Deeper in Love

 

 

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.     Ephesians 3:16-19

Love For A Lifetime

Over the weekend, my wife and I attended a marriage seminar “Love For A Lifetime”. Coincidentally, this weekend was also our wedding anniversary; a divine appointment, I reckon.

The primary passage used was the first miracle performed by Jesus at a wedding at Cana, see here. While there were many writings and lessons from this miracle, seldom have applications been used on marriage. In this miracle, the wedding wine had ran dry in the midst of the celebrations and the wedding was doomed from the start. But Jesus performed His first miracle and turned the situation around. The wedding then went on with a even higher note.

In marriage, couples inevitably will hit dry notes along the way in life. Like 2 dry vessels, cracks will appear and finally have no more to give. And in such situation, what can they do? Actually, the instruction is rather simple, like what mother Mary told the servants: “Do whatever he tells you.”

The lesson here is to very simply hear and do whatever Jesus has to say and let Him pour into the marriage. Let Him turn the water into wine. Let Him be the source of the mariage drawing fom Him instead. The common mistake is that couples keep drawing from each other even when the other is completely dry and starts cracking. And soon both will crack and break away. Only by keeping ourselves filled by Him, can the marriage be fulfilling.

“A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”   John 2:10

In the world, people will tell you that a marriage will always start with the best: the wedding, bright smiles, glowing bride and cheerful groom; the big bang. However, sadly it is mostly downhill from there. But when Jesus is invited within the marriage, the best is kept until now!

 

To my dear wife: You have been a great blessing and gift. You are indeed a love for a lifetime. I love you.

Happy anniversary!

Be Rescued out of Trouble

Dear Lord, help me to be so filled with Your Word, love, power, and peace that even when I am under attack by the enemy, my heart and my faith will not waver. My confidence is in You, Lord, and it cannot be shaken, even by an onslaught of the enemy. Help me to remember that when trouble does come into my life, I don’t have to be afraid because You are with me. And You have promised to never leave or forsake me.

The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.

The one thing I ask of the Lord—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music.   Psalm 27:1-6

Faith Supplements: Good Works

We all know what health supplements, or dietary supplements are. They are additional preparations intended to provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fatty acids or amino acids, that are missing or are not consumed in sufficient quantity in a person’s diet. The whole intention is to provide a better overall health benefits and quality of life that otherwise is difficult or tedious to obtain in the daily lives of people.

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.   2 Peter 1:3-7

Now, we know that there are faith supplements too. But the supplementary sources are not to be confused with the main source, in this case, God Himself. Supplements are suppose to work as a supporting secondary role, not replacing the primary. People don’t skip their main meals and take only dietary supplements; they don’t last very long that way.

God has given us a renewed and beautiful life, one that is free and godly. We have inherited great and marvelous promises, one that can enable us to share His divine nature. It is a gift, paid by blood – when Jesus Christ died on that cross. That, is our main source of divine power God has given us, that our sins are rememebered no more but instead His righteousness is attributed on us.

Peter encouraged us to response by supplmenting our faith with good works. To further dissect, it  is firstly a reponse; that is, a secondary action in reference to a first action, by God. Secondly, it is a total provision by God that we are able to.

Supplements are good, but don’t replace your mains with supplements.

Pour Afresh On Me

When You came to me
You have set me free
Out of the darkness that pulled us apart

As You were on that tree
You only thought of me
Your love no one can surpass

And take, You take me as I am
Fallen and disgraced
Giving us the life again

Pour afresh on me
Your Spirit in my heart
Let Your love consume me

You renewed me in my heart
By Your power and Your love
You poured afresh in me

Rescued Out Of Trouble

Lord, I thank You that You will keep me safe and far from trouble. I thank you for Your hand of protection that is upon me, especially upon my health, my home, my workplace, my loved ones and any form of transportation, whether I be in a car, bus, plane, or train, or whether I am walking out on a busy street. No sickness or diesase or virus will be upon me because I am shielded by Your blood. Take away all sense of impending doom, whether I am in my home or somewhere else. Help me to sleep in peace at night, knowing You are guarding my dwelling place.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.  In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.     Psalm 4:7-8

The Good Stuff

But—“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone.   Titus 3:4-8

Jesus & Jonah, The Total Redemption

Jonah – the very first submariner.

OK, that may be a little tongue-in-cheek, but Jonah is really the first man that had gone down into the depth of the sea and lived to tell the tale.

The account of Jonah in the Book of Jonah is a favourite among Sunday School kids. The story of Jonah is a drama between a passive man and an active God. The plot centers on a conflict between Jonah and God. God calls Jonah to proclaim judgment to Nineveh, but Jonah resists and attempts to flee. He goes to Joppa and boards a ship bound for Tarshish. God calls up a great storm at sea, and the ship’s crew cast Jonah overboard in an attempt to appease God. A great sea creature (a great fish or whale) sent by God, swallows Jonah. For three days and three nights Jonah languishes inside the fish’s belly. He says a prayer in which he repents for his disobedience and calls upon God for mercy. God speaks to the fish, which vomits out Jonah safely on dry land. After his rescue, Jonah obeys the call to prophesy against Nineveh, and they repent and God forgives them.

“For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.”   Matthew 12:42

But what makes this extraordinary account even more amazing is Jesus’ reference of Himself to Jonah in the New Testament. This very declaration revealed a great divine mystery to give us a rare glimpse of what Jesus had to go suffer, especially mentally and spiritually, other than what is mentioned in the gospels.

So what did the Book of Jonah say about the sufferings? When Jonah was swallowed up inside the belly of the fish, as Jesus in “the heart of the earth”, Jonah’s prayer revealed his agony:

“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’

“I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death!  As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”   Jonah 2:2-9

Jonah was taken from his natural environment and thrusted into a space that is so alien, tramatic and unbearable. Similar, Jesus was placed on the cross in blood, shame and guilt; a place that He a God has never experienced before. Crying out to the Father but because of our sins He carried, He did not get a response. This, even before time, has never happened before. This is what Jesus had to endure; the physical torture although agonising, is compounded by His mental and spiritual anguish from the separation and abandonment from the Father.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.   Isaiah 53:5

Jesus was pierced for our spiritual rebellion and our sins. He endured the punishment so that we can have wholesome mental peace. He was physically wounded and whipped, so that we can be healed.

Jesus’ suffering on the cross was total; His redemption is thus total! All our sins have been completely punished in the body of Christ who was condemned for us. He suffered the ultimate suffering, so that we enjoy His ultimate blessing; to be called sons and daughters of God!

Salvation, Faith and Works – You Do The Math

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.   Ephesians 2:8-10

Come

 

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.      Hebrews 10:19-25