Gain Christ

All things are for you. Lord, what we do, what we do not do; it is all for You and You alone.

Everything is about gaining Christ. Truly in all that we go through, in all the decisions that we make, there is only one aim. It is all to lead us to Christ. For us to know Him more. It is vital that we remember and be reminded of this fact constantly. Nothing else is as important, everything else is secondary.

To that end, that is why we do our Quiet Time everyday. If this life is all towards Him, then we should spend TIME with Him. Through daily Quiet Time, we remain constantly in touch with Him. Through this, we will know Him more and more. Through this, we come to know His will and His plans for us.

Furthering this, constant prayer will. I don't know about you, but I enjoy the constant communal with Him through prayer. It is having your best friend walk with you, every step. Since we desire companionship, it is wonderful that we can have it all the time with Him. Why not claim it? He wants you to.

This is why we go to church. Don't go because someone ask you to. Don't go because you have to. Rather, go because you want to seek Him. Because you want to receive from the Lord. Go, so that He can move in your life and those around you. Go, to experience His goodness, His mercy, His grace. Go, to praise Him, to worship Him and to glorify Him. Church is not a weekly gathering that we do out of habit. Church is where we meet with God, seeking Him and learning of Him.

More than that, this purpose should dictate our every move. The events that we go. The work that we do. The service that we give. Whether we go full time or work in the marketplace. It is all to serve Him and to know Him. When we do this, we can't go wrong. For it is not us, it is Him who leads us through the right path.

Thank you for this revelation, Lord. Thank you, for Your wisdom.

Spiritual Earthquake

I just came back from Re:Union 2011: Taking It to the Next Level. The Holy Spirit was really evident and many lives were touched. I believe we all will never be the same again. But then again, this is just another manifestation of the Revolution that God has started. He has started a spiritual earthquake here in Malaysia.

Just as earthquakes have hit parts of the world, an earthquake has also hit Malaysia. Except this is a spiritual earthquake. God has shaken the very foundation of all that we use to believe in and brought our dependence back to Him. He took financial stability and proved what a sham that was. He shook the earth to show that even the physical foundation cannot be depended on. He has rattled the usual order of things in the country to show that things will never be the same again. And He wants to shake our personal belief to the core... so that we may again know that He alone is God and the only foundation we can depend on.

When an earthquake comes, it causes untold destruction. God also wants to destroy things in our life. He wants to take our old views and deconstruct them. He wants to take our perspective on life and prove it false. He wants to take our perspective on Him and throw it out the window. For how could we ever fully comprehend Him? His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). We can never be completely certain. And all we can always do is to continue to look to our God.

Earthquakes come fast. God is moving fast. Do not be fooled by the natural things around us. Do not also be deceived when He delays. He delays so that we may grow in Him. But He moves fast. Just read the book of Acts. Instant healing, immediate speaking of tongues, lives transformed on the spot. And don't forget, He made the whole world in only 7 days! God clearly does not move fast. Right now, He is even hurrying us. His movement is spreading like wildfire.

Now wildfires are a firemen's worse nightmare. They burn many trees in a very short amount of time. They spread uncontrollably fast. But that's how God is moving. For when something is out of our control, it's in God's control. That's better! Now He has taken over and is moving it forward faster than we can blink! Through this, we see His power and acknowledge that it is truly only through Him, nothing to do with us.

So I beseech you, brothers and sisters, rise up. Take hold of all that God has for you. Hold on to it, and let God take control. Let go of the steering wheel and surrender it to Him. We were always meant to be the co-pilot. The journey may be tough but it is oh so rewarding. For there is nothing better than to Pray, Listen and Obey the promptings of God. Amen.

I'm not OK, but it's OK

There's a story of a cracked jar who thought it was worthless. It carried half the water of the full jar. but the farmer, who knows of the crack, still uses it to carry water. In fact, the farmer uses the crack to water beautiful plants. Without the crack, there may not be any plants.

What light shines the brightest? Naked, unhindered light. Those that come through transparent objects, cracked glasses. For what happens if we completely cover the light? It won't shine. It is completely sealed away, not able to be of use.

So what happens if we seal away our life? When we cover up our sins, hiding them away. God's light can't shine through. How will people see God if His light can't be seen through us? So we need to open up. Be transparent. Reveal our cracks so that His light can shine through, brightening up those lives around us.

And it doesn't matter who you are or how set your life is. You may seem OK, but I know that there's always cracks. For we are human. Humans make mistakes. Humans mess up. We mess up big time. We all always end up cracked, broken, soiled, full of the holes made by our errors.

So what do we do with these holes? We can cover them up or... we can allow God to shine through it. Surrender them to Him. Offer it as a sacrifice. For God takes it and in His wisdom, makes it all beautiful.

2 Corinthians 12:9 - But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (NIV)

The Next Level

Imagine you are on the 2^nd level of a hotel. As you look out the window, you see a wonderful view. Unfortunately, it is blocked by the trees and that construction site.

So you want to get a better view. How do you do that? You take the lift to the 6^th floor. There, much better. Still, the construction site is blocking part of the view. So how now? No choice, you have to take the stairs to the roof. Aaaahhhh… here you get the best view. That view you like, it’s clear now. In fact, you can see a much further view, and it’s more beautiful.

Isn’t that like what God has for us? From where we stand, we can see some things. Even as God points out the future, we can’t see the full picture. Challenges block our view. We are also blocked because we only see the work in progress.

So God says, “Come, let’s go to the next level”.

So we go up. It’s not as comfortable but with God, we are lifted fast and we get a better view. Now we can see past the challenges that lie ahead. Yet, we are still troubled. We still see the work that needs to be done.

So God now says, “Come on, let’s go to a higher level.”

It may take a little more effort though. Nevertheless when we get there, it is a beautiful sight. We now see the full picture. We can see the end result, past the work that is required. We see the rainbow after the storm. Even more, we can see further, see more of what we can do, of what God has in store for us.

Perception

What your eyes see, your brain accepts. What you perceive, becomes your reality. 

There is a secret why people don't get along. There is a reason you and your best friend are mates. Any action, right or wrong, is based on a judgement developed from our perception. A thief steals because he knows no better way to get money. A child cries to get attention. We pay more for branded goods because we think it is better quality.

Perception is a powerful thing. More often than not, it's the reason behind our decisions. It's that X-factor that determines if we like something over another thing. It's the mysterious justification why we love certain brands/people/music/songs/etc.

Perception is built on our experience. What we have gone through, what we have learnt, all plays a part in shaping us today. And as long as we keep learning, we are continuously shaped. Our perception keeps shifting. We either enforce it, or we are led to a different perspective.

You see, perception is like two sides of the same coin. It's like the story of the 7 blind men and the elephant. Because they each touch a different part of the elephant; their perceptions of the elephant are all different. Similarly, we see issues and problems through our perception. A war veteran may argue that besting down an enemy is the only way to win. A pacifist may say instead that negotiation is the way to go. Who is right? Both and neither. Sometimes, a peaceful discussion is all it takes. Sometimes, a fight is needed.

That is why it is important to understand the other party's perception of an issue. 2 parties can amicably solve their differences when both can see each other's point. In any argument, we must seek to understand and to be understood.

The phrase "to walk a mile in another's shoes" is very true in this respect. To understand why someone thinks this way, we must first know what is his background. We build our arguments around the proof we experience before. Our past shapes our future. God brought us through that journey to lead us to where we become a blessing.

Please note that the past only SHAPES our future. It does not define it, it does not dictate it. Having a bad childhood does mean you have to live a bad adulthood. It means it can motivate you to live a better life and bless others with the same. Sometimes, only a burnt victim can reach out to another burnt victim.

It's important to know that God can put you in the right situation. What you do with it, what choices you make, that is entirely up to you. The good news is: you have a Best Friend in Heaven who can advise you. Better yet, put your life in His hands and He will lead you into a better life.

God's Purpose For Us

Last weekend, we celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why do we celebrate this event? After all, many have been resurrected before. We celebrate it not because He came back from death, but because He took all our sins away with Him when he died. The importance of the cross isn't the death and resurrection, it's the washing clean of our sins.

You see, God's only desire was to have a relationship with us. Since the fall of man, that's all He ever wanted of us and what He has been working to do with us. But we are sinners and God can't see sin. In olden days, sacrifices were made as a show of repentance and that we desire to turn back to Him. But that wasn't good enough. We couldn't work our way back to Him. So He sent Jesus Christ to be the ultimate, perfect sacrifice. One so pure, that He alone can take all the sins of the world and take the penalty of sin for our sake.

That's the reason Jesus Christ came down from His throne all the way up there, to be born in a manger.He came to die for our sins. Please don't misunderstand this. This is why He isn't just a prophet though He pointed people back to God. That is why He isn't just a good man though He did not sin. He also isn't just a healer though he healed many. For do you not know, but He has granted us the very same wisdom and power, that we also can point others back to God. We can heal many and bring people back from the dead. In fact, the prophets did that before even Jesus came! But what Jesus came to do, was to be our saviour. His purpose in life is to take our sins away, so that we now can come before God; pure and holy.

That's why Christianity is about a relationship with God, not a religion. It's about knowing Him and obeying Him, not following a set of rules. God desires to be with us, guide us and to do life with us. When we mess up, He wants to pick us up again. When we want to let go, He holds on to us, even tighter. And every challenge we go through, every mountain we climb, He is right there with us.

He is so in love with us that everything He does is for our sake. When we are challenged, He builds us. When we are hurt, He comforts us. When we bless others, He blesses us back more. At times, it really can feel like the entire universe is orchestrated for our benefit. Circumstances engineered just for us; so much so that all we can do is take a step back and marvel at the works that He has done.

Which is why it's not about others. It never was about other people. It's not about who they are or what they do. God's only question to us is: "What are you doing?". We give tithe to honour God, not to bless the church. We obey His word, no matter what the other person can return to us.

People hurt us, God asks us to forgive and move on.
People betray our trust, God asks us if we would trust them again.
People let us down, God asks if we would continue to believe in them.
People wrong us, God asks if we would surrender our vengeance to Him.

For it was never about them. It's was, is and will always be about us. God cares about our heart. He wants to build our character, to grow us physically and spiritually. When God speaks to me, it's always "Will you..." not "Will they...".

The best example of this is again, the cross. The very same people Jesus came to save heckled Him. Whipped Him. Condemned Him. Sent Him to die. Even to the cross, God so love us that He would still die for us, even though we let Him down. And after the cross, He still send us to do His will. We make mistakes, we fail. We who rejected Him, left Him alone. He still uses us. He still wants us to be the vessel to do His work.

And it never was about our mistakes or past. You think God doesn't know? He created you! He knows your character, He knows your likes and dislikes. He has seen our past. And He doesn't care. He says, "I have died for you, you are clean now." Your sins? Poof, all gone. Jesus has taken care of it. Your mistakes? Wiped clean. Your failings? God is using them to bring you up and bring others to know Him.

So don't condemn yourself because God didn't condemn you. Don't condemn or judge others, for God has not yet condemn or judge them either. But hold on to God's love and bring it to the world. In the end, that's all God ever ask from us.