<strong>The Thing About Frustration</strong>
You’ve heard it before through exasperated tones, and you’ve probably felt it as well. The thing about frustration is we often get it when we feel challenged or opposed. We blame others, isolate ourselves, and vent our emotions in negative thinking and conversation. We give it life and allow it to fester in our hearts. As a result, we feel unheard or unloved. Frustration will put us in one camp or another. An ‘Us vs Them’ dynamic develops and we […]
Idle Talk
Paul, the greatest apostle the world has ever known, was a man of action. As a result, he simply could not stomach people who were full of bluster. His letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, exhorted him to ‘Have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths’ (1 Timothy 4:7). Peter, too, warned us to stand clear of people who bragged about themselves with empty foolish boasting, describing them as dried-up springs, mists blown away in the wind, incapable of […]
Follow The Cloud
We just concluded our Annual Cornerstone Family Camp last week in Johor Bahru, and personally, I think it’s one of the key highlights of the year for us as a church. Like many other Covid-caused disruptions, it’s been three long years since we last had a church camp. To say that we’ve all missed meeting like this with all the physical and spiritual food and bonding is truly understating. But the sweet cherry on the cake? The Presence of God dwelling […]
<strong>Waiting Through Pain, Disappointment And Doubt</strong>
Have you gone through times of waiting where perhaps minutes felt like hours, and days like years? It feels as though life has ground to a standstill and time froze while you’re seeing others around you move on. Perhaps you start to wonder, “Will God answer my prayer?” or “Why is He taking so long?” followed by self-condemning thoughts of “Maybe I didn’t pray enough”, “I’m not worthy” or even having an urge to ‘help God’. While it’s important […]
Transitions
The dictionary defines a transition as the process or period of changing from one state or condition to another. I define it as semi-colons in the long sentence of our lifetime when God prepares to move us from one level of our calling / purpose / assignment up to the next. A transition is meant to be transitory. Its timespan depends on our maturity level, obedience quotient, and measure of faith. Exceed the ‘sell-by’ date of our transition phase and […]
Into The Fray
He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” Matthew 12:30 Christianity is not for spectators. For the believer, there simply is no such thing as taking a neutral stand. There are no passive observers or ones who teeter on the fence. When Jesus encounters people, He does not give them multiple options to choose from. If He says, “Follow Me”, either you do or you don’t. Your feet move, […]
Loving Well
Many of us know the truths of the Bible well – we can even recite the Ten Commandments and other key principles for Christian living. We’re committed to our relationship with Jesus, and keep our spiritual disciplines. But the issue is that our commitment to Jesus often excludes relating to people in an emotionally mature way. We believe wholeheartedly that loving others well is one of the goals of Christian life. We may even desire relating to those around us […]
<strong>The Mark Of True Maturity</strong>
More than 90% of the New Testament addresses the spiritual growth and maturity of believers. In his letters to the Galatian Church, Paul addressed believers born again in Christ, exhorting them to spiritual growth. And to the spiritually-gifted Corinthian Church, he wouldn’t have called them ‘carnal’ and ‘babes in Christ’ if he was impressed with their ability to operate in spiritual gifts. Paul was emphasising that spiritual maturity is not a given, but must be an intentional pursuit in the […]
Stop Pretending
Recently, as I was reading the Book of Acts, the Lord began speaking to me in a very real and deep way. It was liberating but I felt the Fear of God in me at the same time. The Early Church was known for its exponential growth and power, but, did you realise that it was often messy too? Acts 4 revealed that the spirit of generosity was a public testimony. A disciple, Barnabas, was touched by the Lord and […]
Murmuring
Warning: Complaining is hazardous to your health. Despite it not being included among the notorious ‘seven deadly sins’, the unambiguous teaching of Scripture is – if it’s not checked, complaining can kill you. If you’re not convinced, I wish to direct you to the Levite tribal leader Korah and his entire family for their insights. Tragically, you won’t find them. While griping about Moses’ and Aaron’s misguided leadership was fresh on their lips, ‘the earth opened its mouth and swallowed […]
