Today, I have to face my anger issue again – right in the traffic while I was listening to John MacArthur’s preaching on the Lord’s return. It was horrible and uncontrollable. I thought I had self control, but in reality, it was nothing but a self-deceiving lie. I tricked myself.
It will be a never ending battle. It is discouraging (in my flesh), yet it is encouraging (that the Lord is still reminding me of my sin and help me through the sanctification process).
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Thinking
Thinking is a hard thing that requires discipline. Many people may think they think throughout the day prior to the actions they undertake. But in most of the cases, when things come up, people don't really think it thoroughly, but rather react to them. And the decision is made quickly with not much of deep analysis. Most of the actions are caused by experience or rule of thumb or current situations. And such experiences are not necessarily correct. I am like that. For example, during most of the day, my mind is pretty much blank. I am just responding to the issues come up. Not much of thinking involved. There is a term for this type of behavior: Heuristic.
What kind of thinking? I think there are 2 kinds of thoughts: 1) worldly thinking that focus on self; and 2) Biblical thinking focus on Christ. The first one focuses on self that will never be wise, because the true wisdom is coming from the Lord, and such a true wisdom will always focus on the Lord. Wisdom is generated from reading and studying the Word of God. To gain a true wisdom, I need to study the Bible daily and memorize what I learned. How important that is!
Prayers: Lord, please give me the discipline to study your words daily and be able to apply them in my daily thoughts and actions. Help me to focus on you and gain wisdom as you grant it to me. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray.
What kind of thinking? I think there are 2 kinds of thoughts: 1) worldly thinking that focus on self; and 2) Biblical thinking focus on Christ. The first one focuses on self that will never be wise, because the true wisdom is coming from the Lord, and such a true wisdom will always focus on the Lord. Wisdom is generated from reading and studying the Word of God. To gain a true wisdom, I need to study the Bible daily and memorize what I learned. How important that is!
Prayers: Lord, please give me the discipline to study your words daily and be able to apply them in my daily thoughts and actions. Help me to focus on you and gain wisdom as you grant it to me. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Light and Darkness
1John 1:5-10 "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us".
Monday, June 16, 2008
Self Discipline
Like in many aspects of our life, investing requires discipline. Warren Buffet is a successful investor because of his discipline; Pastor John MacArthur is a successful teacher and pastor because of his disciplinary approach to study the Bible. On the contrary, most of the investment managers fail to perform because they forsake their original purpose (or first love) and abandon their investment discipline. When you give up your originally pursuit, you have a greater risk for failure.
I, for one, do not have discipline. In fact, I admit this may be one of my weakest characteristics. I am not particularly goal driven and do not have a plan of attack. Here are some tips from Pastor John MacArthur regarding self discipline.
Tips for Self-Discipline
June 16th, 2008
(By John MacArthur)
Practically speaking, how can a person develop self-discipline in his or her life?
Here are some things that have helped me through the years:
1. Start Small. Start with your room. Clean it, then keep it clean. When something is out of place, train yourself to put it where it belongs. Then extend the discipline of neatness to the rest of your home.
2. Be on time. That may not seem very spiritual, but it’s important. If you’re supposed to be somewhere at a specific time, be there on time. Develop the ability to discipline your desires, activities, and demands so that you can arrive on time.
3. Do the hardest job first. When you do that, you will find it easier to do the simpler tasks.
4. Organize your life. Plan the use of your time; don’t just react to circumstances. Use a calendar and make a daily list of things you need to accomplish. If you don’t control your time, everything else will.
5. Accept correction. Correction helps make you more disciplined because it shows you what you need to avoid. Don’t avoid criticism; accept it gladly.
6. Practice self-denial. Learn to say no to your feelings. Learn to do what you know to be right even if you don’t feel like doing it. Sometimes it’s even beneficial to deny yourself things that are acceptable to have, like a doughnut in the morning or dessert after dinner. Exercising such self-restraint helps you develop the habit of keeping other things under control. Cultivating discipline in the physical realm will help you become disciplined in your spiritual life.
7. Welcome responsibility. When you have an opportunity to do something that needs to be done, volunteer for it if you have talent in that area. Accepting responsibility can force you to organize yourself.
So what did the Bible say about discipline?
So much I don’t know, and so much I need to know. Pray for wisdom.
I, for one, do not have discipline. In fact, I admit this may be one of my weakest characteristics. I am not particularly goal driven and do not have a plan of attack. Here are some tips from Pastor John MacArthur regarding self discipline.
Tips for Self-Discipline
June 16th, 2008
(By John MacArthur)
Practically speaking, how can a person develop self-discipline in his or her life?
Here are some things that have helped me through the years:
1. Start Small. Start with your room. Clean it, then keep it clean. When something is out of place, train yourself to put it where it belongs. Then extend the discipline of neatness to the rest of your home.
2. Be on time. That may not seem very spiritual, but it’s important. If you’re supposed to be somewhere at a specific time, be there on time. Develop the ability to discipline your desires, activities, and demands so that you can arrive on time.
3. Do the hardest job first. When you do that, you will find it easier to do the simpler tasks.
4. Organize your life. Plan the use of your time; don’t just react to circumstances. Use a calendar and make a daily list of things you need to accomplish. If you don’t control your time, everything else will.
5. Accept correction. Correction helps make you more disciplined because it shows you what you need to avoid. Don’t avoid criticism; accept it gladly.
6. Practice self-denial. Learn to say no to your feelings. Learn to do what you know to be right even if you don’t feel like doing it. Sometimes it’s even beneficial to deny yourself things that are acceptable to have, like a doughnut in the morning or dessert after dinner. Exercising such self-restraint helps you develop the habit of keeping other things under control. Cultivating discipline in the physical realm will help you become disciplined in your spiritual life.
7. Welcome responsibility. When you have an opportunity to do something that needs to be done, volunteer for it if you have talent in that area. Accepting responsibility can force you to organize yourself.
So what did the Bible say about discipline?
So much I don’t know, and so much I need to know. Pray for wisdom.
Purpose of Investing
Why invest? Why do I need to save money and make it to earn more money? Why don't I trust in God to provide for our future needs?
I know there are Biblical answers to those questions regarding investing. They can be all summarized as one answer: to glorify God -- to make Him larger and to make our life more dependent on Him. So what is the purpose of my investment? In order to answer that question, I need to research the Scriptures to find answers and I need to, base on the Biblical teaching, develop an Investment Policy Statement (IPS). This is going to be my mission for the week of June, 16, 2008.
An IPS contains Purposes and Mission statements, Return and Risk objectives for the financial and human assets, portfolio and investing constraints (including Investment Time Horizon, Tax situation, Liquidity requirements, Legal concerns and our unique situations), Asset allocation strategies (including trading strategies), and lastly performance monitoring methods and investment readjustment requirements.
All of those should be scripture based. Prayer for the week: Lord, please help me and Cristen to develop a strategy for a better usage of Your provisions, to have the wisdom to better serve You with the resources You put in our hands, to help us to have a higher view of You through this process. Thank You Lord for Your Greatness and Thank You Lord for Your forgiveness of our sins. May Your Will be done in our lives. In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ's glorious and majestic name we pray. Amen.
I know there are Biblical answers to those questions regarding investing. They can be all summarized as one answer: to glorify God -- to make Him larger and to make our life more dependent on Him. So what is the purpose of my investment? In order to answer that question, I need to research the Scriptures to find answers and I need to, base on the Biblical teaching, develop an Investment Policy Statement (IPS). This is going to be my mission for the week of June, 16, 2008.
An IPS contains Purposes and Mission statements, Return and Risk objectives for the financial and human assets, portfolio and investing constraints (including Investment Time Horizon, Tax situation, Liquidity requirements, Legal concerns and our unique situations), Asset allocation strategies (including trading strategies), and lastly performance monitoring methods and investment readjustment requirements.
All of those should be scripture based. Prayer for the week: Lord, please help me and Cristen to develop a strategy for a better usage of Your provisions, to have the wisdom to better serve You with the resources You put in our hands, to help us to have a higher view of You through this process. Thank You Lord for Your Greatness and Thank You Lord for Your forgiveness of our sins. May Your Will be done in our lives. In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ's glorious and majestic name we pray. Amen.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Opening
Finally, I started something! My purpose for this blog is to try to use my skills and tool sets for the glory of my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. I have been longing for an opportunity to share and record my thoughts and knowledge in this way, so that I can communicate with folks who are friends and family (whom I cannot talk with daily). This is also an opportunity for me to grow in my profession, because I believe when you are able to express an idea in writing, in your own words and defend it, you have learned it. In that, I hope you all will post comments to critique me.
I cannot help but incorporate my faith into my writing somehow and somewhere in the future. I am a Christian who believes the Bible is the Word of God, and Jesus, God's Only Begotten Son, is my Savior from sin and my life's master. There is no other way to Heaven, but through faith in Jesus Christ. I am a slave to my Lord and I have to obey Him through the knowledge of the His Word in the Bible.
The principles found in the Bible offer the best and true business advice to business people, both spiritually and practically, though it is not a business manual. Christian business people may not gain a short-term profit because they follow Biblical teaching, but in the long term (eternally), they will be rewarded for their obedience. Hopefully, I will be able to share some of my thoughts or what I learn in the future in this blog in this subject matter, as the Lord continues to supply the knowledge/wisdom to me.
Anyway, a Christian's purpose, in my view, ought to be serving his/her Master, glorifying his/her Master and worshipping his/her Master. Business is just a method to do that. I pray that this is so for all people who profess Jesus Christ is their Savior.
I cannot help but incorporate my faith into my writing somehow and somewhere in the future. I am a Christian who believes the Bible is the Word of God, and Jesus, God's Only Begotten Son, is my Savior from sin and my life's master. There is no other way to Heaven, but through faith in Jesus Christ. I am a slave to my Lord and I have to obey Him through the knowledge of the His Word in the Bible.
The principles found in the Bible offer the best and true business advice to business people, both spiritually and practically, though it is not a business manual. Christian business people may not gain a short-term profit because they follow Biblical teaching, but in the long term (eternally), they will be rewarded for their obedience. Hopefully, I will be able to share some of my thoughts or what I learn in the future in this blog in this subject matter, as the Lord continues to supply the knowledge/wisdom to me.
Anyway, a Christian's purpose, in my view, ought to be serving his/her Master, glorifying his/her Master and worshipping his/her Master. Business is just a method to do that. I pray that this is so for all people who profess Jesus Christ is their Savior.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)