Sting Of Death

     When i was young, I tried to deny the reality of death. It happened at my mother's funeral. Seeing her lifeless body in the casket, I recall thinking, If that should  ever happen to me, I'll just get up and walk away.


     I am now 32, and I look at death differently. I've seen many funerals. I've said farewell to my sister, my uncles and relatives. I can no longer deny the harsh reality of death. It rips apart life's closest bonds, leaves hearts broken, ushers in loneliness, and opens floodgates of tears. Using pleasant-sounding words and calling funeral services "celebrations" do not change that.

     There is greater reality, though, that can give us the will to go on living with hope. Jesus Christ broke the power of death. He did "get up and walk away" from the grave. And one day this "last enemy," as Paul called it, will be destroyed forever;
     "The last enemy to be destroyed is death." - 1 Corinthians 15:26
     Paul said it like this;
     When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. - 1Corinthians 15:54-57


     

Run With-Out Legs

     James Martinson was then a teenager. He had one dream - to someday be on the US Downhill Ski Team. But the army drafted him and sent him to Vietnam, where he suffered a severe injury from a land mine, resulting in the loss of both his legs. He became hateful toward people and toward God, abused alcohol and drugs, and even considered suicide.

     Then James met several Christians who explained how Christ could change him. Initially he didn't believe them, but finally he invited Christ into his life. He recalls, "I didn't get my legs back, but I began to experience something new from the inside."

     Eager to share Christ, He started working with teenagers.
     "Come run with us!" the teenagers begged.
     He answered, " I can't. I don't have legs."
     "You've got a wheelchair," they replied.

     This was the start of his wheelchair racing, a challenge that eventually made him a big-time winner. People often ask, "Was it wheelchair marathoning that changed you life?" He answers with no conviction, "No, it was Jesus Christ."

     Feeling like a loser? Turn your faith to Jesus Christ. Then accept the apostle Paul's challenge to run for the prize of an eternal trophy (1 Corinthians 9:24) Jesus will not only transform your losses into gains, but He'll transform you!

   

God's Secrets

     A preacher read a short passage of Scripture, took off his glasses, slammed his Bible shut, and said, "This morning I intend to explain the unexplainable, find out the undefinable, ponder over the imponderable, and unscrew the inscrutable."

     That is too much to claim, for we read in old testament, "The secret things belong to Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever." (-Deuteronomy 29:29) One of them is our future. Moses was reminding a new generation of Israelites of God's covenant to establish them as His people in the Promise Land. Moses also warned that they would be uprooted if they disobeyed. They were not to speculate about how their future would unfold; rather they were to concentrate on living in obedience to God's revealed Law.

     There is a greater purpose, however, for the "secret things" that belong to God. He is infinite and we are not. Therefore, He doesn't give us answers to all the question " whys" of His ways. He has revealed, though, how we today can know Him personally by trusting Jesus as a Savior, and how we can live wisely by handling our future to Him as Lord.

     Although we will still have many questions, we can be sure that God's secrets are always designed for our own good.

     "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28

Walk On Water

Matthew 14:22-33 (NIV)


Jesus Walks on the Water

     Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on
ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he
had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.
     Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a
considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind
was against it.
     Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.
     When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a
ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
     But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be
afraid.”
      “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
      “Come,” he said.
     Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came
toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning
to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
     Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little
faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
     And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.  Then those
who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of
God.”

     This story always remind us of our everyday struggles in life while walking with God.

     We don't know when the storm of destruction will strike in our life. Like Peter, we always obey Jesus, we walk in His righteousness. But when the wind blows our way, we cannot see what is in ahead of us. We cannot see our chief goal as a Christian. All we see is the big " WIND", the storm that weaken us, problems that produce worries.

     Jesus said.  “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Meaning, do not worry, He is always with us. Just focus on our goal. WIND is always there but our eyes should only focus on Jesus, don't ever think what the WIND can do to you, its only a trap from evil for us to sink. Faith to Jesus is our bouy to float.

In His Time

     My friend Al told me a good news. While he was on his way home from our church, two teens ( boy and girl ) approached him to ask if they can attend in our Youth Fellowship every friday night.

     In Al's part, it was a surprise. Try to think that when everytime we invite some youth in our vicinity, we always encounter a rejection. And that girl, we invited her once but did not come. And now they are excited, waiting for friday night.

     This inspires me. I remember the song In His Time. God has a perfect time for everything. If you share the Word of God to anybody, and they don't seem to care, don't lose hope, it doesn't mean FINISHED. Maybe it's not the right time. We just need to follow what God wants us to do. We just continue on planting the seeds, and God will do the rest.



     "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
                                                       
                                                     - Galatians 6:9   (NIV)

A Perfect Test

Mark 6:30-44 (NIV)


Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand


     The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had 
done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going 
that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with 
me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
     So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many 
who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns 
and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he 
had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a 
shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
     By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away 
so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy 
themselves something to eat.”
     But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”
     They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we 
to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”
    “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”
     When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”
     Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on 
the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking 
the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks 
and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to 
the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and 
were satisfied and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken 
pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five 
thousand.                            




     Before the incident the disciples witnessed some miracles, but in this 
scene, they saw a problem. Why the disciples still worried about 
anything? 


First, they worried about the people.


     -“This is a remote place,” “and it’s already very late. Send the people 
away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and 
buy themselves something to eat.”


Second, how to feed them?


     -" Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" (John 6:5)


     -“That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and 
spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”


If you are one of Christ's disciples, would you ask these questions?
      Probably, Yes. When you are in a remote area, no water to quench 
thirst, no store to buy food. And your Master commanded you to feed 
them.


Jesus allows us to be in a impossible circumstances, a negative situation 
we do not have any control over. Why does God allow this to happen?
It provides a perfect test.


Why does He test Us? 
     It impacts our hearts, It changes us. When God test us it is not to grade 
us but to make us grow and strong. We become a better person after the 
test. The major goal of the test is to bless, enrich and develop us.


God puts us in impossible situations:
 - to stretch our undeveloped faith.
 - to strengthen our eternal hope.
 - to show His incredible love.


Do not measure a problem according to your own abilities.


God's way in teaching Us not to rely on ourselves.


1. God reduces our resources
2. He maximizes the need.
3. He requires our trust
4. He uses our participation.


Jesus used a boys lunch to feed thousands of people. Sound impossible?
What do you have now that God can use? We need to transfer it from our 
hands into his hand. 


This is our participation: 


Jesus Christ invite Us " Bring it to me."


God knows our needs, He just wait for us to ask His Help. Rely on Him 
always.