Posts filed under 'Christian Walk'
In the August 30 Straits Times, Mother Teresa’s crisis of faith was featured. A full write up is in Times magazine. What she went through most of her life questiong God while serving the poor was shocking to some people.
She wrote: In my soul I feel just that terrible pain of loss of God not wanting me- of God not being God - of God not existing.
Some atheists considered her a crypto atheist, a hidden atheist. They find it hard to believe that doubt is a necessary part of one’s journey of faith. They seem to think believers are constant, without ups and downs.
Faithful men have also been through what Teresa experienced. I am sure many full time workers know what she went through. Maybe this may be where the commonality ends?
A well known bible figure who went through much anguish was Job. The book of Job is a very raw book. There is no cover up about Job’s struggle, anguish, questions and bewilderment as to why he had to go through his ordeal.
In Job’s case, he suffered not because of his own sins. He suffered because of Satan’s actions. Teresa and many full time workers may suffer because of their own choices and beliefs. They suffer because they chose to be involved in other people’s lives. Teresa could have gone back to her family. I think I read somewhere she from well-to-do one. She could easily donated money instead she gave herself in service.
They all share one thing in common too with Job. Read Job 3. He was so miserable to the extent of cursing the day he was born. Like Job, Teresa and others might be in anguish wanting God to answer them in a certain way. We learn from Job’s case God did not answer to his question as to why he had to suffer. The only answer Job needed to know is: God IS the ultimate answer. Trust and obey there is no other way.
God is a Spirit. We too have a spirit. He made us in His image. In darkness where there is no answers in terms of our physical understanding, we must learn to see the unseen Light - Jesus Himself.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
It is easier said.
The anguish if you have been through it as well, is quite unbearable. The more you question “Why?”, the worse it becomes.
Cognitively we have to come to terms with the following:
1. We have to distinguish between Existence and our preferred form of Response.
God exists whether He answers or not in the way we like. The sun exists even at night even though physically we do not feel or see it. Its existence has nothing to do with our preference. God exists even if you do not like Him or His way. He exists so you have to reckon with Him regardless….
2. He is the only answer
3. All that we need to know about life and godliness has been revealed.
How? Through a knowledge of Him.
He has given how to live and what we need to be like Him , godly and “to partake in His divine nature”
2 Peter 1:3-5 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Doubt is part of faith building. Doubt is like when you walk in the dark.
You slide your foot forward. Tapping with your foot, shifting your weight to see whether it is firm before you have the assurance and hope, to totally place your weight on to the next step forward to the unknown. The only assurance you have is the invisible One holding your hand while you test your footing.
The more you step forward in faith even when things do not go as you wished, with a transformed mind, you will prove to yourself what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (You may hear God say, “See I told you so! Just trust Me”)
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
People who serve others go through periods of dark nights. In such times you feel unappreciated. You feel lost and even unwanted. Everyone expects you to do something yet encouragement and comfort do not seem to be reciprocated by those you serve. You just wish someone will cares. Unfortunately, like demanding children, they demand more and more from you. In such times, you wonder: where is my help? where is my comfort. If God cares where is He?
In my own experience I told God I can’t see Him. I need more than a Book to tell me He loves me. I need a real person to care for me, to love just as I am.
SILENCE.
Coming to terms:
Maybe we can’t see Him in these dark times because we are not pure in our inner being. We are tainted by our deep desires to serve Him OUR WAY and we expect Him to respond on OUR TERMS.
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
September 7th, 2007
Author Unknown
To Fish Or Not To Fish, That Is The Question
Matt 4:19 “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men”
Now it came to pass that a group existed that called themselves fishermen and there were many fish in the waters about them. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes and the fish were hungry. Week after week and month after month and year after year the group that called themselves “fishermen” met in meetings and talked about those called to fish, the abundance of fish, and how we might go abount fishing. Year after year they carefully defined what fishing meant, defending fishing as an occupation, and declared that fishing be the primary talk of fisherman. These fisherman built large beautiful buildings for local fishing headquarters and their plea was that everyone should be a fisherman and that everyone should fish. However, the one thing they did not do, they did not fish!
In addition to meeting regularly these men determined to send out fishermen to places where there were many fish. This sending committee was headed by those who had great vision and had courage to speak about fishing and to promote the idea of fishing in far away streams and lakes, held meetings to define fishing, to defend fishing, and to decide what new streams should be thought about. But the one thing the staff and the committee members did not do, they did not fish!
Large, elaborate training centers were built whose original and primary purpose was to teach fisherman how to fish. Over the years, courses were offered on the needs of the fish, the nature of the fish, how to find fish, and the psychological effects of fishing. Those who taught had doctorates in ‘Fisheology’! But the teachers did not fish! They only taught about fishing.
Further, the fishermen built large printing houses to publish fishing guides. Presses were kept busy day and night to produce material solely devoted to fishing methods. A speaker’s bureau was also organized to schedule special speakers on fishing. After one stirring meeting entitled ‘The Necessity Of Fishing’, two young men left the meeting and actually went fishing and one of them actually caught two fish! He was honored for his great catch and was scheduled to appear at all the big meetings to tell how he did it. So he quit fishing in order to have time to tell his experiences to the other fishermen!
Now it is true that many fisherman sacrificed and put up with all kinds of difficulties. Some lived near the water and had to put up with the smell of dead fish. Some had to endure the ridicule of some who made fun of these fishermen’s because they claimed to be fisherman but they did not fish.
And they wondered about those who thought it was of little use to attend meetings and talk about fishing. I mean, after all, were they not following the Master who said, “Come and I will make you fishers of men”? Imagine their chagrin when someone actually suggested that they were not really ‘fishermen’. Yet it did make sense. Can we rightfully call a person a fisherman if year after year he never catches a fish?
Can A Person Really Be Following Jesus If He Is Not Fishing? (NOTE: This sarcastic language story is symbolic of the churches efforts today to save the lost. It seems that the mission of most churches is taking care of our own instead of saving the lost. Brethren, if we don’t turn this trend around, we will not see heaven.)
January 31st, 2007
Last Sunday we had a dialogue on passion. Passion is what you are very interested or has great enthusiam for. It somehow comes from your character or deep within you.
Are you passionate?
What is your passion?
TeckSu
Likes to fix things. When he repairs something he is in a world of his own.
Repairing his roof will be his idea of fun. Maybe his theme song is James Taylor ” Up on the roof” !
James
Passion is to sing and dance. If given a choice, I want to go for dancing class
Grew up with with Broadway musicals. Lose myself and in a world of my own. My idea of de-stressing. See movements and colours in music. Makes me feel happy!
Marissa
Same as James. Did a lot of performance in school.
Dennis
Football. Whether injured ankle or not, he is ready to play. Would gravitate
towards sports shop. Must touch football boots and new footballs to enjoy the moment with his passion. May huff and puff about a football game but it’s part of the joy of it
Lian Chye
Likes to conceptualise, analyse. It looks like his mind is his playground of ideas
Peng Liam
Golf. He has a ’sabbath’ from his wife where he is left on his own to do what he wants for one day a week. Does not matter whether he wins or lose a gold game. He loses himself in golf and able to relax
Weiyang
Hordes of classical pieces and operas, some of them make him cry when he
listen to the music. Heavy, man!
Philip
Enjoys singing
Passion makes you lose yourself (or false self?) to expresss your real self.
There might be discouragement to stifle passion but it is hard to kill. Passion
causes you to aspire for higher goals. You impose performance on yourself . If someone forces a performance measure on you ,like you must score A for this or get 100% , it kills a budding passion.
Passion consumes you. You feel incomplete or there is a yearning taht needs to be fulfilled. It may influence what you see first, hear first, touch first like Dennis gravitating to sport shops, I will go for musicals or book shops, or Teck Su will walked down the aisle of the hardware section of a supermart.
Can we direct our passion to God’s work? and be eaten up by it ?
John 2:17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of
thine house hath eaten me up.
2 Corinthians 7:11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after
a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of
yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement
desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved
yourselves to be clear in this matter.
Zeal is infectious. When we show passion, zeal and fervour, others just want to join us
2 Corinthians 9:2 For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I
boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and
your zeal hath provoked very many.
Have you ever been with a passionate person? You can’t help but be drawn to him, hating or loving him!
Zeal must be with knowledge. We must not be afraid of emotions, be afraid of only senselessness !
Romans 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not
according to knowledge.
Lets’ stir each other up with our singing, with edification , with our labour of love
2 Timothy 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the
gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
2 Peter 3:1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both
which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
james
July 1st, 2005
I thought I mention and extend our wonderful sharing from a previous Sunday.
A comment that got the discussion going was from Henry Beecher Ward: If a man cannot be a Christian in the place where he is, he cannot be a Christian anywhere.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/henry_ward_beecher.html
One starting point I mentioned was: do you see yourself as a manager, engineer, IT person, housewife, student OR Christian?
The answer to the question will be able to address the discomfort of the quote above. Why are we uncomfortable with the quote? Is it because we live a compartmentalised life instead Jesus as a way of life?
I am James regardless of whether I am manager or father, faults and all I am still James unless I am a chameleon and not being myself.
One thing we struggle is that we tend to view ‘Christian’ more from the performance point of view than a relationship with grace from God.
Are you a child of your father because of how you perform or simply who you are? How you answer this question affects your subsequent behavior /performance.
It is a way of putting the horse in front of the cart.
We talked about our jobs. Should we give up the jobs we have that are not ‘ spiritual’ because we are Christians? I mentioned that I have been uncomfortable with certain brethrens working in a liquour/entertainment business e.g. pubs.
On the flip side they are in a very unique position that all of us do not have access to that is reaching out to people in such industry!
Maybe it helps to think in this way.
1. If you are not strong spiritually, avoid certain jobs that may weaken your faith and do not get into it at all.
2. If you are already in it, be clear whether it is spiritually good for you. If not work towards getting out with lots of prayers AND in the meantime be true to your belief.
How do we be who we are in the place we are in? It does not matter whether by God or our own choices we end up in a situation or job.
In the case of Lot he himself chose to go to Sodom and Gomorrah which was an attractive place (Ge.13:10)for making lots of money ( sheep, harvests etc because the land was rich). He had great influence since ” he sat at the gates”. Decision makers sat at gates during those times.
Was he spiritual? On the surface he may not be but I think he did his best with what he knew.
Peter described Lot as “righteous” although I believe Sodom and Gomorrah may have given him a distorted sense of moral where he proposed the Sodomites gang raped his daughter(Ge.19:18) instead of the handsome angels.
2 Peter 2:7-10 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
Are you vexed when evil is around you? Can you take it spiritually? Of course intellectually you may be able to take it but spiritually what kind of person have you become? If you can stand it without getting burnt AND able to reach out to save others by all means go ahead. It is not a question of your ability but your wholeness. If you are slowly transforming into something esle and not Christ like, beware!
Jude 1:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Whatever it is, be true to your faith until God brings you out.
How can you show your faith in any situation?
Some thoughts for office situation:
Firstly like any sick person, a difficult person is showing symptoms of spiritual sickness. Every difficult behaviour is a need of spiritual doctor that is where you and I come in.
Matthew 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
In some version these people are described as ” harrased/distressed, helpless and like sheep without shepherd.
Mahathir said that if you throw a stone into a crowd in Malaysia you will probable hit a Datuk or two. If you throw a stone into a crowd you will definitely get someone who is stressed, need help or fellowship or seeking direction.
A difficult person is spiritually hurting either 1)he is stressed by something, 2)needs a friend at that moment in time or 3)seeking direction at that stage in life.
This is where we can come in. As a Christian e.g. in a meeting you get a glimpse of a political person in action, a vulgar one, a quarrelsome fellow … All are in one of the 3 categories.
Try to get a glimpse of what is happening in that person’s life to have a fellowship of suffering with him/her as a starting point.
If you are married, I am sure there are marriage sharing you can have with this person, or your children’s struggle with 2nd language or too many business trips or stress with work. We all have common grounds based on the 3 types whom Jesus has compassion for. Lonely people can be difficult too. They may simply need a listening ear to pour out their sorrows perceived by us a constant complaints!
Just make sure you protect yourself in our modern Sodom and Gomorrah in jobs where you are most vulnerable spiritually.
To avoid being accused of sexual harrassment or being fresh or making a pass at some one, include your spouse, or church or prayer group etc in your offer to help outside office hours or late in office
Examples I can think of to reach the difficult people yet be ever watchful for the devouring devil:
-I know that you are not a Christian, can my wife AND I pray for you ?
-Maybe we can have dinner with my wife AND I to share our experience
-Can my church and I pray for you?
-If you write a personal note/card/letter/email of encouragement mention your spouse when you sign off
I hope as you reflect on these you will have an idea that it is possible to be a Christian where you are with the help of the Holy Spirit.
We are foremost Christian, all other roles follow from this identity.
Like a electronic video game, when you have done what you have been placed to do, you will enter an open door to the next level of the game to score more points for Jesus!!
God bless
June 20th, 2005
The Singapore government is secular and true to its stand its decisions although include religious views, would be swayed more towards Mammon. It is thus not surprising from the spiritual perspective, Pandora’s box is already opened wider with the casino , now followed by the Crazy Horse Cabaret (because of “artistic merits’). What’s next I wonder?
One reason often mentioned when the issue of gay rights is raised is that our society is conservative. What if 20, 30 or 50 years from now we become more liberal, would integrated resorts include prostitution, gay parades and ecstasy parties for the upper class? After all we have prostitution in Geylang, Batam and Singaporeans are going to Indochina to sow wild oats. Why not include it when society become more ‘open’?
What about drug parties? Young professionals fly to KL for such parties over the weekend anyway. So if such activities bring in the tourist dollars with lots of counseling support provided by the government to a liberal society, imagine what 22nd century Singapore will be like?
Like the early Christians, we live in a pagan world. We should do our part in protecting the flock, strengthening them in the Word. Be a voice in the wilderness through proper governmental channels, of course (1 Pet.2:13). Teach our children discernment. An open mind without discernment is an open sewer. But it gets tougher as the spirit of the age builds up its stronghold. How will you advise your children working as an event manager or designer for an artistic show of nudity and lewdness, gay parties? Will they brush you aside as old fashioned because they are only “doing their job”, “using their talents”, “expressing themselves artistically”?
Will our children be like Lot attracted to the richness of the dazzling world good for mammon, or would they set themselves apart like Abraham?
Genesis 13:10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
Would they and even you be a business leader with great influence “sitting at the city gates” (Ge.19:1) yet have a warped sense of ethics (Ge. 19:6-8)?
The secular government is consistent with their belief. Are we true to ours?
May 19th, 2005
Previous Posts
