#28 The Greatest Commandment is to Love God

September 12- Day 12, Chapter 12 in the Book of Mark

Mark 12

The Parable of the Tenants

“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
11 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar

17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

Marriage at the Resurrection

24 Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 

The Greatest Commandment

29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Whose Son Is the Messiah?

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.”’

Warning Against the Teachers of the Law

 38 As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

The Widow’s Offering

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

note: please read the complete text on this link--

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12&version=NIV

"What is the greatest commandment?"
Jesus was asked this very question by a Pharisee who was considered to be “an expert in the law”. Jesus answered by saying: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:34-40).

Jesus gives us two commandments that summarize all the laws and commands in Scripture. The Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 deal with our relationship with God and then our relationship with other people. One naturally flows out of the other. Without a right relationship with God, our relationships with others will not be right either. The cause of the world’s problems is that man needs to be reconciled to God. We will never love our neighbor as ourselves if we do not first love God with all our heart, mind and soul. All of man’s best efforts towards world peace will fail as long as men are living in rebellion against God.

When asked by another Pharisee how one could “inherit eternal life,” Jesus answered that it is by keeping these two commandments (Luke 10:25-37). Only two commandments to obey, yet how often do we, like this Pharisee, try to “justify” ourselves because saying we obey these commandments is much easier than really living according to them.

When carefully considered, Jesus’ answer was really a perfect response to not only the Pharisee of His day, but also to all modern day “Pharisees” who try measure a person’s righteousness by how well they conform outwardly to a series of laws or commandments. Both the Pharisees of Christ’s day and today’s many versions create a whole system of rules and regulations for people to live by and yet are guilty of breaking the most important commandments of all because they “cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but not the inside” (Matthew 23:25-26).

When we prayerfully consider Jesus’ words and the fact that all the laws and commands in Scripture can really be summarized by these two commandments, we understand just how impossible it is for us to keep God’s commandments and how often we fail to do so, and can therefore never be righteous before God on our own accord. That only leaves us with one hope and that is that God “justifies the ungodly” (Romans 4:5). God’s law and our failure to keep it “brings about wrath” (Romans 4:15) but “God demonstrates His own love toward us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

While we will never keep God’s commandments or be righteous before Him by our own efforts, Christ did. It is His sacrificial death on the cross that causes our sins to be imputed to Him and His righteousness imputed to us (Romans 4–5). That is why “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10). After all, the Gospel of Christ “is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” for “the just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:16-17).

Because Jesus answered this very question and His answer is recorded in Scripture, we don’t have to wonder or search for the answer ourselves. 

The question is?

- Do we live according to these commandments? 

- Do we truly love God with all our hearts, all our souls, and all our minds?

- Do we really love our neighbor as ourselves? 

If we are truthful with ourselves we know that we do not, but the good news is that the law and commandments were given as “a tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith”(Galatians 3:24). 

Only as we realize our sinfulness and hopelessness will we turn to Christ alone as the only hope of salvation.

(ref: Got Questions: Bible-answered questions)

A blessed day to all :) Glory to GOD!

#27 Hosanna in the highest heaven!

September 11, Day 11- Chapter 11 in The Book of Mark

Mark 11
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts

Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

...“Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

...Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

...“By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”

...Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

note: please read the complete text at this link--

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark%2011&version=NIV

Glory to GOD for His message today :)

Of the whole chapter 11 text, what captured me is when Jesus entered Jerusalem and how He was received as King, with all praises and honor. But we all know too that it is only temporary, because the reality is.... that time, He needed to sacrifice Himself and die for all our sins so that the true Kingdom of God will be available for all of us who believes and who will believe in Him.

And I am again ecstatic to share my belief: "I am a God's child, and by the time He will come back, I am one of the great multitudes in white robes who will praise and honor Him in all His holiness, grandeur and splendor."

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.- Revelation 1:3

The Great Multitude in White Robes

 9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”

11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:

“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”

13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”

14 I answered, “Sir, you know.”

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore,

“they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
will shelter them with his presence.
16 ‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’

‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” - Revelation 7:9-17

May we all deepen our faith, our hope, but most of all our love to the One Living God who will come back to us for the fulfillment of His promises.

God bless :)

9/11- Why does God allow evil?

In commemoration of the 10th year anniversary of 9/11, let us all pause for a while and contemplate...

Question: "Why does God allow evil?"

With people thinking about the September 11 terrorist attacks on the tenth anniversary of the horrific event, many are again asking the age-old question: "Why does God allow evil?" 

The Bible describes God as holy, righteous, just, and sovereign. 
Isaiah 6:3

 ...“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”

Psalm 7:11
God is a righteous judge,
a God who displays his wrath every day.

Deuteronomy 32:4He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
upright and just is he.

Daniel 4:17

“‘The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.’

These attributes tell us the following about God: 

(1) God is capable of preventing evil, and 

(2) God desires to rid the universe of evil. 

So, if both of these are true, why does God allow evil? If God has the power to prevent evil and desires to prevent evil, why does He still allow evil? 

Perhaps a practical way to look at this question would be to consider some alternative ways people might have God run the world:

1) God could change everyone’s personality so that they cannot sin. This would also mean that we would not have a free will. We would not be able to choose right or wrong because we would be “programmed” to only do right. Had God chosen to do this, there would be no meaningful relationships between Him and His creation.

Instead, God made Adam and Eve innocent but with the ability to choose good or evil. Because of this, they could respond to His love and trust Him or choose to disobey. They chose to disobey. Because we live in a real world where we can choose our actions but not their consequences, their sin affected those who came after them (us). Similarly, our decisions to sin have an impact on us and those around us and those who will come after us.

2) God could compensate for people’s evil actions through supernatural intervention 100% of the time. 

- God would stop a drunk driver from causing an automobile accident. 

- God would stop a lazy construction worker from doing a substandard job on a house that would later cause grief to the homeowners. 

- God would stop a father who is addicted to drugs or alcohol from doing any harm to his wife, children, or extended family. 

- God would stop gunmen from robbing convenience stores. 

- God would stop high school bullies from tormenting the brainy kids. 

- God would stop thieves from shoplifting. 

- And, yes, God would stop terrorists from flying airplanes into buildings.

While this solution sounds attractive, it would lose its attractiveness as soon as God’s intervention infringed on something we wanted to do. We want God to prevent horribly evil actions, but we are willing to let “lesser-evil” actions slide—not realizing that those “lesser-evil” actions are what usually lead to the “greater-evil” actions. 

- Should God only stop actual sexual affairs, or should He also block our access to pornography or end any inappropriate, but not yet sexual, relationships? 

- Should God stop “true” thieves, or should He also stop us from cheating on our taxes? 

- Should God only stop murder, or should He also stop the “lesser-evil” actions done to people that lead them to commit murder? 

- Should God only stop acts of terrorism, or should He also stop the indoctrination that transformed a person into a terrorist?

3) Another choice would be for God to judge and remove those who choose to commit evil acts. The problem with this possibility is that there would be no one left, for God would have to remove us all. We all sin and commit evil acts.

Romans 3:23

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Ecclesiastes 7:20

Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous,
no one who does what is right and never sins.

1 John 1:8

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

While some people are more evil than others, where would God draw the line? Ultimately, all evil causes harm to others.

Instead of these options, God has chosen to create a “real” world in which real choices have real consequences. In this real world of ours, our actions affect others. Because of Adam’s choice to sin, the world now lives under the curse, and we are all born with a sin nature.

Romans 5:12

Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—

There will one day come a time when God will judge the sin in this world and make all things new, but He is purposely “delaying” in order to allow more time for people to repent so that He will not need to condemn them.

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Until then, He IS concerned about evil. When He created the Old Testament laws, the goal was to discourage and punish evil. He judges nations and rulers who disregard justice and pursue evil. Likewise, in the New Testament, God states that it is the government’s responsibility to provide justice in order to protect the innocent from evil (Romans 13). He also promises severe consequences for those who commit evil acts, especially against the "innocent" (Mark 9:36-42).

In summary, we live in a real world where our good and evil actions have direct consequences and indirect consequences upon us and those around us. God’s desire is that for all of our sake we would obey Him that it might be well with us (Deuteronomy 5:29). 

Instead, what happens is that we choose our own way, and then we blame God for not doing anything about it. Such is the heart of sinful man. 

But Jesus came to change men’s hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit, and He does this for those who will turn from evil and call on Him to save them from their sin and its consequences (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

God does prevent and restrain some acts of evil. This world would be MUCH WORSE were not God restraining evil. At the same time, God has given us the ability to choose good and evil, and when we choose evil, He allows us, and those around us, to suffer the consequences of evil. Rather than blaming God and questioning God on why He does not prevent all evil, we should be about the business of proclaiming the cure for evil and its consequences—Jesus Christ!

Remember:

JESUS is the only cure for all evilness... and He will come back. He is faithful to all His people.  

Lamentations 3:20-23

20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
 22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

Deuteronomy 32:35

35 It is mine to avenge; I will repay.
In due time their foot will slip;
their day of disaster is near
and their doom rushes upon them.”

Romans 12:19

19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

Hebrews 10:30

30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

A blessed Sunday! Glory to GOD!

(source: Got Questions- Bible-answered Questions)

Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

A blessed day to all :)


May we all see that everything is trivial except the things that are done for our Lord- Jesus Christ.


A very inspiring poem...

“Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgement seat;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice,
Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave,
And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, a few brief years,
Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill,
living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

When this bright world would tempt me sore,
When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way,
Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, a purpose deep,
In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife,
Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Oh let my love with fervor burn,
And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone,
Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one,
Now let me say,”Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call,
I know I’ll say “twas worth it all”;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last. ”

— extra stanza —

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be,
If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.”

C.T Studd

#26 With God, All Things are Possible

A blessed beautiful Saturday to all (".)
September 10- Day 10, Chapter 10 in The Book of Mark
Mark 10
Divorce
...“But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
...“Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”


The Little Children and Jesus 
...“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.



The Rich and the Kingdom of God 
...“what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
 ...‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”
 20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
 22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
...“Who then can be saved?”
 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”


Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time 
...“We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles,34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”


The Request of James and John 
...whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”


Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight 
...a blind man, Bartimaeus, began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.


note: please read the full text on this link--
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark%2010&version=NIV


Praise to the marvelous God that we have!


"Nothing is impossible to GOD!"


I thank God everyday for my life and I will never stop thanking Him, showing Him my gratefulness and appreciating Him for what He is, and for what He had done, and what He will do.


I've been blessed with wonderful parents. I have been a witness on how they have preserved the sanctity of their marriage until "death do they part". Though my dad has been united with our Almighty at the age of 67, I am happy to have a "marriage" model so I can preserve too my matrimonial bond with my loving husband. I know it is not easy, it will take lots and lots of love and understanding, but primarily making God as the center of our family's love, life and union, nothing is impossible.


I remember vividly the the words of Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, "nothing is permanent in this world except change." and I truly agree with him, "nothing in this world", but our God, the God of Heaven and Earth is not of this "world", and He is the only one who does not change.
"I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob are not destroyed."- Malachi 3:6
I believe in my heart that the rich man, although extremely rich, whom Jesus loved too (Jesus looked at him and loved him) had the Spirit's prompting and so maybe, he had a change of heart about his wealth, and maybe, he too inherited eternal life; who knows... nothing is impossible to God.


I know our Loving Lord wants us all to change...to change for the better...to change for Him, to conform to His word and not to this world and I know, nothing is impossible, if we will let Him change us.
Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.


Others may not truly believe that Satan is very real; he is of this world and he is doing all that he can so that we can be distracted on our focus to God; everything that is good and perfect comes from God and the opposite of it is from the father of all lies, the angel of deception- Satan.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."- James 1:17

"...I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear (meaning to have deep reverence) me, so that they will never turn away from me."- Jeremiah 32:40

May we all learn to combat Satan's deceptions with the full battle gear God gave us; the full armor of God:
 - the belt of truth
 - the breastplate of righteousness
 - feet firmly grounded for readiness because of the gospel of peace
 - the shield of faith
 - the helmet of salvation
 - the sword of the Spirit 
(Ephesians 6:10-17) 


Nothing is impossible to God!

#25 In God's Hands...

A blessed day to everyone (".)
Have you heard this song?

"Make Something Beautiful" by Laura Story 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U28b350agHM)

When I'm at the point of breaking at the place where I resign,
When I'm at the stage of shaking my head as I look back on my life,
When I'm halfway through the grieving, but not quite through the ache,
When I cannot see the ending, or which road I'm supposed to take,
All I know to do is lift my hands to You...

[Chorus:]
Take all of my life, all of my life,
And make something beautiful.
I open my hand, trusting Your plan.
Make something beautiful so all will see
Your work in me, as You make something beautiful

When I'm tired of pretending, and I can't recall my lines,
Do I say, I'm barely breathing, or just say, I'm doing fine.
I admit there is a yearning, for the hurting to subside,
But not at the risk of missing what You're doing with my life
All I know to do is lift my hands to You...

Today's sharing: September 9, Day 9- Chapter 9 in The Book of Mark
Mark 9 (excerpts)
The Transfiguration 

...There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.

... “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

Jesus Heals a Boy Possessed by an Impure Spirit 

23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
 24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time 

...“The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

...they had argued about who was the greatest.
36 He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us 

41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

Causing to Stumble 

42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. 

please read the whole text at this link, thanks - 

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+9&version=NIV

His words are our life! 

Glory to God for another beautiful message today.

What is transfiguration?
- It means to transform into something more beautiful or elevated;

I have always claimed our Loving Lord gave me a beautiful mind. It is what I have requested from Him since I was young, to give me wisdom. But now I know that He has given me knowledge then, but presently, He is giving me true wisdom- wisdom of knowing Him more and more, and I am glad, I am humbled and I praise Him for His work in my life. 

One time, I told my little boy, "you are so blessed Ram, God had given you a beautiful mind and a beautiful heart. You have both." If you can only see the smile on his face when he responded, "really mommy, I have both?" And I told him, "yes, you have both, the beautiful mind of your mom and the beautiful heart of your dad." 

Truly, I never questioned the beautiful mind God gave me, but I have asked Him too-- "Lord God, please give me a beautiful heart too, so I can have both." 

I believe that everyone will agree with me that we want both- a beautiful mind and a beautiful heart. And surely, God will give it to us and more... He is the author and perfecter of our faith. In His glorious time, we will all be finally transformed... we will be transfigured. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 

He hath made every thing beautiful in His time:

1 Corinthians 15:54

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

1 John 3:2
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

1 Corinthians 15:52
 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

These are His words that I hold onto. I will be transformed... I will be transfigured... and I will see Him face to face. Such is my humbling conviction. I claim it with all my heart. I am not persuading others to believe me but when you have established a deeper than deep relationship with our Loving Lord, you will realize the true meaning of what I share.

Our Loving Jesus gave His life for us because of His love; He have prepared Heaven for us. He loves us all... to a level that our mind will never be able to grasp. My question is "do you love Him back?".

Jim Book, our pastor quoted, "fall in love with God....and everything else will follow."

May we all fall in love with our Loving God, our Lord Jesus, the light of the world and our lives (".)

Inspirational Prayer:

"I love you O Lord,

     thank you for your word;

Your everyday grace, continues to amaze;

May you please grant, your humble servant;

      a heart of love and selfless act;

We pray for your care and love above;

May your will be done as your Kingdom come." 

Glory to GOD in the Highest!

#24 Jesus can Change Us

A blessed day (".)
I love roses, they are beautiful, and their smell.....it has a lingering effect on olfactory nerves. I think they are beautiful inside and out.
Isn't it great if we can be beautiful all throughout?
Assuredly, we can......Jesus, the One True God, has the power to change us and make us beautiful from within and out.


September 8, Day 8- Chapter 8 in The Book of Mark
Mark 8 (excerpts)
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
2 “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”
5 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.
 “Seven,” they replied. 7 They had a few small fish as well;
8 The people ate and were satisfied. 
9 About four thousand were present.


The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod
17...Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? 


Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida
23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” 24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”
 25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.


Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
 27...“Who do people say I am?” 28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
 29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
 Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”


Jesus Predicts His Death
 31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 33 ...“Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”


The Way of the Cross
 34 ...“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”


Please read the complete text on this link--
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+8&version=NIV

To the great and wonderful Lord God we have, Glory to You, and thank you for your words!


Have you ever wondered who truly Jesus is? 
My mother, I believe, a true Christian in spirit, is the first person who have led me to know that we have a God, in Trinity- God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. I have never questioned the uniqueness of His triune eversince, and I will never question it now. What I know is, the Holy Spirit let me accept and embrace it with the feeble mind I have through the faith He gave me since I was young and it never change eversince.....and gladly, I am just humbled, I hold on to the unquestionable nature of God- One True God in Three Persons. 


We have read and contemplated 7 chapters of Mark in my previous posts, and learned how Jesus healed many who are sick, preached the good news, drove out evil spirits, raised the dead, performed miracles and displayed some of His powers.


But in this chapter, Jesus has been declared as the Messiah, the anointed one. And to give light to Jesus, His nature and godliness, we will dig in deeper into Him.


"Who is Jesus Christ?"
It is generally accepted that Jesus was truly a man who walked on the earth in Israel 2000 years ago. The debate begins when the subject of Jesus' full identity is discussed. 
Do we believe that Jesus was infinitely more than a prophet, a good teacher, or a godly man?
May the following verses give light on how we should perceive Jesus Christ, the Lord God, the only Saviour of everyone.


“I and the Father are one.”- John 10:30


“‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’”- John 8:58


John 1:1 says “the Word was God.” John 1:14 says “the Word became flesh.” This clearly indicates that Jesus is God in the flesh. 


Thomas the disciple declared to Jesus, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Jesus does not correct him. 


The apostle Paul describes Him as, “…our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). 


The apostle Peter says the same, “…our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1). 


God the Father is witness of Jesus’ full identity as well, “But about the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.’” (Psalm 45:6) 


Old Testament prophecies of Christ announce His deity, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

Why is the question over Jesus’ true identity so important?
Why does it matter whether or not Jesus is God?
The most important reason that Jesus has to be God is that if He is not God, His death would not have been sufficient to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world- He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2). Only God could pay such an infinite penalty- But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8); God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.(2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus had to be God so that He could pay our debt. Jesus had to be man so He could die. Salvation is available only through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus’ deity is why He is the only way of salvation. Jesus’ deity is why He proclaimed, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).


Jesus is:
Chief Cornerstone: (Ephesians 2:20) – Jesus is the cornerstone of the building which is His church. He cements together Jew and Gentile, male and female—all saints from all ages and places into one structure built on faith in Him which is shared by all.

Firstborn over all creation: (Colossians 1:15) – Not the first thing God created, as some incorrectly claim, because verse 16 says all things were created through and for Christ. Rather, the meaning is that Christ occupies the rank and pre-eminence of the first-born over all things, that He sustains the most exalted rank in the universe; He is pre-eminent above all others; He is at the head of all things.

Head of the Church: (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; 5:23) – Jesus Christ, not a king or a pope, is the only supreme, sovereign ruler of the Church—those for whom He died and who have placed their faith in Him alone for salvation.

Holy One: (Acts 3:14) – Christ is holy, both in his divine and human nature, and the fountain of holiness to His people. By His death, we are made holy and pure before God.

Judge: (Acts 10:42; 2 Timothy 4:8) – The Lord Jesus was appointed by God to judge the world and to dispense the rewards of eternity.

King of kings and Lord of lords: (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:16) – Jesus has dominion over all authority on the earth, over all kings and rulers, and none can prevent Him from accomplishing His purposes. He directs them as He pleases.

Light of the World: (John 8:12) – Jesus came into a world darkened by sin and shed the light of life and truth through His work and His words. Those who trust in Him have their eyes opened by Him and walk in the light.

Prince of peace: (Isaiah 9:6) – Jesus came not to bring peace to the world as in the absence of war, but peace between God and man who were separated by sin. He died to reconcile sinners to a holy God.

Son of God: (Luke 1:35; John 1:49) – Jesus is the “only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14). Used 42 times in the New Testament, “Son of God” affirms the deity of Christ.

Son of man: (John 5:27) – Used as a contrast to “Son of God” this phrase affirms the humanity of Christ which exists alongside His divinity.

Word: (John 1:1; 1 John 5:7-8) – The Word is the second Person of the triune God, who said it and it was done, who spoke all things out of nothing in the first creation, who was in the beginning with God the Father, and was God, and by whom all things were created.

Word of God: (Revelation 19:12-13) – This is the name given to Christ that is unknown to all but Himself. It denotes the mystery of His divine person.

Word of Life: (1 John 1:1) – Jesus not only spoke words that lead to eternal life, but according to this verse He is the very words of life, referring to the eternal life of joy and fulfillment which He provides.

Alpha and Omega: (Revelation 1:8; 22:13) – Jesus declared Himself to be the beginning and end of all things, a reference to no one but the true God. This statement of eternality could apply only to God.

Emmanuel: (Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:23) – Literally “God with us.” Both Isaiah and Matthew affirm that the Christ who would be born in Bethlehem would be God Himself who came to earth in the form of a man to live among His people.

I Am: (John 8:58, with Exodus 3:14) – When Jesus ascribed to Himself this title, the Jews tried to stone Him for blasphemy. They understood that He was declaring Himself to be the eternal God, the unchanging Jehovah of the Old Testament.

Lord of All: (Acts 10:36) – Jesus is the sovereign ruler over the whole world and all things in it, of all the nations of the world, and particularly of the people of God's choosing, Gentiles as well as Jews.

True God: (1 John 5:20) – This is a direct assertion that Jesus, being the true God, is not only divine, but is the Divine. Since the Bible teaches there is only one God, this can only be describing His nature as part of the triune God.

Author and Perfecter of our Faith: (Hebrews 12:2) – Salvation is accomplished through the faith that is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9) and Jesus is the founder of our faith and the finisher of it as well. From first to last, He is the source and sustainer of the faith that saves us.

Bread of Life: (John 6:35; John 6:48) – Just as bread sustains life in the physical sense, Jesus is the Bread that gives and sustains eternal life. God provided manna in the wilderness to feed His people and He provided Jesus to give us eternal life through His body, broken for us.

Bridegroom: (Matthew 9:15) – The picture of Christ as the Bridegroom and the Church as His Bride reveals the special relationship we have with Him. We are bound to each other in a covenant of grace that cannot be broken.

Deliverer: (Romans 11:26) – Just as the Israelites needed God to deliver them from bondage to Egypt, so Christ is our Deliverer from the bondage of sin.

Good Shepherd: (John 10:11,14) – In Bible times, a good shepherd was willing to risk his own life to protect his sheep from predators. Jesus laid down His life for His sheep, and He cares for and nurtures and feeds us.

High Priest: (Hebrews 2:17) – The Jewish high priest entered the Temple once a year to make atonement for the sins of the people. The Lord Jesus performed that function for His people once for all at the cross.

Lamb of God: (John 1:29) – God’s Law called for the sacrifice of a spotless, unblemished Lamb as an atonement for sin. Jesus became that Lamb led meekly to the slaughter, showing His patience in His sufferings and His readiness to die for His own.

Mediator: (1 Timothy 2:5) – A mediator is one who goes between two parties to reconcile them. Christ is the one and only Mediator who reconciles men and God. Praying to Mary or the saints is idolatry because it bypasses this most important role of Christ and ascribes the role of Mediator to another.

Rock: (1 Corinthians 10:4) – As life-giving water flowed from the rock Moses struck in the wilderness, Jesus is the Rock from which flow the living waters of eternal life. He is the Rock upon whom we build our spiritual houses, so that no storm can shake them.

Resurrection and Life: (John 11:25) – Embodied within Jesus is the means to resurrect sinners to eternal life, just as He was resurrected from the grave. Our sin is buried with Him and we are resurrected to walk in newness of life.

Savior: (Matthew 1:21; Luke 2:11) – He saves His people by dying to redeem them, by giving the Holy Spirit to renew them by His power, by enabling them to overcome their spiritual enemies, by sustaining them in trials and in death, and by raising them up at the last day.

True Vine: (John 15:1) – The True Vine supplies all that the branches (believers) need to produce the fruit of the Spirit— the living water of salvation and nourishment from the Word.

Way, Truth, Life: (John 14:6) – Jesus is the only path to God, the only Truth in a world of lies, and the only true source of eternal life. He embodies all three in both a temporal and an eternal sense.

JESUS, He is our One True and Living God; He is the embodiment of love; He is Lord of all and everything; He is the unquestionable reason why we are here on earth-- He made us so we can be with Him and to be with God is immeasurably great.


My we all see that all honor and glory is all for Him and Him alone!


He will never force us to acknowledge Him, He will never burden us to follow Him but when we let Him in and shed the light on our hearts and our whole being, it will be the start of the beautiful change He will make out of us.


Nothing is impossible to Him- He is the Omnipotent (All-powerful), Omniscient (All-knowing) and Omnipresent (everywhere) God that we have.

He will embrace all our brokenness, our sinful nature, our deceitful, conceited hearts and will turn us to be glorified children of God.


But everything starts when we surrender all of us to Him!
May this day bring light too to all those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. His promises are true. God never fails! May we all be part of His Kingdom!


Zechariah 13:8-9 

In the whole land,” declares the LORD, 
“two-thirds will be struck down and perish;
yet one-third will be left in it.
 This third I will put into the fire;
I will refine them like silver
and test them like gold.
They will call on my name
and I will answer them;
I will say, ‘They are my people,’
and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”

Revelation 7:9-17
The Great Multitude in White Robes

...“These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”

...“These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 

“they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
will shelter them with his presence.
 ‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’
nor any scorching heat.
 For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

May we all continue to read our Bible and contemplate on it. The way through Him is through His words (".)

Glory to GOD!

(ref: Got questions- Bible-answered questions)