..::*+ Small Talk +*::..
Yesterday we all went to strawberry farm. Nothing to do, eh? But then, it was a great time. I always thought that strawberries grow on tree. Ha ha. Anyway, will update about it in later post.
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Day 9: What makes God smile?
We all have a common goal in life - to make God smile. In last entry we learned that pleasing God is one of our purpose in life. Now the question is, how to do it?
So how to make God smile?
1. God smiles when we love Him supremely. And thus, we can do that by building up a close relationship with God. God created us because of love, and He is longing for our love towards Him too.
Well, not really clear by New International Version (NIV), right? Let's look at other version:
Can you feel the strength in the verse? He desires us to love him; He urge us to know Him and spend time with Him. Thus, we must learn how to love our God and be loved by Him. That's the most important of our lives and nothing else is more significant than that. One of the famous quote said by Jesus:
I want to love Him more - what about you?
2. God smiles when we trust Him completely. For some of us, to trust in God takes up a lot of courage and strength. I dare say myself having some problems in trusting God completely.
I think, God is now trying to teach me how to trust in Him completely. And by that, He gave me lots of real life examples. I still remembered the very first week, when we all just arrived in Germany. We had quite a major difficulty - How can we find ourselves a church? And yes, it seemed to be hopeless at all at the beginning. Our German was (oh yes, now still is!) quite bad, and attending a German-speaking church will be something very alien to us. Although I've heard Jeremiah 29:11 -
for lots of times, but still, I must confess that I really feel unsure about Him. But God must have known I'm very movable, thus He provided Jia Jin to prove His words. He brought us to Hoffnung Stuttgart after he came back from Malaysia. A classical testimony that really gave my trust towards Him a great boost. I guess I should learn how to trust Him completely regarding the direction of my path. A lot of times God had proven to me that all I need to do is to be patient and expect great things from Him. After all, trusting is another act of worship. Our faith makes God happy about us.
3. God smiles when we obey Him wholeheartedly. Just do what He commands you to do.
And most importantly, obedience unlocks understanding. After we obediently follow His orders, He will let us know the reason why He asked you to do so. Just like my case: I used to think (before I became a Christian) that the so-called "God" is bad because He put me into bad situations - breaking up with someone. I thought if both can tolerant each other, a relationship can lasts forever. But after I received Jesus, I read it differently. He led me to this break up, so that events following that could bring me closer to Him. After becoming a Christian, I asked tons of times to God, "Why you made the relationship a dead-end?" But I was not given answers. As time went on I forgot totally about this question; I follow what He wants me to do. And in the end, I understand now that the relationship was meant to be stopped. What I had done in the past were really shameful. I wasn't capable to be someone's husband. I wasn't firm enough for everything. So my fellow readers, be obedient. You need not to know the reason for what He asked you to do. Just do it, and you'll understand His purpose in the future, for sure.
4. God smiles when we praise and thank Him continually. God smiles to us, when we when we express our adoration and gratitude towards Him sincerely. Because of Jesus' sacrifice, we were told to offer the sacrifice of praise and the sacrifice of thanksgiving to Him. And a point that everyone of us agrees is that when we give God enjoyment, our own hearts fill with joy too, no?
5. God smiles when we use our abilities. Most of us have a wrong impression - God is please with us only when we're doing a "spiritual activities", God cares not about our other part of life. But hey,
Thus, everything that we do, except sin, can be a way to show God your attitude of praise. And God gave different people with different abilities and talents. *Some can even talk to swans, ha ha :P *But one thing we must know is that He wants us to use our abilities. Thus, Don't hide your talents nor abilities. If you can draw, express your heart towards God through arts. If you can sing and play instruments, maximize them to worship Him. Rejecting our talents means rejecting God's wisdom and sovereignty in creating us.
Overall God gain pleasure in watching you enjoying His creation. Stephanie was right:
He knows that we're incapable to be sinless and perfect.
Thus he doesn't await a lot from us. Just a simple question will satisfy Him: Is pleasing Him your deepest desire? God seeks people who are like Noah, who willing to live for the pleasure of God.
So, will you make pleasing God a goal of your life?
Vincent
Yesterday we all went to strawberry farm. Nothing to do, eh? But then, it was a great time. I always thought that strawberries grow on tree. Ha ha. Anyway, will update about it in later post.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 9: What makes God smile?
We all have a common goal in life - to make God smile. In last entry we learned that pleasing God is one of our purpose in life. Now the question is, how to do it?
find out what pleases the Lord.
Ephesians 5:10
So how to make God smile?
1. God smiles when we love Him supremely. And thus, we can do that by building up a close relationship with God. God created us because of love, and He is longing for our love towards Him too.
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
Hosea 6:6
Well, not really clear by New International Version (NIV), right? Let's look at other version:
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
Can you feel the strength in the verse? He desires us to love him; He urge us to know Him and spend time with Him. Thus, we must learn how to love our God and be loved by Him. That's the most important of our lives and nothing else is more significant than that. One of the famous quote said by Jesus:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.
Matthew 22: 37-38
I want to love Him more - what about you?
2. God smiles when we trust Him completely. For some of us, to trust in God takes up a lot of courage and strength. I dare say myself having some problems in trusting God completely.
Trusting God completely means having faith that he knows what is best for your life.
Rick Warren - The Purpose Driven Life
I think, God is now trying to teach me how to trust in Him completely. And by that, He gave me lots of real life examples. I still remembered the very first week, when we all just arrived in Germany. We had quite a major difficulty - How can we find ourselves a church? And yes, it seemed to be hopeless at all at the beginning. Our German was (oh yes, now still is!) quite bad, and attending a German-speaking church will be something very alien to us. Although I've heard Jeremiah 29:11 -
"For I know the plans I have for you, " declares the LORD, "plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hopes and a future."
for lots of times, but still, I must confess that I really feel unsure about Him. But God must have known I'm very movable, thus He provided Jia Jin to prove His words. He brought us to Hoffnung Stuttgart after he came back from Malaysia. A classical testimony that really gave my trust towards Him a great boost. I guess I should learn how to trust Him completely regarding the direction of my path. A lot of times God had proven to me that all I need to do is to be patient and expect great things from Him. After all, trusting is another act of worship. Our faith makes God happy about us.
Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who come to Him must believe that He exists and He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
Hebrew 11:6
3. God smiles when we obey Him wholeheartedly. Just do what He commands you to do.
God doesn't owe you an explanation or reason for everything He asks you to do. Understanding can wait, but obedience can't.
Rick Warren - The Purpose Driven Life
And most importantly, obedience unlocks understanding. After we obediently follow His orders, He will let us know the reason why He asked you to do so. Just like my case: I used to think (before I became a Christian) that the so-called "God" is bad because He put me into bad situations - breaking up with someone. I thought if both can tolerant each other, a relationship can lasts forever. But after I received Jesus, I read it differently. He led me to this break up, so that events following that could bring me closer to Him. After becoming a Christian, I asked tons of times to God, "Why you made the relationship a dead-end?" But I was not given answers. As time went on I forgot totally about this question; I follow what He wants me to do. And in the end, I understand now that the relationship was meant to be stopped. What I had done in the past were really shameful. I wasn't capable to be someone's husband. I wasn't firm enough for everything. So my fellow readers, be obedient. You need not to know the reason for what He asked you to do. Just do it, and you'll understand His purpose in the future, for sure.
4. God smiles when we praise and thank Him continually. God smiles to us, when we when we express our adoration and gratitude towards Him sincerely. Because of Jesus' sacrifice, we were told to offer the sacrifice of praise and the sacrifice of thanksgiving to Him. And a point that everyone of us agrees is that when we give God enjoyment, our own hearts fill with joy too, no?
We enjoy what God has done for us, and when we express that enjoyment to God, it brings Him joy - but it also increases our joy!
Rick Warren - The Purpose Driven Life
5. God smiles when we use our abilities. Most of us have a wrong impression - God is please with us only when we're doing a "spiritual activities", God cares not about our other part of life. But hey,
The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in every details of their lives.
Psalm 37:23 New Living Translation
Thus, everything that we do, except sin, can be a way to show God your attitude of praise. And God gave different people with different abilities and talents. *Some can even talk to swans, ha ha :P *But one thing we must know is that He wants us to use our abilities. Thus, Don't hide your talents nor abilities. If you can draw, express your heart towards God through arts. If you can sing and play instruments, maximize them to worship Him. Rejecting our talents means rejecting God's wisdom and sovereignty in creating us.
Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
"What are you making?"
Does your work say,
"He has no hands?"
Isaiah 45:9
Overall God gain pleasure in watching you enjoying His creation. Stephanie was right:
Go out to enjoy what God has created instead of hiding in your tiny room. Open up every possible channel, and that includes admiring His wonderful creation, so that God can speak to you more about the Purpose He has for you.
He knows that we're incapable to be sinless and perfect.
for He knows how we are form,
he remembers that we are dust.
Psalm 103:14
Thus he doesn't await a lot from us. Just a simple question will satisfy Him: Is pleasing Him your deepest desire? God seeks people who are like Noah, who willing to live for the pleasure of God.
The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men,
to see if there are any who understand, and who seek God.
Psalm 14:2
So, will you make pleasing God a goal of your life?
Vincent
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