Rongmei Bible Reading Reflection from 1 John 1-5

 [Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (FG) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

[07:46, 6/2/2021] S.R: 𝕀 𝕁𝔸ℍ𝕆ℕ 𝟙:𝟡

"Tiki aniu rui aniu paap Ravguangc khou kalauh ti thei, kamei thu kalat suai makmeipu e, khatni nchumhmei taanhmeipu e; kumna kamei rui aniu paap guay kuaklou puni khatni aniu khuay guay sw nthanlou puni."

🄻🄰🅃🄿🄸/🄻🄰🅃🄳🄰🄸: Aniu Christian the tuna sa lana paap taan ju ju bam e ta saraam mei the. Taan ju ju mei phan paap kuaklou khang lungning niamna bakna Raguang hu khou guang e tei, Raguang rui Khrista zei pan rui su nthan lou puni.

“Aniu Christian su e ta paap taan dat mak khe. Paap tan bam mei guai tho Christian ling ham mak khe.” Heijaeng rui, gaan saek rui kum sa bam nu the, ai tho paapmei  ham e, paap mak ge, paap taan dat mak khe: Kum sa e tei ni saraam mei the, mansei paap taan mak mei mak e.

Mi phaan tei Raguang hu khou latling sana kuaklou khang guang khang e. Raguang ta pingmei nun tho paap ta karaeng puni. Kumna paap tho aniu duaklak khe tiki, taan ju ju ni tuang ham the.

 

𝕀 𝕁𝕆ℍℕ 𝟚:𝟙𝟞

"Mbaanv tuang guay twmei thu —meic pumc rui kahawmei 𝚖𝚒𝚔 𝚛𝚞𝚒 𝚔𝚊𝚑𝚊𝚠𝚖𝚎𝚒, meic nunc rui gaengh sw bammei mbaanv tuang guay hei Pu khou rui guang tu hamh e; mbaanv khou rui de."

Paap tumei guai mi category kathum khou nai ngam the.

Adam le Eve rui:

1. Tingthai ta tuni the (meic pumc rui kahawmei)

2. Tingthai ta hougai the (𝚖𝚒𝚔 𝚛𝚞𝚒 𝚔𝚊𝚑𝚊𝚠𝚖𝚎𝚒)

3. Thaini the (gaengh sw bammei mbaanv tuang guay)

Khrista ta ne, tazikram khou mi guang khuan e:

1. Pum rui ndaap mei ntian (meic pumc rui kahawmei)

2. Mikrui houmei kandih ramgai (𝚖𝚒𝚔 𝚛𝚞𝚒 𝚔𝚊𝚑𝚊𝚠𝚖𝚎𝚒)

3. Mansei rui hou tou lou nu mei taan — kapit kei khang (gaengh sw bammei mbaanv tuang guay)

Paap hei, pum rui taan e, lungning rui taan e, aniu tuang taan (achievement, successes, wealth, possessions, assets, privileges, status) rui ni taan e.

Riap thai kho!

 

𝕀 𝕁𝔸ℍ𝕆ℕ 𝟛:𝟙

"Zauclo, Pu rui aniu ta adih nzian cho! Kamei rui aniu ta heidikamv nzianna aniu ta Ravguangc nac nunc twna kawlou the— aniu Kanac nunc changh the! Hei zaeng rui Ravguangc ta thay makmei mbaanv rui aniu ta thay mak ge."

Paapmei ai tei Raguang rui kana khang kao lou the. Nah su e tei, Pu tuang lan guai la the. Kaikhou ningtha su the.

Hymdai Lu 69

𝚉𝚊𝚞𝚌 𝚕𝚘, .. 𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚑 𝚣𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚞 𝚌𝚑𝚘!

𝙰𝚍𝚒𝚑 𝚣𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚞 𝚌𝚑𝚘!

𝙿𝚞 𝚁𝚊𝚟𝚐𝚞𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚌 𝚛𝚞𝚒 ’𝚗𝚒𝚞 𝚔𝚑𝚘𝚞 𝚣𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚒;

’𝙽𝚒𝚞 𝚝𝚊 .. 𝚁𝚊𝚟𝚐𝚞𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚌 𝚗𝚊𝚌 𝚗𝚞𝚗𝚌 𝚔𝚊𝚠,

𝚁𝚊𝚟𝚐𝚞𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚌 𝚗𝚊𝚌 𝚔𝚊𝚠𝚕𝚘𝚞 𝚙𝚠𝚖𝚎𝚒!

 

𝕀 𝕁𝔸ℍ𝕆ℕ 𝟜:𝟟

"Nzianmeithiu, aniu khat khat ta nzian kho. Kalam thu nzianmei hei Ravguangc khou rui guang tuang e. Kakhou nzianmei naipui mei tei thu Ravguangc nac e, kumna kamei Ravguangc ta thay e."

Aniu nzianmei hei rei liang mei khou Christian mei nun ta the. Jahon tuang book khou nzian o tuna sa bam mei, phwamling mei nun ta e.

Tiki, Paul rui na Timothy book khou salou mei ne nai e. Kakaikhun mei ta zaosin mak mei nun (nzian kadan mak mei nun) tho paapmei khang suang se si e. Khrista ruina mansei kathui ta nzian o tuna ni sa lou e. Houmu Zaozimei nun ta se nzian o tu e.

Aniu khou nzianmei nai pu khou, gaipui taan raanna taan pu ni. Auto-driver nun ta, vendor-wala, rickshaw-puller nun tei ni Sian ndinbam khou ngan latgai sathai kho. Customer Care ta call su pukhou ni, latgai sa kho.

 

𝕀 𝕁𝔸ℍ𝕆ℕ 𝟝:𝟛

"Kalam thu aniu rui Ravguangc ta nzianmei twmei hei kalatdanv piumei hei the. Kalatdanv guay hei aniu piu ngam lakpui tuang hamh e."

Raguang latdan aniu piungam lak tuang ham e. Kajaeng thu, Raguang Bumaeng rui aniu ta tipiu bu lou e. Philippimei 2:13 khou samei ta the.

Khrista rui puatrit phung rianra meita kakhou guang o tuna kao e Matthew 11:28 khou. Tiki, Khrista rui aniu ta pumtang raeng tat khang sulou mak ge. Kapuatrit phung khang ti e. Mi puat tei aniu phung biu mei e. Phung nina-rap di the.

Galatimei 6:1-6 khoutei, Christian meinun khat khat puat phung nkha kari o tuna hi lou mei ta aniu lung ni mei thiak the!

Short Reflection from 1 John 1-5

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (JAC) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

[11:12, 5/14/2021] S.R:

𝕀 𝕁𝕆ℍℕ 𝟙:𝟙𝟘

"If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."

The identity of a Christian is a sinner. Not that it's okay to sin, but it means it's impossible to be sinless before the thrice holy God, and therefore must acknowledge ourselves humbly before God in confession and penitence.

A sinner saved by Grace.

 

𝕀 𝕁𝕆ℍℕ 𝟚:𝟙𝟛-𝟙𝟜

"I am writing to you, fathers, because you have known Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖 the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖 the evil one."

We are overcomers! We are winners!

We are conquerors! All in Christ!

It's not "we will" Or "we can." It's "we have overcome"

It's done. It's a state of reality.

So, let's live like that! Courageous in struggles, and Rich in good works!

 

𝕀 𝕁𝕆ℍℕ 𝟛:𝟙𝟘

"In this the 𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕕𝕣𝕖𝕟 𝕠𝕗 𝔾𝕠𝕕 and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not 𝚙𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 is not of God, nor is he who does not 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛."

All human beings are brothers and sisters because we are all children of Adam, but only those who are born of God are our only spiritual brothers and sisters.

We are all children of God in the sense God is our Creator, but only those who are born of God are truly children of God. The others are already adopted/enslaved by the devil, Satan.

If we are children of a righteous God, surely, we will demonstrate righteousness in our life. Have people called me or seen me or estimated me "holy" and "righteous" more or have they called me, seen me, or estimated me "wicked" and "sinful" more?

And if we are children of God, we are family members, we are brothers and sisters, therefore, we love one another. The people whom I love most on planet earth are my family members. When I get married, maybe she will be the one, but as of now, my family members are! And then, my church members and the layer of circles goes on...

 

𝕀 𝕁𝕆ℍℕ 𝟜:𝟙𝟚

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

It's one thing to love, and another thing to demonstrate our love. God loves us and demonstrates His love for us.

It's one thing to say, "I love you," it's another thing to mean it. My Rongmei culture hardly says "I love you" to one another. Actually, it's awkward to say, and I think it doesn't exist in our culture. It doesn't make sense to say.

And I am glad that the way how God reveals His love for us is not by saying, "I really love you from the deep deep bottom of my heart," but by demonstration of actions.

Oh! Indeed! How needed that we love not only in words but in deeds too!

 

𝕀 𝕁𝕆ℍℕ 𝟝:𝟙𝟡

"We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one."

We, believers, are of God. Jesus is our Master.

But we live in this world where Satan claimed to be the master of all things.

And in v18 it says Satan does not touch the believers. Because we are freed from his enslavement.  Sure, like Pharaoh who troubled the Israelites by sending armies to capture them by the Red Sea, Satan will cause trouble for us, he can even influence us indirectly, but He cannot touch us again. And one day like the Pharaoh's armies they shall never cross the Red Sea and perish on it.

I pray that God will open our eyes of understanding (v20) to comprehend the power and the glory of God!

Bible Reading Reflection from 1 John 1-5

 [Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (KD) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

1 JOHN 1:3

"What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." [Legacy Standard Bible]

Wonderful! A poor, wretched, lost, underprivileged sinner like me is being called into the glorious family of God. That also to the same fellowship, to the level, standard, and dignity of John and the other Apostles.

No 2nd class citizen of heaven. Nor will I dwell in the corner of heaven's mansion.

I may not have JRF, may not be the Fellows of the Royal Society, London, may not be a teaching fellow of Ligonier (R.C. Sproul), but I am called to have fellowship with the Father and the Son.

What a fellowship! What a joy! What a calling! What a message! Blessed be God!

 

1 JOHN 2:15-17

"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God abides forever."

Every sin committed under the sun falls under either of these 3 categories of sins: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

It's a daily struggle for a Christian. It's a daily battle. There's no holiday, as long as we live on this battlefield. Nobody goes to battle lightly. Soldiers might sing in chorus to encourage one another. Soldiers would be wounded, fallen, bruised, and even die, but they die fighting.

May we fight all known sins in our life! May we pray for deliverance! May we pray to overcome! May we pray to weep over our own sins and of others! May we be like Jeremiah, who weeps all day long! May we be like David, who pants for God as a deer for water, Amen!

 

1 JOHN 3:1

"See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we would be called children of God; and we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him."

Is there a time you stand in front of the mirror and don't like that person's look, attitude, or action?

Is there a time you do something wrong and you smack your forehead?

Is there a time you say to yourself, "It's stupid of me"?

Well, we don't even like ourselves, right? And rightly so.

Is there a time when you live an undisciplined, insincere, irresponsible, or disrespectful lifestyle that will make your parents feel ashamed? Parents would want to disown such and rightly so.

For me: Yes, to all the above. Yet, what love is this that God would own me, accept me into His family, and call me His son, an heir to His riches!

Amazing love! What love is this! How can this be!

 

I JOHN 4:14

"By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." [LSB 2021, A New Translation]

The fact that the Holy Spirit dwells in a person is a testimony that he is a Christian. If you want to know whether someone is a Christian, we look for the fruits of the Spirit in his life. In fact, it is the Spirit that helps him to abide in God. It is the Spirit that helps him to continue to live a Christian life. Left to ourselves, everyone will be de-converted within a few seconds.

And if I could chase away the Spirit of God in me, and if I could lose my salvation, I would have lost it a long time ago. It's not my walk with God that makes the Holy Spirit dwell in me, rather, it's the Spirit that helps me walk with God! However, I have to yield to the instruction (leading) of the Spirit, and not yield to the instruction of the world, eyes, and flesh!

Thank You, Lord, for the gift of Your Spirit! Amen!

 

1 JOHN 5:21

"Little children, guard yourselves from idols."

Is it not interesting (surprising) that this book ends in this way with a very, very simple and very, very basic exhortation?

John has explained the lofty theology of God, Jesus, Salvation, Propitiation, Sanctification, Damnation, Glorification from chapters 1-5, and ended with this well-known exhortation from the 2nd commandment of Moses' Law.

To worship the Real God. To have the real Jesus. To live the real life. To possess the real faith

Btw, Ps119, the largest chapter, which reveals the power of God's word for sanctification also ends with a simple (unlikely) affirmation, confession, and prayer v176.

The greatest theologians aren't the ones who know the lofty things of God. They are the ones who cherish the base, the simplest, and the commonest teaching of God.

The holiest men of God (when they have lived long and have become most perfect in the eyes of all) do not confess that they are perfect or that they are holy. They confess the simplest thing, "a sinner" like the Apostle Paul of 1Tim1:15.

Let's cherish the old truth, the simple confession, the basic commandment, and live the ordinary life!