Seizing the Kairos! - Planting Godly Trees

PLANTING GODLY TREES

 Luke 6:43-45
43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 

One of the keys for living a Christ-like centered life is to have your mouth and your heart in agreement. No matter how good we are in keeping what's inside of our heart, eventually our "mouth speaks what the heart is full of".

If we dig deeper and look at passages leading to Luke 6:43-45, we can see that the Word of God is talking about how we have to love our enemies and how we shall not judge and condemn others to live a Christ-centered life. Loving our enemies means that we have to live our life in full forgiveness and mercy as a lifestyle. 

Luke 6:35-36
35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 

To connect the dots, it seems that the Word of God is teaching us that in order for us to be more like Christ, we have to live in agreement with our mouth and heart, and in order to do that, we have to live in full forgiveness as a lifestyle. 

Forgiving people is not always easy. Some of us walk around in our life with big scars and bitterness. That is why too many of us is no longer able to live in harmony between what is inside our hearts and what we say to others. God's commandment is not impossible to do. Creating forgiveness as a lifestyle might be the hardest thing that we could ever done. In fact, there would be moments where we can release forgiveness easily and there would be moments where we have to fight with our flesh and mind to forgive someone. That is why the Word of God tells us that we have take up the cross and truly work on our salvation. Because at the end, what matters the most is to become the real children of the Most High (Luke 6:35). God will always with us (Immanuel), but we have the ultimate responsibility to train, discipline, and shape ourselves so that we would live as Christ has lived. 

Trees mentioned in Luke 6:43-44 are describing the habits and characters that have been rooted in our life. If we have started our life as bad trees produces bad fruits, it is time to cut down our trees and take out all the roots in our life, and start sowing new seeds of Godly characters with our quality relationship with God and His Words. It is our duty to make sure that this amazing and miraculous seeds that contains Godly characters are properly sown and well taken care of in a daily basis. Yes, we have to work on our salvation to make sure that these seeds will grow and eventually become strong trees that produce good fruits. 

 - JH -

Seizing the Kairos! - The Mystery of the Fig Tree

The Mystery of the Fig Tree

Mark 11:12 - 14
12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

Jesus was very hungry (verse 12) and yet it was understood that it was not the season for figs (verse 13). However, Jesus still expects that the fig tree would provide the solution for His hungerness.

The reason why Jesus later on curse the tree so that we, as God's children, are reminded to be ALWAYS fruitful even in times where it seems natural not to bear fruits.

It is not an excuse even when we are stressed or under huge pressure, for not giving our very best in loving Him and emulating His characters. Even in Jesus' darkest hours, when He prayed in the Gethsemane, He gave His very best in being obedient to the Father and to His destiny, to be crucified so that you and I are saved.

Being intimate with God and learning to become more like Christ everyday is the hardest commitment we will ever make. Yet, by His grace, it is no longer impossible.
Let us be reminded of our commitment and strive to always be fruitful with the help of the Holy Spirit.

-JH-

Seizing the Kairos! - Redefining Forgiveness

Redefining Forgiveness

When we really talk about real faith, we do not talk about our needs and wants (e.g. I have faith that I will have my own house in the next 5 years). When we really talk about real faith, it always talk about God's divine plan to bring us back to His blueprint regarding the real men and women of God. Real faith talks about how much God truly loves us to a point where He sent His own beloved Son to a slaughterhouse to be killed by His own ungrateful creation (John 3:16).

When we learn to see this world not from our needs and wants, but from His needs and wants, we start to feel what He feels. We start to consider and re-prioritize our goals in life. It's no longer about us, but it's all about Jesus and His Kingdom. Our life change because our mind change. Our mind change because the way we see things are also change, influenced by His thoughts, His desires, and His values and conviction (Romans 12:2)

Jesus has proven that a man/woman of God has the inner capacity to unleash the true forgiveness in their hearts, no matter how hard and painful the wrongdoings in our lives. Jesus has proven this through the cross where He truly sacrifice Himself for sinners like us. God's children that truly understand the meaning of the cross in their lives, will start to believe that no matter how painful the wrongdoings in our hearts, we believe that, all sins have been forgiven and that there is no sin committed by human that cannot be forgiven.

The world teaches us that the we need to forgive others so that it would bring peace to our hearts and freed us from unnecessary pain, sufferings, and depression. The focus is always about us and our lives.

However, Jesus taught us that the reason why we need to forgive is because of the cross. As stated in the Lord's prayer, God will forgive us IF we forgive others too (Mat 6:12). We forgive others because God has forgiven us unconditionally. True Faith will produces True Forgiveness. By believing wholeheartedly that we are called to become Christ-like, we starts to see that no wrongdoings is big enough that cannot be forgiven, because Jesus has forgiven all sins. We forgive because we want to become more like Christ and through faith He will enable us to work on our salvation and fulfill His ultimate plan for us. The focus is no longer about us, but it is about Jesus and His Kingdom.

It's time to redefine our paradigm about forgiveness.

- JH - 

Seizing the Kairos! - Stop Abusing Faith!

Stop Abusing Faith!

Ephesians 2:8

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-

Faith is one of the common words nowadays that are often used wrongly. In fact, many believers start to see Faith as Positive Thinking, worse, as self-actualization.

According to the Words of God, Faith is a pro-active response from the heart of a person who truly desires to accept Christ as Savior, and to follow Him as Lord.

Faith is originated from the hearing of the Words of God (Romans 10:17).

Faith is never based on our personal needs and wants as human beings.

Thus, Faith isn’t Self-Actualization and Positive Thinking.

Because the purpose of Faith is to enable us as God’s Children to live in a way that we become more like Christ every single day (John 14:12). 

For the sole purpose of God’s grace is for us to become perfect like Our Father in Heaven.

Faith means putting on God’s glasses in our paradigm, instead seeing this world from our own.

Because God said that if we truly love Him wholeheartedly, we do not need to worry at all about what we are going to eat, what we are going to wear, and where we are going to live. 

The power of faith granted upon us is not destined for our needs and wants, but is greatly destined for the work of salvation in us and the people surround us.

Let’s stop abusing the words of faith in our lives and start using it properly, to propel our lives in working on our salvation faster and greater than before so that we, eventually, become Christ-like.

=JH=

Seizing the Kairos! - How salty are you?

How Salty Are You?

Mark 9:50 – Salt is good; but if the salt become saltless, with what will you season? Have salt in yourselves, and be peace with one another.

One of the keys to become intimate with God and people is to understand the essence of salt, as written in the bible. We all know that salt is one of the most common used ingredients to cook. Imagine cooking without salt. Culinary won’t be exciting anymore because everything is tasteless.

Salt is used to enhance and give flavors to food. We, as God’s children, are called, not only to do good to people, but to enhance and bring such a great influence to other people’s life. Showing and leading them to a life filled with unfailing love and the desire to become Christ-like. We have to examine our hearts to make sure that each relationship that we have truly shows great Christ-like attitude and the passion for lost souls.

Salt is used to preserve. We are called to preserve this world from the corruption and decay of sin. We are called to preserve Godly influence in our culture by expanding our Godly influence in the culture surround us, starting from our own family.

Salt is used as healing instruments. We are called as God’s vessel to bring spiritual, emotional, and physical healing to the people around us.

Salt creates thirst. We are called to bring such influence so that people will thirst after God and His Words like never before.

Let this be a great reminder to all of us that everytime we eat and taste the salt in our taste buds, we also remember to always enhance and give flavors to other people’s life, preserve Godly influence in our family, become the healing vessel for God, and always create thirst of God to others around us. 

And now it's your turn. How salty are you?

-JH-

Seizing the Kairos! - Heaven-made Intimacy

Heaven-made Intimacy

Act 13:22

22 After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My [a]will.’

Someone once said that Intimacy can be spelled as “In-To-Me-See”. Being intimate with someone means letting that person to see the real you by opening your heart and be vulnerable. Risking your heart so that these precious others can truly know and understand who you are deep down.

If we look at the world these days, intimacy has become the “niche” market in technology. Software and Tech companies are in competition in creating the best apps to connect people through the internet and smartphones. Thus, apps and sites like Facebook, Path, Instagram, Twitter, etc, have been born and become extremely popular in terms of connecting ourselves to each others.  However, we have to understand as well, that being intimate through these channels have driven us away from personal touch and the ultimate joy in truly spending time in the presence of our friends and families.

Worse, we even start to see our relationship with God the way we connect with others through the internet.  We start to crave for people “acknowledgement” and “ likes”. We start to spend more time in thinking how people think about us, instead of how God think about us. We start to forget the ultimate joy in spending our time in His presence. Our hearts become dull and somewhat lonely because the spring of life is no longer flowing excessively from our hearts. God is yearning for a generation that He can call after His own heart!

It’s time to go back to the real intimacy. Spend more time with the Words and in His presence.  Letting God to “in-to-me-see” and let us “in-to-God-see”.

Seek for His Heart, His Longings, His Passion, and His Will. And, once again, you will experience the real intimacy, heaven-made.

-JH-

 

Seizing the Kairos! - Pathway to Quality Intimacy

Pathway to Quality Intimacy

Romans 5:3 -5 "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

Bollywood is the one of the largest movie makers beside Hollywood. Bollywood has made thousands of movies since its establishment. The interesting thing about Bollywood movies, based on my observation (yes, i do watch quite a few movies myself), is that the way they picture true love is often through great sufferings. Through such pain, endurance, and perseverance, at the end, the impossible love become possible. The harder the hardship, the more interesting it gets, and the better the love story leave impression on our hearts and minds. I believe we can truly grasp and learn one important principle through Bollywood movies, "suffering is the pathway to quality intimacy."

The Word of God teaches us that suffering produce perseverance, perseverance produce character, character produce hope, hope triggers Holy Spirit to overflow God's love into our hearts.

Quality intimacy with God must be initialized with suffering for Christ sake. When we share God's suffering in our life, we start to know and feel what He feels. We start to see the world the way He sees the world. We start to understand the things He does in the past, present, and future. We start to share His mindset, and in fact, we also share His glory as a result (Rom 8:17).

Being intimate with God, is not only being joyful and peaceful at His presence all the time. Being intimate with God means sharing His tears, His pain, His thoughts for the lost souls, having the same sense of urgency to do what its need to be done to speed up the end time.

It's about time we grow up and see God in higher perspective. Being intimate with God is no longer about finding comfort and peace for ourselves. It's no longer about us and our needs. Being intimate with God is about your decision and commitment to see this world from His perspective, learning to adapt His mindset, and starting to act on the decisions that will further the Kingdom and preparing the saints for the end time.

=JH=

Seizing the Kairos! - Present evil age

Present evil age

Galatian 1: 3-5
"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

One of the great purposes for Jesus to die on the cross, rise, and ascend to heaven is to rescue us from the present evil age. Present evil age is talking about popular values, wisdoms, opinions, corrupt desires, and selfish pleasures of those in the world who do not follow Christ.  Present evil age is also describing all unbiblical religious systems and organizations that use the name of Christ or his family of believers, yet teach and encourage the lifestyles contrary to God's words and His standard of holiness that are given in His Words.

Many of us as Christians might realize that some of our paradigms are actually fall under the category of present evil age. However, only a few take actions to actually repent and run back to His Words. We tend to underestimate the impact of having these wrong values and paradigms because we mistakenly believe that these misleading values and paradigms is not too essentials compare to life-and-death values and corrupted paradigms.

However, the Word of God set a very clear standard as mentioned in 1 John 2:15-16
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him. For everything in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from the Father but from the world."

99% obedience is 100% disobedience.

It is time to ask for God's help to learn to live in God's standard, not ours. We have to daily examine our hearts and minds to ensure that we are no longer live based on corrupted values, opinions, desires, and paradigms. When we daily ask for His help, believe that He will rescue us from this present evil age!"

-JH-