Another Enlightened Saturday Morning

There is nothing quite like a quiet Saturday morning – sleeping in, having my favourite breakfast and later just enjoying a mug coffee with my bible. Especially after a long week! I begin by thanking Him for firstly knowing Him and being chosen to serve Him, the great people or things He has given me, etc. I also ask Him for the Word He has to speak to me – whether it is correction, instruction, edification, etc. This morning He put a person on my heart that I have not completely forgiven for the things she did. To me, I thought I had forgiven her cause I repented of my sin of unforgiveness. But now, He wanted me to get in contact with her. When the thought of writing to her gave me an uncomfortable feeling, I knew He was right….I still had some issues. My thoughts were “what do I say?”, “how do I say it?”, etc. I love the way the Lord brings things back into my mind when the time is right. I know that to work through it, I need to be obedient to His voice. That’s the hard part. But if I continue keeping my heart open to correction and be willing to learn…..God, who has ‘brought me out of darkness into His marvelous light’, causes me to claim the victory to bring about forgiveness and reconciliation.

The Lord does not bring all my sins out at one go and say “deal with all your sins now!” (thank God!). Before we accept Christ as our Lord, we are under the ‘unrestrained power of our sin nature (our flesh)’. The day we accepted Christ, He forgave us of our sins and we now have the power to overcome sin through the blood of Jesus. It does not mean our sinful nature vanished into thin air. It means that Jesus has given us the grace and power not to be controlled by the love of sin or its ruling power over our lives.

In Roman 6 we find that Paul says that we have died to sin and therefore should no longer live in it. Many get confused with this. A student asked me “Jesus died for my sins. So that means He forgave me for sins and defeated sin. So that means I don’t have any sin now. He knows my sin, so He has forgiven all my sins (past, present and future)”. She even quoted Romans 6. Now being dead to sin means not being in control of its ruling power. People, Jesus isn’t Santa Clause! He is in the business of saving souls not giving us a loophole to continue in sin. We are born with sin nature and have a continual choice everyday whether to yield ourselves to sin or to God. Sin destroys what is good in our lives therefore we must not let it reign in our lives. As a believer, I must still confess my sins. 1 John 1:8-9 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  That is why it is said in Romans 6: 6 “…that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin”. It means that when I accepted Christ, sin lost its grip on me and I can now overcome sin through the blood of Jesus and His resurrection power. It does not mean that my sin automatically no longer exists or is extinct but are dead to sins enslaving power!

Reason I see unforgiveness as something that I should never condone (even though I ‘know’ I am right!) is cause the Lord’s prayer says “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”. I’m not saying be a push over but forgiving someone is not merely just for them but more for our own soul. So here goes….do not be like the servant, in Matt 18, that owed his master an unpayable debt and was forgiven his debt but could forgive another who owed him significantly less. Jesus forgave us of ALL our sin and saved us from the pit of hell yet we find it hard to forgive someone of a much smaller debt. John Bevere put it this way….in Matt 18:12, Jesus says that we must forgive 70 times 7 times a day! 490 times a day! Which means (excluding sleep), we must forgive three times every minute. Now that just NUTS! That’s why its only through the grace and power of Jesus that we can live. I do not know any other way…..

Me

Part 2: Someone "hot" is not a good ending point :p

Now that I have shown a link for the single men....its time to look at the pointers, given by Jen Smidt, for the ladies. Now we have "8 things to convince you of a man's character". For us ladies, we subconsciously are looking for Mr. Perfect. We are up for tremendous disappointment if we look for perfection in a man. Its too much pressure on them too. Movies only increases our disillusion :(. Plus, we are not perfect.....and if you think you are, maybe you should think again. I pray this article gives you insight. Enjoy.

http://marshill.com/2012/10/03/8-things-to-convince-you-of-a-mans-character


Shalini :)

Someone "hot" is not a good ending point :p

This is for all the single guys out there. For all the single ladies to know and cultivate......me included. This is good advice. From guy friends who aim for trophy girlfriends or wives ("my life would be perfect if I married _______(who is extremely hot)") to the ones who are discouraged by their nightmare girlfriends or exs ("if only she....."), sometimes you choose not to see the signs of a potentially 'hell-like' relationship cause you are in awe of her looks. You might find this article helpful. Enjoy.

http://marshill.com/2013/07/19/8-things-that-reveal-a-womans-character?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=marshill&utm_campaign=Mars+Hill+Facebook

Have an amazing Saturday :)

Me!

Being Extraordinary!

When I first started writing blogs, my cousin told me “I did not know you are so religious”. I wasn’t sure what to think of that comment. Honestly, I was a bit worried because being religious tends to have a negative connotation. Thoughts rushed into my head……from thoughts that I might fall into the stereotype of the religious people that are considered self-righteous, prudish, sanctimonious, boring, narrow-minded, ‘goody-goody’, etc. to the notion that my cousin might never be open with me again cause he might be afraid that I will preach to him or judge him. I was not thrilled about the whole thing. I had to stop myself cause I then realised that it was all a lie. Satan used my cousin’s comment to bring out my fears. When people saw Jesus, they did not think that he was religious (in a negative way)….the Pharisees were religious. He was pure, righteous and holy but he was never prudish or boring….he was controversial. He spoke of the love of God, taught thought-provoking teachings through parables, did many signs and wonders, showed love to the prostitutes, poor and less fortunate, showed a whole new way of life in the most creative way,etc. He was extraordinary! No one had seen or heard anyone like Him. Here is the best part….in John 14:12-14, Jesus promises that we will do greater things than these! “He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. ¹³ And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” Wow! How much He loves us that, through the grace of God, He has empowered us to do extraordinary things. My God is just THAT AWESOME! :)

My question is, ‘why do many of us have a defeatist attitude?’ I want to do extraordinary things…probably why I enjoy reading and watching autobiographies of amazing people. Great men and women fascinate me! Daniel is one of my favourite men in the Bible. Daniel 6:3 states that “Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit (extraordinary spirit) was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm”. John Bevere points out in one of his sermons that Jesus said ‘there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he’. Bevere continues to point out that John the Baptist was greater than Daniel, which means we have the capacity, through grace, to do greater things than even Daniel. Not just them, but also Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, and most impressive, even Jesus. Jesus paid the price, the unpayable (is that even a word?) debt, to enable the grace of God to overflow. John 1:16 states that grace comes from the fullness of Christ which means that grace is ‘more than God’s disposition or impersonal favour’. It is when ‘God meets us in our point of need in the Person of Jesus Christ (including all His power and provision)’. John Bevere uses scripture to show that ‘grace is God’s empowerment that gives us the ability to go beyond our natural ability’. 2 Peter 1:3-4 says “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises…..”. I was so touched by John Bevere's sermon that I had to share it. By His fullness we have all received and grace upon grace (John 1:16). These amazing words enable and empower us to be extraordinary people. We must claim it and be the best in whatever we do. Creative, innovative, exciting, passionate, great leaders, full of wisdom, etc. My father would always say that through Christ you can be the best teacher that touches thousands and thousands of lives. It is that empowering grace that Christ has given so freely that enables such greatness. I do not know about you….but today I’m claiming it. I have seen His grace in my studies (from a failure to the best), in my weaknesses (uses what I was weak in and makes it my strength to proclaim His power), in the way He has provided when things did not seem possible and how He has always given me my hearts desires. I also know that through His grace I will do great exploits for the Lord and never be less than extraordinary for His glory (not mine).

I pray you are excited about your journey to being extraordinary. I know I am :). 

More than just me....

Death is not something I am afraid of. Honestly, I fear losing someone I love but not dying. I am so sure where I will go when I pass on but not having someone I love in my life here on earth….makes me wonder how I would cope. I know I will be fine but learning to deal with loss is hard. The more I think of it, I know that such a loss would test my trust in the Lord. This week, a young-28 year old teacher from my school died in his sleep due to a heart attack. It was as though a dark cloud had covered the school as we were all in shock and realised just how our lives are so fragile. Many teachers and students mourned his death…..the thought that they would never see him walk into their staffroom or classroom…never see him smile and say hi again. More than that, I wondered how his family members coped with the sudden death. We all knew it was most difficult for them. While so many things crossed our minds, I knew he went to be with the Lord. He is in a much better place.

Life is short. In this teacher’s case…it was a bit too short. I began to look back at my own life and realised that if I died tomorrow, there were things I would desperately want to do before (I know…to think of my own death is very morbid..haha). These things had nothing to do with the list of things I want to do at some point in my life like travelling to certain countries, bungee jump or swim with dolphins. I believe heaven has more wonderful things than what we have on earth. The things I want to do if I knew life would end tomorrow (gosh even typing it is weird) are with the people I love and also the people that I hurt or hurt me. To say ‘I love you’ and ‘thank you’ and do things that I know people I love want to do with me. To the ones I hurt, I want to say “I am so sorry for being a jerk” or a stumbling block to a better version of themselves. To the ones that hurt me, I want to let go of the offense ..cause it is not worth keeping that hurt. I believe these things matter especially asking for forgiveness from those we hurt. It makes a difference to them. I realise that my pride can deter the growth or discovery of Jesus of another. How can I be a light when I cannot ask for forgiveness or forgive another? Christianity shows, through the example of Jesus, that my life is more than me…..its all about Jesus. To reflect Jesus is to die to self. Sounds painful, but it is not painful if you trust God. If you knew you would not be here tomorrow, what would you do? Why not do that today? Just a thought ;)

Giving even when you do not feel like it

“When in need of refreshment,

it isn’t easy to think of the needs of others……instead of

praying for my own comfort and satisfaction,

I ask the Lord to enable me to give to others,

an amazing thing happens –

I find my own needs wonderfully met” – Elisabeth Elliot.

I have learnt (still learning) how to give through the lives of my own family members. My parents named our home “Ephphatha”, which means “be opened”, and live up to the name. With love and warmth, my parents always have food to serve (sometimes its a miracle how we have enough to feed everyone), lots of smiles and never let anyone feel unwelcome. My sisters and some of my family members have also been that example to me. Their giving is contagious and I love that! :) I read the statement above by Elisabeth Elliot in one of my devotions and realised how true it is even in my own life. When I take the focus off me and on blessing someone else, I find my own needs met. Psalms 28:27 says, “He who gives to the poor will not lack, But he who hides his eyes will have many curses”. If you are one who does not know how to bless, you will find that you are an unsatisfied person. But as soon as you go against your own fears and sin nature and begin to give, you break strongholds in your life. Sometimes giving first begins with trusting God, by obeying His Word, that ‘you will reap what you sow’, ‘what you give will be given back to you’, etc. and then He does something in your heart causing strongholds over your heart to break. Strongholds such as love of money, fear of the future, inability to trust God, etc.

In todays world, we find that the media, therapists, self-help books, etc. tell us to focus on ourselves. It says “do everything to help yourself cause no one else will do it”. Yes, it is important to improve oneself but the focus should never be you. We cannot save ourselves….only pride believes that we can save ourselves. As a person that has accepted Jesus, we have received the freedom and liberty through the death and ressurection of Jesus…..He did something for us that we could not do for ourselves. He saved us. Christianity is based on love. Through the love we have received, we are able to give. Sometimes, bearing the burden of our friend frees us from things that hold us down in our own lives. By giving with sincerity, God promises blessings.