Being Built Upon A Rock

I am writing this piece to be posted elsewhere so I thought I should put it on my own blog too.

Matthew 7: 24 - 25 says,
" Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.

Here are some of my personal thoughts with regards to the verses above:

1. Obedience as an expression of wisdom

Matthew 7 (also cf Luke 6: 46 - 49) likens a man who is obedient to one who is wise. Proverbs 1: 7 says: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instructions. Proverbs 9: 10 also says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

A man who is wise does everything with a God-fearing heart. Not fear in the sense that 'if I make a wrong move, God will strike me dead'; but fearing God with a sense of awe, with a full knowledge of His sovereignty and authority. A wise man invests in the right place, putting in time and effort to build his house upon the rock.

Are you investing time to go deep into God's word, and take the effort to obey His commands? It will not be easy, it will take time; and sometimes it will be messy. But when the days of tribulation come, this will keep you standing. Only through the obedience of God's Word that you will experience His faithfulness, His power and His grace, that will enable you to be obedient. Only by experiencing Himself through His word and through your obedience, will you be able to firmly ground yourself against trials and tribulations. You will not be shaken because you know the God you have experienced. You will then be able to say with certainty: The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (Psalm 18: 2).

A wise man knows that he has to build his house on a strong foundation; and he knows that God Himself is his rock!

2. Obedience as an expression of love

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments (John 14: 5)."

Do you know what truly enables obedience? Love. Fear does make a person submit. But how does a person willingly obey if there is no love? It is easy to obey instructions out of fear. But how does one love one's enemies from one's heart unless motivated by another form of love - love for God who loved us when we were once His own enemies (Colossians 1: 21)? How does one be joyful at all times unless one knows he is kept in God's love and God's will?

John 1: 53 says, "This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome."

Are God's commands a weight in your heart, chains on your hands and feet? Are they a set of do's and don'ts fixed on standards so high you cannot reach? Are you turning away from Christ because your cross is just too heavy to bear - and His words judge you and damn you because you fall short, and you are unable to obey?

Unless we are like Mary, worshiping Jesus at His feet, we will never find joy in obedience. If we obey and serve with Martha's hands, but without Mary's heart; we will never find joy in obedience. We will burn out without love for the Lord. But obedience founded with love is a joy, is a relief. It does not find God's commandments burdensome, because it has instead become a channel by which overflowing love could be expressed.


Dear friend, may you be wise in obeying the Lord, and find God showing Himself faithful to you; for God honors obedience. Do so that you may stand firm in times of tribulation, due to your constant experiencing of God and His grace. But do so even more as an expression of the love on your heart, that you may find joy in obedience, that your obedience itself is a form of worship better than sacrifice that the Lord finds pleasing.

God is Sovereign

There are plenty of people who think that the God is harsh, big-headed, mean and dominating. Not to mention a killjoy. Probably because God judges sin, demands obedience, and demands worship. 

That's the danger of a man-centered gospel, I feel. When man thinks that he is the center of God's universe, and that God should so love him to send His own son to save him, the image of a benevolent, doting God is conjured. But when they realize that they are to take up their crosses to follow Jesus, God instantly becomes the big bully on the play ground, wanting to have everything 'His way', toying us puny beings around His little finger. 

People like to press 'human rights' upon God because they often forget - God is not human. God is God. The creator, the maker of human beings. God is sovereign. 

It's just like a potter who makes a vessel using clay. Is it therefore right for the clay to complain to the potter? The Bible says: "You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, 'You did not make me?' Can the pot say to the potter 'You know nothing'? (Isa 29: 16). Can the pot claim to want equal treatments with its maker? And who is man to demand 'respect', demand 'rights', or even demand love from God? 

Man has no right for such demand. Should God decide to damn the world He made to judgment in hell for their disobedience (just like potter could destroy hardened clay), who is to say it is not fair? If a judge sentences a murderer to death, or demands a fine from one who speeds on the road - can anyone say that the judge is not fair? And should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right (Gen 18: 25)? The Bible says that the wages of sin is death (Rom 6: 23). Should we not deserve the wages towards a work we have worked a lifetime towards? Is that not fair? Yet God is hated for being fair.

We say it's not fair because our sins are just little things! Not murdering or kidnapping, or nasty things like that. A little white lie here. A little envy there. A little cowardice not to do the right thing. But in the same manner, murderers do not always think they have done wrong! Nor do people who drive past the speed limit. Nor to husbands who abuse their wives. If everything is based on the perception of the crime instigator, law and order is doomed. Who decides what is right and what is wrong? The law. And who wrote the God's law? God did. Who judges? God.

Should not a King deserve to demand loyalty from his subjects? A country from her citizens? A master from his servants? How about God from His created beings? Is God wrong to demand the worship He deserves? Does that mean God is arrogant? Or is it human beings, the created pots who are arrogant towards the potter, thinking that they are on par with Him? Thinking they know better, they deserve better? 

The Bible says "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whomsoever believes shall not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3: 16). Judgement is deserved, but grace is not. Grace is given because of love. Commandments are given so that we can have life. And Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners, while we were still enemies of God (Romans 5: 10). What a love! What a cost! What an undeserving exchange. For through Jesus, not only our sins are cleansed by His blood (1 John 1: 7), but we are credited His own righteousness (Romans 4: 22-25). We are saved not by the good works we've done on earth, for the Bible says they are but filthy rags (Isa 64: 6). We are saved because Jesus gave us His righteousness.

Should not such a God demand worship? Should not such a God demand love and obedience? Should you not trust in the heart of the God who loved you so?

Gatherings

The past two weeks have really been a volley of awesome-max get-togethers.

Wai Pheng and Wan Meng visited us last Saturday. It was my night shift so Jon woke me up just in time to get ready for dinner in the evening, and he cooked a storm. So we had nice dinner with oyster, sashimi, vege and pasta. Then Wai Pheng who was supposed to bring some 'snacks' over got us 10 bowls of 'Lao Ban' bean curd (the kind which had a jelly-like texture, my favorite), lots of chicken wing and otah, some kuih, and drinks! Even with Boss' help, and Geri and JonC coming over, we couldn't finish all the food. But it was a fun gathering. My only regret was after the heavy dinner, I was so sleepy that I retired to the bedroom to sleep for an hour plus in order to make sure I stay awake for night shift. Boss and Wai Pheng walked with me to the MRT later to work.

Then last Thursday, Jon, Jerome, Wen Qiao and myself went to Subway for dinner! It was a housemates outing. Yew Hong couldn't make it due to his ending work late, but thankfully we had another gathering with full housemate attendance for soba dinner the week before. Jon and I shared a foot long egg-mayo subway which reminded me of the good old days in NUS, when there are student discounts during exam week, and after a satisfying meal it's time to mug. I just can't describe the feeling of having no mugging to 'look forward' to prior to finishing my subway! We took lots of group pics too. 

Then today! We went USS as a farewell outing with Simon. There was an issue with the tickets which delayed us from entering for almost an hour but I just want to say that Justin and Stacey has been so responsible and gracious and everything throughout the whole ordeal that I almost burst into tears on the spot. Anyway, the rides were fun (although as usual, I had to chicken out on the terrifying roller coasters), and although the queue times were relatively long, USS has been very thoughtful in designing their queue areas, making the queue itself part the ride experience too. 

My favorite ride (and everyone's favorite I suppose), was the 4D simulation Transformers ride. Everyone should try it (provided you are not pregnant, don't have high blood pressure, motion sickness etc). It was very well executed, the story line was exciting and the experience very realistic. One thing different from the Genting Resort world was also USS has divided its park into very clear-cut themes (Genting has themes too but not as much) such as Hollywood, Egypt, Madagascar, Far Far Away and Science-Fi. The decorations and settings were very intentionally designed, and attention paid to very small artistic details. The staff were mostly very young (late teens, early twenties)  but capable of handling work (level of English articulation has much room for improvement though). There are also multiple shows and parades. You can just spend the whole day there being on the go, if you have the stamina. 

Overall I would recommend USS as a place to go in Singapore for first timers! It's a bit pricey especially on weekends like this, the queue is long, but the experience and the effort put in by the producers who invested in this place makes things worth it. Everywhere I see effort and creativity, and these are the things that I appreciate a lot. Also, go with good company so as to make things extra fun! :)

Next Stop: Ghim Moh

Will be moving to 4 Ghim Moh Road at the end of August.

I'm super relieved that this house hunting thingy is over without too much financial impact. Rental expenses is definitely going to hike as compared to now (think extra $150 - $200 per month!), but seriously, it's already much better than what I had expected. And living space is going to be half of our current place too, so you can imagine what a good bargain we've been getting out of 30 J Kovan. 

But at least, we skipped agent fees, I got myself a nice roomie (Alicia), our new place is free from traffic noise, has fresh air, near bus stops, near good food, and near Shop & Save. Most of all, I cut down around an hour's travelling time a day (plus another 30 bucks a month) travelling to work. I look forward to that. Poor Jerome has increased travelling time though. 

I will miss 30 J Kovan though. It's been awesome staying here. The neighbours are OK, and the environment is nice. The house is big. And there's Wen Qiao and Yew Hong, which I will miss, has housemates and as a roomie. I will miss WQ's scolding Jerome and Jon too haha. And all of us saying and doing stupid things together.

And I will miss Kovan Hub which is where I take a coach home. Now if I want to go home I'll need to take a 30 min trip to Bugis or Woodlands to the train checkpoint which is even further away. Will miss Nex which I always shop. Will miss the red chairs and orange sofa, and the big orange curtain, which make such cheerful furniture. 

Hmmm. There are pros and cons with the move. But it has to be done anyway. Thank God for this new place which is also near Andrew and Rachel.