The Sayings of Samuel Godfrey George - May 2012

Don't be worried by what tempts you. Your weakness shall lead to strength. When you are weak, then you shall receive strength from above. Only seek it humbly knowing that in your own strength you cannot overcome what waits to overwhelm you. No temptation is greater than the power that is already within you. Find that power through faith and wield it with belief. Then what seemed your greatest threat will become the door to your greatest strength.

What's cold in my life? Everything is cold except my madness for God. Now what's hot in my life? God is the only contender. And I hope that he gets hot enough for every cold thing to be consumed in His heat.

Be thankful to God for all gifts: the gifts that have come, the gifts that will come and the gifts that will never come. God is good. All that He does and does not do is for your good. Believe that today.

When someone says something good to you, before you thank that person say, "Thank you Lord." for it is God who inspired this person to say those words to you. Whatever people say, even if it is not something you like, say "Thank you God." For everything will be used by God to make something good out of you. Even the negative remarks and indifferent behaviour of others will be used by God to strengthen and improve your character. So thank God today for everything that happens to you.

What people do not say to you is as important as what they say to you. Control your feelings, overcome the disappointment that is inherent in all human relationships and observe others carefully. Take note of what they say and take note of what they do not say. What human beings fail to say is a source of much learning.

If I speak what you wouldn't and perhaps couldn't speak there is a reason for that. I have walked in places where you would not dare to go. I have dwelt among demons that you would not allow anywhere near you. I have penetrated the darkness when all that you want to do is to stay outside and away from it. So I shall speak of what I have seen with the boldness of the man who has surely seen what he speaks of. He who shakes his head at me should do so for that is the grace that has been allowed him.

God may live among us and we may not know. Goodness and beauty may flourish in the dreary places where we live. Yet we may not know of their existence. Each of us is lost in his own life, pursuing the desires of his own heart. There is no time, no inclination to look around and see that one person, who speaks a different language, leads a different life, so different that he seems like a loser. This is life's great tragedy. God did come into the world, but his own did not recognise him. They in fact killed him as they would kill the lowest criminal.

There is a terrible beauty in life. Yesterday I saw two young labourers play with an abandoned shuttlecock. Their dirty hands served as bats for they had none. The boys were leading a hard life. But they had the time to relax and enjoy. One of them smiled continually displaying the gaps in his teeth. It was the most wonderful sight in a dreary and noisy environment exacerbated by the intense heat of the summer sun. All day the scene remained. Even at night it played back in my mind. Now I must write it down before I forget the power of it.

Beauty isn't everything. One must also note the ugliness of life. Without studying the ugliness one cannot achieve any mastery over life. God is love. God is also justice. God also punishes and purges his people. Without understanding God in this way, one can be seriously led into the error that God will tolerate anything as long as one is sorry for it later. So appreciate life, but also be aware of its corrupted nature. Be bold in the presence of God, but don't let the boldness become a license for unrighteousness.

There's no victory in surrender. But there's victory in resistance and rejection. When you resist and reject what you have a weakness for, then your weakness is converted into strength. Rejoice even in the little resistance you exert. Celebrate even the tiniest impulse to turn away from what tugs at your heart.

Today I have renewed contact with several students of mine. I wonder why this has happened. I certainly wanted it to happen. But why did I desire this? What could be the point of all this? I rather not think too much. God is good. What I wanted He granted. Above all let me experience the simple joy of a wish granted. That alone is the meaning of this experience.

Disbelief is for disbelievers and not for believers. Let the believer believe. It is better to believe than to disbelieve in the God that you claim to believe in. Believe that he is working in you. Believe that he is changing you moment by moment. Every experience no matter how frustrating is shaping you. True, you are nothing like what you hope to be. But it is equally true that you are nothing like what you used to be. Open your eyes and see what God has done. And he is still at work in you.

What God usually looks for is humility. Whoever is aware of his powerlessness is usually the right person for God. What God really wants to know is whether a person genuinely acknowledges his need of God. If a person is genuinely dependent on God, then he is the right person for God. All of us are morally and spiritually corrupt. None of us is fit for God to work in us. However, it is only the humble among us who are fitted for God's work, and God himself does this fitting. What God resists is not talent but pride.

2012 may well go without any major catastrophes, at least not the earth-altering ones. If it does it is another reminder that Man is ill equipped to predict the exact time when this world will end. Many have tried and failed miserably. Nevertheless some still try. Let them be reminded that their efforts are doomed to fail. For we are told in the Word of God, that no man exactly knows the time of the return of Christ to earth. All that we know are signs, and even the signs are not easy to interpret.

When a tiny part of your body is numb you will appreciate sensitivity in the other parts. When something is taken away even to a tiny measure you will appreciate what is still left. If you are suffering in any small way today rejoice that you are still capable in other ways.

"Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice", said Saint Paul. What does this mean? Why should we rejoice in the Lord? And why should we rejoice always? The Lord loved the world and proved his love by dying for us on the cross. The shedding of his blood makes it possible for us to taste the joy of belonging to him, of being children of God. We who were dead in our sins and doomed to go to hell have now the undeserved reward of eternal life with God. Not only should we receive this priceless gift with joy, but we should also celebrate this always, for there is much suffering in life and this will make us forget the tremendous gift that we have been given. Rejoicing always in the love of God and in the promise of an eternal life with him will help us bear the troubles on this earth.

One who says about the God of the Bible, “If God is not what I want him to be, I’ll not worship him” knows little about God or about worship. No believer of God can ever specify what God must be in order to be worthy of worship. What God is he is. No human being can alter his essential nature. God is love. He loved the world so much that he sent Jesus to us, not to condemn us but to save us from our sins. We, the people of this world, sinned. Everyone turned away from God’s way to follow the desires of his own heart. Man could make no payment for his sin, so God had to sacrifice his own sinless Son for sinful Man. The blood of Jesus was spilled for every rebellious human being who walked away from God. And the blood still makes atonement for the rebellion of Man. Therefore those who rebel against God should not justify their rebellion but repent of it humbly in the knowledge that God is indeed right and that they are indeed wrong. This is the brokenness that is expected.

You work for God, so be a servant in your thinking. Desire the well-being of your God and not your own well-being. Strive to spread His name and not your name. Be content to stay in His shadow even if you cannot be seen. In the glory of God is your glory. In His shelter is your eternal destiny.

At least I'm trying. I'm hoping. I'm doing something by faith. I'm exercising faith. And that's more important than receiving the desired answers.

I am not selfless. I am always conscious of self. I am also selfish. I always seek gain for myself. There is little hope that I will turn selfless in my own strength. This is why I need God. This is why I turn to Christ. When I live in Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. If I die and He lives, I will be truly selfless.

As long as Christ is in me, every other thing pales in significance.

I won today with my Lord. I will win all my life with my Lord Jesus Christ.