I AM BLOG.

As of late, God has been challenging me a lot in the area of grace. Grace is a tricky thing. In most instances when I think I’m showing grace, I’m actually not. Grace is not given to show that you are the better person. The whole “be the bigger man” concept is not the definition of grace. Christ came to this world as a humble servant, not in superiority or arrogance.

For us, as Christians, to show grace is to be humbled. In our sinfulness and in our brokenness, we received Christ so that we would be viewed as holy and righteous before God. We acknowledge that it is not by our own righteousness that we can stand before God, but it is because of the grace given to us that we are made whole. So for us to show grace to others, we must do so in a humble and broken manner because it was in this state that we ourselves received grace.

What I’m learning in a nutshell: We must be convicted and transformed by God’s grace before we can show grace to others. And when showing grace to our brothers and sisters, we must do so knowing that they received the very same grace as we did.

“Grace finds beauty in everything.”

I was reading a Spurgeon sermon called “Proving God”. It was beautiful. Spurgeon asks us to consider, when God made the sun, He was saying, Prove Me now. Prove that I AM IN CONTROL by the way I will continue to sustain your fiery light, your measured distance from the earth. When God made the plants and trees, He was saying to them, Prove Me now. Prove that I AM GOOD as I bring the rains to water you and the seasons to grow you. When God made the animals of the earth, He was saying to them, Prove Me now. Prove that I AM FAITHFUL as I give you instincts to hunt for food, as I provide you meat to nourish yourself, the waters to slate your thirst.

And to us in the church today, He says, Prove Me now. Prove that I AM A LOVING GOD by loving those around you, by showing grace as you have been shown grace. Be living proofs of what my love has accomplished and what is yet to come.

We have received a great calling to prove Him in all that we do. What are you proving in your life these days?

Prove Him now.

Excerpt from Garnet’s blog. Read the rest here.

Photo: Jared Ng, Model: YY Liew

During college, I remember my roommates getting really interested in raw denim. I thought it was absurd that they would spend hundreds of dollars on “jeans.” Well, I still do, BUT I realized that it’s kind of admirable to want to see progression in something, even if it’s just clothes.

Being able to visualize a goal and working towards it is admirable. You know exactly what you want and when life throws you a curve ball, like crotch bust, you make changes and work around it. Eventually your vision of having stacks and whiskers or whatever becomes a finished product. And then you soak it all in, and watch the dirt and stank come out at the same time.

These past few days have been great. Sure, it’s back to the grind of studying and such, but these past few days I have had the privilege to fellowship with brothers and sisters. And it was awesome.

Now it’s hermit mode time. Just kidding. If I can manage my time and studies well, it shouldn’t be a thang.

Adios fellas.

I’ve been watching Friday Night Lights lately and I can’t help but see so much Christian imagery through out the show. During practices and games, the Panthers always say, “Clear eyes, full hearts. Can’t lose.” The more I repeat this line, the more it means to me and the more I want to live by it.

When we have “clear eyes,” or when our focus is solely on God and when our hearts or full of Him, we cannot lose.

To put it plainly, we are at war. Every day, every person we come in contact with, these are our battlefields. But the war was won when God was God. In His sovereignty, He orchestrated not just a victorious plan, but He orchestrated victory from the beginning. Just so as long as we have our heart’s eyes focused on God and have our hearts filled with Him, we cannot lose because we have already been won.

Brothers and sisters, I am guilty of having my vision obscured and my heart filled with the things that are not of God. And when I reflect back on those times, my heart feels heavy. But in some mind boggling way, God tells me that I am victorious. That I cannot lose. Christ made sure of that.

Surely this does not mean that we can live our lives blindly and with our hearts filled with the things of this world. It is time that we live like saints who have been won by Christ, with our vision clear and our hearts full.