Genesis 24 is a chapter often used to emphasize the Biblical teachings regarding marriage and God’s miraculous providence. This time, we recount the story through the perspective of the old servant and the evolution of his attitude toward the LORD as the work of God pans out before his eyes. The progression of his posture in prayer is a reflection of the progression of his faith through his experience of God.
Introduction
As we read Joseph’s story again, you may realize as you get older that our difficulties are nothing compared to what he went through. But before we get to the turning point of maturity, most of us feel that what we go through is bad, something that no one will understand. But what we have in common with Joseph is that we are all God’s children. If we reflect on Joseph’s life difficulties, we realize God must understand our difficulties and will provide a way out for us in order to overcome. As Joseph’s life was in God’s hand and His salvation plan, so are our lives, are they not?
“Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.” (Dan 12:3)
When we sang hymn 232 before the Sabbath morning service, the last sentence of the chorus caught my eyes. It read, “And they that turn many to His righteousness shall shine as the stars ever bright.” It reminded me of the afternoon Bible study topic, as we were going to study 1 Corinthians 3. In this chapter, Paul used the metaphor of building to illustrate the qualities of the holy workers’ works.
According to the Apostle Paul, the foundation of the building is Jesus Christ. There are two kinds of material that can be employed in the building. We are urged to examine how we build—with the valuable and lasting material (gold, silver, and precious stones) or with the worthless and fleeting material (wood, hay, and straw). Continue reading
We were outside again and standing on a table tennis table made me feel much taller. “Little me” was only around 8 years old and loved to play games like cops and robber outdoors with other kids from church. I do not remember why exactly I stood on a table tennis table but I do remember the great view I had from there. Then I saw my RE teacher from afar. He was trying to tell me something but I could not hear him since he was too distant (~50m). Intuitively I walked towards him, saw the horrified expression on his face, wondered why he was so upset and — BOOM! Something hit my face really hard, and all I saw was black. Continue reading