My journey...
Thursday, October 06, 2011
No Short Cut
On my journey since I have started writing my blog, my walk has been very rocky and dry. Attempts to draw near to God seems to be fail again and again. He seem to bring me to a state of desperation where I have no where or no one to turn to except to Him. There are a lot of things which I do not understand. Why certain things happens this way and not that? Why do I have to go through what I have went through?
I am sure that Job did not understand either. Why did he have to loose everything. Who can comprehend the ways of the Lord? But in the end, Job says "My ears have heard of you but now my eyes have seen you" (Job 42:4-6). Isn't that just lovely? I am sure it was not a physical figure that Job has seen that made him believe. But seeing with his spiritual eyes the greatness and the glory of God. His experience has caused him not to look at his circumstance but at the bigger picture. His reliant and need for God. Not for him to understand his circumstance but for him to know that God who knows all things, who has his best interest is with him and that Job has a hope in this God.
There are no short cuts in our journey. We cannot rise "Above" our painful circumstance and pretend that it did not happen. That is lying to yourself. But we can have hope in a God who knows and trust in Him and walk with Him through our circumstance. Hopefully in the end, we can say with Job "now my eyes have seen You."
I am sure that Job did not understand either. Why did he have to loose everything. Who can comprehend the ways of the Lord? But in the end, Job says "My ears have heard of you but now my eyes have seen you" (Job 42:4-6). Isn't that just lovely? I am sure it was not a physical figure that Job has seen that made him believe. But seeing with his spiritual eyes the greatness and the glory of God. His experience has caused him not to look at his circumstance but at the bigger picture. His reliant and need for God. Not for him to understand his circumstance but for him to know that God who knows all things, who has his best interest is with him and that Job has a hope in this God.
There are no short cuts in our journey. We cannot rise "Above" our painful circumstance and pretend that it did not happen. That is lying to yourself. But we can have hope in a God who knows and trust in Him and walk with Him through our circumstance. Hopefully in the end, we can say with Job "now my eyes have seen You."
A Form of Godliness
I have been dwelling on the verse which someone who spoke in our church gave about a month ago now. It is found in 2 Tim 3:5. "having a form of godliness but denying its power".
We can appear Godly but lack the power of God. The power which comes from a relationship with him. The power to live our Christian life day to day. We can call ourselves Christian and even go to church faithfully but if we do not have a relationship with God and without the power of God working in and through us, what is Christianity but another form of religion. We can say the right things, know the bible even as knowledge but that is just the form of godliness. The Pharisees who persecuted Jesus, were bible scholars in their time.
What good is it to have the form of godliness without its power?
I would think that by having the power of God does not mean that we are performing miraculous acts all the time. Even those who can perform miracles do not know God. Though I do not deny that there will be miracles that will happen. Neither does it imply that we will see great things all the time. Though we will see great things in God. Having the power of God could simply mean living a life that is ordered by him with him being the Lord in out lives. It would be in the simplicity of our life that we see His working in and through us. It is in his leading through the stillness of His voice that we see him work. In recognizing Him in everything that we do. And in obeying his voice when we hear it. And in that, we can be amazed at who this God is. That he is active in our lives and not just a religious "theory".
How many Christians only think about God on a Sunday and when they are in trouble? No wonder the Christian life can be so mundane. People can get bored of religion but you cannot get bored of a living God who is actively working in and through our lives. We need to begin to recognize this and work together with him and we will be amazed to see the power of God.
We can appear Godly but lack the power of God. The power which comes from a relationship with him. The power to live our Christian life day to day. We can call ourselves Christian and even go to church faithfully but if we do not have a relationship with God and without the power of God working in and through us, what is Christianity but another form of religion. We can say the right things, know the bible even as knowledge but that is just the form of godliness. The Pharisees who persecuted Jesus, were bible scholars in their time.
What good is it to have the form of godliness without its power?
I would think that by having the power of God does not mean that we are performing miraculous acts all the time. Even those who can perform miracles do not know God. Though I do not deny that there will be miracles that will happen. Neither does it imply that we will see great things all the time. Though we will see great things in God. Having the power of God could simply mean living a life that is ordered by him with him being the Lord in out lives. It would be in the simplicity of our life that we see His working in and through us. It is in his leading through the stillness of His voice that we see him work. In recognizing Him in everything that we do. And in obeying his voice when we hear it. And in that, we can be amazed at who this God is. That he is active in our lives and not just a religious "theory".
How many Christians only think about God on a Sunday and when they are in trouble? No wonder the Christian life can be so mundane. People can get bored of religion but you cannot get bored of a living God who is actively working in and through our lives. We need to begin to recognize this and work together with him and we will be amazed to see the power of God.
