Plans & Plants

I recently got a new baby — a new Apple Mint plant 🙂 Here’s a photo!

 

With so many things spiraling in my life right now (yes, I am a bit dramatic at the moment), I wanted something I could venture into. I wanted something I can focus my attention to and get joy and fulfillment by caring for it — and since I cannot get a pet, I settled for the next best thing: a plant.

I got so excited when a friend of mine got this one for me! She got a good deal on herbs and got me one too.

The moment I got it, I was stoked and frantic at the same time! I suddenly had all these plans in my head — I want to make mint tea! I need to put it in my room!  No! It has to be outside! I want … — ETC. It didn’t stop there either. I started Google-ing all sorts of home garden guides, YouTube-ing a bunch of videos on How to Take Care of Mints, and I even went on a Craigslist spree to look for bigger pots (my research shows that mints are invasive plants and need room to expand and grow)!

When all the crazy was over, I had a plan — I’d see how my plant grows in this pot. Test out my caring skills for about a month. Go thrift store hopping for bigger pots. Re-pot. And repeat! (Plus a little pruning and harvesting every now and then.)

Everyone has plans, we all know it; even the bible confirms it. —

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps. Proverbs 16:9

God, too, has plans for us.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Difference is, not everyone who has plans has the ability to carry them out and see them through.

I have a LOT of plans for my new plant. But since it’s my first plant, I am not really sure if I will be able to fully see all my plans through — or if I will be successful enough to even be able to try to carry out these plans!

I really like this plant, and I do not want anything bad to happen to it. I want to care for it. I PLAN to ensure it will be happy, cared for, able to propagate, and have a fruitful (pun sort of intended — though I don’t think mints have fruits) life.

But the reality is, my plans are just plans.

I am not capable of ensuring that all these plans can come to fruition. Sure, I can look back in a year or so and say: “Wow, I did it!” But until then, there is no way for me to guarantee my plant anything other than a bunch of plans.

God in Jeremiah 29:11 says He has plans for us — amazing plans for OUR betterment and OUR future. And these are plans every parent who loves their children will make. Every parent, one way or another, has plans for their kids — plans to prosper them and not to harm them, plans to give them hope and a future.

But the reality is, their plans are just plans.

People can plan all they want, for themselves or for others; but not everyone is capable.

This is when I had my Aha!  moment.

I do not simply trust my Jesus because I know He has a PLAN. I trust Him because I know HE CAN SEE HIS PLANS THROUGH. 

The bible is also very vocal about God’s power.

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matt. 19:26

For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37

(Some more here: 100 Verses About God’s Power and 40 Verses About God’s Omnipotence)

The bible is filled with verses such as these, verses that declare the omnipotence of God. THIS is why He can make all these promises about having great plans for us — because when He makes plans, only He can undo them.

When God created the world, He had a plan for it and every single thing in and on it. When it fell into sin, He announced His plans for salvation right then and there. When the time came, He fulfilled His promise and sent His Messiah — Jesus. When He accomplished His sacrifice on the cross, He said it was finished, and it is. When He said He can save you, He did. Now? He said He’d come again, and He will.

So the next time you see a plant, may you think of HIM who can turn plans into plants.

I’m at it AGAIN

This is probably the third (maybe fourth?) time I’m writing a here’s-to-a-new-start-to-restart-my-blog-and-my-inconsistent-walk-post post. AND hopefully, it’s the LAST ONE!

So here’s a quick update on what’s to come (and what’s up) — prayerfully and Lord willing, of course.

1. I am most definitely EASILY affected by people. A friend of mine just moved to Toronto and he’s started a daily vlog and a blog.

YUP.

That means I am too!

(If you’re reading this, Jon — YES. I am encouraged with what you’ve done/are doing to redo what I said I’d do.)

I’m going to try my best to be more disciplined in my devotions and in my writing, PLUS I’m going to try to get a vlog up every now and then — details to come.

2. Again about being affected by others. Another Malaysian friend just awakened me to a reality I’ve been taking for granted: the fact that I am taking things for granted! Life in North America is a WHOLE lot more convenient, above everything else, and it has affected me in ways I never thought it would. Coming from a third world country, I was different in my pursuit of God … now? In a land where everything is — at the very least — superficially well, it’s been more than very easy to take even God for granted. Time to get more proactive — more so than ever. Lord willing, that means posts with a more deliberate tone in terms of digging into the word, struggling to know more of Jesus, and overall just hungry radical writing — again, LORD WILLING.

3. I was, and now once again am, a sociology student.

There are things I do, see, say, and think just because that is how I am trained in my discipline. Again, a friend of mine posted a note on Facebook (I’ll put a link here — not sure if it’s public, but it’s worth a shot.) and it reminded me of how the world is in dire need of Christians who have a sociological background. Basically, here’s a quick update: I’m a sociology major again (officially)! I just wanted to share that. Hopefully that translates into more socially relevant posts, if not, at least more posts with incorporated sociological imagination. I know there’s a reason why God wants me back in this discipline, and so here I am.

Lastly, I would like to plead my fellow saints to help me on this journey. Yes, I am aware this is most definitely NOT the first time I said this. But, by God’s grace, I pray you won’t give up on me.

I cannot do this alone. I would very much love to have this blog be a way for a community of Saints to commune, grow, and walk with Jesus together. I pray that God will send you to me, and me to you, to bring this about. Let me hear from you! The comments section and the message boards (which I will try to revamp) will be a great start!

God bless!

Manna Faith

A lot of times we hear people say cliches like…

“Have faith!”

“Just trust Him.”

“God will see you through, hold on!”

Awesome advises. They really are.  But I am here to tell you the hard truth: THERE REALLY IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO.

Often times we say Christianity is a walk, a journey, a struggle, among other things that involve us doing something. Yes, that’s totally true. James does say: “Faith without works is dead.” But the amazing thing about the whole story of grace? Is that it really pertains to, GRACE — UNDESERVED FAVOR.

I am here to tell you, that walking with God is actually more like being carried by Him.

Take this passage for example,

Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.”

Exodus 16:19

As someone who basically grew up in the church, that’s all I need to hear to know that the sentence is from Exodus and is referring to when God provided heavenly bread (manna) to the starving Israelites traveling in the desert.

The people were hungry, God sent them manna. BUT there was a catch — they can only gather enough for the day. No need to store for tomorrow because God will give them what they need for tomorrow tomorrow.

Simple enough instructions right? Especially for the the people who saw …

• Moses turn a staff into a snake and back, become a leper and heal himself, and turn Nile water into blood by pouring it onto the ground. (Exodus 4:1-9; 29-31)
• The whole Nile turn to blood — AND ALL OTHER WATER IN ALL EGYPT (Exodus 7:14-25)
• Frogs, gnats, and flies PLAGUE EGYPT (Exodus 8)
• God strike down ALL the livestock of Egypt. And to prove it’s not just some random epidemic, NONE of the livestock of the Israelites died. (Exodus 9: 1-6)
• God strike both man and beast with boils (Exodus 9: 8-10)
• The INSTANTANEOUS summoning and clearing of a deadly (yeah. it killed stuff) hailstorm (Exodus 9: 13-33)
• A plague of locust that TOTALLY cleared everything they could clear and made Egyptian history as the “WORST LOCUST PLAGUE TO HIT EGYPT EVER” (Exodus 10: 1-18)
• A phenomenon that they can only describe as “Darkness” where NO LIGHT was seen for THREE WHOLE DAYS — a darkness God described as “a darkness so thick you can feel it” (Exodus 10: 21-29)
• A sad and scary event where ALL the firstborn Egyptian males (human and animal alike) DIED while those of the Israelites who observed the Passover slept soundly through the night (Exodus 11 – 12:1-29)
• Their release from captivity! (Exodus 12:31-40)
• A magical GPS device that was a fluffy cloud by day and a fiery pillar (a GPS, a light source, and a heat source!) by night ! (Exodus 13:21)
• THE SPLITTING OF THE RED SEA — A WHOLE SEA! And they walked on completely DRY LAND — COMPLETELY DRY.  Which! Closed off just in time for their pursuers to drown! (Exodus 14: 15-29)
• The first (I think?) water filter that was thrown into a bitter OASIS which — surprise surprise — made it DRINKABLE! (Exodus 15: 22-27)

Okay. Let’s pause here for a minute. That looks to me like a sparkling, over-the-top resume that God built up for Himself!

Right?

In just 10 chapters, God was able to showcase a ton of a lot of things!

BUT!

Let’s go back to the passage awhile ago,

Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.”

Exodus 16:19

Why was that there? It was a way for God to teach His chosen people a lesson: a lesson on faith and trusting Him.

Apparently, even after all the ostentatious display God’s power, the Israelites were not quite faithful enough to believe in God — to trust in Him and have faith that HE IS POWERFUL and CARES FOR THEM!

Exodus 16:20 says,

But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them.

The instruction was for them to take only the needed amount for the whole day and trust that God would provide for more the next day. Some Israelites just did not have that kind of faith in God. They had to take matters into their own hands.

It’s in these stories that God’s grace and love is perfectly shown. God had already done enough to prove His power and faithfulness, but He knew not all of His beloved children have learned the lesson yet. So He gave them things like the manna incident to learn.

Faith is not something we can have on our own. That very thing that is require to please God is something that God cultivates in us. We humans are just not capable of that. We are greedy and selfish, trusting people is hard for us — even trusting God. God knows that and that’s why He’s the “author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2)

So what should we be doing then?

Simple: Obey.

God has put things very plainly for us. Things get complicated because we complicate them with our intellect (that seeks to prove we are better at understanding things than God), our greed (we try to bargain with God and have our own way), and our stubbornness (we just are stubborn.)

Exodus 16:19 was a clear command, obeying it would exercise your faith. Faith is a muscle, the more you exercise it the stronger it becomes. And God is our Trainer — in charge of our diet, our workout routine, and our moral support to keep us going.

What is Your Personal trainer telling you right now?

How do you find out?

SPEND TIME WITH HIM.

How?

Read His word and pray — simple as that.

You’ll Come (Brooke Fraser/Hillsong Cover)

Just something I stumbled upon this afternoon that lifted my soul. Thought I should share. 🙂

Snippets

So after my last post which was really long,  here’s a light one containing a number of things God has been revealing to new.

Yes. I know. This is a bit I if a shortcut in that I try to put it all out there instead of creating a part for each of them. I’ll still try to do that,  but for now, these quick snippets should mean an easy read for you too!

I. Child-like is not teenage-like faith.
God is pleased with a child-like faith, not with a teenage faith. A child believes without question and trusts without fail. A teenager would believe with conditions and trust only in convenience. Being naive is not bad, but being blinded by yourself and forcing your wants and desires onto God’s plans is. Trusting God requires pure unadulterated faith.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB

Trust in the L ord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

Bible says ALL your heart — no room for doubt. It also says “not on your own understanding” — when you let the Lord drive, there’s only room for one in the driver’s seat.

II. There is no one like our God.
No, there is none like Him. You can neither find someone better for you nor be better for somone than Him. Jesus is the only one who can love and care for you beyond comprehension;  He is also the only one who can love and care for anyone more than you!

As Saints, letting go and letting God also means letting people go and letting God step in. Yes, it is important that Saints fellowship together and bear each other’s burdens. But. We should not try and replace God with them or replace God with them. All our relationships should point us to God and draw us closer to Him.

John 15:13-14 NASB

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.  You are My friends if you do what I command

No one can love like Jesus can.

III. Saints don’t have religions.
God doesn’t want a bunch of people practicing religion. Saints are not simply nominally Christians — we are to be Jesus-lovers and Jesus-followers.

No. Jesus did not call us into a religion where He is God and we obey sets of rules He’s given. He wants a relationship with us. He wants for us to love Him — obedience out of love.

It’s about loving Him. Obedience, service, holiness, etc are simply by-products of a love relationship with Christ.

John 1:12-13 NASB

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

We are His beloved children.  He wants us to know that.

These are three of the many things God has been teaching me lately. I know there’s more, but I’ll save those for later.

Btw! I’m heading out later today for the Levite Worship Conference! So excited! So expect my next post/s to be on worship or on how the weekend was for me!

Belated Happy Love’s Day, Saints! We serve a God of love who’s call us into a love relationship with Him! Bask in it!

An Unnatural Natural

We live in a world where there is always arguments on what’s “natural” and what’s “not.” It’s a big deal for people to find out if a disease or a calamity is of “natural causes” or were somehow fabricated by men. We make a big deal of what is normal.

Well, as saints, we’re NOT natural.

We saints are to “not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. ” (Romans 12:2a) Whatever is considered “normal” by the world, we do not simply “accept.” We’re to be a new kind of natural.

The apostle Paul talks more about this unnatural natural in his letter to the Ephesians. In Ephesians 4, he starts out by saying,

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” (Eph. 4:1)

Here’s the first unnatural natural principle: We are prisoners. 

At this time, Paul was writing from prison. So yeah, he was literally a prisoner for Christ. Paul’s era wasn’t really the kindest to Christians. But he emphasizes a  different kind of captivity when he quoted Psalm 68 in verses 7 and 8

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says:

“When He ascended on high,
He took many captives
and gave gifts to His people.”

(Eph. 4:7-8)

He talks about Christ giving us grace, and then says He took many “captives” a.k.a PRISONERS.

Yes, Paul is calling us prisoners. And talks about it in an as-a-matter-of-factly kind of way — like it was the way it was supposed to be! AND IT IS.

I always talk about Christianity as a relationship and NOT a religion, and that’s what Paul is illustrating here. Come to think of it, there are two ways of actually being a captive:

1) To actually be forcefully taken in as a prisoner (say you’re caught by the police, or taken hostage by an enemy group, etc)

and

2) To be fully in-love with someone (or something) that it’s taken over you.

Think of all the movies you’ve seen — especially the cheesy lovey-dovey ones. There is always that idea of losing yourself to the one you love. It’s like you’re a slave to them. Not because they lord over you, but simply because you love them SO much you WANT to serve them and be together with them.

I am pretty sure, of all generalizations, this is one I can actually make — we have all been captivated by something (or someone) one way or another. We throw around the word love a LOT —

“I love Twilight”

“I love Bieber”

“I love Pokemon”

“I love her”

“I love him”

“I love basketball”

“I love shopping”

etc.

Somehow, sometime in your life you’ve uttered these words. And by saying any of these, you ARE being a prisoner of that thing that follows the word “love.”

The world puts SO much emphasis on being against captivity. It’s unnatural to WANT to be under the rule of someone. But let’s face it, we ALL have been somehow. And that’s what Jesus wants: For us to be in-love with Him — He wants us captivated by Him.

Paul furthers this illustration in verses 15 and 16,

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (Eph. 4:15, 16)

We’re not the typical kinds of captives who are simply slaves — we are PART OF HIM.

Raise your hands. Your eye brows. Close your eyes. Stand up. Sit down. Jump up. Now sit back down with your legs crossed and your hands steady on your lap.

Every last inch of your body is a captive to you. And I do not think anyone of you would want it any other way. I sure don’t want a hand that won’t obey me. So yeah. Your body is your slave. But think about it, when your tummy aches, your whole body feels it. When you’re down with the flu, you hate it. When you get bruises or cuts, you’re unhappy. Let’s face it, we love our bodies. 

When Paul calls us captives, he had that analogy in mind. That of one body, and as he said in verse 15 our head is Christ. We are one with Him as His beloved children. And as part of His body, we are His captives.

Speaking of the body, here’s the second unnatural natural principle: We are to be united as a body with One head.

Okay, a united body isn’t as unnatural as the first idea of being prisoners. But think about it. A body whose parts are other human beings who each has their own will and their own ideas — ALL EXPECTED TO BE TOGETHER AND OPERATE AS SEAMLESSLY AS A BIOLOGICAL BODY SHOULD. Think of your local church for example, every week  (at least once) you come to church and fellowship with these strangers. You see the same people every week but none of you are related in any sort of earthly way, and YET you’re all expected to be “family.”

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Eph. 4:2-3)

Paul says we should, as Christians, bear with one another in love. As part of one body, we’re not just to be in love with Christ — we are called to love ALL the other parts of the body!  Sure, the world does see unity as something we should all strive for, but no one in their right mind would tell you to love everyone. And yet, we Saints are expected to do so. The church in actuality is one of the most unnatural human relationships we are ever going to encounter. Total strangers coming together and “loving” each other. That’s just not normal! So if it’s not, why are we charged to do so?

Paul explains in the following verses,

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Eph. 4:4-6)

We are called to be in loving unity with each other because WE SERVE ONE GOD. 

We are one body — a body with parts that do not love each other will NOT be able to function properly.

We have one Spirit — as Christians, we all share the same privilege of having the Holy Spirit in us. To teach, help, and guide us. It’s just logical and to expect people with the same Spirit in them to be at peace with each other.

We have one hope — we all are hoping for one thing: SALVATION aka “an eternity in heaven.” ie. We WOULD ALL BE SPENDING ETERNITY TOGETHER, shouldn’t we start getting along NOW??

We have one Lord — we serve the same Lord, and if He wants us to love each other… uhh… Shouldn’t we do so?

We have one faith — we all believe in one thing — JESUS. And if we’re all in love with one thing, we should be able to love each other. What do you think fan clubs are made of? They all share the same love for someone or something, and they end up bonding together.

We have one baptism — Oxford defines baptism as a “an act or a ceremony,” a bible dictionary takes it further and say it is “a public way of breaking with one’s past life and beginning a new one.” PUBLIC — it’s a public declaration, we tell the world and everyone who witnesses our baptism that WE SERVE JESUS! And if we serve a God of love, we should show love.  First to Him, then to other Christians, then to everyone else!

We have one God and Father of all — our God is not a normal God either, He’s not just a “god” who rules over people, He’s a God who calls us HIS CHILDREN. Okay, this one, even the world would agree — if we are all brothers and sisters, then DUHH we SHOULD be loving each other.

Last unnatural natural principle Paul gives us in Ephesians is this: We are called.

Our God is, again, not really the typical God. He calls us — He doesn’t force us into anything.

Going back to verse one, Paul says:

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” (Eph 4:1)

We received a call.

There are two different calls that we can pick out from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

1) We are called into loving Him and being His children — everyone is called to be His children, God wants us all to be saved.

Paul “urges us to live a life worthy of the calling,” simply put, he’s saying: You were called into salvation, now live like you have received it.

2) We, Saints, are called to different positions too.

Going back to the idea of Christians making up the body of Christ, we cannot ALL be eyes. Paul talks about this in his letter to another church — the one in Corinth. He says,

“If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” (1 Corinthians 12:17-20)

God did design our earthly bodies — He made us with a pair of eyes, a pair of ears, 4 limbs, a head, etc etc. So it’s just logical that He would want His body — the church — to be likewise.

That’s the second kind of call that Paul’s talking about. We are called to be different things. One body, many parts. 

He talks about 4 specific calls in verses 11-13 of chapter 4,

“So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ  may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:11-13)

In Paul’s other letters, he enumerates some more positions that God calls us to — not everyone is going to be called to be a prophet, an evangelist, a teacher, or an apostle —  but the idea is basically that we are called to different roles for the same purpose — to build up the Body of Christ until we all reach unity in the faith. 

What’s so unnatural about the idea of being called? Well, like any calls you make it can either be rejected or accepted.  Jesus is calling us into a love-relationship with Him. He’s calling everyone. But not everyone answers. Same thing too, us Saints, not all of us have answered His other call — some of us don’t even know what it is.

I wanna just end this with Paul’s own words:

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. — Remember that you are called, called to a relationship, called to a unified body, and called to service.

Saints, it’s time to pick up the “phone” and become naturally unnatural.

Morning, Dad

Morning, Dad!

Yeah. It’s 11:40AM and I’m just starting my day. Thanks for a wonderful schedule — Thanks for giving me Wednesdays off!

I want today to be different, Dad. I mean, sure, I don’t think anything has changed. But I guess that’s a good thing, a wonderful thing! The hope I have in You, the grace and love that’s ever so ready to take a hold of me IS ALL STILL HERE!

Sure. I still feel like crap. What can I say? Being trapped in the flesh has its downside. However, today I want to overcome. No emotion is stronger than You. No emotion is more powerful than Your joy, Your peace, Your comfort, and Your love. And today, I want to acknowledge that!

My circumstances haven’t changed. You know that. I still need help with the same things, I still am waiting for Your answers for certain stuff, etc. But today, I want to choose to simply look to You — the Author and Perfecter of MY FAITH!

It’s crazy how easy it actually is, once I get rid of how “life” gets in the way. You have the power to save me, and You gave it freely! Now all I have to do is RECEIVE! How easy is that?

Yes, Dad. Don’t worry. I won’t get caught up in any fairytale. I’ll simply be basking in Your abundant provisions.

Yes, Dad. I know. I do have to go through all these. It’s a process. It’s a journey. I need to grow. I need to learn. And I need these circumstances to keep me in check — to always make me conscious of You.

Honestly? I’m tired. You know that. But! I’m not running on my own strength — I’m running on YOURS! So I say, bring it on!

Help me, Dad. I want to live today focused on You. I want to accomplish things today. And I do not want to have a wandering and faltering heart today. Hold me on a short leash today. Keep me close. This wayward child needs his Father to keep him in check.

I’m learning. I’m taking things one day at a time. I’m taking today for today. And let tomorrow be something for tomorrow.

Dad, help me to trust in Your perfect plan. My head knows it, but my heart is wavering. Lord, let Your peace calm me down. For I know the plans You have for me. They’re awesome plans, and they’re awesome because they will come to pass in YOUR TIME, IN YOUR WAYS, and FOR YOUR GLORY. Help me keep that in mind — I mean, help me hold that to heart.

Hmmmm, idleness doesn’t please You. So, I’ll continue this prayer as I go about the things I have set today. Onto Our day, Dad!

In Jesus’ name I pray,
Amen!

Hunger, Dating, Food, and Love

Since 2013 started, I’ve been trying to reorganize a number of things in my life, and at the top of that list is devotion/quiet time with the Lover of my soul.

I’ve heard it all (more or less … probably less) from people saying it should be done daily, every other day, once a week, twice a week, thrice a week, once a month, thrice a month, once every two weeks, etc etc etc. And I think I’ve tried most of it too — daily, weekly, and irregularly.

Back to my knees for 2013: “Lord, tell me. How often should I be doing my quiet time?”

Answer came in clear, it’s not the how often it’s the why.

I used to think of daily devotions, bible reading, praying, and allotting specific quiet times for God as spiritual disciplines. Well, they really are. But doing them as a form of religious and traditional rituals will burn you out and would not really result into anything.

When I realized that Christianity was a love relationship, devo time became something you long for — not something you HAVE to do.

Over time, I came to think of doing quiet time and devotions as me “hanging out” or “going on a date” with Jesus Himself. Sure, it got me doing my daily devotions. It got me to give a lot of thought to what I was doing. Suddenly, reading the bible and praying were not religious acts anymore — they were simply me communing with my Heavenly Father.

I love this perspective. I love the idea of being in love with Love Himself. I always emphasize that Christianity is a love relationship and not a religion mainly because of this too. However, I found a downside to all these. Seeing my quiet time as a date with God made me not so keen about doing it. The more I focus on the idea of hanging out with God, the less I actually did. My human nature kicked in, it came with whispers saying: “You know how dates are about quality and not quantity? Well, same goes for your time with God. It’s about the quality of the time you spend with Him, not how much you actually have for Him.” Sure. There is some truth to that, but it drastically decreased my desire to spend time reading His word and quieting down before Him — from daily, I reduced it to once a week.

This morning I got reminded of another aspect of spending time with God; while it is about a love relationship and spending time with God, it’s also about being nourished and fed.

While having my late lunch today, I was SO hungry that while eating I prayed in my heart saying:

“Wow, Lord! Thanks for food and the comfort it brings — actually, scratch that! Thank You for hunger and for the ability to feel it and enjoy food because of it!” 

And then it hit me. Doing daily devotions and quiet time isn’t simply for spending time with God — it is actually more for US than it is for Him! I believe He wants us to be engaged in His word and in communion with Him daily for our feeding. We are no strangers to hunger, but often we are not sensitive to how hungry our souls are.

We do not neglect to eat (for the most part at least). But only a few of us are actually eating RIGHT. Eating the right food, in the right amounts, and on right times. I have a body-builder friend and here’s a status update I got from her FB page:

When I’m on diet, I am strictly on diet mode. I control and stay away from unhealthy food. I don’t go for crash diet for it will decrease my metabolism rate. I still eat but in moderation. … I am telling you now, I will not eat any food other than my home-cooked-packed meal. What I eat during the day is almost strictly calculated in grams in terms of carbohydrates, protein and fats.

–KMACL

It’s all about knowing what to eat and when to eat. A healthy person eats regularly, something like 6 SMALL meals spaced out evenly in the day. They eat often, but they watch what they eat and moderate what goes into their bodies. Same should go for our spiritual bodies: we should eat regularly, moderate what goes into our bodies, and ensure a healthy regimen. 

It’s not about ritualistically being righteous — I AM AGAINST THAT.

It’s about feeding ourselves regularly with the right kind of food: God’s word.

We should be eating regularly: we should be doing devotions regularly.

We should be eating right: we should always feed on God’s word — NO SUBSTITUTES!

God loves us, He proved that on the cross and on so many other occasions. Spending time with Him in bible reading, quiet time, and/or devotion time, is our way of loving Him back, letting Him love us more, and growing in Him.

AND! Most importantly!

Spiritual things (though are usually similar to natural, physical, and earthly things) operate differently — YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH TIME WITH GOD, TOO MUCH COMMUNION WITH HIM, OR TOO MUCH FEEDING FROM HIM.

Idolatry: Big word, small acts.

It’s January 4 — first Friday of 2013 — and God has already warned me of my idolatrous tendencies (or habits).

Listen to the Bible from 1 Kings 11:1-13

Solomon’s Wives

11 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. ² They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. ³ He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.⁴ As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. ⁵ He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁶ So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.

⁷ On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁸ He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

⁹ The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.¹⁰ Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command.¹¹ So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. ¹² Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. ¹³ Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

Solomon was the wisest man EVER, the Bible says so, and yet he wasn’t immune to his own humanity. Idolatry is such  a big word, no saint would wanna be labeled “idolatrous.” Yet, the smallest acts, desires, and emotional whims that we do, long for, and cherish embody the word “idolatry” fully.

I hate to admit it, and I hate to confront it even more, but I am probably the most idolatrous person I know. God knows that, and I guess that’s why early this year He’s already cautioning me about it.

That’s the hardest part. I already know it. Like Solomon, I also know of what God wants for me — not totally, but I know the generals well enough. I know of the commandment that says: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3) I know myself well enough to know which things I do are undeniably idolatrous. And like Solomon, I have talked about holding on to God’s commands.

He exclaims this in the presence of his people in 1 Kings 8: 56-61 and says,

⁵⁶ “Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel just as He promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises He gave through His servant Moses.⁵⁷ May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our ancestors; may He never leave us nor forsake us. ⁵⁸ May He turn our hearts to Him, to walk in obedience to Him and keep the commands, decrees and laws He gave our ancestors.⁵⁹ And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that He may uphold the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel according to each day’s need, ⁶⁰ so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other.⁶¹ And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by His decrees and obey His commands, as at this time.”

I’m afraid of how the future might be for me. I really am. Though I should not be, I have to admit I am. I may not be as wise as Solomon, but I am wise enough to see what He wants of me — an undivided heart. I am afraid that like Solomon, despite knowing these, I would still go my way and break His heart.

It makes me wanna put a different spin on the statement “He that is in me, is greater than he that is in the world.” Right now? I’m convicted to declare…

He that is in me is greater than he THAT IS ME.

I am my worst enemy. I bet a lot of you saints out there feel the same way. It’s not that the enemy’s lies are powerful, it’s not that they have power over us beyond what we can deal with — it’s that we have decided to listen to and cherish those lies.

The spirit is willing but the body in indeed weak. YET in all these? We have to remind ourselves that WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM WHO LOVED US .(Rom. 8:37)

By the cross, by Christ’s sacrifice, by His power, by His love, and ultimately by His grace — WE CAN OVERCOME.

I urge you saints to admit your idolatrous ways. Search within and see where you are weakest. AND COMMIT YOURSELF TO PRAYER. We have no power aside from that which is ours through Christ — and we need to tap into that power EVERY MOMENT of our lives. Do not underestimate the power of prayer, and do not discount the need for total humility and submission. In prayer, we surrender ourselves and submit to His power and call for His will to be done.

Don’t get me wrong, I am in no position to say I have totally overcome myself. Nor am I in any way better than any of you — remember, I am the prodigal saint, I have a wandering heart that strays way too often. I am talking to you as a brother who cautions and reminds you of what I have been reminded so that together we will overcome.

I guess what I’m trying to say is:

1) Idolatry is a serious issue we better deal with NOW.

2) I am battling it, and I need your prayer and support. 

Honestly, I am thankful for the reminder. Very early in the year God has already cautioned me. I pray that I can hold fast to this reminder though. I pray that His mercy and grace be ever with me as I battle it out with myself.

Just remember, saints, it’s not about being religious and ritually righteous. It’s about having a heart that seeks to love and build a relationship with our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ who came to seek and save us who were lost.

When the Father speaks

Son,

No. I am not happy. Yes, you have sinned against Me. And no, I wasn’t referring to all the laws and commands you’ve broken. I’m referring to you breaking My heart.

I have been with you all these years. I know what you know, not just because I am God, but because I taught you everything you know. I stood by you and sat beside you as you learned everything you know about Me, My word, and My creation. And yes, I am fully aware that all these are not new to you. But son, if anything, we both know you are stubborn. You can know things and still not know them.

Son, I am not happy because you have forsaken Me.

No, I do not care about all your sins. I do not care about them as much as I care about how you and I are.

Son, I am your Father. I do not need your service, I do not need your religious acts, I do not need your righteousness, and I definitely do not need your time. No, son, I only want your love.

I do not care about how much time you spend serving Me. I do not care about how much you know about Me. I do not care about how many songs you can sing for me. I do not care about how many days and hours you give up for Me. I do not care how much luxuries you lose because of following Me. I do not care about how you love Me, I just want you to.

Son, it’s not about working for Me, knowing Me, spending time with Me, and not even serving Me — IT’S ABOUT BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP WITH ME. 

No, you DON’T get it.

I do not want you focused on distancing yourself from the world — I want you focused on drawing closer to ME.

I do not want you focused on how much time you spend with Me and how you spend it — I want you focused on wanting to spend time with Me and actually doing so.

I do not want you focused on how you are to overcome your lusts and weaknesses — I want you focused on how much I love you, how powerful that love is, and how free you are just because I am your Father.

I do not want you focused on building relationships with My other children — I want you focused on how I make relationships for My glory and for your good. 

No, son, I do not want another worshiper to give me lip-service and shower Me with offerings. I want a son who loves Me and does all that out of love.

I’ve given you this statement months back: Ministry is simply the overflow of your love relationship with Me. It is never an end goal in itself. 

What happened to the “Ivan” who took note of that and posted it a few times on the internet?

What happened to the son of mine who wrote down “True humility is not about self-pity — it’s about SIMPLY ACCEPTING what He says and sees in you” after hearing it on the radio?

You’re called the prodigal saint for a reason. Because you have experienced firsthand what MY love feels like. I go running to embrace you EVERY single TIME you come back to Me. I shower you with kisses and hugs every time you come back up from the pig pens. I reinstate you every time you forget your status as MY SON. I give you authority and clothe you with My righteousness every time you forget that I have done it all on the cross. I give you everything that is Mine every time you lose all that you thought you had.

I, My son, am your Alpha and Omega — I am your Dad.

AND. I love you.

Love,

Your Heavenly Father