New thoughts

So sorry for not blogging for such a long time... I guess for the longest time ever I've been so caught up in my own life... Honestly I dunno what has gotten into me or what has changed me but I guess when I try to focus on God, God is never not there waiting for me...

I guess the 1st turning point is:

1. The Blind Side (A movie)

This movie seriously touched me. It reminded me again that there is more to life than chasing for that perfect job, those perfect grades... I've really been engulfed by the world... by SMU... I need time off... more time to think about my life... how to give my best in school for God, and not for myself, and not for the world.

Well, to backtrack a little to the movie, in case some of you have not watched it. I shall not say too much as well, in case I say too much and spoil the experience of those who are still intending to catch this movie for the first time.

Well basically the part that touched me most was the fact that this Christian family stuck to their principles, lived with the mockery that was given to them, and challenged social stigma. All this trust for a stranger, who had a bad record of leaving his foster families. Also, this family is one that I can relate to. Their children couldn't care less about their comfort, and they took many things for granted. However, somehow, when this family, in particular the mom, decided to take the stranger in, both parties benefited. Their children grew in maturity, and their parents learned to stand up for their Christian principles. More importantly, this family showed how they used their blessings to bless others. It's so unfair that people like us have the right/option to take things for granted whilst there are people out there who have nothing to take granted for, except maybe their own lives. Sigh, I promise to God and I pray and I hope that I will use all the blessings He has given me to bless those around me, and not to benefit myself.

2. Sermons

I need to prepare for Singspiration this Sunday. I thank God for giving me the courage to continue to try to place Him first despite having an inaugural 5 exams this sem. I pray that I will use time wisely and finish my exams. At the same time, I have a good break from the routine of school lessons and have more time to do my QT as well. :)

From John Piper's website,

(http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/the-word-of-god-living-active-sharp)

The Deceiving Power of Sin

Notice three things here.

In verse 12 the danger day in and day out is that an evil, unbelieving heart would lead us away from God. Unbelief is the issue. The issue is failure to trust God's promises.
Then (in verse 13) notice that something like small groups is essential: "Encourage one another day after day." So you get your small group involved. You need their help. Why?
That's the third thing: the way our hearts become unbelieving (verse 12) is by being "hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (verse 13). We need help to keep from being deceived by sin. How are we going to be rescued from the deceiving power of sin? How can small groups help? How can we help?
That's what today's text in Hebrews 4:12 is meant to answer. The Word of God is living and active and penetrates to the bottom of our lives and rips the pleasant mask off the ugly face of sin. The only reason anybody sins is because at some level they are (culpably) deceived. They start believing the lies of sin instead of the promises of God.

Sin whispers through the desires of the flesh and the rationalizations of the mind, your only hope of future happiness is to have an abortion. It whispers that you will not have a chance in the future if you don't cheat on this test. It says that you won't be noticed and liked if you don't dress provocatively. It says you will lose the one person who seems to care for you if you don't compromise your sexual standards. It says you won't have job security if you speak up about the dishonest practices at work. It says your life will be wasted in this relationship if you don't get a divorce. It says that only a fool would go on looking weak instead of getting some kind of revenge.

Every one of those statements is a lie. It's what Hebrews 3:13 calls "the deceitfulness of sin." Now those lies sometimes lodge themselves very deep in the heart as thoughts and intentions that seem unshakably true because of the hardness of deception that encloses them like a dark, sealed casket. In that condition unbelief has the upper hand. We are not believing in the promises of God, we are trusting in the promises of sin. And we are in mortal danger of becoming so hard that repentance will become impossible (Hebrews 6:6), and heaven will have been thrown away for the sake of a few fleeting pleasures, like an inheritance sold for a bowl of stew (Hebrews 12:16).

How Will We Escape the Deceit of Sin?

What is our only hope? Our only hope is that there is something sharp enough and powerful enough to penetrate through all the deception and shed light on my thoughts and intentions. And that's what our text is about in Hebrews 4:12. The Word of God is our only hope. The good news of God's promises and the warnings of his judgment are sharp enough and living enough and active enough to penetrate to the bottom of my heart and show me that the lies of sin are indeed lies.

Abortion will not create a wonderful future for me. Neither will cheating, or dressing provocatively, or throwing away my sexual purity, or keeping quiet about dishonesty at work, or divorce, or vengeance. And what rescues me from this deception is the Word of God. The Word of God's promise is like throwing open a great window of bright morning sun on the shiny-back roaches of sin masquerading as satisfying pleasures in our hearts.

In other words, I see Hebrews 4:12 as a tremendous encouragement coming after verse 11. Be diligent to enter God's rest by fighting off the disobedience of unbelief. Why? Because (verse 12) God has given you his good news (verse 2), his promises, his Word to protect you from the deep deceptions of sin that try to harden the heart and lure it away from God and lead it to destruction. Be of good cheer in your battle to believe. Because the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword and it will penetrate deeper than any deception of sin has ever gone and reveal what is truly valuable and what is truly worth trusting.

And so we end this message at a point of crisis. You have heard the Word of God. Much has been exposed to your own conscience this morning. And now as verse 13 says, "no one is hidden from God's sight; but all things are open and laid bare before his eyes." His gaze is upon you. What will you do with what he has exposed, and what he now is watching?

I hope the answer is: turn from the deceptive promises of sin, and trust in the all-satisfying promises of God.

I need to turn from the deceptiveness of sin. My heart has been hardened to sin. I've been so numbed to it then I don't even realize the predicament I'm in. Lord, please help me to stay focused on you. And I pray that I can do this with my brothers and sisters in Christ.

3. On Politics

Somehow, I've become more interested in politics. I guess one is Pei En's influence, which led me to taking a module called Economics of Politics. After finishing the course, I learn to appreciate the complexity in politics a little more, and tonight I actually caught a political forum on TV. I was eagerly anticipating to watch it actually after seeing it on an advertisement. Well, the oppositions parties sort of disappointed but I was really quite impressed by the abilities of our Finance Minister, in particular his clarity of thought and sharpness of delivery.

My friend then pasted me a link on someone's view of the PAP and some of the issues that might be less well-known. If you want to you can read it at this website: http://yaevlejunce.wordpress.com/2009/12/12/my-vote-counts-10-reasons-why-i-cannot-vote-for-the-pap-in-the-next-election/ Somehow, this website led me to think about the bigger issues in life.

It has reminded me that life is not that simple. That we should never be complacent about the things happening around us. We are shallow beings. Our knowledge and experiences are limited to 5 senses. We are unable to appreciate the complexities and difficulties going on around us when we do not actually experience them. Typing in front of my laptop and focusing on my blog makes me forget about the unrest in Middle East, the pains in Japan, the problems of Social Security systems in US, the large fiscal debts in Europe, and so on. My exams make me forget about everything else. Lord, please forgive me for my inactions and my sins.

I am really convinced that God wants to use me for something meaningful. I need to stop doing things that are menial, and prepare and hone myself for bigger things to be used by God.

That's all for now... hopefully I can start blogging more :)