I just came back from cycling. A good two hours or so. From my place I went to Braddell Road and then to MacRitchie Reservoir where I spent some time by the dam area to reflect on some matters I have been burdened with throughout the second half of today. I also shared with God my concerns. In all I spent about 30 minutes there.
I decided to go home by backtracking the route I took earlier. I wanted to try another direction but looking at the time, I thought it was not that wise to do so. Perhaps another day.
In the morning, I was watching this video clip entitled "Beyond the Gates of Splendour." It was about the lives of 5 young missionaries who decided to go to Ecuador to reach out to the Acua tribe which was known to be very hostile and violent. One of the missionaries was Jim Elliot. To cut the story short, all 5 of them were killed by the tribesmen and their bodies were dumped into the river. It did not end there though. It also depicted how Jim Elliot's wife and few others decided to reach out to the same tribe and eventually many of the people turned their lives to Christ, even the killers of her husband and his four missionary-friends.
I know I am not doing any justice by summarising it this way. If you want to know more about it, you can go to YouTube and search the title of the clip as mentioned above.
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose” - Jim Elliot.
This quote has shown me what my life on earth is all about. Life is short, as we all know. Instead of always hoarding what we have, why not use some of these blessings to touch the lives of others? I have a dear friend who once shared with me, when I first got to know her, that she wants to give a portion of what she has to bless others. I was very encouraged by that!
I think doing the above-mentioned gives us more satisfaction in life than anything else in this world - hence the part on "to gain that which he cannot lose."
As I was reflecting on the story of Jim Elliot and his friends, I also learnt one more thing from them. These five men of God knew their end-point in life hence to them there is no fear going through the process.
If they had lived to tell their stories of their ministry in Ecuador, they would still meet God one day when they die of old age or illness. If they were to die while doing His work, which they did lose their lives, they still meet God.
That is why there are very few in this world who are willing to sacrifice so much, as would these men. Perhaps many of us are not sure of our end-point, hence we struggle a lot during the process.
The other lesson I learnt after receiving a sms from someone this afternoon is this - sometimes we fail to see the reason behind someone's action and hence we become too quick to fault that person. If we had sat down and reflected long enough, we would probably realize he or she had meant well all these while.
Yet another lesson which became a prayer for me - "Lord, when I am far away from you and do not know whether certain decisions I need to make in life are pleasing and according to Your will, give me the humility to seek the godly counsel of others. Then give me the wisdom to decide and the courage to obey and do Your will and not mine. Amen."
The prayer above has reminded me that I must not put God to the test by doing something which I know may be against His will, as stated in the Bible, and then expect Him to right it, even though we know of the abundance of His grace. Yes, our walk with God may not always be close but during those times when we are unsure, we need to seek the godly counsel of others and then from there, help us make better decisions.
The above-mentioned is not meant to be holier-than-thou statements but they are some areas I am troubled about and felt the need to share here. I am also evaluating myself whether there are people whom I have misread their good intention because I am blinded by my selfish motives. I am also learning to seek the counsel of others when I am not sure of certain decisions which I may need to make at certain points of my life.
Well, my legs are aching but I feel good - in the cycling aspect where this is probably my first proper ride on my new bike over a longer distance; the time spent in reflection and prayer; and also coming home in one piece. :)
Good night and have a restful weekend ahead.
I decided to go home by backtracking the route I took earlier. I wanted to try another direction but looking at the time, I thought it was not that wise to do so. Perhaps another day.
In the morning, I was watching this video clip entitled "Beyond the Gates of Splendour." It was about the lives of 5 young missionaries who decided to go to Ecuador to reach out to the Acua tribe which was known to be very hostile and violent. One of the missionaries was Jim Elliot. To cut the story short, all 5 of them were killed by the tribesmen and their bodies were dumped into the river. It did not end there though. It also depicted how Jim Elliot's wife and few others decided to reach out to the same tribe and eventually many of the people turned their lives to Christ, even the killers of her husband and his four missionary-friends.
I know I am not doing any justice by summarising it this way. If you want to know more about it, you can go to YouTube and search the title of the clip as mentioned above.
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose” - Jim Elliot.
This quote has shown me what my life on earth is all about. Life is short, as we all know. Instead of always hoarding what we have, why not use some of these blessings to touch the lives of others? I have a dear friend who once shared with me, when I first got to know her, that she wants to give a portion of what she has to bless others. I was very encouraged by that!
I think doing the above-mentioned gives us more satisfaction in life than anything else in this world - hence the part on "to gain that which he cannot lose."
As I was reflecting on the story of Jim Elliot and his friends, I also learnt one more thing from them. These five men of God knew their end-point in life hence to them there is no fear going through the process.
If they had lived to tell their stories of their ministry in Ecuador, they would still meet God one day when they die of old age or illness. If they were to die while doing His work, which they did lose their lives, they still meet God.
That is why there are very few in this world who are willing to sacrifice so much, as would these men. Perhaps many of us are not sure of our end-point, hence we struggle a lot during the process.
The other lesson I learnt after receiving a sms from someone this afternoon is this - sometimes we fail to see the reason behind someone's action and hence we become too quick to fault that person. If we had sat down and reflected long enough, we would probably realize he or she had meant well all these while.
Yet another lesson which became a prayer for me - "Lord, when I am far away from you and do not know whether certain decisions I need to make in life are pleasing and according to Your will, give me the humility to seek the godly counsel of others. Then give me the wisdom to decide and the courage to obey and do Your will and not mine. Amen."
The prayer above has reminded me that I must not put God to the test by doing something which I know may be against His will, as stated in the Bible, and then expect Him to right it, even though we know of the abundance of His grace. Yes, our walk with God may not always be close but during those times when we are unsure, we need to seek the godly counsel of others and then from there, help us make better decisions.
The above-mentioned is not meant to be holier-than-thou statements but they are some areas I am troubled about and felt the need to share here. I am also evaluating myself whether there are people whom I have misread their good intention because I am blinded by my selfish motives. I am also learning to seek the counsel of others when I am not sure of certain decisions which I may need to make at certain points of my life.
Well, my legs are aching but I feel good - in the cycling aspect where this is probably my first proper ride on my new bike over a longer distance; the time spent in reflection and prayer; and also coming home in one piece. :)
Good night and have a restful weekend ahead.
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