God knows best

'With all your heart you must trust the LORD and not your own judgment.' Proverbs 3:5 CEV

‘I told you so! I knew it! I'm right!' We all enjoy saying words like that don't we? We all want to be right and hate being wrong. But we need to get used to being wrong if we want to live the Christian life. 1 Corinthians 1:25 says: ‘For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom...' That means that even the cleverest thing we could ever say sounds so not clever to God.

A guy in the Bible called Job, had to go through some really rotten stuff in his life and one day he was moaning on to God about it and asked God if He really knew what He was doing? Job thought he was being clever! But God put him in his place saying things like, ‘Right Job, did you put the stars in place? No, you didn't! So until you can do stuff like that, don't even think about questioning me, because I obviously know well more than you. Just trust me!' (for the full version of this chat, read the last few chapters of the book of Job). It silenced Job good and proper. How can you possibly answer that? Well that's just the thing...you can't...no-one can. We were never meant to figure everything out by ourselves, we were meant to ask God and learn from Him. So go on ask...and keep asking. He'll tell you everything you need to know.

Friday, 05 June 2009

http://www.word4u2day.com.au/200906021751/God-knows-best.html

You need both blessings and difficulties, because one without the other is neither

People who live in affluence for all of life (such as many people in North America and Western Europe) can easily become so accustomed to wealth, blessings, and prosperity that they can easily forget what blessings they actually have. However, if those possessions are taken away, those people will certainly look at life with a new perspective, realizing how much they really had.

You don't realize how much you have until you don't have it anymore.

God knows the importance of balance; that is, the importance of having both blessings and difficulties. There are several scriptures that speak about this balance. For example in 1 Peter 4:13, we are told: Rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. Notice how we participate both in suffering and in joy.

Similarly, in 2 Corinthians 1:7, Paul wrote this to the church in Corinth: And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. They experienced both suffering and comfort.

Don't become too comfortable with what you have, because when you forget that the things you have are a blessing from God and when you start to assume that they are guaranteed possessions, it is quite possible that God will take them away from you in order to teach you that you need both blessings and difficulties, because one without the other is neither.

Weekly Wisdoms for the week of June 8, 2009

http://www.christnotes.org/ww.php?d=2009-06-08

Don't doubt in the dark what God has shown you in the light

No matter how hard you try, in a room that's completely dark, you'll never be able to see anything. Even if you know for sure that something is in the room, it's impossible to see it if the room is totally dark. You know it's there, but you just can't see it.

That's what faith is like. You may be absolutely confident that God loves you; however, during the difficult and dark times in life, you may not be able to see that love.

Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Even when you don't see God's love for you, you can still have faith that he loves you -- that is, you can be certain that he loves you, even though you don't see it.

During those "dark times" in your spiritual life, you may not be able to see God's love, his faithfulness, his grace, or his promises to you; however, don't lose your faith. Be certain of what [you] do not see.

One day, your faith will be sight.

Weekly Wisdoms for the week of June 1, 2009
http://www.christnotes.org/ww.php?d=2009-06-01

Thank God

Thank you God for...

... looking after me daily
... making me in the 20th century
... letting me live in the 21st century
... making me a Hong Kongnees
... moving me to live in Australia
... giving me friends & family
... giving me the ability to think
... giving me a chance to serve Him
... giving me flaws so I need to seek Him

Love is the visible attribute of an invisible God

1 John 4:12 says, No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. In other words, even though no person has ever actually seen God the Father, we are able to see God's character as we love one another.

Remember that God is love (1 John 4:8); so, when we walk in love, we are like God.

Thus, although we can't actually see God, we can see his character in our love for each other (and in his love for us). Indeed, Romans 5:8 tells us that God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Furthermore, Jesus said that we, his disciples, will be known by our fruit: By their fruit you will recognize them (Matthew 7:16, 20). Galatians 5:22 tells us what that fruit is: The fruit of the Spirit is love ... . Thus, we are known by our love—love for one another and love for God.

It is so important to walk in love, because love is the visible attribute of an invisible God.

Weekly Wisdoms for the week of May 25, 2009

http://www.christnotes.org/ww.php?d=2009-05-25

Frustrated? It may be because you're trying to make something happen that only God can make happen.

Whenever you are doing what God has called you to do, it is important to rely on His strength, His grace, and His power to complete your task. You will become frustrated if you try to make things happen on your own strength instead of relying on God. God is the author and finisher of His plans (Hebrews 12:2), and you must not try to take the place of God if you expect things to work out.

In Colossians 1:26-27, Paul reveals a mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations... Christ in you, the hope of glory. In other words, there is something that people of the past didn't know—it was hidden from them, a mystery to them—but Paul is now revealing that mystery to us: Christ lives in all who believe in Him! No longer is God just with his people—God now lives in his people!

Also, note that it is Christ in you that's the hope of glory—not Christ and you.

Paul then continues by saying that he labors and works for the gospel, but all of his labor is really done by Christ's power, which so powerfully works in [him] (Colossians 1:29).

If you're trying to labor without Christ's power at work within you, then your labor will be frustrating and in vain. You need to stop trying, and start dying to self so that you may be alive to Christ's power.

Struggle and frustration occur when you try to do God's job by your own strength—rather than relying on Christ's strength, which is at work in you.

Weekly Wisdoms for the week of May 18, 2009
http://www.christnotes.org/ww.php?d=2009-05-18

May you have

Just realised this hanging on my kitchen wall

Enough happiness to keep you sweet,
Enough trials to keep you strong,
Enough sorrow to keep you human,
Enough hope to keep you happy,
Enough failure to keep you humble,
Enough success to keep you eager,
Enough friends to give you comfort,
Enough wealth to meet your needs,
Enough enthusiasm to look forward,
Enough faith to banish depression,
Enough determination to make each day better than yesterday