Persistent Redemptive Search by God

Our rightful response to God's persistent redemptive search is to turn to Him with humility in contrition and repentance. There is no magic formula, no long distance journey in search of God.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "To find God, you must have patience as a man who sits by the seaside and undertakes to empty the ocean, lifting up one drop of water with a straw." This is an impossible task and will kill my desire to be spiritual. I would say, "Why bother?" But God does the very opposite. God is like sweeping the universe with the broom of His redemptive grace until He finds the coin on which His image is stamped. 

Luke 15:1-7

 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

I love Parables of Jesus during my Sunday school days. The lost sheep is one of my favorite. As little girl, the idea of an animal lost or left behind or injured was a pitiful sight. The good Shepherd came to the rescue to leave the 99 sheeps to look for 1 is very touching to me at that time. It set my Christian understanding that it is in fact God coming to look for sinners and not sinners seeking to know God.

 

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John 3:16-18The Message (MSG)

16-18 “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

James 4:8

 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you

I lift my eyes to the hills

Psalms 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you- the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore.

From the hospital window, I could see the Mountain. This morning as I read this passage, my beloved are at the foothill of the mountain. 

As the people who live a short distance from this mountain, we look up to this mountain a lot, in fact, everyday. We take prides in the glorious sunrise and sunset it gives us. The whole city background is this mountain and it never fail to mesmerize us with its magnificent views. We do not get bored with its majesty, in fact, we cannot have enough of it. 

When we face difficulty in life, we feel that the mountain is a blockage, a challenge to overcome, then we need someone bigger than The Mountain, to be our help. Our very present help, in times of trouble.

Religious or Relationship ?

John 5:31-47

 39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

Religious or Relationship ? 

When we do not come into a relationship with God, our religious behavior, religious knowledge is insufficient. If we do not regularly experience God's presence in our lives then we are not living in the fullness that God has designed us for. No relationship, no true knowledge of God. 

Isaiah 1:10-19

Isaiah 1:16-19 KJV

[16] Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; [17] Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. [18] Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. [19] If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

The Lord wants our heart to be clean and not just into religious acts. 

Philippians 3:3-9

 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 

We can know God through Christ.

Experiencing God

 Experiencing God

Hebrews 13:1-8

5b "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.

God's presence is like fresh meadows every morning. It is always there, a certainty and a fact. I could ignore it all the time but He is faithful and is always there for me.

Genesis 28:10-16

 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." 17 He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."

Deuteronomy 31:1-6

Moses told the people that he is too old to lead.

 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

God's promise to be with us is sure and certain but we waiver in our trust and faith in Him. We also do not spend enough time to be transformed into His likeness. In this life, there are many challenges and strifes, if we are not careful to guard our faith, we will become fearful and lack of courage. 

CLICHÉ of Malaysians

CLICHÉ 

Definition of CLICHÉ

1

: a trite phrase or expression; also : the idea expressed by it

2

: a hackneyed theme, characterization, or situation

3

: something (as a menu item) that has become overly familiar or commonplace

A cliche is not just something that lots of people say; It's something that lots of people say and it conveys some sort of idea or message. A cliche is, in other words, a metaphor characterized by its overuse.

A cliche is an analogy characterized by its overuse. It may be true ('Fat as a pig'), no longer true ('work like a dog') or inscrutible ('right as rain'), but it has been overused to the point that its sole function is to mark its user as a lazy thinker.

I am not quick to catch on Cliches used by people around me. I am often the last to know what it means or could mean and how to use them. Take for example,

• Aramati - Lets drink away ! I thought it meant Happy Hour but actually it means drinking sessions.
• Ini kali lah! - I have no idea what this means when my friends started using it, I started using it but they gave me stern warning about its hidden meaning. Only when I watched the Opposition Parties speeches then only I understood what it mean. The Cliche used by Opposition Party against the current ruling party.
• Boleh bah kalau kau ! - When I first heard it, I thought its a tongue twister or motivation phrase. Later I found out it could be sarcastic, making fun and used in negative manner.

Whether we like it or not, Cliches in life are many and they surface daily in conversations. Knowing how to use them will be handy. I predict the following Cliches will become steadily popular and well-known :-

• Listen! Listen! Listen! - Demanding audience full attention to what you are going to say.

I agree that Cliches are often overused and becoming meaningless or it does not carry your actual meanings. But it is cool to do !

Here is an interesting videon on how to use "Bah !"