Weeks 27 & 28 (10) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

I am reading a book on communication. The author noted 5 qualities that good communicators have:

1) possess great confidence
2) exhibits authenticity
3) prepares thoroughly
4) focuses on others
5) utilizes humour.

On the last quality, the author suggested that rare is the communicator who is able to connect with people without using humour. Because I want to be a better communicator, so I am learning to utilise humour in my communication more. :o)

I enjoy what the author said about communicating across culture. For someone who uses English as a second language, I can appreciate very much what the author is talking about. He quoted:

1) Dry cleaners in Bangkok: Drop Your Trousers Here For Best results
2) Hotel Brochure in Italy: This Hotel is Renowned for its Peace and Solitude. In Fact, Crowds from All Over the World Flock Here to Enjoy Its Solitude
3) In a Tokyo hotel: Is Forbidden to Steal Hotel Towels Please. If You Are Not Person to Do Such Thing Is Please Not to Read Notis.
4) In a Bucharest hotel lobby: The lift is being fixed for the Next Day. We regret That You will Be Unbearable
5) In a hotel in Athens: Visitors Are Expected to Complain at the Office between the Hours of 9 and 11 a.m. Daily
6) In a Rome laundry: Ladies, Leave Your Clothes Here and Spend The Afternoon Having a Good Time.
7) Outside a Hong Kong tailor shop: Ladies May Have a Fit Upstairs
8) In a Rodes tailor shop: Order Your Summer Suit. Because Is Big Rush We Will Execute Customers in Strict Rotation
9) In a Copenhagen airline ticket office: We Take Your Bags and Send Them in All Directions
10) At a Budapest zoo: Please do not Feed the Animals. If You Have Any Suitable Food, Give It to the Guard on Duty
11) In an Acapulco hotel: The Manager Has Personally Passed All the Water Served Here

I also find children’s thoughts most amusing.

On love, a 5 year old girl thought that “love is about a girl putting on perfume and a boy putting on after shave and they go out and smell each other.”

When asked about “HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHOM TO MARRY?”, a boy answered “You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming."

When asked “WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?”, a girl answered "Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then."

When asked “HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?”, a boy answered "You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids."

When asked “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?, a girl answered "Both don't want no more kids."

When asked “WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?”, a boy answered "On the first date, they just tell each other lies, and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.”

When asked “WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?”, a boy answered "I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns."

When asked “WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?”, a girl answered "When they're rich."

When asked “IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?” a girl answered "It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them."

When asked “HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?”, a boy answered "There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?"

When asked “HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?” a boy answered "Tell your wife that she looks pretty even if she looks like a truck."

God loves children because they are in most cases innocent and trusting. God wants us to be childlike for the same reason. When we are childlike in our faith, we have 100% trust in God. We know God as who He really is.

King David had a childlike faith in God. When he was hotly pursued by the enemy in the Desert of Judah, he trusted in the Lord for help and comfort. “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” [Ps 63:1-8 NIV]

Job trusted God with a childlike faith. Finally, God vindicated him because in all his trouble he never sinned against God. “Then Job replied to the LORD: "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted…..My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."…….The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters……..After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so he died, old and full of years.” [Job 42:1-17 NIV]

One would need childlike faith to understand a lot of the events that will unfold in the days to come. Because of his childlike faith, God allowed Apostle John the privilege of writing the Book of Revelation after he was allowed to see many unspeakable things of the future. “After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants."……..Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!" Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready………Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These are the true words of God." [Rev 19:1-10 NIV]

With a childlike faith, we know that Jesus “…possess knowledge and discretion…….hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech…….have understanding and power……..better than fine gold…….walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full…….was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began.” [Prov 8:12-31 NIV]

Amen & amen.

Weeks 25 & 26 (10) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

Last Saturday I had a good time sharing a meal and a long conversation with our younger son Ben. He talked about the challenges of leading a home group in a local church and being a Christian generally. I can understand and relate to what he shared.

The world is changing. The way we do church also has to adapt with time. And I believe it is common to city life all over the world. Urbanisation and capitalism contribute to a life that is busy, exhausting and money focused, leaving very little room and time for God.

The truth is that the world system is against the ways of God. For us to move with God, we need to have the make-up and determination of a salmon that swims upstream against the current, and in our case, the current of the world system.

Whilst our God is eternal and unchanging, so are His principles, we can receive wisdom from God to help contemporary Christians leading busy urban lives to walk consistently with God. I believe the key is in application.

I sense that a lot of Christians separate their spiritual life from their natural life, ending up with may be once a week or less for God, when they go to church or home group. The rest of the time they lead lives no different from that of unbelievers. I mean, they do not sense God’s presence and power in their daily life. Jesus said in [John 15:5] “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Christianity should be celebrated 24/7. A confessing Christian should have the potential to experience God’s presence and power all the time, if he/she treats everything he/she does as for the Lord – study, work, marriage, family, church, leisure, eating and resting......indeed everything is a ministry if it follows God’s principles. That is what Paul means when he says in [Acts 17:28] ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.'

That is what I meant when I said the key is in application. Application is faith with action – applying God’s principles in everything we think, say or do. I must admit I am not there yet. It will take time. So don’t beat yourselves up each time you fail, but ask for God’s forgiveness and move on. But do celebrate each time you succeed. This way, you can begin to experience God’s promise of an abundant life.

You have probably heard a thousand times that the Word of God is spiritual food. But have we seriously thought what this means. Natural food feeds our body and keeps our physical being alive; spiritual food feeds our spirit and keeps our spiritual being alive.

The Word of God describes people, situations or principles that we can learn from – eternal wisdom of God that we can apply to our daily life. I say it again – think application when you read or study the Bible. A word of warning here – don’t get too discouraged when you cannot measure up yet. In God’s time, you will. I am still learning. :o)

When we read the Book of Psalms, we can learn from David about his close relationship and his dependence on God. When the Philistines had seized him in Gath, he cried out to God. “Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack. My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride. When I am afraid, I will trust in you…….What can mortal man do to me? ……… In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise……..For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.” [Ps 56:1-13 NIV]

When we read the Book of Job, we learn the sovereignty of God and our need to trust Him under all circumstances - good times and bad times. “God is mighty………God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? Who has prescribed his ways for him, or said to him, 'You have done wrong'? ……. How great is God-beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out. "He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind. Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion? See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea. This is the way he governs the nations and provides food in abundance. He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark. His thunder announces the coming storm; even the cattle make known its approach.” [Job 36:5-12,22-37 NIV]

When we read the Book of Revelation, although there are many things we cannot interpret precisely yet, we know the Jesus’ beloved disciple John had the privilege of receiving God’s coded revelation that will unfold in the days ahead. We should rejoice and hang onto God’s promise of a wonderful ending and a future hope. “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!” [Rev 12:10-17 NIV]

When we read the Book of Proverbs, we can learn from the wisdom from God through His servant King Solomon. “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young — let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance — for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” [Prov 1:1-11 NIV]

Amen & amen.