Post Easter, just had a little thought to ponder after hearing much from our missionary who shared with us last night at prayer meeting about what God is doing in Tibet. Truly the resurrection of Jesus does not end at when He is risen.. the story continues with the followers.
Had a personal revelation when I found this in one of my old notebooks....way before "Draw Something" was invented, we once had an icebreaker in a meeting and did something similar..... We were asked to draw "SIBKL", and I came up with this >>
Had another "wow" moment with God again, when I looked at this piece of "art", and I somehow had a personal revelation recently when the phrase, "Ass I be" appeared in my thoughts! BWAHAHAHA... xD I know it sounds quite silly but hey, it made a lot of sense to me!
Jesus could have chosen to ride on a white stallion with stature but when He entered Jerusalem, He used an ASS instead! (Matthew 21). I believe that reflects upon the meaning that asses were something lesser people rode, while horses were reserved for the rich. And Jesus can use an ass and it depicts His humbleness as being just like one of us or even lesser.
Jesus wants to enter your city, your workplace, your family. And He chooses to use you as a means of getting there. “How can he use me?” you ask. “I’m nothing but an ass."
If Jesus can use an ass, He can use you too! And the acronym of SIBKL represents a bunch of ASSES who can be used by Jesus....
I sensed in my spirit, together with some of us with similar "tuggings" that we should continue to seek God and really carry on with the attitude of worship within us. It's really amazing when you know that God is speaking to us when people around you catch similar sensing through different means -- dreams, songs, the Word.
Last night in cell meeting, we had a deep time of reflection through sharing testimonies, extended time of praise and worship, communion and prayer. Over the past weeks, it has been physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually draining for me. Even as I attempted to prepare myself for cell meeting this week, I felt challenged and I couldn't concentrate....perhaps overwhelmed by an ordeal that I was struggling through. There were nights where I was so drained that I just lazed on the sofa, stare at the TV watching American Idol, I didn't feel like doing anything.
One night during that quiet moment with God, a passage came to mind.
Didn't think much of it. Wrote it in my journal. Not sure what God was impressing in my heart.
Recently, the ordeal that I was going through, it took its toll and "erupted". My ignorance suddenly woke up, realising that my actions crushed a person.
When I finally came to terms with this, when I looked to the person in the eye, I saw hurt, brokenness. I suddenly had a God-moment, the passages that God gave me came hitting me in the face.
"44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
~Luke 7:44-47
I recalled a revelation that I had from a book that I read some time back about this passage.
...her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
When Jesus came to Simon, who was apparently the host, treated Jesus like an "unwanted" guest, in today's context, he didn't "open the door for him, shake his hand" - meaning...he had no manners.
However, the woman, so lowly who didn't even deserve to be named, unkindly only known as the "sinful" woman, did all that Simon didn't. She came thirsty and hungry. Thirsty for guilt, hungry for regret.
Simon, didn't even know whether he is thirsty or hungry. He doesn't even asks for grace. He's too proud but instead take on the grace and dissects it intellectually, debate on it etc.
The sinful woman, experienced an immeasurable extent of forgiveness, she knew what love really meant. And because of this, she couldn't stop tasting Jesus' love and love is filled into her "love tank".
Simon, didn't ask or desired for grace nor forgiveness, he doesn't even know the existence of a love tank. His love tank was "empty".
I sensed a question came to me, "How's your love tank?"
Then I felt in my heart an impression came and told me, "You are like Simon."
I almost couldn't hold back my tears. I was crushed that I didn't realise how far I have gone from his love. My love tank has gone unattended and rusty. My actions reflected it all.
"While she had ample love to give, he had no love to offer."
I couldn't give real love. I felt like Judas giving Jesus' a kiss.
I could probably speak eloquently about God's love, go to church, pray, worship God... but I couldn't embrace it and I had none to give. And the emptiness of lack of love showed in my actions.
I remembered some time back, I was challenged to do this.
Try paraphrase 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 by replacing the word "Love" with my name and recite it out loud.(Try it.... see how far can you go.)
"Miranda is patient, Miranda is kind. Miranda does not envy, Miranda does not boast, Miranda is not proud....."
Wooah.. wooah... hold up there.... I couldn't even recite half of it when I attempted to do it during the time of reflection in cell meet this week. I realised that I was none of these. I would be the biggest liar if I dare say these. Most of the time, we say it so conveniently. We take it so lightly. We take it for granted that by our own strength, we will never be able to become any of these.
Only one person who ever walked the face of the earth could. JESUS.
And if we read the same passage by replacing the word LOVE with JESUS......
"Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind. Jesus does not envy, Jesus does not boast, Jesus is not proud. Jesus is not rude, Jesus is not self-seeking, Jesus is not easily angered, Jesus keeps no record of wrongs. Jesus does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Jesus always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Jesus never fails."
We know he meets it all.
Rather than reminding ourselves that we cannot produce such love, let's remind us of the love that we cannot resist! God's love.
"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." ~ 1 John 4:9-10
I don't know about you, I was disappointed by what had happened to me this week. But for me right now, I want to be the sinful woman. I want to be called the sinful woman without a name.
I need to taste the forgiveness of God, so that I can learn how to love once again....
We need to receive HIS LOVE in order to GIVE LOVE. Because we cannot give what we do not have. Embrace how much He loves you so that you know how to love the unlovable, those who have hurt you, disappoint you, betrayed you, crushed you.
Question. Once again, how's your love tank?
...Half-full?
...A quarter full?
...Almost empty?
...Leaking?
...Damaged?
Luke 7:47 ~ It reflects Jesus' wings of love in the form a 747 aircraft. Let his love lift you up the the next level. Let his love set you free through forgiveness.
Come thirsty and hungry this season of Easter, taste his love once again... fill up your "love tank" with the love from the one and only who can satisfy....
PS: Don't know why, but the fonts just come out funny... Can't resize the fonts properly and I am just too much of a noob with HTML errors to get it fixed!! HAHA... Don't mind the weirdly-sized fonts, ya??? :P
--------------------------------
I'm currently on my study break since Thursday this week till the end of the month. What a relief from the days of working late and meeting deadlines. To be honest, I never thought that I'd be revisiting the times when I had to slog under lecture notes and saying 'hello' to mixed emotions of walking into the exam halls again. I remember the times back in my Uni days when I came to a conclusion that I am not cut out for dealing with numbers. I wanted out from Accounting. I was close to throwing in the towel. It's funny how things never quite turn out the way I thought it would be. Here I am, working in one of the top business services firm in the world, pursuing my CPA professional qualification.
Yes, there were occasional moments when I still ask myself why did I choose to contradict my words but as strange at it may sound, I have witnessed in so many ways how my decisions and crossroads have been guided by God, even way before I even knew who He really is in my life! Hence this brought me to believe that there's ought to be a reason why I have this paper qualification in my hands. It cannot be an accident. I have gone through a period of seeking and praying for my career path.I never quite like the idea of facing choices, which often makes me wonder about the analogy of God giving us "free-will" to choose. Knowing that God is one who's omniscient, if God knows what we are going to choose in the future, then do we really have free-will in the first place? Does that puzzle you? Being a thinker, it took me quite a while but I have came to realise that it seems that God knowing what we are going to do does not mean that we can't do something else. It simply means that God knows what we have chosen to do ahead of time. Our freedom is not restricted by God's foreknowledge but is simply just realised ahead of time by God. Due to the fact that it is His nature to know all things, His knowlwdge is necessarily complete and exhaustive, and because of that, He has ordained history to come to the conclusion that He wishes, incorporating our choices into His divine plan.
So, yeah... my decision is to give it a go. I chose to challenge myself to do something I think I cannot do. That's when my faith and dependency on Him is really put to test. God has impressed certain things in my heart about reaching out in the corporate marketplace. I don't really know where to begin with but I am entrusting this decision into His hands. No doubt that He has already written the whole story in His plan and wow, I thought it's quite exciting to think in a way that I get to "co-write" this story with Him because I participated in the decision-making part. *LoL* Does that make any sense to you? :P
Just a few days ago, I was contemplating whether I should attend a post-assignment dinner with my workmates because it's on a Friday, which means I gotta forgo being at cellgroup. My decision -- I joined the dinner. Last Sunday, I remember picking up a few brochures of the stage drama that's coming up next week at church. I handed out a few to my colleagues at the dinner and I sure hope that they will choose to come to hear the underlying message shared in the drama.
So this is one of the free-will moments I went through... I could have been at cellgroup fellowshipping with my cellmates and also feed myself with the Word, as always. But this time, I felt that desiring to walk my talk about sharing His love, I thought I should go beyond by stepping across the bridge and reaching at the other side. It is about bringing His love outside of church walls! Having a hearty meal with my colleagues sure will be even tastier and worth it!
So... here's an ad that I 'stole' from church's website about the drama:
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
Performed by : Footstool Players Date: 18 October 2008, Saturday Time: 5.00-7.30pm Venue: SIBKL, Main Auditorium
About the stage play....
The old song says that "love is a many- splendoured thing", but reality tells us that "love" can be bittersweet.
For its 2008/2009 season, Footstool Players is proud to present Crazy Little Thing Called Love: poignant portraits of the ties that bind – and sometimes knot – in a collection of sketches pertaining to the themes of love, courtship, marriage and family relationships.
The play features a mix of comedy and drama, but all thought-provoking in some way in highlighting issues pertaining to relationships. There's innocence, idealism, joy, humour, reassurance, hope, regret, heartbreak, sorrow, and more – everything that comes with that "crazy little thing called love"!
You'll laugh, you'll weep. But most importantly, you'll also think – and perhaps also discover.
--------------------------
I should be in bed now... I need motivation to pick up the momentum to study... gaaahahaha.... someone please pray with me! Laterz, everyone...!
Due to bad time management and being inexperienced in gauging travel time needed for the past few Sunday Services, I have been coming in late and usually, I will miss out on the Praise session. I do sense the "missing puzzle" every time I leave service. The feeling of emptiness does stay throughout the week! I miss... I miss... I miss.....
Amazingly, God made me the happiest girl alive last Saturday. Remember I mentioned about gate-crashing a church camp??? Yup, I so did. I gave these bunch of people a pleasant surprise! :P The best part is, the presence of God was so strong in the hall... it was like having the "time of my life" dancing before the Lord together with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ!!! Talk about God hearing my whines over the nitty-gritties. That really did compensate for the 3-week of missed Praise sessions!!
Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse. Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with trumpet sound; Praise Him with harp and lyre. Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments andpipe. Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!
