Ketika Cinta Harus Memilih

Cinta sejati bukan hanya rayuan di mulut. Cinta yang sejati dibuktikan lewat tindakan. Cinta Tuhan terhadap kita bukanlah hanya sekedar wacana. Bukti utama cinta Tuhan kepada kita ialah dengan dikirimkanNya Tuhan Yesus ke dalam dunia untuk mati bagi manusia.

Kerinduan tiap orang yang mencintai ialah supaya cintanya tidak bertepuk sebelah tangan. Demikian pula Tuhan. Alangkah bahagianya Tuhan jika kita menerima cintaNya. Ketika kita memutuskanuntuk menjadi kekasih Tuhan, malaikat di Surga bersorak sorai. “Oh Hip hip hura hura…hura hura..uh uh uh.. dapat satu jiwa, satu jiwa..uh uh uh…”

Sebagai seorang kekasih Tuhan, biasanya ada keinginan  untuk melakukan hal hal yang menyenangkan hati Tuhan. Kita ingin mempersembahkan segenap hidup kita kepada Tuhan. 

Maka timbullah berbagai halangan dan rintangan. Kita yang terbiasa hidup mengikuti  keinginan sendiri , sekarang harus ikut keinginan Tuhan.

Saat itulah cinta harus memilih….Mau turut keinginan hati atau keinginan Tuhan.

1.      Saat mobil lain menyerobot  jalur kita, cinta harus memilih. Sumpah serapah, atau kendalikan lidah.

2.      Saat orang lain menggosipkan kita, cinta harus memilih. Balas dendam atau tunggu pembelaan Tuhan.

3.      Saat orang lain bersalah kepada kita, cinta harus memilih. Simpan dendam atau memaafkan.

4.      Saat terima gaji, cinta harus memilih. 10% untuk rumah Tuhan atau untuk rumah kita ?

5.      Saat ada yang minta tolong, cinta harus memilih. Mengabaikan atau menolong?

6.      Saat terbuka kesempatan untuk melayani pekerjaan Tuhan, cinta harus memilih. Berkomitmen kepada pelayanan atau menolaknya?

7.      Saat anak kita nakal, cinta harus memilih. Mendisiplin dengan lemah lembut atau mendisiplin sambil bersumpah serapah.

Ketika cinta harus memilih, ingatlah bahwa  Tuhan sudah memberikan pertolongan kepada kita. Roh kudus yang ada di dalam hati, mendampingi, menasehati, serta menegur. Ketika kita peka terhadap keberadaan Roh Kudus, kita akan dipimpin untuk melakukan kehendak Tuhan. 

Jika kita melakukan kesalahan, jangan takut atau menjauhkan diri dari Tuhan. Bangkit lagi dan coba lagi, karena sudah tidak lagi penghukuman di dalam Tuhan Yesus.

Marilah kita memilih tindakan tindakan yang menyenangkan hati Tuhan. 

Images taken from fastweb.com 

Patterns, Patterns Everywhere...

This world is full of patterns. They are on the skin and fur of animals, surface of the earth and seas, and sky above us. We can also find patterns inside the science, languages, music and art. They are also on people’s mind and behavior.

pattern of pepper

People who love patterns wear them on the fabrics of their clothes, or even ink them on their skins. Tattoos and Henna, anyone?

Patterns are the repetition of a design. We, humans, also think in patterns.

The Bible said, “Do not conform to the patterns of this world. Instead be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve of God’s will for you. His good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Rome 12:2)

Many patterns of this world are different from God’s designs or God’s pattern. For example; God did not design cannibalism. But it happens in animal or even human behavior. God did not design sex before marriage. It is considered as normal these days. God did not design people to be workaholic. People do it to achieve their goals. God designed people to sleep and rest. Reality is people take caffeine 

to keep going like energizer bunny.

Are you aware of the patterns that you follow in your life? 

Are those patterns in agreement with God’s principles?

Are You a Crowd or a Disciple?

During His ministry, Jesus had two types of followers
Disicples and crowds
Although both are loved by Him
Jesus treated them differently
Although both got many benefits from Him
Jesus' degree of closeness with them were varied
Although both were redeemed by his death
Jesus' expectancy of them were not the same

with his disciples

Jesus communicated his feeling to his disciples
He spoke plainly with them
He showed his glory and revealed their future
He told them what to do and they obeyed
They were aware of Him

teaching the crowds from a boat

With the crowds, Jesus was different
He spoke in parables
He fed them and healed them,
He taught the Scriptures and revealed some truth from the scriptures to them
Jesus knew their hearts
but He's not opening his heart to the crowds

Which type of followers are you ?
Are you a crowd ?
Are you a disciple ?

It's all depend on you
He's always waiting for you to be closer to Him
He wants you to be one of his disciples
What do you want yourself to be ?

Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart

pictures taken from
http://www.dstcorp.com/james/PaintingsOfJesus/Jesus11.jpg
http://cfwinlock.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/imgres-1.jpg

3Cs for the year 2017

Time goes by so fast
Christmas's gone and new year's come

As usual, with the beginning of the new year
People make new year resolutions
Have you planned any resolutions for the year 2017 ?

My friend Andy Widjaya, proposed a good one
3Cs for the year 2017

1. Christ
Adopting the mind and the feeling of Christ as our own.
Having Christ as a role model.
Having Christ as a go to guy, through our prayers.
When facing any kind of problems, 
instead of googling to find the solution
or texting someone to ask for help, 
let's try praying to Jesus first. 
After praying, do what you need to do: 
googling, asking, executing, etc.  

2. Commandments
There are two. Love your God with all your heart, soul and mind. Love others as you love yourself. The two commandments should be done everyday, not only performed on Sundays during service.

3. Commision
Jesus last instruction was the great commision. He asked his disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them all that he had commanded them to do. 

In doing them, we don't need to be afraid because He is always be with us till the end. In doing them, we don't need to be timid because all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. So, when we face obstacles in the process, remember our go to guy, Lord Jesus who has the highest authority. 

Matthew 28:18-20
“All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age

12 Drummers Drummimg

Merry Christmas to you all
On this beautiful day when
We celebrate the first coming
Of Jesus to the world
Let us be grateful
For all the things He had prepared
And promised to us

Now...we finally arrived
to the 12th day of Christmas
What is the meaning behind
12 drummers drumming ?

They are the 12 tribes
Of the Israel
Our God likes to work
Together with people
To carry on His plan

His plan was to bring salvation
And the Israelites are the nation
That He had chosen
To bless all the nations of the world
Our saviour Jesus Christ
Came from their line

When we follow Jesus Christ
And walk with him daily
God will use ourselves
To carry on his mission on earth
To be a blessing for others
Just like the 12 tribes of Israel

Are you willing to follow Him ?

Eleven Piper Piping

On the eleventh day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Eleven Pipers Piping

Eleven Pipers Piping = eleven faithful disciples

When Jesus started his ministry, 
He called 12 men to be his disciples.
Jesus shared his life with them.
One disciple betrayed him, but the eleven stayed faithful to Him

These eleven chosen men were from many professions
Besides sharing his life, Jesus also gave them some teaching. 
He taught about the Kingdom of Heaven and the law of faith
Jesus might talk to the many people in parables, but He talked to his student straightforward.

We can learn so much from Jesus conversation with his 11 faithful disciples in the Gospel.

image taken from bobbieprint.com

10 Lords a Leaping

On the tenth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Ten Lords a Leaping
What is the meaning behind 10 lords a leaping ?
10 lords a leaping is 10 commandments

The 10 commandments is a very valuable gift from God to us
Their purposes are: to reveal the characters of God, to exposes the nature of men, to reconciliate of God and men, to receive good news

Can we fulfill all the 10 commandments ?
We can try, but most likely we are going to fail at least in one area
Only one that can accomplish them perfectly, Jesus Christ

Our failure should bring us to the feet of Jesus
Because we need him to cover our shortcoming

picture taken from surroundyourself.com