Luke 4:22

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.

Jesus has just gone through the Devil's temptations and returned to Galilee. He went to the synagogues to teach and had not even performed any miracle. Yet, already people were amazed by Him - His gracious words.

When I read that, I asked the Lord, "Jesus, what gracious words did You speak that people are amazed?". I know words that can build up, edify and encourage others. But what exactly are gracious words. I look up the dictionary and the word gracious means - pleasant, kind, polite to somebody of a lower social position. Wow!

Reflection:Lord, enable me to guard my words, tone and sincerity of what I said and mean it. Many times when I chit chat too much, I forget to consider how other people may interpret my meaning and feel offended. Lord, may my words by gracious and glorify You. Amen

A LITTLE CHILD WILL LEAD THEM:ISAIAH 11:6

Extracts from book entitled 'Teatime for Women'

A Child's Wisdom by Cheryl Kirking

A few years ago, we decided to give my father a surprise birthday party. My son, who was then four, was especially excited about the party for his grandpa. Bryce spent all day making streamers and paper hats and decorating the house. He instructed his brother and sister where they should hide and how to yell "Surprise" with the proper inflection and zeal.

When the moment of Grandpa's long-awaited appearance finally arrived, Bryce led the troops in the noisy revelry. But, as so often happens in life, reality failed to meet expectations. The party horns refused to toot properly, the guests weren't appropriately enthusiastic, and the cake was not chocolate. Finally, Bryce could take no more disappointments and melted into a sobbing little heap on the floor. Scooping him up in my arms, I took him to a quiet room where he poured out his troubles to me.

"Sweetheart," I asked, as he flopped across on my lap, "what can we do to help you feel better?"

"Oh, Mommy," he cried between heaving sobs, "can we rewind the party?"

"Honey, I wish sometimes that we could do that, but we can't rewind time," I answered, smoothing his golden hair from his damp forehead. "But we can start from right now and find a way to make the rest of the day better."

"Well," he sniffed, "maybe - maybe we could just hit 'pause' a little while before we go back, ok."

"That's a good idea," I answered.

As I quietly rocked my little boy, smelling his sweet hair and feeling his warm little body relax, I realised what an important lesson I had just learned from my child. Sometimes, when life is overwhelming, the best thing to do is to just "hit pause" for a little while.

THE RICH YOUNG MAN

In Mark 10:17-20, a rich young man asked Jesus,"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus answered,"Why do you call me good?.......You know the commandments. Do not murder....."

Reflection:It's strange why Jesus' answer is not Believe in the Lord and you will be saved OR throw this young man the first 4 commandments, but instead Jesus told him not to commit murder etc. Do not be mistaken that by doing good or not doing wrong, one will inherit eternal life. So why did Jesus tell this young man this? Perhaps the answer lies with the word Good teacher and Jesus question of Why do you call me good?

JONAH 4:9

When a person expresses the wish to die, normally this person is suffering with much distress, pain, sadness, hopelessness, loss, no way out etc.

How will an angry man response? Normally an angry person wants to execute justice or take revenge, right? So I find it very strange that Jonah said "I am angry enough to die"

The book of Jonah ends with God chiding Jonah for his 'selfishness' but did not tell us whether Jonah repented or not. If you write a story about Jonah, what will the ending be?

This morning, something happened in my family and I was very angry too. But I remember God said Be Angry But Do Not Sin. So I kept quiet and did not scold anybody or give 'advice' etc. When I was all alone in the office, I let out my anger and just scold, scold, scold. I thank God that I can just vent out my frustration and not say any wrong and hurtful things. Later while taking a walk and while reading a book, God was very good and revealed to me that relationships are more important than anything. And praise God, in the evening the whole issue was resolved! Hallelujah! God is there with me all the time.

SUPER-SLOW READING OF THE BIBLE

In her book 'Listening to God', Joyce Huggett mentioned a book she read entitled 'YOU'. The author introduced a simple reading technique called 'super-slow' reading. This method of reading is reflective reading. You take a verse of scripture or a familiar passage and instead of studying it analytically, you read it as slowly as possible, presenting yourself to the situation described so forcibly that you begin to experience, with your imagination, the sights, sounds and feelings that are painted for you by the author.

Joyce experimented with this art of super-slow reading with Mark's account of the Crucifixion. This scene(using this reading technique) changed her life when she see Jesus writhing on the cross before her very own eyes. Her personal response is a humble and grateful surrender to Jesus' depths of loving for her.

Incidentally I was also reading Mark - about the faith of a Syrophoenician Woman. I tried to put myself in this woman's shoes. I picture myself asking Jesus to heal my child and was quite stunned at Jesus' response,"First , let the children eat all they want, for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." Jesus' compassion is well known, that's why people from all over the country seek Him out - so why was His response so harsh? Or so I thought. I also imagined the woman's desperation and also her faith when I read her answer. How would I have responded to Jesus? Would I have been offended or would I humble myself? To give an answer as a third party is easy - but what would my respond be if I were the woman? I am distressed for my child, I come to seek the healer, the doctor. Instead of healing my child, He embarassed me by calling us names in the presence of so many strangers (Jews)? Why, oh why did I come?

It's a most exciting and rewarding method of Bible study!!!

Matthew 6:26-28:CONSIDER THE LILIES

I am amazed by You, I am amazed by You, how You love me!

This morning I woke up early and looked out the window. Hanging as the perfect picture was the bright and brilliant moon. Thank You God for watching over me while I sleep.

On my way to the train station, I noticed two men taking photos. There were also some curious passers-by. I looked behind me and realised the Lord had painted a very glorious sky. Red patches here and some orange stripes there! Thank You God for entertaining me while I traveled.

While walking to the office, I noticed a beautiful blue bird chirping happily. Sometimes, a big bird (like an eagle) soaring high above me, screeching and catching my attention! Yes Lord, I shall mount up with wings as the eagle.

Along the pathway, I notice a tree with light pink flowers - just like the cherry blossoms. I see the morning glory trumpeting songs to me as I walked past the fences. Thank You Lord for Thy creation - they all glorify Thee. How Great Thou Art!

EPHESIANS 5:25

Keith Miller is the author of the challenging book 'The Taste of New Wine'. But one of the battlegrounds which troubled Keith's marriage in the early days, it seems, was the conflict which erupted over role delineation. When they married, Mary Allen, his wife, assumed that he would empty the pedal bin in the kitchen each day. He, meanwhile, felt insulted by the suggestion. This was woman's work in his view. He refused to capitulate to his wife's demands.

After his conversion to Christ, Keith Miller tried to convince his wife that he had found something wonderful in God, that God was changing her husband's personality. In an attempt to convince her of the strength of this claim he looked for ways of demonstrating this truth by his behaviour.

He goes on to explain how the word of wisdom flashed into his awareness: 'While I was looking around for some ..... way to convince my wife that I had really changed, my glance fell on the waste basket standing full by the back door, "No, Lord," I groaned quietly to myself. "Not the waste basket. Take my income, anything."

After a struggle, he obeyed. He emptied the waste basket. 'Without saying a word I took it out, and didn't even mentioned it to her.'

Mary Allen, of course, took note of this change in attitude. She continued to refuse her husband's invitations to Christian meetings but she did begin to ask a friend penetrating questions about the Christian faith. These discussions resulted, in time, in her own conversion to Christianity. When she retraced the way God had wooed her to Himself she recognised that her husband's gesture that day he emptied the waste basket had been one of the prongs God had used to prod her in His direction.