Programmed For Blessings

Yesterday was the 14th day of the Chinese Lunar 7th month and I remember as a young boy how my mother would remind me to be extra careful how I behaved and where I would walk at night particularly on that evening. 14th day of the seventh month is what the Taoists and Buddhists would believe is the day when the spirits which had been granted a one-month reprieve to roam the world would be the most active - that night i like their feast day and therefore most active day.

As I was reflecting on this, the Holy Spirit reminded me how much the fallen nature of Man gone gone. Of all the things in this world we can recall from memory quickly, have you noticed that it is these negative thoughts that are uppermost on our minds. The Lord has been generous in His blessings toward us and has been reminding us time and again how good He is and yet so quickly we forget His grace and mercy toward us and we choose to dwell on the negatives.

Oh, how we have been so ingrained to remember what we learnt as children that when we encounter the goodness of the Lord, we doubt Him and miss the treasure by more than a mile. We allow all the negativities to crowd us and block out the blessings that is ours to take but we don't.

Therefore, as Paul wrote in Romans 12:1-2, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices,holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Battling the SPAM Challenge

Recently I have been receiving a number of unsolicited SPAM mails from all kinds of senders including many in Chinese which unfortunately (maybe it is fortunate that I don't read Chinese) I had to delete.  Is this a sign of the times? creating disruptions wherever possible? Or is it coincidental that I became a victim because some of my friend's outdated email accounts were corrupted by computer viruses and this resulted in the proliferation of virus-inspired SPAM mails.

Whatever it is, one thing this entire episode has taught me - I need to be more vigilant and not be too flustered with all these minor challenges and continue on with living life the way our Lord wants it done - in a restful mode and not letting my heart become troubled and burdened but believing that He had DONE everything that is needed to be accomplished and to stand on victory ground because what had been achieved by Him needs to resonate in our spirit-man and then this will work itself out in our natural-man and come alive.

Thanks For The Time

A friend sent this to me over the weekend and I found it very touching and I want to share it with you my 'followers' and readers.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. ONCE YOU READ THIS YOU WILL UNDERSTAND!

A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door.
It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.
Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days. "Jack, did you hear me?" 
"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said. "Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him. 
"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said. 
"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said. "He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important... Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said. 
As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time. Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture... .Jack stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.  "The box is gone," he said.
"What box?" Mom asked. "There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said. 
It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it. "Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."
It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.
"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. 
Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:  "Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser." 
"The thing he valued most was...my time" 
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days.  "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked. 
"I need some time to spend with my son," he said. "Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!"

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away,"