Overwhelmed with God's love

Culture :)

2009-10-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

This blog is nearly dead cause it's been a while since I had much time to think about things. Throughout this week though, I felt so driven to write about what I took notice when I was reading my Intercultural Communication text book for my quiz, which I have shared with some of you and decided now to put it down in words :)

As from the book itself, it is obvious that I read about cultures. However I need you to think with me deeper. Do not think about culture as a whole first, but break it down into easier and smaller scale. What is the definition of culture? It is a group of people that have the same beliefs, same values, same world view, etc.

So think about your individual lives now. Do you realize we do live in a number of culture? Like I said, do not think too far ahead, think about your daily lives. When you are at home, you live your home culture. When you are in school, you change to your school culture. When you meet up with your girlfriend or boyfriend, you switch to your dating culture. When you are in church, the church culture takes over and the list goes on and can be more detailed.

Do we realize we are so many different people at different places? Will we be alright if our parents see us at school and the way we are there? Will we be fine if a friend from church comes to our home and see how we are at home? Are we alright if our friends see you in a mall with the person you are dating? Will you mind? Is it alright? Will it be awkward? If God sees you in all your state, will you be alright with that? And have nothing to hide?

My answer is no, I won't be comfortable with it. The next question would be why not? And I think that the answer for that question we all need to ask ourselves time after time. There must be one culture or rather none that we are living it rightly, if there is one that we think we are living right in, ask yourself why isn't the way I am living in other times different from the right one?

Do we live the way we pray? Do we live the way the Bible ask us to? Do we live the way we worship in church on Sunday? Or is it just a Sunday thing? Are we right with the way we talk to our parents? Are we the way we are when we are in church and with our non christian friends? Do we live the way we declare we do? Are we the same when we are alone?

Do not get me wrong though that I say you should talk to your parents the way you talk to your friends, but if the way you talk to your friends are with full or respect and sensitivity, I don't think it will matter much if it was the same.

What I am trying to say here is, in the end there must be a certain ground that we stand in, a certain culture that we have to determine to live in, and live it for all. If you are just gonna live in differently in different places, what difference does it make you with someone who has multiple personality? Who are you in the end? What are your beliefs? What are your values?

I hope this post brings benefit to those who reads, cause it did to me.

Savior Please, Please! I Can't Hold On Anymore!

2009-08-25T08:23:00.000-07:00

Savior, please take my hand
I work so hard, I live so fast
This life begins, and then it ends
And I do the best that I can, but I don't know how long I'll last

I try to be so tough
But I'm just not strong enough
I can't do this alone, God I need You to hold on to me
I try to be good enough
But I'm nothing without Your love
Savior, please keep saving me

Savior, please help me stand
I fall so hard, I fade so fast
Will You begin right where I end
And be the God of all I am because You're all I have

What Have I Done...

2009-07-24T06:32:00.000-07:00

Friends play such an important role in my life. Besides my family, they are the ones that I talk my heart out to; I share my burdens and happiness, my thoughts and feelings, the ones I love. Without these people in my life, things will definitely not be the same. That is why I strive to give the best of myself to them.

They are great people, but as humans, we all grow content to the things around us after a while. It is our human nature that after a period of time, we take for granted what we have and are given. When it became this way after a while, things got tough.

As I have said, I strive to give the best of myself to these people. I look into every area with the way I speak, my tone, my expression, the way I act, the way I react, because they are important to me. When these things that I do were not appreciated and was repaid with disrespect, I was angry.

When I humbled myself to serve you, you took advantage of it. When you know I would not retaliate, you pushed me around, you pushed my head. Times when I asked you a simple question, you would answer me with such a provoking tone and manner. When I was there to take all the tantrums, you can’t even ask me what was wrong when you knew something wasn’t right. When you needed me I was there, but when I needed you, you said you were busy. How is this fair?

It saddened me a lot, and at the same time I was also very angry. I was really affected about the whole situation. I had to just leave and think , whether is it worth the trouble, heartache and anger for these people. Whether friends like these are worth the keep.

Then as I sat thinking, with anger about these things they have done, it hit me, isn’t this what I do to God too? When I needed Him, I looked for Him and He was there, but when I don’t I totally forget about Him. When I needed something, I asked from Him, and He gave, but I forget the Giver. When He was patient with all my desires and sins, I was upset He did not answer my prayers. When He gave me all I have ever needed, but when troubles arise, I curse and do not want to talk to Him anymore.

What difference does that make me with my friends then? Nothing, we are all the same, it is our human nature. So what is there to lose if they disrespect me? What is there to lose if they take advantage of my kindness to them? The most is I lose some pride, but if I say I love them, will I want an eye for an eye? That is not love anymore. Some pride and some shame cannot be compared to the worth of what I have learned from this lesson of what I have done to my God.

College..

2009-06-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

It will be a lie if I say I do not enjoy college life. I think I am enjoying it to the fullest now. It's almost exactly how I imagined it to be. Not my studies but the friends that I am making are really nice people. I did not expect all this to happen so fast. I am pretty much on the fast lane already. Assignments, group work, presentation. All this things that I never thought someday I would say is becoming one my favourite words now. My mind was so occupied.

After waking up from my afternoon nap today. It just suddenly felt so hard to breathe, in the inside. Not physically. And it felt, so familiar. Last week there was a pretty bad haze. One night I decided to play basketball. After a few throws when adrenaline started pumping and I was breathing faster and harder, I felt like I couldn't breathe in enough air. It's like the air was too diluted for me to breath enough in. And that will make u breath in more and it gets harder with every try. Just like asthma, I think. If you know what I am talking about, then this was how I felt, just not physically. And I know just the reason why..

It's has been quite a while that I had always had lots of time for myself just thinking and doing things for myself and just having lots of quiet moments to ponder upon stuff. Suddenly, there's this whole chunk of activities and people just come my way. It's not a bad thing though, in fact, it is fun! It feels good. My mind is so occupied with friends and work. But this made me forget how it felt to be quiet. I nearly did not see it coming. Cause I was having a good time you know! I mean, when things are all going fine, will you just suddenly stop and think of the unhappy things? No! But you fail to remember that it was those unhappy times that brought you here. I nearly missed seeing that.

As I realized that, I felt so downcast. How I picture my walk with God is like climbing a really tall mountain. You just keep climbing and climbing. Though I have been climbing slow, I feel, but I have climbed for a while to be away from the bottom. And the moment I realized how things are changing in my heart, I felt like I was slipping off the edge. I just can't fall again, I am so tired. I felt like I have climbed this far and I am so tired, but I keep pressing. I can press on, but I can't afford to fall, not now. As I was browsing through the net, I came across this song that many of you know, "You Never Let Go" by David Crowder.

Wow, if only you knew how I sobbed in my heart that very moment knowing that the God of the Universe would step down into my life and tell me, 'I will never let'. There was also this picture in that music video that someone made showing a man, as if he was dying, hanging in the arms of Jesus. He never let go.

Now I truely understand why must Jesus be the center of our lives and not the first in our lives. In everything you do, yeah, Jesus can be the first. Whatever you do, you think about Him first, make decisions based on Jesus being first in your life. But the difference is, when Jesus is the center of your life. He is in it with you, not matter what. To the smallest thing that may be, like talking to a friend, He is in the middle of the conversation. He is the point, He is the reason for everything.

Complacency..

2009-03-07T01:11:00.000-08:00

It is so easy sometimes to be comfortable with our surrounding. Especially when we do the same thing over and over again. Things get so easy, so normal, so under controlled, and boring. This includes our job, school, people we know(friends), our spiritual life and even going to church and church activities.

I would like to share what I feel and think about this issue which applies more to church and spiritually but also could be related to job and school. If someone were to complain about going to church, distance going and tiredness, I think I should be the one that has the most reasonable reason to do so. Every Firday, leaving my house here around 8 p.m latest, taking an hour ride in the bus, reaching midvalley or KL sentral, taking KTM to Tasik Selatan which either someone would gracefully fetch me or I will just take the cab to church. Whole process eating up about 2 hours in total of a super long of sitting in the bus, could be standing if the bus is full, but rarely, catching the KTM and waiting for at least 15 to 30 minutes and we all know how on time can KTM be. If lucky being able to force myself into the train at that time, and I usually do, like a sardin in a can, the ride will take 15 minutes or so to Tasik Selatan. All in all about 2 hours in total. OR Saturday, waking up at 5 in the morning to catch the 5.40 a.m bus so that I can make it by 7 a.m to Tasik Selatan for basketball, it will be another 1 hour ride to Midvalley KTM station at 6.40 a.m in the morning, hoping that the train will come on time so I can reach just nice by 7 at the Tasik Selatan station so that no one has to wait for me. But it never happens, for your info, I always reach later than 7. I am really thankful to all that so willingly offers to fetch me everytime. Anyways, this is my journey to church every single week. Don't I deserve to complain the most? Don't I have reasonable reasons to say, hey, I don't think I will come this weekend cause I am so tired? I am not saying all this to boast or to want praises, I do not want them, but to encourage.

If there wasn't a greater purpose, do you think I would wanna go through all this just to come to church on the weekends? Church service is only on Sunday morning anyways, why all the trouble right if I do not see the greater value of everytime behind this? If I were to say I got complacent of all this and eventually bored of it, I am sure it is kinda acceptable right? Well here is how I look at all this. I always picture God, or could it be He really is, like a Lover. Imagine with me a couple courting. The guy always tries to impress the girl, but he has to do it in a way that will not make her get bored by the 1st year or years to come as they date. So he has to hold back many things in order to keep the intensity there between them. If by the first month, he says, 'I love you oh how can I live without you', or, 'you are my sunshine that brights up my days', and buys her a car, a house. That is just the first month, imagine how will it be like after a year? Do you think a bunglo will still work to impress her? Hmm, I don't think so. This is how I imagine my relationship with God is, the only difference is God will never run out of things and wonders to impress me with about Himself. Bit by bit He keeps showing me and impressing me about Himself that is just so everwhelming at times that keeps me going and going. When I think I have known it all and felt it all, He just blows my mind with something greater about Himself. He doesn't give me all at once, so I won't be bored, or I would maybe die if I knew it all at once :P But yeah, this is what that really drives me to keep pushing through all the obstacles and circumstances and focus on what He has already done and search for what is yet to come.

HOWEVER, I will not deny that there will be times where you are just so bored and tired of doing it anymore. And God just doesn't seem to be there when you needed Him most. But then, what is faith if there isn't actions follow by it? I think at times like this faith comes the strongest. Knowing that God is still there though you feel so far from Him, and keep pressing on towards the goal. I think we as Christians should learn to be more selfless, which I am struggling to be myself. Sometimes, what does it really matter how we feel? What we think? I mean if Jesus Christ has died for us on the Cross so selflessly without even complaining anything, why are we complaining about every tiny thing? Why care so much that you are angry with this or with that? Who cares? Isn't our main purpose is to serve others and being a shining light for what Jesus has done for us? So yeah, when we are angry, when we are jealous about something, when we envy, why indulge in those thoughts? Move on, thinking about it will never change anything or make anymore feel better, even God is not please at all with all this, so forget about it and just move on. I know in the end we are all still humans and we still have this kinda feelings and I am not asking you to be a perfect person, but it is something to work towards to.

I think I am kinda running out of the topic, my main point here is, complacency shouldn't be something that we feel in our Christian life, our serving. Whenever you feel that, tell yourself to stay focus. God has something new for you every morning. Times when you really feel dry and that He hasn't been there, that is when your faith must play it's role to help you stand firm. Prayer meetings, homefellowships, youth meetingss, choir practices, worship practices, setting up stage, doing multimedia, doing sounds mixing, playing instruments, singing, worship leading, packing up, Sunday church services, lunch, all this can be so routined, so boring. Whenever you think this, remember just one thing, the purpose behind all this, that God may have all the glory. Do not think that being complacent in just packing up will make no difference. It does. You are packing up you Father in Heaven's dwelling place, and when you pack up, the next event could go on and the next event will glorify God. So even then packing up that we think it's just a simple job is actually another God glorifying job. In everything we do, do not be complacent cause we know that by us not being complacent and us just ignoring that complacent feeling will give God all the glory, and that is what should be the desires of our hearts as Christians.

I was thinking throughout the week how should I end this post and I finally decided to end it with a short illustration to show how easy it is that we can be complacent without even noticing it. Here is how it goes : A boy one day was having a hard time looking for a toilet and he was in a bad need to 'ahem', you know what. He searched all over and finally found a toilet, but the thing is that toilet is terribly dirty and smelly. His options were only two, that is to force himself to use the toilet and get it ovfer and done with, or doing his business in his pants. He chose using the toilet of course. He forced himself in there, and the first minute was awful, no kidding. He almost puked. The second minute wasn't as bad as the first but still bad. it kept getting better by the minute, and by the fifth minute he was already immune to the smell.

That is how fast we can get immune to complacency. Do not be that guy that says, just another minute here cause it feels good and I 'need it'. Cause by the time you realize it, you will be much deeper and far away from you have expected. Never compromise even one one week, one night, one hour or even one minute of feeling good with eternal joy that you will have when you are with Father..

Perfection Is Imperfection!

2009-01-07T22:17:00.000-08:00

This week wasn't really a good week for me, the early part. I was really affected with some stuff and was in a terrible attitude to the people around me and I truly apologise for my behavior. I am not a person that says sorry face to face to you, but if I have done wrong to any of you and you are reading this, here's my apology. The title 'Perfection Is A Sign Of Imperfection' came to me when I was actually discussing about this someone but this post isn't gonna be about that person.

A perfectionist is someone who does everything perfectly. Efficient, fast, no mistakes. However, I have been thinking, nothing is perfect, how then can there be a perfectionist? I do not really know what I am trying to say here so let me just go straight to the point.

I think if a 'perfectionist' expects perfection, that person is just being immature. In every sense, spiritually, work, speech, and everything else. Does it make sense if I say that to be a perfectionist is to realise that you are imperfect? To realise that things go imperfectly and everything else in this world.

What I think here is, to be a 'perfectionist' is to expect imperfection yet at the same time doing your best. However in the end, the word perfectionist defeats it's purpose by expecting imperfection. I think it goes in a circle. But whatever, it is just a thought. One things is just not A thought is, I don't believe in perfection except through Jesus Christ and Christ Himself.

Is God Real?

2009-01-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

Is God real? How do we know? How do we prove that He is real?

There was one part of my life where I was wondering whether are we creating all this religion thingi and grace and blessing things ourselves. Are we making all this up so we can feel secure of ourselves? To create this so we can at least feel some hope to continue the next day? What if everything around is was all meant to be but we just make it sound as if there was a God. What if the sun was naturally suppose to rise this morning but we say that God allowed the sun to rise making it sound like there is a God? What if we were suppose to get that bonus this month and whether there is a God or not, we will surely receive it but we say it's God's blessing and make it sound as if there was a God? Is it really like that? I got caught up with that thinking myself once upon a time. But then, I suddenly came back to my conscience, what then is around me?

If you had or have this thought or I made you think this, I want you to ask yourself this question, doesn't nature itself prove that God exist? Doesn't the nature around you shows you how glorious He is and how powerful He is? Well, I am sure there WAS someone who created it right? And if your answer is human who made the nature I think that is a bit silly. What about the sun? Yeah it may just be a natural thing that it rised this morning, but there must be someone that first created it in the beginning right?

Same goes to the earth? You say it came from the big bang? Well it may be, but how did the big bang came about? It must have come from something, I may agree if you say there is no one who initiated it and it may just be the nature that caused the big bang, but, the big bang needs something so a big bang can happen also right? So where did that one small particle came from? I may still believe a lot of things that is happening around us now may just be mere coincidence and just a natural phenomena but I can never agree if you say things and the earth and human just came to existent from thin air.

I know this post is nothing so theological about this post and about the existent of God, but if sufficient for my faith that there is God.. I hope and pray that in a way or another this post may help some.

Christmas..

2008-12-25T23:03:00.000-08:00

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...

Is She/He The Right One?

2008-12-16T16:17:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-12-12T07:51:00.000-08:00

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.

Am I Ready to Date?

2008-12-10T07:08:00.000-08:00

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 

Is God self-centered? Is He an egotist?

2008-10-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

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.

Being the Audience of One

2008-08-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

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.

Too Easily Pleased

2008-06-28T03:34:00.000-07:00

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.

Be Still

2008-06-20T09:40:00.001-07:00

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.

Fountain Of My Heart

2008-06-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

‘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.

2008-05-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

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

Who's Side Are You On?

2008-02-08T01:34:00.000-08:00

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.

Facing the King of The Universe

2008-02-08T01:33:00.000-08:00

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..

2008-01-24T22:40:00.000-08:00

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

Bonded from God

2007-12-18T21:10:00.001-08:00

I just finished watching this video. What a awakening video. It realises me how easy we can sway away and be drawn from God by the earthly things. My heart is sadden cause what I see is like what is happening to me!! But only through Jesus that it is possible to go through this temptations, and the best part that just wanna make me cry is that after leaving God so far behind yet, He still took all the suffering and protects us from all the evil things. It's so hard to explain, just watch it..

Divine Romance

2007-12-18T11:55:00.001-08:00

This is the song called divine romance that my previous post written based on. Listen to the lyrics, just feel the awesome-ness of God's love. Enjoy..

Can we still praise and worship Him even if He takes away EVERYTHING?

2007-12-18T10:33:00.000-08:00

As I was just sitting down and thinking about everything that was happening around me a couple of days back, the statement or rather question 'If He takes away everything, can I still praise Him for it?'. As I sat there just thinking bout what God can actually, and rightfully, take away from me cause ultimately everything comes from Him, my heart was just grieved, deeply. I was just asking myself, what if He takes away my family from me? Or my friend? Recently, there was a friend of mine, in just a night, his dad died of a heart attack. The more I listened bout what happened that night, I couldn't bear to imagine if that would happen to me someday. They seem so tough going through it. But me, who was just a listener, cries inside and in deep sadness every time I think about it. It crushes my heart when I think that what if that happens to my love ones. In Job, God made a deal with satan. Satan said that if God allows satan to take away Job's family, and wealth, he will curse God. So the deal was made yet Job, in moments like this, he praised God for what had happen. God was silent for a long time from him, but still Job in faith knowing that God is there when through it all. Then it came to my mind, that all this happen always has a reason, and it's always for the better. What I see here is that we human can really misplace God in our lives sometimes that God has to really crushed our hearts down so we can grasp how Glorious He is and how much we need Him in our lives. I guess that was what God wants me to realise. God's love is so great but we as humans sway away so easily in thoughts and our hearts are just given away so easily to other thing rather to the One who had paid the price for it and who deserves it. I write this is to remind myself, and YOU! Never let go of the truth and love that surpasses all things. I pray that our hearts will be longing for more and more of Him every minute of our life. To live is Christ, to die is gain.

Overwhelmed with God's love

2007-12-13T18:37:00.000-08:00

Well since the title of this blog is about being overwhelmed with God's love, I am so exited to post a blog bout it. I've been wanting to post a blog in friendster but it's not working currently so you can just imagine how much is about to spill. I am gonna start this whole blog with a post about God's love. I wanna write this post base on a song called divine romance. Divine Romance is a song base on the love of God so overwhelming that you just want to dance and sing for Him.

The fullness of , Your grace is here with me
The richness of , Your beauty’s all I see
The brightness of, Your glory has arrived
In Your presence God, I'm completely satisfied

For You I sing I dance
Rejoice in this divine romance
Lift my heart and my hands
To show my love, to show my love

A deep deep flood, An Ocean flows from You
Of deep deep love, Yeah it's filling up the room
Your innocent blood, Has washed my guilty life
In Your presence God , I'm completely satisfied .

Everytime I hear this song, I am just so deep deep in love, and the thought that God loves me even more than this just blows my mind and makes me wanna fall on my knees to worship Him. There's just no words that can explain how much my love is for God. Once you've felt it there's just a no turning back. 'In Your presence God, I am completely satusfied', 'For You I sing I dance, rejoice in this Divine Romance, Lift my heart and my hands to show my love', 'A deep deep flood flood, an ocean flows from You, of deep deep LOVE, It's feeling up the room'. Wow what few simple sentences that just makes me melt, and humble myself in the presence of the God of the UNIVERSE. Such a wonderful and amazing feeling sometimes when I actually stop to think that the GOD, GOD of every leaving creature loves me and that I am so deeply in love with Him. My prayer is that God may use me, use this blog, use whatever I have to just reach out to this world that is so 'dead' to feel His amazing love. Set my heart on fire that it just overcomes all earthly things. I have said this, and gonna say this again, that I feel this song has expressed one of the closest the Love I have for God. Also I want to make clear to everyone that I am not crazy about this song that I am promoting it or something but that I pray whoever listens to it feels what I feel, that is the powerful, amazing, beautiful love of God so much so that we of unclean and unworthy people, God sent His son to die for us which, we not even close, deserve it at all.