beloved

yesterday, our church had a Spiritual Formation Weekend. it was to be like a follow up from this year's church camp (which i missed because i was off on my ns adventure).

the speaker, Ps Keith Lai shared on friday night. a summary of what he shared in camp, which was really good because i got to hear a bit of what i missed at camp.

the message was about our spiritual journey with Christ and us being Christ's disciples.
Discipleship is a journey of spiritual formation.

it started of with how many people have lost our delights on this journey. how many are tired. how we end up doing things just for the sake of doing it. how we no longer enjoy the work given to us. and in the end, we just become tired, fatigued, weary and restless, because of the way things are.

this is not what the journey is meant to be like. no no no...

discipleship is a journey that moves us from duty to delight :D
the point is not about fulfilling the duty, or the fruits of our labour, or anything of that sort, but simply to enjoy and experience God through it.

the reason why God asks us to do things like worship Him, obey Him, meditate on His word; is simply so that we can draw close to Him. to know Him and to enjoy Him.

i know it isn't as easy as it sounds. really, it isn't. but it's something we must learn to do because if we don't we'll just end up like pharisees and saducees, all legalistic and rigid, not knowing God but just following rules all out of obligation. this is not how our lives are meant to be. not when God has already paid the ransom for our lives so that we may be called children of God!

that takes us to understanding who we are in Christ. we are God's children.

Ephesians 5:1-2
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

i don't remember what version Ps Keith read from, but the part where we are God's children came before being imitators of Christ. but anyway, the meaning is still the same.

therefore, as dearly beloved children, be imitators of Christ. (i did a little switcheroo there) we need to know that our identity is in God, we need to know it inside first and then our behaviour will confirm our identity.

it's not, do a lot of good things like go to church, do charity, give to the poor, etc. and then only you'll be a child of God. no no no. it's not that way.

it's us being God's beloved children then showing it through our actions in love.

get? :)

i was really encouraged by that. because at times, i just feel that i need to prove myself and do things to please others. or just do things because that's what i'm "supposed" to do.

i am a child of God and He loves me to bits! and i am God's beloved.
and because He loves me, i want to love Him back by living my life for Him. doing the things i do for Him and not for anyone else, not even for myself.

and that was the message for the night.

Father Lord,
thank you for loving me. thank you for calling me your child. thank you for calling me your beloved.
thank you for being my father who watches over me and who forgives me no matter how many times i mess up.
teach me Lord to delight in you.
teach me to live my life for you and to enjoy it.
help me not to do things out of obligations or rules or duties, but teach me to enjoy doing them.
i love you, Father.