REAL SUCCESS

I have thought about this recently. Well, it is not bad to work hard and get rich. I wonder why some people are rich and some are poor. I wonder why some people suffer and some are enjoying life. I am thinking about what my life would be in the next few years but I really don't know what's the plan of GOD for my life... only God knows. I have read this article few minutes ago.

Success
By J. Steven Lang

CBN.com -- Norman Vincent Peale defined success as "the development of a mature and constructive personality." This is certainly closer to the Bible's view than most people's. We usually define success in terms of money, power, influence -- and being envied, of course. This is not the view of the Bible. In fact, the New Testament assures Jesus' followers that they may endure hardship -- but not necessarily success in the usual sense.

Don't let this discourage you. Our Lord did not tell us to give up all the pleasures of the world. He merely told us that there were higher, better things -- things that would last forever, and things that make worldly success seem trivial. Jesus proved this at the beginning of his earthly ministry, when he was tempted to make himself a worldly success:

Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by the Devil.

The Devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him the nations of the world and all their glory. "I will give it all to you," he said, "if you will only kneel down and worship me."

"Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say, `You must worship the Lord your God; serve only him.'"

Matthew 4:1, 8-10

Jesus answered, "I am not an earthly king. My Kingdom is not of this world."

John 18:36

"How do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul?"

Matthew 16:26

Those in frequent contact with the things of the world should make good use of them without becoming attached to them, for this world and all it contains will pass away.

1 Corinthians 7:31

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

Romans 12:2

Where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world's brilliant debaters? God has made them all look foolish and has shown their wisdom to be useless nonsense. Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose those who are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important, so that no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

1 Corinthians 1:20

God purchased you at a high price. Don't be enslaved by the world.

1 Corinthians 7:23

God forbid that I should boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world died long ago, and the world's interest in me is also long dead. What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people. May God's mercy and peace be upon all those who live by this principle. They are the new people of God.

Galatians 6:14-16

Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.

1 Timothy 6:17

Don't you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can't be a friend of God.

James 4:4

Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world. And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever.

1 John 2:15

"Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who despise their life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

John 12:25

WHERE AM I

I think it's two months already since I've posted my last post. Some of my time was spent to myLot... (an online community forum). I am enjoying my stay their... meeting different people from different place with different culture... the way they live. I have mentioned on my previous post that I am studying the basic computer troubleshooting... I am focusing to it right now.

HOW'S MY BLOG

For almost two months I wasn't able to be here... posting updates on my blog. Well, here I am again. I just can't think for a topic be posted in here.

Here's the highlight of my life for almost months.

On April 10, I started my school, it's a short term (just 6 months, 3 months training and 3 months OJT). I have met some other people out there. I talked some of them, just knowing each other... we're talking about plan in the future... and a lot more about life. Our class starts at 8 o'clock and I often came late. You know, I work from 4pm to 12 midnight, then wake up at 6:30, + travel and traffic. We're agreed that whoever comes late, he should sing, dance or push up... as a punishment. One time I came late... I chose to sing, I really don't like dancing at all and I don't like pushing up... I am really tired at my work plus that one. When I am about to sing, they're trying to suggest what they want me to sing. I still believe the fact that I am different from them. I am not like them... so, I sung the "enough" by Chris Tomlin. They heard something different and that helped them to think that I am different.

During my stay in school... I've learned something BUT I really don't like the way our Instructor treated us. I believe that the responsibility of teachers is to teach their students willingly. We felt that our Instructor is not willing to teach us. When you ask question to him he just answer you this phrase "go research and learn by yourself". I wonder if he is a teacher or not. I'd not say that he is bad enough, you know, we can never be perfect. We only want knowledge, and that's the only reason we've spent our time at that school. Any we're learning by ourselves! :)

We had our graduation last June 14. I felt happy, it's an accomplishment. I am planning to take another course, computer-related still, programming perhaps.

This is all about my school.

DISCUSSING DIFFERENT TOPICS ONLINE

I really miss posting new topics here.

I have having fun participating discussion on the internet. A lot of different topics...http://www.mylot.com/?ref=jalbeos

I believe this would help me on how to deal different situations.

HOW TO PRACTICE UNITY

This teaching is taken from Xenos.Org

Show love and respect for Christians outside your own church. This is not to imply that we need not show love and respect for non-Christians! It is to say that non-Christians need to also see a special kinship between Christians at work, etc.

We may have important differences with other true Christians over doctrine, how we do church, etc.--differences big enough that we are probably better off being committed to different churches. But we need to remember that what we have in common far outweighs our differences. I worry that many Xenos people do not do this enough. It's great to feel excited about your church, but don't become arrogant and view other Christians and Christian churches as enemies! Not only is this arrogant and cultic--it is also ugly for non-Christians to see.

Instead, we should be warm and affectionate when you run into Christians from other churches that you know. We should also show genuine interest in what God is teaching them and how he is working through them.

One of the best ways to demonstrate this unity is to work with Christians from other churches in some common ministry.

For 16 years I have been teaching a Bible study at a nursing home here in town. It has been great to see many people come to Christ in the last years of their lives. It has also been great to work with other Christians from different churches as we reach out to the people in the nursing home.

You can collaborate with other Christians in your neighborhood to pray for your neighbors and work together in reaching out to them. You can do the same with associates at work.

But as important as this is, the New Testament emphasizes another kind of unity far more. Be "in fellowship" instead of merely "going to church." I hate the phrase "going to church" because it implies the church is a building, when the Bible says the church is the people who know Christ. But even if we change "going to church" to "attending Central Teaching," there is still a big difference between this and being "in fellowship."

"Fellowship" means sharing something in common. To be in fellowship with other Christians means that you are regularly sharing your common relationship with Christ with other Christians: discussing what you are learning from his Word, sharing how he is changing your life, talking to Christ together, urging each other to stay faithful to Christ, working together to serve others, showing appropriate affection toward one another, etc.

If you come here very long, you'll hear this slogan: "Xenos is not a large meeting-based church that also has home-groups; it is home-group-based church that also has large meetings." The reason for this is simple: Christian fellowship flourishes in home groups in a way that can never happen at a meeting like this. If you know Christ, you should view this meeting as a complement to your involvement in home group, not a substitute for it. Being in fellowship will strengthen and feed your walk with Christ tremendously, and it will help you reach your non-Christian friends for Christ much more effectively.

Another way you know when you're "in fellowship" is when you get hurt, offended, disappointed, etc. When this happens, do you withdraw and dismiss--or do you work hard to maintain these relationships?

Consider this passage (read Eph. 4:1-3). You can hear Paul echoing Jesus is Jn. 17 as he reminds us of the importance of unity as we seek to represent Christ. He is utterly realistic about the difficulty of maintaining this kind of unity between sinful, fallen people--so he reminds us of what we need to cultivate to do this.

I need to ask God for the humility to see my own contribution to the conflict (and apologize for it), instead of just focusing on the other person's.

I need to ask God for the gentleness to treat my brother or sister as precious rather than brutally lashing out at or smashing him. And I need to apologize when I blow it here.

I need to ask God for patience and forbearance (and forgiveness) when they hurt me or don’t change as quickly as I want them to--just as I am thankful that God extends this to me.

For those of us who are "in fellowship," this is a constant challenge. I can't always restore every strained relationship, but I am responsible to do my part as God shows me. This is a great training ground for my own growth, and it safeguards the unity that intangibly affects and attracts non-Christians who interact with us.

THE MORE WE READ, THE BETTER WE KNOW JESUS

I was reading about the secrets of "ABUNDANT LIFE". This is only a portion of an outline from ExecutableOutlines.Com

THE MORE WE READ, THE BETTER WE KNOW JESUS...

1. As simple as it sounds, Bible reading is the catalyst to the abundant life

By reading we come to know
By knowing we come to love
By loving we come to obey
By obeying we come to abide
By abiding we come to bear fruit
By bearing fruit we experience the abundant life

2. Yet many Christians neglect the Word of God

Even though its value in bearing fruit is seen even in Psa. 1:1-3
How sad when we now have the full revelation of the New Testament

-- Neglecting the Word of God is why many do not experience the abundant life!

HOLY IS THE LORD MUSIC VIDEO - Chris Tomlin's (Daniel Choo)

Chris Tomlin's Song by: Daniel Choo