Thanksgiving

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God’s Sovereignty Gives Us Joy

September 8, 2008 in Christian Living by Isaiah | 4 comments

Back when I was learning to drive, I “discovered” a pretty nifty extension that the instructors use to have over-riding control of the car — they had the brake pedal extended to the passenger side of the car to immediately stop the car should anything go wrong.

It was a good thing that my instructor only had to use it once when I made a rather stupid mistake while making a U-turn. With the additional brake pedal on their side, it didn’t matter how much I stepped on the accelerator pedal; the car just wouldn’t move until the instructor was entirely sure that it was safe to move on.

In many ways, God’s sovereignty in our lives is much like the instructor and his extended brake pedal. While the additional safeguard in the car made me feel at ease (mostly), God’s sovereignty in our lives should give us joy.

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The Fallacies That Stumble

January 16, 2008 in Christianity by Isaiah | 7 comments

Fallacies -- a steep and rocky slopeHave you ever considered why we back-slide now and then and fall away sometimes, or just don’t have the motivation to read the Bible, pray and sing praises to God?

While it’s a fact that we all go through dry spells, why then do some of us slip away so much that there’s an actual term for the condition, i.e. ‘backsliding’.

I got to thinking about this issue, because it’s not a unique problem to most Christians, including myself. I backslid down the slippery slope for years from my late teens after I left college and enlisted in the Army, and have just recently started to once again reach for the peak.

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The LORD Heals

January 14, 2008 in Christianity by Isaiah | 14 comments

Hallelu YaH!Thank you, everyone, who has remembered me and the pain I was going through in your prayers!

The LORD heals indeed!

Hallelu et Adonai!

Prior to the procedure this afternoon, I’ve heard so many horrible stories from friends and colleagues about how much pain some of them had after having their wisdom teeth extracted surgically.

But because of all your prayers, the LORD has healed me and seen to it that I am not suffering in pain after my surgery.

I’ve just awoken after a good few hours of much-needed sleep, and there’s absolutely no pain, whatsoever. Yes, read that: NO pain!

No doubt I’ve had painkillers and am faithfully following the instructions to complete the prescription of antibiotics, but with my limited knowledge from the testimony of others, I know that suffering no residue pain at all in the immediate hours after the surgery is a miracle in itself.

Thank you, LORD, for you are good and merciful. Thank you, LORD, for you are our Jehovah Rapha!

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalm 103:1-5

Amen!

Picture by Summers.

Looking Back At 2007

December 30, 2007 in Christian Worldview, Christianity, Israel by Isaiah | 8 comments

Looking Back at 2007Just a day more, and soon the new year will be upon us. What has 2007 been like for you? What has 2007 brought about in you? These are questions I’m sure most of us would ask ourselves either today or the eve of the new year. And I’m sure that there’d be many who will be making new year resolutions too.

This past year hasn’t been a great one for me in terms of success as the world defines it. There has been no breakthrough career-wise, much less financially. In fact, quite the opposite has happened — I’ve seen a fall in my take-home income and seem to be stagnant in terms of career advancement. There have also been some difficulties that had me tossing and turning in bed, worrying about this issue or that problem.

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Praise You In the Storm

December 1, 2007 in Christianity by Isaiah | 2 comments

This song for Shabbat has a special meaning for me as, with thanksgiving, I seek God’s own Will for me following the episode at work last Friday.

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

Shabbat Shalom.

Giving Thanks for Everything

October 3, 2007 in Christianity by Isaiah | 14 comments

One of the most difficult things I encounter trying to live the life of a true follower of Christ Jesus is in following the teaching in 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Giving ThanksNotice that the teaching is to give thanks for everything, not just the good, but everything including the bad!

Yes, that means the worst afflictions, the worst possible setbacks you might face in your career and relationships like losing your job or a loved one.

And it’s even giving thanks for the worst possible scenarios that you pray God to lift off your shoulders or turn around! Say, for example, you pray that you won’t be retrenched from your job during an economic downturn, but you still are asked to go.

Yet the question remains — how do I give thanks for something bad happening to me?

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Blessed Fellowship

September 28, 2007 in Christianity by Isaiah | 10 comments

FellowshipDear Brother, Dear Sister,

I cannot even begin to describe how blessed I feel every time you leave me a comment with words of encouragement, or point me in the direction of truth, or join me in prayer.

Because since I started my blog in June, I have grown much in my faith in God and understanding of God’s Word, thanks to all your encouragement, support and most importantly, your friendship.

And it is amazing that though some of us are thousands of miles apart, there is so much common ground!

There are some people that I have never really thanked for all the encouragement and support that they have given me since day one, and I’d like to mention them here.

With a big, big hug, here’s my thanks to you all:

  • Casey at Casey’s Critical Thinking for all the encouragement and help. Thank you, brother, for even taking the time to help me troubleshoot problems with the blog crashing on some browsers.
  • ChannelofHealing at Channel of Healing for all the encouragement and kind words even when I thought some of my posts were rather drab.
  • Brian Gill at Apathetic Lemming of the North for his critique of my writing style, and the great tips he gave me on writing better.
  • TruthofmyKing at Wesley’s Blog for the encouragement and leading me to your blog where I learned much more about faith and God.
  • Harmony at At the Study for all the comments and discussions that spurred me to examine and learn more.

And here’s a big, big hug going out to you as well, for reading this blog, for commenting on my posts, for your prayers, for your blessings, for sharing your life with me, for teaching me, for encouraging me, and most of all, for your friendship.

Most of all, I thank God for blessing me with brothers, sisters and friends like you!

The Lord bless and guide you. The Lord bless and keep you in His love. The Lord give you His peace, which passes all understanding. Amen!

Shalom Aleichem.