Sunday, January 16, 2011
Rahab a Woman of Courage and Faith - Part 1
This day we still continue with the subject of courage and faith but this time we study a life of a woman named Rahab by profession she was a prostituted woman. By all signs of it she doesn’t qualified to be called good she’s a bad girl. However something happened in the life of this bad girl when a good Lord met the bad girl. The bad girl became good.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Living a God Centered Faith - Part 2
Most of us hate changes in life but if you want faith change happens. We don’t know what kind of changes happening in our life but instead of seeing it as bitter by faith it help us see gradually as sweet. What God teaching us in changes in our life?
Living a God Centered Faith - Part 1
Have you ever heard the truth from the Holy Scripture? That without faith it is impossible to please God? The just shall live by faith! If God desires faith and if the just shall live by faith what kind of faith that will please God?
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
A GOD CENTERED FAITH
By: Rev. Arnel Tan
“This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NLT
Joshua’s turn to lead the people of God has come. Ready or not ready Joshua must face the issue. To some degree this was a shock and surprise for Joshua. For him Moses and himself as leaders would be a great team. I think he is much willing to remain an assistant forever, but this is not God’s plan. The order came and as an obedient soldier Joshua must respond to his Commander.
It takes faith to cross Jordan and conquer Cannaan. It takes a God centered faith to comply to a God sized task. The issue of faith comes with almost distinction from the world. God’s requirement of faith is not the same as the world views it. Even many honest followers of God view faith in a worldly point of view rather than God’s view. What then is a God centered faith? A God centered faith looks on God and not on success, looks on God as Sovereign and not on our expectations of what God will do.
This is the kind of faith that honors God and this is the kind of faith that God wants to develop in Joshua’s life as he leads the most stubborn people of all. This is the kind of faith God wants to develop in the lives of his leaders today. A God centered faith melts self centered fears. The inner substance of all our fears aside from the fear of God is self preservation. Image consciousness dominates us rather than obedience to God. A God centered faith gets its strength from the presence of God and its guidance from the word of God.
Living a God centered faith clings only to one promise that God will walk with us. It is only concern winning God glorifying victories by availing of a God supplied courage and grace. It also calms and later on cancels our insatiable desire for self recognition. Honor is for the Lord whom the Lord honors and how He will do it is all up to Him. It is by this kind of faith God wants us to cross our Jordans to conquer God given Canaan and enjoy a God honoring victory.
“This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NLT
Joshua’s turn to lead the people of God has come. Ready or not ready Joshua must face the issue. To some degree this was a shock and surprise for Joshua. For him Moses and himself as leaders would be a great team. I think he is much willing to remain an assistant forever, but this is not God’s plan. The order came and as an obedient soldier Joshua must respond to his Commander.
It takes faith to cross Jordan and conquer Cannaan. It takes a God centered faith to comply to a God sized task. The issue of faith comes with almost distinction from the world. God’s requirement of faith is not the same as the world views it. Even many honest followers of God view faith in a worldly point of view rather than God’s view. What then is a God centered faith? A God centered faith looks on God and not on success, looks on God as Sovereign and not on our expectations of what God will do.
This is the kind of faith that honors God and this is the kind of faith that God wants to develop in Joshua’s life as he leads the most stubborn people of all. This is the kind of faith God wants to develop in the lives of his leaders today. A God centered faith melts self centered fears. The inner substance of all our fears aside from the fear of God is self preservation. Image consciousness dominates us rather than obedience to God. A God centered faith gets its strength from the presence of God and its guidance from the word of God.
Living a God centered faith clings only to one promise that God will walk with us. It is only concern winning God glorifying victories by availing of a God supplied courage and grace. It also calms and later on cancels our insatiable desire for self recognition. Honor is for the Lord whom the Lord honors and how He will do it is all up to Him. It is by this kind of faith God wants us to cross our Jordans to conquer God given Canaan and enjoy a God honoring victory.
Friday, January 7, 2011
The Way to Love God
By: Rev. Arnel Tan
“”And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God you will live forever.” 1 John 2:17 NLT
Loving God brings more clarity to life than confusion. Honestly, it not so difficult to understand when John says “Stop loving the world” rather it is really difficult to accept that loving God means stop loving the world. No one can boast about loving God for all the while we can only respond to love God for God Himself loved us first! To the Apostle John this is crystal clear. If you love God stop loving the world and if you love the world can’t say you really love God.
Rather than seeing this as a dilemma, see this tension as the way to deliverance. A God designed spot where we can honestly examine our hearts and mind. Here we ask and assess our spiritual condition so we can respond to God’s conviction to repent. The dilemma only reveals that our hearts our divided, deliverance from God comes as a result of God’s intervention in our lives introducing us to walk in a love relationship with Him. How can we love God if we have not believe in Him first? Let us understand that more than obeying a rule it is enjoying a relationship.
How to do we love God? We stop loving this world and we start doing the will of God. Meaning it is our passion and priority and our serious pursuit to please God in everything that we do. Doing the will of God is a relationship we enjoy not a project we fulfill. It springs out of our fellowship with God in prayer and in His word. It is in our intimate walk in prayer that we get to know God and God stirs holy hunger in our hearts that we may seek Him more. Seeking and desiring and doing the will of God is the way we show our love to God.
As we walk close to Him we get so interested to please Him in everything. The will of God is for us to believe in His Son, and the will of God is for us to bow down to the will of Father and rely in the power and strength by the Holy Spirit. More than maintaining an image, doing God’s will is actually reflecting a loving relationship that is enjoyed in the heart.
“”And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God you will live forever.” 1 John 2:17 NLT
Loving God brings more clarity to life than confusion. Honestly, it not so difficult to understand when John says “Stop loving the world” rather it is really difficult to accept that loving God means stop loving the world. No one can boast about loving God for all the while we can only respond to love God for God Himself loved us first! To the Apostle John this is crystal clear. If you love God stop loving the world and if you love the world can’t say you really love God.
Rather than seeing this as a dilemma, see this tension as the way to deliverance. A God designed spot where we can honestly examine our hearts and mind. Here we ask and assess our spiritual condition so we can respond to God’s conviction to repent. The dilemma only reveals that our hearts our divided, deliverance from God comes as a result of God’s intervention in our lives introducing us to walk in a love relationship with Him. How can we love God if we have not believe in Him first? Let us understand that more than obeying a rule it is enjoying a relationship.
How to do we love God? We stop loving this world and we start doing the will of God. Meaning it is our passion and priority and our serious pursuit to please God in everything that we do. Doing the will of God is a relationship we enjoy not a project we fulfill. It springs out of our fellowship with God in prayer and in His word. It is in our intimate walk in prayer that we get to know God and God stirs holy hunger in our hearts that we may seek Him more. Seeking and desiring and doing the will of God is the way we show our love to God.
As we walk close to Him we get so interested to please Him in everything. The will of God is for us to believe in His Son, and the will of God is for us to bow down to the will of Father and rely in the power and strength by the Holy Spirit. More than maintaining an image, doing God’s will is actually reflecting a loving relationship that is enjoyed in the heart.
Monday, January 3, 2011
The Battle of Affection - Part 2
Where is your affection? What consumed your energy is it related to the value of God? Do you know how to say enough, work is done I have to rest for tomorrow is a new day. Do you know how to say Sunday is God’s day and by God’s grace I will be in God’s church to worship. Do you have a discipline and say it is time to pray, it is time to be alone with God. Do you have the hunger and appetite to read God’s Word and kneel down and pray Oh God! I want to know you more.
The Battle of Affection - Part 1
Do not love the world for this is the way to love God. But how can we love God and love not the world? It is not the battle of religion, it is not a battle of intellect, it is the battle of affection. Who controls your heart?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)