hmm. today's (or rather yesterday's) sermon in church was a really good and powerful one, that really spoke to me. i wish i could share it with everyone... maybe i'll type out some things Pastor Chng spoke about here.
its like, suddenly, the Bible is now so much more fascinating to read... =) and reading it isnt such a struggle anymore. though it still requires discipline to do quiet time. hee.
me want to go on a mission trip! me also want to serve in worship ministry! =)
hmmm. realise i didnt exactly seek God's will in whether i should take another term off uni... realise i dont seek God's will in many (ok more like almost all) aspects of my life... oops... this has got to change...
*disclaimer: the following is about my faith as a christian.. if u feel u might be offended by the thoughts and views i have expressed, or if you feel they'll make you feel uncomfortable, please do not read. HOWEVER, if u choose to read, i humbly ask that u take time to read through everything i have written carefully and ponder about them, bearing in mind that i may have flawed views and also that i'm more than happy to answer any questions... =)
you see, this is part of what being a true christian is all about to me... its about making Jesus the Lord and Saviour of my life, letting him rule over every single aspect and not just letting him reign in my life without wanting to surrender everything to Him. i know it might sound quite weird, like why on earth must we submit ourselves to this fellow Jesus whom the christians worship as the creator of heaven and earth...?
but think about it, if He really is our creator (and i'd say He is... hee ('',) ) it only makes sense that since God knows whats best for us and will want the best for us, we should seek His will in ALL matters. He is, after all, our loving Father, who is all knowing, all present and all powerful. whats so great about him is also that He doesnt force us to choose Him.. He gives us the choice of whether we want to accept Him into our lives. He chose to give us free will, cos He didnt want us to be mere robots...
yups. so as i was saying, to me, i just sort of realised what it means to be a christian. christianity is not just a religion. its a lifestyle in a sense. its about that personal relationship that you establish with the god who created you and who loves you deeply.
i reckon that it can seem pretty fantastic, all this heavy stuff about god and all... in a way, why think so much? who cares whether there really is a God or not, or which religion's God is the true God etc etc. but this matters. it matters A LOT. this life is temporary.. it is merely a short journey before the true journey.. or what we know as the after life... there IS an after life... thats why we need to be concerned about whether there is any truth in christianity. because if there is and we choose to ignore it... lets just say that the consequences are too severe to imagine.
in short, christians believe that only those who accept Jesus into their lives as their personal God and Saviour will get to go to heaven, and enjoy eternal life with God in paradise... so u can infer the opposite as to what happens if one chooses not to follow Jesus...
(please bear in mind that all these is my own train of thought.. correct me if i'm wrong and i really hope no one is offended by my views! =) )
hence, it is of the utmost importance to take time out to examine christianity and its claims... because it concerns our eternal life... our earthly death, when it happens, is not the end of us... far from it. (considering how i was suicidal a while ago, these thoughts of mine should all the more be seriously considered i hope... hee. )
okay, here comes an important part. why on earth do we have to accept Jesus Christ??
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23"
God, you must understand, is perfect. He is sinless. He is without blame. He is, may i repeat myself, simply perfect.... we, however, are imperfect. we are sinners. because God is perfect, though he loves us, His creation, so dearly, He cannot accept us sinners because of our sins... (i'm sure no one can deny that they're sinners, and have committed and will continue to commit sins yah... hee :P ) because He is a righteous and just God, our sins means that we have to be punished, and cannot enjoy eternal life with Him together in heaven... instead, we will be cut off from Him and left in hell... yes...
"But God demonstrates is own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8"
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into tje world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands conden=mned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. John 3:16-18" (haha i believe a part of this passage may be farmiliar so some :D )
but as i said. God loves each and every one of us, no matter how sinful we may be, or how dreadful the sins we have committed. really. He understands... hence, He couldnt bear to see us being sent to hell, and so many many many years ago, He came down to earth as a man, Jesus. (also known as the son of God =) ) in that sense, He was man yet God. and so He was also perfect... the only perfect human... and human he was. He faced temptations and trials just like we do... but He never succumbed to them. God sent Jesus t0 die for us sinners... to bear all our sins... so that by Jesus' blood, we are cleansed so long as we accept Him into our lives and acknowledge him...
now why on earth did God have to send His son to die for mankind??
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23"
Jesus had to die (and die a horrible and painful death He did on the cross...) to pay the penalty for our sins, the penalty of death. His blood was shed so that we may be cleansed of our sins and so be reconciled to God our loving Father in heaven. (now this not mean that we're now perfect and are no longer sinners k!we are still sinners, we still sin, but the difference is that we are now sinners saved by grace. God's grace. -smiles-)
therefore, so long as we confess our sins and repent sincerely of them, asking God's forgiveness, we can look forward to eternal life with Him in heaven! =) isnt this exciting? =) *squeals* *shouts* *jumps around* *dances before my Lord*
now, dont think that just cos Jesus is, in a sense, God, dying a painful death on the cross was thus easy. No it wasnt. He was every bit as human as each one of us... think of the pain he endured, and most importantly, the spiritual seperation from God as he hung there on the cross, because He was carrying the past, present and future sins of the world for us, and so God had to forsake Him, because God is without sin and cannot accept sin. the death of Jesus on the cross 2 thousand plus years ago hence enables us to enjoy fellowship with our God once more... instead of being spirituall cut off from Him because of our sins.
another important fact to bear in mind is that Jesus triumphed over death and sin by rising from the dead on the third day after His death! (of cos lah, He is God after all leh!!! naturally he will triumph over the evil forces!!! :D ) His resurrection means that He has broken the power of sin and death over us in life, and that we need no longer be slaves to sin... =)
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1"
okee i think i've said enough for one blog entry... you know, i'm really glad that i can pen all this down with conviction. =) be happy for me alright, my dear friends? whether or not you are a fellow sister or brother in Christ.
one last verse from the precious Word of God (aka the Bible :D ) to end this off for now...
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28"
its like, suddenly, the Bible is now so much more fascinating to read... =) and reading it isnt such a struggle anymore. though it still requires discipline to do quiet time. hee.
me want to go on a mission trip! me also want to serve in worship ministry! =)
hmmm. realise i didnt exactly seek God's will in whether i should take another term off uni... realise i dont seek God's will in many (ok more like almost all) aspects of my life... oops... this has got to change...
*disclaimer: the following is about my faith as a christian.. if u feel u might be offended by the thoughts and views i have expressed, or if you feel they'll make you feel uncomfortable, please do not read. HOWEVER, if u choose to read, i humbly ask that u take time to read through everything i have written carefully and ponder about them, bearing in mind that i may have flawed views and also that i'm more than happy to answer any questions... =)
you see, this is part of what being a true christian is all about to me... its about making Jesus the Lord and Saviour of my life, letting him rule over every single aspect and not just letting him reign in my life without wanting to surrender everything to Him. i know it might sound quite weird, like why on earth must we submit ourselves to this fellow Jesus whom the christians worship as the creator of heaven and earth...?
but think about it, if He really is our creator (and i'd say He is... hee ('',) ) it only makes sense that since God knows whats best for us and will want the best for us, we should seek His will in ALL matters. He is, after all, our loving Father, who is all knowing, all present and all powerful. whats so great about him is also that He doesnt force us to choose Him.. He gives us the choice of whether we want to accept Him into our lives. He chose to give us free will, cos He didnt want us to be mere robots...
yups. so as i was saying, to me, i just sort of realised what it means to be a christian. christianity is not just a religion. its a lifestyle in a sense. its about that personal relationship that you establish with the god who created you and who loves you deeply.
i reckon that it can seem pretty fantastic, all this heavy stuff about god and all... in a way, why think so much? who cares whether there really is a God or not, or which religion's God is the true God etc etc. but this matters. it matters A LOT. this life is temporary.. it is merely a short journey before the true journey.. or what we know as the after life... there IS an after life... thats why we need to be concerned about whether there is any truth in christianity. because if there is and we choose to ignore it... lets just say that the consequences are too severe to imagine.
in short, christians believe that only those who accept Jesus into their lives as their personal God and Saviour will get to go to heaven, and enjoy eternal life with God in paradise... so u can infer the opposite as to what happens if one chooses not to follow Jesus...
(please bear in mind that all these is my own train of thought.. correct me if i'm wrong and i really hope no one is offended by my views! =) )
hence, it is of the utmost importance to take time out to examine christianity and its claims... because it concerns our eternal life... our earthly death, when it happens, is not the end of us... far from it. (considering how i was suicidal a while ago, these thoughts of mine should all the more be seriously considered i hope... hee. )
okay, here comes an important part. why on earth do we have to accept Jesus Christ??
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23"
God, you must understand, is perfect. He is sinless. He is without blame. He is, may i repeat myself, simply perfect.... we, however, are imperfect. we are sinners. because God is perfect, though he loves us, His creation, so dearly, He cannot accept us sinners because of our sins... (i'm sure no one can deny that they're sinners, and have committed and will continue to commit sins yah... hee :P ) because He is a righteous and just God, our sins means that we have to be punished, and cannot enjoy eternal life with Him together in heaven... instead, we will be cut off from Him and left in hell... yes...
"But God demonstrates is own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8"
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into tje world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands conden=mned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. John 3:16-18" (haha i believe a part of this passage may be farmiliar so some :D )
but as i said. God loves each and every one of us, no matter how sinful we may be, or how dreadful the sins we have committed. really. He understands... hence, He couldnt bear to see us being sent to hell, and so many many many years ago, He came down to earth as a man, Jesus. (also known as the son of God =) ) in that sense, He was man yet God. and so He was also perfect... the only perfect human... and human he was. He faced temptations and trials just like we do... but He never succumbed to them. God sent Jesus t0 die for us sinners... to bear all our sins... so that by Jesus' blood, we are cleansed so long as we accept Him into our lives and acknowledge him...
now why on earth did God have to send His son to die for mankind??
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23"
Jesus had to die (and die a horrible and painful death He did on the cross...) to pay the penalty for our sins, the penalty of death. His blood was shed so that we may be cleansed of our sins and so be reconciled to God our loving Father in heaven. (now this not mean that we're now perfect and are no longer sinners k!we are still sinners, we still sin, but the difference is that we are now sinners saved by grace. God's grace. -smiles-)
therefore, so long as we confess our sins and repent sincerely of them, asking God's forgiveness, we can look forward to eternal life with Him in heaven! =) isnt this exciting? =) *squeals* *shouts* *jumps around* *dances before my Lord*
now, dont think that just cos Jesus is, in a sense, God, dying a painful death on the cross was thus easy. No it wasnt. He was every bit as human as each one of us... think of the pain he endured, and most importantly, the spiritual seperation from God as he hung there on the cross, because He was carrying the past, present and future sins of the world for us, and so God had to forsake Him, because God is without sin and cannot accept sin. the death of Jesus on the cross 2 thousand plus years ago hence enables us to enjoy fellowship with our God once more... instead of being spirituall cut off from Him because of our sins.
another important fact to bear in mind is that Jesus triumphed over death and sin by rising from the dead on the third day after His death! (of cos lah, He is God after all leh!!! naturally he will triumph over the evil forces!!! :D ) His resurrection means that He has broken the power of sin and death over us in life, and that we need no longer be slaves to sin... =)
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1"
okee i think i've said enough for one blog entry... you know, i'm really glad that i can pen all this down with conviction. =) be happy for me alright, my dear friends? whether or not you are a fellow sister or brother in Christ.
one last verse from the precious Word of God (aka the Bible :D ) to end this off for now...
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28"
2 Comments:
yep, i AM happy that yu finally believe in all this that yu're saying :)
smthg to point out though, perhaps i'll do it in private :)
and.. yu really should get back to sleeping normally girl. Tsk. Don't damage your body like that huh, fun as it may be. once in a while's forgivable, nightly! frequently! is not. :) take care yu :)
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