I have decided to pray about it.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
family relationships update
I have to admit my relationship building with my family is not going well. I dont really email or phone, indeed I have been very slack.
I have decided to pray about it.
I have decided to pray about it.
amazing grace lyrics
sing along if you know the words...(first 3 verses only)
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind, but now I see
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believed
Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come
Tis grace has brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind, but now I see
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believed
Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come
Tis grace has brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
God's truth...
the message bible:
ROMANS 8:5-18
Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God's action in them find that God's Spirit is in them--living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life.
Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn't pleased at being ignored.
... But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells--even though you still experience all the limitations of sin--you yourself experience life on God's terms. It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself?
When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's!
So don't you see that we don't owe this old do-it--yourself life one red cent. There's nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God's Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us--an unbelievable inheritance!
We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him! That's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. ..
Romans 10:8-14
It's the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God--"Jesus is my Master"--embracing, body and soul, God's work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead.
That's it. You're not "doing" anything; you're simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That's salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: "God has set everything right between him and me!"
Scripture reassures us, "No one who trusts God like this--heart and soul--will ever regret it." It's exactly the same no matter what a person's religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. "Everyone who calls, "Help, God!' gets help."
Romans 12:1-4
So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.
Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
ROMANS 8:5-18
Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God's action in them find that God's Spirit is in them--living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life.
Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn't pleased at being ignored.
... But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells--even though you still experience all the limitations of sin--you yourself experience life on God's terms. It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself?
When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's!
So don't you see that we don't owe this old do-it--yourself life one red cent. There's nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God's Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us--an unbelievable inheritance!
We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him! That's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. ..
Romans 10:8-14
It's the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God--"Jesus is my Master"--embracing, body and soul, God's work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead.
That's it. You're not "doing" anything; you're simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That's salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: "God has set everything right between him and me!"
Scripture reassures us, "No one who trusts God like this--heart and soul--will ever regret it." It's exactly the same no matter what a person's religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. "Everyone who calls, "Help, God!' gets help."
Romans 12:1-4
So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.
Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
Friday, January 06, 2006
God's grace...
Romans 7:14 onwards (the Message)
I can anticipate the response that is coming: "I know that all God's commands are spiritual, but I'm not. Isn't this also your experience?" Yes. I'm full of myself--after all, I've spent a long time in sin's prison. What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God's command is necessary.
But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway.
My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.
It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.
I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?
The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.
many of us struggle to overcome all the sin that still exists in us. we think because we have the LORD in us we can overcome our sin...but the truth is if we could overcome our sin we would not need our Saviour who died for us.
so we know we're not perfect but we get trapped in Satan's secret weapon - GUILT. Because we still desire things we shouldn't, we still lust after a life we know is wrong...sin tempts us and we give in without much of a fight sometimes. Then Satan steps in and OVERWHELMS US WITH GUILT - if God is so strong then why doesn't he help you...if you believe then why are you such a walk over???
We think we are a suprise to him, so when we do bad things we ignore the LORD. Then when we remember the LORD we feel so guilty and go to him saying sorry again and again. But the LORD already knows this, he's with us when we are sinning. He knows we are going to sin before we even do it. He knows we are weak in the flesh.
So why doesn't he give up on us? It's because he knows who you are in the flesh is NOT WHO YOU ARE IN THE SPIRIT. Your spirit already knows all the LORD's promises , your spirit is set free from death because of Jesus, our Saviour. Your spirit soars just at the mention of his name, recognises his love, and is completely saved.
Satan tries to fool us in to believing we haven't changed. What's the point of being saved we're still living the same old life. But this is A LIE. You have changed. Sometimes now you think before you speak. Sometimes now you pray before you act. Sometimes now you submit to authority. Sometimes now you say NO to sin.
I am speaking from personal experience. The LORD is all about change - but in his timing. He knows you're not ready to change yet...so why waste your time upsetting yourself about how bad you are. The LORD wants to deal with how bad you are, but he wants you to keep your eyes on him....not on your messed up life...draw near to him.
The more you draw near to the LORD, the more you worship him in spirit and in truth, the more set free you will be.
The LORD's desire is to set you completely free from all that binds you in your life. But he doesn't want you focusing on this, just focus on him. Keep you eyes on him and all these other things he will add unto you.
So the good news is YES, you are saved. But it's through our Lord, Jesus. And YES you will change, but not by your own efforts but by the Holy Spirit. The LORD is changing you inside out...so he feeds your spirit, renews your mind, you build a relationship with him, and then before you realise it you are doing good without even trying. What was hard to do before will be so easy you wonder what the fuss was!
I decided to accept who I was and leave the changing to the LORD, my job was to believe and do the things I already knew how to do - praise him, pray and read his word. Some things the LORD just took away without any struggling. But there are some sins that I still do, but I know one day, they will go too.
I stuff up every single day...but I've known the LORD personally for 20 years and for some years there was little progress and then lot's of growth and then slow and then lots...now I have gotten to a stage where it always feels like lots of progress....the trials and testings are greater too. But I can handle these better than when I was young Christian.
Just remember the LORD isn't finished with you yet, and you HAVE ALREADY come a long way. God knows who you are better than you do. He knew all your sins when Jesus died on that cross so why beat yourself up about these things when God has already forgiven you.
Next time you do something really bad, don't condemn yourself because Jesus didn't. Just say: oh well, today I am weak, today I don't have what it takes but one day by the LORD's spirit I will overcome. You died on that cross for this sin and I thank you LORD for your grace which saves me every single day.
So if you never give up and keep doing what you know to do, you will find eventually you know how to do more....and one day you will wake up and realise that you changed without you even knowing. But maybe today is not that day for you. Accept who you are today and enjoy the LORD's grace.
I can anticipate the response that is coming: "I know that all God's commands are spiritual, but I'm not. Isn't this also your experience?" Yes. I'm full of myself--after all, I've spent a long time in sin's prison. What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God's command is necessary.
But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway.
My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.
It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.
I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?
The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.
many of us struggle to overcome all the sin that still exists in us. we think because we have the LORD in us we can overcome our sin...but the truth is if we could overcome our sin we would not need our Saviour who died for us.
so we know we're not perfect but we get trapped in Satan's secret weapon - GUILT. Because we still desire things we shouldn't, we still lust after a life we know is wrong...sin tempts us and we give in without much of a fight sometimes. Then Satan steps in and OVERWHELMS US WITH GUILT - if God is so strong then why doesn't he help you...if you believe then why are you such a walk over???
We think we are a suprise to him, so when we do bad things we ignore the LORD. Then when we remember the LORD we feel so guilty and go to him saying sorry again and again. But the LORD already knows this, he's with us when we are sinning. He knows we are going to sin before we even do it. He knows we are weak in the flesh.
So why doesn't he give up on us? It's because he knows who you are in the flesh is NOT WHO YOU ARE IN THE SPIRIT. Your spirit already knows all the LORD's promises , your spirit is set free from death because of Jesus, our Saviour. Your spirit soars just at the mention of his name, recognises his love, and is completely saved.
Satan tries to fool us in to believing we haven't changed. What's the point of being saved we're still living the same old life. But this is A LIE. You have changed. Sometimes now you think before you speak. Sometimes now you pray before you act. Sometimes now you submit to authority. Sometimes now you say NO to sin.
I am speaking from personal experience. The LORD is all about change - but in his timing. He knows you're not ready to change yet...so why waste your time upsetting yourself about how bad you are. The LORD wants to deal with how bad you are, but he wants you to keep your eyes on him....not on your messed up life...draw near to him.
The more you draw near to the LORD, the more you worship him in spirit and in truth, the more set free you will be.
The LORD's desire is to set you completely free from all that binds you in your life. But he doesn't want you focusing on this, just focus on him. Keep you eyes on him and all these other things he will add unto you.
So the good news is YES, you are saved. But it's through our Lord, Jesus. And YES you will change, but not by your own efforts but by the Holy Spirit. The LORD is changing you inside out...so he feeds your spirit, renews your mind, you build a relationship with him, and then before you realise it you are doing good without even trying. What was hard to do before will be so easy you wonder what the fuss was!
I decided to accept who I was and leave the changing to the LORD, my job was to believe and do the things I already knew how to do - praise him, pray and read his word. Some things the LORD just took away without any struggling. But there are some sins that I still do, but I know one day, they will go too.
I stuff up every single day...but I've known the LORD personally for 20 years and for some years there was little progress and then lot's of growth and then slow and then lots...now I have gotten to a stage where it always feels like lots of progress....the trials and testings are greater too. But I can handle these better than when I was young Christian.
Just remember the LORD isn't finished with you yet, and you HAVE ALREADY come a long way. God knows who you are better than you do. He knew all your sins when Jesus died on that cross so why beat yourself up about these things when God has already forgiven you.
Next time you do something really bad, don't condemn yourself because Jesus didn't. Just say: oh well, today I am weak, today I don't have what it takes but one day by the LORD's spirit I will overcome. You died on that cross for this sin and I thank you LORD for your grace which saves me every single day.
So if you never give up and keep doing what you know to do, you will find eventually you know how to do more....and one day you will wake up and realise that you changed without you even knowing. But maybe today is not that day for you. Accept who you are today and enjoy the LORD's grace.
daily acts of love
i was reading a little book called "daily acts of love" and i happenned to come across this little verse which made me stop in my tracks and take a whole new look at some of the things i have been facing in the past couple of weeks.Esp in my relationship with Nick.
Though i knew this already, i somehow forgot it in the midst of all the crap going through my head...anyway, i hope you find it refreshing as I did
"Someone who is meanspirited, boastful,deceitful, angry,conceited, or attacking is in fact expressing a lack of love, insecurity and poor self regard, however puffed up they may outwardly appear.
This does not mean you condone their actions.But it may allow you to regard the person with more compassion"
Compassion is why i chose to stick with Nick, tho sometimes he is one of the unlovable people Myles spoke about earlier.
He does not know what its like to be loved, to be accepted, to be understood. He was never allowed to endulge in these simple priviledges others especially I, take for granted everyday!
Laughter is not heard in his house, nor is love comfort and encouragement.
And the Lord has reminded me again of how much he needs me to love him because tho he is puffed up and thinks he is invincible..he is only trying to hide how much he craves love, affections,acceptance and understanding. It is a mere reflection of his weaknesses.This is what i see in him everytime, this is what got me here in the first place.His vulnerabilities, his weaknesses, his needs, his sorrow.
we grew up and still growing in different worlds tho we are starting to see compromises and a lot of understanding helping us love each other more
Some of the differences are :
Nick needs to ask for permission to eat anything in the fridge, i eat everything in the fridge
Nick is not allowed to use the kitchen, cook, or use any of the stacked goods to eat, I own my familys kitchen
Nick needs to ask if he can use the laundry and in the good days he will be allowed otherwise his clothes will sit in the laundry for days and he will end up washing them with his hands,bringing it to my house, I use all the washing detergent doing my washing.
Nick goes home to inedible leftovers lying on the stove if hes lucky, I go home to a special plate put aside for me by my mum.
Nick was taught not to ask for anything especially food so at times he would go to bed hungry, I pick and choose whose house I can have dinner at and what I want to eat
Nick was taught his best was not good enough, i was told i can do anything i put my mind to it.
Nick was taught failure is never an alternative, I grew up surrounded by people who picked me up
Nick was taught to be the stronger one, in my world I was/am the stronger one.
Nick was taught worth and dignity came with wealth and material possessions, I was taught to not fall for such desires but pursue humility, respect and love for others.
Nick grew up in a war torn country where he had to be self sufficient, strong, and arrogant to survive, i grew up enveloped in love, warmth, guidance, protection and freedom in a little island paradise in the middle of the pacific.
Nick would disappear for days and noone would notice, i disappear for a couple of hours and a search party is sent out to find me.
Nick has not seen his siblings and mum for over 4 years, I go crazy if i dont see my family for a day
Nick experiences all this living with his grandparents, I was at the very heart of my grandparents.
Nick cannot fathom how i can love him so much, I cant fathom how he cant fathom that i love him this much!
Tho I dont condone his ways, I do however regard him with a little more compassion and I trust God has him in his care and is working in his life.
He is just another reminder of the people I will yet save for Christ, he is my battlefield, my testing groud and at times my point of clarity!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)