Roots and Wings 3 - 29 Jan 2008
Our allegiance is about you do we regard our master in life to be. Of course it has to be God, but the problem is, our human problem is we drive with our brakes on.
Luke 9:57-62 57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus [1] said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
The passage talks about the cost of following Jesus. By driving with our brakes on we we mot pledge ou full allegiance to God and when confronted with the cost of following Jesus, we hesitate - no full acceleration. As a results we live a "cheap grace" discipleship.
1 Cor 10:1-11 10:1 For I want you to know, brothers, [1] that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ [2] to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
What is meant by "cheap grace" discipleship? 1 Cor 10 is about idolatry. Our allegiance is partial. Yes Jesus is our master, but its OK for something else, we compromise and think that is is OK. We therefore has to die fully to ourselves.
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.
Take up the cross and follow Christ. Our allegiance can only be full if we choose to take up the cross and follow him wholeheartedly, and by dying, we put all past behind and thus forsake all others. Doing so required us to live as radical, rather than respectable.
Luke 14:25-35 25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
34 “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Luke 14 is about the cost od being a disciple of Christ. People see us and reflect the image of who do we master after. We model after our master, living a life with only one aspiration.
Phil 3:7-14 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
From the problem in our allegiance (putting on brakes) and thus displaying a "cheap grace" discipleship as a resulting symptoms, we need to radical reorientate by recognizing we must die to ourselves. The crtical need to reflected in our we ought to live, whihc is to live as radical, rather than respectable, which leads to a life with roots and wings, an empowered life with one aspiration.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Biblical Theology (R&W 2)
Roots and Wings 2 - 28 Jan 2008
The Human Problem is we fear loosing control
1 Sam 15:1-23 15:1 And Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. 3 Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction [1] all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
4 So Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. 6 Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves [2] and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.
10 The word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night. 12 And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.” 13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” 14 And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” 15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”
17 And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” 20 And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 22 And Samuel said,
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,as in obeying the voice of the Lord?Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,and to listen than the fat of rams.23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination,and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,he has also rejected you from being king.”
As a result we give piece-meal surrender to God.
Gen 22:1-13 22:1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy [1] will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.
What we need to recognize, which give us the radical reorientation is for us to recognize we need spiritual eyesight.
2 Kings 6:8-18 8 Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.” 9 But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.” 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice.
11 And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” 12 And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” 13 And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in Dothan.” 14 So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city.
15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.
The critical need for us as to how we should live is for us to live a life with God's wisdom.
1 Kings 3:5-15 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
15 And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
The empowered life is a life that knows who God is.
Isa 40:27-31 27 Why do you say, O Jacob,and speak, O Israel,“My way is hidden from the Lord,and my right is disregarded by my God”?28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?The Lord is the everlasting God,the Creator of the ends of the earth.He does not faint or grow weary;his understanding is unsearchable.29 He gives power to the faint,and to him who has no might he increases strength.30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,and young men shall fall exhausted;31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;they shall mount up with wings like eagles;they shall run and not be weary;they shall walk and not faint.
The Human Problem is we fear loosing control
1 Sam 15:1-23 15:1 And Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. 3 Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction [1] all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
4 So Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. 6 Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves [2] and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.
10 The word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night. 12 And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.” 13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” 14 And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” 15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”
17 And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” 20 And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 22 And Samuel said,
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,as in obeying the voice of the Lord?Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,and to listen than the fat of rams.23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination,and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,he has also rejected you from being king.”
As a result we give piece-meal surrender to God.
Gen 22:1-13 22:1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy [1] will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.
What we need to recognize, which give us the radical reorientation is for us to recognize we need spiritual eyesight.
2 Kings 6:8-18 8 Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.” 9 But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.” 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice.
11 And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” 12 And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” 13 And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in Dothan.” 14 So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city.
15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.
The critical need for us as to how we should live is for us to live a life with God's wisdom.
1 Kings 3:5-15 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
15 And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
The empowered life is a life that knows who God is.
Isa 40:27-31 27 Why do you say, O Jacob,and speak, O Israel,“My way is hidden from the Lord,and my right is disregarded by my God”?28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?The Lord is the everlasting God,the Creator of the ends of the earth.He does not faint or grow weary;his understanding is unsearchable.29 He gives power to the faint,and to him who has no might he increases strength.30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,and young men shall fall exhausted;31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;they shall mount up with wings like eagles;they shall run and not be weary;they shall walk and not faint.
Vital Spirituality (R&W 1)
Roots and Wings (1) - 28 Jan 2008
Frankly, I don not understand the link. The root problem is on our spirituality and the problem is due to a stagnant spirit. It goes on in the passages and verses calling us not to secularize our spirituality and not to be run on empty. OK with that, but what has that to do with living a life that is not emporal but live a life for external?
What has our spirituality do with begin anxious and what has the solution to our root problem on not to worry and thus being able to live a life for eternal.
Yes, I understand about a worry -free life, a life worth living for eternal, but what has that to do with my problem on false spirituality?
The Human problem: The root issue is we have a stagnant spirit.
Zeph 1:12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,and I will punish the menwho are complacent, those who say in their hearts,‘The Lord will not do good,nor will he do ill.’
As a result, the visible symptoms is that we end up with a secularized spirituality.
Mat 6:1-8 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
We need to recognize that we are running on empty. This is a radical reorientation we need to see.
Jer2:5-18 5 Thus says the Lord: “What wrong did your fathers find in methat they went far from me,and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6 They did not say, ‘Where is the Lordwho brought us up from the land of Egypt,who led us in the wilderness,in a land of deserts and pits,in a land of drought and deep darkness,in a land that none passes through,where no man dwells?’7 And I brought you into a plentiful landto enjoy its fruits and its good things.But when you came in, you defiled my landand made my heritage an abomination.8 The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’Those who handle the law did not know me;the shepherds [1] transgressed against me;the prophets prophesied by Baaland went after things that do not profit. 9 “Therefore I still contend with you,declares the Lord,and with your children's children I will contend.10 For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,or send to Kedar and examine with care;see if there has been such a thing.11 Has a nation changed its gods,even though they are no gods?But my people have changed their gloryfor that which does not profit.12 Be appalled, O heavens, at this;be shocked, be utterly desolate,declares the Lord,13 for my people have committed two evils:they have forsaken me,the fountain of living waters,and hewed out cisterns for themselves,broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14 “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?Why then has he become a prey?15 The lions have roared against him;they have roared loudly.They have made his land a waste;his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16 Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanheshave shaved [2] the crown of your head.17 Have you not brought this upon yourselfby forsaking the Lord your God,when he led you in the way?18 And now what do you gain by going to Egyptto drink the waters of the Nile?Or what do you gain by going to Assyriato drink the waters of the Euphrates?
Should we therefore continue to live the way we used to be - a secularized spirituality and running on empty? No in order to soar, we need to live life beyond the temporal. If we don't have God in our live, there is no roots, there is no point trying to create the appearance that we have it and continue living a life acting on it. We recognize that without God we are empty, our spirit life is empty. This is then how we should live - live a life beyond the temporal. For without the vital spirituality, we are living in a life in temporal (acting, empty and never beyond).
90:1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place [1]in all generations.2 Before the mountains were brought forth,or ever you had formed the earth and the world,from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You return man to dustand say, “Return, O children of man!” [2]4 For a thousand years in your sightare but as yesterday when it is past,or as a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,like grass that is renewed in the morning:6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are brought to an end by your anger;by your wrath we are dismayed.8 You have set our iniquities before you,our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath;we bring our years to an end like a sigh.10 The years of our life are seventy,or even by reason of strength eighty;yet their span [3] is but toil and trouble;they are soon gone, and we fly away.11 Who considers the power of your anger,and your wrath according to the fear of you?
12 So teach us to number our daysthat we may get a heart of wisdom.13 Return, O Lord! How long?Have pity on your servants!14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,and for as many years as we have seen evil.16 Let your work be shown to your servants,and your glorious power to their children.17 Let the favor [4] of the Lord our God be upon us,and establish the work of our hands upon us;yes, establish the work of our hands!
The empowered life is a life with roots and wings, a life that lives for eternal.
Mat 6:19-34 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust [1] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. [2]
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? [3] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Frankly, I don not understand the link. The root problem is on our spirituality and the problem is due to a stagnant spirit. It goes on in the passages and verses calling us not to secularize our spirituality and not to be run on empty. OK with that, but what has that to do with living a life that is not emporal but live a life for external?
What has our spirituality do with begin anxious and what has the solution to our root problem on not to worry and thus being able to live a life for eternal.
Yes, I understand about a worry -free life, a life worth living for eternal, but what has that to do with my problem on false spirituality?
The Human problem: The root issue is we have a stagnant spirit.
Zeph 1:12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,and I will punish the menwho are complacent, those who say in their hearts,‘The Lord will not do good,nor will he do ill.’
As a result, the visible symptoms is that we end up with a secularized spirituality.
Mat 6:1-8 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
We need to recognize that we are running on empty. This is a radical reorientation we need to see.
Jer2:5-18 5 Thus says the Lord: “What wrong did your fathers find in methat they went far from me,and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?6 They did not say, ‘Where is the Lordwho brought us up from the land of Egypt,who led us in the wilderness,in a land of deserts and pits,in a land of drought and deep darkness,in a land that none passes through,where no man dwells?’7 And I brought you into a plentiful landto enjoy its fruits and its good things.But when you came in, you defiled my landand made my heritage an abomination.8 The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’Those who handle the law did not know me;the shepherds [1] transgressed against me;the prophets prophesied by Baaland went after things that do not profit. 9 “Therefore I still contend with you,declares the Lord,and with your children's children I will contend.10 For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,or send to Kedar and examine with care;see if there has been such a thing.11 Has a nation changed its gods,even though they are no gods?But my people have changed their gloryfor that which does not profit.12 Be appalled, O heavens, at this;be shocked, be utterly desolate,declares the Lord,13 for my people have committed two evils:they have forsaken me,the fountain of living waters,and hewed out cisterns for themselves,broken cisterns that can hold no water. 14 “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?Why then has he become a prey?15 The lions have roared against him;they have roared loudly.They have made his land a waste;his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.16 Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanheshave shaved [2] the crown of your head.17 Have you not brought this upon yourselfby forsaking the Lord your God,when he led you in the way?18 And now what do you gain by going to Egyptto drink the waters of the Nile?Or what do you gain by going to Assyriato drink the waters of the Euphrates?
Should we therefore continue to live the way we used to be - a secularized spirituality and running on empty? No in order to soar, we need to live life beyond the temporal. If we don't have God in our live, there is no roots, there is no point trying to create the appearance that we have it and continue living a life acting on it. We recognize that without God we are empty, our spirit life is empty. This is then how we should live - live a life beyond the temporal. For without the vital spirituality, we are living in a life in temporal (acting, empty and never beyond).
90:1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place [1]in all generations.2 Before the mountains were brought forth,or ever you had formed the earth and the world,from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You return man to dustand say, “Return, O children of man!” [2]4 For a thousand years in your sightare but as yesterday when it is past,or as a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,like grass that is renewed in the morning:6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are brought to an end by your anger;by your wrath we are dismayed.8 You have set our iniquities before you,our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath;we bring our years to an end like a sigh.10 The years of our life are seventy,or even by reason of strength eighty;yet their span [3] is but toil and trouble;they are soon gone, and we fly away.11 Who considers the power of your anger,and your wrath according to the fear of you?
12 So teach us to number our daysthat we may get a heart of wisdom.13 Return, O Lord! How long?Have pity on your servants!14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,and for as many years as we have seen evil.16 Let your work be shown to your servants,and your glorious power to their children.17 Let the favor [4] of the Lord our God be upon us,and establish the work of our hands upon us;yes, establish the work of our hands!
The empowered life is a life with roots and wings, a life that lives for eternal.
Mat 6:19-34 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust [1] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. [2]
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? [3] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
1 Jan 2008
Last year, all glory goes to God.
I shared in December 2006, about plans for 2007. Yes indeed, for 2007, my business in forex has taken off. The techniques and trading method used has prove to be effective and for this year, I will set up a company to turn this self-employed business to a business entity. I will train "kinsmen" the trade so that they will learn the trade and continue or take over the business if necessary.
My resolution for this year is to increase my family networth to be over a USD1 million using leverages and innovative ways so that to spend more time with family and in His kingdom.
I shared in December 2006, about plans for 2007. Yes indeed, for 2007, my business in forex has taken off. The techniques and trading method used has prove to be effective and for this year, I will set up a company to turn this self-employed business to a business entity. I will train "kinsmen" the trade so that they will learn the trade and continue or take over the business if necessary.
My resolution for this year is to increase my family networth to be over a USD1 million using leverages and innovative ways so that to spend more time with family and in His kingdom.
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