Commitment To A Habit

by Rev. James Wong

The habit here refers to habits that promotes spiritual growth. Spiritual growth must be intentional. There is no such thing as natural spiritual growth though there is such a thing as natural physical growth.

A century ago, Samuel Smiles made this observation:

Sow a thought and you reap an act;
Sow an act and you reap a habit;
Sow a habit and you reap a character;
Sow a character and you reap a destiny.

Everything begins with a thought. If we have an ‘indifferent habit’ in thinking about health, we naturally will not take notice about our health until the day our body breaks down and demands our attention for repair. The thinking patterns of our mind can become known as the habit of the mind. Our thinking will control us to act in a certain way and if we repeat that action long enough it becomes our habit.

It is rightly said that human beings are creatures of habits. We are driven by our habits in our daily living. We either develop good habits or bad habits. When habits are formed they become our natural tendencies and these become our character which will impact our destiny.

For example, if we have a judgmental attitude we will have a habit to criticize others. In the end, others will avoid us. This lonesome destiny is a direct result of our character of being critical of others.

Some habits will cause us to backslide in our spiritual walk with God. One example is the habit of not having fellowship with other Christians.
Hebrews 10:25 says: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Not being in fellowship with the church or other Christians can become a habit that leads us further from the family of God. So, our habits can make us or break us.

What are the spiritual habits that we must form in order to become a disciple of Jesus Christ? That is the focus of this Sunday’s sermon.

Commitment To A Habit

Making A difference in 2010 (2)


The Development of Spiritual Habits

1. The Habits of Time with God's Words
A disciple follows Christ’s Word
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." ~John 8:31-32

2. The Habit of Prayer
A disciple prays and bear fruits
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” ~John 15:7-8

3. The Habit of Tithing
A disciple is not possessed by his possession
“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” ~Luke 14:33

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” ~Mal 3:10

4. The Habit of Fellowahip
A disciple expresses love for other believers
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." ~John 13:34-35

When serving God, listen to your heart

by Rick Warren

A man's heart reflects the man. Proverbs 27:19 (NIV)

The Bible uses the term "heart" to describe the bundle of desires, hopes, interests, ambitions, dreams, and affections that you have. Your heart represents the source of all your motivations -- what you love to do and what you care about most. Even today, we still use the word in this way when we say, "I love you with all my heart."

The Bible says what is in your heart is what you really are, not what others think you are, or what circumstances force you to be (Proverbs 27:19). Your heart is the real you. It determines why you say the things you do, why you feel the way you do, and why you act the way you do.

Physically, each of us has a unique heartbeat. Just as we each have unique thumbprints, eye prints, and voiceprints, our hearts beat in slightly different patterns. It's amazing that out of all the billions of people who've ever lived, no one has ever had a heartbeat exactly like yours.

In the same way, God has given each of us a unique emotional "heartbeat" that races when we think about the subjects, activities, or circumstances that interest us. We instinctively care about some things and not about others. These are clues to where you should be serving.

Another word for heart is passion. There are certain subjects that you feel deeply passionate about and others that you couldn't care less about. Some experiences turn you on and capture your attention, while others turn you off or bore you to tears. These reveal the nature of your heart; listen for inner promptings that can point to the ministry God intends for you to have.

When you were growing up you may have discovered that you were intensely interested in some subjects that no one else in your family cared about.
Where did those interests come from? They came from God!

God had a purpose in giving you these inborn interests. Your emotional heartbeat is a key to understanding your shape for service. Don't ignore your interests; consider how they might be used for God's glory. There is a reason that you love to do these things. Listen for inner promptings that can point to the ministry God intends for you to have.

How to be A Friendly Person

-To win others for Christ-

"A man who has friends must himself be friendly,” Proverbs 18:24 (NKJV)

1. Friendliness is doing what makes others feel comfortable. It's not about me; it's about you. When someone says, "Talking to someone I don't know well makes me feel uncomfortable," they are still focused on themselves. Jesus said: "If anyone wants to come with me, he must forget himself, take up his cross every day, and follow me” (Luke 9:23-24 TEV).

2. Smile and take the initiative to speak. Smile and do not wait for the other person to speak first. This might be your new skill. But as you learn this skill it will become second nature. Having friends is about being a friend. This requires time, thought and effort. Take the first step and be a friend to someone.

3. Speak audibly and speak in complete sentences. Speak up. When someone says something to you, say something back. One word answers, like yes or no, kill a conversation. When answering a question, add an explanatory sentence or two. "Yes, we went. It was really good. The best part was …”

4. When you are not sure what to say, ask questions. What have you been doing today? What is that you are holding? Where are you going for the Chinese New Year? Ask a question and listen.

5. Be a good listener. Instead of planning what you are going to say next, listen to what the other person is saying. Ask questions about what is said to gain a better understanding. When the Bible says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15), it is saying, take a genuine interest in the other person's feelings.

6. Always help people save face. Embarrass me or save me from embarrassment – either way – I will remember you. People don't mind having friends who are smarter, but they don't want friends who make them feel stupid. Instead, when someone slips and says something silly that makes others laugh, come to their rescue. "Well, it is true that. . ." Help your friends to save face.

7. Be humble but don't put yourself down. When we put ourselves down, it makes others feel awkward. People don't know what to say. Being humble doesn't mean you need to feel inferior. Humility gives you a magnetic personality. Jesus was known to be friends of sinners.

Religious Harmony

Wild-boar heads found at two PJ mosques
(http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/122973)
Jimadie Shah Othman
Jan 27, 2010. 10:53am

Four wild-boar heads were thrown early this morning into the compound of two mosques along Jalan Klang Lama, a major road in the southwest of Kuala Lumpur.

The heads were found in the compound of Masjid Taman Dato Harun and Masjid Taman Seri Sentosa, both in Petaling Jaya and about 3km apart.

Two severed heads were seen lying inside the main gate of Masjid Jumburiyah in Taman Dato Harun and another two heads near the parking area of Masjid Al-Iman Al-Tirmizi in Taman Seri Sentosa. ...

This is the latest in a string of desecrations of places of worship across the country over the past three weeks involving 11 churches, a Sikh temple, one mosque and two surau.

The attacks were triggered by the High Court's Dec 31, 2009 decision to lift a government ban on non-Muslims using the term 'Allah' as a translation for 'God'.

The ruling in favour of Catholic newspaper Herald, which argued for the right to use 'Allah' in its Malay-language section, was suspended last week pending an appeal after the government argued that 'Allah' was exclusive to Malay Muslims.

Prayer Of Enduring Significance

Use Your Faith Energy

A new mind and a new language
By Dr. David Yonggi Cho


1. THINK SUCCESS
On a daily basis, I dream and pray about the evangelization of Korea and the whole world. I have always thought it to be possible. That is the reason for our Internet webcast ministry which has been spreading the Gospel through the Internet all over the world. Also, in order to facilitate the evangelization of Korea, I have a dream of pioneering 5009 churches in Korea over the next 10 years. Many have told me it would be impossible. However, the Holy Spirit has assured me, and I have been researching and putting the dream into action.

No matter what difficulties you may face, say to yourself, “I can succeed!” Continually think of succeeding. When you do so, you will indeed find success. On the other hand, when you think, “”Maybe I will fail,” your very fear of failure will cause you to fail. I know of no person who thought of failure and succeeded. There are instances where you will fail in spite of thinking of success. Many people have their faith shaken thinking, “I only thought of success; why did I fail?”

A deacon faced a day in court over a real estate matter. He prayed to God for help and only thought of winning the case. He stood before the judge with confidence. Unfortunately, the decision went against him. The devastated deacon said, “If God is alive, how could He do this to me?” His very faith was being put into question. Why did he lose his case in spite of diligent prayer and thinking of success?

When you study at a school, you pay tuition. From elementary to university, you need to pay a certain amount of tuition. No matter what it is you are learning, you need to pay a tuition fee for your education. It is the same in society. In any society, there is a price in learning the ways of survival in a society. When people invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in a business and fail in the business, they lament the loss of their hard-earned money. When people pay thousands of dollars to defend themselves in court but lose, they believe the money was a big waste. That is not so. It was tuition for a greater learning experience, which could lead to even greater success.

Whether in society, at home, or at church, if we are afraid to pay for the cost of learning from failure, we may never find success. Although failure may be a terribly bitter experience, it can be a learning experience leading to success. Rather than despairing over failure, you must be positive. You must consider it as tuition toward success.

You should even accept your failure as part of your future success. You should not think of anything else except your future success. Think and speak only of succeeding. Dream about success, think success, and live a successful life.

“Maybe I will fail,. What if I fail?” If you think like this and despair, you will not have the productive energy to accomplish what you desire. You must not be afraid of failing, but think only of success. Of course that success must be to glorify Christ.

(extract from the book Use Your Faith Energy, pp.14-17)