The Number 7

dated 7 July 2007

Today is special to many Christian groups. It's 7-07-2007. The number 7 is connoted with jubilee in the Bible. That means, in a cycle of 7 years, the 7th year is when all debts are canceled- they suddenly become zero. That's in the Old Testament. Had the Jews practiced it, together with the other statutes God had given them, the glorious kingdom of Israel in the time of David would have continued on. As it is, they didn't, and that led to their downfall. However, God had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that if He scatters the people of Israel all over the earth because of their disobedience, in His faithfulness, He will bring them back, if they cry out to Him. The formation of the nation of Israel in 1948 is testament to the fulfillment of that promise from God. However, the Bible story has not finished unfolding. Jesus will come again in His glory, and He will rule from Jerusalem!

As for me, how do I apply this 7-07-2007 jubilee concept, then? Well, I pray to God that my friends who have any grudge against me would cancel my "debt" by forgiving me, and I pray to God to help me forgive people, especially those I thought I had already forgiven, but unconsciously still has a grudge on. Tricky huh? The human heart is more complicated than we think.

Almond blossoms in spring reminds me of "starting over."

Almond blossom pic from http://content.answers.com

The Serious Post

dated 30 June 2007

Jesus came to set the captives free.

Sorry for procrastinating. I've been busy the last two weeks and haven't had enough sleep, roughly 4-5 hours only a day, and am really exhausted. But thank God, the flu is finally gone. My younger daughter prayed for me and said, "Mommy, Jesus is sending His angels to heal you." I believe He did because I really feel good now and the coughing is not totally gone but comes only once in a while and doesn't annoy me anymore. Meanwhile, she has been telling me again and again how Jesus had taken good care of her at the hospital and that Jesus was the one who healed her of the flu and vomiting. I didn't hear her sleep-talking when we were at the hospital but she had consistently related that Jesus was sitting on the spare chair next to mine at the hospital and said, "Hi ______(her name)," to her. She would sometimes just burst out, "Mommy, I love Jesus! He's so nice!" I know that she really knows Him and has encountered Him many times.

Well, yes, she's a blessed child. Sometimes I feel that if she gets healed and becomes smart she would lose that childlike faith she has in Jesus. This I have observed with the smart people around me. Sometimes I feel maybe it's better she remains "simple-minded" as she is now so she would continue in her child-like faith in Jesus. After all, for me, that's the only thing that really matters in this life – being in a friendship with Jesus, in preparation for an endless life with Him in His kingdom in the next life. For me, anything less than that means failure in this life. "For what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"

So, before I get side-tracked, here's the serious post:

"Cursed is the man who carves an image or casts an idol—a thing detestable to the LORD, the work of the craftsman's hands—and sets it up in secret." (IDOLATRY)

"Cursed is the man who dishonors his father or his mother."
(DISOBEDIENCE TOWARDS, OR, TALKING BAD ABOUT YOUR PARENTS)

"Cursed is the man who moves his neighbor's boundary stone."
(STEALING SOMEBODY ELSE'S PROPERTY)

"Cursed is the man who leads the blind astray on the road."
(INTENTIONAL DECEPTION)

"Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow."
(BULLYING THE WEAK AND DISADVANTAGED)

"Cursed is the man who sleeps with his father's wife, for he dishonors his father's bed."
(INCEST)

"Cursed is the man who has sexual relations with any animal."
(BESTIALITY)

"Cursed is the man who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother."
(INCEST)

"Cursed is the man who sleeps with his mother-in-law."
(INCEST)

"Cursed is the man who kills his neighbor secretly."
(MURDER)

"Cursed is the man who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person."
(BEING A HIT-MAN)

"Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out." The King James Version translates this as: Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.
(FAILING TO TEACH ANY OF THE ABOVE AND AFFIRM THE SERIOUSNESS OF SUCH OFFENSE)

The above is from Deuteronomy 27: 15-26, New International Version Bible. Now, there are other parts in the Bible as well that show curses can also be incurred by violation of some other of God's laws. So, the above passage is only a portion of the whole thing. Besides, there are other sources of curses as well. These are word curses that people in authority over you may have uttered over you and that you yourself may have unknowingly uttered over yourself. These word curses can also be passed down to the generations, depending on how and when they were uttered.

Now you might think it's not so bad if you have not done any of the violations mentioned above. The trouble is, with generational curses, it means that the curse was handed down to you because somebody in your family line at least four generations ahead of you – that's your parents (2), your grandparents (4), your great-grandparents (8) and great-great grandparents (16) – a total of 30 people in all – committed any of the sins that incurs a curse.

This concept comes from here:

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

(Exodus 20:4-6, New International Version Bible)

That's the second of the well-known Ten Commandments.

God punishes people who sin, not only them, but their descendants as well, to the third and fourth generations. That means if you sin, you suffer its consequences and so will your children, grand-children, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. However, we do not readily see the consequences because not everyone in the generational line gets it.

The King James Version of verse 5 goes like this:

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

God only "visits" the sins of the fathers. Meaning, He may visit this generation (the sin and its consequences are manifested ) but He may not do so, i.e., He skips, the next first generation, the second and the third generation and then again "visit" the fourth. That's why the manifestation of a generational curse is "random." And that's why most people don't believe it exists.

So, now, here's something for you to ponder about: Who among us never had an ancestor 3-4 generations before us (the 30 people described above), who never did any of the sins described above that can incur a generational curse?

But thanks be to God, Jesus became a curse for us that we may be free from the curse. And our responsibility is to confess our sins and the sins of our ancestors (as if they are our sins) and stand in the gap for our generations, and pray that these curses be lifted from us and our descendants, in Jesus' name. And if multiple curses are upon us because of multiple sins that cause curses, just imagine the layers of curses that need to be lifted from us. But praise be to God, Jesus came to set the captives free!

Bald eagle-in-flight image from http://a0130905.uscgaux.info

A child's stick drawing from http://www.noacsc.org

Scales of justice image from http://www.cnn.com

Straight from the Heart

dated 10 May 2007

Gosling Under Goose Wing

It's interesting how God answers our cries in the most unexpected ways. He's good. He's really, really good. I have received so many undeserved gifts from Him. Even in my darkest hours when I don't expect Him to show up because I've been really, really bad... well, He does. God is goooood. Such is the compassion of my Father.

Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. (New International Version Bible)

Have a nice day, folks!

In Cana of Galilee

dated 8 May 2007

Jesus' Second Miracle in Cana of Galilee

Once upon a time, there was a rich and important man of the city of Capernaum. He and his family were happy and lived a comfortable life. They had good food to eat, nice clothes to wear, a big comfortable house to live in, they had many friends, and they had many servants to serve them. However, despite all those he was sad. His son was sick and was soon going to die. He was very troubled and disappointed. He loved his son dearly and he had hoped he would inherit all he had and be an important man like himself some day. But if his heir died, then all his hopes and dreams for him would amount to nothing! Besides, he really loved his son and he would surely miss him if he died. He couldn't bear the thought of a life ahead without his son. The rich important man had lost all hope until one day he heard about a man of God by the name of Jesus.

People were telling him that Jesus had been teaching about God, whom he also claimed to be his Father. Jesus was also known to have healed sick people at the feast during the most recent Passover, in Jerusalem. Then he heard that Jesus had come to Galilee, just about a day's journey from his home city of Capernaum. And so, the rich important man decided to meet Jesus in Galilee to persuade him to come along with him to heal his beloved son.

He came to
Cana of Galilee. He told the Lord Jesus, "Have mercy upon your humble servant. My son is severely sick and is soon to die. Please come with me to my home so you may heal him."

But Jesus told him, "You may go back now and I don't have to come along with you. I have already healed your son."

The rich important man believed Jesus and said, "Thank you, my Lord, that I have found mercy in your sight." And so, he headed home.

Before he could reach home, some of his servants met him, and joyfully told him the news: "Your son is alive and well; he's healed!"

When he asked when exactly the child got better, he was told that it was at the seventh hour the day before, that the fever left him.

Then the rich important man remembered that that was the same hour when Jesus told him his son was already healed. Because of that incident, he became a believer of Jesus, he and his whole family.

(Adapted from John 4:46-54, Bible)

Images from:
www.bedandbreakfast.com
www.2camels.com
http://developmentalidealism.org

Uncommon Faith

dated 2 May 2007

The Healing of the Centurion's Servant

One day when Jesus was in Capernaum, the elders of the Jews in that city approached him. They entreated him to come with them to the house of an important Roman soldier, a commander of a hundred soldiers, that is, a centurion. The centurion had a long-time and loyal servant, whom he loved, who was sick and dying. He had requested the elders of the Jews to speak to Jesus in his behalf, so that Jesus would come to heal his servant.

"He loves our nation Israel," one of the elders said. "He even built a synagogue for us," said another. "Oh, he's a good and honest man," further said another.

And so, Jesus was persuaded and went with them to the Centurion's house. However, when they were already near the house a group of friends of the centurion came and met them. His friends told Jesus, "Our friend does not wish to bother you, Master, as he doesn't consider himself worthy for you to visit his house. Nor does he consider himself worthy to meet up with you himself. He said, 'Kindly please just say the word that my servant will be healed. For I myself am a person of authority. If I command one soldier to do something, he would promptly do it. I believe you only have to say the word and it will be fulfilled.' "

Turning to the people with him Jesus said, " I tell you, I have not seen such great faith before, no, not in Israel."

And so, Jesus didn't have to go into the Centurion's house. The elders of Israel and the centurion's friends went back to the centurion who sent them, and found out that the servant was healed indeed.

Adapted from Luke 7:1-10

Centurion image from http://orderofcenturions.org/history.html

Mr. Wise and Mr. Foolish

dated 1 May 2007

The Wise and Foolish Builders

Once upon a time there was a man named Mr. Fool. He wanted to build a house. He loved walking near the beach early in the morning to pick up shells and feel the sand under his feet. He also loved to waddle in the shallow water as the waves come in and go out. So, he said to himself, "I will build my big beautiful house right here in the sand, on the beach! Then I don't have to walk very far when I go for my morning walk." And that's what he did.

There was another man named Mr. Wise. He also liked the beach very much. He would take his dog with him and throw a stick far into the water and his agile dog would chase and retrieve it for him. Sometimes he even took his boat in the evenings and sail a bit further out to sea to feel the evening breeze and admire the setting sun. He thought," I will build my house here on the beach but it has to be high on a rock, so, that if the waves rise up at high tide my house would still be safe." And that's what he did.

Then a great storm struck. The rain poured in torrents. The sea became a big cauldron of waves, stirred up high and roaring loud. The winds blew crisp and hard and broke many palm and gnarled trees along the shore. Lightnings struck and thunders roared.

The tides rose high and came up to the houses of Mr. Fool and Mr. Wise. The tides shifted the shoreline as the sands moved in and out with every onslaught of the waves. And with the shifting sand, the pounding of the waves and pouring of the rain, the great and beautiful house of Mr. Fool shifted as well. It totally crashed! Then it was washed to the sea, almost in an instant. Where as, the house of Mr. Wise towered high above the waves and stood steadily upon the solid foundation of a rock.

In the same way, if you want a life that is strong and solid, so that it can withstand the storms of trials and difficulties, you need to build it on the solid foundation of the word of God, not on the shifting ground of worldly beliefs.

Adapted from Luke 6:47-49 ( Bible).

Dogs in the beach pic from www.sandiegosurfers.com
Storm images from www.picture-newsletter.com
Last pic from http://blogs.bootsnall.com/trisha

What Easter Means to Me This Year

dated 7 April 2007

The Day Lily is a symbol of Easter for some cultures as it connotes new life and freshness.

What Easter Means to Me This Year

Easter is not really about Easter Bunnies or Easter Egg Hunting. I can divert into the topic on how those became associated to Easter, but I don't wish to do that now.

Easter is actually the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus i.e. His rising from the dead. Second only to Christmas, Easter is the most celebrated of all Christian holidays. Modern Christians now call it Resurrection Sunday in an attempt to dissociate it from the kind-of-adulterated practice called Easter.

In actual fact, the resurrection of Jesus remembered at Easter, is the most important event for a Christian. It is because of the resurrection of Jesus that there is Christianity. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, Christians would still be in their sin (unforgiven, unsaved, uncleansed – translated as, can't go to heaven). In the act of rising from the dead Jesus demonstrated for all time that He conquered sin and death and that the sacrifice of his life on the cross is efficacious and sufficient for the forgiveness of every repentant sinner. His rising from the dead also sets him apart from all the other prophets who have ever taught religion, any religion. The resurrection of Jesus sets Christianity apart from all other religions. Also, the resurrection of Jesus speaks of a new life for every repentant sinner. For as Jesus rose from the dead, the repentant sinner, who chooses to believe in Jesus and His resurrection, is also raised to a new life. What a wonderful truth!

It is the hope of the resurrection that gives me hope to go on hoping for the best, for myself, for my family, friends and loved ones. If God can raise people from the dead, and He does, I can certainly believe that any seemingly hopeless situation - an errant child, failing health, failing relationships, failing grades, even dreary jobs, etc. - can be changed by God into something good, joyful, even successful. The possibilities are endless! Now you know why I love Jesus so much!

Cheers and happy Easter to those who celebrate it!

Images from http://www.biochem.szote.u-szeged.hu
http://thefuntimesguide.com/images/
http://www.janbrett.com/images/
http://humormatters.com/