Don't Go With the Flow

I like to watch the surfers whenever my family and I take a stroll by the beach. It's amazing when they try to go against the currents at first, paddling with all their might to steer towards the deeper end and then, to wait for that "big wave" they're waiting for. It looks tiring as they go against the currents...But they never seem to quit.

Then, the "final glory" comes when they are able to ride their surf boards and balance adeptly as they glide smoothly on top of a nice wave, that carries them back to the sandy shore.

A Christian way of life is very much the same as these surfers. The Lord doesn't want us to go with the "flow" of this world. We should never quit with our ways of going against the flow or currents. Then, we will reap the "great glory" as we head back to the Lord's home. The things of these world are not of the Lord's...[1Corinthians 7:31 -"those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed with them. For this world in its present form is passing away."].
In our workplaces, "grapevine" is such a common occurrence. Many have lazy work habits and are not willing to help out in whatever way they can. It's hard to go against such people but as Christians, we must strive to "not go with the flow" and set an example. We should be encouragers not discouragers. We should be the light in dark places. We should show our strength in areas where there are weaknesses. We should be able to share the love that we have received from our faithful God with those who don't know what love is. We should have the patience despite the rush and time pressure. Then, someday, when our time is done, and we are about to catch the wave that will bring us back home to Jesus, then we can proudly tell Him, that we didn't quit and that we "didn't go with the flow"...






Psalm 19:14 - "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer."

Philippians 4:8 - "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

Psalm 1:1,2 - "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law, he meditates day and night."

Psalm 1:3 - "He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season, and its leaf does not wither. In all he does, he prospers."

God's Greatest Attribute is "Love"

Having a personal relationship with the Lord made me appreciate His creations

more and more...He created all things, big or small, but most important of all, He

created all of us "in His image"... Genesis 2:7 says, "from dust, God breathed

into us the breath of life..." To me, the greatest of all of these wonderful things

is His unfathomable love....

May you also come to know the Lord's love as you happen to peek at this site...God bless.

2009

Welcome 2009! Another year of living in an uncertain times. With the house market continuing to decline, the cost of food items rising, a lot of people losing their homes and with people not knowing how safe their retirement investments are, how are we able to overcome all these? Wars between nations are continuing. We just felt an earthquake last night, a couple of strong jolts for a few seconds. What are we to do if natural disasters occur?

There are so many roads we travel in this lifetime. But there is only one road that leads to security. And that road is the one that leads to Jesus. Jesus is our security and nothing or no one else is.

As we travel in this lifetime, we can't look back since we needed to move on forward to reach our destiny. Yet, we are facing a lot of "unknowns" as we move forward. I think the best thing to do is to "look up" and remember the "Master" Who knows and Who feels for what we go through.

This is another year but many more will come and go...Time slips through our hands like sands do through your fingers. Forget the New Year's resolutions we haven't accomplished.

Isaiah 40:26 -"Lift up your eyes on high, and see Who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing."

Psalm 23:6 -"Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

John 6:27 -"Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

Romans 8:38,39 -"I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, not height nor depth, nor any other created things, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord."

Disappointments

I had the urge to bake this favorite cookie of mine, which recipe was shared by my best friend. After getting the ingredients I needed, I called my son and asked him if he wanted to join in, in baking a batch. He got excited and volunteered to apply the icing when the freshly-baked pistachio cookies came out of the oven! When he saw how delicate the cookies were, he got afraid of messing up in putting the icing. I told him, this batch was our cookies and that, he didn't need to be afraid as I wanted him to have fun instead, whether the icing would be looking nice or not, I guaranteed, the icing wouldn't change the taste. I saw a tremendous sigh of relief on his face and this was what he did the first time he applied the icing:

He goes, "Mom! It doesn't look nice! Sorry..." I said, "It's okay, just keep trying...To me, it looks nice for the first time you did it..." So the more he tried. After applying the white or milk chocolate icing on 5 0r 6 cookies, with 5 or 6 times getting disappointed, his skill got more adept, until I saw the frustration and disappointment vanished into thin air. Much to my surprise, he started enjoying his task and showed he was having a great time as he began applying the icing with a more precise pattern.

The best part was the tasting part. The cookies were so deliciously soft and the icing made it more appealing to be bitten. We decided to try to put them in my cellophane wrappers, before we ended up devouring everything. They looked so good that we both knew that we had made a special gift, to be given as "homemade gifts" to families and friends:

Our lives do not come in great looking packages such as these cookies. We all go through frustrations and disappointments also as we meet life's challenges. But God is always there encouraging us the whole time. He is always there going through all these trials with us. He is always coaching us, as we try to perfect our "icing techniques" on different cookies [trials] of life. We should never get tired trying and trying, doing good, no matter how many times we fail and get disappointed, with ourselves and with others. We should accept the risks of life but before we tackle each and every risk, let us put our trust first in God.

May you enjoy the sweet taste of success as you listen first to the One Who is the true Baker, the Encourager of this fragile life!

Psalm 34:2 - "I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are discouraged take heart."

Galatians 6:9 - "Don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time."

Galatians 6:4 -"Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else."

Psalm 55:22 -"Give your burdens to the Lord and He will take care of you."