a light that shines

The statement about light being light only because there is darkness never fails to amaze me. Having said this, the question i have today is:

Are we living a life so bright that it is so distinct in darkness?

Or have we blended in with the darkness?

Black and white cannot co-exist, if they do, they will no longer be distinct colours but a whole different colour: Grey.

Be in the world but not of it...

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." -1 John 1:5-7

the King of Glory

A minute ago, I was doing my Indonesian essay, the next minute I decided I’ll leave it to tomorrow morning coz I’m really kinda sleepy and I thought I’d do something lighter. Anyway, I think I studied enough for the day. Ha, excuses. I was at youth service today and honest to the core, the presence of God was there, but was everyone entering into the presence of God? That, I really don’t know. And perhaps, I don’t have the right to judge. In the midst of worshipping I stopped to look around. I felt tears come to my eyes for two reasons. 1st, I saw pockets of people worshipping- passionately, or so they looked. The lifting up of hands, singing with all their hearts and all their might, it was awesome. People I never really saw worshipping God in that manner, today I saw and I was grateful. But then, as I looked around more, well, I saw many disengaged, far, and passionless. There was no excitement in their eyes, no conviction even in the way they stood. And I stopped to ponder. I could only pray that they would desire more of God. I was reminded of this verse, “they worship me with their lips but their hearts are far away”. Oh God, I don’t want to judge, and I have no right to anyway. Because u are the one who judges the motives and intentions of men, not me. But I couldn’t help feeling grieved. Should I just rejoice because there are pockets of people really worshipping? Or have I chosen to see only the souls that seemed far?

God certainly deserves more of our worship than this. We don’t have to jump or lift our hands so high or sing super loud to prove that we love God. But if we do love Him, then wouldn’t it just flow naturally? Yes, I don’t deny that everyone expresses their praise to God in different ways but it should show on the outside, whether people are looking at us or not. The king of glory deserves more than R-age is giving Him and I am praying for that day- I don’t know whether we are ready for it, but revival comes at the least expected time. It comes SUDDENLY. And I sure am looking forward to that day.

Well, a verse from Ezekiel struck me today and I believe it is a verse I haven’t read before. It says, “And this is the basic law of the Temple: absolute holiness! The entire top of the hill where the Temple is built is holy. Yes, this is the primary law of the Temple.” (42:12, NLT) And isn’t the Temple where God’s presence and glory dwells? Isn’t that everywhere we tread upon? And He demands holiness where His Temple is. Absolute holiness. I think I am beginning to understand a little of what this verse means but not fully so I pray that the Lord will reveal more to me.

Lord, I pray that you teach us how to worship you with hearts that are not pretentious, neither are they far away, but hearts fully devoted to you. FULLY, Lord. How? You teach us how to.

ponderings- what is the result of it all?

I have been thinking about some things lately and talking to people too. And after all discussions, questions and ponderings, so far, I have come to some conclusions:

1. Discussions SHOULD have effect on a person- hopefully good. And it ought to make an impact after all the thinking and pondering.
2. If it does not, perhaps it has effect on the persons that you were talking to about it.
3. They should encourage/spur/challenge another person on in their relationship/love/desire for God.
4. For things that I can do something about, I will do- it is certainly no point just talking and doing nothing
5. For things that are not within my control- I have to pray.

Well, I really enjoy fellowshipping with my cell and other fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. By fellowshipping, I don’t mean JUST eat supper after cell. Yes, food binds, but it’s more than that. It is talking about the things of God, sharing the mysteries of God, discussing things about out faith, challenging views for what they have been in our lives and spurring each other to grow in our walk with God. BUT, I have come to realize that after all the conversations; the ultimate goal has to be linked in one way of another to growth in our relationship with God. Whatever the questions- should it spur us to seek out truth or to pray more, we should not leave the discussion with nothing changed. I do not speak for everyone but that’s what I desire. Or else the discussions will just be another intellectual exchange, and to me, that seems distasteful. So please, listen to what you are talking about, God is probably speaking to you even through your words so let’s learn to be sensitive. I’m sure we'll gain treasures.

who's in control?

I typed, deleted, re-typed, deleted and re-typed again. Finally this is what I want to talk about and share. Control. As humans, we all yearn for control don’t we? Every minute of our lives. Whether conscious, subconscious or unconscious, we yearn for it all the time. And I mean ALL the time. Perhaps I should speak for myself at this point of time, but I don’t think I will have lack of people agreeing. We want to do what is right, we desire to have our way in situations, we hold on to things that make us feel like we know what we are doing, if we could we would like to hold the weather, when the next bus comes, (blah blah blah) we want to know what happens for us in future, we make plans for tomorrow, we want to know what in store for us in years to come, and the want just slowly becomes a need and we just………have to know or else, hmm, something just doesn’t seem right.

That happened to me just 2 days ago. No, it wasn’t because of my future, thank God He is gracious enough to reveal to me certain things and I trust Him with regards to that. It wasn’t wanting to know my plans for the next day. What I wanted to be in control of was a situation I was directly involved in YET I could not control because I couldn’t and probably shouldn’t. (I do not need to reveal the details of this situation.) And that frustrated me. The lack of knowing what to do, the want to do something but the knowing that I shouldn’t, it made me upset. And as I begin to evaluate and ask God why all these emotions were exploding from within, I began to realise; that it all boils down to the fact that I have no control over the situation. This realisation came to me in a weird sort of way. I was doing my readings for counselling theories and there was this statement where the author said that anxiety is often caused by the lack of control jumped right out at me. (Something along those lines) And I began to realise that yes, my frustration, being upset, feeling that my day was ruined was all because of my lack of control. And when I realised that I began to give it all to the Lord. That’s what I began to do.

What I couldn’t control I submitted it to Him. Because I believe my God is sovereign. You know what sovereignty means? Sove-REIGN-ty. Saying God is sovereign means this: God YOU reign in the midst of my situation. It means to trust in His Lordship ‘cause He knows best. It means to cast your anxiety upon Him. It means to trust Him with your life and the concerns in your life. It means to let Him steer your boat. The more I understood this, the more liberated I felt. God assured me that I was in the centre of His will. And even though I have no control whatsoever over the situation, I am not in despair, I am not dismayed because I KNOW that HE IS. I think that was how Paul was able to rejoice in the Lord in whatever circumstances he was in:"I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (Phil 4:12) he learnt that even though circumstances were not the greatest in the eyes of men or in his eyes, God was in control. And as we learn that truth, we began to realize that whether we are in need of have plenty, whether we mountainous situation or hills in our lives, whether we stumble or seem to hit a dead end, whether we know or do not know our future, and whether we are in control or everything just seems to be in a huge mess, we can rejoice and be content. Why? Because we know that- God knows. His truth indeed sets people free. How liberated do you feel? Or are you weighed down by the things that you have NO control over?

Leave all of you with this quote and verse;

“The sovereignty of God is the one impregnable rock to which the suffering human heart must cling. The circumstances surrounding our lives are no accident: they may be the work of evil but that evil is held firmly within the mighty hand of our sovereign God… “– Margaret Clark, Grace Grows Best in Winter

“I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends good times and bad times. I, the LORD, am the ones who does these things.” Isaiah 45:7

Cling on to the God who is sove-REIGN. Cling on. And let Him control. You’ll never go wrong.

no time wasted

NEVER underestimate the word of God. It certainly wastes no time in having you apply it in your life. Oh God, help. :/ this is the real test.

Joy in all circumstances. Rach, now is your time to prove it. thank God i'm not alone in this. Hands up, i surrender. IN CHRIST, that's all that is required.

crazy? perhaps.

i haven't blogged for a week now. The work HAS come. I am finally feeling that i am in school. well, that seems like a good feeling. not the madness of the workload, (haha) but the fact that i have things to do. Crazy you might think? laughs. but i'm enjoying school. every bit of it. okay, i foresee people stoning me. laughs.

the trip to Riau islands was good. okay, good is an understatement. it lasted only 2 days but God spoke to me about so many things. well, let's just say i am overwhelmed. and i like that feeling. haha. being overwhelmed by what God tells you is an AWESOME feeling. and i am so grateful for that. it was amazing. i will just leave it as that for now coz i have to get some work done. :) will update late tonight or tommorrow.

by the way, this is not JUST a feeling. i think it is a conviction. and it's gonna last. i'm pretty sure. oh man. smiles to myself. *reminder,you are in the school computer lab. opps. aye, heck it lah! it's too good to not smile. haha*
i am quite speechless actually. haha. whee. valentine's day is tomorrow and i am not the least bothered, i am gonna spend time with my date, HE gets all the priority. no prizes for guessing who... haha. perhaps some of you might think i am mad or simply in self denial but i am going to spend my day with the I AM. this rocks. really. i'm loving every bit of this year.

living words

Well, there are only 2 things on my mind now. One, why am I not feeling sleepy at 1240am. (Which of course is the least important question) and two, balancing the word of God (truth) and the Spirit of God in my life. I am afraid that I might go to the extreme of either side. Being “Spirit-led” cannot, or rather, should not exist without being “word-based” and vice versa. So my point is, there both have to exist together and be balanced.

Walking on a tight rope. Balancing with arms flung out. Wobbles. A look of apprehension. Take slow but small steps. How steady are the movements? One step. Two. Three. Whoops, loses balance. Gets on the rope again. This time shifting a bit more to the right. The balance feels better. Steadier steps. Stops at the centre. Will I make it through? Shifts a little. I think it’s time to move again, shouldn’t stop too long. One, two, three, four, five steps…… a look of satisfaction on the face. Smiles.

This is how I think a discovery of a Christian walk might be like. Of course this is far too simplified. But yeah, I think the questions I am asking now and the issues that God has been speaking to me about is comparable to walking on a tight rope and trying to balance. I have questions, I can be cynical at times, I get disappointed and well, not all my questions are answer but still, I will pick myself up and continue walking on that tight rope, cause at the end I KNOW, that I will be satisfied. The steps will get steadier, the confidence will increase and the faith will arise. One thing I can count on- a FAITHFUL GOD. And I know that I as I continue walking and seeking to glorify Him that the satisfaction will come because, as John Piper puts it so perfectly, “We are most satisfied when God is most glorified in us.” So the challenge for me is plain but yet so difficult: To apply the word of God in my life through the leading of the Holy Spirit. And often the word of God is so so sharp, it we are sensitive enough, we realize that the intensity of the verses we read is so great. Perhaps we are afraid to get pierced, but I will hesitate no more, pierce me if it will, because this piercing is to build me up. So my prayer is that God will see me through as I make His word living and active in my life.

Actually I have a 3rd thought. Of late, I have been feeling like a weeping prophet. Why? And more importantly, why me? I am still asking God and I believe He will reveal in due time. Well, sigh, actually maybe I do know the answer, but just refuse to embrace it.

Isn’t it funny how God seems to have kept quiet for so long then suddenly it all comes rushing in? This time it's a tidal wave, maybe next time it will be a tsunami. WAH, i can't imagine when THAT happens. It's a love-hate feeling. ha.

clean hands and pure hearts

Psalm 24:3-6 (NLT)

Who may climb the mountain of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place?
Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,
who do not worship idols
and never tell lies.
They will receive the LORD's blessing
and have right standing with God their savior.
They alone may enter God's presence
and worship the God of Israel.

How can we say we want to enter His presence and yet refuse to part with the sin in our lives. How are we able to stand in His holy place if we have idols in our lives. Let’s stop asking God why He is so far away but instead, ask Him to reveal to us the areas in our lives that need working on. Sorry God. Sorry. Oh Lord, how could we be so ignorant and foolish.

introspection

I copied this picture from a friend’s blog with her permission of course, because it captured my heart. This picture was taken in Chinatown and if you ask me what’s so special about it, actually nothing really. But this picture caught my eye coz it brought out poverty, it brought out simplicity of lifestyle and it reminded of the fact that there are actually many in Singapore who are not THAT fortunate. This picture also brought to remembrance scenes of 3rd world countries which really stirred something in my heart and spirit. I haven’t been to that many countries but I’m just attracted to the lifestyle, the people, and their simplicity. Perhaps that is a gift from God and preparation for what lies ahead. Maybe I was made to be this way because of the purposes He has for me.

I remember how I asked God for compassion and He gave. I remember how He placed within my heart a burden for the less fortunate. I remember the visions and the dreams He gave me. The call upon my life. How He led me to major in social work. The reason why I am in social work and how I am enjoying it. The passion He has given me. The experiences that I went through personally and how they increased my self awareness. The lives that I believe that he will place in my path to impact. And now, how I believe I can partner with God to being who He wants me to be. I am really grateful as I think back, because I know that who I am today, is all His leading and guidance. And I really have a long way to go, I am pressing on ahead because I know the stretch ahead is going to be an uncertain YET an extremely exciting one. Where do I want to be? ONLY in the centre of His will. That’s where I really want to dwell. No where else.

So, back to the picture. This picture triggers so many thoughts, and most of all, a really grateful heart. That’s what a picture can do to me.

i want YOUR burden

What does it really mean to take on “His yoke” and “carry His burden”? Because if His yoke is easy and His burden is light, I really want that. How else can I do this?

mega-churches. portrayal. “enhancement of worshippers emotions”. techno-secularism. post-modernism. truth. blind-faith. faith. etc etc. Okay, the list goes on. There are many things on my mind and I feel burdened.

Rach, you are not God and please do not try to be.
Yes, that’s right, I can’t be God anyway. And I won’t.
So, into YOUR hands I commit again.

i really don't know it all

Isn’t it strange that sometimes (or maybe all the time) we think we know it all? How can we say that when even Paul, the one who was shipwrecked, who was imprisoned for his faith, who wrote at least 1/3 of the books in the new testament and this same Paul said in Phil 3:12-13 “Not 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. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.” And we think we have already arrived. We think we know God so well and all. PLEASE. Excuse me ah, you think you are greater than Paul? Well, think again.

As I evaluate myself, I think some things I do, have pretty sound intentions and my motives might be right but yet, the method might not be. (A friend would know what I am talking about exactly.) and I think I know it all just because of some experiences I went thru. But is that true? In a general sense for things that happen in life? I don’t think so. So i pray that all my actions will really be motivated by love.

God placed in my heart a prayer during the YA prayer today: before we pray for revival for the other young adults, before we pray for those who strayed away, lets check our hearts. Do we have the “them” vs “us” mentality? Do we think that just because we are leaders that we are “above” them? And I prayed: “God as a leadership group, we really don’t know it all. And we ask you to humble us.” And that prayer lingers in my heart tonight. I pray that we will first desire to dwell in His presence. I pray that we will know what it means to have His presence everywhere we go. I pray that we will understand the intensity of what we are praying. Prayer is not fruitless. It does not just end after that one hour. Prayer is how God reveals to us what we ought to do. because we really do not know it all. because God is really the one whom we need to lead and guide us. And as I begin to understand more and more of who He is, I begin to learn what it means when we say “Prayer changes things”. This phrase means that we gain new perspectives, it means we are convicted to acting on what God reveals thru prayers, it means we learn to do things God does and it means we partner with God to see our prayer answered. It might not mean the situation changes, but it might mean that our perspective of the situation changes and we begin to see things in a clearer view. Of course there’s so much more to prayer, endless to talk about. I haven’t learnt enough yet, really- but I yearn to discover more of the mysteries of prayer. And through praying and acting out my prayers, I want what Paul said he wanted, “to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Phil 3:10-11)

More on prayer another time…

Knowing You Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing
You’re my all, You’re the best,
You’re my joy my righteousness
And I love You Lord

Who is God to YOU?

Everything To Me
By Avalon

verse 1:
I grew up in Sunday School
I memorized the Golden Rule
And how Jesus came to set the sinner free
I know the story inside out
I can tell you all about
The path that led Him up to Calvary
But ask me why He loves me
And I don’t know why
But I’ll never be the same
Because He changed my life when He became

chorus:
Everything to me
He’s more than a story
More than words on a page of history
He’s the air that I breathe
The water I thirst for
And the ground beneath my feet
He’s everything, everything to me

verse 2:
We’re living in uncertain times
And more and more I find that I’m aware
Of just how fragile life can be
I want to tell the world I found
A love that turned my life around
They need to know that they can taste and see
How everyday I’m praying
Just to give my heart away
I want to live for Jesus
So that someone else might se that He is…

You’re everything to me
You’re more than a story
More than words on a page of history
You’re the air that I breathe
The water I thirst for
And the ground beneath my feet
You’re everything, everything to me


i had an interesting conversation to day, with a member of Falun Gong. it was an educative conversation and i made one conclusion at the end of standing half an hour along the road in the sun, that you can be sincere, and sincerely wrong.
God reveal YOUR truth to your people.

pause

okay, i need time to think and pray even more. i might go for a walk tomorrow.
a bit overwhelmed.
but no worries, i am fine. who will be worried actually? laughs.

my handbook to life

Before you continue reading: This is a long entry but something that has been burning in my heart. Read if you have time. :)

You know something; I realized that God is just AMAZING. After we accept Christ, He doesn’t just leave us to fend for ourselves. He gave us the handbook to life! Which is the bible- His word. I will always remember what sis jo told us one cell meeting, about 3 years ago. “If you can spend hours studying your literature text, or your physics notes which will one last for that year or at least until you finish your A levels, why won’t you spend time reading and studying the word of God which is your handbook for your entire life!” (Paraphrased but meaning retained) What she meant was simple: Ground yourself and invest in what has eternal value. I love the way she describes it: handbook to life. Yes, the Bible might not seem to answer our every question, but it does in the sense of principles. I will not elaborate here because there are other things burning in my heart.

Well, I went for a bible study class and what this teacher taught was nothing new. I have heard how important the word is to my life many many times. I mean, I have been in Sunday school all my life man! I have attempted to study the word many times. And I have told that to youths and prayed that pray for the ministry many times too. BUT, yesterday, the CONVICTION of the Holy Spirit that the word should be in an integral part of my life was what made the session different. I went for the class not to hear the teacher teach, (sure, she is really gifted in teaching and power-packed) but I went there to hear what God’s word said. And I like how she started the session by bringing us back to the basis: Why study the word? Of the many things she said, of which I learnt, two things that really struck me was the goal of studying the Bible and the power of the word.

We study the word of God to know Him. (John 17:3) And what struck me deep was how will we know that we know Him? ie: what is the result our knowing God? Answer: When we begin to see that we are conformed to the image of Christ, to His likeness; meaning- Our thoughts mirror His. Wow, what a wonderful truth. I want to study the word of God and be so conformed to Him that I think what HE thinks. I was sharing with a friend online last night, (or rather, this morning) that it’s not what I think, or what I feel, or even my opinion but what the word of God says. I want to be able to point people to the word which is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. And bible study is not easy work I must admit. For me to even get out of the inertia and start going for the class was already difficult. But now, knowing that the word of God is able to transform my life compels me to seek and hunger more for His word. Yes, knowledge puffs up, so I will be careful to ask God to guard my thoughts and remember that the word of God is always to be applied in my life, not stored in my brains.

The other thing that struck me was the power that the word of God possesses. Just one of the verses that she quoted, Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The word of God is able to separate black from white, truth from deception. Especially in this age where there are many false teachings around, we must be able to discern right from wrong. Even in the Christian circle, we need to be able to judge what is right and what is not and we use the Bible as the foundation of it all. Non-Christians and pre-Christians need explanations to why we believe what we believe. We can be secure in our salvation, which we should be; BUT- we need to be ready to explain why we believe what we believe in and studying the word of God will help us to do that. It’s really not “blind faith” anymore but faith backed up by the word of God. I hope I am not quoting this out of context but Hebrews 10:17 says, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” So faith has to be backed up by hearing the word of what? Of Christ. This is the start of a year where I will study the word of God. May God Himself help me to be disciplined in this. I WANT to love the word!

FAITH- saying the "will" instead of the "is able"

Well, I have been thinking. A friend told me last weekend that there is nothing wrong with thinking deeply. Yes, there is nothing wrong with that. Just that if I think TOO much, I might worry over nothing. Well, I went over to grandma’s this evening, (she stays in the same block as me for those who don’t know) and brought dinner over. I love my grandma. She is 86 this year and she is still healthily walking, (though with aches and pains here and there) telling me the latest news and is in tune with the Chinese serials that I am so out of touch with. Last year, grandma started going to a nearby church with my parents. She asked for a bible recently but well, has yet to receive Christ. About two months ago, we heard that she decided to remove the alter cupboard, ancestral tablet and alter she has at home coz she was re-painting her place. Wah, I tell you, I was so happy. But much to my disappointment, she only removed the josssticks alter in the kitchen. She still has this ancestral tablet where she will put josssticks to respect my granddad and her ancestors. I was really disappointed, but I learnt to be thankful that she is taking small steps towards salvation. At least the alter in the kitchen is removed.

But today, I went over and along the way I was just thinking of asking her how church was. When I reached there, she candidly showed me this nian gao that was goblet-shaped and was just laughing at how it is so hard and has no fragrance at all. So I asked her what she bought it for. “bai4 bai4 gei3 ah gong de4.” And my heart sank. I was really quite upset. We have been praying for her for many years, and her going to church now is really encouraging but “when will she receive YOU, Lord?” I was walking home and God, in His still small voice comforted me, “My child, I will do that work in her life, be patient.” Faith. Then, I was reminded of something I read this morning.

Faith is not believing that God is able to do something. Faith is believing that He will do it. And oh Lord, help me believe that it will come to pass! “If you love her so much Lord, let the Holy Spirit convict her! You can do it, can’t you?” being so human, that was my prayer. But as I pondered, God reminded me, “Faith is believing in what is unseen.” And although I cant see grandma’s salvation yet, I want to believe that she will be saved. Because of this faith, I will not give up in my intercession. Because of this faith, I will not give up doing good deeds for her. Because of this faith, I know my God is and will be faithful. God makes everything beautiful in His time, and His work will be completed in grandma’s life. All I have to do is be faithful in my prayers and action of love in her life. This is what Leonard Ravenhill writes in his book Revival Prayer, “The light bulb for us Christians is prayer, and God has the power. But it is faith that makes the connection!” How true it is! So this, I commit into Your hands. I trust You Lord.

fused with Him

Prayer is the means by which we become fused with God, to such an extent that God can easily flow into our affairs and we can easily flow into God's affairs. - Thomas Muthee, Senior Pastor of Praye Cave

i love the word that is used to describe the connection we have with God as we engage in prayer: FUSED. i imagine 2 hearts beating at the same rythmn, pulsating together as one. and my prayer for the week has been that God and I will be CONSTANTLY communicating. no, not only communicating, but communing. Yes, communing is a better word- in connection. "every breath that i take , every moment i'm awake, Lord have your way in me." the word is EVERY. and i mean EVERY moment Lord. help me, remind me, to be constantly in ur presence, in the centre of Your will. Yours alone.

a thought about delighting in the Lord

Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."
What does this verse mean to you? does it mean to you that if you "stay close" to Him, or abide in Him that what you desire (financially, in terms of exam results, your future spouse (of coruse with the criteria attached), etc etc- the list goes super long) He will give it to you? My dear friend, think again.

Thought about it? heh. this is what it means i think. as you abide in Christ, what He desires will become what you desire. As you grow in your love for God, you will began to love what He loves. You will start to see as He sees. a desire for the homeless to be sheltered, for the hungry to be fed, for the lost to find Him, for hearts to be softened.......... and perhaps, this verse will present a whole different meaning to you.

thank you Lord for relighting my passion. it's awesome. finally, 2006, HERE I COME...i am ready.

marvel at God's creation :)

two pretty girls at botanic gardens orchid garden!

marvel at God's creation, ok, on 2nd thoughts, this might be men's creation, they are hybrids i think. but watever the case, they are BEAUTIFUL.

A pineapple which i thought was just cute. haha.

it was a great time with great company of course. with two girls admiring plants and afraid to touch the carnivourous pitcher plant. haha! being grateful for nature and appreciating the quietness. thank God for excellent weather. today couldnt have been better. :) thanks dear for the nice afternoon out. smiles.

what grace can do

i read stg pretty interesting yesterday night and i thought i'd share it here. this is what Max Lucado wrote and i thought it rather insightful.

"The prodigal son trudges up a path. His pig stink makes passersby walk wide circles around him, but he doesnt notice. With eyes on the ground, he rehearses his speech: "Father"- his voice barely audible- "i have sinned against heaven and against you. i'm not worthy to be called your son." He rehashes the phrases, wondering if he should say more, less, or make a U-turn to the barnyard... How could his father forgive him? Maybe i could offer to pay off the credit cards. He's so focused on penance planning that he fails to hear the sound of his father... running!
The dad embraces the mud-layered boy as if he were a returning war hero. He commands the servants to bring a robe, ring, and sandals, as if to say, "No boy of mine is going to look like a pigpen peasant. Fire up the grill. Bring on the drinks. It's time for a party!"
Big brother meanwhile stands on the porch and sulks. "No one ever gives me a party," he mumbles, arms crosed. The father tries to explain, but the jealous son wont listen. He huffs and shrugs and grumbles something about cheap grace, saddles his high horse and rides off. But you knew that. you've read the parable of the gracious father and the hostile brother (Luke 15:11-32)
But have you heard what happened next? Have you read the second chapter? it's a page turner. The older brother resolves to rain on the forgiveness parade. If dad wont exact justice on the boy, i will. "Nice robe there, little brother," he tells him one day. "Better keep it clean. One spot and dad will send you to the cleaners with it." The younger brother waves him away, but the next time he sees his father, he quickly cheeks his robe for stains.
A few days later big brother warns about the ring. "Quite a piece of jewelry dad gave you. He prefers that you wear it on the thumb." "The thumb? He didnt tell me that." "some things we're just supposed to know." "but it wont fit my thumb." "What's your goal- pleasing our father or your own personal comfort?" the spiritual monitor sibes, walking away.
Big brother isnt finished. With the pleasantness of a dyseptic IRS auditor, he taunts, "IF dad sees you with loose laces, he'll take the sandles back." "He will not. They were a gift. He wouldnt....would he?" The ex-prodigal then leans over to snug the strings. As he does, he spots a smudge on his robe. Trying to rub it off, he realises the ring is on a finger, not his thumb. That's when he hears his father's voice. "Hello, Son."
There the boy sits, wearing a spotted robe,loose laces, and a misplaced ring. Overcome with fear, he reacts with a "Sorry, dad" and turns and run.
Too many tasks. keeping the robe spotless, the ring positioned, the sandals snug- who could meet standards? Gift preservation begins to wear on the young man. He avoids the father he feels he cant please. He quits wearing the gifts he cant maintain. He even begins longing for the simpler days of the pigpen. "No one hounded me there.""

identify with this story?

of course this was not exactly in the bible but well, if u turn to galatians you'll find stg similar. Paul writes of how leaglistic jews were turning from what Lucado writes "grace receiving to law keeping" Their happiness was taken away once they decided that the law was what defined their lives. Arent we the same sometimes as well? we know we have been saved by grace and grace alone but so often, we try to be prefect. we try to live up to what the world deems as "christians". and we get so discouraged when we dont meet the standards. when our "big brother"-our inner voice taunts at us, that we arent doing well enough that God would think poorly of us because of how we do certian things. but the law/works is not what defines us, it is grace that defines us. until and until we understand this truth we will never stop trying to clean away the spot on our robes coz we are afraid that our dad would see it or keep tightening the laces on our sandals etc etc. (you get what i mean)

dont get me wrong, the bible does say that we have to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling", yes that is true. i realise one thing. that when we understnad this grace that we have been given so FREELY, whatever we do, we will do it to please God, and we do it not with our strength but with His. and it's amazing. coz when we begin to accept this grace as a gift from God,we will keep our robes spotless not because of fear of getting found out, or the guilt of not wearing the ring on our thumbs but it becomes a willing living out of a godly life.

see what understanding this grace can do for us? serve the Lord and live your life with gratefulness and joy. remember, here, gratefulness is an action word. Get what i mean? :)

had a paul encounter?

i have been reading and studying the book of Acts.and i have been thinking.i read and re-read the conversion experience of Paul.(Acts 9)and i am still filled with amazement and wonder.it was a 360 degree transformation.this can ONLY be the miracle of God.imagine with me,if you were living at the time of Paul,what would your reaction be?this man,who was on his way to damascus to persecute the christians,was a violent persecutor,who stood and witnessed the stoning of stephen,now a born again christian?imagine the thoughts running thru the mind of the christians.i wouldnt blame those who were afraid of him and thought that he was only pretending.they would be scared to death!i think i would be too.

then imagine with me for a moment yourself being Paul(or Saul at that time).seeing the flash of light,hearing the voice of God,hearing the call-what a sensational experience!notice the word "experience".he encountered God along the road, heard His voice.i often pray this prayer,that people will have the "paul encounter" that they will be changed TOTALLY.but u know what,today,i realised stg,that is not enough to pray for the mere encounter.the encounter has to be accompanied with conviction,with the power of the Holy Spirit and with action.u know what paul did after his experinence?he "immediately" began to preach at the synagoges that Jesus is the Son of God. in NLT,it's "immediately",in NIV,it's "at once" and both words show urgency.the encounter wasnt enough,he had to act upon it.and i begin to understand stg,that so what if we heard the voice of God? so what if we had an experience at the alter? so what if we cried our hearts out after a leader prays for us? so what? (ok,before anyone pounces in here,i believe in the move of the Holy Spirit and it is highly valued too but,) the important thing is, what do we DO about this experience that we have had? what do u do after u have heard the call of God?

the preacher said stg on saturday that was so true, "many are called but ultimately, few really go to the field." we may have that experience of a lifetime at the alter,see visions but what REALLY matters is what we do after that.back to Paul,what he did was that he preached what he was so convicted about and his "preaching became more and more powerful".and thereafter,look at his life!how he was never ashamed of the gospel,how he suffered for the truth,how he served the Lord.all theses i believe,BEGAN with the experience that He had with the Lord but CONTINUED to the end because he willingly acted upon it.read about paul's life and you will see,a LIFESTYLE of the call of God along the road to Damascus.

Oh God, help me to be the person that you have called me to be.to live out the truth that you have placed in my heart.to act upon the experiences that you have given me.to be like paul Lord.i dare to pray this prayer because i know that there is no greater joy than living in the centre of God's will and being what He has called me to be.i pray that today,this will be a prayer for yourselves and your young people.