A Reason to Smile

My faith gives me so much, I don't even fully comprehend it. Loving really does give you so much strength, and my belief gives me a lot of understanding. I don't think I've ever grasped how much God's given me before. And I'll still be continuing to learn as time goes on.

I also never understood how our Christian communities helped us. There was so much political drama and hypocritical junk going on. Truth be told, I was sick of it. I haven't really ever supported Christian community. But I was wrong on a few counts. Yes, we're hypocrites and we will continue to be sinners always. We fail, and we disappoint, but that's where I have to pray for my community, for my Church. I often forget that it is a spiritual battle that we fight in our daily lives that we neglect to realize or remember. Our supporting and loving one another (as we would ourselves) makes us so strong in ways we don't even realize till we get a glimpse of how the world deals with their problems.

I am so so blessed. And thankful.

I also realized one other thing today. What keeps me joyful or happy each day. What is my reason for being positive.

I know, and can define, at this point in my life, that what keeps me going day after day is knowing that my life is precious. My life is obtained and someone actually loved me; thought I was worthy enough– made me worthy enough: to rescue me. Bring me back from an eternity of death. What keeps me going is knowing that I’m loved, and knowing that at the end of the day, I’ll be reunited with that Lover, and till then, with all my heart and gratitude and love, I’ll do anything for Him, because I love Him. I don’t have to work towards anything, but I work, not because I have to slave away all my life to achieve the reward at the end, but because I’m a willing slave for love, for my Lover, my God, my Friend and King.

And life is so sweet. Even when its bitter.

Hallelujah!

Not the Salvation Story

When talking to my dear non-christian friends and family about Christianity I've always come across an obstacle which I haven't been able to answer. Most of the people we know aren't going to be extreme psychopath murderers. (No offense to people who do know... you know.) But most of the people we know are "average" good citizens. Sure make fun of the annoyingly strict teacher, throw a swear word every now and then, God won't strike you down for lying to your Mother that you've eaten lunch right? And booking only one strictly four-person room at a hotel when you have five in your family, no big. So why do these people who don't lie, cheat, murder, steal, need a saviour? They're good, decent, nice.

So when they hear the salvation story, which tbh they've heard over and over and over, they get the impression that they don't need Jesus. Only bad people need Jesus to forgive them. They're sinners and have committed all those terrible crimes. Its a wonderful thing: karma.

But that's not how the world works.

Take a pregnant teenage mother for purposes of illustrating a point. Yes, she slept around and got pregnant, got an STD, say AIDS, and so she's destined to die. There you go, karma for her. She was a 'slut' so she's getting what she deserved. She's your "standard sinner"? No she isn't.

The "standard sinner", would actually be her baby. The baby born from a scandal. The baby born with AIDS. Its not the baby's fault that its born with AIDS, but its still a baby with AIDS. It still can't be healed. Its still destined to die. There's no one (other than the mother technically) to blame for this baby's fate, and there's nothing that can be done about the fact that the baby will die...

...Unless you believe in grace. And miracles. That the baby would be miraculously healed of this disease for which there's no discoverable cure so far by the hand of man.

This is an illustration of course. (You should know by now I love them. ;) )

But my point is,

We're all born with Sin. We might do good things in our life, or try our best to be the outstanding citizen. You might be the nicest chap around. You might be the straight A student who doesn't drink or do drugs, or smoke or party. But its hard to accept this fact: you're still born with sin. You're the baby born with AIDS. You didn't cause this occurrence (technically Eve Adam did). But you're born with a corrupt nature (the "AIDS"). And because of this, to gain eternal life (vs eternal death), you need a miracle.

And that's where we come to the salvation story. That miracle is Jesus Christ.

Betraying Friendships

A lot of us have suffered betrayal. Could have been anything, from a friend backstabbing you, or a friend telling a secret they had promised to keep, or a friend letting you down, to a friend who just stopped caring.

It makes us turn bitter. Causes us to stop trusting. It caused me to stop wanting to trust. I actually liked the idea of shutting everyone all out to protect myself. It would be smart wouldn't it? Yet its funny how God works.

Yes, at three four am in the morning He decided to hit me with a realization just as I"m going to bed.

Judas was probably what would count as Jesus' close friends.Jesus knew Him well. Taught Him. Fellowshipped; spent time with him. For three years. The part that we all claim to understand, but simply find it so hard to live by is this:

Even though Jesus knew Judas was going to betray Him, Jesus still loved Judas. He even washed His feet the very night Judas goes out to deliver Him to the Pharisees. Jesus is amazing. He showed one of the best examples of loving a friend who hurts you– even if the other person could and would betray your trust. That's love. True and unconditional.

I think God let me feel the hurt of misplaced trust to teach me how to keep loving and caring for my friends despite all the hurt I might face. Trust however, is placed not in men, but in Him. And He's taught me to forgive.

I also experience the pain He feels when I myself betray Him; When I turn away. He's let me learn about His heart and how He sees things. It makes me appreciate His sacrifice, patience, compassion and unconditional continual loving all the more.

Purpose in Life

We're always told that we have a purpose in Life. Still, many people ask what the point of living is.

I don't know how people perceive me, but I'm actually pretty much a pessimist and a realist, I know that being a realist seems to contradict "blind" faith altogether, but what people tend to misunderstand that it is in fact the spiritual world that is more real that anything we can ever physically see. We are so limited by what we can see.

Anyways, being a realist and a pessimist, I acknowledge and understand where people would be coming from if they asked what the point of living is. Lots of people have different motivations for living. I don't know all of them, but I do know one of the more simple reasons why there's a point in living. And I know its totally cliche, but its something that we need constant reminder of, and its so basic that everyone knows it but many people completely miss the point of it. Here goes:

I know that Jesus died for me and that gift of life is a gift of the highest value. How can I just spit in God's face and tell Him His gift isn't good enough for me?

So that's one of my reasons for living. Aside from acknowledging that my work in life is not finished left, I live out of gratitude, respect and Love for God, for His gift of life. Even though I am scum, totally deserving of death and torture, I have been given the greatest gift that could be given, and I would be a total jerk and a complete idiot to give that gift away so easily. Its as simple as that.

At the Crossroads of Life and Death

Sometimes, when we grow up in a certain setting we feel we do not really have to choose where we end up.

But the line between eternal life and eternal death is actually really thin.

Do not let the Devil have a foothold.

Yet "Trust in the Lord", a phrase so easy to say, so hard to keep.

A phrase that means everything when you stand on the line between two of the oldest enemies in "Time".

And if you ever do, which I hope you never have to, I pray you pray God gives you strength. I pray that you remember, Jesus died for you. Its such a basic, simple statement that we all know, and many were brought up on it, its so simple, but think about that statement. Everything, the purest, most beautiful, righteous, glorious, He became, defiled, slain, cursed, for you.

For you, a broken being. For you, forever struggling. For you, always in pain. For you, always seeking for more. For you, a greedy, selfish creature. For you, self-centered, and self-serving. For you, a human. Why are you throwing it all away? Why are you throwing love away? Why are you throwing life away? Why are you throwing hope away?

You are loved. I promise you. There is hope. There is a reason to keep going on. There is a reason why. Even if you may not see it now, trust. And let Him be in control. He knows where you're going, now and always. And I pray, we make it to the end.



He died for you.

The Lesson of Brokenness

Sometimes in order for God to bless you, you need to be broken.

Weak, humble, all of your securities of this world and physical life need to be gone. Your strongest strength taken from you, then God can bless you and give you eternal and lasting strength that can do anything, even the impossible. You must lose yourself to God, to find yourself in God.

Jacob learnt this lesson in a painful way. His strong hipbone shattered. Only then did God bless him and rename him Israel. And his life was changed.

"There is nothing more I need than You,
Nothing I have seen has been more beautiful,
Nothing I have learnt more true,
Than coming to know more of You.

Having been touched by you,
The rest of the whole world fades,
Been broken down,
So I can rise again.

You break me to made me,
You kill me to heal me,
You're in me, I'm in You,
You love me, and I love You."