The next unique component I want to point out revolves around this theme:
The Greatest Savior.
Imagine that millions of people were dying from a deadly disease. It was a disease of the blood. No one had good blood to counteract the bad blood, so everyone continued to die. Then a man came into town whose blood was healthy. He offered blood transfusions to anyone who wanted one. Some said he was a fool and doubted that he could really help them. Others called him a liar. But you and I believed he spoke the truth. We took his blood and were healed of the disease. That’s basically what the greatest savior did for you. I’m referring to Jesus Christ over here.
Yes, I’m repeating the greatest gift which I talked about last week but this time, with more details.
So after saying in a layman form what Jesus Christ did for you? Who actually is Jesus Christ and more importantly, who is Jesus Christ in your life?
Let’s take a look at Philippians 2:5-11
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
In short, what this passage is trying to say is that, Jesus Christ is God and for the sake of mankind, he became man in order to die for us and cleanse us from our sins. Thus, let’s take a look at another passage which will answer my second question of this article; who is Jesus Christ in your life?
Colossians 1:10-12
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
Let me summarize this. Now that Jesus Christ died for our sins, we are then required to lead a life holy and blameless before God. That’s exactly what this passage is saying.
So yup, that’s all for today and since Christmas is round the corner, here’s a carol titled, “what child is this” till then, bye!
search it!
The greatest father
Let’s start of. The first unique point I want to talk about is God being the greatest father! What’s so great about that? Can you imagine the awesome creator of the universe as your father? I mean, he actually has a very close and personal relationship with you!
And before you are start giving thoughts to things like, oh my, it’s another dad who scolds the shit out of me or maybe if you grew up in a bad family, you probably think he might just be another non-caring dad. I’m telling you here, this greatest father I’m talking about is an ideal father and that is God himself.
In the bible passage, Matthew 7:11 it says that If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
And here’s another amazing fact. Long ago, even before God made the world, he already chose you to be His very own through what Christ would do for you; He decided then to make you holy in His eyes, without a single fault. And now, you stand before Him covered with His love.
Here’s what Ephesians 1:4-5 says.
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.
And thus concludes one of the factors for the week, the greatest father. And tomorrow, we’ll be going through something rather similar, the greatest savior!
Before I end of, here’s a video on the creation.
Alright, here we are at the final gift which is also the greatest gift. But well, before I start, let’s enjoy some comics first which will pose as a prologue to the greatest gift I will be talking about. Special thanks to http://www.comicspace.com/tim_baron/comics.php?action=read&file_id=18585&bl_type=4&bl_from=%2Fsearch.php%3Fsearch_type%3Dcomics%26terms%3Djesus%2A+life
You guessed it right, the greatest gift here I’m talking about is eternal life, given by the Lord Jesus Christ of course.
Here’s the full account on what actually happened and why we need this gift of eternal life.
On the day when God created man, man and God actually had a good relation but then this only lasted until the day when man sinned against God. This sin which man has committed caused a separation, a void in the relation between man and God.
And due to this sin, man is destined for eternal death. In other words, we’re definitely heading for hell after we die. And hell is no joke. It is a place of eternal loneliness and fire. A place where I suppose no one wants to go to. I mean, treat hell as the worst prison on earth. I bet you don’t even want to go there and the truth is, hell is so much worse then the worst prison on earth. So back to the point, we were headed for eternal death and punishment but God had an alternative plan for us…
He sent his son down, Jesus to die for the sins of mankind. Jesus is able to do that because he is God. And being God, a far more superior being then us, he is able to cleanse our sins with his blood. Make sense doesn’t it?
Just place this scenario in your mind. Imagine you created something, say a pot. That makes you a potter right? So now, suppose you created a few pots and somehow or rather, all the pots start to have cracks on their surface. Who is the one who is able to amend these cracks? Is it you, the potter or the pot itself? The answer is obvious and that just proved my point. God is the creator, we are the created, so that makes full sense why he’s able to save us and not us save us.
Alright, that was a bit of sidetrack so back to where I was. And thus, the greatest gift, the Lord Jesus. Because of his death on the cross and his shedding of blood, we are now able to have eternal life as long as we place our faith in him.
From a state where we are bound to die to a state where we will now have eternal life, this is a gift. A state where we are to enter the eternal pits of fire to a state where now are able to enter the kingdom of heaven, that is a gift.
In fact, that’s the whole purpose of Christmas. To act as a reminder, that 2000 years back, a savior was born to mankind, Jesus Christ and that itself is the greatest gift to you and I.
That’s the 7th gift, a gift from God.
We are almost coming to an end now so before I start on today’s main point let’s do some recap.
1. the fruit of the spirit
2. the gift of a listening ear
3. the gift of asking and answering
4. the gift of a written note
5. the gift of solitude
And here we are today the sixth gift,
The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone. Really, it’s not that difficult to say, “Hello”, “Thank you” or even “You’re Welcome” to someone.
This sounds familiar doesn’t it? Remember, back when we were young kids, 7years old, 8 years old; this was the phrase our parents usually tell us. Or even the books we read.
But somehow, as the years go by, ten years later, thirty years down the road, we forgotten all about it. We forgot how to extend A kind word to someone who should have it. It’s just A kind word. I’m not asking for 2, 3 or more. I’m just asking for A, ONE kind word.
And in fact, this ‘loss of memory’ is caused by our habit. Had we really took in our parent’s teaching and act it out since we were 8 all the way till where we are now, we wouldn’t have forgotten how to say “thank you” when required. Furthermore, as we grow up, so did our pride and ego but sometimes, we really have to put that down and extend A kind word to that someone who helped us. It’s doesn’t make you look poor or stupid so just put down your pride and ego for that moment, no worries.
And today, I’m not just talking to you about extending kind words to people. The second point I’m going to tell you is that by doing this honestly, you are going to feel good.
I can’t really explain this point but just try it out and you will understand what I mean. When someone says thanks to you, try saying you’re welcome. It’s going to change the way you feel last time when you kept silent.
Just a ‘thank you’.
Before we come straight to the point of today’s gift, here's a cartoon(above) from http://www.christiancartoons.com/index.htm
The gift of solitude
There are times when we want nothing better then to be left alone. Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.
What I will be talking in this article today is mainly the gift of solitude. In fact, in the previous paragraph, I have already given it a summary.
So, for the past few days, I’ve been talking about how you can extend your helping hand to another person be it by being a listening ear, by giving some words of comfort etc. however today, the gift I’m talking about is of a different approach.
Why is that so? Because instead of being there for someone literally, having this gift of solitude requires us to sometimes, leave that person alone yet being there for the person anytime when he/she needs it. In other words, when it’s obvious she/he needs some alone time, give it to him/her but when he/she needs some listening ear, then carry on to give it to him/her.
And well, just some side-track, if you’re going to be a friend to someone, be a good friend. Don’t be some friend who sours relation. Be a friend who’s willing to help in whatever situation. Be a good friend.
Therefore, remember that sometimes, comforting words or listening ear are not what you can offer to people when they’re in trouble. Sometimes, what they need is just to be alone to think through what has happened.
To be sensitive to when they need such moments, place yourself in their shoes. What will you be asking for?
Well, it’s the 4thgift so far. And today, what I will be talking about will be the gift of a written note.
The note I’m referring here are not those long and sophisticated notes. The notes I’m referring are those notes which are short and sweet. Notes like, “hey job well done earlier on” or “know what, thanks so much for helping me”.
You never know. Just a single note can actually change a person’s entire life. I remember when I started out as a Christian, my best friend who was then just my any other friend used to write notes for me. If I may, notes which are just plain notes with if I may again, very little sincerity. But as the years go by, we became the best of friends and the notes too, became even more motivational for me in a way and one of which changed the course of my life.
Well, the point I’m driving at is that, when you decide to take your pen and write a note for someone, do it out of pure concern for that person and not for the sake for writing a note. The receiver will definitely note the difference and that will not be very pleasant.
Here’s another quote, the gift of a written note, it could be long and pleasant or short and sweet but nevertheless, it may also change the life of the person who receive it.
Before I end of this entry, if you have been reading the earlier posts, I’ve covered how to make someone’s day and even today, I’m also talking about how to make someone’s day with the help of a written note. And I guess, you may ask how does that benefit me? Well, I will be touching on that tomorrow so stay tune! (:
Have you ever felt, totally discouraged before? In a sense you actually got top 10 in your school for a certain exam and here comes your parents instead of saying, “well done son!” said things like, “why didn’t you win Thomas?” or maybe, in another sense, you went an extra mile for a friend yet instead of him/her thanking you, he/she just said nothing or worse, don’t appreciate it at all.
Today, we will be talking on the gift of asking and answering. A&A. I believe that if we force ourselves to do it, this gift of A&A will sooner or later be part of us. Here, I am not teaching you on how to respond to such acts but rather, I will be telling you how YOU can avoid being like these in the future, or even taking it as a reminder if you already aren’t such kind of people.
So how does A&A help? The first A, Asking, is a way to show concern for others and I mean, who doesn’t want concern. You could be a parent already, a teacher, a student like me, or even a very good friend to someone. ASK. Ask how their day was? When eating with them, ASK if they would like some serving from your dish (before you start on it that is). When you see a big smile on their face, ASK what made their day. But of course, don’t ask for the sake of asking. Ask for the sake of concern.
The next A, answering, refers to answering to comments and not question. And of course, always give the right answer and not the wrong one. Taking the example I made earlier on, the one in which a kid gets top 10 in a certain school examination and got a bad remark from his parents instead of a good one. This example clearly shows that this kid parents have forgotten to answer correctly. And well, you and I should also avoid on doing such things. Say, when a friend gets some pretty good achievement, never go up to him/her and spoil his/her day. Instead say something nice, make his/her day even brighter. So if you got no “answer”, don’t make one. Don’t go around spoiling the days of others.
I believe this quote will be familiar but just a reminder for all. If you got nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Or at the very least, think before you give your answer to a comment.
The gift of listening.
Alright, here’s gift number 2, the gift of listening. Yesterday, I mentioned about in-built gift and likewise, this gift I’m talking about today, is also an in-built gift. And today I’m going to talk about why this gift is considered a gift first, then talk about in fact, you my dear readers actually already posses this gift but have not come to realize how to use it.
So why is listening to someone a gift? A gift is a talent, endowment, aptitude, or inclination. And being able to listen or rather listen attentively is a talent. You see, when someone wants to pour his/her heart out, he/she will always find someone who has a listening ear. No one wants to pour his/her heart out to someone who always shuts his/her ear but not his/her mouth, it will only make things worse.
So you see what I’m driving at? This gift of listening is like a talent, but instead of saying not everyone has it, I would like to rephrase to, everyone has it, but not everyone knows how to use it.
That jumps to my second point, why is it that not everyone knows how to use it. Simple, because by human nature, we like to interrupt whenever someone is talking to us and that someone may be our parents, friends or even teacher. Yet however, the gift of listening requires us to REALLY listening. Just plain listening, no interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your respond. Just listening. This also means, you don’t have to try to come up with a solution for their problem. What they need most right now, is a pair of listening ears and not solution. Solution will definitely come later on after the sharing.
Therefore, learn to use this gift. Listen and just listen. For the third gift which will be up tomorrow, it will be linked to the gift I talked about today. Stay tuned!(:
Before I start on what I’m going to write today, the first post of this blog has no relevance to Christianity, in fact it should be under media. So, if you ever wonder why the first post is that post, it is due to the fact that this blog was meant to be a blog on media but I’m changing it to Christianity now.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith-fullness, gentleness and self-control.
I believe that the first thing that comes to your mind is, why are that 9 properties when this entry is titled, the 7 gifts. Alright, here’s the idea. These 9 properties are only counted as 1 gift. And for the next 6 days, I will be talking about the next 6 gifts. That sums up the 7 gifts!
So, why is it that these 9 properties are only counted as 1 gift? Firstly, if you look at the English of this verse, it stated the fruit of the Spirit and not fruit(S) of the spirit. That itself justify these 9 properties as one. In fact, all these 9 properties are all linked. Without love, how is it that you can be patience to someone? Without kindness, how is it that there can be goodness. I’m sure this point of mine is weak at first glance, but give it some thought. I’m sure after that, you will understand what I’m trying to say.
That’s not all. What I just explained is mainly the second word of the title of this entry, Seven.
But, how is it that having the fruit of the Spirit is a gift? If I may, Richard Templar in his book, The Rules of Life have wrote about many rules regarding personal life and some of the rules such as [be the last to raise your voice] requires patience, love, self-control. What I’m trying to say here is simple. This gift I’m talking about today is an in-built gift, a gift that shapes you into a better person or if you are a believer like me, a better Christian.
A gift doesn’t necessarily be in a form of material. But I believe the greatest gift is what is unseen. After all, I believe that the gift that makes the rich today rich isn’t the million dollars they have but they motivation and drive to earn that million.
So moving on, the second gift like I mentioned earlier on in this blog will be posted tomorrow so do check it out. Until then, bye!
Alright here's some brief introduction before i start out on this blog.
I'm Lloyd here, 18 this year studying over at Tampines JC.
This blog mainly revolves around the theme, media so if want to update yourself more on the media world, or are interested in the media news or even interested in purchasing some cds, here's the right place for you.
First off, here's an Asian artist, Genie Zhou.
Genie Zhuo was born in Taiwan on January 20, 1986, and has a brother. When she was a first year in the Taipei County Fuho Junior High School, she won several karaoke competitions. After a number of lessons and training for singing, her debut as a singer was determined.
After graduated from the Hua Kang Art School, she continued recording, and she has been active in some TV dramas in Taiwan including the 2007 drama, Romantic Princess, in which she is starred as Gong Mo Li. She also played the role in a 2006 Taiwanese movie, Do Over (一年之初). For more information, head on to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genie_Zhuo.
And also, my friend had recently got back from Taiwan and got an album of Genie Zhou, signed! So if you are ever interested in buying this album from me, just drop me a comment on this post man! i will get back to you again (:
More information on this album titled, Be Used To 習慣.
My apologies for not typing in Chinese. Below are the tracks for this album however it is in hanyun pinin.
1) Super No. 1 -- Love Queen Opening Theme
2) Dui Ni De Ai
3) Liang Shan Bo Yu Zhu Li Ye(featuring Gary Cao) -- Love Queen Ending Theme
4) Dong Tian De Ju Zi
5) Chang Yi Xiu
6) Xing Fu Tiao Wei
7) Ke Yi Bu Ke Yi
8) Xiao Kong Jian Da Lian Ai
9) Wu Lu Mu Qi Xiao Nu Ren
10) Ai Wo Hao Ma
furthermore, there's also a bonus vcd featuring:
1. Liang Shan Bo Yu Zhu Li Ye
2. Xing Fu Tiao Wei
3. Dui Ni De Ai
4. Liang Shan Bo Yu Zhu Li Ye (REMIX)
5. Dong Tian De Ju Zi (REMIX)