on Children's day and returning to our first love...

woo hoo, blessed Children's day, people! May your wrinkles be less from worrying, and more from smiling, and be like a little child in the kingdom of Jesus. :D

 Well, Jesus always had a special place in his heart for little children (look at Matthew 18:4-6, Mark 9:36-38 and Luke 9:47-49). In Mathew 19:13-15 (NIV), it is written:

¹³Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

¹⁴Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." ¹⁵When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.*

May you be like a little child also, in Jesus' sight. :>

Last night in CG went through the 4th day message of the 24/7 message series. What particularly struck me is when Pastor Ed repeats Jesus' admonition to His church in Revelations 2, "you have forsaken your first love" i.e. to love God**. Many a times, not only have I forsaken my first love, I have not remembered Him at all. Not that I had never loved Him before; just that I have allowed my love to be cooled and become lukewarm.

Most of you will probably wonder, is that love at all in the first place? Seriously, I cannot honestly say that warm fuzzy feeling I get when I know God's presence is so real and alive in my life.^ I mean feelings and emotions are so inadequate and so inaccurate when it come to measuring love for God. I do know He knows my heart, and whether I have ever really loved Him, my God would know best.

As to why I go through the inconsistencies in my relationship and walk with God, I must admit that everytime there's a downwards slide, it's always initiated on my part. Either I've grown complacent and become not alert for the things that are creeping into my lives; or I've grown proud and arrogant, thinking that the giants which I've overcome in my live can never ever hurt me again. Wrong on both counts, and displeasing in the sight of the Lord - especially the latter, when you think you know more than God.

But praise and glory be to God, for He will never forsake me, nor burn with an everlasting anger against my inequities.# Of course one He have let you know what is wrong in your life by the grace and mercy of His Holy Spirit, you better turn from your old ways la. No matter how "jia lat, jia lat" it may seems, He will not ask you to do what you cannot do one.  ##

argh, running late for my dinner appointment, continue the rest of my thoughts in another post...

Here's a song to end it off: 

Jesus Loves the Little Children

Written By: Unknown
Copyright Unknown

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Black and yellow, red and white
They're all precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world

Whether you're rich or whether you're poor
It matters not to Him
He remembers where you're going
Not where you've been

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Black and yellow, red and white
They're all precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world

If your heart is troubled
Don't worry, don't you fret
He knows that you have heard His call
And he won't forget

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Black and yellow, red and white
They're all precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world

All around the world tonight
His children rest assured
That He will watch and He will keep us
Safe and secure

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Black and yellow, red and white
They're all precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world

from http://www.kididdles.com/mouseum/j007.html

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* taken from http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2019:12-15;&version=31;

** See Matthew 22:36-38.

^Could be just beans, a prelude to bad indigestion....

# sorry, waxing lyrical here. Pardon my show-off-ishness.

## 1 Corinthians 10:13 : "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it". (highlighted words my own)