Forgiveness

C.S Lewis rightly wrote:

To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.

But to forgive the incessant provocations of daily life - to keep on forgiving the bossy mother-in-law, the bullying husband, the nagging wife, the selfish daughter, the deceitful son - How can we do it? Only, I think, by remembering where we stand, by meaning our words when we say in our prayers each night "Forgive our trespasses* as we forgive those that trespass against us." We are offered forgiveness on no other terms. To refuse it is to refuse God's mercy for ourselves. There is no hint of exceptions and God means what He says.

I was super late for church on Sunday, so kinda missed the sermon Pastor preached. Just downloaded the sermon. Really good topic to deal with for true forgiveness is not easy as it seems.

A catch-up on my life.

It has been quite a while since I blogged. Probably because I cannot get myself to blog about anything that is worth sharing, till now.
Anyway, this few weeks my spiritual walk has been somewhat jerky. From the ending of course in Nee Soon, back to Seletar, I will say the transition has been somewhat sudden yet surprising with ease as compared to last time.
It's only right to thank God for His providence through these weeks in Nee Soon.
I must admit is not easy to be righteous without even seeking Him and loving Him, and I have not been actively seeking Him.

How easy it is for 'our mind' to conjure thoughts and agree with them? It's almost inherent in us.

This week back in camp has allowed more reading time, thus providing me the chance to revisit the book I read: "The Weight of Glory", study through the Gcss book, and seek more Truths from the Word.
Yet, the distraction and temptation also increases along with the free time. Music that satisfies the wrong desires, talks that revolves around perverted content, and the people that ever feel more comfortable with the environment.
One main problem I feel is the the lack of proper quiet places. Its almost impossible to find a quiet spot to do some reading once back in bunk.

Ending off this post, just to share something about swimming. I posted on my facebook: "How carefree can a swim get, only to be restricted by cramps." Not that I got too 'random' to talk about swimming all of a sudden,this comes along as I went for a swim in the evening today.
I will say I enjoyed swimming (I think its more cultivated through countless swimming trainings), the idea of water surrounding you throughout, weaving in and out of the water, with the slight occasional splashes forming ripples after ripples in the pool. Yet, such enjoyment only comes as we stay floated supported only by the water. The problem comes when a cramp on the leg comes along, in order to ease the pain from the cramp, there needs to be more 'firm' support, like the floors of the pool, the sides and ropes, such that proper stretching can be done.

I guess that can be seen in life, to stay grounded so that we can be prepared for 'cramps' in our life.

For what is lawful?

What is not under law can be said is to be under grace. I guess its only appropriate to face the reality of life. Its not easy to live a 'perfect' and 'clean' Christian life.
As Paul mentioned:

Romans 7:7-24
What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

I guess its good to always keep in mind the doctrine of your salvation, knowing it with all your heart how it is 'Not I, but Christ that lives in you' (Gal 2:20)

1 Corinthians 10:23-24
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.

Christian liberty has put us in a very advantaged position I will say, yet many has abused it to the most immoral extent. Edifying and forbearing one other comes hand in hand, to build up and teach one other with patience, love, gentleness, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. Virtues we can so easily associate with in the fruit of the Spirit. (Gal 5:22-23)

Its dangerous to "seek, strive, then excel" (also the motto for the school of combat engineers in army) without first acknowledging, admitting you are nothing/dead to your old self and Christ is our life. (Col 3:4).

I will just end off with a quote from watchman nee, as a remainder if we are practicing our Christian life in the wrong way.

Many believers feel it is very hard to maintain the Christian life. Daily they try, yet daily they sigh. Daily they struggle, yet daily they fail. Everyday they try to maintain their testimony, yet every day they bring shame to the Lord. ...... Before they were saved, they had the burden of sin on their back. Now that they believed in the Lord, they have the burden of holiness on their back. They exchange one burden for another, and the new one is just as tiresome and burdensome as the old one. ......
If you live the Christian life by yourself, endurance will be a suffering to you, as will love, humility, and bearing the cross. But if Christ lives in you, endurance will be a joy, so will love, humility and bearing the cross.

Good to know how Christ once crucified me on that cross with Him.

(Wired) for God?

I believe its exactly a week ago in camp, I was reading an article on Newsweek regarding how a specific part of our brain is more responsive to spiritual and religious matter.
Apparently this article is not explaining and informing us of this, but rather a writing cleverly explaining that we are in control of our mind. Read the full article here:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/211746

Another article worth reading which I also happen to take particular notice of is how "we" have become "Hindus". Read this here: http://www.newsweek.com/id/212155

Be it the neurobiological findings suggesting that the brain may indeed be wired for God, or how the parietal lobe, that detects where our body physically ends and the larger world begins, or how this circuitry can be silenced by intense prayer or meditation thus producing a sense of oneness with the cosmos or God. I think the point is that these findings are making us see on one side, how God has placed that eternity in our heart (or mind).
Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

On the other side, I see how people understands that religion and spiritual matters are issues that really matters to them. The danger here is understanding God but not knowing the way to Him.
My point of concern is seen by reading through the second article.
"Truth is One, but the sages speak of it by many names. A Hindu believes there are many paths to God. Jesus is one way, the Qur'an is another, yoga practice is a third. None is better than any other; all are equal."

A sovereign and mighty God I serve. One who is faithful to forgive and love. The week before God has put me through distressing time, on how we have been so compromised to lie, on how we have been so easily to complain and grumble when things do not go well, on how we have been so controlled by whatever our humane mind try to logic things out. So tempted was I that I wanted to hide myself off man and God.
This has made me come to see how the deeds of man had taken a turn downhill towards destruction, with their actions, thoughts and words. Not that I am pessimistic or anything, but I think its only right we keep in mind of the coming end-times, for it is near.

To end things off, we do have the software and hardware for God, its all about making that right connection.