Motivation - Christ.

Hi all!

Its been some time.. And, I'm back you see. (: Okay, gotta make it quick because I have tons of work waiting for me to complete. Looking ahead, I can almost feel like dreading whatever is to come: common tests, Nationals, MRP. However, an understanding of my purpose really changes alot of things. Anyway, I shall talk about the last week.

Saturday was our first and last timetrial at Turf City. Well, I seriously think that I didnt manage to perform, neither did the team. And to think there will no longer be another timetrial means that we will be going into Nationals feeling demoralised, and not confident. I dunno how my team mates are coping with it, but I think because of my faith in my Lord, I think that didnt really affect me alot. I failed to even do my timing which I did for last year's Nationals. OHwell. The final week before X-Country Nationals arrive. Not much training will actually benefit much now. What I need most, is to set my mind and heart right with the Source, my Strength. I'm having quite a flu now, thanks to the rain on Saturday. Please pray for me, but I'm really confident of what the Lord will do on that final day. Yea, His way is perfect! I think I had such a similar experience that Eric Liddell had, but in a different sense. Saturday was youth meeting right? And just nice, my timetrial clashed with it. SO I had a tough time deciding which to go for. I prayed and tarried for the Lord's will, and sought for it with all my heart. And I know, how God He will be found by those who purpose to seek Him. I thought that if I were to miss the timetrial and go for church, I could resemble Eric Liddell. (: And had my part in honoring God. However, it wasnt that, which I expected. My choice of honoring God came as whether to firstly, lie to my coach why I wasnt going down( I was recovering from a flu from the morn), secondly to my parents and lastly to my sister who was also training that day at Turf. I decided that I should just go down, because I'm sure that God's will will never include me- lying. Honoring our Lord may come in so many different ways. Simply choosing to surrender our own desires and will, and submit to Him can be honoring Him too! Anyway after timetrial rushed down to church. And realised YM was over! Heh, but... Hahaha the youths played a super funny and "lame" game. Okay, shant elaborate on that.

Then came Sunday. I was again refreshed to be in the Lord's house once again, worshipping Him from the bottom of my heart, and being taught the importance of prayer. And how often we need to come before our Heavenly Father and cry out, "Abba Father". If we think we have no business with God, think of our worthlessness and God's grace and mercy on us. When I think of it, I realised how much I have to talk to God about. Had lunch at Hans with my cousins (Bro Daniel and Sis Jo) and Yann Howe. Super ex lor! 750 permeal. My savings for the whole week went poof! Ohwells. But that meeting changed many things. Really, and how I was pleading for God to make all the time there worthwhile, as I thought of the daunting workload piling at home. The meeting was suppose to be about my MRP on the Challenges faced by the Early Church, however this discussion was covered simply in less than an hour. Then, we went on talking and discussion. Okay, really it was such a pleasant and nice time spent. I asked Daniel why do we have to go through the Singapore's education system before being able to go study fulltime. I ask if it was possible to apply for BJU during Secondary school, because I couldn't take the monotony, the stress, any found no motivation in the education I am recieving. Haha, how I expected him to think that secondary education was also useless. But to my amazement, he had other thoughts about this and rebuked my "escapist" attitude towards life. Haha, whoops, and he say I might as well commit sucide. And I think its true. The end of all monotony, and all these that we are going through is only when we enter Heaven. And I was having these thoughts about escaping from all these worries and just hide in the mountains, read bible pray and be a hermit! OH, forbid it! I was dreading how slow time passes, how one day after another, one month after another, years after years we have to go through something so tiring and "suffering" that could literally drain me out in two days!! Daniel pointed out something that changed my attitude towards life now.

I was having these thoughts because there was no purpose and motivation behind doing the things that I did, and I found this amazingly true. OH, how we after often driven not by our own will but by force from the higher authority. I mean, this is something are christians should stop, reflect and get right before going on to do the things that we do. If the purpose and motivation behind all things is not right, nothing can be right. I read before in Psalms, our labour is in vain if God does not permit it. We are but building our houses on the sand, and not solid grounds! We really have to understand that the reason and purpose we are made to study is for our Lord Jesus Christ. I never will doubt why God has placed me in secondary school and neither should you. Whatever your hand finds, do it will all your might. (Ecc 9:10) Not only that Daniel pointed out wonderful opportunities that our education offer for our future ministry. I think about what he said, and I realised that it made perfect sense. Take for example my research paper, I am given the freedom and liberty to research on anything that interest me, for this the topic on Church History and theology! Science, Math, even our languages. If my ambition, to be a missionary is to be fulfilled, my languages have to be well polished and not only that I marvel at the exciting opportunities I have to study other languages and culture so that I can be used as a minister to our neighbouring countries! I was on the point of dreading running, but as Daniel say, running really builds me up and keep me fit. Who knows I may have to run mountains after mountains in future just to deliver the gospel! hahaha. And really, if we quit now, we may be seen as losers. What non-Christians can go through, Christians cannot go through? I have purposed to be dilligent in all things, doing my best for my Lord, so that if by His will I may top and do well, I may be able to take a better stand and show others my faith and conviction to do missions rather than some high position jobs. And with all these things set in place, and in mind, I have no excuse to dread anything.

Notice the importance of expressing our thoughts and allowing others to correct us. Not letting our thoughts lead us astray. So youths, do share about what we think and what we feel so that we can be held accountable to others okay? SHARE! (=

Anyway today, first day after purposing, I really thank God that by His grace I am able to go through this day, dilligently studying and paying perfect attention to lessons and all. And really, nothing really distracted me, but only possible by our Lord's grace I was able to stay so focused! I myself am quite amazed and thankful to our Lord! anyway this little thing happened to me while in a crowded bus today. Ialways pray on the journey to school and I realised how difficult it is to pray while standing. And I was just praying to God if He would let me have a seat so that I could focus abit. Then surprsingly someone tapped my back and asked me to sit as she was alighting. And the thing is I was back facing her, and there was another guy standing nearer to her than me! And she offered me the seat! thank God for even being faithful to my little prayers!