March 6, 2011
In Christianity, there exists a “Theology of the weak”. In this theology, we recognise the necessity to be weak in order to be strong. The strong has no need of God but the weak does. God is near to the weak and faint-hearted but resists the proud and the strong.
Coming to God and admitting that our strengths may lead us to self-sufficiency and thus is our very weakness, God generously take us, forgive us and heal us. In broken repentance, we emerge from God’s Presence, strengthened in Him and not in our own power. This is a mystery and the Christian paradox.
Yes, the world applauds greatness and strength while God takes delight in the weak and the meek.
Christ illustrated this spiritual truth when He made Himself weak, emptied Himself at the cross and died as Sin for the sinners. He was a pathetic sight on the cross. He was weak.
But then in submitting to God, the Almighty lifted Him up – Christ rose again and is now seated at the Right hand of the Father. He became strong.
The cross is an apparatus of weakness and death but it is now a symbol of victory and life.
There is no brilliance in the Message of the cross – only sufferings, shames and pains. There is nothing to attract us to the cross – only nails and blood. Yet it is the tool through which our Savior uses to pardon, redeem and save us.
Looking back and looking forward, it is a mystery, paradox and brilliant and altogether wise.
I Cor 1:25
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Brokenness
Read Psalm 51
Psalm 51:17
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
The world values strength, wholeness and completeness but God values brokenness. This is just another reversed value of the kingdom.
What is brokenness? It is the sense of being vulnerable, helpless and of need. It goes together with a contrite heart. Contrite means being repentant, sorry and a sense of needing God.
Being broken requires humility and submission. It commands that the "I" (self) in us will bow to the "C" (Christ) in us.
Jesus says it is ‘not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (Matt 9:12).
Being broken is the recognition of us who need healing, that we are far from being whole. When we come to God with our condition, God takes us and gently heals us. The result is wholeness as God cures us from our waywardness, sin and pains.
Before a patient can be operated upon, she has to sign a consent form permitting the surgeon to perform the surgery. She has to submit herself to the doctor’s directives, making herself completely at the mercy of her surgeon’s wisdom. Part of her journey toward healing is to endure the pain before and after operation and trust the physician’s expertise to her recovery.
King David penned Psalm 51 after he committed adultery with Bathsheba. He came to God broken in spirit and contrite in heart and in God’s forgiveness, finds restoration and revival again.
Psalm 51:17
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
The world values strength, wholeness and completeness but God values brokenness. This is just another reversed value of the kingdom.
What is brokenness? It is the sense of being vulnerable, helpless and of need. It goes together with a contrite heart. Contrite means being repentant, sorry and a sense of needing God.
Being broken requires humility and submission. It commands that the "I" (self) in us will bow to the "C" (Christ) in us.
Jesus says it is ‘not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (Matt 9:12).
Being broken is the recognition of us who need healing, that we are far from being whole. When we come to God with our condition, God takes us and gently heals us. The result is wholeness as God cures us from our waywardness, sin and pains.
Before a patient can be operated upon, she has to sign a consent form permitting the surgeon to perform the surgery. She has to submit herself to the doctor’s directives, making herself completely at the mercy of her surgeon’s wisdom. Part of her journey toward healing is to endure the pain before and after operation and trust the physician’s expertise to her recovery.
King David penned Psalm 51 after he committed adultery with Bathsheba. He came to God broken in spirit and contrite in heart and in God’s forgiveness, finds restoration and revival again.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tests and Trials
March 2, 2011
Read I Peter 1:3-9
I Peter 1:7
These (trials) have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
I learned the following song when I was a youth and I still sing it when life gets difficult.
“God never moves without purpose or plan,
When trying His servant or moulding a man.
Give thanks to the Lord when your testing seems strong,
In darkness He gives us a song.
Chorus
O rejoice in the Lord – He makes no mistake
He knows the way of the path that I take,
For when I am tried and purified,
I shall come forth as gold.
I could not see through the shadows ahead,
So I look to the cross of my Saviour instead.
I bow to the will of my Master that day,
Peace came – and tears fade away.”
Just as gold can only be refined through fire, our motives and desires can only be purified through trials. Just as all the dross of gold must be burnt in the fiery furnace, all that hinders our capacity to become more like Christ must be destroyed through the testings of life.
Are you going through a difficult time right now? Turn your eyes to God and remember
1.There is hope. Jesus sets a new rule when He died and rose again. No situation is hopeless. No hopeless situation is final. (v 3)
2.It could be worse but God has protected you (v 5)
3.There will be an end to the testing/trial (v6)
4.This is a test of your faith from God (v 7)
5.The bottom-line of your test is ‘Do you love him even when He seems absent during this time?” (v8-9)
“A man is lost when honor, truth, and character are gone; but when faith has gone, he has suffered the greatest lost.” - Anon
Read I Peter 1:3-9
I Peter 1:7
These (trials) have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
I learned the following song when I was a youth and I still sing it when life gets difficult.
“God never moves without purpose or plan,
When trying His servant or moulding a man.
Give thanks to the Lord when your testing seems strong,
In darkness He gives us a song.
Chorus
O rejoice in the Lord – He makes no mistake
He knows the way of the path that I take,
For when I am tried and purified,
I shall come forth as gold.
I could not see through the shadows ahead,
So I look to the cross of my Saviour instead.
I bow to the will of my Master that day,
Peace came – and tears fade away.”
Just as gold can only be refined through fire, our motives and desires can only be purified through trials. Just as all the dross of gold must be burnt in the fiery furnace, all that hinders our capacity to become more like Christ must be destroyed through the testings of life.
Are you going through a difficult time right now? Turn your eyes to God and remember
1.There is hope. Jesus sets a new rule when He died and rose again. No situation is hopeless. No hopeless situation is final. (v 3)
2.It could be worse but God has protected you (v 5)
3.There will be an end to the testing/trial (v6)
4.This is a test of your faith from God (v 7)
5.The bottom-line of your test is ‘Do you love him even when He seems absent during this time?” (v8-9)
“A man is lost when honor, truth, and character are gone; but when faith has gone, he has suffered the greatest lost.” - Anon
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Resurrection Good News
Read Luke 24:36-50
Luke 24:38
He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?
They say, “Seeing is believing”. However many things remain unbelievable even when we have seen it. Such is the experience of the disciples when Jesus appeared to them in his resurrected body.
In his resurrected body, Jesus could appear and disappear in thin air in a moment. He could walk through doors and YET he could eat and drink. The physical matter remains and so do the new altered resurrected form. It is so out of this world and almost seems like a page from the “X Files”.
This account is important because it brings together the whole doctrine of Jesus’ redemption for the world. In Revelation, there is this vision of the New Heaven and New Earth coming together as one.
Far from our traditional reading where the new heaven is a space up in the air, of ‘life after death’, God’s vision is that in the final days, all of earth’s corruption will be renewed and fused with the new heaven of God coming down. Jesus’ new resurrected body is the first taste and fulfilment of that grand vision.
On that final day our decaying sin-ridden body will be restored to its best and given a new dimension. The earth and heaven coming together will be a fusion of the matter and spiritual. There will be no more sin, no more pain and no more sorrow and no more death (Read Rev 21).
In this final scene in Luke, Jesus told the disciples not to doubt but believe. His resurrected body embodies the resurrection good news – that sin is defeated, forgiveness is now freely given and they are to now bring this glorious good news to the world.
The world needs such a message. Where sin, decay, division and unrest still plague the earth, the resurrection offers good news.
Just as the disciples were told not to doubt Jesus then in His new resurrected body form, so we his disciples must not question the resurrected message now commissioned to us. We are the carriers and messengers of the good news of the Resurrection, of hope, forgiveness and restoration.
Luke 24:38
He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?
They say, “Seeing is believing”. However many things remain unbelievable even when we have seen it. Such is the experience of the disciples when Jesus appeared to them in his resurrected body.
In his resurrected body, Jesus could appear and disappear in thin air in a moment. He could walk through doors and YET he could eat and drink. The physical matter remains and so do the new altered resurrected form. It is so out of this world and almost seems like a page from the “X Files”.
This account is important because it brings together the whole doctrine of Jesus’ redemption for the world. In Revelation, there is this vision of the New Heaven and New Earth coming together as one.
Far from our traditional reading where the new heaven is a space up in the air, of ‘life after death’, God’s vision is that in the final days, all of earth’s corruption will be renewed and fused with the new heaven of God coming down. Jesus’ new resurrected body is the first taste and fulfilment of that grand vision.
On that final day our decaying sin-ridden body will be restored to its best and given a new dimension. The earth and heaven coming together will be a fusion of the matter and spiritual. There will be no more sin, no more pain and no more sorrow and no more death (Read Rev 21).
In this final scene in Luke, Jesus told the disciples not to doubt but believe. His resurrected body embodies the resurrection good news – that sin is defeated, forgiveness is now freely given and they are to now bring this glorious good news to the world.
The world needs such a message. Where sin, decay, division and unrest still plague the earth, the resurrection offers good news.
Just as the disciples were told not to doubt Jesus then in His new resurrected body form, so we his disciples must not question the resurrected message now commissioned to us. We are the carriers and messengers of the good news of the Resurrection, of hope, forgiveness and restoration.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Road to Emmaus
February 28, 2011
Read Luke 24: 13-35
Luke 24:17,19
He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” ... “What things?” he asked
The Road to Emmaus forever changed the lives of Cleopas and his companion. Prayer and journey with God through difficult and overwhelming times have that impact on Christians.
We have a companion in our life journey. Just as the Risen Lord came to Cleopas and his companion, He is the One alongside us in times of our struggles. Jesus, ‘God with us’, Immanuel stays true in all of life’s circumstances. We are not alone. In marriage, it is husband and wife plus Christ. In our church committee, it is always all members plus Christ. In parenting, it is mother plus Christ. In the workplace, it is I, the worker plus Christ. Practise the presence of Christ with you.
We have Someone to discuss things through. Jesus longs to be in our conversations. Like a stranger who takes the initiative to broach our subject of concern, Jesus comes near to us in times of our struggle and gently probes us to open up. In times of confusion, bewilderment and pain, God invites us to talk to him He is the One who will figure things out with us. Prayer is when we discuss things with God. When we pour out all that is in our hearts and try to work out all possible solutions to a problem with him.
We have Someone to share our rawest emotions with. Jesus is God. He knows all things. He gets us to talk because we need it. In talking out things, we identify our feelings, hurts and emotions. In telling him, we share our disappointments, pains and sadness. This is the point of us coming to God in prayer. Prayer is always for us. It is the space, person and peace that we desperately need in times of trials.
We gain new perspective in time spent with God. Cleopas and companion thought Israel would be delivered from suffering – a dead Messiah dashed all their hopes. Jesus’ going through the Scriptures with them righted their vision – Israel would be delivered THROUGH suffering by the sacrificial Messiah. They were looking through the wrong side of the telescope. The most important component of our prayer is to listen to God’s input. Pray for Samuel’s ear, David’s heart, Esther’s courage and Solomon’s wisdom to put God’s instructions into life.
We share the Passion of Christ in time spent with God. Cleopas and his companion’s hearts burned within them throughout the journey, conversation and Bible reading. There is a stirring within our hearts as we spend time with God. Prayer and communion time with God seals and builds our relationship with our Saviour. There is a rupture of souls as we learn to engage our spirits with God’s spirits, as we align our thoughts to His, as we open our eyes to His ways and submits to His wisdom. It is time well spent with Someone who loves us passionately and we will emerge from His presence with a deeper passion for Him.
The Road to Emmaus calls us all into a deeper fellowship and prayer life with God.
Life is difficult but God is good. Life can be confusing but God remains true. Life can be overwhelming but God journeys with us. We are not alone.
Read Luke 24: 13-35
Luke 24:17,19
He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” ... “What things?” he asked
The Road to Emmaus forever changed the lives of Cleopas and his companion. Prayer and journey with God through difficult and overwhelming times have that impact on Christians.
We have a companion in our life journey. Just as the Risen Lord came to Cleopas and his companion, He is the One alongside us in times of our struggles. Jesus, ‘God with us’, Immanuel stays true in all of life’s circumstances. We are not alone. In marriage, it is husband and wife plus Christ. In our church committee, it is always all members plus Christ. In parenting, it is mother plus Christ. In the workplace, it is I, the worker plus Christ. Practise the presence of Christ with you.
We have Someone to discuss things through. Jesus longs to be in our conversations. Like a stranger who takes the initiative to broach our subject of concern, Jesus comes near to us in times of our struggle and gently probes us to open up. In times of confusion, bewilderment and pain, God invites us to talk to him He is the One who will figure things out with us. Prayer is when we discuss things with God. When we pour out all that is in our hearts and try to work out all possible solutions to a problem with him.
We have Someone to share our rawest emotions with. Jesus is God. He knows all things. He gets us to talk because we need it. In talking out things, we identify our feelings, hurts and emotions. In telling him, we share our disappointments, pains and sadness. This is the point of us coming to God in prayer. Prayer is always for us. It is the space, person and peace that we desperately need in times of trials.
We gain new perspective in time spent with God. Cleopas and companion thought Israel would be delivered from suffering – a dead Messiah dashed all their hopes. Jesus’ going through the Scriptures with them righted their vision – Israel would be delivered THROUGH suffering by the sacrificial Messiah. They were looking through the wrong side of the telescope. The most important component of our prayer is to listen to God’s input. Pray for Samuel’s ear, David’s heart, Esther’s courage and Solomon’s wisdom to put God’s instructions into life.
We share the Passion of Christ in time spent with God. Cleopas and his companion’s hearts burned within them throughout the journey, conversation and Bible reading. There is a stirring within our hearts as we spend time with God. Prayer and communion time with God seals and builds our relationship with our Saviour. There is a rupture of souls as we learn to engage our spirits with God’s spirits, as we align our thoughts to His, as we open our eyes to His ways and submits to His wisdom. It is time well spent with Someone who loves us passionately and we will emerge from His presence with a deeper passion for Him.
The Road to Emmaus calls us all into a deeper fellowship and prayer life with God.
Life is difficult but God is good. Life can be confusing but God remains true. Life can be overwhelming but God journeys with us. We are not alone.
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