Journey with the LORD

Sharing God's LOVE for the mankind

Category: Encouragement (page 2 of 2)

Overcoming our shortcomings with Christ’s love

A while ago as I was heading out after finishing a long day of work. It was dark and there weren’t too many people around. A young stray cat (around a year or two old) came up to me and meowed repeatedly. The cat was trying to tell me something. It kept on trying getting my attention. As a cat lover, I knew instinctively what the cat wanted. I was carrying a water bottle so I tried pouring the water on the ground but the cat didn’t seem to want the water. I didn’t have the food on me, so I struggled to figure out how to get the food close by and the stores were close to closing time or were already closed. The cat kept on following me, meowing loudly. I kept at a slow pace as not to abandon the cat. The cat stirred my heart with great compassion.

I wanted to buy food for the cat but was afraid that I would look foolish for doing so with people around. Also, I wasn’t sure if the stores were open then. As much as I hate to admit this, but my heart wavered between avoiding looking foolish and giving the cat what he/she needed. In the end, my immense love toward cats in general won out.

So I walked quite a distance, to the point where the cat eventually stopped following me. I then bought a can of chicken from a small mart I found to be open at this time. I felt blessed to find them since I wasn’t sure if I would find something suitable for the cat to eat. So, I walked a while back to where I last saw the cat, hoping that he was there. Lo! He was there. At first, I hesitated because there were people around but then I stopped caring how it appeared to others. So therefore, I opened a can of chicken for the cat. He ate them all! The cat must’ve been very hungry. He seemed happy and relaxed after eating.

Why and how is this relevant to God? I think looking back, out of all people who was around – the cat came to me, the very person who are experienced in dealing with cats and understanding what they needed. It shows that God still cares greatly about small creature which tends be overlooked by others. I also feel blessed that God used me to help feed this hungry kitty. Secondly, as my inner struggle showed, the sheer power of Christ love is enough to overcome our own shortcomings as long we allow Christ’s love to flow though us.

A Marathon with the Lord

jogging

Our walk with the Lord can be like a marathon. Some start strong and some start slowly. A marathon is not about how well or poorly we run, but rather that we are able to finish the race. We are to have a similar mindset in our walk with the Lord. We must remain steadfast in our faith, devotion and to have our heart continually affixed on Jesus Christ. There will be obstacles in the way in attempts to derail or distract us from reaching the true goal which is to keep our faith in God’s promise of everlasting life in Christ.

What good is if a person starts really strong and had done many impressive deeds in Christ but only to end up departing from the faith (as in not believing in God anymore). That person wasn’t able to finish the race. I’ve read different accounts about how pastors and devoted Christians decided to stop believing and speak critically of God (or against religion). These accounts leave me scratching my head and makes me wonder what caused them to lose faith. It is very disheartening when I read accounts like these. It reminds me of a parable about sower and the seed.

Luke 8:4-15 (ESV)
The Parable of the Sower
4 And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables
9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

We must be vigilant since the evil one is extremely determined to cut us from God.

Let us make an important commitment to remain faithful to the very end, to be able to finish the race. God will always be with us, guiding us and encouraging us. Remember we still have free will, we can either choose to align our will with God’s will or choose our path apart from God’s will. It takes courage and huge commitment to remain faithful to the end!

2 Timothy 4:6-8 (ESV)
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Priceless Treasures

God had been so merciful and generous with bestowing gifts among His children.

The other day when I was walking home, in addition to being filled with God’s fiery love, I realized God had also deposited a great measure of courage and immeasurable peace of Christ within me. Love, courage and peace! I am so grateful for these priceless treasures within my heart! They are worth much more than what earthly treasures could offer.

Just a little personal background to help you understand how much this meant to me and how it’s a powerful testimony to God’s mercy, generosity and love! I have often struggled with feeling unloved, overcoming my shyness and anxiety throughout my life. But all that changed when He deposited love, courage and peace within me! I didn’t realize it fully at first but eventually I realized what God had done in my life. I still feel like I’m myself but yet I feel changed for the better. I didn’t receive these treasures because of anything I’ve done, but out of His everlasting love and generosity, He chose to deposit these treasures in my heart .

It is such an amazing feeling. The fierceness of love, like mother bear protecting her cub, and yet it’s so gentle/peaceful at the same time. I am trying to put words to it!!

And lately I had been feeling the allure of world receding quickly away from me, even though they were far off in the first place to begin with. And it’s becoming harder for me to understand why people get attached to money, social status, drugs, career, big house, etc.. All of these things will pass away like a breath and doesn’t give true satisfaction in life. And it’s nothing compared with intimacy with God!!

Walking closer with the Lord makes me more aware of the contrast between my own human weakness and His pureness. At times, I peer into my heart and see the flaws so I give these over to God, allowing Him to take charge and help me in my weakness. I confess my weakness to Him and then after that, I take in FAITH that He’ll heal me completely by the power of Christ’s blood! Before I would be horrified to even think about the seed of sin that lies within human’s heart, not anymore since God has given me the assurance and peace that Christ has defeated SIN and DEATH for good! Basically just giving up the corrupted old man over to Him and becoming a new creation in Christ. I think the baptism of water and Spirit was a major milestone in my life that helped me become a new creation in Christ and allowed God to display His powerful works mightily. Praise God!!

Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV)
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Stumbling Less and Less

As we grow more in Christ, we tend to stumble less and less. Don’t feel discouraged if you have stumbled! Just learn from it, rebuke the evil/sin, repent and move on! As we yield more to Christ, our fleshly/earthly desires will decrease.

No one is perfect like Christ for all have sinned and fallen short of His glory. Jesus Christ came to the earth to give HIS LIFE so that we may live! Out of His everlasting love, He has shed HIS BLOOD to atone for our sin. We just have to believe in Him and have faith. We don’t have to be “super-christian” or anything like that. Remember how Peter kept on stumbling, when he was sinking after trying to walk on the water toward Jesus and when he denied knowing Jesus at the time of his trial. Yet Jesus loved him dearly and kept on guiding him. Peter kept on growing spiritually as He continued to have His eyes and love affixed on Jesus! In our walk with God, we are continuously being molded into His likeness as long we continuously yield to Jesus in our lives. Praise Jesus! He is very loving! Let us run toward Him =)

Philippians 3:12-16 (ESV)
12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

This verse has helped a lot whenever I felt like I’ve failed or stumbled:

Psalm 94:18 (ESV)
18 When I thought, “My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.

Also, this scene (see below) came across to my mind. It involves a bit of spiritual warfare and a bit of how we can deal with setback/obstacles.

An experienced and battered warrior came under a constant barrage of arrows (temptations, sins, defiling thoughts, doubts, etc..). He was able to deflect most of them. Although because he wasn’t fully armored, an arrow pierced small opening in his armor (vulnerabilities). It wounded the warrior, but he quickly took out the arrow and asked for healing (confessing the sin and asking God for forgiveness). He knew how to deal with the wounds for he was quite experienced. The warrior knew if the arrow stayed in the body it would kept on spreading the poison further (unforgiveness, bitterness, self-pity, etc..). Best to take out quickly and then patch up those small vulnerabilities in the armor (repenting, turning away from your sin, letting God heal us).

And remember, apart from God we can do nothing on our own. It is only with God’s strength that we are able to do many things!

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