.:: All of me just for Him ::.

First of all, happy new year everyone!

Before I moved on, I just wanted to jot down a few rantings on how noisy yesterday was around my house.  I couldn’t sleep a wink until about 1:30AM because somewhere close to my house people appeared to be having fun with fireworks.  BOOM, BOOM, BOOM…again and again…*sigh…I know it’s new year and all but didn’t they realise that some people needed to sleep!

Anyway, aside from all my rantings…let’s think about this new year.  2009 would be a difficult year, many people are predicting, especially in regards of the world economy and stability.  In my own country, there will be a presidential election and from past experiences pre and post-presidential election are not good times to be around.  And this year it will be more than 10 years after the May 1998 riot and the past pattern seemed to show that in every 10 years time there were chaos victimising Chinese Indonesians.  So 2009 doesn’t look very promising nationally and internationally, does it?

However, while the future seems so bleak, I would like to come back to my family’s quiet time yesterday.  My father was reading from some parts of Genesis, looking at Abraham’s life.  It is shown in those parts of Genesis that throughout Abraham’s life, God gave him a lot of promises.  “I will make you into a great nation”, “I will bless you”, “I will make your name great”…(Gen 12:1)…and throughout Genesis we can find lots of  “will”, “will” and “will”.  Lots of promises and no evidence of it happening soon!  Abraham was blessed with Isaac not 2, 3 years after the promise, but about 25 years afterwards!  And moreover, for most of the promises, Abraham didn’t even live to see them (e.g. Gen 15:5; Gen 17:6,8).

But regardless of it all, Abraham put his trust in God!  So God counted it as righteousness.

“Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”

–Gen 15: 6

Let us learn from Abraham’s faith in God, who knew nothing of what would befall him but followed God’s orders regardless.

We don’t know what the future holds, but we can trust The One who holds the future.

- Our Daily Bread

May all of us have a blessed and faithful New Year.  God bless.

In about 3 more hours 2008 will pass…well, it is still another day in some parts of the world but in where I am now soon I will be facing a new year.

So, before I start rambling about what I will be doing in 2009 tomorrow I shall start by doing a bit of reflection on the year 2008.  2008…what a year.  So many things happened in the year: the drama of U.S. Presidential Election, Heath Ledger’s death, the downfall of the world economy, the bizzare wheather in Melbourne where I was spending most of my time this year…and so many other things.

But for me personally this year has been a year of blessings.  I, for the first time in my life, was placed in a church where I belong, where I do not just receive but can also contribute.  Probably that is the first thing that I am so thankful about to Him this year.  Not just a church, but new friends, new community, a new cell group, and spiritual growth – which although slow but is present.

Another thing would be about my living arrangement in Melbourne, I had to move out earlier this year but I managed to get a good place and up till now am still living there (I’m hoping that I can stay there for another year).  What’s more is that, despite all troubles with my studies (mostly caused by my laziness, I shamely have to admit), I could still pass all my subject (aside from the one subject that I have to withdraw from because of the timetable thingy).  And me getting a job at a good place, and me getting to spend more time with my parents this year because of my dad’s Sabbatical semester (which he used partly to visit us in Melbourne).  And also, I’m very thankful for another year of health, more-than-enough living, and most of all the presence and health of my parents and brothers, and all my relatives.

So many things I was blessed with this year, and I can’t credit it to anyone else but Him.

Of course it hasn’t been an easy year.  I have a year of downfall in my study (which I am now so ashamed of), a year of up and down in my spirituality growth, a heartbreak, etc.  But through it all, I am mostly glad of the chance that He still has given me: another year of life, full of love, family and friends.  When I reflected back to all the things that He has allowed to happen in my life this year, I can’t help but to be amazed by how wonderful His love and works are on me.

Now, now, let me get away from my computer for a while to think and start making a list of resolutions that I can keep for 2009.