The Faith of a Centurion When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment. What a great calling, and all we have to do is just to believe in Jesus wholeheartedly. Jesus matters more than anything else.

Grace.

It has been a great but short 3 weeks at Day Rehab Centre, or DRC for short. Thank God for such a good working environment and the really hospitable and warm team of staff at the centre.

May God continue to watch over them, and that they may continue to serve the patients to the best of their abilities. Our God is a good God.

The Greatest Party.

What is the greatest and grandest party have you been to? Is it a "wedding of the century" of some celebrity, or is it that the food served is worth your month's pay? Could it be that there is even one banquet that is even grander and greater than the one you have attended? The answer is, yes.

"On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death forever;
and the LORD God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people will take away from all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
"Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the LORD; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."" -Isaiah 25:6-9

Then you might be thinking of how much you'd have to pay to get to the party, or is there a dress code or that you might have to be exceptionally popular and famous. The answer is, no.

What do we actually need so that we can attend this banquet? Faith. Trust. We need to believe and accept the invitation. Is is such a great promise and a good deal that God is offering us, He is calling out to us to be with Him. Turn away from your sins, and look to God. Recognize His glory and His wonder, stand in awe of His power and majesty. He loves you, as how a father would love his children. His invitation is more than just food and wine. It is an invitation to be His children, and He has sacrificed Jesus Christ his son to redeem us of our sins and the eternal death that comes along with it. We are assured of salvation if we seek Him. He is a God, a good God who promises and never fails. What then are we waiting for? He has already extended the invitation to His great banquet in heaven!

Truth.

There is no other truth besides the Bible. We are sure of that.

Romans 12

A Living Sacrifice

12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Gifts of Grace

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Marks of the True Christian

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

22.

Thank you God, for it is by your grace and mercy that I managed to come to the end of my NS liability. It has been an enriching journey and a great test of faith. I have to admit, that I have stumbled and struggled. It hasn't been the easiest of 22 months. I recognize what Jesus has done on the cross for me, I want to live out a Christ-centered life. Looking back, I realized that I have grown quite a bit. My walk with Jesus has never been so close before. In just 22 months, I have changed, for the better I hope.

Thank you Lord, you are just so wonderful and praise-worthy. Your love is beyond all measure.

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust;
let me not be put to shame;
let not my enemies exult over me.
3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.
6 Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!

Psalm 25:1-5

Beyond Measure

What constitutes love? Is it how much you are willing to pay for a meal? Or is it how much you are willing to sacrifice? It is dangerous to put our own definition to what love is. The idea of human love is often one filled with the warm and fuzzy feelings, or the feeling of being pampered. Is that what love is? I beg to differ. When we love, we shouldn't be thinking of ourselves and how much the other party can serve us. The very fact the the feelings mean so much is already revealing to us and others that we are more concerned about how we feel. That in itself is selfish.

So, what's love? Some Christians, without thinking further and considering the context, would quote 1 Corinthians 13's famous verses. "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV) Yes, that is love. That's the love that God shows us. It is the perfect love that only God can give. But, let's look at God's love in its context and the dynamics of it. What is the basis of God's love for us? Is it warm and fuzzy? No! It is for he loves us so much, that he sent his own son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. It was a bloody and painful one. For someone to die on a cross, he has to be a big time criminal. So much that being hung by a noose would be too light a sentence. To die on the cross entails humiliation, torture and a slow death. It could be one of the worst forms of execution or punishment available, not to mention how gruesome and bloody it is. This is love. God's love.

I will cringe every time I remind myself of how God loves His children. By his grace, I have heard the Good News. By His grace, He has forgiven my sins because Christ has died on the cross even before I was born. Through Christ, I'm confident of my salvation and I'm assured of eternal life.

Who can measure up to God's love? We as mere humans fall short of it by more than what I can imagine. It is wider, deeper and longer and has more capacity that one can ever fathom. But we should still always try to follow God's example of love, one that is humble and willing to put the interest of God first.

How will you love then? Are you still desiring to have the warm and fuzzy feeling to be the first and immediate outcome?

Seek.

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15-17 NASB)