+FillUs

Today is the first day of Advent - the fourth Sunday before Christmas that marks the beginning of a time of waiting and expecting. It is only appropriate that it follows right after Thanksgiving which leads us to enter into this period of time with thankfulness. At church today, we sang: Jesus paid it all; All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow Think about it. The two biggest problem all humans have to deal with are sin and death. And Jesus has taken care of both. Talk about freedom. Jesus has broken the chain of death and our slavery to sin. 2 Corinthians 5 says: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. This is the scripture which led me to Christ and I was being reminded of this once again today. Talk about a new life. When we were young, my sister once asked God for a new sister, a replacement. Last time I heard, she was pretty happy with the “new” sister God has granted her. I hav

Without a car might be a hindrance in many ways, but it is also a blessing in disguise in many ways. Over the years I discover how much riding a bike, or running for that matter, has in common with our Christian walk. In difficult times, in times which I want to stop, it teaches me perseverance and what faithfulness looks like. Exhaustion doesn’t just happen during physical activities. Prophet Elijah asked God to take his life after a day’s journey in the wilderness. At the brink of giving up, I learn that faithfulness is a long obedience in one direction, as Eugene Peterson says in his book. It’s keep-going when every part of you scream stop. People like to say, “If marathon is easy, everyone will be doing it.” Likewise, there’s no turning back in being a Christian and it’s not easy. I have also learned the importance of one step at a time. When I’m getting tired on hills, I tend to put my head down and pedal. Looking at that formidable hill doesn’t give me energy but instills fear.

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Holiness is a description of God, a sum of all His divine attributes. His glory is the radiance of His holiness displayed. In essence, there is nothing worth desiring more than the holiness of God. When John Piper unpacked what it meant for our lives, he asked: How [and/or when] do you feel being loved by God? Perhaps when He gives us what I want? Perhaps when I feel like being used by God? Maybe when He is making much of me? This can’t be more wrong. Think about it. What does God desire? As much as He loves us, He ought to desire The Best, the infinite valuable, which is His holiness. Jesus, “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrew 1:3),” is His holiness make accessible. Logically speaking, this implies that the goal of salvation and of creation is not us, but His holiness. His love for us is not so that we could make much of ourselves, but we could make much of Him and