Sharing is Caring

The God Who Bestows Great Blessings         “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).     There is likely no one who would refuse the blessings bestowed by God.   Even the Israelites, who received abundant material and spiritual blessings from God, rejoiced greatly after receiving these great blessings.   However, the issue lies in what happens after receiving blessings.   Without a mature character that can discern how to enjoy received blessings properly, one may end up wasting life, selfishly indulging in the blessings given by God, as happened with the Israelites.   So, how can one possess a mature character that knows how to enjoy blessings?   It should come from a heart that is guided by God's commandments rather than being led by the blessings.   Like the Israelites, disregarding God's laws...

‘Before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord’     [Acts 2:14-21]     How should we interpret the frequent large-scale natural disasters that have occurred in the 21st century?   Environmentalists attribute them to human exploitation and devastation of nature.   In contrast, Christian fundamentalists say that this world is drawing near to the end prophesied in the Bible.   Regarding this, we, as Gospel believers standing in the Reformed tradition, should understand that these two perspectives are not contradictory but should rather hear God's voice, which He intends to show to humanity through natural disasters, within the providence of God's nature and history, connecting them with each other.   God's warning through natural disasters can be categorized into three points:   (1)     It is a warning regarding personal sin.   God, through natural disasters, warns us that we should live rig...

  Day 4: Acts 2:13-21, Joel 2:28-32       Before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord         Before the great and glorious day of the Lord arrives, we must not be drunk but receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit.  On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended in tongues of fire, enabling the disciples to speak in various languages, some witnesses mocked, saying, "They are filled with new wine" (Acts 2:13).  However, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaimed that the disciples were not drunk as it was only the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel (Joel 2:28-32), and that the promised Holy Spirit had been poured out by the Lord.  He emphasized that as part of the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy, where "all people " (Acts 2:17) would receive the Holy Spirit, the 120 disciples received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and were filled.   The purpose of the wars and tumults in the...

  Great merciful God             [Nehemiah 9:27-31]     What is depression?   Someone described depression as a one-way path to suicide without an exit.   This likely means that once you step onto that path, it's hard to get out without external help.   The causes of depression can be varied, but the most fundamental trigger often stems from feeling unloved or not knowing the purpose of one's existence.   Christian counselors suggest that realizing that Christians are recipients of God's deep love and discovering the purpose that God has set for our lives can serve as a remedy for the sickness of the heart (Internet).   How should depression be treated for believers?   Depression should not be hidden; instead, it should be actively diagnosed and treated.   If there are support groups within the church where people can open up about their inner struggles, it can prevent the condition from...

  The God who bestows great blessings   [Nehemiah 9:22-26]   It is said that in 1999, in the UK, a 72-year-old grandmother named Angie Clens, who lived alone, bought a lottery ticket.   However, she won a whopping £200,000.   Concerned about Clens' weak heart and the possibility of heart failure, the lottery company visited Reverend Ames, whom the grandmother attended at the Anglican church, and explained the situation.     Reverend Ames cautiously asked the grandmother, ‘How do you think you would feel if you won the lottery?’   The grandmother replied, ‘Oh, Reverend, whom am I …   It wouldn't happen.’ The Reverend said, ‘No...   but still.’   After a moment of thought, the grandmother said, ‘Well then, Reverend Ames, you take it all.’   As soon as Reverend Ames heard this, he died of heart failure.   In the end, the grandmother received all the money...   It is said that she gave half of it to the family of...