Lord it was You,
You created the heavens.
And Lord, it was Your hands
That put the stars in their place.
Lord, it was Your voice
That commands the morning.
'Cause even oceans and their waves bow at your feet, O Lord.
Lord, who am I
Compared to Your glory?
Lord, who am I
Compared to Your majesty?
'Cause I'm your beloved,
Your creation,
And You love me as I am.
You've called me, chosen
For Your kingdom.
Unashamed to call me your own-
I'm your beloved.
I just love the lyrics to this song. Who are we that the Lord of heaven and earth would call us His own?
The atrocities that we have done; the warrant upon our heads; the evil that resided in us; the deliberate rebellion of our pride; the disobedience and stubbornness to truth - all of this put Him on the cross. My crimes became his punishment. My destination was His mission. My darkness called for His light.
All this, and still He abandoned all to embrace shame and pain to make me His own. That mission glorified Him and placed Him above all only to see these come to past - my life immortalized and that I am given a name, "Redeemed".
This is not merely an Easter message but a daily message. "That while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Isaiah 53:5 - "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."
It's not about whether we do good deeds or whether we reach perfection in an imperfect state. It's not about whether we lived our whole life being kind to others. It's not about whether we have accomplished the dreams or acquired the wealths of life. It's not about whether we are religious. That was never the point.
We will never reach a plateau of happiness and completion by our own. We are only but clay. Easily broken and simply made from dust and earth. How could we ever think we could have the universe at the palm of our hands? Everyday we try to be a saviour to someone in contrary to the very fact that our souls cry out for a Saviour everyday. We say we do not need a God but the very depths of our hearts yearn for someone who understands our hurts and hope someone could heal the open wounds. Like the song says, "..who am I?..Cause I'm Your beloved."
The wonder and the mystery of agape is not for the mortal to grasp but to receive and be enveloped by it's power. It is for the mortal to respond and reciprocate though with human limitations, nevertheless with totality. This power is so great that it breaks the bond of death that was warranted upon our heads that we might never stare in the face of eternal damnation ever again but to step in to the presence of that power in eternity.
This love reached beyond the cross and the empty sepulchre. The cross was the end of the wrath and the beginning of the redemption. The empty tomb was the climax of the mission. Love conquered all.
Who can love such a person like you and I with such intensity?
There is only One...
Yet another week.
Yet another routine.
Yet another discipline.
Yet another preparation.
What does this all add up to?
There's gotta be more to this.
Hope comes to those who are seeking,
faith arises in those who are desperate.
Favor falls on those who are in need,
and life bursts out of those who are thankful.
I want more. I want to be more. I know there's more.
Thus begins the yearn for greatness...
It's raining, it's pouring,
Cats and dogs are falling,
My tummy's growling,
My head's spinning,
My nose is running.
Window sill, window schmill,
Pitter patter, smell a mixed grill platter,
Sound of thunder, makes me hunger,
Growl, howl, meow.
Jiggy iggy wiggy,
Gonna give someone a wedgie,
If nobody feeds me,
Hurry!
Sittin' here,
Dreamin' here,
Thinkin' here,
*Sniff* *Sniff* What's cookin' there?
Take me somewhere,
Bring me anywhere,
Don't leave me nowhere,
But where?
This joyride is taking me places,
To stars unknown,
To moons unseen,
Time to come down,
Time to face the earth.
Cerebral Joyride by Jordan Shane
March 18th 2008.
A while back, I read a book entitled A Tale of Three Kings. Simple literature. So simple that it took me 30 minutes to finish it from cover to cover. A total of 97 pages. Written by a man who is brilliant in morphing deep scriptural interpretations into an 'innkeeper's late night story'. I believe this is what life is all about. We can always find the simplicity in the complexity of life's lessons.
A Tale of Three Kings is a narration of the three Kings of Israel whose lives mirror ours in the present day context. Though they may have lived thousands of eons ago, their take on life very much reflects ours. Their names are Saul, David and Absalom. Kings of Israel one after the other. But only one became great in his time and sealed that legacy. Was it the songs he wrote that he was remembered for? Was it the adultery and murder he committed that smeared his reputation? Or was it the enduring journey he walked with pain and anguish? Brokenness.
He was remembered as the great King of the ancients whose throne will forever be established. His generation will always be on the throne. In fact, that deal is sealed. His descendant is King of Kings now. These days, people look for the charismatic, outwardly good looking, a head above the rest and hopefully, trustworthy leader. They want the man or woman who will lead them with the highest charisma and integrity. One who is able to deliver what could sometimes be inhumanly possible. They want to hear the promises of gold and glitter and the occasional free buffets luncheons.
But....
They drop you the moment news of misbehavior surfaces. They lose their respect. They lose faith. Disappointed by man. Then, at the drop of the hat, they begin their search for another. The leader is then left to fend on their own. Oh how the mighty have fallen!
There is no second chance because you cannot calculate it. It does not fit in the equation of power and glory. We have fail to realize that if a person has to refine the potential within them, the breaking of their character mold has to happen. Mistakes are springboards to the next level. The journey comes with the cuts and bruises and occasional stubbing of toes. Only the strong survive this journey. And they understand second chances.
Back to David. King David. He had it really bad. Can you run for your life twice in a lifetime and still make it back to the palace and reclaim the throne? Can you command a whole kingdom who knows about your sex and murder scandal? Can you still love your sons even after one of them tried to kill you, after he slept with your wife in broad daylight and another one raped your daughter? The evil and torment that happened in his life could have drove him mad. Despite all that, he never lost the throne. The secret? God. The breaking process in his life always brought him back to his beginnings. The shepherd boy who knew the heart of God. The shepherd boy who knew his source of strength, his source of hope. The shepherd boy who knew his Vindicator. Before the great king was the shepherd boy.
We still need people like king David today. People like him survive the onslaughts. People like him hang on to second chances knowing that they are only given out by divine authority. People like him understand brokenness is not a defeat. It is only the process of fulfilling a call.
Brokenness makes great kings.
2 Corinthians 4:7-9
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
We have been talking about angels and demons the past 9 days. Last night, we finally delved into the chapter of spiritual warfare and overcoming the devices of Satan. Man....
There is so much nonsense that has crept into the church and society that we have all been fooled into believing that it is alright to justify our spirituality with half-baked theology. Little did we know that these lies had become our very argument to reason our attitudes and actions. The voice of moderation has really echoed subtle suggestions of self sufficiency, independent of God. Is this also the post modern mindset? We want everything here and now. We demand instantaneous results. We want a God who is at our beck and call. Maybe this is why we have so many problems because of the lies we have been fed over and over again. In fact, we gobble up the lies with reasoning like gluttons. What have we become?
Now it finally makes sense why the younger generation do not know how to pray because their prayers have always been 'instant noodle' prayers. "Thank You Lord for this day. Please give me great results in whatever I do and please forgive me when (not if) I sin because I am not perfect. And please bless me...bless me..bless me. In Jesus' name, amen." Less than 2 minutes. Even instant noodles take longer to cook. What have we become?
No wonder we have so many problems. On one hand, it started with believing the lies of the enemy. But the other damages were ours because we have not read the Word of God enough and not understood it well. We have distorted the way we interpret the Word and have used our intellectual to convert our reasonings into doctrines.
A few days ago, someone talked to me about a friend of theirs. This individual loves God but does not go to church because it is between them and God. They say they do not need the hypocrites in the church therefore are satisfied and fulfilled with "spending time" with God at home from 12:00pm - 12:03pm. I scoffed. I seriously scoffed and commented that the church now has one hypocrite less to deal with. They also mentioned they loved God but show it with swearing and cursing and knows not a single song of praise. Not only that, there is the smoking and drinking and the frequent clubbing.
Now, if you are the kind that says it does not say anywhere in the Bible that speaks against smoking, drinking or clubbing, please do not react yet. Hear me out first. If you see a pastor smoking and drinking, you would have problems and question their stand with God. In fact, you would be so quick to judge the pastor. If you see a pastor dancing on the dance floor in a club beside you, your first thought would be to point the finger and say "See! Even a pastor can club!" Please do not give me the justification that the pastor is being relevant and will not stumble anyone. This is what I mean by the voice of moderation. We are so caught up in the shades of grey that we can't see black and white anymore. Back to the friend who is in a 'special' relationship with God. I felt sadden by the arrogance and blindness.
That's what Satan wants to do in every church and believer. He wants them to be so ineffective as Christians that we botch up gospel with our own pride and arrogance. We think we know it all as a believer whereas many theologians and senior ministers feel that they have only touched the surface in the things of God. And here we are, Christians who have attended one or two conferences and think we've got it. We are not winning the daily battles.
2 Corinthians 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
This is just my own two cents for today. A lot more from where it came from. One more night of class tonight. Watch this space for more thoughts.
Not bad...3 posts in 3 days. This is progress. Slow but steady :)
Has anyone ever felt that people just want parts of you that might benefit them? It's as though I have a sign on my forehead asking "You wanna piece of me?". Funny thing is, the answer is YES!! Is this what ministry is all about? Don't get me wrong. I am not accusing people of taking advantage of me or have taken me for granted. I am just wondering why is it when people are drawn towards me, I feel as though they want something from me. Now, after reading this, one might comment that I could be burning out if I am not careful. Well, I know what burn out is and I am definitely not heading there. *Praying*
People pleasers end up disappointing everyone. Therefore I shall not be one. So where's the line drawn? Here's where it gets complicated.
I do not want to stop being there for people. Loving them for who they are. But there are times where I have to learn to draw the line. Sometimes, I just want to be left alone. Sometimes I want to be around people. I admit I thrive in the company of others. Being around people just makes my adrenaline pumping. It's so weird. It's like I'm a social junkie. Or a verbal one. It brings out the chatterbox in me. But what really gets me going is when I engage in intellectual discussions with them.
Once again, its an extremity of emotions here. Two sides of the coin displaying my strength and weakness. My sun, my kryptonite.
Have been busy studying angels and demons the past week. Another 4 more days to go before the weekend.
Never knew how much the spiritual realm can influence this earthly realm. With all this information stored up, I have become much more aware of my lifestyle, attitudes, habits of good and bad. Never have I been exposed to so much knowledge of the spiritual realms. I know this makes me sound whacked but rest assured, I am still normal.
This whole course has gotten me to evaluate my life is all aspects. The way I view it, the life I'm living right now, my attitudes towards God and people, my mistakes made, things I still don't want to let go, etc. So much to look into it scares me. Of course there is that danger when one is too introspective. It can drive a person to depression if not careful. Take it from my experience.
On another note...
My friend was calling me Apostle Jon today, as he thought it was funny. I immediately told him to call me Jon the Sinner. Not too sure if he was shocked or not. Over here, many aspire to be great men and women of God. I on the other hand, aspire to just make it though this journey. I always feel I do not belong here. At the same time I also feel I do not belong in the secular, racing with other rats. People here speak a different 'language'. I am so used to being straight up with my words without adding all the 'holy' jargon. Sometimes I feel the coldness from the people here. Or could it be that I have become cold towards them?
They are nice here. They have really cared for me and want me to succeed as a student and a minister. But I feel as though the bar is set so high and that I must not fail. What makes me frustrated is that as much as I want to fit in, I just know I can't, and that struggle creates a barrier between me and those who want to help me.
In my previous post I mentioned that I care about what others think of me. THIS is what I meant when I wrote that. I care about their perception of me because they feel that I have what it takes to make it - that is currently one of the driving factors in my life here. I used to not care what they thought of me because I always assumed that they thought I was just spoiled and messing up my way here. But now that I know they really care, I have begun to care too.
Anyway, these are just thoughts for the day not twined together yet. Need more time to sift through the good and bad in my head. A lot has happened and a lot needs to be done.
I just wished I am more disciplined than I should be.
Peace out for now...
Whoa....
Has it been THAT long? Nov, 2006? :)
What's up with that? Lack of inspiration to write I guess.
I would like to write substantial material in this open space but lack the intelligence to do so. So what's the point of writing when readers think it's too shallow? Do I care what people think? Of course. Improvement takes place when one takes note of the criticism one gets. I think.....
I'm quite different now. I used to hate the world and hate everything in it. I used to feel that all that has happened is not entirely my fault. And I used to feel that the whole world is against me and that I am despised by many for whoever and whatever I am. I used to hate what people thought of me. I always felt that they were always putting me under a microscope.
Now, I take note on what they say. Why? I have no idea actually. Maybe that helped me become aware of the idiosyncrasies I solely possess. Maybe in my purpose to be different from the rest, I chose to care about everything else in my life directly or indirectly affecting me. Since people nowadays do not care what others think of them as long as they are truly who they are. Maybe in being different from the rest of the pack, I purposefully chose to care about what people say and for all I know, that's who I really am.
Yes, the world is vicious in it's critique, but it can go two ways too. It either builds you or brings you down. And since I've been down for a long time, the only way is up. :)
So there you have it. My first post of 2008, and hopefully not the LAST! I have begun a new change of perspective. Bring it on......
