Not only is God loving, God is also just. Well yes there is a judgement factor to God which cannot be avoided and truth be told, I feel glad that He be the final and deciding judge, for there is no better judge in matters concerning the life and all. Fact of the matter is although we have been wronged, we could never really understand or comprehend why we have been wronged by a particular person in the first place and proper payback. Which kinda connects to a particular previous post, refer "Your Problem ain't My problem"
Putting yourself into someone elses shoe, really we only see a glimpse of what is happening, a faint understanding of what is going on. There are still ripple effect or branches of what caused or affected a person to do such a thing. Say for example someone comes along and steals your delicious chocolate bar. You get a bit cross and you try to understand what happened. He must've been hungry. What we don't see as we dwelve deeper is that he might have had a painful history concerning chocolates. See when he was younger, a group of guys in willy wonka suits came along and traumatised him. See, they beat him up to a pulp, and dunked him a huge tub of chocolate repeatedly. So he had this traumatic experience concerning chocolates and every chocolate bar he sees, he intents to destroy. Pretty far-fetched story but yeah you'd never guess would ya?
But God did know, and He understood why your chocolate bar got stolen for He is the only one with the bigger picture view. We will never understand the things that God do sometimes, and thats because we cant see the bigger picture until its really explained to us. And trust me when i say God's view window, is pretty much to the ends of the earth huge.
And God isn't an EYE for an EYE type of God. Which brings me a huge sigh of relief that he be the final judge. He knows that the actions we partake are irreversable. However thank Him that He is merciful for if one is truly repented and remorseful of of their actions, they may be forgiven.
So yeah, judgement is a sensitive issue which I feel should be left to God. And also be thankful that He be the one doing that judging for His wisdom is beyond any other and He's got that bigger picture view.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Day 26 - Understanding God's Mercy
I can still quite remember the day God first slapped me around the head. Well not quite literally, but i was slapped into awareness. Into some form of understanding. I could never really say that I now totally understand God's mercy but in that beautiful awakening I'm sure He did skim through it with me. But still I am totally struck and dumbfounded at the stretch of his mercy. No matter how low we've come to or how fallen we are, He is there with outstretched arms ready to pick us up. The forgiveness of our sins even before we were here to commit them.
When God started opening my eyes, to the extent on how much He loved us, the extent on how far we'd been forgiven, I was overwhelmed. Something so undeserved, so pure was given to us out of so much love, mercy and grace. Not only did we recieve His forgiveness, we recieved his favour, strength and so much more unbelievable things in life.
I realise my thoughts on this are quite a mess at this moment. But thats how much God's grace and mercy has affected me. Truth of the matter is that i could never compile all that love, mercy and grace and how i feel about it into words. It's just too mind blowing for me. I just pray that one day i will be able to express all that gratitude to Him, but for now i'll serve and thank Him out of that very gratitude.
When God started opening my eyes, to the extent on how much He loved us, the extent on how far we'd been forgiven, I was overwhelmed. Something so undeserved, so pure was given to us out of so much love, mercy and grace. Not only did we recieve His forgiveness, we recieved his favour, strength and so much more unbelievable things in life.
I realise my thoughts on this are quite a mess at this moment. But thats how much God's grace and mercy has affected me. Truth of the matter is that i could never compile all that love, mercy and grace and how i feel about it into words. It's just too mind blowing for me. I just pray that one day i will be able to express all that gratitude to Him, but for now i'll serve and thank Him out of that very gratitude.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Day 24 - Say Yes to Integrity
Apologies for being away from quite some time, that time of the semester is upon me!
Todays sharing will be about Day 24 - Say Yes to Integrity
I will try to walk a blameless path, but how I need your help, especially in my own home, where i long to act as i should.
Help me to refuse the low and vulgar things; help me to abhor crooked deals of every kind, to have no part in them.
Psalms 101:2-3LB
Say Yes to Integrity
Going through renunciation and baptism, i feel that much closer to God and that much farther from sin already. Praise the Lord for He has taken away my sins and given me a new slate. Hard it is for me to say this but how long will it take for me to sin again? Logically speaking it wont take too long before its gonna start happening again. Sins as you know are easy things to commit, for “Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few will find it.”(Matthew 7:13-14). Waking up this morning, it did worry me a bit if this would be the day that i would sin in the Lord's eyes, just two days fresh out of baptism.
And i find that in Day 24 - Say Yes to Integrity, even the Great King David was susceptible to sin. The difference was that he readily admitted his weaknesses to the Lord, and prayed to the Lord for strength.
Tom Holladays' 3 step guide to Integrity
Choose to speak the truth
How many times do you feel that it's just easier to lie rather then just speak the truth. Some days i find myself shocked at how lies just roll off the tongue so easily. And in some cases we have people working overtime to keep things covered. "The truth will set you free" John 8:32. Come clean with the Lord at least. And we find that He accepts us for who we are. And then maybe start opening up to the people around us that we have been living a lie. This could well be the hardest part to do so we should ask God for the strength to do so. And this is hard, for some will stop short and think why should i tell the truth when lying is so much easier? Sweeping lies under the rug everyday and one day the rug is just going to explode in your face.
Choose to Be Honest about Faults
Second part to coming clean. We are human and we do fault. The difficulty is to admit them. And some are faults so huge but we refuse to admit them. Facing the ugly truth isn't what i want to do today, and over a long period of time pushing the truth aside we find ourselves oblivious to them. Isn't it easier to uproot our faults whilst its a shrub then wait till it becomes a tree? Not to say that trees are impossible to uproot for with Gods help nothing is impossible, just takes more effort. And we find that uprooting a tree is going to cause more damage to the surroundings then a little shrub did. Find your someone that you can admit your faults, fears and failures. and Pray with them.
Choose to Ask for God's Help
"The LORD on high is mighty"
Psalms 93:4
Walking this earth without help i should say is close to impossible. Walking this earth in God's way, i should think is impossible. For we are tempted and taunted by sin on a daily basis. Any time can be a time to fall and disappoint for sin is that powerful. But our Lord is that much more powerful, and with His divine help sin can be avoided, evaded and even crushed. Recognising our weaknesses in the first place as stated above, and then asking God's help to conquer them. And we say no to the low, the vulgar and the sinful. With His power we have a new power to say yes to high and mighty things.
Glory to God
The same power that conquered the grave
Lives in me, Lives in me
Your love that rescued the earth
Lives in me, lives in me
Todays sharing will be about Day 24 - Say Yes to Integrity
I will try to walk a blameless path, but how I need your help, especially in my own home, where i long to act as i should.
Help me to refuse the low and vulgar things; help me to abhor crooked deals of every kind, to have no part in them.
Psalms 101:2-3LB
Say Yes to Integrity
Going through renunciation and baptism, i feel that much closer to God and that much farther from sin already. Praise the Lord for He has taken away my sins and given me a new slate. Hard it is for me to say this but how long will it take for me to sin again? Logically speaking it wont take too long before its gonna start happening again. Sins as you know are easy things to commit, for “Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few will find it.”(Matthew 7:13-14). Waking up this morning, it did worry me a bit if this would be the day that i would sin in the Lord's eyes, just two days fresh out of baptism.
And i find that in Day 24 - Say Yes to Integrity, even the Great King David was susceptible to sin. The difference was that he readily admitted his weaknesses to the Lord, and prayed to the Lord for strength.
Tom Holladays' 3 step guide to Integrity
Choose to speak the truth
How many times do you feel that it's just easier to lie rather then just speak the truth. Some days i find myself shocked at how lies just roll off the tongue so easily. And in some cases we have people working overtime to keep things covered. "The truth will set you free" John 8:32. Come clean with the Lord at least. And we find that He accepts us for who we are. And then maybe start opening up to the people around us that we have been living a lie. This could well be the hardest part to do so we should ask God for the strength to do so. And this is hard, for some will stop short and think why should i tell the truth when lying is so much easier? Sweeping lies under the rug everyday and one day the rug is just going to explode in your face.
Choose to Be Honest about Faults
Second part to coming clean. We are human and we do fault. The difficulty is to admit them. And some are faults so huge but we refuse to admit them. Facing the ugly truth isn't what i want to do today, and over a long period of time pushing the truth aside we find ourselves oblivious to them. Isn't it easier to uproot our faults whilst its a shrub then wait till it becomes a tree? Not to say that trees are impossible to uproot for with Gods help nothing is impossible, just takes more effort. And we find that uprooting a tree is going to cause more damage to the surroundings then a little shrub did. Find your someone that you can admit your faults, fears and failures. and Pray with them.
Choose to Ask for God's Help
"The LORD on high is mighty"
Psalms 93:4
Walking this earth without help i should say is close to impossible. Walking this earth in God's way, i should think is impossible. For we are tempted and taunted by sin on a daily basis. Any time can be a time to fall and disappoint for sin is that powerful. But our Lord is that much more powerful, and with His divine help sin can be avoided, evaded and even crushed. Recognising our weaknesses in the first place as stated above, and then asking God's help to conquer them. And we say no to the low, the vulgar and the sinful. With His power we have a new power to say yes to high and mighty things.
Glory to God
The same power that conquered the grave
Lives in me, Lives in me
Your love that rescued the earth
Lives in me, lives in me
Faith and Prayer
This is a true story of something that happened just a few years ago at USC. There was a professor of philosophy there who was a deeply committed atheist. His primary goal for one required class was to spend the entire semester to prove that God couldn't exist. His students were always afraid to argue with because of his impeccable logic. Sure some had argued in class at times, but no one had ever really gone against him because of his reputation. At the end of every semester on the last day he would say to his class of 300 students "If there is anyone here who still believes in Jesus, stand up!"
In twenty years no one had ever stood up. They knew what he was going to do next. He would say, "Because anyone who believes in God is a fool. If God existed He would stop this piece of chalk from hitting the ground and breaking. Such a simple task to prove that He is God and yet He can't do it." And every year he would drop the chalk onto the tile floor and it would shatter into a hundred pieces. All the students would do nothing but stop and stare. Most of the students thought God couldn't exist. Certainly a number of Christians had slipped through, but for twenty years they had been too afraid to stand up.
Well a few years ago there was a freshman who happened to enroll. He was a christian and had heard the stories about his professor. He was required to take the class for his major and he was afraid. But for three months he prayed every morning that he would have the courage to stand up no matter what the professor said or what the class thought. Nothing they said could ever shatter his faith...he hoped.
Finally the day came. The professor said "If there is anyone here who still believes in God, stand up!" The professor and the class of 300 people looked at him shocked as he stood up at the back of the classroom.
The professor shouted, "You FOOL!!! If God existed, He would keep this piece of chalk from breaking when it hit the ground!" He proceeded to drop the chalk but as he did, it slipped out of his fingers, off his shirt cuff, onto the pleat of his pants, down his leg and off his shoe. As it hit the ground, it simply rolled away unbroken. The professor's jaw dropped as he stared at the chalk. He looked up at the young man and then ran out of the lecture hall. The young man, who had stood proceeded to walk to the front of the room and shared his faith in Jesus for the next half hour. 300 students stayed and listened as he told of God's love for them and of His power through Jesus.
Isn't it funny how simple it is for people to thrash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.
Isn't it funny how we believe what the newspapers say but question what the bible says.
Isn't it funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not have to believe, think, say or do anything the bible says?
Isn't it funny how someone can say "I'll believe in God but still follow satan(who by the way also "believes" in God)
Isnt it funny how I can be more worried about what the other people think of me than what God thinks of me?
In twenty years no one had ever stood up. They knew what he was going to do next. He would say, "Because anyone who believes in God is a fool. If God existed He would stop this piece of chalk from hitting the ground and breaking. Such a simple task to prove that He is God and yet He can't do it." And every year he would drop the chalk onto the tile floor and it would shatter into a hundred pieces. All the students would do nothing but stop and stare. Most of the students thought God couldn't exist. Certainly a number of Christians had slipped through, but for twenty years they had been too afraid to stand up.
Well a few years ago there was a freshman who happened to enroll. He was a christian and had heard the stories about his professor. He was required to take the class for his major and he was afraid. But for three months he prayed every morning that he would have the courage to stand up no matter what the professor said or what the class thought. Nothing they said could ever shatter his faith...he hoped.
Finally the day came. The professor said "If there is anyone here who still believes in God, stand up!" The professor and the class of 300 people looked at him shocked as he stood up at the back of the classroom.
The professor shouted, "You FOOL!!! If God existed, He would keep this piece of chalk from breaking when it hit the ground!" He proceeded to drop the chalk but as he did, it slipped out of his fingers, off his shirt cuff, onto the pleat of his pants, down his leg and off his shoe. As it hit the ground, it simply rolled away unbroken. The professor's jaw dropped as he stared at the chalk. He looked up at the young man and then ran out of the lecture hall. The young man, who had stood proceeded to walk to the front of the room and shared his faith in Jesus for the next half hour. 300 students stayed and listened as he told of God's love for them and of His power through Jesus.
Isn't it funny how simple it is for people to thrash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.
Isn't it funny how we believe what the newspapers say but question what the bible says.
Isn't it funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not have to believe, think, say or do anything the bible says?
Isn't it funny how someone can say "I'll believe in God but still follow satan(who by the way also "believes" in God)
Isnt it funny how I can be more worried about what the other people think of me than what God thinks of me?
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Day 11 - Feelings are Important
When was the last time you just went beserk, crazy at your friends.
Or in class, or at your family, spouse. Feelings bottled up inside for so long, it all just shot out. Take for example, your friend has this habit of....clicking his knuckles. So everytime your hang out with him, he seems to be clicking them every 4 mins. During lecture, at lunch, while talking, he just seems to be
Clicking
his knuckles
ALL
THE
TIME.
And so you tolerate it, he's just clicking it. You don't really like the sound, but it's just clicking.
And so, after days, weeks, months, years even. One day while having lunch with a group of friends, he clicks 'em. Its a long loud one. And it just feels like the final straw. And you get up and scream at him, after 3 years of clicking "WILL YOU STOP THAT CLICKING??? ITS SO FRIGGIN ANNOYING!!!"
And you breathe out. Oh it feels good. For 10 secs. I mean you just emptied the bottle. And everyone looks at you. And this feeling just climbs at you. Feels like stupidity?
Anyway that isn't the point, but if you had just addressed the situation earlier, like "Hey John you dont want to do that, you'll arthirtis by 30."
Clicking of the fingers is a bad example, but the point was that bottling it up doesnt really help you in anyway, in fact it doesn'
t help you at all. Feelings should really be chunneled in a different way and the potential reaped from it would be trememdous.Putting it in a positive view. The choices you make, will ultimately determine the outcome of it.
Or in class, or at your family, spouse. Feelings bottled up inside for so long, it all just shot out. Take for example, your friend has this habit of....clicking his knuckles. So everytime your hang out with him, he seems to be clicking them every 4 mins. During lecture, at lunch, while talking, he just seems to be
Clicking
his knuckles
ALL
THE
TIME.
And so you tolerate it, he's just clicking it. You don't really like the sound, but it's just clicking.
And so, after days, weeks, months, years even. One day while having lunch with a group of friends, he clicks 'em. Its a long loud one. And it just feels like the final straw. And you get up and scream at him, after 3 years of clicking "WILL YOU STOP THAT CLICKING??? ITS SO FRIGGIN ANNOYING!!!"
And you breathe out. Oh it feels good. For 10 secs. I mean you just emptied the bottle. And everyone looks at you. And this feeling just climbs at you. Feels like stupidity?
Anyway that isn't the point, but if you had just addressed the situation earlier, like "Hey John you dont want to do that, you'll arthirtis by 30."
Clicking of the fingers is a bad example, but the point was that bottling it up doesnt really help you in anyway, in fact it doesn'
t help you at all. Feelings should really be chunneled in a different way and the potential reaped from it would be trememdous.Putting it in a positive view. The choices you make, will ultimately determine the outcome of it.
Day 10 - The Power of New
Clean slate, start afresh, anew.
Discussing with some mates before, that if God kept a record
of our sins, he'd have compile books by now.
And i thought, hmm....if he kept a record of my sins, he might just be able to set up that public library, name it after me.
But he doesn't and so i don't get a library name after me.
What he does is that he gives us a new clean slate. And the feeling of starting afresh is incredible. That burden lifted, debt free feeling, priceless.
Starting a new in certain aspects of out lives too is important, be in careers, relationships. Basically the whole life love thing. It's about rediscovering the spark and reliving the magic. Going back to that initial thing that made you so passionate.
Like that new guy on his first day at the job. Oh yea that initiative, that passion, that burn, that speed.
That it starts to dwindle. Fizzle out. Slows down, grinding halt?
Even in our christian walk, we sometimes find that we burn out, fall back. And its times like that where we find that we have to go back to the start, the source and rediscover that precious precious moment where we so excitedly devoted our lives to Him. That moment when we started afresh, a clean slate.
Discussing with some mates before, that if God kept a record
of our sins, he'd have compile books by now.
And i thought, hmm....if he kept a record of my sins, he might just be able to set up that public library, name it after me.
But he doesn't and so i don't get a library name after me.
What he does is that he gives us a new clean slate. And the feeling of starting afresh is incredible. That burden lifted, debt free feeling, priceless.
Starting a new in certain aspects of out lives too is important, be in careers, relationships. Basically the whole life love thing. It's about rediscovering the spark and reliving the magic. Going back to that initial thing that made you so passionate.
Like that new guy on his first day at the job. Oh yea that initiative, that passion, that burn, that speed.
That it starts to dwindle. Fizzle out. Slows down, grinding halt?
Even in our christian walk, we sometimes find that we burn out, fall back. And its times like that where we find that we have to go back to the start, the source and rediscover that precious precious moment where we so excitedly devoted our lives to Him. That moment when we started afresh, a clean slate.
Day 9 - The Power of Jesus' Command
So I figured that this situation could probably be seen in our everyday lives.
Remember when:
1)You didn't want to participate in a game. And your friends went " HEY GERALD! Can you stop being a wuss and come play the game? It'll be fun ok? We promise!" "And stop pouting and sulking, you look like a girl"
And you reluctantly played along, and realised that it wasn't half bad, and before you know it, you are L-O-V-I-N-G IT.
2)You didnt want to eat that dish your mom cooked. Cause it looks strange, and yellow, and before this you never saw a cauliflower in your life, and it looked kinda like a vegetable.
And mom said that if you didnt shove it down your throat she'd spank you so hard, your lips go blue.
So you swallow it down with a huge gulp of water and decide it dont taste so bad really. So you chomp some down, and before u know it you're polishing off the plate.
Just a couple of situations. There are so much more other things we can relate to. That sometimes when we act, the feelings come after.
Sometimes we are to called to do things involuntarily, things we don't want to do, don't like to do. but with time spent,we develop feelings for it.
And so with Jesus's command, that we act in love, although we do not love willingly. And seems hypocritical. But hey if everyday did just as they pleased, nothing in this world would ever be done. And we hear the saying, if everyday pursued their dream job, probably half the world is retired and whats left of the work force would probably be in disarray.
But we can develop acceptance and tolerance, and then endearment. So go ahead and step out of your comfort zone, step out of that hole you dug yourself into.
Like mom used to say "You dont try, you dont know."
Remember when:
1)You didn't want to participate in a game. And your friends went " HEY GERALD! Can you stop being a wuss and come play the game? It'll be fun ok? We promise!" "And stop pouting and sulking, you look like a girl"
And you reluctantly played along, and realised that it wasn't half bad, and before you know it, you are L-O-V-I-N-G IT.
2)You didnt want to eat that dish your mom cooked. Cause it looks strange, and yellow, and before this you never saw a cauliflower in your life, and it looked kinda like a vegetable.
And mom said that if you didnt shove it down your throat she'd spank you so hard, your lips go blue.
So you swallow it down with a huge gulp of water and decide it dont taste so bad really. So you chomp some down, and before u know it you're polishing off the plate.
Just a couple of situations. There are so much more other things we can relate to. That sometimes when we act, the feelings come after.
Sometimes we are to called to do things involuntarily, things we don't want to do, don't like to do. but with time spent,we develop feelings for it.
And so with Jesus's command, that we act in love, although we do not love willingly. And seems hypocritical. But hey if everyday did just as they pleased, nothing in this world would ever be done. And we hear the saying, if everyday pursued their dream job, probably half the world is retired and whats left of the work force would probably be in disarray.
But we can develop acceptance and tolerance, and then endearment. So go ahead and step out of your comfort zone, step out of that hole you dug yourself into.
Like mom used to say "You dont try, you dont know."
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