Father I thank You

Father I thank You
For all that You've done
You gave Your Son freely for me
And I praise You for calling me
Drawing me near
Out of blindness
You caused me to see

Spirit of life
You are God's holy fire
You've kindled my heart with Your blaze
And I know You're refining me
Changing my life
And by faith You're revealing Your ways

Jesus I need You
As Lord of my life
I give all I have unto You
Lord I want to come
Under Your heavenly hand
And to praise You in all that I do

~ Steve Stewart

pearlie

A Thousand Words #116

pearlie
Photo (c) Bo de Visser

A spring shut up, a fountain sealed

I read this from Charles Spurgeon's devotional this morning:

"A spring shut up, a fountain sealed."—Song of Solomon 4:12.
In this metaphor, which has reference to the inner life of a believer, we have very plainly the idea of secrecy. It is a spring shut up: just as there were springs in the East, over which an edifice was built, so that none could reach them save those who knew the secret entrance; so is the heart of a believer when it is renewed by grace: there is a mysterious life within which no human skill can touch. It is a secret which no other man knoweth; nay, which the very man who is the possessor of it cannot tell to his neighbour. The text includes not only secrecy, but separation. It is not the common spring, of which every passer-by may drink, it is one kept and preserved from all others; it is a fountain bearing a particular mark—a king's royal seal, so that all can perceive that it is not a common fountain, but a fountain owned by a proprietor, and placed specially by itself alone. So is it with the spiritual life. The chosen of God were separated in the eternal decree; they were separated by God in the day of redemption; and they are separated by the possession of a life which others have not; and it is impossible for them to feel at home with the world, or to delight in its pleasures. There is also the idea of sacredness. The spring shut up is preserved for the use of some special person: and such is the Christian's heart. It is a spring kept for Jesus. Every Christian should feel that he has God's seal upon him—and he should be able to say with Paul, "From henceforth let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Another idea is prominent—it is that of security. Oh! how sure and safe is the inner life of the believer! If all the powers of earth and hell could combine against it, that immortal principle must still exist, for He who gave it pledged His life for its preservation. And who "is He that shall harm you," when God is your protector?

pearlie

So do you find it fulfilling?

A conversation that I had with a friend on Sunday in church is still fresh in my mind, but I just realised what words I used when I asked her about her work: "so do you find it fulfilling?"

It did not occur to me until this morning that I had actually used the word, fulfil. This explains a lot because I find that I am looking for fulfilment in all the wrong areas in my life, and finding none.

I cannot avoid the fact now that I can only find fulfilment in Christ.

But what is fulfilment in Christ? I know of many so-called standard answers, but what is it exactly in reality?

pearlie

The sinful nature - that is why ...

God certainly has a way with us. He knows us fully and comes to us in His own good timing.

I had directed many questions to him, particularly over the weekend. His word came to me very clearly yesterday via Calvin's Sunday School artwork, which carried the verse I posted here yesterday - Matthew 28:20b. God tells me surely he is with me always.

This morning, his word came to me again, and this time it is pretty loud and long. I need to spend much time reading through this passage and working it out.

Basically, I had asked him why is that while I know I trust in him, I cannot feel or experience the peace that is from him. I began to wonder if peace is only a feeling. But I am quite sure peace is either there or is not there. I can't orchestrate it. So something is not right since I did not have the peace that God is so willing to give.

He gave me the answer here in this passage from Romans.

From 7:25b, it is clearly stated that in my mind I am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature, I am a slave to the law of sin. At this present time until the Last Day when all is made perfect in Christ, we will have both this mind in Christ controlled by the Spirit and the sinful nature in us. Until and unless I release myself to the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, I will be living in my sinful nature who will be narrating what I should think or do or feel. And I will not be with peace, the peace that only Christ can give (John 14:27) because, "the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God." (v.7-8)

There's more:

Romans 7:25b-8:17
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

pearlie

"Surely I am with you always"

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:20b

pearlie
Picture (c) 2009 Jeremy Stockwell

Hibiscus

I have not touched my camera in months. So I packed my stuff this morning and headed off to the nearest park. The sad thing is there is nothing much in parks here - I did not manage to get any good shots.

This is my favourite but I did not take it in the park, I took it at my neighbour's.



pearlie
Photo (c) 2009 Pearlie Ng

The Smell of Books

I have not really gotten into reading e-books yet. The few free e-books that I have downloaded are either left unread or unfinished just after a couple of pages. But I am not sure if the problem are the books (since they are free and just nice-to-have ones rather than what I really want) or the medium. And I still could not part with my money to buy a book I really want in the e-book format, but I'd readily fish out my purse in the bookstore.

I found this quote by Rupert Giles, the librarian extraordinaire character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, played by Anthony Head:

Smell is the most powerful trigger to the memory there is. A certain flower, or a whiff of smoke can bring up experiences long forgotten. Books smell musty and rich. The knowledge gained from a computer is a - it, uh, it has no texture, no context. It's-it's there and then it's gone. If it's to last, then the getting of knowledge should be, uh, tangible, it should be, um, smelly.

So well said.

pearlie

What do you need to throw away?

I was clearing up some clutter in the house - well, maybe "some" is an understatement. I have this load of old stuff that I know I must throw away ages ago. And now that I did, I will feel better and much relieved that they are gone.

Isn't life like that sometimes, where there are certain things you just do not want to throw away but yet you know you should, like past memories you shouldn't want to bring back, old grudges, overdue expectations, archaic way of thinking, out-of-date love songs ...

What do you need to throw away?

pearlie

Meditation - the Christian's and the Buddhist's

The Foundations of Buddhism
Rupert Gethin

I finally managed to get a copy of this book. Apparently, it is the textbook for Buddhism, but a pretty small one at that. Now I can get back to reading and figuring out how to tackle my paper on this topic. I cannot even remember what the assignment question is! But I do know I wanted to so something on meditation.

I find the Buddhist meditation very interesting and quite unlike what I do in meditation as a Christian. I have only read the first thirty over pages of this book, but I remember Gethin saying that meditation is like attaining a state of altered existence - I may have gotten the words wrong ... but I think not. When I compare my meditation in practice with the Buddhist meditation, at least from what I read, I find that whilst I meditate on Scripture or on God, my aim is so that I can understand my God better. I desire to know Him more and enjoy His presence, and in turn know what I must and should do as His child.

For a Buddhist, it is the attainment of an altered state of the mind. It is a concentration on something or nothing, until the mind is free from externalities - that is what I think it is at this point of time. I have much more work to do to figure this out.

pearlie

Psalm 63 - what an amazing psalm

I was not feeling all that great this morning and believe me or not, I actually wanted to hear someone familiar - and I turned to Dick Lucas! The sermon that happened to be on cue in my thumbdrive was Psalm 63. I wasn't quite listening to him, just bits here and there, but I was quite enthralled by the psalm.

I spent a bit of time in the day ruminating about it, but I still could not get enough of it, and as such I could not pin down much things other than the fact that the psalm is just amazing.

I let it speak for itself here.

Psalm 63 (NIV)
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

1 O God, you are my God,
      earnestly I seek you;
      my soul thirsts for you,
      my body longs for you,
      in a dry and weary land
      where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
      and beheld your power and your glory.

3 Because your love is better than life,
      my lips will glorify you.

4 I will praise you as long as I live,
      and in your name I will lift up my hands.

5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
      with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

6 On my bed I remember you;
      I think of you through the watches of the night.

7 Because you are my help,
      I sing in the shadow of your wings.

8 My soul clings to you;
      your right hand upholds me.

9 They who seek my life will be destroyed;
      they will go down to the depths of the earth.

10 They will be given over to the sword
      and become food for jackals.

11 But the king will rejoice in God;
      all who swear by God's name will praise him,
      while the mouths of liars will be silenced

pearlie

The end in mind

I was listening to Dick Lucas' sermon on John 14 this morning and the one thing he said that struck me was that when Jesus began talking to his disciples about his impending death and the suffering they will be undergoing when he is gone, he not only began with exceptional comforting words but he began with the end.

Let not your heart be troubled. You trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going. (v.1-4)

This is comforting because in whatever situations we find ourselves in, we only need to be sure of two things:

1. Our relationship with God the Father, in Jesus Christ, through His Spirit
2. There is a place for us in the heavenly abode, where God himself is

Soli deo gloria

pearlie

Andrea and Ashley

Ashley, my dinner companion ...

... the challenge was I have to communicate with her in Mandarin!
I think I passed ... with a 5-year old. We were at a wedding dinner.

Andrea and Ashley...


pearlie

Level Up!

Isn't life so much like a game?After you think you managed to pull through one troubled phase, you realise the game is not over yet. You are onto the next level. The more you advance the more challenging it gets. And there are two outcomes, you either complete all levels and crowned a victor or you're given the dreaded Game Over.

Unless of course you are playing Snake and Ladder.

pearlie

The Balance Between Happiness and Depression

It is not going to be easy but I think that to come back to a more sane journey in life for me, I need to be blogging daily again. Why? Because I find it therapeutic to blog. When I blog I tend to think more objectively, not ending up with whining and moaning in my own secret journal about how life practically sucks (pardon my language, I find no better word to describe it).

Interestingly, I read this article in Newsweek a couple of days ago: The Upside of Feeling Down. I am not disagreeing with it but I am not agreeing entirely with it either. As much as there is an unprecedented drive towards happiness in the happiness industry these days, and a call to value depression as a need in life as driven by this article, there must be a balance. One must get a hold on self and not go all out to gain that illusive happiness at all cost, and on the other side, one must not wallow in depression thinking that there is no meaning in life.

There must be a balance and striking that balance is not an easy thing to do.

pearlie

USD175,000 for a copy of The Hobbit

I have not blogged in ages but this item demanded a few minutes of my time to have it posted.

It is the most expensive book I have ever encountered! It is here in Abebooks.com. Or click the picture to enlarge.



pearlie

The Boolean Rule of Holiness?

I was presented a question today on the measure of holiness: how holy is God and how holy are you?

But I thought holiness is whether you are holy or you are not.

Is it not?

In our working out of our salvation, do we attain a certain "level" of holiness? Or do we remain sinners, but saved and justified, reaching to the holiness that is our mark of perfection when we become perfect in that Day to come?

pearlie

I like this quote ...

Judge a person by their questions,
rather than their answers.
~Voltaire

... since I am always asking questions :)

pearlie

What do you see?

Oh! I see.
What do you see?
I see that for every smile that is real, there is a weathered heart.

Oh! I see.
What do you see?
I see that for every ear that is listening, there is a battered soul.

Oh! I see.
What do you see?
I see that for every hand that is offered, there is hope for trust.

Oh! I see.
What do you see?
I see that for every tear that drops, there is a wealth of love.

(c) 2009 Pearlie Ng
All rights reserved

Photo (c) 2008 The beholding eyes...
Originally uploaded by Жuntal

Christmas is near!

I have just been asked to help get the carolling team ready this year. I am pretty excited about it. I have yet to get hold of the songs in print but the carols are already running in my head and I am already singing them while driving.

Christmas is near!

As much as we must remind ourselves that Christmas is not about gifts and toys, but about the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ and our commitment to him, we must also revel in the sounds and colours and aroma of Christmas. The aroma of a busy kitchen, decadent fruit cakes, hot steaming coffee; colours of wrapped gifts, table cloths, Christmas trees; sounds of carollers singing, children laughing, family chatting. That is amongst what I look forward to the season -- to rejoice in the presence of Immanuel with family and friends.

pearlie