LEST WE FORGET

20 "Look, O LORD, and consider: Whom have you ever treated like this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have cared for? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?
21 "Young and old lie together in the dust of the streets; my young men and maidens have fallen by the sword. You have slain them in the day of your anger; you have slaughtered them without pity.
22 "As you summon to a feast day, so you summoned against me terrors on every side. In the day of the LORD's anger no one escaped or survived; those I cared for and reared, my enemy has destroyed."

Lamentations 2:20-22

The book of Lamentations was written during the fall of Jerusalem to her enemies, when God poured out His wrath and exiled the Israelites because of their sin, when He hid His faced from them and heared not their cries and prayers, and the nation was utterly destroyed.

We frequently meditate on the love of God, which is all good and appropriate…but we should not neglect meditating upon the wrath of God. Oh how terrible the wrath of God can be! Meditate and know what we escape because of what Christ has done for us upon the cross. For the fear and love of God go hand in hand, it is hard to fully appreciate the one without the other, and both magnify the extent of the other.

The Israelites’ only hope was to wait for salvation, for the damage done was irrepairable...

22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."
25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
Lamentations 3:22-26

...but we need not wait – for salvation is here.

A WONDERFUL DATE

A man and a woman are together on a date in an art gallery. The woman naturally does not appreciate art, but the man points out to her the beauty behind each masterpiece...and for the first time in her life, she begins to see...

Thank You for showing me Your heart for people on our date earlier. I had a wonderful time. :)

YOUR ALL, HIS ALL

I was reading a passage of the Bible – Genesis Chap 22 – the part about Abraham sacrificing Isaac (or rather where he almost sacrificed Isaac).

Then God said, “ Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” Gen 22:2

This is Isaac, the promised son Abraham has waited for over 20 years to be born, his only son with Sarah, the son God has said through which will come the many descendents of Abraham who will inherit the promised land of Canaan. And God asks this very son of Abraham to be sacrificed.

!!!!!!!!

Yet somewhere else in the Bible, another Father too gave up His Son. This time, not almost, but really did.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16


Abraham so loved God that he was willing to give Isaac up.


God so loved us, that He was willing to give Jesus for our redemption.

We lots of times withold ourselves or the things we love from God, eventhough everything that we have comes from Him, even our very lives. Yet God gave His all and witheld nothing.

May this inspire you to give your all – that God gave you His all and His best.

LIFE MANIFESTO

Recently a friend shared with me his life manifesto.

Spending enough time with God, so that he can spend time in ministry, so that he can play games, so that he can study.

Guys. Personally I don't think highly of people who include playing games in their life manifesto (and I guess that would mean the majority of guys!). Similarly, watching TV/playing football/practising an instrument/etc would sound equally bad when included in a life manifesto. But really, Christ died for all these people as well, so I should treat them in this light instead of in the light of my prejudices.

So what is my life manifesto?

Spending enough time with God, so that I can spend time in ministry/be there for people (if in doing one I neglect the other then it defeats the point, and quite often they overlap as well), so that I can study/work, so that I can give a dog a home/I can come home to a dog on earth.

I guess that bit about a dog probably shouldn't be there in a life manifesto as well, but....well, long story.

What is your life manifesto? Does it even start with God? After all, that's what matters most. The other little bits that should or shouldn't be there doesn't matter at all if it does not all start with Him.

NO MAS

I was hungry,

and you formed a humanities group to discuss my hunger.

I was imprisoned,

and you crept off quietly to your chapel and prayed for my release.

I was naked,

and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.

I was sick,

and you knelt and thanked God for your health.

I was homeless,

and you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God.

I was lonely,

and you left me alone to pray for me.

You seem so holy, so close to God

but I am still very hungry – and lonely – and cold.

Will we say, "No more"?

SAMPAI

This is a song by Giving My Best(GMB), an Indonesian Band. I know my birthday's really far away, but would really appreciate GMB albums when the time comes.

This song talks about how nothing compares to the love of the Father, and how we will always have His everlasting love as we continue to worship, until the earth passes away, until day and night become one, until His name is lifted up in every heart and race of men.

Semua harta di dalam dunia

Semua tahta yang dapat tergapai

Takkan bisa menggantikan kasih Bapa

Semua karya yang t’lah terlukiskan

Semua nada yang telah terdengar

Takkan bisa menyaingi cintaMu

Sampai habis bumi berlalu

Sampai siang malam menyatu

Akan kupuja dan kusembah

Engkau Ya Bapaku

Sampai namaMu ditinggikan

Di setiap hati dan bangsa

Kasih sayangMu dan setiaMu

Kan menyertaiku

"..YOU WILL BE CALLED SOUGHT AFTER.."

Beverly Hills Chihuahua. The first impression I got was 'another dumb show'. It had all the ingredients of one - dogs in the most outrageous costumes, a spiritual guru chihuahua with a cult following, an iguana with a concience, and not to mention a super bark from the heroine that shook a cave (rolls eyes)!

But really, it had all the ingredients needed to make a good movie too. It tells the story of Chloe, an upper class, spoilt Beverly Hills chihuahua, who gets dognapped in the middle of Mexico city. She meets pretty interesting characters in the search to be found (as mentioned). Meanwhile, her human guardian, along with a love interest and a star-strucked chihuahua combs every inch of Mexico city for her.

It just reminds me of how all of us are or were at one point lost and alone and desperately want to be found. And that there is One who seeks us out relentlessly, One who will not rest until we are at last found and brought home. He seeks us out...like a shepherd seeks out a lost sheep, like a father seeks out his wandering daughter, like a lover seeks out his beloved. There is no mountain too high, nor valley too deep, nor oceans too vast. There is no price too high. He already paid the highest price, for you and I.

So if you're like me and sometimes feel that you're not sought out by anyone in particular...remember that there is One who does and continues to do so everyday. And remember to seek Him out too.

"...and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted." Isa 62:12

PEARL NECKLACES

I remember once reading a story about a little girl and her pearl necklace. It was a necklace that she always wore close to her heart, one that she treasured greatly. However, on the night of her 12th birthday, her Dad had something difficult to ask of her - to give him her very treasured pearl necklace, the very ones that she wore close to her heart! Of course she was very reluctant, and of course she would not let go, but eventually after a long struggle with herself, gave it up to her Dad in full trust. And there, behold, when she had given it to him, he opened up his other hand to reveal another yet another necklace, quite the same as the old one, but unlike the old one, was not made with fake pearls, but real pearls, pearls that glistened and shined.

It reminds me of how sometimes we cling on to what we think is best for us, when really, our Father in heaven knows best. Will we not give up our own ideas and wants and let Him bless us as He sees fit?

Yes, I give it up to you, my pearl necklace, the one that I treasure. I will choose to let You bless me in Your own way (which may not be exactly how I want it to be), because I know that ultimately, You alone know best.

MORE & MORE

I was reading 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5 this morning. The church of Thessalonia is probably the church most praised by Paul among the early churches. The phrase appears three times, "..as in fact you are already... living/loving/doing". Wow. Wouldn't we want to be like the church of Thessalonia! But yet, even so, Paul keeps on urging them in these things more and more.

To more and more...

live in order to please God,

love each other,

and encourage each other.

So really, eventhough we might feel that we are the worst of our brothers and sisters (or for some, the best), at whichever stage we are, we must remember to do so - more and more.

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thess 5:9

Since He has chosen us specifically for a life eternally with Him, let us not dissapoint Him. And let us continue to fix our eyes on Him who is doing His heart-changing and sanctifying work in us.

The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it. 1 Thess 5:24

PRIORITIES

It occured to me again today how I want to be there when things happen to people, good or bad. Eventhough being a friend is not exactly something that is second nature to me, still, I want to be there, if that is all I can do. Funny how priorities change as one progresses through life. It reminds me that God's hand is at work in my life, whether I notice it or not in the short term.

He who began a good work in us will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil 1:6