Facing Adversity and Persecution

12 Week Challenge Week 1 Day 2 – 1 Thessalonians

A letter written by Paul, Silas and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians

In chapter 2, Paul talks about how they were persecuted for who they believe and yet they still stand firm and preach about God. I find it really challenging as for someone like Paul and his disciples to stand so firm for God. Many times i have fail to stand up for God in front of my friends. I love how Paul said He wasn’t trying to please humans but pleasing God when he is preaching and getting persecuted. I need to strengthen my faith more in order to be able to stand firm for God when facing persecution from God(Chapter 3).

Paul instructed the church to live a life that pleases God. How many times have i fail that, probably a lot. In chapter 4, it talks about how we should avoid sexual immorality, wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister and many more. I probably have done that a lot of times and what really hits me that, paul said that if we reject this things, we are rejecting God himself. Bam, that really hit me hard cause i have fail to please God so so many things and all the things i have been doing is causing me to reject God out of my life. Really pray that I can change in this area of my life.

Rashaun

Living and Loving Like Jesus

12 Week Challenge Week 1 Day 1 – 1 Corinthians 1-2 & 13

Chapter 1
Verse 10-17- Be united in the mind and thought among fellow church members.

Verse 18-30- What hit me the most in this verse is “Live in humility”. It talks about how God chooses lowly things of this world so that no one may boast before him so we can boast about the Lord.

26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[d]

Chapter 2
This chapter talks about if we grow closer to God/Jesus, we will receive the Spirit of God, when we receive it, we are then able to receives God’s wisdom. I noticed that at the start of the chapter, Paul is talking about how he comes to his church with fear and trembling and with the wisdom of God. It shows that Paul really loves God and follows God. He talks about how God is a loving God in the first chapter and then talked about how powerful and almighty God is in the chapter 2. But what i get the most out of it is that Paul is really faithful to God and shows how to live a life for God and relies on God’s wisdom.

Chapter 13
This chapter talks about one word “LOVE”. What really hit me is the first few verses, it talks about without love, there inst much meaning in the things i do for others. This makes me realized that sometimes i can do a lot of things for peoples, but sometimes i just do it for the sake of it and not understanding or giving much of a thought to it.

1 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Following on it talks about how love is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, not proud and so on, it just reminds me of one person that is Jesus Christ. He demonstrated what love means when he died for us on the cross. I believed that Love is the number reason why Jesus choose to go to the cross. In the context of living and loving like Jesus, i feel like i should learn and grow in the area of loving others more than myself.

Rashaun

I am back.

Wow, been so long since i last updated blogging. Well, i am back and going to be blogging during my summer holidays and probably keep going for the whole of next year. Why suddenly come back, might be thinking? well blogging helps me to release my thoughts and feelings.

So where should i start? Probably start by sharing what its on my heart at the moment.

So at semester 2 2011, this marks the worst and darkest semester/season of my life.

As i reflect on this semester performance, i realized that my life at the moment is going downwards. Lets start off at where i began to going downhill. At around the middle of the year, i broke up with my ex-gf, i honestly didnt take it too well. On the outside, i was saying “im ok, i have move on”. But in my heart, i was pissed off and sad for the matter of fact that my feelings was shattered. So i decided to just stay in my room(aka my dungeon to rot and not care about anything else) This is then carry out through out the semester.

I soon realized that my life is just going horrible for me. I started slacking off my studies, i started to hate everything in life and found myself more relax when im playing games(think of gaming as like an alcohol thats how i feel). My life with God was just like a Friday and Sunday thing. I started to betray my friend’s trust. I even got caught plagiarizing someone’s assignments. This is how bad my life is.

At the moment, my direction in life is now clouded with negative thoughts and i am currently just lost. But i am determined to get back on track.

A few things i want to apologies to certain individuals

To Mark(my uni friend): hey buddy, i am really sorry about what happened. I know that what ever i do to make it up, it will not make up for the fact that i have betray your trust. I am deeply sorry and i wish we can still be friends

To Angela(my uni friend): Hey, through out the semester, you are the only friend that has been concern about me this semester. I really want to thank you for your effort for being so concern for me. I want to apologise for betraying your trust and being so ungrateful to you this whole semester. I really hope we can still be good friends.

To Joanne(my ex): Hey, I am sorry that I ignored you for the whole semester. I took our break-up too harshly on myself. I have been very inmature in our relationship and i want to apologize for that. Please don’t take to your fault. It is fully my fault and my immaturity. I really wish that we can still be friends.

To Mark(my mentor): Hey Mark, I am really really deeply sorry that i wasn’t being honest to you again. A lot of times, i have lie to you because i don’t want you to know what i am going thorough and you being so concern about me.

Rashaun Hoh