Anyway, today i read Isaiah 52-53, which is the climax of Isaiah, talking about Jesus' mission on earth. I'm so thankful for the reminder once again of what He went through, all for the sake of love. It felt a little like the first time i took holy communion, like there was this warm feeling in my heart because of the assurance that all my sins are forgiven, and that nothing that i can ever have in this world can compare to the privilege of knowing Him as my Savior! (:

This perspective that i felt today somehow manages to make all the problems that i face seem so small/ weightless. i then had a revelation, that the way i have been looking at life is wrong! i guess it is counter-intuitive to what we as human beings would think. I always feel a little skeptical when people say to "glorify God with your studies/work". But now i think i know what it means! I think what non-christians will see is how you dealt with your difficult situations with much peace and patience, rather than the post that you put on your facebook wall saying: "All glory goes to God for my A+!". So we as Christian students are not called to be the top of our class so that God's name is glorified, because it will often be seen by non-Christians as our OWN name being glorified (i'm not denying that God has given us our abilities, or saying that God did not enable us to get that A.) But if you get an A, the reason non-Christians are going to give is that it is probably because you worked hard. But when they see that even despite being in a terrible situation, the Christian does not despair/ worry, because this world is not his home and his worth is not in what he owns! The Christian does not get short tempered when he is agitated in stressful times. Only then can non-Christians see that something amazing is working in that Christian's life! Like what 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 & 16-18 says:

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in our bodies the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies... So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

This reminds me of a particular part of the song "In Christ alone will I glory". It says:

And to count my gains but losses,

to the glory of my Lord.

We always talk about gains and losses in the Bible, so i often sung this part of the song without thinking much. but when i was choosing songs for worship, it occurred to me that what this part of the song means is slightly different from the conventional meaning. It says that whenever I glory in myself, I take away the glory which is meant for God!

so yeah, its was a reminder that it is costly to be a Christian at ALL TIMES, but it is not something that i can afford not to be. we must glorify God wherever we are in life! no excuses jamie!!!