Mark 9:21-24
Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
I can almost see the incredulous look of Jesus when he states "if you can?" to the father of the boy who is possessed by the impure spirit.
How tragic is it to have a child possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech, and frequently attempts to kill the child. I cannot imagine how miserable life would be for the family.
Yet, this is such a huge (HUGE!), complex situation that one can only understand how nothing short of a miracle from God can provide the required deliverance. Who on earth can comfort the father or guarantee a solution when neither medical science nor the priests/disciples could do anything.
It's very human for anyone of us to see life in the impossibilities, as opposed to believe in bold faith. But Perhaps we don't have to have bold faith, because as seen in this example, we only need to look to God to say, I believe but I need help to overcome my weak belief of you.
I must share, that in this last few days, I've constantly prayed like the father because I sense that this jobless journey is ending soon. Yet, because I'm not sure 100% if this is just some positive thinking of my own mind, I'm always troubled with being too optimistic. In fact, I struggle with even trying to claim in faith because I tell myself not to count the eggs before they hatch - for one, I haven't even had a phone call for an interview and my job applications have stopped in the last 2 weeks!
Still, with a sense in me, errorneous or not (time will only tell), I know deliverance from this jobless state will come from God. So with the troubled mind of faith and doubt, I've learned how to weakly state Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief.
The God of all, is Lord of all.
M.
14 May 2014
08 May 2014
We may see but not understand
Mark 8: 17-21
Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied.“And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.”
He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
Yesterday, as I read this story in Mark 8, it dawned upon me that Mark records both the feeding of the 5000 and 4000! Somehow, I always felt (wrongly I know) that they were the same story, just different interpretations from different authors of the gospels.
What's astounding to a casual reader would be the response of the disciples during the feeding of the 4000. Since this happened after the feeding of the 5000, and given Jesus' short 3.5 years ministry, surely the disciples would have remembered how Jesus was able to miraculously provide food using 5 small barely loaves and 2 fish. Yet, it was not so when the incident happens. Somehow, having experienced the great miracle once, they failed to grasp that Jesus can likewise continue to do the same miracle for the 4000.
Now, after reading the verses, it dawned upon me that I'm no better than the disciples. For all the lack of faith or blindness that I can point out of the disciples, I can likewise spot the same issue in my life.
In 1999, I waited for 1 year for God to provide me with a job. It was a year of waiting in fear as the dot.com bubble busted. From a period of waiting, it became panic as the months passed 6 months. However, all went well when I found myself employed in a job that eventually got me directed me to pursue my love for marketing. Similarly, in today's context, having lost my job, and applying for tons of jobs over the past 4 months, I'm faced with a situation where I have replies and still am wondering what is happening. Days like today, I have no appointments so I end up stoning at home and can say it does drive me nuts as I ponder of why my life is turning out like this. (whining moments of life)
How very feeble and small minded for us to have such a weak grasp of God's godliness. Yet, how good is God to not get frustrated and give up on us even when we don't see to understand that He is always more than able.
You see, the God who fed the 5000, also fed the 4000 with excess to spare. Excess that I believed pointed to His abundance. Somedays we really need to cry out, Lord help my unbelief!
He is more than able, amen.
M.
Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied.“And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.”
He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
Yesterday, as I read this story in Mark 8, it dawned upon me that Mark records both the feeding of the 5000 and 4000! Somehow, I always felt (wrongly I know) that they were the same story, just different interpretations from different authors of the gospels.
What's astounding to a casual reader would be the response of the disciples during the feeding of the 4000. Since this happened after the feeding of the 5000, and given Jesus' short 3.5 years ministry, surely the disciples would have remembered how Jesus was able to miraculously provide food using 5 small barely loaves and 2 fish. Yet, it was not so when the incident happens. Somehow, having experienced the great miracle once, they failed to grasp that Jesus can likewise continue to do the same miracle for the 4000.
Now, after reading the verses, it dawned upon me that I'm no better than the disciples. For all the lack of faith or blindness that I can point out of the disciples, I can likewise spot the same issue in my life.
In 1999, I waited for 1 year for God to provide me with a job. It was a year of waiting in fear as the dot.com bubble busted. From a period of waiting, it became panic as the months passed 6 months. However, all went well when I found myself employed in a job that eventually got me directed me to pursue my love for marketing. Similarly, in today's context, having lost my job, and applying for tons of jobs over the past 4 months, I'm faced with a situation where I have replies and still am wondering what is happening. Days like today, I have no appointments so I end up stoning at home and can say it does drive me nuts as I ponder of why my life is turning out like this. (whining moments of life)
How very feeble and small minded for us to have such a weak grasp of God's godliness. Yet, how good is God to not get frustrated and give up on us even when we don't see to understand that He is always more than able.
You see, the God who fed the 5000, also fed the 4000 with excess to spare. Excess that I believed pointed to His abundance. Somedays we really need to cry out, Lord help my unbelief!
He is more than able, amen.
M.
02 May 2014
A reminder.
1 Thessalonians 4:16
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Yesterday, I visited the Tulipmania event in Garden's by the Bay.
As I look at all the pics of tulips that I took, I recall a conversation I had a year ago with Evelyn. She had just gone there and was marvelling at how amazing the conservatory was and how she had an annual pass and planned to go there regularly once she came out of her cancer treatment. I recall asking her via sms if that pass was something I could borrow so I could go in for free and of course, her quick answer was "no! just go and pay for yourself lah!".
As I wandered around the tulips yesterday, someone mentioned, someday in heaven it'll be like that, cool weather, beautiful flora and fauna. Paradise will simply be paradise.
It is almost a year ago, but because her facebook page shows her in the midst of the tulips, the fact that she was there amongst the tulips will always be immortalised. As I look at the pics of tulips that I took, boy does it affect me because I associate it with her and her love for what she saw last year. I can't help but realise that I miss her and the oft funny moments of blunt frank conversations we had.
Losing Evelyn was a big event to me last year. Simply because I lost her as I was in Taiwan on a business trip and was slogging myself amidst the news that she was in critical condition, and then to find out that she has passed away. After a full day that saw me through full meetings and a visit to the baseball event, I finally reached my hotel room of the president hotel, taipei and broke down.
There are days in my jobless phase that I wonder why the past 1 year has been so tough. As if losing lives was not hard enough, somedays I feel so defeated for being in a listless stage. Yet, I'm reminded that this is but a temporary phase of life. Someday, the Lord will return and take us back to paradise and we will get to meet all who had gone before us.
Eve, I assume heaven has many nicer flowers that you are enjoying now, but this I took is for you. Until the day we meet, I must always remind myself to live the days of my life well lest I get scolded by you someday.
M.
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Yesterday, I visited the Tulipmania event in Garden's by the Bay.
As I look at all the pics of tulips that I took, I recall a conversation I had a year ago with Evelyn. She had just gone there and was marvelling at how amazing the conservatory was and how she had an annual pass and planned to go there regularly once she came out of her cancer treatment. I recall asking her via sms if that pass was something I could borrow so I could go in for free and of course, her quick answer was "no! just go and pay for yourself lah!".
As I wandered around the tulips yesterday, someone mentioned, someday in heaven it'll be like that, cool weather, beautiful flora and fauna. Paradise will simply be paradise.
It is almost a year ago, but because her facebook page shows her in the midst of the tulips, the fact that she was there amongst the tulips will always be immortalised. As I look at the pics of tulips that I took, boy does it affect me because I associate it with her and her love for what she saw last year. I can't help but realise that I miss her and the oft funny moments of blunt frank conversations we had.
Losing Evelyn was a big event to me last year. Simply because I lost her as I was in Taiwan on a business trip and was slogging myself amidst the news that she was in critical condition, and then to find out that she has passed away. After a full day that saw me through full meetings and a visit to the baseball event, I finally reached my hotel room of the president hotel, taipei and broke down.
There are days in my jobless phase that I wonder why the past 1 year has been so tough. As if losing lives was not hard enough, somedays I feel so defeated for being in a listless stage. Yet, I'm reminded that this is but a temporary phase of life. Someday, the Lord will return and take us back to paradise and we will get to meet all who had gone before us.
Eve, I assume heaven has many nicer flowers that you are enjoying now, but this I took is for you. Until the day we meet, I must always remind myself to live the days of my life well lest I get scolded by you someday.
M.