Indescribable Love

Today’s reflection comes from a distracted head, who is often sharp in discerning fraud activity and all things wrong. However, I found myself a victim of a duped service over the weekend. If you are expecting an invite to my pity party, I apologise, as I cancelled my Facebook invite after sharing the incident with my parents.

In ways, I’m glad it happened, as it’s fantastic material to use for multiple sermons and how Satan deceives us as a whole. All it takes is a seed to slip beneath the cracks of our foundation and focus on Jesus Christ. You may be thinking, “Oh, but it won’t happen to me!”

The problem is – we are constantly under threat, and we are likely to fall to Satan’s plans, but more disturbingly, I believe certain denominations have fallen ill to the clutches of bad theology and biblical doctrine. If a pastor is unable to preach from the Bible and actually focus the sermon on God’s Word without the whimsical journey of tangents and fluffy-eared stories to please the congregation, you know that you have a good pastor who is capable and is not afraid to preach the Word.

As I draw near to the end of term at Cornhill Scotland, I fully appreciate the reverend fear of preaching the Word. There is a literal trembling, and it’s nothing down to one’s trembling voice, as one preaches before a class of wannabe preachers of God’s Word, but a reverend fear of being led by the Holy Spirit to utter Words of Truth – words that pierce our physical hearts in a way that bring shame and discomfort to our complacent Christian lives.

I have yet to formally preach at a local church, but I have experienced this reverend fear of the LORD. It’s not a fear of backlash or the hypercritical nature of listeners, but it’s the responsibility to unpack God’s Word from the Holy Scriptures and preach it effectively. To preach with boldness, knowing that God is giving me the Words to preach His confidence and to shake the faith of listeners. A good sermon not only provokes the listeners, but it empowers them to see light to how we are to live that is not only pleasing to God, but to positively shape our identity in Christ as true disciples of Christ.

Overcoming a distracted mind should bring our focus and attention back to Christ the Risen LORD. Only He can save us from our own troubles and everyday cracks in our walk in faith.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7, ESV)

~Richard

It can be overwhelming when faced with a barrier or challenge in our everyday lives, especially when it’s a new experience, which we may not be familiar, or know how to prepare ourselves or respond appropriately. For some, they shrug their shoulders like it’s part of their daily routine. Others might respond with fear and anxiety, especially when we naturally have the tendency to feel hurt, weary, disorientated or overwhelmed in a given situation.

We do however have hope, and our hope is with the LORD God who is more than capable in giving us the indescribable strength and peace to journey in life, but without the fear or anxiety. We may still feel overwhelmed at the end of the day, but we are not alone in our struggles. The saying goes that you should take one day at a time, and it’s an encouraging saying for a reason. A daily dose of God’s grace is sufficient to sustain us, as we learn to embrace the challenges of everyday life and take one day at a time.

So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:34, NLT)

We can also take heart and turn to the local and global church for intercessory prayers. There’s something special when we choose to open our hearts and share with others our struggles of everyday life. Personally, I found that by feeling vulnerable in my weakness, I invite brothers and sisters in Christ with intercessory prayer and share words of truth through Scripture. Only God’s Church can serve in ministering to others in His Word, in encouragement and in prayer. If we really want help from the LORD God, we need to lose the pride in ourselves and admit that we need help.

I have perhaps experienced in one particular moment in time, where I chose to share with age-minded Christians that I was struggling with depression. Not only did I feel vulnerable, when I felt compelled to share, but at the same time, I felt a great burden leave me, as I no longer wanted to carry this burden, but to ask the LORD to take it away from me. At the time, I felt overwhelmed and disorientated with life, but the LORD took away my burdens, and He gave me the strength and peace to live thereafter without dwelling my days on my problems, but to reassure my faith in the LORD and give Him the glory and honour.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT)

How will you respond with your burdens?

~Richard

Faith is something you cannot directly see, but to a faith-driven extent (to which you need faith to believe this statement), you can actually see God deliver His answer to prayer and unravel a particular event before your very eyes.

Seeing my Dad grow in His walk and faith in the LORD has been a personal desire of mine. Maybe it’s because as his only son, I long to see him rooted firmly in God’s foundation that is Christ the Risen LORD – or maybe it’s simply because I love him as my Dad. Perhaps it’s both!

We as a family have been going through a challenging time in life, where my Dad is expected to go into surgery once again – this time, for a double bypass, which ironically isn’t your typical heart bypass, but a minimally invasive procedure. Not only is it a God-send procedure that is an answer to prayer in the most unexpected way imaginable, but it will enhance the recovery process – and literally bypass future complications.

For me, I’m smitten with excitement to see my Dad find complete peace in the LORD, and to learn of my Dad embracing God’s love in his everyday journey and walk with the LORD with his brothers and sisters in Christ at his local church, and even hear of his changing worship to the LORD. The spiritual heart is soaking more of God’s anointing Spirit, and the physical heart is outpouring his love and praise for the LORD.

Faith is certainly testing, but we must live out the Scriptures and learn to apply the following:

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way.
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

~Richard

How does one go about finding the intimacy to treasure? To an extent, the world lacks the human intimacy in the appreciative value of one another. Nowadays, we go about doing our everyday business among people, and yet we find ourselves lonely or feeling isolated.

If I choose to sweat it out at the local gym, I see already-fit people tuning into their iPods as they bulge up their biceps and run like hamsters on wheels, whilst counting the calories burned like treasured Steam achievements.

If I wonder about in Glasgow and people-watch from Starbucks, I see people pre-occupied by the anti-social worlds that we hook ourselves to the digital avatars spawning ‘friends’ and complete strangers on the likes of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Pinterest, Tumblr and the usual ream of blogging platforms.

For me, I find a varying degree of human intimacy at my local church, and yet, I find it on occasions to be a strangely lonely experience. The only difference with my local church compared with my daily outings is the like-mindedness of brothers and sisters in Christ. I also have a healthy network of close Christian friends, but most, if not all are in the mature-age bracket. I don’t have a secure network of Christian friends of my own age, particular brothers and sisters in Christ to grow up with, and it doesn’t help when most modern topics of interest and social activity don’t fully appeal to me.

I am hoping (and praying) I am not due an emotional breakdown, or maybe it’s because life has taken a few sharp turns in life lately that I feel like I’ve encountered some regrets of the past. Knowing deep down, I know they are no regrets, at least from a relationship perspective. Things happen all the time, and I simply pin it down to timing. Time is needed for a seed to take root in the soils, and after much tendering care and water and sunlight – that seed will soon flourish like the Fruits of the Spirit.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! -Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

The reason I desire a female friend of a wife material is mainly my ultimate desire to get married and raise a family of my own. I guess it’s the biblical companionship of one another through human intimacy which appeals to me, but I’m also aware that marriage through Christ brings a whole new level of intimacy – and really, it’s that Trinitarian level of intimacy I desire. God’s ordination of biblical marriage is the discipline to be selfless in Christian love to your spouse in active engagement throughout marriage, from the bliss and naivety of a married couple – to serving each other in humility and meekness.

Why worry? The LORD God will provide in His perfect timing and justified will. May His will be done.

~Richard

Routines are hard to avoid, especially when a routine shapes our daily lives. At times, a routine is challenging to get started and maintain, like a regular routine for exercise or a pattern of good sleeping.

We wake up, and then hit the showers to freshen ourselves up feeling refreshed ready for the day ahead. Depending on our moods and available time, we can choose to eat breakfast or avoid it altogether, and then start our day…

Without describing too much of a typical day, I think you get the idea. The problem with routines is that they can distort our desire for a creative renewal and a longing for positive change in our daily lives, if we don’t have healthy routines.

A typical routine is admittedly mundane, especially for those who work long hours to support a family from infancy to adulthood. But don’t be afraid or discouraged to break any bad habits to inject healthier habits. You’ll be surprised that a healthy routine can have a more positive effect to your overall body, mind and soul. Whether that be to include time to actually eat breakfast before you dash to school or work, or to exercise more reflective time to switch off and rest the mind are all healthy ways for positive change.

For some, it may simply be to set aside the time to read the Word, and simply rest the noggin from mindless thought to simply dwell in the presence of God. A good routine takes effort, and in all fairness everyone is given the same 24 hours of time in a day – it’s simply how you choose to use that time wisely. Do you live only for yourself, or for the glory of the LORD?

~Richard

Change – nobody really likes it. Those who brave it with early eagerness, may be superficial in their adventurous ambition, but long-term change takes some time to adjust.

At the time of writing, I am pondering a defining move down south of the British Isles to pursue an opportunity, where I hope to balance and continue my studies in London, but become actively engaged at a local church in pastoral ministry. I want to become disciplined in knowing the Scriptures as part of my staple diet, but most importantly, I also want to live out the spoken Word in my daily walk with the LORD.

I am at a stage in life, where I have let go of my selfish hopes, dreams and ambitions. I have even pursued and graduated in formal theological and pastoral studies through a local Baptist seminary, and I now want to quit procrastinating myself with the insecurities of life and pursue this call to Christian ministry. I also have nothing to lose, and I no longer carry any burdens or baggages. I’m essentially a free agent.

I admit, I never dreamed of pursuing God in Christian ministry, nor do I believe serving in pastoral ministry makes you any ‘holy’ or ‘special’ as the next guy. They say that, “Plenty are called. Few are chosen.” It’s simply how one wants to display their love to the LORD, whether that be stepping out of the boat and representing Him on a public platform in preaching and pastoring, or in the ministries and comfort of our own homes and local neighbourhood.

Whether we consider ourselves ‘good’ compared with other people, we’re all sinners, and the value of sin covers the whole earth, which was shed and paid by the blood of Jesus Christ in His Saving Grace.

Who knows, I may even see the fruits of my own future, and I may even see how the LORD provides me with a friend, a companion, a wife – God willing, and of course, all in God’s immaculate timing and perfect plan.

Let’s take one day at a time, and see how today unfolds…

~Richard

Much has happened since I last blogged, and it doesn’t help with the fact that February is the shortest calendar month of the year – even on a leap year.

I have been challenged lately about the Church as a whole and how we communicate during Missions Week. I have learned about how to give oneself wholeheartedly to serving others. It’s very different compared with being on the receiving end, but to take the extra effort to serve is actually a wonderful feeling. There’s a sense of selflessness about showing concern for others. In ways, I find it more enjoyable than receiving.

In ways of Christian service, we often forget how to engage with others, be it in traditional face-to-face conversation or meandering the slick ways through social media. The latter however, will never be the norm of human communication.

I firmly believe we must focus our energy on the traditional methods of human communication. Nothing beats a good firm handshake or a smile and meeting eye-to-eye with a fellow being, compared with a socially-awkward ‘poke’ or pressing a pixelated ‘like’ button on Facebook, or hitting a one-click RT of a divine tweet on Twitter, or even giving a virtual ‘Thumbs Up’ of an inspiring video on YouTube. Best of all, you can’t have an atmospheric chat with someone over a freshly brewed cup of tea, or a roasted coffee with a stick of cinnamon stick and biscuit.

I know of people who think they know the universe about social networking, but unfortunately they know diddly-squat of being human and level-headed to simply live out life as the LORD God created and intended it to be.

I have social networking accounts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+ and Flickr, but I wouldn’t say I am a consumer, nor do I depend on them to make a living. Instead, I choose to live out my life as a transparent Christian, and share in the Christian witness of everyday life, with occasional blog writings to express any struggles or to share in the joys, but with a keen interest and focus to celebrate the small things in life.

I understand it is quite a transition from finding joy in serving others to expressing my musings with modern forms of communication via social media. I choose to nit-pick on the note, as I have been a consumer of worldly things in the past, and these days consumers are literally consumed with all things worldly. Social media is simply a clever way of milking human communication and disguising it as a form of ‘media’ or entertainment platform to consume our time. One such example was that back in the day, I used to spend around 6 hours per day gaming on our home PC. These days, I hardly play games. Instead, I feel more called to Christian ministry. Hard to believe, and of course, I too struggle with managing my time more wisely.

But Richard, I don’t play hardcore gaming on consoles or PC’s. That may very well be true, but everyone is still consumed by something. Often, people are consumed by the newest TV sitcom, or the latest trend of social networking (and spending a bit too long on such sites).

Compare your enjoyment of such things with how long you read your devotional studies and study your Bible? Or how long you typically spend each day in prayer to the LORD. Perhaps embarrassingly – not enough. I too am guilty of not spending enough time with God than I should be. And yet, we are given the wonderful gift of God’s Living Word. Only through God’s Word can we rebuke evil by reading the Scriptures, and holding onto the Scriptural promises that the LORD has bestowed us to use, and equip ourselves as disciples of Christ in a fallen world.

I haven’t planned anything for Lent, but I am keen to spend more time being in God’s presence than fingering my time on consuming myself with the multitude forms of media platforms.

After spending some time serving on a missions week with Plains Evangelical Church last week, I was inspired that we need to spend more time to be among real people in real need. We need to develop, minister and grow in the relationships with the very people who live around us, and value those who are present with us today, for tomorrow may hold a different story.

We are called to be disciples of Christ.

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” -Matthew 28:19-20 (NLT)

~Richard

I believe we need a jolt in life. Maybe not the kind that zaps us with harm, but a jolt of spiritual renewal in our everyday prayers and walk with the LORD.

It can be argued that our lives are mundane, but without the reliance and dependence on the LORD God to lead us and guide us to walk on correct paths, we run the risk of havering in the wrong direction. As a result, we can dangerously and unintentionally find ourselves slide from God in spiritual distraction within the physical space we trap ourselves in.

I also believe it is crucial that we be proactive as Christians, and encourage one another to constantly focus our hearts and minds on Christ. We are to live in the hope of tomorrow, no matter what challenging obstacles and expressions of celebration that we may face in our present days. There needs to be living hope, like in the resurrection of Christ.

Without the resurrection of Christ the Risen LORD, Christianity is meaningless.

Prayer, Christian fellowship, worship, praise and the reading and study of the Holy Scriptures are just some of the primary sources, where we can reconnect with the LORD and dwell in a living and real dialogue with Jesus Christ, as our LORD and Saviour. The principles are similar to when we engage in conversation with others, or attempt to make new friends. We need to express ourselves in human communication with others, so we can learn from one another.

Much of the same applies in the human communication to Our Heavenly Father, whom the LORD God has created us in His image. However, Jesus commanded in the New Testament Scriptures that we are to “love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” (Matthew 22:37, ESV). It’s a rather Trinitarian commandment to love a very Triune God – commonly known as the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The differing application here is loving the LORD with our ‘soul’ – which in a nutshell can be encapsulated as our inner being, the very essence of our created life (Genesis 2:7).

It is through this triune communication to Our Heavenly Father that we receive spiritual peace through the anointing and glorious power of the Holy Spirit, and thus a measured of jolt in life is ignited within us. I say ‘measured’ because we engage with the LORD in a personal and dwelling relationship, and it takes time and effort to maintain and nurture.

It is a process that will enrich our heart, soul and mind in understanding our purpose and existence on earth.

As we learn about God the Creator, we respond to God’s unconditional and steadfast love through Christ the Redeemer, only to receive and dwell in the anointing gift and manifesting power of the Holy Spirit.

Our daily intention may be to preoccupy ourselves with earthly distractions because of our busy schedules, but the LORD longs for us to rest and root ourselves in Him.

We need to learn and grasp the wonders that Jesus is LORD.

The resurrection of Christ isn’t just a result of our sins, but through Christ, we can begin to unravel the complex layers of life to understand our true purpose on earth, and the plans that the LORD God has planned for us – for His glory, and for His Kingdom Come.

~Richard