The "R" Factors

Note: Please turn off my music playlist at the bottom of this page before starting the video.

Blessed Redeemer (Lyrics by Avis B. Christiansen, 1895-1985, Music by Harry Dixon Loes, 1892-1965)

A Hill with Three Crosses--
One cross where a thief died IN SIN
One cross where a thief died TO SIN
A center cross where a Redeemer died FOR SIN

~Unknown

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:23-24
"In Him (Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." Ephesians 1:7

Christ, our Redeemer, has paid the price of our redemption in full and has reconciled us to God. How should we then respond?
Repent. Turn away from your sins and turn to God.
Receive Christ into your heart/life as your Lord and Savior. Receive His grace..mercy...His gift of salvation.
Remain in Him. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:5
Reflect Him. "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:18
Represent Him. "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:20
Remember what Christ has done for you and remember to tell others about Him. "Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel." 2 Timothy 2:8
Rejoice. "And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." Romans 5:2b  "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

Sadly, many choose to reject Him, refuse His offer of salvation, and rebel their way to hell. God gives us free will; the choice is yours!

Have a blessed Resurrection Day...celebrating our Risen Redeemer!
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Have a Christ-Centered Year!

I Know Christ (by Margaret E. Clarkson)

I do not know tomorrow’s way,
If dark or gladsome it may be;
But I know Christ, and come what may,
I know that He abides with me.

I do not know what may befall
Of grief or gladness, peace or pain;
But I know Christ, and through it all
I know His presence will sustain.

We do not know what 2011 will bring. But we know Christ and that's enough. While the politics is polluted, the economy is erratic, the culture is corrupted, Christ is our Redeemer, Rock, and Refuge. I'm excited about a new year of living for God, living in the light of eternity, serving Him, and sharing His love. To God alone be all the glory!!!

Have a Christ-centered year, everyone!

What's New?

"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

"We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a NEW life." Romans 6:4

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creation; the old has gone, the NEW has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made NEW in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the NEW self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:22-24

"For this reason Christ is the Mediator of a NEW covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant." Hebrews 9:15

"Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a NEW covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." 2 Corinthians 3:5-6

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us NEW birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." 1 Peter 1:3-5

"But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a NEW heaven and a NEW earth, the home of righteousness." 2 Peter 3:13

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a NEW name written on it, known only to him who receives it." Revelation 2:17


Christ can make anything new. Have a blessed & Christ-centered new year!

CHRISTmas--Facebook Version

I usually do not like anything that tries to add something to the Biblical account.  However, I find the video below quite interesting.  It may help people ponder at Christ's birth in a new way.


As you recapture the wonder of our Redeemer's birth, may you be reminded of His amazing grace and be refreshed by His awesome love!  Rejoice...rejoice...Immanuel...God with us!

Merry CHRISTmas and have a blessed New Year, everyone!

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What Really Matters

Have you noticed some division among Christians regarding Christmas? Some strongly oppose celebrating Christmas because of its pagan roots. Others try hard to keep Christ in Christmas. And then there are those who incorporate more and more worldly stuff in their Christmas celebration. In my opinion, just because something has pagan roots...this does not automatically make it pagan. I think the early Church succeeded at replacing Roman pagan traditions with the celebration of Christ's birth at Christmas. Why do I say that? Well, how many people really remember or even know that Christmas started out as a pagan festival? Billions of people in the world know (even if they don't really have the right focus) that Christmas is about Christ. Four names of our days of the week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) are named for Viking gods. We don't stop using these names just because they have pagan roots. To me, each day is a gift from God. "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24) It's how we spend our day that matters...honoring/ pleasing God or dishonoring/sinning against God. That goes the same for what we do with Christmas (another day that the Lord has made).  I personally believe in celebrating/honoring Christ daily by the way we live.

In Thailand, Christmas provides a great opportunity for Christians to share with non-Christians about Christ. (In fact, I myself came to know Christ and received the free gift of salvation during Christmastime of 1985 in Thailand.) I believe that's what many churches in America are also trying to do. If people are saved because of the Gospel being boldly shared during Christmastime, then we should rejoice. God can certainly use any events, including holidays that have pagan roots, for His glory. Christ's birth is the beginning of the ultimate love story that never ends (John 3:16). If at Christmastime, people tend to share Christ's love more and talk more openly about why Christ came, then we should be glad and encourage them so...and hopefully, they will carry on sharing Christ's love and the Gospel throughout the year (you can see some ideas from my post titled, "Christmas According to Scrooge").

All these thoughts led me to write the following poem last year.

It doesn't matter if you do or don't celebrate Christmas
What really matters is that you believe in Jesus
It doesn't matter if Dec. 25th is not Christ's actual birthday
What really matters is that He was born to save us from a debt we cannot pay
It doesn't matter if you don't trim a tree
What really matters is that you know & worship the Son who sets you free
It doesn't matter if you don't give gifts to one another
What really matters is that you give your heart and your life to our Savior...our Redeemer
It doesn't matter if you don't hang up any lights
What really matters is that you follow the Light of the World day and night
It doesn't matter if you don't get to go caroling
What really matters is that unto the Lord you joyfully sing
It doesn't matter what eloquent words on Christmas cards you write
What really matters is that you spread the Good News of Jesus Christ
It doesn't matter if you bake the best or the most cookies
What really matters is that you help the needy and feed the hungry

I recommend two insightful articles:
- "Is Christmas Christian?" by Hank Hanegraaff, the President of the Christian Research Institute
- "The Origin of Christmas" by Bodie Hodge, Answers in Genesis.

~Please visit here for the links to other Spiritual Sundays posts. Thanks so much to Charlotte and Ginger for hosting Spiritual Sundays every week. Have a blessed day in the Lord, everyone!

Taming the Tongue

"Taming the tongue is a tough, troubling, tiring task to tackle triumphantly!" Try saying that ten times fast :). Okay...let's take it seriously now. How many times have you wished you didn't say what you just said? Oops...we can't take our words back! Words can heal, help, or hurt.

"We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, set the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." James 3:2-8 It is so important to constantly guard our tongue.

"When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who hold his tongue is wise." Proverbs 10:19

"He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin." Proverbs 13:3

"The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly." Proverbs 15:2

"The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit." Proverbs 15:4

"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." Proverbs 16:24

"He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity." Proverbs 21:23

"One of the first things which a physician says to his patient is, 'Let me see your tongue.' A spiritual advisor might do the same." N. Adams

"When anger spreads through the breast, guard your tongue from barking idly." Sappho

"Sometimes you can make a more effective statement by holding your tongue." anonymous

"Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment." Benjamin Franklin

"When I want to speak...let me think first:
-Is it true?
-Is it kind?
-Is it necessary?
If not, let it be left unsaid." Babcock

Tired of tongue troubles? Have you heard of a tool called, "Tongue Tamer"? A censor microchip implanted in our tongue that zaps the tongue every time it utters bad words, mean words, untrue words, inappropriate words, any words that are not pleasing God and automatically disables the tongue for a period of time until the tongue is ready to behave :). A deluxe version even comes with a decibel control so yelling and screaming become instantly mute, except in emergency/ life & death situations. If you have, please let me know. Oh...I wish I could invent that. Just imagine.... While you wait for that tool, perhaps you would like to try the "G.R.E.A.T." tip below.  May we implore the Holy Spirit to be our "Tongue Tamer" and may we be obedient and cooperate!

Our speech should be:

Gentle and gracious  (Philippians 4:5, Proverbs 22:11)
Respectful                (1 Peter 2:17)
Encouraging             (Hebrews 3:13)
Appropriate             (Ephesians 4:29)
Truthful                    (Ephesians 4:15, 4:25)

Have a "G.R.E.A.T." talk today and everyday !

"May the words of my mouth and
the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in Your sight,
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."
Psalm 19:14

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