Category Archives: Personal Cultivation

He Shall Direct Your Paths

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Prov 3:5-6)

In life there are many gates (also known as milestones, major events, or challenges). What are they?

Gates of love: Finding a spouse
Gates of your career: Job hunting
Gates of growth: Birth, growing pains, menopause
Gates of health: Sickness, disabilities
Gates of death: Facing death, family members’ death

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Guard Your Heart

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Prov 4:23 NIV)

Love, hatred, happiness, and depression are issues of the heart. What a person is on the inside has more impact on his emotions than his circumstances. In fact, all areas of our life are direct reflections of our heart—everything we do flows from it.

The Scripture teaches us to guard our heart against several things: Do not set your heart on riches (Ps 62:10); do not take to heart everything people say (Eccl 7:21); do not praise yourself (Prov 27:21); do not worry (1 Pet 5:7).

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Ponder the Path of Your Feet

“Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.” (Prov 4:26)

When a person believes in Jesus Christ, he embarks on a journey of faith. For the rest of his life, he lives with the hope to be with God forever in heaven when his journey comes to an end.

Let us ponder the path of our faith journey from six perspectives:

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Delayed Gratification

We are living in a fast-paced world where things move very fast and instant. Information can be obtained with just a click of our fingertips. Technological advancement has made it possible to purchase food and products without the need to step out from our house. Slowly but surely, this will shape future generations who demand instant rewards and cannot stand delayed gratification.

What is delayed gratification? It is resistance to the temptation of an immediate pleasure in the hope of obtaining a valuable and long-lasting reward in the long term. It is akin to the saying that “good things come to those who wait.” However, teaching our kids to practice delayed gratification is pretty tough in today’s world of instant gratification.

Let us look at what the Bible says about the spiritual aspect of delayed gratification and later, we will discuss some ideas on how to help our kids develop this virtue.

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Cleanse Your Hands and Purify Your Hearts

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (Jas 4:8)

Man’s heart is corrupted by sin. Oftentimes, our minds may be filled with impurities such as pride, bitterness, envy, self-seeking, and self-righteousness. When we discover our shortcomings, we should resolve to improve, and return to God.

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