Saturday, 26 September 2009

FW: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8


Ecclesiastes 3:1-8


A Time for Everything


 1 There is a time for everything,
       and a season for every activity under heaven:

 2 a time to be born and a time to die,
       a time to plant and a time to uproot,

 3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
       a time to tear down and a time to build,

 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
       a time to mourn and a time to dance,

 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
       a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

 6 a time to search and a time to give up,
       a time to keep and a time to throw away,

 7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
       a time to be silent and a time to speak,

 8 a time to love and a time to hate,
       a time for war and a time for peace.



Notice in the verses, there are good times and bad times. All these reflect life; we have our peaks and our slumps. And in these times; GOD is most likely to be neglected. During good times, it's all about fun and doing the things that make us happy and during bad times; we are busy occupying and putting ourselves in the worst possible position.

In both of these situations, we should not have GOD playing bystander role, but, to let HIM intervene and be a part of our joy and sadness - to be able to experience the fullness of the joy and to gain the most valuable lessons from the sadness.
 
Continue to hope in the LORD and give thanks to our wonderful GOD.


yechow



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Tuesday, 1 September 2009

The Growing Bud (Child)

 

 

Have you seen a flower bud slowly transforming into a beautiful flower?

 

When a bud, it's enclosed and no one will know how this bud will turn out to be. It's so vulnerable that if there is strong wind or rain, it might just blow it off the stem where it's attached to. When we are a child in our Christian walk – still in a stage where we are unsure and adjusting to the new faith; and just like the bud, it's either we sustained the strong wind and rain and grow to be a beautiful flower or fall off the stem.

I saw this stem with a lot of white flowers growing on it (i.e. white sakura flowers). As it continues to grow tall, a rainbow appeared behind it. The petals of the flowers slowly fall off,  dispersing into the direction of the rainbow. A bright white light appeared soon after that - taking the shape of the Cross in front of the rainbow.

 

I felt GOD was saying when you start to grow in your Christian walk, we will be like the bud; so fearful, unsure and with the vague knowledge of what Christianity, we tend to sway in and out of it.

 

And, as we grow to being more like Christ, that advancement of the stage from being a raw Christian to be in a stage where we have already gained more understanding and knowledge and, that we are more steadfast and sure of our faith. Others see a transformation in us and we know that we are in some ways mimicking the life of Christ or working and developing on the values of Christ in us. This is the stage where people will tend to acknowledge that our life is 'shining' for the LORD; reflected from what they see in us – our attitudes and behaviours.

 

As we know more, we begin to understand GOD delivers or fulfilling HIS promises; we know and acknowledges that everything comes from HIM. Take for instance, everything that happened not in our expectations are considered as luck or coincidences when we do not know about Christ but, when we know more about GOD, there are no such things that things unexpectedly happen and it's because you are lucky or the thing happen coincidently. But, everything have happened because of HIM – which also signifies a part of the growth in your Christian walk.

 

The Cross signifies you and your Christian walk and the rainbow tells us about GOD's promises to us. As we walk closer, when you are able to understand who Christ is and transforming to be more like HIM, GOD fulfils HIS promises to u because you are able to decipher how things come about and what HE can do for you – and what GOD is doing is not going to be in vain and, as HE does it and as you understand it your faith heightened gradually with understanding. 

 

Colossians 3:10 (New Living Translation)

10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

 

2 Corinthians 3:18 (New Living Translation)

18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

 

yechow


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