The Spiritual Hope

“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” James 5:7-8

We are living in a fast moving world and we always compete with each other and whoever is the fastest wins the race. Today, innovation is evolved around speed:- Our airplane, train and car are faster compared with the past and fast-food restaurants are mushrooming because people are rushing.

We definitely save time if we work fast and we are less tired if we travel by plane than by car. If time is the essence, it will be very productive because we achieve the expected result. On the other hand, from a life development perspective, doing things fast may not always be good. If we are on a fast lane but that happens to be the wrong lane, it can bring us grave consequences.

It can be a painful experience for someone if we asked them to wait and be patient. When we were children, we probably would have been counting the days when we could finish school, becoming adults and starting to earn money. However, there are stages that we need to go through if we are to develop properly as a person. These stages or phases of lifetime development are natural progression if we are to become strong mentally and physically.

Nowadays people prefer shortcut. As a result, a lot of things out there are fake, ostentatious and pretentious; what you see is not really what it is. In terms of relationship building, it takes time to build one which is sustainable based on mutual trust and understanding, and getting to know each other well. In perspective, developing true friendship is a long term process.

We also need to be patient if we are to aim for personal development. To improve ourselves mentally and spiritually, we need to learn from others and from our own experience, knowing what our mistakes are and be prepared to make amends.

In doing God’s work, success is not measured by what we see but is about how much we allow God to work in and through us. Success is not only about quantity of work but about how we conduct ourselves as worthy Christians with quality Christian living. Be patient and persevere! Do not give up but be firm on building sustainable success. By doing, so that God will provide us with the rightful reward.

“You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.” Psalms 18:36

We always hear people reminding us, “Take one step at a time, walk slowly and do not merrily walk until we forget to watch our footstep and make a mistake.” This reminder although sounds old-fashioned, is just as valid in today’s modern world.

More often than not, we hear such reminder within the business circle especially when competition is getting intense, reminding people to be careful and not to rush into
making decisions based on incomplete information. That said, there is also competition among spiritual leaders and again the advice is to “make informed judgment”.

If we are on the road, what we dread the most is pothole and trap, not winding road with twisted turn and corner. In life, what is most pitiful is to fall at the last hurdle. Therefore it is better to be safe than to be sorry by making sure we cover all angles before making a decision.

For major decisions such as marriage or making an investment, there is even more reason for us to be careful before making up our mind. In some situation when there is a need for consensus and everyone’s opinion matters, it is wise to be patient in listening to other people’s comment before making a conclusion. Otherwise all the good works that we have done will be unwound.

We often hear people mentioning success is round the corner. Be patient therefore, persevere and do not give up, we can be just one step away from reaching our goal.
Brothers and sisters, let bygones be bygones and we cannot change what’s in the past; what matters is our next step which will lead us to either prosperity or destruction. Even though the path is narrow, let us remain faithful to the Lord and trust His leading. He will grant us wisdom and understanding to live a purposeful life.

Jesus is our partner in life and He will be with us throughout the journey. Even though we shall walk through the valley of death, we shall not fear for Jesus is with us.

” That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.” (Matthew 8:14-17)

” And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:35-36)

From the portion of the Scriptures above, we learn three things about Jesus.

1. Jesus is full of mercy and has compassion for the under privileged and the sick.

2. Jesus has power to heal the sick and defeat the devil.

3. Jesus manifests His love and mercy and heals the sick.

His love, mercy and mightiness never change. Indeed we are thankful to God for all the breakthrough in medical research, which has saved so many human lives, but that does not mean Jesus has stopped performing miracles similar to what He did during His time on earth.

Pray for those who are facing problems beyond their own capability to solve, those who are being overwhelmed by demonic forces, those who are sick and physically weak, that they be set free of such bondage and receive healing from Jesus. Let’s thank Him for His grace and mercy, and His name be praised forever!

He said, “…Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:11-13

Once I was sweeping the car porch, clearing the debris and the fallen leaves. After gathering these fallen leaves and piling them in front of the house, I could do either of these two things; I could have swept these leaves away from the front of my house into my neighbors’ front, not a bit worried if that could have dirtied their compound. Of course, that was not the right thing to do. What I did instead was gathered all the leaves and put them into a bin bag.

The moral of the story is we should mind our own mistake instead of shifting the blame to others. Most importantly is to realize we have made a mistake and try to make amend as soon as possible. We should not hide our mistake but dare to admit our wrongdoing and start afresh.

Adam and Eve, after they have committed a wrongdoing, instead of confessing it to God, they blamed each other instead. Not only that, they also blamed God. Men are not infallible. There is a possibility that a millipede with many legs can fall into a hole if it is not careful in watching its step. What’s more a human being with two legs who may make a wrong step in life!

Therefore, do not hide our mistakes, do not blame others for our mistakes. Be humble and accept our wrongdoings. God is merciful and He will forgive if we repent.

” Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. ” Colossians 3:13

We all need God’s love. That’s why Jesus Christ came into this world. He came to show people grace. The ultimate way God does this is through forgiveness. And the ultimate way he asks you to show grace to other people is by forgiving them.

Colossians 3:13 says, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (NLT).

People often ask me, “How can I find the strength to forgive? I don’t have it in me.” I don’t have it in me either! The only place I’ve ever found the strength to forgive is in remembering how much Jesus has forgiven me. When I remember that, then he gives me the strength and grace to forgive others.

If you don’t forgive, you’re not going to enjoy God’s vision for the rest of your life, because unforgiveness will keep you stuck in the past.

Forgive—and then get on with your life. This doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be consequences for what somebody did to you. It just means that you let go of your anger and hurt and give it to God so that you can move on with God’s purpose for your life.

When that seems impossible—when you feel like you can’t be gracious toward someone—remember this: Jesus forgave you. Remembering the grace God has shown you will give you the strength to be gracious to and forgive others.

” Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. ” 2 Corinthians 5:20

You are an ambassador of Christ that means that, everywhere you go, you represent Jesus.

Here are five truths that will give you confidence to be an ambassador for Jesus Christ:

Everybody has the same longings you have. You didn’t stop being a human when you were born again into the family of God. You still have the same basic human drives and desires everyone else does. That means what you’re offering to people—how to live a life of purpose—is what everybody longs for.

Everybody has the same questions you have. All those questions you have in your mind—like “Who am I?” and “Does my life have purpose?”—are from God. They’re not small questions, but they’re the questions everyone asks. And the answers, of course, are found in God’s Word.

Most people don’t really know what they believe, and they often contradict themselves. For example, some people say there are no absolutes in life. Well, that statement alone is an absolute statement. But when you share the hope of Jesus, it brings clarity to people’s lives.

Listen for the key that will open their heart to Jesus. That key is their unmet need or hidden hurt. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ. But people come to Jesus for many reasons—many times through their painful experiences.

People have excuses, but you have the Holy Spirit and the truth. You’re not alone when you tell people about God’s plan of salvation through Jesus. God is with you, but he is also working in the other person’s heart while you’re talking through the Holy Spirit.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Why you should love someone in God’s perfect timing…

You have to love someone according to God’s perfect timing because in His time, love will never fail. It will always prosper. It is bound to last through the test of time. It may not be perfect, but it will persevere. In God’s perfect time, love will not be jealous, but patient and kind. In His time, you will accept each other wholeheartedly. You will never keep records of wrongs. You will forgive each other’s shortcomings.

You have to put God as the center of the relationship, so you will be guided. Choose love over lust. Choose to be spiritually connected with each other. Choose to stick through hardships. Choose to withstand people’s judgments. In God’s time, although things will not be easy, but everything will be worth it.

Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Ecclesiastes 7:8

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
Hebrews 10:36

Endurance is part of character building and an important part of Christian living. God endured His own people for years even though they refused His words and guidance. They were a stubborn lot and even rebelled against God, but God remained patient and gave them a second chance. God was slow to anger, was full of mercy and patience because He wanted His people to be reconciled to Him.

The Christian faith is about endurance. When we are in a situation which is unfavourable and things do not happen to go our way, we are encouraged to put our trust in God and pray that His will be done in us. We therefore practise endurance in our everyday life for those who endure are patient and will not be easily enraged. Often, relationship is destroyed because of anger and everything that started well will be destroyed in split second because of one’s angry emotion. That is why the Bible says, “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”

To endure, we need to have self control. Before we can win over others through endurance, we first need to defeat our lowly self.

But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4

Jesus was in the wilderness, praying and fasting. After fasting for forty days and forty nights, He was tempted by satan who asked Him to turn the stones into loaves of bread. Jesus rejected because He was aware that the reason He came into this world was to do the will of God; food for Jesus was to fulfill God’s will and to complete His mission on earth.

Jesus was able to discern between the voice of God and satan’s and He was ready to reject satan’s advance because He wished to live according to the will of God. Having fasted for a long period, Jesus needed food because He was hungry. Satan then thought he would make Jesus an offer that He could not refuse. But Jesus declined to do what satan suggested even though He was in need for food, and readily answered satan, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Today, satan is using the same trick to exploit our crave for materialism and dangles the carrot in front of us. In perspective, there are things which are necessary for us to conduct our everyday life. That said, there is a difference between what are considered as “must have” and “good-to-have”. Many people have become too engrossed with satisfying their worldly desire till they neglect their spiritual life; which is just as important if not more than their physical life.

The spiritual life needs to be fed by God’s word. The desire of the spiritual life is to serve God. Satan is trying hard to make us focus on desire of the flesh till we have no time for personal devotion. As a result, we spend very little quiet time with the Lord. It is not surprising that many Christians have a weak faith and succumb to temptation. There is an ongoing spiritual life between God and satan and we need a discerning spirit not to fall into the trap of satan.

Jesus did not say we cannot pursue material comfort but He reminded us not to be complacent and forget about our spiritual development and be diligent in studying His word. If we have the world but lose our soul, what is that of good to us? Today, if we have not done so, let our focus be on the cross and seek Him in earnest. For those who seek His kingdom and righteousness, everything will be given unto them.

” But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:7-8

When a person truly believes in God than living for Him is not difficult but rather comes out on its own. The bible tells us that a person who is not fully submitted to God is in the flesh thus can’t see God’s way (1 Cor. 2:14). To these people the risk is too great so they turn to themselves.  As we make daily decisions to pursue God above all else, He rewards us with His presence. God is the power that turns our hearts from the trinkets of this world to experience His love and become willing to suffer for Christ knowing that you are making not just a good decision but the best.

Everything that we give up may seem to us to be so important because we look on it with our natural eyes which are temporal and selfish. But if we see things as God does and see it in His love, we can be sure that what God is offering is far superior to what we can get here no matter how successful one may be. Paul understood this too and he also had worldly success, being raised in privilege, educated by the best and being zealous to no end yet when he met Christ everything changed. All he wanted was to know God and please Him.

The person of Christ is so wonderfully amazing that both Moses and Paul and hundreds of others have tossed aside this life to be found in Christ through obedience to His perfect will. These people were able to give it all up for Christ and endure all kinds of troubles because they believe in who Christ is. They knew that the world and all its sin could not compare. They came to see that no matter how much they suffered here for Christ knowing Him personally was far greater. Do you have this point of view? If not is God not enough?

^” I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ” Romans 8:18

The decision of whether a person comes to meet this Christ is solely based on how willing we are to let go of ourselves. If we hold to this life in anyway, we dilute His presence and will surely get entangled in sin. We will be drawn away like Solomon in his old age (1 Kings 11:1-5). But to those who make the decision “It is Christ or nothing” God reveals to them His glory and love in power. Then with endurance they too will come to understand like Moses that Jesus is worth everything. They will not walk the easy (broad) way but take the narrow way (Matt. 7:13-14).

It is easy to push this topic aside and ignore it. When we do, we continue to lose life rather than gain it as we have chosen the world over Christ. We are robbed and don’t see it. We may succeed here but not have much there or even lose our salvation. For this reason, it is vital to diligently ask God prayerfully if there is something/someone you love more than Him. He must be our first love (Rev.2:4-5). Each Christian must make their own decision. We should seek him. Pursue this till you receive the truth. God will meet you and guide you if you are sincere.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8