The HTTP Theory

The HTTP Theory

1) H: Humble, Happy, Helpful

Humble

David praised God “You save the humble, but Your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.” 1 Samuel 22:28. Throughout the whole Old testament, God always favored and helped those who were humble – David, Ruth, Jacob, Abraham, King Josiah and many others. However, He dealt harshly with the proud, people like Pharaoh of Egypt, Esau and King Saul, to name but a few. Some who started off badly like King Manasseh, King Rehoboam and King Nebuchadnezzar also found grace when they humbled themselves before the Lord. Our Lord Jesus said “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart.” Like the Lord Jesus, we as Christians, must learn to be humble and gentle in heart. Phil 2:3-4 says “Do nothing out of selfish ambition and vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourselves. Romans 12:3 says Do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought, but rather in sober judgment, in accordance to the measure of faith given you. So, do not think in your hearts, “I am better than him/her, I am smarter than…, I am more good-looking than.., I am a more holy than.., I am more popular than… Basically, don’t look down on other people, especially those who are less fortunate than us in one way or another. When we pray, whenever we consider God, we must have an attitude of humility and respect towards God, thanking Him for all He has given us, both the good and the bad. In our studies, we should not be proud too, but have an attitude of humility, praying and depending on God’s grace to help us do our best.

Happy

“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine”. Prov 17:22. The best vitamins and nourishment you can take is to be happy, and this does more good to keep you healthy than all the medicine and pills in the world. In every situation in life, no matter how dark or bad it seems, there is always something to be thankful to God for. It is our choice whether we want to look at things from a positive way or a negative way. The Bible tell us “Whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.” Phil 4:8 O dear children, please do not shut your minds and think to yourself “I can’t do this” or “this will never work with me” Everything is possible with God who helps us, and we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Make an effort to be happy and thankful always, pray to God that we will be able to learn to be happy, and thankful in any and every situation. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, living in plenty or in want” Phil 4:12 Even in our studies, do not close your minds and say “this subject is boring” or “I can never do well in this subject” or “I’m no good at studies”. Don’t think like that, focus on the positive, and ask God for strength to do your best and find interest in each and every subject!

Helpful

“Do unto others as you would have others do unto you” Matthew 7:12 Remember the parable of the good Samaritan. When Jesus came, His whole ministry was focused on helping others – healing the sick, casting out demons, curing the blind, bringing the good news.   Likewise, as we follow Him, we must be willing to help others whenever we can. Jesus said to the sheep “When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, when I was thirsty you gave me something to drink, when I was a stranger, you invited me in, when I was without clothes, you gave me something to wear, when I was sick, you took care of me, when I was in prison, you visited me.” Whenever we are kind and helpful to others, it is like we are kind and helpful to the Lord himself. In your studies, do not be kiasu, and try to keep all your information to yourself. Be helpful and willing to teach others, which is the best way you can remember the facts yourself. It is more blessed to give than to receive.

2) Try Your Best

Paul said in Philippians “Forgetting what is behind, and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal that God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:13-14. In life, we must make it our attitude to do our best in every task given to us. Regardless of whether it looks like a waste of time, or we are not appreciated, or we are simply lazy, there is no excuse. With whatever skills and abilities we have, however limited they may be, our call is to do our best with what we have. In the parable of the talents, the servant with 5 talents gained 5 more, the servant with 2 talents gained 2 more. But to the servant with one talent who didn’t do anything with it, the Master called him a “wicked, lazy servant” and threw him out into the darkness. Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. Prov 10:3-5

Doing your best does not mean doing things fast just to get it out of the way, or to drag your feet and do it slowly and reluctantly. Doing your best is giving it your best shot, in terms of speed and quality, according to your ability. In your studies, do not neglect some subjects and only concentrate on your strong ones. Do your best in every subject.

3) Try Again

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we still fail to get the results or appreciation that we want, and it is easy to get discouraged, disappointed and be tempted to give up altogether.

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Cor 4:8-9. In his ministry, the apostle Paul endured great hardships, being beaten, torchered, shipwrecked, chased out by his own people, and backstabbed by his own sheep. But Paul never gave up, and kept pressing on, and focused on the Lord Jesus Christ as his strength to carry on. In the same way, whenever we meet disappointment or failure, let us learn to rely on Jesus to give us strength to rise up again, and try again and again, always giving our best, trusting in His Strength.

4) Pray

This is the most important source of all our strength – Prayer. Our faith, our belief, is based on a relationship with our mighty God in Heaven, His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Wherever we go, wherever we are, we can always pray. God is everywhere, and He always listens.

All of us should know and remember the Lord’s Prayer. This is how the Lord Jesus teaches us to pray, and the Lord’s prayer shows us every important area of our relationship with Him. As we pray each line, we should meditate

Our Father who art in Heaven – He is our perfect heavenly Father, He loves us, and His throne is in Heaven where we will be one day.

Hallowed be thy name – Our relationship must be based first of all on respecting God, and praising Him.

Thy Kingdom come Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven – We must then, examine our lives to see if we are walking holy lives according to God’s will, and bring our hearts to Him, that we may be changed to live according to His will.

Give us this day our daily bread – We thank God for everything we have, the food we eat, the clothes we have, all comforts in life, we attribute thanks to our Heavenly Father, and depend on Him to supply our daily need.

And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us – We consciously search our hearts with the power of the Holy Spirit and ask forgiveness for the sins God shows us, and ask for His help to change. We also make great effort to forgive all those who have hurt or offended us, knowing that God will not forgive us unless we forgive others.

Lead us not into temptation – We ask for God’s grace to lead us away from the many temptations of the world, acknowledging our weak, human flesh, and entrusting God to guide us to righteousness.

But deliver us from evil – We trust God for all protection in our lives. He is our great Protector, our Shield and our Rock.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever Amen. Once again, as we close, we submit our will to God again, and praise Him as the almighty Power forever and ever.

We are also called to pray in the Spirit with all kinds of prayers and requests Eph 6:18. Always feel free to talk to God, to praise Him for His creation, to thank Him for being in our lives and blessing us, and to depend on Him for our needs. Any challenge or task we face, we bring to Him, asking for help, and we also pray for others, according to God’s will not only to look to our own interests but also the interests of others.

Be humble, be happy, be helpful. Try your best, try again. Pray, pray, pray. This is the key to the blessed life. May God bless you all. Love, Jason.