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Worshipping More Than Just the Lord Alone?

I’m not sure how many of you feel this way, but I’ve begun to find myself increasingly thinking about studying/working when I’m doing my daily devotionals, or when I’m in church. I find myself calculating how much time I need to finish studying for a particular topic, and counting down the time before I can leave and continue studying. Worship and prayer have unfortunately become things that are “time consuming” and “unnecessarily long”. Strangely enough, I only find myself thinking this way when I’m in church, and not when i’m doing other things such as reading product reviews online.

Perhaps this is similar to the summary of Israel’s relationship with God right before they were exiled from the promised land into Assyria. Having been warned not to forget their covenant with God not to worship other Gods, they “would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did”. (2 Kings 17:38-41)

Many of us are active in our own churches, some more than others. Yet in the midst of our church service and activities, we may feel like our spiritual walks are dry, and that we are far from God. We find ourselves unable to focus on God even when we are in church, or when we are doing our daily devotions. We think to ourselves: “I’ve got no time for devotions/prayer group/church today, I’ve got to study”. We feel that ultimately, it is our work that will bring us salvation.

Let us learn from Israel’s lessons, and to break down the numerous idols that exist in our lives. Let us worship the Lord alone.

In our daily struggle to break down our idols, we are encouraged by the words of the Apostle Paul: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith”. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

We are assured that, by looking to the person of Jesus, and trusting in His strength alone, He will give us the grace to break free from our worship of worldly things, and be transformed from the inside out.

Three Thoughts: Singapore Duathlon

Hi Everyone :)

The Singapore Duathlon was my first multisport race in several years (since 2012), and I had previously trained for the event using a generic training plan found on triradar.com, until the event was postponed due to the haze. In between, I started training with COACH, and my first training plan was geared towards this race :) I had set a target of 1h 30mins (based on the median timing of last year's race). I was glad to have met my target, finishing at 1:16:03!

Here are three thoughts from my race. Sorry there are no pictures because I didn't want to pay to purchase the finishers pic photos haha.

1. Pacing played a large part in my race. I started off the first run trying to keep my HR at the high S / low MH range. I had started the race at the rear of the pack (more on that later), and due to my intentional holding back (my pace averaged at 5:45/km on the first run), I was one of the slowest runners in the category. Looking at the people in front of me was rather demoralising, but being able to consistently overtake people subsequently certainly felt better than being overtaken myself! I was able to do a good cycle and a decent second run (avering a 5:37/km pace) and ultimately met my race targets and finished in a decent position in my category. However, looking back, I wonder if I could still have pushed myself a little harder for the first run.

2. Pre-race prep could have been better. Part of the reason I started the back of the pack at the starting line was because I made a mistake with my start time. I was somehow convinced that my wave started at 10.10am, when it was actually 10am. Because of that, I was almost late to the start line, and couldn't get my GPS watch to catch on to the satalites before the race started. Certainly a rookie error that can be rectified.

I also possibly warmed up too much (if that is even possible). I had gone for a leisurely cycle for approximately 10-15mins prior to the race, and did not do a run warm up. Because of that, my legs felt heavy at the start of the race, and it took me a while to shake off that feeling and run properly. Still have to find the proper balance between warming up sufficiently.

3. Hydration on the bike affects the subsequent run. I had always been wary of drinking too much prior to a run because I'm rather prone to having stitches while running, and so I tried not to hydrate too much at a go, only drinking water intermittently or when consuming my energy gel (on the second lap of the bike leg). Even then, I still felt a slight stitch when I got off the bike. I think its possibly because I drank too close to the end of the bike leg. To prevent the stitch from getting worse, I only used the water at the water points to cool myself down. Thankfully the stitch eventually went away!

Overall, I was really satisfied for the race, and really enjoyed myself. Am excited for the MetaSprint series up next! Hope to see you guys there too :)

#racereports

gracecamedown

Walking the Streets

Prior to heading out to the streets that evening, the group of us were briefed on the issues of human trafficking and the sex trade in Singapore. Having also been told several things about the streets of Geylang by people who had participated in the ministry previously, I had pictured in my mind streets filled with women who were actively soliciting for business, grabbing hold of guys’ arms and saying seductive things to them. I was told that the basket of letters that I would carry would give me “protection” from their advances, and that I was not to stray too far from the group. I was genuinely concerned.

Safe to say, I am glad that this mental image was inaccurate.

Walking down the streets of Geylang, one of the first few things that I noticed was the sheer amount of brothels along the streets. Adding the number of women in the brothels to the number of street ladies soliciting “business”, I was surprised by the amount of “supply” that existed to cater to what must surely be an equal “demand” for their services.

It’s slightly disappointing that such terminology has been used to describe what goes on within the streets of Geylang. As one pimp said as he was chasing us away: “don’t disturb please, I’m doing business here.”

I pause here to note the demography of the men who were on the streets. The streets were filled with migrant workers, and not many locals. That is not to say that the migrant workers were all there looking for sex. Some were selling canned drinks, others were just sitting around smoking, drinking, hanging out. Perhaps migrant workers are forced to share the same “social space” as the street ladies, I do not know. Many (illegal) dormitories are situated right next to, or even on top of, the brothels.

It was nice to see the lady that led us along the walk engage in relationship-building conversations with some of the street ladies. That she recognises them, and vice versa, is something that is quite impressive. This is especially so considering that many of them do not stay for long. It was also nice to see that the street ladies were willing to even talk to us (with permission from the pimp), and to let us pray for them. Giving gifts to the street ladies, and building relationships with them, would show them that there is a God who loves them dearly, and would surely go a long way in reaching out to them.

But what is the cost of engaging in such ministry? If one were to ask me if I thought that this ministry is necessary, my answer would surely be a resounding “but of course”. If one were to continue asking if I thought that this ministry is worthy of time and effort, my answer would be “surely, yes”. But, considering the answers to those two previous questions, if one were to ask if I would you like to invest my time and effort to reach out to these street ladies, I would find myself unable to give a proper answer.

How would the church react if a street lady, all made up in her work attire, were to walk into the church on a Sunday morning? Would we be welcoming to her? Would we sit next to her, shake her hand, and wish her a blessed Sunday?

Would we invite her into our cell groups, to do bible study with her, to share our lives, with all of our struggles and pains, with her?

How would the church react if a pimp or a look-out were to walk into the church? Would we say that we forgive them for what they have done to these ladies? Would we pray for them, recognising that they too are broken inside, and are also victims in this entire industry?

How would the church react if a man who frequents the brothels, essentially treating street ladies as commodities to be bought, were to enter into the church? Would we extend a Christian welcome to him, eat with him, pray with him? Would we allow him to serve in our ministries alongside us?

Such tough questions to answer, and I’m not sure how I would react. Surely the love of Christ would transcend all these conflicting emotions and give us the grace and mercy to see them like God sees us; broken sinners who are desperate for His love.

Idolatry

Maybe the end of idolatry in our lives would come when we are able to truthfully answer the question: "what would make me happiest in life" with the answer that "knowing that I'm a failure in life but Christ loves me all the same".

(Self)-Righteousness

"If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:4-11)

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How we see and relate to others is highly dependent on how we see ourselves and how we relate to God. A person living under the law (and under condemnation) would naturally try to impose that law onto others, through judging others and through self-righteousness. On the other hand, a person living under grace and redemption would seek to impart that grace onto the people around them.

A good example is that of Paul (previously Saul). He was the epitome of self-righteousness. He was Jewish, he was a Pharisee, he was blameless in the eyes of the law. Because of that, he fervently persecuted the Church (who was living under grace) and tried to destroy them. He considered himself more righteous than them. However, after the road to Damascus (see Acts 9 for more information), he found the grace of Christ. From then on, he counted whatever gain he had achieved (under the law) as loss for the sake of Christ (v. 7), in order that he would know Christ and the power of the resurrection. Paul no longer imposed the law (and his own conception of righteousness) unto others. Instead, his main aim was to reveal the grace and love of Christ to the world, so that they too may live under grace.

How does this relate to us? We too need to undergo our “conversion” on our personal ‘“road to Damascus”. Many a time we’ve tried to chalk up “brownie points” with God, using our own acts to gain his favour. We do this out of fear of condemnation and judgment (by God and by others), and therefore seek to live our lives impeccably on the outside. We then get judgmental on others who “are not living the same way that we are”, and consider them “sinners”. This is merely a reflection of how we see ourselves in relation to God. Instead, as we know God for who is truly is (our Lord and our Saviour), we would no longer be under the law but under Grace, and therefore be “slaves to Righteousness” (see Romans 6:15-23). This is not our own righteousness, but this righteousness is imputed by the grace of God.

Through this, we would find ourselves relating to others much differently, perhaps with more kindness, understanding and compassion, instead of judgment and indignation.

Cheers.

wamiendong

A reminder that this shouldn’t be used as a symbol for pride and elitism. That wearing this badge means you’re better than others. Do not ever think that just because you’ve been to this school, others are beneath you. Be humble as Jesus was humble.

We are called to be Christian men of virtue, standing with Jesus as our shield and guide. As my friend Prash (http://keepcalmandbeastit.tumblr.com) said, “'The best is yet to be' was never a motto that man was ever going to realize. Instead, it points towards the 2nd coming of Jesus. For truly, He is the best.”

This is the emblem of grand endeavour.

Konica Hexar RF + Zeiss Planar 50/2 + Kodak Portra 400

To God be the Glory

To God be the Glory, great things he hath done, So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, Who yielded His life an atonement for Sin, And opened the life gates that all may go in

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice Oh come to the Father through Jesus the Son And give Him the glory, great things He has done

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Classic AC hymn always sung at chapel. Admittedly, this hymn still reminds me of the good old AC days. Happy founders day everyone :)

The regions round echo the sound of ACS forever

The promise of His glory

For starters, to those unacquainted with the chiastic structure as a literary tool, an explanation can be found here.

I've always been quite sceptical about the usage of such a literary style, for the simple reason that it is hard to imagine someone consciously listing down a series of ideas, only to repeat it in reverse. It is perhaps the same reason that I view Literature as a whole a bit dodgy, not least because I sometimes think that all Shakespeare intended to do was to write a cool play, instead of him trying to be all philosophical about life.

But all that aside, here's something in Luke 9:18-36 that may tickle the fancies of those who are into such things.

Luke describes the incident of the Transfiguration of Jesus while expounding on three key ideas:

The affirmation of Jesus' identity,

The prediction of his death (commentaries refer to is as the prediction of his passion), and

The promise of His (Christ's) glory.

And this is expressed in the chiastic structure as follows (where A' is a reflection of A, B' is the reflection of B and so on):

A - “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.” (v. 20 - the affirmation of Jesus' identity). B - "the Son of Man must suffer many things [...]" (v. 22 - the prediction of his death) C - "Some of you will not taste before they see the kingdom of God." (v. 27 - The promise of His glory) C' - "His face changed, and His clothes became bright as lightning." (v. 29 - The appearance of His glory) B' - They spoke about His departure [...] (v. 31 - the prediction of His death) A' - "This is my Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to Him." (v. 35 - the affirmation of Jesus' identity)

The chiastic structure is used as a tool to place emphasis onto the centre theme (in this case, C and C'), and its nice to note that ultimately, the Identity of Christ, and His death, is intended for the furtherance of His glory and the Kingdom of God.

Thought that this might interest some people (whatever limited readership I have here on this humble little space). Cheers :)

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound.

When we've been there ten thousand years Bright shining as the sun. We've no less days to sing God's praise Than when we've first begun.

How marvellous, how wonderful, And my song shall ever be How marvellous, how wonderful, Is my Saviour's love for me

2 years have passed

since my own trackers journey started.

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I always knew that the mountaintop feeling felt during those three months would have been severely tested through matriculation into university. True enough, that feeling didn't last long, slowly ebbing, eroding away though each new day of work and toil.

Yet now, two years on, and seeing yet another batch of youth answer the call to discipleship, I'm reminded that I too need to recommit to Christ. This is all the more so, considering that much risk lies ahead in my next semester, and that Christ should be all that I need.

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I have decided/ to follow Jesus/ no turning back/ no turning back.

Hosanna

I see the king of glory Coming on the clouds with fire The whole earth shakes The whole earth shakes I see his love and mercy Washing over all our sin The people sing The people sing Hosanna Hosanna Hosanna in the highest

Hosanna Hosanna Hosanna in the highest I see a generation Rising up to take their place With selfless faith With selfless faith I see a near revival Stirring as we pray and seek We're on our knees We're on our knees Heal my heart and make it clean Open up my eyes to the things unseen Show me how to love like you have loved me Break my heart for what breaks yours Everything I am for Your kingdom's cause As I walk from earth into eternity

15folds-blog

Idiot Box

by Joe Sparrow, Illustrator/Animator, London

A young boy and his father resort to different forms of entertainment to pass the time.

Follow the ‘Power’ Gif thread on 15folds.com

theopensecret-blog

love these unending gifs

lakers

@kobebryant: #mambamental #vinoclock

theopensecret-blog

kobe is super fit. can run forever

Currently sitting in a cafe in kyoto chilling and decided to post smth here. So here's a snapshot of the happenings during my first week here in japan :) this was really an interesting camp, considering that there were a lot of uncertainties for me. The past few days after the camp were equally tiring, and equally insightful. More posts to come soon I hope.

Prayer

1 Kings 22:19-22

19 Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. 20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’

“One suggested this, and another that. 21 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’

22 “‘By what means?’ the Lord asked.

“‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said.

“‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’

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It seems weird that God would ask the angels to suggest a method as to how he would entice Ahab into waging war against Ramoth Gilead. Why would God need to ask for advice?

It would seem that the best possible reason as to why God would ask the angels to suggest things was because God liked others to participate in His plan. He was pleased that an angel stepped forward to allow himself to be used to entice Ahab.

In the same way, God desires for us to participate in His grand plan, giving us full satisfaction in Him and completing our fullness of joy as we step out and say "I will do it". We also participate in God's plan when we pray for "His kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven." This is the power of prayer, and it is one of the main reasons why God ordained prayer to be such a powerful tool for us, that we should have the opportunity to partner God in His great work on earth.

love this dude

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