Matthew 7:1-7(nkjv)Do Not Judge7 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. I don't know how often we come across this passage or when we come across it in the bible do we really read it with open eyes, open mind and open heart? There is no need to explain it the much because the passage clearly delivered it. How often do we look on other people with judgement while we don't examine our own inner being? How often do we check and notice what is wrong with other people while we never tried to correct what is wrong with us? A principle I am trying my best to live by is to do what I say. I always believe that the only way we can direct and correct people with the discipline and rules we implement is if we ourselves are following the rules we have set. It will be very superficial to tell somebody that what they are doing is wrong while you yourself you know you are doing the same thing. I don't know how often we talk about someone with regards of their failures, mistakes and flaws but one thing is for sure we are all guilty of it. Some may be less and some may be doing if often but nevertheless it is the same thing. The word says, that the amount of judgement, condemnation and critisism we have given to our neighbour will be the same amount that we receive back. The same depth and the same timeline, whatever measured you have used. So, today be careful. Lord! Forgive us in whatever judgement we have given to our brothers and sisters. Help us to be a better person by trying to see good thing about other people. Help us, that we may always open our eyes to the possibility of whatever you can do to the people to change them and may we close our eyes on only seeing the negative thing. Lord put in our Hearts the possitive view of life and view upon the people. Help us to bring encouragement and inspiration not to tear people down. Help us to love more and hate less. In Jesus Name. Amen! So, last night i had a movie marathon with the charis girls and d13 girls. We started with soul surfer, Mom's night out and lastly Me Again. All the movies just made me realize how God planned ahead who we are. We need to be exactly who we are created for everything to make sense. Knowing who we are in the eyes of our creator is the only way to be happy and satistied for who we are. Different people have different journey to take. People have their own battle to fight and life to live. We can't be in our position right now wishing to be someone else or somewhere else. I love that scene in Mom's Night Out where in she is contemplating about how mess she is as a mother, a wife and a person and amazingly and unexpectedly she get the word of wisdon to a biker who don't seem to say anything good. He is a believer that is not very active in the church but knows confidently that Jesus loves him. That is what his mother have been telling him since he is a kid that "God will love you for who you are."He then said to the woman that she needs to be just who she is. He shared his moment while watching the eagle flies in the sky and how wonderful it is to watch the creation of God do exactly what they are made to do. Isn't it amazing also to see God's greatest creation doing exactly what our purpose here on earth? Why we are created? We often get to that woman's shoe also or the pastor in the "Me Again movie" who are not satisfied of his current life, we can relate greatly from them when we think that we are not good enough. For who? For the people around you? For God? Or for your own standard of who you should be? You are beautiful just the way you are, the way God created you and me! If today you are a mess, remember you are still a beautiful mess because you are God's MASTERPIECE! God can always turn test into a testimony and a mess into a message! No one is perfect but God doesn't want perfect He just want you to be who you really are. Don't ever doubt the love of God for you. Don't lose faith! There is always hope. 😊🙏🏻 Psalm 139:13-14New International Version (NIV)13 For you created my inmost being; I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; The Matter of the Heart Matters. Jeremiah 17:9 said our heart is deceitful and wicked. But we all know also that it is the very core of our being and if we don't let the Holy Spirit control it we might end up being led by our own heart. Be careful with the line, "JUST FOLLOW YOUR HEART." You might be following a road to destruction. #wordofGod #warning #notetoself #wickedheart #devotion #Godsreminder #Godmoves #Godslove #Godspromise #allforJesus #guardyourheart #christianlife While I was reading my bible early this morning I was left thinking and contemplating by the very Word of God! I can never forget when God said the world will love its own. It really made me thinking. God I pray that I will never long for this world to Love me, i'd rather receive hatred of this world than to lose my purpose for your kingdom. I would rather seek your love rather than the love of the people of this world. May I always please you and not men. Help me not to BE THE VERY KIND OF THIS WORLD. In Jesus Name! Amen!John 15:18-27New King James Version (NKJV)The World’s Hatred18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’[a] The Coming Rejection26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning. Galatians 1:6-7 Nkjv 6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. Will it be a great dishonour to God to turn away from our calling so quickly just because of so many listed reasons that we have. Is there a far more long list of reasons why God should not call us but He still did? He called us by grace. I will never forget what Pastor Benny Ho said last night. This is one principle I always live by and want to continue living by, "Don't you ever dishonour God just to honour people!" We are created to be worshippers and pleasers of God and not of men. Life is not about the number of your friends and fans, but the quality of followers of Christ turned because of your life. We are not here to collect friends but to be made worthy of God by doing what is pleasing to His sight. Will it also not a disgrace to God to quickly turn away from God just because we are hurt, offended or displeased by someone else? Isn't it God the one who called you? Isn't it God the one who made you qualified by grace? Should it be God the one we are supposed to be serving? Should it be God the only one we should look at. When ever you are disheartened look at the cross! Jesus was mocked, bruised and killed just because of us. He did not look at himself and the suffering but He looked upon us. He fixed his eyes on getting us save. The Matter of the Heart Matters! Don't just respond on the call, keep it, sustain it, protect it, grow from it THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHEN US! #grace #forgiveness #thecross #Godslove #calling #passion #honour #christianlife #walkwithGod #followerofChrist #love #blessed #favoured #saved #allforJesus #allglorytoGod #iamachildofGod Sometimes it is easy to say we have faith, but when there is chaos and riot around us and everything we see is unstable can we still say that we have faith on God over the situation? It's easy to believe when we see it coming but what if God extend it a little bit to test us, will you stop believing half way? Brothers and sisters I encourage you to keep on believing the promises of God, keep on believing the favours of God and don't lose trust on Him. He is in control. Live by faith and not by sight. Stop looking upon the situation with your natural eyes but look forward and beyond. There is always something great that is about to happen every after challenges, there is always light at the end of the tunnel and there is always a rainbow after the rain though we never see it during rain. Hold on! Have Faith! It is coming! "Be still and know that He is our God!" Hebrews 11:1New King James Version (NKJV)11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Love is more than just a feeling. It is an action word. It is not something that we just talk about and say just to get love in return. Love needs an action where in people can see it. Jesus demostrate it clearly when He died for us in the cross. He willingly gave His life just to show us how much He loves us all. John 15:9-13New King James Version (NKJV)Love and Joy Perfected9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. Truly there is no greater love than to lay down your own life for a friend. Thank You Jesus for dying for us. Thank You Daddy God for your unconditional love and immeasurable grace! We often present ourselves the way this world can accept. We often create another us for the eyes of men but God look at us differently. He knows who we really are. Be the exact person God created you to be not how this world wants you to be. 1 Samuel 16:7New King James Version (NKJV) 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees;[a] for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Footnotes: 1 Samuel 16:7 Septuagint reads For God does not see as man sees; Targum reads It is not by the appearance of a man; Vulgate reads Nor do I judge according to the looks of a man. Paul was once Saul. The book of acts stated how cruel he once were. He was once a murderer and persecuter of the followers and believers of Jesus Christ but it doesn't stop God from choosing Him. He became a living testimony for many of How great the mercy and grace and love of God. Through His life it was clearly stated that anyone can be a disciple of God if we will only have an authentic personal encounter with God. Because only if you had that encounter you can really leave your old life and surrender to our Most Holy God. He will make you qualified of your calling no matter what. Act upon your calling and never look upon yourself like how people look at you. Look from within you, look at yourself like How God sees a jem when He looks at you. Stop dwelling from the past mistakes and move away from the darkness and life without the peace of God. Make your path straight and open your eyes from the blindness of this world. When saul's sight was restored he never stopped preaching the good news from that day onwards. He never looked back but instead repented and moved forward for the Glory of God. Acts 9:15-16New King James Version (NKJV) 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” #worship #wordofGod #calling #purpose #allglorytoGod #allforJesus #loved #qualified #blessed #favoured #Godmoves #Godslove #devotion John 15:1-8 (NKJV) The True Vine 15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;[a] and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. God prunes so we can grow beautifully and the less we get the more we bear fruits. I always wonder during school days when the care takers prunes and cuts our yellowtops plants in the school while actually it still look good and just went high. Then they will cut it in one level and amazingly it will grow back with much brighter colors. In verse 2 Jesus said that anything that don't bear fruits will be taken away. In our mind we might think, yeah! They just deserve it. But going on we will read the part when Jesus said that those who bear fruits He will prune. Then we might say, God! We are bearing fruit how come you still put a knife or pruning tools to chop us off. I can be painful you know? Why do You need to take and cut? Is that what I get from bearing fruit? Well them that is exactly what God wants to do, he wants to shape us in the best shape that we can get and while bearing fruits due time there can also be some unwanted grass and unhealthy elements that grow alongside with us. He needs to take it off so we can continue to grow beautifully. Do you have some stuff in your life that needs to be chop off for you to bear fruit and grow? Some vices that needed to quit, bad habit that needs to turn away from, immoral or unwholesome relationship, unhealthy lifestyle? Whichever it is God will sure prune you until you thing you have less or even left with nothing at all but God, then you will realize while you have less there is more opportunity and space to bear more. 😊😊😊 John 8:7King James Version (KJV)7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. In the Jewish culture if you fail to abide in the law you will surely be stone to death. I wonder if the jewish law will be implemented worldwide by this date how many people will still be living? Zero I guess. How thankful I am to be living in grace because none of us can ever escape from those many lists of commandments. In some point we did lie or should I say still lying, in some point we people became fornicators, drunkens, cheaters, thief, adulterers or what ever is listed in the commandments. Nobody is perfect but God so all of us will be guilty of those. We all deserved to be stone to death but God said we are loved and can be forgiven, if only we know. Many people though we are not experiencing the stoning to death physically nowadays we still experience it emotionally,mentally and spiritually. Many people cast stones intentionally or unknowingly to other people by words or by condemnation and I believe we can all be guilty of that. But as the recipient of the stones what should we do about it? Like what I have said earlier if we know God's grace we will know how to react. Everyone makes mistakes and the more we get critism, condemnation and stoning we should draw closer to God because the only comfort we can get in times of darkness and whenever we are lost is found in Jesus. It is very sad when most people in times of wilderness and failure instead of picking up those stone to build bridge towards God they build a high wall blocking everyone and even God. If we do that we are blocking the way for God to be able to help and saves us from the situation. Are you building wall from the stones thrown to you by people, separating you from the presence of God? Or are you building bridge so you can get closer to God? I hope you are making the right choice. Come closer to God. He loves you and is always wiling to forgive. We are all saved by grace. Ephesians 2:5New King James Version (NKJV)5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), Peace? What comes first in your mind when you hear the word peace?Jesus said in the book of John,John 14:27 (nkjv)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.Jesus said He will leave peace unto us. The kind of peace Jesus is talking about here is not a peace that we usually know which is the absence of war but the peace from within. He said it's not the peace that this world gives because the peace of this world is temporary. It is a cotton candy peace wherein it's floppy, it's colorful and looks beautiful but after you taste it, it melts easily and after few seconds its gone. The true and genuine peace come from knowing God, honoring God and coming into agreement with God in righteousness. The other side of that, if we choose to do things apart from righteousness of God and honoring God, and keep on living in a sinful life it will be a life with an opposite of peace and destruction will come your way. Jesus continued and said let not your heart be troubled. That is exactly what we will feel when we have true genuine peace of God. We will not worry about anything. Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6-7(NKJV)6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. The peace of God is the kind of peace that we will not be able to explain and understand it comes from within. It is not of this world, it is not an absence of conflicts for this is a fallen world that will continue to get cruel day by day. It is the peace that we have even in the midst of trouble because we trust fully in the presence of our God. That peace can only be attained if we truly know our God, knowing God is knowing His grace that He loves and forgives no matter what and He will always provide for us; And being satisfied by that mindset and heartset will result to peace.Try to look for every first page of all the epistles of paul, you will read these words: "GrAce to you and peace from God our Father and The Lord Jesus Christ."It is his common greeting for everyone because he knows that it is important for everyone to know Gods grace and peace. Have a peaceful day everyone.😊🙏🏻 |
AuthorI am a FOLLOWER OF CHRIST Cleverly disguised as an Architect who loves to share my experiences and encounters with God in every simple and possible way to the people out there who needs to hear Gods' greatness and goodness. Archives
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