Healthy Mind, Body & Spirit

Preached on the 1 Kings 19:9b-18 about prophet Elijah. One point that we can learn from that passage is about being in the cave.

In that passage, Elijah was at the mountain of Horeb, the mountain of God. Mount Horeb represents the presence of God. Elijah was at the mountain of Horeb and yet he stays in the cave. Furthermore, he was so focused on his situation at that time i.e. the threat from Jezebel, that being at the mountain of Horeb does not affect his perspective. Ironically, instead of gazing at the beautiful scenery from the mountain of God and be amazed at the beauty of God’s creation, Elijah stayed in the cave, in the darkness. In a way, that shows Elijah’s condition before God, in darkness fearing for his life.

God had to ask him to go out from the cave. This is a good analogy to use. God wants Elijah to go out from his darkness and fears. It is only when Elijah was out from the cave that he can see the powerful manifestation of God’s power in the wind, earthquake and fire.

Likewise we should not focus solely on our problems and being fearful. God is able to save and bring you out from your problem. There is no problem too big for God. What He is asking us to do is to go out from the cave and see His mighty power at work.

By Rick Warren, the Purpose Driven Life

Don’t date because you are desperate.
Don’t marry because you are miserable.
Don’t have kids because you think your genes are superior.
Don’t philander because you think you are irresistible.

Don’t associate with people you can’t trust.
Don’t cheat. Don’t lie. Don’t pretend.
Don’t dictate because you are smarter.
Don’t demand because you are stronger.

Don’t sleep around because you think you are old enough & know better.
Don’t hurt your kids because loving them is harder.
Don’t sell yourself, your family, or your ideals.
Don’t stagnate!

Don’t regress.
Don’t live in the past. Time can’t bring anything or anyone back.
Don’t put your life on hold for possibly Mr./Ms. Right.
Don’t throw your life away on absolutely Mr./Ms. Wrong because your biological clock is ticking.

Learn a new skill.
Find a new friend.
Start a new career.
Sometimes, there is no race to be won, only a price to be paid for some of life’s more hasty decisions.

To terminate your loneliness, reach out to the homeless.
To feed your nurturing instincts, care for the needy.
To fulfill your parenting fantasies, get a puppy.
Don’t bring another life into this world for all the wrong reasons.

Simplify your life.

Take away the clutter.
Get rid of destructive elements: abusive friends, nasty habits and dangerous liaisons.
Don’t abandon your responsibilities.

Don’t live life recklessly without thought and feeling for your family.
Be true to yourself.
Don’t commit when you are not ready.
Don’t keep others waiting needlessly.

Say those words - Love You & I’m Sorry.

Don’t let the moment pass.
Do what you have to, even at society’s scorn.

Write poetry.
Love Deeply.
Walk barefoot.
Dance with wild abandon.
Cry at the movies.

Take care of yourself. Don’t wait for someone to take care of you.
You light up your life.
You drive yourself to your destination.
No one completes you - except YOU.

It isn’t true that life does not get easier with age.
It only gets more challenging.
Don’t be afraid.

Don’t lose your capacity to love.
Pursue your passions.

Live your dreams.
Don’t lose faith in God.
Don’t grow old. Just grow YOU!

God is good all the time!

Once a general manager wanted to test his people who had come from all over India, about their values of life.

He announced that in their seminar folder, there is PVC pouch and in it there is a seed. When they return , they must put it in a good soil in a pot and look after it very well.

He would hold a competition in the next year’s seminar and that the best plants would be awarded suitably.

Everyone did what was told to him. A year passed quickly. And next year in a big hall, there were hundreds of pots and a great variety of plants-a great scene.

Except one pot in which the soil was there and no plant! The owner was standing quietly and seemingly ashamed of himself!

The general manager called him on the stage. He asked him what happened and he told him the truth. He planted the seed which he was given – and did that was to be done- but nothing happened!

The general manager declared him the winner!

Everyone was shocked. It was announced, “Gentlemen! The seeds I gave you were boiled seeds. You planted them and nothing happened! You acted smartly and used some other seeds.

This man was honest to his work and, therefore he did not cheat me or himself!”

Well, all of us do gossip at one time, some more than others. But few of us realized how devastating the damage could be and how difficult it is to undo the damage done. Here is a story that hopefully will remind us not to be gossipers.

A woman repeated a bit of gossip about a neighbor. Within a few days the whole community knew the story.

The happiest people in the world are not those who have no problems,but those who learn to live with things that are less than perfect.”

* A group of graduates, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old
university professor.

* Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

* Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some
expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

* When all the students had a cup of coffee, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the simple and cheap ones.

* While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

* Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee.

* In most cases, it is ! just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.

* What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups… Then you began eyeing each other’s cups.

* Now consider this:
- Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups.
- They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live.
- Sometimes, by concentrating on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us. Enjoy your coffee!.”

* The happiest people don’t have the best of everything.

* They just make the best of everything.”

1. Live simply.
2. Love generously.
3. Care deeply.
4. Speak kindly.

It is wonderful to know that whatever good things we have is actually entrusted to us by God. Even our children are given and entrusted to our care by God. And it is indeed a tall order for us parents to raise up and care for the children that God has allowed us to have. Yet, it is also a privilege given by God for us to have children and to raise them up properly.

I remember being at the side of my wife when she give birth to our first daughter. Immediately after the nurse had cleaned her and passed it to my wife, I took my baby daughter and prayed for her. I thanked God for giving her to me and my wife and I dedicated her back to God. I am indeed blessed to be able to do the same with my second daughter.

After the baby is about 2 months old and my wife are able to go to church service, we also had a special baby dedication event. In front of the whole church, we dedicated the baby to God and vowed to raise the baby up to be godly children.

Every church would have it done differently or use a different name for it. I think for the Catholic churches, they would have baby baptism. It is quite a big event for the parents. They would buy baptism invitations or prepare it on their own. Nowadays, many prefers to look for baptism invitations online as it is much more convenient and the choices are more. Once all the arrangements for the event are made, the parents would send out the invitations for baptism to all the church members and relatives. It is indeed a joyous and meaningful event.

Whatever it is, the most important thing is that after the baby dedication the parents must faithfully raise up the children according to God’s teaching and principles. It is hard work but also a joy.