Sunday, November 19, 2006
Praise and Worship
On Friday, I prayed:
Father, we may never fully understand Your love for us. Yet Lord, show us that little bit that we do understand.
Today, as Pastor Lian preached, I slowly re-realized His love for me. I know His love, but today, I realized it again.
Pastor Lian shared this story in closing about this boy who was granted his wish for a bicycle for a birthday present, on condition that he be responsible for and take good care of it. After a whole day of cycling around the house, he left the bicycle outside and went in to collapse, happily exhausted, on his bed. When he woke up the next morning he found that during the night a storm had ripped through his area. His bicycle, left outside, was muddy all over, and a huge branch had fallen over it. Remembering his promise, he tried to clean off the mud as best as he could, then tried to lift the branch off the bicycle. But the branch was simply too heavy. Seeing his father returning in the distance, he pushed at the branch with all his might. The branch lifted, but because he couldn't sustain his energy, came crashing right back down again.
When the father approached, the boy broke into a flood of words, saying, 'Daddy daddy I'm so sorry daddy I promised I'd take care of the bike but I was too tired and I forgot daddy I tried to clean the mud off and used all my strength to try to push the branch off but it just wouldn't move daddy I'm so sorry.'
The father looked at the son, and said, 'No. You didn't use all your strength.' He then lifted the heavy branch away and pulled the bike from under it. 'Now,' the father said, 'you have used all your strength.'
As Christians we see our Father watching us in the distance, and we are so concerned with keeping promises and just being right with Him that we start using our own strength to try to conquer our adverse consequences, then start apologising to Him and saying, 'Sorry, I did everything I could, but I still failed you.' What our Father really wants us to see is that among other things, He is there for us to depend on Him to remove the troubles that are oppressing us, troubles that are laying on top of our spiritual fruits and hindering us from getting closer to the Lord. The Lord is my ally, and a powerful ally He is! The next time you wield your celestial Sword, are you using your own strength, or harnessing His power? The Lord has everything but put His strength and power at our disposal. Why aren't we using it?
I was touched by the love of God today, and I feel it's because after awhile into Praise and Worship I just decided to give my all to glorifying him through song. I think releasing your soul to Him, opening the doors in your heart, is important. People, and especially face-conscious Singaporeans, are afraid to open up because they think people beside them and around them will stare and either go siao, or begrudge you for being so onz. But listen. You are in church, where you are supposed to glorify our heavenly Father and come together to feast on His word. If anything, you're only doing the right thing by opening up to give Him the praise He deserves.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, let us not worry about trivial things such as this. For glorious is the Kingdom of God our Abba Father in heaven, and glory be to those who choose to abandon all cares and worries to give Him praise.
It's not a verse from the Bible, if there are any younger Christians reading. I'm just sounding Paul-ish. Haha~
Father, we may never fully understand Your love for us. Yet Lord, show us that little bit that we do understand.
Today, as Pastor Lian preached, I slowly re-realized His love for me. I know His love, but today, I realized it again.
Pastor Lian shared this story in closing about this boy who was granted his wish for a bicycle for a birthday present, on condition that he be responsible for and take good care of it. After a whole day of cycling around the house, he left the bicycle outside and went in to collapse, happily exhausted, on his bed. When he woke up the next morning he found that during the night a storm had ripped through his area. His bicycle, left outside, was muddy all over, and a huge branch had fallen over it. Remembering his promise, he tried to clean off the mud as best as he could, then tried to lift the branch off the bicycle. But the branch was simply too heavy. Seeing his father returning in the distance, he pushed at the branch with all his might. The branch lifted, but because he couldn't sustain his energy, came crashing right back down again.
When the father approached, the boy broke into a flood of words, saying, 'Daddy daddy I'm so sorry daddy I promised I'd take care of the bike but I was too tired and I forgot daddy I tried to clean the mud off and used all my strength to try to push the branch off but it just wouldn't move daddy I'm so sorry.'
The father looked at the son, and said, 'No. You didn't use all your strength.' He then lifted the heavy branch away and pulled the bike from under it. 'Now,' the father said, 'you have used all your strength.'
As Christians we see our Father watching us in the distance, and we are so concerned with keeping promises and just being right with Him that we start using our own strength to try to conquer our adverse consequences, then start apologising to Him and saying, 'Sorry, I did everything I could, but I still failed you.' What our Father really wants us to see is that among other things, He is there for us to depend on Him to remove the troubles that are oppressing us, troubles that are laying on top of our spiritual fruits and hindering us from getting closer to the Lord. The Lord is my ally, and a powerful ally He is! The next time you wield your celestial Sword, are you using your own strength, or harnessing His power? The Lord has everything but put His strength and power at our disposal. Why aren't we using it?
I was touched by the love of God today, and I feel it's because after awhile into Praise and Worship I just decided to give my all to glorifying him through song. I think releasing your soul to Him, opening the doors in your heart, is important. People, and especially face-conscious Singaporeans, are afraid to open up because they think people beside them and around them will stare and either go siao, or begrudge you for being so onz. But listen. You are in church, where you are supposed to glorify our heavenly Father and come together to feast on His word. If anything, you're only doing the right thing by opening up to give Him the praise He deserves.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, let us not worry about trivial things such as this. For glorious is the Kingdom of God our Abba Father in heaven, and glory be to those who choose to abandon all cares and worries to give Him praise.
It's not a verse from the Bible, if there are any younger Christians reading. I'm just sounding Paul-ish. Haha~
posted by Renhao : 4:43 PM Permalink
