Grace is when we are given something that we don’t deserve
What got me thinking about God’s grace in my life was the process of praying and seeking out God’s will in my life. The thing with Christian life is that we think we’ve done something for God and that we have some right to ask God to give us His best. The truth is, we as sinners have no right to ask God for His love and blessing!
When God gives us His best in our lives it is because He loves us so so much. And that’s grace.
I didn't deserve alot my college years, not the way I was going about things anyway. Of the many things I didn't deserve, two things stand out:
JCA
Other people were praying for a good Christian community, they were searching hungering after more, but not me. I was content at another church although I wasn’t being stretched, I was at least comfortable.
I didn’t deserve JCA, but God graciously provided pastor Matt who prayed a lot for a bunch of clueless sophomores, who are now graduating and want to continue to serve God
God graciously provided examples of people who would lay down their lives, take up the cross to follow Christ daily. These were the grads from Penn who came to Atlanta without jobs because in faith they knew that God wanted them to plant a church. Through them God showed me what a radical life for Christ looked like, and what choices one sometimes had to make to live for Him.
God graciously provided two family group servants, Julia and Pastor Fred, who taught me more through the things that didn’t say than through the things that they did say. They taught me through their actions, the way the lived their lives and the way the loved our family group. They taught so that I would know how to love people 2 years later in my own family group.
JCA was something that I didn’t deserve, but that God chose to bless me with.
Friends
I was content with the friends I had from back home in Singapore. In fact, for most of freshman year, I tried desperately to hang on to those relationships at the expense of relationships with people here. I wasn’t looking for more friends, I just wanted to keep my old ones.
But God graciously gave a group of friends with whom I could share and pray with, from freshman year, and who are here in this very room. They were persistent in including me in the things they did, despite my reluctance. God used these friends to support, encourage, stretch and love me, when I wasn’t loving them.
And then while serving at JCA, God graciously provided people who encourage, push and pray for me to keep serving God. I call them my running mates, my pacing partners. These peers, the rest of the graduating seniors, have inspired, challenged and taught me what it means for an upper classmen to love the underclassmen. These are the friends with whom I have shared the ups and downs of ministry. These are the people placed in my life because God knows we can’t do ministry alone.
As you even think about your past year, regardless of what stage in life you’re at, when you see God’s goodness and realize that you don’t deserve any of it -- That’s grace. And I’ve learnt that the correct response to grace is, Romans 12:1: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”
And then God just gives us His best because He is so full of grace.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Monday, February 12, 2007
The Joys of Life!
Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. -Ecclesiastes 9:7
My application from Bible Study today was Enjoy Life, Every Day!
That's what I believe Paul was refering to when he said
"Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say: Rejoice!" -Philippians 4:4
and when the Pslamist said
"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!" -Pslams 118:24
Those commands are supposed to be freeing, and yet I never felt free after hearing Paul say we must rejoice always; it was the sort of command that I saw as another Christian-to-do!
"Man, I have to find joy in suffering" = "Man, I have to put on a good face, go through the suffering, and let it show like it's affecting me"
I guess I realise that my Christian life up to this point has been somewhat puritan, because I've denied myself of alot of pleasures and in so doing, denied myself of alot of the joys of life.
But man, am I wrong!
I believe God never meant for us to live life joylessly, stretching and challenging ourselves daily so that we are tired for God (take up your cross daily, that life seems like it would be a hard one!). Alot of Christians don't hate the life they live, but they don't enjoy it as much as they should. I guess that's what makes non-Christians think twice about wanting to be Christian. Heck, it makes me think twice about asking my friends to be Christian, I mean, i know God is good to me, I know heaven is a great place, and as a Christian, we have a place in heaven, but heaven's still some time away, what's the point of subjecting them to this busy, challenging life that we are called to live?
Here's the answer. Christian life is enjoyable. Period. God gives us things in life to celebrate and enjoy (hey, what else are tastebuds for?) family, friends, good results, marraige, children; even the little things, like a glimpse of your favourite flower blooming in your garden, like a beautiful sunrise, like an old friend calling, like your favourite song on a radio.... (I could keep going). Those things are presents from God, things that God knows will bring us Joy. Our response should be to enjoy them.
The problem occurs when we start thinking that those things are the things that bring us joy. We think that we will be happy once we have a family, once we get that good job, if we eat enough chocolate, if we are skinny enough. Those things will never bring us joy apart from God. The little joys of life are part of the bigger joy of God, given to us so that we understand God's love better, so that we understand God better! Also, joy just helps us to live life easier, they are enouragements from God on our Christian journey that isn't always easy, but isn't supposed to be as arduous as we make it out to be!
What are some practical things we can do, to enjoy life? (After living this puritan Christian life for so long, I actually have to stop and relearn how to enjoy life! I've been wrong a long time!)
1) Be thankful!
2) Be positive - wake up in the mornings expecting to be surpised, expecting that God has planned your day with little joys along the way!
3) Do the things you enjoy, so that you can enjoy the things you do on a day to day basis! (great philosophy with trying to find the right major/career path)
4) Find things you can enjoy about the things that you must do (I'm willing to study now, even though the classes are tough, knowing that I'll be able to get a job that allows me to helps people who have AIDS around the world. Knowing that brings me joy!)
5) play with kids!
6) Slow down! Stop rushing around! because rushing causes you to do things mechanically and hence forget what you once enjoyed about the things you do!
The point of the joys in your life is to allow you to enjoy God, and help you love Him more. Our God is a good God, enjoy Him through the daily things, today.
This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!
My application from Bible Study today was Enjoy Life, Every Day!
That's what I believe Paul was refering to when he said
"Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say: Rejoice!" -Philippians 4:4
and when the Pslamist said
"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!" -Pslams 118:24
Those commands are supposed to be freeing, and yet I never felt free after hearing Paul say we must rejoice always; it was the sort of command that I saw as another Christian-to-do!
"Man, I have to find joy in suffering" = "Man, I have to put on a good face, go through the suffering, and let it show like it's affecting me"
I guess I realise that my Christian life up to this point has been somewhat puritan, because I've denied myself of alot of pleasures and in so doing, denied myself of alot of the joys of life.
But man, am I wrong!
I believe God never meant for us to live life joylessly, stretching and challenging ourselves daily so that we are tired for God (take up your cross daily, that life seems like it would be a hard one!). Alot of Christians don't hate the life they live, but they don't enjoy it as much as they should. I guess that's what makes non-Christians think twice about wanting to be Christian. Heck, it makes me think twice about asking my friends to be Christian, I mean, i know God is good to me, I know heaven is a great place, and as a Christian, we have a place in heaven, but heaven's still some time away, what's the point of subjecting them to this busy, challenging life that we are called to live?
Here's the answer. Christian life is enjoyable. Period. God gives us things in life to celebrate and enjoy (hey, what else are tastebuds for?) family, friends, good results, marraige, children; even the little things, like a glimpse of your favourite flower blooming in your garden, like a beautiful sunrise, like an old friend calling, like your favourite song on a radio.... (I could keep going). Those things are presents from God, things that God knows will bring us Joy. Our response should be to enjoy them.
The problem occurs when we start thinking that those things are the things that bring us joy. We think that we will be happy once we have a family, once we get that good job, if we eat enough chocolate, if we are skinny enough. Those things will never bring us joy apart from God. The little joys of life are part of the bigger joy of God, given to us so that we understand God's love better, so that we understand God better! Also, joy just helps us to live life easier, they are enouragements from God on our Christian journey that isn't always easy, but isn't supposed to be as arduous as we make it out to be!
What are some practical things we can do, to enjoy life? (After living this puritan Christian life for so long, I actually have to stop and relearn how to enjoy life! I've been wrong a long time!)
1) Be thankful!
2) Be positive - wake up in the mornings expecting to be surpised, expecting that God has planned your day with little joys along the way!
3) Do the things you enjoy, so that you can enjoy the things you do on a day to day basis! (great philosophy with trying to find the right major/career path)
4) Find things you can enjoy about the things that you must do (I'm willing to study now, even though the classes are tough, knowing that I'll be able to get a job that allows me to helps people who have AIDS around the world. Knowing that brings me joy!)
5) play with kids!
6) Slow down! Stop rushing around! because rushing causes you to do things mechanically and hence forget what you once enjoyed about the things you do!
The point of the joys in your life is to allow you to enjoy God, and help you love Him more. Our God is a good God, enjoy Him through the daily things, today.
This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!
Sunday, January 21, 2007
ahhhh!!
Because i have to let it out there, because i'm so excited, because I know that somewhere in the near future I am going to forget this, forget this moment.....
I just want to say....
I love preparing Bible Study. I love it when I'm preparing Bible study and the Word just comes alive, and things that never made sense before, suddenly make sense, and are applicable to my life. I get so excited, my mind races with a thousand thoughts and my hand can't keep pace with it. (this is how excited I am, it's 1am, i'm tired, and jetlagged, but i just want to keep reading the Bible. How often does that happen???? ). Wow, the Word is great!
(you won't catch me saying that too often.......)
By myself, I am inadequate, not enough love, not enough wisdom, not enough knowledge, not enough charisma, not enough interpersonal skills. Inadequate on my own, but made adequate, emopwered by Christ, so that I can fulfil His ministry calling for me.
Man.... the Bible is great! Man... loving others is great!!!! Ministry is great!!!!!!!!!!!
I just want to say....
I love preparing Bible Study. I love it when I'm preparing Bible study and the Word just comes alive, and things that never made sense before, suddenly make sense, and are applicable to my life. I get so excited, my mind races with a thousand thoughts and my hand can't keep pace with it. (this is how excited I am, it's 1am, i'm tired, and jetlagged, but i just want to keep reading the Bible. How often does that happen???? ). Wow, the Word is great!
(you won't catch me saying that too often.......)
By myself, I am inadequate, not enough love, not enough wisdom, not enough knowledge, not enough charisma, not enough interpersonal skills. Inadequate on my own, but made adequate, emopwered by Christ, so that I can fulfil His ministry calling for me.
Man.... the Bible is great! Man... loving others is great!!!! Ministry is great!!!!!!!!!!!
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