Discrimination

The world today has an interesting way of dealing with discrimination: with more discrimination.

Before jumping into the deeps, let us consider a definition of the term "discrimination":

From http://www.dictionary.com/browse/discrimination we have: "treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit".

Now let us a consider a scenario in two parts:
1. Group A chooses not to associate themselves with Group B over a certain matter. The extent by which Group A disassociates itself from Group B is not important here.
2. Group B then responds by disassociating themselves from Group A in the same manner as Group A did.

The heart of it is a "life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe" concept. Literally: Responding in the same way one is treated. Isn't that how the world works? Wasn't that how God established laws for capital punishment to ensure fairness among the nation of Israel? Yes, that is how the world works and the reason people were put to death or have life sentences for taking another person's life.

Can the Christian be part of either Group A or Group B? Certainly!

Consider Group A as Christians and Group B as those of the world:-

• Without love: The Christian can act "holier than thou" and belittle members of Group B, disassociating themselves with the world and treating them as "lesser beings".
• With love: The Christian chooses to expose the sin of the members of Group B and tell them that they are on the wrong path. The Christian seeks the wellbeing of the members of Group B out of love for them.

Now consider Group A as those of the world and Group B as Christians:-

• Without love: The Christian can retaliate and be hostile against the members of Group A. 
• With love: The Christian seeks to understand why they are being disassociated with Group A and pray for them. The Christian might also try to win the minds of some members of Group A by their actions which seek to show the love of Christ.

While it is observed that the word "discriminate" has a largely negative connotation in our society today, Christians still need to execute judgment on the sins of others according to the Word of God and tell them the error of their ways in the light of the love of Christ. We show them where they have gone wrong because we love them; we do not want them to bear God's pending judgment for their sins. However, Paul says,

"Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." (Colossians 4:5-6)

Wisdom is important in answering questions and statements of those who are outside. Nevertheless it will not always be a smooth conversation with others for it is written that:

"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also." (John 15:18-20)

In conclusion, the heart of the Christian should be motivated by love and his motive for all things should be for the good of the other. Let us not discriminate "negatively" towards those who are outside, but discriminate "positively" to act in all things with the love of Christ!

Penultimativity

By this time next week, I will have sat for last and final exam for my degree. No more subjects and no more exams till the end of my degree. Being the penultimate semester in my degree, there is not much left to finish except FYP. 

As this chapter of life comes to an end, a verse pops into mind:

From the text, an inevitable question reveals itself: Will I continue to fear God and keep His commandments? Will I continue to keep trusting in the Lord day by day, morning by morning?

This, I realize, is another choice I make on my own:

May the Lord, through the grace, mercy and peace of God my Savior and of the Lord Jesus Christ my hope, lead me in the way everlasting. (1 Tim 1:1-2; Psa 139:24)

Memorization so far

It's been about 2 weeks since I started memorizing verses. Although I was never able to memorize more than the said 4-5 verses per day, 1 verse a day was quite an achievement.

So far I have memorized 16/20 verses of 1 Tim 1. Probably once I finish the first chapter, I will attempt 2 verses a day.

Memorization

Over the past weeks and months, I have been wondering: "How many verses should I memorize a week?", "How often should I memorize?" and "What should I memorize?".

As the Lord would have it, He made it so that I would chance upon a site for techniques of memorizing His Word. In fact, the amount of verses which I thought I should memorize in a week paled in comparison to what was recommended by the websites!

It's been one week since I started memorizing from the book of 1 Timothy, but it has helped me gain an insight into why the memorization of God's Word is so important for Christians:

1. It's our sword for the spiritual battles that we face day by day!
2. When we don't have a Bible handy, we have God's Word safely stowed away in our minds, ready for use.
3. Helps us to meditate on His Word at anytime of the day.

However, I acknowledge that it is so easy to be puffed up with great Biblical knowledge. But the Lord has made me realize that the purpose of memorizing His Word is the godly edification of His saints. It is not for our own glory, but rather for the glory of God.

Websites which I chanced upon (or rather that the Lord brought me to 😄)
http://www.greatpreachers.org/bible_memorizing.html
http://www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/page8.html

A Semester Past – A Semester Gone

A semester has gone by since I last blogged (January 2015). A lot of things have changed over the course of 3 months, both personal and spiritual.

Last semester probably wasn't the easiest, but through His grace, I made it through. Although I will probably never have a semester as tough as Autumn 2015 in the future, a year-long project lies ahead. A test of endurance and teamwork indeed!

With my time in UOW coming to a close, the question of "what next?" remains. Further studies or work lie ahead of this life-chapter, but God alone knows where He wants me to go.

Key events that happened:
W S became a Christian. Indeed I'm ecstatic that this young man has decided to put his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

People to remember: M Z and A Z. I wished that you, dear sisters in the Lord, were more zealous for the Lord. But then again, I'm reminded that in this age of "the rights of the people", with the watering down of the core doctrines of Christianity, it is hard to be a faithful saint of the Lord Jesus Christ. But I pray, that God will use you mightily regardless of the amount of zeal that you have for Him.

God’s Word Will Stand

A beautiful song by Greg Day I found today. Indeed it is true that the author of Psalm 40 writes:

The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
~Isaiah 40:7-8

God’s Word Will Stand by Greg Day

All down through the ages, many people have tried

To stop the power of God’s Word

They tried to control it, even ignore it

Anything so it could not be heard

But the Word has survived, yes it’s very alive

And it still has the upper hand

You see before we came along

And after we are all gone

God’s Word will stand

Chorus: 

Oh I’ve taken my stand with the book in my hand

And it’s stood the test of time

It’s weathered the storm while scoffers roar threatenings of every kind

Eternal survival, that old black Bible

It’s true, will never end

So whatever may come, when it’s all said and done

God’s Word will stand

From the beginning till now, it has not lost it’s power

It is still God’s inerrant Word

From cover to cover, it’s still the bestseller

Of any book in the world

Written down in those pages are the answers for the nations

And the truth to guide their path

But whatever they decide

They will surely realize

My God’s Word will stand

**Chorus**

*I couldn't find the song on YouTube but here's the link to the Greg Day's website where you would be able to find the song: www.gregdayministries.com

Who's the Master Mind?

Wouldn’t it be nice if Satan left us alone after we got saved? You might think he would have no more interest in us. We are lost to him for eternity. He can never lay claim to us again. Yet he never seems to get off our case. Why is that? It’s because he has discovered that he can do just as much damage to the cause of Christ by influencing a Christian’s mind as he can by totally controlling an unbeliever’s mind.
(Strauss, R.L., 2009. Win the Battle for Your Mind. Dubuque: ECS Ministries.)

So who controls your mind? Are you filled with the world? Or are you filled with the Holy Spirit? (Eph 5:15-21)

*1 year of study in UOW complete!