Love unconditionally
It is said in bible that “…..nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”
Philippians 2:3Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
Many things are easier said than done. Sometimes we can be so “in lack” that we forgot all about this verse. The nature of man is for himself, but the nature of God is Love. No wonder bible said “….the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak…” We may know what is the right thing to do, but it just seems so hard to get our life right.
Bible said “We must pray…” and “Guard our hearts”…… constantly reminding ourselves of the way Jesus cares for his sheep is a good motivation to keep loving unconditionally.
We always sing this song in church… “Lord we need your Grace and Mercy….. Spirit touch your church, stir the hearts of man….. I want to care for others…. Like Jesus cares for me……” Many times we have fail in the character molding stage, but we must ask God for His grace and mercy. We are not hopeless. We may trip, but we will get up again. We will not fall in the days of adversity.
Many people serve in ministry; serve one another at every moment of their lives. No matter where they serve, what kind of ministry they are in, they are doing all for God. God has a different plan for all of us. He wants us to be doing a certain thing at a different place and time. To each of us, God has a designated season. We must be prepared in our hearts to obey when He called. Just like what Pastor Kong preached today, we must dare to “step across the line”.
Since everything is for God, why bother with the trivial disadvantages? Why bother to be like Peter asking Jesus “But Lord, what about this man?” No such word as "fairness". The kingdom of God is bigger than the universe. Yet God still cares for us, when our hearts can be so small at times…..
There’s this Chinese saying, “There will always be a good wife behind supporting the successful man.” This is a good example of an almost unconditional love. The perfect Love, of course, is God. I love these verses in Corinthians 13:
Love suffers long and is kind;
love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
This does not necessary need to apply to couple relationships. It can be applied in every relationship. If sacrificing ourselves can make others more successful, why not - knowing that our "labour is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Cor 15:58) Especially in such a time as this, we must be even more Christ-like.
As I stand at a specific spot in the auditorium, worshipping in service this morning, God finally explained. “You have to be here at this time”.Labels: Sermons and Revelatns
Interesting
These few days, a faint music could be heard in the office..... its the singing of Pastor Sun, Mark Kwan and other singers in the Cross CD!!!.....
I started walking around the office..... trying to track where the music is coming from..... finally found this friendly child of God, though not from CHC, yet listen to the Cross CD! Wonderful!
So happy that the Cross CD music is "floating" in the whole office.... how heart-warming it is.....
Just searched the website for fun..... found this website of Christian names..... so interesting!
Bro. Ziwei
Ken = Irish Gaelic origin = Handsome
Jacinta = Portuguese/Spanish origin = Hyacinth flower
June = Old English origin = 6th Month
Xiangcen(Olenju)
Olen = Scandinavian origin = Ancestral Tailsman
Olene = Polish origin = Protector of Mankind
Kelvin = Old English origin = Lover of Ships
Calista = Old English origin = Most beautiful
Donny = Irish Gaelic origin = Dark Warrior
Steve = Greek origin = The Crowned One, a man who wears the victor's Laurel Wreath
Sherry = Hebrew origin = A princess of exotic beauty
Sherri = Old English origin = Beloved Meadow
hahaha... i like my name best! Labels: Mr Bean and Captain Jack Sparrow
A Time Of Bliss
I have a super happy dinner outing with my family tonight. A feeling of bliss is in the air.
Tonight, my father drove us to a coffee shop for dinner. He came home a little late, thus my brother and myself were very hungry.
When we reached the coffee shop, we all went ahead to order our food. I ordered Nasi Lemak. When I came back with my plate of Nasi Lemak, my brother was so surprised to see my plate of Nasi Lemak, full of many side dishes. So he called me “Greedy Pig”……
5 minutes later, my father came back with his plate of Nasi Lemak as well. This time, his plate was “overflowing” with not only rice, but black sauce noodles and many side dishes as well. My brother got a very “amazed” look on his face, and his immediate response to my father – “hungry ghost”.
I nearly laugh die……
My father is a fast eater. He finished his dinner earlier than we did. So he went to the other part of the market area to shop for his favourite mangoes (I wonder why he like mangoes so much)…… After we have finished our dinner, my father was not back to the coffee shop yet. So my brother gave him a call. Guess what? My father lost his way!
After we found our father, we went to NTUC supermarket. I accompany my father to the fruits section where he started to smell the mangoes and choose the ones to buy. Looking at the way he checks the mangoes, I really feel that my father is adorable.
Suddenly, my father has a craving for “Tang Yuan” – glutinous rice ball. So we went to get one packet to cook tonight. So happy.
We have a really good time at the supermarket. As we were on our way home, I thought of writing all these interesting memories in this blog. But I forgot what does “Tang Yuan” mean in English. So I asked my father. His answer – “Tang Yuan = Dragon Ball”.
Oh no!..... hahhahahahhaha…….Labels: Family
THE PURE WILL SEE GOD - TPWSG
Last week as Bro Ziwei was sharing how Jacinta gave a card to one of her favourite artiste and wrote inside that card a small note to invite him to our Friendship connection weekend – Simple Faith.
Our cg has many young teenagers, very simple and pure in their faith. Children of God like Calista, Wanli and Jacinta often liven up our cg meetings, fellowships and outings. Perhaps they are much younger, they seems to be more lively and active than adults. We have roller blading sessions (thanks to the inspiration of Yanlin and encouragement of Xiangcen), dogs fellowship at the beach, basketball games, badminton, tennis……
When they share testimonies, they can captivate you by the stories they tell, by the details that happened. They are grateful for all blessings, may it be big or small. When they pray, they are direct and precise, never like the Pharisees.
Matthew 18:3
And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
I ponder in my heart, how true the above bible verse is.
In our cg, not only Calista, Wanli and Jacinta are the pure at heart. All our cg members are. Everyone is so childlike and so gentle.
Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
As Christians, I feel that it is very important to be pure in our hearts. Especially if we are Christians for a long time, guarding our hearts become an additional precaution we must have ALL THE TIME.
As we pray, we must have this burden of saying an effective prayer to bless the people we are praying for. Quoting bible verses and saying long prayers are to strengthen faith, or a work of the Holy Spirit, not a demonstration of our spiritual knowledge.
As we share testimonies, it is to express our gratitude to God and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ. Not an opportunity for a showcase of talents, neither a way to demean others.
Earlier this week, I have a small fellowship session in the marketplace with about 10 people. A non Christian from Germany was asking many questions about God. While I was trying desperately to hear from the Holy Spirit the right way of answering, another person spoke. He answered almost every question this German guy posed by quoting bible stories and examples. This is very good because we should always refer to the Word of God. However, he doesn’t seem to apply the Word of God to explain issues from a personal / practical point of view. It seems like we are having a knowledge-exchange session rather than a fellowship session. Ultimately, the German guy does not seem convinced.
I’ve been observing this person for a long time; realize that he’s always showcasing his wealth of spiritual knowledge. On one hand, this is good because I learnt a lot from him. Yet sometimes I feel that he doesn’t really have a DEEP relationship with God.
Thinking about this makes me “xin suan” – disappointed. There may be many challenges in our spiritual walk and life itself. In the midst of overcoming them, I want to remain pure for God in my heart. Because The Pure Will See God - TPWSG Labels: Sermons and Revelatns
A letter to my Angel
Dear Angel,
Thank you for the Hello Panda, Chocolate bits, beautiful earrings and green bracelet…… they have been fabulicious. It has have taken you a lot of effort to find so many people to be your “agent”. As your Mortal, I am totally honoured and touched by our acts of kindness. Your perfect conspiracy never fails to amaze me. You’re simply smarty Angel.
Thank you so much.
Your MortalLabels: Mr Bean and Captain Jack Sparrow
