JESUS IS RAISED FROM THE DEAD AND MADE US ALIVE IN HIM!

Empty Room.

It's so odd it hurts and I can't hold back my tears. I walked out of my room and my sister's room is empty. It will be empty forever. Things at home would not be the same again now that she's married and moved out. A person so close to me, someone whom I can look for in the middle of the night to talk to, who would ever so willingly help me dress my wounds daily for a few weeks when I got into a road accident, rushed to the hospital at the moment I called home saying that I was knocked down by a car while cycling.

I am not sure how married life will be like. Regardless of where you are or who you are married to, you are my one elder sister, my only sibling. I wish you all the best and have a blissful marriage.

Wedding Day, Sister's

Tomorrow will be the big day for my sis. She's getting married, yes she is, but she isn't quite that happy about it. It seems like she's doing so for the sake of everyone else, meeting their expectations of a wedding, it's getting tiresome and there's no going back. That, however, kinda set me thinking. Should not marriage be something to be celebrated? Is it just about the two getting married, or the whole 'village'? Why are non-Christian marriages so different from Christian ones? What holds non-Christian couples together? The list goes on and on and on and on and needs lots of answers.

What I know is that when I come home after tomorrow, it would be unusually empty. My sister's room will be empty, and I don't think I'll have anyone to talk to at night when my parents are asleep. It'll be just me and my parents. Having someone so close to move out isn't something that one can get well prepared. It struck me this morning.

End of the third.

It's slightly premature to say that it's the end of the semester. I know that. But I thought it would be good for my to type away and take a short break from the heaps of revision and deadlines. Yes, it's not really the end yet.

This semester in review, I would say that it wasn't that bad. I have been incredibly busy with AIESEC and all the higher tier mods from both business school and usp, dealing with projects and meetings and deadlines. I am glad though, that I get my strength to go through all these somewhat joyfully from the bible. I am encouraged by the little reminders of grace everyday and each week when I meet up with friends from Regen, church and usp ministry. I am happy to be a servant of God in NUS.

Well, I'll leave it here for now. More to come when I have more time.

Crunchtime.

In the next couple of weeks to come, I have one presentation, two term papers, one project spreadsheet and report submission and one final quiz. Following that are two final exams to sit for. I have not really felt so much pressure and as much as I dislike it, burning the midnight oil to get work done might be the way out to meeting deadlines. 

What is my motivation? Why do I work so hard? 

It's perhaps good to re-think and realign. Even though grades and end result do not ultimately matter at the end of the day, the way we work reflects that we are taking the God-given role as students seriously. To study and as with all other Christians, spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I find joy if I think of it this way, rather than to think that grades mean the world and it's only about me, myself and I. Ultimately, it's about God and I hope that fellow Christian students will live out their lives in a godly manner. 

Press on. 

Hard Choices

You see, all of us can get caught up with work almost all the time and set God aside for another time. Very recently, I have been pondering over the thought of what real godliness is. Does it just happen during bible studies or at church? The answer may be rhetoric, but it is the very resounding 'NO' that is hard to live out. We say no but we don't act likewise. 

I have been trying hard to live out a godly life and do as the bible has told me to. The instructions from Jesus, Paul, Peter, and each bit of what God is telling us to do in the bible–follow Christ and submit wholeheartedly. However, as fallible humans, we do just the opposite. We try to lead godly lives by leaning on our own strength and we say that we are wretched yet we still believe that we can do it. That doesn't make logical sense at all, does it? If it is logical and it works that way, Christ died for nothing. No matter what we are going through, stick with Christ. When faced with hostile remarks, do we fight back and retort? Given my personality, it's especially hard and I'm ever so tempted to give a blunt reply. I tend to refuse to take a step back and conduct myself in a Christ-like manner. That is in stark contrast from what we are told in the bible, isn't it? If it is hard, look to Christ and the bible. 

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:11-12)

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. (1 Peter 3:8-9)

Jesus isn't a safe haven that we run to when we need help. He is who we should be with all the time.

Is following Christ easy? Not at all. Before we could do that, we have to put our selfish desires aside. There are so many things out there that draw us away and essentially, the worldly values are not Christ-centered. When conformance equates to being included, we are caught in a dilemma. We want to live apart yet we want to be included. It's a hard choice to make. Choose Christ, choose life.