At His command.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. - Hebrews 11:3

Yes, I know this. When the sun rises each morning, it occurs because God commanded it to happen at the beginning. The same goes for the flowers that unfurl, the birds that chirp, and everything else in the world, including me. I draw breath because He commands it of my body. I draw breath because He decided that I should live and not die. I draw breath because He is in control. Yes, I have the choice to disregard Him, and end my existence on earth by going against His command. No, I shall let my life depend on Him, His word, His command. 

"Why do you choose this?" you ask. "Why obey when you have the choice?"

God's word shall have the first and last say in my life, and in the Bible, I read these words - "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11). These are not words spoken to men who have been given life to merely live and die. These are words spoken to men who are meant to leave a good legacy. Not one person on this earth that has been brought into life and live 20, 30, 40 years or longer is meant to just live and die. We actually have a destiny, a plan mapped out by God Himself. How tragic should it be if my Creator says to me, "You could have gone further than this" when I enter His rest! 

A command is a command, no matter how implicitly it is given. So long I wake up tomorrow morning, I will make it my business to draw closer to my destiny in God. Yet, if there is one thing I have come to realize about God and His plan for me, He only shares it to those who choose to share their lives with Him. Not that the Creator, and Giver of life needs ours, but in yielding control to Him, we demonstrate faith, the ONLY currency God deals with. Therefore, I will take His word on faith, because without it, I cannot please Him.

A thousand what-ifs.

What if I did 5 points better for PSLE and ended up in Swiss with my buddy in pri. sch?

What if I did get shortlisted for NPCC?

What if I did get the girl I had thought I wanted so badly in sec. sch?

What if I did find acceptance through my emulation of the behavior of my classmates in sec. sch?
What if I did ace my A maths and not end up dropping it for 'O's?
What if I did pass my NAPFA test all the way through sec. sch and poly?

What if I did get it right every time I made a decision, and no mistakes were ever made? It is precisely this which I cannot do, thus I rely on my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Looking back, I certainly did not always get my way, did not succeed in the things I desired to be good at. Looking back, if I did not fail at all, then I wouldn't have obtained the opportunity to know my Lord and Savior in this way. I would not have been able to know Him as the Victory in my life. As the saying goes, success is not final, and failure not fatal. However, I want to convey my gratitude for His divine influence in my life, leading me to victories in my life, when so many failures marked the path of my life for something much much less.

Without His divine influence, my successes would have be minimal, the failures quite fatal. Do I make Him sound like a crutch? No, that is not what He is in my life. A crutch only supports while the body heals. Christ is the fullness of life, of a kind everlasting, and this everlasting life was poured out into my poor one, and like spring come, this mortal existence sprang into its fullness. So what does Christ do with the saved? I quote Him on this, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10) Life was meant for you and me, to live to the full, and Christ came to restore what was lost. Therefore, "the life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

Chapter twenty-four.

Constantly worn out, hungry, suffering, disappointed, angered, frustrated by the seemingly endless bad decisions people make around me. When I was younger and made such decisions, I didn't realize how frustrating or annoying such things were. I am responsible for fifty-three Boys' physical, mental, emotional, and most importantly, spiritual development. Yes, I am not their only guardian, nor the sole provider of these needs, but one of many contributors. I accepted this charge of my own accord, not under duress, but out of a firm belief that I am able to steer lives onto their Creator-intended paths, and away from the rocks of cynicism, unbelief, mediocrity and lifelong misery.

I can only pray, dear Lord, that I do not fail in my ministry to these foolhardy, carefree individuals who are gradually coming to terms with the world they live in. As they mature in the physical, it is only my sincerest prayer that none of them fail to mature in the latter three aspects, since the inward self matters more than excellence of one's outward appearance.

My eyes are not fixed on what is seen, nor does my hope rest in men. If it were so, I would have quit doing this suffersome duty a long time ago. Though I have a duty, I have a Lord too, whose concern for these souls is greater than mine. My role is not to overtake His plan, but to move along with it, doing my part as He performs His greater, yet even more silent parts. Though I seem a trifle small alongside Him, this is my story for all eternity.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. - 1 Corinthians 15:58

Rainy days.

I dislike rainy days. I dislike the fact that I have to go on and continue my activities in the rain, getting my shoes, and potentially, my clothes all damp. When I see dark clouds gathering, and the foreboding clap of thunder, I think about how the weather is going to hinder my day. If I planned to play outdoors, there would probably be a need to change to an indoor venue. If I planned to cycle, I would have to take public transport. If I planned to drive, I would have to drive at a slower speed, and with greater care. In short, rain ruins my plans.

So it is with my life in the spirit, because I dislike having my plans ruined. But it was the Lord for my life, and so it shall now be my life for the Lord. As such, my comfort for His purposes, His plans and His glory, which lasts forever and ever. Bring the rain, Jesus, bring it on.

Many are the plans in the mind of a man,but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. - Proverbs 19:21

Baby skin.

Naaman was a man of war, a general over thousands of troops, and the king's right-hand man in military affairs of the state. Yet, he was leprous. All the world's power and material wealth mattered little to this man, if he had to live like an outcast because of his condition. Leprosy, like modern-day cancer, was incurable by medicine. What he needed was a miracle, and he indeed obtained one from the God of Israel! Though one outside of the Abrahamic covenant, God still ministered to Naaman's need, and glorified His Name in the process.

What impressed me rather, was the extent of his healing. God could have just restored his skin to health, but no, He did not. Instead, He went one step further. We forget that Naaman was a man of war, and how can such a man have no scars on his body? Yet, God was glorified that day and for every day that the army of Syria saw their commander, because in Naaman's perfect baby skin, they saw not just a God who heals, but One who has power to restore to pristine form. Through one man's affliction and subsequent healing, Syria received word that God was not just powerful, but they could worship Him too.

So [Naaman] went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. - 2 Kings 5:14

Discounting the power of God.

I don't know if you've heard of the Gospel being compared to the cure for cancer, and how it shouldn't be kept only to a select group. Following that line of thought, if the Gospel is truly the solution for the cancer of sin that has stricken the human race, its power to mend and heal should be the chief part of its message. No doctor promotes a medicine based on its taste, but on its effectiveness in curing the patient of his or her condition. Similarly, no Christian should tote the Gospel as mere Prosperity, but to convey it with all of its intended power - to restore a fallen soul to a purposeful and fruitful relationship with its Maker.

No medicine is proved effective till it cures someone, and neither should the Gospel. Therefore, how can the Gospel be preached without the power of God? If preached without power, it will only serve as a good tale to share over a drink. If preached with power, seen through a living testimony, it will indeed be good news to the hearer. Therefore, if you profess that Christ is Lord and Savior, preach the Gospel with power, not just clever speech. Remember, not a single one of the apostles failed to walk in the power of God while they lived and breathed on earth, fulfilling the Great Commission. 

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." - Apostle Paul to the Roman church in Romans 1:16

The Communion cup.

The empty Communion cup. For me, it represents my life, made anew in Christ. Once it was filled with God's wrath, such that only Christ's sacrifice was sufficient for propitiation. Now, it is a vessel for God's grace, so that through this life made new His glory can be magnified and made known to all.

Discounting His sovereignty.

He is sovereign. Though authority is such a strong element in my life, I realize how restricted my view of it still remains. I can only say this to remind myself, that God does not merely have authority, but He is sovereign over all, without borders, without limit, without my permission needed. If He should let me know, it is to let me act upon His direction, because God does not want to keep me in the dark since He considers me a friend.

Remember this: "For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." - the centurion to Jesus in Matthew 8:9

Greater love has no one than this.

Love is a brilliant feeling, but one that matures into a steadfast devotion. It is a verb, carrying with it the promises of great joy and great sorrow. We indeed love ourselves, for we cannot help but experience our own joy and sorrow, and live with our successes and failures. However, others can choose not to, no matter how close in proximity we live to them. There can be no love in a family, in spite of the proximity of its members. By this, we know that love is a choice, a decision that may require frequent revisiting, not to change the decision, but to affirm and strengthen the underlying conviction.

What conviction could we need for love? Love only makes sense in context of a greater love, and what greater love on earth is there than God's for each person? There is little purpose to love in the self-sacrificial sense, particularly with regard to the Christian way, unless there is a Higher Power to whom we subscribe our devotion. God Himself is this Higher Power, and more than merely demanding our devotion, He has demonstrated His great love through His greatest gift - Jesus Christ. Love, in its purest and truest form, desires not to increase the lover's standing, but to increase the beloved's standing. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, deserving of all glory as part of the Triune Godhead, did not choose to come to be glorified, instead to serve and give His life as a ransom for many. Therefore, in light of His sacrifice upon the cross, Christians (or "little Christs") pursue our God's most excellent demonstration of true, pure love.

Such love is divine, because its founding was in God, not man. Such love is worth demonstrating in our lives, should we confess that Christ is Savior and Lord. Therefore, with all grace abounding and mercy outpouring from God, let us reflect this awesome glory of our God!

Mornings.

Bubbles of consciousness breach the stagnant surface of my mind. A new day is quickly arriving for me. Before my eyelids peel back, and reveal the light, I can already hear the buzz of activity all around me. Some days start slower than others, and such mornings seem like the worst to start anything important. At that juncture in time, it seems like the mood for the day has been set. The day's work seems daunting, even crushing at times. It seems never-ending, and what's worst, it is nothing new under the sun for me. If only it was something new, I reason, I will show much enthusiasm in approaching it. If only I didn't have to deal with the minor issues, it will be so much more fulfilling.

Then, sometimes I remember that the start doesn't matter as much as how I finish, or I recall how the Lord enables me to "bend a bow of bronze". It doesn't seem so bad after all, since all these labors are good for sharpening my mettle. I am sure of why and how I must approach the matters at hand.

Most days, I do not remember, and am found in frustration. I forget that I am not a mere servant, but a friend of God. Friends do not do things out of compulsion, but out of love. Thus, I am placing a stone of reminder for this frail mind of mine - so that it may not fail the first test of faithfulness in the morning. This is the tension within, the first battle of the day - whether to hear the sounds of buzzing activity without, or to focus on the Holy Spirit's guiding whispers within.