Crazy Love!
“…though He has often rebuked us and condemned us, He has never regarded us with contempt. He has paid us the intolerable compliment of loving us.” – C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
God’s love cannot be tolerated. When C.S. Lewis called God’s love an ‘intolerable compliment’, he means that God’s love is something so great and so wonderful that we cannot just “tolerate” it. What does that mean? Well, if your younger brother or sister [or colleague, or classmate, or whatever] keeps on annoying you but you decide to tolerate them, that means that you don’t react even when they make you angry. It means that you accept their behaviour without doing anything. Can we do the same about God’s love?
God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). While we were still God’s enemies, he died for us. Can we accept this tremendous gift without doing anything about it? Through Christ’s death on the cross, God is saying: You are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you.(Isaiah 43:4). God does not regard us with contempt – he does not look down on us or treat us as if we are trash. Though we are sinners, he views us as human beings created in his image, and as such we are precious in his sight.
So what do we do about this ‘crazy love’? It cannot simply be tolerated. If the guy or girl of your dreams walks up to you and says: “I love you”, would you just carry on living your life as though nothing had happened? Of course not. On the other hand, you wouldn’t immediately fall to your knees and ask them to marry you without bothering to get to know them more (or would you?). In the same way, we can’t just ignore God, or treat him as though he were our lover. He is our Lord, and our Father, and our response to his love should not be short-lived or overly emotional without any real substance. We are in a long-term (in fact, everlasting-term) relationship with him. Let’s spend some time each day getting to know him more, giving thanks to him, and then expressing our love for him through our words and actions towards others.
JW
It Is Not About ME…!
Boy: Dad, I don’t understand why God made me to be so small and weak?
Being Ready…
A few days ago, in my English class, we were studying a poem based on the story of Lazarus. Our regular English teacher wasn’t in school, so we had a cover teacher whom we don’t usually have. He has known my mum and myself for quite a long time, so he knows that I’m a Christian. Out of the blue, he asked me: “So Josh, do you believe that Jesus raised Lazarus from dead?” I was caught off-guard and I really didn’t know what to say. (We’re an international school, and we’re supposed to respect each other and stuff, so we don’t usually discuss religion in class.) My tongue was tied and I just mumbled some half-baked explanation that I don’t think satisfied my teacher.
When Jesus sent out his 12 apostles, he said ‘I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves.’ (Matthew 10:16). The world around us is becoming increasingly sceptical; people are demanding more and more explanations for God and why we believe in him. According to Jesus, we are meant to be ‘sheep’ and ‘doves’, which means our lives should be blameless and innocent, so that people can clearly see that we’re Christians and we’re different (Phil 2:15). However, Jesus also told us to be ‘as wise as serpents.’ That means we should have some idea not just of what we believe, but why we believe it.
A useful exercise that we thought of in my care group was to come up with a “five-minute gospel” – what you would say to somebody if they were to ask you about God in a casual conversation. Another great thing to do (if you have the time, e.g. after you’ve finished homeschooling or if you’re waiting 6 months after SPM.. *hint hint*) is to read a book on apologetics, which is basically a defence of the Christian faith.
A really good one is Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis – the guy who wrote Narnia – and it also contains some foundational Christian doctrines, so I would strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to brush up on their basics. The church library should have a copy. I have one too, but it’s really old and tattered.. Alternatively you could buy a copy from Baptist, Salvation or Evangel (even MPH should have it, I think). Or if you have an Apple device/Android/anything that can read e-books, you can download a copy online, or email me and I can send you a copy (=
‘In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.’ 1 Pet. 3:15
JW
Milestone : Christmas 2011 Dance Presentation
After weeks of practice and practice and more practices…finally, Joshua House showcased their first ever group dance presentation on Christmas day 2011 at the 9am and 11am PWMC’s Sunday services. They danced to the song: We Are the Reason by Avalon (original dance choreographed by Korean dance group – DMT)
The Christmas 2011 dance team comprised of: Hannah Loh, Joyce Lau, Eunice Ooi, Goh Yi Lin, Goh Kelwen, Audris Tan, Joshua Lim, Bryan Looi and Calvin Tan. The Adult Ministry Partner (AMP) in charge was, Cordilia Anne.
Here are the photos during practice sessions and on Christmas Day (click on photo for slideshow):
And this is one of the video recordings on the dance presentation:
jL
Today Is The Day, He Has Made…And I Will Rejoice And Be Glad In It!
Today marked the first day of 2012. Some of us may already have plans planned up ahead of us, while some may look at today as any other day, and some may look back at year 2011 on what that had been accomplished and what that have yet to be accomplished. 2011 came and passed by but with memories where some of us could not forget. There may be some grudges, there may be some unfulfilled dreams, and there may be some good news that are worth remembering but irregardless of that, we know that all things work for the good of those whom He has called. Surely there are some not-so-good events and we may wonder how we can praise God in the midst of those situations. As we start this new year, may we learn to start off this year with the right mindset: to stay focus on the cross and to learn what Jesus did. When there is hatred, help us to show God’s peace, where there is anger, help us to show God’s love, where there is injustice, help us to show God’s care, in all we do, help us to be more like Jesus. God will not allow temptations to tempt us beyond what we can bear.
Joshua House 