Wednesday, May 29, 2019

May 29, 2019

Lilin Kecil

Lilin kecil,
ia terbakar, menjadi kecil, untuk menerangi kegelapan di sekitarnya....

Orang-orang jarang memikirkan dari mana terang itu berasal, ia hanya tau ada terang di antara kegelapan mereka.....

Ia dipakai untuk menerangi kegelapan sekitar walaupun radiusnya tidak besar, namun ia menjadi simbol pengharapan bagi satu orang yang ada di sampingnya...

***

Pernah ada di season saat-saat nggak merasa nyaman sama situasi? I do.. Sekarang aku lagi merasakannya. Tuhan menempa di setiap aspek dari hidupku; pekerjaan, keluarga, masa depan. Aku ada di situasi yang cukup kompleks dalam hal pekerjaan & masa depan; dalam lingkungan pekerjaan yang nggak sehat, merasa sendiri, dan ketidakpastian menyelimuti.. Aku pingin seperti orang lain, tapi di hati kecil masih berkata "stay", karena hingga saat ini mencari tapi belum menemukan..

Ketika aku bergumul sendiri terkait kenyamanan pekerjaan, masa depan, aku jadi teringat : Tuhan nggak pernah bilang "kamu (harus) menjadi terang dunia." tapi Tuhan bilang "kamu adalah terang dunia." (Mat 5:14).... Terang nggak mungkin terlihat terang di tempat yang penuh cahaya, ia akan lebih berguna bila ditaruh di tempat yang gelap.. terkadang ga semua musim di hidup kita cerah, terkadang kita di tempatkan di situasi musim yang gelap & dingin; sendirian, penolakan, ketidaknyamanan, ketidakpastian, tapi satu janji Tuhan Ia tidak akan membiarkan kita tergeletak sampai jatuh (Mzm 37:24) & akan menyertai kita sampai akhir jaman (Mat 28:20)...

Terkadang kita ada di dalam ketidaknyamanan disekeliling "kegelapan", BUKAN karena Tuhan menuntut kita untuk MENJADI TERANG.. tapi pada saat itu lah Tuhan menuntut kita untuk MEMBAGIKAN TERANG yang ada di dalam diri kita..

Buah-buah yang Tuhan standard kan beda sama dunia. Mungkin untuk kesuksesan di karir, finansial, jabatan, bisa dengan mudah Tuhan memberikannya. Tapi itu bukan goal yang Tuhan mau, yang Tuhan mau adalah buah kasih yang ada di dalam diri kita bisa menjadi lilin bagi orang lain & yang paling jadi concern Tuhan dalam hidup kita, setiap musim di hidup kita menjadikan kita lebih seperti Dia (to be more like him).

Aku kutip dari salah satu Romo yang berkata pada ku "lebih baik aku lelah mencoba & berusaha walaupun gagal dari pada lelah menggerutu dan tidak pernah mencoba"


Di akhir Tuhan bilang "ini bukan tentang kenyamanan kamu, tapi bagaimana kamu bisa berbuah.."

So, tetap semangat di setiap musim yang dilalui, karena even mungkin itu hal yang tidak mengenakan, namun bersama Tuhan damai sukacita Tuhan yang melampaui segala akal akan selalu menyelimuti hati.

2 Korintus 12:9 (TB)  "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.

GOD BLESS

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

May 07, 2019

God's Free Love

Raising topic about "God", "Religion", "Heaven" and "Hell" are always sensitive to some people or even groups. But personally for me talking about Jesus & Heaven is always interesting and endless HAHA 😝.. If you adore your wife or husband, should people call you insane? no, and this is me, I'm bothered so much when people say I'm too religious because I frequently post about Him. No other reason because Jesus is my Father, lover, and home, why should I get bored of Him?

From this post, I don't aim to Christianize people. But do you know why Gospel is said a good news? (If you ever realize that many times Angels in the Bible proclaim to deliver "good news") I think the picture I inserted here is so helpful to comprehend the differences between Gospel (Jesus) and Religion, and why the Gospel itself brings joy.

instagram @timkellerncy
Maybe if we are asked "why do we have to do righteous works?", The most common answer would be "to go to heaven." But the question is how to exactly measure if our righteous works are fulfilled to get us heaven? I think no one can answer EXACTLY what the answer is, and of course human could be the most pitied creatures that living the life based on fear & insecurity if it were so. 
 
In my opinion, for all people of any faith or even those who don't believe in the existence of God, it's beautiful truth to knowing that our God is LOVE and He is God of all living beings


One thing for us to realize that God demands us to live the life with joy. 

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27) 

I think why Bible oftentimes commands us to be joyful and not to fear because this world is temporary; what is waiting us next is everlasting, and God has taken control of death so that we can reunite with Him someday in everlasting joy. 

"I provide a place for you" John 14:2 


If you remember He also demonstrate His unconditional love for us through the parable of The Lost Son on Luke 15:11-24 , I will highlight how extraordinary & pure His love that beyond anything we could imagine;

illustration of the Father and the lost son

 But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." Luke 15:11-24
 

you can conclude how His love for His son (us) in that Parable is bigger than our love to Him; It is demonstrating of the loving & forgiving heart of God.

"Jesus call a sinner not a righteousness" Luke 5:32

That's all the part of Gospel to spread the good news that we are already forgiven (even for our future sins).  

 I wrote a post too about the Fruits of Salvation if you are willing to read that, kindly check this out.

I don't say our good works are unimportant and if we are willing to forbid many things such foods, clothes, our life-style for the sake of God is useless thing; because our God is kind and He appreciates every little thing we do for Him. I know that people have different ways and perspectives to get close and honor someone they love. 

But I hope you know and understand that God's love for us is not dutiful. As Pope Francis said that God's love isn't something we earn or deserve by our good works, but it's FREE and UNCONDITIONAL.