Questioning Your Life? Not anymore!

Suatu malam aku sedang berdoa. Timbul rasa kerinduan untuk bercakap lebih dalam lagi dengan Tuhan. Percakapan antara seorang anak dengan Bapanya mengenai segala sesuatu yang membebani hati dan pikirannya.

Aku : Bapa, aku merasa tak mampu untuk melakukan semuanya ini. Aku tak akan pernah bisa menyelesaikannya. Dan sangat mustahil bagiku untuk mendapatkannya.

Bapa : apa yang tak mungkin bagi manusia, itu mungkin bagi-Ku. (Kata Yesus: “Apa yang tidak mungkin bagi manusia, mungkin bagi Allah.” – Lukas 18:27)

Aku : Bapa, Engkau tahu bahwa aku sudah amat letih untuk mengerjakan semua ini. Aku sudah tidak mempunyai kekuatan untuk mengerjakannya lagi.

Bapa : anak-Ku, kemarilah. Aku akan memberi kelegaan kepadamu. (Marilah kepada-Ku, semua yang letih lesu dan berbeban berat, Aku akan memberi kelegaan kepadamu. – Matius 11:28)

Aku : Bapa, lihatlah. Tak ada seorang pun yang peduli padaku. Aku merasa sendirian Tuhan. Tak ada seorang pun yang mencintai aku.

Bapa : Aku mengasihimu. (Seperti Bapa telah mengasihi Aku, demikianlah juga Aku telah mengasihi kamu; tinggallah di dalam kasih-Ku itu. – Yohanes 15:9)

Aku : Bapa, aku sudah menyerah. Cukuplah sampai di sini saja apa yang telah kukerjakan.

Bapa : di dalam kelemahanmulah kuasa-Ku menjadi sempurna. (Tetapi jawab Tuhan kepadaku: “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. – 2 Korintus 12:9)

Aku : Bapa, aku tidak mengerti kemana lagi akan melangkah. Aku tidak tahu arah dan tujuan hidupku.

Bapa : tenanglah, Aku akan menuntun langkah-langkahmu. (Percayalah kepada TUHAN dengan segenap hatimu, dan janganlah bersandar kepada pengertianmu sendiri. Akuilah Dia dalam segala lakumu, maka Ia akan meluruskan jalanmu. – Amsal 3:5-6)

Aku : Bapa, aku tak mampu menanggung semua beban-beban itu. Betapa beratnya kehidupan yang harus aku jalani.

Bapa : percayalah, kamu dapat menanggung semuanya bersama-Ku. (Segala perkara dapat kutanggung di dalam Dia yang memberi kekuatan kepadaku. – Filipi 4:13)

Aku : Bapa, mengapa semua yang kukerjakan selalu sia-sia? Tidak ada sesuatu pun yang baik bagiku.

Bapa : semua itu akan mendatangkan kebaikkan bagimu, percayalah. (Kita tahu sekarang, bahwa Allah turut bekerja dalam segala sesuatu untuk mendatangkan kebaikan bagi mereka yang mengasihi Dia, yaitu bagi mereka yang terpanggil sesuai dengan rencana Allah. – Roma 8:28)

Aku : Bapa, aku sangat membencinya. Rasanya hati ini marah ketika harus bertegur sapa atau pun mengingat namanya. Dia sudah melukai hatiku.

Bapa : bila kau tak mengampuni sesamamu, maka Aku juga tidak akan mengampunimu. (Karena jikalau kamu mengampuni kesalahan orang, Bapamu yang di sorga akan mengampuni kamu juga. Tetapi jikalau kamu tidak mengampuni orang, Bapamu juga tidak akan mengampuni kesalahanmu. – Matius 6:14-15)

Aku : Bapa, mengapa hidupku selalu berkekurangan?

Bapa : mendekatlah pada-Ku karena Aku akan mencukupkan. (Allahku akan memenuhi segala keperluanmu menurut kekayaan dan kemuliaan-Nya dalam Kristus Yesus. – Filipi 4:19)

Aku : Bapa, hidupku penuh dengan rasa ketakukan sehingga aku tidak berani untuk melangkah.

Bapa : Aku tidak pernah memberikan roh ketakutan kepadamu. (Sebab Allah memberikan kepada kita bukan roh ketakutan, melainkan roh yang membangkitkan kekuatan, kasih dan ketertiban. – 2 Timotius 1:7)

Aku : Bapa, aku selalu mengkuatirkan segala hal dalam hidupku. Aku kuatir bila semua tidak berjalan dengan baik.

Bapa : serahkanlah segala kekuatiranmu kepada-Ku. (Serahkanlah segala kekuatiranmu kepada-Nya, sebab Ia yang memelihara kamu. – 1 Petrus 5:7)

Aku : Bapa, benarkah iman sebesar biji sesawi mampu memindahkan gunung? Namun aku tak memiliki iman seperti itu.

Bapa : Aku memberikan iman kepada setiap orang dengan porsinya sendiri. (Berdasarkan kasih karunia yang dianugerahkan kepadaku, aku berkata kepada setiap orang di antara kamu: Janganlah kamu memikirkan hal-hal yang lebih tinggi dari pada yang patut kamu pikirkan, tetapi hendaklah kamu berpikir begitu rupa, sehingga kamu menguasai diri menurut ukuran iman, yang dikaruniakan Allah kepada kamu masing-masing. – Roma 12:3)

Aku : Bapa, aku selalu kalah dalam hal apa pun, aku tidak sepandai teman-temanku. Apakah aku ini bodoh?

Bapa : Aku memberi hikmat bagimu. (Tetapi oleh Dia kamu berada dalam Kristus Yesus, yang oleh Allah telah menjadi hikmat bagi kita. Ia membenarkan dan menguduskan dan menebus kita. – 1 Korintus 1:30)

Aku : Bapa, apakah Kau akan setia padaku dan tidak pernah meninggalkanku?

Bapa : ya, Aku tidak akan pernah meninggalkanmu. (Aku sekali-kali tidak akan membiarkan engkau dan Aku sekali-kali tidak akan meninggalkan engkau – Ibrani 3:15b)

Jawaban Tuhan atas semua pergumulan tentang beratnya kehidupan sangat menguatkan. Tuhan yang menciptakan hidup kita dan Tuhan juga yang bertanggung jawab penuh atas kehidupan kita. Tidak ada sesuatu pun yang mampu menjatukan kita. Tida ada satu pun yang mampu menghentikan langkah kita. Bersama Tuhan, kita akan mampu melakukan apa pun karena Allah maha segala-Nya. Dan janji-Nya dalam sepanjang hidup kita adalah Tuhan tidak akan pernah meninggalkan kita.

-oOo-

sumber artikel : Debora Dwi Putri Ningrum (artikel telah melewati proses pengeditan oleh admin Renungan Harian Kristen)

Favorite song in GII Hok Im Tong Sermon

Since I came to Bandung for studying, I chose to routinely go to GII Hok Im Tong, or usually named GII Dago to have Sunday Service. Like any other Sunday, today I went there. Usually, before the sermon is started, the choir will sing a song in order to accompany us while us ourselves preparing our heart to receive God's messages that will be brought by the preacher.

Today, the choir sings my favorite song....a song that can always touch my melancholic side and make me realize that I'm nothing in this world without God. Let me write the song here. The song is in Indonesian language, but I also give the English translation.

Serahkan Kuatir mu PadaNya

Hand over you worry to Him

Srahkan kuatir mu padaNya (Hand over your worry to Him)

Srahkan sgala beban mu di kakiNya (put all your burden on His feet)

Bila engkau mrasa bimbang dan kecewa (if you feel doubtful and disappointed)

Srahkanlah kuatir mu padaNya (hand over your worry to Him)

Ku srahkan kuatir ku padaNya (I hand over my worry to Him)

When I listen to this song, I always want to cry. Why?

It is because...

I am realized that I am a sinful person

I am realized that I am so weak

I am reminded with all my burdens that stress me

I am grateful for there is HIM who always love me and never leave me

I feel loved, safe, warm, and not standing lonely

Thank you God, for reminding that I am worthy for this world and for You.

How to know that she's the one

by Michael Lawrence

"How do I know if she's the one?" I can't think of a question I encounter more often among single Christian men. The point of the question is clear enough. But a rich irony dwells beneath the question. In a culture that allows us to choose the person we're going to marry, no one wants to make the wrong choice. Especially if, as Christians, we understand that the choice we make is a choice for life. The question is not merely ironic. If what you're after is a marriage that will glorify God and produce real joy for you and your bride, it's also the wrongquestion. That's because the unstated goal of the question is "How do I know if she's the one ... for me." The question frames the entire decision-making process in fundamentally self-oriented — if not downright selfish — terms. And it puts the woman on an extended trial to determine whether or not she meets your needs, fits withyour personality and satisfies your desires. It places you at the center of the process, in the role of a window-shopper or consumer at a buffet. In this scenario you remain unexamined, unquestioned and unassailable — sovereign in your tastes and preferences and judgments. The problem of course is that as a single Christian man, not only are you going to marry a sinner, but you are a sinner as well. From a consumeristic perspective, no woman on this planet is ever going to perfectly meet your specifications. What's more, your unexamined requirements for a spouse are inevitably twisted by your own sinful nature. The Bible reminds us that though our marriages are to be pictures of the Gospel relationship between Christ and the church, none of us get to marry Jesus. Instead, like Hosea, we all marry Gomer; that is to say, we all marry another sinner, whom God intends to use to refine and grow our faith in Jesus. So what's a guy to do? Ask the Right Questions To begin with, start with a different question. Instead of asking if she's the one, you should ask yourself, "Am I the sort of man a godly woman would want to marry?" If you're not, then you'd be better off spending less time evaluating the women around you, and more time developing the character of a disciple. Start by considering the characteristics of an elder that Paul lays out in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, and work toward those. Then you should ask another question: "What sort of qualities should I be looking for in a wife so that my marriage will be a picture of the relationship between Christ and the church?" If you're not sure what those characteristics are, then spend some time reading Proverbs 31, Titus 2:3-5, 1 Peter 3:1-7and Ephesians 5:22-33. Once you've asked the right questions, and once you've found someone you suspect fits the biblical description of a godly wife, you now need to decide whether to get married. And men, though this is a big decision, it's not a decision that should take too long. How long is too long for a dating relationship? The Bible doesn't provide a timetable (after all, most marriages were arranged during biblical times). But it does provide principles that point us in the direction of making a decision to marry or break up in the shortest appropriate time. Think Like a Servant, not a Consumer In 1 Thessalonians 4:6, Paul warns the Thessalonian Christians against "taking advantage" of their brothers or sisters. The larger context in the first eight verses makes clear that what Paul primarily has in view is sexual immorality, in which you take from one another a physical intimacy not rightfully yours. But the text also suggests that there are other ways you can take advantage of one another in a dating relationship. And one of the primary ways men do this is to elicit and enjoy all the benefits of unending companionship and emotional intimacy with their girlfriends without ever committing to the covenant relationship of marriage. Too often in dating relationships we think and act like consumers rather than servants. And not very good consumers at that. After all, no one would ever go down to his local car dealership, take a car out for an extended test drive, park it in his garage, drive it back and forth to work for several weeks, maybe take it on vacation, having put lots of miles on it, and then take it back to the dealer and say, "I'm just not ready to buy a new car." But so often, that's exactly the way men treat the women they're dating. Endlessly "test driving" the relationship, without any real regard for the spiritual and emotional wear and tear they're putting her through, all the while keeping their eyes out for a better model. The Scriptures are clear. We are not to take advantage of one another in this way. Instead, as Paul says in Romans 13:10, "Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." Remember That Love is Never Easy One of the myths out there is that if you just spend enough time searching, if you can just gather enough information, you'll find a woman with whom marriage will be "easy." The fact is, such a woman doesn't exist, and if she did, she likely wouldn't marry you. And that means that you don't need as much information as you think you do. No matter how long you've dated, everyone marries a stranger. That's because fundamentally dating is an artificial arrangement in which you're trying to be on your best behavior. Marriage on the other hand is real life. And it's only in the context of day-in, day-out reality, with the vulnerability and permanence that marriage provides, that we learn what another person is really like. Some of the things we learn about each other aren't easy. But who ever said that love and marriage were supposed to be easy? Men, the point of marriage is that we learn to love our wives as Christ loved the church. Yes, as Revelation 21 and Ephesians 5 tell us, one day, Christ's bride will be perfectly beautiful, without spot or blemish, altogether lovely and loveable. But the church is not there yet. First, Christ had to commit himself to us, even to death on a cross. This is the model we're called to follow. It's not an easy model, but it's worth it. So your goal should not be to date her long enough until you're confident marriage won't be hard, but to date her just long enough to discern if you're willing to love her sacrificially and if she's willing to respond to that kind of love. Remember That to Commit Does not Mean to Settle Does this mean you should just "settle" for the first Christian woman who comes along? No, not at all. You should be making this decision in light of the qualities held out in Scripture for a godly wife, and you should marry the godliest, most fruitful, most spiritually beautiful woman you can convince to have you. But you also need to be aware that you live in a culture that says the ultimate good in life is to always keep your options open and that any commitment is inevitably "settling" for less than you could have tomorrow. You must reject that kind of thinking for the worldly garbage that it is. Did Jesus Christ settle for the church? No, He loved the church and gave His life as a ransom for her (Mark 10:45). Marriage is fundamentally a means to glorify and serve God, not by finding someone who will meet our needs and desires, but by giving ourselves to another for their good. So if you find yourself hesitating about committing to a godly, biblically qualified woman, then ask yourself, "Are my reasons biblical, or am I just afraid that if I commit, someone better will walk around the corner after it's too late?" Consumers are always on the lookout for something better. Christ calls us to trust Him that in finding a wife, we have found "what is good and receive favor from the Lord" (Proverbs 18:22). Marry True Beauty When You Find It Finally, the Scriptures call us to develop an attraction to true beauty. First Peter 3:3-6 describes the beautiful wife as a woman who has a gentle and quiet spirit, born out of her faith and hope in God, and displayed in her trusting submission to her husband. Men, is the presence of this kind of beauty the driving force for your sense of attraction to your girlfriend? Or have you made romantic attraction and "chemistry" the deciding issue? Now don't get me wrong. You should be physically attracted to the woman you marry. This is one of the ways marriage serves as a protection against sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 7:3-5). But we get in trouble, both in dating and in marriage, when we make physical beauty and "chemistry" the threshold issue in the decision to commit (or remain committed) to marriage. Physical beauty in a fallen world is fading and transient. What's more, the world narrowly defines beauty as the body of a teenager, and scorns the beauty of motherhood and maturity. But in which "body" is your wife going to spend most of her years with you? Personalities also change and mature, and what seems like "chemistry" when you're 22 might feel like superficial immaturity 10 years later. Even over the course of a long courtship and engagement in the prime of your youth, physical attraction and chemistry are sure to go through ups and downs. We must resist the temptation to value the wrong kind of beauty. No one lives in a perpetual state of "being in love." But in marriage, our love is called to "always protect, always trust, always hope, always persevere" (1 Corinthians 13:7). If mere worldly, physical beauty is the main thing attracting our love, then our love will prove as ephemeral as that beauty. But if we have developed an attraction to true beauty, then we have nothing to fear. Marry a vibrant growing Christian woman, and you have Christ's promise that He is committed to making her more and more beautiful, spiritually beautiful, with every passing day (Romans 8:28; Philippians 1:6). More Questions to Ask How then do you decide, in a reasonable amount of time, whether or not to marry the woman you're dating? Let me conclude with some more questions you should be asking. Generally speaking, will you be able to serve God better together than apart? Do you desire to fulfill the biblical role of a husband outlined inEphesians 5:22-33 with this specific woman? Do you want to love her sacrificially? Does this relationship spur you on in your Christian discipleship, or does it dull and distract your interest in the Lord and His people? Are you more or less eager to study God's Word, pray and give yourself in service as a result of time spent together? Do you think she will make a good discipler of your children? What do other mature Christian friends and family members say about your relationship? Do they see a relationship that is spiritually solid and God-glorifying? If you can't answer the questions at all, then you may need to spend some more time getting to know each other. But if you can answer them (and others like them) either positively or negatively, then it's time to stop test-driving the relationship and either commit to marriage or let someone else have the opportunity.

Tuhan Yesus Setia

Tuhan Yesus Setia
Dia Sahabat Kita
Dalam segala susahku
Selalu menghiburku
Dia mengerti bahasa tetesan air mata
Waktu badai mengamuk
dan gelombang menyerang
Tuhan Yesus Setia

I look to You--Whitney Houston

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Pze_mdbOK8