As I was doing my devotion and reading the bible today, i word that really captured my attention and hit me hard is the word TRUTH.
It's a very simple word, a word that may not even capture our attention, but yet it is a very powerful wordl. So people ask, why do we believe in Jesus? Most of us will say it is because of His love. But taking a deeper thought, what makes His love more powerful than the love that other 'gods' give is that His love is the truth. We hold on, we believe, we love, because He is true.
When Adam and Eve sinned, the highlight is actually not on the fruit that they ate, but it's on the life of truth that they failed to live.They hid, they ran, they accused one another and they failed to face the truth that they had done something wrong. Just like all of us today. I believe not many of us has the courage to strip our masks off and tell the world who we really are. Our life is surrounded by sin. But how many of us can stand up and tell people how ugly we are? If this is the truth to you, I believe you still do know Jesus. You do not know His love at all.
1 John 4:17-19 (New King James Version)
The Consummation of Love
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.
His love is to enable us to have boldness when our sins are judged.
His love casts out all fear. And that includes the fear of rejection from people, the fear of losing the good impression people have towards you.
His love is patient and understanding in a world of intolerance.
His love brings clarity of mind to those who are confused, rest to the weary, hope to the hopeless and strength to those who feel that they can't go on.
His love can heal and mend a broken heart.
His love drives away darkness.
There is no problem too big for His love to contain. It is so pure and simple. But for a lot of people, it could be the scariest thing on earth for them. And that is the ultimate goal that the devil wants to achieve - to cause people to fear light and desire darkness so that they can be added as a captive to him.
If you cannot live in truth, you are the first one rejecting yourself.
I've been through darkness. I loved the way it protected my ugliness. But one day light came in. It showed me truth. It wasn't easy. But the day I stepped in, I never have to live in darkness again.
3 John 3:3
3 For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth.
We live because of truth so we need to live in truth and show the world truth.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Easter.
This post is written specially for my beloved CG members. I'm so proud of all of you for working tirelessly in bringing your friends to church in every big day. You guys are really AMAZING!
But in the midst of our hard work, let's not forget the true purpose of Easter. Let's not forget the message and real meaning of Easter.
Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. But in the midst of our busyness, our big day, our events, our new friends, let's not forget to give thanks to the one who died for us and rose again that we may have a new life.
As all of us know, Adam and Eve sinned against God and since then, the relationship between human beings and God was broken. And the consequences of sin is death, but because God loved us so much, He sent Jesus to die on the cross. So that He as a sinless man would be crucified with all our sins and that we may be pure and holy again through Him. And the best thing is, He conquered death and rose again and defeated the power of Satan. The resurrection of Christ is so important that our it is the foundation of our faith. Do read http://www.konghee.com/www/2010/03/did-jesus-resurrect-from-the-dead/ and learn about Jesus' resurrection.
Today, as we work hard for Easter, I would like to share with you the story of Mary and Martha.
Luke 10:38-42 (NLT)
38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”
Perhaps you may be trying to get the attendance from your group members but they have been reluctant in inviting their friends and they replied you late.
Or you may even feel that it is unfair that you have to arrange transport for everyone while the other members can enjoy going to church without going through all the fuss you are experiencing.
Or you may feel that it is unfair because you feel that you are working harder than any other member to bring your friends and you are not really appreciated.
Or you may even feel stress because you have 100 tasks ahead of you and I still push you to bring your friends to church for the weekend.
So perhaps these would be the thoughts that came through your mind..
I'm so frustrated! My group members are not cooperative. They're not replying my smses. I waste my money to text them and they take my sms for granted!
Or.. Why must I be the one who is arranging the transport? Can't someone else do it. It's so unfair!
Or.. I've been trying very hard to invite my friends. But they are just not responding. Other members have friends who are easier to deal with. Of course they can invite more.
Or.. I have my assignments, exams, quiz, now have to deal with Easter some more?! Burn out!
** Turn to your neighbor and say: I know she is not talking about you!**
Let's go back to the story in the bible. Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus. She was spending time with Him and listening to His teachings. And because of that, she is not worried and upset about all the details. Does that mean that Mary was lazy to serve dinner to Jesus? No! Mary too loved Jesus as much as Martha. But her priority was different. She prioritized her relationship with Him over serving Him while Martha thought that she has to serve Him to prove her love to Him.
So could it be that because Martha did not spend time with Jesus, she was serving Him without knowing Him. And by that, she was serving without purpose and meaning. And because of that, she was distracted in her serving and she started comparing herself with her sister. Serving was no longer something personal that she wanted to offer to the Lord. And thus, she got offended at the end.
Guys, I know you guys want to work hard for Easter. We are all excited for the multiplication that is coming.
42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Jesus said that there is only one thing to be concerned about, that is your relationship with Him. Do you know Jesus enough today? Do you know who is this God you are serving? Do you know the purpose of you bringing friends to Easter? What is the reason behind this hard work?
This Easter, even though we're bringing our friends, attending service with our friends and family let's prepare our hearts to get to know Jesus personally again. Let's desire and expect for more than what we already have.
Getting to know Jesus is a journey. And there is no end to it.
Serving Jesus is a joy. And it will be even joyful when you work partnering the holy spirit.
When you know Jesus, He will never be taken away from you.
I pray that this Easter, you will be able to encounter Him in a whole new level. Remember, when you take one step towards God, He will run 100 steps towards you.
But in the midst of our hard work, let's not forget the true purpose of Easter. Let's not forget the message and real meaning of Easter.
Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. But in the midst of our busyness, our big day, our events, our new friends, let's not forget to give thanks to the one who died for us and rose again that we may have a new life.
As all of us know, Adam and Eve sinned against God and since then, the relationship between human beings and God was broken. And the consequences of sin is death, but because God loved us so much, He sent Jesus to die on the cross. So that He as a sinless man would be crucified with all our sins and that we may be pure and holy again through Him. And the best thing is, He conquered death and rose again and defeated the power of Satan. The resurrection of Christ is so important that our it is the foundation of our faith. Do read http://www.konghee.com/www/2010/03/did-jesus-resurrect-from-the-dead/ and learn about Jesus' resurrection.
Today, as we work hard for Easter, I would like to share with you the story of Mary and Martha.
Luke 10:38-42 (NLT)
38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”
41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Just like Martha, we may all be distracted or even felt that things were unfair when we serve the Lord.Perhaps you may be trying to get the attendance from your group members but they have been reluctant in inviting their friends and they replied you late.
Or you may even feel that it is unfair that you have to arrange transport for everyone while the other members can enjoy going to church without going through all the fuss you are experiencing.
Or you may feel that it is unfair because you feel that you are working harder than any other member to bring your friends and you are not really appreciated.
Or you may even feel stress because you have 100 tasks ahead of you and I still push you to bring your friends to church for the weekend.
So perhaps these would be the thoughts that came through your mind..
I'm so frustrated! My group members are not cooperative. They're not replying my smses. I waste my money to text them and they take my sms for granted!
Or.. Why must I be the one who is arranging the transport? Can't someone else do it. It's so unfair!
Or.. I've been trying very hard to invite my friends. But they are just not responding. Other members have friends who are easier to deal with. Of course they can invite more.
Or.. I have my assignments, exams, quiz, now have to deal with Easter some more?! Burn out!
** Turn to your neighbor and say: I know she is not talking about you!**
Let's go back to the story in the bible. Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus. She was spending time with Him and listening to His teachings. And because of that, she is not worried and upset about all the details. Does that mean that Mary was lazy to serve dinner to Jesus? No! Mary too loved Jesus as much as Martha. But her priority was different. She prioritized her relationship with Him over serving Him while Martha thought that she has to serve Him to prove her love to Him.
So could it be that because Martha did not spend time with Jesus, she was serving Him without knowing Him. And by that, she was serving without purpose and meaning. And because of that, she was distracted in her serving and she started comparing herself with her sister. Serving was no longer something personal that she wanted to offer to the Lord. And thus, she got offended at the end.
Guys, I know you guys want to work hard for Easter. We are all excited for the multiplication that is coming.
42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Jesus said that there is only one thing to be concerned about, that is your relationship with Him. Do you know Jesus enough today? Do you know who is this God you are serving? Do you know the purpose of you bringing friends to Easter? What is the reason behind this hard work?
This Easter, even though we're bringing our friends, attending service with our friends and family let's prepare our hearts to get to know Jesus personally again. Let's desire and expect for more than what we already have.
Getting to know Jesus is a journey. And there is no end to it.
Serving Jesus is a joy. And it will be even joyful when you work partnering the holy spirit.
When you know Jesus, He will never be taken away from you.
I pray that this Easter, you will be able to encounter Him in a whole new level. Remember, when you take one step towards God, He will run 100 steps towards you.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
People. People. People.
Every day, without fail the most common thing we will see is people. When you leave your condo, you meet the guard at the gate. When you are stuck at home, you go online or watch tv, people are there. It is simply something that you can never avoid.
I believe that every season in life has it's purpose, and that includes the people that are placed in our lives as well. There are people who comes into our lives and paints a colourful rainbow over it such as our family members, our spouse and people whom we love and treasure. Some on the other hand paints a thunder storm such as your backstabbing colleague, or the snatch thieve that has stolen your belongings. Nonetheless, there some that doesn't even cause the weight of a hair.
People around you may come and leave. Your close buddies will part from you to further their studies, siblings will leave home and build their own family, or some even to an extent where death takes place. These changes are happening constantly sometimes even without us noticing it. But the problem here is, we are not ready for it.
We are all emotional beings. It is an undeniable fact that we will feel sad, hopeless and dislike and most of the time, all these feelings are caused by the people around us. But sadly, alot of times people especially Christians put up a mask to cover their feelings. Christians often have the mentality that as a Christian they should portray a happy joyful image all the time. Thus, they suppress their emotions and keep moving on. Or some on the other hand are simply too prideful to show their weakness. They refuse to let others know that they are hurting. They want people to see them as a strong and healthy person. These people are nothing more than an insecure person that is afraid of the eyes of the world. Unfortunately, they just made themselves into a time bomb, and when the pile of junk that is not dealt with piles up, the bomb will explode.
Many will ask, 'If God is a good God, why don't He place good people in your lives instead? Why must He place bad people in good people's lives.' Well, the fact is this. God never promised us a good and smooth sailing life. But He promised us a life of victory which means we can overcome the obstacles in life. God is move concern about our character than our comfort. Thus, He allows bad people to come in to our lives so that we can learn to handle them with a good attitude and grow stronger. Thinking about it, I will really rather be a person that can take offenses and still be continue loving than crying like a baby every time people upsets me. And I thank God for giving me all the opportunities to mold my character.
I remembered some time ago, I used to hide up my feelings. Confrontation was the number one thing I would avoid. I would put a smile up on my face and pretend that I am happy with everything. I would have my own secret ways of escape whenever I'm upset. There are times where I will even condemn myself for being sad. I thought things are fine and well covered up, but the truth is everyone who loves me knew I was not alright. So one day, my beloved leader Shirley sat me down and began to open up the can of worms. The ugliness within was finally revealed. I began to pour out how hurting I feel in the inside of me, how empty, how broken, how offended etc. I finally put down my mask. And that was the time she smiled at me and said "Today I finally know that Crystal is a human being." =.= I was actually waiting for some rebuking or whatsoever. But instead, she only showed me love, letting me know that I am not the only one who suffers certain issues, it's very common to people and I don't need to be upset with myself for that. She assured me that no matter what happened, I am still loved by God. So as time goes by, I am restored, and I began to know my secure identity.
One of the ways Shirley restored me is by teaching me that emotions are real. We must not suppress it but my should deal with it with appropriate ways. We need to be honest with ourselves. Never feel that we are alone in the situation, help is just a phone call away.
In the whole 2009, God has been working a lot in my relationships. He took away 3 people whom I am closest to, place me in a new cell group that I am not really familiar with(today I love each and everyone of them to bits) and even place in people that have wounded and hurt me. At the end of the day, I really learnt that human beings are not perfect and that includes myself. But God is the only one who is perfect and I can depend on Him all the time. Unlike people, He never fails my expectations. And the best thing is, He loves me with the greatest love in the world. If I have the greatest love of all, what is there to be afraid of?
I believe the best highlight of the year is God changing my lenses (just like in the song The Rising) With His love, I began to see the in depths of things. For example, when people speak words that hurt me, i realized that the reason is not really because they want to hurt me, but instead it was because of their insecurities that caused them to not know how to respond to me. And because of that, I no longer feel offended but rather I have a compassion for them. At the end of the day, I've learnt I am loved, and my calling is to love. No matter how difficult it is, I will still choose to love.
I believe that every season in life has it's purpose, and that includes the people that are placed in our lives as well. There are people who comes into our lives and paints a colourful rainbow over it such as our family members, our spouse and people whom we love and treasure. Some on the other hand paints a thunder storm such as your backstabbing colleague, or the snatch thieve that has stolen your belongings. Nonetheless, there some that doesn't even cause the weight of a hair.
People around you may come and leave. Your close buddies will part from you to further their studies, siblings will leave home and build their own family, or some even to an extent where death takes place. These changes are happening constantly sometimes even without us noticing it. But the problem here is, we are not ready for it.
We are all emotional beings. It is an undeniable fact that we will feel sad, hopeless and dislike and most of the time, all these feelings are caused by the people around us. But sadly, alot of times people especially Christians put up a mask to cover their feelings. Christians often have the mentality that as a Christian they should portray a happy joyful image all the time. Thus, they suppress their emotions and keep moving on. Or some on the other hand are simply too prideful to show their weakness. They refuse to let others know that they are hurting. They want people to see them as a strong and healthy person. These people are nothing more than an insecure person that is afraid of the eyes of the world. Unfortunately, they just made themselves into a time bomb, and when the pile of junk that is not dealt with piles up, the bomb will explode.
Many will ask, 'If God is a good God, why don't He place good people in your lives instead? Why must He place bad people in good people's lives.' Well, the fact is this. God never promised us a good and smooth sailing life. But He promised us a life of victory which means we can overcome the obstacles in life. God is move concern about our character than our comfort. Thus, He allows bad people to come in to our lives so that we can learn to handle them with a good attitude and grow stronger. Thinking about it, I will really rather be a person that can take offenses and still be continue loving than crying like a baby every time people upsets me. And I thank God for giving me all the opportunities to mold my character.
I remembered some time ago, I used to hide up my feelings. Confrontation was the number one thing I would avoid. I would put a smile up on my face and pretend that I am happy with everything. I would have my own secret ways of escape whenever I'm upset. There are times where I will even condemn myself for being sad. I thought things are fine and well covered up, but the truth is everyone who loves me knew I was not alright. So one day, my beloved leader Shirley sat me down and began to open up the can of worms. The ugliness within was finally revealed. I began to pour out how hurting I feel in the inside of me, how empty, how broken, how offended etc. I finally put down my mask. And that was the time she smiled at me and said "Today I finally know that Crystal is a human being." =.= I was actually waiting for some rebuking or whatsoever. But instead, she only showed me love, letting me know that I am not the only one who suffers certain issues, it's very common to people and I don't need to be upset with myself for that. She assured me that no matter what happened, I am still loved by God. So as time goes by, I am restored, and I began to know my secure identity.
One of the ways Shirley restored me is by teaching me that emotions are real. We must not suppress it but my should deal with it with appropriate ways. We need to be honest with ourselves. Never feel that we are alone in the situation, help is just a phone call away.
In the whole 2009, God has been working a lot in my relationships. He took away 3 people whom I am closest to, place me in a new cell group that I am not really familiar with(today I love each and everyone of them to bits) and even place in people that have wounded and hurt me. At the end of the day, I really learnt that human beings are not perfect and that includes myself. But God is the only one who is perfect and I can depend on Him all the time. Unlike people, He never fails my expectations. And the best thing is, He loves me with the greatest love in the world. If I have the greatest love of all, what is there to be afraid of?
I believe the best highlight of the year is God changing my lenses (just like in the song The Rising) With His love, I began to see the in depths of things. For example, when people speak words that hurt me, i realized that the reason is not really because they want to hurt me, but instead it was because of their insecurities that caused them to not know how to respond to me. And because of that, I no longer feel offended but rather I have a compassion for them. At the end of the day, I've learnt I am loved, and my calling is to love. No matter how difficult it is, I will still choose to love.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
我最要好的朋友
Today was a long day. A fruitful one I would say. One of the highlights is having to spend time talking with one of my close friend. Everyone has been busy for the whole season. I was happy to be able to catch up, but yet I found things or maybe I should call it 'secrets' that were not made known to me. And the worst part is, the friend kinda regretted after sharing.
Well, I understand that people keep their secrets. Sometimes they need to protect themselves, sometimes they need to protect others. But secret is also something that will either build a relationship or destroy it.
For my case, nothing much was broken, nothing was build either. But one thing I know is that God is allowing this to happen not because He wants me to be sad. But rather, He is simply reminding me not to rely on human relationships but to realize that He is the only one that can meet all my needs and He will never disappoint me.
So I spent some time with Him, and with all His faithfulness, He gave me a song to restore me. I can't play any instruments, so there is only lyrics. And oh ya! This time, it's a Chinese song. ;)
Here it goes........
朋友在我的身边 多得我数不清
路过的 真心的 我再也都分不清
一起走过的路我都还记得
一起有过的欢笑依然在我的脑海里
怎么了 是我变了吗 还是我们从来没有真正认识过
怎么了 是我被遗忘了吗 时间怎么在我们之间建筑了一到厚厚的墙
那熟悉的你们在哪里
失望 难过 把我深深地淹没
走着 哭着 突然听到了个熟悉的声音
转过身 回头望
看到那伤痕累累的手 才明白最爱我得人其实是祢
看见我的狼狈过去 才领悟到那伤痕的来源其实是我
祢总在我的雨天画上彩虹
祢总在黑暗里抹走我的泪光
此刻, 我找到了最爱我的祢
我找到了我最好的朋友
Well, I understand that people keep their secrets. Sometimes they need to protect themselves, sometimes they need to protect others. But secret is also something that will either build a relationship or destroy it.
For my case, nothing much was broken, nothing was build either. But one thing I know is that God is allowing this to happen not because He wants me to be sad. But rather, He is simply reminding me not to rely on human relationships but to realize that He is the only one that can meet all my needs and He will never disappoint me.
So I spent some time with Him, and with all His faithfulness, He gave me a song to restore me. I can't play any instruments, so there is only lyrics. And oh ya! This time, it's a Chinese song. ;)
Here it goes........
朋友在我的身边 多得我数不清
路过的 真心的 我再也都分不清
一起走过的路我都还记得
一起有过的欢笑依然在我的脑海里
怎么了 是我变了吗 还是我们从来没有真正认识过
怎么了 是我被遗忘了吗 时间怎么在我们之间建筑了一到厚厚的墙
那熟悉的你们在哪里
失望 难过 把我深深地淹没
走着 哭着 突然听到了个熟悉的声音
转过身 回头望
看到那伤痕累累的手 才明白最爱我得人其实是祢
看见我的狼狈过去 才领悟到那伤痕的来源其实是我
祢总在我的雨天画上彩虹
祢总在黑暗里抹走我的泪光
此刻, 我找到了最爱我的祢
我找到了我最好的朋友
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
U.N.K.N.O.W.N
11pm, Nov 23rd 2009. Bob, Melvyn and Myself went for a movie called Planet 51. I've waited very long for this movie and I've actually mistaken that it was Monsters VS Aliens.
The show was funny with TONS of lame jokes and it twisted usual scenarios of alienation whereby this time they made the human the alien that enters into another planet.
As the show was ending, the main character, Lem said something that I pondered upon. He said this to the army commander as he was going to kill the human, "You are not afraid of aliens, you are not afraid of them taking over the world, you are simply afraid of the UNKNOWN!" That's right! Through out the movie, the little green beings(the living things on that planet) were a large community. And yet, they were afraid of one human being. In a worst extend, they came out with their own imaginations thinking that the human could actually hypnotize and control them and even destroy their world. Isn't this familiar? A lot of times when new things happen, when changes take place, because we do not know what are the things that are going to happen, we lost the picture of who we are, forget about our own strengths and power and we even magnify the issue. We became intimidated by the UNKNOWN.
Thinking a little bit further, it reminded me that this is also the main reason why people simply fail to breakthrough or move out from their comfort zone. It's not that they're not good enough, it's not that they're bounded by their circumstances, it's just because they're afraid of the change that is going to take place. Something that they cannot grasp. Thus, some people even keep themselves in their "own prison", never being able to break free.
1 John 4:17-18
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
Fear is the number 1 reason for worries and doubts to take place in our mind. It is a powerful weapon that the enemy constantly uses to hinder us from doing great things and breaking free from out circumstances. But looking at the verse above, we know that God has promised us that through His love, there will be no fear. But how is His love like? How do we know when we have His love?
In 1 John 4:16 it says that "God is Love." The only way for us to know how God's love is like is to know Him. In v18 it says "But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.". This simply means that the reason we have fear in our lives is because we do not know him completely. We have yet to have the perfect revelation of who God is. God is the creator of heaven and earth. Everything that is in our lives, including our blessings and even problems are created by him. In order for us to know how to deal with the problem, we must know the creator. As we continue to seek for His purpose and reasons, we need to seek for who we are too because problems and challenges are created for us to overcome them. Thus, we need to understand the relativity between the issue and us in order to fight the battle well. We need to know who we are in order to have a powerful and accurate strategy.
In Matthew 16, Jesus was asking Peter who does he think He is.
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Peter had the revelation of who Jesus is. And right after that, Jesus gave him the revelation of who he is and his destiny as the verse shows "18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.". So in order for us to know who we are, we must first know who our creator is. And the best way for us to gain that revelation is through reading His word. Once we know our creator, we can find out what were we created for. And through that, we will ultimately know how to tackle all the challenges in our lives.
Live is a journey, challenges are not dead ends, but rather they are springboards for us to reach the next level. Change is the most constant thing in life. Some people fear it, some people hide from it and some people are even destroyed by it. But on the other hand, changes brings growth and changes brings transformation. So to face and slay the giant or to run away and hide, your choice! ;)
The show was funny with TONS of lame jokes and it twisted usual scenarios of alienation whereby this time they made the human the alien that enters into another planet.
As the show was ending, the main character, Lem said something that I pondered upon. He said this to the army commander as he was going to kill the human, "You are not afraid of aliens, you are not afraid of them taking over the world, you are simply afraid of the UNKNOWN!" That's right! Through out the movie, the little green beings(the living things on that planet) were a large community. And yet, they were afraid of one human being. In a worst extend, they came out with their own imaginations thinking that the human could actually hypnotize and control them and even destroy their world. Isn't this familiar? A lot of times when new things happen, when changes take place, because we do not know what are the things that are going to happen, we lost the picture of who we are, forget about our own strengths and power and we even magnify the issue. We became intimidated by the UNKNOWN.
Thinking a little bit further, it reminded me that this is also the main reason why people simply fail to breakthrough or move out from their comfort zone. It's not that they're not good enough, it's not that they're bounded by their circumstances, it's just because they're afraid of the change that is going to take place. Something that they cannot grasp. Thus, some people even keep themselves in their "own prison", never being able to break free.
1 John 4:17-18
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
Fear is the number 1 reason for worries and doubts to take place in our mind. It is a powerful weapon that the enemy constantly uses to hinder us from doing great things and breaking free from out circumstances. But looking at the verse above, we know that God has promised us that through His love, there will be no fear. But how is His love like? How do we know when we have His love?
In 1 John 4:16 it says that "God is Love." The only way for us to know how God's love is like is to know Him. In v18 it says "But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.". This simply means that the reason we have fear in our lives is because we do not know him completely. We have yet to have the perfect revelation of who God is. God is the creator of heaven and earth. Everything that is in our lives, including our blessings and even problems are created by him. In order for us to know how to deal with the problem, we must know the creator. As we continue to seek for His purpose and reasons, we need to seek for who we are too because problems and challenges are created for us to overcome them. Thus, we need to understand the relativity between the issue and us in order to fight the battle well. We need to know who we are in order to have a powerful and accurate strategy.
In Matthew 16, Jesus was asking Peter who does he think He is.
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Peter had the revelation of who Jesus is. And right after that, Jesus gave him the revelation of who he is and his destiny as the verse shows "18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.". So in order for us to know who we are, we must first know who our creator is. And the best way for us to gain that revelation is through reading His word. Once we know our creator, we can find out what were we created for. And through that, we will ultimately know how to tackle all the challenges in our lives.
Live is a journey, challenges are not dead ends, but rather they are springboards for us to reach the next level. Change is the most constant thing in life. Some people fear it, some people hide from it and some people are even destroyed by it. But on the other hand, changes brings growth and changes brings transformation. So to face and slay the giant or to run away and hide, your choice! ;)
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Walking pass the bookstore...
BOOKSHOP!!!
Yeah I marched myself towards it and started exercising my little fingers.
Browse.. Read.. Flip.. Flip..
*Tink Tink Tink*
As I was browsing through the book "The Secrets of Men" (I was thinking of getting it for some guy friends).. This little paragraph caught me.
Note: I'm putting it in the way I can remember, I cannot remember the exact words the author used.
One of the secrets the book stated down about men is the issue of Pornography.
The author wrote at a point of view that I had never thought of before.
According to the author, studies showed that most men felt guilty and bad after indulging themselves in pornography. The fact that a man would want to indulge himself in pornography is because he lost his completeness and wholesomeness that was originated by God in the garden of Eden. It is actually painful and sad for a man that indulges himself in pornography because of the lack of completeness in his soul.
When God created man and woman, they had such intimacy that they were naked in front of one another. They love, romance and had affections for one another openly in front of God. So there was a very deep intimacy between the 3 of them. But when sin came, Adam and Eve got the knowledge of good and evil, and God begin to cloth them with animal skins since ancient times . Thus, there is this desire in man to strip the layers off his other half(woman) to fulfill his emptiness and regain his wholeness that was intended in the first place. And yes, pornography became a 'tool' for them to regain a temporary fulfillment.
We do not need to go to university to know that pornography is something bad. The Canadian Dictionary of the English Language defines pornography as "sexually explicit material that sometimes equates sex with power and violence." (1997).
Many man in the world push their responsibilities away by saying "What to do? God created us hamsap! Or else your parents won't even give birth to you. Isn't it better that I watch porn than to have sex with some other girl."
Well, we should all be responsible with that we have done. Even tough God designed us in certain ways, He design us with the ability to CHOOSE as well. We were all given the power of freewill. It is a fact that we can choose to say Yes or No to pornography.
The one and only way to fight pornography is to look into the roots. The author has clearly stated that the reason man indulge in pornography is to seek for the wholeness that they lost in the garden. Is there any way to get wholeness to fill the incompleteness?
YES! and we can find it from the creator of all. God is the one who created man and women. He created the wholeness in us. And the best way to seek completeness is to get from the One that creates and gives. In order for a man to come out from the temptation of pornography, he has to understand that only God alone can give us to originally intended completeness. In order to fill the emptiness in him, he has to seek it and draw from God and not the other things in the world.
Yeah I marched myself towards it and started exercising my little fingers.
Browse.. Read.. Flip.. Flip..
*Tink Tink Tink*
As I was browsing through the book "The Secrets of Men" (I was thinking of getting it for some guy friends).. This little paragraph caught me.
Note: I'm putting it in the way I can remember, I cannot remember the exact words the author used.
One of the secrets the book stated down about men is the issue of Pornography.
The author wrote at a point of view that I had never thought of before.
According to the author, studies showed that most men felt guilty and bad after indulging themselves in pornography. The fact that a man would want to indulge himself in pornography is because he lost his completeness and wholesomeness that was originated by God in the garden of Eden. It is actually painful and sad for a man that indulges himself in pornography because of the lack of completeness in his soul.
When God created man and woman, they had such intimacy that they were naked in front of one another. They love, romance and had affections for one another openly in front of God. So there was a very deep intimacy between the 3 of them. But when sin came, Adam and Eve got the knowledge of good and evil, and God begin to cloth them with animal skins since ancient times . Thus, there is this desire in man to strip the layers off his other half(woman) to fulfill his emptiness and regain his wholeness that was intended in the first place. And yes, pornography became a 'tool' for them to regain a temporary fulfillment.
We do not need to go to university to know that pornography is something bad. The Canadian Dictionary of the English Language defines pornography as "sexually explicit material that sometimes equates sex with power and violence." (1997).
Many man in the world push their responsibilities away by saying "What to do? God created us hamsap! Or else your parents won't even give birth to you. Isn't it better that I watch porn than to have sex with some other girl."
Well, we should all be responsible with that we have done. Even tough God designed us in certain ways, He design us with the ability to CHOOSE as well. We were all given the power of freewill. It is a fact that we can choose to say Yes or No to pornography.
The one and only way to fight pornography is to look into the roots. The author has clearly stated that the reason man indulge in pornography is to seek for the wholeness that they lost in the garden. Is there any way to get wholeness to fill the incompleteness?
YES! and we can find it from the creator of all. God is the one who created man and women. He created the wholeness in us. And the best way to seek completeness is to get from the One that creates and gives. In order for a man to come out from the temptation of pornography, he has to understand that only God alone can give us to originally intended completeness. In order to fill the emptiness in him, he has to seek it and draw from God and not the other things in the world.
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