Sunday 30 June 2013

“Look to Jesus” by Charles Spurgeon

“Look to Jesus” by Charles Spurgeon:
“Looking unto Jesus.” –Hebrews 12:2
“It is ever the Holy Spirit’s work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan’s work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ.
He insinuates, ‘Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you have not the joy of His children; you have such a wavering hold of Jesus.’
All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: He tells us that we are nothing, but that ‘Christ is all in all.’
Remember, therefore, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument—it is Christ’s blood and merits.
Therefore, look not so much to thy hand with which thou art grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to thy hope, but to Jesus, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of thy faith.
We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by ‘looking unto Jesus.’
Keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to Him; when thou liest down at night look to Him.
Oh! let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail thee.
‘My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesu’s blood and righteousness:
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesu’s name.’”
–Charles Spurgeon, “June 28 –  Morning” in Morning and Evening (Geanies House, Fearn, Scotland, UK: Christian Focus, 1994),  378.
[HT: Nick Gardner]

Monday 17 June 2013

Char siu pork belly

EAT!

From SBS.

Char siu pork belly: Char siu pork bellyResting time 10 minutes
Marinating time Overnight

Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, sugar, garlic and five-spice powder in a non-reactive bowl. Add pork belly, toss to coat, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to marinate.

Preheat oven to 160°C. Drain pork belly pieces, discarding marinade, and place in a deep roasting pan. Season with salt and drizzle with half the honey. Roast for 40 minutes, then turn pork over, season with salt and drizzle over remaining honey. Roast for a further 40 minutes or until pork is cooked through and is sticky and charred. Remove from oven, loosely cover with foil and set aside for 10 minutes to rest. Cut into thick pieces and serve immediately with steamed gai lan and oyster sauce.


SBS cook’s notes
Oven
temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection),
reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and
cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals
250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly
packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. |
All eggs are 55–60 g, unless specified.


As seen in Feast magazine, Issue 22, pg 49.

Photography by Chris Chen