It's about giving your best

In worshipping God, it's about giving your best. It's about doing your utmost. Because the Lord deserves everything you have got.

Whether you have much or little, many or few, give Him all you have got.

I suddenly pondered on this some time ago regarding my guitar playing skills. I'm merely a 3-month-plus old guitar player - still considered a beginner and have a long way ahead. Many strumming patterns I don't know, many songs I haven't heard and many chords I couldn't even imagine.

But something struck me when I meditated on "giving your best for God". That means if I only know a handful of songs and a few chords, then I should use that to give Him the glory He deserves.

Just like the widow (in Luke 21:1-4) who gave 2 copper coins to the temple, we should learn from her and put in our best efforts to please the Lord. That in itself is an act of worship. For she gave more than the others because she gave all she had.

Moreover it's the heart that matters.

As long as the heart is obedient, willing and humble before the Lord (and not man), it will be pleasing to His eyes.

23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Col 3

When I place my focus on God and with the desire to magnify Him, the human and technical aspects of worship take the back seat.

You play with your fingers
You sing with your voice
You worship with your heart

People notice the minute details
I struggle with the technicalities
God sees the heart

Where I place my Eyes on

Where you put your eyes on determines your focus.

I did mention that I was kind of affected by the scrutiny of others and their opinions.

This goes to show that instead of looking at Him, I'm looking around. Instead of focusing on Him, I use my attention span to take notice of the things around me. In turn, I get affected and my worship to Him would no longer be wholehearted.

I need to place my eyes on God. To enthrone Him in the center of my life and my circumstances. To place Him on top of my priorities. Because the things of this world shall fade away, but He will remain.

Once I focus on God and God alone, I have a purpose worth living and dying for. He is my worth, my meaning, my significance. Apart from Him, I have no good thing and I have nothing. With Him, I have everything. He gives me a reason to live for and that reason will not wear away as long as I continue to fix my eyes on Him.

The moment I take my eyes away, shift my attention, I get distracted. The noise and temptations of this world begin to take footholds in my life and I get blinded to my true purpose.
To go up, look up.
To get lost, look around.
To go down, look down.

God is the only thing worth living and dying for. Humanly goals and ambitions can entice you to pursue them but they are merely temporal. They only bring you earthly rewards and meaning. But Christ can give you eternal, supernatural and spiritual significance if you focus on Him and let Him rule your life.

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My life be lifted high
All I have is Yours
I lay down and surrender
My life is in Your hands

Future, hope, plans, ambition
You take charge of them all

Your will be done on earth, in heaven and in my life
Make my life glorify You

Teach me how to be humble and recognise my weakness
Your strength is made perfect in my weakness
Your glory is made perfect in my meekness
Your wisdom is made perfect in my foolishness
Your sovereignty is made perfect in my limitations

Make my life glorify You

Stand and Stare Syndrome

It's in Singaporeans. Some...but not all.

It is something which rather pisses me off. Something (out of the blue) happens and all Singaporeans can do is to stand and stare. That's all. They aren't doing anything else which helps rectify or make things better.

If you aren't making yourself useful, then stop glaring. You can look, but don't stare. Move on. You aren't going to improve the situation by just looking.

There are some reasons behind it, I guess:

• curiosity 1: Oh dear...what in the world is happening?
• curiosity 2: Wah!! This kind of thing not everyday can see one! Must see somemore!
  
• timidity/cowardice
• indifference 1: Don't know what to do, so how to help?
  
• indifference 2: I help later no reward one...
• indifference 3: I can help but I can't be bothered
  
• pride/arrogance

Scenario 1: I'm painting my house's gate

Neighbours walk by. One neighbour I know says hi. Some go about their own businesses. Some walk pass and glare.

What's the problem?

You're making me feel very uncomfortable and nervous. I'm doing my own stuff and I do not need your scrutinizing eyes. Shoo! Go look somewhere else, lah!

From their looks/stares (I think):

• they're judging my painting skills
• they're coming up with an idea of my family's level of affluence from the quality of my gate
• they're wondering why don't I have something better to do
• "Aiyah...don't know how to paint, don't paint lah...Ask someone more skillful to do the job for you."

Scenario 2: You drop your books/notes/stuff in a rather crowded train carriage

From their looks/stares (I think):

• they want to find out what's going on
• "I wonder if he needs help."
• "Wa lao eh...drop your books, so noisy leh...I trying to sleep lor..."
• "Aiyah...carry so many things for what? So troublesome..."
• "Your parents never teach you how to hold things properly, ah?"
• "Wah!! You still using that calculator? So outdated sia!"

Scenario 3: I'm reading my Bible and minding my own business

From their looks/stares (I think):

• "Wah! So holy!"
• "How come that book so many words and the words so small, one?"
• [certain people] "BLOODY INFIDEL!!!"

Haha...or perhaps I'm thinking too much...

Speak the truth [in love]

Christians have to learn to speak the truth in love.

2 parts. Truth and love.

6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Col 4

Some lack truth, some lack love. Some even lack both.

But even if the gist of the message is truthful, we sometimes forget to add in the 'love' part. For myself, I'm okay with it. Sometimes, I'm even addicted to it.

I appreciate serious talk and comments from others. I have been pulled one side and told off before. Zero love, zero tact, zero diplomacy, pure, blunt truth.

Really brushes hard against the sensitive side of me. But still, it's for my good and from their good intentions. So, I'm grateful after all.

Real close friends make the truth element clear when they have something important to tell you. They never neglect the facts. They don't let the sugar-coating mask the truth.

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But some people....hai...speak falsehood bluntly. I do sometimes, though. Neither healing nor encouraging nor supportive nor optimistic nor edifying.

Some people are un-sensitive. Maybe it's just them. But we still have to love them no matter what.

We have to:

• love them
• forgive them
• accomodate them
• respect them

But that doesn't mean we have to:

• like them
• talk to them (unless they come to us)
• mingle with them always
• give in to them
  

Human issues. People problem. Very difficult to handle.

Lord, teach me how.

Can't help it lah. Bad food tastes so good. Chocolate, fudge, brownies, mudpies, etc.

But they are real bad.

I'll usually eat all the sinful food first, then ask for forgiveness later.

Yea...and foods of repentance come next. Fruits, vegetables and all the greenies.

Bad food means bad throat means bad voice. Stupid phlegm has been there for the past couple of days. Can't sing that high [as before].

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How dare you not practice what you preach?

I need to:

• get my life and priorities sorted out
• sleep and wake up at healthy hours
• have a sense of urgency in the things I do
• not spend too much time in the bathroom
• cycle aimlessly one day

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"It doesn't matter whether you play well or not. If your heart is right with God - sincerity and authenticity towards Him - it will sound nice to Him."

"Heck what other people say. It's the Father whom you are pleasing."

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One more lesson and the Believer Music Beginner Guitar course ends!

Next stop's Worship Dynamics I.

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"School's gonna start, huh? Why so reluctant? God has placed you there for a reason. So face it, embrace it, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and He will see you through it all."

"You hahh somemore!"

We stand and lift up our hands

For the joy of the Lord is our strength

We bow down and worship Him now
.
.
.

I don't think I'm going for my school's orientation camp. Too long. 17-22 July. 6 days, leh...

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Every breath we breathe, we breath for Him.
Every step we take, we take for Him.
Every move we make, we make for Him.

There's a reason why you are still alive. Heart's beating, lungs are expanding and contracting. You wake up for a reason. There's a purpose in your life - whether you know it or not.

If God:

• didn't have anything in store for you,
• wasn't gracious,
• has no purpose for you,

you would be dead long ago!

So, be a good steward of your God-given resources. Your life, money, talents, etc. You waste it, you'll explain and account for it later.

These books nice...got many many songs. Many songs inside I like. So I want them.

Problem is, WorshipTogether.com doesn't ship them internationally (to Singapore, that is) except for the US and Canada.

Hai...wonder if Borders has them.