The Cooling Stream

John 1: 39b-42

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That day became the day of salvation for the two men. When they met Jesus for themselves, their lives changed forever. Two of those changes are highlighted here.

They Wanted To Stay With Jesus (39b). It was 4 o’clock in the afternoon. It was getting close to dark. But they were anxious to talk to Jesus. They spent the rest of that day, and probably that night, in His presence. And they spent the rest of their lives in His service!

That’s just how it is! When you meet Jesus and He changes your life, you will want to stay with Him forever. You will want to love Him, love His people, His house, His Word, His music. You will want to love everything that has to do with Him!

They Wanted To Share Jesus (40-42). After they had met Jesus, and their own salvation was settled, they wanted to share Him with other people.

Andrew went first to his brother, Simon Peter, and brought him to Jesus. Peter became a great preacher of the Gospel and God used him to bring thousands into the church.

That’s what Jesus will do for you! He is too good to keep to yourself. When you meet Him, you will want others to meet Him too. There will be a burning desire within your heart to share Him with all you meet. This desire to share the Savior with others is a good indication of your relationship with Him!

Read John 1:14

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The Manner Of His Incarnation. "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." The manner of His incarnation is a mystery. How could God become a man? The answer lies in the mind of God alone. All we know is that God chose a virgin named Mary and caused her to miraculously conceive and bring forth a baby. On that night when Jesus was born, God had come to earth. Somehow, the Word became flesh! While Jesus Himself had existed from all eternities past, He took up on Himself a robe of flesh there in Bethlehem. The Creator was born to the creature. God placed His life in the hands of mortals. Jesus pitched His tent here among mortals. He lived among us, worked among us, prayed among us, suffered among us and died among us. God walked upon the earth and was unrecognized by many who came into close contact with Him.

The Mystery Of His Incarnation. “The Word became flesh”. There in Bethlehem, God stepped out of eternity and onto the stage of human history. He came as a tangible proof of the existence of God and of God's willingness to save mankind. Jesus came to this world to reveal God to man. He did this through the medium of His flesh.

The Majesty Of His Incarnation. “We have seen His glory”. John saw the glory of Jesus in a very real sense. In Matthew 17, John, along with James and Peter, accompanied Jesus upon a mountain side. There, Jesus allowed the veil of His flesh to be pulled aside and He revealed the glory that was concealed beneath. Jesus concealed His heavenly fame within an earthly frame. However, His greatest glory was revealed the day He allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross and died for sinners. On Calvary, the glory of God was in sharp focus!

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Some Thoughts

• Jesus left the halls of Heaven and came to live among men.
• He took upon Himself a robe of flesh so that He might be able to die for mankind.
• The greatest evidence of the glory of God is the broken body of Jesus Christ.
  

"Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord." (1 Timothy 1:2)

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Grace is God's unearned, unmerited and undeserved favor. It is kindness from God we don't deserve. There is nothing we have done, or can do to earn God's favor. It is a gift from God.

It is divine assistance given to men for their regeneration, sanctification etc. It is a virtue coming from God. It is a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine favor.

Someone says "GRACE is God's Riches At Christ's Expense".

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Mercy is God's goodness confronting man’s misery and guilt. It is God's disposition of kindness and compassion toward a sinner.

It is God's provision for holding back from us the awful things that we actually deserve, due to our sin and rebellion.

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In short, mercy is God not punishing us as our sins deserve, and grace is God blessing us despite the fact that we do not deserve it.

Mercy delivers us from judgment, while grace extends kindness to the unworthy.

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Peace is God’s wonderful gift received by faith. It is given when we are right with God. It is a fruit given by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

It is love, joy, hope, kindness, faithfulness, patience, perseverance, and contentment in all circumstances, settings, and situations.

It is the manifestation of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

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The apostle Paul greeted Timothy with God's grace, mercy and peace.

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What a wonderful greeting that is.

What a wonderful blessing that will become when we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and begin to experience and enjoy them through the powerful ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Early morning 6 o'clock. It was Saturday weekend. As usual, we had our morning 6 km walk.

The sky was dark and cold when we left home. Traffic on the road was light. We had the road mostly to ourselves. Nonetheless I drove slowly and carefully, keeping within the rules.

As before, we were not the first ones to arrive, since we never planned to.

There is always the eerie and unsettling feeling when left alone in an unfamiliar and dark place. Sometimes I wondered if this had to do with childhood fear and anxiety.

We began our walk with a prayer. We prayed for safety, fine weather, and fruitful exercises.

I led the way and my wife followed closely behind.

It was a slow start. We had to grope in the darkness in certain places. The streetlights were few and dim. Then, there was this scary thought and feeling that people might attack us.

The sky slowly grew brighter. Everything began to look clearer. Then we saw the beautiful scenery and people. Then the birds chirped and sang. The morning had broken. I saw the distant sky, the green hills, and the blue mountains. I heard the sound of acceleration and deceleration of vehicles. Darkness had finally been lifted.

It was a welcoming moment for us. Finally we were walking in the light of the morning sun.

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Most of us I presumed don't enjoy darkness.

It is never easy to grope in the dark.

We really need clear and proper guidance. We badly need the light.

Then come the morning sun, growing brighter and brighter, revealing things hidden and unknown.

Now everything in full view. Now we walk confidently with firm strides.

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Life is always difficult when we don't know our way and our destiny.

We have to grope and find in the dark. Sometimes, It can be very scary and uncertain.

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Then God shows us the Way. Everything becomes clearer now.

"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12)

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Some of us find God's light and God's calling for them in the Holy Scriptures, in the powerful worship, in God's gifts and talents, in God's works and services, in communion and mission, in fasting and prayer, etc.

It doesn't matter.

Each of us may see God in different lights.

Just go after Him and follow Him closely behind.

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"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Let us continue to work in the Light.

Let us continue our work produced by faith, our labor prompted by love, and our endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:3)

"God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7)

May the God of Light continue to show you the Way to Him.

The police here nabbed two suspects for alleged involvement in a house break-in after finding one of the suspects’ wallet at the crime scene.

The duo were picked up by the police in a house yesterday evening.

Both suspects were brought to the Police Station to assist the police further in their investigation.

The police managed to track down the suspect via his identification card found in the wallet.

Full story: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/02/12/burglar-drops-wallet-during-break-in/

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What a good laugh!

I have heard of thieves stealing wallets.

But a thief lost his own wallet! That's news to me!

And with his identification card in it?! Now that is too much. Hahaha!

How can it be?

Moral of the story: If you go stealing, keep your identification details at home. These include your identification card, your fingerprints, shoe print, toe prints, your dropping hairs, etc. Better still, don't steal other people's stuff. Just spend what you have, find some jobs, beg, or go hungry for a while.

Some of our friends love to show that they are wiser, smarter or better.
They try to impress us by behaving differently, or speaking meaningfully and resolutely with wise words, and various hand and body gestures.

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But it is alright for me.
I enjoy their company, I still do, especially those who talk sensibly and confidently.
To me, they are better off in life, and they can succeed in many things when they try.

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But I hate those who behave, speak, and act foolishly.
Worse still if they are inconsiderate, rude, and never desire to understand and accept others.
To me, they are wasting my precious time and energy, and ruining my daily routine.

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I love those who can share on daily happenings.
It is good to share knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.
And a little boasting about self worth, self love, and self appreciation.

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But when the wise men among us become too wise, and start to behave, speak, and act foolishly, then they will have to leave.
We desire and cherish worthy friends who make positive impacts in our lives.
But we don't need proud men among us with contentious and divisive spirit.
We just don't enjoy quarrels and fights.

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Everyone of us have our circles of friends and loved ones.
We share and we care for one another.
In the process, we help one another to become wiser, smarter or better.

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So, be a better person.
But do it wisely.

Have a nice day!

I was driving along a busy street in the city with my family. We were on our way to attend our Sunday morning worship.

The road was congested with traffic.

As usual, some were driving with full speed, while others were driving slowly, enjoying music and beautiful views.

The small car in front of me was driving slowly. There were 3 adults and 3 children inside. The driver was a young man, driving with the window down. Sitting beside him was probably his wife, and a baby. Two children and the nanny were at the backseat.

The young kid at the backseat was standing up, drinking a packet drink and enjoying himself. Then, all of a sudden, he threw his packet drink through the driver's window.

I was keeping my distance. Experience told me not to drive too near to a slow vehicle.

The packet drink didn't spill on my car. I was relieved.

Many times in the past I was not that lucky.

You just can't trust anyone when you are on the road, or any place unfamiliar.

This is a society where people do what they want, when they want and where they want.

Good luck when you are on the road the next time.

Everyone has their reasons why they are the way they are.

They have their reasons why they do certain things, behave or feel certain ways, say or write certain words, think or believe certain thoughts etc.

They always have their reasons everyday, every step, and every choice.

You seldom hear them without the reasons Why!

It is good to know the reasons the way we are, or the way we do things.

It will boost our confidence, our communication skills and a whole range of other things.

But it can become a burden to others when they are compelled to listen to our reasons over and again.

It can irritate others and be a cause for concern when we cannot substantiate our claims, our arguments, or our beliefs anymore.

I would rather say let your "Yes" be "Yes" and your "No" be "No".

You need not always have reasons for who you are or what you do.

A confident look portraying intelligence and likability would do.

It is interesting to see and hear how the fools defend themselves.

But it would be wise not to start an argument with them.

And it would be wiser if we can be contented and happy to do our thing, and let the world pass by, blissful and easy.

Beware not to start contending and arguing.

It may spice up your life for a while.

But then it may make you cry.

Oh yes! I know my reasons why!