A lovely February to you from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
"Good riddance to good works!" is the mentality of some Christians who believe that obedience to Yahweh God's holy commandments is no longer required once you put faith in Jesus Christ for your salvation. Is this belief Biblical? When we accept Jesus as our Savior, does it mean we can indulge in a paradise of sin?
No, "in comes faith, out goes God's laws" is not a Biblical doctrine. To live a life based on this erroneous belief is not only foolish but dangerous as well, because "if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries." (Hebrews 10:26, 27, WEB)
So why do some people believe that Christians are no longer under God's laws? People believe so based on faulty interpretations of certain passages in the Holy Scriptures. Let us examine some of them now to understand their true, intended meaning.
1) God's commandments nailed to the cross?
The number one passage that's commonly misinterpreted is Colossians 2:13-14, which says:
"You were dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. He made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, wiping out the handwriting in ordinances which was against us; and he has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross."
Many people wrongly believe that "handwriting in ordinances" refers to God's commandments. So they believe that God's commandments are what work against us and were nailed to the cross, away from our sight, no longer to be obeyed.
"Handwriting" is translated from the Greek word "ceirografon," which refers to any handwritten note. It can also specifically refer to a record of debt. "Ordinances" is translated from the Greek word "dogma," which means both "decree," as in a formal order issued by a ruler, and "ordinance," as in ordinances in regards to right living.
While "handwriting in ordinances" alone can be understood as God's written commandments, this is not the correct understanding in its context. In the Colossians context, "handwriting in ordinances" refers to a record of sins or trespasses one has ever committed and the decree concerning them. The focus of the Colossians 2:13-14 is on the forgiveness of one's sins. Jesus has "forgiven us all our trespasses." How? By wiping out the record of trespasses which was against us, and nailing it to the cross. This canceled the decree concerning those sins. What's God's decree concerning sins? Death. Yes, the penalty for all sins is eternal death: condemnation. But Jesus nailed our records of sin and their decree onto the cross. This colorfully illustrates the forgiveness of our sins.
At the crucifixion of criminals, the Romans customarily nailed a plate onto the wooden stake to which the criminal was impaled. The plate stated the crime for which the criminal was executed.
In Jesus' crucifixion, Christ symbolically nailed our own record of sins (our plate) onto his own wooden stake. This symbolized that Jesus himself bore our iniquities and died in our place, as if he were the one who committed the sins we committed. This is in line with what the prophet Isaiah said:
"Surely he has borne our sickness,
and carried our suffering;
yet we considered him plagued,
struck by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions.
He was crushed for our iniquities.
The punishment that brought our peace was on him;
and by his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray.
Everyone has turned to his own way;
and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
My righteous servant will justify many by the knowledge of himself;
and he will bear their iniquities." (Isaiah 53:4-6, 11)
Onto his wooden stake, Jesus nailed all of our sins, taking them upon himself. This canceled the decree of condemnation that we would have faced if Jesus had not died in our place. It was the decree that worked against us, not God's righteous commandments.
The English Standard Version best translates Colossians 2:13-14 as: "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross." The New Living Translation translates Colossians 2:14 as: "He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross."
2) God's commandments "dead" to Christians?
Another commonly misconstrued passage is Romans 7:1-6, which says:
"Or don't you know, brothers (for I speak to men who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man for as long as he lives? For the woman that has a husband is bound by law to the husband while he lives, but if the husband dies, she is discharged from the law of the husband. So then if, while the husband lives, she is joined to another man, she would be called an adulteress. But if the husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress, though she is joined to another man. Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we might bring forth fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were through the law, worked in our members to bring forth fruit to death. But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter."
Here, the apostle Paul uses the marriage as an analogy to illustrate the fact that the Law no longer has a condemning hold on Christians. Just as a woman whose husband died has freedom to re-marry another man without being charged as an adulteress, so a Christian who "died" through Jesus Christ can now join to another "husband" (Jesus) and can no longer be condemned by the Law.
Many erroneously believe that this passage says that Christians no longer have to obey God's commandments. To correctly understand this passage, we need to know two things: a) what the Law stands for here, and b) what Christians died to.
The "Law" refers to the Mosaic Law given to God to Israel. The Law was comprised of three components: a) commandments to obey, b) prescribed punishments for disobedience, and c) a sacrificial system where people could receive forgiveness for certain sins (now, it's a bit more complex than this, but it gives you a good general idea). While people could receive atonement through the sacrificial system, people who broke any of the commandments were usually condemned by the second component of the Law (it's prescribed punishment, mainly condemnation), because the sacrificial system only covered a limited amount of sins. Essentially, all people under the Law were condemned, because no one could perfectly obey God's commandments due to the sinful nature in each person (Romans 3:19-20, 23).
Things changed for the better when Jesus offered himself up as a willing sacrifice to die in our place. When a person becomes a Christian by putting faith in him, their "old selves" died with Christ, meaning that they have become a new creation whose past sins were completely forgiven, and any future sins will be forgiven through confession and repentance (Romans 6:6-7; 2 Corinthians 5:17). In other words, the Mosaic Law with its prescribed condemnation no longer has a hold on the Christian. The Christian is "dead" to the condemnation of the Law, not to the commandments of God. This is the correct understanding in light of the entire Romans 6-7 context and the Scriptures overall.
To say that the "Law" in this passage is referring to God's commandments would make this passage contradict the rest of the Bible. We'll later see just a few passages that show God's commandments are still binding to Christians.
3) God's commandments no longer lead Christians?
One other passage people use to support the idea that God's righteous commandments are no longer relevant to Christians is Galatians 3:23-25, which says:
"But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, confined for the faith which should afterwards be revealed. So that the law has become our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor."
Here, the "Law" also refers to the Mosaic Law, which is a system comprised of three components: commandments, condemnation, and sacrificial system. Like the Law, "faith" in Galatians 3:23-25 also refers to a system or economy. Some dub them the "old dispensation" (the Law) and the "new dispensation" (faith).
To put it simply, the new dispensation is an upgrade of the old dispensation. The new dispensation also has three components as the old: God's commandments, justification through faith, and a sacrificial system. Essentially, God's moral commandments remain unchanged. What altered are the last two components: condemnation for failing to perfectly obey God's commandments has been replaced with justification through faith in Jesus Christ, where anyone who trusts in Christ for their salvation will be forgiven of their violations of God's commandments; and the object of sacrifice in the sacrificial system has changed from animal sacrifices to the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ, whose blood can make atonement for the worst sins so long as the sinner sincerely repents. This means that condemnation of the Law still applies to those who refuse to put faith in Jesus for justification and those who willfully rebel against God's commandments.
Two of the purposes of the old dispensation were:
a) To show God's people that they needed Christ: Since the Law required perfect obedience and since no one could perfectly obey God's commandments for justification, the Law showed people that they needed a Savior to rescue them from condemnation.
b) To lead people to Christ: The sacrificial system of the Law made atonement for certain sins through the blood of animals. Every time a person committed a sin and needed forgiveness, an animal had to die in their place to pay the penalty for their sin, which is death. However, animal blood could atone for only unintentional sins and intentional less serious sins. This demonstrated that a) only blood could atone for sins, and b) they needed a better sacrifice to atone for any and all sins, even the worst sins, such as murder and adultery.
This was why the apostle Paul metaphorically compared the Law to a "paidagogos," which is translated into such words as "tutor," "guardian," and "schoolmaster." A "paidagogos" was usually a slave in a well-to-do Roman family who supervised and cared for school-aged boys and brought them to school. Like a paidagogos, the Law led God's people to Christ, their actual Teacher. When Christ came, God's people were transferred to the care of Christ in the new dispensation from their "guardian," the Law. As the Teacher, what does Jesus teach? God's commandments! Indeed, Jesus teaches the same old commandments, elaborating on the principles behind the precepts to give the commandments fuller meaning and make them applicable to anyone of any society. Thus, God's commandments have never been abolished, only affirmed and re-established.
God's Commandments, Alive and Active
Now that we've looked at some of the commonly misconstrued passages, let us read some verses that clearly tell us that God's commandments are not dead and gone for Christians.
Many say that when Jesus came, he abolished God's commandments. But Jesus himself disputed this false belief when he said: "Don't think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn't come to destroy, but to fulfill. For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished. Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5:17-20)
The "law and the prophets" refers to the two major divisions of the Tanakh (our Old Testament) which includes the writings on the Mosaic Law. Note that Jesus said he did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it. He fulfilled the Law by becoming the ultimate sacrifice for humanity in the sacrificial system, thereby making atonement for those who would have been condemned under the Law. However, his sacrifice and atonement did not remove God's commandments or people's obligation to observe them, as Jesus said that anyone who "shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven."
Jesus' words are more than enough to prove that God's commandments are binding to Christians. But since by God's Law that at least two witnesses are required to establish a case, then let's look at another passage that supports the fact that God's commandments are still binding:
"'Behold, the days come,' says the Lord,
'that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;
not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers,
in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt;
for they didn't continue in my covenant,
and I disregarded them,' says the Lord.
'For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel.
After those days,' says the Lord;
'I will put my laws into their mind,
I will also write them on their heart.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people." (Hebrews 8:8-10, quoted from Jeremiah 34:31-33)
The "old covenant" that Yahweh made refers to the Mosaic covenant He established with Israel ("Judah" refers to a kingdom of Israel). That covenant contained the commandments Israel had to observe. But after Israel repeatedly violated the covenant, Yahweh established a new covenant with them. The "new covenant" is more of a renewed covenant, because instead of having God's laws (commandments) written simply on stones, God will write His laws on people's hearts. This simply means that God will supernaturally help people observe His commandments by having His Holy Spirit guide them; on their own, they did a miserable job keeping His laws. And Christians have entered into this covenant Yahweh made with Israel. This consequently put Christians under God's commandments. So contrary to popular belief, the new covenant did not remove God's laws--it re-established them by having them written on people's hearts!
The Conclusion
If you have thought that obedience to God's commandments is no longer your obligation when you put faith in Christ, think again. Faith in Jesus is not the ticket to sin, only to reconciliation and justification, where you will not be condemned by God for not being able to perfectly obey His laws. Good works prove whether your faith is genuine, for "as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead." (James 2:26) Performing works in accordance to God's laws is God's will, and only those who do the will of God will enter His Kingdom, as Jesus said:
"Every tree that doesn't grow good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire. Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will tell me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?' Then I will tell them, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.'" (Matthew 7:19, 21-23)
Note your simple belief that Jesus is Lord will not get you into God's Kingdom. Only active faith can. Active faith is faith in Jesus that's proven genuine by your obedience to God's will in keeping His commandments.
Christians are God's workmanship, "created in Christ Jesus for good works." (Ephesians 2:10) Are you living up to your title as a new creation of God? If not, then follow the lead of the Holy Spirit to help you observe God's laws and avoid the temptations of all that is contrary to God's goodness.
Let us all pray:
Dear Heavenly Father,
How can a young man [or woman] keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
With my whole heart, I have sought you.
Don't let me wander from your commandments.
I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
Blessed are you, Yahweh.
Teach me your statutes.
Open my eyes,
that I may see wondrous things out of your law.
Keep me from the way of deceit.
Grant me your law graciously!
Teach me, Yahweh, the way of your statutes.
I will keep them to the end.
All of your words are truth.
Every one of your righteous ordinances endures forever.
Give me understanding, and I will keep your law.
Yes, I will obey it with my whole heart.
Direct me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in them.
Turn my heart toward your statutes,
not toward selfish gain.
Turn my eyes away from looking at worthless things.
Revive me in your ways.
Fulfill your promise to your servant,
that you may be feared.
So I will obey your law continually,
forever and ever.
(Psalm 119:9-12, 18, 29, 33, 160, 34-38, 44)
In Jesus' name, amen!
~*~Q&A with Dr. Shirley~*~
Question: Why should Christians obey God's commandments?
Answer: Why should children obey their parents? The answer to this question is partially the answer to the question posed.
The purpose of obedience to God's commandments is twofold:
a) It shows that you love Yahweh your Heavenly Father in turn. Obedience is an expression of love. You cannot claim to love God while you rebel against His laws.
b) It proves that your faith in God and in Jesus is genuine. How can you claim to trust in God if you do not fear the consequences of your rebellion? While our obedience to God's laws should not be driven by fear of punishment, we would be quite foolish to think that we will escape unscathed when we willfully disobey Yahweh's laws. Failing to perfectly obey God's laws when you have tried your hardest is one thing; to willfully rebel against His laws is quite another thing. There will not be any condemnation to only sincere Christians who failed to perfectly keep God's laws. It's another story for rebels. Simply put, God will not be mocked; we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7).
Remember: "He [Yahweh through Jesus] will judge everyone according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.
"For merely listening to the law doesn't make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight." (Romans 2:6-11, 13, NLT)
"You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can't you see that faith without good deeds is useless? Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works." (James 2:19-20, 26)
"So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don't just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." (James 1:21-25)
~*~Dr. Shirley's Corner~*~
Are you interested in obtaining in-depth knowledge of God's Word to help you deepen your understanding of God and His plans and develop a sacred relationship with your Heavenly Father? If so, you are more than welcome to sign up for the In-Depth Ultra-Ability Bible Virtual Class via e-mail.
· You will study the Bible in depth from Genesis to Revelation in order.
· The study will progress in your own pace.
· You will work one-on-one with me via e-mail only.
· Your personal Bible-related questions will be answered.
· Although the virtual class has no financial cost, it will require your dedication and diligence. There will be lessons to complete and tests to take for all Bible chapters. All assignments are in short question and answer format.
· The only textbook for this program is the Bible. If you do not have a copy of the Bible, you can read it online for free at www.BibleGateway.com.
· The class is non-denominational and is not affiliated with any church or ministry.
· You have no obligations; you may pause or stop anytime, though you are strongly encouraged to complete the study.
Interested? Then fill out the form at www.ultra-ability.com, and we'll get started. I look forward to our study time together!
May the grace and peace from Yahweh God and Jesus Christ be with you.!
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Best regards,
Dr. Shirley Cheng
Award-Winning Author with 27 Book Awards
Founder of Ultra-Ability Ministry
Proclaimer of Yahweh God's Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ
Author/Contributor/Editor of 35 books by age 27, Bible Teacher, Poet, Motivational Speaker, Self-Empowerment Expert, Advocate
Board member of World Positive Thinkers Club
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Friday, February 1, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Inspiration from a Blind: Doomsday or Bloomsday?
Happy New Year 2013 to you from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com!
December 21, 2012 came and went, and we're still all here. Whose fault is it that this and similar prophecies about doomsday did not come to pass? Who are we to believe anymore? Jesus had warned us, "Many false prophets will arise, and will lead many astray." (Matthew 24:11, WEB) So how can we tell true prophets from false prophets?
To answer these questions, we need to understand and keep in mind of three things regarding prophecy in general:
1) Only Yahweh God Almighty can foresee the future
As the all-knowing Creator of the universe, only Yahweh has the ability to see into the future and accurately foretell it. He can even know all the possibilities that can occur (1 Samuel 23:11-12). By His grace, He enables His spiritual messengers (whom we call "angels") to exercise this power to a limited extent.
2) A true prophet has to be authorized by Yahweh
When Yahweh wants to deliver messages to people, He can do so through human messengers. We call these messengers "prophets." As God's spokesperson, a prophet first receives a message from Yahweh, and then passes on the message word-for-word to others. This is prophesying. Hence, a true message from God is the very words of God, not the words of the messenger. For this reason, all prophecies that came from Yahweh through His chosen prophets are one hundred percent accurate. Ninety-nine percent accuracy is not good enough.
3) Unauthorized messengers will be severely punished by Yahweh
We must not claim to have a divine message from Yahweh God Almighty when we do not. Under the Mosaic covenant with Israel, false prophets were put to death (Deuteronomy 18:20). To deliver a message that did not come from Yahweh is to commit blasphemy, which is among the worst sins anyone can commit against God.
While we are not to put false prophets to death under the Christian covenant, false prophets will be personally judged by Yahweh through Jesus Christ. As with false teachers, false prophets will be punished with eternal death after the future resurrection unless they sincerely repent prior to their death in their lifetime on Earth or before Jesus returns, whichever comes sooner (2 Peter 2).
False prophets lead people astray from Yahweh and from Jesus, causing them to stumble. For this reason alone, "it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea." (Matthew 18:6) As Jesus said, "Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes!" (Matthew 18:7) Simply put, the fate that awaits false prophets is not pretty.
In light of all this, we should be disturbed when unauthorized "prophets" "prophesy" the date of the so-called doomsday. Since all such prophecies have not come true, those who make such predictions have self-condemned themselves as false prophets. (However, the date of 12-21-2012 did not begin as a prophecy but had been misconstrued as such.)
Lest we be fooled by another "prophet" in the future regarding doomsday, we need to know and remember three things about "the Day of Yahweh" or "the Day of the Lord," when our current world system will end:
1) Only Yahweh knows when the Day of Yahweh will come
Speaking of the day he will return to Earth to punish the wicked as God's avenger, to put an end to our current world system, and to establish God's Kingdom over Earth, Jesus said, "No one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only. Watch therefore, for you don't know in what hour your Lord comes. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don't expect, the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] will come." (Matthew 24:36, 42-44)
While none of us knows when the Day of Yahweh will commence, we will know the "season" by watching various signs that tell us the day is nearing (Matthew 24:32-33). Among the signs is the return of Israel to the Promised Land where both halves of the nation will be united once more after thousands of years of separation and exile (Ezekiel 37). This process began in 1948 and is fulfilling before our very eyes. So we are in the season of the Day of Yahweh.
2) The appearing of "the man of lawlessness" precedes the Day of Yahweh
Some years after Jesus's resurrection and ascension back to heaven, rumors spread that the Day of the Lord had already come, disturbing the Christians in Thessalonica. To put their troubled hearts to rest, the apostle Paul wrote them a letter, explaining, "Don't be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion [apostasy] against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth." (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 9-12, NLT)
This man of lawlessness is dubbed "the Anti-Christ" by some. Regardless of the title we give him, this universal tyrant will be empowered by Satan with supernatural abilities in order to deceive the world into accepting falsehoods and to lead the world to worship him as God (Revelation 13:1-8). He will be the antitype of Antiochus Epiphanes, accompanied by his own personal false prophet, also empowered by Satan (Daniel 11:21-45; Revelation 13:11-14; Revelation 19:20).
It is useless for us to predict who the man of lawlessness will be. When he does come in God's due timing, then we will certainly recognize him. But we must remain alert and faithful to Yahweh and Jesus, lest we think the man is actually God!
As we can see, December 21, 2012 was too soon for the Day of Yahweh, as not all the signs, including the man of lawlessness, have been fulfilled.
3) The Day of Yahweh is not doomsday
If you do not like our current world system, with its corrupt politicians, dishonest businesses, heinous crimes like the recent shooting in Newtown, global poverty, and all the illnesses and diseases that plague humanity; and if you love Yahweh and His Son Jesus Christ, and are eager for Jesus to return to Earth to establish God's righteous Kingdom over us, then the Day of Yahweh will be the most wonderful occasion for celebration! It'll be "bloomsday" where all of our eternal treasures for which we have stored up and worked for will bloom and flourish for our everlasting enjoyment.
The Day of Yahweh will be doomsday to you only if you love our world as it is now, and if the idea of Jesus ruling over us does not appeal to you.
Yes, where people stand now will determine their attitude toward the Day of Yahweh. There were reports of hysteria as December 21 was drawing near; I wonder, were they panicking at the thought of their beloved world ending?
Where do you stand? Are you looking forward to the Day of Yahweh, or are you shuddering at the thought? Your relationship with Yahweh and Jesus determines your standing.
To the rebellious, Yahweh said, "Woe to you who desire the day of Yahweh! Why do you long for the day of Yahweh? It is darkness, and not light." (Amos 5:18, WEB)
But to the righteous who love his appearing, Jesus said, "There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and on the earth anxiety of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the waves; men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to happen, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near." (Luke 21:25-28)
Thus, "be careful, or your hearts will be loaded down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day will come on you suddenly. For it will come like a snare on all those who dwell on the surface of all the earth. Therefore be watchful all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man." (Luke 21:34-36)
And whoever will call on the name of Yahweh shall be saved on that day (Joel 2:32). But do not wait till that day. Call on Him now, as Yahweh invites: "Turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning [in repentance for all your sins]." (Joel 2:12)
Tear your heart, and not your garments,
and turn to Yahweh, your God;
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness,
and relents from sending calamity.
(Joel 2:13)
~*~Q&A with Dr. Shirley~*~
Question: How can you tell a true prophet of Yahweh from a false prophet?
Answer: The below basic guidelines will assist your discernment:
• True prophets always speak in Yahweh's name with the authority given by God. False prophets speak in a name other than Yahweh's. This is the first and foremost test whether a prophet is from God. If someone cannot pass this test, there's no other reason to go on to the other tests.
• Prophecies from true prophets always come true exactly as they are told. False prophecies, on the other hand, do not come true, even if they are spoken in God's name. Some prophecies may appear to be fulfilled when they are told in an ambiguous way. For instance, if I say, "A dog will bark in two hours," and a dog does bark two hours later, does that make me a true prophet? No, because I did not indicate a specific dog. What I predicted could have spoken by anyone. A true message from God would have named a specific dog, giving no doubt to whether the prophecy had come true when it did indeed come true.
• True prophets produce good fruits by exhibiting godly qualities, doing good works and speaking good words. False prophets do not possess this good nature. Even though Satan and the demons who empower their false prophets can perform miracles, they do not imitate God's good qualities, so this is one of the best ways to differentiate the true from the false prophets, as Jesus said, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit. A good tree can't produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit." (Matthew 7:15-18)
• True prophets glorify God through their words, action, and any supernatural signs they perform. They credit Yahweh for the power they receive. False prophets glorify themselves or spirits other than God.
• True prophets lead people to Yahweh and His teachings. False prophets do not.
~*~Dr. Shirley's Corner~*~
Read my books for free! If you have Amazon's Prime Membership, you can now read all of my Kindle ebooks without any cost by borrowing them from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library. Browse all my titles at http://amazon.com/author/shirleycheng
Thanks, and happy reading!
May the grace and peace from Yahweh God and Jesus Christ be with you.!
Content Copyright by Dr. Shirley Cheng; All rights reserved
You are permitted to only give out or link to this website or post; all other distribution and copying is prohibited without the prior written permission of Dr. Shirley Cheng. Contact Shirley at www.shirleycheng.com
Would you like to receive Inspiration from a Blind via e-mail monthly? Then sign up at http://www.shirleycheng.com/contact.html
Read previous issues of Inspiration from a Blind at blog.shirleycheng.com
Best regards,
Dr. Shirley Cheng
Award-Winning Author with 27 Book Awards
Founder of Ultra-Ability Ministry
Proclaimer of Yahweh God's Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ
Author/Contributor/Editor of 35 books by age 27, Bible Teacher, Poet, Motivational Speaker, Self-Empowerment Expert, Advocate
Board member of World Positive Thinkers Club
http://www.shirleycheng.com
"Although I'm blind, I can see far and wide; even though I'm disabled, I can climb high mountains. Let the ropes of hope in Yahweh God haul you high!"
Please sign the Parental Rights in Children's Medical Care: Give Parents the Right to Say No Petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/parentr7/petition.html
December 21, 2012 came and went, and we're still all here. Whose fault is it that this and similar prophecies about doomsday did not come to pass? Who are we to believe anymore? Jesus had warned us, "Many false prophets will arise, and will lead many astray." (Matthew 24:11, WEB) So how can we tell true prophets from false prophets?
To answer these questions, we need to understand and keep in mind of three things regarding prophecy in general:
1) Only Yahweh God Almighty can foresee the future
As the all-knowing Creator of the universe, only Yahweh has the ability to see into the future and accurately foretell it. He can even know all the possibilities that can occur (1 Samuel 23:11-12). By His grace, He enables His spiritual messengers (whom we call "angels") to exercise this power to a limited extent.
2) A true prophet has to be authorized by Yahweh
When Yahweh wants to deliver messages to people, He can do so through human messengers. We call these messengers "prophets." As God's spokesperson, a prophet first receives a message from Yahweh, and then passes on the message word-for-word to others. This is prophesying. Hence, a true message from God is the very words of God, not the words of the messenger. For this reason, all prophecies that came from Yahweh through His chosen prophets are one hundred percent accurate. Ninety-nine percent accuracy is not good enough.
3) Unauthorized messengers will be severely punished by Yahweh
We must not claim to have a divine message from Yahweh God Almighty when we do not. Under the Mosaic covenant with Israel, false prophets were put to death (Deuteronomy 18:20). To deliver a message that did not come from Yahweh is to commit blasphemy, which is among the worst sins anyone can commit against God.
While we are not to put false prophets to death under the Christian covenant, false prophets will be personally judged by Yahweh through Jesus Christ. As with false teachers, false prophets will be punished with eternal death after the future resurrection unless they sincerely repent prior to their death in their lifetime on Earth or before Jesus returns, whichever comes sooner (2 Peter 2).
False prophets lead people astray from Yahweh and from Jesus, causing them to stumble. For this reason alone, "it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea." (Matthew 18:6) As Jesus said, "Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes!" (Matthew 18:7) Simply put, the fate that awaits false prophets is not pretty.
In light of all this, we should be disturbed when unauthorized "prophets" "prophesy" the date of the so-called doomsday. Since all such prophecies have not come true, those who make such predictions have self-condemned themselves as false prophets. (However, the date of 12-21-2012 did not begin as a prophecy but had been misconstrued as such.)
Lest we be fooled by another "prophet" in the future regarding doomsday, we need to know and remember three things about "the Day of Yahweh" or "the Day of the Lord," when our current world system will end:
1) Only Yahweh knows when the Day of Yahweh will come
Speaking of the day he will return to Earth to punish the wicked as God's avenger, to put an end to our current world system, and to establish God's Kingdom over Earth, Jesus said, "No one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only. Watch therefore, for you don't know in what hour your Lord comes. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don't expect, the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] will come." (Matthew 24:36, 42-44)
While none of us knows when the Day of Yahweh will commence, we will know the "season" by watching various signs that tell us the day is nearing (Matthew 24:32-33). Among the signs is the return of Israel to the Promised Land where both halves of the nation will be united once more after thousands of years of separation and exile (Ezekiel 37). This process began in 1948 and is fulfilling before our very eyes. So we are in the season of the Day of Yahweh.
2) The appearing of "the man of lawlessness" precedes the Day of Yahweh
Some years after Jesus's resurrection and ascension back to heaven, rumors spread that the Day of the Lord had already come, disturbing the Christians in Thessalonica. To put their troubled hearts to rest, the apostle Paul wrote them a letter, explaining, "Don't be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion [apostasy] against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth." (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 9-12, NLT)
This man of lawlessness is dubbed "the Anti-Christ" by some. Regardless of the title we give him, this universal tyrant will be empowered by Satan with supernatural abilities in order to deceive the world into accepting falsehoods and to lead the world to worship him as God (Revelation 13:1-8). He will be the antitype of Antiochus Epiphanes, accompanied by his own personal false prophet, also empowered by Satan (Daniel 11:21-45; Revelation 13:11-14; Revelation 19:20).
It is useless for us to predict who the man of lawlessness will be. When he does come in God's due timing, then we will certainly recognize him. But we must remain alert and faithful to Yahweh and Jesus, lest we think the man is actually God!
As we can see, December 21, 2012 was too soon for the Day of Yahweh, as not all the signs, including the man of lawlessness, have been fulfilled.
3) The Day of Yahweh is not doomsday
If you do not like our current world system, with its corrupt politicians, dishonest businesses, heinous crimes like the recent shooting in Newtown, global poverty, and all the illnesses and diseases that plague humanity; and if you love Yahweh and His Son Jesus Christ, and are eager for Jesus to return to Earth to establish God's righteous Kingdom over us, then the Day of Yahweh will be the most wonderful occasion for celebration! It'll be "bloomsday" where all of our eternal treasures for which we have stored up and worked for will bloom and flourish for our everlasting enjoyment.
The Day of Yahweh will be doomsday to you only if you love our world as it is now, and if the idea of Jesus ruling over us does not appeal to you.
Yes, where people stand now will determine their attitude toward the Day of Yahweh. There were reports of hysteria as December 21 was drawing near; I wonder, were they panicking at the thought of their beloved world ending?
Where do you stand? Are you looking forward to the Day of Yahweh, or are you shuddering at the thought? Your relationship with Yahweh and Jesus determines your standing.
To the rebellious, Yahweh said, "Woe to you who desire the day of Yahweh! Why do you long for the day of Yahweh? It is darkness, and not light." (Amos 5:18, WEB)
But to the righteous who love his appearing, Jesus said, "There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and on the earth anxiety of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the waves; men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to happen, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near." (Luke 21:25-28)
Thus, "be careful, or your hearts will be loaded down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day will come on you suddenly. For it will come like a snare on all those who dwell on the surface of all the earth. Therefore be watchful all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man." (Luke 21:34-36)
And whoever will call on the name of Yahweh shall be saved on that day (Joel 2:32). But do not wait till that day. Call on Him now, as Yahweh invites: "Turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning [in repentance for all your sins]." (Joel 2:12)
Tear your heart, and not your garments,
and turn to Yahweh, your God;
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness,
and relents from sending calamity.
(Joel 2:13)
~*~Q&A with Dr. Shirley~*~
Question: How can you tell a true prophet of Yahweh from a false prophet?
Answer: The below basic guidelines will assist your discernment:
• True prophets always speak in Yahweh's name with the authority given by God. False prophets speak in a name other than Yahweh's. This is the first and foremost test whether a prophet is from God. If someone cannot pass this test, there's no other reason to go on to the other tests.
• Prophecies from true prophets always come true exactly as they are told. False prophecies, on the other hand, do not come true, even if they are spoken in God's name. Some prophecies may appear to be fulfilled when they are told in an ambiguous way. For instance, if I say, "A dog will bark in two hours," and a dog does bark two hours later, does that make me a true prophet? No, because I did not indicate a specific dog. What I predicted could have spoken by anyone. A true message from God would have named a specific dog, giving no doubt to whether the prophecy had come true when it did indeed come true.
• True prophets produce good fruits by exhibiting godly qualities, doing good works and speaking good words. False prophets do not possess this good nature. Even though Satan and the demons who empower their false prophets can perform miracles, they do not imitate God's good qualities, so this is one of the best ways to differentiate the true from the false prophets, as Jesus said, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit. A good tree can't produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit." (Matthew 7:15-18)
• True prophets glorify God through their words, action, and any supernatural signs they perform. They credit Yahweh for the power they receive. False prophets glorify themselves or spirits other than God.
• True prophets lead people to Yahweh and His teachings. False prophets do not.
~*~Dr. Shirley's Corner~*~
Read my books for free! If you have Amazon's Prime Membership, you can now read all of my Kindle ebooks without any cost by borrowing them from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library. Browse all my titles at http://amazon.com/author/shirleycheng
Thanks, and happy reading!
May the grace and peace from Yahweh God and Jesus Christ be with you.!
Content Copyright by Dr. Shirley Cheng; All rights reserved
You are permitted to only give out or link to this website or post; all other distribution and copying is prohibited without the prior written permission of Dr. Shirley Cheng. Contact Shirley at www.shirleycheng.com
Would you like to receive Inspiration from a Blind via e-mail monthly? Then sign up at http://www.shirleycheng.com/contact.html
Read previous issues of Inspiration from a Blind at blog.shirleycheng.com
Best regards,
Dr. Shirley Cheng
Award-Winning Author with 27 Book Awards
Founder of Ultra-Ability Ministry
Proclaimer of Yahweh God's Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ
Author/Contributor/Editor of 35 books by age 27, Bible Teacher, Poet, Motivational Speaker, Self-Empowerment Expert, Advocate
Board member of World Positive Thinkers Club
http://www.shirleycheng.com
"Although I'm blind, I can see far and wide; even though I'm disabled, I can climb high mountains. Let the ropes of hope in Yahweh God haul you high!"
Please sign the Parental Rights in Children's Medical Care: Give Parents the Right to Say No Petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/parentr7/petition.html
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Inspiration from a Blind: Want to Live Forever?
Season's greetings to you from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com!
Do you want to live forever in a world where only love, peace, happiness, and goodness exist? You can, and it is up to you to make that happen.
How?
The Bible says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16, WEB) Does this mean that anyone who believes in Jesus will have eternal life?
Yes and no.
Yes, anyone who believes in Jesus will be saved (have eternal life in God's Kingdom). But no one will be saved if they simply believe in Jesus. Sounds like doublespeak, doesn't it? The thing is that we must understand what "belief" in Jesus means. The important doctrine of "believe and you will be saved," is often not fully grasped. The problem lies in the concept of "belief."
To begin to understand "belief" for salvation, we must ask ourselves: What does believing in Jesus really mean? Will those who simply acknowledge Jesus receive eternal life?
Well, let's consider the demons. During Jesus' earthly ministry, the demons fell down at his feet trembling, and acknowledged him as the Son of God (Mark 5:7). Indeed, the demons most certainly believe Jesus. But are they going to be saved? No, unless they repent.
The first message that Jesus preached at the start of his earthly ministry was, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2) Repentance is a change of attitude that results in a change of action; if you only feel sorry about what wrong thing you've done without changing your action to do the right thing next time, you've not truly repented. Those who do not repent will perish (Luke 13:3), so eternal salvation requires a faith (belief) that entails repentance. Whenever we sin, we must confess it to God and He will faithfully forgive us (1 John 1:9).
Hence, our belief in Jesus must be a working faith, for faith without works is dead (James 2:26), and "that by works, a man is justified, and not only by faith." (James 2:24). A faith is proven genuine by works. If you claim to have faith in God and not trust Him for your daily necessity, do you have genuine faith? By its very definition, "Christian" describes a follower of Jesus who is Christ-like in all they think, say, and do, by living according to the will of God. Being a Christian is not simply believing that Jesus exists; otherwise, we can call demons "Christians." Thus, if you don't live by faith, you aren't a Christian. And if you aren't a true Christian, you won't find the narrow road that leads to eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14).
Our belief in Jesus should involve not only acknowledging him as the Messiah and the only Son of Yahweh God Almighty, but also trusting him for our every need, knowing our need to be saved by him, that he is our only Savior (Acts 4:12), and that without his sacrifice, no one would receive eternal life--the entire human race would go on singing the sad tune of "Let's eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." And the belief of ours must be shown through our actions, and that's done by repenting and living according to Yahweh's teachings (Matthew 19:16-17). Our obedience to the Word of God should stem from our love for Him and gratitude for His gift. So the best way to describe "belief" in Christ is "active trust."
Of course, our works and obedience will never be perfect enough to meet the righteous standards of Yahweh; this is why we can never earn salvation through our works alone (if we can earn eternal life by working for it, then Jesus died for us in vain). Salvation is a free gift to those who believe and repent through God's grace (undeserved kindness). but it's one thing to receive eternal life without working for it; it's another thing to abuse this gift by repeatedly and willfully committing evil acts without repentance. Rest assured, unrepentant sinners will not be saved even if they confess and profess belief in Jesus.
Jesus himself said it best: "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’ Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’" (Matthew 7:21-23)
So, those who faithfully follow Jesus will never perish (John 5:28-29; John 10:28-29). On the other hand, those who, like the demons, simply have passive belief in Jesus without repenting of their evil deeds and without active trust will not receive eternal salvation. Don't be deceived--God will not be mocked. Whatever you sow, that's what you'll reap. (Galatians 6:7)
Please carefully note what the Bible says:
"For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries. A man who disregards Moses’ law dies without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will he be judged worthy of, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, 'Vengeance belongs to me,' says the Lord, 'I will repay.' Again, 'The Lord will judge his people.' It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:26-31)
"'But the righteous will live by faith. If he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.'" (Hebrews 10:38)
"For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame." (Hebrews 6:4-6)
"For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in it and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb, 'The dog turns to his own vomit again,' and 'the sow that has washed to wallowing in the mire.'” (2 Peter 2:20-22)
"See then the goodness and severity of God. Toward those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness; otherwise you also will be cut off." (Romans 11:22)
"Or don't you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortioners, will inherit the Kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
"Now the works of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21).
To learn more about salvation, please read my articles:
1) What is salvation? Why did particularly Jesus have to die to save us?
Http://tinyurl.com/ylaafno
2) How to accept and keep the gift of salvation:
http://blog.shirleycheng.com/2009/12/07/gift-of-salvation-how-can-you-accept-and-keep-it.aspx
Please, I implore you, if you truly want to learn about salvation or any other crucial topic, study the Bible yourself. Personal study and constant prayer to God will give you the truths. Don't just take people's word for it, because there are many different interpretations and false teachings out there.
If you need help in better understanding the gift of salvation, please e-mail me, and I'd be more than glad to do my best to answer any questions you may have!
Make it your 2013 New Year's resolution to accept the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ! It'll be the best resolution you can ever fulfill in your lifetime!
~*~Q&A With Dr. Shirley~*~
All about the all-important "faith"...
Question #1: How important is faith in Yahweh God Almighty? We already know that faith in Jesus is required for salvation.
Answer: Faith in God makes all the difference in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. The Bible says, "Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him." (Hebrews 11:6) If we can't please our God, then how can we have a sacred, intimate relationship with Him?
Question #2: What is the faith that is required of all people who want a sacred relationship with Yahweh?
Answer: It is Biblical faith, which is "assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) This faith is like a "title deed," a legal document you have that proves that you will certainly own what you don't see yet.
Biblical faith is reasonable trust in the trustworthy, namely Yahweh God Almighty. It is therefore not blind faith, which is believing in something without basis or evidence.
It is faith (active trust) in God that makes a person righteous in God's sight. A person who does not trust God will not receive God's approval. Thus, "faith" is not just the passive belief that God exists. Faith is active trust in God. Genuine faith is proven by our actions, for faith without works is dead or meaningless (James 2:20). We are told that even demons believe God (James 2:19), but their faith is the passive kind that simply believes that God exists, not the active kind that trusts in God at all times at all costs. Therefore, we must avoid the faith the demons have. We must live out our faith daily. The way to do so is to study the Bible, apply its principles to our lives, and share its teachings with others.
Question #3: How do people misunderstand Biblical faith and thus live a misguided life?
Answer: Many people believe that Biblical faith is simply believing that God exists, and that His Son, Jesus Christ, died for us to give us eternal life. Therefore, they live a misguided life based on this erroneous belief in Biblical faith. With this erroneous belief, people live according to their sinful desires, not to the commandments of God. After all, only a simple belief without righteous works to support it is all that's required of us, they think.
If God only required that simple belief from us, then let us put Satan under the spotlight. Do you not agree with me that he is a believer of God? He was an angel living in heaven who regularly spoke with God! So he is not only a believer, as any of us are who have never seen or spoken with God, he is a spirit who witnessed God in person, face to face. So based on the popular belief that faith is passive belief, then we can call Satan a Christian who has received salvation!
So faith in Yahweh must mean much more than simply accepting of His existence and His works. How much more? Exactly, what should faith in God really mean?
When people tell me, "I believe in God," I often ask myself, "But do they love God?"
Yes, it all lies in love—loving God. This is why Satan has chosen to be evil even though he believes in God; Satan does not love God—he loves himself so much more, and that has driven him to do evil and to spread evil to others.
Truly having faith in God means we must love God. The most important commandment as put by Moses and confirmed by Jesus is: "You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." (Deuteronomy 6:5) And that love should be our reason for actively trusting God.
How should we show Yahweh God we love Him? By obeying His commandments: "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." (1 John 5:3) Thus, our obedience to Yahweh is an expression of our love for Him. We cannot claim to love Him without doing what He asks of us, just as we cannot say "I love you" to our parents while rebelling against them.
Without love, our faith in God is meaningless: "If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don't have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don't have love, I am nothing. If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don't have love, it profits me nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
Having active faith by loving God is how we can be true Christians. Being a Christian should be a lifestyle we live, not a title we carry around. Otherwise, we can call Satan and all demons Christians since they believe in God (James 2:19).
~*~Dr. Shirley's Corner~*~
Have a bookworm in your life but don't know what to give them for this holiday season? Have they read almost every author out there? Well, give them something fresh by introducing them to a "new" voice they never heard of: yours truly. I have nine books on various topics, ranging from Christian self-help to spiritual poetry. I even have a title (Dance with Your Heart) translated into Vietnamese, and another (Daring Quests of Mystics) into Chinese, so if you have any bookworm who reads Vietnamese or Chinese, you might like to consider these titles. Also, don't forget to give a Kindle ebook to your techie bookworm! My Amazon Author Page lists all my books in paperback, hardback, and Kindle: http://amazon.com/author/shirleycheng
Lastly, if you order autographed copies of any of my books through me, you'll receive free shipping this holiday season until January 15! Visit my site to learn all about my books, and then e-mail me to tell me which book you'd like: http://www.shirleycheng.com
Are you interested in obtaining in-depth knowledge of God's Word to help you deepen your understanding of God and His plans and develop a sacred relationship with your Heavenly Father? If so, you are more than welcome to sign up for the In-Depth Ultra-Ability Bible Virtual Class via e-mail.
· You will study the Bible in depth from Genesis to Revelation in order.
· The study will progress in your own pace.
· You will work one-on-one with me via e-mail only.
· Your personal Bible-related questions will be answered.
· Although the virtual class has no financial cost, it will require your dedication and diligence. There will be lessons to complete and tests to take for all Bible chapters. All assignments are in short question and answer format.
· The only textbook for this program is the Bible. If you do not have a copy of the Bible, you can read it online for free at www.BibleGateway.com.
· The class is non-denominational and is not affiliated with any church or ministry.
· You have no obligations; you may pause or stop anytime, though you are strongly encouraged to complete the study.
Interested? Then fill out the form at www.ultra-ability.com,
and we'll get started. I look forward to our study time together!
Thank you, and have a wonderful holiday season! See you in 2013!
May the grace and peace from Yahweh God and Jesus Christ be with you.!
Content Copyright by Dr. Shirley Cheng; All rights reserved
You are permitted to only give out or link to this website or post; all other distribution and copying is prohibited without the prior written permission of Dr. Shirley Cheng. Contact Shirley at www.shirleycheng.com
Would you like to receive Inspiration from a Blind via e-mail monthly? Then sign up at http://www.shirleycheng.com/contact.html
Read previous issues of Inspiration from a Blind at blog.shirleycheng.com
Best regards,
Dr. Shirley Cheng
Award-Winning Author with 27 Book Awards
Founder of Ultra-Ability Ministry
Proclaimer of Yahweh God's Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ
Author/Contributor/Editor of 35 books by age 27, Bible Teacher, Poet, Motivational Speaker, Self-Empowerment Expert, Advocate
Board member of World Positive Thinkers Club
http://www.shirleycheng.com
"Although I'm blind, I can see far and wide; even though I'm disabled, I can climb high mountains. Let the ropes of hope in Yahweh God haul you high!"
Please sign the Parental Rights in Children's Medical Care: Give Parents the Right to Say No Petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/parentr7/petition.html
Do you want to live forever in a world where only love, peace, happiness, and goodness exist? You can, and it is up to you to make that happen.
How?
The Bible says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16, WEB) Does this mean that anyone who believes in Jesus will have eternal life?
Yes and no.
Yes, anyone who believes in Jesus will be saved (have eternal life in God's Kingdom). But no one will be saved if they simply believe in Jesus. Sounds like doublespeak, doesn't it? The thing is that we must understand what "belief" in Jesus means. The important doctrine of "believe and you will be saved," is often not fully grasped. The problem lies in the concept of "belief."
To begin to understand "belief" for salvation, we must ask ourselves: What does believing in Jesus really mean? Will those who simply acknowledge Jesus receive eternal life?
Well, let's consider the demons. During Jesus' earthly ministry, the demons fell down at his feet trembling, and acknowledged him as the Son of God (Mark 5:7). Indeed, the demons most certainly believe Jesus. But are they going to be saved? No, unless they repent.
The first message that Jesus preached at the start of his earthly ministry was, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2) Repentance is a change of attitude that results in a change of action; if you only feel sorry about what wrong thing you've done without changing your action to do the right thing next time, you've not truly repented. Those who do not repent will perish (Luke 13:3), so eternal salvation requires a faith (belief) that entails repentance. Whenever we sin, we must confess it to God and He will faithfully forgive us (1 John 1:9).
Hence, our belief in Jesus must be a working faith, for faith without works is dead (James 2:26), and "that by works, a man is justified, and not only by faith." (James 2:24). A faith is proven genuine by works. If you claim to have faith in God and not trust Him for your daily necessity, do you have genuine faith? By its very definition, "Christian" describes a follower of Jesus who is Christ-like in all they think, say, and do, by living according to the will of God. Being a Christian is not simply believing that Jesus exists; otherwise, we can call demons "Christians." Thus, if you don't live by faith, you aren't a Christian. And if you aren't a true Christian, you won't find the narrow road that leads to eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14).
Our belief in Jesus should involve not only acknowledging him as the Messiah and the only Son of Yahweh God Almighty, but also trusting him for our every need, knowing our need to be saved by him, that he is our only Savior (Acts 4:12), and that without his sacrifice, no one would receive eternal life--the entire human race would go on singing the sad tune of "Let's eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." And the belief of ours must be shown through our actions, and that's done by repenting and living according to Yahweh's teachings (Matthew 19:16-17). Our obedience to the Word of God should stem from our love for Him and gratitude for His gift. So the best way to describe "belief" in Christ is "active trust."
Of course, our works and obedience will never be perfect enough to meet the righteous standards of Yahweh; this is why we can never earn salvation through our works alone (if we can earn eternal life by working for it, then Jesus died for us in vain). Salvation is a free gift to those who believe and repent through God's grace (undeserved kindness). but it's one thing to receive eternal life without working for it; it's another thing to abuse this gift by repeatedly and willfully committing evil acts without repentance. Rest assured, unrepentant sinners will not be saved even if they confess and profess belief in Jesus.
Jesus himself said it best: "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’ Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’" (Matthew 7:21-23)
So, those who faithfully follow Jesus will never perish (John 5:28-29; John 10:28-29). On the other hand, those who, like the demons, simply have passive belief in Jesus without repenting of their evil deeds and without active trust will not receive eternal salvation. Don't be deceived--God will not be mocked. Whatever you sow, that's what you'll reap. (Galatians 6:7)
Please carefully note what the Bible says:
"For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries. A man who disregards Moses’ law dies without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will he be judged worthy of, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, 'Vengeance belongs to me,' says the Lord, 'I will repay.' Again, 'The Lord will judge his people.' It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:26-31)
"'But the righteous will live by faith. If he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.'" (Hebrews 10:38)
"For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame." (Hebrews 6:4-6)
"For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in it and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb, 'The dog turns to his own vomit again,' and 'the sow that has washed to wallowing in the mire.'” (2 Peter 2:20-22)
"See then the goodness and severity of God. Toward those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness; otherwise you also will be cut off." (Romans 11:22)
"Or don't you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortioners, will inherit the Kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
"Now the works of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21).
To learn more about salvation, please read my articles:
1) What is salvation? Why did particularly Jesus have to die to save us?
Http://tinyurl.com/ylaafno
2) How to accept and keep the gift of salvation:
http://blog.shirleycheng.com/2009/12/07/gift-of-salvation-how-can-you-accept-and-keep-it.aspx
Please, I implore you, if you truly want to learn about salvation or any other crucial topic, study the Bible yourself. Personal study and constant prayer to God will give you the truths. Don't just take people's word for it, because there are many different interpretations and false teachings out there.
If you need help in better understanding the gift of salvation, please e-mail me, and I'd be more than glad to do my best to answer any questions you may have!
Make it your 2013 New Year's resolution to accept the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ! It'll be the best resolution you can ever fulfill in your lifetime!
~*~Q&A With Dr. Shirley~*~
All about the all-important "faith"...
Question #1: How important is faith in Yahweh God Almighty? We already know that faith in Jesus is required for salvation.
Answer: Faith in God makes all the difference in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. The Bible says, "Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him." (Hebrews 11:6) If we can't please our God, then how can we have a sacred, intimate relationship with Him?
Question #2: What is the faith that is required of all people who want a sacred relationship with Yahweh?
Answer: It is Biblical faith, which is "assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) This faith is like a "title deed," a legal document you have that proves that you will certainly own what you don't see yet.
Biblical faith is reasonable trust in the trustworthy, namely Yahweh God Almighty. It is therefore not blind faith, which is believing in something without basis or evidence.
It is faith (active trust) in God that makes a person righteous in God's sight. A person who does not trust God will not receive God's approval. Thus, "faith" is not just the passive belief that God exists. Faith is active trust in God. Genuine faith is proven by our actions, for faith without works is dead or meaningless (James 2:20). We are told that even demons believe God (James 2:19), but their faith is the passive kind that simply believes that God exists, not the active kind that trusts in God at all times at all costs. Therefore, we must avoid the faith the demons have. We must live out our faith daily. The way to do so is to study the Bible, apply its principles to our lives, and share its teachings with others.
Question #3: How do people misunderstand Biblical faith and thus live a misguided life?
Answer: Many people believe that Biblical faith is simply believing that God exists, and that His Son, Jesus Christ, died for us to give us eternal life. Therefore, they live a misguided life based on this erroneous belief in Biblical faith. With this erroneous belief, people live according to their sinful desires, not to the commandments of God. After all, only a simple belief without righteous works to support it is all that's required of us, they think.
If God only required that simple belief from us, then let us put Satan under the spotlight. Do you not agree with me that he is a believer of God? He was an angel living in heaven who regularly spoke with God! So he is not only a believer, as any of us are who have never seen or spoken with God, he is a spirit who witnessed God in person, face to face. So based on the popular belief that faith is passive belief, then we can call Satan a Christian who has received salvation!
So faith in Yahweh must mean much more than simply accepting of His existence and His works. How much more? Exactly, what should faith in God really mean?
When people tell me, "I believe in God," I often ask myself, "But do they love God?"
Yes, it all lies in love—loving God. This is why Satan has chosen to be evil even though he believes in God; Satan does not love God—he loves himself so much more, and that has driven him to do evil and to spread evil to others.
Truly having faith in God means we must love God. The most important commandment as put by Moses and confirmed by Jesus is: "You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." (Deuteronomy 6:5) And that love should be our reason for actively trusting God.
How should we show Yahweh God we love Him? By obeying His commandments: "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." (1 John 5:3) Thus, our obedience to Yahweh is an expression of our love for Him. We cannot claim to love Him without doing what He asks of us, just as we cannot say "I love you" to our parents while rebelling against them.
Without love, our faith in God is meaningless: "If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don't have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don't have love, I am nothing. If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don't have love, it profits me nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
Having active faith by loving God is how we can be true Christians. Being a Christian should be a lifestyle we live, not a title we carry around. Otherwise, we can call Satan and all demons Christians since they believe in God (James 2:19).
~*~Dr. Shirley's Corner~*~
Have a bookworm in your life but don't know what to give them for this holiday season? Have they read almost every author out there? Well, give them something fresh by introducing them to a "new" voice they never heard of: yours truly. I have nine books on various topics, ranging from Christian self-help to spiritual poetry. I even have a title (Dance with Your Heart) translated into Vietnamese, and another (Daring Quests of Mystics) into Chinese, so if you have any bookworm who reads Vietnamese or Chinese, you might like to consider these titles. Also, don't forget to give a Kindle ebook to your techie bookworm! My Amazon Author Page lists all my books in paperback, hardback, and Kindle: http://amazon.com/author/shirleycheng
Lastly, if you order autographed copies of any of my books through me, you'll receive free shipping this holiday season until January 15! Visit my site to learn all about my books, and then e-mail me to tell me which book you'd like: http://www.shirleycheng.com
Are you interested in obtaining in-depth knowledge of God's Word to help you deepen your understanding of God and His plans and develop a sacred relationship with your Heavenly Father? If so, you are more than welcome to sign up for the In-Depth Ultra-Ability Bible Virtual Class via e-mail.
· You will study the Bible in depth from Genesis to Revelation in order.
· The study will progress in your own pace.
· You will work one-on-one with me via e-mail only.
· Your personal Bible-related questions will be answered.
· Although the virtual class has no financial cost, it will require your dedication and diligence. There will be lessons to complete and tests to take for all Bible chapters. All assignments are in short question and answer format.
· The only textbook for this program is the Bible. If you do not have a copy of the Bible, you can read it online for free at www.BibleGateway.com.
· The class is non-denominational and is not affiliated with any church or ministry.
· You have no obligations; you may pause or stop anytime, though you are strongly encouraged to complete the study.
Interested? Then fill out the form at www.ultra-ability.com,
and we'll get started. I look forward to our study time together!
Thank you, and have a wonderful holiday season! See you in 2013!
May the grace and peace from Yahweh God and Jesus Christ be with you.!
Content Copyright by Dr. Shirley Cheng; All rights reserved
You are permitted to only give out or link to this website or post; all other distribution and copying is prohibited without the prior written permission of Dr. Shirley Cheng. Contact Shirley at www.shirleycheng.com
Would you like to receive Inspiration from a Blind via e-mail monthly? Then sign up at http://www.shirleycheng.com/contact.html
Read previous issues of Inspiration from a Blind at blog.shirleycheng.com
Best regards,
Dr. Shirley Cheng
Award-Winning Author with 27 Book Awards
Founder of Ultra-Ability Ministry
Proclaimer of Yahweh God's Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ
Author/Contributor/Editor of 35 books by age 27, Bible Teacher, Poet, Motivational Speaker, Self-Empowerment Expert, Advocate
Board member of World Positive Thinkers Club
http://www.shirleycheng.com
"Although I'm blind, I can see far and wide; even though I'm disabled, I can climb high mountains. Let the ropes of hope in Yahweh God haul you high!"
Please sign the Parental Rights in Children's Medical Care: Give Parents the Right to Say No Petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/parentr7/petition.html
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Inspiration from a Blind: Nourishing Our "Rubies"
Happy November to you from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com!
Do you nourish the women in your life? Do you want to be more nourishing and learn how you can teach others to be so as well?
First, let us start by identifying what nourishment is. According to the Macmillan dictionary, "nourishment" means "food or the substances in food that are necessary for life, growth, and health" and "something that encourages the development of ideas, feelings, abilities, etc." To nourish someone is to "give a person, animal, or plant the food and care that they need to live, grow, and be healthy" and "to support or encourage the development of an idea, feeling, ability, etc." Thus put together, "nourishment" is something that fills you, meets your physical, emotional, psychological, or spiritual needs.
How Nourishment Can Be Nourishing
Whether the form of nourishment fulfills its task is dependent upon both the giver and the recipient. First, the giver of nourishment has to give it out of genuine love in order for nourishment to work powerfully and effectively, to achieve its maximum potential in every way possible. Nourishment given from true love will endure time and age and withstand the winds and storms of life. It is the light that will ultimately conquer the darkest corners of the world. The best source of nourishment is love because all other wonderful elements of life stem from love. If you don't have love, you have nothing else that is of real value. No matter how hard you may work, nothing will be profitable without love: "If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don't have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don't have love, I am nothing. If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don't have love, it profits me nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3, WEB)
Second, the recipient of the nourishment needs to be content with what they are given. Even if someone offers you nourishment with genuine love, you won't be satisfied if you don't appreciate it. The recipient has to realize the worth of whatever nourishment is given, be content of its value, in order to feel they have received nourishment.
Take our life for an example. The life we each have is the most precious present from Yahweh God Almighty. It blesses sunshine upon everyone equally. It provides nourishment of every kind to satisfy our physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs. Simply put, our life is given to us by God in absolute love.
Thus, Yahweh is the ultimate Bestower of our nourishment. However, we feel blessed only when we appreciate His provisions. Not realizing the values of His gifts won't satisfy us, no matter how good or fulfilling they are. For example, the very first woman of our human race, Eve, focused on what little she could not have (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) and ignored everything she did have (all other trees in the garden). Due to her discontentment, she rebelled against Yahweh's only law by eating from the forbidden tree. Thus, we can feel a lack of nourishment even though we have plenty.
On the other hand, we can feel quite nourished even when we don't have much. I'm both blind and disabled; yet, I am content with the nourishment that Yahweh has blessed me with. Therefore, one's attitude plays an important role in receiving the full benefit of nourishment.
Three Ways to Nourish The Women in Our Lives
I believe there are essentially three ways to effectively teach people how to nourish women better, and they are:
a) Teaching what true love entails
When all nourishment should be given in love, it therefore becomes necessary to know what true love is. To know love is to know how to nourish one another.
What is love? There are many varying views on what love actually is, or how it should be expressed. When we cannot pinpoint and understand the meaning of love, we encounter problems.
Often enough, women feel they have to measure up to certain standards set by our society to be lovable. They think that they may become lovable after conforming to these standards (I.e. Have a certain weight, a certain look, with certain amount in her bank account), but what they'll get is only what these standards can offer. So when she fails later in life, not being able to keep up with this mold, she may get rejected.
Nourishment, therefore, comes from a love that cannot change along with the conditions of life. It has to remain the same under any circumstance. What is this love? The Bible, God's Word, defines this love as a love that is "patient and is kind; love doesn't envy. Love doesn't brag, is not proud, doesn't behave itself inappropriately, doesn't seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
Hence, true love is not just an emotion. It is not a warm, fuzzy feeling that isn't backed up with action. True love is all about action, of what you do for others in their best interest in mind. A proclamation of "I love you" does no one good when it's not expressed in deeds.
To know true love is to know Yahweh, for He is love: "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God, and knows God. He who doesn't love doesn't know God, for God is love. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him." (1 John 4:7-8, 16)
When Yahweh is love, it means all wonderful things come from Him. And if we replace "love" with "God" in the 1 Corinthians 13:8 verse, we see that "God never fails."
When we can fully grasp this godly love, and do our best to express and give this love, then and only then will nourishment be nourishing! Just imagine giving others even a fraction of the kind of nourishment Yahweh gives to us!
Once we have this love, we should use it from the bottom up, from inside out. This means that it should start from the smallest unit of society: the family. Nourished families make nourished societies. Even if a woman lives alone, she can first develop this love in herself for others around her, such as her neighbors. As she shares this love with others, she will set a loving example after which others can model. This then becomes a ripple effect.
Why start nourishment from the family? To answer this question, ask yourself: What would a house need in order to withstand weather, time, and age? Wouldn't the house need a strong foundation? It's the same with society--families are the foundation of society. Each family, or each individual for that matter, makes up the entire society. If each person fails, the entire society will fail. And if the foundation itself couldn't stand alone, it surely cannot support the superstructure. If a mother doesn't love her child, how could she truly love strangers?
This is why what I dubbed the "love commandment" in the Bible is the most important principle, upon which all other principles are built. Here's what the Son of God, Jesus our Messiah, said about the love commandment: "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. The second is like this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31)
However, before we can develop this love in us, we need to learn more about it. And to learn about it, we must learn about Yahweh. Remember, God is love, so when we know Him, we know love, and then we can become love ourselves as He develops this fruit of love in us. And the best place to get to know Yahweh is from His personal profile: the Bible. Yes, the Bible is the manual for true nourishment, for yourself, for the people around you, and for our environment.
b) Teaching the importance of women
Second, the other way to teach people how to nourish women is to inform them of the importance of women. When we realize and recognize the value of any given object, it is more likely for us to take good care of it. Likewise, when we realize and acknowledge the important roles of women, and the purpose for which they are created, we will be able to appreciate them more and, in turn, nourish them from our hearts.
The Bible tells us that Yahweh created women to be men's companions and helpers. When a man and a woman marry, they become one flesh. This oneness refers to a spiritual unity founded and rooted in deep, enduring love. The Union between men and women is symbolic of the relationship we should have with Yahweh and Jesus Christ. Therefore, this love relationship is based on eternity, not the temporal love that passes with time.
The Bible says that a virtuous woman is "far above rubies." (Proverbs 31:10) She is priceless, for she is a treasure in both her household and workplace: she is skilled in caring for her husband, her children, her house, and "works eagerly with her hands." (Proverbs 31:13) Her successes in life are due to her reverential fear of God: "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears Yahweh, she shall be praised." (Proverbs 31:30) Truly, such a jewel should be nourished in return!
c) Following Biblical guidance and principles
Finally, the best way to teach people how to nourish women is by using biblical guidance. The Bible provides us with a few words of wisdom on how to nourish the women in our lives.
Husbands are told, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it. Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly." (Ephesians 5:25, 28-29) (The "assembly" means all the children of God through faith in Jesus.)
To children, the Bible says, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother,' which is the first commandment with a promise: 'that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.'" (Ephesians 6:1-3)
We are to treat "the elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, in all purity" and we should "honor widows." (1 Timothy 5:2, 3) "But if anyone doesn't provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever." (1 Timothy 5:8)
Following these guidelines to educate one another on how to care for the gem of society--women--will guarantee success. The Word of God never fails; my life attests it!
~*~Q&A With Dr. Shirley~*~
Some very personal questions...
Question #1: Shirley, what is your definition of "happiness"?
Answer: Happiness is when you are still able to smile from the depth of your heart after all the materials you own are taken away from you and you are stripped naked. True happiness lives and thrives upon a person's spiritual wealth which no one can touch. The level of happiness is thus determined upon how much of your spiritual needs is fulfilled. The more spiritual needs fulfilled, the happier you are.
Some people equate earthly wealth with happiness. But I feel that the level of happiness concerning money and wealth a person experiences is primarily based on his or her spiritual beliefs and needs. A millionaire can still feel unhappy and empty when his or her spiritual needs are not met first. I feel that one has to have a balanced view of money in order to be happy about his or her monetary status. It is important that a person bases happiness on how much money he or she actually needs, not on desires for an extravagant lifestyle. One needs to keep in mind that earthly wealth will only bring passing happiness. Once a person has successfully established practical views on money, he or she will be happy. One who is spiritually happy (happiness that isn't dependent upon materials) can easily be happy about his or her wealth. One who is spiritually unhappy may never find complete happiness in wealth. It is important to find spiritual happiness before finding happiness in wealth.
Question #2: How do you find or achieve happiness in your life?
Answer: I achieve happiness by satisfying my spiritual needs. The cornerstone of my happiness lies in my knowing of Yahweh God Almighty through the Holy Scriptures, developing and maintaining a sacred relationship with Him, seeking His guidance through prayers, and serving Him through my online Christian ministry, www.Ultra-Ability.com Ministry. Whenever I pray to Him, I am unfailingly reminded of all of the blessings He has graciously bestowed upon me. Whenever I serve Him by teaching the Bible, I feel fulfilled, complete, and blissful. Knowing that I am able to share with others the joy I've received from my Heavenly Father brings me even greater joy.
Question #3: What has been the most happiest moment in your life?
Answer: Although I am extremely happy each time I have achieved a goal, I still find that my happiest moments are when I meditate about Yahweh and His Holy Word, the Bible; when I teach His Word to others; and whenever I talk about Yahweh with my mother. Nothing else I do can really measure up to the kind of happiness I experience when I talk about God with others, not even when I had achieved grade level after only about 180 days of school attendance in my lifetime nor my being able to calculate long chemistry equations in my head without Braille. Those achievements do make me happy, but it is still the passing kind of happiness that will not last forever, thus it is not as fulfilling as the happiness I have when satisfying my spiritual needs.
Question #4: How important is happiness?
Answer: Happiness is essential. Personally, spiritual happiness has allowed me to still be content and grateful for my life despite my multiple physical disabilities since infancy and blindness since age seventeen. God made us humans and created a most wonderful planet; why would He have done so if His purpose was not meant for us to be happy? Without happiness, life is empty. It does not matter how much you own--if you are not happy, then your belongings are worthless. No matter how little you own--if you are happy, then you are wealthy.
From my own experience, happiness enables you to be more successful in what you do. When your soul is uncontaminated by depression or sadness, it can be open to freely absorb or create knowledge, ideas, and dreams, just like crystal clear water could effortlessly flow through a mud-free river without any hindrance. Thus, such a blockage-free spirit will enable the person to achieve big in his or her life. I can personally testify to the powerful role happiness plays in one's life--I am a blind and physically disabled award-winning author (with twenty-seven book awards), author and contributor of thirty-five books by age twenty-seven, motivational speaker, poet, but above all, a passionate lover of life!
Additionally, happiness is a most wonderful ingredient for good spiritual health, which is as much important as physical health. It is scientifically proven that happiness (i.e., laughter) is good for one's heart, circulatory system, and one's overall health. Happy people will be less prone to contract stress-related health conditions and illnesses.
Question #5: What advice can you give to others to help them find true happiness?
Answer: To achieve the happiness that will never be gone with the wind, one has to cultivate the Biblical treasures of life--love, gratitude, faith, hope--and live on those gems daily for oneself and for those around him or her. Most importantly, one has to develop and maintain a sacred and intimate relationship with our Creator, Yahweh, who will bestow upon you happiness with no bound. My love for, faith in, gratitude toward, and hope in Yahweh is my secret to happiness.
~*~Dr. Shirley's Corner~*~
All of my books are now available on Amazon's Kindle! There's something for almost everyone: there's my inspirational autobiography, The Revelation of a Star's Endless Shine; a motivational memoir, The Adventures of a Blind & Disabled Award-Winning Author; spiritual poetry and prose in Waking Spirit; Dance with Your Heart, a collection of fables, fairy tales, and inspirational stories and poems for the heart from the heart; and Do You Love Jehovah (Christian theology and Biblical commentary), among others. Visit my Amazon's Author Central page to learn about my nine books: http://www.amazon.com/author/shirleycheng
To see all the Kindle editions of my books, just click on "Kindle Edition." For this holiday season, give a Kindle ebook as a gift to a book lover or two in your life!
May the grace and peace from Yahweh God and Jesus Christ be with you.!
Content Copyright by Dr. Shirley Cheng; All rights reserved
You are permitted to only give out or link to this website or post; all other distribution and copying is prohibited without the prior written permission of Dr. Shirley Cheng. Contact Shirley at www.shirleycheng.com
Would you like to receive Inspiration from a Blind via e-mail monthly? Then sign up at http://www.shirleycheng.com/contact.html
Read previous issues of Inspiration from a Blind at blog.shirleycheng.com
Best regards,
Dr. Shirley Cheng
Award-Winning Author with 27 Book Awards
Founder of Ultra-Ability Ministry
Proclaimer of Yahweh God's Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ
Author/Contributor/Editor of 35 books by age 27, Bible Teacher, Poet, Motivational Speaker, Self-Empowerment Expert, Advocate
Board member of World Positive Thinkers Club
http://www.shirleycheng.com
"Although I'm blind, I can see far and wide; even though I'm disabled, I can climb high mountains. Let the ropes of hope in Yahweh God haul you high!"
Please sign the Parental Rights in Children's Medical Care: Give Parents the Right to Say No Petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/parentr7/petition.html
Do you nourish the women in your life? Do you want to be more nourishing and learn how you can teach others to be so as well?
First, let us start by identifying what nourishment is. According to the Macmillan dictionary, "nourishment" means "food or the substances in food that are necessary for life, growth, and health" and "something that encourages the development of ideas, feelings, abilities, etc." To nourish someone is to "give a person, animal, or plant the food and care that they need to live, grow, and be healthy" and "to support or encourage the development of an idea, feeling, ability, etc." Thus put together, "nourishment" is something that fills you, meets your physical, emotional, psychological, or spiritual needs.
How Nourishment Can Be Nourishing
Whether the form of nourishment fulfills its task is dependent upon both the giver and the recipient. First, the giver of nourishment has to give it out of genuine love in order for nourishment to work powerfully and effectively, to achieve its maximum potential in every way possible. Nourishment given from true love will endure time and age and withstand the winds and storms of life. It is the light that will ultimately conquer the darkest corners of the world. The best source of nourishment is love because all other wonderful elements of life stem from love. If you don't have love, you have nothing else that is of real value. No matter how hard you may work, nothing will be profitable without love: "If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don't have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don't have love, I am nothing. If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don't have love, it profits me nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3, WEB)
Second, the recipient of the nourishment needs to be content with what they are given. Even if someone offers you nourishment with genuine love, you won't be satisfied if you don't appreciate it. The recipient has to realize the worth of whatever nourishment is given, be content of its value, in order to feel they have received nourishment.
Take our life for an example. The life we each have is the most precious present from Yahweh God Almighty. It blesses sunshine upon everyone equally. It provides nourishment of every kind to satisfy our physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs. Simply put, our life is given to us by God in absolute love.
Thus, Yahweh is the ultimate Bestower of our nourishment. However, we feel blessed only when we appreciate His provisions. Not realizing the values of His gifts won't satisfy us, no matter how good or fulfilling they are. For example, the very first woman of our human race, Eve, focused on what little she could not have (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) and ignored everything she did have (all other trees in the garden). Due to her discontentment, she rebelled against Yahweh's only law by eating from the forbidden tree. Thus, we can feel a lack of nourishment even though we have plenty.
On the other hand, we can feel quite nourished even when we don't have much. I'm both blind and disabled; yet, I am content with the nourishment that Yahweh has blessed me with. Therefore, one's attitude plays an important role in receiving the full benefit of nourishment.
Three Ways to Nourish The Women in Our Lives
I believe there are essentially three ways to effectively teach people how to nourish women better, and they are:
a) Teaching what true love entails
When all nourishment should be given in love, it therefore becomes necessary to know what true love is. To know love is to know how to nourish one another.
What is love? There are many varying views on what love actually is, or how it should be expressed. When we cannot pinpoint and understand the meaning of love, we encounter problems.
Often enough, women feel they have to measure up to certain standards set by our society to be lovable. They think that they may become lovable after conforming to these standards (I.e. Have a certain weight, a certain look, with certain amount in her bank account), but what they'll get is only what these standards can offer. So when she fails later in life, not being able to keep up with this mold, she may get rejected.
Nourishment, therefore, comes from a love that cannot change along with the conditions of life. It has to remain the same under any circumstance. What is this love? The Bible, God's Word, defines this love as a love that is "patient and is kind; love doesn't envy. Love doesn't brag, is not proud, doesn't behave itself inappropriately, doesn't seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
Hence, true love is not just an emotion. It is not a warm, fuzzy feeling that isn't backed up with action. True love is all about action, of what you do for others in their best interest in mind. A proclamation of "I love you" does no one good when it's not expressed in deeds.
To know true love is to know Yahweh, for He is love: "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God, and knows God. He who doesn't love doesn't know God, for God is love. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him." (1 John 4:7-8, 16)
When Yahweh is love, it means all wonderful things come from Him. And if we replace "love" with "God" in the 1 Corinthians 13:8 verse, we see that "God never fails."
When we can fully grasp this godly love, and do our best to express and give this love, then and only then will nourishment be nourishing! Just imagine giving others even a fraction of the kind of nourishment Yahweh gives to us!
Once we have this love, we should use it from the bottom up, from inside out. This means that it should start from the smallest unit of society: the family. Nourished families make nourished societies. Even if a woman lives alone, she can first develop this love in herself for others around her, such as her neighbors. As she shares this love with others, she will set a loving example after which others can model. This then becomes a ripple effect.
Why start nourishment from the family? To answer this question, ask yourself: What would a house need in order to withstand weather, time, and age? Wouldn't the house need a strong foundation? It's the same with society--families are the foundation of society. Each family, or each individual for that matter, makes up the entire society. If each person fails, the entire society will fail. And if the foundation itself couldn't stand alone, it surely cannot support the superstructure. If a mother doesn't love her child, how could she truly love strangers?
This is why what I dubbed the "love commandment" in the Bible is the most important principle, upon which all other principles are built. Here's what the Son of God, Jesus our Messiah, said about the love commandment: "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. The second is like this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31)
However, before we can develop this love in us, we need to learn more about it. And to learn about it, we must learn about Yahweh. Remember, God is love, so when we know Him, we know love, and then we can become love ourselves as He develops this fruit of love in us. And the best place to get to know Yahweh is from His personal profile: the Bible. Yes, the Bible is the manual for true nourishment, for yourself, for the people around you, and for our environment.
b) Teaching the importance of women
Second, the other way to teach people how to nourish women is to inform them of the importance of women. When we realize and recognize the value of any given object, it is more likely for us to take good care of it. Likewise, when we realize and acknowledge the important roles of women, and the purpose for which they are created, we will be able to appreciate them more and, in turn, nourish them from our hearts.
The Bible tells us that Yahweh created women to be men's companions and helpers. When a man and a woman marry, they become one flesh. This oneness refers to a spiritual unity founded and rooted in deep, enduring love. The Union between men and women is symbolic of the relationship we should have with Yahweh and Jesus Christ. Therefore, this love relationship is based on eternity, not the temporal love that passes with time.
The Bible says that a virtuous woman is "far above rubies." (Proverbs 31:10) She is priceless, for she is a treasure in both her household and workplace: she is skilled in caring for her husband, her children, her house, and "works eagerly with her hands." (Proverbs 31:13) Her successes in life are due to her reverential fear of God: "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears Yahweh, she shall be praised." (Proverbs 31:30) Truly, such a jewel should be nourished in return!
c) Following Biblical guidance and principles
Finally, the best way to teach people how to nourish women is by using biblical guidance. The Bible provides us with a few words of wisdom on how to nourish the women in our lives.
Husbands are told, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it. Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly." (Ephesians 5:25, 28-29) (The "assembly" means all the children of God through faith in Jesus.)
To children, the Bible says, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother,' which is the first commandment with a promise: 'that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.'" (Ephesians 6:1-3)
We are to treat "the elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, in all purity" and we should "honor widows." (1 Timothy 5:2, 3) "But if anyone doesn't provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever." (1 Timothy 5:8)
Following these guidelines to educate one another on how to care for the gem of society--women--will guarantee success. The Word of God never fails; my life attests it!
~*~Q&A With Dr. Shirley~*~
Some very personal questions...
Question #1: Shirley, what is your definition of "happiness"?
Answer: Happiness is when you are still able to smile from the depth of your heart after all the materials you own are taken away from you and you are stripped naked. True happiness lives and thrives upon a person's spiritual wealth which no one can touch. The level of happiness is thus determined upon how much of your spiritual needs is fulfilled. The more spiritual needs fulfilled, the happier you are.
Some people equate earthly wealth with happiness. But I feel that the level of happiness concerning money and wealth a person experiences is primarily based on his or her spiritual beliefs and needs. A millionaire can still feel unhappy and empty when his or her spiritual needs are not met first. I feel that one has to have a balanced view of money in order to be happy about his or her monetary status. It is important that a person bases happiness on how much money he or she actually needs, not on desires for an extravagant lifestyle. One needs to keep in mind that earthly wealth will only bring passing happiness. Once a person has successfully established practical views on money, he or she will be happy. One who is spiritually happy (happiness that isn't dependent upon materials) can easily be happy about his or her wealth. One who is spiritually unhappy may never find complete happiness in wealth. It is important to find spiritual happiness before finding happiness in wealth.
Question #2: How do you find or achieve happiness in your life?
Answer: I achieve happiness by satisfying my spiritual needs. The cornerstone of my happiness lies in my knowing of Yahweh God Almighty through the Holy Scriptures, developing and maintaining a sacred relationship with Him, seeking His guidance through prayers, and serving Him through my online Christian ministry, www.Ultra-Ability.com Ministry. Whenever I pray to Him, I am unfailingly reminded of all of the blessings He has graciously bestowed upon me. Whenever I serve Him by teaching the Bible, I feel fulfilled, complete, and blissful. Knowing that I am able to share with others the joy I've received from my Heavenly Father brings me even greater joy.
Question #3: What has been the most happiest moment in your life?
Answer: Although I am extremely happy each time I have achieved a goal, I still find that my happiest moments are when I meditate about Yahweh and His Holy Word, the Bible; when I teach His Word to others; and whenever I talk about Yahweh with my mother. Nothing else I do can really measure up to the kind of happiness I experience when I talk about God with others, not even when I had achieved grade level after only about 180 days of school attendance in my lifetime nor my being able to calculate long chemistry equations in my head without Braille. Those achievements do make me happy, but it is still the passing kind of happiness that will not last forever, thus it is not as fulfilling as the happiness I have when satisfying my spiritual needs.
Question #4: How important is happiness?
Answer: Happiness is essential. Personally, spiritual happiness has allowed me to still be content and grateful for my life despite my multiple physical disabilities since infancy and blindness since age seventeen. God made us humans and created a most wonderful planet; why would He have done so if His purpose was not meant for us to be happy? Without happiness, life is empty. It does not matter how much you own--if you are not happy, then your belongings are worthless. No matter how little you own--if you are happy, then you are wealthy.
From my own experience, happiness enables you to be more successful in what you do. When your soul is uncontaminated by depression or sadness, it can be open to freely absorb or create knowledge, ideas, and dreams, just like crystal clear water could effortlessly flow through a mud-free river without any hindrance. Thus, such a blockage-free spirit will enable the person to achieve big in his or her life. I can personally testify to the powerful role happiness plays in one's life--I am a blind and physically disabled award-winning author (with twenty-seven book awards), author and contributor of thirty-five books by age twenty-seven, motivational speaker, poet, but above all, a passionate lover of life!
Additionally, happiness is a most wonderful ingredient for good spiritual health, which is as much important as physical health. It is scientifically proven that happiness (i.e., laughter) is good for one's heart, circulatory system, and one's overall health. Happy people will be less prone to contract stress-related health conditions and illnesses.
Question #5: What advice can you give to others to help them find true happiness?
Answer: To achieve the happiness that will never be gone with the wind, one has to cultivate the Biblical treasures of life--love, gratitude, faith, hope--and live on those gems daily for oneself and for those around him or her. Most importantly, one has to develop and maintain a sacred and intimate relationship with our Creator, Yahweh, who will bestow upon you happiness with no bound. My love for, faith in, gratitude toward, and hope in Yahweh is my secret to happiness.
~*~Dr. Shirley's Corner~*~
All of my books are now available on Amazon's Kindle! There's something for almost everyone: there's my inspirational autobiography, The Revelation of a Star's Endless Shine; a motivational memoir, The Adventures of a Blind & Disabled Award-Winning Author; spiritual poetry and prose in Waking Spirit; Dance with Your Heart, a collection of fables, fairy tales, and inspirational stories and poems for the heart from the heart; and Do You Love Jehovah (Christian theology and Biblical commentary), among others. Visit my Amazon's Author Central page to learn about my nine books: http://www.amazon.com/author/shirleycheng
To see all the Kindle editions of my books, just click on "Kindle Edition." For this holiday season, give a Kindle ebook as a gift to a book lover or two in your life!
May the grace and peace from Yahweh God and Jesus Christ be with you.!
Content Copyright by Dr. Shirley Cheng; All rights reserved
You are permitted to only give out or link to this website or post; all other distribution and copying is prohibited without the prior written permission of Dr. Shirley Cheng. Contact Shirley at www.shirleycheng.com
Would you like to receive Inspiration from a Blind via e-mail monthly? Then sign up at http://www.shirleycheng.com/contact.html
Read previous issues of Inspiration from a Blind at blog.shirleycheng.com
Best regards,
Dr. Shirley Cheng
Award-Winning Author with 27 Book Awards
Founder of Ultra-Ability Ministry
Proclaimer of Yahweh God's Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ
Author/Contributor/Editor of 35 books by age 27, Bible Teacher, Poet, Motivational Speaker, Self-Empowerment Expert, Advocate
Board member of World Positive Thinkers Club
http://www.shirleycheng.com
"Although I'm blind, I can see far and wide; even though I'm disabled, I can climb high mountains. Let the ropes of hope in Yahweh God haul you high!"
Please sign the Parental Rights in Children's Medical Care: Give Parents the Right to Say No Petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/parentr7/petition.html
Monday, October 1, 2012
Inspiration from a Blind: How to Detect False Teachers and Their Falsehoods
October greetings from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com!
Beware of false teachers! Since nearly two thousand years ago, we have been warned of false teachers by Jesus Christ and His earliest apostles. False teachers had crept into the early church, misleading many Christians with untruths. Today, many false teachers are in our world, teaching others what should not be taught. As a result, many of those who heed their words are being led astray, believing in absolute falsehood.
Knowing the truths and nothing but the truths about Yahweh God, Jesus Christ, and God's Word, the Bible, is crucial to our salvation; our chance of receiving an everlasting life in the Kingdom of God is dependent on knowing God and the Christ accurately, for note what Jesus said in his prayer to God: "This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ." (John 17:3, WEB) Thus, we must identify the false teachers with their falsehood from true teachers.
How to Identify False Teachers
We can identify false teachers in mainly two ways:
1) By what they teach:
a) They teach that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is not the only way and path to eternal life. They say that there are many ways to receive eternal life, but the Bible specifically says, "There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved!" (Acts 4:12) Those who believe in Jesus will be saved (receive salvation and eternal life): "whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn't send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him." (John 3:15-17) Those who willfully reject Jesus will not receive eternal life: "He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn't believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God." (John 3:18)
b) They teach that we can earn eternal life by doing good works only when, in fact, we cannot; salvation is a free gift given by God--no one can be perfect enough to earn eternal life. Every person is unrighteous and a sinner:
- "There is no one righteous; no, not one. There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God. They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, no, not, so much as one." (Romans 3:10-12)
- "the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Genesis 8:21)
c) Conversely, some false teachers teach that we can have eternal life just by believing in Jesus without obeying God's laws. While we can receive eternal life by trusting in Jesus alone, our trust in him has to be genuine trust, and only obedience to Yahweh's laws can prove whether or not our faith is genuine, as faith without works is dead (James 2:17). If a simple belief is all that's required for salvation, then Satan and the demons could be saved, too! (James 2:19) Doing the will of God is required for entrance into the Kingdom of God, for note what Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will tell me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?' Then I will tell them, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.'" (Matthew 7:21-23)
Thus, in order to enter the Kingdom of God, we must do the will of God, and the will of God is summed up in these two most important commandments: "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. The second is like this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31)
Unrighteous people who rebel against Yahweh's moral ordinances will not enter God's heavenly Kingdom even if they believe in Jesus like the demons: "don't you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortioners, will inherit the Kingdom of God." (I Corinthians 6:9-10)
d) They distort various teachings of the Bible and misrepresent the Gospel (Good News of God's Kingdom and salvation through Jesus Christ). The apostle Paul warned, "But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any 'good news' other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed. As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any 'good news' other than that which you received, let him be cursed." (Galatians 1:8-9)
2) By how they live: Jesus said, "There is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit; nor again a rotten tree that brings forth good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don't gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil" (Luke 6: 43, 44, 45) So we can tell whether a teacher is true or false by the life they live.
False teachers do not live according to God's will. Instead, they:
- "defile the flesh," by committing sexual immorality such as adultery and homosexuality (Jude 7, 8)
- "despise authority," by rebelling against the government and other officials (Jude 8)
- "slander celestial beings," by speaking falsehood against God's angels (Jude 8)
- "speak evil of whatever things they don't know" (Jude 10)
- murmur and complain against God (Jude 16)
- desire the approval of people instead of the approval of God (Jude 16)
- do whatever they desire and mislead others through their actions and bad examples
- do not exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which are Christ-like qualities: love, peace, joy, longsuffering (patient endurance), faithfulness, goodness, kindness, meekness, and self-control
The Judgment That Awaits False Teachers
Enoch prophesied that God will punish false teachers for their falsehood and unrighteousness: "Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." (Jude 14-15) God had carried out such judgments in the past, such as in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, whose residents committed grave sins against others (Genesis 19). In the future, on the day of Yahweh, God will judge all unrighteous people, including the false teachers who are misleading people.
How to Combat False Teachers
The best way to combat false teachers and their falsehood is to know the truths. How can we determine what is true if we do not know what is the truth in the first place? To know the truths about Yahweh God and His Son, we must diligently study the Bible, for it is the only book that fully and accurately explains all we need to know about God and Jesus. The entire Bible is written by God through about forty men; God led the men what to write, and they wrote down His words. This is why the Bible is called the Word of God and why it is ideal for instruction and correction: "Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (II Timothy 3:16-17)
Once we have personally learned the truths straight from the Bible, we can rebuke and correct false teachers inn their falsehood, and also lead others back to the truths (Jude 22-23). Then and only then will we be able to combat false teachers and bring the Good News (Gospel) of salvation to others.
"If you instruct the brothers of these things, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished in the words of the faith, and of the good doctrine which you have followed. Exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise has some value, but godliness has value in all things, having the promise of the life which is now, and of that which is to come. [And] be an example to those who believe, in word, in your way of life, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity." (I Timothy 4:6, 7, 8, 12) Amen! (So be it!)
Remember: "If anyone teaches a different doctrine, and doesn't consent to sound words, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is conceited, knowing nothing, but obsessed with arguments, disputes, and word battles, from which come envy, strife, insulting, evil suspicions, constant friction of people of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. Withdraw yourself from such." (I Timothy 6:3-5)
~*~Q&A with Dr. Shirley~*~
Question #1: Yahweh operates on this principle in His justice system: "You must take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise." (Exodus 21:23-25). What does this principle mean?
Answer: This principle simply means that the punishment has to equal the sin or crime in degree of severity. A lesser sin should have a lesser punishment, while a greater sin requires a greater punishment. For example, murder is one of the greatest sins, so it requires the greatest punishment: the death penalty. On the other hand, injuring a person is a lesser sin than murder, so the punishment should be less severe.
The "an eye for an eye" principle in God's justice system prevents injustice. Specifically, it:
a) Prevents people from receiving greater punishment than necessary. For example, people who committed manslaughter (unintentional homicide) should not receive the death penalty.
b) Ensures that people receive the appropriate punishment for their sins. For example, murderers should be executed according to God's Law (Genesis 9:6).
Yahweh God gave the "an eye for an eye" principle to His people so they would know how to judge each unique case. This way, He did not have to list every possible way how a sin should be dealt with. If His people came across a situation that was not specifically named in the Mosaic Law, they would simply need to judge the severity of the sin and execute the appropriate punishment.
Question #2: But in Matthew 5:38-39, Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you, don't resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also." Was Jesus speaking against Yahweh's justice system? Is there a contradiction?
Answer: Jesus was not at all contradicting Yahweh's laws or speaking against them. This is how the difference is explained:
Yahweh's justice system ("an eye for an eye") was made to govern the nation's judicial system. It was a principle that the judges should operate on while deciding the appropriate punishment for various sins. It was the judges who worked on this principle in judicial matters, not anyone else.
However, the Jews by Jesus' day were abusing this principle. Instead of confining this law to their judicial system for the judges and magistrates, they were using it in their personal, private lives. They were misusing this law to take personal revenge on those who had wronged them. For example, if someone slapped them on the cheek, they would actually use this law to justify their action for slapping the other person back.
Thus, in Matthew 5:39, Jesus was telling them not to use this principle in their personal lives. People should not seek revenge for insults and other wrongs done to them that do not amount to actual crimes being committed. For example, Jesus was not saying that we should not do anything if a person tries to murder us or our family. Rather, we should not seek revenge when we have been insulted or wronged in other less serious ways. If we have been wronged by others in a serious way, such as if an actual crime was committed against us, then certainly we should bring our case to the judges. But in our daily life, we should live in peace, and not strike back when someone mistreats us, or mocks us, or insults us. Instead of slapping someone back for slapping us, we should even prepare ourselves to be slapped on the other cheek. Thus, we should submit to the little wrongs done to us, while taking the greater wrongs to the court and not try to handle such big cases on our own. It's only the judges and magistrates who should operate on the "an eye for an eye" principle.
Do you have Bible questions you'd like answered? Then by all means reply to this newsletter, and I'd be more than happy to do my best to answer them! Remember, no question about the Bible is ever too small or stupid.
May the grace and peace from Yahweh God and Jesus Christ be with you.!
Content Copyright by Dr. Shirley Cheng; All rights reserved
You are permitted to only give out or link to this website or post; all other distribution and copying is prohibited without the prior written permission of Dr. Shirley Cheng. Contact Shirley at www.shirleycheng.com
Did you get this from a friend's forward and would like to subscribe? Then send a blank e-mail to subscribe@shirleycheng.com from the e-mail address you'd like to sign up under.
Read previous issues of Inspiration from a Blind at blog.shirleycheng.com
Best regards,
Dr. Shirley Cheng
Award-Winning Author with 27 Book Awards
Founder of Ultra-Ability Ministry
Proclaimer of Yahweh God's Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ
Author/Contributor/Editor of 35 books by age 27, Bible Teacher, Poet, Motivational Speaker, Self-Empowerment Expert, Advocate
Board member of World Positive Thinkers Club
http://www.shirleycheng.com
"Although I'm blind, I can see far and wide; even though I'm disabled, I can climb high mountains. Let the ropes of hope in Yahweh God haul you high!"
Sign up to Inspiration from a Blind newsletter by filling out the form at http://www.shirleycheng.com/contact.html
Please sign the Parental Rights in Children's Medical Care: Give Parents the Right to Say No Petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/parentr7/petition.html
Beware of false teachers! Since nearly two thousand years ago, we have been warned of false teachers by Jesus Christ and His earliest apostles. False teachers had crept into the early church, misleading many Christians with untruths. Today, many false teachers are in our world, teaching others what should not be taught. As a result, many of those who heed their words are being led astray, believing in absolute falsehood.
Knowing the truths and nothing but the truths about Yahweh God, Jesus Christ, and God's Word, the Bible, is crucial to our salvation; our chance of receiving an everlasting life in the Kingdom of God is dependent on knowing God and the Christ accurately, for note what Jesus said in his prayer to God: "This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ." (John 17:3, WEB) Thus, we must identify the false teachers with their falsehood from true teachers.
How to Identify False Teachers
We can identify false teachers in mainly two ways:
1) By what they teach:
a) They teach that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is not the only way and path to eternal life. They say that there are many ways to receive eternal life, but the Bible specifically says, "There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved!" (Acts 4:12) Those who believe in Jesus will be saved (receive salvation and eternal life): "whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn't send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him." (John 3:15-17) Those who willfully reject Jesus will not receive eternal life: "He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn't believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God." (John 3:18)
b) They teach that we can earn eternal life by doing good works only when, in fact, we cannot; salvation is a free gift given by God--no one can be perfect enough to earn eternal life. Every person is unrighteous and a sinner:
- "There is no one righteous; no, not one. There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God. They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, no, not, so much as one." (Romans 3:10-12)
- "the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Genesis 8:21)
c) Conversely, some false teachers teach that we can have eternal life just by believing in Jesus without obeying God's laws. While we can receive eternal life by trusting in Jesus alone, our trust in him has to be genuine trust, and only obedience to Yahweh's laws can prove whether or not our faith is genuine, as faith without works is dead (James 2:17). If a simple belief is all that's required for salvation, then Satan and the demons could be saved, too! (James 2:19) Doing the will of God is required for entrance into the Kingdom of God, for note what Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will tell me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?' Then I will tell them, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.'" (Matthew 7:21-23)
Thus, in order to enter the Kingdom of God, we must do the will of God, and the will of God is summed up in these two most important commandments: "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. The second is like this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31)
Unrighteous people who rebel against Yahweh's moral ordinances will not enter God's heavenly Kingdom even if they believe in Jesus like the demons: "don't you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortioners, will inherit the Kingdom of God." (I Corinthians 6:9-10)
d) They distort various teachings of the Bible and misrepresent the Gospel (Good News of God's Kingdom and salvation through Jesus Christ). The apostle Paul warned, "But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any 'good news' other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed. As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any 'good news' other than that which you received, let him be cursed." (Galatians 1:8-9)
2) By how they live: Jesus said, "There is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit; nor again a rotten tree that brings forth good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don't gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil" (Luke 6: 43, 44, 45) So we can tell whether a teacher is true or false by the life they live.
False teachers do not live according to God's will. Instead, they:
- "defile the flesh," by committing sexual immorality such as adultery and homosexuality (Jude 7, 8)
- "despise authority," by rebelling against the government and other officials (Jude 8)
- "slander celestial beings," by speaking falsehood against God's angels (Jude 8)
- "speak evil of whatever things they don't know" (Jude 10)
- murmur and complain against God (Jude 16)
- desire the approval of people instead of the approval of God (Jude 16)
- do whatever they desire and mislead others through their actions and bad examples
- do not exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which are Christ-like qualities: love, peace, joy, longsuffering (patient endurance), faithfulness, goodness, kindness, meekness, and self-control
The Judgment That Awaits False Teachers
Enoch prophesied that God will punish false teachers for their falsehood and unrighteousness: "Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." (Jude 14-15) God had carried out such judgments in the past, such as in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, whose residents committed grave sins against others (Genesis 19). In the future, on the day of Yahweh, God will judge all unrighteous people, including the false teachers who are misleading people.
How to Combat False Teachers
The best way to combat false teachers and their falsehood is to know the truths. How can we determine what is true if we do not know what is the truth in the first place? To know the truths about Yahweh God and His Son, we must diligently study the Bible, for it is the only book that fully and accurately explains all we need to know about God and Jesus. The entire Bible is written by God through about forty men; God led the men what to write, and they wrote down His words. This is why the Bible is called the Word of God and why it is ideal for instruction and correction: "Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (II Timothy 3:16-17)
Once we have personally learned the truths straight from the Bible, we can rebuke and correct false teachers inn their falsehood, and also lead others back to the truths (Jude 22-23). Then and only then will we be able to combat false teachers and bring the Good News (Gospel) of salvation to others.
"If you instruct the brothers of these things, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished in the words of the faith, and of the good doctrine which you have followed. Exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise has some value, but godliness has value in all things, having the promise of the life which is now, and of that which is to come. [And] be an example to those who believe, in word, in your way of life, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity." (I Timothy 4:6, 7, 8, 12) Amen! (So be it!)
Remember: "If anyone teaches a different doctrine, and doesn't consent to sound words, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is conceited, knowing nothing, but obsessed with arguments, disputes, and word battles, from which come envy, strife, insulting, evil suspicions, constant friction of people of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. Withdraw yourself from such." (I Timothy 6:3-5)
~*~Q&A with Dr. Shirley~*~
Question #1: Yahweh operates on this principle in His justice system: "You must take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise." (Exodus 21:23-25). What does this principle mean?
Answer: This principle simply means that the punishment has to equal the sin or crime in degree of severity. A lesser sin should have a lesser punishment, while a greater sin requires a greater punishment. For example, murder is one of the greatest sins, so it requires the greatest punishment: the death penalty. On the other hand, injuring a person is a lesser sin than murder, so the punishment should be less severe.
The "an eye for an eye" principle in God's justice system prevents injustice. Specifically, it:
a) Prevents people from receiving greater punishment than necessary. For example, people who committed manslaughter (unintentional homicide) should not receive the death penalty.
b) Ensures that people receive the appropriate punishment for their sins. For example, murderers should be executed according to God's Law (Genesis 9:6).
Yahweh God gave the "an eye for an eye" principle to His people so they would know how to judge each unique case. This way, He did not have to list every possible way how a sin should be dealt with. If His people came across a situation that was not specifically named in the Mosaic Law, they would simply need to judge the severity of the sin and execute the appropriate punishment.
Question #2: But in Matthew 5:38-39, Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you, don't resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also." Was Jesus speaking against Yahweh's justice system? Is there a contradiction?
Answer: Jesus was not at all contradicting Yahweh's laws or speaking against them. This is how the difference is explained:
Yahweh's justice system ("an eye for an eye") was made to govern the nation's judicial system. It was a principle that the judges should operate on while deciding the appropriate punishment for various sins. It was the judges who worked on this principle in judicial matters, not anyone else.
However, the Jews by Jesus' day were abusing this principle. Instead of confining this law to their judicial system for the judges and magistrates, they were using it in their personal, private lives. They were misusing this law to take personal revenge on those who had wronged them. For example, if someone slapped them on the cheek, they would actually use this law to justify their action for slapping the other person back.
Thus, in Matthew 5:39, Jesus was telling them not to use this principle in their personal lives. People should not seek revenge for insults and other wrongs done to them that do not amount to actual crimes being committed. For example, Jesus was not saying that we should not do anything if a person tries to murder us or our family. Rather, we should not seek revenge when we have been insulted or wronged in other less serious ways. If we have been wronged by others in a serious way, such as if an actual crime was committed against us, then certainly we should bring our case to the judges. But in our daily life, we should live in peace, and not strike back when someone mistreats us, or mocks us, or insults us. Instead of slapping someone back for slapping us, we should even prepare ourselves to be slapped on the other cheek. Thus, we should submit to the little wrongs done to us, while taking the greater wrongs to the court and not try to handle such big cases on our own. It's only the judges and magistrates who should operate on the "an eye for an eye" principle.
Do you have Bible questions you'd like answered? Then by all means reply to this newsletter, and I'd be more than happy to do my best to answer them! Remember, no question about the Bible is ever too small or stupid.
May the grace and peace from Yahweh God and Jesus Christ be with you.!
Content Copyright by Dr. Shirley Cheng; All rights reserved
You are permitted to only give out or link to this website or post; all other distribution and copying is prohibited without the prior written permission of Dr. Shirley Cheng. Contact Shirley at www.shirleycheng.com
Did you get this from a friend's forward and would like to subscribe? Then send a blank e-mail to subscribe@shirleycheng.com from the e-mail address you'd like to sign up under.
Read previous issues of Inspiration from a Blind at blog.shirleycheng.com
Best regards,
Dr. Shirley Cheng
Award-Winning Author with 27 Book Awards
Founder of Ultra-Ability Ministry
Proclaimer of Yahweh God's Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ
Author/Contributor/Editor of 35 books by age 27, Bible Teacher, Poet, Motivational Speaker, Self-Empowerment Expert, Advocate
Board member of World Positive Thinkers Club
http://www.shirleycheng.com
"Although I'm blind, I can see far and wide; even though I'm disabled, I can climb high mountains. Let the ropes of hope in Yahweh God haul you high!"
Sign up to Inspiration from a Blind newsletter by filling out the form at http://www.shirleycheng.com/contact.html
Please sign the Parental Rights in Children's Medical Care: Give Parents the Right to Say No Petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/parentr7/petition.html
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Inspiration from a Blind: Are You Responding to God's Footprints?
A beautiful September to you from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com!
Do you know God? If so, do you know Him intimately? And how should you respond to your knowledge of Him?
We can know someone in two ways: impersonal knowledge and personal knowledge. To know someone impersonally is to know of the person's existence, their name, what they do, where they live, or perhaps even what they look like. For example, we know the president of the United States. We know his name, what he does, and we know what he looks like (well, except yours truly). Apart from this general knowledge of ours, we do not know President Obama personally or intimately as a friend.
So what kind of knowledge do you have of God? Let's begin with the impersonal kind of knowledge. How do you know of someone's existence when they and others who knew them are no longer around? Well, you would know them by the "footprints" they left behind: their pictures, their writings, or anything they created.
What "footprints" has God left for us to know of His existence and powers? His handiworks:
"The heavens declare the glory of God.
The expanse shows his handiwork.
Day after day they pour forth speech,
and night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech nor language,
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice has gone out through all the earth,
their words to the end of the world." (Psalm 19:1-4, WEB)
Yes, God's creation, which can be seen, felt, tasted, heard, and smelled, openly witnesses to everyone on Earth of God's glory, creative powers, intelligence, and love. His handiworks are evidences of His existence, just as the houses on your street prove of the existence of their builders.
Since "the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity," no one with average mental capacity has the excuse to deny God's existence (Romans 1:20). Thus, if we deny Him despite His "footprints," we are foolishly lying to ourselves.
After we know someone impersonally, we have the option to know them more intimately. Whether we choose to get to know the person more depends on how much desire we have in pursuing further knowledge about them. This holds true in knowing God.
After you have come to the impersonal knowledge of God, do you want to know Him better? If you do, God has personally provided the avenue that will lead you to an intimate knowledge of Him: His words in the Bible, a book He wrote through His human secretaries who recorded down His words under divine empowerment.
The original manuscripts of the Bible are called "autographs." Think of the Bible as God's "autographed autobiography." While the autographs are no longer in existence, we have thousands of manuscript copies of the originals whose doctrinal content has been divinely preserved through the centuries; thus they are an accurate and the primary source in obtaining intimate knowledge of God.
In His Word, God introduces to us His personal name, as intimate knowledge of a person should always start with a name. His name is "Yahweh" from YHWH in Hebrew, transliterated as "Jehovah" in English. His name means "He who causes to be" or "He who chooses to become,"--a perfect name for this awesome Creator!
From His Word, you will learn of Yahweh's plans He has for humanity, of His likes and dislikes, of His Son Jesus, of His precepts and principles for righteous living, and of how we can have fellowship with Him. Additionally, the Bible answers life's colossal questions: What's our origin? What's our purpose? Where will we go? As the Bible has been proven to be prophetically accurate, we can know what it prophesies about our future will come to pass.
After you have read the Bible, the question to ask yourself is: Do I want to have companionship with God? Do I want to be God's friend? The answer to this question will help you properly respond to Yahweh's words as He desires, because only when we want to be someone's friend will we have the desire to please them. What pleases Yahweh is living by His laws and commandments which are for our own benefits. After all, God wrote the Bible for a reason: to be lived by. If you want to please Him, you would live according to His laws.
Do you want to please Yahweh your Creator? This is entirely up to you. No one can make the decision for you, not even God, because Yahweh does not force people to love Him. If he did, He would have created us as robots, where we would have given Him our undivided attention and devotion without hesitation. But He didn't, as He wants us to love Him willingly.
But understand that living in contrary to God's moral laws will yield negative consequences, just as living in contrary to God's laws of nature will have negative consequences. We cannot expect to come out in the end happy and well after we have willfully rejected God's precepts and principles, just as we cannot expect to be unscathed after jumping out a plane without a parachute.
Thus, to choose to live according to Yahweh's moral laws is only for your benefit. It makes no difference to God whether we obey or disobey Him in the sense that He is not dependant upon us one bit. Our sins do not physically harm God, nor do our righteous deeds bring Him benefits:
"Look to the heavens, and see.
See the skies, which are higher than you.
If you have sinned, what effect do you have against him?
If your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?
If you are righteous, what do you give him?
Or what does he receive from your hand?
Your wickedness may hurt a man as you are,
and your righteousness may profit a son of man." (Job 35:5-8)
So we're not doing Yahweh a "favor" when we obey Him. When we obey Him, we are doing ourselves a favor. And when we obey Him, that pleases Him, because He only wants the best for His creation.
How will you respond to God's footprints? In other words, how will you proceed after you know Yahweh through His handiworks? Will you seek after an intimate knowledge of Him? After knowing Him intimately, will you respond to His fellowship invitation?
If you need help in understanding God's Word, please by all means contact me, and I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you may have! Today is the day to start knowing our awesome Creator--don't delay!
~*~Q&A with Dr. Shirley~*~
Question: Did God create evil?
Answer: No, Yahweh did not create evil. Evil is simply the result of disobedience to His moral laws. Where there is no light, there is darkness. Likewise, where God's principles and precepts are not kept, there is evil.
Some people point to the King James Version translation of Isaiah 45:7 to say that God did create evil. The verse says, "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." However, this verse does not indicate that God creates moral evil.
First, the word "evil" is translated from the Hebrew word "rah," which speaks of anything unpleasant. It can mean anything from "bad," as a bad land, to "rotten," as a rotten fruit, and any adversities or hardships we may face, from natural disasters to divine punishments from God. Yes, "rah" can also mean moral evil or wickedness. Thus, depending on the verse and context, "rah" has been translated into various words, such as trouble, affliction, bad, wickedness, ill, evil, calamity, sad, harm, adversity, grievous, mischief, and hurt. Below are a few verses where "rah" is present:
a) "Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan didn't please ["rah"] Isaac, his father." (Genesis 28:8)
b) "Why do you look so sad ["rah"] today?" (Genesis 40:7)
c) "See what kind of land they live in. Is it good or bad ["rah"]?" (Numbers 13:19, NLT)
Second, Isaiah 45:7 is contrasting opposites: light and darkness, peace and disturbance. "Moral evil" is not the exact opposite of "peace," so a better translation is, "I form the light, and create darkness. I make peace, and create calamity. I am Yahweh, who does all these things." (Isaiah 45:7, WEB) The "calamity" Yahweh creates can be in the form of judgments.
Third, the entire Bible does not support the idea of God creating evil. We're told that Yahweh is the only Being who is purely good, and that everything He created is very good (Matthew 19:17; Genesis 1:31).
However, Yahweh does indirectly cause moral evil to exist. When He establishes moral laws and those laws are not followed by others, then evil is the outcome of that disobedience and rebellion.
~*~Dr. Shirley's Corner~*~
My book "Do You Love Jehovah?" is now available on Apple's iTunes for your iPod, iPad, and iPhone, as well as on Barnes and Noble Nook!
iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781257305049
Nook:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/do-you-love-jehovah-god-almightys-infinite-love-wisdom-to-propel-you-to-greatness-shirley-cheng/1112404316?ean=9781257305049
Are you interested in obtaining in-depth knowledge of God's Word to help you deepen your understanding of God and His plans and develop a sacred relationship with your Heavenly Father? If so, you are more than welcome to sign up for the In-Depth Ultra-Ability Bible Virtual Class via e-mail.
· You will study the Bible in depth from Genesis to Revelation in order.
· The study will progress in your own pace.
· You will work one-on-one with me via e-mail only.
· Your personal Bible-related questions will be answered.
· Although the virtual class has no financial cost, it will require your dedication and diligence. There will be lessons to complete and tests to take
for all Bible chapters. All assignments are in short question and answer format.
· The only textbook for this program is the Bible. If you do not have a copy of the Bible, you can read it online for free at www.BibleGateway.com.
· The class is non-denominational and is not affiliated with any church or ministry.
· You have no obligations; you may pause or stop anytime, though you are strongly encouraged to complete the study.
Interested? Then fill out the form at www.ultra-ability.com, and we'll get started. I look forward to our study time together!
May the grace and peace from Yahweh God and Jesus Christ be with you.!
Content Copyright by Dr. Shirley Cheng; All rights reserved
You are permitted to only give out or link to this website or post; all other distribution and copying is prohibited without the prior written permission of Dr. Shirley Cheng. Contact Shirley at www.shirleycheng.com
Did you get this from a friend's forward and would like to subscribe? Then sign up at http://www.shirleycheng.com/contact.html
Read previous issues of Inspiration from a Blind at blog.shirleycheng.com
Best regards,
Dr. Shirley Cheng
Award-Winning Author with 27 Book Awards
Founder of Ultra-Ability Ministry
Proclaimer of Yahweh God's Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ
Author/Contributor/Editor of 35 books by age 27, Bible Teacher, Poet, Motivational Speaker, Self-Empowerment Expert, Advocate
Board member of World Positive Thinkers Club
http://www.shirleycheng.com
"Although I'm blind, I can see far and wide; even though I'm disabled, I can climb high mountains. Let the ropes of hope in Yahweh God haul you high!"
Sign up to Inspiration from a Blind newsletter by sending an e-mail to: subscribe@shirleycheng.com
Please sign the Parental Rights in Children's Medical Care: Give Parents the Right to Say No Petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/parentr7/petition.html
Do you know God? If so, do you know Him intimately? And how should you respond to your knowledge of Him?
We can know someone in two ways: impersonal knowledge and personal knowledge. To know someone impersonally is to know of the person's existence, their name, what they do, where they live, or perhaps even what they look like. For example, we know the president of the United States. We know his name, what he does, and we know what he looks like (well, except yours truly). Apart from this general knowledge of ours, we do not know President Obama personally or intimately as a friend.
So what kind of knowledge do you have of God? Let's begin with the impersonal kind of knowledge. How do you know of someone's existence when they and others who knew them are no longer around? Well, you would know them by the "footprints" they left behind: their pictures, their writings, or anything they created.
What "footprints" has God left for us to know of His existence and powers? His handiworks:
"The heavens declare the glory of God.
The expanse shows his handiwork.
Day after day they pour forth speech,
and night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech nor language,
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice has gone out through all the earth,
their words to the end of the world." (Psalm 19:1-4, WEB)
Yes, God's creation, which can be seen, felt, tasted, heard, and smelled, openly witnesses to everyone on Earth of God's glory, creative powers, intelligence, and love. His handiworks are evidences of His existence, just as the houses on your street prove of the existence of their builders.
Since "the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity," no one with average mental capacity has the excuse to deny God's existence (Romans 1:20). Thus, if we deny Him despite His "footprints," we are foolishly lying to ourselves.
After we know someone impersonally, we have the option to know them more intimately. Whether we choose to get to know the person more depends on how much desire we have in pursuing further knowledge about them. This holds true in knowing God.
After you have come to the impersonal knowledge of God, do you want to know Him better? If you do, God has personally provided the avenue that will lead you to an intimate knowledge of Him: His words in the Bible, a book He wrote through His human secretaries who recorded down His words under divine empowerment.
The original manuscripts of the Bible are called "autographs." Think of the Bible as God's "autographed autobiography." While the autographs are no longer in existence, we have thousands of manuscript copies of the originals whose doctrinal content has been divinely preserved through the centuries; thus they are an accurate and the primary source in obtaining intimate knowledge of God.
In His Word, God introduces to us His personal name, as intimate knowledge of a person should always start with a name. His name is "Yahweh" from YHWH in Hebrew, transliterated as "Jehovah" in English. His name means "He who causes to be" or "He who chooses to become,"--a perfect name for this awesome Creator!
From His Word, you will learn of Yahweh's plans He has for humanity, of His likes and dislikes, of His Son Jesus, of His precepts and principles for righteous living, and of how we can have fellowship with Him. Additionally, the Bible answers life's colossal questions: What's our origin? What's our purpose? Where will we go? As the Bible has been proven to be prophetically accurate, we can know what it prophesies about our future will come to pass.
After you have read the Bible, the question to ask yourself is: Do I want to have companionship with God? Do I want to be God's friend? The answer to this question will help you properly respond to Yahweh's words as He desires, because only when we want to be someone's friend will we have the desire to please them. What pleases Yahweh is living by His laws and commandments which are for our own benefits. After all, God wrote the Bible for a reason: to be lived by. If you want to please Him, you would live according to His laws.
Do you want to please Yahweh your Creator? This is entirely up to you. No one can make the decision for you, not even God, because Yahweh does not force people to love Him. If he did, He would have created us as robots, where we would have given Him our undivided attention and devotion without hesitation. But He didn't, as He wants us to love Him willingly.
But understand that living in contrary to God's moral laws will yield negative consequences, just as living in contrary to God's laws of nature will have negative consequences. We cannot expect to come out in the end happy and well after we have willfully rejected God's precepts and principles, just as we cannot expect to be unscathed after jumping out a plane without a parachute.
Thus, to choose to live according to Yahweh's moral laws is only for your benefit. It makes no difference to God whether we obey or disobey Him in the sense that He is not dependant upon us one bit. Our sins do not physically harm God, nor do our righteous deeds bring Him benefits:
"Look to the heavens, and see.
See the skies, which are higher than you.
If you have sinned, what effect do you have against him?
If your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?
If you are righteous, what do you give him?
Or what does he receive from your hand?
Your wickedness may hurt a man as you are,
and your righteousness may profit a son of man." (Job 35:5-8)
So we're not doing Yahweh a "favor" when we obey Him. When we obey Him, we are doing ourselves a favor. And when we obey Him, that pleases Him, because He only wants the best for His creation.
How will you respond to God's footprints? In other words, how will you proceed after you know Yahweh through His handiworks? Will you seek after an intimate knowledge of Him? After knowing Him intimately, will you respond to His fellowship invitation?
If you need help in understanding God's Word, please by all means contact me, and I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you may have! Today is the day to start knowing our awesome Creator--don't delay!
~*~Q&A with Dr. Shirley~*~
Question: Did God create evil?
Answer: No, Yahweh did not create evil. Evil is simply the result of disobedience to His moral laws. Where there is no light, there is darkness. Likewise, where God's principles and precepts are not kept, there is evil.
Some people point to the King James Version translation of Isaiah 45:7 to say that God did create evil. The verse says, "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." However, this verse does not indicate that God creates moral evil.
First, the word "evil" is translated from the Hebrew word "rah," which speaks of anything unpleasant. It can mean anything from "bad," as a bad land, to "rotten," as a rotten fruit, and any adversities or hardships we may face, from natural disasters to divine punishments from God. Yes, "rah" can also mean moral evil or wickedness. Thus, depending on the verse and context, "rah" has been translated into various words, such as trouble, affliction, bad, wickedness, ill, evil, calamity, sad, harm, adversity, grievous, mischief, and hurt. Below are a few verses where "rah" is present:
a) "Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan didn't please ["rah"] Isaac, his father." (Genesis 28:8)
b) "Why do you look so sad ["rah"] today?" (Genesis 40:7)
c) "See what kind of land they live in. Is it good or bad ["rah"]?" (Numbers 13:19, NLT)
Second, Isaiah 45:7 is contrasting opposites: light and darkness, peace and disturbance. "Moral evil" is not the exact opposite of "peace," so a better translation is, "I form the light, and create darkness. I make peace, and create calamity. I am Yahweh, who does all these things." (Isaiah 45:7, WEB) The "calamity" Yahweh creates can be in the form of judgments.
Third, the entire Bible does not support the idea of God creating evil. We're told that Yahweh is the only Being who is purely good, and that everything He created is very good (Matthew 19:17; Genesis 1:31).
However, Yahweh does indirectly cause moral evil to exist. When He establishes moral laws and those laws are not followed by others, then evil is the outcome of that disobedience and rebellion.
~*~Dr. Shirley's Corner~*~
My book "Do You Love Jehovah?" is now available on Apple's iTunes for your iPod, iPad, and iPhone, as well as on Barnes and Noble Nook!
iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781257305049
Nook:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/do-you-love-jehovah-god-almightys-infinite-love-wisdom-to-propel-you-to-greatness-shirley-cheng/1112404316?ean=9781257305049
Are you interested in obtaining in-depth knowledge of God's Word to help you deepen your understanding of God and His plans and develop a sacred relationship with your Heavenly Father? If so, you are more than welcome to sign up for the In-Depth Ultra-Ability Bible Virtual Class via e-mail.
· You will study the Bible in depth from Genesis to Revelation in order.
· The study will progress in your own pace.
· You will work one-on-one with me via e-mail only.
· Your personal Bible-related questions will be answered.
· Although the virtual class has no financial cost, it will require your dedication and diligence. There will be lessons to complete and tests to take
for all Bible chapters. All assignments are in short question and answer format.
· The only textbook for this program is the Bible. If you do not have a copy of the Bible, you can read it online for free at www.BibleGateway.com.
· The class is non-denominational and is not affiliated with any church or ministry.
· You have no obligations; you may pause or stop anytime, though you are strongly encouraged to complete the study.
Interested? Then fill out the form at www.ultra-ability.com, and we'll get started. I look forward to our study time together!
May the grace and peace from Yahweh God and Jesus Christ be with you.!
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Best regards,
Dr. Shirley Cheng
Award-Winning Author with 27 Book Awards
Founder of Ultra-Ability Ministry
Proclaimer of Yahweh God's Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ
Author/Contributor/Editor of 35 books by age 27, Bible Teacher, Poet, Motivational Speaker, Self-Empowerment Expert, Advocate
Board member of World Positive Thinkers Club
http://www.shirleycheng.com
"Although I'm blind, I can see far and wide; even though I'm disabled, I can climb high mountains. Let the ropes of hope in Yahweh God haul you high!"
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