Just thought I'll post up a testimony I wrote to my friend recently on my trip back to Singapore from Ipoh. Hope you'll be blessed by it. We have a good God,amen?enjoy!=)
"It's just so lovely how He shows up even in the little things to make it look so beautiful.
I toke a flight back this time. And from the Johor airport, we would usually board a bus out to the city. While I was buying the tickets, I realised I only have a big note with me and I had to get a smaller change. Looked around me and saw this aunty beside me . I asked her if she had any and she was so quick and willing to give me the change.hee.
I went up the bus and took a seat by myself while she sat on the opposite side of me. didn't make any conversation with her.didn't felt a need to although I do sense that she does occasionally looks at me.who knows,some people may not like it when you get too friendly. So it's best to keep a distance at times.
When we got down from the bus, she asked me, "You need a lift?My son is coming over to pick me"
I was quite surprised then. Never would I have imagine her asking me this question. Everyone would usually take a bus to the immigration, then get down and take the same bus again and again. A very laborious process. Very few would have someone to drive them over to singapore. Even then, i only expected her to drive me over singapore and that itself was good enough.
She later ask me where i am staying. Told her it's in Sembawang. And she offered to give me a ride home even when they are living in the east and had to take the trouble to use the map to get our way there?why???hehe.
Do you know before she offered her help, I went thru so much mental calculation/"worry" on the bus whether I'll be able to get to bs on time.heh.How long it'll take me to take one bus after another, and then the train and finally to walk home?what more with my two big luggage's. I'll surely be late and be all tired out. Not only that, I also brought back a potted plant this time to hang in my room.Just so used to seeing greens at home.hehe. And I even wrap it up hoping I'll pass the scan in the immigration.
But Jesus is good yeah? He not only lighten my load of carrying my bags up and down the bus, but he also cut short the whole process of me having to take public transport. And I didn't have to scan my bag?otherwise my plant would have been confiscated.hehe.Not only that, I reached bs exactly at 730?=)
Do you see Jesus doing the work of by passing the all the stages of "sowing and reaping"?
My worrying cannot stop His favor, His Acceleration in our life. amen?=)
Something He impress to me just now. You know why it's so good to bless others?
It's through your blessing, one testimony is "breed". I am able to share His goodness to you because of one lady who has choose to bless me. Wouldn't that make you want to be the vessel God uses?=)"
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Monday, June 12, 2006
Find Your Place In The Church
The man in the Parable of the talents who hid all his money wasn't praised for his caution. If Christ was referring only to money when he gave this illustration, many of us can forget about it, since we have little money to bury.
But the parable catches us too. Christ wasn't as concerned about money as he was the servants. The talents he told about symbolize our abilities and our natural gifts. Talents such as the ability to sing a solo or to paint a picture are included, but equally important are the small talents which, when added together and used properly, actually become the most dynamic. If we aren't steward of these. their potential will be lost.
What does it mean to be a steward? It implies being included in the management of God's estate. We become God's stewards immediately after we become his children. As God's stewards it's inconsistent to believe we own anything, for he owns us. Do you think it selfish of God to claim ultimate ownership of all we possess?
God didn't institute stewardship for his own sake. Milo Kaiuffman writes: "Christian stewardship inevitably will result in enrichment in life. The greatest value of Christian stewardship is what it does for the individual. When Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell what he had and give to the poor, it wasn't the money that Jesus was especially interested in, it was the young man. It was the rich ruler that Jesus loved, not his possessions.
"Christian stewardship frees us from the tyranny of things, and helps us to a life of freedom and joy through the contribution of self, time, talents, and money to the advancement of the kingdom of Christ...Christian stewardship helps make God real to us. Thinking of God as the owner of our lives, our time, our talent, and our possessions helps us to think of him as a living personality."
To be God's stewards we must first know what we are to be stewards of. Of course we are stewards of all God has given us : love, good health, good family, good friends, good home, good looks, education, talent, influence, social leadership, popularity, business ability, wages, income, material possessions.
And yet, isn't each of us responsible to and use our special "talents"? This requires utmost honesty. yet it's necessary. "What if I do with ardor what a thousand could, maybe/and leave undone forever what was only meant for me?
Feeling of incompetence often keep us from venturing our in areas in which we don't feel secure. Why do we let feeling of incompetence limit us? Where would helen Keller be if she has said, "I can't"?
Isn't it an insult to our Creator if we don't even recognize the gifts he gives us? If we sincerely believe we are made in God's image, we are bound to find strength and ability. Is our God too small, or can we let him use his creativity by letting it flow through us? If we become convinces that we must out ourselves to use, the results may surprise us.
E. Stanley Jones says, "It cannot be insistent too much that abundant living mean abundant giving...Just as you would smother yourself to death if you only breathed in and refused to breathe out, so if you are not outgoing, the whole process of incoming will stop, and you will die spiritually, mentally, and physically. If a cow isn't milked, it will go dry. If you aren't giving out to to others, you, too, will go dry in spirit"
The visible church couldn't exist unless people were willing to contribute their talents and abilities. Such actions not only strengthen the church but also the individual involved. Working and praying together will bind Christ church closer to him. Joseph Murray writes, "The more you do, the more you'll be asked to do. That is the blessed penalty for willingness. The more you do, the more you'll be bale to do. That is the blessed law of effort. The more you do, the more it will mean to you. That is the blessed promise of reward in the Master's service. They know him best who serve him most."
Those serving in the church program should never do it as a duty. but because they want to serve God. In a Sunday morning message, Victor Sawatsky referred to the Parable of the talents. He compared the hiding of the talents to the individual who refuses to take any any office in the church because he is afraid of becoming involved. The key word, he said, is "afraid". Some women won't teach a class because they're afraid of making mistakes and of having people laugh at them. They are afraid of saying the wrong things and offending someone, afraid of opposition in any office. In other words, they are afraid to take upon themselves the self-discipline involved in holding in church.
Love for Christ, he continued, is the highest motive for service and the greatest force for faithfulness. He concluded. "We should give our best talent to the office\ce, however small it may be. May we give of ourselves in living service to Christ and overcome our fear of becoming involved."
Since we've been created in the image of our Creator, we too should be creating - not only art and music, but also joy, understanding, and love. A mature steward will change privileges into responsibilities. May our prayer be that God will guide us to a life of greater stewardship of the abilities he has given us.
But the parable catches us too. Christ wasn't as concerned about money as he was the servants. The talents he told about symbolize our abilities and our natural gifts. Talents such as the ability to sing a solo or to paint a picture are included, but equally important are the small talents which, when added together and used properly, actually become the most dynamic. If we aren't steward of these. their potential will be lost.
What does it mean to be a steward? It implies being included in the management of God's estate. We become God's stewards immediately after we become his children. As God's stewards it's inconsistent to believe we own anything, for he owns us. Do you think it selfish of God to claim ultimate ownership of all we possess?
God didn't institute stewardship for his own sake. Milo Kaiuffman writes: "Christian stewardship inevitably will result in enrichment in life. The greatest value of Christian stewardship is what it does for the individual. When Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell what he had and give to the poor, it wasn't the money that Jesus was especially interested in, it was the young man. It was the rich ruler that Jesus loved, not his possessions.
"Christian stewardship frees us from the tyranny of things, and helps us to a life of freedom and joy through the contribution of self, time, talents, and money to the advancement of the kingdom of Christ...Christian stewardship helps make God real to us. Thinking of God as the owner of our lives, our time, our talent, and our possessions helps us to think of him as a living personality."
To be God's stewards we must first know what we are to be stewards of. Of course we are stewards of all God has given us : love, good health, good family, good friends, good home, good looks, education, talent, influence, social leadership, popularity, business ability, wages, income, material possessions.
And yet, isn't each of us responsible to and use our special "talents"? This requires utmost honesty. yet it's necessary. "What if I do with ardor what a thousand could, maybe/and leave undone forever what was only meant for me?
Feeling of incompetence often keep us from venturing our in areas in which we don't feel secure. Why do we let feeling of incompetence limit us? Where would helen Keller be if she has said, "I can't"?
Isn't it an insult to our Creator if we don't even recognize the gifts he gives us? If we sincerely believe we are made in God's image, we are bound to find strength and ability. Is our God too small, or can we let him use his creativity by letting it flow through us? If we become convinces that we must out ourselves to use, the results may surprise us.
E. Stanley Jones says, "It cannot be insistent too much that abundant living mean abundant giving...Just as you would smother yourself to death if you only breathed in and refused to breathe out, so if you are not outgoing, the whole process of incoming will stop, and you will die spiritually, mentally, and physically. If a cow isn't milked, it will go dry. If you aren't giving out to to others, you, too, will go dry in spirit"
The visible church couldn't exist unless people were willing to contribute their talents and abilities. Such actions not only strengthen the church but also the individual involved. Working and praying together will bind Christ church closer to him. Joseph Murray writes, "The more you do, the more you'll be asked to do. That is the blessed penalty for willingness. The more you do, the more you'll be bale to do. That is the blessed law of effort. The more you do, the more it will mean to you. That is the blessed promise of reward in the Master's service. They know him best who serve him most."
Those serving in the church program should never do it as a duty. but because they want to serve God. In a Sunday morning message, Victor Sawatsky referred to the Parable of the talents. He compared the hiding of the talents to the individual who refuses to take any any office in the church because he is afraid of becoming involved. The key word, he said, is "afraid". Some women won't teach a class because they're afraid of making mistakes and of having people laugh at them. They are afraid of saying the wrong things and offending someone, afraid of opposition in any office. In other words, they are afraid to take upon themselves the self-discipline involved in holding in church.
Love for Christ, he continued, is the highest motive for service and the greatest force for faithfulness. He concluded. "We should give our best talent to the office\ce, however small it may be. May we give of ourselves in living service to Christ and overcome our fear of becoming involved."
Since we've been created in the image of our Creator, we too should be creating - not only art and music, but also joy, understanding, and love. A mature steward will change privileges into responsibilities. May our prayer be that God will guide us to a life of greater stewardship of the abilities he has given us.
by Lois Bartel
That Certain Something
This business of being self-appointed judges as to what is or not beautiful in others has always been with us and shows no signs of quick demise. People do observe and judge one another's appearance, though this might well be done unconsciously.
Tell me, what is the first thing you notice about someone to whom you are being introduced?
"It varies with the individual. " you answer.
Yes, it could be the sheen of her hair, the mod look, or her smiling eyes. True, but don't theses answers boil down to one general term - appearance? How one looks?
Some people, like my friend Dorothy, have the faculty to recall with almost photographic accuracy a person's features and the complete outfit she was wearing. Many of us remember only the general impression(neat, faultlessly groomed, tacky, coordinated colors.) But everyone remembers something about the way others look.
The old saying that man looks at the outward appearance but God looks on the heart could be passed off as an innocuous truism heard from early childhood; or this thought could cause one to do a double take...reach for one's Bible...and thoughtfully read 1 Samuel 16:7:" The Lord seeth not as a man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."
This says to me, "You, my child, are open to double scrutiny from - from people and from God. People are looking at you."
And so, in a few meditative moments, this common place verse can metamorphize : People are watching me, God is watching me. I am important!
You are being observed : the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk. God is watching you, the real you, the unvarnished, down deep you. You are important!
Think of all the people during Christ's life here who looked at him. Yet all of his eighteen busy years between the time he was twelve and thirty were compressed into one simple sentence:
Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man(Luke 2L52)
Here we have another verse that bears meditation. Jesus increased in :
wisdom(intellectually)
stature(physically)
favor with God(spiritually)
favor with man(socially)
If God the Father thought it important for his Son to increase in each of these specific areas, important enough to have it recorded in His written Word, who are we to feel ourselves exempt from growth in any one of theses areas?
Tell me, what is the first thing you notice about someone to whom you are being introduced?
"It varies with the individual. " you answer.
Yes, it could be the sheen of her hair, the mod look, or her smiling eyes. True, but don't theses answers boil down to one general term - appearance? How one looks?
Some people, like my friend Dorothy, have the faculty to recall with almost photographic accuracy a person's features and the complete outfit she was wearing. Many of us remember only the general impression(neat, faultlessly groomed, tacky, coordinated colors.) But everyone remembers something about the way others look.
The old saying that man looks at the outward appearance but God looks on the heart could be passed off as an innocuous truism heard from early childhood; or this thought could cause one to do a double take...reach for one's Bible...and thoughtfully read 1 Samuel 16:7:" The Lord seeth not as a man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."
This says to me, "You, my child, are open to double scrutiny from - from people and from God. People are looking at you."
And so, in a few meditative moments, this common place verse can metamorphize : People are watching me, God is watching me. I am important!
You are being observed : the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk. God is watching you, the real you, the unvarnished, down deep you. You are important!
Think of all the people during Christ's life here who looked at him. Yet all of his eighteen busy years between the time he was twelve and thirty were compressed into one simple sentence:
Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man(Luke 2L52)
Here we have another verse that bears meditation. Jesus increased in :
wisdom(intellectually)
stature(physically)
favor with God(spiritually)
favor with man(socially)
If God the Father thought it important for his Son to increase in each of these specific areas, important enough to have it recorded in His written Word, who are we to feel ourselves exempt from growth in any one of theses areas?
by Marjorie Frost
Tuesday, June 6, 2006
The Inner Voice of Love
I'll be posting a few of the many of what seem to be Henri Nouwen's 'secret journal'. It was written during the most difficult period of his life, when, following the breakdown of a close relationship. he suddenly lost his self esteem, his energy to live and work, his sense of being loved, even his hope in God. Although he experienced excruciating anguish and despair, he was still able to keep a journal in which he wrote each day a spiritual imperative to himself, which emerged from his conversations with friends.
For more than eight years, Henri Nouwen felt that what he wrote was too raw and private to share with others. Instead he published The Return of the Prodigal Son, in which he expressed some of the insights gained during his mental and spiritual crisis. But then friends asked him, 'Why keep your anguish hidden from the many people who have been nurtured by your writing?Wouldn't it be of consolation for many to know about the fierce inner battle that lies underneath many of your spiritual insights?'
It's been suggested that this journals are not meant to be read all at once.They were written over a long period of time and need to be read that way too. I find this true to myself. Try reading them slowly & capture the treasure hidden in each of them. Anyway, I'll only be able to type out a few at one time=)
But truly his writing has been a blessing to me. The first book that I read was The Return of The Prodigal Son given by one of my friend. Since then, I've always wish to get hold of the rest of his books. Recently, I went to one of my Ipoh church camp. And the team for the camp was The Return of the Prodigal Son. Sat next to me was this gal who later told me she has 5 of his books. Isn't He beautiful to place me right next to her?=)Inner Voice of Love is one of them. Enjoy!
"Today, the time when I wrote these spiritual imperative seems far away and long ago. Reading them now, eight years later, makes me aware of the radical changes I have undergone. I moved from anguish to freedom, from depression to peace, from despair to hope. What once seemed such a curse has become a blessing. All the agony that threatened to destroy my life no seems like the fertile ground for greater trust, stronger hope, and deeper love," -Henri J. M. Nouwen
For more than eight years, Henri Nouwen felt that what he wrote was too raw and private to share with others. Instead he published The Return of the Prodigal Son, in which he expressed some of the insights gained during his mental and spiritual crisis. But then friends asked him, 'Why keep your anguish hidden from the many people who have been nurtured by your writing?Wouldn't it be of consolation for many to know about the fierce inner battle that lies underneath many of your spiritual insights?'
It's been suggested that this journals are not meant to be read all at once.They were written over a long period of time and need to be read that way too. I find this true to myself. Try reading them slowly & capture the treasure hidden in each of them. Anyway, I'll only be able to type out a few at one time=)
But truly his writing has been a blessing to me. The first book that I read was The Return of The Prodigal Son given by one of my friend. Since then, I've always wish to get hold of the rest of his books. Recently, I went to one of my Ipoh church camp. And the team for the camp was The Return of the Prodigal Son. Sat next to me was this gal who later told me she has 5 of his books. Isn't He beautiful to place me right next to her?=)Inner Voice of Love is one of them. Enjoy!
"Today, the time when I wrote these spiritual imperative seems far away and long ago. Reading them now, eight years later, makes me aware of the radical changes I have undergone. I moved from anguish to freedom, from depression to peace, from despair to hope. What once seemed such a curse has become a blessing. All the agony that threatened to destroy my life no seems like the fertile ground for greater trust, stronger hope, and deeper love," -Henri J. M. Nouwen
Stand Erect in Your Sorrow
The question is 'Can you stand erect in your pain, your loneliness, your fears, and your experience of being rejected?' The danger is that you will be swept off your feet by these feelings. They will be here for a long time, and they will go on tempting you to be drowned in them. But you are called to acknowledge them and feel them while remaining on your feet.
Remember, Mary stood under the cross. She suffered her sorrow standing. Remember, Jesus spoke about the cosmic disasters and the glorious appearance of the Son of Man and said to his disciples, 'When theses things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand'(Luke 21:28). Remember, Peter and John cured the crippled man who was begging at the temple entrance. Peter said to him, ' In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!' (Acts 3:6). Then he took him by the right hand and helped him to stand up.
You have to dare to stand erect in your struggles. The temptation is to complain, to beg, to be overwhelmed and find your satisfaction in the pity you evoke. But you know already that this is not gaining for you what your heart most desires. As long as you remain standing, you can speak freely to others, reach out to them, and receive from them. Thus you speak and act from theirs. In this way, real friendships are possible and real community can be formed. God gives you the strength to stand in your struggles and to respond to them standing.
Remember, Mary stood under the cross. She suffered her sorrow standing. Remember, Jesus spoke about the cosmic disasters and the glorious appearance of the Son of Man and said to his disciples, 'When theses things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand'(Luke 21:28). Remember, Peter and John cured the crippled man who was begging at the temple entrance. Peter said to him, ' In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!' (Acts 3:6). Then he took him by the right hand and helped him to stand up.
You have to dare to stand erect in your struggles. The temptation is to complain, to beg, to be overwhelmed and find your satisfaction in the pity you evoke. But you know already that this is not gaining for you what your heart most desires. As long as you remain standing, you can speak freely to others, reach out to them, and receive from them. Thus you speak and act from theirs. In this way, real friendships are possible and real community can be formed. God gives you the strength to stand in your struggles and to respond to them standing.
by Henri Nouwen, The Inner Voice of Love
Face the Enemy
As you see more clearly that your vocation is to witness to God's love in this world, and as you become more determined to live out that vocation, the attacks of the enemy will increase. You will hear voices saying, 'You are worthless, you have nothing to offer, you are unattractive, undesirable, unlovable.' The more you sense God's call, the more you will discover in your own soul the cosmic battle between God and Satan. Do not be afraid. Keep deepening your conviction that God's love for you is enough, that you are in safe hands, and that you are being guided every step of the way. Don't be surprised by the demonic attacks. They will increase, but as you face them without fear, you will discover that they are powerless.
What is important is to keep clinging to the real, lasting, and unambiguous love of Jesus. Whenever you doubt that love, return to your inner spiritual home and listen to love's voice. Only when you know in your deepest being that you are intimately loved can you face the dark voices of the enemy without being seduced by them.
What is important is to keep clinging to the real, lasting, and unambiguous love of Jesus. Whenever you doubt that love, return to your inner spiritual home and listen to love's voice. Only when you know in your deepest being that you are intimately loved can you face the dark voices of the enemy without being seduced by them.
The love of Jesus will give you an ever-clearer vision of your call as well as of the many attempts to pull you away from that call. The more you are called to speak for God's love. the more you will need to deepen the knowledge of that love in your heart. The farther the outward journey takes you, the deeper the inward journey must be. Only when your roots are deep can your fruits be abundant. The enemy is there, waiting to destroy you, but you can the enemy without fear when you know that you are held safe in the love of Jesus.
by Henri Nouwen, The Inner
Voice of Love
by Henri Nouwen, The Inner
Voice of Love
Give Your Agenda to God
You are very concerned with making right choices about your work. You have so many options that you are constantly overwhelmed by the question 'What should I do and what should I not do?' You are asked to respond to many concrete needs. There are people to visit, people to receive, people to simply be with. There are issues that beg for attention, books it seems important to read, and works of art to be seen. But what of all this truly deserves your time?
Start by not allowing these people and issues to possess you. As long as you think that you need them to be yourself, you are not really free. Much of their urgency comes from your own need to be accepted and affirmed. You have to keep going back to the source : God's love for you.
In many ways, you still want to set your own agenda. You act as if you have choose among many things, which all seem equally important. But you have not fully surrendered yourself to God's guidance. You keep fighting with God over who is in control.
Try to give your agenda to God. Keep saying, 'Your will be done, not mine'. Give every part of your heart and your time to God and let God tell you what to do, where to go, when and how to respond. God does not want you to destroy yourself : Exhaustion, burnout, and depression are not signs that you are doing God's will. God is gentle and loving. God desires to give you a deep sense of safety in God's love. Once you have allowed yourself to experience that love fully, you will be better able to discern who you are being sent to in God's name.
It is not easy to give your agenda to God. But the more you do so, the more 'clock time' becomes 'God's time', and God's time is always the fullness of time.
Start by not allowing these people and issues to possess you. As long as you think that you need them to be yourself, you are not really free. Much of their urgency comes from your own need to be accepted and affirmed. You have to keep going back to the source : God's love for you.
In many ways, you still want to set your own agenda. You act as if you have choose among many things, which all seem equally important. But you have not fully surrendered yourself to God's guidance. You keep fighting with God over who is in control.
Try to give your agenda to God. Keep saying, 'Your will be done, not mine'. Give every part of your heart and your time to God and let God tell you what to do, where to go, when and how to respond. God does not want you to destroy yourself : Exhaustion, burnout, and depression are not signs that you are doing God's will. God is gentle and loving. God desires to give you a deep sense of safety in God's love. Once you have allowed yourself to experience that love fully, you will be better able to discern who you are being sent to in God's name.
It is not easy to give your agenda to God. But the more you do so, the more 'clock time' becomes 'God's time', and God's time is always the fullness of time.
by Henri Nouwen, The Inner Voice of Love
Tell Your Story in Freedom
The years that lie behind you, with all their struggles and pains, will in time be remembered only as the way that led to your new life. But as long as the new life is not fully yours, your memories will continue to cause you pain. When you keep reliving painful events of the past, you can feel victimised by them. But there is a way of telling your story will become less pressing. You will see that you are no longer there : the past is gone, the pain has left you, you no longer have to go back and relive it, you no longer depend on your past to identify yourself.
There are two ways of telling your story. One is to tell it compulsively and urgently, to keep returning to it because you see your present suffering as the result of your pat experiences. But there is another way. You can tell your story from the place where it is no longer dominates you. You can speak about it with a certain distance and see it as a way to your present freedom. The compulsion to tell your story is gone. From the perspective of the life you now live and the distance you now have, your past does not loom over you. It has lost it's weight and can be remembered as God's way of making you more compassionate and understanding towards others.
There are two ways of telling your story. One is to tell it compulsively and urgently, to keep returning to it because you see your present suffering as the result of your pat experiences. But there is another way. You can tell your story from the place where it is no longer dominates you. You can speak about it with a certain distance and see it as a way to your present freedom. The compulsion to tell your story is gone. From the perspective of the life you now live and the distance you now have, your past does not loom over you. It has lost it's weight and can be remembered as God's way of making you more compassionate and understanding towards others.
Stay United with the Larger Body
Your own growth cannot take place without growth in others. You are part of a body. When you change, the whole body changes. It is very important for you to remain deeply connected with the larger community to which you belong.
It is also important that those who belong to the body of which you are part keep faith in your journey. You still have a way to go, and there will be times when your friends are puzzled or even disillusioned by what is happening to you. At certain moments things may seem more difficult for you than before; they may look worse than when you began. You still have to make the great passage, and that might not happen without a lot of new distress and fear. Through all of this, it is important for you to stay united with the larger body and know that your journey is made not just for yourself but for all who belong to the body.
Think about Jesus. He made his journey and asked his disciples to follow him even where they would rather not go. The journey you are choosing is Jesus' journey, and whether or not you are fully aware of it, you are also asking your brothers and sisters to follow you. Somewhere you already know that what you are living now will not leave the other members of the community untouched. Your choices also call your friends to make new choices.
It is also important that those who belong to the body of which you are part keep faith in your journey. You still have a way to go, and there will be times when your friends are puzzled or even disillusioned by what is happening to you. At certain moments things may seem more difficult for you than before; they may look worse than when you began. You still have to make the great passage, and that might not happen without a lot of new distress and fear. Through all of this, it is important for you to stay united with the larger body and know that your journey is made not just for yourself but for all who belong to the body.
Think about Jesus. He made his journey and asked his disciples to follow him even where they would rather not go. The journey you are choosing is Jesus' journey, and whether or not you are fully aware of it, you are also asking your brothers and sisters to follow you. Somewhere you already know that what you are living now will not leave the other members of the community untouched. Your choices also call your friends to make new choices.
Let Deep Speak to Deep
When you 'love' someone or 'miss' someone you experience an inner pain. Bit by bit you have to discover the nature of this pain. When your deepest self is connected with the deepest self of another, that person's absence may be painful, but it will lead you to a profound communion with the person, because loving each other is loving in God. When the place where God dwells in you is intimately connected with the place where God dwells in the other, the absence of the other person is not destructive. On the contrary, It will challenge you to enter more deeply into communion with God, the source of all unity and communion among the people.
It is also possible on the other hand that the pain of absence will show you that you are out of touch with your own deeper self. You need the other to experience inner wholeness, to have a sense of well-being. You have become emotionally dependent on the other and sink into depression because of his or her absence. It feels as if the other has taken away a part of you that you cannot live without. Then the pain of absence reveals a certain lack of trust in God's love. But God is enough for you.
True love between two human beings put you more in touch with your deepest self. It is a love in God. The pain you experience from the death or absence of the person you love, then, always calls you to a deeper knowledge of God's love. God's love is all the love you need, and it reveals to you the love of God in the other. This is deep speaking a deep, a mutuality in the heart of God, who embraces both of you.
Death or absence does not end o even diminish the love of God that brought you to the other person. It calls you to take a new step into the mystery of God's inexhaustible love.This process is painful, very painful, because the other person has become a true revelation of God's love for you. But the more you are stripped of the God-given support of people, the more you are called to love God for God's sake. This is an awesome and even dreadful love, but it is the love that offers eternal life.
It is also possible on the other hand that the pain of absence will show you that you are out of touch with your own deeper self. You need the other to experience inner wholeness, to have a sense of well-being. You have become emotionally dependent on the other and sink into depression because of his or her absence. It feels as if the other has taken away a part of you that you cannot live without. Then the pain of absence reveals a certain lack of trust in God's love. But God is enough for you.
True love between two human beings put you more in touch with your deepest self. It is a love in God. The pain you experience from the death or absence of the person you love, then, always calls you to a deeper knowledge of God's love. God's love is all the love you need, and it reveals to you the love of God in the other. This is deep speaking a deep, a mutuality in the heart of God, who embraces both of you.
Death or absence does not end o even diminish the love of God that brought you to the other person. It calls you to take a new step into the mystery of God's inexhaustible love.This process is painful, very painful, because the other person has become a true revelation of God's love for you. But the more you are stripped of the God-given support of people, the more you are called to love God for God's sake. This is an awesome and even dreadful love, but it is the love that offers eternal life.
Trust Your Friends
You keep looking for proof of friendship, but in doing so you harm yourself. When you give something to your friends, do not keep waiting for a concrete response, a thank-you. When you really believe that you are loved by God, you can allow your friends the freedom to respond to your love in their way. They have their own histories, their own characters, their own wats of receiving love. They may be slower, more hesitant, or more cautious than you. They may want to be with you in ways that are real and authentic for them but unusual for you. Trust that those who love you want to show you their love in a real way, even when their choices of time, place, and form are different from yours.
When you give a gift freely and spontaneously, do not worry about you motives. Don't say to yourself 'Maybe I gave this gift to get something in return. Maybe I gave this gift to force my friend into closeness he or she does not want.'
Allow your friends the freedom to respond as they want and are able to. Let their receiving be as free as your giving. Then you will become capable of feeling true gratitude.
When you give a gift freely and spontaneously, do not worry about you motives. Don't say to yourself 'Maybe I gave this gift to get something in return. Maybe I gave this gift to force my friend into closeness he or she does not want.'
Allow your friends the freedom to respond as they want and are able to. Let their receiving be as free as your giving. Then you will become capable of feeling true gratitude.
Avoid All Forms of Self-Rejection
You must avoid not only blaming others but also blaming yourself. You are inclined to blame yourself for the difficulties you experience in relationships. But self-blame is not a form of humility. It is a form of self-rejection in which you ignore or deny your own goodness and beauty.
When a friendship does not blossom, when a word is not received, when a gesture of love is not appreciated, do not blame it on yourself. Every time you reject yourself, you idealise others. You want to be with those whom you consider better, stronger, more intelligent, more gifted than yourself. Thus you make yourself emotionally dependent, leading others to feel unable to fulfill your expectations and causing them to withdraw from you. This makes you blame yourself even more, and you enter a dangerous spiral of self-rejection and neediness.
Avoid all forms of self-rejection. Acknowledge your limitations, but claim your unique gifts and thereby live as an equal among equals. That will set you free from your obsessive and possessive needs and enable you to give and receive true affection and friendship.
When a friendship does not blossom, when a word is not received, when a gesture of love is not appreciated, do not blame it on yourself. Every time you reject yourself, you idealise others. You want to be with those whom you consider better, stronger, more intelligent, more gifted than yourself. Thus you make yourself emotionally dependent, leading others to feel unable to fulfill your expectations and causing them to withdraw from you. This makes you blame yourself even more, and you enter a dangerous spiral of self-rejection and neediness.
Avoid all forms of self-rejection. Acknowledge your limitations, but claim your unique gifts and thereby live as an equal among equals. That will set you free from your obsessive and possessive needs and enable you to give and receive true affection and friendship.
Keep Trusting God's Call
As you come to realise that God is beckoning you to a greater hiddeness, do not be afraid of that invitation. Over the years you have allowed the voices that call you to action and great visibility to dominate your life. You still think, even against your own best intuitions, that you need to do things and be seen in order to follow your vocation. But you are now discovering that Gods voice is saying, 'Stay home, and trust that your life will be fruitful even when hidden.'
It is not going to be easy to listen to God's call. Your insecurity, your self doubt, and your great need for affirmation make you lose trust in your inner voice and run away from yourself. But you know that God speaks to you through your inner voice and that you will find joy and peace only if you follow it. Yes, your spirit is willing, but you flesh is weak.
You have friends who know that your inner voice speaks the truth and who can affirm what it says. They offer you the safe space where you can let that voice become clearer and louder. There will be people who will tell you that you are wasting your time and talents, that you are fleeing from true responsibility, that you fail to use influence you have. But don't let yourself be misled. They do not speak in God's name. Trust the few who know your inner journey and want you to be faithful to it. They will help you stay faithful to God's call.
It is not going to be easy to listen to God's call. Your insecurity, your self doubt, and your great need for affirmation make you lose trust in your inner voice and run away from yourself. But you know that God speaks to you through your inner voice and that you will find joy and peace only if you follow it. Yes, your spirit is willing, but you flesh is weak.
You have friends who know that your inner voice speaks the truth and who can affirm what it says. They offer you the safe space where you can let that voice become clearer and louder. There will be people who will tell you that you are wasting your time and talents, that you are fleeing from true responsibility, that you fail to use influence you have. But don't let yourself be misled. They do not speak in God's name. Trust the few who know your inner journey and want you to be faithful to it. They will help you stay faithful to God's call.
Claim the Victory
You are still afraid to die. The fear is connected with the fear that you are not loved. Your question'Do you love me?' and your question 'Do I have to die?'are deeply connected. You asked these questions as a little child, and you are still asking them.
As you came to know that you are loved fully and unconditionally, you will also come to know that you do now have to fear death. Love is stronger than death; God's love was there for you before you were born and will be there for you after you have died.
Jesus has called you from the moment you were knitted together in your mother's womb. It is your vocation to receive and give love. But from the very beginning you have experienced the forces of death. They attacked you all through your years of growing up.
You have been faithful to your vocation even though you have often felt overwhelmed by darkness. You know now that theses dark forces will have no final power over you. They seem overwhelming, but the victory is already won. It is victory of Jesus, who has called you. He overcame for you the power of death so that you could live in freedom.
You have to claim that victory and not live as if death still controlled you. Your soul knows about the victory, but your mind and emotions have not fully accepted it. They go on struggling. In this respect you remain a person of little faith. Trust the victory and let your mind and emotions gradually be converted to the truth. You will experience new joy nd new peace as you let that truth reach every part of your being. Dont forget : victory has been won, the power of darkness no longer rule, love is stronger than death.
As you came to know that you are loved fully and unconditionally, you will also come to know that you do now have to fear death. Love is stronger than death; God's love was there for you before you were born and will be there for you after you have died.
Jesus has called you from the moment you were knitted together in your mother's womb. It is your vocation to receive and give love. But from the very beginning you have experienced the forces of death. They attacked you all through your years of growing up.
You have been faithful to your vocation even though you have often felt overwhelmed by darkness. You know now that theses dark forces will have no final power over you. They seem overwhelming, but the victory is already won. It is victory of Jesus, who has called you. He overcame for you the power of death so that you could live in freedom.
You have to claim that victory and not live as if death still controlled you. Your soul knows about the victory, but your mind and emotions have not fully accepted it. They go on struggling. In this respect you remain a person of little faith. Trust the victory and let your mind and emotions gradually be converted to the truth. You will experience new joy nd new peace as you let that truth reach every part of your being. Dont forget : victory has been won, the power of darkness no longer rule, love is stronger than death.
Keep Choosing God
You are constantly facing choices. The question is whether you choose for God or for your own doubting self. You know what the right choice is, but your emotions, passions, and feelings keep suggesting you choose the self-rejecting way.
The root choice is to trust at all times that God is with you and will give you what you most need. Your self rejecting emotions might say, 'It isn't going to work. I'm still suffering the same anguish I did six months ago. I will probably fall back into the old depressive patterns of acting and reacting. I haven't really changed.' And on and on. It is hard not to listen to these voices. Still, you know that these are not God's voice. God says to you, 'I love you, I am with you, I want to see you come closer to me and experience the joy and peace of my presence. I want to give you a new heart and anew spirit. I want you to speak with my mouth, see with my eyes, hear with my ears, touch with my hands, All that is mine is yours. Just trust me and let me be your God'
This is the voice to listen to. And that listening requires a real choice, not just once in a while but every moment of each day and night. It is you who decides what you think, say and do. You can think yourself into a depression, you can talk yourself into self esteem, you can act in a self rejecting way. But you always have a choice to think, speak, and act in the name of God and so move towards the Light, The truth, and the Life.
As you conclude this period of spiritual renewal, you are faced once again with a choice. You can choose to remember this time as a failed attempt to be completely reborn, or you can also choose to remember it as the precious time when God began new things in you that need to be brought to completion.. Your future depends on how you decide to remember your past. Choose for the truth of what you know. Do not let your anxious emotions distract you. As you keep keep choosing God, your emotions will gradually give up their rebellion and be converted to the truth in you.
You are facing a real spiritual battle. But do not be afraid. You are not alone. Those who have guided you during this period are not leaving you. Their prayers and support will be with you wherever you go. Keep them close to your heart so that they can guide you as you make your choices.
Remember, you are held safe. You are in communion with God and with those whom God has sent you. What is of God will last. It belongs to the eternal Life. Choose it, and it will be yours.
The root choice is to trust at all times that God is with you and will give you what you most need. Your self rejecting emotions might say, 'It isn't going to work. I'm still suffering the same anguish I did six months ago. I will probably fall back into the old depressive patterns of acting and reacting. I haven't really changed.' And on and on. It is hard not to listen to these voices. Still, you know that these are not God's voice. God says to you, 'I love you, I am with you, I want to see you come closer to me and experience the joy and peace of my presence. I want to give you a new heart and anew spirit. I want you to speak with my mouth, see with my eyes, hear with my ears, touch with my hands, All that is mine is yours. Just trust me and let me be your God'
This is the voice to listen to. And that listening requires a real choice, not just once in a while but every moment of each day and night. It is you who decides what you think, say and do. You can think yourself into a depression, you can talk yourself into self esteem, you can act in a self rejecting way. But you always have a choice to think, speak, and act in the name of God and so move towards the Light, The truth, and the Life.
As you conclude this period of spiritual renewal, you are faced once again with a choice. You can choose to remember this time as a failed attempt to be completely reborn, or you can also choose to remember it as the precious time when God began new things in you that need to be brought to completion.. Your future depends on how you decide to remember your past. Choose for the truth of what you know. Do not let your anxious emotions distract you. As you keep keep choosing God, your emotions will gradually give up their rebellion and be converted to the truth in you.
You are facing a real spiritual battle. But do not be afraid. You are not alone. Those who have guided you during this period are not leaving you. Their prayers and support will be with you wherever you go. Keep them close to your heart so that they can guide you as you make your choices.
Remember, you are held safe. You are in communion with God and with those whom God has sent you. What is of God will last. It belongs to the eternal Life. Choose it, and it will be yours.
Sunday, June 4, 2006
Faith for the Night
Faith The Link With God's Power by Reinhard Bonke
Now, John talks about another night(20:!), "Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark." Once again John has a double meaning behind his words while it was still dark. When Christ rose, the dawn came for the whole world. But for those dreadful hours, so far as the whole world was concerned, and the disciples, and Mary Magdalene in particular, it did not seem dark, it was very dark.
When Christ died. the candle of hope was snuffed out. For those three days and nights, truths was eclipsed. Jesus warned the disciples this time would come, as im John 9:4-5. "the night is coming when no one can work. As long as i am in the world, I am the light of the world." He had gone - they thought. The night had come. It was still dark, but not for long.
Mary ran and came to Simon Peter and John, and immediately they jumped up, started out for the tomb, and both ran together. Mary also found her way back. John was apparently younger, got to the tomb first, and stood outside bending over to look inside. The opening was not a six-foot doorway, but only half that size. John deems it important to record that he saw the linen cloths lying there(John 20:5)
Peter now rushed up. Being the impetuos mortal, he went into the tomb. Then John mentions that Peter also saw the linen cloths lying there.
Now John distinguishes the way these three people saw, by using three different words. There are also three different kinds of people represented with Mary, Peter, and John who see in different ways.
When Mary saw the stone was removed, the word 'saw' is the ordinary word to see(Greek blepo). When John came he stooped down, and saw in the same was as Mary - he simply saw the linen wrappings along with everyoneelse. It was a casual look, incidental.
That is one way of seeing. Many hear testimonies of Christ, His transforming power, His miracle healings, or even pick up the Bible and read it, but it is all casual. They hardly give such thing a second thought. there is no faith in that kind of seeing. In fact, it is blind seeing, a dark lantern and it is only physical: the spiritual aspect totally missed. At that point for Mary, it was still dark, and so it is for all those who shrug their shoulders at the supernatural evidences of the living Jesus.
Peter now came, and went into things; to start with, he went into the tomb. There, he saw the linen wrappings, a different word(Greek theoreo). That is, he paid particular attention to them. Whatever had happenend to the body of Jesus, those linem wrappings should not be there. They should have gone with Him. It was strange. It needed an explanation. But it remain a mystery, awaiting an answer. They even enjoy the mystery, and perceive nothing in the gloom of the tomb.
Then John went into the tomb. He saw what Peter had 'seen' but John had the eyes of a seer. It says that he saw and believed(John 20:8)The Gospel distinguishes this with a different word(Greek eido - to see with the mind's eye, and signifies a clear and purely mental perception). Verse 9 says, "For as yet they did not know the Scriptures, that He must rise again from the dead." In that case, we do not know when John precisely did start believing. But we know one thing for sure - he believed in Christ, that is, he believed that jesus was always the master, always the winner. John did not know, and could not imagine anything fantastic as ressurection, but his faith rested when he did not understand. Somehow Jesus has won, and tossed these grave clothes aside. John 'perceived'.
That is the third way os seeing, to 'see and believe'. We can look around, observe the same things as others, the same Bible, the same testimonies, the same world, but with different eyes, understanding deep within us. Our spirit recognizes our origin that 'something' is personal, caring, and real.
Mary continued seeing, yet not seeing. She saw two angels, and the saw Jesus, but it was still no more than gazing, like Peter inspecting the grave clothes(the 'theoreo' word). Then Jesus spoke, and what her eyes did not tell her, her ears did. Nobody could say, "Mary" like He did. She turned(John 20:16). It was the greatest change - a reversal. She recognised that He was alive.
Faith does that, seeing Him who is invisible. It is HE! We see Jesus! He is the One. He is the Bbile God, the Bible Jesus, the one who should be dead, and is not. What we see i what He was, and keeps on being, winning human hearts, answering prayer, healing the sick, blessing our very soul, creating and re-creating. We 'see and believe'. Things are happening; there uis eveidence, and it fits only one preson, Jesus.
It is dark till Jesus comes. It is lonely till He comes. It is mystery till He comes. And 'When we are willing to take Him into the boat, we arrive at the shore where we are heading.'
Now, John talks about another night(20:!), "Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark." Once again John has a double meaning behind his words while it was still dark. When Christ rose, the dawn came for the whole world. But for those dreadful hours, so far as the whole world was concerned, and the disciples, and Mary Magdalene in particular, it did not seem dark, it was very dark.
When Christ died. the candle of hope was snuffed out. For those three days and nights, truths was eclipsed. Jesus warned the disciples this time would come, as im John 9:4-5. "the night is coming when no one can work. As long as i am in the world, I am the light of the world." He had gone - they thought. The night had come. It was still dark, but not for long.
Mary ran and came to Simon Peter and John, and immediately they jumped up, started out for the tomb, and both ran together. Mary also found her way back. John was apparently younger, got to the tomb first, and stood outside bending over to look inside. The opening was not a six-foot doorway, but only half that size. John deems it important to record that he saw the linen cloths lying there(John 20:5)
Peter now rushed up. Being the impetuos mortal, he went into the tomb. Then John mentions that Peter also saw the linen cloths lying there.
Now John distinguishes the way these three people saw, by using three different words. There are also three different kinds of people represented with Mary, Peter, and John who see in different ways.
When Mary saw the stone was removed, the word 'saw' is the ordinary word to see(Greek blepo). When John came he stooped down, and saw in the same was as Mary - he simply saw the linen wrappings along with everyoneelse. It was a casual look, incidental.
That is one way of seeing. Many hear testimonies of Christ, His transforming power, His miracle healings, or even pick up the Bible and read it, but it is all casual. They hardly give such thing a second thought. there is no faith in that kind of seeing. In fact, it is blind seeing, a dark lantern and it is only physical: the spiritual aspect totally missed. At that point for Mary, it was still dark, and so it is for all those who shrug their shoulders at the supernatural evidences of the living Jesus.
Peter now came, and went into things; to start with, he went into the tomb. There, he saw the linen wrappings, a different word(Greek theoreo). That is, he paid particular attention to them. Whatever had happenend to the body of Jesus, those linem wrappings should not be there. They should have gone with Him. It was strange. It needed an explanation. But it remain a mystery, awaiting an answer. They even enjoy the mystery, and perceive nothing in the gloom of the tomb.
Then John went into the tomb. He saw what Peter had 'seen' but John had the eyes of a seer. It says that he saw and believed(John 20:8)The Gospel distinguishes this with a different word(Greek eido - to see with the mind's eye, and signifies a clear and purely mental perception). Verse 9 says, "For as yet they did not know the Scriptures, that He must rise again from the dead." In that case, we do not know when John precisely did start believing. But we know one thing for sure - he believed in Christ, that is, he believed that jesus was always the master, always the winner. John did not know, and could not imagine anything fantastic as ressurection, but his faith rested when he did not understand. Somehow Jesus has won, and tossed these grave clothes aside. John 'perceived'.
That is the third way os seeing, to 'see and believe'. We can look around, observe the same things as others, the same Bible, the same testimonies, the same world, but with different eyes, understanding deep within us. Our spirit recognizes our origin that 'something' is personal, caring, and real.
Mary continued seeing, yet not seeing. She saw two angels, and the saw Jesus, but it was still no more than gazing, like Peter inspecting the grave clothes(the 'theoreo' word). Then Jesus spoke, and what her eyes did not tell her, her ears did. Nobody could say, "Mary" like He did. She turned(John 20:16). It was the greatest change - a reversal. She recognised that He was alive.
Faith does that, seeing Him who is invisible. It is HE! We see Jesus! He is the One. He is the Bbile God, the Bible Jesus, the one who should be dead, and is not. What we see i what He was, and keeps on being, winning human hearts, answering prayer, healing the sick, blessing our very soul, creating and re-creating. We 'see and believe'. Things are happening; there uis eveidence, and it fits only one preson, Jesus.
It is dark till Jesus comes. It is lonely till He comes. It is mystery till He comes. And 'When we are willing to take Him into the boat, we arrive at the shore where we are heading.'
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