Thursday, January 21, 2010

s.i.g.n.s

I think this is the second time on the last one year, my best friend reminded me, that there is no how to in giving signs, it will naturally come from within. As a girl, oh yeah, the only thing we need to do is to wait. But most my guy friends would add, that we, girls got to give signs too. Otherwise, well, they will be clueless.. hmmm..

And, it's just yesterday, I realized, that I actually did. Never knew I would act that way. Yes, it came naturally from within. I didn't plan anything. And.. I am very conservative. I am glad, that I still have the feeling, feeling that I've wanted for a really long time! haha!~! I thought I had died inside. Well maybe I did~ But I am alive again.

I am hoping that this story will have a happy ending.. really~! Well .. we'll see..

I am so excited, yet really calm ... never imagined I could be this calm really..
I worry about the five minutes or five days or five years ahead. Or I look over my shoulder and say, "boy, that was great back there" or "I should have done this back there. But I'm really trying to learn the importance of showing up in the moment - the good ones, the hard ones, the happy ones, the sad ones - every single moment. I want to try to be engaged in these moments in between. That's why I wrote "cinderella" as a reminder to myself. I hope it encourages you do to the same. - steven curtis chapman-

Monday, January 18, 2010

To be a christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. - C.S. Lewis -

Thursday, January 14, 2010

All the water in all the oceans cannot sink a ship unless it gets inside. Nor can all the trouble in the world harm us unless it gets within us.
" The Lord will keep you from all evil. " Psalm 121

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

"Let a man set his heart only on doing the will of God and he is instantly free. No one can hinder him." - A.W. Tozer

"The beautiful thing about this adventure called faith is that we can count on Him never to lead us astray." - Charles Swindoll

how do we do "it"?

(from my fb notes, Jan 12th 2010)

I spent my new year’s eve alone in a hotel room. My roommate had slept. I surely wanted to do something to welcome this year that is pretty important to me. I am becoming 25, as most of us are too. I expect myself to do lot better, to be much better than I have already been. I grabbed a pen, and a piece of paper. I started to write things. I was surprised for not remember much of 2009. Wow, that’s so not me.


I continued writing 2010 resolutions. It wasn’t easy. It was all dark. I really couldn’t see anything. There are 3 major things that I have been struggling a lot ‘til now. And this 2010, I know I will keep struggling too. I really prayed, “Lord, please answer my pray. I am tired. I want this year to be different. I want to get the answers.“ My tears fell. I was scared and worried. I felt helpless. At that solitude time with Him, He reminded me how he had been faithful to me. How he had never left me alone. How he had always been there for me. I smiled and could feel His love. I believe he will lead me one step at a time, especially to deal with those 3 major things.

One of them is my ministry.

And yeah, He is faithful in answering prayers. He spoke to me through Pastor Victor Liu at church, book I read (a woman after God’s own heart by Elizabeth George), and devotionals from Godly women during my quite time these days.

He reminded me at the first place, why I serve Him? He is the reason I serve, and I serve for Him.

He also reminded me the basic principles that lead to fruitful ministries:

1. Motivation : our love to Jesus.
When we have a heart for God we have a heart for ministry. The two go hand in hand. When Jesus captured a life, healed a sick body or soul or mind, the recipient of those blessings invariably began to minister. Only on two occasions did Jesus have to tell them to do so. When Jairus daughter was brought back from the dead, Jesus told her parents to "give her something to eat" (Mark 5:43) , and when the Lord appeared first to Mary Magdalene after his resurrection, he told her to go tell the disciples that she had seen the Lord (John 2:17-18)
When we meet the Master, ministry naturally follows. Jesus forgave a sinful woman "her many sins", and she began to love him much (Luke 7:47). Having been forgiven much, we begin to love much, and ministry is the natural outcome.
Martha and Mary, greatly loved by Jesus, loved him back by serving Him, each in her own way. The mother of the disciple James, along with others, served the Lord by preparing His body to burial (Luke 24:10), while Joanna supported Jesus out of her own means (Luke 8:3). Even the woman at the well, having met Jesus, began at once to share her discovery with the people in her town. (John 4:28-29)
We do not need to twist arm once we have had a personal encounter with the Christ of Galilee. Ministry is not then a maybe - it's a must.

2. Excellence.
Do our best with what God has given us.
Remember the parable of talents? Which one are we?
Have we fully used or are we fully using, even developing, the gifts and talents He has entrusted to us? Are we hiding what He gave us in fear of messing up?
It is easy to think we are not good enough or that we are undeserving of God's gifts. Our negative thoughts take us captive, leading us to believe we would reflect poorly upon our Lord if we dared to multiply and grow what He has given us.
Or maybe, we still look and try to find what our spiritual gifts we’ve been given.
Theologian Charles Caldwell Ryrie mentioned in his book Balancing the Christian Life, three of spiritual gifts probably all Christians could have and use if they WOULD. They are ministering, giving, and showing mercy (Romans 12:7-8).
- Serving is sometimes called helps or ministering: “It is the basic ability to help other people, and there is no reason why every Christian cannot have and use this gift.”
- Mercy is next: “Showing mercy is akin to the gift of ministering and involves succoring those who are sick or afflicted. “
- Giving is another ministry you and I could and should be involved in : “Giving is the ability to distribute one’s own money to others, and it is to be down with simplicity which means with no thought of return or gain for oneself in anyway. “

3. JOY
The joy of the Lord is our strength.
The more we rejoice in the Lord, the more we serve effectively.
Though sometimes we do our weekly routine in serving Him, do it as it’s our last chance without complaining. Don’t take it for granted.

4. Sacrifice
There is a price to be paid.

I was recharged and refreshed!

I believe there will be more God wants me to learn this year and hopefully to share with all of you. Yupz, He leads you and me one step at a time. He led me a step already. I am looking forward for His answers, yet I believe in His perfect time. I wait.

He will fight for us

(from my fb notes, Jan 8th 2010)

psalm 37:7a
be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for Him to act.

i've been asking Him what it is to be still, and what it is to wait.
how can i be? why should i?
i am anxious.. i doubt.. i am worried..i am impatient.
i've wondered, Lord..what u're gonna act?

then,
at a very sweet moment, He reminded me a history i've been told and remembered for a very long time..
the Red Sea.

i can't imagine if i had been in an israelite position... nor moses.
They were trapped. "They were terrified and cried out to the LORD" (Exodus 14:10). BUT GOD! God was on time for the miracle show. He had a plan. He made a way. Nothing is too difficult for God!
"Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today...The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still" (Exodus 14:13). God purposed this extravagant rescue for His glory.

and we know exactly, how the story ended..

The Israelites were saved, and Pharaoh's army was destroyed - all under the watchful eyes of the LORD.

God wanted to be glorified through a seemingly impossible situation. He wants to be glorified through the difficult situations that we face, too. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) When we stand with Christ, we stand with power.
When we set aside our doubts and call on the name of the LORD, we can face the waters of our circumstances with a strong confidence, knowing that God is able and willing to do great things in and through us.

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." (Isaiah 43:1-3)

so, He answered me :
The Lord will fight for me; I need only to be still..

i will be still

(from my fb notes, Dec 2nd 2009)

Talking about listening and following my heart...
I actually heard it said something this morning, at least my heart agreed with this song..
My heart jumped and pretty much was alive again ... Alive means starting to feel that I want to cry though.

Yeah, what I need now is to be still ...
I was tired being tired, being disappointed and wondering why. tired to trust and not trust anybody. tired of walking alone.

Hide me now
Under your wings
Cover me
within your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know his power
In quietness and trust

Yet, I still think nothing I can do now.... Just be still.. and know He is God, He is with me no matter what. He is there when I feel I could use a friend. There when I need someone to talk, to share my heart. There for me to trust.

I will be still and know you are God.

sweet reminder

(from my fb notes, Sep 18th 2009)

It's a sweet reminder for me today and l want to share it with all of you.
God reminded me today how precious I am in His eyes, and how He wants to use my life to reflect His glory which has been my desire for all these years.

That was God's purpose to create us to bring back the glory for Him.
I took it from a book : " God's aim, therefore, was that man would so act that he mirror forth God, who has ultimate dominion. Man is given the exalted status of image bearer not so he would become arrogant and autonomous (as he tried to do in the fall), but so he would reflect the glory of his Maker whose image he bears. God's purpose in creation, therefore, was to fill the earth with his own glory. "

So, how is it to acknowledge God's glory on a daily basis?
My tendency is to view God as mainly Someone who helps, comforts, and guides, which He does, but my worship and adoration of Him is sporadic and shallow in comparison to who He really is. In our busy time each day, sometimes we forget to worship Him.. Or maybe we even forgot that we are called and saved to worship Him.. I sometimes did!
We sometimes forget that a vital part of our relationship with God was to acknowledge and worship His majestic glory.

I am glad that He is very faithful, as I've cried these days wanting to please Him with my life, He reminded me that the simple thing He always wants from me is just to worship Him.

So, if we've been so busy with our daily things. Let's take a bit of time to remember what God's main purpose in our lives : to glorify and worship Him.
(For all of you in Indonesia, yaaay..we got at least a week holiday).

"Because whatever you do, eating or drinking or anything else, everything should be done to bring glory to God."
1 Corinthians 10:31.

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. " Titus 2:11-14

God bless you, my beloved ones.
Menantilah dengan sabar.
Mungkin anda memberi waktu kepada Allah untuk mempersiapkan, bukan diri anda, tetapi kekasih anda.
Biarkanlah bapa surgawimu melengkapi pekerjaanNya saat pria lajangmu tidak terganggu. Masalah-masalah dalam kehidupan seseorang yang diselesaikan pada saat lajang, membatasi stress dan kesulitan yang tidak perlu pada pernikahannya nantinya.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:16