Friday 30 November 2018

Will I Lose My Individuality as a Christian?


It is easy to picture my InterVarsity community as my personal gang. Colin—one of our chapter leader and hip-hop director of our school’s radio station—can throw down a mean rhyme on a moment’s notice, so I think that alone makes it a pretty good analogy for us. Our little gang has its own lingo, inside jokes, and knowledge that new Christians don’t have.

I should know. When I first joined our InterVarsity chapter, I understood about 80 percent of what the other students were saying...and I come from a Christian background. There were phrases thrown about that made me a little nervous, threw me off a bit.

So, I’m not surprised when I hear new Christians are concerned about losing their individuality in terms of how they talk, look, and act once they start following Jesus.

Jaime CastaƱer, InterVarsity Campus Staff at Ramapo College, said part of this misconception about losing our individuality comes from the language we use inside our Christian communities.

Phrases like being “born again” and “giving everything up” can seem intimidating, especially to someone new to faith.

“When we hear ‘giving everything up,’ we get this idea of losing all we have. Sort of like being in this desert, abandoned, where there is nothing around us,” Jaime said. “I rather see coming to Christ as a reorientation of our lives, rather than giving everything up. A refocusing of our life path.”

As someone who once heard this lingo and was a bit freaked out, I want to share what I’ve since found in my journey with Christ.

First off, I have not lost my sense of self. Sure, I have changed. A bit more patience, a bit more care in how I treat others. But I am still myself. I still love Diet Coke. I still nap way too much. And I’m still as determined and stubborn as I was before I started to follow Christ.

I think Jaime put it best when he said, “When you strive to be the best of who God made you to be, you discover your individuality.”

I can attest to that. After spending time in Christian community, I’ve learned my weaknesses and my strengths. I’ve learned what I need to work on, and with God’s help, I’m working to become who he wants me to be. At the same time, community has emphasized my strengths. God has given me a passion for writing, so I write blog posts like these and am part of a Christian-journalists group. I like storytelling, so I share other people’s testimonies and my own with my non-Christian friends.

God is the one who made us. He is the one who gifted us with strengths and weaknesses so we can improve every single day as human beings.

Psalm 139:14-16 explains it in a way I can’t:

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

Each of us was fearfully and wonderfully made. Why would God waste all that effort only for us to become mindless zombies? God loves our individuality because he is the one who gave it to us.

by Emily Brown

Original Source Link

Vanity

Today's Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1 (KJV)


Ecclesiastes 1 (KJV)
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.

6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.

7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

8 All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

Scripture Meaning


Solomon shows that all human things are vain. (1-3) Man's toil and want of satisfaction. (4-8) There is nothing new. (9-11) The vexation in pursuit of knowledge. (12-18)

Verses 1-3
Much is to be learned by comparing one part of Scripture with another. We here behold Solomon returning from the broken and empty cisterns of the world, to the Fountain of living water; recording his own folly and shame, the bitterness of his disappointment, and the lessons he had learned. Those that have taken warning to turn and live, should warn others not to go on and die. He does not merely say all things are vain, but that they are vanity. VANITY OF VANITIES, ALL IS VANITY.
This is the text of the preacher's sermon, of which in this book he never loses sight. If this world, in its present state, were all, it would not be worth living for; and the wealth and pleasure of this world, if we had ever so much, are not enough to make us happy. What profit has a man of all his labour? All he gets by it will not supply the wants of the soul, nor satisfy its desires; will not atone for the sins of the soul, nor hinder the loss of it: what profit will the wealth of the world be to the soul in death, in judgment, or in the everlasting state?

Verses 4-8 
All things change, and never rest. Man, after all his labour, is no nearer finding rest than the sun, the wind, or the current of the river. His soul will find no rest, if he has it not from God. The senses are soon tired, yet still craving what is untried.

Verses 9-11
Men's hearts and their corruptions are the same now as in former times; their desires, and pursuits, and complaints, still the same. This should take us from expecting happiness in the creature, and quicken us to seek eternal blessings. How many things and persons in Solomon's day were thought very great, yet there is no remembrance of them now!

Verses 12-18
Solomon tried all things, and found them vanity. He found his searches after knowledge weariness, not only to the flesh, but to the mind. The more he saw of the works done under the sun, the more he saw their vanity; and the sight often vexed his spirit.
He could neither gain that satisfaction to himself, nor do that good to others, which he expected. Even the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom discovered man's wickedness and misery; so that the more he knew, the more he saw cause to lament and mourn. Let us learn to hate and fear sin

Scripture Application


Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we start the Book of Ecclesiastes with Chapter 1.
In our text today we look at this book which means "the Preacher" as the wisdom of God preaches to us that all earthy things are futile. In making application we see that many spend all their time on earth attempting to gain the worlds riches, or knowledge, or pleasures when the truth is that there is no satisfaction in gaining these earthly treasures.

Today we see that the wealthy and self indulgent are among the most miserable folks on the planet. They have learned what our text proclaims that "things" do not make a person happy. How about you? Do you see that "things" do not bring happiness? Let us learn from our text today to see attain worldly things are vanity compared to the riches of knowing our Lord.

Saturday 15 September 2018

Persevere in Doing Good for our Nation

Day 40 (15 September 2018, Saturday)


Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

To succeed in its mission despite the mounting challenges, the Church must persevere on in doing good for the nation – to seek righteousness, justice and mercy; to bring the good news to all the people in this land.  We are called to press on.

Make no mistake, this is a long-term endeavour such as in running a marathon or a long distance relay.  It will need many hands to join together and it will take more than one generation to see its fruit and that is why the Church must continuously engage each generation’s young people so that hope and the mission is passed on and taken up anew.

“Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  “For in this case the saying is true, “One sow and another reaps.  “I sent you to reap that for which you have not laboured; others have laboured and you have entered into their labour.” (John 4:36-38)

As we conclude another season of fast and prayer, let the words of Paul strengthen our hands and reassure our hearts to what God is doing through His people in our nation.

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)



Pray for the Church of Sarawak

Mission Empowered by the Spirit of God

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

A Kingdom Oriented People

Daniel 7:27 And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.


Bible Reading:        1 & 2 Peter                    Ezra 9 – 10



SOURCES


Hope that Gives

Preface for Day 36 - 40:  Harvest and Mission 


By sending off workers to the harvest fields

The Lord of the harvest is building His Bride who will unconditionally to enhance the work of the Kingdom/global missions.

Focusing on East Malaysia (Sarawak)

Sarawak:  2,354,048 (Ethnic Groups:  Iban 30.3%; Malay: 24%; Bidayuh: 8.4%; Malanau: 5.2 %; Other Bumiputera: 6.6%; Chinese: 24.5%; Indian: 0.3%; Others: 0.7%).  Sarawak is the largest state in Malaysia.  It is known as “The Land of Hornbills” for it is the home of a vast number of hornbills, and Sungai Rejang (590km) is the longest river in Malaysia.  The state capital, fondly known a Kuching, “Cat City”, is located on the banks of the wide Sarawak River.

James Brooke was the first “white rajah” who ruled Sarawak from 1841, and the legacy of the Brooke Dynasty and the British can be seen today through many colonial buildings in Kuching.  Sarawak is the only state in Malaysia were Christianity is the major religion (44%), followed by Islam (30%) and Chinese (24.5%).  The Christians in Sarawak are mainly Ibanese, Chinese, Bidayuh, Lumbawang, Kelabit and Other Bumiputeras.

Focusing on praying and implementing mission work on the Great Commission


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SOURCES




Friday 14 September 2018

Church Exists for Its Non-members

Day 39 (14 September 2018, Friday)


Acts 13:2 – 3 While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”  Then after fasting and praying

Although hope can be fragile and elusive, hope is also a resilient and inexplicably tangible commodity.  Hope drives us on, often when it is in the direst of times.  It motivates us to do the best.  It energises us to turn visions into reality.  In whatever circumstances, hope in the coming Kingdom of God should galvanise Christians to extend his love to a lost and hurting world.

Beyond the Biblical accounts, godly Christians through the ages have acted boldly when faced with dwindling hope.  They persevered on and some paid the ultimate price – Dietrich Bonhoeffer when speaking the truth in the face of Hitler and the Nazification of German society and the German Church; Martin Luther King Jr. in confronting institutionalised racism in the so-called ‘Christian’ nation of America.

Today in our country, the hope to heal a nation that is increasingly fractured by racial, religious and economic differences is steadily bringing the Church together to pray, network, collaborate and partner in a whole range of ministries that build bridges, defend the truth, protect the weak and empower the poor.  There is still much room for improvement and greater inclusion but is it crucial for the Church to build on these initiatives as an output of being sent out by the Lord Jesus to demonstrate the Kingdom of God.



Pray for the Families of Sarawak

The Homeless & the Deprived

Psalm 10:17 – 18 O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.


Fear God and Bear Fruits

Psalm 128:3 – 4 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.  Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord.


Bible Reading:        James 4 – 5              Ezra 1 – 8


SOURCES


Thursday 13 September 2018

Hope of Healing a Nation

Day 38 (13 September 2018, Thursday)


Luke 9:2 “and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.”

Although hope can be fragile and elusive, hope is also a resilient and inexplicably tangible commodity.  Hope drives us on, often when it is in the direst of times.  It motivates us to do the best.  It energises us to turn visions into reality.  In whatever circumstances, hope in the coming Kingdom of God should galvanise Christians to extend his love to a lost and hurting world.

Beyond the Biblical accounts, godly Christians through the ages have acted boldly when faced with dwindling hope.  They persevered on and some paid the ultimate price – Dietrich Bonhoeffer when speaking the truth in the face of Hitler and the Nazification of German society and the German Church; Martin Luther King Jr. in confronting institutionalised racism in the so-called ‘Christian’ nation of America.

Today in our country, the hope to heal a nation that is increasingly fractured by racial, religious and economic differences is steadily bringing the Church together to pray, network, collaborate and partner in a whole range of ministries that build bridges, defend the truth, protect the weak and empower the poor.  There is still much room for improvement and greater inclusion but is it crucial for the Church to build on these initiatives as an output of being sent out by the Lord Jesus to demonstrate the Kingdom of God.




Pray for the People of Sarawak

Minority People Group:  Eastern Penan

Isaiah 45:8  “Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the LORD have created it.

(Eastern Penan:  Unchecked logging activities have destroyed forests and its natural resources that are a source of their food and trading items, and polluted rivers as their key source of drinking and washing up.  Girls have been raped by loggers.)

Recognize our Creator & Respond to Him 

Genesis 1:26 – 27 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.  And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.


Bible Reading:        James 1 – 3                             Nehemiah 7 – 13


Remember

Today's Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12 (KJV)


Ecclesiastes 12 (KJV)
1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:

3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,

4 And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;

5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:

6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.

11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.


Scripture Meaning

(1-7) A description of the infirmities of age.
(8-14) All is vanity: also a warning of the judgment to come.

Verses 1-7
We should remember our sins against our Creator, repent, and seek forgiveness. We should remember our duties, and set about them, looking to him for grace and strength. This should be done early, while the body is strong, and the spirits active.

When a man has the pain of reviewing a misspent life, his not having given up sin and worldly vanities till he is forced to say, I have no pleasure in them, renders his sincerity very questionable. Then follows a figurative description of old age and its infirmities, which has some difficulties; but the meaning is plain, to show how uncomfortable, generally, the days of old age are. As the four verses 2-5, are a figurative description of the infirmities that usually accompany old age, verse 6 notices the circumstances which take place in the hour of death. If sin had not entered into the world, these infirmities would not have been known. Surely then the aged should reflect on the evil of sin.

Verses 8-14
Solomon repeats his text, VANITY OF VANITIES, ALL IS VANITY. These are the words of one that could speak by dear-bought experience of the vanity of the world, which can do nothing to ease men of the burden of sin. As he considered the worth of souls, he gave good heed to what he spake and wrote; words of truth will always be acceptable words.

The truths of God are as goads to such as are dull and draw back, and nails to such as are wandering and draw aside; means to establish the heart, that we may never sit loose to our duty, nor be taken from it. The Shepherd of Israel is the Giver of inspired wisdom. Teachers and guides all receive their communications from him.
The title is applied in Scripture to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The prophets sought diligently, what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. To write many books was not suited to the shortness of human life, and would be weariness to the writer, and to the reader; and then was much more so to both than it is now. All things would be vanity and vexation, except they led to this conclusion, That to fear God, and keep his commandments, is the whole of man.

The fear of God includes in it all the affections of the soul towards him, which are produced by the Holy Spirit. There may be terror where there is no love, nay, where there is hatred. But this is different from the gracious fear of God, as the feelings of an affectionate child. The fear of God, is often put for the whole of true religion in the heart, and includes its practical results in the life.
Let us attend to the one thing needful, and now come to him as a merciful Saviour, who will soon come as an almighty Judge, when he will bring to light the things of darkness, and manifest the counsels of all hearts.
Why does God record in his word, that ALL IS VANITY, but to keep us from deceiving ourselves to our ruin? He makes our duty to be our interest. May it be graven in all our hearts. Fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is all that concerns man.


Scripture Application


Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue in the Book of Ecclesiastes with Chapter 12.
In our text today we see the preacher advise us on how we are to remember our Creator about who we are and where we came from to remember where we are going as we obey His Word.

In making application we see that we too should remember where we have come from and how the Lord has delivered us from our sin. To remember too where we are going and who we are in Christ to live the Christian life. How about you? Do you see who you are in Christ Jesus? Let us learn from our text today to remember where we came from and our eternal home Heaven as we allow the Lord to live His life in and through us as believers in Him.




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Wednesday 12 September 2018

Our Responsibility to Spread Hope

Day 37 (12 September 2018, Wednesday)


John 20:21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Where does hope spring from?  It sprouts from God because when there was no hope, he sent his Son to give life and to inaugurate his Kingdom.  Jesus’ momentary renunciation of his privilege position changed forever the dynamics between life and death, mercy and judgment, hope and hopelessness.

“who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death on a cross.”  (Philippians 2:6-8)

But it also changed the dynamics of our responsibilities.  No longer strangers but his children and co-heirs, the task of continuing his work has fallen on all who believe in him.

Today in our country, Christians may be a minority in the national population (making up about 10% of the population only) but we need to understand our calling as God’s people and play our appointed roles in His mission whether as vocational ministry workers, people in the marketplace, students, retirees, homemakers or any other category.  This way, hope will spread far afield and we will see communities and nations transformed.




Pray for the Land of Sarawak

Cleansed from the Ancestral Tribal Strives & Worship

Ezekiel 36:25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.

Righteousness in Dealing with the Issues of Land

Nehemiah 5:11 Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.


Bible Reading:        Philippian 1 – 4                         Nehemiah 1 – 6



SOURCES



Tuesday 11 September 2018

Self-denial for the Sake of Others!

Day 35 (10 September 2018, Monday)


Luke 9:23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

If one were to follow Christ, one has to deny himself/herself and be self-sacrificial.  What is self-denial?  Is it self-abandonment?  Is it self-sacrifice?  Is it without self-confidence?  Is it self-loathing?  Many times, legalistic Christians are over-rigid and they are concerned that self-confidence, self-respect, and even self-love violate the very demand of God for us to be self-denial.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian, described that Christ is “a man for others” when he concluded the life of Christ.  He discovered that Christ had lived his life fully and completely for others.  He gave up Himself in order for others to receive God’s blessings.  A sacrificial life that carries his or her own cross is on that is willing to pay the price, to not prioritize other’s needs.

Bonhoeffer thought of living for Christ as more than being a godly religious follower, and for us to imitate Christ, and to live for others.  Therefore, living for Christ is living for the needs of others.  When there is a group of selfless people who are willing to die to selves, they will definitely bring changes unto this world of apathy and indifference.




Pray for the Church of Sabah

A Church that is discipled by the Lord

John 8:31 -32 … If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Willing to Pay the Price of Following Jesus

Luke 9:23 – 24 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.


Bible Reading:        Hebrews 12 – 13                        Daniel 1 – 8



SOURCES




Monday 10 September 2018

Dare to Hope in the Coming Kingdom

Day 36 (11 September 2018, Tuesday)


Jeremiah 20:8 – 9 “For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, “Violence and destruction!”  For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.  If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name, “there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.”

Hope is often times a fragile and elusive commodity.  Just when one thinks relief has come, it can so easily be snuffed out by despair or oppression.  The prophet Jeremiah was a person in such a situation, caught between a rock (God) and a hard place (his hard-headed people).  It seemed an impossible position with little hope for anything positive to come out of this task to proclaim righteousness and justice in a wicked environment.

Still, he stayed the course because he felt overwhelming compelled by God’s calling for him to speak His Word to his people.  Jeremiah was sent for this task and there was no turning back.

Today in our country, there is ostensibly dwindling hope for righteous governance and a more just society; for a healthier climate and a sustainable environment.  Dare we hope in the coming Kingdom of God?




Pray for the Head & Government of Sarawak

Voice of Righteousness

Proverbs 31:8 – 9 Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.  Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

The Reign of God over those in Authority

Psalm 103:19 The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.


Bible Reading:        Galatians 1 – 6            Daniel 9 – 12


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