O for a Faith

O, for a faith that will not shrink,
Though pressed by every foe,
That will not tremble on the brink
Of any earthly woe!

That will not murmur nor complain
Beneath the chastening rod,
But, in the hour of grief or pain,
Will lean upon its God.

A faith that shines more bright and clear
When tempests rage without;
That when in danger knows no fear,
In darkness feels no doubt.

Lord, give me such a faith as this,
And then, whate’er may come,
I’ll taste, e’en here, the hallowed bliss
Of an eternal home.

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"
He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.

Luke 17:5-6

even David said in Psalm 56:3-4

When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.

In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?

Oh Lord, give us such a faith as that

in the garden

As ppl have noticed, making images like the above are one of my hobbies lately :p
Not only it makes me happy, it gives me more motivation to learn about His Words.
Yeay, hitting 2 birds with one stone !

Something interesting from Spurgeon :

Lead the Way

The Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail. (Deuteronomy 28:13)

If we obey the Lord, He will compel our adversaries to see that His blessing rests upon us. Though this be a promise of the law, yet it stands good to the people of God; for Jesus has removed the curse, but He has established the blessing.

It is for saints to lead the way among men by holy influence: they are not to be the tail, to be dragged hither and thither by others. We must not yield to the spirit of the age, but compel the age to do homage to Christ. If the Lord be with us, we shalt not crave toleration for religion, but we shall seek to seat it on the throne of society. Has not the Lord Jesus made His people priests'' Surely they are to teach and must not be learners from the philosophies of unbelievers. Are we not in Christ made kings to reign upon the earth? How, then can we be the servants of custom, the slaves of human opinion?

Exams are nearing, probably will not have that much time to update this blog with my own reflections and thoughts. I just hope that all the posts in this blog will not only be a reminiscing and memory tool for myself, but also be blessings for others. :)

Let me end with another image :

"Christianity has always insisted that the cross we bear precedes the crown we wear. To be a Christian one must take up his cross, with all of its difficulties and agonizing and tension-packed content, and carry it until that very cross leaves its marks upon us and redeems us to that more excellent way" Martin Luther King, Jr.

softly and tenderly

Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!

I flipped open my hymn book this evening and chanced upon this hymn called "Softly and Tenderly". It brought me to reminisce the time when I was still back in Medan.

I grew up going to an English-speaking Methodist church and hymns from the Methodist Hymnal were sung every Sunday. I used to sing hymns loudly, maybe because I was proud that I could sing the notes correctly (thanks to piano lessons... -_-"). I did not exactly like them, some being boring and generally I perceived most as too traditional for me. However, some did catch my attention, like this one. I loved the tune it came with. And somehow, I liked the word "tender" and "earnest".

I love the tune to this hymn, but I guess I like the meaning of the songs even more.
I think the late world-renowned preacher, D. L. Moody agrees with me. On his deathbed, he took Will Thompson, the po­et-com­pos­er by the hand, and said, “Will, I would ra­ther have writ­ten “Soft­ly and Ten­der­ly Je­sus is Call­ing” than an­y­thing I have been able to do in my whole life.”

When I sung this hymn, I notice a pattern, probably what Thompson was trying to convey.
The first verse goes :

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.

This paragraph contains a statement, how Jesus is waiting at the entrance, 'portals', watching for us, calling us, the lost ones. And it is a fact that we should know. I guess, here Thompson is trying to provide us with a fact that most of us sometimes forget when we get so engrossed and caught up with worldly and temporary things and lose our focus on what is actually eternal.

The second verse :

Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,
Pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies,
Mercies for you and for me?

I think this second verse is rather powerful, especially with the questions asked. It moves on from giving us statements in the first verse to posing us with questions. It's somewhat like why are you doubting my first statement? Why should we wait when the King, the Most High One is requesting for us? wanting us? Why are we looking for momentary comfort, and delay ourselves from achieving the eternal one, when we need not even have to put in effort to look for it. The ageless comfort Himself is pleading for us with His loving mercies. I guess it's kinda true that it's human nature to make things more complicated. Something so precious, so important yet so simple, so effortless, so right-in-front-of-you. Yet we miss that out because we are too busy waiting and looking for those that are more logical, more rational according to us, to what our minds want. Aren't we just making our lives more difficult. Isn't life difficult enough?

The third one :

Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
Passing from you and from me;
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
Coming for you and for me.

Again, he gives us statement of what is going on and what will be going on. Those that according to the 2nd verse is waiting and lingering should wake up to the fact that when they are idle, time keeps going on. And of course, death 'that scary thing', is nearing.

The fourth one goes like this :

O for the wonderful love He has promised,
Promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
Pardon for you and for me.

Now, he puts an exclamation mark there. I guess it's like a wake up call for us or probably something to affirm us more. After making a scary statement at the 3rd verse,he affirms us , as if saying 'Don't worry! there's nothing to be feared of because in Him, there is Hope'. He's the Most High One, His power exceeds anything we know of or even what our small and limited mind can think of. So shadows and deathbeds are scary? Even Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:55-56 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
He has promised and it will never fail. And it is indeed wonderful. Why do you think He is softly and tenderly calling? Just look at his nail-pierced hands.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends
John 15:13

I am reminded of the parable of the lost son at this point. Jesus, like the father kept waiting for us to come home and rejoices, honors and even come towards them when the lost ones return. Seriously, I do not think I would even do what the father in the parable did if my son did all those to me. It is beyond what I can do and what my conscience allows me to do. It is just too difficult for me to understand. But indeed, God's grace is unfathomable. That's how deep His love is for sinners.

In the beginning, the prodigal son thought he will be free without the father, didn't he? Didn't he in the end find out how mistaken he is. That is exactly how limited our mind is if we do not turn our eyes on the cross, on Him. We build our own definition of freedom in our minds, "wild freedom" which in the end give rise to consequences which restrict us. How contradicting yet true. Personally, I learnt to start from God. What is the type of freedom that God has? The only way to achieve true freedom is to have a freedom like God's. According to Pak Tong, our God is a God who limits Himself at His own will. That, then is the true freedom. Unlike the uncontrollable freedom of the evil ones possess.

There will be no end to this post if I do not stop myself.

Signing off!

heirs of eternal life

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:3-7

rejoice in suffering

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:3-5

I will not deny the fact that it is very hard to rejoice in suffering. Even small, insignificant ones. There just seems to be voices or thoughts inside that kept giving excuses not to rejoice in sufferings. Firstly, it is just a norm not to do so. Normal people do not rejoice in their sufferings. And secondly, well, people that suffer think that deserve to sigh, cry and complain over their problems, no matter how serious it is. Again, in this post-modern world, the significance of the problem depends on how you see it. And lastly of course, if you rejoice in your suffering, when can you get the comfort for it from others? how do the others know you're suffering inside if you rejoice.

Those thoughts are what exactly went through my mind. Why? because I am too caught up with myself, my feelings, my this and that, in short I am too selfish. I care only to look at sufferings with respect to my own point of views. I learnt too much from this world.

How different it will be if only I try, even for a very short time, to look at the suffering not as what destroys me but what will build me. And think of Jesus, whose sufferings when compared to what I was going through would make mine look like joyous times. He didn't even complain, because He knew He was fulfilling God's plan.

Think this :

Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. Hebrews 5:8-9

and this :

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:11-13

Now, to think about it, shouldn't we be thankful for our sufferings?
Thankful that the Lord let us suffer, because He is a suffering God
Isn't it when we suffer, our circumstances let us understand our suffering God more.
Aren't we striving to be like Him?

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
1 Peter 4:12-13

Be thankful that through our sufferings, we are made stronger because we lean on Him, our source of strength. Like what Paul wrote to the Romans, suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, which is the quality of being tested and approved, which then confirms our confidence that the glory we hope for will one day be ours.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

moment by moment

Dying with Jesus, by death reckoned mine;
Living with Jesus, a new life divine;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine,
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.

Never a trial that He is not there,
Never a burden that He doth not bear,
Never a sorrow that He doth not share,
Moment by moment, I’m under His care.

Never a heartache, and never a groan,
Never a teardrop and never a moan;
Never a danger but there on the throne,
Moment by moment He thinks of His own.

Never a weakness that He doth not feel,
Never a sickness that He cannot heal;
Moment by moment, in woe or in weal,
Jesus my Savior, abides with me still.

Moment by moment I’m kept in His love;
Moment by moment I’ve life from above;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine;
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.

I am thankful to be under His constant care

Abide With Me

I love the fact that there are so many more hymns for me to explore, to understand and to enjoy.
How satisfying to know that they are written solely for God's glory.

It has not been an easy day for me. How weak and vulnerable my faith is when I am physically weak and vulnerable. It's just as if I am so far away from God. Listening to the evil one, to complain, to sigh, to get emotional, to be angry, and most of all, not to lean on God.
However, my God is never weaker than the evil one. He's far far FAR above it. He comforts me. He lets me know that He's there, in my ups and downs. and He IS dependable. I end my quiet time today with this hymn, abide with me.

The hymn author, Henry F. Lyte's last words during his final hours on earth is "Peace! Joy!".
Knowing that he will soon see the Father. No wonder he can write such a powerful hymn.

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; 
the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide. 
When other helpers fail and comforts flee, 
Help of the helpless, O abide with me. 

We, the helpless, who can help us but Him.
The world tempts us with temporary help,
they will never end our call for help. Only in Him, it is possible.
Only when He abides with us, and us with Him.

I need thy presence every passing hour. 
What but thy grace can foil the tempter's power? 
Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be? 
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.


This verse is especially touching, and is so real for me today.
What am I without Him. What would my life mean.
Why should I live on.
And the evil one is easily defeated by Him.
He just will not let it control me.
I may fall, but He will be there to guide me,
and with Him, I will stay.

And to end this post :
I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless;
ills have no weight, and tears not bitterness.
Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if thou abide with me. 
May we keep that in mind, that our fear, our ills,
our tears, the death and grave will have no more meanings,
no more power over us, if He abides with us.
May we hold on to this promise of victory from Him,
a victory which is already ours.
May we, like Abraham, who in situations against hope
yet still believed in hope.
The world may not seem to show God and His promise,
but let's not be weak in faith.
Instead, like Abraham in Romans 4:20:
"Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding
the promise of God,but was strengthened in his faith
and gave glory to God"

a commitment

Today,
I made a commitment,
as God's children
to love and trust each other,
to show God's grace in one another,
to do His works, to reflect His glory
and above it all, to love and trust God all the more,
putting Him first in our lives.

No fanciful actions, no sweet but empty words,
nothing but a simple prayer to begin the journey.

I know that God was there
holding onto my hand and his hand.
And I know He will be there always,
to guide our way.

He not only watches me, He watches over me.

I am thankful for today. I am thankful for the painful, the sorrowful, the despair, the disappointment, the hope, the love, the joy, the fun, the enjoying moments today. Each and every event just reminds me that God is really watching over me. He's really taking care of me. Every single event has its own meaning and they all add up to serve His plan. Oh, how mysterious He is but His grace and kindness has let me, this unworthy creature to enjoy and experience Him in my life.

Thankful that God allowed tiredness and unwellness on me, He reminded me to always depend on His Strength, not mine.

Thankful that God allowed pain and sorrow, He reminded me to turn my eyes on Him, not myself.

Thankful that God allowed disappointment, He reminded me that I should always put my confidence in Him.

Thankful that God made me see my weaknesses even more, understanding myself through my relationship with Him.

Thankful that God is an ALMIGHTY GOD. I shall not fear the darkness. I shall not fear telling people that I'm a Christian. I shall not fear telling people about Jesus.

Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this." John 13:7

Let me end this short post with this beautiful poem by William Cowper, the author of the hymn "God Moves in a Mysterious Way"

Sometimes a light surprises the Christian while he sings;

It is the Lord, Who rises with healing in His wings

In Holy contemplation we sweetly then pursue

The theme of God's salvation, and find it ever new

Set free from present sorrow, we cheerfully can say,

Let the unknown tomorrow bring with it what it may.

It can bring with it nothing but He will bear us through;

Who gives the lilies clothing will clothe His people, too;

Beneath the spreading heavens, no creature but is fed;

And He Who feeds the ravens will give His children bread.

Though vine nor fig tree neither their wonted fruit should bear,

Though all the field should wither, nor flocks nor herds be there;

Yet God the same abiding, His praise shall tune my voice,

For while in Him confiding, I cannot but rejoice.

Sola Fide and Freedom

I was having my quiet time on Rome 3 and I am really challenged to write about this such that I will not forget. Not as if this is the first time I know about the doctrine about Justification by Faith Alone but I guess this time I can reassure myself more with verses from God's Word Itself.

While I was reading my study bible, I saw this small passage about "Justification and Merit : Why Does God Count Me as Righteous?". What struck me is that the Roman Catholic Church teaches that God counts believers as righteous at least partly on the basis of the good works they perform after they come to faith. Some forms of Arminianism likewise insist that even those who are forgiven on the basis of Christ's atoning death may yet go to hell if they do not continue in faith and good works, in cooperation with the grace of God.

How insulting it is to God, and what kind of god who have in the first place saved his people, will turn away from them if they do not continue in faith and good works?? If that kind really exists, is he even worthy to be called God? About that ,Rome 3:3-4 says "What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Not at all!"

But how easy it is for me, to fall into the weakness of judging and criticizing others who are worse than me in terms of works, or behavior, or moral values. Not to say that I am very morally-inclined but really, how many times have I insult and sneer at people who do not uphold their moral values, those who disobey their parents, those who smokes, those who wear skimpy clothes to school, those who talk loudly in lecture theatre. Or even people who I should in fact respect? People like the choir assistant conductor who happened to insult Christianity. I failed to recognize the fact that I am no different from them, I am as low as them. We are all similar in God's presence, similarly sinful, for Rome 3:23 said "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" and 24 continues by "and are justified freely by his grace…". If God has shown grace to the undeserving me, shouldn't I do the same as well for them? Shouldn't I be showing my love to them as well? If I love only those who did no evil to me, what then differentiates me from this fallen world? I do not even reflect His Grace in me, how can I reflect His glory then?

1 John 5:4 : " For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith."

And along with the theology class I had with Pak Billy Kristanto, in Rome 3:31 it is written that "Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law."

I guess many who see us Christians who stop looking for earthly pleasures, will put a bit of sympathy on us. My cousin, for example, refuses to believe in any religion, such that he will be free from the religious laws. How sad it is to think of those who still hold on to the idea of freedom that this world offer. Free yourselves, be creative, think differently. The challenge of this new era is exactly that. Freedom to interpret according to our likings. Everyone has their own notions of anything, don't be bounded by any walls. Even Bible is interpreted freely, wildly. What has this world become? Satan's huge feast. Isn't it then our crosses to bear, to fight this challenge? For what reason should we be afraid? Being light in the darkness, we are there to threaten its existence.

Rome 3:20 "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin." Another point I get from this is that obeying the law doesn't make us righteous, but it is the existence of the law that we know our sinful nature."

Oh Lord, oh wonderful savior, hold us up, so we shall not be moved, give us strength as our day.

Make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be free.

Force me to render up my sword, and I shall conqueror be.

I sink in life's alarms when by myself I stand;

Imprison me within Thine arms, and strong shall be my hand.

He Leadeth Me

"God's leadership is the one significant fact in human experience , that it makes no difference how we are led, or whether we are led, so long as we are sure God is leading us." Joseph H. Gilmore, author of the hymn

Psalm 23:3b

"… He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake"

I think I know how it feels. Many times I have experienced God's leadership, God's guidance in me. But many times I have forgotten about the importance, and how essential it is.

Yes, He leadeth me, He leadeth me, By His own hand He leadeth me.

Such a blessing, such amazing love, divine grace that God assured us, yet sometimes we fail to let him lead us.

We fall into the abyss of believing in our own strength, our own efforts.

We worry about our works, our studies, our possessions, our future, everything.

But think about this, while we were worrying our heads off on bed at night, millions of songbirds travel under cver of darkness, heading south. Somehow, they know their way. God has given them a state-of-the-art internal guidance system.

Luke 12

6Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies^[a]? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 8"I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God.

22Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 26Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

 27"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

 32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Another of my weakness is to worry about difficulties facing me, and escaping them. This song taught me much :

And when my task on earth is done, when by They grace the victory's won,

Even death's cold wave I will not flee, Since God through Jordan leadeth me

God's absolute guidance and leadership in the believers is not something to be doubtful about. It is truth in itself.

Therefore I will say :

His faithful follower I would be, for by His hand He leadeth me.

Oh Lord, teach me today to lean wholly onto you. Trust not in the strength of men but only in the strength of the Eternal and Faithful One. Remind me always that even though God's vision is not shown to everyone, no one believer will not know God's vision in them. Love so amazing, so divine, teach us to love You more and to love the world less. Teach us to humble ourselves and glorify you. Amen