I'll Stand By You

So tonight I commemorate my Quarter of a Century Birthday.

As I gratefully think back through the day, how I spent the evening unexpectedly with the loveliest and closest bunch of people I know on earth, it struck me then.

How do I appreciate the very people who saw me through the life giving process? The painful years of raising me up despite all the burdens and pains. I mean I love babies and kids myself. Yet I am always reminded of the reality in raising a new life. Sure everyone loves playing with babies and toddlers. But how many are prepared and willing to go through the tough times, the responsibilities and the liabilities?

So for me, being 25 is more than just thankful for having lived "so long". It's about honoring. It's about loving unconditionally. It's a time of venturing forward perhaps. It's a season to prepare oneself of how great the love is for one's own child.

So thank you all for being a part of my being. God, family, friends...
Those of you who stayed close, those of you who lent out a shoulder.

And hence I look ahead into the new day. New month. New year =)

Post-post GLS Reflection

我将自己全然地委身在祢所委托于我的角色当中，去建立祢的教会，好叫她能够在这世界兴旺起来。今天我会把＂它＂带来。我会把我最好的带来。因为祢配得。祢的教会配得。这是世界的盼望。

I commit all of myself to the role you have assigned me in the building of your church so that it may thrive in this world. And I will "bring it" today. I will bring my best. You deserve it. Your church deserves it. It is the Hope of the World.
 
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Unavoidably I feel at times that I can do much more and I'm just holding back. Maybe I really am. But I shall not let that put me down and I will give You more God, give You all. The best of me.

Christ alone, Cornerstone.
Weak made strong, in the Savior's Love.
Through the storm, He is Lord.
Lord of all.

The Local Church is the Hope of the World

Tonight I conclude an enriching 2-day experience at GLS 2012. Yet I pray that it will not remain a mere experience but an ignition for something Greater.

The energizing. The re-calibration. The 20-mile marches. The giving of due honor. The going to the balcony. The gift in every experience. The confession that our lives are not our own to live. The movement of a man named Jesus. The greatest privilege in all of life is having Jesus to tap on me on the shoulder, inviting me to step into building His Church, the Hope of the World.

Words alone cannot express the overwhelming experience at GLS. One must be convinced by a personal experience and desire to be impacted by the conference speakers, to leave the auditorium with a refreshed mind and soul; a rekindled passion for His Kingdom and Purpose.

I know I have a great Fear. But I have a greater Faith, in the greatest Father.
The Lord of Lords, the King of Kings.

And Dr Bill Hybels has made it clear in his closing segment. The Church must rise to the occasion, to fulfil the very Calling she was given. We were all given a morning prayer card. It is really, more than just a card of prayer or motivation. It has to be, a reminder of why I rise to each new day, why I take the next breath.

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http://www.critiquebycreating.com/2011/04/the-most-eligible-christian-bachelor

Happened to be my dinner reading. I saw it appear on my news feed but never really got around to reading it. And tonight over dinner, I decided to go over it. The ultra-long write up on the perspective of singleness, of dating in the biblical perspective and of the Church's view on getting married, blew my mind away. The writer himself, obviously still single, has not just attempted to justify the role of singles in the Church but rather provide an objective take on remaining single from a biblical standpoint.




And possibly, a timely reminder for me. The DO's and the DON'Ts. A simple 4-point checklist for getting into a relationship. The skeletal outline for broaching the idea of dating/marriage to a girl of interest. The induced cultural concept of marriage versus the idea of marriage that God had in the very first place.



Given my very limited understanding, I would still like to recommend this read for anyone keen to find out about biblical view on 'dating' and marriage.

Marvel

I marvel at the little I can offer, and yet see the utmost God can make out of it. Exceedingly. Abundantly.

And God tonight, this post goes out to You. My utmost gratitude. In the times of steering the undeserving grace to drive a car I may never be able to afford, how You remind me that the things of this world are not to be sought after.

These are good to have, good to bless someone else. Yet these are the very things that could derail me from my very purpose You have called me to.
So may I never forget, the story of the 5 loaves 2 fish. The miracle thought impossible that blew a child's mind away in a simple offering.

Lord I desire to be that child, as I willingly give You my 5 loaves 2 fish. Whatever they may be.

Praise the Lord.

Push While You Pray

 

Having just finished Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick, has been an incredible journey for myself. The essence of his book was really to encourage Christians to take hold of God's promises and vision in their life, regardless of where they are or what they have been doing, and dare to believe while acting upon His faithfulness.

And I'll probably want to remember this quote he shared from Jim Cymbala, 

I despaired at the thought that my life might slip by without seeing God show himself mightily on our behalf.

Reaching a point in my life that I probably have to make a "major" decision such as a starting job. Up till now, I always thought I had a grip, or a little understanding, of what it meant by Faith. And this book which I bought from my Down Under trip, surely didn't come at a time of coincidence. I believe God must have allowed this book to minister to me as I ponder some of the most difficult decisions.

Now that it is less than 2 months from me entering a new chapter of my life, I find myself being caught in the middle. On one hand, I really can't wait to enter the next phase yet at the same, I hold onto doubts and questions.

One thing for sure. Sun Stand Still has helped to with a motto.
Seize the Vision. Activate the Faith. Make the Move.

It has also given me a fresh perspective of Hope and Faith. How closely assimilated these two traits are, yet so vastly different in their nature. One can choose to stand firm on HOPE yet another finds himself choosing to move by FAITH. The very fact that characters from the Bible have lived out by that principle is likely a lesson God would want His people to comprehend. To know that beyond the Promise and Progress,  there is a Process which His people undergoes.

As for myself, I do look forward to that Process.
The first job.
The next relationship.
The Calling in Life.

For sure and for real it may be tough, it may require endurance. But I have a Hope. A Hope given by the Most High. A Promise to those who seek after Him with all their hearts, to live out His Purpose, will find themselves living by it.

I may have little to offer, but God is more concerned about how much I am willing to offer out of the little.

Pray. Pray for a participation in His miracles and not just a speculation. Pray for fresh revelations constantly and as with any intimate relationship, in deeper love. Pray for a renewal of mind and strength as I face each new day's challenges. Pray for not just a changed life, but a channel for life-changing as well. Pray not for my desires alone, but through seeking His portion for me that I find my satisfaction.

Forgiven much.

Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”