A cheerful heart

The condition of one’s heart, whether good or bad, is usually noticeable on the face or through spoken words. In saying this, a heart that is filled with the cheer of the Lord often brings about a glowing & smiling face that doesn’t changes in spite of negative situations. Such is an evidence of Christ-like character- a calm and right attitude, which comes only from humility, contentment & trust in the provision and providence of God.

It is a kind of manner I’ve always yearned for and still am aiming to pursue in my daily life. But sometimes, it is just difficult to lighten up. When unhelpful and discouraging things happen, my heart seems to have a higher tendency to relent to frustrations and worry. Harsh words, unkind treatment, whether self-imposed or inflicted by others, are the kind of things that triggers fears in my heart; fears that that prevent me from radiating God’s joy.

In instances like these, I have to keep reminding myself that “a cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Prov 17:22). I have to look to God for His grace to rekindle cheerfulness in my heart and strength to help me sustain joy in the midst of challenging situations. Above all, I have to remind myself that to have a cheerful heart is a choice I have to make. It is my decision to make, to whether I want to persevere or quit; to forgive or resent.

Someone once said to me that it is absolutely absurd to have a joyless Christian, and I have to agree with that. Hence, I pray that God will continually help me make it a habit to be contented over my work and cheerful about my duties. May my heart and soul consistently find delight in Him and not be given to weary murmurings.

Fruit of the Spirit

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. GALATIANS 5:22-23

One fruit, but nine flavours; nine quality virtues. No where on earth can you find a man who can plant a tree which can bear such unique a fruit. It is a marvelous and divine fruit; a fruit that can only be produced by the Holy Spirit. It springs not from any ordinary seed because the excellence of this fruit springs from an incorruptible seed of internal grace; the seed that is planted in any one the moment Christ is made at home in his/her heart.

The best tree that any one can ever find is probably this tree- the tree that bears the fruit of the Sprit, since this fruit gives an excellent description of Christ’s character. For us as believers, to bear this fruit would mean yielding our lives to become more and more like Christ; to allow Christ to bring out the full sweetness of His life in us.

However, like any other trees, the soil will influence the kind of fruit the tree will bear because the soil is the one which gives nutrient to the tree. Hence, one’s life can only yield good fruits if his/her life is planted in luxuriant and fertile soil, which in this case, is the soil of Christ. Also, unless one allow God to pull out the weeds of self-will that choke the full growth of the tree, the goodness & sweetness of His fruit cannot ripen to its best.

I do hope that my life will continue to bear more fruit of the Spirit. I want to be able to grow in His goodness and grace without any inward hindrances; any weeds of selfish desires. Nonetheless, like mentioned earlier, bearing His spiritual fruit cannot be resulted by self-effort alone. Given that the fruit is of the Holy Spirit, it is not possible to grow by just trying harder without letting the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. We need to stay connected to the Source, abiding in Him so that the closer we grow to the Source, the more complete our lives will be.

“Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape”

We plan; we organize, because we know that time is a precious gift. However, there is that danger of falling into a tightly scheduled plan where flexibility is no longer an asset we value. Accordingly, one will often find himself/herself frustrated when plans get thwarted by unwanted or unexpected occurrences.

But sometimes, changes to our original plan book may not be a bad thing at all. Perhaps God is leading us to love someone in need. Perhaps God has some special lessons He wants to teach us as we go through certain experiences which we least intend. Perhaps He’s teaching us how to be dependant upon Him not only in the great turns of our lives, but in every step we take.

I believe that keeping a habit of planning is good, for it helps keep one’s time manageable and disciplined. Nonetheless, I also believe that flexibility is crucial as we plan to live a totally surrendered life to God. For flexibility helps us keep an open & positive attitude, which frees us from the desire to control every moment and plans of our own. It teaches us to put God’s will before ours; saying, “If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that” (James 4:15).

Ultimately, there isn’t really such a thing as interruptions in a God-planned life, is there? It is He who is in full control of the ordering of all the affairs in our lives. As Pro 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps”. Thus, let us learn to be sensitive to God's leading in executing our well-laid plans, so that with sincere humility, we can be trained to walk in His direction.

Being strong & courageous

The life of a Christian is perhaps the most demanding of all in terms of courage. Especially in a world that is so hostile towards the Word of God, one who truly yearns to reside the way of Christ probably needs the most courage to live.

As Christians, we are called to be different; to stand against the tide. We are continuously challenged to live outside our comfort zone, while at the same time remain faithful in our commitment to Christ. As such, sacrifice and pain are indispensable as we strive to live justly for God and uphold His commandments in loving Him and others. Concurrently, there is always that sense of fear within us, be it towards something or someone, that tries to hinder us from following our heart and God’s calling to the best of our capability.

I know that most of the times, I fear the pain that will befall me, knowing that hardships are inescapable as a Christian. It is not so much about the physical pain I’m afraid of, but the emotional pains and mental struggles that I will have to confront. Nonetheless, I am reminded that such trials are necessary to bring one to spiritual maturity. Plus, it is only in painful situations that virtues of a courageous spirit be made evident. For if an act is devoid of pain, why would courage still be needed?

In all the coming seasons of my life, I pray that by God’s grace, I will find courage to face whatever new fears and concerns that I will have to deal with. Courage, after all, isn't the absence of fear, but rather, it is the commitment to continue standing firm for Him regardless of the cost and circumstance.

Welcoming 2008

Everyone seems so excited to usher in the New Year. I simply love their enthusiasm. There are more smiles and joyful looks on people’s faces, and for a brief moment, I felt as if all the problems, heartaches and struggles in the old year, be it theirs or mine, have disappeared; a discolored memory. No feelings of regret or guilt of what has happened; only eagerness to start a new year, a new start, a fresh beginning.

It reminded me of what Paul said, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). In spite of all the failures that we’ve had, we have to and can only move forward; there is no room for backward moves.

For the world, the celebration of the new year is merely another huge money-making holiday event, but personally, I want it to be something more than that. I want it to be a time where I renew my dedication to God once more. I know for sure that the new year will definitely present me with many demanding and challenging times again, and to be honest, I am afraid to think about them. Nonetheless, I just want to remember all that He has done in faithfully seeing me through the past year and find assurance in His promises.

After all, God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." This promise is probably more than enough to celebrate the new year ahead with full assurance and joy. So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" ~Hebrews 13:5,6