(krŏn'ĭ-kəl) n. An extended account in prose or verse of historical events, sometimes including legendary material, presented in chronological order and without authorial interpretation or comment. A detailed narrative record or report.

Monday 24 March 2014

My should haves and God's Promises

November 01, 2010
9:13pm

Just had a thought, a sudden thought while we were walking on the pavement of a runway in our local airport after we visited the tomb of my aunt’s son… a thought that 2 days from now… I am… turning..26!!!

It’s as if I was saying to myself, ‘wow, you’re turning at the age of maturity, at the age where you should have  a stable job, should have stable financial status, career woman contented, should have  already by now have beloved, should have  been working abroad, helping my family, fulfilling some of my own dreams…

Thoughts such as those.. and yes, any one of those are all “should haves”.. still have none.

·         - Well, I have my family who is always by my side… who supports and helps me.. (but for how long would I rely on them?)
·         - Well, I have a job as a faculty member, a dream desire that was fulfilled (but is never content with the salary)
·       - Well, I had on my mind that I “should be” working abroad at the age of 26 (and if God so wills, I might, I may, hopefully). at the age of 24, I became an Architect, again a dream-desire that was fulfilled by the grace of God. Had my first (and hopefully not the last) project (but never satisfied on the outcome of the last stage), the rest of the projects, I will not call my “own”.
·         - Well, at the age of 22, started believing in True Love Waits, been waiting patiently for the right-God-given-man, while learning for all of the mistakes.. (4 years had passed, I am still on the waiting process)

As I ponder about these things.. these thoughts that are lingering and howling on the back of my mind… I ask myself: AM I COMPLAINING? AM I BITTER? AM I NOT CONTENT? AM I BEING IMPATIENT?

-       Complaining?
o   I have nothing to complain for.. I have wonderful gifts.. the gifts of family, of friends, of time…
o   I should be thankful…

1 Thessalonians 5:18

18  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

-       Bitter?
o   Nope, but I do have sorrow over my relationship with them. A once ok relationship was torn just because of certain issues during my first project. Anger? Was.. but I had forgiven him, still don’t know if it will ever be repaired, somehow in my heart, I still want the friendship to be fixed. Still hoping that one day, we’ll talk like nothing happened. It was forgiven, and forgotten.

Luke 6:37

37  “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
-       Content?
o   I should be. Should be thankful.. should be content. To look always on the bright side of life. yes, salary, is very low, but at least somehow, I have the chance and opportunity to share something to them and also to learn from them. (in the first place, that was the very reason why I prayed to God to let me teach at UL, and now that God granted my prayer, who am I to complain?) sometimes, I do forget that little things are often the big things.

Philippians 4:11

11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
-       Impatient?
o   Sometimes, when I think of my age and still got no clue of when will God would grant me the desire for a man to loved and be loved… but when I think of it as my days compared to God’s days? He sure is being patient with me!
o   Will a man be the answer to all loneliness? Certainly not!
o   Will a man satisfy my longing to be love? In some ways, yes, but on the bigger picture, no.
o   So why, should I be impatient? When I know that God is the only ONE who can satisfy my every longing? When I know that God is preparing someone for me, being patient with me all this time, molding me to be who He created me to be.

Psalm 37:7

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
     fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices!


All of these questions Lord, I know in my heart the answers, and yet I let myself forget… I forget your promises and Your Truth.

Psalm 145:13

13  Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
[The Lord is faithful in all his words
    and kind in all his works.][
a]

Psalm 119:68

68  You are good and do good;
     teach me your statutes.

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,[a].

Psalm 139

139 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it.

Psalm 144:2-

he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
    my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
    who subdues peoples[
a] under me.
O Lord, what is man that you regard him,
    or the son of man that you think of him?
Man is like a breath;
    his days are like a passing shadow.
15  Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
     Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

Psalm 130:3-4

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
    O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
     that you may be feared.

Psalm 103:11-14

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 As a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame;[a]
    he remembers that we are dust.

 

Psalm 90:12

12  So teach us to number our days
    that we may get a heart of wisdom.

 

Psalm 77:11-13

11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
     What god is great like our God?

 

Psalm 94:8-15, 17-19, 23

Understand, O dullest of the people!
    Fools, when will you be wise?
He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?
He who teaches man knowledge—
11      the Lord—knows the thoughts of man,
    that they are but a breath.[a]
12  Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord,
    and whom you teach out of your law,
13 to give him rest from days of trouble,
    until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14  For the Lord will not forsake his people;
    he will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous,
    and all the upright in heart will follow it.
17  If the Lord had not been my help,
    my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, “My foot slips,”
    your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many,
    your consolations cheer my soul.
23 He will bring back on them their iniquity
    and wipe them out for their wickedness;
    the Lord our God will wipe them out.

Lord, help me to remember You always.. to keep Your Words in my heart that I may fear Your Name.
You are Holy, Holy, Holy, God.. there is none like You
Lord help me to remember You..
You are FAIHFUL, GOOD, TRUE, HOLY GOD..
Amen


Tuesday 18 March 2014

FORGIVENESS

October 28, 2010
10:15pm

DAILY DEVOTIONAL: October 5
Martyn Lloyd Jones : Walking with God
“for the man who does not forgive will not be forgiven…” Matthew 18:35


Matthew 18:25-35

English Standard Version (ESV)
25  And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant[a] fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii,[b] and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33  And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34  And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,[c] until he should pay all his debt. 35  So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

What this means is that you and I can only be happy about the fact that we are Christians, if we find this loving, forgiving spirit within ourselves. It is idle for us to day that we know God has forgiven us if we ourselves are not loving and forgiving. People who say they are in the light but who hate and do not forgive their brother are in darkness even now.

“He that loveth his brother abideth in the light” 1 John 2:10

Lord, I pray that You would give us a heart, a heart that is willing to forgive even when someone really crushed, transgressed and hurt us… may it be someone from the past, today or tomorrow.
I pray Thee to teach me to forgive them that You may forgive me too… teach us to remember how we have been forgiven and that we ought to forgive.
Teach us to let go of the past, of the pain. We are bunch of imperfect people and each and one of us commits sin every day. No one is perfect, no one can perfectly follow Your precepts.
But Lord, You have shown us the way.. day by day.. Leading and guiding us to the path of righteousness.. the right way is always the hard way.. but it directs us to You. Even when sometimes we walk through the valleys of doubt, confusion, hatred, anger, silence… Lord You are always with us.
So Lord, teach us to remember who we are now.. we are Christians shed by Your blood.. by Your grace we are saved.. by Your grace and unfailing love, we are forgiven…
Lord help us… teach us I pray…

Amen.

Wednesday 12 March 2014

Being in Love

October 27, 2010

Being in love is a good thing, but it is not the best thing. There are many things below it, but there are also many things above it. You cannot make it the basis of a whole life. It is a noble feeling, but it is still a feeling.

Now no feeling can be relied on to last in its full intensity, or even to last at all. Knowledge can last, principles can last, habits can last; but feelings come and go. And in fact, whatever people say, the state called “being in love” usually does not last. If the old fairy-tale ending “They lived happily ever after” is taken to mean “They felt for the next fifty years exactly as they felt the day before they were married,” then it says what probably was never was or ever could be true, and would be highly undesirable if it were. Who could bear to live in that excitement for even five years? What would become of your work, your appetite, your sleep, your friendships? But, of course, ceasing to be “in love” need not mean ceasing to love.

Love in this second sense — love as distinct from “being in love” is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by (in Christian marriages) the grace which both parents ask, and receive, from God.

They can have this love for each other even at those moments when they do not like each other; as you love yourself even when you do not like yourself. They can retain this love even when each would easily, if they allowed themselves, be “in love” with someone else. “Being in love” first moved them to promise fidelity: this quieter love enables them to keep the promise. It is on this love that the engine of marriage is run: being in love was the explosion that started it.

-       -C.S.LEWIS (Mere Christianity)

The kind of love that sustains a marriage is God-given, but it is also a Daily Choice for the rest of your life.
-       -E. ELLIOT


Charity is the Love of God.

John 15:9-10
English Standard Version (ESV)
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.


Sunday 9 March 2014

Love Songs

October 27, 2010
(love songs I always play, hear and sing)

THE DAY BEFORE YOU
Matthew West

I had all but given up
On finding the one that I could fall into
On the day before you
I was ready to settle for
Less than love and not much more
There was no such thing as a dream come true
Oh, but that was on the day before you

Now you're here and everything's changing
Suddenly life means so much
I can't wait to wake up tomorrow
And find out this promise is true
I will never have to go back to
The day before you

In your eyes I see forever
It makes me wish that my life never knew
The day before you
Oh, but Heaven knows those years without you

Were shapin' my heart for the day that I found you
You're the reason for all that I've been through
Then I'm thankful for the day before you-
Yeah, yeah

Now you're here and everything's changing
Suddenly life means so much
I can't wait to wake up tomorrow
And find out this promise is true
I will never have to go back to
The day before you

Was the last day that I ever lived alone
And I'm never goin' back
No, I'm never goin' back

Now you're here and everything's changing
Suddenly life means so much
I can't wait to wake up tomorrow
And find out this promise is true
I will never have to go back to
Yeah, I will never have to go back to
The day before you, the day before you



"FOR MY LOVE"
Bethany Dillon


Walk towards me
I want to hear
The heavens singing over you
When you breathe
And look at me
I want to be captured by you

Gaze into my eyes
And let me know you’d fight
Thousands, for my love
Slip your hand in mine
Ask me to dance with you tonight
Just ask me for my love

I want to hide
What’s deep in my eyes
I’m scared to be known by you
But when I turn my head
And see you there
I want to be pursued

Gaze into my eyes
And let me know you’d fight
Thousands, for my love
Slip your hand in mine
Ask me to dance with you tonight
Just ask me for my love

A dream I won’t wake from
A story that will never end
The ground your feet walk on
Let me be there, let me be there

Gaze into my eyes
Let me know you’d fight
Thousands, for my love
Slip your hand in mine
Ask me to dance with you tonight
Just ask me for my love

Gaze into my eyes
Let me know you’d fight
Thousands, for my love
Slip your hand in mine
Ask me to dance with you tonight
Ask me for my love

A PAGE IS TURNED

A page is turned by the wind to a boy in curly grin 
With a world to conquer at the age of ten 
But as history unfolds and the storybook is told 
He finds salvation but not at the hands of man
And the God of second chance 
Picked him up and He let him dance 
Through a world that is not kind 
And all this time, preparing him, the one 
To hold him up when he comes undone 
Beneath the storm, beneath the sun 
And now a man, here you stand 
Your day has come
A page is turned in this world to reveal a little girl 
With a heart that's bigger, as it is unfurled 
By the language in her soul, that's teaching her to grow 
With a careful cover of love that will not fail
And the God of second chance 
Picked her up and He let her dance 
Through a world that isn't kind 
And all this time, preparing her the one 
To hold her up when she comes undone 
Beneath the storm, beneath the sun 
And grown up tall, here you are 
Your day has come
Beneath the air of autumn, she took him by his hand 
And warm within the ardor, she took his heart instead 
And high upon the mountain, he asked her for her hand 
Just for her hand
A page is turned in this life, he's making her his wife 
And there is no secret to the source of this much life 
When the grace that falls like rain is washing them again 
Just a chance to somehow rise above this land
Where the God of second chance 
Will pick them up and he'll let them dance 
Through a world that is not kind 
And all this time, they're sharing with the one 
That holds them up when they come undone 
Beneath the storm, beneath the sun 
And once again, here you stand 
And once again, here you stand 
Your day has come

BY HEART, BY SOUL
VERSE 1:
If You were a road
I'd learn every turn til I 
Could find my way with my eyes closed
If You were a song
I'd sing along til I
Knew every word and every note
But you were everything to me
A mystery
Your the Love I live to see
CHORUS:
By heart, by soul
Thats how I want to know You
Keep you as close as
Breath is to life
Wanna watch Your Love unfold
By heart, by soul
VERSE 2:
If You were a place
I'd stay my whole life til I
Had every corner memorized
And if You were a star
I'f follow You home, You would be
The Light that is my only guide
You were everything to me
My A to Z
Your the Love thats lives in me
BRIDGE:
I wanna know You inside and out
Better than I even know myself
If You were a star
I'd follow You home by heart
By soul

UNFAILING LOVE
Chris tomlin feat. Steve chapman

You have my heart
And I am Yours forever
You are my strength
God of grace and power

And everything You hold in Your hand
Still You make time for me
I can't understand
Praise You God of Earth and sky
How beautiful is Your unfailing love
Unfailing love

And You never change God You remain
The Holy One
My unfailing love
Unfailing love

You are my rock
The one I hold on to
You are my song
And I sing for You

And everything You hold in Your hand
Still You make time for me
I can't understand
Praise You God of Earth and sky
How beautiful is Your unfailing love
Unfailing love

And You never change God You remain
The Holy One
My Unfailing love
Unfailing love

And everything You hold in Your hand
Still you make time for me
I can't understand
Praise You God of Earth and sky
How beautiful is Your unfailing love
Unfailing love

And You never change God You remain
The Holy One
My Unfailing love
Unfailing love

I will praise You
Praise you God of earth and sky
How beautiful is your unfailing love
Unfailing love

And You never change God You remain
The Holy One
My Unfailing love

Unfailing love
Unfailing love
Unfailing love
Unfailing love
Unfailing love