Psalms 139:16

Praise the Lord! By the grace of God, I finished my first semester today! (technically yesterday.) So I started reading Luke the other day. And the thing is, the Word of God is unlike any other book we've read or will read. It's living! It's true. Every word in here is absolute truth! But sometimes we (me) have the tendency to treat this Book as the other "stories" we read and go on with our day. But if we wait and linger upon His Word, God will speak. Ok so I'm in Luke 1:31. The account the angel, Gabriel telling this teenager of what will happen in the proceeding months, telling Mary of the plan of God to use her as a vessel in the delieverance of the world. " You will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest". So as curious as any of us are, this teenager asked the angel..how? You and I go through the toughest of times, the darkest of hours, with that...

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/13/hitchens-brothers-square-off-in-debate-over-god-in-civilization/?hpt=Mid I was reading this article. And if you have time, you should too. And something that one of the debaters said was essentially this -- because there are people in this world who pick and choose aspects of their religion, they were proving that there is not a need for God for the survival of a civilization.. and perhaps his greater point was that there is not a God. I think that to be too significant to read without evaluating it to some extent. As Christians do we pick and choose what we like and what we don't like from the Bible. Do we down play the holiness and righteousness of God so that we can be entertained and have the pleasures of this world? You see, when we "pick and choose" from God's word, when we start defining what is good and bad, holy and unholy we are discrediting the divine authorship of the Bible. By doing so, we are advocating that the...

The tug-of-war of life. I don't know much about "life". My experiences in regards to "life" is limited to 21 years, and almost all of those 21 years have been very sheltered, but I can say with certainty, life is a struggle. A sometimes painful struggle with battles left and right. From the choices we make to the relationships we find ourselves in. A fight. Whether to eat that last piece of cheesecake or not. Do this or do that. Go there or not. Life is filled with a struggle after another. Yet as a disciple of Jesus Christ we have a source of help from the struggles we face on a day to day basis. That source is Jesus Christ. Ps . 121:1-2 "I will lift up my eyes to the hills...my help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth". At any moment, we can call upon the Name of Jesus Christ and know that He hears us and He will help us, sustain us, guide us. You know, some days I feel like I've lost another battle. My distractions get the b...

I get caught in the act. In the act, the routine of going to church. reading the Bible. praying. And failing to realize that yes, God is God. But He is a God who is near. He is the living God. He is GOD, mighty and "His greatness no one can fathom". I miss the point sometimes. I fail to see the characteristics of God. [8-9a] "The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all" I forget that He is my best Friend. He is my Heavenly Father, the One that I love. He is my Savior. He is my Lord, my King. Because you see, when I fail to see His goodness and His mercy and His love towards me, I fail to respond. When I forget His character and His love, I forget to see that I have a response to that amazing love. Because, we were not called to be mere church-goers. or mere namesake " christians ". We were called to be ambassadors. Called to become part of God's everlasting kingdom. [13] Called to share to the ent...

Its been five years since I got baptized! I was 16 at the time and got baptized because I made a choice. I made a choice that I would live COMPLETELY, FULLY DEVOTED to God. So tonight I was listening to None But Jesus from Hillsong. ... When You call I won't refuse Each new day again I'll choose There is no one else of me None but Jesus Crucified to set me free Now I live to bring Him praise. ... And it hit me. My Christian walk is living out my commitment to Jesus. Every day, you and I have a choice to make and that is this: are we going to live this day for God? Am I going to walk and talk like Jesus Christ is in me? Medical school isn't only about the constant studying, its largely about if I am living out Christ's purpose for my life on a day to day basis. Simply put, is God's nature being revealed in my life? Everyday, I have a choice to make. Will I walk with God this day? Will I completely, entirely devote my day, my time, my talents, my speech, my behavio...

I held for the very first time a heart. A human heart, though no longer beating, once gave a person life. The heart, it's a beautiful thing, a significant thing. And if the organ your heart is such an important aspect of your life. Doesn't that which is contained in the heart, not anatomically speaking, matter a great deal as well? The happiness and the burdens and the worries that are all contained in this organ are important both for the well-being of the physical body and for the development of the spiritual man. That's why the great and wise King Solomon says in the Proverbs "Guard your heart". This is what I think this means: One, I don't fret about the obstacles in my day. Maybe, today didn't go as I wanted it to. But I'm going to pray and have faith that God is going to give me a better tomorrow. Two, I'm going to leave my burdens at the throne room of God. My heart is only this big, my hands are only this strong. But God has mighty arms th...

I had my first exam today. and this morning I could hardly walk. I woke up early and by about 7am, I felt really lightheaded, nauseous , and weak..I suspect a combination of stress, anxiety and a chicken salad sandwich I ate yesterday night lead to the episode. So instead of studying for the exam this morning, I spend the hours before the exam drinking tea and taking it slow. By God's grace.. By God's amazing grace, I was able to take the exam. and may it be for the glory of God... I think I'm a calm composed person. I usually have it all together and I don't usually get stressed out, but yesterday night was a different story. And I thought I'd share what God spoke to me throughout this week and especially yesterday night-- Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid nor be dismayed, for the Lord you God is with you wherever you go". Read Joshua 1: 2-9. Whatever struggles you are going through, God is with you , ...

Weekends suck. Weekends make me miss home the most. =(( But anyways, focusing on the positivies again... aw, I can't think of one now. =( I'm hungry. I missed a question on the quiz. And I have to study... Haha, ok. For those of you who actually read this. Thanks for listening. I do have something to look forward to, my brother will be coming to visit me this weekend!! and that makes me happy. =) Have a blessed weekend. Spend it with the people who matter THE MOST to you this weekend. Oh and yes, I can forsee me writing a "weekends suck" entry.....every Friday night from now on. Oh the joy.......... Sheba =)

There is a story in Psalms (Ps. 73) that seems like mine some days. Its about an invidual who looks around and sees a world in which the wicked gets rewarded. Those who don't deserved it, get it. A world similar to one you and I live in. Psalms 73:16 "When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me. [17] Until I went into the stactuary of God..." All it takes is going to God.. to understand that He is in control of our lives. Maybe its not about what is happening to so and so, maybe it's about us. Ps. 73:28 - But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Your works. I have a quiz tomorrow. Please pray. Thank you n Good night, Sheba

I might sound extremely juvenile when I confess that I miss my parents SO much right now. I went home this weekend but came back early because I have a lot of studying to get done. But I miss them. And they just left about 5 minutes ago. =/ ..this is going to be a long week.

Its one of those days, when the mirror stares blankly back at you, the feel to life is wrong, and time is not something you have. One of those days that I wish has a redo button. Maybe even a pause-lets-go-back-to-1-month-ago button, when I was sitting on my bum wishing my time away, surrounded by my family. Today, time is something that escapes me at every side and family is far. I came home after a whole day of class. Exhasted. Lonely. And I gance up to a poster I have hanging on my wall. Its a "who am I" poster that lists all the titles that I have and am in Christ Jesus. My Favorite? "I am a child of God...doing all things through Christ who gives me strength.." Some days I don't know who I am. i don't know where I fit in. I don't know what I'm doing here. When I don't have a clear definition of who and what, I know that I am a child of God. When I don't know how the world percives me, I do know how God sees me- I am His child. and He lo...

So I went home this weekend and got to attend church. And Pastor was talking about 3 promises that God gives His children. Now, if promise you something, I might not fulfill that promise. But when Jesus promises us something, we can be assured that He will fulfill that promise. So three promises that God promises us are... (1) Hebrews 13:5b "[Jesus said] I will never leave you nor forsake you." We are promised that God will never leave us. My parents are my closest friends. But their presence with me is limited. If I need something, my siblings or parents might not be there for me. My friends might not be there when I need them. But I know that God is always with me. There is not a time that you cannot approach the throne room of God. Whatever you are facing in your life, at this hour, He is there. He is there in that apartment, that room, where ever you are, to hold you and comfort you and give you deliverance from your pain or burden. (2) Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is ...

Throughout undergrad, I've always thought it was cool to be a med student. (When I was in high school, I thought it was "cool"to be in college...I'm just realizing what a dork I am, but then again, the term "cool" is relative.) But moving some distance away from home, living on my own, making my own meals, waking up on time, ect . has taught me that maybe med school isn't as cool as I thought it'd be. And then there are the classes, which they say is like drinking from a fire hose. This was our orientation week and things are already looking hectic. We had 3 (mini) lectures already! The neurology professor started with an overview that took me for a ride. As I struggled to take my illegible notes, I found myself thinking, for a split second, what am I even doing here. But I know that my life isn't about me. This course that I'm starting, is not about me. Contrary to what the people might say, it's not about what I want to accomplish.. or ...

I just got my new email id for my doctoral studies!! And I'm uber excited! (yes, UBER!) edit: I'm a big fan of Chuck (a show on NBC) and on an interview with the lead actor - Zachary Levi- He says this about what advice he would give to those in the acting business: "The first advice that I would give is to really spend time in prayer to make sure that this is exactly what God wants you to be doing and not just something that you really feel like you should be doing. Many times I have come home from a really devastating audition, and I’d be really thoroughly depressed because it was a role that I really was hoping for. I realized how crucial having a walk with God was because I could turn around and say, “It didn’t happen, but obviously it wasn’t God’s will.” People who don’t have God in their lives only have themselves to blame. So they look back at the audition and they say, “I didn’t do a good enough job.” But so often it has nothing to do with how good you did in the a...

I was just looking at my email inbox, filled with all kinds of mail: coupons from Bath and Body and Express and other stores I rarely shop at, junk mail from college, updates from church, old fb comments ect. And amid all those, is a particular email. Its the one that confirms my admission. When I first found out that I got in, after checking the email and jumping for joy in all the mix, I had to go back and check and make sure I wasn't just dreaming it all. For days after actually, I kept going back and making sure. And today, I went back, and checked. Just for old time sake, just to make sure that it's still there, that it's still true. I opened it up and all I could think is- I never thought I'd see the day . Because aside from all the anticipation and all the commotion of an acceptance, my heart was longing to see the day God would fulfilled a promise to me. When I graduated from high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. No idea. So, I started to ...

Good Friday. It didn't seem to be a good day at all, that Friday 2000 years ago in Jerusalem, Israel. There upon the cross on a Friday afternoon He hangs. Lifeless. And Dead. Jesus, the Christ, they'd been following, learning from, hangs in shame, displayed for the world to see. Lifeless and limp they wrap the body of the Son of God in linens and lay their Lord in a borrowed grave. How many times have we stood in the place of the disciples. The hope, the promises, the life we once saw and held on to, now feels so lifeless and dead. What was once our hope and happiness, have become our sorrow... Yet, the story here doesn't end with a Friday afternoon tragedy. In fact, the seeming tragedy is the Christian's greatest triumph. You see, on that Friday, Jesus, the Lion of Judah crushed the head of that cunning satan. Because, Jesus, the Son of God, with every drop of blood, cleansed mankind from sin and its devilish condemnation of you and me. On that Friday Jesus became th...

In Numbers 22 we read that there arose a king- Balak- who felt threatened by the people of God. So he asked a prophet-Balaam- to curse God's special people. The story goes that even after the king, Balak, sent many prestigous people with lots of big, bulging bags filled with wealth to try to convince Balaam to curse God's people, Balaam wouldn't budge-God had told the prophet that they were a people who God was going to bless, no matter who stood against them. After the second attempt, we read that God told Balaam to "arise and go with them, but only the word which I speak to you- that you shall do" (Num. 22:20) So Balaam gets up and goes. However, in the very next verse it says "God's anger was aroused" against Balaam. God sent an angel to blockade his path. When finally God open his eyes, God says to him "I have come out to stand against you because your way is perverse" (Num. 22:32) Wait. What? Didn't God tell Balaam to go? Wasn...

The Bible talks about these heroes of faith. those who succeed time and time again in standing up, speaking out about this faith we called so casually "Christianity". I've been brought up going to one church service to another. And some days, I get callous. My heart is hard. And I forget what Uzziah also failed to remember -- that I worship a Living and Almighty God. Christ died. Christ rose again in 3 days. Blood stained a cross on Calvary. The tomb, where Jesus Christ once laid is empty today. I don't live for an ideology. A philosophy. A tradition. A religion. I live for a Living and Almighty God. Hebrews 11 speaks of an Abel who gave God a sacrifice. And his worship to God cost him his life. Though dead, he speaks. Enoch walked. This guy walked with God when everyone else walked and talked about what happened on such and such show this week. how so and so's hair looks. this and that. But Enoch walked with God. Then there's the famous Abraham. Abraham mad...

2009 is no more. '09 started out so hard. And its ended with God showing us just how powerful and mighty He truly is. So, when we saw the grace and the deliverance of God, we are like men who dream. "When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them who dreamed " (Ps. 126:1) So, what then will be my resolution of 2010. I saw the faithfulness of God in my life, and I want to be faithful to the calling He has called me to. I want to read the Bible more and pray more. Regradless of what I do or do not do in church or anyother activities, this year is gonna be about God. And my relationship with God. And you friend, I hope you make decisions this year too. Goals that we'll live by.