Rainbow- a symbol of a covenant God made with us that he would not create the same flood that destroyed all of human civilisation, save a few of his faithful children in Noah and his family.
13- a lucky number among chinese, but seen as an ominous sign in other cultures. Among Malaysians, the number 13 remind us of the tragic day of May 13. Many died on that day, many were injured and lots were left homeless. And we were made to believe that it was a racial riot. That's a half truth (it being a racial riot), a lot of details were hidden from us, and we have to seek for truth. If it's a truthful account of May 13 that u seek, then read Kua Kia Soong's May 13 Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969.
Hello everyone,
Today's sermon title is "Malaysia the Rainbow Nation of Asia". Bible verses are from 1Peter 4:1, Genesis 8:20, Rev 12:15, Isaiah 66:6, Proverbs 11 and Jeremiah 1:10. The message revolves around factual occurences in Malaysia. An annointed message, and I could find no fault in it.
First of all, why is the title named so? Rainbow is a symbol of a covenant made between God and us, children of God. The rainbow was used use metaphorically as a symbol of Malaysians of different races living together in harmony. The 7 colours colours were important to the picture of a rainbow; if one colour predominates, the rest of the colours would be pushed into oblivion. If that were to happen, it is no longer a rainbow.
Like the rainbow, we have to perceive May 13 as a covenant. Pray to God that May 13 will never re-occur. Pray to God for a change in this nation; not necessarily a change in government, because who's to say which government works better? The trouble is, though, when an opportunity is not given to other parties in the political scene to prove themselves. We have a role to play, we hold the key to the situation in Malaysia. We have the power to vote, and we must vote wisely. And we have to pray, because God has the power to correct all forms of inequities. Injustice must not be allowed to prevail. Corruption must be tackled.
There're a lot of fine details, but I don't think it's appropriate to share them here. But we're all learned people, and the Internet provide an unlimited source of news. Malaysia needs our prayers. The general election will be held on the 8th of March. Whatever the outcome, let's pray for God's hand to be on this nation. And if u're eligible to vote, exercise your right as a citizen of Malaysia!
-TR
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Disturbing Faithfulness
There are many instances embedded in our heads that tell us God’s power is not limited to human imagination.
I knew Ps Chris Long was the preacher today. I also knew today’s going to be one hectic day, as I have to rush to read and absorb as much information I can for tomorrow’s paper. I also know I “should” be studying now instead of typing this message out. I promised myself, when I woke up this morning, that I would take a break from taking notes. Today I should just enjoy the sermon, and I would laugh at Chris Long’s jokes.
But u see, that was my plan. That was not God’s plan for me. Ps Christopher’s message was so strong, that I have to share it. Even if it takes a little of my studying time. What is my priority? God or EoS? EoS may be my focus now, but God has to be my priority.
I think it was last week, we came across the title Disturbing Faithfulness. Its meaning was not completely elucidated, and disturbed we were, as the title suggests. And yesterday again, God handed the same title. Again, I was disturbed. The reference verses were taken from the book of Job. Have u gone to a sermon, and listen to something that speaks to u, that connects to u, but something that u’d rather choose not to have listened. Ignorance is bliss, but not in God’s eyes. We would rather live not knowing that something that we do is not exactly sinful, but not exactly productive either. Right until God speaks to us, telling us that our specific actions, our mentality or attitude towards something may not be sinful, but is slowing our growth? To understand God, we must give our all to Him; we can’t be half hearted in our worship to God. Perhaps, that is why God decided to reveal this passage to us at this moment. I thought He chose a wrong time to reveal this to us, but tell me, has God’s timing ever been wrong?
Disturbing faithfulness- God wants us to continue to have faith in Him amidst our most difficult time. “The presence of God is primary over the provision of God”. I was distraught after reading this passage.. What is God trying to tell me? Is He going to fail me?
God answered me through Ps Chris. Life is full of hurdles, and there’re obstacles at every corner. When they happen, it does not mean God does not exist, neither does it mean God no longer loves us. Neither does it mean God is punishing us. There are times that God allows “things” to happen to us, to see our reactions to certain incidences.
Today’s passage was taken from Acts 16:22. Paul and Silas were preaching the work of God, and they drove out a demon from a girl. What happened next? They were stripped, beaten up and sent to the prison. There, they were kept a close watch by a jailer. Both were heavily wounded, and both did not deserve to be there. How did they react? They praise God, and then the ground shook, and the gates opened. They were free to escape!
But let’s take a look here. Did they escape? They did not. Upon seeing the jailer pulling out his sword from the sheath, and suggesting a pose that meant he was going to take his own life, Paul shouted to him that he was still there, not escaping. They were in their cell, not escaping.
What happened next? The jailer went to Paul, and asked him how he could be saved. And Paul told him to accept Christ. The jailer accepted, cleaned their wounds, got baptized by Paul and invited them to his house for a meal. Read Acts 16:22 onwards for a clear picture.
I’m still a bit disturbed. This is perhaps my strongest moment I’ve set my faith to God. The past few weeks have also been the time I’ve set my strength and focus to my exam. What if I were to fail this exam? Would I blame God? The past EoS I didn’t pray as much, and I didn’t read His word as much, and I passed. I didn’t even study as much. Would the result of the exam change my whole perspective on God?
God told me not once, but 3 times to keep my faith in Him no matter the result. So I shall. I know God wants me to learn from Paul and Silas. I’ve studied hard, and I’ve been keeping God’s word close to my heart. Nothing should stop me from growing closer to Him, even if the result is not the way I expect it to be. I rest my case to God, let His will be done. Let’s fulfill our responsibilities as God’s children. Put our trust in Him in dealing with us, as we put in our best effort. God will not fail us, it just depends on how we look at a situation. Open our spiritual eyes, that we may see God’s work in our lives.
To be honest, I still feel a bit disturbed. Nonetheless, I have to keep the faith.
I knew Ps Chris Long was the preacher today. I also knew today’s going to be one hectic day, as I have to rush to read and absorb as much information I can for tomorrow’s paper. I also know I “should” be studying now instead of typing this message out. I promised myself, when I woke up this morning, that I would take a break from taking notes. Today I should just enjoy the sermon, and I would laugh at Chris Long’s jokes.
But u see, that was my plan. That was not God’s plan for me. Ps Christopher’s message was so strong, that I have to share it. Even if it takes a little of my studying time. What is my priority? God or EoS? EoS may be my focus now, but God has to be my priority.
I think it was last week, we came across the title Disturbing Faithfulness. Its meaning was not completely elucidated, and disturbed we were, as the title suggests. And yesterday again, God handed the same title. Again, I was disturbed. The reference verses were taken from the book of Job. Have u gone to a sermon, and listen to something that speaks to u, that connects to u, but something that u’d rather choose not to have listened. Ignorance is bliss, but not in God’s eyes. We would rather live not knowing that something that we do is not exactly sinful, but not exactly productive either. Right until God speaks to us, telling us that our specific actions, our mentality or attitude towards something may not be sinful, but is slowing our growth? To understand God, we must give our all to Him; we can’t be half hearted in our worship to God. Perhaps, that is why God decided to reveal this passage to us at this moment. I thought He chose a wrong time to reveal this to us, but tell me, has God’s timing ever been wrong?
Disturbing faithfulness- God wants us to continue to have faith in Him amidst our most difficult time. “The presence of God is primary over the provision of God”. I was distraught after reading this passage.. What is God trying to tell me? Is He going to fail me?
God answered me through Ps Chris. Life is full of hurdles, and there’re obstacles at every corner. When they happen, it does not mean God does not exist, neither does it mean God no longer loves us. Neither does it mean God is punishing us. There are times that God allows “things” to happen to us, to see our reactions to certain incidences.
Today’s passage was taken from Acts 16:22. Paul and Silas were preaching the work of God, and they drove out a demon from a girl. What happened next? They were stripped, beaten up and sent to the prison. There, they were kept a close watch by a jailer. Both were heavily wounded, and both did not deserve to be there. How did they react? They praise God, and then the ground shook, and the gates opened. They were free to escape!
But let’s take a look here. Did they escape? They did not. Upon seeing the jailer pulling out his sword from the sheath, and suggesting a pose that meant he was going to take his own life, Paul shouted to him that he was still there, not escaping. They were in their cell, not escaping.
What happened next? The jailer went to Paul, and asked him how he could be saved. And Paul told him to accept Christ. The jailer accepted, cleaned their wounds, got baptized by Paul and invited them to his house for a meal. Read Acts 16:22 onwards for a clear picture.
I’m still a bit disturbed. This is perhaps my strongest moment I’ve set my faith to God. The past few weeks have also been the time I’ve set my strength and focus to my exam. What if I were to fail this exam? Would I blame God? The past EoS I didn’t pray as much, and I didn’t read His word as much, and I passed. I didn’t even study as much. Would the result of the exam change my whole perspective on God?
God told me not once, but 3 times to keep my faith in Him no matter the result. So I shall. I know God wants me to learn from Paul and Silas. I’ve studied hard, and I’ve been keeping God’s word close to my heart. Nothing should stop me from growing closer to Him, even if the result is not the way I expect it to be. I rest my case to God, let His will be done. Let’s fulfill our responsibilities as God’s children. Put our trust in Him in dealing with us, as we put in our best effort. God will not fail us, it just depends on how we look at a situation. Open our spiritual eyes, that we may see God’s work in our lives.
To be honest, I still feel a bit disturbed. Nonetheless, I have to keep the faith.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
The Lord's Prayer
Hello again,
God again has spoken.
EoS is just a few days away. It's about time we prepare our minds and hearts for it.
Do I fell anxious? Definitely. Nervous? Weak in the legs? Butterflies in my stomach? Tired and exhausted? Sometimes those feelings take me to the extent that I get convinced the sole purpose of exams are to shorten our lives. I wonder why God brought upon this injustice into this world.
What we're facing is similar to the situation that our Lord, Jesus Christ was about to confront when He was in the garden of Gethsemane. He didn't give up although He was mentally drained. One of His disciples conspired against Him. The "religious, holy" people plotted against Him. It seemed the whole world was sharing the same goal of exterminating Him from the face of this earth.
No, He didn't give up. He didn't even try escaping. He knew it needed to come to pass, so that the ultimate purpose of His coming to earth would be fulfilled.
We've to set our minds straight. Tests and exams are necessary. Through them, we become more mature. Through them, we get stronger and tougher.
I don't know whether my efforts are sufficient. I hope they are. But to my myself now, I can say with conscience, I've never studied this hard in my life, and I've never kept to God's word so faithfully at the same time. I never thought these two actions can go hand in hand, right until a week and a half ago, when we started this bible study group.
It's a difficult time now. All we can do is to try our best, and leave the rest to God. We can learn a lot from our Lord Jesus how to handle these situations. Before I started typing this message, I was looking to God for comfort. And He reminded me how He suffered before being arrested by His conspirers. And even at the threshold of death, and when everyone was practically spitting at Him, He took it all so calmly, and confidently.
I'm ending this post with the Lord's prayer. Lay before God your burdens, and u'll find peace.
-TR
Our Father in Heaven,
hallowed be Your name
Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory
Forever and ever
Amen
God again has spoken.
EoS is just a few days away. It's about time we prepare our minds and hearts for it.
Do I fell anxious? Definitely. Nervous? Weak in the legs? Butterflies in my stomach? Tired and exhausted? Sometimes those feelings take me to the extent that I get convinced the sole purpose of exams are to shorten our lives. I wonder why God brought upon this injustice into this world.
What we're facing is similar to the situation that our Lord, Jesus Christ was about to confront when He was in the garden of Gethsemane. He didn't give up although He was mentally drained. One of His disciples conspired against Him. The "religious, holy" people plotted against Him. It seemed the whole world was sharing the same goal of exterminating Him from the face of this earth.
No, He didn't give up. He didn't even try escaping. He knew it needed to come to pass, so that the ultimate purpose of His coming to earth would be fulfilled.
We've to set our minds straight. Tests and exams are necessary. Through them, we become more mature. Through them, we get stronger and tougher.
I don't know whether my efforts are sufficient. I hope they are. But to my myself now, I can say with conscience, I've never studied this hard in my life, and I've never kept to God's word so faithfully at the same time. I never thought these two actions can go hand in hand, right until a week and a half ago, when we started this bible study group.
It's a difficult time now. All we can do is to try our best, and leave the rest to God. We can learn a lot from our Lord Jesus how to handle these situations. Before I started typing this message, I was looking to God for comfort. And He reminded me how He suffered before being arrested by His conspirers. And even at the threshold of death, and when everyone was practically spitting at Him, He took it all so calmly, and confidently.
I'm ending this post with the Lord's prayer. Lay before God your burdens, and u'll find peace.
-TR
Our Father in Heaven,
hallowed be Your name
Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory
Forever and ever
Amen
Monday, February 4, 2008
Pressing Forward, Fulfilling Destiny
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
Our time to facing a great test is fast approaching. In this past month, we've learnt so much in such a short time. Bad news were abundant, and good news seem a rare commodity. These few weeks, we've set our sights to EoS. We're stuck in a do-or-die situation. Or so we perceive.
We received the news on the demise of Lee Nian Ning, a 20-year-old girl who was just like us, doing the things we're doing now. Perhaps the only difference is that she was having a holiday break, and we're having our study break. What should have been a happy, joyous period of time for her ended grimly. And I was there, before the news, not completely satisfied with where I was, because there is so much to do with so little time.
Friends, we can never fully fathom the works of God. But what we can truly do now is to live abundantly and have faith in God. God has given me a timely boost through this 3 part message in Pressing Forward, Fulfilling Destiny. All of us should have an idea of how God intends to us by now, and let us be assured, the path to that direction will not be a stright, easy one, but a narrow, winding one. Let us give thanks to God, have faith in Him as how He has faith in us. Would a father give his son a snake is he asks for an apple? In a similar fashion, would God allow bad things to happen to us without a reason?
Yes, we're stressed out with what we're about to face, and the trials and tribulations we have to go through before the exam. I can't comment on other post-grad courses, but medicine is not for the faint-hearted or the weak-minded. How often have we, have I, doubt this is the right path for me? Why is it so darn difficult to get all the information into my head? It's like our brain is saturated with information, but there's still so much more to learn. How often have we doubt our limited mind to absorb the unlimited knowledge in our curiculum.
For God to use us, we must be strong, so that we do not stray. We have to surrender ourselves to God, trusting Him that we can come out of every difficult situation. It is necessary to walk this path. Let us turn to God for help. God wants to help us, it really depends on whether we are willing to surrender to him. God wants to lift the burden off our backs.
Let's start running for Him, with Him, and ultimately, to Him. We can't finish this race alone. Even if we could, what is our purpose in life if it is not for Him? We live this life, so that we can be the person God wants us to be. And when we finish the race, we can look up to heaven, and call out "Abba Fatther, I thank u for giving me success. Let not my will, but Your will be done."
The verses for the final part of Pressing Forward, Fulfilling Destiny were taken from Genesis 28, 32 and 35. The verses revolve around the life of Jacob. Jacob was not a really a good person. He stole Esau's birthright. But God did not give up on him. One of the major reasons that transformed Jacob was how he kept God his priority. He had a daily prayer time set aside for God, and he obeyed God's word. Slowly, and eventually, he was moulded into the person God wanted him to be.
There is a lot to be thankful for. I pray that all of us can emerge victorious from this difficult time. If this is our destiny, and we've worked hard, God will not fail us.
-TR
Our time to facing a great test is fast approaching. In this past month, we've learnt so much in such a short time. Bad news were abundant, and good news seem a rare commodity. These few weeks, we've set our sights to EoS. We're stuck in a do-or-die situation. Or so we perceive.
We received the news on the demise of Lee Nian Ning, a 20-year-old girl who was just like us, doing the things we're doing now. Perhaps the only difference is that she was having a holiday break, and we're having our study break. What should have been a happy, joyous period of time for her ended grimly. And I was there, before the news, not completely satisfied with where I was, because there is so much to do with so little time.
Friends, we can never fully fathom the works of God. But what we can truly do now is to live abundantly and have faith in God. God has given me a timely boost through this 3 part message in Pressing Forward, Fulfilling Destiny. All of us should have an idea of how God intends to us by now, and let us be assured, the path to that direction will not be a stright, easy one, but a narrow, winding one. Let us give thanks to God, have faith in Him as how He has faith in us. Would a father give his son a snake is he asks for an apple? In a similar fashion, would God allow bad things to happen to us without a reason?
Yes, we're stressed out with what we're about to face, and the trials and tribulations we have to go through before the exam. I can't comment on other post-grad courses, but medicine is not for the faint-hearted or the weak-minded. How often have we, have I, doubt this is the right path for me? Why is it so darn difficult to get all the information into my head? It's like our brain is saturated with information, but there's still so much more to learn. How often have we doubt our limited mind to absorb the unlimited knowledge in our curiculum.
For God to use us, we must be strong, so that we do not stray. We have to surrender ourselves to God, trusting Him that we can come out of every difficult situation. It is necessary to walk this path. Let us turn to God for help. God wants to help us, it really depends on whether we are willing to surrender to him. God wants to lift the burden off our backs.
Let's start running for Him, with Him, and ultimately, to Him. We can't finish this race alone. Even if we could, what is our purpose in life if it is not for Him? We live this life, so that we can be the person God wants us to be. And when we finish the race, we can look up to heaven, and call out "Abba Fatther, I thank u for giving me success. Let not my will, but Your will be done."
The verses for the final part of Pressing Forward, Fulfilling Destiny were taken from Genesis 28, 32 and 35. The verses revolve around the life of Jacob. Jacob was not a really a good person. He stole Esau's birthright. But God did not give up on him. One of the major reasons that transformed Jacob was how he kept God his priority. He had a daily prayer time set aside for God, and he obeyed God's word. Slowly, and eventually, he was moulded into the person God wanted him to be.
There is a lot to be thankful for. I pray that all of us can emerge victorious from this difficult time. If this is our destiny, and we've worked hard, God will not fail us.
-TR
Saturday, February 2, 2008
The Simplest Verses
It is really amazing how the simplest verses which you hear over and over again can suddenly dawn on you and give you ENLIGHTENMENT (oooooo MuFaSAAAA)!
VERSE 1. Christ came so that you can live life and live life abundant
VERSE 2. Phil 1:21 To live is to live like Christ
VERSE 3. Eph 6:2-3 “Honor your father and mother”-which is the first commandment with a promise-“that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth”
(Repeated in Ex 20:12, Dt 5:16, Mt 15:4)
Lee Nian Ning passed away. Never knew her. But she was a great person, everyone said so. Could’ve easily been me or you, her. Life is so fragile. Lets eat, drink and be merry and bungee jump and sky dive and power boat and snake hunt and the 10398273498713 must dos before we die.
Dudes, we’d probably shorten our lives instead and end up paupers. Not a way to live a fulfilled life eh? So how? Stop complaining.
P never liked C and showed it. Realized he was being an ass so apologized and was happy after that. C never really noticed or bothered actually but was happy after that.
By apologizing, P has impacted C’s life, has made his life and C’s more abundant. He has become more Christ-like. Because to live is to live like Christ and Christ lived and wanted us to live abundantly.
Pissed of with D for quite a while, told mum about it. Mums words of wisdom made so much sense and negative feelings that have accumulated are gone.
I have honored my mum- I will live long long.
Equation/ Formula/Revelation:
The thought that life could be taken away any moment is just shit. If I died like tomorrow, I’d want to leave a good vibe/atmosphere/feeling thing behind. Because, lets face it, not everyone can go to the people they love in dreams and tell them they are sorry for something they did and that they love them.
So I will leave that good vibe/atmosphere/feeling thing behind. I will stop complaining. I will be slow to anger. I will say sorry and by doing so impact lives making it more abundant-creating a chain reaction. I will listen to my parents.
And that way I will LIVE. And live LONG. Long not in years, but in ABUNDANCE and quality.
I have become CHRIST LIKE***.
Do you see? Do you see? Do you see what I’m saying? Or what im trying to say? Do you see the equation? Do you understand the formula? Because, if you don’t, I WILL MAKE YOU SEE. Call me! Take me out to lunch! I want to make you see my revelation.
And no, I wasn’t sitting under a tree, no, I wasn’t hiding out in a cave keeping the bats company and god, NO, I wasn’t fasting for 40 days and 40 nights for crying out loud (dudesss, I couldn’t possibly survive that long without bak eu poh) when I came up with this.
*** for the longest time I thought that to be Christ like was to be all holy and oh-so-good. I guess I was wrong. JJ
Living abundantly,
PS
Ps: (with no pun intended) please comment. I want to know whether you got what I meant.
VERSE 1. Christ came so that you can live life and live life abundant
VERSE 2. Phil 1:21 To live is to live like Christ
VERSE 3. Eph 6:2-3 “Honor your father and mother”-which is the first commandment with a promise-“that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth”
(Repeated in Ex 20:12, Dt 5:16, Mt 15:4)
Lee Nian Ning passed away. Never knew her. But she was a great person, everyone said so. Could’ve easily been me or you, her. Life is so fragile. Lets eat, drink and be merry and bungee jump and sky dive and power boat and snake hunt and the 10398273498713 must dos before we die.
Dudes, we’d probably shorten our lives instead and end up paupers. Not a way to live a fulfilled life eh? So how? Stop complaining.
P never liked C and showed it. Realized he was being an ass so apologized and was happy after that. C never really noticed or bothered actually but was happy after that.
By apologizing, P has impacted C’s life, has made his life and C’s more abundant. He has become more Christ-like. Because to live is to live like Christ and Christ lived and wanted us to live abundantly.
Pissed of with D for quite a while, told mum about it. Mums words of wisdom made so much sense and negative feelings that have accumulated are gone.
I have honored my mum- I will live long long.
Equation/ Formula/Revelation:
The thought that life could be taken away any moment is just shit. If I died like tomorrow, I’d want to leave a good vibe/atmosphere/feeling thing behind. Because, lets face it, not everyone can go to the people they love in dreams and tell them they are sorry for something they did and that they love them.
So I will leave that good vibe/atmosphere/feeling thing behind. I will stop complaining. I will be slow to anger. I will say sorry and by doing so impact lives making it more abundant-creating a chain reaction. I will listen to my parents.
And that way I will LIVE. And live LONG. Long not in years, but in ABUNDANCE and quality.
I have become CHRIST LIKE***.
Do you see? Do you see? Do you see what I’m saying? Or what im trying to say? Do you see the equation? Do you understand the formula? Because, if you don’t, I WILL MAKE YOU SEE. Call me! Take me out to lunch! I want to make you see my revelation.
And no, I wasn’t sitting under a tree, no, I wasn’t hiding out in a cave keeping the bats company and god, NO, I wasn’t fasting for 40 days and 40 nights for crying out loud (dudesss, I couldn’t possibly survive that long without bak eu poh) when I came up with this.
*** for the longest time I thought that to be Christ like was to be all holy and oh-so-good. I guess I was wrong. JJ
Living abundantly,
PS
Ps: (with no pun intended) please comment. I want to know whether you got what I meant.
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