Who am I? They often tell me
I stepped from my cell’s confinement
Calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
Like a squire from his country-house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
Freely and friendly and clearly,
As though it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
Equally, smilingly, proudly,
Like one accustomed to win.
Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
Struggling for breath, as though hands were compressing my throat,
Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
Tossing in expectation of great events,
Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?
Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, 0 God, I am Thine!
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1946)
The struggle for a sense of self-identity is universal to all man. Most of us spend our entire lives trying to define who we are. We peg the definition of who we are to external markers, like what others think of us (our reputation), what we have achieved (our position and accomplishments), what we can do (our abilities and talents) or what we have (our possessions and wealth). We all want to be successes in life, to come to the end of our lives and know that we have lived a life worthy of admiration and recognition. Those of us who are more shrewd will plan and scheme to be judged as successes by these external markers. Yet the definition of who we are continues to elude us. Deep inside we know that pegging ourselves to external markers just doesn't cut it in the end. In certain times, the external markers grade us as successes. This is when we do something that receives recognition, receive a promotion, or acquire the latest possession. In other times, that same external markers will grade us as failures, e.g. when we experience failure or do not get something we covet or are victims of misfortune beyond our control. We then lapse into confusion and a sense of worthlessness. At different times, we swing from the extremes of thinking ourselves superior to others to the thinking ourselves as the worst of man.
The reason for this is simple - if our definition of who we are is based on certain markers and those markers are either inconsistent or unreliable, then our definitions of who we are will likewise always lack permanence. To put it another way, if who we are depends on how we see ourselves and how others see us, because these markers change constantly, then who we are will also constantly change. I may I think I am rich because I earn more than the average person. But when I look at the billionaires of the world, I may feel very poor indeed. Intrinsically I have not changed but because of the changing markers, my definition of who I am changes. Depending on what standard I use, I can either be a success or failure. But how can this be? How then can I find my true self?
"Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine. Whoever I am, Thou knowest, 0 God, I am Thine!" Reading the words of the famous martyred German theologian Bonhoeffer, I come to realise a simple but powerful truth. The quest for self-definition can only end when we come to God. Our illusive and turbulent quest to pin down who we are can only find rest when we begin to define ourselves the way God sees us. When we look through the eyes of God to see ourselves as He sees us, for the first time we will see ourselves for who we truly are. Freed of external markers; freed of the blindings of prejudice or bias or pride or self-depreciation. We begin to see our intrinsic worth as children of the Almighty God, our relationship with the Divine, our destiny with the Supreme Creator, our appointment with eternity. Through the eyes of God there is no place of self-pity, no failures, no rejection. Through the eyes of God there is only love divine, and the promise of glory.
Serenity in the midst of confusion
There is so much in life that we cannot control, that we cannot understand. Those of us who are working will testify that there are so many things that can go wrong, so many things that threaten to drown us if we are not careful. People, projects, positions, promotions and politics. Those of us who raise a family will also concede how little we can really determine how our children grow up. We can do our best but much is out of our control. Those of us who are studying will also be familiar with the anxieties and stresses of assignments and grades. We can put in the effort but don’t always get the grade we deserve. All of us try so hard to gain mastery over our situation and circumstances. We plan and scheme and train. We use techniques and theories. We evaluate and improve. All with the sole aim of finding the formula that will enable us to reach the goals we want to reach. But ever so often, something may happen to knock our perfect plan out of course. It may be a disappointment, a failure or an unforeseen unfavourable event. This is just the trigger that opens a floodgate of anxiety and a sense of loss of control.
How then do we deal with this rollercoaster circumstances of life? How do we transcend the earthly storms and maintain serenity in the midst of confusion? The answer is deceptively simply but profoundly powerful. It is called ABSOLUTE SURRENDER. Absolute surrender is not a cowardly resignation to the winds of fate. It is a courageous move of faith to place our lives and those whom we love into the one who rules heaven and earth. It is the honest recognition of our true place and position as human beings. We exist for Him and through Him only. For He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. All things have their origins with Him, all things will end with Him. Only that which He says matters matters. Nothing else does. Absolute surrender is the posture of true worship, the coming home of the soul to its Maker. In absolute surrender, we stand in the position we have been created to occupy, and in the eyes of Him who matters, we stand in our destiny. In that moment, we are right with our Creator, we are right with our fellow man and we are right with the world. We fix our eyes on the throne room of heaven and the Lamb of God who sits upon the throne. Then slowly we begin to transcend the earthly storms that rage beneath. Like Peter, we walk over the raging waves to the one who beckons us with outstretch arms. We are enraptured in His loving embrace, His confident and omnipotent power, His enabling presence. In absolute surrender, we touch the face of God.
How then do we deal with this rollercoaster circumstances of life? How do we transcend the earthly storms and maintain serenity in the midst of confusion? The answer is deceptively simply but profoundly powerful. It is called ABSOLUTE SURRENDER. Absolute surrender is not a cowardly resignation to the winds of fate. It is a courageous move of faith to place our lives and those whom we love into the one who rules heaven and earth. It is the honest recognition of our true place and position as human beings. We exist for Him and through Him only. For He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. All things have their origins with Him, all things will end with Him. Only that which He says matters matters. Nothing else does. Absolute surrender is the posture of true worship, the coming home of the soul to its Maker. In absolute surrender, we stand in the position we have been created to occupy, and in the eyes of Him who matters, we stand in our destiny. In that moment, we are right with our Creator, we are right with our fellow man and we are right with the world. We fix our eyes on the throne room of heaven and the Lamb of God who sits upon the throne. Then slowly we begin to transcend the earthly storms that rage beneath. Like Peter, we walk over the raging waves to the one who beckons us with outstretch arms. We are enraptured in His loving embrace, His confident and omnipotent power, His enabling presence. In absolute surrender, we touch the face of God.
How real can we expect God to be?
How real can we expect God to be? Most Christians will say that God is real to them indirectly, eg. through an answered prayer or unexpected blessing, or through circumstances that seem to be too co-incidental otherwise. That is what conservative Christianity deems as "safe". Then there are other Christians who talk about the more metaphysical aspects of God, eg. God speaking to them. Here we enter the realm of the subjective, we talk of "sensing", "prompting", "intuition", "peace or unease". We talk of "sensing the presence of God", "sensing his love". Some Christians are very weary of this because it seems to border of psychology and unreliable emotions.
But if we were to search scripture, we will find that such interactions between God and man is not uncommon. The bible speaks of the Spirit "testifying" with our spirit, causing the "love of God to be shed abroad in our hearts". The bible also speaks of the "peace of God that surpasses all understanding" guarding our hears and minds. The Old testament speaks of a still small voice, a voice behind our ears etc.
If we cut ourselves off from these subjective interactions with God, we cut ourselves from perhaps the main way in which God speaks to us apart from through Scripture. God is Spirit and any communication must necessarily be a spirit-to-spirit communication. Given the tripartite (ie. body-soul-spirit) nature of man, this will no doubt impact on our psychology, ie. our mind and our emotions. While some of these senses may well be self-generated, ie. purely psychological, we must learn to discern that which stems from ourselves and that which stems from God.
The key to this discernment is honesty and obedience. First we must be completely honest with ourselves and our intentions. Wrong intentions can cause us to think that God is affirming something we ourselves want to do. Honesty will enable us to discern the presence or absence of a deep and abiding sense of peace which will be absent if we are deceiving ourselves. Through constant suppressing of this "voice of conscience" we can grieve the Spirit into silence. But if we can embrace honesty and a willingness to obey, we will find the prompting and the communication becoming stronger and more sure over time.
But if we were to search scripture, we will find that such interactions between God and man is not uncommon. The bible speaks of the Spirit "testifying" with our spirit, causing the "love of God to be shed abroad in our hearts". The bible also speaks of the "peace of God that surpasses all understanding" guarding our hears and minds. The Old testament speaks of a still small voice, a voice behind our ears etc.
If we cut ourselves off from these subjective interactions with God, we cut ourselves from perhaps the main way in which God speaks to us apart from through Scripture. God is Spirit and any communication must necessarily be a spirit-to-spirit communication. Given the tripartite (ie. body-soul-spirit) nature of man, this will no doubt impact on our psychology, ie. our mind and our emotions. While some of these senses may well be self-generated, ie. purely psychological, we must learn to discern that which stems from ourselves and that which stems from God.
The key to this discernment is honesty and obedience. First we must be completely honest with ourselves and our intentions. Wrong intentions can cause us to think that God is affirming something we ourselves want to do. Honesty will enable us to discern the presence or absence of a deep and abiding sense of peace which will be absent if we are deceiving ourselves. Through constant suppressing of this "voice of conscience" we can grieve the Spirit into silence. But if we can embrace honesty and a willingness to obey, we will find the prompting and the communication becoming stronger and more sure over time.
How do I know Christianity is real?
How do I know Christianity is real? This is the favourite question of every honest Christian but the least favourite question of any Christian leader faced with the task of answering it.
My question in response to the question is this - how do you know anything is real? This is what philosophers call an ontological (ie. truth) question - ie. how do you determine truth. Everyday in my job, I have to listen to different people tell completely different versions of the same event and then make up my mind on who is telling the truth. The ascertainment of truth in the court of law relies on testimonial evidence and where available, physical evidence. This itself is fraught with its problems. How then do we determine truth?
May I suggest that to determine truth is a two-stage process.
(1) Stage One - Test the Source. All truth comes from a source, ie. the testimony of a witness, or the observation and interpretation of physical evidence. To determine the veracity of this truth, we must therefore first test the veracity of the source. The assumption is that if the source is valid, then the statement of truth that comes from that source must be valid. ie. if a witness is truthful and trustworthy, then what he says must be true.
In the ascertainment of truth about life and God, there are three primary sources: (1) Science, (2) Reason and (3) Revelation. The ascertainment of truth by way of science has long been lauded as the unshakeable source. One may say the evidence does not lie. While that is true, the interpretation of the evidence is something that is far from certain. To speak as if all of science speaks in unison is to deceive oneself. Scientists differ on the state of the universe, the origins of the universe, the immutability of scientific laws, and the causes of disease. While the physical universe is there for all to see, our inadequate human faculties and our limited experiential paradigms make our interpretation of from scientific data as to what is ultimate truth far from reliable. In short, we cannot extract truth from science without the operation of human reason. Yet because of the failings of human reason and our limited experiences, any attempt to extract truth from science is fraught with uncertainty. What is more, in the area of the metaphysical (or spiritual), in the issues of life beyond death, scientific data come to an almost embarrassing standstill. Science has simply no answers.
Where science fails because of the frailty of reason, divine revelation takes over. While science requires finite man to make conclusions about life and death and existence and God, revelation stems from the divine Himself. Immediately, the superiority of the primary source becomes clear. To put it another way, who would you trust to tell you about life after death - a monkey, an evolved form of a monkey (no offence) or the divine himself?
(2) Stage Two - Test the Messenger. Even if the source is valid, the transmission of that statement of truth to the end point may be corrupted by inadequacies in the communication process. For example, even if the speaker is saying something true, if there is so much noise that I cannot hear what he is saying, then the communication of that truth to me is lost.
Assuming that we accept the superiority of revelation over science, we now move to the second test. Here we move from testing the source to testing the transmission process stemming from that source. Every religion with exception of Christianity relies on the transmission of the divine message through a human conduit, ie. a prophet, a messenger or a holy man. To test the divergent truth statements made by all these human conduits, we must look at the quality of messenger himself. This is where Christianity distinguishes itself. In all the major world religions, no other messenger of the truth statement has claimed to be divine himself. All else has claimed to simply be a messenger for the divine. In Christianity, the transmission of the truth statement stems from the lips of the divine Himself, incarnated as man. In all other major world religions, the message is "Let me point you to the truth". In Christianity, the message is "I am the truth."
In conclusion, Christianity provides both the superior source and the superior transmission of the message from that source. If I had to chose to place my faith in a religion, the choice, as you can see, is not so difficult to make.
My question in response to the question is this - how do you know anything is real? This is what philosophers call an ontological (ie. truth) question - ie. how do you determine truth. Everyday in my job, I have to listen to different people tell completely different versions of the same event and then make up my mind on who is telling the truth. The ascertainment of truth in the court of law relies on testimonial evidence and where available, physical evidence. This itself is fraught with its problems. How then do we determine truth?
May I suggest that to determine truth is a two-stage process.
(1) Stage One - Test the Source. All truth comes from a source, ie. the testimony of a witness, or the observation and interpretation of physical evidence. To determine the veracity of this truth, we must therefore first test the veracity of the source. The assumption is that if the source is valid, then the statement of truth that comes from that source must be valid. ie. if a witness is truthful and trustworthy, then what he says must be true.
In the ascertainment of truth about life and God, there are three primary sources: (1) Science, (2) Reason and (3) Revelation. The ascertainment of truth by way of science has long been lauded as the unshakeable source. One may say the evidence does not lie. While that is true, the interpretation of the evidence is something that is far from certain. To speak as if all of science speaks in unison is to deceive oneself. Scientists differ on the state of the universe, the origins of the universe, the immutability of scientific laws, and the causes of disease. While the physical universe is there for all to see, our inadequate human faculties and our limited experiential paradigms make our interpretation of from scientific data as to what is ultimate truth far from reliable. In short, we cannot extract truth from science without the operation of human reason. Yet because of the failings of human reason and our limited experiences, any attempt to extract truth from science is fraught with uncertainty. What is more, in the area of the metaphysical (or spiritual), in the issues of life beyond death, scientific data come to an almost embarrassing standstill. Science has simply no answers.
Where science fails because of the frailty of reason, divine revelation takes over. While science requires finite man to make conclusions about life and death and existence and God, revelation stems from the divine Himself. Immediately, the superiority of the primary source becomes clear. To put it another way, who would you trust to tell you about life after death - a monkey, an evolved form of a monkey (no offence) or the divine himself?
(2) Stage Two - Test the Messenger. Even if the source is valid, the transmission of that statement of truth to the end point may be corrupted by inadequacies in the communication process. For example, even if the speaker is saying something true, if there is so much noise that I cannot hear what he is saying, then the communication of that truth to me is lost.
Assuming that we accept the superiority of revelation over science, we now move to the second test. Here we move from testing the source to testing the transmission process stemming from that source. Every religion with exception of Christianity relies on the transmission of the divine message through a human conduit, ie. a prophet, a messenger or a holy man. To test the divergent truth statements made by all these human conduits, we must look at the quality of messenger himself. This is where Christianity distinguishes itself. In all the major world religions, no other messenger of the truth statement has claimed to be divine himself. All else has claimed to simply be a messenger for the divine. In Christianity, the transmission of the truth statement stems from the lips of the divine Himself, incarnated as man. In all other major world religions, the message is "Let me point you to the truth". In Christianity, the message is "I am the truth."
In conclusion, Christianity provides both the superior source and the superior transmission of the message from that source. If I had to chose to place my faith in a religion, the choice, as you can see, is not so difficult to make.
What On Earth am I Here For?
It has been a month since my last post. The festivities of Chinese New Year are now over. I never did like Chinese New Year much, with its overly sweet tidbits and overly annoying relatives. Growing up, I used to hate being dragged around by my parents in the sweltering afternoon sun to see old people whom I really could not care less about just so that they could compensate me for my hardship with a few red notes. This year, for the first time, it was my turn to dragged my poor 8 month old daughter to see old people whom she really could not care less about. Except at that age, she could just scream into their faces when they displeased her. Ironic really, but such is the cycle of life.
Solomon once said, "what is new under the sun?" Everything that we do, our efforts, our strivings, our boastings, will soon pass away like sandcastles in the incoming tide. We too will soon pass away. And the next generation will come after us. Our children, our next generation of church leaders, our successors in our ministries and our jobs. What can we do that is really worthwhile? Some build corporations and mansions. Others crave political position and the esteem of man. We change cars, change handphones, change houses, change our looks, change our jobs...all in search of that illusive goal that says that we have 'arrived'.
Then we think of eternity. Imagine if you will a piece of string that is stretched in front of us, from east to west, across the horizon, a string that extends and extends round the earth until it meets at the opposite end. That string is eternity, relentless, unending. Then imagine a little 1 cm red splotch of paint on that string. That is the 70, 80, 90 years of our lives. And then we are told that the decisions and choices we make on that little splotch of red will matter for all eternity. Suddenly all our vain strivings and ambitions on this little splotch of red begin to look rather silly, all our anxieties and our quarrels begin to look rather petty.
You see God has put eternity into our hearts such that our hearts will never be at rest in the temporal, in this little red splotch of time we have made our home. We have been created for things far more divine, far more glorious than to live and eat and die on this moving rock. You see, each of us has a destiny that is tied up with God Himself, a purpose that stems from the very heart of the Creator. It is only when we align ourselves with the Divine Will, that we transcend this temporal cage and touch the face of eternty.
But the decision to either align ourselves with the Divine Will or walk our own path to futility and destruction is one each of us must make. It is the choice between surrender or autonomy, obedience or license, the Spirit or the flesh, faith or unbelief. "Father let not my will be done but yours." "Into Your hands I commit my spirit". These are the words of one who has aligned himself with destiny. For only he who dares to step out beyond our sight and live by faith, is he who will step into the hands of He who holds eternity.
Solomon once said, "what is new under the sun?" Everything that we do, our efforts, our strivings, our boastings, will soon pass away like sandcastles in the incoming tide. We too will soon pass away. And the next generation will come after us. Our children, our next generation of church leaders, our successors in our ministries and our jobs. What can we do that is really worthwhile? Some build corporations and mansions. Others crave political position and the esteem of man. We change cars, change handphones, change houses, change our looks, change our jobs...all in search of that illusive goal that says that we have 'arrived'.
Then we think of eternity. Imagine if you will a piece of string that is stretched in front of us, from east to west, across the horizon, a string that extends and extends round the earth until it meets at the opposite end. That string is eternity, relentless, unending. Then imagine a little 1 cm red splotch of paint on that string. That is the 70, 80, 90 years of our lives. And then we are told that the decisions and choices we make on that little splotch of red will matter for all eternity. Suddenly all our vain strivings and ambitions on this little splotch of red begin to look rather silly, all our anxieties and our quarrels begin to look rather petty.
You see God has put eternity into our hearts such that our hearts will never be at rest in the temporal, in this little red splotch of time we have made our home. We have been created for things far more divine, far more glorious than to live and eat and die on this moving rock. You see, each of us has a destiny that is tied up with God Himself, a purpose that stems from the very heart of the Creator. It is only when we align ourselves with the Divine Will, that we transcend this temporal cage and touch the face of eternty.
But the decision to either align ourselves with the Divine Will or walk our own path to futility and destruction is one each of us must make. It is the choice between surrender or autonomy, obedience or license, the Spirit or the flesh, faith or unbelief. "Father let not my will be done but yours." "Into Your hands I commit my spirit". These are the words of one who has aligned himself with destiny. For only he who dares to step out beyond our sight and live by faith, is he who will step into the hands of He who holds eternity.
Ramblings on dissatisfaction
We are always inclined to be dissatisfied with what we have. We are 'trained' to complain and to see the worse in our situation. We focus on what we don't have, moan about how we are not being treated fairly and smugly sip on the bitter nectar of our self-pity. Our dissatisfaction is often linked to one feeling, the feeling of being wronged, of being treated unfairly. This can be in respect of our job, ie. we feel unappreciated by our bosses and our efforts unrewarded, or it can be in respect of our studies, ie. we feel we are simply not getting the results our efforts deserve, or it can be in our situation in life, perhaps we feel we should be richer or better looking or smarter or happier.
Some 60 years to this day, Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated. By that time, more than an estimated 3 million people, Jews and Soviets etc, had been exterminated at Auschwitz by the Nazis. Rudolf Hoss, the Commandant of Auschwitz related the following in his sworn testimony at the Post-War Nuremburg trials: "I commanded Auschwitz until 12/1/1943 and estimate that at least 2.5 million victims were executed and exterminated there by gassing and burning, and at least another half million succumbed to starvation and disease making a total dead of about 3 million." The story of unspeakable human cruelty still rings loud today to those who would dare to hear. Bales of human hair bear testimony to the hundreds of thousands gassed to death. Evidence has emerged of thousands of women and children who died after being subject to vile medical experimentation. All part of the Final Solution Hitler had put in place to exterminate all Jews in Europe. I've been reading some information on Auschwitz and felt sick in the stomach.
Who determines our position and place in life? Who determines if I am to be born in a certain place and time, with certain characteristics and abilities? Do we look at those less fortunate then us so that we can feel better about ourselves? Do we avoid focusing on what we don’t have so that we can be satisfied with our lot in life? Why does life treat some people better and others with the raw deal? Some might say God, others might say the devil, still others might say that is the result of sin in a fallen world. Or as Shakespeare writes in King Lear, "As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods, they kill us for their sport". Looking at the apparent arbitrariness of life, and the senselessness of it all, we struggle to find any sort of meaningful answer. Is there any sense to it all? Is there any fairness to it all? There is a sadness in me now as I look at the world around me. So many struggling just to survive, so many grappling to play with the difficult odds life has dealt them. Injustice, cruelty, suffering. What can one person do? How can I find answers to these questions that rage within my disquiet soul?
Between eternity past and eternity future is a small blip of existence called time. This is the short space which began at creation and will end at the recreation of the new heaven and the new earth at the end of time. Perhaps we will never know why, at least not in this lifetime. Perhaps our questions will never be answered. But within this short 60 to 100 years of our life, we are all called to make choices, choices that will determine the end-product of our life, choices that will determine our eternity. We cannot abdicate from this choices by claiming that we have been treated unfairly by life or that our questions have been unanswered. We cannot retreat into a world of self-pity and pretend that these choices will go away. At the end, we will all have to account for every choice made, every word spoken. What is the legacy we want to leave this world with? A legacy of a person who has never accomplished anything because he succumbed to self-pity and was paralised to act by the quicksand pit of complaining he had sunk into. Or the legacy of a person who has loved and served and impacted others because of the choices he made. People who leave behind a successful life do not do so by complaining. They do so by daring. History does not remember the complainers. History remembers the brave.
Some 60 years to this day, Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated. By that time, more than an estimated 3 million people, Jews and Soviets etc, had been exterminated at Auschwitz by the Nazis. Rudolf Hoss, the Commandant of Auschwitz related the following in his sworn testimony at the Post-War Nuremburg trials: "I commanded Auschwitz until 12/1/1943 and estimate that at least 2.5 million victims were executed and exterminated there by gassing and burning, and at least another half million succumbed to starvation and disease making a total dead of about 3 million." The story of unspeakable human cruelty still rings loud today to those who would dare to hear. Bales of human hair bear testimony to the hundreds of thousands gassed to death. Evidence has emerged of thousands of women and children who died after being subject to vile medical experimentation. All part of the Final Solution Hitler had put in place to exterminate all Jews in Europe. I've been reading some information on Auschwitz and felt sick in the stomach.
Who determines our position and place in life? Who determines if I am to be born in a certain place and time, with certain characteristics and abilities? Do we look at those less fortunate then us so that we can feel better about ourselves? Do we avoid focusing on what we don’t have so that we can be satisfied with our lot in life? Why does life treat some people better and others with the raw deal? Some might say God, others might say the devil, still others might say that is the result of sin in a fallen world. Or as Shakespeare writes in King Lear, "As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods, they kill us for their sport". Looking at the apparent arbitrariness of life, and the senselessness of it all, we struggle to find any sort of meaningful answer. Is there any sense to it all? Is there any fairness to it all? There is a sadness in me now as I look at the world around me. So many struggling just to survive, so many grappling to play with the difficult odds life has dealt them. Injustice, cruelty, suffering. What can one person do? How can I find answers to these questions that rage within my disquiet soul?
Between eternity past and eternity future is a small blip of existence called time. This is the short space which began at creation and will end at the recreation of the new heaven and the new earth at the end of time. Perhaps we will never know why, at least not in this lifetime. Perhaps our questions will never be answered. But within this short 60 to 100 years of our life, we are all called to make choices, choices that will determine the end-product of our life, choices that will determine our eternity. We cannot abdicate from this choices by claiming that we have been treated unfairly by life or that our questions have been unanswered. We cannot retreat into a world of self-pity and pretend that these choices will go away. At the end, we will all have to account for every choice made, every word spoken. What is the legacy we want to leave this world with? A legacy of a person who has never accomplished anything because he succumbed to self-pity and was paralised to act by the quicksand pit of complaining he had sunk into. Or the legacy of a person who has loved and served and impacted others because of the choices he made. People who leave behind a successful life do not do so by complaining. They do so by daring. History does not remember the complainers. History remembers the brave.
Two realities
How are we seriously ever able to take up the cross? Jesus calls us to do so in Luke 9:23. We are told that taking up the cross means giving up everything to follow Christ, being willing to sacrifice and suffer for His sake. Is this a mandate too high for anyone to reach? I believe God everytime God gives us a command, he also gives us the power and ability to accomplish this command. Many of us read the verse in Luke 9:23 and kind of sigh resignly to the seeming impossibility of the command. Yet if we were to simply read on to the verses that follow, we will discover an incredible truth about how we can obtain this ability to fulfill the command.
Following the command, Jesus takes about two different realities. The first, the reality the physical world of earth. Jesus says of this world that whoever tries to find his life in this world will lose it (vs 24). And even if a man can gain the whole world, there is no eternal profit if he were to lose his soul (vs 25). Jesus here speaks against two of the most important goals every human being aspires to. The goals of actualisation - ie finding your true self and reaching your human potential, and acquisition - ie. obtaining material abundance. If we are seeking these two things in the physical world, this is foolishness and will come to naught at the end.
In contrast to the first reality of the physical world is the second reality the world of the Kingdom of God, of God and His Angels, of the spiritual dimension, of heaven and hell, and of eternity. Though unseen for the most part to the average human, to Christ, this was the greater reality. For Hebrews 11:3 tells us that the spiritual world preceded the physical world. In this reality, the rules are different. It is not so much how much material acquisitions or worldly status you acquire that matters, it is whether you have loved God. known God and fulfilled His calling on your life that matters. To those who are ashamed of Christ, Christ will be ashamed of him when he comes in glory and with His angels (Luke 9:26). This is the reality of the Kingdom of God (Luke 9:27). And this is the reality that matters for eternity.
The Apostle Luke then goes on to give the account of the transfiguration of Christ. Eight days later, Jesus goes up to the mountain to pray and is transfigured. His face and his clothes shown with glorious light. And Moses and Elijah appeared with Him and discussed His upcoming death. As I pondered upon why the Spirit had chosen it fit to tell us of the transfiguration immediately after the preceding verses, it soon dawned on me. The transfiguration is a graphic representation of the second and greater reality. The story of the transfiguration tells us that this greater reality in fact co-exists and lies beneath our present physical reality, from time to time breaking through the veneer of covering into the physical reality. It is a reality that though we cannot see through our earthly eyes, we can see through the eyes of faith and by revelation of the Spirit.
The appreciation of this greater spiritual reality of the Kingdom of God is crucial if we are to be able to carry our cross. For we can only give up this present physical reality if we see through the eyes of faith the greater and eternal reality of God and His kingdom. That is why we are told to set our minds not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Cor 4:18). Our liberation from earth only begins when we can see heaven. Let us pray therefore that the Spirit will give us eyes that we may see this greater reality. For it is only when we are rooted in the greater reality of God that we are able to transcend this present reality, to take up the cross and follow Him. For he is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose (Jim Elliot).
Following the command, Jesus takes about two different realities. The first, the reality the physical world of earth. Jesus says of this world that whoever tries to find his life in this world will lose it (vs 24). And even if a man can gain the whole world, there is no eternal profit if he were to lose his soul (vs 25). Jesus here speaks against two of the most important goals every human being aspires to. The goals of actualisation - ie finding your true self and reaching your human potential, and acquisition - ie. obtaining material abundance. If we are seeking these two things in the physical world, this is foolishness and will come to naught at the end.
In contrast to the first reality of the physical world is the second reality the world of the Kingdom of God, of God and His Angels, of the spiritual dimension, of heaven and hell, and of eternity. Though unseen for the most part to the average human, to Christ, this was the greater reality. For Hebrews 11:3 tells us that the spiritual world preceded the physical world. In this reality, the rules are different. It is not so much how much material acquisitions or worldly status you acquire that matters, it is whether you have loved God. known God and fulfilled His calling on your life that matters. To those who are ashamed of Christ, Christ will be ashamed of him when he comes in glory and with His angels (Luke 9:26). This is the reality of the Kingdom of God (Luke 9:27). And this is the reality that matters for eternity.
The Apostle Luke then goes on to give the account of the transfiguration of Christ. Eight days later, Jesus goes up to the mountain to pray and is transfigured. His face and his clothes shown with glorious light. And Moses and Elijah appeared with Him and discussed His upcoming death. As I pondered upon why the Spirit had chosen it fit to tell us of the transfiguration immediately after the preceding verses, it soon dawned on me. The transfiguration is a graphic representation of the second and greater reality. The story of the transfiguration tells us that this greater reality in fact co-exists and lies beneath our present physical reality, from time to time breaking through the veneer of covering into the physical reality. It is a reality that though we cannot see through our earthly eyes, we can see through the eyes of faith and by revelation of the Spirit.
The appreciation of this greater spiritual reality of the Kingdom of God is crucial if we are to be able to carry our cross. For we can only give up this present physical reality if we see through the eyes of faith the greater and eternal reality of God and His kingdom. That is why we are told to set our minds not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Cor 4:18). Our liberation from earth only begins when we can see heaven. Let us pray therefore that the Spirit will give us eyes that we may see this greater reality. For it is only when we are rooted in the greater reality of God that we are able to transcend this present reality, to take up the cross and follow Him. For he is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose (Jim Elliot).
The Overcommitted Christian
Responsibilities, expectations, deadlines. Trying to balance a full day in the court of law, returning home to be husband to my dearest wife and father to my 7 month old baby girl, add the multitudes of issues and human complexities in my church ministry, and throw in the discipline of an exacting fitness regime, you will see that my life is no easy task. There is almost not enough time every day. Recently my wife brought home a pamphlet from church entitled "Busy Husbands, Lonely Wives". Not sure if she was trying to tell me something.
As I pondered the issue of time and work, I begin to realise that the danger is not that we are unable to do enough for God, the danger is that we are doing too much. Somehow, I feel the Christian life was never meant to be this tiring. It was at this point that I turned to the familiar words of Christ in Matthew 11:28,29 - "Come to me all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls." The question I found myself asking was, how really do we enter the rest of God?
As I read around the verses preceding and after this famous verse, and prayerfully asked the Spirit for His counsel, the truth soon dawned on me. In the preceding verses, Jesus had lamented that the Jews had condemned both John the Baptist and himself (11:18,19). He then chided the cities in which his mighty works had been done because they had failed to recognise the works of God (11:20-24). Jesus then went on to say that these things were hidden from the wise but revealed to the babes and that the Father would only be revealed to those whom the Son reveals Him to. Then he spoke the words of rest in Matt 11:28,29. As I meditated on these verses, the Spirit revealed to me a simple truth - There is a pressing need for us to recognise the true works of God. The Jews in their pride were not able to. Only the humble at heart are. The reason for our never ending strife and our tiredness is that in the quest to fulfill our proud ambitions, we are unable to distinguish what is God's work and what is not God's work, but our work. We often claim to be building God's kingdom but are in reality striving to build our own treasures and kingdoms on this earth. The result - we take on much more than God ever intended, at work, in ministry and in our extra-curricular pursuits. It is only to the humble at heart that Jesus will reveal the Father. And it is only those who have seen the Father who are able to discern the works that are from God. The works that come from God, these we should pursue. The works that are not from God but from our flesh, these, we should be wise not to unnecessarily burden ourselves with.
As I moved on to read the verses after Matt 11:28,29, Matthew writes of an episode of the disciples plucking grains in a grainfield on the Sabbath to eat because they were hungry. They were chided by the Pharisees. Jesus then gave the example of David entering into the temple on the Sabbath and eating the showbread. He then makes a startling remark to the Pharisees, "But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy not sacrifice,' you would not condemn the guiltless." Herein lies the next truth in respect of rest. Only when we are able to recognise the work of God are we able to enter the rest of God. The Pharisees in their own human pride had burden themselves with the works of man, and therefore even on the Sabbath, could never find rest but continued to lay more burdens upon themselves and others. Yet if we were able to see the true heart of God, we would know and recognise His true work. For the work of God was always concerned about genuine need, the needs of His beloved children. The Father's heart was always one of mercy and love. And there was always enough time for each child. Those who engaged in the Father's work, no more and no less, would likewise enter the rest of God, for God himself was able to work for six days and to rest on the seventh.
Only one thing is needful for an overcommitted and tired-out Christian. That is to learn to recognise the works of God. We put aside the strife of our flesh, and embrace only those works which flow from the Father's heart. In doing so, our souls will also experience the rest of God. For His yoke is easy and his burden is light (11:30).
As I pondered the issue of time and work, I begin to realise that the danger is not that we are unable to do enough for God, the danger is that we are doing too much. Somehow, I feel the Christian life was never meant to be this tiring. It was at this point that I turned to the familiar words of Christ in Matthew 11:28,29 - "Come to me all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls." The question I found myself asking was, how really do we enter the rest of God?
As I read around the verses preceding and after this famous verse, and prayerfully asked the Spirit for His counsel, the truth soon dawned on me. In the preceding verses, Jesus had lamented that the Jews had condemned both John the Baptist and himself (11:18,19). He then chided the cities in which his mighty works had been done because they had failed to recognise the works of God (11:20-24). Jesus then went on to say that these things were hidden from the wise but revealed to the babes and that the Father would only be revealed to those whom the Son reveals Him to. Then he spoke the words of rest in Matt 11:28,29. As I meditated on these verses, the Spirit revealed to me a simple truth - There is a pressing need for us to recognise the true works of God. The Jews in their pride were not able to. Only the humble at heart are. The reason for our never ending strife and our tiredness is that in the quest to fulfill our proud ambitions, we are unable to distinguish what is God's work and what is not God's work, but our work. We often claim to be building God's kingdom but are in reality striving to build our own treasures and kingdoms on this earth. The result - we take on much more than God ever intended, at work, in ministry and in our extra-curricular pursuits. It is only to the humble at heart that Jesus will reveal the Father. And it is only those who have seen the Father who are able to discern the works that are from God. The works that come from God, these we should pursue. The works that are not from God but from our flesh, these, we should be wise not to unnecessarily burden ourselves with.
As I moved on to read the verses after Matt 11:28,29, Matthew writes of an episode of the disciples plucking grains in a grainfield on the Sabbath to eat because they were hungry. They were chided by the Pharisees. Jesus then gave the example of David entering into the temple on the Sabbath and eating the showbread. He then makes a startling remark to the Pharisees, "But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy not sacrifice,' you would not condemn the guiltless." Herein lies the next truth in respect of rest. Only when we are able to recognise the work of God are we able to enter the rest of God. The Pharisees in their own human pride had burden themselves with the works of man, and therefore even on the Sabbath, could never find rest but continued to lay more burdens upon themselves and others. Yet if we were able to see the true heart of God, we would know and recognise His true work. For the work of God was always concerned about genuine need, the needs of His beloved children. The Father's heart was always one of mercy and love. And there was always enough time for each child. Those who engaged in the Father's work, no more and no less, would likewise enter the rest of God, for God himself was able to work for six days and to rest on the seventh.
Only one thing is needful for an overcommitted and tired-out Christian. That is to learn to recognise the works of God. We put aside the strife of our flesh, and embrace only those works which flow from the Father's heart. In doing so, our souls will also experience the rest of God. For His yoke is easy and his burden is light (11:30).
Making sense in calamity and suffering - Part 2
How could a loving God allow thousands of innocent infants to die in the tsunami? Doesn't he care? Doesn't he see? This is no doubt a very difficult question to answer. Perhaps we can try to understand somewhat why God works in the way he does when we understand the sacredness of free choice. When God created man, he created man to be free. For only a free human being can voluntarily choose to love and worship him. Man without choice is essentially a soulless robot. However with this free choice came the possibility that man may not choose God, that man may sin. As God foreknew, man did sin, in the Garden of Eden.
Here is the crux of the matter. With free choice comes moral responsibility. The wages of sin is always death. You could say God created man knowing that some would not choose him and go to hell. Why would a loving God live with that possibility? Because the sanctity and sacredness of free choice demanded that. Free choice that was necessary for us to exist as true, morally independent and free human beings. And we might make conjecture that creation of man was a superior option than no creation at all even though some might go to hell in the process. We might then ask why doesn't God tamper the consequences of the wrong choices we make? Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn’t. If he did so every time, nobody would go to hell even if they rejected him. You see, free choice necessitates consequences of that choice without which the free choice would be meaningless and the choice itself illusory. If we were to be protected from the consequences of our choice, then there would be no avenue for moral responsibility. God in his wisdom has therefore seen it fit that as morally free beings, we face the consequences of our moral decisions.
How does this apply to the situation like a major calamity? The fact of a decaying creation is the consequences of sin. Creation is in bondage to decay because of Eden. The natural order of things are progressively falling apart. This is the consequence of the morally free choice of our forefathers, the indirect consequence of sin, both in our lives and the lives of our forefathers. God does not always mitigate the evil or tragic consequences that ensue because to do so would remove any avenue for moral responsibility and render the freedom of choice itself illusory. If God were to do so, taken to its extreme, nobody on earth would die, nobody on earth would suffer and nobody on earth would go to hell. Then our decisions simply would not matter. Our freedom of choice rendered farcical.
As to why God saved one child from the waves but allowed another to drown, we will never know. What loving father would allow his son to die? The God we know would. He did, some 2000 years ago on the Cross. To all who were looking on that Calvary morning, the cross was foolishness. Unexplainable foolishness. A man in his prime, full of potential, full of the anointing, yet a life wasted after 2.5 short years of ministry. To the Jews, the cross was an offense and it still is to them today. To the Greeks, the cross was foolishness. Yet the cross is to us the wisdom of God and the power of God. Some things we can only know with the benefit of hindsight. Every dying child, every drown child, every fibre of our being screams and demands to know why? For it violates everything we see as fair and just and kind. But then we survey the wondrous Cross, on which the King of Glory died. How could it be? As I ponder the Cross, and all its seeming insanity and contradictions and illogicality, disbelief gives way to faith, and confusion to hope. For I can never understand enough of God to "darken His counsel with words without knowledge". I can never understand. I can only trust.
Here is the crux of the matter. With free choice comes moral responsibility. The wages of sin is always death. You could say God created man knowing that some would not choose him and go to hell. Why would a loving God live with that possibility? Because the sanctity and sacredness of free choice demanded that. Free choice that was necessary for us to exist as true, morally independent and free human beings. And we might make conjecture that creation of man was a superior option than no creation at all even though some might go to hell in the process. We might then ask why doesn't God tamper the consequences of the wrong choices we make? Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn’t. If he did so every time, nobody would go to hell even if they rejected him. You see, free choice necessitates consequences of that choice without which the free choice would be meaningless and the choice itself illusory. If we were to be protected from the consequences of our choice, then there would be no avenue for moral responsibility. God in his wisdom has therefore seen it fit that as morally free beings, we face the consequences of our moral decisions.
How does this apply to the situation like a major calamity? The fact of a decaying creation is the consequences of sin. Creation is in bondage to decay because of Eden. The natural order of things are progressively falling apart. This is the consequence of the morally free choice of our forefathers, the indirect consequence of sin, both in our lives and the lives of our forefathers. God does not always mitigate the evil or tragic consequences that ensue because to do so would remove any avenue for moral responsibility and render the freedom of choice itself illusory. If God were to do so, taken to its extreme, nobody on earth would die, nobody on earth would suffer and nobody on earth would go to hell. Then our decisions simply would not matter. Our freedom of choice rendered farcical.
As to why God saved one child from the waves but allowed another to drown, we will never know. What loving father would allow his son to die? The God we know would. He did, some 2000 years ago on the Cross. To all who were looking on that Calvary morning, the cross was foolishness. Unexplainable foolishness. A man in his prime, full of potential, full of the anointing, yet a life wasted after 2.5 short years of ministry. To the Jews, the cross was an offense and it still is to them today. To the Greeks, the cross was foolishness. Yet the cross is to us the wisdom of God and the power of God. Some things we can only know with the benefit of hindsight. Every dying child, every drown child, every fibre of our being screams and demands to know why? For it violates everything we see as fair and just and kind. But then we survey the wondrous Cross, on which the King of Glory died. How could it be? As I ponder the Cross, and all its seeming insanity and contradictions and illogicality, disbelief gives way to faith, and confusion to hope. For I can never understand enough of God to "darken His counsel with words without knowledge". I can never understand. I can only trust.
Making sense in calamity and suffering
How can we make sense of what has happened recently? More than 125,000 dead and the death toll is climbing. Where is God in the midst of such suffering? Here are some thoughts on the issue:
1. The biblical perspective commonly taught on the subject of suffering is that it can be used by God either as a form of chastisement or temporary judgment (as opposed to final judgement in hell) for sin. It can also be used by God to build character, build faith and perseverance and to reveal what is in the heart of man. Suffering teaches us not to rely on ourselves but on God which is ultimately crucial if we are to learn to appropriate grace. But one may ask how does such a theory sit with the thousands who have died? Especially the young children and infants. Here we turn to our next possible answer.
2. The second biblical answer we can give is that suffering is caused as a result of the sin of man. When Adam sinned, the natural world fell into bondage to decay and nature began to progressively breakdown. Natural calamity like earthquakes, etc. result simply because of the breakdown of natural order. God does not cause the suffering but allows it because his salvation of the world is being systematically unfolded in his perfect time. God's approach in dealing with the issue of sin was first to address the evil in the heart of man by Christ's death on the cross. By the cross, the penalty and power of sin was broken in the life of the believer. The next stage of salvation is the second coming when God will transform the physical bodies of all believers and restore the natural order disrupted because of sin. God is not sitting by idle in the midst of sin and suffering. He is intimately concerned about it but we must trust that the unfolding of his perfect salvation can only take place in his perfect timing.
3. The philosophical perspective on the quest for meaning in suffering is a more complex one. When someone asks for meaning in suffering, there is a presumption of order and logic, ie. a rationale answer, that things must ultimately make sense. This presumption can only stand if one believes in creation and the fact that the universe is ordered by an Almighty Being who works all things for a purpose. Without the acknowledgment of the existence of God, we are only left with evolution, which is ultimately the theory of randomness and chance. In such a theory, there is no place for the question "why". Things just happen because it does. Natural forces of physics, chemistry and biology interplay. DNA, molecules and forces determine our future. There is no higher purpose, no transcendent rationality. Like the role of the dice, things just happen. As a philosopher once said, "DNA neither knows nor cares. DNA just is and we dance to its music." Without God, when we look out at the stars and shout for an answer, there is only the defending silence of an disinterested universe. The atheist who tries to disprove the existence of God by pointing to the lack of meaning in the present suffering finds that his denial of God invalidates his very question. Without the presumption of God's existence, he cannot justify his need for a reasonable answer to his search for meaning.
1. The biblical perspective commonly taught on the subject of suffering is that it can be used by God either as a form of chastisement or temporary judgment (as opposed to final judgement in hell) for sin. It can also be used by God to build character, build faith and perseverance and to reveal what is in the heart of man. Suffering teaches us not to rely on ourselves but on God which is ultimately crucial if we are to learn to appropriate grace. But one may ask how does such a theory sit with the thousands who have died? Especially the young children and infants. Here we turn to our next possible answer.
2. The second biblical answer we can give is that suffering is caused as a result of the sin of man. When Adam sinned, the natural world fell into bondage to decay and nature began to progressively breakdown. Natural calamity like earthquakes, etc. result simply because of the breakdown of natural order. God does not cause the suffering but allows it because his salvation of the world is being systematically unfolded in his perfect time. God's approach in dealing with the issue of sin was first to address the evil in the heart of man by Christ's death on the cross. By the cross, the penalty and power of sin was broken in the life of the believer. The next stage of salvation is the second coming when God will transform the physical bodies of all believers and restore the natural order disrupted because of sin. God is not sitting by idle in the midst of sin and suffering. He is intimately concerned about it but we must trust that the unfolding of his perfect salvation can only take place in his perfect timing.
3. The philosophical perspective on the quest for meaning in suffering is a more complex one. When someone asks for meaning in suffering, there is a presumption of order and logic, ie. a rationale answer, that things must ultimately make sense. This presumption can only stand if one believes in creation and the fact that the universe is ordered by an Almighty Being who works all things for a purpose. Without the acknowledgment of the existence of God, we are only left with evolution, which is ultimately the theory of randomness and chance. In such a theory, there is no place for the question "why". Things just happen because it does. Natural forces of physics, chemistry and biology interplay. DNA, molecules and forces determine our future. There is no higher purpose, no transcendent rationality. Like the role of the dice, things just happen. As a philosopher once said, "DNA neither knows nor cares. DNA just is and we dance to its music." Without God, when we look out at the stars and shout for an answer, there is only the defending silence of an disinterested universe. The atheist who tries to disprove the existence of God by pointing to the lack of meaning in the present suffering finds that his denial of God invalidates his very question. Without the presumption of God's existence, he cannot justify his need for a reasonable answer to his search for meaning.
Why is there a need for Christmas?
Why is there a need for Christmas? We know the need for the Cross but why Christmas? Why is there a need for the Christ to be born in a lowly manger, to grow up through infancy, adolescence, teenage and adulthood to reach 30 before He could finally go to the Cross? Why go through all the trouble? Why not just incarnate the Christ at age 30, so that He can start his ministry and then go to the Cross immediately? Why wait 30 years?
I suspect that the very answer to this question is also the answer to why God doesn't just take us up to heaven when we accept Him but allows us to continue here on earth, as difficult as it may be. It seems as if God takes a long time to get anything done. I mean, haven't they been talking about the 2nd coming for the last 2000 years? Sometimes the things we pray for today do not bear fruit until years later. At other times, God persists in allowing us to struggle with a thorn, despite repeated prayers for deliverance. Why?
The answer, I think, is the word called "process". "Process" is defined as "a series of actions, changes, or functions bringing about a result." I hazard a guess that there must be some purpose to the wait, that that purpose is to allow for some form of process so that ultimately, a desired result will emerge. Ultimately, some things just takes time. And when it comes to soul-making, you just cant run away from the process time.
What then is the process? Life has been defined by the Romantic British poet John Keats as the 'vale' (ie. valley) of soul making'. From a Christian standpoint, the soul is the essence of the person, comprising our mind (the way we think), our emotions (the way we feel) and our free will (the ability to be autonomous). The soul is who we are, our personality, our being. In every life, when the Spirit of God breathes the breath of life into our mortal frame, there lights the flame of life which is the soul. From the time of first light, at birth, the soul continues beyond death into eternity. Life then, is the process by which the soul grows and develops and is sanctified. In this process, we move from intellectual immaturity, emotional immaturity, and moral immaturity to intellectual maturity, emotional maturity and moral maturity. The developed and mature soul bears likeness to the character of God Himself. Such a person thinks the way God does, feels the way God does and decides the way God does.
This then begs the next question, why doesn't God just zap us to become matured persons and not have to go through the painful process of growth in this life? The answer, because the growth process can only be done by a series of small free-will choices made by us throughout the process. We have to participate in the growth process. At each step of the process, we are faced with choices and decisions, each choice and decision bearing moral consequences. If we make the correct moral and wise choice, we move to the next level. If we don’t, we stagnate or retrogress. I have always said that who we will be in 20 years times depends on the series of small choices we make each day. We just don’t wake up one morning and find ourselves in a certain state. We are a product of our choices, and especially more so, when it comes to the business of soul making.
It was the same for the Christ. Hebrews tells us that the Christ had to learn obedience by His suffering, so that He could become the perfect author of our salvation. The perfect sacrifice could only come from a life lived perfectly in obedience to God.
So why is there a need for Christmas? Because without Christmas, there can be no Cross. Without the process, there can be no end result. So you are reading this and are currently struggling with your thorn, wondering why God is slow to hear and to act, remember Christmas - because from Christmas to the Cross, there was the process. God is building something in us that we cannot see now. For Paul writes in 2 Corinthians that our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. God bless and Merry Christmas.
I suspect that the very answer to this question is also the answer to why God doesn't just take us up to heaven when we accept Him but allows us to continue here on earth, as difficult as it may be. It seems as if God takes a long time to get anything done. I mean, haven't they been talking about the 2nd coming for the last 2000 years? Sometimes the things we pray for today do not bear fruit until years later. At other times, God persists in allowing us to struggle with a thorn, despite repeated prayers for deliverance. Why?
The answer, I think, is the word called "process". "Process" is defined as "a series of actions, changes, or functions bringing about a result." I hazard a guess that there must be some purpose to the wait, that that purpose is to allow for some form of process so that ultimately, a desired result will emerge. Ultimately, some things just takes time. And when it comes to soul-making, you just cant run away from the process time.
What then is the process? Life has been defined by the Romantic British poet John Keats as the 'vale' (ie. valley) of soul making'. From a Christian standpoint, the soul is the essence of the person, comprising our mind (the way we think), our emotions (the way we feel) and our free will (the ability to be autonomous). The soul is who we are, our personality, our being. In every life, when the Spirit of God breathes the breath of life into our mortal frame, there lights the flame of life which is the soul. From the time of first light, at birth, the soul continues beyond death into eternity. Life then, is the process by which the soul grows and develops and is sanctified. In this process, we move from intellectual immaturity, emotional immaturity, and moral immaturity to intellectual maturity, emotional maturity and moral maturity. The developed and mature soul bears likeness to the character of God Himself. Such a person thinks the way God does, feels the way God does and decides the way God does.
This then begs the next question, why doesn't God just zap us to become matured persons and not have to go through the painful process of growth in this life? The answer, because the growth process can only be done by a series of small free-will choices made by us throughout the process. We have to participate in the growth process. At each step of the process, we are faced with choices and decisions, each choice and decision bearing moral consequences. If we make the correct moral and wise choice, we move to the next level. If we don’t, we stagnate or retrogress. I have always said that who we will be in 20 years times depends on the series of small choices we make each day. We just don’t wake up one morning and find ourselves in a certain state. We are a product of our choices, and especially more so, when it comes to the business of soul making.
It was the same for the Christ. Hebrews tells us that the Christ had to learn obedience by His suffering, so that He could become the perfect author of our salvation. The perfect sacrifice could only come from a life lived perfectly in obedience to God.
So why is there a need for Christmas? Because without Christmas, there can be no Cross. Without the process, there can be no end result. So you are reading this and are currently struggling with your thorn, wondering why God is slow to hear and to act, remember Christmas - because from Christmas to the Cross, there was the process. God is building something in us that we cannot see now. For Paul writes in 2 Corinthians that our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. God bless and Merry Christmas.
Excuse me, are you running a ministry or a company?
Throughout my years in ministry, I have served on quite a few committees. In church, in Youth Ministry, in university etc. Oftentimes, running a church or a ministry involves planning meetings and nitty-gritty administration. We review our progress, discuss upcoming matters and issue directions. If there is a need to, we take a vote. We set strategies and implement programmes. Over a period of time, we become effective and our organization starts to thrive. Then we hit a plateau. Despite all our planning and efficient organization, we seem to be unable to move to a higher level. How do we plan and organise for revival? The answer: We can't. Only God can.
In the growth of any ministry, we must come to the stage of realization that if we are to go any further, we cannot do it on our plans, our efforts and organization. In fact, many a times, our efforts and plans are the very things that keep us from going further. In the best-selling book Experiencing God, the authors had a simple premise: To experience God, we have to get involved in the things HE is doing. The operative key is "HE", not us. To explain, in any ministry or church or small group, the focus must be not on what our own human plans and devises are, motivated by good intentions they may be. The focus must be on what HE is doing. Seven times to the seven churches in the Book of Revelations, Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches". The responsibility of any leader in any church or ministry or small group must therefore be to seek what God IS DOING and WANTS TO DO in our ministry.
How then does this impact on our ministry leadership? The answer is not more planning, but more prayer. A leader who is unable to hear from God is like a Platoon Commander who is unable to receive orders from the Commanding Officer. That platoon simply will not be able to fight the war effectively. Now is the time for leaders to come together in prayer. To facilitate this, two things are needful. First, purity. Second, unity. Lack of purity in the life of the leader silences the voice of God. Unconfessed and secret sins form a wedge between us and our Commanding Officer, often grieving the Spirit into silence. But blessed are the pure at heart for they shall see God. Lack of unity within the leadership also grieves the Spirit and makes us easy prey for the devil. From my experience, lack of unity often comes from a reliance on human wisdom and the exaltation of human ability within the leadership. We disagree with others because we think we know best and can do it better. That is pride. The call to unity is therefore a call to humility, to recognise that we are unable to do anything of ourselves. All power, all wisdom, all ability comes from above and there is only one Commanding Officer in this ministry, and His name is Jesus Christ.
The ball is now in our court. If we are to take our small group, our ministry and our church to a higher level of revival and spiritual reality, we have to prayer. We have to bow our knees and hear what the Spirit is saying to us. Let no flesh glory in His presence for He alone is God and this is His church. I am not saying we don't plan, we don't administer. But before any of that can take place, we must pray. For if we make decisions without having heard from the Spirit, then our decisions will ultimately be fraught with the fallibility and foolishness of human wisdom.
As Joshua stood with the army of Israel on the eve of the battle for Jericho, he saw the Lord standing before him with a drawn sword (Joshua 5:13). Not knowing that He was the Lord, Joshua went up to the Lord and asked him, "are you for us or are you for our enemies?" But the Lord replied, "Neither, but as the Commander of the Army of the Lord I now come." And Joshua fell on his face and worshipped and said "What does the Lord say to His servant?" This is not our battle, we are not in charge. There is only one Commander and His name is Jesus. Speak Lord for your servants are listening.
In the growth of any ministry, we must come to the stage of realization that if we are to go any further, we cannot do it on our plans, our efforts and organization. In fact, many a times, our efforts and plans are the very things that keep us from going further. In the best-selling book Experiencing God, the authors had a simple premise: To experience God, we have to get involved in the things HE is doing. The operative key is "HE", not us. To explain, in any ministry or church or small group, the focus must be not on what our own human plans and devises are, motivated by good intentions they may be. The focus must be on what HE is doing. Seven times to the seven churches in the Book of Revelations, Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches". The responsibility of any leader in any church or ministry or small group must therefore be to seek what God IS DOING and WANTS TO DO in our ministry.
How then does this impact on our ministry leadership? The answer is not more planning, but more prayer. A leader who is unable to hear from God is like a Platoon Commander who is unable to receive orders from the Commanding Officer. That platoon simply will not be able to fight the war effectively. Now is the time for leaders to come together in prayer. To facilitate this, two things are needful. First, purity. Second, unity. Lack of purity in the life of the leader silences the voice of God. Unconfessed and secret sins form a wedge between us and our Commanding Officer, often grieving the Spirit into silence. But blessed are the pure at heart for they shall see God. Lack of unity within the leadership also grieves the Spirit and makes us easy prey for the devil. From my experience, lack of unity often comes from a reliance on human wisdom and the exaltation of human ability within the leadership. We disagree with others because we think we know best and can do it better. That is pride. The call to unity is therefore a call to humility, to recognise that we are unable to do anything of ourselves. All power, all wisdom, all ability comes from above and there is only one Commanding Officer in this ministry, and His name is Jesus Christ.
The ball is now in our court. If we are to take our small group, our ministry and our church to a higher level of revival and spiritual reality, we have to prayer. We have to bow our knees and hear what the Spirit is saying to us. Let no flesh glory in His presence for He alone is God and this is His church. I am not saying we don't plan, we don't administer. But before any of that can take place, we must pray. For if we make decisions without having heard from the Spirit, then our decisions will ultimately be fraught with the fallibility and foolishness of human wisdom.
As Joshua stood with the army of Israel on the eve of the battle for Jericho, he saw the Lord standing before him with a drawn sword (Joshua 5:13). Not knowing that He was the Lord, Joshua went up to the Lord and asked him, "are you for us or are you for our enemies?" But the Lord replied, "Neither, but as the Commander of the Army of the Lord I now come." And Joshua fell on his face and worshipped and said "What does the Lord say to His servant?" This is not our battle, we are not in charge. There is only one Commander and His name is Jesus. Speak Lord for your servants are listening.
Keeping the fire of revival burning
Another fantastic YM camp has just concluded. Last year we thought we had set a record with a 3.5 hour worship. This year, God had greater things in stored for us. For the first time, more than 100 youths gathered on the last night to pray and intercede for more than 3 hours into the early hours of the morning. There was a very strong move by the Spirit for repentance and re-dedication. Many were on their knees in repentance. Leaders gathered to repent of the disunity and pride within the leadership. The call was made for leaders and youths alike to clean up the idols in our lives and give to God a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to Him. Hours earlier, during the speaker sessions, hundreds of youths rose to their feet to gave their lives in re-dedication to God. Hearts were broken before Him. Lips confessed His Lordship over our lives.
Herein lies the sparks of true revival. For true revival lies not in how spectacular the manifestations are, how much crying or falling over there is, or even how intense the worship is. True revival lies in the depths of a repentant heart. In 2 Chron 7:14 God promises that if we as a church were to humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, then He WILL hear from heaven and forgive our sins and heal our land. Repentance and surrender are the only marks of true revival. For without them, revival is but spiritless emotionalism.
Yet after the music stops, after the euphoria of the camp ends and we go back to the routine of our daily lives, how much will really change? For many, the loneliness and struggles will return in greater force than before. For the higher you have been, the harder you fall when reality hits you. Where is the power and the wonder and the Spirit? Was it just a dream to which we have woken up from? We find ourselves longing to re-create what has passed, barely holding on till the next "spiritual high". How do we keep the fire of revival burning?
The answer is painfully simple. The true marks of revival are repentance and surrender. The reason for the power and the experience during events like a camp is simply due to the presence of repentance and surrender. For it is only when we are empty that the Spirit can fill us with Himself. When we return to our normal lives, the temptation is for this repentance and surrender to stop. There is no longer the external motivations of our camp mates and camp speakers pushing us to repent and surrender. And when the repentance and surrender stops, we fill ourselves once again with pride and sin, and push the Spirit out of our lives. The result - the intimacy with God is lost and the experience of His power and His presence fades. The solution is therefore to continue to discipline ourselves to walk in daily repentance and surrender. We hold each other accountable and continue to encourage each other. If only we were to then walk daily in repentance and surrender, we will experience the fullness of the Spirit every day of our lives, every time we open the bible, every time we pray, every time we worship. For God is the same yesterday, today and forever. It is we who change and are wavering in our surrender to Him. Don't wait for the next camp. Let's keep the fire of revival burning today.
Herein lies the sparks of true revival. For true revival lies not in how spectacular the manifestations are, how much crying or falling over there is, or even how intense the worship is. True revival lies in the depths of a repentant heart. In 2 Chron 7:14 God promises that if we as a church were to humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, then He WILL hear from heaven and forgive our sins and heal our land. Repentance and surrender are the only marks of true revival. For without them, revival is but spiritless emotionalism.
Yet after the music stops, after the euphoria of the camp ends and we go back to the routine of our daily lives, how much will really change? For many, the loneliness and struggles will return in greater force than before. For the higher you have been, the harder you fall when reality hits you. Where is the power and the wonder and the Spirit? Was it just a dream to which we have woken up from? We find ourselves longing to re-create what has passed, barely holding on till the next "spiritual high". How do we keep the fire of revival burning?
The answer is painfully simple. The true marks of revival are repentance and surrender. The reason for the power and the experience during events like a camp is simply due to the presence of repentance and surrender. For it is only when we are empty that the Spirit can fill us with Himself. When we return to our normal lives, the temptation is for this repentance and surrender to stop. There is no longer the external motivations of our camp mates and camp speakers pushing us to repent and surrender. And when the repentance and surrender stops, we fill ourselves once again with pride and sin, and push the Spirit out of our lives. The result - the intimacy with God is lost and the experience of His power and His presence fades. The solution is therefore to continue to discipline ourselves to walk in daily repentance and surrender. We hold each other accountable and continue to encourage each other. If only we were to then walk daily in repentance and surrender, we will experience the fullness of the Spirit every day of our lives, every time we open the bible, every time we pray, every time we worship. For God is the same yesterday, today and forever. It is we who change and are wavering in our surrender to Him. Don't wait for the next camp. Let's keep the fire of revival burning today.
Why do we always hurt those closest to us?
Why do we always hurt those closest to us? It could be a parent, or a spouse, or a girlfriend/boyfriend. These are the people that mean the most to us yet so often we find ourselves losing our temper more quickly with them, or say things we know are hurtful. On the flip side, we tend to almost be more cordial and tolerant with those who are not so close to us. We tend to try harder to please those that are not so close, and therefore are more polite and grateful to them.
Some people say that the answer to the question of why we tend to hurt those closer to us is because ironically our loved ones know the 'buttons' to push in us. They know what triggers us and when they do it, they hurt us more deeply and we retaliate and hurt them back. This is true when there is a very low level of trust in the relationship. We may have been hurt so many times by those close to us that our response to a slight provocation is based not only on the provocation at hand but also all the past hurts we have endured from that person. This results in a disproportionately more severe retaliation to hurt the person. This theory in some way explains the severity of conflict in relationships where the trust level is low. But is does not explain why even in relationships where the trust level is high, and the relationship can be considered 'good', we still end up getting angry more easily with our loved ones and hurting them in return. Let me venture 2 theories:
Firslty, we are more likely to get angry at someone close to us because we have higher expectations of them. We expect them to know us and understand us better, to be able to predict our needs and take heed to our feelings better. We expect them to be more sensitive, more reliable, more trustworthy and more loving. We expect more time, more effort and more commitment to us. These higher expectations also means that it is easier for our loved ones to fall short of them. Failure to meet and expectation hurts us more deeply when it is by a loved one. How do we get around this? Firstly, I have to say that it is not wrong to have higher expectations of those closer to us. After all, surely the commitment involved in a marriage is higher than the commitment involved in a cordial friendship. The problem is that much of these expectations we have of our loved ones are never communicated to them. We simply assume they know of it and expect them to keep it. Often, we have never openly talked about our expectations as that is seen as too confrontational and awkward for many. On the receiving end, it is terribly unfair for the person who has never been told of the expectation and yet when he runs foul of it, is taken to task. The solution must therefore be for couples, parents and children etc, to sit down and calmly talk about their expectations of the other. Where the expectations are either unrealistic or oppressive, we negotiate to a more practical and workable level. In such a negotiation, both parties must focus on reaching a final level that addresses the concerns of both parties. For example, if a girlfriend raises the expectation that her boyfriend has to call her every night, it could be because she has a great need for validation and approval and finds a source of security in the relationship. From the boyfriend's point of view, calling every night may simply be impractical given work or study requirements. Both parties therefore need to negotiate and give and take. A final solution could be for Saturdays to be dedicated relationship time with conversations on weekdays reduced to at least calling to say goodnight every night if one does not have the time to talk. In this way, both concerns are met at a level of expectation that both parties can keep.
The next reason why we are more likely to get angry to someone close to us is because we have come to take them for granted. For new acquaintances or those not so close to us, we try to impress and gain their friendship by being nicer and more polite. However when it comes to our loved ones, we feel that we no longer have to work for their affection. We expect that they will still love us no matter how awful we are. This is why couples suddenly seem to quarrel more after they get married than when they are in the courtship phase. This is also why children are more likely to get angry with their parents than with their friends. How do we address this? This straight answer is to stop taking our loved ones for granted. May I suggest a rather 'morbid' approach here. Think of the possibility that you could lose this person at any time, that a calamity or accident could suddenly take this person away from you. For couples, think of the possibility of your loved one leaving you for someone else. Focus on how you would feel then. The sense of loss. The sense of regret that you had taken the person for granted and not told the person how much he or she means to you. How it would be too late by then. I know some of you may think this is rather morbid but I can guarantee that you will stop taking those around you for granted if you always keep in mind the possibility you could lose this person.
In conclusion, talk about your expectations and always learn to cherish those close to you before it is too late. This way, we will empower ourselves to build more meaningful and loving relationships.
Some people say that the answer to the question of why we tend to hurt those closer to us is because ironically our loved ones know the 'buttons' to push in us. They know what triggers us and when they do it, they hurt us more deeply and we retaliate and hurt them back. This is true when there is a very low level of trust in the relationship. We may have been hurt so many times by those close to us that our response to a slight provocation is based not only on the provocation at hand but also all the past hurts we have endured from that person. This results in a disproportionately more severe retaliation to hurt the person. This theory in some way explains the severity of conflict in relationships where the trust level is low. But is does not explain why even in relationships where the trust level is high, and the relationship can be considered 'good', we still end up getting angry more easily with our loved ones and hurting them in return. Let me venture 2 theories:
Firslty, we are more likely to get angry at someone close to us because we have higher expectations of them. We expect them to know us and understand us better, to be able to predict our needs and take heed to our feelings better. We expect them to be more sensitive, more reliable, more trustworthy and more loving. We expect more time, more effort and more commitment to us. These higher expectations also means that it is easier for our loved ones to fall short of them. Failure to meet and expectation hurts us more deeply when it is by a loved one. How do we get around this? Firstly, I have to say that it is not wrong to have higher expectations of those closer to us. After all, surely the commitment involved in a marriage is higher than the commitment involved in a cordial friendship. The problem is that much of these expectations we have of our loved ones are never communicated to them. We simply assume they know of it and expect them to keep it. Often, we have never openly talked about our expectations as that is seen as too confrontational and awkward for many. On the receiving end, it is terribly unfair for the person who has never been told of the expectation and yet when he runs foul of it, is taken to task. The solution must therefore be for couples, parents and children etc, to sit down and calmly talk about their expectations of the other. Where the expectations are either unrealistic or oppressive, we negotiate to a more practical and workable level. In such a negotiation, both parties must focus on reaching a final level that addresses the concerns of both parties. For example, if a girlfriend raises the expectation that her boyfriend has to call her every night, it could be because she has a great need for validation and approval and finds a source of security in the relationship. From the boyfriend's point of view, calling every night may simply be impractical given work or study requirements. Both parties therefore need to negotiate and give and take. A final solution could be for Saturdays to be dedicated relationship time with conversations on weekdays reduced to at least calling to say goodnight every night if one does not have the time to talk. In this way, both concerns are met at a level of expectation that both parties can keep.
The next reason why we are more likely to get angry to someone close to us is because we have come to take them for granted. For new acquaintances or those not so close to us, we try to impress and gain their friendship by being nicer and more polite. However when it comes to our loved ones, we feel that we no longer have to work for their affection. We expect that they will still love us no matter how awful we are. This is why couples suddenly seem to quarrel more after they get married than when they are in the courtship phase. This is also why children are more likely to get angry with their parents than with their friends. How do we address this? This straight answer is to stop taking our loved ones for granted. May I suggest a rather 'morbid' approach here. Think of the possibility that you could lose this person at any time, that a calamity or accident could suddenly take this person away from you. For couples, think of the possibility of your loved one leaving you for someone else. Focus on how you would feel then. The sense of loss. The sense of regret that you had taken the person for granted and not told the person how much he or she means to you. How it would be too late by then. I know some of you may think this is rather morbid but I can guarantee that you will stop taking those around you for granted if you always keep in mind the possibility you could lose this person.
In conclusion, talk about your expectations and always learn to cherish those close to you before it is too late. This way, we will empower ourselves to build more meaningful and loving relationships.
Pride in leadership
One of the most insidious and destructive things that can plague Christian leadership is pride. We see evidence of pride in secular leadership and most of us don’t really think this is a problem because self-confidence is exalted as a virtue in secular leadership. However when pride begins to plague Christian leadership, its effects can be devastating to the ministry. The real problem with pride in Christian leadership is that it often masks itself as other things, making the leader oblivious to its insidious emergence.
The birth of pride in a Christian leader often starts with the conferment of position and the experience of success in ministry. When a person is placed in a position of power or prominence in ministry, the temptation is to begin to associate ourselves with the position. This happens when our sense of identity is subsumed by the position. We are treated as important and respected by others by virtue of our position. Overtime we begin to think that we are in fact more important and better than others. This specifically plagues the more prominent leadership positions, whether it is a pastor, a small group leader, a worship leader, a chairman of a ministry or a Sunday school teacher. We begin to exalt ourselves in our own minds, forgetting that we still human, sinful human saved by grace. The fact that it is Christian ministry makes it worse because we then deceive ourselves that our elevation and authority is from God.
How does pride manifest in Christian leadership? Let me suggest a two basic symptoms. The first symptom is dogmatism. The leader becomes un-teachable and very set on a certain way of doing things and seeing things. The leader adopts a “don’t tell me how to do things, I have been doing it with great success in the past” kind of mindset. Such a leader monopolises decision making, forces his or her ideas on others, are close to dissenting points of view, and prides himself on always being right. We surround ourselves with people who agree with us and remove those who differ. This slowly stifles the ministry because the leader becomes unable to change and adapt to the changing needs of the ministry.
The second symptom is self-righteousness. The leader sits in criticism of everyone else and yet is blind to his own faults. “I can do things better than you” is the mantra. We begin to point out everyone else’s faults, why this person is not good enough, why that person is not doing it right or not fit for the position. We sit in judge over everyone. On the flip side, the combination of lack of teachability and self-righteousness makes the leader blind to his own moral inadequacies. Such a leader is not accountable to anyone because everyone else is ‘beneath’ him. This is dangerous because it allows sin to enter the personal life of the leader and remain unchecked. We then wonder why there is no revival in the flock when the shepherds themselves continue in sin.
The consequences of such Christian leadership is severe. Leadership that is plague with pride is leadership that is no longer humble and submitted to God. Any work of such a leader will be work done in the flesh, lacking the blessing and anointing of God. Without the anointing, the ministry soon looses its spiritual vitality and power and the flock under the leader suffers. On an organisation level, such pride breeds disunity and discouragement. Those who are side-lined by the ‘powerful’ becomes discouraged and fall out. Others who feel that their views and their contribution is not recognised may fight back, thus creating dissension and politicking within the ministry. Such dissension fractures the unity of the body and grieves the Holy Spirit.
The only solution that remains is repentance. As leaders, we must humbly come before God and seek his forgiveness for the pride that has plagued us. We must search our hearts under the spotlight of the Holy Spirit, identifying and repenting of our dogmatism and self-righteousness. We must become real once again about our sin and deal with them at the foot of the cross. For it is only when leaders get their own lives right with God and unite as one that revival will happen in our ministry. For revival begins with the leadership.
The birth of pride in a Christian leader often starts with the conferment of position and the experience of success in ministry. When a person is placed in a position of power or prominence in ministry, the temptation is to begin to associate ourselves with the position. This happens when our sense of identity is subsumed by the position. We are treated as important and respected by others by virtue of our position. Overtime we begin to think that we are in fact more important and better than others. This specifically plagues the more prominent leadership positions, whether it is a pastor, a small group leader, a worship leader, a chairman of a ministry or a Sunday school teacher. We begin to exalt ourselves in our own minds, forgetting that we still human, sinful human saved by grace. The fact that it is Christian ministry makes it worse because we then deceive ourselves that our elevation and authority is from God.
How does pride manifest in Christian leadership? Let me suggest a two basic symptoms. The first symptom is dogmatism. The leader becomes un-teachable and very set on a certain way of doing things and seeing things. The leader adopts a “don’t tell me how to do things, I have been doing it with great success in the past” kind of mindset. Such a leader monopolises decision making, forces his or her ideas on others, are close to dissenting points of view, and prides himself on always being right. We surround ourselves with people who agree with us and remove those who differ. This slowly stifles the ministry because the leader becomes unable to change and adapt to the changing needs of the ministry.
The second symptom is self-righteousness. The leader sits in criticism of everyone else and yet is blind to his own faults. “I can do things better than you” is the mantra. We begin to point out everyone else’s faults, why this person is not good enough, why that person is not doing it right or not fit for the position. We sit in judge over everyone. On the flip side, the combination of lack of teachability and self-righteousness makes the leader blind to his own moral inadequacies. Such a leader is not accountable to anyone because everyone else is ‘beneath’ him. This is dangerous because it allows sin to enter the personal life of the leader and remain unchecked. We then wonder why there is no revival in the flock when the shepherds themselves continue in sin.
The consequences of such Christian leadership is severe. Leadership that is plague with pride is leadership that is no longer humble and submitted to God. Any work of such a leader will be work done in the flesh, lacking the blessing and anointing of God. Without the anointing, the ministry soon looses its spiritual vitality and power and the flock under the leader suffers. On an organisation level, such pride breeds disunity and discouragement. Those who are side-lined by the ‘powerful’ becomes discouraged and fall out. Others who feel that their views and their contribution is not recognised may fight back, thus creating dissension and politicking within the ministry. Such dissension fractures the unity of the body and grieves the Holy Spirit.
The only solution that remains is repentance. As leaders, we must humbly come before God and seek his forgiveness for the pride that has plagued us. We must search our hearts under the spotlight of the Holy Spirit, identifying and repenting of our dogmatism and self-righteousness. We must become real once again about our sin and deal with them at the foot of the cross. For it is only when leaders get their own lives right with God and unite as one that revival will happen in our ministry. For revival begins with the leadership.
Are you faking your worship?
We have all experienced it before. We have all had Sundays when we come into a worship service and just don’t feel like worshipping. If we are honest, we would rather be somewhere else, perhaps sleeping at home or just chilling. Yet we are made to stand and sing song after song, sometime repeating stanza after stanza, pushing us to the limits of our physical tolerance. So we fake it. We raise our hands like everyone. We put on the intense pained expression that creates the illusion that we are deep in worship. We seem so spiritual. During the slow songs, we close our eyes and bow our heads…waking up only when we are asked to stand again. Why does worship seem so life-transforming for some and such a chore for others? Why do some have such intense experiences and others only dryness? This is an important question that can perhaps be answered if we understand our true motivations to worship. Some people say we must worship God whether we feel like it or not because we are commanded to do so. While I see some merit in the discipline of worship, such emotionless stoic worship simply cannot be sustained. We need to come back to the heart of worship. Here are two thoughts in respect of worship:
The Start of Worship – The Heart of God
Foster once said that worship is our hearts response to the overtures of love that flow from the heart of God. This is and must be the starting premise of our worship. Worship is the act of “loving God back”. And we can only truly love him back if our hearts have come to experience his love. Many a times, we come into worship feeling so far from God either because of sin or pure neglect in our intimacy with him. The problem with sin is that it casts over us a spirit of condemnation such that when we try to enter into worship, we simply do not feel that God accepts us. This sense of rejection makes it very hard for us to believe that he loves us, much less feel his love, and still less, want to worship him. The approach must then be to deal with sin before we attempt to come into worship. We search our hearts and humble ourselves before him. For it is only with repentance and submission that we experience the liberation of forgiveness. In these times of absolute surrender, his love and embracing presence once again becomes most palpable. Wave after wave of love from the Father’s heart is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, the comforter testifying to our inner man of his everlasting approval and unending salvation. In such a state, the heart cannot but worship him who first loved us. We fall to our knees in tears as the magnitude of his unending love overwhelms us. In that instance, we become a mirror of love, receiving his love and mirroring that love back to him. For that moment, we touch the heart of heaven.
The End of Worship – Our heart’s true home
The incredible thing about worship is that in worship, our heart finds its true home. Let me try to explain. Many of us struggle with the many and various aspects and facets of our lives. We play many roles, pursue many different things in each of these roles. Some of us are students, small group leaders, sons or daughters at the same time. Others are secular professionals, church leaders, fathers and mentors at the same time. Oftentimes we feel torn apart by these many roles that we play, trying to pursue different and sometimes contradictory objectives, trying to meet different and sometimes competing expectations. In short, we are “all over the place”, unsure of who we really are or what is really important. We are confused and disjointed. The incredible thing is that in worship, every disparate aspect of our lives comes together and coalesces into the singularity of purpose – the created in submission before his creator. All the different strands of our lives align like a compass towards the throne of God. For then, we realise that this was why we were created. We are not God. He is. Our entire being falls prostrate before His throne in recognition of His supremacy. In such worship, our heart finds it true rest and our soul its true home. There is no more inner conflict, no more confusion, no more strife. There is only God and we simply live for him. To enter the reality of worship is to enter into the heart of God and find our heart’s true home.
The Start of Worship – The Heart of God
Foster once said that worship is our hearts response to the overtures of love that flow from the heart of God. This is and must be the starting premise of our worship. Worship is the act of “loving God back”. And we can only truly love him back if our hearts have come to experience his love. Many a times, we come into worship feeling so far from God either because of sin or pure neglect in our intimacy with him. The problem with sin is that it casts over us a spirit of condemnation such that when we try to enter into worship, we simply do not feel that God accepts us. This sense of rejection makes it very hard for us to believe that he loves us, much less feel his love, and still less, want to worship him. The approach must then be to deal with sin before we attempt to come into worship. We search our hearts and humble ourselves before him. For it is only with repentance and submission that we experience the liberation of forgiveness. In these times of absolute surrender, his love and embracing presence once again becomes most palpable. Wave after wave of love from the Father’s heart is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, the comforter testifying to our inner man of his everlasting approval and unending salvation. In such a state, the heart cannot but worship him who first loved us. We fall to our knees in tears as the magnitude of his unending love overwhelms us. In that instance, we become a mirror of love, receiving his love and mirroring that love back to him. For that moment, we touch the heart of heaven.
The End of Worship – Our heart’s true home
The incredible thing about worship is that in worship, our heart finds its true home. Let me try to explain. Many of us struggle with the many and various aspects and facets of our lives. We play many roles, pursue many different things in each of these roles. Some of us are students, small group leaders, sons or daughters at the same time. Others are secular professionals, church leaders, fathers and mentors at the same time. Oftentimes we feel torn apart by these many roles that we play, trying to pursue different and sometimes contradictory objectives, trying to meet different and sometimes competing expectations. In short, we are “all over the place”, unsure of who we really are or what is really important. We are confused and disjointed. The incredible thing is that in worship, every disparate aspect of our lives comes together and coalesces into the singularity of purpose – the created in submission before his creator. All the different strands of our lives align like a compass towards the throne of God. For then, we realise that this was why we were created. We are not God. He is. Our entire being falls prostrate before His throne in recognition of His supremacy. In such worship, our heart finds it true rest and our soul its true home. There is no more inner conflict, no more confusion, no more strife. There is only God and we simply live for him. To enter the reality of worship is to enter into the heart of God and find our heart’s true home.
What's your plant?
"God I am so angry I want to die!" Jonah told God (Jonah 4:3) God had done it again. Exactly what Jonah thought God would do. Jonah had preached to Nineveh and the city and repented and God had forgiven them! And Jonah was pissed. The Ninevites were bitter enemies of Israel, and Jonah was the last person who wanted to be used by God for their salvation. As if that was not enough to piss Jonah off, Jonah's precious plant that gave him shade in the desert was eaten by a worm and died (Jonah 4:7). And now Jonah was getting scotched in the hot desert sun. Now he was so pissed he really wanted to die (Jonah 4:8).
Have you ever been so angry or upset at something that you wanted to die? Something happened or someone did something inconsiderate or selfish that really pissed you off. Everytime you think about the incident, your blood boils and your stomach churns. Your mind wonders to ways you can take revenge and contemplates the delight you will enjoy inflicting that revenge on the person. Sometimes our anger is even directed at God. He is suppose to be trustworthy and loving but you really feel let down this time.
"Is it right for you to be angry?" God asked Jonah (Jonah 4:4 and 4:9) What God was saying was really "Is your anger legitimate?" Should you really be getting angry about this? Let's get some perspective here Jonah...You have preached to 120,000 people and the entire city repented. This is one of the greatest revivals in biblical history. 120,000 souls saved. Any mordern day evangelist would be proud of that, and fall down on his knees in thanksgiving. Yet you are pissed off about it! Let's get some perspective here. Now you are also getting pissed over the stupid plant which died. You care more for the plant than the souls of man! You need to wake up your ideas and get your priorities right, Jonah! And the book of Jonah ended right there.
The painful lesson we need to consider is sometimes, like Jonah, we get angry over all the wrong things. The things we get angry about reveal alot about our priorities. And often times, the small, petty insignificant things we get angry about just reveal how selfish we are about things. If you are like me, I don't really get angry about the injustice suffered by millions in the world. I don't really get angry about the millions of aborted babies, or abused children, or victims of crime. I don't really get angry about the fact that selfish industrialist are killing our planet or world powers are using their military and economic might to justify attacking smaller nations. I may disapprove of these things but they hardly extract much emotion from me. What I do get angry about is someone cutting me in on the road, driving at 80 kmh on the extreme right lane of the expressway, bad service in a restaurant, a guy at the front of the queue taking his own sweet time.
I've been thinking alot about this lately. Alot of the things we get angry about are simply not worth getting angry about. They only reveal our wrong priorities and perspective about life and things. Maybe it is time we get in with God's priorities and perspective. To God, nothing else is as important as people. Their rights, their freedom, their dignity, their welfare and the salvation of their souls. Every person is created by God, nurtured from young by Him and percious to Him. This means that in every situation when we are angry over our own violated rights, we all have a choice, you and I. We can either get pissed off and take it out on the world to vindicate our own selfishness. Or we can take the opportunity to affirm the dignity of a fellow human being, to show respect and love to a fellow human being, to respond in a way that will make our society a more gracious place, and to make someone else's day. How we respond will reveal where our priorities lie, what is important to us. Like Jonah, we all have our plants...something small and petty and selfish that we are so pissed off about we want to die. And then the Lord knocks on our door, "Is it right for you to be angry..."
Have you ever been so angry or upset at something that you wanted to die? Something happened or someone did something inconsiderate or selfish that really pissed you off. Everytime you think about the incident, your blood boils and your stomach churns. Your mind wonders to ways you can take revenge and contemplates the delight you will enjoy inflicting that revenge on the person. Sometimes our anger is even directed at God. He is suppose to be trustworthy and loving but you really feel let down this time.
"Is it right for you to be angry?" God asked Jonah (Jonah 4:4 and 4:9) What God was saying was really "Is your anger legitimate?" Should you really be getting angry about this? Let's get some perspective here Jonah...You have preached to 120,000 people and the entire city repented. This is one of the greatest revivals in biblical history. 120,000 souls saved. Any mordern day evangelist would be proud of that, and fall down on his knees in thanksgiving. Yet you are pissed off about it! Let's get some perspective here. Now you are also getting pissed over the stupid plant which died. You care more for the plant than the souls of man! You need to wake up your ideas and get your priorities right, Jonah! And the book of Jonah ended right there.
The painful lesson we need to consider is sometimes, like Jonah, we get angry over all the wrong things. The things we get angry about reveal alot about our priorities. And often times, the small, petty insignificant things we get angry about just reveal how selfish we are about things. If you are like me, I don't really get angry about the injustice suffered by millions in the world. I don't really get angry about the millions of aborted babies, or abused children, or victims of crime. I don't really get angry about the fact that selfish industrialist are killing our planet or world powers are using their military and economic might to justify attacking smaller nations. I may disapprove of these things but they hardly extract much emotion from me. What I do get angry about is someone cutting me in on the road, driving at 80 kmh on the extreme right lane of the expressway, bad service in a restaurant, a guy at the front of the queue taking his own sweet time.
I've been thinking alot about this lately. Alot of the things we get angry about are simply not worth getting angry about. They only reveal our wrong priorities and perspective about life and things. Maybe it is time we get in with God's priorities and perspective. To God, nothing else is as important as people. Their rights, their freedom, their dignity, their welfare and the salvation of their souls. Every person is created by God, nurtured from young by Him and percious to Him. This means that in every situation when we are angry over our own violated rights, we all have a choice, you and I. We can either get pissed off and take it out on the world to vindicate our own selfishness. Or we can take the opportunity to affirm the dignity of a fellow human being, to show respect and love to a fellow human being, to respond in a way that will make our society a more gracious place, and to make someone else's day. How we respond will reveal where our priorities lie, what is important to us. Like Jonah, we all have our plants...something small and petty and selfish that we are so pissed off about we want to die. And then the Lord knocks on our door, "Is it right for you to be angry..."
Why can't I have sex with my girlfriend?
Pre-marital sex. 'Get with the times. Everyone does it. Only those prudish Christians don't.' This is one area Christians get some of the most flak from non-Christians. Worst still, many unmarried Christian couples struggle with this issue, uncertain if pre-marital sex is really wrong or why it is wrong. Ask your average Christian if pre-marital sex is wrong and he or she will probably say ‘yes’. Then ask why it is wrong and you will probably get the lame "err...cos the bible says so I suppose..." To be fair, the bible has never explicitly said so but we can infer from parts of scripture that it is probably wrong. But that just isn't enough for most of us post-modern-question-authority-I-want-to-know-why-generation-x type of people. Here's my take on this controversial and thorny topic...
Where the bible is either not explicit or grey about a certain area, we return to the ultimate law to determine if something is morally right or wrong. This is the law of love. Romans 13:8-10 tells us that all the commandments of God can be summed up in the mandate to love one another. So what is love? To love someone is to affirm the highest intrinsic worth and value of another person. To act in love is to act in a way where the highest worth and value of another person is affirmed. Superimpose this into the question of pre-marital sex and the question becomes, "does pre-marital sex affirm the highest intrinsic worth and value of your partner?"
To answer this question, we must realise that in any relationship, there is a balance between intimacy and commitment. Think of a pyramid with intimacy on one side and commitment on the other. Where there is more intimacy than there is commitment, the relationship becomes imbalanced and doomed to fail. We see this all to often in relationships where one party acts selfishly and does not want to commit. The absence of commitment in any relationship robs the relationship of the security and reliability necessary for the relationship to flourish.
Move up the intimacy side of the pyramid and we find that sex is the pinnacle of intimacy. In sexual intercourse, we take from our partner what is the most intimate and most private of privileges. It is also an act of the highest consequence as from it springs forth children. Because the sexual act is of the highest intimacy and consequence, only the highest of commitment can legitimize it. For to take the highest intimacy from another without the corresponding willingness to give the highest commitment is tantamount to rape - because we take more than we are willing to give. And the highest pinnacle of commitment is marriage. In marriage, we pledge our highest commitment ‘to have and to hold, for richer or for poorer, in sickness or in health, for as long as we both shall live.” In marriage, we make this pledge before God, thus conferring on it sacredness; we make this pledge before the church, thus conferring on it accountability; and we make this pledge before the law, thus conferring on it the force of legal protection. It is my humble submission therefore that if there is sex in the absence of marriage, such an act does not affirm the highest intrinsic worth and value of our partner because we are essentially taking more than we are willing to give. Such an act is inherently selfish and therefore runs foul of the law of love. Perhaps now we know why it has been wisely said, “if you truly love someone, you will not have sex with her before you are married.”
Where the bible is either not explicit or grey about a certain area, we return to the ultimate law to determine if something is morally right or wrong. This is the law of love. Romans 13:8-10 tells us that all the commandments of God can be summed up in the mandate to love one another. So what is love? To love someone is to affirm the highest intrinsic worth and value of another person. To act in love is to act in a way where the highest worth and value of another person is affirmed. Superimpose this into the question of pre-marital sex and the question becomes, "does pre-marital sex affirm the highest intrinsic worth and value of your partner?"
To answer this question, we must realise that in any relationship, there is a balance between intimacy and commitment. Think of a pyramid with intimacy on one side and commitment on the other. Where there is more intimacy than there is commitment, the relationship becomes imbalanced and doomed to fail. We see this all to often in relationships where one party acts selfishly and does not want to commit. The absence of commitment in any relationship robs the relationship of the security and reliability necessary for the relationship to flourish.
Move up the intimacy side of the pyramid and we find that sex is the pinnacle of intimacy. In sexual intercourse, we take from our partner what is the most intimate and most private of privileges. It is also an act of the highest consequence as from it springs forth children. Because the sexual act is of the highest intimacy and consequence, only the highest of commitment can legitimize it. For to take the highest intimacy from another without the corresponding willingness to give the highest commitment is tantamount to rape - because we take more than we are willing to give. And the highest pinnacle of commitment is marriage. In marriage, we pledge our highest commitment ‘to have and to hold, for richer or for poorer, in sickness or in health, for as long as we both shall live.” In marriage, we make this pledge before God, thus conferring on it sacredness; we make this pledge before the church, thus conferring on it accountability; and we make this pledge before the law, thus conferring on it the force of legal protection. It is my humble submission therefore that if there is sex in the absence of marriage, such an act does not affirm the highest intrinsic worth and value of our partner because we are essentially taking more than we are willing to give. Such an act is inherently selfish and therefore runs foul of the law of love. Perhaps now we know why it has been wisely said, “if you truly love someone, you will not have sex with her before you are married.”
The Christian's quest for wealth
A couple of days ago, I attended a financial investment seminar for the first time. It was touted as a seminar that would teach you how to get really rich really fast. According to the speaker, an author of best-selling books on topic, you could go from $10000 to a $1 million in 5 years. You would be amazed how many, I would guess about 4000, people turned up eagerly to lap up what he had to say. I must admit I did feel like a fish out of water initially. Everyone of the thousands had "ambition" written all over their foreheads. You could sense the competitiveness in the air, from the way they competed for parking space before the event to the way they rushed to get the best seats, to the way they strutted around the auditorium networking during the breaks. From the type of cars most of these people drove, I gathered most were the ambitious middle class trying to break into the fortified world of the rich and famous where, according to the speaker, the 'fast-track' to cash existed. "Why buy a Volvo when you can buy a Porsche?" said the speaker. "I don’t look good in cheap cars!". Everyone in the audience laughed supportingly. The speaker, in his expensive tailored suit, looked every bit the multi-millionaire he was trying to convince us we could all become. But here's the catch, you had to buy his expensive products that would tell you how to get rich. I went home feeling somewhat cheated. I had paid money to get advertised to. What a genius. Maybe that's why he drives a Porsche and I drive a Honda.
You may be asking why I went to the seminar in the first place. Isn't wealth and Christianity somehow incompatible? After all, Jesus taught that we should build up treasures in heaven and not on earth. Looking at how fast my little baby girl was growing up, the need to provide for her future has become increasingly real recently. The need to provide for retirement has also become increasingly real. After all, isn't the government constantly saying that many Singaporeans aren't planning for their retirement and won't have enough to survive after they stop working. Despite the fact that I'm only 30 and already earn enough to qualify for a platinum card, the future does seem worrying. Everything is money, money, money. Car, maid, housing, kid's education, medical costs. Everything costs money. Then we superimpose the Christian ideology of not chasing money and struggle to fit the two together.
I have searched my heart and realised that at the core lies the fundamental issue of trust. Do we trust that God provides, both financially and materially? If we somehow feel that we can't trust Him to provide or that we want much more than we think He will ever provide, then we take it upon ourselves to strive, to build our kingdoms of wealth in this world. After all, the end of wealth is security. But even if I accept that I do trust God to provide, and am secure in my faith in Him, everything isnt so simple. I am still expected to be wise and prudent about money, the way I spend it, the way I save it and the way I invest it. Many forget that the wise servants in the parable of the talents (in Matt 25:14-30) actually went out and traded the money they were entrusted and got 100% returns on their investment. And they were commended for that. The context of this parable is being prepared for the Second Coming of Christ. We are told to be watchful for we do not know the hour of His coming (Mat 24:42). We are told to be a faithful servant during this time (Mat 24:45-51), and to be wise and prepare ourselves (Mat 25:1-13). The crux of the message, in our preparation for the return of our Lord, we are to be good stewards of the money and abilities and time He has given us. Having considered all the issues, I think this is where the balance of attitudes lie.
We recognise that all the things of this world are transient (temporary) and that shortly Christ will return in final glory. Only that which He considers important is truly important.
Secondly, we trust that God provides for His children more than we can ever ask for imagine. And our exercise of faith in this respect causes His grace and provision to flow into our lives. This frees us from alot of strive and anxiety and foolish decisions we make in our pursuit of money.
Thirdly, we recognise that although wealth is transient and that God provides, He still expects us to be good stewards of the money He has given us. Like every part of the equation of the Christian life, we co-operate with God, responding in faith and obedience to His grace. It is here that investment and sound financial planning finds its place in the Christian life. Money is not a god we worship, but it is something entrusted to us as stewards and we will have to account to God as to how we manage it and use it to provide for the people and the ministries God has entrusted under our care.
Will I attend another financial seminar or investment talk? I probably will, but with a clearer perspective the next time...
You may be asking why I went to the seminar in the first place. Isn't wealth and Christianity somehow incompatible? After all, Jesus taught that we should build up treasures in heaven and not on earth. Looking at how fast my little baby girl was growing up, the need to provide for her future has become increasingly real recently. The need to provide for retirement has also become increasingly real. After all, isn't the government constantly saying that many Singaporeans aren't planning for their retirement and won't have enough to survive after they stop working. Despite the fact that I'm only 30 and already earn enough to qualify for a platinum card, the future does seem worrying. Everything is money, money, money. Car, maid, housing, kid's education, medical costs. Everything costs money. Then we superimpose the Christian ideology of not chasing money and struggle to fit the two together.
I have searched my heart and realised that at the core lies the fundamental issue of trust. Do we trust that God provides, both financially and materially? If we somehow feel that we can't trust Him to provide or that we want much more than we think He will ever provide, then we take it upon ourselves to strive, to build our kingdoms of wealth in this world. After all, the end of wealth is security. But even if I accept that I do trust God to provide, and am secure in my faith in Him, everything isnt so simple. I am still expected to be wise and prudent about money, the way I spend it, the way I save it and the way I invest it. Many forget that the wise servants in the parable of the talents (in Matt 25:14-30) actually went out and traded the money they were entrusted and got 100% returns on their investment. And they were commended for that. The context of this parable is being prepared for the Second Coming of Christ. We are told to be watchful for we do not know the hour of His coming (Mat 24:42). We are told to be a faithful servant during this time (Mat 24:45-51), and to be wise and prepare ourselves (Mat 25:1-13). The crux of the message, in our preparation for the return of our Lord, we are to be good stewards of the money and abilities and time He has given us. Having considered all the issues, I think this is where the balance of attitudes lie.
We recognise that all the things of this world are transient (temporary) and that shortly Christ will return in final glory. Only that which He considers important is truly important.
Secondly, we trust that God provides for His children more than we can ever ask for imagine. And our exercise of faith in this respect causes His grace and provision to flow into our lives. This frees us from alot of strive and anxiety and foolish decisions we make in our pursuit of money.
Thirdly, we recognise that although wealth is transient and that God provides, He still expects us to be good stewards of the money He has given us. Like every part of the equation of the Christian life, we co-operate with God, responding in faith and obedience to His grace. It is here that investment and sound financial planning finds its place in the Christian life. Money is not a god we worship, but it is something entrusted to us as stewards and we will have to account to God as to how we manage it and use it to provide for the people and the ministries God has entrusted under our care.
Will I attend another financial seminar or investment talk? I probably will, but with a clearer perspective the next time...
Love without conditions
From young we are told that the love of God is "unconditional". We are taught that God loves us despite what we do and regardless of how sinful we are. Unconditional means "without conditions", ie. God does not place any conditions or criteria on us before He loves us. But examine this concept with me for a while. Do we really accept that God loves us unconditionally? After all, shouldn't we expect God to get angry at us when we sin and to punish and vindicate his wrath upon us? If I sin repeatedly and wilfully defy God time and time again, isnt there a limit to His tolerance? Can I really expect Him to bless me given my shameful deeds? These are thoughts we all commonly think about God. And it is not surprising that we go through such a thought process when we think about God because this is what we have experience from those in authority in our lives, whether our parents, our teachers, our bosses or even our church leaders.
Human love is, for the most part, conditional. It is conditional in that we subconsciously impose certain conditions on another before we will love and accept that person. Even in the most giving of relationships, ie. parent to a child, spouse to spouse and between best friends, even with the best intentions, we still struggle to love someone unconditionally. Even the people who love us the most get angry at us sometimes. In a society like Singapore, the problem is compounded because of the strong emphasis on meritocracy and performance. Only the worthy are rewarded. Only the meritorious promoted. If you dont make the grade at each stage of the education system, you are classified, labelled and rejected. To be accepted, we have to perform. As such, when we think about God, we superimpose this view of love on Him. This makes it very difficult to believe that He loves us unconditionally because such an idea goes against our experiences in every one of our human relationships.
The truth that must be asserted here is that a conditional view of God's love runs contrary to the very heart of God. Here we must make a distinction between anger, discipline and love. In our human experiences, when someone is angry at us or disciplining us, there is very little or no love involved. Discipline motivated by anger is vindictive and often abusive. As such, we have come to treat anger and discipline as mutually exclusive with love. Love cannot co-exist with anger and discipline. We have all had authority figures who say they are discipling us because they love us but often such discipline is often motivate by the expression of vengeful anger rather than genuine unconditional love. This scars our belief that any discipline can ever be loving. Yet only in the heart of God is love pure enough to co-exist with anger and discipline. God may be angry at our sin and may even be moved to discipline us at times, but the hard to believe truth is that every action, every move of discipline is movitated by pure and genuine love. There is a total absence of vindictiveness or vengefulness in the anger or discipline of God. Every action is motivated solely to achieving what is the best, and most beneficial and the highest good for us. For the thoughts of God towards us are selfless and compassionate. His love is at once inexhaustable, extravagant and indulgent. For what God would give His life for a world who persist in hating and rejecting Him? We can sin, but we can never sin ourselves out of His love and acceptance. It does not mean He will not discipline us, but His extravagant embrace will never loosen and the passion of His heart will never wane. Listen to the pain in His heart of love...
When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
But the more I called Israel,
the further they went from me.
They sacrificed to the Baals
and they burned incense to images.
It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the arms;
but they did not realize
it was I who healed them.
I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love;
I lifted the yoke from their neck
and bent down to feed them.
"Will they not return to Egypt
and will not Assyria rule over them
because they refuse to repent?
Swords will flash in their cities,
will destroy the bars of their gates
and put an end to their plans.
My people are determined to turn from me.
Even if they call to the Most High,
he will by no means exalt them.
"How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
How can I make you like Zeboiim?
My heart is changed within me;
all my compassion is aroused.
I will not carry out my fierce anger,
nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim.
For I am God, and not man-
the Holy One among you.
I will not come in wrath.
Hosea 11:1-9
Human love is, for the most part, conditional. It is conditional in that we subconsciously impose certain conditions on another before we will love and accept that person. Even in the most giving of relationships, ie. parent to a child, spouse to spouse and between best friends, even with the best intentions, we still struggle to love someone unconditionally. Even the people who love us the most get angry at us sometimes. In a society like Singapore, the problem is compounded because of the strong emphasis on meritocracy and performance. Only the worthy are rewarded. Only the meritorious promoted. If you dont make the grade at each stage of the education system, you are classified, labelled and rejected. To be accepted, we have to perform. As such, when we think about God, we superimpose this view of love on Him. This makes it very difficult to believe that He loves us unconditionally because such an idea goes against our experiences in every one of our human relationships.
The truth that must be asserted here is that a conditional view of God's love runs contrary to the very heart of God. Here we must make a distinction between anger, discipline and love. In our human experiences, when someone is angry at us or disciplining us, there is very little or no love involved. Discipline motivated by anger is vindictive and often abusive. As such, we have come to treat anger and discipline as mutually exclusive with love. Love cannot co-exist with anger and discipline. We have all had authority figures who say they are discipling us because they love us but often such discipline is often motivate by the expression of vengeful anger rather than genuine unconditional love. This scars our belief that any discipline can ever be loving. Yet only in the heart of God is love pure enough to co-exist with anger and discipline. God may be angry at our sin and may even be moved to discipline us at times, but the hard to believe truth is that every action, every move of discipline is movitated by pure and genuine love. There is a total absence of vindictiveness or vengefulness in the anger or discipline of God. Every action is motivated solely to achieving what is the best, and most beneficial and the highest good for us. For the thoughts of God towards us are selfless and compassionate. His love is at once inexhaustable, extravagant and indulgent. For what God would give His life for a world who persist in hating and rejecting Him? We can sin, but we can never sin ourselves out of His love and acceptance. It does not mean He will not discipline us, but His extravagant embrace will never loosen and the passion of His heart will never wane. Listen to the pain in His heart of love...
When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
But the more I called Israel,
the further they went from me.
They sacrificed to the Baals
and they burned incense to images.
It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the arms;
but they did not realize
it was I who healed them.
I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love;
I lifted the yoke from their neck
and bent down to feed them.
"Will they not return to Egypt
and will not Assyria rule over them
because they refuse to repent?
Swords will flash in their cities,
will destroy the bars of their gates
and put an end to their plans.
My people are determined to turn from me.
Even if they call to the Most High,
he will by no means exalt them.
"How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
How can I make you like Zeboiim?
My heart is changed within me;
all my compassion is aroused.
I will not carry out my fierce anger,
nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim.
For I am God, and not man-
the Holy One among you.
I will not come in wrath.
Hosea 11:1-9
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)