All other ground is sinking sand!

Glory to the Lamb
Whose throne forever reigns
God in the highest
Worthy to merit our praise

O for a thousand tongues to sing
Praises unto Thee
O for a thousand hands to raise
In honour to the King

We crown You with singing
Our lips shall utter Your praise
In humble adoration
In endless refrain

**

To the only God who is able to keep us, able to keep us from falling
To the only God, be all glory and honour, majesty and power
For all ages now and forevermore.

**

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Our God you reign forever, our hope, our strong deliverer
You are the everlasting God
You do not faint, you don’t grow weary
You’re the defender of the weak, you comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles

**

Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be

**

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name
On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand.

For I have nothing, I have nothing without You

Take these hands and lift them up
For I have not the strength to praise you near enough
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You.

Take my voice and pour it out
Let it sing the songs of mercy I have found
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You.

For all my soul needs
Is all your love to cover me
So all the world will see
That I have nothing without You.

Take my body and build it up
May it be broken as an offering of love
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You.

But I Love you…
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
And all the strength that I can find…

Take my time here on earth
And let it glorify all that you are worth
For I am nothing, I am nothing, I am nothing without You.

-song lyrics, Nothing without You

Warning Against Idolatry from 1 Corinthians 10

 

10:1 For I want you to know, brothers, [1] that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel: [3] are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

Paradoxes of the English language

Today, my younger bro’s teacher gave his class an abridged version of the following:

English is a Crazy Language…

There is no egg in eggplant or ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren’t invented in England nor French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t the plural of booth beeth? One goose, two geese. So one moose, two meese? One index, two indices?

Doesn’t it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend, that you comb through annals of history but not a single annal? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn’t a preacher praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? If you wrote a letter, perhaps you bote your tongue?

Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? Park on driveways and drive on parkways?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell another?

Have you noticed that we talk about certain things only when they are absent? Have you ever seen a horsefull carriage or a strapfull gown? Met a sung hero or experienced requited love? Have you ever run into someone who was combobulated, gruntled, ruly, shevelled or peccable? And where are all those people who ARE spring chickens or who would ACTUALLY hurt a fly?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm clock goes off by going on. English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which, of course, isn’t a race at all). That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it.

Some of these, like phone “beeth” bring back memories of primary school English lessons where we memorised the different participles of verbs and laughing at the “mistakes” which the inventors of English made… Despite the seeming incongruence, we all manage to survive at least a decade worth of English lessons in school and still turn out fairly sane!

I’m no linguist nor scholar nor a bookworm, yet I find some joy in speaking and reading, not sprinkling terms in my speech that baffle or puff people up, but communicating simply with understandable words. Of course, different contexts demand different nuances and terminology, but it is always nice to have someone tell you things not thinking that you know everything in the world! I don’t find it shame to admit that I am frequent visitor of dictionary.com, that I’m continually learning new words as I grow older.

I’m really thankful for a passionate form teacher in Primary 6, Mrs Jody Kwek-Chan. She used to print a single-piece-of-paper-long interesting article for our class each morning, and make us read it and file it. I remembered looking forward to reading it every morning, and the sense of accomplishment at the end of the year, having read a whole file worth of articles. Through her effort, I had the chance to taste the sweet pleasures of reading, which later blossomed into a liking for reading (albeit inconsistent) evidenced in hours spent in the company of books.

After all these years of reading and schooling and living, up till now, I’ve always liked this word, it’s one of my favourite words: “apt”. Well, because it’s so…apt.

You are not your own

Was brought to these verses when talking to a dear sister today.

1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

To know that I am not my own is a startling thing.

If one borrowed an article from another, he would do well to take good care of it and be accountable for the state of that article. Similarly, we need to recognise this body that we have is not our own, and be responsible for it.

We were bought, with a price.

In order for us to be right with God, our ugliness and sinfulness had to be exchanged with something pure and untainted. For our wrongdoings and all the injustice to be nullified, some sacrifice needed to be made, some punishment needed to be accorded, for justice needs to be done. Consider the debt we have toward Him who cleanses us white as snow, who bought us with His Son’s blood.

Preceding these 2 verses, the Bible talks about fleeing sexual immorality.

Indeed we are not to feed our lust and unbridled youthful passion. How often do we make choices in the way we deem fit, allowing ourselves to indulge “in-the-moment”, even justifying acts which are not beneficial, blind to the fact God is omnipresent(all- present) and omniscient(all-knowing), that the Holy Spirit actually resides in us when we are redeemed.

Instead, we are to glorify God in our body, to make “a covenant with mine eyes” like Job, to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” like Paul did, “above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” as counselled by Solomon the wisest king, and exhibit self-control.

On a small side note: A valuable lesson I’ve learnt regarding self-control is that it is a fruit of the Spirit, ie not flowing from our human nature but which the Holy Spirit produces; not out of human effort. Helps us put things in perspective, that lack of self-control doesn’t merely mean the person has not tried duly; instead what is needed is to seek the Lord, and the fruit will show.

May the fact that we are not our own, that we are bought with a price, motivate us to glorify God in our body.

2008

Time has passed, really really fast
The previous year is over, and the next is here

My hope is that in the days ahead

To my Lord, I draw nigh
And daily lift my eyes to see Him and His throne, on high
To boast not in anything, except that I understand and know Him
And that my faith shall not grow dim

To be quick to pray, slow to worry
Hasten to love, delay to be angry
To have prudence in decision-making, guidance in discerning
Knowledge, and of course, understanding

To remember hourly my debt of love, of obedience and duty to Christ
That I cannot stand, without His death and His sacrifice
To learn of His meekness, gentleness, humility
To know that I am nothing apart from Him

To daily love my neighbour as myself, and brethren as Jesus loves me
To live a life for the Lord, being set free
To see life through eyes so clear
And to have Christ in me and me in Him, as The Day draws near

May the year ahead be a hopeful, joyful one
With God’s glory shown and His will done!

Happy

Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord.

-Psalm 144:15

The earthly blessings of life, breath, senses etc and other good things are from the Lord;

but real happiness lies in that His people are right with Him and have possession of Him.

May the fact that our God is the Lord, bring us happiness in heart and soul.

Parakeets

Parakeets perching on the edge, against the blue sky with fluffy clouds (:

This is the Day! Be still my soul.

“This is the day that the Lord has made
I will rejoice and celebrate
This is the day that the Lord has made
I will rejoice, I will rejoice and celebrate

He goes before me
He walks beside me
He lives within me
He is the lover of my soul

He’s my defender
He’s my provider
His overflowing mercies are brand new everyday”

-

“Be still my soul
Be still my soul
Cease from the labour and the toil
Refreshing springs of peace await
The troubled minds and hearts that ache

Be still my soul
God knows your way
And he will guide for His name’s sake
Plunge in the rivers of His grace
Rest in the arms of His embrace

Be still my soul
Be still my soul
Though battles around you rage and roar
One thing you need and nothing more
To hear the whisper of your Lord

“Be still my child
I know your way
And I will guide for my name’s sake
Plunge in the rivers of My grace
Rest in the arms of My embrace” “

Poor in spirit

From 90 days with the Christian Classics 

The poor in spirit get it all. Oh, they miss out on certain things. They may not know the funniest lines in last night’s sitcoms nor the results for the latest rugby league…They might not even have a CD player yet. But they’re got something we could all use a big spoonful of: A peace of mind. True contentment. A steady walk with God.

but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The way to deeper knowledge to God is through the lonely valleys of soul poverty and abnegation of all things. The blessed ones who possess the Kingdom are they who have repudiated every external thing and have rooted from their hearts all sense of possessing.

These are the “poor in spirit”. They have reached an inward state paralleling the outward circumstances of the common beggar in the streets of Jerusalem; that is what the word “poor” as Christ used it actually means. These blessed poor are no longer slaves to the tyranny of things. They have broken the yoke of the oppressor; and this they have done not by fighting but by surrendering. Though free from all sense of possessing, they yet possess all things. “Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
-A. W. Tozer

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

++ ++ ++

A deeper look:

poor - ptochos - to crouch, a beggar (cringing) i.e. pauper

spirit - pneuma - a current of air, i.e. breath or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition

poor in spirit - have a humble opinion of ourselves; to be sensible that we are sinners; and have no righteousness of our own; to be willing to be saved only by the rich grace and mercy of God; to be willing to be where God places us, to bear what he lays on us, to go where he bids us, and to die when he commands; to be willing to be in his hands, and to feel that we deserve no favour from him. It is opposed to pride, and vanity, and ambition.

Not those that are poor in estate, or those whom the world has made poor in possession, but those whom the gospel has made poor in spirit, that is, the truly humble, lowly spirits, have a right and title to the kingdom of Heaven

O Lord, to be truly and genuinely poor in spirit. To see myself as nothing and have nothing, yet possess everything. Fix mine eyes on the truly lasting, may my breeze of life be a whiff of fragrant offering to You my Lord and dear Saviour. O such a sweet consolation; simple but profound peace given to the soul - to have Your abiding presence.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.