Sharing

All Things Considered, March 20, 2008 · Does money buy happiness? Researchers and bar-goers alike have long debated this slippery question.
The verdict is far from clear. Studies show that money does make people happier, but only up to a point. Beyond a certain level, additional income yields hardly any additional happiness. The United States, for instance, is four times wealthier than it was in 1950 yet Americans report being no happier than they were half a century ago.
A new study, published today in the journal Science, suggests that what matters most is not how much money we have but, rather, what we do with it. Spending money on others, it shows, can boost our own happiness.
The researchers first asked a group of college students how happy they were. They then gave the participants money — either $5 or $20. Half were told to spend the money on themselves. The others were told to spend it on others, such as giving a gift to a friend or making a charitable donation. That evening, the researchers again asked the students to gauge their happiness.
It turns out that the participants who spent money on others reported a much greater happiness boost than the ones who spent money on themselves. And, surprisingly, the amount of money the students were given didn't seem to matter at all. It was how they choose to spend it that determined their happiness levels.

Interesting research! Isn’t it?

I thought that we are more tending to share our goods, when we have our portion first. Like, what if some of the people need help right now? I guess they have to wait till I am ready to help, because I’m not happy with what I have now. That is how my thinking usually works. If I’m happy, I usually think I can make others happy. But that’s not research telling us it’s the other way around.

Fellowship

"If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another" 1John 1:7

Initially, it seems simple, I'd read it something like this: if we read the Word, do our best to live by it, we will have happy relations with God and with others in Him.

But then, why are there areas of broken fellowship - even among Christian brothers and sisters?  And what does it look like to "walk in the light"?

   

John Piper helps to dig deeper here (ooop, i cheated!)

Here's roughly what I gathered:

• Light - truth and God = Light, therefore God is the source of all that is true and walking in the light is the same as walking in truth and, ultimately, walking in God. 
• In God, there is no darkness: he knows all things and all is exposed; no hidden agenda, no small print
• To walk in the light is to have desires that align with those of God: It is the darkness that causes us to desire things that are not good for us.
• note "WALK" - it is a process, a way of life rather than a moment
• in order to have fellowship, both parties must walk in the light

John 3:10 says "the light has come in to the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil."  ..there is a willfulness to remaining in darkness.  So if there is any brokenness in fellowship, there must be some area where I am CHOOSING to remain in darkness, where I am controlled by the desires of the world rahter than desires for God...

    

Maybe, If we turn from the darkness and walk in the light, "selling [our] possessions and goods, [and giving] to anyone as he had need." would not be such a 'disturbing' idea.

Jesus’s Exaltation

Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Acts 2:36

Today's text reminds me of the words we recite in the Apostle’s Creed. We say that ‘we believe in God and his only son who suffered, was crucified, died, and was buried. ….. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.’

Why does the Apostle’s Creed put such importance on Jesus’s exaltation?

Jesus had to be both Lord and Christ so that he is a special sacrifice. He is not just one of many sacrificed animals mentioned in the Old Testament. It’s amazing that Jesus died yet resurrected, He was both Lord and the anointed Messiah who will die for our sins. Jeus was a special, non-imaginable, God-anointed sacrifice.

Wednesday devotion: "Jesus's Resurrection"

Sorry for the delay but I would like to take this last minute stand in as an opportunity to share a little on Wednesday's devotional. Please feel free to contribute your own thoughts and comments.
Wednesday:
Today's devotional focuses on Peter acting as a witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ and Stott points to the Biblical references Peter employs to support his testimony. Though I lack the appreciation Stott has towards the "written predictions of the prophets...", I am drawn to the person Peter has become as a witness to Jesus Christ.

We all know that Peter was the disciple who had denied knowing Jesus but eventually, as it is recorded in the book of Acts, Peter became a powerful witness for Jesus Christ. Not only that, Jesus approached Peter on an intimate level to reinstate Peter and to personally charge Peter to take care of His sheep. And so for me, more than the verses Stott points to in Peter's testimony, knowing the background of Peter puts weight on the credibility of his testimony. I am glad for people like Pastor James and John Stott to explain the significance of the Old testament. For like Peter, I too am a commoner with such little knowledge of Scripture but I am in awe of Peter's ability to wield the holy texts as a powerful tool to witness...to evangelize. It reveals the presence and empowering of the Holy Spirit to use Peter's words and actions which testifies to the "facts" he has witnessed of Christ-even of His resurrection.
Stott points out that the disciples came to read the Old Testament Christologically. It seems that once they realized that Jesus is the Christ, they recognized Him mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. Their eyes were able to see and perceive what they could not before knowing Christ. More importantly, their lives also converged to the "character and purpose" of the Old testament- to bear witness "to Christ, especially to His death, resurrection, and world wide mission."
In Peter's case, he bore witness to Christ even by the kind of death which he glorified God. I'm can't say that we too are called to follow Christ just like the way Peter did but there is much to learn from Peter as to the kind of disciple and witness he was for Jesus Christ.

Jesus's Death

I thought this reflection was a good opportunity to think of the origins of the doctrines that we all believe in and stand on. This is something that I have personally found myself really immersed in over the past year.

I thought it was really neat, to say the least, that the first fathers of the church preached not only on what they witnessed through the life of Jesus but also with an unshaking faith in God's plan for salvation after the ascension of Jesus.

Another really blessing point was when John Stott went over how God is able to "forward his purposes even through the wickedness of men."

It reminded me of how sovereign God is in all of our lives and much more beyond.

Jesus's Life and Ministry

By reading the devotional book, it caused me to think about different ministries that I am being involved and reflect upon what my true motives and attitude are when it comes to doing work for God.
The core of the gospel is Jesus. Apart from the name of Jesus in the context, it's a dead message no power nor meaning. Stott mentioned that 'the wise evangelist keeps bringing the conversation back to the person and work of Jesus Christ.' Many pastors preach so called "feel good" messages on Sundays. Jesus is not the main ingredient of their message but nothing but a supplement. For many Christians are interested in God's blessings rather than knowing and having a relationship with Him.
I do afraid and exam constantly about my attitude and motives. Even we often involve of lots of ministries and activities supposedly for God and His glory, perhaps our true motives and agenda are nothing but based on selfish or prideful to gain benefits for ourselves. We push Jesus to the side to be on the spotlight whether we consciously know or not.
I think when we serve Jesus with right attitude and motives, it will bring joy.
Someone said once to me JOY stands for
J: Jesus
O: Others
Y: You

Peter's Quotation from Joel

What struck me most about this passage were these verses:

"I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams. "

I recall the testimonies of both Ravi Zacharias and a missionary who recently visited us sharing that a predominant reason of former Muslims converting to Christianity is a result of receiving a vision from Jesus while sleeping. Initially I was skeptical, but after obsessively researching this I have encountered numerous accounts all testifying to the same thing.

Too often we assume Jesus is far off in a distant place and will return someday and that we need to hold down the fort till then. But I'm beginning to believe that he's a lot closer than we think - and that is both exciting, and terrifying.

"They say Aslan is on the move - perhaps has already landed."