One Thing Is Needed (Lk 10.41-42)

And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." (Lk 10:41-42 NKJ)

Chores and cares occupy much our of lifetime. Sometimes, we begin to wonder if time cannot be stretched a bit more longer as the day was stretched for Joshua. As night draws in and another day comes to an end, we wish we could have done a bit much more, especially a bit much more for our Lord. But, what does our Lord say: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

He cares more for us to be at His feet and learn from Him than to think that we must be out somewhere doing things for Him. Does it mean that we need to be doing nothing? Of course not. But, it certainly means that we need to learn to sit and learn at His feet even when we are doing something.

Our worth doesn't come from our working for Him. Our worth comes from our being with Him. Satisfaction in life do not come from incessant working or acting. Satisfaction comes from our relationship with Him, when He reigns as the Master in our heart and gets all our reverential attention. Jesus made this clear to the Ephesians:

"I know your works, your labor, your patience...and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. (Rev 2:2-4 NKJ)

The saddest part of a Christian's walk will be that when he gets so busy working for God that he fails to understand that he has actually really stopped serving Him; that he has actually grown distant from Him. In order to serve the Master, one must be sensitive to His voice, to His call, to His command. But, how can one hear when the mind is worried and troubled about many things?

May our hearts learn to rest in His presence and be attentive to His voice even in the midst of the most intensive and perspiring labor; that we don't find worth in work, but find worth in worshiping the Lord and Master of all things!

Personal and Mass Evangelism

 

"Cast in a hook, and take the fish.." (Mat.17:27)
"Cast the net.. and you will find some." (Joh 21:6)

Personal evangelism is like fishing with a hook. Mass evangelism is like fishing with a net. But, it's more important to drag the net to the shore and bring the fish home.

Both require focus, accuracy (guidance), and patience. Both involve the idea of catching and being catchy. Evangelism fishes souls out of the sea of sin and damnation and draws them out into salvation. The fish hook/net is the message of the Gospel that saves them.

Both are inefficient without the command and guidance of Christ the Master Fisherman. He knows where and when and how to do it.

The bait is something they want and look for. The consequence is their redemption.

Satan also uses snares, nets, and hooks to hunt after souls. The saved are instructed to be vigilant and prayefully watch so that they do not get ensnared by the devil.

The Lord Knows the Way of the Righteous

"Nor stands in the path of sinners...
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. " (Psalm 1:1,6)

The term "way" in the Bible is always linked to a destination or destiny. To wander from the right way and be lost may invite compassion; but, to choose the wrong way and persist on it invites divine wrath.

Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah (Jude 1:11)

But, the LORD knows the way of the righteous.

Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity." (2Tim. 2:19)

The Rewards of Risk-Taking (Eccl. 11:1-6)

"Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again." (Ecc 11:1)

One should not fear taking risks. All work of production calculates risks. Risk-taking is key to farming, business, banking. In the Parable of Talents, the boss commended the two workers who went and took risks to do business with the money they received, doubling it by the time their boss returned. However, he was very unhappy with the worker who went and hid the capital depriving the boss of even the interest from the use of it. He rebuked him saying that he should have given the money to bankers if he was afraid of taking risks, for bankers (risk-takers themselves) assure of a set interest amount. Risk-taking must be accompanied by good counsel, calculation, wisdom, and diligent hard-work that explores various avenues of investment. Risk-taking investments forgo the present disuse or use of something for sake of future returns. For instance, the farmer sows the grain instead of eating it or storing it for consumption in order to reap multiple production.

Instead of investing the whole capital in just one industry, it is better to divide it into various. "Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land." (Ecc 11:2)

It is also important to be diligent and willing to use spare time (available labor-time--not to scrape it from family and rest time) in any other industry. "Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well."(Ecc 11:6)

Don't just wait for things to look very sure and certain. Move forward. Risk-takers move by faith, not by sight. "Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap (Ecc.11:4)

Also, be prepared for crisis-times. And, do not forget that charity and helping the poor has assurance of returns and rewards from God (Prov.19:17). That reward is always assured and never lost.

#Business #Risk #Disaster #Industry #Success

Citizenship Cooperation With Country's Cause

And the children of Israel said to them, "Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."(Exo 16:3)

People in general detest to go through the pain of transition though they immensely desire the Promised Land--they give in to intense complaining, wishing to go back to their previous state of misery, instead of walking through the ordeal of the uncomfortable journey. They, then, begin to despise authority and speak evil of dignitaries (2Pet.2:10), when they are called to cooperate with them, knowing the fear of the Lord (Rom.13:1; Tit.3:1). To citizens of various respective countries, if your government stands in rebellion against the express Moral Law of Heaven, resist it (Acts 4:19; 5:29); but, if it is on the side of righteousness and good governance with a vision to lead the nation to well-being, beware of joining the mass of complainers (Jude 1:8-10).

See Also
The Opposition in Democracy

Circumstantial Guidance

'When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?.... Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there..." (Gen.42:1,2)

Oftentimes, God uses circumstances to guide us. But, He always guides to only the good, never into evil. In this incident, Jacob is being constrained towards the only logical and practical option left. But, this constraint was what God actually used to get them to Egypt according to His plan. When we trust in divine sovereignty, we can give thanks to God in everything. If we feel confused about some decision, we can ask, "What is the good, practical and God-pleasing final option or solution to this issue?" We don't need to just stand looking for some answer or for someone to do something. Just take a decision.

Nothingness

"I am nothing" (2Cor.12:11)

Nothingness is the threshold of a new beginning. Spiritual nothingness is a recognition of the everythingness of Christ and the nothingness of self: in Christ, everything; through Christ, everything; for Christ everything. The chorus of heaven is "God is everything". The dirge of hell is "I am everything". The Throne of God is surrounded by "How Great Thou Art!" The vaults of hell resound with "How Great I Am!" The devil begs and lures for recognition. God commands submission. The meek inherit the earth. The poor in spirit inherit the Kingdom of God. God resists the proud, but exalts the humble. The humble are not those who try to look humble. The humble are those who recognize that they are nothing, but Christ is everything, and they are complete in Christ; and if so, there is left no more room for boasting of any kind whatsoever, no confidence in flesh, no praise of men, no provision for the flesh and its lusts. Nothingness is the door to everythingness, so that the child of God can say, "I am full, I lack nothing".

One Body

"So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another." (Rom.12:5)

The Church is not a denomination, for denominations are organizations, but the Church is one body, and the believers, being many, are individually members of one another, irrespective of location, language, nationality, or time period. Unity is organic, not organizational, obviously. Organizations exist for the sake of order and oversight; however, they can often be a hindrance to the individual. But, the Church has no name or human barriers. It is always one body. The deeper connection is undeniable and basic to the body no matter what the external identifiers may be; the Lord only knows His one body.

A Hireling Flees

"But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees." (John 10:12)

Hirelings: Pastors who are more concerned about their own respect than the welfare of the sheep, who threaten to leave the flock if they don't listen. Teachers who have no compassion and kindness towards students, but act like terrorists and hi-fi intellectuals. Couples who are faithless and irresponsible and threaten to leave when storms arise. Parents who don't take personal responsibility for the godly upbringing of their children, but commit them to others. Children who neglect their duties towards their parents. Relatives who act in unneighborly manner. Friends who forsake and flee or jump in to only criticize in the time of adversity.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want (Psalm 23:1)

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. (Psalm 23:1)

This is a powerful declaration of David. There are many inferential connections in the assertion, like "The Lord is my Shepherd; He is an all-powerful Shepherd; He is an all-knowing Shepherd; He is all-present Shepherd; He never slumbers or sleeps; He is good and kind; He is a Caring Shepherd; He is a Rich Shepherd; He is a Loving Shepherd; therefore, I shall never lack anything."

When David calls God his shepherd, he recognizes God as his protector, provider, savior, and master.

There is nothing more damaging to the Christian life than the thought that "I am lacking something". The devil tried this with Eve and prevailed. He first tried to question if God forbade all the trees of the Garden. When she said, No, not every tree but only the tree of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, he questioned the motives of God as to why He had kept this one tree from them. Have you ever felt like why this or that one thing was kept from you? Instantly, Eve's eyes were turned away from all that God had given to the one thing He had not given to her. And, when she pondered on this, the desire for the forbidden fruit grew bigger and bigger and (as usually with human experience) her desire for all the things that God gave her dwarfed before the desire for the one forbidden thing. This single thing that she lacked (because the Shepherd didn't give her) grew into an abyss of wantedness in her. The result: sin, shame, and suffering.

Similarly so also with the Israelites in the wilderness. Their minds began to turn to what they didn't have (and, can there be a point where a person can say "I have everything"? Even the richest of men don't have all things), i.e. what God hadn't allotted to them. They lusted for meat (of a strange kind of course; or else, they certainly had flocks with them!). They lusted for the spices of Egypt. They began to find the manna that God gave them disgusting. They began to complain and murmur against the Shepherd of Israel. But, is it true that they were in want? Of course not. However, instead of declaring their joy in the Lord in psalms and praises, they were filled with grumblings and weepings. They found a reason to complain (Who cannot find?). The result: destruction in the wilderness. Unless the Shepherd leads us into the Promised Land, we can never enter it. But, how will you follow a Shepherd when you want Him to follow and fulfill all your longings all the time. But, David was not like that. He knew that what the Shepherd gave him was his contentment and satisfaction.

But, look at Joseph. When Potiphar's wife tried to seduce him into sleeping with him, he stood as a rock and replied: "My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" He didn't become unrighteous in saying, "Why should I lack this experience when it is readily available?" He ran from Potiphar's wife. He ran from the temptation. He ran from sin. And, he had to suffer for this by being unjustly thrown into prison. But, God blessed him. The result: favor, promotion, power, prosperity, and purposefulness. God used him to save Israel. God used him to save the world from famine and starvation. He became the Prime Minister of Egypt.

Can You Sing Psalm 1 Yet?

The Psalm contrasts between two kinds of people:

One who is blessed, the other who is not;
One who is like a strong tree, the other who is like chaff;
One who is planted by rivers of water and is well nourished, the other who is driven away by the wind;
One who brings forth his fruit in his season, the other who shall not stand in the time of testing or judgment;
One whose leaf never withers (he is always in good health and right relationship with God), the other who shall not stand in the gathering of the righteous (he has no place among those who are in right standing with God);
One whose every work shall prosper, the other whose way shall perish.

The Bible promises prosperity in every act that the one who is blessed does. To be blessed means to be strong, well-nourished, vivacious, healthy, and prosperous in the will of God. This is not prosperity gospel. The Bible is not telling us that the godly will not have trials; however, the Bible does promise that God has given us His promises and His power so that we can, with His abundant life, swim against the current and experience His power and come out pure as gold in our faith in Him. Hebrews 11 clearly recounts the success of faith in the sense of supernatural experiences especially in the midst of temptation and suffering and a life of pilgrimage in the world.

The Bible doesn’t tell us, to the chagrin of some melancholic theologians, that the blessed will be like the chaff driven by the wind. It doesn’t tell us that the blessed cannot stand in the time of testing. On the contrary, it tells us that it is the ungodly and the sinners who cannot stand in the hour of judgment and in the congregation of the righteous.

The Bible promises power, purposefulness, protection, productivity, and prosperity to the blessed.

The Bible also promises persecution, which is nothing but the counter-current that tries to kill the strong tree. However, to stand in faith and in the will of God is the blessing of the blessed.

“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2Tim.3:12)
“In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
“But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.” (Gal.4:29)
“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1John 4:4)

Of course, sometimes it may seem that the wicked are prospering; but, the Scripture reveals to us their fate:

“Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awakes, So, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image. Thus my heart was grieved, and I was vexed in my mind.” (Psa.73:18-21).

Let’s look at some qualities that make a person blessed:

1. The Blessed doesn’t walk in the counsel of the ungodly.
The counsel of the ungodly is anything that ungodly people say and teach in order to lead people away from the Word of God and right relationship with God.

“For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:4)

“Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.” (2John 1:9-11)

“traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.” (2Tim.3:4-9).

2. The Blessed does not stand in the way of sinners.
The way of sinners is the path they take to execute their actions. The blessed has nothing to do with the way of sinners.

“My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. If they say, "Come with us, Let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause; Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, And whole, like those who go down to the Pit; We shall find all kinds of precious possessions, We shall fill our houses with spoil; Cast in your lot among us, Let us all have one purse" -- My son, do not walk in the way with them, Keep your foot from their path; For their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed blood. Surely, in vain the net is spread In the sight of any bird; But they lie in wait for their own blood, They lurk secretly for their own lives. So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners.” (Proverbs 1:10-19)

“Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” (Jude 1:11-13)

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. “ (Matt. 7:13-14)

3. The Blessed does not sit in the seat of the scornful.
The scornful are mockers who do not regard the seriousness of human life, the sincerity of God’s Word, and the severity of God’s judgment. They are loose-talkers, loose-livers, and sensual.

“But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” (Eph.5:3-5)

“But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.” (Jude 1:17-18)

“knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts…” (2Pet.3:3)

“But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption,” (2 Pet.2:12)

4. The Blessed delight in the Law of God.
They love the Word of God. They love to hear the Word of God. They are hungry for the Word of God. Their greatest joy comes when they listen carefully and understand what God is speaking through His Word. These are not emotional people who look for sensational phenomena, lights, show, and sensual entertainment. These are not celebrity-fans. Their pure delight is in the Word of God.

To delight means to desire to spend time in, to derive happiness from, to douse, dip, and be drenched with the Word of God.

5. The Blessed meditates in the Word of God day and night.
There is just this simple key to blessedness: faith; living faith, active faith, total faith. And faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. To meditate means to internalize the Word of God, to take the Word deep within by pondering, meditating, thinking upon, being immersed in, and comparing life events and experiences in the light of the Word of God. To meditate means to ask questions: why, what, when, where, how. Those who do not ask questions in order to understand more deeply the Word of God are like a stony ground on which, when the rain falls, it rolls away or just stops on the surface. But those who ask questions are like the soft soil that drinks the rain water and takes it deep within the ground.

The Bible starts with a Psalm of blessedness. God calls us to a life of blessedness.

The Light Shines In The Darkness

"And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." (Jn. 1:5)

"The light shines" is in simple present tense; the darkness did not comprehend it is in past tense (in Greek, aorist). This is a testimony about Jesus Christ.

1. It points to the eternality of Christ, the light, who always shines, has always shone, and will always shine. There is no shadow of turning in Him. Yesterday and tomorrow are as today for Him. Therefore, His voice through the Spirit is always in the today.

2. It points to the defeat point of darkness as in the past. There is no present or future possibility left for darkness. The Scripture does not say " The darkness will not comprehend"; it says that it did not comprehend. In other words, the defeat of darkness is a finished fact. Christians must rest assured that it is impossible for darkness to ever gain the upper hand. Its defeat is over forever.

3. It points to the fact that those who love darkness can never come to the light. In order to walk in light, we must first long for the light.

"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." (Phil. 3:19-21)

What Did Jesus Mean When He Said His Time Had Not Yet Come?

In John 2:4, when the mother of Jesus shares with Him her concern that the hosts at Cana had run out of the wedding wine, Jesus replies to her that His time had not yet come. But, then He goes ahead and turns water into wine. So, why did He say that His time had not yet come? What did He mean by it?

Again in John 7:6, when His unbelieving brothers suggest to Him to go to Jerusalem and show His works there so that people could see and believe, He answers that His time had not yet come but their time was always ready. Then, He tells them to go up to the feast and that He wasn't coming because His time had not fully yet come. However, when after they go, He secretly does go up to Jerusalem. So, what did He really mean when He said His time hadn't fully come? Did it mean that the time when He went up to Jerusalem was time He was actually talking about? Or did it mean something else?

The Gospel of John has strong purposes in highlighting certain phrases and "time has not come" and "time has come" are important motif phrases. Thus, later on, the Gospel doesn't forget to tell us what this "time" was all about:

John 12:23 – Hour Has Come for the Son to Be Glorified
John 13:1 – Hour Has Come to Depart To the Father
John 17:1 – Hour Has Come to Glorify Son, so That Son Will Glorify Father

Evidently, the hour and time that Jesus was talking about was His time to be glorified by the Father.

In contrast, Mary was more concerned about the earthly glory and respect of the wedding and the brothers were also thinking in terms of earthly honor and glory, which was what Christ came against... To destroy the old world of sin and sinful self-respect and bring in a new order of submission to the Father and His will.

No matter what He did, "this world" could never accept Him, for "this world" or "this worldly order (cosmos)" was characterized by open rebellion to God and His Son. It could only crucify Him and put Him to shame.

But, the glory of the Father was in this, that what the world considered to be the dishonoring and defacing of the Son of God, He turned it into the hour of glory of Him.....

Jesus didn't perform the miracle at Cana because of the concern of Mary or go to Jerusalem because of the concern of His brothers--their concerns belonged to this worldly order and framework of honor, recognition, and respect; He worked in a different framework of time, the time-framework of His Father's cosmic arrangement of things. In Him, the end of the old and the beginning of the new are cosmically fulfilled; for those who accept Him, new life, and for those who reject Him, eternal alienation from the life of God.

Say the Words...

Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs." (Jn.21:15)

Even Jesus asked Peter to verbalize his love for Him. Certainly, if Peter had at sometime denied Jesus saying "I do not know Him", it was more important to confess now his deep love for the Master. Does God need to hear an "I love you" from us? I strongly believe, yes. Not because He is in need of love as such, but because at the essence of relationship lies communication, and communication involves confession and verbalization of thoughts and feelings. Isn't that the reason why worship is not a rite but an act of truth and spirit?

If it is important for God to hear us express how much we love Him and adore Him, it is also important for us as humans to verbalize love and esteem for each other. The other must hear our deepest appreciation. Of course, we express love and gratitude through acts and gifts, but these cannot take the place of verbal expression.

Peter had never said "I love You, Lord! He may have never. But, Jesus knew him and drew him to where he could confess his faith, love, and commitment to his Master. Words are important; they are integral to any covenant, contract, or agreement. We have vows, oaths, and promises; and, in all this, the foundation is truth, faith, and trust. Jesus said that Yes must be Yes and No be No. May the God of Truth keep our hearts in His faith so that we be fearless and unashamed in the verbalization of our faith, hope, and love.

When God Asks for A Favor

A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." (Joh 4:7)

~This is not the first time when God asks someone for a favor, but actually intends to do great things for that person. We know the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. Elijah asked this widow, who was hoping to only die, to bring him some water in a vessel, and then called out to also bring him something to eat (1Kgs.17:9-11). The widow felt this to be too demanding, but only later realized that she had been chosen by God to be saved in the serving of God's purposes. When Jesus approached Peter in his failure of having caught no fish through the night's vigilant toil, He first asked him to move the boat a little away from the shore so that He could teach the crowd; only after that did He do a miracle that completely transformed Peter's life and showed him the purpose he was created for. Do we recognize Jesus when He comes and asks us, "Give me a drink."?

Hating in Order to Truly Love (Lk 14:26)

"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:26)

~The chasm between what is of Adam and what is of Christ is abysmal. It is only through hating them apart from Christ that we can truly love them through Christ. Isn't it obvious that no matter how much we love our own present Adamic life, we can't protect it from death when it comes? The same extends to all human relationships. The grave shuts the door on all. There is no hope apart from the Resurrected Christ. He who seeks to save this life will lose it, but he who loses it for Christ's sake will gain it. Thus, anyone who loves anything above Christ is going to lose both self and all, and so is unfit for discipleship, is unfit for the new life. Anyone who prefers to keep the Adamic against the riches of Christ has no part with Christ. He is like the rich young man who became sad because his heart could not part with earthly riches, and so his covetousness forced him to abandon both Christ and the treasures of heaven.

Humility Before God and Men (1Pet.5:5)

"Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." (1Pet 5:5)

~Humility before God includes humility before fellow humans as well. What matters more is not how much we know or what we have accomplished, but how much we love God. For, "Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him (1Cor 8:1-3). Humility doesn't mean compromise of truth and values. There is something called a false humility that we must beware of. G.K.Chesterton said it well, "But what we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place. Modesty has moved from the organ of ambition. Modesty has settled upon the organ of conviction; where it was never meant to be. A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed.... We are on the road to producing a race of men too mentally modest to believe in the multiplication table." A humility that fears to speak the truth in love is not true humility at all. A knowledge that is not teachable is not true knowledge as well. True humility is submissive and willing to learn even from a child. Pride, however, regards self-esteem above the knowledge of the truth. True humility doesn't regard itself as superior to anyone because of anything whatsoever; pride despises others for very minor reasons. To be submissive to one another doesn't mean to be slaves of people; it means to have an attitude of willingness to serve anyone as one would serve Christ; to not judge, but to have compassion; to not try to justify self, but to live a life of repentance all the time.....

God knows those who love Him; not those who know about or argue about Him, or even use His name.

Job 1: The Man Who Put The Devil To Shame

Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing?" (Job 1:9)

In Job 1:9, the devil is for the first time seen accusing anyone in the history of humanity. The accused guy is a healthy, wealthy, holy man called Job.

3 Claims of the Devil:
1. Anyone can fear God if God becomes their protector
2. Anyone can fear God if God becomes their prosperor
3. Anyone will curse God if God withdraws His protection and prosperity

The Devil is happy as long as we fear God for something: for healing, for blessing, for good friends, for things going on well, even for salvation... However, the Devil is distraught the moment he sees that we fear God for "nothing" related to us, but everything related to God, even for intense suffering. This the Devil can't bear, for it contradicts his nature; he is thoroughly wicked and he can't believe anyone is capable of being good, of truly fearing God.

Job is the story of how God stripped Job of everything he had, ultimately even his health; and, yet he held on to his faith in God. It may not have been faith in the sense that comfort-zone Christians know about. Job's faith went through intense tensions and pressures that are not very normal to humans in general. So, we may expect his faith to do things that we usually may not approve. But, that was the kind of faith that God was looking for; the faith that could be bent, but not broken; that could be heated up, but not melted, that could be battered, but not crushed. When Job's faith came out pure as gold, the devil's face so pale, he disappeared from Job's book. Job was the man who bashed the devil.

"But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!" (Job 1:11)

How often it is okay for us as long as God doesn't touch what "we have"? We distinguish between what belongs to (or is donated to) God and what belongs to us. We may not bother to give God our tithes (and feel happy about keeping the letter of the law); however, if God touches the 90% that we keep for ourselves, worship becomes difficult. It is like a child who receives gifts from his parents; but, he will not tolerate that they touch that gift after they had given it to him. Or it is like a dog, that moves about wagging its tail as long as the Master gives food, but turns aggressive the moment he touches the bone in its mouth. Job reminds us that what we got from God is still God's; He has power to turn these even into the hands of Satan: "all that he has is in your power" (Job 1:12). But, Satan could not break Job's faith. When in a moment's time, he lost all that he had, he fell to the ground and worshiped God saying "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD." Jesus said that it is hard for the rich who trust in their riches to enter into heaven. Job was rich. He had 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and many servants. Yet, Job was not someone who trusted in his riches; his trust was on God.

This Generation Will By No Means Pass Away Till All These Things Take Place, What Does THIS GENERATION mean?

"Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. (Mark 13:30)

A look at the use of the phrase "this generation" indicates that the phrase doesn't always only mean a historical generation (of a particular time); but, it means "these kind of people" or "this Adamic generation". Thus, Jesus was not telling the crowd that His return would be within 60-90 years from then, or that there would be some who would continue to live on and never see death till He returned. From a study of the use of the phrase, it seems more reasonable to interpret "this generation" or the phrase "there are some standing here" as meaning "this sinful generation". It points to the fact that the end-time appearance of Jesus will be upon "this generation" while they are still alive. It is important to ask why Jesus should appear alive upon "this generation"? What is the point of His manifestation upon a generation that is going to perish anyway?

Paul writes about this eschatological experience of the Church (though some interpret it as the first of two phases of the Second Coming): "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord."(1Thess 4:17)

Then, John prophesies about the anti-Christ: "Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone."(Rev 19:20)

With regard to those who pierced Him, it is said: "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.(Rev 1:7)

Evidently, "they who pierced Him", if taken in the sense of a literal chronological generation, will seem improbable. However, if taken in the sense as "the rulers of this age" who crucified the Lord of Glory (2Cor.2:8), in the sense of "the world", the sinful Adamic race; then, the sense becomes very clear.

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"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."(Mark 8:38-9:1)

But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation." (Mark 8:12)

"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38)

"But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, "and saying: 'We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not lament.' "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children." (Matt.11:16-19)

"from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.(Luke 11:51)

7 Marks of Maturity (Phil.3)

"Let us, as many as are mature, have this mind" (Phil.3:15)
7 MARKS OF MATURITY
1. Having no confidence in the flesh, i.e. with regard to race, tribe, caste, culture, class, position, training (Phil.3:3-6)
2. Christ-mindedness, i.e. to regard relationship with Christ above every other thing in the world (Phil.3:7-8)
3. Pursuing God's righteousness, i.e. neither being legalistic nor being libertine, but pursuing the righteousness of faith. (Phil.3:9)
4. Resurrection-focus, i.e. to fasten the mind on the new creation, the power of His resurrection, with the final glorification being the focus of entire life (Phil.3:10-11).
5. Never considering to have already attained or achieved or reached (Phil.3:12), which is a great hindrance to spiritual growth and maturity.
6. Forgetting the past, i.e. to not be reveling in old accomplishments nor be depressed by old failures, to neither idolize the past nor be victimized by it; to not keep knots, to not hold grudges, to not keep a record of evil, to not keep wishing things had been different, but to embrace the freshness of each moment by faith and absolute reliance on God (Phil.3:13)
7. Reaching forth to things ahead, pressing on toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ (Phil.3:13,14). To stretch forward, to strain ahead, to keep moving, to exert every ounce of strength to move toward the goal of God, i.e. the glorification of the saints, the manifestation of the sons of God.