Category: Little Morning Notes

Dare You Question The Almighty God?

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Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You;
Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments.
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?

Jeremiah 12:1

Did the prophet Jeremiah actually say “let me talk with You about Your judgments”? He’s basically saying ‘God I need to talk to you about how You’re running things around here”. We all know that Christians “aren’t supposed” to “blame” God for any evil that happens. I don’t think Jeremiah was blaming God at all. He’s questioning God, sure. But not blaming.

Here’s something I truly believe though. If you have a burning question in your heart. If something is bothering you and it makes you angry or super sad or fired up. Don’t be afraid to take it out on God. He is like the Father who wants to listen to our rants, our rambles, our outbursts. Even if our language sounds like it’s directed at Him, no problem, He can handle it. He doesn’t have insecurity or self-esteem issues that would make Him vulnerable by what we said. He won’t get offended and lash out on us for saying the wrong things. He knows what we’re gonna say before we say it anyway, which means He knows if we’re gonna use the right words to express ourselves. He knows what we truly meant by it. How can we surprise Him? He knows our heart!

He wants to hear us out because it is part of communication, which is vital to build relationship. He wants to hear our complaints. He wants to know we’re confused. He wants to know when we feel something is unfair. He wants to know how our misunderstanding or lack of understanding about Him or the world or ourselves. But He wants to know it from us firsthand. We are His children, He has already reached out to us and created that family relationship bond. We just have to respond and trust in this relationship. It’s like when a couple adopts a foster child. Every legal document settled, every payment taken care of, all the new parents want is to show love and prove to the child that he or she can trust them.

Relationship is the key word here. We can communicate. Just like Jeremiah did. Don’t be afraid of expressing yourself to God. It’s much better than asking Google, asking friends, or ranting on Facebook. God knows what we mean. God knows what we need.

Mind Blown By C. S. Lewis AGAIN

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An Excerpt From Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis

You may remember I said that the first step towards humility was to realise that one is proud. I want to add now that the next step is to make some serious attempt to practise the Christian virtues. A week is not enough. Things often go swimmingly for the first week. Try six weeks. By that time, having, as far as one can see, fallen back completely or even fallen lower than the point one began from, one will have discovered some truths about oneself. No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means—the only complete realist.

Love Is Not Safe!

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By C. S. Lewis
There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket of coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.

From The Four Loves

Strong Desire

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No one blogs anymore do they? 
___________________________
Sin Sin Sin Covet Sin

In relation to yesterday’s post, as God was teaching me about lust on Friday, I get a free lesson about it again yesterday. Paul says coveting is idolatry.

Colossians 3:5 (NKJV)  Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
This teaches another aspect of lust: When we covet, it’s a strong desire for something. If we desire it more than what our discipline or conscience says, then it’s a lust. In fact, we may even take it a step further and take action to fulfill the desire. For example, watching porn, binge shopping, stealing. If we knowingly do something that we know we shouldn’t, that’s basically trusting and worshipping another ‘god’. For example, Sex or Materialism. 
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

Ask yourselves if you love God enough to keep his commandments. 

Tenangkan Jiwaku

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Philippians 4:4-9

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

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First of all, verse 6 and 7 was in my mind this morning. I’m not really doing well emotionally these days. I’m upset. I don’t have faith in myself. I’m failing in certain (big important) areas in life. But here I’m reminded that I’ve got to pray and put my trust and faith in a God that is in control and who wants ONLY the BEST for His children. I’m really really looking forward for this peace of God, not just any peace, that is more than all that we can imagine. These few things I’ve got to face right now, sigh… is not too easy. Career, other humans to deal with, responsibilities. I want to be in control. But I’m more glad that God is in control. That’s the simple faith I have now. And it’s all I have.

Secondly, verses 4 and 5 “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.”

That’s a great reminder for me to be joyful and hopeful in God no matter what I’m facing. To refocus not on the tiny details that seem scare me, but on the weight of Glory of Jesus who has overcame, and will come back again soon. Changing my selfish, human, carnal mindset, to a kingdom-expectant mindset. And to remember that we are on God’s winning side! He picked us and allowed us to share in this glory. That’s reason enough to rejoice.

Thirdly, after being reminded to put my faith and trust in God and to pray, and after being reminded to change our mindset and rejoice! Then there is verse 8 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. ”

It’s like Paul is telling me “No matter what you’re going through, whatever you’re thinking, whatever you’re worrying about or wondering, STOP THINKING IT.”

I need to spend my time looking to God’s face and glory. And seek His presence. And look for evidence that He is real, because He is always showing His glory and truth and miracles but I’m not always looking out for it. Just like a man who just needs to spend every last second he can with his lover. Just like a son who wants to enjoy the presence of his father on the dinner table. I want to enjoy the presence of my wonderful and beautiful God again.

It’s like God is saying, “Think about Me! Think about things that matter! Know that I love you. Be sure that Jesus has saved you for a greater purpose. Be sure that I will send my angels to protect you. Be sure that you have the Holy Spirit to guide to give you life and power. Be pure and compassionate in your thoughts towards others. Take my wisdom and instructions seriously. I have revealed to you and your brethren what I have not revealed to others, meditate on it.”

Aaron, be at peace, because God is your focus.

 

 

 

Kekuatan di jiwaku, ketenangan batinku
Ada dalam hadirat-Mu, kumenyembah-Mu
Tersungkurku di kaki-Mu, rasakan hadirat-Mu
Tak ‘kan kumelepaskan-Mu, Kau cahaya bagiku

Mengiring-Mu seumur hidupku, masuk dalam rencana-Mu Bapa
Pikiranku, kehendakku, kuserahkan pada-Mu
Harapanku hanya di dalam-Mu, kukan teguh bersama-Mu Tuhan
Jadikanku bejana-Mu untuk memuliakan-Mu