Maundy Thursday... Christians all over the world commemorate the last supper of Jesus on this day. The scriptures records down these events in great detail. One of the most memorable part of the events that took place during the last supper was when Jesus had communion with His disciples. Though such a simple act, but yet, I find it so significant and deep in meaning.
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Luke 22:19-20 (NIV)
I wonder how many Christians understand the significance of the elements of Holy Communion. I believe it must be more than just Jesus wanting us to remember Him or what He has done for us. This is what I believe: Everytime when we take communion, we are instructed to remember Christ and what He has done. But I doubt many of us have trouble remembering these events. I would think that by watching the movie "The Passion of the Christ", we would have an even greater picture that will make us remember these events for a long long time. My belief is that more than this, Jesus wants us to understand that we are now His body, which was broken on the cross for us. Therefore, the punishment that was upon Him, was actually meant for us, but He paid the price for us. He didn't do it so that we can just escape punishment, but instead, with this new freedom, we can then carry out His will. Therefore, everytime when we eat of the bread of communion, we are to remember that the body we have is no longer ours, because somebody else paid for it. The truth is that it was never ours, because we used to live in sin, and death owned our very souls. But then, when Christ have set us free, we are now no longer slaves to sin, but slave to righteousness. And by this, since we belong to Christ, we have a new master, and He has given us a new purpose. Oh, how many times have we taken communion but yet our hearts are still consumed with ourselves and our own desires. We should be receiving communion with a heart that acknowledges that our body is no longer ours, but that we are now the body of Christ, and with that, we are to carry out the purposes that Christ has initiated when He came to earth until we die or when He comes back for His church.
In the same way, the blood that was poured for us for the remission of sin, is represented by the wine that we take during Holy Communion. Thus, as we are reminded that the blood that was shed for us have cleanse us from all sins, so are we to take this blood to the world to tell them how they too can be cleanse of their sins. Christians who understand their faith holds the power of the blood of Jesus in their testimony. They know the power of the blood that was shed for them, and how it can turn the darkest sin white, heal the deadliest disease, and free captives from the law of sin and death. But yet, we live lives that does not reflect the power of this blood. Oh may God have mercy on us all for treating His sacrifice with contempt.
I love the song "You are my king" because each time I sing it, it reminds me of not just what Jesus have done, but what I should be doing for Him...
You Are My King
I'm forgiven because you were forsaken,
I'm accepted, you were condemned
I'm alive and well, Your Spirit is within me
Because You died and rose again
Amazing love, how can it be
That You, my King has died for me?
Amazing love, I know its true
Its my joy to honor You
In all I do, I honor You
You are my King
Jesus, You are my King
You are my King
Lord Jesus, thank You that in suffering, You remembered me. I praise You for Your amazing love that gives me another chance to love You back.
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Monday, March 21, 2005
Our cause
Listening to Teresa Conlon's sermon titled "Never Drawing Back" dated January 30th, 2005 made me realize how often we give up so easily in our own battles. God has given each one of us a battle that we are to fight. However, the good thing about these battles is that He has also promised that He will be with us through each of these battles. Our instruction is to fully obey Him and rely on Him for all the provisions that we need to win these battles.
What are the battles that're placed before us? Most of the time, it's our own struggle with sin and other weaknesses. Though we have been set free from all these, yet Satan deceitfully comes to remind us again and again about what we've done. With shame and lies, Satan will use it to make us stumble into our past, and cause us to be captured by it again. But there's another battle; it involves our loved ones that are still not saved. They are caught in the web of sin and hopelessness, and often, turn to the wrong things or people to get free.
However, I feel there's a need to concentrate more on the battle that involves our love ones. I feel this because our struggle with sin is a perpetual thing, at least till the day with die. This battle is something that we've to fight daily. But for our loved ones, we are called to fight for their salvation. We are to be the "light of the world, and the salt of the earth" to them.
Over the weekend, I've come to know about people that close to me struggling with their marriages. They told me about the hopelessness they are facing with their spouse whom they thought they knew, is but a stranger to them now. Then, there are the cases where discipline becomes an issue that affects not just their studies, but also their own livelihood. Relatively speaking, some of these issues are actually considered "normal" when compared to other families that I know of who are struggling with drug abuse, alcoholism and physical abuse. But for some reason, I refuse to accept this as a norm, because I believe that God in His sovereignity is capable of making things work for the good of those who loves Him. The more I think about it, the more I realize how Satan is plotting to destroy my family. I begin to realize that there's more than meets the eye. The spiritual realm is in a chaotic frenzy of spiritual beings waging a war between good and evil. And that's why we need to rise up in our Spirit being to join with the forces of good to destroy the forces of evil and to release those who Satan has held captive for so many years. But often, we are addicted to "peaceful" living, not wanting additional problems or "inconveniences". Until our spiritual eyes are opened to see how the souls of our loved ones are crying in agony, loneliness and hopelessness, we will continue to live a "mediocre" christian life so that we will just be good enough to enter into heaven.
I now believe even more in the cause that God has given me. This is because I see how Satan has deceived and abused my family for too long. I know the promises God has given in Acts 16:31, and believe it with all my heart that "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus". And the greater promise is this, that "..the battle is the LORD's...", and I know with all my heart that thru Christ Jesus, victory is mine already. Thru the cross, Jesus have given that victory to those who believe in Him. We just need to claim it.
I love this song:
When the mighty men
From the tribe of Judah
Faced the enemy
They were told by God
Not to be afraid
He would give the victory
He said lift up a song
And lay down the sword
For the battle is mine
Says the Lord
Sing unto the Lord
Make a joyful sound
Lift your voices
And let your praise resound
Sing a victor song
In the time of war
Trust in Jesus
The battle is the Lord's
When the evil one
Comes against you
To fill your heart with fear
You can trust in God
He will never leave you
He promised to be near
You can lift up a song
In the midst of the war
For the battle is mine
Says the Lord
Sing, Sing, Sing
Sing, Sing, Sing
For the Lord is good
And His mercy endureth forever
For the Lord is good
And His mercy endureth forever
Forever and ever
The battle is the Lord's
What are the battles that're placed before us? Most of the time, it's our own struggle with sin and other weaknesses. Though we have been set free from all these, yet Satan deceitfully comes to remind us again and again about what we've done. With shame and lies, Satan will use it to make us stumble into our past, and cause us to be captured by it again. But there's another battle; it involves our loved ones that are still not saved. They are caught in the web of sin and hopelessness, and often, turn to the wrong things or people to get free.
However, I feel there's a need to concentrate more on the battle that involves our love ones. I feel this because our struggle with sin is a perpetual thing, at least till the day with die. This battle is something that we've to fight daily. But for our loved ones, we are called to fight for their salvation. We are to be the "light of the world, and the salt of the earth" to them.
Over the weekend, I've come to know about people that close to me struggling with their marriages. They told me about the hopelessness they are facing with their spouse whom they thought they knew, is but a stranger to them now. Then, there are the cases where discipline becomes an issue that affects not just their studies, but also their own livelihood. Relatively speaking, some of these issues are actually considered "normal" when compared to other families that I know of who are struggling with drug abuse, alcoholism and physical abuse. But for some reason, I refuse to accept this as a norm, because I believe that God in His sovereignity is capable of making things work for the good of those who loves Him. The more I think about it, the more I realize how Satan is plotting to destroy my family. I begin to realize that there's more than meets the eye. The spiritual realm is in a chaotic frenzy of spiritual beings waging a war between good and evil. And that's why we need to rise up in our Spirit being to join with the forces of good to destroy the forces of evil and to release those who Satan has held captive for so many years. But often, we are addicted to "peaceful" living, not wanting additional problems or "inconveniences". Until our spiritual eyes are opened to see how the souls of our loved ones are crying in agony, loneliness and hopelessness, we will continue to live a "mediocre" christian life so that we will just be good enough to enter into heaven.
I now believe even more in the cause that God has given me. This is because I see how Satan has deceived and abused my family for too long. I know the promises God has given in Acts 16:31, and believe it with all my heart that "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus". And the greater promise is this, that "..the battle is the LORD's...", and I know with all my heart that thru Christ Jesus, victory is mine already. Thru the cross, Jesus have given that victory to those who believe in Him. We just need to claim it.
I love this song:
When the mighty men
From the tribe of Judah
Faced the enemy
They were told by God
Not to be afraid
He would give the victory
He said lift up a song
And lay down the sword
For the battle is mine
Says the Lord
Sing unto the Lord
Make a joyful sound
Lift your voices
And let your praise resound
Sing a victor song
In the time of war
Trust in Jesus
The battle is the Lord's
When the evil one
Comes against you
To fill your heart with fear
You can trust in God
He will never leave you
He promised to be near
You can lift up a song
In the midst of the war
For the battle is mine
Says the Lord
Sing, Sing, Sing
Sing, Sing, Sing
For the Lord is good
And His mercy endureth forever
For the Lord is good
And His mercy endureth forever
Forever and ever
The battle is the Lord's
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Family...
I was going thru some old photos as I was preparing a slide show for Sue's wedding. Little did I expect to be sucked into memory lane, as thoughts and events of old suddenly came flashing into my mind. I look at the pics, and I've got to say that I was a very blessed kid. I mean, I used to tell people that I had a unhappy childhood, but these photos proved otherwise. But something happened along the teen years.. the joy died, and resentment and unforgiveness crept in...
Mike and the Mechanics' "The Living Years" teaches us that we ought not to take people around us for granted. And, the song also stressed the importance of finding out that fact during the "living years". When I look at the stained and faded photos, my heart is crunched as I suddenly desire so much just as to be able to go back into time and relive those moments, and also to undo the wrongs and to make things right. For some reason, hurtful memories tend to always resonate louder in our minds, and are more memorable than happy ones. I remember the hurtful words that I've spoken to my parents, and how I was disobedient to them. If I knew what I know now then, I would have smack myself in the face and told myself to shut up. But life goes on. Words that have been spoken can never be retracted, like fresh water that runs into the sea.
What is family then? Why strive for its survival? And why is it that so many of them fail?
I learned that family is more than just time spent together. It's more than birthdays, graduations, new year's, and christmases spent together. I learn that family goes beyond vacations at the seaside, and the welcoming of the new TV set. Family is from God. And only God can keep the family together because it is His love is the source of all that's good, and the only thing that's worth living for.
In the past 10 years of my life, I have seen with my own eyes how families that are close to me break down. They stopped functioning, and altogether dissolved into something society can't even define. How did it happen? I don't really know. I know some of it could have started from a few hurtful words, while others because of silence altogeher. Today's society tries to make us accept such occurences and something "normal". They view as though not all families are meant to last, and if ours can, we are just plain lucky. Therefore, the breaking down of the family institution has managed to earn its "rightful" place in our modern day society...
The first family that ever existed was God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. With them and thru them existed a love that words cannot describe. In that love was perfect unity and harmony, and it overcomed every single other element that came against it.
I now see why God created families. And it is thru the institution of the family that we can know more about God's love, how it is so sacrificing, enduring and filled with compassion. I thank God for my family, because I know that even when the world rejects me, I have a family that will be there for me. And I claim the promises in Acts 16:31... knowing one day the love in my family will be made complete in Jesus Himself.
Do I have a perfect family? Not really... but when I look at the cross, I see hope for one. And knowing that God loves my family so much gives me more the reason to fight for mine.
Thank you Lord...
Mike and the Mechanics' "The Living Years" teaches us that we ought not to take people around us for granted. And, the song also stressed the importance of finding out that fact during the "living years". When I look at the stained and faded photos, my heart is crunched as I suddenly desire so much just as to be able to go back into time and relive those moments, and also to undo the wrongs and to make things right. For some reason, hurtful memories tend to always resonate louder in our minds, and are more memorable than happy ones. I remember the hurtful words that I've spoken to my parents, and how I was disobedient to them. If I knew what I know now then, I would have smack myself in the face and told myself to shut up. But life goes on. Words that have been spoken can never be retracted, like fresh water that runs into the sea.
What is family then? Why strive for its survival? And why is it that so many of them fail?
I learned that family is more than just time spent together. It's more than birthdays, graduations, new year's, and christmases spent together. I learn that family goes beyond vacations at the seaside, and the welcoming of the new TV set. Family is from God. And only God can keep the family together because it is His love is the source of all that's good, and the only thing that's worth living for.
In the past 10 years of my life, I have seen with my own eyes how families that are close to me break down. They stopped functioning, and altogether dissolved into something society can't even define. How did it happen? I don't really know. I know some of it could have started from a few hurtful words, while others because of silence altogeher. Today's society tries to make us accept such occurences and something "normal". They view as though not all families are meant to last, and if ours can, we are just plain lucky. Therefore, the breaking down of the family institution has managed to earn its "rightful" place in our modern day society...
The first family that ever existed was God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. With them and thru them existed a love that words cannot describe. In that love was perfect unity and harmony, and it overcomed every single other element that came against it.
I now see why God created families. And it is thru the institution of the family that we can know more about God's love, how it is so sacrificing, enduring and filled with compassion. I thank God for my family, because I know that even when the world rejects me, I have a family that will be there for me. And I claim the promises in Acts 16:31... knowing one day the love in my family will be made complete in Jesus Himself.
Do I have a perfect family? Not really... but when I look at the cross, I see hope for one. And knowing that God loves my family so much gives me more the reason to fight for mine.
Thank you Lord...
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Lies, truth and faith...
Why do people lie? Some do it for selfish gain. Others, for malicious intent. And then, there are some who so call lie to "prevent" more bad things from happening. I recall the movie, "A Few Good Men", and there was this scene when Tom Cruise was questioning Jack Nicholson in court. The situation had become intense and Tom Cruise shouted "I want the truth!!" with Jack Nicholson shouting back "You can't handle the truth!!". How bout us? Can we handle the truth?
During my college years, I had a philosophy lecturer by the name of "Eddy". I can't remember his full name, but he played a big role in the way I think. I guess I started to look at the world differently since his course. Thanks to him, I'm also very into philosophy. There was one particular example that he gave that I remembered well. It was during an discussion on ethics, whether good and evil was subjective. Coming from a Christian viewpoint, I stood firm that good and evil was objective, that everything that God called good is good, and everything that God called evil is evil. Then he threw this question out. He said, what if one day, a gang of robbers came into your home, tied your whole family up, and ransacked your whole house. Then one of them asked, "I know you have a sister here somewhere, I want to know where she is". Obviously, him asking the question meant he was planning to harm her in some way. And lets also say that you knew where your sister was hiding... would you lie to the robber, stating that you didn't know, or, would you tell the truth, because it was your principle? The lesson on the "lesser of two evils" was introduced to me on that day. I couldn't answer that question, and begin to have thoughts that to some extent, the bible is not really that practical. Years passed by, and I'm in the U.S. continuing my course. Then one day, I had a similar discussion with Tayo, my good Nigerian comrade. He insisted that God's truth is absolute, so recalling that example by Eddy, I threw it at him. I asked him, "which would you choose Tayo?" And without even thinking twice, Tayo replied "I'll pray!". Gosh... I've never even thought about that. I never knew there was a third option. It was from that day on that I knew the truths in the bible are real. And it's applicable even for our modern day world.
I've seen from time to time how many people lie to get themselves out of "sticky" situations. As long as they don't get caught, the situation is managable. However, I think that from a Christian viewpoint, lying shows a lack of faith in God. It's because we don't trust that God is in control of the situation, so we decide to take the situation in our own hands. There are many references in the bible where it exhorts us to live a life of truth. Here are some examples:
"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor" - Deut 5:20 (NIV)
"Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another" - Lev 19:11 (NIV)
"Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices"- Col 3:9 (NIV)
And this is the reason why God insists that we live on the truth:
"God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" - Num 23:19 (NIV)
I'm convinced that we should a life of truth. Don't get me wrong... I also believe in confidentiality. However, I'm deciding to draw the line of telling the truth, or surpressing it based on God's instruction to me. What I mean by this is that I'm not obligated to respond to every enquiry that's thrown unto me, rather i'm planning to respond by saying "I'd rather not discuss that", than making up some other story to get myself off the hook. Also, there's a need for me to live a life where I do not get myself involved in "unhealthy chatting", ie. gossip, and not only avoid it, but discourage it. People will then find me less "appealing" to approach to know about such things. Thus, it's more than just "not lying", but it's a lifestyle that actively pursues truth and righteousness. And when there are situations that are beyond my comprehension, and I'm not sure how to react, that's when I'll leave it to God to tell me what to do. However, in order to be able to know God's leading, I would have to live a life of prayer. Thus, I see that living a life of truth emcompasses a huge portion of our lives. We have to deal with every single area. Lastly, we need to be accountable, that is, there are people that we turn to to keep ourselves checked. It's critical that we have people that we've entrusted to question us when we're out of line.
"I'll pray." What a simple yet profound idea. It's like when the world is going into chaos, and people are all in the panic state, and someone turns to us and ask "What shall we do? We're all doomed!!" And we simply look at them, with eyes that are filled with a peace that's beyond our understanding, and reply "Let's pray". Therefore, faith comes into rescue, not so much as to keep us from breaking our principles, but rather, to remind us that God is in control. We do not need to take things into our own hands. Awesome!
During my college years, I had a philosophy lecturer by the name of "Eddy". I can't remember his full name, but he played a big role in the way I think. I guess I started to look at the world differently since his course. Thanks to him, I'm also very into philosophy. There was one particular example that he gave that I remembered well. It was during an discussion on ethics, whether good and evil was subjective. Coming from a Christian viewpoint, I stood firm that good and evil was objective, that everything that God called good is good, and everything that God called evil is evil. Then he threw this question out. He said, what if one day, a gang of robbers came into your home, tied your whole family up, and ransacked your whole house. Then one of them asked, "I know you have a sister here somewhere, I want to know where she is". Obviously, him asking the question meant he was planning to harm her in some way. And lets also say that you knew where your sister was hiding... would you lie to the robber, stating that you didn't know, or, would you tell the truth, because it was your principle? The lesson on the "lesser of two evils" was introduced to me on that day. I couldn't answer that question, and begin to have thoughts that to some extent, the bible is not really that practical. Years passed by, and I'm in the U.S. continuing my course. Then one day, I had a similar discussion with Tayo, my good Nigerian comrade. He insisted that God's truth is absolute, so recalling that example by Eddy, I threw it at him. I asked him, "which would you choose Tayo?" And without even thinking twice, Tayo replied "I'll pray!". Gosh... I've never even thought about that. I never knew there was a third option. It was from that day on that I knew the truths in the bible are real. And it's applicable even for our modern day world.
I've seen from time to time how many people lie to get themselves out of "sticky" situations. As long as they don't get caught, the situation is managable. However, I think that from a Christian viewpoint, lying shows a lack of faith in God. It's because we don't trust that God is in control of the situation, so we decide to take the situation in our own hands. There are many references in the bible where it exhorts us to live a life of truth. Here are some examples:
"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor" - Deut 5:20 (NIV)
"Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another" - Lev 19:11 (NIV)
"Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices"- Col 3:9 (NIV)
And this is the reason why God insists that we live on the truth:
"God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" - Num 23:19 (NIV)
I'm convinced that we should a life of truth. Don't get me wrong... I also believe in confidentiality. However, I'm deciding to draw the line of telling the truth, or surpressing it based on God's instruction to me. What I mean by this is that I'm not obligated to respond to every enquiry that's thrown unto me, rather i'm planning to respond by saying "I'd rather not discuss that", than making up some other story to get myself off the hook. Also, there's a need for me to live a life where I do not get myself involved in "unhealthy chatting", ie. gossip, and not only avoid it, but discourage it. People will then find me less "appealing" to approach to know about such things. Thus, it's more than just "not lying", but it's a lifestyle that actively pursues truth and righteousness. And when there are situations that are beyond my comprehension, and I'm not sure how to react, that's when I'll leave it to God to tell me what to do. However, in order to be able to know God's leading, I would have to live a life of prayer. Thus, I see that living a life of truth emcompasses a huge portion of our lives. We have to deal with every single area. Lastly, we need to be accountable, that is, there are people that we turn to to keep ourselves checked. It's critical that we have people that we've entrusted to question us when we're out of line.
"I'll pray." What a simple yet profound idea. It's like when the world is going into chaos, and people are all in the panic state, and someone turns to us and ask "What shall we do? We're all doomed!!" And we simply look at them, with eyes that are filled with a peace that's beyond our understanding, and reply "Let's pray". Therefore, faith comes into rescue, not so much as to keep us from breaking our principles, but rather, to remind us that God is in control. We do not need to take things into our own hands. Awesome!
Monday, March 07, 2005
Faithfulness
Managed to contact Mandy today. I was so glad to know that she's still in love with the Lord. That's not to say that I expected her to fall away, but its just that when I look at my own peers, I am saddened by the fact that so many of them, even after experiencing and tasting that the Lord is good, fall away and decide to live lives their own way.
I love this verse:
"Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him.
If we disown him, he will also disown us;
if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. "
2 Tim 2:11-13 (NIV)
Looking at the last part of this verse, Paul told Timothy that even when we are faithless, Jesus will still be faithful to us, because He is love. He is the unconditional love that continues to love even when that love is not returned.
I pray for so many of my friends who have fallen away that they might be drawn again to the goodness of God. May the love of God compel them, and to let them know that even in their faithless situation, Jesus is still faithfully drawing them back unto Himself.
But I guess everyone has their own season in the wilderness. My prayer is that they get thirsty quickly, because the world and all it has to offer cannot quench that thirst that's deep in our souls. Only Jesus can give us the living water that's able to quench that thirst.
Revival is coming. And I feel that God is starting that awakening in the church first, causing His people to feel burdened for the lost, especially those who have walked away from Christ. And I believe that as long as we continue to pray and stand in the gap for them, reaching out to them in love and faithfulness, the love of God will melt their hearts again, and they will put down their pride and come back to God again. "Oh God! Draw Your people unto Yourself!"
I love this verse:
"Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him.
If we disown him, he will also disown us;
if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. "
2 Tim 2:11-13 (NIV)
Looking at the last part of this verse, Paul told Timothy that even when we are faithless, Jesus will still be faithful to us, because He is love. He is the unconditional love that continues to love even when that love is not returned.
I pray for so many of my friends who have fallen away that they might be drawn again to the goodness of God. May the love of God compel them, and to let them know that even in their faithless situation, Jesus is still faithfully drawing them back unto Himself.
But I guess everyone has their own season in the wilderness. My prayer is that they get thirsty quickly, because the world and all it has to offer cannot quench that thirst that's deep in our souls. Only Jesus can give us the living water that's able to quench that thirst.
Revival is coming. And I feel that God is starting that awakening in the church first, causing His people to feel burdened for the lost, especially those who have walked away from Christ. And I believe that as long as we continue to pray and stand in the gap for them, reaching out to them in love and faithfulness, the love of God will melt their hearts again, and they will put down their pride and come back to God again. "Oh God! Draw Your people unto Yourself!"
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Psalm 121
"I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth."
Psalms 121:1-2 (NIV)
Just came back from an evangelistic meeting. Our church titled the event, "Praises in Suffering Times". How appropriate, I thought. I mean, there must at least some people who are suffering. And oh how they need to hear the gospel. But not for me. Nope. I'm fine. I'm dandily fine. I think... Am I?
Driving back, I was listening to Pastor Neil Rhodes preaching, and he touched on one point that I used to always overlook. He was saying how important it was for Christians to be more fervent in prayer when EVERYTHING was going good in our lives. I mean, the less problems or obstacles we have, the more we need to pray. I tend to do the opposite...
I then begin to look at my life. Currently, I have everything that I need. Spiritually, I feel that I'm doing my best for God. But I know that God still desires more for me. And by more, I mean, that God's plan and purposes for my life, has not even begin to reveal itself to me at this point. I'm beginning to sense that God wants more than just faithfulness in church-going, or church involvement. He wants more than just a sharing of the gospel out of convenience. I beginning to feel that God wants, at least from me, a life that is so desperately in need of Him. And to tell the truth, at this moment, I'm not in desperate need of Him. Why? Because I have all that I need. I have a home, a car, a job. I have friends and families. And I know that it is not God's will to take this away from me to suffer me, but rather, to bring me into a more abundant life than I could offer to myself. Therefore, there's a fear in me, because I know that what I have right now, will soon be taken away from me. I'm not sure how, nor when, but I'm convinced that it will happen sooner or later. But then again, there's a sense of excitement in all this. It's as though even when I lose all that I have, but yet, I'm beginning to understand that it is all these things that are preventing me from experiencing an even greater joy than the world could ever offer.
At this moment, I speak of things that are still very much unknown to me. I have no clue of how things will unravel. But this I know, that God is on my side. I can see with my mind's eye how people could turn their backs on me and cause me harm, however, I know that God's still my help. It makes more sense now when the Psalmist who wrote the 121st Psalm, proclaimed in those simple words, "My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth."
"Father, I thank You for blessing me with the good things in life. But Lord, I know that sometimes, these things can take our eyes away from You. I would rather Lord, lose all these things than lose You. So Lord, have your way in me. Show me O God Your power, that I might have the eyes of my heart opened, and realize that all things on earth are only temporal, but only You and Your word, is eternal. I pray Lord Jesus that You would take me beyond these words, and into the realm where Your understanding is engraved onto my heart, that I would not just say and believe it, but to also live it out. In Jesus' name, amen."
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth."
Psalms 121:1-2 (NIV)
Just came back from an evangelistic meeting. Our church titled the event, "Praises in Suffering Times". How appropriate, I thought. I mean, there must at least some people who are suffering. And oh how they need to hear the gospel. But not for me. Nope. I'm fine. I'm dandily fine. I think... Am I?
Driving back, I was listening to Pastor Neil Rhodes preaching, and he touched on one point that I used to always overlook. He was saying how important it was for Christians to be more fervent in prayer when EVERYTHING was going good in our lives. I mean, the less problems or obstacles we have, the more we need to pray. I tend to do the opposite...
I then begin to look at my life. Currently, I have everything that I need. Spiritually, I feel that I'm doing my best for God. But I know that God still desires more for me. And by more, I mean, that God's plan and purposes for my life, has not even begin to reveal itself to me at this point. I'm beginning to sense that God wants more than just faithfulness in church-going, or church involvement. He wants more than just a sharing of the gospel out of convenience. I beginning to feel that God wants, at least from me, a life that is so desperately in need of Him. And to tell the truth, at this moment, I'm not in desperate need of Him. Why? Because I have all that I need. I have a home, a car, a job. I have friends and families. And I know that it is not God's will to take this away from me to suffer me, but rather, to bring me into a more abundant life than I could offer to myself. Therefore, there's a fear in me, because I know that what I have right now, will soon be taken away from me. I'm not sure how, nor when, but I'm convinced that it will happen sooner or later. But then again, there's a sense of excitement in all this. It's as though even when I lose all that I have, but yet, I'm beginning to understand that it is all these things that are preventing me from experiencing an even greater joy than the world could ever offer.
At this moment, I speak of things that are still very much unknown to me. I have no clue of how things will unravel. But this I know, that God is on my side. I can see with my mind's eye how people could turn their backs on me and cause me harm, however, I know that God's still my help. It makes more sense now when the Psalmist who wrote the 121st Psalm, proclaimed in those simple words, "My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth."
"Father, I thank You for blessing me with the good things in life. But Lord, I know that sometimes, these things can take our eyes away from You. I would rather Lord, lose all these things than lose You. So Lord, have your way in me. Show me O God Your power, that I might have the eyes of my heart opened, and realize that all things on earth are only temporal, but only You and Your word, is eternal. I pray Lord Jesus that You would take me beyond these words, and into the realm where Your understanding is engraved onto my heart, that I would not just say and believe it, but to also live it out. In Jesus' name, amen."
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Marriages...
Daniel and Grace tied the knot today. I've got to say that the wedding went pretty well. The setup, the agenda. It was "perfect" to me.
I learned something today too. I can't recall her name, but she (the Pastor) who gave a message during their wedding ceremony, made me realized something when she mentioned that though a couple is given to one another, yet, the SOURCE of love still comes from God. For some reason, this just made perfect sense to me. Most relationships don't work out because each of the partner is expecting the other partner to fulfill their need for love. And the worse thing is that, it is not that they are holding it back, but rather, it is because they are incapable of perpetually sustaining that source of love from themselves to give to the other. This then when prolonged, would lead to hurts, wounds, discouragement, and even, resentment. Most of the time, if the issue is not dealt with, they will look elsewhere for this source of love. And that's why marriages fail. Infidelity does not happen overnight, nor is it usually an "accident", but rather it is a consequence of such subsequent events.
When I gave thought to the marriage thing a little deeper, I begin to realize that many people, here and elsewhere in the world, gives a very high regard of marriage as something that needs to be accomplish within his or her lifetime. It's as though if somebody doesn't get married, that person is "incomplete". However, I feel that God views marriages very differently from the way we humans view it. I know this, because from the bible we know that earthly human marriages ceases once we die. It does not perpetuate in heaven. For me, I see that marriage is something that God uses to teach us more about His love for us. But many have made it their goal for life. This is not God's will. Instead, I believe that He uses marriage to allow to grow and understand more about how He love us.
Paul also confirmed this when he wrote in Ephesians about how Christ is the bridegroom, and the church is His bride.
"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery-but I am talking about Christ and the church"
Eph 5:31-32 (NIV)
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to belittle the institution of marriage, but rather trying to stress the importance of it. Marriage is important, because to some, until we learn how to persevere and endure thru one, we will never fully understand nor grasp the "mystery" of the love of God. John Piper, in his sermon, "Sex and the Supremacy of Christ", mentioned that God created sex for husband and wives because it is thru that sexual relationship, that can we learn the intimacy that God desires with His people. "One flesh". It is not about sex with God, but rather, the depth of that intimate relationship that God so desperately desires with His creation.
I look for the day that I will know God, just I'm fully known. I know God has prepared a partner for me. But my ultimate partner is still Jesus. And with this, I'm glad I can be complete in Him, even if the world doesn't see it this way. Who cares. I've got Jesus.
I learned something today too. I can't recall her name, but she (the Pastor) who gave a message during their wedding ceremony, made me realized something when she mentioned that though a couple is given to one another, yet, the SOURCE of love still comes from God. For some reason, this just made perfect sense to me. Most relationships don't work out because each of the partner is expecting the other partner to fulfill their need for love. And the worse thing is that, it is not that they are holding it back, but rather, it is because they are incapable of perpetually sustaining that source of love from themselves to give to the other. This then when prolonged, would lead to hurts, wounds, discouragement, and even, resentment. Most of the time, if the issue is not dealt with, they will look elsewhere for this source of love. And that's why marriages fail. Infidelity does not happen overnight, nor is it usually an "accident", but rather it is a consequence of such subsequent events.
When I gave thought to the marriage thing a little deeper, I begin to realize that many people, here and elsewhere in the world, gives a very high regard of marriage as something that needs to be accomplish within his or her lifetime. It's as though if somebody doesn't get married, that person is "incomplete". However, I feel that God views marriages very differently from the way we humans view it. I know this, because from the bible we know that earthly human marriages ceases once we die. It does not perpetuate in heaven. For me, I see that marriage is something that God uses to teach us more about His love for us. But many have made it their goal for life. This is not God's will. Instead, I believe that He uses marriage to allow to grow and understand more about how He love us.
Paul also confirmed this when he wrote in Ephesians about how Christ is the bridegroom, and the church is His bride.
"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery-but I am talking about Christ and the church"
Eph 5:31-32 (NIV)
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to belittle the institution of marriage, but rather trying to stress the importance of it. Marriage is important, because to some, until we learn how to persevere and endure thru one, we will never fully understand nor grasp the "mystery" of the love of God. John Piper, in his sermon, "Sex and the Supremacy of Christ", mentioned that God created sex for husband and wives because it is thru that sexual relationship, that can we learn the intimacy that God desires with His people. "One flesh". It is not about sex with God, but rather, the depth of that intimate relationship that God so desperately desires with His creation.
I look for the day that I will know God, just I'm fully known. I know God has prepared a partner for me. But my ultimate partner is still Jesus. And with this, I'm glad I can be complete in Him, even if the world doesn't see it this way. Who cares. I've got Jesus.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Living that God centered life...
Looking back to the past few blogs that I've written, I guess to some extent that the words presented may give the reader a "false" perception of the writer, as though the writer has got it all figured out about his Christian walk and all. But I know that I'm still far from it. What I blog is what I feel in my heart. These are the things that I feel that "should" be. However, I know too that it is not impossible to live it out, because if it was, then God would never have expected it from us.
I spent the past two days attending a course on "Professional Selling Skills". The presenter / course leader made the entire course very interesting thru his unique and unconventional way of presenting the materials of the course. However, I was a bit "bored" with the course because I felt that deep in me, the line that I'm in currently is only gonna be temporary. I did try to convince myself that even though I may not do sales forever, I could still make use of the things that are taught. However, as the course progressed, and even as I force myself to be positive and open towards the presenter, I still failed. I failed because the Spirit of God was testifying in me that what was taught was the wisdom of men. The problem wasn't because it wasn't good or unpractical, or any of that sort, but rather, it was just that the wisdom was not from God. And I'm beginning to see why this is gonna be a very important point in my own life.
Take a walk into any bookstore and we can find on the shelves hundreds, if not thousands of books on self-improvement, self-help, motivational books and so on. Frankly speaking, all these books are good (to some sense) as they have helped out many people, some who may suffer from low-esteem, or just need some help in thinking outside the box and so on. However, there's a significant difference between good wisdom, and the wisdom of God. There are many men out there who has many theories about how we can live a more fulfilled life, or how we can learn the habits of highly effective people, and so on, but because many of these people did not draw wisdom from God Himself, though the techniques might yield some results, they will never last.
Again, I'm talking about eternity. What's the point of fixing my self-esteem when I'm gonna die at 80? I mean, if my life ended at 30, I would have saved myself the trouble of even having to fix my self-esteem. Thus, there leaves a big question that many of us know we need to answer, but yet we still avoid it all cost. And that question, I believe, would be "What does God want to do thru my life?". This question would also need to be followed with another question, and that is "Am I going to obey it?".
God is calling us to a more glorious life than we can ever imagine. And when He calls us, He will also provide all that we need. This I believe with all my heart. So, we have to be true to ourselves, and not keep living a life that's of two masters.
God help us.
I spent the past two days attending a course on "Professional Selling Skills". The presenter / course leader made the entire course very interesting thru his unique and unconventional way of presenting the materials of the course. However, I was a bit "bored" with the course because I felt that deep in me, the line that I'm in currently is only gonna be temporary. I did try to convince myself that even though I may not do sales forever, I could still make use of the things that are taught. However, as the course progressed, and even as I force myself to be positive and open towards the presenter, I still failed. I failed because the Spirit of God was testifying in me that what was taught was the wisdom of men. The problem wasn't because it wasn't good or unpractical, or any of that sort, but rather, it was just that the wisdom was not from God. And I'm beginning to see why this is gonna be a very important point in my own life.
Take a walk into any bookstore and we can find on the shelves hundreds, if not thousands of books on self-improvement, self-help, motivational books and so on. Frankly speaking, all these books are good (to some sense) as they have helped out many people, some who may suffer from low-esteem, or just need some help in thinking outside the box and so on. However, there's a significant difference between good wisdom, and the wisdom of God. There are many men out there who has many theories about how we can live a more fulfilled life, or how we can learn the habits of highly effective people, and so on, but because many of these people did not draw wisdom from God Himself, though the techniques might yield some results, they will never last.
Again, I'm talking about eternity. What's the point of fixing my self-esteem when I'm gonna die at 80? I mean, if my life ended at 30, I would have saved myself the trouble of even having to fix my self-esteem. Thus, there leaves a big question that many of us know we need to answer, but yet we still avoid it all cost. And that question, I believe, would be "What does God want to do thru my life?". This question would also need to be followed with another question, and that is "Am I going to obey it?".
God is calling us to a more glorious life than we can ever imagine. And when He calls us, He will also provide all that we need. This I believe with all my heart. So, we have to be true to ourselves, and not keep living a life that's of two masters.
God help us.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Life with a purpose, but whose purpose are we living for?
Rick Warren's book, the "Purpose Driven Life" indeed contained many good points that Christians could generally learn and practice to achieve a life with purpose. But there's still this drawback that I feel. I feel that many Christians still try to form their own purposes. And of course, many of these "purposes" are good, and some even sound noble, and godly. But is this what God really want for our lives, or is it something that we're just trying to justify to make ourselves feel better?
When Jesus called His first disciples, they just "left their nets" and followed after Him. Even when He sent them out to preach the gospel, He told them not to take anything extra, but rather to go by faith. It's funny how modern Christians today view the call of the gospel very differently. Many of us refuse to budge out of our comfort zones. Can you imagine one day if a pastor would to cry out to his congregation and say, "sell all your properties and be prepared to go to the farthest corner of the world to preach the gospel". I bet the church would probably stone him for making such a statement. Though most of us would not result to such action (stoning), but yet, deep in our hearts, we still feel that the pastor's statement is illogical, insensitive, and maybe, even ungodly cause we feel that we should only go when God calls us to go. This is of course true. There's no dispute in this. However, a question continue to rise in my heart, that is, the jobs that we have now, the homes that we own, the life the we live... has God call us to this?
Jesus made it very clear in the gospels that His follower MUST deny himself (or herself), and take up his (or her) cross daily. Jesus made it plain also when he said that those who try to save their own lives, will lose it, and those who lose it for His sake, will find it. These paradoxical themes continue to ring, not just in the gospels, but even Paul reminds us of it in his letters. But for some reason, modern day Christians find themselves excluded from such a life. It's as though we need that "strong" or "extremely clear" calling of God before we need to give up our current possesions for the sake of His gospel. It's as though the "default" life is --> study hard, get a job, get married, get a house, a car, have kids and make sure u have enough to retire. Unless God calls us, we are naturally called live this "default" life. And the worse part of all this is that unless we seek God, it is very difficult for us to even hear God's calling for our lives. We will be so busy with this "default" life that we wouldn't even know when God is calling us.
Shouldn't the Christian walk be the other way? I mean, imagine if the "default" Christian life is, get equipped in the word, pray, fast, go into the places that God has calls us to go, disciple, preach, heal the sick, etc, and unless God called us to do other wise, we will stick with this default one. Wouldn't the gospel be spread even faster this way? I mean, how often does God call His people to live secular lives anyway? It doesn't make sense to me. And yet, it is so. We justify to our hearts and minds that we are still living within God's will. Go figure....
Why do we still fear when we have the creator of the universe backing us up for everything that He has called us to? I mean, even if we are to lose our lives for His cause, we still gain everything! I bet this was Jim Eliot's conviction when he wrote "He is no fool to give what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose". Jim had a glimpse of heaven. And when he saw it, he wanted it so bad that everything else on earth is not worthy of him anymore. He had a cause. And not just "a" cause, but he had "His" cause.
Satan continues to work his deception among God's people. And if we as Christians are not careful, we will fall into this deception. Therefore, it is so critical that we understand God's purpose for our lives. If we don't, we will end up living for our own purpose, if not, somebody else's (Satan's?)...
When Jesus called His first disciples, they just "left their nets" and followed after Him. Even when He sent them out to preach the gospel, He told them not to take anything extra, but rather to go by faith. It's funny how modern Christians today view the call of the gospel very differently. Many of us refuse to budge out of our comfort zones. Can you imagine one day if a pastor would to cry out to his congregation and say, "sell all your properties and be prepared to go to the farthest corner of the world to preach the gospel". I bet the church would probably stone him for making such a statement. Though most of us would not result to such action (stoning), but yet, deep in our hearts, we still feel that the pastor's statement is illogical, insensitive, and maybe, even ungodly cause we feel that we should only go when God calls us to go. This is of course true. There's no dispute in this. However, a question continue to rise in my heart, that is, the jobs that we have now, the homes that we own, the life the we live... has God call us to this?
Jesus made it very clear in the gospels that His follower MUST deny himself (or herself), and take up his (or her) cross daily. Jesus made it plain also when he said that those who try to save their own lives, will lose it, and those who lose it for His sake, will find it. These paradoxical themes continue to ring, not just in the gospels, but even Paul reminds us of it in his letters. But for some reason, modern day Christians find themselves excluded from such a life. It's as though we need that "strong" or "extremely clear" calling of God before we need to give up our current possesions for the sake of His gospel. It's as though the "default" life is --> study hard, get a job, get married, get a house, a car, have kids and make sure u have enough to retire. Unless God calls us, we are naturally called live this "default" life. And the worse part of all this is that unless we seek God, it is very difficult for us to even hear God's calling for our lives. We will be so busy with this "default" life that we wouldn't even know when God is calling us.
Shouldn't the Christian walk be the other way? I mean, imagine if the "default" Christian life is, get equipped in the word, pray, fast, go into the places that God has calls us to go, disciple, preach, heal the sick, etc, and unless God called us to do other wise, we will stick with this default one. Wouldn't the gospel be spread even faster this way? I mean, how often does God call His people to live secular lives anyway? It doesn't make sense to me. And yet, it is so. We justify to our hearts and minds that we are still living within God's will. Go figure....
Why do we still fear when we have the creator of the universe backing us up for everything that He has called us to? I mean, even if we are to lose our lives for His cause, we still gain everything! I bet this was Jim Eliot's conviction when he wrote "He is no fool to give what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose". Jim had a glimpse of heaven. And when he saw it, he wanted it so bad that everything else on earth is not worthy of him anymore. He had a cause. And not just "a" cause, but he had "His" cause.
Satan continues to work his deception among God's people. And if we as Christians are not careful, we will fall into this deception. Therefore, it is so critical that we understand God's purpose for our lives. If we don't, we will end up living for our own purpose, if not, somebody else's (Satan's?)...
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Living a life that's worthy of God's calling
Had an interesting discussion with a friend over dinner tonight. One topic led to another and it came to the point where I questioned him, "How different would you live your life, if you knew Jesus was coming back in 2 years time, or less...?"
We, as 21st century humans, have a very unrealistic view of life. This is especially true when we live in nations that are shielded from the realities of life, which often includes unpredictable deaths, and unwanted circumstances. So much so that even we as Christians, tend to get caught with this mindset, as though that we have time to accomplish and build our careers and desires, and then only would we seriously "consider" giving all to God.
Jesus said that the coming of the Son of Man is like a thief in the night. Simply put, we don't know when He is coming back. Even if He doesn't come back in our lifetime, yet, that doesn't free us from the fact that we could still be taken away anytime. But, we continue to live our lives as though it will last for the next 100 years. Jesus also mentioned that where our treasure is, there our heart is also. This is true, because if we were to really assess how we spend our time and money, we would know how much we are giving it for God's cause. Jesus said "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." [Mark 12:30 (NIV)]. The word "all", which was spoken 2 thousand years ago still means the same thing today: All. It still means unreservingly giving everything, and holding nothing back.
The church is dead today because there's no desperation within the hearts of God's people. The church have been lured by the world, and instead of it being the "light" of the world, it has now become "like" the world. The lamp that once burn brightly where people in the dark would draw near it to find truth, is slowly fading out. This is one of the reasons why the church need to cut itself loose from the bondages of the world, and start clinging onto Godly things. Eternity needs to be establish in our hearts so that we can start living as though we are dead to the things of the world. It's only when our minds are freed from the clutches of this world, that's when we can really have our candle lit up again, and being able to become the light to the dark world.
In Galatians, Paul rebuked the Galatian church because they were turning their faith onto what we would term as "tangible" securities. There was a bunch of people who were going around preaching that circumcision was the only way to be sure that you're saved. Though we don't practice that today, but yet a similar theme continues, that is, the shifting of our faith. Faith, which is supposed to be "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" [Heb 11:1 (NIV)] is now being replaced by "being sure and hopeful for the things that we do see". Our eyes, hands, intellect, and strength have become our god. We no longer need God to intervene for any of our predicaments. Financial problems? No problem when you have a credit card! Health problems? No problem when you are medically insured! Relationship problems? No problem when you have 1-800-TELE-PSYCHIC or the nearest therapy clinic. There is no room for God anymore. Who needs him? We have ALL that we need in this world... oh... may God have mercy on us all.
History has proven from time and time again, that major revivals that occur in the church is usually preceded by a major catastrophe. It's as though God needs to lift His hand of grace from us before we would turn back to Him. My Spirit has been testifying within my heart since 9/11, that turmoil on earth will only increase. From measure to measure, tragedies and calamaties will continue to occur, so as to wake the church up from its slumber. The church needs to arise, and began to move out in faith into the glorious purposes that God has prepared it for. The church is you and me.
What are you doing?
What am I doing?
We, as 21st century humans, have a very unrealistic view of life. This is especially true when we live in nations that are shielded from the realities of life, which often includes unpredictable deaths, and unwanted circumstances. So much so that even we as Christians, tend to get caught with this mindset, as though that we have time to accomplish and build our careers and desires, and then only would we seriously "consider" giving all to God.
Jesus said that the coming of the Son of Man is like a thief in the night. Simply put, we don't know when He is coming back. Even if He doesn't come back in our lifetime, yet, that doesn't free us from the fact that we could still be taken away anytime. But, we continue to live our lives as though it will last for the next 100 years. Jesus also mentioned that where our treasure is, there our heart is also. This is true, because if we were to really assess how we spend our time and money, we would know how much we are giving it for God's cause. Jesus said "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." [Mark 12:30 (NIV)]. The word "all", which was spoken 2 thousand years ago still means the same thing today: All. It still means unreservingly giving everything, and holding nothing back.
The church is dead today because there's no desperation within the hearts of God's people. The church have been lured by the world, and instead of it being the "light" of the world, it has now become "like" the world. The lamp that once burn brightly where people in the dark would draw near it to find truth, is slowly fading out. This is one of the reasons why the church need to cut itself loose from the bondages of the world, and start clinging onto Godly things. Eternity needs to be establish in our hearts so that we can start living as though we are dead to the things of the world. It's only when our minds are freed from the clutches of this world, that's when we can really have our candle lit up again, and being able to become the light to the dark world.
In Galatians, Paul rebuked the Galatian church because they were turning their faith onto what we would term as "tangible" securities. There was a bunch of people who were going around preaching that circumcision was the only way to be sure that you're saved. Though we don't practice that today, but yet a similar theme continues, that is, the shifting of our faith. Faith, which is supposed to be "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" [Heb 11:1 (NIV)] is now being replaced by "being sure and hopeful for the things that we do see". Our eyes, hands, intellect, and strength have become our god. We no longer need God to intervene for any of our predicaments. Financial problems? No problem when you have a credit card! Health problems? No problem when you are medically insured! Relationship problems? No problem when you have 1-800-TELE-PSYCHIC or the nearest therapy clinic. There is no room for God anymore. Who needs him? We have ALL that we need in this world... oh... may God have mercy on us all.
History has proven from time and time again, that major revivals that occur in the church is usually preceded by a major catastrophe. It's as though God needs to lift His hand of grace from us before we would turn back to Him. My Spirit has been testifying within my heart since 9/11, that turmoil on earth will only increase. From measure to measure, tragedies and calamaties will continue to occur, so as to wake the church up from its slumber. The church needs to arise, and began to move out in faith into the glorious purposes that God has prepared it for. The church is you and me.
What are you doing?
What am I doing?
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