Eternity in Perspective

Posted on December 29, 2014 by clay

Lately i’ve been thinking and reflecting about life.

This year going to an end. I’ve a colleague suffered a serious cancer. Family members of my cell group had serious health issues. And i do know that my life here on earth is also temporary. I inherited from my parents some health issue, and i should take care my health.

After all said and done, what do i leave behind? I spent so much time working, looking for money to feed the family..sometimes at the expense of health…and later when health issue comes…it will be the family that suffer. Again, what’s life?

I learnt that life is precious and fragile at the same time. As we spent so much time of our life (which will never come back, as the year will go and not coming back)…make sure the things that last built and done properly. So many things which take so much time, are really the non-essential. Yet we’re suck up and spent so much time in them.

While, things that are eternal, we hardly spend our times in them. May the Lord gives us heart of wisdom. Let’s redeem the time…so our times spent for things that are eternal.

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Blessed Christmas 2014

Posted on December 28, 2014 by clay

This year, i thank God for His love and blessing in providing me with a good group. Tonight just came for the group thanksgiving dinner, when we shared about our thanksgiving items, and our leader shared on Forgiveness.

I was so blessed, when God reminded me to forgive someone (I thought i didn’t have any unforgiveness within). When actually i did kept a record of wrongs. It’s a separate matter when the person didn’t repent and asked for forgiveness. Because Jesus didn’t wait for the people to repent when he prayed to God to forgive, similarly Steven the Martyr, and God the Father himself was the One who gave His Son, when the world was his enemies.

At the heart of God, is love. And one characteristic of love, is forgiveness.

It’s easy to forgive a small thing. Another to forgive when the stake is high. But God has shown in giving up His Son, that he chose to forgive.

So i receive one the most remarkable gift from God this Christmas, the choice to forgive others, and set them free…if not, setting myself free. I wonder now, what should i do next.

But God who has shown me, will show me what i need to do, for He answers me whenever I cry to Him.

Thank You Lord for having mercy on me!

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Prejudice in small

Posted on December 27, 2014 by clay

At 11.40pm, I saw a father holds his 3-4 years old son walking to bus stop. The son didn’t look sleepy, in fact, quite fresh as if he’s expecting an adventure. The father wasn’t in any distress for the fact that so late at night and his son didn’t show any sign of going to bed soon.

I wander what’s going on here. Could this be a case of night bird, where this boy sleep during daytime and awake at night time? Or could this father has different thought to train the boy play at night and sleep during daytime? I couldn’t help but wanted to take picture and share it. Only i showed restraint.

Only later, i found, when the bus came, was the mother of the boy came. The boy was overjoyed to see her mother.

I realized i’ve been prejudiced against this family. It was the case that tonight, the mother has something and the boy wanted to wait for his mum. Poor me, I realize how i could be so prejudiced against my neighbor. Forgive me Lord.

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Thank God for His Word

Posted on November 25, 2014 by clay

This morning, I went for an appointment to see a doctor. When they were doing the registration, I saw on the desk, government help for citizens. So I took the brochure, to see if I am eligible for the subsidy.

I found out, that they define the lower – middle income person by calculating the total household income, divided by the number of family members staying together.

So, although at first glance, I won’t qualify for the subsidy because my monthly income is higher than the one stated. But after dividing that with number of our family members, suddenly, I become the middle income person…qualify for the subsidy.

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Posted in Blessedness, Family, Psalm, Relief, Thankful, Truth vs Lies | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Forget Not His Goodness

Posted on November 18, 2014 by clay

Bless the Lord, O my soul, forget not all his benefits, ~ Psalm 103:2

Indeed, the Lord has been very good to us. Last nite and even this morning, my heart is full of gratitude:

  1. For giving me a wonderful wife who tireless look after the home and our girl. I know she works hard to cook and look after the little one.
  2. For giving me a wonderful daughter. When she’s asleep, i see her a beautiful little girl, strong-willed, helpful, sweet girl, always smiling and make hearty laughter
  3. My smartphone came back to live after i thought it was gone. Thinking need to pay about $200 for a new phone.
  4. My wife’s tablet came back to live after i went 2 shops told me need to pay $40-60 to get it repaired.
  5. For allowing me to watch the ending of my fave animes: Initial D & Naruto
  6. For sparing me at my work, despite the many deadlines, people are understanding and I got time to do a good job
  7. For healing my wife and my girl. Last nite they’re much better already. Last week my girl had fever and vomiting.

Sometimes, it is easy to love when the going is easy. It is very hard to love when the going is tough. But when everything seems going to my way and i seems getting what i want almost easily, i just want to give thanks to God and give Him the credits. He is the one who gives us good things (James 1:17, 1 Tim 6:17) . Bless the Lord!

Posted in Blessedness, Calm, Daily Life, God's Love, Life, Protection, Providence, Psalm, Richess, Thankful | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Holiday to Remember

Posted on November 15, 2014 by clay

This holiday is special in many ways!

  1. Our first family holiday, as well as my birthday treat, and lastly a kind of babymoon for my wife.
  2. It was almost cancelled because our girl fell sick on the day we were supposed to go. We cancelled the hotel and the driver. Thank God we didn’t have to pay. On the 2nd day, I asked my wife, she said everything is fine (all except me that lack of sleep), so we made booking of hotel and driver…and we go.
  3. My wife had a fall. I prayed a lot that it won’t harm the baby inside. She was afraid she injured her feet. May the Lord heals and protects.
  4. I got a glimpse of God’s love and faithfulness. In a way, this trip has stretched my faith and I could live more by faith than before the trip. It is not perfect in many ways, the hotel is not perfect, and our health is not perfect, it was not very well planned…but God has made it possible against all odds.
  5. I got my phone lost (it was unused throughout 2nd day), and found back today. With that I got our old photos, when both my wife and I are much younger. How good God is, I have married such wonderful lady.
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Turns 35!

Posted on November 11, 2014 by clay

Seventy years are given us! And some may even live to eighty. But even the best of these years are often empty and filled with pain; soon they disappear, and we are gone.  ~ Psalm 90:10

So i have reached the halfway there 🙂

And the following things came to my mind:

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Posted in 1 Corinthians, Blessedness, Encouraged, Ephesians, Fatherhood, God's Love, Joyful, Prayer, Psalm, Thankful | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Disturbing News

Posted on October 12, 2014 by clay

I shall not mention of any names 🙂

Recently i found out that someone has been publishing news to media (nothing wrong with that), only from a single perspective, which i find it disturbing. I happened to know the whole story, and hence i find it disturbing when the news was released to the media. Because with the presentation, it gives a wrong impression to people who see & read.

There has been numerous occasion whenever i take public transport, that 90% of the advertisement being displayed only portray one aspect of the news. “Focus on the good things”, that’s what any salesman were trained to do. DOES it mean we’re telling a lie if we do not disclose about something bad? (I would think so, for any agreement we’re not suppose to withhold any information that would be useful to justify the matters).

I had been collecting photos of slogans and advertisements for illustration of the point. Too often, people lead other people to certain direction through incomplete truth. Just one side of the story, will lead to a different conclusion. We are all master in this.

Things presented differently, would lead to a different outcome. People will think differently because of the same thing being told in different way. Sadly, i felt, that this person chose to do this way to post a positive things, while behind the scene, it was a sad things.

We are all masters in this. I shall learn to speak the truth therefore, and humbly seek the Spirit to enable me, for i know I cannot do it on my own.

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Walking with God

Posted on October 12, 2014 by clay

“Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” ~ Amos 3:3

Tonight devotion is from Oswald Chamber’s about walking with God. He takes Gen 5:24,”Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”

The idea of walking with God is not new. Interestingly, it was mentioned only of one man, named Enoch, that he walked with God. Isn’t it amazing? There must be something very special about that walk. So special that the end of it, God took Enoch away…:)

When i meditate on Amos’ words, it’s kind like an invitation by God. He wants us to walk with him. He wants it. And if we agreed with him, we shall walk with him, just like Enoch.

Other parts of the Scripture will tell us more about the agreement which God requires for the walk with Him. Below just some of the short things i find:

  • Deuteronomy 10:12 – obedience to God
  • Psalm 84 – blamelessness
  • Micah 6:8 – humility
  • 1 John 1 – in the light
  • 2 John 1 – in the truth
  • 2 Corinthians – by the Spirit

 

Posted in 1 John, 2 Corinthians, Amos, Deuteronomy, Genesis, Micah, Psalm | Tagged | Leave a comment

Seeing Things

Posted on October 3, 2014 by clay

Lately my eyes have been playing tricks on me. Sometimes i feel that i’m moving down, or moving forward….while actually is the lift that moving up, or the bus that moving forward. It is not something new. It’s being used in 3D / 4D cinematography, to make people feel as if they’re moving, while actually they’re still sitting down.

What’s happening? It’s because the focus points of our eyes. Either the object we’re focusing is moving…or we’re focusing on somethings that cause the eyes send certain signal to the brain that being interpreted as if we’re moving.

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