Jesus and Zacchaeus Luke 19:1-10 --- Acceptance brings Change

When we see some bad behavior, we usually do not think that the person can change without some punishment.  Punishments can enforce external obedience but not internal change in attitude. Only love can do that as in the story below.

 

Lessons:

1. Our actions can change God's original plan like Zacchaeus on Jesus.
2. Love and acceptance change behavior. Punishment alone may enforce external obedience but not cause inner desire changes. Discipline with love when needed - Prodigal Son --- let the consequences be the teacher.
3. People may make nasty remarks about your love extended to others who they think are deserving of love. e.g. Zacchaeus, the tax collectors. Don't let them stop you from doing what is right.
4. There will be signs of change when one is truly repentant.
5. Want to change others? Then it starts with you. Change your attitudes and actions towards them. Extend love, kindness, gentleness etc.
6. When people meet Jesus, they change. When people meet us, will there be any change for good?
7. God sees us, no matter how hidden we feel.
8. Salvation is available to all.
9. Summary: love, acceptance, and genuine change lead to a better life, both for ourselves and those around us.

Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar Luke 18:35-43 --- Get What You Need

Opportunity is only available to those who are prepared and watching for it. What are the desires of your heart? Who has the answer that you need? Do you seek after Him? Are you sensitive to His words? Have you been persistent in your pursuit? Our blind man in the story got what he needed because he followed the steps we described earlier.  Be watchful and be ready to act. Be persistent.

Lessons:

1. be watchful of the things happening around you. Be ready to catch the opportunity that comes.
2. be not discouraged by others. Be focused and persistent in achieving your goal.
3. Be clear and specific in what you want.
4. faith-based action brings the result
5. Give thanks to God for His answer.

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time Luke 18:31-34 --- Fallen on Deaf Ears

When our mind is made up, no matter what the facts say otherwise, we will not believe. This was what happened to Jesus' disciples. They could not believe Jesus was going to suffer and die. They of course will not ever believe in Jesus' resurrection. It would take a great shock to enable them to see reality.

So, please have an open mind so that we can learn, face reality and make wise decisions.

Lessons

1. Do not have a fixed mindset and cannot see the facts and learn from the facts.
2. Develop a growth mindset with open-mindedness to objectively see the facts, understand the meaning and implications, and make the right decisions and actions.
3. Jesus, objectively and quotes prophecies to explain to them what would be happening to him so that when that happened, they would be prepared and calm.
4. Jesus told them that he would be handed to the Romans, shamed, flogged, and killed, but would arise on the third day. These are clear statements but the disciples could not believe and ignore them.
5. By remaining open-minded and seeking truth from various sources, including scripture, we can make better decisions and avoid clinging to misconceptions.
6. Commitment and determination: Jesus emphasizes the need to persevere and not give up on our faith journey.
7. Belief in God's power: It teaches us to trust in God's ability to fulfill His promises.
8. Surrender and obedience: We are reminded to surrender our will to God and follow His guidance.

The Rich Ruler Luke 18:18-27 ---- Wealth vs Eternal Life

Our ongoing struggle in life revolves around greed. We crave the finest things yet hesitate to part with what is merely good. We acknowledge that the eternal holds the ultimate goodness, but it lies in the distant future. Meanwhile, we are deeply entrenched in the familiarity and pleasure of our current good life and wealth. How then do we muster the courage to exchange the known goodness of the present for the potential greatness of the future? This transition is achieved through deliberate reflection and the cultivation of faith.

Consider the affluent young ruler who, despite basking in power and wealth, senses a void within. He recognizes that life should encompass more than present indulgences and seeks to prepare for eternity. Yet, he grapples with the fear of relinquishing his present control for an uncertain future should he choose to follow Jesus.

In facing such a dilemma, what course of action would you choose?

Lessons:

1. Know the most important question in life --- Is there life after death? Where do I go after life?
2. God is the one who knows the answer. God is incarnated as Jesus Christ.
3. Point people to Jesus who knows the answer.
4. We tend to be concerned with eternal behavior rather than a true inward attitude.
5. We must place God above wealth. ie. to use wealth to serve God. Leave all to follow God.
6. As we trust God and leave, God will repay us back in this life, many times more, and eternal life. This is how we should live this life.
7. The story challenges us to examine our priorities and consider what truly matters in light of eternity.

Let the Children Come Luke 18:15-17 --- Kingdom of God Welcomes Child-likeness

 Let us never outgrow our child-likeness. The energy and the interest to explore and learn whatever with humility and open-mindedness. The ability to ask and to trust. Such are the requirements to receive the kingdom of God.

Lessons:

• Humility:
  • Children are naturally humble, free from the pride and self-reliance that can hinder adults from accepting God's grace.
• Trust:
  • Children often have a simple and trusting faith. Jesus highlights the importance of this kind of trusting belief in God.
• Openness:
  • Children are open to new things and experiences. Entering the kingdom might require letting go of preconceived notions and embracing God's will.
• Dependence:
  • Children rely on their parents for provision and care. This can be seen as a call to depend on God completely.
• Value of Children:
  • Jesus elevates the status of children, implying that they are not to be dismissed or overlooked but rather valued and esteemed.
• Inclusivity
  • Children welcome others even from other ages and races

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector Luke 18:9-14 --- The Hypocrite & Repentant Tax Collector

The biggest problem with Confucianism is the value called "礼"， which translates to etiquette, propriety, ritual, good manners, and social order. Love is an inner attitude that cannot be easily seen. So they come out with a set of rules for proper behavior to show the inner attitude of love and respect. However, outward behavior can be performed without the inner attitude, resulting in hypocrisy. While it is good to practice 礼， it could be easily used to mislead people as this proud Pharisee shows. 

Lessons:

• Be not self-righteous and proud and look down on others. Must give others respect.
• Be not a hypocrite to self-justify and look down on others.
• If commit any sin, please repent and ask God for forgiveness and make any restitution when directed by the Holy Spirit
• Be not self-condemning when Christ has forgiven us.

The Parable of the Persistent Widow Luke 18:1-8 --- Pray and not lose heart; Do you have faith to stick it out?

 Persistence brings results. Even the evil judge was moved; how much more will your loving God answer your prayer. Keep the faith alive until He comes again.

Lessons：

• Be persistent and you will get what you want.
• God will answer prayer of justice and other needs speedily
  • Sometimes God's answer is "no": While persistence is important, it's also important to accept that sometimes things don't go according to plan. Faith can also involve trusting God's wisdom even when the answer isn't what you hoped for.
• As evil grows in the world, we need to persist in our faith even more.
  • Focus on good along with evil: The world isn't all bad. There's still a lot of good in the world, and focusing on that can strengthen your faith as well.

The Coming of the Kingdoms Luke 17:20-37 --- The Comings - 1st & 2nd

Before COVID-19, everyone was still living life as usual. No one expected a locked down. Many were caught not prepared for the lockdown. Christ's 2nd coming will be a much much bigger and glorious event. But, are we prepared for it? We are given much time to consider His offering of salvation and grace for His first coming. But it would be no time to think or do. His coming will be sudden glorious and impactful.  While there is still time now, let's reflect on our lives and decide. There will be no time to do that at His 2nd coming. Choose wisely now.

Lessons:

• There are two coming of His kingdoms
• The first is the inner transformation of men.
• The 2nd is the judgments of men and the establishment of His kingdom on earth.
• For the 2nd coming, there will be many imposters. Don't follow them.
• His first coming is the route to the cross of suffering.
• His 2nd coming will be glorious from the sky and clearly seen by all
• His 2nd coming will catch common people unexpectedly. We, who are in the known, should be ready for His return anytime.
• When he comes, whether 1st or 2nd, we are to quickly and decidedly run to Him. Don't doubt and don't delay. Act immediately and don't turn back.
• It is a choice to make. Unfortunately, not all choose rightly, and about half will be taken away to hell - where the vultures gather.
• You are to decide now for Jesus and don't miss His coming again. While preparing for the future, some interpretations emphasize the importance of living a Christ-centered life in the present.

 

Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers Luke 17:11-17 --- Faith and Gratitude

Our faith must be on the right and truthful thing. Our faith then must be followed up by action for us to receive the promise. Once we get it, be grateful to give thanks and share with others.

 

Lessons

• Follow Jesus' Command and get healed
  • Faith is believe with corresponding action
• Healing is for all types of people. The only condition is faith and action.
• The less we expect the more we are appreciative and grateful.
• Gratefulness brings assurance and commendation
  • He has spiritual healing whereas the other 9 only received physical healing.

Living as a Disciple Luke 17:1-10 ---- Be the Shining Light

A better way to share the gospel is by our behavior.  How we serve in our jobs and how we treat others speak louder than our speech. Our attitudes shown in our behavior have greater influence than our speech alone. Let our actions be the light that shines. Here are some key points where our light can shine brightly:

Lessons:

• Do Not Lead others astray: 
  • be mindful of the influence we have on others and avoid setting bad examples.
• Practice forgiveness but trust not
  • Forgiveness is for your own emotional and mental well-being, while trust is for the health of the relationship.
  • You can forgive someone without trusting them again, especially if the transgression is severe.
  • Open communication is important. Let the person know you've forgiven them, but also express the need to rebuild trust.
• Faith is believing rightly and not the amount:
  • The focus isn't on the quantity of faith, but on its quality – is it genuine and directed towards God?
• Faith is about obedience:
  • True faith translates into action. Having faith allows us to forgive, serve, and avoid leading others astray.
• Serving Rightly is:
  • be sensitive and obedient to God's will.
  • knowing our position and standing and relationship with God - from servant to master; sons and Father.
  • serving with our best effort and doing the right thing at the right time.
  • not serving to gain extra rewards but rather out of gladness and appreciation as sons to Father.
  • Being sensitive to opportunities to serve and acting on them with dedication.

The Rich Man and Lazarus Luke 16:19-31---- How you can be sure where you go after this life?

The key questions in life are:

1. Where did I come from? Why am I born? What's my purpose in life?
2. How should I live this life?
3. Where will I be going after this life?

In this parable we learn it does not matter where you start, the important ones are how you live with what you have, and it will determine where you go after this life.

Lessons:

• #1 Be generous and charitable in this life.
• #2 There is heaven and hell after physical death.
  • Do you know where you go after death?
• #3 Believe in the message of the Resurrected Christ
  • Accept Jesus as Lord & Savior and sealed you eternal destination in heaven with Him.
• #4 Why are you waiting?

The Law and the Kingdom of God Luke 16:14-18 ---- God's Values over Men's

Make sure we follow God's values rather than Men's. God's values are eternal whereas Men's values are temporary and self-glorification. What we value is reflected in how we spend our time and resources and the things we pursue. We need to reflect on that --- Is God our priority? The Good News is God has initiated His plan for us and transformed us by His grace because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for us. Do we eagerly and forcefully receive this grace?

Lessons:

• #1 Outward adherence to the Laws without corresponding inward intention is rejected by God.
  • True faith requires aligning both our actions and hearts with God's will.
• #2 God's values are different from man's values. God should be first before self-interests, God over money, eternal over present, etc.
  • Material wealth and worldly success pale in comparison to spiritual treasures and living according to God's plan.
• #3 Now is the period of the Gospel of Grace. It is God's gift of salvation and not men's effort of self-justification.
  • It is God's initiative in salvation rather than solely human effort.
• #4 Have faith. God's character and Law never change and outlive the present universe.
  • We should value the unchanging values and principles more.
• #5 Marriage is for life and not based on man's ever-changing feelings and will.

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager Luke 16:1-13 --- The Principle of Life

This is an interesting parable. It is not about dishonesty but about knowing how to prioritize things and arrange our lives accordingly.  It is about God first, relationship 2nd, and money last. It starts with using the little money we have now and serving people and God with the little. By being faithful in the little and gaining trust from others, we will grow richer. Even as we get richer, we will not depart from such a key principle. The only difference is that we now have more money to serve others. This is in fact the principle of life.

Lessons:

• #1 Know which is more important in Life: relationship is more valuable than money. God is most important.
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• #2 Faithfulness is seen in the little. Faithful in little will be faithful in much.
  • 不以善小而不为；不以恶小而为之。

     "Do not refrain from doing good because it seems insignificant; do not engage in evil because it appears trivial."

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• #3 Serve God with money and not use God to make money
  • being strategic and intentional in using our resources to further God's kingdom and help others.
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• #4 Gain trust. Trust is built and seen in how you treat the little things.
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• #5 Fix the little defects: Scaling up, and growing big, only reveals the defects and weaknesses that are already there. It is not the size that causes the problem. Size just reveals what is not seen when small.
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• #6 Stewardship and Responsibility:
  • be faithful and responsible stewards of the resources and opportunities that we have been given by God.
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• #7 Know our standing and inheritances from God and use them wisely to serve God.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son Luke 15:11-32 Lost & Found#3 Love is Unconditional & Righteous

The key message in this parable is love. Love is unconditional and also righteousness. The prodigal son abused unconditional love as a license to sin. The elder had the concept of performance-based love --- perform to gain love. Both are wrong. Grace is given not just to forgive us but also to empower us to be righteous and good. We are saved for good work (Eph 2:8-10). 

Lessons:

• #1 For Parent:
  • Whenever possible (no big harmful risks) let consequences be the teacher rather than just nagging and threatening.
  • Love should be unconditional and non-performance base
  • Love should have forgiveness & restoration.
  • Love is prodigal - extremely generous - wait, watchful, restoration, celebration.
  • Love is an assurance of the repentant son by the installation of sonship and letting people know, showing full acceptance.
• #2 Prodigal Son:
  • Ask: Know your rights and dare to ask.
  • Receive & Spend freely. But be wise in the way you spend your resources. The prodigal son spent on himself. He could have built a big influence with the resources he has.
  • Consequences: Face the facts rather than tried to deny the facts.
  • Awaken: Learn from the mistakes and make changes.
  • Scheming: Learn how to reason well and make the right plan.
  • Action: Take action to execute the plan.
• #3 Elder Son:
  • Know your parent unconditional love. Live in security and joy and not in fear of parents' rejection.
  • not be self-righteous - following the rules in outward appearance but inward willingness and commitment gives mediocre output.
  • Be secure and more generous towards others.
  • Be like the father, rejoice in "his is lost and is found"
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• The Balanced View of Righteousness and Love

The Elder Brother Syndrome:

Lost & Found Parables of Sheep & Coin Luke 15:1-10 --- Found Brings Joy Because of Love

Because of love, we feel the pain when we lose our beloved things or people, and we rejoice greatly when we find them. Without love, who cares what we lose; just replace them with new ones. If we feel the pain for lost things, how much more of people. Jesus first talked about lost sheep and lost coin, but the climax is in the next parable of the prodigal son. We look at the first two parables here:

Lessons:

• #1 The loss is only a little of the whole, 1 out of 100 sheep, 1 out of 10 coins, but the whole suffers. It is no longer complete
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• #2 When the loss is found, the whole is complete again, and there is great joy. It is restoration.
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• #3 Responsibility to seek the lost: Spend all efforts to find the lost one. It is the heart of God and should also be ours.
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• #4 The joy of being found should encourage us not to give up until it is found.
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• #5. God's pursuit of the lost
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• #6 Value of each individual
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• Overall, the parables of the lost sheep and lost coin convey God's boundless love, the value He places on each individual, and the joy that comes when the lost are found and restored to Him. They also encourage believers to actively participate in God's mission to seek and save the lost.

Salt Without Taste Is Worthless Luke 14:34-35 ---- Be Your Unique Self & Serve well

Be your unique self and do not try to become what you are not. Develop and serve from your God-given talents. 

Lessons:

• #1 We are created like salt with a special ability to influence others for good.
• #2 Hence, develop our given talents and not try to become like others.
• #3 Even for our weaknesses, we can outsource them, find opportunities where our weaknesses can become strengths, and partner with others to work together as a winning team.
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• From Claude.AI
  • Be salty/Have influence (vs. 34) - Followers of Christ should positively impact the world.
  • Preserve spiritual qualities (vs. 34) - Maintain Christ-like character and distinctiveness.
  • Light and moral witness (vs. 35) - Let your life point others to Christ.
  • Be Watchful & Intentional
  • Do Not Compromise Values
  • Maintain Distinctiveness

The Cost of Discipleship Luke 14:25-33 --- Prioritize Your Life & Choose Jesus

Jesus teaches us about decision-making - prioritize the important things in life and take action only if you can complete it and win. In terms of priority, Jesus is our Lord and Savior. We follow His lead. He mentioned before, there is no use in gaining the whole world and losing our eternal life.  Whenever there is a conflict between the demands of the world (including ourselves) and of Jesus, choose to follow Jesus.

Lessons：

• #1 Jesus is more important than our families and even our own desires.
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• #2 Count the Costs first before taking action
  • Sun Zi Art of War: Winners calculate first and only choose to fight the wars they can win; losers fight first and then try to win.
• #3 Jesus is more valuable than our possessions and family.
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• #4 Our decision making should consider:
  • what is God's will for us?
  • what are God's standards of right and wrong? Follow His standards.
  • Foundation of God's values and add wisdom, consider the timing, long-term impact, the scope, positioning, routes, and the impact on people.

The Parable of the Great Banquet Luk 14:12-24 --- God is inviting everyone including You.

When we have a big party, we usually invite friends who we know well first.  We seldom organize a party for strangers except maybe during festive seasons like New Year and Christmas for people in hospitals, nursing homes, and orphanages. God wants us to show hospitality to the neglected.

Lessons:

• #1 Be Charitable & Generous
  • Do good to those who cannot repay you. 
• #2 Know the Real Priority of Life
  • Present vs Eternal Life. Don't just live for the present.
  • Put God first in your life now.
• #3 Be more Effective in sharing the Gospel
  • God's salvation is opened to all. It is not by our effort to gain eternal life but by the free gift offered by Jesus. How can we tell the gospel more attractively?
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• I think the initial guest referred to the Jews and the others as Gentiles; salvation was offered to the Jews first and it was rejected that Paul went to preach to the Gentiles.
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• I think further than the original intention was to invite all people since the capacity was very large, a lot more than the original guest list.

The Parable of the Wedding Feast luke 14:7-11 --- Humility brings Exaltation

Many principles of life are opposite to common sense. Such as, giving to receive, and changing others begins with changing our attitudes and behavior toward them, etc. If we want to be exalted, we begin with humility first, giving respect and honor to others, serving others, and learning from others.

Lessons:

• It is better for others to praise you than you to praise yourself.
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• Humility brings exaltation - with humility, we give respect and honor to others and we are open-minded to learn. Others will be willing to help and teach us.
  • Proverbs 11:2: "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom."
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• true honor comes from humility and serving others, not seeking self-importance.
  • Proverbs 22:4 says: "Humility and fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life."
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  • Philippians 2:3-4: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but to the interests of others."

Healing of a Man on the Sabbath Luk 14:1-6 --- Compassion over Legalism

At times, it is so much easier to follow the rules rather than extend a helping hand, especially in today's world of scams, hacks, and deceptions to cheat. People's hearts will grow cold because of all the cheating. Nevertheless, may God give us the wisdom to detect and the strength and boldness to do the right and good thing despite the pressures.

Lessons:

• Sabbath is for the benefits of man.
  • Mark 2: 27 Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.
• Compassion over Legalism:
  • It ok to heal and help on Sabbaths.
• Challenging Religious Hypocrisy:
  • Go by the truth and not by our prejudices or wrong beliefs. Be open-minded.
• Importance of action:
  • Jesus doesn't just discuss the lawfulness of healing on the Sabbath, he takes action and heals the man.

Lament over Jerusalem Luke 13:31-35 --- Receive God's Love

Rejection of God's grace will bring forth punishments and suffering. The suffering is meant to call us to repentance and be saved.  Receive God's love now and be spared.

Lessons:

• Follow God's plan despite the persecution. Be not afraid
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• Know the future of Israel - suffering till they acknowledge Jesus.
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• God's Deep Love: God's desire is to save us and to enable us to have a good life.
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• Will you believe in Jesus because of the things he said and done? His power through casting demons, healing, death and resurrection, the accuracy of His prediction, etc.

The Narrow Door Luke 13:24-30 --- Accept Jesus Now

The answer we are seeking is usually not that obvious and easy, otherwise, we would have known it. It takes an open mind and diligence to find it. Letting go of our pre-perceived opinions and pride is a good starting point. Many are trying to find the meaning and purpose of life, but there is a narrow door to salvation and meaning. Will you consider Jesus' offer?

Lessons:

• 1 Exclusivity of Salvation:
  • There is only one way whereby man can be saved - the narrow door.
  • Acts 4:12 NIV Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
• 2 Urgency of Salvation
  • The door will be shut when the Master arise --- when Christ come again.
• 3 Humility Needed for Salvation
  • Men want to be saved on his terms but there is only one way of humility, repentance, and acceptance of only God can save us.
• 4 The Reality of Judgment:
  • There are Heaven and Hell where men will be judged and sent to. We need to decide wisely and while there is time now.
• 5 Salvation is for All men
  • Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek"
• 6 Salvation is Relationship to Jesus
  • It not head knowledge but heart of believe and acceptance of Jesus' offer. Salvation is not merely intellectual assent but a personal relationship with Jesus.
• 7 Reversal of expectations:
  • "Last who will be first" is a recurring message in the Gospels. This verse highlights that God's judgment may not align with human expectations. You could explore themes of humility and trusting in God's ultimate fairness.

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven Luk 13:18-21 --- Grow Incrementally to Benefit Others

All great thing begins with a small start, followed by continued accumulation of little steps forward, until it has been completed. This is the Kingdom Principle - start, continue, and complete. 

This is God's promise:

 “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” is Philippians 1:6

It is we who will need to obey and follow Him step by step all the way. 

Lessons:

• #1 Start with the right kind of seed. It does not need to be big, but the right kind of seed, to grow up to be useful.
• #2 Do not despise the small start, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step - Lao Zi.
• #3 The power of accumulation of little. Don't stop. Continue the small steps forward.
• #4 Stop only when the mission has been completed.
• #5 Make it a better world.
• See Seven-easy-steps-to-Great-Success DaoDeJing 64 
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• “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” is Philippians 1:6