Remember the Lord

Another year has come and gone so quickly and now its 2012. We are getting older, moving up the ladder of life. Primary school to secondary school to college to uni to work. Things are changing.

The emergence of technology especially social network, political turmoil, economical shifts and ideas of new bills. Our world is changing and moving along at a rather, face pace. It is easy to get caught in the motion of things and just “go with the flow”. Before you know it, life has come and gone and you ask yourself, where has God been?

In Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the Israelites that man does NOT live on bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. True that the bread meant food to them during that time when they were starving in the desert, but let me interpret it slightly differently - since most of us NEVER have to starve, it is things that "keep us going". Such as Facebook, friends, clothes, family, education, money, twitter, partner etc etc etc.

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not like on “bread” alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD Deuteronomy 8:3

God sent them to wander in the desert. Why? They rebelled and sinned against God. They forgot Him. They lived their own lives and complained how they wanted to go back into Egypt. They lost sight of God and His power. God took away their “bread”, causing them to hunger and turn to Him for hope. When they came back to God, He gave them His “bread” instead.

Often when going through life, it becomes easy to lose sight of God. “Yeaaa I'm a Christian, I go to church, but I think I'm going to do my own thing for now”, sounds familiar right? God loves us so much. So much that He sent His son to die on the cross so that you may live. That is how much He loves us. So much so that He would not let us stray away, and thus He would bring us back.

Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you Deuteronomy 8:5

Do not wait until your desert experience takes place and to be broken down only to come back to Him. Live your eternal life NOW. So think about the state of your life now and all that has happened, is God the center of it or are you just wandering in the desert of life?

- Alex Tan

Images taken from:
http://www.mylot.com/w/photokeywords/busy+traffic.aspx?googleimgr=&kw=busy%20traffic
http://www.cv.nrao.edu/course/astr534/Introradastro.html

A Love so Amazing

For those who already seen this commercial from Bernas, would more or less agree that it leaves a certain impact to each of us in a very special way.

I'm glad that for once, there's a CNY commercial that really speaks of real family issues instead of the "superficial" warm and "all is well" impression. That there are families who go through real struggles of not seeing eye-to-eye, a total lack of filial piety (not knowing what that is? It's time you go search it up guys!) and how we often hurt the ones that love us the most.

To me, it kind of showed how much the son is not repentant in many ways, especially after the fact that he has wronged his father and left the family in such a manner. Despite going through hard labour in a construction site, I thought he would had tasted hardship and realize how much his father had to work to feed the family.. but he didn't.

And for a Chinese family, it means so much to see a father of such stature to cry in tears. As I watch through this scene, it moves my heart so much to know how much pain this father must have felt to see his own beloved son to be in this state - torn and crippled.

But what made it even more moving was the fact that how the son wronged him first and utmost where the father had all "rights" to disown him as son but, he didn't. He in fact went all out and ensure that his son could walk back on his 2 feet once more.

As I was talking to Gary about this commercial, at first it felt like it was showing of the parable of the prodigal son but then Gary then told me, "Nope, the son didn't repent and came back to his father in tears."

"True."

Then it quickly dawn upon me that it's in fact speaking directly about the Father's love on the Cross for us, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:8"

And hence forth, this commercial is in fact.. an universal one. A love that we all can relate to, a love that we know is entirely undeserving. Likewise, may it be a reminder to us as followers and beloved children of Christ to always love others - as how He loved us!

Have a blessed time of CNY, for the remaining days of it! CNY isn't essentially about red packets, gambling or fireworks for the matter - it's the family. :)

- daryl 's u n d a e' heng

Video take from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OqOHxwRy04
(BERNAS | Chinese New Year Commercial - Family Reunion Dinner "Sek Fan" English)

A Revering Encounter

Recently, a sister has been sharing her issues to me. She has finally decided to work out her faith with all seriousness; she knew she has been carrying a baggage that has been eating up her faith inside out. She also told me that she never realize it has been that way because normally, she waits for God to use someone to tell her what’s going wrong in her spiritual walk with Him.

In the book of Exodus when Moses was leading the Israelites, everyone knew Moses talked to God face to face, but as we read in Exodus 20 : 18-19 :

“And all the people saw the thundering, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak to us, lest we die.”

That sister never knew she could face God face to face as Moses did, she always thought God will always speak to her in mysterious ways that she can never understand. That’s not true at all, we have not come to call our Heavenly Father as our personal Saviour for no reason. Some of us do not know because we either lack the initiation to find out or is still very young in the faith. In her case, she was never even exposed to such possibility. For some, its exactly where the Israelites stand, they know God is there but is too afraid, “lest we die”!

Why? Because we fear change. We are only willing to change when the cost is affordable and convenient, but when it starts to cost us a lot, we’ll stop. We hate to be in corners in our lives, we want “freedom” to roam, to stop and go as we wish and live comfortably without boundaries in the name of the 3 best friends (me, myself and I ). Sometimes we rationalize and say, “It’s not like I’m entirely living my life without God, I don’t curse, I do go to church, I don’t steal and I still care for my brothers and sisters in Christ. Can you start to see the “do’s and don’t’s”?

Because we start to feel the cornering, facing God directly ourselves is not what the fear wants to work with. We want someone else to filter that for us and tell us things we hope to hear like “you’re fine, you’re doing okay etc.”

1 Peter 4 : 1

“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for He hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that He no longer should live the rest of His time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.”

Here we need to remind ourselves the renewing of our mind. Don’t just see the process, see the objective why God put us through such “cornering” in our lives.

Allow me to put it in a different perspective. If you want something so badly - for example being the best badminton player, do you honestly think you will mind all that pain and commitment in the practices, routines and time spent?

You wont. Why? Because the motivation to be the best, to be acknowledged by your peers, parents and relative, the feeling of satisfaction in achievement in your life pushes you through all the way.

And then when we come to know our sinfulness and how much it destroys us and making us inevitably the object of wrath without any hope, we come to know the amazing grace of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. We told Him our lives is Yours, Your glory and Your name I do my best to live my life to it.

Sadly, as young Christians, we don’t exactly understand what it really means to surrender our entire lives to Him. Thankfully, God is full of mercy and love (That’s how we come to understand how rich it is as well, though obviously it’s not an excuse to keep failing Him).

Facing God and allowing Him to change us even though its going to be very difficult and often very painful is necessary. But let our motivation be focused, we do it because we love Him. We do it because we are reminded where we were before we met the Lord. We do it because we understand and is convicted fully, that God loves us . And when you’re finally back to business with our Father, well guess what?

You’re living the faith.

No more religion, no more do’s and don’ts. If you do not understand what it means to face God in such a personal direct manner, do come for our youth retreat this March! We will be dwelling on a longer session on the spiritual discipline of meditation. If you can’t wait that long and want to be serious with God right now, you’re more than welcome to approach me directly (I’m not a guru yet so don’t expect that much out of me!)

If you’re currently stuck at where the Israelites at, I hope this post may remind you why you’re doing what you’re doing. Don’t take it the wrong way, I’ve been where the Israelites were so many times myself but I continue to strive, two steps front, one step back.

Phil 4 : 13

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

- Gary Heng

Images are taken from :

http://www.handofgod.com.au/page133.php
http://www.freefoto.com/preview/05-08-5/Cross-on-a-Hill
http://h3sean.com/subtle-compromise/
http://footstepsacademy.org/