Deuteronomy 23:24-25
If you enter your neighbors's vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket. If you enter your neighbor's grainfield, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to the standing grain.
As I continue to study and read through Deuteronomy and learn from the old Mosaic teachings, I am so amazed at the attitudes and the lessons that are STILL so applicable today. Deuteronomy 23:24-25 is founded in a part of the laws (which some translators) considered various laws. These are laws that do not really have a particular connection to the other kinds of laws. But I found this to be such a powerful one at least as I look at economy and our society today.
This passage talks about having just enough for you to eat and not taking even more. That as we are being provided for we are not to take so much that we cripple the plant or from those whom we are taking from. We are to take JUST ENOUGH for what we need. Why not take it in your basket? Why not store away for yourselves? Why not put the sickle and take the entire stock of grain? Because is it that we need it? No! I don't think so. But if you think about it that people have to freedom to come each day to be provided for then why do we need to hord for ouselves?
To put it into our lives today... do we hord things? are materials something that we hord in our lives so much so that we just WANT and DESIRE everything? What are the grapes in your life that you may be taking and putting in your baskets?
I know for me, especially in my days in university and college, shoes were grapes! I desired them and I was obssessed about them! Talk to my dear friend who shared this same craziness; for our first conversation began from talking about shoes. But I would have shoes that are put on display at home and that would be the obssession of it! but in the end of it all; countless people are affected by me hording my own desires. Those who make the shoes, those who sell the shoes, those who see my life as one that lives after Christ... when is it enough?
Enough... to be satisfied and not to continue to fuel our own desires...
Do you have enough?
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
break time!
I'm guessing a lot of you are busy studying for exams since exams are coming up really soon! I decided to take a quick break and blog a little cause i haven't blogged on our cell group blog yet.
So. I've been pretty stressed lately. Mostly because of schoolwork, university application stuff, and some issues with friends. Personally for me it's often times hard for me to trust in God to help me through hard times but i've realized many times before and recently, that the situations i go through are usually out of my control. Only God has full control. I usually just forget that God is there to guide me that i end up relying on myself. Hoping that i will somehow get through this alone. But that is usually never the case! God is the one that guides me. God is the one that helps me find a solution. God is the one that never lets me down. I just wanted to share this random thought and maybe even you guys are going through rough times. Remember that God is there and if you put your full trust in Him, things will be alright!
Back to my hardcore studying! : (
- candice
So. I've been pretty stressed lately. Mostly because of schoolwork, university application stuff, and some issues with friends. Personally for me it's often times hard for me to trust in God to help me through hard times but i've realized many times before and recently, that the situations i go through are usually out of my control. Only God has full control. I usually just forget that God is there to guide me that i end up relying on myself. Hoping that i will somehow get through this alone. But that is usually never the case! God is the one that guides me. God is the one that helps me find a solution. God is the one that never lets me down. I just wanted to share this random thought and maybe even you guys are going through rough times. Remember that God is there and if you put your full trust in Him, things will be alright!
Back to my hardcore studying! : (
- candice
Cont. with "Our Father..."
The last time I've posted here I was writing about the Lord's prayer as I have read in Shane and Jonathan's book Becoming Answers to Our Prayers. This week I want to continue to look at this idea found in his first chapter concerning "our Father." I think I was writing about how this prayer shifts us away from looking at this prayer as an individual but begin to look at this prayer as something that reflects all of us. This is a prayer on behalf of all those who are calling God their father. So does this change our perspective and the way that we begin to pray and address God?
Some of us were at the prayer meetings last Friday - where we gathered together to pray through the ACTS prayer: (A)doration, (C)onfession, (T)hanksgiving and (S)upplication. Gabe was leading the confession part; and although I was not present at the confession prayer time we were discussing earlier about corporate confession. I think he has mentioned about the prayers of Daniel (Dan. 9) and also Nehemiah (Neh. 1); two giants prayer warriors in our lives. They prayed not only confessing their own sins but also the sins of the nations. It is we who have sined against God; not just I, myself but it is the greater nation of Israel that has wrong God.
Now consider us today and how we relate and pray. Consider the people of Haiti and the brokenness and the hurt that is happening. How do we respond? Are we hurting because our Haitian brothers and sisters are hurting? Consider our prayer "Our Father"... would that not be one that connects us with our hurting brothers? Is not God too their Father as well?
Adam Carson of the National Post wrote this:
"God has not abandoned Haiti. The earthquake was not His wrath being unleashed on Haiti's people; it was a slap to the face of every single so-called 'caring, liberal' nation on this planet -- a slap strong enough to knock the blinders from our eyes. We congratulate ourselves on our own greatness, but when something big enough catches our attention and forces us to take action, we immediately blame God."
Now I do not know if Adam is a follower of Christ but what he has written is actually something that struck me very powerfully. In lure of our hurting brothers and sisters what is our call? what did Jesus do with those who are hurting? What is our respond?
C.S. Lewis wrote "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
It is my prayer for us not to be deafen in this world and may we respond to love upon our hurting brothers and sisters, may we never neglect that we are all children of Him who is "Our Father."
Some of us were at the prayer meetings last Friday - where we gathered together to pray through the ACTS prayer: (A)doration, (C)onfession, (T)hanksgiving and (S)upplication. Gabe was leading the confession part; and although I was not present at the confession prayer time we were discussing earlier about corporate confession. I think he has mentioned about the prayers of Daniel (Dan. 9) and also Nehemiah (Neh. 1); two giants prayer warriors in our lives. They prayed not only confessing their own sins but also the sins of the nations. It is we who have sined against God; not just I, myself but it is the greater nation of Israel that has wrong God.
Now consider us today and how we relate and pray. Consider the people of Haiti and the brokenness and the hurt that is happening. How do we respond? Are we hurting because our Haitian brothers and sisters are hurting? Consider our prayer "Our Father"... would that not be one that connects us with our hurting brothers? Is not God too their Father as well?
Adam Carson of the National Post wrote this:
"God has not abandoned Haiti. The earthquake was not His wrath being unleashed on Haiti's people; it was a slap to the face of every single so-called 'caring, liberal' nation on this planet -- a slap strong enough to knock the blinders from our eyes. We congratulate ourselves on our own greatness, but when something big enough catches our attention and forces us to take action, we immediately blame God."
Now I do not know if Adam is a follower of Christ but what he has written is actually something that struck me very powerfully. In lure of our hurting brothers and sisters what is our call? what did Jesus do with those who are hurting? What is our respond?
C.S. Lewis wrote "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
It is my prayer for us not to be deafen in this world and may we respond to love upon our hurting brothers and sisters, may we never neglect that we are all children of Him who is "Our Father."
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Beginning of the Lord's prayer
Our Father
Who art in Heaven,
Hallow be your name,
Your Kingdom Come,
Your Will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one,
for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
I've started reading a book called Becoming the answer to our prayers by Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. Wanted to share something about what it was written in this book as the authors begin to look into and understand each parts of the Lord's prayer.
In the first chapter - it really opened my own understanding of when we pray "our father." In praying this close and intimate prayer to the Father, we recognize the privilleged relationship that we have and the closeness that we have with God. I am sure we do not randomly call people in our lives "our father" but it is reserved for the one who we have a we have this close and kin relationship. Jesus uses the term Abba Father through many of His prayers and in our modern language translation it is more like dad or daddy or in our chinese context "ah ba" or "ba ba." This close parental language that establishes the basis of our relationship with God. We are His children; His beloved. But also notice that in this prayer it is "OUR" Father. This reflects the relationship not from an individualistic perspective but a corporate and communal perspective. This parental relationship with God is not between God and I but it is between God and US. This is a prayer of opening ourselves to the greater community of God; recognizing that He is the Father of more than just me but of my neighbours. What a simple first line but yet packed with deep calling and theology.
Have a blessed day! and may our prayers be that which joins us in our identity and call in Him!
Who art in Heaven,
Hallow be your name,
Your Kingdom Come,
Your Will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one,
for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
I've started reading a book called Becoming the answer to our prayers by Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. Wanted to share something about what it was written in this book as the authors begin to look into and understand each parts of the Lord's prayer.
In the first chapter - it really opened my own understanding of when we pray "our father." In praying this close and intimate prayer to the Father, we recognize the privilleged relationship that we have and the closeness that we have with God. I am sure we do not randomly call people in our lives "our father" but it is reserved for the one who we have a we have this close and kin relationship. Jesus uses the term Abba Father through many of His prayers and in our modern language translation it is more like dad or daddy or in our chinese context "ah ba" or "ba ba." This close parental language that establishes the basis of our relationship with God. We are His children; His beloved. But also notice that in this prayer it is "OUR" Father. This reflects the relationship not from an individualistic perspective but a corporate and communal perspective. This parental relationship with God is not between God and I but it is between God and US. This is a prayer of opening ourselves to the greater community of God; recognizing that He is the Father of more than just me but of my neighbours. What a simple first line but yet packed with deep calling and theology.
Have a blessed day! and may our prayers be that which joins us in our identity and call in Him!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Happy New Year! (And a happy first day back to school!)
I just have a random thought to share that my cousin pointed out on Sunday.
Do you ever notice how the princes in Disney princess movies are all rich, handsome and powerful? Check this out:
The Prince (Snow White) - rich, handsome, powerful
Prince Charming (Cinderella) - rich, handsome, powerful
Prince Philip (Sleeping Beauty) - again, rich, handsome, powerful
Prince Eric (The Little Mermaid) - rich, handsome, powerful
The Beast (Beauty and the Beast) - rich, handsome turned ugly then handsome again, powerful
Aladdin (Aladdin) - pretended to be rich, handsome, powerful
John Smith (Pocahontas) - looks handsome in the film and is based on a rich and powerful guy
Captain Li Shang (Mulan) - rich, handsome and a captain then general in the military, in other words powerful
Prince Naveen (The Princess and the Frog) - rich, handsome, powerful
I can't believe this is the stuff we grew up watching. Honestly, what kind of messages is Disney sending to young girls? Tsk, tsk, Mickey Mouse, you are a cunning little monkey..
Do you ever notice how the princes in Disney princess movies are all rich, handsome and powerful? Check this out:
The Prince (Snow White) - rich, handsome, powerful
Prince Charming (Cinderella) - rich, handsome, powerful
Prince Philip (Sleeping Beauty) - again, rich, handsome, powerful
Prince Eric (The Little Mermaid) - rich, handsome, powerful
The Beast (Beauty and the Beast) - rich, handsome turned ugly then handsome again, powerful
Aladdin (Aladdin) - pretended to be rich, handsome, powerful
John Smith (Pocahontas) - looks handsome in the film and is based on a rich and powerful guy
Captain Li Shang (Mulan) - rich, handsome and a captain then general in the military, in other words powerful
Prince Naveen (The Princess and the Frog) - rich, handsome, powerful
I can't believe this is the stuff we grew up watching. Honestly, what kind of messages is Disney sending to young girls? Tsk, tsk, Mickey Mouse, you are a cunning little monkey..
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