Christian Living

Saul has all the advantages to be a successful man and leader:  These are what 1 Sam 9-11 say about him Handsome and tall (9:2) A humble man (9:21) God's blessing (10:6, 9-10) Support of good people (10:24) Skills in Leadership and Wars (11:11) However, success is not our assessment but God's assessment. God removed Saul from being king. He failed the king mission. The one disadvantage Saul has is his heart was not right with God. In 1 Sam 13, he did not have the patience to wait for Samuel and went ahead to perform the burnt offering and peace offering. Saul knew the laws only allowed a priest to do so. (Samuel was a prophet and a priest - 1 Sam 2:18; 7:9) Samuel said to Saul: "But now your kingdom must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart. The LORD has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.” (1 Sam 13:14) Saul did not kept God's command, because he did not love God. Those who love God ...

Joseph: A Character Model In Different Life Experiences (Genesis 37,39,40) Collin Leong. 6 November 2015 If anyone had an excuse to become a hardened, bitter, unforgiving, pessimistic and reclusive man, it would be Joseph.  Coming from a dysfunctional family with a father with 4 wives, 10 older brothers who had committed unspeakable acts, being bullied and rejected by them (no thanks to Jacob’s show of  favoritism  to him), thrown in a pit, sold to traders, slaved in Egypt, falsely accused and chained up in prison, and then forgotten by someone he helped.  Yet Joseph turned out to be someone who rose above every attack, every unfairness, and every temptation to become a beloved leader who saved tens of thousands of lives in Egypt and beyond.  So, let’s stop our self-pity right now, sit up and learn something from Joseph.  As a recap, we know that God build and tests our character through trials. And in many cases, he gives his servant a vision (or...

Beyond the Comfort Zone (Gen 32) -    Unexpected Moments of a Disciple Soon Yean. 30 October 2015 Chapter 31 : 3  Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.” Chapter 32:  24  Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25  When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him.  26  Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”  27  So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.”  28  He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” 29  Then Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he...

 From Safety to Calamity (Genesis 34) Ming Jir. 16 October 2015 More intriguing than Korean drama! Gen 33 - In the encounter with Esau’s entourage, Jacob and his family avoided bloodshed. They separated amicably. Gen 33:18 – And Jacob arrived safely to the city of Shechem….There he erected an altar called El-Elohe-Israel (which means God, the God of Israel). Who was Dinah? (photo for illustration only) She was the 7 th  child of Jacob and Leah, and the only daughter. She was also the only girl among all of Jacob’s children. Her full brothers are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. How old was she when the defilement took place, likely to between 12 (after puberty) to 16 years of age. Gen 34:1 - …went to see the women of the land According to Josephus, she had been attending a festival; but it is highly probable that she had been often and freely mixing in the society of the place and that she, being a simple, inexperienced, and vain young woman, had been fl...

An Unwanted Journey (Genesis 28) Collin Leong.  28 August 2015 Synopsis I imagine Jacob riding on his camel towards Haran with tears on his cheeks. He misses his father Isaac and especially his mother Rachel - both back in their estate in Beersheba, worrying for him. And here he is, on an unwanted journey, with nothing to his name, running away from his brother Esau who threatened to kill him for robbing his birthright. Soon, he will be more than 500 miles away from home. Jacob might be singing this song by Peter, Paul and Mary if he knew it as he rode into the sunset: If you miss the train I'm on, you will know that I am gone You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles A Hundred miles, a hundred miles, a hundred miles, a hundred miles You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles Lord I'm one, Lord I'm two, Lord I'm three, Lord I'm four Lord I'm 500 miles away from home away from home, away from home, away from home, away from home Lord I'm 500 miles away...

Spiritual Maturity through Death of Visions (Genesis 12 - 22) Collin Leong. 10 April 2015   Scripture Reference:  Genesis 12-22 Synopsis What made Abraham one of the most highly regarded men by 3 major faiths? Was it because he was the perfect model of a patriarch and spiritual leader?   By casual reading of Genesis 11-25, many flaws of Abraham come to light without having to try very hard.  The scriptures never mask the failures of any priests, prophets, or princes no matter how horrible their failures may be. Think of Noah, Jacob, Jonah, David, Solomon, Peter or Paul.   The trials, failures and victories of the saints reveal the methods he deals with those He loves. And he deals with them in this manner because he is interested in shaping their character, not just for them to achieve their God-given mission or calling. Similarly, God's chief purpose for our lives is to help us become spiritually mature.  Col 1:28 “Him we proclaim, warning everyone an...

The Prodigal Son: Releasing and Returning (Luke 15: 11-32) Collin Leong, June 19, 2015 Scripture Reference:  Luke 15:11-32 Study Synopsis The Prodigal son is one of the most familiar parable that Jesus told. When you read that story, who do you most often imagine yourself to be? Most of you will probably answer "I am the prodigal son, who was (or need to be) forgiven for running away from God".  And of course, that would be 100% true. But there's so much more to learn and apply from this story. You see, in it's most generic form, this story is simply about a lost-and-found relationship between two persons. (We leave the elder son out of the picture for the moment).  Each of us, at some point in our lives, had either been the person who had run away, or the person who had lost someone, or both. Perhaps some of us have left or drifted away from our loved ones - our parents, our siblings, our spouse, or someone we promised to care for but have neglected them. It's be...