"Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.." Titus 1:4
Grace, Mercy and Peace.
God gives us because He knows we need it.
But before I carry on,
A Question I pondered upon these days, "Why do we obey law?"
Is it because our parents/mentors/teachers/leaders/friends said to do so? If we dont, are we classified as bad people?
Just my own reflection...
"Do I obey because I submit to peer influence? because out of respect? because its the "right" thing to do? or because of pride, I'll have a bad reputation if Im always against the law (or rules)
And having asked these questions, this came to thought : "So do we change because we JUST FOLLOW LAW ?"
If we do, I believe that's got to be a deeper perspective than that.
Because a change, a true transformation comes from true repentance, and true repentance comes from accepting God's Grace in exchange for our sins.
Now imagine this scenario,
when a child does a terrible mistake, certain consequences will happen.
1. He gets scolded/punished very badly without explaining to the little boy what exactly was was wrong about his wrong doing, and he feels very fearful, believing that such mistakes will get him into trouble and he obeys out of fear.
2. He gets scolded repeatedly until the boy is "accustomed" (i still dont really understand how people can be accustomed to scolding) and he becomes rebellious. He detests the rules and believes in his own set of rules and obeys no one except himself.
3. He get scolded, but with explanation on why it was wrong and he was given a second chance to try again to make it right, and again and again, until he succeeds in overcoming the failure. So he obeys because of a chance so precious, he is determined to make it right again.
I believe, God gives us Grace because we all need second, third, fourth chances.
An unwed pregnant mom,
An ex-convict,
A runaway teenage son/daughter
An abusive dad/ dad who's not supportive
and lets not limit to extreme cases,
how about
A child who lies to his parents,
An employee who slacks on his job,
A betrayal
A neglectful spouse,
An ignorant sister,
...
Dont they all need forgiveness? dont we?
God gives infinity. But it is not to be taken granted for,
And when we receive His grace, we experience that peace, because He accepts us no matter who we are or what we did. We began to change, make better decisions, be a better person, or simply, just be happier, because we are given a chance to set things right (In God's way).
So we obey not just because the law says so, but because we follow Him. His commandments. And by following Him, we enter into a relationship with Him, and then we dont just follow, we LOVE him.
Our love for God cause us to change. Our identity in Christ cause us to change. The very motivation to change cannot come from law, it must come from love.
*Saviour = He who saves.
*We all need a superhero dont we? there's someone even bigger, even greater, even mightier than a superhero... Jesus Christ.
Chinese New Year came with a betrayal.
...
My first in the face betrayal.
So great, my whole family was hurt.
...
I was bruised. I experienced how cold human hearts can be.
This lesson was definitely painful.
A trial of trust.
Painful and Broken as I am, I am more determined to grow from it.
There must be a reason why you ran away.
There must be a reason why God allowed it to happen.
" 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 1:2-3
I really hope...
I will pass these tests with perseverance, to truly say,
"My Faith (*Emunah) is in God..."
*Faith in Hebrew
Me and a great friend of mine was chatting at the McDonalds at Changi Airport one evening, and we were asking each other questions from this 1001 book of questions to ask... haha it was really quite interesting to depend on the book to know more about each other..
Then she asked me this : "Who do you admire the most?" ...
My answer, sparked another conversation with Mr Giraffe the next day......
In the MRT...
Mr Giraffe: "So what did you answer?"
Miss Bunny: (looks elsewhere, hoping to escape from answering)
Mr Giraffe: "Wei...." (nudge me)
Miss Bunny: "Well, it's weird for me to say whom I admire to you and you're not in that category...."
Mr Giraffe: (Disappointed look on his face)
Miss Bunny: "No no no.. you just dont belong to that category. I mean, I see qualities in some people which makes me respect that person, and that's admirable. There's another kind of liking, and that's more attraction than admirable. You know, good looking, nice people.
But er...... you dont belong to that category either."
Mr Giraffe: "Wei-a-mor? (basically he means 'wei se me' in mandarin)"
Miss Bunny: "well.... well.. you just belong to a different category altogether. And that category only has you. You are the only one in that category. (whoa.. i feel super cheesy when i said that lor... but i cant explain what category to call it.)
Mr Giraffe: "You compartmentalized your mind like that? That's a guy thinking..."
Miss Bunny: "hmm.. well, that's what I think. I cant see you as just another guy who fits in a category......."
Mr Giraffe: "Maybe girls can really be with someone who dont fit in their criteria. You hear girls who say ' I cant stand him, but I still love him.'
Miss Bunny: "What are the qualities you look for in a girl then?"
Mr Giraffe: (thinks hard, maybe trying to give a politically correct answer here...hee)
"I look... for... girls who are warm..."
Miss Bunny: (rubs hands and place on Mr Giraffe's arm) ......
Mr Giraffe: (laughs) " what are you doing la? you know what I mean..girls who are relaxed, with a joyful spirit. Happy most of the time, one who is hopeful in life..."
... Then Mr Giraffe has to drop off the train... leaving me still thinking what category then is Mr Giraffe ne?
Honestly, I have no idea why I post this conversation today. Perhaps to share what's going on in our meet ups, perhaps is to share a little humour, or to relate something relevant.. I really don't know. But what I know is, perhaps you can pick up a little tip or two, about "What women think, What men want."
oh well... =)
2010 began for me with a sermon on loving people around you.
Pastor asked us to hold hands with your loved ones, friends or simply the person beside you.
And of cause, hugs and words of appreciation were exchanged and spirits were high. It was undoubtedly uncommon for us to say "I Love You's" to your friend, sister, church mate, classmate, best friend...
But in our everyday lives, God, moves through you and me...
| you were born together
|
Uni results out,
School's life out.
For now. ..
While my classmates are stressed about finding a job,
I'm only beginning to learn about life.
"Culinary class", "Domestic chores class", "Caregiver class" and most recently, "Home Improvement class"
I am glad actually,
God taught me a whole new syllabus about life.
Though I may not be serving in any big ministry in church yet, nor working in the workplace,
but I came to realise that it does not mean that I'm not serving Him.
God still uses me to help the people around me.
And so far, His task may not be easy, but it was definitely fruitful.
People's lives changed.
Not by my hands, but He lead mine.
Big or small tasks, glamorous or not,
Its not about me,
Its about Him.
Ahhh...
Finally.
After a month of drowning myself in some marketing-dun-know-if-it-works theories...
I finished my one and a half term in SIM.
IF I successfully pass my exams, I'll graduate le!
To my dear friends who have been faithfully reading my blog, but I have not been faithfully posting, pls accept my sincere apologies.
anyways, yesh!!!! Wo Zi You Le
"What's my next plan?"
... hmmm.
*In Mandarin*
Zhai Shuo Ba. Hai Bu Zhi Dao. Ye Mei You 'Lobang' ...
Meanwhile, I'll just be taking a slow walk down the road, perhaps taking a look back down memory lane, and who knows.. maybe i'll get some fresh ideas.. for a fresh new start...
Til den my friends,
Live well.
