A young lady shared this testimony with me and I think it's worth repeating. So with her permission I do because I want you to remember who you are in Jesus.
The assistant pastor of our church was my confidant and guide, who made sure that my walk with Christ was closer everyday. He was also my father.
He always said these words to me before I stepped out of the house, he said: 'Girl, Remember Who You are - You are God's child, You are very precious in His sight and His precious blood was shed for you, never let HIM down'.
He even bought me a cap with these words stitched on it: "Remember Who You are."
These words got embedded in my heart so strongly that it always pulled me out of temptations that come my way all the time. There were times when I had almost given in, but I could hear my dad's rusty voice saying "Remember Who You Are". At that moment the love of Christ flashes in my mind and makes me remember who I am, I just run back to Christ, who is my fort and shelter.
My dad is no more, but his profound words will always be with me. His love and dedication for Christ drew me even closer to Christ. I want to do the same, I want to make difference in everyone's life who come in touch with me, by passing on the light that Christ has given me. I want to always remember who I am in Christ and make sure others do so too.
So, when Satan looks you in the face and woos you don't give in. Just "Remember Who You are!" You are God's child, You are very precious in His sight and His precious blood was shed for you, never let HIM down'.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Sunday, April 6, 2014
A Sermon Walking
Reporters and city officials gathered at a Chicago railroad station one afternoon in 1953. The person they were meeting was the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner. A few minutes after the train came to a stop, a giant of a man - six feet four inches - with bushy hair and a large mustache stepped from the train. Cameras flashed. City officials approached him with hands outstretched. Various people began telling him how honored they were to meet him.
The man politely thanked them and then, looking over their heads, asked if he could be excused for a moment. He quickly walked through the crowd until he reached the side of an elderly black woman who was struggling with two large suitcases. He picked up the bags and with a smile, escorted the woman to a bus. After helping her aboard, he wished her a safe journey. As he returned to the greeting party he apologized, "Sorry to have kept you waiting."
The man was Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the famous missionary doctor who had spent his life helping the poor in Africa. In response to Schweitzer's action, one member of the reception committee said with great admiration to the reporter standing next to him, "That's the first time I ever saw a sermon walking."
The man politely thanked them and then, looking over their heads, asked if he could be excused for a moment. He quickly walked through the crowd until he reached the side of an elderly black woman who was struggling with two large suitcases. He picked up the bags and with a smile, escorted the woman to a bus. After helping her aboard, he wished her a safe journey. As he returned to the greeting party he apologized, "Sorry to have kept you waiting."
The man was Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the famous missionary doctor who had spent his life helping the poor in Africa. In response to Schweitzer's action, one member of the reception committee said with great admiration to the reporter standing next to him, "That's the first time I ever saw a sermon walking."
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Breaking Bad
Romans 7:14-25 means that everyone is inheritably a slave to sin. Sin is a seed in everyone's gene because of what happened during the fall of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve sinned against God by disobeying his command and eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad in Genesis 3.
Most people would automatically want to do what they feel like doing. This is called the lust of the flesh. Most of the time, we want to do bad instead of good. Sin exists because everyone is selfish and looks after his or her own self interest. We only think and care about what we want rather than doing what Matthew 7:12 says..
The law of sin makes you want to sin and do bad even though you know it is the wrong thing to do. In order to overcome the law of sin, you must have self control. Self control is one of the 9 fruit of the Holy Spirit list in Galatians 5:13-25. You must be disciplined before you can have self control. You must discipline yourself to walk in God's commandments rather than following the lust of your flesh. If you are walking by the Spirit, you will want to do God's commandments.
The law of sin makes you and me a wretched person. You are slave to what you are addicted to. If you are slave to sin, you will keep on sinning. If you are slave to Jesus, you will want to do his commandments.
The Holy Spirit confirms with God's words in the Bible. If it is from the Holy Spirit, you will have peace in your heart. If it confuses your mind and does not give you peace in heart, it is not from the Holy Spirit. God is a God of peace and order as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 14:33.
However, through prayer, you can overcome your bad habits with God's help. God can give you will power to overcome your bad habits if you pray for him to help you.
God will listen to your prayer even if you still do the mistake, provided that you couldn't control yourself not to do it and you are making an effort to change yourself. You must pray fervently, persistently, patiently and in faith if you want God to answer your prayer's request to change your bad habit(s).
Most people would automatically want to do what they feel like doing. This is called the lust of the flesh. Most of the time, we want to do bad instead of good. Sin exists because everyone is selfish and looks after his or her own self interest. We only think and care about what we want rather than doing what Matthew 7:12 says..
The law of sin makes you want to sin and do bad even though you know it is the wrong thing to do. In order to overcome the law of sin, you must have self control. Self control is one of the 9 fruit of the Holy Spirit list in Galatians 5:13-25. You must be disciplined before you can have self control. You must discipline yourself to walk in God's commandments rather than following the lust of your flesh. If you are walking by the Spirit, you will want to do God's commandments.
The law of sin makes you and me a wretched person. You are slave to what you are addicted to. If you are slave to sin, you will keep on sinning. If you are slave to Jesus, you will want to do his commandments.
The Holy Spirit confirms with God's words in the Bible. If it is from the Holy Spirit, you will have peace in your heart. If it confuses your mind and does not give you peace in heart, it is not from the Holy Spirit. God is a God of peace and order as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 14:33.
However, through prayer, you can overcome your bad habits with God's help. God can give you will power to overcome your bad habits if you pray for him to help you.
God will listen to your prayer even if you still do the mistake, provided that you couldn't control yourself not to do it and you are making an effort to change yourself. You must pray fervently, persistently, patiently and in faith if you want God to answer your prayer's request to change your bad habit(s).
Friday, April 4, 2014
Some People Do
Psalm 139:14 "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well"
Some people waste lives obsessing on that thing they cannot do, wishing they were more competent. Other measure the value of their abilities against those of others, wishing they could contribute in a bigger and better way; but everyone is not called to great things, just the best that they can do.
Did you know...
-That Joan of Arc was only seventeen when she was riding at the head of the army that liberated France from the English?
-That church reformer John Calvin was twenty-six when he published his "Institutes"?
-That the poet John Keats died when he was twenty-six?
-That Shelley was thirty when he was drowned, but not before he left English literature his classic "Odes"?
-That Sir Isaac Newton had largely discovered the working of the law of gravitation when he was twenty-three?
That Henry Clay, the "great compromiser," was sent to the United States Senate at twenty-nine and was Speaker of the House of Representatives at thirty-four?
-That Raphael painted his most important pictures between twenty-five and thirty?
-That Mozart only lived to be thirty-five years old?
When I was a young man I wanted to make things happen. After a few years I realized I would have to content myself with watching most things happen. Not surprisingly these days I usually have no idea what is happening until it is over.
Of course, most of us will never paint a masterpiece, write a classic or discover an important scientific principle. But why should we? We're each cut from a unique pattern.
Dick Van Dyke once told the story of a woman taking her nephew to her Catholic church. She whispered to him as they approached the pew: "Can you genuflect?"
"No," he said, "but I can somersault!"
You and I may never be a Mozart, a Raphael or a John Keats. But there are things that we do to bring beauty or joy or happiness to our world. Find them, do them, celebrate them, and rejoice in them. I can hardly think of a better way to live.
Some people waste lives obsessing on that thing they cannot do, wishing they were more competent. Other measure the value of their abilities against those of others, wishing they could contribute in a bigger and better way; but everyone is not called to great things, just the best that they can do.
Did you know...
-That Joan of Arc was only seventeen when she was riding at the head of the army that liberated France from the English?
-That church reformer John Calvin was twenty-six when he published his "Institutes"?
-That the poet John Keats died when he was twenty-six?
-That Shelley was thirty when he was drowned, but not before he left English literature his classic "Odes"?
-That Sir Isaac Newton had largely discovered the working of the law of gravitation when he was twenty-three?
That Henry Clay, the "great compromiser," was sent to the United States Senate at twenty-nine and was Speaker of the House of Representatives at thirty-four?
-That Raphael painted his most important pictures between twenty-five and thirty?
-That Mozart only lived to be thirty-five years old?
When I was a young man I wanted to make things happen. After a few years I realized I would have to content myself with watching most things happen. Not surprisingly these days I usually have no idea what is happening until it is over.
Of course, most of us will never paint a masterpiece, write a classic or discover an important scientific principle. But why should we? We're each cut from a unique pattern.
Dick Van Dyke once told the story of a woman taking her nephew to her Catholic church. She whispered to him as they approached the pew: "Can you genuflect?"
"No," he said, "but I can somersault!"
You and I may never be a Mozart, a Raphael or a John Keats. But there are things that we do to bring beauty or joy or happiness to our world. Find them, do them, celebrate them, and rejoice in them. I can hardly think of a better way to live.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Converted
It has been said, "Be contented with what you have, but never too contented with what you are."
There is a story that comes out of Asia about a farmer who saw a tiger's tail swishing between two large rocks. In a moment of haste, he grabbed the tail and pulled. All of a sudden he realized he had an angry tiger by the tail and only two rocks stood between him and the tiger's teeth and claws! So there he remained, afraid to loosen his grip on the enraged animal's tail lest he surely be killed.
A monk happened by and the farmer called out in desperation, "Come over here and help me kill this tiger."
The holy man said, "Oh, no. I cannot do that. I cannot take the life of another." Then he went on to deliver a homily against killing. All the while, the farmer was holding tightly to the tail of an angry tiger.
When the monk finally finished his sermon, the farmer pleaded, "If you won't kill the tiger, then at least come hold its tail while I kill it."
The monk thought that perhaps it would be all right to simply hold the tiger's tail, so he grabbed hold and pulled. The farmer, however, turned and walked away down the road.
The monk shouted after him, "Come back here and kill the tiger!"
"Oh, no," the farmer replied. "You have converted me!"
What is conversion? It is change. With money, conversion can be the change of a bill into coin or the change of currency from one country into that of another. On the human level, conversion can be a change in beliefs, a change in ideas, a change in attitudes, a change in behaviors or even a change in priorities. To say, "I'm a changed person!" is to say you have somehow been converted.
There are two things I've learned about conversion and change. The first is that conversion is not a bad thing. To say you've been converted to something does not make you a fanatic. It means you've changed your mind or your outlook. If the largest room in the world is "room for improvement," then it is good to leave plenty of room for change.
And that's the second thing I've learned about conversion. It's an ongoing process. I always want to leave room for change, room to keep growing. To say, "I've been converted and that's that," is to say you have decided to quit growing. If life is about anything, it is about growing. The day I quit changing and learning is the day I die.
I like the prayer that says: I ain't what I ought to be and I ain't what I'm agoin' to be. But I give thanks that I ain't what I used to be." Change, for him, has been a good thing and it's not over yet. Here is a person whose life is like an on-going journey. He is always growing. Always changing. Always becoming. And always aware there's a little more room for improvement.
There is a story that comes out of Asia about a farmer who saw a tiger's tail swishing between two large rocks. In a moment of haste, he grabbed the tail and pulled. All of a sudden he realized he had an angry tiger by the tail and only two rocks stood between him and the tiger's teeth and claws! So there he remained, afraid to loosen his grip on the enraged animal's tail lest he surely be killed.
A monk happened by and the farmer called out in desperation, "Come over here and help me kill this tiger."
The holy man said, "Oh, no. I cannot do that. I cannot take the life of another." Then he went on to deliver a homily against killing. All the while, the farmer was holding tightly to the tail of an angry tiger.
When the monk finally finished his sermon, the farmer pleaded, "If you won't kill the tiger, then at least come hold its tail while I kill it."
The monk thought that perhaps it would be all right to simply hold the tiger's tail, so he grabbed hold and pulled. The farmer, however, turned and walked away down the road.
The monk shouted after him, "Come back here and kill the tiger!"
"Oh, no," the farmer replied. "You have converted me!"
What is conversion? It is change. With money, conversion can be the change of a bill into coin or the change of currency from one country into that of another. On the human level, conversion can be a change in beliefs, a change in ideas, a change in attitudes, a change in behaviors or even a change in priorities. To say, "I'm a changed person!" is to say you have somehow been converted.
There are two things I've learned about conversion and change. The first is that conversion is not a bad thing. To say you've been converted to something does not make you a fanatic. It means you've changed your mind or your outlook. If the largest room in the world is "room for improvement," then it is good to leave plenty of room for change.
And that's the second thing I've learned about conversion. It's an ongoing process. I always want to leave room for change, room to keep growing. To say, "I've been converted and that's that," is to say you have decided to quit growing. If life is about anything, it is about growing. The day I quit changing and learning is the day I die.
I like the prayer that says: I ain't what I ought to be and I ain't what I'm agoin' to be. But I give thanks that I ain't what I used to be." Change, for him, has been a good thing and it's not over yet. Here is a person whose life is like an on-going journey. He is always growing. Always changing. Always becoming. And always aware there's a little more room for improvement.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Gifted For Something
This is a story within a story, that starts out from a wholesaler in New York who sent a letter to the postmaster of a small mid-western town. He asked for the name of an honest lawyer who would take a collection case against a local debtor who had refused to pay for a shipment of the wholesaler's goods. He got this reply:
As gifted as the great mathematician was, even Albert Einstein experienced feelings of inadequacy. In 1948 Einstein was offered the first presidency of the new nation of Israel. He turned it down with this statement: "I know little about the nature of people.... And I am saddened and ashamed that I cannot accept it.... I lack both the natural aptitude and the experience to deal properly with people."
Einstein knew plenty about the nature of the universe, but this wise and sensitive man also knew that he lacked the necessary political skill for such a demanding position. Is there really any shame in knowing our limitations?
Einstein focused on that which he did well and the world is the better for it. Madame Marie Curie said, "Life is not easy for any of us, but what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained."
Be confident! You may not recognize it, but you are gifted for something! Whether it be big or small, do what you are gifted to do and you will be happy.
"Dear Sir,Unlike the postmaster, not many of us are multi-talented. We cannot do ALL things well, or even fairly well. You may be a skilled chef, for example. Or, on the other hand, your motto may be more like mine: "Where there's smoke, there's dinner."
I am the postmaster of this village and received your letter. I am also an honest lawyer and ordinarily would be pleased to accept a case against a local debtor. In this case, however, I also happen to be the person you sold those crummy goods to. I received your demand to pay and refused to honor it. I am also the banker you sent the draft to draw on the merchant, and I sent that back with a note stating that the merchant had refused to pay. And if I were not, for the time being, substituting for the pastor of our local church, I would tell you just where to stick your claim."
As gifted as the great mathematician was, even Albert Einstein experienced feelings of inadequacy. In 1948 Einstein was offered the first presidency of the new nation of Israel. He turned it down with this statement: "I know little about the nature of people.... And I am saddened and ashamed that I cannot accept it.... I lack both the natural aptitude and the experience to deal properly with people."
Einstein knew plenty about the nature of the universe, but this wise and sensitive man also knew that he lacked the necessary political skill for such a demanding position. Is there really any shame in knowing our limitations?
Einstein focused on that which he did well and the world is the better for it. Madame Marie Curie said, "Life is not easy for any of us, but what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained."
Be confident! You may not recognize it, but you are gifted for something! Whether it be big or small, do what you are gifted to do and you will be happy.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
When A Nobody Becomes Somebody
Currently I'm preaching a series of sermons on the subject, "When Nobody Becomes Somebody", and someone reminded me of this little story. Maybe it will help reinforce my point:
Archibald Campbell was a nobody. He was one of the thousands of Americans living in Revolutionary War times. No TV stars will ever tell us how it was "200 years ago today" with Archibald Campbell. Archibald Campbell was a school teacher.
All he did was teach the boys around Fredericksburg, Va. He tossed out ideas to them. He made his boys read and think. He challenged their imaginations. He was an insignificant school teacher that few people remember.
Do you ever feel like a nobody? Only daydreams succeed for some people. Are you one of them?
Greatness is destined for the very few. Earthshaking accomplishments might not be your fate. The only way your name would get into a history book is if you put it there....inside the front cover, with your address!
There may be thousands of names in somebody's "Who's Who" book, but there are billions of nobodies that make a society social, a religion practical, and a life livable. Without the nobodies who live their faiths everyday, work their jobs with pride and conscience, and really try to "love their neighbor as themselves," no society could survive and no great cause could prevail.
The truth is that nobody is a nobody in God's eyes. Everybody is a somebody. In fact, everybody is a somebody special. God wouldn't send His Son to die for a bunch of nobodies. Neither would he entrust a mission so great to nobodies. We are all somebody special.
In the church that I pastor there is a plaque that someone donated. I often read it when I think I am the "World's Greatest Nobody."
The familiar quotation reads: "I am only one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do I ought to do and what I ought to do, by the grace of God, I will do."
If all so-called nobodies could do this, we'd all feel like the somebodies we really are. Yes, Archibald Campbell was a nobody. But his life was not wasted. No one remembers Archibald Campbell, but no one will forget three of his pupils.... George Washington, James Madison and James Monroe.
Archibald Campbell was a nobody. He was one of the thousands of Americans living in Revolutionary War times. No TV stars will ever tell us how it was "200 years ago today" with Archibald Campbell. Archibald Campbell was a school teacher.
All he did was teach the boys around Fredericksburg, Va. He tossed out ideas to them. He made his boys read and think. He challenged their imaginations. He was an insignificant school teacher that few people remember.
Do you ever feel like a nobody? Only daydreams succeed for some people. Are you one of them?
Greatness is destined for the very few. Earthshaking accomplishments might not be your fate. The only way your name would get into a history book is if you put it there....inside the front cover, with your address!
There may be thousands of names in somebody's "Who's Who" book, but there are billions of nobodies that make a society social, a religion practical, and a life livable. Without the nobodies who live their faiths everyday, work their jobs with pride and conscience, and really try to "love their neighbor as themselves," no society could survive and no great cause could prevail.
The truth is that nobody is a nobody in God's eyes. Everybody is a somebody. In fact, everybody is a somebody special. God wouldn't send His Son to die for a bunch of nobodies. Neither would he entrust a mission so great to nobodies. We are all somebody special.
In the church that I pastor there is a plaque that someone donated. I often read it when I think I am the "World's Greatest Nobody."
The familiar quotation reads: "I am only one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do I ought to do and what I ought to do, by the grace of God, I will do."
If all so-called nobodies could do this, we'd all feel like the somebodies we really are. Yes, Archibald Campbell was a nobody. But his life was not wasted. No one remembers Archibald Campbell, but no one will forget three of his pupils.... George Washington, James Madison and James Monroe.
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