Tired 
Whoever said 24 hours in a day is a long time..........here, go eat my shoe!!
First, some good news for my cell leader : Hao Yee, I finally filled in the church membership form 
Secondly, some not so good news for my cell : I won't be there for the Young Adults Bible Quiz on Friday One thing I am sure about though is that POWER Zone will definitely come up as champs for being the craziest zone led by our Tai Ko, Mr Daniel Tan himself!!
Thirdly, some interesting news for everyone : I have just mastered the art of stoicism! Read on...
Ok now, moving on to my busy day of running errands....
My mornign started off with breakfast with my parents at home which I thought was pretty cool, don't you?? I shared a nasi lemak and a "choong" with my mom!! Started to unpack my box of clothes which I shipped back from London, only to pack it in my suitcase which I will be bringing back to London . How bizzare is that! 
Kinda cool to have had the morning to myself , reflecting and reminiscing on stuff...I totally recommend taking a day off to young workign adults...do it man, right this minute!! Its so good for the human soul!
My afternoon was spent with my granparents...Bought them lunch at Manhattan Fish in Mega Mall - The food there is awesome!! They do a good home made mushroom soup and their fish is excellent! My grandfather had the time of his life manouvering right to left, back and forth in his motorised vehicle (can't remember the exact name but its like those battery powered wheelchairs!) I never realised how delighted they were to be taken out...I guess we always thought that since my granfather can't walk properly that it'll be difficult to bring him around...but hey, three cheers to malls like these who provide customer care facilities such as this for the old and handicapped!! And you know what else, Malaysian young people have a very kind heart!! Here we were in the mall and we had strangers helping my granfather get in and out of the vehicle, opening doors for him and even helping him to the restroom!! Keranu Malaysia is indeed a good motto...and I salute all young men out there who really do justice to the reputation of Malaysians for being helpful and friendly folks!
Later in the evening, I spent hours at two Christian bookstores today and well, from window shopping , I went on to browsing and from browsing I ended up piling up books on top of the check-out counter..haha 
But it was such a joyful feeling!! I managed to get hold of a hard copy of Philip Yancey's latest book entitle "Rumours of Another World" for just RM38!! Guess, that'll be the book I'll be lugging along with me on the plane journey tomorrow!
My day out ended with a nice cozy dinner with my sis and my parents ...thank you Lord for family and for the many good things in life!
Now...what more did I want to say?? Oh yes...
Often I find the most difficult part of my walk with God is this critical area of OBEDIENCE...
More so, the area of obedience in faith. I thought hard about the story of Jacob and Esau and how Esau lost his birthright to Jacob and lost the blessing of God along with it. I didn't quite seem to know how I was going to enjoy the favour f God and blessings of God that most people experience today..And my hunger and thirst for the favour of God grew but how? ...In Psalm 5 :12, it says "For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favour as with a shield"
Most of you will know that it is usually a real struggle for me work wise , not because I don't have passion or dun have a drive for the law...but more so because I feel that I am not doing anything that counts or is actually making a difference in the lives of people. I feel discontented sometimes because everything seems rather routine - big companies suing other big companies, rich employers getting the better of their employees and routine due diligence exercises and company listings! Where did the compassion part of the law go? How are individuals actually being helped?
My only consolation is actually the saturdays and altenate mondays i spend volunteering for Legal Aid...and of couse, the community work and BLESS ministry of SIB.
Well...today, God spoke with a loud rebuking clear voice to me about my the test of obedience and the test of patience/waiting...When God gives his holy commands to put you in the place where you are and to do the things you do and to face the many frustrations and challenges that come your way and more so its like he is issuing personal orders for our lives, IT IS NEVER because He wants tp rain on our parade or spoil our party! Motivated always and only by love, He wants to keep us under the fountain of his innumerable blessings. He wants to freely give more than we want to receive. What does God want?? I din really know at first but I feel strongly that God wants us to trust him totally by giving him the reins of our lives. A revelation : This is why he told his chosen one, Isaac - "Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you"(Genesis 26:3) Because Issac remained where God told him to, the Lord upheld his part of the bargain, smiling down on Isaac's submission and obedience.
I am of the view that God often gives us personal directios so we can stay in the centre of His will Whadya guys think?
The question therefore for me to answer in my own life is : To Obey or Disobey?
I believe God intends many good things for us. Could it be that when God clearly reveals a certain path for us to follow, it can perhaps be a critical point of obedience upon which hang the blessings of tomorrow?
One of my friends in London shared about this time when a remnant of the Jewish people returned to Jerusalem from captivity, the prophets boldly announced that God made thier return possible so that the temple can be rebuilt. Therefore, he pronounced a blessing on them the same day they obediently laid the temple foundation. Thinking about that, I went back to read Haggai and indeed in Haggai 2:19, God said "From this day on I will bless you" The day of obedience became the day of blessing, the moment when God manifested again his bountiful provision for his people. Barrenness was replaced by fruitfulness because the people yielded to God's call on their lives.
I was chatting about this with someone earlier how people in the days of Haggai were so blessed and lo, and behold, he said a classic one liner ..."Val, It's still the same today!!" How true...God is waiting for us to obey in faith the leadings and promptings he so often gives us. As we obey, untold divine resources and grace and strength will be provided.
So, let us make today the day of blessing, one in which we have a new sense of God's hand resting on us! Amen!
In brief, what I really learnt or want to share with you today is this :
When we're in the wilderness of our lives, patience is key!! Your PROMISE LAND is ahead of you!
Eating Humble Pie..., that's me!
