together

I had a good weekend this time round! Enjoying the last few remaining hours of it.. A week like that where I can have both sat and sun free will be a rarity for the next year.
Having YF on the sat afternoon, that time of quietening before God, seeking Him, learning His Word, supporting one another through prayer, having interesting chats over meals.. Its a sweet time.

Same for Sunday's congregational worship. Today's sermon was really rich and powerful, on numbers 13 and 14. I guess it was impressed on us by the Holy spirit because of recent events and very real issues which we face, especially when we talk about having a new start in leading the life of a Nazirite.

Trials are neccessary to make us grow and after 19 years of existence in the mortal relam, I can finally say that I truly thank God for trials. It is really really not easy to experience the process of trials, it always hurts cause something or some part of us must be destroyed so that someting new may be created, so that our hearts may be remoulded.

Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. John 1:23-25

Good reminder through pastor huang's 'famous phrase' that the problem is not the problem, the problem is with how people go about overcoming the problem.
God gives trials and God disciplines His children, but if we remain faithless and stubborn and only remain at the infant state of 'leaving egypt' and being stiff necked to refuse to 'enter into canaan'... we will take the '40 years route' instead of the 'few days route'.
Without faith, trials stay as sufferings and leads to misery.
Faith turns sufferings into a cross.
Faith gives an inner meaning to what would otherwise be experienced as meaningless. -quoted

Besides, trials shape a person to be what God would have him/her be. It will be along God's will. Sometimes I wonder how childish and wayward I would have been if God had not placed difficulties in my life for me to make me wake up my idea.
Trials do not obstruct but rather they aid one in conforming with the will of God in life.

In the passage, the lessons dervied can be segmented into the following:
The exploration: The pursuit for truth is directional, there is a why for everything.

The reports: What's really new? Isn't every problem which we face common difficulties which every human faces? In fact, there are bound to be those having cirumcstances more dire than ours on this sunny and peaceful island. Do we see the promised end and trust in God's almighty hand or do we see the dismal picture of what stands between both --- which really is merely our unbelief?

The reports: Focus on he problems itself brings exaggerations, misses out on the big pictre, downplays the ability and sovereignty of God and may even bring one down to his/her knees due to the sheer apparent immensity to surrender without a fight!
A christian ought to have their purpose in life in mind and pursue it at all costs, which with God's grace we may be able to overcome. A christian ought to fear, love, rely and depend on God.
God is faithful.

Break and remould,
painful and tedious it may be,
through grace,
a worthy vessel would I then be in the hands of the Master.