Luke 6:45 You Are What You Say.

Luke 6:45b ".. for out of the abundance of heart his mouth speaks." We heard people say "You are what you eat." This verse tells me we are what we say. My words reveal my heart. The things I say and how I say them expose and unveil the condition and attitudes of my heart. I must be more careful about what I say and how I say it. The Bible says the words speak loud enough by themselves.  It is out of the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks. It's the tongue that sets the body on fire. It's not what goes into a man that makes him unclean but what comes out of him. Therefore it's the heart issue. My heart must be right to speak right. Father God, transform my heart so that I can speak the words of love and truth.

Jonah 2:2 A Second Chance

Jonah 2:2 "I called out of my distress to the LORD, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice." Jonah a fugitive prophet, fled from God's call to preach to Nineveh, and was swallowed up by a great fish. God gave him and each one of us a second chance. Oh the heights—and the depths—God goes to in rescuing us from our disobedience with His redeeming love!
Jesus' death on the cross rescued us from our sins.
Dear God, how we need Your rescue today!

Romans 15:13 Abounding in Hope

Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."

Romans 15:13 is a wonderful prayer that Paul wants every believer to experience. Yet very few of believers can legitimately claim to be filled with all joy and peace in believing and abounding in hope. A common factor among those who are depressed is that they lack hope. Discouraged people and those who are apathetic about life also lack hope. A medical report says depression will be the second largest killer after heart disease by 2020. There is a solution. The God of hope wants us to be filled with all joy and peace in believing, so that we will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

1. The source of this abundant hope is in the God of hope. God is the source or giver of hope. He is also the object of our hope. Biblical hope is certain because it rests on God's promises. So if we are lacking hope, we know where to find it: Seek the God who is the source of all true hope and put our hope in Christ as our Savior and Lord.

2. The foundation for this abundant hope is to be filled with all joy and peace. Paul does not pray that we will have just a little bit of joy and peace trickling into our life now and then. Rather, he prays that the God of hope will fill us with all joy and peace so that we will abound in hope. Paul wants our “jugs” of joy and peace to be overflowing so that we are continually abounding in hope in God. Let's ask God to fill us to the brim with His joy and peace and hope. The biblical joy is an inner delight in God and His sure promises that gives us comfort and contentment in every trial. It comes from knowing that our sovereign God will work all things, including tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril or sword, together for our good because we love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Rom. 8:28) Biblical peace comes from taking all of our anxieties to God in thankful prayer (Phil. 4:6-7)

3. The human means of this abundant hope is to keep believing in God and His Word. Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of God. To have and increase in abundant hope, I must believe and keep on believing in God and His Word.

4. The divine means of this abundant hope is the power of the Holy Spirit. 
God the Father is the God of hope. The object of our hope is Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. The power for joy, peace and abundant hope comes from the Holy Spirit. The Spirit's power is the resurrection power that gives new life to dead sinners. The Hope Spirit opens our minds so that we can understand the truths of God's Word. The Hope Spirit is the power that produces His holiness in us as we walk in dependence on Him. It is the Holy Spirit who produces in us His fruit of joy and peace as we trust in Him, so that we abound in hope.

Hebrews 10:22-25 Stir up to Love and Good Works

Hebrews 10:22-25a "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,  for He who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together." Sometimes we struggle with the feeling of being alone. God did not intend for us to walk alone. He made us for community. He put us in a community of love and encouragement. Believers need one another for support and care. I learned three exhortations from this passage: 1. Worship - Let us draw near. 2. Perseverance  - Let us hold fast. 3. Fellowship- Let us consider one another. Father God, help us come worship you in the Spirit and in truth. (John 4:24). Help us hold fast our faith and encourage one another to love and to do good deeds and look forward to Christ's return.

Psam 3 Preserving with Peace

Another Friday again! Without God, our life is hard, day after day,  week after week, year after year. It reminds me of Genesis 3:19 "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food." But this morning Psalm 3 refreshes my soul. King David wrote, "1. Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 2. Many are saying of my soul, 'There is no salvation for him in God.' 3. But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory,  and the lifter of my head. 4. I cried aloud to the Lord and he answered me from his holy hill. 5. I lay down and sleep; I woke again,  for the Lord sustained me. 6. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.  7. Arise, O Lord! Save me, my God! 8. Salvation belongs to the Lord." King David fled from Absalom, his son who wanted to kill him and take the kingdom.  Though David lamented his painful situation (Psalm 3:1-2), he trusted God's protection and expected Him to answer his prayers (vv 3-4). The king didn't lose sleep  worrying or fearing what could happen, because he trusted God to sustain and save him. We may be tempted to give up or wish to escape when we are weary and cannot see the end of our current battle. But, like David, we can learn to trust that God will hold us up and help us rest in His constant and loving presence. Dear God, thank you for preserving us and sustaining us with your power and peace.

Jeremiah 29:11 God has a Plan for me.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” I used to approach this verse as a security blanket. It sounds like God promised us prosperity and health. God has a plan for me that is good, so clearly this suffering I’m going through will end soon and then my flourishing will begin! But that is not at all what God was promising to the Israelites, and it’s not what he’s promising us, either. The Israelites were in exile, a punishment from God as result of their disobedience. The prophet Jeremiah confronted the false prophet, Hananiah, who had boldly proclaimed that God was going to free Israel from Babylon in two years. Jeremiah gave them this directive from God, "Seek the peace and the prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (29:7)  God’s plan was for them to stay right where they were, and to help prosper the nation that enslaved them! The heart of the verse is “not that we would escape our lot, but that we would learn to thrive” in the midst of it. Let's cling to it for the right reason: not in the false hope that God will take away our suffering, but in the true, gospel confidence that he will give us hope in the midst of it.

WeChat ESL May 11, 2018

WeChat ESL Class 7:30 AM Saturday May 12, 2018

A. Highlights of Your Week

B. Short Story

Curious George (1941) by H.A. Rey
This is George.
He lived in Africa.
He was a good little monkey and always very curious.
One day George saw a man.
He had on a large yellow straw hat.
The man saw George, too.
"What a nice little monkey, " he thought,
"I would like to take him home with me."
He put his hat on the ground and, of course, George was curious.
He came down from the tree to look at the large yellow hat.
The hat had been on the man's head.

George thought it would be nice to have it on his own
He picked it up and put it on.
The hat covered George's head. He couldn't see.
The man picked him up quickly and popped him into a bag.
George was caught.
The man with the big yellow hat put George into a little boat, and a sailor rowed them both across the water to a big ship.
George was sad, but he was still a little curious.
On the big ship, things began to happen.
The man took off the bag.

George sat on a little stool, and the man said,
"George, I am going to take you to a big Zoo in a big city. You will like it there. Now run along and play, but don't get into trouble."
George promised to be good.
But it is easy for little monkeys to forget.
On the deck he found some sea gulls.
He wondered how they could fly.
He was very curious.
Finally he HAD to try.
It looked easy.
But- oh, what happened!
First this and then this!

"WHERE IS GEORGE?"
The sailors looked and looked.
At last they saw him struggling in the water, and almost all tired out.
"Man overboard!" the sailors cried as they threw him a life belt.
George caught it and held on.
At last he was safe on board.
After that, George was more careful to be a good monkey, until, at last, the long trip was over.
George said good-bye to the kind sailors, and he and the man with the yellow hat walked off the ship on to the shore and on into the city to the man's house.
After a good meal and a good pipe, George felt very tired.
He crawled into bed and fell asleep at once.
The next morning the man telephoned the Zoo.
George watched him.

He was fascinated.
Then the man went away.
George was curious.
He wanted to telephone, too.
One, two, three, four,
five, six, seven.
What fun!
DING-A-LING-A-LING!
GEORGE HAD TELEPHONED
THE FIRE STATION!
The firemen rushed to the telephone.
"Hello! Hello!" they said.
But there was no answer.

Then they looked for the signal on the big map that showed where the telephone call had come from.
They didn't know it was GEORGE.
They thought it was a real fire.
HURRY! HURRY! HURRY!
The firemen jumped on to the fire engines and on to the hook-and-ladders.
Ding-dong-ding-dong.
Everyone out of the way!
Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!
The firemen rushed into the house.
They opened the door.
NO FIRE!

ONLY a naughty little monkey.
"Oh, catch him, catch him," they cried.
George tried to run away.
He almost did, but he got caught
in the telephone wire, and -
a thin fireman caught one arm
and a fat fireman caught the other.

"You fooled the Fire Department, " they said. "We will have to shut you where you can't do any more harm."
They took him away and shut him in a prison.
George wanted to get out.
He climbed up to the window to try the bars.
Just then the watchman came in.
He got on the wooden bed to catch George.
But the watchman was too big and heavy.
The bed tipped up, the watchman fell over, and, quick as lightning, George ran out through the open door.

He hurried through the building and out on to the roof. And then he was lucky to be a monkey.
Out he walked on to the telephone wires.
Quickly and quietly over the guard's head, George walked away.
He was free!
Down in the street, outside the prison wall, stood a balloon man.
A little girl bought a balloon for her brother.

George watched. He was curious again. He felt he MUST have a bright red balloon.
He reached over and tried to help himself, but -
instead of one balloon, the whole bunch broke loose.
In an instant the wind whisked them all away and, with them, went George, holding tight with both hands.
Up, up he sailed, higher and higher.
The houses looked like toy houses and the people like dolls.
George was frightened.
He held on very tight.
At first the wind blew in great gusts.
Then it quieted.

Finally it stopped blowing altogether.
George was very tired.
Down, down he went - bump, on to the top of a traffic light.
Everyone was surprised. The traffic got all mixed up.
George didn't know what to do, and then he heard someone call, "GEORGE!"
He looked down and saw his friend, the man with the big yellow hat!
George was very happy.
The man was happy, too.
George slid down the post, and the man with the big yellow hat put him under his arm.
Then he paid the balloon man for all the balloons.
And then George and the man climbed into the car, and at last away they went to the ZOO!
What a nice place for George to live!

C. Idioms - Animals

1. It's raining cats and dogs
It's raining cats and dogs, so
a. watch out for falling animals
b. make sure you take an umbrella
c. keep your pets inside

2. drink like a fish
Even though uncle Barry drinks like a fish, he
a. never drinks alcohol
b. never looks drunk
c. never drinks much

3. like a fish out of water
Pablo went to the party, but he felt like a fish out of water because
a. he was tired of eating meat and chicken
b. he'd forgotten to take his swimming shorts
c. he was the only Mexican guy there

4. curiosity killed the cat
Curiosity killed the cat. When you see the boss upset, you
a. should not ask what is wrong
b. should ask him to share his problems with you
c. should offer him advice

5. let the cat out of the bag
After Julie let the cat out of the bag,
a. everybody laughed
b. we all knew
c. they ran after it

D. Memory Verse - New Living Translation

John 6:35
Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."