"Ah! sir, the Lord must have loved me before I was born, or else He would not have seen anything in me to love afterwards."
Monday, January 8, 2007
Nice one
John Newton used to tell a whimsical story, and laugh at it, too, of a good woman who said, in order to prove the doctrine of election,
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Psalm 2 : Another reflection
Read Psalm 2
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?
Darkness can never overcome light. There are no ways in which created,limited and polluted men can find a way to destroy God's plan. Thus it is in vain.
God chooses David in advance to be king. And there are rebels, other kings and their armies who gather together to stop that him from being king. If only they know that they are not waging war against normal human being, but against the Almighty God. And God's promise to David were fulfilled. He just needs to have confidence in God's promise.
What I can learn from this passage, when I relate it to my life is that about the Promise of God. We have seen God's promise to David, to make him king, and it was fulfilled. And how God's promise Israel for a Saviour, and it was also fulfilled. We have observed the Old Testaments and how the are fulfilled in the New Testaments. Every single bit of our life has God's fingerprint on it. Slowly molding and shaping us into His perfect plan. And all we need to have is confidence in Him. Stop worrying, and start surrendering all to Him. Trust in His Great Plan. If we do not submit to Him, then we are just like the nations and the peoples who conspire and plot but in vain.
I've been listening to the tape about "the doctrine of salvation" and I point that I can relate to this is that whatever bad things that happens in our life, sufferings, pain, sickness, whatever that is the opposite of good, they are not good things in disguise. It's just that God is using good things, as well as those bad things to fulfill His plan in our life. And God will never fail.
As usual, I would like to end off with words from Calvin, which we can still relate in this world we are living in. It might be a little bit lengthy, but I think every word speaks very clearly of God's message in this psalm :
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?
Darkness can never overcome light. There are no ways in which created,limited and polluted men can find a way to destroy God's plan. Thus it is in vain.
God chooses David in advance to be king. And there are rebels, other kings and their armies who gather together to stop that him from being king. If only they know that they are not waging war against normal human being, but against the Almighty God. And God's promise to David were fulfilled. He just needs to have confidence in God's promise.
God principally proves his faithfulness in this, that he does not forsake the work of his own hands, but continually defends those whom he has once received into his favour. - John Calvin
What I can learn from this passage, when I relate it to my life is that about the Promise of God. We have seen God's promise to David, to make him king, and it was fulfilled. And how God's promise Israel for a Saviour, and it was also fulfilled. We have observed the Old Testaments and how the are fulfilled in the New Testaments. Every single bit of our life has God's fingerprint on it. Slowly molding and shaping us into His perfect plan. And all we need to have is confidence in Him. Stop worrying, and start surrendering all to Him. Trust in His Great Plan. If we do not submit to Him, then we are just like the nations and the peoples who conspire and plot but in vain.
I've been listening to the tape about "the doctrine of salvation" and I point that I can relate to this is that whatever bad things that happens in our life, sufferings, pain, sickness, whatever that is the opposite of good, they are not good things in disguise. It's just that God is using good things, as well as those bad things to fulfill His plan in our life. And God will never fail.
Romans 8:28And there's something we can learn from David too, the author of this Psalm. That he called himself the Anointed One, because he knew that his kingship was under God's command and authority. And He wrote this psalm also as a prophecy to the coming of Christ, the Son of God. He believes that his kingdom is a mere shadow of a greater kingdom whose king is Christ.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his purpose
As usual, I would like to end off with words from Calvin, which we can still relate in this world we are living in. It might be a little bit lengthy, but I think every word speaks very clearly of God's message in this psalm :
Wicked men may now conduct themselves as wickedly as they please, but they shall at length feel what it is to make war against heaven. God is so far exalted above the men of this world, that the whole mass of them could not possibly obscure his glory in the least degree. As often, then, as the power of man appears formidable to us, let us remember how much it is transcended by the power of God. In these words there is set before us the unchangeable and eternal purpose of God effectually to defend the kingdom of his Son, of which he is the founder; and this may well support our faith amid the troublous storms of the world. Whatever plots, therefore, men may form against it, let this one consideration be sufficient to satisfy us, that they cannot render ineffectual the anointing of God.
Friday, January 5, 2007
Psalm 1 : A reflection
I have been using the New Testament chapters as my quiet time source. Currently, I just finished the Book of Luke, and entering John tonight. Sometimes, I do my quiet time in the morning as well, but lately, it seems very dry. I went through chapter by chapter in the New Testament night and morning, at night it would seem very effective, full of reflection. In the morning it would turn boring and with little reflection. I guess I'm not going to stop the morning quiet time, but instead, I found a new source for reflection : the Book of Psalms.
Anyhow, I'm going to write anything I've learnt from the book, just so that I can remember it well.
Read Psalm 1
Why is that chapter put as the first chapter in Psalm?
It is a gateway to the sanctuary. The key, the wisdom asking the worshipers of the Lord to possess the right attitude towards the law of God before having any personal conversation with Him.
It struck me.
Do I have the right attitude? Do I delight in the law of the Lord? Do I meditate on his law day and night? And mind you, meditate comprises of memorizing, repeating and reflecting on the law. Am I that hardworking and perservering to even have the correct quality to have a personal chat with the Lord?
I wanted so much to answer Yes. But I would just be lying to myself. This is something I have to learn. When I receive Jesus Christ as my saviour, there is a war inside of me. The war between the old me, the one still controlled by sin, and the new redeemed me, the one who hates sin. I am given, by grace, the ability to not sin, or in other words, now I can choose to follow Christ or to follow evil.
But how then do I learn, how do I grow and how can I strive to be more like Christ? Again, it's back to His Word. I need to maintain quiet times, personal chats and reflections with Him. Then I can have the longing inside me, the attitude to love and desire God's Words. To saturate myself in it. To have intimate covenant with God.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
If we have the right attitude in our covenant with Him, then we are like the tree, deeply rooted, thanks to His Word. And not only will we be strong, we will flourish and bloom because the living water, the divine grace, Jesus Christ is with us.
Yes, eventhough the wicked seems to be living prosperous life now. But what's the use of a prosperous life in this temporary world. For they are like tree that is dead and rootless, when God's judgement comes, they will be destroyed.
The Lord wants me to be strong, to keep my focus on His Words, on His Promise and to persevere, be righteous until eventually His Kingdom come. Who can stand this world : attracting us with pleasures, enjoyments, relaxations, anything that causes us ecstasy. Who can stand the world which rejects us, insults and condemns us? And as I have learnt from my friend, some are even against iscf, the indonesian christian fellowship in NUS. We must be strong.
Like St. Augustine had once said : "God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering ". The Kingdom of God may seem like a mustard seed now, but persevere and turn our eyes upon Jesus, the Promise, and feel the blessings, and joy, and peace, knowing that we are His Children.
I don't know whether this contains a proper reflection.
I don't know whether what I've written made sense.
I just know that I don't know much,
and I will keep striving on learning His Words.
1 Samuel 3:10 says "Speak, for your servant is listening."
O God, speak to me as I listen to your Words. Amen
I want to end this reflection with a conclusion made by John Calvin about this chapter :
Anyhow, I'm going to write anything I've learnt from the book, just so that I can remember it well.
Read Psalm 1
Why is that chapter put as the first chapter in Psalm?
It is a gateway to the sanctuary. The key, the wisdom asking the worshipers of the Lord to possess the right attitude towards the law of God before having any personal conversation with Him.
It struck me.
Do I have the right attitude? Do I delight in the law of the Lord? Do I meditate on his law day and night? And mind you, meditate comprises of memorizing, repeating and reflecting on the law. Am I that hardworking and perservering to even have the correct quality to have a personal chat with the Lord?
I wanted so much to answer Yes. But I would just be lying to myself. This is something I have to learn. When I receive Jesus Christ as my saviour, there is a war inside of me. The war between the old me, the one still controlled by sin, and the new redeemed me, the one who hates sin. I am given, by grace, the ability to not sin, or in other words, now I can choose to follow Christ or to follow evil.
But how then do I learn, how do I grow and how can I strive to be more like Christ? Again, it's back to His Word. I need to maintain quiet times, personal chats and reflections with Him. Then I can have the longing inside me, the attitude to love and desire God's Words. To saturate myself in it. To have intimate covenant with God.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
If we have the right attitude in our covenant with Him, then we are like the tree, deeply rooted, thanks to His Word. And not only will we be strong, we will flourish and bloom because the living water, the divine grace, Jesus Christ is with us.
Yes, eventhough the wicked seems to be living prosperous life now. But what's the use of a prosperous life in this temporary world. For they are like tree that is dead and rootless, when God's judgement comes, they will be destroyed.
The Lord wants me to be strong, to keep my focus on His Words, on His Promise and to persevere, be righteous until eventually His Kingdom come. Who can stand this world : attracting us with pleasures, enjoyments, relaxations, anything that causes us ecstasy. Who can stand the world which rejects us, insults and condemns us? And as I have learnt from my friend, some are even against iscf, the indonesian christian fellowship in NUS. We must be strong.
Like St. Augustine had once said : "God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering ". The Kingdom of God may seem like a mustard seed now, but persevere and turn our eyes upon Jesus, the Promise, and feel the blessings, and joy, and peace, knowing that we are His Children.
I don't know whether this contains a proper reflection.
I don't know whether what I've written made sense.
I just know that I don't know much,
and I will keep striving on learning His Words.
1 Samuel 3:10 says "Speak, for your servant is listening."
O God, speak to me as I listen to your Words. Amen
I want to end this reflection with a conclusion made by John Calvin about this chapter :
Instead, therefore, of allowing ourselves to be deceived with their imaginary felicity, let us, in circumstances of distress, have ever before our eyes the providence of God, to whom it belongs to settle the affairs of the world, and to bring order out of confusion.
- John Calvin
Thursday, January 4, 2007
What's So Amazing About Grace : My Reflection
As I look back on my own pilgrimage, marked by wanderings, detours, and dead ends, I see now that what pulled me along was search my for grace ... I have barely tasted of grace myself, have rendered less than I have received, and I am in no wise, an 'expert' on grace. These are, in fact, the very reasons that impel me to write. I want to know more, to understand more, to experience more grace ... Accept then, here at the beginning, that I write as a pilgrim qualified only by my craving for grace.-- Philip Yancey
Before reading this book, I've never seriously put myself in deep thoughts about the word "grace". Like I've evern put myself in any deep thought. But it's true, I've been taking for granted the word "grace". I've learnt the word since God knows when. It is preached so oftenly in church, it is taught in my Christianity class back in school, and most importantly, it has been shown to me even before I was born. "Before you were born!?!? Don't be kidding me!" you would think. Do read this then :
- For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
ephesians 1:4
- For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
ephesians 2:8
He refers to the Roman Catholic Church having destroyed grace by tring to dissect it. Probably like dissecting a frog to see how it works!, while the frog dies in the process. We destroy life in our quest for the meaning of life. Instead, Yancey illustrates grace by example, just like Jesus using parables. He wants us to FEEL grace instead of defining it. Learn by experience, just as many other things in world.
At this point of time, I have to remind myself not to put high hopes in this writing.
What do I learn from reading this book then?
Firstly,
Grace was the most important message Jesus brought to this unforgiving world. That through Him, all the unforgivables inside us are forgiven.
Aware of our inbuilt resistance to grace, Jesus talked about it often. He described a world suffused with God's grace: where the sun shines on people good and bad; where birds gather seeds gratis, neither plowing nor harvesting to earn them; where untended wildflowers burst into bloom on the rocky hillsides. Like a visitor from a foreign country who notices what the natives overlook, Jesus saw grace everywhere. Yet he never analyzed or defined grace, and almost never used the word. Instead, he communicated grace through stories we know as parables.If we have experienced that grace, why then do we not strive to forgive the unforgivable in others? Why should God forgive us, if we don't even care to forgive others?
I know, forgiving is easier said than done. Sometimes, it's hard to even forgive someone who has hurt our feelings. Imagine the prophet Hosea, whose wife has abandoned him, committed adultery. Hosea continued to love his wife in spite of that and finally brought her home after being asked by God to do so.
The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes." Hosea 3:1
What is the message here? God wants Hosea to show grace to his wife, the way God has shown grace to the Israelites. GRACE by forgiveness. Does his wife deserve to be brought home? No. Grace is about not deserving what you receive.
You might notice also, that this shouldn't be the end of this reflection. But I have to end it here, and continue the next time. Remember about starting small, and growing big. Remember the Kingdom of God as small as the mustard seed now. Remember. Yes, I am talking to myself
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
first attempt
So this is my maiden attempt at writing seriously in this blog.
The reason for the delay is mainly because I have too high an expectation of myself writing a perfect entry like a pastor delivering his/her sermons. Too unrealistic to be true. Furthermore, I am not a good writer, I do not have a brain that can properly organize thoughts like a PC. Eventually,I decided to give myself more time to grow. To start small, and pray that God will lead me in improving my writing skills.
I've been listening to Pdt. Yohan Candawasa lectures about the doctrine of salvation (SOTERIA). It is truly eye-opening for me, to learn deeply the concepts of God's salvation.
Basically, SOTERIA is about being saved from the our deviation and put back into His mighty plan. There are two consequences of salvation :
1. Negative (FROM) - saved from sins (our deviation)
2. Positive (FOR) - saved such that we can live a holy life (in His mighty plan)
It is then dangerous to think only in the negative aspect, that Jesus died on the cross MERELY to save us from sins. To be more clear about this, an example about a fire that happened inside a building is provided. To escape from the fire, people will have to use the emergency exit. However once they go THROUGH the exit, free from the fire, the emergency exit will have no further use for them. So is Jesus useless after we've accepted Him as Our Saviour? Is that the extent of His power? NO!
Not only are we cleansed from our sins, we are also freed from sins (kuasa dosa). We are no more slaves to sins. As seen in Rome 6:6-7
"For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin."
I've been always thinking of Jesus' death ONLY to pay my sins. I've never thought about it freeing me from sins, from the power of evil. That is probably why I kept falling into making the same mistakes over and over again. That is probably why I kept repenting and acknowledging my sins but soon I was far from God again. I've seen my own brother now, so far from God. Imagine 4 years ago, he was telling my grandpa about Jesus, he was telling my mom he wanted to be a priest. Where is that now? I've seen friends I used to go church with, not living wholly as a Christian. Yes, Sunday is going-to-church day but the rest of the days are mine. I can do anything to it according to my will. If people continue to abuse God, to abuse Jesus as a tool to clean them from their sins, they will never attain the true salvation because they have never understood the true meaning of salvation.
God's grace is too great for my mind to understand. God's grace gave me FAITH in Him. I once was lost, I once abandoned Him but God's grace found me. God's grace let the spiritually dead me live again. God's grace lead me into new friendships, into a new community, a Christian fellowship that taught me more than any community I've ever been in. It was His Grace that led me into this level of understanding of salvation. Now I know that I truly have that salvation. Why? of course, the Holy Spirit working inside me tells me so and also because now I have a different view of sins. We should not be saddened and scared by the punishment due to our sins, but instead we should be scared of the sin itself. We are just like a child who occasionally does something wrong and is given punishment by his parents. The child will usually stop doing wrong merely because the punishment he received before was harsh, and the memory of it is too excruciating for him to repeat the same wrongdoings. But he has never understood why his action is wrong. This is dangerous, isn't it?
It is thus important not to understand salvation only by "THROUGH Jesus", but also by "IN Jesus". Saved through Him from our sins and then live in Him free from the power of evil.
Yes, I agree that I have not understood salvation as a whole, well who can? God's way is incomprehensible by man, and all we can do is to sought to understand something that is supernaturally wonderful.
I think I'll stop here first. I dare not write any longer lest I get my hopes too high up and cancel the post again. There are just TOO MUCH information I wish I can write but I guess I'll just leave it to the next post. Be patient, pat !
The reason for the delay is mainly because I have too high an expectation of myself writing a perfect entry like a pastor delivering his/her sermons. Too unrealistic to be true. Furthermore, I am not a good writer, I do not have a brain that can properly organize thoughts like a PC. Eventually,I decided to give myself more time to grow. To start small, and pray that God will lead me in improving my writing skills.
I've been listening to Pdt. Yohan Candawasa lectures about the doctrine of salvation (SOTERIA). It is truly eye-opening for me, to learn deeply the concepts of God's salvation.
Basically, SOTERIA is about being saved from the our deviation and put back into His mighty plan. There are two consequences of salvation :
1. Negative (FROM) - saved from sins (our deviation)
2. Positive (FOR) - saved such that we can live a holy life (in His mighty plan)
It is then dangerous to think only in the negative aspect, that Jesus died on the cross MERELY to save us from sins. To be more clear about this, an example about a fire that happened inside a building is provided. To escape from the fire, people will have to use the emergency exit. However once they go THROUGH the exit, free from the fire, the emergency exit will have no further use for them. So is Jesus useless after we've accepted Him as Our Saviour? Is that the extent of His power? NO!
Not only are we cleansed from our sins, we are also freed from sins (kuasa dosa). We are no more slaves to sins. As seen in Rome 6:6-7
"For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin."
I've been always thinking of Jesus' death ONLY to pay my sins. I've never thought about it freeing me from sins, from the power of evil. That is probably why I kept falling into making the same mistakes over and over again. That is probably why I kept repenting and acknowledging my sins but soon I was far from God again. I've seen my own brother now, so far from God. Imagine 4 years ago, he was telling my grandpa about Jesus, he was telling my mom he wanted to be a priest. Where is that now? I've seen friends I used to go church with, not living wholly as a Christian. Yes, Sunday is going-to-church day but the rest of the days are mine. I can do anything to it according to my will. If people continue to abuse God, to abuse Jesus as a tool to clean them from their sins, they will never attain the true salvation because they have never understood the true meaning of salvation.
God's grace is too great for my mind to understand. God's grace gave me FAITH in Him. I once was lost, I once abandoned Him but God's grace found me. God's grace let the spiritually dead me live again. God's grace lead me into new friendships, into a new community, a Christian fellowship that taught me more than any community I've ever been in. It was His Grace that led me into this level of understanding of salvation. Now I know that I truly have that salvation. Why? of course, the Holy Spirit working inside me tells me so and also because now I have a different view of sins. We should not be saddened and scared by the punishment due to our sins, but instead we should be scared of the sin itself. We are just like a child who occasionally does something wrong and is given punishment by his parents. The child will usually stop doing wrong merely because the punishment he received before was harsh, and the memory of it is too excruciating for him to repeat the same wrongdoings. But he has never understood why his action is wrong. This is dangerous, isn't it?
It is thus important not to understand salvation only by "THROUGH Jesus", but also by "IN Jesus". Saved through Him from our sins and then live in Him free from the power of evil.
Yes, I agree that I have not understood salvation as a whole, well who can? God's way is incomprehensible by man, and all we can do is to sought to understand something that is supernaturally wonderful.
I think I'll stop here first. I dare not write any longer lest I get my hopes too high up and cancel the post again. There are just TOO MUCH information I wish I can write but I guess I'll just leave it to the next post. Be patient, pat !
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