james 3:1-2 teaching and the tongue

Dcmc asked me to be a Sunday school teacher...

To be a teacher in the church.

Is not something to be taken lightly.

Because those who do take up the responsibility have a higher standard to uphold.

Is it necessarily a bad thing? No. Life, without its struggles,  cease to be worth living. An easy life is not the way to the narrow door.

Thus, guard your tongue. Start there. The words that we speak out, audible.  Has to come from our minds and hearts first. Let a guardian angel stand at the doorway of our lips, so that wahtever passes through is edifying and glorifies Jesus.

Whatever is gossip and unholy, let it die In our thoughts, as we submit it to God in meditation and quietness.

galatians 5:19-21. evil and good behaviours

Galatians 5:19-21 NLT

[19] When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, [20] idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, [21] envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

https://bible.com/bible/116/gal.5.19-21.NLT

Christians don't follow laws for the sake of it (read earlier verses of chapter 5)..

We just acknowledge that certain behaviours are just results of listening to the devil

As well as doing the hard stuff like loving and forgiving is of the Holy Spirit.

That's why we need His strength and help to do so. By human means, some things are just impossible 

Romans 14 condemning others

"what kind of Christian are you to act like that????"

When that thought comes to mind.

Sigh.

A Christian is still a human, they still get angry, they still get frustrated and vent out all the dissatisfaction of life...

They're just being authentic. And we have this condescending thought that they shouldn't be acting or saying or doing something like that.

God save me.

I am in much more need of reprimand than the other person in my mind.

I am wretched.

Self control, is not for others that we should judge them if they have it or not. The only person we are accountable for this is ourselves towards God.

two sides of the coin. jesus the source of love

To love a higher power (God),

Is how we find the ability to love others (wife, kids, family, friends, enemies).

Jesus is the source of love. 

Find the source, 

And the well spring of life will bubble up flowing forevermore.

Life is all. 

I this world of experiences. 

The dark and the down trodden parts. 

The fights the anger the pain the sorrow. 

There will be no joy or peace, 

If we never knew war or sickness. 

Thank God for the good times. 

Remember Him in the bad ones. 

Holy jealousy Romans 11:11&14

Jealousy...

Always thought that that word had a negative connotation. The only line in where it is used for holiness is:

Our God is a jealous god.

But here in Romans, we read that Paul and God are trying to incite the isrealites (and anyone that has fallen away) to become jealous of those that have accepted Christ and is in God's grace and mercy.

So it is okay to be jealous... For the right things. To hunger and thirst for righteousness.

That is the thing we should strive to be jealous about.. Not others fancy car, house or family... But others obedience and walking in step with the Holy Spirit. That is something worth desiring, a life intune with God, grafted into a holy vine. 

Romans 8:5-8

There's only two wills:

God's and the sinful nature.

Whatever is not of the Holy Spirit,

Is of this world and the flesh.

There is no such thing as the flesh doing anything to please God. Whatever is good, it has to come from God.

So everything else that is no of God,

Is sinful.

There is nothing holy,

It things outside of God.

There is no such thing as pleasing God,

By doing things of the flesh.

Choose the Holy Spirit,

Follow God's will.

Die to one's own self 

Romans 3:31

We don't forsake the law because our salvation is by faith in Jesus. But in fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.

There is no way to follow the law perfectly, by human standards and strength alone. The one and only way to fulfill it in all it's fullness is to believe in Christ first, then only are we able to do what is required by God.

That is what the law was originally for.

It was what God wanted for us.

Is what God wants.

That's why we have the law.

It's not for us to achieve a communion or to reach God's standards or access to Him or something arbitrary like that...

What's the reason we have the law?

It's because that is what God wants.

But by our human standards we will never ever achieve it. 

don't worship the stars and the moon

Was looking for this verse for some time...

Remember reading it just after NZ Spirit's Resolution festival few years back...

As if God Himself was reminding me about pagan worship that comes along with these kind of new-agey stuff. 

Zephaniah 1:5

"For they go up to thier roofs

And bow down to the sun, moon and stars.

They claim to follow the Lord,

But then they worship Molech too."

For all those into self improvement, personal development... the rabbit hole goes deep towards hocus pocus stuff like the Secret (manifestation, law of attraction), Mexican Ayahusca (phyto psychedelic) , occult Kybalion (esoteric hermeticism)...

They'll throw it funky add-ons like crystals, sages, bells and whistles, frequencies, vibrations and such...

But eventually mostly boil down to a similar concept:

"That whatever we want, comes form something within us, that is in our control. (Or well, the choice to choose whatever is 'out there' in the universe)"

Hence, yeah...

Its opposition to Christianity.

Whereby out help and salvation comes from God, and not our ownself. Through Jesus Chirst.

Its odd really.. this Christmas. His name is being mentioned less and less. As if were afraid to mention his name (Luke 9:26). Its a form of social anxiety, a desire to fit in with everyone and not be divisive..

But yeah... well... I guess we can't worship two gods at the same time right. Our God is monotheistic, not allowing us polythisme. Just as how a wife has righteous jealousy when her husband might be tempted away by another woman's lustful seduction. So too should we protect the sacredness of marriage being between only one man and woman (Another particularly sensitive topic in today's world).

How to incite hate? How not to make another angry. Is being complacent and accommodating what God would ha e wanted for Sodom and Gomorrahs way of life?

Or does fire and brimstone not exist in this world of rainbow unicorns and strawberries anymore.... 

why we have the law

V11. Its clear no one can be made right before God by trying to keep the law....

Then...Why do Christians have so much laws???

Well, one thing for sure, it's not following those laws that saves us.

Nor does laws give us the Holy Spirit.

Believing in God is what's needed to put us right. Just believe, as simple as that. Belief

V19 

Q: why, then, was the law given? 

A: it was given alongside the promise (of Christ), to SHOW people their sins

That's it... that's all that the law is good for. To show us our flaws. To show our wretchedness and depravity...

There's no honor or glory in trying to obey the law.... no prestige or fame from being a law abiding person

The law is just that, to show our shortcomings. Nothing to be celebrated.

What we celebrate instead is Christ, in Him is the honor, glory and power to save us. Forever and ever. In has been, in the past, the present and days to come. So if one, wants to boast, boast in this: that it is the simple fact of believing in Christ that we're saved. Not the works of man. But God.

hard to read the bible now

getting old in age.

at 30 plus..

when i read chapters in the bible,

sometimes i dont understand what i'm reading anymore

not like how it was back then when i was younger

i could read slower, longer, and more focused

my attention span has serverly degraded to passive consumption of media

how do i train back my ability to read

and enjoy reading

fawning

Ending my "2025 no FB public post" resolution.

At the start of the year, I realized i was using social media in an unhealthy way. Hence wanted to take a break from it. But then I relaise that I really miss posting stuff that I've found so interesting and really want to share to others... this is what I enjoyed using FB for. (Not the mindless doom scrolling when i should be sleeping, habitual app checking during breaks or at the dinner table infront of the family...). Hopefully that's remediated a little more now... 😜 

So yeah. Here it is:

Word: Fawning

Never knew there was a fourth response to fear/danger: fight, flight, freeze... and fawn

Are you (forced to be) compliant or can you be your authentic self? Is people-pleasing and avoidance of conflict to appease others your go to response when an uneasy situation comes up...constantly thinking of what others will be thinking of you...

Interesting book on an unconsciously learned trauma response. And how it's not just mental, but can be stored in physical nerve memory pathways (man i still remember the rotan from school days, good times xP)

Way to overcome? Unfawning through alignment and uhh.. Never heard of this therapy before...

Somatic EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) . Using movements such as Buttefly Hug ... thankfully I got hugs and lots of heathy love growing up in the formative years.. but yeah maybe there is someone out there that can benefit from it...

Well, Noah likes hugs and pats and sayangs, so it must be something haha

Hopefully he can grow up in a family environment that allows him to express himself without the subconscious fear of being reprimanded (unreasonably). Truth should be thought, but thought in love

Another interesting point from the blinkist was "healthy anger" .. something i feel I need to learn how to harness. Always suppressed this emotion as I thought being too fiery wasn't such a Christian thing to do... least one ends up a zealot .. but yeah. Maybe there are good godly ways to express it

And also,

"Self sacrificing for the sake of others" sounds like a very Bible thing to do... (Matt 25:40, romans 13:8-10, Phil 2:4, 1 Tim 5:8, Eph 4:32, John 3:16, Hebrew 12:14, James 2:14-17, Gal 6:10, luke 12:33) .. gee.. there's a whole bunch of it eh, caring for others..... no wonder subtle characteristics of fawning might have slipped in.... but don't get them wrong or misinterpret the verses to be self-abandonment to the detriment of one's ownself.... Jesus asked us to love others as we love ourselves. If we aren't able to ensure ourself is loved first, how are we expected to love others in a healthy way?

The world nowadays (and even back then) with its new age movement will emphasize on "loving one's self" .. but they do it with the idea that that love should come from within the individual person themselves. I.e. love your(outer)self from withing our inner self. However this is now what we're thought in Sunday school. We thought that love for one's self comes from acknowledging God's love for us. And it is by His unconditional grace and mercy that we are able to deal with the fallen states of our body and esrthy condition with love. And then able to love others from that healed state.

So yeah, one pathway leads to a very individualistic, selfish, narcissistic worldview. That shrouds itself trying to look good as "self help". But in actuality it draws one further away from what the original purpose of life was made for.

The other pathway leads to life, and life in fullness and abundance. Painful, hard, not a wide open road, long, arduous, full of challenges and hardships. But that's when we grow, when we have the chance to learn to overcome. And by that become more and more whom we were originally created to be, closer and closer in relationship that will last for eternity.

cough and sore throat

Noah and I sucked fish tank water on last Thursday/Friday ... and developed cough and some throat infection on Sunday 

Two days.

Don't suck fish tank water on a siphon into the mouth :/

being healthy

"Being healthy is the best feeling ever" - Marcille, Delicious in Dongeon Chapter 19

Some people chase a feeling of euphoria ..

But honestly... just being healthy. Is such  a wonderful feeling to have. When no bones ache.. when the heart bears strong, when we can exercise and just enjoy life...

That's good.

back pain... again

Not sure when was the last time I had back shoulder pain... but I got it now again...

Owh the pain.  Such a reminder.

So played Albion online on the phone until 4am on Saturday night. Even went outside the room to charge the phone. Maybe it's the hunching that's causing the tendon or muscles to over stretch...

Played badminton on Sunday afternoon.  Did some jump smashes.. that might have been enough fast movement to tear the muscles...

Inflammation, to isolate movement and heal...

Health, wealth and happiness.

Really without health it is hard to enjoy life.

It's all actually small things that accumulate up.

Habits. Good and bad.

Don't have to go cold turkey on games. It just comes back with a nastier bite. But maybe try to make gaming a time of listening to podcast/audio books and something productive as well. Multi task while doing it.

Mastery comes with practice.

Practice excercises, practice juggling or using the unicycle...

It's fun to learn new skills.

Keeps the mind engaged in something worthwhile

Better than doom scrolling or reaching for the phone whenever one is bored.

Meditate, journal, read the Bible, sing songs, play the guitar

 Learn Chinese.

Spend time with God.

Spend time with family.

At the end of the day, life isn't so complicated.

Someone to love,

Something to do,

A purpose to live for.

"such a beautiful sunny day

Spoilt by your stupid mood..."

Instead say something like

"I know you're upset...

Let's try to make the best of the day..."

Internet full of made up stuff

Don't trust everything you see online.

Not everything on the internet is real or true.

social media observer

The reason why people like to post of Facebook, Instagram or social media...

Is because we want enlightenment.

To be able to view our currentself as a third party. To step outside our bodies and view what activity it is doing. And become an observer to it.

fear

Contrary to the saying that:

Fear makes one risk-averse

A healthy conception or perspective of fear can actually make one take on more risk. As if there was nothing else to loose, or if losing something more precious due to not acting on that healthy fear would be the consequence.

Let a healthy sense of fear drive us to become a better person.

Fear the Lord.

why I am not angry

A revelation when reading the magazine New Philosopher on emotions.

It's not that I don't get angry. Or not have the feeling of that emotion.

But I think I subconsciously fear conflict even more.

So, to subdue flashes of rage and hot arguments or fiery passions... I just prefer to stay calm. And not stir up anything.

This peace, stems not from tranquility or serenity itself, but from the desire to avoid upsetting others. If I am angry, the other person would be sad. I don't want them to be sad because of me.

Hence, I never get angry.

But I still fear.

I fear the other person getting angry.

we exist because God does

Q: how do you know God exists?

Because you exist. And I.

What constitutes us? Is not whom we are our consciousness (or some might call soul). And who has ever seen one before. Yet you believe that you exist.