Welcome readers...

Blog ini lahir di dunia cyber di awal musim Autumn di negeri 'down under' (a.k.a. Australia) pada tanggal 1 Maret 2012 . Blog ini lahir dari kerinduan hati yang Tuhan kasih ke aku untuk share to others; I am longing to have a life that others could 'taste' from the 'fruit' that I bear (hidup yang dapat dinikmati oleh orang lain, tidak hanya untuk diriku sendiri). I am really hoping and praying that each sharing yang dishare bisa jadi berkat untuk orang-orang yang telah Tuhan tempatkan di sekitarku (di mana pun mereka berada).

At last, I only wanna say that I am blessed to be a blessing...
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts

Friday, 5 October 2012

Thank You Lord for the trials that come my way


This notes below, aku tulis more than a year ago (March'11), and so far only sitting on my drafts only (on my FB notes) ( aku lupa kenapa aku ga decide to post it at the fisrt place), and today di saat aku read it through once again...the tears came down for some reason...even me I dont understand why, but I believe God does (tears are prayers too, they travel to God when we cant speak...)

"hi all...hope everyone is ok and everything is well with you...

It has been a while since i wrote my last note on my FB...n today i feel like to write something in this note...ummm, actually not writing sih, to be exact wanna share a song  + sharing guys...
*switch ke indo aja ya, my inggris acak kadut klo dilanjutin* hixxx...

anyway...aku mau share lagu yang aku udah dengerin sepanjang 4 hari berturut2...and it has blessed me a lot...awalnya aku suka lagu ini karena aku suka sama guitaristnya, Graham Choo, ak ga kenal dia, tapi for me dia awesome, dia da mainin banyak lagu, klo kalian cek ke youtube, kalian bisa liat lagu2 yg pernah dia perform di you tube...dan ga hanya perform, tapi dia juga ajarin Youtubers gimana mainin lagunya...so, wlpun aku ga bisa main gitar, tapi hanya denger dia nyanyi n main gitar nya aja, aku da merasa terberkati banget, terlebih yg bisa atau baru bisa main gitar, aku yakin akan ngerasa terbantu n terberkati banget...

ok, itu alesan pertama, and alesan kedua aku suka nada lagunya, karena slow (aku suka lagu slow n easy listening song, yg klo kata orang2 boring, lagu bikin ngantuk, bahkan da yg bilang lagu banci *sigh*) well, same as people have different taste to food, atau ce/co yg punya preference ma co/ce yg dia suka, demikian pula lagu...so, ya respect others taste...manusia diciptakan unik apa danya termasuk taste nya...as i keep saying to everyone, klo semua orang2 sekitaku,klo semua orang punya taste yg sama bisa2 perebutan atau ga laku option yg lain...karena nya, aku sih dont mind mau dibilang lagu banci kek, atau apa ja, yang penting aku suka...^^

lanjut...alesan ketiga, klo aku da suka lagunya, aku akan coba cek lirik nya, apakah itu membangun? kan ada tuh lagu yang enak nada nya, tapi isinya da swearing atau ga jelas gitu deh kata2nya...well, since Graham itu penyanyi rohani, maka I believe lirik lagunya akan 'lurus2' ja...and Im glad I checked the lyric...(normally klo da sekali dengerin sekali enak, aku akan lebih pay attention buat dnegerin second time, n cek liriknya...)ternyata, liriknya has deeper meaning, n juga membangun and memberkati banget...liriknya itu buat aku mikir tentang apa yg aku hadapin selama ini...how unthankful I am with my life...gampang banget complain about this and that...tapi lagu ini ingetin aku buat liat from on the other side of the coin...

Judul lagu yang aku mau share sama seperti judul title note ku...

"Thank You Lord for the trials that come my way"

Thank you, Lord,for the trials that come my way.
In that way I can grow each day as I let you lead,
And thank you, Lord, for the patience those trials bring.
In that process of growing, I can learn to care.

But it goes against the way, I am to put my human nature down
and let the Spirit take control of all I do.
'Cause when those trials come, my human nature shouts the thing to do;
and God's soft prompting can be easily ignored.

I thank you, Lord, with each trial I feel inside,
that you're there to help, lead and guide me away from wrong.
'Cause you promised, Lord, that with every testing,
that your way of escaping is easier to bear.

But it goes against the way, I am to put my human nature down
and let the Spirit take control of all I do.
'Cause when those trials come, my human nature shouts the thing to do;
and God's soft prompting can be easily ignored.

I thank you, Lord, for the victory that growing brings.
In surrender of everything, life is so worth while.
And I thank you, Lord, that when everything's put in place,
out in front I can see your face, and it's there you belong.

here is the link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76zbipme6c8

lagu ini lagu lama sebenernya, tahun 1973 yang tulis liriknya Dan Burgess, theme lagunya tentang Paulus yang di mana dia harus hadapin trials di dalam kehidupan nya...

here is the link to the original version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFVy5P5SNbE

lagunya memang udah tua ya? aku sama lagunya aja tuaan lagunya...tapi apalah artinya tahun, yang penting makna yg mau disampaikan oleh lirik lagu itu...itu yg terpenting....for me, lagu ini bener2 meaningful banget...

to start with sama apa yg mau aku share, mau nanya ma kalian, adakah di antara kalian yg berterimakasih di saat cobaan datang? mungkin ada, tapi pastinya ga banyak di antara kita...trus, sberapa sering kamu mengucap syukur karena itu terjadi? kayanya most of us, di saat trials dateng, kita akan lebih sering complain n bersungut2 deh ma Tuhan, karena di saat trial itu terjadi maka kita akan dihadapkan ma pilihan yg ga nyenengin, problem, dilemma atau diharuskan untuk step out from our comfort zone, and take step in faith...dan kita akan lebih cenderung untuk ngeyel/ngegrutu, nangis, kecewa, marah, atau lari dari Tuhan...jujur aku pun demikian, karena kita lebih liat ke negative side point of view, instead of seeing it from God's point of view.

Tetapi ga demikian dengan Paulus, seperti yang dia tulis di suratnya ke jemaat Korintus...

“Dan supaya aku jangan meninggikan diri karena penyataan-penyataan yang luar biasa itu, maka aku diberi suatu duri di dalam dagingku, yaitu seorang utusan Iblis untuk menggocoh aku, supaya aku jangan meninggikan diri. Tentang hal itu aku sudah tiga kali berseru kepada Tuhan, supaya utusan Iblis itu mundur dari padaku. Tetapi jawab Tuhan kepadaku: "Cukuplah kasih karunia-Ku bagimu, sebab justru dalam kelemahanlah kuasa-Ku menjadi sempurna." Sebab itu terlebih suka aku bermegah atas kelemahanku, supaya kuasa Kristus turun menaungi aku. Karena itu aku senang dan rela di dalam kelemahan, di dalam siksaan, di dalam kesukaran, di dalam penganiayaan dan kesesakan oleh karena Kristus. Sebab jika aku lemah, maka aku kuat.” 2 Korintus 12:7-10

Paulus pun waktu awalnya sama kaya kebanyakan dari kita...dia ga suka ada di dalam 'duri', ya iya lah ya, mana da yg suka ma duri, kan sakit...so, dia minta ma Tuhan buat lepasin duri itu dalam hidupnya sampe 3 kali, so dia da berusaha minta buat dicabut durinya, tapi ternyata Tuhan berkehendak lain, Tuhan nolak. Dan Tuhan nolak bukan karena Tuhan ga kasihan atau ga sayang  ma Paulus di dalam rasa sakit akan durinya itu...tetapi Tuhan punya rencana lebih besar di dalam kehidupan Paulus, Tuhan mau bentuk Paulus to be like Him in His characters nya, Tuhan mau kalau Paulus bener2 andelin Tuhan di atas kelemahan nya itu...dan akhirnya dia pasrah ma Tuhan buat terima duri itu, bahkan ga hanya itu dia end up seneng ma 'duri' yang tadinya dia minta dicabut itu...
Biasanya klo orang seneng itu pasti di dalamnya da sukacita dong ya? n i believe, klo Paulus dia suka cita, tentunya dia juga punya ungkapan syukur donk ya sama yg kasih 'duri' itu?  kan ga mungkin klo dia ucap syukur tapi ngedumel2 ma yang kasih 'duri' itu? ini hanya my interpretation ya, di kala ak renungin tentang ayat itu...suka cita and syukur ada di dalam diri Paulus...

So, da bisa lebih nangkep donk ya, kenapa lagu di atas itu merupakan lagu yang gambarin pa yg dialamin ma Paulus...n di dalam kehidupan setiap orang, pastinya kita semua ada trials yang harus kita alamin...trials itu bisa macem2 bentuknya, u name it, apapun itu yg maybe km anggap sebagai 'duri' di kehidupan kamu...

waktu aku renungin lagi tentang trials yang dia harus hadapin, dipenjara berkali kali, shipwreck, mau dihukum mati, dicambuk, kelaperan, etc (aku akan coba cari referensi nya ya, so lebih easy buat direfernya, will take some time tough, bear with me^^)
I cant imagine how Paul could do that, ga easy...

Even, salah satu definisi 'trial' dari Webster dictionary aja udah 'ingetin' kita kalau trial itu butuh iman, kesabaran dan kekuatan fisik karena ada penderitaan...

"a test of faith, patience, or stamina through subjection to suffering or temptation; broadly : a source of vexation or annoyance"

pastinya banyak yg harus Paulus hadapin untuk trialnya itu, ga hanya fisik, tapi juga spiritual (aka imannya) untuk  lawan keinginan dagingnya (flesh-human nature nya) yang buat dia lemah, putus asa atau lari/quit...TAPI dia ga lari dari semua trialsnya itu, dia went through all of it, God enabled him to do so...as he believes kalau pencobaan2 itu ga melebihi kekuatannya...

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Cor 10:12) AWESOME!

Maybe, banyak dari kita familiar sama ayat2 di atas yg aku bagiin, tetapi pertanyaan nya, sudahkan kita 'walk the talk'? sudahkan kita jadi doer? atau hanya sebatas listener aja? jujur, di saat aku bilang beginipun, bukan berarti aku udah sempurna....aku pun masih struggle...masih banyak ups and downs yang aku hadapin...seringkali aku liat trials (aka my limtations) itu sebagai batu yg besar yg harus aku lewatin/hadapin...and I tend to choose easy way, aku lebih suka ignore atau run from it...i choose to be in my comfort zone, and of course reason nya karena comfort and familiar with the zone (aka surounding atau situation), atau males buat fight atau struggle over it...

Di kala aku tulis notes ini pun, I have a battlefield in my mind...so many things yg jadi pergumulan aku...ya aku ambil salah satunya ya, my weaknesses...lately i keep asking God...what talent do i have, kok kayanya aku ngerasa i have nothing, ga da yg menonjol, kok semua nya pas2an, bahkan da yg below 'normal'...di kala aku liat others (I know aku ga boleh compare ke others, tp as you know tendency itu selalu ada *sigh*), aku selalu ngerasa kagum karena they have something (s) that they can be proud of...aku apa ya? musik ga bisa, pelajaran pas2an, kerjaan biasa2 aja, prestasi biasa ja, inggris pas2an, suara juga sering 'dibully', fisik juga apa adanya, and many more...dan di saat aku punya pikiran seperti demikian, Tuhan selalu ingetin aku kalau He chooses the weakest/foolish/insignificant, and even nothing from this world (and I believe klo I might be in one of those categories) to glorify Him (refer to 1 Cor 1:27-31). Joyce Meyer called orang2 in those categories as "jars of clay" or "cracked pots", yang di mana karena mereka imperfect, so di kala Tuhan use mereka dan melihat perbuatan tanganNya di dalam kehiduapn orang2 itu, maka nama Tuhan akan dimuliakan...karena orang2 di sekitarnya tahu kalau amazing things happening, it must be God/God must be at work...

aku quote apa yg Joyce Meyer bilang di bible yg dikomentararin di ayat ini ya:

"Imagine  a claypot with a lamp in it and a lid on it. even tough it may be filled with light, no one can see the light within it. Yet if the pot is cracked, the light will shine through the cracks. In the same way, God works through you, inspite of your imprefections."

Hope, analoginya bisa bantu pengertiaannya ya...

jadi, wlopun banyak banget kekurangan di dalam aku, aku bersyukur di dalam ketidaksempurnaanku, di dalam apa adanya aku...karena aku mau tetep percaya kalau He can do something gerater in me, selama aku mau punya hati yang mau dibentuk and obey akan Dia...maka Dia akan bisa use me...Tuhan bisa pakai Musa yg da ga muda lagi di kala itu, and ga ointer ngomong jadi alatNya, atau Daud yang ga dianggep ma keluarga buat jadi alatNya, aku percaya Dia juga bisa use me...^^ if I have a willingness to be used by Him...

Before I conclude this note, aku mau ajak kita semua untuk ga cepet judging tentang trials yang sedang kita hadapin itu sebagai tanda kalau God ga sayang ma kita, karena God ga bantu kita buat keluar dari 'duri' itu...belajar sperti Paulus di mana dia trust God fully, Paulus punya kehidupan yg let God take control over his life, dia rela suffer untuk pekerjaan Tuhan, dia rela untuk dibentuk Tuhan lewat proses yg sakit or ga enak itu...indeed, he is a man of God...Paulus chose to have a meaningful life journey with God by fulfilling God's calling di kehidupan nya...he knew God's vison in his life...

Bapa, ajar aku untuk menjadi seperti Paulus yang mau punya kerelaan hati untuk dibentuk olehMu, yang juga punya hati dengan penuh rasa syukur dan sukacita akan setiap trials yang I need to face di dalam proses pembentukanku...amin"

sola gratia,
Ingrid

Monday, 14 May 2012

Life on earth is a test


Hi all,

this morning I found a quote about the difference between a school and life, the quote was like this below:


The difference between school and life?
In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test.
In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson.
~Tom Boddett~


This quote just caught my eyes and reminded me about what Rick Warren said earlier in his book 'Purpose Driven Life'. I found a devotional about "life on earth is a test" from Rick Warren's website. Please have a read and ponder about it...

God withdrew from Hezekiah in order to test him and to see what was really in his heart.2 Chronicles 32:31 (NLT)
"When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life. "
Over your Decade of Destiny, you will be tested by God as he develops your character, faith, obedience, love, integrity, and loyalty.
Words like trials, temptations, refining, and testing occur more than 200 times in Scripture. God tested Abraham by asking him to offer his son Isaac. God tested Jacob when he had to work extra years to earn Rachel as his wife.
Adam and Eve failed their test in the Garden of Eden, and David failed a test from God on several occasions. But the Bible also gives us many examples of people who passed great tests, such as Joseph, Ruth, Esther, and Daniel.
"Character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all of life is a test. "
Character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all of life is a test. You are always being tested. God constantly watches your response to people, problems, success, conflict, illness, disappointment, and even the weather! He even watches the simplest actions such as when you open a door for others, when you pick up a piece of trash, or when you're polite toward a clerk or waitress.
We don't know all the tests God will give you, but we can predict some of them, based on the Bible. You will be tested by major changes, by delayed promises, by impossible problems, by unanswered prayers, undeserved criticism, and even senseless tragedies. In my own life I have noticed that God tests my faith through problems, tests my hope by how I handle possessions, and tests my love through people.
A very important test is how you act when you can't feel God's presence in your life. Sometimes God intentionally draws back, and we don't sense his closeness. A king named Hezekiah experienced this test. The Bible says, "God withdrew from Hezekiah in order to test him and to see what was really in his heart." (2 Chronicles 32:31 NLT)
Hezekiah had enjoyed a close fellowship with God, but at a crucial point in his life God left him alone to test his character, to reveal a weakness, and to prepare him for more responsibility.
When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life. Even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.
The good news is that God wants you to pass the tests of life, so he never allows them to be greater than the grace he gives you to handle them (1 Corinthians 10:13).

source:

Have a blessed week all!

Sola gratia,
Ingrid

Tuesday, 17 April 2012

He does answer prayer

Today, I stayed at home all day, so I decided to listen to my pastor's sermon (Ps. Daniel Prajogo) while I was sorting photos for my assignments, and God amazed me once again...

God does confirm to me about questions that I have on my mind a month ago (I shared my thoughts with my friends when I went to Melbourne), these questions popped out in my mind after I heard a sermon from the same pastor about 'born again'. In his sermon, he emphasized that it is grace of God if you and I could believe in God today, because He was the one who opened our eyes. He gave an example from one of the criminal who was crucified next to Jesus, one of them could 'see' Jesus as a King (Luke 23:41-42), how so? We might not be able to answer this, and we only could seek answer from God alone, and believe it must be God's work in him. As John 16:8 stated that the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts our heart, therefore no matter how wicked a man is, the Holy Spirit could change heart.

The next day, I was pondering about this and the verses on Romans 9:15-23
15 For God said to Moses,
“I will show mercy to anyone I choose,
    and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”
16 So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.
17 For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.”[j] 18 So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.
19 Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?”
20 No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? 22 In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. 23 He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory.
From these 2 parts of the bible, I was kinda wondering if some people already 'predestined' by God to have their heart hardened like Pharaoh, and suddenly I refer this 'Pharaoh' to my parents. I was thinking if they were 'Pharaoh' then it would be a mission impossible for them to receive salvation from God. If it's impossible, then should I still bother about their salvation. I should admit that I was nearly gave up on them, but one of my friend encouraged me not to give up just yet, as you will not know the end result, and he even suggested me to keep praying to God and have hope in Him. I was strengthened and God reminded me about the verse from Acts 16:31
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
I was a bit relieved and not thinking about it anymore, and continue to keep praying for them everyday.

And today from the sermon, Ps. Daniel reminded me once again there is not any stubborn hearts or minds that God cannot change, for He is able. When you and I say that  there is no hope for that person(s) to repent; it is indirectly saying that it is impossible for God, and when we said so it means we shut the door and opportunities for the Lord to work in their life. God doesn't ask us to be 'responsible' for their salvation, as salvation belongs to the Lord (Psalm 3:8), what He requires us to do is to be His messenger in this world.  Use every opportunities that available to introduce God to the unbelievers (including my parents); do our own part as His messenger, and let God do the rest of it. As for faith comes from hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17), how they would have faith if the word of God never been preached or introduced to them?
In addition, from this message, I got another confirmation from God about the theme of this blog ''seeds of life"; whatever seeds that we sow, will never be in vain (Isaiah 55:11), we may not know when it grows, but keep believing that in God's timing it will grow.


Therefore, dont give up just yet, if God could change wicked heart of Niniwe to a repentance heart (Jonah 3), then I must believe that He also could change people's heart. Keep asking God for His mercy...His heart is longing for everyone of us to believe in Him.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[e] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  (John 3:16)

"The church of our Lord Jesus Christ is not a pleasure boat, but a life boat for saving souls... ...and every hand is needed on deck." (Reinhard Bonnke)



Sola gratia,
Ingrid