Learnt two lessons from Day Sixteen: What Matters Most.
And it is most interesting:

Maths: Life minus love equals zero.

English: Love is spelt out as "T-I-M-E".

How true, especially the English lesson (sorry, I must favour English over Maths). Expensive gifts, sweet words, all these just can't compare to the good old classical spending time with someone you love. And let's not be narrow-minded into thinking about that special someone as the beloved. It applies to friends as well, and to family too. You may earn money, but you can't earn time. So when you give of your time, you're giving something precious and valuable which you will never get back in return. That is the extent of how love should be.

So now when I spend time with you, it goes to show how much I love you, and don't ask me why I bug you the whole day on your birthday, empty-handed! :p

posted by lil piggie at 12:23 AM

ZJAM Bible Study
March 16, 2004

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13

We all go through temptations in this life. Anyone who says that they have never been tempted is blinded. However, our eyes have been opened to the truths of God and we know when we are being tempted. We need to learn that God is going to help us in those times because he always has a choice for us to make. We can either do his will or act upon that temptation. It is not a sin to be tempted, but when we make the choice to not follow God, we are disobeying his commands. When temptations come our way, we will always have a way out of it. Also, the things that we are being tempted with are going to be things that we can handle. God is not going to give us something that we can't work through. When you are going through all of this, it may seem super big. However, when it is all said and done and you have chosen God's will, it will not seem so bad. Remember you are not the only person in the world who is dealing with these temptations. God knows how it is going to turn out and he will help you as long as you call upon him.

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Heh, God really speaks. I was talking to sister Irene today about my Ishmael (heh, ppl got Isaac to sacrifice, me - i still need to chase away my Ishmael, which refers to my sins and the work of the flesh). I was really reluctant to follow what she suggested, but well, after reading this.... reading the Bible aloud it is then! Hee~

posted by lil piggie at 10:26 PM

ZJAM Bible Study
March 13, 2004

"Let words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14 (NKJV)

Adrienne seemed to know everyone. She was what they called a "social butterfly." Everyone loved her and knew her, but did anyone REALLY know her? Did anyone know the thoughts that constantly plagued her mind? She'd always grown up in church and had been known as the "good girl." She never said a "bad" word or purposely hurt someone else. Yet, her mind was a wreck. She hated herself and her life. Every compliment, though received with a thank you was really rejected in her mind. In her mind, she was never good enough and never would be. Many of us, just like Adrienne, refuse to see ourselves as God sees us. We know what He and others think, but we just can't see ourselves as that. It's "too good" for us. Do you think God is pleased by our so-called humility? Do you think putting down what He created is going to impress Him? This verse isn't just talking about what we speak, but it talks about even our inner thoughts, the ones that we think no one knows about. As you go throughout your day, ask yourself if your words and thoughts are pleasing to God.

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Hm, once someone called me a 'social butterfly' then as I jus read this bible study email, I came across the same term. Well, my fren may not be refering to me as what was described above, but to a certain extent, I feel that I can identify myself with the girl, esp what I put in bold. Hmm...

posted by lil piggie at 1:11 AM

God wants to be your best friend.

I like the part where the book teaches about 'breath prayers', where one repeats a short phrase of prayer to God as one remembers a certain thing. Yeps, shall put that into practice. My prayers go out to those in my thoughts, may God bless you all!! :)

posted by lil piggie at 12:42 PM

Zzam!! Talk about God hearing my prayers. Just typed the prev entry, then I went to check my yahoo for any email from sister Irene, and it's a rare thing for me to read the zjam bible study email because they always send me the email one day late. Well, since they sent me today's bible study, I thought I might just as well read... and wham! It spoke right to what I just prayed (italics in the prev entry):

ZJAM Bible Study
March 2, 2004

"So those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with
armloads of blessing." - Psalm 126:6

When God calls us to do something great for Him, many times the cost to us and those around us is great. That is when we have to decide whether we're going to make that sacrifice to do God's will or whether we're just going to go do our own thing. This verse shows us that when we make that sacrifice, we're naturally going to feel heavy hearted because of the decision. However, that sacrifice won't go without reward. We will "come home laughing, with armloads of blessing." We reap what we sow. If we only put a little into it, we're only going to get a little back. However, if we put everything into it, we're truly going to be blessed! Surrender your all to God today and wait for His blessings to rain down. John 15:5 says, "I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing."

Woaa... God is indeed real, and He's really great!!! :D

posted by lil piggie at 10:38 PM

Day 10 - The heart of worship is surrender.

We accept our humanity intellectually, but not emotionally.

This statement means that we know we're human, we know, but that's not how we feel about ourselves. When we see others with better qualities that us, we get jealous or envious and wish that we're like them. And there's always this wanting in us to be better, be stronger, taller, or prettier. We're just not able to accept ourselves as who we are, not emotionally anyway.

Lord, teach me that I may accept myself for the person whom You have created me to be, and Lord, help me to surrender myself to You on a daily basis.

posted by lil piggie at 10:24 PM