today i read from 1 sam 22, and and i didnt stop, till i finished 2 sam 4
in those passages was written all that david did from the time he fled saul, till the time he became king.
all those years, he faced hard times.
and his hard times make our hard times look like fun.
i mean, he warred. his king pursued him and sought his life.
and all the while his heart was faithful. faithful to God; to a strong sense of morality.
such that when he refused to "touch the lords anointed" and things like that, it wasnt a strategy to win people's favour, it wasnt just for show, but he really meant everything that he did.
and everything that he did fell in line with Gods word.
THAT is remarkable.
love the lord with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind.
we learnt that last night. i think david modeled it.
and i think i shall strive to set my soul, and my mind on God. at least then the heart might follow.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
BUT LESS OF YOU IS MORE THAN I CAN TAKE
THIRTYFIRSTmarchtwooohohseven
THING THAT STRUCK ME NUMBER ONE: Jesus was aware.
THING THAT STRUCK ME NUMBER TWO: Am i of little faith?
THING THAT STRUCK ME NUMBER THREE: What is my 'five loaves for the five thousand'?
specifically,
Jesus KNOWS what we think,
how we feel,
the unasked queries in our mind,
the doubts we have.
do we sometimes lack the FAITH?
do we sometimes WORRY unnecessarily?
do we sometimes wonder how is it POSSIBLE?
do we sometimes feel HELPLESS?
is there something troubling u, brothers?
we need to be reminded -
that God is GOOD,
that God is GREAT,
that God is FAITHFUL.
by looking back at our past -
at his GOODNESS shown before,
at his FAITHFULNESS demonstrated before,
at his MIRACLES worked in our lives before,
at his PROVISION given to us before,
at his PEACE dwelling in us before;
and be encouraged,
that your problems are in the hands of the same God that has seen u thru before.
or,
do u have yet to see a MIRACLE in ur life?
are u still crying out for one?
then cry out all the more, for the '5 loaves for the 5000' experience in ur life.
are u yearning for more? or has ur hunger diminished?
APPLICATION: i want an EXCITING, EXPLOSIVE, EXPERIENTIAL relationship with God! may i see his reality in my life everyday. so as to give God the glory. open my eyes, Lord.
sidenote: just as i was dwelling on this Scripture as i headed for breakfast at the market this morning with my parents, a mini-miracle happened. or rather, i choose to see it that way. we ordered vegetarian beehoon from this stall and immediately had a vacant table right in front of it to sit down and eat. amazingly, just after we ordered, the queue for the stall ballooned to a whopping 8-10 ppl. as i reflected, the ease at which we got a table and how we ordered 'at the right timing' demonstrated the amazing favour the Lord can grant us. DON'T look at the situation and say, "aiya.. saturday morning, sure got market crowd.. how to find table?" but instead, TRUST that the Lord can work miracles!
" Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, "You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?" " - Matthew 16:8-9
THING THAT STRUCK ME NUMBER ONE: Jesus was aware.
THING THAT STRUCK ME NUMBER TWO: Am i of little faith?
THING THAT STRUCK ME NUMBER THREE: What is my 'five loaves for the five thousand'?
specifically,
Jesus KNOWS what we think,
how we feel,
the unasked queries in our mind,
the doubts we have.
do we sometimes lack the FAITH?
do we sometimes WORRY unnecessarily?
do we sometimes wonder how is it POSSIBLE?
do we sometimes feel HELPLESS?
is there something troubling u, brothers?
we need to be reminded -
that God is GOOD,
that God is GREAT,
that God is FAITHFUL.
by looking back at our past -
at his GOODNESS shown before,
at his FAITHFULNESS demonstrated before,
at his MIRACLES worked in our lives before,
at his PROVISION given to us before,
at his PEACE dwelling in us before;
and be encouraged,
that your problems are in the hands of the same God that has seen u thru before.
or,
do u have yet to see a MIRACLE in ur life?
are u still crying out for one?
then cry out all the more, for the '5 loaves for the 5000' experience in ur life.
are u yearning for more? or has ur hunger diminished?
APPLICATION: i want an EXCITING, EXPLOSIVE, EXPERIENTIAL relationship with God! may i see his reality in my life everyday. so as to give God the glory. open my eyes, Lord.
sidenote: just as i was dwelling on this Scripture as i headed for breakfast at the market this morning with my parents, a mini-miracle happened. or rather, i choose to see it that way. we ordered vegetarian beehoon from this stall and immediately had a vacant table right in front of it to sit down and eat. amazingly, just after we ordered, the queue for the stall ballooned to a whopping 8-10 ppl. as i reflected, the ease at which we got a table and how we ordered 'at the right timing' demonstrated the amazing favour the Lord can grant us. DON'T look at the situation and say, "aiya.. saturday morning, sure got market crowd.. how to find table?" but instead, TRUST that the Lord can work miracles!
Sweet
Last week, after my small group sermon debrief,
My guys asked me, 'Angus are we going to have cell on friday
just like the past 2 fridays?'
I hesitated and replied, "I'll see if my schedule fits for this friday.'
I ever told myself that I'll block my fridays free for my 'G-12' meetings
but for this friday, i needed the time to rehearse for a gig
for my friend's 21st birthday which i agreed to help long before.
Friday night and saturday morning were the only days that the
band could meet up to work the songs through.
Putting the rehearsal on saturday morning seemed too rush
Hence, the hesitation of the friday 'golden' slot.
I seeked the Lord's face and he revealed to me the happy moments
we shared the past 2 weeks, learning his words and sharing our journeys.
All of us were smiling and enjoying each other's company.
At that point, i decided, heck the rehearsal.
Because to me,nothing was more worth it than building into your lives and also you guys building into mine.
I'm speaking to you, Nicholas, Wei Peng, Jeremiah and Ernest.
Nothing was more precious than sharing my friday evenings with you guys,
learning and sharing with one another in the most sincere and true way.
My fellow G-12 brothers, the time with your sons would be the history of
tomorrow. What kind of history would you want to leave with them?
We had a wonderful time of planning for the good friday event
and it totally rocks to see the body working together, contributing
in any way possible be it big or small.
We studied the word of God in Matt22:37 on the greatest commandment.
'Love the LORD your GOD, with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind.'
Is GOD truly the ONLY LOVE of your heart?
That means that you are willing to lay down ALL things aside just for him.
It even goes down to your THOUGHTS. Is your mind occupied with the
agenda of God or the agenda of your own?
We could only respond by saying 'GOD we have failed and we need
to lay down all things aside once again, because in our ways, our actions and our speech, it just go to show that we don't love you enough. We chose to entertain our selfish pleasure, choose to put you aside during my exams, choose to put you aside during my busyness'
Personally for me, i just felt the gentle presence of the LORD
sweeping through the void deck corner of Bras Basah.
I pray that you'll experience and encounter the gentleness of GOD too.
Hoo- Ahhh..
My guys asked me, 'Angus are we going to have cell on friday
just like the past 2 fridays?'
I hesitated and replied, "I'll see if my schedule fits for this friday.'
I ever told myself that I'll block my fridays free for my 'G-12' meetings
but for this friday, i needed the time to rehearse for a gig
for my friend's 21st birthday which i agreed to help long before.
Friday night and saturday morning were the only days that the
band could meet up to work the songs through.
Putting the rehearsal on saturday morning seemed too rush
Hence, the hesitation of the friday 'golden' slot.
I seeked the Lord's face and he revealed to me the happy moments
we shared the past 2 weeks, learning his words and sharing our journeys.
All of us were smiling and enjoying each other's company.
At that point, i decided, heck the rehearsal.
Because to me,nothing was more worth it than building into your lives and also you guys building into mine.
I'm speaking to you, Nicholas, Wei Peng, Jeremiah and Ernest.
Nothing was more precious than sharing my friday evenings with you guys,
learning and sharing with one another in the most sincere and true way.
My fellow G-12 brothers, the time with your sons would be the history of
tomorrow. What kind of history would you want to leave with them?
We had a wonderful time of planning for the good friday event
and it totally rocks to see the body working together, contributing
in any way possible be it big or small.
We studied the word of God in Matt22:37 on the greatest commandment.
'Love the LORD your GOD, with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind.'
Is GOD truly the ONLY LOVE of your heart?
That means that you are willing to lay down ALL things aside just for him.
It even goes down to your THOUGHTS. Is your mind occupied with the
agenda of God or the agenda of your own?
We could only respond by saying 'GOD we have failed and we need
to lay down all things aside once again, because in our ways, our actions and our speech, it just go to show that we don't love you enough. We chose to entertain our selfish pleasure, choose to put you aside during my exams, choose to put you aside during my busyness'
Personally for me, i just felt the gentle presence of the LORD
sweeping through the void deck corner of Bras Basah.
I pray that you'll experience and encounter the gentleness of GOD too.
Hoo- Ahhh..
Friday, March 30, 2007
FURTHER SEEMS FOREVER
THIRTIETHmarchtwoohohseven
it's been a month of online devotions now.
and looking back, i'm surprised how what God has to say to us is quite endless.
it can never be enough.
and today it was,
yeap.
each of us has our secrets.
deep, dark, secrets.
deep, dark, personal, secret, secrets.
that we thought no one would know.
or ever find out.
but someone knows.
someone will find out.
on the day of judgement,
all will be revealed.
God sees everything.
even the unseen.
the thoughts in ur head.
the feelings in ur heart.
the emotions running through ur veins.
God sees it all.
in vivid colour.
in vivid 12485760-bit colour.
and the stuff u thought went unnoticed will be brought to light.
on the day of judgement.
every single stuff.
even the stuff u forgot about.
"eh? i got do this meh? when har..?"
sometimes we forget that we will be judged.
sometimes we forget that God is there with us.
watching.
grieving.
crying.
forgiving.
we need to remember.
that we will still be judged for every sin.
that God is watching us.
but that Jesus has already paid the price for our sins.
so that when we stand trial, God the Judge will read the verdict and say,
"INNOCENT. Sentence paid in FULL. By the blood of the Lamb."
Lord, thank you for your mercy and grace. o how much you love us.
a nice little oldie song to remind us, that,
"God is watching us, God is watching us. God is watching us, from a distance.."
and that song will be playing in my head every time i feel the urge of temptation beckoning.
it's been a month of online devotions now.
and looking back, i'm surprised how what God has to say to us is quite endless.
it can never be enough.
and today it was,
" This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. " - Romans 2:16
yeap.
each of us has our secrets.
deep, dark, secrets.
deep, dark, personal, secret, secrets.
that we thought no one would know.
or ever find out.
but someone knows.
someone will find out.
on the day of judgement,
all will be revealed.
God sees everything.
even the unseen.
the thoughts in ur head.
the feelings in ur heart.
the emotions running through ur veins.
God sees it all.
in vivid colour.
in vivid 12485760-bit colour.
and the stuff u thought went unnoticed will be brought to light.
on the day of judgement.
every single stuff.
even the stuff u forgot about.
"eh? i got do this meh? when har..?"
sometimes we forget that we will be judged.
sometimes we forget that God is there with us.
watching.
grieving.
crying.
forgiving.
we need to remember.
that we will still be judged for every sin.
that God is watching us.
but that Jesus has already paid the price for our sins.
so that when we stand trial, God the Judge will read the verdict and say,
"INNOCENT. Sentence paid in FULL. By the blood of the Lamb."
Lord, thank you for your mercy and grace. o how much you love us.
a nice little oldie song to remind us, that,
"God is watching us, God is watching us. God is watching us, from a distance.."
and that song will be playing in my head every time i feel the urge of temptation beckoning.
MIGHT HAVE A LAXATIVE EFFECT WHEN TAKEN IN EXCESS
1 sam 18-22
this is one of those passages where i look at God(in a manner of speaking)
and go, God, what exactly do you want to say to me here?
and i'm not sure if its just me,
but i felt that the reply was this:
you don't need girls.
david and jonathan (oh is that why the twins are named so? huh mr tay?)
loved each other as he loved himself.
they covenanted and took care of each other.
furthermore in chapter 21 david was allowed to eat of the bread of the presence only if they hadn't been with women.
not that women are unholy, since god gave them, and marriage, to man.
but i guess that is the human element that separates us from God, our inadequacy in and of ourselves that we need another, a partner to lean on.
but before i get distracted.
who needs girls--or women for that matter--when you have brothers?
and i don't mean in the happy sense--as in, as a lark
surely paul must have seen something when he said in 1 cor
he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does even better.
of course he was talking about an engaged person, but the preceding paragraph laid out that it does not matter if one is married or not,
or whether ons is slave or not
or whether one is anything. or not.
what matters is loving and serving God.
sometimes i ask myself, when i begin to talk like that, is it just sour grapes?
placating myself in self denial?
i'd like to think not.
but just to be sure, i think i shall be sure.
and spend the day loving God.
cheers
this is one of those passages where i look at God(in a manner of speaking)
and go, God, what exactly do you want to say to me here?
and i'm not sure if its just me,
but i felt that the reply was this:
you don't need girls.
david and jonathan (oh is that why the twins are named so? huh mr tay?)
loved each other as he loved himself.
they covenanted and took care of each other.
furthermore in chapter 21 david was allowed to eat of the bread of the presence only if they hadn't been with women.
not that women are unholy, since god gave them, and marriage, to man.
but i guess that is the human element that separates us from God, our inadequacy in and of ourselves that we need another, a partner to lean on.
but before i get distracted.
who needs girls--or women for that matter--when you have brothers?
and i don't mean in the happy sense--as in, as a lark
surely paul must have seen something when he said in 1 cor
he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does even better.
of course he was talking about an engaged person, but the preceding paragraph laid out that it does not matter if one is married or not,
or whether ons is slave or not
or whether one is anything. or not.
what matters is loving and serving God.
sometimes i ask myself, when i begin to talk like that, is it just sour grapes?
placating myself in self denial?
i'd like to think not.
but just to be sure, i think i shall be sure.
and spend the day loving God.
cheers
^ Am An Ambassador
The verse of the day- 2Cor 5: 20We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
1. "therefore Christ's ambassadors" - What is our purpose?
- To bring out the message of reconciliation (God to mankind)
2. Am I living out that in my life?
- I was thinking and i felt i may not have done that intentionally. But ya, as Joshua question 'Does it take crisis to feel the urgency to share the message of reconciliation?' Right now it maybe so in my life.
3. How can I be Christ's ambassador?
a. Christ in You - Accept Him as your saviour
b. Live in Christ - Trust Him in all your ways - In proverbs
c. Live for Christ - And if I perish, I perish. - says Esther
4. How then I lead my life?
Learn to be Christ Ambassadors in front of my guys. That I'll only represent Christ to them. Unfortunately, i may not have. God forgive. And help me change my heart. I want to please you alone. Help me Help oh God.... One thing is that I'll do the Planning for the Good Friday event with them coming Sunday with much Patience. Knowing that God is control and I'm not in. Trust him beyond what i see and feel. God will glorify himself in our weakness. So I'll live for Him.
Narash (Lion of God),
1. "therefore Christ's ambassadors" - What is our purpose?
- To bring out the message of reconciliation (God to mankind)
2. Am I living out that in my life?
- I was thinking and i felt i may not have done that intentionally. But ya, as Joshua question 'Does it take crisis to feel the urgency to share the message of reconciliation?' Right now it maybe so in my life.
3. How can I be Christ's ambassador?
a. Christ in You - Accept Him as your saviour
b. Live in Christ - Trust Him in all your ways - In proverbs
c. Live for Christ - And if I perish, I perish. - says Esther
4. How then I lead my life?
Learn to be Christ Ambassadors in front of my guys. That I'll only represent Christ to them. Unfortunately, i may not have. God forgive. And help me change my heart. I want to please you alone. Help me Help oh God.... One thing is that I'll do the Planning for the Good Friday event with them coming Sunday with much Patience. Knowing that God is control and I'm not in. Trust him beyond what i see and feel. God will glorify himself in our weakness. So I'll live for Him.
Narash (Lion of God),
ANGEL EYES NO DISGUISE NO PRETENTION NO FEAR
TWENTYNINTHmarchtwoohohseven
just attended the funeral service for a friend's sister.
sad.
depressing.
how life is fragile.
so precious, and yet, meaningless.
a chasing after the wind.
this morning,
i was led to
in a prophetic light, the whole verse screams VICTORY!
RESTORATION!
DELIVERANCE!
PEACE!
quite the message of the day.
amen. may we claim it!
but, first.
ok, kids.. do u know why the Israelites had veeek-tuh-ree?
alright, boys and girlsss.. let us now explore why they had the victory, shall we?
and see how we can all experience the victory for ourselves!
so let's go!
to the whole of 1 Samuel 7 for context.
in a (very condensed) nuthsell..
3 things must happen before victory ensues:
THING NUMBER ONE is that we must serve only one God.
"So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only."
THING NUMBER TWO is that we must repent.
"On that day they fasted and there they confessed, "We have sinned against the Lord.""
THING NUMBER THREE is that a sacrifice must be made.
"Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it up as a whole burnt offering to the Lord."
EXTRA THING NUMBER FOUR is that it took a holy man to intercede for them.
"He cried out to the Lord on Israel's behalf, and the Lord answered him."
this is how our God works.
so what does it mean for us now?
Jesus has mirrored the very 4 things needed for us to have VICTORY.
it is finished - the finished work on the Cross!
Jesus was the suckling lamb sacrificed for our atonement.
he is the holy One at the Father's right hand interceding for us.
now, all that's left is thing number one and two, which is for us to REPENT and serve only ONE God!
Jesus has made it simple for us!
hip hip hurray!
Lord, i repent. for i am a fallen man. i cast away all foreign gods. may i only have you in my sight. may i only serve u and u alone. may that be my cry, my lifestyle every minute of the day.
onward, soldiers!
from VICTORY to VICTORY!
just attended the funeral service for a friend's sister.
sad.
depressing.
how life is fragile.
so precious, and yet, meaningless.
a chasing after the wind.
this morning,
i was led to
" The towns from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to her, and Israel deilivered the neighbouring territory from the power of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. " - 1 Samuel 7:14
in a prophetic light, the whole verse screams VICTORY!
RESTORATION!
DELIVERANCE!
PEACE!
quite the message of the day.
amen. may we claim it!
but, first.
ok, kids.. do u know why the Israelites had veeek-tuh-ree?
alright, boys and girlsss.. let us now explore why they had the victory, shall we?
and see how we can all experience the victory for ourselves!
so let's go!
to the whole of 1 Samuel 7 for context.
in a (very condensed) nuthsell..
3 things must happen before victory ensues:
THING NUMBER ONE is that we must serve only one God.
"So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only."
THING NUMBER TWO is that we must repent.
"On that day they fasted and there they confessed, "We have sinned against the Lord.""
THING NUMBER THREE is that a sacrifice must be made.
"Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it up as a whole burnt offering to the Lord."
EXTRA THING NUMBER FOUR is that it took a holy man to intercede for them.
"He cried out to the Lord on Israel's behalf, and the Lord answered him."
this is how our God works.
so what does it mean for us now?
Jesus has mirrored the very 4 things needed for us to have VICTORY.
it is finished - the finished work on the Cross!
Jesus was the suckling lamb sacrificed for our atonement.
he is the holy One at the Father's right hand interceding for us.
now, all that's left is thing number one and two, which is for us to REPENT and serve only ONE God!
Jesus has made it simple for us!
hip hip hurray!
Lord, i repent. for i am a fallen man. i cast away all foreign gods. may i only have you in my sight. may i only serve u and u alone. may that be my cry, my lifestyle every minute of the day.
onward, soldiers!
from VICTORY to VICTORY!
Thursday, March 29, 2007
be brave
1 samuel 15-17
i think this is the first time--or one of the first times
that i read david and goliath straight from the bible and not from a children's book.
but one verse stood out:
1 sam a5:22-23
does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
to obey is better than sacrifice
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
for rebellion is like the sin of divination
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
because you hae rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.
even a slight deviation from the word of God is insufferable.
but all it takes, i learnt today, is "bravery"
just steeling yourself and telling yourself, you have to do it
and do it.
and see it through.
and remind yourself if you need to.
just be strong.
i need to learn to please God.
and cast aside excuses of struggles, temptations, urges,
cast aside that which so easily entangles
and simply, surely,
choose to obey god.
aye.
so help me god.
i think this is the first time--or one of the first times
that i read david and goliath straight from the bible and not from a children's book.
but one verse stood out:
1 sam a5:22-23
does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
to obey is better than sacrifice
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
for rebellion is like the sin of divination
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
because you hae rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.
even a slight deviation from the word of God is insufferable.
but all it takes, i learnt today, is "bravery"
just steeling yourself and telling yourself, you have to do it
and do it.
and see it through.
and remind yourself if you need to.
just be strong.
i need to learn to please God.
and cast aside excuses of struggles, temptations, urges,
cast aside that which so easily entangles
and simply, surely,
choose to obey god.
aye.
so help me god.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
^ Word of Encouragement
Jeremiah 30:2"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you.
Another reason to blog down our Devotions... Brothers, I wanted to use this verse to spur us on. Lets strive on, man.
Brother Daniel, your discipline is rubbing unto me. Thank you for your consistency! Brothers, lets get there!
Today, I felt I needed to affirm a Boy in Canberra who happened not from BB. I was there helping to coordinate our 99's Boys Brigade's marching drills and that's when I saw an outstanding boy in NPCC. He didn't move when everyone else did (when they were not supposed to) and showed fantastic pride in his marching. I was impressed. He reminded me of my younger days (haha). And so there was an opportunity and I went up to praise him. He was rather shocked and asked me 'Wah you saw me ah'. I said that I did and I saw his pride and outstanding performance and that I was IMPRESSED. I think he didn't expect that from me. But later at night, he msged me thanking me for praising him. I felt that me releasing that word of encouragement meant alot for him. Thank God that I did so.
Narash (Lion for God)
Another reason to blog down our Devotions... Brothers, I wanted to use this verse to spur us on. Lets strive on, man.
Brother Daniel, your discipline is rubbing unto me. Thank you for your consistency! Brothers, lets get there!
Today, I felt I needed to affirm a Boy in Canberra who happened not from BB. I was there helping to coordinate our 99's Boys Brigade's marching drills and that's when I saw an outstanding boy in NPCC. He didn't move when everyone else did (when they were not supposed to) and showed fantastic pride in his marching. I was impressed. He reminded me of my younger days (haha). And so there was an opportunity and I went up to praise him. He was rather shocked and asked me 'Wah you saw me ah'. I said that I did and I saw his pride and outstanding performance and that I was IMPRESSED. I think he didn't expect that from me. But later at night, he msged me thanking me for praising him. I felt that me releasing that word of encouragement meant alot for him. Thank God that I did so.
Narash (Lion for God)
Devotion
My friends, remember we serve a BIG God.
Don't look at the circumstances in front of you.
The burden may seem too big to carry
and the situation too hard to bear.
Its then that you MUST NOT rationalise and trust.
'Blind faith my dear'
The whole globe is in the palm of the living GOD, what can he not give you?
'When you stand, tall trees and mountains bow,
When you speak, fears and oceans be still,
and the sick, sinners seek devotion,
Lost become chosen.'
Remember our GOD is bigger then your circumstances
He will come and save you
HAVING HERE OR TAKE AWAY?
TWENTYEIGHTHmarchtwoohohseven
this morning the Holy Spirit led me toooo..
*ding ding ding!
i have learnt something more of God!
our Lord desires quality!
using this Scripture, he spoke to me that:
it is not just the OBEDIENCE to building that counts, the QUALITY put into it matters, too!
are we just going thru the motion?
just putting half the effort to get it done?
"aiya.. pastor say build, so i build lor..! but i use straw nvm one la.. no need so hiong use gold.."
WHAT nevermind?
God minds.
we need to wake up our idea!
if what we build is burned up on the Day of judgement, "he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames."
the Lord prompted me to check my heart:
am i doing his work in the right frame of mind?
am i grumbling about it? "haiyah do this again.. sian.."
do i regard his work with dread? "oh no, tmr is duno-what-duno-what day.."
do i ask myself "why am i doing this???"
am i coming to a point where i serve because i'm obligated to?
or do i really want to?
have i lost the fire? the passion?
is my heart right?
is what i'm putting in genuineEFFORT or the bareMINIMUM?
upon reflecting on the previous stuffs i did,
i found that sometimes i fall so easily into the "Eh At Least I Did It" mindset.
do some of us have the same mentality?
let us yearn for the right HEART.
call upon God for an impartation of his heartbeat. his compassion. his desires. his will.
let us not just be DOers but DoersWithTheRightHearters.
let us build with GOLD, SILVER, and COSTLY STONES.
because God is WORTHY.
APPLEYKAYSHEARN: i will give thanks and rejoice over every opportunity to serve. because God is concerned over my BEING not DOING. and because rich will be my treasure in heaven. shenyang here i come! i believe much is in store for me there!
this morning the Holy Spirit led me toooo..
" If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work shall be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. " - 1 Chorinthians 3:12-13
*ding ding ding!
i have learnt something more of God!
our Lord desires quality!
using this Scripture, he spoke to me that:
it is not just the OBEDIENCE to building that counts, the QUALITY put into it matters, too!
are we just going thru the motion?
just putting half the effort to get it done?
"aiya.. pastor say build, so i build lor..! but i use straw nvm one la.. no need so hiong use gold.."
WHAT nevermind?
God minds.
we need to wake up our idea!
if what we build is burned up on the Day of judgement, "he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames."
the Lord prompted me to check my heart:
am i doing his work in the right frame of mind?
am i grumbling about it? "haiyah do this again.. sian.."
do i regard his work with dread? "oh no, tmr is duno-what-duno-what day.."
do i ask myself "why am i doing this???"
am i coming to a point where i serve because i'm obligated to?
or do i really want to?
have i lost the fire? the passion?
is my heart right?
is what i'm putting in genuineEFFORT or the bareMINIMUM?
upon reflecting on the previous stuffs i did,
i found that sometimes i fall so easily into the "Eh At Least I Did It" mindset.
do some of us have the same mentality?
let us yearn for the right HEART.
call upon God for an impartation of his heartbeat. his compassion. his desires. his will.
let us not just be DOers but DoersWithTheRightHearters.
let us build with GOLD, SILVER, and COSTLY STONES.
because God is WORTHY.
APPLEYKAYSHEARN: i will give thanks and rejoice over every opportunity to serve. because God is concerned over my BEING not DOING. and because rich will be my treasure in heaven. shenyang here i come! i believe much is in store for me there!
Time, i've been passing time...
i did not watch trains go by...(the first line to one of my fav love songs by stephen bishop) anw. i've been passing time.
READING! and MORE reading! and More Reading!
i spend time reading the word. reading a bible encyclopedia. a very exciting book bout music and "mrs frisby and the rats of nimh"(my sister's fav story book)
i give thanks for the time that i can spend just soaking in reading the word.
today i read proverbs 28. and verses 13-14 i felt spoke to my heart.
my application is to have courage to admit when i sin which we will all do. and that my heart with be tender. tender towards God and his people.
its nights out now! yipee! catch you guys soon!
READING! and MORE reading! and More Reading!
i spend time reading the word. reading a bible encyclopedia. a very exciting book bout music and "mrs frisby and the rats of nimh"(my sister's fav story book)
i give thanks for the time that i can spend just soaking in reading the word.
today i read proverbs 28. and verses 13-14 i felt spoke to my heart.
"You can't whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them"
"A tenderhearted person lives a blessed life; a hardhearted person lives a hard life"
"A tenderhearted person lives a blessed life; a hardhearted person lives a hard life"
my application is to have courage to admit when i sin which we will all do. and that my heart with be tender. tender towards God and his people.
its nights out now! yipee! catch you guys soon!
Life on earth prepares us for heaven
God has given us victory in Him. We need to choose to see it that way and not get distracted by the problems and obstacles that we experience. Let's rise up to be overcomers in our character and in our walk before the Lord!
In an interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren said:
People ask me. What is the purpose of life? And I respond, In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body - but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillion of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act, the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ-likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you got to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain."
But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people...You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.
Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before.
I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for you to own ego or for you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases. Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan - to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation. Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
In an interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren said:
People ask me. What is the purpose of life? And I respond, In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body - but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillion of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act, the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ-likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you got to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain."
But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people...You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.
Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before.
I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for you to own ego or for you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases. Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan - to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation. Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
LIKE BRINGING A KNIFE TO A GUNFIGHT
TWENTYSEVENTHmarchtwoohohseven
qifa primary day.
it went well.
i am satisfied.
the Holy Spirit showed me this morning that,
***this post shall be about what i have caught from the G12 Conference, as JTeo has requested.
one thing i have definitely caught is the spirit of FAMILY.
the key idea is that: the church should and will provide EVERYTHING that we would ever need.
and i really see God's family fulfilling that.
love, acceptance, friendship, laughter, fun, discipline, values; everything.
the spirit spoke to me about the condition of my heart.
my spiritual family (or church friends) should be the CLOSEST friends i have.
my spiritual family (or church friends) should provide all the HAPPINESS and JOY i need.
my spiritual family (or church friends) should be a BLESSING to me, or rather vice-versa.
my spiritual family (or church friends) should be the friends i LOVE most, and vice-versa.
not my secular friends.
was that so?
i couldn't say, then.
but that has sparked a change in me.
that, really, if we all believe in the same vision and proclaim its truth, then shouldn't we be the best of the BEST friends? since we believe we are all headed for eternity TOGETHER?
or have we not really caught the VISION?
i think i have never really cared about my spiritual brothers before as much as i do now.
no, not that i didn't care for u guys at all before, i mean just not as much now.
yup. i mean, if all goes well, i really do hope to see all of us rise up to be great Warriors of Light. i want to be there at all of ur weddings. i want to be there when u have ur first kids. i want us to be there for each other, for life. seriously. do u get it now? we are here for each other. that's what we were meant to do from the start. to LOVE and CARE for each other as though we were LIFE buddies because we are. o that i won't see a brother fall away from us.
oh, and back to the Scripture.
the Holy Spirit conveniently led me to it, to show me Paul's heart for his spiritual family as a model. that "it is right for (him) to feel this way about all of (them)".
yup.
no matter where we all may be in the spiritual battle, we will all be there for each other in unity, "shar(ing) in God's grace" together.
APLEEKEHSHEN: to be a blessing to my spiritual brothers. free webcam or NUS vouchers or USB tv receiver, anyone?
a FAMILY cares, disciplines, provides, loves.
qifa primary day.
it went well.
i am satisfied.
the Holy Spirit showed me this morning that,
" It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. " - Philippians 1:7
***this post shall be about what i have caught from the G12 Conference, as JTeo has requested.
one thing i have definitely caught is the spirit of FAMILY.
the key idea is that: the church should and will provide EVERYTHING that we would ever need.
and i really see God's family fulfilling that.
love, acceptance, friendship, laughter, fun, discipline, values; everything.
the spirit spoke to me about the condition of my heart.
my spiritual family (or church friends) should be the CLOSEST friends i have.
my spiritual family (or church friends) should provide all the HAPPINESS and JOY i need.
my spiritual family (or church friends) should be a BLESSING to me, or rather vice-versa.
my spiritual family (or church friends) should be the friends i LOVE most, and vice-versa.
not my secular friends.
was that so?
i couldn't say, then.
but that has sparked a change in me.
that, really, if we all believe in the same vision and proclaim its truth, then shouldn't we be the best of the BEST friends? since we believe we are all headed for eternity TOGETHER?
or have we not really caught the VISION?
i think i have never really cared about my spiritual brothers before as much as i do now.
no, not that i didn't care for u guys at all before, i mean just not as much now.
yup. i mean, if all goes well, i really do hope to see all of us rise up to be great Warriors of Light. i want to be there at all of ur weddings. i want to be there when u have ur first kids. i want us to be there for each other, for life. seriously. do u get it now? we are here for each other. that's what we were meant to do from the start. to LOVE and CARE for each other as though we were LIFE buddies because we are. o that i won't see a brother fall away from us.
oh, and back to the Scripture.
the Holy Spirit conveniently led me to it, to show me Paul's heart for his spiritual family as a model. that "it is right for (him) to feel this way about all of (them)".
yup.
no matter where we all may be in the spiritual battle, we will all be there for each other in unity, "shar(ing) in God's grace" together.
APLEEKEHSHEN: to be a blessing to my spiritual brothers. free webcam or NUS vouchers or USB tv receiver, anyone?
a FAMILY cares, disciplines, provides, loves.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
^ Die somemore loh
2 things that I've identified from Romans 6.
1. Death to sin produces Eternal Life, a gift from God
2. Death because of sin and Death is wages for Sin
I rather choose to die to sin/ old man each and every other.
So that you'll life in the Power of God. And experience the
resurrected power of God. If you are living in sin, how can you
experience the Power of God.
Stop Sinning, Start encounter with God.
Pray for self and others. In that process, seek the Lord. And He will answer, guide, comfort,
and discpline.
Jesus is R E A L. . . . . . .....
Narash (Lion of God)
1. Death to sin produces Eternal Life, a gift from God
2. Death because of sin and Death is wages for Sin
I rather choose to die to sin/ old man each and every other.
So that you'll life in the Power of God. And experience the
resurrected power of God. If you are living in sin, how can you
experience the Power of God.
Stop Sinning, Start encounter with God.
Pray for self and others. In that process, seek the Lord. And He will answer, guide, comfort,
and discpline.
Jesus is R E A L. . . . . . .....
Narash (Lion of God)
Jesus is my Boss, but then...
'Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not on your own understanding,
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he'll make your paths straight.'
So its an easy verse to quote yeah?
Alot of us just quote this verse and fail the test when its time to 'trust'
I did. I failed the test, BIG TIME.
I had my 'hell' week last week.
5 project submissions- hand clap
I was sleep deprived, energy deprived, and most of all time deprived.
Taking things into my own hands, i skip my devotion times thinking
that i could have 'more' time to 'pia' my projects and that led to one more thing
depriving myself from the strength and power of GOD.
Busy till there's no place for GOD to fit into the schedule?
No no.. is I choose not to fit GOD into my schedule
Why? Simply because I don't trust GOD and trust myself to get the job done.
When i realise the condition of my heart, i beat my chest
and the only thing i could do was to repent at the altar of GOD.
What does it mean to trust in the LORD and lean not on your own understanding?
When I tried to make sense of the situation and choose to spend time on my project instead of giving GOD that place, it is leaning on my own understanding and not trusting.
Its looking at the situation 'Oh jia lat, I better spend time doing this first.'
Thats call leaning on my own understanding of the situation.
Nevertheless, I still thank GOD that his hand
was upon me in the midst of my 'hell' week.
As i read my projects, the things i typed out 'Wow, is this from Angus Sham?? The C5 GP standard?'
I thank GOD for his faithfulness,
Even when i was unfaithful/Pang seh
God was faithful, he did not forsake me.
My friends, learn from my mistake. Choose to put GOD first in the midst of adversity.
'Every opportunity to fear, is an opportunity to trust GOD.'
and lean not on your own understanding,
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he'll make your paths straight.'
So its an easy verse to quote yeah?
Alot of us just quote this verse and fail the test when its time to 'trust'
I did. I failed the test, BIG TIME.
I had my 'hell' week last week.
5 project submissions- hand clap
I was sleep deprived, energy deprived, and most of all time deprived.
Taking things into my own hands, i skip my devotion times thinking
that i could have 'more' time to 'pia' my projects and that led to one more thing
depriving myself from the strength and power of GOD.
Busy till there's no place for GOD to fit into the schedule?
No no.. is I choose not to fit GOD into my schedule
Why? Simply because I don't trust GOD and trust myself to get the job done.
When i realise the condition of my heart, i beat my chest
and the only thing i could do was to repent at the altar of GOD.
What does it mean to trust in the LORD and lean not on your own understanding?
When I tried to make sense of the situation and choose to spend time on my project instead of giving GOD that place, it is leaning on my own understanding and not trusting.
Its looking at the situation 'Oh jia lat, I better spend time doing this first.'
Thats call leaning on my own understanding of the situation.
Nevertheless, I still thank GOD that his hand
was upon me in the midst of my 'hell' week.
As i read my projects, the things i typed out 'Wow, is this from Angus Sham?? The C5 GP standard?'
I thank GOD for his faithfulness,
Even when i was unfaithful/Pang seh
God was faithful, he did not forsake me.
My friends, learn from my mistake. Choose to put GOD first in the midst of adversity.
'Every opportunity to fear, is an opportunity to trust GOD.'
vengeance is the Lord's
samuel was a man of god.
1 sam 8-12
saul affirmed and confirmed his kingship by leading israel into victory.
the words of samuel werent exactly enough, even though samuel anointed him.
i think i need to confirm my kingship by leading a life of victory.
what about you?
1 sam 8-12
saul affirmed and confirmed his kingship by leading israel into victory.
the words of samuel werent exactly enough, even though samuel anointed him.
i think i need to confirm my kingship by leading a life of victory.
what about you?
IF ITS POSSIBLE TO CRY FOR FUN THEN CAN ONE LAUGH FOR MISERY?
TWENTYSIXTHmarchtwoohohseven
i am in zombie-mode - repercussions of a lack of sleep.
and there are so many things on my mind.
namely,
xiaoqiang, qifa pri ballooning, my mentees, the upcoming good friday event, my tuition kids, cvss s-l kids, shenyang, other friend activities, and lastly my own activities. like what should i have for lunch? and when can i get my hair cut? or how come my underwear has suddenly all disappeared?
other than that, i also thought about what the Holy Spirit told me,
this is one aspect of God commonly found in the Old Testament.
however, it is lesser seen, or almost not at all, in the New Testament.
but our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
this means that the above-mentioned likeness of God is the same God we worship today.
the same God we now call Abba, Father. Daddy.
so sometimes we forget.
that our God is a mighty God.
mighty enough to move multitudes just at the sound of his voice.
which is likened to thunder.
hairraising loudcracking earshattering thunder.
mighty enough to dissipate nations.
as a quitewise man once said, "God can hold the whole world in the palm of his hand, what then can he not do for u?"
how right indeed.
sometimes we don't believe God for the simplest things that it would be ridiculous from a macro point of view.
the salvation of a friend.
the healing of the sick.
the getting of good grades.
the passing of a driving test.
the stopping of the rain.
the arriving of a taxi.
God wouldn't have to bat an eyelid and it would be done. / could have.
it just took/ takes u to believe.
believing is not:
thinking, "aiya how can.." or "wah what if i fail? so paiseh.." or "my friends will laugh at me.."
our Daddy in heaven is a MIGHTY Daddy.
WHAT can he not do for u?
we need to start BELIEVING and start LIVING out the truth.
tap into the powers of our Super Dad TODAY!
is there something u want God to do?
this is a CHALLENGE for us to start BELIEVING that God can do it!
let us witness the mighty hand of God moving in power!
that we may give thanks.
that we may give glory to God.
that we may bear testament to his reality.
that we may save countless others.
this is the year of VICTORY.
lets live it out!
MY AIRPLEEKAYSHUN: i believe. i shall invite my brother and friends Ravin and Priscilla for the upcoming Good Friday events. and to invite my friend Shalom for the upcoming healing service. in addition to that, i also believe that i can be a blessing to the Chinese community in Shenyang despite the language barrier. i shall go.
victory is ours! BELIEVE it.
i am in zombie-mode - repercussions of a lack of sleep.
and there are so many things on my mind.
namely,
xiaoqiang, qifa pri ballooning, my mentees, the upcoming good friday event, my tuition kids, cvss s-l kids, shenyang, other friend activities, and lastly my own activities. like what should i have for lunch? and when can i get my hair cut? or how come my underwear has suddenly all disappeared?
other than that, i also thought about what the Holy Spirit told me,
" At the thunder of your voice, the peoples flee; when you rise up, the nations scatter. " - Isaiah 33:3
this is one aspect of God commonly found in the Old Testament.
however, it is lesser seen, or almost not at all, in the New Testament.
but our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
this means that the above-mentioned likeness of God is the same God we worship today.
the same God we now call Abba, Father. Daddy.
so sometimes we forget.
that our God is a mighty God.
mighty enough to move multitudes just at the sound of his voice.
which is likened to thunder.
hairraising loudcracking earshattering thunder.
mighty enough to dissipate nations.
as a quitewise man once said, "God can hold the whole world in the palm of his hand, what then can he not do for u?"
how right indeed.
sometimes we don't believe God for the simplest things that it would be ridiculous from a macro point of view.
the salvation of a friend.
the healing of the sick.
the getting of good grades.
the passing of a driving test.
the stopping of the rain.
the arriving of a taxi.
God wouldn't have to bat an eyelid and it would be done. / could have.
it just took/ takes u to believe.
believing is not:
thinking, "aiya how can.." or "wah what if i fail? so paiseh.." or "my friends will laugh at me.."
our Daddy in heaven is a MIGHTY Daddy.
WHAT can he not do for u?
we need to start BELIEVING and start LIVING out the truth.
tap into the powers of our Super Dad TODAY!
is there something u want God to do?
this is a CHALLENGE for us to start BELIEVING that God can do it!
let us witness the mighty hand of God moving in power!
that we may give thanks.
that we may give glory to God.
that we may bear testament to his reality.
that we may save countless others.
this is the year of VICTORY.
lets live it out!
MY AIRPLEEKAYSHUN: i believe. i shall invite my brother and friends Ravin and Priscilla for the upcoming Good Friday events. and to invite my friend Shalom for the upcoming healing service. in addition to that, i also believe that i can be a blessing to the Chinese community in Shenyang despite the language barrier. i shall go.
victory is ours! BELIEVE it.
Monday, March 26, 2007
^ Life and death
I fasted today.
The Lord led me to Romans 6. And its talking about "shall we sin or continue in Sin?" God forbid that it wont happen! The Life in Christ that we experince is not comparable to all of it. I'm asking God for a breakthrough in my life. And its like when I cant do it and noone else can do it for me. I'm running to God for a breakthrough. Yes, I need a serious breakthrough.
I come before the Lord wanting to pure and holy. HELP ME, oh Lord.. I long the power of resurrected God to fall upon me. And coz my life to be more Christ-like.
Narash (Lion of God)
DO FISH DRINK WATER?
TWENTYFOURTHmarchtwoohohseven
was a hectic day(s).
where i slept for less than an hour the following morning.
the sequence of events, in back-to-back fashion, were as follows:
24/3, 6:45am - Simei ITE S-L, prayer meeting, mahjong with ex-classmates, service, visit XQ, - 25/3, 9:00pm
in the morning of what was to come, the Holy Spirit led me to,
i felt it was a reminder for me to check my life: do i have any foreign gods to surrender?
the scariest thing about these gods is that sometimes we don't even realise we have them!
anything placed before God in importance is a foreign god - we have adored something over God.
anything that hinders our relationship with God is a foreign god - God demands our all. anything less is a compromise.
anything that is in conflict with God is a foreign god - a water tap only produces one kind of water: clean or dirty.
the law was written to convict us of how far we are from adequacy.
but grace was demonstrated by our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross.
so repent. cast down ur idols. bury them. and God will surely forgive.
TAKE OFF the old clothes. be RENEWED in the mind. and put on the fresh garments of righteousness!
do u have a foreign god in your life?
computer games?
your girlfriend?
money?
food?
music?
enjoyment?
unwholesome talk?
friends?
yourself?
so many possible things..
have they come between God and u?
Lord, let us not be mere hearers of the Word, but doers.
les us cast off everything that hinders so that we may be closer to you.
is God first in EVERYTHING?
was a hectic day(s).
where i slept for less than an hour the following morning.
the sequence of events, in back-to-back fashion, were as follows:
24/3, 6:45am - Simei ITE S-L, prayer meeting, mahjong with ex-classmates, service, visit XQ, - 25/3, 9:00pm
in the morning of what was to come, the Holy Spirit led me to,
" So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. " - Genesis 35:4
i felt it was a reminder for me to check my life: do i have any foreign gods to surrender?
the scariest thing about these gods is that sometimes we don't even realise we have them!
anything placed before God in importance is a foreign god - we have adored something over God.
anything that hinders our relationship with God is a foreign god - God demands our all. anything less is a compromise.
anything that is in conflict with God is a foreign god - a water tap only produces one kind of water: clean or dirty.
the law was written to convict us of how far we are from adequacy.
but grace was demonstrated by our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross.
so repent. cast down ur idols. bury them. and God will surely forgive.
TAKE OFF the old clothes. be RENEWED in the mind. and put on the fresh garments of righteousness!
do u have a foreign god in your life?
computer games?
your girlfriend?
money?
food?
music?
enjoyment?
unwholesome talk?
friends?
yourself?
so many possible things..
have they come between God and u?
Lord, let us not be mere hearers of the Word, but doers.
les us cast off everything that hinders so that we may be closer to you.
is God first in EVERYTHING?
Saturday, March 24, 2007
its been too long
1 sam 1-3
hannah prayed from the DEPTHS of her heart and God answered.
GOd grant us the same conviction and fervour
that we may be effective in prayer.
1 sam 2:9
it is not by strength that one prevails.
nay, but by God, i say. only He can prevail.
now samuel was "attested as a prophet of the lord"
and methinks, he's just a boy. he never really did anything.
thing is, no matter who we are, we cant do anything to earn anything from God.
but samuel had two things:
1. he was dedicated to God
2. he obeyed God and served Him with the heart of a child (its the only one he had)
what do you say my brothers?
let us dedicate our lives to Him and have faith like a child.
also, the other day, joshua said to me
phi 3:8
what is more, i consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing christ jesus my lord, for whose sake i have lost all things.
hannah prayed from the DEPTHS of her heart and God answered.
GOd grant us the same conviction and fervour
that we may be effective in prayer.
1 sam 2:9
it is not by strength that one prevails.
nay, but by God, i say. only He can prevail.
now samuel was "attested as a prophet of the lord"
and methinks, he's just a boy. he never really did anything.
thing is, no matter who we are, we cant do anything to earn anything from God.
but samuel had two things:
1. he was dedicated to God
2. he obeyed God and served Him with the heart of a child (its the only one he had)
what do you say my brothers?
let us dedicate our lives to Him and have faith like a child.
also, the other day, joshua said to me
phi 3:8
what is more, i consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing christ jesus my lord, for whose sake i have lost all things.
Friday, March 23, 2007
WE SHALL ALL WEAR OVERPANTS AND UNDERALLS
TWENTYTHIRDmarchtwoohohseven
thank God that i could be roused from my slumber pretty much on schedule this morning.
and thank God that the Holy Spirit showed me,
a chili padi Scripture: short but powerful.
and this is what it's about.
don't we all want to have VICTORY over the devil and his irritating deceptions lies temptations?
there are 2 steps to take, but which require some deal of mastering:
O N E : submit yourselves to God.
T W O : resist the devil.
many of us try to resist the devil but end up failing. and then disheartened.
WHAT went wrong?
we forgot to submit ourselves to God first.
3 principles. (in sequential order)
O N E : none of u.
T W O : all of God.
T H R E E : oppose the devil.
a n d : he will flee. confirm. guarantee plus chop.
WHY will it work?
if we think we can triumph over the devil and his temptations alone, we are fools.
Jesus has won the devil before. so let the reigning champion foil the devil's schemes again!
oppose also means to not dwell on the temptations. once we entertain those thoughts we will be sucked into slavery. because we are fleshly.
so remember once again: noneofu, allofGod, opposethedevil! and flee he will.
yay! hurray! VICTORIOUS WE FIGHT!
Jesus win liao! scared for what!
comeon, sms ur friend beside u: noneofu, allofGod, opposethedevil!!!
APPLICATION: the next time i feel tempted, firstly i will pray and submit my being TOTALLY to him. body, will, actions, everything. i will not rely on myself to resist. i will just be at ease and put away those temptatious thoughts while Jesus chases the devil away. far away.
VICTORY before the battle!
thank God that i could be roused from my slumber pretty much on schedule this morning.
and thank God that the Holy Spirit showed me,
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." - James 4:7
a chili padi Scripture: short but powerful.
and this is what it's about.
don't we all want to have VICTORY over the devil and his irritating deceptions lies temptations?
there are 2 steps to take, but which require some deal of mastering:
O N E : submit yourselves to God.
T W O : resist the devil.
many of us try to resist the devil but end up failing. and then disheartened.
WHAT went wrong?
we forgot to submit ourselves to God first.
3 principles. (in sequential order)
O N E : none of u.
T W O : all of God.
T H R E E : oppose the devil.
a n d : he will flee. confirm. guarantee plus chop.
WHY will it work?
if we think we can triumph over the devil and his temptations alone, we are fools.
Jesus has won the devil before. so let the reigning champion foil the devil's schemes again!
oppose also means to not dwell on the temptations. once we entertain those thoughts we will be sucked into slavery. because we are fleshly.
so remember once again: noneofu, allofGod, opposethedevil! and flee he will.
yay! hurray! VICTORIOUS WE FIGHT!
Jesus win liao! scared for what!
comeon, sms ur friend beside u: noneofu, allofGod, opposethedevil!!!
APPLICATION: the next time i feel tempted, firstly i will pray and submit my being TOTALLY to him. body, will, actions, everything. i will not rely on myself to resist. i will just be at ease and put away those temptatious thoughts while Jesus chases the devil away. far away.
VICTORY before the battle!
^ Fruities
Fruitful, fruitful, fruitful...
Being fruitful is always tied in with 'increase in numbers'.
I found it very facinating. Interesting! Why can we be fruitful and increase in numbers? Only because He is God Almighty. Not in my strenght but in His. Is it me? It is God. I claim that blessing for myself that I'll will be fruitful and increase in number.
APPLICATION: To find my 12.
Some Bible references
Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."Genesis 9:1 [ God's Covenant With Noah ] Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.
Genesis 17:20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.
Genesis 35:11 And God said to him, "I am God Almighty ; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body.
Narash (Lion of God)
Camp Life
Dear Brothers.
Its just been another week in camp. Recently, due to some delays in the contractor-SAF communication... We've been having lotsa free time in camp. And thus i have been spending time to read the word of God. "How to read the bible for all its worth" in my hand, the bible on the other, i would be found on my bed reading and reading and reading and ZzZZzZ. =( bad bad. But nevertheless. God speaks through his word.
It reveal how Christians can be caught into abusing the text literally. Example in Proverbs 14:7.
I guess this is the way to go deep. Taking time to really seek the word of God.
Right that afternoon, the COY 2IC walked past my bunk, saw platoon best LCP TAN EW asleep soundly and called for STAND BY BED 5mins. very nice one very beautiful indeed. I fell asleep reading bible again. Well thank you Lord for the many lessons.
THEY'RE DANCING AROUND THE TRUTH
TWENTYSECONDmarchtwoohohseven
today i bought $450 worth of balloons and pumps.
and carried them for slightly more than 1km.
in jeans and slippers.
ouch. lesson learnt: $450 worth of balloons and pumps weigh quite a bit.
and i must have looked like i wanted to bomb the sbs bus with those huge plastic bags of stuff.
before that, the Holy Spirit showed me,
the Holy Spirit has revealed to me many amazing and insightful truths from the rest of this parable:
firstly, we are lazy by nature. "standing here all day doing nothing"
secondly, no one wants to hire us. "because no one has hired us"
thirdly, the gracious Lord sees worth in us. he chose us for employment.
fourthly, the Lord provides work for us. we have to work. "you also go and work in my vineyard"
fifthly, the Lord also provides blessings for us. "I will pay you whatever is right"
sixthly, the Lord doesn't exclude anyone. all is invited to work.
seventhly, the Lord desires to bless. he goes out again and again to offer employment.
eighthly, the Lord is generous. he pays all the workers a full day wage despite some of them only working 1 hour.
ninethly, the Lord is gracious to all. because grace is undeserved favour. and independent of effort. more effort is inequal to more blessings.
tenthly, the Lord is not being unfair. " "But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' So the last will be first, and the first will be last." "
this may be slightly off topic, but as i was typing the 'Lord is gracious to all' part, a MIRACLE happened.
a bleach episode i had just only started downloading completed its download.
like, completely. like, in no more than 5 minutes. like, 170MB.
nothing of the sort has ever happened to me.
Lord, what are you saying to me?
and even as i was typing this, the Holy Spirit prompted me about my A Level results.
i achieved the same grades as those who had been sloggingtheirheartsout for 2 years, even though i started studyingseriously only at the eleventh hour. (pun intended)
it was God's greatest miracle in my life.
and the greatest demonstration of grace toward me.
this parable re-affirmed the grace i knew in a fresh way.
do we know our God?
do we recognise his character?
do we understand the way he works?
but despite this all, i felt the Holy Spirit's message for me was:
stop being a lazy bum and go WORK in my vineyard.
not because u are worthy but because i chose u.
and u will be REWARDED.
not because u think u have toiled hard but because i am generous and gracious.
yes, Lord. i obey.
APPLICATION, THEN: amen i hear thee, Lord. tend to your sheep, i will. meet with my disciples, i shall.
oh, and in hindsight, i am prompted to add that it is the HEART that matters.
are we willing to serve God? that's all that matters.
cuz if we are, then we will be rewarded.
cuz God looks at the heart.
are we WILLING or are we GREEDY for blessings?
today i bought $450 worth of balloons and pumps.
and carried them for slightly more than 1km.
in jeans and slippers.
ouch. lesson learnt: $450 worth of balloons and pumps weigh quite a bit.
and i must have looked like i wanted to bomb the sbs bus with those huge plastic bags of stuff.
before that, the Holy Spirit showed me,
" "Because no one has hired us," they answered. "He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.' " - Matthew 20:7
the Holy Spirit has revealed to me many amazing and insightful truths from the rest of this parable:
firstly, we are lazy by nature. "standing here all day doing nothing"
secondly, no one wants to hire us. "because no one has hired us"
thirdly, the gracious Lord sees worth in us. he chose us for employment.
fourthly, the Lord provides work for us. we have to work. "you also go and work in my vineyard"
fifthly, the Lord also provides blessings for us. "I will pay you whatever is right"
sixthly, the Lord doesn't exclude anyone. all is invited to work.
seventhly, the Lord desires to bless. he goes out again and again to offer employment.
eighthly, the Lord is generous. he pays all the workers a full day wage despite some of them only working 1 hour.
ninethly, the Lord is gracious to all. because grace is undeserved favour. and independent of effort. more effort is inequal to more blessings.
tenthly, the Lord is not being unfair. " "But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' So the last will be first, and the first will be last." "
this may be slightly off topic, but as i was typing the 'Lord is gracious to all' part, a MIRACLE happened.
a bleach episode i had just only started downloading completed its download.
like, completely. like, in no more than 5 minutes. like, 170MB.
nothing of the sort has ever happened to me.
Lord, what are you saying to me?
and even as i was typing this, the Holy Spirit prompted me about my A Level results.
i achieved the same grades as those who had been sloggingtheirheartsout for 2 years, even though i started studyingseriously only at the eleventh hour. (pun intended)
it was God's greatest miracle in my life.
and the greatest demonstration of grace toward me.
this parable re-affirmed the grace i knew in a fresh way.
do we know our God?
do we recognise his character?
do we understand the way he works?
but despite this all, i felt the Holy Spirit's message for me was:
stop being a lazy bum and go WORK in my vineyard.
not because u are worthy but because i chose u.
and u will be REWARDED.
not because u think u have toiled hard but because i am generous and gracious.
yes, Lord. i obey.
APPLICATION, THEN: amen i hear thee, Lord. tend to your sheep, i will. meet with my disciples, i shall.
oh, and in hindsight, i am prompted to add that it is the HEART that matters.
are we willing to serve God? that's all that matters.
cuz if we are, then we will be rewarded.
cuz God looks at the heart.
are we WILLING or are we GREEDY for blessings?
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
^ Minister of God (Submits!)
God led me to verse...
2 Corinthians 6
1We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
2(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
3Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:
4But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,
5In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;
6By pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,
7By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
8By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;
9As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;
10As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
When i saw this, i saw it as some "checklist" for self evaluation. As these are all things that approves us as minister of God. As i was reading this, many things occurred in my mind. But as a minister of God, in much patience- caught my attention. But as I was doing my things at work today, I also felt the word 'Submit'. Along with that, what Joshua msged me yesterday was resounding in my head.
Background story
I've been quite impatient with my superior. And felt frustrated easily. Yes, I've some problems submitting to my superior. Somehow or another. So i decided to step out and initiate a chat with
him. -Applications-Applications- I told him that I wanted to support him and I didn't know how to. And was asking if I was hindering his leadership. I thank God that it went well. He thanked me for initiating the conversation. Now I know my position and role. There's clarification. I was also will be an effective minister as I'm learning to be patient at all times. Another thing that just struck me: My battle is NOT against FLESH AND BLOOD.
The rest of the "checklist" is rather quite profound. So I'll be meditating on them.
Narash (Lion of God)
2 Corinthians 6
1We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
2(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
3Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:
4But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,
5In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;
6By pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,
7By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
8By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;
9As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;
10As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
When i saw this, i saw it as some "checklist" for self evaluation. As these are all things that approves us as minister of God. As i was reading this, many things occurred in my mind. But as a minister of God, in much patience- caught my attention. But as I was doing my things at work today, I also felt the word 'Submit'. Along with that, what Joshua msged me yesterday was resounding in my head.
Background story
I've been quite impatient with my superior. And felt frustrated easily. Yes, I've some problems submitting to my superior. Somehow or another. So i decided to step out and initiate a chat with
him. -Applications-Applications- I told him that I wanted to support him and I didn't know how to. And was asking if I was hindering his leadership. I thank God that it went well. He thanked me for initiating the conversation. Now I know my position and role. There's clarification. I was also will be an effective minister as I'm learning to be patient at all times. Another thing that just struck me: My battle is NOT against FLESH AND BLOOD.The rest of the "checklist" is rather quite profound. So I'll be meditating on them.
Narash (Lion of God)
Soil matters
The parable of the sower has always been a precious part of the scripture to me. Simply because, it was this exact parable that spoke to me when I gave my life to Jesus 4 years ago. And the first time I led a friend to God, pastor was also preaching this exact same sermon.
So when I heard Charles share with us that parable, it resonated deeply with me. So I would like to add on to what he has shared with us on sunday.
I would use the Mark account of this parable since it has some interesting details which the Matthew account excludes. It is found in Mark 4:1~25.
I found it most amazing that Jesus ended his parable of the sower with these interesting words,"He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (verse 9) and also in verse 13, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?"
It seem weird to me Jesus would say those who have ears let him hear. Doesn't everyone has ears ?! So who is not hearing?
It doesn't help much in verse 12 that Jesus explains to them that some see but not perceive, some hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.
Apparently, parables are not easily understood. Even Jesus' disciples (whom Jesus said that to them have been given the mystery of the kingdom of God) have to ask Jesus to explain to them the parable of the sower and soils.
In my own opinion, I believe this parable is easily understood cognitively but not in practice. We cannot accept a superficial understanding of this parable also, since I believed that this parable is key to understanding all other parables as mentioned in verse 13.
What then is good soil ? How to be good soil ?
well... in my own understanding...
Good soil refers to someone -
The question to ask now is how to be good soil then? I believe the answer is given in verse 24.
And he said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." (ESV)
I believe the key to being a good soil is to pay attention to what we hear and use it (doing the word of God). It is interesting to note that in the same account in Luke, Jesus ends the parable of the sower and the soil when his brothers and mother came to visit Him but He answered His disciples that,"My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it." (Luke 8:21)
In other words, the bad soil does not just refer to the condition of the heart where people cannot receive the word of God; the bad soil also refer to people who hears the word of God but did not apply it (the crowdedness of the thorns, the devil snatching it away, etc, are consequences of not applying the word of God), and they are not considered brothers of Jesus. They are NOT children of God and outside the kingdom of God.
As children of God, as Christians, as ones who professed faith in Jesus, we can only be 1 kind of soil, and that is good soil. Anything else is not good enough. That is why I believe that unless we understand this truth, the other mysteries of the kingdom of God cannot be revealed to us (verse 13)
God, help us today to be the good soil.
Help us to apply what we read, and be more and more like you.
So when I heard Charles share with us that parable, it resonated deeply with me. So I would like to add on to what he has shared with us on sunday.
I would use the Mark account of this parable since it has some interesting details which the Matthew account excludes. It is found in Mark 4:1~25.
I found it most amazing that Jesus ended his parable of the sower with these interesting words,"He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (verse 9) and also in verse 13, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?"
It seem weird to me Jesus would say those who have ears let him hear. Doesn't everyone has ears ?! So who is not hearing?
It doesn't help much in verse 12 that Jesus explains to them that some see but not perceive, some hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.
Apparently, parables are not easily understood. Even Jesus' disciples (whom Jesus said that to them have been given the mystery of the kingdom of God) have to ask Jesus to explain to them the parable of the sower and soils.
In my own opinion, I believe this parable is easily understood cognitively but not in practice. We cannot accept a superficial understanding of this parable also, since I believed that this parable is key to understanding all other parables as mentioned in verse 13.
What then is good soil ? How to be good soil ?
well... in my own understanding...
Good soil refers to someone -
- who is teachable and available (so that satan cannot snatch it away)
- rooted in the word, able to take persecution, affliction, tempted and not yield
- in the world but out of the world
- accepts the word and bear fruit
- is a light on a lampstand and not hidden (shares the word and is visible as a christian) (verse 21~23) (it seems to me that is an additional point of Jesus to explain good soil)
The question to ask now is how to be good soil then? I believe the answer is given in verse 24.
And he said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." (ESV)
I believe the key to being a good soil is to pay attention to what we hear and use it (doing the word of God). It is interesting to note that in the same account in Luke, Jesus ends the parable of the sower and the soil when his brothers and mother came to visit Him but He answered His disciples that,"My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it." (Luke 8:21)
In other words, the bad soil does not just refer to the condition of the heart where people cannot receive the word of God; the bad soil also refer to people who hears the word of God but did not apply it (the crowdedness of the thorns, the devil snatching it away, etc, are consequences of not applying the word of God), and they are not considered brothers of Jesus. They are NOT children of God and outside the kingdom of God.
As children of God, as Christians, as ones who professed faith in Jesus, we can only be 1 kind of soil, and that is good soil. Anything else is not good enough. That is why I believe that unless we understand this truth, the other mysteries of the kingdom of God cannot be revealed to us (verse 13)
God, help us today to be the good soil.
Help us to apply what we read, and be more and more like you.
IF ANTS COULD TALK IT WOULD BE RATHER NOISY
TWENTYFIRSTmarchtwoohohseven
the Holy Spirit showed me,
are we slow to learn?
the later verses tells us to "leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity".
are we slow to learn?
do we keep learning the same old things about basic Christianity because of laziness to progress? are we heeding the Holy Spirit's prompting to go further, to go deeper? in the Word. in service. in discipleship?
are we slow to learn?
thru the G12 conference, one of the facts the Holy Spirit revealed to me was that Christian maturity is marked by discipling others. and it is the end result of all the Ladder of Successing. what it means is that if we are in the vision, then all of us are called to LEADERSHIP. to DISCIPLESHIP. where are we now?
are we slow to learn?
are we still 20yr old christian babies? can u imagine wearing diapers at 20yrs old? and wearing a bib and drinking from a milk bottle? maybe thats what our spirit man looks like.
are u in the VISION?
if so,
heed the call, to RISE UP. and LEAD.
MY APPLICATION: to meet up my 3 guys this week.
Lord, i thank you for your Word, and for the 3 wonderful guys you have placed in my care - Tristan, Timothy, and Johnboy. May you impart to me more of the spirit of discipleship, and teach me to disciple them properly according to your Word. Grant me faith and patience in service so that i may inherit what has been promised.
amen.
the Holy Spirit showed me,
"We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn." - Hebrews 5:11
are we slow to learn?
the later verses tells us to "leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity".
are we slow to learn?
do we keep learning the same old things about basic Christianity because of laziness to progress? are we heeding the Holy Spirit's prompting to go further, to go deeper? in the Word. in service. in discipleship?
are we slow to learn?
thru the G12 conference, one of the facts the Holy Spirit revealed to me was that Christian maturity is marked by discipling others. and it is the end result of all the Ladder of Successing. what it means is that if we are in the vision, then all of us are called to LEADERSHIP. to DISCIPLESHIP. where are we now?
are we slow to learn?
are we still 20yr old christian babies? can u imagine wearing diapers at 20yrs old? and wearing a bib and drinking from a milk bottle? maybe thats what our spirit man looks like.
are u in the VISION?
if so,
heed the call, to RISE UP. and LEAD.
MY APPLICATION: to meet up my 3 guys this week.
Lord, i thank you for your Word, and for the 3 wonderful guys you have placed in my care - Tristan, Timothy, and Johnboy. May you impart to me more of the spirit of discipleship, and teach me to disciple them properly according to your Word. Grant me faith and patience in service so that i may inherit what has been promised.
amen.
QUESTION!!!
i have a question!
actually a few questions. in fact, ALOT. in 2 main categories.
which have been burning inside me for quite some time now.
nagging.
pestering.
boiling.
raging.
QUESTION NUMBER ONE is..
u see, i have friends in the showbiz industry. in particular, modelling, miss singapore universe runner upping, and singapore idol second runner upping.
so i have been thinking,
do u go ahead? or do u say no? what if ur miss singapore universe and have no choice but to wear the bikini anyway? or ur a model and have to do those suggestive poses. do u have to quit the job? and then all miss singapore universes and models have to be non-Christian?
ok. very random. was just releasing the buzzing bees in my head.
QUESTION NUMBER TWO is..
about music. we all listen to, but of course not dwell on, secular music. but, are there boundaries? my musical influences are wide and varied, and although i know the difference between satanic, secular, christians-in-a-secular-band, christian bands, and worship songs,
sorry, alot of WHAT IFs, i know. but these have been at the back of my mind for quite some time already: QUESTIONS regarding the BOUNDARIES of a Christian - we are to go into the world and preach the gospel, but is there actually a limit?
i sincerely hope we can share our views here, and discuss the topic openly so that we can all benefit from the clarity of the conclusion.
thank u for ur time!
actually a few questions. in fact, ALOT. in 2 main categories.
which have been burning inside me for quite some time now.
nagging.
pestering.
boiling.
raging.
QUESTION NUMBER ONE is..
u see, i have friends in the showbiz industry. in particular, modelling, miss singapore universe runner upping, and singapore idol second runner upping.
so i have been thinking,
- WHAT'S it like for a Christian to be in the showbiz industry? i know its possible, but..
- WHAT are the boundaries?
- IF u were a Christian and miss singapore universe, is it biblically possible to appear scantily clad on the cover of 8 Days? or,
- IF u were a Christian model/actor/actress, and were told to do a kissing scene, is it wrong?
do u go ahead? or do u say no? what if ur miss singapore universe and have no choice but to wear the bikini anyway? or ur a model and have to do those suggestive poses. do u have to quit the job? and then all miss singapore universes and models have to be non-Christian?
ok. very random. was just releasing the buzzing bees in my head.
QUESTION NUMBER TWO is..
about music. we all listen to, but of course not dwell on, secular music. but, are there boundaries? my musical influences are wide and varied, and although i know the difference between satanic, secular, christians-in-a-secular-band, christian bands, and worship songs,
- ARE there genres that are totally no-no? genres like, say, growling howling deathmetal?
- WHAT IF they are Christian-themed growling howling wailing?
sorry, alot of WHAT IFs, i know. but these have been at the back of my mind for quite some time already: QUESTIONS regarding the BOUNDARIES of a Christian - we are to go into the world and preach the gospel, but is there actually a limit?
i sincerely hope we can share our views here, and discuss the topic openly so that we can all benefit from the clarity of the conclusion.
thank u for ur time!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
^ You are family
I had been feeling kind of lonely for the past few weeks. But it was kind of strange that I was surrounded by alot of people but still felt lonely. One thing, I know biblically is I AM NEVER ALONE. This was something that struck me. I feel lonely but I am not alone. Why? Becoz Jesus is with me. Amazing! Loneliness to me talks about emotions involving people. But I know God loves me and will never leave me. But my devotion has helped me explore some of these relationships I have (generally). Relationships, ie: Friends, Family.
Today i was led to Proverbs 17:17... "Which says, "A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity." And in the message version, "Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble."
I thought that this was a beautiful statement. 'a brother is born for adversity' - this was the line that I was pondering over and over. The word 'born' speaks about birth into a physical family and spiritual family. It seems like it is the purpose of a brother. When someone I was born for this, meaning I was specifically design for doing that.
1st question: Am I there for my brother in adversity? Or who is there for me? I know my family is behind me.
So i wanted to do an immediate application: So i prayed and pause and asked. God brought Luke into my memory. My prayer buddy! So i msged ' Is there anything i can pray for you...' I guess this message could have never been so timely for him (rite, luke?)He called me back immediately. I was surprised. He spoke to me about the situation he was in (I must been too busy till I didn't catch with him). And yes, I thank God for speaking to me. And yes, I'll stand by you, brother.. Lord spoke ' You are a brother!'
"A friend loves at all times" was a statement that I was pondering about too. Who are my friends? I used to have alot of friends. Somehow being in the navy and ministry have reduced the alot to a few. Has this affected me? At first, i thought so. But the Lord, showed me that a friend loves AT ALL TIMES. Not only selected moments or periods of my life but at all times. Ps Cesar was talking about it being ok for some of these friends to go. The friends formed later (after new birth) are better. So a friend is a friend that loves at all times. You know, I felt that was an answer that i needed and went on to work. Guess what, Daniel msged much later and said 'hey hows your cough now?' The Lord spoke ' There's your friend, your brother'. I felt touched that Daniel msged and the Lord spoke to me in such a manner.
Dear Brothers, this is my daily devotion. But I wanted to further spur us towards being united.
My question to all of you: Is there anything I can pray for you, my brothers?
Narash (Lion of God)
Today i was led to Proverbs 17:17... "Which says, "A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity." And in the message version, "Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble."
I thought that this was a beautiful statement. 'a brother is born for adversity' - this was the line that I was pondering over and over. The word 'born' speaks about birth into a physical family and spiritual family. It seems like it is the purpose of a brother. When someone I was born for this, meaning I was specifically design for doing that.
1st question: Am I there for my brother in adversity? Or who is there for me? I know my family is behind me.
So i wanted to do an immediate application: So i prayed and pause and asked. God brought Luke into my memory. My prayer buddy! So i msged ' Is there anything i can pray for you...' I guess this message could have never been so timely for him (rite, luke?)He called me back immediately. I was surprised. He spoke to me about the situation he was in (I must been too busy till I didn't catch with him). And yes, I thank God for speaking to me. And yes, I'll stand by you, brother.. Lord spoke ' You are a brother!'
"A friend loves at all times" was a statement that I was pondering about too. Who are my friends? I used to have alot of friends. Somehow being in the navy and ministry have reduced the alot to a few. Has this affected me? At first, i thought so. But the Lord, showed me that a friend loves AT ALL TIMES. Not only selected moments or periods of my life but at all times. Ps Cesar was talking about it being ok for some of these friends to go. The friends formed later (after new birth) are better. So a friend is a friend that loves at all times. You know, I felt that was an answer that i needed and went on to work. Guess what, Daniel msged much later and said 'hey hows your cough now?' The Lord spoke ' There's your friend, your brother'. I felt touched that Daniel msged and the Lord spoke to me in such a manner.
Dear Brothers, this is my daily devotion. But I wanted to further spur us towards being united.
My question to all of you: Is there anything I can pray for you, my brothers?
Narash (Lion of God)
SET SET SET CHELLY CHELLY LOM JIAM PAS
TWENTIETHmarchtwoohohseven
this is the 100th post.
amazing.
the Holy Spirit brought me to,
where he = Jesus
he has modelled for us how we are supposed to live our earthly lives for the will of God.
and not to pursure our evil human desires.
evil and human desires seem to be synonymous.
a friend once commented that everything carnal within us is contradictory to the Spirit.
hmm, quite true indeed.
let us inspect our earthly lives. our GOALS. our ASPIRATIONS. our AMBITION.
WHAT are we chasing after? WHAT are we pursuing?
and most importantly,
WHAT is it that drives us?
is it our evil human desires? or is it driven by the will of God?
i think it is important, as youth, to first determine our DIRECTION in life.
WHERE are we headed? and for WHAT?
it is not wrong to be wealthy, to be successful, to be happy, to be contented.
in fact it is what God desires for us.
but the QUESTION again is, what drives us?
is it human greed? selfish ambition? lustful desires? pride?
do we crave our own success and happiness above God's will?
let us search our hearts.
for our carnal desires so easily creeps up and entangles us.
sometimes even without our knowledge.
God's will promises what is best for us.
if we crave riches, our hearts has idolised money success fame fortune above that of God.
who is the God of our lives?
if we crave God's will for our lives, we will be satisfied.
but don't let our motivation for following God be that of our personal gain.
don't ever. ever! NEVER.
Lord, don't ever let me stray from following your will. reveal the condition of my heart to me: are my desires of my heart your desires or my own? Lord, i trust you. i dedicate my heart to following wherever your will leads me to, so reveal your will for my life with clarity, o God! i want to be led by you, not myself. so say the word, and i will follow.
amen.
this is the 100th post.
amazing.
the Holy Spirit brought me to,
"As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God." - 1 Peter 4:2
where he = Jesus
he has modelled for us how we are supposed to live our earthly lives for the will of God.
and not to pursure our evil human desires.
evil and human desires seem to be synonymous.
a friend once commented that everything carnal within us is contradictory to the Spirit.
hmm, quite true indeed.
let us inspect our earthly lives. our GOALS. our ASPIRATIONS. our AMBITION.
WHAT are we chasing after? WHAT are we pursuing?
and most importantly,
WHAT is it that drives us?
is it our evil human desires? or is it driven by the will of God?
i think it is important, as youth, to first determine our DIRECTION in life.
WHERE are we headed? and for WHAT?
it is not wrong to be wealthy, to be successful, to be happy, to be contented.
in fact it is what God desires for us.
but the QUESTION again is, what drives us?
is it human greed? selfish ambition? lustful desires? pride?
do we crave our own success and happiness above God's will?
let us search our hearts.
for our carnal desires so easily creeps up and entangles us.
sometimes even without our knowledge.
God's will promises what is best for us.
if we crave riches, our hearts has idolised money success fame fortune above that of God.
who is the God of our lives?
if we crave God's will for our lives, we will be satisfied.
but don't let our motivation for following God be that of our personal gain.
don't ever. ever! NEVER.
Lord, don't ever let me stray from following your will. reveal the condition of my heart to me: are my desires of my heart your desires or my own? Lord, i trust you. i dedicate my heart to following wherever your will leads me to, so reveal your will for my life with clarity, o God! i want to be led by you, not myself. so say the word, and i will follow.
amen.
Monday, March 19, 2007
THERE IS NO REASON TO BE AFRAID EVERYTHING IS UNDER CONTROL
NINETEENTHmarchtwoohohseven
today i was led to,
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
the Levites were chosen. service is a PRIVILEGE.
but it called for them to be ceremonially clean.
note, with interest, that they didn't make themselves ceremonially clean on their own.
someone had to do it for them.
it silently shouts: Jesus!
in the following verse, it mentions 3 steps to purify them:
STEP number one was to sprinkle cleansing water on them.
STEP number two was to shave their whole bodies.
STEP number three was to wash their clothes.
these physical acts were symbolic of the purification taking place in the spirit.
so if we want to be PURE, then this is what the key ideas are:
IDEA number one is applying of 'holyandpowerful' cleansing water. in today's context it is the Blood of Jesus. no, not apply it literally, but PRAY it upon urself. BELIEVE in the power of his cleansing blood to wash away our sins. better than any detergent can.
IDEA number two is about shaving our whole body, so go for brazilian waxing. erm, NO. the idea behind it is actually to remove, physically mentally spiritually, the dirt or sin from our lives. so REMOVE physically anything that stumbles us or is unholy. stop DWELLING on impure thoughts. and PRAY for God to break our spiritual bondages to sin. as per shaving, it may hurt a little.
IDEA number three is about washing their dirty clothes, and to PUT on fresh new cleansmelling clothes! removing our sin leaves us naked, so please remember to put on ur spiritual garments of RIGHTEOUSNESS. how? PRAY on the righteousness of Christ on ourselves. BELIEVE wholly that we are now sons of God. WALK with dignity and in righteousness. as those of noble blood.
APPLICATION: curb all impure thoughts before they get a grip on me. pray on the righteousness of Christ 3 times a day (at mealtimes).
we can be pure. we just have to BELIEVE.
today i was led to,
"'Take the Levites from among the other Israelites and make them ceremonially clean." - Numbers 8:6
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
the Levites were chosen. service is a PRIVILEGE.
but it called for them to be ceremonially clean.
note, with interest, that they didn't make themselves ceremonially clean on their own.
someone had to do it for them.
it silently shouts: Jesus!
in the following verse, it mentions 3 steps to purify them:
STEP number one was to sprinkle cleansing water on them.
STEP number two was to shave their whole bodies.
STEP number three was to wash their clothes.
these physical acts were symbolic of the purification taking place in the spirit.
so if we want to be PURE, then this is what the key ideas are:
IDEA number one is applying of 'holyandpowerful' cleansing water. in today's context it is the Blood of Jesus. no, not apply it literally, but PRAY it upon urself. BELIEVE in the power of his cleansing blood to wash away our sins. better than any detergent can.
IDEA number two is about shaving our whole body, so go for brazilian waxing. erm, NO. the idea behind it is actually to remove, physically mentally spiritually, the dirt or sin from our lives. so REMOVE physically anything that stumbles us or is unholy. stop DWELLING on impure thoughts. and PRAY for God to break our spiritual bondages to sin. as per shaving, it may hurt a little.
IDEA number three is about washing their dirty clothes, and to PUT on fresh new cleansmelling clothes! removing our sin leaves us naked, so please remember to put on ur spiritual garments of RIGHTEOUSNESS. how? PRAY on the righteousness of Christ on ourselves. BELIEVE wholly that we are now sons of God. WALK with dignity and in righteousness. as those of noble blood.
APPLICATION: curb all impure thoughts before they get a grip on me. pray on the righteousness of Christ 3 times a day (at mealtimes).
we can be pure. we just have to BELIEVE.
don't be aunt agony
judges 20-21.
btw the past few days of G12 i did my devotion, but just didnt post them. there was samson in judges 14-16
and judges 17-19 was scary.it showed what depths you can plummet to when you have no king in your life.
and here in judges 20-21 comes israels response.
in chapter 19 there was a levite with a concubine. the concubine ran away and went back to her fathers house. so he went to get her back. on the way back they stayed at a town of benjamin. and the benjamites did exactly what sodom and gommorah did. they went to the house where the visitors were staying and demanded for the man so they could rape him to death. they foolishly offered the concubine and the house owner's daughter, but it was perhaps good for them that the benjamites wouldnt hear any of it. but they sent the concubine out to the crowd, who 'raped and abusd her throughout the night' and she died.
so the levite cuts her up and sends her limbs and body parts to every tribe in israel.
to get their attention to this "lewd and disgraceful act" they'd committed.
and israel warred against benjamin. israel lost 30 000 in the first two days. they started out with 400 000. so israel fasted and prayed and god promised them the victory. and they ambushed benjamin, losing only 30 men, and killed 25 000 benjamites. six hundred benjamites fled, but the towns and cities were completely destroyed by israel.
then israel gathered, and said they'd kill anyone who didnt turn up at gods assembly. they wiped out a city, but ll the virgins in the city they spared and gave to the benjamite survivors, be cause they didnt want to give their daughters to the benjomites. they'd said, 'cursed be anyone who gives a wife to a benjamite'
civil war! result of the great sin. at least it was purging.
what they did after wasnt so great.
there were two hundred benjamites without wives, so israel got them to attack a village that was having a festival. when the girls came out to dance, the two hundred men carried them off to be their wives.
all this because there was no king.
and they strayed from God because they got distracted. by the new things in their land, by other gods, by success, by the things that surrounded them.
LORD, GUARD MY HEART, GUARD MY MIND.
btw the past few days of G12 i did my devotion, but just didnt post them. there was samson in judges 14-16
and judges 17-19 was scary.it showed what depths you can plummet to when you have no king in your life.
and here in judges 20-21 comes israels response.
in chapter 19 there was a levite with a concubine. the concubine ran away and went back to her fathers house. so he went to get her back. on the way back they stayed at a town of benjamin. and the benjamites did exactly what sodom and gommorah did. they went to the house where the visitors were staying and demanded for the man so they could rape him to death. they foolishly offered the concubine and the house owner's daughter, but it was perhaps good for them that the benjamites wouldnt hear any of it. but they sent the concubine out to the crowd, who 'raped and abusd her throughout the night' and she died.
so the levite cuts her up and sends her limbs and body parts to every tribe in israel.
to get their attention to this "lewd and disgraceful act" they'd committed.
and israel warred against benjamin. israel lost 30 000 in the first two days. they started out with 400 000. so israel fasted and prayed and god promised them the victory. and they ambushed benjamin, losing only 30 men, and killed 25 000 benjamites. six hundred benjamites fled, but the towns and cities were completely destroyed by israel.
then israel gathered, and said they'd kill anyone who didnt turn up at gods assembly. they wiped out a city, but ll the virgins in the city they spared and gave to the benjamite survivors, be cause they didnt want to give their daughters to the benjomites. they'd said, 'cursed be anyone who gives a wife to a benjamite'
civil war! result of the great sin. at least it was purging.
what they did after wasnt so great.
there were two hundred benjamites without wives, so israel got them to attack a village that was having a festival. when the girls came out to dance, the two hundred men carried them off to be their wives.
all this because there was no king.
and they strayed from God because they got distracted. by the new things in their land, by other gods, by success, by the things that surrounded them.
LORD, GUARD MY HEART, GUARD MY MIND.
FARTS MUST HAVE A REASON FOR PRODUCING SOUND
EIGHTEENTHmarchtwoohohseven
this morning i learnt that the coffee served at the other coffee shop across the road isn't too wonderful.
and earlier this morning i read that,
3 things struck me as i read that.
thing number one is that we may be 'Christians' ("My people") and still not know God.
of course we already knew that. this fact was highlighted by Ps Seng Lee and Joshua.
thing number two is that the ppl were addressed as senseless children. meaning they have no direction, no purpose, no feeling. and were naive, immature, ignorant.
thing number three is that they did not know how to do good, but were abundant in knowledge of the evil stuff. which implies that if u KNOW God then ur supposed to do GOOD.
thing number three particularly resonated within me as i looked into myself. and i thought about human nature. somehow we all love doing evil stuff by nature. we all know that if left to ourselves all the cheekynaughtyevil stuff will come out. cheekynaughtyevil stuff like throwing ice-cubes into the swimming pool. or worse.
we all love evil stuff. or used to.
i hope it is the latter.
today pastor cesar castellanos shared that he used to love drinking but after experiencing an encounter with God, he didn't anymore.
he just didn't enjoy the old stuff as before. it was the past. he was a new man.
and i am thankful that, to an extent, i feel the same too.
i don't enjoy the company of secular friends as much as that of my spiritual family.
i used to be tempted to go clubbing, but now i find the thought absurd, almost ridiculous.
ask ourselves truthfully, now:
do we love doing unrighteous things? do we even have the desire for them?
or maybe, have we done it so much to the extent that we have become skilled at doing it?
are we skilled
in lying?
in slandering?
in gossiping?
in slacking?
in glorifying ourselves?
in judging others?
if we want a life transformed by God, INVITE the Lord for an ENCOUNTER. today.
may he REVEAL our inadequacies not to condemn us but to urge us toward Christ-likeness.
get to KNOW God now, lest the day arrives when he says, "i do not know u."
APPLICATION: i will ask the Lord for an encounter or a revelation of his nature daily.
o Lord, i want to know you! do not hide your face and your voice from me, for i truly desire to know you. reveal to me more and more of your nature, for i love you. i will submit to your bidding, and do your good works. search my heart for anything unclean, and tansform me from the inside out. o that i be a warrior for you!
amen.
this morning i learnt that the coffee served at the other coffee shop across the road isn't too wonderful.
and earlier this morning i read that,
"'My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they do not know how to do good.'" - Jeremiah 4:22
3 things struck me as i read that.
thing number one is that we may be 'Christians' ("My people") and still not know God.
of course we already knew that. this fact was highlighted by Ps Seng Lee and Joshua.
thing number two is that the ppl were addressed as senseless children. meaning they have no direction, no purpose, no feeling. and were naive, immature, ignorant.
thing number three is that they did not know how to do good, but were abundant in knowledge of the evil stuff. which implies that if u KNOW God then ur supposed to do GOOD.
thing number three particularly resonated within me as i looked into myself. and i thought about human nature. somehow we all love doing evil stuff by nature. we all know that if left to ourselves all the cheekynaughtyevil stuff will come out. cheekynaughtyevil stuff like throwing ice-cubes into the swimming pool. or worse.
we all love evil stuff. or used to.
i hope it is the latter.
today pastor cesar castellanos shared that he used to love drinking but after experiencing an encounter with God, he didn't anymore.
he just didn't enjoy the old stuff as before. it was the past. he was a new man.
and i am thankful that, to an extent, i feel the same too.
i don't enjoy the company of secular friends as much as that of my spiritual family.
i used to be tempted to go clubbing, but now i find the thought absurd, almost ridiculous.
ask ourselves truthfully, now:
do we love doing unrighteous things? do we even have the desire for them?
or maybe, have we done it so much to the extent that we have become skilled at doing it?
are we skilled
in lying?
in slandering?
in gossiping?
in slacking?
in glorifying ourselves?
in judging others?
if we want a life transformed by God, INVITE the Lord for an ENCOUNTER. today.
may he REVEAL our inadequacies not to condemn us but to urge us toward Christ-likeness.
get to KNOW God now, lest the day arrives when he says, "i do not know u."
APPLICATION: i will ask the Lord for an encounter or a revelation of his nature daily.
o Lord, i want to know you! do not hide your face and your voice from me, for i truly desire to know you. reveal to me more and more of your nature, for i love you. i will submit to your bidding, and do your good works. search my heart for anything unclean, and tansform me from the inside out. o that i be a warrior for you!
amen.
WE HAVE BECOME WHAT WE ALWAYS HATED
SEVENTEENTHmarchtwoohohseven
today will be the last day of the G12 conference.
now on hindsight, i have indeed caught the spirit of the VISION.
praise God!
the Holy Spirit led me to,
i see the ppl of past weren't too different from us.
some of them, too, like us, were afraid to ROCK THE BOAT.
imagine a fellow believer has a problem.
and approaches u.
what would u do?
would some of us just 'go thru the motion' of addressing it?
("They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.")
"aiya.. this problem ah? don't worry, very common.. just pray lor! very simple.."
come on guys. sometimes i am convicted of it myself.
these past few days i have come to realise the IMPORTANCE of the SPIRITUAL FAMILY:
they should provide us EVERYTHING we would ever need.
is it happening?
come on guys. let's love each other with the sincere LOVE of Christ as we are supposed to.
if a fellow brother has a problem, address it appropriately with LOVE. take time to pray for him, and follow up with him on the problem. if need be, walk the problem thru TOGETHER with him. i mean, that's what FAMILY is for!
no wonder ppl don't feel as loved as they should be.
another kind of person the Scripture brought to light is the type that ignores a potential problem.
("'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace.")
they prefer peace and quiet. they prefer to ignore the 'small' problem for the convenience of themselves. they say,
"aiya.. don't bother la. small problem only. everyone will also like that one.."
come on guys. if Christ prompts us about a problem, let us address it in LOVE.
if we really care for our brother, we wouldn't dodge the problem, but mentor him toward Christ-likeness, because that is the only TRUE way to go.
let's take responsibility for our BROTHERS in Christ!
which person are u? 1 or 2? or both? or 3?
i don't think we can say we are quite there yet. at least i know i can't.
i pray that we'll be neither. and grow in LOVE and UNITY in CHRIST.
MY APPLICATION: to call up Tristan and have a nice friendly chat with him because he didn't come for service today.
we are FAMILY!
today will be the last day of the G12 conference.
now on hindsight, i have indeed caught the spirit of the VISION.
praise God!
the Holy Spirit led me to,
"They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace." - Jeremiah 6:14
i see the ppl of past weren't too different from us.
some of them, too, like us, were afraid to ROCK THE BOAT.
imagine a fellow believer has a problem.
and approaches u.
what would u do?
would some of us just 'go thru the motion' of addressing it?
("They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.")
"aiya.. this problem ah? don't worry, very common.. just pray lor! very simple.."
come on guys. sometimes i am convicted of it myself.
these past few days i have come to realise the IMPORTANCE of the SPIRITUAL FAMILY:
they should provide us EVERYTHING we would ever need.
is it happening?
come on guys. let's love each other with the sincere LOVE of Christ as we are supposed to.
if a fellow brother has a problem, address it appropriately with LOVE. take time to pray for him, and follow up with him on the problem. if need be, walk the problem thru TOGETHER with him. i mean, that's what FAMILY is for!
no wonder ppl don't feel as loved as they should be.
another kind of person the Scripture brought to light is the type that ignores a potential problem.
("'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace.")
they prefer peace and quiet. they prefer to ignore the 'small' problem for the convenience of themselves. they say,
"aiya.. don't bother la. small problem only. everyone will also like that one.."
come on guys. if Christ prompts us about a problem, let us address it in LOVE.
if we really care for our brother, we wouldn't dodge the problem, but mentor him toward Christ-likeness, because that is the only TRUE way to go.
let's take responsibility for our BROTHERS in Christ!
which person are u? 1 or 2? or both? or 3?
i don't think we can say we are quite there yet. at least i know i can't.
i pray that we'll be neither. and grow in LOVE and UNITY in CHRIST.
MY APPLICATION: to call up Tristan and have a nice friendly chat with him because he didn't come for service today.
we are FAMILY!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)