Cheapskate Christianity?

Xinying wrote this passage regarding yesterday's WAM night. Wow. She said what I was trying to say (but was as precise as a bobo machine gun):

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." - Joshua 24:15

i think it particularly resonated in my heart 'cos it's something i really believe in. that we can choose our reactions to different things that happen along our way. and 'cos every time i serve in counter, it's a choice to serve ('cos my natural inclination towards counting money is to avoid it. singing is different though. i really enjoy singing:) sometimes i'll wonder why God has placed me to lead the counter ministry (tertiary) when i'm not particularly an advocate for it. haha.
and i think many people make the choice to love God despite circumstances and personality traits that work against them as well. very encouraging to see the perseverance of people.

i was telling michelle that in my heart i set a high standard. possibly 'cos of the background i came from, or the way i was taught from when i received Christ. but thenn again, the standard doesn't come from me. it comes from God. the perfect standard of God. and though we're far behind that standard, God moulds us, grow us, and we grow in the likeness of Him everytime we make the choice to allow Him to do his pruning work in us.

And this portion, she expresses accurately what I've been realizing for quite a while already.

i think there was a period of time when i got influenced by the people around me and thought, actually it's quite okay to not to this, not to that, go here a bit late, go there another day. i started to have a 'everything is okay, God looks at the heart mentality' and started to excuse a lot of things people around me/i did. but in my heart, something felt odd. what i see does not resonate or connect with what the principles i understood in my heart (cognitive dissonance!) after a few months, i pondered, thought through, and realized that the principles were right, it's just that i could not give a formal title to it.

the need to not dilute the teachings of Christ.

not to say that we become pharisees. i believe that there must be a balance as well. but i think that time i diluted the teachings of Christ and lowered God's standard in the view of 'sheltering' the people around me. (which of course doesn't help in anyone's growth :D) lol.

wisdom ba. ah. need to perpectually grow in that.

It's very relevant to me, because for me, I'm a person who has a high tendency to simply trust whatever I observe and capture in Christians I believe to be more mature. Unfortunately, some of them had influenced me wrongly in the past - at that time I didn't realise it, until my leaders asked / corrected me about these things. :P

So I'm thankful to God for the brothers and sisters who have correctly handled the word of truth, and have helped and challenged me to take stronger ownership of my own walk with God. To think for myself, and as is written in Hebrews, to learn to, by constant use, train myself to distinguish good from evil.

In short, to know what governs my actions and my attitudes. And that's why I have to scrutinize every motive, every value, every belief and every principle that I currently hold - to take them prisoner and evaluate them against the plumbline of the Word of God.

Robert was sharing with me on the MRT back home from our farewell to Jiexian:

"Good soil and shallow soil both look the same from the outside. But shallow soil cannot sustain a Christian in the long term. The plant grows very fast in both types of soil, but when difficulties come, the plant in the shallow soil dies very fast."

Thus, I cannot shortchange God's perfect standards. For in the end, I shortchange myself, and all those the Lord has entrusted to me.

So then... NO MORE CUTTING CORNERS! NO MORE COMPROMISE! NO MORE CHEAPSKATE CHRISTIANITY!

The cost of discipleship. :)