December 1, 2007
Krakatoa
READ: 2 Peter 3:1-13
The heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. —2 Peter 3:10
In 1883, the greatest volcanic explosion in modern history took place. Krakatoa, an island volcano along the Indonesian arc, shot 6 cubic miles of soil, rock, vegetation, and animal and human life 24 miles up into the stratosphere. Its shockwave traveled around the world seven times, and its debris fell as far as Madagascar—more than 2,000 miles away!
At the time of Krakatoa’s explosion, Captain Sampson of the British vessel Norham Castle was nearby and wrote in his log: “I am writing this blind in pitch darkness. We are under continual rain of pumice-stone and dust. So violent are the explosions that the ear-drums of over half my crew have been shattered. . . . I am convinced that the Day of Judgment has come.”
Captain Sampson believed that the world was coming to an end. The explosion does seem to fit 2 Peter 3:10, “The heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat.” As terrible as Krakatoa was, though, it did not signal the end of the world.
Crisis has a way of shaking us out of complacency. It reminds us this world is not our home and encourages us to be godly (v.11). When it feels as if our personal world is coming to an end, we should focus on living for eternity.
—Dennis Fisher
A Prayer
Lord, my desire is to live for You whether circumstances are good or bad. Help me to focus on Your purposes. Show me today in Your Word what You want me to do.
Trusting God can turn a crisis into a treasure.
2 Peter 3
The Day of the Lord
1Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
3First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 5But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.[a]
11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.[b]That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
was taken from:
http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb-12-01-07.shtml
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Peter%203:1-13&version=31;
Friday, November 30, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Straight To Heaven
November 18, 2007
Straight To Heaven
READ: John 3:1-8
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name . . . by which we must be saved. —Acts 4:12
An old spiritual warns, “Everybody talkin’ ’bout heaven ain’t goin’ there.” Since heaven is God’s dwelling place where His presence and glory are manifested in all their splendor, He has the sovereign right to determine who will be admitted and under what conditions. Any other beliefs about the how and why of admission into heaven are sadly mistaken.
Take, for example, the confidence expressed by a well-known actress. Questioned about her faith, she replied, “I pray. I read the Bible. It’s the most beautiful book ever written. I should go to heaven; otherwise it’s not nice. I haven’t done anything wrong. My conscience is very clean. My soul is as white as those orchids over there, and I should go straight, straight to heaven.”
God alone determines who goes straight to heaven. In the Bible, God’s holy Word, He tells us that only those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior will be admitted. The apostle Peter said, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Self-judgment regarding the purity of one’s soul and one’s heaven-deserving character is not the criterion. Only God’s Word gives us the standard for admission. —Vernon C Grounds—
I must needs go home by the way of the cross,There’s no other way but this;I shall ne’er get sight of the gates of light,If the way of the cross I miss. —Pounds
Christ believed is salvation received and heaven gained.
John 3
Jesus Teaches Nicodemus 1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.[a]"
4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You[c] must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
was taken from: http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb.shtml
Straight To Heaven
READ: John 3:1-8
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name . . . by which we must be saved. —Acts 4:12
An old spiritual warns, “Everybody talkin’ ’bout heaven ain’t goin’ there.” Since heaven is God’s dwelling place where His presence and glory are manifested in all their splendor, He has the sovereign right to determine who will be admitted and under what conditions. Any other beliefs about the how and why of admission into heaven are sadly mistaken.
Take, for example, the confidence expressed by a well-known actress. Questioned about her faith, she replied, “I pray. I read the Bible. It’s the most beautiful book ever written. I should go to heaven; otherwise it’s not nice. I haven’t done anything wrong. My conscience is very clean. My soul is as white as those orchids over there, and I should go straight, straight to heaven.”
God alone determines who goes straight to heaven. In the Bible, God’s holy Word, He tells us that only those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior will be admitted. The apostle Peter said, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Self-judgment regarding the purity of one’s soul and one’s heaven-deserving character is not the criterion. Only God’s Word gives us the standard for admission. —Vernon C Grounds—
I must needs go home by the way of the cross,There’s no other way but this;I shall ne’er get sight of the gates of light,If the way of the cross I miss. —Pounds
Christ believed is salvation received and heaven gained.
John 3
Jesus Teaches Nicodemus 1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.[a]"
4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You[c] must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
was taken from: http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb.shtml
Saturday, November 17, 2007
New Bodies
November 17, 2007
New Bodies
READ: 1 Corinthians 15:42-49
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross. —Hebrews 12:2
In 1728, a young Ben Franklin composed his own tombstone epitaph:
The body of B. Franklin, printer, like the cover of an old book, its contents worn out, and stript of its lettering and gilding, lies here, food for worms. Yet the work shall not be lost; for it will as he believ’d appear once more, in a new & more beautiful edition, corrected and amended by the Author.
In this epitaph, the wry wit of Franklin, the colonial Renaissance man, rings true to the biblical view of resurrection. The bodies we now possess are prone to aging, physical decline, and ultimately death. But the resurrection of Jesus Christ holds within it the promise of a new supernatural body raised in glory. The apostle Paul tells us, “The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power” (1 Cor. 15:42-43).
As life takes its course in the aging process, we have the hope of a new body that will far outshine the original. Despite our aches and pains, our destiny belongs safely in the hands of “Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). —Dennis Fisher—
New bodies will be ours somedayAccording to God’s grand design,Forever with the Lord to reign—Praise God for the promise divine! —Hess
In the twinkling of an eye . . . we shall be changed. —The Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 15:52)
was taken from: http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb.shtml
New Bodies
READ: 1 Corinthians 15:42-49
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross. —Hebrews 12:2
In 1728, a young Ben Franklin composed his own tombstone epitaph:
The body of B. Franklin, printer, like the cover of an old book, its contents worn out, and stript of its lettering and gilding, lies here, food for worms. Yet the work shall not be lost; for it will as he believ’d appear once more, in a new & more beautiful edition, corrected and amended by the Author.
In this epitaph, the wry wit of Franklin, the colonial Renaissance man, rings true to the biblical view of resurrection. The bodies we now possess are prone to aging, physical decline, and ultimately death. But the resurrection of Jesus Christ holds within it the promise of a new supernatural body raised in glory. The apostle Paul tells us, “The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power” (1 Cor. 15:42-43).
As life takes its course in the aging process, we have the hope of a new body that will far outshine the original. Despite our aches and pains, our destiny belongs safely in the hands of “Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). —Dennis Fisher—
New bodies will be ours somedayAccording to God’s grand design,Forever with the Lord to reign—Praise God for the promise divine! —Hess
In the twinkling of an eye . . . we shall be changed. —The Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 15:52)
was taken from: http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb.shtml
Friday, November 16, 2007
His Promises
November 16, 2007
2,000-Year-Old Sprout
ODB RADIO: Listen Now DownloadREAD: Psalm 92:12-15
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree. . . . They shall still bear fruit in old age. —Psalm 92:12,14
In June of 2006, Israeli doctors and scientists successfully germinated a 2,000-year-old date palm seed. Found at the Herodian fortress of Masada on the west bank of the Dead Sea, the seed was tagged “Methuselah” for the man with the oldest recorded age in the Bible (Gen. 5:27). In addition to the challenge of awakening a long-dormant seed, the team also wanted to learn more about the tree praised in Scripture for its shade, food, beauty, and medicinal qualities.
The date palm has an important role in the Bible. In the Old Testament, the tree is linked to the temple and presence of God. The New Testament describes excited crowds praising God and throwing palm branches at the feet of Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.
God’s promise to bless the world through a descendant of Abraham also lay dormant for 2,000 years (see Gen. 12:1-3). Finally, the Seed of promise sprouted. That Seed was Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah. Soon the story of His resurrected life would go out to every nation on earth.
The miracle is now ours to experience. Time is not a factor. Neither is the barren ground of circumstance. All that matters is that we allow our hearts to be the soil in which Christ is welcomed and worshiped. —Mart De Haan—
God’s promise like a tiny seed May seem to be an empty thing, But hidden in that tiny seed Is life that waits the warmth of spring. —D. De Haan
God never makes a promise that He will not keep.
Psalm 92:12-15
12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the LORD,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, "The LORD is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him."
2,000-Year-Old Sprout
ODB RADIO: Listen Now DownloadREAD: Psalm 92:12-15
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree. . . . They shall still bear fruit in old age. —Psalm 92:12,14
In June of 2006, Israeli doctors and scientists successfully germinated a 2,000-year-old date palm seed. Found at the Herodian fortress of Masada on the west bank of the Dead Sea, the seed was tagged “Methuselah” for the man with the oldest recorded age in the Bible (Gen. 5:27). In addition to the challenge of awakening a long-dormant seed, the team also wanted to learn more about the tree praised in Scripture for its shade, food, beauty, and medicinal qualities.
The date palm has an important role in the Bible. In the Old Testament, the tree is linked to the temple and presence of God. The New Testament describes excited crowds praising God and throwing palm branches at the feet of Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.
God’s promise to bless the world through a descendant of Abraham also lay dormant for 2,000 years (see Gen. 12:1-3). Finally, the Seed of promise sprouted. That Seed was Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah. Soon the story of His resurrected life would go out to every nation on earth.
The miracle is now ours to experience. Time is not a factor. Neither is the barren ground of circumstance. All that matters is that we allow our hearts to be the soil in which Christ is welcomed and worshiped. —Mart De Haan—
God’s promise like a tiny seed May seem to be an empty thing, But hidden in that tiny seed Is life that waits the warmth of spring. —D. De Haan
God never makes a promise that He will not keep.
Psalm 92:12-15
12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the LORD,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, "The LORD is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him."
Friday, November 09, 2007
Happy-Bithday-Study-in-PSU-HatYai
Dear God,
Thank you very much for today.
One year ago, you make me arrive in this University.
Thank you for one year for me to study.
Thank you for everything that you give me…..
You give me scholarship to come to this Master Program that I, we-my family wait for a long time, about 6 year…. Thank you to make us learn how to wait God’s time. Thank you for first semester that you make me success to finish. Thank you for the second semester. I can not finished if not because You. You, Lord God help me to pass the semesters. Bless my Advisor, bless Co-Advisors, Committee, Administration, and all of my friends that help me to study, learn how to learn, to learn how unique Thai peoples, traditions, styles, and many things. Thank you for room, meals, and so on until now. Thank you for Your promises Lord God. Your promises are true. True from Your views. Your views is too large for me, sometime I cannot understand. Please help me to understand Lord God. And what should I do. Thank you for many friends. Bless all persons that I meet. Thanks for coloring my seconds, minutes, days, weeks, month, till one year today. I could not count your gifts. Thank you for all that I know. Thank you for all that I don’t know. Give me wisdom to understand Your will Lord God, and follow it through. Help me to do as Your will. Because Your will is the best for me. Your will is my rest, my hope, my ways. Your ways is the best for us. Thank you Jesus. Thank you. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen
Thank you very much for today.
One year ago, you make me arrive in this University.
Thank you for one year for me to study.
Thank you for everything that you give me…..
You give me scholarship to come to this Master Program that I, we-my family wait for a long time, about 6 year…. Thank you to make us learn how to wait God’s time. Thank you for first semester that you make me success to finish. Thank you for the second semester. I can not finished if not because You. You, Lord God help me to pass the semesters. Bless my Advisor, bless Co-Advisors, Committee, Administration, and all of my friends that help me to study, learn how to learn, to learn how unique Thai peoples, traditions, styles, and many things. Thank you for room, meals, and so on until now. Thank you for Your promises Lord God. Your promises are true. True from Your views. Your views is too large for me, sometime I cannot understand. Please help me to understand Lord God. And what should I do. Thank you for many friends. Bless all persons that I meet. Thanks for coloring my seconds, minutes, days, weeks, month, till one year today. I could not count your gifts. Thank you for all that I know. Thank you for all that I don’t know. Give me wisdom to understand Your will Lord God, and follow it through. Help me to do as Your will. Because Your will is the best for me. Your will is my rest, my hope, my ways. Your ways is the best for us. Thank you Jesus. Thank you. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen
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