Day 1, God's work begun

A family friend of my dad's is a staunch Buddhist who will not hesitate to tell you what Buddha teaches. I believe so are many people out there.

I am a Christian. I have nothing against Buddha himself, but that is only as far as I will go, to acknowledge a good philosopher.

I used to be an inquisitive teenager like most other teenagers out there. Asking a lot of why and seeking answers. I was brought up in a Christian environment and was taught from the Bible. I had my doubts. I wanted to find out about other religions.

I didn't go too far, because I could never get past the Creation.

Most religions talk about peace and doing good to others, but none, except Christianity strongly teaches about the creation of time and space. After getting past the you-must-do-good-unto-others part of religions, I cannot help but probe deeper as to what makes me 'me'.

Why do others not talk about Creation? Only because they are religions formed from human beings. Buddhists have many gods, so does Hinduism. Gods for the fields, kitchen, earth, finances, health, etc. But none for Creation.

I'm a little more familiar with Buddhism, so I'm going to make some references to it.

Reincarnation. I don't like that idea at all. How tiring can it be to go through life again and again, based on one's good deeds? If I have done enough good, I can choose to be reincarnated to be a better person, perhaps born into a more affluent family. For how long? Does this not discriminate against the poor or sick who are not able to give financially or with their strength?

I chose Christianity eventually, only because I know where I came from. Right from the beginning of the Bible, it says that God created the heavens and the earth. All living and non-living things on earth are of His handiwork.

He made man. And woman. In His image. That's where I came from. Adam and Eve to Noah and his ark, to my parents and now me. The Big Bang theory didn't take root in me. I cannot believe that things can happen by such pure chance. It is already so difficult trying to 'bump into' a neighbour from the same street, how much more impossible it can be to have the universe and living things happen out of chance?

Why is it important to believe what you believe in? For me, it meant a life of hope, of eternity spent with my maker, praising and worshipping Him.

You know, the thought of mankind worshipping another man just do not attract me. It's as good as my descendants worshipping me, a mere mortal, who did nothing, but lived and died.

Or, what about worshipping animals and carvings out of wood or a story figure? I might as well cut out the prettiest-looking Snow White who came back to life after the Prince kissed her. One myth as good as another.

Why would man worship man who could not bring hope to life? Look to the Creator and let Him give hope.

Glad to wake up

It's strange to say that I'm glad to wake up, but I truly am. The past weekend had been busy. We had guests over for a BBQ on Sunday night, so there were foods to buy and marinate. Then there's the tidying up to do in the house and re-organising things. Sure was tired.

A sore throat developed and had a headache yesterday. Temperature went up to 39C last night and I had to succumb to sleep by 8:30pm. The only thing that I wanted to do over the last few days was to sleep, but could seem to manage it.

Gave myself a panadol and some vitamin C pills and off I went to bed. Woke up at 6am when Miss 2 cried out to be awake. Laid in her room with her till 7am. But, I have to admit that for the first time over the last few days, I am glad to be awake. To meet the day.

Being sick sure isn't a very pleasant experience, but it is God's way of making our body say, "Stop! Rest!". There's only so much that our bodies can take and God has designed us to rest and get recharged too.

I'm glad He knows that we can get carried away by work and not rest. Not just sleep, but also to stop and come before Him in worship and in stillness, listening to His word and talking to Him.

Thank you, Lord, for a good night's rest.
Thank you, Lord, for breath today.
Thank you, Lord, for this new day,
That I may live and work and play.
Amen.

Pre-Easter Thoughts

Two more weeks to Easter. The shops are already filled with chocolates, rabbits, and hot cross buns. Haven't bought any of them and probably will not buy them anytime in the future. If I have it my way.

The reasoning is :
1. I do not eat chocolates.
2. Rabbits and eggs do not go together.
3. The hot cross buns are rarely hot by the time they're eaten.
4. I prefer savoury breads.
5. Everything is doubled in price and not worth it.
6. I take on the Biblical Easter story of Jesus dying for our sins and rose to heaven on the third day.

Sang this song at Sunday School Worship this morning. By Colin Buchanan :
God our Father sent His Son
To die for sinful man.
After three days Jesus Christ
Was raised to life again!
So come to Him confess your sin
And bow before the Lord.
God will honour Jesus' friends
With life forevermore!

Teaching Faith to Children

Had MOPS today. We had a panel discussion on "Teaching Faith to Children". It was a great encouragement to know that good modeling with Biblical teaching guided most mums to Christ.

We all agreed that no matter how much we teach in theory, if we do not do what we teach, or as the saying goes, "Walk the Talk", then chances of children coming to receive Jesus Christ as their personal saviour is slim.

At our discussion tables, we talked about how our parents influenced our faiths and how they did not. Some of us came from Christian families and we had our parents to thank for bringing us up in the Word of God, giving us solid foundation to deal with life's challenges and coming to the realisation that God is so big and great, that He is aware and able of everything and anything.

I remember that when I was in school, there was this popular slogan that says, "Christian - Without CHRIST, I Am Nothing".

It was, to me, a hip thing to say in those days. But, as I grew to know Christ deeper personally, I have also come to appreciate and understand that statement a lot more. And truly, without Christ, I am truly nothing. My life would be absolutely meaningless if not for the hope of eternal life with the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is probably the greatest gift for any Christian parent to see their children grow in the knowledge and grace of God. And I pray too that all my children and yours will also become children of the kingdom of God.

How do you teach faith to your children?