Do Not Let COVID-19 Dominate Our Lives
Recently, we have been hearing the world telling us that we need to learn to live with COVID-19, as it does not seem to be going away anytime soon. So how does learning to live with the virus look like? Importantly, though COVID-19 may remain with humankind, it must not dominate our lives, God must! Instead of revolving our lives around COVID-19, we have to centre our lives on God. The impact of COVID-19 may be real, but the presence and power of God should impact us more than COVID-19. If even the world knows it should not be dominated by COVID-19, so all the more the church should pray that God help us rise above it.
The Secret To Forgiveness
We all have been wounded in big or small ways, sometimes people looked down on us, sometimes they took advantage of us, sometimes they forgot about us, and sometimes words of hate turn into actions of harm against us. How should we deal with these? God calls us to love even our enemies, which includes forgiving others. But what if we still struggle to forgive? In fact, forgiveness is at the heart of Christianity. To forgive may be a hard thing to do, but it brings greatest freedom.
Honoring Our Parents
Our relationship with our parents is one which cannot be severed, and God values this relationship enough to include it in the Ten Commandments, telling us to honor our father and our mother. The dynamics between us and our parents also change as we grow from young children to adult children. While it is easier to obey our parents when we were young, when we grow older, more independent and capable, there is this possibility of despising our aged parents. What about those parents who hurt us, or parents who are not believers? Why and how should we honor our parents?
Testing For Transformation
The God we worship is a living God, and His word is also alive and effective. Thus, if anyone claims to believe God’s word, he will have some kind of life transformation over time. God gave us certain tests and trials in our lives so that we are convinced that we must fully trust Him and be God-driven, instead of stubbornly choose to trust our own wisdom and ways. Because He wants to use us, He will test us, to see if our faith is real and submission is sincere. When God tests us, can we pass the tests, and can He find true transformation in us?
Building A Blessed And Godly Family
Family is our most important human relationship. Yet, it can go both ways; the dearest family can be God’s channel of strength and comfort to us, but at the same time, the devil also often uses the family to attack us. Family is the closest relationship, but precisely because of that proximity, it is also the relationship in which the weakest and ugliest side of humans is shown most easily and hurts most intensely. Thus, we need to understand how to restore a blessed family relationship in Christ.
Meaning And Fruitful Labour In Christ
“Labour” may not sound appealing, as it entails hard work instead of ease. Yet, Christians are promised that “our labour in the Lord is not in vain”. How should we labour diligently for God and overcome our lazy nature?
God’s Discipline, Man’s Repentance
Sometimes, even though evil seems to get its way temporarily, God will eventually prove that He is just and will bring about judgment for sin. For those who have done wrong yet did not repent, even if they do not see any ‘bad’ consequences yet, they will still have a strange, subtle fear within them. Whenever something unpleasant happens to them, they may wonder if that is God’s punishment for them. Unless there is real repentance followed by concrete transformation, they will always be accused and gripped by fear.
Responding To God’s Revelation
We are generally curious about our future and God’s plan. But why do we really want to know God’s revelation or word? Is it because we want to obey God and adjust our plans around His? Or will we think of ways to escape from God’s plan after knowing that it is different from ours? In fact, when God reveals His will and plan to man, He meant to bring about a blessed response from man, for man to repent, turn to Him, submit to Him and share the good news of salvation to others. Can you discern God’s will today, and how do you respond to it?
In Between Death And Resurrection
What do you think were the feelings of Jesus’ followers in between His death and resurrection? Did they believe Him when he said He will be killed and after three days He will rise? How about us? Have we also encountered a situation similar to “sitting opposite the tomb of Jesus”? As dreadful as it is, without the “tomb” (death) of Jesus, we will have no hope of salvation at all! Certainly, none of us like to “sit opposite the tomb”, but paradoxically, it is also there that we are being brought to be broken before God, to repent and renew. Moreover, the bigger the problem, the greater is God’s victory and glory which are revealed eventually.
Wait On Others While Waiting For God
Often, people find it reasonable to be immersed in self-pity when life turned against them. Yet, self-pity only paralyses a person and makes one more upset. One effective way of diverting away from self-pity is to attend to others’ needs rather than focus on our own suffering. Even if we are forgotten for the kindness we have shown, God will surely remember us and fulfill His glorious will on us.
