God's chosen people

Colossians 3:12-13

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."


歌 羅 西 書 3:12-13

"所 以 你 們 既 是 神 的 選 民 、 聖 潔 蒙 愛 的 人 、 就 要 存 憐 憫 、 恩 慈 、 謙 虛 、 溫 柔 、 忍 耐 的 心 。 倘 若 這 人 與 那 人 有 嫌 隙 、 總 要 彼 此 包 容 、 彼 此 饒 恕 ． 主 怎 樣 饒 恕 了 你 們 、 你 們 也 要 怎 樣 饒 恕 人 。"


Another golden verse from Elijah. A great verse to remember and it was great that God forgave all our sins so we could forgive others.

receive Christ Jesus as Lord

Colossians 2:6-7

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."


歌 羅 西 書 2:6-7

"你 們 既 然 接 受 了 主 基 督 耶 穌 、 就 當 遵 他 而 行 ． 在 他 裡 面 生 根 建 造 、 信 心 堅 固 、 正 如 你 們 所 領 的 教 訓 、 感 謝 的 心 也 更 增 長 了 。"


This is a good verse for us to remember. This is also a golden verse back in my early days of fellowship. This sets a good reminder that we do not stop after receiving Christ Jesus as Lord, but much more to it. God's grace is enough for all of us!

God is our shield

Genesis 15:1

"After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."


創 世 紀 15:1

"這 事 以 後 、 耶 和 華 在 異 象 中 有 話 對 亞 伯 蘭 說 、 亞 伯 蘭 你 不 要 懼 怕 、 我 是 你 的 盾 牌 、 必 大 大 的 賞 賜 你 。"


Do we think all the time that God is our shield in times of trouble?

Watchfulness

Luke 12:40

"You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."


路 加 福 音 12:40

"你 們 也 要 預 備 ． 因 為 你 們 想 不 到 的 時 候 、 人 子 就 來 了 。"


Harold Camping predicted the dates for the end of the world and got it wrong twice already. This verse says very clearly by Jesus that no one can predict when the end of the world is going to be, even though in God's relative terms, it is near.

So we should prepare ourselves well before He comes again.

Do not worry

Luke 12:24-25

"Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"


路 加 福 音 12:24-25

"你 想 烏 鴉 、 也 不 種 、 也 不 收 ． 又 沒 有 倉 、 又 沒 有 庫 、 　 神 尚 且 養 活 他 ． 你 們 比 飛 鳥 是 何 等 的 貴 重 呢 。 你 們 那 一 個 能 用 思 慮 、 使 壽 數 多 加 一 刻 呢 。"


Worrying does not make a difference. We do not often see how important we are until we realize that we are much more valuable than birds.

Deceitful tongues

Psalm 120:2

"Save me, O Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues"


詩 篇 120:2

"耶 和 華 阿 、 求 你 救 我 脫 離 說 謊 的 嘴 唇 、 和 詭 詐 的 舌 頭 。"


In real life, lies are everywhere. We often do not know what is true or not.
Pray the Lord will help us speak honestly and words that reflect the Gospel, which is the truth from the Lord.

Love the Lord

Deuteronomy 6:5

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”


申 命 記 6:5

"你 要 盡 心 、 盡 性 、 盡 力 、 愛 耶 和 華 你 的 神 。"


Easy to talk, but very difficult to do at all times. How much do we love God? Is it a steady flow or more like fluctuating depending on what is happening with our lives?

Pray the Lord will help us to understand more about Him so our love to God is not of pressure but of willingness, submission and obedience.

Listen to the Lord

Luke 10:16

"He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."


路 加 福 音 10:16

" 又 對 門 徒 說 、 聽 從 你 們 的 、 就 是 聽 從 我 、 棄 絕 你 們 的 、 就 是 棄 絕 我 、 棄 絕 我 的 、 就 是 棄 絕 那 差 我 來 的 。"


This passage refers to Jesus sending 72 of the others following him to spread the Gospel. In this verse, Jesus is making a point that there will be people listening or not listening to them about God's word, just like nowadays.

Pray the Spirit will guide us in spreading God's Word whether people listen to them or not.

The ministry of reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:18

"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation"


哥 林 多 後 書 5:18

"一 切 都 是 出 於 神 、 他 藉 著 基 督 使 我 們 與 他 和 好 、 又 將 勸 人 與 他 和 好 的 職 分 賜 給 我 們 ．"


God has a plan for everyone of us. His plan is to reconcile us to Him through Jesus Christ so that we can have a personal relationship with Him. However, we also need to spread the message of reconciliation to others so they can also reconcile with God. The message of reconciliation is from the precious Word of the Bible.

Be strong and courageous

Joshua 1:9

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."


約 書 亞 記 1:9

"我 豈 沒 有 吩 咐 你 嗎? 你 當 剛 強 壯 膽 ! 不 要 懼 怕 、 也 不 要 驚 惶 、 因 為 你 無 論 往 那 裡 去 、 耶 和 華 你 的 神 必 與 你 同 在 。"


Sometimes we have doubts and feel discouraged when something bad strikes us. It feels almost God abandoned us and we are left to suffer.

God is with us wherever we are, wherever we go. Pray for strength and faith in Him for guiding us through challenges we face in life.

God loved us first

1 John 4:19

"We love because he first loved us."


約 翰 一 書 4:19

"我 們 愛 、 因 為 神 先 愛 我 們 。"

Remind ourselves that Jesus loved us first before we know what love is. God's love is perfect and He has forgiven us of our sins. To do that, he sent His Son to sacrifice on our behalf.

Light of the world

John 8:12

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."


約 翰 福 音 8:12

耶 穌 又 對 眾 人 說 : " 我 是 世 界 的 光 ． 跟 從 我 的 、 就 不 在 黑 暗 裡 走 、 必 要 得 著 生 命 的 光 。 "


Jesus is the light of life. He light up our lives so that we know the way to walk with Him and enjoy the goodness that He brings us.

Pure vs Impure

Titus 1:15

"To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted."


提 多 書 1:15

"在 潔 淨 的 人 、 凡 物 都 潔 淨 ． 在 污 穢 不 信 的 人 、 甚 麼 都 不 潔 淨 ． 連 心 地 和 天 良 、 也 都 污 穢 了 。"


This section of the letter refers to many people who were rebellious, mere talkers and deceivers and those that were in the circumcision group. This was a warning to Titus to rebuke those who reject the truth, which refers to the teaching of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Pray that we receive the word of Jesus with a pure heart.

to the Gentiles, not just the Jews

Galatians 2:8

"For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles."


加 拉 太 書 2:8

"那 感 動 彼 得 、 叫 他 為 受 割 禮 之 人 作 使 徒 的 、 也 感 動 我 、 叫 我 為 外 邦 人 作 使 徒."


God has a plan to save not just the Jews but also the Gentiles. In other words, God has a plan to save us all. God sent out Paul to do the work of spreading God's Word to the Gentiles.

Pray that we have the strength and wisdom to spread the gospel since it is God's plan for everyone to know that He is God.

Ask without doubt

James 1:6

"But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."


雅 各 書 1:6

"只 要 憑 著 信 心 求 、 一 點 不 疑 惑 ． 因 為 那 疑 惑 的 人 、 就 像 海 中 的 波 浪 、被 風 吹 動 翻 騰 。 "


Sometimes we may doubt our prayers because God seems to respond very slowly, or not respond at all. This verse is about praying with faith. If there is no faith in prayer, then we have no faith in Jesus and hence "double-minded, ... unstable", as described in verse 8.

Men's sinful nature

Romans 7:18-19

18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing.



羅 馬 書 7:18-19

18 我 也 知 道 、 在 我 裡 頭 、 就 是 我 肉 體 之 中 、 沒 有 良 善 ． 因 為 立 志 為 善 由 得 我 、 只 是 行 出 來 由 不 得 我 。

19 故 此 、 我 所 願 意 的 善 、 我 反 不 作 ． 我 所 不 願 意 的 惡 、 我 倒 去 作 。



This is referring to men's struggle with sin. We all struggle with sin even as Christians. We want to do good to give a testimony to others, but at the same time, sin is always around us, and "living in us" (in Verse 17).


We know that Jesus Christ our Lord came here to save us because we are sinners. Pray that the Lord will guide us and our mind is confident enough that we can rely on Him for all things, including His help to deal with our own sin.

Sinners cannot inherit the kingdom of God

1 Corinthians 6:11

"And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."


哥 林 多 前 書 6:11

"你 們 中 間 也 有 人 從 前 是 這 樣 ． 但 如 今 你 們 奉 主 耶 穌 基 督 的 名 、 並 藉 著 我 們 神 的 靈 、 已 經 洗 淨 、 成 聖 稱 義 了 。"


This verse refers to how wicked people will not inherit the kingdom of God, and we were those wicked people. Yet, God loved us so much that we were washed, sanctified and "justified" in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Remind ourselves that it was God's grace that we are saved. May God continue to guide us with the Holy Spirit.

Do it all in the name of Jesus

Colossians 3:17

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."


歌 羅 西 書 3:17

"無 論 作 甚 麼 、 或 說 話 、 或 行 事 、 都 要 奉 主 耶 穌 的 名 、 藉 著 他 感 謝 父 神 。 "

Went to a different fellowship the other day. Was reading through Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 about timing. Sometimes when things don't go right, or timing is totally wrong, we may think that it is a bad thing and hence difficult to be thankful to our Lord.

God's request for us is to be thankful regardless of any situation. So consider how we can be thankful at times when it is difficult for us to be thankful. He may sometimes hint that there is a better outcome for us in the future, but we just don't see it immediately.

A time for everything

Ecclesiastes 3:14

"I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him."


傳 道 書 3:14

"我 知 道 神 一 切 所 作 的 、 都 必 永 存 、 無 所 增 添 、 無 所 減 少 ． 神 這 樣 行 、 是 要 人 在 他 面 前 存 敬 畏 的 心 。"

By Faith

Hebrews 11:6

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."


希 伯 來 書 11:6

"人 非 有 信 、 就 不 能 得 神 的 喜 悅 ． 因 為 到 神 面 前 來 的 人 、 必 須 信 有 神 ， 且 信 他 賞 賜 那 尋 求 他 的 人 。"


Faith is sometimes difficult to understand from a non-believers perspective. At least from the worldly standards, how can we expect to not do anything in order to get God's grace?

If we can do something to get God's grace, Jesus will not need to sacrifice Himself for our sins. No matter how good we think we are with God, we are worthless without Jesus. Yet, faith is actually built up by growing in His word and serving Him as well as brothers and sisters.

Let us have the faith first that God has conquered the world in order to give us the hope and possible eternal life.

The Parables of the Talents

Matthew 25:29

"For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."


馬 太 福 音 25:29

"因 為 凡 有 的 、 還 要 加 給 他 、 叫 他 有 餘 ． 沒 有 的 、 連 他 所 有 的 、 也 要 奪 過 來 。"


I was listening to an speech spoken around 3 years ago. It was talking about how to be a humble servant in Christ. One got 5 talents of money, one got 2 talents and one got 1 talent. The one who got 5 talents and the one who got 2 talents got 5 more talents and 2 more talents respectively. However, the one who got 1 talent hid it in the ground and did nothing with it. The talent got taken away from him and he was thrown outside into the darkness.

Not all of us are given 5 talents, possibly a lot less. God's request is to earn the same amount from what we had. Time to consider: how much are we given? and are we confident that we can earn as much as we get in the first place?

The Shepherd and His Flock

I was studying the first part of John 10 this weekend. Jesus was talking about the shepherd and his flock. He said this in verse 11:


"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

"我 是 好 牧 人 、 好 牧 人 為 羊 捨 命 。"


The disciples must have been scratching their heads while Jesus said that. After studying this, whether you accept it or not, Jesus is the good shepherd. At the end He sacrificed His life for our sins.

Then in verse 16:

"I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, an there shall be one flock and one shepherd."

"我 另 外 有 羊 、 不 是 這 圈 裡 的 ． 我 必 須 領 他 們 來 、 他 們 也 要 聽 我 的 聲 音 ． 並 且 要 合 成 一 群 、 歸 一 個 牧 人 了 。 "

Even though Jesus is already up there, He is still bringing other sheep into this one flock. They are the new followers of Christ. It is the work of God to bring those non-believers into the flock, even though it is our responsibility to spread the Word on behalf of God.

Let's pray this flock will only expand as time goes, as we know the shepherd has been doing a great job.