Wednesday, June 30, 2010
DISCLAIMER!
Okay, since im making a disclaimer post i might as well make it for everything.
FIRSTLY, in response to the comment i had(i still find it quite amusing, i wonder if he'll ever come back to like, check on me...) My precious post on FREEEDOOMM, however i spelled it, all information about the Scottish stuff is from the film "Braveheart" and well according to Michael Follon, is all not factual, so yea, read it as a movie intro or something? (i still recommend the wonderful movie nonetheless! HA)
Secondly, this is a disclaimer sort of thing to all my posts. it NEVER has an intention to target any particular person or organisation, and all things in the posts represent personal opinion(that may very well be true! HA) but yes, only the bible is infallible and me being the wretched man i am may still make mistakes, but of course i will try my best to handle the word of truth with accuracy. should you disagree, please feel free leave a comment, and should you agree or want to say something, FEEL FREE TO COMMENT.
Yes. that will be all:D
came at9:29 PM
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
FREEDOM!!!
"THEY MAY TAKE OUR LIVES, BUT THEY'LL NEVER TAKE...OUR FREEEDOOOMM!"
hahahahhaha, anyone who has either watched Braveheart, or at least A team would remember this line. im still laughing... can you believe it? HA
Okay, for the sake of those who are totally confused, you can go youtube "braveheart freedom speech". It was about the Scottish Independence war, that was literally fought with sticks and stones, and swords, its a wonderful 3 hour long movie, i highly recommend it! The scottish had been ruled by the English for about 100years where they were ill treated(treated as slaves, got raped, killed...) and what not, and William Wallace after his girlfriend got killed by an English Noble got pissed off, and basically annihilated the entire Northern English empire, but got killed in the end. Nonetheless, because of Him, the Scottish got their freedom from the century of slavery, and centuries to come!
(oh and the reason why A team is because that madman murdock was hopping around on a wooden horse-stick he made giving the same speech. that guy is a joke. seriously!)
anyway, believe it or not, my post isnt about the movies, but their one of the best movies i've ever watched. somemore both in the same day! hahahaha. This post was actually inspired by a wonderful woman, who smsed me after my exams, "...FREEEDOOM?"
Honestly, i felt no freedom. and at that point, i once again had another beautiful revelation. The reason why i didnt truly feel free, was because, (if you have read from my previous posts) i actually enjoy studying! it wasnt a pain to me! and i had loads of fun in my exam papers! you can ask me why separately! Now if i didnt dread this whole process, what am i free from? i felt, absolutely normal.
And this struck me. What is this freedom that we speak of, whenever we preach the gospel? We always say you will be free! Free from what?
Unless you are experiencing something terribly dreadful, you wont want help! As J.I Packer said in his book, Its like if you were walking along a road, and someone decides to pull your hand along and guide you, you would most definitely shake away that hand! you wont appreciate freedom(or help and guidance) unless you were drowning in the water or left mouth up in quicksand! Unless you dread exams, or like the socttish in braveheart, had been subject to a century of rape and ill-treatment, you wont bother about freedom!
A fabulous example besides my own exam one, would be Australia! when it was offered freedom by the UK, it didnt want it! it was happy with the way that it was! they didnt need change! and thats exactly what a common person would feel.
"what would i need freedom from?! i have everything i want in life! religion will only restrict me from party-ing, having my (non-christian)girlfriend, from having sex as and when i feel like, from induldging myself in porn, what do i need freedom for? i AM free!" Satan has clouded their eyes with worldly lusts and passions, that they see no need for God. But they have to see the reality of what they are saved from, to appreciate freedom!
WE, have to know full well what we are saved from, in order to fully appreciate the freedom that we have from Salvation!For every sin that we commit, we deserve the Wrath of God! We deserve punishment in hell! To burn forever and ever, and yet not die, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth!(Matt 13:42,50) We who despised and hated God, who loved the world! and even now, in our regenerate state, still fall back after the world ever so often! we truly deserve to die!
BUT, in His amazing grace, love, and mercy, we were spared it all! That on that cross, where Jesus died a painful and shameful death, he bore the sins of the WORLD, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE. ALL OF US WHO ARE TO BE SAVED, THOUSANDS, PROBABLY MILLIONS OF US. The perfect relationship between Father and Son, was destroyed, just so that we, can have a relationship with our Father in Heaven who loves as so. That not only were we PARDONED, we were ADOPTED as CHILDREN OF THE MOST HIGH! That we received a spirit not of slavery, but a spirit of sonship! in which we cry ABBA FATHER! DADDY GOD! Just as Jesus did! Jesus died, to bring us to God!(Mark 14:36, Romans 8:15, 1 Pet 3:18) SUCH AMAZING GRACE THAT SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME!
And so you ask, free from what? free from all of the above, that we may be brought from death, into life, life as the Son of God my Father! as Brother and friend of Jesus my Lord and King! That we are free from the chains of sin! This grace that i did not deserve, it was shown to me, and it set me free indeed!(john 8:36)
Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing grace
The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine
You are forever mine
And indeed, blessed are the Poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven!
came at8:58 PM
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
HAHA SHORT. i just realised.
came at8:27 PM
A very short post today, im waiting for my food to settle before i go bathe. then my sister eat slow, so i use her com...(she listens to justin bieber! forgive her for she knows not what she has done...just kiddding, haha i really have nothing against him)
anyway yes. Its one again another of those situations where a fresh revelation dawned upon me! as i was sitting outside the exam hall, waiting to go in. Every student around me(and i really mean EVERY), was either panicking somehow or like frantically trying to get some last minute revision done. And i was just sitting there, calm like never before. In fact, the only time i was close to this calm, was yesterday before my SS paper, cause i was mentally prepared to fail. If there was one thing not absolutely calm in my today, it wasn't anxiety, it was excitement.
Why, you may ask. (i shall not post like a normal blog, haha quite exciting.) it all happened, a few months ago, after my Prelim 1. Besides having a fluke failure(this fluke failure being a negative fluke, Physics), i personally reckoned, i had a fluke C5, this for my chem. i really had no idea at all what was going on during the whole paper, and i was actually pleasantly surprised with a C5, and that, is not normal. (why is her mouse so sensitive?!) anyyways, during the PTM, my chem teacher said this, (slightly paraphrased)"Your son is blah blah blah(very positive comments=D), and he did generally well for this prelim! judging from statistics, if he continues to work hard, he should be able to get an A2!" This, actually quite irritated me, he spoke as if, getting an A2 for me was SUCH a HUGE ACHIEVEMENT. And i really didnt wanna see that happen. Hence, for this whole prelim, i focused greatly on my chem, to the extent that i neglecting everything else(DONT EVER DO THAT)!
So here i've finished about say close to 2/3s of the 10 year series, and i really have revised all that i could. i cant even say, "i should've used the time i spent on other my humans to study my chem" cause i already did that. i had put in my well, close to 100% for this. and although i dont claim to be absolutely knowledgeable in chem right now, i would say i was amply prepared. (and im not claiming im gonna like, do super well for the paper, it was tough. haha.) But here's my point. I was absolutely calm then, sitting outside that exam hall, actually feeling excited. why? because i had done all i could, i had peace within, assurance within, and immediately a revelation dawned upon me so clear, its amazing how God chooses to use things like these to speak to me.
It was a beautiful parallel to life! Right there all around me, were people who hadn't so completely done their revision probably because they indulged themselves in fun during the hols. They were insecure, and realised that their times up, now, all scrambling for help. It is like all those people, who spent their lives living the way they want to. and when they near death, or before death, or worse, before the judgment throne of God, they become desperate! But by then, its too late, for they have rejected God all their lives, and by then, it would be too late(though they would still reject God even then!)!
However, i, on the other hand, was calm, and even excited for what lies ahead. and amidst the paper, i did not feel disappointed, and im happy with how things went. It is like the beautiful perfect assurance i will have before i die, while people fret for the mystery that lies ahead, i know full well where im heading, and with a life fully consecrated to God, reaching that which i have been living for, to finally die, and be reunited with my Father, Brother, and King, bearing the family likeness that i have been promised(Rom 8:29, Heb 10:14). The only thing i feeling i could possibly have, is excitement for that life ahead! And now as i live i can say with full conviction,
"To live is Christ, to die is gain!"(Phil 1:21) That i will continue to live for His glory, and toil for His sake, all for my future glory that lies ahead. This is the Power of Christ in me.
In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone! who took on flesh
Fulness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.
Sola Christus!
came at7:55 PM
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
God in our studying?
Okay, i really couldnt think of a better title. There are like so many things that i want to blog about, that i couldnt be bothered at all, but just, and really just, a revelation dawned upon me so deep, that i just had to come here to blog about it. (plus i dont feel like studying anyway.)
O faithful readers, do you remember my post about Ecclesiastes? Vanity of Vanities? i had a point there, and the post explored, somewhat, how life was futile, and useless without God. Yet looking at it from a slightly (and i do mean slightly) different angle, you can see it this way-
If God is not in my toiling, i toil in vain!and to put it in context of my life currently, yeap, you guessed it,
If God is not in my studying, I study in vain! Im gonna let that sink in first.
As you guys know, im having my prelims now! and prior to my prelims, i have been studying quite hard(for my sciences at least... with the exception of the Youth Camp week which i must say, took quite a toll.). Plus, i cant study at home, so i usually study in church, and usually get home late, so sometimes,i just do a devotional and then sleep. And this cycle sorta repeats itself, though not entirely always. like sometimes i'd also read the bible, and other times, i'd dump both. For in the flesh i am still weak and imperfect, but thank God that His grace is sufficient for me, and His power is perfected in my weakness!
But yes, i have seemed to put studying subconsciously as a priority in life, over time with God, over studying the one most important and enriching thing ever- the Holy Writ.
I guess its worse for me in some sense because i suppose maybe some of you, in order to motivate yourself to study, have found your purpose for studying in God. But, this is gonna sound weird, but i enjoy studying. (and i only realised this when i actually started studying...should've started earlier...hahaha) But then today, (it started from Sunday actually, but today it was oh so strong a conviction) i question dawned upon me, why do i study? Cause i like it? Why do you study? to get a good grades? and then what? a good job? for what? to enjoy life? and then what? die?
To gain all the knowledge, what for? The bible says this three times explicitly, and im sure many times more inferentially, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?"(Mark 8:36, Luke 9:25, Matt 16:26) And i saw myself subtly falling into this. If i do not study for the glory of God, what use is my studying ultimately? it would be like another of my useless works that would be burned up in the flame, leaving behind nothing but ashes before the throne of God.
The cliche phrase is true,"Christianity is not a religion, its a relationship." For the core of christianity is this, that we are
adopted as Children of God, through first and foremost the propitiation of out sins,
by grace through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now let that sink in for a moment too, for the richness of that is probably the greatest blessing of all!
This relationship between Father and son, needs very much to be invested into, and should be top priority above all! 1 Cor 10:31, do I truly do all things for His glory? Do I honour God by being skillful in my work?(Pro 22:29) Am i a good steward of what He has given me? Do i remain humble knowing that all i have is given by Him, and that all i have, is Him? Do other people see me not as me, but as Christ in me? (2 Cor 13:5)
God, be my everything.
came at9:43 PM
