From: Lie Ay Lieng
God is GOD's ID & Me is an ID which can be anybody.
Some answers to the questions we all face. This is the extract of a net
Chat somebody had with God. It might be very useful...
God: Hello did you call me?
Me: Called you? No. Who is this?
God: This is GOD. I heard your prayers. So I thought I will chat.
Me: I do pray. Just makes me feel good. I am actually busy now. I am in the
midst of
something.
God: What are you busy at? Ants are busy too.
Me: Don't know. But I can't find free time. Life has become hectic. It's rush
hour all the time.
God: Sure. Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you results.Activity
consumes time.
Productivity frees it.
Me: I understand, but I still can't figure out.By the way, I was not expecting
you to buzz me
on instant messaging chat.
God: Well I wanted to resolve your fight for time, by giving you some clarity. In
this net era, I
wanted to reach you through the medium you are comfortable with.
Me: Tell me, why has life become complicated now?
God: Stop analyzing life, just live it, Analysis is what makes it complicated.
Me: Why are we than constantly unhappy?
God: Your today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday. You are
worrying because
you are analyzing. Worrying has become your habit. That's why you are not
happy.
Me: But how can we not worry when there is so much uncertainty?
God: Uncertainty is inevitable, but worrying is optional
Me: But then, there is so much pain due to uncertainty.
God: Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.
Me: If suffering is optional, why do good people always suffer?
God: Diamond cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without
fire. Good
people go through trails, but don't suffer. With that experience their
life become better not
bitter.
Me: You mean to say such experience is useful?
God: Yes. In every term, Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and
the lessons
afterwards.
Me: But still, why should we go through such tests? Why can't we be free from
problems?
God: Problems are Purposeful Roadblocks offering beneficial lesson to enhance
mental
strength. Inner strength comes from struggle and endurance, not when you
are free from
problems.
Me: Frankly in the midst of so many problems, we don't know where we are heading.
God: If you look outside, you will not know where we are heading, look inside.
Looking outside,
you dream, looking inside you awaken, eyes provide sight, heart provides
insight.
Me: Sometimes not succeeding fast seems to hurt more than moving in the right
direction. What should I do?
God: Success is a measure as decided by others.Satisfaction is a measure as decided
by
you, knowing that road ahead is more satisfying than knowing you rode head.
You work
with the compass. Let others work with the clock.
Me: In tough times, how do you stay motivated?
God: Always look at how far you have come rather than how far you have to go.
Always count
your blessing, not what you are missing.
Me: What surprises you about people?
God: When they suffer they ask, "Why me?" when they prosper, they never ask "Why
me?"
Everyone wishes to have truth on their side, but few want to be on the side
of the truth.
Me: Sometimes I ask, who am I, why am I here. I can't get the answer.
God: Seek not to find who you are, but to determine who you want to be.Stop looking
for a
purpose as to why you are here.Create it. Life is not a process of
discovery but a process
of creation.
Me: How can I get the best out of life?
God: Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence.Prepare for
the future
without fear.
Me: One last question Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered.
God: There are no unanswered prayers; At times the answer is NO.
Me: Thank you for this wonderful chat. I am so happy to start the new day with a
new sense of
inspiration.
God: Well keep the faith and drop the fear. Don't believe your doubts and doubt your
beliefs. Life
is a mystery to solve not a problem to resolve.Trust me life is wonderful
if you know how
to handle it, make the best of your life.
***** God is GOD's ID & Me is an ID which can be anybody.
============================================
From: "suyento" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Maintaining a Proper Perspective
Did you know a single cup of coffee contains enough moisture to blanket your entire
neighborhood with fog fifty feet thick?
It's amazing how such a small amount of water-spread out so thinly-can hinder our
vision almost completely. We tend to get upset when fog hinders our pilgrimage, but we
forget the sun is still shining overhead, burning it away. Why do we get upset?
Because we fail to maintain a proper perspective.
British statesman William Wilberforce once commented, "The objects of the present life
fill the human eye with a false magnification because of their immediacy." Problems
and concerns often act like fog to obscure our present situation. They keep us from
seeing things in proper perspective.
Psychologists tell us that forty-five percent of what we worry about is past, and
forty-five percent is future. (Thirty percent concerns our health alone!) Only one in
every ten things we worry about will ever come to pass-and we usually cannot do
anything about it anyway.
No wonder Jesus Christ tells us, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry
about itself" (Matthew 6:34). The Bible also says, "Do not be anxious about anything"
(Philippians 4:6). We worry whenever we fail to maintain a true perspective of our
circumstances.
Sometimes we treat problems and trials as if we were on a television commercial. We
rush around thinking we have to solve everything in thirty seconds. When we can't, we
panic.
We try every option we can think of to overcome our problems and difficulties. When
none of them works, we reluctantly turn to God as a last resort.
But there are no emergencies in heaven. God is aware of our problems (Exodus 3:7; 1
Peter 5:7). He did not create us to be self-sufficient to meet our needs. He created
us to depend on Him.
A.W. Tozer wrote, "The man who comes to a right belief about God is relieved of ten
thousand temporal problems, for he sees at once that these have to do with matters
which at the most cannot concern him for very long."
Do you face a difficult situation, my friend? Has your way been covered by a heavy
fog? God has not allowed this situation to come into your life to discourage or defeat
you. Every trial you and I face is an opportunity for God to demonstrate who He is to
us-the One we can always depend upon, no matter what.
King Hezekiah saw God demonstrate His care for him in a dramatic way. Meditate on
Isaiah 37 and record the steps that King Hezekiah took when faced with a serious
problem. Then compare your list with mine below.
Hezekiah acknowledged that he had a problem (37:1).
He sought to know what God's Word said about his problem (37:2 7).
He didn't allow anything to distort his perspective (37:8 13).
He prayed to God-first worshiping Him, then presenting his request, and finally
asking that God would be glorified (37:14 20).
Use these same steps when you face a difficulty or trial. Remember, it is in the hard
places that we get to know Him better.
To Ponder
Do you tend to have a problem with worry?
What have you been worried about lately? Health? Work? Finances? Marriage? Family?
Church? National issues?
To Pursue
Review Isaiah 37:1-20, making brief notes in the margin of your Bible about how
King Hezekiah responded during a time of crisis. Use those same steps to address areas
of personal concern.
Taken from : http://www.gospelcom.net
==============================================
From: "suyento" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
THREE QUESTIONS TO DETERMINE, "IS THIS TRUE ? "
GUIDANCE FOR CHRISTIAN DISCERNMENT.
by Tim Riter
While taking the message of Jesus to the towns of his world, Paul came to Berea, and
went to the synagogue there. The people's dual response is perfect: " . they received
the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what
Paul said was true" (Acts 17:11).
The Bereans had an open attitude, but wanted to check out what was being communicated.
Paul said this Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament, so they compared
what Paul said to what God had said. A wise decision.
Like the people Paul taught, we need to commit to the ongoing process of examining all
of our beliefs, values, and opinions through the filter of Scripture. Add to that our
own quirks, what we're taught by pastors and others, and ideas that pop up in small
groups. We don't want to be obnoxious, but we do want the freedom that comes with
knowing the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. If we truly desire to
grow in Christ, we need to distinguish between beliefs that will help us grow and
beliefs that will hinder our growth. How do we make that distinction?
Let's look at three questions we can use to evaluate the truthfulness of any message.
1. Is it consistent with the entire witness of the Bible?
Keep this slogan in mind: "A text without a context is a pretext." Linking the context
with the words of the passage or verse helps us avoid "proof-texting," pulling one
verse out of context to prove a point. The broader the context; the greater the
understanding.
Writing my second book provided one of my greatest challenges. I wanted A Passionate
Pursuit of God to present the awesome privilege we have of knowing God as well as to
give practical steps to do that. At first, I was quite intimidated by the task. How do
you summarize the transcendent Creator of the universe in 150 pages? How do you blend
brevity and accuracy? I started by using my computer Bible search program to discover
every verse in the Bible that dealt with knowing God or Jesus. Every one. I didn't
mention all those verses in the book, but I used every one in my thinking and writing.
I didn't ignore a single verse. Why? I wanted to pass on truth about knowing God. I
didn't want any of my words to contradict or confuse even one verse of Scripture. I
wanted to express truth. If all Scripture is true, then it won't contradict itself. We
need to understand all that God said about the subject before holding on too tightly
to a conclusion.
2. Is the message consistent with historical understanding?
I don't mean that "tradition" stands on the same level of authority with God's Word!
The phrase "If it's new, it isn't true" summarizes a generally wise approach-if we
don't take it too far. But if the "new idea" contradicts the historical understanding,
then realize that the burden of proof lies with those proposing the new slant. If the
idea is true, that can be done.
The historical church hasn't always believed only the truth. Martin Luther proved
that. More recently, some churches taught racism and bigotry. Overcoming these
teachings required changes in our understanding of truth.
Take the time to cautiously evaluate "new" ideas.
3. Is the message important enough to be considered an "essential" truth?
Is this a hill you're willing to die on? Or is it something that Christians can
validly disagree on, and still be solid Christians and love one another? Too often
we've battled and separated over different interpretations of "truth," when in reality
we separated over opinion. Paul warns us against that in Romans 14:1-3:
Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One
man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats
only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not,
and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has
accepted him.
As a general indicator of doctrinal essentials we must believe, Ephesians 4 says it
all:
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is
one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to one hope when you were called-one
Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through
all and in all (vv.3-6)
As we discussed, we build unity by seeking to agree on essential items like the person
of God, our need for the church, faith as the means of salvation, needing an entry
point into a faith relationship, and the return of Christ. We won't always start off
agreeing, but these issues hold enough importance that we need to strive for agreement
on them. As we follow these guidelines, we'll live in the truth.
I encourage you to commit yourself to a rigorous examination of what you believe and
what others suggest. Seek truth that's consistent with God's word. When you do, on the
authority of God's true Word, I promise you, "Then you will know the truth, and the
truth will set you free" (John 8:32, emphasis added).
Freedom is a good thing. And that's the truth.
Copyright 2004 by Tim Riter.Twelve Lies You Hear in Church. Copied with permission by
Cook Communications Ministries. May not be further reproduced. All rights reserved.
Taken from : www.christianitytoday.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar.
Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/IYOolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Mailing List Jesus-Net Ministry Indonesia - JNM -
Daftar : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Keluar : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Posting: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bantuan Moderator : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
WebSite: http://jnm.clear-net.com (Webmaster wanted!)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jesus-net/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
