SERVING WITH A SERVANT’S HEART

Prologue:

There was a time when I just returned home from church. Our topic was about End Time Update and how we should serve God and preach the Gospel in this short time. On my way walking, I kept thinking about what the preacher said. I kept repeating this sentence in my heart. “I want to serve you God, but I don’t know how.” Because, I thought, I couldn't sing. I couldn't preach, I couldn't play music instrument, I couldn't serve Him the way other people serve at church. I said in my heart, “Please show me the way I can serve You.”

Time goes by and I learn that serving doesn't always to be at church only. God gives us different talent and intelligence. For example, there are people with musical talent. They serve God by singing and playing music instrument, composing songs that touch hearts and change people’s lives. There are people with teaching talent. They can teach and explain well so that people may understand easily. They can answer questions in simple and good explanation. There are people who are good at public speaking. So they deliver the gospel orally. There are people who are good at writing. They tell something, share something, in written work. There are people who are good at designing and painting, and they share the good news visually. Why we need many ways to preach gospel? It's because people who receive the good news have different kind of intelligence and preference. There are people who can understand something easily when they listen and it’s explained directly to them. There people who understand more through visual explanation. There are people who absorb more when they read those words repeatedly.

Above all talents, there is one that we all have and we all can do. It’s serving by praying. It doesn’t need any special talent. It just takes the willingness to spare our time. It just needs a sincere heart to bless other people. That’s why our chance to preach the Gospel is so much! I believe that God has entrusted each of us with amazing talent. It may be different but it’s as important as others. Writing is different from singing. When you are singing, maybe you can see the direct effect. We can see who are blessed by our service. Meanwhile, when we write we don’t know who read our writing. We don’t know who are blessed. But they are all important in God’s eyes. God wants us to reach people through many ways. That’s why He gives us different talents.

Now, talking about the kind of serving that we all can do as I mentioned above, praying. It’s really important and it may change lives without we realizing it. However, we may not be able to see the direct change. We may never get the feedback since the person we pray for may not know that we pray for him or her. We may never get a thank you. But it doesn't make praying less important that other kinds of service, right? And no matter how amazing our talent is, or how wonderfully we are preaching His words, all start from our prayer and sincere heart.

I believe each of us gets the calling to serve. Know our talent and work out our strength to make the most out of it for the glory of our King. It can happen at church, at school, at your workplace, on the street, market, public places, anywhere. Spread the words that Jesus Christ died for our sin and has risen up. Tell people that God is love and what our marvelous Father has done because of His love for us. Help people in their lowest point by encouraging words and prayer. As Chesterton said, love the unlovable, pardon the unpardonable. Pray for people we meet. Pray for our families and friends who haven’t known Jesus. We all can serve. Simple things in our daily life will do, like sharing Bible verses on Facebook, Twitter, BBM, sharing videos, songs, pictures that can bless people. One more important thing, serve with a servant’s heart just like Jesus. Leave our arrogance, our pride, our own self-recognition. No matter how great our talent is, we should always serve with a servant’s heart. Happy serving!

P.S. Please note that we should be thoughtful and considerate in spreading gospel. Ask wisdom from God and pray before we do something that we may think right because without His wisdom it may turn out to be disaster. For example when someone is emotional and that person doesn't even ask your opinion, you suddenly pop up and say, “It’s your own fault because Bible said blah blah blah. You should repent to Jesus.” Well. No matter how true the verse is, you will be just a stumbling stone for that person and you can send the wrong message. Please remember that truth should be spoken at the right time and by the right person, too. Don’t be confused about “right person”. I mean, yes we all should share about the words of God. However please imagine this. How will you react when someone says, “Don’t complain blah blah blah” while that person always complain all the time. Got it? That’s what I mean by being considerate and thoughtful. ^^

Epilogue:

After that I-want-to-serve-you-God-but-I-don’t-know-how-thought, now I have found that I love to serve by writing. It doesn't mean that I just choose one and I ignore others like speaking and praying. But I focus more on what I can do now and it is writing. I think writing and speaking are related (no need to mention praying, it’s like ABSOLUTELY OF COURSE! ^^), we can see Nick Vujicic, he is a public speaker but then he writes a book, too (and it blesses me so much!). We also have a writer like Grace Suryani who then holds a talk show or preaches too. I want it too, one of my dreams is to publish a book that can bless many people, and preach in front of them. So besides knowing and learning more about what’s in my God’s heart, I need to improve my public speaking skill! Let’s do our best and God will take care of the rest! 

 

Love the way Jesus loves, serve the way Jesus serves.

A LETTER FOR GIRLS

Dear Girls,

There are two kinds of men: Godly men, and worldly men.
What kind of man do you want?
I’m betting most of you said “a Godly man.”
Someday, you want to marry a man who loves God with every fiber of his being
because he will be an excellent husband and father.
He will honor and be true only to you.
Most women want a Godly man or at least think they do.
Well, I think I have found a way to tell you exactly what kind of guy you will get.
I don’t even have to know you! All I have to do is look at you.
The kind of guy you want or will get is advertised by the clothing you wear.
I know what men want.
Trust me, I am a guy. I know more guys than you do and I know them better.
I know what we think, what we talk about, what we want, and what we look for,
and it is different for each one of us depending on our relationship with God.
I’m sure you already know this, but men were created differently than you.
We have different desires and priorities.
Our eyes and minds react very differently to some things than yours do.
It isn’t disgusting, perverted, or wrong; it is wonderful and good!
It is how God made us. It’s how we handle these differences that separate a Godly man from a worldly man.

A worldly man doesn’t control himself, rather, he looks at anything that attracts his attention or gets him excited. A worldly guy has no problem when girls wear clothes that show off skin, like boxers, high or low-cut shirts, low-rise jeans, and “cute” little swim-suits.
He’s a fan of tight-fitting shirts and pants that show off your form, he thinks they’re fine! Worldly guy watches a lot of TV and R-rated movies, isn’t really offended by sexual content or nudity and secretly dabbles in pornography. He’s a “Christian” and makes up a significant portion of your church and youth group. He’s a really nice guy and sees you mainly for your body. If you were to marry worldly guy, he’d bring lots of baggage into the relationship, have intimacy problems, entertain thoughts of other women, and possibly cheat on you.

A Godly man is in control of his drives and desires.
He constantly seeks God and reads his Bible.
He “walks in the Spirit” and isn’t set off by everything he sees.
When immodestly-dressed girls, magazine covers, or risqué advertisements come into view, Godly guy quickly “bounces his eyes” away from the image.
He’s constantly guarding his thoughts and what he allows into his mind.
He hates being around girls that disrespect him and his struggles by wearing inappropriate attire.
Godly guy doesn’t watch much TV and is selective about the movies he sees.
He views you as a person, knows you and respects you.
He has your best interests in mind and guards against inappropriate thoughts of you.
If you were to marry Godly guy, he would give you the emotional attention you need,
he would ignore other women and remain faithful to you no matter what.

Unfortunately, there are more worldly men than Godly men.
And to make matters worse, to the untrained eye, a worldly man can look a lot like a Godly man.
So what can you do to only attract a Godly man?
An important way of delineating between them lies in how you dress.
As mentioned before, the clothes you wear advertise what kind of guy you are looking for.
If you dress immodestly, you will attract worldly guys and scare away the Godly ones.
It all comes down to the kind of man you want to spend your time around and eventually marry.
You cannot afford to be complacent in this area of your life!
You will pay the price someday.

This issue isn’t limited strictly to you and your future relationship.
The way you dress directly affects other men and women and their relationships.
You don’t see the struggles, the pain, the tears and the sin that you cause, but I can promise that you would be shocked if you did!
Ask any Christian young man; we’ve all seen it. It’s kept hidden but it is definitely there.
By dressing immodestly, you effectually spit on the struggles of our weaker ranks, appearing to care more about toying with us than helping us.
You’ll never know how many broken relationships and lifestyles of sin you’ve contributed to simply by the way you dress.
You want to marry a Godly man someday, well so do many other women.
Don’t just help yourself and your future, help all women and their relationships by showing discretion in your dress.

Of course, I understand the desire to look stylish, attractive, and “cute.”
It’s important to fit in and get attention. Trust me, it can be done modestly!
I also understand that it is easier for some girls to find stylish and well-fitting clothes than it is for others.
This is an area where guys really don’t understand what you are up against.
But just remember, for every sacrifice you make to honor God with your image, Godly men are making sacrifices in their lives that are just as hard, if not harder!
They will and do respect you so much for choosing to be modest!
A real lady is conscientious of the image she presents, and real men want a real lady.
And you can forget about any guys missing out on how attractive you are because you don’t wear revealing clothing.
You could wear a circus tent and we would still know; it’s a gift we have.

And so the question still remains: 

What kind of man do you want?
Answer me with your clothes.

Credit: Posted by Annawood

Got this from a blog "Committed to Love"

NO NEED TO WORRY MY DAUGHTER

As usual, got extremely blessed by Pastor Adrian Rogers from Love Worth Finding Ministries. So I was feeling like a walking dead this week, waiting for the email that hasn't or maybe won't come. Clueless for the future, no spirit at all to work, just like a daily routine with no passion inside. Even finding my self hard to pray as if I felt numb and passionless when trying to communicate with my Father. Fear and anxiety had been my companions days ago, when everything seemed so hopeless and dark. My head kept saying that what I want is what I need. I will be happy if I get that and I will be sad if I don't. Will God give it to me or not? How if not? It's so hard to learn that it's not my will, but His. That I should focus on Him instead of that thing. And He sent me this on the same day:

Just Keep Praying.  

"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Romans 8:26.   

There's an old song with the refrain "Just keep on praying 'til light breaks through." When You don't feel like praying, that's when you need to. You need to pray until you do feel like praying. You see, you're not praying by yourself. The Spirit is praying through you and for you, helping to present your petitions to the Father -- petitions that perhaps you yourself are not even capable of expressing. Do not approach God with your hands full of the brass of your emotions. Rather, approach Him with hands and heart full of the sweet incense of His worth. Just keep praying. 

How's your prayer life? Do you say grace before meals and squeeze in a quick prayer before you drop off to sleep each night? Take some time today to talk to the Lord. 

True Joy and Peace Come from the Lord Alone. 

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." Isaiah 26:3. 

You may admit that God is necessary, but do you honestly know that God is enough and that He is, in fact, more than enough? To find out if God is enough for you, let me ask you a couple of questions. Where do you obtain your joy? Is it from the Lord or from somewhere else? If your joy is from your health and it goes, then your joy will fly out the window. 

Many a believer has lost his health, his business, his family, his reputation, but has still maintained his joy because the source of genuine contentment and peace is in God. Indeed, one may not know that God is enough until God is all one has.

Well that's true. I learn that my source of joy should be Him instead of my achievement, my dream-come-true, my pride, and so on. That's what will keep me happy and joyful. Something that can't be taken away, something that I will always receive. Something that is always sufficient for me. His Grace, He and He alone.

A QUICK GETAWAY

November 11, 2012: 

As the islands of gods, a lot of people want to come here, including my workmates. Some of them have ever gone to Bali, some of them have not. They also plan a trip to Lombok too on this long weekend. The thing is, although they ask me to join them, I don't plan to go, because:

1. I have gone to Bali for 3 times
2. Tickets are expensive on long weekend
3. It's only 3 days, not long enough 

Now, I am preparing and counting down to the day, too, sharing the excitement with them, because apparently one of my workmates can't go. She has work to do and she has to let her tickets completely used up. The tickets worth 1,2 million rupiah and it's really wasteful if we let it used up like that, so I take it. Hehe. Other workmates ask me to take it, too, and I asked the ticket owner. She said, "Yeah, take it. Moreover, take it as a gift because I ever lied to you that I moved to Japan." So the story is like this, she ever played on me and I was tricked for months believing that she really went to Japan. Hahaha if every time people lie to me they give me free tickets, you may lie to me as much as you want.

So in brief, I will go to Bali and Lombok without paying the round-trip ticket! Can't wait, 3 days to go! Gonna share the story and photos of this quick getaway soon!

November 24, 2012:

Finally weekend! Been so busy through the week, at last now I have some leisure time to post this. Since what I'm going to tell is in the past, I should use Past Tense! Oh dang. Hehe. Okay here it is, let's have a flashback:

November 14, 2012:

Packing in the morning since on the day before, my friend from Kediri came and I arrived home late at night. Then I went to the office, tried to do what I needed to do, but no longer concentrated. At 12.00 the four of us went to the airport by taxi and met the rest two there. Our flight was actually at 5. Haha. Then it was delayed, too, so we arrived at Bali at 9 p.m. local time. We just ate KFC at the airport because we were so hungry that we could eat dinosaurs! One of my friends said, "I don't feel like we are in Bali now. It just feels like we are in Jakarta, having dinner together after work." Well yes, since we were eating KFC like in Jakarta, and the people were  same: Mala, Cilla, Anet, Ocha, Tyas, and Me. Our conversation were same too, the usual topic about office.  Plus it's night already so we could see nothing so "Bali" there. So the real adventure started tomorrow.

November 15, 2012:

Woke up and prepared to be picked up at 7 a.m. An ELF car took us to Padang Bay where we would ride the speedboat to Gili Trawangan. There were already 6 foreigners there. Me, Cilla, Tyas, and Mala sat on the back seat while Anet & Ocha were in the front. After some time, suddenly we heard Bon Jovi's song was played in the car. Cilla immediately told me in smirk, "This must be Anet who chooses the song!" Haha and yes, we could hear them giggling in the front.

Arrived at Padang Bay, there was a sweet girl wearing purple shirt offered people to buy drink and snack. Me and Cilla called her because we wanted to buy mineral water. That sweet girll said, "Oh you are Indonesian? I thought you are tourist from overseas."Then Cilla took a small bottle and asked, "How much?" and she answered, "Rp. 5.000,-" Okay, Cilla paid. After that Tyas said, "Why don't you buy the bigger one since we will be thirsty on the boat." Cilla and me didn't see that there's a bigger bottle. Apparently there's a woman selling it. We called that woman. "How much that one?" we asked. That woman said, "Rp. 5.000,-" We said, "No, that big bottle." And that woman said, "Yes, Rp. 5.000,-" HAHA. So we bought it while laughing seeing Cilla's face.

Our ferriage was smooth and I felt asleep for a while. We arrived at Gili Trawangan at 11 a.m. and it was very very very hot there! We checked in to Pondok Sederhana (or in English a super duper Simple Cottage haha) and our bedrooms had no AC. Couldn't stand this hot weather any longer, we looked for the nearest food stall to drink and we found Warung Indonesia. We drank 2 big glasses of sweet ice tea each person!

After resting for a while from this super killing sun, we immediately headed to beach again for island hopping. Rented bicycle is Rp. 35.000,-/24 hours per person. Rented boat plus 2 guides and snorkels and life jackets is Rp. 800.000,- for 6 of us.

Our first destination is Gili Meno Island. I tried snorkeling for the first time of my life there. I was so scared although I wore my life jacket haha. I just held onto the boat and didn't want to release it. My friends laughed so hard at me and even captured that moment of embarrassment  Thanks God the guide was so patient and great in teaching me that I finally did it! So much fun!

After that we went to Gili Air, the pretty island with so many fishes. We bought biscuit so that the fish would come and surround us. Unfortunately, the sky was dark and we could hear thunder! So we had to return soon because of the high tide as well. We agreed if next time we go there again we will stay in Gili Air, it's less crowded hehe.

Before returning to our cottage, Anet, Ocha, and Mala wanted to buy dresses. I, Cilla, and Tyas had brought our own thought. What's shocking was the three of them bought the same dresses, just in different colors. They were really suitable for singing, "Mama yu kero Mama yu kero" performed by Dono, Kasino, Indro! Hahaha. Eh, and we had some trouble with our bikes. We couldn't open the locks which used codes. Actually the owner had explained to us but we didn't really take it seriously since it's too hot! So we paid what we had done. Haha. Many people came to help us and finally the codes were solved and we could go home.

After bathing, we wore the dresses and headed to Villa Ombak on the right side of our cottage. What a beautiful place! It's so romantic and calm and pretty. We really loved it. Snapped some photos and relaxed before looking for dinner. The restaurant were super duper slow! We almost died in hunger. There's a funny thing. So, Anet's food had come and we could see that what's supposed to be steak looked more like "Semur" (Indonesian traditional food, watery) and one of us said, "It's weird to see you eat french fries with Semur. Why don't you order rice?" And Anet said in sadness, "I thought steak and rice don't match, that's why I ordered french fries. But now after the steak (weird steak that looked and tasted like Semur) comes, it doesn't match with french fries." Hoahaha. I couldn't stop laughing.

November 16, 2012:

Fast forward to the next morning, I didn't catch the sunrise but my friend did! After that we planned to bike around the island, but we didn't bring water. We thought we could buy but apparently the shop hadn't opened yet. I couldn't tell you and you wouldn't imagine how it felt to bike around that not-so-small island without water and the road was terrible. It's like, road, sand, road, sand, road, sand, and so on. So we couldn't keep pedaling on sand and instead, we should walk with our bikes. After we saw Villa Ombak, which meant we were near to the cottage, we were so happy like heaven! As usual, drank 2 glasses of sweet ice tea! We also got breakfast from Pondok Sederhana, like omelette or pancake. One person only needed to pay Rp. 50.000,- per night.

Due to the tight deadline, we packed again because at 11.00 a.m. we got to return to Bali. However, there's a problem when the speedboat agent made mistake and we should took another speedboat, not the one we used to come here. That speedboat was longer-shaped and it caused in some rumble-tumble on the sea. Me and Cilla were screaming in silence and Mala laughed so hard at us! Haha.

Safely arrived at Padang Bay, Bali, we were picked up by Bli Made. Heading to Bebek Bengil Ubud to have lunch and because of the traffic jam we just arrived at 3 p.m. Oh Bali, your traffic jam was not much different from Jakarta. Eating like crazy with chili and yummy ducky.

In the evening, we went to KU.DE.TA to catch and sunset and snap some photos. Well it turned out to be amazing since we had this legendary photo: The Sun Dancing.

If Anet called her jump as the Sun Dancing, I called mine the Sea Dancing. Ocha's jump is X Factor Dancing. Hehe.

At night, we walked along Legian Street and Kuta and it's so tiring. Remembering that we had had our bodies broken because of snorkeling and biking, my butt felt so hurt! Hehe.

November 17, 2012:

Last day, bought Milk Pie and went to Krisna and Joger for shopping. We had our lunch in Babi Guling Bu Oka and Ayam Betutu. Super HOT chicken but you should try it! Then we went to airport again to fly back to Jakarta. Delay again, approximately 20 minutes. Safely landed in Soekarno Hatta International Airport at 6 p.m. Returning from a quick getaway with so many memory and photos scandal. Missing Dogai and my mom so much. Hehe. See you on the next trip!