Living in the Present: Without ‘Oughts' and ‘Ifs'

Hello All,

Have you ever wished that you could turn back time and start over?

Perhaps you could have said the words that you should have said and refrained from actions that you should have refrained from.

Have you ever wished there was a time machine which could take you to the future and ease your mind from worries?

We know all too well that magical clocks and time machines do not exist.

Are the regrets of the past and anxieties of the future preventing you from seeing God’s goodness in the present?

Living in the Present: Without ‘Oughts' and ‘Ifs'

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling (25^th Feb 2014)

Based on Henri Nouwen's 'Here and Now: Living in the Spirit'

‘You ought to have been more careful. Look at this mess!'

‘She rejected me; I ought to have loved her less'

‘That man ought to have spoken more kindly to her!'

‘I ought not to have done that, for now I suffer’

‘You ought to have refrained from that bad investment!’

‘She hurt me; I should have paid her less attention’

‘He ought to repay her for the wrongs he has done!’

‘I should have spent more time with my daughter and son’

‘You should have spoken the truth instead of lying!’

‘She cheated me; I should have guarded my feelings’

‘He ought not to have been born; that cold-hearted man!’

‘I’ve done wrong but I can’t turn over the time sand’

‘I must get everything right; what if I do wrong?’

‘What if her affection for me does not last long?’

‘I know I must change; but what if I fail again?’

‘Should I love others? But what if that brings me pain?’

‘Should I be generous? What if I lose money?’

‘What if I get hurt? I will lock my heart safely’

‘What if I could never atone for my mistakes?’

‘This task is hard; what if I don’t have what it takes?

Do you find it trying to live in the present?

Does the past hurl at you guilt and accusations?

Does the future overwhelm your mind with worries?

Does it feel like you’re bearing loads that no one sees?

The Shepherd says, ‘In this world you will have trouble’

But with His comfort and strength you will be able

To cross over the ‘oughts’ and ‘ifs’ which weigh you down

It is in Jesus that true solace can be found

Jesus says, ‘Take heart, I have overcome the world’

Come to Jesus; see his love and mercy unfurled

In His Holy Word that brings us before the cross

To see his blood spilt for us at such a great cost

Points for Reflection:

I [Jesus Christ] have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

(John 16:33)

·         All of us have regrets of the past and anxieties of the future.

·         While we are living in this world, we will not be free from the problems and cares of life.

·         We sometimes wish that life could be simpler.

·         Take some time to ponder upon the regrets, disappointments and hurts of your past. Reflect on the things you worry about in your future. Ask yourself, ‘Why do these things trouble me so much?’ Then come before God in prayer, freely express to Him your ‘oughts’ and ‘ifs’ and find comfort in Him.

·         Since we cannot change the past and have little control (or in fact no control) over the future, do we look to the One who has total control over our past, present and future?

·         Jesus says, ‘Take heart; I have overcome the world.’

·         The greatest problem that is staring humanity in the face is not the depressing economy, natural disasters, poverty, starvation, loneliness, violence and whatnot.

·         But it is the imminent judgment of eternal death (after the physical death) for those who do not put their trust in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

·         It is surprising that we are more worried about our temporary problems which should be secondary to the eternal problem.

·         For those of us who trust in Christ, our greatest problem of sin has been dealt with by Christ. Have we lost sight of the significance of the cross? Have we been so focused on our earthly problems that we fail to appreciate God’s blessings in our lives? Apart from salvation, which is God’s greatest gift to us, what are the other ‘flowers in the garden’ that we can thank God for?

·         If you have not put your faith in Christ, what are the issues in the past, present or future which are preventing you from doing so? Remember that the troubles you see in this life would only last as long as you are living on this earth. Have you thought about your greatest problem after death? Trust in Jesus while you still have the chance to and do not be weighed down by the ‘oughts’ and ‘ifs’ of this life.

Our Lives for Christ

Hello All,

Our Lives for Christ

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling (22^nd Nov 2013)

As people of the risen King

Let us lift our voices to sing

Of God’s love shown through salvation

For sinners from every nation

To a world marred by sin’s disgrace

Let us bring this gospel of grace

May we be vessels of God’s love

Shown in Christ who came from above

As brothers and sisters in Christ

Let’s gaze at Him who sacrificed

His life for unworthy sinners

May we, our lives to Him, offer

Points for Reflection:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.           

(Romans 8:1-2)

·         For those us who have placed our faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ, we no longer need to bear the weight of sin, condemnation and guilt on our shoulders for Christ has nailed them to the tree.

·         We are no longer enslaved to the dominion of sin over us but we have freedom in Christ who is the Lord of our lives.

·         That does not mean that we are perfect while we are on this earth but the Holy Spirit is changing us each day to become more like Christ. We are God’s ‘work-in-progress’ on earth but we will be perfected after death when God takes us back home to our heavenly dwelling.

·         I would like to share with you an analogy which aptly describes this phenomenon. A person who believes in Jesus Christ is like a house which has been purchased at an extremely high cost (this represents Jesus’ priceless death that redeemed us from God’s wrath and judgment for our sin). As you step into this house, all you see is darkness for no light has ever penetrated into this house. Not until the new owner (which represents God) of the house throws open the windows for the very first time. To your amazement, you see cobwebs, slimy slugs and disgusting cockroaches all over the living room! So the thorough and time-consuming process of spring cleaning begins. The duration it takes to clean the living room varies from house to house; some may takes weeks, months or even years. After much intensive and persistent scrubbing, mopping and polishing, you look in triumph at your living room and say, ‘Oh how wonderfully clean my house is now! I think the cleaning process is finally completed!’ And then the owner of the house lights a candle and leads you down to the dining hall. Well, that is another part of the house infested with cobwebs, slugs and cockroaches. So the owner says to you, ‘No, the cleaning process is not completed yet. Allow me to help you clean this area as well.’ Then you ask the owner, ‘When will this tiresome cleaning and painful scrubbing ever end?’ To which he answers, ‘There will come a day when you will be perfectly immaculate… But not now. Let me continue dealing with areas that require polishing’

·         Notice that the person who buys the house does not say, ‘I will only buy the house once every corner and inch of it is spick-and-span.’ No, he buys the house in spite of all its filthiness. The spring cleaning begins only after he has purchased this house. Despite our sinfulness, God extends his grace and salvation to us. And when we accept Jesus as our Saviour, God gives us the Holy Spirit who constantly convicts us of sinful areas of our lives which God wants us to change.

·         Is the weight of sin, condemnation and guilt resting heavily upon your shoulders? Don’t let them crush you but surrender them to Christ. Are there sinful areas of your life which the Holy Spirit is convicting you about? Are you willing to allow God to help you clean up the cobwebs, slugs and cockroaches of your life?

·         Have you received Jesus as your Lord and Saviour? Or are you still one of those houses which have not been purchased yet? Remember that there will come a day when those houses would no longer stand but they will be destroyed and crushed to the ground.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

(Ephesians 2:10)

·         Since we have become part of God people, our lives are to abound in good works for God’s glory.

·         We are no longer the master of our lives but Jesus is to take precedence in our hearts.

·         Are you allowing God’s Word to shape your lifestyle or are you the master of your life? Does your life revolve around God or do you expect God to orbit around your little world?

·         We are to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who are still in darkness and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ to persevere in the faith.

·         Have you been actively looking for ways to evangelise to your non-Christian family or friends? Have you been encouraging your fellow Christians to continue trusting in Christ even when times are hard?

·         The harvest is plentiful but the labourers are so few. There is so much work to be done for God.

·         Are you lending a hand and doing your part in advancing God’s Kingdom? It does not matter how big or small a part that is; but what matters to God is a sincere heart that is willing to serve Him.