God Take Care of Birds

If you come across a bird’s nest with chicks or eggs, either in a tree or on the ground along the road, and the mother is sitting on the chicks or eggs, you must not take the mother along with the young. You may take the young for yourself, but be sure to let the mother go free, so that you may prosper and live long. (Deuteronomy 22:6-7)
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? (Matthew 6:26 KJV)
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. (Matthew 10:29 KJV)

咕呱 咕呱 小青蛙

What is good?

In some Chinese children stories, the frogs are good and the mosquitoes are bad. Why are frogs good? Because the frogs (小青蛙) eat the bad insects (害蟲) like mosquitoes. Why are mosquitoes bad? Because mosquitoes bite people and spread diseases.

In these Chinese children stories, good and bad are man-centric, i.e. from human's point of view. What is good for mankind is good, and what is bad for mankind is bad. In a mosquito-centric world, both men and frogs are bad.

Unfortunately for mankind, the Bible is God-centric. What is good for God is good, and what is bad for God is bad.

First, we have to take note that God made all things for Himself.
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16 NASB)

Next, we note that God had created men in His image for His glory.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26 KJV)

But men sinned.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23 KJV)

But God redeemed some for His glory.
And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:9-10 ESV)

Jesus the Truth and Word of God is our Salvation Righteousness Faith and Peace

Truth
Who is the Truth?
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, THE TRUTH, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me. (John 14:6 KJV)

Word
Who is the Word?
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1 KJV)

Salvation
Who is our Salvation?
"... for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12 KJV)

Righteousness
Who is our Righteousness?
"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who in God is made unto us wisdom, and RIGHTEOUSNESS, and santification, and redemption." (1 Corinthians 1:30 KJV)

Faith
Who is our Faith?
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 KJV)

Peace
Who is our Peace?
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; (Ephesians 2:14 KJV)

Full Armor of God

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:13-17 NIV)

But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. (1 Thessalonians 5:8 KJV)

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! (Isaiah 52:7 KJV)

For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. (Isaiah 59:17 KJV)

Six Pieces of Armour in the New Testament

1. helmet of salvation (Isaiah 59:17, Ephesians 6:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:8)

2. breastplate of righteousness / faith and love (Isaiah 59:17, Ephesians 6:14, 1 Thessalonians 5:8)

3. shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16)

4. sword of the Spirit which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17)

5. belt of truth (Ephesians 6:14)

6. feet with readiness for the gospel of peace (Isaiah 52:7, Ephesians 6:15)

Two Additional Pieces in the Old Testament

1. garments of vengeance (Isaiah 59:17)

2. zeal as a cloak (Isaiah 59:17)

Jehovah Jireh - In The Mount of the LORD It Shall Be Seen

So Abraham called the name of that place, "The LORD will provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided." (Genesis 22:14 ESV)

This is the theme of the Bible. The Lord shall provide the Lamb for the salvation of men. Not only that, He shall enable us to be holy.

His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4 HCSB)

God is the hero in our live. He saved us and enabled us to be holy. Whatever we have done, we have only done our duty. We have no merit, credit nor can we boast about anything.

So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. (Luke 17:10 KJV)

And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created." (Revelation 4:9-11 NASB)

Quotes About the Bible - 3

"The Bible is the greatest of all books; to study it is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it the highest of all goals."- Dr. Charles C. Ryrie

Abomination of Nature

If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. (Leviticus 20:13 ESV)

The Gay Movement is now treated like a civil rights movement. Gays are treated like minorities.

Gays are not minorities. They are a perversion of God's laws (a.k.a. nature).

Be Ye Doers of the Word

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. (James 1:22 KJV)
O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. (Psalm 34:8 KJV)

One who hear the word and read the Bible without living it is like a person who read the cook book without  trying to cook. Even if the whole cook book is memorized, the person still cannot cook.

Thy Word Is a Lamp Unto My Feet

What is good? What is true? Which is the right path? The Bible is the Word of God which is the answer to all these questions. The Bible is really a simple book to read but we insist in making it complicated to interpret because we are sinners who insist in our ways.

For example, we have verses like this in the Bible:
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. (Proverbs 26:4 KJV)
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. (Proverbs 26:5 KJV)
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2 KJV)
But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden. (Galatians 6:4-5 KJV)

What can we understand from this?

1. Contradictions exist in the Bible, thus it is not the Word of God.
2. The Bible support situational ethics, where the ends can justify the means.
3. God allows human discretion.

The Longest Tweet

And Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." (Mark 1:17 NASB)
Many use twitter to follow the tweets of friends. But God had a very long tweet called the Bible. Follow it.

The Gospel - A Summary

Now we know that whatever the law says speaks to those who are subject to the law, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment. For no one will be justified in His sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.

But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been revealed—attested by the Law and the Prophets - that is, God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:19-26 HCSB)

All Religions Are Different And Cannot Be All True

All religions are not the same. While there are many similarities in moral laws, we have to focus on the difference. Even sellers of mineral water tries to differentiate themselves by branding when they are selling basically the same thing, that is, water. How then can we not differentiate the religions, many of which are irreconcilably different?

Some have quoted the parable of the six blind men and the elephant, saying that we are just looking at parts of the same thing. But the key point to note is that the six blind men are not in the position to judge. Only the one who is not blind can tell them that they are touching the same elephant.

Finally, many religions are contradictory, and not all can be true.

The Bible tells us that there is only one God and Jesus is the only way. If the Bible is true, the other religions have to be false.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6 KJV)

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. (1 Timothy 2:5-6 ESV)

For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the Lord? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory. (Isaiah 45:18-25 KJV)

Prove Your Religion

"Religion was invented when the first con man met the first fool." - Mark Twain

Many people have religion because they want to do good, or they want to be a better person, or they want the world to be good, or they want peace, or because of their race, culture or nation (e.g. Thai, Burmese are Buddhist, Malays, Arabs are Muslims, Americans, Europeans are Christians).

Many think that all religions are the same. They teach people to be good. They help you to live better and cope with crises in life, give you the strength and motivation to live life. Some think that having differing religions is somewhat like people owning different models of car. One may drive Honda, another Toyota, others Hyundai, BMW or Mercedes and they are all cars that bring you from point A to point B.

Cars are real. We can see and touch. Put petrol in it and we can drive. Religion is not the same. Whatever good we get out of it in life, we do not know whether what the religion say about after life is true. For those who had died (the founders of religions included), none came back to tell us if the religion they believed is true. None, except Jesus Christ, who died and was resurrected three days later.

Personally, in anything I need to believe, it must be true. The same is for religion. This quote from an interview of Tim Keller, the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, with Susan Wunderink, posted in Christianity Today on 20-June-2008 7:11 AM, titled "Tim Keller Reasons with America" reflects my view of the need for a religion to be true before it can be believed:

QUOTE
Marketing is about felt needs. You find the need and then you say Christianity will meet that need. You have to adapt to people's questions. And if people are asking a question, you want to show how Jesus is the answer. But at a certain point, you have to go past their question to the other things that Christianity says. Otherwise you're just scratching where they itch. So marketing is showing how Christianity meets the need, and I think the gospel is showing how Christianity is the truth.

C. S. Lewis says somewhere not to believe in Christianity because it's relevant or exciting or personally satisfying. Believe it because it's true. And if it's true, it eventually will be relevant, exciting, and personally satisfying. But there will be many times when it's not relevant, exciting, and personally satisfying. To be a Christian is going to be very, very hard. So unless you come to it simply because it's really the truth, you really won't live the Christian life, and you won't get to the excitement and to the relevance and all that other stuff.
UNQUOTE

Do you have a religion as a placebo just to give you peace? It is not enough. It has to be true. Prove it now. It will be too late to find that what you believe is false when you die.

Glory To God - Antidote To Pride

Yesterday, we had a company meeting and my boss wanted to tell us to not to get angry easily. He describe his own experience at the Maxwell Market as an example.

There was once when he was at the market and someone just bought food from a stall. This person did not look at where he was going and hit my boss and spilled the food on his shirt. Of course my boss had to right to be angry, but instead on being angry to this very apologetic man, he bought for him the lunch that was spilled, literally demonstrating what many Christians fail to do, going the extra mile.

But being a Buddhist, my boss's good works would only reflect on himself. He just shows how good a person he is. While he is not a proud person (he preceded this talk by confessing some mistakes he made), I realized that how impossible it is for men not to feel some pride (even a little bit) when one does good.

I am so glad that whenever I do something good, it is not of me, but my God enables me, for the sake of His glory.

Believe In Christ And You Are A Saint

To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:7 KJV)
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: (1 Corinthians 1:2 ESV)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia: (2 Corinthians 1:1 NASB)
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 1:1 KJV)
Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus: To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons. (Philippians 1:1 HCSB)

Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. Those brothers who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, but especially those from Caesar's household. (Philippians 4:21-22 HCSB)

To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. (Colossians 1:2 ESV)

Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work. (1 Timothy 5:9-10 ESV)

I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and faith toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints. I pray that your participation in the faith may become effective through knowing every good thing that is in us for the glory of Christ. For I have great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother. (Philemon 1:4-7 HCSB)