The heart behind the art

 Behind every action, there is intention. Sometimes, there can be many different intentions that lead to the same action. Therefore, while inwardly good decisions/thoughts will lead to outwardly good deeds, some good deeds are the result of inwardly bad decision. In lift, those who commit wrong usually can justify (to themselves mostly) their actions. We see this not only with criminals, but even when observing famous people (i.e. celebrities, politicians, etc.) or those around us (i.e. friends, colleagues, neighbours, bosses, etc.).

God looks at the heart. This means that as Christians, we need to do things with the right intentions. Take for example the reasons why Christians don't swear. Some may choose not to because they want to be seen as good Christians while others do it as to not stumble a fellow Christian or be a good testimony to the world. In a way, the former are like the Pharisees that Jesus called hypocrites. The latter does it because they love God. 

In the bigger picture, the question that most (if not all) of us keep asking is, "What is my purpose in life?" Is it to do well in our studies? Or perhaps it is to chase worldly success? Others may make it their life goal to earn wealth. There is also some who simply want to enjoy life and be happy always. There are also those who want to live a legacy or advance a cause. At the end of the day, our lives are our own to decide what to make of it.

The problem with chasing worldly purpose is that it is never enough. The satisfaction we get from it is temporal at best. In short, we all have a God-shaped hole in our heart that can not be filled with the things of the world. It is only when we seek after God that we find fulfillment that satisfies. Jesus told the truth when He said to the Samaritan woman that He will give living water that whoever drinks of it will never thirst again (John 4:14).

Those who study the world can see this. No matter what subject or which legacy others have left behind; those that are of God and from God, those are the ones that last throughout the ages. Everything that people have seek for themselves will sooner or later be forgotten or become irrelevant. The world cannot tell you what is your purpose because it didn't make you. Only your Maker in heaven can truly tell you what you are meant to do.

But God doesn't always reveal some unique or specific plan for our lives. Not everyone will know what is God's specific will for them. Actually, it doesn't really matter. God has told through the bible of what we are to do. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus's last commandment was for us to "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," Jesus also said in Matthew 7:21-23 that not all those who have called Him Lord will go to heaven because they did not have a relationship with God. Throughout the bible, God has said obedience is better than sacrifice. Jesus also said those who love Him/God are those who obey His commands.

This means that as true Christians, we are to form a relationship with God. To form and keep that relationship, we need to live for Him, obeying His word. It's painful and difficult but if we truly want to know Him, it is necessary. As we live for Him, we will want to obey His commands which include encouraging and leading others to be closer to Him. We need to ensure we do this for the right intentions because the wrong ones will lead to burnout and a Christ-less eternity. When our art reflects the right heart, God is there to help us through it and we will draw closer to Him.

Do you really know?

 ¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. - John 10:10

God so wants to pour out His love and His blessings on our lives. Most of the time, this involves us just stepping out in faith. But we don't do it. We are afraid. We choose not to obey. Why? The Holy Spirit has revealed to me that there are 3 reasons why this happens and they all revolve around knowing.

The first reason is that we don't know who God really is. We forget that this is the same God who created the whole universe in 7 days. The Bible is full of examples of how great He is:

For every beast of the forest is Mine,
And the cattle on a thousand hills. - Psalm 50:10

He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning And makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth; The Lord is His name. - Amos 5:8

If we believe that God really is all-powerful, we would dare to ask Him for anything we need to move forward. It's just like if we need to borrow money, we would go to the bank because we know they have the ability to loan us the money. We wouldn't go to a friend whom we know is broke. We need to constantly remind ourselves that our God is able to do all that we ask of Him and more.

The second reason is that we don't know who we are. I mean, from a Biblical perspective. Let's see what the Bible have to say about us human beings:

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well. - Psalm 139:14

¹¹ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  - Jeremiah 29:11

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life - John 3:16

God made us and He loves us so much, He was willing to send His son to die for our sins. We have forgotten how precious we are to Him. If we truly know that we are so loved, that God always has our backs, wouldn't we believe that we can do anything He asks of us?

It's very easy for us to forget or to not believe who God is and who we are to Him. That's why it's important we also know God. We can only trust that God is with us and we are with Him when we have a relationship with God. When we need help, we often ask those closest to us first, not those we barely know. When we are close to someone, we would know what pleases them and what doesn't. That's why Jesus said, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you." - John 15:7. It's only when we have a close relationship with God will we know His character. Then, we will dare step out in faith and ask Him of what we need. When we are close to Him, we will know what pleases Him and what doesn't.

This is why we need to have a relationship with God. That's why Jesus has to come and bridge the gap between us and God. Life with God doesn't mean there's no challenges; it's just easier to go through because we know how powerful the one who has our back. It's like when Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego answered King Nebuchadnezzar:

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” - Daniel 3:16-18

They were confident because they knew their God and what He can do for them. Can we say the same about ourselves?

What we want isn't what we need

A man walks into a bar and asks for a glass of water. The bartender pulls out a shotgun and fires it; barely missing the man. The man says "Thank you", leaves a tip and walks out. Why?

That riddle above shows that sometimes what we want and what we need are 2 different things. Human beings are irrational in that way. The best part is, we may not even know that we needed it. I'm sure we all have likes and dislikes. We prefer certain movies, songs, shows, etc. We also have weird cravings from time to time. And I'm sure that at times, we can't actually reason out these preferences when asked why.

To a certain extent, I believe God wired us that way. It makes us all... unique. It would be a boring world if everyone likes the same music, have the same taste in fashion, and enjoy the same food. No diversity.

In some matters, it could be conditioning. You listen to a music enough time, you make end up getting sick of it. You may also hate certain things because it's associated with a bad time in your life. I know I do. Then of course, sometimes we bow to external stimulation. We have (whether we like to admit it or not) decided to eat at certain places due to their advertisement before.

But sometimes, it could be due to something deeper. The most popular example is comfort food. To one person, it may just be sustenance. To someone else, it could life their spirits enough to go through the day.

So who knows really what we need? Clearly it's not us! It has to be the one who made us. A robot can't tell you what it needs, its creator will tell it/you. How nice for us that our creator has written a manual detailing all that we actually need! Now all we need to do is study that manual...

Who has your back?

 When I was in secondary school, there was a time when I should have been whacked by my friends. However, they all left me alone. I was initially puzzled then a friend explained to me: it's because my mom was a teacher in the school. She had my back.

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[a] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” - Daniel 3:16-18

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego was so courageous before King Nebuchadnezzar because they knew that God has their back. No matter what trouble they face, they know they can charge forward because of who was supporting them.

If God was with them all those years ago, we can take courage that He is similarly with us when we follow Him. In today's world, there is so much danger. There's constant talk of war. COVID-19 is still rampant around the world. Closer to home, there's snatch thieves ready to strike at any moment. Drivers on the road seem like they learnt from a blind guy. Don't forget all the haters on social media and all the criticism laid on Christians. It's so easy to give in to fear.

But how do we stop fear? It looks unstoppable. With our own strength, we cannot. We can't stop all wars. The world doesn't have a cure for COVID-19. We are no match against dangers coming at us with parangs. There will always be that bigger, stronger foe in front of us. We have to look to the bigger, strongest one there is: Jesus Christ. I step out into the world confident not that I won't catch the virus, won't run into danger. I step out with confidence that when these dangers approach me, God will take care of me. He protects, He comforts, He heals, He restores.

That’s why I only want to go where God is. Back to my teenage life example, I'm only safe because my mom was nearby. If my mom was in another school, I wouldn't have that protection. So it is with my spiritual walk. I wanna be near Him because it's only near Him that I'm covered by the shadow of His wings. Near Him, I'm protected. When I am near Him, He can comfort me. I'm near enough that He can heal or restore me. God can't whisper words of encourage if I'm far away. How to be near God? Simple; pray to Him, listen to His word, obey His commands. And when we see His miracles at work in our lives, worship Him.

What are you willing to lose?

 There's been a question that has been on my mind without me knowing it. If you read the Bible, you will read of God's many promises. You would read of how God loves us and wants to bless us. And since we know and experience so much of God, why do we find it so hard to follow Him? Jesus simply said, follow me. And yet, we find it so difficult to do so. We have so many excuses or simply a flat out no. Many heard/hears the gospel, so few actually obey. What is stopping people?

It finally hit me: following Jesus requires sacrifice. It's not that people don't want to claim all the Jesus has promised, they are afraid of what they would have to give up to do so. Following Jesus has never been the popular choice. To be a true follower, it means being shunned by your peers, family and friends. Maybe even going against the government. We want to be accepted by our loved ones, by our community. Risking that acceptance is very hard.

Following Jesus also means going His way, not ours. Those childhood dreams? You gotta let it go. Wanting your way, wearing the clothes you want, eating the food you want? You may have to give it up. That dream career you wanted, the lifestyle you were going to live with that career? God demands us to surrender it. And for many, they can't do this. It's a dream of many years. It could be something we have worked on our entire life. Our identity may be tied up in it.

Is it worth giving all these up? Is it worth losing your identity, what you've known yourself to be since you could remember? Is it worth living all on your own, not having anyone on Earth to depend on? If you ask King David, Samuel, Jesus disciples... the answer is a resounding yes!

Jesus promises that whatever we give up, as big as it is, He has something better for us. That dream life you wanted? God can take that sacrifice and provide it in His way. In fact, He can give you something that you think was beyond you. That community that shunned you? God gives you a new community; one that supports you like you were never supported before.

Flip the perspective. That lifelong dream? It's only been yours for a couple of decades. What is that compared to eternity with God? The angels and saints are cheering you on; ready to back you up all the way. You will see miracles that you never thought possible. What did you dream you could achieve? God can multiply that beyond your comprehension. And you have forever in heaven to enjoy it.

The price seems big but looking at the prize, it's worth it. In life, we need to sacrifice something to gain something else. We sacrifice time at work to grow our career. We sacrifice (sell/dispose) things to make way for new things. To win the tournament, athletes sacrifice their food, their time with friends and family, their comforts. All in the pursuit of the highest goal. So if the highest goal in life is to be with God, shouldn't we also expect to sacrifice something equally valuable if not more valuable?