I have been absorbing in more than ever before!
Absorb what?
1) Studies
2) Some enlightenments in life by the Holy Spirit
I guess i lost my focus and panicked a little for my studies... because i still have much revision left to complete and the exam's tomorrow. Sigh, it keeps revolving around the same problems... Time management, lack of self-discipline, procrastination.
The promise was actually hard to keep... But i will give my best, all the way, even if it's now... I shall not give up! I shall look to God. No worldly trouble can crush faith. Because God is bigger than that!
Give me a serene heart and wisdom God, so that i can concentrate on my revision for the remaining days to come. I pray this prayer for everyone who is stressed up too.
Anyway, i was reading the bible (i didn't go to church today so i decided to do my own quiet time at home) and i've been enlightened by the bible's definition of love more than ever.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7:
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
I guess i could explain it in a way like this. If you love yourself, you'd want people to give you the basic respect. You'd want your views and opinions to be heard. If you love yourself... you wouldn't let things hurt you so easily etc etc., is that right?
In the same way, if you love others, you need to make them feel loved. And therefore to first give them the respect, you need to be patient. Don't hear, but listen to what they have to say. You respect their decisions. You don't go about rebutting everything that is disagreeable.
For hearing is with the ears but listening is with the heart.
Love does not envy. Just because your partner has more attention than you at a party for example doesn't give you the excuse to feel jealous. Just because your friend gets to have everything she wants doesn't make you any better by being envious of her. Shouldn't you be happy instead if you claim that you love them?
For what's theirs will be yours. Their blessings can touch your lives. I think it's wrong to say that you love a person when you don't want the person to be happy. It just doesn't make any sense. @.@;;
Let me move on now. I want to talk about my misguided conception which i found out just yesterday night before i slept.
After i experienced my salvation from God, i've always had this thinking in my mind that i have to read the bible, go to church and pray before i sleep at night. Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that! In fact, it's good. I was very passionate about it.
But as time goes by, i began to lose the passion. And i stopped going for CG, i did inconsistent prayers at night... and also, i fell asleep in front of my bible while attempting to read it. Hahaha... yeah, and all these bad habits accumulated inside of me, causing me to feel condemned because i felt that i wasn't being a good Christian and i didn't love God since i couldn't do basic things like these. I felt that i sinned badly.
Then i confessed my guilt and feeling of condemnation to Bjorn one day. And he told me that Jesus didn't die on the cross so that i would feel condemned. On the contrary, HE died for us so that we can live a life free of condemnation from sin, so that we could concentrate on loving Him and recognise His grace, love and mercy.
It was then that i realised the devil has been causing me to feel guilty which restricts me from showing my love to God but instead, to keep wallowing in negative thoughts.
I could feel more of God's love ever since.
Don't feel condemned because of your past. Your past has already been forgiven 2000 years ago on that tree. Love keeps no record of wrongs!
But be careful not to be misguided by this. Let me explain further...
Just yesterday, i was telling a friend that i wouldn't be going to church because i had too much revision to do. And he rebutted me saying that i should go to church because it shows that even with a heavy workload, i am willing to spend time with God in a community. And that will please God.
I immediately argued saying that "But Jesus didn't die on the cross for us to feel bad just because we don't go to church!"
So you see, it is true that you should not feel condemned. Only Jesus sees what's in your heart and only He can judge you. Not the people at church, not your friends, not your family. This is very important. Don't take for granted what He has done on the cross for you to use as a weapon for arguement.
Are you guilty of it?
Blogged @ 11:13 AM
