Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Today's Nugget - Old Testament


Old testament is God presenting Himself through the Jewish people. It is manual for life for leading the redeemed life. It is the scripture of our Lord and the Apostles. Hence it is not OLD.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Kata-kata Indah

Seseorang telah menulis kata-kata yang indah ini..
  1. Solat itu bukanlah "tayar ganti" yang kamu keluarkannya ketika dilanda kesusahan, tetapi ia adalah "stereng" yang menunjukkan jalan yang benar sepanjang hayat.   
  2. Mengapa cermin hadapan kereta itu begitu besar & cermin pandang belakangnya begitu kecil? Kerana masa lalu itu tidak penting seperti masa hadapan. Maka, teruskanlah bergerak untuk melangkah ke hadapan.
  3. Persahabatan itu ibarat sebuah buku, hanya mengambil masa yang singkat untuk dibakar tetapi bertahun-tahun untuk ditulisnya.
  4. Hidup ini hanya sementara, Jika ia berjalan dengan baik, Nikmatilah, ia takkan kekal lama. Jika ia berjalan dengan buruk, janganlah bersedih, ia juga takkan kekal lama..
  5. Teman-teman lama ibarat emas, teman-teman baru ibarat berlian, jika kamu mendapat sebutir berlian, jangan dilupakan emas itu kerana untuk memegang sebutir berlian, kamu masih memerlukan tapak emas.
  6. Acapkali, ketika kita hilang harapan dan merasakan inilah pengakhirannya, Tuhan tersenyum dari atas dan berkata “bertenanglah sayangku, ini hanyalah liku, bukannya penamat!”
  7. Apabila Tuhan menyelesaikan masalahmu,  Kamu percaya akan kemampuanNya ; bila Dia tidak menyelesaikan masalahmu kerana Dia percaya akan kemampuanmu.
  8. Seseorang yang buta bertanya kepada seorang yang bijaksana "bolehkah ada sesuatu yang lebih buruk berbanding kehilangan penglihatan?'' ''Dia menjawab. ''ya, bila kita hilang tujuan  hidup!''
  9. Ketika anda mendoakan orang lain, Tuhan mendengar nya dan merahmati mereka; dan kadang kala apabila kamu sedang berbahgia dan bergembira, ingatlah bahawa seseorang telah mendoakan kamu.
  10. Rasa bimbang tidak akan menghilangkan masalah hari esok , ia hanya menghilangkan kedamaian hari ini..

Beautiful Words



Prayer is not a “spare wheel” that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a “steering wheel” that directs the right path throughout life.

Why is a car’s windshield so large and the rear view mirror so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, look ahead and move on.

Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes a few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.

All things in life are temporary. If they are going well, enjoy them, they will not last forever. If they are going wrong, don’t worry, they can’t last long either.

Old friends are gold! New friends are diamond! If you get a diamond, don’t forget the gold! To hold a diamond, you always need a base of gold!

Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, God smiles from above and says, “Relax, sweetheart; it s just a bend, not the end!”

When God solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when God doesn’t solve your problems, He has faith in YOUR abilities.

A blind person asked God: “Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?” He replied: “Yes, losing your vision!”

When you pray for others, God listen to you and blesses them, and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles; it takes away today’s PEACE.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Love your neighbour as yourself (Luke 10:25-37)




To become a neighbour one must understand how to meet the needs of others and act on it.

How did the good Samaritan become “the neighbour” to the robbery victim?

He saw the need of the victim. He acted  it. He was the one who showed mercy. He was the neighbour. 

So who is my neighbour? The one who acts. (and even if he is my enemy.) (Samaritans and Jews were enemies)


Monday, November 11, 2013

Excerpt from Thomas A. Kempis



He who minds neither praise nor blame possess great peace of heart.
Orang yang tidak mementingkan pujian atau disalahkan mempunyai ketenangan hati yang maha tinggi.

Praise adds nothing to your holiness nor does blame take anything from it. You are what you are and you cannot be better than what you are in God’s sight.
Pujian tidak dapat meningkatkan kesucian diri dan kita tidak akan kehilangan kesucian diri walaupun disalahkan oleh orang lain. Kamu adalah kamu dan kamu tidak boleh lebih baik daripada apa yang ada di sisi Tuhan.

If you consider well what you are within, you will not care what men say about you.
Jika kamu yakin terhadap apa yang kamu lakukan, pasti kamu tidak akan mempedulikan kata-kata mereka yang merendahkanmu.

They look at appearances but God looks at the heart. They consider the deed but God considers the motive.
Di mata Tuhan, manusia diukur melalui ibadahnya tetapi di mata manusia yang menilai manusia berdasarkan status darjatnya.

It is the characteristic of a humble soul always to do good and think little of itself. It is a mark of great purity and deep faith to look for NO consolation in created things.
Ciri-ciri orang yang rendah hati ialah selalu berbuat baik kepada orang lain TANPA mengharapkan balasan dan tidak mementingkan diri sendiri. Ini adalah sebagai satu tanda kesucian bagi mereka yang mempunyai keimanan yang teguh.

From Thomas A. Kempis- Imitation of Christ

Generally all “good” people do not kill, commit adultery, rob, rape etc- the big sins but all are indeed sinners. In all the little things that we do, that we think in our heads (our minds can be read by God) remember to obey these 2 commands which Yeshua (Jesus) says all of the Law (teachings) hang on: Matthew 22: 40
Umumnya, orang yang berakhlak mulia tidak akan membunuh, tidak akan berzinah, tidak akan mencuri, merogol dan sebagainya (dosa-dosa besar) tetapi manusia semuanya adalah berdosa. Sesungguhnya Tuhan maha mengetahui apa yang kita kerjakan dan segala apa yang kita fikirkan.  Ingatlah pada kedua hukum yang diajarkan Yesus di dalam ayat [Matius 22:40] iaitu:-

(a)       Perintah Pertama:
"Kasihilah Tuhan, Allahmu, dengan segenap hatimu dan dengan segenap jiwamu dan dengan segenap akal budimu (Matius 22: 37);
Dan “Kasihilah TUHAN, Allahmu, dengan segenap hatimu dan dengan segenap jiwamu dan dengan segenap kekuatanmu” (Keluaran 6:5);

(b)      Perintah kedua:
Janganlah engkau menuntut balas, dan janganlah menaruh dendam terhadap orang-orang sebangsamu, melainkan kasihilah sesamamu manusia seperti dirimu sendiri; (Imamat 19:18).

Jika kita mentaati perintah-perintah ini, kita sudah mengambil langkah kedepan untuk mengenal Tuhan dengan lebih mendalam (adakah kita akan mengabaikan atau melabur dalam sesuatu yang kita tidak suka?) Berapa banyak masa kita gunakan untuk beribadah padaNya, patuh arahanNya, mencariNya dan belajar tentangNya dan mengambil pelajaran dari  keimanan Yesus dan perjalanan hidupnya? Lihat kita pada hari ini, adakah apa yang kita kerjakan dipandang baik di mata Tuhan?Adakah kita sentiasa bersangka buruk dan menaruh dendam terhadap orang lain? Adakah kita meletakkan kepentingan kita sebelum orang lain? Adakah kita berkasih sayang sesama manusia? inilah beberapa misal untuk kita pikirkan samada kita sudah menurut segala perintahNya.   

Breastplate of Righteousness

.. having put on the breastplate of righteousness
Ephesians 6:14 NKJV
The breastplate covers the chest. In our case the breastplate is made not of iron but of righteousness. A soldier with his breastplate on goes boldly into battle full of confidence. Righteousness allows us to stand before God, men and demons.
While the belt of truth shows you what is yours and what you can do, the breastplate of righteousness allows you to utilise what is yours. Without the breastplate of righteousness our faith would be like any mere religion - a form of godliness but no power to act. Satan would knock us down with one word of condemnation. Nor would we have the boldness to go before the throne room of God's grace.

What is the breastplate of righteousness?


To be righteous is to have a right standing with God. It is being justified and free of condemnation.Righteousness is two fold. Firstly, it is imputed to us: this means something we are given free of charge without effort. This gives us the right to stand before God and speak to him as if we were sinless. Secondly righteousness is imparted into us: this means something that Christ works in us and with our cooperation. This grants us the inner strength to live and conduct ourselves in a manner that is pleasing to God.

Imputed righteousness
This is righteousness God puts on us. It is not earned but given. Let scripture explain.

Romans 4:6-7 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7 "Blessed [are those] whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; (NKJV)
Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (NKJV)

Romans 3:21-25 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth [as] a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, (NKJV)

Abraham, in the Old testament, believed God and God considered this righteousness. In other words, God treated Abraham as if he had done nothing wrong simply because of Abraham's faith in Him.
This is sometimes hard for us to comprehend. That all our sins are forgiven and all our unrighteousness deeds are not held against us. We can come boldly to God as if we had done nothing wrong. God makes us right with Him simply because we believe and accept as ours the death of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins.
But this is only part of the story. Righteousness goes further than that. Imputed righteousness is the first investment of God into our life. It is something given to us to get us going. Treat it like a permanent grant. It comes with some expectations attached. The expectation is that you invest it to make your own profit. In this case imparted righteousness.

Imparted righteousness
This is what Christ is working in us with our cooperation. While imputed righteousness gives you the boldness and access into His presence. His presence gives you the power to change your life and put sin away from your life. It imparts something of God into you. This has always been God's ambition.
Let the scripture explain.

Jeremiah 31:33-34 "But this [is] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (NKJV)
The life and power of Christ changes us gradually into His likeness.

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (NKJV)
God wants us to live holy lives. Not walking in sin or compromising our faith. The power of Christ inside you equips you to do this. As you submit yourself to the leading and power of the Holy Spirit sin will no longer have dominion over you.
The person who intends to be a Christian must keep the power of holiness and righteousness in his or her life and conduct. Have the breastplate of righteousness and 'keep it on'.
The following scripture from Romans 8 sheds more light on this

Romans 8:1-11 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God [did] by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those [who live] according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded [is] death, but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
10 And if Christ [is] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin, but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (NKJV)

Christ's death on the cross washed away our sins and made us right with God. This allowed the Holy Spirit to come and live within us.
The Holy Spirit within us now gives us the life and power to live above sin. He imparts in you godly living. This is the breastplate of righteousness.
Imputed righteousness is what Christ gives to you the believer. The justification which let's us stand righteous before God. This is called the righteousness of God. Imparted righteousness is what Christ is working in you now with your cooperation. You have the power to consciously live above sin - to conduct your life in a way that is pleasing to God.
Righteousness is God's double sided protection for the Christian. It defends our conscience from all the wounds inflicted by past sin and failures and also keeps us from the constant array of temptations and lust that desire to inflict more harm on us.

How to put on the breastplate of righteousness?
Putting on the breastplate of righteousness is something we do consciously. Become aware of who you are in Christ Jesus. Come boldly into His presence (Hebrews 4:16). Don't cringe in His presence. Accept the truth that Christ has made you a pleasure in the presence of God. Expect Him to hear your prayer. Change your attitude and relationship with God in the light of what Christ has done for you.
Next, allow Christ to work His life and Will in you. Allow His Holy Spirit to give you the power to live above sin. Do this and you wear the breastplate of righteousness?
Further reading
William Gurnall
The Christian in Complete Armour
(First Banner of truth reprinted 1964, ISBN 0851511961)
Dele Oke ] Online copy: http://www.wordlibrary.co.uk/article.php?id=99