The Judgment Seat of Christ

By Leonard Ravenhill

This is the King of kings, and He's the Judge of judges, and it's the Tribunal of Tribunals, and there's no court of appeal after that. The verdict is final!

We're not going to be judged just because of what we've done, we're going to be judged for why we did it! Not for the action, (but) for the motive.

- Leonard Ravenill

Saved Through Childbearing?

An intriguing article here on 1 Timothy 2:15

"But women will be saved through childbearing" (NIV): this simple statement has mystified average Bible readers as well as Christian scholars for centuries. Is Paul here suggesting salvation by works? In what sense can a woman be "saved" by bearing children? What would be so virtuous about bearing children that could become the cause of women's salvation? And what about single women or married women who do not or cannot have children? Even apart from these interpretive questions, the passage sounds horribly sexist and out of date in the days of female Prime Ministers or Supreme Court Justices. How are we to understand this passage, and how are we to apply it?

The Idolatory of Entertainment

"America has a king and his name is Sport. He has a wife and her name is Entertainment!"

Because there isn't enough real joy in the house of God, we need entertainment. Entertainment is the devil's substitute for joy. Because there isn't enough power in the house of God, people are always looking for something to take its place.

- Leonard Ravenhill

I am in many ways an avid gamer, always on the lookout for the latest in PC games and hardware upgrades. Recently I had, for the first time, manually installed additional hardware into my computer on my own. Needless to say, it was a trying experience just having to figure out how to open up the casing. I also follow the latest football news and often troll through various football related sites throughout the day in order to get that latest piece of news or results.

And it has struck me how obsessed I can become with them.

I still remember clearly this incident months ago. It was about 11.30pm and I was just about to quit procrastinating and actually get down to doing my devotions. As a sort of last gesture, I just skimmed through a football news site and the thing that caught my eye was the game currently being played. It was Arsenal versus Manchester United with the score at 2-0 in Arsenal's favour. Being somewhat an Arsenal supporter (with a strong dislike for the other team) and seeking to justify my procrastination I reasoned, 'surely just watching the last twenty or so minutes won't be that bad.'

I turned on the television just in time to see Man Utd pull one goal back with fifteen minutes left to play. The final few moments were nerve-wracking as Arsenal fought valiantly to protect their lead. When the final whistle sounded I remembered I was literally trembling with excitement over what I had just seen. And as the adrenaline wore off, a crushing reality struck me. You get so excited over a small insignificant football game while fellowship with the Awesome God hardly interests you?

I also have many PC games scattered throughout my room, legacy to a buying spree that has spanned more than a decade. Games ranging from those simple city-building sims to the graphic-intensive monsters of today's strategy games. With improvements in graphics comes the need for improvements in graphics hardware. If there is one thing that I do splurge on, it would be on much computer hardware. With any decent graphics card today costing upwards of $300 at the least, any proper upgrade is sure to cost an arm and a leg. One thing I have come to realize over the years however, is that no matter how good or addictive a game is, sooner or later you will get bored with it. The same goes with any toy Man may conceive. Soon the urge to get the latest games in order to keep oneself entertained would spur one to buy whatever is being offered on the market, or if one is less financially endowed, rotate the games that one already has in order to find that thrill again. I found that whatever "joy" I had in any game soon began to turn stale in my mouth. It could not satisfy me forever.

Is it any wonder that idolatry is as rampant today as it was in days of old when men bowed before images of trees and animals? (Come to think of it, they still do so today.) Now men bow and worship gods of steel and leather, of electronic components and balls that roll and bounce. People support and participate in sports events more zealously than any religious service. It has always struck me how men can stand, lift up their hands, worship and sing praises with such gusto to eleven men kicking a ball around a field and yet the worship of an Almighty God can remain so cold. The same men who would speak excitedly and ecstatically of sports, would remain indifferent or dismissive to any subject which is of eternal value. Oh what hypocrisy we live in today. Is it not truly madness? Can such an attitude truly be the reflection of a regenerated heart?

Now I am in no way opposed to sports or computers per se, but the fact still remains. There is no lasting joy in any temporal thing. Games come and go. Hardly have they reached the store shelves when another, better, one takes its place. Sporting "greats" remain but for a little time before they are eclipsed by the "next big thing". True Joy and Satisfaction is found only in the One for whom we were made for, to delight in. For God does not have a man-shaped hole in His heart, as so much contemporary teaching makes Him out to be, but Man does have a God-shaped hole in his heart. That infinite hole which can only be satisfied with that which is infinite.

And is that not such a struggle. Man has been conditioned for so long in his fallen nature to live apart from God that he does not seek to find fulfillment and joy in the only Person who can provide it. No, but because Man are by nature enemies of God and haters of Him, they seek other ways and means of satisfying themselves. They would rather kill themselves in an endless and hopeless search for joy and satisfaction rather than bow the knee before the One who provides it, and unless the Lord so acts to remove their blindness, no man will turn to Him.

But praise be to Him, who in His unsearchable Wisdom and Love, has restored the sight of His elect. That they may not be satisfied by what the World has to offer, but have clung to the Cross, "by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Gal. 6:14)

How wide, how high, how long, how deep is the Love of Christ? Gaze upon the wondrous Cross and be satisfied.

"Remember, again, if you cling to earthly pleasures, they will all be unsatisfying, empty, and pointless. Like the locusts of the vision in Revelation, they seem to have crowns on their heads: but like the same locusts, you will find they have stings--real stings--in their tails. All that glitters is not gold. All that tastes sweet is not good. All that pleases for a while is not real pleasure.

Go and take your fill of earthly pleasures if you will--you will never find your heart satisfied with them. There will always be a voice within, crying, like the leech in Proverbs 30:15, "Give! Give!" There is an empty place there, which nothing but God can fill. You will find, as Solomon did by experience, that earthly pleasures are but a meaningless show--promising contentment but bringing a dissatisfaction of spirit--gold plated caskets, exquisite to look at on the outside, but full of ashes and corruption within. Be wise in your youth. Write the word "poison" on all earthly pleasures. The most lawful of them must be used in moderation. All of them are soul- destroying if you give them your heart. Pleasure, must first have the guarantee that it is not sinful--then it is to be enjoyed in moderation."

- J. C. Ryle

'Salvation'

The four tenses of Salvation:

The past perfect tense: I had been saved from the pleasure of Sin - Repentance
The past tense: I am saved from the penalty of Sin - Justification
The present tense: I am being saved from the power of Sin - Sanctification
The future tense: I shall be saved from the presence of Sin - Glorification

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An article by A. W. Pink (again) that deals with something that I have often struggled with.

This is a subject which is rarely touched upon today, yet in certain quarters especially there is a real need that it should be dealt with. By inward impressions we have reference to some passage of Scripture or some verse of a hymn being laid upon the mind with such force that it rivets the attention, absorbs the entire inner man and is accompanied by such an influence, that the partaker thereof is deeply affected. For example: a person may have lived a most godless life, utterly unconcerned about spiritual things and eternal interests, when suddenly (perhaps while he was indulging the lusts of the flesh, his thoughts being entirely occupied with carnal objects), there sounded in his conscience the words, “Be sure your sin will find you out.” So forcibly is he impressed, it seems as though someone must have audibly uttered those words, and he turns to discover the speaker, only to find he is alone. So deep is the impression, he cannot shake it off, and he is convicted of his lost condition and made to seek the Saviour.

No doubt each one who reads the above paragraph has heard or read some such case, perhaps many like it. And quite possibly a number of our readers are distressed in that there has been nothing in their own experience which corresponds thereto, and because there is not, they greatly fear they have never been truly converted. But such an inference is quite unwarranted. God does not act uniformly in the work of regeneration, any more than He does in creation or in providence; and we have met many who never had any such experience as we have described above, yet whose salvation we could not doubt for a moment. “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). Sometimes the wind blows with great velocity, at other times very gently and almost imperceptibly. But how foolish I would be if, seeing the leaves moving in the breeze, I denied the wind was blowing at all, merely because it came not with hurricane intensity! (Emphasis mine)

The "Good News" Which Isn't

Read it and weep.

“God knows where the money is, and he knows how to get the money to you,” preached Mrs. Copeland, dressed in a crisp pants ensemble like those worn by C.E.O.’s.

The preachers barely acknowledged the recession, though they did say it was no excuse to curtail giving. “Fear will make you stingy,” Mr. Copeland said.

But mostly the preachers were working mightily to remind the crowd that they are God’s elect. “While everybody else is having a famine,” said Mr. Savelle, a Texas televangelist, “his covenant people will be having the best of times.”

“Any time a worried thought about money pops up in your mind,” Mr. Savelle continued, “the next thing you do is sow”: drop money, like seeds, in “good ground” like the preachers’ ministries. “Stop worrying, start sowing,” he added, his voice rising. “That’s God’s stimulus package for you.”

At that, hundreds streamed down the aisles to the stage, laying envelopes, cash and coins on the carpeted steps.

(Taken from The New York Times)

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Utterly disgusting, that's the only way I can describe it. And to think that such crap is being taught in Singapore as well. Think of all those churches, with their large membership rolls and fancy "worship" setups, being built upon the greed of men and the bones of unconverted church members. What a blasphemy, what an outrage! To so demean the infinitely valuable work of Christ in reconciling a Sinful Man to a Holy and Just God. To cast aside the infinite glories to come for trinkets, things made of gold and steel that will rust and be destroyed.

In the end, the biggest problem with prosperity theology is not that it promises too much, but that it promises far too little. The Gospel of Jesus Christ offers salvation from sin, not a platform for earthly prosperity. While we should seek to understand what drives so many into this movement, we must never for a moment fail to see its message for what it is -- a false and failed gospel.

- Al Mohler

Is it not true, that Christianity in Singapore today is derided and scorned for such foolish doctrine. Read the internet forums and the newsprints. Christianity is being made to look like a circus, with all its health, wealth, prosperity and feel good messages.

For, as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."

- Romans 2:24

How long more will the Lord withhold His Wrath from us. Calling it a "gospel" is a terrible misnomer, for make no mistake, such a "gospel" does not save but rather damns a soul. How long will your church remain silent oh Lord. How long will we remain blinded to the dangers of such abominable teaching. Lord grant us eye salve that we might see our foolishness and repent.

Be Merciful to us.

Say What?

Read this post in the Christian Post

How does the Lord judge evildoers? He does not do it like an earthly judge, who passes the verdict without mercy against criminals. He judges like the father in the story of the prodigal son. He loves His children and tells them what is needed for them to prosper in life. At the same time, He does not force them to do His will, even though it is perfect. He gives them the dignity of personhood to choose what they will.

He does not punish them in the way that earthly judges do just so that they will fear His law. He exhorts them with tears but leaves the final decision to them. If they are bent on leaving, He lets them leave. And they are finally judged by their own actions. They suffer the consequences of their own wrongdoing. It is not God that judges them; it is finally that they become their own judges. Such is the way of the Lord. And such are the ways of His children, who refrain from being judges of one another. (emphasis added)

The best way to refute this kind of nonsense is to let Scripture do so.

They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
- Romans 2:15-16

But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? ( I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world?
- Romans 3:5-6

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:
- 2 Timothy 4:1

Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
- 2 Timothy 4:8

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
- Hebrews 13:4

Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door
- James 5:9

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
- 1 Peter 1:17

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
- Revelations 20: 11-15

Easy search on BibleGateway.com. Makes you wonder if any editor actually reads what gets posted on the website. Such is the danger in modern Christianity that attempts to bring God down to the level of a mere creature. Let God be true, and every man a liar.

Rejoicing in the Lord by A. W. Pink

From here

On the other hand, there are not a few among the Lord’s people whose tendency is to go to an opposite extreme, being afraid to rejoice in the Lord lest they be guilty of presumption. They who are most painfully conscious of the sea of iniquity surging within, feel it would be hypocrisy to joy in God and sing His praises. But let it be carefully borne in mind that the same human instrument who cried, “O wretched man that I am,” penned this very exhortation. However low the true believer may sink in his feelings, however cold and barren his heart, there is still abundant cause for him to heed this injunction. He is not bidden to rejoice in his own experiences or attainments, but “in the Lord.” It is a call to the exercise of faith, of hope, of love.

Though poor in this world’s goods, though grieving the loss of loved ones, though suffering pain of body, though harassed by sin and Satan, though hated and persecuted by worldlings, whatever be the case and lot of the Christian, it is both his privilege and duty to rejoice in the Lord. He has given us abundant cause so to do: His favour, love, faithfulness, longsuffering, granting us access to the Throne of Grace, the privilege of communion with Himself (in our sorrows and trials!), the promise of an eternity of bliss in His presence—all call for gladness and praise. This exhortation to rejoice in the Lord does not mean we are bidden to cast all sorrow out of our hearts, nor are we acting contrary to its terms when we grieve over sin. Godly sorrow and holy joy are coinciding and not conflicting emotions: there is no enjoying the sweetness of the Lamb apart from the “bitter herbs” (Exo. 12:8).

- A. W. Pink

Thoughts on Recent Events

No doubt many, if not all, would have heard or read of the issue of religion in this country that is being discussed at length in the mass media over the past week. Nothing surprising there since it is merely the re-ignition of debate of events that have occurred in the past 8 months and of which I have blogged about before.

My concern remains in the implication for the church and for many Christian organizations in schools and in society. Such pressures to conform, to cover up the cross and remain silent are nothing new. For a long time now, mission schools and organizations like the BB have been continually under fire for proselytizing and have often compromised under such pressure.

By His Grace, a small flame continues to burn and His Work is still continually being accomplished in such places.

However, the question has to be asked of us. When then do we make a stand? How long will we continue bowing to the World's demands, whilst consoling ourselves by doing some small work on the side. I had served in an organization for six years and have seen how the Gospel and Christ are slowly shafted to one side. No longer was the Cross our controlling vision. No longer was the proclamation of the Gospel viewed as essential and inviolable. No, it became about training leaders and the teaching of "christian" values, morality without Christ. The Object became a mocking symbol of our impotence. The advancement of a kingdom without Christ, a personal fiefdom of those who saw the organization as a place to gain respect and power and personal influence. We deluded ourselves with little acts of piety in order to sooth our religious conscience, while we rushed to remove as many vestiges of Christ from our programmes. To my shame, I had bought into this "vision" for far too long.

We look at a world today that declares, "There is no Truth!". Yet there is One who says, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." The world says, "There are many ways to god". Yet there is One who says, "No one can come to the Father except through Me." The world bleats with false humility, "Everyone is right!". Yet there is One who says "I the LORD speak the truth; I declare what is right." (Isa. 45:19b)

Has there always been persecution of the Church here? Yes. And of a kind much more subtle and oftentimes deadlier than physical violence. It is not the kind of persecution that burns down churches and sends Christians to prison camps, but it is of the kind that allures and pressurizes. A persecution that seeks to merely remove the small issue of the Cross, while still leaving you with all your programmes and comforts and all the trappings of a church but ultimately devoid of its power. While we weep and pray for those in India or China who have lost all that they have in this world for Christ's sake (as we rightly should), we fail to see the greater danger that looms over us. Like the proverbial frog in the cooking pot, we do not realize the danger that is creeping up on us until is it too late. A little compromise here, a little change there and soon we will realize we're left with nothing of biblical Christianity. We talk so much of wanting to be like the early Church, the Church of the Book of Acts. Are we willing to pay the cost?

"But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name."
So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge,
for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard."

- Acts 4: 17-20

When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, "Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,
who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,

"'Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed'—

for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.
And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,
while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

- Acts 4: 23-31

And though I may be tempted to despair at the state we are today, there is One who has promised He will build His Church and all that He wills He accomplishes.

Soli Deo Gloria

Examining Thy Motives

I have just read a very convicting post/note on Facebook here and indeed it is a terrible struggle for me in so many ways.

Looking back from my time in ACS until this very hour, the allure of selfishness, self-centeredness and self-righteousness are ever present in my own heart. The desire to do something great, to be well-known, to be able to speak well so as to impress, to have all the answers, to be the "go-to" guy for all things big and small. Such is the depravity of a Man's heart, to even do and desire right and good things for wrong motives.

Why do I do what I do? A man confesses with his lips and honours Christ, but his heart is far from Him. Who can know the heart, for the heart is deceitfully wicked above all things. I fear who I am inside, the person that goes by many names, the Old Man, the Flesh, the Sinful Nature. Surely Man is the most vile and wretched of all creatures, his heart the stinking cesspool and source of his iniquity. Blinded by his own self-worth and progress, he does not even know himself.

Why the desire to preach or pray? Is it for His Name's sake or for something darker. With regards to relationships, is godliness and my pursuit of it simply a means of gain? To impress and seduce? TO make myself more desirable? Why even write this blog post? So as to tell and boast to others of my piety? God forbid it! Are my hands clean oh Lord, is my heart pure?

Who am I oh Lord. Who am I apart from You. Surely I deserve to be cast into the darkest pits of Hell for my crimes against You. Oh wretched man that I am. Who can rescue me from this body of death.

Only through Jesus. Only though Jesus. May He that was slain receive the reward of His suffering.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting."

- Psalm 139: 23-24

Take Heed What You Read by A. W. Pink

Some of God's dear people may suppose that it would be presumptuous to set themselves up as judges of what they hear or read, but that is a serious mistake, being both a false humility and a shirking of duty. The Apostle rebuked the Hebrews because their senses (spiritual faculties) were not developed so as to discern between good and evil (Heb. 5:13). With as much reason might it be termed pride for any one to pass judgment upon the groceries or meats purchased from the stores. Others may ask, "But how are simple and unlearned souls to distinguish between the different religious publications of the day?" Very simply: in sampling your natural food how do you determine whether or not it be seasoned? By your natural taste, of course. So it is spiritually: the "new man" has a palate too! If the God of creation has given us natural palates for the purpose of distinguishing between wholesome and unwholesome food, the God of grace has furnished His people with a capacity, a spiritual sense, to distinguish between nutritious and innutritious soul food.

Taken from here

The Spirit Who Draws Men

An interesting article.

"With others the supernatural agency of the Spirit is effectually shut out by the belief that Truth will prevail: that if the Word of God be faithfully preached, souls will be truly saved. Far be it from us to undervalue the Truth, or cast the slightest reflection on the living Word of God; yet modern ideas and present conditions demand that we plainly point out that it is not the Truth, the Scriptures, the Gospel, which renews the soul; but instead, the power and operations of the Holy Spirit. "You may teach a man the holiest of truths, and yet leave him a wretched man. Many who learn in childhood that ‘God is love,’ live disregarding, and die blaspheming God. Thousands who are carefully taught, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,’ neglect so great salvation all their days. Some of the most wicked and miserable beings that walk the earth are men into whose consciences, when yet youthful and unsophisticated, the truth was carefully instilled."

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""The belief that Truth is mighty, and by reason of its might must prevail, is equally fallacious in the abstract, as it is opposed to the facts of human history, and to the Word of God. We should take the maxim, the Truth must prevail, as perfectly sound, did you only give us a community of angels on whom to try the Truth. With every intellect clear and every heart upright, doubtless Truth would soon be discerned, and, when discerned, cordially embraced. But, Truth, in descending among us, does not come among friends. The human heart offers ground whereon it meets Truth at an immeasurable disadvantage. Passions, habits, interests, yes, nature itself, lean to the side of error; and though the judgment may assent to the Truth, which, however, is not always the case, still error may gain a conquest only the more notable because of this impediment. Truth is mighty in pure natures, error in depraved ones.


"Do they who know human nature best, when they have a political object to carry, trust most of all to the power of Truth over a constituency, or would they not have far more confidence in corruption and revelry? The whole history of man is a melancholy reproof to those who mouth about the mightiness of Truth. ‘But,’ they say, ‘Truth will prevail in the long run.’ Yes, blessed be God, it will; but not because of its own power over human nature, but because the Spirit will be poured out from on high, opening blind eyes and unstopping deaf ears."

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"None will ever be drawn to Christ, savingly, by mere preaching; no, not by the most faithful and Scriptural preaching: there must first be the supernatural operations of the Spirit to open the sinner’s heart to receive the message? And how can we expect the Spirit to work among us while He is so slighted, while our confidence is not in Him, but in our preaching? How can we expect Him to work miracles in our midst, while there is no humble, earnest, and trustful praying for His gracious activities? Most of us are in such a feverish rush to "win souls," to do "personal work," to preach, that we have no time for definite, reverent, importunate crying unto the Lord for His Spirit to go before us and prepare the soil for the Seed. Hence it is that the converts we make are but "man made," and their subsequent lives make it only too apparent unto those who have eyes to see that the Holy Spirit does not indwell them nor produce His fruits through them. O brethren, join the writer in contritely owning to God your sinful failure to give the Spirit His proper place."

- A. W. Pink

HT: DefCon
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A short excerpt from the next chapter.

"When the soul has sunk into the mire of despair no human power is sufficient to lift it out and set it upon the Rock. Now that the renewed sinner perceives that not only are all his past actions transgressions of God’s Law, but that his very heart is desperately wicked—polluting his very prayers and tears of contrition—he feels that he must inevitably perish. If he hears the Gospel, he tells himself that its glad tidings are not for such an abandoned wretch as he; if he reads the Word he is assured that only its fearful denunciations and woes are his legitimate portion. If godly friends remind him that Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost, he supposes they are ignorant of the extremities of his case—should they urge him to believe or cast himself on the mercy of God in Christ, they do but mock him in his misery, for he now discovers that he can no more do this of himself than he can grasp the sun in his hands. All self-help, all human aid, is useless.

In those in whom the Spirit works faith, He first blows down the building of human pretensions, demolishes the walls which were built with the untempered mortar of man’s own righteousness, and destroys the foundations which were laid in self-flattery and natural sufficiency, so that they are entirely shut up to Christ and God’s free grace. Once awakened, instead of fondly imagining I am the man whom God will save, I am now convinced that I am the one who must be damned. So far from concluding I have any ability to even help save myself, I now know that I am "without strength" and no more able to receive Christ as my Lord and Savior than I can climb up to Heaven. Evident it is, then, that a mighty supernatural power is needed if I am to come to Him who "justifieth the ungodly." None but the all-mighty Spirit can lift a stricken soul out of the gulf of despair and enable him to believe to the saving of his soul."

Struggling with Impatience

13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,
14 saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you."
15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.
16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.
17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath,
18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.
19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,
20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

- Hebrews 6:13-20

One of my greater struggles, especially in this day and age of fast food and faster computers, is the constant struggle with impatience. I used to think that I was a very patient fellow when I was younger, that is, until I found out more about myself.

Whether it be standing in a queue, waiting at a traffic junction or leading a group, the desire to jump ahead is always there. Perhaps that is why I prefer playing strategy and city-building sims rather than FPS or RPGs since one gets to "play god" so as to speak, where at a click of a button decades can pass and the fruits of ones planning clearly seen.

Maybe that's why this post-uni life is so frustrating. The neither-here-nor-there feeling. Where one has to start re-building ties with others whom one has neglected over the past six years or seek new ones, only to realize the truism that Rome really wasn't built in a day.

So hard to wait, so hard to wait.

But yet the great irony is that eventually, all things will come to past. All of ones hopes and plans for the future will soon become the present, and then fade into the past. One day Christ will return and there will be no more sorrow, no more struggles against the flesh, no more worries about the future. To be swallowed up in Life forever.

Oh Lord to wait for You and on You.

Only one life, twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last. And when I am dying, how happy I'll be, if the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.