第十三天（19/08/12）

上帝早已经把一些宝贝放在我们这瓦器里面，圣灵也在我们里面酝酿做工，里面的宝贝有一天将要为主发光，照亮别人。。。

可是问题是，瓦器没被破碎，就看不见里面的宝贝；瓦器没被破碎，里面的光也照耀不出来。所以我们应当很谦卑的常常允许上帝在我们身上动工，该打破的就让他打破、该除掉的就除掉、该拆毁的就拆毁。。。

的确，没破碎就流露不出里面的芬芳来。。。你真的要上帝使用你吗？你愿意被破碎吗。。。？

“我们有这宝贝放在瓦器里，要显明这莫大的能力是出于神，不是出于我们。”
～ 林后4:7 ～

Day 13 (19/08/12)

God has long put some treasure in us, these jars of clay, and the Holy Spirit is also brewing and working in us, so that the treasure inside will one day shine for the Lord and brighten up others’ lives…

But the problem is, if the jar is not broken, people will not be able to see the treasure inside; if the jar is not broken, the light inside cannot shine. Therefore we should always be very humble to allow God to work on us, let Him break what should be broken, remove what should be removed, tear down what should be torn down…

Indeed, unless broken, the fragrance inside cannot flow out… do you really want God to use you? Are you willing to be broken…?

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”
~ 2 Corinthians 4:7 ~

其实禁食，特别是长时间的禁食，并不是一件想要做就能做的事；其实我相信，按肉体来想，没有人会喜欢禁食的。
这一次，在神还没感动我和给我力量禁食40天之前，我无法想象那40天毫无食物的日子，甚至会“怕”上帝会不会再感动我禁食40天。。。
可是时间一到，这些顾虑都是多余的！不知不觉40天早已过去了，我们也已恢复正常的饮食生活。

Actually fasting, especially long period of fasting, is not something you can just do it when you think you want to do it. In fact I believe, by our flesh, nobody likes to fast.
This time, before God convicted me and gave me the strength to fast for 40 days, I could not imagine at all without food for 4o days, and actually I was also kind of “afraid” as to wheher God would convict me to fast for 40 days again…
But when the time came, all these concerns were really unnecessary! Without realizing, 40 days have already gone by, and we have also resumed our normal eating and drinking lifestyle.

我们这一次采取逐渐性的禁法，前面29天还可以喝汤和果汁，最后11天只喝白开水，但很多人过不了最后11天白开水的那一关。。。
就连我自己，最后3天才真正全然白开水，前面几天白开水里偶尔还会加一点葡萄糖补充体力。

This time we took the gradual fast approach, we were still taking soup and juice in the beginning 29 days, only the last 11 days did we take plain water only, but many failed the plain water only for 11 days test…
Even I myself, I only took totally plain water in the last 3 days as I still added some glucose into my water before that to give me some energy.

有时候我们禁食采取只吃素的禁法，就只吃蔬菜和水果，那时就会发现原来吃惯了的肉是何等奢侈。。。
然后我们有时候采取，不只吃素，也禁淀粉之类的食物如：饭、面类、蛋糕和面包等，那时就发现淀粉类食物真是何等奢侈。。。
若全禁食物，就发现蔬菜和水果何等奢侈。。。
只可喝白开水时，又发现汤啦、热饮啦、果汁啦，都是何等奢侈。。。

Sometimes for fasting, we take the vegetarian fast, eating only fruit ad vegetables, during such a time, we would realize the meat we are so used to is such a luxury…
Then sometimes we not only go vegetarian, we stop eating starchy food too like rice, noodles, cakes and bread etc, in times like those, we would realize starchy food is such a luxury…
If we fast all food totally, we would realize fruit and vegetables are such luxury items…
When it is only drinking plain water, we would discover soup, hot drinks and fruit juice are so luxurious…

所谓”奢侈“，是指那些对我们原本很平常的食物饮料，变成我们“得不到”的东西。。。
原来禁食能够让你发现，我们其实是活在何等蒙福及”奢侈“的生活当中啊！我们的“饿”是出于自己自愿的选择，时间过了，马上又可以恢复与享受我们“奢侈”的生活；可是这世界有多少人却是毫无选择的日复一日、年复一年的肚子，毫无终止。。。原来在很多地方，一杯干净的白开水何尝也不是何等奢侈吗？

主啊，让我们不再抱怨生活困苦，让我们学习感恩及享受你给我们的一切。。。

“并且人人吃喝，在他一切劳碌中享福。这也是神的恩赐。”
～ 传道书3:13 ～

The so-called “luxury” is referring to food and drinks that are so ordinary to us normally becoming something we cannot get…
Fasting can indeed make you realize, we are actually living in such a luxurious and blessed life! Our “hunger” is our own voluntary choice, and when the time has passed, we can immediately return to and enjoy our “luxurious” lifestyle, where as there are so many people in this world who do not have a choice but are hungry day after day and year after year without ending… In actual fact, in many places, a glass of clean water is also very luxurious to them!

O lord, help us not to complain about life being tough again, teach us to be grateful and to enjoy all that You have given us…

“That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.”
~ Ecclesiastes 3:13 ~

第四十天：11月11日(五)

该以什么做结束呢？有那么多好写、那么多好说、那么多的感触、感想。。。

晚上，从吉隆坡来的特邀讲员，梅牧师讲道，有一个重点深触我心，是一辈子不可忘记的提醒。

他以路加福音第一章为背景，提到忠心事奉神的祭司，撒迦利亚夫妇，一生求子，如何从有盼望等到绝望。到年纪老迈，不可能生育的时候，再失望也没停止忠心事奉神。撒迦利亚持守上帝给他的职分，忠心在神给他的岗位和地方事奉；结果神就在那神拣选给他的地方向他显现。因着他的忠心，独行奇事的神为他成就了按人、按自己、按自然界都不可能的事情；撒迦利亚的妻子，以利沙伯竟然怀孕生子！

重点是，当神来你应当在的岗位和地方找你时，你在那里吗？他在那里找得到你吗？你是一个对神忠心的人吗
所以，你若渴望神为你行奇事，满足你心里一直期待的突破，或解决某个重担问题，做一个忠心事奉神，持守神所给你的恩赐和职分的人是何等重要啊！

“1:6 他 们 二 人 ， 在 神 面 前 都 是 义 人 ， 遵 行 主 的 一 切 诫 命 礼 仪 ， 没 有 可 指 摘 的 。
1:7 只 是 没 有 孩 子 ， 因 为 以 利 沙 伯 不 生 育 ， 两 个 人 又 年 纪 老 迈 了 。
1:8 撒 迦 利 亚 按 班 次 ， 在 神 面 前 供 祭 司 的 职 分 ，
1:9 照 祭 司 的 规 矩 掣 签 ， 得 进 主 殿 烧 香 。
1:10 烧 香 的 时 候 ， 众 百 姓 在 外 面 祷 告 。
1:11 有 主 的 使 者 站 在 香 坛 的 右 边 ， 向 他 显 现 。
1:12 撒 迦 利 亚 看 见 ， 就 惊 慌 害 怕 。
1:13 天 使 对 他 说 ， 撒 迦 利 亚 ， 不 要 害 怕 。 因 为 你 的 祈 祷 已 经 被 听 见 了 ， 你 的 妻 子 以 利 沙 伯 要 给 你 生 一 个 儿 子 ， 你 要 给 他 起 名 叫 约 翰 。”
～ 路加福音1章 ～

Day 40 : Nov 11th (Fri)

What should I write to conclude? So many things to wite about and to say, so many feelings and thoughts…

In the evening, Pastor Raymond Mooi, our specially invited speaker from KL preached. A certain point touched me deeply, a reminder I must not forget for all my life.

Using Luke Chapter 1 as his background story, Pastor Raymond mentioned how the very faithful priest Zechariah and Elizabeth must have grown from being hopeful to totally hopelesss in their quest for a child. When they were already very old and not possible for Elizabeth to conceive anymore, no matter how disappointed, they did not stop serving God faithfully. Zechariah stayed true to the responsibility God had given him, faithfully serving in the position and place where God had entrusted him with. As a result God appeared to him at the place where God had assigned him to be. Because of his faithfulness, the God of wonders performed for him something that was not possible with men, ourselves or in the natural. The wife, Eliazabeth conceived and gave birth to a son!

The key is, when God comes looking for you at the position or place where you are supposed to be at, will you be there? Can He find you there? Are you a faithful person to God?
Therefore, if you really desire God to do a miracle for you, to satisfy you with the breakthrough you have been waiting for in your heart, or to relieve you of a great burden and problem, it is very important to be a person who stays true to your God-given gift and position!

“6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.
7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.”
~ Luke 1 ~