not Die, but Live

Empat bulan yang lalu saya mengenal wanita ini. Dan pertemuan ini mengisyaratkan sebuah persahabatan yang unik. Entah mengapa, dia begitu mempercayai saya. Ketika dia mulai mengutarakan siapa dirinya, apa yang sedang dia alami, apa ketakutan terbesarnya, kesalahan-kesalahan terbesar yang pernah dilakukan, dan bagaimana makna hidup baginya,  saya begitu tersentuh, karena kisah kehidupannya begitu dramatis. Saya memang sering membaca buku dengan kisah-kisah sama seperti kisah hidupnya, namun kali ini berbeda karena orang itu ada di depan saya. Saya dapat melihat garis-garis kelelahan jiwa di raut wajahnya. Sejak pertemuan pertama itu, saya memutuskan untuk mendoakannya dalam doa pribadi saya.

Sepanjang dua minggu keberadaan-nya di Bali, layer demi layer kehidupannya dibukakan kepada saya. Dan saya semakin merasa mengerti (walaupun saya memang tidak akan pernah bisa mengerti sepenuhnya) bahwa dia memerlukan pertolongan Tuhan. Hidupnya kosong tanpa harapan. Beberapa kali ia ingin mengakhiri hidupnya, dan saya menyaksikan hal itu dengan mata kepala sendiri. Tapi satu hal yang saya percaya, bahwa pekerjaan Tuhan dalam hidupnya memang belum berakhir sehingga hidup itu masih dikaruniakan kepada-nya.

You shall not die, but live 

and declare the works of the Lord

Psalm 118:17

Saya memang tidak tahu kapan ia bisa sembuh dari sakit hati dan kepedihan jiwa yang pernah dilakukan orang-orang itu di dalam hidupnya, tapi hari ini setelah empat bulan itu berakhir, saya merasa yakin Tuhan sedang menangkap hati-nya. Satu saat nanti, dia akan menceritakan tentang dahsyatnya pekerjaan Tuhan dalam hidupnya.

Day 7. The Reason for Everything

Everything comes F R O M God

Everything lives B Y his power

Everything is F O R his glory

- Romans 11:36 -

What is the glory of God?

It is who God is. 

God's glory is the expression of his goodness and all his other intrinsic, eternal qualities.

Where is the glory of God?

Everything created by God reflects his glory in some way. You can see it everywhere.

We cannot add anything to this glory, just as it would be impossible for us to make the sun shine brighter. 

But we are commanded to recognize his glory, honor his glory, declare his glory, praise his glory, reflect his glory, and live for his glory.

How can we bring glory to God?

Jesus honored God by fulfilling his purpose on earth. We honor God the same way. When anything in creation fulfills its purpose, it brings glory to God. 

There are many ways to bring glory to God, but they can be summarized in God's five purposes for your life.

1. We bring God glory by worshipping him.

2. We bring God glory by loving other believers

3. We bring God glory by becoming like Christ

4. We bring God glory by serving others with our gifts

5. We bring God glory by telling others about him

What will you live for?

Living the rest of your life for the glory of God sometimes mean choosing a difficult path instead of an easy one. 

Jesus stood at a fork in the road. Would he fulfill his purpose and bring glory to God, or would he shrink back and live a comfortable, self-centered life? 

You face the same choice. Will you live for your own goals, comfort, and pleasure, or will you live the rest of your life for God's glory, knowing that he has promised eternal rewards?

It's time to settle this issue. Who are you going to live for - yourself or God? You may hesitate, wondering whether you wikk have strength to live for God. Don't worry. God will give you what you need if you will just nake the choice to live for him.

Right now, God is inviting you to live for his glory by fulfilling the purposes he made you for. It's really the only way to live. Everything else is just existing. Real life begins by committing yourself completely to Jesus Christ.

If you are not sure you have done this, 

all you need to do is receive and believe.

1. Believe

Believe God loves you and made youfor his purpose. Believe you're not an accident. Believe you were made to last forever. Believe God has chosen you to have a relationship with Jesus, who died on the cross for you. Believe that no matter what you've done, God wants to forgive you.

2. Receive

Receive Jesus into your life as your Lord and Saviour. Receive his forgiveness for your sins. Receive his spirit, who will give you the power to fulfill your life purpose. 

Wherever you are reading this, I invite you to bow your head and quietly whisper the prayer that will change your eternity:

"Jesus, I believe in you and receive you as my Lord and Saviour". 

Taken from Purpose Driven Life

God bless,

Maya

I Remember this..

She said this:

What a beautiful day today is, Sun is shining, beautiful cool breeze, i have been blessed with another day. 

A new start, a new beginning, no need to worry about yesterday, yesterday is gone, no need to worry about tomorrow, tomorrow isn't here yet, live in THIS moment, make it count, LOVE everybody, forgive one another, dont live with regret or hate, fill your heart with love and happiness, everything happens for a reason, what ever happens in life use the tools provided by HIM and work through it, be thankful for all things in your life.

I'm blessed to have such amazing support, my family, mum, dad, jenny, cathy, jessica, phia, usman, brod, themeli, lionel, and the babies, raya, mazi, layla and our new addition baby ruby, love you all. 

My family are my rock, they hold me together, even though we have our lil ups and downs, hehehe... 

My sisters are the glue, and mum and dad are my rock, Mum a truly kind loving,fun, never a dull moment, i love you, dad, sometimes fun, always loving, our backbone.. Love you so much..

I have also been blessed with amazing friends new and old, thank you, krista, nat, marcia, jane, sally, you guys are awesome, thank you for the support, thank you for times of sharing, and prayers..

But i'm very thankful for this one person, that showed me what a true friendship is, how much love 2 friends can have with each other, and still have boundaries. This person has helped me through some of the darkest days of my life, and i dont know how to even begin to explain what an amazing thing she has done for me, she took me from the darkness and showed me the way to the light, made me realise the mistakes that i have been making, and how to correct them, thank you. Maya you are truly an amazing person, thank you for your love and friendship, love you.

Tapilatu's Wedding

Andrew Tapilatu (nyong Ambon) dan Emily Debenham (miss Ozzy) adalah teman gereja di Global Church. Sungguh membahagiakan dapat menjadi saksi pertumbuhan komitmen mereka yang seiring dengan kesetiaan mereka mengikut Tuhan. Saya ingat sekali, pernah sehabis gereja, kami makan malam di daerah Denpasar, di situ saya menanyakan kepada Emily (saat mereka baru saja jadian), Why you love him, why him?? Hmm, Em menjawab pertanyaan saya sambil melihat malu-malu dan dengan senyumnya yang sangat murni ke arah Andrew, she said: He is sweet and has very good heart. I just know this truth, and i decided to commit, and we'll see. Dan hanya berjalan beberapa bulan saja, mereka memutuskan untuk dibimbing oleh Pendeta dalam Konseling Pernikahan. So fast.. Menurut saya, tapi they've made it.. 

Mata saya sampai mengharu biru, berkaca dan berair, ketika melihat Emily berjalan menuju altar dengan senyum lebar yang menandakan keyakinan dan kebahagiaannya untuk memulai hidup baru bersama Andrew. Ooow Tuhan, kami para single ladies di Global Church langsung berpandang-pandangan dan menangis. Di pernikahan mereka ini, saya menyanyikan lagu: 'Besar Setia-Mu (Great is Thy Faithfulness) dan Cornerstone'. Permintaan lagu dari kedua mempelai untuk ibadah pernikahan mereka. 

Yang unik dan takkan terlupakan, saat pendeta mengucapkan berkat pernikahan, hujan turun turut meramaikan suasana siang itu.. Hujan berkat untuk An & Em..

Berikut beberapa foto di Villa Noah - Jimbaran Bali, tempat dilaksanakan pemberkatan.

Darwin yang Menawan

Ini pertamakalinya saya pergi ke Luar Negeri..

Bersama seorang teman dan juga saudari yang menjadi 'bestfriend' saya dalam tiga bulan terakhir ini.. Saya mengunjungi dan ditraktir untuk liburan ini.. Praise God..

Keberangkatan ini juga memang harus dilakukan karena ada sesuatu hal yang mendesak yang harus kami lakukan bersama di Darwin. Padahal saya pernah berpikir bahwa, saya tidak mau membuat paspor ijo (go abroad), hanya dengan tujuan untuk liburan. Karena di kepala saya terdapat album panorama Keindahan Alam Indonesia dan tentunya tanah kelahiran saya, NTT, yang perlu dijelajahi dari pulau ke pulau.

Darwin bisa saya katakan mirip Bali, dan juga mirip Kupang (kota kelahiran saya). Yah karena cuaca di siang hari sangat panas, dan di malam hari sangat dingin. Dan juga letak kota Kupang dan Darwin memang sangat dekat sehingga cuacanya hampir mirip. (Andaikan ada pesawat langsung dari Kupang ke Darwin, saya bisa pulang rumah dulu baru ke Darwin). 

Berikut foto-foto yang diabadikan oleh saudara saya, tentunya pilihan favorit saya selalu di pantai.