Hebrews 11:6 (Living Bible)
You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely look for him.
I feel that my life is always full of challenging situations as I am always placed in situations which I don't like but can't seem to easily get out of. Especially when I look around my workplace and see colleagues get a newer, better job so easily whereas, my attempts come to no avail. This would then result in many one-way, one-sided conversations with God which often go "why, why why...?".
Thankfully there are always multiple reminders that life comprises much more than what I desires and as I surrend my struggles, everything becomes much brighter.
On Sunday, when this version of Hebrews was shared, the word "depending on Him" leaped at me like an Eureka moment. Our life is often not a bed of roses because these are there to make us learn to depend on God. I'm not talking about a sadistic god who forces us to go through challenges and intentionally does it to makes the life of Christian miserable.
But somehow, I can comprehend how these rocky paths of my life is meant to teach me to depend on God and to make me work out my salvation. That is really what believing in Christ is all about - Faith that God takes care of everything. The warnings in Deuteronomy 8:10 - 14 below explains why God shouldn't give us everything we think we should get.
"When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God"
Prosperity, rather than rigors of life, makes it easier for any of us to put God behind us. Sure, the life of a Christian is blessed and we have a heavenly father who has amazing richness for us to claim and live. We're not just meant to live mediocre and financially deprived lives, but ironically, success makes it harder to depend on the Lord.
The Israelites did prove to be less faithful after they moved into the Promised Land. Again and again they turned their hearts to other gods. Life is always filled with distractions that squeeze and charm us away from God.
Like you, I too desire success in this life. Sure it is a temporal life, but every hour, every week, every month that passes by for a lifetime of say 70 years seems to be so painfully long. However, in perspective of an eternity which our soul will spend someday, this 70 years is a tiny fraction of time which we need to invest to sercure our eternity. Therefore, may you and I spend this human life staying grounded, humbled and constantly depending on God for every big and small thing that comes our way.
I rather we enter heaven having lived a challenging life and never getting what we want, than to have a smooth life getting whatever we want and then forgotting about God in our lives.
blessings,
M.
"Beware of the temptation that success brings. There is grave danger in getting what we want." Philip Yancy
10 September 2008
06 September 2008
The Lord gave, blessed be the name of the Lord
Job 1:21
the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
It has been raining for the past week. Not that the rain is aweful, but it results in some inconveniences in programmes and this was the 1 week holiday which we would be running a 2 day 1 night Discovery Rangers Training Camp (DTC) for the boys and girls aged 8 to 10 years old.
Throughout the week, rain fell. Some days it was in the day, other times at night. Amazingly, on friday as the DTC was to start, the rain which fell throughout thursday night stopped by 10am of friday.
As I worked and gazed out the window throughout the day, I was absolutely amazed by the sunny weather which was atypical of the past 2 weeks. In fact, the rain never came and the camp was blessed with sunshine and cool night for all outdoor programmes and campfire to go on.
Only just 1 hour ago, at 8pm did the rain start coming back and now it's all back to the same wet weather phenomenal which we have been having for the past week.
The very fact that the camp enjoyed such great weather is truely a blessing from God and I give Him thanks for looking after His little Discovery Ranger boys and girls.
Thank you Jesus!
M.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. (1 Chronicles 16:34)
the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
It has been raining for the past week. Not that the rain is aweful, but it results in some inconveniences in programmes and this was the 1 week holiday which we would be running a 2 day 1 night Discovery Rangers Training Camp (DTC) for the boys and girls aged 8 to 10 years old.
Throughout the week, rain fell. Some days it was in the day, other times at night. Amazingly, on friday as the DTC was to start, the rain which fell throughout thursday night stopped by 10am of friday.
As I worked and gazed out the window throughout the day, I was absolutely amazed by the sunny weather which was atypical of the past 2 weeks. In fact, the rain never came and the camp was blessed with sunshine and cool night for all outdoor programmes and campfire to go on.
Only just 1 hour ago, at 8pm did the rain start coming back and now it's all back to the same wet weather phenomenal which we have been having for the past week.
The very fact that the camp enjoyed such great weather is truely a blessing from God and I give Him thanks for looking after His little Discovery Ranger boys and girls.
Thank you Jesus!
M.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. (1 Chronicles 16:34)
28 August 2008
Dead Dreams Restored
Isaiah 26:19
But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.I attended the youth service with the living springs ER on 16 Aug and this was the verse and topic shared. One of the activities which we did was to write down the dreams and aspirations which we had when we were young. It was refreshing to rethink what I wanted to be when I was young and review it.
Sadly, the few adults who were present realised that over 50% of our dreams never materialised. Yes some were hilarious to review because they were idealistic dreams common to children but in adult years, most of us would never want to do such a job. Examples include a fireman, road-sweeper or nurse.
We were given some time to review our list and as I reviewed mine, I realised that some dreams were indirectly fulfilled and often they were used to glorify God. When I was young, I wanted to be a teacher because I wanted many school holidays to play and enjoy. However, as I did my part-time teaching, I realised that teaching in school was never my cup of tea. But I did end up fulfilling that dream because I joined the teaching ministry in church. That to me was a lot more rewarding that I ever expected, except that I don't enjoy school holidays.
What about you? what innocent dreams did you aspire to have or would still like to have? Life comprises more than just the current realities. We need visions and dreams to move ahead in life. Surely, life in Christ comprises of more possibilities and opportunities to extend our capacity and eventually lead towards God being glorified.
Today, won't you do like what I did. Write and review your dreams because that which is honest, true and worthy, God can restore.
blessings,
M.
For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God. (Ecclesiastes 5:7)
05 August 2008
Grace
Titus 2:11-12
"For the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men,instructing us, to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world."
Many professing Christians today utterly ignore the biblical truth that grace "instruct us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age". Instead, they live as if grace were a supernatural "Get Out of Jail Free" ticket with no strings attached, a general leniency and self-awarded immunity from what we should be living morally. It is really an attitude of complacency which have taken root in us, especially if we have sat in the pews of church for years and yet lived as if Christ was never going to come back in our life.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer a German Lutheran pastor and Nazi resister spoke powerfully against the secularization of the church during the Nazi Regime"
"Cheap grace means grace as a doctrine, a principle, a system. It means forgiveness of sins proclaimed as a general truth, the love of God taught as the Christian "conception" of God. An intellectual assent to that idea is held to be of itself sufficient to secure the remission of sins. The Church which holds the correct doctrine of grace has, it is supposed, ipso facto a part in that grace. In such a Church the world finds a cheap covering for its sins; no contrition is required, still less any real desire to be delivered from sin. Cheap grace therefore amounts to a denial of the Incarnation of the Word of God. Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything, they say, and so everything can remain as it was before. "All for sin could not atone." The world goes on in the same old way, and we are still sinners "even in the best life" as Luther said. Well, then, let the Christian live like the rest of the world, let him model himself on the world's standards in every sphere of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under sin" - Quoted from The Cost of Discipleship [New York: Collier, 1959], 45-46).
"For the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men,instructing us, to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world."
Many professing Christians today utterly ignore the biblical truth that grace "instruct us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age". Instead, they live as if grace were a supernatural "Get Out of Jail Free" ticket with no strings attached, a general leniency and self-awarded immunity from what we should be living morally. It is really an attitude of complacency which have taken root in us, especially if we have sat in the pews of church for years and yet lived as if Christ was never going to come back in our life.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer a German Lutheran pastor and Nazi resister spoke powerfully against the secularization of the church during the Nazi Regime"
"Cheap grace means grace as a doctrine, a principle, a system. It means forgiveness of sins proclaimed as a general truth, the love of God taught as the Christian "conception" of God. An intellectual assent to that idea is held to be of itself sufficient to secure the remission of sins. The Church which holds the correct doctrine of grace has, it is supposed, ipso facto a part in that grace. In such a Church the world finds a cheap covering for its sins; no contrition is required, still less any real desire to be delivered from sin. Cheap grace therefore amounts to a denial of the Incarnation of the Word of God. Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything, they say, and so everything can remain as it was before. "All for sin could not atone." The world goes on in the same old way, and we are still sinners "even in the best life" as Luther said. Well, then, let the Christian live like the rest of the world, let him model himself on the world's standards in every sphere of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under sin" - Quoted from The Cost of Discipleship [New York: Collier, 1959], 45-46).
Summary of the quote above is a call for us to humbly understand that the church cannot afford to live as the world does. Someone died to redeem us from our sinful lives and have us the gift of eternal life! Therefore we who call ourselves Christians should live 'fearfully' to meet the standards of God, and not live lives like a non-believer.
We live each day in undeserving grace. It was the loving choice, plan and power of God though and by His son Jesus that we can someday go to heaven. This should keep us humble and make us grateful to learn of him. We did nothing to deserve it. Oh that you and I can start to understand His love, His power, His choice, His patience and the cost to sacrifice His Son just so you and I have hope.
blessings,
M.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
01 August 2008
Death
Ecclesiastes 7:2
It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.
Today while lunching with 2 colleagues we ended up talking about death and I started sharing with them my ideal dying age if I was single and if I was married, much to their horror/amazement. Despite my justification and answering all their queries of why I only wanted to die by the ages, they could not reconcile my idealogy and concluded I was extremely cukoo.
It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.
Today while lunching with 2 colleagues we ended up talking about death and I started sharing with them my ideal dying age if I was single and if I was married, much to their horror/amazement. Despite my justification and answering all their queries of why I only wanted to die by the ages, they could not reconcile my idealogy and concluded I was extremely cukoo.
Death is inevitable, the only question is how and when. It's interesting that Ecclesiastes professes that we should keep the notion of death closely to heart. Why? I realise that if we comprehend that our lives are delicate and transient, it would make us live life fully, treasure what is important and discard the petty things.
William Wallace says "Every man dies, not every man really lives". What time of life are you living for today? Are you bogged down with issues that really don't matter in the long term? Are you living like Paul did with eternity in mind as he told the church of Galatia: "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."Importantly, should you pass away anytime in the next few weeks or months would you recognise that the life you had lived, no matter how short, was well lived?
Someday we will die, it could be the near future, or many years ahead. May you be able to answer to God and man that our lives have been purposeful and of value to all.
blessings,
M.
"You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed" (Ps. 139:16).
30 July 2008
Fathers & Mothers
Proverbs 6:20-22
My son, observe the commandment of your father And do not forsake the teaching of your mother; Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck. When you walk about, they will guide you; When you sleep, they will watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you.
Children below the age of 9 are filled with such zeal and energy that it is hard to not see the goodness and potential which they are capable of as adults. Somehow, from the age of 12 onwards, and puberty kicks in, that all seems to change. Potential plummets down and goodness turns into rebellion.
Today, I was listening to a snippet of sharing of "Insight for Living" by Chuck Swindoll. As he talked about Ephesians 6:4, he highlighted 6 things which father's commonly do which exasperates their children.
i. Favouritism
ii. Overprotection
iii. Discouragement
iv. Neglect
v. Bitter words/abuse
vi. Failure to allow a child to grow up
There is no magical thing which a father or mother can do to see through the growth of their child. Parent's can only do this much and leave their children to choose the life which they want to live.
Biblically though, a good father commands the household to live right before God and man. Simple as it sounds, it's really a tall order as father's have to walk the talk as they set the standards for their family. Mother's have an equally important role as they are told to teach their children, which means all the step by step instructions and provision of guidance.
After all this is said and done, the rest is left to us as children to respond. Read the wise instructions in the passage below and live it out obediently. May the values and goodness required of our lives by our parents be imparted upon our lives.
blessings,
M.
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right" (Ephesians 6:1)
My son, observe the commandment of your father And do not forsake the teaching of your mother; Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck. When you walk about, they will guide you; When you sleep, they will watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you.
Children below the age of 9 are filled with such zeal and energy that it is hard to not see the goodness and potential which they are capable of as adults. Somehow, from the age of 12 onwards, and puberty kicks in, that all seems to change. Potential plummets down and goodness turns into rebellion.
Today, I was listening to a snippet of sharing of "Insight for Living" by Chuck Swindoll. As he talked about Ephesians 6:4, he highlighted 6 things which father's commonly do which exasperates their children.
i. Favouritism
ii. Overprotection
iii. Discouragement
iv. Neglect
v. Bitter words/abuse
vi. Failure to allow a child to grow up
There is no magical thing which a father or mother can do to see through the growth of their child. Parent's can only do this much and leave their children to choose the life which they want to live.
Biblically though, a good father commands the household to live right before God and man. Simple as it sounds, it's really a tall order as father's have to walk the talk as they set the standards for their family. Mother's have an equally important role as they are told to teach their children, which means all the step by step instructions and provision of guidance.
After all this is said and done, the rest is left to us as children to respond. Read the wise instructions in the passage below and live it out obediently. May the values and goodness required of our lives by our parents be imparted upon our lives.
blessings,
M.
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right" (Ephesians 6:1)
23 July 2008
End of the World
Matthew 16:2-3
"He replied,"When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times."
I was in Taipei on a business trip and as I was in the chartered van going to the airport to pick up my Apac president, the driver was making small talk with me. As we talked about the weather and seasons which Taipei had, he mentioned that nowadays the weather has gone mad as it no longer rains when it's suppose to be rainy season and you can never rely on fixed weather seasons happening. Then he remarked that it's like that as the world comes to an end. That got me thinking.
Strangely, after this conversation, it seems that everytime there's a heat spell or rainy week, everyone who I talk to also seems to make mention that the weather is now cukoo because the world is coming to an end.
Jesus speaks of how we can interprete the weather by looking at the sky (micro-analysis) but don't look at the macro picture and realise that it is a strong sign of the End of the Age for mankind. Even though everyone confess that it's the end of the world, but somehow its superficial without the reality of the urgency of its truth.
The world is really coming to an end, now most around us are professing it and my fear is that our senses get dulled as we hear it constantly and throughout. It is a reality and a pressing one for us to note as the clock ticks closer and we haven't accelerated our actions to share the gospel of hope and love.
May we have eyes to perceive the urgency of the end times and choose to awake from our slumbering lives. Redeem the time!
blessings,
M.
"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door."(Matthew 24: 32-33)
"He replied,"When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times."
I was in Taipei on a business trip and as I was in the chartered van going to the airport to pick up my Apac president, the driver was making small talk with me. As we talked about the weather and seasons which Taipei had, he mentioned that nowadays the weather has gone mad as it no longer rains when it's suppose to be rainy season and you can never rely on fixed weather seasons happening. Then he remarked that it's like that as the world comes to an end. That got me thinking.
Strangely, after this conversation, it seems that everytime there's a heat spell or rainy week, everyone who I talk to also seems to make mention that the weather is now cukoo because the world is coming to an end.
Jesus speaks of how we can interprete the weather by looking at the sky (micro-analysis) but don't look at the macro picture and realise that it is a strong sign of the End of the Age for mankind. Even though everyone confess that it's the end of the world, but somehow its superficial without the reality of the urgency of its truth.
The world is really coming to an end, now most around us are professing it and my fear is that our senses get dulled as we hear it constantly and throughout. It is a reality and a pressing one for us to note as the clock ticks closer and we haven't accelerated our actions to share the gospel of hope and love.
May we have eyes to perceive the urgency of the end times and choose to awake from our slumbering lives. Redeem the time!
blessings,
M.
"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door."(Matthew 24: 32-33)