Relearning old lessons, and struggling on..

So all those amazing lessons I learnt regarding work, time, and priorities last year?? I think I need to learn them again.

Or, to be more honest, I've had to relearn them. Wednesday night found me sleeping for a mere hour and a half in an effort to finish off an assignment for Thursday 9:00. What a fool I was!! Barely compos mentis, I printed off the assignment at 8:45, rushed to class, only to find a note on the door telling me that my lecturer was ill!!!!! WARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Serves me right!! I then had to struggle through the rest of the day, and apart from a brief 30 minute nap at a friend's who also had worked the whole night through, had no sleep or rest until 22:00... (Well, I did nod off a few times in my lunchtime lecture!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, okay, I actually don't remember a word the guy said. Which makes me so sad, cause the topic was something I'm really interested in!!!!!)

I'm STILL recuperating from my sleep deprivation now, three days later (or is it two? I don't know!!).

Sadness.

But I think I have relearnt my lesson....

Picking a fight with Apostle Paul...

On Thursday the bible study leaders were all sitting around prepping next week's passage from Romans together. All seemed to be going well, except for some little minor issues here and there, until someone blurted out: "What's happening in Romans 3:4???? What a stupid argument Paul's using!!!! It doesn't make sense AT ALL!!!!" Silence descended upon the people gathered there quicker than a group of male students onto a free buffet.

True story.

And that someone was me.

Maybe I was a bit harsh, maybe I should have phrased it better, but the argument that Paul was using which so confused me was pretty stupid. (However, let me say at this point that the difficulty arose due to the many possibilities for interpretation the word "Let" has. I understood the passage according to the one interpretation when the other had probably been meant.) (So yes, I was wrong in saying what I'd said about Paul!)

However, I realized that I rather enjoyed telling my blunder to people, not only because it's a funny story, but because it shocks people out of their complacency concerning the Bible.

Let me say at this point that I believe that the Bible is the Word of God, and that it is true and infallible. Me accusing Paul of silliness is not a sign of me undermining the authority of the Bible. It was rather a sign of me struggling to understand and wrestling with the text.

What often happens with people when they reach a tough part that's hard to understand, they tend to stop struggling through it, thinking that it's okay that they understand most of the passage. However, I think that's lazy (and don't get me wrong, I fall into this trap quite often myself!!), and why I keep on telling my story is so that people get kicked into gear: for them to challenge me on my argument, to go back to that bit and struggle with it and explain to me why I was wrong and why Paul was right. We need to wrestle with the Bible ESPECIALLY when it's not making sense! Next time I take Apostle Paul on, I'll just try to do it in a nicer way ;)

Are you godless and wicked?

We're tackling Romans in Bible study at the moment, and this bit about godless and wicked men really jumped out at me, and went "AHAH! Are you like this!??!"

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:21)

Obviously as a Christian, I'm not godless anymore, but what struck me was that these people who are called godless and wicked do (or rather, what they don't do). Can you see it in the first bit? They neither glorify him as God, nor gave thanks to him... This just made me wonder how often I really do glorify God in everything that I do, or how often I thank God for His generous blessings and mercies! Wowee! Solid rebuke!

Revelation through Creation

We took a walk today to two waterfalls in a National Park on the outskirts of my town. The weather was wonderful, lovely, and warm, and it was so refreshing to plunge into the icy cool water after a hike in the midmorning heat! As we were walking through the mountains, I was just reminded again of the words in Romans 1:18-20, which we had tackled in Bible Study this week:

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Hectic! But so true! I mean, how can one look at the amazing and awesome mountains, oceans, animals, trees, rocks etc. and think that all this is the product of randomnity? It's just all so mindblowing!! Especially when you remember that this God who's created EVERYTHING is the God who loved you enough to send Jesus here!!

O Lord my God

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
consider all the works thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
thy power throughout the universe displayed:

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
How great thou art, how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
How great thou art, how great thou art!

And when I think that God his Son not sparing,
sent him to die - I scarce can take it in,
that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
he bled and died to take away my sin:

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
How great thou art, how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
How great thou art, how great thou art!

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
and take me home - what joy shall fill my heart!
Then shall I bow in humble adoration,
and there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
How great thou art, how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
How great thou art, how great thou art!

How GREAT our God is! YAY!

PS Hey, look my title rhymes!
PPS What a boring post!! I feel as if my words are so inadequate to describe the beauty of the area we found ourselves in, and the spontaneous humble adoration and praise it made me feel towards our Father.

Do not be wise in your eyes... (Josh Harris)

The Sister had this up on her wall, and I liked it so much that, as any good godly Christian would do, I stole it. And put it up on mine.

Just teasing ;) I photocopied it.

It's a list of ways we might be tempted to be wise in our own eyes. Have a look!

"I am wise in my own eyes...

1. When I don't pause to pray for God's guidance on a decision. Very true!

2. When I fail to depend on God's word and approach it as a daily "lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Ps. 119:105). Yip!

3. When I assume a decision doesn't need a second opinion, and I don't take the time to ask trusted friends for counsel. The Bible teaches us how to be God's children, but friends help us to think of ways to apply it in this day and age.

4. When I am critical of another person's practice or perspective without taking the time to understand it and ask questions.

5. When I am lax in fleeing temptation, assuming that I'm adult enough to "handle it." Haha, I fall for this one quite often. But nowadays, I just run!

6. When I do something right and fail to acknowledge before God that it is only his grace that allowed me to do it right.

7. When I pat myself on the back about knowledge I have that I learned from someone else.

8. When I don't draw out, or seek to understand, a person who is bringing criticism (whether or not it's being brought constructively).

9. When I assume that the truth of a sermon is for someone else, not my own life. How often have you zoned out in a sermon 'cause you think it's not relevant to you?!?!? I do it more often than I'm willing to admit!

10. When I neglect to consistently plead to God for his wisdom.

Until I see God and fear him, I cannot see myself rightly. When my view of him is clouded, when I'm a functional atheist, I will trust and applaud my own wisdom. But when I rightly fear God--when I see him for who he is as the all-seeing, all-powerful Holy One to whom I will answer--I will see myself as weak, dependent, and in need of heavenly wisdom. When I fear God, I will shun the evil of pride and self-sufficiency."


PS the italics are all my little added thoughts :)

Check out the original blog post here: www. joshharris.com

Hebrews 10:19-25 - Love and good deeds?

As you avid readers of my blog know (haha, avid, I certainly hope so), Hebrews 10:19-25 was our first Bible study passage of the year. It was chosen specifically to go with our theme for the year - Saved to Serve... Any guesses why?

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Anyway, I was particularly struck by the bit in bold. Not because it's in bold, mind you (you silly person you, I put it in bold myself!), but because I had just skimmed over it casually when reading it for the first time. And the second time. And the third time. But I had to stop and think about it when I was going through the Bible study questions. The ones that stopped me were:

How can we spur one another on toward love and good deeds?
What part should the Bible and prayer play in this?

Blind panic! What was the answer?!?!

Luckily, my brain hadn't disappeared too far off in the holidays (it never gets too far away; it's lazy like that), so I managed to haul it out for a quick think. And this is what I came up with.

We need the Bible when considering love and good deeds because:
- the Bible gives us examples of what love and good deeds look like! Not only through the ultimate example of Christ's love for us (i.e. sacrifice at the cost to self), but also through directions on how we can show this love (e.g. not saying nasty things about each other, but building each other with our words).
- the Bible reminds us why we are to love and perform good deeds! As seen in the Hebrews passage above, the writer doesn't start immediately with the list of "Let us..."s; he gives us the reason for this in that Jesus has broken down the barrier between man and God!

And prayer? Why do we need prayer? 'Cause we can't do anything without God's help!

So arising from these, here are a few tips we thought of that might be helpful:
- model to each other what it means to love and perform good deeds.
- talk about what it means to love in action!
- remind each other of Jesus and what He's done for us. There's no greater motivator than the amazing love of an Amazing Person!
- notice and quietly praise each other when you act in love and good deeds. We don't do deeds for men's glory, but it is encouraging when you're struggling with something to be appreciated!
- pray for each other.

Any other ideas?

Hebrews 10:19-25 - Encouraging one another

The holidays are over, and I'm already hard at work... Hence the silence for the last few days; apologies to my one and only blog reader [DJ B, that's for you ;) ].

One good thing about the beginning of the new term is that it's sooooo good to see everyone again! I've missed just hanging out with Christian brothers and sisters, and even though I can be a solitary person at times, I was once again struck by how much I had missed everyone, and how the Christian family really IS a family. We need each other for encouragement, accountability, fellowship, rebuke, loving concern, support etc.etc.

We are actually commanded biblically to hang out with each other, e.g. as seen in our first bible study passage of the year: Hebrews 10:19-25.

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Yay! I hope that you're meeting up and encouraging each other!! You never know who might need YOU at this very moment.

Hold on...there's a light at the end of the tunnel

I find it incredibly hard to think of something to say when faced with friends and loved ones who are going through hard times. How can I remind them of God's love and sovereignty without sounding trite and cliched? How can I support them and show that I love them when I don't understand what they're going through? It's hard to think of the right thing to say.

That's why I was so grateful that a friend of mine played me this amazing song by Third Day recently. I love it so much :) because I was also needing it at the time! Hope it helps.

Tunnel - Third Day

Well I won't pretend to know what you're thinking
And I can't begin to know what you're going through
And I won't deny the pain that you're feeling
But I'm gonna try and give a little hope to you
Just remember what I told you
There's so much you're living for

There's a light at the end of this tunnel
There's a light at the end of this tunnel for you
For you
There's a light at the end of this tunnel
Shining bright at the end of this tunnel for you
For you
So keep holding on

You got your disappointments and sorrows
You ought to share the weight of that load with me
Then you will find that the light of tomorrow
Well it brings new life for your eyes to see
So remember what i told you
There's so much your living for

There's a light at the end of this tunnel
There's a light at the end of this tunnel for you
For you
There's a light at the end of this tunnel
Shining bright at the end of this tunnel for you
For you
So keep holding on
Keep holding on

So remember what i told you
There's so much you're living for

There's a light at the end of this tunnel
There's a light at the end of this tunnel for you
For you yeah
There's a light at the end of this tunnel
Shining bright at the end of this tunnel for you
For you yeah
There's a light at the end of this tunnel ooh
For you, for you yeah
Shining bright at the end of this tunnel
For you, for you
So keep holding on
Keep holding on
Keep holding on now

You got your disappointments and sorrows
I'm gonna try and give a little hope to you


Here's a Youtube clip for those who want to listen to it: Tunnel- Third Day.
NOTE: it's not the official music video.