HOW VALUES IMPACT LIFESTYLE

What we truly cherish determines how we live our lives 

Recently, a man obsessed with superbikes had an accident. In his dying moments, as he was gasping for breath, he uttered, “Is my superbike alright?” It was surprising that he did not leave any parting words for his loved ones.

What do we truly cherish in life? What is the one thing that grieves our heart most if it is lost or taken away? How do we invest our time, talents and resources? To be honest, what do we think about most of the time?

A man is literally the product of his thinking. Based upon this important truth, author James Allen wrote his acclaimed self-help book, “As A Man Thinketh”.

Indeed, we become what we think about most of the time. This view concurs with what the Bible says in Proverbs 23:7: “As a man thinks in his heart, so does he become”.

How we live our lives depend on what we value most. Do we merely live for the ‘here and now’? Or do we live out our earthly lives in light of eternity?

If we choose to renew our mind with God’s word, our values and worldview will primarily be shaped by the truth—what truly matters when our earthly life is over.

If we continually sip at the springs of Living Water, God’s Word, we will embrace the mind of Christ, filled with humility and humble service (Philippians 2: 5-8). Furthermore, we will be imbued with heavenly wisdom, characterised by purity, peace, gentleness and good fruits (James 3:17).

Since we are in Christ, heavenly goals should be foremost in our mind.

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1-3).

As our bodies are degenerating day by day, our citizenship on earth is not going to be permanent.

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself”(Philippians 3:20-21).

We are merely pilgrims on a journey passing through the earth.

“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11).

Things invisible outlast things visible.

“For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18b).

James warns us not to be presumptuous about our earthly pursuits for life on earth is transient and uncertain.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

(James 4:13-15).

We are all “leasehold” though we may have freehold property.

Those who are wise must finally die,

    just like the foolish and senseless,

    leaving all their wealth behind.

The grave is their eternal home,

    where they will stay forever.

They may name their estates after themselves,

    but their fame will not last.

    They will die, just like animals.

(Psalm 49:10-12)

The glory of our achievements is like grass that fades away.

Peter reminds us that, one day, heaven and earth will be destroyed and they will be replaced by a new heaven and new earth (2 Peter 3:10-13). King Nebuchadnezzar, who prided himself concerning his achievements, how he had built the great Babylonian empire, was immediately was judged by God. He later turned into an animal that fed on grass (Daniel 4: 28-32).

                                                                             

In the final analysis, how we live out our lives is determined by our values and perspective of time.

• If we believe life is merely about the ‘here and now’, then we will just look forward to what the world has to offer and what our earthly toil can achieve for us.

• But if we think that time transcends our earthly existence, then our goals and aspirations in life will be determined by eternal values.

Caveat: It is not implied that hard work is negative, that productive human endeavor is to be discouraged or that we should not enjoy the fruits of our labour with grateful hearts.

“Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God” (Ecclesiastes 5:18-19).

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SETTING OUR HOUSE IN ORDER

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DO YOU EVER SEARCH YOUR HEART?

(IS HE SATISFIED WITH ME?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQSBvBhR7rc

Do you ever search your heart,

As you watch the day depart.

Is there something way down deep

you try to hide?

If this day should be the end,

And eternity began,

When the book is open wide,

Would the Lord be satisfied?

Is He satisfied? is He satisfied?

Is He satisfied with me?

Have I done my best, have I stood the test?

Is He satisfied with me?

When my Lord shall come again,

When He walks and talks with man,

What if every friend He had

were just like me?

Would He feel welcome here?

Or would He go away in tears?

Am I all that I should be?

Is He satisfied with me?

Feeble is the lamp of fame,

By which man inscribes his name,

On the walls of time for other

men to see.

Though he boast of wealth and power,

None can help him in that hour,

When the angels hear His plea,

Is He satisfied with me?

Is He satisfied? Is He satisfied?

HAVE MIRACLES CEASED?

How would you respond when someone says he has been miraculously healed? Do miracles still exist today? 

If I may venture an opinion—if God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, and the Holy Spirit lives within believers—how could miracles ever cease today? The assertion that miracles, signs and wonders have completely ceased is erroneous. It is like trying to put God in a box. It is akin to the clay telling the Potter what He ought to do.

Thus, miracles are still happening today because spirit-filled believers allow the living God to work through them.

However, the signs and wonders we see today cannot match that of the early church in its scale, quality and impact. In the fledgling first century church, miracles were not only instrumental in its phenomenal growth but accounted for its resilience amid severe persecution. 

For example, in the book of Acts, people were raised from dead and healing by means was possible through the shadow or handkerchief of the apostle. How often do such miracles occur today? Though the same God is at work throughout the ages, the dispensation differs for each era.

As we consider the subject of miracles, we must not forget that false signs and wonders are going to be a prominent feature in these end times that we are now living in. This is consistent  with Jesus’ end time warning: “For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones” (Matthew 24:24).

                                                                       

When the apostle Peter healed the crippled man at the temple gate, did he preplan the act? (Acts 3:1-10). Did he tell the crowds to come and observe him as he healed that man? Were there marketing teams to publicise the event? Did he become rich and famous out of his special anointing? Were there lights, camera, special music and ambience to “prime” people to receive healing?

Even so, when genuine servants of God perform signs and wonders today, they usually do not hog the limelight. Their motives are pure; they do not use their gifting or anointing to pursue money, fame and power.

In contrast, false miracle workers often perform their “miraculous acts” in a “controlled environment” filled with many seekers and spectators. People are naturally drawn to the miraculous, thinking that anything supernatural must be from God. So the former exploit people’s needs (eg. sicknesses) and fascination with the miraculous, using them as springboards to fame and fortune. After all, it takes two hands to clap.

Of unscrupulous miracle workers, Jesus has this to say:

• “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves” (Matthew 7:15).

• “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’”(Matthew 7:21-23).

While some believers think miracles have completely ceased, others earnestly pursue signs and wonders. Both viewpoints, which are on opposite poles of the ‘signs and wonders’ debate, are false. One is too conservative. The other, obsessed with and captivated by miracles, seems to be a move of the Holy Spirit but is not. The truth is to be found in the middle of the spectrum.

People who assert that miracles have ceased draw conclusions merely based on intellectual arguments and their limited experience of the supernatural realm. The truth can only be grasped by those with spiritual discernment and experience apart from knowledge and wisdom. Who do you think has better understanding—the former or later?

While we should keep an open mind with regards to miracles, we must not be mesmerised by awe-inspiring signs and wonders. A person who is miraculously healed of an incurable disease will, one day, still have to die. What constitutes the greatest “miracle”? It is the new birth—when people are translated from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of light (John 3: 5-8, 1 Peter 2:9). All men are sinners by birth. But, by faith in the sacrificial death of Christ at the cross, they become children of God.

To reiterate:

• Miracles certainly have not ceased today though its scale and quality probably cannot match that found in the early church.

• When we consider miracles today, we have to be vigilant against deception—because false miracle workers exploit people’s needs and obsession with miracles for their own fame and fortune.

• The greatest miracle is not that someone gets healed of an incurable disease; it’s the miracle of the new birth.

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DOES GOD HEAL ALWAYS?

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