Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Colossians 3:12-14

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever greivances you have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave. And over all these virtures, put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity."

Have we ever wondered why the last part was added in........about love binding all the virtues together?

Have we ever thought through why 1 Cor 13 was written............ "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Have we challenged ourselves to live out the 2 greatest commandment "to love God and to love your neighbours as yourself"

Have we ever tried Matthew 5:44............ "Love your enemies"

I'm sure we are not surprise why love has to be in the midst of everything, because love covers over a multitude of sin, and God is LOVE. Recently, it has been an ongoing thought upon my mind and heart that God's love needs to be demonstrated, and shown and shared to everyone that's around me. And how much of God's love do I have to be able to give that all in everything that I do. I have been put in positions and stages in life where I have learnt that it is not easy to love those that don't normally "fall in your comfort zone" to love. One of those things is to love the weaknesses of people. And not to judge the weaknesses of people, and not to correct the weaknesses of people - of course balancing that, is that we should still learn to encourage and remember to encourage with love, not with judgement and expectations. This testing is right in my face, with my colleagues, bosses, friends, and even my loved ones, I am stirred not to just judge those weaknesses, but to love them still for who they are, and encourage them with God's love.

God's love came with no condition, it is freely given, and freely shown. Are we able to demonstrate that same love. I cried out to God.............God help me to show your love to others. Forgive me of trying to love with my own capacity and own strength. Help me, humble me, and change my heart. Let the love of God flow from me, let people see, experience and be touched by God's love demonstrated through my faith and actions. Thank you Jesus. Amen.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Decisions.........

I am sure many of us have come to stages in life that we have to make some sort of major decisions, whether is it with regards to life, ministry, relationship, studies, career, and many other things. Have you ever asked what is it that you make your decisions base upon? Is it upon the foundations of God? or the foundations of your experiences?

Well, that is the challenge..........what sort of decisions are we making today. Of course not to say that even when you are deciding what to eat, you need to ask yourself if it is of God or of experience, but at least in the more significant decisions. Recently, I have been faced with the challenge of making decisions about my career. It is a wonder how monetary values can sometimes be so "inviting" than Godly values. Of course in the head knowledge, you know that you should go back to God and seek Him, rather than just look at the material gains. However, it's amazing how our mind can be tempted so easily. (haha........shouldn't say it's amazing, but rather I'm "ashamed" that my mind thinks of all these temptations). Anyway, I have been searching for a change in career, and I have been challenged to seek God, and allow Him to open the right doors. I have been to a few interviews, and still nothing has changed, and I wondered if God has a plan for me to stay on at where I'm currently at. And of course at the same time, with me wanting to leave, I've got my manager wanting me to stay, and offering me new opportunities to stay. It really then start to stir within my heart.......is this of God? But the other part of me really wants a change, and doesn't really want to stay on at where I'm at.

I have to come back to God constantly to ask Him to do His will, that it will be His timing and His will about whether I get a new job. It is hard, because many times, it is your desire that you are trying to please. Like I know that with me searching for a new job is because the current one doesn't satisfy my desire, and I'm tired of it, and frustrated with the normal politics of the organisation. But then the question is ..........is getting a new job God's will for me now? When I think of all these, I was led back by Jesus's example when He said that "His food is to do the will of God". And I have to ask myself, if that's the same motivation of mine? This really changed my perspective, that I have to submit it under God's will, and not my desire; and it needs to be base upon my Godly values, and not personal experiences.

What is it for you today? Are your decisions founded upon God's values or your personal experiences? Have you even considered God in your decisions? Or why are you making those decisions?

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

J-esus O-thers Y-ourself

For a long time, I have always lived with this framework of life, where Jesus is the Lord of my life, and it is always others that will come before myself. Even in the Scriptures, it says that "each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others" Philippians 2:4. And at where I am today, I realise that this framework of life has strengthened me to keep serving God and others.

I have been thinking about this framework a fair bit lately, and do realise that this is not just a framework for my Christian living, and daily living, but also a framework for my work. Recently in a class where everyone has to present their emerging framework, I struggled whether I should be preaching the gospel framework that I have and hold. I thought for a long time, and wondered if it will be accepted, or would I be marked down. A voice in me asked me this question "Why should I be afraid to share the gospel framework of JOY?" Why should I try to find a framework that fits into the world's systems? What is wrong with my personal framework?

I thought through it before the presentation, and felt led in my heart to write about my personal framework, and how the values in the Bible influences and form my framework to work. I hesitated about being outright in presenting about Jesus, but when I was in class, a classmate presented wholeheartedly on "Buddhism Zen", and I thought, oh.................I'm so ashamed that I didn't just step out to present "Jesus". And I prayed in my heart to ask God to help me...........and the next day, when it was my turn to present, I stepped out in faith, and presented "Jesus" in the framework of JOY, and also some other biblical values (like Body of Christ, and the two greatest commandments). To my surprise...........it was well accepted in the group of people that I presented to, and my lecturer was there too. They even commented on how amazing the framework of JOY is, and that was when I realise that I shouldn't be ashamed of Jesus in my life.

Well, this expereience taught me that I should not be hiding the life of Jesus in me. It is a major part of my life, and I should not be ashamed of it. Whether I get praises or persecution from preaching the Gospel, I should "press on" like Paul, and not stop sharing about this wonderful Jesus in my life. Be it in the secular world of studies and work, Jesus should never be just kept in my heart, Jesus needs to be shared to the people out there.

As I look back, I do thank God that in my workplace, everyone knows that I am a Christian, and that I have shared with them my love for God and for people, and my committment to God and church, however, I realise that a lot more needs to be done. Many of my colleagues and managers have come to me and said that I have an amazing strength to persevere in the work that I'm doing, I should have outwardly proclaim that it is God who has empowered me to do so. It is because of His love that I'm still doing what I do.

I just want to encourage all of us that we should not be hiding the "Joy" from people around you. They are the ones who witness your lives day in and day out, let them see Jesus in and out of you, and be bold to share it with them.