Trinity and Relationships...

On Sunday, CV Matthews preached a sermon on the Trinity and relationships in PJEFC. While this is not anything new to me(I remember Sherman preaching a similar message on Trinity Sunday in Camerons last year), it was a good reminder. The speaker, from India, started his sermon by sharing with us an Indian proverb "As is the king, so are his subjects. As is the god, so are the devotees." In essence, he preached that because God is a Triune(Tri-unity) God, it should be reflected in our relationships at work, at home and socially.

He shared many stories that really caught our attention and got the point across (I particularly liked the story about how he said that husbands can be inconsiderate- and that his wife of 26 years complained that he still did not know her. I appreciated the fact that he admitted it and is working on it. Hehehe- shows that it's never too late I guess).

I was especially struck by the conclusion of the sermon. He shared the story of Napolean addressing one of his errant soldier. Worse still, the misbehaving soldier was named after him. When he reprimanded the soldier, he said "Either change your behaviour or change your name."

As Christians, we should act like Christians. Otherwise, what if God sees us and says 'either change your behaviour or change your name."??? Hmm... definitely something to think about...

The challenge for me was this - what I believe about God is reflected in the way I live.

If I believe that God forgives, I too must learn to forgive those who has hurt me.

If I believe that God is gracious, I too must learn to show grace to others.

If I believe that God is love, I too must learn to love - not just the ones that are easy to love, but the people who are difficult as well.

If I believe that God gives second chances to me, I too must learn to give others a second chance.

If I believe that God has sacrificed much for me, I too must learn to sacrifice much for others and not merely give out of my convenience.

I think the question is, what about God do I truly believe? When I examine my actions, thoughts and words; how much of this reflect my belief in God? How great is the difference in my practice compared to what I believe in God in theory? I hope that the gap small - if not, hopefully it is getting smaller and smaller as I continue in this journey of faith with Him.