Spirituality made simple is to know God, to be intimate with Him, His words, His Son, His Holy Spirit. You are complete in Him for He is your everything. "Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord, and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart." Jeremiah 24:7 (NKJV).
God wants to return us to the original state of our relationship with Him where there is no shame. Adam and Eve were naked but were not ashamed because there was no sin in them. With sin came shame but God understood this so He sent His Son to regain that lost intimacy with us. There is nothing in us that can come before the holiness of God save for the blood of Christ. Jesus had become like our ‘cloak of righteousness’ that when God looks upon us although we are still in our fallen state, sees Jesus His Son, the whole world’s Saviour, so we can be free from anything that holds us back from returning to God. “For God did not send His Son [Jesus Christ] into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him [Jesus Christ] might be saved.” John 3:17 (NKJV) “And if anyone hears My [Jesus] words and does not believe, I [Jesus] do not judge him; for I [Jesus] did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me [Jesus], and does not receive My words, has that which judges him - the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.” John 12: 47-48 (NKJV).
Friday, February 26, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Finding Spirituality and everything else in between
Last night, I found with great difficulty explaining to someone about my God-given purpose here on earth. After what seemed to be half a day’s conversation, my acquaintance, I thought was in no closer to really understanding what I was trying to convey. Strangely, we spoke the same language but perhaps not at the same level. I remembered a verse in the Bible that explained this quite well: “But the natural man [woman] does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, nor can he [she] know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2: 14 (NKJV)
Just as I was about to give up the discussion, I shared what I felt was the most important issue that JC has been impressing in my heart. It was again that concept of spiritual intimacy.
Since my acquaintance was married, it was easy to use the analogy of physical intimacy.
Intimate interactions produces some form of result. New knowledge is produced as the undressing of two bodies previously hidden had now become open on view. Everything is seen, both beauty and blemish. A new language is, at the same time, created and learned where communication happens spontaneously between two people without the need for words. A new life conceived. Something is finally understood and learnt. These and more is what JC calls the process of ‘knowing’ each other - you know that ‘other person’ a lot more than anyone else has and equally, ‘the other person‘ knows you better than anyone else does.
In the spiritual realm, there is the revealing of one’s purpose by the God of heaven. But more importantly, during spiritual intimacy, there is the unveiling of who God is and the knowing of yourself in light of how your Creator really sees you. It is also when you see your imperfections against the perfect Christ and the love He has for you in spite of who you are.
Out of this spiritual intimacy is the ‘planting of a seed’ within the womb of your soul. The impact of this revelation on you is not something that can be easily explained, but it leaves a mark and everyday it grows. It’s like telling someone about the growing foetus in your womb. You cannot see it but it’s there and you feel it. As it grows, the ’fruit’ of that intimacy becomes evident to the outside world.
I use to think that spiritual performance (the activities we do in church on Sundays or on Saturdays) is the same as what the Bible described as fruits. I used to do a lot of things in church, leaving me physically exhausted and drained, until I no longer find joy in what I’m doing. It became more of a ‘task’ for me than a ‘service’. “Why is bearing fruit such a miserable activity?”, I asked.
Of course, I got it all wrong. Those things we do are only manifestations of the fruit that we bear. It is not the fruit itself. The fruit that Jesus describes that only comes through intimacy with Him, will compel you to do those things out of the overflow of your heart, without the need to force it out, because His desire has become your desire, His prayer becomes your prayer, and His life - yours. You really cannot give what you don’t have.
Church activities, church commitments, or whatever you may want to call it, noble they may be, is no substitute for the intimate time with Christ. It really is not about our performance that Christ is after, it’s our time. In the words of Christ to Martha, "..you are worried and troubled about many things, But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10: 41-42 (NKJV)
Just as I was about to give up the discussion, I shared what I felt was the most important issue that JC has been impressing in my heart. It was again that concept of spiritual intimacy.
Since my acquaintance was married, it was easy to use the analogy of physical intimacy.
Intimate interactions produces some form of result. New knowledge is produced as the undressing of two bodies previously hidden had now become open on view. Everything is seen, both beauty and blemish. A new language is, at the same time, created and learned where communication happens spontaneously between two people without the need for words. A new life conceived. Something is finally understood and learnt. These and more is what JC calls the process of ‘knowing’ each other - you know that ‘other person’ a lot more than anyone else has and equally, ‘the other person‘ knows you better than anyone else does.
In the spiritual realm, there is the revealing of one’s purpose by the God of heaven. But more importantly, during spiritual intimacy, there is the unveiling of who God is and the knowing of yourself in light of how your Creator really sees you. It is also when you see your imperfections against the perfect Christ and the love He has for you in spite of who you are.
Out of this spiritual intimacy is the ‘planting of a seed’ within the womb of your soul. The impact of this revelation on you is not something that can be easily explained, but it leaves a mark and everyday it grows. It’s like telling someone about the growing foetus in your womb. You cannot see it but it’s there and you feel it. As it grows, the ’fruit’ of that intimacy becomes evident to the outside world.
I use to think that spiritual performance (the activities we do in church on Sundays or on Saturdays) is the same as what the Bible described as fruits. I used to do a lot of things in church, leaving me physically exhausted and drained, until I no longer find joy in what I’m doing. It became more of a ‘task’ for me than a ‘service’. “Why is bearing fruit such a miserable activity?”, I asked.
Of course, I got it all wrong. Those things we do are only manifestations of the fruit that we bear. It is not the fruit itself. The fruit that Jesus describes that only comes through intimacy with Him, will compel you to do those things out of the overflow of your heart, without the need to force it out, because His desire has become your desire, His prayer becomes your prayer, and His life - yours. You really cannot give what you don’t have.
Church activities, church commitments, or whatever you may want to call it, noble they may be, is no substitute for the intimate time with Christ. It really is not about our performance that Christ is after, it’s our time. In the words of Christ to Martha, "..you are worried and troubled about many things, But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10: 41-42 (NKJV)
Friday, February 5, 2010
Finding Spirituality II
An interesting conversation took place one Friday late afternoon between JC and I. It started when I came across a familiar scripture: Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV). The passage goes, “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he [she] who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I [Jesus] will declare to them, ’I never knew you…’."
That passage never struck me before when all of a sudden I found it all but strange that JC would respond that way. I had to ask Him, “what do you mean You never knew them?! They believe in You (that’s what Mark 16:17 says, or they wouldn‘t have been able to cast out demons!), they did your work, and I’m sure a lot of people got saved through them! They were your servants, for goodness sake! So, how could you not know them?! And how could You being JESUS not know anyone?!” Apparently, believing in God is not enough but neither is our ‘spiritual performance’ (casting demons, prophesying, doing God’s wonders etc.) or even being a 'good Christian' a guaranteed ticket to heaven.
In His response, He led me to find out what the term ‘knew’ in this passage meant. All through the Bible, the word ‘knew’ refers to physical intimacy: Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; Adam knew Eve; Abraham knew Sarah. In the spiritual realm, it meant spiritual intimacy. To ‘know’ Jesus is to spend intimate times with Him. It happens within closed doors. Just as in physical intimacy, it is not an activity done publicly or with spectators. One has to go out their way to get to ‘know’ Jesus. It is done consciously, deliberately and regularly. So when JC said 'I never knew you', He meant you've never been intimate with Him.
That passage never struck me before when all of a sudden I found it all but strange that JC would respond that way. I had to ask Him, “what do you mean You never knew them?! They believe in You (that’s what Mark 16:17 says, or they wouldn‘t have been able to cast out demons!), they did your work, and I’m sure a lot of people got saved through them! They were your servants, for goodness sake! So, how could you not know them?! And how could You being JESUS not know anyone?!” Apparently, believing in God is not enough but neither is our ‘spiritual performance’ (casting demons, prophesying, doing God’s wonders etc.) or even being a 'good Christian' a guaranteed ticket to heaven.
In His response, He led me to find out what the term ‘knew’ in this passage meant. All through the Bible, the word ‘knew’ refers to physical intimacy: Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; Adam knew Eve; Abraham knew Sarah. In the spiritual realm, it meant spiritual intimacy. To ‘know’ Jesus is to spend intimate times with Him. It happens within closed doors. Just as in physical intimacy, it is not an activity done publicly or with spectators. One has to go out their way to get to ‘know’ Jesus. It is done consciously, deliberately and regularly. So when JC said 'I never knew you', He meant you've never been intimate with Him.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Finding Spirituality
I think I found true spirituality. It's called intimacy with God. Not that He was lost but you were….who got lost of finding Him in all the wrong places, lost of finding Him in legalism and lost of finding Him through a set of rules and traditions.
I began that journey when I found myself stuck in a hole so deep there was no coming out. Everyday seemed like I was just barely ‘hanging-on’ that if ever I let go, it will mean falling off to my death. (I can’t remember if I had made the hole myself or if I was cast there accidentally or it’s just that I didn’t notice the hole I was walking into!) All I knew was that I was in my most desperate state when I started yelling for heaven to help but was at the same time unsure of how God would respond.
I was too tired and upset to go through the routine of piety to appease God or to explain to Him why I was such in a state. Funny He never asked questions and He never pointed a finger either. All I sensed was this overwhelming arms of love taking me and holding me until I couldn’t cry any longer.
Here's some excerpts from my personal journal:
Do you know what it's like to be so broken, ashamed and nearly destroyed coming to the Lord in all His holiness? That you can't look Him in the eye because of your filth and the state of your heart that's in? ….It was all over me again – the feeling of shame and brokenness in the worst manner, knowing that the time you’ve spent with the Lord last week didn’t really change you. I didn’t feel like praying at all. I was walking in circles when I finally decided that I should just read the book I brought. It’s amazing how God will speak through any means just to let you know that He likes conversation. There was a section on the book where someone spoke about God coming to you whatever state you are in. Devotion with God I found is not a pious routine of do’s and don’ts to appease His presence. He comes to where you are and takes you in His arms and tells you how much He truly loves you.
What do I love about coming to JC on Fridays? It's almost like going on a honeymoon. I come to JC naked and baring all in His sight because there is no point in hiding, there is no point in making the right impression and there is no point in pretending. He who sees me, sees every filth and blemish, sees every hurt and struggles, sees every evil in me and yet holds me in His arms full of love.
Friday is when I come to receive grace yet again, to experience being held and loved, being caressed by His blood as it cleanse every part of my being. It's this kind of intimacy I look forward to at the end of a gruelling week, when I am about to crumble in the sins that bears on me. I don't know whether I've abused His love, sometimes I feel like He will drop me at any minute. I can't blame Him if He did, as who could ever put up with me anyway, but then what hope is there for me if that should happen? I'll be dammed forever and I can't bear to think of that so then I succumbed to the ritual of pleasing and appeasing Him as if bribing the God of heaven to gain His approval and acceptance once again. I feel stuck in this cycle of knowing that I am loved inspite but I need to do something pleasing to obtain this reward. And so I tell Him that He can easily put Himself out of this misery of 'maintaining me' but He remains quiet as if waiting to listen to the next silly thing that I would have to say. Then He gently reminds me, "...I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you." Jeremiah 31:3 (NKJV)
I began that journey when I found myself stuck in a hole so deep there was no coming out. Everyday seemed like I was just barely ‘hanging-on’ that if ever I let go, it will mean falling off to my death. (I can’t remember if I had made the hole myself or if I was cast there accidentally or it’s just that I didn’t notice the hole I was walking into!) All I knew was that I was in my most desperate state when I started yelling for heaven to help but was at the same time unsure of how God would respond.
I was too tired and upset to go through the routine of piety to appease God or to explain to Him why I was such in a state. Funny He never asked questions and He never pointed a finger either. All I sensed was this overwhelming arms of love taking me and holding me until I couldn’t cry any longer.
Here's some excerpts from my personal journal:
Do you know what it's like to be so broken, ashamed and nearly destroyed coming to the Lord in all His holiness? That you can't look Him in the eye because of your filth and the state of your heart that's in? ….It was all over me again – the feeling of shame and brokenness in the worst manner, knowing that the time you’ve spent with the Lord last week didn’t really change you. I didn’t feel like praying at all. I was walking in circles when I finally decided that I should just read the book I brought. It’s amazing how God will speak through any means just to let you know that He likes conversation. There was a section on the book where someone spoke about God coming to you whatever state you are in. Devotion with God I found is not a pious routine of do’s and don’ts to appease His presence. He comes to where you are and takes you in His arms and tells you how much He truly loves you.
What do I love about coming to JC on Fridays? It's almost like going on a honeymoon. I come to JC naked and baring all in His sight because there is no point in hiding, there is no point in making the right impression and there is no point in pretending. He who sees me, sees every filth and blemish, sees every hurt and struggles, sees every evil in me and yet holds me in His arms full of love.
Friday is when I come to receive grace yet again, to experience being held and loved, being caressed by His blood as it cleanse every part of my being. It's this kind of intimacy I look forward to at the end of a gruelling week, when I am about to crumble in the sins that bears on me. I don't know whether I've abused His love, sometimes I feel like He will drop me at any minute. I can't blame Him if He did, as who could ever put up with me anyway, but then what hope is there for me if that should happen? I'll be dammed forever and I can't bear to think of that so then I succumbed to the ritual of pleasing and appeasing Him as if bribing the God of heaven to gain His approval and acceptance once again. I feel stuck in this cycle of knowing that I am loved inspite but I need to do something pleasing to obtain this reward. And so I tell Him that He can easily put Himself out of this misery of 'maintaining me' but He remains quiet as if waiting to listen to the next silly thing that I would have to say. Then He gently reminds me, "...I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you." Jeremiah 31:3 (NKJV)
Monday, July 13, 2009
FRIDAY SUNSETS
"Friday is when I come home to your embrace. I will lie in your arms quietly, my head against your shoulders. My ears will listen to your loving whispers, your breath will stroke my cheeks. I feel Your fingers soft as the cool breeze running through my hair and your gentle kisses on my bare skin."
"Friday is when I come home to your embrace. I will lie in your arms quietly, my head against your shoulders. My ears will listen to your loving whispers, your breath will stroke my cheeks. I feel Your fingers soft as the cool breeze running through my hair and your gentle kisses on my bare skin." Sunday, July 12, 2009
SPRING OF LIFE
From the desert, many come to drink, to refresh.
"Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I [Jesus] shall give him [her] will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him [her] will become in him [her] a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." John 4:13-14 (NKJV)
From the desert, many come to drink, to refresh.
"Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I [Jesus] shall give him [her] will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him [her] will become in him [her] a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." John 4:13-14 (NKJV)
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