Two weeks ago, I was approached by Mr. Ephraim, informing that I will be the speaker for the coming Sabbath. So I directly prepared myself for this job. On that time, I was looking for a right subject to be delivered, and I know that for the whole week, last two weeks, all of our attention had been directed to only one issue. You still remember? Yes, DBL. And, as you remembered, that week is a wonderful week. Why? Because our team has gain a victory after victory. We even defeated our arch enemy, SMANSA, and one of another arch enemy, SMU Lokon, was defeated. And I believe also, our attention for the whole day (the day I will spoke), will be the FINAL VICTORY against Ebenheazer, that Saturday evening. The fact that we lost, but I know I was assigned for Saturday morning and we didn’t know the result yet, so I think, hmmmm, why didn’t we talked about VICTORY. And victory seems to be a good topic, because the fact that all of us love victory, don’t we? Who doesn’t? And I believe many of us on that day, was preparing our self for the final victory!!! The day that we always long for, when our team lift up the DBL trophy, mmmmm.
I don’t believe in accident. I believe that everything happened by purpose. So the fact that Mr. Trao mistakenly informed me about my schedule, was by purpose of God, so I can easily get my topic. So for that, Hallelujah! If Mr. Trao informed me correctly, I will be confused with my effort to find a topic.
First, let me tell you that all of us here are created to be a victor. I have a friend name Victor, but I believe people with other name also are the victors. You, you, you, all of us are created to be a victor. As you recalled your biology class, billions of “me” can be created, yet only one reach mother’s womb and come into being. And those wonderful being, those victors, are now sitting right in front of me. Latter in our life, we face a competition, and this competition can vary, started from a small thing, like winning a Playstation game, arguing whose football team is the best, dispute regarding something, marathon race, who is the best in the class, who get the biggest piece of cake, who is the most handsome, who get that girl/boy, who has the longest spit, who win the monopoly game, etc. etc.
In every competition, we have competitor or competitors. Our aim in that competition is to defeat that competitor, and to make sure the end result is we become the victor. We can use different term with this competitor. Some use the word, enemy. Other use the word “opponent”, or “antagonist” or “other side” or “other team”. However, allow me to change our mindset first. Have you ever heard an expression “I am my worst enemy”? Myself is my own enemy. Why I say, this statement is about changing our mindset, because for many of us, enemy is the word we used for others, not our own self. So, look at the mirror and say, you are my enemy. Now, let us contemplate for some minutes, think about all the problems that we have right now. Now, think about who cause that problem. Ok. Believe me, you will be tempted to find a scapegoat, oh, Mr. X have forced me to do this and that, or, Mrs. X is so mean and uncompromising and I was forced into this position. I was not supposed to get this treatment, she or he is the one who is the one to be blamed. But, try to think deeper, farther, and wider, who is the real source of that problem. Interesting enough, if you look at the real source, if you are willing to know the real truth, YOU JUST SIMPLY LOOK INTO THE MIRROR. I was in that kind of situation many time! First, I make a mistake, then I was looking for a scapegoat, and instead of finding a solution, I ended up for making more problems. Another problem (the bigger one) arise, instead of solving the problem, we find no solution, but find a new enemy or enemies. The funny thing is, we don’t realize that the real enemy is actually our own self, like Michael Jackson said, “I’m starring to a Man in The Mirror”. Take for example, I was assigned for a job, and I was careless, and I let my job unfinished, and I blame other (Mr. Eman) for not explaining to me the real situation and the chess competition couldn’t be started on time.
Why is it happened? The center of the problem is, we let our lives only lies on three person; first “my own self”, second; “I”, the third; “me”. There is a throne in our heart and we let no one else sits there, but the king name “”. It’s all about me, me, and me. Like a noodles commercial said; Mi mi mi mi terus, yang lain dong. NO, no place left for others, it’s only for me. My place, my position, my privileges, my own interests, my needs, my wants, my money, my desire, my pleasure. And that big me, getting bigger in our heart, and that king rule from his throne within my heart, and turn into a dictator like Marcos, or Soeharto, or Husni Mubarak or Muamar El Qhadafi. All of my deeds are only about one thing, to please the almighty king inside my heart, King Me.
What will be the end result? When you let this “ME” rule over you, you will see that you’ll get lost. You will now follow, what is “pleasing” ME, not pleasing other, or pleasing God. And that me, will be addicted to power, and addicted to what pleasing me, and when something, someone, some bible passage, some advice, stand between me, and “the will of ME”, we will be angry, jealous, irritated. So nothing is wrong for me anymore. Narcotics, if it is pleasing ME, no problem. Drunk, smoke, sexual desire, cheating, stealing, lying, if all those things pleasing ME, no problem. And now, who win? Yes, ME. But is it a real victory? King ME, inside my heart, commanded that, I have to win a competition. But my opponent is strong, so to fulfill the will of King Me, I have to cheat. Should I cheat? No problem, as long as the will of King Me was fulfilled. So I cheat, I win, but in the deeper truth, I actually lose. And by cheating I actually creating more problems that will culminates and getting bigger and bigger until suddenly I was shocked with the situation. What should I do? King Me said; Don’t blame “ME”, blame others, and by then we create enemy, and create more enemies, and create more problem, and we ruin our lives. Did I speak a truth? I have seen it in my own life. I believe I am the most sinful, unworthy, despicable, immoral human being by any moral standard. I was a sinner and I know sin and how to be sinful. And what I noticed, from every sin that I have committed, I never gain anything but a joyful sensation, that was temporary that actually will haunted me, gain me nothing, give me nothing but a worry heart, stress, disease, anything negative the word can ever described. I tell you, no sin that was enjoyable. It is temporary enjoyable but permanently distressing. It just like making a tattoo, a permanent mark of temporary foolishness. I have some friend who have tattoo, and I always like to tell them; “man, that tattoo is so good, it will remind you forever, what a stupid man you were.” But I can’t tell it directly. I just can’t. Young man, you can sometime see that sin is nice, but I tell you, don’t ever try it, believe me, it brings nothing but a deep stress. Lies cause someone to tell more lies. Narcotics, drinking and smoking create an addiction. All are a short term solution, that will create a long term problems. Free sex creates nothing but self-depravation, self-humiliation, self-depreciation, ended up with stress, disease. Some foolish may say that life is too short to be passed by being pious and good. But I tell you, if you live a sinful life, first you will live shorter, then you will live it with full of distress until you fell it to be too long. In conclusion, life in a sinful life, a life when you let KING “ME” rule over your heart, is a problematic life. A life in emptiness. A life without passion and hope. A life full with problems and despairs.
So, how to solve this problem? How to defeat this ME? First, you have to overthrow him from his throne. Then, you have to replace “ME” with someone else. Now, let me tell you, there are a lots of people out there that can be your option as a replacement for “ME”. Sometimes, you can see a superstar, an idol, or someone else available in a worldly marketplace can offer. You can pick any world Sage, Buddha, Confucius, Karl Marx, Adolf Hitler, or anyone to replace this “ME”. But today, I want to offer you another person. A simple man, who will be your guide. He is not a country leader, he is not a world superstar (although there is a movie branded Him as a Superstar). He is a simple man, born in a remote place, from a simple family, not from a rich one like most of you. He was just a carpenter, surrounded by his follower who mostly a fisherman. A man that called himself not only will show you a way, but a man called Himself as THE WAY; The way, The truth, and The Life. That man is Jesus. Let Him rule over your heart. Once you let Him rules, don’t let that ME threatened his rule. Jesus gives a guidance. When he thought how to pray, He said; “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” In other word, he said, “hey, mind where your heart leads you.” Is it ME is leading me? My own will, or His will? He didn’t said “Deliver us from Evil, but lead us not into temptation.” It will mean; God, keep me from evil, and I will follow you. No! He said; “Lead us not into temptation”. Help me choose a good way, then “Deliver us from evil.” Our action first, and he will do the rest. This is a proactive faith. We have to choose, ME, or God. Jesus in his own pray stated this word (Matthew 26:39); “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from ME, nevertheless, not as I will, but as YOU WILL.”
So, how to defeat that ME? First, we must take that ME out. Then replace with YOU(point your finger above, like when Kaka (Brazilian football player) make a score)! YOU, YOU, AND YOU. Not Me anymore. So, we have to change our mindset, and believe me, it is a very, very, very hard to do, to overthrow this big ME.
Now, we have learn that life centered with ME, will ruin our life, create more problem and distress. Now, I ask you to once again open our Scripture reading today, Psalm 119:9-16 (I stated before that I don’t believe in accident, but believe me, I got this verse by accident. Yesterday afternoon Mr. Trao approach me to ask about my scripture reading and I found this verse by random from the scratch material I get from Internet, yet, this verse I found very powerful and match with my discussion today). Now, change the verse with a life centered with ME:
“How can a man ruined his life? By taking heed according to MY OWN WORD. With my whole heart I have sought to MY OWN DESIRE; oh let me not wander from MY OWN COMMANDMENTS! MY OWN DESIRE I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against MY OWN LAW. Blessed am I, O JUAN MAHAGANTI! Teach me MY OWN STATUTES. With my lips I have declared all the judgments of MY MOUTH. I Have rejoiced in the way of MY TESTIMONIES, AS MUCH AS IN ALL RICHES. I will meditate MY OWN PRECEPTS, and contemplate MY OWN WAYS. I will delight myself in MY LAW; I will not forget MY OWN WORD.”
But what that scripture said, about fullness of life in a “God Centered” way?
Let us read it together:
Psalm 119:9-16 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I sougt You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You! Blessed are you, O lord! Teach me Your statues! Much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I WILL DELIGHT MYSELF IN YOUR STATUES; I WILL NOT FORGET YOUR WORD.
You can say; “ah Juan, you are talking gibberish. I enjoy my life. “ But let me challenge you today. Just make an experiment, and try to live out of yourself and compare the result. You will be astonished with the changes. Like Blaise Pascal (the same man who invented the first computer) said: Follow yourself –ME- and do whatever that you want and you will ruin yourself. Follow God, and do everything that you want. Everything that you do will please yourself, God, and others.” That’s is the real happiness. Happiness in its fullness. Let all the glory only for HIM, not for ME. Amen!
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