Level Ground

9 September 2009 Wednesday 12:21 AM

 

"Teach me to do your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground" - Psalm 143:10. On level ground – that caught my attention. The first thought that entered my mind was 'be humble', and it has been a struggle. But in the midst of all the challenges and temptations to take myself up… God has been more than faithful and more than graceful to teach me His ways.

 

I can be arrogant if I want to. It's just a choice away. At this point in my life I can say that I have gained enough bragging rights to be mayabang. Promotion, a number of friends, an active ministry, a fulfilling relationship with God, and much, much more blessings! I can even brag about the wisdom God has shared with me thru His word. I have never been so close with the Word of God ever in my life; so I can easily brag about that too. But no. To Him and to Him alone be all the glory, honor, and praise. Without Him, I am stripped of everything. No blessings, no family, no friends, no job… I am nothing without my Savior and King in my life.

 

"Teach me to do your will, for You are my God…" He is. He is my God. For my plans are doomed to fail but His are steadfast and good – pleasing and perfect. "No one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him" – 1 Corinthians 2:9. Whoaw! Mystery and romance all in one! God has always been the best selling author of love and romance stories. J He doesn't even sell it. He gives it for free! J Who wouldn't want such a lovely surprise? J I do! So to His will alone, will I submit. J

 

This I have learned. I am not perfect but God loves me. I fail but God still loves me. His spirit leads me, and He won't stop till I become like His son – my King and my Savior – Jesus Christ.

You

12 September 2009 Saturday

 

You always sweep me off my feet

You allow me to fall, only to find myself in the midst of Your embrace…

You fulfill all promises…

            A hope and a future

                        All the best plans…

 

There is none like You…

You love me, even before I realized that I love you too

I am written in the palm of Your hand

You know me

I am Yours…

 

How can I thank You more?

How can I love You more?

All else comes from You

I am by You and for You

I am nothing else without You…

 

You…

You…

You…

 

Jesus…

Tonight, it's just me and my God

27 August 2009 Thursday 1:55 AM

I lie awake tonight, thinking of God. All His blessings, magnificence, wonder, and yes even complexities. :-) Still I am in awe and am amazed of His glory. The transformation of people and society; from history to history… God remains sovereign. And by His glory and majesty, we are loved. :-)

I am blessed…

-         That I belong to a Christian nation free to praise and worship the Lord.

-         For the wisdom God has shared me thru Christ Jesus. 

-         For the relationships I have with my family, friends, officemates, church-mates, and even with strangers in long queues, bus rides, and coffee shops. :-)

-         That I can listen to Christian songs and remind me of my loving God [Father] who never fails to say ‘I love you’ each day in different ways.

-         That I am part of a bible study and a ministry in my company, enabling me to share His love to my friends and officemates.

To be a living testimony is what I want to be. Pastor Joseph Prince once preached, ‘lives will not be radically changed, if we don’t radically share the gospel’. With this, I declare John 3:16 to the world. ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son.’ A common knowledge to all, yet brings so much meaning to our lives…

Your Will

May 2009 

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. [Jeremiah 29:11]

Thank you, Lord. It took me this long to understand Your word. Thank you for taking the time to explain things to me. :-) I am happy and now I understand. You never fail to refresh me as well as sustain me with the joy you want me to feel and experience. :-) It is such a blessing to be under Your grace and love. :-)

I have some prayer points, which will now change. This time I will align myself to Your will. To obey you willingly, to show how much I love You. :-) This time, my desire is Your heart. Your will. Your plan. I will continuously pray for the people whom you have allowed me to love. I will continuously pray for their hearts to receive You. :-) Letting go of what I want, I will rest in the truth that what You want is still what’s best for me. What I want may make me happy, but what You want is something more pleasing, more joyful, good, and perfect. :-) Let me not forget that again. :-)

Still I pray. I will always pray. I will do my best to put a smile on Your face. You do the same for me everyday. J My efforts are nothing compared to Yours, but still You delight in me. :-) Such blessings! Such wonder! :-) I am much grateful, Father. :-)

Thank you! :-)

Patience First

5 August 2009 Wednesday

For all the things God is trying to teach me, it is patience that I struggle the most. Well I also have ego and pride, but with the daily routine that I have, I always play a tug of war with Patience.

Lord, make me prudent. I want to be prudent. ‘A-a, not unless you’re patient’, God says. So everyday I try I dive into traffic, long queues, and long hours of work. Sigh!

Christ is more concern with our holiness than our happiness. Should this mean that God does not want us to be happy? “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 6:33” Ugh! I’ve heard that before, but what does that really mean?

For a time, I thought God is a punishing God. I thought that I will never be good enough for Him; that there are standards I will always have to follow to gain His love and mercy for my life. So for the longest time, I was wrong.

To my closest friends and the people I minister to, they already think I am patient. But for people I constantly work with everyday, I could be quite a spoiled brat. I get snappy and rough with my words especially when miscommunication comes in the way of work. ‘Stress at work’ is my usual alibi when I find myself impatient in a certain situation. I get so inconsistent with my actions and prayers that I find myself confuse.

“²⁸Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. - Matthew 11:28-29” So there it is. Praying about your concerns is one thing. For sure God is listening. But it is another thing when you let go and let God. I pray, but I still hold a grudge. I pray but I don’t let God’s compassion and understanding transcend my heart. As I reflect more, I realize there is more. I have realized that I need to trust and have faith that God works for the good even if, in my vantage point it does not seem so. Clarity strikes once wisdom builds; and though we might not have the wisdom and knowledge of what the future will be, we always have trust to begin with. The characters of Christ are all intertwined. It is all connected, and we should beware that confusion is always an enemy ready to shoot lies; to destroy the beauty that God has created: nature, people, relationships, and the heart. So in order to avoid getting lost and disconnected, to be patient, as I ought to be, I must depend on The One, who is the wellspring of patience, love, and kindness. My Savior, my Lord, Jesus. :-)

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Now I see. God is concern with my career. God is concern with my relationships more than I do. God is concern with my heart. My concerns are His. My desires are His. And He is patient enough to wait on me, as I slowly let go my worldly and selfish desires. :-) Gracious is our God. :-)

Worry-Flavored Bubble Gums

Worry-Flavored Bubble Gums

2 September 2009 Wednesday

Trust. "He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. - Matthew 17:20". If I have faith as small as a mustard seed… But I already have so little faith! How can this be?!

I have unlimited supply of worry-flavored bubble gums. Worry in career, finances, dreams, love ones, and the future. There’s no direct order to all these thoughts, only I tend to pop-chew-and-spit one at a time, nonstop!

Temptation still creeps its way to my system. I get distracted in trusting and believing in God who is in control of all. Truly I need grace. I cannot do this alone. He will fight my battles. “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. - Exodus 14:14".

God always has a bigger view of things. We get disappointed on events we have no control of. It disheartens us, but rest assured God knows what’s best and He has the best plans yet.

I have such a small faith, but with this faith I will cling. Cling to my God who continues to bring hope in my life.

Story behind…

Lately I had this urge to quit my job and explore other opportunities abroad. My wants have been changing lately which lead to jump hunt from one site to another. I applied for an Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate (EPEC) for Singapore, but my application was rejected. I have also been submitting my CV and resume to a lot of companies these past few days but I haven’t had any feedback as well. I may not know exactly why I was rejected or why I don’t get notified by companies I have been applying to, but rest assured God knows…