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~~ As part of compiling outer space photos of ShengSuo guitar cover ~~
Looking up NASA's space shots @ Chandra for fun last night, I couldn't help but see how much creativity, variety, sophistication, intellect, power the Almighty God has. Like the image below, that is a wall of galaxies!You realise in terms of size, that you wouldn't be able to see the earth there? And I am only how big a person within the earth?
When we speak of God's Omnipresence, I realised... in all honestly, my physical body wouldn't even be large enough to fit one of God's hair. And yet somehow... He left all that and chose to live in... me??????????? What for? It's small, sinful, proud, arrogant, unintelligent, stubborn, mustn't be a very nice place, and honestly not very majestic compared to the galaxies..... The fact He does -- is honestly mind-boggling and amazing, beyond my intellect's ability to comprehend.
And yet, to many Christians, they use God as an escape --- yes, you... even I do this carelessly sometimes -- you know what I'm talking about --- "When I am soooo weakkkkkk He bears all my weakkkkknesses.... when I am so helpless.... cast your helpnessness to Him..... He will bear it.... when I'm sadddddd cast all my sadness to Him.... I feeeeeeeel your Holy Spirit fill me........when I pray, you HAVE TO answer it my way, I love you I love you I love you (and yet life is still full of sin to the brim)..... God will not repay me as my sin deserves but will give me grace....." Getting all too overly emotional, swarmped in self-pity, self-focus, own little world, honestly-marshmallow-weak 軟綿綿 because that is how they allowed themselves to sink to, and in one word --- Unrealistic. PEOPLE! Look at the skies! Look at your God's handiwork and know that God is larger than His handiwork! STOP using Him as an escape and take Responsibility for your own life instead of waiting for Him to sort everything out for you -- God doesn't work like that! If you don't take responsibility for your own life then how exactly is He supposed to entrust you with anything else and let you reign over anything???
And stop thinking that you can FORCE Him to answer your prayers! NO wonder your prayers Don't get answered!
You know which prayers He answers?
Ans: He answers the ones He wants to. And especially for those who deliberately choose not to follow Him and yet expect Him to answer their prayers, guess what? He can't even be bothered with you.
As for those whom He answers --- when He answers your prayers with goodness and mercies, expect Him to answer you with troubles too -- you get the full suite, not just the "good bits". Why? There are many reasons, but one of them is to let you be clear that this world is not your home. The other answer is -- that He is training you up to reign. So suck up those tears and be a man (woman too, by mathematical induction).
However, God understands that life is hard -- so He did empower those who follow His will with one ultimate weapon -- He gave them a baptism and made them overcomers over their circumstances -- a conqueror just like Him. So that you can reign with Him just like Him. Remember. Remember who you are. you are His child.
Instead of getting overly fluffy close with God, get a little bit of reverence please? God loves humans, but He never once identifies exactly with them. Even when Jesus is on earth, He never calls God the Father "our Father" alongside us humans. He calls God "my Father", and then to us: "your (pural) Father". Let God be God and let humans be humans.
And can we Christians start treating God like He is intelligent please? Because He actually is. Treat God like He is complex please? Because He knows more permutations than we do. Treat God as King, please? Because we belong to the kingdom to come, and He rules both the kingdom now and that to come. He is from everlasting to everlasting. Honour Him, please? And that with your life as your testimony, because God honours those who honour Him first.
Because then Christians, Christian leaders, pastors, elders, deacons will finally start using their brains, and will be able to start depthfully knowing Who you believe in, rather than the shallow "I love you I love you I need you I need you" crap that will immediately fall when persecution comes. Yes, we do love Him -- but we do this by obeying His commands. Yes we do need Him -- and He realises how reliant we are on and of Him and that's why He sent the Holy Spirit to live with us in the time period between earth and Paradise.
When we start using our brains, people, the intellectuals will not be bored during Sunday sermons, because you are addressing their needs, and maybe we can convince a few thinking-atheists to know God as God and be salvaged. "These Christians don't think, they don't even know what they believe in", is the feedback I get. And Christians, do you realise that when we don't think, our religion/belief/whateveryoucallit sinks to the state of being more miniscule/smaller than we, as a human, are? When we treat God like He is smaller than we are, we are left with nothing. So start treating Him big, and start treating Him as Lord. Lord means -- master -- owner -- the one in authority over me, the one who has the ultimate say in my life; and in fact the one in authority over the whole universe over me, including that wall of galaxies, and including the spiritual unseen realm, including heaven. and hell. And to this Triune God YHWH we honestly give control of our own life and give Him the right to determine for us what is right and wrong.
It is not enough to call God "God". He needs to be the Lord over your life, because this is the only type of recruits He is interested in bringing to the new heaven and earth. And no, contrary to what many non-believers and even some Christians mistakenly think, He is not interested in this grand "saving the whole world and making them all Christians" thing. He is only interested in the ones who call him God in their mouths, and Lord in their hearts --- 口裡承認，心裡相信--- 就是這個意思。"What about the rest?" you ask. Well, they will be -- simply -- binned. They are of no more use to God, corrupted, sinful and blotchy, all torn and worn. Logically, where else could they go? And as for the borderline cases -- trust God to be absolutely fair and just -- while knowing -- that there has been not one human who has gotten to heaven by his own good works.
This is a big wake up call for Christians to sort themselves out, chuck away all the misconceptions of God we have been spoon fed with, and get some action happening with washing our clothes so that they are white; get that lamp filled up; get that real, holy, righteous light shining forth; get that discipleship thing happening instead of practicing the ritual called 'churching' ---- all so that we will not be rejected at the gates of His palace in heaven.
Now, Many Christians might be shocked to hear this but I gotta put it out to ya --- Look, you are not "saved". You have not been 'saved'.
Do you realise? That your salvation has not yet become a past tense? Put plainly -- as long as you are still alive in your physical birth body -- your savalge-tion (salvation) has not come to pass -- you are still in the process of being salvaged/recycled -- that is what Salvation really means. For if you already have been, then there is no chance for you to flip to the other side and end up in hell. But we know as long as we are alive, we can flip either way! That is why God can say -- "if you be faithful -- even to the point of death, and I will give you eternal life as a crown." (Revelation 2). This is why Paul says, "I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified." (1 Cor 9:27)
Guys, we're not there yet, and the message is -- we better get going. So next time we go to church, pack our Bible, our note pad, our iphones, our wallet, handcream, tissues, driver's license, credit card and don't forget to pack our brains with us, please. During sermons, can we think about what has been said and can we think about God please. Can we think by comparing and contrasting what we are hearing during sermons with what we read in the Bible please? And seek to clarify all those unclear points, to see if they are real and true. Because as we think, the Holy Spirit might really let us get something meaningful out of it. And when we think -- we will also be able to differentiate which words being spoken on stage are really of God and we should listen, and really of man and we can filter those out. Because not everything being spoken on the lectern are of God. When pastors are weak or prideful, do you realise that even their mouths can be a foothold by satan? This is a call to know your Bible well and always compare what you hear anywhere with the Bible, and to walk in and by the Holy Spirit (i.e. submit your self to Him).
Because it is God's Word, not the pastor or any other lecturer or leader or any of their sayings, that we should follow. Because God's Word (God's Logos) is Christ. And during every sermon, there hides both God's Word and human presuppositions. Then there will be strength in a church in their understanding of God, and your personal understanding will, like juice, have had its pulp/impurities filtered out, leaving you with a balanced, wholistic understanding of the gospel that is purified. Then you can stand when persecution comes. Then you will be a true recruit of heaven.
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