My Prayer

It's been a long break; but for the last month of this year, I’ve decided to post this poem I wrote when I was in high school.

O Father, guide me where You wish to lead:

The choosing of the way be of Your will;

Your guidance do I desperately need

In trav'ling straight or winding up a hill.

When rough and rugged roads dismay my soul,

When brambles clutch my gown and hold me fast,

Remind me that You have been here before,

Experienced temptation in the past.

When shady pathways murm'ring beckon me,

Then may Your hand be tighter clasped 'round mine;

Because at every crossroad I must see

Your eye that guides me and keeps me in line.

Through all my life I long to follow You;

Dear Master, lead; and help me follow through.

When I think about "Government"

bbc.com

I did not think about the government very often. Though I was thankful for the freedoms I have and the security I live in and pray for those in authority, I took many things for granted. However, several things in these past days have made me realize the great blessing God gave us when He gave us the government. On the 20th of January, Nepal was on strike. It was odd to feel the hush . . . in any other normal day, the market across the street would be a hive of activity by 3-4 AM. That day, however, people were walking and bicycling. People were leading their motorbikes in the highway, not daring to start the ignition unless they were out of the sight of the police. And ambulances! They were transporting people to and from the hospital throughout the day. That was a strange day. It was more than “strange” in Kathmandu, the capital, though. Vehicles were burned and riots broke out. Thousands of police lined the streets. . . I’m glad it wasn’t as bad here. Four days later, we had just church services. People were heading home when one of our women was hit when she was crossing the road. Accidents are not uncommon here, and the police quickly had everything under control. Before, I hadn’t really appreciated the presence of police. But when we needed help, it was quite another story, then. . . ! 1 Timothy 2 and Romans 13 are no longer mere head for me. I am thankful for the authority that God has placed over us and I will pray for the authorities. They have a hard job to do. People are quick to judge, slow to respect, and grudge gratitude. I don’t want to be one of such.

T-shirts and thoughts

“Look here — I think these kids are twins.” I looked at the photo my sister had snapped of two children. They did look alike. They were eating plums (before their mother had finished paying for them, obviously), and they were wearing similar clothes — the “I love Nepal” t-shirts that have come into fashion this summer.

It seems that people love wearing those shirts. When we are traveling, my sister and I can count “countless” people wearing those kind of shirts. In addition to “I love Nepal,” we’ve seen “I love Katmandu”, “I love Nawalparasi” (a district), and even an “I love China” — though why a Nepali would want to wear that, I do not know.

Those t-shirts are catchy — they stand out. Not because they are so strange as in the new message they are promoting in our country. If people had worn them during the civil war 10 years ago, it might have passed for sarcasm. Today, it is all the range to wear them.

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What does it mean to love your country? Is it to wear a t-shirt that says so? Or is it something more? Something more, everyone would agree. If one loves something, it is valuable to him. It means something to him. It is in his priority list.

“I regret that I have but one life to give for my country.”

Everyone knows that Nathan Hale loved his country — enough to give his life for its sake. How could he? Because his country topped his priority list.

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Leaving patriotism aside, I want to ask, what is it that you love — your country, your family, your friends, your work, your church, your God? True, God has richly given us all things to enjoy, but He has said:

“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”

— Luke 14:26

We are to love Him so that all our other loves are not to be compared to it — if compared, they could be seen as hate. Even our very own lives are we not to deem more precious as to keep it back from Him.

 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

— Matthew 16:24

Then, are we today wearing the clothes to show that we love Him — the robe of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shoes of the preparation of the gospel? Wearing them does not mean that you automatically begin to love Him (or even that you love Him at all), but it is a good indication that you do.

Have others seen you in them? The message we have of showing we are His is not popular or fashionable in this world. It stands out — in a way that people don’t want to stand out. But if we love Him, if He is our priority, if He is our treasure and inheritance, shall we not be His witnesses?

O that our hearts were ever united that we may love Him first and foremost always!

Psalm 86:11 — Musings

Copyright: Smailhodzic

“Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth; unite my heart to fear thy name” (Psalm 86:11).

I chose this verse because I want my whole life to be for Him Who loved me and gave Himself for me — and for Him only. He is the only one worthy to be Master and King of my life.

However, would it not be truthful to say that our hearts are almost always divided? There are so many things we are involved in: home and family, friends, church activities, ministry, school, music, traveling, hobbies, volunteering — the list goes on and on. It is so easy to lose sight of our priorities and idolize trivialities.

We know that God gave us responsibilities we should fulfill, talents we should invest, and opportunities we should use to the fullest. Yet, though we should know better, we soon forget the Giver and submerge ourselves only in the gifts. We fail to remember that without Him, we can have no joy and pleasure — for He is our life.

God has been and is continually teaching me the importance of placing Him first and foremost. For a true child of God, there can be no peace when an idol — however small and innocent it may seem — has been given a place in the heart. Because our Father knows our weaknesses, He has said, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). I love this poem:

Is there a thing beneath the sun
That strives with Thee my heart to share?
O tear it thence and reign alone,
The Lord of every motion there;
Then shall my heart from earth be free,
When it hath found its all in Thee.

Lord, draw my heart from earth away
And make it only know Thy call;
Speak to my inmost soul and say,
“I am thy love, thy God, thine all!”
To feel Thy power, to hear Thy voice,
To taste Thy love, be all my choice.

— Gerhard Tersteegen

Though I have often grieved my Lord, it is my prayer that I should walk before Him in all truth and sincerity to please Him as long as He should give me the time.

“Let my heart be fixed for God, and firm and faithful to him, and fervent in serving him; that is a united heart.” — Matthew Henry

25 May 2014

25 May 2014

TIME . . . DAYS, HOURS, MINUTES, SECONDS

TIME . . . DAYS, WEEKS MONTH, YEARS

Time passes so quickly. I have to think to remember where it has gone. Many times I cannot remember.

I thought that 2014 was just coming in — but 5 months are almost gone already. We Christians will have to give account to our Master.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

So where have I succeeded today? Where have I failed?

Today, I woke up late. Too late for me to be able to post the time here. Therefore, I dreamt obnoxiously silly dreams and had to remind myself of Franklin’s “He who wakes late must trot all day” with regret. However, because of everyone’s cooperation and Christ-likeness, I did not get scolded.

There were other things, today, though. Right off in the morning, I was discouraged by all the work I had to do — I made a terrible list and stared at it. It didn’t seem too bad, then. It helped me realize that I wanted to do things that I didn’t need to do and didn’t want to things I needed to do.

I found these verses in the cross-referencing while reading Jeremiah 16:17 — Jer. 32:19, Job 34:21, Prov 5:21, 15:3. The LORD God sees me, nothing is hid from His eyes. I need to walk before Him today.

I also took time to read over Life Purpose Statement (which I worked on until it was too late yesterday).

“I believe that He “Who worketh all things after the counsel of His Own will” has authored my life purpose. Since He designed my life-plan, God Himself is the One to control it and reveal it to me. My whole pursuit of God’s pre-determined purpose for my life is the result of this belief — to walk where He has before-ordained for me. I am the Master’s handmaiden — called to serve Him in any way He leads me. It is my desire to use the gifts and talents He has given me to to reach children and Christian young people of Nepal and provide them the necessary guidance, direction, and training to serve God with their lives. God has led me and I know that He will lead me all the way. Without Him, I can do nothing. I am nothing. But in Him, I shall accomplish what He wills me to. I am His.”

But the best thing I loved today was Joshua chapter one — all the wonderful promises, all the encouraging commands.

^“7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.

⁸ This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

⁹ Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.“

If I knew how, I’d have colored the words in blue and green as I did in my Bible. I love the command “neither be thou dismayed” because I was dismayed and discourage at that time.

I think I just learned something when I wrote that last sentence. I’d been wondering about how a person could love God’s commands and rejoice in them as mentioned many times in Psalm 119. I could understand that I could love His promises, but His commands? Yes, His commands!!!

¹⁶ I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

(note: statutes ~ “law” in Nepali Bible and in Strongs: “statute, ordinance, limit, enactment, something prescribed”)

³⁵ Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.

⁴⁷ And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved.

⁴⁸ My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.

Thus, in His strength I attempted to walk through the day. I know I have not attained. But I will strive.

Since it is getting somewhat late — Baba, Mommy, Sumpurna went on visitation. Upa and I stayed home. I translated 3.25 lessons of Ringu for coming Children’s Program and did the First assessment for PreCalculus (31%) and worked on completing 20 topics besides the daily cooking, cleaning, and blogging (from today on, I hope).

I enjoyed writing this post — though my eyes are somewhat disagreeing at the moment — because it was a good review for me, I learned from Psalm 119, and it was like a short study, too.

I think I have failed as yesterday in the matter of going “early to bed,” though. I will, now, right after my fexofenadine.

One ending highlight, though: I loved singing “How Great Thou Art” in harmony with my family tonight. Really and truly, He is great. I pride in nothing that I am — but in the God I am privileged to know and love and serve. Amen.