In Rob Bell "Sex God", I read about how so many of us human beings have become disconnected. Disconnected from nature, disconnected from God, disconnected from each other, disconnected with myself. I think most of us would agree that we know how that feels. Sometimes, it feels like we're living life but not really LIVING. It feels more like we're just existing sometimes. But i'd like to add that it's impossible to feel that way when we're truly connected with God through Jesus. Jesus said He came to give life and life abundantly, how can be bored with life when it's been given abundantly!
We were created to be beings of relationship, beings of connection. Research has shown that this any forming relationships improve one's quality of life. So much of the time i find myself disconnected. I'm overworried about something in my life and set about frantically trying to solve it - disconnected. I'm too busy with work and study - disconnected. I take people in my life for granted - disconnected. (This one's personal) I watch waaaaaay to much TV - disconnected. And when i become disconnected, i myself become less of the person God made me to be. In turn, i become indifferent to the needs of others. Sometimes, i even become indifferent to laughter and fun.
Which brings me to my thought for today. The reason God asks us to love Him and to love others as ourselves is really because loving others and connecting with those in our world is part of our makeup. Those of us that choose to live for ourselves might end up getting what we want but not truly be the human beings we're created to be. We become cheated of life. Like what is says before John 10:10, the enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy.
When was the last time we actively sought out someone in need? When was the last time we made a difference in a situation or made ourselves available to be "salt and light"? When we do that, God is glorified and i personally feel and think we get that "this is what life is about!" epiphany.
Ranting on,
Jc.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Renewable Expectation
Renewable expectation.
I've never thought about this before until I heard it at Hillsong Conference 2008 from Ps. Paul De Jong.
When we come before God, do we come with renewable expectation? Instead, do we come with a stubborn mind that feels this is going to be the same whole religious routine that won't make a difference at all? A better question - how are our expectation levels when we come before Jesus? I feel faith and expectation are somehow linked. Kids all expect Santa to be fat and full of presents; we expect the lift to go up when we press the "up" button; we expect a rainbow after the rain.
My pastor used this analogy - when we're waiting on God, it's like waiting for the next train to arrive at the station. It's 2:55pm now, and the sign says the train is due in 5 minutes. WE WAIT EXPECTANTLY!! Thing is, even if the train does not arrive at 3 sharp, we are convicted that it will come. It could be 5 or 10 mins late, but it will come!
Renewable energy is amazing because it is produced from naturally replenishing resources. We can have that too. Isaiah chapter 40 reminds us to wait on the Lord so our strength (energy) can be renewed. I want to have an expectation of God that can be renewed and blown up each time i pray and read His word. I don't want to limit or box Him up.
JC.
I've never thought about this before until I heard it at Hillsong Conference 2008 from Ps. Paul De Jong.
When we come before God, do we come with renewable expectation? Instead, do we come with a stubborn mind that feels this is going to be the same whole religious routine that won't make a difference at all? A better question - how are our expectation levels when we come before Jesus? I feel faith and expectation are somehow linked. Kids all expect Santa to be fat and full of presents; we expect the lift to go up when we press the "up" button; we expect a rainbow after the rain.
My pastor used this analogy - when we're waiting on God, it's like waiting for the next train to arrive at the station. It's 2:55pm now, and the sign says the train is due in 5 minutes. WE WAIT EXPECTANTLY!! Thing is, even if the train does not arrive at 3 sharp, we are convicted that it will come. It could be 5 or 10 mins late, but it will come!
Renewable energy is amazing because it is produced from naturally replenishing resources. We can have that too. Isaiah chapter 40 reminds us to wait on the Lord so our strength (energy) can be renewed. I want to have an expectation of God that can be renewed and blown up each time i pray and read His word. I don't want to limit or box Him up.
JC.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Playing Our Part
Today has been fantastic! My house mate Jonathan delivered his first baby (he's a medical student); I met up with some good friends; listened to an awesome lecture on African Economics and did my fare share of study. That means free time to blog - WOOT!
I was reading Matthew 7:7-8 one day, it says "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
What hit me was not the asking, but rather the seeking and knocking part. I realized a lot of times we ask God for something but really don't set about looking for a solution or knocking on the doors. Sometimes we just wait and expect things fall onto our laps. I believe in the natural and the supernatural right? God does His part and He WILL perform miracles but I think we also need to do out part in the natural. We need to do the seeking and knocking as well.
My housemates and I (4 of us) are currently looking for a house to move in to next year. Now, imagine us going "God, please give us a place to stay!" and then just wait for a house to miraculously find us! We're praying (believe me =D) but we're looking online for the house, we're asking around, we're going to go for the inspections and we're talking to people - we're putting in the action.
Maybe we should start to include "Lord, teach me how to help me friend" in our prayers instead of just "Lord, help my friend". Let's learn to take action and partner with God in this journey. God is good and He will not disappoint us, but i was just reminded how important it for us not to be lazy too.
JC.
I was reading Matthew 7:7-8 one day, it says "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
What hit me was not the asking, but rather the seeking and knocking part. I realized a lot of times we ask God for something but really don't set about looking for a solution or knocking on the doors. Sometimes we just wait and expect things fall onto our laps. I believe in the natural and the supernatural right? God does His part and He WILL perform miracles but I think we also need to do out part in the natural. We need to do the seeking and knocking as well.
My housemates and I (4 of us) are currently looking for a house to move in to next year. Now, imagine us going "God, please give us a place to stay!" and then just wait for a house to miraculously find us! We're praying (believe me =D) but we're looking online for the house, we're asking around, we're going to go for the inspections and we're talking to people - we're putting in the action.
Maybe we should start to include "Lord, teach me how to help me friend" in our prayers instead of just "Lord, help my friend". Let's learn to take action and partner with God in this journey. God is good and He will not disappoint us, but i was just reminded how important it for us not to be lazy too.
JC.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
A Process
We all know that life is a journey. Sometimes we forget, but we are eventually reminded again and again.
There was this time in my life when I was eager to do everything INSTANTLY. I wanted to to be the best guitar player after a week of practice; i wanted to score the best marks after one study session; i'd want to lose all that weight from dinner after one jog around the park.
I would say that i didn't live the words diligence, faithfulness, patience, consistency in my life.
More and more I'm starting to realize that God works in us through a process. The Bible calls Him the Potter and we the clay right? And if we allow Him, we are going to get molded to be like Him. I found it really helpful to actually understand that this is more like a process than an exam which u pass or fail. Through every failure or success, God can turn it into good for us - to shape us to be more like Him. And in every situation we CAN choose - to be frustrated, worried, angry, pitiful or trusting, rejoicing, peaceful and loving. Most of us can relate to being in a position of this choice.
You know how you never truly know how safe a newly designed car is unless you do one of those crash tests? Similarly, maybe we'll know when have gotten over being a worrier when we can choose not to worry and trust God in the most difficult of situations. Difficult life situations can be opportunities for us to grow. Maybe that's why the Bible tells us to rejoice in various trials! Romans 5:4 says suffering leads to perseverance, which leads to CHARACTER.
We can lose our money, our reputation, our hair, our friends...but our CHARACTER stays with us. It is OUR character, and it's how we choose to live by Jesus and allow Him to mold us that will see us develop to our fullest potential.
And if we are the type that give up easily, it's time to stand up and not give up when it feels the easiest to. Hope this blesses someone.
I need to read this post over and over myself. Love You Jesus!
JC.
There was this time in my life when I was eager to do everything INSTANTLY. I wanted to to be the best guitar player after a week of practice; i wanted to score the best marks after one study session; i'd want to lose all that weight from dinner after one jog around the park.
I would say that i didn't live the words diligence, faithfulness, patience, consistency in my life.
More and more I'm starting to realize that God works in us through a process. The Bible calls Him the Potter and we the clay right? And if we allow Him, we are going to get molded to be like Him. I found it really helpful to actually understand that this is more like a process than an exam which u pass or fail. Through every failure or success, God can turn it into good for us - to shape us to be more like Him. And in every situation we CAN choose - to be frustrated, worried, angry, pitiful or trusting, rejoicing, peaceful and loving. Most of us can relate to being in a position of this choice.
You know how you never truly know how safe a newly designed car is unless you do one of those crash tests? Similarly, maybe we'll know when have gotten over being a worrier when we can choose not to worry and trust God in the most difficult of situations. Difficult life situations can be opportunities for us to grow. Maybe that's why the Bible tells us to rejoice in various trials! Romans 5:4 says suffering leads to perseverance, which leads to CHARACTER.
We can lose our money, our reputation, our hair, our friends...but our CHARACTER stays with us. It is OUR character, and it's how we choose to live by Jesus and allow Him to mold us that will see us develop to our fullest potential.
And if we are the type that give up easily, it's time to stand up and not give up when it feels the easiest to. Hope this blesses someone.
I need to read this post over and over myself. Love You Jesus!
JC.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Romans 10:15
PlanetUNI Event on the 27th at Dallas Brooks Centre. It's going to be amazing! A celebration and an invitation to those who want to know more about Jesus. Come and see how un-boring He actually is. It's $5 per entry and starts at 7:30pm. There's going to be performances, praise and worship. Pastor Matt Fielder will be there to spice things up for ya! Presence of God will be there, it's going to be the best.
See u guys there!
Intimacy
To sum up, it's been a blog famine for me of late. =) So I actually haven't been reading blogs as well, let alone login to my own account and spend time posting.
However, I thought i should.
Intimacy - spending time with our Dad; chit-chatting; worshiping; listening; communing; loving; laughing; being transparent...whatever that word means to you.
How is our relationship with God going? Okay, let's put our tags as "leaders" aside for the moment. Let's not think about the amount of time we spend serving in church, practicing for worship services, or writing sermons. Let's forget about the number of people we're reaching out to.
Being a servant in the house and being a son of the House is a altogether different is it? (just learned about this at Inner Champ).
From out relationship with God, are we still entering His rest and Presence? Are we listening to what He has to show us? Does the thought of spending time with Him cause a spring to our step? See, I believe God wants us more than we can ever want Him. So much of the time we're like little brats who don't want to listen and think we know it all.
For those of us plagued by guilt, we NEED His Grace. Accept that we are not worthy (you prob don't have a prob with that), but also accept that His Grace is bigger than anything. The Cross is bigger than anything. Let's enter in everyday with that full assurance and confidence His Grace has given us. He's saying, "Come in and feast! Come in and hang out with me, the door is open! The curtain is torn; come, come! The entrance is free, it's been paid for!" See, we need to hold fast to that confidence and to be strong in the grace because the enemy will want to rob us of that. That will stop us building our relationship with God.
I constantly fight to keep my confidence in His grace. I'm not losing my relationship with God to the lies of the enemy anymore. Who's voice are we listening to?
JC.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Have No Fear
Got this from a devotional I subscribe to, I have to admit I almost don't read it at all but just thought this was really good for a lot of us. Let's declare His promises! Heaven and earth shall pass away but His Word shall remain yea? When we have no confidence in ourselves and in our situation, it's His promises than can uphold us. =) Be blessed guys.
JC.
JC.
Worried? Pray!!
So also is My Word. I send it out and it always produces fruit.
Isaiah 55:11 TLB
Are you worried today? If you are, begin these words until they take root in your heart, awaken your faith, and become your fixed attitude towards GOD! This prayer will bring results!
“Father, you told me not to fear, for you are with me. You will strengthen me, you will help me, and you will uphold me with the right hand of your righteousness. You said those who rise up against me will be confounded. (Isaiah 41:10-11) You also said that no evil would befall me neither would any plague come near my dwelling, for you have given your angels charge over me to keep me in all my ways. (Psalms 91:10-11) You declared that when I walk through the rivers of difficulty, you won’t let me drown. When I walk through the fires of oppression I will not be burned for you are the LORD my GOD. (Isaiah 42:2-3)
“You said that no weapon that is formed against me will prosper and that you will silence every tongue that rises against me in judgement because I am you servant. (Isaiah 54:17) You promised that if I ask anything according to your will, you would hear me and that I could have it. (1 John 5:14-15) You said I am blessed when I go out and blessed when I come in. (Deuteronomy 28:6) You told me to cast all my cares on you and you would take care of me.” (1 Peter 5:7)
Adapted from A Fresh Word For Today
by Bob Gass
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