The creation of the world and the human beings by God is His first act of love: thus establishing a vital and indissoluble link between God and men, which He invites us to love Him and love one another. In the Bible, love is not just a sentiment or an emotion, but rather a benevolent attitude and a concrete engagement.
What’s the whoo-ha about this question?
Aren’t the answer as simple as laziness?
A wiser answer says, due to lack of understanding of the Bible.
But the real reason for not having quiet time is that
it is not necessary.
Bible is the word of God.
God’s word has different styles:
harsh, gentle, intense, subtle…
Behold, what manner of love the Father has given unto us,
Behold, what manner of love the Father has given unto us,
That we should be called the sons of God,
That we should be called the sons of God.
Life is full of uncertainty,
Every moment is treasured.
Repent, be saved, is now due,
Chances passed would not come back.
Jesus outside your heart awaits,
Quick open door let Him in.
Comfort sorrow, wipe up your tears,
Welcome Jesus into your heart.
Original Taiwanese lyrics by: Alice C. Pao;
Tune by: Lin Fu-Yu.
Translated by: @yuan3y
開你心門 （台語詩歌，詞:鄭敏熙，曲: 林福裕）
人人生命無定著
一寸光陰當寶惜
悔改得救趁現在
機會過去不再來
耶穌在你心門外等待
緊開心門請祂入來
安慰傷悲擦你目淚
請主耶穌入你心內
Work. Most of us spend over half our lives at work. Whatever it is that you fill 9 to 5 with — planting crops, building cars, taking care of patients, teaching students, or running a business — work is where most of life happens. For some, work is a drain. They dread Monday mornings; forcing themselves to struggle through because they need the paycheck; or many times feeling trapped or beaten down by their jobs.
Some people love their work. They are good at what they do. It energizes them. It’s a place of security, a place to chase dreams, desires and success. At work, they find fulfilment.
We often forget to connect our faith to our work. We don’t consider the reasons God may have us at our job. We don’t think about the purpose and meaning we could bring to our work. We simply focus on how it makes us feel.
But what if we saw our work as an opportunity to worship? As Christians, we are called to serve Christ with our lives. For a few, that means working as a pastor, a youth minister, or a missionary. Others serve the church by teaching children and singing in the choir. But when Sunday is over, most of us return to our jobs outside of church.
For us, our mission is in the marketplace. We may not be the kind of missionaries who move to the far regions of Africa. But around the conference table, around the water cooler, or around the cubicle, we have an opportunity to worship the God who created us.
He gave us skill. He gave us passion. He gave us work. When we do our jobs with excellence, integrity, and diligence, it’s an act of worship. We are displaying God’s craftsmanship to the non-believing world around us. We are earning the right to be heard.
We don’t see a divide between Sunday and Monday, between the sacred and the secular. We’ve been invited to the parts of the world that pastors or traditional missionaries will never see. We have conversations with people who would never set foot in a church.
Whether we love or dread our work, we choose to turn the focus away from ourselves and towards the mission God has for us. Church is not the only place we worship. And Sunday is not the only day that in our calendar that has meaning. Everyday our mission for God brings us great joy.
Like the heroes before us, we can be modern day Noahs, Josephs, and Peters, who are called for a purpose. God has designed us. He created us to work, and to worship. For us, work is worship.
Original Video:
Work as Worship by RightNow Ministries
1.Maximize your singleness for God.
2.Do not pursue a relationship until you’re in a season of life when you’re ready to marry.
3.Be reasonable with your expectations.
4.A date is not dating. A date is when you have coffee, or go out to dinner. 1 Timothy 5 says to treat younger women like sisters. It doesn’t need to be all sexually charged and confusing. He initiates, she responds.
5.Have a plan.
6.Accept the fact that you may be rejected.
7.Do not date or go on a date with anyone who’s not a Christian. 2 Corinthians 6:4, “Do not be unequally yoked.” A man needs to love Jesus, and then a woman needs to love Jesus, and then that man and woman can love Jesus together. And this includes marrying someone who has equal theological convictions. What kind of church do you want to go to?
8.Only date one person at a time.
9.Look at who God puts in front of you. Eg. Boaz & Ruth.
10.Only invest in a relationship with someone that you are attracted to. physical, mental, and spiritual connection. Are you totally attracted to this person?
11.Only marry someone who agrees with you on issues of gender and family.
12.Guard your heart. Proverbs 4:23. Don’t give your heart away too quick.
Full video of the sermon can be accessed here, with time-stamp at the same place.
Sermon Transcript
A more elaborate e-book (pdf)
PS. Thankful to have listened to this sermon. Important lesson to many single Christians including me.
中保 Mediator by Ghost Ship
Chinese Translation by @yuan3y.
原文地址(original URL): http://goo.gl/UllgJ3
Chorus 1
只有这一位神
There is only one God
只有这一位神人中保
There is only one mediator
站在神与人之间
Standing between God and man
祂是救恩的唯一道路
He’s the only way to salvation
Verse 2
祂寻回囚徒，打断束缚的锁链
He found the captives, broke the bondage of our chains
我们得救赎，因祂付上了代价
We have redemption through the price that He has paid
祂献上生命，使我们得到自由
He gave His life to purchase freedom from the fall
我们的中保是我众人的赎价
Our mediator was the ransom for us all
Bridge
人子主耶稣
The man Jesus Christ
为我献生命
Who gave us His life
人子主耶稣
The man Jesus Christ
永远赎罪祭
Our last sacrifice
永生的圣子
The Eternal Son
弥赛亚已来
Messiah has come
真实的人子
The true Son Of Man
代罪的羔羊
The Atonement Lamb
Why is Bible believable?
One reason that convinces me is
: it is in fact really really small.
(the following translated from http://blog.roodo.com/yml/archives/9999307.html)
1. Bible consists many (66) books, not only one;
2. There were many authors, not only one;
3. The 66 books in Bible were written over thousands of years by these many people, not only a few years.
4. Under such condition, is there a high possibility to write something coherent and non-contradicting? Using solely men’s might, or faking documents, could they make Bible non-contradicting?
5. notice the prophecies: the fulfillment of prophecies, which were recorded in Old Testament, on Jesus.
6. Even the last book of Old Testament was completed 400 years before Jesus was born, not even to mention the earlier books. All these cannot be faked AFTERWARDS, they were prophecised BEFOREHAND.
7. Let’s say the possibility of fulfilling one prophecy is 1/2,
8. The prophecies in Old Testament about Jesus and relevant people (such as Judas Iscariot who sold Jesus), in total there were at least 300.
9. 1/2 to the power of 300, how small it is the possibility of fulfilling all prophecies upon Jesus. There’s no way to explain this with coincidence.
1. Not one of his bones will be broken (John 19:36)
he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. (Psalm 34:20)
2. Jesus was pierced after death on the cross
…They will look on me, the one they have pierced… (Zechariah 12:10)
3. Judas returned the money to the priests and committed suicide by hanging himself. They used it to buy the potter’s field. (ref. Matthew 27:3-10)
“Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord. (Zechariah 11:13)
4. “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.'”(John 13:18)
Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me. (Psalm 41:9)
5. Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver. (ref. Matthew 26:15)
I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. (Zechariah 11:12)
6. Jesus was crucified with robbers.
because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12)
Isaiah 53 is an important chapter on Messiah, there’s another important prophecy about what would happen after Messiah’s death–
He was assigned a grave with the wicked (Isaiah 53:9)
7. Jesus was pierced on hands and feet.
Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. (Psalm 22:16)
In Old Testament era, there was no crucifixion; the death penalty was thrown with stones.
Crucifixion is a penalty from Roman Empire, was introduced to the Jewish people only after Roman’s conquer.
For Jews, those severely sinned such as worshiping idols were to be stoned first then hung on wood,
Because for Jews, being hung on wood was cursed by God.
After Roman’s introduction of crucifixion into Jewish area, the Jewish people apply this concept onto the cross also,
Considering this is the most humiliating, cursed punishment.
However before Old Testament(OT) was written, the Roman Empire was not risen yet,
the people in the OT did not know about the punishment of crucifixion.
Hence “pierce my hands and my feet” this punishment would be amusing for those people during OT era,
they would not understand this scripture, because this is not part of their punishment, they had not witness such thing before.
However with the Inspiration of Holy Spirit, even the author may not fully understand this at that time, until Jesus’ Crucifixion, people can then realize it was referring to this punishment.
8. When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, “They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.”(John 19:23-24)
They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment. (Psalm 22:18)
This copy of translation can be re-posted or reprinted online or offline freely, provided that:
*the Original Author is credited,
*and a URL link to the original article is attached,
*and for non-profit purpose.