haha

AHDOOO!!! Exodus was the latest POST!

hahaha... kk.time to start reading!!

exodus, the beginning parts :)

okay i've decided to re-read exodus from the start cos it was strange to keep starting and stopping.

one thing that really struck me while reading the beginning portions was about moses and his insecurities.

it's like what WE feel right? when God prompts us to do something, when the opportunity for witnessing arises.

3:11 "who am i? that i should go unto pharoah and that i should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?"
4:1 "they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice..."

dont we say the same things? :) but if we follow God, follow His promptings. do His work. we can be so close to Him. and bring people close to Him too. just like moses! such faith He had :) and it's the kind that i want too.

:)

hello!

wow nice posts :) feeling happy reading them :)

i promise to blog after today.

exams end it FIVE HOURS (i cant wait!) and then it's a 4 month summer break for me to catch up on everything that i have to, esp bible-reading :)

take care all, and keep the posts coming!

Lifes Trials & Difficulties..

Many times in our lives, we encounter stress, worries or we feel we can't live up to do certain leadership roles in church, we feel that we can't take up this or that position because we don't have the ability to do it.. Joshua also encountered this problems..
Lets look at Joshua 1.
God was talking to Joshua and telling him to be strong and courageous.. God didn't tell him only once, he told Joshua three times to be strong and courageos.. v6 v7 & v9..
Even the Isrealites told him that, v18..

Joshua faced the same problem as he was about to take over the leadership of Isreal, he felt that he didn't have such an ability to lead the people.. Why did he feel this way? He was appointed after Moses to lead Isreal into the promised land. Moses was one of the greatest, if not, the greatest prophet that arose out of Isreal. Duet 34:10 But Joshua was a follower of Moses since young, He even went up to Mount Sinai the first time with Moses to collect the ten commandments. And even when in the tabernacle when the Lord came in the cloud to talk with Moses, Joshua was there. Joshua was a faithful, God fearing man. And He was selected the next leader. God had to repeatedly encourage Joshua and told him not to be afraid for the Lord would be with him wherever he goes.

So Joshua put his trust in God, believing that the Almighty God was with him, only then could God do miracles thru him. Only then could God expand his abilities. God magnified Joshua in all the sight of Isreal, so that they feared him as they feared Moses, by drying up the river Jordan just as the Red sea was parted. Joshua became a great leader of Isreal.
Joshua, just as Moses, could see God and His powerful works and miracles. Today, we can only read about it. Many a times, we think that, wouldn't it be great if we were in those days, if we were there, we would be able to believe and fully trust in God. But Jesus said, "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed". John 20:5 Today we are also blessed as we can read, in the dark ages, the early christians could not even own a bible. They would be persecuted for owning it. They could not even see the bible, yet they believed and trusted in God.

Let us be like Moses and Joshua, and the early christian church, always trusting in God, so that God can work miracles in our lives that others may know that God is with us, just as God was glorified thru the works of Moses and Joshua.
Phil 4:6-7 says that we should not care for other things, but putting every thing to God thru our prayers and thanksgiving, and let us make known our request to Him. This will keep our minds and hearts on Him and have the peace of God, to overcome whatever falls against us.

Many times too we have worries about our future, mainly monetary concerns. We worry what we will study to have a good job, or if we do not get a good job, what are we going to eat, wear, where we gonna stay.. All these things we worry about.. But we do not look at the One that can solve our problems.. O ye of little faith!
Jesus taught on the sermon on the mount in Matthew 6:28-34. The birds, they do not sow seeds and reap during the harvest, and God still feeds them. The lilies, they don't toil or spin, meaning they don't make clothes, but God clothe them so beautifully. The grass on the field which are going to be cut down, God even clothes them. So why do we worry so much about what we are going to eat or drink, wear or stay. Jesus followed by saying v33 Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.. God knows the things that we need and He will provide for us, but we have to seek Him first.. God provided for the Isrealites manna when they needed food. God provided the Isrealites from leading them out of Eygpt, thru the wilderness and even providing them a new city..

Lastly, we have to learn to have such faith in God, as in the last days, the end times, we will be tested on it. We have to have such faith in God that He will be able to work miracles in us, we have to have faith that He will lead us wherever we go. We have to have faith that He will provide for our needs. For in the last days, if we don't trust God to that extent, we will fall off.. We will face many trials and persecutions, even from our close friends / even our families.. But we have to hold strong to the truth that we have, and only by trusting God can we stand strong.. We have to learn to trust in Him, and it doesn't come over night, that's why we have to prepare now for the last days, prepare and in small things trusting in Him. So that in the last days, when greater trials and temptations that befall upon us and make us compromise on our beliefs, we can face it, and only by looking to Christ alone can we face it..

God bless..

the latest?

What do you mean you're the latest? That's sounds more like your's truly :(

My apologies, guys. Caught up in the business of life (although I guess that isn't really much of an excuse). Anyway, I'm currently struggling my way through Leviticus - man all the numbers and laws are driving me insane! Couldn't we have started in the New Testament somewhere and proceeded accordingly? *lol*

All this aside, I'm currently studying Colossians - it's a fantastic although often ignored book. This is recommended reading, people. My friend Sven and I spent more than an hour just going through the first chapter! I'll share some thoughts ...

I guess that to me, studying the Bible is about finding out what God wanted to say to the people at that time and in that context, and then lifting out the principles and applying them to our time, today. I find that Bible-text-hopping, while being useful to prove theology, takes a lot away from simply reading the Bible and application, plus it's fairly easy to take stuff out of context that way. But I'm just starting out on this, people. So don't shoot me down.

In Colossians, Paul was writing to the "saints and faithful brethern in Christ" - to assure them that while he understood that they wanted to do what was right, they were being influenced by a group of people who claimed to have been receiving visions from angels, saying that Christ was a great teacher but not God, and that one still needed to obey specific laws in order to be saved.

But ...

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation ... All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist."

"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His Love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."

"Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ."

Powerful words eh?

Let's not forget that Christ should be central in our lives.

KAREN:GENESIS

I realised that i'm the slowest to blog!! apologies!!!

Well about Genesis i've a number of observations that i found really quite interesting.

1) Every living creature that God made were VEGETARIANS!!

1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein [there is] life, [I have given] every green herb for meat: and it was so.

Teehee.. THE ORIGINAL DIET. MEATLESS. Lions and tigers were all veggie eating!

2)Before sin animals were not afraid of us!

9:2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth [upon] the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

3) The garden of Eden was not the whole earth!

2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

4) The Earth that God create in the beginning was without rain!

2:5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and [there was] not a man to till the ground.
2:6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

No need for farmers! God takes care of every living thing!

NB. Although there was no rain, there were rivers and springs. (gen 2.10)

5) First rain only at the flood!

7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
7:12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

6) Abraham actually bargained with God for the sake of the people in the city and God let Him bargain! (Gen 18:22-33)

Explaination:
God knew well the measure of Sodom's guilt; but He expressed
Himself after the manner of men, that the justice of His dealings might be understood. Before bringing judgment upon the transgressors He would go Himself, to institute an examination of their course; if they had not passed the limits of divine mercy, He would still grant them space for repentance.

Patriachs And Prophets, Pg 139

God is so nice and understanding.

7)Why was it wise for Issac to not bless Esau also.

27:34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, [even] me also, O my father.
27:35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtlety, and hathtaken away thy blessing.
27:36 And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and,behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
27:38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, [even] me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

But Isaac didn't/couldn't withdraw his blessing from Jacob.

WHY?!

the inside story...

Hebrews 12:16 Lest there [be] any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

THANKS GUYS FOR THE SUPPORT GROUP IN OUR WALK WITH GOD THROUGH READING THE BIBLE! NOW WE HAVE A CLEARER GLIMPSE OF GOD'S CHARACTER.

Book of Numbers
numbers.. what an interesting name for a biblical book..
isnt it more suited for lets say.. a maths study guide..
ok anyway the book Numbers came about due to the 2 census of the Isrealites taken
as usual i have no idea how we can gain from the numbers of ppl in different tribes which is explicitly stated in various chapters
Numbers 11:1-2
1 Now when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the LORD burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. 2 Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the LORD, the fire was quenched
i wonder how difficult the people then was as it displeased the LORD so much that he caused fire to burn among them.. what made the LORD burn them.. i have to figure it out
further on in numbers.. the people continued to complain and time and time again it was Moses who interceded for them..
we can see how loving Moses was to the Lord's people
the people were stubborn and did not learn from their mistakes..
this is something we can learn from bible history..
to keep an open mind.. NEVER to reject our good Lord and learn from our past mistakes and not keep carrying our mistakes and sins
while i was reading through all the ceremonial laws.. i was thinking why would a loving God punish its people with cruelty..is it because their disobedience? or why were people being stoned..
i have yet to seek an answer but i believe many of my frens have the answer.. (:
interesting to note is Numbers 6:24-26 which is what we sing as congregational response in balestier church
24 " ' "The LORD bless you and keep you;
25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." '
ok.. this aside.. i find it very interesting to note that the presence of the Lord is so obvious in the past(eg.manna from heaven, Lord's presence as a cloud in day and fire in night above the tabernacle)
and the people still sin and not repent..even after the Lord punished them with plagues and all..they took the forgiveness for granted and continued to do against God's will
in the context of the modern world.. even though God is not as "obvious" amongst us..in many of us who believe the existence of our Lord.. many of us still sin time after time and not repent with knowledge of our mistakes..
sometimes we really have to think about what would we do if the Saviour stood beside us..
would we think and act the way we act now?
guess we have to start using this as a way to live our lives..
thats pretty much what ive learned from Numbers (: