2010 Nov 24 - 2 Timothy 1 - Brenda

2 Timothy 1:7 
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

提摩太后書  1:7 因為 神賜給我們、不是膽怯的心、乃是剛強、仁愛、謹守的心。

 

Dear all,

 

Morning everyone!!! Thanksgiving is coming tomorrow and we will celebrate it tonight at our house church, here I just wanna say big thanks to all of you being my dear friends who read my QT journal everyday and encourage me daily.

 

Today's verse seems simple but all of us really need it in our everyday life!!! We all need to be courageous to love NOT fear, Self-control is our life-long lesson, it is something to do with how we control our emotion, behaviour and desires.  It is our everyday battle of how to be self-control and God always teaches us to love him with our heart, mind, soul and strength, in the meantime we need to know how to be self-control, as if we don't know how to control our heart we can never say that we can love God and people around us!!!

 

Wish everyone is having the spirit of power, love and self-control that God already gave us!!!

 

Love you all and wish you have a great day full of grateful heart!!!

Brenda

2010 Nov 24 - Psalm 51 - Shelley

'Psalm 51:17: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, (showing deep regret, remorse for doing wrongdoing) O God, you will not despise (ignore).'

 

Goodmorning all,

 

Although today I am not feeling my best physically I still want to reflect on God's word and see how He can restore my spirit again. When I read this verse it reminds me that I need to always be broken before God when I have sinned. Sometimes I reason with myself, 'oh it's just a small sin or just one bad thought or action' but in God's eyes it is the same as a big sin like murdering or stealing. I am convicted that I need to open about everything that I struggle with and get help from God and others that I am close to in my life.

 

Ezekiel 36:26 promises that if we turn to God and we are really sorry for our sin that He is willing to change our heart of stone into a heart of 'flesh' a soft heart. We are not able to do this by ourselves alone but only by the grace of God and by the love and support of others we are open to.

 

I pray for all of us to be willing to be open about our sin before others we trust and God so that we can share in God's glory. Amen.

 

Love, Shelley

2010 Nov 24 - Luke 6 - Andy

I find a special scripture today, and would like to share with you too (hope it is not too late)

"Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets."

A scriptures that remind us to alert what is your conviction of your life - pleasing people or pleasing God? 

It is common that in our daily life, we try to please everyone around, fulfilling their needs and requirement.

That is not a bad thing, as it is God's wishes that we love and give to one another.

But after some time, would we lose the focus on God?

"If everything you say is loved by everyone, the odds are good that you're bending the truth" [cited from Ref. below]

To think more about this approach, i think of many people, and found out that everyone in the world are doing so, packing themselves, trying

to look good before every person, but with an resentful heart in their mind actually.

Also the prophets in the old testament, isn't some prophets trying to speak what the King want, instead of the truth?  (JEREMIAH 6:13 - 15)

The real love and relationship can accept truth that even they would be wounded.

If we are focusing just what others want us to be, we would lose focus on truth, as bible said ,

今日睇到段好特別的經文:

"人都說你們好的時候，你們就有禍了，因為他們的祖宗待假先知也是這樣" Luke 6:26

一個要好alert 自己生命的信念

你係要活一個please 人的生命，還是please 神的呢? 

有時生活上都好容易想去討好每一個人，their needs/requirement
都會覺得咁做幾好ar, 神都係想我地去付出，去愛

但會唔會忽略左神點睇

當我們說的話是每個人都喜愛的話，很大機會你在嘗試扭曲事實!

事實係，world 每一個人都嘗試咁做，咁去包裝自己，but actually 心入面好多resentful 的想法

諗起好多人，諗起舊約的先知，想大家也認識一d 在某人面前恭恭敬敬，但在他背後說三道四的人吧!

真正的愛同關係係能夠包容一些即使令他們FEEL Hurt 的真相的!

當人只focus 去please 人，很容易會lose focus on 真相，所以bible 說

"心懷二意的人，在一切所去的事都沒有定見" James 1:8
He is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

"人若賺得全世界，卻喪了自己，賠上自己，有甚麼益處呢?" LUKE 9:25

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose of forfeit his very self?

你要做一個Please 人的假先知，定係做一個Please 神，但唔討好人的基督徒?

Would you choose to be a People-Pleasing Prophets, or a God-Pleasing Christian, which might not gaining others confirmation?

(Reference: Boundaries, ch 6 common boundary myths, #4 If i set boundaries, i will hurt others)

Happy Thanksgiving

Cheers,

Andy