In Love with God

I start humming along to love songs that I didn’t like before

All of the melodramas in the world seem like my story
I try to look good when I didn’t before by paying attention to my appearance
I’m acquiring the bitter taste of coffee

Time goes so fast and my heart grows impatient
I imagine you next to me and film a movie of my own

When a man’s in love, he wants to stay by your side
There’s always so much he wants to do for you
When I’m in love, I want to give everything in my life to you
With just one expectation, your heart
When I’m in love

When a man’s in love, when a man’s in love 

(Man In Love, Infinite) 
I'm a really big kpop fan (hence the song choice) but that's not the main point of this blogpost today. Just by going on to Youtube you can see that there are so many songs/stories/movies/dramas centred on romance, love, and there are several other songs that define love so much better than the song listed above. 

Love is an integral part of our lives, be it in a romantic sense or in a familial/friendly sense, and when we love someone we long to see that person, we want to "give everything" in our lives to that person, we are happy whenever we think about that person, our lives seem brighter because of that person. I've felt that euphoria several times, especially when I'm crushing on a person. Somehow normal everyday interactions with that person make me squeal with joy, and even when I'm doing something that I hate (jogging) I just need to think of that person for a smile to appear on my face and my tiredness to fade away. In fact, it just happened again today, which was what prompted me to write this blog post. Why am I so happy thinking about that person a) who might not even like me back b) who is a human who hasn't done anything particularly special for me? More importantly, why do I not feel this euphoria when I think of our Heavenly Father? 

If you want to talk about who loves us the most, God would surely take that category, because His love for us is indescribable and beyond belief, He loves us to the point where He is willing to sacrifice His precious Son for our sakes, even though we are horrible sinners, which shows us how important each and every one of us is to Him. What greater love could there be? (John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.") 

Not only that, if you want to talk about who will love us for eternity, God would win that as well. On this earth, there are so many cases of divorce in the newspaper, so many instances where breakups occur. But with God, we never have to worry that He's going to leave us, or that He'll lose interest in us, because His love is everlasting and unfailing. (Jeremiah 31:3 "The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness." 

There are times when our loved ones don't have time for us or aren't with us when we need them, but God is always by our side. (Deuteronomy 31:8 "It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.") He is our refuge in a time of need, He is our comfort in a time of grief, He'll never give up on us, and is always there to pick us up whenever we fall. 

Finally, there are always times that we want to depend on our loved ones, where we would like them to guide us and help us. God is perfect for that as well, because He created us and knew us even when we were in our mother's womb. He also has a plan for us, and we can rest assured that the plans He has for us would be good. (Jeremiah 29:11 " 'For I know that 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.' ") 

Our Heavenly Father gives us the best love we could ever ask for, so shouldn't we reciprocate His love by spending more time with Him, reading His word and talking to Him? 

Christmas

This Christmas, the one lesson that I was constantly reminded of, be it through devotionals or church sermons was that a) Jesus was born and lived for 30 years as a HUMAN. That's about twice my age, and this is especially poignant to me because I constantly feel that no one (including Jesus) can ever understand what I'm going through. Well for starters, he certainly wasn't a girl. But there's one thing that I always forget, first being he created all humans including girls so how would he not understand us? The next thing being having lived for 3 decades means that he would have experienced so much, and we can see from the Bible that it was true. He experienced extreme temptation, great influence, betrayal, all things that we face or will face in our daily lives. He's been through all of that and has come out blameless, making him our perfect role model. The next thing that I was reminded of so many times this Christmas, was that He is the greatest and most important present we will ever receive. He came to shoulder all our sins and to redeem us, to give us salvation and eternal life with the Father. His amazing love for us is the warmest and most fulfilling gift you and I will ever receive. Blessed Christmas everyone! :)

Let Go Let God

Let Go Let God is such a common phrase, seen in whatsapp statuses and all over tumblr, but it wasn't until this teens camp that I truly understood how important this lesson was for everybody. The devotions from the camp booklet in particular spoke to me. Making reference to the movie the Godfather, it states the example of a stone that has been lying in the water for a long time but remaimed perfectly dry. Being a second generation Christian, I've been in church all my life, but this analogy caused me to truly reflect on my life thus far. Have I allowed God to step in and change my life or did I remain dry, not allowing Him to penetrate me? The answer that I regretfully came up with was that I did let him change me, but not in the areas where it really mattered. In some areas, pride was what was  hindering me, and through this camp I learnt that this pride would kill me if I didn't let go of it quickly. My pride and my stubbornness, times where I refused to admit that I was wrong, where I try to kid myself and tell me that my mistakes are insignificant, I vow to change it. I do not have confidence in myself yet, but I'm 200% sure that God can transform me, if ill just let Him. There are also some areas where fear and uncertainty hinder me. I mean, I still struggle with doubt, late at night when I can't sleep, I constantly find myself wondering what will happen to me when i die? What if the God that I have been trusting and believing in turns out to be a lie? And then I wake up every morning, looking around me at all the clear signs that my fears were groundless. From the miracle of the morning sky to his constant presence around me every moment of the day, I know that I can trust in Him completely. Of course, according to Proverbs 3:5-6, I'll need to submit to Him and let God first.
This camp brought a new understanding of this phrase to me, and while I may not be as eager to set it as my new whatsapp status, im extremely thankful for the message that God has given me.

The Grace of God

Whenever I read the Bible, the one thing that I am constantly reminded of is how flawed humans are, and thus, how great the grace of God is. Humans are full of sin, deceit, impurity, disobedience, stubbornness, we pray to other gods, we steal, we kill, and the list goes on and on. Just take a look at how many crimes occur daily >< Imagine this, your child committing all these sins, never listening to you and always disappointing you. Wouldn't you feel like giving up? Parents always lose their tempers at their children no matter how much they try to be patient. But there is one Father who never gives up on us, who is always there for us. Not just that, he even uses our human weaknesses and sins to do his great work. The 12 Apostles, for example. They were a bunch of people from different occupations and backgrounds, but there were 2 things similar in all of them. Firstly, they were sinners. Next, they had a passion and desire to serve God. Jesus made use of their weaknesses, in this case, their somewhat deceitful backgrounds (tax collectors) to reach out to others like them, who needed help (Luke 5:31 "Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." NIV)

The 12 Apostles were also chosen because of their willingness to follow Jesus (Matthew 4:22: "and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him" NIV) They were willing to give up their families, their homes, their comfortable lifestyles to follow Jesus and walk the significantly more dangerous path. For this, they were rewarded with the ability to preach and drive out demons. (Mark 3: 14-15) From this we can see that God can only use us for his good work when we are willing to serve him and we surrender our lives completely to him.

We will never be perfect enough for God and nothing that we can ever do can bring us closer to God. However, his grace and mercy towards us encompasses our weaknesses, and we should be heartened to know God's grace is sufficient for us, and that His power is made perfect in our weakness.

'But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."  (2 Corinthians 12:9)

The important things in life

A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in diameter.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up the remaining open areas of the jar.
He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “Yes.”
“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter – like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else, the small stuff.”
“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party, or fix the disposal.”
“Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

Author: Unknown
Taken from: http://academictips.org/blogs/moral-tale-the-important-things-in-life/ 

Sarawak Trip'14

I just returned from my school's trip to Sarawak where we had a cultural immersion. Before reaching there I had no idea what to expect. Based on my previous experience (in Malacca last time) I knew that I could at least look forward to some fun with my friends and maybe a few boring museums. What we experienced, however, took me by surprise and left me with very unforgettable memories. The first 2 days were literally museums after museums but from then on, the trip took on a more experiential side. We visited the Sarawak Cultural Village, which effectively put whatever we learned/saw in the museum into real life, it was the exact model of a traditional longhouse. However, we weren't satisfied, and we discussed in the debrief at night that we wanted to see something more authentic. The next day, we got our wish. We went to a real long house, one belonging to the Bidayu tribe, and the people actually lived there. Granted, they had become more modernized, but their traditional practices and locations (the Head room) were still preserved. Our guide, Uncle Edward, was an aged man who used to go through the practices of the past, e.g men over the age of 13 had to sleep together in a "Bachelor's room". Because he told us about his personal experiences, it made the whole trip very authentic. He also shared with us a lot of stories and taught us traditional things like the eagle dance and how to use a blowpipe. But this was where the amazing part came in. He shared with us a story about spirits, and how superstitious the tribe was. He also had a personal encounter with spirits that scared me considerably, and that haunted me the rest of the day. I was really afraid to be honest, but that night, before I went to sleep, I read my Bible. I follow a checklist that will help me to finish reading the entire bible in 52 weeks and i have been using that checklist consistently since last year. That day's passage was 1 John 4(i think) and the first verse was "Do not believe in other spirits". That was the clearest message God has ever given to me, and reading the passage really comforted me and helped me to put away my doubts and fears. He truly is amazing, Praise the Lord!

Interesting points from the Voyage of the Dawn Treader

So today i re-read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader again :) the thing that i loved about this series was that there were quite a few (sort of) biblical references being made throughout all the books.

In the chapter "How the adventure ended" where Eustace described how he transformed from a dragon back to a boy, it is mentioned that Aslan, the lion, brought Eustace to a well, and asked him to undress then "get in there and bathe". Eustace had no clothes on, but he soon understood that he was supposed to scratch and peel off his scaly dragon skin. All this+the bath was so that he would become a human again, that his flesh would be restored. Water is also often labeled as something we use to cleanse or clean ourselves with, even in the Bible, where Pontious Pilate, during Jesus's trial, washed his hands in front of the crowd when they demanded Jesus's death. This was to signify that he was innocent of Jesus's blood. This can be found in Matthew 27:24.

 This story (in my opinion) can be linked to the story of Naaman, found in 2 Kings 5. He was the commander of the king's army. Unfortunately, he was afflicted with leprosy. As we all know, leprosy is a very serious disease caused by a type of bacteria and one of the effects of having leprosy, is that your skin will  become scaly. God instructed Naaman, through Elisha, to bathe in the Jordan River 7 times, so that his "flesh would be restored and" he "would be cleansed."

Another biblical reference I believe has been made, would be when Eustace tries in vain to remove all his scaly skin. He peeled and peeled and peeled, but the skin was never completely removed. It was only when Aslan said "You will have to let me undress you" and Eustace agreed, that the skin finally came off and Eustace was restored to his normal human self. This section is possibly highlighting this bible verse, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." from Proverbs 3:5. By ourselves, we will never be able to accomplish anything, it is only with God's grace and his help that we will be able to carry out his good works. This passage also reminded me that God always wants to help us (well except when he's angry with us) because he loves us, but we will never get helped if we don't open our hearts to receive his love and help. Similarly, if Eustace didn't agree to Aslan's help, he would never have been restored to his human self.

Well all this are just my thoughts haha sorry if there are any mistakes (if there are pls do point out!!) and I hope that you have attained some new insight from this :)

God bless! ^^