Donuts for the Class

There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the Western United States. Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course his or her freshman year regardless of his or her major. Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.

This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor's class.

One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him.
"How many push-ups can you do "
Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."
"200 That's pretty good, Steve," Dr. Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300 "

Steve replied, "I don't know... I've never done 300 at a time."
"Do you think you could " again asked Dr. Christianson.
"Well, I can try," said Steve.
"Can you do 300 in sets of 10 I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it I need you to tell me you can do it," said the professor.

Steve said, "Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it."
Dr. Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. No these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson' s class.

Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts "

Cynthia said, "Yes."

Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut "

"Sure." Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe, do you want a donut "
Joe said, "Yes."
Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut " Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut. And down the second aisle, till Dr. Christianson came to Scott.

Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. When the professor asked, "Scott do you want a donut " Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups "
Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."
Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."

Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked,
"Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want "
With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten pushups.

Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!"
Dr. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow. Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry.

Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut "
Sternly, Jenny said, "No."
Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten more Push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want " Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks.

Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely. Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row.

During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it. Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Dr. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one "

Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want." And Dr. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!" Jason didn't know what was going on.

Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."

Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him "

Steve said, "Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut"
Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut "

Jason, new to the room hardly knew what was going on. "Yes," he said, "give me a donut."

"Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut "
Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was profusely dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was no sound except his heavy breathing, there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut "

Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."

Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want " Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda.

Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut "

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. "Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him "

Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to do it alone, I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve, here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes. Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut " As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, 'into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, he yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten." Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile. "Well done, good and faithful servant," said the professor, adding "Not all sermons are preached in words."

Turning to his class the professor said, "My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not only His Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid. Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it laying on the desk" ~ Author Unknown

http://www.thylacineslair.com/MindRetreat/Donuts.htm

Does Christianity Work?

by Josh McDowell

I longed to be happy. I wanted to be one of the happiest people in the entire world. I also desired meaning in life. I was looking for answers to the questions:

"Who am I?"
"Why in the world am I here?"
"Where am I going?"
More than that, I also longed to be free. I wanted to be one of the freest people in the whole world. Freedom to me was not simply doing what you want to do--anyone can do that. Freedom, for me, meant having the power to do what you know you ought to do. (Most people know what they ought to do . . . but don't have the power to do it.)

So I started looking for answers. It seemed almost everyone was into some sort of religion, so I did the obvious thing and went to church. I must have hit the wrong church, though, because it only made me feel worse. I went to church morning, noon and night, but it didn't help. I'm very practical, and when something doesn't work, I chuck it. So, I gave up religion.

I began to wonder if prestige was the answer. Being a leader, accepting some cause, giving yourself to it, and being popular might do it, I thought. At the university I attended, the student leaders held the purse strings and threw their weight around. So I ran for freshman class president and got elected. It was great having everyone know me, making the decisions, and spending the university's money to get speakers I wanted. It was great, but it wore off like everything else I had tried. I would wake up Monday morning (usually with a headache because of the night before) and my attitude was, "Well, here goes another five days." I endured Monday through Friday. Happiness revolved around three nights a week--Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Then the vicious cycle began all over again.

I suspect that few people in the universities and colleges of this country were more sincere about trying to find meaning, truth, and purpose in life than I was.


During that time I noticed a small group of people--eight students and two faculty members. There was something different about their lives. They seemed to know why they believed what they believed. They also seemed to know where they were going.

The people I began to notice didn't just talk about love--they got involved. They seemed to be riding above the circumstances of university life. While everyone else seemed under the pile, they appeared to have a content, peaceful state about them that wasn't driven by circumstances. They appeared to possess an inner, constant source of joy. They were disgustingly happy. They had something I didn't have.

Like the average student, when somebody had something I didn't have, I wanted it. So, I decided to make friends with these intriguing people. Two weeks after that decision we were all sitting around a table in the student union--six students and two faculty members. The conversation started to get around to God.

They were bothering me, so finally I looked over at one of the students, a good-looking woman (I used to think all Christians were ugly); and I leaned back in my chair (I didn't want the others to think I was interested) and I said, "Tell me, what changed your lives? Why are your lives so different from the others on campus?"

That young woman must have had a lot of conviction. She looked me straight in the eye and said two words I never thought I'd hear as part of a solution in a university: "Jesus Christ."

I said, "Oh, for God's sake, don't give me that garbage. I'm fed up with religion. I'm fed up with the church. I'm fed up with the Bible. Don't give me that garbage about religion."

She shot back, "Hey, I didn't say religion, I said Jesus Christ." She pointed out something I'd never known before: Christianity is not a religion. Religion is when human beings try to work their way to God through good works; Christianity is God coming to men and women through Jesus Christ to offer a relationship with himself.

There are probably more people in universities with misconceptions about Christianity than anywhere else in the world. Some time ago I met a teaching assistant who remarked in a graduate seminar that "anyone who walks into a church becomes a Christian." I replied, "Does walking into a garage make you a car?" I was told that a Christian is somebody who genuinely believes in Christ.

As I considered Christianity, my new friends challenged me intellectually to examine Jesus' life. I found out that Buddha, Mohammed and Confucius never claimed to be God, but Jesus did. My friends asked me to look over the evidence for Jesus' deity. They were convinced that Jesus was God in human form who died on the cross for the sins of mankind, that he was buried, that he arose three days later, and that he could change a person's life today.

I thought this was a farce. In fact, I thought most Christians were walking idiots. I'd met some. I used to wait for a Christian to speak up in the classroom so I could tear him or her up one side and down the other, and beat the professor to the punch. I imagined that if a Christian had a brain cell it would die of loneliness. I didn't know any better.

But these people challenged me over and over. Finally, I accepted their challenge. I did it out of pride to refute them, thinking there were no facts. I assumed there wasn't any evidence a person could evaluate.


After many months of study, my mind came to the conclusion that Jesus Christ must have been who he claimed to be. That presented quite a problem. My mind told me all this was true but my will was pulling me in another direction.

I discovered that becoming a Christian was rather ego-shattering. Jesus Christ made a direct challenge to my will to trust him. Let me paraphrase him. "Look! I have been standing at the door and I am constantly knocking. If anyone hears me calling him and opens the door, I will come in" (Revelation 3:20). I didn't care if Christ did walk on water or turn water into wine, I didn't want any party-pooper around. I couldn't think of a faster way to ruin a good time. So here my mind was telling me Christianity was true and my will was running away.

Whenever I was around those enthusiastic Christians, the conflict would begin. If you've ever been around happy people when you're miserable, you understand how they can bug you. They would be so happy and I would be so miserable that I'd literally get up and run right out of the student union. It came to the point where I'd go to bed at ten at night, and I wouldn't get to sleep until four in the morning. I knew I had to get it off my mind before I went out of my mind! Finally my head and my heart connected on December 19, 1959, at 8:30 p.m. during my second year at the university--I became a Christian.

That night I prayed four things to establish a relationship with Jesus Christ which has since transformed my life. First, I said, "Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for me." Second, I said, "I confess those things in my life that aren't pleasing to you and ask you to forgive me and cleanse me." Third, I said, "Right now, in the best way I know how, I open the door of my heart and life and trust you as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Change me from the inside out. Make me the type of person you created me to be." The last thing I prayed was, "Thank you for coming into my life by faith." It was a faith based not upon ignorance but upon the evidence of history and God's Word.

I'm sure you've heard various religious people talking about their personal bolt-of-lightning experience. Well, after I prayed, nothing happened. I mean nothing. And I still didn't sprout wings. In fact, after I made that decision, I felt worse. I literally felt I was going to vomit. Oh, no, I thought, what did you get sucked into now? I really felt I'd gone off the deep end (and I'm sure some people think I did!).


But in six months to a year-and-a-half, I found out that I hadn't gone off the deep end. My life was changed. I was once in a debate with the head of the history department at a Midwestern university, and I said my life had been changed. He interrupted me with "McDowell, are you trying to tell us that God really changed your life in the 20th century? What areas?" After 45 minutes he said, "OK, that's enough." Let me tell you a few of the things I told him and the audience that day.

One area God changed was my restlessness. I always had to be occupied. I'd walk across the campus and my mind was like a whirlwind with conflicts bouncing around the walls. I'd sit down and try to study, but I couldn't. A few months after I made that decision for Christ, a kind of mental peace developed. Don't misunderstand. I'm not talking about the absence of conflict. What I found in this relationship with Jesus wasn't absence of conflict but the ability to cope with it. I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world.

Another area that started to change was my bad temper. I used to blow my stack if somebody just looked at me cross-eyed. I still have the scars from almost killing a guy my first year at college. My temper was such a part of me that I didn't try to consciously change it. I arrived at the crisis of losing my temper only to find it was gone! Only once in 14 years have I exploded (and when I blew it that time, I made up for it for about six years!).

There's another area of which I'm not proud. But I mention it because a lot of people need to have the same change in their lives, and I found the source of change: a relationship with Jesus Christ. That area is hatred. I had a lot of hatred in my life. It wasn't something outwardly manifested, but there was a kind of inward grinding. I was ticked off with people, with things, with issues.

But I hated one man more than anyone else in the world: my father. I hated his guts. To me he was the town alcoholic. Everybody knew my dad was a drunk. My friends would make jokes about my father staggering around downtown. They didn't think it bothered me. I was like other people--laughing on the outside. But let me tell you, I was crying on the inside. There were times I'd go out in the barn and see my mother beaten so badly she couldn't get up, lying in the manure behind the cows. When we had friends over, I would take my father out, tie him up in the barn, and park the car around the silo. We would tell our friends he'd had to go somewhere. I don't think anyone could have hated anyone more than I hated my father.

After I made that decision for Christ, he entered my life and his love was so strong that he took the hatred and turned it upside down. I was able to look my father squarely in the eyes and say, "Dad, I love you." And I really meant it. After some of the things I'd done, that shook him up.

When I transferred to a private university I was in a serious car accident. With my neck in traction, I was taken home. I'll never forget my father coming into my room. He asked me, "Son, how can you love a father like me?" I said, "Dad, six months ago I despised you." Then I shared with my dad the conclusions I had come to about Christ: "Dad, I let Jesus Christ come into my life. I can't explain it completely, but as a result of that relationship I've found the capacity to love and accept not only you but other people just the way they are."

Forty-five minutes later one of the greatest thrills of my life occurred. Somebody in my own family, someone who knew me so well I couldn't pull the wool over his eyes, said to me, "Son, if God can do in my life what I've seen him do in yours, then I want to give him the opportunity." Right there my father prayed with me and trusted Christ for the forgiveness of his sins.

Usually the changes take place over several days, weeks, months, or even a year. The life of my father was changed right before my eyes. It was as if somebody reached down and turned on a light bulb. I've never seen such a rapid change before or since. My father touched whiskey only once after that. He got it as far as his lips and that was it. I've come to one conclusion. A relationship with Jesus Christ changes lives.

You can laugh at Christianity. You can mock and ridicule it. But it works. It changes lives. If you trust Christ, start watching your attitudes and actions because Jesus Christ is in the business of changing lives.

But Christianity is not something you can shove down somebody's throat. All I can do is tell you what I've learned. After that, it's your decision.

Perhaps the prayer I prayed will help you: "Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank you for dying on the cross for me. Forgive me and cleanse me. Right at this moment I trust you as Savior and Lord. Make me the type of person you created me to be. In Christ's name. Amen."

Josh McDowell is an internationally known speaker, author, and travelling representative for Campus Crusade for Christ. He has written more than fifty books, including the classics More Than A Carpenter and Evidence That Demands A Verdict.

1996 Campus Crusade for Christ

http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/josh/josh2.html

The Professor Teaches About Evil and Christianity

The Professor Teaches About Evil and Christianity

"LET ME EXPLAIN THE problem science has with Jesus Christ." The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand. "You're a Christian, aren't you, son?"
"Yes, sir."
"So you believe in God?"
"Absolutely."
"Is God good?"
"Sure! God's good."
"Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?"
"Yes."
"Are you good or evil?"
"The Bible says I'm evil."
The professor grins knowingly. "Ahh! THE BIBLE!" He considers for a moment. "Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help them? Would you try?"
"Yes sir, I would."
"So you're good...!"
"I wouldn't say that."
"Why not say that? You would help a sick and maimed person if you could...in fact most of us would if we could....God doesn't."
[No answer]
"He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?"
[No answer]
The elderly man is sympathetic. "No, you can't, can you?" He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax. "In philosophy, you have to go easy with the new ones. Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?"
"Er... Yes."
"Is Satan good?"
"No."
"Where does Satan come from?"
The student falters. "From... God..."
"That's right. God made Satan, didn't he?" The elderly man runs his bony fingers through his thinning hair and turns to the smirking student audience. "I think we're going to have a lot of fun this semester, ladies and gentlemen." He turns back to the Christian. "Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?"
"Yes, sir."
"Evil's everywhere, isn't it? Did God make everything?"
"Yes."
"Who created evil?"
[No answer]
"Is there sickness in this world? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness. All the terrible things - do they exist in this world? "
The student squirms on his feet. "Yes."
"Who created them?"
[No answer]
The professor suddenly shouts at his student, "WHO CREATED THEM? TELL ME, PLEASE!" The professor closes in for the kill and climbs into the Christian's face. In a still small voice, he asked, "God created all evil, didn't He, son?"
[No answer]
The student tries to hold the steady, experienced gaze and fails. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace the front of the classroom like an aging panther. The class is mesmerized. "Tell me," he continues, "How is it that this God is good if He created all evil throughout all time?" The professor swishes his arms around to encompass the wickedness of the world. "All the hatred, the brutality, all the pain, all the torture, all the death and ugliness and all the suffering created by this good God is all over the world, isn't it, young man?"
[No answer]
"Don't you see it all over the place? Huh?" Pause. "Don't you?" The professor leans into the student's face again and
whispers, "Is God good?"
[No answer]
"Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?"
The student's voice betrays him and cracks. "Yes, professor. I do."
The old man shakes his head sadly. "Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?"
"No, sir. I've never seen Him."
"Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?"
"No, sir. I have not."
"Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus... in fact, do you have any sensory perception of your God whatsoever?"
[No answer]
"Answer me, please."
"No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't."
"You're AFRAID... you haven't?"
"No, sir."
"Yet you still believe in him?"
"...yes..."
"That takes FAITH!" The professor smiles sagely at the underling. "According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son? Where is your God now?"
[The student doesn't answer]
"Sit down, please."
The first Christian sits...defeated.
Another Christian raises his hand. "Professor, may I address the class?"
The professor turns and smiles. "Ah, yet another Christian in the vanguard! Come, come, young man. Speak some proper wisdom to the gathering."
The Christian looks around the room. "Some interesting points you are making, sir. Now I've got a question for you. Is there such thing as heat?"
"Yes," the professor replies. "There's heat."
"Is there such a thing as cold?"
"Yes, son, there's cold too."
"No, sir, there isn't."
The professor's grin freezes. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The second Christian continues.
"You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit 273 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold, otherwise we would be able to go colder than -273°C. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it."
Silence. A pin drops somewhere in the classroom.
"Is there such a thing as darkness, professor?"
"That's a dumb question, son. What is night if it isn't darkness? What are you getting at...?"
"So you say there is such a thing as darkness?"
"Yes..."
"You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something, it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light... but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, Darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker and give me a jar of it. Can you... give me a jar of darker darkness, professor?"
Despite himself, the professor smiles at the young effrontery before him. This will indeed be a good semester. "Would you mind telling us what your point is, young man?"
"Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with and so your conclusion must be in error...."
The professor goes toxic. "Flawed...? How dare you...!"
"Sir, may I explain what I mean?"
The class is all ears.
"Explain... ohhhhh, explain..." The professor makes an admirable effort to regain control. Suddenly he is affability himself. He waves his hand to silence the class, for the student to continue.
"You are working on the premise of duality," the Christian explains. "That for example there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science cannot even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism but has never seen, much less fully understood them. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, merely the absence of it." The young man holds up a newspaper he takes from the desk of a neighbor who has been reading it. "Here is one of the most disgusting tabloids this country hosts, professor. Is there such a thing as immorality?"
"Of course there is, now look..."
"Wrong again, sir. You see, immorality is merely the absence of morality. Is there such thing as injustice? No. Injustice is the absence of justice. Is there such a thing as evil?" The Christian pauses. "Isn't evil the absence of good?"
The professor's face has turned an alarming color. He is so angry he is temporarily speechless.
The Christian continues, "If there is evil in the world, professor, and we all agree there is, then God, if He exists, must be accomplishing a work through the agency of evil.1 What is that work God is accomplishing? The Bible tells us it is to see if each one of us will, of our own free will, choose good over evil."2
The professor bridles. "As a philosophical scientist, I don't view this matter as having anything to do with any choice; as a realist, I absolutely do not recognize the concept of God or any other theological factor as being part of the world equation because God is not observable."
The Christian replies, "I would have thought that the absence of God's moral code in this world is probably one of the most observable phenomena going, Newspapers make billions of dollars reporting it every week! Tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?"
"If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do."
"Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?"
The professor makes a sucking sound with his teeth and gives his student a silent, stony stare.
"Professor. Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?"
"I'll overlook your impudence in the light of our philosophical discussion. Now, have you quite finished?" the professor hisses.
"So you don't accept God's moral code to do what is righteous?"
"I believe in what is - that's science!"
"Ahh! SCIENCE!" the student's face splits into a grin. "Sir, you rightly state that science is the study of observed phenomena. Science too is a premise which is flawed..."
"SCIENCE IS FLAWED..?" the professor splutters.
The class is in uproar. The Christian remains standing until the commotion has subsided. "To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, may I give you an example of what I mean?"
The professor wisely keeps silent.
The Christian looks around the room. "Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's mind?" The class breaks out into laughter. The Christian points towards his elderly, crumbling tutor. "Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's mind... felt the professor's mind, touched or smelt the professor's mind? No one appears to have done so." The Christian shakes his head sadly. "It appears no one here has had any sensory perception of the professor's mind whatsoever. Well, according to the rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science, I DECLARE that the professor has no mind."
The class is in chaos.
The Christian sits.

If you didn't get it, here is a brief synopsis. The atheist argument is that since God created everything, He is responsible for the creation of evil. However, "evil" is a word that we use to describe certain things that happen to us (most of which are caused by other people). In reality, it is not a physically created thing at all and, therefore, does not fall within the realm of something created by God. So, the argument is fundamentally flawed. As stated on this site, evil is allowed by God so that free will beings can choose between good (i.e., God) or evil (absence of God). Without evil, it is not possible to choose between good and evil, and the universe would have no ultimate purpose.

The class is in chaos. The Christian sits...because that is what a chair is for. An atheist has a reason, but no hope for his reason. A hypocrite has a hope, but no reason for his hope. A Christian has a reason for his hope and a hope for his reason; and, I might add: Life with Christ is an endless hope. Without Christ is a hopeless end.

References
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth." (Romans 9:17) The evil that Pharaoh perpetrated against the Jews was the means by which God demonstrated His power to His people.
But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you My power and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth. (Exodus 9:16)
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (Psalm 34:14)
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:14)
Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. (Amos 5:14)
...those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. (John 5:29)
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. (Romans 12:9)
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14)
He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. (1 Peter 3:11)
Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. (3 John 1:11)

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/professor.html
http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/professor.html

Do You Separate?

God gave me this reflection this morning (hahaha becoming more aware of household chores :)) yeah, God can give revelation even from laundry :)

Some of us might be familiar with doing the laundry. Some of us hate it when our whites become all dull and grey after several washings. I believe there's a parallel to life.

There's a reason why God gave us instructions to walk righteously with Him. Just like white clothes we put into laundry without separation from dark colored clothes. It's convenient but after a while, it will slowly but surely becomes "grey-er". We will not notice it but before long it becomes dull and looks old.

It's the same with life. Often times, we tend to take to little "conveniences" and ignore God's teachings. "It's only this time", "It's no big deal", "I'll make it up and "pay back". But slowly but surely, the life that is meant to be exhibited drains away as the little "conveniences" becomes conveniences and eventually a lifestyle.

So there must be a reason why God set us apart.

The good news is that even though dullness has set in, it's never too late as God provides a super bleach, Jesus. Life can come back. That's the good news.

Persevere in God

Read article on http://www.thesalarmy.org/DTMG/miracle12.htm (Article reproduced below).

I have to be frank, this happened in a place that I least expected to happen since I always thought that healing takes place more in "charismatic" churches rather than traditional churches. But God can work anywhere and so I learnt.

Even as I struggle with pain caused by my slip disc this morning, it was pure exciting to wake up to this article.

Firstly because the article featured something close to my heart-volunteers-and it was just amazing seeing someone in pain as Ema continuing to serve God and mankind and how God honors her and touched her.

This has been quite aligned to what I have been sensing from God recently about "saved to save" and continuing in whatever He calls me to.

Secondly, it excites me because it yet again reminds me of how real God is and how much He cares for us. Yes, I would believe Ema would have gone through periods where she asked God "why?!" only to not hear any response. 17 whole years! But I am reminded again and again from Romans 8:28 that God works for the good of all who love Him and who are called according to His purpose. God is real and not slow as we humans understand it but He loves us and has His plans for us. "For I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future" (Jer 29:11). The "prospering" we know here is not merely wealth kind of prospering but God's prospering in the whole sense of the word: lacking nothing in maturity so we can grow to the full version of who God intends us to be, joy (different from happiness), meaning and purpose, peace, love etc.

Thirdly, it gives me hope in my own life circumstances. I believe that whenever things like that happen, God is glorified and made known, as if God is showing Himself yet again in a bid to ask us to return to Him in genuine love, not just worshipping Him ritually or for what He can give us in return for the worship. There is hope because God knows what we need (not want), and He provides in His time.

Need rest, ask God. Need peace, ask God. Need forgiveness, ask God. Need restoration, ask God. Need healing, ask God. Need provisions, ask God. Man can never give as God gives. Ask and believe in Him. It might take some time but God has everything in His control. God works for the good of everyone. It took Ema 17 years and 8 hours of final crying out but both her and God did not give up. 

God Heals Salvation Army Volunteer’s Crippled Body

Longtime Rochester Salvation Army volunteer Ema McKinley is gaining worldwide attention following a Christmas Eve miracle that has Mayo Clinic doctors scratching their heads: One day she was crippled, the next she was walking.

Ema, 65, fell off a ladder in 1993 and developed Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSD), a rare nerve disorder that cripples limbs and causes extreme sensitivity to touch. RSD pain – known as causalgia – is said to hurt more than anything known to man, surpassing cancer, amputation and child birth, according to the McGill Pain Index. By 1995 the RSD had taken over Ema’s entire body (see photos). For the next 17 years she was stuck in a wheelchair with her spine bent 90 degrees, her left foot shriveled and her left hand locked shut. High-pitched noises, bright lights or even the rumbling of a semitrailer made her skin feel like it was being burned by a blowtorch.

Photos of Ema's spine condition, hands and feet prior to the miracle that healed her. She lived like this for 17 years.

“A gust of wind made my arm feel like it was in a 400-degree oven,” said Ema, whose daily intake of morphine was often 2,000 mg – literally an elephant dose. (She still suffers from RSD, though the pain is not as severe.) Ema's Faith Ema decided to follow Jesus Christ and make Him her Lord and Savior in 1964. Her faith remained unshakeable during the 17 years she spent in a wheelchair. Despite being deformed and in torturous pain, she was never bitter at God. Instead, she was committed to spreading His love everywhere she went. “You could ask the door guys at Mayo Clinic, the clerks in Walmart – everywhere we went, people were touched by Ema because she always had a smile on her face,” said Cathy Ruggeberg, Ema’s personal caregiver since 1994.

Ema at her Rochester home, standing with son Jason Lano and caregiver Cathy Ruggeberg.

The Miracle God rewarded Ema for her faith last Christmas Eve. After accidentally falling out of her wheelchair at about 1 a.m., she spent the entire night on the floor of her home screaming for help and writhing in impossible pain. Then God showed up. Suddenly, she could feel Him healing her spine. She watched as He opened her hand and regenerated the rotten flesh covering its underside, skin that hadn’t seen the light of day in 17 years. Not only did God straighten her foot, he grew it back to its original size. When God was finished, He appeared to Ema in a white robe, offered His hand and helped her to her feet. She could walk. “This miracle was just so over the top – God is trying to get the attention of His children,” Ema said. “If anybody ever hears anything I say, I want it to be this: This is not just my miracle. This is everybody’s miracle. This is all about God and how much He loves each and every one of us, and what He can do for us if we just let Him.”

No Medical Explanation Doctors at Mayo Clinic, arguably the finest hospital on the planet, confirmed they’ve been treating Ema for nearly 20 years and that her spine, foot and hand healed overnight. They cannot explain how.

“While I currently cannot offer a clear medical explanation for her dramatic improvement, and cannot speculate regarding other possible interpretations, I am nonetheless delighted with Ema’s recent progress,” Dr. David Bell, Ema’s primary doctor at Mayo Clinic for the past nine years, said in a statement. Sharing the Miracle Word of McKinley’s miracle is spreading around the world. She was recently interviewed by FOX News and the 700 Club and has begun speaking at countless large-scale faith conferences. McKinley appeared Aug. 4 at the Embracing Miracles Conference in Rochester.

Ema has been serving meals at the Rochester Salvation Army for 27 years. After her accident, she could only greet dinner guests at the door (see video). Now she can serve meals again.

Video Interviews

• Ema describes being in a wheelchair for 17 years (watch video)
• Ema’s son, Jason Lano, explains seeing her after the miracle (watch video)
• Ema’s caregiver, Cathy Ruggeberg, explains seeing her after the miracle (watch video)
• Ema describes how the miracle happened (watch video)
• Ema's message to everybody (watch video)

Where Are You; In or Out?

... neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his BANISHED be not EXPELLED from him. (2 Sam 14:14b KJV, emphasis mine).

I'm seeking God about something recently and as I was doing my QT today, this verse popped out at me. Both KJV and NKJV used the word "banished" and "expelled".

I checked the Merriam-Webster dictionary and both words have similar meaning. Indeed, both the Common English Bible and NIV agrees with this when the same verse is printed as "... a BANISHED person does not remain BANISHED from him" (2 Sam 14:14b NIV, emphasis mine).

We, being unholy and with our own "merits", cannot be near the Holy God. But the verse speaks clearly about something: that God so love you and me, even though He (being the Creator) does not need to, but yet He works to make a way for us, so we will not remain away from Him.

"... he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him". (2 Sam 14:14b NIV). So it's not a permanent banishment or exile; there is a way to return.

The Message version of the same verse says "... He works out ways to get the EXILE back" (MSG, emphasis mine). The word "exile", interestingly, in the Merriam-Webster dictionary has a component which the words "banish" and "expel" do not have. According to the dictionary, "exile" is both passive (i.e. to be exiled) as well as active (voluntary on our part). And so it is, in the spiritual realm, we can both actively and passively exile ourselves from God's kingdom whenever we sin.

But here comes the equation: God works to provide the means to be out of exile but how do we appropriate it? What do we do about it? Have you done your part of the "work" to draw near to God and grow in His mercy and grace? Do you take His mercy and grace for granted?

For those who have yet to receive Christ, God shows the way through Christ. For those who have accepted Christ, God gives His Holy Spirit, conviction and His word to keep us walking well. So we are without excuse.

The bible warns us with the parable of the ten virgins (Matt 25:1-13). The Kingdom of God is like that and we can choose to be like the five wise virgins (some commentaries believe these are the equivalent of modern day bridesmaid) who was always ready for the arrival of the bridegroom or the five foolish virgins who was not diligent and not prepared. The result: they missed the banquet, the bridegroom and was kept outside.

If Christ comes today, how ready are you?

About Hell

Let's discuss about something that people don't like to talk about but yet it's worth having a discourse over it, so we have the right perspective about hell.

There are things we will never fully understand but yet I believe that there are things that God makes plainly clear to us.

So let's start to process a little...

What makes hell so bad is not God. It's precisely the opposite - His absence.

You may say, "Hell is on earth." This is only partially true because there is still a lot of good on earth. Thank God we get a probationary period on earth where we get to see a little bit of Heaven and a little bit of hell, and get to choose which one we want for eternity.

And some of us may think that ending our lives might be the best way to escape. God gave us life and asked us not to murder, this shows how serious He is about life. And so when we kill ourselves, we are throwing the life God gave us away. So suicide is not the way God prescribed.

In fact, God loves us so much and does not want any of us to go there (hell) and He gave us the Solution.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 NKJV)

It's not God sending people to hell. It's the devil who snatches every sinner as his own possession.

No. People don't go to hell just because they don't believe in Jesus. People die and go to hell, first and foremost, because they are sinners and chooses to remain as sinners. People get confused why a loving God would send them to hell. But the truth is that God DID provide the solution, Jesus Christ.

Jesus proclaimed in gospel: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6 NKJV). Coming to the Father also would mean going into the presence of the Holy God, Heaven.

In summary..,
God is holy thus the place where God is, Heaven, is holy.

Conversely, the place where God is not present, hell, is unholy.

Everyone is a sinner and cannot attain righteousness by their own.

He is not unloving to send us to hell.

If indeed you believe God exist, He loves us so much He did not leave us clueless.

With suffering on earth, God is giving us a glimpse of heaven and hell on earth and is pointing us to the Solution. Suicide is not the way because it mocks the life that God gave in the first place.

He DID provide a solution because we can never be right before God no matter how we try.

God provided a Savior to take upon Him the punishments that we deserve for our sins so we, when we accept the solution and the work done my Jesus on the cross, we can be right again with God, repent and dwell where God is, Heaven.

And meanwhile, though life is difficult on earth, it can be filled with God's presence and peace during trials, joy, purpose, provision, protection etc.

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10b NKJV)

This is the reason why Jesus came: You. You dwelling with God.

Am I Self Righteous?

Life Checkpoint: if you were to die in the next hour, how sure are you that you will go to heaven? When God sees you in heaven and asks why He should let you in, what would you say?

God has given us a heart and head to know what is sinful and what is not, regardless if we are Christ followers or not. The ten commandments, or for that matter, even if we were to just look at a few of the commandments, asking us not to murder (even in the mind when we are angry), not to commit adultery (even in the mind when we lust), not to bear false witness or lie (regardless of the reason), not to steal and to honor our father and mother; these itself provide us with a yardstick to know we cannot keep it apart from God's help.

No wonder, when the rich young man came to ask Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus gave him an opportunity to examine his life (see Matt 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22, Luke 18:18-23).

Think about it, it's impossible for a rich young man to not have broken God's commandments because man is fallen. But the rich young man's response was "I've kept all these from my youth". Apparently, the man was using his own yardstick, which is lower than God's. But Jesus loved him (Mark 10:21) and gave him another chance to examine his life honestly. He asked him to sell all he had, give to the poor and follow Him. It was a heart's test as Jesus was trying to bring him to a checkpoint in life for his own yardstick. Jesus did this to expose his true love for money above love for God, and by that he broke the first, second and tenth commandment to love God, to not worship any idol (including idol of money) and not to covet.

A lot of times, we can be self-righteous and think that we are there. But the painful truth is that we are NOT there. Heaven is a place of holiness and God is holy. He cannot allow anything that is unholy to enter. It is no longer about how much or less sinful one is over others because ALL are sinners. It is about how we allow God to come into our sinful lives to turn things around through Jesus Christ.

When we are self-righteous, we think we have reached there but in truth we have missed the Holy God's mark. Paul, the person who wrote most of the new testament, who we will thought is righteous before God, also confessed "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me" (Philippians 3:12). But He (God) provided a way for us, Jesus Christ, who being from God and sinless, took the punishment for our sins and died on our behalf. The bible says that the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23) (first physical and then eternal death in hell). But Jesus came to take that death. Now you understand how God loves you and wants you to have nothing to do with eternal death from Him.

The solution: turn away from self-righteousness, know that there is no other way to be right with God expect through the One He sent. If you have yet to, accept Him into your life as Savior and also Lord. Invite a Christian friend to take you through the sinner's prayer with you because there is power in the spoken word. Just like in a marriage, the couple can know that they love each other so much but until they verbalize "I Do", the marriage is not valid.

There is power in the spoken word because, even God spoke the world into being (see Gen 1), let alone us who can speak to our situation. I have recently come to realise in my healing and wholeness, there is indeed power in verbalizing my forgiveness. Until that healing session, I had thought I have forgiven some people until I spoke the forgiveness. Somehow, when we proclaim, our spirit, soul (which includes the mind) and body agrees. So speak it.

Now that you have accepted Jesus as Savior, He has cleansed you of the eternal death that plagues you with your sins. But while you are still alive, you cannot continue in your sin. Jesus said to the adulteress woman "Go and sin no more (John 8:11). He will also be Lord of your life as He shows you how to live righteously, just as He Himself lived while walking on this earth alive, and now in our lives, through the Holy Spirit. Yes, we will fall into sin again but keep coming back to God, repent truthfully and allow Him to work in your life. But do not take His grace for granted and keep sinning, mocking God.

So, if you were to die in the next hour, how sure will you be you will be in heaven? What would you say if God asks you why He should let you into heaven?

God's Model for Salvation

There's a problem with evangelism in modern day Christianity. Many may say "you won't ever find true happiness and peace until you have Jesus", but some pre-believers may not understand that when all is going well. Some may say "you have a God-shaped void in you heart" which again puzzles pre-believers. While some may go through trials and accept God or say the sinner's prayer, the result is that he or she may not fully understand the decision he/she made and will soon fall away.

Think about a doctor, he might know what a patient is suffering from and prescribe a treatment but if the patient do not know what they are suffering from and hence the need of treatment, it is little wonder they may stop treatment.

For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17 NKJV)

The way God evangelized was to give the law first then grace next. The law reveals the problem man has and how there's no hope self-medicating, no matter how we try. Grace and truth through Jesus reveals the answer. No wonder Paul wrote in Romans that he would not know what sin is except with the Law. Elder Freddy Boey once gave an example that unless the law and road sign says speeding beyond a certain limit is unlawful, we will not know that it's unlawful.

But often times, when sharing the gospel, we miss out the condition and prescribe the treatment. Or worst, we do things in reverse, we share about grace to pre-believers and then pound believers with the law, which then some will see it as being legalistic and fall away.

When there's no conviction by the Law, there's no repentance and without repentance, people may not come to fully understand God's grace. That's God's order. The old testament leads to the new.

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23 NKJV). We have all lied, stole, had unholy thoughts towards others, dishonored our parents at one point in time or another. God's commandments gave awareness of what is wrong and show that by ourselves, we are condemned to never be able to enter holy heavens and into His presence. But this godly awareness will lead us to God's salvation plan, Jesus.

May God give us the prompting and sensitivity by His Holy Spirit as we minister to pre-believers, to help them understand their need for God's salvation. May we REALLY save one more for Jesus.

Writing inspired by "From Buddha to Jesus" by Steve Cioccolanti

Feel Be Filled

 

Image Source

Imagine a jar that is made to fill salt but instead you forcefully fill it with large, jagged and heavy rocks. Before long, cracks develop and the jar threatens to fall apart. And we start wondering why this is so.

We are intricately created and woven together by God as an amazing being (science attests to that); created you in such a way that only a TRUE and MEANINGFUL relationship with God can fill the void in life. However, we, myself included, sometimes choose to have relationship (often times ungodly ones) with people and things. We fill it with people who seem but cannot meet our real needs, activities/things that seem to temporarily meets the need or numbs it. It's no wonder things come crumbling down sooner or later, just because it's just not meant to be that way.

Try all you may but go back to your Creator and Daddy God because ONLY He knows and can fill you. Man are fallible and will fail you. Activities and things are but temporal and, well, just things. You have only one life to make the right choice for eternity. Live it well and come back to God and be filled in just the right way.

"We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed". (2 Corinthians 4:7-9 NLT)

God has been trying to get your attention and stands in the doorway to receive you in His arms, no matter you have yet to come to Him or have once came to Him but now far away. Here you have nothing that you need to prove about yourself and is where you CAN be accepted.

"But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him". (Luke 15:20 NKJV).

Feel be filled.

"What do you want Me to do for you?"

Jesus asks "What do you want Me to do for you?" (Mark 10:36,51). In two separate occasions, people approached Jesus to ask of Him in Mark 10:35-52.

"... how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! (Matthew 7:11b NKJV).

Daddy God longs to give good things to you; provisions, spiritual and emotional wholeness, health. All we need do is ask of Him what will please His heart to give, simply because He grants good gifts for us to grow in His glory; according to how we ought to be in Him.

In Mark 10, James and John asked to sit at the left and right of Jesus but to which He replied that it is not for Him to grant but by the Father. But in verse 46-52, a blind man comes to Jesus and was healed. Not only by God but also by his own faith.

Ask the Father for what would please His heart to give and exercise faith. It pleases Him to give you good gifts. Keep asking because, God loves you.

"... God is faithful... For the Son of God, Jesus Christ... was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes." For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:18-20 NIV).

Has the Lord given you a promise? As I read this morning, I sensed from the Lord His reminder that nothing that the Lord spoken will not come to pass i.e. what He says He will do He will do. So trust in Him. If in Samuel, what the Lord spoke of Eli's house, who displeasured Him, came to pass, let alone His good promises that He gives you. He will bring it to pass. Hold on to His promises. The loving Father God has good plans and promises for you and me.

Chopsticks or Drumsticks

Image Source

Reflection: I saw a youth walking around with two sticks in his hands. Though they look like chopsticks, I knew they are drum sticks. But had I not known about drums, it would have puzzled me why he is walking around with chopsticks.

And I started to come to appreciate how God loves you and me. Do you know that He loves you, and you have been blessed to be able to know Him and now understand His love in your life?

"For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ". (2 Cor 4:6 NKJV)

It is God who chose you and me and gave us revelation of who He is. And after He shoned this light, and we responded in faith, we are no longer blinded. We no longer need see drum sticks as chopsticks, which is indeed puzzling to see someone walking around with. God revealed Himself to us.

"At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" (2 Cor 5:16, 17 NLT).

The question now is that: with God revealing Himself so plainly to us, what is your response to Him through your life, if indeed you believe in Him? Are you indeed living that new life God gave you?

In Matt 11:12-26, we catch a glimpse of what kind of life pleases the Lord and what kind displeases Him. A life of unfruitfulness, of defiling His sacred temple (our bodies) displeases Him greatly, while a life of faith and of forgiveness, which He spoke of, pleases Him.

What is your response through your life?

Our reactions is and must be congruent with our revelation.

No Sin is Righteous

Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:17, 18 NKJV)

David has been described as a person after God's heart. And the verse above sheds light why this is so. Even though David has sinned, but his heart continues to seek to depart from what is unholy and unrighteous.

"I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness." (Psalm 101:3, 4 NKJV).

Sin is sin. Unholiness is unholiness, regardless the reason. In 1 Sam 15, God gave victory to King Saul but mentioned that he is to destroy all. Not because God is sadistic but because He loves His children and know that they will be corrupted if corruption is allowed to remain. But Saul greatly displeased God and did not destroy all. Even though he gave the reason that the best is left for sacrifice to God and tried to put the blame on his people, God sees the heart and was greatly displeased, to the extent of rejecting Saul. God cannot be mocked and no reason, even if it is to be used as worship and sacrifice to the Lord, is acceptable for sin. Sin is sin and God is holy. Reasoning and blaming won't help.

Perhaps that is what sets David from Saul; not that David never sinned but his heart was tender towards God and sought to depart from unholiness so that God can be pleased to call him His child. This is how much God loves you to want you to stray from Him.

Paul says "We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain". (2 Corinthians 6:1 NKJV).

"For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b NKJV)

What aspects of your life do you need change so God will be pleased with you? Reasoning won't help.

Vengeance is Whose?

Life Checkpoint: Do you have in your life some unresolved issues where someone has wronged you and you feel great distress whenever you think of him/her? Do you think "how dare him/her after all I have done? I don't deserve this!" if so, I sensed from my quiet time to share this with you.

Recently in my healing and wholeness, I have also come to realise I have unresolved hurts that held on to and literally controlled my life. But that has been dealt with. Yesterday, was just chatting with someone on what it means to forgive and forget. And as I read from 1 Sam 24 & 25, I sense God teaching me on it. In 1 Sam 24, we see how David (who was pursued by King Saul for his life, though for no wrongdoing of David's) had an opportunity to kill Saul but yet he did not. But yet in the next chapter, he encountered Nabal who was insolent to him when he asked for food for his people and he refused, mocking him saying that he (Nabal) does not know who David is. This after all the kindness that David has shown to Nabal's shepherds. Unlike in the previous chapter, David got angry and arose with his men to want to kill him, only to be stopped by Nabal's wife who stopped him midway and reasoned with him. To which David, finally realising it, said that her advice is good and stop him from needless bloodshed and taking vengeance in his own hands (1 Sam 25:33).

And we read on that Nabal was struck dead by the Lord ten days later and King Saul was dead some time after. God has indicated 3 times in the bible, both old and new testament that vengeance is His.

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but  rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. (Rom 12:19 NKJV)

Why does the Lord requires that we leave vengeance to Him? I could only think its because God does not want us to even entertain evil in our lives and have our lives wrecked by it.

In the words of King David, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ (1 Sam 24:13a NKJV). When we hold on to unresolved bitterness, we allow wickedness and evil into our lives.

In the word of Nabal's wife, "don’t let this be a blemish on your record. Then your conscience won’t have to bear the staggering burden of needless bloodshed and vengeance" (1 Sam 25:31a)

God sees the heart and is more concerned of your heart, not wanting it to unnecessarily be filled with malice, hatred, bitterness, which is not of Him and which wrecks your life. If you do have these unresolved issues, think about how it's eating you and your life up. When we let go and let God, we are trusting in His good time things will work for good for you who follow His way. God will deal with it. Not letting go to God is not trusting God and wanting to run your own life. His purposes for you are always good.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28 NKJV)

God is not asking you to let go of your bitterness but to let go to Him and let God take over so you can be pure. He judges.

God's Antivirus Version U

Reading God's word is just like installing an antivirus on your computer.

New computers may come with no antivirus or with limited antivirus. In the same way, when we come into the world, we might not have the knowledge of the Word of God (the Word of God is always with and around us) or we might have it (though in a limited way) while we were growing up in a Christian family.

However, there are always people who wants to wreck havoc in our lives and create viruses. And new viruses are added each day. In the spiritual realm, satan does that. While some links, softwares and pirated warez looks tempting and nice, it has an army of viruses waiting behind to do the damage it has been programmed for.

It is thus crucial that we find the right antivirus and that's not the end; we need ensure it is updated so when a new virus tries to enter our system, we can nip it in its bud and/or clean it. God gives this antivirus and it's His word and it's free. No need for annual subscription to renew license, it's free.

Do you have the right antivirus software and are you updating it to deal with new challenges? If not, it's little wonder that damage is sometimes done and systems can halt and jam and even die.

And even though you do not have antivirus, are on a much limited antivirus, have not updated it and/or have been infected, there's nothing that God's antivirus cannot rectify and it's never too late to install the right one and update it to God's antivirus.

Satan longs to disarm us of God's antivirus or to have us stop updating it as he throws old tricks (new packaging) at us.

God's Word is a gateway which prevents unnecessary infection, and even though infection has taken place, He can rectify it because the Programmer created you and gave the antivirus; His word.

No wonder it's called B.I.B.L.E: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17 NKJV)

Which Sorrow? My Testimony (Coming Out of Depression)

2 Corinthians 7:10-11 (NIV)

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

This morning, as I did my quiet time, I came across this passage. And it seems that God was trying to capture my attention as one part of the passage sprung out to me. As I read the verses again, I sensed God telling me that sorrow is always here with us, because we live in a fallen world and simply because we are created by Him to have emotions. No matter how much we try, even with our very best, to avoid sorrow and regardless of what others tell us about being able to escape sorrow when we choose to be happy, the truth is: sorrow is here to stay. And I am sure, as you are reading this, God may bring to mind periods where you have been through sorrow, over something which may have happened to you, over a loss or even over someone else. We need to face the truth and come to terms that sorrow is normal because we are just not robots with no emotions. The difference though is the kind of sorrow: Godly and worldly sorrow.

Some of you may not know but I have been battling with depression for the last few months. It has been a rough year since July 2011. The year saw me preparing for my wedding and renovations of our new home and being stressed out by all the decisions that need to be made for it, facing my dad’s diagnosis of advanced stage lung cancer in August 2011 and coupled with it, the uncertainty of how we are going to cope with it physically, emotionally and financially, striving to understand all the medical jargons being spewed out to me and trying to stand tall to make decisions about care plans for my dad and also for his treatment, shuttling to and from work and hospital to accompany my dad, facing the news of the death of my wife’s beloved grandfather, subsequently dealing with my unexpected but eventual departure of my dad due to pneumonia, facing news of my wife being diagnosed with large fibroids and requiring surgery, facing the unexpected and sudden death of my cousin who we have reconnected back just a few months back before my dad’s passing on and so on. And all this while, I was running low in my “tank” and on my strength while trying to cope with worrying and ministering to people in ministry, while trying to deal with past hurts in ministry and previous work stints, cope with work, worrying about health problems that surface one after another in the last few months and also negative thoughts in my mind that I am unworthy. Yes, by the time my cousin passed away suddenly in April 2012, I found myself starting to crumble under pressure. My depression was starting to worsen and I found myself being dazed, had no interest in anything, had an insatiable appetite, was quiet and at times and had wanted to even break down and cry when I am alone and outside. Life was getting too difficult to bear and even though I had no courage to commit suicide, I remember praying before sleep that God will just take me away in my sleep that I can be far away from all these. Have you felt this way before?

I asked God what have I done to have to go through all these? But even though with that being said, I still trusted God because He had seen me through many trials in the past before and has revealed Himself real as He worked in my life in many miraculous ways. Trust me, if you live my life, you will know what I mean. There are many miracles and blessings that just shows God is real. I held on to God and He continue to bring me much assurance of Him being with me.

And some of His assurances are captured in my thanksgiving journal, beginning at the church camp on 8 Jun 2012:

Even though with all the assurance, I did not quite understand why I was going through all these.

At first, I thought that it might have been spiritual attacks because just before my depression told a dive for the worse in end May when my cousin passed away suddenly, I received two unique experiences and knew that the Lord might be calling me to a greater works:

So, in my heart, up till the time of my first Healing & Wholeness session last Saturday (14 Jul), I had sensed that it might be spiritual attack from Satan.

However, as I read the verse from 2 Corinthians 7:10-11 above, I sensed that God is also telling me that He needed to work with me as a person to prepare me for greater works.

On 11 Jul 2012, I wrote these words in my devotional as God impressed on my heart that morning:

As I read it , yes, it does speak of abundant life in God in this fallen world, but more so, it made me realise that God was doing 2 things here to me: (1) Asking me to go back to the source of abundant life; Him and not anyone else and (2) Growing me as a person.

In fact, I have so focused on verse 2 about trials that I forgot about verses 3-4 which says: “knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing”.

And today, going back to 2 Corinthians 7:10-11, it is as if God bringing me full revelation of what He wanted me to learn and that sorrow has been but an instrument of perfecting me. Indeed, I felt spoken to that there are two kinds of sorrow: worldly sorrow and godly sorrow. One brings life and one brings death. Sorrow apart from God or worldly sorrow, can make us feel so hopeless and brings physically, spiritual and psychological death but godly sorrow drives us towards God, towards Hope.

Look at how the Message bible puts it:

Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets.

I thank God that in my distress, I had not let go and continue to seek Him. And yes, surprising to some, God allows distress to sometimes bring us to our knees to come back to Him and rely on Him. And we HAVE the choice to turn our sorrow, which is unavoidable in life, to godly sorrow or worldly sorry. What is the Lord telling you in your sorrow?

I used to interpret verse 10 as only for those who have yet to know God, but today God shows me that, in fact, we all need to repent from our imperfect ways and when sorrows come into the picture, God can use it to turn us around.

I thank God for how He brought me back to Isaiah 41:9-10 just as I prepare to facilitate worship with Min Qin, Joyce and Joshua for the first time with the young adults in my church last Friday (13 Jul). God reminds me that I am in His hands. He had given me this verse a few years back when I was going through another rough patch, which I overcame and grown from it.

The Lord says (Isaiah 41:9-10 NIV):

I took you from the ends of the earth,
    from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
    I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

How do I know that God has turned things around for me? Frankly, as I type this, I do not know what lies ahead me (no one knows) but then what surprised me is that how God quickly turned things around over just 2 hours. I had been depressed and getting increasingly depressed over the last 1 year but over just 2 hours at the Healing & Wholeness counselling session, God turned things around. It has to be God! And I know that God is holding my hand no matter what.

I leave the depression behind knowing and confirming once again God is real in my life and that I only need get my love and source of life from Him and not anyone else or anything else. I lost my dad but I now can rely on my Daddy God.

And so God says and reminds in closing:

2 Corinthians 7:11 (MSG)

And now, isn't it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God? You're more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible. Looked at from any angle, you've come out of this with purity of heart..

May this bless you and encourage you to look to God in your sorrow. Stop running away from sorrow but allow God to work in your sorrow as you turn your worldly sorrow into godly sorrow which brings hope.

The Source of Abundant Life

THE ABUNDANT LIFE

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10 NKJV)

"John 10:10 also reminds us of how much God treasures His creation, in that Christ came so that man might experience abundant life."

THE TRIALS

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds (James 1:2 NIV)

PLAYGROUND OR BATTLEFIELD?

The verse says "whenever" not "if" we face trials. There is a certainty there is trials. As Christ followers, we need realize that this abundant life is lived in a real world filled with pain, rejection, and failure. Therefore, experiencing the abundant life God intends for us does not mean that our lives will be problem-free. On the contrary... the abundant life is the experience of God's love, forgiveness, peace and power in the midst of those problems. So it's not surprising, as to some, that it's a battlefield everyone of us, pre-believers included, need go through. The only difference is which kingdom are you in and who is your general leading you? It's a battlefield, not a playground.

WHERE TO BEGIN: THE SOURCE

And for those struggling with self esteem, like me, the reminder is that the biblical concept of it is not that one feel worthy or good but that of an accurate perception of ourselves based on God's truth. There's no need to prove ourselves. "We must understand this hunger for self worth is God-given and can only be satisfied by Him. Our self worth is not dependent on our ability to earn the fickle acceptance of people but rather it's true source is the love and acceptance of God. He created us. He alone knows how to fulfill all of our needs".

Go to the source.

Article inspired by "The Search for Significance" by Robert S. McGee