snow white

Neutrogena one week, Listerine the next.

Yes, I think there’s no better way to bring out the importance of cleansing and purification. If we take time to clean ourselves up every day – bathing, brushing our teeth, washing our face, putting on fresh clean clothes, even the occasional perfume or deodorant – to appear socially acceptable before men, we have even more reason to cleanse and purify ourselves to appear before God.

Leviticus 11: 44a
44 I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.

God, both righteous and loving, gave His only Son as the perfect and unblemished sacrifice through whom His wrath is satisfied and we are cleansed and redeemed.

Hebrews 9: 13 – 14
13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.
14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Having our conscience cleansed, having undeservedly spared from spiritual death doesn’t mean that we won’t stumble again. Paul reminds us to stay away from the things that corrupt the body and spirit, to be holy in our actions to honour God.

2 Corinthians 7: 1
1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

And what are these promises? If we read the verses that come before:

2 Corinthians 6: 16b – 18
16b God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
17 “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”
18 “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

Here, Paul is urging us to live a life that is befitting of our identity: as sons and daughters of God. So, how do we purify ourselves and keep our ways pure?

Psalms 119: 9
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.

So let us be diligent in the study of His Word. May His Spirit continue to work in us and help us in our weakness.

HE

by Denis Walter

He can turn the tide and calm the angry sea
He alone decides who writes a symphony
He lights every star that makes our darkness bright
He keeps watch all through each long and lonely night
He still finds a way to hear a child's first prayer
Saint or sinner calls and always finds him there

Though it makes him sad to see the way we live
He'll always say - I forgive

He can grant a wish or make a dream come true
He can paint the clouds and turn the grey to blue
He alone knows where to find the rainbows end
He alone can see what lies beyond the bend
He can touch a tree and turn the leaves to gold
He knows every lie that you and I have told
________________________________________

I chanced upon this song at the Emmaus gathering last evening and I thought, "Wow, how nice! It matches quite nicely with I Know Where I'm Going!!"

At the same gathering, the pastor-in-charge shared about the 4 times Jesus called Simon Peter to follow Him. Out of these 4 times, this one struck me the most: John 6:66 - 69

Chapter 6 saw Jesus finish feeding five thousand people, walking on water and telling the Jews that He's the Bread of Life. The last, being a radically different message to the Jews, drove many people to desert Jesus.

66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
67 "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.
68 Simon Peter answered him,"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

This reminded me of another incident, involving another disciple, Thomas: John 14: 2 - 6

2 "...In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I'm going there to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also know where I am.
4 You know the way to the place where I am going."
5 Thomas said to him,"Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me..."

If not to You, Lord, to whom shall we go?
If it's not through You, Lord, how are we going to get Home?
_________________________________________

On a side note, I'm greatly humbled by the fact that God has worked through this incredibly simple set of lyrics (I Know Where I'm Going) to remind us of life's BIG and IMPORTANT issues.

I hope the song has edified the rest of you in Dom 7th. May the Lord use us, this group of unworthy youths, to edify the others this Sunday.

The Test

Yesterday we shared about the things we cannot do without. Generally, they are God, our family members, friends, music and our senses. We were reminded not to take things for granted.

I was thinking of a particular bible passage - Genesis 22.
It narrated the moment when Abraham was tested.

(1) Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.
(2) Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
(3) Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.
(4) On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
(5) He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."
(6) Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, (7) Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"
"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.
"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
(8) Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.
(9) When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. (10) Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. (11) But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
(12) "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."
(13) Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.


I guess one day the Lord may test us if we love him more than we love the things/ppl he gave us. Let's hope when that day comes, we would be ready for it.

- if your treasures are in heaven, then your heart must be there too -