Christian resource blog

God Will Make A Way

2010-03-05T22:03:00.003+13:00

Words and music by Don Moen
Proverbs 3:6 "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. "

God will make a way,
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way.

By a roadway in the wilderness, He'll lead me
And rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and earth will fade
But His Word will still remain
He will do something new today.

In His Hands

2010-03-05T22:03:00.002+13:00

Doesn't life feel too large to handle sometimes?
Do you find yourself in impossible situations, unable to cope with the pressure?
Are feeling lost and you seek direction?
This is natural, in fact, life is designed to show our need for God.
He can sort out your life and show you the way!
God created life itself, what may be the most complex situation for us is of extreme simplicity to Him.
And His plan for us is perfect, better than anything that we can imagine for ourselves.

Therefore, In order to conquer life and all its problems, trust in God. Leave all your troubles and doubts in His Hands.
Leave your life in His hands, He will make a way.

More than belief

2007-07-11T12:30:00.000+12:00

More than belief in Jesus is required.

Belief must also be accompanied by good work. James 2:17 says : "This, too, faith, if it does not have works is dead in itself". Without doing good work to people (praying for them, teaching them the Word of Christ, helping them) our faith is practically nothing. You must have faith in Jesus Christ and do the work of God, to continue what Jesus Christ left off.

The empty feeling

2007-07-06T10:02:00.000+12:00

Would you be happy if you were wealthy, without a care in the world?
Most people think they would be, but would they really?
Look at the celebrities we idolise, they earn millions by memorising off a script. When they want something done, people do it for them. But normal people, even poor people are better off than them, as we always have at least one reason to live.
Most people have an empty feeling inside, the feeling of immortality. They try to fill this emptiness with wealth, fame and items of great value, but it feels just more empty. God is the only way to fill the emptiness. If you want to live forever, believe in God.
Normally, all of us would go to hell. But, because of God's son Jesus Christ died for our sins, we have a chance to go to heaven. All you need to do is pray to God. Tell him that you're a sinner, but you believe in Jesus and you want to be saved. You will never feel empty again.

God's love

2007-07-03T11:39:00.000+12:00

Hi, just in case you didn't know, God doesn't listen to sinners' prayers. So if it seems like God is moving further and further away from you, ask him to forgive you and let him fill you with his love. This love is more precious than anything else. With it, there will be no fear. Why is Jesus so great? He has God's love and didn't fear what anybody else thought.
So if you're feeling unhappy, look for God. He will always be waiting to fill your heart with love.

Made to be like Christ

2007-06-29T20:36:00.000+12:00

We were made to serve and love - to be like Jesus Christ. We were made to serve God, to glorify him. We have to help everyone/anyone that needs help, even if they treat you as slaves! Did Jesus help everyone he could? Even when he was going to be crucified by them? Did he love them? YES he did! And we need to be like him in every way. Even if you feel you are unfairly treated, still help the person as this may be rewarded with an eternal life with God.

A nice little quote

2007-06-23T15:54:00.000+12:00

Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

John 1: 12-13

God's love

2007-06-19T19:29:00.000+12:00

God’s love is something msn cannot imagine; it’s like trying to measure every inch of space! God’s love is unconditional; does he only give rain to believers? No, everyone can receive his blessing and love if they want to. He made each and every one of us with an intention – to be a part of the church, spread the word of Christ and glorify God. He personally shaped your characteristics, hobbies, EVERYTHING! God even gave up his own son Jesus to save us; Jesus was beaten, hurt and without strength. He had to drag a huge cross after unfair treatment, have his limbs nailed onto the cross and suspended on the cross to be to die. He suffered so much to save us.

You may then watch the news and see chaos, strife and war everywhere. You may think: “where is God’s love?” Well let me ask you a question: if Earth was like Heaven, who would want a God? Who would care about an eternal life if they could just slowly die in paradise? Man will think they are God if Earth was like this, but we were made to serve God, not for God to serve you.

Sun, moon and .. shaded lamps?

2007-06-07T17:24:00.000+12:00

So what does God want us to do in this life?
This could be explained like this.
God is like the Sun. He gives light and glory to everyone. We are all happy until night comes. Night is our sins. It is a black fog, shadingour eyes from the glory of the Lord. Because we are so corrupted by our own sins, God sent Jesus. Jesus can be described as the moon, reflecting God's glory through our sins. Because Jesus died for us, our sins were cleared and we once again are able to feel the light of the sun. But still, our sin continues to grow. That is why all of us are shaded lamps. Our real light is eclipsed by our own sins. What God wants us to do is to try to remove the shades from ourselves and those around us. Then, at night, all of us could shine the glory of the Lord to the ends of the earth.

...Hope

2007-06-01T13:27:00.000+12:00

In 1889 when the Eiffel tower was made, man felt optimistic - they thought they could do anything... 35 years after, World War I broke out. How did man feel? Distressed? Weak? Hopeless? God is hope, and hope is life. We all need God, otherwise we will crumble like buildings in an earthquake, we are nothing without God.

Opportunities

2007-05-25T15:30:00.000+12:00

Every day we all have to decide something: Whether to have toast or eggs or both for breakfast, whether to go to school or stay home, whether to go to work or pretend to be sick. We have so many opportunities given to us each day because God wants us to make the right choice when it counts.
So when you come to a problem, put God first. If you do, he will help sort out the rest of your problems. There's no point worrying about what will happen. Worrying is bad for your health. You can change your worries into your trust in God. Then, everything would turn out fine.
Be happy for what God has given you, be happy for the times he has saved your hide, be happy for him.

Striving through problem

2007-05-22T14:54:00.000+12:00

Every actions has both a reason and consequence. God will never give you an obstacle in life for no reason at all, think and try to find out what God is wanting you to learn from this problem. By converting your problems into challenges, you will find them more easy to live life. Remember: Life is a test, and no test is easy.

Challenges

2007-05-21T15:40:00.000+12:00

As we all know, life is tough. Everyone of us has challenges that meet us everyday. Being a Christian is no different. God isn't going to straighten your path for you. In fact, a Christian's life may be harder tan an average life. That's because we have the great responsibility of spreading the gospel to those who don't know it. Think about the people around you, how many of them don't believe? Even if attempt you reach out to just one person, you would have saved one person and brought him to God. God will certainly remember this because it is out mission on earth to spread the word.
So don't be discouraged by the challenge that just seems too hard. God will not make any challenge out of our reaches. If God gave us a challenge, he certainly knows that we can and will complete it.

Mother's Day - how important?

2007-05-12T19:29:00.002+12:00

Mother's Day is celebrated internationally, so its importance is already quite large in a worldwide scale, but how important should it be to you?
Nowadays, Mother's Day is more of a retail day than a celebration for your mother. I'm sure if you turn on the T.V, the advertisements would mostly sound like this:
" Don't forget its Mother's Day! Spoil her with these 12 carat diamond rings for only $99.99."
Is that what Mother's Day is about? Buying your beloved parent some expensive item, so that the burden will be gone?
Ok, so maybe you don't get along quite well with your mother. And maybe your mother may actually be a bad parent. But them being a bad parent does not make you a bad child. Maybe if you showed her love she would be different. Maybe.
Now I'll get to the point. How important is Mother's Day to you?
First, let us see what God has to say. In the Ten Commandments, he made the Honor your father and mother commandment the sixth commandment. And the five commandments before it were relating to your relationship with God. This makes Honor your father and mother the first commandment relating to humans.
So God thinks your parents are pretty important. Why shouldn't you? You probably are one or will be one. Would you want your children to treat you badly?
This Mother's Day try to make more of an effort than last time. Buying her material goods is just pricing your mother. Doing something simple like just saying, ' I love you.' is much harder but can be 1000 times more effective.

Made for a mission

2007-05-10T16:02:00.000+12:00

You weren't placed on earth to do nothing, here on earth you have a mission, to contribute in this world. Jesus had a mission too; when he was a child he said "I must be about my fathers business" and then a couple years later he said "It is finished" before dying on the cross.
Our missions on earth is similar to the one Jesus had, to spread the word of Christ.
"Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you"

The growth of your spiritual life

2007-04-30T17:35:00.001+12:00

Our spiritual life grows, like our growth in this world. Our spiritual life may not grow at all, or it may grow quite rapidly, so how would we know when we have spiritually matured?
First of all, our perceptions change. We would see things with different eyes. When we see things as Jesus sees them, we have really spiritually matured with our perceptions.
Secondly, our mood changes. This lets us adapt to a better mood and may even help us in life.
Last of all, we wouldn't see things so short-sightedly. Things may seem bleak for you right now, but if you trust in the Lord, he will guide you to something great. A good example is Joseph. He spent 13 years of pain in Egypt and experienced betrayal many times. But he still trusted in the Lord, and the Lord gave him a very high rank in Egypt. In his time of power, he didn't seek for revenge. When he had his first son, he named him Manneseh, which basically meant 'forget it.' He was going to forget 13 years of sadness, pain and betrayal.
Most importantly, spiritual growth only happens if you want to grow.
So do you want to grow?
If you do, please pray to Jesus. Tell him that you want to spiritually grow and want to become like him, tell him that you know things will be tough but if you get through, there will be a greater reward.

The growth of your spiritual life

2007-04-30T17:35:00.000+12:00

Remembering our purpose

2007-04-23T16:32:00.000+12:00

God gave us this life for a purpose.
If not so, he could just take anyone who gets baptized up to heaven straight away.
But no, he doesn't, for we must use our lives for our main purpose: Spreading the Gospel.
Spreading the Gospel is just telling anyone about the Lord, and asking them to believe and trust in the Lord and fulfilling our purposes that we were created for.
Sounds simple, doesn't it?
Simple as it is, the number of new Christians that comes into the house of God is getting smaller and smaller. This is because of our high understanding of science and Christians that just can't be bothered spreading the Gospel.
Don't think that the best Christians have no interaction with unbelievers, think that the best Christians are the ones that help the most people become believers.
God keeps a list of everyone we've helped, so basically, it's the more the better.
The main reason we don't get up from our couches and tell everyone about the Lord is in the following questions:
1. Do you believe in the end of the world?
2. Do you believe it's when Jesus will come again and judge us?
3. Do you believe it's coming closer?
4. Do you believe it will happen today?
Most of us will answer yes, yes, yes, no.
We should be answering yes, yes, yes, yes.
If you have any doubts, pray to God about it. He wants to hear about EVERYTHING.
It's funny how we pray better when we're in trouble or in need of help.
Maybe we should try to pray better. All the time.
Don't live each day like your first, live it like your last.
Don't just reach for just the one person, reach for as many people as you can.

God wants you

2007-04-23T16:17:00.000+12:00

God wants you.
But not just some of you, all of you.

Hes not interested in your spare time, half hearted prayers and left-over money but all of it. Spend time worshiping at all times, with all your heart and mind. You please God my worshiping at all times, even when you're worn-out and tired.

What are we worth?

2007-04-16T09:21:00.000+12:00

Most things can be sold for money, so we know what their worth. But how do we know how much we're worth to God?
God sees us with a different point of view than humans, so what does God see in us and what does most people see in us.

Most people see from the outside, they judge us by:
Appearance: Weather we look good or not
Occupation: Do we have a good job?
Wealth: How much money do we have?
and Talent: Are we especially smart at something?

God sees differently: He looks at our hearts, he is happy when we're happy, he's crying for us when we're sad. He loves us because we're his creation. In Genesis, when he made us, he said it was very good. Everything else he made was just good. That gives us an idea of what we're worth. We're worth more to God than anything else on earth. That was why Jesus died on the cross for us, he could easily not care about us and not die, but he chose to die for us because that was the only way our sins would be forgiven.Your worth is best summed up by Romans chapter 12 verse 3: For by the grace give me I say to every one of you; Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. We are worth the amount of faith inside us.

Now that you know how much you're worth it's your time to think: should I see other people as? Should I judge them by their appearances or look into their hearts?

Life - a test

2007-04-15T10:08:00.000+12:00

God has tested many people in the Bible. He tests their love, obedience and faith. God tested Abraham by telling him to offer his son Isaac, God tested Adam and Eve etc. Everyone is being tested all of the time, whether through success, conflict, disappointment or dissatisfaction. Although the tests God gives aren't known, some are predicted via the Bible; these include unanswered prayers, major changes in life and sometimes death of a loved-one.

When you finally realize that life is a test, you will find that everything is significant in your life. Some of the tests you receive will be overwhelming and some you will barely notice - but every small thing you do will have large and eternal implications.

"Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones.
Luke 16:10"

Genesis 2

2007-04-13T14:01:00.000+12:00

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Adam and Eve

4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens- 5 and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground- the LORD God formed the man The Hebrew for man (adam) sounds like and may be related to the Hebrew for ground (adamah) it is also the name Adam (see Gen. 2:20). from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

23 The man said,
"This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called 'woman, '
for she was taken out of man."

24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Life with God

2007-04-11T07:30:00.000+12:00

We were made for a purpose by God, but without having God in your life your life will not have a purpose. A life without God in it is worth than death itself.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11"

This means that even if you feel hopeless, hold on tight! God will help you.

Many people spend their lives trying to make a mark on earth, but why care about what people think about you when it's what God thinks that matters? Reputations can be destroyed, records can be broken and tributes can be forgotten - but Gods' love will last forever. You were not put on earth to make a mark, but to be prepared for everlasting life with God.

"You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you.
Isaiah 26:3"

Meaning of Easter

2007-04-09T15:46:00.000+12:00

What's the true meaning of Easter?
Easter is not just about fluffy white bunnies , chocolate eggs and a holiday of four days.
It's to remember Jesus, how he died a sinful death when it was us that sinned, how he'd risen from the grave, surprising everyone. But is there more to Easter? I decided to consult the Bible.

Firstly, What's the definition of Easter?
In the dictionary, Easter means the celebration of when Jesus was resurrected.

Second Question, Then why do we celebrate the resurrection of Christ?
Well, first of all, I think we celebrate the resurrection of Christ in order to remember what Jesus has done for us. It's remembered because it's so important: For us to get to know the Lord and for the Lord to become closer to us.
Also, though we may not say it, we celebrate Easter by guilt. We may not think so, but in our hearts we are guilty, for making the only innocent person that existed suffer because of our sinning.
We also celebrate Easter because it's the time when our sins are forgiven. No one is sinless. Jesus' whole purpose for dieing on the cross was for this.

Third Question, How should we celebrate Easter?
That's a tough question. In the Bible, it was written that before Jesus was crucified, he talked about the approaching of Judgement Day. After his death, angels told his disciples that he will come once again.( Judgement Day.) So I can't help but think Judgement Day may be somehow linked to Easter.
Also, before Jesus left, he gave his disciples the Great Commission. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the end of the age."Matthew 28:19-20.

So this Easter, maybe you could change that little bit. Sure, you could still enjoy your chocolate eggs and your four days rest, but just keep in mind what Easter is about. Ask yourself: 'Judgement Day is getting closer, how can I help fulfill the Great Commission?'
Give your friend a Bible, pray a little harder. It all matters.
Have a good Easter ^^

Bible - Genesis 1

2007-04-09T09:37:00.000+12:00

The Beginning

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

20 And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.