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Seeing is believing
When you desperately need something, but days have gone by, nothing indicated its coming. How do you feel? I know I will automatically go into the panic mode and try to have some remedies using my own strength.
Seeing is believing. I have to hold it in my hands otherwise I will not trust I have it.
But God seems to ask to shift the equation, believing is seeing.
22"Have[f] faith in God," Jesus answered. 23"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."[g]
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Experimental
I really need an experimental. I already laid down things and gave Him what He asks for, why He did not hand me over an experimental section or a recipe that I can follow.
Where is my step 1?
Experimental = passive faith
But God want us to have an active faith with Him. Do things together with Him. Collect and evaluate data, provide analysis, form opinions and come to conclusions with Him together. Consulting Him on the way, we grow because we are experiencing the situations and Him together.
An experimental seems to be a more predictable path but we do not get to participate in the design. We are just a pair of hands. Next time around, we almost could not remember about last experiment and have to start from step 0.
God enjoys more about the process, the mistakes and progress we made in that we grow and remember. But we, as human beings, tend to focus more or only about the results. At least I was.
Where is my step 1?
Experimental = passive faith
But God want us to have an active faith with Him. Do things together with Him. Collect and evaluate data, provide analysis, form opinions and come to conclusions with Him together. Consulting Him on the way, we grow because we are experiencing the situations and Him together.
An experimental seems to be a more predictable path but we do not get to participate in the design. We are just a pair of hands. Next time around, we almost could not remember about last experiment and have to start from step 0.
God enjoys more about the process, the mistakes and progress we made in that we grow and remember. But we, as human beings, tend to focus more or only about the results. At least I was.
God guarantees to save me
Step 2:
The only time we really grow=in the midst of tribulation
Tension comes from contrast between what God promises and what is going in my experience
Pressure on to use old familiar methods of flesh to deal with situation: with this particular type of pressure may be tempted to depression and falling apart, fly into action on my own , anger
Lord’s way often seems crazy or suicidal
e.g. anger→ patience and grace
Step 3: “Tomb time”: Hanging in there, trusting and obeying Him no matter what
Rom 5:9: God guarantees to save me from all the mess of my life.
The only time we really grow=in the midst of tribulation
Tension comes from contrast between what God promises and what is going in my experience
Pressure on to use old familiar methods of flesh to deal with situation: with this particular type of pressure may be tempted to depression and falling apart, fly into action on my own , anger
Lord’s way often seems crazy or suicidal
e.g. anger→ patience and grace
Step 3: “Tomb time”: Hanging in there, trusting and obeying Him no matter what
Rom 5:9: God guarantees to save me from all the mess of my life.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
A prayer list
This morning, a whisper came to me: “Write down a list of prayers”. I stopped writing down prayer requests or really earnestly pray for specific things for a while. Not because of I do not have one, but because I know my present situation is by God’s design to grow me. I learned not to relentlessly fight but to obey.
“Write a list.” The whisper continued. “Do you remember your list on the piece of blue paper? They all came true.”
I suddenly remembered about 7 years ago, I had one. There was a prayer for a sister to get pregnant, and another sister to know God and have God to bless her marriage….” Now the first sister’s son is 4.5 years old and the second sister has transitioned with a light speed from a single, to a wife with a very sincere husband and a proud mom of two boys.
“Write the requests down. They will come true.”
“If everything I ask for will come true, what shall I write? Are you really going to give me everything I write down?”
“God, Guide me”.
I hope magically the pen moves by itself as in movies. But as I was doing so in a faithful heart, tears came down. Because God seems to remember the things I had forgotten or lost heart to. I prayed earlier this year to won one specific proposal so that I may have about x0K compensation pre-tax, then my husband can have a new car as his current commute car really needs a fix. It did not come true and our already tight budget will not allow this.
I saw an item that in areas of relationships, that I did realize there need a difference but God cares so deeply what the heart longs for.
Two persons names came up. I tried and prayed for them earnest in the summer and walked through the difficult time in their lives with them but one or two words from them hurt me. I stopped praying for them. But God still remembers them. And me.
…..
God knows me better than I know myself.
What would you write down if anything you ask for will become true?
“Write a list.” The whisper continued. “Do you remember your list on the piece of blue paper? They all came true.”
I suddenly remembered about 7 years ago, I had one. There was a prayer for a sister to get pregnant, and another sister to know God and have God to bless her marriage….” Now the first sister’s son is 4.5 years old and the second sister has transitioned with a light speed from a single, to a wife with a very sincere husband and a proud mom of two boys.
“Write the requests down. They will come true.”
“If everything I ask for will come true, what shall I write? Are you really going to give me everything I write down?”
“God, Guide me”.
I hope magically the pen moves by itself as in movies. But as I was doing so in a faithful heart, tears came down. Because God seems to remember the things I had forgotten or lost heart to. I prayed earlier this year to won one specific proposal so that I may have about x0K compensation pre-tax, then my husband can have a new car as his current commute car really needs a fix. It did not come true and our already tight budget will not allow this.
I saw an item that in areas of relationships, that I did realize there need a difference but God cares so deeply what the heart longs for.
Two persons names came up. I tried and prayed for them earnest in the summer and walked through the difficult time in their lives with them but one or two words from them hurt me. I stopped praying for them. But God still remembers them. And me.
…..
God knows me better than I know myself.
What would you write down if anything you ask for will become true?
Thursday, December 10, 2009
An elderly lady
I heard this on the radio today while driving.
An lady, sounds really old, called in with her story. She wanted to devoice with her husband because she can not wall anymore and she does not want her husband taking care of her the rest of his life. Her husband is not going to have a devoice with her....
what a contrast to this selfish era, people constantly asking what in there for me.
An lady, sounds really old, called in with her story. She wanted to devoice with her husband because she can not wall anymore and she does not want her husband taking care of her the rest of his life. Her husband is not going to have a devoice with her....
what a contrast to this selfish era, people constantly asking what in there for me.
Holiday gift
We gave our teacher a holiday gift today. She is in her 60s. When we presented our gift to her, she smiled making her eyes into two lines and asked: "Can we open the gift now or we should wait until Christmas?"
I was shocked.
We demand "Now" so granted, forget there is another choice--- joyful "wait".
I was shocked.
We demand "Now" so granted, forget there is another choice--- joyful "wait".
Takeaways and thoughts
Some recent take-aways from class and my own thoughts:
1. God’s grace and forgiveness
Dwell in peace with the Lord’s presence b/c Jesus Christ. Always go to the Lord and thank His grace and forgiveness, its amazingly true.
We grow older in our lives, we are more desperately in our lives to need the Lord. There are areas in our lives, we repeatedly failed. Instead of running away to hide and stop reading the bible thinking how God could possibly forgive for what we did, we can come back to the Lord, have confidence that His grace is bigger and we can thank Him for Jesus and His forgiveness. The repeated failures do not block us from the Lord’s presence. No matter what our past is, we can still dwell in peace with the Lord, in God’s favor, because of Jesus Christ, which has already be done.
Law crashes us for it measures degree of failures. Grace, on the other hand, measures great success. The reference point for grace is dead flat zero. Grace celebrates each success.
When babies first learn how to walk, they fall repeatedly. In the process, they may start to hold a little longer before they fall but they soon fall again. You never see a baby crying I will never learn to walk. When the parents watching the babies, they celebrate each little progresses babies make and firmly believe they will be able to walk. Just like how the Lord watching us for areas of our lives.
2. What is hope
When we try to define a human being, we define them by thoughts, action, ……but when we look at babies, they do not have any of those characters. But we still clearly call them human beings. Why? Because we will have confidence that they will grow into the characters of a human being.
This is just like God and us. God see us who will grow bearing His characters.
Hope is not a mind game.
3. From external
Early on in our lives, we prayed for cars, jobs, God provided our external needs. Then He invited us to grow. Unfortunately there is only one way we will grow. ONLY ONE WAY. Tough times, the stuff we will never sign up for, are the opportunities for us to grow. Paul knows the process, exalted in the mist of practical life, and so should we. None of us like pressure, difficulties, narrow areas, but that’s how we grow the fastest, and deepest to a relationship with the Lord.
Difficulties are an invitation from the Lord, going in partnership together with Him. When situation and or temptation is up, instead of screaming it is enough already, we can be thankful, like Paul, knowing the process, God is helping us and we are moving forward together. Be open to what God is teaching me now…
4. Tune time
We trusted the Lord to do the new way. However there are tune times. We set aside the old, but not see the new yet. Lord, you are working in me. Develop a habit of trusting in the Lord, we are going through and hanging in here together. “I will hang in there. I will see what will happen”.
5. Voice
If we succeed once and failed three times, we are still in God’s favor. However, our voices can be either like God’s: "great, I know you will succeed” or Satan's: "I know the Word, but you, forget it, it will never happen.”
Which one do you choose?
6. Internal
God changes us in a helical process. Our success rate will be higher and higher and the level of temptation will be bigger and bigger and we grow into a deeper and deeper relationship with God.
Like peeling an onion, layer by layer, tears on the way.
Some areas are repeatedly come back, each time with a different scope and intensity.
7. Kindness leads to repentance
Repentance= change of mind
We repent because of God's gental grace, not because of persuasion and law. we want others to repent, what shall we us? God's way or our way?
8. Blood=life
Our physical bodies reflect how our spiritual bodies work. Blood represent the life, blood provide nutrition and cleansing to other parts of the organs. Heart drives the blood, going through the lung, obtaining from the nature and to the organs. Spirit resides in the heart.
9. Why to pray out loud?
God does not require us praying out loud but it is for our own benefit. Sometimes it is to make our will yield to what we are praying. Sometimes is to make us confident that we are communicating with God not just going through things in our minds.
........................................................................................................
Enjoy the opportunities that you will grow with the Lord!
...........................................................................................................
1. God’s grace and forgiveness
Dwell in peace with the Lord’s presence b/c Jesus Christ. Always go to the Lord and thank His grace and forgiveness, its amazingly true.
We grow older in our lives, we are more desperately in our lives to need the Lord. There are areas in our lives, we repeatedly failed. Instead of running away to hide and stop reading the bible thinking how God could possibly forgive for what we did, we can come back to the Lord, have confidence that His grace is bigger and we can thank Him for Jesus and His forgiveness. The repeated failures do not block us from the Lord’s presence. No matter what our past is, we can still dwell in peace with the Lord, in God’s favor, because of Jesus Christ, which has already be done.
Law crashes us for it measures degree of failures. Grace, on the other hand, measures great success. The reference point for grace is dead flat zero. Grace celebrates each success.
When babies first learn how to walk, they fall repeatedly. In the process, they may start to hold a little longer before they fall but they soon fall again. You never see a baby crying I will never learn to walk. When the parents watching the babies, they celebrate each little progresses babies make and firmly believe they will be able to walk. Just like how the Lord watching us for areas of our lives.
2. What is hope
When we try to define a human being, we define them by thoughts, action, ……but when we look at babies, they do not have any of those characters. But we still clearly call them human beings. Why? Because we will have confidence that they will grow into the characters of a human being.
This is just like God and us. God see us who will grow bearing His characters.
Hope is not a mind game.
3. From external
Early on in our lives, we prayed for cars, jobs, God provided our external needs. Then He invited us to grow. Unfortunately there is only one way we will grow. ONLY ONE WAY. Tough times, the stuff we will never sign up for, are the opportunities for us to grow. Paul knows the process, exalted in the mist of practical life, and so should we. None of us like pressure, difficulties, narrow areas, but that’s how we grow the fastest, and deepest to a relationship with the Lord.
Difficulties are an invitation from the Lord, going in partnership together with Him. When situation and or temptation is up, instead of screaming it is enough already, we can be thankful, like Paul, knowing the process, God is helping us and we are moving forward together. Be open to what God is teaching me now…
4. Tune time
We trusted the Lord to do the new way. However there are tune times. We set aside the old, but not see the new yet. Lord, you are working in me. Develop a habit of trusting in the Lord, we are going through and hanging in here together. “I will hang in there. I will see what will happen”.
5. Voice
If we succeed once and failed three times, we are still in God’s favor. However, our voices can be either like God’s: "great, I know you will succeed” or Satan's: "I know the Word, but you, forget it, it will never happen.”
Which one do you choose?
6. Internal
God changes us in a helical process. Our success rate will be higher and higher and the level of temptation will be bigger and bigger and we grow into a deeper and deeper relationship with God.
Like peeling an onion, layer by layer, tears on the way.
Some areas are repeatedly come back, each time with a different scope and intensity.
7. Kindness leads to repentance
Repentance= change of mind
We repent because of God's gental grace, not because of persuasion and law. we want others to repent, what shall we us? God's way or our way?
8. Blood=life
Our physical bodies reflect how our spiritual bodies work. Blood represent the life, blood provide nutrition and cleansing to other parts of the organs. Heart drives the blood, going through the lung, obtaining from the nature and to the organs. Spirit resides in the heart.
9. Why to pray out loud?
God does not require us praying out loud but it is for our own benefit. Sometimes it is to make our will yield to what we are praying. Sometimes is to make us confident that we are communicating with God not just going through things in our minds.
........................................................................................................
Enjoy the opportunities that you will grow with the Lord!
...........................................................................................................
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