The Spiritual Hope

“For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.” Psalms 66:10

Clay in itself has very little value. But if we mould it into different shapes and sizes of bowls, plates and tableware, the value of it increases. Likewise, before being purified, the silver that we mined with the residual still attached to it is not going to fetch us much money. But if we get rid of the residual by putting it through fire, such purification process will increase the value of it. Furthermore, when we use it as ornament, the value will increase even more.

Before God chooses us to proclaim His majesty and sovereignty and uses us as His honorable vessels in His appointed time, we must go through a period of training and testing to make sure everything is perfect. When things turn out to be good, all of us will indeed feel proud for what we have achieved.

By meditating upon the word of God, His word is like a fire which will rid us of our worldly nature. It is never easy to go through unpleasant moment but if that does not happen, we shall never change. Without change, we cannot improve. For those who love God, even though they are going through a bad patch in life and things are not going their way, they see it as part of God’s training. Everything that happens today is good for tomorrow.

For those who feel that you are in the midst of fire, if this is from God, the fire will not be “too hot” beyond what you can bear. The training and testing from God will just be about right for us. For us to be His honorable vessels, we shape ourselves just like Him, a vessel of love, kindness, faithfulness, true worshipper, who always listens and obey. That’s what God wants us to be, to honor Him in everything we do.

“But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs.” Daniel 1:8-9

When Israel fell to Babylon, the Israelites were taken hostage and those who were learned were singled out to serve in the king’s palace. These people were taught the Babylonian customs, culture and language, and most importantly, they had to change names. Daniel was one of the knowledgeable ones and he was selected to serve in the palace during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar.

Although Daniel had his name changed and had to work in a changed environment, one thing he would not change is his faith in the Lord and his belief in the one and only God. Apart from his steadfast faith in the Lord, he was determined that he should not defile himself. It is very unusual for a young man like Daniel to have such kind of determination.

Indeed, we wish to see today’s teenagers having such determination not to indulge and engross in worldly desires, make sure that they are not at the wrong side of the law and involved in drugs but to keep themselves pure and holy. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” (Psalms 119:9)

Because Daniel was firm and resolute, God made a way for Daniel to be successful in what he intended to do and blessed him tremendously while serving the Lord in a foreign land. We have a lot to learn from Daniel about righteous living. In conducting our daily living or embarking on any task, we therefore have to do it right. Without being morally right, we may not have a happy ending. Let us therefore take the example of Daniel in “not defiling himself” and be firm in our faith. Continue to trust Him and let Him lead the way.

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” Psalms 103:11-12

David was a shepherd before he became a king. During his days as a shepherd, he had to lead his flock searching for green pasture. Some places that he led them to were really far from where they lived, so he had to stay overnight there. While in the open space during night time, he probably laid down on the grass, and when he looked up into the sky would have seen all the little stars twinkling; during day break he could see the sun rising and setting during the evening.

David was amazed how beautiful the physical world is, but his imagination went deeper than that. He realized the world is God’s creation, which reflected His glory. The world is a reflection of God’s attribute and our lifetime experience can be enriched by what’s happening in this world. David likened the extent of God’s love to the height between heaven and earth, and the distance between sunrise and sunset.

The nearest planet to earth is moon, which is no less than 450,000 km away while the star nearest to the sun is 40 trillion km. Indeed, it is a distance that we cannot fathom! In perspective, the sunrise-sunset phenomena is caused by the earth rotating round the sun rather than the actual movement of the sun itself. It is hard to imagine if one can measure the distance from one edge of the sky to another edge!

It is important to remind ourselves of the extent of God’s love; He forgives our sin, He provides us with a refuge and is our fortress, and bless us with many gifts even though we are not worthy of them. He loves us while we are still sinners and gives us a chance to be reconciled to Him. The magnitude of His love can never be physically measured. While David used the height between heaven and earth, and the distance from east to west to illustrate the breadth and depth of His love.

As Christians, we experience the full extent of His love at the cross. At the cross, where Jesus was crucified; He willingly took upon Himself our sin so that we can be redeemed from eternal death. We can only understand God’s love for us through His revelation and not by our own human understanding. By faith, we have received the love of God. As we walk closely with Him, let us continue to abide and experience His endless love.

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

Those ordinary people like us who study the life and works of Paul will be amazed by how patient he was when comes to handling physical and emotional hardship. His determination to persevere through hard times, and at times through life-threatening situations was due to his unwavering dedication to do God’s work. Some of Paul’s team members who could not withstand the severity of the hardship eventually left him but Paul fought on; although he felt disheartened but he did not surrender and called it quits!

We know about three groups of people; the first are trouble-makers, the second are those who run away from problems and the third are fighters who confront troubles head-on. The third is a rare breed but those with such an attribute will be very successful in life. What makes Paul so special and different from other people? Is he really boasting when he said he “could do all things”? In fact when he was making such a remark, he was really in deep trouble. Paul said, “I can do all things through (Jesus) who strengthens me.”

God’s grace and mercy are sufficient for each and everyone who trusts Him. He will not lead us into a situation which is too tough for us to handle nor is he leaving us to fight a battle all by ourselves. He leads us into difficult situations so that we can come to appreciate His mightiness; it is when we become powerless we realize God’s limitless power and wisdom. Let us therefore remind ourselves that we serve a God who is omnipresent and omnipotent; nothing is impossible for Him.

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

We leave behind our old lives and are entering to our new lives. All of us will be embarking on another journey and to some, such journey will be a new experience and a journey into the unknown. This sort of encounter is liken to one attempting to drive in a foreign territory and find himself in unfamiliar surrounding. Indeed, we do not know what lies ahead; the road can be treacherous, either steep or happens to have a sharp curve round the corner, or bumpy with a lot of potholes and is accident-prone.

But Christians with God’s leading will not be daunted and anxious because we can claim His promise, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Even though we still do not know the way and what will happen next, we know for sure the person who leads us and will be helping us if we stumble. He is God, our provider!

What must we do then in order to live a fruitful and purposeful life? First and foremost, we need to know what we are aiming for and set our priority right; embarking on a journey without knowing the final destination is like a rudderless ship in the middle of the ocean, drifting aimlessly and is at the mercy of the wave and tide. In perspective, one who is without any principle in life will be easily influenced by the pattern of the world, values of which are contrary to God’s way.

Secondly, once we have set our goals, we ought to know how to reach there. However, a lot of people will do the opposite; they do not know what is their final destination and whatever they plan for will go to waste because of a lack of pre-set objective in life. Thirdly, one who is morally excellent will invariably have a lot of success in life. As a result, it is important to be virtuous by having such attributes as trustworthiness, faithfulness and humility.

Fourthly, seek God’s leading. Just like the Israelites who had the pillars of cloud and fire as well as the ark of covenant to lead them, we Christians have the word of God as the lamp to light our path. The more we spend time with God in prayer and personal devotion, the clearer we see the path leading towards spiritual maturity. Fifthly, be patient and persevere, never stop trying but press on towards the finishing line. Let’s forget about the past and look towards the future. Whatever we think and say, it should be with the future in mind.

Pray ye therefore for God’s blessing to be upon each and everyone. Indeed, the best is yet to come and this new year will be the year God makes us fulfill our fullest potential.

“What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if all you have is from God, why act as though you are so great, and as though you have accomplished something on your own?”

1 Corinthians 4:7 (TLB)

We’ve talked about how trusting in God’s goodness helps you face life’s struggles.

But what happens when you start thinking you earned the good things in your life, forgetting goodness comes from God?

In Luke 12, Jesus tells the story of a rich man who was very successful but didn’t give God any of the credit for his prosperity. And so God tells the rich man, “You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?” Jesus finishes the story by saying, “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God” (Luke 12:20-21 NLT).

Prideful ingratitude is the sin that got Satan kicked out of heaven, and it’s the source of all sins. When you stop being grateful to God, you get into trouble: “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused” (Romans 1:21 NLT).

The problem with some self-made people is that they end up worshipping themselves. They may think, “Wait a minute; I built this business with my bare hands.” But who gave you your hands? They say, “I thought up the business plan totally by myself.” But who gave you your mind? They claim, “I worked for where I am today by the sweat of my brow.” But who gave you the ability to work so hard?

Everything you have in life—the ability to see, hear, and eat, your freedom and thoughts—you owe to God. You would not take your next breath if it weren’t for the goodness of God.

Ingratitude is one of the roots of atheism too; when you’re ungrateful, you start dismissing or even denying what God has done. And that’s just a short step from denying that God even exists.

Yet the truth is you can see the presence of God everywhere you look: “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (Romans 1:20 NLT).

If you start to doubt God’s goodness, just take a step outside your door and look around. You can see God’s goodness throughout his creation!

Malachi 3:6 (WEB)
“For I, Yahweh, don’t change;
therefore you, sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

As we begin a brand new year, it is important for us to be reminded of this simple truth… The Lord our God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Every promise that He has made is secure and will last forever. Since we live in a world that is constantly changing, the promise of our Father’s rock-solid commitment to us is very reassuring.

Today is a new day of a new year for us to be able to experience the Lord’s continued faithfulness in our lives. He will never leave us or let us down. He loves us with all His heart and each one of His promises that is true today will be true in a million years from now.

I pray that this truth will bring a deeper level of comfort and security to each one of us. May we look forward to all of the ways that our Father will show Himself faithful to us in this New Year. May this new year be blessed beyond imagination for you!

God’s love is foreign to human experience.

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
I John 3:1 NKJV

God’s love is out of this world. It can’t compare with any other love. HE already loves you when you are still against him. HIS love for you is based on his qualities not yours.

God’s love updates your status.

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:4‭-‬6 NKJV

God’s love changes your status from “sinner” into “child of God. HE does not love you because you qualify; He qualifies you because He loves you.

God’s love is eternal.

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
I John 3:2 NKJV

God’s love is not confined by time and space. He is not just the experience of present reality it is also the assurance of promising future.

God’s love is practical.

But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,
II Thessalonians 2:13 NKJV

God’s love compels you to what to live a life that pleases him. The holy spirit makes you holy but he needs your participation.

What’s keeping you from experiencing the love of God? HE said..

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:28‭-‬31 NKJV

“If you are really eager to give, then it isn’t important how much you have to give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you haven’t.”

2 Corinthians 8:12

Generosity is about far more than giving money. It’s about living generously in every area of your life.

The Bible says this about generosity: “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion” (2 Corinthians 9:11 NIV).

What does it look like to “be generous on every occasion”? It means being generous with your time, praise, sympathy, forgiveness, love, compliments, and kindness. It means being generous with your listening so that you can seek to understand others. And it means being generous with your attention so that you can be aware of the needs of people.

But God isn’t interested in how much you give in life. He cares about why you give and how you give. He cares about your motivation—your heart. That’s the difference between normal generosity and radical generosity.

Radical generosity is an attitude, not an amount.

The Bible says it this way: “If you are really eager to give, then it isn’t important how much you have to give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you haven’t” (2 Corinthians 8:12 TLB). 

God doesn’t need your money, talent, or time. In truth, he really doesn’t need anything from you. But what he wants from you is your heart. What he wants is your love. The Bible says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21 NIV). When you give your life to Christ, your heart will be with him.

No matter what you do or what you give, it’s important to check your motivation. Why? Because God wants you to “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17 NIV). He wants you to be radically generous.

Over the next few days, we’re going to look at the impact radical generosity can have on your life. It will change you and the people around you!

But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. Acts 8:9-11

After Jesus was resurrected, He appeared before the apostles for 40 days and on the last day, on Mount of Olive where He met with the apostles, He gave them the Great Commission and that was to make disciples of all nations.
In Mark, it was mentioned that “God will confirm His words by signs and wonders” and that is something we should take note of. Indeed, miracles will happen in the midst of those who believe in the word of God.

What was recorded in the book of Acts about the works by the apostles and their disciples is historical; what happened was exactly like what Mark had mentioned… The spreading and sharing of the gospel were accompanied by miracles which testified that Jesus has risen and He is alive.

Meanwhile, Luke said about a person by the name of Simon who practised magic and had amazed the people around him till they believed that the power he had was from God.
What can be the similarity and difference between the two incidents above? The similarity is about the happening of miracles; the difference is one group of people follows miracles (of Simon’s) while the other, miracles (of Jesus) follow them wherever they go.

The same thing is happening today where there are individuals who claim that they have special power to perform miracles and people believed in them and became their followers.
Christians must realise that they are followers of Jesus Christ, whether they have physically experienced a miracle or not does not matter because the greatest miracle that has already happened is “Jesus is risen from the dead and He is alive.” Based on this faith we have in Jesus, miracles will follow.

So there is a difference between chasing after miracles and letting miracles following us and the latter will happen if we are steadfast in our faith in Jesus. Today, God continues to do miracles in the midst of people who believe in Him. He wants us to be well grounded in His words and by putting our trust in Him, He will let miracles happen in our lives.