As part of a train of thought spiraling from my previous posts about Life, something really hit me and inspired this post.
I am glad and blessed to be born in Singapore, arguably a rich nation where there is no lack of food, comfort and enjoyment. Most of the people in advanced first world countries are trying hard to find meaning in Life, suggesting that Life with all its luxuries probably does not and cannot fully satisfy the Human Soul. Sometimes being in comfort and luxury can make us take Life for granted, because we never experienced hardships.
Our experience of Life has made us de-sensitized to others around us, especially in a world that the "Self" and "individuality" is stressed, we forget there are people out there, who are just hanging on by a thread, struggling on for survival.
In Matthew 9, Jesus spoke about these groups of people: sick, poor, oppressed and needy. Matthew 9:36-38 described a scene where Jesus was ministering to the crowds: of these included people whom were deemed as "sinners" and taxcollectors. The despised and unworthy peoples of their time. This was the response of Jesus, the incarnation of God Himself in flesh:
"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Matthew 9:36-38)
Today, who are our poor, needy, oppressed and impoverished? To these people, Life is down to 1 single word: Survival
Like in the video above, it shows really poor people who think they have no hope for the future: their meaning to life is just to dig trash in hope of finding rotting food scraps to feed themselves and their children and salvaging things they can sell off for a meagre amount of money.
They have to even be careful not to be cut by deadly trash: needles and glass that may injure or even kill.
What about elsewhere in a place where the vibrant Sex industry is thriving?
This place is Pattaya by night, a place popular for its Red Light district where "modern slavery" happens. In a place where guys are dressed as ladies, women assume the jobs of prostitutes, and confused growing up children are sold into the trade all for money's sake. Tourists who visit the place can easily buy over a person and do whatever they want with them for a small sum.
This is the REAL world. All of these things and even more atrocious stuff are being done by the supposedly Rich and wealthier minority of the world. The effect on the oppressed and poor is visible for all to see. Just because the rich can afford it, they can pay off to buy a person's dignity and respect and trample it on the floor. And they do it as if it's nothing wrong, to satisfy their own perverse lusts.
These things are happening by the minute as we live our lives, all concerned about ourselves, our needs, our wants. What does Life hold for these people? How grieved God's heart is when we, the supposedly richer and wealthier portion of the globe are supposed to be lending a helping hand to them, yet we rub salt into the wounds by exploiting them of whatever we can get out of them.
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"God of the City" is a song inspired by the band Bluetree, a group of christian band invited into a bar of Pattaya to try to reach them and were shocked by what they saw there: People even laughed at them when they told them they weren't there for the sex. (tourists are automatically assumed to be so)
Before we can think about changing and transforming the world into a place where such atrocities can be stopped, we need to realize: the change begins with ourselves.
There is so much and so little we can do. Yes, we may not belong to the poor and oppressed. We can even be apathetic and don't care about it, as long as we are not the receiving end of their fates. But is this right?
I really pray for these nations and people, that one day. God will send people into these nations to help them. Hearts of flesh we are made, surely, if we are humans, we can't simply brush this off just because it's not happening to ourselves.
Ending off with a song by Leeland - Tears of the Saints.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Side note: I am a Christian and Chemistry student, so there may be ideas from the bible and pieces of evolution infused into this post. Nonetheless, I wish to come up with an objective and informative article for all peoples desiring to uncover a true meaning to Life in a wholistic and individualistic way. May it be a Truth we can hold to, that strikes right into the inner chord of our hearts.
As 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 puts it: "Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil." As a Truth seeker personally, I'm encouraged to examine what holds to be good and test it. Well, the Truth will hold if we throw everything at it, right?
Update: If we seek things wholeheartedly, with all our heart and minds and soul, we will be able to find it. Understanding in terms of knowledge probably speaks mostly to the mind. Stepping into the knowledge not knowing what will happen creates experiences that speaks to our hearts and souls.
To know how it will be like to swim in a river, it is quite funny to stay on a boat to speculate how the water will feel like or even taste like. We can know in knowledge all we want about the river but until we get out of that boat, things are pretty much all in the head level.
--------------------------------------------------------- So.. What is Life, or rather what is Our Life about?
This is a number one question that many of us would have found ourselves asking by now. Along with this question above are a whole series of questions ranging like: How did we start, where did we come from? What are we doing here? Where are we going to go from here?
"Evolution vs Creation, does it really matter all that much?"
The watchmaker video above ridicules and confront popular, evolutionary thoughts by challenging the viewer that Intelligent Design neccesitates a Designer. (Just how much chance is there when we put all the parts needed to make a watch into a bag, shake it hard and a fully functional watch will drop out?) Just because many people believe in something doesn't make it right. Everyone used to believe the earth was square and you will fall off if you sailed far enough (it sounded logical for their time).
Are we as scientists speculate, products of random collision of gases from nothingness that "Big Banged" into the whole span of universe? And so happened that Earth was favorable to life?
Or are we like Creationists claim, masterpieces of an Almighty God, a crown jewel of a whole span of created wonderful creatures and beings? Are we products of natural selection, mere survivalists who managed to trump over all other species on the planet or did we begin as a single cell with no consciousness?
Even if we did find out how we (or life) came to be, how crucial will it be in helping us make sense of Life? What if it was random? That would really means life just simply occurred, with no apparent reason that people seek. What if there was indeed a Higher Being that created us? Are we just out here for his pleasure? Are we here going through the motions of life just because we are put here? What is he trying to do and tell us, then? Are we just here to "Be Fruitful and Multiply"? Is that all?
There is a whole lot of speculation of how the world came to be as it is and it seems that there is not going to be a definite answer we can know for absolutely sure. The debate continues even today, despite the long recorded history of Man, as we call ourselves.
"Whether we like it or not, we are already here."
We have to accept the fact that we are already here before any search for meaning can make sense (both in a macro humankind and micro individualistic view). As Humans we tend to look towards things around us for clues to make sense of things. The search for Meaning may actually begin somewhere closer: Ourselves.
What? We did not choose to be here!!
Indeed many are "Brought into this world" confused. Did we choose to be born in the first place? Who determined who we were going to be? Why couldn't we choose to be someone more famous (like Justin Bieber, Obama, Paris Hilton, etc). Why are we who we are? Why couldn't we choose our skin colours, eye colours, hair colours just as we pleased?
Only we can be ourselves, no one else can be us and neither can we be others. Even twins, the natural clones of Mother nature, can be so different in many ways. Unfortunately we are quite far from the vision of Rene Descartes, whose famous quote was:" I think, therefore I am". Not quite like how we imagined it to be as we are not really who we want to believe we are.
However, there still seem to be a whole multitude of decisions we are to make (ranging from unimportant to critical life changing ones). With each decision is attached a whole string of consequences. We can choose in fact how we live our lives; What school we decide to study in; Who we choose to marry; what clothes are we to wear for today; what we eat for lunch (how many of us remember what we ate).
The list is exhaustive but we recognize in it a pattern for Life and making choices, (hopefully right ones). The choices we make may be confined by the fact of who we are and where we exist is physical space but nonetheless are important to us.
The Time factor
Again we are left dumbfounded in a question of being confined to physical space and time. Why are we born in this specific time-frame as we are? Why not in the past, why not the future? This again is something we did not have a choice with. There have been many ideas of time travelling and fantasy ideas regarding time but recorded history and texts suggest that Time is a one way traffic with no turning back.
Made famous by Albert Einstein's theory(or rather hypothesis since its unproven) of relativity, Time is described as a fourth Dimension that exists. While we can move and travel about in our physical space on earth, we do so wrapped up in the dimension of time that is going forward, all the time. Einstein claims even that, time "slows down" in outer space as we travel towards the speed of light.
With modern investigations and instruments, we are able to measure time. Yet, there exists a field of philosophers in the mould of Gottfried Leibniz and Immanuel Kant, who argues that time is neither an event nor a thing, and cannot itself be measured nor traveled. Time seems to be both tangible and quantifiable yet intangible and abstract enough for the human mind to comprehend.
Perhaps we do not fully comprehend how time itself started, but we do know something about the nature of time: Once gone it cannot be reversed. Yet, only in Time the things we do will make sense. And Time justifies the various stages of Life we went through, and are still going through. The stages of infancy to adult in awareness of self and ultimately the inevitable death. Until we can fully master time, we are but beings living in its confinement.
A particular verse from the Bible aptly describes time. Written by King Solomon, one of the most famous, successful and perhaps the wisest king who had riches and people at his disposal. Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 describes His self-reflection of the things he saw in his own life and the life of others, that There is a time for everything.
We can throw a cup of glass onto the floor, completing shattering it in the process, but yet we can never be able to reverse it in a way they can assemble back into a complete glass from its shattered pieces. The same is for our lives, we cannot relive our past, but we can hold memories, good or bad that define who we are, what we went through and how all that shaped us into the persons we are today.
We see that Life has meaning in Time that is going forward, always. It makes decisions in life sometimes regretful, yet purposeful as we discover value in things that hold true and are good and meaningful. We may not be able to understand everything in full from the time scale since beginning of time, but we can, make sense of our time right here from our experiences and the things we do and encounter. Time gives our life a context and background, a basis of more than just a routine.
Life is about what we have?? Or what we cannot have?? Led by his life of wealth and knowledge, King Solomon perhaps also amassed wealth, wives and servants more than anyone could ever did in his lifetime. Yet, we see that in the book of Ecclesiastes he laments that all are vanity as all things pass away in due time. He moves on to conclude that: "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man." (Ecc 12:13)
How and why did such a King, not lacking in any material needs of physical comfort, wealth and knowledge of his time come to such a disillusion of worthlessness of pursuit of things? Wouldn't having the world of luxury make anyone happy?
Japan: One of the most modern countries in the world, boasting the material comfort and life of high technology and goods many living in other parts of the world can only dream of. Yet Japan also has a high suicide rate. Complexity of the causes of suicide? Maybe, but there is perhaps hardly any point in accumulation of wealth, nor the pursuit of the luxuries that we think we will enjoy. If truly materials alone could suffice in our pursuit for life and that life is for enjoyment of physical comfort, no one will lose hope. I believe it actually takes more courage to suicide than to muster courage to live on.
Nonetheless, some people spend all their lives working out for money's sake, and are still not be satisfied with their lives. Some own a lot of possessions but are never happy. Many are just caught up in the rat race, trying to break out of their life's struggle and cope with survival seemingly without a choice.
People can flaunt their wealth, possessions, fame, looks, sure. Who wouldn't want to be successful in life? Who wouldn't want a beautiful wife/handsome husband with a happy family? Who wouldn't want money? Yet, Naked as we come, Naked we shall go. Nothing we ever gained in this life in terms of possessions can we bring with us when we die. There is definitely more to Life than just pursuits of things that will become vapour and mist that once passed our eyes. "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" (Matt 16:26, NIV)
Here we definitely know that Life is NOT about an excessive pursuit of money nor material goods. Money is needed for life and materials are there to make life better, but it can becomes a distraction that throws our whole life off-course. It is perhaps better to be in contentment with what we have and find happiness than to sulk all our lives pursuing castles in the air.
As Steve Jobs put it :"“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” "
Suffering - Is there Meaning to it at all?
One of the toughest questions in life is this: How can we ever reconcile meaning associated with suffering? Can we justify suffering to others? Is there meaning to people who died in natural disasters in earthquakes, tsunamis? Is there meaning to people living in third world countries digging heaps of rubbish to scavenge for food? Is there even, meaning in toiling in the motions of life and getting tired as a result?
If there is a loving God, why does he ever allow such injustice to happen around us? Why do illness strike people at random and seemingly good people who don't deserve it? Why do some evil people who commit crimes get away with it?
There seems to be an infused sense of right and wrong inside of us - a sense of justice in us that cries out and echoes in one another when we perceive wrongdoings being committed against another human being. And we will see to it that justice is being done - if it is within our means, the burning desire to see right triumph over wrong.
We don't ever ask why its wrong to do the following: Murder, adultery, greed, jealousy, hypocrisy. We just know it is wrong. When we ourselves do certain things that we know are wrong, our conscience pricks us because of this sense of right and wrong inbuilt inside us. If we cannot stand others wreaking injustice into our lives, our hearts speak out against ourselves doing the same to others.
Suffering is one of the many things we do not have answers to in life. Perhaps we may never be able to reconcile it having a meaning when it devastates in scales unimaginable for us. Yet, in a micro scale in our own lives, a little hardship produces elements of endurance, perseverance and patience. Only when we went through hardships can we appreciate the things we take for granted so ever easily in our daily lives.
Suffering suggests that Life is really frail. It could be here today and gone the next day. I wouldn't dare to conclude and extrapolate to say that people die in disasters for a reason. Instead, we grow to accept that life has many things that happen randomly and unfortunately than we can explain that are simply "out of control".
However, in our hearts of flesh, we know that Every Single Life has value.
If we can create Life, we are our own masters.. wait a second, are we not?
The watchmaker analogy - pointing back to the video at the start of the article, suggesting that intelligent design of lifeforms and its mechanisms neccesitates a designer, we explore the watch maker analogy once again:
"Just how much chance is there when we put all the parts needed to make a watch into a bag, shake it hard and a fully functional watch will drop out?"
That's right the chances are close to zero I'm afraid.
The reason humans try to discover and replicate life essentially came from the search for life itself. If we ourselves are able to replicate and create life, we will be able to become the master life and not be at the mercy of it. Yet we never truly successfully did so. Cloning perhaps, with all its mastery still suggest at best we can only make something out of the resources we already have. We simply just can't make something fall out of the sky from nothingness.
The Miller-Urey Experiment conducted in 1952 and 1953 was an experiment put to task to mimic early earth's conditions and to "support" and lend evidence to how life might have originated. The experiment put a few basic molecules and gases thought to be present in early primitive Earth and how an electric spark in form of lightning can provide enough energy to trigger a chemical reaction. The experiment generated 20 over amino acids and scientists were buoyed by the "astounding success" that it lent to support Abiogenesis (a theory that life came from non-living things).
It would almost seem ridiculous to extrapolate life formed just because these amino acids formed, by putting them all in the manner of the watchmaker analogy into a pool of ocean containing amino acids, they somehow bonded and formed DNA sequences. Not to even mention if the amino acids actually stayed long enough without breaking down before doing so. Which makes our Life a pure coincidental accident.
Although advances in technology and research have allowed us to synthesise many compounds including DNA, we did not create them, nor do we fully understand the whole genetic code having mapped it out. Even doctors are appalled at the number of receptors on a human hand, and how robotic fingers and palm fail to match up to the amazing "mechanic" human hand, in flexibility and ability.
So..Where are we going? “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” Peter Tosh
This is the ultimate question that explores the question of the inevitable - Death.
The point where our life cease to exist in the time frame makes a huge dent in our meaning in life. Death is a word shunned by many cultures as a taboo, as something loathed at and feared of. Yet, it is something everyone will reach in their lives. The massive time frame of over thousands of years make our existence on the time scale look like nothing more than a little dot.... insignificant!
Yet, death crystallises meaning into letting us realizing our time here is short.
Yes, I'm proposing the fact that Life has a meaning in Death. With an end in mind, it forces us to focus on things that hold meaning and value in us - affecting our choices and decisions as a direct result. If we only have ONE HOUR left right now in our life, what would we do? Will you still be reading this post? Will you call all your loved ones to tell them how much you love them? Will you spend it working overtime in your work?
To put it into perspective: Life itself is a preparation for Death. At the point where we consciously know we are about to die, are we ready to meet our Maker or will our lives be filled with things we feel we have not accomplished? Will we be satisfied or regretful?
Possibilities..? The Part and Whole Relationship
I'm not sure if you have played with Google Earth before, but if you did, you would probably have realised how small we are in the universe. Life seems too huge to be just about ourselves. If the individual was to be at the pinnacle of Life, it would be total chaos.
Instead, the people around us, the things and situations around us, all perhaps help us to find meaning not just in ourselves, but in something "bigger out there" Play with the telescope and we will even be awed at how big the galaxy of stars and planets are.
There is perhaps something Mother Nature are trying to tell us: Individualistic we may be, we are in a part whole relationship with it altogether. We are part of something bigger we have probably not fully understood.
Summary
It is really hard to put a conclusion on the meaning of life and rather it may be a journey altogether. I hope the points put forward in this post would have expanded your thoughts on the subject, do feel free to lend your thoughts and comments. And I hope together we uncover the true meaning of Life for ourselves. =)
------------------------------------------ The Biblical perspective The Bible offers thoughts on Life and Death, and it would totally not make sense and perhaps even be offensive for a non-christian reader. It would be hard to see the biblical viewpoint with the Christian Jargons and perspectives regarding Good/Bad, Sin, and Life. So I decided to take it out into a section here, for those interested, I do hope you read on to find out more about what the Bible holds for us in Life.
1) God and Creation
In the beginning God created us to know Him personally (John 17:3). He Loves us (John 3:16).
We looked earlier at the possibilities of an intelligent design behind Life and you would not be short-changed definitely to see if God can work in your life. You won't lose out if He is real and if He's not it won't hurt you to give Him a chance in your Life to know Him.
2) Man and Original Sin
Our representative of Human kind in Adam and Eve sinned, and we inherently are subjected to Sin (Romans 3:23). Sin results in Death and separation from God (Isaiah 59:2, Romans 6:23). It is often noted that the acts of sin or sinful acts in itself comes from the susceptibility of all of us to Sin.
In layman terms, Sin refers to doing anything that is considered impure in God's eye: adultery, lust, greed, bearing false witness, hatred and bitterness. More than anything, the thought of committing such things is just as bad as the final manifestation of the beginning thought.
Sin is simply failing to hit the target God has set the plan for man to live by, like shooting arrows and not hitting bulls-eye. We may not commit crimes like murder, but sin is much evident in our lives, when greed, dishonesty, jealousy, lust can overtake our thoughts in life.
We can live with Sin in our lives but Jesus came as a solution, because without Him, we are all destined to perish and pay for our sins. Many people think God is cruel, because there is Heaven and Hell. But in the first place, Everyone was headed to Hell. He came to provide a way to Heaven.
3) Jesus as Life
The Bible tells us that no one is capable of escaping the penalty of Sin, and Jesus came precisely for this reason: To offer us Life and reconciliation to God (John 14:6) He died on the Cross as a sacrifice to atone for our sins (Hebrews 9:22)
Jesus was a man who came 2000 plus years ago. He was recognised as a good teacher, Prophet, and also the incarnation of God in human form. In the Biblical context, people had to offer sacrifices to atone for the sins they committed but no one could ever earn salvation by following the Law alone as None could match up to the standard. Jesus came as a perfect sacrifice and solution from God. He made 7 "I am" claims that tells us of Life with God:
Bread
“I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger.” John 6:35
Light
“I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have thelight of life.” John 8:12
Gate
“I am the gate; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” John 10:9
Good Shepherd
“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for His sheep.” John 10:11 Resurrection and Life “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies.” John 11:25 Way, Truth, Life
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” John 14:6
True vine
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” John 15:1
4) Your Decision
It is not enough to recognise just the fact that Jesus died for us. We need to receive Him personally into our lives. We can be sure that He forgives our sins (1 John 1:9)
If somebody gave you one million today, you still have a choice to make:
to accept or reject it.
Likewise, God desires us to know Him personally, but He does not interfere with our decision and choice we make to accept or reject Him. Yet, God is always waiting for us to respond to Him. It is okay if we feel unready to accept him but He promises to come into our lives when we respond to Him (Revelation 3:20)
We can make a decision to receive Christ through Prayer. Prayer is like talking to God and is more about the heart rather than the content/words we use. You may pray this suggested prayer if you feel God speaking to you today:
"Dear Jesus, I want to know You Personally. Thank you for dying on the Cross for my sins. I acknowledge You as the Lord and Saviour of my Life, may You come into my life today and show me your purpose for me in life. Lead me as You know what is Best for me. Amen."
=)
Walking a faith journey takes more than just feelings, but also relies on our relationship with God. One of the ways we can know God is through the Bible (in knowledge) and also our encounters (in experiences). When you make the decision to receive Jesus into our lives the following happened:
1. Christ came into your life (Revelation 3:20 and Colossians 1:27).
2. Your sins were forgiven (Colossians 1:14).
3. You became a child of God (John 1:12).
4. You received eternal life (John 5:24).
5. You began the great adventure for which God created you (John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18).
The theme of the Bible is one that shows a constant tug of Man's souls towards God, and time and again being drawn away, and then back to God once again. From Adam and Eve, to the Hebrew people being led out of Egypt, to individuals like David and Solomon, such is story of Man and God retold. A story that never ceases. Each time Israel left God in pursuit of other things, but God always seeks them. Each time individuals like David commit sins, as He repents, God shows him the way.
Today, this story too plays in lives of individuals like a broken movie strip. God simply wants us to know Him as described in John 17:3 about Eternal Life: "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
The picture above presents a very real situation in our lives: "You can know about God, and still not know God."
Confused perhaps? Let us explore one scenario:
"Max falls in love with a girl named Emily. He finds out about her from her facebook, looks out for the things she do and observe her everyday schedule, noting down important facts pertaining to what she likes and what she doesn't. He does this for a while in genuine hope of knowing her and developing a close relationship with her. But, he never plucked up the courage to speak to her or approach her."
Max probably never knew Emily personally despite knowing and grasping facts about Emily. This is simply down to the fact that knowing facts about someone doesn't necessarily mean you know the person personally.
The same can be of our relationship with God. The Bible reveals all sorts of characteristics and descriptions of God: God is Love, Holy, Faithful, Consuming Fire, Merciful just to name a few. We can be people well versed in the Bible, who have read the Bible from cover to cover. But we can just know all these in the head without ever experiencing who God is in our lives.
Knowing God essentially is a two-fold matter: Knowing the truths and attributes of God revealed and the experience or encountering of God working in our lives. Both are equally important as one another and either way makes a believer lop-sided. We need not despair or be disillusioned if life as a Christian has been frustratingly difficult and fruitless. God is the initiator of the Love stories in the Bible. He is always waiting for us to open the doors of our hearts. (Rev 3:20).
Perhaps some people will ask: How then, can I experience God in my life? To this, I have no definite answer but I do know God speaks and appeal to us at our own levels and through the things in our life. Our first and foremost is to know Him. (Deut 6:5) and secondly is to Love our Neighbour as ourselves.(Matt 22:36-40). One way to know God is through observing His presence in our everyday lives, His work in our lives and secondly is through the people He places in our lives. We can definitely find traces of Him at work in circumstances, when we see Love, forgiveness, mercy in people who are redeemed.
I just like to leave us with a promise from Jesus, May you too, find the one who seeks you as you seek Him too:
Matthew 7:7-12
New International Version (NIV)
Ask, Seek, Knock
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Looking back at my last 5 years of walk with God, I'm pretty sure God planned for me to go through this so that I would be broken and yet strengthened in my faith in Him. Sure, service to God was a highlight of my last 2-3 years. Mission trips, evangelise, serving the church. Although I learnt alot, at times it seems as if I'm climbing a righteous ladder.
It is pretty normal for the modern man to measure success with results that are tangible. Especially even so for a place like Singapore. With productivity and efficiency stressed, we are left feeling so defeated when we do not see results. Many a times in fact, we do not see the results of the work we do in serving God. Reading the book of John in the bible where Peter denied Jesus 3 times speaks of a self-induced guilt when we face the Lord: Peter wept terribly after the rooster crow.
I was so burnt out because I was blinded and could not see that God does not need us to measure up to human standards. Sure, we must do God's work with our best, but the notion of success is hardly the "result-oriented". Relying on my own strength many a times, I flopped head down in ministry.
They always say that:"press on you know, when its at the hardest point as it can be, a breakthrough is around the corner. Keep Trusting God". And I'm glad God is faithful. He always comes through. He spoke to me as I was in tatters, crying my heart out to him that I can't go on anymore. I wanted to just get back to Him, and leave behind all the ministry since the fear of failure was tantamount to leaving me so stranded and stuck in my walk with God. I had become stagnated.
He spoke one day in one of a dark moment, answering my prayer:"Hey there, faith and works go together son, you can't have one without the other. Now that you know one full side of works without faith. The other side is (faith without works is dead). I do not want you to go there. I want you to do both."
I realised at the 5th year of my walk with Christ that all the service was just as important as the spiritual devotion of guarding time with God. One must surely have both going on hand in hand.
Success, then is just simply doing what God told us to do =)
I'm ending with a song that really encouraged me to press on in faith. A song by Kutless - What faith can do. May you be blessed and ministered through this song too!
Was looking through the Biblical account of how Jacob came to be, born of Rebekah, holding onto Esau's heel when he was born. Jacob is probably more well known as Israel, of whom was born God's chosen tribe of people.
Reading at how the story was described, I was somewhat amused that Jacob was not so much of an honorable man (perhaps in human terms) because, he tricked his brother Esau twice, the firstime taking the title of the firstborn and the second time the blessing from Isaac. This blessing must be of great importance (because Esau was so filled with vengeance he wanted to kill Jacob for it).
I can't help but wonder, Is what Jacob did right in God's eyes? And as I prayed and mediated on the verses, I think God sees it differently. One of the verses clearly mentioned Esau, the firstborn despising his own title and authority as the eldest son. Back in those times, It meant everything to be eldest, as you inherit your father's properties.
Jacob... is the guy who will go on to "wrestle" with God for a blessing that left him with a crippled leg.
Yes. this Jacob, seemingly has a hunger within him, to fight for blessings from God, to hunger for God in a way I'm apalled, because he went to extremes of deceiving his brother. I'm truly amazed how this one guy sees God's blessing so important to himself.
In a way, I hope I'm in a hunger for God's own heart and His blessings too.
Totally funny, I thought Krusty was humorous in bringing out his points about Jesus. It seemed to me how funny people would react to Jesus (and his claims) today if he were to trot down Jerusalem, appearing in a press conference to the world with reporters abunch:
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"Newsflash from Capernaum, we bring you breaking news where Jesus, the emergent preacher ever since John the Baptist preached near the Jordan. We are pleased to cover the story for you right here! Halfway through the sermon given, 4 crazy guys broke through the roof and brought in a paralytic friend by lowering him from the roof.
We bring you live footage of just what happened
(Jesus was speaking when the roof started to give way with dust coming down)
Touched by the extent of what the friends went through to bring the paralyzed friend to him, Jesus said:
:“My sons, your sins are forgiven.”
(scribes start to look at each other and frowning, murmurs flooding up the silence)
Jesus said then: "Why do you question thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your pallet and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins"—he said to the paralytic—“I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.”
To the crowd's surprise, the paralysed man immediately got up and went out. The crowd erupts in great amazement/disbelief/in praise of God."
Brought to you by reporter, Mark
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COMMENTS
Church Elder said...
What was the dumb 4 guys doing!? broke my roof, who's gonna pay for damages!I'm gonna sue them! And also the guy who undoubtedly caused it all!
Pharisee2394 said... What school of theology did he attend? I question his authority on this Sin issue. As an expert of the Law I hereby declare that this guy is a heretic. Don't believe his crap. The paralysed is a Phoney!
Unfazed professor said... This is a major issue. So apparently this Jesus guy can forgive Sins now? why do we need God in the first place then? while I don't stand on the same side as the Self-righteous guy above me, I agree to disagree that this guy is a total fake.
The implication of Sin and illness is far more complicated then this guy makes it out to be.
This is complete madness. The stuff you only find in fairy tales.
Doubting thomas94 said... So..... did anyone actually follow the guy who was supposedly "healed" ? Who knows if he wasn't a paralytic in the first place. No one can ever prove anything and I won't believe it unless I see proof.
Unhappy >:( said...
What fairness is it that Mr. Jesus did not even question in the paralysed man's Sin. I mean, what caused him to be left in such a state? Surely it must be a grave Sin he has done to deserve this! I say this guy should not play God. At least the proper way is to get this man to repent first?
If a henious sinner comes by to Jesus, he's gonna "forgive his Sins" now?
I'm not trying to judge but you know? this is unfair!
Praiseworthy said... This is truly an amazing work of God! Hallelujah!
historian99 said...
hey did anyone check out this guy's background? Is it credible? can we really believe what he says?
Aethist_mist said... I only know of "doing wrong", no such thing as sin. I still do not believe and is blown away at how this can escalate into a debate about whether this guy is God or not.
Philip Yancey, a famous author for the book "Where is God when it hurts?" tells of the initial disagreement from his family to write books about suffering. "Nonono! we are only suppose to say the good things!" In fact, the reverse is true. What makes the Christian faith so bare and true is the weak nature of humans that tell of a need for a supreme Being. One example was Jesus's own inner circle of 12 disciples. Fishermen, tax collectors and the society's despised and surely non intellectual speak of the fact that they are mere humans like you and I.
One would have written off the church to be built upon these 12 people Jesus handpicked. But the church thrives today, 2000 years later. Speaking of bad things seem to be so bad that some people elevated them to the position of "Saints". People speak far more of the disciples' amazing abilities to cast out demons, prophesise, heal the sick in Jesus' Name. Yet, people play down the fact that there are so many times these disciples failed Jesus. E.g Peter denying the Lord 3 times, the disciples abandoning Christ's mission after His crucification to go back to fishing, Yes, fishing. And many more.
The Bible, with all its glory tells of the disciples' bare weaknesses, and they did not try to hide any of their flaws simply because it was what made Jesus so important among them.
In my more than mundane and humanistic walk with God many a times, I'm not perfect, I'm not holy, I'm unworthy and there is a feeling that happens sometimes that is best described in the following line:
"I don't feel like praying right now"
Whenever we don't feel like praying could be the time we need to pray most. Perhaps someone ever told you that. Why wouldn't we feel like talking to the Lord? I thought about it in the closest scenario I would find myself in in our reality:
An angry child doesn't want to talk to his parents because of various reason(s), so he's putting up walls.
Life as a Christian isn't a piece of cake. It's something that has occurred to me as easy to say and hard to put into practice. Dealing with emotions and hurts is part of the growing up process because God knows in endurance we produce preserverence, and through it all, Patience to await in the Lord. And how is patience an unremovable part of the equation of our walk.
Sometimes I just wished things would go my way for not needing to pay the price for it. It sounds all too good to be true. In life, we can succeed only if we work hard. And rightly so, because God destined for Man to enjoy to fruits of his own labour as a reward and blessing.
God may be silent, but he is the initiator of our relationship with Him, always. There's a saying that we can run but we can't hide. This is so true that sometimes I feel like this child having a bad day and saying :"why Dad? Why isn't things going to plan?" and going on a little cold war.
Yet, I may have sealed my heart, but deep within a part of me still yearns to cling to Him and shout praise still for His work in my life. And I can sense His presence assuring as always.
"It's okay to start anew. Because I had to show you your limits, so you would learn to depend on Me."
God couldn't show me just how proud and conceited my heart was without breaking it. Yet He loves me too much to not provide it a way out to start out on a new adventure ahead by replacing it with his Glory.
My life is too small and selfish a thing to live for. I need to start to Live for Him.. again =)
My prayer out there for people who feel the same like me, Pray when you don't feel like, cause it's when we need it most. It's not about the amount of words said to God, but rather knowing that He knows what we are going through.
Even a silent prayer of feelings will not go unheard.
p.s Leeland is one worship band I came across recently, and songs is one way that crystallises how I feel at times, because songs allow me to feel that I'm felt for and people feel sometimes the same as I do. Introducing one of their songs I like, I never heard a version of Via Dolorosa that goes like theirs. Dedicate it to our Father in Heaven.
He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" Ezekiel 37:3
The background verse comes from Ezekiel 37:1-14. Ezekiel, was a prophet of God and had just witnessed the demise of Israel as a Nation and captured by Babylonians. Yet, this verse speaks of some very critical biblical truths that apply to us just the same today.
In many times of our lives we often feel defeated, feel unworthy, feel incapable of ourselves. And too, periods of spiritual darkness follows as sin seeks to entangle us. While it is normal to feel down and sometimes to the point that we are lukewarm and lethargic in faith, God shows Ezekiel (and us too) just what He sees of us:
We are like Dry bones:
Well.Death itself proves to be an unpopular topic of discussion, especially so across cultures and borders, because its associated with badness. We may be a non-christian suffering from addictions/hurts or devoted christians struggling with issues that somehow keep a stronghold over us. Some say a leopard never changes its spots, much is the same for our sinful nature. There is something in us that somehow can jeopardise the life we ought to be living for and sap the joy in us.
Sometimes we feel like dry bones = lifeless. worthless. And of no use to anyone.
Wha God can do to dry Bones:
As I read through the verses, I see a promise of God:
11Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’12Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.13Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.14I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’”
It is perhaps interesting to think what God has done in my life thus far, even if I'm now struggling with deep issues at the moment. Fact has stacked the odds against our Lord: He chose His 12 disciples from fishermen, tax collector and made it into his Church today. God chose Moses and turned his life around. God chose Saul, a Pharisee famous for persecuting christians and turned him into perhaps the most important apostle Paul, who led many to Christ.
All these people succeeded not because of who they were, and what they were capable of, but because of the Spirit that dwelled in them. Such was a plan that could not fail.
Today, we may think we are like dry bones, and that hope is gone. Yet the limitations of ourselves is the start of where God can work. And he has already shown His intent by choosing to come in Jesus, to put His Spirit in us to work in us. It is an invitation that I myself have taken up for 5 years, ups and downs, rollercoaster of a ride it has been.
He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" Ezekiel 37:3
For me it's a reminder that I would miss the whole purpose of life if I still miss the source of where, or rather whom all life came from. Bones alone cannot sustain life. Only the One who made them can.
I really felt comfort from these verses as I was meditating through them. While it is normal as human beings to be susceptible to our own feelings, we ought not to condemn ourselves but to acknowledge that it is what makes us.. Humans. Feelings somehow affect the way we think and the way we act but they can all go awefully wrong if things turn out the wrong(felt) way. Our feelings can't be trusted, sometimes we can't even pinpoint why we feel just how the way we feel. But yet, there is something/someone known to be trustworthy:
As the verse in proverbs says, Trust in the Lord. I hope we will really choose to rely on Him, not based on how we feel but by His very Words and promises. May This Easter be a blessed one for you =)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
Beaten...yet
You have made me more than a conqueror (Rom 8:37). No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us
Bound....yet
You are my deliverer (Rom 11:26). And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
Confused....yet
You are my counselor (Isa 9:6). For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, [a] Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
A failure....yet
You have made me an overcomer (1 Jn 5:4). For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith
Fearful....yet
You did not give me a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, andof a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7). For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
Friendless....yet
You are a friend who sticks closer to me than a brother (Prov 18:24). A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
In darkness....yet
You are a light unto my path and a lamp unto my feet (Ps 119:105). Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Lonely.....yet
You promised never to leave me nor forsake me (Heb 13:5). Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you;never will I forsake you."
Misjudged....yet
I'm accepted and approved by You (Eph 1:4). For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
Poor....yet
You supply all my need according to Your riches in glory (Phil 4:19). And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Sick....yet
You are the Lord who heals all my diseases (Ps 103:3). …who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
Troubled....yet
You are my peace (Jn 14:27). Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you asthe world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Unclean....yet
You are the purifier and refiner of my life (Mal 3:3). He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify theLevites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will havemen who will bring offerings in righteousness,
Vulnerable....yet
You are my strength and my strong tower (Ps 18:2). The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn [a] of my salvation, my stronghold.
Worthless....yet
You see me as a pearl of great price (Matt 13:46). When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
For Each Negative Thing We Say to Ourselves,God Has A Positive Answer For It.
You say: "It's impossible"
God says: "All things are possible" (Luke 18:27) Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."
You say: "I'm too tired"
God says: "I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28-30) Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
You say: "Nobody really loves me"
God says: "I love you" (John 3:16 & John 13:34) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
You say: "I can't go on"
God says: "I will direct your steps" (Proverbs 3:5-6) Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
You say: "I can't do it"
God says: "You can do all things" (Philippians 4:13) I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
You say: "I'm not able"
God says: "I am able" (II Corinthians 9:8) And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all thingsat all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every goodwork.
You say: "It's not worth it"
God says: "It will be worth it" (Romans 8:28) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
You say: "I can't forgive myself"
God says: "I FORGIVE YOU" (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
You say: "I can't manage"
God says: "I will supply all your needs" (Philippians 4:19) And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
You say: "I'm afraid"
God says: "I have not given you a spirit of fear" (2Timothy 1:7) For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated"
God says: "Cast all your cares on ME" (I Peter 5:7) Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
You say: "I don't have enough faith"
God says: "I've given everyone a measure of faith" (Romans 12:3) For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
You say: "I'm not smart enough"
God says: "I give you wisdom" (I Corinthians 1:30) It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for uswisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
You say: "I feel all alone"
God says: "I will never leave you or forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5) Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you"
Yesterday was a Campus day of Prayer for my University, and it was really an encouragement to see so many like minded christians turn up, who dedicate their lives for the sake of Christ's sake.
I guess the take-home message of the day came from Shannon, a fellow full-time worker with The Navigators on NTU campus. The story was from Mark 2 about how Jesus healed a paralysed man, and forgave his Sins.
Perhaps if we draw away the main focus of the verse, which was about Jesus's Godly attribute (Back in Jesus's time, it was deemed that only God had the power to forgive people of sin), we can focus on the events that led up to this scene:
Mark 2 (Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man) 1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.2They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.3Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them.4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.
I have always heard people say, that the bible does not record something that is unimportant. Every single incident described, event, people all had their purpose. In the verse above, the bible does not tell us who these 4 people who brought the man to Jesus was. Neither do we know their names or what their relationship with the paralytic was. Perhaps there were more than 4 men who brought (because it was recorded some "some men came") but nonetheless, we know there were at least the 4 of them.
However, we can deduce a few ideas to make sense of what was going on:
1) The men were desperate to get this paralytic to Jesus, as they could not wait for the crowd to disperse and had to carry him and break a hole in the roof
2) The 4 men must have been close friends with the paralytic and among themselves
3) They care for the paralysed friend and it was a common thing and believed they could do something for him.
I guess Shannon was right to ask us: "How often do we really truly care for our friends enough to go the extra mile like these 4 people did, and bring him to Jesus, even if obstacles come up?" I guess I was truly broken to know that in my heart, I probably won't go that far, even for perhaps my closest family members.
While it is not about measuring up to the "standard" just because I fall short, I want to be reminded that I truly have a place for them in my heart and if they truly meant a lot to me, I will make that effort to care for them. As much as I know I cannot do this, I pray that God gives me the strength to, for He first loved me. And now because of that, I am given a chance to learn how to love others.
Perhaps, that extra mile is just a first crucial step away =)
Nagoya is truly a place I miss, with people whom I crossed-paths with and changed my life forever. This is a picture post in rememberence of my days in Nagoya and at NGU. =)
