hymns

The singing of God's praise is the part of worship most closely related to heaven; but its performance among us is the worst on earth.

This quote is by Isaac Watts, the author of the famous "Joy to the World" as well as "When I survey the Wondrous Cross".

This was said in the 17th Century.

Funny how it's still so applicable to our community these days.
And how, it is probably going from worst to something even worse than worst.

And how I just read someone's quote that "Music is is the language of God, and musicians are as close to God as man can be"

Fallen men. Music. God.

If we are talking about David, the author of many of the verses in Psalms, then I will agree to it. It is true that David was very close to God's Heart.

But what kind of music? Music is created to praise Him.
Music is now used to praise men. For men's pleasure. To soothe men. To emotionally stabilize men. How abused is music by fallen men.

I heard many shocking responses when I told people that I love hymns. I love listening to them. I love singing them. I love understanding their meanings.

I was once like those shocked ppl, I saw hymns as boring, monotonous. But it is just hard for me to turn back from hymns. How can I? when they are so rich with meanings, sincerity, written with profound closeness with God.
Both the tunes and the lyrics are so complicatedly rich. Understanding hymns, loving hymns, singing hymns are really God's Grace for me. What an irresistible grace. Sola Gratia, indeed.

powerful daily manna

James 4:6-8

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

prayers and comments

Jeremiah 29:11-13

“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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Oh Lord, teach us to trust in You with all my heart and not lean on my own understanding. For You have said that if in all our ways we acknowledge You, and You, the Almighty one will make our paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

We give thanks and we sing praises to You. Your promises are real, and they will never fail.

I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.
Ezekiel 34:26

What are we without Your Grace, O God. In vain we labor, until You showered us with Your Grace, and like the hymn says, Your Grace is sufficient for us.
Teach us to see every day, every situation, be it good or bad, as blessings. Keep us near to You, so that we may know Your ways and walk in them.

Teach us to be humble.
We need Your grace to keep us humble.
Remind us of what Paul has reminded the Romans in Romans 12:3

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

Remind us not to measure ourselves from what we are doing for You, but what we have received from You, what we are able to do because of Christ in us. Remind us that it is never about us, it's about Christ in us. Remind us not to boast about ourselves, but boast about Christ in us, the strong and holy One.

Amen

C.H. Spurgeon says,

"You may feat that the Lord has passed you by, but that is not so. He who counts the stars and calls them by their names is in no danger of forgetting His own children. He knows your situation as thoroughly as if you were the only creature He ever made or the oly saint He ever loved. Approach Him, and be at peace."

Let us bear the cross while on earth. Bear it and rejoice, knowing that it will not be in vain.
Bear His Cross, and let us exchange it one day for a crown :)

Rejoice!

i am a poor wayfaring stranger

I am a poor wayfaring stranger
While traveling through this world below
There is no sickness, toil, or danger
In that bright world to which I go

I know dark clouds will gather o’er me
i know the pathway’s rough and steep
But golden fields lie out before me
Where weary eyes no more shall weep

I’m going there to see my Father
I’m going there no more to roam
I am just going over Jordan
I am going over home.

I’ll soon be free from every trial
This form will rest beneath the sod
I’ll drop the cross of self-denial
And enter in my home with God

I’m going there to see my Savior
Who shed for me His precious blood
I am just going over Jordan
I am just going over home,
I am just going over home

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
and the things on earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

I've been listening to this hymn over and over again.

We, christians, know that we should do that.
I know. You don't have to keep telling me this. I know.
But how often do we actually practise this?
Every minute every hour every day?

And when we claimed that we have done that,
do we get the same effect?
does the worldly things grow dim in a strange way?
and the only thing left is His glory and grace?

How easy it is to lose focus on God.
I'm speaking for myself here. I know, I want to, but how come I can't?
Are worldly things that overwhelming that they are then given a position above His?

I tell God : "Keep reminding me to turn my eyes upon Jesus!"
For really, I can't do this on my own.
Isaiah 44:22 says,
"I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me,
for I have redeemed you."

God is calling me to keep returning to Him whenever I lose my focus.

Matthew 6:31-32 says,
"So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. "

Why should I be overwhelmed by worldly things?

Collosians 3:1-3 says,
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your^[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

What differentiate us, those who were already saved, and those who haven't?
a new life, raised with Christ, we aim higher, we hold on to the Promise.

How easy it becomes even for those of us who profess to be faithful followers of Christ to get caught up in the "things of earth," so that our heavenly vision and values become blurred and dull. We miss the real blessing of enjoying the personal fellowship of Christ Himself in our daily lives by being too focused on doing things for God, instead of God Himself.

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

I find the below words extremely powerful,
read and meditate on it.

"I've seen the face of Jesus... He smiled in love on me;
It filled my heart with rapture, my soul with ecstasy.
The scars of deepest anguish ... were lost in glory bright;
I've seen the face of Jesus ... it was a wondrous sight!
Oh, glorious face of beauty, Oh gentle touch of care;
If here it is so blessed, what will it be up there?"

I can't wait to meet Jesus face to face!

About Love

What you can see in the picture is basically the verses from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8,13

What has gone through my mind that I decided, out of nowhere, to write about this topic. A very sensitive topic, I would say, as everyone believed that they know what LOVE really is. Everyone seemed to have their own notions of what love is. Be it the feelings of I-just-can't-live-my-life-without-you, or probably I-would-give-the-world-to-you, most love songs we heard on the radio, all the way to the lust, the deep deep desire, the control of someone else's life, the sacrifice, possessiveness, and... there would just be no end to this.

What is love, really?

I want to write about this because I myself am so curious over what went wrong in my previous relationship. I know love can be applied not only to our boyfriends/husbands/life partners but... maybe I want to focus more on this first. Is there really love? or is it just using that someone to achieve my goals? or is it just another phenomena that teenager has to go through? Is it peer pressure? or am I just giving in to that someone such that I won't feel uncomfortable? I have spent months trying to look for the meaning of love. I have not fully comprehended it now. But I guess there are some things which are worth sharing here.

Firstly, I ask myself about my love for my Creator. Do I love God?

I started off analyzing this by my feelings. Do I feel things for God? Ugh, how do I feel for something/someone that I can't even see. Why would I do this, I guess we can get the answer from the first woman ever on earth, Eve. Why did the snake approach Eve, not Adam? because women generally judge by feelings, which then became a weakness that the snake used to cause the fall of mankind to the evil power.

Again I ask, do I love God? how do I know how to love God? I then came to an understanding of that here :

God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him

To know how to love God, is to first learn about how God has loved us. Though, I believe that we, limited sinners can never love God the way God has first loved us, I am pretty sure it is the way to learn how to love God. To understand that love through His Son, Jesus Christ who had died not only to pay for our sins but also to free us from the chains of the evil power, to restore our relationship with God. God doesn't love us because of His feelings or emotions for us. His love is purely unconditional, it is not because of who we are, the pureness of our life, for goodness' sake, He loved us even while we were still sinners! It is just because of His loving nature. Again, God is Love.

John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Romans 5:8,"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

How to love God?

Matthew 22:37, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."

For me, looking at this verse alone, might be useful :

Exodus 20:3,""You shall have no other gods before me."

Putting God as our first priority, and as colossians 3:23 says "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men". Maybe the best way to put it is Christ Lordship, which happened to be the theme for a camp held in May.

Now back to my original question. So what is love?
I know these verses have been quoted like thousands of times, but to me, it is still the best definition of love I could find :

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

I've stopped searching for feelings. Many times I've been deceived by my own feelings. I used too much of them. Maybe the evil spirit is even using my own feelings against myself. How scary is one's feeling if uncontrolled! God's grace has opened my eyes to learn to understand love through Him, not through human emotions and feelings.

Love is not a spontaneous thing. It's not an accident, it is not an uncontrollable feeling. There's no such thing as love at first sight but I do believe in God's work in mutual/one-way attraction of men to women or vice versa.

I guess love is a step forward. It is the decision made to commit ourselves to being patient, kind, not envious, not proud, not arrogant, not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeping no record of wrongs, delighting not in evil, but rejoicing with the truth. A decision made to always protect, trust, hope, and persevere. However not forgetting to love and serve Jesus Christ, "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). In fact, it should be the main, most important thing in a relationship between man and woman.

We're living in this filthy world with heavy misuse of the term "love". Fallen men are so rationally limited that they equate love with emotions, lusts, feelings.

I believe that those souls that have not been saved do not know what love is, though they might claim that they do. They will never understand what real love is. Love which is not abused by fallen man. If they have not experienced God, God's love, the love for the unworthy, the unconditional love, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, how can they ever know love, which is God Himself?

1 John 4:7-11, "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

Try not to understand love from feelings, temporary emotions, that sort of things. Think of unconditional love. Love despite. Think of parents loving their children, it may be the nearest, though it will never be the same as God's love for us, for nothing will be.