How Great is He! :D

Hi dear reader and wonderful creation of the Almighty (=,

i’m Zhuo’er, your sister in Christ. This is the my first time posting an entry on the blog through which our Heavenly Father used to change the course of my life (upon reading this blog 2 years ago, i receive the calling & challenge to be enrolled in ACS(I) instead of my then dream school RJC, to serve and to encounter Him). i would like to share a portion of the vast amount of blessings that He has bestowed upon me in this little entry.

Have you ever struggled to hear from God’s? i did, still do, and probably will too. i find it difficult to hear from Him especially when i’m preoccupied and overwhelmed with the never-ending, ever-waiting, always pressing cornucopia of work. However, today i came to a deeper understanding of his love and faithfulness manifested in His ever-present messages to me (i believe His personal messages are always there for each of us, it’s up to us to recognize & receive).

After a long day, i boarded a bus and was ready to spend my time reading Bio notes. However, my eyes were drawn to the TV Mobile instead. The thing that caught my attention were the TMV Quotes in the following order:

1) The greatest virtues are ones that are most useful to other persons.
2) The one surest sign of knowledge is teaching.
3) Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.
4) Misfortune shows those who are not really friends.

Then the still small voice spoke clearly to my heart and mind. God actually used these quotes and brought to my remembrance relevant verses from the Bible to edify me! In essence, He challenged and encouraged me to be a blessing to others and warned me against falling into a state of self-serving propensity (Philippians 2:4) . He also reminded me to guard the joy of the Lord and do my work with good cheer knowing that it’s by His strength, for His glory and for the purpose of being a blessing to others now and in the near future. Through the last quote, God prompted me to treasure the true friendship i’ve gained in Him, and be a true friend to my friends, to be there for them when misfortunes fall upon them

Through this brief but impactful encounter, I once again realize how much God wants to speak, to fellowship and to edify me out of His loving-kindness, mercy and love. The ground is level at the foot of the Cross and we are all equal in His sight. The God Almighty who ordained the magnificent Universe at His Word is mindful of you, He cares for you (Psalm 8:3-4) !

Friedrich Nietzsche said, “God is dead”. i beg to differ, because God has shown Himself alive to me by speaking into my heart and soul with such intimacy and relevance. i sincerely pray that we’ll be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit and more attuned to His voice in our daily lives, keeping in mind that God is always available, always attentive, always waiting, for you and i. <3

In truth, love and humility,
Zhuo’er (:

p.s. Here’s a verse to meditate on:
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

God's Goodness

Life is so hard! No, i'm not whining or complaining, i'm stating a fact.

I, for one, have had a hard day - major discouragements, being upset with people; situations. I'm sure there are many others each of you have experienced at some point. But let us always remember to look to God for he loves us so! Today, on crosswalk.com, part of the devotions read:

"FROM THE FATHERS HEART:
My child, do you know how much I enjoy blessing My children? Do you understand that all I want for you are good things? But it is also My goodness that forgives and prods your heart when it needs changing. It is My goodness that allows tests to come your way. It is my goodness that holds you in the palm of My hand and will not let you go. I love you, My child."

Isn't it so wonderful to know that this is what we mean to God! He wants to give us all the good things. Even when things seem to be going all wrong, it is reassuring to know that God definitely has a better plan for us in mind. His goodness allows tests to come our way. God does not want us to be 'spoilt' Christians who get everything we ask for. Through the trials he allows us to endure, he wants us to grow stronger in Him, to learn to trust Him more, so that we may allow Him to do even bigger works in us; so that He can bless us even more. Ultimately, God loves us, and he wants us to be happy. He is good not because he makes us happy all the time by granting all our wishes, but because he does everything in our best interests. Thus we can find peace and joy in Him and His love at all times.

As i was doing QT this evening, God placed a song in my heart that really touched me. You could say He wanted to comfort me... It's quite a common one, At The Cross. For those who are unfamiliar:

O Lord, You searched me,
You know my way.
Even when i fail You,
I know You love me.

Your Holy presence,
Surrounding me.
In every season,
I know You love me.

At the cross i bow my knee
Where Your blood was shed for me.
There's no greater love than this.
You have overcome the grave,
Your glory fills the highest place.
What can separate me now?

You go before me,
You shield my way,
Your hand upholds me.
I know You love me.

You tore the veil,
You made a way
When You said that it is done.

And when the earth fades,
Falls from my eyes,
You stand before me.
I know You love me.

Yes, let us always remember that NO MATTER WHAT, God loves us. He is always good to us, even in difficult times.
Our dear sister Petrina once shared an email about remembering the positive things, and giving thanks for them.
Let us do this, in rememberance of God's goodness to us. If we would just take some time off our oh-so-busy lives each day to reflect on the blessings God's given to us so freely, we will really find that there's so much more to be thankful for, and that in itself can give us the strength to pull through the challenges in life, no matter how hard(: God bless you all!

Love,
Felicia.

John 15:12 "My command is this: Love one another as I have loved you."

1 Samuel 15: 22-3 "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry."

Hearing my pastor share on this passage in the Bible, the fall of King Saul due to his disobedience to God's word, brought to mind many things that had happened the past day. It is a difficult message to write on, but something I feel compelled nonetheless to share. 

For those who have read James 2, or were with us yesterday at Bible Study.. =) Sometimes in our christian walk, we may struggle with the concept of faith and deeds. Hebrews 11 explicitly says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God...", while in James 2 we find a strangely jarring statement "You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." How can we define faith? Can we, and should we contrast the fiery evangelist and the so-called 'lukewarm' christians? The thief on the cross in Luke 23 certainly had done nothing, no good deeds in his life to redeem him in the eyes of Jesus, yet his simple profession of faith, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." gave Him the assurance of salvation, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

I believe the reading of James calls for a revision of what 'faith' and what 'deeds' are. And this is where obedience to God's will comes in. Reading 1 Samuel 15, Saul certainly appeared to have strong faith in the Lord, and deeds as well, intending to take the best of the enemy's sheep and cattle 'in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.' But the Lord's explicit commands to him were, "the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.", leading Samuel to reply "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams..."Despite Saul's faith, and the deeds that he had intended, his disobedience to God's will cost him his crown. 

Too often we try to rationalize our faith and our deeds, worrying whether we've done enough, passing judgment on other people's faith... When it all boils down to simple obedience to God's will. And what is this obedience? Jesus says in Luke 9: 23 "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Dying to our old selves, and coming to embrace the new self that Christ's sacrifice on the cross has freed us to become =) This I believe, are the deeds James speaks of, obedience to God's will, that natural expression of our faith.

And is this faith? I've heard of so-called practical atheists, who view christianity as some sort of 'marshmallow grace' (to quote Ben Sim), made of hypocrites who continue sinning, and only have to just say sorry and they will be resolved of their guilt, to continue sinning again. I'm not here to pass judgment on anyone, but to just simply state that no amount of apology on our part, or deeds for that matter, can reconcile us to God other than through the blood of Jesus Christ. And this I believe, is how the first section of James 2 comes in, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."The chasm between us and the Lord at the start is inevitable, given our sin and God's perfect and moral character, starting from the Fall at the Garden of Eden, where we stopped being fully human in the sense of separation from God. And so it is by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross alone that we can be reunited with our heavenly Father once again, and freed to be truly human in this reconciliation =) And that's the power of praying in Jesus' name, not just mere apologies, but true repentance and a commitment to a new way of life! "But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." (James 5:20) And so faith is that combination of repentance and obedience, that make up true belief in Christ.

For this reason I believe that no one can make you feel 'unsaved', much less should we compare our faith against another's and feel more superior or inferior. After all, "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7) Jesus himself highlighted this in the parable of the two sons found in Matthew 21:28-32, the son who responded to father's command to work in the vineyard with "I will, sir" but did not go, while the other answer "I will not" and later changed his mind and went. The pharisees at the time professed their faith, but did not carry out what they preached, while the tax collectors and the prostitutes, initially resistant to the gospel, proved to be the true followers of Christ, obeying God's will. 

For that reason, I can only say on Fusion night 2009, to agree with Ted, in asking 'Lord, complete the work you have started today, if not tonight, then in your own time'. Truly, it was a deeply troubling night that has renewed once again my burden for the people, but nonetheless, I believe God's love alone enough to bear this burden for us all. For in the end "what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice." (Philippians 1:18). I'm guilty myself of judging others many times, struggling with pride and self-righteousness. May God's love alone give me strength to overcome this weakness, and I humbly ask the forgiveness of anyone I may have hurt or made to feel that way ._.

Fusion 2009, 'We LOVE our God.' As Nicole said, it definitely isn't just solely what we want people to see, but rather how we can answer that to God himself. I pray that this declaration will have come from hearts humble in obedience to the almighty God, true hearts of worship, a generation of God's people ready to take up the cross and lay down their lives for Him. And may we continue to look forward, with hope and joy in our hearts, to the day when Christ shall say, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." =)

Nevertheless, I thank the Lord for a truly wonderful event, Fusion, that has brought so many people, from all walks of life and from the many churches of Singapore, to come and celebrate the work He has done in this nation!  Thank you Lord, for the ACJC CF, Andrea, Jeannette and so many others, for the ACS(I) christian ministry, for your many other ministries in the churches and schools all over Singapore, brothers and sisters united as one body of Christ! Truly Lord, it was a wonderful time of worship, lifting hands in praise to you in the quiet lull of that Saturday afternoon =)

God bless,

Petrina