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[Nov. 21st, 2009|10:25 pm] |
In the olden days, a man, standing in the control station at that junction, will be responsible for alerting the train operator when the railway trains needed to change tracks. When night falls and visibility is poor, he alerts the train operator by swinging a lighted lamp. One night, at the junction, a train was supposed to change tracks, but it didn't, causing the train to derail. This catastrophe resulted in the deaths of everybody on the train. The only one who survived the wreck, and also the only witness alive, was the man responsible for alerting the train operator. After that incident, that man was put on trial. The judge asked him several questions, but there was one that was repeated many times. Did he swing the lamp? Every time he was asked that question, he would place his hand on the bible and answer, yes. In the end, he was acquitted as there were neither witnesses nor sufficient evidence against him. We'd think that he would be delighted at the verdict, but alas, he appeared crestfallen. As he was walking out of the courtroom, his friend went up to him and questioned his reaction to the verdict, stating that he SHOULD be happy. The man simply shrugged it off and carried on walking out of the courtroom. His friend then asked, "But why? You swung the lamp, didn't you? Did you?" To that, the man responded, "I did swing the lamp, the problem is, I was afraid the judge will question if the lamp was lit. I was asleep before the train approached. I only woke up upon hearing the the sound of the approaching train. It was approaching fast and I was panicking. I hurriedly picked up the lamp and started swinging frantically. It was only when the train was at the junction did I realise the lamp wasn't lit."
This was shared at the day of prayer today. Now, I'm sure we'll all laugh at the ending, I know I did, so did most of us at the meeting, but behind that twist was a very simple message. Sure, the man did his job by swinging the lamp, but what he didn't know was that the fire in the lamp had already died and all he was doing was going through the motion as a station controller. As christians, there is no doubt that we do try to spread the gospel, that we try to do that which is pleasing in His eyes. Yet, when we do all that, have we truly looked into the intentions of these actions that we are so faithfully doing every single day? Are we doing it because we really love Him and that we want to grow deeper into this relationship with Him, or are we doing it because we feel that as christians, we are duty bound to serve so that in the eyes of others, it seems like we're doing the 'correct' thing. Along the way, has our fire and passion for Him been extinguished by the passing wind, causing us to be empty vessels, simply going through the motion of what we think needs to be done? Are we swinging an unlit lamp?
I probably didn't manage to express it as well as Pastor Khai did (well, actually, I would think this is a really bad version of it) but I thought of sharing it because the reality of it all really got me thinking. Well, I just pray that for those whose fire is still burning brightly, keep it that way! For those who aren't feeling the same way, I can only pray that God will help you discover what's wrong, relight that flame in you and draw you back to him.
It was a really good session today, thank God I attended today's day of prayer. I almost didn't go for it, but in the end, I had this nagging feeling that told me that I HAD to attend it. Okay, anyway, this is just something for y'all to chew on. (:
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| Kunfuzed |
[Nov. 18th, 2009|02:25 am] |
I've so many things running through my mind now so I guess it'd be good to pen it down. Or rather write it down. Tonight's been quite an eventful night. It just triggered quite a lot of thoughts. Like what I really wanna do with my life and what the future holds that kinda wierd stuff, but yea, what do I really wanna do with my life? I realised that all this while I've been living a life for other people. It has always been either what they want me to do or what I should do to leave a good impression on people, to make them like me. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I do not enjoy the things that I have done all this while, but the starting point has always been wrong. I'm 20 now and I'm not getting younger. I guess it's time to do what I really feel like doing, without having to bother about the thoughts and opinions of other people. More importantly, it's time to do what God wants me to do with my life, without having to bother about the thoughts and opinions of other people. |
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