Your Name - Paul Baloche

Journey

I read this in my textbook.

When travelers set out on a long trip to little known lands, they need to research as much as they can about their final destination, and how to get there safely. To do this, they need to look for as much hard fact and information as they can gather. This would involve reading books, studying maps and speaking to people who have gone on the same journey. Sometimes the travelers may even hire a guide who knows this facts, and who can help them to achieve their aim.

I guess it is very much the same on our journey with the Lord. Our destination Heaven. Aim, External Life with God. My reading book, God's Word. One who went before, Jesus. My guide, Holy Spirit.

Heart of Worship

Bro. El'berd did a wonderful job at church today teaching the church music team on Worship. He also played a video clips of Paul Baloche teaching on music and worship.

I was expecting all the Leviticus & priestly responsibilities and blah, blah, blah.. but I did hear from the Lord during the teaching. Both Bro. El'berd and Paul Baloche stressed on Rom 12.1.

Rom 12:1

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

The part that speaks very strongly to me is "which is your reasonable service". I really cannot articulate it but it tells me that God really looks so deep within, He requires each of us, sacrificial living, a lifestyle that is poured out for the Lord as a sacrifice, in every little bit we do daily, our speech, our little actions, submitting to the Lord in worship. And it boils down to our heart, the condition of our heart, we truly need a heart of worship. If we have a heart of worship, we will render that true worship to our dear Lord. And hence "our reasonable service" will come easy. And this time no pride can destroy it.

The Tongue

The Bible described the tongue in at least eight different manner. Five evil descriptions and only three good.

The evil descriptions are :
(1) razor-Psalm 52: 2,
(2) fire-James 3:6,
(3) poison-James 3:8,
(4) sword-Psalm 64:3,
(5) arrow- Jeremiah 9:8.

The good descriptions are :
(1) silver- Proverbs 10:20,
(2) health- Proverbs 12;18,
(3) tree of life- Proverbs 15:4

I wondered how many times we use our tongue for evil rather than good. Mmmm... As I come to a conclusion, I finds that the man's heart is indeed deceitfully evil.
God have mercy on us. :(

Col 4:6

Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

JOY of the Lord

We had our Indonesian Maid's Chinese New Year Gathering last Friday. Had a great turn out of 16 Indon ladies. These Indon ladies work around here in Kluang as domestic maids or as factory workers. Two of them have married to locals and have families here. Everyone was happy during the party. Thanks to the good food, good fun and good company.

Half of these ladies are Christians and the other half have yet to know the Lord. A quick glance over them and you can quickly see a distinct difference.

Those whom have yet to know the Lord dresses beautifully and are with much make-up. Dressed to kill !

And those whom know the Lord, dress simply but also smartly. Couldn't describe them as being dressed to kill but noticed a very pleasant Joy of the Lord in them, on their faces which the other ladies do not have. A special aura. No make-up required, but still very beautiful and pleasant. The warmth and the joy catches on so easily although they do not know each other before.

Indeed the Joy in the Lord is for all those whom know and loved Him. Better than pretty clothing and make-up. :)

Red Cliff

Watched Red Cliff with my wifey. Chinese war epic, my favorite. :)

"草船借箭" ("Straw boat borrows arrows")

The Lord Jesus teaches us to be as gentle as a dove yet be as shrewd as a serpent.

Mat 10:16
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Hurt - Forgiveness

Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

What do you do if you are terribly hurt by someone? Maybe someone that is so close to you. The wound is so deep and terribly painful. A mere mention of the person, flares a fire of anger in you. You see the person from afar, and subconsciously you walk away. And even if the person is death and no longer around, the unforgiveness lives on.

The Lord said in His Word that we should bear with one another and forgive one another over the trespasses in our life. Can that really be possible?

I come to realised that there are too many hurting people around us. Even among the many whom have already known the Lord and already are in the church, but they still harbor unforgiveness in them. Deep unforgiveness. I was lost for words as I come to know some of these deep unforgiveness.

Rom 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

No men is perfect. We all have sinned. We all hurt someones else along the way. I pray that we will know and that we seek forgiveness, and not allow the other person harbor unforgiveness in his heart.

Unforgiveness is a deception if the enemy. It cripple us. It cripple us so strongly. It create so much heartache and it robs away our good blessings from the Lord. Worse of all it cripple us, causing us to live in sin forever.

I pray that the Lord be merciful. Teach us to forgive. Give us strength to forgive.
Amen.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT...

DRINKING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES?

by Betty Miller

Proverbs 20:1 (KJV):
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

Proverbs 20:1 (AMP):
Wine is a mocker, strong drink a riotous brawler, and whoever errs or reels because of it is not wise.

The Bible has much to say about many subjects; and drinking alcoholic beverages is one of them. There is a debate in religious circles in regard to the question - was the wine in the Bible referring to grape juice or fermented grape juice, which is alcoholic in nature? To answer this question we must study the original language in which the Bible was written.

Actually, there are fifteen words from the Hebrew and Greek languages, which are translated "wine" in the Bible. When we compare these words in the context in which they are used we can better understanding their scriptural meanings.

The first scripture in which wine is mentioned is found in the book of Genesis. The Hebrew word used there is "yayin." It always means fermented wine, primarily from grapes.

Genesis 9:20-21:
20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

Noah could not have become drunk by drinking grape juice, so we must assume he drank an alcoholic beverage made from the grapes of his vineyard.

The New Testament word translated wine is usually the Greek word "oinos." We also find in the New Testament the account of Jesus performing his first miracle which was turning water into wine. You can read the entire account of this miracle in John 2: 1-11.

9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,

10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

Notice in verse 10 the comment that men usually served the good wine first and kept the wine that was not as good to be served lastly so that its quality was not noticed. This had to be a reference to fermented wine, as the alcoholic content of the wine would be more inclined to cause them not to notice bad wine later in the evening after they had a few drinks.

There are many other references to wine throughout the Bible showing that it is actually an alcoholic drink. Now with this scriptural evidence, comes the next question. Is it sinful to drink wine? The answer to this question is that the wine itself is not sinful, because sin is in the heart of man and does not exist in any object of itself. It is the drunkenness and intoxication that comes about when a man drinks too much that causes him sin. The Bible teaches discipline and moderation; even eating too much food is a sin and is called the sin of gluttony in the Bible.

The scripture in Proverbs 20:1 warns us what wine and strong drink can do to a man. Men can end up raging and brawling and doing things in a drunken stupor that are very unwise and that they will also regret. How many times have we heard the expression when someone talks unwisely after drinking too much -- "That was the alcohol talking." The Bible does make a distinction, as to the affect that strong drinks (alcoholic beverages like whiskey, vodka, etc.) have on a person, as opposed to wine, showing that the strong alcoholic drinks are far worse at causing men to become out of their heads and violent. The wine is bad enough, as it can cause men to loose their senses and mock others. People will also mock them for their out of control inebriation.

So what should our position be as Christians since we know the many sorrows that drunkenness causes? We know that alcoholism is responsible for many broken homes because of the abusive behavior toward family and others. We know the many deaths on our highways caused by drinking and driving. What about the many premature deaths caused by health problems stemming from alcoholism? Alcoholism has now become a costly drug addiction problem. Yes, drunkenness is a very evil sin that hurts the whole nation. The Bible says all drunkards who do not repent will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10:

9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Although, a Christian may be free to drink moderately as long as they do not become drunk, is that the highest thing we should do? Paul stated in the New Testament that he would not allow his liberty to be a license to sin, nor would he do anything that would cause a brother to stumble.

Galatians 5:13: "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another."

1 Corinthians 8:9: "But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak."

In the Old Testament there was a group of people known as Nazarites that took a vow to separate themselves unto the Lord and therefore they would not drink any wine or alcoholic beverages.

Numbers 6:2-3: "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried."

We must all give an account of ourselves before our Lord. What would please Him? Would it not be pleasing to Him if we loved others enough to give up those things we could have, for a greater cause? Would it not be a more powerful witness to others in our age to stand out as one who did not drink alcoholic beverages because we had no need to do so. When we are filled with the Spirit of God, His spirit gives us the joy and release that many are seeking by drinking. May we instead desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit and have no need for "spirits."

Ephesians 5:18-20:
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

___________________________________

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the liberty we have in Christ. Help us not to judge one another in regard to the issue of drinking a little wine, but rather to be honest before You as to the issue in our own hearts in this regard. May we be a good witness before those in the world. When we make our choices in this life, may they be pleasing to You and show love to those around us. You told us the highest law is the law of love. We are first to love You, and then, to love one another. May we do this in word and deed. Keep us from temptation and sin and let our actions prove to the world that we are true Christians. Deliver those who are addicted to alcohol and who are in this snare of the devil. I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Refining Silver

Some time ago, a few ladies met in a certain city to read the scriptures, and make them the subject of conversation. While reading the third chapter of Malachi they came upon a remarkable expression in the third verse: "And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." One lady's opinion was that is was intended to convey the view of the sanctifying influence of the grace of Christ. Then she proposed to visit a silversmith and report to them what he said on the subject.

She went accordingly and without telling the object of her errand, begged to know the process of refining silver, which he fully described to her. "But Sir" she said, "do you sit while the work of refining is going on?" "Oh, yes, madam," replied the silversmith; "I must sit with my eye steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining be exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured."

The lady at once saw the beauty, and comfort too, of the expression, "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." Christ sees it needful to put His children into a furnace; His eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for them. Their trials do not come at random; "the very hairs of your head are all numbered."

As the lady was leaving the shop, the silversmith called her back, and said he had forgotten to mention that the only way that he knows when the process of purifying is complete when he sees his own image reflected in the silver....

--Author Unknown

We are as Silver

Mal 3:3

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

The Bible counts us liken to silver. Wow, what is that so? I did some reading on silver and found out that:

1. Silver is a precious metal. It is rare. It is even used as currencies, not so long ago. :) So we are precious and rare to God.

2. Silver is extremely useful. It is being use in electronics, in photography, in medicines, in chemical process, in ornaments, as a currency, and even as food and clothing in some places. Ha, ha, So we are actually very very useful indeed. Mmmm...

3. Silver is beautiful. It has a beautiful bright white shine. It is used as ornaments. Hey, we are beautiful. :)

4. Silver exists in an ore state, compounded with other elements such as copper, chloride, sulfur, etc. So much impurities. Not much of good use or any beauty in this state. :(

5. It requires refining with fire to bring it out in its pure form. Only the pure form is good. Yeeks! Fire, that sounds real hard and painful. :( Here, the Lord is as in Malachi 3:3, the very skilled silversmith who refine his silver. The silver is with impurities. The impurities brings down the value of the precious silver. These impurities makes the silver less useful and take away its beauty. The silversmith has to burn away all these unwanted impurities. He does so by putting the silver right into the middle of a fire. While doing so, the silversmith holds the silver in his hand and keep his eyes on the silver. He will never leave the silver unguarded even for a moment on the fire, as the silver can be destroyed by the fire.

This speaks a very comforting message to me. The Lord wills that we, silver-ore, and with all our impurities or sin, is to be refined and to be made pure for a better purpose. He does so through fire or trials in our life. However, His presence is with us. His hands and eyes are on us all the time. Awesome !

6. Refined pure silver is soft, very ductile and malleable. Only soft, ductile and malleable silver can be shaped and worked. Are we soft enough for the Lord for His shaping and working? And hence to be made into something of even higher value, something more useful or something even more beautiful?

7. The silversmith has an idea of the end product even before he fashion the silver. This reminds me that the Lord does has a purpose prepared before hand for each and everyone of us. And that we should put our hope in this purpose as in Jeremiah 29:11.

8. While refining the silver on fire, the silversmith knows that the silver is ready and is pure as it become bright, clear, beautiful and reflects the silversmith's image. Yes, in our refined state we can reflect our dear Lord, Christlikeness. For we are indeed made in His image.