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| God didn't promise day without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain. But He did promise strength for the day, comfort for tears and light for the way. ~ Author Unknown ~ | | |
| What are we wearing today? “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith..." ~ 1 Peter 5:8-9 ~ The Bible reminds us to stay alert and watch out for our great enemy, the devil (New Living Translation). However, we don't need to be afraid at all! God is with us – He is protecting and watching over us! And we need to put on the full armor of God, as in Ephesians 6:10-18 –
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
How is temptation and sin torturing you (and I)?... I am sure that we can all fill in the blank here with our own struggle and misery... Praise be to the LORD that in Him there is salvation and forgiveness of sins. As Christians, we are new creations - we live for God with the freedom to say no to sin and temptation! What a blessing we have been given! So, what are we wearing today? Let's put on the full armor of God! | | |
| Earn this "Earn this. Earn it!", Captain John Miller said to Private James Ryan just before his last breath. Saving Private Ryan is a movie set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. Captian Miller received the order to go back to the battlefield, together with seven others, to search for Private Ryan who was the last surviving brother of three fallen servicemen. At the end of the movie, Ryan and two other characters survived the battle at Ramelle. Ryan was with Miller as he died and heard his last words, "James... earn this. Earn it." Some forty to fifty years later, Ryan the elderly veteran was at Miller's grave. He asked his wife to confirm that he has led a good life and that he is a "good man", and thus worthy of Miller's and the others' sacrifice. How about us? Are we living our lives worthy of Jesus Christ's sacrifice - His humble incarnation, cruel rejection by others including His beloved disciples, and brutal crucixification on the Cross? We should be thankful that God does not treat us as our sins deserve. We may 'fail', but God's love, mercy and grace is forever present with us. However, this should not become an excuse for us not to make the effort to live our lives worthy of our calling - in fact, Jesus' sacrifice should become the strength, motivation, and the very reason for us to live for Him every moment. Christ has died for us, and He deserves our complete devotion and allegiance. He is even worthy of our dying for Him! Pray that when we see Jesus face-to-face, we will not be ashamsed and will hear Him say, "Good and faithful servant!" | | |
| LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on this tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken. ~ Psalm 15 ~ How do you prepare for worshipping God? Is your character true? Is your character marked by moral and ethical blemishes? Are your relationships right? How are you using your tongue? Have you fulfilled all of your commitments? Do you consistently keep your words? Do you earn and use money honorably? Do you value money more than people? May the Holy Spirit examine our character, and may we be transformed by His power, so that we may become a true worshipper! | | |
| You can kill us, but you can't hurt us. ~ Justin Martyr ~ Many Christians are praying for Muslims during the Ramadan (Aug 22-Sept 20). Some prayer points are protection of those who have come to faith in Jesus Christ from a Muslim background. They always face persecution, experience rejection and abandonment by their beloved ones like family and friends. Some even sacrified their lives to follow Jesus Christ. How a great faith and hope in our Lord Jesus! No matter how difficult life could be, these dear brothers and sisters of ours have not denied the faith in Jesus Christ and they have lived their lives worthy of the name "Christian" (meaning 'little Christ'). They face physical and mental torments, but nothing could separate God's love from them (Romans 8:28-38) - this is their strength of following Jesus Christ unto death. And what are we facing today? There are always things and people that make our lives difficult. But as Justin Martyr says - "You can kill us, but you can't hurt us". It is an echo to Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 - "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body." And vv16-18 - "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." Praise the LORD for His promise and everlasting words! | | |
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