Vile Human Nature

Acts 21

Inspired thots

Nobody wants pain or change; that is how the human nature is.

It is still very much the Self unless Christ is truly enthroned in our lives.

Even many disciples tried to protect Paul from being 'persecuted'. Man always prefer a peaceful and good life. But Paul was sure of his task  and he kept his focus. Even after being beaten, he still sought an opportunity to speak to the rioters.  Amazing passion !

Living to the Glory of God

Acts 20

Inspired thots

It is an amazing thot why God should choose to create me... it is mind boggling what His plans could be for me.

Paul was sure of his life's course from the onset... full of passion, first on the wrong focus, then Rightly on Jesus. His encounter with the Lord diverted his passion to live his life for the Lord in every way. Such Great Faith and Passion he has of Jesus. Such great Love he has for the saints, striving to bless them without burdening them in any way when he was with them.

There are very few Pauls; however, that does not exempt me or anyone to be like Paul, for the Lord.
Living MY life to the Glory of God should be my Primary Objective or Purpose in Life.

The Danger of Irrational Behaviour

Acts 18,19

Inspired thots

Whenever Paul went, he preached the Word fervently and fearlessly. Many would be saved until a few bad hats who are stubborn in receiving the good news, stir up trouble for Paul, causing riots and contentions.

The way of Man is irrational; not willing to change, he resists the new and better ways and prevents others from doing so as well. How powerful the will to control the mind to react irrationally.

Thank God for God! It is Him who is in control. He leads and protects His own. Hence, Paul's strength and steadfastness in preaching the word of God.

Even an outsider can see the situation so Logically to disperse the rioting crowd; most of the time there is no basis for any commotion to occur in our lives unless we allow it, to satisfy our own selfish desires. Logic is swept aside for selfishness to reign. How sad!

A Great & Awesome God

Acts 17

Inspired thots

Christians have a great and awesome God. He has always been here before any other 'god'. He is the one who made the world and everything in it BUT why dont ALL man seek Him and embrace Him?

Why do man Form OTHER gods to worship? It is illogical. How can you worship what you form? The only answer would be: You are worshipping Self. It is self deception.
It is an irony that the self has no control over its own birth and death, and many other issues in between, and yet, the self is so highly exalted.

Only God is Great! Only God deserves to be worshipped. He is awesome, and will reveal Himself as one seeks Him; that He has promised in Jeremiah 29:11-13.

The Lord at Work

Acts 16

Inspired thots

Nothing happens without the Lord. He WORKS in everyTHING and every ONE.

1) Churches were strengthened in their Faith and in numbers, as the Lord blessed the disciples preaching and teaching. (v4,5)

2) The Holy Spirit LEADs and DIRECTS; I must FOLLOW. His is the BEST way! Flow with the Spirit. (v6,7)

3) Holy Spirit REVEALS what is Needed which his people can participate in, together with him. (v10)

4) The Lord OPENS the Heart to receive Himself and His word. (v14) What a privilege to be Chosen for Blessings!

5) The Lord Works to SHAKE the Earth's Foundations. (v26) He works in Amaxing ways that we do not understand.

6) God is SO good; Salvation is not only for the Chosen but also for the loved ones as well. (v31) This verse I claimed for my mother's salvation years ago. Hallelujah!

God is Great!

Easy Gospel

Acts 15

Inspired thots

God is SO good; so Loving. He puts No barriers on anyone to come to Him. He is great!
There should not be any burden loaded on others to come to Christ.

I need to learn that; if anyone thinks differently, leave it to God to work personally in their lives.
It is not for Me to judge. Lord, help me to focus on You, and how You work.

If You do not condemn, Who am I to do so?
If You do not laden, Why should I?
If You do not hinder, What gives me the right to?

Recognizing God's Grace & Mercy

Acts 14

Inspired thots

v 17  He has not left Himself WITHOUT Testimony...

God may have been Silent at times BUT He is still at Work; just that we do not recognize His works or acknowledge it?

~ like giving us rain to cool the atmosphere and to grow the crops.
THAT is SO True... it has been SO hot these days; if not for the rains, it would really be Unbearable.
Must NOT take for granted these 'natural' occurrences, for it is God at Work. PSALM 19

~ there is sufficiency in my life; that is the Grace and Mercy of God. Lacking nothing to keep my life going is God at Work.

~ God also FILLS my heart with Joy. Durians! Family! Worshipping Him! Good Health! Work! SO many things to Give Thanks

YET, Man's HEART is for SELF; preferring to recognize other men's work that acknowledge God; easily swayed by man.

JOY in Service to God

Acts 13

Inspired thots

1) God SPEAKS when we Worship and Fast before Him.

2) The Holy Spirit LEADS and Prepares the way.

3) Boldness comes with Obedience in serving God

4) When you are in Favor with God, you will be in Favor with Man.

5) Better to be in Favor with God THAN just to be in favor with Man.

6) Such a Contrast between the JEWS and the GENTILES
Jews:                                           Gentiles
~ arrogant                                   ~ humble
~ self righteous                         ~ acknowledge sin
~ choosy on what to believe     ~ believed what is good for their soul
~ easily stirred in emotions        ~ focused on eternal matters     

7) Disciples were joyful in their service to God no matter what the circumstances.

True JOY is only found in God alone as obedience is exercised in service.
True JOY cannot be bought or obtained by any other human means.

God is Sovereign

Acts 12

Inspired thots

"And we know that in ALLl things GOD works for the GOOD for tthose who love Him, who have called according to His purpose"

That is how God works; He is watching over His people, especially those who do His work. Just like Peter who was called to His purpose; God rescues him out of prison Miraculously.

But for King Herod, who was arrogant, God struck him down. Yes, Lord, let me ALWAYS give back to You all glory and honor;; for truly, I can do nothing!

Help me to allow You to work Through Me. Help me not to want self glory.

Passion for God and man

Acts 11

Inspired thots

Man is so quick to judge and criticise; so fast to jump to bad conclusions rather than hear the explanations of others. The self-righteous nature is so prevalent.

Only God is righteous. Only the Holy Spirit can convict the hearts of man - leaders or sinners. God is so merciful and great.
There were so many people receiving Christ; the disciples were so passionate to just 'go' according to Matt 28:19. Where is the passion today, Lord? FAITH is so different today from yesterday.

Partnership with God and the Holy Spirit

Acts 10

Inspired thots

I have always wondered about Visions... how is it like?

Today, God gave me insight: a DISTINCT SIGHT. Cornelius DISTINCTLY SAW an angel...
It is NOT the mind... He was very ALERT.

Peter, on the other hand, also had a vision... but when he FELL into a TRANCE!
In his MIND 'eyes', he 'saw' the vision...
His need at that point was Physical Food, for he was hungry.
God gave Peter a vision related to his current need but on a different Focus.
Peter's reaction was quite the same as when he was with Jesus...He was opinionated; he stood on what he believed and exercised... even though it is the Lord who instructed him (to kill and eat).

Truly God is great and merciful; His ways are not My ways; neither are His thoughts my thoughts (Isa 55:8,9) Or perhaps I should say, my ways are NOT His ways, and my thoughts are NOT His thoughts!
I have to learn His ways and thoughts.

Peter went Against the Law when God instructed him to do the task
Many laws are man-made; one must be wise in deciding which to follow. God overrules all.

There is no Favoritism with God. Salvation is for Everyone.
Long time believers, like Peter, can still learn new revelations from God.
The Holy Spirit will do His part as we do ours.

A Special Encounter

Acts 9

Inspired thots

Indeed God's ways and thoughts are higher than man's.

It is really mind-boggling what God can do and How He does it. Unless He reveals, no one knows the Mind and Heart of God. But it is all to His glory!

From Saul to Paul, God's mighty work in a man's life. One who was ready to sacrifice his life after a strange encounter. God knows WHO will do His will obediently without self glory.

Great is the faith of Paul and Peter, who went about preaching the Word and Name - Jesus.
Today's world is so self-contained. Are we losing 'Eternity'?

v31 We need:
1) Encouragement by the Holy

2) to Grow in numbers (More Salvation)

3) to Live in the Fear of the Lord

A special Encounter for each one, Lord, by You!

The RIGHT Heart

Acts 8

Inspired thots

Great things can happen when the Heart is Right.
Here are two men in contrast:

1) Simon the ex-socerer
~ He accepted Christ, by God's grace, upon hearing the gospel by Philip; or is it because of the great signs and miracles he saw? He still had wicknedness in him as Peter identified as Simon requested to have the gift of the Spirit by offering to pay Peter for the laying on of hands for the speaking of tongues.

Peter rebuked Simon for the past sins that have not been dealt with: bitterness which made Simon still a captive to sin. Simon was still seeking or desiring his own glory, seeking the approval of men as in the past.
I must be careful too in this; not to seek my own glory but God's. Yes, the Lord has been teaching me this too... Do not rob God of HIS glory!

2) Philip
~ Philip, on the other hand, just did what was needed: preaching the word of God and many came to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. There was no mention of Philip's thoughts or feelings. He just kept focused on the task of preaching the gospel wherever the Spirit led him.

He gave all glory to God by doing what he needs to do. There was no thought of Self. That is the dying of self to self. It is the right heart that brings one close to God, and brings glory to Him. There is no room for self glory. Dont even think about it!

A great example!

Total Surrender & Acceptance

Acts 7

Inspired Thots

1) Know the History - the Scriptures - that you can share the truth with confidence
The Scriptures are Living Words (v38)

2) Rejection of God happens first in the Heart, followed by the Decision of Action (turning Back to the past)

3) Beware of worshipping your own idols, espcially glorying in your own achievements that are displeasing to God.

Forgive me, Lord when I resist the Holy Spirit; being a stiff-necked people with uncircumcized heart and ears. I claim to want to hear from the Holy Spirit but yet, am perhaps still holding back; whereas Stephen was ready to go all the way with You being full of the Holy Spirit.

Seizing or Missing the Opportunity

Acts 7

Inspired thots

When God reveals heavenly things, He teaches through the simple life situations and examples.

1) Unity with Christ requires the death to the world just as a spouse cannot remarry unless the other spouse passed away. One must stay true to the spouse; and if the decision is made, then the decision must be adhered to.

2) Man tends to lose many God-given opportunities; but SIN, on the other hand, is very Quick to seize the opportunities to test and try man.

Opportunities are always permitted; it is up to the individual to SEIZE it or Miss it.

3) It is easy to have sin controlling me when it is Living IN Me. Hence, the only way to be freed from sin's clutches or influences is to GET RID of IT! To get Sin out of Me, I must be filled with another - God's word and Spirit. There must be NO ROOM for Sin.

4) Evil is RIGHT THERE beside Me to taunt, distract and deceive. 1 Peter 5:8 also notes the devil prowling to attack. I must keep alert. Even when I want to seize the opportunity, the condition is made adverse to discourage or detrack me.

Life is Full of Challenges

Acts 6

Inspired thots

1) There are So many needs around; as the body of Christ grows, there will be more differences. I think it is due to the insufficient teaching and learning to reach maturity. The salvation phase outpace the discipling phase. Hence, people are not growing fast in the Lord to be matured with the right Skills and Attitudes.

Studying the word of God is very important. It leads to maturity.

2) Opposition arises when insubmission abounds and self-righteousness pushes its way forward but gets stopped in its track. But, what is more disappointing is that ugly measures are considered to salvage self-righteousness. Only by God's grace can one survive through the opposition. God, have mercy! How desperate people can be to resort to unrighteous means in twisting God's word and purposes.

But glory to God, He is in Control.

Favor with God or Man

Acts 5

Inspired thots

1. Ananias & Sapphira
> Greed; leads to Dishonesty and then to Lies!
> Hypocrisy; wanting man's favor on good acts that can be seen by men.
~ Be Open and Honest with God
~ Desire to be honored by God than man

2. High Priests & Associates
> Self-righteousness; leads to Spiritual Blindness and then Jealousy!
> Pompousness, not wanting or acknowledging others to be better than self.
   Can lead to Stubborness and Rage.
~ Be Humble! Only God is Great and Good.
~ Do not abuse Position of Power and Authority.

3. Peter & Disciples
> Confident in God; leads to Boldness and Power of Gifts.
~ Focused on the Right Object (God) without fear of man or consequences.
~ Rejoiced in suffering for Christ's sake.
~ Continue on with task

< I had a dream last night. I was at the beach. There was a collection of big cartons piled up on the beach like a wall. Suddenly, the waves and wind raged and brought in piles of mattresses. They were laid next to the cartons. More piles of mattresses were 'washed' up to line up against the 'wall'. Then the tsunami came. I with others on the beach were protected.
Then the skies beyond the horizon displayed angels in the form of stick figures with tiny wings on the shoulders :) 'patrolling' the horizon. Another luminous stick figure was pacing up and down another section facing down. 'It' didnt seem like a 'good guy' to me.

Then a man appeared. He was sitting under a tree discussing something important with a few others. I had a camera. I wanted to take photos but the camera kept pointing at him. He was feeling suspicious of me. But I was trying to take a photo of an orang utan up on the tree above him. Most of the pictures had his face half covered. Couldnt get a full face photo. 'He' didnt seem like a 'good guy' to me.

I dont know how to interpret this dream. >

A FILLED with the Holy Spirit LIFESTYLE

Acts 4

Inspired thots

When one is FILLED with the Holy Spirit, he is BOLD, and COURAGEOUS to Speak as led. There is No Fear or Worry about Man, or what to say. It is like a surge of POWER that runs through and out of you that is unstoppable. Awesome!

Hence, one Filled with the Spirit of God is LED by the Spirit of God. However, do not try to do what OTHERS do, unless the Spirit leads and prompts.

Man is a very strange creation ~ he knows the right thing to do but does not do it;
~ he sees the miracle (cannot deny it) but does not acknowledge it.
~ he is threatened and attempts to remove the threat
~ he is forceful on others even when others are right to have their own opinion or way
He is Self-centred and not God-centred.

God of Wonders

Acts 3

Inspired thots

It is SO exciting just thinking how Great my God is; so thrilling to know He is Able to work Wonders and Miracles. There is none like Him.
It is Jesus who does the Miracles - healing, forgiving, accepting, loving. Only His great love and compassion can stir the hearts of men.

The gospel is simple - motivated by love, a sacrfice for eternity. Thank you, Father God. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Holy Spirit.

One only needs to respond... by faith.

LIVING OUT in the Last Days

Acts 2

Inspired thots

Tongues are important; it is a means to Speak To God.
It declares the WONDERS of God.
A tongue is a language...someone somewhere will understand it.

These are the Last Days; The Holy Spirit is poured out on God's people to praise Him.
And secondly, one must 'see the LORD Always BEFORE me'...
When I know He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken... >> my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices.
My body also will live in hope." (v 25-26)
Yes, my HOPE is in God alone!

The things that MOST important in Life:
1) DEVOTE to God's Word

2) FELLOWSHIP

3) Breaking of Bread (remembering Christ)

4) PRAYER

Welcoming the HOLY SPIRIT

Acts 1

Inspired thots

Sometimes it is hard to understand Scriptures for it contains Heavenly things; humans are really earthly and finite in wisdom. Of course, not belonging to the right source will not enable one to understand too.

Hence, it is important to have the right guide to teach and to reveal the right meaning.
The Holy Spirit for understanding the Bible.
The Holy Spirit for revealing what is meant for that person at that reading.
Without the Holy Spirit, I can only understand according to MY HUMAN capacity; I can only interpret only as much as I can. There will be NO Revelations; especially the Heavenly things.

There is no 'logical' explanation when it comes to the Scriptures for only the Holy Spirit can determine what I should understand according to God's will. Amen.

Caring for Others

Romans 16

Inspired thots

Paul always Remembers his fellow workers; he appreciates each one. He is very good with relationships. There are so many around him but he takes time to 'greet' each one and make them known to others. He really cares about people and seek their good over himself. What a great selfless man of God.

Brethren of the Same Faith must stand together and bless one another. Then, there will be more love and peace; strength will come on through unity.

May God continue to reveal His mysteries to me and all!

People Need People to Impact People

Romans 15

Inspired thots

It is not easy to have relationships; it is part of life to be part of a chain or connection. Everyone needs another to live a fulfilled life; that is how God has created people. People can impact people on Salvation through the sharing of the Gospel. Christians are to pass on the GOOD NEWS after they received it and embraced it. The Good News is not meant to be stagnant and kept at its last stop. Its destination is continuous; not terminal.

Hence, people relations are so important in the kingdom of God; there are the kingdom relationships where Christians live to bless their fellow brethren and there are secular relations where the Gospel must be shared to non-believers to impact them with eternal life and forgiveness of sin, just as it did to us.

The Call is the same, yesterday, today and until Jesus come, for our God is the same, yesterday, today and forever. Let's call His vision and heartcry.

God ALWAYS Gives the BEST!

Romans 14

Inspired thots

Each to his own... as the saying goes. While it is true in many aspects, it is not in others.

Each of us is accountable to God individually; yet, we are to be our brothers' keeper.
God wants the BEST for ALL His children, His people.
I need to do likewise; I am no better than another. God has given ME my portion. And it is THE BEST!
God always WANT to GIVE the BEST! There is no other Standard for Him. Praise Him!

Whereas, Humans tend to have his own 'standards'. We should only have GOD's standards.
I must be ALERT to my own condition, as I will be Accountable to God on Judgment day.
What He reveals, I had better take note... else He may query in due time.

ALWAYS Act in Love... Objective of life: Peace & Mutual Edification

Do ALL things in FAITH.