Hello!
you know the quiet harvest of right living which i mentioned before? well recently I've been experiencing it through various important people in my life.
Firstly this harvest was experienced through a fabulous friend yesterday. I'm glad that i was able to open up to someone else about my walk with God, something i don't think i could have done correctly if i had not been living right, thinking right and talking with others about my troubles. There's something about opening up to another brother/sister and telling them about your troubles/weaknesses, being honest about it and in doing so growing deeper in love with each other and with God. We are not all that different from each other, in fact most of our troubles are being experienced by everyone else, by being open with one another we are being honest with ourselves and keeping our lives in check. I thank God for giving me friends who are willing to help each other out in brotherly/sisterly love, to hold ourselves accountable for each other's actions, and who give our lives to God each day.
Secondly, another close friend talked to me about his walk with God and shared with me his amazement at how God works in his life. However, he did say some things which i did not quite agree with, and i shared with him my perspectives about the issue, pray that i was not too zealous about my views and that we would both keep our lives in check through rebuking each other.
Thirdly, through my mum who has been showing me tough love. I planned to go to fun-o-rama today and also to lend my guitar to Jon Heng for his practice. However my mum, in all her motherly instincts, told me off for planning too many things today when i'm supposed to be doing ToK and for wanting to lend the guitar without her permission. At first, i got a little peeved which made me want to lose my temper, however the quiet time material kicked in and my conscience pricked me. I thank God for mum, who never fails to keep my life in check!
That being said, i find myself continually looking for ways to improve my relationship with Christ, because there are just so many things which tempt me into sin. Right now, I'm doing my ToK presentation which is scheduled for this coming Tuesday! Pray that through God's grace i'll be able to understand that "true personal fulfilment never comes through self gratification" and that i'll be able to remember the fruits of the Spirit in all that i do.
"For the Fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law" Galatians 5:22
"If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up the cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it" Mark 8:34-35
Keeping the faith by God's grace- jon
Courage
Hello,
yesterday's post was rather cryptic and i apologize.
Realised that some of my actions/thoughts have become so unholy and skewed towards my own opinions. today's quiet time really helped me to realise that it takes courage to admit these faults and to be vulnerable so as to be honest with my feelings.
I find myself being tempted to lie to get myself out of a tight spot, sometimes even succumbing to it. But i've realised that being honest takes guts and shows the true nature of my walk with God. Pray that God would be able to make an honest man out of me and that i'll be a man of integrity and discipline. Reading God's word has been making me change how i view my actions and helping me to see that as God's man i'm a "work in progress". Need to be able to hold on to my belief in Him and "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor 5:7).
This week has officially been dubbed "ToK week". Got to finish my essay and presentation and do them well. I must say that the past three days have been wasted away as i did not commit myself to my work and honouring my duty to God which i am starting to regret very much now. Yesterday's message was from her and i'd realised how easy it is to be caught within my emotions. Trying very hard to admit the things which bother me and work on them because God says so.
"A work in progress" -jon
yesterday's post was rather cryptic and i apologize.
Realised that some of my actions/thoughts have become so unholy and skewed towards my own opinions. today's quiet time really helped me to realise that it takes courage to admit these faults and to be vulnerable so as to be honest with my feelings.
"God does not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power" 2 Timothy 1:7
I find myself being tempted to lie to get myself out of a tight spot, sometimes even succumbing to it. But i've realised that being honest takes guts and shows the true nature of my walk with God. Pray that God would be able to make an honest man out of me and that i'll be a man of integrity and discipline. Reading God's word has been making me change how i view my actions and helping me to see that as God's man i'm a "work in progress". Need to be able to hold on to my belief in Him and "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor 5:7).
This week has officially been dubbed "ToK week". Got to finish my essay and presentation and do them well. I must say that the past three days have been wasted away as i did not commit myself to my work and honouring my duty to God which i am starting to regret very much now. Yesterday's message was from her and i'd realised how easy it is to be caught within my emotions. Trying very hard to admit the things which bother me and work on them because God says so.
"A work in progress" -jon
a familiar message
hello,
the day's been rather exhausting, both metally and physically.
i spent quite a long time replying a message, because it brought up some emotions which i am doing my best not to dwell on.
the devil's trying to get a foothold on me, i wont let him.
shall talk more about it later on, just needed to get this out of my system before continuing with work.
meanwhile a verse to feed the spiritually hungry (myself included):
"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the Lord that man gets justice"
Lord help me to fear you in all i do. -jon
the day's been rather exhausting, both metally and physically.
i spent quite a long time replying a message, because it brought up some emotions which i am doing my best not to dwell on.
the devil's trying to get a foothold on me, i wont let him.
shall talk more about it later on, just needed to get this out of my system before continuing with work.
meanwhile a verse to feed the spiritually hungry (myself included):
"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the Lord that man gets justice"
Lord help me to fear you in all i do. -jon
today the Good Friday sermon was on the seven last words of Jesus.
the part which striked me the most is found in Matthew 27:46:
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Quoting from the words of Psalm 22, Jesus shows us how we should be honest about our feelings with God and have an intimate relationship with him.
I feel i've grown quite a bit in my walk with Christ lately, but yet there are times when i find myself being tempted by Satan, so much so that thoughts of the past come back. When i find myself filled with stacks and stacks of work, i feel like giving up. When i see her around, i feel like wallowing in self pity. When i see the remote around i feel like stoning in front of the television.
These feeling are what i've come to understand as coming from the mole which works inside me, trying to make God's plans for me seem obscure, unreachable and even impossible. Romans 7:14-25 really changed the way i view my feelings and the way i govern my thoughts. Indeed i have had a hard time doing so, and there have certainly been times of weakness, but i dont want to subject myself to a grim acceptance of these thoughts. I want to ask him "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" and find that questions give us answers that answers never will. Truly he will never allow these temptations to be more than we can handle.
I find comfort in the knowledge that there is good in this world, in people whom i see around me who have reached spiritual maturity. But the most important thing with which i find most comforting is that Jesus Christ died for me on the cross. Two millenia ago, this man who has done no wrong died for me. For me who has given in to that mole so many times, for me who has foresaken His will and turned to the world to find answers.
the part which striked me the most is found in Matthew 27:46:
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Quoting from the words of Psalm 22, Jesus shows us how we should be honest about our feelings with God and have an intimate relationship with him.
I feel i've grown quite a bit in my walk with Christ lately, but yet there are times when i find myself being tempted by Satan, so much so that thoughts of the past come back. When i find myself filled with stacks and stacks of work, i feel like giving up. When i see her around, i feel like wallowing in self pity. When i see the remote around i feel like stoning in front of the television.
These feeling are what i've come to understand as coming from the mole which works inside me, trying to make God's plans for me seem obscure, unreachable and even impossible. Romans 7:14-25 really changed the way i view my feelings and the way i govern my thoughts. Indeed i have had a hard time doing so, and there have certainly been times of weakness, but i dont want to subject myself to a grim acceptance of these thoughts. I want to ask him "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" and find that questions give us answers that answers never will. Truly he will never allow these temptations to be more than we can handle.
I find comfort in the knowledge that there is good in this world, in people whom i see around me who have reached spiritual maturity. But the most important thing with which i find most comforting is that Jesus Christ died for me on the cross. Two millenia ago, this man who has done no wrong died for me. For me who has given in to that mole so many times, for me who has foresaken His will and turned to the world to find answers.
"He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again" 2 Cor 5:15
Thanking God its Good Friday- jon
hello world
"Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed" James 5:16
if you've seen me recently, i've probably lamented how busy i am.
one thing i've been starting to realize about myself is that when it feels like theres too much work i'll automatically switch into relax mode.
so therefore i shall stop blogging and do my EE right now!
bye,
jon's fiiggghting on (:
if you've seen me recently, i've probably lamented how busy i am.
one thing i've been starting to realize about myself is that when it feels like theres too much work i'll automatically switch into relax mode.
so therefore i shall stop blogging and do my EE right now!
bye,
jon's fiiggghting on (:
Spiritual Warfare
hey,
have you ever noticed how real spiritual warfare is?
there are times when i can feel the devil proding me to sin.
today was one of the worst days.
staying at home made me so bored i decided to watch Rush Hour 3 as "research" for my TOK presentation.one thing led to another and i lay on my couch the whole time watching not only rush hour 3 but an episode of simpsons, friends and half of last comic standing. then mum called and said that dad's not feeling well and is coming home. i guess thats when my conscience pricked me. Its now 8:30 and i'm still stuck on world literature assignment 1 which should have been done two days ago.
Right now i really have to stand my ground and ask for God's grace y'know? Pray that i wont give the devil a foothold ever again.
not an 80/20 Christian. jon
have you ever noticed how real spiritual warfare is?
there are times when i can feel the devil proding me to sin.
today was one of the worst days.
staying at home made me so bored i decided to watch Rush Hour 3 as "research" for my TOK presentation.one thing led to another and i lay on my couch the whole time watching not only rush hour 3 but an episode of simpsons, friends and half of last comic standing. then mum called and said that dad's not feeling well and is coming home. i guess thats when my conscience pricked me. Its now 8:30 and i'm still stuck on world literature assignment 1 which should have been done two days ago.
Right now i really have to stand my ground and ask for God's grace y'know? Pray that i wont give the devil a foothold ever again.
not an 80/20 Christian. jon
character or comfort?
hello!
so this week i've been rather happy (apparently thats what young people do nowadays) haha
its not so much the jolly bubbly kind of happy, but more of a sense of accomplishment. So proud that i've managed to stay off the television since thursday! of course there were times of weakness (like when i'm so tempted to watch American Idol right now) but i think God's trying to teach me to be a man of integrity, and have a spine for him. Yesterday's quiet time was on choosing character over comfort, just what i need to be doing at this time. Pray that I would be able to guard my heart closely and reap the "quiet harvest of right living":
so this week i've been rather happy (apparently thats what young people do nowadays) haha
its not so much the jolly bubbly kind of happy, but more of a sense of accomplishment. So proud that i've managed to stay off the television since thursday! of course there were times of weakness (like when i'm so tempted to watch American Idol right now) but i think God's trying to teach me to be a man of integrity, and have a spine for him. Yesterday's quiet time was on choosing character over comfort, just what i need to be doing at this time. Pray that I would be able to guard my heart closely and reap the "quiet harvest of right living":
"No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening- it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way" Hebrews 12:11
Today's physics lesson was so extremely gross and funny at the same time due to a certain teacher whose name i shall not mention. In the middle of lesson he shared with us two rather intriguing stories. One was when he dug his nose and burst a capillary and the other was when a beetle got stuck in his ear. haha i guess retardation does not discriminate, even teachers are affected by it. I laughed so hard it got so painful!
few things i'll be praying about this week:
1) My uncle and aunt have been going through a rough patch lately, so my cousin's been over quite a bit. Pray that they'll be able to work things out and that Christ will watch over their family.
2) TOK presentation's tomorrow and i still feel rather insecure about my topic/content. Pray that i'll be able to push through and persevere.
3) My brother who's stopped quiet time and has been glued to the xbox. tsktsk. Pray that he'll be able to do the right thing.
Oh and LASTLY, just got my jobweek card from mr azmi, who wants me to clean their toilet?
byeeee.
toilet-cleaner-uncle jon
Today's physics lesson was so extremely gross and funny at the same time due to a certain teacher whose name i shall not mention. In the middle of lesson he shared with us two rather intriguing stories. One was when he dug his nose and burst a capillary and the other was when a beetle got stuck in his ear. haha i guess retardation does not discriminate, even teachers are affected by it. I laughed so hard it got so painful!
few things i'll be praying about this week:
1) My uncle and aunt have been going through a rough patch lately, so my cousin's been over quite a bit. Pray that they'll be able to work things out and that Christ will watch over their family.
2) TOK presentation's tomorrow and i still feel rather insecure about my topic/content. Pray that i'll be able to push through and persevere.
3) My brother who's stopped quiet time and has been glued to the xbox. tsktsk. Pray that he'll be able to do the right thing.
Oh and LASTLY, just got my jobweek card from mr azmi, who wants me to clean their toilet?
byeeee.
toilet-cleaner-uncle jon
life's struggles
hey.
need a place to take a break from TOK and rationalize my thoughts.
i've been doing my best to bounce back up from rock bottom. its been successful thus far, though sometimes i find myself going back to old habits. this whole time has been such a humbling experience but i feel more fulfilled than i ever was.
Temptation has never been more real to me than right now. just a while ago i've been wanting to extend my nap and switch on the tv, even though i knew that i've got work undone. I know theres still a long way to go before i'm able to be God's man, but right now, more than ever, i need to take it one step at a time. Reading a book called "God's man, every man", find it rather helpful in understanding how life's temptations can lead a man into the wrong path through testimonies from the writers. my prayer now is that i'm able to let God fill my life.
Trying not to let her plague my thoughts anymore (though i must say this has been hard). I realise that my memory of her has been so skewed in my thinking and rethinking of her. As my bro says "life's actually really simple, we just love to complicate things". I'm glad that some of the younger ones in lifegroup understand the implications of succumbing to temptation and going into a relationship at such an early stage of your life. one of them just told me about how she believes that drawing strength from God and keeping your priorities straight is most important now. At this point in life, we certainly have to understand the difference between what is favourable in God's eyes and what thoughts are perpetuated by Satan.
I'm glad that we've got new additions to the lifegroup. Can sense that some of them are going through struggles of their own. Hope that they'll be able to see that i'm not any different from them and can confide in me as someone who is in no position to judge. Trying my best to equip myself with God's word, no matter what thats the most important thing right now.
Ivan's party was enjoyable. felt good being the youngest amongst the 19 and 20 year olds. was talking to chunky and his friends, all of whom were from RJ. haha. guess i was the odd one out heh. all in all it went rather well, and there were less awkward moments than i had expected considering that i was going there knowing that i knew noone. oh and i'm intrigued by the extremely long name for the rice at the buffet, guess i'm not really much of a fine diner heh.
School tomorrow. i've got to do TOK presentation, world lit essays, physics prac and maths by today. Hope that i'll be able to draw strength from Him and endure this race.
The prize will come in heaven.
"back to work" says jon
need a place to take a break from TOK and rationalize my thoughts.
i've been doing my best to bounce back up from rock bottom. its been successful thus far, though sometimes i find myself going back to old habits. this whole time has been such a humbling experience but i feel more fulfilled than i ever was.
Temptation has never been more real to me than right now. just a while ago i've been wanting to extend my nap and switch on the tv, even though i knew that i've got work undone. I know theres still a long way to go before i'm able to be God's man, but right now, more than ever, i need to take it one step at a time. Reading a book called "God's man, every man", find it rather helpful in understanding how life's temptations can lead a man into the wrong path through testimonies from the writers. my prayer now is that i'm able to let God fill my life.
Trying not to let her plague my thoughts anymore (though i must say this has been hard). I realise that my memory of her has been so skewed in my thinking and rethinking of her. As my bro says "life's actually really simple, we just love to complicate things". I'm glad that some of the younger ones in lifegroup understand the implications of succumbing to temptation and going into a relationship at such an early stage of your life. one of them just told me about how she believes that drawing strength from God and keeping your priorities straight is most important now. At this point in life, we certainly have to understand the difference between what is favourable in God's eyes and what thoughts are perpetuated by Satan.
I'm glad that we've got new additions to the lifegroup. Can sense that some of them are going through struggles of their own. Hope that they'll be able to see that i'm not any different from them and can confide in me as someone who is in no position to judge. Trying my best to equip myself with God's word, no matter what thats the most important thing right now.
Ivan's party was enjoyable. felt good being the youngest amongst the 19 and 20 year olds. was talking to chunky and his friends, all of whom were from RJ. haha. guess i was the odd one out heh. all in all it went rather well, and there were less awkward moments than i had expected considering that i was going there knowing that i knew noone. oh and i'm intrigued by the extremely long name for the rice at the buffet, guess i'm not really much of a fine diner heh.
School tomorrow. i've got to do TOK presentation, world lit essays, physics prac and maths by today. Hope that i'll be able to draw strength from Him and endure this race.
The prize will come in heaven.
"back to work" says jon
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