Christmas..

Haha.. As I have expected. Many of us posted about Christmas.. Now it's mu turn :) To be honest, I did not really realise Christmas went by. It did not feel like Christmas to me too actually. I was so busy with so many things.

First, on Christmas eve it was such a rush to get from the place I work to church cause work finished at 5.30 and caroling started at 6.30.. But God gave me a smooth journey and I reached the STATION on time :) I enjoyed caroling but then, it just wasn't there, the thought of Christmas(I do not like to use the word mood, though I want to). Such a tiring Christmas eve. I only shower at 1.30 in the morning. Hehe..

Hah.. Christmas morning.. The night before slept at 2 in the morning and woke up at 7.15 a.m. As you can imagine how tired I was.. But still could hold it in. The worship team started practicing so as the violin girls and boys and other instrumentalist. I was sitting there thinking that I would not have to do much this Christmas cause am not in the worship team and all. But I came to realise there wasn't anyone that is gonna prepare the stage for the transection of every event. So again, got myself busy with planing and delegating tasks. Almost through whole service I had to move around. Story cut short, we finished everything around 6 after Uncle Jacky's visitation. Was so tired by then. At night when out for dinner with mum and sisters.

Here was where Christmas finally sunk into me.. Was driving through town looking for a place to eat, I told my sis, what a great thing it is to recieve a gift during Christmas. You get two in one, the gift of baby Jesus Christ that is already everything that you can ask for, yet another gift as something more. What greater gift is there that a man can ask for than salvation given to Him, yet with God's grace He still bless us all the other things around us like our family, friends, love, etc. A present will not mean anything to me if why it is given wasn't from a greater meaning. My Christmas presents were with great value cause it came from a greater meaning. I was telling my sister, to me, though the present maybe just 1 ringgit, but in my heart it valued a 100. The night ended with dinner near Sunway till close to 12 midnight. It was a good, satisfiying and happy meal :) Another blessing.

Thank you to those have bought me present, I really appreciate it. To those who did not, to me you guys are the gift from God to me already, and it is enough. Today was a day where I absorbed everything in what had happened yesterday, and I am just overwhelmed and in awe of How graceful is my King and MY Father...

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Is She/He The Right One?

Another very subjective issue that many of us struggle to answer. I am not here to solve this problem but to suggest ways to look about it. These few months I have been hearing a lot of the sentence ‘No one wants break ups. When I agreed to enter this relationship was cause I thought it would have worked out, but it didn’t.’(something like that). So, how do we know who is the right person?

First, I definitely have to say I am totally against ‘trying’ out mates to decide and to know or rather to figure out is this person your type or what so ever. There’s also no such thing as you need ‘experience’ to me. It doesn’t make sense, how come you need experience for your second girlfriend or boyfriend but not the first one? So experience and trying out is a big NO NO in figuring out who will be the right one for you. I also believe that whatever you purposely do wrong and go against now in a relationships, the consequences you will hafta pay later.

So then, again, how do we find the ‘right’ one? Let’s use the simplest example that we all know, Adam and Eve. Did they have a choice who they wanted to marry? No, cause there were no one else but only the both of them. I believe same applies to us. I know you may say that there’re different and we are different. But if you think about it, where are the differences? In the end, there’s only one lady and one man, and God. So what difference does it make with us?

What I am trying to reach to you guys is, you will never know who the ‘right’ one will be or figure out whether that person is the right one or not cause only when the time comes, you will know it. Do not waste time trying to figure out is she or he the one for you? Or are you gonna marry him or her? Don’t bother cause you will not find out till the time comes. Don’t hafta go ‘hunting’. You can’t do anything more or anything less to change who are you gonna be marrying next time. So wait.

At the mean time, prepare yourself spiritually, mentally to accept someone else into your life like some of the things I wrote in the previous post. However, even after knowing this there are many other questions that will lead out of this. For example, how do I know that the time has come and that is the person that I should be pursuing? If a person would to ask me this question now, there’s only one thing I would ask them do, is to suggest that the person would put his or her feelings to the test and to know how true the feelings are and not just temporary emotions. Cause I have learned that emotions can be really deceiving. About how long, it’s very subjective and it depends on the person. For me I would suggest at least a year, but the longer I believe the better. And all this I think should be done even before anything has started like hints or lots of smses and stuff. If your are really meant to be I think that there’s nothing to be afraid about cause the other person won’t run anywhere if it is God’s will, so I think there is nothing to rush. After however long you think that the feelings are stable and after lots of prayers only I think a person should start pursuing a relationship. But everything has to be done in a proper and right manner and pleasing in God’s eyes.

I want to make it clear here that when I write this post and the previous one, 'Am I Ready To Date' post, I am not trying initiate anything here or do not ever think that this are post that you can take ‘tips’ to lead to a faster relationship – as if it is even good enough to have tips taken from. But this post is to tell you teenagers these days that your life does not all surround around this tiny little issue of girl boy relationship and in the are of this boy girl relationship thing we've set the bar too low and expect too little from the opposite sex and our selves because of our sinful desires. There are many other more important things that are happening out there and also to remind you all that God’s will should always come first in our life, not ours. Do ponder of what I have given thoughts on cause I think that many of us share the same problem and I understand what you guys are going through as I am a teenager myself.

The last thing that I wanna warn you folks out there that this boy girls relationship thing may seem very easy and light to many of you cause it's as easy as, 'yeah I wanna be your partner', but the outcome is serious. I am not joking when I say it is serious. I wanna end this post by urging all of you out there to rather pursue a life pleasing to our Father in Heaven and seek the treasure that last forever then just spending hours of your life wasted thinking about all this tiny little issue.

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

1 Corinthians 9:20-22
To the Jews I become like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I become like one under the law(though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I become like one not having the law(though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’ law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I become the weak to win the weak. I have become all things to all man so that by all possible means I might save some.

From what I understand in the passage above is that in any circumstances we become it to understand someone that we may in any possible means save that person. I believe the passage is saying, how can we save someone if we do not understand them? It’s as if we’re speaking Bahasa Melayu to an American. How will he or she understand unless we speak in their language or interpret what are we saying?

I hope that I understood and explained that passage correctly but there is a confusion that occurred as I read that passage. Is the passage trying to say that if I wanted to reach out to a smoker, I have to be a smoker? If I wanted to save a rebellion I have to be one too? I kinda knew that wasn’t what the passage was trying to reach to me, but I couldn’t prove or explain why that isn’t what it is trying to say to me. By God’s grace and wisdom that He has given me, I finally got my answer as I was doing my devotion the other say, and it is found in 1 Corinthians 10:31 and 32 –
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God – even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

It make sense doesn’t it? And I think it totally answers my question. In whatever I do, I do it for the glory of God. If I were to reach out to a smoker, by reaching out I am doing it for His glory and at the same time, I do not be a smoker when I am trying to reach out to a smoker cause it does not give glory to Him if I smoke too.

Secondly, in whatever I do I must not cause anyone around me to stumble whether my family in Christ or not. If my actions do cause any of my family in Christ to stumble, I should rather not do anything to cause the member of the body to stumble in his or her faith. If a unsaved person sees what is done and is something that would cause him or her to stumble even further from believing that Jesus Christ is the one and only Savior, I should just leave and not do anything more to cause that person to stumble even further. Though as Christians our purpose is to serve others and please others in whatever way we can so that we may bring them to the knowledge of Christ, we should always be aware not to be a stumbling block to another and in whatever we do. There should be nothing but one motif that is for the glory of God.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Am I Ready to Date?

Haha. I can’t believe I am actually writing part of this post DURING my SPM ‘season’. But this issue kinda bothers me and I feel like I just need to get it out my mind, for now. Well I know this topic has been a hot topic ever since the word ‘dating’ existed. I know that I am one that has no place to talk about this issue compared to so many wiser people out there, but just thought that maybe sharing my thoughts may help one or two to look into this issue in a more deeper manner than they are now.

I have to start talking about this from the age factor. How many times people have attempted to set an age for dating, but from my view, it never works, cause to me, there is no age limit for dating. However, I definitely believe there are criteria that you have to reach before you think you can date. To me, your purpose in life plays a big role. First you need to have a proper and clear purpose in life that you know before you can accept someone else into your life. Your purpose of life have to be worth living for, worth fighting for, worth dying for. And if your purpose in life is just to look for a spouse then you are definitely not ready to be in a relationship.

Secondly, are you capable of supporting your own life spiritually, financially, mentally and manage your life in the most basic manner? – able to carry out daily routine without taking short cuts(I can’t think of any other ways to explain it). I believe that your relationship with God must first be set right and stable and that you are able to sustain it in a daily basis of devotions, prayers, praising and worshiping Him in your personal walk and studying The Word and always trying to grow deeper in your relationship with Him. Financially capable to support yourself, mentally capable, organized, have a purpose other than just seeking for a spouse, and mature(would depend on your maturity to determine your own maturity).

Third is, you must be able to live without a women or man. You cannot be desperate and dependable to someone else, except God, I believe. The moment you feel dependable to someone, it’s a sign that you are not ready to for a relationship. And that will fall back to the first criteria about your purpose in life and how much you stand firm to it. If you are firm in your purpose in life and fixed your eyes and mind on the reward that lies ahead, you will not be swayed away. A good example would be me. I used to be afraid to be single, or I’d prefer to call it alone. There was one part of my life that I was constantly seeking for a partner to feel secure of myself, not to feel lonely, and that is a obvious sign of immaturity in starting a relationship.

One thing that I have been thinking, and it has been driving me crazy since is the very reason WHY do I pursue a girl? Is it for my own selfish desire? That is the answer I am still searching for even till now. Why do I message her? Is it to make myself feel good and fill the void in me? Why do I talk to her? To pursue my OWN feeling so I may feel good? Feel pleasured? Why do I hold her hands? So I may feel loved? So my human desires are fulfilled? It sounds silly when I say it’s selfish, but wait till you try to look at how do you actually affect the other party. Whatever you do or say, have you ever wondered how will it affect the other party? Well you may be able to control your own emotions and feelings, thinking that there is nothing happening and you may have felt good after those conversations, but what happens to her/him? Leaving the feelings to grow deeper for the other party is not a very responsible act I would say. He/she will be left ‘stranded’ after all the talks and sms-es you had and wondering where would this lead to? Or what to do next? . All you care is that you have felt good, you have filled that void for now and you don’t care about the consequences. To me that is just selfish.

So then, how do you handle this situation? Before I say anything, I just want to remind you that these are merely my thoughts and it may not necessary be right. This is based on my own level of maturity and thinking. I think that your motives of doing anything to pursue a relationship is to seek more for the other party’s benefit. By saying this you have to eliminate so many actions that I mention above. I know this sounds pretty impossible to live up to, and I do not know if I could even come close to these criteria, but I think this should be the standard we set.

I don't think it is easy to, but it's definitely worth it. I believe that the higher standard that you set for yourself personally in your own life by the way you keep yourself blameless in God’s sight, by the values you live by, the stands you make, God will also reveal to you the person that is to that level of yours. I do not mean standard here as in you set yourself to ‘get’ a handsome or pretty girl then you will get a pretty girl or anything, but its the second criteria that I mentioned above.

Love is patient,
Love is kind.
It does not boast,
It is not proud.
It is not rude,
it is not self seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrong.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects,
always trust,
always hopes,
always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7

The next post or a few post later I may wanna write about how is it to determine which is the one for you and how to know that that man or lady is the one that God has set for you and that is the right one.

I do hope that we youths these days would set higher standards for ourselves in our lives and not just think just because we are youths we can do whatever we want cause these are the years that we can do so, but to know that whatever you do now, you are setting the consequences ahead of you. Whatever you do, think, say, set, live by and initiate is what that is gonna form you next time, so be wise to take every step. I have learned that emotions should always come second. If whatever we do are based on our emotions, disaster awaits you 

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Is God self-centered? Is He an egotist?

First and foremost before we confront this question, we have to face two other simpler questions, the first that is, is He really who He claims to be, God? Is God God? With this I means He the truest, purest, most potent, most beautiful being in existence? The eternal and unchanging?

If the answer is yes, it leads to the next question : ‘Does God know who He is?’. Does God know that He is all that is above? If He doesn’t, He is already not being a God because a God is a all knowing God, which if He doesn’t know He is a God, He is not all knowing and of course not God. But when God said Himself that, ‘ I am the Lord, that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols’, He has passed the test of being God, declaring Himself to be God.

So then, how does this lead to the question, is God self- centered or is He an egotist? In everything that is created, the one and only motive that God had and have is that glorify Himself. In any decision that He makes, the thing He thinks about is in what way does it glorify Himself, and makes the decision. Everything was made to glorify Him, including us. God is only passionate about His glory and His glory alone. And He loves Himself more than He loves anything else. Now does that make Him a selfish, self-centered God? NO!

If God is God as He claims, means He is the best. No one surpasses Him in ANY way. He is the highest, the greatest, the smartest, the most beautiful, most loving. Then, how can the smartest, the wises God points all the glory and honor to anything else but the best, that is Himself? Are you with me?

If the greatest God doesn’t point all glory and honor to Himself, who else can He point it to? He is already the greatest, the most powerful, most loving, the smartest, the everlasting. And if the God that points the attention to anything else but Himself, He isn’t the wises God already because the wises thing to do and the only best thing that a God can do is to point all His creation to Himself.

That is the only thing left for Him to do! That is to point all glory to Himself cause there is no greater than Him. God has to first love Himself more than anything else before He can love other things. If He doesn’t love Himself, He won’t be called first before He love anything else, He already directing the focus of glory to other thing where He loves most. Which means God is already glorifying other things other than Himself and is already placing His love in other things than Himself which also tells that He is dependant on other things which He is already not a God. So if God is God, this won’t happen. God loves Himself more than any other before He can love us and turn the Glory to Himself.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Being the Audience of One

There’s a whole list of things I wanna write about that has been going through my mind since the last time I wrote, but somehow this stood out the most. I was standing outside my school gate the other day after school waiting for my mum to arrive, just observing around me I see teenagers these days have swayed away from God more instead of getting closer.

Everyone is all about fame. All fighting for fame and to be known and to be praised or maybe just simply to be noticed and fitted in. Guys cursing in every sentence, doing ridiculous things desperately wanting to be noticed by girls and smoking. The girls are nothing less. Not even considering basic moral values cursing along with the guys thinking that it’s ‘cool’, wearing inappropriate outfits, and here I wanna say, for both guys and girls, that a sinner is bad, a person that causes another person to sin is worst. You are a sinner of sinner. So the way we dress is important, do not be a stumbling block to another. Anyway back to it, everyone just wants the limelight.

But guess what?? You will NEVER get it, cause there’s already the best, there’s already the coolest, and there’s already the smartest. There’s already a star in this Story, and that is God Himself.

I think most of the time we just don’t get it. Which leads to more desperate acts of human where we dig deeper our grave hole hoping to find water. And these are like I said just now, exposing theirs bodies, girls especially, cause guys have nothing but fats and our tummy to show, which some still show!! But yeah, sex after that. I even have guys in my class watching pornography during lessons on their phones!

These are our acts that we do to fulfill that inner void that is disturbingly lonely and empty cause it has been all about us and us and we can never make that happen. I was reading the Daily Bread devotional booklet on the 27th of August and it says, Christ is seen most clearly when we remain in the background. Well this is not exactly what the writer means, but I think partly he is trying to tell us that there’s already a hero in the Story! The main character is already there. Why are you trying to steal the spotlight, or rather what are you doing? Cause you can never do it! Don’t make yourself look silly, we’re called to play the back up role here, HELLO…. Moreover, you can’t even if you try. Instead of being kicked out of the Story in the end and getting nothing at all, why not contribute your 5 minutes(life) role in This everlasting Story? That in the end, AT LEAST you are honored to be even part of it.

Well I guess another way of thinking it, and which how I think it as is, we all want to give our best to the ones we love. And most of the time we just want to make the ones we love happy. In this case, I mean is all cases, by playing our small role we can help place a small tiny puzzle to place for Him that we love. And someday when the Story is revealed to everyone, He gets the glory, He gets the fame, the One we love gets the praise, we are satisfied. Not a way to look at it as if we are the one here doing the work and choosing to help Him and that He needs us, but as a honor. Cause is you think of it, The God that made the universe that we can’t even imagine how big? Made the light that travels 186, 000 miles per second? Made the sun? Made the billion of stars? Made the milkyway just with a breath needs our help? Na…. WE want to be in His Story, not He needs us.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Too Easily Pleased

I was reading the devotional book of camp. The day five devotion was about the holiness of God, but that is not what I am going to write in this post. It is about the last sentence of the middle passage of that page, ‘We are too easily pleased’. Though I know that this sentence itself sums up by it’s own, but just want to share some insight of me as I read this. In this life we seek for worldly things like money, materials, fame, lust that we think can satisfy us, and many more. I came to an understanding that not only we will desire and go through all this temptations in life, but, we HAVE to in order to realise or appreciate the greater value that is to come that is God. But it is just our human nature that we are so easily pleased by all this things that this world can offer us. I like the statement where it says, ‘if this can satisfy you, why do you ask for more?’. It is trying to say, that if you ever do ask for more of this thing that you say can satisfy you, means that at the first place it did not satisfy because if it did, you won’t be asking for more. My point here is that, we are so easily pleased!! I give you diamond, you want silver. That is how we are acting like. The devotional book gives a descripetion of an ignorant child who wants to go on making pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. So pathetic isn’t it when you see it from this point of view? Yes it is indeed pathetic. So now, take a moment and think of what you have been seeking for satisfaction all this while, and put it in the situation of the ignorant child and Jesus is offering you a life of joy in Him. A life of love that is greater than any love that you can ever imagine to feel, to ever understand in this life. God meets up to all your expectations of Him, in fact He goes beyond your expectations. I never once, since I felt His love, to ever regret my decision giving up my life and taking up the cross to follow Jesus. If you have been seeking for this Joy, this Love and never finding that thing that can fill that void in your heart, it’s time to seek it from THE source. Seek, ask and knock from Him. Tell Him that you are just so sick and tired of searching and hoping for nothing. Tell Him how desperate you are to just know Him, and that you are going nowhere till He reveals Himself to you. I promise you that that will be the wisest decision you will ever make in your life.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Be Still

As I was lying on my bed, just trying to feel the warmness of His love again, the peace, the comfort, the missing feeling of His presence, I suddenly realise that I have just walked passed it myself. Despite the busyness of this life, the tough times, the temptations, the speed of this life, the noises, I miss the most important of all, that is just to be still, and know that He is God, He is God and He is God. The phrase of a song came to my mind just then was, ’there is no one else for me, none but Jesus, crucified to set me free, now I live to bring Him praise’. There is no one else for me, none but Jesus. Why seek so much of this world when I know that there is nothing I need but Jesus. I can only imagine, what it will be like, when I walk by Your side. I can only imagine, what my eyes would see, when Your face is before me. I can only imagine. Surrounded by Your by glory, what will my heart feel? Will I dance for You Jesus? Or in awe of You be still? Will I stand in Your presence? Or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing Hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Fountain Of My Heart

‘How deep? How wide? How long? How high? How deep? How wide? How long? How high? Is Your love, is Your love oh God?’ Such a deep intimate question to God not that cause we don’t know, but that we can’t explain how deep, how wide, how long, and how high is His love. Ephesians 3:17-18 ‘…. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses all knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God’. When I read this two verses, what caught my attention was ‘ this love that surpasses all knowledge’. Reason why was that first, this love cannot be explained with knowledge. I guess that is why we always say that this love we can’t explain with words or that is why we don’t have a equation for love so don’t bother figuring out one J The second reason is the best one, is that we DON”T NEED knowledge to explain this love. We don’t need to question why, we don’t need a reason why, we don’t need a explanation, we don’t need a confirmation. Why? Cause it’s love, and a love from Love.

Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Who's Side Are You On?

Who’s side are you on? God? Satan? If it’s satan’s I guess I have nothing much to say and there is no point of you reading this post. But if you are on God’s side, there is a question I wanna ask. Who are you supporting to win? When I was listening to pastor speaking the other day about how Job was tested and endured all, behind the story was about God and satan, making a deal. In that case, as we all know God won cause Job stayed firm till the end. But, what about us? It came to me that everytime we fail to stand firm and stumble we’re actually siding on satan. When we are tempted, satan says, ‘Do it, do it!! ‘ and God says ‘ No, stand firm and don’t fall’. Yet we fall. Well it’s quiet obvious from this small example here who’s side we’re on. Hmm, I wonder sometimes how will satan insult God when everytime His people(Christians) fall to temptations and sins. It’ll be such an insult to God. Still we’re forgiven thought we condem (sin) God in front of satan. It humbles me everytime when I think back of God’s grace to us. We don’t even deserve it!! What? And now we’re asking for more? I won’t say anything about us only asking and not giving back and how much we blame God for bad things that happens. I want to sum up this post by asking you all Christians to look at who’s side are you on whenever you are tempted. Are you on God’s side? Are you gonna choose to be on God’s side? Or do you want to emberasse God in front of satan. Who do you think deserves the winning glory and deserves our choice. Not that YOU give Him, but He DESERVES it. This has helped me in my daily walk and I pray that it will too for you.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Facing the King of The Universe

We can go to church every Sunday, worship, sing some songs, and leave. But have you ever wondered, or pictured it that you are actually coming to the presence of the King of the Universe? The more I think about it, the more silly I feel how we humans act and behave in church sometimes. If only you can imagine how huge and awesome our God is, I don’t think so anything else will matter anymore, and I am referring this to things like handphones, love life, clothes, how people look at you, materials and so many other things. Come on, look at the big picture. God is sitting at His throne, so glorious, to exalted on high that to be able to just come into His house is already an honor to us, and He is looking down at us. Seeing that pathetic bit of dust(earth), what more our so call hi-tech phone, so cool so expensive, dress that is so expensive to Him? It’s a piece of crap! And we’re so proud of it!! Your love life? So call so hard to handle, heartbreaking and all, what is that compared to Him?! Try looking at God’s view, I feel that it is such an insult to Him when we can so easily think that those stuff are even close compared to Him. This goes to me as well. I urge everyone to seek God deeper and start thinking of what GOD wants not what we want. It’s too late to drink milk anymore, we need solid food, that is the word of God.

So much I wanna say..

There's so much I wanna say but just that I don't have a proper nett access. I myself feel this blog is dead but whoever that DO read my blog please hold on. Soon, very soon I will post up a few. Hopefully good ones. Haha

Thursday, January 24, 2008