Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Seeking God's Kingdom

As I arrived at the office I immediately turned on my pc and browse through my bookmarks and clicked on biblegateway.com. This is the first thing I do every morning, read God's word first before I start with my work.
Today I read Matthew 6:33 which says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Seeking God in happy and comfortable situations is easy but when we are in trouble and in painful circumstances of our lives, God seems to be distant and out of reach. It is really hard to praise God if you're in the middle of a dilemma. Have your experienced that? Praising God even though it's hard? I think that's one of the things we should learn. That even if we are overwhelmed by our problems, we still have the time to look up and give praises and thanks to God. Because it's in these timse that we need Him more and it's in these times that He wants to be with us.
Matthew 6:33 gives us the wisdom that if we want to have the things that we desire in our lives we should seek God first. Making God your first priority is quite hard if you're not used to it. But if you always exercise that, it would be easy, so much easy even if we are drowned with trials. I remember one illustration that most of us have experienced, its with giving. If we are not used to tithing, then it would be harder to give when we are short of finances. That's why I myself have developed the love for giving. Since I As what the bible says, if we put God first in everything, we will have what we need. So even though i really need the money, I know God would be more happy and even bless me with more if I give to Him first. Some people can't just understand this logic of Christians hehe, but we know that sacrificing for God is always the best choice.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

A Child's Prayer

Dear God, are You still awake?
Have you got a minute or two?
You're pretty good at understanding
And I really need to talk to You.


You see, Mommy came to tuck me in,
Like she does every night.
I was trying to play a trick on her,
Since she can't see without the light.

I was going to close my eyes,
And pretend to be asleep.
But when I heard her crying,
I didn't dare let out a peep.

She started talking to you, God.
Did you hear the things she said?
Could You hear what she was saying
As she stood beside my bed?

Why would Mommy be so sad?
I wondered just what I had done,
And then I began to remember it all
As she named them one by one...

This morning we worked in the garden,
But, honest, I really didn't know
That if I picked all the little yellow blooms,
The tomatoes wouldn't grow!

Charlie and I were trying to be helpers,
'Cause I know that's what Mommy needs,
But I don't think she was too happy with us
When we pulled up carrots instead of weeds.

Mommy said we should stop for the day,
She decided we had helped quite enough.
I sure had worked up an appetite...
I didn't know gardening was so tough!

We had peanut-butter and jelly for lunch,
And I shared too much, I guess...
But I didn't realize until I was done
That Charlie had made such a mess.

Mommy said she needed a nap,
She had one of her headaches today.
She told me to keep an eye on my sister
And find something quiet to play.

Well, God, do You remember all those curls
You gave my little sister Jenny?
We played barber shop...very quietly...
And now, well, she doesn't have any.

Boy, was Mommy mad at me...
I had to go sit on my bed.
She said never to cut "people hair" again.
I guess I'll practice on Charlie instead.

We sat and watched poor old Albert,
I just knew he must be so bored
Going round and round in the same place all day,
Wouldn't You think so, Lord?

I didn't think it would hurt to let him out for a while,
I mean, mice need exercise, too
By the way, have You seen Albert lately?
He's been sort of missing since two.







Mommy sent us outside for the rest of the day.
She said we needed fresh air.
But when Daddy came home she told him
She was trying to get something out of her hair.

We thought Mommy needed cheering up,
So we decided to brighten her day.
But, God, did You see the look on her face
When we gave her that pretty bouquet?

We had gotten a little bit dirty,
So Mommy said to get in the tub
"Use soap this time," she reminded,
"and please don't forget to scrub."

Charlie didn't like the water too much,
But I lathered up real good.
I knew Mommy would be so proud of me
For cleaning up like I should.

I went downstairs to the table,
But during dinner it started to rain...
I'd forgotten to turn off the water, it seems,
And I hadn't unplugged the drain!

I decided right then it was just about time
To start getting ready for bed,
When Mommy said, "It's sure been a long day,"
And her face began turning all red.

I lay listening to Mommy,
As she told You about our day.
I thought about all of the things I had done
And I wondered what I should say.

I was just about to tell her
That I'd been awake all along,
And ask her to please forgive me
For all of those thing I'd done wrong.

When suddenly, I heard her whisper,
"God, forgive me for today...
For not being more understanding
When those problems came my way..."

"For not handling situations
In the way You want me to...
For getting angry and losing my temper,
Things I know You don't want me to do..."

"And, God, please, give me more patience,
Help me make it through another day,
I'll do better tomorrow, I promise...
In Jesus' name I pray."

Wiping her eyes, she kissed me
And knelt here beside my bed.
She strokes my hair for a little while...
"I love you, precious," Mommy said.

She left the room with out ever knowing
That I'd been awake all the time.
And God, could we make it our little secret?
You know, Just Yours and mine?

I'm sorry I was so much trouble today.
I really didn't mean to be...
Daddy says it's tough being a kid sometimes,
But I think it's harder on Mommy than me.

Well, goodnight, God. Thanks for listening.
It's sure nice to know You're there.
I feel so much better when I talk to You
'Cause You always hear my prayer.



And I'll do better tomorrow, I promise...
Just You wait and see!
I'll try not to be so much trouble again,
But, God, please give more patience to Mommy just, in case, for me?!

Monday, September 11, 2006

Brothers' Love

Two brothers worked together on the family farm. One was married and had a large family. The other was single. At the day's end, the brothers shared everything equally, produce and profit.

Then one day the single brother said to himself, "It's not right that we should share equally the produce and the profit. I'm alone and my needs are simple." So each night he took a sack of grain from his bin and crept across the field between their houses, dumping it into his brother's bin.

Meanwhile, the married brother said to himself, "Its not right that we should share the produce and the profit equally. After all, I'm married and I have my wife and my children to look after me in years to come. My brother has no one, and no one to take care of his future." So each night, he took a sack of grain and dumped it into his single brother's bin.

Both men were puzzled for years because their supply of grain never dwindled. Then one dark night the two brothers bumped into each other.

Slowly it dawned on them what was happening. They dropped their sacks and embraced one another.



Don't miss the boat.

Remember that we are all in the same boat.

Plan ahead. It wasn't raining
when Noah built the Ark.

Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone
may ask you to do something really big.

Don't listen to critics; just get on with
the job that needs to be done.

Build your future on high ground.

For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

Speed isn't always an advantage.
The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

When you're stressed, float a while.

Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs;
the Titanic by professionals.

No matter the storm, when you are with God,
there's always a rainbow waiting.

Saturday, September 9, 2006

An elderly woman had just returned to
her home from an evening of religious
service when she was startled by an
intruder. As she caught the man in the
act of robbing her home of its valuables,
she yelled, "Stop! Acts 2:38!"
(...turn from your sin...)
The burglar stopped dead in his tracks.
Then the woman calmly called the police
and explained what she had done.
As the officer cuffed the man to take him in,
he asked the burglar, "Why did you just
stand there? All the old lady was yell
a scripture at you."
"Scripture?" replied the burglar,
"She said she had an axe and two 38s!"

Thursday, September 7, 2006

Cute and delicious USBs











Wednesday, September 6, 2006

It would bring me more joy then I can say
If you would never forget
- not even for a single day -
How wonderful you are...
In my eyes and in my heart.
I'm so often at a loss to find the words
To tell you how much you mean to me.
In my imagination, I compare you with
Things like the sunshine in my mornings,
The most beautiful flowers in the fields, and
The happiness I feel on the best days of all.
You're like the answer to a special prayer,
And I think God knew
That my world needed
Someone exactly like you.