The One Simple Concept That Changes Everything

Today, I thought of doing some sharing of something that I've learned in hope of receiving some different opinions from you, whoever you may be. I believe that knowledge should be shared, contested and enhanced.

Yesterday, I listened to Prof. 梁燕城 about this simple concept that changed the way I look at things. The talk was about seeking for true wisdom and the meaning of life. Let me share with you 2 things that I have learned:
1. Mankind from all places (countries), race, and time (history) share the same moral values. For example, thou shan't kill, thou shall do good. And yes, it is true that when we do wrong things, the first punishment comes from ourselves, our conscience; And when we do good (e.g. lending a helping hand), we enjoy joy and peace.
2. These moral standards cannot be coincident. It was planned, designed and meticulously implanted into us even before we were born. We have the exact understanding of good and evil. We share the exact feelings from the doing good and evil. We feel terrible when we hate; And have joy when we love. This is universal. Love is universal. How many people have tried to search for an answer to find love and peace? After all, we all yearn for lasting happiness, don't we? We try to do more good than evil in hope of increasing the peace in our hearts.

Through the many years of searching, I can soundly tell you this: God is the source of this love. God IS love. God is all around, just like love is all around. He is so powerful that it doesn't matter if you are aware of Him or if you acknowledge Him. He IS around, loving you. Even if you reject Him or hate Him. He still loves you. Remember, God is love, He can't help it :)

Christianity is not about how much good you do in your lifetime, nor is it about how much you know about the Bible. Christianity is about FAITH. Remember that God loves you no matter what. His love surrounds you, waiting for you to be aware of Him and acknowledge Him. That's why we say that Christianity is about FAITH. Once you acknowledge Him, you will immediately know that God is with you. He always was, is and will be. It is THAT simple. All you have to do is to open your heart and ask God to come into your life. Simple! What have you got to lose? You have nothing to lose if there's no God and EVERYTHING to gain if there is one. So, what are you waiting for?

Give Me Oil in My Lamp

I guess everyone needs to be loved once in a while. Wait! There's something wrong in this statement. The truth is: Everyone needs to be loved. While in this city setting, we yearn love yet afraid to love, for love hurts. Therefore, let's not love at all. I think that is why true friendship seldom blossoms. We package our hearts with beautiful wrappings and it starts to become icy steel. But deep down in our hearts, we still yearn for to be loved. But that yearning is often toned down and we try to substitute it by working hard, by being successful, we try to numb our senses with seemingly important stuff, trying to be important, trying to be part of the society. Only once in a while, the yearning for love is so great that we cannot suppress it anymore that we demand it from our loved ones. That is usually where we accuse them of not loving us enough. That is when your partner gets stunned by the sudden change of demand. It's not a sudden change, it's always there, just that we suppress it so well, we cheat even ourselves.

Yesterday was a lesson learnt why we need God to provide oil into my lamp. I was sick, and needed rest; work's pilling and so is the pressure; my manager just told me that she was not going to endorse my PR application; service at church is not going well. All I wanted was to either work hard thru the night or to rest well and kick start tomorrow with a bang. That wasn't what happened. Pris needed to talk and to be loved. My common sense tells me that's not a good idea but my love for her tells me that she deserves my attention. She talked and I listen, giving some suggestions and questions along the way. I had my silent prayers for her and for myself. I believe God is teaching both of us in His way. I prayed for God to sustain me at work the next day.

The reason why people are afraid to love is because love is sacrificial in nature. It will require effort, it will take time, and it WILL hurt you one day or another. Last night, I chose to love, to burn myself. But I was not alone. God will provide the oil for me. He is my protector. I will continue to learn to care, to love, to burn. I'd rather die than to never loved at all. Give me time dear, I'll be your good manager.

"I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth"