Skip to main content

Love your enemies

Dear Blog,


A lot of things has been happening in my life lately, more so spiritually and emotionally.  I am not sure if I have changed but one thing is for sure -- I love Jesus more and more.  The Lord's sovereign hand has been upon me and my loved ones.  God is so good that I am so afraid that one day if I am not careful, I will forget all the good things He has done for me.  Psalm 103:2 (NLT) says, "Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me."  I am not sure if it has to do with the use of technology but I find myself quite lazy when penning down my thoughts in my physical diary.  I remember a brother sharing about writing down what the Lord has done for him, lest he forgets the goodness of the Lord.  If my memory does not fail me, he said that his mother has Alzheimer's disease and he was afraid that if one day he had this disease, he may not remember God's word.  This sharing motivated me to write about some good things that the Lord has done for me.



Having not been spiritually stable for about a decade, I am now regaining a little more stability.  Thanks be to God for His grace and mercy.  Currently I am attending church regularly and want to continue to grow in His love and word.  The one thing I always find it very hard to do as a Christian is to love my enemies.  In Matthew 5:44 (NLT) Jesus said, "But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!"  As a mortal, I need the strength and wisdom from God to not hold on to grudges but to pray for people who are my so called "enemies".  Lately, a lot of matters have been prompting me to think about these two qualities -- mercy and justice, which one do I value more?  Without putting much thought to it, my answer would be justice.  Do I think I am righteous?  Far from it, I am a sinner.  I may not have committed crimes such as, arson, murder etc but that does not make me a better person than any other person.  I have read about this case in the news where a Japanese lady was tortured and then gang raped and eventually died.  The offenders got away easy.  I remember it was not a life sentence for all and at this moment while typing this, I still feel angry for the victim and her family.  You see if I were a close one of this lady, I would have wish for the death of the rapists and his accomplices.  But is this what God wants me to feel and do?  Yes, it is difficult to forgive but it's only through forgiveness that we can set others and ourselves free.  Holding on to grudges and vengeance does not make us any better.  Now on to mercy, I remember watching a video long ago about this man who committed arson (can't confirm if this is correct) and a counsellor (not sure if this is correct again) visited him in prison and later he found out that this so called counsellor was the relative of the dead victim(s).  The counsellor forgave the man and once he received forgiveness, he began to understand the indescribable love of God and when he was sent for death execution, he was not a tinge afraid because he knows who God is and He is the One who loves and forgives all our sins. I was extremely touched when I watched it.  At this point, I want to draw congruence to the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32.  I think it's a really great feeling to be forgiven and forgiveness only comes from the Lord alone.  With human effort, it is very difficult or even impossible to do.



With my current experiences in life, I am not sure if I have it within me to be a forgiving person.  I know I am far from being righteous and at the same time, I do not want to disobey God.  At times when I see people doing evil things, I wonder should I try to do something about it or should I leave it entirely to God.  Like I said to a brother, I believe fully in God's sovereignty and never will I try to be God.  Sometimes, I wonder if God gives me a burden in my heart, should I act on it.  The Holy Spirit really has to guide me in discerning the things of the Lord because I really do not want to displease God.



I think there's a lot of dangers in this life, when I see supposedly faithful Christians falling, I feel really sad.  This leads me to think about where I would be when I am old.  Will I be faithful or will I lose faith?  "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)



Acts 20:24 (NLT) But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus -- the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.  Yes,   to do the work of the Lord is very important.  For every action, every word and every thought that I have, if I do not glorify God, it is nothing.



Love,

Pam

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Personal Perspective on CHC Fiasco

My personal perspective on the City Harvest Church fiasco: #1. God is omnipresent (present everywhere), omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing) and God knew about this episode. I believe God is watching.; #2. The CAD does not charge without concrete evidence (they have taken sufficient time to investigate - 2 years). May justice prevail.; #3. It is unavoidable for members of the public with little information about Christianity to judge.  It is also one of my weaknesses to be quick to judge/form negative impression about others, which is unhealthy.; #4. I believe to a certain extent, the message of giving and tithing is relatively strong in City Harvest Church - I may be wrong.  (fyi, I have visited the church a couple of times) My personal belief is that it is important to give to God because God is the creator of everything that exists. He owns everything and we are simply stewards of what we have been entrusted with.  Though I have to say I seldom give because I

Pledge "No" to Shark Fin Soup

Something to share... The Sharks died for you but you only consume their fins. I've pledge not to eat/drink Shark Fin Soup since 2009. I believe that raising awareness of the source of this delicacy will propel more people to make a conscious effort to stop their consumption, especially during Chinese wedding banquets. Yeah, I know that some of us might think that not much can be done and it is essentially a waste of food. However, why not think about it this way - when there is a drop in demand, there will be lesser restaurants/hotels serving this dish. Every effort counts and when it becomes a collective effort, we can begin to see a positive change. Additionally, I believe to affirm a conscious effort and remain faithful is to take a step forward to take a pledge. http://www.wwf.sg/take_action/sustainable_seafood/say_our_sharks/take_the_pledge/ Pam

Afterthought on by-election 2012

19th May 2012 WP 1st By-election Rally 24th May 2012 @ WP Final By-election Rally with Uncle Ah Luck & Auntie :) On 19th May 2012: I witnessed Uncle Ah Luck selling the Hougang Special By-election newsletters in a very enthusiastic fashion. So I asked Ah Luck whether he needed to have a sip of water. He replied he was fine. After that he said, we were doing was for a better future. He said, "... it is for you young ones who have many years ahead. I am old..." ... "You are important too!" said I. It was a pleasure to serve with the volunteers at the merchandise booth. Thank you. :) 26th May 2012 Before By-election result WP supporters were cheering! Then we were all anxious about the result... After the By-election result, The crowd outside Block 322 Hougang Avenue 5 coffee shop were rejoicing for WP! Big WP Flag at Block 309 The top picture depicts the crowd at WP By-election Rally in 201