I take up compassion and surrender my excuses.
I stand against injustice
and commit to live out simple acts of God's love.
I refuse to do nothing. This is my resolve.
I am the Love Revolution.
God is love. And he acts in his love. He created us. He blessed Abraham. He delivered the Israelite. He sent prophets to his people. He sent Jesus to die on the Cross for us. He perform miracles, guides us and forgives us in our lives. We are his vessels of love, born again in Chirst.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
-1 John 4: 7-12
I decided to share and name this post as "Love Acts" because Acts Conference is just over. And God is acting in our lives. Our part is to allow him to act as we receive and pour out his love to others. Love is also amazing because it gives us the power to overcome sin. As it is said:
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
-1 Peter 4:8
Sin is centrally rooted around selfishness. And from it, comes the love of the flesh, pride, lust, deceit, theft, murder and more. Whereas, love is not self-seeking. It desires for the good of others, as in some of its qualities (Always protects, always hope, always trust).
Acts Conference is over, but it is just the beginning. Let us yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit, to allow Christ love to move us to act in love. We pray for healing of others in love, we lend a listening ear in love, we give finances to the needy in love, we talk to the outcasts in love, we share the gospel in love, we honor our parents in love. Love, love, love. When we act in love, God can move powerfully for our will is in line with his. When we love others, we love Jesus. So let us resolve not to do nothing, or to be self-occupied (Even with good things like studies), but let us love one another even as we see the day approaching.
About 1 billon people in the world go hungry, about 1.2 million children are sex trafficked every year, about 250,000 children are forced to carry arms... There are many more people who are suffering and in need around the world. Even in Singapore, many faces pain from divorces, loneliness, stress, people's judgements and expectations, debts and more. God loves each one of these people as much as he loves us. Let us start, from the area of influences in our lives, to love and bless those especially in need. And let us do more if we can, such as to go into the mission field.
Today I prayed for the section mate of mine who came for the healing rally and left halfway. He had cough and flu, and after praying for him. He wasn't healed yet. I do not want to be discouraged as God's ways are higher, and the same power of Christ lives in us. Furthermore, regardless of whether he was healed, I extended a piece of Christ' love to him through this act. There are many many more testimonies of people from our Church who prayed for others to be healed after Conference, and people who share the gospel and reach out to others, even foreigners like Bangladesh workers. This is amazing, let's continue to act. Let's be like the Acts Church, who did not stay in the comfort of internal fellowship, but reach out and reach out and reach out to the World.
This is a story I heard years ago about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. In the end, Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
When I ask what you are going to do, do you perhaps feel fear because you wonder what "doing something" will require? I understand that kind of panicky feeling. After all, if I really decide to forget myself and start aggressively trying to help, what will happen to me? Who will take care of me if I don't take care of myself? God said He would, so I think we should find out if He really meant what He said. Why not retire from "self care," and see if God can do a better job than you have done. If we take care of His business, which is helping hurting people, I believe He will take care of ours.
-Joyce Meyer
For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.-Matthew 6:33
Blessed to be a blessing. As we freely received, we freely give.
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As for an update to my phone and uniform set loss.
I got a new iNO2 and am contactable again. I thank God for making me go to Parkway Parade to settle my Sim card with Starhub. If not, I would probably have gone with my rash decision to buy a more expensive $500 LG Optimus F5 at Orchard. I should not be getting such a phone when I do not have much money, and I shouldn't get a better phone just to be able to play Clash of Clans without overheating or to enjoy other features. Let me be contented with iNO2, so that the remainder can be stewarded and also given for God's kingdom. And since iNO2 overheats easily when I play CoC, that means I have more time and energy to love people and love God.
For my uniform, I ran all over the place to look for it. I went to Singapore Indoor Stadium on Monday but the staff have not found it. Today, I applied for off right after I came to camp, so that I can file a police report and also travel down to Axis to see if my uniform is found. I decided to go to Axis first as I hope not to file a report for losing such an important item(My base entry pass). I may even be punished for the loss. When I went there, I was disappointed to see that Hope Centre, the Axis, the connect rooms and the facilities management office were closed. I tried calling the Church hotlines yesterday and today, but it was to no avail. However as I contemplate over my course of action over lunch, I was prompted to search for Desmond Lee on Facebook. Desmond is a faithful servant in our Church. I saw him around a lot when I was an usher. He often share encouraging posts, and also helped me from time to time. I was surprised to see that his number was on his Facebook. I called and managed to reach him. He told me that a Church staff saw my bag during the Conference, and that he will confirm if it is found tomorrow. Praise God. Even when I went to the police station, the officer said I need not file the report and it is okay to file the report late if my item is still not found by tomorrow. This is because I had a valid reason that my item is believed to be found.
Thank God for bringing me through this. It wasn't exactly nice, but I looked to you through this and a period without my phone, without anime, without manga and without CoC can help me to look to God and do more things that matters.
I also stumbled in an area of struggle today. It is an area that I've been experiencing a breakthrough in but I stumbled today. I was feeling rather sad and tempted to condemn myself as I really really really wanted to let God act through my life as a clean and instrumental vessel, especially over the past few weeks. I immediately chose to spend quality time with God. During the time, I came across this article which lifted my Spirit up.
David demonstrated his faith seemingly on a daily basis which pleased the Lord. Throughout his life his faith would be tested on a grand scale and in the final analysis he passed most of the tests. David also loved God’s law and he sought to follow it as best he could. He spent many days meditating on it and trying to apply it to his own life. He knew that God’s law had the power to change lives if it was followed to the letter. Another important character trait that David exhibited was that he had the attitude of gratitude and was very thankful for his life. During his life he had all sorts of trouble, but David thanked God every day no matter the circumstances. And, finally, David was truly repentant. Let us not forget that he was a man just like us who sinned on a regular basis. But, despite his sin, he always loved God and sought to repent of those sins. He is a role model for all of us sinners who need to repent earnestly. David was indeed a man after God’s own heart.
But at the end of the day, regardless of all these circumstances. Let us love, as God is love :)
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