Permasalahan adalah bagaimana kita bisa membawa Damai, jikalau damai itu tidak pernah ada dihati kita? Dan hal ini-lah yang menimbulkan pertanyaan besar, bukankah janji Allah melalui malaikat kepada umat manusia pada malam natal adalah Damai Sejahtera di bumi? Dan jikalau janjinya adalah damai, maka dimanakah damai sejati itu?

Kehilangan Damai sejati mengakibatkan banyak dari umat Kristen mulai meninggalkan ibadahnya, kemudian menjadi jemaat NAPAS (datang hanya pada saat Natal dan Paskah). Hal ini merupakan cerminan dari kerinduan mereka, karena kehilangan damai di hati selama bertahun-tahun, untuk mencari “damai” itu di malam natal! Tetapi seringkali kita gagal, seakan-akan kita salah mengerti akan apa itu damai yang sejati.

Materi ini sekali lagi ingin mengupas kebenaran tentang natal, dan bahaya si iblis dalam memanipulasi kebenaran untuk menghasilkan kedamaian yang palsu. Kedamaian sejati hanyalah melalui Kristus, tetapi tidak berhenti hanya pada keselamatan itu saja, melalui ketaatan dalam keselamatan lah maka kedamaian sejati itu akan bertumbuh didalam hati kita. Selamat melihat presentasi ini. Tuhan memberkati

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This material is prepared for PMKA UI , I was invited to share about Life Management. Talking about life management, it reminds me on one broadcast show in television about financial planning. The show told us a story of a young man who involved in credit card debt which lead him to destruction because of his night lifestyle and consumerism and how he found a way out of the crisis which lead him to recovery in his family and in his financial. I am wondering if that guy has just met God? for sure it didn’t since this is not a religion program, it’s a financial planning program who show how they can save other life or family through financial planning.

The bible also said, “… if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?”. In my preparation,  At least I find there are 4 reasons, why Life Management is important! bear with me, I want to  share the reasons why. Life Management is important….

1. Because life has a purpose
   

   Everything that has a purpose must have a beginning. That’s why scientists try to figure out the beginning of universe. For example by analyzing the residual of meteor, they try to search for the reasons of life. And neither is when you open a new gadget, you will try to find the user manual, the how and why the gadget is created. By knowing the existence then you know how to manage it better. That’s why our Bible is start by the Genesis, the beginning of all creation, it’s written that everything is created to glorify God, For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things; to Him be glory forever! Amen.
   

   But more for human being, the bible written that mankind are created Not only to glorify God but also to have a relationship with God. That’s God purposes of mankind creation, and to fulfill the purposes God give mankind 2 mandates, Cultural Mandate and Gospel Mandate, It’s written that God blessed them (mankind). And God said to them, be fruitful, and multiply and fill the earth, and subdue it.(Yes, it’s Gospel Mandate, to fulfil Earth with the image of GOD until sin damage the image of GOD and bring to total depravity, and only through Christ then our image of GOD is restored) And have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the heavens, and all animals that move upon the earth. (Cultural Mandate, to work the resources that given by God).
   

   So first of all, before we start to manage our life, understand your Purposes first! Or in the other word set your Goal first! Understanding that our life has purpose and setting goal according to our life purposes is the first things to do when you want to manage your life.

2. Because life has a limitation
   

   Now, Let us focus back on Cultural Mandate, Bible said God ordered mankind to work it and keep it (And Jehovah God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to work it and keep it -Gen 2:15). God want human to work and to keep the Garden that is given to mankind. To Work means to Develop the garden, God want the earthly resources given to human is being developed, being managed to glorify God. Meanwhile “to keep” have a different meaning, In hebrew to keep come from the word shâmar (שׁמר) which means also to preserve (Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries).

   To Preserve, to protect and to work, because the Earthly resources God given have the limitation, that’s why God order mankind not only to develop but also to keep them. I understand this as a Management of Resources. Because Resources is limited! Oil resources has its limited, Gold mine could be exhausted, so thus diamond like the one in Pretoria South Africa which left the big holes in the surface of the earth because it’s exhausted. The bible said, “… if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?”

   Well, we might be not having all of that earthly resources but we for sure all of us have TIME, resources that every mankind have, no matter if they are rich or poor, no matter of their race, it’s TIME! We got 24 hours in a day, and it’s the earthly resources God want us to manage.

   In other word Limitation means we need to discipline ourself or in financal word we need to create a budget! Understanding that our life has limitation will help us to manage and discpline the limited resources we had in life with stick to our ultimate purposes, To Glorify GOD.

3. Because life has an expiry date
   

   One old Javanese culture that mirroring the philosophy of life, is the necklace being used by the bride in their marriage. The necklace has 3 levels which mean every person will born, marriage, and die. For centuries, Chinese Emperor looked for the anti aging medicine meanwhile Pharaoh of Egypt were balm in order to avoid decaying. Mankind might be not married, but mankind will surely die which lead to the next level why we need a life management. We should understand any earthly investment we plan in this mortal world, won’t be brought into eternity. Jesus have tell us the parable of rich fool, “Don’t be greedy! Owning a lot of things won’t make your life safe.” So Jesus told them this story: A rich man’s farm produced a big crop, and he said to himself, “What can I do? I don’t have a place large enough to store everything.” Later, he said, “Now I know what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I can store all my grain and other goods. Then I’ll say to myself, ‘You have stored up enough good things to last for years to come. Live it up! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.’ “But God said to him, “You fool! Tonight you will die. Then who will get what you have stored up?” “This is what happens to people who store up everything for themselves, but are poor in the sight of God.” Luke 12:15-21 CEV.

   Jesus reminds us one on surely things that living in the sight of God is the most important things. God will not value you at your earthly Investment, anyway earthly riches is his property. But for sure God value you for what you have done in earth. To focus all your Investment on earth for yourself is a wrong and fool motivation of life management. Like the rich fool who think that he can eat, drink and enjoy himself with the earthly riches but being poor in the sight of God. Jesus stretched himself in the cross not to free us to live a life of our own interest, instead as his masterpiece; we are created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared long ago to be our way of life. To live at the sight of God, means also to manage our life for our future Investment. Please remember this, this future Investment is your not a ticket to heaven, For by such grace you have been saved through faith. This does not come from you; it is the gift of God and not the result of works, lest anyone boast. Instead your future Investment means rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. So that you might live in a manner worthy of the Lord and be fully pleasing to him as you bear fruit in every good work and grow in the full knowledge of God.

   Understanding that we not live forever with those earthly resources remind us to focus on our future Investment!
   

4. Because life has an accountability

   Webster dictionary describe accountability as The state of being liable to answer for one’s conduct; liability to give account, and to receive reward or punishment for actions. Understanding that life has an expiry date will bring us in to the next level of why life management. Die will not an end of everything, instead it’s a beginning of eternity, it will started with the judgement, an eternal evaluation of life we lived that will be judged by God. The Bible said on the day of judgment people will give an account for every thoughtless word they utter. Even the time for judgment begin with the household of God.

   One of often story heard by me is about the question of “what will you do if you know that tomorrow is the last day before last judgement!” some people might answer “Oh I will sell half or all of my property and give it to the poor!”, the other might answer that “for sure I will stop my activity and start to pray for myself and for my nations” but a true man answer, “Oh, i will live like yesterday, I will go out of my house in the morning sprinkle on my mango tree although I will never taste the fruit of the mangoes”. The story doesn’t explain that the true man is so ignorant or so plegamatic, instead the story want to tell us that that true man has carefully evaluate his life, day by day, as if tomorrow is the last judgement. He who have no worry because he know that his life is could be accounted since he has given his best, like the faithful servant who work the good work faithfully. So thus our Lord will said unto us, “Wonderful! You are a good and faithful servant. I left you in charge of only a little, but now I will put you in charge of much more. Come and share in my happiness!”

   Because life has accountability, it reminds us to carefully evaluate ourselves! as if the next day is the last judgement

So how we plan our life management, it’s by setting our goal in Him, putting discipline in Him, focusing on our future Investment in Him and evaluating our life in Him. For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

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This was what they did after certain time:
- 7 Feb: Rs.100, first birthday celebration for Hitesh
after marriage
- 1 Mar: Rs.300, salary raise for Priya
- 20 Mar: Rs.200, vacation trip to Bali
- 15 Apr: Rs.2000, Priya got pregnant
- 1 Jun: Rs.1000, Hitesh got promoted ….. and so on…

However, after years, they started fighting and arguing for trivial
things. They didn’t talk much. They regretted that they had married the
most nasty people in the world…. no more love…Kind of typical
nowadays, huh?

One day Priya talked to her Mother: ‘Mom, we can’t stand it anymore. We
agree to divorce. I can’t imagine how I decided to marry this guy!!!’
whatever you want if you really can’t stand it. But before that, do one
thing first. Remember the saving passbook I gave you on your wedding day?
Take out all money and spend it first. You shouldn’t keep any record of
such a poor marriage.’

Priya thought it was true. So she went to the bank, waiting at the queue
and planning to cancel the account. While she was waiting, she took a look
at the passbook record. She looked, and looked, and looked. Then the
memory of all the previous joy and happiness just came up her mind. Her
eyes were then filled with tears. She left and went home.

When she was home, she handed the passbook to Hitesh, asked him to spend
the money before getting divorce. The next day, Hitesh gave the passbook
back to Priya. She found a new deposit of Rs.5000. And a line next to the
record: ‘This is the day I Notice how much I’ve loved you thru out all
these years. How much happiness you’ve brought me.’ They hugged and cried,
putting the passbook back to the safe.

Do you know how much money they had saved when they retired? I did not
ask. I believe the money did not matter any more after they had gone thru
all the good years in their life.

“When you fall, in any way, Don’t see the place where you fell, Instead
see the place from where you slipped.”

= Life is about correcting mistakes =

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Entirely dressed in black, Fairouz, the legendary Lebanese singer, kneels with great humility before the altar and the crucifix upon which our Lord Jesus Christ was nailed and unleashes her impeccable voice as she sings in exaltation: “Today, He was hung on a piece of wood, The Man who hung the world above water…. We kneel before your Passion o’ Christ….We kneel before your Passion o’ Christ.” The year was 1965, and the place, a church in Beirut, Lebanon.

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Kung-kung bukanlah sejenis makanan (itu kang-kung), bukan juga sejenis bunyi-bunyian, kung-kung merupakan cara kami cucu-nya untuk memanggil seorang kakek.

Kung-kung juga bukanlah seorang pahlawan, bukan pula seorang pembesar, kung-kung hanyalah seorang rakyat biasa, seorang pensiunan pegawai negeri yang lugu dan tulus.

Meski terlahir di pulau Bangka, masa mudanya dilaluinya sebagai anak seorang berada, sekolahnya pun nun jauh di pulau malaka (:Singapore).

Semasa penjajahan jepang, beliau kehilangan semuanya namun hal itu tidak membuat beliau kehilangan kemanusiaannya. Dibalut dengan kisah cintanya yang bak romeo dan Juliet dengan sang pujaan hati istri tercinta, beliau melalui jaman itu.

Pernah suatu kali, beliau ditangkap oleh penjajah jepang untuk dijadikan pekerja Romusha. Maka sang istri mendatangi rumah yang ditinggali pemimpin jepang sambil membawa beberapa kotak rokok. Sang istri tidak datang menyogok, tapi lebih lagi dia datang untuk memohon. Sang istri tidak datang dengan berjalan bergaya seperti seorang berada, sebaliknya ia, dalam keadaan hamil tua, datang dengan menggunakan lututnya berjalan selangkah demi selangkah ke kediaman sang pemimpin sambil menyembah memohon. Akhirnya cinta yang sedemikian besar mampu menaklukan hati bengis sang penjajah. Oh, alangkah beruntungnya beliau.

Selanjutnya kehidupan tidak mudah bagi beliau, dari seorang berada maka di masa kemerdekaan beliau hanya bekerja sebagai pegawai negeri rendahan yang mengurus pendaftaran rakyat yang hendak berobat di rumah sakit. Tapi beliau begitu dicintai, tidak mudah bagi beliau utk menghidupi 10 orang anak, tapi beliau dapat melalui semuanya itu.

Kata mama, kisah cinta kungkung dengan istrinya sudah dikenal sepenjuru belinyu. Mereka mudah dikenali sebagai pasangan yang bersepeda bahkan sampai pada hari tuanya. Kungkung begitu terpukul ketika istrinya harus terlebih dahulu meninggalkan beliau beberapa tahun lalu. Sungguh sebagai orang yang sederhana ia mengerti benar arti cinta itu.

Jauh sebelum hari ini terjadi, kungkung dan istrinya sudah mengambil sikap untuk menerima Kristus Yesus sebagai juruselamat pribadi. Suatu kejadian yang sangat luar biasa, melihat bagaimana TUHAN bekerja di hati kedua pasangan ini, di saat beberapa anak-anaknya yang sudah lebih dahulu percaya bisa membawa orangtuanya pada Kristus. Oh alangkah beruntungnya.

Hari ini, saya harus mengucapkan selamat jalan untuk kungkung tercinta. Perasaan sedih meliputi hati saya, walaupun demikian saya harus mengiyakan kata kakak saya, oh alangkah beruntungnya beliau. Tentunya selamat jalan ini bukanlah kata-kata perpisahan yang dihiasi hanya dengan kesedihan belaka, sebaliknya ini adalah kata-kata perpisahan yang diucapkan dengan penuh pengharapan. Ya, pengharapan bahwa suatu saat kita akan bertemu kembali dalam kekekalan, dalam keberuntungan yang sama, dalam penjaminan yang kita percaya, dan dalam pengampunan yang membasuh kita. Ya, di dalam Kristus dan hanya di dalam Kristus. amen

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Siapakah Kristus ? bagi banyak orang Kristus adalah seorang yang baik, sebagian lagi menaruh dia sebagai tokoh yang berpengaruh di dalam sejarah, sebagian lagi melihat dia sebagai seorang nabi, namun tidak lebih dari itu, sebagian lagi melihat dia tidak lebih dari seorang pecundang yang mati di kayu salib.

Mengapa banyak orang yang memperdebatkannya, tidak sedikit yang mengolok-oloknya, tetapi ada berjuta-juta orang rela mati bagiNya?

Siapakah Kristus bagi anda? apakah anda pernah mendengar tentang dia?

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