So personally, I feel that the Malaysian government are getting more and more ridiculous on alot of matters, but somehow.... this seriously tops everything up. Already medication and health care in Malaysia isn´t really all that outstanding but yet extremely costly (believe me, I have alot of encounters with their "medical" and no its not the usual cough, cold and etc) and now they want to impose a Goods and Services Tax on the people who are sick? Are you guys really taking care of the citizens or just trying to make sure the country doesn´t sink into a deeper shit hole?

What about those people who have serious illness and long time illness? Should you all recommend them the death sentence as it would definitely be the fastest and cheapest way out for some of them? Or maybe..... it´s because none of you government folks have people in your family with really serious illness or long term sickness so you think all these are just simple and that everyone living in Malaysia is as filthy rich as the government ministers - who based on some news reports some ages ago have many assets abroad.

Serious people with no hearts and leading a country...... *faints*

Original Article : Patients with serious illnesses to be hit hardest with GST (Clickable link)

Patients with serious illnesses to be hit hardest with GST

Published: 8 January 2015

Many medicines are not zero-rated under the GST regime which goes into effect on April 1. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, January 8, 2015.Patients with serious illnesses and who require long-term medication will be hit the hardest once the goods and services tax (GST) takes effect on April 1, said pharmaceutical groups.

TheSun reported that there were concerns patients might stop taking their medicines when the price of medicines, which are not zero-rated, are increased by 6% with the GST, as some illnesses like cancer cost patients up tens of thousands of ringgit every month.

"On the price hike, those who require long-term medication will be the hardest hit. It is of concern that with such price increases, the patient may be forced to stop taking their medicines," Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society (MPS) president Datuk Nancy Ho was quoted as saying.

"If they are made to pay GST at a standard rate, they will need to pay an extra RM600 for every RM10,000 they need to pay for their medication. It is already sad for a person to fall seriously sick which cripples his ability to generate an income necessary to battle for his life. With GST, he may have to pay even more for his medicines."

MPS along with the Malaysian Community Pharmacy Guild (MCPG), Pharmaceutical Association of Malaysia (PhAMA), Malaysian Organisation of Pharmaceutical Industries (MOPI) and Malaysian Association of Pharmaceutical Suppliers (MAPS) said only 320 medications were zero-rated under the National Essential Medicines List (NEML) 4th Edition.

The report said that paracetamol was counted 17 times instead of being just one item while the NEML only represented 13% of the total 43,000 registered medicines.

"The majority of these zero-rated medicines are only used in government hospitals. The many medicines outside the list are widely prescribed and used in the private sector, hospitals, clinics and pharmacies which are mainly paid out of pocket," Ho was reported as saying by TheSun.

The GST would render medicines which are not zero-rated more expensive, making it costly for patients on long-term medication.

"The MPS and other pharmacy stakeholders would like to see all scheduled medicine zero-rated before April 1," she said.

The pharmaceutical groups said they have written to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to urge that all scheduled medicines be zero-rated under GST, while MPS has initiated a petition to gain support that all controlled medicines (schedule poison B and C) be exempted from the GST.

"The health minister himself has previously been quoted (as saying) there is a possibility of increase in medical care by 1% to 2% after the implementation of GST and the government is looking into ways to reduce this cost," Ho was quoted as saying.

Ho said it was difficult to explain to patients why the price of essential medicines would be increased while 900 other items, including lobster, were zero-rated under the GST.

Medical practitioners have also previously voiced their concerns over the matter, with Private Medical Practitioners' Associations Malaysia (FPMPAM) president Dr Steven Chow saying Najib had promised not once, but twice, that healthcare – both public and private – would not be affected by the GST. 

He said, at present, all registered medication was exempted from the sales and services tax, adding that the price of medication was set to rise when the GST was implemented.

“If you look closer, the NEDL (national essential drugs list) is clearly not designed to cater for all the important diseases and complications of the various disciplines of primary and specialist care. Specific treatment for many common diseases is not in the list." – January 8, 2015.   

The Stings of Life

Thursday January 8, 2015

A 71 year old woman was outside her home when a swarm of killer (Africanised) bees began stinging her. Neighbours called fire fighters who rushed to rescue - only to find the woman covered in a "suit of bees". A blanket was thrown over her and she was carried into a neighbour´s house. Surprisingly, she survived more than 1000 stings!

A remnant of Judah had returned to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon, only to be stung by the words and actions of the local pagan residents (Nehemiah 4:1-3). Once full of excitement and ready to rebuild the temple and the rest of the city, these Hebrews were now depressed and in a state of apathy. That´s when the prophet Haggai provided a fourfold message for them :

- Do the Work : Haggai told them to give up their creature comforts and restore the temple and city for God´s glory (Haggai 1:1-15)

- Cling to  God´s promises : The people could rest in the fact that God had not forgotten or abandoned them (2:1-9)

- Pursue purity : God desired that they continue to follow His law and to be holy as He is holy (vv. 10-19; Leviticus 11:44-45).

- Know that God rules : God reaffirmed that the line of kings leading to the Messiah and the kingdom he would usher in was intact and could not be broken (Haggai 2:20-23).

The sings of life can cause us to get bogged down in spiritual apathy. Perhaps you´re working for a difficult boss or have a family challenge that simply won´t go away. Whatever the issues are, remember this : God calls us to passionately serve Him as we rest in His promises. Pursue God and His rules, even as you find hope in the fact that He rules! - Tom Felten

Read
Haggai 1:1-13
In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest :
This is what the Lord Almighty says : "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the Lord´s house to be built.' "
Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"
Now this is what the Lord Almighty says : "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."
This is what the Lord Almighty says : "Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the Lord. "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the Lord Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands."
Then Zerubbable son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord.
Then Haggai, the Lord´s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: "I am with you," declares the Lord.

Matthew 24:12-14
Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Question to Ponder
What has caused you to experience spiritual apathy?
What can help you to regain your passion for following and serving Him?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue

Love and knowledge

Wednesday January 7, 2015

An old legend about the Titanic goes like this : a woman boarding the ship nervously asked a deckhand if the Titanic was truly unsinkable, to which he replied, "God Himself could not sink this ship."

A tragic outcome would later prove how wrong that statement was. But the man would not have been alone in his blunder, as some of the most brilliant minds of history have got things wron. For instance, Winston Churchill once proclaimed that war with Japan was impossible (it happened!).

Given that people can be so wrong in their assessments, it´s strange that we can sometimes live in such fear of them - as if others are not as fallible as we are. But Matthew 10 reminds us of the One who holds true authority and knowledge : God alone. He has authority not just over the physical body, but also over our very souls (v.28). His wisdom is comprehensive, and He knows even the number of hairs on our head (v.30). Like Job, we often spend too much time listening to the advice of our imperfect friends rather than the opinions of our almighty God.

In the same passage in Matthew, Jesus went on to say that not only are we known by God, but we´re valuable to Him (v.31). This reveals, as repeated elsewhere in Scripture, that the fear of the Lord isn´t opposition to His love. Proverbs 9:10 reminds us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and in Psalm 118:4 we read, "Let all who fear the Lord repeat : 'His faithful love endures forever.' "

So we should draw near to God, not just because He knows more tha anyone else, but also because He loves us so much more! - Peter Chin

Read 
Matthew 10:26-31
So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roots. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don´t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrow.

Psalm 139:13-18
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother´s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you 
When I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.

Question to Ponder
Whose opinion or judgement do you listen to most in your life?
How can you know and listen more closely to the opinion and judgement of God?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue

Crushed

Tuesday January 6, 2015

The other day I read two passages in Deuteronomy and Numbers with similar messages. They caused me to recognise more deeply the consequences of disobeying God and failing to heed His warnings. Put succinctly : moving forward without God´s leading, permission or assistance, regardless of how we justify our words or actions, will lead to His judgement.

Let´s take a look at how two accounts in these Old Testament books reveal this truth. But as we do, keep in mind that we´re considering the physical, earthly consequences of our disobedience, not the eternal consequences of sin for which Jesus made salvation possible.

In Deuteronomy 1, Moses recounted how the Israelites have balked at God´s provision and "refused to trust the Lord" (v. 32). Because they disobeyed and would not enter the land when God told them to, He postponed their entry into it for 40 years.

Later, the Israelites had grown tired of wandering in the desert and began complaining. Discontented with God´s timing, they prepared to head to the Promised Land on their own terms. They took things into their own hands and attacked their enemies, though they had been warned by the Lord, "Do not attack, for I am not with you. If you go ahead on your own, you will be crushed by your enemies" (Deuteronomy 1:42). And, indeed, when they attacked they were crushed and defeated. "The Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in those hills came down and attacked them and chased them back as far as Hormah" (v. 45).

When we choose words and actions that go against God´s will and His clear instruction, we reap the consequences. Instead, may we increasingly pray and seek God´s wisdom before we speak or act. - Roxanne Robbins

Read
Deuteronomy 1:42-46
But the Lord said to me, "Tell them, 'Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.' "
So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the Lord´s command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country. The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah. You came back and wept before the Lord, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you. And so you stayed in Kadesh many days - all the time you spent there.

Luke 11:28
He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."

Question to Ponder
Ready to lash out at someone with your words?
Consider God´s commands, and then choose to do what is right in His eyes. 
What will prevent you from being crushed by willful God-dishonouring decisions today?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue

No Regrets

Monday, January 5, 2015

Sociologists at one university recently completed a study on regret. In it, they examined whether people felt more regret over what they had done or what they had failed to do. The researchers found that people´s regrets over their actions or inactions were roughly even when asked about the past week. Nearly the same number said, "I wish I hadn´t done that" as those who said "I wish I had done that." But when asked to consider their life´s largest regrets, the vast majority said they were more troubled about missed opportunities. As John Greenleaf Whittier wrote, "Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been'."

Some missed oportunities are larger than others. Jesus told a parable to explain that God gives each of us responsibilities in His kingdom. In the story, each servant was given one, two or five bags of silver based on what he could handle. The servant who received one bag went and buried it because, as he told his "harsh" master, "I was afraid I would lose your money" (Matthew 25:24-25).

Do we pass up kingdom opportunities because of fear? If we believe that our GOd is a good King, we can trust Him enough to try new things.

Sometimes our problem is more sinister. The master told the servant with the one bag that he was "wicked and lazy", for he could have earned interest by depositing the silver in a bank (vv. 26-27).

Do we pass up kingdom opportunities because we´d rather not be bothered? If we believe God has gifted us to serve others, then we´d better serve them. The consequences can be dire, as the "useless servant" in Jesus' story was thrown "into outer darkness" (v.30).

God has given us one life to live for Him. Let´s do so with no regrets. - Mike Wittmer

Read
Matthew 25:14-30
Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master´s money.
After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. "Master," he said, "you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more."
His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master´s happiness!"
The man with the two talents also came, "Master," he said, "You entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more."
His master replied, "well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master´s happiness!"
Then the man who had received the one talent came. "Master," he said, "I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you."
His master replied, "You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest."
"Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Luke 16:19-31
There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man´s table. Even the dogs came and liked his sores.
The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham´s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, "Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire."
But Abraham replied, "Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us."
He answered, "Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father´s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment."
Abraham replied, "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them."
"No, father Abraham," he said, "But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent."
He said to him, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead."

Question to Ponder
How will you serve God today?
What talents, gifts or resources should you be using for His glory?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue

Being Found

Sunday, January 4 2015

I have a friend who has wounds so deep that she resists compassionate love of others. Caring people have reached out to my friend. They would give their lives for her (if fact, in may ways they´ve done precisely that). Yet she runs from their love. She fears being loved. The love offered to her is so strong, and her heart so weak, that it terrifies her. It seems safer just to stay in her cocoon.

Moses had faced much loss. His first days out of the womb were traumatic; he was rescued from a murderer. Then he was separated from his family and raised in Pharaoh´s house. Finally, he had to flee after he killed an Egyptian who was beating one of his Hebrew brethren.

Now, years later, the Scripture says Moses was in the wilderness. This word described the geography, but it also described Moses' life. He was far from home, far from his people, far from his normal life.

In this wild place, Moses happened upon a burning bush - a bush that remarkably didn´t burn up! Moses drew closer. A voice crie out from the burning bush, "Moses! Moses!" (Exodus 3:4). He took another step, and the voice thundered : "Do not come any closer... Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground" (v.5).

As if this wasn´t enough to rattle the man to the core, the voice then introduced Himself as the God of his ancestors! Moses stood in the presence of the Almighty. His response? "He covered his face because he was afraid" (v.6).

God had come to Moses and would compassionately care for him - just as He had done for decades. As He comes to us today, may we be open to His strong love. - Winn Collier

Read
Exodus 3:1-15
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight - why the bush does not burn up."
When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!"
And Moses said, "Here I am."
"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
The Lord said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey - the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."
But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you : When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."
Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"
God said to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites : 'I am has sent me to you.' "
God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers -- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob - has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation."

Question to Ponder
Does the idea of an encounter with the Almighty make you tremble in any way?
What is it about God´s power or love that terrifies you?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue

Soldiers, Athletes and Farmers

Saturday, January 3 2015

What do soldier,s athletes and farmers have in common? Discipline. Soldiers go through drills day in and day out. They want to be battle ready. Athletes undergo strict training so they can compete in the race. Farmers work from the rising of the sun until it sets, patiently toiling in hope of a bountiful harvest.

Believers in Jesus are to be like soldiers, athletes and farmers. That´s what the apostle Paul tells Timothy and us in 2 Timothy 2:3-6. Firstly, you´re a soldier. Recognise you´re always in a war, and don´t be surprised when you suffer. Expect it. Secondly, you´re an athlete. You´ve got to play by the rules to win the prize. Thirdly, you´re a farmer. The guy who works the hardest gets to be in line first to get the fruit.

Thas not all. Paul tells us to be "good soldier[s] of Christ Jesus" (v.3). The Greek word for "good" is kalos which means noble or excellent. In other words, we´re not to be just dutiful soldiers, we´re to be excellent soldiers who lead a disciplined life so as to please our Commanding Officer, the Lord Jesus Christ.

And like an athlete going for the gold, we give ourselves fully to spiritual training. We´re compelled to win, not just finish the race. We discipline ourselves and embrace hard years of effort so that we´re the best we can be, honing the gifts and talents God has given us to His glory.

Additionally, Christians are to be like hardworking farmers. The adjective hardworking used here means to work to the point of exhaustion. Christians work hard because they trust in God´s promises. He patiently works with us until success comes.

The question is : What kind of soldier, athlete or farmer will you and I be?  - Poh Fang Chia

Read
2 Timothy 2:1-13
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs - he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor´s crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God´s word is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
Here is a trustworthy saying :

If we died with him,

we will also live with him;

if we endure,

we will also reign with him.

If we disown him,

he will also disown us;

if we are faithless,

he will remain faithful,

for he cannot disown himself.

1 Corinthians 9:7-25

Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn´t the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses : "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn´t he?`Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn´t we have it all the more?

But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. Don´t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this : that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.

Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I become like one not having the law (though I am not free from God´s law but am under Christ´s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

Question to Ponder

Make a list of all the spiritual disciplines ( such as prayer and reading God´s Word) you can think of. Which ones will you adopt in order to be a good soldier, a champion athlete or a hardworking farmer for God?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue

A Bigger Picture

Friday January 2, 2015

My daughter posed an excellent question to me : What´s the connection between Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Job? The first two seem so.. contradictory. And the book of Job is a saga all on its own!

Philip Yancey points out the irony of Ecclesiastes following Proverbs in the Bible. Proverbs portrays life as it ought to be : do good things and prosper. Do bad things and suffer. Ecclesiastes, conversely, reads almost like a biblical Eeyore (from Winnie The Pooh) : Oh well, what´s the use? We´ll all end up dead anyway.

Job brings perspective to those viewpoints. Industrious and moral, Job lived well and life had been good. But then disaster struck. His friends insisted that only the wicked suffer (therefore, Job was wicked). His wife advised him to "curse God and die" (Job 2:9). They were so wrong.

These three books work together. Proverbs is not a book of promises, but of instruction in how to live wisely. Ecclesiastes describes the folly of living for this life only. Job shows us that there is much more to life - and to God - than meets the eye. Many things remain beyond our understanding.

In the span of four chapters (Job 38-41), God gave Job a litany of unanswerable questions, prompting Job´s stark admission : "I am nothing - how could I ever find the answers?" (40:4). He then concluded : "I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me" (42:3).

It´s good to make wise choices, and Proverbs can help us to do that. It´s also good to understand life on this earth, and Ecclesiastes helps us to see that. Job shows us a glimpse of the mystery behind the curtain. God is there, and He is great. He´s also good. - Tim Gustafson

Read
Job 40:1-14
The Lord said to Job :
"Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? 
Let him who accuses God answer him!"
Then Job answered the Lord : 
"I am unworthy - how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
I spoke once, but I have no answer -- 
twice, but I will say no more."

Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm :
"Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
Would you discredit my justice?
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
Do you have an arm like God´s
and can your voice thunder like his?
Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
Unleash the fury of your wrath,
look at every proud man and bring him low,
look at every proud man and humble him,
crush the wicked where they stand.
Bury them all in the dust together;
shroud their faces in the grave.
Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you."

Psalm 103
Praise the Lord, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits -- 
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle´s.

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppreseed.

He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel;
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord´s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children´s children --
with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, O my soul

Question to Ponder
What big questions do you want God to answer?
What do you think He might be teaching you these days?

** Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue

New

Thursday January 1, 2015

Happy New Year! It´s time again to ring in another fresh set of 365 days.

Most of us like new things, and new years and seasons are generally welcomed. I´d definitely take a new car to replace my old one. A new house would be nice. A new fishing boat would be even sweeter (Oh, how I wish!). Then there are new shoes, new books, new music, new friendships, new opportunities to serve and grow and more!

New is good. But there´s a kind of "new" that the Bible introduces which takes new to a whole new level (no pun intended).

The New Testament uses two different Greek words for the English word new. Neos refers to something that has recently come into existence, such as a new year. It hadn´t existed before and is brand new. Kainos speaks of something being renewed rather than brand new. It contains the idea that there was something "before" that is now coming into the fullness of its true reality.

It is kainos that raises the concept of "new" to a different level. The apostle John used this word to describe the future new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1). It´s the same word he said Jesus will use to proclaim from His throne, "Look, I am making everything new!" (v.5). It´s also the word the apostle Paul used when he wrote about anyone in Christ becoming a "new person" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

In each case the idea of "new" is that it´s something that previously existed and is now being recreated and restored so that it can be all it was meant to be.

As we enter another year, let´s live out our new creation that has already begun. And let´s remember that it will one day be fully revealed. - Jeff Olson

Read
Revelation 21:1-5
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

Jeremiah 31:31-34
"The time is coming," declares the Lord,
"when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant 
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant, 
though I was a husband to them,"
declares the Lord

"This is the covenant I will make with the house if Israel after that time," declares the Lord.
"I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbour, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the Lord.
"For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

Question to Ponder
Where do you see new creation both emerging and struggling to emerge in your life?
What does the new life in Jesus mean to you?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue.

Ironic but true <3