Speak and Listen

Isaiah 50:4-5 says,

The Lord God has given Me
The tongue of the learned,
That I should know how to speak
A word in season to him who is weary.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear
To hear as the learned.
The Lord God has opened My ear;
And I was not rebellious,
Nor did I turn away. 

The above verses have reference to the coming Messiah, who will provide hope and comfort to the people of Israel and all who believe in Him in the time to come. 

When I read these verses the first time, I did not notice the capitalized 'M' in the words "Me" and "My", hence I had thought that they referred to us, the disciples of God. But it is also true, that as God's servant, I must know how to comfort those who needs it and to listen wisely to the world as well as to God's word. 

It requires wisdom to speak the right word at the right time, especially to those who are in distress because we may not truly understand what they are going through. It is easy to say, "I understand your predicament", but often I question myself how much do I really understand if I have not experienced the same. Empathy is a feeling often misquoted.

The world is bombarding our ears with its views daily, and who amongst us can claim that we listen to God more than we listen to the world? Let's say, if I spend 30 minutes on my daily bible reading, I would be spending  15 hours and 30 minutes listening to the news, CSI: New York, Desperate Housewives, the radio, conversations of colleagues, the latest goings-on of family members and other what-nots, on the assumption that I sleep 8 hours (which is a luxury) a day. I am now asking myself this question, "Who influences my thoughts more? God, or those around me?"

Indeed, to speak and to hear as the learned is not as simple as I think it was.

Brief Update

Wow... its been some time.. I actually forgotten about the Woot blogpage until when I sign in to my gmail account today and I saw the login for woot blogpage!

Let me just give yall a brief update on myself!

Its been a very experiential and full of challenges year last year 2011. Time to go back to 'SCHOOL' this year and continue to be trained and equipped in the WORD. So far, I am still trying to adjust back to a life of a student here... have to stop procrastinating on my assignment and start it as early as possible.

This year's weekend, I am serving in Kajang Chinese Methodist Church (KJCMC) in the English Language Ministry (ELM) and also serving in Putrajaya Methodist Preaching Point (PMPP). Yup! more ministry and more travelling to do this year! I've been put fully in-charge to run the Youth Ministry both in KJCMC's ELM and PMPP. so far, my ministry is ok! just a bit tired on sundays because have to run two services!

Continue to uplift me in your prayers!

Blessings,

Kevin Wong

Doing Good

Titus 3:1-8 reminds us who have been justified by Jesus Christ through his grace to do a few things. Among them are:

• To be subject to rulers and authorities
• To be obedient
• To be ready to do what is good
• To slander no one
• To be peaceable and considerate
• To show true humility toward all men

Verse 8 caught my attention, where it says, "... so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good."

An interesting word in this verse is "careful". I used to think that when I read His word, pray to Him daily and serve in ministries, doing good will come automatically to me. I thought that my character would somehow be mysteriously transformed (either overnight or as time goes by) to do good. However, the phrase "be careful to" seems to imply that I am to take an active stance and consciously work to do good. If this particular phrase were omitted from this verse, do you think that it will make a difference to its meaning? As we tend to be careless and forgetful, the phrase "be careful to" tells me that by just praying in the morning to ask God for His guidance is inadequate. Just like in an exam, "be careful to" means I have to constantly remind myself to do good and double-check if I have missed out any opportunities to do good, or if I have committed the error of not doing good. Of course, not to mention, I should also learn from previous mistakes.

obedience

But notice here that obedience is not a mere outward compliance, but the service
of love. The law of God is an expression of His very nature; it is an embodiment of the
great principle of love, and hence is the foundation of His government in heaven and
earth. If our hearts are renewed in the likeness of God, if the divine love is implanted in
the soul, will not the law of God be carried out in the life? When the principle of love is
implanted in the heart, when man is renewed after the image of Him that created him,
the new-covenant promise is fulfilled, "I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their
minds will I write them." Hebrews 10:16. And if the law is written in the heart, will it not
shape the life? Obedience--the service and allegiance of love--is the true sign of
discipleship. Thus the Scripture says, "This is the love of God, that we keep His
commandments." "He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a
liar, and the truth is not in him." 1 John 5:3; 2:4. Instead of releasing man from
obedience, it is faith, and faith only, that makes us partakers of the grace of Christ, which enables us to render obedience.

We do not earn salvation by our obedience; for salvation is the free gift of God, to
be received by faith. But obedience is the fruit of faith. "Ye know that He was manifested
to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not:
whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him." 1 John 3:5, 6. Here is the
true test. If we abide in Christ, if the love of God dwells in us, our feelings, our thoughts,
our purposes, our actions, will be in harmony with the will of God as expressed in the
precepts of His holy law. "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth
righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous." 1 John 3:7. Righteousness is
defined by the standard of God's holy law, as expressed in the ten precepts given on
Sina
KY reading on "steps to christ" by Ellen G White in 1892 sell over 60 mil copies

To Win The Crown

Someone once posed the question, "What is your ultimate goal in being a Christian?" And someone answered, "To win the crown."

In 2 Timothy 2:3-16, Paul wrote to Timothy about the characteristics of an approved workman and the requirements to win the crown. Paul likened the journey, or the race, to the following three persons:

• The soldier (of Christ Jesus). Serving as a soldier involves hardship and rigorous discipline. A soldier must be focused and not be distracted by worldly affairs. The solider's focus is on pleasing the commanding officer, and our commanding officer is Jesus Christ Himself.

• The athlete. An athlete competes according to the rules and whoever breaks the rule will risk being disqualified. An athlete must also train hard and do not give up even when he may be getting discouraged.

• The farmer. A farmer works hard, waking up early in the morning and probably getting a rest only in the evening. And a farmer is patient, waiting for his crops to be ready for harvest while continuing his work in his field.

Such are the three persons we have to emulate if we are looking towards the crown. Are you?

9 a.m.

What do you do at nine o'clock in the morning? When I was working full-time, by 9 a.m. I would be in the office, doing whatever that I am supposed to be attending to at the time, on that day. Now that I am no longer employed full-time, sometimes I wake up at 9 a.m. On some days, I would be at my study desk, doing my devotional at 9 o'clock in the morning.

The title of the book caught my attention - Nine o'clock in the morning by Dennis J. Bennett. I was browsing through the shelves of the church library while waiting for the weekly bible study sessions to start when the book caught my attention. The author's story took place in the 1960s in U.S. It is a Christian book, written by Father Bennett who is a rector of an Episcopalian church. The author narrates his own encounter with baptism in the Spirit and speaking in tongues, and he gives great testimony on the work of the Holy Spirit both in the churches he served as well as in his personal life.

Some people may feel apprehensive towards the testimonies put forth in the book. Nevertheless, the book is a good read to refresh us Christians on the meaning of allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us. Living in a secular world, we often apply our secular perspectives on the spiritual, rather than apply spiritual perspectives on the secular. We may choose to interpret the manisfestation of the work of the Holy Spirit in different ways, but we must allow the work to take place in us. Perhaps learning to let go of certain things which could be a hindrance, could be the first step.

Speaking Up

Have you heard of the story of Naaman? Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was highly regarded and brave, but he had leprosy (or possibly some kind of skin disease). Eventually he was healed after seeking and obeying the advice of Elisha who was a prophet in Israel at that time. The story of Naaman's healing was told in 2 Kings 5:1-15.

If Naaman's story were to be shot into a movie, the lead characters could have been Naaman (of course!), Elisha and the kings of Aram and Israel respectively. Then we would see the supporting characters - Naaman's wife, the servant girl to Naaman's wife, and Naaman's servants. And if we were to read the story carefully, it was these supporting characters who played an important role in Naaman's healing. They were the ones who seemed to be unimportant, but they dared to speak up when the circumstances were right.

• The young servant girl who was taken captive from Israel could have kept quiet and let Naaman suffer. After all, Naaman and his subordinates had prevented her from having her freedom, so why should she tell him where to get healing?
• Naaman's wife could have kept quiet, for fear that the information given by the servant girl was false. If she led him on a merry-go-round, Naaman could have been furious with her. But she took the risk of being ridiculed, of being accused of giving false information, because first and foremost she wanted her husband to be healed.
• Naaman's servants could have kept quiet when Naaman refused to take Elisha's advice. Naaman was highly regarded, and his servants most likely would have feared him out of respect and just kept their mouth shut. But they spoke up, urging him to give it a try.

All those who spoke up played a part in Naaman's healing, but most importantly, Naaman listened. As today's Daily Bread have said, we must be willing to listen, to have a teachable heart. And we listen not only to those who are high and mighty, who are most likely to dish out golden words of success and motivation. We are to listen to those who doesn't seem to be capable (by worldly standards) to give sound advice, because God often use the most unlikely to accomplish His plans. Naaman listened to his wife, the servant girl of his wife, and his own servants. Who are we listening to, today?

The Good Neighbour

Most of us are familiar with the parable of the good Samaritan. In fact, this parable has been secularized so much so that even English-speaking non-Christians would know the meaning of a good Samaritan. I have heard of this term being used to describe kind-hearted, good people when I was still in primary school, not yet a Christian then.

So what does being a good Samaritan mean to us, the bible-reading and Christ-following disciples?

My first interpretation of the parable in Luke 10:25-37 is from the perspective of the person learning to love. The expert in the law was trying to test Jesus and subsequently justify himself when he asked, "And who is my neighbour?" (Luke 10:29) Similarly, we can ask the same questions, "And who is our neighbour?"

At first glance, the parable seems to tell us that our neighbour are those who helped us, i.e. the good Samaritan. The priest and the Levite certainly do not qualify. So when we love, we love the "good Samaritans" in our lives, or as today's Daily Bread puts it, those who are worthy of our love. The "priests and Levites" in our lives? Well, we don't have to love them, do we?

But if we are to be Christ-like, imitating Christ in His thoughts and actions, then have we been the "good Samaritans" whom are worthy of His love? Personally for me, my answer is a downright no.

Hence from a different perspective, the parable could be teaching us on how to be a loving neighbour. We are to be the "good Samaritans", not looking for the "good Samaritans". The Samaritan showed love towards the victim of robbery, despite the discord between the Samaritans and Jews.

It is not a difficult task to show love to those who love us, those who care for us, or those whom we are comfortable with. The challenge is to love those whom we disagree with, those who have caused some misery to our lives or even those whom we hardly know.

Sheep in the new world

When things go wrong, people always look for someone to blame. We just have this urge to blame. Blaming can pacify the weak, it somehow makes them feel in control. To blame is to exert superiority over an individual. To tell them them they are the one who is weak. So the strong takes the blame with silence. With silence because they can take it. What is some blame, what is this beating? Sometimes the strong loves the weak so much they are just trying to protect them. Not wanting to hurt them further, the strong let the weak appears strong, to calm them down, to give them some sort of assurance. But it is so hard to be the one who gets blame sometimes. It's challenging, especially when people are just so clueless on the real issue. All they want to do is to blame.
Oh God please give me the strength to be like you. To forgive even when hatred fills my heart for people who is so clueless. How did you love people like this when You were on earth? How could you even possibly forgave them for what they did to you? Teach me dear Lord!

Working for Who?

The Disciple 1 class is once again coming to an end. As a participant last year, I had the joy of going through the materials and assignments for the first time. I started off with the beginner's enthusiasm to stick to the schedule and answer all the questions in the book. As weeks turn into months, I began to slack, sometimes doing last minute reading and finding myself falling behind the rest of the class who has obviously done their homework. Then the determination peaked again towards the end, and of course, the retreat was an unforgettable experience.

This year I was involved in Disciple 1 as a facilitator. Going through the materials for the second time, I should be gaining more insight and learning more than last year. However, I often find myself struggling as I prepare for the week's lesson. I still followed through the reading assignments, as during the facilitators' training I was told that the reading is the basics of the class. But I struggled with the questions asked during the class. I struggled with getting more information about the particular book or chapter that we are discussing. After the class on Tuesday nights, I often kicked myself for not having done enough; for not being able to provide the answers or the perfect motivation to the participants.

I know that at the end of the day, the answers and the motivation should come from the Holy Spirit. It is God at work, not me. Nevertheless, I am aware that I have not done my best. Colossians 3:23 says,

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

The above verse applies in all areas of our lives - be it in the ministries which we are involved in, our jobs, our household affairs and our relationships. But it is easy to slack when we think that nobody is watching. Men may not be watching over our shoulders all the time, but God is.

 Image linked from http://hoaxnewshere.wordpress.com

I have the weakness of starting off highly motivated, but the motivation does not last. Deadlines and external motivation will spur me on, but these two factors are not tangible when God is concerned. And that's when brothers- and sisters-in-Christ come into the picture - to hold each other accountable so that at the end of the race, no one misses the deadline or the mark of excellence.