Christians are Fated too - To be Like Christ

When a Chinese meet up with a tragedy or a great disappointment, his friends will usually comfort him/her with words like 命中注定 translated as fate or predestined. There is nothing you could do about it and it is definitely not your fault. No one is to blame. It is just fated or predesignated. The concept is equally applicable when a great fortune or success happens to others. "They are just born lucky". That's their fate, lucky.

In the Bible, Romans chapter 8, where Paul was comforting the suffering believers. He begins with

• 8:1, there is NO condemnation. 
• 8:14 They are sons of God, 17 heirs of God, 
• 18 the suffering cannot be compared with the glory to be received, 
• the famous v28 ALL things work for Good because v29 they are PREDESIGNATED to be like His Son v30 and be Glorified. 

There is the process to glory, the path through suffering in v17b "if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together".

So, the Bible is very clear, we are not suffering for the sake of suffering but rather, the suffering is but temporary, the path to glorification.

You are destined to be great like His Son Jesus. All things, the good and bad, no matter how bad, cannot stop this process of our growth to be like His Son and enjoy His glory in us. This is the inner hope of faith that gives us peace in spite of the suffering or of the success that our peace is not dependent on external circumstances whether good or bad. Our suffering is that Christ may be formed in us (Gal 4:19).

You are fated or predestined to be glorified in Christ and not for suffering or in riches but to be like Christ.

Lim Liat (c) 15 Aug 14

To Answer or Not to Answer ? It all depends, on What?

A seemingly contradiction in Proverbs 26:4-5 reveals much wisdom about what a real fool is and the need for us to answer, even our own folly, that we may not be proud in our own folly and pride.

There is a seeming contradiction in Proverbs 26:4-5 as follows:

• Pro 26:4 Answer not,  a fool according to his folly,    lest thou also be like unto him.
• Pro 26:5 Answer,        a fool according to his folly,    lest he be wise in his own conceit.

The first portions are exactly the opposite. 

The middle portions of the two verses are exactly the same. 

The last, third portions are about you and the fool.

So, are the verses in conflicts with each other?

The answer is no.

The first part is the action - answer or not answer.

The second part is how to answer....must address his folly.

The third part is the consequence ... either you become like him or he stays as fool yet thinking he is wise.

The choice is ours to choose.

If we choose to answer not his folly, silence implies consent, so we are perceived to agree with his folly and then we will appear to be like him.

If we choose to answer, addressing his folly, we must be smart enough to convince him of his folly, then he will realize his folly and not be a conceit.

The call seems to be for us to answer the folly, but we must do it wisely. If we answer not, the fool remains in his folly thinking he is wise. If we answer rightly, the fool can be taught to be wise and someone is helped.

The big question is then shifted to HOW we should answer.

The verse provides two clues:

1. Address his folly. i.e. Understand the rationale of his reasoning to reach a foolish conclusion.
2. He must be convinced of our answer: Our reasoning must be able to point out the errors, the illogical, the non-factual, non-realistic part of his reasonings, showing the folly. 

Stephen Covey's Habit 5 "Seek first to Understand and then be Understood" is then a good guide for us to answer the fool.

Albert Einstein gave us new light with his statement, “Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them". A fool may not be what we usually think of them as uneducated. Actually, fools could be highly educated Ph.D.'s that are trapped in their own biased and prejudiced mindset. In the world of science, as science progresses, we can see that there are many foolish scientists all through the years. They used to think of the earth as flat, the universe as unchanging and proudly hold on and even persecuted those who actually know better. In man's early space flight, we read that the man who flew into space and said he did not see god there! (  For the corrected story, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Gagarin). 

We can see how folly works and the only hope is for us to find the right answer to answer even our own folly. We must always remain humble to learn and to reflect on our possible biases and prejudices and to hold on to the truths that we have learned. Then, we may be freed from the trap of folly.

Folly is then not lack of intelligence, but rather, a belief in something that is untrue, illogical and still holding on strongly to the lie or defective reasoning.

Lim Liat (c) 10 July 2014

Why is the Fear of the Lord the Beginning of Wisdom?

There are many verses in the Bible that speak of "The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom". Why is this so? What is this wisdom with fear of God? What about the wisdom that has no God in it? What are the consequences?

For a good and correct understanding of a passage, we need to follow the rules of Hermeneutics.
One rule is to stick to the original language of the text.

Rule 1 Use the Original Language
The best understanding is to be found in the original language of Hebrew for the OT and the Greek for the NT. But since I know neither of them, I will use a concordance instead. Another way is to read multiple translations of the Bible. Here is the Prov 1:7 with strong concordance:

Pro 1:7 The fearH3374 of the LORDH3068 is the beginningH7225 of knowledge:H1847 but
foolsH191 despiseH936 wisdomH2451 and instruction.H4148

BDB Definition:

fearH3374 1a) fear, terror 1b) awesome or terrifying thing (object causing fear) 1c) fear (of God), respect, reverence, piety 1d) revered	beginningH7225 1) first, beginning, best, chief	knowledge:H1847 1) knowledge 1a) knowledge, perception, skill 1b) discernment, understanding, wisdom
wisdomH2451 1a) skill (in war) 1b) wisdom (in administration) 1c) shrewdness, wisdom 1d) wisdom, prudence (in religious affairs) 1e) wisdom (ethical and religious)	instruction.H4148 1) discipline, chastening, correction 1a) discipline, correction 1b) chastening

Rule 2 Context
Any verse must be interpreted in its context. So the surronding verses are important too. For the key verse of Prov 1:7, let see the other verses.

Pro 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Pro 1:8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Pro 1:9 For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

An extension of this context rule is to let the Bible interprets itself. To do that, I look up the verses where 'the Fear of the Lord' occurs and below is the mind-map that show many of the related verses.

Rule 3 Let the Bible interprets itself: Related Verses on "Fear of God is the Beginning of Wisdom"

Definition and What of Wisdom:

1. Believe in the Existence of God - The Creator of All (Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 

2. Fear as respect, worship and to obey God.

3. A moral standard or instructions or commands of right and wrong. They are used for corrections and discipline. As holiness in Prov 9:10, turning away from evil in Job 28:28.

4. Following of the instructions will result in blessings. They are like crown and necklaces that beautify us as in Prov 1:9. They are the duties of men as in Eccl 12:13.

5. The foundation, the basic, the first, the beginning, the source of wisdom is Fear of God.

Why Fear of God is the Foundation of Wisdom?

By implication, any wisdom or knowledge that does not acknowledge God is not wisdom or knowledge. Godless wisdom or knowledge are then

1. lies. 
2. evil.
3. with consequence of ugliness, dishonor as opposite to crown and necklaces of Prov 1:9 (other parts of the Bible tell us the Devil comes to steal, destroy and kill. The punishment of evil is eternal hell etc).
4. those who have such denial of God and instructions are called fools.

Without God giving the moral standards of right and wrong, then everything becomes relative and essentially there is not right and wrong. A society without any absolute standard of right and wrong will eventually leads to chaos and destruction.

See for example the saying of famous atheist Dawkins :  In a universe of blind physical forces and genetic replication, some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you won’t find any rhyme or reason in it, or any justice. The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference… DNA neither knows nor cares. DNA just is. And we dance to its music. (Richard Dawkins, River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life (1995))

For  more , Ravi Zacharias podcasts are highly recommended. See Secularism and the Illusion

Lim Liat (c) 30 May 2014

Training of A Child According to Proverb 22v6

Proverb 22:6 is a key verse in the training of a child. Among the translations read, there are two main groups that put emphasis on different aspects of the training. The majority of the translations stresses on the content - the way he should go. A smaller set stresses on knowing the character or personality traits of the child and train accordingly. Which is the correct translation, the content or the method? I propose that, firstly, we look at the original Hebrew and secondly look elsewhere from the different but related part of the Bible to form a good understanding. An important part is to look at the New Testament teaching on this topic. This is about letting the Bible interpret the Bible rather than imposing our own learning into the interpretation of the Bible.

Note: This is a good case example of how to interpret the Bible correctly.

Below is the mind-map that summarizes the discussion:

The Teaching:

1. The Content [of the training]:

The majority of the translations is as follow, choosing ASV as an example:

       ASV Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old he will not depart from it.  
The key points are:

1. training is needed and should start as early as possible ... when he is a child.
2. the content of the training should be focused on the way he should go.
   Other relevant parts of the Bible tell us the 'way' is the commandments of God.
3. the benefits: even when he grow old he will still follow the ways he was trained since young.
   i.e. Character formation begins as a child and will last through his life. It must begin as early as possible.
   Implication: as we grow older, it will be more difficult to correct a habit or behavior.
   The Chinese says that the parent responsibility for their children is 教养 teach and feed. Giving food and care for the child is just one of two responsibilities of a parent, The other key responsibility is to teach or train the child. A person that misbehaved is said to have no family teaching and is taken as an insult. For more on Chinese Chinese Words Make You Smarter.

2. The Method 

The other grouping of translations stresses on the training method. One subgroup just say they should be trained rightly but is unclear as to exactly how and that leave much to the imagination of the reader. Another subgroup makes it clearer, should be according to the character, traits and ages of the child.

The AMPlified Bible translation combine the both concepts of training content and method together.

Which Version is the Right One?

The original OT Bible is written in Hebrew. So we should go back to the original Hebrew text for understanding. Best is to have a Hebrew scholar to explain it to us. Next best is to go by the concordance such as Strong for each individual Hebrew word and see we can make sense out of it. It we just use the Hebrew words to form a sentence, it is very much the Classical Chinese 文言文 of which I can understand well.

Going by the Hebrew words, I am for the 1st group that Prov 22:6 is about the content of the training rather than the method of training. The method seems to be left to parents to decide according to their times. e.g. many now use computer or iPad to train their children. However, training is more than just teaching. Behavior and character formation depends on the mind (teaching of content) and of the Will and motivation of the Heart. Hence, the other parts of Proverbs talk about 'Discipline' even with using a rod.

New Testament Version:

Another way to have light shed on this issue is to consult the other parts of the Bible, especially the New Testament. We find Paul's writing in Colossian and Ephesian that address this as shown in the mind map above. There are three things to look up for in the training or dedication of a child to the Lord.

1. Content: 

• instructions of the Lord.

2. Discipline:

• Training is for behavior and character formation. The child needs to be monitored and correct as and when necessary.

3. Provoke Not. 

• How do we not provoke the child, especially in the disciplining?
• We must know the character or traits and age/maturity of the child. Some child is very sensitive and will know the meaning when his/her parent changes the tone of voice. Some child is not and may need stronger means of correction such as a canning. If we overdo the disciplining, some child may be so discouraged that they give up while another may be so angry to rebel in the future.

Lim Liat (c) 2 May 14

The Seven Shedding of Jesus' Blood & Our 7 Confessions

The resurrention of Jesus from the death confirm the truthfulness of His words and deeds. His seven shedding of blood bring forth specific blessings for us that we may live them out to His glory and attracting people to know Him. We receive His forgivenness, healing, honor, authority, peace and His joy to enable us to live out His will.

Was listening to Derek Prince's Legacy Podcasts recently and he mentioned about the seven shedding of Jesus' blood. A search on the web revealed many similar articles with slightly different seven items with majority agreement on five of them. So I just pick one more seven-item list from Larry Huch and compare it with Derek's list. More importantly, we must know what they mean to us so that we can benefit from the suffering of Jesus for us. Hence, I add what I think are the seven important confessions.

Below is the mind map capturing the essentials and confessions of Jesus' seven shedding of blood for us.

Our Seven Confessions:
Let me repeat the seven confessions listed in the mindmap above:

1. I surrender to God's Will as He did in Gethsemane
   I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal 2:20
2. I am forgiven for my sins by His bruises.
   1Pe 2:24a  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: 
3. I am healed from sickness and I am healthy by His stripes.
   1Pe 2:24b  by whose stripes ye were healed. 
4. I am honored because of His shame for me.
   Eph 1:3-7  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:  4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:  5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,  6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.  7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
   1 John 4:17b As Christ is, so we are in this world.
5. I have authority & rights of God's children by His Crown of Thorns
   Rom 8:16-17)  16The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
   1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
6. I have peace with God through His Cruxification
   Rom 5:1-2 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2) Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
7. I have joy in my heart by His pierced heart.
   Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God

It begins with us surrendering our will to His by faith and receiving His gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Then we have His forgiveness, healing, honor, authority, peace, and His joy to enable us to live out His will.

May we carefully consider the benefits that Christ has obtained for us so that we may live them out to His glory.

Related: See The Meaning & Power of Holy Communion

Lim Liat (c) 21-4-14

The Journey of Life - Wisdom from I-Ching Hexagram#1 and Psalm 23

Let's put the wisdom of the Bible and the Ancient Chinese together and see what we can discover, especially in this most important issue of life, our journey of life.

Combining the wisdom of Ancient Chinese and the Bible enriches one's life even more. I-Ching is the root of the Chinese philosophies. Psalm 23 of the Bible, written by King David of the Ancient Israel, is likely the most famous Psalm preached and sung in services, frequently quoted in funeral wakes and imprinted on tombstones.

Each hexagram of I-Ching has a tithe, a description and six verses of text (except for the first 2 hexagrams which has an extra seventh verse. Each verse represent a stage, progressively from stage 1 to stage 6).  Psalm 23 has six verses too. We can put the corresponding verses together, with each verse representing a stage of our life, and see how closely they match!

In Chinese literature and philosophies, dragon, a fictitious animal that contains the best qualities many(may be 5 or 6) animals is used to represent man. Unlike western Biblical dragon that is used to represent evil, Chinese dragon is a good, benevolent and powerful animal. The Chinese king's palaces and his clothes are decorated with dragons.  The I-Ching text is very concise and the meaning may not be clear and hence I put in my interpretation for greater clarity and understanding.

Psalm 23	I-Ching Hexagram#1 Heaven	Remarks
1 A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.	初九:潜龙, 勿用. Hidden Dragon, Don't/of no use. 1 Hidden Dragon: Just starting life. Full of undeveloped potential but don’t show off yet. It the stage to get ready and prepared well. Do it when time comes and you are ready in the next stage. This is the student, learning stage of life.	The best way to start life is to know God and His ways. I-Ching teaches us to learn the ways of Heaven and Earth. Knowing the God that loves us and shepherd us with His ways enable us to build our lives on a solid foundation. Psalm & Proverbs say that the Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. We start life by learning the wisdom of God expressed in the Bible and in the ways of His creation.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.	九二:见龙在田, 利见大人. Dragon seen in fields. Good to meet great men. 2 Appearing/Rookie Dragon: Entering into the society, joining the work force  after graduation. Try to excel in your work. It is good to get mentors.	As we enter into the work life, the green pastures and the still waters, we need to be diligent in our work. Work opportunities are much more for the young rookies than the middle age or older workers. As rookies, we need to learn from our seniors and more important for us to find mentors to teach us, to help us and even give us opportunities to bring us up. It is important that we pick the right friends.
3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.	九三:君子终日乾乾, 夕惕若, 厉, 无咎 Wise man busy whole day. Alert till sunset. Danger. No fault. 3 Diligent Dragon: Doing well in stage 2 brings you promotion in this stage 3. As head of a team or a department, be diligent and watchful at same time; because others are eyeing at your progress and trying to beat you.	Let not our initial success and promotions get into our head that we become proud and start to take things easily. I-Ching tells us to continue to work diligently and be careful how we behave; because many are trying to find our faults and sabotage us in the office politics. It is easy at stage to take the easy and sometime even seemingly good path rather than the righteous path. God will lead you and give you strength to stick to His ways rather than the worldly ways of back-biting, short cuts and hypocrisy. The Psalm also warn us about having a right balance of work and rest. As a famous Chinese saying says that we rest so that we can walk farther. Abide in God's presence more often that we may be fully charged to excel in our work for His glory.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me	九四:或跃在渊, 无咎. Choice: Leap across chasm. No fault. 4 Leaping Dragon: To have greater progression, there is the risks to take to leave your comfort zone. Take a leap to higher ground.	To progress higher, we need to take on more challenging tasks. Tasks that take us beyond our comfort zone. Tasks that we may not even think that we can do it. To toughen us up, the Lord may lead us into the valley of shadow of death. Notice that it is only shadow not the real thing. It looks like the real thing. We feel that we have had it and could not progress further. But watch again and be able to see the God's rod and staff, His empowerment and His grace and mercy, that bring you out of your valley victoriously. Your loss of present job, leaving for a lower paid job etc are not a set-back but a set up for a bigger promotion. The Lord who calls you will empower you to accomplish the tasks beyond what you think you could before!
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.	九五:飞龙在天, 利见大人. Flying Dragon in sky, Good to meet Great Men 5 Flying Dragon: Success in stage 4 brings you to greater height. You are flying high in the sky as success brings greater success. You need to watch out of your pride and hence it is better as you soar higher with a network of influential people that will keep you in check and help you go further.	As you come out of the valley stronger and wiser in the Lord, the Lord will bring you to the new mountain top. Even your past enemies will bow down to you. Success begets greater success. The blessings of the Lord on you is overflowing that it seems whatever you touch will turn to gold. However, there is a greater danger here. It is so easy for our ego to grow so big that we think we did it all by ourselves. We may become proud and unteachable. We may even think that we are beyond the normal people and start to do things against the teaching of God (see stage 1). I-Ching warns us of this very danger. I-Ching tells us that we need of group of mentors and friends that dare to hold us in check and correct us when needed. We are so successful that many will not dare to speak to us about our problems and errors. We need such wise group of mentors to help us. The Bible has many stories about failures just in the height of success. e.g. David's adultery with Bathsheba (David's men were on war while David the King rest in his palace), Elijah's running away after the victory over the Baal's priests.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.	上九:亢龙有悔. Top Dragon has regrets. 6 Retiring Dragon: You have progressed to the very top, like chairman of the board, there is no way up but to retire soon. Prepare for retirement or change of career as a 2nd life.	Our lives are limited. There will surely be a time, no matter how successful we have become, to retire our positions. If we have followed God's ways through our life, we will be able to reflect on our life and agree with David that 'surely goodness and mercy followed us all the days of our life. Even before that, I-Ching tells us to prepare for our retirement. We need to know how to retire well. We must prepare it long before our retirement farewell party. Many has chosen to use their money to start charitable organisations and contribute back to the societies. We read of the work of rich like Bill Gates, Li Ka Shing etc. We can each plan for our own meaningful retirement. As we bid farewell to this earth, we are assured that we shall dwell in the Heaven House of God forever.
	用九:见群龙无首, 吉.  Dragons has no leader. Good Fortune. 7 Parenting Dragon: You have mature, accomplished much, and become a virtuous leader. You need no one to lead you but you are able to lead others do well in their lives too.	The highest stage of growth for anyone is to become like a parent, a Father or a Mother. We are no longer concern about making a living for ourselves, but rather, about helping others to grow up and making a good living for themselves. It is the love for others as we tasted the Love of God for us. We learn to give of ourselves for others as our Lord, Jesus Christ. The final goal for all of us is to become like Christ, especially in His love for others because God is Love.

The Difference:
While both I-Ching and Psalm talk about following the righteous ways of God/Heaven&Earth, there is a major difference in emphasis. I-Ching stresses on men following God's ways whereas Psalm stresses on the Lord leading and blessing men to follow His ways! Psalm 23 is all about God doing the leading, the anointing, the comforting, the goodness and mercies and men just follow God and reaps the benefits. Psalm 23 can be rephrased with God in the active voice:

1 The Lord shepherds me so I have no lack.
2 The Lord makes me and lead me, so I am in greem pastures and still waters
3. The Lord restores my soul,
    The Lord leads me in the path of righteousness
4. The Lord is with me in the valley...(this is not a punishment but rather a training to strengthen us)
    His rod protects me by beating up the attackers
    His staff comfort me by preventing me from getting myself into dangers,
5. The Lord prepares the table for me in the presence of defeated enemies
    The Lord anoint my head with oil and so my cub overflows
6. Surely, it was the Lord's goodness(blessings) and mercies (forgiveness,saving me from my errors) for all of my life.
    The Lord provides His dwellings for me to stay with Him forever and ever,

In the reading of the above, I hope you can find the ways to live your life to the full, without any regrets, and that we may meet in the House of Lord forever.

For more on Psalm 23 see The Meaning and Cycle of Life from Psalm 23 
For more on Chinese Philosophies and the Bible see Chinese Classics & The Bible
For more on I-Ching and Chinese Philosophiessee Ancient Chinese Wisdom

Lim Liat (c) 13 April 2014

Understand Foolishness better with Ecclesiastes 10

 Foolishness is more harmful than you may think. Foolishness is not about keeping quiet but about speculations with great tales and details to be so believeable. A bigger fool is the one who believes in such tales.

A study of Ecclesiastes Chapter 10 gives us a better understanding of the words 'Foolishness' and 'Wisdom'.
Here is the mind-map that summarises the teachings:

We may have some very wrong ideas about foolishness. We may think it is harmless or at most a little harmful, after all it is foolishness isn't it? However, the Chapter begins with a big warning that a little foolishness can bring great harm and destroy one's honor and reputation built over the years. How many great people are destroyed by a moment of a foolish act?

We have always thought of innocence as OK. However, unaware of right and wrong can easily lead one into the wrong path. Unknown can be the cause of great evil as this chapter tells us.

We may have thought of foolishness as someone keeping quiet since he does not know much to speak. However, real foolishness is someone that speak much and telling great stories with appealing logic and details that are so believable. The Living Bible for verse 14 is 'A fool knows all about the future and tells everyone in detail! But who can really know what is going to happen? Living Bible (TLB)' Or in short, speculation without evidences is foolishness! A greater fool is someone who believes in the fool's speculation without questions!

Please go through the points in the mind-map and see if you pick up any new takeaways.

Lim Liat (c) 7 April 2014

The Exodus Story and the Simplicity of a Saved Life

From a Ravi Zacharias podcast, I learned the story of Exodus revealed the sequence of our salvation ....

1. Redemption ... freed from slavery. The New Life...
2. Righteousness ... giving of Commandments ... how to behave... the way of the New life.
3. Worship ... Building of Temple ... Remembering the Source of Life else we think we have done it ourselves.

So, we must get save first to get right, then to great and sustainable success with worship and appreciation of our Creator.

If we think we need to get right first before receiving Jesus then we got the order wrong. That we want to save ourselves and pay for our own sins was the work of pride. If we can get right before we accept Jesus' salvation, we don't need Jesus to save us at all. 

If we think after we are saved we are ok to live freely without the commandments then we are deceived. If we have been really saved, our behavior will be seen with us automatically following the commandments. Of course, we still still be tempted and fail but at least we know we know it is wrong, and we will repent and get out.

If we think our life is a life of up and down, and mostly down, then we have not learn how to apply the power or grace of the new life. The way is through worship or in more easily understand term , to abide, to have time and fellowship with Jesus. If we spend little or no time with the source of Life, it is not surprising that our life will lack the strength for growth and victory. The whole 'trick' for a joyful Christian life is to abide.

So, living a good believer life is a simple 1-2-3 of Redemption, Righteousness and Worship.

From Dao De Jing to the Bible Book of John

Lao Zi discovered the Way/Dao and tried his best to explain to us. The Gospel of John explicitly says that the Way/Dao/Logos is God, the creator and came in the form of His Son Jesus Christ to show the Way to us. The mystery of Lao Zi's way is shown in the incarnate Son of God Jesus Christ. You will find many descriptions of the Way in Dao De Jing by Loa Zi are similar to the teaching and behavior of Jesus Christ.

It was generally believed that Dao De Jing (Translated Way Virtue Bible, or The Bible of the Way and Its Virtue, or see  Ancient Chinese Bible of Grace & Truth) was written by Lao Zi sometime around 550 BC.  The first chapter describes the existence of the Way and its mystery and the limitation of our language to fully describe it. Even so,  Uncovering the Mystery of Dao De Jing - The Discovery of Truth, Lao Zi wrote the subsequent chapters to describe the characteristics of the Way.

Dao De Jing begins with:

1. 道可道，非常道，
   The Way that can be described is not the eternal/common/true way.
2. 名可名，非常名。
   The name that can be named is not the common/true name.
3. 无名，天地之始，
   Nameless, is the beginning of heaven and earth.
4. 有名，万物之母。
   Name, is the mother of ten thousand things.

The Gospel of John begins with:

Joh 1:1   太初有道，道与神同在，道就是神。

  In the beginning was the Word(logos), and the Word(logos) was with God, and the Word(logos) was God.

The meaning of 'logos' is 'the rational principle that governs and develops the universe.' It is much more meaningful than using the 'Word' and is similar to the Chinese Word 道 Dao, translated as the Way.

The Way is described by Lao Zi in Dao De Jing, and John claimed that the Way is with God and is God. John made His claim because he said he had seen and experienced Him personally.

• Joh 1:14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
• 1Jn 1:1-3  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- (2)  the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us-- (3)  that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

The Son is mentioned in Dao De Jing 4.

• 道冲 而用之，或不盈。
  The Way is void/empty/invisible, yet use it and never need to fill it (It gives life forces endlessly)
• 渊兮似万物之宗；
  It is so deep that it is the origin of all creations
• 挫其锐、解其纷、和其光、同其尘，湛兮似或存。
  All its sharpness is removed, knots untangled, glares soften, dust soothed, it is deep and clear.(meaning: It is a balance of power and love that gives growth to all)
• 吾不知谁之子，象帝之先。I don't know whose SON [is the Way], it is before all the phenomena or the image of God (i.e., creation).

Now we can compare it with John, 

• Joh 1:2-5  He was in the beginning with God.  (3)  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  (4)  In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  (5)  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

I think Lao Zi sets the stage for the subsequent need for God to personally come to reveal the ways to us. In Hebrews 1:1-2, we have, 1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son... (Hebrew is commonly believed to be written by Paul.)

Lim Liat (c) 22 Feb 2014

Leadership According to the Bible - Deu 17:15-20

Alternative title for this post can be 'Applying Biblical Principles to Governmental or Corportate Leadership' or 'Forecasting the Rise and Fall of Nations'.

How can one lead a country well? The Bible tells us in the Deuteronomy 17:15-20. The are only 8 key points of 1 Biblical Values, 2 No Self-wealth, 3 Courage to do New things, 4 No Womanizing, 5 Write Instruction Manuals, 6 Have Mentors to check, 7 Keep God's Laws and 8 Remain Humble.

Foreseeing the Israelites would one day want a king like their neighbors, God gave them clear instructions as to how to choose the King and what the King should do so that the Kingdom can last through many generations. Here is the mind-map that capture the key points and the relevant verses:

History told us the sad story that all the Israelite Kings violate most and some all of the key points mentioned above. Even great kings like David and Solomon, while they have a heart for God, they violated point 2 for wealth accumulation, point 4 of having too many wives and concubines. The other kings did even worse things. The end result was as forecasted, the country was overrun and the people deported. 

These eight key points still hold true for the present day government and corporate business leaders too. If you want to foretell what will happen to your country, consider the governmental leadership and what they are doing. How many of the above 8 points are being followed?

For my own country of Singapore where the government is having the high-salary policy for ministers and civil service and the stress on economic growth and economic well-being, and a larger population, I think point 2 on Wealth Creation is of concern. It is not that wealth creation is not good, it is about excessive wealth pursuit over other priorities. Then there is the concern for the boldness to create a new vision to lead rather than to lead by popularity. Further, true humility of learning from others and keep watch over our own behavior are important too. There is comfort in that the values of integrity, family centred and other good values are being preserved (point 1 & 7). With the establishment of the gambling resorts, point 4 is to be watched carefully. Having a check and balance is important for point 6 with better and stronger opposition parties and a separate office of the President is good.

So, what about your government, your bosses and even you as a boss and a leader, how do they and you measure up?

Lim Liat (c) 18 Feb 2014

Eight Ways to Seven Great Blessings for the New Year

Don't just receive the good wishes during this New Year time. You can do something about them to make those wishes come true. The Bible tells us how in the Beatitudes.

There are always good wishes for the New Year. Everyone wants blessings of wealth, health and peace, and honor. But there is nothing to back the good wishes. There is no guidance as to how those wishes can come true in our life.  The Bible tells us differently even though the Bible is the gospel of grace. Our attitudes and actions do affect our blessings now and in the future. It is covered in the Beatitudes of Matthew Chapter 5.

Here is the mind-map of the 8 Ways to 7 Blessings on Matthew 5:3-10.

Here is the takeaway:

1. A specific attitude and resulting behavior bring forth a specific kind of blessing.
   
   
2. The attitudes and behavior are actually characters of God and of His children, us.
   
   
3. The Life of blessing in this world is not just smooth sailing and all comfort.
   Precisely because of the things you will be doing, the world, or the evil in this world, will go against you. Hence the blessings now are not without difficulty and prosecutions. But the promises and the true blessings are that you will accomplish your purposes in spite of the persecutions and that you will come out of it with greater maturity.
   
   
4. The blessings are for now and in the future. It is not just in the future of heaven and it is not just for this present time. The blessings will be now, though with persecutions or hardwork, and in the future, as repeated in Mark 10:30 but he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brethren and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come, eternal life. 31 But many that are first(in this world) shall be last(in the eternal), and the last first.”
   
   
5. Go through the list of 8 things and see if any of our attitudes and behavior need to be changed. Else, we are just blocking the blessings that God wants to give to us.
   
   
6. If you have a problem now, go through the list and see what set of actions you could do to solve the problem, know that God is with you and will take you through your difficult time. But first, trust in the Lord, be calm and work out the solutions.
   
   
7. Don't begin with the persecution complex thinking people are against you.
   Of the 8 attitudes and behavior, only the last one is about persecution and for a specific reason of righteousness. Do we suffer persecution for the right reasons? 

May your New Year wishes come true this year as you trust the Lord and His ways.

See also Beatitudes - The Ways of His Kingdom

Lim Liat (c) 1 Feb 2014

Words of Blessing for Year 2014 - Isa 43:19

The encouraging words of blessings for the New Year 2014 is from Isaiah 43:19. It is about God doing new things through you. Things that seems impossible becomes possible, the roads in the wilderness and rivers in the deserts. It is God who calls us by our names, forgives and saves us out of His own loving character and commissions us to be His testimony. Because of His love, He will discipline us that we may grow up and bring glory to Him. God's glory is revealed to others through us. So, lift up our head with great expectation, with God's enabling power, may we have a breakthrough 2014 to show forth His glory.

In the midst of wishing one another for New Year 2014, I was led to this verse Isaiah 43:19 and to study the whole chapter of Isaiah 43. But Isaiah is for the Jews and what has it to do us, the non-Jews believers? What basis do we have to enjoy the blessings and surely not the curse? It is given in Galatians through the saving grace of Jesus Christ, our Savior:

Gal 3:13-14 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, ...That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

I have taken the extra step of matching each verse of Isa 43 with the New Testaments verses so that we can see the progression of better promises for us believers. Below is the mind-map that captures the essence and details of Isaiah 43: It begins with knowing your God not just as a Creator but a Personal Savior and Lord that will even glorify Himself through you because of Who He is.

How much do you know about your God?

Atheism says there is no God. Agnosticism says I don't know and & don't care. Some says there are many gods. The pantheism says that man is also a god or part of the god. The ancient Chinese believes in the Creator God with feelings and love for mankind. When one is in trouble, he/she can ask the Heavenly God for help. This Heavenly God is also a God that maintains justice to rewards the good and punish the evil. That is very close to the Biblical God. But the Biblical God is much much more ...

Take away Promises for Us:
Let me reproduce the summary in the mindmap below:

• God will lead and help you to do a radically ground breaking new things. Things that people thought were not possible before. Is 43:19 
• God will do that because of what He is and not because of what we earn or do. Isa 43:25
• God loves us so much
• to forgive our sins v13,14,21-24 ; though He will discipline us Isa 43:28 
• even chooses us to represent Him on the earth v1, 7, 12, 21 
• to do things that impress others that He is glorified through us. v21 Our only care is to believe, do, and give glory back to God. Don't fall into the trap that I did it all by myself and even forget God. 

May your new year 2014 be truly a break-through year for you.

Lim Liat (c) 13 Jan 2014

Similiar Proverbs in Ancient Chinese and the Bible - Man Proposes and God Disposes

'Man proposes and God disposes' is a common saying in English. It can be inferred from Proverbs such as 16:9 and 19:21. Ancient Chinese has an equivalent saying as in “谋事在人，成事在天”.

'Man proposes and God disposes' is a common saying in English. It can be inferred from Proverbs 16:9 and 19:21.

• Pro 16:9  The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. 
• Pro 19:21  Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. 
• Pro 16:1  The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.

Ancient Chinese has an equivalent saying as in “谋事在人，成事在天”, Planning belongs to the man, but God determines its success. If you use Google translator, it gives you exactly, 'Man proposes, God disposes'.  The source of the Chinese statement comes from the book "History of the Three Kingdoms".（明·罗贯中《三国演义》第一百三回）. The source is actually longer, "“谋事在人，成事在天”，不可强也。It has an additional phrase of 'one cannot force it'. 

What can we learn from it? 

1. God's way and plan overrides man's plans.
• Pro 21:30  No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD. 
2. It is better at the very start to consult God as to His will and plan. 
• 1Pe_2:15  For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 
• 1Jn_3:23  And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 
• Pro 3:5-8  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  (6)  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
3. The very least is to stay in the path of righteousness and turn away from evil.
• Prov 3: (7)  Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.  (8)  It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.
4. It does not teach us to just do nothing and not to plan at all. No planning and doing are laziness that will lead to poverty. We are created for good work, to be the salt and light.
• Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. 
• Mat 5:16  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
• Augustine has a quote, "Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you". 

We can perhaps change it to , God will it and man follows it counting also on the grace of God that enables me to Php 4:13  I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 

Joh 15:16  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

Lim Liat (c) 24 Dec 2013

Bible Study Methods

The basic method of Bible Study is the Inductive Bible Method of ODA made up of Observation, Discovery, and Application.

1. Observation: Look for the facts recorded. Try to find the answers to the 5W1H questions. 
2. Discovery of Meaning or Interpretation: What do the observed facts say. 
3. Applications: How do I apply what I learned in my life. Why are there promises to hold on to, commandments to obey, and specific actions to take in my present situation? 

• There is one caveat, which is not to over-generalized nor over-spiritualize the text. Please follow the hermeneutic principles.

Here is the list of blog posts that cover the Bible Study Method.

1. Effective Bible Study with Mind Mapping Method using Ps 48
2. Meditating on God's Words using Mind-mapping
3. Meditation on the Bible by Reduction
4. Understanding a Passage in its Context - Illustrat...
5. How to Meditate on God's Word
6. The True Gospels of Blessings including Prosperity using 5WH2
7. Bringing the Words from the Mind into the Heart
8. Bible Study with Generative AI like ChatGPT (1) - Isaiah 41:10

5 Keys for A Happy & Good Life

The 5 keys for a happy and good life as prescribed in the Bible are not speaking evils, not telling lies, not doing evil, doing good and striving for peace. The prescription is stated the Old Testament Psalm and quoted again in the New Testament by Peter showing its importance and applicability. Most importantly, God will ensure that it happens as promised.

Here is the mind-map showing the 2 bible references and the assurance that God will make sure it happens as prescribed:

 Here are the take away:

1. The Objectives: 
1. Enjoyable, Pleasurable, Vitality in Living.... loving life.
2. Long Healthy Life
3. Good, Happy, Blessings.
2. The Methods - 5 Keys:
1. Speech
1. Not speaking evil.
1. speaking evil of and about people and against God
2. speaking words of discouragement and not of faith
2. Not telling lies.
1. Not telling lies include not telling so called white-lies.
2. We need to know that we have the right and the obligation to keep quiet. There is the right time and situation and the right way to disclose the truth to the right person.
2. Acts
1. Not doing evil work. 
1. By what standards do we use to judge evil or good? By God standards according to the Bible. 
2. By motivation and not superficial actions too.
3. Work of disobedience, work that causes others to sin are evil.
4. We have to be careful of the impact of our behavior on others. 1Co 10:23  "All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up. 
2. Do Good
1. This is the opposite of 'not doing evil'
2. Being neutral, not doing evil is not good enough. Doing good work, set the examples, for others to follow is lot more powerful and useful.
3. Strive for Peace with all your heart 
1. Peace does not come easily. It takes striving for ... hard work and sacrifices and much wisdom in resolving conflicts, communicating clearly, and coming out with win-win solutions, persuasion and changing of expectations etc.
2. It should comes from our heart and not just the mind. Peace takes lots of will and love. The peace between God and man is achieved at the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ.
3. Peace within our heart comes from freedom from accusations of sins. Peace with others comes from good relationships with them. We are also often called to be the peace-maker for others, essentially bring peace within the family, work place and even the world.
3. The Assurance
1. How can we be sure the prescriptions work? Who is able to guarantee it? God said He will fulfill what He said. 
4. Not just long but a meaningful and fulfilling life.
1. When Peter quoted from Psalm 34, he dropped the long or many days and shortened it to a good time. A long life deprived of meaning and fulfillment could be a wasteful life.

Please reflect on these five keys and see what specific actions you can take to have a more fulfilling life. Are you suffering from the guilt and consequences for the past evil you have said about others, situations and even yourself? Are there the needs for telling lies to get something? Are you careful in disclosing the truth? What evil acts should you stop doing and make remedial work? What good work and examples have you done recently? Are you fighting for your rights or pride rather than making peace? Can you be more understanding and patience towards others especially your spouse and children? Have you been listening to them?

May God bless you and empower you to enjoy life in the midst of this challenging times. Let your light shine forth in this difficult times.

Lim Liat (c) 15 Dec 2013

Life is about Living to Die Well -Ecclesiastes 6

A study on Ecclesiastes 6 shows us that life is about how to live so as to die well. It is being able to have no regrets, die in peace and be ready to meet our Creator. This is also the essence of the message of the book of Ecclesiastes even though it starts with 'Vanity and Meaingless'.  Do we have a plan now to die well?

I have two private Bible Study Groups meeting regularly at my home, one in English and one in Mandarin. They used to cover different topics in the past. But few months ago, both groups decided to study on this seldom studied book, the book of Ecclesiastes. I usually prepared the study months before and blogged in FBSG Friday Bible Study Group. Then we will have the discussion, and I will update the blog with the new discoveries from our discussion. It is interesting and beneficial as we continue to learn more everytime go through the same chapter. Last week, the Chinese group had a discussion on this chapter 6. The Bible Study on this chapter can be found in The Ironies of Life and the Search.

In this week discussion, we found the following 5 regrets of life:

1. A Rich and famous life that is short. Don't waste our health in pursuit of wealth and fame. Learn to have a balance life. Wealth and Fame without health to enjoy life is a waste. 
2. Many Children and Long Life without peace and a tragic death. We learn that material wealth and long life (regret of point 1) has no meaning too. Life is much more than material wealth and fame. Just having many children without them being good and having good relationships are actually the cause of much headaches and heartaches. Good and peaceful relationships, especially within the family are important too. There are the materials needs and also the mental and social needs. Dying in peace, without regrets, without worries, and be ready to meet our Creator is a good life. 
3. An uncontended life. Just working for money and trusting money to provide for satisfaction and meaning is actually a foolish and regretable act! We have the parable of the rich fool Luke 12:13-21. Wisdom is about how to live rightly and well and it better than being foolish and waste one life. Chinese Classics teaches us to know how to live rightly first before we pursue technical knowledge and skills. So we see knowledge is of two kinds - moral and technical knowledge. Right moral behavior is more important than material wealth.  Proverbs 28:6 Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse. We learn to be contented with one has than to be frustrated with one desires.
4. Striving with the Unchangeables. Not knowing one's own limit and ability and think too highly of oneself and wanting even to challenge the natural order, and even the Creator will lead to frustrations and sorrows. Lots of bombastic talks with very little execution is waste.
5. Not knowing the future especially the afterlife. The greatest worry that a man has is not knowing the future. He has no answer but believe not the gospel Jn 3:16?

The Take-away:

Life is about preparing how to die well. Dying well needs us to know the truth, to know and receive Jesus Christ as the Son of God into our life, and then to live out this Christ within us, then we may confidently depart this world at the time of death in peace.

For a practical plan to prepare for death when one is near death, see http://www.ted.com/talks/judy_macdonald_johnston_prepare_for_a_good_end_of_life.html

Related Issues on Death:

Dr. Anthony Campolo asked fifty people over the age of 95: “If you could live your life over again, what would you do differently?”

The top three answers he received:
1. “I would reflect more.”
2. “I would risk more.”
3. “I would do more things that would live on after I am dead.”

Also read the details, not just the title of, Regrets of the Dying http://www.inspirationandchai.com/Regrets-of-the-Dying.html

Here is the list, I added some comments to highlight the meaning given in the details (if you don't have the time to read the full passage)...

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. Live out my dream - my calling.
2. I wish I didn't work so hard - Should have spent time with family.
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings. Resolve ill feelings for Better Relationships.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

Lim Liat (c) 9 Dec 2013

Understanding a Passage in its Context - Illustration with Judge Not

A popular phrase nowadays is "Judge not, that you be not judged."(Mat 7:1). To understand it fully, we will need to use the context of the verse. Our understanding of it will be improved if we also lookup similar passages in the Bible and follow the hermeneutic principle of "letting the Bible interprets the Bible".

Last Sunday (1 Dec 2013) Mandarin Service Sermon by Pastor Jack Ng has the title "可以判断，不可论断'. Using Google translate, we get 'You can judge, can not judge'! The correct translation is "Can judge but not prejudge or condemn". Or 'Don't jump to conclusions without investigation". But how can we tell if it is the correct translation or interpretation? We need to apply the hermeneutic principle of context.

It is interesting that Ps Ng started with James 4:11-12 instead of the usual Mat 7:1.

Jas 4:11-12  Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.  (12)  There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

How does 'speaking evil' tie-up with 'judging the law'? Whose standards are you using to judge?
It is about us using our own standards rather than the Biblical standards and then conclude and say that a person is evil (breaking our standards). When our judgment is based on standards that disagree with the biblical standards we are actually saying that the biblical standards are not good enough or even wrong, and our standards are better. We become the giver of the laws instead of God! But actually, our power and wisdom are limited. We are not God the life-giver and creator of all. Does that me that we cannot judge? No. It does mean that we must judge by using the standards of God, God's laws. We must also be able to see clearly, have a clear understanding of the 5W1H of the events and people. This point is pointed by Jesus in the Matthew or Luke discourse:

See clearly without Biases, Prejudices. Don't be blind. Discovery of 5W1H
Mat 7:1-5  "Judge not, that you be not judged. (2)  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. (3)  Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? (4)  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? (5)  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

Luk 6:37-39  Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:  (38)  Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.  (39)  And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?

Some people said that a judgment is making an assertion of the 'why', the motivation, the reasons for the action. The motivation is hidden, and we can never be sure. Even if we ask the person involved, we cannot be sure that he is telling the truth! We can only make the most carefully considered inference as to the motive behind the action. A judge is supposedly the wise person trained for doing this job. The punishment given by the judge depends must on his interpretation of the motive of the person concerned. For example, pre-mediated murder and impulse trigger manslaughter have different degrees of punishment.

So, these two passages show us that we can judge well but seeing clearly (finding out and examining all the facts, and making careful inferences as to the motives) and using Biblical Laws or standards. We are not to prejudge and then speak evil of another. Speaking evils can usually be found in gossiping. 

In some cases, the breaking of God's laws can be quite clear to see. Such as stealing or committing adultery. But again, please find the supporting evidence first before the accusation. The devil is the great accuser. See 1 Cor 5:1-5. 

We can draw the following picture to help us understand this judging issue:

Prejudging is the short-cut process of jumping to conclusions without careful and objective finding out of facts and analysis and often too without following God's standards but one own inconsistent or even double standards.

For more on how to judge wisely, please see :

Christianity Rediscovered: To Judge or Not to Judge People? That's irrelevant.

Lim Liat (c) 3 Dec 2013