The Misty Flats

To every many there openeth
A way, and ways, and a way.
And the high soul climbs the high way,
And the low soul gropes the low,
And in between on the misty flats
The rest drift to and fro.
But to every man there openeth
A high way and a low -
And every man decideth the way his soul shall go.

- John Oxenham

The Desiring God blog comes from a pretty hardcore guy but overall, a stirring read. I’ve never said anything was “a stirring read” before. Not to say that nothing was before. Appropriate nonetheless. I like this post about the pastor’s accountability thing. Really brings 1 Corinthians 10:12 to life.

You’ll notice that the “On the Correctness of Girls Asking Boys Out” only contributed one word to this post. lol.

James 1:8 – I cannot be double minded

Matthew 6:24 – I cannot serve God and my own desires.

I must choose one.The decision is not hard, but the battle is. Still, the war is already won.

Next on my list, is something I’ve thought about since it was brought up.

2 Corinthians 10

The Spiritual War

1 Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. 2 But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Now again with the subject matter in bold

2 Corinthians 10:1-6

The Spiritual War

1 Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you.

2 But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

it was proposed by a certain so and so that when we are with friends we tend to let down our guard and talk nonsense or be rowdy and unrestrained because we think we are in the comfort and company of friends. Indulging in well.. unproductive talk. Bible say we still must be restrained and wise in our words. Thats hit really really really close to me. For so long I’ve believed that certain changes in state or status prompted more “freedom” because of the social implications it afforded me. The opposite was so true! Wah man.. I suddenly am able to see the plank. Still,

1 Timothy 1:5-7

5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, 6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.

Wah.. this is worse. Because I think alot of times even if we don’t say ppl openly, we(I) judge them in our hearts. And we(I) do not do it

1. with love form a pure heart
2. from a good conscience
3. from sincere faith

*smack smack smack*

Not enough? Bible says when I don’t have the above 3

I have turned aside to idle talk and desiring to be a teacher of the law, I do not understand what I say and affirm(definition here)

Ha. <– cynical laugh

Oh goodness me. Cannot make it.

Tonight was an eye opener for me.. as I see people make poor choices in their conduct and being wise in their own eyes, shedding responsibility for their own action and blaming it time and again on their circumstance (“They dowan to talk to me first!” “You try living my life!” “But he should have…”). This kinda thing from more than one person.

I struggle to think and comment about this it because on the flip side would be judging them without love. I then thought what could we possibly do for them? Nothing. Haha.. really nothing other than to pray and wait for the LORD to work in their lives.

Lastly, I finally concede that what we need is not understanding of the word but obedience. To be servants and not masters of the word.

What is the Vermiform appendix (just to be more specific) for?

No answer right? Only guesses. The almighty wikipedia doesn’t even answer it for sure. Still, although doctors do not know what it does, it doesn’t take away the skill of a doctor to cure your ailment? They don’t know the answer to everything right? even a simple super common thing like the appendix can’t be known in full.

To make the analogy more accurate, we as patients have no idea what doctors do to us in the operating room but we still trust them. In such manner, let us trust the great physician Jesus Christ, Jehova Rapha, to heal our spiritual diseases even though we cannot understand why 9/11, tsunami,*insert disaster which befelled seemingly innocent people* happened, because honestly, just like how unimportant the question of “why we have an appendix” is to a doctor trying to fix your cancer, the question of “why did 9/11, tsunami,*insert disaster which befelled seemingly innocent people* happen” is just as unimportant to your spiritual sickness and condition.

People (like you and me) don’t go to hell because they don’t believe in Jesus Christ. Technically, if they weren’t sinners and they weren’t born of adam, they wouldn’t go to hell if they were perfect. So don’t tell people they will go to hell because they don’t believe in Jesus Christ and acknowledge him as Lord and Saviour. They go to hell because they are sinners and are born in the line of Adam and for no other reason, are headed to hell. God wouldn’t allow us to go to hell if we were perfect and not born in sin.

Hmm.. I think distinguishing the reason for going to hell is quite important because it is not entirely true that we go to hell for not trusting in God to save us.

In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.

Proverbs 14:3

I was laughing with zg last night after I read this because with the tongue a man speaks.. but with the lips he shuts up. Its subtle things like this that amuse me sometimes. How much thought and wisdom flowed through Solomon into the verse when he wrote it.

Anyway I’m kinda lost again with regards to the music ministry but I wonder if my flesh is at work. I really still have no idea what my calling is. After today’s sunday school, everything was a blur except for a single phrase that stuck.

Every man should not seek to master the scripture, but instead, be a servant of the scripture.

Of course, “master” has 2 meanings here

1. to be adept/skillful at using something
2. to be the boss of something

Actually, both kinda mean the same thing and that sentence is not just a play on words. How often you find men who can wield the bible to justify all his own carnal desires? I’ve been gobsmacked before by verses thrown at me to justify actions which were clearly not in the spirit. Makes me fear because I wonder if I read verses and then interpret them how I like to understand them.

The next thing would be “serve”. And it really makes sense. Service is obeying.. service is being in subjection to another power. John 1:1 clearly says the scripture/ the Word, IS God. And therefore obeying and serving the word, is obeying and serving God.

Oh dear. I think I’ve let my flesh run wild last night by not resting adequately (though I was at ZG’s house I still could have slept at 1 at least) and being so tired today. Though it isn’t wrong strictly speaking, it clearly wasn’t the best for me.

Thats it for now! I just re-did up the netcaster’s area on the website. I’ve got a whole entire new website in experimentation now. I’m going to build it up and populate it and learn learn learn. And with that same vigour, I shall do my reading and watching FBI. Haha…