Salvation is forever!

You know peeps, God spoke to me again today at the most unsuspecting place of all. Wanna know where? 

Times bookstore PS. lol! It is for real! Let me convince you. At first, feeling empty and misdirected, I got the sudden urge to read some books, and then I was like thinking what kind of books I am going to look forward to reading and where… First thought that came to my mind was the Kinokunia bookstore at my favourite hangout place, Ngee ann City! But after much consideration, I decided on Times bookstore at PS instead cos it`s on the way. (I was returning from Hougang, my SIP workplace on the NE train) 

When I stepped into the bookstore, I was like thinking to myself, “Imma gonna read something that can take my mind off &#@#)) for a while. (Try deciphering the code)

Then u know what happened? When I walked around the bookstore with the already chosen reading materials on my hand, I started to see words like, “God, Jesus, Reign, He, HIM” everywhere I placed my eyes on the letters on the books that were neatly arranged on the shelves. I seriously did not have any idea why I was seeing these words all of the sudden. I thought I was just hallucinating. And I swear I was not drunk or derranged of some sort. Then I just closed my eyes for a while. And when I opened them up, I was like standing in front of a bookshelf with lots of Christian books staring out at me, as if wanting me to drop whatever I was going to read and read them instead. And thank God, I didn`t drop anything or else the staff would the next person staring at me.

The next few books that I read quietly changed my Christian perspective almost immediately. My faith in God was renewed and I felt refreshed as if I became a new creation again! And then God spoke to me through the words, that is, “Whatever good things you do, if you do it in my name, I will be there.” And I was suddenly reminded of the great commission. “Lord, I haven`t forgotten about the salvation mission that you sent me to the world for..” I am who you sent. I am. 

And with that, I know I was going for some big catch these few weeks. Salvation is for EVERYONE. LGBT or not, I love you! I want to see more of these ‘discriminated and ostracized’ people living the life God wants them to live! To live life to the fullest in Christ our LORD. To change their lives from the inside out. To impact them in ways never possible by man alone. To give them equal rights like their straight counterparts. And I can already see them coming, like lost sheeps which have just seen their shepherd. I have brought with me the great news to ALL who have waited for this moment to come. 

I wanna change lives so here I am. God be with me. 

And with that, a song that I praised God with in the shower. (My mum thought I was derranged! lol)

My daddy going back to indo today. I will never see him for another few months or so…:( 

I dunno.. but life has to go on. Be strong Marco, you can go through this tough times with your Father in heaven:)

There will be trials and problems arising and there is no way you can prevent that from happening. All we can do is just to face them courageously and anticipate their consequences. Now I understand how the feeling is,.. life without a father in this faceless and cold world. It must be tough. Can I protect you? Can I be your man?

I had a thorough talk with my daddy toda…

I had a thorough talk with my daddy a few days ago. Hope everything turns out well and the house gains back it`s peaceful spirit. I have always prayed for that since the day it all began. How I wish everything is going well on my side as well as yours. I wish for peace. Oh Lord, I pray. 

Cant wait for the old days..

Anyway, Ced just sent me some nice shots of moi. Ckeck them out in FB! lol

These past few days were so peaceful. Even though I missed the usual camaderie and fun. Went to gym yesterday and the hot pt was damn good. At least, he could make me feel pain in my whole body now. I am exercising!!

Yesterday I realised something. That my true fitness membership is expiring soon and I have 3 more pt sessions to go plus 4 more spa massage sessions to finish. So I sorta booked my appointment today at 12.45 in True spa Ngee ann City before coming to school at 3pm later. Then two more spa sessions on mon and tues and that`s it! Nice way to end the week. Refreshed and relaxed. 

Alright gotta go. I am gonna be late for the balinese massage.

I realised that till now not all of you have got my recent number (843650##) . Hmmm, anybody can help me figure out a way to inform ppl about my new no and msn? (All my contacts are deleted from both msn and phone)

Ok, btw since I have posted it right there. Guess the last two number. U can ask me or what la. Just note that first. 

(sorry, this is due to some safety precautions)

Btw my msn is still: marcomarcusmark@hotmail.com

incase many of you are still wondering. Add me there.

(Warning, ppl who do not tell me WHO they are or HOW they are related to me will be deleted. Same goes with my new no.)

Thank you for your attention!

Brought my friend to church this Sunday. First time in my life going to Nexus on a Sunday morning. LOL

We met Ps Jasmine before the service. The whole service was great!!! Praise and Worship was awesome. I sort of felt touched during praise cos I never did praise for quite a long time, honestly cos of two reasons. First is because I am always late for church this past few weeks…so bad rite?  I know…I account le. Felt better. =x

Second reason is, My mum took my audio player so I can`t on PnW songs anymore in my room. Like, ok lo….my fault also,….errrr.. who asked me to be notti…?:(

 

Anyway, just a thought. More like a revelation I guess.

The word “Hallelujah” which means praise the LORD has the word “all” in the word “hallelujah”

I just noticed it yesterday. And became aware of it. This means that when we are praising God, we should give our ALL to him. How true is that!!

 

And “NEXUS” when read slowly. It reads, ” Next is US!!” Think about it. We are really the NEXT generation that God has chosen!! So eggcited. I didn`t make this out myself. So happen to be coincidental. But too much to be a coincidence also. 

 

Another one…

Actually, I just realised that I was meant to be in Hope church like about 5-6 years ago back in my secondary school years. You know why?

I believed that God had always been bringing me to HOPE ever since that time. My tuition teacher, who happened to be a Christian, brought me to a small church in China Town years ago…and at that time, I didn`t have much interrest la..haha. And I also didn`t realise that the church name was HOPE until about recently, when I asked a friend to confirm the location of our Church several years ago before it moved to Nexus!! 

And it doesn`t just stop here. 

God brought me to HOPE again through my friend, Marcel who brought me to it`s Sunday adult service about 3 years ago when I was still in St Francis. That time I also wasn`t very serious about it untill NOW. When God brought me in for the third time!!!

New beginning:)

How to have a successful and biblical relationship?

Just now I was suntanning and swimming downstairs my house. At first in the morning, I filled with a sense of uncertainty about the future. But I believe God really spoke to me while I was at the stillness of the pool. And He really recharges and renews my tired soul. He spoke about these few things that I believe I should tell you all. I will be committing a sin by not telling you these wonderful promises that He wants all of us to have. And I do not want to be selfish also by not sharing with you, so here are the things that He spoke to me about:  

Love is energy. By saying this, it is the truth. For energy cannot be broken down or totally destroyed. Just look at the law of Physic. Energy can only be transformed or changed. It cannot be totally destroyed or made NILL. That is impossible. By saying this, God is trying to tell me this: The love that you give to others, no matter how small or insignificant it may be, it will come back to you in one way or another. Of course, by saying this, I am not saying that you should expect God to reward you for loving others. Really loving a person or just loving that person with condition(expectation) is two totally different things. 

The truth is this: God will reward those who love earnestly from their heart and mind, for if you don`t love from your own heart and mind, it cannot be an unconditional love.  (I have explained a lot about unconditional love and giving in my previous posts before)  

 

How important are friends in a relationship?

Ok, just to intro a little,  I have wanted to write a book on How to have a successful and biblical relationship. Since last time till now, I have been searching for the truth. And God has been faithfully feeding some of these truths to me so that I could post them on my blog for all of you to read. Today, I have learnt a great deal of something from Him. Something that I would like to share with you all.

What makes a successful relationship? For a start, I wrote in my previous post that GOD must be in the picture! Read on my previous post to find out more about having God in your relationship and marriage. 

The second most important thing would be friends. Biblical friends. Enough said. People who understand and value your relationship with that special someone. no use having friends who constantly tell you what they THINK is the truth. We need friends who tell us the truth. And not any slight deviation from it. For the truth is God and there`s no other more perfect truth than Him. 

There`s this very important aspect of having friends around your relationship. Supportive friends, not those who want to see you fail in the relationship for their own agenda. Those who are offended by this statement is the latter. I am not trying to offend anyone here but this is usually the case everywhere around the world. 

Not trying to debate much about that unless the need arises. peace.

Ok this is from my personal point of view. -Friends are those who witness the relationship grow and mature.

-Real and true friends know and understand a lot about what`s going in and out of the relationship. 

They must also be biblical and not be biased towards their own worldly agenda. 

Friends such as these are what we call real friends. For a relationship to be real, we must also include real friends around the relationship. Why? Because since they are the ones that witness and understand the relationship. Of course, saying this doesn`t mean that you should completely submit to whatever they say onto you. You should also have a mind of your own and have your own stand on things you believe is right. Therefore I wrote in the previous post that for a relationship to be successful, WE MUST INCLUDE GOD IN IT. This is the very fundamental and basic solid ground of the realtionship. Ok, to put them all into a picture:

Picture your relationship as a house that you`re building.

1. God is the solid ground where the house stands. Without the solid ground, the house is gonna sink sooner or later into the quick sand.

2. Friends are the garden which are theming with flowers, grass as well as weeds around the house that makes everything look complete together. Remember this always. They are not in the relationship. They are around the relationship. Bad friends, like bad weeds must be properly watched out for, for a good and wholesome relationship to be built. Good friends can help to make the relationship prosperous and a blessing to others. On the other hand, bad friends can only bring misery, contradictions and confusion into the relationship. You must trust the gardener/owner of the house for this. YOU are the owner the house(relationship). You as the gardener has the POWER to weed out either the good or bad weeds. The choice is ultimately yours. The relationship is yours. The house is YOURS. Not theirs. You are living your own life! Not theirs!

Trusting God is essential at this point of life. Your life is not yours alone. It is His also. But NOT your friends!

3. The things that you share with your partner are the building blocks of the house. To build a good and stable house (relationship), everything that is shared between you must be REAL and not fake. (I wrote about this in the previous post also). Bad bricks (lies, lust for other people outside of the relationship, selfishness, etc) can only bring more unstabillity into the relationship. 

 

Writing this brings me to write about the problems that may come and affect the relationship. I believe problems are always there. To expect your relationship to be FREE of problem is just like expecting your house to steer clear of rain and storms.  

I wrote about this in my previous post also. 

As the song goes: “In this world we will have trouble…but we have overcome the world!” Yes indeed we have overcome ALL problems in Christ JESUS!!

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Btw, just to add more to my article on unconditional giving on the previous post. 

My pastor herself wrote on giving and this is 2 versions of the verse that she used to bring out the point:

Acts 20:35 (NIV) “….remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Acts 20:35 (The message) “….remembering that our Master said, ‘You’re far happier giving than getting.’”

 (I believe God is really emphasizing on speaking to us about giving. Since it has come from two sources now.) =D

I feel encouraged, renewed and refreshed. Lord, please continue to use my words as your vessel and channel to personify your Love to these people.

Oh ya, btw ppl, I changed my handphone number, so u can go and start asking me for it. Sorry, I can`t put it here cos a lot of ppl will start calling me. HAHA. Alternatively, u can also  drop me ur number through my msn or fb. I`ll add u as fast as I can. Btw ya, all the numbers in my hp is wiped out cos I saved them in my SIM card and it`s broken now, so… HAHA. So yeah, kindda hard for me to sms you all, unless I meet you in person. 

Thanks:)

Love is not just a feeling. It is a commitment of the heart.

Feel like blogging now. In an emo mood now, but more of a positive emo mood..haha, if there`s even such thing. Anyway, it was seriously a rough nite and I seriously didn`t regret risking everything for you. Because I know you`re worth it. And I mean it. I wish the nite would never end and we`ll be forever be that way till this moment. I am hungry for more of you. I hope you read this. I am so proud of you. you went through so much and survived. 

Sorry Lord if I ever did anything offending to my mum. I know she meant me well, but a lot of times, what she means “well” just doesn`t convey love to me. Instead it is the sound of ^$#(~^@#$^ 

I wanna help you. I wanna impact the world one step at a time. And I wanna do it together with you. I know we are meant for this mission. And Lord, give me not just compassion, but also the unconditional love that you already designed to give me. 

And you, I wouldn`t let anybody touch you one bit. Not even anybody I know. I won`t let her hurt you. And I won`t let anybody lay one finger on you. I`ll protect you with my life. And I`ll love you forevermore. My unconditional love is yours

I mean it.

Today

We`ll be alright. Don`t let the devil strike us. Persevere.

Another extended article on giving and relationship.

Another extended article on giving.Can`t wait to share with all of you:

Like what I said in the previous post, giving must be unconditional without expecting anything in return. This is even coincidentally brought up during service yesterday. Something to help you put this into practice: 

If we were to die tomorrow, where do you think our money, jewelry, car, etc etc are going to go? with you to heaven or the nether world? NO. Are your boyfriend or girlfriend going with you on a journey to reach heaven? NO. Since all things in this world is only momentary, it makes perfect sense to give. Think about it. Something that you give may not cost very much to you, but you will never know how much it could mean to that someone you`re giving it to. So give, give, for you will never know what will happen to you or your loved ones tomorrow. (Read more about this on my previous post)

Knowing that our gift has impacted others  and our loved one is indeed a great consolation to us. It is comforting to know that while we `re still in the world, we`re able to make them happy, of course without expecting anything back. That is where the real joy comes. Jesus died on the cross expecting nothing in return. I wanted to write this exact sentence on my previous article. And I was so taken aback when our pastor Jasmine also brought this up in service yesterday. What a coincidence. Not just once, but twice! 

Anyway know this fact about giving: We`ll never become poor by giving. 

Either it will come back to us in one way or another (don`t expect this) or  it will not. Nothing is supposed to bother you. When you give you give with your heart, knowing that the other person you bless has felt blessed by your blessing. To me, that is enough to make my day. 

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Now, something about relationship issue:

I feel the urge to write on this because I think this is very important whether or not you`re having a relationship with anyone now. It just comes to my mind. Perhaps God wants to bring this to your attention. I am merely his pen and pencil.

Do you actually understand what it means when you say, “You`re my boyfriend.” or, ” She is my girlfriend.” ??

DO u really understand the implications this might bring?

One thing they have in common is this: They are merely titles. And more often than not, they make you feel ‘good’. Be wary. Do not be deceived by this feeling.  

You can say you have a wife, but are you a good husband to your wife? 

You may say you have a boyfriend, but are you a good girlfriend to your boyfriend?

Take this time to really answer these questions in your mind..

What I see is this: These titles are not very important in a genuine relationship. You may say, “What??? are you crazy???” 

To me, what`s most important in a relationship is the relationship itself that you`re having with your loved one. May they be your boyfriend, girlfriend, wife or husband. Titles such as these are merely an illusion. Who created the title, ‘BF, GF, hubby, etc?’  MAN. Who created REAL relationship? YOU, God. When God partners together with you in an intimate relationship. That`s the point of this whole article. When you are with God and God is with you, NOTHING can be against you.

When God is in the centre of your relationship, you`re making your relationship work well with His plans. You are with God throughout your relationship with your lover and this is biblical. As long as we put God in the centre of everything, from school work to relationships, nothing is gonna go out of control because God is always in control with His plans and purpose. For His plans for you is to prosper and not to harm you. Jeremiah 29:11 (This is explained further in my previous article about relationships)

Ok, now back to relationship again.

People who needs titles such as, ‘Boyfriend, husband, girlfriend’ to FEEL like they are in the relationship with their lover are less than secure in their relationships with them. You can be a ‘wife’ or a ‘boyfriend’ to someone and you can still be a bad ‘wife’ or ‘boyfriend’. Do you get my point? Official titles such as these do not guarantee a REAL relationship, do you agree?

You don`t need titles to feel confident and secure in your relationship. You need God to feel confident and secure in your relationship. Because God is the master of relationship. For He is Love. 

So what I am trying to say all these while is this: Those titles are secondary, what you are having in your relationship should be the FIRST. The truth never deviates further than that.

Giving, unconditional love and giving, problems..

Learnt and realized something very important this week. Thank God for all the time that He has blessed me with. I learn something new each day. Something about the wonders and magic of God`s love. 

Now I know what the meaning of ‘giving’ really is:

To give is to give without expecting nothing back in return. This is very much like unconditional giving. Giving without any hopes that you would get something back in return. Not setting up any expectations and hope means that there would not be no room for any disappointments. Unconditional love works this way also. That`s why God`s love is unconditional, because He would not get hurt. God cannot get hurt. He is all powerful. Being the Almighty means that He will not experience hurt and disappointments, make sense? If He does, then this shows that He is no god after all. I believe God is all powerful in this perfect sense that He is also a perfect God. In the Love verse, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”  This is my favourite verse in the whole bible.

In the first place, He loves us so much that He doesn`t expect anything in return from you. This is true as shown from the unconditional love that is shown through Christ when he dies for us on the cross.

“Unconditional giving and love is really giving and loving in it`s purest form.”

 

Brothers and sisters, I just want to encourage you this.At times, no matter how good and filial you are to your parents, there are bound to have a lot of disagreements. The Lord has made me see this:  

Your parents may say this, “You are in this world because of us and without us there wouldn`t be you!” Yes, this can be a valid and justifiable claim. But this is not always true. Well, not anymore. When you`re in Christ, you`re born again. And this time, you`re born out of the spirit and truth. And out of Love. God`s wonderful love. So when you parents say, “You belong to us.” It does not really mean that your life is in their hands. You don`t really belong to your parents after all. And the truth is this: Your life belongs to your Father in heaven who sees each tear you cry, not your daddy. No matter how much he says he understands you. 

I am NOT asking you to be unfilial toward your parents. Just so that you would be aware of the truth. There`s nothing like God`s love in this world. 

Your parents may “give” you the soul and the body in which you`re living in now. But God gives you the SPIRIT and the LIFE that He has willed for you to fulfill in this world. The word was with Him before you ever came into thoughts. He spoke you into motion even before your parents had any thoughts of you. So before “everything” begins with your parents, always remember that God is the author of your life. Your beginning and your end. 

 

Problems may arise. But may I address those who are problem laden for it`s Him who gives me the compassion to pen this down: 

Sometimes, problems and temptations in life can be too great and overwhelming for you to bear. But it really helps to think that it`s actually God who has allowed these obstacles to come your way. His purpose for you is to experience and learn from these opportunities. I trust that God will not let any problem that are much too big to come into your life more than you can handle. And whenever you feel that this happens, He will always have a way out for us. “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it (1 Cor. 10:13 NASB).”

Telling God, “God, you`re in control of this!” may also help us alleviate these stress life can bring. Telling God that He is in control is letting Him handle your life. Have faith in Him that He will let these temptations and tough times come to pass by letting Him take the front seat and take the wheel of your life!! God is greater and BIGGER than those problems you are facing in life, therefore there`s nothing He cannot do! I believe in this. DO u ? 

Nothing is impossible for God. Impossible is nothing for God.

Article on Love, imperfections and God centered relationship

I am here again as usual in the school library slacking after clocking in my card. And not very long ago, I had thoughts creeping up my mind again. And I am trying to recollect what they were…

These past few days I am not exactly sure what happened to me, I have more frequent dreams, divine interventions and visions, but I have confidence that whatever that is preached here will be for a greater good because it has come from Him. And I am sure of this. I am sure He wants to encourage all of us with His words. Words from a friend like me, or whatever you call it. You can choose to listen or to dismiss this as nonsense. Entirely your choice.

Oh yea,.. btw last night before I slept, upon seeking God, I managed to be reminded of something that I want to share with all of you people. God wants to encougare you all:

-Love one another as if today is their last day. How true is this phrase, really. When you think about it, it can seem a bit distant and riduculous. You might say, “Huh? it`s not as if my partner or loved one is going to evaporate from the face of this world tomorrow!”  Hmmm, kindda true.. But you will never know. You will never be sure 100% today if you`re going to see him or her the next day. Sounds serious? Yes it is.  What if tomorrow, I got knocked down by a car or a bus (touchwood), are people going to mourn for me? Is my mum going to be happy or sad for me? Are
YOU going to cry for me?  So take this chance EVERY DAY to REALLY love your loved one because you will never know what will happen to them tomorrow.

-Don`t take your loved one for granted, thinking that you would definitely see them the following day or something. Yes, it is good to anticipate. It means that you love seeing him or her. You love spending every quality time with him or her. So remember when you fight or have a quarrel, always try to resolve it on that very day itself. Don`t wait till tomorrow, because again, you are never 100% sure what tomorrow may bring. Resolve your problems as soon as it arises.

Now about Loving each other,

When I say, “I love you, Ich liebe dich, Je taime vous, Tiamo..” or anything like this, it doesn`t ONLY mean I love you. It means this: I want you. I need you in my life. I want to learn life`s lessons together with you. Let`s fail and succeed together. Let`s impact others together.  I wanna be a better lover to you each day. Because I know I am not perfect. Only with you am I whole. Well, okay, not 100% perfect yet, or I might as well be God. But you make me feel as if God is near. Infact God is there when we`re in communion together.  This is said through a verse in the holy bible, “When one or more of you comes together in my name, I will be there. “

This may sound like a marriage between two souls. But how true is this, we must learn to love one another as the Lord your God loves you. Your “marriage” with your God is eternal and intimate. Every minute of our life is a prayer to the Almighty.

-If we`re already a perfect partner for each other, then our relationship would be very dull and boring. Because there would be no more room for improvements. There would be no more room for discussions, tears or satisfaction when you know you have impacted the other soul interwined in you. Love is made special with the continual tearing and building of relationship. This not only makes the love and bonding special, but also more eternal and stronger. Only after you know how much you`ve impacted your lover`s life, you will taste the sweet fruit of true joy.

The harder it is to achive that wholesome love after all the pains and joys we experience together, the more we will treasure it, knowing that it doesn`t come easy. 

The love that is built this way is also naturally stronger and harder to break apart.  It is not so easy to destroy. (You will feel the beauty of it. Just look at some of your mum and dad.)

The opposite is also very true: The easier it is for you to obtain your love, the easier and faster you will lose it. (You will not treasure it that much because you think it`s not worth your tears and pains in the first place.)

So I just want to encourage you ppl this: Don`t be discouraged when faced by a trial or problems in your love life, because at the end of the long rocky road, you will eventually see green pastures. Just trust in God and put him in the centre of your relationship. This is very true and I will explain it further later.

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Now, just to add to yesterday`s discussion on imperfection.

-”Imperfection is what maketh a man.” MMM09 

A face without a single flaw is nothing more than just like a stone face of a roman godess carved out of marble. No matter how grandious or beautiful that statue is, it is lifeless. Void of imperfection.

“Imperfection is what makes you beautiful.” MMM09

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Something I believe makes a Relationship:

Relationship: (Real)+ Relate+ Ship

(I put the word “real” in the equation because it is read and pronouced just like the word, “RELA” in ‘RELAtion’)

God=  real (absolutely!) A relationship cannot be fake/pretentious or the relationship will have no meaning and no purpose at all to begin with. What do you want out of a fake relationship, tell me! I believe nobody here wants to have a fake relationship to begin with.

God= Love  (That is already proven by some other people, even in the bible!)

So that equation makes: Love is Real (Is it not?)

Relate= relating to one another well (consists of 2 persons in this context, you can`t possibly relate to yourself alone.)

Ship= A ship on the ocean needs someone(a captain/your lover) to navigate it or it will be lost in the waves. (esp during a storm(problem), etc) 

The word, “Ship” is also the end of the word, “Worship”. Therefore we need to worship God continually as we are in the relationship, be it with your lover or with Him, or with Him in a strong marriage between two people.

So with this, I can deduce that a relationship needs to be real(not fake) to work. And it needs God to be in the centre of IT. Since it is already proven that God is real and that God is Love. So Love must be real! God`s love, that is!! It is so real!

In a relationship, we also need to relate to one another because no relationship will work if you just focus entirely on yourself and your selfish desire. And don`t forget to include God in your relationship. Studies have proven that marriages last longer and more satisfying when God is in the center of it.

So, yea. This is what maketh a relationship. A real and God centred one. Hope this helps. =DD

 

Finally, last point for today: We`re imperfect lovers coming together as ONE. Let`s embrace each other with an open mind and spirit, having a unquenchable thirst to learn from each other in love. Let`s grow in our love stronger together and learn to correct each other.  Commitment is the key. Your heart is the keyhole.  So may I put this key into your heart so that I may unlock its beauty and splendour?