The Mystery of Time

(1) Preface

1.1 Time is just too ordinary a concept for the ordinary people. However, only a few people have seriously inquired into what time is. For example, people often point out that we live in a 4-dimensional space (i.e. the physical space [length, width, height] plus time). Many people think that time is independent of the other dimensions of length, width and height. Not only that, the entire universe is permeated by the time dimension, that is, there is not a spot in the universe where there is no time. Time is homogeneous and synchronized in the entire universe.

1.2  Ever since Einstein's theory of relativity, time and space are interrelated. Hence, time is no longer an independent dimension. Instead, space-time is an interconnected 4 dimensional manifold. The relationship among the 4 dimensions (e.g. time dilation) can be defined by mathematical equations. Time is no longer a homogeneous parameter throughout the universe but is a connected parameter to objects (such as rockets, earth, etc.) it concerns. The connection depends on the relative velocity of the related objects.

1.3 The above theory of space-time has immediately subverted our traditional understanding of time. For example, suppose there are three persons (A, B, C) at a certain space-time location initially. They then start to move at different speeds such that A is stationary while B travels eastward at 30% of the speed of light and C 50% of the speed of light westward. Then A will find that B’s clock is about 5% slower than its own. B will have a similar discovery vice versa. A will also find that C’s clock is about 15% slower than its own (and C vice versa). In addition, B will find that C’s clock is about 67% slower than his own (and C vice versa). The aforesaid values are calculated with the special theory of relativity. Thus, time is no longer consistent among them (A, B, C) except at the beginning. (Icebreaker question: If B maintains a constant speed and eventually returns to and stops at A's position, which clock would be faster or slower? or…)

1.4 After the advance of the theory of relativity, scientists postulated the Big Bang theory. From the scientists’ viewpoint, the Big Bang occurred approximately 13.8 billion years ago. When there is a beginning there will be an end. Thus, we can ask what caused the Big Bang (see What was before the Big Bang)? As old ones will be overtaken by new ones in history, new theories are being formulated, such as the Big Bounce Theory, to modify the Big Bang theory.

(2) The Mystic Time dimension

2.1   Should you find the above statements confusing, please take it easy as they are only meant for a preface. I am no expert in relativity or Big Bang. I only use them to trigger the following reflections. First of all, let us see what a dimension is. In terms of physics or mathematics, dimensions correspond to the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify an event. The number of these coordinates can also be regarded as the degree of freedom of the event. For example, in a 3-dimensional space, we generally enjoy 3 degrees of freedom (that is freedom along the length, width, and height dimensions).

2.2 Even though time is seen as a dimension, it is very different from the other physical dimensions. Why? First of all, the general spatial dimension is non-directional. For example, a person walking on the street can either go east or west as well as forward or backward. This person has the right to decide which way to go. As for “time”, it can only be moving forward but not backward (that is, the past). Thus, the past, the present and the future become a fixed sequence. Not only is it directional, it is also moving when compared to the other spatial dimensions which can be understood as stationary! For instance, when I say that I am writing now. Such a now becomes then as soon as I finish saying it if now is meant the very present moment. Unless I define now as a designated time period such as an hour, then I am still within such a “now” during the relevant hour.

2.3  For humans, time perception is mainly derived from acquired experience and training. Until now, no innate time perception or related sensing organs have been discovered (see Timing and time perception: A review of recent findings). It is obviously different from our innate perception of space (sensed mainly through sight and touch). As the saying goes: Time flies when you're having fun. Similarly, we may say, “Time is deadly when you are sad”. These sayings point out that our emotions will affect our perception of the passage of time. In addition, the patience of children is often less than that of an adult. For instance, to wait a week feels like months or even years to a toddler. A person living alone on an isolated island would lose the ability to distinguish the months and the years unless he insists on marking each day.

2.4   According to a documentary of the Vietnamese Tarzan dated 2016, it was reported that a Vietnamese father and his son lived in the jungle for 41 years in order to escape the war. At that time (2013), the 44-year-old son Ho Man Lang had no concept of time besides day and night when he was found by his elder brother. Man Lang didn’t even know that there were women in the world! In What we get wrong about time, a BBC report, it was mentioned that the Amondawa tribe in the Amazon, for example, has no word for time. These reports confirm that humans do not have an innate ability to perceive time. Indeed, some people will ask, "Does time really exist? Or is it just an illusion?" I don’t have the answer as St. Augustine (St Augustineon Time, p.1 Introduction) once said, "What is time? If no one asks me, I know. If I want to explain it to the inquirer, then I don’t know.”

2.5  I can only say that time is a mystic dimension. It may exist in reality or just be a human illusion! In any case, we mark the order of events by time, based on which, things and events in the world can be seen as a continuous manifestation or phenomena. We can also compare the durations of events by the time intervals they occur in.

(3) Is time real?

3.1  Let us try to examine whether time is a real being with scientific methods (observing, measuring and testing etc..). As we can only observe changes in things or events but not the invisible "time" element itself, we cannot use scientific methods to study time. We can neither deny nor affirm whether time is a real being. Similarly, we cannot use scientific methods to deny or affirm the existence of an invisible God.

3.2 In fact, scientific methods cannot discover the absolute truth pertaining to a certain thing (such as matter or energy) or event. We may ask, “Is the ultimate (absolute) truth in question a real being or a phenomenon? Scientific method cannot guarantee that the relevant arguments or principles are absolute and without omissions. Just as the falsifiability principle points out, scientific theories can only be correct to a limited extent because all experiments and tests have their limitations. For example, Newton's laws are revised by relativity and quantum mechanics which rectify the flaws of the former. To put it simply, today's scientific theories can be modified or even disproved by corresponding future ones.

3.3  Time is a mystic dimension. Although we lack the innate ability to perceive it, we still believe that it permeates all things and spaces. Our physical experience cannot be limited to only three spatial dimensions (length, width and height). It is only by adding the time dimension that we can describe our activities and experiences reasonably and clearly. As Christian believers, what is the significance of the foregoing statement?

3.4  It is undeniable that everything in the universe is still constantly changing. Time can be regarded as the carrier of these changes. If time is taken away from our activities or experience, the changes will become indescribable or even ineffable! When we mention ideas such as winter passes to spring or the cycle of seasons, they involve going, coming and cycling of events which always involve an element of time. Without time, such activities would be indescribable.

(4) Reflections from our Faith

4.1  We do have the concept of time as an average person. How does this concept affect us? Psalm 90 has the following 2 verses (vv1-2):

"Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God."

The psalmist believes that God has been the dwelling place (home and protection) of the Israelites from generation to generation. In addition, God is the God of eternity (infinitely long, whether it is in the past or in the future). In terms of time, God's existence is infinite!

"The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away." (v10) 

As mentioned above, life is only 70 to 80 years old which is obviously finite. What people can remember about their lives is only labor and sorrow. Their lives are cut off as the people fly away in the blink of an eye!

4.2    From the previous paragraph, we can see that the psalmist Moses lamented over life with an admiration and affirmation for God’s providence. When Compared to eternity, our life must be short. Although Moses' life experience is legendary, his prayer (v17) remains with his aspiration in the glory of God and his supplication that God will establish his fellows’ work for Israel. It is mentioned earlier in this article that time is deadly when we are sad. How come Moses sees his arduous life as flying away in the blink of an eye? Is there a contradiction? Yes, there is and yet it is also a characteristic of "time": Although we feel time is deadly in our hard time, we also feel that time is fleeting away once we have come out. As time is constantly advancing, what has passed is past. The Chinese poet Li Bai once wrote this line: "Forsaking me is Yesterday, Gone and remains no more!"[棄我去者，昨日之日不可留] We can note here that in addition to physical time, there is psychological time which is people's subjective feelings about time.

4.3  Speaking of psychological time, I would like to mention the so-called concept of timelessness in Heaven. This concept mainly comes from experiences by those who claim to have visited Heaven. They include out of body experiences (OBE) such as those of Emanuel Swedenborg and some Christians who have near death experiences (NDE) (also called resurrection from the dead). Take Swedenborg as an example, he said that there is no concept of time in heaven in his book "Heaven and Hell" (see 'Time in Heaven', p.88, ss.162-164). There is instead  changing states as experienced by angels in Heaven. In addition, according to a 2017 research report by Dr. Marc Wittmann, it was reported that about 61% of the respondents (NDE’rs) claimed that there is no time in Heaven. Let me mention here that the concerned NDE’s are subjective and their contents are beyond scientific investigation since we cannot factually observe the claims as said (e.g. heaven). We have no way to verify their reality. However, we believe that most of the interviewees have provided their memories honestly.

4.4    Does the Bible mention similar psychological time? Yes, it does. For example, Peter said that (2 Pet 3:8) with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. Moses also said that (Psalm 90:4): "For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.” There are two possible reasons to explain the said statements, namely:

1、 For God, the length of time is not as what we perceive. He can see a thousand years as a day [even a watch], or a day as a thousand years! In other words, time is flexible in God’s sight.

2、  God is the first cause of all things and time is created by God (St Augustine on Time see Introduction). So, only He can accurately define and interpret what time is.

Of course, God and us (as His creature) have similar emotions. In this perspective, a thousand years as a day may symbolizes the ordinary and smooth transition of days as in [Gen 5:27] wherein Methuselah is said to have lived a total of 969 years in passing. On the other hand, a day like a thousand years may be said of the Day when Jesus was crucified. Although life is short, when David wrote his poem (Psalm 103:15-17), he asserted that the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear him! From this we see that the infinity of God (such as His love) is not limited by the finiteness of humans!

4.5  The Bible teaches us to cherish time. For example, [Eph 5:15-17] teaches us to make the best use of time, not to be foolish but to understand what the will of the Lord Jesus is. The Greek word for time is καιρός (Kairos) which means a specific time period or opportunity. When referring to time in other scriptures (such as Luke 1:57), χρόνος (Chronos) is used. This term refers to the numerical time or time as a duration. From this, we can see that God asks us to cherish time, especially the appointed time such as the Israeli festivals of the Sabbath, the Sabbatical year and the Jubilee. We should seize up the opportunities available and make the best use of them to serve God and man.

4.6  Ecclesiastes (3:1) says that for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. The Hebrew word for season is﹝זְמָן﹞(zemân) which refers to an appointed occasion. [Ecc 3:2-8] further points out that there is a time for birth and death respectively, to break down and to build up respectively, to weep and to laugh respectively and even for war and for peace respectively. What? Are all these timings specified by God? If so, are our lives predestined? What does it mean? [Ecc 3:11] points out that God has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity in man’s heart and yet he cannot find out what God has done overall. God, as the first cause and creator of all creatures, must be infinite. Human beings’ finiteness is incapable of unlocking all the mystery of the infinite God. Nevertheless, God is the loving and almighty Creator. We should therefore believe that the world He created is meaningful and destined for His glory and beauty. 

4.7   Life nowadays can be said to be in a dilemma. On the one hand, we believe that the Creator God can solve and even transcend all current difficulties. On the other hand, we have to face the reality of injustice and suffering in the world. How then can we resolve such a dilemma? The key is probably embedded in the principle of faith, hope and love! As [1Corinthians 13:10-13] says,

"But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

4.8  One’s physical life is only a transition through which we may hope for a better life to come in one’s spiritual homeland. Now we are like tourists on earth while in the future we could become citizens of the heavenly kingdom! God has a requirement for His people who are still on earth: we need to believe and rely on Him. How can we rely on Him? Doesn't it mean to believe in Christ's redemption, to affirm our heavenly hope and to love each other regardless of the situation? Yes, it must be so. This is why the apostle Paul emphasizes that now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love! Faith, hope and love are the essence of our spiritual direction just as the essence of history is those of time, location and people. Time here refers to the era, the contemporary situation and opportunities. Location refers to the place, the region and the country in question. People are the contemporary people accordingly.

4.9  Faith in believing Christ Jesus is a present behavior while hope is the mindset bearing on the future fulfillment in the Lord. Love (both as a mindset and behavior) is eternal. What runs through these three is time. We should note that all creatures are upheld and regulated by the power of God (see Heb 1:3). Owing to changes in the world and some annoying situations therein, people's hearts are easily frustrated. It is a good reminder to us that the renounced sages in the past are known for their firm adherence to the principles they proclaimed. As believers in the Lord, we should therefore pursue the heavenly glory and our eternal spiritual homeland (see Heb.11:16). In this way, we should be able to hold on to the purposes of our life such as to love God and to love our neighbours as ourselves. For being faithful unto death, we can sweep ahead full sail in overcoming all obstacles in our lives so as to complete our earthly journey (see Heb 12:1-2).

(5) Summary

5.1 I have explained that time is a mystic dimension and that our innate perception cannot perceive time. Nevertheless, our memories and experiences make us feel the reality of time. Strictly speaking, what we perceive is the constant and sequential changes in things and events such as birth, aging, ailing and dying. Other examples include the diurnal and the seasonal cycles as obvious repetitions. When we are in an isolated environment, it is difficult for us to grasp the so-called standard or universal time. For example, Ho Wan Lang as mentioned in s.2.4 of this article had no concept of clock time when he was found by his elder brother because he had lived in the forest with his father for 41 years in isolation. In addition, the missionary Sister Ling Kwan-wei mentioned in her article (in Chinese only) that Ethiopia’s calendar and time confused her a lot. The reason being that Ethiopia adopts a 12-hour system instead of the usual 24-hour system. Besides, Ethiopians use a 13-month calendar instead of the usual 12-month Gregorian calendar. Even more strange is that their year is 7 years behind the Gregorian calendar!

5.2  Humans can send people to the moon nowadays. I would be happy to see that the authority will put a well-tuned atomic clock on the moon so as to verify if the moon clock would differ from our earth clock as suggested by relativity. In fact, many philosophers or poets in the past had been reflecting or imagining about the reality of time. For example, Su Shi’s (蘇軾) poetic line says, "What year is it in the lunar palace high up in the sky? I don’t know."[不知天上宮闕，今夕是何年] We have a Chinese proverb saying, "Seven days in the mountain transform to a thousand years in the world.” [山中方七日，世上已千年] These examples help to highlight human creativity which also involves our rationality and imagination as well as our free will in choosing.

5.3   If there is no time, what will the world be like? A reasonable guess is as follows. The world will continue to exist. However, as far as human cognition is concerned, we can only sense a cross-section of the reality one at a time. The concerned cross-section is similar to an X-ray image of the human body. In this token, we can only sense the latest scan image if there is no “time” (no past, no future). Thus, only the present (now) event is sensed by us. Without time, we are unable to recall the past or speculate into the future. An adult cannot then remember that he was once a baby, a child or had a certain meal in the past. As such, the world and its meaning would become weird and fussy without time. Indeed, our lives would not have a REAL meaning if there is no time.

5.4  Citizens of a civilized society would not find time strange nor would they deny its existence even though our perception of time is a nurtured ability. In a similar token, we can conclude that the Creator (God) does exist based on our observation and understanding of the creatures in the universe. Nevertheless, we still have the right to choose whether we would believe or disbelieve in the Creator. Our choice is based on our "free will" which is also something we can't see. Yet, with the fact that we can choose, we know that free will does exists. If we make good use of our free will and rationality, we can choose good over evil. We can also discover that the Creator is loving and righteous. God is also almighty and He will made everything beautiful in its time. Yes, this is our hope!

5.5   Time, as the carrier of world events, should be a providence by God. With time and in time, we can make meaningful reviews of our lives. For example, Zhong Zhi (莊子) said, "I make 3 reflections of myself in a day.” (吾日三省吾身) Of course, we still need a value orientation. For Christians, our value is inseparable from believing in the salvation of Jesus Christ and holding on to the hope of eternal life. It is also important to truly love one another according to God’s teachings. The love here is loving your neighbor as yourself. On the spiritual level, life reviews have an additional meaning or possibility. Many near-death experiencers tell us that their Life Reviews are so vivid and real that they are reliving their past experience and are acutely aware of the feelings involved - theirs and those affected by their decisions and actions. No wonder that the Bible teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves because our feelings are open and transparent to each other in the spiritual realm.

5.6  Reflections on time can be various and diverse since the essence of world events are found upon the "time-location-people” elements. Yes, you can conduct relevant reflections over such events whether they are from the Bible or other writings as long as you are willing. The possibilities and varieties are truly ineffable. The concerned understanding or enlightenment may at times be indescribable and beyond words. Why? We note that the reality of world events is fundamentally determined by whether or not there is a first cause (God). If there is, can God be discovered by us? With today’s understanding of mass-energy in quantum physics, people have discovered that the seemingly conserved and persisting material world is actually a “probabilistic phenomenon” in its microscopic scale. The scientists even infer that there are dark matter and dark energy in the universe. Is it a bit strange?

5.7 As an ordinary person, thinking about the mystery of time can broaden our horizons and even increase our interest in understanding the world. Our focus here is on the teachings of the Bible. We are taught to cherish our time, be watchful and prayerful so that we can discern between right and wrong. Consequently, we should turn away from evil and do good, etc… The guiding principle is to love your neighbor as yourself and to hold on to hope in the face of difficulties as Paul (Romans8:24-25) has said, "For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see (e.g. the mystery of time), we wait for it with patience.” Paul is convinced that we will return to the Lord Jesus one day, and we will acquire a full knowledge of life and God’s purposes then. May the Lord protect and guide us with such a hope. Amen.

See Chinese Version here.

Helen Keller’s God experience

Miss Shawn of a web-based Christian forum mentioned that as she read about Helen Keller she was moved at how she knew God before she even knew a language. One of Helen's friends was Phillips Brooks who was a famous clergyman of his generation in America at one time. Helen was blind and deaf from the age of two, she had lived a life of isolation, unable to speak words she could not hear, unable to know what a word was. So, how did she know God? In one of her letters, Helen told Bishop Brooks that she had always known about God, even before she had any words. Even before she could call God anything, she knew God was there. She didn't know what it was. God had no name for her -- nothing had a name for her. She had no concept of a name. But in her darkness and isolation, she knew she was not alone. Someone was with her. She felt God's love. And when she received the gift of language and heard about God, she said she already knew. Phillips Brooks was thrilled by this. This was the God he knew. 

Helen Keller had always known there was a God

There are some who don't believe in God, but Helen knew about Him. Now this is what is interesting to me. Because people say that others impose and push their believe on people to make them believe. But Helen didn't have any Christian, or anyone there to "impose" their belief on her and she just innately knew there was a God!!!! Imagine That So, my question is how can someone explain that? I would say that it was the Holy Spirit who was with her and speaking and talking with her, how else would she know God in such a way.

In Helen's book My Religion, she describes the following experience:

“I sense a holy passion pouring down from the springs of Infinity. . . . Bound to suns and planets by invisible cords, I feel the flame of eternity in my soul. Here, in the midst of the every-day air, I sense the rush of ethereal rains. I am conscious of the splendor that binds all things of earth to all things of heaven — immured by silence and darkness, I possess the light which shall give me vision a thousand fold when death sets me free.”

Helen Keller is describing the experience of a transcendental level of the mind. Relating it to “Infinity,” she describes it as “the flame of eternity in my soul.” In this deep inward place, she experiences “the splendor that binds all things of earth to all things of heaven.” Even though she is blind and deaf, confined by “silence and darkness,” she nevertheless experiences an inner light that transcends death.

Environmental impacts of coronavirus crisis

The United Nations conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) noted that As the number of coronavirus infections grew exponentially in Europe and North America in March, restrictive public health measures to stave off a worsening pandemic were put in place.

They included stay-at-home orders, which were first issued in Italy and then in rapid succession in most other countries around the world. With entire populations ordered to stay home, schools, offices and factories limited their activities, road traffic dwindled to a minimum and airlines reduced scheduled flights by 60% to 95%.

The followings are the immediate effects on the environment:

Slashed greenhouse emissions

While consumption and employment levels dropped precipitously, they have also been associated with significant reductions in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, air quality levels in the world’s major cities improved dramatically in March and April. Air quality improved largely because of a reduction in factory and road traffic emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and related ozone (O3) formation, and particulate matter (PM).

During the same period, global air traffic dropped by 60%. Taken together, these emissions reductions have led to a temporary dip in CO2 emissions from their pre-crisis levels, encouraging some to hope that our global society may indeed be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions substantially over the long term to mitigate impending climate change. Obviously, there are many challenges ahead.

Not all positive

But not all the environmental consequences of the crisis have been positive. Volumes of unrecyclable waste have risen; severe cuts in agricultural and fishery export levels have led to the generation of large quantities of organic waste; maintenance and monitoring of natural ecosystems have been temporarily halted; and tourism activity to natural areas has ceased.

Local waste problems have emerged as many municipalities have suspended their recycling activities over fears of virus propagation in recycling centres. Food retailers have resumed using plastic bags at checkout points citing health concerns over consumers’ reuse of paper bags. In addition, due to stay-at-home policies, many consumers have increased their consumption of take-away food delivered with single-use packaging.

All these developments have created acute challenges for the waste management industry at a time when they are operating with limited capacity due to the coronavirus crisis.

Ecosystems at risk

Natural ecosystems and protected species are at risk during the coronavirus crisis. In many countries, environmental protection workers at national parks and land and marine conservation zones are required to stay at home in lockdown, leaving these areas unmonitored. Their absence has resulted in a rise of illegal deforestation, fishing and wildlife hunting.

Many of the environmental challenges caused by the coronavirus crisis will gradually resolve on their own once the crisis comes to an end and previous levels of economic activity resume. Unfortunately, it is also true that the benefits of air pollution reductions will also be erased. Overall, the crisis may thus have no permanent environmental effects.

However, what we have learned about the environmental benefits and risks of sharp drops in global economic activity will certainly help us to better understand the mechanics of environmental sustainability, societal consumption patterns, and how we can reduce environmental degradation in a future crisis-free world.

Need for action

Attention must be given to threats on the environment and natural resource bases as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and consequential social and economic impacts.

While helping all vested parties to adapt to crisis market conditions and take actions for recovery is seen as a top priority by many authorities, governments should empower the environmentalists and scientists together to work out plans and schedules to protect the environment.

Source: https://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=2333

Goodbye Wishes to a WS group

“[Whilst] everything around me is ever changing, ever dying, there is underlying all that change a living power that is changeless, that holds all together, that creates, dissolves and recreates.  That informing power or spirit is God....And is this power benevolent or malevolent?  I see it as purely benevolent.  For I can see that in the midst of death life persists, in the midst of untruth truth persists, in the midst of darkness light persists.  Hence I gather that God is Life, Truth, Light.  He is Love.  He is the supreme Good.”  (Mahatma Gandi)

Even though Gandi is not a Christian, his wisdom about life and God is amazing possibly due to his background and upbringing. Yes, the belief in the Almighty God and His Benevolence is a sanctuary and hope for going through the various challenges in our lives especially during such tumultuous time as we are going through in HK.

Howard, a brother in Christ.

〈Mutual encouragement〉

箴言(Proverbs) 4：23「你要保守你的心，勝過保守一切，因為一生的果效是由心發出。」

James 4:17, ESV: "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."

Your Life Matters!

Sometimes it seems like our lives don’t matter. Whether you are in the depths of depression or have survived an assault on who you are, etc. Sometimes it seems like, “My life doesn’t matter.” However: That thought is wrong. Your life does matter. The spiritual truth is; If you are alive, your life matters.

Here are some of the reasons why:

1. You are born with your soul which will not die.

2. You are beloved and precious in the eyes of God, our Creator.

3. You have a unique role to play in the grand scheme of God's creation.

4. You have a contribution to make to the world, even if you’re not aware of it.

5. The fact that "You were born" is NOT accidental.

6. There are things that could only be achieved through your earthly life.

7. Your soul (inner self) is the real you which has an infinite potential.

Please remember that you are endowed with a free will and a rationality that are distinctly human. Do exercise and make good of your free will with your rationality. No matter what happens, bear in mind that you are a miraculous 'gift' in God's plan. Indeed, you are a partner of God in His creation plan! So, you should try your best to understand God's truth and love so that your life will be a blessing for everybody.

May the Lord Jesus enlighten, guide and keep you. Amen.

Devotional No.7

Chapter 3 of 2nd Corinthians is Paul's clarification and defense of his capacity as minister (or even apostle) of the Covenant. Verse 6 says, "(YLT) who also made us sufficient [to be] ministrants of a new covenant, not of letter, but of spirit; for the letter doth kill, and the spirit doth make alive." Paul followed in verses 15 through 18, and said," (YLT)[15]but till to-day, when Moses is read, a vail upon their heart doth lie, [16]and whenever they may turn unto the Lord, the vail is taken away. [17]And the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty; [18]and we all, with unvailed face, the glory of the Lord beholding in a mirror, to the same image are being transformed, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

Paul was initially a Jewish Pharisee. It is evident that his interpretation of the Bible is drastically changed after his conversion to Christianity. For example, he considered the teachings of Jesus as heretics before his conversion but professed that Christ is the Messiah (Savior) of the human race afterwards. He even opined that Abraham's two wives pertain to an allegory such that they represent two covenants. Namely, which things are allegorized, for these are the two covenants: one, indeed, from mount Sinai, to servitude bringing forth, which is Hagar. (Galatians 4:24, YLT).

For Paul, the above changes are inseparable from his Damascus experience as the Lord Jesus appeared and shone on him. It must be a transcendent, shocking and even weird spiritual experience! For people like us who do not have similar experience, it is extremely difficult for us to fully understand the mystery of his experience. Nevertheless, his experience gives us the following important enlightenment:

1.      Jesus Christ (His divinity, spirituality and words) is the key for us to perceive and understand God’s Word.

2.     The essence of the Biblical teachings lies in and with the Spirit which gives rise to the so-called spiritual interpretation of the Bible.

When it comes to spiritual interpretation, there are really endless stories and opinions. Moreover, the human perception itself is full of tricky and complex elements. First of all, our understanding and visualization of our environment depend upon our sensation and perception. Sensation depends on our sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch while perception relies on our brains to process the information we receive. For example, we know that the visual image of an object which falls upon our retinas is reversed. It is after one’s brain has processed such information that one can know and tell the correct orientation of it. Other interesting examples are that we are prone to illusions, such as the well-known Frazer Spiral in which one would see a continuous spiral instead of concentric circles in the figure. Other similar examples include the rabbit-duck illusion and the Rubin's Goblet.

It is difficult to explain the complex relationship between sensation and perception in a short article. However, it is not difficult to understand that our beliefs affect our perceptions. For example, I mentioned in my “Devotional No 5” that the spectacles of God (Faith) help us to understand that the world is created by God while an atheist could only perceive a materialistic world although the things he sees are more or less the same as what we see. In many psychology courses on sensation and perception, signal detection theory and sensory adaptation are 2 crucial devices by which we would understand things around us. It also carries important implications for our understanding of the Bible.

For those who like to think, they can think about how materialistic phenomena in our world can basically be reduced to the combinations of sound (heat), light and electricity elements. If so, how can human thinking be so complex? Otherwise, is there indeed some kind of "thinking" happening in all tangible matters? For me, the truth of the Bible and its perception by Paul belong to the spiritual dimension. Thus, my beliefs and choices are still after what Paul has taught in 1st Corinthians [2: 13-14], namely, he speaks of things taught by the Holy Spirit (comparing spiritual things with spiritual) and the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for to him they are foolishness, and he is not able to know [them].

My Prayer:

Our Holy Father, I thank you for your teaching: “For who has known the things of the man except his own spirit? So also the things of God no one has known except the Spirit of God." Only You can unravel the mystery of Your Word. Therefore, please give us the understanding and insights in the Spirit so that we may experience the illumination, guidance and revelation as those upon the Apostle Paul. Bless us that we can take root and grow in and by Your Word. I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.

Howard

[中文]: http://howard-the-evangelist.blogspot.hk/2017/01/7.html

Devotional No.6

Scripture：Genesis 2:1-3

(Prayer→Reading→Meditation+Contemplation)

My meditation:  

The first reference to God's ordination and sanctification of the Sabbath (Hebrew shâbath or shabbat) in today’s verses is a very special event. It is not difficult for us to see that God is both working and resting in his Creation. We have seen before that God is well-planned and orderly in His Creation. His order includes the law of working and resting. This law is important to us and the rest of the world. It is very important to know how to work and rest for it not only affects the human body but also the human mind and spirit.

Through faith, we see not only God’s creation, but also His appreciation of His creation in a relaxed and restful manner. Indeed, shabbat means to stop, cease and repose. As we are like God, we should follow His law of work and rest. Even after the Fall of Adam and Eve, God’s sabbatical law is still valid and it should be respected by all of us. Why? God not only stopped on the seventh day but also consecrated this day as a holy day (Genesis 2: 3). God blessed the seventh day and “sanctify” (Hebrew qadash) it. Sanctify is mentioned the first time here in the Bible.

Coming back to Sabbath, does God need to rest? We know that God is supreme and almighty. The Bible [Psalm 121: 4] even says that He does not slumber or sleep. We therefore cannot say that God needs to rest! Why did He set up the Sabbath then? A reasonable speculation is that it is set for mankind and the other creatures. The Bible [Heb 4: 9] also says, “There remaineth therefore a rest (Sabbath) to the people of God.(KJV)”  It is obvious that the Sabbath in question is not the present-day Saturday (or Sunday) but the ultimate and eternal promise of rest! No wonder that it says in Judaism that "more than Israel has kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept Israel."..........

Question:

Is resting important to you? Do you have room for the Sabbath in your life?

Howard

中譯