What Should We Look For When We Read The Bible?

I’m posting this because I want to remember this forever. Good advice. Good mindset to have when seeking God.

​https://youtu.be/pesfAJKbfG8

Ten Principles for Personal Productivity // Ask Pastor John

Not A List Of Do-Not’s

 

Ephesians 4:25-32

25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

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Ephesians 4:17-24

17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

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Galatians 5:16-25

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

 

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These are just a few verses that spoken to Joey and I today. So I just thought I might share it here and hope it will speak to you too. Might be a timely word for some of you out there as well.

The reason why these verses spoke out to me is because Joey’s first comment was  “This is serious”.

That kinda jolted me awake. Because it made me realize I was just reading it as a list of negatives. Don’t this and don’t that. I was trying to think why is this bad, why is that bad. Making my own conclusions. WITHOUT taking to heart that it was about me. I was being a student learning about the sin without being a child learning about sin in my life.

I wasn’t putting my life under the spotlight and evaluating my actions, words, thoughts, and motives. I wasn’t repenting. I didn’t realize how seriously this scripture was speaking to me. It was serious.

Okay God. I repent. I was not meant to walk in the flesh. Guide me and lead me towards your path, your works and your character. I was meant to walk in the Spirit.

Is this the world you want? You’re making it Every day you’re alive

I’m picking up the pieces
I’m trying out adhesives
I’m trying to fix a place that feels broken
All my words they fail me
My voices don’t avail me
I’m trying to say the hope that’s unspoken

Is this the world you want?
Is this the world you want?
You’re making it
Every day you’re alive
Is this the world you want?
Is this the world you want?
You’re making it

The world feels so malicious
With all our hits and misses
Feels like we’re in the business of rust
It’s when I stop to listen
All the moments I’ve been missing
I finally hear a voice I can trust

Is this the world you want?
Is this the world you want?
You’re making it
Every day you’re alive
Is this the world you want?
Is this the world you want?
You’re making it
Every day you’re alive

You change the world
You change the world
You change the world
Every day you’re alive
You change the world
Honey, you change the world
You change my world

You start to look like what you believe
You float through time like a stream
If the waters of time are made up by you and I
If you change the world for you, you change it for me

What you say is your religion
How you say it’s your religion
Who you love is your religion
How you love is your religion
All your science, your religion
All your hatred, your religion
All your wars are your religion
Every breath is your religion yea

Is this the world you want?
Is this the world you want?
You’re making it
Every day you’re alive
Is this the world you want?
Is this the world you want?
You’re making it
Every day you’re alive

You change the world
You change the world
You change my world
Every day you’re alive
You change my world
Honey, you change my world
You change my world

Girl

Girl 1

I was actually having a difficult day yesterday. I wasn’t happy when I was driving. Things just weren’t going well. Then you came along and your motivation motivated me. You encouraged me, made me laugh, laughed at my jokes. You were serious with me, honest, and even got mad at my inappropriate jokes. Which was cute. You showed so much kindness and patience. It was really good for my soul. And I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I’m doing much better now emotionally. Thank you.

 

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Girl 2

Things are changing for you. Yet you aren’t adapting well. A little more discipline will really help you a lot with life struggle you’re facing now. Trust me.

You’ve changed as well. Things that you once thought was important has become less important. You’ve forgotten your loves and motivation. You let your peers influence you. You’ve allowed people to mold your character.

You were once the leader. The one who wasn’t afraid to be different to stand for what you believed in. You’re the one people looked up to. Not me. You were the one people opened up to when they had problems.

Don’t give that up. You still have it in you. You’ve still got everything God has given you. God doesn’t give us gifts for ourselves. But always for the benefit of others. You’re definitely one of those multi gifted ones.

Run towards God. Serve. Lead. Rise. Stay strong. Keep your heart, character and attitude pure. That’s the real you I see when I look at you.

Of Manna

¹⁴ When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. ¹⁵ The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was. And Moses told them, “It is the food the Lord has given you to eat. ¹⁶ These are the Lord’s instructions: Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts for each person in your tent.” ¹⁷ So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little. ¹⁸ But when they measured it out, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.

Exodus 16:14-18

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I have a problem with this passage.

Not that there’s anything inaccurate or anything wrong that happened. It’s very logical and is probably a sound record of what happened.

My problem is with how I would respond if I was one of those Israelites. Let’s take a small step back and look at the context.

The Israelites, very recently left Egypt. God saved them from slavery and showed His mighty signs and wonders and power to show off to the world. Now, as they wander the desert, they realise they are hungry and will die soon. Then the Israelites did what they did best. Complain. God heard them of course. And gave them food. But God took the opportunity to build their faith. He likes to do that to His chosen peoples. He gave them food for the day that would rot next morning. God wanted to build their trust in Him. To know that He will provide for next day.

Moses gave a difficult instruction. Go outside and take how much food is needed for your family for the day. I would have taken more than enough. I mean, for survival. My family is hungry. I already feel bad for not being able to provide for my family. Nomads don’t farm. Also, there was ALOT food on the ground. It’s an amazing miracle. Enough to feed more than 1 million for the whole day. I’d say taking more is not selfish. And it’s more of a precaution. Based on past record, this has never happened in my life, what are the chances it will happen again tomorrow just because Moses said so?

But God wanted the Israelites to trust Him DAILY. But… But… How? How do you TOTALLY FULLY trust someone? How do you TOTALLY and FULLY trust God?

To be honest, I can’t say I have perfect trust in God. I still have a lot of things in life that I like to do my own way. I still like to be in control. I still want to plan ahead. And I still like to complain.

(Disclaimer: I’m not saying that being in control of your life or planning ahead is bad. But I am saying that complete trust in God does require us to let go of some of our fundamental trust in ourselves, people, rules, and even logic. That’s why I find it so hard.)

But I have been practicing. Here are two simple practical ways to try and work on your trust in God. It’s how I do it anyway.

Advice

Firstly, try being trustworthy to others. Try not promising too much, and try to remember and fulfill what you have promised. The more I do this, the more I find that I can’t trust myself. Yet I also find that I do like being trustworthy, honest, and respected. I realise that I need to have love for others to want to be trustworthy. And I also realise that people love you for being trustworthy. I’d say, trying to be trustworthy shows me a glimpse of what God wants to do for us and what He wants from us. That might make you trust God and appreciate His promises more.

Secondly, let God prove Himself. If God said so, let it be His challenge to Himself. If He longs for us to trust Him, He’ll prove Himself. I agree that a lot of things (like basic needs) may be too risky to trust an unseen being with. Well then, start small. Trust Him for the little things. Praying and trusting God for a good parking could be a good start. When you start to believe that God is trying to prove Himself to you, pick up a bible and claim a promise He made in the bible. He made a lot of promises. And none of them are small. God only makes bombastic promises. If it comes true, it should be proof enough.

Thirdly, you can ask for faith, I guess. Wait, didn’t I say I only have two advice? Yeah I did. Oh well, my third advice is to ask. I definitely have faith. But I definitely could have some more. I don’t think it’s possible for a human being (except Jesus) to have a perfect 100% faith or a perfect trust in God. Various people have various degrees of faith according to what God gives them (but even though we’ve been given different levels of faith, I still believe it is our responsibility to grow it). So God is pretty much still in control in the first place. He says that nothing is too trivial a task for Him, and no request is too big and ambitious. And if we can pray for a friend to have faith, why can’t we pray for ourselves to have faith? No harm asking.

Trust

‘Trust’ sounds like a passive action. Sounds like ‘wait’. But imagine in movies, the starring hero will tell the girl who is hanging out of a tumbling car to “trust me”. It means she has to let go of the car she has been hanging on to and trust the hero to grab her hand before she falls. Trust is a verb. You need to do something. The hardest part of holding on to the hero is letting go of the car. Do you have something you need to let go of for God to prove Himself?

Get A Life

I love it when I know about friends who blog. It’s exciting. It’s special. It’s abnormal. It makes me happy.

We’re constantly bombarded with status updates, shares, likes, videos, pics, game requests, tweets, instant messages, ads, and so on. But we end up not remembering anything we’ve interacted with. Or, we can remember what we did (like liking a pic on FB), but not remember who we interacted with (not remembering who posted the pic). Information Information Noise Noise… What a failed era we live in.

But blog posts are pretty different. It takes time and effort to read and to write. Just like actually meeting a friend, both will sacrifice. It’s also pretty intimate. Kinda. If you really think about it.

Anyway, since I’m encouraging people to blog, I’m gonna give some advice to those who are afraid they will get writer’s block. For those of you who don’t know what a writer’s block is, here it is: “the condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing.” That’s from googling ‘writer’s block define’. Haha.

So let me say this: I’ve experienced writers block A LOT, but have never really had a problem with it. I’m usually pushy enough to just blog whatever is on my mind without worrying about the end result or the quality of the blog posts. But that’s not my advice.

Advice number 1. Go do something with your life. Love someone. Appreciate someone. Call your parents. Meet up old friends. Meet up best friends. Say something unusual. Say something amusing. Say something positive. Cook. Learn to cook. Eat breakfast. Learn to skate. Jog. Visit the beach. Visit the zoo. Join a class. Learn new puzzle games. Make friends. Make more friends. Show kindness to a stranger. Adopt a pet. Go to church. Pray more. Appreciate nature. Appreciate silence. Listen to a new genre of music. Learn to play the ukulele. Play in the playground. Get a job. Dress up. Use deodorant. Make a to-do-list. Read a book. Sleep early. I’m sure you know about other things you need to do or start doing. Do it. In other words: get a life.

You’ll see that as you experience different things, ideas come easy no matter what type of blogger you are.

I only really have one advice, so that was it.

Cheerio & see ya next time.

Bribing As Motivation 101

For those of you close minded people, I’d like to say one thing. Bribing works wonders! It’s true. If it’s not true, why would it be so popular? We know it’s true because we see it. It’s a quick way to get wanted results. That’s a good deal right? Speed + results! And if you’re good enough, you can hide your tracks. Problem with this: conscience.

So before i talk about anything, let’s google-define the word ‘bribe’: to persuade (someone) to act in one’s favor, typically illegally or dishonestly, by a gift of money or other inducement. Ah ok. So key words here are dishonest and illegal. So is ‘bribing’ your kids to study bad? No, because according to this, it’s not a bribe. Illegal bribes are easy to spot. They’re bribes in situations where bribing isn’t allowed by the law. Dishonest bribes are a bit harder to spot. Because of the unspoken rules. Generally, if there’s a queue to a counter, it’s understood that latecomers have to insert themselves in queue at the back of the line. We all understand that that’s fair. But maybe Mr. Aaron decides since there isn’t any law here that says to line up, I’ll just ask a favor (with the motivation of money) of the counter attendant to deal with me first. I am in a rush too. We all know that cutting line is bad, but mostly because it slows our queue. But it is still a dishonest gain right? Because according to the ethical scale embedded inside us, everyone has to have an equal opportunity. If a line is served according to how much money you can pump into bribing, then it’ll be rich first, and poor last (if ever). For me, a bribe is when it negatively effects other people. Which is the main reason why corporate laws on integrity are of big importance. Here are my thoughts, I think a bribe is a form of motivation. A bribe can be both positive motivation (reward) and negative motivation (threat/punishment). And they’re bad because they either break rules, or are against our conscience. But, is bribing a sin?

What does the bible say about bribing. Let me be honest, I was very confused/intrigued by what the God has to say about bribing. They seem to contradict. And the word of God CANNOT contradict, or else it isn’t God’s word. Proverbs 15:27 Greed brings grief to the whole family, but those who hate bribes will live. And Proverbs 17:8 A bribe is like a lucky charm; whoever gives one will prosper! Seems like on one hand, bribing is bad, on another bribing is good. I think we forget to think that bribing is an act. It doesn’t reveal the nature of the heart. To assure you, the evil nature of greed is addressed in the bible. Deuteronomy 16:19 You must never twist justice or show partiality. Never accept a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and corrupt the decisions of the godly. Exodus 23:8 “Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth. Proverbs 17:23 The wicked take secret bribes to pervert the course of justice. But the bible is also saying that bribing can be used for good. Proverbs 18:16 Giving a gift can open doors; it gives access to important people! Proverbs 21:14 A secret gift calms anger; a bribe under the table pacifies fury. So let’s get practical and REALLY ask, can bribing really be used for good?

Like I said, bribing is an act. It’s not an attitude. God will judge the attitude and intention of the heart. We can bribe to send an innocent person to jail. And we can pay a bribe to release a wrongly accused. We can contract a killer to kill our boss. And we can ‘contract’ an authority to see that a missionary’s visa is approved. Honestly, I hate bribes. I’m against it, but if my daughter was kidnapped and they asked for money, I’d be more than willing to participate in that bribe to keep my daughter safe. And I doubt I’ll feel bad. I think I’ll have peace in my conscience about the bribe. My sin would probably not be that I participated in a bribe, but that I have hate against the kidnappers. I know this sounds pretty unchristiany, but bribes is not a sin. Especially not if you’re the victim of the injustice. However, if you’re the one who’s asking for money to act unjustly, then the problem is greed. Then it’s a sin. If it’s an ‘opportunity’, well, you’ll have to look at the intention of your heart of why you’re agreeing. Guess what, I think Jesus would have participated in a bribe if he needed to.

Did Jesus do anything wrong during his time on earth? Contrary to popular belief, YES he did. It was so controversial, that moral codes and ethics were questioned. Tradition in a traditionally strong culture was shaken. People hated Jesus because of the rules he’s broken. Yet he dared to call himself King. Yet he dared to say that he’s the fulfillment of the word (wooooots). E.g. Luke 6:6-9 On another Sabbath day, a man with a deformed right hand was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching. The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath. But Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.”So the man came forward. Then Jesus said to his critics, “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” So in the Torah (Jewish book of Law given by God) it was God’s law that the Sabbath day is made for rest. No work is to be done on that day. So the Jews started to make weird rules based on this Sabbath law. Eg. like you can’t walk past your neighbors house because walking is a lot of work. But Jesus came to earth to explain that the law is not a list of do’s and don’ts. The law is for the alignment heart and attitude, and for the growth of character.

Excerpted from Jesus’ sermon on the mount (Matt 5): … You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell…  You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So Jesus came to earth to explain that it’s not the action that breaks God’s law (and His heart). No, it’s our hearts and our attitude and our character that breaks the Law. If I was paying a ‘gift’ to be released from jail early, whether I sin or not will depend on why. Is it because I don’t want to face the consequences of my actions? Is it because I don’t want my family and friends to know what I did? Or is it because I felt that I’ve been wrongly accused and I don’t think that’s where God wants me to be at that moment? Ask yourself what is the intention of acting the briber or agreeing to be bribed? Greed? Fame? Compassion? Love? Shame? Pride? Laziness? When asking yourself, our conscience will come into play and help us. And the Holy Spirit works with and guides our conscience. With choosing the right action, will come peace and joy. Acting against it will result in uneasiness and fear. Yeah. I agree that these are such subjective emotions to be using to weigh our action. But with practice, we’ll be able to make decisions as close to what is righteous as possible. Sure, we’ll never be perfect, but we can always try, right?

I guess my conclusion can be this, the problem is not so much the act of bribing, but the attitude and intention of the heart. The Church tends to get very traditionalized that the act of worship becomes the focus of christian lives and teachings. That’s very Pharisaical isn’t it? Jesus said their clean acts are just an outward show. What’s more important is the internal attitude and character. Clean the inside and the outside will be clean as well.

Dear Mr. S

I don’t really like giving advice on relationships. Though, I actually do have a lot of opinions on it. What’s more, I don’t have a lot of “influence” ground to stand on, since I’ve never been in a relationship myself. Surprised? Well, I’ve never even been in a “fling”. So, I don’t expect you to take anything I say to heart.

Anyways, what I wanted to tell you is that relationships are beautiful. God made it. And God desires it with us. And God desires us to reflect this relationship through relationships with our spouse on earth. So, if you’re wondering, boys ARE supposed to like girls. And vice versa.

It’s very clear that you and her have some connection going on, maybe even some chemistry. You make extra effort to talk to her after church or after youth service. She also tries to sit with you, or at least near you during Sunday Service. You organize group activities with her and other people. It’s all good. And I’m proud that you aren’t doing other more stupid things that you could be doing. But, I do still have some advance advice for you.

First of all, please do not get too involved emotionally. She’s cute, and you’re quite a good looking chap too. So the inevitable is that you guys start giving each other a lot of attention and feelings start to grow. It’s very easy to give attention and want attention from good looking people. I don’t know why, it just happens. But it also means that you could get into each other a lot quicker too. And that’s never a good thing. Relationships, friendships, need time to grow and mature. And also, you need time for yourselves to grow and mature. Trust me, the younger you are, the higher chance of a total heartbreaking relationship. It’s painful to watch, but I’ve seen it so often when I was in school when I was your age. Please don’t let this happen, for your sake. And for her sake.

Secondly, love can wait. One characteristic we’ve lost in this age is patience. Now people only want to buy product that is “instant” or “easy” or “three-in-one”. Now everything has to be accessible in one click or it’s rated as too much of a hassle. People don’t believe in waiting for the right moment. People don’t believe in working and earning slowly. People don’t even believe in “learning” anymore, because we’re just expected to know everything instantly! There used to be a time when a young man had to court a woman. Just because they were not “dating” doesn’t mean they were not in love. Also, God does use time to teach and reveal things to us. So don’t make any harsh decisions. Time can be such a good test of love. If you’re afraid that time would break this love or affection, then GOOD. Because, if it DOES, it just means it wasn’t worth it anyways.

Thirdly, you’re a man. Own up. You need to take charge of what’s going on between you and her. If you think you two shouldn’t be playing with feelings and doing the infatuation thing. Tell her. If you think you like her but you want to wait for the right time to actually start this relationship, tell her. If you think, she wants too much attention from you, tell her. And even if you know you actually WANT the attention from her, but you know it’s not good for you, you should also tell her. Because honesty and openness is the main means of keeping a bond. Also, it shows your character, and learning attitude. Not only that, by doing this you’re making her choose (not many guys like to make girls do this). To choose to stick with comfortable infatuation because it feels good (which means she won’t stay), or to choose to take things slow and work on a relationship like it’s supposed to (which means she’ll stay, but have to wait). And by making her choose, you’re testing her faith in this relationship, and also you’re building up her character. We’re supposed to build each other up right?

Fourthly, come on and please get a mentor. Telling your best-friend about how you feel does not count as having a mentor who can guide you through, open your eyes, and process things that is happening or could happen in the future. Church always believes in pre-marital counselling for a few months before actual wedding. This is because, there are lots of things that we cannot prepare ourselves for. I’m not saying that you’re planning to marry her. But you also cannot be thinking about getting together if you don’t plan to marry her (please be responsible). Anyways, as I was saying, get a mentor. Talk to someone older and more experienced than you. Preferably someone of the same faith and someone you look up to. And find someone you can be totally honest to.

Fifthly, Pray pray pray. Ask God. Beg God. Complain to God about your pains and your desires. Thank God for the good times and good friendship you had with her. Sometimes, just praying a simple prayer a day, can change your whole thinking and mindset about a certain issue. It’s always important to know what God is doing and to walk in His flow.

 

So here are some advice I thought would be suitable. I just felt the need to share some of my thoughts.

Hope it’s been helpful!