Love and Forgive

I had not yet expected the increase in loading with this new year and new season, and I recognize more and more that without God's help, I cannot do any, if not all, of the things well.

I need to do well in faith, in school and in body, not neglecting any of my family, friends and my girlfriend. I have done poorly in these, one way or the other.

How may I take up a hobby and suspend my care for these people and affairs? I should not have time to engage in small activities that are small and will be of no consequence when lined up against these.
My best energies cannot be used to please myself alone.

My eyes ordinarily see only myself. If I live only by what I see and what I care to see, I will neglect and harm others, as I live my day out.

I must not give in to anger easily, but instead love in tenderness, gentleness and kindness.

Love covers all offenses; it does not blame or hold wrongs against one another. It does not invoke jealousy or guilt.

We may not love perfectly, but we may learn more and more from our God, who is Love.

1 John 4

 ⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son^[b] into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for^[c] our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

 ¹³ We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. ¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

   God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. ¹⁷ In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Our hearts must turn to God. Our hearts should be hearts that seek the LORD, even in joy, or in sorrow and anguish. We must bring our feelings and emotions before the Lord, those feelings that we can or cannot help feeling. We are not to think of our problems apart/ away from God. We are to pray in all things. Prayer is our first and best response.


We are in human company and we bruise, offend one another daily. We need to forgive and love those who harm us, and even more so if they are our friends.

We are not to bear grudges or store in our minds and hearts the offenses of others. We do not count their wrongs against them but love them past these. Love keeps no record of wrongs.

It is necessary to forgive, for in Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus said:

   ¹⁴ For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

And He said this, after having taught us how to pray. We are instructed to pray and ask God to "forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors".

Jesus says this absolutely, and in the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant in Matthew 18, Jesus said that unless we forgive our brother who has sinned against us from the heart, there will be no canceling of debts.

We must forgive others, just as how God forgives us - He has done it first. We are to love uncommonly, with uncommon strength and uncommon motivation, all received from our God, who is Love.

We are to pray for God to fill us with His love for Him and for others, that we may have the strength and love to forgive others who have done us wrong.

I may not do this by myself, for I do not have much love. But God will pour His love into my heart by His Holy Spirit, already given me.

Christ lives in us; we must also live in Christ.
May His love be made complete in each of us.

The Powerful Word of God

I really enjoyed last night's fellowship, where the few of us were able to pray and cover each other and nourish each other with the Word. Glen wanted to hear if we had any New Year Resolutions, and I shared my principle in which I would try and be faithful to in the year. 

Last year I tried to fit prayer into my day. This year, I mean to fit my day into prayer. There are blessings when we pray fervently, when we go before our Father and seek to know and spend time in Him. 

The Word has to become important to us, for we are those who stand on the Word of God. We hold on to it as our Truth, our food and our guide. We submit and subject ourselves to the living powerful Word. The Book of Hebrews speaks on how potent the Sword of the Spirit is.  

Hebrews 4

¹² For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Today's study,

Clothe Yourselves With the Lord Jesus Christ instead of (rather than) thinking of how to gratify desires of the sinful nature. - Romans 13:14

We are to go away from observing the desires of the flesh and giving heed to what we feel we would do better with and please our hearts. These things are often harmful things.

We are to put on His humility, His love for God and for men, His attitudes, His devotion to prayer, His obedience to the Father, and His virtues of compassion, patience, gentleness. 

Philippians 2

¹ If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴ Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

 ⁵ Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

We who have been united with Christ, we who have been comforted by His deep love for us, we who have fellowship, if we have any tenderness and compassion, then we should be like-minded as Christ.

We are to always be concerned with Christ; He is the author and perfecter of our salvation. 

We must have the same love for God and for men, we need to examine our own motivations. 

How much of self is in there, where we work for "myself" and no one else matters? In humility we must not consider ourselves better than others. We should also look out for the interests of others, building up and feeding others. 

We should be more and more humble, more and more obedient, at the cost of injustice, at the cost of painful death, humiliation, torture in the example of our Saviour. The Son of God left His place of glory and let unclean men execute Him. He lived in complete obedience to the Father all His earthly life.  His priority on earth, His food was to do the will of the Father. 

This is the Christ we must be like; we are meant and enabled now, to be like. 

We must be conscious that the putting on of Christ and being like-minded as Him is continuous and life-long. We may not put off Christ at any point in time. It is to become a stronger and better fit. 

I am an observer of Christianity in Singapore today and also elsewhere in the world. Can I match the work being done in these lands and in these ways to be for the Kingdom of Heaven? 

I am concerned that mainstream Christianity may not be the narrow way at all, that it could really be the easy, comfortable broad way to destruction that we may cruise along. 

What are Churches like to today:

- The reverence for God is low.

- Holiness is low, sin is tolerated and not dealt with. 

- There is a lot of flashy spiritual experience and demonstration, but no lasting fruit and no resultant holiness. 

- There is less of the Word and less knowledge in the congregation.

- There is no strong and deep concern for the poor and the homeless. 

- The love for money is preserved and is fed. 

- There is no impact on the world, no power, no fruit. 

God seeks to purify His people for Him. 

Titus 2

 ¹¹ For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ 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.

God's purpose for us is very clear in verse 14. It is a simple way to check ourselves and our concerns and directions. We are supposed to be a different people, shining stars who may show others that there is a way to be saved, and there is a Name by which they may be saved. We should do good to others, not just ourselves!

My point is not a condemnation or to usurp the Spirit's work in conviction. Rather I want to question and identify this mismatch with the power of the Word and the Gospel and how transformative it is. 

The Gospel is not an upgrade to make you a better human being. It is to completely overhaul one person, because he is completely faulty, he needs more than new parts. He needs a new heart, a new mind and a new spirit. If a person is properly changed by God's Spirit, he is a new creature, and he will be more and more godly and less and less of the old himself.

My knowledge and my understanding is for the glory of Christ, not myself. When I start to think I am better, I begin to displace other men in my mind with my own increasing self importance. I am delighted I may share, but I realize I may have more material to be proud in these instances. 

2011 in Review

And so we are in the new year, whether we are willing or not. And it is my fashion to take stock of the year past so I may give thanks and be amazed at the ways I have been blessed and I have grown.

This year turned out so much better than I expected; it seems to have been a rich year of the Lord's favour upon me. It was a time of growing in Christian manhood, on a diet of the Word.

I became a Regular Officer, jumped by parachute from a plane, went to Europe (Italy), became a student again, met a very special and important girl, and got baptized.

Phase 1: Assuming command as OC, IPPT Gold, Airborne Course, SAF Paracounselor Course, seeing justice meted out on an underperforming and irresponsible superior.

I was in my element as an Officer and leader, leading and teaching and moving men.
It was a surprise to receive the opportunity to attend the coveted BAC and also good to have attended the Paracounselor course.

The last one was to see the last of an individual who was a terrible administrator, officer, leader and soldier all in one flesh. That I had a small part to play in effecting justice. Ah, it was sweet to pave the way for the true facts to come out. I am still struggling to overcome my severe dislike for him.



Phase 2: Coming out of command into a Staff role, preparing for (and going to) Italy with Hakim and growing in faith and obedience.



Phase 3: Coming to University and meeting with good friends, Christian brothers and my girlfriend.

God is faithful, and when I begun to seek His way to live, He assisted me. He provided me with good environment to study the Word and pray in private, brothers and sisters to encourage me and move to Him jointly in worship; He also added to me wisdom and understanding.

I was barely conscious that I was worked on early in the year. It was when I held to the Word again as my first food that I grew stronger and surer in faith. I matured more, though not completely. I grew more sensible of my thirst and I looked for the Living Water. Time spent in Him and with Him brought change and growth.

I am so glad that with her, the timing was good and natural, and we were safe-kept in body and in purity for one another. How heartbreaking would it have been if any exclusive affection for each other had been given first to someone else before.

It was very good that I did not court her for her physical beauty, but that I had first noticed her faith and her loveliness in nature. That there were fruits of good character that I saw above outward qualities. So our relationship may begin on less fickle things like our faith which is to be life-long and sure, instead of tastes and personality.

Now we look to love each other beyond the flesh. We guard and protect each other in thought, speech and action. We show affection, we think for the other. We are mindful that our love for Christ must be higher and first. If we both submit to God, we would not believe we are always correct and faultless. We would not fan jealousy, but instead when the other is worried, we reassure each other with more love and affection. This is sweet and safe.


Lessons Remembered and Sealed in Memory:

God puts His Christians in fire to refine them - Daniel 3
Shadrach, Meshach and Abdenego were thrown in the furnace, and they uncommonly trusted God beyond their lives. They were not consumed, but their faith and their God was proven to be true.

Am I ready to be put into the furnace? When He judges I am, He will. He has the good outcome in mind. While the furnace is exceedingly hot, He may keep me from being burnt up.

Christians have no power. Our faith has no power. The Word seems to be ineffective. I see more clearly that we have no power because we let the Word lie, and we do not fast or pray. We do not know God well because we do not spend much time in His Presence. If this is so, can we bear to spend forever with Him? He occupies all of heaven!

I may spend a lot of time thinking of and thinking about Him, but if I do not pray and go to Him, I will not know Him. He is the Person whom I am to love.

I am to be a faithful man, that's all. Not intelligent, not rich, not physically strong. I am to be faithful to my God and to my wife when I do have one.

The Holy Spirit is holy. His work is to make holy. If whatever takes place has no resultant holiness or a reverence for Christ, can we be sure it is the Holy Spirit of God?

We are to grow more obedient, more submissive, and not rebellious. With our parents and with God.


Proverbs 19: 21 - Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. 
We must not contest God's plans with our own, but instead take on His plan.


Things I have done poorly, and I need to improve-

1. I have loved my friends and my family poorly. I did not do well with my family. I lived apart from them, and did not mind them much.

2. I am not a hard worker. A man must work, and work hard.

3. I am not a spiritual man, I am one who lives in the body. I wish to roam free outside God's law and Word, but still be credited as righteous and seen as impressive.

Romans 12: 10 - Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves. 
With this last sentence, I see that I have consistently sought to do the reverse.

*

I have accumulated many good days, good meals, good friends and good times. God is exceedingly kind and He continues to be. I have prayed and I am hopeful that 2012 will continue to be a year of His good favour with me.

Yet if I become poor or sick or hungry, may I turn and say that He is not kind or good? In 2012, how to walk if not crawl, is to have the Word as our constant companion.