Walking with God: Why I love Jesus?

This is certainly not a kind of question that I can easily answer, but here's my one-line answer for now (well after the exam I will write more about it):

Because I know that He has loved me, so I can and want to love Him...

I guess that's the simplest answer I can come out with...

Soli Deo Gloria...

Becoming Christian Hedonist: Can I ???

It started few weeks ago when I decided to have a look at Desiring God, a book written by John Piper. I spent more than 2 weeks to finish reading the book and through lots of additional statements by John Piper, I was convinced that every mature Christian should accept this controversial doctrine. So, what is Christian Hedonism?

Christian Hedonism is a biblical doctrine discovered by John Piper. He discovered this truth in the Bible that God tell us to have joy in Him. Every man pursue joy, even those who hang themselves. But men, especially those who have been born again, should only have joy in God. In other words, God should be the only source of our joy. When we don't regard Him as our only source of joy, we haven't put God as our treasure (I guess Matthew 13:44 will be one of the biblical foundation regarding this matter). I can't describe much about this doctrine as I have not fully get the whole idea about being a Christian Hedonist, I would like you to read the book (especially the last chapter about suffering, it's very enlightening).

As a Christian myself, when I looked back and took a good look on how have I lived, I would agree that I have not even once put God as my treasure, my source of joy. I often find joy in sinful acts, such joy is only temporal and soon will be replaced by deep sadness and regret of having done such acts. Now the real question is, am I ready to put God as my treasure? Or this being a Christian Hedonist will only be a concept in my mind that I will not truly embrace in my life? May God have mercy on me.

Walking with God: Helping others without love???

A big welcome to my reader,sorry I haven't blog for a very long time. In these next few weeks,I am going to write my thoughts how to integrate my Christians belief and knowledge into simple things around me. What I am going to write in my blog are just very simple thoughts, and I belive most of them are either incorrect or shallow. My hope is through my writings, my readers, especially Christians, can start to think that actually simple things around them are important. I will as well do my own studies and I will come up with something sound more correct and detailed.So here we go...

Last week, during a lecture, a professor told me and other students that no matter how we hate certain kinds of individuals or someone we know, we should still help them if they walked into our pharmacy stores. It is a very basic ethic as a pharmacist. I shared this matter to Ko BJ, and he asked me "But is there love when you help someone?"

I as a Christian certainly know that one of the Jesus' commandments is love thy enemy. It is a very vague concept to me,I certainly do not know how I should love them. Up to this point,I only know that I should help other people even though they are my enemies and an enemy is not an individual which I hate but someone who hates me,therefore I shouldn't hate anyone. I once heard that loving thy enemy means that I should pray for them,but this explanation remains unclear.I help certain people without love nor hate them, but if there was no love when I helped them,what does it mean? It will seem that my helps are useless (refer to 1 Corinthians 13:3),I have helped them for nothing and I gain nothing.

Up to the point where Ko BJ invoked this thought in my mind,I thought that I have done my best to love my enemies.I have helped them as hard as I could,even though I gained nothing.I even thought that if I had been thinking about getting a reward or gratitudes from them,it meant that I am not sincere enough,so I have tried to get rid these kinds of feeling that I should get rewards.However,love is above all.Love is a major important part in helping someone.When I love them,not only I will think about their current needs and condition,I will also think about his/her future.I will also try to share the Gospel when I help him/her if I love him/her.

It also applies when I serve my Lord. To be honest,I started to rethink about my "church activities" few days ago,and there were thoughts of quitting some activites as I could not manage my time.However,I realize it means I have not loved him deep enough. I still see that I am doing "church activites" rather that serving Him. I have not loved Him,so I can't truly serve Him. A man only be able to find his place in this world if God has allocated him a place and as His plan is always beautiful,we should be doing our best in our parts.I have not done my best and I haven't loved Him, my Lord, please has mercy on me.

I hope this writing can invoke feelings and thoughts in the hearts and minds of the readers. Have we put love when we helping others??? Have we loved our God deep enough that when we serve Him, we will do our best??? May God Bless you all...

Soli Deo Gloria

Franky