Friday, December 27, 2013

What we can do for our kid's confidence?


1. Replace critical view of body or appearance with comments about the body's capabilities - with the magnificent way God made our bodies and how our bodies function.

2. Prepare our kids for failure. This entails letting them fail or risk failure! Encourage them to keep trying in order that they may find something that they are good at and enjoy. Always seek alternatives and not let failure beat them.

3. Kids need to fit in with their friends. This we are to respect but stress importance of time with God and family. Perhaps family time at breakfast or walks or once a week movie together or with dad or just ice cream with mum.

4. Always have positive messages for your kids. This will help them build enough confidence in themselves to deal with the negative when they are out in the big bad world.

5. Never over protect. It undermines the kid's confidence.

6. Simply encouraging listening is insufficient. The child is to read, be informed of the current affairs of the world and be encouraged to discuss and form opinions.

7. Choose what kids are to watch. If they happen to watch advertisements or other shows which glorify the superficial, make constructive criticism. Invite your kid's opinion. Be movie critiques.

8. Invite your kid's friends over often. Get to know them.

9. Expose them to biblical heroes. Point out good traits. Let them admire these heroes.

10. Grow ourselves. Continue to learn. Make more friends. Have a core group that you can trust and share with.

11. Allow your kid to participate in challenging physical activities.

12. Allow your child to participate in activities organized by churches/ schools. Expose them to participating in community work.

13. Choose a skill that they may spend time in building up, that is useful and that they may enjoy.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Redemption

Redemption


In Luke 24: 18-21, the disciples were hoping that Yeshua would bring redemption. What sort of redemption? National redemption not the individualized redemption that we were and are being taught. However we all know the story. He was crucified and buried. Their hopes were dashed. Perhaps they thought they were mistaken and had to wait somemore for the Messiah.

Why did they think of the Messiah in the context of a national redemption? Because the scriptures of Yeshua and His disciples (and Paul) the Tanakh (OT)spoke of the Messiah in a nationalistic way.

See Ezekiel 37: 21-22:

"Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone and will gather them from all around and bring them to their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. and one king shall be king over them all and they shall be no longer two nations and no longer divided into two kingdoms"

This king that shall rule over Israel is the Messiah. The idea was that God will gather all the scattered Israelites from the nations back to the holy land and Messiah will rule.

Then in Ezekiel 37: 26-29

" I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them and I will be their God and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore"

He will dwell in the Holy Land as He rules.

The disciples expected this Messiah, the King who will gather and rule at Jerusalem.

Indeed Yeshua the Messiah has come. His death and resurrection saved us personally by freeing us from the bondage of sin. We are no longer slaves to sin. We are spiritually redeemed(Leviticus 25: 25. Slaves became slaves because they could not pay their debt. A redeemer comes along and pays off the debt. He redeems, buys back the slave's freedom or looking at it another way, we were once of God's and the redeemer now reacquires what was His at the start - Leviticus 25:24 (reacquiring land)).

However  physical redemption has not taken place. The Israelites are being gathered back to one land, no doubt it is happening now. But Yeshua is yet to be physically in Jerusalem ruling as king. The Holy land is yet to be a house of prayer for all nations. Yeshua is in exile. Israel and we ourselves are in exile for so long as this has not occurred (See 1 Peter 1: 17-19 -"And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ like that of a lamb without blemish or spot").

So redemption is not just personal redemption from sins, the bondage of sin but also physical redemption of the Jewish people through Yeshua the Messiah. It is significant to realize this as soldiers of His kingdom.

Embrace our female traits

Embrace our female traits

Who is to say that these values or traits in females are less superior?

A. Females are generally  more religious than men. More probable to turn to God than men. More sensitive to a supernatural being than men. The receptivity and sensitivity to God allows us to be mentors, to shepherd those who come to us for help, to grant comfort, to lead with a heart, to be God's effective stewards.

B. Attention to detail, meticulousness do not mean we are able to do repetitive work only but also intricate work which can include surgical work, reading and drafting of documents and more.

C. Ability to read the non verbal cues enables us to be more people oriented, effective managers, teachers and more. We are able to detect if one is uncomfortable, bored, left out in a social gathering. In a sense we are need oriented.

D. Women tend to value life more. Women tend to want to have laws in place more and to see to the enforcement of laws. Women tend to oppose war more. We are after all life givers.

E.  Women are more intuitive than men who tend to be more rational based in their thinking. Society including women tend to give more value to rational based thinking than intuition. A decision based on intuition is usually thought of as irrational and emotion driven. Yes it is not always right or logical but neither are  logic based decisions. Intuition can help warn us of danger, read and judge people and circumstances.  It is primarily with our emotions and not logic that relates to God. Is faith rational? It's something we just know.

F. Women are web based creative  thinking managers as opposed to men who are linear thinking managers. We are able to unite and interact with all parties from top to bottom being mindful of feelings, capabilities and needs of others, thus able to allocate more suitable tasks to workers. Top down managers are less liked. Also multi tasking has always been a positive trait possessed by women.

God made men and women with different abilities and traits. Both are equally important. Who are we then to make men's abilities and traits as more desirable than women's ( or women's more than men's)? Is this not a form of rebellion? If we women say we do not do this, think again. Do we not think the corporate woman who works round the clock and makes ruthless rational decision as more admirable as the house maker who values her family? Or the manager who is more relational based and "soft" a lesser manager than the woman who manages "like a man"? Embrace our gifts. Change our mindset and culture and not have our current mind set and culture influence us. Teach our friends, our sisters, our daughters, our nieces, our granddaughters, our mothers, our bosses and employees this.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Choices

Choices- a quote from pirkeavos.com

"God created a world in which some actions tend to make His presence clearer and more real, while some actions tend to obscure His presence and make Him seem more distant. Man was created with the ability and opportunity to choose between these behaviors. While not all choices have a moral component (e.g. picking between vanilla vs. chocolate), those that do bring you closer to God.
These “physical actions with a moral and spiritual aspect” are called “mitzvot” and act as a link between the spiritual and the physical. Mitzvot serve as the levers which allow physical actions to perfect a supra-physical soul. Each choice of good tends to refine the world, and brings the benefit of a closer relationship with God. Each rejection of good tends to corrupt the world and brings the detriment of distance from God.
TWO SIDES OF CHOICE
Paradoxically, this model — where good choices bring clear rewards and bad choices bring obvious damage — actually fails to bring the maximum good into the world. It is clear that God’s ultimate goal for human beings is not for them to do good. It is for human beings to choose to do good. If God merely wanted to maximize the number of “good” actions in the world, he could have created a race of puppets and robots who would invariably exhibit the desired behaviors. For behaviors and choices to be meaningful, it is critical that we could have acted otherwise… but chose to do good.
If all destructive choices were immediately answered with an electric shock, only crazies would do evil.
If God had created a world in which all good actions were rewarded with chocolate, and all destructive choices were immediately answered with an electric shock, only crazies and rebels would dare to do evil. Although we would theoretically have “choice,” we would be functional automatons.
This idea suggests one answer to the puzzle of why God “hardened Pharaoh’s heart” during the Ten Plagues. On the surface, it would seem that God was removing Pharaoh’s free will. If you look deeper, you will understand that God was actually restoring it. In the face of the overwhelmingly tragic consequences of holding back the Jews, how could any sane man resist the demands of God? The battle was so dominated by God that Pharaoh was compelled by logic to concede.
Confronted by such mind-boggling firepower, Pharaoh was a mere puppet without any real choice. By hardening his heart, God gave Pharaoh the strength to counteract the force of the open miracles, and returned to Pharaoh the ability to decide according to his desires, independent of the external consequences.
In a world in which good choices clearly produce rewards, and bad choices bring damages, there would be no moral choices — just economic ones. Doing good would be reduced to a financially optimal decision rather than a spiritually purifying one. Thus it was necessary to create a world where there was a “cost” to doing good and a “benefit” to doing evil. Spending money to feed the poor reduces your ability to indulge your pleasures, while bonking someone on the head does in fact get you a new wallet, some credit cards and a little extra spending cash. The question is, are they worth your soul?
You were created with two competing motivators: Will and Desire. The ultimate battleground of Free Will is the struggle between what you know you should do and what you feel like doing. Youfeel like taking his wallet, but you know you shouldn’t. You knowyou should help someone out of a bind, but it’s more trouble than you feel like.
Human Beings were given a powerful drive to satisfy short-term physical desires, and also the strength of will to act instead according to their understanding of what’s proper. The Torah — our “Instructions for Living” — helps clarify that understanding"

Friday, December 13, 2013

PRAYER FOR OUR STRUGGLES IN OUR DAILY LIFE

Father God, you know our struggles in our daily life, work, relationship, health, finance, family. Provide us Your Grace to enjoy our life no matter what's happening. To learn to take one step at a time with Your Grace You provide us each day. To learn to continue to have faith and trust in You even though bad times hit us. Provide us hope, courage and strength to face the reality out there when we are in the verge of giving up and when the fear, worries, anxiety hits us.  For we know that Your plan for us is always the best and have provided us the solution upfront for us even before we entered into our struggles. 

Scripture to read:
Matthew 11:29-
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.


Father God, you know we are lacking of love these days. We are too busy for ourselves and we neglected people surrounding us. Deliver us from being self centered attitude "me myself and i". Instead of asking "what they can do for me/ what about me??, teach us how to we bless people in everyday as we live. Teach us how to be merciful and forgiving towards people when people offended us. Instill our heart with the spirit of love so we may become more caring and loving towards people around us, just as how You love us.

Scripture to read:
1 John 3:16-18

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?  Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Double Storey House for Sale

Location: Kelana Jaya, located next to Paradigm Mall
Price: RM750,000 (Negotiable)
Size: 1300 sq feet
Leasehold
Vacant/empty lot

Contact: Miss Melissa/Miss Tan
tel: 03-78804982/4397
Email: cjleeho@yahoo.com

Call for viewing/further inquiry


Hanukkah



Hanukkah came and went.
Hanukkah came and went by so quickly. I reflect on the applicability of Hanukkah to me and to those close to me.  Reading the first chapter of Maccabees,  Antiochus Epiphanes   directed for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah to :-
(a)    forbid burnt offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings in the temple
(b)   defile priests and the temple
(c)    build altars and shrines for idols
(d)   sacrifice swine and unclean animals at the altars
(e)   leave sons uncircumcised
(f)     make themselves abominable by everything unclean
(g)    forget the law (Torah) and change all the ordinances.
All of the above directly against and in opposition to God’s commands. And certainly to adapt, to survive and to fit in, many did indeed became Torah-less i.e lawless.  Only those who were prepared to die stood firmly and kept to God’s commands. Many were martyred  but in the end, the keepers of God’s way stood victorious.

Today we disciples know that we are the temple of God or is it merely head knowledge?  We know that we house the holy God.  2 Corinthians 6: 16 “What agreement can there be between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God – as God said “ I will house myself in them... and I will walk among you. I will be their God and they will be my people”

If God who is absolute holiness is to dwell in us, are we to defile this temple or preserve and maintain it as HE wants us to preserve and maintain it? We are to be holy as HE is holy! If the most important person in our life visits our home, do we not  do it up to the best of our ability? This is why HE said “ Go out from their midst: separate yourselves; don’t even touch what is unclean. Then I myself will receive you. In fact, I will be your Father and you will be my sons and daughters” When we house the light, we do not also house the dark. We do not become or allow any darkness to set foot in the temple.
 
 We are to be in the world but not of it. A cliché yes but do we practice it?
“He gave himself up on our behalf in order to free us from all violation of Torah and purify for himself a people who would be his own, eager to do good” Titus 2:14
So we are to be separate and different. We bear the behaviour, the practice, the mark, the daily living of followers of the living God. If we look at (a) –(g) above, do we not do these today? We defile His temple when we fail to die to self and make Him Lord and King. Our burnt offerings and sacrifice go to ourselves, our work, our hobbies, our spouse, our partner, our kids, money or the pursuit of it etc. Yeshua quoted the Tanakh (OT) “My House is to be a house of prayer” By defiling His house, are we not making it into a “den or robbers”? We are “robbing” Him of what is His. We are His. (Luke 19: 45 & 46). Being in prayer is to be constantly with Him, close to Him, separated for Him.
 
We are saved and called to obey Torah not be Torah (law)- less. We are to sacrifice what He wants us to sacrifice- not “swine” We are to be the ones who stand firm as the heroes of Hanukkah did. We are to be the light in every aspect not only the ones we choose.  The selection of light and separation is to be habitual, natural.

We are given new life, a clean slate, a chance to start over: “For you have been delivered by grace through trusting and even this not your accomplishment but God’s gift” Ephesians 2:8
Therefore we live it remembering we are His temple. He sits and King and Lord:
“For we are of God’s making, created in union with the Messiah Yeshua for a life of good actions already prepared by God for us to do” Ephesians 2:10
The way we can be sure we know Him is if we are obeying His commands. Anyone who says “I know Him” but isn’t obeying His commands is a liar- the truth is not in Him” 1 John 2: 3-4

Notes

Part of life is preparing for death.

Part of preparing for death is preparing for life after death.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Self Fulfilling Prophecy




Genesis 47:7-47:9

Jacob spoke of his journey in this life. What hardship he must have experience?! (puts us to shame) – though much caused by his own actions). He went from the comfort of his home, fleeing in fear from Esau, didn’t get the wife he wanted though he worked 7 long hard years, was short changed by his Uncle Laban, had to deal with demands and the nitty gritty of his 4 wives, and 11 sons (excluding Benjamin), lost his beloved wife Rachel, lost his beloved son Joseph then for a while, Benjamin, endured famine and at 130 years had to move from his home to Egypt. He didn’t see this as God’s way of slowly chipping at his stubborn, wilful and self reliant ways. He didn’t see it as God moulding the one He loves (for a father chastises a son he loves). He didn’t see that 130 years is a long life (he only saw that it was shorter than Abraham and Issacs). He didn’t see that God saved him from Esau, returned Dinah to him, saved him from hunger, gave him 12 sons, fulfilled the promise He made to his forefathers. Perhaps how he responded to his hardship “shortened” his life. Perhaps his words of complain of his short life became self-fulfilling prophecy. How we respond to life’s hardship determines how much of a roll these hardships will take on us. Hard as it may be let us praise God, and have thankful words in all circumstances.

Monday, December 2, 2013

More to ponder

More to ponder

As I travel down the old Subang airport, I remember my mum used to work in this old airport as a nurse before KLIA was built. Not in a hospital but an airport clinic. Never really put much thought into it but I guess nurses are required to cater for the number of people going in and out. Must have been exciting times to have had to meet such diverse a crowd with all kinds of people with different needs. I remember complaints. I remember stories. It is the same with us. We have complaints. We have stories and are still making stories. In my pride, I look at mum now and I think what a mundane unprolific life she leads? What has she done for The Lord? What is she doing for The Lord? Surely not as much as me! Her job must have been so simple compared to mine. The pressures she faced less than what we face in this 21st century. True or not, she has a story. What untold stories? We can only guess. She had probably contributed much and much more.We cannot judge. In small inconspicuous ways she is creating stories now daily in her retirement. Fact is she has a story to look back to. At the end of our journey here,we will look back. We will reflect on our stories. How did we live? Are we living each moment PURPOSEFULLY? Things which seem so big to us now may very well  be minor plots in our story. Petty. Small minded. Shallow. Live life purposefully. Sow good seeds. Contribute to the greater good & advancement of our Lord's kingdom. Be content. Study God's word. Life is not all about us, me, myself, what I wear, how I look, how I am perceived, how my feelings are hurt, my stand in life, what's good to eat, what is new? What is popular? ( just one visit to the children's ward or cancer ward will help to shift perspective in life) These change with time.Move beyond the shallow. And do it with simplicity.

(From the testament of the 12 patriarchs - Issachar

4. And now hearken to me, my children, and walk in simplicity of heart, for I have seen in it all that is well-pleasing to the Lord. The simple coveteth not gold, defraudeth not his neighbour, longeth not after manifold dainties, delighteth not in varied apparel, doth not picture to himself to live a long life, but only waiteth for the will of God, and the spirits of error have no power against him. For he cannot allow within his mind a thought of female beauty, that he should not pollute his mind in corruption. No envy can enter into his thoughts, no jealousy melteth away his soul, nor doth he brood over gain with insatiate desire; for he walketh in uprightness of life, and beholdeth all things in simplicity, not admitting in his eyes malice from the error of the world, lest he should see the perversion of any of the commandments of the Lord.

5.Keep therefore the law of God, my children, and get simplicity, and walk in guilelessness, not prying over-curiously into the commands of God and the business of your neighbour; but love the Lord and your neighbour, have compassion on the poor and weak. Bow down your back unto husbandry, and labour in tillage of the ground in all manner of husbandry, offering gifts unto the Lord with thanksgiving; for with the first-fruits of the earth did the Lord bless me, even as He blessed all the saints from Abel even until now. For no other portion is given to thee than of the fatness of the earth, whose fruits are raised by toil; for our father Jacob blessed me with blessings of the earth and of first-fruits. And Levi and Judah were glorified by the Lord among the sons of Jacob; for the Lord made choice of them, and to the one He gave the priesthood, to the other the kingdom. Them therefore obey, and walk in the simplicity of your father; for unto Gad hath it been given to destroy the temptations that are coming upon Israel)

For the shepherds to ponder




The Pharisees and Torah teachers spoke ill of Yeshua when they saw that He fraternised with sinners and tax collectors. They the “upright” did not see in themselves their sins. They also failed to see that just as the sick require physical help so do the spiritually lost. We are all spiritually lost.  Yeshua replied to their grumblings in a parable that we are all familiar with i.e.,  the Parable of the lost sheep.  Essentially He recognised that the mean spirited, the quirky rejects of society, the criminals, the greedy, the PMS sufferers, the tax collectors, the rude, the materialist, the self centred, the lustful (and the list goes on) the prideful, the insecure are ill – spiritually ill.  They are lost. Lost sheep. He healed and is healing the physically sick. He healed and is healing the spiritually sick. To be spiritually sick is worse than being physically sick because if we are not healed, we will spend all of eternity in an awful place. The after life is for all of eternity and the life here is short in comparison. (I wonder that if we really let this sink in, will we not begin to INVEST every second of our time here and every resource that is made available to us here for the betterment of our after life?). So in fraternising with them, He is reaching out to the lost and begins His work of healing .
Our faith is all about obedience. Even if we cannot carry out our walk in faith with love as some are unlovable, we obey first. The command of Yeshua is to “Follow me” . Yeshua lived out the Torah which hangs on 2 commands. 1. Love GOD with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our minds. 2. Love your neighbour as yourself. We are to follow Him. He followed Torah. We follow Him. Some points to note:- 

From His living out the Torah, notice He actively sought out the lost sheep. Actively.   We must all diligently search for the lost and reach out to them. It may be burdensome but the joy of finding the lost sheep and leading him/her back to the right path outweighs the burden.

When we pray, we pray for the blessings to come upon the lost one. How? By removing the sin from him. Will this not be a blessing to him? We are healing his soul.

Instead of being sceptical and critical of the one who is reaching out to the lost, be joyful that someone has not given up on the lost soul.

Do not wait for the undesirable to reach out. We reach out to them first. Get our hands dirty and get personally involved. Seek them out, demonstrate love and compassion. I imagine the unloved, the outcast, the rejects flocking around Yeshua and He just eating with them. Picture a whole bunch of people you know that are the most irritating, weird, hurtful to you, negative in words gathered in one place and you not shunning them. Instead you go all out to reach out to them, sharing a meal with them, making pleasant conversation, showing them love (which may involve teaching firmly  and  sometimes tough discipline) leading them to peace and blessings. Would this not surprise them? This is what Yeshua did. It is not the way of this world. It is the way of a higher being. The lifestyle of a superior being. How else can we even begin to plant the tiniest seed of God’s kingdom in the lost? Do we emulate the superior (Yeshua) or the mediocre (the world)?

There is great comfort for the 99 sheep. They know that the shepherd will seek out that ONE lost one.  And He will actively seek out the lost with passion. Also see Ezekiel 34: 11-12 “For here is what Adonai Elohim says “ I am taking over! I will search for my sheep and look after them myself. Just as a shepherd looks after his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep so I will look after my sheep, I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark”


The focus of the parable of the lost sheep should lie not so much in the rejoicing of the lost sheep found but in the divine need of the lost sheep for divine help. Divine help reaching to the lost BEFORE their repentance. In their uncut, unpolished and ugly nature.

We as true disciples face this challenge :

To become shepherds (or shall I say under shepherds/assistant shepherds) fully dedicated to the task of restoring the lost.

No doubt there is much effort to be put in, in seeking the lost and in restoring them, just as it is to seek the lost coin in the parable of the lost coin. We recognize and accept our duty as disciples to seek out the lost. Then we accept that it will not be easy and that effort must be invested. When Yeshua called us, it calling for ACTIVE discipleship. He is calling us always not just once. It is a continuous calling. So we must fellowship with “sinners” to make disciples.

If we fraternise with the lost, will be tempted to follow their ways?  Will we not risk hurt to ourselves? We may be. But we take many risks in life do we not? Will we not risk a road accident if we drive? Will we not risk hurt, rejection and abandonment when we enter into a relationship- any relationship with any fellow human? Will we not risk hurt and death when we get pregnant? Yet we take these risks daily. It is time to deny self, to die to self and pick up our cross. I have heard disciples saying, “I just simply do not like that person. I will not be mean to that person but I will not speak to that person or actively seek to help him (though I know he needs spiritual help)” This disciple thinks of himself without realizing it. He takes no risks. He wants no burden and no hurt. He harbours resentment and ill feelings though he tells himself otherwise or finds some justification. It is easier for him to avoid this lost sheep then to actively seek him out and help him.

If we keep close to our Master daily, He will not allow us to be tempted beyond our capabilities.  We are to study His word and take action. Hear and obey. The emphasis is Hear AND OBEY. Very active words. Not HEAR and obey (When I choose to). Perhaps the parable is stressing the importance of good works. We shy away from good works. There is a phobia towards “good works” We are saved NOT BY OUR WORKS. This is true. But once saved, we disciples ARE TO DO GOOD WORKS. This is what we are saved for! This is what we are called for! We do not study the word for the sake of  learning or selective obedience.

There is a happy ending for our efforts, for both ourselves and the found lost sheep. I pray that the light of Yeshua who lives in us will shine so brightly that many in the dark will come to us as moth to the candle.