The Lord Is My Shepherd.

It has been a really long time since I could think of sitting before the computer to blog things I have learnt and realised. Well, the past few entries were rather haphazzard and messy, lacking content I guess. But praise God I am a rather free man now! The past few weeks has really been STRESSFUL and busy. We call it, the MUG week. Haha, my class is called the MUGGER class and, I guess I'm the exception. Or am I not? But apart from not been seen "cool" from the non-mugger's point of view, I think mugging (studying hard) is good. Yea, I thank the Lord for His grace which really held me there for the past few weeks. I thank Him that I no longer had the lackadasical attitude towards learning, and studying. I thank Him for He motivated me to work hard, and taught me many times how badly it reflected on my testimony is I do not do my best. I've shared on how demoralised I am to be "looked down" upon in my class, supposedly the best level class, and how I was not able to do as well. I think I felt quite bad after being "suan-ed" by my friends. But its good because I get to start from the back to move forward. I thank Him for I believe He sent Daniel to talk to me a few times of how blessed I am to be given education, solid good education that could pave a good future for me in the Lord. I know I was motivated, with a good purpose. I thank the Lord for reminding me many times when I felt like shutting off during lessons that it was not right, and I paid full attention. I thank my Lord that when I felt like not studying for test, He encouraged me to do so, for His glory. I thank Him that when I do not compromise my quiet time by catching up on studying for a particular test on a day, He honored me and helped me do well. I thank God that He has been so good, and so faithfully helping me and teaching me to be a good student for the Lord. And I am confident that if I continue to seek His way, He will improve on my weakness. To dear brothers and sisters in the faith, I have to share that we should seek God's grace, His dilligence to do the BEST we can for Him and not for men. We should always remind ourselves how God dislikes laziness but delights in the dilligent. And not to forget what He has taught us to do- do all things heartily unto the Lord!

I was very encouraged by Bro Daniel's sharing on Ephesians 1, and then, further readings on the Book of 1 Corinthians during my deovtions. It really moved me to understand that this world does not center around us, even though we think it does, but it centers around God. It was God who gave start to everything, so everything belongs to Him. Does the servant own his Master, or will the clay tell the Potter what to do? Obviously the answer it not. It is so interesting how we can live the way we want, despite knowing that we are not of our own. 1 Corinthians teaches us that we are bought for a price, and so we glorify the Lord in our body and in our spirit. I wont be suprised if despite realising this, we may walk away, being the least affected by this glorious truth! Will we walk off living the way we desire, despite God telling us that we are not of our own. Lets see, if we are not of our own, this body we control is not ours! neither are the money we hold! nor the strength and wisdom that we may have! Not the time we are told to be stewards of too. So, if everything is not ours, are we worthy to move the slightest, or think of anything else other than what the Lord directs or lead? I guessnot. Don't we get it? We are created for the Lord's glory! We are not here on our own mission, we were created, saved to be On Mission with God! I was encouraged when I read before, of how we our every ounce of energy, penny of money, second of time does not belong to us. Should we not take them back to the One whom they belong to, and ask Him continuously what should we do with them? For us to live is Christ and to die is gain - for we are created for His glory! I pray you will understand this!

I was reminded of Daniel's sharing again on Thanksgiving Day 2004 on Psalms 23. Especially the first verse.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

The LORD God of all creation, is my personal shepherd. There is nothing else I desire but Thee. What more do I want? To have the "Only-reason-we-are-here-for" as our personal shepherd, so lovingly taking care of us, it makes me think again, what more do we want? Which led me to think again, that - My God Is More Than Enough for me! Which brings me to the next verse which says, I count all things loss as gain, and all thing gain as loss, as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

Food for thought: If the Lord is our shepherd, what more shall we want?