peace . love . joy

mr Edmund Chan has kindly da ying le wo de qing qiu =] (thank u loads for replying my email, sir!!)

he's the guy that spoke the msg that i found real interesting and thus wanted to share with u pple (ref. Global Day of Prayer post) ..

basically, we were asked to re-examine a puzzling saying by Jesus on the Mount..

upon doing so, 3 main points were brought up :

the SINGLE TREASURE
Matthew 6:19-21
(19) Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. (20) But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

the SINGLE EYE
Matthew 6:22-23
(22) The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. (23) But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

the SINGLE MASTER
Matthew 6:24
(24) No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

in these verses,

1. gOd exposes one of the greatest problems of discipleship : Double-mindedness

notice the singular "eye" in the beginning of verse 22..this singleness is highlighted in the 21st century King James version ( the light of the body is the eye. If therefore thine eye is single, thy whole body shall be full of light.)

so wad exactly is this "eye" ? isit the heart? the mind? the perception?
this "eye" refers to and denotes a single-minded aim \ focus in life..

the problem, then, defined here is not worldly-minded Christians, but double-minded Chrisitans!..mr Chan used the illustration of the partial obedience of Saul ( 1 Samuel 15) to emphasize the problem of not being whole-hearted..

James 1:6-8
(6) But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (7) That man should not think he will receive anythg from the Lord; (8) he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

2 Chronicles 16:9
(9) For the eyes of the Lord ranged throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.

gOd wants hearts that are fully committed to Him..hearts that are completely His!!

2. gOd also warns us that double-mindedness leads to the Darkness of deception

Matthew 6:23 precedes Matthew 6:33 (But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well)

Jesus didnt say "Dont START" to store up treasures for yourselves on earth He said "STOP" doing that!!

the temptation to store up treasures here on earth no doubt is great, but we need to learn to see thgs long-term..

gOd doesnt want us to be good stewards of wad WE own..He wants us to be good stewards of wad HE owns!!

3. gOd wants to change our double-mindedness in All areas of our lives

when we look into ourselves, peel back all layers that envelopes us..what do we find??

do we find darkness??..emptiness??..

or do we find a blinding light??..do we find our Lord Jesus??..

on The Apprentice (and i've also heard frm sm pple) , the line "people do not change" is heard..that is actually the leading leadership mantra of North America..

the truth is people dont change by themselves..either they cant or they dont want to..but gOd CAN change them!!

(my fav verse : Luke 1:37 : For nothing is impossible with God.)

so in conclusion, we asked the Lord to change us..

but wad do we change FOR??..wad do we change TO??

the answer is found in Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

-- our single-minded focus : to seek FIRST the kingdom of gOd

gOd bLEsS

me