Enjoyment

It has been a while ever since I last posted anything on this blog, things however, have happened at the rate I couldn’t keep up with in jotting them down in this blog.

Preoccupation with work. It hasn’t been that smooth all along, lots of new things to learn, new habits to be formed. Sometimes, I would wake up thinking do I have to go to work today, and it has only been 2 months, thinking yesterday, since I started on this new job.

A couple of things have been laid aside, undone. One of them is the book “Intercessory Prayer”, which I had only read and digested 3 chapters. Others include meeting often with friends. And updating this blog and also reading the blogs of others. I hope to keep up with these pursuits soon.

I have been pretty involved in church though, attending every sunday service if I am not on call, on top of that I will attend the monthly prayer meeting and also my cell group meeting, all these being possible only when I’m not on call. Some things have changed in the cell group. More help. More ideas. And all these have definitely brought more excitement, laughter and enjoyment. We have a new meeting place which is very accessible, with dinner provided before we start cell group, a new bible study teacher who is my aunt, and also we do intercessory prayer in groups before we start worshipping and devoting into study of the Word of God.

I have re-journeyed into reading and foot reflexology too. Bit by bit. And I do enjoy. Yes, really.

Disappointments, love and wishes

There were 2 disappointing events this week. The first came on wednesday, when I was supposed to meet my cousin on wednesday for a movie “The empress and his warriors”, but it turned out he couldn’t make it at the last minute due to the emergence of a meeting. The movie plan was postphoned to friday. Then on friday, which is today, we finally watched it but it turned out to be really a flop – we kept laughing at Kelly Chen for her unnatural facial expressions in the show. The story was very badly written as well.

On this day, I talked to this friend about “love”. I asked him: “ What is love to you?” He said its a feeling. I questioned him and asked: ” There must be actions which led to the feelings right, and what are those actions to you?” His answer was: ” I have not really felt love before, so since I never really felt love how could I possibly know what brings love?” 

Love, has been explicitly spelt out in the bible in 1 corinthian 13 which is a well known chapter. Let’s just take the first description – love is patient. Lets say when we are being taught by a teacher on a subject, and the teacher raised his frustrated voice at us when we couldn’t answer his questions or contrary, the teacher patiently guided us to the correct answer, which is love? An act of patience is an act of love which will produce loving feelings. Think about it – the description in 1 corinthian 13 are acts which creates love as a feeling. Is love around in your cell group? Is your cell group filled with actions of love that the love aroma suffuse and saturate the cell?

Lastly, I received an sms from a youth in church, she asked - if you had 3 wishes what would they be? For me, they are – To be healthy, to enjoy living the life I was given by God and lastly to be able to glorify God with this life. What are your wishes then?

The believers’ lifestyle

For many young people of my age, being a full-fledged graduate would mean stepping out into the society to look for a job and start earning your keep. Following this, there would be a drastic change in the lifestyle when you stepped out to work. Recently, I had been in touch with a friend who had just started working in a new company and she savoured the opportunity to fly overseas instantaneously to work. 

For the past few months, I have found myself attending a Senior youth cell group where many of this category of young adults are gathering and meeting once a week. Apart from the regularity of meeting, there isn’t much thing excitement and support; active devotion to God’s words, sharing our lives, possessions, and most importantly interceding for the each and everyone through prayer. I knew that must be something being mentioned in the Book of ACTS about living together as a believers and so I came to ACTS 2:42-47.

When I read this passage, I see that the meeting of the believers was very spontaneous and natural. It didn’t require much coordinating and attendance taking, seeing who’s present and who’s not, no hassle to find someone to lead the bible study, and so definitely no trouble for the person to start to pray or sing praises to God. It was an activity so imbued into each and everyone of the believers that they found joy in doing so, everyday, and overtime, it became a “lifestyle”.

I first associate cell group gathering with “lifestyle” when I took on my new job; then I had to adapt to a new environment. From a 9-6pm idyllic period at home, now I had to undertake tasks from my boss at work; from a peaceful sleep at night, now I had to anticipate calls and rush off to hospitals in the middle of the night. It was a siege, an arduous thing that could happen. To find respite and comfort from work, I started going to my aunt’s place regularly for homecooked food and prayer after that. When situations are tough and not to our liking, the first thing that we usually stop is prayer, so when you are not wanting to pray, all the more you will need someone to pray for you.

Eventually, this became a “lifestyle”. Now, I look forward to going to my aunt’s place every week after work to eat my most favourite home-cooked foods. Afterwards, we’ll pray together. I looked forward to it. What is your “lifestyle” like? Maybe it’s going home after work to face a computer again playing some stimulation game, or it may be reading a book enjoying the thrill of the suspense the writer has provided. Whatever it is, I see that activity as something that is so incorporated into your life that it is your ”lifestyle” or “style of life”.

And what about the believers then? They loved to meet up, to the extent, everyday. They meet up in the houses of other believers, devoting themselves to the apostles’ teachings - how I wish the thing we craved today is the preaching and hearing of God’s words and applying it to our lives! And also the fellowship. To the breaking of bread and to prayer. How many of us dread going to prayer meeting or have a regular prayer life that we intercede for people other than ourselves? The believers became so knitted that my possessions are not mine but yours too. We share. And thank our Father for his favour on us.

The Lord added to their numbers daily those we were being saved, and many others soon had this “lifestyle”. Has the meeting together with other believers become your “lifestyle”?

My burden; our burden

Gal 6:2-5

2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

4 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else,

5 for each one should carry his own load.

Have you ever once felt that your brothers and sisters in church only cared about their own business and have no time to mind your business? 2 years ago, I mentioned to a brother that I think this is commonplace in a meritocratic society like Singapore which is fast-paced and individualistic. However, we are indeed taught in the Bible we should mind our own business. In 1 Thessalonians 4:11,12  it says – make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. In Galatians 6:5, it says for each one should carry his own load. So, let us learn to do our own work and take pride and be contented in it, not comparing ourself with another person who has his own work to do. One practical way is to have an organiser and tick off the tasks you have achieved which gives you a sense of satisfaction for that day.

However, we must not neglect Gal 6 verse 2 which says “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Does it sound enigmatic; why verse 5 says to carry your own load but verse 2 says to carry each other’s burdens? It does not. For in verse 2 it means “heavy burdens” – those that are more than one person to carry; while in verse 5 it means your “pack”. In verse 2, Paul refers to helping christians , sharing their load whenever temptations oppress or life depresses them. Love being the fulfillment of law that is stated as the new commandment (John 13:34). Therefore, we should burden ourselves with mutual sympathy as well.

Two things may hinder mutual sympathy

• Conceit; thinking yourself more highly and important than others (Gal 6:3; Romans 12:3) and thus refusing to bear another’s burdens. This is self-deception as measured by God’s standards, no one amounts to anything.
• Comparing your works with the works of others; positive sense (“I’m happy I’m doing better than they are”) and negative sense (“I’m unable to do anything; everyone else is much better”)

To end off, I would like to use an analogy to illustrate this lesson. As you all know, my extended family and I are going to Japan from tomorrow. My aunt will be bringing along her friend who has weak knees and this friend required the use of a wheelchair. To facilitate this, my aunt reduced her luggage to just a backpack instead of a pull-luggage and backpack which most of us will be bringing; she said this will enable her to take care of her friend in wheelchair. I have to praise my aunt for her love for her friend. During this trip, not only has she to carry her own load (backpack) but also to bear her friend’s burden (moving in wheelchair).

I thank God for the people, friends and family, who bore my burdens while i was in bondage of sins and depression. I will be adding this new thing I have learnt to my prayer list and year-end reflection. 

In the next post, I will write on Gal 6:1 for the cell group category. It’s about restoration of a person who has sinned. Personally, I was very hurt by how this was done in a previous christian gathering I have joined. What is the most appropriate way?

At the end of the year 08, reflect – Have I taken pride in carrying my own load and also bear the burdens of other people. 

Finding grace and the presence of God in nicks and notches in small groups

Before the commencing of the Senior Youth cell group of Grace Jubilee Centre on 13 Feb 08, I came across an article written by the Sovereign Grace Ministries headed by CJ Mahaney which I thought would be a appropriate and uplifting reminder for each and every senior youth attending the cell group this year. 

We have often looked at what’s missing in the small group – enthusiasm, concern for one another, fervency of God’s words, obedience to the truth; seldom have we seen that in nicks and notches in the small group, the presence of God and his grace is evidently in the believers, how he worked unexpectedly and in increasing measure to build up the believers or carry the believers through by his grace the everyday struggles – praise the Lord!

Let us practise to abound more in love and faith as we poise to correct a brother or sister in sin. Read Perceiving God’s Work.