Malaysia Day: A Unity of Love is Possible

Adversity into Triumph: Coffee into Sweet Smelling Fragrance

A young woman was complaining to her father about how difficult her life had become. He said nothing, but took her to the kitchen and set three pans of water to boiling. To the first pan, he added carrots; to the second, eggs; and to the third, ground coffee. After all three had cooked, he put their contents into separate bowls and asked his daughter to cut into the eggs and carrots and smell the coffee.

“What does this all mean?” she asked impatiently. “Each food,” he said, “teaches us something about facing adversity, as represented by the boiling water.” The carrot went in hard but came out soft and weak. The eggs went in fragile but came out hardened. The coffee, however, changed the water to something better. “Which will you be like as you face life?” he asked. “Will you give up, become hard – or transform adversity into triumph? As the ‘chef’ of your own life, what will you bring to the table?” The questions are very thoughtful.

On adversity, Alice H. Mortenson, wrote a poet:

Sometimes God takes away our props

that we might lean on Him,

allow temptations, so we’ll grow

And triumph over sin.

Sometimes He takes away our strength

for doing earthly things

to rest our bodies that our souls

may soar on eagle’s wings.

Let’s not resent it when He says,

“Come ye apart – Be still”

or chafe at disappointments

that are His sovereign will.

Oh, let’s not doubt or question “Why?”

with unexplained delays,

but keep on soaring ‘neath His wings

with gratitude and praise!

When you face adversity, face with hot boiling water, would you change the water to something better? Would you transform adversity into triumph? God have a purpose in your adversity. Trust Him. Truth Jesus in your adversity. Let the hot boiling water turn coffee into a sweet smelling fragrance!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

John Wycliffe on The Name of Jesus

John Wycliffe, 1330 - 1384

After church service yesterday, I decided to go to the church library and borrowed some books. Three books; John Wycliffe: Herald of the Reformation, William Tyndale: Bible Translator and Martyr, and Martin Luther: the Great Reformer. Before this, I have read Jonathan Edwards: the Great Awakener and Charles Spurgeon: the Great Orator (my favorite) – and more to come. This exciting biographical Heroes of Faith series by Barbour Publishing, Inc. explore the lives of famous Christian men and women throughout the ages. I like reading these 208 pages each of inspiring biography because they remind me to walk in the faith, to treasure Christ and His Word, and to make a difference in people’s lives.

I picked up John Wycliffe biography first and read through it. I want to share a sample of his sermon on ‘The Name of Jesus.’ Read and be blessed:

“Whoever desires to love God, if you will neither be deceived nor deceive, if you will be saved and not fail, if you will stand and not fall, study to have this name Jesus constantly in mind. If you do this, the enemy shall fall and you shall stand, and the enemy shall be enfeebled and you shall be strengthened. Therefore, seek this name, Jesus, hold it and forget it not. Nothing so quenches flames, restrains evil thoughts, cuts away venomous affections, or alienates from us vain occupations.

This name, Jesus, truly held in mind, roots up vices, plants virtues, brings charity or love to men, gives men a taste of heavenly things, removes discord, produces peace, gives everlasting rest, and does away with fleshly desires. All earthly desires, all earthly things, it turns into heaviness. It fills those that love it with spiritual joy. The righteous man deserves to be blessed, for he hath truly loved this name, Jesus. He is called righteous, because he seeks earnestly to love Jesus. What can go wrong for him who unceasingly yearns to love Jesus? He loves and he desires to love, for thus we know the love of God to stand; for the more we love, the more we yearn to love.

It is said, ‘They that eat me shall not hunger, and they that drink me, shall not thirst.’ Therefore the love of Jesus by itself is delectable and desirable. Therefore no joy shall be lacking for those that seek earnestly to love Him whom angels desire to behold. Angels see Him always, and ever desire to see Him; for they are filled so full that their filling does not take away their desire, and they desire so much that their desire does not take away their fullness. This is full joy; this is glorious joy.

Therefore many men wish to joy with Christ, but as they love not His name, Jesus, they shall have sorrow without end, whatever they do. And if they give all things that they have to poor men, unless they love this name, Jesus, they shall labor in vain. For only such shall be gladdened in Jesus who have loved Him in this present life. Those that defame Him with vices and foul thoughts, and turn not again, there is no doubt but they are put out from the glory of God. Therefore a man shall not see the glory of God that has not joyfully loved this name Jesus.

In truth, an evil man does not find Jesus for he sees Him not where he is. He tries to seek Jesus in the joys of this world, where He shall never be found. Why therefore do you say, ‘We shall be saved in Jesus,’ while you cease not to hate Him, without whom you cannot have health?

I am not surprised that a man, being tempted, falls, if he does not have the name of Jesus lasting in his mind. Truly this name cleanses the conscience, makes the heart clear and clean, and drives away fear. It gets man warmth of love and lifts up the mind to heavenly melody.

O what a good name! O what a sweet name! O glorious name! O healthful name! O name to be desired! Wicked spirits will not abide with you when they behold Jesus, either in mind or hear you proclaim His name out loud. I sought to love Jesus, and ever the more I grew complete in Him love, so much the sweeter His name became to me. Therefore, blessed be the name of Jesus forever and ever. Amen.” (Refer to page 171 – 172).

Because of this name, Jesus, John Wycliffe burned with a desire to make God’s Word accessible to every individual. He was the first man who makes God’s Word available in English language. And for the rest of his remarkable story, get a book and read his biography… Enjoy reading! God bless you.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Classic Summations of the Life of Jesus Christ (Part 2 of 3)

The life of Jesus Christ is so intensely beautiful and powerful that verbal descriptions of it have moved audiences for centuries. Here are some favorites (Click here for Part 1):

“He was born in an obscure village, the child of a pleasant woman. He worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty. Then for three years he was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He never went to college. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but himself. He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race, and the leader of the column of progress. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on earth as has that One Solitary Life.”

Attribute to Philips Brooks (A.D. 1835 – 1893), American Episcopal minister

“Fundamentally, our Lord’s message was Himself. He did not come merely to preach a Gospel; He himself is that Gospel. He did not come merely to give bread; He said, ‘I am the bread.’ He did not come merely to shed light, He said, ‘I am the light.’ He did not come merely to show the door; He said, ‘I am the door.’ He did not come merely to name a shepherd; He said, ‘I am the shepherd.’ He did not come merely to point the way; He said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.’”

J. Sidlow Baxter, British Bible teacher

“A catalog of virtues and graces, however complete, would merely give us a mechanical view. It’s the spotless purity and the sinlessness of Jesus as acknowledged by friend and foe that raises His character high above the reach of all others. In Him we see the even harmony and symmetry of all graces: His love for God and man, His dignity and humility, His strength and tenderness, His greatness and simplicity, and His self-control and submission. It’s the absolute perfection of Christ’s character that makes Him a moral miracle in History. It’s futile to compare Him with saints and sages, ancient or modern. Even the skeptic Jean Jacques Rousseau was compelled to remark, ‘If Socrates lived and died like a sage, Jesus Christ lived and died like a God.’”

Philip Schaff, Church historian

“The historian Will Durant, author of the massive Story of Civilization, devoted an entire volume of 751 pages to the years surrounding the life of Christ, and he entitled it ‘Caesar and Christ.’ In it he noticed the stylistic differences between the Gospels, but he concluded, ‘The contradictions are of minutiae, not substance; in essentials the synoptic gospels agree remarkably well, and form a consistent portrait of Christ. No one reading these scenes can doubt the reality of the figure behind them. That a few simple men should in one generation have invented so powerful and appealing a personality, so lofty an ethic and so inspiring a vision of human brotherhood, would be a miracle far more incredible than any recorded in the Gospels. After two centuries of Higher Criticism the outlines of the life, character, and teachings of Christ, remain reasonably clear, and constitute the most fascinating feature in the history of Western man.’”

Will Durant, historian

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

What God Does With Our Sins

Rosalind Goforth was a well-known missionary to China who, along with her husband Jonathan, enjoyed an illustrious career and ministry. But for many years, even having laboured for the Lord in China, Rosalind often felt oppressed by a burden of sin. She felt guilty and dirty, nursing an inward sense of spiritual failure. Finally one evening when all was quiet, she settled at her desk with Bible and concordance, determined to find out God’s attitude toward the failures, the faults, the sins of his children.

She put these words at the top of the page: What God Does With Our Sins. Then as she searched through the Scriptures, she compiled this list of seventeen truths:

1)    He lays them on his Son – Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53:6)

2)    Christ takes them away (John 1:29)

3)    They are removed an immeasurable distance – as far as the East is from the West (Psalms 123:12)

4)    When sought for, they are not found (Jeremiah 50:20)

5)    The Lord forgives them (Ephesians 1:7)

6)    He cleanses them ALL away by the blood of his son (1 John 1:7)

7)    He cleanses them as white as snow or wool (Isaiah 1:18, Psalms 51:7)

8)    He abundantly pardons them (Isaiah 55:7)

9)    He tramples them under foot (Micah 7:19)

10) He remembers them no more (Hebrews 10:17)

11) He casts them behind his back (Isaiah 38:17)

12) He casts them into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19)

13) He will not impute us with sins (Romans 4:8)

14) He covers them (Romans 4:7)

15) He blots them out (Isaiah 43:25)

16) He blots them out as a thick cloud (Isaiah 44:22)

17) He blots out even the proof against us, nailing it to His Son’s Cross (Colossians 2:14)

These are such amazing truths. Only the sinners can claim this forgiveness.

Would you come to Jesus? [Read and check the Bible verses above for yourself]

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Doing the Wrong Things Well

“There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death”

(Proverbs 14:12, 16:25)

University president and ‘management guru’ Warren Bennis spent several years researching a book on leadership. He travelled around the country spending time with ninety of the most effective and successful leaders in the nation – sixty from corporations and thirty from the public sector. His goal was to find these leaders’ common traits. As first, he had trouble pinpointing any common traits, for the leaders were more diverse than he had expected.

But he later wrote in his book Why Leaders Can’t Lead: “I was finally able to come to some conclusions, of which perhaps the most important is the distinction between leaders and managers: Leaders are people who do the right thing; managers are people who do things right. Both role are crucial, but they differ profoundly. I often observe people in top positions doing the wrong thing well.” The same can be said for most people.

So, in your Christian life, conduct and service; are you doing the right thing according to His Word and the conviction of the Holy Spirit? Or are you doing the wrong thing well according to your own flesh and desire? Both may achieve many good things for humankind and the world, but in God’s eyes doing the right thing is more important than simple doing thing that seems right for us, or worst – wrong thing well.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Be A Bible Bookworm

I once read a biography of Charles H. Spurgeon and felt in love with his passion and energy for the Word. I try to read as much as possible his sermons, books and other biographies that I my learn more of Christ and imitate his faith in Him. I want to be like him in that matter (though honestly he was a genius, a class by himself) and improving my prayer life and be diligent to the study of the Word. He is one of my heroes of faith. But do you know who inspired him? It wasn’t ‘him’ but ‘it.’ A worm inspired him! C.H. Spurgeon said he once saw a Bible through which a worm had bored its way, beginning at the Book of Genesis and ending with the Book of Revelation; and from that hour his desire was to be a Bible bookworm, eating through the Word, believing and digesting it all.

Be a Bible bookworm. That’s the way to read the Bible. “Read the Bible not as a newspaper, but as a letter from home,” write F.B. Meyer, an author and teacher. He continues, “If a promise lies on the page as a blank cheque, cash it. If a prayer is recorded, appropriate it and launch it as a feathered arrow from the bow of your desire. If an example of holiness gleams before you, ask God to do as much for you.” Bookworm read the Bible not only for the sake of reading it, but to study it to be wise, believe it to be changed and practise it to be holy. Our heart and mind, feeling and thinking, being and doing, must be involve in our reading of the Bible.

Bible bookworm understand that many books can inform,

but only the Bible can transform. D.L. Moody once said,
“I never saw a useful Christian who was not a student of the Bible.”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.