A challenge?

God has this way of challenging me to deeper growth just as I thought I got a certain spiritual practice figured out. 

A friend shared this on his FB status:

Do we truly find comfort in God through the worship songs we sing?

Or do we find comfort in the songs themselves?

A test will be to do without the songs the next few times we seek comfort in God.

There is such a thin line between these two questions. is it absolutely necessary to know whether I find comfort in God through the worship songs I sing or whether I find comfort in the songs themselves? Doesn't the Holy Spirit move through inspired songwriting and tunes?

Got to spend some time figuring this out in the next week. Time to ZZZZ.

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Amplify 1.3 - the healing circle

healed people heal people. Ideally. Mostly, healed people move on to live their own lives, but who are we to say that they are not healing others outside the circle. And who is to say that they should remain in the circle where they got healed in, right?

I am thankful for the immediate spiritual circle I am placed in at this moment in time. Sometimes I feel a slight tinge of guilt whenever someone mentioned about the number of cell groups that I had been in before. :) There are different stages of growth in the different seasons I have been in different cell groups. But I am really thankful for this current cell group because nearly all my life, I have been searching for at least one person who has the same heart about people and same commitment to their spiritual growth, about the many things of God, and I finally found someone who speaks in the same language and who's able to mentor me in this next stage of my growth. When the question is asked about where I see myself 5 years later, my response is this: I wish to be able to pour my life into others' lives like how she's pouring her life into mine now.
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Amplify 1.2 - First aid rooms vs Fitness rooms

During Amplify, an example was given on how the church is often seen as a first aid room where people come in to seek help and medication and leave when they get their treatment. Instead of seeing the church as a first aid room, the preacher proposed that the church should be a fitness room, where believers come to train to be disciples of Christ.

I like to add something to that thought. The gym instructors in the fitness room should train the gym users to be gym instructors themselves. In this way, more people can be trained to be gym instructors, not merely practising the fitness routines that are taught to lead a fit and healthy lifestyle, but also having sufficient content knowledge and skills to empower other regular gym users. That's discipleship in action.
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Amplify 1.1 -Connect Group 4

Giving thanks to God for the privilege to serve as a connect group leader. Thankful for the group for sharing openly. Thankful for hungry hearts ready to receive from God. Thankful for people who are willing to be prayed for and who prayed for one another. Thankful for a good time of bonding with the overseas guests. Thankful for the friendships forged. And especially thankful for prayers answered.
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Day 3.4 - love thy neighbour as thyself

I don't believe that Jesus has called us to convert the whole world into Christians, where everyone receives Jesus into their life and accepts him as Lord and Saviour, grows in faith and knowledge and continues that process of evangelism and if someone we share with rejects the faith, we continue to share and pray for their salvation. This used to be my mindset, and though I don't do this actively nowadays, I still believe in this concept (mostly).

I think we have got it all wrong. Well, I got it all wrong. This revelation came on the flight home as I was reading about how our joy can be made complete in Christ. When Jesus came, his second most important commandment was for us is to love others as we love ourselves. I used to think "loving" them means to share the good news with them so they can taste God's goodness for themselves. And I used to think "others" meant firstly people I love and know; family members, good friends, friends, acquaintances, then the following group- the homeless, the refugees, the illiterate, the hungry, the elderly, the handicapped, the chronically ill, the prisoners and the countless people suffering under emotional stress. 

It is no wonder that our family members and friends are the least easy to share with regarding God's love. They do not see the need to rely on God because of the false security they get from their possessions. You know why people who are ill and on the death bed easiest to reach out to? They know they need a power greater than themselves to live beyond their condition. And it is precisely the above group of people that we should be seeking out to show love to. Because of their life circumstances, many have lost hope in life. They question their purpose of existence. Only the knowledge of the love of God for them can help them experience the reconciliation, healing, peace and goodness of God for themselves. A new purpose and direction for this next season of life? Perhaps.  

 "What have you done for the least of mine?" 

Matt 25: 35-45

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Day 3.3: Relationships

I think about relationships a lot. Not just romantic relationships, but relationships between people. I am always interested in learning more about what makes people tick, and what not. I enjoy learning about how people work.

I also always strive to be a great partner to the one I love. Sometimes I fail, and over the years, I grow to know my area of weakness. One is the inability to be emphatise fully when people close to me share about their frustrations and heartaches with me, to the point that they think I don't really care about what they are going through or that I couldn't help to make them feel better in any other way other than just listening. But sometimes, listening is not enough. I learnt that asking questions is very important. Being concerned and involved in the listening process is important. Sharing that I understand what they are feeling is very important. Giving them 100% of my attention UNTIL they finish sharing and show that they are ready to move to another topic is very important. I pray and ask for a supernatural power in helping those close to me feel understood. With friends and acquaintances, that may not be so evident because they don't expect a lot from me any way. A listening ear is sometimes more than enough for this group of people.

I read a few good articles about romantic relationships today and realise that reading positive articles like that help me to be thankful for that special person in my life. These articles also serve as a good reminder to me on what's important in a relationship. These are a few articles I like:

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/15-signs-youre-the-right-relationship.html

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/12-signs-that-youre-highly-cherished-relationship.html

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/tell-your-partner-these-10-things-for-relationship-built-last.html

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/10-ways-prevent-cheating-relationship.html

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/5-foundations-every-successful-relationship-needs.html

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/20-things-look-for-the-person-youll-fall-love-with.html

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Day 3.2 God hears the pleas of His people

As I am reading the book of Genesis, I am reminded that God is open to hearing the pleas of His people despite already having a planned course of action. It's possible to alter a course if we plead for things that agree with God's character.

In last week's service, Pastor Prince has exhorted the congregation to uphold our life with integrity so that it is evident that we are set apart and hence God be glorified. Jesus, I am willing to give up what doesn't honour your name. I surrender every aspect of my life to you right now and pray that I will say and do the things that will glorify your name.
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Day 3.1: is the one thing that I need, Your presence

" One thing I ask of the Lord, 
   this is what I seek;
   that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
   all the days of my life, 
   to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
   and to seek him in the temple."

Psalm 27:4

The One Thing - Angela Gan, NCC

Lord I'm here to sit at Your feet
to behold Your beauty
Speak Your word
Your voice I will heed
Let Your presence wash over me

It's the one thing that I need
Your presence is all I will ever seek
Overwhelm me with Your love
Till all I see is You
All I see is You
I want to see You more and more
Open my eyes

Jesus, all my fears they fade away
When I see You
When I see You
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Day 2.4: Pain and Suffering

"Joyful persons see with open eyes the hard reality of human existence and at the same time are not imprisoned by it. I believe that I know and share the many sorrows and sad circumstances that a human being can experience, but I do not cling to them. I do not prolong such moments of agony. They pass through me, like life itself, as a broad eternal stream, they become part of that stream, and life continues. And as a result, all my strength is preserved, does not become tagged on to futile sorrow or rebelliousness" - Etty Hillesum

If I don't understand Pastor Prince wrongly, I believe that he feels that pain, sickness and suffering are not in God's plans and that we can pray them away. He is a very powerful and anointed speaker, but this is one of the areas I don't quite agree with him.

Pain and suffering doesn't need to be bad. Life may be extremely hard, but light will always shine in the darkness and death will always bear fruit. There is no rainbow without the rain, right? Pain and suffering brings us to our knees where we connect with Jesus intimately, when we go through the pain and suffering that he went through when he had no reason to. Pain and suffering helps us lose that sense of entitlement, that sense of privilege that even if we are secure in our identity in Christ as the child of the most high, that we live in humility so that in all things, God can be glorified. 

Pain and suffering can lead to gratitude and gratitude and contentment is great gain. There is never a day that cannot be lifted up in gratitude to the giver of life. Pain and suffering is the reason why true joy can be experienced. 

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Day 2.3: Jesus the Supralegalist

"Jesus was a supralegalist, one who bursts through the socially provided curtain, at least on some points, to fresh perceptions and judgements."
-Erwin R.G

I have never heard of the word supralegalist but it hits the nail on the head when we speak about our radical Jesus. It is not that Jesus did not know the law well enough that he did not follow exactly what it says. It was precisely because of how well he knew the heart of the law, that he did what he did to teach us not to be legalistic.

This is another reminder to me to know the word of God well. It is in knowing the word of God in depth that we will not be set into legalism in fear of stepping outside the boundaries set by the law.

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Day 2.2: a thousand days cannot be compared to one day in your courts

Spent a wonderful morning free from distractions, just worshipping, reading and spending time with myself, and with God. 

Hunger headache strikes. Must get some food now.

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Day 2.1: You called me yours- forever

" So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation - if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 

1 Peter 2:1-5

Last week during the church retreat, I made a commitment to start reading the bible once again from cover to cover. For about a year now, I have stopped reading the bible regularly and have realised the consequence of that - an inadequacy in knowing God, not knowing God in His fullness.

I remembered reading something a few weeks ago; that experiencing God directly is likened to going for a holiday to a certain destination and experiencing the joy of being there, yet because of our limitations, we will never truly know what's out there unless we read travel guides written by different ones who have gone to different places. Similarly, the bible is so rich with the nature and character of God, and filled with so many people's experiences with the living God, the infinite God, that starting to read the bible from cover to cover is a good start to know God.

It's not mere coincidence I guess, that this sentence stood out from the chosen passage. I believe this season of life is getting back to the basics; to know God through His word, so that I can be one of the living stones being built up for the spiritual house of God.
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Day 1.2: Cornerstone

Themes rarely come up during my personal retreats. But "Cornerstone" seems like the word to focus on for this season.

As I began to read up more, I realised that the theme is not just about Christ being the chief cornerstone chosen by God to be the foundation of His temple. It is how every single one of us, individually, coming as living stones to build the church.

And this seems to be the anchor passage:

" So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation - if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 

1 Peter 2:1-5

More tomorrow. It's 1 a.m. Zzzzzz monster struck.

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Day 1.1: that breath of spirit

I am so thankful that God is in my life. I am so thankful for the power of prayers. I am so thankful to God for creating angels and bringing angels into my life in different ways to remind me of what's truly important. In a way, even as I fail, I do not fall so bad because there is cushioning at every level of the fall.

I am praying that these 2 nights away on this retreat will help me realise even more how beautiful my Saviour is. I am also praying for new directions, a new mind and a new heart. Praying for God to speak clearly into my life. 

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