迎春福

A friend send this poem to me which I thought was really nice to bless others with.

基督宏爱耀大地
祥花瑞蝶迎春来
天使展翅百羽飞
恩典祝福飘满堂

Blessed New Year everyone !

Jesus and the washing machine

A couple of weeks ago a miracle happened before my very eyes. I went home at about 11pm and was going to do my laundry. My washing machine has been acting up lately and sometimes it would automatically decide to shut down by itself after about three seconds of starting the wash. Last night was one of those days again. I tried switching off the main power supply, waiting for awhile and then switching it on again. I tried playing around with the buttons on the machine itself, maybe trying a different "combination" of wash would get the machine to work. Tried all sort of methods and nothing seemed to work. Then I suddenly remembered ! "Why don't I pray?" which was what I did. So I laid my hands on the on button and prayed a really short prayer in tongues and I ended it off with "In Jesus's name, I command you washing machine to work !" and wha la ! the machined started to spew water out and stayed on till the end of the wash !

Last week I did laundry again and I was abit worried if my washing machine will break down once more but then a little voice inside me spoke to me saying... Once Jesus heals he heals forever. Its not like he makes the blind see today and then tomorrow the blind will lose his vision right? Likewise for our life... Jesus came to be crucified on the cross once for ALL our sins... our past sins, our current sins, and even our future sins that we have yet to commit but whatever it is, He will ALWAYS forgive us and love us.

My washing machine has not given me any problem since...

Praise be to you Lord Jesus for using a washing machine to remind me of your everlasting love and forgiving grace!

Praising Him for His Goodness

Psalm 107:8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

There’s nothing like meditating on the goodness of God that stirs up the joy in me, and moves me to praise Him with every fiber of my being. On the other hand, nothing much saddens me more than the attitude of many Christians, who seem to have no joy whatsoever. Many seem to be not only depressed much of the time, but deeply ensnared in bitterness and despair.

One of the reasons this is so troubling, is that so many of these poor, wayfaring strangers have been led into that condition by scripturally errant pastors, prophets, and Christian counselors.
Anyone who tries to teach, comfort, or counsel by saying things like, “God has sent this trial to teach you how to trust Him” or, “It may not be God’s will or timing, in your particular case, for you to be healed from your affliction” or worse yet, “You know... This sin, sickness, or affliction may be your ‘cross to bear’, and you should just thank God for it” — that person may have your best interests at heart, but his message is contrary to the gospel of Christ.

God is good... ALL the time!

At least five times in Psalm 107 alone, we are exhorted to give thanks, and to praise God for His GOODNESS. There are primarily two Hebrew words translated “goodness”, in the Old Testament. One of them is “tuwb” (pronounced toob), and it refers to gladness, joy, welfare, or beauty, i.e., the ‘goodness’ of the promised land.

The other word is “checed” (pronounced kheh’sed), and it means mercy, kindness, etc. This is the word in Psalm 107... “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his ‘goodness”.

God is the source of both. As a matter-of-fact, both words are in one very familiar line of scripture... “Surely goodness (tuwb) and mercy (checed) shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” (Psalm 23:6)

It is this goodness (mercy), for which we come “boldly unto the throne of grace” to obtain (along with grace), to help us in a time of need. God wants to help you out of your trial. He is not the giver of trials, He is the giver of mercy and grace — goodness, in other words. And His expressed intention is to deliver you.

Sources of trial

If God’s people would only quit blaming Him for their problems and begin thanking Him for the solutions to their problems, my how the circumstances would change for many people! Now think, before you disagree with that — it really is just another way of saying what the Psalmist said... “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness!”.

You may say, “Well... We really don’t ‘blame God’ for our problems”. But there are many religiously doctored up ways for people to express that very sentiment. It is communicated in songs and sermons alike; thus, propagating the idea that faith and spiritual maturity come through trials, and therefore God, many times, will not deliver you from those trials because they are part of your training. If that were true, most of us would be spiritually perfected faith giants by now.

There are trials of persecution and affliction that come upon the righteous just because they are Christians. And though these trials do not come from God either, they are associated with godliness; and they are part of the package of being a servant of the Lord. The trials and tribulations I am addressing in this article, however, are primarily those which do not have anything to do with persecution or godliness.

Psalm 107:8-13 once again, reveals some of the sources of these trials...

Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High: Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

Here we have God’s people sitting in darkness, bound up in many different kinds of affliction. Why? ... Because God was trying to teach them something? ... NO. The scripture is very clear as to the reason for their despair. They “rebelled against the words of God, and contemned [despised] the counsel of the Most High”.

God was bound by His own honor and justice to allow them to suffer the consequences of their own determination and stubbornness. And He will do the same for you and me. What I want you to see, is the fact that even though they brought the trial and affliction on themselves; when they called on the Lord for help, He was right there to deliver them. And again — He will do the same for you and me.

Continuing in the same passage of scripture, verses 17 - 21...

Fools, because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Once again... Was it the sovereignty of God, that brought such hardship upon these folks? Was it some hidden purpose of God, working in the lives of these afflicted souls? Hardly! Their afflictions came because of their sinfulness and rebellion to godly authority and counsel — which is iniquity.

Did their affliction teach them anything? Was their faith in any way strengthened by the trial? Absolutely not! When they finally cried out to God for mercy... He sent His WORD... Not more trials and tribulations! He sent His WORD and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

Please note that God’s Word equates trials and affliction with DESTRUCTION, not training or strengthening. Our deliverance, our healing, our maturation, our training, our equipping for service, our strength — all of that, comes from His WORD, not from trials and affliction.
And think about this for a moment... It was rebellious, transgressing, fools mentioned there, in Psalm 107, who had sense enough to call on the Lord for help, rather than blaming Him for their trials. So, does it not make sense, that if God would hear and deliver the rebellious, transgressing, fools... How much more willing would He be, to hear and deliver those who stand before Him in the righteousness of Christ Jesus — those who boldly come to the Throne of Grace to receive mercy and grace to help in such a time of need?

Deliverance from trial is not based on our goodness, but on His. May we forever praise Him for His goodness and His wonderful works in our behalf.

His Shalom He Has Bequeathed To You

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

In Israel, the Jews greet each other with the word “shalom”. Unlike the English word “peace”, “shalom” does not just mean peace of mind, but also wholeness for your entire being — spirit, soul and body. It means having a sense of total well-being and soundness. In other words, “shalom” encompasses your prosperity, health and completeness.

When Jesus spoke to His disciples in John 14:27, He did not use the English word “peace”. He would have used the Hebrew word “shalom”, saying, “Shalom I leave with you, My shalom I give to you…” Interestingly, the word “leave” here actually means “bequeath”, the way a rich man bequeaths his estate to his beneficiary.

The disciples must have been excited when they heard that Jesus was bequeathing to them His shalom. They must have known that to receive His shalom was to have His health because they had never seen Him sick. To have Jesus’ shalom also meant never being in lack because Jesus was never broke. Whenever He needed money, money was there. Once, money to pay the temple tax came in the mouth of a fish! (Matthew 17:24–27)

The disciples also understood that having His shalom meant having His abundance because they had seen Him meeting the needs of thousands with plenty of leftovers. They saw him feeding 5,000 men (not including the women and children) and having 12 baskets full of leftovers! (Mark 6:34–44)

Jesus wanted His disciples to know that His peace was different from the peace that the world offers. His peace would change whatever trying circumstances beset them. Even if it was a mega-storm, it would have to bow to His peace. The Prince of Peace merely spoke, “Peace, be still!” and the winds and the sea obeyed Him. (Mark 4:39) His peace changed the mega-storm into a perfect calm!

Beloved, that is the kind of peace that Jesus has bequeathed to you. Therefore, believe that His shalom which He has left with you will change all your difficult situations, bringing you from sickness, lack and mental anguish to health, prosperity and total wellness!

Expect Good Happening To You!

Ephesians 6:1717 And take the helmet of salvation…

When the phone rings at odd times, most people think, “Oh dear, it must be bad news.” They don’t think, “I wonder what the good news is that it cannot wait till morning!”

When we hear, “The boss wants to see you,” instinctively, we think, “Oh dear, this is not good.” But how do we know that it is not a promotion?

Our minds are inclined towards the negative. So to guard our minds against negative thoughts, we are to put on “the helmet of salvation”, which is “the hope of salvation”. (1 Thessalonians 5:8)

If you are going through a trial right now, putting on as a helmet the hope of salvation means that you have a confident expectation of good coming your way. It means that you choose to believe that this trial that you are going through is only temporary because God will see you through it. It means that you believe that this difficult period will end with your salvation — your preservation, wholeness, wellness, health and prosperity!

You may not know what is going to happen this week. But one thing that you can do is put on the helmet of the hope of salvation. And tell yourself that you are going to have a fantastic week!

You can have a confident expectation of good happening to you because you are not like the people of the world. You are a child of the living God. You have a Saviour watching over you. There are more angels given charge over you than there are demons against you. And greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4) There is every reason for you to have a confident expectation of good happening to you!

WAITING : The Rewards of Waiting

Psalm 33:18-22 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.

We have all experienced times of waiting in doctors’ offices, traffic jams, and checkout lines. While there, we have nothing to do but wait for our turn.

In God’s kingdom, waiting is defined as an “active stillness.” We should be active because we are continuing in our present situation, and still because we are focusing our attention on Him for guidance. Practicing a lifestyle of active stillness requires a purposeful and expectant attitude, a patient and determined frame of mind, and a prayerful and obedient heart.

There are rewards for waiting on the Lord. We receive the supernatural energy and strength we need for godly living. At times, when responsibilities overburden us, we might be tempted to get out of step with God. Even though we know He is calling us to keep a steady pace, we may lag behind. At other times, our schedules leave us little time to think. So we make quick decisions, pushing ahead of Him. In either case, we risk becoming weary and emotionally spent because we are operating in our own strength.

Patiently waiting on God brings us the physical energy and emotional reserves we need to keep going. Waiting on God also enables us to discover His will, which is always for our good (Romans 8:28). We also gain spiritual victory in the midst of our trials and disappointments.

Our all-knowing and all-powerful God is always on time. But we often leave too early or arrive too late. Pick a situation in which you are tempted to overrule God’s perfect timing. Then submit to Him, realizing the issue is a matter of trust.

Don't Just Know But Believe!

1 John 4:1616 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

You may have heard and know that God cares for you and loves you, and that He demonstrated His love for you by dying on the cross for you. But it’s one thing to know this; it’s another thing to believe the love that God has for you.

For example, it’s one thing to know that the sun shines on us during the day. But it’s another thing to believe that the sun is still shining even though you don’t feel its warmth and all you see are cloudy skies.

Sometimes we are slow in believing God’s love for us when we are going through a bad patch. Today, God wants you to know and believe that He loves you in the midst of the deal falling through, when that job is slow in coming, when the boss is fault-finding, when your child still refuses to come home.

In the midst of the pain, He wants you to know and believe that He is wholly for you, on your side and defending you. And if God, the most powerful being in the universe, is for you, can anyone or anything come against you successfully?

Perhaps you feel like you have messed up big time. God wants you to know and believe that though others may be angry with you, He will never be angry with you. Neither will He condemn you. The sum total of His anger against your sins fell upon Jesus at the cross. So He wants you to know and believe that He will never punish you because Jesus was punished in your place.

When you feel unworthy because you have just blown it for the hundredth time, know and believe that your heavenly Father still offers you the gift of no condemnation. So come boldly to His throne of grace to receive mercy and grace. (Hebrews 4:16)

My friend, know and believe that since He loved you and died for you while you were still a sinner, at your worst and ugliest (Romans 5:8), how much more is His love for you now that you are His beloved child and the righteousness of God in Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:21)