Week 6 - Bible Study

James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds...

Hebrews 12:2 shows us the same thing, of having joy in the midst of trials and temptations, from Jesus's perspective. Have joy! When we are in trouble, have joy! But, how many of us can do that? Having joy does not necessary mean that we must smile and laugh. Jesus did not smile and laugh on the cross! Having joy is to have the perspective of God, His assurances, His salvation in the midst of our troubles. Our joy comes from knowing that Jesus has died on the cross for us, and with that, we are more than conquerors over our trials and temptations!

I love this definition of trials and temptations from Su An (is this how you spell your name?), very well defined.

"A trial is something that you are put into, you don't have a choice but to go through it. A temptation is something that you can choose not to do, and it leads you to sin."

Some of us are in the midst of a trial now, some of us just came out of it. Some of us are wondering, :"What trial?". Whatever your situation, just remember that trials are meant to build us up, to teach us something. When God takes time to create a trial for us, it means that he has prepared something to be given to us. Something that without the training, we cannot handle.

Think about Jonah. He struggled by running away, he struggled and was swallowed up by a whale. However, after he obeyed, a city turned back to God. Think about Paul. He probably went through the most trials among us mere humans. However, think about the things that God has given to him, the ways that God has used him. Paul is probably the greatest evangelist of all time. Now think about Jesus. Just his suffering on and before the cross would be enough. The emotional, physical and spiritual sufferings. The end result? The salvation of YOU and ME.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Be strong, persevere, and focus.

CNY + Valentines Special

Gong Xi Gong Xi Gong Xi Ni! Cai Shen Dao! Cai Shen Dao Wo Di Jia Men Kou!

恭喜恭喜恭喜你！财神到！财神到我的家门口！

Happy Chinese New Year to all. A merry occasion indeed it is for the fellow Chinese around, and a long happy holiday for the other fellow brothers and sisters around. Before most of us proceed to meet up with our extended families for a reunion dinner, it is good to take a little time of to reflect on Rev Yong's words.

We are constantly bombarded with cheesy CNY songs singing about all the good things for the season. Sometimes, the songs get so cheap, there is practically no purchasing value to it. However, we still listen to it for a simple reason. Chinese New Year. Many things we do defy common sense, but we still do it. Chinese New Year.

It is important for us, as rational humans, not to mention the fact that we are Christians too, to rethink the purposes of this highly anticipated celebration. Is the focus of the season on the food? The songs? The shopping? The cleaning? The Ang Pows? Or is it about reuniting family and friends?

Let us not be brain-dead, following the flow of the season, brainwashed by the mindless customs and practices and forgetting the purpose of Chinese New Year. The things we have been doing may be brainless, but the evil one is not.

Remember Jehovah Jireh, our God, is our provider, not 财神爷. Remember that this season is for our relationship with one another, not for the customs and practices that we have always been doing.

Lastly, have a good holiday everyone! See you guys soon!

The four words written above is a pun using the same pronunciation for a phrase that means "smile always".

Week 3 - Bible Study

I was about to do a summary of the bible study that we did, when this came to my mailbox. It seemed apt (oh God is good, help me do blog post :P)

Before you read the devotional below, ask yourselves this question, :"Do you genuinely believe in this Jehovah God that we are talking about?"

This devotional summarizes quite a bit of the points that was brought up during the bible study. However, it ends saying that when we receive Jesus, and ONLY when we receive Him, does He come and change us.

So, we should check ourselves, as James is asking us to do. Are we having a genuine faith? Or are we playing church? Do we know what we believe? Are we acting out our faith?

Let us WALK THE TALK, shall we?