The Youths of Penang Wesley!

Archive for December, 2011

What Can I Give Which You Have Not Given?

Have we ever wondered what do we have to offer to our Lord? Our money (tithes)? Our time? Our strength? Those are some of the things we have been offering to God and that is good. But sometimes when we are so tired from our daily chores (work and school) and we feel so exhausted and tired that we begin to wonder what we have left to offer to our Father in Heaven. Then, the guilt began to creep into our small tired heart as it begin to accuse us that we actually have nothing left to offer to our Father for we have been working real hard in our daily work/study.

But then again, the question comes back: What is the offering that our Father is looking for? I personally think that the best offering one can give to our Father is a willing and obedient heart in which some may find it hard to do so. Most of the time we thought that time is the most difficult thing to offer for we are always busy but I think a willing and an obedient heart may be at the top of the list. Why? When God ask us to care for someone whom we don’t really like, do we care for that person willingly? When God ask us to spend some time with Him, do we do it enthusiastically or does it somehow had became part of the usual ‘chores’ in which we must do everyday? Do we do what God asks us to do without complaining?
God loves a cheerful giver. The foundation of all our offerings (time, money, strength, etc) comes from our heart. If and only if our heart is willing and not by grudge or by force, only then do our offerings become the sweet incense to our Father in Heaven. God does not see how much things we do for Him, but God sees how far our heart can go out to Him willingly and not grudgingly. Dear children of God, we can do a lot of things for God but our work will only be “filthy rags” if our hearts are not set right with God. So, search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23-24). And create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from Your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me (Psalm 51:10-12) May this be our prayer as we offer our Father the best we can give.
hp

December 10, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Thank God For His Mercy!

‘Mercy triumphs over judgement.’ – James 2:13b. In this passage, James refers to God’s mercy rescuing us from the harsh demands of the Jewish ceremonial Law. In the previous verses, he illustrates the rigid judgement and condemnation of the Law by saying ‘whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all.’ (Jas. 2:10). But thanks to God’s mercy and Jesus’ death on the cross, we are under the ‘law of freedom’ and no longer have to obey the ceremonial Law to be made right with God.

Then, James says that ‘judgement is without mercy to the one who hasn’t shown mercy.’ (v.13a). He is echoing the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:14 & 15, when He said that we will not be forgiven if we do not first forgive others. However, here I believe James is also referring to how we view others in general: are we quick to judge, or do we attempt to understand the other person’s point of view first? Do we label someone “unchristian” or “uncommitted” if they do not fit a certain standard that we expect?

Sometimes, we may be perfectly justified, morally and Scripturally, when we condemn the actions or attitudes of someone else. When a person commits to serving in a particular ministry but fails to do it (not turning up for worship practice, for example), we have every right to judge them. But do we seek first to understand why they didn’t do what they were supposed to? Do we show mercy and empathy? Or do we immediately rebuke them? Personally, I believe that if you rebuke someone out of judgement, and not out of love, then it doesn’t matter how Scripturally or morally justified you may be; the rebuke becomes an act of condemnation and not an act of love.

JW

December 4, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment