put it off when im angry, when i do not feel like it, when I feel i can justify my sins with pathetic excuses. I know this about myself because, thats EXACTLY what I do when I do not feel like apologizing to a person I have wronged. So my prayer for myself and encouragement to you all this week is to consider deeply where sin dwells in your life. more than the surface level behaviours and addictions, but areas where you've perhaps never realized you were openly rebelling against God. Then to hold that sin up to God, realize that it was our sins that held Christ upon the cross and let Godly sorrow lead you into God-honouring repentance.
Happy Wednesday to you all,
Edward
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." - 1 John 1:9-10
"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" - Romans 7:24-25
"For Godly sorrow produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly sorrow produces death." - 2 Corinthians 7:10
Adorable clip of dog saying grace before breakfast, courtesy of fanny =D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9-3zfs33a0
Happy Wednesday (Knowledge) (10/06/2010)
Hey Guys,
I came across the story of Peter's confession of Christ in Matthew 16 over the last weekend. This is probably a familiar story to most of us, the disciples were asked who they thought Jesus was and Simon Peter replied (correctly) that he was "the Christ, Son of the living God." This gave Peter some street cred, until Jesus pointed out that it was the Father who revealed the answer to him. A few verses later Peter demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of his own answer as he rebuked Jesus (and was promptly called "Satan" - which probably lost him what little credit he had left).
While this juxtaposition of Peter getting thing so right and so wrong within the space of a few verses is almost comical, I was reminded that this is so often myself. Where I would know, in a purely intellectual sense, some aspect or characteristic of God, but my living fail to demonstrate that knowledge having seeped into my understanding. There is a decided lack of humility that should accompany what I understand about the holiness of God and the miraculous grace extended to me moment by moment. Yes, we are to pursue knowledge of God so that we are not swayed by winds of false teaching but be firmly rooted in solid truths. However, our growth in knowledge should be accompanied by an equal growth in humility, grace, and love as we come to resemble Christ more and more in our knowing of him.
My encouragement for the week echoes the lessons Peter himself learnt over the course of his lifetime. I love how this proud and foolish disciple grew into the kind of man who would literally begin and end his second epistle with an exhortation to all believers to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."
Have a happy Wednesday!
Edward
"This 'knowledge' puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God." 1 Corinthians 8:1-3
"Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom...but the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere." - James 3:13-17
I've always known squirrels were evil, but wow...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSGBVzeBUbk&feature=fvw
I came across the story of Peter's confession of Christ in Matthew 16 over the last weekend. This is probably a familiar story to most of us, the disciples were asked who they thought Jesus was and Simon Peter replied (correctly) that he was "the Christ, Son of the living God." This gave Peter some street cred, until Jesus pointed out that it was the Father who revealed the answer to him. A few verses later Peter demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of his own answer as he rebuked Jesus (and was promptly called "Satan" - which probably lost him what little credit he had left).
While this juxtaposition of Peter getting thing so right and so wrong within the space of a few verses is almost comical, I was reminded that this is so often myself. Where I would know, in a purely intellectual sense, some aspect or characteristic of God, but my living fail to demonstrate that knowledge having seeped into my understanding. There is a decided lack of humility that should accompany what I understand about the holiness of God and the miraculous grace extended to me moment by moment. Yes, we are to pursue knowledge of God so that we are not swayed by winds of false teaching but be firmly rooted in solid truths. However, our growth in knowledge should be accompanied by an equal growth in humility, grace, and love as we come to resemble Christ more and more in our knowing of him.
My encouragement for the week echoes the lessons Peter himself learnt over the course of his lifetime. I love how this proud and foolish disciple grew into the kind of man who would literally begin and end his second epistle with an exhortation to all believers to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."
Have a happy Wednesday!
Edward
"This 'knowledge' puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God." 1 Corinthians 8:1-3
"Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom...but the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere." - James 3:13-17
I've always known squirrels were evil, but wow...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSGBVzeBUbk&feature=fvw
Happy Wednesday (Fobearance) (09/22/2010)
"I...urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3
hey guys,
As I've shared with some of you, work has been really busy lately, furthermore, one of my closest coworkers just left the company to go back to school. Because of this, I found myself paired up with a much older coworker who was not only significantly slower than his younger predecessor, but also made numerous mistakes that often required us to start over. This quickly wore out my tiny store of patience and while i was never obviously rude, my frustrations showed thru in how i spoke and reacted towards him. My "advice" had a sharp, critical edge to them; I was quick to take over his portions of the work, at first to demonstrate how it's done, but later on really to spitefully rub in the fact that i was faster than him. To my shame, this continued until one day, in a sad voice, he apologized for being so slow... That's when it hit me, how prideful and unloving i've been - how far short I fell from what God has called me to!
So i repented and apologized. I tried to be more patient in my instructions and more graceful in the face of errors. As a happy bonus, im pleased to say my coworker is now probably even faster than me; but that's beside the point. Even if his performance did not improve, it does not change my calling to love those around me and maintain unity in all my circles through bonds of peace.
This same lesson applies to how we relate to one another in the body of Christ. It starts with humility. Without humility, our pride tells us that when brothers/sisters fail us, they deserve no mercy from us. we become blinded to our own shortcomings and think ourselves wiser, holier, or more mature than we ought. Humility keeps us from that wicked hippocracy and teaches us patience; and patience allows us to extend grace to those who fail/offend us, in the same way God extends mercy to us who are perennial sinners. In this way, we are able to maintain unity in the body of Christ filled w/ imperfect people.
Encouragement for the week: Humility -> Patience -> Forbearance -> Peace
Have a happy wednesday!
Edward
adorable kids in an evil and cruel psychological experiment >.<
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWW1vpz1ybo&feature=related
hey guys,
As I've shared with some of you, work has been really busy lately, furthermore, one of my closest coworkers just left the company to go back to school. Because of this, I found myself paired up with a much older coworker who was not only significantly slower than his younger predecessor, but also made numerous mistakes that often required us to start over. This quickly wore out my tiny store of patience and while i was never obviously rude, my frustrations showed thru in how i spoke and reacted towards him. My "advice" had a sharp, critical edge to them; I was quick to take over his portions of the work, at first to demonstrate how it's done, but later on really to spitefully rub in the fact that i was faster than him. To my shame, this continued until one day, in a sad voice, he apologized for being so slow... That's when it hit me, how prideful and unloving i've been - how far short I fell from what God has called me to!
So i repented and apologized. I tried to be more patient in my instructions and more graceful in the face of errors. As a happy bonus, im pleased to say my coworker is now probably even faster than me; but that's beside the point. Even if his performance did not improve, it does not change my calling to love those around me and maintain unity in all my circles through bonds of peace.
This same lesson applies to how we relate to one another in the body of Christ. It starts with humility. Without humility, our pride tells us that when brothers/sisters fail us, they deserve no mercy from us. we become blinded to our own shortcomings and think ourselves wiser, holier, or more mature than we ought. Humility keeps us from that wicked hippocracy and teaches us patience; and patience allows us to extend grace to those who fail/offend us, in the same way God extends mercy to us who are perennial sinners. In this way, we are able to maintain unity in the body of Christ filled w/ imperfect people.
Encouragement for the week: Humility -> Patience -> Forbearance -> Peace
Have a happy wednesday!
Edward
adorable kids in an evil and cruel psychological experiment >.<
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWW1vpz1ybo&feature=related
Happy Wednesday (Relativity) (09/15/2010)
hey guys,
in followup to my last email on empathy, i was reminded of something over this past weekend. That suffering is relative to a person's ability to handle suffering. In other words, even an Ugandan mother struggling in poverty has no right to roll her eyes at a silicon valley teenager weeping over a recent break up. What the teenager feels is real pain and is something that could be used by God to draw her attention to Himself. This is no trivial matter and God's effort to draw a teenage girl should not be treated with contempt.
I got to work with high schoolers over the weekend and it was a lot of fun! I dont think i've got to work with youth since *I* myself was a youth. Over the course of the weekend tho, I noticed a lot of them struggled with the normal stuff most teenagers struggle with (stuff most readers probably gone thru themselves). I was tempted several times to simply tell them that these things will pass, that stuff like that aren't really such a big deal, and they should essentially MAN UP. I'm glad God gave me enough wisdom to not say those insensitive words, which probably would've earned me the Jerk of the Year award. While what they are going thru may seem relatively minor to me - it is still a very real struggle for them. I have the benefit of experience (ie old age) that allows me to brush off problems that high schoolers genuinely struggle with. My responsibility then, as the big brother type person, is not to belittle them or their struggles but to offer loving counsel and guidance. For me to even experience the urge to talk down their problems simply reveals a lack of humility on my part and a desire to elevate myself above them. It was a wicked thought and one that required repentance. Our God-given wisdom and maturity are not there to glorify ourselves, but to glorify God in edifying/uplifting others and to lovingly lead them into greater maturity.
Encouragement for the week, continuing with the art of empathy, learn to not dismiss the struggles that others go through even if their struggles seem trivial to you. Know that their sufferings are real to them and is put there by God for the purposes of their sanctification - so let us lovingly fulfill that purpose with gentle patience and instructions.
Have a happy wednesday!
Edward
"This 'knowledge' puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know." 1 Corinthians 8:1-2
"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight." Romans 12:14-16
"...but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." Luke 22:32 (our Lord's charge to Peter - and to us)
that's real suffering right there, poor kid =(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HikjJOpUxeQ
in followup to my last email on empathy, i was reminded of something over this past weekend. That suffering is relative to a person's ability to handle suffering. In other words, even an Ugandan mother struggling in poverty has no right to roll her eyes at a silicon valley teenager weeping over a recent break up. What the teenager feels is real pain and is something that could be used by God to draw her attention to Himself. This is no trivial matter and God's effort to draw a teenage girl should not be treated with contempt.
I got to work with high schoolers over the weekend and it was a lot of fun! I dont think i've got to work with youth since *I* myself was a youth. Over the course of the weekend tho, I noticed a lot of them struggled with the normal stuff most teenagers struggle with (stuff most readers probably gone thru themselves). I was tempted several times to simply tell them that these things will pass, that stuff like that aren't really such a big deal, and they should essentially MAN UP. I'm glad God gave me enough wisdom to not say those insensitive words, which probably would've earned me the Jerk of the Year award. While what they are going thru may seem relatively minor to me - it is still a very real struggle for them. I have the benefit of experience (ie old age) that allows me to brush off problems that high schoolers genuinely struggle with. My responsibility then, as the big brother type person, is not to belittle them or their struggles but to offer loving counsel and guidance. For me to even experience the urge to talk down their problems simply reveals a lack of humility on my part and a desire to elevate myself above them. It was a wicked thought and one that required repentance. Our God-given wisdom and maturity are not there to glorify ourselves, but to glorify God in edifying/uplifting others and to lovingly lead them into greater maturity.
Encouragement for the week, continuing with the art of empathy, learn to not dismiss the struggles that others go through even if their struggles seem trivial to you. Know that their sufferings are real to them and is put there by God for the purposes of their sanctification - so let us lovingly fulfill that purpose with gentle patience and instructions.
Have a happy wednesday!
Edward
"This 'knowledge' puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know." 1 Corinthians 8:1-2
"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight." Romans 12:14-16
"...but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." Luke 22:32 (our Lord's charge to Peter - and to us)
that's real suffering right there, poor kid =(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HikjJOpUxeQ
Happy Wednesday (Empathy) (09/01/2010)
"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." - Romans 12:15
Sup guys!
I've been making my way slowly through Romans and the above passage caught my eyes. If I am to sum up what paul is saying here, i think he meant to say we're to be empathetic towards others. It's yet another one of those "no-brainer passages" but I dont think i've ever had a chance to ponder its full implications. My ESV bible described this section of scripture under the heading "Mark of the True Christian" which is a terrifying idea for me. It's terrifying because it implies that one can be a false christian. To walk around w/ all the pretenses of a saved believer but have an untransformed heart that is, at best, apathetic to others' joys/sorrows. At worst, to secretly wish bad things to happen to ppl one doesn't like or are disappointed when good things occur to them instead. Empathy is not something only for the super holy, but rather it should be a litmus test for all believers in whether we truly obey God's command to love our neighbours. So that while empathy towards the joys and sorrows of others is not a requirement for salvation, it should be something we get better and better at as we learn to love others the way God asks us to.
This is a very difficult task. For the most part, people do not get to observe the wicked thoughts we hold in our minds towards ppl we dont like; and perhaps because of that, we dismiss these little thoughts as "acceptable sins." Except that is a complete oxymoron. Jesus ups the ante on the old mosaic laws by saying if you simply hold hatred in your heart you've committed murder. In other words, what goes on in our mind matters; which is why paul specifically said that our hearts and minds need to be transformed/renewed.
Encouragement for the week, let our thoughts be holy and not simply our deeds and words, so that we glorify God with our minds and edify/encourage others with our lives. Live and think in such a way that the hurts of others pains u and moves u to prayer; and the joys of others gladdens u and gives u an occasion for genuine praise.
Have a happy wednesday!
Edward
"Beloved, let us love one another , for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." - 1 John 4:7-8
"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others." - Philippians 2:3-4
Apparently some of us haven't seen the double rainbow video yet =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSNhk5ICTI
Sup guys!
I've been making my way slowly through Romans and the above passage caught my eyes. If I am to sum up what paul is saying here, i think he meant to say we're to be empathetic towards others. It's yet another one of those "no-brainer passages" but I dont think i've ever had a chance to ponder its full implications. My ESV bible described this section of scripture under the heading "Mark of the True Christian" which is a terrifying idea for me. It's terrifying because it implies that one can be a false christian. To walk around w/ all the pretenses of a saved believer but have an untransformed heart that is, at best, apathetic to others' joys/sorrows. At worst, to secretly wish bad things to happen to ppl one doesn't like or are disappointed when good things occur to them instead. Empathy is not something only for the super holy, but rather it should be a litmus test for all believers in whether we truly obey God's command to love our neighbours. So that while empathy towards the joys and sorrows of others is not a requirement for salvation, it should be something we get better and better at as we learn to love others the way God asks us to.
This is a very difficult task. For the most part, people do not get to observe the wicked thoughts we hold in our minds towards ppl we dont like; and perhaps because of that, we dismiss these little thoughts as "acceptable sins." Except that is a complete oxymoron. Jesus ups the ante on the old mosaic laws by saying if you simply hold hatred in your heart you've committed murder. In other words, what goes on in our mind matters; which is why paul specifically said that our hearts and minds need to be transformed/renewed.
Encouragement for the week, let our thoughts be holy and not simply our deeds and words, so that we glorify God with our minds and edify/encourage others with our lives. Live and think in such a way that the hurts of others pains u and moves u to prayer; and the joys of others gladdens u and gives u an occasion for genuine praise.
Have a happy wednesday!
Edward
"Beloved, let us love one another , for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." - 1 John 4:7-8
"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others." - Philippians 2:3-4
Apparently some of us haven't seen the double rainbow video yet =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSNhk5ICTI
Happy Wednesday (Cross) (08/18/2010)
Sup guys,
I was reminded this morning of how easy it is to become overly familiar with the cross. To get to the point where the idea of God paying for my sins by dying a criminal's death no longer amazes me. Where thoughts of the cross and all that it means not just in terms of my justification but the promise to draw my sanctification to completion no longer moves me to tears. I lose my desperation to know Jesus. It doesn't matter if the reason for my over familiarity with the cross comes as a result of worldly distractions or a preoccupation with some item of theology, the result is an Edward so much more prone to sin and so much more forgetful of God.
This is not to say we should remain ignorant and never move beyond basic christian dogma, we should grow in our understanding of the things of God. As paul wrote, we should aim to eat solid food, but never at the cost of losing sight of the cross! Understanding what paul meant by him being caught up to the third heaven (2 corinthians) has never kept me from sin. The thought of Christ's sacrifice, however, has kept me from hundreds of stupidities, and led me to repentance for hundreds more. In the end, I think that's what God is looking for, hearts that want to be conformed to his likeness and desperate to know the saviour.
encouragement for the week, take up the habit of renewing your affections for the Lord often - never become so acquainted with the cross that you are no longer moved by it.
Have happy wednesday!
edward
"For I resolved to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him Crucified...that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." - 1 Corinthians 2:-5
didn't feel like scouring utube for a funny/cute video, but here is a chubby bunny to make up for it =D
( \_/ )
(='.'=)
(*)_(*)
I was reminded this morning of how easy it is to become overly familiar with the cross. To get to the point where the idea of God paying for my sins by dying a criminal's death no longer amazes me. Where thoughts of the cross and all that it means not just in terms of my justification but the promise to draw my sanctification to completion no longer moves me to tears. I lose my desperation to know Jesus. It doesn't matter if the reason for my over familiarity with the cross comes as a result of worldly distractions or a preoccupation with some item of theology, the result is an Edward so much more prone to sin and so much more forgetful of God.
This is not to say we should remain ignorant and never move beyond basic christian dogma, we should grow in our understanding of the things of God. As paul wrote, we should aim to eat solid food, but never at the cost of losing sight of the cross! Understanding what paul meant by him being caught up to the third heaven (2 corinthians) has never kept me from sin. The thought of Christ's sacrifice, however, has kept me from hundreds of stupidities, and led me to repentance for hundreds more. In the end, I think that's what God is looking for, hearts that want to be conformed to his likeness and desperate to know the saviour.
encouragement for the week, take up the habit of renewing your affections for the Lord often - never become so acquainted with the cross that you are no longer moved by it.
Have happy wednesday!
edward
"For I resolved to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him Crucified...that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." - 1 Corinthians 2:-5
didn't feel like scouring utube for a funny/cute video, but here is a chubby bunny to make up for it =D
( \_/ )
(='.'=)
(*)_(*)
Happy Wednesday (Mine) (08/11/2010)
Sup guys,
I dont normally like popup ads but i must admit, the one i saw this morning got a chuckle out of me. It was shot from inside a car looking out of a window covered in soap, as the suds were wiped away, a small boy smiling from ear to ear is revealed as the diligent window washer. The words "Because he knows someday it will be his" was then displayed as the reason for the child's joy in performing what most would consider a chore.
While the ad did a fantastic job of implanting the idea of Ford cars' longevity in my mind, it also served as a great reminder for the joy that should come out of my relationship with God. How little joy I've been feeling lately - devotions, prayer, loving acts of kindness has become onerous chores. While the task of washing his dad's pickup truck requires sacrifice of the child's time, it is assumed that the sacrifices meant nothing to the boy who was confident that someday the car would be his as a reward. I want that kind of expectant mentality! To not see prayer for people as gut wrenching duty but as my sowing into God's kingdom. Paul wrote that the sufferings he's had to endure does not begin to compare with the future glory that will be revealed. I want to fully understand and appreciate the facts that jesus is mine, the kingdom is mine, this circle of influence God has entrusted to me is mine. To approach everything I do with full understanding of my ownership in the kingdom of heaven - and out of that understanding, to serve while smiling ear to ear out of genuine joy and affection for God and man.
Encouragement for the week: when serving, do not give with the mentality of loss and sacrifice, rather see it for what it really is - you sowing sweat and effort into a kingdom and a family that you belong to. Lets be joyful in our pursuit of God in striving to know him and to make him known.
Have a happy wensday!
edward
"Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing." - 2 Timothy 4:8
"Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit." - Psalm 51:12
"For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." - Romans 8:24-25
Most ppl have probably seen this but, in keeping with the spirit of advertisement that's been so prominent in this week's email, I must say that I've personally switched from lady scented body wash to old spice after watching this hilarious commercial.
I dont normally like popup ads but i must admit, the one i saw this morning got a chuckle out of me. It was shot from inside a car looking out of a window covered in soap, as the suds were wiped away, a small boy smiling from ear to ear is revealed as the diligent window washer. The words "Because he knows someday it will be his" was then displayed as the reason for the child's joy in performing what most would consider a chore.
While the ad did a fantastic job of implanting the idea of Ford cars' longevity in my mind, it also served as a great reminder for the joy that should come out of my relationship with God. How little joy I've been feeling lately - devotions, prayer, loving acts of kindness has become onerous chores. While the task of washing his dad's pickup truck requires sacrifice of the child's time, it is assumed that the sacrifices meant nothing to the boy who was confident that someday the car would be his as a reward. I want that kind of expectant mentality! To not see prayer for people as gut wrenching duty but as my sowing into God's kingdom. Paul wrote that the sufferings he's had to endure does not begin to compare with the future glory that will be revealed. I want to fully understand and appreciate the facts that jesus is mine, the kingdom is mine, this circle of influence God has entrusted to me is mine. To approach everything I do with full understanding of my ownership in the kingdom of heaven - and out of that understanding, to serve while smiling ear to ear out of genuine joy and affection for God and man.
Encouragement for the week: when serving, do not give with the mentality of loss and sacrifice, rather see it for what it really is - you sowing sweat and effort into a kingdom and a family that you belong to. Lets be joyful in our pursuit of God in striving to know him and to make him known.
Have a happy wensday!
edward
"Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing." - 2 Timothy 4:8
"Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit." - Psalm 51:12
"For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." - Romans 8:24-25
Most ppl have probably seen this but, in keeping with the spirit of advertisement that's been so prominent in this week's email, I must say that I've personally switched from lady scented body wash to old spice after watching this hilarious commercial.
Happy Thursday (Holes) (08/05/2010)
hey guys,
This email was actually written quite some time ago but was never used. For some reason, this has been a convicting week as I was constantly reminded of past lessons that i've forgotten over time w/ disuse. This email served as a great reminder for me and I hope it'd be an encouragement to the rest of u as well =)
I was recenty reminded of the jefferson bible, which was thomas jefferson's efforts to make hte bible believable and inoffensive. Officially titled "Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth," Jefferson sought to cut out any supernatural events, any references to jesus' divinity, as well as any bits that he considered misinterpretations by the four gospel writers. Using a razor, jefferson cut literal holes in his bible, selected bits and pieces that didn't offend him from the four gospels, and rearranged them in rough chronological order to create a single narrative. The jefferson bible ended with the burial of christ - no resurrection, no pentacost, no redeemed Peter/Paul - Jesus died, period. The End.
while most of us wouldn't be so arrogant as to physically remove/edit bits of the bible, isn't this in effect what we do every time we deliberately ignore or conveniently forget laws of God? The bits that we find uncomfortable or offensive are the exact bits we tend to defocus on. Instead we hone in on the bits that talks about forgiveness and grace, all the highlighted portions of our bibles that give us warm, fuzzy feelings. We crave inner healing and affirmation but avoid conviction. i often find myself de-emphasizing parts of scripture that talks about hating worldly desires, practicing holiness, dying to myself, and taking up my daily cross. Namely, the parts that demand effort out of me. Encouragement for the week, let us not treat God's word with contempt in our selective understanding of holy scripture, and pursue with wholehearted honesty the holiness He has mapped out for us.
Happy Wednesday!
edward
"I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teachers others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:18-20
hedgehog curls into ball
This email was actually written quite some time ago but was never used. For some reason, this has been a convicting week as I was constantly reminded of past lessons that i've forgotten over time w/ disuse. This email served as a great reminder for me and I hope it'd be an encouragement to the rest of u as well =)
I was recenty reminded of the jefferson bible, which was thomas jefferson's efforts to make hte bible believable and inoffensive. Officially titled "Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth," Jefferson sought to cut out any supernatural events, any references to jesus' divinity, as well as any bits that he considered misinterpretations by the four gospel writers. Using a razor, jefferson cut literal holes in his bible, selected bits and pieces that didn't offend him from the four gospels, and rearranged them in rough chronological order to create a single narrative. The jefferson bible ended with the burial of christ - no resurrection, no pentacost, no redeemed Peter/Paul - Jesus died, period. The End.
while most of us wouldn't be so arrogant as to physically remove/edit bits of the bible, isn't this in effect what we do every time we deliberately ignore or conveniently forget laws of God? The bits that we find uncomfortable or offensive are the exact bits we tend to defocus on. Instead we hone in on the bits that talks about forgiveness and grace, all the highlighted portions of our bibles that give us warm, fuzzy feelings. We crave inner healing and affirmation but avoid conviction. i often find myself de-emphasizing parts of scripture that talks about hating worldly desires, practicing holiness, dying to myself, and taking up my daily cross. Namely, the parts that demand effort out of me. Encouragement for the week, let us not treat God's word with contempt in our selective understanding of holy scripture, and pursue with wholehearted honesty the holiness He has mapped out for us.
Happy Wednesday!
edward
"I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teachers others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:18-20
hedgehog curls into ball
Happy Wednesday (Struggle) (07/28/2010)
sup guys,
In resonance to paul in romans 7, its no great confession to admit my tendency to constantly put off good and noble deeds and instead pursue the selfish worship of the unholy trinity: me, myself, and I. I can confidently say the same of every reader. Temptations and desires are not, by themselves, sinful but submitting to our own evil desires is. While not every believer is called to be preachers or missionaries, every one of us are called to progressive sanctification. paul instructs timothy to train himself in godliness. "Train," as in to put sweat and effort into this labour of holiness. Nobody stumbles into holiness or has Godly habits naturally given to them. The question then becomes whether we are struggling the right or wrong way.
Wrong Way:
One can feel remorse and desire a change from self destructive patterns of sin apart from God. Struggle of this kind often leads a saved believer down a very familiar cycle: shame/guilt in sin, try to will themselves to not do it again, fail over and over, give up and take God's grace for granted (this is just who i am, God will still love and forgive me anyways), get touched by God at a conference, vow to never do that sin again....repeat. Merely attempting to will the sin out of us is a sad, weak attempt to purge a deadly poison.
Worse yet, even IF one succeeds in willfully suppressing certain behaviours, pride consumes them. This person will lack grace towards those who're suffering from the same patterns they once did and can't help but think themselves superior for conquering what others can not. They fool themselves and others into thinking they are holy and yet are precisely the kind of people to whom jesus says "i dont know you." I can describe this process in great detail because I have been there and didn't like who I was at the end of it.
"So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy." - romans 9:16
Right Way:
I believe sanctification is not behaviour modification, the key difference starts with realizing one's sins are an offense to the holy God of the universe. This leads to a far deeper remorse than mere shame or guilt - it leads to mourning and repentance. The first step to struggle against sin is similar to the first step to christianity - it is to recognize how much our sins are an offense to our creator.
See, if we get that...if we understand how evil and depraved that single act of arrogance towards our mother was or how utterly abhorrent that lustful thought, we wouldn't be afraid to sacrifice dignity and comfort to erase those sinful patterns from our lives. We would desperately seek out accountability partners for us to confess our sins to, out of humility to reveal ourselves as vulnerable to sin to people who lovs us. We would eliminate the influences in our lives that prompt us to sin. Notice how jesus doesn't simply say cut off our hands and gouge of the eye (which by itself should be enough), he goes on to then say pick our hands/eyes up and throw it away in order to illustrate the vehemence with which we should root out sinful influences.
Sanctification and struggle against sin is not an option for believers, it is a command. Jesus cursed a fig tree that bore no fruit and it died...a christian who deliberately stay in sin, making zero effort to push him/herself towards God similarly yields no fruits of righteousness. no christian should be a believer in a purely intellectual sense. If all we have is a verbal "i believe" but no transformation - then we lack genuine faith. Encouragement for the week, labour and struggle correctly in Godly works and our own personal sanctification as we always seek to connect God to everything we do, including our sins.
Have a happy wednesday!!
Edward
"For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead." - James 2:22
"A healthy tree can not bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit." Matthew 7:18
"For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins...how much worse punishment...will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace." Hebrews 10:26
"For Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death." - 2 Corinthians 7:10
Guy dancing around the world (thanx cristina!)
In resonance to paul in romans 7, its no great confession to admit my tendency to constantly put off good and noble deeds and instead pursue the selfish worship of the unholy trinity: me, myself, and I. I can confidently say the same of every reader. Temptations and desires are not, by themselves, sinful but submitting to our own evil desires is. While not every believer is called to be preachers or missionaries, every one of us are called to progressive sanctification. paul instructs timothy to train himself in godliness. "Train," as in to put sweat and effort into this labour of holiness. Nobody stumbles into holiness or has Godly habits naturally given to them. The question then becomes whether we are struggling the right or wrong way.
Wrong Way:
One can feel remorse and desire a change from self destructive patterns of sin apart from God. Struggle of this kind often leads a saved believer down a very familiar cycle: shame/guilt in sin, try to will themselves to not do it again, fail over and over, give up and take God's grace for granted (this is just who i am, God will still love and forgive me anyways), get touched by God at a conference, vow to never do that sin again....repeat. Merely attempting to will the sin out of us is a sad, weak attempt to purge a deadly poison.
Worse yet, even IF one succeeds in willfully suppressing certain behaviours, pride consumes them. This person will lack grace towards those who're suffering from the same patterns they once did and can't help but think themselves superior for conquering what others can not. They fool themselves and others into thinking they are holy and yet are precisely the kind of people to whom jesus says "i dont know you." I can describe this process in great detail because I have been there and didn't like who I was at the end of it.
"So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy." - romans 9:16
Right Way:
I believe sanctification is not behaviour modification, the key difference starts with realizing one's sins are an offense to the holy God of the universe. This leads to a far deeper remorse than mere shame or guilt - it leads to mourning and repentance. The first step to struggle against sin is similar to the first step to christianity - it is to recognize how much our sins are an offense to our creator.
See, if we get that...if we understand how evil and depraved that single act of arrogance towards our mother was or how utterly abhorrent that lustful thought, we wouldn't be afraid to sacrifice dignity and comfort to erase those sinful patterns from our lives. We would desperately seek out accountability partners for us to confess our sins to, out of humility to reveal ourselves as vulnerable to sin to people who lovs us. We would eliminate the influences in our lives that prompt us to sin. Notice how jesus doesn't simply say cut off our hands and gouge of the eye (which by itself should be enough), he goes on to then say pick our hands/eyes up and throw it away in order to illustrate the vehemence with which we should root out sinful influences.
Sanctification and struggle against sin is not an option for believers, it is a command. Jesus cursed a fig tree that bore no fruit and it died...a christian who deliberately stay in sin, making zero effort to push him/herself towards God similarly yields no fruits of righteousness. no christian should be a believer in a purely intellectual sense. If all we have is a verbal "i believe" but no transformation - then we lack genuine faith. Encouragement for the week, labour and struggle correctly in Godly works and our own personal sanctification as we always seek to connect God to everything we do, including our sins.
Have a happy wednesday!!
Edward
"For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead." - James 2:22
"A healthy tree can not bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit." Matthew 7:18
"For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins...how much worse punishment...will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace." Hebrews 10:26
"For Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death." - 2 Corinthians 7:10
Guy dancing around the world (thanx cristina!)
Happy Wednesday (Meekness) (07/19/2010)
hey guys,
as a personal prayer request, my devotional life has been lacking recently and this is in part to blame for recent gaps in wednesday emails. Im in desperate need of that renewal of mind thru the work of hte Spirit that Paul talks about, not so much for these emails' sake, but my own.
Having said that, A.W. Tozer's short book, The Pursuit of God is an awesome book and i'd highly recommend it (poke me if u want me to send u the word doc or mp3) and it was out of one of his chapters that I took this today's title and good chunk of content.
I've made the point awhile back that christian virtues are all connected, yet today i wanted to focus on the meekness Jesus talked about in his sermon on the mount - mostly because i wasn't sure what the word literally meant. In a rough sense, it is humility; and it stands in stark contrast to the human condition. Afterall, how truthful am i when i say to God "i am nothing, You are everything?" do i really believe that? does that show in how i respond to perceived insults? In Tozer's words, "the sons of earth are carrying this burden [of pride] continually, challenging every word spoken against them, cringing under every criticism, smarting under each fancied slight, tossing sleepless if another is preferred before them." This is ME, and it is precisely THIS burden that Jesus asks us to pass onto him when he proposed an exchange of yokes several chapters later. We're meant to be freed from this burden of pride and enter into the rest of meekness. Pride is a tiresome burden. In that grace-given rest of meekness, we no longer need prove our worth to the world, rather we rest our value on God.
This meekness does not imply weakness or poor self image, rather it comes with the security of knowing one's identity in Christ. Out of that knowledge comes confidence that does not hinge precariously upon being better than others, but on being a child of God.
Encouragement for the week: do not seek to compare or boast, stop this endless quest to become the best for our own sake. Take up Christ's yoke of meekness and learn this art of humility.
have a happy wednesday!
Edward
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." - Matthew 5:5
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30
"[The meek man] knows well that the world will never see him as God sees him and he has stopped caring. He rests perfectly content to allow God to place His own values...as he walks on in meekness he will be happy to let God defend him. The old struggle to defend himself is over. He has found the peace which meekness brings." - A.W. Tozer
Save Scooter! (this one goes out to all the teachers)
as a personal prayer request, my devotional life has been lacking recently and this is in part to blame for recent gaps in wednesday emails. Im in desperate need of that renewal of mind thru the work of hte Spirit that Paul talks about, not so much for these emails' sake, but my own.
Having said that, A.W. Tozer's short book, The Pursuit of God is an awesome book and i'd highly recommend it (poke me if u want me to send u the word doc or mp3) and it was out of one of his chapters that I took this today's title and good chunk of content.
I've made the point awhile back that christian virtues are all connected, yet today i wanted to focus on the meekness Jesus talked about in his sermon on the mount - mostly because i wasn't sure what the word literally meant. In a rough sense, it is humility; and it stands in stark contrast to the human condition. Afterall, how truthful am i when i say to God "i am nothing, You are everything?" do i really believe that? does that show in how i respond to perceived insults? In Tozer's words, "the sons of earth are carrying this burden [of pride] continually, challenging every word spoken against them, cringing under every criticism, smarting under each fancied slight, tossing sleepless if another is preferred before them." This is ME, and it is precisely THIS burden that Jesus asks us to pass onto him when he proposed an exchange of yokes several chapters later. We're meant to be freed from this burden of pride and enter into the rest of meekness. Pride is a tiresome burden. In that grace-given rest of meekness, we no longer need prove our worth to the world, rather we rest our value on God.
This meekness does not imply weakness or poor self image, rather it comes with the security of knowing one's identity in Christ. Out of that knowledge comes confidence that does not hinge precariously upon being better than others, but on being a child of God.
Encouragement for the week: do not seek to compare or boast, stop this endless quest to become the best for our own sake. Take up Christ's yoke of meekness and learn this art of humility.
have a happy wednesday!
Edward
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." - Matthew 5:5
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30
"[The meek man] knows well that the world will never see him as God sees him and he has stopped caring. He rests perfectly content to allow God to place His own values...as he walks on in meekness he will be happy to let God defend him. The old struggle to defend himself is over. He has found the peace which meekness brings." - A.W. Tozer
Save Scooter! (this one goes out to all the teachers)
Happy Thursday (If) (07/01/2010)
sup guys,
I recently asked myself some rather odd and carefully phrased hypothetical questions: What if God is real? what if scriptures are true? What if God is holy and I'm not as clean as I appear to be? What if my sins are an offense to a holy God? What if jesus really existed - more than that, really DIED for my sins? See, it's silly because I know each of those to be true. God is real, scripture is truth, He is holy, my sins do offend Him, and i am spared of God's righteous wrath only because of the mercy of teh cross. Yet I forget so often. In asking myself those questions, I remind myself of what and who I believe in. If God IS real and holy, if I AM sinful and saved solely through God's loving grace - how could I allow myself to purposefully continue in sin? to plan and nurture sinful thoughts. if I truly understand and believed everything about God that scripture says....the life I live is nowhere near what it should be and what God deserves. I do not pursue holiness with enough fervour, I do not love/serve the lives around me with enough zeal, I do not meditate upon God with enough devotion, and evangelism is not nearly high enough of a priority.
Now i can imagine some well meaning friends say to me at this point that i am simply pushing myself too hard. But there shouldn't be anything that we're unwilling to do for our lord who bled for us. IF this wonderful gospel rings true, AND IT DOES, we have such great reasons to serve Him joyfully. encouragement for the week, remind yourself who this God is and what He's done for you (i forget to do this much too often). I can think of no great motivation for evangelism, progressive sanctification, and growth than thoughts of Him.
have a happy thursday!
edward
"The moment any believer sins, he or she becomes a practical atheist." - Some famous theologian person i forget the name of (i wanna guess RC Sproul)
"I never want to become overly familiar with my salvation, I want to be continuously amazed by it day after day." - badly mangled paraphrased of CJ Mahaney
"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires...but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:12-14
i dont really get it...but the baby animals are cute
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pHxk1v6uSs&feature=player_embedded
I recently asked myself some rather odd and carefully phrased hypothetical questions: What if God is real? what if scriptures are true? What if God is holy and I'm not as clean as I appear to be? What if my sins are an offense to a holy God? What if jesus really existed - more than that, really DIED for my sins? See, it's silly because I know each of those to be true. God is real, scripture is truth, He is holy, my sins do offend Him, and i am spared of God's righteous wrath only because of the mercy of teh cross. Yet I forget so often. In asking myself those questions, I remind myself of what and who I believe in. If God IS real and holy, if I AM sinful and saved solely through God's loving grace - how could I allow myself to purposefully continue in sin? to plan and nurture sinful thoughts. if I truly understand and believed everything about God that scripture says....the life I live is nowhere near what it should be and what God deserves. I do not pursue holiness with enough fervour, I do not love/serve the lives around me with enough zeal, I do not meditate upon God with enough devotion, and evangelism is not nearly high enough of a priority.
Now i can imagine some well meaning friends say to me at this point that i am simply pushing myself too hard. But there shouldn't be anything that we're unwilling to do for our lord who bled for us. IF this wonderful gospel rings true, AND IT DOES, we have such great reasons to serve Him joyfully. encouragement for the week, remind yourself who this God is and what He's done for you (i forget to do this much too often). I can think of no great motivation for evangelism, progressive sanctification, and growth than thoughts of Him.
have a happy thursday!
edward
"The moment any believer sins, he or she becomes a practical atheist." - Some famous theologian person i forget the name of (i wanna guess RC Sproul)
"I never want to become overly familiar with my salvation, I want to be continuously amazed by it day after day." - badly mangled paraphrased of CJ Mahaney
"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires...but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:12-14
i dont really get it...but the baby animals are cute
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pHxk1v6uSs&feature=player_embedded
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