Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Romans 3

The purpose of the law is not to make us righteous but to make us become conscious of sins.

For example, does any government around the world make laws to make its citizens become better people?

The answer is no.

Many laws have been made and applied throughout the history of the world, and not one of them made people become better people.

It's the same way with the law of God. The law of God doesn't make us to be better people but rather make us conscious of our faults, greed, adulterous heart, idolatry, and lust.

How then do we become better people?

Well the question is wrong, because God says there is no one who does good, no not one.

Everyone turned to his own evil desires, not necessarily criminal minds, but idolatrous minds, ignoring God and worshipping something or someone other than God, for example, money, power, status or sex.

God says, He declares us righteous when we put our trust in Him.

Putting our trust in God means we accept God as who He is.

We accept everything about God.

We accept the benevolent, all-loving God.

We accept that He is good.

By putting our trust in Him, we become like Him knowingly or unknowingly.

Now I think about it, I haven't actually paid the price for all the countless number of sins that I committed in the past.

I should rather say, "How can God be so unjust as to overlook all the sins that I have committed whether they be small or big in the world's eyes?"

"Is God unjust?" "Is He selfish, unjust and wicked like some corrupt leader, government or heinous criminal in the history of the world?"

Well, He did punish the wicked for all the sins they had/have committed, in Jesus. Jesus paid that price, and now God commands us to believe that sacrifice provided for us.

We'll pay the price for our sins in two ways in the end.

Either Jesus pays for us on the cross, or we pay in the eternal torment of hell.

Everlasting life or everlasting death.

Everlasting joy or everlasting misery.

Everlasting fellowship with God whose love surpasses all knowledge, or everlasting separation from God whose wrath would be fully unveiled in the unquenchable lake of fire, reserved for Satan and demons, and also for those who rejected His love.

God is love. Love is God.
Without God, without love.
I breath God, and God breathes me.
Without God, I am nothing.
With God, I am all that I am and can be.

"God presented Jesus as a sacrifice of forgiveness, through belief in his blood/death.
He did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His patience He had left the sins every soul that ever lived committed beforehand unpunished. He did this to demonstrate His justice / fairness at the present time, so as to be just/fair and the one who justifies the sinful (i.e. every soul that ever lived, lives or will live) who trust in Jesus."
Romans 3:25, 26

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Romans 2

One big misconception we have about God is that He's a forgiving God who overlooks evil.

Yes, He is a forgiving God, and He does forgive sins but He does not overlook sins.

He will judge both the righteous and the evil.

He will reward those who do good and punish those who do evil.

God is a just God. He is not a God who judges partially or misjudge.

He knows our hearts and all the secrets of our hearts will be revealed when the Lord Jesus returns and judges us on that final day of judgement.

All of us sins and we are all by nature under the wrath and judgement of God, and this is perfectly understandable and right.

Should the murderers, rapists, liars, slanderer, adulterers, idolaters and God-haters enter the heaven? And completely destroy the society of the heaven? No, because that would be unloving of anyone, yea, unloving of God to let them harm the people who desire to live in harmony and love God and love each other.

For example, what if there's no police system in any government of the world? What if the murderers, rapist, liars, slanderers, adulterers and insurrectionists were all tolerated and by no means, judged?

Would that nation stand? Would you and I be able to live in that kind of society? Would that be loving of anyone?

What if someone tries to kill you, rape you, lie to you, slander your name,  cheat on you and replace you in your work and home? Or what if that person tries to do these things to someone you love, your family, spouse or children?

How horrendous that would be, indeed!!! What if they really did these things to someone you love the most on the earth? Would you let them go as if nothing happened? No, by no means!!! You'd seek revenge!!!

This is what God did. God indeed punished evil and sin by sending His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, although He was innocent and sinless, chose to be placed in the position of a heinous criminal and died as a murderer, rapist, liar, adulterer, slanderer, and idolater, that we are.

And now when anyone believes that Jesus died in their place for their sins, God says they are righteous because they believed in the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ, His Son, and they're now declared to be the children of God.

The Holy Spirit comes into their lives and they are new people.

God changes their hearts. God changes your heart the moment you stop your stubbornness running away and avoiding God, and finally take that step and do the most reasonable thing on the face of the earth, that is to love God, and put your entire trust in that God who loved you enough, so much, that He sent the Son of God, Jesus who loved you Himself as well, to die on the cross to bear your faults, sins, crime and evil, so that you no longer live in fear of the punishment, judgement and wrath of God.

Jews believe they're the chosen people of God because they're the ones who received the law of God and receive circumcision and follow the law of God, that's only partly true.

God says, it is those who are inwardly Jews, that are true Jews or the true people of God.

The chosen people of God are not people who have a specific nationality or received a specific holy scripture or had a specific history related to God.

That's only partly right.

The true people of God are those who are inwardly transformed or being transformed by the power, love, grace and mercy of God, into the image of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Romans 8:29

Romans 1

Paul, to the Romans.

Paul greets the Romans and encourages them to be faithful to God, and Paul's delighted to hear that the news of Romans' faith is being reported all over the world.

Paul emphasises the importance of the power of the gospel of God that saves both Jews and Gentiles.

The Righteous person lives by faith.

The Righteous person is a person who puts his entire trust in God who made him/her and the entire universe.

It is a relationship between the trusted and the trustee.

God and His people whom He loves.

God created people for Himself, exactly to have a perfect relationship with them.

But knowing the fact that our breakage in this holy relationship would result in death, we still did it. We broke away from our Creator and chose the created, and started to worship the created which looked beautiful and desirable to possess. We forgot God, God let us go that way.

God did not force us to stay with Him which would be unloving of Him.

He chose to suffer the breakage in the relationship, yet He never gave up on us.

He let us explore evil, perverted and idolatrous.

We started to worship the sun, moon and the stars.

We also made gods out of wood, stone, marbles and animals.

We believed what eyes saw, and ignored what our hearts told us.

We started to believe in the physical realm, rather than listening to the quiet voice of God who speaks to our conscience and dreams.

We exploited God by turning his gifts to gods.

The gifts God bestowed upon us became our gods; money, power and sex.

Not bad or evil in themselves but our obsession with money, power and sex became the trap that trapped us in confusion, addiction and deception.

We forgot God, yet God never forgot us.

He's still waiting for us. He still gives us the hints of His presence here and there.

The sky declares the glory of God.
Psalm 19:1
Romans 1:20

Monday, January 7, 2013

Even David Was Worn Out From Groaning With Weeping

There are some Christians who advocate the fact that if you believe in Jesus, all your problems will be solved and your emotions will be taken care of, and your depression will be healed.

Well, hear this out from David.

"I am worn out from groaning;
all night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.

My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
they fail because of all my foes."
Psalm 6:6, 7

It is a fact that psalms depict many instances and moments when David suffered from and experienced laments, depression, anger, sadness, loneliness and absolute despair.

And these emotions were written all over his life's journey.

So was David not a strong believer in God?

Is that why he was not strong enough to be happy and easy-going all the time like many Christians / Pastors mistakenly believe Christians should be?

Jesus said that we all suffer.

We sometimes suffer because of our own mistakes and failures and other times because of someone else's fault, but what's most important in these times of suffering is that we keep our attitude and heart sound and centred in God.

I'm no good at this than anyone else.

So, here I'm preaching to myself.

I learn from David,

"Away from me, all you who do evil,
for the LORD has heard my weeping.
The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;
the LORD accepts my prayer."
Psalm 6:8, 9

Do I know that the LORD has heard my weeping?
Do I know and feel that the LORD has heard my cry for mercy?
Do I know, feel and internalise the fact that the LORD accepts my prayer?

This is the faith David had, and I take a moment to have this kind of faith by believing in the LORD who has heard my weeping and my cry for mercy, and accepts my prayer.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

This Man Stands Before You Healed By The Name Of Jesus Christ Of Nazareth

It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
Acts 4:10

What? It is by the name of someone who was killed like a common criminal, no actually, like a heinous criminal with capital punishment, like death by an electric chair or hanging as a modern day equivalent, that this crippled man regained the strength and ability to stand up again?

Yes, exactly.

But more than that, there's no one else on the face of the earth by whom you can be saved, apart from Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who was killed with that kind of capital punishment but God raised from the dead.

No, I can't save myself from the damnation of hell, and no, you can't save yourself from the damnation of hell, either.

No, Buddha cannot save you from the damnation of hell, because he himself needs to be saved from his own sins.

No, Muhammad cannot save you from the damnation of hell, because he himself needs to be saved from his own sins.

No, no so-called gods cannot save you from the damnation of hell, because there are no "gods" per se. There is only one God according to Jesus.

How arrogant of you to say that! How arrogant of you to say that there is only one person on the face of the earth by whom we can be saved from sins, death and punishment and get to heaven! How arrogant of Jesus to say that!

Well, it would be very arrogant of him like you said if he was a mere man. That's why it is very humble of us who are human-beings to say that "I am no god." But curiously, Jesus said "I am God."

And that person was a person who died by crucifixion?!
How am I supposed to believe such a thing?

Well, I did not write the Bible. I did not write these truths.
Well, don't argue with me, argue with God, or argue with the Bible, the Word of God!

These truths are something I need to wrestle with everyday myself as well.

I love people. I love everyone on the face of the earth. Well, I would like to develop that kind of unconditional love for everyone on the face of the earth, regardless of their race, culture, geographic location or language.

But my love must be based upon the Truth, not lies!
My love must be truthful, not just mushy feelings.

So I dare say, be healed in the name of Jesus!
Be saved by Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

How can I be saved?

When the jailer who jailed the followers of Jesus witnessed a miracle happening to them, and he was at the brink of death because he almost let them escape due to the miracle performed for them. The jailer almost committed suicide, but Paul, one of the students of Jesus, shouted to him, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"

He (the jailer) then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household."
Acts 16:29-31

Friday, January 4, 2013

I Am Happier Than They Who Are Rich

You have filled my heart with greater joy
than when their grain and new wine abound.
Psalm 4:7

When David wrote this psalm, he was happier than other people who were rich,

Because God filled David's heart with great joy,

Greater joy than those who had a lot of money flow in to their bank accounts.

David could sleep well.

I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:8

The question is, "Is this true of me?"

Does God fill my heart with greater joy than when other people are making a lot of money?

The answer seems to be "no" initially,

But when I think about it, "Do rich people sleep well?"

I have a hunch that that is not necessarily so.

"Do I sleep better than the majority of (if not all) the rich people on the face of the earth?"

Possibly. I may sleep better than a lot of rich people in this world tonight.

So, God does fill my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound, just like He did for David's heart.
Psalm 4:7

Thursday, January 3, 2013

I am like God?

When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.
Genesis 5:1

God created me in His likeness.

I am like God.......?

Yes, the word of God affirms that I am like God.

God does not say this with regards to other animals, creatures, or even angels. But only with regards to a human-being, God says this.

In what sense?

I am not all-powerful like God.
I am not all-knowing like God.
I am not all-present like God.

But I can be loving like God.
And I can be kind like God.
And I can be patient like God.
And I can rejoice with the truth like God.
And I can protect, trust, hope and persevere like God.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8

God is love.
And the purpose of my being is to love like God.


When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. That man may love like God. Or at least, man may learn to love like God for all eternity. For ever and ever.


Wednesday, January 2, 2013

God laughs at them who stand against Him

The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.

Psalm 2:4

I never noticed the humour of this verse.

God laughs!!!! Hahahahahahaha.

God laughs at those who stand against Him.

They think they can oppose God and somehow establish their own idolatrous kingdom on the earth.

If I think I can oppose God and establish my own little idolatrous kingdom, God laughs at me!!! Haha~

Haha~

God laughs at them.

God laughs at me (if I oppose Him!)

God scoffs at them.

God scoffs at me (if I oppose Him!)

"Scoff" means "to laugh or say things to show that you think someone or something is stupid or deserves no respect." according to Macmillan Dictionary.

Haha.

So it follows that God laughs and say things to show that He thinks those who oppose Him are stupid and deserve no respect. Period.

So I can be very stupid and deserve no respect If I opposed God!!

Haha.

It goes to show how stupid it would be oppose God.

How very stupid of me would it be if I opposed God!!! Hahaha

He made me and made you and every one of us.

If anyone (including me) would dare to oppose God, it would be like a pottery opposing its maker, the potter.


Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Like A Tree Planted By Streams Of Water

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

Happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked, sinful and idolatrous.

Happy is the man who does not stand around with those who scheme evil things.

Happy is the man who does not sit around with those who mock other people and God.


But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

His happiness is derived from the word of God, and on His word, he muses in the morning and night.


He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

This man is just like a tree planted near a river, that produces its delicious, wholesome fruit in season and whose leaf is green and flourishing.

He succeeds in everything he does.

Psalm 1:1-3

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