Why You Need to Read Multiple Translations of the Bible

While translators of the Bible try their best to make sure their translations convey the right meaning of the original texts, it is inevitable that the translator's biases and opinions are reflected in the translated text. Here are some examples from the Bible.

Genesis 27:39

[KJV] And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; 

[ESV] Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be, and away from the dew of heaven on high. 

We can see that the two translations are opposite in meaning. Why is that so? 

We can look up the translation with strong numbers using KJV+

Gen 27:39  And IsaacH3327 his fatherH1 answeredH6030 and saidH559 untoH413 him, Behold,H2009 thy dwellingH4186 shall beH1961 the fatnessH4480 H4924 of the earth,H776 and of the dewH4480 H2919 of heavenH8064 from above;H4480 H5920 

H4924 is fatness.

H4480 has many meanings:
properly a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses: - above, after, among, at, because of, by (reason of), from (among), in, X neither, X nor, (out) of, over, since, X then, through, X whether, with.

It is either with or away from.

Which one is correct?

We have to go by the context. In this case, it is easy to find out. Because in an earlier verse Gen 27:28 Isaac had blessed Jacob with the blessings of fatness and dew:

[KJV] Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: 

[ESV]  May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. 

Since that blessing have been given to Jacob, then Esau have to go elsewhere, away from the fatness and dew. So in this particular case, ESV is correct and KJV is wrong.

The implication of this verse is of less important for us since it is meant for Esau. However, there verses that have great implication for us. Below is one.

Joh 15:2  

[KJV] Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away(G142): and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 

[ESV] Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Here KJV and ESV both agree. However, 

(CBr)  Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He raiseth [from grovelling on the ground] and every branch that beareth fruit, He cleanseth it, in order that it may bear more fruit. (CBr is Companion Bible Revised, 1909 by E.W. Bullinger)

The issue is the word G142 has different meanings as in:

G142 ah'ee-ro

A primary verb; to lift; by implication to take up or away; figuratively to raise (the voice), keep in suspense (the mind); specifically to sail away (that is, weigh anchor); by Hebraism (compare [H5375]) to expiate sin: - away with, bear (up), carry, lift up, loose, make to doubt, put away, remove, take (away, up).

Which one is the correct one?

Again, we have to go by the context. 

In Joh 15:6  If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away.

In John 15:2, Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, the branch is in Jesus. Such a branch will surely bear fruit (as in John 15:5) but it is not due to the present bad circumstances. It is covered with dirt or blocked from the sunlight. Hence, it must be lifted up, be encouraged, then it can bear fruit. 

We have many verses telling us to watch out for and encourage one another such as 

• Galatians 6:1 Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. 
• 1 Thessalonians 5:11Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Conclusions:

So, in your reading of the Bible and if you find something that seems incorrect, then look up multiple translations, check the meanings of the original words with a concordance, and most importantly, read the whole context, cross-check from the other books of the Bible.

One More Thing just for fun:

For Chinese, same words with multiple meanings are not rare. We have to determine the right meaning from the context. Here is an examination question from level 10 Chinese.

1. 冬天：能穿多少穿多少； 夏天：能穿多少穿多少。

Winter: wear whatever much you can. Summer: wear whatever much you can.

While the words are the same, in winter it means wear as much as you can whereas in summer, it means to wear a little as possible. For more see https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/joke/M.1374795813.A.715.html

So, when reading the Bible, always read in context so that we don't misunderstand it.

Lim Liat (c) 23 May 2017

How to Control Your Tongue - James 3

In James 3, James said that the tongue could not be tamed. He left a hint that blessings and curses should not come from the same mouth. The solution to controlling the tongue is then about changing the heart. What is within the heart comes out from the mouth is taught by Jesus in Luke 6:45. So, we control our tongue by guarding our heart as in Proverb 4:23. Follow the simple GIGO principle - Garbage In Garbage Out.

The Mindmap for Controlling tongue, with bible references from James 3:1-12. Luke 6:44=45, Pro 4:42-47:

The Takeaway:

1.  Check Our Heart - Our Intention of wanting to be a Teacher:
   Don't be a teacher for the sake of glory and pride. Be a teacher because of your calling where has given you the wisdom and the compassion. Our influence comes not from our talking but more from our behavior. Children copy the behavior and not the mere nagging talks. So we should check ourselves. Are we doing what we preach? Are we able to model the right behavior more than just talking?
2.  The Perfect or Matue Man is One who have Self-Control --- Especially the mouth.
   However, the perfect man could be good or evil! The evil ones know how to 'bless' to manipulative people to get what they want besides knowing how to curse and to bad-mouth others.
3. Power is NOT determined by Size but by Position of Influence.
   The horse bit, the ship rudder, the forest fires are all under the control of something that is much smaller in size. But they are in the positions of great influence. Where you stand, what you stand for, your integrity, your position are not determined by your external size but by what is inside you.
4. The tongue is Most Powerful.
   Our influence on others is determined by what we say with the tongue and what we do with our hands and feet. Speaking is much easier than doing. Influence begins with what we say. Check our speeches. Do we gossip? Do we bad-mouth others? Do we discourage others? Are our speech comforting, guiding, encouraging, correcting? We can and must follow up our speech with our actions. Our actions that reinforce our speech will bring about greater influence.
5. How to tame the tongue?
   James says how can a spring bring forth both fresh and salt water James 3:11.  It cannot. So to change the output of the tongue, we must change the inside, the heart of the person. Jesus said in Luke 6:45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.  So we much heed the advice of Proverb 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.  We must be careful of what we take in, our seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and eating, Then we can control the tongue and feet. 
• talk - 24 Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.
• see -  25 Let your eyes look ... straight before you.
• think before doing - 26  Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. 
• Stay Right - 27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

Guard our input to control our output. That's the simple formula GIGO that we learn from the computer school.

Lim Liat (c) 19 May 2017

Reflect & Change God Wants You to Celebrate - Isaiah 55

Are what you are doing bringing you satisfaction?If not, learn about and from God. God is waiting with opened arms to receive you back to Him and to celebrate everlasting life with you. Why wait anymore?

Bible Reference: Isaiah 55.

The mindmap:


The Content:

• It is Freely Given
• necessities of living are abundantly provided
• Isa 55:1 “Come, everyone who thirsts or has no money, just take and eat!The wine and milk are free.
• Reflect on Your Life
• Isa 55:2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not nourishment, and work for that which does not satisfy?
  ---Think carefully, what does all your hard work bring you?
  A Taiwanese pastor wrote a book about "So poor that all you have is money." You lost your health, family, relationships, etc.

• Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, delight yourselves in nourishment.
  ---Learn the wisdom from God to know what is right & good for you.

• Get Wisdom
• Isa 55:3 Come & listen to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
  ---God is inviting you to have an everlasting relationship with Him.

• Know Him
• Isa 55:4  Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.
  ---Jesus came to share the good news and died for our redemption and resurrected to give us new lives with Him.

• God' Glorify Him
• Isa 55:5  Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.
  ---John Piper said, "God is most glorified when you are most satisfy with Him". God's glory is revealed through you ... God glorifies you as His testimony of His glory.

• Seek God NOW
• Isa 55:6  “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;
  ---Not that God will run away but rather Our Time on earth will flee quickly and then we will too late to seek Him.

• Repent & Be Forgiven
• Isa 55:7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
• let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
  ---It is never too late to return to God. God is like the prodigal son's father, waiting with open arms to receive you back to Him.

• God's Wisdom is Higher than Man's
• Isa 55:8-9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God's ways & thoughts than yours.
  ---Too amazing to be true? That is precisely true for His thoughts and actions are way above ours.

• God's Good Purpose will be fulfilled
• Isa 55:10  “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
  ---Nothing can stop God from saving You. God's purpose is to bless you to bless others as well that all may be restored and be well.

• Isa 55:11 God's spoken Words shall not return empty, but it shall accomplish His purpose on the thing.
  ---- God's will for you will be accomplished. --- Repent & Go back to Him 55:7

• Celebration of Eternal Joy
• Isa 55:12  “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. ---When men are saved, the environment will be too with rejoicing. Rom 8:19-21... that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 

• Isa 55:13  Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”---Curses and Mourning turn to everlasting blessing and joy.

 What are you waiting for? Come back to God.

Lim Liat (c) 13 May 2017

Have Wisdom & You Have All

Do you want to have honors and long life? Do you want happiness and protection? There is the only thing you need to seek --- Wisdom. Wisdom is the Father's Words. Proverb 4.

Here is the mind-map of Proverbs 4.


The steps are simple. Find the Father's Words, listen, see, talk, and walk in them. We are easily distracted, so we need to hold on to them, remember them, stay focused, guard the inputs to our hearts, and most importantly stay away from evil and wickedness.

The benefits are the by-products of our walk in and with God. Do not fall into the trap of making the benefits our gods or our idols.

What is God's Words for you today? Meditate and Walk in them.

For more on the wisdom of Proverbs see Wisdom of Proverbs by Topics

Lim Liat (c) 12 May 2017

Is God fair? Why should we suffered because of Adam's Sin?

When one of our loved ones passed away, or when we get sick and suffer much, we would like to question God's fairness. Why should we suffer because of Adam's sin? If only Adam sinned not, we will all be having a great time in heaven instead of suffering here on earth.

The first answer we get is, "It is not about fairness, life is about facing the reality, and life is not fair". Just accept the reality and try to make the very best out of it. Even the Bible says so. See Ecc 11:9  Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.  There is only one consideration, the judgment after dead. So, within the boundary, live life to the maximum is the advice.

How can we be sure that we can pass through the judgment of God? Religions have all kinds of ways to tell you how to do that. But none of them can be sure that they can pass God's judgment. Man creates special ways of accounting like an arithmetic formula, make sure your good works is greater than your sins in the final sum. Sometimes you can do arithmetic like in the case of stealing from a friend, you can try to compensate him more than what you take. However, many things could not be measured and weighted, such as emotional hurts, bodily harms, etc. How much is a life worth?

God's created universe works on orderliness such that our Science can discover the various Scientific Laws whereby we create lots of technologies that make our lives better and may be more dangerous. God's cannot violate His own laws not be unfaithful to Himself. God's original intention was not for men to suffer nor die. But our ancestors sinned and we carried over their sins to the present. However, God's original plan is not defeated. God, Himself provides a way of escape and restoration for men. In fact, restoring men to a much much better state than our ancestors. Let's look at the Bible verses:

• Rom 5:17  For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 
• Rom 5:18  Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 

So, God is fair when He provides a way whereby men can be restored back to God. God is more than fair when the restoration is much more than the original men's state. 

The righteousness is a free gift that men did nothing to gain. It is all done by Jesus Christ. All we need to do is to accept this free gift.

Adam was created in the image of God. Through Jesus, men now can become children of God. We become of God and God's nature is in us. A much higher and honorable state than Adam's. 

• Rom_8:16  The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
• Rom_8:21  that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
• 1Jn_3:1  See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

The unfair thing is then ourselves. We will be unfair to ourselves if we refuse this free gift of righteousness from God through Jesus Christ.  Choose life, choose freedom, choose righteousness, choose eternal life... receive Jesus as the Son of God to bring us into His family as we become children of His.

Lim Liat (c) 11 May 2017

On God's Mission - The Path, the Warnings & the Blessings

When we are led by God to start a new work, here are some assurances and guides that we must follow. Distraction, losing focus, deviation from original goals are dangers to watch out for. There are blessings despite the challenges throughout and an eventual home.

Bible Reference: Exodus 23:20-33

Here is the mindmap of the passage:


1. The Right Path to Take:

• God goes before you. God sent His angels to prepare the way for you.
• Listen Carefully.
• Obey His instructions.
• Success is assured. Lose not hope when we encounter challenges and obstacles.
• Incremental Changes. Changes happening one step at a time enables us to learn. Trust God in His timing. He is never too late nor too slow. We need to be patience. The slow progress is actually for our benefits.
• Your Promised Home. We shall accomplish the work that the Lord has given to us.

2. The Danger to Watch out for:

• Lose Not Your Focus on God. It is easy to be distracted.
• Be Faithful to God. Forget not the original mission. There are difficulties to cause us to lose hope. There are complexities to confuse us. There are temptations, seemingly good things, to attract us away from God.
• Be Faithful to God Only. Trust God no matter what. 
• Keep going with the original mission. Methods may change but the objective remains. We need to adapt to the situations we face. But keep the objectives and follow the righteous Words of God.

3. The Blessings Accompanying Us all the Way:

• God will be an enemy to our enemies.
• God will bless our bread and our water,
• God will take sickness away from among us.
• None shall miscarry or be barren in our land;
• God will fulfill the number of our days.
• God will send terror before us and confuse our enemy and make them run away.
• God will send hornets before us, which shall drive out the enemies. 

Be encouraged in your work for the Lord.

• Galatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
• Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Lim Liat (c) 10 May 2017

You are in the Great Union of God filled with His Love to Show the World

Jesus' prayer recorded in John 17 is most amazing. Here the part that speaks of our oneness with God.

• Joh 17:20  “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 
• We, who believe in His disciples' words of Jesus, are included in Jesus' prayer. 
• Joh 17:21  that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 
• We are to be One, as close as Jesus and the Father. 
• Jesus and the Father are in each other, totally immersed in each other. We are to be like that.
• Our Oneness becomes the testimony that Jesus is from God! Jesus said it earlier in:
• John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you: that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples: if ye have love one for another.”
• Our love for one another, our oneness, is the key for people to know we are Christ's.
• There is more....
• Joh 17:22  The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 
• We have this glory that the Father had given to Jesus because Jesus had passed it to us.
• This glory enables us to be one. Our oneness also gives forth this glory that attracts attention. 
• Joh 17:23  I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 
• We all become perfectly one because Christ, the Father and we are all together in a union!
• The triune God is the perfect union of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And now the Son brings us into this union with them. This is really amazing. We are in and of God and God is in us too. 
• As a side note, love about the relationship between at least two separate identities. If God is just alone, how does He know about love? Because our God is a trinity, a perfect union of three personalities, we know God is Love.
• Jesus emphasized this perfect love also includes us. The Father love us as much as He loves Jesus. 
• This oneness of us with God is not easy to understand and grasp. Even Paul tried very hard to explain it and yet still not as close as what Jesus prayed. Paul said Jesus is the Head of the Body. The body that is made up of His church. In Ephesians, he uses the metaphor of a building.
• Eph 2:18  For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. Eph 2:19  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, Eph 2:20  built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, Eph 2:21  in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. Eph 2:22  In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. 

We are so loved by the Father that He is willing to be in union with us, with His Son and the Holy Spirit. His glory is given to us. We are to live out this unity and glory so that the world may come to know Him. Speak of His love for us. Show forth His glory and power for us. Be joyful. Be helpful. Be hopeful. We are a different kind of people, of God's kind.

May we spend time meditating on this Oneness with God.

Lim Liat (c) 9 May 2017

Manage Your Emotion to Good Health

Our emotions and our thoughts affect our health. Here is a teaching from Proverbs 14:30

• (ASV)  A tranquil heart is the life of the flesh, But envy is the rottenness of the bones.
• (NLT)  A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones.
• (ERV)  Peace of mind makes the body healthy, but jealousy is like a cancer.
• (CEV)  It's healthy to be content, but envy can eat you up.
• (Brenton)  A meek-spirited man is a healer of the heart: but a sensitive heart is a corruption of the bones.

A heart that is at peace and contented leads to good health. It gives life to the body.

A heart that is disturbed, especially, of jealousy, is extremely dangerous as it gives rise to the rottenness of the bones, which many modern translations use the fatal sickness called cancer instead. A doctor thinks otherwise, she considers rottenness of the bones as osteoporosis. The cancerous one in: 

• Proverbs 17:22: A cheerful heart is a good medicine, But a broken spirit drieth up the bones.

A broken spirit, a spirit of depression, self-condemnation, suicidal, have many causes such as being abused emotionally, verbally, physically, sexually or perfectionism.  

In addition, bitterness, anger, unforgiveness are call emotions that disrupt the heart and will lead to sickness.

The lesson learned is to accept ourselves as God has accepted and loved us. Focus on God's love for us. Putting our trust in God's providence and care for us. With the love and power of the Holy Spirit, we forgive others who had harmed or betrayed us. We are content with what the Lord had given and led us. We live the assured hope and joy that God will continue to lead, protect and promote us because we are His children of love. We focus on God and the needs of others, and less on ourselves. Be freed from the bondage of hurt, the needs to be like others, to take revenge, etc. Manage our emotions well. Don't take life too seriously. Have fun. God wants you to be happy and joyful. Trust Him to care for you and your future.

Lim Liat (c) 8 May 2017.

See also Your Healing Prescirption for Today

It is not the Quantity but the right Quality

The Most Important Lesson in life is "Choose right path First before you start running". Find the right question to ask before you give the answer. Else, you may living a life of regrets.

We take a look at Matthew 17:20. There are two groups of translation for this verse.

The Unbelief Group

(KJV)  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Also ABP, EMTV, ISV, JUB, LITV, Murdock, MKJV, Niobi SB,  Disciple Bible, Webster, YLT.

The Little Faith Group

(ASV)  And he saith unto them, Because of your little faith: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Also BBE, CEV, CJB, CBr, ERV, ESV, GNB, NASB, NLT, RV, WNT etc

The key question is "Are both groups saying the same thing?"

My answer is not. "Unbelief" and "Little Faith" are not the same thing. Unbelief is "not even a little", it is nothing. A little faith is at least some belief.

If they are not the same, then which one is right?

Jesus told us the answer. Jesus said if you have faith (the right kind), even as little as a grain of mustard seed (which is very small, about the size of the period in a typical font 12 text), you can move a mountain. So it is not about the amount of faith, but of the right faith, the right belief.

Application:

The application of this wisdom. "not amount but the right kind" is very important. Before you start your journey, you must choose the right route, else, no matter how hard, how fast, how persistent you run, you are not going to get to the destination.

You must ask the right question first, else any of your answers will be wrong. So while you are busy doing your work you may want to pause and ask, "Are we solving the right problem?".

Find out the right thing to do first before you can do the right thing rightly.

All road leads to Roman is not a wise nor a correct statement. Not all the buses at your bus stop will bring you home. The truth is a narrow road in this sense that you must find out and choose rightly.

Joh 14:6  Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me. 

Choose wisely first before you start running.

See also Work Hard or Work Smart to be Successful? Let Sun Zi tells you.

Lim Liat (c) 5 May 2017

Believers, how to respond to your new heart?

All Believers Have a New Heart

In the Old Testament, there was a plan by God to put a new heart in men, in Jeremiah 31:33. The author of Hebrew referred to it again to confirm the fulfillment.

• “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jer. 31:33; cf. Heb. 8:10).

He repeated it again, showing the importance.

• Hebrews 10:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,”

Hence, all believers in Jesus Christ will be rebirthed with a new heart that makes us very sensitive to right and wrong and the feelings of others. Some describe it as a sharpened conscience. What used to be OK in our past now become not OK! That is a sign of our rebirthed.

Paul puts in very positively as in:

• Ephesians 4:24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Responding to Our New Heart
James teaches us what we should do with our new heart in

• James 1:21 (ASV)  Wherefore putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

With our new sense of right and wrong, the first part is to put away those behaviors that are obviously wrong. The second part is to learn and grow in the knowledge of our sonship and of God. The keywords are:

1. receive 
2. with meekness 
3. the implanted word, 
4. which is able to save your souls.

Every one of us has our own accumulated knowledge and wisdom when we receive Jesus. Now we are to humbly, with an open mind, to listen and learn the new things from the 'implanted' new heart. Our own mind needs to be transformed with the Word of God. The Word of God is able to rebirth us to begin a new kind of life as children of God for us, and also able to continue to save our souls, correcting our wrong thinking of the past and establishing us with the right thinking for our continual growth rightly.

Power of the Implanted Words

• Psa 107:20  He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. 

The new Words have power, to guide our thinking and also to heal our body. Right thinking brings right behavior and also health, wealth, and reputation too. Health, wealth, and reputation are not the things we sought for, but rather, are the by-products of our seeking and learning of the Lord. Our worship of God in spirit, soul, and body will bring such by-products as in Matthew 6:33 seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and all these things will be added to you.

Guard Our Mouth 

• Pro 13:3  Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. 

It is not only what we take in, but also what we speak out that matter, because words have power as in Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

So we do both. Be careful as to what we receive, making sure we receive those that go through the filter of our new heart and also to speak out those that are filtered through our new heart. Then you shall be a good testimony for God as a shining light.

Lim Liat (c) 3 May 2017

Who are you, the believer?

Forget not where, what, who we are and our future too.

We may, at times, forgot about who we, the believers are.  Here are some verses to remind us.

Where are we now?
Col 1:13  He has delivered us
from the domain of darkness and
transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

We have moved! We are freed. From the bondage of darkness into His Kingdom of love, of light, of whatever Jesus is. To be doubly sure, Paul repeated twice, redemption first and forgiveness later. We can boldly, freely, and happily be in His Kingdom.

What we are now?
Paul did not stop at our forgiveness. He reminds us of our new state of holiness! Even under the eyes of God, we are blameless. We are above reproach. The devil cannot accuse us anymore. We need not and should not have a guilty conscience. All because Jesus had paid the price for us and clothe us with His righteousness.

Col 1:22  he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death,
in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

Romans 4:25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Who are we now?
Col 1:27  To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Galatians 3:26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,

What is the future for us?
Col 1:27 ... Christ in you, the Hope of Glory.

Our future is the glory of Christ who is in us!

John Piper said that "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."

We can be most satisfy when we know that God's glory will be revealed through us as well. God shares His glory with us.

Speak life and glory to yourself, to your spirit, soul, and body. May all the sickness or bodily weakness leave you. May your mind be clear and sharp with the wisdom of God. May your spirit to revitalized with energy, peace, and joy of the Lord. Be not downcast but lift up your head because we have the hope of glory in us.

So we are now in His Kingdom; we are righteous; we are His children, and we shall be glorified.

Lim Liat (c) 2 May 2017

The Make-up of A Believer

What is man made of? A typical answer is man is a spirit with a soul living in a body. What then, is the difference between a believer and a non-believer? Here is the answer.

What is man made of?

The common answer is that man is a tripartite being with a spirit, a soul and living in a body. Most people can't differentiate the soul and spirit and they are combined as one. The Chinese use the combination of 灵魂 spirit and soul to refer to a person. 心 heart representing not just the heart but also of the mind is used to refer to the inner being of man.  But Word of God can differentiate spirit and soul as in Hebrews 4:12 (NET) For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. ©NET

See The Tripartite Man and Salvation of Tripartite Man - The Details

So, we know a man has spirit, soul, and body.

So what is the difference between a believer and a non-believer?
The believer has the Christ in them whereas a non-believer has not.

Colossians 1:27 To them God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Jesus told us that in:

Joh 14:19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

Our body becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit:
1Co 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Our Response should be:

• Rom 12:1  I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

We are to be a living, not a dead, sacrifice ---- i.e. putting God's first in our life and not ourselves. This is actually the first 4 commandments of the Ten-commandments.

• Rom 12:2  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Our past thinking and mindset need to be changed, re-oriented and transformed by the new knowledge of God and His love for us. Putting God as first is opposite to the old life of putting ourselves as first. We need to get to know God, His Love, His Will and His attributes. Let such new knowledge of God changes us. As we stay obedient to His Word and Will and will soon discover that His Will is indeed for our good.

Our living should be as Paul said the same thing in a different way in:

◄ Galatians 2:20 ►I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

So, the key difference between believers and non-believer is simple "Is Christ in You or Not?"

How should the life be different if there is a Christ within?

I need to move over and let Christ takes charge. I need to draw from His strength and grace. Drawing comes from spending time with Him in worship, study, and sharing. This is how we build up our inner life. Jesus told us in another way, John 15:1-8 Vine & Fruits - Keys to Success.

Lim Liat (c) 1 May 2017