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It’s the New Year once again. When we ponder upon the past year, what do we find? Fun memories, past events and milestones. But is that all we should do? What should we do for the next coming year? Every new year given to us is only by God’s grace, so it’s vital we don’t take it for granted!

At the start of each year, we usually create goals and wishes that we aspire to accomplish and tick off that list by the time the year ends. But when we evaluate what we want for the coming year, how much of it points towards materialistic things, temporary pleasures like money, acceptance… etc? These goals can even be unrealistic at times and our success in achieving them isn’t guaranteed either– while we might have motivation at the start of the year, it all seems lost by the end. Doesn’t living this way feel repetitive, mundane and tiring? Whether we succeed in ticking off the list of goals or not, is this all there is to every single year?

One thing we can never forget is that day by day, year by year, all that we have is God’s grace given to us once again. Our lives depend that much on God and His grace to us. Something we often forget about is that God can take that grace away from us anytime. If God has led us through the year, we must not forget that it is only by His grace alone. So how does this realisation change what we must do for the coming year, compared to the past years when our focus was on mere, temporary pleasures?

“A man can no more take in a supply of grace for the future than he can eat enough for the next six months, or take sufficient air into his lungs at one time to sustain life for a week. We must draw upon God’s boundless store of grace from day to day as we need it.” – D. L. Moody

This quote from an evangelist, D.L. Moody reminds us that we depend on God’s grace day by day and every single day God provides for us. How wonderful it is to have a God whose grace is indeed sufficient for both our smallest and largest needs every day!

The Knowing of God

Each new year, we must strive to know God even more than the year before. This is something that not a lot of people think about, even though it’s one of the most crucial things in our lives. A lot of people miss the importance of growing in the knowing of God, and even I have only thought deeply about this since recently. 

In Rev. Agus’ sermons, I have learnt that the centre of everything we do should be the knowing of God, though it is impossible to do alone. The knowing of God is crucial because without growth in the knowing of God, there is no spiritual growth in our lives – our lives will be dry, with no zeal or passion for God. To truly know God isn’t something that’s easy; we have to persevere to learn it. In fact,  it takes way longer than a lifetime even to get a glimpse of the mysteries of God’s character! Once again, I was reminded that the more we know God, the more we realise we don’t know God. God’s mysteries are too great for us humans to comprehend and in the end, no one will ever fully understand everything about God in this lifetime. 

As mentioned before, growing in the knowledge of God is definitely not something we can do alone. In fact, the task itself seems impossible! That’s exactly why need the help of the Holy Spirit to shape our hearts in humility so that we may grow to know God more and more. We must be willing to be humbled and earnestly ask God in prayer to “remove the heart of stone from our flesh, and give us a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26-27) which involves softening our stone-hardened hearts by replacing it with a heart of flesh. If we truly do know God, it is only by His grace. In turn, it is when we know God that we find the desire to serve God more and more.

J.I Packer says, “There’s a difference between knowing God and knowing about God. When you truly know God, you have energy to serve Him, boldness to share Him, and contentment in Him.” 

The more we realize the importance of knowing God, the more we realize how much time we have wasted in the past years. At the same time, we realise that from here, we can learn to know God even more.

If God has given us another year to live, another opportunity to know God more, shouldn’t we seize this opportunity and not take it for granted? How long are we going to continue living our repetitive years seeking worldly things that won’t even matter in the end? To know God should be our ultimate goal and what we earnestly seek for each year. 

Our Future?

The truth is, we definitely don’t know anything about our future:  everything we will undergo, and whether it will be good or bad. Despite this, those who know and trust Him can rest assured, knowing that God will be with us through each step we take, all the while strengthening our relationship with Him as we become closer and closer.

This coming year, are you willing to learn to know God even more year with me, though it may be hard?

Erin Kurnia (14) is one of the writers for RE Generation-Z. She hopes that by God’s grace, she can write to spread the Truth and happiness to others, that they too may be children of God living in the light. You will find that she really enjoys playing piano, baking, sewing and designing.

Humility in Maturity. 

How would you rate your spiritual maturity from one to ten? Before answering that question, we must first ask, what is maturity? In a nutshell, spiritual maturity is growth—to become more Christlike, to know God more, and to the piety of the fear of the Lord. So, in a ‘rating’, ten would be Christlike, and zero would be immature. 

This was one of the discussion questions that struck me during the retreat a few weeks back. As the people around me tried to answer this question, I thought about what I should say before being given the spotlight. It sure wasn’t an easy question to answer. Most of the people in my group rated themselves in the lower half of the spectrum. But as I pondered hard, I couldn’t settle on an answer. Who are we to be the judge over ourselves? Who are we to set the standard? The standard we judge against must be of the absolute truth—the Bible—through God’s lens. 

To grow, we must know the truths

We must build the foundation of our growth on the truth, which is the Word of God. Not only that, but also on the unity that we can have with and in Christ. Only when we are in this union, this one ship in Christ, we may be sanctified by the Holy Spirit. And this relationship that Christ has offered us is only through His sovereign grace. Christ is the one who has initiated; He loved us first, allowing us to be sanctified and grow daily in oneship with Him. And because of that, we cannot take our short life lightly. Only through knowing Him we can grow to be more like Him. Only through knowing Him may we understand the truth. 

To know the truth, you must have Humility. 

Without humility, you will never be able to learn the truth. We are such prideful people. I know it’s an easy thing to say, and listening to that just turns into a breeze. But trust me, I understand how hard it is to be humble sometimes. I cannot stress how much of a trap false humility can be. 

Sometimes we even act humbly to be seen as humble people, and I am sure guilty of doing that. Whether we realise it or not, we bring our pride and ego into the most minor things. I’ve recently been struggling with my pride and anger. To me, everyone and everything seems to be against me. My parents would get mad at me for what I considered small and petty things, which would constantly be tiring. I’m sure that all teens can relate to me here.

It’s been quite a struggle for me recently, and it’s pretty contradicting for me to write an article about humility when I am struggling with pride myself. But the words shared from the last retreat have allowed me to reflect on myself and my spiritual maturity. From the outside, you might see me as an avid churchgoer involved in so much ministry. But just because I live with that culture, it doesn’t mean that I’m growing and having that personal relationship with Him. Because to grow, our faith must be nourished. Just like a pot plant, if it is not well kept, watered, and given sufficient sunlight, it will surely die. It is the same with our spiritual lives. If we do not nourish our faith with the Word of God, our faith will surely wilt.

The Bible is what can refresh our souls. It sounds quite cliche and abstract. But personally, sharing from when I genuinely ponder on His Word is very sweet. Whenever we have that personal and intimate relationship with Him, it is beautiful. We cannot fill our lives with worldly things because it will only take away from the strength of our faith. But only picking the Bible up and reading it won’t cut it.

We must deny ourselves if we want to accept the truth and learn and know the truth. Deny our pride. I’ve used this analogy many times, but there is only one seat in your heart. And on it, it’s either you or Christ. If it is not Christ that reigns in your heart, then you cannot grow in the truth. Even if you are surrounded by godly people, the church community, or you study theology. 

If we reign over our own lives, we will never be able to accept Christ as our Saviour nor grow in Him. But when we humble yourselves, then we can accept His Word and allow it to rebuke and change us.

To grow more like Christ, we must increase in the knowledge of Him and grow in godliness with the fear of the lord. But, first, we must learn to humble ourselves. The bible states this countless times. 

2 Chronicles 7:14 

if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Psalm 18:27 

For you save a humble people,

but the haughty eyes you bring down.

Psalm 149:4 

For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;

he adorns the humble with salvation.

This is a short article with one message. I hope that I’ve made it clear. You cannot know God without a humble heart. So ask for His grace, because when we humbly and truly thirst for His Word, of knowing Him. James 4:6, says, “He opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”. 

So pray, ask God to have a heart that yearns for His Word, and ask for a humble heart to grow in spiritual maturity. 

Psalm 147:6 

“The Lord lifts up the humble;

    he casts the wicked to the ground.”

I am no cricketer, but I do love a good story. Missionaries, apart from famous ones (like Jim Elliot and the Auca Five), are often unknown. But, their stories are inspirational and have affected so many people – even those we don’t know.

Charles Thomas (C.T. as he was often called) Studd (1860 – 1931) was a professional cricketer from England. During the 1880s, he was one of England’s greatest cricketers. He grew up in a wealthy family and was educated at prestigious schools.

Studd’s father, Edward Studd, became a Christian during a meeting held by D.L. Moody and Ira Sankey. The newly evangelised man deeply wanted to share the good news. As a result, the Studd Mansion turned into a centre of meetings and discussions with pastors and missionaries. Though his three sons tried to avoid the topic of Christianity, their determined father was not going to stop there.

Who do you really live for?

One afternoon, whilst on a break from college, Studd’s father invited a visiting preacher. The preacher confronted each of Edward’s sons, and they all came to faith in Christ that day. He asked them if they believed in God’s promises to give eternal life, quoting John 3:16. He questioned them on who they really lived for. This very challenge convinced C.T. Studd, and he became a Christian. From then on, his life was changed.

The Ashes

Even before his conversion, the Studd brothers were cricket enthusiasts. Not only did they admire the game, but they were also talented and soon shone out among other players. C.T. stood out, particularly on one occasion, when an Australian team visited their university. The Australian team was undefeated and in their first victory, C.T. was pronounced the best player. 

He then captained his university team, and soon a bigger opportunity arose. He and his brother George were selected to represent England at the Ashes.

The first ever victory of England in the 1882-83 Ashes Series was incredible to the people at the time. Cricket was growing in popularity at that time and the fact that England had won greatly excited the people.

But in 1884, George, his brother, fell gravely ill. The realisation that his brother’s achievements and cricket career meant nothing in comparison to eternity, made Studd rethink his actions and direction in life. Studd even questioned:

“What is all the fame and flattery worth … when a man comes to face eternity?”

He realised that everything in this world is nothing in comparison to heaven. This realisation called him to be a missionary.

“I know that cricket would not last, and honour would not last, and nothing in this world would last, but it was worthwhile living for the world to come.”

The Cambridge Seven

Through his brother’s illness and its effect on him, Studd felt called to pursue mission work. He joined the China Inland Mission, an organisation founded by Hudson Taylor. Studd encouraged other members of his university, Cambridge, to join. Together, they formed the Cambridge Seven and together they ventured to China.

The news of the departure of one of England’s best all round cricketers at the time came as a shock to the public. Leaving behind fame and fortune to pursue mission work in an unknown land didn’t make any sense. But, Studd was determined. Before his departure, he lead a series of ‘revival meetings’ to universities, impacting many. Then, in the February of 1885, less than three years after he had won the Ashes Series, C.T. Studd left for China.

China and India

During C.T. Studd’s time in China, many things happened. In China, he met his wife, Priscilla, an Irish missionary, and married her three years after setting foot in Shanghai. 

Also, when Studd was in China, his father, Edward Studd, died. Edward Studd left behind 29 000 pounds for Studd as his inheritance. Instead of using it all for himself, he gave away the money to various organisations such as the Moody Bible Institute, George Muller’s orphanage, a man working with the poor in England, as well as the Salvation Army. After serving in China for nine years and with deteriorating health, C.T. Studd returned home to England. But it wasn’t long before he felt a calling to India. He served there between 1900 and 1906.

Worldwide Evangelisation Crusade

However, during a return trip to England from India, he met Karl Kumm, a missionary in Africa. After visiting Sudan in 1910, he set his heart to Belgian Congo (now in modern day Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1913. Here, he spent the rest of his life, serving God wholeheartedly until his death in 1931.

Application

C.T. Studd began his life for the world and ended it for God. So, what can we learn from him?

1. Devote yourself to God

Devoting yourself to God doesn’t necessarily mean to be a missionary and go to the middle of nowhere. In the case of C.T. Studd, it was. But even before his missionary work, he devoted his life to God through cricket. As he grew in spiritual life, he realised that his life was not of this world and that he should focus his life on God and for God’s Glory. As he wrote in his poem, “Only One Life, ‘Twill Soon Be Past”:

Only one life ’twill soon be past.

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Let us remember the words of this poem.

2. Use your talents for God

C.T. Studd pursued his talents in cricket for God’s glory. As he used these talents and answered his call to be a missionary, he also used his fame and fortunes for the same purpose. His fame allowed him to give his testimonies to many people and his fortune gave him the opportunity to support those who needed support.

Conclusion and Summary

C.T. Studd was a man of talent who gave his life to God. But the question now is not about Studd – it’s about you. Will you too give your life and use your gifts for God?

Ethan Chow (16) is one of the website managers for RE Generation-Z. Through RE Generation Z, he hopes that this generation can be truly ‘RE Generated’. He is an avid chess player, learner of new things, listener and player of music.

What plans do you have for yourself? What do you want to do in university? What career do you want to get into? What do you see yourself doing in the next ten years?

Tragically, we are swept up in our self-righteousness — striving to take control of our lives. Have you stopped and asked yourself; is God’s plan for my life my plans?

Where are we walking in our life, and with whom are we walking? Are we insisting on taking the reins of our own lives? Don’t be too quick to deny this. Though we know in our heads that we must live a life dependent on God, trusting Him and following where He leads us, whether or not we really do this is another thing. 

When we don’t get our way when our plans fail, when God leads us down a different path, how will we respond? If God wants to redirect your life, showing that He has something else planned for you, His will shall be done. So, are you going to move in grumbling and complaining at every turn? Or, will you willingly follow Him and joyfully give up your own plans, for God’s plan that He has for you?

An Overthrow 

First thing’s first. If there is to be a place for Christ in our lives and firstly in our hearts, there must be an overthrow of someone else. 

In our hearts, there is one throne, with space for only one person. Now, the question is, in your heart, who is sitting on that throne?

If we sit stubbornly on our throne, we sit with our self-righteousness and pride. If Christ comes knocking at the door of our hearts, we may hear it but still foolishly insist on sitting at our own thrones. 

If this is you, you must know. If you want to follow God’s plan, you must be overthrown in your own heart first and foremost. Otherwise, there will be no room for Christ to enter, and there is no space for the righteousness of Christ. If you keep insisting on sitting at your throne, Christ will never be able to be King in your life? Why? Because you have unjustly crowned yourself as King of your heart. We all must question ourselves. Who sits at the throne of our hearts?

As sinful men, we have built high walls of pride and righteousness for ourselves. If God is to be king in our lives, these walls must first be crumbled and demolished. Our foundations must be completely and totally destroyed if Christ is to be our cornerstone. Note Isaiah 28:16, “So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation: the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.”. 

What is a cornerstone? A cornerstone is a crucial stone laid first to ensure the stability of the building. All other stones in the building are based and guided by that first cornerstone. So, if Christ is to be our cornerstone, then all foundations and previous plans must be completely destroyed. Buildings cannot have multiple plans. There is only one plan from where it is built — only one foundation.

You might question, why should I live for someone else when the things of this world satisfy enough? Why can’t I rule my own life? Because God has told us this, that only He can fully satisfy us, that a life we lead is a life walking to the path of destruction. We cannot fill our hearts with games, study, our reputation, material possessions. It will not work, and by the year, we will only feel emptier, seeking more and more extreme things to fill ourselves. The most satisfying and fulfilling life is a life for God, walking with Him and obeying Him. 

We cannot walk with God if we are insistent on walking ourselves. We might pray for it and say that we want to walk with God. We may even trick ourselves into thinking we want to walk with God, but we must check ourselves: do we genuinely yearn for this, or is it just empty words?

An Exchange

All glory in the past and hope in the future that we put in ourselves must be put aside. Exchanges must be made. 

We know that true joy and a truly fulfilling life first starts from a true overthrow — a true surrender. We know it is the best for us, yet we insist on keeping our own plans. Proverbs 3:5-6 — “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight” — reminds us not to trust on our own limited, feeble, understanding. Yet, we still do so. It is utterly foolish. 

God wants us to surrender. Surrender our hearts, lives and plans to Him so that when He reveals a path He wants us to go down, we can be willing and ready to do so — that we go wherever He leads, whether or not it is what we want. We hold tight onto our desires, but to experience the joy in walking with God, we must first let go. 

This isn’t something that comes naturally to our sinful nature, and even once we follow, we experience doubt. Due to our impeccably limited understanding, we can’t (and often don’t) understand everything that God chooses to do in our lives. God tells us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” (Isaiah 55:8). So, we have a choice to make. Either we depend on our limited understanding, forcing our own plans. Or, we follow God, walk with Him and pray that our wants for our lives can be transformed and synced with what God wants for our lives. 

Remember, what are we exchanging these things for? We exchange these things not worth keeping for God’s plan for us. God’s good plan will shape us and lead us to grow closer to Him. Only in obedience to Him will we be able to follow Him. God wants us to delight in Him, and in following Him, we will be given things far more valuable than anything our own plans could ever produce — things that are eternal, things that are good for the deepest parts of our souls. So why should we ever follow in grumbling, holding tight to rubbish?

So what NOW?

We can’t expect our whole life plan to be revealed to us in a few seconds. It’s not as simple as a ‘step by step’ plan on walking with God. Don’t forget that we walk in faith in a DAILY struggle. 

So, how can we follow God’s plan for our future when we don’t even know what it is? We follow God at the moment. NOW. It’s not something far off, reserved for our later studies or jobs. It is daily obedience to God NOW. God has specifically put us in our lives. God has purposely put us in our families, the country we live in, the opportunities we receive. So, we first follow God’s plan at the moment from what He has given us, and He will lead us to our future. 

Denying our own dreams isn’t a far off thing. It’s something we do every day, now. When we want to waste our time, then first think, what does God want us to do? How else could we use our time? Let us not be reluctant to follow God’s current calling for us. We see in Jonah’s story. He didn’t want to follow what God asked of Him, what He planned for Jonah. Jonah ran away, but in the end, God’s will was fulfilled. This applies to us. If God has a calling for us (whether that be something currently or something later on in life), in the end, His will shall be fulfilled. 

To know what God wants, we must first know God and saturate our souls with His will. We need discernment which comes with spiritual maturity. We cannot expect to know what God wants us to do if we do not know Him and if we do not read His word. Our calling won’t be unveiled to us in a second. It’s not something we don’t know in one moment and know in the next. We need to walk with God daily and slowly. By having a true relationship with Him, we will know what He wants us to do with our lives. 

In small situations, we must keep in step with the spirit, bearing fruits of the spirit while we are led by the spirit every day. Bear love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 3:22-23).

Keep in step, small steps, steps in the present. Bear our cross and deny the fleshly desires we have, that God may be the true King of our lives, that He may sit in the throne of our hearts, that He may truly be glorified and that His Kingdom comes, that His will be done in and through our lives.

Family, you know, the people that you kinda see every day. One day you might love them to bits, but other times they might be the last people you want to see. They are hard people to live around sometimes and arguing plus emotional rollercoasters are inevitable. I’m sure that we are all familiar with family even though all of our families have imperfections and differences within our family relationships, but, we can all relate to one thing, we all have a Father in heaven. Aside from having a strong relationship with God, family is important. Without our family, we would not be alive, and you surely wouldn’t be the person you are today. Before we continue, let me ask you this question. What is the point of family?

Father in heaven

Everyone has different families (unless you are siblings, of course), but there is one thing that we have in common —Our Father in heaven. I’m putting this at the front of the list, not only because it’s one of the first things that I thought of, but because it’s the most important. Many teens in this age neglect this, and many don’t realise that this relationship is the most important.

He is invisible; you can’t see Him. How could a person be your father if you can’t see Him? How could you love someone who you cannot see? How can you rely on someone who you cannot see? A lot of us teens stumble here because we do not have faith. It’s quite hard to depend your life on a father that you cannot see. Yet, by reading the Bible, praying, and talking to God, we can have faith, and surely, that faith will grow. Just like a normal father, you must spend time with Him for the relationship to grow.

Family is important, don’t take it for granted while you can.

Sometimes the people around us will frustrate us, and they might be hard to love at times. For example, I used to get angry at my older brother a lot. If you grew up with me, you probably know that my temper back then was pretty short. There was a time when I w nine (I think) I got so mad at my brother I tackled him to the ground out of anger. But now I’ve grown more mature (I hope), and I’ve come to realise that the time left living with your whole family is not much longer. My brother just finished school, and his leaving the house feels like it is right around the corner. Time with your family is precious, sooner or later you and your family will depart from each other, and you will have your own family to take care of.

If you look at what lies around your house, the things they have done for you —the roof they put over your head, the food that you had this morning, not only from your parents but the atmosphere and care that your sibling may bring—hey have done all these things, and often we forget the love they have for us. Do we love them back as much as they love us?

God chose who your family is, so be grateful.

What is so special about a family relationship is that we didn’t choose to be in any of our families. We were born by God’s will in His will. God chose who we were going to grow up with, what last names we would have, and who would teach and guide us to grow into men and women for His glory. I’m not trying to focus on how we didn’t choose to be brothers with our brothers or sisters with our sisters—even though that is important‚—but I’m focusing on being grateful for our family and God’s providence. God put you in your family for a reason. Even though you may not think so, God’s plan is always the best plan for your life. Remember that God is always in control, and when things happen, God is trying to teach you something.

If you remember the first paragraph, I asked you to think about this question, ‘What is the point of family?’ I’ve been writing about all these aspects of the importance of family, and you might be wondering where I’m trying to bring you here. And the question still lies, what is the point of family? Well, as you grow in relationships with your family, you yourself will grow, not only in relationship back with them but also in yourself, growing together, sharing in love. Just imagine if there was no such thing as family if you were born alone, what would you do? How could you survive? It’s the same spiritually. We are helpless, bound to our sin, born of darkness, and we cannot save our souls. But we have a Saviour that can help us, A Saviour that can save us from our own sin. A Saviour that will take us in as His own child. But the real question is, Are you part of Christ’s family?

Jeremy Sangtoki (15) is a writer and videographer for RE Generation-Z. Through his passion for videography and photography, he hopes to proclaim the truth and bring more teens to Christ. Like his brother, he has a predilection for classical or baroque music.