Liars need a Good Memories

Meaning: People who do not tell the truth need to
remember the lies they have told before.

Example; Richard lied to his father and told him that he was going to his friend’s house to study when in actual fact, he was going to go out for a movie without his parents’ permission. When he got back, he forgot the excuse that he had given to his father and his mother that he had went for tuition instead. As a result of that, his parents realized that Richard had been lying to them. Indeed, liars need good memories.

I’m not good with memory. I often forget about events, dates and names. I tried to eat raisin to boost my capacity to remember, failed. I tried Tony Buzan’s Mind Mapping, not so effective for me, failed. I tried to always bring notes with me, I also always forget to bring pen, failed. So if I were to be a liar, I need to work really hard. One easy-but-hard-to-do-at-first solution for all of this is – to be truthful and honest as possible as one can be. Saying lies need a good memory because if the lies are not constant or contradict with one another then the ugly truth will be exposed. On the other hand, if you’re telling the truth, you don’t need a good memory, you save yourself from unnecessary headache and pretenses – you can be you, really who you are. No mask, no guilt, no extra cautions.

Chuck Swindoll writes, “Honesty has a beautiful and refreshing simplicity about it. No ulterior motives. No hidden meanings. An absence of hypocrisy, duplicity, political games, and verbal superficiality. As honesty and real integrity characterize our lives, there will be no need to manipulate others”. Honesty, in my finite opinion, is always the best policy because it is godly. Remember it is a delight to God when we are completely truthful and honest. As true Christians let us strive with God’s help to tell the truth every time, and in so doing please our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in all we say and do. The Message puts it this way, “No more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth” (Ephesians 4:25). Really, liars need good memories but truth tellers need not to remember always.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Amy Carmichael and Her Unanswered Prayer

“Keep praying, and be thankful that 

God’s answers are wiser than your prayers!” (William Culbertson).

"Amy Carmichael after 30 years"

Four-year-old Amy wished that her brown eye would turn blue like her mother’s. “I know,” she said one night. “I’ll ask Jesus to make my eyes blue. Mother says that Jesus always answers.” Amy knelt down beside her bed and prayed earnestly that God would make her eyes blue; then she jumped into bed, certain that her prayer would be answered. In the morning she eagerly jumped out of bed and looked in the mirror. Her eyes were still brown. Jesus had not answered! How sad and disappointed she felt. Then a little voice in her heart whispered, “Isn’t no an answer?”

Years later Amy Carmichael went to India where God used her to rescue many children from a life of sin in the temples of that country. She stained her skin with coffee and wore Indian clothing. This enabled her to enter the temples to rescue the children without being detected as a foreigner. Because she had brown eyes, she was able to pass as a woman of India and was allowed into the temples. Then she was glad God has said no to her childish prayer for blue eyes. He knew what was best for her.

God always answers your prayers according to what He knows is best for you. Knowing that God always listens and answers should inspire you to pray continually, even if His answer is not always the one you wanted. When you don’t get the answer you want, don’t interpret it to mean that God hasn’t heard you; rather, look for how it might be pointing you in a different direction as the story of Amy Carmichael above. God’s purpose for your life is more important than our short-coming prayer. To tell you the truth, I have lived more than 20 years long… enough to thank God that all my prayers have not been answered. If some of my foolish, childish prayers were answered, you won’t read this post ever in your life and God’s mini purpose for this post to encourage you in your prayer life may not be met. Bill Hybels says it best,

If the request is wrong, God says “No.”

If the timing is wrong, God says “Slow.”

If you are wrong, God says “Grow.”

If the request is right, the timing is right,

and you are right, God says “Go!”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

The Life in Jesus is Wonderful Thing

The life in Jesus is wonderful thing (but not easy though). Paul says, “And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit had freed you from the power of sin that leads to death” (Romans 8:2NLT). This is what happens; an illustration: Went I am in an AirAsia’s airplane; I am free from the law of gravity. The plane operates in such a way that it is able to lift itself above the clouds, although the law of gravity a few minutes before held me fast to the earth. The law of gravity is not destroyed, it is still very much operating but no more have any effect on the plane. This is what happens in our life if we are in Jesus. The law that operates by the Spirit in our life lifts us above the world and sin, and sin no longer has dominion over us. We are free! We are without condemnation.

Let me turn my word from plural to singular, ‘if we’ to ‘you’ – Are you living in Jesus? Are you living on a plane far above the evil powers and influences?

In Romans 8, the word ‘Spirit’ (the Spirit of the Son, Jesus) used over and over again more than 20 times*. We must yield our lives to Him. This is our part. Then He will fill us with His Spirit. That is Jesus’ part.

Christians are safe: Christ is around them;
the Spirit is within them;
and God is for them.
THINK BIG.
START SMALL.
GO DEEP.

………………….

*refer to Dr. Henrietta C. Mears’s What the Bible is All About Handbook (Gospel Light Publications, 1953, 1954, 1960, 1966)

A Conversation about the OT Tithing - Is it still Applicable Today?

“You must each decide in your heart how much to give” (2 Corinthians 9:7NLT).

Someone asked me a question, a good question. I called it a good question because the asker wants to know the why behind the what he do – not merely doing it. His question was: “Richard, are Christians supposed to tithe?” straightaway I answered, “Yes”. “But,” he continued his series of question, “aren’t it was only applicable during the Old Testament times?” “Hmmm….” I paused for awhile.

In the Old Testament times, God commanded the Israelites to give 10% or 1/10 of all their earnings and flocks and crops to Him. The Book of Deuteronomy recorded, “You must set aside a tithe of your crops – one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year” (14:22).  This title actually was not for God, after all, the whole earth is belongs to Him. It was used to support the Levites and priests. It was for temple maintenance. It was to help provided food for the poor, the widows and orphans. And so you know: tithing, in the Old Testament view was not an option but a command – blessings to those who tithed and curse if they failed to (see Malachi 3:8-12).

Today is 3^rd September 2012, not in the Old Testament times.
We are in the time after the New Testament period.
Now, should we tithe?

I answered him, “We are no longer under the law but under grace, so the exact requirement for tithing such as ‘one-tenth of all the crops’ is no longer applicable for us today. But…” I paused. Take a sip of coffee, then continued, “…the truth principle behind the law is very much relevant, practical and thus beneficial for us to apply. Your tithes, our tithes can be use to support the church in financial. With more finances, the church can reach out to the community – to take care of one another, to help the needy and to evangelize people. The truth is, in the New Testament, there is no specific teaching about tithing. The writers of the New Testament only told Christians to give as much as they’re able. Jesus talked a great deal about giving generously. Paul writes to urged Christians to give cheerfully, as much as they could and not because they are ‘force’ to do it but sincerely from the generous heart” (see Luke 6:38 and 2 Corinthians 9:6-8).

His eyes looked straight at my innocent face – irritating. “So???” he talked a bit louder. Devour for bottom-line answer.

“So… regardless either you believe in tithing or not – I personally, firmly believe that Christians today should still tithe. Part of being Christ-follower is giving generously to God and others. Personally (again), if you want to experience freedom from the bondage of money... if you want your joy to be full... if really, your eyes fixed on the Lord... you would give tithe... yes, even more offering to God”

He sort of agrees with me. I smiled. He walked away. I waved goodbye. He ignored it. I start writing this post. He maybe read this note now… I say, 'hello!'. 

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Be Continually Joyful

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4NLT).

If I say ‘be continually joyful’ you might think that I’m not realistic at all. Just look at the world today. It is filled with reasons to be downcast. The reality of suffering and sadness are unavoidable at this present moment. So I understand if you want to throw a big-hard-stone at me when I say ‘be continually joyful’.

‘Be continually joyful’ is what I say – this is the message I want to share today. This joyfulness does not depend on perfect circumstances or happy feelings; it is rooted ‘in the Lord’. This kind of joy is possible despite my problems because I know that God is with me (Emmanuel, ‘God with us’) to help me through them and that when troubles come my way, I consider it an opportunity for great joy (see James 1:2).

Crazy? Yes! Christians are crazy people! Paul was in prison writes this: ‘rejoice!’ God’s people ought to be the most joyful creature on earth because this temporary unhappiness in the world is nothing compare to our everlasting joy in the Lord. We can find genuine joyfulness only in the Lord and it can only come from God. Jesus is the source of this joy. John Piper writes, “Delighting in [Jesus] was not a mere preference or option in life; it was our joyful duty and should be the single passion of our lives.” When I display my joy in the Lord, God will be glorified. When I only seek my joy from Him, my soul satisfied. Oh I can’t express it fully in words –this joy in the Lord Jesus! Be continually joyful!

I’m done seeing my life only as here and now, but all the more to live with an eternal perspective in mind, to what is to come; experiencing joy in the fullness of God. When troubles happen I may cry but it won’t be long. When problems arise I maybe discourage but it’s just for a moment. Circumstances can’t get the best out of me for my joy is not on the temporary but in the Lord who is eternal and forevermore glorious. Resolved: - to be continually joyful in the Lord.

“Let the godly rejoice.
Let them be glad in God’s presence.
Let them be filled with joy” (Psalm 68:3NLT).

THINK JOYFULLY. START TO REJOICE. GO DEEPLY JOY IN THE LORD.