Last lunch of 2017

2017 has been the best year of my life (yet), because Jesus has thoroughly won over my heart. I am using the word thoroughly because in the past few years, my faith wasn't solid at all, meaning that I wasn't 100% sure if God loved me or if He even existed. I had all these doubts running through my head especially during times of hardships, disappointments, and waiting. However, now looking back, I'm so thankful for those seasons of testing, because I came across this verse in the Bible a few days ago which says, "for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights." This verse is from Proverbs 3:12, and it reminds me that God was the one who specifically designed all those hardships for me because He loves me so much, and He wants me to be more like Jesus. After all, the life of a Christian is aiming to be more like Jesus every day, and though we will not attain perfection by the time of death, it is okay because of two reasons. First, God doesn't need us to be perfect-He just wants us to pursue Him and love Him. Second, there is sin dwelling in us ever since Adam and Eve got banished from the Garden of Eden because of their disobedience towards God. They believed the evil one's lie that God was withholding something good from them when He warned them not to eat the fruits from a specific tree, when in fact God was protecting them because eating the fruit would open their eyes to their own nakedness and shame. As a result, they were banished from the Garden of Eden, which was where God intended to be heaven for his children, and separated from God now that they are no longer who God originally created them to be. For future generations of God's children which include us, as there are shame and guilt in us, we have the tendency to run away from God instead of seeking Him just as Adam and Eve did when they ate the fruit, for we do not like our evil ways to be exposed to God. However, God knows each of us deeply and loves us deeply, which was why He sent His beloved son, Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins through His death on the cross so that we no longer have to bear our shame and guilt from all the bad things that we do in this life. God loves us and He doesn't want us to hide from Him all the time. He wants us to enjoy a deep and nourishing relationship with Him because that's the only way we can have true Life, true joy, and true freedom. As long as we believe in Jesus and repent of our sins, we will see Him in Heaven after this life.

 

I feel that a lot of times people are too caught up with things in this world (wealth, career, prestige, looks, sex etc.) that they forget to ask the two most important questions of who created us and why is it that everyone has to die in the end? There has to be a purpose in our existence. We all know that somewhere in our hearts because God etched the concept of eternity into our hearts when He created us. We were meant to live forever but because of Adam and Eve, subsequent generations have to face death as a punishment, but the good news is that for those who believe, death is not a punishment but rather a way we can model the death and resurrection of Jesus, where our earthly bodies will die but our soul will rise to be with God.

 

I think one of the main reasons why I have thoroughly believed in Christianity this year is because the facts surrounding Christianity and the Bible make perfect sense to me. Many scholars have compared the holy text of different religions and found that the Bible is the only one where none of the facts can be disputed. Everything that the Bible says is true, from how the glory of God's beautiful creation is evident around us to the nature of sinful man. I know some people don't like to hear this, but I am so certain the Jesus is real and that He is the only one who can bring us to Heaven.

 

Sometimes, I feel that a lot of people think that true Christians are religious and don't know how to enjoy life, but that is totally not how I feel about myself! What I'm experiencing now is true joy, freedom, and peace about my life, knowing that for all who believe, all things work together for good (Romans 8:28). Following Jesus this year has been so joyful and liberating, for I no longer have to seek the world's validation to feel worthy of myself. God has shown me that His great great love for me is enough to fill up the void in my heart, that a lot of people try to fill up with praises and likes from the world. This brings me to my next topic, which is why I stopped posting pictures on Instagram and Facebook. Over the years, it had been proven true time after time that I was lying to myself whenever I told myself that I was just posting pictures for fun and that I wouldn't care about the number of likes I got. However, disappointment and emptiness never failed to creep up within me when I didn't get as many likes as I desired. Or even when I got more likes than I had expected, the fleeting happiness that I felt only left me emptier. I didn't know why back then, but now I know it's because only the love of Jesus can fill my heart and nourish my soul, for those who come to Him will never go hungry, and those who seek Him will never be thirsty (John 6:35).

 

I used to think that by my own effort, I can help people believe in Jesus. However as I listen to sermons and study the scripture, I realized that only God can give people the eyes to see that He is real. Merely by our own effort, it's impossible. We need to pray for the people whom we desperately want to see saved by Jesus, and we can rest assured that God hears all our prayers in heaven, and He is working things out. God is sovereign and He knows exactly what He is doing. We do not need to worry or fret. He is God; we are His creation. Who are we to question his timing or actions? Before we blame Him for anything, count our blessings first. Clean water to drink, hot showers during winter, food to eat everyday-it is so easy to take all these things for granted, but we need to realize that they are from God. They are really from God. Really.

 

In 2018, my only hope is for my love for Jesus to grow even more. That's honestly the most important thing in life-to treasure Jesus over all other things because the more I love Him, the less I will worry about life, the more life will fall into place perfectly, and the more I will be able to love on the people around me. May the Holy Spirit work with great power in me in the coming year. May my parents and many more souls be saved. May lukewarm Christians grow to love Jesus more, for only those who wholeheartedly pursue Him and love Him will be with Him in heaven after this life (Revelation 3:16). May my life reflect the glory and beauty of Jesus. May I learn to live every day as if it's my last, for this life is like a vapor, and Jesus may be returning any time.

 

"yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." ~James 4:14

 

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap." ~Luke 21:34

 

Happy new year everyone! Jesus got you in this coming year, so please don't worry about anything at all!

 

p.s. so thankful to have a space where I can be completely honest about my feelings and the pictures I post! love u flickr!! I mean thank u Jesus for flickr! may I use this space to bring glory to you and you only! also, I used this picture to remind myself that having food to eat everyday is really such a blessing that I never want to take for granted ever.

Done