Monday, February 26, 2007

If i have not love

Love

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.


(1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

The verses above have been in my mind for the past week as i spent time with my family overseas. I need to spend some time reflecting upon them, because i believe that God surfaced these verses to me as a sign that i have not shown love enough to my family. Instead i have found myself usually behaving selfishly and self-centeredly with them. I hate it when i behave so non-Christlike-ly. My flesh is so in battle with the Spirit within me. i have not fought hard enough to let the Spirit win.

It was no coincidence that once i returned home i read an email article a friend sent me entitled 'Don't let bitterness take root in you'. God was helping me to realise the root cause. I became more aware that i still had residual bitterness towards my parents, stemming from the way i always felt i have not received enough attention and love from them through the years. But i also knew the greater truth - i have myself many times rejected their love outside the door; i refused to open the door of my heart to them.

When God reveals something to us, He wants us to act upon it (if it is a prompting), or overcome it (if it is a stumbling block). His love and affirmation for me has been softening my heart towards my family more and more through the years. i have been releasing the bitterness more and more, and overcome myself to love them more.

But there are still times when i choose to hide the love, or even show no love. Love not shown is love not received. Today i tell Jesus "I give you more and ALL of the bitterness in my heart. Don't let it take root in me. I want to love my family like you do; i want to love them to Christ!"

Please pray along for and with me dears. If you also hold even the slightest bitterness towards someone who have hurt or betrayed you, deliberately or unintentionally, i encourage you to acknowledge it, and to release it to Christ. Don't let it linger in you, thinking that once you get used to it, it is fine. IT IS NOT OK. A slight poison at the water source contaminates the WHOLE river. Bitterness is that poison. It contaminates us in our thinking, feelings, emotions, actions and every part of us to behave and react in ways that we usually do not want to, which are contrary to Christ's ways.




Saturday, February 17, 2007

Blessing Simin's family

This evening i "just walked across the room" (Choa Chu Kang) to visit Simin's family and to pass her mum cny cookies.

Some of us have been friends with Simin for about two years. Personally knowing her mother and brothers too (her elder brother's in our tribe) has opened the door for me to bless her family in little unique ways through the years. Especially today i felt that they see me as no stranger as i sat in their living room watching tv with them. =)

So adorable right, Simin and Weiliang (the younger bro) in the picture. Don't think that Simin is still little in size as we first met her. She is now 1.55m at age 16, and i have no doubt that she will overshoot my height very soon!

Friday, February 16, 2007

My v-day date


So good to catch a glimpse of Ying Shuen's face and bits of update in her life on Wednesday. Though our 'date' lasted only 20min at a 'most romantic' place - her busstop, i believed it did cause our hearts to leap with joy, love and thanksgiving, especially towards our Greatest Lover, Jesus. =)

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Lovely Steamy Night

::You can now view/upload the photos at Flickr::





Happy Birthday, our dear Qi. =)
May your life continue to be a shining testimony for Christ, a light that fights to burn even when the winds hit. For Jesus will cover you under His wings all the time.



* * *

This is actually the first time our cell group had steamboat for our CNY reunion dinner. It had been a really beautiful time; my heart is touched by each of you who tried to make it for the dinner, and of course those of you who wanted but couldn't because of various reasons.

I see God's hand strongly upon us, and each of our lives. This i am so grateful. Let's keep our faces to the Lord together all the time, loving Jesus and one another more and more. =)

Mirabel

P.S. Thanks dear sis Stella and bro Anthony and cell for gracing the occasion. =p

Friday, February 9, 2007

CNY Reunion Steamboat Dinner


Hi all,

Details of our yummylicious CNY Steamboat Reunion Dinner:

12 Feb, Monday
Zhen Zhong Chong Qing Ma La Huo Guo Wang
101 Beach Road The 101 Building
Walking from Bugis Junction to end of Liang Seah Street, then turn left when you reach Beach Road.
(Click to view Map link)
Meet 7pm sharp @Bugis Mrt Control Station
Dinner: 7.15-9.15pm
Price per head: ~$15
Dress code: Casual (not too nice please)


Please make it a point to be on time as much as possible, cos' i don't want it to end too late for the younger ones.

I'm really really looking forward to this beautiful time together. =)



luv,
mirabel

Thursday, February 8, 2007

Thirsty?


This is a thanksgiving for the Lord's drawing me deep when i chose to go deep.


Two years back, I started a personal 3-year bible reading plan but it stagnated totally in 2006. It seemed so easy to say 'It's hard to catch up since i have already missed so much. I am tired; i will just go to bed' night after night.

But God did not let me go. The cohesive focus on Going Deep in Christ dug up in me, a buried thirst for God's word. I was further inspired by Ahpa Ps YC when he committed to journey through Psalms in January. I knew i wanted to obey with all my heart, to go deep like never before. I wanted to enter 2007 victorious.

And waalaaaaa, ever since my nightly meditation and reflection on Psalms and Proverbs began, i have tasted the sweetness of the living water like never before! Indeed God's word is living. Many times i had gone to bed in tears of gratitude and amazement, because certain verses that revealed God's heart to me just kept washing over my soul and taking my breath away!

Knowledge that probably fleeted through my mind now etches truth deep in a heart that bows in indescribable amazement. In a nutshell, i think this verse tells of the beauty of the Lord that i have been and am still being deeply captivated by...


You stoop down
to make me great.
~Psalm 18:35b

We have sung in the song 'Light of the World' that He 'stepped down into darkness'. Who likes to step down? Into a place so dark and unknown? I thought as i sought the Lord in this, He showed me Himself doing exactly that before my eyes. O Lord......


* * *

Don't miss out on this great time of catching up with the Lord and His word. He has already stooped down, in order for us to know Him. Abundant joy and hope has been welling up in me, in exchange of going deep in the well of His living word. He says to you too 'Thirsty? Just come and drink of Me, and you will never thirst" (John 4:14).



Mirabel