I think one thing is true, that when we go through life we learn more about how to treasure the simpler things, to find joy in them. The very reason that it is usually the simpler things that truly is essential and necessary - like water!
Yeah how have you been in your life lately? May God continue to bless your week ahead, as you live life encouraging another and being encouraged as well by a fellow brother or sister in Christ.
I just want to thank those who have know me personally and have prayed for me over the past few weeks. It has been a real trying time for me, although things have not improved much, I am clearer about certain things even as i continue to seek God in this journey of my life. As much as "love" has been a lesson for the previous 6 years of my life, and something I'm still continuing to learn, it seems as though "faith", "trust" and "prayer" is what's in season for me in this period.
Thanks for those who have done the "simplest of acts" in my life the past few weeks, that of an sms, that of an email, that of a phone call, that of a pat on the back, that of a smile. Thanks. =) It's amazing how its God works through the most simplest of acts in our life, that it can really be something that helps so much in another person's life.
Something I learnt as I seeked God yesterday, that it is difficult to let go of certain hurts and disappointments, but until you truly learn to do so and surrender them to God, your hands will always be occupied, and your heart and mind will always be somewhere else - meaning you will live in your past, that of memories of failures, even though your life consists of far more than that. At least that rings true in my life, so true to the point that a statement came to my mind that I found difficult to mutter. That of "I choose to forgive myself."
So yeah in my life I've begun to learn to let go, to realise that truly there are many things in life I do not understand, and circumstances that strike that I have totally no control over. I will not live in blaming myself, or setting myself down for those moments of folly as in the past, but will pick up lessons from those experiences, learn to work within my current limitations, and be faithful to God my LORD, King and Heavenly Father.
So let me go about this in my life once again, "Try and try again.", and "Live life in encouragement and building another person up to truly knowing himself or herself, through a better understanding of who God is.". May the LORD continue to bless and keep each one of you ever in His presence, where you will find peace, hope and joy, Amen.
In His love,
Jon
Scriptural references:
"12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
15All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16Only let us live up to what we have already attained."
-Philippians 3:12-16
"18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
21Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us."
- 1 John 3:18-24
Sunday, 30 September 2007
Tuesday, 4 September 2007
Reflections, Day 20.
Reflections, Day 20.
Psalm 31
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Free me from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
I trust in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not handed me over to the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.
9 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and my body with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
and my bones grow weak.
11 Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors;
I am a dread to my friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten by them as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear the slander of many;
there is terror on every side;
they conspire against me
and plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from my enemies
and from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and lie silent in the grave.
18 Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly against the righteous.
19 How great is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you,
which you bestow in the sight of men
on those who take refuge in you.
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from the intrigues of men;
in your dwelling you keep them safe
from accusing tongues.
21 Praise be to the LORD,
for he showed his wonderful love to me
when I was in a besieged city.
22 In my alarm I said,
"I am cut off from your sight!"
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.
23 Love the LORD, all his saints!
The LORD preserves the faithful,
but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD.
Why does a man remain silent? Or why become increasingly so? It's possible to see that he realises his speech means for nothing, which means either he knows that those who are there are not listening, else it means the words of his tongue have become far too weak to represent the realities of his life. Do you really understand people of whom you have been spending time with? Try listening a little harder. If you are a Christian, ask the LORD to guide you each time you do, and perhaps you'll realise that it is true, each man is uniquely different, and until you do, you cannot love each man as the LORD desires you to.
And yet if you are in a period of you life of that of difficulties, I pray that this psalm will be one of which you will read and ask the LORD to allow the cries of your heart to be represented through it. May we by the grace of God learn that earnest cry of which our Lord Jesus had on the day of his cruxifiction, the day he took upon the sin of the word, the day he redeemed us, the day he by the strength of whom he possessed as God-in-man, choose a path of weakness to provide for our salvation, a path that shames the ways of this world, shames what we esteem as wise, shames what we esteem as strong, shames what we esteem as beautiful.
May we cry out if we ever are in our brokenness, through the overflow of our sorrow, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the same cry that identifies us as God's children. "Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth." And may this cry truly be that which allows we to learn to trust in the LORD our God increasingly, in our lives.
In His love,
Jon
Psalm 31
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Free me from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
I trust in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not handed me over to the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.
9 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and my body with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
and my bones grow weak.
11 Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors;
I am a dread to my friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten by them as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear the slander of many;
there is terror on every side;
they conspire against me
and plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from my enemies
and from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and lie silent in the grave.
18 Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly against the righteous.
19 How great is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you,
which you bestow in the sight of men
on those who take refuge in you.
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from the intrigues of men;
in your dwelling you keep them safe
from accusing tongues.
21 Praise be to the LORD,
for he showed his wonderful love to me
when I was in a besieged city.
22 In my alarm I said,
"I am cut off from your sight!"
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.
23 Love the LORD, all his saints!
The LORD preserves the faithful,
but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD.
Why does a man remain silent? Or why become increasingly so? It's possible to see that he realises his speech means for nothing, which means either he knows that those who are there are not listening, else it means the words of his tongue have become far too weak to represent the realities of his life. Do you really understand people of whom you have been spending time with? Try listening a little harder. If you are a Christian, ask the LORD to guide you each time you do, and perhaps you'll realise that it is true, each man is uniquely different, and until you do, you cannot love each man as the LORD desires you to.
And yet if you are in a period of you life of that of difficulties, I pray that this psalm will be one of which you will read and ask the LORD to allow the cries of your heart to be represented through it. May we by the grace of God learn that earnest cry of which our Lord Jesus had on the day of his cruxifiction, the day he took upon the sin of the word, the day he redeemed us, the day he by the strength of whom he possessed as God-in-man, choose a path of weakness to provide for our salvation, a path that shames the ways of this world, shames what we esteem as wise, shames what we esteem as strong, shames what we esteem as beautiful.
May we cry out if we ever are in our brokenness, through the overflow of our sorrow, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the same cry that identifies us as God's children. "Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth." And may this cry truly be that which allows we to learn to trust in the LORD our God increasingly, in our lives.
In His love,
Jon
Thursday, 26 July 2007
My Testimony For Crusade FOC Camp...
Hi guys,
Just posting up this little article that was dued to be shared last night during a Freshman Orientation Camp with NTU Campus Crusade(NTU CCC). It's just basically a small portion of my life, and showing you a little bit on what God has led me to see throughout the past few years of my life. Hope you guys will be encouraged by it. The main point for it is this: learn to love, learn to love self-sacrificially, beyond that point of convenience to that of a genuine desire to build the other person up in his life, as God directs you to. So yeah that for me is the greatest and most important thing thus far, and yeah so I leave everyone with this verse before you start reading this sharing. Think about these things as you read, "tongues of men and of angels", "gift of prophecy", "fathom all mysteries and all knowledge", "give all I possess to the poor", and "surrender my body to the flames". Realise this, that these things are by no means small things, and they are good things as well, however the Apostle Paul mentioned that if the attitude or motivation of the heart does not come from that of sincerity and genuinity in love as guided and taught by God - EVERYTHING, all these things counts for nothing.
"1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."
- 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
My Testimony For Crusade FOC Camp...
Starting Prayer:
O LORD, I thank you for this opportunity to be able to share some parts of my life testimony with these brothers and sisters here. Oh LORD I pray and ask that You will continue to guide and guard the hearts of each one of these brothers and sisters, that they may grow in Godly wisdom as they listen to the words which you place in my mouth. Guide our hearts today O LORD by the counsel of Your Holy Spirit, and may be ever be obedient to that which we hear and understand from You. In Jesus name i pray, Amen.
*Who am I?
I'm Jonathan Siew, or Jon Siew in short. I'm a EEE year 2 student. I joined Campus Crusade for Christ(CCC) in year 1. I came from a Christian family, and am a 2nd generation Christian. However, I made my personal decision to follow after Christ, and live a life for the glory and honor of God, at the age of 14, when I first cried out to Him during a time of much emotional torment. Back then the prayer went somewhat like this, "LORD help me, help me to cope with all these difficulties. I choose to follow You and to learn to trust in You." What did this prayer really meant I barely knew then, but now 8 years from that day I know and understand better.
*My journey thus far?
-Experienced much uncertainties in life
-Experienced what it means to be a failure in the eyes of the world and fellow man, but yet to be treasured as a precious child in the eyes of God.
-Experienced what it means to suffer and to be viewed as weak in the eyes of the world, yet given the strength during those times to perservere, by the grace of God.
As i do not have much time in this sharing, I will only cover 2 main point of change in my life, and some of its implications. From there I will give you perhaps some advice and reminders of living a life of love - that love which is given to us by God.
I have a condition known as Degenerative Disc Disease(DDD). It is a condition resulting from an impact injury, that caused my lowest spinal disc to rupture.When this happens, the cushioning for the spine is damaged and the nerves affected. This causes pain, weakness and instability in my movements. It has been with me for the past 6 years, been worsening, and is still with me at present. It has been much of a torment in my life, and a difficulty that I had to struggle with all this time. I will give an example of how it is a difficulty.
Quite recently in my army days, 2 to 3 years ago, I had did my best in training days and was awarded this award for excellence. So from the BMT to went to OCS on a high grading, desiring to continue to try my best, and continue to learn of what leadership the army had to teach, and just enjoy the whole experience. But the injury just worsened and I was forced to pull out. Despite trying hard and diligently going for treatments like physiotherapy and checkups, in hope for an improvement so that i could attend a "recourse", it never came. So I was rather disappointed in how things went, and discouraged in the whole process, along with the other factors surrounding me which did not help to ease the burdens.
The other thing is the very simple fact that I am quite a natural athlete, and I did very well in sports in my younger days, commiting much of my time and efforts into honing this talent and skill given to me, in a hope for for hitting new milestones and targets. So you could perhaps imagine how I felt when previously being quick on my feet, and strong in my limbs as a sportman, then being reduced to a state that I could not get out of bed, and when I finally did, I could barely lift up my legs, and had to walk with a limp(due to the pain) for several years. And at present 6 years from that day I still suffer increasingly from the pain, that has not ceased since that day of its beginning.
So you may ask me, was it difficult? I would reply yes it was, and it was really difficult indeed, especially at that point in time. This is because when the pain escalates, my mind is pretty much wiped clean of its thoughts, and I find that i have to focus so hard to get sometimes the simplest of things done, or just to come up with sensible sentences.
And you may ask me, was that journey lonely, and again I would reply yes it was. This for the very fact that there were almost none to guide me during those times despite my constant search for someone with Godly wisdom and is willing to be as a guiding light. This despite my hope for someone to remind me of the love of God and that comfort and strength that I can find in Him. So yes definitely it was very difficult, but was still cope-able beacuse of the love and grace of God as He comforted me through His word and by His Holy Spirit. And also very importantly my family who gave me the occasional word of encouragement.
*The lessons that I have learnt...
-and these I learnt by viewing my life through the eyes of scripture, as God gave me understanding and wisdom in the reading and living out of His word of truth.
So as I have told some friends who asked me before, how during those junctures of my life amidst almost each uncertainty I had seen 2 distinct paths. One of rejecting whatever I have heard from the days of my youth(those of the promises of God). The second being that of asking God to lead me, choosing to trust and depend on Him during those uncertain times. And so in most of them I chose to trust in God and to learn from Him as He taught me through His word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And so as those uncertainties rose in magnitude, so my hope and trust in God had to rise as well, as I daily renewed my strength in Him. And hence I am still here to share with you today.
-->Lesson 1: I learnt to trust and depend on God more and more with each new day.
" My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever."
- Psalms 73:26
And I am also reminded through my own pain, the pain and suffering of the needy and the poor in society, some of whom are within my sphere of influence. I am reminded of how during my most needy times there was almost none there to stand by me to encourage me, to love me, to remind me of the love of God. But thanks be to God that my family did that on some occasions. So I made a choice on my part, that with whatever limited capacity I have, I would spend it to love the people God has placed in my life, to strengthen and build up each one of them up, to as much as God wills. I desire to give others that glimpse of the love and hope of God that people in need hunger so much for.(That hunger which was never really met in my own life.)
-->Lesson 2: God has taught me through this and various other experiences to treasure the people and the relationships He has placed in my life, to learn to love each and everyone of them as He directs.
" This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
- 1 John 3:16-18
"No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."
- 1 John 4:12
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
- James 1:27
*Take away points(for you guys)...
1) The importance to ask God for the teachability of heart(humility), from which He may instruct you most effectively. And from where you may be able to hear and understand clearly, hence able to obey.
--> The Parable of the sower(Matt 13:1-23), the heart being the good soil, and the word of God being the seed. The seed which can take a good position for growth should the soil be prepared for it.
2) May we learn to love others in a manner that we die to our selfish desires, and learn to meet the needs of others above that of ours. This is only possible as we learn to be led by the Spirit in His strength, anda s we are renewed in our minds by the truth in God's word.
Summing up:
Te: -achability of heart
L: -earning to be led by the Spirit
L: -earning to love others as God desires us to
*Closing Prayer:
"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk though the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."
- Psalms 23
-LORD, may we learn to acknowledge You as the one who directs our paths, and may we ever be obedient to You as You show us the manner of which we should live, that manner which is in Your love.
LORD I pray that we will truly learn to find rest in You, as we learn to trust in You and place our hopes and confidence in You in all of our lives.
LORD God I pray that as the Holy Spirit continues to work in each of our lives through the teachability of our hearts, the fruits of the Spirit will grow in increasing measures, that our lives may be as a holy and pleasing sacrifice unto thy name. And that through righteous lives we may be able to remind others of the goodness and love of our Almighty God. The fruits of the Spirit being that of: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.(Gal 5:22-23)
Heavenly Father, I commit each and every one of these Your precious children into your hands. In Jesus' precious name I pray, Amen.
In His love,
Jon
Just posting up this little article that was dued to be shared last night during a Freshman Orientation Camp with NTU Campus Crusade(NTU CCC). It's just basically a small portion of my life, and showing you a little bit on what God has led me to see throughout the past few years of my life. Hope you guys will be encouraged by it. The main point for it is this: learn to love, learn to love self-sacrificially, beyond that point of convenience to that of a genuine desire to build the other person up in his life, as God directs you to. So yeah that for me is the greatest and most important thing thus far, and yeah so I leave everyone with this verse before you start reading this sharing. Think about these things as you read, "tongues of men and of angels", "gift of prophecy", "fathom all mysteries and all knowledge", "give all I possess to the poor", and "surrender my body to the flames". Realise this, that these things are by no means small things, and they are good things as well, however the Apostle Paul mentioned that if the attitude or motivation of the heart does not come from that of sincerity and genuinity in love as guided and taught by God - EVERYTHING, all these things counts for nothing.
"1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."
- 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
My Testimony For Crusade FOC Camp...
Starting Prayer:
O LORD, I thank you for this opportunity to be able to share some parts of my life testimony with these brothers and sisters here. Oh LORD I pray and ask that You will continue to guide and guard the hearts of each one of these brothers and sisters, that they may grow in Godly wisdom as they listen to the words which you place in my mouth. Guide our hearts today O LORD by the counsel of Your Holy Spirit, and may be ever be obedient to that which we hear and understand from You. In Jesus name i pray, Amen.
*Who am I?
I'm Jonathan Siew, or Jon Siew in short. I'm a EEE year 2 student. I joined Campus Crusade for Christ(CCC) in year 1. I came from a Christian family, and am a 2nd generation Christian. However, I made my personal decision to follow after Christ, and live a life for the glory and honor of God, at the age of 14, when I first cried out to Him during a time of much emotional torment. Back then the prayer went somewhat like this, "LORD help me, help me to cope with all these difficulties. I choose to follow You and to learn to trust in You." What did this prayer really meant I barely knew then, but now 8 years from that day I know and understand better.
*My journey thus far?
-Experienced much uncertainties in life
-Experienced what it means to be a failure in the eyes of the world and fellow man, but yet to be treasured as a precious child in the eyes of God.
-Experienced what it means to suffer and to be viewed as weak in the eyes of the world, yet given the strength during those times to perservere, by the grace of God.
As i do not have much time in this sharing, I will only cover 2 main point of change in my life, and some of its implications. From there I will give you perhaps some advice and reminders of living a life of love - that love which is given to us by God.
I have a condition known as Degenerative Disc Disease(DDD). It is a condition resulting from an impact injury, that caused my lowest spinal disc to rupture.When this happens, the cushioning for the spine is damaged and the nerves affected. This causes pain, weakness and instability in my movements. It has been with me for the past 6 years, been worsening, and is still with me at present. It has been much of a torment in my life, and a difficulty that I had to struggle with all this time. I will give an example of how it is a difficulty.
Quite recently in my army days, 2 to 3 years ago, I had did my best in training days and was awarded this award for excellence. So from the BMT to went to OCS on a high grading, desiring to continue to try my best, and continue to learn of what leadership the army had to teach, and just enjoy the whole experience. But the injury just worsened and I was forced to pull out. Despite trying hard and diligently going for treatments like physiotherapy and checkups, in hope for an improvement so that i could attend a "recourse", it never came. So I was rather disappointed in how things went, and discouraged in the whole process, along with the other factors surrounding me which did not help to ease the burdens.
The other thing is the very simple fact that I am quite a natural athlete, and I did very well in sports in my younger days, commiting much of my time and efforts into honing this talent and skill given to me, in a hope for for hitting new milestones and targets. So you could perhaps imagine how I felt when previously being quick on my feet, and strong in my limbs as a sportman, then being reduced to a state that I could not get out of bed, and when I finally did, I could barely lift up my legs, and had to walk with a limp(due to the pain) for several years. And at present 6 years from that day I still suffer increasingly from the pain, that has not ceased since that day of its beginning.
So you may ask me, was it difficult? I would reply yes it was, and it was really difficult indeed, especially at that point in time. This is because when the pain escalates, my mind is pretty much wiped clean of its thoughts, and I find that i have to focus so hard to get sometimes the simplest of things done, or just to come up with sensible sentences.
And you may ask me, was that journey lonely, and again I would reply yes it was. This for the very fact that there were almost none to guide me during those times despite my constant search for someone with Godly wisdom and is willing to be as a guiding light. This despite my hope for someone to remind me of the love of God and that comfort and strength that I can find in Him. So yes definitely it was very difficult, but was still cope-able beacuse of the love and grace of God as He comforted me through His word and by His Holy Spirit. And also very importantly my family who gave me the occasional word of encouragement.
*The lessons that I have learnt...
-and these I learnt by viewing my life through the eyes of scripture, as God gave me understanding and wisdom in the reading and living out of His word of truth.
So as I have told some friends who asked me before, how during those junctures of my life amidst almost each uncertainty I had seen 2 distinct paths. One of rejecting whatever I have heard from the days of my youth(those of the promises of God). The second being that of asking God to lead me, choosing to trust and depend on Him during those uncertain times. And so in most of them I chose to trust in God and to learn from Him as He taught me through His word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And so as those uncertainties rose in magnitude, so my hope and trust in God had to rise as well, as I daily renewed my strength in Him. And hence I am still here to share with you today.
-->Lesson 1: I learnt to trust and depend on God more and more with each new day.
" My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever."
- Psalms 73:26
And I am also reminded through my own pain, the pain and suffering of the needy and the poor in society, some of whom are within my sphere of influence. I am reminded of how during my most needy times there was almost none there to stand by me to encourage me, to love me, to remind me of the love of God. But thanks be to God that my family did that on some occasions. So I made a choice on my part, that with whatever limited capacity I have, I would spend it to love the people God has placed in my life, to strengthen and build up each one of them up, to as much as God wills. I desire to give others that glimpse of the love and hope of God that people in need hunger so much for.(That hunger which was never really met in my own life.)
-->Lesson 2: God has taught me through this and various other experiences to treasure the people and the relationships He has placed in my life, to learn to love each and everyone of them as He directs.
" This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
- 1 John 3:16-18
"No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."
- 1 John 4:12
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
- James 1:27
*Take away points(for you guys)...
1) The importance to ask God for the teachability of heart(humility), from which He may instruct you most effectively. And from where you may be able to hear and understand clearly, hence able to obey.
--> The Parable of the sower(Matt 13:1-23), the heart being the good soil, and the word of God being the seed. The seed which can take a good position for growth should the soil be prepared for it.
2) May we learn to love others in a manner that we die to our selfish desires, and learn to meet the needs of others above that of ours. This is only possible as we learn to be led by the Spirit in His strength, anda s we are renewed in our minds by the truth in God's word.
Summing up:
Te: -achability of heart
L: -earning to be led by the Spirit
L: -earning to love others as God desires us to
*Closing Prayer:
"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk though the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."
- Psalms 23
-LORD, may we learn to acknowledge You as the one who directs our paths, and may we ever be obedient to You as You show us the manner of which we should live, that manner which is in Your love.
LORD I pray that we will truly learn to find rest in You, as we learn to trust in You and place our hopes and confidence in You in all of our lives.
LORD God I pray that as the Holy Spirit continues to work in each of our lives through the teachability of our hearts, the fruits of the Spirit will grow in increasing measures, that our lives may be as a holy and pleasing sacrifice unto thy name. And that through righteous lives we may be able to remind others of the goodness and love of our Almighty God. The fruits of the Spirit being that of: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.(Gal 5:22-23)
Heavenly Father, I commit each and every one of these Your precious children into your hands. In Jesus' precious name I pray, Amen.
In His love,
Jon
Sunday, 24 June 2007
(Thoughts) In God we trust.
(Thoughts) In God we trust.
In God we trust
In the things we think we know,
And in the things we know we don't know.
In God we trust.
LORD guide us in your paths of righteousness till the last breath that comes from our mouths, for this very last breath and all that was before, is given to us by You. Create in me a clean heart, and that of gratitude for all that we have and are in our essence comes from Your hand. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Biblical References:
"5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight."
- Proverbs 3:5-6
"14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer."
- Psalms 19:14
"13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil."
- Eccelsiastes 12:13-14
In God we trust
In the things we think we know,
And in the things we know we don't know.
In God we trust.
LORD guide us in your paths of righteousness till the last breath that comes from our mouths, for this very last breath and all that was before, is given to us by You. Create in me a clean heart, and that of gratitude for all that we have and are in our essence comes from Your hand. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Biblical References:
"5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight."
- Proverbs 3:5-6
"14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer."
- Psalms 19:14
"13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil."
- Eccelsiastes 12:13-14
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
(Thoughts) Of love, in relationships...
(Thoughts) Of love, in relationships...
Hi all,
Yeah this is probably the 2nd last post I'll be putting up. This one's a little special I guess, because I did promise a friend to give some reflections and thoughts on love in this manner of relationships(bgr – boy-girl-relationships), and I will fulfil that promise before this blog comes to a pause. Today's source is mainly that from my diary on the 27th of February 2007. And yeah it was a period I was pondering and asking the LORD about the aspect of relationships, and how should it be like. And enough said here, let it begin.
On the 27/02/07...
*LORD I am reminded to learn not to bring in expectations or set perspectives, as far as possible, when getting to know someone and understanding this relationship with that person. For it is a human tendency to take comfort on that which is known, for many times we fear that which is not known. This is one of the reasons for the development of prejudices, biasness and oversimplifications(to some extent). What can result is a certain expectation placed towards someone which can ultimately lead to a strain in the relationship or in worse cases a broken one in result. So Father I ask that You give me the right attitude to have towards others, to accept them for who You've made them to be, in all their differences, in all the areas that I lack understanding, I ask for Your grace. Teach me how to love them as they are, the way You desire me to. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
*What should a relationship be like?
A relationship should be a “safe place for recuperation” for one another. A place where one learns to love one another, and together love the people God has placed in your lives. And most importantly, a place where one together leans to love God, and all this(3 aspects of love) modelled after the love of God He has shown to us.
*A relationship criteria?(If there should be any)
- Mutual understanding between each other
- Able to build one another up to the person God has planned her to be. (To grow in her relationship with the LORD)
- Able to benefit the other person “the most”. (To help her grow to her fullest potential, which is a possible “reason” why God has placed you 2 together?)
- Able to comfort and encourage each other enough to build up a shelter for one another to seek God together as we weather the storms of life
Yeah so those were my thoughts on that very day. And actually this understanding of relationship I do have further opinion on it.
Firstly, that it actually applies universally to all our relationships in our lives, just how far the application actually goes. For example to a friend who is in your cell group, it may apply 50 percent, yet to a buddy whom you've grown up with and knows you “inside out” perhaps it applies 80 percent.
Secondly, I believe that all this loving a person in accordance to who he/she actually is, have to come into play sometime in a relationship between a couple in courtship. This is either as they know each other as friends(most ideal i feel), in the courtship itself, or sometime in a marriage. And if it doesn't, the relationship's tendency is it it will tend to drift, as a commitment to one another resulting from the love you have for one another, will not be in place.
Oh yeah all this being said, I guess it reveals a principle i hold in my life, that in the most of the things that I embark in, I look to build on something that is meaningful, something that will last. For if it is not so, unless there is a particular reason, if not my tendency is that I will not begin to build this at all.
And so for me actually all this cumulates into just 2 things – a question and an image.
The question - think of it as the person whom you love or say you love, asking it to you.
“Are you willing to live a life of simplicity with me?”
Ah yes its a seemingly simple question, but it goes far beyond that which I think most of us can understand. Like for husbands to model the love towards their wife, unto that of willingness to sacrifice one's life that how Christ did for the church, like that for a wife to model the love towards that of total submission as to the Lord. It is difficult to comprehend, and we can only begin to understand when we ask the LORD and He shows us how to. And if anytime we think otherwise, then we better think again. And actually I think this simple question also summarises the long wedding vows people make on that special wedding day to celebrate the love that begets commitment and responsibility towards one another. It can also to read in this manner, “If all that you used to love me for fades or is taken away, if the circumstances in our lives become much harder than it is now, will you be willing to continue this walk with me, to love me as I am?” So that is the understanding of the love that begets commitment, modelled after the love that God has shown through Jesus Christ.
The image – that of the moon and the stars in the night sky. The moon representing the man, and the stars together representing the lady. The light that shines from them is given to them by the LORD almighty, and they will shine, and continue to shine as He determines. The night sky that is so distinctly dark in contrast can represent the world and all the trials of life, that causes difficulties in the life of these 2, but yet in it all, in the greater darkness, so the light contrasts even far more brighter. So that is the understanding of the imagery I have i guess.
So yep that's all I have to say about relationships. All can be done by someone, but it all culminates to a question “Are you willing to live a life of simplicity with me?”. And this reveals one thing about relationships, it requires a willingness of heart on 2 people to walk life together, to establish common memories that will be of hope in times of difficulty in the future. And this willingness is the finality of all that is prepared, planned and done throughout the process.
Oh yes, and not to forget, actually I realised from my own life, that sincerity of heart is important. But so is the guidance that comes from the LORD and the obedience to follow as He leads. After which then is the willingness of heart that we just spoke of in the previous paragraph. So 3 things we should look for I guess in relationship, if one is looking towards it :(1) Sincerity of heart, (2) Guidance from the LORD, (3) Willingness of heart. But this is as I have learnt from my own life, the LORD may show you otherwise in your own life as well. =)
Take care and God Bless~
In His love,
Jon
Biblical References:
“1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
- Ephesians 5:1-2
“22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.”
- Ephesians 5:22-28
“4"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' 5and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? 6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."”
- Matthew 19:4-6
“14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.”
- Philippians 2:14-17
Hi all,
Yeah this is probably the 2nd last post I'll be putting up. This one's a little special I guess, because I did promise a friend to give some reflections and thoughts on love in this manner of relationships(bgr – boy-girl-relationships), and I will fulfil that promise before this blog comes to a pause. Today's source is mainly that from my diary on the 27th of February 2007. And yeah it was a period I was pondering and asking the LORD about the aspect of relationships, and how should it be like. And enough said here, let it begin.
On the 27/02/07...
*LORD I am reminded to learn not to bring in expectations or set perspectives, as far as possible, when getting to know someone and understanding this relationship with that person. For it is a human tendency to take comfort on that which is known, for many times we fear that which is not known. This is one of the reasons for the development of prejudices, biasness and oversimplifications(to some extent). What can result is a certain expectation placed towards someone which can ultimately lead to a strain in the relationship or in worse cases a broken one in result. So Father I ask that You give me the right attitude to have towards others, to accept them for who You've made them to be, in all their differences, in all the areas that I lack understanding, I ask for Your grace. Teach me how to love them as they are, the way You desire me to. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
*What should a relationship be like?
A relationship should be a “safe place for recuperation” for one another. A place where one learns to love one another, and together love the people God has placed in your lives. And most importantly, a place where one together leans to love God, and all this(3 aspects of love) modelled after the love of God He has shown to us.
*A relationship criteria?(If there should be any)
- Mutual understanding between each other
- Able to build one another up to the person God has planned her to be. (To grow in her relationship with the LORD)
- Able to benefit the other person “the most”. (To help her grow to her fullest potential, which is a possible “reason” why God has placed you 2 together?)
- Able to comfort and encourage each other enough to build up a shelter for one another to seek God together as we weather the storms of life
Yeah so those were my thoughts on that very day. And actually this understanding of relationship I do have further opinion on it.
Firstly, that it actually applies universally to all our relationships in our lives, just how far the application actually goes. For example to a friend who is in your cell group, it may apply 50 percent, yet to a buddy whom you've grown up with and knows you “inside out” perhaps it applies 80 percent.
Secondly, I believe that all this loving a person in accordance to who he/she actually is, have to come into play sometime in a relationship between a couple in courtship. This is either as they know each other as friends(most ideal i feel), in the courtship itself, or sometime in a marriage. And if it doesn't, the relationship's tendency is it it will tend to drift, as a commitment to one another resulting from the love you have for one another, will not be in place.
Oh yeah all this being said, I guess it reveals a principle i hold in my life, that in the most of the things that I embark in, I look to build on something that is meaningful, something that will last. For if it is not so, unless there is a particular reason, if not my tendency is that I will not begin to build this at all.
And so for me actually all this cumulates into just 2 things – a question and an image.
The question - think of it as the person whom you love or say you love, asking it to you.
“Are you willing to live a life of simplicity with me?”
Ah yes its a seemingly simple question, but it goes far beyond that which I think most of us can understand. Like for husbands to model the love towards their wife, unto that of willingness to sacrifice one's life that how Christ did for the church, like that for a wife to model the love towards that of total submission as to the Lord. It is difficult to comprehend, and we can only begin to understand when we ask the LORD and He shows us how to. And if anytime we think otherwise, then we better think again. And actually I think this simple question also summarises the long wedding vows people make on that special wedding day to celebrate the love that begets commitment and responsibility towards one another. It can also to read in this manner, “If all that you used to love me for fades or is taken away, if the circumstances in our lives become much harder than it is now, will you be willing to continue this walk with me, to love me as I am?” So that is the understanding of the love that begets commitment, modelled after the love that God has shown through Jesus Christ.
The image – that of the moon and the stars in the night sky. The moon representing the man, and the stars together representing the lady. The light that shines from them is given to them by the LORD almighty, and they will shine, and continue to shine as He determines. The night sky that is so distinctly dark in contrast can represent the world and all the trials of life, that causes difficulties in the life of these 2, but yet in it all, in the greater darkness, so the light contrasts even far more brighter. So that is the understanding of the imagery I have i guess.
So yep that's all I have to say about relationships. All can be done by someone, but it all culminates to a question “Are you willing to live a life of simplicity with me?”. And this reveals one thing about relationships, it requires a willingness of heart on 2 people to walk life together, to establish common memories that will be of hope in times of difficulty in the future. And this willingness is the finality of all that is prepared, planned and done throughout the process.
Oh yes, and not to forget, actually I realised from my own life, that sincerity of heart is important. But so is the guidance that comes from the LORD and the obedience to follow as He leads. After which then is the willingness of heart that we just spoke of in the previous paragraph. So 3 things we should look for I guess in relationship, if one is looking towards it :(1) Sincerity of heart, (2) Guidance from the LORD, (3) Willingness of heart. But this is as I have learnt from my own life, the LORD may show you otherwise in your own life as well. =)
Take care and God Bless~
In His love,
Jon
Biblical References:
“1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
- Ephesians 5:1-2
“22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.”
- Ephesians 5:22-28
“4"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' 5and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? 6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."”
- Matthew 19:4-6
“14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.”
- Philippians 2:14-17
(Thoughts) On the grace and love of God...
(Thoughts) On the grace and love of God...
Hi there,
You know what, for the first time in a long time I actually feel refreshed. Because of a reminder, a reminder of the love and grace of God, as shown and given to us through our Lord Jesus Christ. The reminder came to me while I read this book "Ragamuffin's gospel" by Brennan Manning. He brought up a a parable repeatedly in his book, that of the parable of " The Lost Son", and he also emphasized on the importance of remembering that we are all sinners(Christians and non-Christians alike) and fall short of the glory of God, but yet the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in redemption of our sin is more than sufficient to cover us completely in the process of sanctification - the process of restoration and reconciliation into fellowship with God our Heavenly Father.
What is the parable of " The Lost Son"? For the benefit of those who do not know, the story goes that there was a rich man who had 2 sons. The youngest son decided that he wanted to live his life as he wished, and so he went to his father to ask for the share of his inheritance(all this while his father was still alive!). What happens next is that he takes all this money and goes to a faraway land, spends it all up in wayward living - on the vices of the society. After using up the money he had, his life became hard, and while working at a farm one day feeding the pigs he thought to himself, "If only I were a servant in my father's household. For I remember that even those who worked for my father were very blessed indeed." So he thought and decided in his heart that he will return home to his father, and ask not to be as a son, but as a servant instead. As he made his way home, his father who had been awaiting his return for a long time saw him from afar, and ran towards him to embrace him. He gave him the signet ring, as well as placed a cloak around him - restoring him to a position of a son in his household. His father also threw a feast in celebration of his return. There are other parts to this parable, but I shall end the re-phrasing here, I will attach the actual references at the bottom of the page.
And yeah, so I was reminded from the parable of how truly richly our Father God abundantly flourishes us with His love, a love that we can begin and go through our whole lives trying to understand, and perhaps gain a better understanding - BUT never fully. Such is the beauty of that love that can never be fully described to man, or understood by him. In listening to this parable told we can imagine the images of the son coming back from afar, and the father in his old age rushing and stumbling up to him nevertheless. We can imagine how with his slightly shriveled and shaking hands he places that ring onto the son's finger and the cloak upon his body. We can imagine how he restores the son with his embrace and loving words, not asking or rebuking the son, but just restoration - knowing that the son was back safely was good enough. Such is the love that was shown - a glimpse of what is meant by the unconditional love of God, that which is given despite any circumstances, that which is so constant, so reassuring - that so many times we assume it to be ours to begin with. And when we take this love for granted, I pray that the LORD will in some way make this known to us as well, that we may repent of this heart of ingratitude.
So that was what truly impressed me yesterday, that of the unconditional love of God. May this reference from the letter to the Ephesians be our prayer as well.
"16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge; that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
- Ephesians 3:16-19
And I remembered as well the teaching of Jesus of that of love.
"43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
- Matthew 5:43-45
And that of the sinful nature of man, and the redemptive act of love by our Lord Jesus Christ, to redeem once for all, for us all from eternal death to eternal life. That is the message of salvation, a salvation not by our works, but by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we must accept in order to attain.
"22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
- Romans 3:22-24
"10The death he(Jesus) died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God."
- Romans 6:10
"12He(Jesus) did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption."
- Hebrews 9:12
" 1The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming-not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. "
- Hebrews 10:1
"8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9not by works, so that no one can boast."
- Ephesians 2:8-9
And we have to remember as well, that the virtues of a "good man", is one that must outflow from the heart, in the thoughts of the mind and the intentions of the heart - this towards the acts of his hand and the words of his mouth. This cannot be achieved by pure human will, because of the tendency of the human heart to rebel to turn to its sinful ways. Remember that the path of righteousness is one that is narrow, but yet the LORD provides us with His Spirit to guide us in each step, to sustain our weary hearts that we may not fall. And actually my main point of mentioning all this is this: That the fruits of the Spirit are that which will outflow from our hearts, when we embrace the desire that he has given us to walk closely with him.
"13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
- Matthew 7:13-14
"16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature."
- Galatians 5:16
" 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
- Galatians 5:22-23
"17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
- 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
To me the teaching above, from Matthew 5:43-45, I remembered as that of "loving the unlovables". And I frequently asked myself, who are my unlovables? And in most recent times, I realised that for me, in fact the unlovables was not so much the lower rung in society, as much as the Christians whom by their manner of living selfishly, had deemed their own hearts unteachable. And the unteachable heart was really really detestable to me. But why? I questioned myself, and found that perhaps it is because of 2 main reasons, that these very people are those who proclaim so much the good news, and yet they do not live out the love of God in their lives, in a manner that bring glory unto the Father(And this not being that He 'needs' it at all). I realised that perhaps this was detestable, for it was such a reminder unto myself, of what I had been before the LORD had opened my eyes to the needy, for I became the most needy indeed. And the reminder of my detestable self was of utter disgust to me.
The other was that I realised in the teaching and reminding others of the importance of humility in one's life, in the cultivating of the teachable heart and spirit that allows the LORD to mould us according His purpose and will. In saying all that to others, in trying as hard as I may, in drilling it deep into my mind in understanding, in obedience in the outward parts, I had in fact created myself to become increasingly "self-righteous". I had judged myself, and others, and deemed us as unworthy, and detestable. This is not that it is not true, but that greater truth had I not reconciled, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us - this is love.
"6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die."
- Romans 5:6-7
" 16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."
- 1 John 3:16
And so I do apologise, if to any of you reading this who are my friends, brother and sisters, that if in my life I had discouraged you in any point, forgive me. For I was too caught up in zeal in fulfilment of the law, that I had not noticed that the law had already been fulfilled in Christ Jesus our Lord. And may we by the love of Christ given us, learn to encourage each other in our daily walk with the LORD, and learn to embrace each other in the various different circumstances that we walk in - because we are one, united in Christ, in his love.
And this will probably be one of the last few posts I'll be placing up for this period of time, till the next holidays. Will be embarking on some new things, of which I will be called "Coach" in the next few months. Continue to wait upon the LORD, and let's see together what He has in store for everyone of us. =)
In His love,
Jon
Additional Bible References:
The Lost Son
"11Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
13"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
22"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
25"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
28"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
31" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' " "
- Luke 15:11-32
Hi there,
You know what, for the first time in a long time I actually feel refreshed. Because of a reminder, a reminder of the love and grace of God, as shown and given to us through our Lord Jesus Christ. The reminder came to me while I read this book "Ragamuffin's gospel" by Brennan Manning. He brought up a a parable repeatedly in his book, that of the parable of " The Lost Son", and he also emphasized on the importance of remembering that we are all sinners(Christians and non-Christians alike) and fall short of the glory of God, but yet the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in redemption of our sin is more than sufficient to cover us completely in the process of sanctification - the process of restoration and reconciliation into fellowship with God our Heavenly Father.
What is the parable of " The Lost Son"? For the benefit of those who do not know, the story goes that there was a rich man who had 2 sons. The youngest son decided that he wanted to live his life as he wished, and so he went to his father to ask for the share of his inheritance(all this while his father was still alive!). What happens next is that he takes all this money and goes to a faraway land, spends it all up in wayward living - on the vices of the society. After using up the money he had, his life became hard, and while working at a farm one day feeding the pigs he thought to himself, "If only I were a servant in my father's household. For I remember that even those who worked for my father were very blessed indeed." So he thought and decided in his heart that he will return home to his father, and ask not to be as a son, but as a servant instead. As he made his way home, his father who had been awaiting his return for a long time saw him from afar, and ran towards him to embrace him. He gave him the signet ring, as well as placed a cloak around him - restoring him to a position of a son in his household. His father also threw a feast in celebration of his return. There are other parts to this parable, but I shall end the re-phrasing here, I will attach the actual references at the bottom of the page.
And yeah, so I was reminded from the parable of how truly richly our Father God abundantly flourishes us with His love, a love that we can begin and go through our whole lives trying to understand, and perhaps gain a better understanding - BUT never fully. Such is the beauty of that love that can never be fully described to man, or understood by him. In listening to this parable told we can imagine the images of the son coming back from afar, and the father in his old age rushing and stumbling up to him nevertheless. We can imagine how with his slightly shriveled and shaking hands he places that ring onto the son's finger and the cloak upon his body. We can imagine how he restores the son with his embrace and loving words, not asking or rebuking the son, but just restoration - knowing that the son was back safely was good enough. Such is the love that was shown - a glimpse of what is meant by the unconditional love of God, that which is given despite any circumstances, that which is so constant, so reassuring - that so many times we assume it to be ours to begin with. And when we take this love for granted, I pray that the LORD will in some way make this known to us as well, that we may repent of this heart of ingratitude.
So that was what truly impressed me yesterday, that of the unconditional love of God. May this reference from the letter to the Ephesians be our prayer as well.
"16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge; that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
- Ephesians 3:16-19
And I remembered as well the teaching of Jesus of that of love.
"43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
- Matthew 5:43-45
And that of the sinful nature of man, and the redemptive act of love by our Lord Jesus Christ, to redeem once for all, for us all from eternal death to eternal life. That is the message of salvation, a salvation not by our works, but by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we must accept in order to attain.
"22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
- Romans 3:22-24
"10The death he(Jesus) died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God."
- Romans 6:10
"12He(Jesus) did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption."
- Hebrews 9:12
" 1The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming-not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. "
- Hebrews 10:1
"8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9not by works, so that no one can boast."
- Ephesians 2:8-9
And we have to remember as well, that the virtues of a "good man", is one that must outflow from the heart, in the thoughts of the mind and the intentions of the heart - this towards the acts of his hand and the words of his mouth. This cannot be achieved by pure human will, because of the tendency of the human heart to rebel to turn to its sinful ways. Remember that the path of righteousness is one that is narrow, but yet the LORD provides us with His Spirit to guide us in each step, to sustain our weary hearts that we may not fall. And actually my main point of mentioning all this is this: That the fruits of the Spirit are that which will outflow from our hearts, when we embrace the desire that he has given us to walk closely with him.
"13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
- Matthew 7:13-14
"16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature."
- Galatians 5:16
" 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
- Galatians 5:22-23
"17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
- 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
To me the teaching above, from Matthew 5:43-45, I remembered as that of "loving the unlovables". And I frequently asked myself, who are my unlovables? And in most recent times, I realised that for me, in fact the unlovables was not so much the lower rung in society, as much as the Christians whom by their manner of living selfishly, had deemed their own hearts unteachable. And the unteachable heart was really really detestable to me. But why? I questioned myself, and found that perhaps it is because of 2 main reasons, that these very people are those who proclaim so much the good news, and yet they do not live out the love of God in their lives, in a manner that bring glory unto the Father(And this not being that He 'needs' it at all). I realised that perhaps this was detestable, for it was such a reminder unto myself, of what I had been before the LORD had opened my eyes to the needy, for I became the most needy indeed. And the reminder of my detestable self was of utter disgust to me.
The other was that I realised in the teaching and reminding others of the importance of humility in one's life, in the cultivating of the teachable heart and spirit that allows the LORD to mould us according His purpose and will. In saying all that to others, in trying as hard as I may, in drilling it deep into my mind in understanding, in obedience in the outward parts, I had in fact created myself to become increasingly "self-righteous". I had judged myself, and others, and deemed us as unworthy, and detestable. This is not that it is not true, but that greater truth had I not reconciled, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us - this is love.
"6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die."
- Romans 5:6-7
" 16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."
- 1 John 3:16
And so I do apologise, if to any of you reading this who are my friends, brother and sisters, that if in my life I had discouraged you in any point, forgive me. For I was too caught up in zeal in fulfilment of the law, that I had not noticed that the law had already been fulfilled in Christ Jesus our Lord. And may we by the love of Christ given us, learn to encourage each other in our daily walk with the LORD, and learn to embrace each other in the various different circumstances that we walk in - because we are one, united in Christ, in his love.
And this will probably be one of the last few posts I'll be placing up for this period of time, till the next holidays. Will be embarking on some new things, of which I will be called "Coach" in the next few months. Continue to wait upon the LORD, and let's see together what He has in store for everyone of us. =)
In His love,
Jon
Additional Bible References:
The Lost Son
"11Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
13"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
22"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
25"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
28"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
31" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' " "
- Luke 15:11-32
Sunday, 17 June 2007
(Thoughts) About seeing things in proper perspective...
(Thoughts) About seeing things in proper perspective...
Hi all,
Today's sharing just more or less an opinion I have on the manner of which we view things, and how all this can possibly change if we desire, and yes by choice...
You know how we always talk about how different people view things? Oh yeah some view things negatively, and all that negativity has a play on their mind and the way they approach things, becoming overly cautious to the point of paralysis, that the very act that is required of the person is not fulfilled.
Yet some talk about the view toward a matter positively, talking about the power of the mind, how positive thinking is the way to view things, to always have hope, always remember that a time we fail(or fall) is another opportunity for learning, never give up – things like that. They profess of how the manner of thinking helps them achieve success in today's society, through the very virtues of perseverance, learning from previous mistakes(of your own and of others), as well as learning how to pick and up utilise given opportunities.
So you may be thinking now, “Oh yeah Jon that's what we've been taught so frequently, both in a non-Christian context and even in a Christian context, most of the time. So shouldn't it be right?”
And no I'm not here to slam certain perspective of things as being perfectly “right” or “wrong”, because even I myself truly do not know, and I only know as much as I have learnt, in comparing what I have grasped in one hand - the knowledge as from the world, to the other hand – the knowledge and truth as we believe from the bible.
Actually what I'm just bringing to view here is just something actually quite obvious, but I just wonder why little people talk about it or practise it actually. That of learning to view things as they are, in truth – not so much whether it be positive or negative. And actually the fact is the popular and conventional views of positive and negative views about things are only differentiated(to matter to people) to the point of only whether firstly the task is accomplished at all, and whether it is accomplished well.
So that is the manner I've learnt to view things, in impartiality. And actually if you've been practising living your life as a whole, you'll also realise that this very manner of perspectives can also be taken unto the manner in which you view people as well, seeing them as they truly are, and form there learning to accept each individual as they truly are – being unassuming. And it is my sincere belief that only when we learn to see another as who they really are, then we can know how best to love them and meet their very needs - that only God knows best and they know second best. But lets return to viewing things as they really are, what I have experienced is that from doing so we recognise the reality of things, and can best train ourselves to respond to the different changes to matters, most specifically and more accurately. And to the aspect of what drives you, where you may place your hope and confidence, if the “living life as a whole principle” is kept, we will expect this to be realistic as well.
And yeah it is my belief also that as Christians when we say we believe in the Word of God as written in the bible, it also means that we belief that it is truth that is written. And believing that it is truth that is written also means this, that if we have really learnt to appreciate the truth as given to us, we will also be able to discern that which is right, and that which is wrong – the basic purpose of truth(or the law). So yeah I do think that it is the role of Christians in today's society, to differentiate what is right and wrong – that which result in consequences that is good or bad upon another. And as we know the truth better, we also differentiate better.
Yeah I'm quite tired for the night I guess, so perhaps I'll elaborate on things on another time. But in summary, what I've proposed is perhaps another view, to learn to see things more objectively, in truth – in learning to appreciate a matter for its very being. And in seeing things realistically we also learn to react realistically, and know our boundaries and limitations(individually) – not over expecting or under expecting in various situations. I also have talked about learning to check where your hopes and confidences actually lie – and are these placed on firm foundations?(are they actually realistic as well?) Perhaps then we learn to be more clear on the issues that really bug us, and that which is just set up in our minds by inappropriate perspectives.
Thank you for taking your time to read, and yeah as I mentioned from day 1, always welcoming feedback on how I can make things clearer, or the issues I should talk about. Thanks and may God bless your week ahead.
In His love,
Jon
Some Biblical References:
“17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
- James 3:17
“2Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.”
- 2 Corinthians 4:2
“6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
- John 14:6
“30 I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.”
- Psalms 119:30
“23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.”
- Psalms 139:23-24
Hi all,
Today's sharing just more or less an opinion I have on the manner of which we view things, and how all this can possibly change if we desire, and yes by choice...
You know how we always talk about how different people view things? Oh yeah some view things negatively, and all that negativity has a play on their mind and the way they approach things, becoming overly cautious to the point of paralysis, that the very act that is required of the person is not fulfilled.
Yet some talk about the view toward a matter positively, talking about the power of the mind, how positive thinking is the way to view things, to always have hope, always remember that a time we fail(or fall) is another opportunity for learning, never give up – things like that. They profess of how the manner of thinking helps them achieve success in today's society, through the very virtues of perseverance, learning from previous mistakes(of your own and of others), as well as learning how to pick and up utilise given opportunities.
So you may be thinking now, “Oh yeah Jon that's what we've been taught so frequently, both in a non-Christian context and even in a Christian context, most of the time. So shouldn't it be right?”
And no I'm not here to slam certain perspective of things as being perfectly “right” or “wrong”, because even I myself truly do not know, and I only know as much as I have learnt, in comparing what I have grasped in one hand - the knowledge as from the world, to the other hand – the knowledge and truth as we believe from the bible.
Actually what I'm just bringing to view here is just something actually quite obvious, but I just wonder why little people talk about it or practise it actually. That of learning to view things as they are, in truth – not so much whether it be positive or negative. And actually the fact is the popular and conventional views of positive and negative views about things are only differentiated(to matter to people) to the point of only whether firstly the task is accomplished at all, and whether it is accomplished well.
So that is the manner I've learnt to view things, in impartiality. And actually if you've been practising living your life as a whole, you'll also realise that this very manner of perspectives can also be taken unto the manner in which you view people as well, seeing them as they truly are, and form there learning to accept each individual as they truly are – being unassuming. And it is my sincere belief that only when we learn to see another as who they really are, then we can know how best to love them and meet their very needs - that only God knows best and they know second best. But lets return to viewing things as they really are, what I have experienced is that from doing so we recognise the reality of things, and can best train ourselves to respond to the different changes to matters, most specifically and more accurately. And to the aspect of what drives you, where you may place your hope and confidence, if the “living life as a whole principle” is kept, we will expect this to be realistic as well.
And yeah it is my belief also that as Christians when we say we believe in the Word of God as written in the bible, it also means that we belief that it is truth that is written. And believing that it is truth that is written also means this, that if we have really learnt to appreciate the truth as given to us, we will also be able to discern that which is right, and that which is wrong – the basic purpose of truth(or the law). So yeah I do think that it is the role of Christians in today's society, to differentiate what is right and wrong – that which result in consequences that is good or bad upon another. And as we know the truth better, we also differentiate better.
Yeah I'm quite tired for the night I guess, so perhaps I'll elaborate on things on another time. But in summary, what I've proposed is perhaps another view, to learn to see things more objectively, in truth – in learning to appreciate a matter for its very being. And in seeing things realistically we also learn to react realistically, and know our boundaries and limitations(individually) – not over expecting or under expecting in various situations. I also have talked about learning to check where your hopes and confidences actually lie – and are these placed on firm foundations?(are they actually realistic as well?) Perhaps then we learn to be more clear on the issues that really bug us, and that which is just set up in our minds by inappropriate perspectives.
Thank you for taking your time to read, and yeah as I mentioned from day 1, always welcoming feedback on how I can make things clearer, or the issues I should talk about. Thanks and may God bless your week ahead.
In His love,
Jon
Some Biblical References:
“17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
- James 3:17
“2Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.”
- 2 Corinthians 4:2
“6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
- John 14:6
“30 I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.”
- Psalms 119:30
“23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.”
- Psalms 139:23-24
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