Oright lads we're into optimized mode.
today I ate full nothing to do (direct translate) went to sort out my hotmail contacts... guess what,
Guys (Left to right): Pau, XY, Siew Chun, NG, Yeen Chow, me, Hon Fai.
..::*+ Small talk +*::..
It was very long time ago since I posted an educational post and this small column “Small Talk”. Nevertheless, now I want to share what I will be teaching in few hours later in my cell group. The materials were taken from Purpose Driven Life Connection Daily Devotional from March 15, 2009 to March 19, 2009.
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One thing that most of the parents like the most about their children is to tell others about their children. And the best part is that they are all having joyful look when they talk about how wonderful their children are. It is exactly the same thing like our God. He wants to smile on us. But before we go into that, let us read about the story of Noah’s Ark.
Due to the copyright I cannot post the whole chapters about this story, but the story goes like this:
After a period of time after God created human, men began to increase in numbers and most people out there were wicked and their hearts full of evil thoughts. They corrupted their ways. God grieved and His heart was filled with pain. He regretted of making mankind and decided to wipe everything out. But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD so God asked him to build an ark and fill it with he and his wife and his sons and his sons’ wives and creatures of all species. Noah obeyed and after He built the ark and collected all the creatures, God summoned the floodwaters and wipe out everything. The flood lasted 150 days and after that they came out and God was so pleased with Noah and He made a covenant with Noah.
This is the generalized version of the story Noah’s Ark. But in Bible there was a quote which is the topic of this post:
Noah was a pleasure to the LORD.
Genesis 6:8 Living Bible
We know one of our purposes on earth is to bring pleasure to God. So now comes the question: How to make God smile?
1. God smiles when we love Him supremely.
If we all can look from our parents’ view on us. What do you think you can make to make them smile? We need not to be successful or earn a lot of money to make them smile. Same goes to a boy-girl-relationship. Off topic: Why I keep on talking about this theme? =.=” But anyway, my mentor shared with me how a girl thinks. Normally guys will like to do an one-shot-super-surprise to girls and expect her to love back him in the coming years. But no, simple care and a hug in the morning will grants him one point from the girl. And back to the parents, it not about if we held a super gigantic dinner for mom during Mothers’ Day or not. But simple thing like showing our appreciations of what she has done for us and take over one of her tasks like mopping the floor. It doesn’t matter if the kid uses only a piece of cloths and tries to mop the floor which definitely doesn’t make the floor cleaner at all or not, but it is about the intention and the effort of the child that makes the mother smiles. And in Bible:
“Noah consistently followed God’s will and enjoyed a close relationship with Him.”
Genesis 6:9 New Living Translation
This close relationship between Noah and God is exactly the smiling-pill that makes God smiles and have pleasure with Noah. God wants to have fellowship with every single one of us. He wants to have this relationship with Him. He wants us to love Him and spend time with Him. How can a husband and a wife live together if they do not have love towards each other? How can a parent guide their child or children if they do not love them? On the other way round, how can we make our parents smile if we do not love them?
“I don’t want your sacrifices- I want your love; I don’t want your offerings- I want you to know me.”
Hosea 6:6 Living Bible
2. God smiles when we trust
“By faith Noah, when warmed about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By him faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”
Hebrews 11:7 NIV
Noah did not complain or make excuses when God told him what to do. But instead he trusted in God and did whatever He asked him to do. And this is the element - His trust and faith – that makes God smile.
“He takes pleasure in those who honor Him, in those who trust in His constant love.”
Psalm 147:11 Today’s English Version
An interesting fact that we all should know: In Genesis 5:32 we learned that Noah is by that time 500 years old. In chapter 7 verse 6 we read that the floodwater came when he was 600 years old. So we can summarize that it took about 100 years for Noah to build the ark. That itself is a test of faith. What do you think about that? What would you think his neighbors will think about him having this so big ark at the front yard? What about his sons? They probably felt embarrassed because of that big ship at their house and the fact that they were actually lived hundred of miles away from the nearest ocean. But yet Noah trusted God and did whatever He commanded him to do. Talking about faith, trusting God completely means having the faith that God knows what is best for our lives. We know that He will keep His promises in Jeremiah 29:11 and to help us in our daily situations, including performing miracles when necessary.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God”
Hebrews 11:6 NIV
3. God smiles when we obey
Another thing that makes God smiles is our obedience. Nowadays we have this Dummies’ Guide to read in our lives. And during long long time ago, since this book wasn’t published, God handed Noah “God’s Guide: How to build an ark” instead. Inside this command He gave specific instructions to Noah about the measurements of the ark, what it should be made of, how many decks that the ark should have and even where should he build the entrance door into the ark (Genesis 6:14-16). Then God also told him what to be taken into the ark and even gave him the weather forecast about when to He will cause floodwater to come (Genesis 7:2-4). The best part of the story is, that
“Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”
Genesis 6:22 and 7:5 NIV
Throughout the story God did not tell Noah explanation. And Noah did not ask “Why can’t I bring my neighbors along with me?” But instead he just obeyed. God doesn’t owe us explanations and reasons for everything He asks us to do. And we must be obedient to God. It doesn’t matter if we don’t understand why God do this and that, because understanding can wait, but obedience can’t. Furthermore, when we urge for reasons, we are delaying our obedience. Partial obedience is disobedience. Can we say that, “I read my Bible everyday but I will forgive my enemies some other day in the future”?
God is pleased when we are obedient to him, just as how God is pleased with David, that he proclaimed:
“I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do”
Acts 13:22 NIV
And besides, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” John 14:15 NIV
4. God smiles when we praise
In the Bible we read that:
“Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.”
Genesis 8:20 NIV
That is one of the ways we can do to give Him praise – offering burnt. But besides that, can we think of some other way to praise God? Yes, in Old Testaments most of the praise towards God are done through offerings. But we all know that by worshiping, shouting His name, dancing with joy, giving thanks, expressing our adoration and gratitude… These are also the way we can praise God. There is no certain way of how we praise Him, it is the heart that God looks into. When we give God enjoyment, our own hearts are filled with joy.
“I will praise Gods name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.”
Psalms 69:30-31 NIV
5. God smiles when we use our abilities
The time when God is pleased with us are not only when we doing ‘spiritual’ activities, for example: reading Bible, praying, attending church or sharing our faith… but also when we use our talents and abilities that He has given us. We don’t bring glory and pleasure to God by hiding our abilities or trying to be someone else. He created us for who we are and who He wanted us to be. It’s just the way you are. He created us with gifts. We are given talents and gifts so that we can use them for His enjoyment. He loves being pleased in various ways. Rejecting any part of us means rejecting God’s wisdom and sovereignty in creating us. There are no unspiritual abilities, just misused ones. After the flood, because of Noah’s love towards God, He blessed Noah and his sons.
“As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”
Genesis 9:7
“So we make it our goal to please Him..”, as stated in 2. Corinthians 5:9. So, are we ready to make God smiles?
That day, he cried again.For the girl whom lost by him.But this time, it's something special.