From someone's blog..
Found this on Chin's blog, and she got it from her friend's blog. It's very meaningful and i feel can answer some of our questions..
If there's one thing that Ted spoke of this morning that tugged at my heart, it is about the first core value in the church,.. and it hit me like a train.-Jesus is the core of it all. Jesus is the center of it all. Jesus is number one. Jesus is the beginning and the end. It's all about Jesus. Hearing that dislodged something from the top of my mind and it snowballed into an avalanche straight into my heart. I'd have cried if Boon Chuan wasn't sitting next to me. =)-For a couple of days I've been pondering upon why we Christians are so much into God. Our lives are centered upon God. Why are we always about pleasing God and making Him the most important thing in our lives? Our world revolves around Him and almost seems like nothing else mattered. Why do we even believe in this Bible that talks about God?
Looking at those words on the slide this morning made me bow down in my heart. My entire journey with God is flashing before my eyes even right at this very moment. Questions that I had from years back answered. This is a very "back to the basics" moment. How did this earth and life begin? What's my purpose on earth? What is the reason behind my existence? Chance and evo just doesn't cut it. Everything demands a creator. Someone that was there before even time began. One that is all powerful and isn't created by something else. I'm looking around my room now, I find nothing that wasn't created. I look out at the trees and it was created by something or someone.
Everything falling into place because they just did naturally is not satisfying my thoughts. Gimme the parts and gears of a simple wristwatch and I'll throw it in a corner. The chances of it becoming a watch through evolution, chance and change is ZERO. If the chances of a watch not needing a creator is ZERO. Who made the parts? What made the parts? Before the parts were parts what were they? And before that? What are the chances of a human being that's filled with emotions and have the most complex body system ever, not having a creator? There MUST be a God!-Next was discovering from the Bible that this God is a God of justice, but at the same time a God of love. He wanted to be Adam's friend.. yet He needed to do something about Adam's disobedience.. the original Sin. We being descendants, could not escape. I'm a sinner. I need to NOT be a sinner. God wanted me to not be a sinner. Cos sinner cannot be in fellowship with God.
Being in fellowship with God, means being able to have Him as my companion, friend, someone to take care of me, to love me as myself and much more. The Creator of the universe? My friend? The divine being that has no impure thoughts about me? Too good to be true! An offer not to be missed. This was made possible when God became man, died on the cross, rose again on the third day, conquering sin and death once and for all and provided me with the passageway to heaven.
BUT,... isn't it a bit hard to make sense of certain things in the Bible? The virgin birth? The Trinity? Impossible doctrines and debatable issues? Well, one thing for sure, there are things in the Bible and Christian theology that has no explanation of how it happened or why it is the way it is, or even why certain things are logically possible.
This when you need to believe, in faith. Cross that line of faith and things will sorta make more sense. You can't see how things mentioned in the Bible can make sense unless you believe in the Bible in the first place. And well, we'll leave the secret things of God to God.Deuteronomy 29:29
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.
Having that as a guideline, I think the way for me to go is to LEECH all I can from His Word, His promises.. cos it belongs to me and my children FOREVER. That means, He will never take away what He's given us, and that's cool.With all these things going on in my mind, someone asked me why would we wanna believe in this God, and not be a muslim or buddhist or watever? Well, not wanting to offend anyone here but this is just something that I've discovered and is my personal opinion. I can only tell them things that are biased, based on what the Bible says. And if they don't even believe in the Bible, there's no point in telling them of things unless they really wanna know and discover.
Well every religion talks about faith.. in fact when we talk about religion we sometimes ask, "What faith do you practise?" More than just faith, I think the pinnacle of the gospel and this 'religion' we call Christianity is love. In fact, faith, hope and love.. the greatest of these is still love. Many have heard that Christianity is not a religion, it's a relationship. The thing that makes it a relationship is love. Think about it, we only form relationships with ppl if we first have a love for that person.
Love is such a magical word, it makes you skip a heartbeat, it makes you blush.. it makes you do courageous things that are border-lining stupidity. Love makes you look into a persons eyes and feel warm. I've never been in a love relationship for more than a few months in my 26 years alive.. but I do know it's something so precious, a miracle, a gift. Those who have someone to love, and love you... learn to see it as a gift, a gift that not everyone is able to receive in their lifetime. Appreciate your loved one and with a heart of gratitude thank God for giving you a chance to love them. Once you start thinking that the other person fell in love with you because of your own works of courting/chasing/going after them, you tend to forget God entrusted them into your hands.
Having said that, that kind of love is one that you wish and hope would stay forever - but there's another love (and only that love) that enables you to live forever. He bought us with a price, He bought us with His love. I constantly question whether it is worth it for me to live my life putting God first, when others who use God as a spare tyre, an accessory, a get-out-of-jail-free card - seem to have what they want in life and don't have to make sacrifices for Him. But everytime I do so, I learn to realise my life is not my own anymore.. it's all about giving my dreams and desires to Him, even tho it may be REALLY difficult.-Believe me, I do know what it means to give up your dreams and step into the unknown. If you've given your dreams to God before then you'd know what I mean. If you've never had to give up your dreams, don't mock the rest of us who have had to do so by saying it's easy. Today's My Utmost For His Highest had the following - "From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more" (John 6:66) They turned back from walking with Jesus; not into sin, but away from Him. Many people today are pouring their lives out and working for Jesus Christ, but are not really walking with Him. One thing God constantly requires of us is a oneness with Jesus Christ. After being set apart through sanctification, we should discipline our lives spiritually to maintain this intimate oneness. When God gives you a clear determination of His will for you, all your striving to maintain that relationship by some particular method is completely unnecessary. All that is required is to live a natural life of absolute dependence on Jesus Christ. Never try to live your life with God in any other way than His way. And His way means absolute devotion to Him. Showing no concern for the uncertainties that lie ahead is the secret of walking with Jesus.
For now, I have laid down my life and dreams, given it up for Him, believing that He will return to me more than what I've sacrificed, in due time. Even if He does not, I will not take my life back. For many years, this has been my prayer.. to go all the way with Him, asking Him not to play me out. I think that will be the prayer I'll be praying for many years to come.
If you're sitting there, thinking that "Oh.. it's just Willie.. he's this person that is specially marked out by God.." it's rubbish. All of us are marked out by God. He knows your name, the amount of hair you have on your head (or don't have). I'm not talking about full time ministry or missions or whatever. I'm not even heading there. Far from it, it's about putting aside things in life and putting God's desires first. This is what every Christian should do. Extra-ordinary Christians. This is your choice. To live life as an ordinary Christian, and escape the gates of hell by the skin of your teeth, OR, to leave this earth knowing you've done something to change the course of history and made a mark for eternity.-You're either walking next to Him OR walking at a distance, hurrying up only when He's got goodies to give out. --- Choose the former and live your life with Jesus as the center of it all.
-WillZ
If there's one thing that Ted spoke of this morning that tugged at my heart, it is about the first core value in the church,.. and it hit me like a train.-Jesus is the core of it all. Jesus is the center of it all. Jesus is number one. Jesus is the beginning and the end. It's all about Jesus. Hearing that dislodged something from the top of my mind and it snowballed into an avalanche straight into my heart. I'd have cried if Boon Chuan wasn't sitting next to me. =)-For a couple of days I've been pondering upon why we Christians are so much into God. Our lives are centered upon God. Why are we always about pleasing God and making Him the most important thing in our lives? Our world revolves around Him and almost seems like nothing else mattered. Why do we even believe in this Bible that talks about God?
Looking at those words on the slide this morning made me bow down in my heart. My entire journey with God is flashing before my eyes even right at this very moment. Questions that I had from years back answered. This is a very "back to the basics" moment. How did this earth and life begin? What's my purpose on earth? What is the reason behind my existence? Chance and evo just doesn't cut it. Everything demands a creator. Someone that was there before even time began. One that is all powerful and isn't created by something else. I'm looking around my room now, I find nothing that wasn't created. I look out at the trees and it was created by something or someone.
Everything falling into place because they just did naturally is not satisfying my thoughts. Gimme the parts and gears of a simple wristwatch and I'll throw it in a corner. The chances of it becoming a watch through evolution, chance and change is ZERO. If the chances of a watch not needing a creator is ZERO. Who made the parts? What made the parts? Before the parts were parts what were they? And before that? What are the chances of a human being that's filled with emotions and have the most complex body system ever, not having a creator? There MUST be a God!-Next was discovering from the Bible that this God is a God of justice, but at the same time a God of love. He wanted to be Adam's friend.. yet He needed to do something about Adam's disobedience.. the original Sin. We being descendants, could not escape. I'm a sinner. I need to NOT be a sinner. God wanted me to not be a sinner. Cos sinner cannot be in fellowship with God.
Being in fellowship with God, means being able to have Him as my companion, friend, someone to take care of me, to love me as myself and much more. The Creator of the universe? My friend? The divine being that has no impure thoughts about me? Too good to be true! An offer not to be missed. This was made possible when God became man, died on the cross, rose again on the third day, conquering sin and death once and for all and provided me with the passageway to heaven.
BUT,... isn't it a bit hard to make sense of certain things in the Bible? The virgin birth? The Trinity? Impossible doctrines and debatable issues? Well, one thing for sure, there are things in the Bible and Christian theology that has no explanation of how it happened or why it is the way it is, or even why certain things are logically possible.
This when you need to believe, in faith. Cross that line of faith and things will sorta make more sense. You can't see how things mentioned in the Bible can make sense unless you believe in the Bible in the first place. And well, we'll leave the secret things of God to God.Deuteronomy 29:29
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.
Having that as a guideline, I think the way for me to go is to LEECH all I can from His Word, His promises.. cos it belongs to me and my children FOREVER. That means, He will never take away what He's given us, and that's cool.With all these things going on in my mind, someone asked me why would we wanna believe in this God, and not be a muslim or buddhist or watever? Well, not wanting to offend anyone here but this is just something that I've discovered and is my personal opinion. I can only tell them things that are biased, based on what the Bible says. And if they don't even believe in the Bible, there's no point in telling them of things unless they really wanna know and discover.
Well every religion talks about faith.. in fact when we talk about religion we sometimes ask, "What faith do you practise?" More than just faith, I think the pinnacle of the gospel and this 'religion' we call Christianity is love. In fact, faith, hope and love.. the greatest of these is still love. Many have heard that Christianity is not a religion, it's a relationship. The thing that makes it a relationship is love. Think about it, we only form relationships with ppl if we first have a love for that person.
Love is such a magical word, it makes you skip a heartbeat, it makes you blush.. it makes you do courageous things that are border-lining stupidity. Love makes you look into a persons eyes and feel warm. I've never been in a love relationship for more than a few months in my 26 years alive.. but I do know it's something so precious, a miracle, a gift. Those who have someone to love, and love you... learn to see it as a gift, a gift that not everyone is able to receive in their lifetime. Appreciate your loved one and with a heart of gratitude thank God for giving you a chance to love them. Once you start thinking that the other person fell in love with you because of your own works of courting/chasing/going after them, you tend to forget God entrusted them into your hands.
Having said that, that kind of love is one that you wish and hope would stay forever - but there's another love (and only that love) that enables you to live forever. He bought us with a price, He bought us with His love. I constantly question whether it is worth it for me to live my life putting God first, when others who use God as a spare tyre, an accessory, a get-out-of-jail-free card - seem to have what they want in life and don't have to make sacrifices for Him. But everytime I do so, I learn to realise my life is not my own anymore.. it's all about giving my dreams and desires to Him, even tho it may be REALLY difficult.-Believe me, I do know what it means to give up your dreams and step into the unknown. If you've given your dreams to God before then you'd know what I mean. If you've never had to give up your dreams, don't mock the rest of us who have had to do so by saying it's easy. Today's My Utmost For His Highest had the following - "From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more" (John 6:66) They turned back from walking with Jesus; not into sin, but away from Him. Many people today are pouring their lives out and working for Jesus Christ, but are not really walking with Him. One thing God constantly requires of us is a oneness with Jesus Christ. After being set apart through sanctification, we should discipline our lives spiritually to maintain this intimate oneness. When God gives you a clear determination of His will for you, all your striving to maintain that relationship by some particular method is completely unnecessary. All that is required is to live a natural life of absolute dependence on Jesus Christ. Never try to live your life with God in any other way than His way. And His way means absolute devotion to Him. Showing no concern for the uncertainties that lie ahead is the secret of walking with Jesus.
For now, I have laid down my life and dreams, given it up for Him, believing that He will return to me more than what I've sacrificed, in due time. Even if He does not, I will not take my life back. For many years, this has been my prayer.. to go all the way with Him, asking Him not to play me out. I think that will be the prayer I'll be praying for many years to come.
If you're sitting there, thinking that "Oh.. it's just Willie.. he's this person that is specially marked out by God.." it's rubbish. All of us are marked out by God. He knows your name, the amount of hair you have on your head (or don't have). I'm not talking about full time ministry or missions or whatever. I'm not even heading there. Far from it, it's about putting aside things in life and putting God's desires first. This is what every Christian should do. Extra-ordinary Christians. This is your choice. To live life as an ordinary Christian, and escape the gates of hell by the skin of your teeth, OR, to leave this earth knowing you've done something to change the course of history and made a mark for eternity.-You're either walking next to Him OR walking at a distance, hurrying up only when He's got goodies to give out. --- Choose the former and live your life with Jesus as the center of it all.
-WillZ
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