Unanswered Prayers

Some time ago, a member of my church approached me with a question "Why didn't God answer my prayer?" I gave my answer according to God's words and here are one i took from the Daily Bread book.

An explanation we often hear for "unanswered" prayers is that we don't have enough faith. But Jesus said in Luke 17:6 that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can command a mulberry tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea and it will obey us. In other words, the effectiveness of our prayers depends not on how much faith we have but on whether we even have faith.

Luke tells of a Roman centurion with 'great faith' (7:9). His faith was expressed first as an appeal to Jesus to heal his dying servant. Then it was expressed as an acknowledgment that Jesus could heal his servant anytime, anywhere. The centurion did not ask Jesus to do things his way.

Faith has been described as "trusting God's heart and trusting God's power". Some prayers that seem to go unanswered are simply instances in which God has lovingly overruled our wishes. He knows that what we have asked for is not the best. Or it may be that our timing is not His timing or He has some far greater purpose in mind. Let us remember, even Jesus prayed to His heavenly Father, "Nevertheless not My will, but Yours" (Luke 22:42).

Do we have the centurion's great faith - a faith that trusts God to do His work, in His way?

(C.P. Hia of Daily Bread)

Where is The Faith?

A colleague of mine came into the office with a big smile on his face. But instead of telling me why he was so happy, he went to his close buddy and whispered to his ears.

A few minutes later, the story broke. Most people in the office knew that he just struck winning numbers (first prize). He told his buddy how happy he was and wanted to purchase a brand new laptop.

I have been telling him gently that gambling is not a good thing to do but he insisted that it is okay to do so. He's been gambling for years and he always see it as a quick way to earn money.

People who like gambling have many reasons to do so as they do not see it in the biblical perspective. In some countries, gambling is legal. Worldly legality does not mean it is in line with biblical law. Some laws are made to please men rather than God. The bible says:

"Everything is permissible-but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive" (1 Corinthians 10:23-24)

The problem with gambling is that, it questions Christian faith and hope. Are we insecure when we do not have money? Do we like to be rich in a quick way? Are we hoping that we will have a good life with lots of money? Whom do we trust for our troubles?

First of all, money should be earned through decent work (using our skills and knowledge) and not through betting, hoping that our money will triple the amount by winning other people's money. Our great great grandfathers, Isaac, Abraham, Joseph and Jacob all worked hard to be wealthy and the bible says:

Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son. (Proverbs 10:4-5)

Secondly, Christians are told not to be worry about worldly things and wealth as their citizenship is in Heaven.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about what you will eat; or about your body, what will you wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes (Luke 12:22-23)

Finally, as Christians, we should live a moderate life and not to be greedy especially in terms of money. Having extra money earned through a decent way is a bonus from God. God reminds us that Love for money is a root of evil (1 Tim 6:10). I have personally seen many individuals suffer for trying to get money in a wrong way. Some got beaten by money lenders and some were put in jail. These are all unnecessary sufferings.

God Bless.

Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

Halloween is an event celebrated by the Celtic to remember the dead and to ward off evil spirits. The celebration has somehow becoming very popular in the West and it's growing popularity has penetrated to the young people in Malaysia. Just recently, in one of the popular hotels in Kuching, I saw many young adults wearing Halloween costumes and mostly associated with devils and corpses. The question that we have now is whether it is appropriate for Christians to participate in this celebration.

While it is not wrong to remember the dead (the saints and our loved ones) Jesus Ministry in this world is to save as many people to enter His Kingdom and he mentioned that Satan is the ultimate enemy to Salvation.

For God So Loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through Him" (John 3:16-17)

In the bible, the disciples drove out demons by faith and by using Jesus name, they do not ward off evil spirits by pretending to be one of them, parading and wearing devil / horror costumes, just like the Celtic did. The Celtic did so, because it is their belief. But Christians have a different belief as it is written;

So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables "How can Satan drive out Satan? If a Kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand" (Mark 3:23-24)

The verse above teaches us that evil can be fought by using Jesus' name. I doubt many youngsters see the biblical side of Halloween, as they celebrate Halloween in the name of fun. However, it has negative implications on Christianity as the costumes promote evil practice, a symbolic of evil worshiping and not to mention, people are willing to spend on expensive costumes rather than donating money to the church.

Basically, Christians should avoid celebrating Halloween. Other than our own cultural celebration, we should celebrate events related to Jesus.

Sammi Cheng

Sammi Cheng is now 37 years old (as in 2009). She is a popular female singer and was given the title cantopop queen in Hong Kong. She started singing at the age of 18 and did many commercial advertisements in Hong Kong, earning her a fortune. Success comes at a high price for Sammi that she neglected anything else, even her basic needs and health. Once to lose weight, she ate only two apples over a period of seven days (Readers Digest, Oct 2009, p.49).

After ten years of building her career, she felt there's a spiritual black hole inside her. She quit singing and for three years, she spends her time travelling, reading and painting. She also quit smoking and stop spending money on expensive items.

On December 9, 2007, Sammi was baptised as a Christian and started finding joy in giving back to the society. She has visited the less fortunate in Africa, Laos, Mongolia and Sichuan and sponsored more than ten poor children (readers Digest, Oct 09, p.51).

Sammi devoted her time into praying for others. She said that it was an act of love. In her interview with the Readers Digest, she said...

"I've learned to accept what life holds for me with composure. People ask me about marriage. I would say: it could be today, or when I am 40, whenever, as God would have it. I have no worries as I entrust myself into His care"

Sammi Cheng had decided to give her life for Christ and entrusted her life to God. I believe we all can do the same too.