Monday, August 31, 2009
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so, last nights sermon taught me a few things.. mainly on humility, and being transparent. i guess for me being transparent is still something i have to work on, but i really can't see it happeneing.. like a whole churchful of people being totally open and transparent to each other. If that were the case, then there wouldn't be any secrets, or anything left to gossip about since everyone is transparent. From the way i see it, there are always gonna be that small number of black sheep that always stuff things up, they're the ones that would end up judging you, or even badmouthing you to others, and then the whole system of transparency would just fail. I mean don't we all have secrets that we wished no one else would ever know about? To actually be totally transparent to somebody, like 100% open, no hiding any truths, or distorting facts, or bringing across in a way that doesn't make u look as bad, would require sooo much trust in that person and faith in the relationship that you have. Transparency that im talking about can be a really tough nut to crack, but is also one of the most basic steps in moving forward in your Christian walk. What's the worst that could happen? ..exposing the monster inside..
Friday, August 28, 2009
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WITH EVERYTHING, WITH EVERYTHING, WE WILL SHOUT FOR YOUR GLORY
WITH EVERYTHING, WITH EVERYTHING, WE WILL SHOUT FORTH YOUR PRAISE!!!!
w00t! great time at yaf! and an even greater time of worship!! i think its the first time ive experienced such worship at yaf where the congregation so was into it, and so active. Not only could i hear them singing, but it was as though everyone was literally singing with their hearts! So much passion in tonight's worship! What a feeling, what an experience, and what presence.. We're just touching the tip of the iceburg, believing in God that we WILL go to greater depths in our worship!
to be filled with new wine, burning with fresh fire, and charged up with divine power!! All that comes from God alone :) No one else can satisfy except Him, and nothing else can compare to Him!
Just as i was heading to work today, i didn't feel like going because of the other million things i had to do that were on my mind, and also because i was feeling pretty tired.. God just hit me! it felt like i was struck out of no where and He just consumed me. my thoughts, emotions, feelings, and everything gone. It was just pure worship from there on! I don't know how it happened, but i sure want that to happen to me everyday, coz i sure didn't do anything.. Amazing how when all else fails, He never does.
Current status: Rising from the dead!
1 Thess 4:11-12 [NKJV]
11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.
[NIV]
11Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
i'm not too sure about the part where it tells us to aspire to lead a quiet life. what does 'quiet' in this context mean? like a low profile? something simple? To mind our own business is a definite must that i think everyone still has to learn from, and to work with our own hands is what lazy people hate the most. i know because i use to like taking the shortest route possible, some say its called being smart, but to others its just called taking short cuts.. we all want to get something from doing nothing, but i dont think such a thing is possible in this world. I like the 2 different translations of the second part of v12. to lack nothing, and to not be dependent on anybody. So then the question is, is it wrong to depend on others for things? And interestingly the start of v12 says that our daily lives should win the respect of outsiders.. which i think everybody wants, but might be doing it the wrong way. Should such a thing like winning the respect of others from our life be something that we must work towards and to purpose to win their respect? or does it come naturally from believing in Jesus and wanting to be more like Him?
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
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We Christians thrive in the midst of adversity! When things look bad, don't feel sad, but be glad! coz that's our time to shine! hah i can only say this now because things don't look so good. Ive got heaps of things to do in the next few days and it just feels like the world is squeezing me dry like some piece of cloth, till the point that it's getting slightly suffocating.. need to take a breather. there just seems to be no joy in the things that i do nowadays, and everything feels like a chore. i also can't seem to be able to say no to anything which doesn't make anything easier, but probably making my life harder. I am definitely not a good juggler.
1 Thess 4
7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given[a] us His Holy Spirit.
i found v7 very straightforward but nonetheless a very good reminder for all. we are to be holy as God is holy, and not have any unclean spot or blemishes in us e.g sin, and we also know that God hates sin, so we should hate sin too. simple yet hard to keep. v8 is the consequences of not following v7. so if we dont follow or do as v7 says, im guessing that it means that you're rejecting it, and it is clearly stated that if we reject v7 we reject God and His Holy Spirit which he has already given to us.. so it is possible for us to reject the Holy Spirit.. why would anyone do that is unthinkable, but we do know from God's word that it is possible to do so. does it mean that it's really easy to reject the Holy Spirit?
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
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took a short break which wasn't really good because i realised that this was meant to keep me accountable in my daily devotions. i guess i was a little busier last week, or it just feels like i have much more stuff to do nowadays..
Just a quick note before i forget, a word for me at worshipnet was for me to 'apply' myself. some other things were for me to run fast, and my race is an endurance race, so i'm gonna have to keep at it.
The 'unbelieving believer' sermon has been in my mind ever since it was preached on sunday. somehow it makes me think that there's a little of that in everyone of us.
1 thess 4:4-5
4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
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yeap just when i thought i was slowly beginning understanding some things around here, it appears that i still dont understand or get anything or anyone.. i think im waaay out of my league here with everything. haha it seems kinda funny how things are happening, or going to happen in the future. It looks unpredictable, yet predictable at the same time.. we have to realise that we can't change people or the way they think, only God can! I just hope that people really know what they're doing.
Monday, August 10, 2009
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been pretty sick the last two days.. started off with a cough which led to a headache and then to a fever which has been bugging me ever since sat. So ive basically spent the last 2 days just sleeping hoping it would get better, but evidently not. It's not a good feeling where you end up waking up 5-10 times in one night finding yourself covered in sweat, but shivering at the same time..and no matter how much you sleep your eyes always end up being sore by just having them open. though im feeling much better now, i can't say that i've completely recovered. And is it true to say that all healing comes from God? even healing from taking meds?
1 thess 3:5
5 For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain.
i think the last thing anyone would have want happening to them is for them to labour in vain. For almost everyone, everything that they do usually counts for something, like they have a reason or a purpose for doing it because they want to achieve something from it. Ever gotten the feeling where you've done so much work, put so much effort and invested so much time into doing something because you knew that the results from doing it would be great, but in the end in turns out to be pointless or futile? That feeling would make you seem like an absolute fool.. either because you stuffed up somewhere along the way, or it had no meaning to it right from the start.
And i find this really relates to our spiritual walk. How it is so easy to labour in vain..how we could so easily get caught up in various things that we end up losing our original purpose and in the end having nothing. Like so often it is really easy for us who serve every week to get too caught with the act of serving that we forget the one whom we're actually serving.
another example of how easily it is for us to labour in vain is like what the verse says, when the tempter tempts us. I'm guessing tempter is satan, and tempts us would be us sinning. So just as easily it is for us to sin, which i find really easy, it's that easy for us to labour in vain. God is holy, if we offer up to him things with unclean hands, i don't think he'll accept it. That is why it is soo important for us to make sure that we are covered by the blood all the time.. nothing else is as powerful as the blood.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
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so, lately ive been trying to get things right in regards to being on top of my uni studies, work, and trying to practice drums everyday.. but the one thing that i have been lacking really is spending time on my spiritual walk. It just seems that everything i do seems to be things that only scratch the surface and has no deep meaning to it. I'm missing some kind of depth in my current way of living because i know that there's so much more to do and can be done, and everything i do just seems so pointless? It's like doing for the sake of doing it..but it feels wrong. I think i've been in this 'place' in my life for far too long and ive gotten so used to it till the point that i must to move on. by staying at this current position which was once maybe good for me, might not be good if i stay any longer.. it feels that staying any longer would not do me any good any more but instead will do me harm. It's going to be a beginning of a new season and something new..but what?
the prayer meeting's worship last night felt different, as in better and more powerful. I think the free worship really did kick off and something must have exploded in the room. i could really feel the Holy Spirit move in the chapel, and im sure everyone else did too. It's really great when people of like faith who are passionate about pursuing after God come together to worship and prayer.. it really is different from your normal church sunday services. And wow.. its already august..
1 Thess 2:12
12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
trust once lost is hard to earn back :( its so sad.. but there's no point letting my past haunt me for any longer than it should be, and we're not living in the past, but for the future! we all make mistakes, and i seem to make lots of them..but i thank God for being there with me at all times, even when it feels so dark. I need to get a move on.
Lots of things to thank God for these past few days. Firstly, i lost my Bible for quite some time and how i found it was just a miracle! One night i was just sick of not having my Bible with me as it made everything seem so much harder, and it did feel really weird not reading from my normal Bible..so i prayed and asked God to somehow reveal or cause the Bible to just appear!(as i've heard from other people's testimony's) Then i went to sleep, then in my sleep i saw this vision/picture of my garage and God pointed out this specific area on top of the shoe rack to me, and something in me was just telling me that my Bible was there! though i had previously searched my whole room and garaged and had not been successful in finding it. So anyway, the next day i went to the spot to have a look, but the Bible was NOT there..instead it was some Word book store plastic bag which i had never seen before..but i knew in me that my bible was in there, so i opened it and went through the contents and at the end of the bag was my Bible! i was heaps shocked and surprised, but i thank God that He is good :)
Another thing on my: 'to thank God for' list is today's worship sessions. Though i know they weren't perfect or the best we've done, but still i'm glad that God really did help me and enable me to play to the best of my abilities (or so i have hoped). I was personally really blessed by being able to take part in both worship services as i really could feel God play through me and you wouldnt be able to experience this unless you were given the opportunity to!
Just one last thing that has been on my mind the past few days was an old bethel sermon which i heard maybe last year? its main topic was on love, but there was this one example that the pastor gave that really showed me one kind of extreme love which just made so much sense to me recently.. it was the whole story about if one of your friends falls in this quick sand and is sinking, a good friend would be one to jump in behind you and push you out of that pit no matter what. and hah! i just realised how crazy that sounds.. and also how seemingly impossible too.. considering situations and circumstances, for someone to do such thing really is against human nature. the only person that i would think really would do that in his right mind would be Jesus, which was what He already did for us. It's really easy to say with such conviction and confidence that you will be like that, or you will do that.. however when the time comes, i guess things don't usually turn out the way you expect them to be.. right now, are we ones that are able to push our friends out of whatever quick sand they are in? or are we the ones stuck in the quick sand that needs the pushing out?
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