And we start talking...
Global Conference - THE CORE (19 - 21 August 2009)
Posted on Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The future of our movement has never been more exciting. The possibilities have never been more appealing.It is our privilege to invite you to our first ever Hope International Ministries Global Conference: The CORE – Revisiting Our Values.
The CORE is a three-day conference that gives Christian leaders an opportunity to sharpen and expand their leadership and influence. More than just a gathering, The CORE also represents a fresh step in our movement as God begins a new work in all of us. It is about building the essential basics, our roots and foundations. The Core is all about revisiting and strengthening our values.
We believe this Conference will only add, strengthen and champion what God is doing in your own individual life. Come join us as we journey together to understand the values that underpin the church.Let us get ready for all that God has for us!
Calling to those going for THE CORE GC:
1. To revisit and strengthen the core values and principles we have held onto as followers of Christ.
2. Through e teachings, think and pray through (individually and tog in ur CGs) these values n principles that can last us through the race.
These are the foundations and basis of our Christian beliefs.
Let us examine if we are holding onto the right things in this race. We will follow through on this in a Unit meeting after this week.
Carrie
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 12:13 PM
Posted on
"But let him who boasts boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends." 2Cor 10:17-18
A reminder from God that, lets run a race that God approves, not by our standards or praises of men, not by how much we felt that we have done or how righteous we may feel, but by God and Him alone. How have we been living and serving Him? Are we subconsciously disqualifying ourselves along the race.
A food for thought for you all as well.
Will add my reflections again.
Carrie
not saved by service but saved for service
A reminder from God that, lets run a race that God approves, not by our standards or praises of men, not by how much we felt that we have done or how righteous we may feel, but by God and Him alone. How have we been living and serving Him? Are we subconsciously disqualifying ourselves along the race.
A food for thought for you all as well.
Will add my reflections again.
Carrie
Labels: Our Lives, Our Reflections
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 9:42 AM
Posted on Monday, August 17, 2009
You were saved to serve God. The Bible says, “It is he who saved us and chose us for his holy work not because we deserved it but because that was his plan” (2 Timothy 1:9 LB).
God redeemed you so you could do his “holy work.” You’re not saved by service, but you are saved for service. In God’s kingdom, you have a place, a purpose, a role, and a function to fulfill. This gives your life great significance and value.
It cost Jesus his own life to purchase your salvation. The Bible reminds us, “God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God” (1 Corinthians 6:20 CEV).
We don’t serve God out of guilt or fear or even duty, but out of joy, and deep gratitude for what he’s done for us. We owe him our lives. Through salvation our past has been forgiven, our present is given meaning, and our future is secured. In light of these incredible benefits Paul concluded, “Because of God’s great mercy . . . Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service” (Romans 12:1 TEV).
The apostle John taught that our loving service to others shows that we are truly saved. He said, “Our love for each other proves that we have gone from death to life” (1 John 3:14 CEV).
If I have no love for others, no desire to serve others, and I’m only concerned about my needs, I should question whether Christ is really in my life. A saved heart is one that wants to serve.
***
read this devotion by rick warren.
Are you someone who is driven by service to make you assured that Christ has saved you? The bible says that we are saved by grace through faith, not by our works, our salvation is a gift from God ( Eph 2:8, phase in my own words) We love, we serve, we give, we put others before ourselves because we have experienced the great gift of grace from God. We can't but God can, we are not enough, but our God is enough, we are weak but God is strong! The grace of God allows us to be sufficient in Him.
Let's thank God for his grace, giving us all we need to serve Him, even in the midst of busyness, stress and inadequacy. Are you experiencing the grace of God today?
RMIT peeps, are we depending on the grace of God as we mug and project today? :)
Jes
burn and drink?
God redeemed you so you could do his “holy work.” You’re not saved by service, but you are saved for service. In God’s kingdom, you have a place, a purpose, a role, and a function to fulfill. This gives your life great significance and value.
It cost Jesus his own life to purchase your salvation. The Bible reminds us, “God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God” (1 Corinthians 6:20 CEV).
We don’t serve God out of guilt or fear or even duty, but out of joy, and deep gratitude for what he’s done for us. We owe him our lives. Through salvation our past has been forgiven, our present is given meaning, and our future is secured. In light of these incredible benefits Paul concluded, “Because of God’s great mercy . . . Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service” (Romans 12:1 TEV).
The apostle John taught that our loving service to others shows that we are truly saved. He said, “Our love for each other proves that we have gone from death to life” (1 John 3:14 CEV).
If I have no love for others, no desire to serve others, and I’m only concerned about my needs, I should question whether Christ is really in my life. A saved heart is one that wants to serve.
***
read this devotion by rick warren.
Are you someone who is driven by service to make you assured that Christ has saved you? The bible says that we are saved by grace through faith, not by our works, our salvation is a gift from God ( Eph 2:8, phase in my own words) We love, we serve, we give, we put others before ourselves because we have experienced the great gift of grace from God. We can't but God can, we are not enough, but our God is enough, we are weak but God is strong! The grace of God allows us to be sufficient in Him.
Let's thank God for his grace, giving us all we need to serve Him, even in the midst of busyness, stress and inadequacy. Are you experiencing the grace of God today?
RMIT peeps, are we depending on the grace of God as we mug and project today? :)
Jes
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 10:52 PM
Posted on Sunday, August 16, 2009
Exams aren’t the best period of time. Exams = more studying = better prioritization and time management = little sleep = more caffeine
It is the time where I get most stretched. Can you imagine the amount of work to cover especially when projects are still coming in? It was simply an awful situation to be in. And I thought that this was all, but I was wrong. I still had to clear my IPPT by 31 July, if not I would be fined and RT would be calling out for me. Not a wise thing to skip or fail IPPT.
A week before the exams and I have not finished studying; let alone revise. I can vividly remember the days just before my 1st 2 papers (Micro Economics and Sociology) which fall on the same day. There was barely time for me to finish studying as I was lagging by 5 chapters in Economics, and another 5 in Sociology. To complete studying was a real tall order and impossible task. Downed cups of coffee to stay awake, took essence of chicken daily, prayed. There is simply nothing I could do now.
I tried my real best and even managed to commit time for FOP. I really wanted to hear and experience God through that event. I also needed a break from all the studying. Ps Mark Conner was the speaker and the message he delivered was what I had needed – a break through in terms of worries. I’m so blessed by the time spent with God there and His people. I shall elaborate about this more in the next post.
Over the weekends, I did what I could to cramp Econs into my brain. For the whole of Sunday, I could only cram 3 chapters of Econs in SMU. That left me with 2 more to go before I would be more prepared for the exam. Embarked on the second last chapter at midnight for 2 hours with coffee by my side, after which I gave in to the Z-monster.
5 alarms were set to force myself to wake up at 6 to continue cramming the last chapter. However, I couldn’t take it and fell asleep after half a chapter. I knew that I had to be faithful to complete what I had set out to do, so I decided to nap for a while before continuing as my eyes were very pain. The moment where I was supposed to start my final lap came. I just couldn’t wake up. Thank God one of my friends called to borrow a calculator from me. Immediately, I jumped out of bed to just read through the last part of the last chapter and browse through my assignments and quizzes.
The time had come. I stepped into the exam hall on the dot. I was very relieved that some of the questions were repeated from the assignments and quizzes. Now that Econs paper had ended, I rushed home to touch the 5 chapters of Sociology.
Frantically, I flipped through the pages of the textbook just looking at the title and sub-titles. There was simply no time to dwell on a page. Scanned through the notes I had made earlier in the semester. All these happened within an hour. I was soon running out of house and speeding to school. My paper starts at 1415 and I left my house only at that time. Ran up to the exam hall and was very glad to be able to take the paper. I was 15mins late. Waited a while to catch my breath, but upon looking at the first MCQ, my heartbeat increased. Many of the MCQs were more of statistics than of Sociology, where one has to have photographic memory to remember the percentages and ratios of people who committed this and that. About 1/3 of the MCQs were like that. I prayed. This is one module that would help to pull my CGPA up as I was in the B+ region prior to the finals. I could pull the grade up to the maximum of an A- if I scored near full marks.
When I saw the essay questions, my face lit up. I had spotted the right parts to read through and just did my best in writing. I even managed to walk out of the exam hall way before the stipulated ending time.
Rushed home to catch some rest and prepare my testimony. Soon, it was back to studying for the next module – Statistics. 8 chapters were to be tested, but I have only studied a couple of them. How exciting is my life? Managed to complete the syllabus with sufficient practice and took the exam. Boy, it was out to kill. I really thank God for the blessing He had showered upon me for the previous test on Statistics which I topped the cohort. It helped to pull my grade up as I knew that this exam would be a disaster. To get A-, I had to score a perfect score.
Wednesday came and it was the OG outing. I knew that I have one final exam on Friday. Music was standing in my way. Yet I decided to put more faith in God after experiencing Him carrying my through the fiercest of weeks. Continue to burn the midnight oil to clear the syllabus for music; 37 chapters. ZOMG.
Friday was finally here. Music is my only visible hope of getting an A this semester after hovering around the A- region towards the end. The others had gone up in smoke. Music was unexpectedly easy! Handed in my script way early and went down to carry out my highly anticipated post-exams plans. Finally, hell is over. The sun is shining with a rainbow appearing.
It has been a day since the results have been released. I couldn’t believe what I got.
Theory of Music: A
Sociology: A-
Micro Economics: B+
Statistics: B+
I laughed out loud when I saw my results.
This is definitely not my work as I had to get near full marks in my exams to secure these grades. Remember the fact that I had only started to study from 1 hour to 2 days. Studying in the midst of attending cg, service, FOP, training and taking IPPT, OG outing, and ministry is no simple feat.
People believe that by burning the textbook, then drinking the ashes does wonders to academic results. People say that sleep using the textbooks as a pillow works. I say,
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;”
Proverbs 3:5
Praise God. He didn’t and will never short change me.
-bentay
2,000 Christians have settled in the middle of the road
It is the time where I get most stretched. Can you imagine the amount of work to cover especially when projects are still coming in? It was simply an awful situation to be in. And I thought that this was all, but I was wrong. I still had to clear my IPPT by 31 July, if not I would be fined and RT would be calling out for me. Not a wise thing to skip or fail IPPT.
A week before the exams and I have not finished studying; let alone revise. I can vividly remember the days just before my 1st 2 papers (Micro Economics and Sociology) which fall on the same day. There was barely time for me to finish studying as I was lagging by 5 chapters in Economics, and another 5 in Sociology. To complete studying was a real tall order and impossible task. Downed cups of coffee to stay awake, took essence of chicken daily, prayed. There is simply nothing I could do now.
I tried my real best and even managed to commit time for FOP. I really wanted to hear and experience God through that event. I also needed a break from all the studying. Ps Mark Conner was the speaker and the message he delivered was what I had needed – a break through in terms of worries. I’m so blessed by the time spent with God there and His people. I shall elaborate about this more in the next post.
Over the weekends, I did what I could to cramp Econs into my brain. For the whole of Sunday, I could only cram 3 chapters of Econs in SMU. That left me with 2 more to go before I would be more prepared for the exam. Embarked on the second last chapter at midnight for 2 hours with coffee by my side, after which I gave in to the Z-monster.
5 alarms were set to force myself to wake up at 6 to continue cramming the last chapter. However, I couldn’t take it and fell asleep after half a chapter. I knew that I had to be faithful to complete what I had set out to do, so I decided to nap for a while before continuing as my eyes were very pain. The moment where I was supposed to start my final lap came. I just couldn’t wake up. Thank God one of my friends called to borrow a calculator from me. Immediately, I jumped out of bed to just read through the last part of the last chapter and browse through my assignments and quizzes.
The time had come. I stepped into the exam hall on the dot. I was very relieved that some of the questions were repeated from the assignments and quizzes. Now that Econs paper had ended, I rushed home to touch the 5 chapters of Sociology.
Frantically, I flipped through the pages of the textbook just looking at the title and sub-titles. There was simply no time to dwell on a page. Scanned through the notes I had made earlier in the semester. All these happened within an hour. I was soon running out of house and speeding to school. My paper starts at 1415 and I left my house only at that time. Ran up to the exam hall and was very glad to be able to take the paper. I was 15mins late. Waited a while to catch my breath, but upon looking at the first MCQ, my heartbeat increased. Many of the MCQs were more of statistics than of Sociology, where one has to have photographic memory to remember the percentages and ratios of people who committed this and that. About 1/3 of the MCQs were like that. I prayed. This is one module that would help to pull my CGPA up as I was in the B+ region prior to the finals. I could pull the grade up to the maximum of an A- if I scored near full marks.
When I saw the essay questions, my face lit up. I had spotted the right parts to read through and just did my best in writing. I even managed to walk out of the exam hall way before the stipulated ending time.
Rushed home to catch some rest and prepare my testimony. Soon, it was back to studying for the next module – Statistics. 8 chapters were to be tested, but I have only studied a couple of them. How exciting is my life? Managed to complete the syllabus with sufficient practice and took the exam. Boy, it was out to kill. I really thank God for the blessing He had showered upon me for the previous test on Statistics which I topped the cohort. It helped to pull my grade up as I knew that this exam would be a disaster. To get A-, I had to score a perfect score.
Wednesday came and it was the OG outing. I knew that I have one final exam on Friday. Music was standing in my way. Yet I decided to put more faith in God after experiencing Him carrying my through the fiercest of weeks. Continue to burn the midnight oil to clear the syllabus for music; 37 chapters. ZOMG.
Friday was finally here. Music is my only visible hope of getting an A this semester after hovering around the A- region towards the end. The others had gone up in smoke. Music was unexpectedly easy! Handed in my script way early and went down to carry out my highly anticipated post-exams plans. Finally, hell is over. The sun is shining with a rainbow appearing.
It has been a day since the results have been released. I couldn’t believe what I got.
Theory of Music: A
Sociology: A-
Micro Economics: B+
Statistics: B+
I laughed out loud when I saw my results.
This is definitely not my work as I had to get near full marks in my exams to secure these grades. Remember the fact that I had only started to study from 1 hour to 2 days. Studying in the midst of attending cg, service, FOP, training and taking IPPT, OG outing, and ministry is no simple feat.
People believe that by burning the textbook, then drinking the ashes does wonders to academic results. People say that sleep using the textbooks as a pillow works. I say,
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;”
Proverbs 3:5
Praise God. He didn’t and will never short change me.
-bentay
Labels: Testimonials
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 6:07 PM
Posted on
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- They are not war refugees, not displaced by violence; rather they believe they're here because they are Christian.
A mother of two sobs as she tells us, "I have no money. No money for books or uniforms to send my children to school." It's around 110 degrees Fahrenheit in this squalid camp in downtown Islamabad, where 2,000 Christians have settled, literally in the middle of the road.
The Christian population of Pakistan is only 5 percent of the overall population. Overwhelmed by a Muslim majority, at times they face violent attacks. Other times, they believe they're expelled from their lands -- faced with a distant and dark future.
This group has ended up living in tents for the past 3 months.
They say the government kicked them off their land without warning: only because they are Christian. The government tells a different story, saying that they were given plenty of warning. Further than that, they say they will take care of this problem, a problem they are well aware of.
The minister of minority affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, says, "We are constitutionally bound to protect the life and property of the minorities and to look after the interests of the minorities in this country. Because they played a role in the founding, they are equal citizens of the country. Yes, there is a problem, but we are trying to solve those problems."
The truth is, regardless of any religious strife, people are dying of poverty in this camp. Two have died since the group settled here, and children lay in the sun, totally exposed to the sun, suffering slowly. We brought a doctor to the camp; he seemed stunned, both at its location and the conditions.
"I think there's a danger here, especially with some of the younger children, that they could just die from dehydration or from all kinds of infections," says Dr. Rixwan Taj. "I am very surprised, really because this is the center of Islamabad, just right in the center. And every facility is not but 10 minutes from here."
The water the camp is using to survive on is a broken pipe that runs underneath the road and out one side. At the camp, the water is used for drinking and washing. It happens to run over a pile of trash and directly down into the makeshift toilets, which are two holes in the ground. Taj tells us the obvious: Typhoid will come to this camp -- the conditions are ripe.
Other countries of course deal with religious strife; minorities all over the world face an uphill struggle. But here, with the addition of poverty, in the oppressive heat -- in an over-crowed camp on the side of the road in downtown Islamabad -- it seems that much worse.
A little girl stares into our camera and rhythmically says, "Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah." Her religion teaches her that "the poor" will inherit "the kingdom of heaven."
I saw this piece of news on cnn web. Aren't we fortunate where we are. Let's pray for God to be close with them, delivering them and protecting them, also to keep their faith strong being people who claim the promise of God that the poor will inherit the kingdom of heaven!
Matthew 5:3-11
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Jes
Reflections
A mother of two sobs as she tells us, "I have no money. No money for books or uniforms to send my children to school." It's around 110 degrees Fahrenheit in this squalid camp in downtown Islamabad, where 2,000 Christians have settled, literally in the middle of the road.
The Christian population of Pakistan is only 5 percent of the overall population. Overwhelmed by a Muslim majority, at times they face violent attacks. Other times, they believe they're expelled from their lands -- faced with a distant and dark future.
This group has ended up living in tents for the past 3 months.
They say the government kicked them off their land without warning: only because they are Christian. The government tells a different story, saying that they were given plenty of warning. Further than that, they say they will take care of this problem, a problem they are well aware of.
The minister of minority affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, says, "We are constitutionally bound to protect the life and property of the minorities and to look after the interests of the minorities in this country. Because they played a role in the founding, they are equal citizens of the country. Yes, there is a problem, but we are trying to solve those problems."
The truth is, regardless of any religious strife, people are dying of poverty in this camp. Two have died since the group settled here, and children lay in the sun, totally exposed to the sun, suffering slowly. We brought a doctor to the camp; he seemed stunned, both at its location and the conditions.
"I think there's a danger here, especially with some of the younger children, that they could just die from dehydration or from all kinds of infections," says Dr. Rixwan Taj. "I am very surprised, really because this is the center of Islamabad, just right in the center. And every facility is not but 10 minutes from here."
The water the camp is using to survive on is a broken pipe that runs underneath the road and out one side. At the camp, the water is used for drinking and washing. It happens to run over a pile of trash and directly down into the makeshift toilets, which are two holes in the ground. Taj tells us the obvious: Typhoid will come to this camp -- the conditions are ripe.
Other countries of course deal with religious strife; minorities all over the world face an uphill struggle. But here, with the addition of poverty, in the oppressive heat -- in an over-crowed camp on the side of the road in downtown Islamabad -- it seems that much worse.
A little girl stares into our camera and rhythmically says, "Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah." Her religion teaches her that "the poor" will inherit "the kingdom of heaven."
I saw this piece of news on cnn web. Aren't we fortunate where we are. Let's pray for God to be close with them, delivering them and protecting them, also to keep their faith strong being people who claim the promise of God that the poor will inherit the kingdom of heaven!
Matthew 5:3-11
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Jes
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 2:48 PM
Posted on Friday, August 14, 2009
Acts 8:26-40,Phil 1:6
Being sensitive to the HS calling and trusting God by taking the step of faith to share the word can indeed be challenging.Philip trust and obey therefore God moved as well.Was thinking about how often I respond to the HS's prompting and the times I hesitated because of past experiences or uncertainties.Opportunities are God given and I start to see how he can move in situations and circumstances if we choose to take up the challenge by trusting and obeying.We may never know how God can use us to touch lives and furthermore our Father will provide more than we can ever imagine.For those who have planted seeds, lets water them well and take ownership of these opportunities even after matric.Fighting!!
ping
PnF reflections
Being sensitive to the HS calling and trusting God by taking the step of faith to share the word can indeed be challenging.Philip trust and obey therefore God moved as well.Was thinking about how often I respond to the HS's prompting and the times I hesitated because of past experiences or uncertainties.Opportunities are God given and I start to see how he can move in situations and circumstances if we choose to take up the challenge by trusting and obeying.We may never know how God can use us to touch lives and furthermore our Father will provide more than we can ever imagine.For those who have planted seeds, lets water them well and take ownership of these opportunities even after matric.Fighting!!
ping
Labels: Our Reflections
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 5:38 PM
Posted on Thursday, August 13, 2009
caix
As i prayed through during my QT with God, He showed me [Acts 15:8] "God, who knows the heart,showed them he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them" LIkewise, Philip was spirit-led to talk to the eunuch and God provided this perfect opportunity for Philip to share God's gospel of truth.God was moving at that point of time and now Hes moving right now.More and more ppl are experiencing God's love right now and it really touched my heart, seeing them grow closer to God. =) To those who have put in effort in doing God's work, God is pleased coz He sees it all and we will experience more of His holy spirit,which will give us a clearer view, the right approach tt we need to take in order to share our faith.of coz, life is not always smooth-sailing.but lets us pray for more opportunities in our life.and whenever we meet any difficulties, endure hardships as discipline like wad the bible has written.
Fast & Pray 12th Aug.
As i prayed through during my QT with God, He showed me [Acts 15:8] "God, who knows the heart,showed them he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them" LIkewise, Philip was spirit-led to talk to the eunuch and God provided this perfect opportunity for Philip to share God's gospel of truth.God was moving at that point of time and now Hes moving right now.More and more ppl are experiencing God's love right now and it really touched my heart, seeing them grow closer to God. =) To those who have put in effort in doing God's work, God is pleased coz He sees it all and we will experience more of His holy spirit,which will give us a clearer view, the right approach tt we need to take in order to share our faith.of coz, life is not always smooth-sailing.but lets us pray for more opportunities in our life.and whenever we meet any difficulties, endure hardships as discipline like wad the bible has written.
Labels: Our Reflections
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 10:39 PM
Posted on
Reflections on Philemon 1:6 & Acts 8:26-40
On what philip did, he was just merely following instructions to head to chariot. There he met a man and started sharing the goodnews. In doing so w confidence, we must first equip ourselves w our daily bread, the WOG. & constantly pray that ourselves would be active in sharing our faith. Sharing the faith, testimonies to both believers and non believers. We should have this mindset of sharing our blessings with each other among our caregroup or even the unit. This would not only show our evident God is in our lives but also educate each other w verses we are touch with. "two are better than one." So lets start sharing now!
Fast and Pray 12 Aug 2009
On what philip did, he was just merely following instructions to head to chariot. There he met a man and started sharing the goodnews. In doing so w confidence, we must first equip ourselves w our daily bread, the WOG. & constantly pray that ourselves would be active in sharing our faith. Sharing the faith, testimonies to both believers and non believers. We should have this mindset of sharing our blessings with each other among our caregroup or even the unit. This would not only show our evident God is in our lives but also educate each other w verses we are touch with. "two are better than one." So lets start sharing now!
Labels: Our Reflections
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 12:13 PM
Posted on Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Philemon 1:6 (New International Version)
6I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.
Acts 8:26-40 (New International Version)
Philip and the Ethiopian
26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian[a]eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."
30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
31"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:
"He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth."[b]
34The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"[c] 38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
Siyuan:
Looking at Acts 8:29-30, the specific command of the Holy Spirit to Philip was NOT to share the gospel, but to merely “go near” it. Yet Philip took the initiative to ask - bear in mind it is an official he is speaking to - and to share the good news to the eunuch!
We often ask God for promptings to share. We commit our fears to God. But we fail to initiate sharing to the people! You see, the Holy Spirit didn’t need to prompt Philip to share - he’s like a gospel-machine on autopilot mode!
All the Holy Spirit need to do is to lead him to the right person and he’ll just go ahead and share without hesitation! Let’s really be courageous and make evagelism a lifestyle like Philip!
Matric is nice, but it’s not over. People still exist after matric season, and where there is people, our mouth cannot stop sharing!
Philemon1:6 talks about sharing our faith…WITH ONE ANOTHER! Even as we share to non-believers regularly, let’s really learn to share our faith with one another. I don’t mean play monopoly deal, share teaching points only - those are great (especially if I win LoL) but we need to go further to share our convictions and our daily walk with God!
It’s been quite some time since someone in the group shared to me about their blessings, testimonies, life lessons or QT! That’s not healthy considering we meet at least 3 times per week (Service, CG, some random meet up) ! Really hope to hear more from you all so that we can all be sharpened and build up!
God reminded me too in Luke 8:37 during my QT:
Luke 8:37 (New International Version)
37Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.
Often we judge non-believers and unchurched as stubborn towards the Truth. On the other spectrum, we sympathetically try to clarify their doubts. The two rationales mentioned are valid in most situations, but the verse indicates that they also have certain fears when they come before Christ.
Let us pray that God will specifically soften their hearts specifically by answering their deepest fears and releasing them from bondages so that they may confidently receive Jesus!
Lord, remove the stumbling block of fear from their hearts that they may be assured and come to know You! Amen!
Shawn:
From Acts 8:20-46, we can delightfully see that God works wonders in our lives, and as long as we follow and obey his commands, He will deliever. This can be evidently seen from the (v29)29The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." Hence we see Philip obeying to the Holy Spirit's command and stay near the chariot, what happens for the rest of the passage, we see God really working through Philip who merely obeyed the command.
I can really attest to this wonder of God. As most, if not all would have known, my sister converted during the first ESS. As a brother (or a Christian), I will not readily agree that I am a good testimony of God, and neither did I share anything extensively to my sister throughout my walk with God for the past two years. What I merely did was just to invite my sister to the ESS, and I really prayed, during my bus-ride to service that God will touch her with the drama and the teaching. Similar to Philip (who just went near the chariot), I just invited my sister to service, and allowed God to do His work in her. God is faithful, and He really delivers.
Our harvest will be fruitful, if we are faithful.
Ben Tay:
Acts 8:26-40
One attitude that can be learnt here is the pursuit in understanding the WOG. I look at the fervor of the eunuch in wanting to fully understand what the WOG is trying to say. When presented an opportunity for him to learn, he gladly accepted it.
Next, this passage shows the importance of knowing the WOG. One will never know when the WOG will be used, in what context etc. It is always very good to have a bank of not only the knowledge of the WOG; but, also own a bank of the experiental touch from God. Knowledge is power, experiences last forever. Knowing the WOG helps to build faith - TRUE FAITH. True faith is unshakable by external forces. It leads to Godly repentance and the embracement of God's commands and decrees.
Another thing that I took home from this passage is that we can always take the initiative to share our QT, thoughts on verses to each other. Instead of waiting for people to ask for help, why not offer help to study verses together?
Philemon 1:6
Storing up a bank of the knowledge of God is useless unless it is put into actions. Allow the logos to be rhema. Allow it to come alive within you through the Holy Spirit that convicts. There are so many ways to share our faith. Am I doing it?
Not only does sharing our faith gives souls an opportunity to enter the KOG, it also encourages and strenghtens out faith. How many times have I shared and felt worse than before? NONE! Sharing of my faith never left me drained. It has always reminded me of who I am without Christ, and His transformation power that lives within me.
Courage is something that I lack at times in sharing the truth too. God, I do not live for others. I live for You. As You have mentioned "Be strong and courageous", I don't want to look at things from this naked eyes that I have. I want to put on Your lens. Help me see through what's beneath the skin and bones; souls.
Reflections Theme: Watch Out, Look up!
6I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.
Acts 8:26-40 (New International Version)
Philip and the Ethiopian
26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian[a]eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."
30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
31"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:
"He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth."[b]
34The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"[c] 38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
Siyuan:
Looking at Acts 8:29-30, the specific command of the Holy Spirit to Philip was NOT to share the gospel, but to merely “go near” it. Yet Philip took the initiative to ask - bear in mind it is an official he is speaking to - and to share the good news to the eunuch!
We often ask God for promptings to share. We commit our fears to God. But we fail to initiate sharing to the people! You see, the Holy Spirit didn’t need to prompt Philip to share - he’s like a gospel-machine on autopilot mode!
All the Holy Spirit need to do is to lead him to the right person and he’ll just go ahead and share without hesitation! Let’s really be courageous and make evagelism a lifestyle like Philip!
Matric is nice, but it’s not over. People still exist after matric season, and where there is people, our mouth cannot stop sharing!
Philemon1:6 talks about sharing our faith…WITH ONE ANOTHER! Even as we share to non-believers regularly, let’s really learn to share our faith with one another. I don’t mean play monopoly deal, share teaching points only - those are great (especially if I win LoL) but we need to go further to share our convictions and our daily walk with God!
It’s been quite some time since someone in the group shared to me about their blessings, testimonies, life lessons or QT! That’s not healthy considering we meet at least 3 times per week (Service, CG, some random meet up) ! Really hope to hear more from you all so that we can all be sharpened and build up!
God reminded me too in Luke 8:37 during my QT:
Luke 8:37 (New International Version)
37Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.
Often we judge non-believers and unchurched as stubborn towards the Truth. On the other spectrum, we sympathetically try to clarify their doubts. The two rationales mentioned are valid in most situations, but the verse indicates that they also have certain fears when they come before Christ.
Let us pray that God will specifically soften their hearts specifically by answering their deepest fears and releasing them from bondages so that they may confidently receive Jesus!
Lord, remove the stumbling block of fear from their hearts that they may be assured and come to know You! Amen!
Shawn:
From Acts 8:20-46, we can delightfully see that God works wonders in our lives, and as long as we follow and obey his commands, He will deliever. This can be evidently seen from the (v29)29The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." Hence we see Philip obeying to the Holy Spirit's command and stay near the chariot, what happens for the rest of the passage, we see God really working through Philip who merely obeyed the command.
I can really attest to this wonder of God. As most, if not all would have known, my sister converted during the first ESS. As a brother (or a Christian), I will not readily agree that I am a good testimony of God, and neither did I share anything extensively to my sister throughout my walk with God for the past two years. What I merely did was just to invite my sister to the ESS, and I really prayed, during my bus-ride to service that God will touch her with the drama and the teaching. Similar to Philip (who just went near the chariot), I just invited my sister to service, and allowed God to do His work in her. God is faithful, and He really delivers.
Our harvest will be fruitful, if we are faithful.
Ben Tay:
Acts 8:26-40
One attitude that can be learnt here is the pursuit in understanding the WOG. I look at the fervor of the eunuch in wanting to fully understand what the WOG is trying to say. When presented an opportunity for him to learn, he gladly accepted it.
Next, this passage shows the importance of knowing the WOG. One will never know when the WOG will be used, in what context etc. It is always very good to have a bank of not only the knowledge of the WOG; but, also own a bank of the experiental touch from God. Knowledge is power, experiences last forever. Knowing the WOG helps to build faith - TRUE FAITH. True faith is unshakable by external forces. It leads to Godly repentance and the embracement of God's commands and decrees.
Another thing that I took home from this passage is that we can always take the initiative to share our QT, thoughts on verses to each other. Instead of waiting for people to ask for help, why not offer help to study verses together?
Philemon 1:6
Storing up a bank of the knowledge of God is useless unless it is put into actions. Allow the logos to be rhema. Allow it to come alive within you through the Holy Spirit that convicts. There are so many ways to share our faith. Am I doing it?
Not only does sharing our faith gives souls an opportunity to enter the KOG, it also encourages and strenghtens out faith. How many times have I shared and felt worse than before? NONE! Sharing of my faith never left me drained. It has always reminded me of who I am without Christ, and His transformation power that lives within me.
Courage is something that I lack at times in sharing the truth too. God, I do not live for others. I live for You. As You have mentioned "Be strong and courageous", I don't want to look at things from this naked eyes that I have. I want to put on Your lens. Help me see through what's beneath the skin and bones; souls.
Labels: Our Reflections
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 11:52 PM
Posted on
Acts 8:26-40, Philemon 1:6
finally maurise is saying something..:
As i was reading and meditaing, God showed me a few things through these 2 passage.
Philip was alone but his hearts was ALWAYS with God. As soon as he heard God speaks, he went immediately to attend to God's direction.
even though, the bible didn't state philip's feelings at that point of time.. i guess he must be really anxious despite acting to God's calling. afterall is not just any man but an high ranking official! haha... perhaps in our context... the minister of finance? i guess i would be afraid and nervous to approach him! hahah! "Be courageous and do it!" was what God drop into my heart. Having a lifestyle of evangelism is really important, philip was always on the go to reach out to people not only when God calls. he travelled between countries just to spread the good news, to shared about Jesus when opportunity comes beside!
seriously, i dont think God just *phoof* then philip was gone to another town. i guess philip was really fast to react to God's calling and went off immediately even without properly bidding farewell to the eunuch. this is something i must keep with me- to be sensitive to God's calling and have the sense of urgency~! totally fitting to my situations now! cool...don't miss any chance of inviting friends, maurise!
"I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ."
to wait until you understand everything you're gonna do for God.. why not experience the truth of God while doing it ACTIVELY? yeap, responded! i want to do that!
as years gone by... certain things that i thought i know already is starting to grow faint because familiarity is starting to overtake it. this is what i pray that it would not happen in my life. i want a child-like faith in doing things for God!!!...keyword- ACTIVELY! haha!
Amen!
Carrot Bao's......
God always provide opportunities for us to reach out to people. When the Spirit told Philip to go to the chariot, Philip obeyed. God has been giving us chances and ways. It's a matter of whether we are taking up the call to step forth and share about the good news. And in Philemon 1:6, it reminded us whether we've been sharing the good news, our faith to the non-believers. Are we the one who will run away when people reject us? Are we persevering enough that despite many rejections, we still have the passion and the fire to continue the task God has given to us? Let's have the Energizer Spirit "Never say die". A few more days to the 2nd ESS. Are we trying hard enough to invite our loved ones, our friends and family member to let them know how much God has loved them that He died on the cross for our sins? Brothers and sisters, why not we take some time to look at the circles of friends around us and seek God for direction on who we shall invite. JIA U my friends.. Keep inviting!!
Siyuan:
Looking at Acts 8:29-30, the specific command of the Holy Spirit to Philip was NOT to share the gospel, but to merely “go near” it. Yet Philip took the initiative to ask - bear in mind it is an official he is speaking to - and to share the good news to the eunuch!
We often ask God for promptings to share. We commit our fears to God. But we fail to initiate sharing to the people! You see, the Holy Spirit didn’t need to prompt Philip to share - he’s like a gospel-machine on autopilot mode!
All the Holy Spirit need to do is to lead him to the right person and he’ll just go ahead and share without hesitation! Let’s really be courageous and make evagelism a lifestyle like Philip!
Matric is nice, but it’s not over. People still exist after matric season, and where there is people, our mouth cannot stop sharing!
Philemon1:6 talks about sharing our faith…WITH ONE ANOTHER! Even as we share to non-believers regularly, let’s really learn to share our faith with one another. I don’t mean play monopoly deal, share teaching points only - those are great (especially if I win LoL) but we need to go further to share our convictions and our daily walk with God!
It’s been quite some time since someone in the group shared to me about their blessings, testimonies, life lessons or QT! That’s not healthy considering we meet at least 3 times per week (Service, CG, some random meet up) ! Really hope to hear more from you all so that we can all be sharpened and build up!
Junyao:
Reading Acts 8: 26-29, really convict my heart that seizing outreach opportunities is more than just being skilfull or knowledgeable. well... having all these are good! but the main thing here is are we listening to God and obeying His still small whisper? like what our Hope pastors would said that sometimes we are more spiritual than the Holy Spirt that when He spoke to us to approach our frens, loved ones or even strangers, we can tell Him that whoever and so and so is not ready to receive or is too hardened to receive. but here we saw how Philip responded to God in obedience that he just do whatever God told him to and then there is the opportunity to outreach!!
Bro and sis, i just wanna take this time to ask u to think abt ur own conversion. i think none of us actually walk into the church ourselves out of nowhere and then decide to receive Jesus right? Many of us are here in the Kingdom of God now is bcos someone out there obey the voice of God and seize the opportunity to introduce this eternal salvation to u!
So why not let take sometime this week to listen to God and look around our lives! Maybe our new bro or sis in Christ is just beside u? =)
signing off,
the one with 5 S! :)
PnF Reflections 11.8.09
finally maurise is saying something..:
As i was reading and meditaing, God showed me a few things through these 2 passage.
Philip was alone but his hearts was ALWAYS with God. As soon as he heard God speaks, he went immediately to attend to God's direction.
even though, the bible didn't state philip's feelings at that point of time.. i guess he must be really anxious despite acting to God's calling. afterall is not just any man but an high ranking official! haha... perhaps in our context... the minister of finance? i guess i would be afraid and nervous to approach him! hahah! "Be courageous and do it!" was what God drop into my heart. Having a lifestyle of evangelism is really important, philip was always on the go to reach out to people not only when God calls. he travelled between countries just to spread the good news, to shared about Jesus when opportunity comes beside!
seriously, i dont think God just *phoof* then philip was gone to another town. i guess philip was really fast to react to God's calling and went off immediately even without properly bidding farewell to the eunuch. this is something i must keep with me- to be sensitive to God's calling and have the sense of urgency~! totally fitting to my situations now! cool...don't miss any chance of inviting friends, maurise!
"I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ."
to wait until you understand everything you're gonna do for God.. why not experience the truth of God while doing it ACTIVELY? yeap, responded! i want to do that!
as years gone by... certain things that i thought i know already is starting to grow faint because familiarity is starting to overtake it. this is what i pray that it would not happen in my life. i want a child-like faith in doing things for God!!!...keyword- ACTIVELY! haha!
Amen!
Carrot Bao's......
God always provide opportunities for us to reach out to people. When the Spirit told Philip to go to the chariot, Philip obeyed. God has been giving us chances and ways. It's a matter of whether we are taking up the call to step forth and share about the good news. And in Philemon 1:6, it reminded us whether we've been sharing the good news, our faith to the non-believers. Are we the one who will run away when people reject us? Are we persevering enough that despite many rejections, we still have the passion and the fire to continue the task God has given to us? Let's have the Energizer Spirit "Never say die". A few more days to the 2nd ESS. Are we trying hard enough to invite our loved ones, our friends and family member to let them know how much God has loved them that He died on the cross for our sins? Brothers and sisters, why not we take some time to look at the circles of friends around us and seek God for direction on who we shall invite. JIA U my friends.. Keep inviting!!
Siyuan:
Looking at Acts 8:29-30, the specific command of the Holy Spirit to Philip was NOT to share the gospel, but to merely “go near” it. Yet Philip took the initiative to ask - bear in mind it is an official he is speaking to - and to share the good news to the eunuch!
We often ask God for promptings to share. We commit our fears to God. But we fail to initiate sharing to the people! You see, the Holy Spirit didn’t need to prompt Philip to share - he’s like a gospel-machine on autopilot mode!
All the Holy Spirit need to do is to lead him to the right person and he’ll just go ahead and share without hesitation! Let’s really be courageous and make evagelism a lifestyle like Philip!
Matric is nice, but it’s not over. People still exist after matric season, and where there is people, our mouth cannot stop sharing!
Philemon1:6 talks about sharing our faith…WITH ONE ANOTHER! Even as we share to non-believers regularly, let’s really learn to share our faith with one another. I don’t mean play monopoly deal, share teaching points only - those are great (especially if I win LoL) but we need to go further to share our convictions and our daily walk with God!
It’s been quite some time since someone in the group shared to me about their blessings, testimonies, life lessons or QT! That’s not healthy considering we meet at least 3 times per week (Service, CG, some random meet up) ! Really hope to hear more from you all so that we can all be sharpened and build up!
Junyao:
Reading Acts 8: 26-29, really convict my heart that seizing outreach opportunities is more than just being skilfull or knowledgeable. well... having all these are good! but the main thing here is are we listening to God and obeying His still small whisper? like what our Hope pastors would said that sometimes we are more spiritual than the Holy Spirt that when He spoke to us to approach our frens, loved ones or even strangers, we can tell Him that whoever and so and so is not ready to receive or is too hardened to receive. but here we saw how Philip responded to God in obedience that he just do whatever God told him to and then there is the opportunity to outreach!!
Bro and sis, i just wanna take this time to ask u to think abt ur own conversion. i think none of us actually walk into the church ourselves out of nowhere and then decide to receive Jesus right? Many of us are here in the Kingdom of God now is bcos someone out there obey the voice of God and seize the opportunity to introduce this eternal salvation to u!
So why not let take sometime this week to listen to God and look around our lives! Maybe our new bro or sis in Christ is just beside u? =)
signing off,
the one with 5 S! :)
Labels: Our Reflections
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 10:37 PM
Posted on
PnF Reflections 11/8/09! on Genesis 18:16-33..
Jes:
Genesis 18:17-19
17 Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."
This part of the passage makes me ponder over one thing. Why will God think if He should hide from Abraham what He is about to do to Sodom? The other thing that caught me thinking is, why God, in the end, still revealed to Abraham the 'fate' of the city.
I see God's actions towards Abraham (telling him what was about to happen to Sodom), a test of Abraham's heart towards the people. A man God has chosen to direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just (v19) will have a heart like God for his people, even the ones who are going to be destoryed.
This brings me to a question, that is, what does it mean to have a heart for people? When we really know that people are facing an eternity without God what will this stir us to do? If we really can't do anything at all, did we at least pray? I reflected that a man (woman) after God's heart pray prayers that is really align to God's heartbeat. I learn that i need to not just pray, but pray confidently trusting that God is a merciful God. Abraham's conversation with God has reflected that he has confident how much God does not want to destory, but rather save. Therefore, this confidence He had in God also allowed Him to pray and ask God boldly. Are we confident as we pray today?
Li Yin:
Abraham didn't list out his conditions to God. Yes he prayed, he interceded for the people, but he left the outcome to Him and trusted Him to do what's right. He couldn't stop the men of Sodom from sinning. Likewise, we can't stop our friends or family members from rejecting God. These are some things that are out of our hands. BUT, like Abraham did, we can pray for them, we can ask God and believe by faith that God will move in their hearts. Abraham is mentioned in Hebrews 11:8-12, 17-19, because he lived by faith. His prayers showed him to be a person that trusts God for who He is and who believes by faith that God will do what He knows is right. Quoting from Adam Clarke, "Prayer has been termed the gate of heaven, but without faith that gate cannot be opened." Without faith it is impossible to please God. For Abraham, 6 times he interceded for the people. He prayed by faith, and in humility as well, and God answered his every petition. And God didn't stop promising to show mercy to them until Abraham stopped praying. Just wanna encourage all of us: continue to fear God, knowing Him to be holy and righteous, and keep praying for our friends, our relatives, people we don't even know. God will answer in His due time. I really need to be reminded of this too, to believe Him for the lives of the people around us. We can wait for a person to come to know God for 5 months and yes it's tough. But God has been waiting for that person to come back to Him ever since the fall of man. He longs for it much much more than we do! There's this story I read quite some time ago, about this woman who prayed for her mum for TWENTY years. After 5 years of praying, she asked herself: why am I still doing this? After 10 years, she wondered: is God really going to answer? After 15 years, she asked herself: why do I even bother? But she kept praying, and finally, after 20 years, her mum came to receive Christ. Her conclusion? "I will never doubt the power of prayer again." Mmm. =)
Shuning:
How many people have we saved today? Reading these verses, I'm reminded of the reason why I sow, the reason why I give my all in saving lives. :) and it puts a smile on my face. Knowing that no matter what difficulties I face, I will overcome them, and the rewards are sweet. And that keeps me going on. :)
PnF reflections(10/8/09)
Jes:
Genesis 18:17-19
17 Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."
This part of the passage makes me ponder over one thing. Why will God think if He should hide from Abraham what He is about to do to Sodom? The other thing that caught me thinking is, why God, in the end, still revealed to Abraham the 'fate' of the city.
I see God's actions towards Abraham (telling him what was about to happen to Sodom), a test of Abraham's heart towards the people. A man God has chosen to direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just (v19) will have a heart like God for his people, even the ones who are going to be destoryed.
This brings me to a question, that is, what does it mean to have a heart for people? When we really know that people are facing an eternity without God what will this stir us to do? If we really can't do anything at all, did we at least pray? I reflected that a man (woman) after God's heart pray prayers that is really align to God's heartbeat. I learn that i need to not just pray, but pray confidently trusting that God is a merciful God. Abraham's conversation with God has reflected that he has confident how much God does not want to destory, but rather save. Therefore, this confidence He had in God also allowed Him to pray and ask God boldly. Are we confident as we pray today?
Li Yin:
Abraham didn't list out his conditions to God. Yes he prayed, he interceded for the people, but he left the outcome to Him and trusted Him to do what's right. He couldn't stop the men of Sodom from sinning. Likewise, we can't stop our friends or family members from rejecting God. These are some things that are out of our hands. BUT, like Abraham did, we can pray for them, we can ask God and believe by faith that God will move in their hearts. Abraham is mentioned in Hebrews 11:8-12, 17-19, because he lived by faith. His prayers showed him to be a person that trusts God for who He is and who believes by faith that God will do what He knows is right. Quoting from Adam Clarke, "Prayer has been termed the gate of heaven, but without faith that gate cannot be opened." Without faith it is impossible to please God. For Abraham, 6 times he interceded for the people. He prayed by faith, and in humility as well, and God answered his every petition. And God didn't stop promising to show mercy to them until Abraham stopped praying. Just wanna encourage all of us: continue to fear God, knowing Him to be holy and righteous, and keep praying for our friends, our relatives, people we don't even know. God will answer in His due time. I really need to be reminded of this too, to believe Him for the lives of the people around us. We can wait for a person to come to know God for 5 months and yes it's tough. But God has been waiting for that person to come back to Him ever since the fall of man. He longs for it much much more than we do! There's this story I read quite some time ago, about this woman who prayed for her mum for TWENTY years. After 5 years of praying, she asked herself: why am I still doing this? After 10 years, she wondered: is God really going to answer? After 15 years, she asked herself: why do I even bother? But she kept praying, and finally, after 20 years, her mum came to receive Christ. Her conclusion? "I will never doubt the power of prayer again." Mmm. =)
Shuning:
How many people have we saved today? Reading these verses, I'm reminded of the reason why I sow, the reason why I give my all in saving lives. :) and it puts a smile on my face. Knowing that no matter what difficulties I face, I will overcome them, and the rewards are sweet. And that keeps me going on. :)
Labels: Our Reflections
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 9:48 PM
Posted on Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Genesis 18:20-33
For the sake of ten Abraham pleaded with the lord...Was reminded of my own sowing process when a particular sowee is not responsive and I wrestled with the lord to open her heart but that being said,a part of me which I find lacking would the perseverance to plead with God just like Abraham.Interceding for righteous people with the trust in God can help us understand how our Father would never give up on ten righteous people not to say if there is only one.Let's have a divine fear for God that he will definitely show mercy and reveal the best plans for us when we know the God we are serving love and cares for us.Continue to pray and intercede for those we wanna reach out to and those seeds that are already planted because we want to see them receive salvation at the vey end....
ping
P&F reflections
For the sake of ten Abraham pleaded with the lord...Was reminded of my own sowing process when a particular sowee is not responsive and I wrestled with the lord to open her heart but that being said,a part of me which I find lacking would the perseverance to plead with God just like Abraham.Interceding for righteous people with the trust in God can help us understand how our Father would never give up on ten righteous people not to say if there is only one.Let's have a divine fear for God that he will definitely show mercy and reveal the best plans for us when we know the God we are serving love and cares for us.Continue to pray and intercede for those we wanna reach out to and those seeds that are already planted because we want to see them receive salvation at the vey end....
ping
Labels: Our Reflections
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 3:51 PM
Posted on
Jasmine says:
This passage highlights the Mercy of God. Abraham knew that God must punish sin but (from the passage), we also see that God is merciful and just to sinners. This reminded me of Psalm 103:8 - The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. One of the reason why Abraham asked God to spare Sodom was because his nephew, Lot and his family lived there and Abraham didnt want them to die, so he interceded for them. This is what we, Christian should do for our world - intercede for people around us!! We are the spiritual descendents of Abraham in the world and we ought to be the salt and light in this world. Do we have someone in mind that you can "bless" and intercede for today? Let's love the people around us (family members, friends), be a blessing to this sinful world by interceding for it.
Benson says:
Genesis 18:20-33 From this short reflection passage. We witnessed the conversation between abraham and the LORD. Abraham was seeking for God's mercy to be upon the village. At first, he told Him that there were fifty righteous people in the village and asked if God would spare the village, God agreed for the sake of the fifty people. Slowly it went on, the number got lesser as abraham questioned God's mercy. It was clearly shown in the passage that we God's mercy is ever wonderful, He learnt of this righteous people in the village and spared the village because of them. Im sure as we continue to draw closer to God, He sees our heart, our intention towards people. Our father would definitely pours His mercy unto us when we needed it the most. Not only that we are reminded of this mercy but also, as we are receiving, we could bless other people as well. "i cant contain it, i wanna give it away!" At this point of time, we know we are secured in Christ and also the take away point here to me is to also bless people. Sometimes we take, sometimes we give. I am sure God wants to see this merciful heart in us towards people. People matters to Him and as channels for our Father, we should potray the image He longs for us to be. God blesses us unconditionally and in fact sometimes overflowing but, are we loving the people and blessing them in our lives right now?
My 1st impression seems to be a repetitive story of Abraham bargaining with God over some people’s lives. I don’t see the 10 people as non-believers who turn back to God.
Rather, they are the ones who are already proven credible and righteous before the Lord. The presence of 10 righteous people can save a city of numerous inhabitants!
It leads me to a question, that are we taking ownership of our metaphoric cities and the individual lives each city represents? Our righteousness comes from Christ (no messiah complex here -_- ) and by the virtue of His righteousness we testify God’s truth to non-believers.
Knowing we are held and helped by God’s righteousness (not of our own) will shape our attitudes towards non-believers. The judgemental attitudes, the combativeness to win arguments and the fear of speaking and standing for biblical truths will collapse in the light of God’s righteousness working in us and through us!
The most important Truth for them however is found in John3:16. It’s a Truth that we ought to burn for! At this moment I’m still cultivating my desire for the Word of God.
Towards non-believers, I genuinely feel a mingling sense of strong wanting to tell them about Jesus and yet also held back by fears of rejection and past refusals by the same friends I try to share to now. It’s not easy, but I pray that God will nurture this area of my life.
Colloqually, I will just give my bloody best to connect friends and testify and leave the rest to God! Amen.
Jun yao says:
today's theme remind me of a few things. 1) do i know my identity before God? Abraham did not take advantage of his relationship with God and make him forget that at the end of the day, God is his Creator,God is his Source of Life, which some time when i thought i'm on good terms with God, i'll easily forget who am i before the Mighty One.2) is my relationship with Him is so friend-friend type tt i can 'bargain' with Him? I think God really see Abraham as a friend tt He dont want to hide things from Abraham to even 'bargain' with Him. i really wonder whether i can do wad Abraham did. 3) my burden for the ppl around me.i think many a times, i can talk a lot abt outreach and church planting but if i dun hav compassion and burden for the pple around me, how can i REALLY love those whom i dunno overseas?
caixuan says:
when i read abt Abraham with God, i learnt of God's greatness and his mercy.we can see the great extent Abraham has went to intercede for the people in the city.it really touched my heart tt Abraham has a burden for the people..i asked myself whether will i do everything or sacrifice for the people..will i love the people around me like Christ has done? i believe tt love is the most fundamental quality tt Christian must have in order to do great things for God. without love, theres will not be no compassion for ppl.we should really learn from Abraham.his love for God and people.the ultimate expression of our love for Jesus will be found in how we obey Him in whatever He tells us to do! sometimes, i would feel tt im not worthy enough to be used by God. no confidence.but im reminded by God through a teaching, tt we are chosen by God because He sees the potential in everyone of us..Everyone has a role to play..this coming week would be another ESS.wanna encourage all of us to bring a friend or relative along for service to let them know tt theres a God who loves them. =)
Testimonial
This passage highlights the Mercy of God. Abraham knew that God must punish sin but (from the passage), we also see that God is merciful and just to sinners. This reminded me of Psalm 103:8 - The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. One of the reason why Abraham asked God to spare Sodom was because his nephew, Lot and his family lived there and Abraham didnt want them to die, so he interceded for them. This is what we, Christian should do for our world - intercede for people around us!! We are the spiritual descendents of Abraham in the world and we ought to be the salt and light in this world. Do we have someone in mind that you can "bless" and intercede for today? Let's love the people around us (family members, friends), be a blessing to this sinful world by interceding for it.
Benson says:
Genesis 18:20-33 From this short reflection passage. We witnessed the conversation between abraham and the LORD. Abraham was seeking for God's mercy to be upon the village. At first, he told Him that there were fifty righteous people in the village and asked if God would spare the village, God agreed for the sake of the fifty people. Slowly it went on, the number got lesser as abraham questioned God's mercy. It was clearly shown in the passage that we God's mercy is ever wonderful, He learnt of this righteous people in the village and spared the village because of them. Im sure as we continue to draw closer to God, He sees our heart, our intention towards people. Our father would definitely pours His mercy unto us when we needed it the most. Not only that we are reminded of this mercy but also, as we are receiving, we could bless other people as well. "i cant contain it, i wanna give it away!" At this point of time, we know we are secured in Christ and also the take away point here to me is to also bless people. Sometimes we take, sometimes we give. I am sure God wants to see this merciful heart in us towards people. People matters to Him and as channels for our Father, we should potray the image He longs for us to be. God blesses us unconditionally and in fact sometimes overflowing but, are we loving the people and blessing them in our lives right now?
Ben Tay says:
[Gen 18:20-33]
Abraham was very brave to stand before God and make his claim and negotiate. Try negotiating and persuading a stranger, then tell me about the success. Very rarely, would one even dare to negotiate with a total stranger unless one has the buying power or holds the trump card. This is like the game of Monopoly we played, where we tried to negotiate for our desired properties. It works in the same way as we have to have something that interests the other party - be it lifelong free rental, monetary trade, an exchange in properties, logical discussions and mind games.
In this case, Abraham had a close relationship with God as God had been speaking to him throughout, even before this encounter. As he stood before God alone, he knew how to conduct a negotiation with God as he knew about the character of God – righteous, compassionate, the Judge, holy, all powerful. With this knowledge of God, he was able to persuade God to shower mercy on His people.
Notice that God doesn’t change His mind. Everything in our lives have already been laid out and planned out. He wants to hear our petitions before acting on the same plans that He had laid out way before we were born. This is the supremacy of God.
My 1st impression seems to be a repetitive story of Abraham bargaining with God over some people’s lives. I don’t see the 10 people as non-believers who turn back to God.
Rather, they are the ones who are already proven credible and righteous before the Lord. The presence of 10 righteous people can save a city of numerous inhabitants!
It leads me to a question, that are we taking ownership of our metaphoric cities and the individual lives each city represents? Our righteousness comes from Christ (no messiah complex here -_- ) and by the virtue of His righteousness we testify God’s truth to non-believers.
Knowing we are held and helped by God’s righteousness (not of our own) will shape our attitudes towards non-believers. The judgemental attitudes, the combativeness to win arguments and the fear of speaking and standing for biblical truths will collapse in the light of God’s righteousness working in us and through us!
The most important Truth for them however is found in John3:16. It’s a Truth that we ought to burn for! At this moment I’m still cultivating my desire for the Word of God.
Towards non-believers, I genuinely feel a mingling sense of strong wanting to tell them about Jesus and yet also held back by fears of rejection and past refusals by the same friends I try to share to now. It’s not easy, but I pray that God will nurture this area of my life.
Colloqually, I will just give my bloody best to connect friends and testify and leave the rest to God! Amen.
Jun yao says:
today's theme remind me of a few things. 1) do i know my identity before God? Abraham did not take advantage of his relationship with God and make him forget that at the end of the day, God is his Creator,God is his Source of Life, which some time when i thought i'm on good terms with God, i'll easily forget who am i before the Mighty One.2) is my relationship with Him is so friend-friend type tt i can 'bargain' with Him? I think God really see Abraham as a friend tt He dont want to hide things from Abraham to even 'bargain' with Him. i really wonder whether i can do wad Abraham did. 3) my burden for the ppl around me.i think many a times, i can talk a lot abt outreach and church planting but if i dun hav compassion and burden for the pple around me, how can i REALLY love those whom i dunno overseas?
caixuan says:
when i read abt Abraham with God, i learnt of God's greatness and his mercy.we can see the great extent Abraham has went to intercede for the people in the city.it really touched my heart tt Abraham has a burden for the people..i asked myself whether will i do everything or sacrifice for the people..will i love the people around me like Christ has done? i believe tt love is the most fundamental quality tt Christian must have in order to do great things for God. without love, theres will not be no compassion for ppl.we should really learn from Abraham.his love for God and people.the ultimate expression of our love for Jesus will be found in how we obey Him in whatever He tells us to do! sometimes, i would feel tt im not worthy enough to be used by God. no confidence.but im reminded by God through a teaching, tt we are chosen by God because He sees the potential in everyone of us..Everyone has a role to play..this coming week would be another ESS.wanna encourage all of us to bring a friend or relative along for service to let them know tt theres a God who loves them. =)
Labels: Our Reflections
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 12:13 PM
Posted on
It is my spiritual birthday on August 5th 2009. I am 3 years old and going; gonna run the race to the end with my fellow brothers and sisters. First let me give a brief background of myself, we may just know each other by name or how old are we but i guess it is important to know each other lives deeeply. i will then take the honor to be the first :)
I received Christ in my life 3 years back, i was brought in by a sister in NYP Group at that time, now SMU Group. My conversion took place when i attended the second time of service. I was transferred to NS Group the following week and started my journey there. Jeremy was my CL and my shepherd at that time. Eilton and Donald were in my group that time. i could not quick find myself to be able to have a common topic to the caregroup at that time and i felt so left out. I know the only way to be able to join them in conversation is to know more about WOG. I tried being enthusiastic about it but it was to no avail. I backslided. I found my life quite interesting in the world, i was totally tempted and sucked into the world of sins. My Attendance in class was comparable to the number of public holidays singapore has. I could game all day and thought having a religion was a total waste of time. After a while, i felt bored. I wanted my saturdays to be filled, like what the first ESS actually potrayed. Keeping myself occupied, i wanted activites after activities. That was the sole reason to why i went back to church. After a while, i felt weary of this routine thing about caregroup, shepherding, services. At that time, i was just transfered to Sim group, it was refreshing to me and i decided to hang on. But after a while, i backslided again. That time SIM1 and SIM2 were a caregroup itself. I stopped contacting the caregroup, ignored smses, phone calls, missed calls. I needed a break. and the whole cycle starts again, i was sucked into the world again being who i am comfortable being. I was having fun outside in the world then i started to pondered upon myself. Do i have a purpose? Am i feeling empty inside? Then it was then, i wanted to give Christ one last try. Because at that time point i was tired of this whole thing but despite my condition of the heart i decided to came back. It took me a lot of courage coming back knowing people will question about my faith in Him and also how am i suppose to answers the questions that i know i have no answers for it. I came back, tried very hard to bond w the group like how i was bonded in the past, i could not. I felt left out, lonely. Matric season came, i was appointed AGL? and i was comfortable leading people although i look hesitant on the outside, deep inside i was delighted. I love people, i want to lead people! I am comfortable doing this role, i was like YES INSIDE MY HEART. The whole matric season was tiring, energy taxing but i perservere! prayers and my desire kept me going. Indeed God has been faithfull to me, He has indeed opened me a path back to my my caregroup during this process. I was very happy after the whole season. I kept my fire burning, my desires growing everyday. I want this child like faith to never disappear in my heart because i never want to leave my Father again. People, i have come thus far, not in terms of my spiritual life but the experiences i have been through. I tell you, God has a way when all else fails. His grace for us is sufficient. He is a very forgiving Father even when we fail him time and time again. Most importantly, His love is extraordinary, unfailing, unconditional and lasting. I really wanna thank Him when i am up in heaven. This third year is very special, im thankful for the SIM Unit for who i am today as well. Bubbly and cheerful, yet biblical! Im so proud to be part of this generation of SIM people. Lets run this race together okay, i hope to continue this race for as long as i can. :) Oh btw, brothers, thank for you the book, Purpose driven life. I hope to find my purpose here! and the cake, thank you very much i was shocked when i saw it! im just speechless. (i dont know if i left out anything in my whole 3 years, but this shoule be more or less about it, sorry if i miss out any by accident and being brief in my speech)
Thank you SIM1 & SIM2 for moulding me to who i am today. I appreciate a lot for the little little things you guys did for me, especially the birthday last year. Thanks. :) Special thanks to also a few people who made a tremedous impact in my life.
Junyao - thank you for making who i am today. you have been super faithful w me. im sure you put in a lot of effort in me. i hope to heed your advice throughout these years and continue growing.
Bentay - SAME AS JUNYAO, HAHAHA. okay lah but thank you for sparing your precious time for me. thanks for your many smses, it encourages me greatly. Im thankful for you for being there for me when i was at my lowest.
Shawn - brother, really thank you for your presence. i mean you are really a great person to hang out with. i really enjoy a lot when you are around and hope to know you better in the future. Thanks a lot brother.
Maurise - turn behind and show me your silky hair. alright. mau, you left a deep impression in me, i enjoy working w you and hope to in the future as well. thanks for showing me the ropes all this while. really wanna take this opportunity to show my deepest appreciation.
Shuning - thanks shuning for your initiative to know me deeper. i really enjoy heart to heart talk although you don't really have one. although we split cg, you never failed to be concern about my day :)
Hia di - brother, really wanna affirm your presence. its really a very positive one, at least to me. im glad to have you in my group, you have been a good spirited member of this unit and i long to have it. thank you for being a model to me, the model is Godly model not the victoria secrets. :) we need people like you in the group!
Blogging Instructions
I received Christ in my life 3 years back, i was brought in by a sister in NYP Group at that time, now SMU Group. My conversion took place when i attended the second time of service. I was transferred to NS Group the following week and started my journey there. Jeremy was my CL and my shepherd at that time. Eilton and Donald were in my group that time. i could not quick find myself to be able to have a common topic to the caregroup at that time and i felt so left out. I know the only way to be able to join them in conversation is to know more about WOG. I tried being enthusiastic about it but it was to no avail. I backslided. I found my life quite interesting in the world, i was totally tempted and sucked into the world of sins. My Attendance in class was comparable to the number of public holidays singapore has. I could game all day and thought having a religion was a total waste of time. After a while, i felt bored. I wanted my saturdays to be filled, like what the first ESS actually potrayed. Keeping myself occupied, i wanted activites after activities. That was the sole reason to why i went back to church. After a while, i felt weary of this routine thing about caregroup, shepherding, services. At that time, i was just transfered to Sim group, it was refreshing to me and i decided to hang on. But after a while, i backslided again. That time SIM1 and SIM2 were a caregroup itself. I stopped contacting the caregroup, ignored smses, phone calls, missed calls. I needed a break. and the whole cycle starts again, i was sucked into the world again being who i am comfortable being. I was having fun outside in the world then i started to pondered upon myself. Do i have a purpose? Am i feeling empty inside? Then it was then, i wanted to give Christ one last try. Because at that time point i was tired of this whole thing but despite my condition of the heart i decided to came back. It took me a lot of courage coming back knowing people will question about my faith in Him and also how am i suppose to answers the questions that i know i have no answers for it. I came back, tried very hard to bond w the group like how i was bonded in the past, i could not. I felt left out, lonely. Matric season came, i was appointed AGL? and i was comfortable leading people although i look hesitant on the outside, deep inside i was delighted. I love people, i want to lead people! I am comfortable doing this role, i was like YES INSIDE MY HEART. The whole matric season was tiring, energy taxing but i perservere! prayers and my desire kept me going. Indeed God has been faithfull to me, He has indeed opened me a path back to my my caregroup during this process. I was very happy after the whole season. I kept my fire burning, my desires growing everyday. I want this child like faith to never disappear in my heart because i never want to leave my Father again. People, i have come thus far, not in terms of my spiritual life but the experiences i have been through. I tell you, God has a way when all else fails. His grace for us is sufficient. He is a very forgiving Father even when we fail him time and time again. Most importantly, His love is extraordinary, unfailing, unconditional and lasting. I really wanna thank Him when i am up in heaven. This third year is very special, im thankful for the SIM Unit for who i am today as well. Bubbly and cheerful, yet biblical! Im so proud to be part of this generation of SIM people. Lets run this race together okay, i hope to continue this race for as long as i can. :) Oh btw, brothers, thank for you the book, Purpose driven life. I hope to find my purpose here! and the cake, thank you very much i was shocked when i saw it! im just speechless. (i dont know if i left out anything in my whole 3 years, but this shoule be more or less about it, sorry if i miss out any by accident and being brief in my speech)
Thank you SIM1 & SIM2 for moulding me to who i am today. I appreciate a lot for the little little things you guys did for me, especially the birthday last year. Thanks. :) Special thanks to also a few people who made a tremedous impact in my life.
Junyao - thank you for making who i am today. you have been super faithful w me. im sure you put in a lot of effort in me. i hope to heed your advice throughout these years and continue growing.
Bentay - SAME AS JUNYAO, HAHAHA. okay lah but thank you for sparing your precious time for me. thanks for your many smses, it encourages me greatly. Im thankful for you for being there for me when i was at my lowest.
Shawn - brother, really thank you for your presence. i mean you are really a great person to hang out with. i really enjoy a lot when you are around and hope to know you better in the future. Thanks a lot brother.
Maurise - turn behind and show me your silky hair. alright. mau, you left a deep impression in me, i enjoy working w you and hope to in the future as well. thanks for showing me the ropes all this while. really wanna take this opportunity to show my deepest appreciation.
Shuning - thanks shuning for your initiative to know me deeper. i really enjoy heart to heart talk although you don't really have one. although we split cg, you never failed to be concern about my day :)
Hia di - brother, really wanna affirm your presence. its really a very positive one, at least to me. im glad to have you in my group, you have been a good spirited member of this unit and i long to have it. thank you for being a model to me, the model is Godly model not the victoria secrets. :) we need people like you in the group!
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 1:10 AM
Posted on Saturday, August 8, 2009
Dear all,
Before we start blogging, would you please read this entry? (http://sim-biosis.blogspot.com/2009/03/step-to-everything.html)
Please also note that this is a public blog and everyone is able to access this blog. Remember not to disclose any of your personal details like handphone no. etc here. Any queries, please approach Tangerine Tan.
- Tangerine Tan
PnF Reflections
Before we start blogging, would you please read this entry? (http://sim-biosis.blogspot.com/2009/03/step-to-everything.html)
Please also note that this is a public blog and everyone is able to access this blog. Remember not to disclose any of your personal details like handphone no. etc here. Any queries, please approach Tangerine Tan.
- Tangerine Tan
Labels: Announcement
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 8:22 AM
Posted on
Li Ping reflects...
Sometimes as children of God, we forget the God we know when we face hurts, disappointments or hardships.We cry out countless times to him but are we even laying down our lives before him? The God I know, his heart beats within me, he strengthens the weak and he is faithful and true.I believe God is reminding you and I today,whether we've been a christian for a few months or a few years,come what may,will we still love God and his people?Till today I still find it unbelievable for someone to love me to such an extent and this makes me wanna love and desire more of him no matter what I may be facing in my life right now because he loves me and he is love. Above all else,I know that as I serve,grow or even share the word of God to my friends its all for the audience of 1,my Father in Heaven.
Cai Xuan reflects...
As I prayed through the prayer points, God gave me this verse 1 John 16-18.. We loved because he first loved us! The power of his sacrificial love is what we cannot fathom and through love, we indeed can see life transformation in us and also touched the lives of others.. "let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth".. Ever heard of words without actions are dead. Through this sowing period, really encourage all of us to practise love for others not just lip service cause we wanna see a big harvest with quality!
Jun Yao reflects...
As I was praying about the point 1, I was reminded by the verse in Romans 8:38-39 that nothing can separate us from the Love of God not because of ourselves but because God really really love us! God really love me so much that He was the one doing all He can, protect this relationship with me. and yet what have I done to this relationship? I always take this relationship for granted by sinning! Even so, His love for me made me more than a conqueror in Life. Bro and Sis, just wanna encourage all of you that our identity in God can only be clear when we understand how much God loves us.
PnF Reflections
Sometimes as children of God, we forget the God we know when we face hurts, disappointments or hardships.We cry out countless times to him but are we even laying down our lives before him? The God I know, his heart beats within me, he strengthens the weak and he is faithful and true.I believe God is reminding you and I today,whether we've been a christian for a few months or a few years,come what may,will we still love God and his people?Till today I still find it unbelievable for someone to love me to such an extent and this makes me wanna love and desire more of him no matter what I may be facing in my life right now because he loves me and he is love. Above all else,I know that as I serve,grow or even share the word of God to my friends its all for the audience of 1,my Father in Heaven.
Cai Xuan reflects...
As I prayed through the prayer points, God gave me this verse 1 John 16-18.. We loved because he first loved us! The power of his sacrificial love is what we cannot fathom and through love, we indeed can see life transformation in us and also touched the lives of others.. "let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth".. Ever heard of words without actions are dead. Through this sowing period, really encourage all of us to practise love for others not just lip service cause we wanna see a big harvest with quality!
Jun Yao reflects...
As I was praying about the point 1, I was reminded by the verse in Romans 8:38-39 that nothing can separate us from the Love of God not because of ourselves but because God really really love us! God really love me so much that He was the one doing all He can, protect this relationship with me. and yet what have I done to this relationship? I always take this relationship for granted by sinning! Even so, His love for me made me more than a conqueror in Life. Bro and Sis, just wanna encourage all of you that our identity in God can only be clear when we understand how much God loves us.
Labels: Our Reflections
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 7:53 AM
Posted on
As I was reflecting on these verses, it reminded me of a prayer which I chose to respond. Few services back, David asked us to respond to 3 things and 1 of them was to surrender our life plans unto God. In v24 it says, ‘Then Jesus said to his disciples, if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me’. This verse is applicable to the situation which I’m in now. Many a times, as human beings we always think that we are smart and capable in the things we do. So, we start planning for ourselves. We start to plan for our careers, our marriage, our savings etc… Personally, I have already plan for my own future. It’s like I have in mind a specific career that I’m interested in, I want to graduate with a degree of distinction, I want to earn a certain amount of $ by a certain age, I want to own a mini-cooper(just an eg.)...lots. Everything sounds good and realistic to me but what struck me was-is that the plan God has for me? Surrendering my life it’s not just about entrusting my weaknesses to God, it’s about entrusting my EVERYTHING to Him. It’s about surrendering my ALL to Him, even my life plans. Am I able to deny myself in this area to follow Him, to follow His plans for me? Truthfully, I would say I’m still challenged but I made the decision to respond because I want to surrender fully unto God and I trust that he has the best plans for me.
Li Yi
Reflections
Li Yi
Labels: Our Reflections
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 12:03 AM
Posted on Friday, August 7, 2009
Matthew 16:24-26,John 15:5-8
"Remain in me and I will remain in you."When I'm walking in the valleys, when life sucks the energy out of me and when the task ahead seems impossible,these words would come to my mind.Am I remaining in God by letting him take control or am I taking things into my own hands? My heavenly father love me unconditionally so how can I want the best from him when I do not surrender totally or when I depend on my own strength.He wants 100% of me just like how his love is 100%, nothing less...
Reflections; 5th August 2009
"Remain in me and I will remain in you."When I'm walking in the valleys, when life sucks the energy out of me and when the task ahead seems impossible,these words would come to my mind.Am I remaining in God by letting him take control or am I taking things into my own hands? My heavenly father love me unconditionally so how can I want the best from him when I do not surrender totally or when I depend on my own strength.He wants 100% of me just like how his love is 100%, nothing less...
Labels: Our Reflections
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 6:04 PM
Posted on Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Take Up My Cross
Matthew 16:24-26
24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
John 15:5-8
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
JunYao:
John 15:5 should be mindset of us every Christian that apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. This verse reminds me of my prideful nature that many times as I served and things turn out to be good when I use my gifting and talent, I'll tend to claim the credit for myself that I am good! But God really humbled me to my lowest point to let me realise that at the end of the day is not about me, it is really about Him who is not just the giver of my talent and gifting but also the source of my success! I've not totally ovecome my pride as I am still a work-in-progress but I've learnt to handle my pride as much as I've know how. As a Christian, without Christ. I am NOTHING. =)
Ben Tay:
From the passage in John, I think about the sweepers who keep our neighbourhood litter-free every day. Random rubbish such as newspaper, cups, cigarette butts are cleared from the streets everyday. However, the majority of the rubbish swept from the floor belongs to the trees around us. Look at the enormous amount of leaves and twigs/branches on the floor! There are leaves dropping from the trees every single second! These leaves and twigs are of dead and hence of no use for the tree and the tree just dispose of it by allowing them to drop when there is an external force.
Without food, leaves and branches die and are detached from the main body of the tree. Likewise, when we fail to feed ourselves with the Word of God, the relationship we have with God does not get knitted closer. Instead, we tend to sway away, depending on ourselves.
When we remain in God, that is to have the same passion as God, the same heartbeat for Him, our requests will be for His kingdom. Our desires will be aligned to God’s and all of what we wish for will be granted and fulfilled by Him who promised. This will lead to fruits of spiritual descent, and will last.
In Matthew, we are asked to deny ourselves and take up the cross. Denying oneself is probably the toughest thing to do. It means to forgo the things our carnal nature would want to do, by doing the exact opposite things. It is not so much about the doing too without focussing on the heart attitudes. It is simple to follow someone else; however, it is not easy to imitate someone who has never complained, bore our shame and guilt so willingly, and forgo His majesty and splendour up in heaven. It is to this extent that makes it such a tall order to follow. Yet, if we choose to do things our way, if we refuse to allow God to move and correct us, we will lose our souls to another. Could ‘another’ be something very sinful such as murder? It could well be in the form of studies, where we neglect everything else for our studies. Then, this is idolatry which is a sin too. There is no difference in the degrees of sin. A sin is still a sin.
Shawn:
From these two passages, I reflect upon whether I am a follower of God, Himself, or just a follower of fellow Christians. Do I really see the value of God in me, or do I value more how others see about me.
It is important to carry the cross, and the burdens of God when we are actually doing things for the Kingdom of God. In that case, we will share the same burdens, and will show the same concern that God will show. There must a motive and objective to be met, but these motives and objectives must include God in it.
Any motives that excludes God is as good as what Matthew 16:26 says, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? " What good are the achievements achieved, if God is not in the picture?
Si Yuan:
Very often when we talk about taking up the cross, we see it as an obligation. The fact however is that Jesus don’t need us to help Him carry the cross - He’s not that weak! We need to have a paradigm shift:
To grow and actualise my potential in Christ, the cross is a must and my need !
Apart from the cross - the daily life of surrender - I can do nothing! Unless I surrender everything to God, He cannot make me to be everything He wants me to be. Carrying the cross of surrender is our free will and we do it knowing that God’s future blessings outweighs our current surrender!
Personally, I’m working on the area of daily surrender to God in terms of my prayers and gleaning from and obeying the Word of God. I still have a long way to go. That is all.
SIM CG Reflections 04 08 2009
Matthew 16:24-26
24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
John 15:5-8
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
JunYao:
John 15:5 should be mindset of us every Christian that apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. This verse reminds me of my prideful nature that many times as I served and things turn out to be good when I use my gifting and talent, I'll tend to claim the credit for myself that I am good! But God really humbled me to my lowest point to let me realise that at the end of the day is not about me, it is really about Him who is not just the giver of my talent and gifting but also the source of my success! I've not totally ovecome my pride as I am still a work-in-progress but I've learnt to handle my pride as much as I've know how. As a Christian, without Christ. I am NOTHING. =)
Ben Tay:
From the passage in John, I think about the sweepers who keep our neighbourhood litter-free every day. Random rubbish such as newspaper, cups, cigarette butts are cleared from the streets everyday. However, the majority of the rubbish swept from the floor belongs to the trees around us. Look at the enormous amount of leaves and twigs/branches on the floor! There are leaves dropping from the trees every single second! These leaves and twigs are of dead and hence of no use for the tree and the tree just dispose of it by allowing them to drop when there is an external force.
Without food, leaves and branches die and are detached from the main body of the tree. Likewise, when we fail to feed ourselves with the Word of God, the relationship we have with God does not get knitted closer. Instead, we tend to sway away, depending on ourselves.
When we remain in God, that is to have the same passion as God, the same heartbeat for Him, our requests will be for His kingdom. Our desires will be aligned to God’s and all of what we wish for will be granted and fulfilled by Him who promised. This will lead to fruits of spiritual descent, and will last.
In Matthew, we are asked to deny ourselves and take up the cross. Denying oneself is probably the toughest thing to do. It means to forgo the things our carnal nature would want to do, by doing the exact opposite things. It is not so much about the doing too without focussing on the heart attitudes. It is simple to follow someone else; however, it is not easy to imitate someone who has never complained, bore our shame and guilt so willingly, and forgo His majesty and splendour up in heaven. It is to this extent that makes it such a tall order to follow. Yet, if we choose to do things our way, if we refuse to allow God to move and correct us, we will lose our souls to another. Could ‘another’ be something very sinful such as murder? It could well be in the form of studies, where we neglect everything else for our studies. Then, this is idolatry which is a sin too. There is no difference in the degrees of sin. A sin is still a sin.
Shawn:
From these two passages, I reflect upon whether I am a follower of God, Himself, or just a follower of fellow Christians. Do I really see the value of God in me, or do I value more how others see about me.
It is important to carry the cross, and the burdens of God when we are actually doing things for the Kingdom of God. In that case, we will share the same burdens, and will show the same concern that God will show. There must a motive and objective to be met, but these motives and objectives must include God in it.
Any motives that excludes God is as good as what Matthew 16:26 says, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? " What good are the achievements achieved, if God is not in the picture?
Si Yuan:
Very often when we talk about taking up the cross, we see it as an obligation. The fact however is that Jesus don’t need us to help Him carry the cross - He’s not that weak! We need to have a paradigm shift:
To grow and actualise my potential in Christ, the cross is a must and my need !
Apart from the cross - the daily life of surrender - I can do nothing! Unless I surrender everything to God, He cannot make me to be everything He wants me to be. Carrying the cross of surrender is our free will and we do it knowing that God’s future blessings outweighs our current surrender!
Personally, I’m working on the area of daily surrender to God in terms of my prayers and gleaning from and obeying the Word of God. I still have a long way to go. That is all.
Labels: Our Reflections
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 11:11 PM
Posted on
VERSES:
Deuteronomy 4:32-40 (New International Version)
The Lord Is God
32 Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created man on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? 33 Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? 34 Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
35 You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other. 36 From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. 37 Because he loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, 38 to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today.
39 Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. 40 Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.
1 Chronicles 17:16-27 (New International Version)
David's Prayer
16 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said:
"Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 17 And as if this were not enough in your sight, O God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men, O LORD God.
18 "What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant, 19 O LORD. For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.
20 "There is no one like you, O LORD, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 21 And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? 22 You made your people Israel your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God.
23 "And now, LORD, let the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised, 24 so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, 'The LORD Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel's God!' And the house of your servant David will be established before you.
25 "You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you. 26 O LORD, you are God! You have promised these good things to your servant. 27 Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O LORD, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever."
Ben Tay:
Both passages record the greatness of God, His deliverance, His faithfulness, His mercies. When both Moses and David were facing testing times, they cried out to God. God heard their cries and came to their rescue. It is not that God was taking a break and not know what is happening around them. God was there all along. He just wanted to help both David and Moses rely on Him and be magnified through the tough moments.
Through those tough moments, they relied on God for everything. Miracles happened which they remembered and held them firmly in their hearts. They kept His promises deep within them, using the past encounters with God as an encouragement and hope. They turned their sorrows into joy by dwelling in His presence, reminding themselves of the sovereignty and the lordship of God Himself. It is only through challenging times that most of us turn to God. I know that God is God, but do I really believe it? This is when God shouts out His sovereignty when I am proud and self-righteous.
The entirety of my reflections can be found in Deut 4:35. Always, God has been belittled as I want to take control of my life. God is then neglected till the point where I find no through paths. It is only then that I seek God and recall of the past experiences, His promises and the visions He has given me.
I have to treasure all the little things in life that is happening at the moment. Make sense of them in God’s point of view and see how these things are going to fit in well in the many bits of a mega jigsaw puzzle.
Li Ping:
Was reminded of this:'You must be greater in me O Lord.Let all the rest fade away~~'
David was not simply saying that his house might be established, but that God’s name might be magnified forever. It is indeed challenging to lose sight of our personal interests in our keen desire for His glory. In times of hardships,inadequacies or even blessings when we declare'"Christ you are my all and in all" the magnitude of this sentence involves total surrendering.I pray that the attitude of my soul be more toward the glory of God; and as I quote promise after promise for the enthroning of Christ, the saving of men, and the sanctification of my soul, dare in humble faith to say, Do as Thou hast said, that thy Name may be magnified forever.....
Shawn Yeo:
Main reflection points: Are we strong enough to settle all our issues? Do we lean too much on our own capabilities? Do we only look to God when we experience triumph in our life? Are we serving God, or is God serving us?
We should not lean too much upon our own judgements and capabilities to solve our problems. We should follow His commandments. Whatever we have is given by God. We should acknowledge every now and then to remind ourselves that God is our Sovereign leader.
Alex:
Deut4:40 sounds like Pro3:6 "In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."
In my Good News Version, 1 Chronicles 17:18 says this:
"What more can I say to You! You know me well, and yet You honor me, Your servant."
God, I am still here because of Your Grace. If You had not rescued me many times, I would have disappeared - physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually (or any combination). Lead me to grow in gratefulness - I want to worship You more than I ever did before! Lead me O Lord as I commit my heart into Your hands. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.
Cai Xuan:
As I was reading the verse, the song "There is None Like You" came into my mind...there is none like You, nobody knows us deep down inside except our mighty God. Even if we search forever, God will never change. At times, we tend to take God for granted in good situations and forget to give thanks to Him. I am more convicted that whatever God has promised, He will surely fulfill. It may be not at the time that we wanted, but He has the best plan for us. Let us really spend time to think about God's goodness and tell Him in your prayers
:-D Trust in the Lord always.
Junyao:
What really caught my attention was in 1 Chr 17: 25b which said "So your servant has found courage to pray to you." cos it strikes me that many times we can take prayer for granted that we don't know that they are pple who don't even has the courage to pray! and God wants to give us courage to be in His presence cos He longs for us to be in His presence. I just wanna pray that when times that i lost the will or focus to pray, God will give me the courage to pray! prayer is a powerful spiritual weapon that we tend to forget but rather we choose to focus on our limitations.
P.U.S.H - Pray Until Something Happens
p.s. u want something to happen in ur life? PRAY!!!
hello unit!
Deuteronomy 4:32-40 (New International Version)
The Lord Is God
32 Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created man on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? 33 Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? 34 Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
35 You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other. 36 From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. 37 Because he loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, 38 to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today.
39 Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. 40 Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.
1 Chronicles 17:16-27 (New International Version)
David's Prayer
16 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said:
"Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 17 And as if this were not enough in your sight, O God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men, O LORD God.
18 "What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant, 19 O LORD. For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.
20 "There is no one like you, O LORD, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 21 And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? 22 You made your people Israel your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God.
23 "And now, LORD, let the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised, 24 so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, 'The LORD Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel's God!' And the house of your servant David will be established before you.
25 "You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you. 26 O LORD, you are God! You have promised these good things to your servant. 27 Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O LORD, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever."
Ben Tay:
Both passages record the greatness of God, His deliverance, His faithfulness, His mercies. When both Moses and David were facing testing times, they cried out to God. God heard their cries and came to their rescue. It is not that God was taking a break and not know what is happening around them. God was there all along. He just wanted to help both David and Moses rely on Him and be magnified through the tough moments.
Through those tough moments, they relied on God for everything. Miracles happened which they remembered and held them firmly in their hearts. They kept His promises deep within them, using the past encounters with God as an encouragement and hope. They turned their sorrows into joy by dwelling in His presence, reminding themselves of the sovereignty and the lordship of God Himself. It is only through challenging times that most of us turn to God. I know that God is God, but do I really believe it? This is when God shouts out His sovereignty when I am proud and self-righteous.
The entirety of my reflections can be found in Deut 4:35. Always, God has been belittled as I want to take control of my life. God is then neglected till the point where I find no through paths. It is only then that I seek God and recall of the past experiences, His promises and the visions He has given me.
I have to treasure all the little things in life that is happening at the moment. Make sense of them in God’s point of view and see how these things are going to fit in well in the many bits of a mega jigsaw puzzle.
Li Ping:
Was reminded of this:'You must be greater in me O Lord.Let all the rest fade away~~'
David was not simply saying that his house might be established, but that God’s name might be magnified forever. It is indeed challenging to lose sight of our personal interests in our keen desire for His glory. In times of hardships,inadequacies or even blessings when we declare'"Christ you are my all and in all" the magnitude of this sentence involves total surrendering.I pray that the attitude of my soul be more toward the glory of God; and as I quote promise after promise for the enthroning of Christ, the saving of men, and the sanctification of my soul, dare in humble faith to say, Do as Thou hast said, that thy Name may be magnified forever.....
Shawn Yeo:
Main reflection points: Are we strong enough to settle all our issues? Do we lean too much on our own capabilities? Do we only look to God when we experience triumph in our life? Are we serving God, or is God serving us?
We should not lean too much upon our own judgements and capabilities to solve our problems. We should follow His commandments. Whatever we have is given by God. We should acknowledge every now and then to remind ourselves that God is our Sovereign leader.
Alex:
Deut4:40 sounds like Pro3:6 "In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."
In my Good News Version, 1 Chronicles 17:18 says this:
"What more can I say to You! You know me well, and yet You honor me, Your servant."
God, I am still here because of Your Grace. If You had not rescued me many times, I would have disappeared - physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually (or any combination). Lead me to grow in gratefulness - I want to worship You more than I ever did before! Lead me O Lord as I commit my heart into Your hands. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.
Cai Xuan:
As I was reading the verse, the song "There is None Like You" came into my mind...there is none like You, nobody knows us deep down inside except our mighty God. Even if we search forever, God will never change. At times, we tend to take God for granted in good situations and forget to give thanks to Him. I am more convicted that whatever God has promised, He will surely fulfill. It may be not at the time that we wanted, but He has the best plan for us. Let us really spend time to think about God's goodness and tell Him in your prayers
:-D Trust in the Lord always.
Junyao:
What really caught my attention was in 1 Chr 17: 25b which said "So your servant has found courage to pray to you." cos it strikes me that many times we can take prayer for granted that we don't know that they are pple who don't even has the courage to pray! and God wants to give us courage to be in His presence cos He longs for us to be in His presence. I just wanna pray that when times that i lost the will or focus to pray, God will give me the courage to pray! prayer is a powerful spiritual weapon that we tend to forget but rather we choose to focus on our limitations.
P.U.S.H - Pray Until Something Happens
p.s. u want something to happen in ur life? PRAY!!!
Labels: Our Reflections
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 1:19 AM
Posted on Tuesday, August 4, 2009
hey everyone!
Today, i felt sick. haha, its actually very minor but its great discomfort. The fever, headache and backache all at one go is killing me.
Here's sharing some thoughts!
Its about my project mates. Actually, its really hard being a good salt and light! In school, its hard to keep up during project seasons. I remembered few semester back, i was so stressed about my schoolwork and church that i cried in class. Looking back now, it reminds me of how much a bad testimony I have been.
Today, the same friend that witness me cry when i can't cope with stress, actually said she has absolute faith in me completing what i need to and what i was assigned. It's not her compliment that amazes me, but its the kind of character in me that she has trusted, through the semesters she has been working with me.
Sometimes, we hesitate to give to God, because we are afraid what our friends may think of us, what our parents may thnk of us, what the world may think of us, but actually the only thing that matters is how God thinks of us.
After screwing up few semesters back, i told God i really didn't mean to represent Him in a bad manner. In fact, God wasn't the one who stressed me then. It's my own inability to priortise and cope. I have seen how far that lesson had brought me. Now, there are still stress in life but i snap less easily and what I am amazed is how God has built a character in me that my friends around can trust.
Greatly reminds me of this verse-
1 Peter 2:12 (MSG)
Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.
Are you stress today, feeling like a bad testimony today? Hope this testimony refreshes you!
Jes
Li Yin's reflections
Today, i felt sick. haha, its actually very minor but its great discomfort. The fever, headache and backache all at one go is killing me.
Here's sharing some thoughts!
Its about my project mates. Actually, its really hard being a good salt and light! In school, its hard to keep up during project seasons. I remembered few semester back, i was so stressed about my schoolwork and church that i cried in class. Looking back now, it reminds me of how much a bad testimony I have been.
Today, the same friend that witness me cry when i can't cope with stress, actually said she has absolute faith in me completing what i need to and what i was assigned. It's not her compliment that amazes me, but its the kind of character in me that she has trusted, through the semesters she has been working with me.
Sometimes, we hesitate to give to God, because we are afraid what our friends may think of us, what our parents may thnk of us, what the world may think of us, but actually the only thing that matters is how God thinks of us.
After screwing up few semesters back, i told God i really didn't mean to represent Him in a bad manner. In fact, God wasn't the one who stressed me then. It's my own inability to priortise and cope. I have seen how far that lesson had brought me. Now, there are still stress in life but i snap less easily and what I am amazed is how God has built a character in me that my friends around can trust.
Greatly reminds me of this verse-
1 Peter 2:12 (MSG)
Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.
Are you stress today, feeling like a bad testimony today? Hope this testimony refreshes you!
Jes
Labels: Testimonials
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 10:55 PM
Posted on
Just some thoughts when i was looking at these verses..hehe.
Matthew 9:27-30
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; and their sight was restored.
Are there any sins in our life that we're unable to overcome, any problems that we foresee or are even facing right now? Be it studies, work, family, temptations, contacts not responding, starting school soon...the list goes on. And we may wonder, how are we gonna cope? It seems so tough, everything seems to be coming our way. But Jesus didn't ask the people to have outstanding strength or self-confidence, he didn't even ask them to have an extraordinary amount of faith. Just this: "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" God can and God will make a way; He will help us overcome. Not by works, not by our own strength, effort, abilities etc., but by God. After all, He's the One who moves the mountains. Not the size of our faith or abilities, but the size of our God, and all glory goes to Him. :)
2 Chronicles 20:12
...We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.
We can't, but God can. We aren't, but God is. Jiayou! :)
-Li Yin
Reflections on John 4:7-15
Matthew 9:27-30
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; and their sight was restored.
Are there any sins in our life that we're unable to overcome, any problems that we foresee or are even facing right now? Be it studies, work, family, temptations, contacts not responding, starting school soon...the list goes on. And we may wonder, how are we gonna cope? It seems so tough, everything seems to be coming our way. But Jesus didn't ask the people to have outstanding strength or self-confidence, he didn't even ask them to have an extraordinary amount of faith. Just this: "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" God can and God will make a way; He will help us overcome. Not by works, not by our own strength, effort, abilities etc., but by God. After all, He's the One who moves the mountains. Not the size of our faith or abilities, but the size of our God, and all glory goes to Him. :)
2 Chronicles 20:12
...We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.
We can't, but God can. We aren't, but God is. Jiayou! :)
-Li Yin
Labels: Our Reflections
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 10:40 PM
Posted on Saturday, August 1, 2009
On the passage of 'Jesus Talks With A Samaritan Woman'
I see from this passage that one ought to take initiative in starting a conversation
I see from this passage that one ought to take initiative in starting a conversation. Yes, though Jesus was tired at that point of time, it seemed to be legitimate for Him to ask her for some water. However, looking at the context here, Jews and Samaritans aren’t supposed to have any relations nor contact. Despite this, Jesus still started a conversation with her. There on, He seized all opportunities to bridge into a spiritual conversation.
Another thing that I have taken note is that as humans, we often focus on what we have and what we don’t. In short, we tend to look to our own strengths. This can be seen clearly in v11 and 12. So many a times, we look at our limitations and tell God that we are unable to make an entry or improvement in the areas/scope of our lives. We are at our wits end. We cannot seem to comprehend what is going on. And when God speaks, then we realize that we have to let go and let God. This is where we are brought to our knees in complete surrender, where we thirst and desire so much of God.
Water is used here to convey the message that everything that God wants to give us and do in our lives start from the inside out. Water is consumed. It flows into our blood vessels. It keeps us hydrated and it is a source of energy. Humans cannot last for more than a few days without water. This shows that we cannot last long without God and there is always a continuous thirst for something that truly satisfies and lasts. So what is that something? Christ is the living water which transforms lives from the inside out. Once one accepts Christ into his or her life, the inner being of that person is slowly being changed and the thirst for the things of the world die down gradually as this living water flows through his/her entire body.
bentay
Labels: Our Reflections
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 10:37 AM
Posted on
Hello my dearest unit!!...Yes,we are embarking on this prayer and fasting journey in preparation for the upcoming ESSs and the harvest.Let's be faithful with the seeds that we've sown during this period of time though some might fall along the path, others on rocky places and still others on good soil, remember to leave the seeds in our Father's care because unless the lord builds the house,the buiders built in vain.Do this with God!Amen?!
Friday 31 july
Today's meditation passage:John 4:7-15 (Jesus talks with a samaritan woman)
Reflection point:Who's providing the living water of our souls and lives?
Personal Reflections:
Jesus is the provider of this spring of water within us.He provides,so that we'll not be thirsty again.But there are many others out there who are still drinking from the well that will deplete and they will feel thirsty yet again.We, as believers should be the spring between these thirsty souls and the ever-flowing well of God
- Shawn-
The woman at the well had her sins "washed away" by Jesus. Jesus offers divine mercy in the living water of grace, which washes away sins and cleanses souls. The woman went to the well to get a jug of water .Instead, she got much more, including a cleansed and refreshed spiritual life.
This reminds me whether I've been going to the well to be refreshed by God?As the deer pants for water all the more my soul should pants after thee,the living water of my soul and life. No doubt it can be a period where we plunge straight into sowing but am I first being renewed in order to renew others? Since I've the opportunity to seek him where my sins are forgiven and the chance to make biblical confessions, I want to cherish this spiritual refreshment and recharge.Definitely would like to experience a renewed spirit as I pray and fast for the coming harvest.
- Ping-
Please continue to add on to this chain of reflections and continue to keep one another and our sowees in constant prayer.
Serving with you,
Ping
Friday 31 july
Today's meditation passage:John 4:7-15 (Jesus talks with a samaritan woman)
Reflection point:Who's providing the living water of our souls and lives?
Personal Reflections:
Jesus is the provider of this spring of water within us.He provides,so that we'll not be thirsty again.But there are many others out there who are still drinking from the well that will deplete and they will feel thirsty yet again.We, as believers should be the spring between these thirsty souls and the ever-flowing well of God
- Shawn-
The woman at the well had her sins "washed away" by Jesus. Jesus offers divine mercy in the living water of grace, which washes away sins and cleanses souls. The woman went to the well to get a jug of water .Instead, she got much more, including a cleansed and refreshed spiritual life.
This reminds me whether I've been going to the well to be refreshed by God?As the deer pants for water all the more my soul should pants after thee,the living water of my soul and life. No doubt it can be a period where we plunge straight into sowing but am I first being renewed in order to renew others? Since I've the opportunity to seek him where my sins are forgiven and the chance to make biblical confessions, I want to cherish this spiritual refreshment and recharge.Definitely would like to experience a renewed spirit as I pray and fast for the coming harvest.
- Ping-
Please continue to add on to this chain of reflections and continue to keep one another and our sowees in constant prayer.
Serving with you,
Ping
Labels: Our Reflections
WOOHOO! I LOVE JESUS! 1:32 AM
