REASON TO BELIEVE

(read the post below first before reading the rest of this)

so right after publishing my last post, i get in my car to drive my computer to a friend's place to get it fixed. as i back out of the driveway, i see a faint rainbow. now a rainbow is a sign of God's promise never to destroy the earth by flood again - a promise of goodness, a promise of life (see Genesis 9:12-16). so picture me, in my wavering faith, glancing up to see God's promise in the sky. but it didn't end there.

as i'm driving down Bayview, the rainbow not only gets brighter, but i see that it arcs over the ENTIRE SKY. and not only that, but the rainbow lasts only for the duration of my drive. by the time i arrived at my friend's place, it was all but gone again.

you could say it was a coincidence. or you could call me egocentric, but to me, that rainbow tonight was God's way of splashing I LOVE YOU! all across the sky. His love note to me. i tried calling people to tell them to look, but they didn't get to see it. God blows my mind. even though i lacked faith, God still pursued me and gave me reason to believe. He's my biggest cheering section.

God spoils me.

O LORD , you have searched me
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.
You hem me in-behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
~Psalm 139:1-6~

TRUSTWORTHY SAYINGS

a few months ago, a couple of my friends were discussing how they were memorizing Paul's trustworthy sayings in his letters to Timothy. truthfully, i'd never noticed them before then. and to be even more frank, even though it's occurred to me to look into them more, i haven't - at least not yet.

however, one of them sticks out to me as more precious than the others at this moment of my life. because at this moment, i am fiercely fighting onslaughts of doubt that are trying to pummel me to the ground. preparing to leave and trusting God to provide all i need for next year is proving to be a battle i hadn't exactly anticipated would be this tough. i feel a little like i'm on a boat in the midst of a storm, trying desperately to keep the water out but somehow, waves keep crashing in onto the deck. but in between waves, things are ok.

some people say that all we need is faith the size of a mustard seed. now i know a mustard seed is a very small thing so it shouldn't be that difficult to find that little bit of faith. but if we're honest with ourselves, there are times when even that speck of faith seems to be misplaced. having said all this, now you can appreciate why Paul's trustworthy saying is so dear to me:

Here is a trustworthy saying:...
if we are faithless,
he will remain faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.
~2 Timothy 2:11,13~

CHOICE

up till now, i haven't posted links to anything on this site but this time around, i think it's worth it.

the topic du jour, of course, is our federal elections. i will be the first to admit that when it comes to politics and government, i am terribly ignorant. but i do have a desire to become more educated. however, how could i possibly navigate through all the sites and opinions to find my own stance? moreover, where does God fit in? i think i am not alone in this dilemma. in fact, i know i'm not. many of us young (and not so young) Canadians (especially in the - dare i say it? - Chinese Christian circle) have good intentions but are either too intimidated or lazy to find real information and not just settle for general opinions. alternately, some of us don't really care.

but for those out there who do care and want to take their voting privilege seriously, here's something that may help: Election Chart a group of gracious individuals have taken the time to create a chart comparing the four major parties on 16 different issues. they've also included a few questions to help us evaluate more clearly.

i pray that we, as Canadian citizens, and even more as people who profess to follow Christ, would seek God's heart for our nation and make wise, educated choices. may we be responsible stewards of our freedom.

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
~Micah 6:8~

SOMETHING FROM NOTHING

it's been said that money can either be your master or your slave. and since i'm about to have an actual salary next year, i'm thinking about how to make money work for me. here are my thoughts so far:

1. money can be your servant by creating more wealth for you. my parents (and some financial advisors) recommend that i "pay myself" 10% of whatever i make and put it into some sort of investment so that it can work for me.

but then my question is, WHY? why should i care for more money? which leads me to:

2. money can work for you in places you cannot be all at once. by sending money to support people or organizations, you can let it represent you. so you can be "working" in many places even while you're asleep!

but the really exciting thought is this:

3. money invested into God's work becomes heavenly riches. so what is earthly and perishable can turn into something eternal! in my eyes, that's like God is giving us a way to make something out of nothing. and that's a pretty sweet deal.

makes you rethink how you want to spend your money, eh?

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
~Matthew 6:19-20~

VISION

i'm supposed to be studying right now, but as you can see, i'm not. i'll get to it (i've been saying that all day... hahaha)...

anywho, this past week, i had the privilege of attending the annual Arts Conference at Willowcreek Community Church in Illinois. the topic this year was "the real deal" - being authentic people to create authentic services. i had known since december that i should go this year but it wasn't until a few months later that i was told i could go. i went full of anticipation that God had a reason for me to be there. i expected that maybe God would show me more of His vision for what He wants me to do with my life.

in typical fashion, God surprised me. instead of answering my WHAT question, He answered my WHO question. God showed me a new perspective of Himself and what it means to be His child.

on wednesday night, we attended their mid-week service. the topic that day was on Asking - referring to Matthew 7's ask, seek and knock passage. when he got to seeking, the speaker talked about Psalm 32:8 where one translation tells us that God is looking us in the eye. how do we know when someone looks us in the eye? we know when we are looking in their eyes.

i've always heard to "seek His face," and i've always liked that concept. but i've never thought of what i'd see if i were to look. i guess it never occurred to me that God's face would have eyes for me to look into.

so i expand that image in my mind. me, looking into the eyes of God. meeting His gaze. what would i see? i would see the depths of who i am. i would see the infinity of who He is and His love for me. we would communicate on the level beyond the limits of words.

but what a bold move to make. for to lock eyes with God is to expose myself completely. perhaps i will wonder at what i see about Him, but i am afraid most of what i will see about myself. i know, however, that when i do look, all my fears now will be washed over and lost in His love. so i pray and ask that my Lord would lift this head, now hung in shame, and gently lift this face so that my eyes would meet His.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
look full in His wonderful face
and the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of His glory and grace.

My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, LORD , I will seek.
~Psalm 27:8~