The Way of Love

I posted this exact same thing on my tumblog a couple of months ago.. and am feeling like wanna post it on my blogspot page as well. This is called..The Way of Love

I love how The Message translated 1 Corinthians 13. I opine this is the best translation of this verse. Moreover, it helps me dive deeper into what’s behind these powerful awesome verse which leads me on the thought to post this that you may also being reminded as well as blessed by reading it through.. :)

1 Corinthians 13

The Way of Love

 ¹ If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. ²If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. ^3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. 

   Love never gives up. 

   Love cares more for others than for self. 

   Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. 

   Love doesn’t strut, 

   Doesn’t have a swelled head, 

   Doesn’t force itself on others, 

   Isn’t always “me first,” 

   Doesn’t fly off the handle, 

   Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, 

   Doesn’t revel when others grovel, 

   Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, 

   Puts up with anything, 

   Trusts God always, 

   Always looks for the best, 

   Never looks back, 

   But keeps going to the end.

 ^8-10Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

 ¹¹When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

 ¹²We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

 ¹³But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

Be blessed,

- claya

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

20. GRADUATE. CUM LAUDE.

            There’s nothing more I could ask of God this very moment of my life.  I’m still twenty yet I already graduated from uni after 3.8 months studying – travelling – studying. haha J Not to mention, the predicate as best graduate with the not-so-cool souvenir (anyway.. thanks for you my beloved dean :D).  Really, God has been beyond good to me. :D

            I remember the time after I leave high school and was planning to study Visual Communication Design in Bandung. It was neatly planned by me. I already rent a house together with my best friend who is going to study in the same uni with me.. and at the end of the day I have to be grateful with the fact that my parents want me to study in Sam Ratulangi University (Unsrat) for some reason. Yet, after all that’s turned out, I thank God for makin His will be done.

 Tbh, I have no idea why I end up studying English literature after studying Science for 2 years in High School.  Hmm, probably, I should say “it’s fate..”. See, man can only plan but God is the One who directs our steps (Psalm).  Well, despite all my reluctance at first, I know God has divine plan for me.. and I start to see it in my first year of study. I kept it in mind how God open the way that I could be able to join my first competition in uni. It was a national level comp. which took place in Jakarta. A Maengket Dance Comp. to be precise :P . Our team won the 3^rd place. In academic, I remember my first competition was 13^th ALSA E-Comp UI and just right after that I started to participate in debate competition, news casting competition, essay competition, mun, and even pageant ( >3<). Sorta funny yet exciting to recall those moments in mind. How I started with a willy nilly attitude and end with ‘what more can I join’ attitude. I realized that I’m transforming as an achiever at present.

In a nutshell, I thank God for every GREAT prophecy, sermon, and words of encouragement that has been spoken over my life by His servants (regarding my study) which I sometime didn't have enuf confidence to believe (and yet which have been proven time to be true). I believe that God has prepare something BIGGER, BETTER, and way more epic than what I could pray or imagine for my future. I may not see the whole staircase but I do believe it’ll lead me to such an incredible place.

Yesss, this season of my life may seem to come to an end but mann, I’m an insatiable learner. I won’t be contented with what I’ve come to learn so far. I’ll keep on studying things (good for me,huh?).

Blessing,

- Claya

One of the greatest feelings ever. Knowing that, you’re so tired, yet it was all worth it, because your day was just completely amazing. You’re content, and satisfied with how the day treated you or I could say, how life treated you. :)

Use Me

This is one of the song that I started to sing wholeheartedly since the time I graduated from high school. Sincerely, I want to be used by God. I want Him to use all my creativity, my brain, my everything.. Not literally means that I want to be a full-timer in church, evangelist or what. I simply want all of my being will bring praise to Him (whether ppl applaud me or not).

If You can use anything Lord, You can use me(2x).

Take my hands Lord and my feet,

touch my heart Lord and speak through me.

If You can use anything Lord, You can use me.

I remember a story in the Bible days,

You used a man called Moses with a rod in his hand.

You told Moses, Take the rod in your hand,

stretch it forth and walk on dry land;

if You can use anything Lord, You can use me.

I remember a story, 

I remember it well,

You used a shepherd boy, David, 

with a sling in his hand. 

He took the rock with the sling in his hand,

he slung the rock and the giant fell dead;

if You can use anything Lord, please use me.

You can use anything that You want to use,

big or small, short or tall, 

You just call and we'll come running.

You took two fishes and five loaves of bread,

five thousand people you fed;

If You can use anything Lord, You can use me.

Songwriters: LEO, PHILLIP / LEWIS, C. J.

Blessings,

-claya :)

love statement

This what I believe in.. speaking abt love.

Run for God

Run for your future

If you see someone run along with you,

He got the 'potential'. :)

i need more sleep

Got soo busy this week..

Even busier once I knew I have to off somewhere at the beginning of next month when in the interim, I have to finish my thesis earlier since they changed the deadline of thesis defense into May 4. I couldn’t imagine how I can bear this. Bearing in mind that I also have to give lesson to Student Ambassador 2012 before they compete in the National level, as well, I need to accompany Michelle & Mario practice before competing in NUEDC in MKS. Moreover, I knew I cannot abandon my student (private English course), my Sunday School students, my C.A.R.E (teenager cell group). Overwhelming activities, huh?

If I could, I think I would propose a motion to duplicate my body into 5, 7, or ten perhaps..:P -- one to attend youth service, one to get more sleep, one to work on my thesis, one to coach SMA Lokon debate teams, and the rest I’d use for my overwhelming schedule above.. Pheeeww!!

As you could guess, I have been lacking my beauty sleeping time. Thank God I don’t have morning classes anymore, if so, I think I would probly need a pulley as in the picture above to keep my eyes open wide. J

Well, I need to back to work now.. back to work on my thesis.. (please pray for me yah! J)

And anyway, If any of you are like me -- trapped in the same cage of interminable ‘to-do-stuffs’, I’d like to share this to you:

“Whatever you do , work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. –Colossians 3:23”

Ssshhh..That’s my key to stay in joy while facing these ceaseless activities.. :D

*Motion for cessation of blogging raised*

Golf Ball

I would like to share what I came to learn just couple of weeks ago about How God use imperfect people for His glory.

All too often we put in mind that God only use perfect people. Just like a big corporation who hires only skillful people, we adopt the thought that if we’re imperfect, God won’t use us. I have to say this is an erroneous thought.

Here are some Biblical facts to proof that God also use imperfect people. Noah once drunk, but God still use him and protect His family and made them be the only people alive after the flood. Abraham was too old to have kid but God use him to show His glory that He can do what we think is impossible. David committed adultery and even set up a murder but, see, God uses him and even named him ‘the man after God’s own heart’.  Apostle Paul killed many believers, yet God still use Him to preach in many nations and even write almost half of the books in New Testament. Not to mention the story of Gideon, Elijah, Jeremiah, Peter and other disciples of Jesus, I believe that above examples could open our eyes to see that even we are imperfect, God can still use us.

Let me come to the fact that is used as an analogy. A Golf Ball. Have you ever think the reason why a golf ball has dimples instead of being perfectly round without those dimples? I personally think that if a golf ball have a perfectly round surface, it supposed to go further and quicker. The fact is: it’s not. I came to know the fact that the experts intentionally design these dimples to create wind resistance that enable a golf ball to fly even further. What can we learn from this golf ball? We can learn the fact that even we are imperfect and have many ‘dimples’, it is those dimples that causes us to gooo further in life.

I came to believe that God can use what we called ‘our weakness’ to bring Him glory. It is not that we have to ignore our weakness, instead, we have to acknowledge our weakness and imperfections, not to go around feeling beaten up, but to be thankful that when we are weak God can performs His greatest feast.

Here I come to the point that is most relaxing; the fact that we all have been equipped for the race God has design for us. Take heed of this, if God wants to create us with different look and different personality, He will. The thing is, if He created us just the way we are today, it is because He has a specific magnificent plan for us. Let’s rest in the thought that We are fearfully and wonderfully made and that God has never made mistake when He created us.

To finish, I’d like to say, Quit over analyzing yourself. Stop looking on what’s wrong with us, instead, take heed of how far we go, how far we accomplish, and how great God has been in our life. Don’t let devil intimidate you with the thought that you are not worthy in God’s sight. Lastly, Put on the breastplate of God’s approval!

God sees your availability instead of your ability.

cheerio!! :)