Have you heard of the story about a young cowardly soldier named Alexander who served under the command of Alexander The Great, one of the greatest military leaders in history?. This young soldier was brought before the mighty general to face his punishment for his gutless actions.
Alexander The Great asked the young soldier, "What is your name, soldier?" "Alexander, your highness." the soldier replied. Enraged by his answer, the general asked the soldier again two more times to say his name aloud. But each time the same reply was given. after soldier replied the third time, Alexander The Great looked him straight in the eye and said with burning fury, "Soldier, either change your behavior or change your name."
In much same way, when we call ourselves Christians, we are taking on Christ's name. As the Alexander the Great story challenges, are living up to that name?
C.S Lewis once said that for every person you encounter in your day, you either lead them one step closer to heaven or one step closer to hell. Most of the people who need God's grace around the world will encounter you personally, the only question is which path are you going to lead them?
© Youth Under Christ's Kingdom
Feb 23, 2010
Feb 20, 2010
Ecclesiastes 12
Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
"I find no pleasure in them"-
before the sun and the light
and the moon and the stars grow dark,
and the clouds return after the rain;
when the keepers of the house tremble,
and the strong men stoop,
when the grinders cease because they are few,
and those looking through the windows grow dim;
when the doors to the street are closed
and the sound of grinding fades;
when men rise up at the sound of birds,
but all their songs grow faint;
when men are afraid of heights
and of dangers in the streets;
when the almond tree blossoms
and the grasshopper drags himself along
and desire no longer is stirred.
Then man goes to his eternal home
and mourners go about the streets.
Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
or the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
or the wheel broken at the well,
and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher.
"Everything is meaningless!
© Youth Under Christ's Kingdom
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
"I find no pleasure in them"-
before the sun and the light
and the moon and the stars grow dark,
and the clouds return after the rain;
when the keepers of the house tremble,
and the strong men stoop,
when the grinders cease because they are few,
and those looking through the windows grow dim;
when the doors to the street are closed
and the sound of grinding fades;
when men rise up at the sound of birds,
but all their songs grow faint;
when men are afraid of heights
and of dangers in the streets;
when the almond tree blossoms
and the grasshopper drags himself along
and desire no longer is stirred.
Then man goes to his eternal home
and mourners go about the streets.
Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
or the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
or the wheel broken at the well,
and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher.
"Everything is meaningless!
© Youth Under Christ's Kingdom
Jan 16, 2010
Worship is...
What comes into your mind when you hear worship?
According to Merriam Webster worship is: A reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; also : an act of expressing such reverence and a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual.
What are the things that you consider worship? Is worship when you only sing songs to God at church? Raising your hands towards the heaven? Closing your eyes when praying? Uttering words of honor and praise to God? or everything you do in church is worship? Yes they are worship. But not limited to stuff like those, worship is far more than what it is used to be or what it is meant to be by word.
When I hear the word worship, it does not only happen in church with our church mates but mostly also outside the four walls of our churches with other people who are unbelievers.
Many of us sometimes forget what worship is all about when we are out of church, when we are moving and interact with the real world, with the real battlefield, in a place where worship should be practiced importantly and diligently.
For me worship is also...
- Honoring God's name
- Loving God
- Thinking God in every thing you do
- Trusting Him more especially in times of trials
- Following what Jesus told us to do during His time here on earth
- Trusting and believing God's word
- Sharing the salvation to other whenever there is opportunity
- Practicing justice
- Loving people
- Serving other people
- Doing simple things in the name of Jesus
- Extending arms to people who are hurting and are in need of help
- Declaring victory over trials and problems
- And all other things no matter how big or small they are as long as they glorify God's name, I can say it is worship
What about you? How do you define worship in your own way? Or should we say how do you practice worship in your own way? I may not know you personally but I am sure that you also have lots of ways of showing your worship to God. Just always keep in mind that as long as it is according to the word of God, giving glory to God, pleasing to the eyes of God, not breaking the law of God, and putting smile on God's face, it is worship.
© Youth Under Christ's Kingdom
Jan 12, 2010
Seek God Wholeheartedly
I just realized that as a Christian and follower of Jesus, one of the things that we should maintain in our life is to continue seeking Him. Continue seeking His face, glory and guidance for the rest of our life in walking with Him. It does not mean that if you are already a christian, you will stop seeking God, because before what I understand was, seeking God was only for those who have not found God yet in their life. I was wrong. We should continue to seek God's face, and the more we look and long for Him the more we become attach to Him and the more we continue to know God deeply.
God's word promises, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" in Jeremiah 29:13 NIV. And we are also being promised that God "rewards those who sincerly seek Him" Jeremiah 11:6.
I can say to myself that when we say wholeheartedly, it is equivalent to say "with our heart or with all our heart and sincerly." Means that whatever we do while following Jesus, we should be doing it with all our heart or together with our heart and not only because we are after the rewards. Doing with heart or wholeheatedly also means that we are doing it because we love to do it and we are enjoying it and not because we need to or have to or we are being forced to do it. Let us wholeheartedly seek God.
Let me give you some little tips on how we can continue to seek God. Although it is little for me but I believe that it will help us tremendously in walking with God and help us know Him better as we continue following and living a life with Him.
First is by reading His word regularly. Many I have heard that reading God's word is one of the ways of how we listen to God. It is really impossible to know God without listening to Him, so reading your bible is a must. Some of you may say that I do not have time to read my bible due to some activities and circumstances that are out of my control but I do make sure that I go to church every sunday and listen to our pastor's message and closely listen to the bible passages he shares, which is undisputedly good but I strongly advised to read the bible yourself or experience it first hand and not second hand. First hand means you read the bible with your very own eyes while second hand means you encounter it by listening to someone saying or reading the bible.
So listen to God, read the bible. We listen to him when we consistently spend time in the scriptures. Psalms 119:15-16: "I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. I will delight in your principles and not forget your words."
Second way we practice our desire and sincerity in seeking God is by being obedient to what He commands us to do. Obeying God does not only shows how we really love him but also this is one of the ways of putting smile on God's face. I remember Jesus said and promised in John 14:21, "Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them.
Dr. Bill Bright said that sin, rebellion and disobedience blind us to the light of God's magnificence. If you want to get closer to God and know Him intimately, then you must be willing to obey Him in all things.
Third and last thing I will share is by Praying. If reading God's word is the way we listen to Him, then Praying is talking to Him. To know Him more, we should not only listen to Him, we should also talk to Him. Tell him what you need, what you feel and everything about you in prayer. Although God knows everything about you, He still longs for your voice talking to Him personaly like a dad talking to his son.
Most of all let us do all these things with love in our hearts. Seek God wholeheartedly and above all love God wholeheartedly. Just like one my favorite bible verses says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." - Mark 12:30.
God's word promises, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" in Jeremiah 29:13 NIV. And we are also being promised that God "rewards those who sincerly seek Him" Jeremiah 11:6.
I can say to myself that when we say wholeheartedly, it is equivalent to say "with our heart or with all our heart and sincerly." Means that whatever we do while following Jesus, we should be doing it with all our heart or together with our heart and not only because we are after the rewards. Doing with heart or wholeheatedly also means that we are doing it because we love to do it and we are enjoying it and not because we need to or have to or we are being forced to do it. Let us wholeheartedly seek God.
Let me give you some little tips on how we can continue to seek God. Although it is little for me but I believe that it will help us tremendously in walking with God and help us know Him better as we continue following and living a life with Him.
First is by reading His word regularly. Many I have heard that reading God's word is one of the ways of how we listen to God. It is really impossible to know God without listening to Him, so reading your bible is a must. Some of you may say that I do not have time to read my bible due to some activities and circumstances that are out of my control but I do make sure that I go to church every sunday and listen to our pastor's message and closely listen to the bible passages he shares, which is undisputedly good but I strongly advised to read the bible yourself or experience it first hand and not second hand. First hand means you read the bible with your very own eyes while second hand means you encounter it by listening to someone saying or reading the bible.
So listen to God, read the bible. We listen to him when we consistently spend time in the scriptures. Psalms 119:15-16: "I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. I will delight in your principles and not forget your words."
Second way we practice our desire and sincerity in seeking God is by being obedient to what He commands us to do. Obeying God does not only shows how we really love him but also this is one of the ways of putting smile on God's face. I remember Jesus said and promised in John 14:21, "Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them.
Dr. Bill Bright said that sin, rebellion and disobedience blind us to the light of God's magnificence. If you want to get closer to God and know Him intimately, then you must be willing to obey Him in all things.
Third and last thing I will share is by Praying. If reading God's word is the way we listen to Him, then Praying is talking to Him. To know Him more, we should not only listen to Him, we should also talk to Him. Tell him what you need, what you feel and everything about you in prayer. Although God knows everything about you, He still longs for your voice talking to Him personaly like a dad talking to his son.
Most of all let us do all these things with love in our hearts. Seek God wholeheartedly and above all love God wholeheartedly. Just like one my favorite bible verses says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." - Mark 12:30.
Nov 10, 2009
What Is Peace?
How do you define the word "Peace"? Is it the absence of war between or among nations? A ceasefire between a verbally fighting couples? Or a winning answer to a beauty pageant? So hard to imagine that some people have a tendency to identify "Peace" in terms of financial security, drugs, alcohol, sex and even relationships. I hope you are not one of them and you have a different way or a real definition for the word "Peace" or should I say, a Christlike way of defining the word peace.
If we go ahead and take a look at how Jesus defines peace, we will notice that He showed us its real meaning when He had peace during temptation (Matthew 4:1-11) , during a storm (Luke 8:22-25), during interrogation (John 18:33-38), and even at the cross (Luke 23:34).
Can we imagine or have the same kind of peace Jesus had during those times? The good news is YES WE CAN! We can have the same peace that He had because Jesus willingly gave it to His disciples or to us. Remember when Jesus said in John 14:27? He says, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."
You maybe then asked, "But how can we have His (Jesus') peace? I would like you to take a look at the whole chapter of John 14, where it talks about the Holy Spirit who dwells in every believer and works through them as each is transformed into the image of Christ. Look if we just abide in the Holy Spirit and walk in every step with Him, the fruit of the holy spirit will naturally be the result of our life with Him, and those are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23).
According to one of the Pastors I've heard preaching about this peace that Jesus gives, there are three words that we should remember and not just remember but also live by to have God's peace and these are RECEIVE, RELEASE and RELY.
As I remember and wrote down my notes about this, here's how he discussed these three words to us.
Receive: God has given us His peace and all we need to do now is respond to it by receiving this peace. Romans 5:1 declares, therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Because of our sin, we are at war with God and in this state we can never find genuine peace. But because God loves us so much( John 3:16), He gave His one and only Son Jesus Christ to pay for all our sins by dying on the cross. When we completely put our faith and trust in Him alone, we will be counted worthy. He will consider us righteous not because of what we have done or who we are but because of Jesus' righteousness and His finished work on the cross. Jesus does not promise us trouble-free life but He guarantees that we can have His peace when we receive Him into our lives.
Release: This one refers to cast all our burdens and worries on Him. 1 Peter 5:7 says: " casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." When we release all our burdens and cares on Him, God supernaturally enables us to conquer them and replaces them with His peace. God will triumph over all our trials no matter how terrible they may seem to be. When we release all our cares and burdens on Him prayer, He will surely give us His peace - one that surpasses all understanding, explanation and imagination, (Philippians 4:6-7)
Rely: This is the last and third one. Sometimes we have a tendency to grab back those anxieties and worries after releasing them to God. We seem to be want in control, to put all those stuff in our own hands. We try to rectify our problems through our own efforts, resources, skills and determination, until we only see ourselves have fallen into the big and deep pit of frustration, despair, discouragement and defeat simply because to put God's role of which we will never succeed doing.
Martin Luther once said: "Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible." And that's the way it should be. When relying in God, we should completely put our faith and trust in Him, never take it back again, obey His instructions even it does not sound illogical and rely on His character and promises. Joshua 23:14 says: "Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you; not one of them has failed."
God does not promise us a life of sunshine that's free from troubles, trials and disappointments. But He assures us that when we go through the storms of life, He will keep a watchful eyes over every single one of us.
Please let me end with this passage from Isaiah 43:2 that says...
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you."
If we go ahead and take a look at how Jesus defines peace, we will notice that He showed us its real meaning when He had peace during temptation (Matthew 4:1-11) , during a storm (Luke 8:22-25), during interrogation (John 18:33-38), and even at the cross (Luke 23:34).
Can we imagine or have the same kind of peace Jesus had during those times? The good news is YES WE CAN! We can have the same peace that He had because Jesus willingly gave it to His disciples or to us. Remember when Jesus said in John 14:27? He says, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."
You maybe then asked, "But how can we have His (Jesus') peace? I would like you to take a look at the whole chapter of John 14, where it talks about the Holy Spirit who dwells in every believer and works through them as each is transformed into the image of Christ. Look if we just abide in the Holy Spirit and walk in every step with Him, the fruit of the holy spirit will naturally be the result of our life with Him, and those are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23).
According to one of the Pastors I've heard preaching about this peace that Jesus gives, there are three words that we should remember and not just remember but also live by to have God's peace and these are RECEIVE, RELEASE and RELY.
As I remember and wrote down my notes about this, here's how he discussed these three words to us.
Receive: God has given us His peace and all we need to do now is respond to it by receiving this peace. Romans 5:1 declares, therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Because of our sin, we are at war with God and in this state we can never find genuine peace. But because God loves us so much( John 3:16), He gave His one and only Son Jesus Christ to pay for all our sins by dying on the cross. When we completely put our faith and trust in Him alone, we will be counted worthy. He will consider us righteous not because of what we have done or who we are but because of Jesus' righteousness and His finished work on the cross. Jesus does not promise us trouble-free life but He guarantees that we can have His peace when we receive Him into our lives.
Release: This one refers to cast all our burdens and worries on Him. 1 Peter 5:7 says: " casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." When we release all our burdens and cares on Him, God supernaturally enables us to conquer them and replaces them with His peace. God will triumph over all our trials no matter how terrible they may seem to be. When we release all our cares and burdens on Him prayer, He will surely give us His peace - one that surpasses all understanding, explanation and imagination, (Philippians 4:6-7)
Rely: This is the last and third one. Sometimes we have a tendency to grab back those anxieties and worries after releasing them to God. We seem to be want in control, to put all those stuff in our own hands. We try to rectify our problems through our own efforts, resources, skills and determination, until we only see ourselves have fallen into the big and deep pit of frustration, despair, discouragement and defeat simply because to put God's role of which we will never succeed doing.
Martin Luther once said: "Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible." And that's the way it should be. When relying in God, we should completely put our faith and trust in Him, never take it back again, obey His instructions even it does not sound illogical and rely on His character and promises. Joshua 23:14 says: "Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you; not one of them has failed."
God does not promise us a life of sunshine that's free from troubles, trials and disappointments. But He assures us that when we go through the storms of life, He will keep a watchful eyes over every single one of us.
Please let me end with this passage from Isaiah 43:2 that says...
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you."
Nov 4, 2009
We Are Not Alone
Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. - Isaiah 43:1-3
Those are some example verses in the bible that we can be sure of difficulties will come in our way while staying here on earth. However the good news about that is God will be with us no matter what, and that's something good to know as for sure we will not be there alone but with God himself.
I understand that it is impossible for us to be spared from all difficulties in this life, but let me give you some encouraging promises from God's word that will certainly reassure you that He will not leave us during these trying times.
"Even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." - Psalm 23:4 These clearly states that David definitely knew that God would never leave nor forsake Him.
"Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows; but cheer up, for I have overcome the world." - John 16:33. This was told to us by Jesus that we can expect to have difficulties in life while living in here and yet at the same time that He will comfort us.
Brothers and Sisters, if you are currently going through troubles, trials and difficulties today, please take in your mind that God has never and will never leave you alone in the middle of this. He will be with you every single minute and seconds of your life especially these times of in need. Ask God to reveal Himself and unfailing love for you.
Let me end this post with passage from Psalm 34:19 "The good man does not escape all troubles - He has them too. But the Lord helps him in each and and everyone."!
Those are some example verses in the bible that we can be sure of difficulties will come in our way while staying here on earth. However the good news about that is God will be with us no matter what, and that's something good to know as for sure we will not be there alone but with God himself.
I understand that it is impossible for us to be spared from all difficulties in this life, but let me give you some encouraging promises from God's word that will certainly reassure you that He will not leave us during these trying times.
"Even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." - Psalm 23:4 These clearly states that David definitely knew that God would never leave nor forsake Him.
"Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows; but cheer up, for I have overcome the world." - John 16:33. This was told to us by Jesus that we can expect to have difficulties in life while living in here and yet at the same time that He will comfort us.
Brothers and Sisters, if you are currently going through troubles, trials and difficulties today, please take in your mind that God has never and will never leave you alone in the middle of this. He will be with you every single minute and seconds of your life especially these times of in need. Ask God to reveal Himself and unfailing love for you.
Let me end this post with passage from Psalm 34:19 "The good man does not escape all troubles - He has them too. But the Lord helps him in each and and everyone."!
Nov 2, 2009
Finish The Race
It is not that easy to live a life of being a Christian when you are in a situation or place where most of the people are not believers like you. It feels like you are a small piece of burning coal being placed in the middle of the Antarctic Ocean.
So hard to maintain the fire and seems like everyone around you wants to loose it and eventually become like one of them, and that's what I do not want to happen. I want to continue to live a life of worship and full of thanksgiving to The Lord. I want to finish the race like what Paul did, I want to hear the words from the very lips of Jesus Christ, "Well done my good and faithful servant". I want to run and finish the race until the end.
So hard to maintain the fire and seems like everyone around you wants to loose it and eventually become like one of them, and that's what I do not want to happen. I want to continue to live a life of worship and full of thanksgiving to The Lord. I want to finish the race like what Paul did, I want to hear the words from the very lips of Jesus Christ, "Well done my good and faithful servant". I want to run and finish the race until the end.
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