Hey guys! It's already December! Time really has wings. It seemed only yesterday when I celebrated New Year's Day at the beginning of the year. Christmas is coming so fast that I was shocked when I looked at the calendar today and saw that it was 13 December! Besides signaling the near coming of Christmas, this date also has special meaning for me. 13 December is the birthday of my late cousin and I haven't gone to Mandai for quite a while to visit her. I just want to wish her a great birthday and I know she's having a great time in heaven right now.
But Christmas isn't the only thing about to happen this period. I'm gonna get my new guitar soon and I'm very excited about that. I've been practicing for a few hours every day since I picked up guitar a few weeks ago. Although I'm not very good yet, I can say that I've made considerable improvement. ;P In addition to that, my long-awaited holidays are knocking on my front door! They start from next Monday and end on the 2nd of January 2013! I know it's only a little more than two weeks, but it's better than nothing anyways. :P During that time, my dad plans to do some revamp-work on the house. I'm helping out and I'll try to post pics of the progress!
I just wanna thank God for helping me get through this year. Yes, it was filled with ups and downs, but I know that God will always be there for me and for you too. I hope you have a great Christmas season! Always remember that Christmas is mainly centered on these two things: Jesus and giving. :)
And before I sign off, I'm going to say something. On January 1, 2013, I'm going to watch 2012 and laugh. I know this is quite an old joke but anyways... #JustSaying
Showing posts with label reflections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reflections. Show all posts
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
A Temporary Assignment
Today I just read Chapter 6 of "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. It's an extremely good Christian book and I really recommend it! Anyway, the main theme of Chapter 6 is "Life is a temporary assignment." Here are some things I got out of reading:
- Life is a temporary assignment.
- To make the best of life, you mustn't forget 2 truths:
1. Compared with eternity, life is extremely brief.
2. Earth is only a temporary residence
- Earth is not your permanent home or final destination. You're like a foreigner passing through.
- Christians should always remind themselves that our citizenship is in heaven.
- Your identity is in eternity and your real home is in heaven. When you grasp the truth, you won't worry about "having it all" on earth.
- Christians are supposed to be like God's ambassadors to earth. Sadly, many Christians have betrayed Christ and His kingdom. They have foolishly concluded that because they live on earth, it is their real home. IT IS NOT!
- God warns us that we shouldn't become too attached to worldly things.
- The fact that earth is not our ultimate home explains why as followers of Jesus, we experience difficulty, sorrow, and rejection in this world. In order to keep us from being too attached to earth, God allows us to feel a significant amount of discontent and dissatisfaction in life -- longing that will never be fulfilled on this side of eternity.
- Realizing that life on earth is just a temporary assignment should radically alter your values. Eternal ones, not temporal ones should become the deciding factors for your decisions.
- It's a fatal mistake to assume that God's goal for your life is material prosperity or popular success, as the world defines it. The abundant life has nothing to do with material abundance, and faithfulness to God doesn't guarantee success in a career or ministry. Never focus on temporary crowns. Of course, this doesn't mean that getting material possessions is bad. Just don't get too caught up with acquiring temporary things. Matthew 6:19-20 says, " “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."
- In God's eyes, the greatest heroes of faith are no those who achieve prosperity, success, and power in this life, but those who treat this life as a temporary assignment and serve faithfully, expecting their promised reward in eternity.
- After death, you won't leave home, you'll go home.
Question to consider: How should that fact that life on earth is just a temporary assignment change the way I'm living right now?
- Life is a temporary assignment.
- To make the best of life, you mustn't forget 2 truths:
1. Compared with eternity, life is extremely brief.
2. Earth is only a temporary residence
- Earth is not your permanent home or final destination. You're like a foreigner passing through.
- Christians should always remind themselves that our citizenship is in heaven.
- Your identity is in eternity and your real home is in heaven. When you grasp the truth, you won't worry about "having it all" on earth.
- Christians are supposed to be like God's ambassadors to earth. Sadly, many Christians have betrayed Christ and His kingdom. They have foolishly concluded that because they live on earth, it is their real home. IT IS NOT!
- God warns us that we shouldn't become too attached to worldly things.
- The fact that earth is not our ultimate home explains why as followers of Jesus, we experience difficulty, sorrow, and rejection in this world. In order to keep us from being too attached to earth, God allows us to feel a significant amount of discontent and dissatisfaction in life -- longing that will never be fulfilled on this side of eternity.
- Realizing that life on earth is just a temporary assignment should radically alter your values. Eternal ones, not temporal ones should become the deciding factors for your decisions.
- It's a fatal mistake to assume that God's goal for your life is material prosperity or popular success, as the world defines it. The abundant life has nothing to do with material abundance, and faithfulness to God doesn't guarantee success in a career or ministry. Never focus on temporary crowns. Of course, this doesn't mean that getting material possessions is bad. Just don't get too caught up with acquiring temporary things. Matthew 6:19-20 says, " “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."
- In God's eyes, the greatest heroes of faith are no those who achieve prosperity, success, and power in this life, but those who treat this life as a temporary assignment and serve faithfully, expecting their promised reward in eternity.
- After death, you won't leave home, you'll go home.
Question to consider: How should that fact that life on earth is just a temporary assignment change the way I'm living right now?
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Delicateness Of Life
Well, my brother and I are going for an Ethos debate camp in June. This is my second one while it's my brother's first debate camp.
For the exhibition debate, my topic is "Banning physical punishment of children" and my brother is debating on legalizing organ sale. My brother's topic brought me sadness because I remembered how I lost one of my closest cousins to heart failure on February 9, 2007. She was only 21 years and two months. (She was born in December) Although she had been suffering heart failure for three and a half years, she passed away so suddenly that I couldn't believe she was dead.
That Friday night, I was at home cell playing with my friends while the adults had a discussion. My mom then received a call from my maid saying that my cousin had collapsed at home and was being sent to hospital. My parents fetched my brother and me home before rushing to the hospital. I remember that it was already 12 midnight. We went to sleep that night, praying for our cousin. We did not think that it was really serious, although we felt a bit anxious. Trying to be optimistic, I expected her to be discharged the next morning.
The first thing I heard in the morning was the sound of crying. My maid crying. I brushed it off, thinking that my maid must be crying over some family problems, as she always did. A few moments later, she ran into the room and broke the news to me: my cousin had passed on. Immediately, I started sobbing and stumbled to the living room where I found my mother on the phone, tears streaking down her cheeks. It was one of the few times I witnessed my mother cry. (My cousin was very close to my mother.)
I went for the wake, but due to my young age of nine at that time, I was not allowed to go for the cremation. I thank God that my cousin had accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior and was now in heaven with Him. However, the question still rings in my head, "Would she have been saved by an organ transplant?"
This incident also taught me that we must live our life as if Jesus will take us home the next day. The frailty of life is very real. We may get called home tomorrow. My cousin impacted many lives and as a result, she left a lasting legacy. Due to her condition, she knew that she may die the next day, thus she gave her best in everything. She was a straight-A student in NUS and even committed time to serve in her church's Sunday school. Thank God for such a wonderful cousin!
For the exhibition debate, my topic is "Banning physical punishment of children" and my brother is debating on legalizing organ sale. My brother's topic brought me sadness because I remembered how I lost one of my closest cousins to heart failure on February 9, 2007. She was only 21 years and two months. (She was born in December) Although she had been suffering heart failure for three and a half years, she passed away so suddenly that I couldn't believe she was dead.
That Friday night, I was at home cell playing with my friends while the adults had a discussion. My mom then received a call from my maid saying that my cousin had collapsed at home and was being sent to hospital. My parents fetched my brother and me home before rushing to the hospital. I remember that it was already 12 midnight. We went to sleep that night, praying for our cousin. We did not think that it was really serious, although we felt a bit anxious. Trying to be optimistic, I expected her to be discharged the next morning.
The first thing I heard in the morning was the sound of crying. My maid crying. I brushed it off, thinking that my maid must be crying over some family problems, as she always did. A few moments later, she ran into the room and broke the news to me: my cousin had passed on. Immediately, I started sobbing and stumbled to the living room where I found my mother on the phone, tears streaking down her cheeks. It was one of the few times I witnessed my mother cry. (My cousin was very close to my mother.)
I went for the wake, but due to my young age of nine at that time, I was not allowed to go for the cremation. I thank God that my cousin had accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior and was now in heaven with Him. However, the question still rings in my head, "Would she have been saved by an organ transplant?"
This incident also taught me that we must live our life as if Jesus will take us home the next day. The frailty of life is very real. We may get called home tomorrow. My cousin impacted many lives and as a result, she left a lasting legacy. Due to her condition, she knew that she may die the next day, thus she gave her best in everything. She was a straight-A student in NUS and even committed time to serve in her church's Sunday school. Thank God for such a wonderful cousin!
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