Sunday, January 23, 2011

Do you like Maths?

Because if you do, I have something for you to count.

This post is inspired by what a brother from Nilai Gospel Chapel shared today.

If you have read Genesis 5, you will know that the whole chapter is basically a genealogy of Adam, all the way to Noah. One of Adam’s descendants was named Enoch. When Enoch was 65 years old, he had his own son, whom he named Methuselah.

Methuselah means ‘his death will bring it’. But what is this “it” that Methuselah’s death will bring? And why did his father give him such an ominous name? Can you imagine raising a child like that? Every time he catches a cold, the whole village would probably panic and worry that he will die, and then “it” will come!

Now, Enoch was a man who walked with God. He was so close to God, that he was the only one in the genealogy who did not experience death – God took him away.

Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

Genesis 5:24

Since he walked with God, the name Methuselah must have come from God. In fact, the “it” that was brought about by Methuselah’s death was the Great Flood during Noah’s time [read Genesis 7]. The year that Methuselah died was the year that the whole earth was flooded. Methuselah is the longest living man in records – he lived 969 years! And the floods came exactly 969 years after his birth.

Don’t believe this? Well, do the maths!

21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.

25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech.

27Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.

28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29 He named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed.”

6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth.

Genesis 5:21, 25, 27, 28 & Genesis 7:6

God was using Enoch to warn the people of the Great Flood that would befall them. Amazing, eh?


Here’s another one for you (this time without the maths):

Earlier, I mentioned that Genesis 5 is a genealogy from Adam to Noah. If you didn’t know, all those names are actually Hebrew names. And like your name and my name, they have their own meaning.

Now I will tell you what the names of Adam’s descendants are, and their meanings, according to the order of their birth.

    1. Adam Man
    2. SethAppointed
    3. EnoshMortal
    4. KenanSorrow
    5. MahalalelThe Blessed God
    6. Jared Shall Come Down
    7. EnochTeaching
    8. MethuselahHis Death Shall Bring
    9. LamechThe Despairing
    10. Noah Rest, or Comfort

Now, lets string the meanings of the names together in a sentence:

Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow; (but) the Blessed God shall come down, teaching. His death shall bring the despairing rest (or comfort).

And that is what the Christian Gospel is about! Long before the prophets even wrote about it, God had already set in motion His divine plan to send his Son, Jesus, to die for us, that we may attain rest and eternal life in Him!

This just goes to show just how much God really does love us. He was well aware of the suffering that we go through everyday, and now through Christ Jesus, we can come to the Father and just lay down our burdens before Him. Let him take care of it all.

27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Luke 12:27-31

 

Hope you were blessed! =)

Guard Your Heart.




In the NIV version Proverbs 4:23 reads:
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Here's a song by Steve Green entitled "Guard Your Heart".

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see  
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see 
For the Father up above Is looking down in love  
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see    

What appears to be harmless glance?  
Can turn to romance  
And homes are divided 
Feelings that should never have been  
Awakened within  
Tearing the heart in two  
Listen, I beg of you    

Guard your Heart  
Guard your Heart  
Don't trade it for treasure  
Don't give it away    

Guard your Heart  
Guard your Heart 
As a payment for pleasure  
It's high price to pay   
For a soul that remains sincere with conscience clear  
Guard your Heart    

The human heart is easily swayed  
And often betrayed at the hand of emotion  
You dare not leave the outcome to chance  
You must choose in advance  
Or live with the agony  
Such needless tragedy    

Guard your Heart  
Guard your Heart  
Don't trade it for treasure  
Don't give it away   
Guard your Heart  
Guard your Heart  
As a payment for pleasure It's high price to pay    

Guard your Heart  
Guard your Heart  
Don't trade it for treasure  
Don't give it away    
Guard your Heart  
Guard your Heart  
As a payment for pleasure It's high price to pay    
For a soul that remains sincere with conscience clear  
Guard your Heart.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Rich or Poor?

children-playing

As a child in primary school, I remember playing a game with my fellow friends called ‘Orang kaya, Orang miskin’ [directly translated as ‘Rich man, Poor man’]. One person would stand apart from the rest. That lone person was the Orang kaya, and we were the poor ones. Basically, we would chant a song which would require the Orang kaya to choose people to join him and become fellow Orang kaya. The last one left as the Orang miskin would be declared the loser.

I remember how we thoroughly enjoyed that game, and how we fervently hoped that we wouldn’t be left as the last Orang miskin. And now that I consider it, it is very obvious that even in the real world, we still play this game.

No one wants to be the poor man. We all want to cross over to the rich man’s playground. We want to be rich. We want to have the spending power to buy whatever our hearts’ desire is. Frankly, there are very few of us who would not want to be as rich as, say, the billionaire, Bill Gates, if we were given the opportunity.

Among the students in Kolej Teknologi Timur, I trust that many will go on to become successful dentists and doctors, and if you go into the private sector, you might be able to make a lot of money. And I believe that it is common knowledge that there are some of us who chose this profession for its monetary benefits, above all else.

But ask yourself, is it really worth it to slog day and night just so that you can see the figures in your bank account multiply? Is it really necessary to own that dream Ferrari that you have always wanted, just so that you can show off to others? Is this what life really is about? If it is, then what else is there left to live for once you have accomplished it all?

There certainly is nothing wrong with being wealthy. In fact, God Himself wants to ensure that we live our lives comfortably. But what are our motives?

Jesus gave us a parable concerning a rich man who stored up treasures for himself:

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

Luke 12:16-21 [NIV]

The rich man in the parable did not have the right motives, and his heart was chasing after something that was material. He was chasing after riches for the sake of it. What he did not realise was that the very day that he gathered those riches would be his last day on earth. How then would he enjoy those riches?

Jesus teaches us that it would be far better to store our riches somewhere where ‘moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal’ [Matthew 6:20].

And that place is Heaven.

Being rich in material things will get you nowhere. It will only serve to gain you the attention of robbers, the envy of others, the awe of the public, and the headache of having to maintain that rich lifestyle and reputation.

But storing treasures in heaven works on a different plane. Storing treasures in heaven gains you eternal life. It takes you so much closer to God. It gives you so much more joy and completion than the things of the world can give you. The things and people in this world can hurt you and break you and tear you apart, but God will never ever do that to you, because He loves you too much to hurt you.

So where will you store your treasures? What riches are you chasing after?

It’s your call.

River bank barn traditional house design

 

Rich and poor have this in common:
   The LORD is the Maker of them all.

Proverbs 22:2 [NIV]

Monday, January 10, 2011

Pick-me-up For A Bad Day

If you've ever felt depressed or seriously considered throwing in the towel, watch this video. It put a smile on my face. It will put one on yours.

Monday, January 3, 2011

New Year Resolutions! Again.

I challenge all of you to do something now. Go and dig up the half-shredded piece of notebook paper (provided you still keep it) with all your new year resolutions for the year 2010. Go down the list and be honest with yourself. How many of those resolutions did you accomplish?

The famous motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar, once wrote in his excellent book 'Over The Top' of a time when he visited a gym to in January, shortly after New Year's Day. He had been going regularly to get in shape and had made this one of his long-term goals. On that day, however, the gym was packed with people, which was a rare sight. He asked the worker at the desk what was going on. The man smiled and told him to come back in a few weeks. 'These are the 'new year's resolution' people.' In a few weeks the gym would be back to normal.

Tragically, it's often far easier to set a goal than to diligently pursue it, much less finish it. Even more saddening is that this happens in the Christian life as well. How many of us have grown cold over the years, our commitment to God's cause having become nothing more than a distant memory? God's heart is grieved when we become like the seeds that fall on rocky ground or among bushes, and do not bear fruit. (Luke 8: 13-14)

Jesus said:
I am the vine, and you are the branches. Those that remain in Me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without Me. (John 15:5)


The foundation for persevering in our walk with Christ lies with Christ Himself. And we need to anchor ourselves to Him, and renew our commitment daily. One of the best daily habits to cultivate is that of Bible journalling, to study the Bible and write down our reflections on God's Word. You can do it in a blank notebook, or even better, there are several journals at Christian bookshops specifically for this purpose. A systematic Bible reading plan would be invaluable as well. I just started this habit not long ago, and am beginning to see the benefits: peace of mind, a deeper understanding of God's Word, and a clearer picture of God and His Truths.

Ultimately, it comes down to trusting in Jesus, and committing our lives to Him. It is like training to be an athlete; every day, the commitment must be renewed, and training must be conducted. Paul writes,
That is why I run straight for the finishing line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches. I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest. (1 Corinthians 9: 26-27)

So what are your resolutions for the year 2011? May you go forward and accomplish them for the glory of God. At the same time, always trust in Jesus as you run the most important race of your life--your life itself! Work hard so that at the end of December 2011, you can proudly bring out your old piece of paper, tick off every item, and mark the list COMPLETED.

More importantly, may we run the race, fight the good fight and keep the faith, so that at the end of our life when we stand before God, He says to us: 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant!'

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011!