After much grumbling and angst yesterday...I was pleasantly surprised by the speaker at church today...Ps. Irvin Rutherford frm USA was really dynamic in his sermon...and gave a good reminder to me of my student days when I was so active in CF....
Coming from a missionary background, he shocked me with his perfect enunciation of Bahasa Indonesia- even elucidating to the fact that he can ' makan durian sampai mabuk!" ...hahaha.....
Speaking from Luke 15 - parables of the Lost sheep/coin/ son......he reminded me that we all as Christians need to have a desire to reach the lost......where he spoke about the 10/40 windows of the unreached world.....then he talked about the 10-30 window that he was concerned about.....those aged from 10 -30 years...who need guidance and mentoring to be effective witnesses for the Kingdom ....to continue the work of previous missionaries....and to finish the 'race' well......WOW!! Echoed my heartbeat as the missionary secretary in CF days....;) What a timely reminder!!!
Back to the sermon...he reminded us of the 3 joys :
a) Joy of the shepherd (John 10)- the joy of serving...
b) Joy of friends and neighbours (the joy of inclusion and community)
c) Joy of Heaven - over the repentance of even one sinner...
Timely reminder...esp of the need of the Body of Christ....despite the hurts we sustain from either toxic churches/ faulty thinking on our own part....God can heal those wounds through fellowship with His family......something that I am slowly learning........;)
Guess God does really know my heart....and I close with this song for the week:
STILL
Verse 1:
Hide me now
Under Your wings
Cover me
Within You mighty hand
Verse 2:
Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know His power
In quietness and trust
Chorus:
When the ocean rise and thunder roar
I will soar with You above the storm
Father You are King over the flood
I will be still know You are God
I will be still know You are God
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Finding a soulmate....
Was feeling rather left out during a colleague's wedding recently....everyone either turned up with their partners/bf/gf/spouse....or came with friends that they have known throughout their lives......dun be mistaken, it was a lovely wedding and I truly am very happy for the couple....but I guess it just made me contemplate the state of singlehood that I am in right now........
This is not something new to me...I have struggled with this for a long long time...and many times I questioned God-" Have You forgotten me?!?".........which is always then followed by a disclaimer-" I have served You faithfully and sacrificially over the many years since I gave my life to You, is this too difficult a request that You will not even grant me?!?"........
How silly we human beings can be at times....who are we that we should question Him? And how is it that we always doubt His wisdom and faithfulness to us? And how often do we forget that He has given us so much more in comparison to what we have sacrificed!!!
Was duly reminded of passages of Scriptures which have held me steadfast in my faith through these times of testing....
" Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there, do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper........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, 5-7, 10-11)
Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you (Deut 31:6)
Indeed....He is faithful....and I know that He is faithful even in this area of finding a soulmate for me.....;) and yes....even in the times of 'exile' here...He remains faithful to me!
This is not something new to me...I have struggled with this for a long long time...and many times I questioned God-" Have You forgotten me?!?".........which is always then followed by a disclaimer-" I have served You faithfully and sacrificially over the many years since I gave my life to You, is this too difficult a request that You will not even grant me?!?"........
How silly we human beings can be at times....who are we that we should question Him? And how is it that we always doubt His wisdom and faithfulness to us? And how often do we forget that He has given us so much more in comparison to what we have sacrificed!!!
Was duly reminded of passages of Scriptures which have held me steadfast in my faith through these times of testing....
" Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there, do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper........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, 5-7, 10-11)
Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you (Deut 31:6)
Indeed....He is faithful....and I know that He is faithful even in this area of finding a soulmate for me.....;) and yes....even in the times of 'exile' here...He remains faithful to me!
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