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The Imperfect And Perfect Prayer
written at Tuesday, June 29, 2010

1 Thessalonians 5:23, "May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely..."

What struck me immediately was the cost of sanctification. When I pray, asking God to change my heart, to sanctify me, am I prepared to measure up to what that really means? I think I have been taking up the word "sanctification" way too lightly. I can be lying there on my bed, praying, asking God to give me a pure heart, to set me apart for His purposes. There will be a little inclination however, as I am lying on my bed, out pops the question once again, "Am I prepared to pay the cost of sanctification?" To be honest, it was a real struggle to muster the strength to say the prayer, "Lord, make me, a sinner saved by grace, as holy as You can." I am weak, I am slow to respond, I am half-hearted at best...

In summary, in many situations, I stammer, stutter, fumble, mumble, crumble in my prayers.

But despite all of this, I still want to pray, although my prayers are imperfect and my intentions at times questionable. There is still hope. I know that Jesus prayed for me, for us, and I think that's the best prayer ever. The Father had seen the Son's perfect heart, and the genuine, real, unfailing love He had for us. I want to remember how Jesus prayed, how He prayed for us, although He was coming back to the Father, He still prayed for us. Knowing that in this world, we'll be met with all sorts of difficulty and struggles. I am grateful, that while my prayers are stained with imperfection, His prayers were perfect. This gives me hope.

I don't want to say too much, but I would like to share these verses below with you guys, and these verses explain more than I can ever do. I encourage you guys to read through them, digest it, meditate on it. Powerful.

John 17:11-18

I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

John 17:22-24

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.


Learning From Eve, By Kate Blackwell
written at Wednesday, June 23, 2010

I think Eve must have slept very well at night. I imagine her waking each morning to the song of exotic birds as the sun is just folding over the crust of the Earth. She stretches, yawns and blinks until everything comes into focus: lush trees, crystal clear waters, sleeping Adam. And her day would begin just like that. No flat-iron. No coffee. No mascara.

Eve never had to decide if she would put her kids in daycare or stay home to teach them their ABCs. She had a perfect body because there was no one to tell her that her hips were too big and her breasts too small. She didn’t feel sexualized, marginalized, or inferior. She didn’t feel pressure to be someone and do something. She just was. Simple. Beautiful. Fulfilled. Naked.

In my head I have a running list of all the thank you notes I never wrote. To the Johnsons for that wedding gift–I couldn’t find their address. And to my aunt and uncle who got me tickets to that thing–that was months ago. I will never write these notes, but I keep track up them to torment myself, to punish myself so next time I won’t forget.



Doesn’t it seem that life is crowded with meaningless things? We get worked up over not responding to an email. We stress about what kind of car we are driving. We obsess about our hair or lack thereof, and we are relentlessly trying to prove to the world that we are valuable, that we belong here.

Donald Miller writes about this lifeboat theory he has; I think it was in “Searching for God Knows What.” He says that we all live as if we are in a lifeboat trying to prove to everyone that we belong there. We tie our value to our survival. We want to prove that we deserve the space we occupy.

But not Eve. She had no concept of the lifeboat. She didn’t need to prove to anyone that she was valuable or pretty or industrius or domestic.

Thinking about Eve makes me realize how I have perverted really good ambitions that God gave me. I hold on to things that are temporary, plastic, synthetic, false and sometimes I love these things. My job title. My degree. My hair color. I revel in these fleeting accomplishments because they make me feel so worthy. I think Eve was confident because she knew the creator and her role in the creation. I believe that is what communion with Christ can do. I’ll never walk around naked, but hopefuly I can grasp enough wisdom to realize the difference between the things that last and the things that fade – the difference between what makes me worthy and what makes me feel worthy.


To Be A Child
written at Wednesday, June 16, 2010

"Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows" A quote from British poet John Betjeman. This quote struck a chord with me while watching the movie "The boy in the striped pyjamas".

I feel that there is truth in this statement. I can remember my childhood, it wasn't as complicated, I didn't have to worry about many things in life, I didn't have to contemplate different meanings, different truths, everything seemed to be more simple. It all boiled down to just a few factors, sights, sounds and smells and maybe a few more that meant a lot to me as a child. Then as I got older, my mind started to wander, my mind started to set forth on a journey, my mind started to expand beyond my little playground world, it stepped into the real world. Suddenly, I was aware about the various things "adults" go through, knowing that one day I will have to go through it myself. I won't stay young forever. I can't be a kid forever.

So then the dark age of reason grows, as my mind and conscience gets bombarded with many things, good and bad, I start to make choices. These choices ultimately manifest itself in actions, words, personalities, habits and not to mention, idiosyncrasies. The choices I am faced with can be hard choices, difficult choices, sometimes I can't handle them. Sometimes I feel like retreating, but of course, you cannot reverse time, you cannot tell yourself that you want to be a kid again, where everything is more simple. You wake up in the morning, run to the TV and jump to sesame street, or you sit down with your brother to play with some Lego or Play dough. Not realising that while you are doing so, your parents are on their work desks or rooms working through the family finances, making tough decisions, over the things of life needed to sustain us.



I can still remember some typical scenario from films where the couple will be going through a bitter divorce, arguing over the custody of their child, the atmosphere is so thick with frustration, anger and regret. Choices. And their Consequences.

And then, in the midst of all of this. Their son Timmy will come along, he had just finished playing with his little Transformers figurines. And little Timmy will ask...

"Mummy, where is Daddy doing?"
"Timmy, everything will be fine, trust me, Daddy is just going away for awhile"
"Will he come back to play?"
"Not for some time dear, not for some time. Why not you go back to your room and play?
"Alright..."

So Timmy retreats back to his room. He sits down, takes out his figurines and continues his recreational activity. And oh...is he too young to understand. Too young to understand the consequences, both good and bad, that comes about through the choices that people make, the decisions based on their very reasoning.

But thinking about it, God has designed my life to be this way, it seems that there is a time for everything. Even if it means making the most crappy decisions I can ever make which ends up frustrating me. Living with it, living with the outcome of choice, living with the product of reason.

There is one decision, however, that I do not regret making, that is to follow Him. Of course, it does not mean that being a follower of Christ somewhat dampens or soften the consequences of my decisions, but there is something even more liberating. That is, my reasoning, as faulty as it may be, is still guided by His perfect will, and to me, with much relief, is something that I thank God for.

I want to receive His kingdom like a child.


Pilgram
written at Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Pilgrim, a musical production of Pilgrim's Progress written by Janice and Cathy Mays that had its world premiere at Covenant Life Church. But the real brilliance of Pilgrim is the theology of the script. The scene below is between Goodwill, played by an energetic Irish woman, and Christian. Christian has not yet been to the cross. Watch how the theology unfolds:

Christian: I'm a mess. I need get myself cleaned up before I get there [to the cross].

Goodwill: You can't. Oh, lots of pilgrims put off going to the cross so they can clean themselves up first, but you can't do that on your own. The King is the only one who can make you clean. He loves you, despite your dirt.

Christian: I guess it's good to know He loves me...(shrugs)...makes me feel better about myself.

Goodwill: Oh, laddie! He doesn't love ye to make you feel better about yerself. He loves ye because that's who He is! He died for ye to purchase ye back from the Prince of Destruction. He plans ta do a work in ye, Pilgrim, ta conform ye to His lovin' image. And He wants to make sure ye git home safely.

Christian: Home?! NO! I want to go to the Celestial City.

Goodwill: Once you git to the cross, the Celestial City becomes yer new home.

Christian: Oh, right. That's why I'm here. That's why I made my decision.

Goodwill: Your decision.

Christian: Yeah, you know, to come down this road. I'm glad I'm finally doing it.

Goodwill: (Chuckling) Ah, lad, ye think yer desire to walk this road began with you? No, Laddie. It began with the King. He put that desire in ye. He started it! On yer own, ye wouldn't have come this way. And I'll tell ye somethin' more. It's a blessed promise from that book [the Bible]. Since this wasn't your idea but His, the same One who started His good work in ye will carry it through. Right to the finish.



I Am Change In The Making
written at Friday, June 11, 2010

I noticed, I get a lot of new perspectives and new views as I listen to different songs, what the songwriters have to offer, of themselves and to us. I must be careful however, not to substitute song lyrics for the Bible. Instead, I want the truths of God's word to amplify the meaning of each song that I sing or read. I think there is a clear difference there. Instead of mostly listening to a song and mainly contemplating its lyrics, I should take it a step further and see how God has enabled the songwriter, in whatever capacity, to share the things that he/she shares through these songs and how God's word takes root in the meaning of each song.

I have decided to change my blog title! This is the second blog title in its history hoorah hoorah. I felt that it was fitting to change it. Previously it was basically "Come and share in the journey", and today, I was inspired to put down "Change in the making" which is based on Addison Road's song "Change in the making" from their latest album "Stories". So what made me change this? Have a look at my profile tab to the left. I guess it fittingly describes the journey that I'm going through now, but I still know God is not through with me yet, He is not through with any of us. As Job so mentioned in Chapter 23, "But He knows the way that I take; when He has tried me, I shall come out as gold." Gold, yes gold, pure pure gold. Gold, after being put through a furnace, is free from dross (dross is a mass of solid impurities floating on a molten metal).

To me, this blog title/profile change once again reminded me of the hope we have in Christ Jesus. He is the source of our hope isn't He?

This post will be relatively short in comparison to my previous ones. Once again, my apologies for the lack of updates to this blog! I have been studying for my exams and will be more active on this blog in due time :)


The Long Tomorrow
written at Sunday, June 6, 2010

It was a gloomy, rainy morning. I got washed and headed to church, the sky was dark and the wind was howling, a moderately strong easterly. Thinking about mornings like these, not a very inviting - it made me think about heaven. It made me think about heaven because, although the weather was terrible, I felt it wouldn't be enough even if the weather here was perfect. Something told me that this was most certainly like looking through some dirty filthy window pane. Almost impossible to see, yet we catch just a glimpse, a glimmer of the greatness to come. I think I know what the song captures, what it means, "Soon and very soon."

No more cancer, no more disease. No more welling up with pain inside or overflowing with tears. No more fighting. No more orphans or parents dying. No more accidents and frantic calls for help. No more starvation, no more broken homes. No more divorce, no more anger, no more worry, no more stress, no more aches and pains, no more bloody knees or broken faces. No more rumors, no more hurt feelings, no more lack of love.

This place - heaven - that Jesus is preparing for us. I can only imagine, it has to be better than any other experience that this world can offer. And it is there we shall see His face. That struck me so deeply, it is really something that is incomprehensible as of now. Here I am, a sinful man, undeserving of any forgiveness. And there He was, Jesus, through Him I have received forgiveness. I am curious, but I think I should be more than curious, I want to long for, I want to desire, I want to yearn to see the face of the One who has forgiven me, the One who has forgiven me of wrongs that no one should forgive, of sin so deep that no one would want to see.

I think we all should long for Him in a radical way.

A. W. Tozer has said, “Let no one apologize for the powerful emphasis Christianity lays upon the doctrine of the world to come. Right there lies its immense superiority to everything else within the whole sphere of human thought or experience. We do well to think of the long tomorrow.”

The long tomorrow. Oh how I long to think of the long tomorrow!



Soon And Very Soon
written at Saturday, June 5, 2010

Listening to the song "Soon" by Hillsongs. Lyrics goes something like this. And I have to say, I can't wait.

Soon and very soon
my King is coming
Robed in righteousness
And crowned with love
When I see Him
I shall be made like Him
Soon and very soon

Soon and very soon
I'll be going
To the place He has prepared for me
There my sin erased
My shame forgotten
Soon and very soon

I will be with the One I love
With unveiled face I'll see Him
There my soul will be satisfied
Soon and very soon


12 Weeks Later
written at Thursday, June 3, 2010

12 weeks is finally over, 12 intense weeks of University. The second semester is finally over, time flies by so fast, I am already heading towards the half-way point. The exams are coming up in less than 2 weeks, yet with the lectures finally finishing, it does not seem as though the exams are right around the corner.

I would like to thank the friends who were there to help, to support and to guide me throughout the 12 weeks. Whether it be academic support or with words of encouragement, they mean a lot to me. Even for my friends in Singapore, though you guys are a long distance away, I'm thankful that you guys are keeping me in prayer and occasionally asking me how things are going over here.

After the exams finish, I should just sit back to contemplate, reflect and think about what God has been doing in my life, the things that I should be thankful for, the things that I should be noting, the things that I have learnt, the experiences that I have been brought through. I can't wait to think about these things, but for now, exams.

This was what I was made to do...to worship You...