Eat This Bread

Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the tousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel. - Micah 5:2

Christmas isn't the time of year when our thoughts naturally turn to be the Last Supper - or what the Jews called Passover. But the partiular Passover is critical to Christmas. After breaking bread and giving it to His disciples, Jesus said, "Take, eat; this is My body" (Matt. 26:26). Breaking bread was a traditional part of Passover, but adding "this is My body" was a striking departure from the familiar liturgy. The disciples must have been bewildered.

Later the meaning became clear. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which means "house of Bread." He was laid in a manger - a feeding through. He once said, "I am the living bread which come down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever, and the bread that I shall give is My flesh" (John 6:51).

The prophet Micah indicated that One born in Bethlehem would rule over Israel (5:2). But not until Jesus came did anyone realize the uniqueness of this Kingdom. Christ's rule would not be imposed upon anyone; it would be imparted to those who accepted this new citizenship.

As we sing of Bethlehem's manger, let's remember that the heaven-sent infrant King came so that we might "eat this bread" and partake of His divine nature. - Julie Ackerman Link

Thou art the bread of life, O Lord, to me,

Thy holy Word the truth that saveth me;

Give me to eat and live with Thee above,

Teach me to love Thy truth, for Thou art love. - Lathbury

Only Christ the Living Bread can satisfy our spiritual hunger.

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"Living Bread" reminds me of a verse I had memorise... Jesus declare, "I am the bread of life, he who comes to Me will not go hungry, and he who belives in me will not be thirsty"...
I haven't get baptist yet, so I haven't recieve this gift yet... sometimes I really wish to ignore my family and go for baptism... however, my leader don't agree... well, I also wishing that my mum will give me support when I go for it... but, it seems like impossible...

The only thing I can do now is try to get a better academic result so that I have something to show her... I will not get poor in my study although I spent queit a time in church... O God, please have mercy on me... I need You... I really do need your help... Father Lord, I know You are the Only One that I could hope for...

A Commitment To Walk

Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. - Genesis 5:24

One thing that impresses me about my wife is her commitment to walk two to four times a week for at least an hour. Come rain, snow, sleet, or shine, my wife layers up or down (depending on the weather), puts on her headphones, and off she goes walking through our community.

My wife's commitment to walking reminds me of a man named Enoch. Genesis 5:18-24 is a short paragraph about his life, and it shines like a diamond amid the earthly record of deaths. In a storyline where the funeral bells tolled out their mournful drone ("and he died" is repeated eight times in the chapter", there is a ray of hope - Enoch walked with God.

What did it mean for Enoch to wak with God? It describes Enoch's close communion with God - as if literally walking by His side. Also, it refers to Enoch's unswerving obedience to God in a corrupt culture. God rewarded Enoch's faithfulness by taking him to heaven while he was still alive. Death would not have the final world in God's creation.

Enoch's walk with God reminds us that it is impossible for all of us to enjoy intimate communion with the Lord. Let's commit ourselves to walking faithfully with Him every day. - Marvin Williams

He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there

None other has ever known. - Miles

You're headed in the right direction when you walk with God.

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Due to financial problem, I am not encourage to go church so frequently... as for her it is just a place to 'use' money... what for to go for such place that could not 'get' money...

I understand she just want to keep our money for some other "neccessary" stuffs... yet we are not looking at the situation from the same condition... well, she is not a Christian...

Anyway, I will try my best to have my time in church... I didn't go anywhere shopping mall or what so ever... I am just inside the church... well, maybe going to the Asia City for food... but that is just a while... I didn't hang around there...

Somemore I strongly believe that once I didn't go church to get the connection with God, my condition will only turn worse... alright, at first may be I will feel better for financial if I didn't go church, but that will not last long...

Therefore, never ever try to have such a mind to stop going God's house...

Seeing Jesus

He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. 0 Isaiah 53:2

When I was young, I thought I knew exactly what Jesus looked like. After all, I saw Him every day whenever I looked at some pictures in my bedroom. One showed Jesus knocking at a door and the other depicted Him as Shepherd with His sheep.

What I didn't know was that a mere decade before I was born, those pictures of Jesus didn't exist. Warner Sallman painted the well-known "Head of Christ" and other portraits of Jesus in the the 1940s. Those images were just one man's idea of what Jesus might have looked like.

The Bible never gives a physical description of Jesus. Even the men who saw Him every day didn't tell us what He looked like. In fact, the only clue we have is a passage in Isaiah that says: "There is no beauty that we should desire Him" (53:2). It seems that Jesus' human form was deliberately de-emphasized. He looked like an ordinary man. People weren't drawn to Him because of a regal appearance but because of what He said and did and because of the message of love He came to give (john 3:16).

But the next time Jesus comes to earth, it will be different. When our Saviour returns, we will recognize Him as the sovereign King of kings and Lord of lords! (1 Tim. 6: 14-15). - Cindy Hess Kasper

The more I see His beauty,

The more I know His grace,

The more I long, unhindered,

To grace upon His face. - Anon.

To see Jesus will be heaven's greatest joy.

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When I was a new born baby, my mum says both my legs were on my shoulders... it is quiet unusual... but I dunno how is the condition due to I am not really believe it... but, my mum said one night, an old man in all white, heal my legs... and my legs back to normal like others...

Then when I read the Heavenly Man, Brother Yun mentioned that he saw an old man in his dream... it is when he asked for a Bible...

Later on I think about what had my mum said... and I come out a question that, "is God an old man?" ...

Well, no matter what kind of image He looks like, that's not important... I guess... this is because... we worship Him is not because of how He looks like... so, no matter how He looks like, we as His children will still continue worship Him... nothing will change...

Gone With The Wind

All is vanity and grasping for the wind. - Ecclesiastes 1:14

The epic fill based on Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone With the Wind opens with these lines:

"There was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields called the Old South. Here in this pretty world, Gallantry took its last bow... Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered, a Civilization gone with the wind."

Not only does a way of life disappear but also the dreams that drive the main characters. Throughout the Civil War, Scarlett O'Hara is preoccupied with her love for Ashley Wilkes. But by story's end, she is disillusioned.

Solomon saw the futility of seeking satisfaction in people and things. Despite amassing wealth and knowledge, completing great projects, and marrying many wives, he said, "All is vanity and grasping for the wind" (Eccl. 1:14).

Why does chasing transitory things leave us unfulfilled? The biblical answer is that we were created to find our ultimate fulfillment in God. Jesus promised, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).

People and things come and go. But the spiritual satisfaction Christ offers sustains us in this world and will endure into eternity. - Dennis Fisher

What comes from man will never last,

It's here today, tomorrow past;

What comes from God will always be

The same for all eternity! - Spencer

Invest your life in what pays eternal dividends.

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Become a model was my ambition... Wearing beautiful dress, walk on the stage... what a nice scene is that... but now, I had forget about it... And the reason is pretty easy... Father Lord dislike it... :)

I was being told that modeling is not a career that a Christian should be involved... I was quiet shock and sad by the time... but I had overcome it... maybe not all... at least if someone ask me to wear hot pants + spagetti singlet... I won't refuse to do so... but also with kind of feeling like sorry to my God...

So, I am only wearing those shirt or low-cut dress when I am not going to church or somewhere that my church's friends won't go... as I am not from a Christian family, no one will stop me from wearing those cloths... not even my mum...

But, I knows that all this is just something that will disappear one day later... I know I should put all my concentration on Bible study... therefore, I am not having my time for make-up practice or matching those new cloths just because I want to know which one is better for me to show off... Honestly, that's really tired... especially for make-up... I hate the eyeliner when I remove it and it goes into my eyes and I need to use eye lotion to wash it out... it hurt my eyes...

Everyone is pretty in front of God as everyone is created by Him... so, what for to waste time for make-up, hair dressing and what so ever just to show off how pretty we are?!... time wasted can be use to chat with Father Lord!...

Expectations

My earnest expectation and hope [is] that... Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. - Philippians 1:20

Expectations! We all have them. We expect that people will be nice to us, that we'll have good health, great marriages, faithful friends, successful careers. But what do we do when life doesn't live up to our expectations? In Philipians 1, Paul shows us the way. He faced broken expectations of place, people, and the future, yet he remained surprisingly upbeat.

Paul was stuck in prison - not a great place to be! When we get stuck in a tough marriage, an unrewarding job, or a challenging neighbourhood, it's easy to get discouraged. But Paul was wonderfully posotive. He said that his suffering helped to advance the gospel (Phil. 1:12).

Maybe people haven't lived up to our expectations. Paul likely expected other believers to encourage him. Instead, some were actually glad he was in jail and were preaching out of "envy and strife" (v.15). Paul's response? "Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice" (v.18).

Maybe it's an uncertain future - the loss of a spouse, a job transfer, or a health crisis. Paul knew that at any moment Nero might give the order for his execution, yet he declared, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (v.21).

Adopt Paul's only expectation - for Christ to be honored no matter what! - Joe Stowel

In all I think and say and do,

I long, O God, to honor you;

But may y highest motive to be

To love the Christ wo died for me. - D. De Haan

You can expect to enjoy God's presence when you honor Him with your life.

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I expected I will become a prefect when I go back to my school for Form 6... I expected I will get a higher position in CF... I expected I can serve the Lord on stage... ... And all this "expectations" didn't turn up... quiet disappointed at first... but I had overcome them... :)

Not being choose to become a prefect is because I then realize my leadership is not strong enough... Did not get a high position in CF is because Lord has ready another position which He think is more suit me... :) ... Haven't worship Him on stage is because I am not ready yet... He will have His own timing... All I need to do is get ready myself and wait for His timing... :)

But... there is another "expectation" that makes me cried badly... I wished to get my baptism after one month I believe in Jesus Christ, just before I leave Tawau... before I go to NS... They even arrange a special baptism for me due to the date they fixed is too late for me... however, I begged, cried, called for help... done everything I could, called everyone that can help me to convince my mum... but I didn't get it... I thought I can get it... I almost sure for that... anyhow... Lord have His timing...

Too many expectations that could not turn up... that really make people down... but what to do? There are something that is beyond our control... be positive-minded is the only way to makes myself feel better... and I got a lesson that, never expect too much... never ever have a high expectation for yourself... other wise, when it didn't turn up... that's really... hurt so bad...

A Passion For People

He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. - 2 Corinthians 5:15

Mark Twain said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the vowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

This quote appears on a Web site intended to help people discover what they are passionate about so they can live with greater significance.

The apostle Paul's passion in life was largely driven by concern for the eternal destiny of othes. In 2 Corinthians 5, he names three things that fueled his passion. First, he recognized that he was accountable to Christ for his service and wanted to give a good accounting at the judgement seat of Christ (w. 9-10). Second, Paul was driven by Christ's love and a desire that others would know the love that he had experienced. In verse 14 he wrote, "Fot the love of Christ compels us." Finally, he understood that a lost and dying world needs the Savior (v. 20).

What are you passionate about? Paul's passion for people was fueled by the love of Christ - and ours should be as well. Let's apply Twain's words of challenge to our efforts in outreach: "Sail away from the safe harbor." Share the love of Christ with someone today. - Bill Crowder

Set us afire, Lord, stir us we pray!

While the world perishes, we go our way

Purposeless, passionless, day after day;

Set us afire, Lord, stir us we pray! - Cushman

Talking to Christ about others helps us to talk to others about Christ.

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I think of the Thailand preacher... our church is going to send 2 gospel preacher to Thailand... both lady are going to leave this safe habor and live for Christ in the future...
Actually we should go out... try to get as much people to Christ as I can... just ignore those who dislike Jesus Christ... as the Bible say they will get their judgement then...

Have passion on God's work is something we should do when it is still in daytime... when the night fallen... no work can be do... Serve the Lord with passion... and also serve the servants of God with passion...

Waiting For Joy

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. - Psalm 30:5

A large part of life centers around anticipation. How much we would lose if we were to wake up one day to the unexpected announcement: "Christmas in 10 minutes!" The joyment in many life's events is built on the fact that we have time to anticipate them.

Christmas, vacations, mission trips, sporting events. All grow in value because of the hours we spend looking forward to them - eagerly running throuhg our minds the fun, challenges, and excitement they'll bring.

I think about the value of anticipation and the thrill it can bring to the human heart when I read Psalm 30:5, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." The Psalmist is declaring the comforting idea that our earthly sorrow lasts but a short time when compared with the anticipated joy that will begin in heaven and last forever. Paul pens a similar idea in 2 Corinthians 4:17, where we discover that our "light affliction" leads to a glory of eternal value.

For now, those of us who weep can dwell on hope instead of hopelessness and anticipation instead of sorrow. It ma be nighttime in our hearts, but just ahead lies the dawn of eternity. And with it, God promises the endless joy of heavenly morning. - Dave Branon

Tribution, grief, and sorrow

Are but heaven's stepppingstones

To a bright and glad tomorrow

Where no heartache can be known. - Glass

We can endure this life's trials because of the next life's joys.

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Heaven is the place I love most... the joy over there may not be found on earth... hopefully I can enter the place full of joy... no tricks no sad no tears...

But... before that, there is a judgement... but... someone told me as long as we acknowledge through words and accept it in heart, we can go heaven... that is the passport...

Well... I hope I can enter heaven with joy... I know the day is near... I can feel it...

I think only left the 'famine'... the other day, the supply of rice is not enough to cover the demand in market... I believe that is the begin... since tsunami and earthquake has happened... the morality in the world is worse... children not piety towards parents... some countries are having battle... all these are the begining of the world end... if someone tell me tomorrow is the end of the world... I think I will believe it...

However, this is God's plan... no one can give the confirmed date when is it... but we do know it is

near... just around the corner...

So, let's prepare ourselves...