Praying For Lost Things

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (1 Peter 5:7 KJV)

Every time when I lose something or when my children lose something and they come to me, I would prayed for it to be found. My prayers were mostly answered. I have testified about this here, here, here and here.

Despite this, whenever I pray for lost things, I can never really be sure that my prayers may be answered because God has never promised in the Bible that He will answer every prayer for lost things.

There are also times that my prayers are not answered. My son lost the house key and I prayed for it to be found but my prayers were not answered. Anyway, the lock has been changed recently and the lost key is not unusable.

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 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? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Matthew 6:25-34 KJV)

On the Lights Must Off the Lights

But avoid foolish debates, genealogies, quarrels, and disputes about the law, because they are unprofitable and worthless. (Titus 3:9 CSB)

Don't let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don't help people live a life of faith in God. (1 Timothy 1:4 NLT)

I used to tell my children, "On the lights must off the lights." Then I wonder if there is a religion that is based on a scripture with just one line of text like "On the lights must off the lights", how many denominations can be formed? Let us try.

Denomination 1
Just be a responsible person. The text just give an example.

Denomination 2
One must interpret the text literally. If one on the light, then one must off it. If there are lights that are on but not by oneself, then one should leave it on.

Denomination 3
Since this is the only text in the scripture, it must be of great importance and have great merit. Therefore every morning when one wakes up, one should on and off the light 100 times to gain the merit.

How many more denominations can be formed?

Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to fight about words. This is useless and leads to the ruin of those who listen. (2 Timothy 2:14 CSB)

But reject foolish and ignorant disputes, because you know that they breed quarrels. (2 Timothy 2:23 CSB)

So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how a small fire sets ablaze a large forest. (James 3:5 CSB)

What I have just said above is of course imaginary. But here is the real thing. How many ways can you interpret John 14:6? This YouTube video Oprah Asks, "Is Jesus the Only Way?" - Voddie Baucham, Billy Graham, Joel Osteen, R. C. Sproul + 6 - YouTube gives all kind of interpretation.

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)

More About Boasting

Earlier I wrote about boasting. Now we have more about boasting.

Boasting Excluded
For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast about, for I am under compulsion; for woe to me if I do not preach the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:16 NASB)

Boasting Allowed
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV)

For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? (1 Thessalonians 2:19 CSB)

Therefore, we ourselves boast about you among God's churches - about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions that you are enduring. (2 Thessalonians 1:4 CSB)

Boasting Forbidden
For who regards you as superior or what sets you apart as special? What do you have that you did not receive [from another]? And if in fact you received it [from God or someone else], why do you boast as if you had not received it [but had gained it by yourself]? (1 Corinthians 4:7 Amplified Bible)

Cinderella's Pumpkin Carriage And Samsara

Cinderella is a fairy tale. In that story, a fairy godmother turned a pumpkin into a carriage by magic. Let us think about this for a moment. Can the fairy godmother use a water melon instead of a pumpkin? What if the fairy godmother used a water melon? Will the carriage be green in colour? Can the fairy godmother use a small fruit, like grape? Must she use fruits? Can she use a big stone instead? If we established a course to study how fairy godmothers make carriages out of stuff, will there be any definite conclusion?

Samsara or reincarnation is an unprovable process. Like the carriage making process in fairy tale Cinderella, we cannot come to any definite conclusion with reincarnation. For example, can we reincarnate as plants? We can come up with all kinds of reasons to argue about it but we can never come to a definite conclusion. It is like asking if the fairy godmother can make carriages out of something else besides pumpkin. Can anyone prove that she can or cannot?

The Dalai Lama reincarnated fourteen times as Dalai Lama. Is that possible? What kind of karmic law allow this kind of reincarnation? Can the 14th Dalai Lama provide a definite proof that he is the 14th reincarnation? Can he provide a definite and objective proof for his 15th reincarnation so that China cannot install their own Dalai Lama? Can he reincarnate as a woman so that the 15th Dalai Lama will be the first female Dalai Lama? Can one choose where, how and when one can be reincarnated? How come the Dalai Lama can? Does the Dalai Lama know that he can and know that he has the power to do so? Can he prove it? Or is this another Cinderella's Pumpkin Carriage proof?

The Bible said that all humans are descended from Adam and Eve. Evolution has a last universal common ancestor (LUCA) from which all living things today evolved from. So how does reincarnation account for the increasing human population? Also from one soul? Can one soul be reincarnated as two or more souls? Or is there a constant number of souls going through the reincarnation process? So how did the initial number of souls get started? Buddhists do not believe in souls. So are they right?

Major Indian religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism took reincarnation for granted. They do not attempt to prove it. They just give solutions on how to escape reincarnation. But when a religion based their solution on an unprovable process, I think the foundation is shaky and anything built on top of it can collapse any time.

What is unprovable is not necessarily untrue. Every religion require some amount of faith. But I prefer a religion that based their faith on something provable instead of something unprovable.

... speaking the truth in love ... (Ephesians 4:15 NIV)

God's Providence By Grace

We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that was given to the churches of Macedonia: During a severe trial brought about by affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. I can testify that, according to their ability and even beyond their ability, of their own accord, they begged us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints, and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us by God's will. So we urged Titus that just as he had begun, so he should also complete among you this act of grace.

Now as you excel in everything - in faith, speech, knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love for us - excel also in this act of grace. I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. And in this matter I am giving advice because it is profitable for you, who began last year not only to do something but also to want to do it. Now also finish the task, so that just as there was an eager desire, there may also be a completion, according to what you have. For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. It is not that there should be relief for others and hardship for you, but it is a question of equality. At the present time your surplus is available for their need, so that their abundance may in turn meet your need, in order that there may be equality. As it is written: The person who had much did not have too much, and the person who had little did not have too little. (2 Corinthians 8:1-15 CSB)

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (Luke 12:27 ESV)

Recipe For Success

Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established. (Proverbs 16:3 ESV)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)

The zip of my bag came off on Friday and I tried in vain to fix it. Then I remember my wife had said to me that our daughter has very good fingers and can fix things. So I told her about the zip and ask her to fix it. I added, "Pray before you fix it." In the end, she did not have the time. So I thought to myself, why don't I pray and do it. And I prayed, put the zip into the original position before it came off, pushed it and it went in. Then I told my daughter that I have prayed and fixed it.

So I told her that this is the recipe for success:

1. First pray.
2. Then do.
3. And then tell your daughter.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV)