imakelar

Tribulation Cultivated Tremendous Strength.

Great Basin Bristlecone Pines is the oldest tree in the world. Some of them are estimated to be 3,000 to 4,000 years old.

In 1957, scientist Edmund Schulman discovered a bar of these, and named it Methuselah. This humpky and very old evergreen tree is almost 5,000 years old. This tree already existed when the Egyptians built the pyramids.

Bristlecone trees grow over the mountains of the western United States, at altitudes of approximately 3,050 to 3,350 meters. They are able to survive, even in very bad environmental conditions: extremely cold temperatures, hurricanes, thin layers of air, and low rainfall.

Actually, it is the vicious environment one of the factors so that they were able to survive until this millennium century. Tribulation has cultivated tremendous strength and inexhaustible manpower.

Apostle Paul taught us “… tribulation give produce perseverance, and endurance develops strength of character and character strengthen our hope..” Adversity is a process God uses to bring good into our lives. The problems that make us come to God can actually bring good to us. It makes us completely dependent on Him.

God uses our difficulties to make us stand the test and endure.

A Tale of Two Seeds : 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑰𝒔 𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝑨 𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆

There are 2 plant seeds stranded on fertile field.

The first seed says, “I want to grow big. I want to set my roots deep in this land, and stretch out my shoots on the harshness of this soil. I want to spread out all my shoots, to convey spring greetings. I want to feel the warmth of the sun, and the softness of the morning dew on the tops of my leaves.” And the seed grew, looming more.

The second seed murmured. “I’m scared. If I plant my roots into this soil, I don’t know what I will find down there. Isn’t it very dark there? And if I push my shoots up, won’t the beauty of my buds be lost? This sprout of mine will definitely be torn apart. What will happen if my buds open, and the snails try to eat them? And surely, if I grow up and bloom, all the little kids will try to pull me out of the ground. No, it would be better if I waited until everything was safe.” And the seed waited, in solitude.

Some time later, a chicken scavenged the land, found the second seed, and swallow it immediately.

Indeed, there is always a choice in life. There are always plays that we have to go through. Often, however, we are in our own pessimistic, horror, doubts, and self-created anxiety. We are often lulled by reasons for not wanting to take a step, not wanting to face life. Since life is a choice, then face it bravely. And since life is a choice, choose wisely.

Once Again About Life

We never knows what tomorrow will happen or what will happen in the future. We often hear shocking news, ranging from news about murders, traffic accidents, natural disasters. And there are many more things that can take human lives at any time. Death is a reality that cannot be avoided by everyone. Sooner or later death will definitely pick up. All human beings, whoever they may be, will at some point surely die.

We are reminded again that we really need to pay attention to how we live. What God cares about is not how we die but how we live.

In fact, life in this world is only temporary, proverbial like someone who stops by for a drink. We are just immigrants and nomads. Therefore look carefully, how you live, not like an ignorant, but like a wise man, for everyone will go before the court throne and held accountable for what has been done during his life.

So this very short time, let’s make the best use of it. Life is like a person camping, one day the camp will be demolished; but the God has prepared for us an abode in heaven, an eternal dwelling place, not made by human hands.

The Heaviest Load

“A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, But a fool’s wrath is heavier than both of them.” – Proverb

Stone and sand weighing each are allusions to illustrate that there is no thing of no weight in this world.

Stone and sand are used to build houses. A person who does not want to lift stones and sand, then he will not be able to build his house.

Stones and sand can be collected to become merchandise. It takes a great deal of energy to be able to build it out of stone and sand in surrender to God. Life is the readiness to bear the burden; If you run from the load, it is life that becomes light – weightless.

Heartache is an attitude that is unable to bear the weight and that does not hurt others but oneself. Heartache can only be treated in the absence of cause of heartache or make this life not easily hurt.

The heartache for fools is a heavy burden even the heaviest because his foolishness will continue to hurt. Two things how to deal with fools: “the dogs barked caravan passes” or turn the fool into a wise man.

We Are The Instruments

A young man passing through the woods saw a wolf who was already paralyzed in all four legs. He wants to know how the wolf can survive.

Soon he saw a tiger coming with his game antelope. The tiger eats to his heart’s content and leaves leftovers for the wolf. The next day, God fed the wolf with the same tiger intermediary.

The young man began to admire God’s great kindness and said to himself, “I will also be idle at home with full trust in God because He will provide for all my needs!”

He did his intentions for days, but nothing happened.

When the poor young man was about to die, there was a voice, “O thou pervert, open thy eyes to the truth. Follow the tiger’s example and stop imitating a crippled wolf!”

On the street he saw a girl cradling cold in her thin clothes. There is no hope for her to get enough food. He became angry and said to God, “Why do you allow this? Why do you not do anything ?”

While God didn’t say anything. The night he answered very suddenly, “I have done something. I created you! And bring you to the girl, but you are not at all moved to help the poor girl.”

Often we expect all problems, disasters, and sufferings, God must step in to solve. But one thing we must know we as instruments of God must be willing to intervene in helping the problems and suffering of others. Stay steadfast and fight in living the life that has been bestowed upon us.

“Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.”

Wise people are smart people but there are people only being smart people. The wise people takes care of life while the smart people is engaged in his field.

On the other hand, people who lack education can become wiser people than educated people to the level of higher education. The most destructive people are the unwise clever; worse the consequences than indeed unwise fools.

Smart people and wise people are needed in life. The more smart and wise people the better life.

Thinking of yourself “Mr/Ms.Know-it-all” make you want to intervent and participate in everything. And sometimes the whole thing becomes chaotic.

Pretend yourself wise is placing yourself in the seat of a figure but not having an exemplary attitude in life; This is not only detrimental to life together but such a person is a person who harms himself.

“Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.” Isiah 5:21

The Reward Of Perseverance

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

In 1947, Dr. Chandrasekhar was asked to teach a follow-up seminar in astrophysics at the University of Chicago. At the time, he was living in Wisconsin conducting research at the Yerkes astronomical observatory. To teach, he had to travel 160 km twice a week including winter, but he accepted it anyway.

However, registration for the follow-up seminar was well below expectations. In fact, only two students signed up.

Fellow faculty members expect Dr. Chandrasekhar to cancel the advanced class, so as not to waste his precious time. But he decided to continue teaching the class and give his best to the two students enrolled.

The two college students, Chen Ning Yang and Tsung-Dao Lee, did not disappoint.

Ten years later, in 1957, both won the Nobel prize for physics. And in 1983, Dr. Chandrasekhar won the same award.

The goals to be achieved and the efforts to be made may seem to be in our favor or not. A good way to achieve a good goal is to do what needs to be done, regardless of the price to pay, the effort required, or the lack of support or appreciation of others. It is best to pursue the best ideals is to have integrity.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

Conversation Between Clock Maker And The Clock.

A clock maker said to the clock he was making, “Hey clock, are you able to tick at least 31,536,000 times during the year?”

“Ha?” said the stunned clock, “where am I willing?”

“How about 86,400 times in a day?”

“86,400 times? With a slender needle like this?” the clock replied full of doubts.

“How about 3,600 times in an hour?”

“In an hour it should be ticked 3,600 times? That’s a lot of it.” Still the clock was hesitant about his abilities.

The watchman patiently then spoke to the clock, “Then can you afford to beat once every second?”

“Well, in that case, I can afford it!” said the clock full of enthusiasm.

And so, when it was done, the clock ticked once every second. Imperceptibly, second by second kept passing and the hour was incredible because it turned out that for an entire year he had been beating non-stop. And that means it has ticked 31,536,000 times in a year.

When we are faced with an arduous task, we often say that we can’t afford it. However, when we take the commitment to start and work on it step by step, we have unknowingly completed the seemingly arduous task.

The choice is always with us. Will we start it now and believe that we are capable of doing it?

Where is your Furniture?

There was a traveller arriving in a city. This man heard that there was a wise man in the city, and wanted to see him. The wise man was known to be pious and kind so much loved by many. For that it is not difficult to find the wise man. When the traveller asked where his home was, everyone he met immediately pointed towards the end of the village where stood a rickety hut.

When he knocked on the door of the hut, an old man appeared and invited him in. The traveller was very surprised to find that the wise man lived in a rickety hut; contents were only a table, a chair, a stove and cooking utensils.

Feeling uncomfortable, the traveller asked, “Where is the furniture of your house?”

The old man asked the traveller softly, “Which is yours?”

“Of course it’s in my house. I’m traveling, there’s no way I’m bringing my furniture,” the traveller replied.

“So do I,” the wise old man replied. “I’m traveling in this world.”

Are we aware that we are actually traveling in this world? Our home is in heaven. But many people nowadays forget that they are traveling so they are busy collecting treasures in this world. In the end, they could not bring all the treasures of the world when it came time to return to the Father’s house in heaven.

Don’t forget that we are temporary residents in this world, use these worldly treasures to generate heavenly wealth.

“Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.”

This Sea Is Dangerous!

A young man lost his shoes at sea, then he wrote on the beach: “THIS SEA IS A THIEF”.

Soon came the fisherman who brought so many fish catches, and then he wrote on the beach: “THIS SEA IS GENEROUS”.

A young man drowned in the ocean and then his mother wrote on the beach: “THIS SEA IS A MURDERER”.

Soon a man came who found a piece of pearl in the ocean, and then he wrote on the beach: “THIS SEA IS FULL OF BLESSINGS”.

One on a boat and hit by a storm, then stranded on the beach wrote: “THIS SEA IS FULL OF DANGERS”.

While the ocean and its entirety never complained in the slightest.

Then came the big wave and erased all the writing on that beach without any residue.

So, don’t worry about people’s talk, because everyone reads the world with different understandings and experiences.

Keep going, as long as you are on the good path. Although sometimes kindness is not always appreciated.