The life of man on earth 11.0 (in the face of adversity)

Job 13:15 NET Even if he slays me, I will hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face!

The example that comes to mind is the Hebrew boys’ reaction to the threat of punishment and death if they refuse to bow to a strange god.

Dan 3:16-18 NET 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to King Nebuchadnezzar, “We do not need to give you a reply concerning this. 17 If our God whom we are serving exists, he is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will rescue us, O king, from your power as well. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we don’t serve your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”

Their reply was out of pure confidence in the ability of God to rescue them. The fascinating thing is not the confidence but their unwavering stance on God they believe. 

Job exhibited the same. His wife implored him to curse God. He did not! 

Stand strong when you are in an adverse situation. 

Train your mind not to let go of your hope and confidence in God’s ability. 

Heb 10:35-36 NET 35 So do not throw away your confidence, because it has great reward. 36 For you need endurance in order to do God’s will and so receive what is promised.

It is your faith that overcomes. So, keep it!

The life of man on earth 10.0 (life is short)

Every today’s decisions are tomorrow’s reality. 

Life is short. What are you doing about life before it disappears? And it will!

Jas 4:13-14 NET 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” 14 You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? For you are a puff of smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes.

Make today counts so that you can receive a reward for a life well spent. 

Keep your faith; stand strong!

The life of man on earth 9.0 (Seek God; find help)

Stop hiding under the shadow. Do not bear the problem all by yourself. Share your thoughts with a trusted person. 

Most of the time, help comes sooner than expected. 

Help is closer than we can imagine if we are proactive. 

Psa 121:1-8 NET 1 I look up toward the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the LORD, the Creator of heaven and earth! 3 May he not allow your foot to slip! May your protector not sleep! 4 Look! Israel’s protector does not sleep or slumber! 5 The LORD is your protector; the LORD is the shade at your right hand. 6 The sun will not harm you by day, or the moon by night. 7 The LORD will protect you from all harm; he will protect your life. 8 The LORD will protect you in all you do, now and forevermore.

God is interested in those who need help. He is calling and asking for the needy to step forward. His arms are wide open to receive and embrace. 

Mar 2:17 NET When Jesus heard this he said to them, “Those who are healthy don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Seek God, and do not let go until He blesses you.

 

Romans 12:15-21, Life in this life

Be happy with other people’s successes so that a bitter spirit does not hinder your breakthroughs.

Think of others in a good way.

When you know someone is going through difficult times, empathize with them.

Say nice and comforting words. Sending a text and giving a call goes a long way to make the other person feel important and help alleviate their lonely predicament.

Doing good is better than doing bad. Do I need to say that? Yes, we live in a pathetic world, and a lot of good behavior is fading away quickly.

Do not feel you have arrived and don’t need people in your life.

Watch! You might not have anyone during your downtime if you mistakenly drive them away.

Be at peace with others, but the world is not a peaceful place.

Sometimes, I wonder how Jesus would have lived in our current society.

How about the men of old who set great examples for us? Would they not be disappointed in our present-day behavior?

Regardless of the evil perpetrated in our environment, evil cannot win.

Good will always overcome evil.

Therefore, let your life be full of good works.

Romans 12:13-14 Impactful Giving

Don’t give as a regular act.

Give Purposefully to make a positive impact on others, especially those who are close to you.

Today, it is difficult to help others without getting into trouble, but it is still possible to do the right thing at the right time to the right fellow.

Your heart can guide your actions, and the obvious things are likely God’s way of showing you where help is needed.

It is nearly impossible to show kindness to those who maltreat us, especially for doing good.

The grace of God can help us behave correctly in the face of difficulties.

God, do you care to stop the evil around our society

So I woke up thinking about whether God sees every evil happening in the world. The wars, killings, kidnapping, and more are all taking place every single day of our lives.

Where is God in all of this?

Does He has an idea of what is going on, and can He help?

The question is similar to a prophet called Habakkuk questioning God the same way about the evil in his days.

Sometimes, we need to wait for the right time. 

Hab 2:3 EasyEnglish What I will show to you must wait for the proper time. But at that time, it will happen. It will happen as I have said. It may not happen for a long time but wait for it. It will certainly happen and it will not be late.

So, it’s likely that bad people will succeed in doing bad things such as kidnapping, killings, scams, fraud, etc., but those who trust God will survive, and God shall keep them.

Hab 2:4 EasyEnglish Look, the Babylonians are proud. The things that they want are not good. But righteous people will live by their faith in God.

God knows what is going on and sees every evil by the wicked.

God has a judgment day for all these evil people, and I’m sure He’ll bring them to due justice.

Hab 2:9-10 EasyEnglish 9 Some people get things for themselves by ways that are not fair. A sad time will come to those people. You build your homes high up so that nobody can take you to do bad things to you. 10 You decided to kill the people from many countries. Because of that, you will be ashamed. And you will pay with your own life.

Unfortunately, He doesn’t work according to our time and plan.

It seems like He allowed an evil man to kill or kidnap a little child.

God specifically told Habakkuk that the evil will not last long and that God will punish the wicked will surely in the end. 

The reason God allowed the kidnapping and the wickedness and wars at the moment, I have no idea. 

Bad things will happen, but I’m sure God will, and He can keep those who believe in Him safe through the time of trouble. 

Hab 3:17-18 EasyEnglish 17 There may be: no flowers on the fig tree no fruit on the vines nothing on the trees that have fruits called olives no food in the fields no sheep in the hills no cows on the farms 18 but I will still sing praises to the LORD! I will be happy with the God that makes me safe.

He is God, and I’m sure He does what’s best and has given the earth to humans to rule.

Man chooses what to do with it and with the inhabitants of it. 

Romans 12:11-12, Zeal and Hope

Be devoted to your calling or vocation.

Your calling is your reason for living.

Therefore, no room for slack.

You must encourage yourself in your darkest night just like David did.

David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the LORD his God. 1 Samuel 30:6

The passion for your calling and your purpose in life would be enough to reinvigorate your spirit and give you energy for another day.

And when things go not the way you plan them, remain strong. Be confident in the ability of God to keep you and help you.

Your confidence in God is your hope that God cannot fail.

Continually talk to God about everything.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6

Continue to say all of your minds to Him.

Don’t relent! Don’t give up!

Rom 12:12 Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer.

One of the most important prayers

One of the most important prayers in any man’s life is to pray not to fall into temptation.

Falling into temptation can bring any man down from grace to grass. It can also make a great man an ordinary man.

Matthew 26:40-41
40 Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “So, couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour?

41 Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

This is so important that there is an instruction that whoever thinks he stands should watch lest he falls. 

1Co 10:12 NET So let the one who thinks he is standing to be careful that he does not fall.

Don’t be so confident that you ignore a gentle warning. 

Romans 12:9-10 Re: True Love

True love is not about “what is in it for me?”,

It is about “what can I offer?”

True love is undiluted with bad intentions and deceits.
The inclination to do good always spurs love. That means good acts energize true love.

True love cares;
True love thinks about others first;
True love is honest;
True love expresses empathy and shares burden;
True love sacrifices;
True love waits and
True love endures.

The idea of “love me,” “show me your love,” and even the “I love you” seems diluted, polluted,  and complicated today.

But we know that in our hearts, true love is patient.

Love is kind and behaves nicely towards others.

Love does not envy other people. It is happy with other people’s successes and does not wish them evil.

Love doesn’t need to boast or brag about anything. It allows things and events to announce themselves without pushing them.

And love is level-headed. It is warm, calm, and collected, right?

Love behaves respectfully. For instance, it allows other people to talk and doesn’t mind taking turns if it’s the last turn.

Love is considering others before yourself.

Love relax and would not get offended easily.

Love speaks out carefully against wrongdoing and maintains the truth.

Love endures and is hopeful about tomorrow.

True love lasts forever.

So, this is true love.

This is what true love is all about.

Have a lovely day!

When to pray

When you’re troubled and distressed, it’s time to pray.

When you’re confused, it’s time to pray.

When you have a challenge and don’t know how to manage it, it’s time to pray.

When you’re in a dilemma and find it hard to make a good decision, pray.

And when everything seems alright, it’s time to pray.

Matthew 26:36-38
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”

37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and became anguished and distressed.

38 Then he said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me.”