It is past 1:00am and I just woke up. I had wanted to go for the Holy Week service yesterday but suddenly I started sneezing and my throat acted up and next thing I know, I am sick. :( I think I got the flu-bug from a few people - two from church and one from work. Though it is good not to be selfish but sharing flu-bugs with others is one thing I would rather not have. Haha.
Anyway, I am anxious and eager to get well soon as I have to prepare lunch for the church office staff - all 20 of them including interns. Haha. I am leave today - basically to cook mee siam and also curry chicken for them. Shepherd's pies have also been ordered to add to the varieties. I think another church leader is going to bring another dish but not sure what it will be. Surprise is good. :)
Prior to falling sick, I came home early to prepare the curry chicken and also the gravy of the mee siam. I had to do this as curry will taste better the following day and the chicken meat will be more tender as well. It is also to lighten my load of preparations because frying six packets of mee-hoon is not joke especially for the arms. Good work-out though.
I have to lead the Easter Combined Service as well - need to preserve my voice for the singing part. A sister-in-Christ who will be co-leading with me is also sick. She was prescribed 7 different concortion of drugs. Hmmm... must be really bad! I really covert your prayers if you are reading this blog.
Before I started writing this blog, I was spending some time in prayer and during a moment of silence, I was pondering on one unedifying practice that I have observed and am equally guilty of - mocking others for doing something right.
What do I mean by that? Have you heard of people making remarks like, "Hiyah, stop being so preachy can or not?" or "Oh no! Here comes Holy Molly! Take cover!!!!!!!!" or "Can compromise a bit or not? So holy for what?!" or "Wah!!! Always do quiet time! So godly ah."?
I think you get the point I am referring to. Frankly, for a person who desires to know God better and to do what he or she feels God is leading him or her to do will not be affected much by such remarks because they know why they are doing all these - one, to honour God through serving Him and others; two, allowing the blessings they have received from within them to overflow to those around them; three, to be a friend to all.
I mentioned "will not be affected much" because like it or not, the person being mocked, who is also a human and have feelings, will be hurt when someone make fun of their genuine desires to serve God and others. Many will continue to press on, carrying the cross on their backs.
As I thought deeper about this topic, I realised that those times when I made such remarks to my other siblings-in-Christ is due to the fact that I envy them. I was envious of their desires to know God deeper and to serve Him as an automatic response to obedience. When I realised I could not be like them, I got frustrated - instead of doing the right thing of following their examples, I went the opposite by putting them down.
Please guard our tongues the next time we itch to say something to someone which we know is going to be hurtful.
Jesus was mocked several times when He went around ministering to people. Instead of us being the mockers, let us follow the footsteps of Jesus and be mocked for the sake of the gospel! It is a 'dirty' job but the Christian lifestyle is always about going against the norms.
Food for thought. Talk about that, I am hungry.
I shall go eat something and then sleep again. :)
Good night!
"Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you." Proverbs 9:8
"Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness." James 3
Anyway, I am anxious and eager to get well soon as I have to prepare lunch for the church office staff - all 20 of them including interns. Haha. I am leave today - basically to cook mee siam and also curry chicken for them. Shepherd's pies have also been ordered to add to the varieties. I think another church leader is going to bring another dish but not sure what it will be. Surprise is good. :)
Prior to falling sick, I came home early to prepare the curry chicken and also the gravy of the mee siam. I had to do this as curry will taste better the following day and the chicken meat will be more tender as well. It is also to lighten my load of preparations because frying six packets of mee-hoon is not joke especially for the arms. Good work-out though.
I have to lead the Easter Combined Service as well - need to preserve my voice for the singing part. A sister-in-Christ who will be co-leading with me is also sick. She was prescribed 7 different concortion of drugs. Hmmm... must be really bad! I really covert your prayers if you are reading this blog.
Before I started writing this blog, I was spending some time in prayer and during a moment of silence, I was pondering on one unedifying practice that I have observed and am equally guilty of - mocking others for doing something right.
What do I mean by that? Have you heard of people making remarks like, "Hiyah, stop being so preachy can or not?" or "Oh no! Here comes Holy Molly! Take cover!!!!!!!!" or "Can compromise a bit or not? So holy for what?!" or "Wah!!! Always do quiet time! So godly ah."?
I think you get the point I am referring to. Frankly, for a person who desires to know God better and to do what he or she feels God is leading him or her to do will not be affected much by such remarks because they know why they are doing all these - one, to honour God through serving Him and others; two, allowing the blessings they have received from within them to overflow to those around them; three, to be a friend to all.
I mentioned "will not be affected much" because like it or not, the person being mocked, who is also a human and have feelings, will be hurt when someone make fun of their genuine desires to serve God and others. Many will continue to press on, carrying the cross on their backs.
As I thought deeper about this topic, I realised that those times when I made such remarks to my other siblings-in-Christ is due to the fact that I envy them. I was envious of their desires to know God deeper and to serve Him as an automatic response to obedience. When I realised I could not be like them, I got frustrated - instead of doing the right thing of following their examples, I went the opposite by putting them down.
Please guard our tongues the next time we itch to say something to someone which we know is going to be hurtful.
Jesus was mocked several times when He went around ministering to people. Instead of us being the mockers, let us follow the footsteps of Jesus and be mocked for the sake of the gospel! It is a 'dirty' job but the Christian lifestyle is always about going against the norms.
Food for thought. Talk about that, I am hungry.
I shall go eat something and then sleep again. :)
Good night!
"Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you." Proverbs 9:8
"Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness." James 3
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