PRESSING ONWARD TOWARDS THE GOAL

(Romans 3:13-14)  " Forgetting what lies behind and straining onward what is ahead,  Press on towards the goal to win the prize to which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Are you still captive of the past hurt and pains and its difficult to move on? Is it difficult to release forgiveness to people that have caused your misery?

Yes.. its difficult to move on  because we just thought we have been deceived and we don't deserve it. We want outright justice to be serve and we want to spend our life seeking for it.

But Apostle  Paul trying to remind us to forget the past and move on. Their is always good thing that awaits for those who never quit and continue the race. If we carry the loads and burdens on our own it will be difficult to carry. Here are some suggestions to release from the bondage.

ASK FORGIVENESS TO GOD

Most of the time, our misfortune is caused by our total disobedient to the will of God. And so we faced the hurt of consequences. Yes its difficult to admit but we are all subject to commit mistake and we need to accept it. Ask forgiveness to the Lord and the Lord will grant it. He is a merciful God and willing to listen to us in prayer. He is always available all the time. 24/7. Forget about your guilt. God will not judge you when you seek forgiveness.

RELEASE FORGIVENESS TO OTHERS

If we seek forgiveness in the same way we need to release forgiveness to others. Unforgiving spirit well hinder us to move on and stock us to the chain of bitterness. If you want total freedom from past hurts, release forgiveness to those people who hurts you even they don't ask for it. Serving God and sin will never come together. So release from the bondage of sin be a slave to righteousness.

PRESS ON TOWARDS THE GOAL

Past mistake will never be a reason for us to be discouraged. The Lord don't matter how many times you fall. Jesus is expecting us to push harder and continue. This is a race for eternity that we are fighting for. Even we failed so many times, its not the end of the game. We still stand up and continue. Like a skillful athlete who trained harder just to win the game. Never give up to reach the goal and win the prize.

THE RISE OF GUILT

 Letter to the Father Part II

Oh, Lord, do not rebuke me with your anger,
or discipline me with your wrath.
For you are slow in anger,
And have great Love.

My guilt has overwhelmed me
Like a burden too heavy to bear.
I am feeble and utterly crushed;
I groaned in anguish of heart.

I confess my inequity;
I am troubled with my sin;
I am bowed down and brought very low;
All day long I go about mourning.

O Lord, do not forsake me.
be not far from me, oh my God.
Come quickly and help me,
O Jesus my savior....




    

THE MAKING OF A FOOL

               Even a genius can be one...

       "As a dog return to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly"   ( Proverbs 26;11)

     Fools in modern English are people who lacks brain. But the word has different meaning in the bible. Fools may have high IQ's. People may admire their reputations for success. Yet a wise person view them as a disaster.

     The danger of becoming a fool is like a man who ignoring wisdom God has offering him. He recognizes his offence before the Lord ask for forgiveness and yet repeating the same mistake over and over again. Like a dog return to its  vomit, the fool repeat his folly.

     One of the bible greatest insult is  "You fool!". People become fool by neglecting God's instruction. They may think themselves very clever but it will only land them into trouble. A wise person ought to learn to recognize a fool from far away and stay out of his path.

   

   

BATTLING THE CULTS

                                                     
             
  For everything worthwhile, there exist a counterfeit
      " See to it that no one takes you into captive through hallow and deceptive philosophy  (Philippians 2:8)

     You see them in strange outfit on street corners, chanting phrases with too much vowels and punctuating the chants with a noisy tambourine.you think of them as crazy cults, populated by misfits. Then one day you heard about a friend of yours.
     She seemed normal. Until suddenly without warning she snapped. Her parents searched desperately even hiring private detective only to get her back. They found her surrounded with an allies with new name, new hair style and it seemed new brain. She stared at them and told them they were missing out of the most wonderful experience of life. She had joined a cult.

A BREEDING GROUND

     Cults come in variety. They demand much from their members: A lifetime of discipline and absolute loyalty. And they also promise much in return: The pathway to a secret, hidden  knowledge
available only for those who follow them.
     Many cults didn't reject Jesus outright;  the merely worked him into a more elaborate scheme. Christ and simple form of worship were fine for beginners but for the deep things of God, well some further steps would be required.

THE BEST DEFENSE

     Paul doesn't give a complete glossary of a hollow philosophy the colosians were sorting through. From his arguments, we can gather the philosophy must have included Jewish legalism mixed in with angel worship, Greek philosophy and strict self denial.
     The best defense is a good offense. Paul countered with a positive theology. The principle he outlines today in his book is the best defense to judge new cults.
     " Christ is enough, " Paul declares. He is a God. the fullness of God. The one who made the world. The reason that everything exist. All the mystery, treasure and wisdom can be found in the person of Jesus Christ.

APPROACH GOD DIRECTLY

 

     Because Jesus bridged between God and us,  We don't need to approach God  indirectly, through a ladder of saints, angels or other gods. We don't need to prove our worth through
superior behavior. We can come to God boldly and directly because of Jesus.