Source (book): "Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, PART I: SPIRITUAL JOURNEY, Chapter 5, "Being with Jesus", Question 1, Page 32.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012
PHOTO: Why is "being with" (Jesus) the most important?
Several years ago, a Malaysian friend shared with me about a Chinese Coordination Centre of World Evangelism (CCCOWE) session for pastors in Kuala Lumpur. At the meeting, the general secretary, Dr Joshua Ting, shared "how the Chinese are good at knowing (pursuit of knowledge) and doing but lacking in the being (the personal relationship with Christ)." Dr Ting is spot on in his observation, and what he said is true for most Christians, regardless of ethnicity. In addition, more fundamental to being is our call to being with Christ.
Often, our identity is closely linked with our jobs, achievements, possessions, and roles. [21] In our old age, these things will have to be reviewed. So many of the things that gave meaning to our lives when we were younger will have changed in our old age. [22] The modern world has been infected by "affluenza", says psychologist Oliver James, who defines the "affluenza virus" as a set of values that involves "placing a high value on acquiring money and possessions, looking good in the eyes of others and wanting to be famous". [23] By this definition, many have been infected, including Christians, who may only realise it in their old age.
Many Christians believe in the modern pragmatic (realistic) philosophy that our identity involves what we do. That is why when we meet strangers, we ask for their name and occupation. As a corrective to this deficient philosophy, we could turn to the classical and medieval philosophy that our identity has to do with who we are. The Bible, on the other hand, points to a different place to find our identity. It depends on whose we are (belonging to which person), or who we are with.
Why is it that Christians shy away from finding our identity in being God's children and Christ's disciples? We tend to ignore or forget that eternal life is defined as knowing God the Father and the Son (John 17:3). This knowledge of God is essentially relational - it has to do with how we come to know a person. But the sinful human heart tends to reduce God to an "it", a habit that began in the Garden of Eden when Satan promised the knowledge of good and evil if Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:5). Satan had deftly (cleverly) distorted true knowledge and reduced it to factual knowledge. He injected a big lie into the thinking process of the human race by saying that the purpose of life is to know something.
This directly contrasted with what God, the Creator had designed. The purpose of life is to know Someone. God brought Adam and Eve together for them to know each other, and He visited them daily for walks (Genesis 3:8). We were made to walk with God and to know Him relationally. But because of their sin, Adam and Eve hid from God (and from each other). Since then, human beings have tended to ignore relational knowledge in their pursuit of informational knowledge. This can be seen in many forms, even with piety. Jesus challenged the Pharisees that despite knowing all the details of the Law, they had ignored the Lawgiver and did not know Him. They had bought Satan's lie that knowing something is more important than knowing someone.
Those who are turned off by the idea of becoming religious eggheads (scholar) may instead be attracted to a form of false piety: endless activism. Theirs is a breathless (panting) form of Christianity; their frantic busyness hiding their lack of relational depth. W. H. Griffith Thomas was right when he said, "We cannot make up for failure in our devotional life by redoubling energy in service." [24] And yet, many Christians seem to be on a spiritual treadmill, wondering why they are not making any progress in their knowledge of God and His ways. Silence (Habakkuk 2:20) and stillness (Psalm 46:10) are good antidotes to mindless busyness in the Christian world.
Jesus described how we will be judged at the end. There will be many who rely on their doctrinal knowledge and their list of religious achievements to get past God's judgment seat. But they will be sorely disappointed (Matthew 7:21-27). Some will take pride in their knowledge of Scripture. And Scripture does say that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Joel 2:32, emphasis added). But how easily we turn Scriptural truths into superficial mantras! (a statement or slogan repeated frequently) We become presumptuous and are easily misled. Thus, Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 7:21, emphasis added). He was not contradicting Scripture but challenging the kind of Scripture reading that is merely informative rather than deeply formative.
Jesus also said that many who claim to have been busy doing good things (e.g., prophesying, exorcising, and doing miracles) in His name will be turned away from His kingdom because they had missed the most important truth: they had failed to be with Jesus. "I never knew you" (Matthew 7:23) is a divine statement that exposes the lack of a relationship between busy servants and their Master, and turns all their apparently good deeds to evil deeds!
Because the Lord has made it clear, we cannot claim ignorance or ask to be excused. Instead, we must learn to, first and foremost, spend unhurried time to know Jesus, listen to His voice, marvel at His character, discover His will, understand His ways, and enjoy His presence. Then our quest for knowledge and desire to do good will find fulfilment in the light of our being with Jesus. Then we can avoid ending up with heads crammed with information and schedules filled with activities, but hearts empty of God. We will discover that the most profound thing to say at the end of life is not "I thought" or "I did", but "I loved".
Assess how much of your life is lived according to the various philosophies mentioned in the chapter (doing, being, being with).
My life has been closely linked with my jobs, achievements, possessions, and roles. I need to work for salary to support our family’s daily expenditures. Part of my life was also to have income for the payment of our housing loan, as the house is to be our possession for the next 99 years. Without sufficient monetary inheritance, I need to have a job to earn the necessary income for other financial commitment, especially payment for Insurances and investments. In order to have better income, I put in many years of education to improve skills, and other achievements. Certain amount of time was also mandatory for National Service training for our Ministry of Defence. While doing all these, I put in very little effort on being with Jesus. I rarely attended church services or involved myself with Christian’s mission. I was infected by the "affluenza virus", placing a high value on acquiring money and possessions, and looking good in the eyes of others.
Many of the things that gave meaning to my live when I was younger have changed in my old age. I remain single, but no longer actively seeking a partner for marriage and form a family of my own. Neither did I actively improve my technological skills to enter into an occupation in the high-tech world. I realised in my old age that I couldn’t keep up with current technology and compete with our younger generations. However, in my retirement journey, I have the opportunity to focus on improving my physical and spiritual health. With all my organs deteriorating, I have no choice but to spend more time on healthy lifestyles, like daily walking and exercises.
The importance of spiritual achievements become more and more significant. We heard of morning walking colleague suddenly passed away due to old age and underlying health problems. I do not want to end my life journey failing to be with Jesus. Neither do I want to indulge in apparently good deeds but will turn into evil deeds.
I want to learn to “spend unhurried time to know Jesus, listen to His voice, marvel at His character, discover His will, understand His ways, and enjoy His presence. Then my quest for knowledge and desire to do good will find fulfilment in the light of our being with Jesus.”
May God’s grace and mercy lead us to enter into the kingdom of heaven, as we call for help in His name to have a successful relationship with Jesus.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012
PHOTO: Why is "being with" (Jesus) the most important?Several years ago, a Malaysian friend shared with me about a Chinese Coordination Centre of World Evangelism (CCCOWE) session for pastors in Kuala Lumpur. At the meeting, the general secretary, Dr Joshua Ting, shared "how the Chinese are good at knowing (pursuit of knowledge) and doing but lacking in the being (the personal relationship with Christ)." Dr Ting is spot on in his observation, and what he said is true for most Christians, regardless of ethnicity. In addition, more fundamental to being is our call to being with Christ.
Often, our identity is closely linked with our jobs, achievements, possessions, and roles. [21] In our old age, these things will have to be reviewed. So many of the things that gave meaning to our lives when we were younger will have changed in our old age. [22] The modern world has been infected by "affluenza", says psychologist Oliver James, who defines the "affluenza virus" as a set of values that involves "placing a high value on acquiring money and possessions, looking good in the eyes of others and wanting to be famous". [23] By this definition, many have been infected, including Christians, who may only realise it in their old age.
Many Christians believe in the modern pragmatic (realistic) philosophy that our identity involves what we do. That is why when we meet strangers, we ask for their name and occupation. As a corrective to this deficient philosophy, we could turn to the classical and medieval philosophy that our identity has to do with who we are. The Bible, on the other hand, points to a different place to find our identity. It depends on whose we are (belonging to which person), or who we are with.
Why is it that Christians shy away from finding our identity in being God's children and Christ's disciples? We tend to ignore or forget that eternal life is defined as knowing God the Father and the Son (John 17:3). This knowledge of God is essentially relational - it has to do with how we come to know a person. But the sinful human heart tends to reduce God to an "it", a habit that began in the Garden of Eden when Satan promised the knowledge of good and evil if Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:5). Satan had deftly (cleverly) distorted true knowledge and reduced it to factual knowledge. He injected a big lie into the thinking process of the human race by saying that the purpose of life is to know something.
This directly contrasted with what God, the Creator had designed. The purpose of life is to know Someone. God brought Adam and Eve together for them to know each other, and He visited them daily for walks (Genesis 3:8). We were made to walk with God and to know Him relationally. But because of their sin, Adam and Eve hid from God (and from each other). Since then, human beings have tended to ignore relational knowledge in their pursuit of informational knowledge. This can be seen in many forms, even with piety. Jesus challenged the Pharisees that despite knowing all the details of the Law, they had ignored the Lawgiver and did not know Him. They had bought Satan's lie that knowing something is more important than knowing someone.
Those who are turned off by the idea of becoming religious eggheads (scholar) may instead be attracted to a form of false piety: endless activism. Theirs is a breathless (panting) form of Christianity; their frantic busyness hiding their lack of relational depth. W. H. Griffith Thomas was right when he said, "We cannot make up for failure in our devotional life by redoubling energy in service." [24] And yet, many Christians seem to be on a spiritual treadmill, wondering why they are not making any progress in their knowledge of God and His ways. Silence (Habakkuk 2:20) and stillness (Psalm 46:10) are good antidotes to mindless busyness in the Christian world.
Jesus described how we will be judged at the end. There will be many who rely on their doctrinal knowledge and their list of religious achievements to get past God's judgment seat. But they will be sorely disappointed (Matthew 7:21-27). Some will take pride in their knowledge of Scripture. And Scripture does say that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Joel 2:32, emphasis added). But how easily we turn Scriptural truths into superficial mantras! (a statement or slogan repeated frequently) We become presumptuous and are easily misled. Thus, Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 7:21, emphasis added). He was not contradicting Scripture but challenging the kind of Scripture reading that is merely informative rather than deeply formative.
Jesus also said that many who claim to have been busy doing good things (e.g., prophesying, exorcising, and doing miracles) in His name will be turned away from His kingdom because they had missed the most important truth: they had failed to be with Jesus. "I never knew you" (Matthew 7:23) is a divine statement that exposes the lack of a relationship between busy servants and their Master, and turns all their apparently good deeds to evil deeds!
Because the Lord has made it clear, we cannot claim ignorance or ask to be excused. Instead, we must learn to, first and foremost, spend unhurried time to know Jesus, listen to His voice, marvel at His character, discover His will, understand His ways, and enjoy His presence. Then our quest for knowledge and desire to do good will find fulfilment in the light of our being with Jesus. Then we can avoid ending up with heads crammed with information and schedules filled with activities, but hearts empty of God. We will discover that the most profound thing to say at the end of life is not "I thought" or "I did", but "I loved".
Assess how much of your life is lived according to the various philosophies mentioned in the chapter (doing, being, being with).
My life has been closely linked with my jobs, achievements, possessions, and roles. I need to work for salary to support our family’s daily expenditures. Part of my life was also to have income for the payment of our housing loan, as the house is to be our possession for the next 99 years. Without sufficient monetary inheritance, I need to have a job to earn the necessary income for other financial commitment, especially payment for Insurances and investments. In order to have better income, I put in many years of education to improve skills, and other achievements. Certain amount of time was also mandatory for National Service training for our Ministry of Defence. While doing all these, I put in very little effort on being with Jesus. I rarely attended church services or involved myself with Christian’s mission. I was infected by the "affluenza virus", placing a high value on acquiring money and possessions, and looking good in the eyes of others.
Many of the things that gave meaning to my live when I was younger have changed in my old age. I remain single, but no longer actively seeking a partner for marriage and form a family of my own. Neither did I actively improve my technological skills to enter into an occupation in the high-tech world. I realised in my old age that I couldn’t keep up with current technology and compete with our younger generations. However, in my retirement journey, I have the opportunity to focus on improving my physical and spiritual health. With all my organs deteriorating, I have no choice but to spend more time on healthy lifestyles, like daily walking and exercises.
The importance of spiritual achievements become more and more significant. We heard of morning walking colleague suddenly passed away due to old age and underlying health problems. I do not want to end my life journey failing to be with Jesus. Neither do I want to indulge in apparently good deeds but will turn into evil deeds.
I want to learn to “spend unhurried time to know Jesus, listen to His voice, marvel at His character, discover His will, understand His ways, and enjoy His presence. Then my quest for knowledge and desire to do good will find fulfilment in the light of our being with Jesus.”
May God’s grace and mercy lead us to enter into the kingdom of heaven, as we call for help in His name to have a successful relationship with Jesus.
Picture posted by HavenLight Art@HavenLightArt on 17 November 2016 at 6:36 AM
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https://twitter.com/HavenLightArt/status/799018227988733952/photo/1
Why is "being with" (Jesus) the most important? Assess how much of your life is lived according to the various philosophies mentioned in the chapter (doing, being, being with).
Why is "being with" (Jesus) the most important?
Several years ago, a Malaysian friend shared with me about a Chinese Coordination Centre of World Evangelism (CCCOWE) session for pastors in Kuala Lumpur. At the meeting, the general secretary, Dr Joshua Ting, shared "how the Chinese are good at knowing (pursuit of knowledge) and doing but lacking in the being (the personal relationship with Christ)." Dr Ting is spot on in his observation, and what he said is true for most Christians, regardless of ethnicity. In addition, more fundamental to being is our call to being with Christ.
PHOTO: Rev. Joshua Ting was officiated as the sixth CCCOWE secretary general with the laying of hands from various prominent Chinese Christian leaders at the 8th CCCOWE conference in Indonesia.
Photo from The Christian Daily
Picture posted by Luke Leung, The Gospel Herald Ministries on 29 September 2011 at 09:00 AM EDT
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqzD9qrSTkVz-eTcpaihM3SyNmgcOP_bpM_SksFrSc3yYgd40xOh2gx9jV3lz9b_4CmV8FSoLx1BtBWxEput9s1hTdtWf6GzUW8to9bxbKyUV299KSFyagl_iUsGng4BOmiaxQGFCKHE/s1600/min_20110919_cccowe8-jpg.jpg
http://cdn.gospelherald.com/data/images/full/2417/min_20110919_cccowe8-jpg.jpg
https://www.gospelherald.com/article/ministries/47549/8th-cccowe-conference-concludes-rev-joshua-ting-officiated-as-new-secretary-general.htm
Often, our identity is closely linked with our jobs, achievements, possessions, and roles. [21] In our old age, these things will have to be reviewed. So many of the things that gave meaning to our lives when we were younger will have changed in our old age. [22] The modern world has been infected by "affluenza", says psychologist Oliver James, who defines the "affluenza virus" as a set of values that involves "placing a high value on acquiring money and possessions, looking good in the eyes of others and wanting to be famous". [23] By this definition, many have been infected, including Christians, who may only realise it in their old age.
PHOTO: Our identity is closely linked with our jobs, achievements, possessions, and roles. The modern world has been infected by "affluenza". Psychologist Oliver James defines the "affluenza virus" as a set of values that involves "placing a high value on acquiring money and possessions, looking good in the eyes of others and wanting to be famous".
Picture posted by Oleksiy Lipatov on 27 July 2010 - Photosession with dieselpunk hovercraft
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQihSga3jX0GzE2nGdj80nCfl1WaD0EM43yiwI_Xo6iifi9Z2f0Q8t5pkCJTZkTtzEkC66iPoGJ-h4eFXuElpK4nYFB6FR_bPox887xG2H-EQSelcMuAVCgc63T3WnRorGhP0N5YdyfB0/s1600/d2uwl3h-cb128ff4-1e35-4051-8346-bd8c9e9d770c.jpg
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https://www.deviantart.com/lipatov/art/Photosession-172841165
Many Christians believe in the modern pragmatic (realistic) philosophy that our identity involves what we do. That is why when we meet strangers, we ask for their name and occupation. As a corrective to this deficient philosophy, we could turn to the classical and medieval philosophy that our identity has to do with who we are. The Bible, on the other hand, points to a different place to find our identity. It depends on whose we are (belonging to which person), or who we are with.
PHOTO: Many Christians believe in the modern pragmatic (realistic) philosophy that our identity involves what we do. As a corrective to this deficient philosophy, we could turn to the classical and medieval philosophy that our identity has to do with who we are. The Bible, on the other hand, depends on whose we are (belonging to which person), or who we are with.
Picture posted by Unknown on 10 September 2007 at 4:38 PM - I am selfish
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https://thegenuinelife.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/selfish_by_yuumei.jpg
http://xanaxjunkee.blogspot.com/2007/09/i-am-selfish.html
Why is it that Christians shy away from finding our identity in being God's children and Christ's disciples? We tend to ignore or forget that eternal life is defined as knowing God the Father and the Son (John 17:3). This knowledge of God is essentially relational - it has to do with how we come to know a person. But the sinful human heart tends to reduce God to an "it", a habit that began in the Garden of Eden when Satan promised the knowledge of good and evil if Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:5). Satan had deftly (cleverly) distorted true knowledge and reduced it to factual knowledge. He injected a big lie into the thinking process of the human race by saying that the purpose of life is to know something.
PHOTO: Why is it that Christians shy away from finding our identity in being God's children and Christ's disciples? We tend to ignore or forget that eternal life is defined as knowing God the Father and the Son (John 17:3). This knowledge of God is essentially relational - it has to do with how we come to know a person. But the sinful human heart tends to reduce God to an "it". Satan had deftly (cleverly) distorted true knowledge and reduced it to factual knowledge. He injected a big lie into the thinking process of the human race by saying that the purpose of life is to know something.
Picture saved by Jehicoth Lopez to Tatuaje egipcio - Jormungandr from the latest God of War game
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https://co.pinterest.com/pin/591027151087053199/
This directly contrasted with what God, the Creator had designed. The purpose of life is to know Someone. God brought Adam and Eve together for them to know each other, and He visited them daily for walks (Genesis 3:8). We were made to walk with God and to know Him relationally. But because of their sin, Adam and Eve hid from God (and from each other). Since then, human beings have tended to ignore relational knowledge in their pursuit of informational knowledge. This can be seen in many forms, even with piety. Jesus challenged the Pharisees that despite knowing all the details of the Law, they had ignored the Lawgiver and did not know Him. They had bought Satan's lie that knowing something is more important than knowing someone.
PHOTO: What God, the Creator had designed, the purpose of life is to know Someone. God brought Adam and Eve together for them to know each other, and He visited them daily for walks (Genesis 3:8). We were made to walk with God and to know Him relationally. But because of their sin, Adam and Eve hid from God (and from each other). Since then, human beings have tended to ignore relational knowledge in their pursuit of informational knowledge.
Picture posted by Science Photo Library
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https://media.sciencephoto.com/image/c0473964/800wm/C0473964-God_with_Adam_and_Eve,_19th_century_illustration.jpg
https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/1056793/view
Those who are turned off by the idea of becoming religious eggheads (scholar) may instead be attracted to a form of false piety: endless activism. Theirs is a breathless (panting) form of Christianity; their frantic busyness hiding their lack of relational depth. W. H. Griffith Thomas was right when he said, "We cannot make up for failure in our devotional life by redoubling energy in service." [24] And yet, many Christians seem to be on a spiritual treadmill, wondering why they are not making any progress in their knowledge of God and His ways. Silence (Habakkuk 2:20) and stillness (Psalm 46:10) are good antidotes to mindless busyness in the Christian world.
PHOTO: Christians may be attracted to a form of false piety: endless activism. Theirs is a breathless (panting) form of Christianity; their frantic busyness hiding their lack of relational depth. Hence, are not making any progress in their knowledge of God and His ways. Silence (Habakkuk 2:20) and stillness (Psalm 46:10) are good antidotes to mindless busyness in the Christian world.
Picture posted by flina, Digital Art / Photomanipulation / Emotional, ©2010-2018 flina - In the Garden
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https://img00.deviantart.net/a168/i/2010/153/6/e/in_the_garden_by_flina.jpg
https://www.deviantart.com/flina/art/In-the-Garden-166201263
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-gods-call-receiving-and.htm
Jesus described how we will be judged at the end. There will be many who rely on their doctrinal knowledge and their list of religious achievements to get past God's judgment seat. But they will be sorely disappointed (Matthew 7:21-27). Some will take pride in their knowledge of Scripture. And Scripture does say that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Joel 2:32, emphasis added). But how easily we turn Scriptural truths into superficial mantras! (a statement or slogan repeated frequently) We become presumptuous and are easily misled. Thus, Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 7:21, emphasis added). He was not contradicting Scripture but challenging the kind of Scripture reading that is merely informative rather than deeply formative.
PHOTO: There will be many who rely on their doctrinal knowledge and their list of religious achievements to get past God's judgment seat. But they will be sorely disappointed (Matthew 7:21-27). Some will take pride in their knowledge of Scripture. Reading Scripture should not be merely informative but rather deeply formative.
Picture posted by Missing Pieces on 04 May 2018
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https://missingpieces.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Not-everyone-who-says-to-me-1.jpg
https://missingpieces.co/strongholds-avoiding-the-pitfalls/
Jesus also said that many who claim to have been busy doing good things (e.g., prophesying, exorcising, and doing miracles) in His name will be turned away from His kingdom because they had missed the most important truth: they had failed to be with Jesus. "I never knew you" (Matthew 7:23) is a divine statement that exposes the lack of a relationship between busy servants and their Master, and turns all their apparently good deeds to evil deeds!
PHOTO: Jesus also said that many who claim to have been busy doing good things (e.g., prophesying, exorcising, and doing miracles) in His name will be turned away from His kingdom because they had missed the most important truth: they had failed to be with Jesus. "I never knew you" (Matthew 7:23) is a divine statement that exposes the lack of a relationship between busy servants and their Master, and turns all their apparently good deeds to evil deeds!
Picture saved by Jenna Tyler to Mormon Lyfe - Seeking The One
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Because the Lord has made it clear, we cannot claim ignorance or ask to be excused. Instead, we must learn to, first and foremost, spend unhurried time to know Jesus, listen to His voice, marvel at His character, discover His will, understand His ways, and enjoy His presence. Then our quest for knowledge and desire to do good will find fulfilment in the light of our being with Jesus. Then we can avoid ending up with heads crammed with information and schedules filled with activities, but hearts empty of God. We will discover that the most profound thing to say at the end of life is not "I thought" or "I did", but "I loved".
PHOTO: We must learn to spend unhurried time to know Jesus, listen to His voice, marvel at His character, discover His will, understand His ways, and enjoy His presence. Then our quest for knowledge and desire to do good will find fulfilment in the light of our being with Jesus.
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https://www.amomentwithchrist.com/volume-three/understanding-the-god-we-love
Assess how much of your life is lived according to the various philosophies mentioned in the chapter (doing, being, being with).
My life has been closely linked with my jobs, achievements, possessions, and roles. I need to work for salary to support our family’s daily expenditures. Part of my life was also to have income for the payment of our housing loan, as the house is to be our possession for the next 99 years. Without sufficient monetary inheritance, I need to have a job to earn the necessary income for other financial commitment, especially payment for Insurances and investments. In order to have better income, I put in many years of education to improve skills, and other achievements. Certain amount of time was also mandatory for National Service training for our Ministry of Defence. While doing all these, I put in very little effort on being with Jesus. I rarely attended church services or involved myself with Christian’s mission. I was infected by the "affluenza virus", placing a high value on acquiring money and possessions, and looking good in the eyes of others.
PHOTO: My life has been closely linked with my jobs, achievements, possessions, and roles. Certain amount of time was also mandatory for National Service training for our Ministry of Defence. While doing all these, I put in very little effort on being with Jesus. I rarely attended church services or involved myself with Christian’s mission. I was infected by the "affluenza virus", placing a high value on acquiring money and possessions, and looking good in the eyes of others.
Picture posted by sadanduseless.com
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https://www.sadanduseless.com/jesus-being-a-jerk-meme/
Many of the things that gave meaning to my live when I was younger have changed in my old age. I remain single, but no longer actively seeking a partner for marriage and form a family of my own. Neither did I actively improve my technological skills to enter into an occupation in the high-tech world. I realised in my old age that I couldn’t keep up with current technology and compete with our younger generations. However, in my retirement journey, I have the opportunity to focus on improving my physical and spiritual health. With all my organs deteriorating, I have no choice but to spend more time on healthy lifestyles, like daily walking and exercises.
PHOTO: Many of the things that gave meaning to my live when I was younger have changed in my old age. I remain single, but no longer actively seeking a partner for marriage and form a family of my own. Neither did I actively improve my technological skills to enter into an occupation in the high-tech world. I realised in my old age that I couldn’t keep up with current technology and compete with our younger generations. However, in my retirement journey, I have the opportunity to focus on improving my physical and spiritual health. With all my organs deteriorating, I have no choice but to spend more time on healthy lifestyles, like daily walking and exercises.
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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/515873332312648636/
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/06/racism-and-xenophobia-resurfacing.html
The importance of spiritual achievements become more and more significant. We heard of morning walking colleague suddenly passed away due to old age and underlying health problems. I do not want to end my life journey failing to be with Jesus. Neither do I want to indulge in apparently good deeds but will turn into evil deeds.
PHOTO: The importance of spiritual achievements become more and more significant. We heard of morning walking colleague suddenly passed away due to old age and underlying health problems. I do not want to end my life journey failing to be with Jesus. Neither do I want to indulge in apparently good deeds but will turn into evil deeds.
Picture posted by Leslie Balleweg
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https://www.leslieballeweg.com/portfolio-4
I want to learn to “spend unhurried time to know Jesus, listen to His voice, marvel at His character, discover His will, understand His ways, and enjoy His presence. Then my quest for knowledge and desire to do good will find fulfilment in the light of our being with Jesus.”
PHOTO: I want to learn to “spend unhurried time to know Jesus, listen to His voice, marvel at His character, discover His will, understand His ways, and enjoy His presence. Then my quest for knowledge and desire to do good will find fulfilment in the light of our being with Jesus.”
Picture posted by nevsepic.com on 05 June 2013
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http://nevsepic.com.ua/art-i-risovanaya-grafika/11848-raboty-anarasha-38-rabot.html
http://www.paroquiastacatarina.com.br/upimg/artigos/-um-dia-comum-345.jpg
http://www.paroquiastacatarina.com.br/artigos
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/06/reflection-intimacy-with-christ_22.html
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-epilogue-response-to-jesus.html
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/04/reflection-jonah-gets-second-chance_13.html
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/12/reflection-joy-to-world.html
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/12/reflection-o-come-all-ye-faithful.html
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-while-shepherds-watched.html
May God’s grace and mercy lead us to enter into the kingdom of heaven, as we call for help in His name to have a successful relationship with Jesus.
PHOTO: May God’s grace and mercy lead us to enter into the kingdom of heaven, as we call for help in His name to have a successful relationship with Jesus.
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https://www.piqsels.com/en/search?q=crucifixion
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/02/reflection-once-in-royal-davids-city.html
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-what-child-is-that.html
PHOTO: “Dear Lord, we acknowledge that although being good at knowing and pursuing knowledge, we lack in our personal relationship with Jesus. Our identity is closely linked with our jobs, achievements, possessions, and roles. We place a high value on acquiring money and possessions, looking good in the eyes of others and wanting to be famous. So much so that we neglect the fundamental being with Christ.
Please help us to overcome being trap by Satan’s lie that the purpose of life is to know something, and not Someone who is our Lord, Jesus Christ. Subsequently, we tend to ignore or forget that eternal life is defined as knowing God the Father and the Son. Help us to realise Satan's lie that knowing something is more important than knowing someone.
We do not want to have false piety with endless activism. This breathless form of Christianity with frantic busyness is hiding the lack of relational depth with Jesus. Help us to know that silence and stillness are good antidotes to mindless busyness in the Christian world.
We learn that relying solely on doctrinal knowledge and religious achievements is unable to get us past God's judgment seat. We may wrongly take pride in our knowledge of Scripture causing us to be sorely disappointed. Help us to read the Scripture not to be merely informative but rather to be deeply formative.
Please help us not to miss the most important truth, to be with Jesus, or all our apparently good deeds will turn to evil deeds. Help us to learn to spend unhurried time to know Jesus, listen to His voice, marvel at His character, discover His will, understand His ways, and enjoy His presence.
We pray that our quest for knowledge and desire to do good will find fulfilment in the light of our being with Jesus. Help us to discover that the most profound thing to say at the end of life is not ‘I thought’ or ‘I did’, but ‘I loved’.
Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!“
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Also from the same author, Robert M. Solomon
"Faithful to the end", A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon
Reflection - Faithful to the end (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2017/06/reflection-faithful-to-end-links.html
"Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon
Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-finding-rest-for-soul-links.html
"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-i.html
"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-iv.html
"Songs of Christmas", The Stories and Significance of 20 Well-Loved Carols, © 2018 by Robert M. Solomon
Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-songs-of-christmas-links.html
[21] Homer L. Jernigan ad Margaret B. Jernigan, Aging in Chinese Society: A Holistic Approach to the Experience of Aging in Taiwan and Singapore (New York: Haworth Press, 1992), chap. 5.
[22] Ibid, 102.
[23] Oliver James, Affluenza (London, Vermillion, 2007), vii.
[24] Warren W. Wiersbe, Living with the Giants (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993), 172.
New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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Why is "being with" (Jesus) the most important? Assess how much of your life is lived according to the various philosophies mentioned in the chapter (doing, being, being with).
Why is "being with" (Jesus) the most important?
Several years ago, a Malaysian friend shared with me about a Chinese Coordination Centre of World Evangelism (CCCOWE) session for pastors in Kuala Lumpur. At the meeting, the general secretary, Dr Joshua Ting, shared "how the Chinese are good at knowing (pursuit of knowledge) and doing but lacking in the being (the personal relationship with Christ)." Dr Ting is spot on in his observation, and what he said is true for most Christians, regardless of ethnicity. In addition, more fundamental to being is our call to being with Christ.
PHOTO: Rev. Joshua Ting was officiated as the sixth CCCOWE secretary general with the laying of hands from various prominent Chinese Christian leaders at the 8th CCCOWE conference in Indonesia.
Photo from The Christian Daily
Picture posted by Luke Leung, The Gospel Herald Ministries on 29 September 2011 at 09:00 AM EDT
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http://cdn.gospelherald.com/data/images/full/2417/min_20110919_cccowe8-jpg.jpg
https://www.gospelherald.com/article/ministries/47549/8th-cccowe-conference-concludes-rev-joshua-ting-officiated-as-new-secretary-general.htm
Often, our identity is closely linked with our jobs, achievements, possessions, and roles. [21] In our old age, these things will have to be reviewed. So many of the things that gave meaning to our lives when we were younger will have changed in our old age. [22] The modern world has been infected by "affluenza", says psychologist Oliver James, who defines the "affluenza virus" as a set of values that involves "placing a high value on acquiring money and possessions, looking good in the eyes of others and wanting to be famous". [23] By this definition, many have been infected, including Christians, who may only realise it in their old age.
PHOTO: Our identity is closely linked with our jobs, achievements, possessions, and roles. The modern world has been infected by "affluenza". Psychologist Oliver James defines the "affluenza virus" as a set of values that involves "placing a high value on acquiring money and possessions, looking good in the eyes of others and wanting to be famous".
Picture posted by Oleksiy Lipatov on 27 July 2010 - Photosession with dieselpunk hovercraft
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https://www.deviantart.com/lipatov/art/Photosession-172841165
Many Christians believe in the modern pragmatic (realistic) philosophy that our identity involves what we do. That is why when we meet strangers, we ask for their name and occupation. As a corrective to this deficient philosophy, we could turn to the classical and medieval philosophy that our identity has to do with who we are. The Bible, on the other hand, points to a different place to find our identity. It depends on whose we are (belonging to which person), or who we are with.
PHOTO: Many Christians believe in the modern pragmatic (realistic) philosophy that our identity involves what we do. As a corrective to this deficient philosophy, we could turn to the classical and medieval philosophy that our identity has to do with who we are. The Bible, on the other hand, depends on whose we are (belonging to which person), or who we are with.
Picture posted by Unknown on 10 September 2007 at 4:38 PM - I am selfish
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https://thegenuinelife.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/selfish_by_yuumei.jpg
http://xanaxjunkee.blogspot.com/2007/09/i-am-selfish.html
Why is it that Christians shy away from finding our identity in being God's children and Christ's disciples? We tend to ignore or forget that eternal life is defined as knowing God the Father and the Son (John 17:3). This knowledge of God is essentially relational - it has to do with how we come to know a person. But the sinful human heart tends to reduce God to an "it", a habit that began in the Garden of Eden when Satan promised the knowledge of good and evil if Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:5). Satan had deftly (cleverly) distorted true knowledge and reduced it to factual knowledge. He injected a big lie into the thinking process of the human race by saying that the purpose of life is to know something.
PHOTO: Why is it that Christians shy away from finding our identity in being God's children and Christ's disciples? We tend to ignore or forget that eternal life is defined as knowing God the Father and the Son (John 17:3). This knowledge of God is essentially relational - it has to do with how we come to know a person. But the sinful human heart tends to reduce God to an "it". Satan had deftly (cleverly) distorted true knowledge and reduced it to factual knowledge. He injected a big lie into the thinking process of the human race by saying that the purpose of life is to know something.
Picture saved by Jehicoth Lopez to Tatuaje egipcio - Jormungandr from the latest God of War game
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This directly contrasted with what God, the Creator had designed. The purpose of life is to know Someone. God brought Adam and Eve together for them to know each other, and He visited them daily for walks (Genesis 3:8). We were made to walk with God and to know Him relationally. But because of their sin, Adam and Eve hid from God (and from each other). Since then, human beings have tended to ignore relational knowledge in their pursuit of informational knowledge. This can be seen in many forms, even with piety. Jesus challenged the Pharisees that despite knowing all the details of the Law, they had ignored the Lawgiver and did not know Him. They had bought Satan's lie that knowing something is more important than knowing someone.
PHOTO: What God, the Creator had designed, the purpose of life is to know Someone. God brought Adam and Eve together for them to know each other, and He visited them daily for walks (Genesis 3:8). We were made to walk with God and to know Him relationally. But because of their sin, Adam and Eve hid from God (and from each other). Since then, human beings have tended to ignore relational knowledge in their pursuit of informational knowledge.
Picture posted by Science Photo Library
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https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/1056793/view
Those who are turned off by the idea of becoming religious eggheads (scholar) may instead be attracted to a form of false piety: endless activism. Theirs is a breathless (panting) form of Christianity; their frantic busyness hiding their lack of relational depth. W. H. Griffith Thomas was right when he said, "We cannot make up for failure in our devotional life by redoubling energy in service." [24] And yet, many Christians seem to be on a spiritual treadmill, wondering why they are not making any progress in their knowledge of God and His ways. Silence (Habakkuk 2:20) and stillness (Psalm 46:10) are good antidotes to mindless busyness in the Christian world.
PHOTO: Christians may be attracted to a form of false piety: endless activism. Theirs is a breathless (panting) form of Christianity; their frantic busyness hiding their lack of relational depth. Hence, are not making any progress in their knowledge of God and His ways. Silence (Habakkuk 2:20) and stillness (Psalm 46:10) are good antidotes to mindless busyness in the Christian world.
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https://www.deviantart.com/flina/art/In-the-Garden-166201263
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-gods-call-receiving-and.htm
Jesus described how we will be judged at the end. There will be many who rely on their doctrinal knowledge and their list of religious achievements to get past God's judgment seat. But they will be sorely disappointed (Matthew 7:21-27). Some will take pride in their knowledge of Scripture. And Scripture does say that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Joel 2:32, emphasis added). But how easily we turn Scriptural truths into superficial mantras! (a statement or slogan repeated frequently) We become presumptuous and are easily misled. Thus, Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 7:21, emphasis added). He was not contradicting Scripture but challenging the kind of Scripture reading that is merely informative rather than deeply formative.
PHOTO: There will be many who rely on their doctrinal knowledge and their list of religious achievements to get past God's judgment seat. But they will be sorely disappointed (Matthew 7:21-27). Some will take pride in their knowledge of Scripture. Reading Scripture should not be merely informative but rather deeply formative.
Picture posted by Missing Pieces on 04 May 2018
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https://missingpieces.co/strongholds-avoiding-the-pitfalls/
Jesus also said that many who claim to have been busy doing good things (e.g., prophesying, exorcising, and doing miracles) in His name will be turned away from His kingdom because they had missed the most important truth: they had failed to be with Jesus. "I never knew you" (Matthew 7:23) is a divine statement that exposes the lack of a relationship between busy servants and their Master, and turns all their apparently good deeds to evil deeds!
PHOTO: Jesus also said that many who claim to have been busy doing good things (e.g., prophesying, exorcising, and doing miracles) in His name will be turned away from His kingdom because they had missed the most important truth: they had failed to be with Jesus. "I never knew you" (Matthew 7:23) is a divine statement that exposes the lack of a relationship between busy servants and their Master, and turns all their apparently good deeds to evil deeds!
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Because the Lord has made it clear, we cannot claim ignorance or ask to be excused. Instead, we must learn to, first and foremost, spend unhurried time to know Jesus, listen to His voice, marvel at His character, discover His will, understand His ways, and enjoy His presence. Then our quest for knowledge and desire to do good will find fulfilment in the light of our being with Jesus. Then we can avoid ending up with heads crammed with information and schedules filled with activities, but hearts empty of God. We will discover that the most profound thing to say at the end of life is not "I thought" or "I did", but "I loved".
PHOTO: We must learn to spend unhurried time to know Jesus, listen to His voice, marvel at His character, discover His will, understand His ways, and enjoy His presence. Then our quest for knowledge and desire to do good will find fulfilment in the light of our being with Jesus.
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Assess how much of your life is lived according to the various philosophies mentioned in the chapter (doing, being, being with).
My life has been closely linked with my jobs, achievements, possessions, and roles. I need to work for salary to support our family’s daily expenditures. Part of my life was also to have income for the payment of our housing loan, as the house is to be our possession for the next 99 years. Without sufficient monetary inheritance, I need to have a job to earn the necessary income for other financial commitment, especially payment for Insurances and investments. In order to have better income, I put in many years of education to improve skills, and other achievements. Certain amount of time was also mandatory for National Service training for our Ministry of Defence. While doing all these, I put in very little effort on being with Jesus. I rarely attended church services or involved myself with Christian’s mission. I was infected by the "affluenza virus", placing a high value on acquiring money and possessions, and looking good in the eyes of others.
PHOTO: My life has been closely linked with my jobs, achievements, possessions, and roles. Certain amount of time was also mandatory for National Service training for our Ministry of Defence. While doing all these, I put in very little effort on being with Jesus. I rarely attended church services or involved myself with Christian’s mission. I was infected by the "affluenza virus", placing a high value on acquiring money and possessions, and looking good in the eyes of others.
Picture posted by sadanduseless.com
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Many of the things that gave meaning to my live when I was younger have changed in my old age. I remain single, but no longer actively seeking a partner for marriage and form a family of my own. Neither did I actively improve my technological skills to enter into an occupation in the high-tech world. I realised in my old age that I couldn’t keep up with current technology and compete with our younger generations. However, in my retirement journey, I have the opportunity to focus on improving my physical and spiritual health. With all my organs deteriorating, I have no choice but to spend more time on healthy lifestyles, like daily walking and exercises.
PHOTO: Many of the things that gave meaning to my live when I was younger have changed in my old age. I remain single, but no longer actively seeking a partner for marriage and form a family of my own. Neither did I actively improve my technological skills to enter into an occupation in the high-tech world. I realised in my old age that I couldn’t keep up with current technology and compete with our younger generations. However, in my retirement journey, I have the opportunity to focus on improving my physical and spiritual health. With all my organs deteriorating, I have no choice but to spend more time on healthy lifestyles, like daily walking and exercises.
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https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/06/racism-and-xenophobia-resurfacing.html
The importance of spiritual achievements become more and more significant. We heard of morning walking colleague suddenly passed away due to old age and underlying health problems. I do not want to end my life journey failing to be with Jesus. Neither do I want to indulge in apparently good deeds but will turn into evil deeds.
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I want to learn to “spend unhurried time to know Jesus, listen to His voice, marvel at His character, discover His will, understand His ways, and enjoy His presence. Then my quest for knowledge and desire to do good will find fulfilment in the light of our being with Jesus.”
PHOTO: I want to learn to “spend unhurried time to know Jesus, listen to His voice, marvel at His character, discover His will, understand His ways, and enjoy His presence. Then my quest for knowledge and desire to do good will find fulfilment in the light of our being with Jesus.”
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http://www.paroquiastacatarina.com.br/artigos
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/06/reflection-intimacy-with-christ_22.html
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-epilogue-response-to-jesus.html
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/04/reflection-jonah-gets-second-chance_13.html
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/12/reflection-joy-to-world.html
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/12/reflection-o-come-all-ye-faithful.html
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-while-shepherds-watched.html
May God’s grace and mercy lead us to enter into the kingdom of heaven, as we call for help in His name to have a successful relationship with Jesus.
PHOTO: May God’s grace and mercy lead us to enter into the kingdom of heaven, as we call for help in His name to have a successful relationship with Jesus.
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https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/02/reflection-once-in-royal-davids-city.html
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-what-child-is-that.html
PHOTO: “Dear Lord, we acknowledge that although being good at knowing and pursuing knowledge, we lack in our personal relationship with Jesus. Our identity is closely linked with our jobs, achievements, possessions, and roles. We place a high value on acquiring money and possessions, looking good in the eyes of others and wanting to be famous. So much so that we neglect the fundamental being with Christ.
Please help us to overcome being trap by Satan’s lie that the purpose of life is to know something, and not Someone who is our Lord, Jesus Christ. Subsequently, we tend to ignore or forget that eternal life is defined as knowing God the Father and the Son. Help us to realise Satan's lie that knowing something is more important than knowing someone.
We do not want to have false piety with endless activism. This breathless form of Christianity with frantic busyness is hiding the lack of relational depth with Jesus. Help us to know that silence and stillness are good antidotes to mindless busyness in the Christian world.
We learn that relying solely on doctrinal knowledge and religious achievements is unable to get us past God's judgment seat. We may wrongly take pride in our knowledge of Scripture causing us to be sorely disappointed. Help us to read the Scripture not to be merely informative but rather to be deeply formative.
Please help us not to miss the most important truth, to be with Jesus, or all our apparently good deeds will turn to evil deeds. Help us to learn to spend unhurried time to know Jesus, listen to His voice, marvel at His character, discover His will, understand His ways, and enjoy His presence.
We pray that our quest for knowledge and desire to do good will find fulfilment in the light of our being with Jesus. Help us to discover that the most profound thing to say at the end of life is not ‘I thought’ or ‘I did’, but ‘I loved’.
Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!“
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Reflection - Spiritual Journey - Life lived According to Various Philosophies
Source (book): "Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, PART I: SPIRITUAL JOURNEY, Chapter 5, "Being with Jesus", Question 1, Page 32.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012
Source (book): "Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, PART I: SPIRITUAL JOURNEY, Chapter 5, "Being with Jesus", Question 1, Page 32.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012
Also from the same author, Robert M. Solomon
"Faithful to the end", A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon
Reflection - Faithful to the end (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2017/06/reflection-faithful-to-end-links.html
"Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon
Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-finding-rest-for-soul-links.html
"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-i.html
"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-iv.html
"Songs of Christmas", The Stories and Significance of 20 Well-Loved Carols, © 2018 by Robert M. Solomon
Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-songs-of-christmas-links.html
Reference
[1] From "Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, Copyright © 2019 by Robert M. Solomon, ISBN 978-981-14-1836-5, PART I: SPIRITUAL JOURNEY, Chapter 5, "Being with Jesus", Page 27-31.[21] Homer L. Jernigan ad Margaret B. Jernigan, Aging in Chinese Society: A Holistic Approach to the Experience of Aging in Taiwan and Singapore (New York: Haworth Press, 1992), chap. 5.
[22] Ibid, 102.
[23] Oliver James, Affluenza (London, Vermillion, 2007), vii.
[24] Warren W. Wiersbe, Living with the Giants (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993), 172.
New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Genesis 3:5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+3%3A5&version=NIV
Genesis 3:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+3%3A8&version=NIV
Habakkuk 2:20 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Habakkuk+2%3A20&version=NIV
Joel 2:32 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joel+2%3A32&version=NIV
John 17:3 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+17%3A3&version=NIV
Matthew 7:21 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A21&version=NIV
Matthew 7:21-27 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A21-27&version=NIV
Matthew 7:23 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A23&version=NIV
Matthew 11:28-29 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+11%3A28-29&version=NIV
Psalm 46:10 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+46%3A10&version=NIV
Genesis 3:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+3%3A8&version=NIV
Habakkuk 2:20 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Habakkuk+2%3A20&version=NIV
Joel 2:32 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joel+2%3A32&version=NIV
John 17:3 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+17%3A3&version=NIV
Matthew 7:21 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A21&version=NIV
Matthew 7:21-27 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A21-27&version=NIV
Matthew 7:23 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A23&version=NIV
Matthew 11:28-29 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+11%3A28-29&version=NIV
Psalm 46:10 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+46%3A10&version=NIV
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- http://cdn.gospelherald.com/data/images/full/2417/min_20110919_cccowe8-jpg.jpg
- https://www.gospelherald.com/article/ministries/47549/8th-cccowe-conference-concludes-rev-joshua-ting-officiated-as-new-secretary-general.htm
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- https://www.deviantart.com/lipatov/art/Photosession-172841165
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- https://thegenuinelife.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/selfish_by_yuumei.jpg
- http://xanaxjunkee.blogspot.com/2007/09/i-am-selfish.html
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9aRmDFAhAM2A9AwCU2egMjZ8kgEhgscdbfTBoo0hCjWm6a5WPvpB7Obwwo5gA3f4ROyB5tJOCLzip8paSTeNmZvBVnV4PsyEw_DUBrWkBY2GcLZmNY4YyOeTD3SV_GHIZItsJKEkuYJ4/s1600/il_794xN.1929071839_o0sm_1.png
- https://i.etsystatic.com/9360586/r/il/c63753/1929071839/il_794xN.1929071839_o0sm.jpg
- https://co.pinterest.com/pin/591027151087053199/
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZ74Kx6s8AS9nwuBn636vqjMxOSRd2Zd9X-uf8tzB0tErSfwZyihkwvaxJLob-2fCQuv6dpKvLhk1vTWsTRloTUgiTKRtkefrlwvkL5dZh8cmKd4atRQGFgrAxz7uwzn6cMzqbSo9r3s/s1600/C0473964-God_with_Adam_and_Eve%252C_19th_century_illustration.jpg
- https://media.sciencephoto.com/image/c0473964/800wm/C0473964-God_with_Adam_and_Eve,_19th_century_illustration.jpg
- https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/1056793/view
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnwObiOf0LgLJb4KvQXy1W5PxUXAQbRkkwPOKszeEkGmo_EFhggkgTcDI4aqiFDox2n5BMBVzDzVR0fUW5Rn78JFFQtYtrwNIQcdITvKvdNo3DI3RH4AXjkaW5RQ_bVBnKJuXc052sHs/s1600/in_the_garden_by_flina-1.png
- https://img00.deviantart.net/a168/i/2010/153/6/e/in_the_garden_by_flina.jpg
- https://www.deviantart.com/flina/art/In-the-Garden-166201263
- https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-gods-call-receiving-and.htm
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5YHQZITxwY123nyTfFpIrOR0GEsyIhHM6ElmVcddv-Zxt6bHSZQRcAVeAkAumdRvi2RBCJ05JElwVUnTGedRjsIJgkpzldIOhuhmqwDU-lAleFtFbg-SI8lDjgjSQXCv36rZCHUA-ink/s1600/Not-everyone-who-says-to-me-1.jpg
- https://missingpieces.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Not-everyone-who-says-to-me-1.jpg
- https://missingpieces.co/strongholds-avoiding-the-pitfalls/
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmrbDwwiI2-7v3byQfsBCqQc1xUrmqtQXt-w3wO8O44jLoEmuwfYjxOc138Ku9LFcnGdvULhoVn7wi4c7_E52PAn4EopDT4_jcu9Bh2XWWR2D8vEJHHxkCb96lhf6uGd-BBq8AWKULEk/s1600/d639066debf41870f6726c84a109ea33_1.jpg
- https://i.pinimg.com/564x/d6/39/06/d639066debf41870f6726c84a109ea33.jpg
- https://www.pinterest.com/pin/218635756893928428/
- http://www.webestools.com/animated-images-effect-generator-effects-gif-images-picture-blog-gif-fx-images-animated-effect.html
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjmzx7cz8I8Ug4FP6IlxWg1dgk4eC6FQaL64MHahXB7sSZNh6E_u6pTwcCJPq-MCbzxdPnzpUCpwT-tqxjNbSTsYBcgIBLCBcrbArPqcWxpScOBjWtReVCU9YN0AtQO6PqOJnG5uWC0s/s1600/Bach_190809_AMWC-Vol3_1472_11.jpg
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjszhP6kfWhp9fNoleXZ-SuETcuTArhODD59eKrR65YVo71uXC8FS7IfrWgOAvDMu44fMVvuhEmlGG20pPjFegHYfQMTr-uxuRMO1DexxIIM-hUn0gcYCDEMtCSBMqkDBuo8ZgkfBRtU/s1600/Bach_190809_AMWC-Vol3_1472_12.gif
- https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59e1495f7131a56efb4ec47d/1578580611300-MMLBI6CQL959B3UESR6X/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kFn01b69qibFV6p4ATINgYx7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QHyNOqBUUEtDDsRWrJLTmaHJ0CCIp0h94CjFWATtzumDyWwG6cTlYaiji1mbxg2_decyTpAb-46CnvkjVgn6l/Bach_190809_AMWC-Vol3_1472.jpg
- https://www.amomentwithchrist.com/volume-three/understanding-the-god-we-love
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeMZyYkO5bltW7A2hN6gO0aF7y4upWAAb7qwOID9faRjoPS-CY_6PR-V7Hek_HMaGg59O5rfjOHHZQTFg-yGxZD6B2VJYCy3nufzVVR-dRDme_JRwQchDJqjHlOxCwC2orpsCEj24ido/s1600/funny-jesus3_1.png
- https://sadanduseless.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/funny-jesus3.jpg
- https://www.sadanduseless.com/jesus-being-a-jerk-meme/
- http://www.webestools.com/animated-images-effect-generator-effects-gif-images-picture-blog-gif-fx-images-animated-effect.html
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjgRmpxfduXXOCP7fc8faqmvHC3gg0ea_iD721U5l4Nsim0Z1HyhmbTdm7uRjfiWgPLmFMITN-g0N9ScMKHzTfjP4M3Hoa93SQNemZPiZH5vlqXIRLngGrLnRvsIMQ3eOy8q5TSxljmu8/s1600/48ba3e23f5a5f36fdb502836f012adbf_1.png
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjichwTqgeSUGEeJbp2kOLGaXYnQCoTWSjWkwO2LmF8UC7CSzzK4-x2yR9pcvPlBynsolubjGzi0XQnk2mzJ8KI3x9Je3p3qumSWmyd-g3-9cGTEPUbpCWp5Ij-AbnNSax1KOaFAFNeeSs/s1600/48ba3e23f5a5f36fdb502836f012adbf_1.gifhttps://i.pinimg.com/564x/48/ba/3e/48ba3e23f5a5f36fdb502836f012adbf.jpg - (48ba3e23f5a5f36fdb502836f012adbf_1.png)
- https://www.pinterest.com/pin/515873332312648636/
- https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/06/racism-and-xenophobia-resurfacing.html
- http://www.webestools.com/animated-images-effect-generator-effects-gif-images-picture-blog-gif-fx-images-animated-effect.html
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- https://www.leslieballeweg.com/portfolio-4
- http://www.webestools.com/animated-images-effect-generator-effects-gif-images-picture-blog-gif-fx-images-animated-effect.html
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- http://nevsepic.com.ua/art-i-risovanaya-grafika/11848-raboty-anarasha-38-rabot.html
- http://www.paroquiastacatarina.com.br/upimg/artigos/-um-dia-comum-345.jpg
- http://www.paroquiastacatarina.com.br/artigos
- https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/06/reflection-intimacy-with-christ_22.html
- https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-epilogue-response-to-jesus.html
- https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/04/reflection-jonah-gets-second-chance_13.html
- https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/12/reflection-joy-to-world.html
- https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/12/reflection-o-come-all-ye-faithful.html
- https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-while-shepherds-watched.html
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2fgCMUD9-i0PKd0fH9J-5RhAHnG4Em4VOL652PTMoYNHMPJcce6cNXWAHMF36LetgZdnw3AsVjbtwV1EIvKDju25oBXd-2vasa76eoWaNFShYUlRHd1PUb_Wgf3pMUtcgiTK4IdzSY0/s1600/christian-cross-crucifixion-resurrection-body-of-water-religion.jpg
- https://p1.piqsels.com/preview/298/243/606/christian-cross-crucifixion-resurrection-body-of-water-religion.jpg
- https://www.piqsels.com/en/search?q=crucifixion
- https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/02/reflection-once-in-royal-davids-city.html
- https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-what-child-is-that.html
- http://www.webestools.com/animated-images-effect-generator-effects-gif-images-picture-blog-gif-fx-images-animated-effect.html
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- https://static.livebooks.com/cfdec74227c440339ee2d62db06a86df/i/ae7dcc5b2a2940fe95337140eba2bef0/1/GCuCv726vxAVM9sgguVj4g/7_0_184_1flyaway_2520x2016.jpg
- https://www.leslieballeweg.com/portfolio-4
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