True Profit Comes From the Spirit
“For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don’t find it doing that which is good.” (Romans 7:18 WEB)
Should we rely on the flesh or rely on the Spirit?
Many people think that the flesh is at least a little bit good.
We must come into agreement with Scripture and believe that nothing good dwells in our flesh. If not, we will always be tempted to rely on the flesh.
“I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 WEB)
Do we really trust Jesus when He says that we cannot do anything apart from Him?
When you still think that you can do something on your own without Jesus holding you and it together by His power, then you will find it unnecessary to rely on the Spirit.
“I can handle this on my own. If I really cannot, then I will ask Jesus for help.” We tend to place prayer as a last resort rather than the necessary resort.
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63 NKJV)
Everything life-giving comes from the Holy Spirit.
When you receive life from the Spirit, it means healing, health, long life, youth, beauty, prosperity, peace, soundness of mind, and good success in all things.
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be healthy, even as your soul prospers.” (3 John 1:2 WEB)
The prayer above is a good summary of what we receive when we rely on the Spirit. How would you like to prosper in all things and be healthy, even as your soul prospers? This is true, lasting, holistic prosperity that comes from the Spirit (it is received through prayer).
No matter how strong or intelligent you are, do not be distracted by these talents. The flesh profits nothing in comparison to what the Spirit can do for you. Rely on the Holy Spirit—the more you do so, the more life you shall experience in the areas that you submit to Him!
Many people who want to be physically young and beautiful rely on the flesh to achieve this. Exercise, supplements, aesthetic treatments—these are some of the ways the world uses. However, we should not neglect the best way which is youth renewal through the Holy Spirit. He always works through God’s word.
Join me on journey for one month to see a noticeable transformation in your body. Get “Younger and Younger: 31 Days of God’s Youth Renewal Promises” here: https://bit.ly/younger-and-younger
mind, body, soul scripture 在 Milton Goh Blog and Sermon Notes Facebook 的最讚貼文
Everlasting Grace and Mercy
““For a small moment I have forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you. In overflowing wrath I hid my face from you for a moment; but with everlasting loving kindness I will have mercy on you,” says Yahweh your Redeemer. “For this is like the waters of Noah to me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah will no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my loving kindness will not depart from you, and my covenant of peace will not be removed,” says Yahweh who has mercy on you.” Isaiah 54:7-10 WEB)
Mercy is when you are spared from the punishment that you deserve, and Grace is when you receive goodness and favor that you do not deserve.
In the passage above, the Lord speaks to Israel, of which we born-again believers are now considered citizens of.
At the cross, God’s wrath towards sin has been fully poured out on Jesus. For believers, God has no more wrath because Jesus has paid their sin debt and satisfied God’s holiness.
We can now enjoy His “great mercies” and “everlasting loving kindness”.
“Loving kindness” (in Hebrew, pronounced as “hesed”) is the Old Testament word for “grace” that is revealed in the New Testament.
God wants us to be so settled in our hearts about this, such that He swore to never be angry with us nor punish us. God cannot break His vow.
He swore that His grace will never depart from us, and the covenant of peace (the New Covenant of Grace) will never be removed from us.
“Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2 WEB)
You will never lose your salvation, and you will never fall out of God’s favor. His love towards you never changes. You have peace with God.
Believe this, and you will keep receiving His grace without the supply of grace being blocked by your own unbelief.
“But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18 WEB)
To keep being transformed into Jesus’ image, meditate on beautiful passages like the one in Isaiah 54–see His love, grace, and mercy. Such portions of Scripture acts as a mirror to show you who you (the born-again spirit) have become in Christ. It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance.
As you behold the Lord in His abundant grace, you will be transformed in body and soul from glory to glory!
If you loved this devotional, you will enjoy “Younger and Younger: 31 Days of God’s Youth Renewal Promises” like these readers have:
“Thank you Milton. I love this book. It has helped me to keep my eyes on Jesus. As He is, so am I in this world. I am getting younger and younger too. I have known the delivery man for many years but recently he has started to call me beautiful when he sees me. I smile and praise the Lord. This book has helped me to receive the blessing of renewing my youth to be younger and younger. All glory to Jesus. He is beautiful, lovely and young. So am I in Him.” - Cynthia Lim
“Hi Milton, your book is beautifully written with deep spiritual insight. It opened my spiritual eyes to the fact that I don’t have to settle for the natural aging process of my body which I kind of took for granted. Through Jesus’ finished work I can enjoy youth renewal. Your daily devotional and scriptures illustrates that very clearly. For which I sincerely thank you! Your book is a “must” for all Seniors who like me focus more on the natural aging than on the spiritual truth! All glory to Jesus!” - Ilva S.
“Hi Milton, I am very very pleased with Younger and Younger. I especially like the Declarations that you speak!! I listen to them several times a day!!! I love that I can just play them whenever I like. Even if I’m not totally paying attention to them, I know that they are still getting into my spirit and mind. Thank you so very much! God Bless!” - Sheree Kleinhuizen
Download your copy of “Younger and Younger” here: https://bit.ly/younger-and-younger
mind, body, soul scripture 在 喬寶寶 Qbobo Facebook 的最讚貼文
Sikh Religious Philosophy
Happy New year to everyone <3
"Realization of Truth is higher than all else.
Higher still is Truthful Living." (Guru Nanak, Sri Rag)
There is only one God, he is the Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer.
"You are the Creator, O Lord, the Unknowable. You created the Universe of diverse kinds, colours and qualities. You know your own Creation. All this is your Play." (Guru Nanak, Var Majh)
"The Formless Supreme Being abides in the Realm of Eternity. Over His creation He casts His glance of grace. In that Realm are contained all the continents and the universes, Exceeding in number all count. Of creation worlds upon worlds abide therein; All obedient to His will; He watches over them in bliss, And has each constantly in mind." (Guru Nanak, Japji)
God cannot take human form.
"He neither has father, nor mother, nor sons nor brothers." (Guru Nanak, Maru)
"Burnt be the mouth that asserts, the Lord takes birth. He is neither born nor dies; neither enters birth nor departs. All pervasive is Nanaks Lord." (Guru Arjan Dev, Raga Bhairon)
The goal of human life is to break the cycle of birth's and deaths and merge with God. This can be accomplished by following the teachings of the Guru, meditation on the Holy Name and performance of acts of service and charity.
Without devotion to the Name Divine is birth in the world gone waste. Such consume poison, poisonous their utterance; Without devotion to the Name, without gain they die, and after death in transmigration wander." (Guru Nanak, Raga Bhairon)
"True life is life in God, contemplation on the Name and the society of the saints" (Guru Arjan Dev, Dhanasari)
"I shall merge in the Lord like the water in the sea and the wave in the stream. The soul will merge in God and like air I shall look upon all alike. Then why shall I come again? The coming and going is under the Will of the Lord and Realising This Will, I shall merge in the Lord" (Bhagat Kabir, Maru)
"The disciple of the True Guru (God) dwells upon the Lord through the teaching of the Guru and all his sins are washed away" (Guru Ram Das, Var Gauri)
"Our service in the world gets us a seat in the Court of the Lord" (Guru Nanak, Sri Rag)
"One known as disciple of the holy Perceptor must, rising at dawn, on the Name Divine meditate" (Guru Ram Das, Raga Gauri)
The five cardinal vices are; Kam (lust), Krodh (anger), Lobh (greed), Moh (worldly attachment) and Ahankar (pride). If one can overcome these, they will achieve salvation.
"Five thieves who live within this body are lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego. They rob us of ambrosia, but the egocentrics do not understand it and no one listens to their cries" (Guru Amar Das, Sorath)
"I am in the Refuge of the Lord; Bless me, O Lord with your Grace, so that the lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego may be destroyed" (Guru Arjan Dev, Gauri Sukhmani)
Narm Marg; emphasizes daily devotion to the remembrance of God.
"Meditation of the Lord is the highest of the deeds, through which myriads obtain release, through which the thirst (of desires) is quenched, through which one becomes all knowing, through which the fear of death goes away, through which all the desires are fulfilled, through which the dirt of the mind is cleansed and the Nectar of the Name of God is absorbed in the mind" (Guru Nanak, Gauri Sukhmani)
Rejection of all forms of blind rituals such as fasting, religious vegetarianism, pilgrimages, superstions, yoga, as well as any form of idol worship.
"Let good conduct be thy fasting." (Guru Nanak, Var Majh)
"You keep the fast to please Allah, but slay life for your relish..But you do not reflect on the Lord, Who is within you" (Bhagat Kabir, Asa)
"Only fools argue whether to eat meat or not. They don't understand truth nor do they meditate on it. Who can define what is meat and what is plant? Who knows where the sin lies, being a vegetarian or a non vegetarian?" (Guru Nanak, Var Malar)
"The world is in agony because of the filth of ego, the word is filthy because of duality; The filth of ego cannot be washed away, even if one bathes at one hundred holy places." (Guru Amar Das, Sri Raga)
"They go to holy places for a bath, Their minds are impure and bodies are like thieves; If by bath their dirt drops down, they got on themselves twice as much dirt and ego." (Guru Nanak, Var Suhi)
"Whosover controls the mind, he is a pilgrim" (Guru Arjan Dev, Maru Solhe)
"You calculate the auspicious moments, but do not realise, That God is far above the effects of these auspicious moments." (Guru Nanak, Ramkali)
"Good omens and ill omens stick to him Who does not remember the Lord." (Guru Arjan Dev, Asa)
"The way to true yoga is found by dwelling in God and remaining detached in the midst of worldly attachments." (Guru Nanak, Suhi))
"Pandits are busy studying Puranas, Yogis are busy in yogic meditations; Sannyasis are intoxicated with ego, Tapsis are intoxicated with secrets of Tapas; All are intoxicated, none is awake, With them are thieves robbing them." (Bhagat Kabir, Basant)
"Five are the Muslim prayers; five their appointed hours, Five their names. These be the true prayers: The first is Truth, the second is lawful earning and the third is to beg the Graces of God for all, The fourth is the right intention in the mind and the fifth is the praise of the Lord." (Guru Nanak, Var Majh)
"He reads the holy books with commentaries, He does not remember God, his way of living is not flowless. He instructs and makes other people firm, But does not practise, whatever he says. Understand the substance of the Vedas, O Pandit!" (Guru Arjan Dev, Ramkali)
"The stone he calls his god, in the end, drowns him with itself... Know that a boat of stone carries one not across" (Guru Arjan Dev, Suhi)
"The stone neither speaks nor gives anything. Therefore its service is fruitless and its worship is of no avail." (Bhagat Kabir, Bhairo)
Normal Family life (Grasth) is encouraged, celibacy or renunciation of the world is not necessary to achieve salvation. The devotee must live in the world yet keep his mind pure. He must be a soldier, a scholar, a saint.
"Beauteous lady! hast not heard with thy ears, To the husband's home must thou come, nor for ever canst thou in the parental home abide" (Guru Nanak, Sri Rag)
"I that in the parents home on the Lord meditated, In the husband's home bliss have found. Blessed is the entire life of such." (Guru Ram Das, Sri Rag)
"Those known as celibates knowing not the right device, discard house and home." (Guru Nanak, Asa)
"Forsaking the household, one's mind took him to the forest, but it could not get peace even for a moment; but when it sought the refuge of the Saint of the Lord, its wanderings ceased and it returned to its own home. One abandoned his relatives and became a Sannyasi, but the craving of the mind did not cease. One's desires are not finished without the Word of the Guru, which alone can bring peace. When hatred for the world wells up in ones mind, he becomes a naked recluse, but the mind wanders ceaselessly and these wanderings do not end his desires, but when he meets the saints, he reaches the House of Mercy. Siddhas learn numerous Yogic poses; but their mind only after miraculous powers yearns. Thereby comes not to them fulfilment, content and peace of mind." (Guru Ram Das, Bilaval)
The Sikh Holy Book (Guru Granth Sahib) is the perpetual Guru, there is no place in Sikhism for a living Guru today.
"The bani is the preceptor and the preceptor is the bani, All the nectars are present in the bani: If the faithful follows the bani of the preceptor, The preceptor himself helps him in the realisation of his ideal." (Guru Ram Das, Nat)
Sikhism rejects all distinctions of caste, creed, race or sex.
"All are created from the seed of God. There is the same clay in the whole world, the potter (God) makes many kinds of pots." (Guru Amar Das, Bhairo)
"Recognise the light (of God) and do not ask for the caste, There is no caste in the next world." (Guru Nanak, Asa)
The Guru's stressed the full equality of women, rejecting female infanticide, sati (wife burning), permitting widow remarriage and rejects purdah (women wearing veils).
"We are born of woman, we are conceived in the womb of woman, we are engaged and married to woman. We make friendship with woman and the lineage continued because of woman. When one woman dies, we take another one, we are bound with the world through woman. Why should we talk ill of her, who gives birth to kings? The woman is born from woman; there is none without her. Only the One True Lord is without woman" (Guru Nanak, Var Asa)
"They cannot be called satis, who burn themselves with their dead husbands. They can only be called satis, if they bear the shock of separation. They may also be known as satis, who live with character and contentment and always show veneration to their husbands by remembering them." (Guru Amar Das, Var Suhi)
Honest labour and work (Kirat Karna) are the approved way of living ones life. It is considered honourable to earn ones daily bread through honest work and not by begging or dishonest means.
"He who eats what he earns through his earnest labour and from his hand gives something in charity; he alone, O Nanak, knows the true way of life" (Guru Nanak Dev, Rag Sarang, pg. 1245)
Vand Chhakna, sharing with others is also a social responsibility. The individual is expected to help others in need through charity.
Seva, community service is also an intergral part of Sikhism. The free community kitchen (langar) found at every gurdwara and open to people of all religions is one expression of this community service.
The #HarmandirSahib , also #DarbarSahib , referred to as the "#GoldenTemple", is the holiest #Sikh #gurdwara(#Temple) located in the city of #Amritsar, #Punjab, India. The city was founded in 1574 by the fourth Sikh guru, #SriGuruRamDasJi. The Golden Temple was designed by the fifth guru, #SriGuruArjanDevJi. Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji completed the Adi Granth, the holy scripture of #Sikhism, in 1604 and installed it in the gurdwara.
There are four doors to get into the Harmandir Sahib, which symbolise the openness of the #Sikhs towards all people and #religions.
The Harmandir Sahib is considered holy by #Sikhs. The #holiest text of Sikhism, the Guru Granth Sahib, is present inside the gurdwara during daytime and the #holy book goes for #Sukhasan during the night time. Its construction was mainly intended to build a place of worship for men and women from all walks of life and all religions to come and worship God #equally.Over 100,000 people visit the holy shrine daily for worship, and also partake in the free community kitchen and meal (#Langar) that is a hallmark of all Sikh Gurudwaras.
The philosophy of Sikhism is covered in great detail in the #GuruGranthSahib, the #Sikh holy text. Detailed guidance is given to followers on how to conduct their lives so that peace and salvation can be obtained in this life, rather than the afterlife. The holy text outlines the #positive actions that one must take to make progress in the evolution of the person. One must remember the #Creator at all times – it reminds the follower that the "soul is on loan from #God, who is ever #merciful", and that the follower must dedicate their life to all good causes - to help make this life more worthwhile.
The Sikhs must believe in the following values:
#Equality: All #humans are #equal before God – No #discrimination is allowed on the basis of #caste, #race , #gender , #creed, #origin, #color, #education, #status, #wealth, et cetera. The principles of universal equality and brotherhood are important pillars of Sikhism.
Personal right: Every person has a right to life but this right is restricted and has attached certain duties – simple living is essential. A Sikh is expected to rise early, meditate and pray, consume simple food, perform an honest day's work, carry out duties for his or her family, enjoy life and always be positive, be charitable and support the needy, et cetera.
Actions count: Salvation is obtained by one’s actions– good deeds, remembrance of God – Naam #Simran, #Kirtan.
Living a family life: Encouraged to live as a family unit to provide and nurture children for the perpetual benefit of creation (as opposed to sannyasa or living as a monk, which was, and remains, a common spiritual practice in India.)
Sharing: It is encouraged to share and give to charity 10 percent of one’s net earnings.
Accept God’s will: Develop your personality so that you recognise happy events and miserable events as one – the will of God causes them.
The four truths of life: Truth, contentment, contemplation and Naam (in the name of God).