Matthew 6:19-24 ---Treasures in Heaven

"The eye is the lamp of the body" -- eye, means the eye of your mind.

How to overcome my selfishness?

Selfless heart brings forgiveness to others

How to overcome selfishness? How to avoid becoming a selfish person? The answer to these questions is simply avoiding “self-flesh-ness”. Yes, you’ve heard it right… don’t be self-flesh. Be a more spiritual man instead of a material person. Become more heavenly rather than earthly. Become a spirit over your body.

People become selfish because of their love on the things of the flesh. The flesh desires the things that are not eternal. These things give rise to greed, iniquity and selfishness. If you will ask why a person becomes selfish, you will find out that what makes him that is his love of money, lust and fame. A man, who puts his heart on money and the like, will not care to do charity, humility and equality. This is because these good virtues will surely take away his material possessions. And because he loves his material possessions, he will certainly protect, defend and will sacrifice things just to not lose them.

One reason why we can’t easily get out from selfishness is that our mind, heart and soul are attached to our flesh – our body. Whether we like it or not, we need to eat, we need to drink, we need to have a shelter and we need to have money to exchange for those things. We are created with the materials that come from the Earth itself. Our body is composed of earthy materials, such as the nutrients and minerals that we usually consumed out from the food we eat. However, we don’t need to detach our spirits away from our body. We simply need to overcome our body, instead of being its slave.

The main reason why we can’t escape from selfishness is that we are weak to defeat it. We are weak because we don’t understand the spiritual things. We don’t understand them because we don’t practice them constantly. We don’t practice love, kindness and self-control in a consistent manner. Rather, we are stuck in practicing the demands of our flesh, such as greed and envy. If we will always practice the acts of the flesh, we become spiritually weak. Hence, if you want to become spiritually strong, always practice the acts of the spirit, just like your regular routine of exercise.

To become selfless instead of becoming selfish, you need to become more spiritual. Imagine if your heart is set on the heavenly things. Imagine if the intentions of your soul is on the spiritual things, such as love, compassion, generosity, kindness, joy, humility, forgiveness and peace. Will you become selfish? Will you become iniquitous?

To effectively overcome selfishness and self-fleshness, we must practice the more difficult spiritual acts. One of them is practicing grace. Grace is harder because it is more than justice. It is the act of giving people even if they don’t deserve it. It is the practice of forgiving people, even if they don’t warrant it. If you can be gracious, how much more can you become generous? If you can give people more than they deserve, how much more can you give those that they deserve? If you become selfless, how much more an unselfish?

Grace is a great act; it can only be done by a person who has a virtue of love. Therefore, if you want to conquer the selfishness in you, practice love, practice grace, and practice the great spiritual acts until you become spiritually stronger – stronger enough to control your flesh and overcome selfishness.

After Solomon's death, Rehoboam succeeded his father's position as a king. However, the kingdom then was divided by two, Judah (north) and Israel (south) -- Samaria, which is the most corrupted nation, was located in the south, Israel.

Jonah (793 BC)

Jonah was belong to the category of minor prophets.

God commanded Jonah to go to Niniveh to cry out against it , but Jonah tried to escape, and finally was swallowed by a big fish (not sure if it was a whale or not) for 3 days 3 nights.

ch.1. Jonah flees from the Lord
ch.2. Jonah's prayer
ch.3. Jonah goes to Nineveh
ch.4. Jonah's anger at the Lord's compassion.

The book ended with a question "Should I not be concerned about that great city?" This question showed that Jonah actually repented at the end.

Esther

Esther is a figure of women who was chosen to be a queen of King of Persia in replace to the previous queen who didn't obey the king's command. Although Esther was a Jew, she was chosen and found favor in the eyes of the king, which later on she had to save her own people from the enemy (Haman).

Solomon wrote Proverbs, Ecclisiastes, Songs of Songs

1King 14:21-31 -- Rehoboam King of Judah (2 Chronicles 12 -- Shishak attacks Jerusalem)
Rehoboam - son of Solomon's.
Shishak - king of Egypt. It was the first time for Egypt to come back after Moses' time.

Josiah (2Kings 22:1-2, 2Chronicles 35:20-25) He reforms everything, to make sure that everyone comes back to God. He was killed in the battle with Egyptian. It was an honoring death.

Esther (the only book that does not mention the name of God)
After the kingdom of Israel has been destroyed, the Persian conquered of Israel.
The King of Persians, King Xerxes, was looking for a wife to replace Vashti, the previous king who didn't obey the King (ch.1:12).
Esther's uncle, Mordecai, gave her a different name, Esther (her original name: Hadassah - ch.2:7)
Esther is famous for willing to risk her life to talk to the King to look into the situation for the Jewish people.

Job (probably lived around Abraham's time)

Finding Treasures in Trials...

Whenever we're hit with a trial, if we don't allow ourselves to become angry and bitter, we'll become much more empathetic toward others who are experiencing similar problems and more sensitive to their feelings. All these things make us more loving and a better friend.

Malachi 3:3 "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver" (NIV).

Friend To Friend
The story is told of a group of women who met each week to study the Bible, hoping to learn more about the nature and character of God and how He works in our life. The women were puzzled and even a little troubled by the description of God they found in Malachi 3:3, "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." One of the women offered to do a little research on the subject and report back to the group at their next meeting. The woman found a local silversmith and made an appointment to observe him at work, explaining that she was particularly interested in the process of refining silver. She watched as the craftsman carefully selected a piece of silver for his demonstration. She thought the piece of silver was already beautiful but evidently the silversmith saw something that she could not see. As he held the silver over the furnace, the craftsman explained that in refining silver, the silver had to be placed in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so all of the impurities would be burned away.

The woman was silent for a moment as her thoughts drifted to the fiery trials she was facing in her own life. Honestly, she did not get it. Why would a loving God allow His children to suffer when He could so easily deliver them? In fact, why does God even allow bad things to happen to people who are seeking Him and really trying to live for Him?

The woman asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. "Oh, yes!" he replied. "I cannot take my eyes off the silver. If it is left in the furnace even a moment too long, it will be destroyed." The woman suddenly understood the beauty and comfort of Malachi 3:3, "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

Yes, there are times when it seems as if we will be swallowed whole by the fires of Hell itself. The pain seems too hard to bear. The fear is paralyzing. The doubt is overwhelming and questions flood our heart and mind.

Is God really who He says He is?

Will He really do what He says He will do?

Will He really keep His promises?

Our trials are not random persecutions. Heaven is not in a panic and where we are and what we are going through is no surprise to God. We may be knocked down and kicked around by life, but if we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we will not be destroyed.

Our lives are filled with excess baggage and waste - a cherished sin we refuse to relinquish or an addiction to which we are enslaved. What about the emotional garbage that weighs us down or our unforgiving spirit that holds us prisoner? Fiery trials come to burn away the guilt of sin and then purify our heart. From those ashes of freedom, the Father then creates a work of beauty.

I believe the words I just wrote. I know and accept the truth that trials and hard times make me stronger and strengthen my faith, but there are times when I want it all to stop. I find myself asking, "How much is enough, Lord? How many trials do I have to endure? When will the pain and trouble end?"

"How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" the woman asked. The silversmith smiled and answered, "Oh, that's easy. The refining process is complete when I can see my image reflected in the silver."

God is not committed to our comfort. He is committed to our character. Only God can exchange the ashes of our sin for the beauty of His forgiveness and grace. God alone can replace our despair with His peace that passes all understanding. Hope can only be found in Him. Our purpose in life is to know and become more like Jesus ... and act just like our Father.

Let's Pray
Father, I want to be more like You. Give me the strength to withstand the trials in my life. Help me love the people who are hard to love and forgive the people who have hurt and even abused me. Burn away the sin in my life and empower me to live for You. Create a clean heart in me, Lord, and teach me how to live for You.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Elisha - the successor of Elijah

2 Kings
ch.2 - Elijah taken up to heaven

Elisha's miracles (ch.4)
ch.4. The Widow's Oil

ch.5. Naaman Healed of Leprosy
Naaman - is a commander of another kingdom, Aram.

Jan 12, 2011: Elijah (from 1 Kings)

After Salomon's death, Israel divided by 2: North (Samaria - the most corrupted one) and South (Judah)
ch.17: Elijah resurrected a dead boy of a very poor widow.
ch.18: Elijah and Obadiah
ch 19: Elijah flees to Horeb. (Mt. Horeb = Mt. Sinai)

From Girlfriends in God (1/14/2011)

"Go and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked. "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back." The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea" (1 Kings 18:43-44, NIV).

What struck me as I studied this passage is the fact that Elijah didn't get his miracle right away this time. Could God have opened up the sky and poured out a storm immediately? You bet. Did He? No. Elijah had to wait. His servant had to look for the miracle...and look...and look...and look. Seven times.

Now think about this. God used Elijah in really big ways. Elijah spoke on God's behalf, was God's front-line man in raising a dead child back to life in order to bless a widowed mother, and he was the lead character in a miraculous God-show that brought fire from heaven ... consuming an offering and connecting the hearts of wandering people back to the heart of God. We're talking big God-stuff! Yet even Elijah experienced difficult situations and was forced to wait on God.

When discouragement sets in and you feel unheard - when you are forced to wait on God - when you find yourself caught between faith and a hard place - when there is nothing there ... no evidence of God's miracle on the horizon - remember that God is faithful, powerful, and responsive. He has seen you through trials in the past and He will see you through trials in the future. Even in the challenges you face now, you are seen, you are heard, and He is able. "Look to the Lord and his strength; seek His face always" (Psalm 105:4).

Our waiting years are God's gym, where He builds in us a stronger heart muscle. This is growth that can't be microwaved, truncated, or manufactured at warp speed. A durable faith is formed in the mundane disciplines of daily life, a straight line in the diligent pursuit of godliness (1 Timothy 4:8).

God's answers are like medicine to a heart that yearns for hope:

• When God is silent, God is active. God told Habakkuk, "Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn't believe even if someone told you about it" (Habakkuk 1:5 NLT).

• God's solution often comes from an unexpected source.

• God's timing is always perfect. God said to Habakkuk and says to us: "My will is executed with precise timing. I'm not early. I'm not late" (Habakkuk 2:3 ESV).

• God is worthy of worship, regardless of our circumstances.
"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments" (Habakkuk 3:17-19 ESV).

Waiting is considered loathsome to a generation accustomed to having quick answers, fast results, and instant gratification. But we must surrender our hearts to the sovereignty of God who slows us down, because waiting is not wasted time at all. Waiting is the essence of a faith that pleases Him.

Dear Lord, I worship You, the One, true God! You are mighty and powerful; full of never-ending compassion and love. Please help me to see you when I face trials and to trust Your heart when circumstances discourage me."

In Jesus' Name I pray,
Amen.

Jan 10, 2011: 1 Kings 1 thru 11 (Salomon)

1 Kings 1: Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King. David makes Salomon king.
1 Kings 3: God appeared before Salomon for first time, and Salomon asked God for wisdom; followed by the story of a baby and 2 prostitutes.
1 Kings 6: The detailed of the temple built by Salomon.
1 Kings 7: Salomon build his palace.
1 Kings 9: The Lord appears to Solomon (for the 2nd time).
1 Kings 10: The Queen of Sheba visited Salomon.
1 Kings 11: Salomon turns from God; followed by the death of Salomon.

-- Famous prayer of MacArthur on every Father's Day

David and Bathsheba