S is for Scripture

Wassup world, it's been a while, what with me running all over the place. Anyways, I received an epiphany a couple of days ago, rather oddly on a trip to Genting. Guess enlightenment occurs when you least expect it. =P

The Bible is one of the main pillars of Christianity (the other being tradition in the case of Catholics and maybe Anglicans? Not too sure about that one), and is in fact so highly valued that some denominations even embrace a policy of Sola Scriptura, which literally means that their faith is purely derived from the Holy Scripture. Such is the importance of the Bible. And although as Catholics, we place equal importance on the tradition and the Scripture, the Bible always seems to be the more neglected of the two, and we really ought to work hard to change this.

A common misperception (well at least I'm hazarding a guess here) would be that the Bible is boring. But this is not the case, not at all! I guess people tend to associate reading the Bible with starting from one cover and reading to the other, in continuous prose. Which would, actually give a fairly chronological tale of the events starting from the Creation leading to the Second Coming. This in itself isn't too bad. However, the problem lies in the 3 books coming after Exodus -- Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy -- which, being packed with much technical detail, are rather difficult books to begin with. I personally experienced this -- It was the reason why I stopped reading the Bible for the first time.

However, there is no dire need to read the Bible in a chronological order. Why? This is simply because the Bible was never intended to be a history book. What use might it be to us to know how many years, for example, the Hebrews spent wandering in the desert? Or how many lepers Jesus cleansed? These details are only of use to us insofar as we comprehend their significance and apply them to our own lives so as to become better Christians. Hence, an easier way to read the Bible might be to start with books such as Paul's letters, which are much more easily applicable to daily living, being less filled with the nitty gritties. And once we begin to experience the change by meditating upon these scriptures, reading the Bible, even the difficult books, suddenly becomes a whole lot easier.

Thus I shall expound on what, to me, is so important about reading and meditating upon the Bible on a regular basis. It is none other than the fact that, as mentioned above, the Bible helps us to become better Christians. Consider this -- There is only so much tradition can teach, about the Christian way of life, the good, the bad and the ugly (Clint Eastwood anyone?). Purely by tradition alone, there is no way we can fully know and comprehend the Lord's promises, his sacrifices and deeds. There is no way we can tell what is sinful and what is not when it comes to daily living. Yes, even masturbation and porno are mentioned -- Go check out Galatians 5:19-21. Thus the Bible forms THE basis and foundation of our faith. And without this, how prone will our faith be to collapse! And so we are all the more inclined to build our houses on rock rather than sand. Yes, even that was taken from the Bible.

So what then, was the epiphany I received? It came in the form of a Bible verse, Isaiah 48:1. And after reflecting upon this verse I came to realize that unlike what I had previously thought, my faith was never strongest in times of need -- It was strongest when I read the Scripture on a regular basis, something I have neglected for a while. It just so happens to be that I read the Bible most regularly during my times of distress. And because of that it became a hollow shell, a false faith. The Lord knew of all this before I even thought about it. He tried to tell me, but I just couldn't comprehend it. And so he was forced to take drastic measures. Curious to find out what I mean? Just read Isaiah 48:1... It isn't too pleasant, but it is a wake up call. So from today onwards, I shall make it a point to reflect upon the Scripture regularly, and daily if possible. And I hope that YOU do so, too! =)

Amen.

Victory Praise

OH MAN! 18th YISS - Awesomest experience, ever. Learning how to worship and glorify GOD through service, learning to make praise and worship not just an aspect of my life, but MY LIFE. The Lord spoke to me so many times that I feel that I just have to share some of these..

"Why are you relying on your own strength? Time to rely instead on MY strength."

"The people in darkness have seen a great light" (The first verse I read in the Bible on the second day before healing).

It's just so awesome seeing others transformed... After experiencing my own transformation, I found that there is no greater joy than seeing the Lord touch the lives of others through my service and the service of the team. Even if only one person had been transformed, I'd have called it a job well done. Praise the Lord peeps. =)

Day 0

Recently I experienced a minor crisis of faith... Why? Because for some time now, I've been acting by my own strength and let my spiritual tank leak. Time to rely on God's strength... Then I can break free of all barriers and limitations of human weakness.

"Have faith! For I am here." I was uncertain at first, but now that I know, it's gonna be alright!

=D