Is Masturbation a sin?

OK, I am touching on a very sensitive topic.

I have never heard a Christian leader discusses this, much less preach about it. But, I believe, this is one topic that all Christian men and boys want to know but dare not ask. So, let me start by sharing an email:

Samson (I changed the name) wrote:

“Is masturbation a sin?

I’m 17 and I have been doing it for a long time

but I don’t know if I’m hurting God. I have stopped from doing

it for about 3 weeks now but I feel temped every day.

Is this a sin? How can I control it?

Thank you for everything

Best Regards”

First, let me say that masturbation has been around for a long time, since the Egyptian civilization. And since it is prevalent among men, surely the Bible must have some thing to talk about rather than remain silent. Many Christians have misquoted Bible by using Gen 38:9,10 - when Onan spilled his semen on the ground and so the LORD put him to death. Hence, it is thought that masturbation, which the Bible states as “spilling the semen” is a sin. But actually, the LORD put Onan to death not because he masturbated but that he did not fulfill his duty as brother in the Levirate marriage.

OK, so we need to look elsewhere in the Bible where it talks about “spilling the semen”.

In Leviticus chapter 15, it says:

¹⁶ “‘When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean till evening. ¹⁷ Any clothing or leather that has semen on it must be washed with water, and it will be unclean till evening. ¹⁸ When a man has sexual relations with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both of them must bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.

¹⁹ “‘When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening.

In the Book of Leviticus, we are called to be Holy. Now, if you read this book carefully, you will notice that there are 4 Levels of sanctification:

(1)   Holiness

(2)   Clean

(3)   Unclean

(4)   Sinfulness

There is much more to discuss on the Book of Leviticus, to help you to understand about sanctification but I will omit it here.

To avoid taking this passage out of context, let us first look at the structure of Lev 15 to understand what the writer is trying to tell the reader. This is a chiastic structure:

V1-15  men abnormal discharge – sin and burnt offering required

            V16-17 men emission of semen

                        V18 couple sexual relationship   

            V19-24 woman’s monthly period

V25-30 women abnormal discharge – sin and burnt offering required

V31-33 closing warning to keep these sexual regulations

A few things can be observed from this short passage of Leviticus 15.

• Abnormal bodily discharge is sin. Normal bodily discharge is uncleanness. There is a different between sin and unclean. If a person sins, he must offer a sin offering to get back into fellowship with God and with the community. Otherwise he will be cut off and classified as “not my people”. Whereas, an unclean person is still God’s people but he cannot involved in rituals, priestly duties/services or participate in festivals. The time factor will restore his or her uncleanness to cleanness. Sometime, it is one evening. Sometime it is 7 days depending on the severity.
• A man who emits his semen has an equivalent to a woman who has her monthly period. Both are put in the passage and context. [In fact, a woman’s period cause her to be unclean for 7 days, while a man who emits his semen is only unclean till the evening]. There is no requirement for sin offering.
• A single man who emits his semen is similar to a couple (man and wife) having sexual relations, both are doing the same function – one doing alone, another doing with his wife. Both are considered unclean till the evening. Again, no sin offering mentioned.

So, base on this passage, the Bible is clear, masturbation is not a sin. But, it is an unclean action. And this action is due to our sexual behavior which God created us to be so. For the woman, she will have her monthly period; for a married man, he may have sex with his wife; and for a single man, he may masturbate. All these are unclean actions for a short period of time due to our sexual created behavior.

Another thought: I see masturbation as a “sexual-tension valve” and not a “sex toy”. A sex toy is when you engage in it daily or regularly and it becomes an addiction. Then you choose to constantly live in an “unclean” state, always out of worship, service and walk with the LORD. This is bad and it will soon cause you to drift away from your faith. On the other hand, when it is a “sexual-tension valve”, then when the sexual temptation is high, as in the case of Samson (in the opening email), then by doing an unclean act and stay unclean for an evening, you get the tension released and is once again back to usefulness for the LORD. From medical research, if a man is prevented from having sexual release, then the seminal fluids can back up, causing increased sexual tension and physical discomfort. It also increases the risk of prostate inflammation. This might explain why priests who practice celibacy and who view masturbation as sinful have a higher rate of prostate cancer.

The question then, how serious is an unclean action or person?

A Clean or unclean person in the Old Testament is usually referred to the kind of food the person eat or the state of mentality he is in. If he is sick, disease, or touches a dead person, he is unclean. Semen and blood are all life or life reproductive fluid, so when they are discharged they are dead. We worship a living God, and we must be alive not dead in order to worship him. So an unclean (“dead”) person is to stay behind and not go forward to God, so to speak. As a Christian, then, we would always want to be spiritually alive and not spiritually dead most of our time.

What about lust as in Matthew 5:28? When a man masturbates, he thinks about naked woman and have fantasy, isn’t that sin?

A man can lust after a woman without masturbation and that is sin according to Mat 5:28. Also, a man can masturbate without lust and that is not a sin but an unclean action as according to Lev 15:16. Sexual fantasy is not lust. Fantasy is imagination or day dreaming.

In Richard Foster’s book, Money, Sex & Power, page 120, he explained the difference between lust and sexual fantasy as:

When the sense of excitement conceives a plan to use a person, when attraction turns into scheme, we have crossed beyond erotic excitement into spiritual adultery. Lust is an untamed, inordinate sexual passion to possess, and this is a very different thing from the usual erotic awareness experience in sexual fantasy.

Hence, the first thing that believers should do is to refuse to bear the heavy burden of self-condemnation for every erotic image that floats through their minds. Sometimes sexual fantasies signify a longing for intimacy; at other times, they express attraction toward a beautiful and winsome person. Sexual fantasies can mean many things, and we must not automatically identify them with lust.

It is also helpful to recognize the positive function of fantasy. Through fantasy we are able to hold reality at bay while we allow the imagination to roam freely. Mature people are able to utilize the imagination without ever losing touch with the real world. Some of the world’s finest music and greatest inventions have come in this way.

***

Having stated what Richard Foster wrote, I want to clarify that we Christians should not constantly live in the world of sexual fantasy. Please, get Real!

What about the guilt and conscience pricking after masturbation? Isn’t that sin?

Ok, if you have guilt about masturbation, then “whatever is done not in faith, it is sin (Rom 14:23)”. So if you feel guilty and think God sees it as sin, then don’t do it. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2Cor 5:7)

What about society acceptance?

We always have to remember, however, that we live in a complicated society, where there are many differing opinions about every subject, particularly sexual ones. In figuring out his own relationship to the society he lives in, a boy may find it helpful to identify the major attitudes toward masturbation:

1. Traditional people, and a boy’s parents may be among them, believe that masturbation is sinful in every case, and harmful to health as well, although relatively few people believe it is harmful as nearly everyone believed it to be only half a century ago.
2. Some people with strong religious beliefs think that masturbation only distracts people from the true ideal of sexuality, which is a relationship in marriage with another person, usually for purposes of reproduction.
3. People who think of themselves as neutral about masturbation say it is a subject that requires further study, but meanwhile don’t want to encourage it as something that is positively good.
4. People who take a liberal view of masturbation, or what the psychologists call a “permissive” view, hold that it is not only harmless but is positively good and healthy, and should be encouraged because it helps young people to grow up sexually in a natural way.

(Quoted from Wardell B. Pomeroy’s book: Boys and Sex page 50)

So, let respect each other opinion and keep it private just like a married couple sexual relationship. We need not brag or post our sexual encounter on the Youtube.

However, let me caution you against addiction to masturbation. Just like most things, masturbation can turn into an addiction. If you find yourself daily masturbating or regularly in sexual fantasy, then you can be reasonably sure that you have a sexual addiction. Paul said, "'Everything is permissible for me'—but I will not be mastered by anything" (1 Cor 6:12). This includes masturbation. Also, you should never use pornography to masturbate. Pornography itself is a sin and degrading to God’s creation who created woman also in the image of God.

For me, after I was baptized with the Holy Spirit, the spiritual power has help me to break free from sexual thoughts and so overcoming masturbation is no longer an issue. Praise God.

My suggestion to all Christian brothers is, seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit!

Finally, let me end with 1 Cor 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man, God is faithful and HE will not let you be tempted beyond your strength. But with the temptation will also provide a way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

So, to all the Samson out there, if you have the power to endure it, praise God. But if you don’t have that power and need to release the “sexual-tension valve”, do so in your privacy and avoid falling into lust, sin or addiction.

PS. The above sharing are just my personal thoughts. You may disagree with me. Feel free to comment or talk to me if you need some discussion.

Agape

Bible - how they decide?

While reading about the Bible this morning, I was just thinking more about how the early Christians thinking about. So, I started googling all about the canon of the Bible.

http://freethought.mbdojo.com/canon.html

The ending give an interesting comment about how Martin Luther, the greatest reformer:

Martin Luther

The greatest name in the records of the Protestant church is Martin Luther. He is generally recognized as its founder; he is considered one of the highest authorities on the Bible; he devoted a large portion of his life to its study; he made a translation of it for his people, a work which is accepted as one of the classics of German literature. With Luther the Bible superseded the church as a divine authority. And yet this greatest of Protestants rejected no less than six of the sixty-six books composing the Protestant Bible.

Luther rejected the book of Esther. He says: "I am such an enemy to the book of Esther that I wish it did not exist." In his "Bondage of the Will," he severely criticises the book.

He rejected the book of Jonah. He says: "The history of Jonah is so monstrous as to be absolutely incredible." (Colloquia, Chap. LX., Sec. 10).

He rejected Hebrews: "The Epistle to the Hebrews is not by St. Paul; nor, indeed, by any apostle." (Standing Preface to Luther’s New Testament).

He rejected the Epistle of James: "St. James' Epistle is truly an epistle of straw." (Preface to Edition of 1524).

He rejected Jude. “The Epistle of Jude,” he says, “allegeth stories and sayings which have no place in Scripture." (Standing Preface).

He rejected Revelation. He says: "I can discover no trace that it is established by the Holy Spirit." (Preface to Edition of 1622).


Now, how should we, Christian responds to all these?

Show kindness; but with wisdom

Does kindness beget kindness?

Usually this is so, but sometimes, people who know that you are kind will take advantage of your kindness.

What would you do then? …

Continue to be a door-mat and be stepped all over? …

A few months ago, I recruited a technician to work in my department. He is not very bright but I thought I could give him encouragement and close supervision, after interviewing him. He seemed to have a good and positive attitude. After all, I believe, attitude is all that matter.

Then, after a couple of weeks working in the company, he ended up in hospital for stomach problem. I visited him and gave him assurance and encouragement. I also showed a lot of compassion to him, giving him a lot of time-off as he also has two aged parents who are not healthy. I tried to accommodate him by giving him flexible working hours. However, as time passed, I noticed that he began to take medical leaves very often, even for seemingly discomfort. [He would just send SMS stating that “I have backache.”]. Also, he would come to work at about 9.30am (instead of the usual 8.30am to 6pm) but when the time to dismiss (at 6pm), he would just loiter around till his time to leave office (7pm). That way, he can still maintain the same amount of working hour.

Also, I have given him a list of work to do, yet he has not achieved any to these. Moreover, the list of works is quite simple. [“If you can’t do, just ask, the engineer will teach you.”]

After some months, I called him up and told him about his work contributions. Apparently, he did mention that I was quite compassionate to him, after knowing about his family background. Then I decided to tell him, “I can be kind to anyone but I need to be fair to the company who employs us and do our part to contribute to the company success. We should not take advantage of kindness”. His face changed and it showed; that he realized that I have seen through his motive.

My thought then was – we need to be nice, kindness and generous, but we need also to be wise to discern those who take advantage of our kindness and use us and think of us as a fool.

Matthew 10:16 – “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves”

Agape

Be Quick to listen, Slow to criticize

Do you flare up easily when your sub-ordinate points out some mistake in his work?

My big boss is … a boss, not a leader. A boss tends to see the faults of his sub-ordinates and act as if he knows all. A leader seeks to show the ways so that his followers can follow.

Once, I shared that a suppliers delivered an over specified component and was drawing too much current. He immediately started to flare out and questioned why we didn’t consider the efficiency of our design. My thought then was: “Hey, why should I bear the mistakes of a supplier?” I shared this to the management just to keep everyone inform that such subtle incidents do happen and not to point out any faults of anyone.

Then last week, we discovered some software bug. You know, software bugs always happen … after many trials and tests. Yep, the bug is a timing issue, it sometimes happen, but mostly it doesn’t. But when it happens, it can cause serious trouble, like what we see in some banks. When I told the management about this, again, he exploded and wanted to get people responsible and accountable. Instead of seeing the good of able to catch a software bug (like I did when my hardware engineer spotted it after meticulously tested the program), the big boss started to flare up.

Fortunately, my second boss is more understanding and I see the leadership in him. It is actually his technical knowledge and encouragement that keeps the whole engineering team moving. Without him, it is hard to work in this company.

¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. (James 1:19,20)

 Agape

Stay healthy

High blood pressure! The test showed 160/98. I am 40mm Hg higher than normal. It was a shock. :(

My first instinct was denial; I have been jogging so much and feeling very fit and energetic. Then, it dawned on me that maybe I am not eating properly. I need to read up more on blood pressure, what causes it and how to prevent it from going up further. OK, so daily intake sodium should not exceed 1500mg for my age. If you are younger and healthy, then less than 2400mg is acceptable.

The five foods that help to reduce blood pressure are:

Fruits – banana and berries

Vegetables – celery and broccoli

Cereal - oatmeal

For the past few weeks, I have been very mindful of what I eat. I began to look at all the food labels for their nutrient values. Sodium and sugar are all killers. I didn’t know that berries jam and milo drinks have so much sugar. Will avoid these. The worst culprit is instant noodle. It has 1710mg for one serving! No more instant noodle from now on.

Another thing I found is that consuming calcium will strengthen heart contraction and this helps to reduce blood pressure. I have been drinking Soy milk with high calcium regularly now, in addition to fresh milk.

OK guys, see you now. Got to go for a jog! Let me know how are you keeping yourself healthy.

Agape!

Evangelism - "Come" instead of "Go"

Most sincere Christians have a nagging fear of evangelism.

We are afraid that we might offend someone or loose a friendship if that friend is hostile to what our faith is. So we don’t go to friends and ask them whether they want to hear about Jesus Christ or Christianity.

What if, instead of you going to your friends, they come to you and ask you about Christianity. Wouldn’t that be easier?

Of course, but the probability of them coming to you are usually low, very low. So, how to increase that probability?

PRAY!

Yes, pray; if you believe in prayer. Ask God to bring those who want to talk about Christianity to you. That way, you can then start a meaningful conversation with them that is vested for Eternity.

OK. So yesterday, after the morning devotion, I prayed that God will send someone to me and that he initiated to talk to me about religion. That way, I can share my faith in Christ to him after talking about his religion. Will God do it? I really have some doubt, because the Bible calls me to “Go, make disciples”; not “Come, make disciples”. Anyway, it is a prayer from the heart and I just forget about it after praying.

During lunch time, after I gave thanks for the food, a colleague asked, “Do you come from a Christian family?” This colleague is much older than me, a very serious, Chinese traditional guy that is best to avoid talking about personal things. So when he unleashed the “religion” question, I was sort of caught off guard. Of all the people, God brings the one that appears to be least interested in Christianity to ask me about Christianity. Not only that, God do more than I can imagine: I prayed that someone would ask me about religion, yet God makes it easier by going to the heart of issue, not religion but Christianity.

So, that is how God can make evangelism easier for you if fear is the reason why you are not sharing Christ with others.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us (Eph 3:20)

Agape

Does your life have Colours?

“The company’s products road map is just too colourful. It doesn’t look serious”.

A colleague gave his feedback as I was working on the technology and products development for the company. “Isn’t colour good?” my mind was thinking. As I flashed back on this colleagues power point presentation when he was doing some training for the company a few months back, It was mostly wordy, no pictures and just one or 2 colour. It looked dull to me, but for him, presentation must be serious. Colourful presentations are kids stuff, or so I thought?

I love colour. Colour helps make presentation clearer and easier to read and understand. There are 4 product groups so I used 4 colours to show each group. One glance and you can figure that out. I also use different shapes of box to indicate movements and growth in the products groups. Those products that we have completed development, I add pictures. To me, it doesn’t show the lack of seriousness, but clarity and easy understanding are important in a presentation.

Colour has great effect on our feelings:

"An executive for a paint company received complaints from workers in a blue office that the office was too cold. When the offices were painted a warm peach, the sweaters came off even though the temperature had not changed." - Pantone

---

Red is a very strong color. It is a noticeable color that is often used on caution and warning signs. It is often associated with stop or "beware". It’s a hot color that evokes a powerful emotion of passion, lust, sex, energy, blood and war. Red is a good color to use for accents that need to take notice over other colors. Red is often used in flags for nations, as it is a symbol of pride and strength. It is also a sporty color that many car manufactures choose to showcase their signature vehicles.

---

Orange is a combination of Red and Yellow. It is also a bright and warm color. It represents fire, the sun, fun, warmth and tropical images. It is considered a fun light color that has appetizing qualities to it. Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain and stimulates mental activity. It is highly accepted among young people. As a citrus color, orange is associated with healthy food and stimulates appetite. Any design relating to the tropics, something fun, easy going and youthful should incorporate some type of orange into the design. A darker, richer shade of orange can be associated with autumn.

---

Yellow is the brightest color to the human eye. It represents youth, fun, happiness, sunshine and other light playful feelings. It is a cheerful energetic color. Yellow is often used for children’s toys and clothes. Yellow is often hard to read when placed on a white background so designers must be careful when using yellow, that it isn't’t too difficult to read or notice. Though yellow is a bright cheerful color, as it starts to darken it, however, quickly becomes a dirty and unpleasant color. Yellow can also be associated with being scared and, cowards. The term "yellow belly" is proof of that.

---

Green is the color of nature and health. It represents growth, nature, money, fertility and safety. Green is a relaxing color that is easy on the eye and has a healing power to it. It is often used to represent anything having to do with health. Many pharmaceutical and nutritional companies use green in their logos and material to advertise safe natural products. Dark green is commonly associated with the military, money, finance, and banking. However it can also be associated with being new or inexperienced as being green or a "green horn". Green is becoming a very popular color in design for web sites.

---

Blue is a cool calming color that shows creativity and intelligence. It is a popular color among large corporations, hospitals and airlines.  It is a color of loyalty, strength, wisdom and trust. Blue has a calming effect on the psyche. Blue is the color of the sky and the sea and is often used to represent those images. Blue is a color that generally looks good in almost any shade and is a popular color among males. Blue is not a good color when used for food as there are few blue foods found in nature and it suppresses the appetite.

---

Purple combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. Throughout history purple has been associated with royalty, nobility and prestige. It symbolizes mystery, magic, power and luxury. Purple is often used to portray rich powerful kings, leaders, wizards and magicians. Purple combined with gold can be flashy and portray wealth and extravagance. Light purple and pink is good for a feminine design and is a popular color among teenage girls. Bright purple along with yellow is commonly used in promoting children's products. It gives the appearance of something that is fun and easy to do.

---

Black is often a color used to portray something evil, depressing, scary or even death in western civilization.  It has negative imagery with it at times such as "black mail" "black list" "black hole" etc. Black is also a very powerful color that also portrays one of class elegance and wealth.  Classy clothing is designed in black from the "power suit" to the "sexy black dress" to formal "black-tie attire". Black combined with other colors can have a very strong statement.  Black is a color that can fit into almost every design to add contrast, type, and make the other colors stand out more. Digital Skratch currently offers black plastic business cards.

---

White is often associated with being pure, clean, fresh and good. The color of a fresh snowstorm brings up images of a peaceful and pure winter scene. White is a common background for Webster's as it is easy to read black or dark text on it. When used with a design using lots of negative space it gives a very clean look to it. White is also used lots for charities and non-profit organizations to denote something good and positive. Hollywood often portrays their characters in white as being good; the white horse, the cowboy with the white hat, the white wizard etc.  White usually is associated with being pure and almost heavenly, it is associated with hospitals, doctors, and heaven.

Read more: http://www.digitalskratch.com/color-psychology.php#ixzz26J2hDEzf

After all, God did not create the world in monotone. He makes colour. And the best of his creation was when He put a huge rainbow of 7 colours as a covenant to mankind that never again will He destroy the earth with flood.

Is your life mostly back and white? Or is it filled with colour?

Agape

Words are Touchy!! :(

Speaking Truth in Love – easier said than done!!

Even good intentions may sound boastful.

How do you correct other’s error without sounding obnoxious in a Christian group’s discussion? It probably happened a few times to me, without my knowledge.

Oh, I do remember the last incident though. It happened just a few months back. The leader was reading the synopsis of the discussion and there was a misprint on the meaning of “Joab – Jehovah is my God”. That was when I spoke up. I raised my hand and kindly stated that “actually Joab should be Jehovah is my father”

However, the leader looked into my eyes and stated – “Jehovah is my God is the same as Jehovah is my father.” I looked at the group and everyone seemed to agree with him. That was when I felt that I sound boastful to correct the leader. So, I need to clarify:

“Jo-ab is a short version of Jo = Jehovah and ab = abba which is father in Hebrew. And the Sunday’s preacher also said that Joab means Jehovah is my father”

Back in my mind, I knew that Jo-el = Jehovah is my God; el = elohim (which is God), but I just had to speak less and stop talking since I was appearing to be showing off my Christian Knowledge.

Ok. So, did I do any wrong? My mind flashed to Prov 15:1

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Was my answer gentle? Tick

Was my conscience clear? Tick

Was my motive just to clarify and speak truth? Tick

Then, about 2 weeks ago, the leader’s wife gently told me about the way I speak. Sometime in the midst of a discussion, I get aggressive and my tone sounds offensive. Also, “we don’t need to correct other’s error even if there are errors”.

I thank her for telling me of my blind spot. I will digest that and make changes. Later in the day, I sent her a SMS message to apologize and thank her for her revelations about my faults.

Since that day, Colossians 4:6 is hanging in my hearts and mind all days long:

Let your conversation be always full of GRACE, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Col 4:6)

Agape

Envy the world or Zealous for God?

Coming from the elite schools during his secondary school and Pre-U education, my long time friend spoke disparagingly about how useless he is.

Of course, when you compare with the best of your cohort, you may look ordinary. But this friend of mind is very successful in his own right – a big house, high ranking civil servant; and his wife is at the top of corporate ladder. His children are in elite schools and the eldest is going to medicine school in Cambridge next year. Sure, when he compares with all those ministers and MPs friends, he seems nothing.

I met some of my very old friends last week over dinner. Our discussions tend to focus on success and worldly pursuits. Although, all of us are Christians, I was wondering why we never talk about Kingdom values. I was also wondering whether they are walking well with the LORD. It is the extroverts and those that chase after things of this world spoke the most. I just listened and reflected on what were discussed.

Don’t get me wrong. My friends are all upright citizens. It’s just that we miss out talking about an important part of our lives – our lives in the LORD. Maybe, they don’t see that as very important?

 I left the gathering with this thought:

Do not let your heart envy sinners,
but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. (Prov 23:17)

Agape

Lessons on Life

Life is what happens while you are making other plans.

A person of words and not deeds
is like a garden full of weeds.

It's better to be trusted than liked,
Underpromise - Overperform.
The key to happiness and success is to have a dream.
All the flowers of tomorrow are in the seeds of today.
You always pass failure on the way to success.

You have to wake up in order for your dreams to come true.
Don't let lack of praise nip you in the bud.
The surest way to go broke is to sit around and wait for a break.
The only thing worse than an alarm going off is the one that doesn't.

An ego trip won't get you anywhere.
The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is just that little extra.
If you want the rainbow you gotta put up with the rain.
Count your age by friends, Count your life by smiles.

A natural tendency is to want to be understood rather than understand.
Don't prepare for rainy days without enjoying today's sunshine.
Keep your heart a little softer than your head.
Don't think there are no crocodiles just because the water is calm.

Stand for something or you'll fall for anything.
Growing old is when fun is a lot more work.
Never insult a crocodile until you've crossed the river.
If you don't lie down no one can walk on you.

If you think things improve with age attend a class reunion.
A good scare is sometimes worth more to a man than good advice.
Motivation is when your dreams put on work clothes.
We have two ears and one mouth, Think twice, speak once!

Experience is the best teacher because it's always on the job.
You're never fully dressed until you wear a smile.
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.
The greatest mistake you can make is to be afraid of making one.

Happiness is the journey not the destination.
People with goals succeed because they know where they are going.
Does your employer consider you profit or overhead?
Look at life through the windshield not the rear view mirror.

To succeed do the best you can, where you are, with what you have.
Don't let your voice mail be "voice jail" to your callers.
A man without humor is like a car without shock absorbers.
Wisdom is what's left over after we smarten up.

Many people quit looking for work when they finally get a job.
About the only thing that comes to us without effort is old age.

Don't wait for your ship to come in swim out to it.
Every job is a self portrait of those who did it.

Talk less - Say more.
Love at first sight saves a lot of time.
Autograph your work with quality.
You can only control two things your attitude and your activity.

Remember, there's nothing more constant than change.
If you tell the truth sooner or later somebody's going to find out.
Experience is the one thing you can't get on easy payments.
Remember change and change for the better are two different things.
Be on the level and you won't go downhill.

All play and no work, does not work.
A goal is a dream with a deadline.
A liar needs a good memory.
Dream of worthy accomplishments and stay awake to achieve them.

The only place success comes before work is the dictionary.
You can be happy without needing others to agree with you.
You are not late until you get there.
Glory comes from daring to begin.

Have a back bone not a wish bone.
Give your troubles to God, He will be up all night anyway.
The greater part of progress is the desire to progress.
Happiness is the place between too little and too much.

Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
Destiny is not a matter of chance it's a matter of choice.
Your children need your presence more than your presents.
Each of us has two ends a sitting end and a thinking end,
Success depends on which we use.

Many spend half the time wishing for things they could have if they didn't spend half the time wishing.
For every person who climbs the ladder of success there are a dozen waiting for the elevator. Happiness is a choice not a response.
God works with you, not for you.

If your dreams turn to dust vacuum.
Do it now, you become successful the very moment you start.
People may doubt what you say but they will believe what you do.
Success -Don't do what you like, Like what you do.

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Changing Attitude; willing to be Broken

I am careless!



I damaged 2 expensive components while doing some experiment in the laboratory yesterday. Even though the components are free samples, it still spoilt my day. It seldom happens to me. Why, oh why as I began to ask myself again and again.


I have always being very careful in doing experiments and testing, unless I am rushing. As they say – “more haste, less speed”. But then, I am very careful this time round.


In the quietness, I felt some prompting within me. Then I remembered the book that I am still reading by Watchman Nee. It is about being broken for God. We need to be broken in order for ministry.


There is a huge lesson for me in this. Need to change attitude.
Then I remembered the seminar on Be Attitude last weekend.


Blessed are the poor in spirit …
Blessed are those who mourn …


*******************


The story is told of a woman who during the war went to live with her husband in camp on the Mojave Desert. She simply hated the place; the heat was almost unbearable, 50 degrees Celsius in the shade, the wind blew incessantly, and there was sand - sand everywhere.


Finally, in desperation she wrote her parents in Ohio that she couldn't stand it another minute and was coming home.


Quickly came the reply by airmail from her father - just the two familiar lines:


"Two men looked out from prison bars ... one saw the mud, the other saw stars."


The daughter did some real thinking, not only with the intellect but also with her heart. She decided to stick to her post.


She made friends with the natives, learned to love the country, and eventually wrote a book about it.


The desert hadn't changed, but her attitude had. Because she listened with her heart to the words her father sent, a whole New World opened up to her.


Agape

Be broken – A fragrance of Christ

Friday 18/5/12 6:25 am

“blonk!” The bottle of 100ml perfume slipped and spilled all over the floor. How careless of me to drop it, even though it cost me only S$2.90. The whole toilet smelled good, but I smelled bad inside me :( As I picked up the broken glasses, I carelessly cut my right thumb! Cleaning up and bandage myself took away the time for my short early devotion.

So my reflection and meditation as I drove the girls to school was on brokenness. “I break, and I cut myself.” In my quietness, I felt the Holy Spirit prompting - To be an aroma and fragrance of Christ, I need to be broken. What an irony. Who want to be broken? It is painful. Yeah, I hurt myself you know, LORD! The last 3 weeks was good, the Presence of God is real. Since the David & Greta Peters’ seminar, I have encountered the filling of the Holy Spirit. It’s amazing to truly understand how to Walk in the Spirit. Now, it seems that God is telling me to move to being brokenness. I am afraid … and the pain of my  right thumb lingers …

…

Friday 18/5/12 8:05 pm

Should I attend the leaders’ prayer meeting? It’s for leaders and core servants, not for me lah. Perhaps I can learn something? Well, might as well just go and see since I am new to this church.

Interesting, they allowed time for leaders who felt a word from the LORD to stand up and share. A sister stood up and felt God wanting her to tell all who were present to be broken! We need to (1) Allow God to Break in; (2) Be Break through in our life; (3) Enjoy a Break dance like King David (2Sam 6).

A mere coincidence that I choose to come and here is what I heard? Isn’t that what God is showing me in the morning and kept me thinking about it all day? And yet at night, when I think I want to hear and see something different, it is still the same message even though I am not suppose to be there. It’s for leaders and core servants of the LORD.

¹⁵ For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; ¹⁶  to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? (2 Cor 2:15-16 NASB)

Amazing how the Spirit leads.

Agape

What happen after “zapped” by the Holy Spirit?

Two Sunday ago, I got “zapped” by the Holy Spirit!


Nope, I am not going to discuss how it happened or why it happened. Or even is it biblical? This is always the contention between the reformed and the charismatic churches. I leave that to you to figure it out, or to take your side.

So what happened to me after that?

Well, ever since (even till today), there is always a song ringing in me, humming inside me. It’s weird for me as I am not a “song” person. I don’t think this happen to others, but I guess, I need to learn to sing more songs from now on. Then yesterday as I was reading Psalms 42,

I come across this verse (eight):

By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.

Perhaps, that song inside me is a continuous prayer for me?

Those who know me would know that my job is always stressful. I deal with technical problems. If there is no problem, I make problems because I develop products and during the development phase, I always see problems. Living in this kind of work-life, it is difficult to have real peace inside me. NOW, I see things very differently. The PEACE of Christ is inside me even when unpleasant things happen. I could feel it because coming to work take on a new perspective. The word “never-mind” becomes my familiar phase.

When face with obstacle, it’s always, “what is HE teaching me?” It’s so easy to give praises and thanksgiving. Complaining and grumbling no longer exist.

The greatest transformation is the sensitivity to impure thoughts and unwholesome talks. You know it is coming and nip it in the bud before it appears in the mind or blurt out in the mouth. The presence of the LORD is always there throughout the day.


It is like Colossians 3:15-17 becomes real and alive in me:

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Wonder how long this situation will last?

Agape

Hypocrisy Unveiled

The outward may seem nice,
the inside may be rotten.

The flowers and fruits may be blossom,
but the roots are really shallow and weak.

And so, when the storm comes,
the whole tree is uprooted and topples over!

This is what I saw this morning while walking to the Church:

“What is inside you is more important than what others see you as”, as I think about what I saw. Suddenly, everything became clear. Recently, we hear about 44 men being charge of sexual encounter with a teenage prostitute. Among them are school principle, teachers and social prominent people.
44 men involved caught in prostition

And the list increases by the days: men charges with vice

Friends of these people appear to be in shock. “He is a good man …” was a common reply.
Why are so many people involved in trading sex – men buying sex and women selling as prostitutes? And sure, it’s all done in secrecy. But once caught, the men had to resign from their high positions. If not, they live a hypocrite, double lives. School principal and teachers are teaching moral ethics to their students, with words but not in action. Community leaders also hide their own “secrets”. Our society demands that leaders, teachers, and those in authorities uphold family values otherwise don’t be in leadership positions, as simple as that. Trouble with men is that they are always thinking of sex. To pretend to be holy is to be hypocrite. We men are created that way so as to fulfill the command – “be fruitful and multiply”. But when, Adam sinned, this sexual desire is somehow also sabotaged and wired wrongly.

For Christians, there are ways to overcome this sexual temptation.

The Psalmist asks: “How can young people keep their way pure?” (Psa 119:9a)
He then gives the answer: “By guarding it according to Your Word”.

"I have laid up your word in my heart, that I might not sinned against you" (v11)
Another way is to seek wholesome Christian fellowship, fellowship that edify and build up one another (1Thess 5:11). Unfortunately, even among Christian brothers, we don’t discuss the topic of sex. We prefer to keep it private and pretend that we are OK. So, we Christian brothers always struggle it alone. Those who can’t overcome usually take a step back and not be in Christian services. That is why the church usually has very few men in Christian leadership. The sisters are more willing to come forward.

May God help us men to hunger and thirst after His righteousness!

Agape



Dare to try, Dare to be different

My 12 years old daughter baked me a birthday cake!

She started baking early this year after watching a TV young chef competition. The participations were about 9 to 13 years old. That triggered her to try cooking.

Well done, dare to try!

And I like the cake, it is thick and rich!

Thank you my young baker!

Agape

Are you a friggatriskaidekaphobia?

What is that??

I learn this new word today. Some people just freak out on a Friday the 13th. That is what the word means!

Today is my special day, so I have to blog about it.


Why Friday?
Friday is considered bad omen because they said that Jesus Christ was crucified on Friday. But, for us Christians, the day of crucifixion is a Good day because God chose to redeem us for our sins by dying on the Cross for us. So that is a Good Friday, Okay!


What about 13?
Well, the number 12 is known as the governing or ruling number in Biblical sense because Jesus Christ has the 12 Apostle to govern the church, there are 12 tribes in Israel to form the nation of Israel. In Revelation chapter 4, John saw in heaven, there are 24 thrones seated by 24 elders (2 groups of 12). Likewise, there are 12 hours each ½ day and 12 months in a year to govern the seasons and time of our lives. So, 1 more or less than a complete biblical number is considered bad (just like 7, is a perfect number and 1 less is bad like 666). So 1 more than 12 which is 13 is considered bad. Sound ridiculous isn’t it?

And so Friday the 13th is considered a really bad day because of the double bad omen, and those who have this phobia is called friggatriskaidekaphobia.
(a Greek word)

But not me!

In any case, for me 13 is always my very good number because God brings me into this world on a 13. And I like April. And today is my birthday!

Happy Birthday to me! :))

Agape

Be Considerate when parking!

When you see a person that really need help, I mean, real..lly need help, would you go forward and help him?

I was driving into a crowded HDB open car park last Saturday. Some cars were parked illegally on the double yellow lines. This caused obstruction to those who wanted to get out of their parking lot. So, a poor chap kept trying to steer clear of his car to leave the car park. Clearly, he needed help!

OK, so I got out of my car and move forward to guide him out. Boy, it was tough, the clearance was so narrow, that he had to reverse and move forwards many, many times. You could see the relief on his face after the ordeal.

Of course, the incident held up many cars, but please be patience lah! This guy is innocence. It was the car in front of him parking on the double yellow lines that is the culprit. Some drivers behind me are just not happy.


… to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone (Titus 3:2)

Agape

My Achievement – my 3 girls

“Are you proud of your achievement?” My youngest girl asked me the other night.

Without much thinking, I replied, “Yes, of course. My achievement is having 3 lovely girls!”
As I said this, I felt the inner confirmation as a verse flashed through my mind - Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. (Psa 127:3 NIV)

Deep in thoughts, I wonder through all other achievements in my life. But truly none can be more satisfying than to able to see my 3 girls everyday, able to interact and be there as they grow up. All other achievements are but short lived. Why would people want to jeopardize their lives and be separated from their children?

They are my source of motivation.

My greatest achievement is that they will grow up in faith in the LORD and fulfill God’s calling in their lives. My greatest failure in life would be to see any of them denying their faith or slide back into worldliness. It is my duty to guide them in the spiritual life. For that is my motivation to grow in faith also.

My children, listen to what your father teaches you. Pay attention, and you will have understanding. What I am teaching you is good, so remember it all (Prov 4:1-2 GNT)

Agape

Searching for the Presence of God

“How do I sense the presence of God?” My daughter asked, as we were jogging towards the beach late last Sunday night.

She was leading the worship during her cell group meeting the day before. Many of those at the service felt the presence to God, but she didn’t. She wondered why, even though she was much prepared for the worship.

It is good to know that there is this desire for her to want to know God more intimately. It shows that she is searching for God. We have this meaningful discussion whenever we go jogging together.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Jesus said.

“We need to understand first that God is every where” I explain. (Psa 139:7,8)

But God is holy and we are sinful, we could not sense His presence even though the Holy Spirit is in us (Rom 8:9). So for me to develop this awareness of God’s presence, the starting point for a beginner is to memorize the Word of God, meditate and ponder over it. Start with the LOGOS. (when I became a Christian, my Follow-up Leader asked me to memorize Bible verses, so that is how I grow with it)

“Since, the human mind is always thinking, why not put our thoughts on His Word, and breathe (pray) out words to Him as we reflect on these verses.” I always carry Bible verses in my wallet so that I can just go through them whenever I miss a word or two from the verses, I told her.

Also, whenever we encounter something or face some situations, just say a short prayer. Like this morning, there was a massive traffic jam due to the heavy down pour. Instead of getting impatience (or curse and swear at some inconsiderate drivers), why not pray for the situations, other drivers and safety as we navigated out of the situation. Learning to pray in all situations helps me to be aware of God’s presence at all times.

After doing this for many times, soon we develop the sensitivity to the work of the Holy Spirit. He will use God’s WORD – the LOGOS within us, to speak God’s WORD – the RHEMA to us. That is when I start to sense the presence of God and be able to hear Him. He can speak through vision/dream, imagery words and feeling. Most of my encounters with God are usually imagery words and feelings, which are usually proven true later. Usually when such a RHEMA comes to me, I just obey and act according to what is shown to me. I usually keep it to myself until it is proven to be true later. – This is call “walk by faith and not by sight” (2Cor 5:7).

Every Christian has his own way of meeting God, which may be different from what I have done and describe above. Do drop a comment and share with me. Thank you.


For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him… (2Chron 16:9 NIV)

Agape

Conversations, not monologue please!

During a meeting on Monday, my boss made a strong remark that whenever he said something, none of us will give some comments. It’s as if he is giving a “monologue”. Still, nobody said anything after that.

Close friends will always give feedback, encouragement, or even positive criticisms to build one another. But when the relationship become one of “superior-inferior” type of relationship, then “whatever-you-say-I-will-do” conversation will happen. I believe, this is how our boss talk to us. But how did this happen? Well, my boss always talks in a bossy manner. His body language shows. So, we just dare not comment.

As I reflect of this situation, I also have to ask myself how I speak to my subordinate and my children. Do I always talk in an authoritative manner? Have I learn to listen before replying? Does my tone and body language are in anyway incoherent with what I say?

Also, I realize that in facebook or blog, only those who are really at ease will give comments. Be it a joke, feedback or even negative comments, it is still better than none. It shows that they care to say something to you. Other will just so call “spy” on your posts and leave silently. Through the posts, I could really sense who are one that take the trouble to drop a few lines.

These days, I am learning what Apostle Paul call – Gracious in Speech:

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Col 4:6)

Agape