Paula's Blog

Post-Christmas reflections

applecherrypipz — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 07:09:35 +0000

Theological/Philosophical/Ethical question : Is Christmas too commercial?

Hear his voice

applecherrypipz — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 01:41:49 +0000

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10: 27

Jesus offers us a deep, intimate relationship with Him. learning to discern God’s voice and hear from Him is therefore such an interesting and exciting aspect of being saved, of being God’s child and Jesus’ disciple.

His Whisper

It is gentle and soft—almost airy
With a message designed for my ears only;
It drips with sweetness, draws my spirit close,
And protects the trust that experience knows.

It is hushed and tranquil and floats on the breeze
And the love that it carries buckles my knees,
And reminds me that I’m His priceless treasure
By promising a love that will not be severed.

Behind it He hides, until I am still
And eager and anxious in both soul and will.
It drifts on the air until reaching my heart,
And it speaks softly, “How precious thou art.”

It seduces my senses as I draw near to listen
And quiets the world’s roaring insistence.
Earthquakes and fires may light up the sky,
But, alas, His whisper will gently pass by.

- Submitted by About.com member, Kristen Clark with His Witness Ministries

Like a Rose, trampled on the ground

applecherrypipz — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:02:37 +0000

From the song “Above All” by Michael W. Smith:

“Like a rose

trampled on the ground

You took the fall

and thought of me

Above all.”

Parallels between a trampled rose and Jesus’ death on the cross.

Love the Lord your God with all your Heart and with all your Soul and with all your Mind and with all your Strength

applecherrypipz — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 01:23:06 +0000

Recently I felt challenged to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, MIND and strength. In particular, I felt challenged to love the Lord with my MIND. what does it mean to love the Lord with my MIND?

I think it means not conforming to the pattern of this world, but renewing my mind according to the word of God.

Choosing to let God’s word be the authority over what I study, my career. Letting God mould my beliefs, shape my thoughts.

I think this is also closely tied in to the idea of Creation. As His creation, knowing that everything is Created by Him and for Him, I know that

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Prov : 9 – 10

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

The skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech,

Night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language

Where their voice is not heard.” Ps 19 : 1 – 3

Some food for thought! Some keywords on loving God with our minds are : wisdom, understanding, speech, knowledge, language

The truth

applecherrypipz — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 07:41:32 +0000

I’d like to share an excerpt from what I read from the book “Philosophers who Believe” by Kelly James Clark.

“According to Psalm 51, the Lord desires truth in our innermost being; but according to Jeremiah, ‘the human heart is deceitful above all things; it is desperately sick; who can understand it?’ Truth in our innermost being is not easy to achieve. It is hard to see what the truth is; it is also hard to tell the truth, to say what you see without imposing some kind of self-justificatory and distorting framework.“

– Alvin Plantinga, considered the world’s leading Protestant philosopher of God.

Children of God

applecherrypipz — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 04:45:11 +0000

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.“ – Rom 8:17

What a great hope we have in Christ!

- the glory of God is shining around them

charlottesart.blogspot.com

Delight Yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart

applecherrypipz — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:44:39 +0000

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” – Psalm 119:103

Finding our delight in God, how does one do that? Let’s take the time to meditate on His word daily, and delight ourselves in Him.

Living in the Light of who God is

applecherrypipz — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:59:24 +0000

“We live by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Cor 5:7 (NIV)

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” - Heb 11:1 (King James Bible)

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” – Heb 11:1 (NIV)

How can a Christian live by faith in this society? How can we apply this verse into our lives?

An issue I feel that is on my heart is that people are not sure about how to have faith in God, how to believe in Him even, with rapid technological advances that cause us to keep readjusting our perspectives.

Jesus

applecherrypipz — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 01:53:50 +0000

How often it is when one is going through a hard time, one desires that familiar sense of warmth and security. We wish for the easy way out, we want to go home, we want to stay in our comfort zone. Let God be our guide. So many things in this world distract us from Jesus.

Jesus asks us to pause, and just look to Him.

Nothing to offer in my own strength

applecherrypipz — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 03:37:50 +0000

“1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his[b]faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”

Romans 12:1-8

Thank you God, because of you and what you did on the cross, I can be broken before you, and you can have my life. I can live for you.To live is Christ, to die is gain.The Beauty of Brokenness.