Last Sunday, Tim was preaching about the first command in the Ten Commandments - Exodus 20:
2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before[a] me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.
Back in the days, the Israelites would create an idol to be worshipped. They'd worship and bow down to a golden cow, an image, a statue, and many more. They'd believe in the 'god of rain', 'god of thunder', and this and that. There were many other gods on whom they depended on and brought sacrifices to. It took away the attention from the real God, the God of Abraham. God didn't like that, and therefore He commanded Moses to tell His people to worship only Him, to bring sacrifices to only Him, and to depend only on Him. He is the Creator, He is the mighty one, the one who brought them out of slavery in Egypt, the one who parted the Red Sea, the one who provided them with water in the dessert and manna and quail for food. Therefore He is the only one worth of their worship.
However, in these modern days, an 'idol' may not be in the form of a golden cow, an image or a statue. It could be in many other forms such as work, power, money, sports or hobbies, material thing, a rock band, a partner/spouse/family member or anything at all that could take away our devotion to God. An 'idol' in this modern day is anything that is stopping us from loving Him with all our hearts, minds and strengths.
Basically the question you should ask yourself is... what do you spend most of the time thinking about? What do you spend most of your energy doing?
The funny thing is.... after listening to that message, this week I realise that I might have an 'idol' which I need to get rid of. It becomes quite obvious especially this week as I grew my 'obsession' in a particular thing, a tablet pc. I must confess.... I have been spending all of my free time doing some research about which tab to buy. From the iPads to the Xoom, night after night, the internet has become my very best friend.
When I'm in the car, I'd be calling places, checking out prices in the retail stores. When I'm at home, I'd be on my laptop reading articles and reviews, watching the review videos on youTube. When I'm in the passenger seat, I'd use V's phone to go on the net, browsing and comparing prices. It just goes on and on and on. In the past few weeks, I must have spent at least 2-3 hours per day, which is 21 hours per week, which is over 80 hours in the last month or so, just researching about tablet pc's. It's crazzzzzzzy!
This week, it hits me! OMG, my love and obsession for tabs has overtaken my devotion time with God!!!
A few weeks ago I was stressing out about our home-selling progress, and I often found myself praying and just pouring out my thoughts, feelings, anxieties and all repeatedly to God. Whenever I find myself in solitude, I just start talking to Him and after I poured it all out, I always felt so joyful, happy and peaceful. There's this hunger in me to just keep connecting to Him and 5 mins in His presence just gave me so much joy. After we made some changes to our home-selling arrangement, a huge burden lifted off my shoulder and from about 2 weeks ago I just felt a bit more relaxed about it, which is suppose to be a good thing! But it turned out to be a not-so-good thing afterall, because the lack of stress and anxiety apparently has 'relaxed' my praying muscles quite a bit.
This week I'd find myself in solitude, and instead of feeling that urge and hunger to be connecting to God, I'd be busy doing tab-research-related stuffs. It's not good though. A few times I realise what I was doing and what I could have been doing instead, and I tried to connect to Him the way I used to a few weeks ago, and there's like this big barrier in between us. It's like there's this huge wall and I just cant seem to find Him. I cant seem to connect with Him. I feel like I'm stuck in this blood sucking mud and I need something to just lift me up and out of whatever it is. It might sound crazy, or it might just all be my imagination, but that's just what I feel.
But I believe that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Eph 6:12) and that the devil can use all sorts of thing to put a distance between us and God. Behind every physical symptoms, there's always the devil working in the spiritual realm.
I'm not saying that it's completely the devil's fault for me being so obsessed with tablet pcs. I believe it's partly my fault for allowing my mind to be so consumed with it. I know we can choose what we want to think about, and I might have made a conscious choice to be thinking about tabs all the time. But I do believe that he contributes to it somehow. Because at the end of the day, all he wants is for me to put my obsession for tabs before my devotion for God.
Anyways, now that I realize what's just happened, all of a sudden it makes sense to me what it actually means to "have no other gods before [Him]", and I'm certainly working and praying hard to destroy my 'idol' and put God as my no.1 obsession again.
So what's your 'god' ??????????
What are you obsessed about?
What do you spend most of your free time doing?
What do you spend most of your time thinking about?
What would you rather be doing than connecting with Him in prayers, worship and reading His words?
Who/what is your 'god'?
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Naomi, the 6 years old preacher.
Although my 6 years old daughter sometimes drives me insane, she can be such an angel sometimes. No wander Jesus is quite fond of little kids.
Naomi has this habit of just going off tangent and getting distracted. Trying to get her to do something that takes 2 seconds always end up taking 10 mins, and that's after about 50x reminders or 10 mins worth of nagging. At least she gets distracted with her own stories and singing, and not so much negative things. For example, when she goes into the shower, she'll start to sing and hum, and she can enjoy that for ages before I remind her to start using the soap. On my first instruction to do anything she always says, "One more minute", which normally ends up being 10 mins, unless she actually thinks that's how long 1 minute is. So I end up having to remind her to start using the soap again and again. On average, I probably have to do this 5-10x before she actually starts using the soap to wash her body. Just incase you're wandering, no, she won't let me wash her, and it's been like that with pretty much everything since she was about 3-4 y.o.
As usual this morning I had to remind her 10x to put her shoes on while I was doing a thousand other things to send her to school. Finally she sat down to do up her shoe lace/velcro thing. Because we were running really late, I yelled "Hurry up Naomi!! Hurry up!!!" and you know what she said???
She started preaching!!!
She said, "The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, patience. Patience mummy!!! Patience!!!!"
V and I looked at each other, and we were trying so hard not to laugh!!!!!!!!!!!
Meanwhile she started singing this song on the fruits of the spirit!!!! Just peacefully, as usual, taking her time. Oh well.... what can we do?????
Naomi has this habit of just going off tangent and getting distracted. Trying to get her to do something that takes 2 seconds always end up taking 10 mins, and that's after about 50x reminders or 10 mins worth of nagging. At least she gets distracted with her own stories and singing, and not so much negative things. For example, when she goes into the shower, she'll start to sing and hum, and she can enjoy that for ages before I remind her to start using the soap. On my first instruction to do anything she always says, "One more minute", which normally ends up being 10 mins, unless she actually thinks that's how long 1 minute is. So I end up having to remind her to start using the soap again and again. On average, I probably have to do this 5-10x before she actually starts using the soap to wash her body. Just incase you're wandering, no, she won't let me wash her, and it's been like that with pretty much everything since she was about 3-4 y.o.
As usual this morning I had to remind her 10x to put her shoes on while I was doing a thousand other things to send her to school. Finally she sat down to do up her shoe lace/velcro thing. Because we were running really late, I yelled "Hurry up Naomi!! Hurry up!!!" and you know what she said???
She started preaching!!!
She said, "The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, patience. Patience mummy!!! Patience!!!!"
V and I looked at each other, and we were trying so hard not to laugh!!!!!!!!!!!
Meanwhile she started singing this song on the fruits of the spirit!!!! Just peacefully, as usual, taking her time. Oh well.... what can we do?????
Galatians 5
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Our house-selling journey
What you are about to read is not one blog entry written overnight. I'm taking you through a series of events which have challenged and stretched us in the past few weeks. Each blog entry below is date stamped as the events took place, and it's a 'growing entry'. As new events unfold, it'll be added to the bottom of this entry.
Sat, 6th Aug 2011
At the moment there's a few things happening in our lives that are affecting our finances. To be honest, I am feeling challenged and stretched. My faith is being challenged. We're at a junction and we are in desperate need for God's wisdom and guidance.
Both of our homes in Perth and Melbourne are on the market right now. The one in Perth has had its very first home open and it is looking promising.
The Melbourne one has been in the market for two weeks, and apparently it doesn't show any sign of success.
In the mean time there's just been a few things chewing up our hard earned dollar. Like the car regos, yearly council rate bills, and many more. We're also in the process of building a new home, and that's been our dream since we moved back to WA. To be able to build this new home of our dream, we need to sell both properties. Not only that, we just want to walk away from financial pressure that could be stopping us from fully serving Him.
Honestly, in the past few days I have been quite concerned with the sale of our homes. Every time negative thoughts come into my mind, I always try to remind myself that we have fully surrendered our life to be a vessel to display God's love. We asked God to fully intervene in every situation, every area of our life, so that His glory might be revealed. In my heart I desire for our homes to sell quickly, and against all odds we'd get a very good price for them. But I know that God said, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways" (Isaiah 55:8). So rather than speculating how He is going to work this time around, I'd rather just surrender everything into His hands and just let go.
However, today after a home open, my Melbourne agent emailed me with feedback he gets from the visitors, and he was saying all these negative things in the property market right now. So he suggested that we lower our asking price by about $20k to get a quick sale. As soon as I read his email, my heart stopped.
I am at a cross junction and I don't know whether to turn right or left. In my heart I believe that my God is a God "who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Eph 3:20), but at the same time, my faith is being challenged. The question is not 'can He?' ... but it's 'will He?'
There's been many times in my life that God said 'no' to me. Against my faith, against what I believed, He said 'no'.
But when he does that, there's always an explanation in the end. There's always a light at the end of the tunnel, and He always end up shining through it all. So tonight.... I surrender.
Sunday, 7th Aug 2011
Something is seriously wrong. After all these talk about finances, today I accidentally dropped my phone in the drainage right as I opened my car door. I know it's my fault for not being careful enough with it, but OMG... seriously??!!!
I mean.... I don't mean to brag about this... but we've just pretty much given away $2k worth of donation to God's servant, and this is what's happening in our lives right now?????????
On Friday we got ripped off by a car dealer service centre, $1100's gone just like that.
Today I dropped my phone in the drainage, $700's gone. Just like that.
What's gonna happen tomorrow?
Right now I can so choose the wrong attitude and blame God for not magically intervening for our finances. For not dropping $10k from the sky. For not providing a miraculous healing to our other car that still needs to be fixed. Right now.... I can so demand for the $2k I've given away to his servant. But I know exactly that it's just what the devil wants to hear. It's just what the devil want to see.
You know what???!!! In Daniel 3, when Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego was summoned before the King for refusing to bow down to his man-made statue, this is how they replied:
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
I know that my situation is nothing at all compared to what those three were facing. We're facing financial challenges partly because of our poor past judgement and decision and carelessness. But still, sometimes the smallest challenge in life can feel like the biggest thing, and right now.... I just want to say that if this is the devil trying to attack our finances, bring it on!!! Because EVEN IF GOD DOES NOT deliver us out of this difficulties, we REFUSE to have bad attitude like he wish we did! We will not be moved. We will continue to praise Him and worship Him and be grateful for all the things that He's done for us.
Because we know that at the end of this... there will be light. God is always faithful.
Deut 15
10 Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.
Friday, 13th Aug 2011
Living with God is such an amazing journey. It is so interesting, exciting and full of surprises. Sometimes the surprises may not exactly be 'ideal', but they're still surprises. As if what's happened in the past few days isn't enough. Today we're 'attacked' again by another event which really stretched and challenged our faith.
We have a very beautiful sporty Audi A4. It's our black shining knight. It's our precious 'son'. It's our hearts' pride. But the stupid thing has costs us nothing but grief since the start! I am trully sorry if you're a big Audi fan and you're offended. I suggest you stop reading because I am about to express my frustration to the fullest.
For the past year and half, this pretty car has costs us arms and legs to maintain. This time around, the driver seat window all of a sudden just stopped working. At the last servicing, we asked the service centre to give us a quote, and they did. Apparently the 'regulator' was broken. They found broken glass pieces in it and it needs to be replaced. She said it was going to cost us around $500 to fix it. So we booked the car in, to fix the window.
This morning we dropped the car off. In the afternoon, they rang and said the car should be ready by about 1.30pm. At around 1pm they rang again and said they've replaced the regulator, but when they tested it with the new regulator, it still doesn't work. They think it may have something to do with the power supply, but they don't know that for sure, and it may take some time to figure out what it is. Hence they don't even know how much it will cost to actually repair this second problem. So I said, "So what now?" and she said, "Well you just have to pick it up and book it in some other time".
V & I just looked at each other feeling like we've just had enough of this car. Seriously.... Not only we had to spend another $500 for the car, the problem is not even fixed!!!! It's like we've just wasted away our hard-earned money again! It felt like we've been ripped off, again.
We were soooooooooooooo....... 'undescribably' angry.
Anyways, this evening we were at Metro church for a worship event, and they were taking up collections for this young pastor who had a ministry in Cambodia. Giving people hopes in a broken third world country through Jesus Christ. I was moved to give, but then I remembered how we've just been ripped off this afternoon by the service centre. Keeping the amount in my head, I turned around and ask V how much he wanted to give, and he said exactly the amount I had in mind.
Ignoring the wasteful expenditure we had in the afternoon, I said to God that nothing's going to stop us from sowing into His kingdom. Although we can't go to Cambodia to make changes and to bring hopes to their people, the least we could do is support the ministry of those God has called and equipped to actually do the work overthere. I'm sure the devil wants to use the recent unfortunate events to stop us from giving, but we're not gonna let him do that! Never!
Romans 12
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Although in the past few weeks we've been ripped off, although we haven't felt the fruit of our givings, although we felt like God's been saying 'no' to a few of our prayers and wishes, we just refuse to believe that God isn't listening to us or that He's not helping us. We refuse to believe all those crap negative nonsense that the devil's trying to put in our head.
Despite of our circumstances, we choose to continue to believe that GOD IS LOVE, and because God IS love, He is unable to do any harm. We are His children. His beloved children. He never has any plan to harm or hurt us. Like a father's love to his daughter, God's love is just immeasurably more than what we can think or imagine. We choose to believe that He's about to do a great thing in our life. We've given our life to Him as a vessel to display His glory. In His own ways and time, His glory will be revealed.
It's exciting, it's interesting. I wander what will happen tomorrow.... bad or good, bring it on! Because there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. We will reap what we sow. His glory will be revealed through our testimony, and it is exciting to see....
Wednesday, 17th Aug 2011
Told you living with God is just so exciting! Last night I went to a work event and I won the latest HTC mobile phone, HTC Evo 3D. For those Android freaks out there, you'd appreciate how cool this phone is. If you don't know much about phone, let's just say it's better than the iphone :)
Told you living with God is just so exciting! Last night I went to a work event and I won the latest HTC mobile phone, HTC Evo 3D. For those Android freaks out there, you'd appreciate how cool this phone is. If you don't know much about phone, let's just say it's better than the iphone :)
Anyways... with my recent stupid lost of the Blackberry Torch, (yes, the one dropped in the drainage), I was super happy yesterday when I won this phone! I wont get it till it's released in mid-Sept, but I'm happy to wait.
To top up the great news.... recently at work I was told that WA won a national competition and my share of the prize was about $500!!!
I have been praying for a tablet pc, and after all those stupid expenses, my tab just goes down the priority list, which means I won't be able to buy it till all the other expenses are settled. I mean, we dont even know how much the freakin Audi is going to cost us to fix.
So I just choose to believe that this $500 prize won is God's way of saying yes to my prayer for a tab. Oh how I love Him so much, and I promise I don't just love Him when things are good, but also when things are bad. Well, I'd try my best anyway.... to love Him and to praise Him, in good and in bad...
Wednesday, 24th Aug 2011
I'm not sure if this is a good or bad news... our Perth home has received an offer. $20k lower than we expected, but our agent's pretty confident he might be able to boost it up a bit more. The bad news is... we can't sign the sale contract yet because our Melb home hasn't sold yet. We can't sell the Perth home unless the Melb one is sold. Otherwise we'll end up in a pretty ugly situation.
So we've had a long hard thought about it, and we've changed our marketing strategy a little for the Melb house. We'll check buyers' response after this weekend's home open.
This home selling journey has challenged not only our faith, but the faith of those around us, family, friends, even our agent. It's quite funny actually, because he said he's surrounded by a few born again Christians in his family, but he's never really taken his faith seriously. But he knows our situation, and he knows our faith, and he was saying that he's praying hard for our Melb home to sell for us!
Talking to God lately, I was like.... "mmm, you know God... if you wanna show your glory, now would be a good time, coz a few people are watching" (LOL). I know that's just cheeky, but hey... you never know. God works in a mysterious way, and sometimes He's got a pretty good sense of humour.
Anyways... we've surrendered the whole situation to Him. So we're just going to take our hands off the steering wheels and let Him do what He does best: looking after His children.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Devil's Distraction
There is one trip that V & I always look forward to each year, and that's the trip to Sydney Hillsong Conference (for a glimpse of Hillsong Conference 2011, click here).
If you're a big fan of God's words and faith building seminars, you'd know what I'm talking about. Over forty thousand people from over 100 countries, representing almost every single Christian denomination, travel the world to attend this conference. Through the amazing atmosphere of worship and through the word of God spoken by world-known anointed preachers, flawed, sinful, ordinary people like you and me, encounter the almighty God.
This year however, the devil tried very hard to distract us in many ways. Ever since we landed in Sydney, right through to the last day of the conference, one incident after another just had to happen. What I'm about to share is something very personal to us, and I have thought long and hard about whether to share this or not, but I just feel in my heart that this happened for one reason: that His children may be strengthened and encouraged, and His name may be glorified. If you happen to be reading this blog entry, can I just warn you that it is quite long, but if you choose to continue, I pray that God will speak to you personally and encourage you in your journey of life.
We landed in Sydney on Saturday morning. As soon as we landed, I took Naomi to the bathroom and I notice that I was bleeding. What we have kept a secret from everyone except for our family, is that about three weeks prior to the trip I tested positive for pregnancy, and that morning I was about 9-10 weeks pregnant. When I found out about the pregnancy, V & I thought about cancelling the trip because last year in September, I had a miscarriage. Nobody knew why, but I had two interstate work trips during my first trimester just a few weeks before the miscarriage, so we thought we should cancel this trip. The thing is, we were both so excited about this conference, and we both believed that if this baby is meant to be, it will survive the one trip we've planned a whole year long. So we decided to go anyway.
At first I only noticed spotting, and according to pregnancy resources, it does not necessarily mean a miscarriage, so I just kept praying for God's protection on the baby and I surrendered everything into His hands. In my mind I could not stop thinking about it, and it was quite distracting at times. During the conference I had to rebuke all my negative thoughts and surrender everything to God, over and over again, just so I can concentrate.
In addition to that, on Tuesday night when the first night rally began, I received a very disturbing phone call from my mum who was looking after Naomi for us. To cut long story short and to respect some privacy, let's just say I had a family conflict. It was annoying, anger-stirring, and most of all, distracting. I just felt like the devil really used all sorts of things to distract me from hearing from God in the conference.
On the second day, we were very blessed to be hearing from Priscilla Shirer, Brian Houston, and John C Maxwell. Naomi spent the day at kids' church and I believed she was blessed too. There was a lot of build up for the night rally, and we were all excited to attend the second night rally and the devil knew it. As I was walking towards the venue, Naomi all of a sudden fell. She tripped over something and when she got up, she cried and held her left elbow. She seemed to be in a lot of pain, and she kept crying. She would not let anyone touched her elbow or her arm. She held it close to her chest the whole time and she would not move it due to the pain. We took her to the first aid people and they suggested that we took her to the Children's Hospital Emergency and so we did. We were blessed to have some volunteers drove us there. During the whole incident, V & I were just shaking our heads. We just could not believe that it's just been one incident after another. We just felt like devil tried really hard this year to distract us, and more than anything we were very very very angry.
After a long wait and a very difficult x-ray session (because she would not move her arm beyond 10 cm off her chest), the doctor finally figured out that there was no broken bone and Naomi's somehow pulled her elbow and it need to be manually repositioned. Apparently this is common for kids and can easily be done when they're younger. However, in this case, Naomi's 6 y.o and has a bit of strength to actually resist while the doctor was trying to reposition the elbow joint. Finally, after spending about 4 hours in the hospital and a bucketful of tears, we were able to go home. Although Naomi went home with a life-long hatred for doctors and the hospital, at least her elbow was fixed. As for us, we just had to put aside our disappointment and anger, because at the end of the day nothing matters more than our one and only little princess.
That night I was just exhausted and in tears, I really had have enough by then. My bleeding and my family saga continued in the background through the first two days. By then I just believed that something big and powerful was about to happen through the conference. That's why the devil tried so hard to distract us by using all sorts of things including our own family members. That night we prayed and prayed and prayed for the Holy Spirit to fight the battle for us. As a family, we choose not to be discouraged, but to continue to praise Him. We choose to believe....
… that everything happens for a reason.
… that God will fight the battle for us.
… that our lives will be used to display His amazing love.
Thursday, day three of the conference, went quite smoothly. We were blessed and encouraged by His words and His presence. We were filled with peace and joy, and totally enjoyed everything right through to the end of the night rally. Then we went home to our apartment.
As if the devil just could not stand looking at us being so blessed by His presence, on Thursday night he began another incident. At just before midnight, I started bleeding quite heavily. It was similar to the first miscarriage that I had in September last year. I knew then that I had to take myself to the hospital emergency. So my brother took us there.
At the rate that I was bleeding, I thought the doctor would see me right away and from last year's experience as soon as the doctor proceed with the minor procedure, I was out of the hospital within about 2-3 hours. However, as soon as I got to the hospital, my body decided to slow down the bleeding. Therefore I was not an urgent priority and had to wait in the queue to be seen by the doctor. We waited for hours and Naomi had to sleep on V while we sat in the waiting room. We waited and waited and the bleeding stayed at quite a stable, 'non-urgent' rate. So I decided to walk up and down the empty hospital corridor, praying for God to intervene. I prayed for God to speed up my bleeding, to just let the whole thing pour like a flood so we can get the whole thing over and done with and my hubby and little princess can go home and enjoy their sleep. After waiting for about two hours, I started bleeding quite heavily and was finally seen by a doctor. So she did what she had to do and everything was done within about one hour. It was nearly 5 am Friday morning, and she's made me an appointment to be seen by the specialist at 7.30 am in the morning so I sent V and Naomi home while I waited for my appointment.
Four hours later, I was sitting in the doctor's room and was told that a miscarriage had taken place but everything went well and my uterus seemed quite empty and normal. I was released home. Hearing that for the second time within a year gave me mixed emotions. I had lots of questions in my mind, I did not understand why or what had happened in relation to God and what He's doing in our lives. I was sad, upset, angry, confused, all at the same time. We've been praying for Naomi to have a sibling, Naomi's been praying for a lot longer than we have. We thought God carefully knitted this baby in my womb. We thought He wanted to bless us with another child. All these thoughts and questions ran through my head. I was confused.
At that time I knew that I had to make a choice.
I could choose to be bitter and disappointed with God, or I could choose to continue to believe that He is good despite of our current circumstances.
I could choose to go home and cry over something I could no longer change, or I could put it all behind and move on with this God given life.
I could choose to give up all this work for His kingdom, or I could continue believing that He has a greater plan for us.
Through it all, there was one thing that just seemed to overflow my heart and overtake my minds and my emotions. Right there and then, in that small doctor's office, without a doubt, I knew that although I don't understand it all, God still loves me. I just knew in my heart that our God, the God of Abraham, the father of Jesus Christ, is just too good and too loving to bring evil and harm to the lives of His children. He who name every star in the sky, He who whispered them all to their place, He who gave up His only son to pay for my sins, He knows everything. Everything happened within His sovereign knowledge, and a sense of His unending love just overflowed my heart in a way that I just cannot explain with words.
It was no longer a choice to make. I did not even had to choose my next attitude. It was like God had choosen my attitude for me. It was almost like I had no other choice, but to continue to thank Him, and to praise Him, and to believe that He is good. There was an overflow of grace and abundance of faith within me that I never even knew existed. No wander Paul said that if God allowed troubles and trials to come your way, He will give you the strength and the faith to handle it; and these trials and tribulation will do nothing but strengthen us in our faith and our spirit. So that afternoon I went home to rest, and by 5pm we were back in Sydney Entertainment Centre, full of joy, full of peace, ready to hear from Him, ready to encounter Him, …. and we did.
That night,Jantezen Franklin spoke about Jacob. After the death of his favourite son, Joseph, Jacob held on to Joseph's bloody coat and grief. He grief over Joseph for a long period of time that the bloody coat became the centre of his life. It controlled his thoughts and emotions, it changed the atmosphere of his household, and it brought dullness and sadness into their everyday lives. For a long period of time, Jacob was robbed of his joy, of his peace and of the other great things God might have possibly planned for his life. Simply because he chose to focus on the bloody coat, on Joseph's death, on the past tragedy of life.
Jentezen also spoke about Peter, who once said he loved Jesus three times, and swore to never disown him. Pushed to the corner, motivated by his own selfish desire to not be hated by the crowd, Peter went against his own words and disown Jesus three times before the rooster crowed, just as Jesus had said he would. From that day on, every time the rooster crowed, Peter was reminded of his act of betrayal to the one he swore to love. Every time the rooster crowed, Peter was reminded of how evil and bad he was as a friend and a disciple. Every time the rooster crowed, he felt condemned, guilty, and ashamed for what he has done.
Some of us has a bloody coat in our lives. Past tragedies that we do not understand. Past events which have brought hurt, pain, bitterness, anger and tears. While others have a rooster crowing into their heads of their past guilt sin and shame everyday of their lives, telling them that they're worthless or useless, or simply bringing past sins to condemn us, to fill our lives with guilt and shame, so that we cannot accept the fact that there is a God who loves us despite of our sinful nature. Some of us has a coat, or a rooster, or both, and they rob us of the joy of life, of peace, of abundant blessings and of great future that God had planned for us.
If that's you, it is time to let go..... It is time to move on.... It is time to put the past behind and believe that your life has been designed for a greater and much fulfilling purpose than just to grief, or to be angry, or to be disappointed, or to be sad. All it takes is faith as small as a mustard seed, a faith that believes that there is a God who loves you unconditionally. Despite of what you've done, who you are, your past and your background, and that He has given His one and only son, Jesus, to die for your sins so that He can love you and have a relationship with you. Believe that God has a great plan for you, each one of you. He has come so that we can have an 'abundant' life, and not just survive the motion of life in dullness, bitterness and disappointment. He wants us to experience His power, His generosity, His forgiveness, His grace and mercy, and to have a blessed, abundant life despite of our circumstances.
There and then, amongst thousands other conference delegates, I understood that everything that we went through helped brought the words of the Bible to life. As if Jentezen Franklin was talking to me and nobody else, I knew not just in my head, but also in my heart that what he was saying is true.
I am writing to testify that this is exactly what we're experiencing right now. Despite of our circumstances, despite of the devil's attempt to distract us from our love of God, despite of everything that tries to pull us in the other direction, we are overflowed with a sense of blessing, joy, peace, and faith in greater things to come. It's like without any struggle, without any doubt, without any hesitation, we know and we just continue to believe that this is just part one of a greater testimony, and this strength and faith that we have in our hearts come from Him.
With this I pray that you would give God a chance... to take the steering wheel of your life and take you to a more amazing journey of life. That you would give God a chance... to love you and to bless you not just materially, but also physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. That you would give God a chance... to make a difference in your life. That you would give God a chance to have a relationship with you and grant you a blessed eternal life in heaven. Amen.
1 Corinthians 10
If you're a big fan of God's words and faith building seminars, you'd know what I'm talking about. Over forty thousand people from over 100 countries, representing almost every single Christian denomination, travel the world to attend this conference. Through the amazing atmosphere of worship and through the word of God spoken by world-known anointed preachers, flawed, sinful, ordinary people like you and me, encounter the almighty God.
This year however, the devil tried very hard to distract us in many ways. Ever since we landed in Sydney, right through to the last day of the conference, one incident after another just had to happen. What I'm about to share is something very personal to us, and I have thought long and hard about whether to share this or not, but I just feel in my heart that this happened for one reason: that His children may be strengthened and encouraged, and His name may be glorified. If you happen to be reading this blog entry, can I just warn you that it is quite long, but if you choose to continue, I pray that God will speak to you personally and encourage you in your journey of life.
We landed in Sydney on Saturday morning. As soon as we landed, I took Naomi to the bathroom and I notice that I was bleeding. What we have kept a secret from everyone except for our family, is that about three weeks prior to the trip I tested positive for pregnancy, and that morning I was about 9-10 weeks pregnant. When I found out about the pregnancy, V & I thought about cancelling the trip because last year in September, I had a miscarriage. Nobody knew why, but I had two interstate work trips during my first trimester just a few weeks before the miscarriage, so we thought we should cancel this trip. The thing is, we were both so excited about this conference, and we both believed that if this baby is meant to be, it will survive the one trip we've planned a whole year long. So we decided to go anyway.
At first I only noticed spotting, and according to pregnancy resources, it does not necessarily mean a miscarriage, so I just kept praying for God's protection on the baby and I surrendered everything into His hands. In my mind I could not stop thinking about it, and it was quite distracting at times. During the conference I had to rebuke all my negative thoughts and surrender everything to God, over and over again, just so I can concentrate.
In addition to that, on Tuesday night when the first night rally began, I received a very disturbing phone call from my mum who was looking after Naomi for us. To cut long story short and to respect some privacy, let's just say I had a family conflict. It was annoying, anger-stirring, and most of all, distracting. I just felt like the devil really used all sorts of things to distract me from hearing from God in the conference.
On the second day, we were very blessed to be hearing from Priscilla Shirer, Brian Houston, and John C Maxwell. Naomi spent the day at kids' church and I believed she was blessed too. There was a lot of build up for the night rally, and we were all excited to attend the second night rally and the devil knew it. As I was walking towards the venue, Naomi all of a sudden fell. She tripped over something and when she got up, she cried and held her left elbow. She seemed to be in a lot of pain, and she kept crying. She would not let anyone touched her elbow or her arm. She held it close to her chest the whole time and she would not move it due to the pain. We took her to the first aid people and they suggested that we took her to the Children's Hospital Emergency and so we did. We were blessed to have some volunteers drove us there. During the whole incident, V & I were just shaking our heads. We just could not believe that it's just been one incident after another. We just felt like devil tried really hard this year to distract us, and more than anything we were very very very angry.
After a long wait and a very difficult x-ray session (because she would not move her arm beyond 10 cm off her chest), the doctor finally figured out that there was no broken bone and Naomi's somehow pulled her elbow and it need to be manually repositioned. Apparently this is common for kids and can easily be done when they're younger. However, in this case, Naomi's 6 y.o and has a bit of strength to actually resist while the doctor was trying to reposition the elbow joint. Finally, after spending about 4 hours in the hospital and a bucketful of tears, we were able to go home. Although Naomi went home with a life-long hatred for doctors and the hospital, at least her elbow was fixed. As for us, we just had to put aside our disappointment and anger, because at the end of the day nothing matters more than our one and only little princess.
That night I was just exhausted and in tears, I really had have enough by then. My bleeding and my family saga continued in the background through the first two days. By then I just believed that something big and powerful was about to happen through the conference. That's why the devil tried so hard to distract us by using all sorts of things including our own family members. That night we prayed and prayed and prayed for the Holy Spirit to fight the battle for us. As a family, we choose not to be discouraged, but to continue to praise Him. We choose to believe....
… that everything happens for a reason.
… that God will fight the battle for us.
… that our lives will be used to display His amazing love.
Thursday, day three of the conference, went quite smoothly. We were blessed and encouraged by His words and His presence. We were filled with peace and joy, and totally enjoyed everything right through to the end of the night rally. Then we went home to our apartment.
As if the devil just could not stand looking at us being so blessed by His presence, on Thursday night he began another incident. At just before midnight, I started bleeding quite heavily. It was similar to the first miscarriage that I had in September last year. I knew then that I had to take myself to the hospital emergency. So my brother took us there.
At the rate that I was bleeding, I thought the doctor would see me right away and from last year's experience as soon as the doctor proceed with the minor procedure, I was out of the hospital within about 2-3 hours. However, as soon as I got to the hospital, my body decided to slow down the bleeding. Therefore I was not an urgent priority and had to wait in the queue to be seen by the doctor. We waited for hours and Naomi had to sleep on V while we sat in the waiting room. We waited and waited and the bleeding stayed at quite a stable, 'non-urgent' rate. So I decided to walk up and down the empty hospital corridor, praying for God to intervene. I prayed for God to speed up my bleeding, to just let the whole thing pour like a flood so we can get the whole thing over and done with and my hubby and little princess can go home and enjoy their sleep. After waiting for about two hours, I started bleeding quite heavily and was finally seen by a doctor. So she did what she had to do and everything was done within about one hour. It was nearly 5 am Friday morning, and she's made me an appointment to be seen by the specialist at 7.30 am in the morning so I sent V and Naomi home while I waited for my appointment.
Four hours later, I was sitting in the doctor's room and was told that a miscarriage had taken place but everything went well and my uterus seemed quite empty and normal. I was released home. Hearing that for the second time within a year gave me mixed emotions. I had lots of questions in my mind, I did not understand why or what had happened in relation to God and what He's doing in our lives. I was sad, upset, angry, confused, all at the same time. We've been praying for Naomi to have a sibling, Naomi's been praying for a lot longer than we have. We thought God carefully knitted this baby in my womb. We thought He wanted to bless us with another child. All these thoughts and questions ran through my head. I was confused.
At that time I knew that I had to make a choice.
I could choose to be bitter and disappointed with God, or I could choose to continue to believe that He is good despite of our current circumstances.
I could choose to go home and cry over something I could no longer change, or I could put it all behind and move on with this God given life.
I could choose to give up all this work for His kingdom, or I could continue believing that He has a greater plan for us.
Through it all, there was one thing that just seemed to overflow my heart and overtake my minds and my emotions. Right there and then, in that small doctor's office, without a doubt, I knew that although I don't understand it all, God still loves me. I just knew in my heart that our God, the God of Abraham, the father of Jesus Christ, is just too good and too loving to bring evil and harm to the lives of His children. He who name every star in the sky, He who whispered them all to their place, He who gave up His only son to pay for my sins, He knows everything. Everything happened within His sovereign knowledge, and a sense of His unending love just overflowed my heart in a way that I just cannot explain with words.
It was no longer a choice to make. I did not even had to choose my next attitude. It was like God had choosen my attitude for me. It was almost like I had no other choice, but to continue to thank Him, and to praise Him, and to believe that He is good. There was an overflow of grace and abundance of faith within me that I never even knew existed. No wander Paul said that if God allowed troubles and trials to come your way, He will give you the strength and the faith to handle it; and these trials and tribulation will do nothing but strengthen us in our faith and our spirit. So that afternoon I went home to rest, and by 5pm we were back in Sydney Entertainment Centre, full of joy, full of peace, ready to hear from Him, ready to encounter Him, …. and we did.
That night,Jantezen Franklin spoke about Jacob. After the death of his favourite son, Joseph, Jacob held on to Joseph's bloody coat and grief. He grief over Joseph for a long period of time that the bloody coat became the centre of his life. It controlled his thoughts and emotions, it changed the atmosphere of his household, and it brought dullness and sadness into their everyday lives. For a long period of time, Jacob was robbed of his joy, of his peace and of the other great things God might have possibly planned for his life. Simply because he chose to focus on the bloody coat, on Joseph's death, on the past tragedy of life.
Jentezen also spoke about Peter, who once said he loved Jesus three times, and swore to never disown him. Pushed to the corner, motivated by his own selfish desire to not be hated by the crowd, Peter went against his own words and disown Jesus three times before the rooster crowed, just as Jesus had said he would. From that day on, every time the rooster crowed, Peter was reminded of his act of betrayal to the one he swore to love. Every time the rooster crowed, Peter was reminded of how evil and bad he was as a friend and a disciple. Every time the rooster crowed, he felt condemned, guilty, and ashamed for what he has done.
Some of us has a bloody coat in our lives. Past tragedies that we do not understand. Past events which have brought hurt, pain, bitterness, anger and tears. While others have a rooster crowing into their heads of their past guilt sin and shame everyday of their lives, telling them that they're worthless or useless, or simply bringing past sins to condemn us, to fill our lives with guilt and shame, so that we cannot accept the fact that there is a God who loves us despite of our sinful nature. Some of us has a coat, or a rooster, or both, and they rob us of the joy of life, of peace, of abundant blessings and of great future that God had planned for us.
If that's you, it is time to let go..... It is time to move on.... It is time to put the past behind and believe that your life has been designed for a greater and much fulfilling purpose than just to grief, or to be angry, or to be disappointed, or to be sad. All it takes is faith as small as a mustard seed, a faith that believes that there is a God who loves you unconditionally. Despite of what you've done, who you are, your past and your background, and that He has given His one and only son, Jesus, to die for your sins so that He can love you and have a relationship with you. Believe that God has a great plan for you, each one of you. He has come so that we can have an 'abundant' life, and not just survive the motion of life in dullness, bitterness and disappointment. He wants us to experience His power, His generosity, His forgiveness, His grace and mercy, and to have a blessed, abundant life despite of our circumstances.
There and then, amongst thousands other conference delegates, I understood that everything that we went through helped brought the words of the Bible to life. As if Jentezen Franklin was talking to me and nobody else, I knew not just in my head, but also in my heart that what he was saying is true.
I am writing to testify that this is exactly what we're experiencing right now. Despite of our circumstances, despite of the devil's attempt to distract us from our love of God, despite of everything that tries to pull us in the other direction, we are overflowed with a sense of blessing, joy, peace, and faith in greater things to come. It's like without any struggle, without any doubt, without any hesitation, we know and we just continue to believe that this is just part one of a greater testimony, and this strength and faith that we have in our hearts come from Him.
With this I pray that you would give God a chance... to take the steering wheel of your life and take you to a more amazing journey of life. That you would give God a chance... to love you and to bless you not just materially, but also physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. That you would give God a chance... to make a difference in your life. That you would give God a chance to have a relationship with you and grant you a blessed eternal life in heaven. Amen.
1 Corinthians 10
13 No temptation[c] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted[d] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,[e] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
My mixer story
It started a few months ago when I began to learn to bake. Because kitchen isn't my favourite place in the house, I have never bought any cooking/baking equipment, and therefore I didn't have any mixer. A friend was nice enough to lend me a hand mixer, and it was good for some of the simple stuffs I did, but it just wasn't strong enough to mix other stuffs. So I started thinking about buying a mixer.
Now... I know I am not an expert, and I probably only bake once a month or when I happen to have lots of spare time, but having been brainwashed by Masterchef and a lot of cooking/baking shows, I really wanted to buy a good mixer. For those who are baking experts, you'd know that good mixers are NOT cheap!!! One of the top brand is KitchenAid, and they start from around $500 and that's a lot of money to spend on a mixer! I didn't really want to spend that kinda money knowing I might not bake often enough. So I started checking out mixers in the common retail stores, and they start from about $100 ish for a basic one. Finally I decided that I'm going to wait for my bday and try to get a decent $2-300 one as a pressie.
In the mean time, I found another item to go on my Wishlist, an ipad :-)
So lately I've been torn between the two. Should I get a mixer? or an iPad?
Funnily enough, a friend of mine all of a sudden asked me if I want to buy a good secondhand mixer for $35! What a good timing???!!!!! So of course I grabbed it straight away.
Sometimes it's the little thing like this that makes me smile, and I haven't forgotten to say thank you to my great daddy in heaven, because I believe that He answers prayers... as big as curing a cancer to as small as giving me a mixer! LOL. I also think that out of anyone in this world, including myself, He knows me very well, and so according to our needs He provides us with everthing we need and desire.
Ephesians 3:20
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Monday, July 18, 2011
I'm sorry...
Being a follower of Jesus is not that easy. Following the words of God and the standard of His holiness is definitely not easy. Sometimes we need to make a lot of sacrifices and deny the desires of our flesh in order to live a life that's pleasing to God.
I've made the decision to live right for God. To live according to His words, pleasing to His eyes. I have had to make that decision again and again, over 100 times in the past 30 years, just because I kept falling into the trap of sin, the trap of the devil. But I'm glad I keep making that decision again and again, because success is getting up again after a fall, and not giving up and giving in to the sinful desires of our flesh.
Sometimes that decision involves others. Those who might be close to our hearts. Those whom to a certain extent, have been there for us. Those who understood what we went through, the thick and thin. But often, it could be those who are also our 'partners in crime'.
The decision to leave our old lives, to close a chapter of our lives, and to start all over again, often involves leaving others and hurting others. But it's give and take. What are you willing to give up in order to gain a bigger and greater purpose of life? What are you willing to give up to experience the extraordinary life God's planned for you before the earth begins? What are you willing to give up for rewards which we can enjoy for eternity?
Sometimes this decision may offend others. They may accuse us of being snobbish and arrogant, or 'too religious' or 'too good' for them. I can only understand where they're coming from, but it's not going to change my decision to leave my old life behind and start a new chapter. Although it means leaving them behind... in the old chapter.
I am not created to please people. I am not created to please myself. I am created for a bigger and greater purpose for His kingdom. I am not ashamed of the gospel, because I don't want Christ to be ashamed of me. So if I have offended and hurt others, I am trully sorry. But I think one day the time will come, when you encounter the almighty God who then change your heart and give you the passion of His heart. Then one day you'll understand some of my decisions.
I've made the decision to live right for God. To live according to His words, pleasing to His eyes. I have had to make that decision again and again, over 100 times in the past 30 years, just because I kept falling into the trap of sin, the trap of the devil. But I'm glad I keep making that decision again and again, because success is getting up again after a fall, and not giving up and giving in to the sinful desires of our flesh.
Sometimes that decision involves others. Those who might be close to our hearts. Those whom to a certain extent, have been there for us. Those who understood what we went through, the thick and thin. But often, it could be those who are also our 'partners in crime'.
The decision to leave our old lives, to close a chapter of our lives, and to start all over again, often involves leaving others and hurting others. But it's give and take. What are you willing to give up in order to gain a bigger and greater purpose of life? What are you willing to give up to experience the extraordinary life God's planned for you before the earth begins? What are you willing to give up for rewards which we can enjoy for eternity?
Sometimes this decision may offend others. They may accuse us of being snobbish and arrogant, or 'too religious' or 'too good' for them. I can only understand where they're coming from, but it's not going to change my decision to leave my old life behind and start a new chapter. Although it means leaving them behind... in the old chapter.
I am not created to please people. I am not created to please myself. I am created for a bigger and greater purpose for His kingdom. I am not ashamed of the gospel, because I don't want Christ to be ashamed of me. So if I have offended and hurt others, I am trully sorry. But I think one day the time will come, when you encounter the almighty God who then change your heart and give you the passion of His heart. Then one day you'll understand some of my decisions.
1 John 1
Walk in the Light
5This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there's not a trace of darkness in him.
6-7If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we're obviously lying through our teeth—we're not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin.
8-10If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we've never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Axe it 5 times a day, the tree will fall.
One of the speakers in Hillsong Conference is John Maxwell. He is a world known speaker, coach and writer on leadership. He mentors some of the world's largest companies like Google and Microsoft. If you have never heard of him, I suggest you check his stuffs out. They're really good.
In the conference, Maxwell gave us a few leadership principals, and one of them is that leaders should invest in themselves, and invest in what their good at. If you don't invest in yourself and in your key strenghts, what do you have to offer to others? How are you going to lead and help others develop their strenghts?
At the end of the day God will not hold you accountable for the gifts you didnt get, but He will hold you accountable for the gifts He did give you.
The other principle is... that if you hit a tree with an axe, just 5 times a day every single day, after a period of time, the tree will eventually fall down. There's no question about it. Bigger tree will take longer, smaller tree will go down faster, but eventually each will fall. Just 5 times a day, daily. It's all about building good habits.
In his example, Maxwell is a great writer... and he's a successful writer because everyday he reads, think about what he reads, he files his findings, and he writes. Every single day: he reads, thinks, files and writes. Read, think, file and write. Read, think, file and write.
It makes me think about developing my God given strengths and think about some of the things I will commit to do daily to develop my strengths. At the moment I think I'm gifted in in writing. I've loved writing since a very young age, but it's only since I've published article type blog entries that people tell me that I'm quite good at writing. I thought everybody can write. I thought it's easy for everybody to simply express their thoughts and feelings on a piece of paper, or well... type it up, but apparently it's not. For some people, they can't even articulate their thoughts and feelings in a way that others can understand, let alone write them down. So then I realise that writing is one of my gifts, and I need to keep using it to build up others.
I know it will take sometime, but I'm committed to read more, to listen more to audio preaching, to read the bible one passage a day, think and reflect about it, and just use my spare time to write and write and write. Sometimes I might write about nothing, other days I might write something really encouraging. I dont know, but I just want to start somewhere, and continue to use my gifts to encourage others.
How about you?
What comes naturally to you?
What can you do daily to sharpen your strenghts?
It might take you some time to figure this out... but I just wanna encourage you to think and reflect about this, and build a good habit that will strenghten your God given skills and talents to build and encourage others.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Connect and fly
This is one of my favourite clip from the movie Avatar. When I saw this part, the first thing that came to mind was how well this illustrates our relationship with God. It was very obvious that the behaviour of that flying creature (apparently called 'Ikran') changed as soon as Jake made a 'connection'. The 'bond' initiates the flying relationship, and through that relationship, Jake was allowed to ride on. Although the first few mins of riding was very difficult, once he got over it they were flying together so gloriously. It's captivating.
So... this whole thing about 'connecting' and 'bonding' , it reminds me of our relationship with God. Before we knew who God really is, the world we grew up in paints all sorts of picture about God. Some paints a really really scary and angry God, who watches everything you do, and is ready to punish you anytime you sin. Some other paints God to be this 'genie' who you go to just to ask for this and that, and there's many more. Before we knew who God really is, He's a stranger, sometimes almost an enemy. Just like Ikran to Jake.
One day... He came into your life, and let you encounter Him, experienced His love, His forgiveness, His generousity, His mercy, and you experienced Him for who He really is... and that day the two of you BOND, and it changed your life forever. He's no longer that 'angry' God, He's no longer that distant 'genie in a bottle', He's no longer a myth, He became real to you. The day that you encountered Him for the first time was just unforgettable. You might have experienced a much deeper sense of peace, joy and happiness that you've never felt before, and it's like you're soaring like the eagle, above all your difficult circumstances, because for the first time, there's something bigger, much bigger, much more powerful and mighty, yet so full of love, whom you can trust with all your heart. That day you promised that you'll put Him first above all others, and you gave your life to Him.
So... this whole thing about 'connecting' and 'bonding' , it reminds me of our relationship with God. Before we knew who God really is, the world we grew up in paints all sorts of picture about God. Some paints a really really scary and angry God, who watches everything you do, and is ready to punish you anytime you sin. Some other paints God to be this 'genie' who you go to just to ask for this and that, and there's many more. Before we knew who God really is, He's a stranger, sometimes almost an enemy. Just like Ikran to Jake.
One day... He came into your life, and let you encounter Him, experienced His love, His forgiveness, His generousity, His mercy, and you experienced Him for who He really is... and that day the two of you BOND, and it changed your life forever. He's no longer that 'angry' God, He's no longer that distant 'genie in a bottle', He's no longer a myth, He became real to you. The day that you encountered Him for the first time was just unforgettable. You might have experienced a much deeper sense of peace, joy and happiness that you've never felt before, and it's like you're soaring like the eagle, above all your difficult circumstances, because for the first time, there's something bigger, much bigger, much more powerful and mighty, yet so full of love, whom you can trust with all your heart. That day you promised that you'll put Him first above all others, and you gave your life to Him.
But then daily life continues and you struggle to continue this BOND, this CONNECTION. You get distracted with the things of this world that lures you into going after wealth, power, popularity, and 'happiness'. You struggle and struggle to maintain that bond and eventually you feel like you've lost that connection. You're not flying anymore. You're just crawling your way through life, day by day, trying to fill the emptiness inside of you. You feel lost and hopeless. Or you might feel like somedays it's good and you're flying smoothly with God, but somedays it's just a huge big struggle and you give up.
This BOND, this CONNECTION, when it comes to our relationship with God is held together by no other than PRAYER.
Prayer is one way of us human beings connecting with God.
Connecting, bonding, building and having a relationship.
To be honest with you, I am not an expert in praying. But one thing I know for sure... whatever it is I've been doing, in one way or another ... it works, because God has listened and answered a lot of my prayers. It's not because I am good or holy or married to a pastor, or anything like that. It's purely because He is my God, my Father, we have a relationship, and he Loves me. That's it.
Connecting, bonding, building and having a relationship.
To be honest with you, I am not an expert in praying. But one thing I know for sure... whatever it is I've been doing, in one way or another ... it works, because God has listened and answered a lot of my prayers. It's not because I am good or holy or married to a pastor, or anything like that. It's purely because He is my God, my Father, we have a relationship, and he Loves me. That's it.
One time He healed me from a lymphoma tumour; Another time He restored my marriage; Another time He granted me my dream job; Another time He touched the heart of one of my close friends from atheism to becoming saved; When I was a teenager, He used to change my mother's mind so I was allowed to go out with my friends :p and many more....
So I've been studying and pondering this topic of prayer for quite sometime, and I just wanna share with you some of the things about prayer which I have learnt to know and believe, through the word of God and through experience.
I believe we have been created to have the need to pray and connect to God.
Psalm 139:13 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
We believe that we are 'designed' in such a way for a reason. Some of us are more emotional than others; some are more sporty and active than others; etc. We also learnt that God's created us with body, soul and spirit.
The body needs food, and so does our soul and spirit.
Whether you're a christian or not, whether you believe in God or not, you have been created with this soul, who just longs to 'connect' with a greater being, or something 'spiritual'. That's why you'd hear all these people doing meditation, or searching for a 'god' or doing what they call 'soul searching'. Some goes to the ends of the world, seeking for 'answers' to this 'deep longing' inside their heart. It's like they're just not satisfied, eventhough they might seem to have everything. So, believe it or not, God actually creates you with this NEED to connect to Him, spiritually. To allow your spirit, the Holy Spirit, that is inside of you, to CONNECT with Him.
The body needs food, and so does our soul and spirit.
Whether you're a christian or not, whether you believe in God or not, you have been created with this soul, who just longs to 'connect' with a greater being, or something 'spiritual'. That's why you'd hear all these people doing meditation, or searching for a 'god' or doing what they call 'soul searching'. Some goes to the ends of the world, seeking for 'answers' to this 'deep longing' inside their heart. It's like they're just not satisfied, eventhough they might seem to have everything. So, believe it or not, God actually creates you with this NEED to connect to Him, spiritually. To allow your spirit, the Holy Spirit, that is inside of you, to CONNECT with Him.
Psalm 42:1 "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God."
If you deprive your soul from connecting to its creator, your soul will eventually 'pants' or starve for some sort of spiritual connection. This is where people are often misled into believing in the wrong supernatural forces which may lead to deaths or devil worshipping practives. Prayer is one of our NEEDs. You need to pray, for your own wellbeing.
But in the same way... God also longs to connect with you. He longs to hear from you. Just like when I havent seen Naomi the whole day, I enjoy hearing her stories, and seeing how she expressed herself in this cute way of talking like an adult. I'm hoping she'd continue to tell me everything when she's a teenager - sadly most (not all) teenagers hate their parents. I pray I'd be in the 2% of population of parents who aren't hated by their teenage daughter.
The question is HOW do we pray?
Surprisingly, it is actually a lot simpler than what a lot of people think.
Ok, so everyday you brain works, your mind works. you THINK, there are thoughts coming through your mind.
Everyday you have emotions running through you, in one day you might be HAPPY and/or ANGRY and/or SAD and many more. All your thoughts, dreams, and emotions, they ALREADY exists WITHIN God Himself. Everything! All of the existence of this earth and the universe, all that we see and don't, EVERYTHING exists within Him.
Psalm 139: 1-4 "You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely."
1 Chron 28:9 - "for the LORD searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought."
So, your emotions, thoughts, dreams and desires already exist within His knowledge, and believe it or not... to pray or to connect with God, is as simple as ACKNOWLEDGING His presence in your thoughts, in your mind, in your heart. Prayer is believing that right now, right here, as you're thinking this, or feeling that, God is here, and He is listening to you.
By doing this, you begin to direct your thoughts to Him. Share your feelings and emotions with Him. Tell Him what's bothering you. Thank Him for what makes you happy. Laugh with Him, cry with Him, and be angry with Him.
Very simple isnt it?
You see, when you kinda just met someone, you'd have the tendency to talk about 'surface' stuffs like the weather, current news, sports results, etc. But then, when you started forming a good relationship, or when you start to bond with the other person, then you start to talk about deeper level stuffs like feelings, emotions, ideas, etc. So f you have never ever prayed before, or you think you dont have a real relationship with God, then when you pray you might have the tendency to communicate on 'surface' level; but you know what.... it's a waste of time, honestly! Because God already knows you, who you are, what you've done, what you think, desire and feel, even before you even realise that he knows them! There is no point in hiding yourself from God.
Simply be aware of your thoughts and your emotions, and simply acknowledge and believe that God is right here, right now, listening and understanding your thoughts and emotions. SIMPLY ACKNOWLEDGE. "God I know that your are here right now... and no matter how silent and small this voice inside of me, I know that You know them very well", and when you do that, you're allowing your spirit to connect with God.
Romans 8:26-27 "We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us ... And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God."
When Spirit starts to take over of your minds, your thoughts and your emotions, it starts to lead you in connecting with God.
But where do you start??? simply by ACKNOWLEDGING His presence right there and then, wherever you are.
The spirit then might lead you to pour your hearts out to God;
or he might lead you to hunger for the word of God, that you just want to open the Bible and seek for something that will just speak to you;
or he might lead you to simply worship and be lost in the presence of God through praise and worship songs;
or when you know that youve done something that's not pleasing in God's eyes, the spirit might lead you to repentance, where you confess and admit that you are wrong, humble yourself before him and seek for forgiveness.
or sometimes, the spirit might lead you to simply sit in silence and just be still, and know that He is God.
I dont know if you notice this... but when you first met someone, you know.. a girl or boy that you like, and you kinda try get to know them, you talk and talk and do stuffs together, like movies etc. and sometimes 'silence' becomes a very ackward moment. But you know that once you get to a stage, where you're very comfortable with someone, you can simply enjoy their company, even in silence.
But where do you start??? simply by ACKNOWLEDGING His presence right there and then, wherever you are.
The spirit then might lead you to pour your hearts out to God;
or he might lead you to hunger for the word of God, that you just want to open the Bible and seek for something that will just speak to you;
or he might lead you to simply worship and be lost in the presence of God through praise and worship songs;
or when you know that youve done something that's not pleasing in God's eyes, the spirit might lead you to repentance, where you confess and admit that you are wrong, humble yourself before him and seek for forgiveness.
or sometimes, the spirit might lead you to simply sit in silence and just be still, and know that He is God.
I dont know if you notice this... but when you first met someone, you know.. a girl or boy that you like, and you kinda try get to know them, you talk and talk and do stuffs together, like movies etc. and sometimes 'silence' becomes a very ackward moment. But you know that once you get to a stage, where you're very comfortable with someone, you can simply enjoy their company, even in silence.
So today you have the choice:
you know that your whole being, your thoughts, emotions, dreams and desires have existed in God, ALREADY.
GOD longs and waits and waits for you to SIMPLY ACKNOWLEDGE HIM.
Will you acknowledge Him? starting from this second, right now, or will you continue to IGNORE him?
The choice is yours.... and so is the consequence. If you want to fly, BOND with Him.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
"I cant be bothered"
I've been stucked at home, feeling sick and ugly. I've been having chicken pox! The ugly dotty chicken pox!
After approximately 7 days of feeling sick, finally today I could have my tastbud back, and ahhh... how so grateful I am to have my tastbud back! Last night I had pizza and I actually enjoyed it! Unlike the previous days when even my favourite drink, BubbleTea, tasted disgusting. Everything was making me sick. Everything tasted disgusting. Thank God for taking away my nausea, thank God for taking away my fever. All I have left now is the still-contagious red dots all over my face and body.
I am writing because for so long.... I havent written. It feels like years since I last wrote. I've had a few inspirations, a few ideas, a few paragraphs in my head, but just never really made it to my blog. Why? Because I just don't feel like it. Because I just simply don't feel like writing.
So why am I writing now?
Well, I've prayed and prayed and prayed for days for God to heal me and to make me feel better, and today, He took away my fever, my nausea, and gave me back this 'healthy' feeling again, and I think I owe Him one. No, that's wrong... even before He healed me, I already owed Him. I owed Him heaps for everything He's done for me.
Anyways... I've been thinking ... when God ask me to do something... I gave Him a lot of excuses, such as "I can't be bothered", or "I need to plan for this or that"... , or "I need to bake".
But when we ask God to do something for us, He is never too busy, despite of the billions and billions of other prayers, urgent prayers He needs to attend to. So that makes me feel so guilty, but at the same time, so glad and grateful that I have a father in heaven, who's just so forever stable and reliable.
Not once will he say "I can't be bothered".
Not once will he say "I'm busy".
Not once will he say "I need to look after your sister (or friend, or neighbour) first".
Not once will he say "I need to attend that meeting".
Not once will he say "No I can't listen to you"
Not once.....
Tonight... I am simply grateful that God doesn't move according to His 'feelings' or emotions, or move when he feels like it.
Tonight... I am simply grateful that He will always be God, my Father, who will forever and ever loves me, no matter what.
Tonight... I am simply grateful that He is faithful.
Tonight... I am simply grateful that "neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38)
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Simple Life
I find myself a new hobby: ... baking!
I never thought that I'd bake. The most I've done in the kitchen is cook 'Mi Goreng' :p
I've been spoiled because V is a very good cook, and he loves cooking. Plus when my mother in law is in town, she cooks for all of us most of the time. If not, the supermarket frozen section has saved my life over the past few years.
Back in Dec 2010, I moved to a quieter store, and so work life balance goes back to normal and I am forever grateful to God for this. Now I leave work at work, and when I'm home, I can look after my 6 yo, bake, clean the house, read and write. I went back to a simple life as a worker, a mum, a wife, and a big sister to all of our youth at church.
Since 2005, I worked very hard trying to climb the career ladder. Without realising, work became everything to me. V often said I was married to my job. One day back in 2008, he asked me to quit and I boiled my eyes out like I had to loose a child! Imagine that. So in Oct 2009 I got there, I got what I've always wanted, and it took over everything. It took over my life, my time, my marriage, my personality, me, everything!
So I stepped down, but even after that the battle didnt stop. I couldnt understand how the whole thing had changed me, but it did. Still with a big drive to succeed at work, I marched on, doing what I needed to do. I guess I hadn't learnt my lesson then, I lost a baby in a miscarriage. Then it hit me that this is not what my life's all about. So I took a drastic step down, away from everything and everyone, I retreat to the smallest quietest store in the state. It was the best decision ever.
I'm still passionate about work and what I do, and my team will say the same, but I now learn to prioritise better and to live with a God-given purpose.
I took a paycut when I stepped down from the area manager job, a paycut potentially up to $40kpa. but it's definitely worth it. God's blessed us in many ways. Extra income just flows in from all over the place. I dont know how, but we're just never short. Like everyone else, we have mortgage and debts, but that doesnt worry me, because I know that in time, God will provide.
Hubby took a bigger step in ministry. He's now officially an Assistant Youth Pastor, so we officially work for the Lord. I just know that there's lots of 'perks' and benefits in being his servant and worker.
What looked like a long dark tunnel, has lead us to a beautiful paradise, and I'm forever grateful for His intervention in our lives. So when time's tough, hold on tight to God. I'm far away from perfect or holy, but God never stopped loving me, and I'm sure He wont stop loving you.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (New International Version, ©2011)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;6 in all your ways submit to him,and he will make your paths straight
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Share, Naomi! Share!
Every now and then we'd take Naomi to our favourite restaurant (sadly - Mc Donald's) and get her some chicken nuggets kids meal. Everytime we do that, I'd ask her to share her food with us. It's one way of teaching her to share, because she's the only child. But everytime we do that, without fail, she'd say, "Don't finish it ok mummy?" (I know that it sounds like I'm some greedy mother who eats her child's portion as well as her own, well I'm not, okay!) And so everytime she says that, V and I have to teach her that mum and dad are the ones who bought this for her, so if we want to eat them, we are allowed to, because we're the one who bought them. If it's finished, we can buy some more for her, because we're the ones with the money, not her. Therefore she has to be generous to mommy and daddy, because we are the ones who provide her with everything!
Turns out that it's not that easy to convince a 6 yo to let mum and dad take as much chips as they want just because they bought them. I think in her mind she thinks 'well you gave them to me, so now they're mine!'
I think in the same way, we are like Naomi when it comes to our giving to God.
God gives us everything we need in this life. He blesses us with work and jobs so we can earn our living and buy our needs; He blesses us with family and friends to keep us happy, entertained, and encouraged; He blesses us with lives, so we have time to do our job for His kingdom. Everything comes from Him, and belongs to Him.
If He wants to take everything away from us right now He can, simply by taking our lives away or the lives of those we love. Who are we to complain? At the end of the day He is the owner of this universe and everything that's in it.
So why is it sometimes so hard for some of us to give generously and with a cheerful heart?
Deut 15 says...
10 Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.
If you have been holding back from giving generously to God or for the purpose of His kingdom, may I encourage you to take a good look at your life and everything that's in it.
Are you well? or hospitalised with some sort of life support?
Do you have family and friends who love you? even if it's just one person.
Do you have roof over your head?
Do you have easy access to food and fresh water to drink?
Can you sleep well?
Can you taste delicious food?
Do you laugh at your friends' jokes or comedy shows on TV?
These are little blessings that we often take for granted, and yet we still have all these despite of our lack of generousity to God! Now read again Deut 15:10 and take the challenge of faith and give "generously ... and without a grudging heart", and watch your life multiply in wellness, peace and blessings as you consistently obey His words.
Just remember, daddy can buy you more chips! :)
Are you well? or hospitalised with some sort of life support?
Do you have family and friends who love you? even if it's just one person.
Do you have roof over your head?
Do you have easy access to food and fresh water to drink?
Can you sleep well?
Can you taste delicious food?
Do you laugh at your friends' jokes or comedy shows on TV?
These are little blessings that we often take for granted, and yet we still have all these despite of our lack of generousity to God! Now read again Deut 15:10 and take the challenge of faith and give "generously ... and without a grudging heart", and watch your life multiply in wellness, peace and blessings as you consistently obey His words.
Just remember, daddy can buy you more chips! :)
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Happy Naomi
Everyday I thank God for the time I spend together with Naomi. She's only 6 years old, but the impact she has on my life and what she taught me about my parenting skills, about life, about others, and about God, is amazing. She doesn't know it, but I am learning so much through just being with her.
Some days she's naughty and cranky, but some days she's just so joyful, happy, cute and bubbly. When she's happy, she sings, and she hums as she goes about doing whatever it is she needs to do. ie. she hums in the shower, she hums as she's colouring in, she hums as she's walking around the house, she just hums. It is so cute. When she's happy, she is very obedient to me. When she's happy, she tells me everything that's happening in her little world. When she's happy, she brings a big smile to my face.
Sometimes she even says some really nice things to me. Like for example, when I made her some yummy pancakes with ice cream, she'd say, "Oh wow! Thank you mommy! You are so good mommy! You're good at making sweets and deserts!" (Although that's probably the only thing I know how to make, thanks to the ready made batter!). In the morning when she wakes up next to me, she'd kiss me and give me a nice big smile and closed her eyes again. Sometimes when I pick her up from school, she gets so exited and so happy, she would shout in front of all the other parents, "Mommy! You pick me up!!!!" OMG I get so embarassed because it becomes obvious then how I just never have the time to pick her up unlike some other mums who would dilligently be at the gate 15 mins before their children finish school.
Her love touches my heart. Her happiness brings smile to my face. Her words of encouragement brings tears of joy down my cheek. When she's like that, she's like the best thing that's ever happened to me and I just love her so much!
That brings me to my own behaviour and attitude before my heavenly Father. If Naomi's happiness, joy, good behaviour and words of praise and encouragement can bring joy to my heart, how much more can MY happiness, joy, good attitude and words of praise bring joy to the Father's heart?
Psalm 6930 I will praise God's name in songand glorify him with thanksgiving.31 This will please the LORD more than an ox,more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
Through experience, David knew that praising God's name in song and glorifying Him with thanksgiving pleases the Lord more than the animal offerings. More than our good deeds. More than anything else. When we sing praises and proclaims His glorious name, it brings pleasure to His heart, it brings a smile to His face.
I guess that's why when Paul and Silas were thrown into prison, their songs of praise opened up all the prison doors and broke everyone's chains!
Acts 16:16-40 - check out the story.25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose.
I guess that's also how King Jehoshaphat manage to win his battle without even fighting or sacrificing a live of his people:
2 Chronicles 2022 As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.
One of the thing I love about going to church is our time of worship. I dont think I can describe the feeling I get from simply declaring His goodness, His greatness and His awesomeness (if there's such word). It's like nothing can describe how great and mighty He is, yet how so full of love and compassion He is. I really don't care who's looking at me, or what they're thinking, or how I am perceived. I love immersing myself in His presence and I know that it brings smile to His face. So why care about what others think? Who am I trying to please? Who are YOU trying to please?
Every Sunday I see people standing with their arms folded, watching the worship leaders on the stage like they're not interested. I have no idea what's going on inside their head, but I just don't understand how people can just do that. I dont understand how they can NOT praise and thank God for what He's done in our lives. For the air that we breathe, for our family, for our well being, for our health, for our lives, and for His faithfulness. People who call themselves Christians, follower of Christ, church-goers. I don't quite understand their relationship with God, their father. Does it even exist?
As usual, it is easier said than done, but I challenge myself to always delight myself and be joyful in Him. Give Him praises and thanksgiving, to always set everything aside when it comes to worship time and bring a smile to His face. If Naomi can bring a smile to my face, how much more does God take pleasure in our praises?
Saturday, March 12, 2011
The Prison of WANT
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want" Psalm 23:1 NKJV.
Come with me to the most populated prison in the world. The facility has more inmates than bunks. More prisoners than plates. More residents than resources.
No prison is so populated, no prison so oppressive, and what's more, no prison is so permanent. Most inmates never leave. They never escape. They never get released. They serve a life sentence in this overcrowded, underprovisioned facility.
The name of the prison? You'll see it over the entrance. Rainbowed over the gate are four cast-iron letters that spells out its name:
W.A.N.T
The prison of want. You've seen her prisoners. They are "in want". They want something. They want something bigger. Nicer. Faster. Thinner. They want...
They dont want much, mind you. They want just one thing. One new job. One new car. One new house. One new spouse. They don't want much. They want just one.
And when they have "one", they will be happy. When they have "one", they will leave the prison. But then it happens. The new-car smell passes. The new job gets old. The neighbours buy a larger television set. The new spouse has bad habits. The sizzle fizzles, and before you know it, another ex-con breaks parole and returns to jail.
Are you in prison? You are if you feel better when you have more and worse when you have less. (You are if you can complete this sentence without even thinking, "Just one ............ and I will be happy").
That's the bad news. The good news is, you have a visitor. And your visitor has a message that can you paroled. Make your way to the receiving room. Take your seat in the chair, and look across the table at the psalmist David. He motions for you to lean forward. "I have a secret to tell you", he whispers, "the secret of satisfaction. 'The lord is my shepherd; I shall not want" (Ps 23:1 NKJV).
David has found the pasture where discontent goes to die. It's as if he is saying, "what I have in God is greater than what I dont have in life".
You think you and I could learn to say the same?
Think for just a moment about the things you own. Think about the house you have, the car to drive, the money you've saved. Think about the jewelry you've inherited, and the socks you've traded and the clothes you've purchased. Envision all your stuff, and let me remind you of two biblical truths.
Your stuffs isnt yours. Ask any coroner. Ask any embalmer. Ask any funeral-home director. No one takes anything with him. When one of the wealthiest men in history, John D. Rockefeller, died, his accountant was asked, "How much did John D. leave?" The accountant's reply? "All of it".
"Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand" (Eccles 5:15 NIV).
All that stuff - it's not yours. And you know what else about all that stuffs? It's not you. Who you are has nothing to do with the clothes you wear or the car you drive. Jesus said, "Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot" (Luke 12:15 MSG). Heaven does not know you as the fellow with the nice suit or the woman with the big house or the kid with the new bike. Heaven knows your heart. "The Lord doesn't look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Sam 16:7 NIV). When God thinks of you, he may see your compassion, your devotion, your tenderness or quick mind, but he doesn't think of your things.
And when you think of you, you shouldn't either. Define yourself by your stuff, and you'll feel good when you have a lot and bad when you don't. Contentment comes when we can honestly say with Paul "I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have... I know how to live when I am poor, and I know how to live when I have plenty" (Phil 4:11-12).
A missionary met a leper on the island of Tobago. On the final day, he was leading worship in a leper colony. He asked if anyone had a favourite song. When he did, a woman turned around, and he saw the most disfigured face he'd ever seen. She had no ears, and no nose. Her lips were gone. But she raised a fingerless hand and asked, "Could we sing 'Count your many blessings'?"
The missionary started the song but couldn't finish. He said "I'll never be able to sing it in the same way again".
Are you hoping that a change in circumstances will bring a change in your attitude? If so, you arer in prison and you need to learn a secret of travelling light. What you have in your Shepherd is greater than what you don't have in life.
May I meddle for a moment? What is the one thing separating you from joy? How do you fill in this blank: "I will be happy when ________________"? When I am healed. When I am promoted. When I am married. When I am single. When I am rich. How would you finish that statement?
Now, with your answers firmly in mind, answer this. If your ship never comes in, if your dream never comes true, if the situation never changes, could you be happy? If not, then you ae sleeping in the cold cell of discontentment. You are in prison. And you need to know what you have in your Shepherd.
You have a God who hears you, the power of love behind you, the Holy Spirit within you, and all of heaven ahead of you. If you have the Shepherd, you have grace for every sin, direction for every turn, a candle for every corner, and an anchor for every storm. You have everything you need.
And who can take it from you? Can leukemia infect your salvation? Can bankruptcy impoverish your prayers? A tornado might take your earthly house, but will it touch your heavenly home?
And look at your position. Why clamor for prestige and power? Are you not already priviledged to be part of the greatest work in history? According to Russ blowers, we are. He is a minister in Indianapolis. When he's asked about his profession, he explained, "I'm with a global enterprise. We have branches in every country in the world. We have representatives in nearly every parliament and boardroom on earth. We're into motivation and behaviour alteration. We run hospitals, feeding stations, crisis-pregnancy centers, universities, publishing houses, and nursing homes. We care for our clients from birth to death. We are into life insurance and fire insurance. We perform spiritual heart transplants. Our original organiser owns all the real estate on earth plus an assortment of galaxies and constellations. He knows everything and lives everywhere. Our product is free for the asking. There's not enough money to buy it. Our CEO was born in a hick town, worked as a carpenter, didn't own a home, was misunderstood by his family and hated by his enemies, walked on water, was condemned to death without a trial, and arose from the dead. I talk with him everyday".
Paul says that "godliness with contentment is a great gain" (1 Tim 6:6 NIV). When we surrender to God the cumbersome sack of discontent, we don't just give up something, we gain something. God replaces it with a lightweight, tailor-made, sorrow-resistant attache of gratitude.
What will you gain with contentment? You may gain your marriage. You may gain precious hours with your children. You may gain your self-respect. You may gain joy. You may gain the faith to say, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."
[From "Travelling Light" by Max Lucado. Chapter 4 - The Prison of Want. The Burden of Discontent.]
If this post encourages you, will you please share it so others can get encouraged too? :)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
I'm good enough
Taken from www.girlfriendsingod.com:
March 9, 2011
He Loves You No Matter What
Sharon Jaynes
Today's Truth
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39 NIV).
Friend to Friend
Most of us live in a world of performance-based acceptance. We make good grades and mommy is proud. We look pretty and daddy smiles. We do a good job at work and the boss is pleased. We serve at church and congregation thinks we are "good Christians."
Unfortunately that same sense of having to perform well to be accepted by people can easily roll over into our relationship with God. We falsely believe that we must perform well to be loved and accepted by Him, when nothing could be further from the truth. As a result, we strive to obtain something that we already have...God's unconditional love.
Anabel Gillham was a woman who loved God, but had trouble accepting that God could love her. Sure, she knew the Bible verses that talked of God's unconditional love for her. And yet she knew herself and doubted a God who knew her innermost thoughts would approve of her.
Then God used a very special person to help Annabel understand the depths of His love for her - her second child, Mason David Gilham, who was profoundly retarded. Let's let Anabel tell you her story.
I never doubted for a moment that Jesus loved that profoundly retarded little boy. It didn't matter that he would never sit with the kids in the back of the church and on a certain special night walk down the aisle, take the pastor by the hand, and invite Jesus into his heart. It was entirely irrelevant that he could not quote a single verse of Scripture, that he would never go to high school, or that he would never be a dad. I knew that Jesus loved Mason.
What I could not comprehend, what I could not accept, was that Jesus could love Mason's mother, Anabel. You see, I believed that in order for a person to accept me, to love me, I had to perform for him. My standard for getting love was performance-based, so I "performed" constantly, perfectly. In fact, I did not allow anyone to see me when I was not performing perfectly. I never had any close friends because I was convinced that if a person ever really got to know me, he wouldn't like me.
Mace could never have performed for his parent's love, or for anyone's love, but oh, how they loved him. His condition deteriorated to such a degree-and so rapidly-that they had to place him in an institution when he was very young. His parents enrolled him in the Enid State School for Mentally Handicapped Children. They drove regularly 120 miles to see him but occasionally also brought him home for a visit.
On one particular visit, Mace had been with them since Thursday evening. On the following Saturday afternoon God painted a vivid picture of His great love for Anabel through Mason. She was standing at the kitchen sink, dreading what lay ahead. In just a few moments, she would be gathering Mace's things together and taking him back to "his house." She had done this many times before-and it was never easy-but today God had something in mind that would change her life forever.
"I stood up to the sink again," she continued. "More dishes, more washing, more crying - and thoughts, foreign to my way of thinking, began filtering into my conscious awareness. I believe God spoke to me that day, and this is what He said: "Anabel, you don't look at your son and turn away in disgust because he's sitting there with saliva drooling out of mouth; you don't shake your head, repulsed because he has dinner all over his shirt or because he's sitting in a dirty, smelly diaper when he ought to be able to take care of himself. Anabel, you don't reject Mason because all of the dreams you had for him have been destroyed. You don't reject him because he doesn't perform for you. You
love him, Anabel, just because he is yours. Mason doesn't willfully reject your love, but you willfully reject Mine. I love you, Anabel, not because you're neat or attractive, or because you do things well, not because you perform for Me but just because you're Mine."
And friend, that's exactly how God feels about you. He loves you just because you're His.
He Loves You No Matter What
Sharon Jaynes
Today's Truth
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39 NIV).
Friend to Friend
Most of us live in a world of performance-based acceptance. We make good grades and mommy is proud. We look pretty and daddy smiles. We do a good job at work and the boss is pleased. We serve at church and congregation thinks we are "good Christians."
Unfortunately that same sense of having to perform well to be accepted by people can easily roll over into our relationship with God. We falsely believe that we must perform well to be loved and accepted by Him, when nothing could be further from the truth. As a result, we strive to obtain something that we already have...God's unconditional love.
Anabel Gillham was a woman who loved God, but had trouble accepting that God could love her. Sure, she knew the Bible verses that talked of God's unconditional love for her. And yet she knew herself and doubted a God who knew her innermost thoughts would approve of her.
Then God used a very special person to help Annabel understand the depths of His love for her - her second child, Mason David Gilham, who was profoundly retarded. Let's let Anabel tell you her story.
I never doubted for a moment that Jesus loved that profoundly retarded little boy. It didn't matter that he would never sit with the kids in the back of the church and on a certain special night walk down the aisle, take the pastor by the hand, and invite Jesus into his heart. It was entirely irrelevant that he could not quote a single verse of Scripture, that he would never go to high school, or that he would never be a dad. I knew that Jesus loved Mason.
What I could not comprehend, what I could not accept, was that Jesus could love Mason's mother, Anabel. You see, I believed that in order for a person to accept me, to love me, I had to perform for him. My standard for getting love was performance-based, so I "performed" constantly, perfectly. In fact, I did not allow anyone to see me when I was not performing perfectly. I never had any close friends because I was convinced that if a person ever really got to know me, he wouldn't like me.
Mace could never have performed for his parent's love, or for anyone's love, but oh, how they loved him. His condition deteriorated to such a degree-and so rapidly-that they had to place him in an institution when he was very young. His parents enrolled him in the Enid State School for Mentally Handicapped Children. They drove regularly 120 miles to see him but occasionally also brought him home for a visit.
On one particular visit, Mace had been with them since Thursday evening. On the following Saturday afternoon God painted a vivid picture of His great love for Anabel through Mason. She was standing at the kitchen sink, dreading what lay ahead. In just a few moments, she would be gathering Mace's things together and taking him back to "his house." She had done this many times before-and it was never easy-but today God had something in mind that would change her life forever.
"I stood up to the sink again," she continued. "More dishes, more washing, more crying - and thoughts, foreign to my way of thinking, began filtering into my conscious awareness. I believe God spoke to me that day, and this is what He said: "Anabel, you don't look at your son and turn away in disgust because he's sitting there with saliva drooling out of mouth; you don't shake your head, repulsed because he has dinner all over his shirt or because he's sitting in a dirty, smelly diaper when he ought to be able to take care of himself. Anabel, you don't reject Mason because all of the dreams you had for him have been destroyed. You don't reject him because he doesn't perform for you. You
love him, Anabel, just because he is yours. Mason doesn't willfully reject your love, but you willfully reject Mine. I love you, Anabel, not because you're neat or attractive, or because you do things well, not because you perform for Me but just because you're Mine."
And friend, that's exactly how God feels about you. He loves you just because you're His.
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