New Book.......reading currently

Hi to those who are reading my blog....those rare honoured one....yup I am currently reading a new book.

12 Christian Beliefs That Can Drive You Crazy: Relieft From Falst Assumptions

There are a total of 12 assumption and here I start with assumption #1:

It's selfish to have my needs met.

Simple assumption but yet can still drive people crazy....indeed how such needs can be selfish? So what is the root of the problem? We inherited the tendency to dethrone God and put ourselves in the centre of the universe and as we refuse to see God for who he is - and ourselves for who we are - we deny the truth that he is God and we are his creatures. Self-centeredness is at the core of our sinfulness, but also we are to deny ourselves and scarificially give to God and others. As mentioned in Mattew 22:37-40 in summary of two simple commands:Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbour as yourself. And also how Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross (Phil. 2:7-8)

These are truths and yet there can a crazy-making assumption to confuse selfishness with stewardship; the oft-repeated maim, "God first, others second, self last."

Blessed to be a blessing. Another commmon used terms that I often heard. Before we are blessed, one at some point will recognise one's incompleteness. However, that does not discount our needs, our incarnational needs, our logical needs.

Here is a story that I read from the book. Conservation group which all spoke about learning to depend on others for their emotional neediness which upset Raymond, servere depressed patient. He resisted coming into the program, the pyschotherapy group because he felt like a spiritual failure. In his mind, a depressed Christian was a backslidden Christian.

"This subject of needs just isn't valid," Raymond protested. "We are to minister grace to the world and get our minds off that nonsense."
"So it's important to minister to the world?" I asked.
"Absolutely. We are to give comfort, encouragemnt, and hope to those with don't have it, in the name of Jesus."
"I certainly have no problem with that," I said. "But do you also get comfort, encouragement, and hope?"
"That's selfish," he replied. "God doesn't want me concentrating on myself."
"Then God's using you to hurt people."
"What?"
"If your need for comfort, encouragement, and hope is selfish, then other's need for that is elfish, too.l If it ain't okay for you to have it, it ain't okay for you to give it."

How easy mis-assumuption. The author summarised it quite simple into 3 points, how our needs are meant to be:
1. Our needs are designed to drive us to growth
2. Our needs are designed to drive us to humility
3. Our needs are designed to draw us closer to God

Neglecting any of these needs do indeed leads to spiritual and emotional problems....for example in a simple, though not the best example, like I need to speak my feelings out to someone I trust, thus that means finding someone to talk to. Neglecting that will mean bottle up the need to speak things out which in time will become a timed bomb.

Ineed getting our needs met helps us meet the needs of others. In Luke 7:47

....her many sins have been forgiven - for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little

"Every good and perfect gift is from above" (James 1:17) and they often reach us through other people (Acts 9:6-19)

A very brief summary as indeed it is something so simple but yet has such deep roots of knowledge within it.

Want to find out more, you can always find a time to chat with me on the topic.....as you know who I am, we can always arrange a time....regardless of gender. Just dun make it a date....haha
Just an appointment....