“The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to Him.” –Dwight L. Moody

            Truly, no one can get to know Christ without someone from God’s family to dare proclaim it. But it is also in vain if none of God’s family as well demonstrate or exemplify a Christlike honoring life. Like Thai people, they have never encounter believers of Christ and witness how they live like Him—the Master. Or in other words, it is more of Him and less of self. And indeed, the dark world and those who are of it will never be guided on their paths and see the light without someone letting their light shine bright. However, it would only be realized if believers of God would consecrate themselves in getting to know more Christ by meditating His Word and by consistently and persistently have an intimate conversation with Him through prayer. In a reason that, we cannot model Christ in our lives if we don’t truly know Him as who He is. For some instances, He is love that we ought to love others also even those who were considered as our enemies.

“I think it is reasonable to thing to fright persons away from hell. They stand upon its brink, and are just ready to fall into it, and are senseless of their danger. Is it not a reasonable thing to fright a person out of a house on fire?” –Jonathan Edwards

            In my early Christian life years, I’ve come to the situation where I evangelize people in the same manner of Jonathan Edwards. It came across in my mind that thought of frightening people away about the horror of hell which was learnt as well from the elders of faith. It seems like to me a good thing or better ways to share it with unbelievers so that they may turn from their sinful, old ways as where I’ve been before and turn their eyes to Jesus. But later on, I’ve realized then that I no longer trust God’s Sovereignty to change one’s lives and save them from eternal damnation. Rather, I was the one who make some effort, the best that I can, to change their way of living. In the long run, I was being rebuked by God to do my part only, which is to share the Gospel of Salvation and fully entrust to Him the work---to sprite the seed that was being put on each hearts who have heard it. 

"The church is every person called to faith in Christ, not those who belonged to the organized church."
                                                                          -John Wycliffe
                 It's just so sad to think that people were blinded to the truth that it's only by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ that we have been saved, changed, and set free. Well, it's not that easy to be in the light or know the truth because it was done by many. Meaning to say, as I have been there, people tend to put their standard on others. They have followed the teachings or example of the devotees, who were ahead of them. Can't help, their grandparents passed it on from generation to generation. Majority indwells to the illusion that we will be saved if we will devote ourselves to church service. Or in other words, to put it simply, salvation is given to those who were faithful members of the church. Worst of it all is that you will be excommunicated if you go against on their teachings, ceremonies, or rituals. The truth about the church was being distorted. Supposedly, the church, as what John Wycliffe expressed, is that it refers to the "body of Christ" comprised of all believers of all ages between Pentecost and the Rapture yet to come. It refers to all who come to faith in Christ, and it's where believers gather around to worship God in spirit and in truth. Despite, GO made me still realized then that I ought not to judge them and detach myself to that people group. Instead of, God has impressed me to lavished His unfailing love to me to them and compassionately share the Biblical Truth without insulting their belief, where I would just pray about it for God's working in their lives.

            “God wills it!” –Crusaders

            I wasn’t that agreeable in regard to this statement. Basically, the peasants and other people back then in the period of high Middle Ages set out to meet the foes with this declaration. It is not that I am judging them I am not that sure to nod on their own way of thinking in regard to. I’ve learned in the long run, to pray first to God of His plan before executing it rather that making a plan and trusting it to God if He will it. However, I have seen that it is maybe God’s plan for He allows it to happen, but really failed even if they do it a number of times. Well, as I ponder the idea, I think of it as not God’s perfect timing to really conquer the Holy Land, Jerusalem namely. Time will come as God planned it to be, where his glorious/mighty acts will be seen all throughout humanity. 

#MoreofHIM #Lessofme

“The mind of the soul is strong when the pleasures of the body are weak.”

-Athanasius

I think of his thought as monastic in belief. I was reminded with the same practices of the other Bible schools wherein their cellphones were being confiscated and can only be allowed to use it once a month. It’s no that I was judging them. I was still just soaking this kind of perspective and may ask---why? I’m not saying that I was against it. Well, we can’t deny that we are prone to temptation/sin and we have that tendency to give in. Because deeply we know that we are sinful in nature. But by God’s grace, we are being saved from it, changed, and set free. So, there’s no longer reason for us to let it overcome us because it’s no longer I but Christ who lives in us. On \the other side, it is helpful for us to be focused only I’m not saying that I was against and do not waver in our faith. By the grace of God, we have been set apart from this world. But let’s not make it as an excuse, which we will no longer minister those who are unreached and unengaged people group that deeply needed Christ in their lives. Though it is not obvious in their daily living, but we can be sure of it that their inner being were seeking for something that can really satisfies the emptiness they felt within. And as for me, I firmly believe that being around with the unbelievers is not bad. What makes it bad is when we let ourselves be among them or go along with the norms/mainstreams. Either ways, it’s very important to minister with Christ than to minister for Christ in which we have a proper view of our self in the light of God’s Word before we expose socially.

"The man is naturally idolatrous at heart that Lord directs every steps of men."

           Basically, I can't deny that all of us were sinners. None is perfect from the inside and out for all of us knew that were bound to fail and to hell---worst of all. But, it's so good to think that there's a One True Living and Loving Heavenly Father out there, who is watching over us every seconds of our life. I know that we may think about it as crazy because we are talking to someone that is invisible and/or can never be seen by our two naked eye.  But believe me, it's called faith even though we don't have all the facts. In various ways, God has revealed Himself or even His ways to humanity. I was so delighted upon knowing that God is faithfully directing our steps even if He already knew at the very first start that we are idolatrous at heart. I can barely imagine His great love and care to us, a rebellious people. Each day, He is making us to be a better person of what He wanted us to be---in character, action, and will that His purposes we would fulfill. He is devotedly reminding us to seek Him first and His righteousness before anything else. As a matter of fact, we are totally nothing apart from Him. That is why, we need Him to take full control of everything of us. So that, the thoughts of our mind, the words of our mouth, the meditation of our heart, in everything we do, we can bring glory and honor to His Name in all of our days. I was struck of the truth that reminds us to put ourselves in the standard of grace and not perfection because it’s only by God’s grace that we’ve been changed, saved, and set free from the bondage of sin.

           "No one can thwart or alter the plan of God."

         I've been through a lot of hardships, joyful moments, challenges, and disappointments in my life---in fact there are still more to come--- that there has never been time that God's plan was not fulfilled. Truthfully, even how hard I tried to do my own thing, still His great will and purpose in me prevails. All throughout my days, He's been faithful in guiding my every steps in His right track. Although we have limited understanding of His plan in our life's story or even in  world's history, He has still show us His ways in order for us to have increase knowledge of who He really is. Probably, some says that they were/did things by their own. But I don't think so. Because what I have realized then and now within that God allows things to happen in our life. Whereby, it just seems that it's our own plan, but it's not. It's just happened so, which it abides in God's will and plan. First and foremost, God is our Creator, in whom we are bound to Him and that includes His plan, will, and/or purposes in life that He has already set before us. Unfortunately, we tend to do our own staff that resulted to disobedience. Bu thankfully, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. In fact, He is willing to save us from eternal damnation wherein He had sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. And that is part of His great redemptive plan in history. So, I've pondered again and again with this thought that even a thousand times we fail to obey His will, but still His mercy remains.