Life with a Purpose

Relationships (just thoughts…)

After listening to sermons by Pastor How, and just thinking through about relationships, it hit me about certain parallels that we can have in terms of our relationships with our loved one, and those with God.

Why do some people have very lousy relationships and convictions with God?

Because it is not healthy, be it as a person, or as one in a relationship.

In the same way that unhealthy relationships develop, there are reasons why there’s a failure with our own walk with God.

1. Communication

In every relationship, it is a 2-way thing, requiring listening and talking… The receiving and giving.

You can’t have a healthy relationship without giving and receiving!

Speaking = Giving
Listening = Receiving

There needs a balance of both to make any relationship to work!

This is probably the only case where “it’s better to give than to receive” is not recommended!

In the end, where there’s too much of either, the resulting effects is that it could result in quarreling, disconnection, etc…

What about our walk with God?

It’s pretty much the same way isn’t it?
We should talk with God (balanced), and NOT talk at God (too much giving).
We should listen to and do (balanced), and NOT just listen, and just listen (too much receiving).

My resolve is to walk with God, and listen and speak to Him. It’s my only responsible duty as a child of God to spend some time with my Parent.

2. Commitment
Commitment as it is is good, but NON-commitment is a reason leading to an unhealthy relationship…

Some people find it very hard to just commit to 1 thing… Why?

Security? Or rather the lack of it?

Insecurities pushes one to doubt what they initially believed in. It also forces one to walk away from things that they may have felt comfortable with.

Insecurities causes us to react in the most absurd ways; suspicions, doubts, uncomfortable around others, etc…

Are you insecure? Or…

Is it so hard to really put in your all for something that you believe in? Or you didn’t believe in it from the start at all?

In anything, we will only give more than 100% when we believe in it.

We will only work hard when we believe that working will give us the finances, or bring us closer to our dreams.

We will only study hard when we believe that it is only through education that we can conquer poverty.

What more our relationships with others? When there are numerous problems, or issues to work out, you’d only work on them if you believe that it’s a relationship worth keeping and treasuring.

Isn’t that right?

So now, how’s your relationship and walk with God?

Do you believe in a God that can provide? That can redeem? That can restore? That can do above and exceedingly beyond everything that we believe in or ask for?

If we say yes, than why can’t we even make the commitment to just come for 1 service per week? Or to even join CG meetings per week?

Or do you find every single excuse to justify it?

I’m too busy.
I’m too tired.
I’ve got too many problems.

Then back it up with…

You won’t understand…
You don’t know what I’m going through…
You are not me…

They are all true, to a certain extent, yet… What’s the core of what you are saying?

If you can’t do it now, what then of your future relationship with anyone else for that matter?

When your other half asks you to do something?

Are you going to say the exact same things?

“I’m too busy.
I’m too tired.
I’ve got too many problems.”

Then back it up with…

“You won’t understand…
You don’t know what I’m going through…
You are not me…”

Having excuses and a victimized mentality is NOT going to help at all. It is tied very closely to security, and having no real strong belief.

Commitment = Security + Belief

Healthy relationships require commitment!

We all go through problems.
We all go through discipleships.
We all go through obstacles.
We all go through conequences.

Do you survive it?

If at the end of the day, your relationship with God, or with anybody for that matter fails, or is left as something less than what it was called to be…

Then, I think we need to re-evaluate where we are in terms of our relationships.

Especially with God.

A fruitful relationship is one that requires you to brave through it all, and hold on to your conviction, stand to your commitment, and make the extra mile for the communication.

1 John 4: 7
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God”

As Pastor shared…
“Relationships are based on Trust, and Trust is based on Truth.”

Truth is synonymous with Beliefs & Conviction
Trust is synonymous with Security & Communication

Have a strong, deep, and healthy relationship with God, and the people around you. 

C (R) = C + C = S

C (R) = C + C = S

It is funny how people view relationships these days. Relationships can be easily relinquished, or forgotten, even changed from point-to-point, time-to-time, and as how Pastor How shared pleasure-to-pleasure, or passion-to-passion.

Perhaps through all this, and because of this and the degradation of moral and ethical values around, that people in general have started to forget, what it means to have a relationships.

A relationships ties 2 parties (people) together, and is based on certain reasons or common goals, visions, ideology… Yet, those that last the longest are those that is based on a common purpose.

Yet, many as Pastor How has shared, do it from the other way round, and try to get to a common purpose out of the simple pleasures in life, living one to know that at the end, it’s for naught, and creates more sourness & destruction to those around them.

Relationships thus needs that purpose… but with that purpose, it requires another 2 Cs.

1. Conviction

Conviction = an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence

When we have a relationship that has a purpose, the conviction in it is “unshakable”, and no matter how hard or what obstacles may come at you, you will NEVER back down or break away from it.

So it is funny than how people whom have a relationship with others can easily just break off or stop things after simple arguments, or because of the most minor of things.

In short, “how can you say that you have a conviction towards something, if you can’t even take the simple tests of life?”

Or even worse, when you say, “I can’t hold my convictions towards the relationship because I don’t SEE a tangible evidence towards it”.

A conviction is NOT based on feelings, but on the belief in something.

What’s more when we choose to be ignorant to evidence that supports the belief, and we choose to follow the emotions and feelings in life.

Conviction precedes emotions and feelings, to arrive at the belief and truth of a purpose!

2. Commitment

Commitment = the trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose

A relationship goes beyond time.

In every relationship, there are phases in it, and at times, we go on a high, or a low. There are honeymoon periods when we first step into it, but like any other relationship, that would eventually wane or come to an end.

Commitment keeps it going and pushes it to last!

We all need commitment to last through the race, when things don’t seem the best of times or the best of things.

However, relationships only LASTS when we have BOTH Conviction and Commitment.

And that requires Sacrifice

Sacrifice is simply the act of losing or surrendering or giving up something that is valuable to you for a purpose.

Sacrifice of time
Sacrifice of money
Sacrifice of luxury
Sacrifice of SELF…

A relationship requires sacrifice in other to meet its conviction and commitment for its eternal purpose.

Christianity is a Relationship and NOT a Religion.

If your Relationship can’t stand the tests of time and life, of conviction and commitment, and you are not willing to sacrifice for the Relationship, than you don’t really have a Relationship at all.

Christianity (Relationship) = Conviction + Commitment = Sacrifice

Have you ever felt like there’s a family that you just know it’s worth fighting for?

I know for sure that the Family that I’ve got in church, in… Heart of God Church is worth fighting for.

Some times, it’s not the big things, not the big actions that make the most impact; nor the biggest presents that can be given which changes lives

Rather, it’s the times spent, the moments spent, the memories shared that can forever change the way we have perspective of things… It is these things that make you treasure things even more…

Pastor How preached a powerful powerful sermon on 7 Pillars.

I won’t even begin to try to summarize or type it out here; BUT it is the foundational truths and pillars that help build our church… more than that… build us.

Many might just come and go, thinking that it’s about building the church; but remember that the church is about building people, building individuals, building lives.

Today, I know for sure that I am ONE of those lives that have been changed…

This Home…
This Family…
This Relationship…

This IS my Home…
This IS my Family…
This IS my Relationship…

Mine to treasure… Mine to keep… Mine to serve… Mine to fight for…

What Family, values, lives are worth fighting for?

This IS worth fighting for…

~ Post Christmas ~

Christmas has come, Christmas gone…
Yet, the effects of Christmas still rings in my head, in my heart.

Pastors preached a phenomenal sermon the last 3 days;

Faith in Myself
Faith in Others
Faith in God

It’s so amazing how it is such fundamental things like this that can change your life in a matter of minutes.

In myself - Confidence
In others - Teamwork
In God - Unleashes faith in others, AND in myself

So  at bottom, most basic most level, having faith in God empowers you and eases you to have faith in yourself and in others.

Nonetheless, when better to “put” it to good use what was preached when the next thing you knew, you had to go up to the stage to present our FIRST musical

Backstage, as we were preparing, there were butterflies in ALL our tummies, and everyone was nervous and yet excited, that some of us were shaking (like me), or just couldn’t stop talking (to get themselves more confident)…

YET, just before the musical really started, there was suddenly a change in “atmosphere” when you could see everybody just start praying and committing the entire musical to God that He could use it for His purpose.

Then suddenly, anxiety turned to anticipation, and shiver-ings turned to smiles.

Faith in God.

As we went up, every individual stepped up with the Faith in Me, and knowing that as we entrusted it to God, He will make all things right, thus leading us to have our Faith in Others. 

The greatest Christmas to have this Christmas is to know that God used that us, with what “mustard seeds of faith” we had in Him, and turned it to minister and touch the lives of others.

Testimonies and stories of how people found it so relatable, and being ministered by it; friends and families that started to get what church was about…

Relationship with God.
Relationship with God’s Family (Men).

Thank you God! Thank you Pastors! Thank you my fellow Teammates!

It is with You that all things are possible!

My best Christmas gift, IS to have God in my life.

Miracle Maker (by Delirious?)

Miracle Maker by Delirious?

 

I’m waiting here for my life to change

When the waters stir, You can rearrange me

Just one touch is all I need

I’ve nothing much but the wounds I feel

I’ve come to find the hand of the miracle Man

 

Holy, You are holy

Who was, and is, and is to come

Holy, You are holy, Savior, Healer

I’m standing at the feet of the miracle Maker

I’m standing here

 

I’m holding on with Your life in mine

Living water’s come

And You’ve rearrange me

 

You are you, You are holy

Who was, and is, and is to come

Holy, You are holy, Savior, Healer

I’m staring at the face of the miracle Maker

 

You are holy, You are holy

Who was, and is, and is to come

Jesus, precious Jesus, thank You, Savior

I’m walking in the shoes of my miracle Maker

I’m standing with the faith of a miracle Maker

Skyjuices: Another Random Note! :)

“Find Me At The Cross”

Find Me At The Cross – Christian City Church

INTRO

WANNA WALK

WANNA WALK WITH YOU

MY KING

VERSE

HERE I STAND, FORGIVEN

HERE I STAND HOLY AND RIGHTEOUS

YOU PAID THE PRICE

WHEN YOU LAID DOWN YOUR LIFE

JESUS I SURRENDER ALL

CHORUS

AND I’LL WALK WITH YOU IN MY HEART

I’LL WALK WITH YOU IN MY HEART

FIND ME AT THE CROSS, DOWN ON MY KNEES

THANK YOU LORD FOR SAVING ME

BRIDGE

HALLELUJAH

HALLELUJAH

HALLELUJAH

HALLELUJAH

HALLELUJAH

HERE I STAND FORGIVEN

~

Song for the day today… Was just reminded of my walk with God and how much it means to me.

The reason why I’m able to do the things that I do today…

The reason why I have a purpose today…

The reason why I’m able to just live my life and be happy, no matter how crappy things may seem to be…

The reason why I can feel clean and free from the baggage of yester-years or yester-days…

“Find me at the cross, down on my knees…

Thank YOU Lord for saving me…”

The song resonates within my heart today, resonates in my spirit about how God really loves us…

It was never about the actions, or the things we say, nor the things we do, neither of that matters to God as a condition for Him to love us and give us eternal life. Reading the bible, and just thinking through, it really hit me many times when I think about how God just loves us.

He doesn’t just give or bless us abundantly, exceedingly above all else, but He loves us “abundantly, exceedingly above all else” and that is why He gives us and blesses us that much! “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speak” So true to us, so true of God’s nature and character. God speaks and lives out His actions, when He loves us, He dies for us. When we sin, He looks past our transgressions and forgives us. When we are dead, dead to sin; He redeemed us, alive to Him.

I love my God because in my problems and in my downs, He still stood by me and brought me through, teaching me and guiding me in the things that I had to learn. It was never always easy, but it was always worth it.

“I’ll walk with You in my heart…”

~15.10.10~

Skyjuices: Spent some time reading the vision of Tommy Hicks about the end-times...

~ Building AND Tearing ~

Recently, there’s is a media storm that is covering the entire news of CHC and some how it has even include Sun Ho.

Why I’m even talking about this is because CHC and it’s board members, leaders, Pastors, has always been about the people, for the people, to the people; and today, the people… the exact same people that they have been trying to help, to care for, to provide for, to love, are turning around and putting them on a tight spot.

On one note, people have a tendency to forget that CHC has always been sowing, giving money, has a social welfare side to build and do good for those around, for those that have needs. That’s what we are called to do, to meet the needs of others! “people do not care about what you care about until they know that you care”

On another, why is Sun even in the picture?!

She has not been directly involved in CHC for the longest time since she left, and that was years ago, why drag her in now?! Along with it, why put her down, go to her place and condemn her living? Who are YOU to do so?! Who are WE to do so?!

Singaporeans should learn how to uphold and encourage local entertainers, Singaporean heroes that make it big instead of just tearing them down. Sun is an example and should be upheld as a role model to all!

How disgraceful it is of the Singaporeans that tear Sun down and criticize her Christianity. She alone gave near a million to the people of haiti from royalties in her career. Singapore government?

Oh! Did anyone mention that she has Billboard no.1s as well? Entertainer with a heart!!! What happened to the governments stands on fostering creativity and meritocracy? What happened to the believing and empowering our people, our nation, our society, our culture?

What happened to the traditions and culture of believing in others and building them up… Be even more ashamed if you are a Christian and you tear her down without knowing the facts! Without knowing how much she has done and contributed to the various communities from China, to India, to Haiti, to way even more areas!

To make snide remarks is to be blind and believe that what only the government and it’s media tells you. I am not afraid to stand with the truth…

Are you ready to handle the truth? Are you too small to face the truth?

Building some one takes years, but tearing takes a single word.
Building some one requires, patience, love, forgiveness, but tearing requires nothing.
Building some one needs thinking & logical, but tearing is mindless & illogical.

Building AND Tearing… I choose to build… what about you?