Who am I - Casting Crowns
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.
I am yours.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Walking with God
First, I just want to thank God that He has guided me to just following the bible-reading plan printed at the back of an NKJV bible. I've been reading the Bible according to the plan. While I would have preferred a more in-depth study, I guess just reading the Bible and reflecting on certain verses that jumped out at me is it for the moment. But I'm really enjoying it and benefiting greatly from it.
When I was reading Genesis 6, I was drawn to what the Bible said about Noah.
Gen 6:8-9
It never dawned on me the immensity of Noah's character until I realised that he was a man against the world then. Rain had not fallen on the earth as yet during his time, and he must have endured a lot of ridicule and humiliation as he set about building an ark when the land had always been dry.
I really liked Matthew Henry's commentary on this part:
[1.] He was a just man, that is, justified before God by faith in the promised seed; for he was an heir of the righteousness which is by faith, Heb. xi. 7. He was sanctified, and had right principles and dispositions implanted in him; and he was righteous in his conversation, one that made conscience of rendering to all their due, to God his due and to men theirs. Note, None but a downright honest man can find favour with God. That conversation which will be pleasing to God must be governed by simplicity and godly sincerity, not by fleshly wisdom, 2 Cor. i. 12. God has sometimes chosen the foolish things of the world, but he never chose the knavish things of it.
[2.] He was perfect, not with a sinless perfection, but a perfection of sincerity; and it is well for us that by virtue of the covenant of grace, upon the score of Christ's righteousness, sincerity is accepted as our gospel perfection.
[3.] He walked with God, as Enoch had done before him. He was not only
honest, but devout; he walked, that is, he acted with God, as one always under his eye. He lived a life of communion with God; it was his constant care to conform himself to the will of God, to please him, and to approve himself to him. Note, God looks down upon those with an eye of favour who sincerely look up to him with an eye of faith.
But, [4.] That which crowns his character is that thus he was, and thus he did, in his generation, in that corrupt degenerate age in which his lot was cast. It is easy to be religious when religion is in fashion; but it is an evidence of strong faith and resolution to swim against a stream to heaven, and to appear for God when no one else appears for him: so Noah did, and it is upon record, to his immortal honour.
After reading the above, I reflected on what it meant to walk with God. I thought about why God chose to use "walk with" when describing Noah's relationship with Him.
When I visualised the image of "walking with", some phrases came to my mind:
- Communion
- Companionship
- Presence
- Silence
- Familiarity
- Comfort level
- Assurance
- Conversation
- Bonding
- Security
- Enjoyment
- Engagement
- Closeness
I also remembered the scene in Dead Poets' Society, when the students were told to walk along the perimeters of the square courtyard. After a while, they were falling in step with each other.
As we walk with God, we soon fall in step with Him - meaning we align ourselves with His purpose and His heart. And because we're walking with Him, we are both heading in the same direction - with a destination in mind. And because we're right next to Him, we increasingly grow more and more sensitive to Him and what is on His heart. This will then guide us in what we say and what we do.
And all this comes by faith.
When I was reading Genesis 6, I was drawn to what the Bible said about Noah.
Gen 6:8-9
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. Gen 6:22
22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.
I really liked Matthew Henry's commentary on this part:
[1.] He was a just man, that is, justified before God by faith in the promised seed; for he was an heir of the righteousness which is by faith, Heb. xi. 7. He was sanctified, and had right principles and dispositions implanted in him; and he was righteous in his conversation, one that made conscience of rendering to all their due, to God his due and to men theirs. Note, None but a downright honest man can find favour with God. That conversation which will be pleasing to God must be governed by simplicity and godly sincerity, not by fleshly wisdom, 2 Cor. i. 12. God has sometimes chosen the foolish things of the world, but he never chose the knavish things of it.
[2.] He was perfect, not with a sinless perfection, but a perfection of sincerity; and it is well for us that by virtue of the covenant of grace, upon the score of Christ's righteousness, sincerity is accepted as our gospel perfection.
[3.] He walked with God, as Enoch had done before him. He was not only
honest, but devout; he walked, that is, he acted with God, as one always under his eye. He lived a life of communion with God; it was his constant care to conform himself to the will of God, to please him, and to approve himself to him. Note, God looks down upon those with an eye of favour who sincerely look up to him with an eye of faith.
But, [4.] That which crowns his character is that thus he was, and thus he did, in his generation, in that corrupt degenerate age in which his lot was cast. It is easy to be religious when religion is in fashion; but it is an evidence of strong faith and resolution to swim against a stream to heaven, and to appear for God when no one else appears for him: so Noah did, and it is upon record, to his immortal honour.
After reading the above, I reflected on what it meant to walk with God. I thought about why God chose to use "walk with" when describing Noah's relationship with Him.
When I visualised the image of "walking with", some phrases came to my mind:
- Communion
- Companionship
- Presence
- Silence
- Familiarity
- Comfort level
- Assurance
- Conversation
- Bonding
- Security
- Enjoyment
- Engagement
- Closeness
I also remembered the scene in Dead Poets' Society, when the students were told to walk along the perimeters of the square courtyard. After a while, they were falling in step with each other.
As we walk with God, we soon fall in step with Him - meaning we align ourselves with His purpose and His heart. And because we're walking with Him, we are both heading in the same direction - with a destination in mind. And because we're right next to Him, we increasingly grow more and more sensitive to Him and what is on His heart. This will then guide us in what we say and what we do.
And all this comes by faith.
Hebrews 11:7
7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Have you had your rest?
I was dithering over how to start a comprehensive study of the bible and never really got started. Today, while I was waiting for a counselling client who never turned up, I made use of the one hour to read the bible, following the "read through your bible in one year" programme at the back of my NKJV slimline bible. I read Genesis 1,2 and 3 as well as Matthew 1.
Genesis 2:2-3
2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
The verses above got me thinking about the Sabbath and how important it was for me to observe it. God not only rested on that day but He also blessed and sanctified it. Thus, when I observe my own Sabbath, I am also acknowledging God's blessing on and sanctification of that day.
This is a very timely reminder to me to always find one day a week to rest and wait on the Lord so that I will be refreshed, not only physically but also spiritually.
Genesis 2:2-3
2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
The verses above got me thinking about the Sabbath and how important it was for me to observe it. God not only rested on that day but He also blessed and sanctified it. Thus, when I observe my own Sabbath, I am also acknowledging God's blessing on and sanctification of that day.
This is a very timely reminder to me to always find one day a week to rest and wait on the Lord so that I will be refreshed, not only physically but also spiritually.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Spring and Fall: to a young child
I caught a Ted webcast of Natalie Merchant's performance to promote her new album, her first album after six to seven years. It was well worth the wait, if the 27-minute webcast was any indicator. Her album was very different from her previous albums; in this new album, she set other people's poetry to music.
One of the poems that she sang in the Ted webcast moved me a lot. It was a poem by a Jesuit priest Gerard Manley Hopkins, who had written it to explain death to a young child. Natalie Merchant sings the song in the 16th minute of the Ted webcast. I found myself listening to it over and over again.
Indeed, how music and words move the heart.
Spring and Fall: to a young child
Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889)
MÁRGARÉT, áre you gríeving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?
Leáves, líke the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Áh! ás the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
By and by, nor spare a sigh
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;
And yet you wíll weep and know why.
Now no matter, child, the name:
Sórrows spríngs áre the same.
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed
What heart heard of, ghost guessed:
It ís the blight man was born for,
It is Margaret you mourn for.
Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889)
MÁRGARÉT, áre you gríeving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?
Leáves, líke the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Áh! ás the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
By and by, nor spare a sigh
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;
And yet you wíll weep and know why.
Now no matter, child, the name:
Sórrows spríngs áre the same.
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed
What heart heard of, ghost guessed:
It ís the blight man was born for,
It is Margaret you mourn for.
Claiming our blessedness
Let me offer you two ways for claiming our blessedness with God.
First of all, prayer. When I go to a quiet place to pray, I realise that although I have a tendency to say many things to God, the real "work" of prayer is to become silent and listen to the voice that says good things about me. If we dare to embrace our solitude and befriend our silence, we will come to know that voice. The movement of God's Spirit is very gentle, very soft but that movement is also very persistent, strong and deep. It changes our hearts radically.
The second is the cultivation of presence. By presence I mean attentiveness to the blessings that come to you day after day, year after year. The problem of modern living is that we are too busy to notice that we are being blessed. Often, people say good things about us, but we brush them aside with remarks such as "Oh, don't mention it, forget about it, it's nothing..." and so on. These remarks may seem to be expressions of humility, but they are, in fact, signs that we are not truly present to receive the blessings that are given. It is not easy for us, busy people, to truly receive a blessing. It has become increasingly difficult for us to stop, listen, pay attention and receive gracefully what is offered to us.
The characteristic of the blessed ones is that wherever they go, they speak words of blessing. It is remarkable how easy it is to bless others, to speak good things to and about them, to call forth their beauty and truth, when you yourself are in touch with your own blessedness.
The blessed one always blesses and people want to be blessed. It is so apparent wherever you go. No one is brought to life through curses, gossip, accusations, or blaming. There is so much of that taking place around us all the time. And it calls forth only darkness, destruction and death.
First of all, prayer. When I go to a quiet place to pray, I realise that although I have a tendency to say many things to God, the real "work" of prayer is to become silent and listen to the voice that says good things about me. If we dare to embrace our solitude and befriend our silence, we will come to know that voice. The movement of God's Spirit is very gentle, very soft but that movement is also very persistent, strong and deep. It changes our hearts radically.
The second is the cultivation of presence. By presence I mean attentiveness to the blessings that come to you day after day, year after year. The problem of modern living is that we are too busy to notice that we are being blessed. Often, people say good things about us, but we brush them aside with remarks such as "Oh, don't mention it, forget about it, it's nothing..." and so on. These remarks may seem to be expressions of humility, but they are, in fact, signs that we are not truly present to receive the blessings that are given. It is not easy for us, busy people, to truly receive a blessing. It has become increasingly difficult for us to stop, listen, pay attention and receive gracefully what is offered to us.
The characteristic of the blessed ones is that wherever they go, they speak words of blessing. It is remarkable how easy it is to bless others, to speak good things to and about them, to call forth their beauty and truth, when you yourself are in touch with your own blessedness.
The blessed one always blesses and people want to be blessed. It is so apparent wherever you go. No one is brought to life through curses, gossip, accusations, or blaming. There is so much of that taking place around us all the time. And it calls forth only darkness, destruction and death.
Excerpts from Life of the Beloved by Henri J.M.Nouwen
Claiming the light
I recently discovered a box of books that I had bought some time ago from Amazon under my bed. Among them were three books - The Return of the Prodigal Son, Life of the Beloved and The Only Necessary Thing - written by Catholic priest Henri Nouwen.
I am reading them now and am very edified by his words. I consider it a tremendous privilege to read in another person's words his own struggles for things of the world juxtaposed with his longing for God and his intimacy with God.
God has a purpose in me reading these books now at this stage of my Christian journey. I pray that I will draw from the books whatever God intends for me to learn, and apply those principles in wisdom, discernment, grace and above all, love.
Excerpts from the book Life of the Beloved:
"Speak to us about the deepest yearning of our hearts, about our many wishes, about hope; not about the many strategies for survival, but about trust; not about the new methods of satisfying our emotional needs, but about love. Speak to us about a vision larger than our changing perspectives and about a voice deeper than the clamourings of our mass media. Yes, speak to us about something or someone greater than ourselves. Speak to us about....God."
Gratitude is the most fruitful way of deepening your consciousness that you are not an "accident" but a divine choice. Where there is reason for gratitude, there can always be a reason for bitterness. It is here that we are faced with the freedom to make a decision. We can decide to be grateful or to be bitter. When we keep choosing gratitude, when we keep claiming the light, we will find ourselves becoming more and more radiant. What fascinates me so much is that every time we decide to be grateful it will be easier to see new things to be grateful for.
Gratitude begets gratitude, just as love begets love.
One day we feel great, the next we feel miserable. One day we are full of new ideas, the next everything looks bleak and dull. One day we think we can take on the whole world, but the next even a little request seems too much for us.
When we are thrown up and down by the little waves on the surface of our existence, we become easy victims of our manipulative world, but when we continue to hear the deep gentle voice that blesses us, we can walk through life with a stable sense of well-being and true belonging.
God has a purpose in me reading these books now at this stage of my Christian journey. I pray that I will draw from the books whatever God intends for me to learn, and apply those principles in wisdom, discernment, grace and above all, love.
Excerpts from the book Life of the Beloved:
"Speak to us about the deepest yearning of our hearts, about our many wishes, about hope; not about the many strategies for survival, but about trust; not about the new methods of satisfying our emotional needs, but about love. Speak to us about a vision larger than our changing perspectives and about a voice deeper than the clamourings of our mass media. Yes, speak to us about something or someone greater than ourselves. Speak to us about....God."
Gratitude is the most fruitful way of deepening your consciousness that you are not an "accident" but a divine choice. Where there is reason for gratitude, there can always be a reason for bitterness. It is here that we are faced with the freedom to make a decision. We can decide to be grateful or to be bitter. When we keep choosing gratitude, when we keep claiming the light, we will find ourselves becoming more and more radiant. What fascinates me so much is that every time we decide to be grateful it will be easier to see new things to be grateful for.
Gratitude begets gratitude, just as love begets love.
One day we feel great, the next we feel miserable. One day we are full of new ideas, the next everything looks bleak and dull. One day we think we can take on the whole world, but the next even a little request seems too much for us.
When we are thrown up and down by the little waves on the surface of our existence, we become easy victims of our manipulative world, but when we continue to hear the deep gentle voice that blesses us, we can walk through life with a stable sense of well-being and true belonging.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)