My older brother’s back from Japan! Some pictures and blogposts in Japanese here: http://mizuhobrush.blog72.fc2.com/

Obedience.

It’s not so much a matter of discipline as it is of motivation, isn’t it? Sure you can force yourself to do something you do not want to do, and train up to make it easier, yet if you actually want to do it, isn’t that totally different? Sometimes I ask myself, why do I do the things I do, even those that are seen as good things? Do I really do them for the right reason – to honour God? Now that I think of it, I doubt so. Isn’t it so much easier to be motivated by the approval of others, especially those we like and admire? Sigh, ease must be the enemy of good.

Habit

What a dangerous thought/idea. That doing something will make it easier to do again. Life is like a game, what constitutes losing? What do I dislike/fear most? Should I fear being far from God? In that case, should I fear sin, since it brings me far from Him? Shouldn’t I avoid it with all my being then? Yet it is so difficult. But of course, where would the satisfaction of winning be without the challenge? Everything that is good comes at a price. Life is a tough, tough game.

Fences and flight

In dealing with the sin that “so easily entangles”, an analogy struck me as I was pondering:

Think of it as though you are Will Smith in I Am Legend, protecting yourself from the infected zombies (sin) all around you. [As we are living in this world of earthly desires, such temptations are all around us]

In order to prevent being devoured, instead of trying to fight the zombies head on, you have to build up your defences, taking precautions such as setting up barriers made up of things that repel the zombies. [These defences are things like daily quiet time, prayer, reading the Word, spending time with God]

When out hunting during the day, you might -will encounter hideouts of such zombies [representing temptation], even some appearing to be safe, using certain things eg. the mannikin in the movie to bait you [it might appear harmless but your conscience might say otherwise]. Your first response is not to explore and try to kill those zombies [try to resist temptation], but to recognise that they can easily overpower you, and leave that area [flee], taking precautions that you are not followed [remove any traces].

When possible, try and find other survivors, you will survive better if you’re not alone [fellowship].

Well, definitely, in real life, God is there with you so you’re not alone, yet the same principles apply, build up your defences, and flee from danger.

Isaiah 40

12Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,
And marked off the heavens by the span,
And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure,
And weighed the mountains in a balance
And the hills in a pair of scales?
13Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD,
Or as His counselor has informed Him?
14With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding?
And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge
And informed Him of the way of understanding?
15Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales;
Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.

And He is willing to take care of us as his sheep. Such undeserved grace! (tautology, but still, it is worthy of emphasis)

Christ: Our deliverance

The following commentary is on Romans 7:24-25 by Matthew Henry:

His great comfort lay in Jesus Christ (v. 25): I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. In the midst of his complaints he breaks out into praises. It is a special remedy against fears and sorrows to be much in praise: many a poor drooping soul hath found it so. And, in all our praises, this should be the burden of the son, “Blessed be God for Jesus Christ.” Who shall deliver me? says he (v. 24), as one at a loss for help. At length he finds an all-sufficient friend, even Jesus Christ. When we are under the sense of the remaining power of sin and corruption, we shall see reason to bless God through Christ (for, as he is the mediator of all our prayers, so he is of all our praises)-to bless God for Christ; it is he that stands between us and the wrath due to us for this sin. If it were not for Christ, this iniquity that dwells in us would certainly be our ruin. He is our advocate with the Father, and through him God pities, and spares, and pardons, and lays not our iniquities to our charge. It is Christ that has purchased deliverance for us in due time. Through Christ death will put an end to all these complaints, and waft us to an eternity which we shall spend without sin or sigh. Blessed be God that giveth us this victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

whoiszephyreally

You know, I’m not so sure (of) myself. Anyway I’ve got IOC tomorrow, to those who don’t know, it’s an internally assessed literature test, which involves me delivering a 12 minute oral commentary on a randomly selected extract out of 18 from either King Lear, or 6 other poems. As you might have noticed, my title and what I’m talking about right now don’t seem to fit into much of a flow, saying much about my writing/speaking ability.

I decided to write something here after reading one of my younger brother’s blog posts, and my, have I been humbled. I should post links on this blog soon.

How am I feeling? Strangely, not very stressed, but should I be? IOC will be like over in less than a day’s time, and I have been preparing for it for the past 2 weeks. During which, I pushed myself by comparing my progress with those I were studying with. Slowly, and I emphasise the word, because that’s how I constantly described my progress, I managed to finish most of my preparation. Why do I say this? I’m trying to link everything back to the topic of my post: self-reflection. I am unhappy with myself. I should treat people better, I should be humble, willing to learn. Do please keep reminding me.

Hm I guess I’ve just managed to do some self-reflection while writing this post. Also, I realise that I care a lot about how people see me, judging from how much I edited this post before publishing it. Maybe that’s not a good thing, maybe I should only bother about how God sees me. My youth leader did say that I should apply what I learn to my own life first before I tell others what they should do. I shall try.

Irony: Why am I even keeping a blog? Man.. Life is complex.

My diagnostic test

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:7-10

The above passage shows us some characteristics of those who are in sin:

1. They do not submit to God (verse 7)
2. They do not resist the devil (verse 7)
3. They remain at a distance from God (verse 8 )
4. They have dirty hands and a defiled heart (verse 8 )
5. They are double-minded (verse 8 )
6. They are light and joking, and laugh much (verse 9)
7. They are prideful (verse 10)

I found this on the net, and I am putting this up as a reminder to myself

Unworthy, yet called.

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9

Ephesians 2

WE WERE:

1. Dead in transgressions and sins (v. 1, 5)
2. Followers of the world and Satan (v. 2)
3. Disobedient to God (v. 2)
4. Gratifiers of our sinful lusts (v. 3)
5. Followers of our every desire and thought (v. 3)
6. Objects of God’s wrath (v. 3)

WE ARE:

1. Loved by God (v. 4)
2. Recipients of God’s mercy (v. 4)
3. Alive with Christ (v. 5)
4. Saved by grace (v. 5, 8 )
5. Raised up with Christ (v. 6)
6. Seated with Christ in heaven (v. 6)
7. Recipients of God’s grace and kindness in Christ (v. 7)
8. Saved through faith in Christ (not from ourselves, it is a gift of God, and not by our works) (v. 8, 9)
9. God’s workmanship (v. 10)
10. Created (this means re-created) in Christ Jesus to do good works pre-prepared for us (v. 10)

Something I read on a Christian website. (: