Have mercy

Luke 10:33-35

"But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' "


路 加 福 音 10:33-35

"惟 有 一 個 撒 瑪 利 亞 人 、 行 路 來 到 那 裡 ． 看 見 他 就 動 了 慈 心 、 上 前 用 油 和 酒 倒 在 他 的 傷 處 、 包 裹 好 了 、 扶 他 騎 上 自 己 的 牲 口 、 帶 到 店 裡 去 照 應 他 。第 二 天 拿 出 二 錢 銀 子 來 、 交 給 店 主 說 、 你 且 照 應 他 ． 此 外 所 費 用 的 、 我 回 來 必 還 你 。 "


This relates to quite an impacting event in mainland China earlier in the year. A child was accidentally knocked down by a truck. After this, there were over 10 passerbys ignoring and failing to do anything to help the child. The child eventually died in the hospital.

As a Christian, what should we do when we see one requires help from others? Have mercy on those who desperately needs help and do our part to spread God's love.

Birth of Jesus

Matthew 1:21

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."


馬 太 福 音 1:21

"他 將 要 生 一 個 兒 子 ． 你 要 給 他 起 名 叫 耶 穌 ． 因 他 要 將 自 己 的 百 姓 從 罪 惡 裡 救 出 來 。"


The birth of Jesus marks the significance of God's salvation plan. He is to save us from our sins. If we are capable of saving ourselves from our sins, God doesn't need to send Jesus to this world to die for our sins.

The worldly view of Christmas doesn't mark the real meaning of why we celebrate Christmas. It's not because we get Christmas presents in Boxing Day. We celebrate Christmas because our saviour king Jesus was born more than 2000 years ago. It is not merely a public holiday for us to enjoy.

Perhaps, it is a good time to think once again for now and the future.

• What can we do to love God more?
  
• What can we do to love brothers and sisters more?
  
• What can we do to move our relationship with God towards an upper gear?
• What can we do to reach out more for the people who are still looking for Jesus?

I treasure 2011 as it had been full of blessing. Even little things like getting home safely from work everyday is a huge blessing! Yet we don't really think about it, especially if we had a bad day. Getting to church and have fellowship with brothers and sisters is another huge blessing that we often don't think about.

I do not recall clearly the reason why I started this blog in the first place. It was primarily for quiet time purposes but now I know it is much more than that. God's love is always around and I am not here to hide it from others. Spread the love! Jesus loves us all!

Take only ways that are firm

Proverbs 4:26-27

"Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil."


箴 言 4:26-27

"要 修 平 你 腳 下 的 路 、 堅 定 你 一 切 的 道 。 不 可 偏 向 左 右 ． 要 使 你 的 腳 離 開 邪 惡 。"



The path is real, but the key is whether you believe this is the path God is taking you, whether you trust Him that He is taking you somewhere for your benefit, even if you may not like it.

2011 is coming close to an end. I thank God for so many things, like I shared during my prayer meeting yesterday. The things to be thankful for is not for boasting, but to give appreciation of how great is our God.

• I have a personal mentor coming into my life this year, and he has been always been a great source of support ever since he became my mentor. It is not easy to find a good mentor that can keep you in the loop in terms of guiding me the right path. Even though there are ups and downs, I thank God for having him in my life.

• I have started sponsoring a child in Compassion Australia. It is a great privilege to be given a job and have a source of income for this to happen. Taking this step had not been easy, but I am glad God guided me this step so I know there are so many children out there that needs help.

• Newtown mission inspires me to the full. I went a couple of times this year and I want to go back to it soon. Worthwhile experience and when you see people who are not as fortunate as you, you will start to thank God for His provisions.
  

• Thank God that I started this blog this year. I think I can keep this blog as a reflective tool but would also hope this is for the benefit of brothers and sisters so that they can constantly be mindful of God's word!
  

• And thank God for giving us a wintry morning even though it's the start of summer!