"I did it"

John Stott wrote, “Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us (leading us to faith and worship), we have to see it as something done by us (leading us to repentance)…As we face the cross, then, we can say to ourselves both ‘I did it; my sins sent Him there,’ and ‘He did it; His love took Him there.’

We caused the Great Rescue to happen. It was because of our sins that God had to send a Saviour and substitute into this world. Our sins left the Father with no choice, but to reject his beloved Son, Jesus when he died on the cross on our behalf. The Father’s holiness could not be compromised even though it ached His heart to see His Son being treated like a criminal, as though he was the one responsible for every sin ever committed. How painful it must have been for the Father to see His Son being condemned and cursed in order for us to go free, and how painful it must have been for Jesus to be forsaken by his Father at that instance so that you and I will never be forsaken.

Once again, I am being reminded of the significance of the Cross and the gravity of sin. I cannot help but be forced to think about the real nature of sin, the intense wickedness that we, humans are capable of, and the terrifying wrath that God has towards sin. Yet, at the same time, the Cross reassures me of God’s magnificent and amazing love, as well as His unspeakable mercy towards sinners, like you and I. This reassurance truly humbles me and reminds me of my need to depend on God to sustain me all the days of my life. Without His everlasting grace, mercy, hope and forgiveness, I don’t think I will ever be able to run this race with joy and peace in my heart.

I do think that one truly need to first approach the reality of sin before he/she can appreciate God’s incredible work on the Cross. But perhaps, it is not just realizing the seriousness of sin and humbly acknowledging the need of a Saviour to live a righteous life, but also, recognizing the holiness of God, which will never change to suit our standards. The torture and agony that Christ experienced on the cross has demonstrated the weight of sin in the eyes of God. May this serve as a reminder for me to never ignore His holiness- assuming that God is as tolerant of sin as we are, just so that I can excuse myself to succumb to my own fleshly desires.

Walking the Faith

Just wondering…
With little eyes that are constantly watching & waiting to see what I choose to do, am I sending the right messages through my actions? I say that I am a Christian, but do I have enough evidence to support what I say?

The Christian life is a life of commitment and total surrender to the authority of God. It is about holding firmly to Him, obeying His commands, walking in all his ways, and most importantly, loving and serving Him with all my heart and soul. Yet, I know that many times I’ve failed to live up to what I’ve claimed to be due to those countless times when I’ve put my desires above others’ needs, and thus, neglecting the responsibility that I have in loving others just as Christ loved me in a sacrificial manner.

But, I thank God for His grace and mercy, for not expecting me to live this Christian life on my own, or by my own strength. More so, I thank God for sending me a helper, the Holy Spirit, to live in my heart, to daily guide me to make wise decisions and to teach me how to love others with the utmost ability that I can. Without the Spirit’s guidance, I think I'll find myself falling over the same failures time and time again.

Surrendering to God is a constant decision that one needs to make over and over again if he/she wants to be like the Master; to act like He would act in bringing hope, love, joy and life to the poor and needy. The walk won’t be easy, but God has promised a victorious life through the Holy Spirit. Hence, I will trust in Him to provide me with all that I need to carry out the works that He wants me to do.

And so, dear Lord, as I continually renew my commitment towards you, refresh my heart with the joy of your spirit; fill my cup with your love till it overflows in and out of my life; and strengthen my faith that I may have the power to resist temptations, that as a result, I can be a more faithful & effective witness for you in this world. Amen.

The Essence of Easter

The wood, the thorns, the nails. One man, one cross, one death and that made all the difference in the world. That was the design of Christ death- to destroy the sins of every man, once for all, and that through His one death, our lives could be free from the bondage of sin and the eternal condemnation of sin.

But, hey, that’s not the end of the story. Christ's sin-conquering death was just Friday. There was Sunday too, the Easter morning, the morning of his life-saving resurrection. This is what Easter is all about- a new life.

Have you ever wondered what Christ’s ultimate purpose was for coming to earth? It wasn’t to make bad people good, but to make dead people live. That was His main aim- to give mankind a new start; new life; new nature; new freedom. His death and resurrection opened the possibility for men to be born again, not physically, but spiritually so that through spiritual birth, every man can receive the gift of Life.

Jesus was crucified, along with two other criminals and as they were about to die, one of the criminals turned to Him for forgiveness. That man realized that the only way for him to be free from all the guilt & condemnation of his sins was through Jesus' blood because only His sacrifice is fully satisfactory to the law & justice of God. He asked for mercy and Jesus freely gave; Jesus forgave the man who decided to believe in Him even at the very last moment.

When people come to us with their problems, the best support we can give is perhaps to help them see the goodness of the new life that Christ offers, rather than just rattling a whole long list of what’s right and wrong; telling them what should have been done in the first place and what they should be doing next to make things right again. Deeds do not save us, faith in Christ does.

I believe that redemption precedes righteousness, for only when we have the Life of the Spirit in our soul, can we have the ability to do what is right and justified in the eyes of God. Only in the new life, will we be able to have the desire to honour Him and lead the triumphant life. Never again will death have the last word.

“When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us.” (Romans 6:10)

Pain's Remedy

Life is difficult. We all know this for we’ve tasted pain before and we are continually faced by it. Whether we like it or not, we have to deal with it; it’s unavoidable. But, the question is how are we dealing with it? Is it a solution that is carried out in God’s presence or is it just another new way that you’ve design to make you feel better for the moment?

I guess many times we have fallen into the trap of blindness, where we take our eyes off God and allow our sinful nature to take the lead even though we clearly know that our actions and heart should be seeking after God’s counsel. Though I hate to admit it, but I have to say that we are pretty good at finding all sorts of ways, except God's, to soothe ourselves, telling us that life is okay and that we are okay too. We deal with our deepest agonies by manipulating things to go the way we want them to be.

We really tear God’s heart when we are ever so ready to turn to other things for comfort and help except Him. Perhaps what we really need to consider is- are we fearing the consequences of sin more than we fear sin at its core? Because until we really understand what sin is; it's true nature, the damages it can do to one’s life, as well as the ache it can bring to the heart of God, we won't quit playing with it.

In the midst of all our troubles, struggles, pains, difficulties in life, our heart is probably the one thing that we need to change, and prayer is the only way that will change it. I believe that God is faithful & will keep His promises, to supply all that we need- comfort, peace, strength, courage, hope and wisdom, at that moment to help us get past them.

Two ways of dealing with pain: one that seeks the counsel of God, while the other turns to earthly things for temporary comfort; one that is willing to wait upon the Lord and be obedient to Him, while the other is stubborn and determined to do things his/her own way. Which way are you following?

“If you are determined to go in a certain direction, God will step aside and second your emotion.” ~Ravi Zacharias.
And when this happens, I think that’s when we will face the greatest pain of all.