Counting the cost

One thing that kept coming back to me during the past month is the realization of the cost of loving Jesus. Strangely we somehow need the opposites to help us understand what we thought we already knew. Being in an unconducive and hostile (and I dare say hostile) environment really sharpens and makes me stronger. Some people really hate me for being Christian, having Christian ethics, and sharing what Christ is really all about. I figured that the more committed you are to the cause of following Jesus; the more people will hate you for it.

It really takes so much to be a Christian. All the time you are tested in the most unimaginable way. Surprisingly I also realize that the more persecuted I am, the more beautiful Christ seems to me. Like what Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4; “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” God really is the one that sustains and keeps me sane. I thank God for the blessings and favor He has showered upon me as I follow Him with nothing more than just bare hands which are meant for holding onto him on dark grounds. After so much I realized that I still desire to follow Jesus. I thank God for the fellowship of believers. They are really God’s gift to me.

“Lord, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me.”

After so long I realized that my prayer is still more or less the same.

Candle in the dark

Just came back from field camp, it was tiring and irritating but overall I guess it was much gained. Now I treasure so many things I used to take it for granted. I was taught so many lessons; one for example was that I would never know how bright a single candle light is without going to field camp. The light from a single candle is brighter and more durable than my torchlight! At that moment I feel encouragement from God as if he was saying “The darker the night the brighter the light.”

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

In a strange sense, the definitions I once knew have been further refined and defined. Continue to live your life as worship onto God and you will shine as bright as the candle in the dark directing people to your master :)