CHAPTER NINE: WALKING THROUGH THE VALLEY GATE AND NOT FEAR EVIL

Neh 3:13 Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They built it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Dung/Refuse Gate.

The Valley Gate depictss walking with God, in Christ Jesus.
Ge 26:19 And Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.
De 8:7 For the LORD thy God brings thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
Ps 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

As Jack dug deeper, as he grew and renewed his mind daily worshipping, praying and reading the words of God, he began to heed to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Digging deeper means he had to practice living according to the word of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit. He started to see visions. The following is an account of what happened to him.
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Hearing from God, enter through the narrow gate
I have always wanted to hear from God as many others (prophets) before me did. Today I woke up late again by 15 minutes. It has become a habit! Anyway as I read God’s words and pondered upon their relevance to me, I told God (in my prayer) that I was not sure what all these readings meant. I had been reading books of Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah all of whom are Old Testament prophets. How should I interpret them? How should I understand what Jesus had said about the narrow gate?
After praying for awhile I continued to close my eyes, wrinkling my forehead (in my most focused frowning state) and concentrate real hard on my question to God. What happened after that came almost as normal as any everyday event. In my mind I saw the picture of Jesus (as perceived by me) pointing to a Bible, carrying a lamb in His arms, pointing to a gate, bending down and binding the wounded lamb. The pictures are not in exact sequence of what I write down now. But while seeing the pictures, Bible verses from the New Testament came to my mind as follows.
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6
“I am the door of the sheep.” John 10:7
“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and go in and out and find pasture.” John 10:9
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” John 10:11
“My sheep hears my voice, and I know them and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” John 10:27-28
In short, whoever believes in Jesus becomes His sheep and follows Him, entering the kingdom of heaven through Him alone. He came to the world not to harm but to bind up the wounded and heal the broken. He came to save and He will keep them saved until the end! What more shall I fear? Yes, back to the Bible. This is the key to hearing God.
P/s: I am pleased and relieved that I too can learn to hear from God. For a long time I thought I was the most unspiritual person around.
DAY 14-15: HE IS MORE CONCERNED WITH MY BEING THAN DOING
In my previous discovery, I found that Jesus was concerned with the sinful causes and not the Law because without the causes there would be no need for the Law restrictions. No wonder the Apostle Paul was adamant that we live according to the Spirit and not according to the whims and fancy of the flesh (living in the physical, emotional and mental realm). The way to living Biblically (spiritually) is through the Spirit and inner life/character.
That explains the importance of living before God and seeking to appreciate and benefit from God’s presence through worship, praise, thanksgiving, prayers and reading the Word of God daily.
After Matthew 5, I have started reading and applying Matthew 6. I bear in mind the last verse in Matthew 5. Jesus said, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Having the privilege of being made a child of God, it makes sense that my Father in heaven wants me to be like Him.
Matthew 6:1-8: “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.” “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.” Jesus continued to teach how God wants us to be like Him. He used the two examples of doing charity and praying. The world likes to show off and do these good deeds in public for men to see as they live before men. They have no God to give accounts to. Christians have an all seeing God to Whom we give accounts. Our Father sees in secret, into the true motive of the heart. So there is no need to put up a show.
My application: These two days I have not had the chance to do a good deed other than trying to cook a Spanish rice dish for the benefit (or misfortune) of my wife. She is grateful regardless whether the dish is edible or not. So I guess the good deed is more on her part than mine. I managed to pray in private as I got up before she did. However she knows I am doing this project. So the praying in secret requirement is not exactly being complied with. The fact that I am writing this also means that I am not doing the good deeds in secret. On the other hand I just assume no one reads and knows as this is my personal blog.
AAA Jack
March 11, 2009

Chapter Eight: Why break through the Jerusalem Old Gate?

Neh 3:6 Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

In the Book of Nehemiah, after the Sheep Gate and the Fish Gate comes the Old Gate. The spiritual meaning is death of the old person (i.e. our old sinful nature/flesh). The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit kills deeds of our flesh. The Old Gate signifies the demand of Jesus that the old nature must die, and one must be reborn to enter the kingdom of God. How can this happen? The Holy Spirit gives the believers the power to do so. By this miraculous transformation, Jesus’ followers have the ability to walk and live according to the will of God.

Yes, Jack had the first breakthrough today as he worshipped God and sought to hear God’s voice. He still did not know that he was hearing from God but he decided to obey the prompting of his heart (Holy Spirit) during his morning worship at home. He was urged to read Chapters eight and nine of the book of Ezekiel. He read about how the prophet Ezekiel was brought by the Holy Spirit to see the reality of the false religion of the elders of the church of Israel.

Jack was supposed to carry on reading the Book of Matthew, but he was led to read the above two chapters instead. He merely obeyed. When he read through them he was led to see the scenes of horror. Ezekiel was sitting with the elders quietly socializing, just like any other normal days. But he saw what God saw, their sins and all the abominations done within the house of God, worshipping idols and following superstitious religious practices of the unbelievers, land full of bloodshed, city full of perversity. God sent six angels having charge over the city to go round and utterly slay with their battle axes, starting with the elders of the church (before the temple). Only those who sighed and groaned over all the abominations committed in the midst of it were spared.

Ezekiel’s vision shocked Jack to the core and he interceded for the city he lived in for the first time with conviction and fear.

When he finally got down to reading Matthew, he had a breakthrough in the spirit. his old self must die because Jesus has given him a new self! The following is a record in his journal of living Biblically.
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DAY EIGHT-THIRTEEN: A BREAKTHROUGH IN LIVING BIBLICALLY ACCORDING TO JESUS

I had started this practice with zeal but not with sufficient knowledge. When I read the Gospel of Matthew, I realized that what Jesus taught was hard to impossible to do. As I progressed in reading I soon reached a point when I thought my efforts were futile. How could I be rejoicing in practice when being bullied? How could I not break any of the Law consciously or unconsciously? How could my righteousness exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees?

What Jesus demanded was beyond any human reach. For example, getting angry with your brother is same as murder. Looking at a woman and getting attracted to her is same as adultery. Plucking out your right eye if it causes you to sin. Cutting off your right hand if it causes you to sin. Divorcing your wife is causing her to sin (commit adultery). Not swearing any oath. Giving in to someone who bullies you, even to the extent of loving your enemy!

I regretted in choosing to start with this Gospel. So I stopped for a few days and read other parts of the Bible. Yesterday I re-read the verses and had a breakthrough! How blind I had been! The following is a summary of what I discovered about what Jesus was saying in Matthew 5: 17-48.

1. Verse 17: Jesus declared that he came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. It is Jesus who fulfilled and not us. Indeed he had already done so.

2. Verse 20: the righteousness (of God) that Jesus has imputed to His believers definitely exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. We received the righteousness by faith and not be works (just as Abraham did). (Romans 4)

3. Verses 21-37: when Jesus talked about the Law He pointed out the real causes of sins. For example, anger leads to murder; lust leads to adultery; covetousness of the eye leads to stealing; breaking of the marriage covenant leads to further breaches of the covenant; dishonesty leads to false swearing of oath. Therefore, what we need to watch out and deal with are the causes of sin and take preventive moral measure (Biblical inoculations and daily cleansing by the Word). Jesus was concerned with the sinful causes and not the Law because without the causes there would be no need for the Law.

4. Verses 38-48: Jesus contrasted the legitimate duty or right of a person with relationship-focus and service-attitude (far superior in value and worth in God’s eyes). God Himself after all is our role model. He needs not provide for us and yet He does it out of love, even for the unlovely. He has every legitimate reason to judge and sentence us but He has chosen to pardon and forgive.

My application: continue to seek God’s presence and read His words daily, to receive His cleansing and working into me continuously. Watch my mouth and behavior. Examine my motives before acting.

AAA Jack
2009-03-10

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE JERUSALEM FISH GATE MYSTERY REVEALED

Today Jack puzzed over the light and salt business of a Christian. As he was still self-focus, he tried to figure out how to apply Jesus’ teaching and command.
Neh 3: 3 “But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who also laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.”
The next gate was the Fish Gate through which Fishermen brought fishes for selling to Jerusalem. Jesus not only shepherded His sheep He brought them to green pasture with clear water. He is a provider and sustainer of life for both on this earth and for eternity. Light and salt aptly described what He had given to the disciples and the world. Jesus also said that He would make His disciples into fishers of men, for the kingdom of God.

When Jesus spoke of disciples being the salt and the light for this world, He was not giving them an impossible task. He was pointing them to be Jesus-focus, the source of all good things. At the end of the day when Jack turned his eyes on the Lord, he finally realized it was Jesus that shined forth through his vessel!

Spiritually, Jack was progressing while daily worshipping God and praying, without his own conscious knowledge. In his personal journal he recorded how he spent time reading King David’s Psalm 51 and took note of what cured David’s sin (and aging) problem. He wrote: “Washing from the Lord’s Good News (hear joy and gladness), confessions to God (not kept silent; silence results in groaning and groaning results in bones growing old) cured David.” He further resolved: “My daily actions: Read the Word, hear of the Good News of Jesus, confessing and praying to God.”

DAY SEVEN: BE THE SALT OF THE EARTH AND BE A MAN IN LIGHT
“You are the salt of the earth…” (Matthew 5:13)
I still cannot figure out much about the Christians being the salt of the earth other than salt being traditionally used as seasoning and preservative, having a number of culinary and therapeutic effects. Nowadays people are avoiding salt in fear of putting too much pressure on the heart. Salt are still hidden in a lot of foodstuff anyway. Does this mean we are needed in meeting the health and nutritious requirements in a variety of essential but unobtrusive ways? On the other hand, no matter how one tries to avoid salt, one just needs it to survive. Similarly the society needs Christians to survive. Incidentally food with a pinch of salt is always tastier. Life with Christians around should be more interesting too!
“You are the light of the world…let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Jesus so commanded those who followed and believed in Him (Matthew 5:14-16).
Jesus spoke about Himself: “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12) In John 1:4, this is written about Jesus, “in Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” 1 John 5:11 further testified that “and this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.”
Light is associated with life. The life here refers to that which Jesus gives to His believers. When we have His life, we have His light. The light can shine before men. People can see how Jesus’ life shines through us.
It is important to take note that people in the world are not necessarily drawn towards the light. Jesus said this of them: “and this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19) Jesus further pointed out that “for everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed”. (John 3:20)
However, Jesus commanded His believers to let their light/life (in the form of good works) shine before men. Why? There are two reasons:
1. He who does the truth comes to the light and he too will be saved. (John 3:21)
2. People who see and realize the good works are done in the name of Jesus will give glory to God. (Matthew 5:16)
My application: it is indeed amazing how fast God answers a prayer. Yesterday I wrote that I prayed for courage to stand up for my faith, and this morning I had to reply a friend about the difference between a believer and a member of a religious institution (e.g. a church, a temple, whatever.) A Christian believer has to meet the requirement of Romans 10:9-10 which I quote as follows:
“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Therefore I told the friend boldly and truthfully that by becoming a church member will not automatically qualify anyone for heaven citizenship. A church that does not preach about Jesus and His salvation is not guiding people to heaven. Jesus Himself warned the Pharisees and scribes that they were in fact leading their converts to hell. (Matthew 23:13, 15)
As for today’s application, the Amplified Bible detailed the good works that Jesus referred to which include moral excellence, praiseworthy, noble and good deeds, that others can see and recognize and honor and praise and glorify out Father (God) who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16). Who can ever perform such good deeds? Only Jesus can. That is why I must always bear in mind that it is Jesus in me that will shine and not me. What a relief!
AAA Jack
March 4, 2009

CHAPTER SIX: MYSTERY REVEALED ON THE JERUSALEM SHEEP GATE

This morning Jack woke to a question, “Who is Jesus?” He thus wrote in his journal. There was no further record on this question. Then he proceeded to read Matthew 5:11-14. At this point of time he was still ruled more by his head knowledge than his spirit. He was self-focus. He was concerned about having to suffer others’ daunting. Unaware of the power of the Holy Spirit, he had to rely on his human ability to ‘endure’ when it comes to being persecuted (or rather, inconvenienced) for Jesus’ sake.
The Holy Spirit led him to ask the question on who Jesus was. If Jack had pondered further on that subject, he would have discovered that the Sermon on the Mount was talking about Jesus and His mission on earth. He would have realized Jesus came to fulfill what had been prophesied. Yes, the persecution and all.
Psalm 2:1-3 declared: Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.”
‘Who is Jesus’ was prophesied in the Book of Nehemiah (which Jack was led by the Holy Spirit to re-read much later as this quest progressed). The surrounding nations went into uproar when Nehemiah tried to re-build the walls and gates of Jerusalem.
The first gate that was re-built was the SHEEP GATE. Nehemiah 3:1 “And Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests. And they built the Sheep Gate. They sanctified it and set up its doors. Even to the Tower of Meah they sanctified it, to the Tower of Hananeel.”
Through the Sheep Gate, lambs and sheep were brought to the temple, as offerings. Jesus Christ is the High Priest of the New Covenant, who is the Lamb of God, who was offered for the redemption of many for the forgiveness of sins. The high priest was setting up doors of the Sheep Gate, which means that Jesus is the Door of the sheep, (John 10:9) through Whom all who enter will be saved.
Yes, incredible as it was, Jesus was indeed both the sacrificial lamb and the door/gate through which a believer can go through and be saved!
DAY SIX: WHY REJOICE EXCEEDINGLY WHEN BEING PERSECUTED?
“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)
“If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.” (1 Peter 4:14)
As a Christian who speaks out for Jesus we are ridiculed and even reproached. I usually avoided such occurrences. But my wife is a brave woman and she is determined to share the Gospel with her ailing father. Her brothers scolded her and even threatened her. At times it was so bad that she cried. Of course she felt hurt under the insult and ill treatment from her siblings. She became sad and miserable.
If being persecuted results in unhappy feelings, then what did Jesus mean when He asked us to do the opposite? How can one rejoice exceedingly when one normally feels hurt and being unfairly treated?
Today when I read these two verses spoken by Jesus and their cross reference to 1 Peter 4:14, I realized that Jesus was right. Being persecuted for Jesus’ sake is a good thing and is a sign of forthcoming of a lot of good happenings!
1. You are raised to the status of the prophets.
2. Great reward immediately comes from heaven.
3. The Holy Spirit rests on you.
4. God considers you glorifying Him.
Of course, the evil person (bully who persecutes you) cannot get off scot free, as he has blasphemed against the Holy Spirit! Jesus has warned that those who blasphemed against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven either in this age or in the age to come. (Matthew 12:31-32)
Application: I share with my wife about what I read and she feels comforted now. As for me, I pray that I will not be afraid to stand up for my faith too. Again, it is a matter of whether I care about living before God more than living before man. I need to really ponder on this.
AAA Jack
2009-03-03

CHAPTER FIVE: SEEING THE NEED TO BE GOD-FOCUSED

The powerful Sermon of the Mount got Jack into thinking. Previously he assumed it was meant for strong
Christians to follow the footsteps of Christ and served the world like saintly Mother Theresa. Then he also thought it was meant for Jews to wake up to a new reality of belief which was to be purer in quality and higher in morality than Moses Laws in the Old Testament. Whatever it was, the requirement on a Christian was out of this world and impossible for an ordinary man to apply in daily life.
However, this could not be. Why would Jesus waste time in speaking the ideals to the multitude? He was puzzled. Thus he wrote in his journal.
“It is not for me to turn to the world and see its needs (social, political and economic) and be self-righteous. Does that mean I would lose my salvation, disqualify me from my inheritance, seeing God (appreciating His presence), being filled with all good things, be comforted and obtaining God’s mercy? Certainly NOT!” (He cried)
“I discovered yesterday that the blessings requirements stated therein by Jesus were for us to minister to God, be God-focused, know God’s heart and identify with God.” He declared.
This was indeed a breakthrough revelation. Jack was no longer bound by what he had learned previously. Was he led by the Holy Spirit? Or was this deduced from his rational mind? His rational mind would have led him to follow the broad and easy road to destruction (like any man not led by the Spirit of God). The Spirit of God led him, however, on a difficult and narrow way to Life, the Life of Jesus.
He was led by the Spirit of God to focus on God, no longer on his own human effort.
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DAY FOUR & FIVE: LIVING BEFORE GOD OR BEFORE MEN?
I took two days to review what I learned on the previous days. I realized that it was not as simple as I had thought and written on the first three days. My heart was not at peace when I wanted to proceed further. So I read the eight important verses again and again in Matthew 5:3-10. Why was Jesus saying these to the crowd on that mountain at the beginning of His ministry? Why were they recorded at the beginning of the first book of the New Testament?
What was the most important thing Jesus had to say before He could carry on to other matters? Jesus Himself provided the answer. He came to save the world (Jews and non-Jews). He brought salvation. The above verses were His declaration of purpose and method of achieving the purpose. The purpose is salvation to all who believe. The salvation content include: eternal life for the present and the future, meeting our needs for food, security, belonging, and social, emotional, mental (self-esteem, actualization), and spiritual goals.
Yes, salvation brings the believer citizenship in the kingdom of heaven, membership in the household of God, inheritance of property, fulfillment with all good things, comfort and peace with God (and with men), receiving mercy and compassion from God (and forgiving relationship with other men), intimate relationship with God (having the reality of God’s presence in life).
What are the requirements? Yes there are things each one must do to receive all the above.
1. Be humble (acknowledge not just in one’s mouth, but in one’s heart too that one really needs God)
2. Be real about one’s miserable condition (without God and without hope) and wants a change desperately.
3. Be gentle and thankful that God is willing to free one from all the miseries and give one a more abundant life.
4. Be truly yearning (as in hunger and thirst) for Jesus and the righteousness He brings!
5. Be merciful and forgiving to others (grateful that God has forgiven you).
6. Be God-focus in one’s heart (not distracted or diverted by things of the world, including financial/business/marriage/relationship failures, sickness etc.).
7. Be helpful to others, lead them to reconcile with God too!
8. Be dignified as the citizen of the kingdom of heaven (not afraid of others’ ridicule or even persecutions).
Application: Now that I know it is all about God’s plan, I find it easier to think of application. On the other hand, the requirements are not a one off act, but an ongoing process, a life-long process that demands consistency in actions and steadfastness of the heart. It is not easy at all!
AAA Jack

chapter four: ALAS, still following his head

This is day number three and Jack realized that he needed to read the Bible to increase heart knowledge of God instead of head knowledge of God. He was still relying heavily on the little booklet to pray. However, at the end of the day he discovered that the blessings on the Mount of Olive were all meant for our relationship with God and not as what we used to think.
When Jack was human works focused he was totally off the track. When he became God-focused, that was the turning point and this was only the third day. Was the Holy Spirit guiding him? Indeed He was. But Jack did not know at this point and he was working hard, using his brain to learn how to practice Biblical living.

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Day three: be merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, persecuted for righteousness sake
I got up late as I forgot that today was the day of prayer as a “watchman” (in prayer) for the city. When I managed to start praying it was 6.15am. I read the verses from the hymns of worship and praise instead of singing. I reaffirmed my belief through the reading of “We believe” written by Graham Kendrick. “We believe in God the Father, Maker of the universe, and in Christ His Son our Savior, come to us by virgin birth. We believe He died to save us, bore our sins, was crucified. Then from death He rose victorious, ascended to the Father’s side. We believe He sends His Spirit on His church with gifts of power. God His word of truth affirming sends us to the nations now. He will come again in glory judge the living and dead. Every knee shall bow before Him, then must every tongue confess, Jesus Lord of all, Name above all names.”

After reading I prayed for the city, using a booklet prepared by the prayer group. Based on my previous day’s reading of the words from Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel I prayed that the people here will repent, humble themselves, thirst for righteousness (Jesus), be meek and gentle, and mourn for the terrible conditions many are in right now, in captivity and held under the bondage of vices and darkness.

What a wonderful city this will be when that happens! (I admit I am an idealist. I am a realist too. I believe. Otherwise there is no point foregoing my sleep. )

merciful
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy”. (Matthew 5:7)

“Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble”. Psalm 41:1 is the cross reference. How do I apply this today? I took this to mean doing a merciful deed to the poor today when given the opportunity. The repair workman was here again today to fix the roof. He wanted to come at 8am but I was not available. He said he would come around 11-12pm but he only turned up at 1.45pm! The workman/proprietor was alone (cutting cost?) and only finished his work in the late afternoon. After that I had to rush off to reach the government office before it closed to pay some important bills due. The usual roads were blocked and I was diverted into a police station! Thank God the police man was courteous and showed me the new direction. I arrived seconds before the closing time!

pure in heart
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”. (Matthew 5:8). This verse cross referred to Psalm 15:2, in which King David described the person who could draw near to God: “he who walks uprightly, and works righteously, and speaks the truth in his heart”. He believed in God’s presence. He put God in every aspect of his life. No wonder he saw God in his spirit. Even when David failed to meet the standards of God he continued to seek God’s presence. This was the clue to seeing God.

I am no David. I need to improve in appreciating the reality of God’s presence in my life. I need to read the Bible with the intention to increasing heart knowledge of God instead of head knowledge. Jesus defined eternal life as He prayed for us in John 17:3 “and this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent”. Eternal life is knowing God and Jesus!

peacemakers
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). This verse reminds me that Jesus, the Son of God is called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). In the Book of Ephesians (2:14-19), Apostle Paul pointed out the fact that Jesus Himself is our peace. He has by His blood, made peace and reconciled us to God through the cross. Through Him we have access by the Holy Spirit to the Father (God). In verse 19 Paul declared: “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household”!

The peacemakers are those who lead others to make peace with God. How do I apply this requirement? I shall continue to write and hopefully reach some friends and strangers who are seeking to make peace with God.

persecuted for righteousness’ sake
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10). This requirement seems tough for me. However, Proverbs 16:7 stated that “when a man’s way pleases the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him”. Apostle Peter also encouraged us in I Peter 3:13-14, “and who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.”

I shall certainly heed the advice of a senior citizen in God’s kingdom. She advised young Christians to ask God to work into them, to put iron in their souls so they will be ready when the tests come.

Review for the day: it dawned on me that the blessings requirements were all meant for our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. They form a basis for me to interact with God.

AAA Jack

CHAPTER THREE: AS DIFFICULT AS CAN BE FOR A MAN

chapter three: as difficult as can be for a man
Jack was into the second day of Biblical living when he discovered it was not as simple as he thought. A modern intellectual man with no spiritual experience whatsoever who tried to put the Bible knowledge in his head into practice was doomed to failure from the start. As he started on the Beatitudes (the Sermon on the Mount) of Jesus he found that it was impossible to practice them.

As we can see from the following record in his journal, he was struggling with his head knowledge. There was no mention of him seeking the help of the Holy Spirit. He just did not know how. However, he was trying and seeking to practice what he believed. All was not lost.

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Day two: not as easy as it seems to be: humility, mourning, meek, righteousness
On this day number two, I continued to read further chapters in the Gospel of Matthew. Yesterday I thought the task was difficult as I would need to really ponder on what Jesus meant when He spoke those words. On the other hand, as what He spoke were not that many sentences, I thought it easy to summarize and perhaps even grouped some together as one action point. However, today’s readings were more difficult. In Matthew Chapter Four, I plunged into the Sermon on the Mount (which is considered an ideal as opposed to practicality in some Christian circle)!

I list below the eight crucial statements made by Jesus on the Mount of Olive.

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)

2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)

3. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)

4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6)

5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. (Matthew 5:7)

6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Matthew 5:8)

7. Blessed are the peace makers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9)

8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:10)

Application today

humility (poor in spirit)

In my younger days I thought blessing requirement number one referred to those who were poor materially. I was relatively poor as a young student with rather tight budget, and I thought it was easy to fulfill this blessing requirement. However, I later realized that it referred to a person who was humble enough to acknowledge that one was not qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven by one’s own efforts.

Without humility it is impossible to become God’s family members. Humility is difficult to learn and practice as by past training I tend to consider highly of myself. My wife said I still have a long way to go in un-learning my past arrogant self-talk. The good news is I accept my inability to save myself. I need God’s grace and undeserved favor. Whilst I can be assured of a place in the kingdom of heaven by faith in Jesus Christ, I need to work on being more humble so I can enjoy heaven on earth too.

mourning (for nations)

There was nothing to mourn over personally today so I have to skip statement number two. However when my mother passed away last April, we were comforted as we knew that she merely left for her favorite place, heaven, after ninety long years on earth. When I carried out chores for others’ parents I still thought of my mother and felt sadness and regret as I thought I had not paid more attention to my mother as I would have wanted to do in retrospect. Recently when my wife’s uncle passed away we mourned and were comforted too as he had also chosen to believe in Jesus whom we believe had come and led him home.

On the other hand, the original Biblical context was referred to Israel mourning over their captivity by foreign nations. Is there anything to mourn over for our nations? Plenty, I was told. I have recently joined a group (formed on the basis of Isaiah 62:6-7) of watchmen and watchwomen from various churches who decided to pray for our nations every Friday morning 6am to Saturday 6am. I participate in the Friday 6-7am watch and pray. We pray for nations’ deliverance from being held captive by all the vices (blasphemers, idolaters, violence, greed, corruptions, hatred, strives, pride, abuses of power by people in authority, immorality, children rebelling against parents, love of selves and money, waste of resources, unthankful and unholy etc) that had increased as the world progressed. I pray for my city. The more I pray the more I sense a commitment to this city and its total (physical, mental and spiritual) health and well being for the present and future generations.

In the Book of Prophet Isaiah (Chapter 61: 1-3), God has promised healing for the broken-hearted, liberty for the captives, comfort for all who mourn. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus confirmed what He had come to accomplish. Yes, those who mourn shall be comforted.

the meek (mild, patient, long-suffering)

This is a very desirable blessing requirement. Who does not want to inherit the earth/land and property? The meek shall inherit the earth. Two scenes come to mind, both present and future. In the present the meek shall not worry about having no share in a property. If that is what it means, it is good news to the landless and homeless. Al they need to do is to learn from Jesus as He urged in Matthew 11:29: “take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” In Psalm 37: 9, 11, it clearly stated that “those who wait on the Lord”, “the meek shall inherit the earth and they shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace”. Regardless of the present circumstances, as long as you wait on the Lord and follow Jesus, you are assured of your share and peaceful ownership of the earth at a future date.

How do I apply this requirement? Being truly meek is tough. Jesus said it is meekness in the heart, not outward show. Who sees the heart? Only God can see. Was I meek in heart today? To be honest, I do not think I was. I was in fact just the opposite when I read of positive comments about some of my blogs. (Repent!)

righteousness (being made right with god)

Was I hungry and thirsty today for righteousness? As I have mentioned earlier, I believe by believing in Jesus and accepting Him as my Savior and Lord, I have received His righteousness in my standing with God.

Today as I discussed with someone about the downright unfriendly (even to the point of being wicked) behavior and attitude of some non-believers, I felt indignant that they do not seek righteousness and are determined to oppose righteousness. How could anyone oppose such a wonderful gift? I thought. They probably considered me as a self-righteous person. How could I ever explain to them that the righteousness that we thirst for is that of Jesus, given by Jesus, not earned by anyone’s own effort? No-one can boast, indeed, not me. Come, be filled with all good things!

end of day review

I continued to provide company to my wife’s relatives: parents-in-law, two maids and an aunt, spending the whole morning in the hospital. I had to tolerate one and half hour driving in heavy traffic. The pluses came from my reading the Bible regardless the circumstances, being friendly and civil and thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with the aunt (in her mid-sixties but still fit and healthy), and the “worship” in the car listening to old worship and praise songs and saying amen to them. The minuses came from my grumbling and saying negative words or harboring negative thoughts against relatives who ill treated Christians. On the whole I scored rather badly as I was not meek or humble like Jesus was even when He was subjected to great humiliations and persecutions for being the Son of God, the Christ, the Messiah! On the other hand, the roof leaked badly and water poured down into the master room. I was not mad at the contractor who tried to fix the spot recently. I did not ask for refund and even agreed to pay him again to do a better job this time. So it appeared I could learn to be meek after all.

AAA Jack