Here are the new friends who joined us for service for the past Sunday (28/01)..Although this post comes a little late, but it serves as a good reminder for us to make continous effort to reach out to people in our life (It's never too late!) and be a true AMBASSADORFORCHRIST!!!
"I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light" —Acts 26:17-18
Dezhang (from BPGC)
Qiufeng and Dezhang!!
This is Olivia who is currently studying in Ngee Ann Polytechnic (Flim and Media Studies - Year 3) I think she is a lovely lady, after chatting with her.. Next time you see her around, give her a BIG HIGH 5 and welcome her to join us more often!!
Testimony by Rachel Lam... "God is still working in my life and that I should continue to trust and have faith in Him"
Just this Monday, I got a call from the police saying that they're recovered my lost hp. It was really unexpected and unbelievable since it had been gone since last October and I had given up hope of getting it back again. Some of you might know; I left my hp behind at a Cineplex, someone got hold and switched it off; end of story. Anyway, fast-forward to Monday, I was still in a stupor of digesting the good news then when my non-believer friend commented, "Woah, you are so lucky…second time already. Must be your God help you again. "
Her mention of God was so alarming that straightaway, it occurred to me that throughout this whole matter, my trust in God was barely half-hearted and merely less than mediocre to the point that I never really prayed for His help. To be honest, my biggest fault's that I look up to sell-sufficiency a lot and have a strong inclination to stray towards that direction. Because of this, many times I've overlooked God of His position and power, whether in good times or bad times. (I'm sure most of us are familiar with this.)
All the more, this was the second time I had managed to retrieve something that I've misplaced outside. The other incident wad last year when my wallet was found by a kind stranger who left his phone number and requested that I return his call as he had something important to tell me. The surprising thing was he was a Christian and he told me that this was a miracle by God's Grace as he was really old and rarely took the bus. He said God had planned for him to board the same bus that very day and spot the wallet the very moment he sat down. When he asked if I had prayed hard for this, I could only respond with an embarrassed laugh because I haven't exactly done that amidst all the panic and distress.
I believe God was trying to speak to me through him that day, telling me that God is still working in my life and that I should continue to trust and have faith in Him. However, I failed to reflect on that and really give thanks only until the occurrence of another similar event. Last Saturday, our cell group was discussing about how we all tend to take God for granted and want to know Him only on a conditional or seasonal basis. I do not want to have a weather-relationship and only seek him out of desperation but isn't the ignorant behavior I've shown far worse? Instead of making God first on my urgent help list, I had placed him last. I've been so indifferent to His grace and blessings that I needed other people to remind me that God was the reason behind these miraculous events.
However, despite my disappointing behaviour, God has been really good to me. I really thank God for His mercy and still continuing to be faithful with His protection and blessings. This event has been a wake-up-call for me to put God back 1st in my life; where He originally belongs. <3>
After reading Timo's posting, I felt strongly convicted. In fact, this is how I have been feeling for the entire of last week and I was planning to share about this when it's my turn to blog. Just where is God in my life? I sing 'I want to know You' and say 'Amen' to every prayer that reads 'I desire you to be the sole focus in my life', but am I doing that? After what happened last week, I have no doubt (though regrettably) Jesus has never been the center of my life. Yes, this is even after God has shown me many wonderful things that he can for to me.
As I reflected upon how I ill-treated my relationship with God last week, I wonder what kind of a fool I really am. I've seen, I've felt and even tasted how good our God is, yet time and again I turn away from Him to feed on, rely on and dwell in things that can never ever fulfill the void that is in me. Indeed, I felt extremely empty the whole of last week because I haven't been praying to Him faithfully from Mon to Wed. The more work I did, the further away I slipped, the lesser I prayed, the poorer I became spiritually. My grades may shine and praises from men will flood in, but how true are their praises? How long does their flattery last? Do I desire the regard of men so much? What worth are my grades if I need to sacrifice my time with God to achieve them. Just where is God in the midst of all this studying and working?
Finally, it dawned upon me just this morning. God has been blessing me, too much in fact. I asked for a focused mind whenever I study and He gave that to me. I asked for understanding whenever I ran into tough topics and He gave that to me. I even asked for extended datelines, the functioning of my computer (it's frequently down) and good tutors and He gave them all to me. But I've rarely thanked Him for what He has done for me. Worse still, I've occupied myself entirely with what He has blessed me with and conveniently chucked Him aside after He's given me all that I've asked for in prayer.
Do I believe in God only because He answers prayers? Do I construct my faith upon the concrete things I received from Him? Do I desire Him more or do I prefer to seek the promises He holds.
Yes, even as we live on this earth, we'll continue to ask our loving Father who will grant us with many things that will make our lives easier. And we know by faith, if what we ask for is right and is according to His will, surely, He will bless us with it. But perhaps it's more important to seek the Promiser before the promises. Our relationship with Him is the one thing that He desires the most. Let us not forget that we were created in the likeness of His image to have fellowship with Him. For the earthly things that we receive from Him will still pass away eventually, but He, our Lord Almighty God, will remain from everlasting to everlasting. Even as our loving Father continues to provide us with things that we need for survival and functioning on this mortal world, let us not be indulgent in these things. After all, without Him, we'll never receive of these things. Hence, isn't it more important to truly seek Him first without the regard of any promises that might be prepared for us?
I thank God for showing me where I've gone horribly wrong in my walk with Him. And I hope I won't be a fool again to revert back to my old ways by fixing my eyes on the promises. For now I know, the Promiser is greater than anything that He has provided me with on this earth.
This week has been a busy week for me. As most of you should know, I am currently serving the nation which, in itself, takes up most of my time during the day. On top of that,I give tuition as well. My schedule this week reads like any other week. Tuition on Mondays and Thursdays, prayer meetings on Wednesdays, guard duty etc. The list of activities are endless. Oh wait, something is amiss. God.
These questions have been resonating within me with alarming regularity. Where is God amidst our work, studies, recreation etc? Have we set our priorities right? We often sing " Jesus be the centre " but is He the centre of our lives, or just the centre of our weekends spent in church? After much reflection, I realised how big a sanctified liar I am when i sing a number of praise and worship songs.
I say that God is my first priority but look at my schedule and that is very far from the truth. Indeed actions speak volumes louder than words. I have cluttered myself with too many activities that mean little and left out the one thing that matters most --- leading a God-centred life. I believe I am not alone in this struggle.
As I look to the new week ahead, I thank God for the busy week that has just passed because He has shown me this weakness amidst my business. By God's grace, I hope to let God take the panteon of my life, that amidst all the hype and buzz, I will be able to take a step back and look to Him.
i just started reading this book... "If You Want To Walk On Water You've Got To Get Out Of The Boat" by John Ortberg. i'll share with you one part of the 1st chapter...
25During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. 27But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 28"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 29"Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" 32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.
Water Walkers See Failure As An Opportunity To Grow
As soon as Peter asks for help Jesus is there. He helps Peter physically by pulling him from the water. But he also helps Peter grow by pinpointing the problem: "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"
I don't think Jesus is being harsh or critical here. In fact, one detail I love about this story is that Jesus makes this comment to Peter when they are alone on the water. The text says it is only after this comment that they got into the boat. It may be that Jesus - like any good mentor - did not want to embarrass Peter in front of the other disciples. So in the privacy and safety of his strong right hand, he gently helps Peter locate the source of his problem.
The problem was quite clear: Whether Peter sank on water-walked depended on whether he focused on the storm or on Jesus. But now he understood his dependance on faith much more deeply than he would have if he had never left the boat. It was his willingness to risk failure that helped him to grow.
Even more than we hate to fail, we hate for other people to see us fail. If I had been Peter, I would have been tempted to try to cover up what happened when I got back into the boat with the other disciples: Yes - water-walking was great for a while. But then I got hot and thought how good it would feel to go down for a quick swim...
Because Peter puts himself in a position to fail, he also puts himself in a position to grow. Failure is an indispensable, irreplaceable part of learning and growth. Here is the principle involved: FAILURE DOES NOT SHAPE YOU; THE WAY YOU RESPOND TO FAILURE SHAPES YOU.
Sir Edmund Hillary made several unsuccessful attempts at scaling Mount Everest before he finally succeeded. After one attempt he stood at the base of the giant mountain and shook his fist at it. "I'll defeat you yet," he said in defiance. "Because you're as big as you're going to get - but I'm still growing."
Every time Hillary climbed, he failed. And every time he failed, he learned. And every time he learned, he grew and tried again. And one day he didn't fail.
in our lives we will meet all kinds of situations, and failures... but.. how are you going to respond to that failurE?!
At the end of my Quiet Time sessions, I usually ask God if He has any word or message for me or for anyone I know. Recently, I did the same and He said to me: Love. 29 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:29-31
As I reflected on God's word, a message surfaced in my mind: I wasn't showing much love to my neighbour (the people around me). It was a revelation. Up until then, I had thought that my Christian life was quite healthy.
Well, I was wrong. 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Can I speak in tongues? Yes. Have I received words and visions from God? Yes. Do I have faith in God? Yes.
But do I have love? No.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
It pains me to confess that I exhibit more of the negatives - what love is not - than the positives - what love is. Despite what God has accomplished through my life, I am still severely lacking in love.
God's word showed me the truth: my Christian life is not healthy. Without love, I am an unhealthy Christian. Without love, I cannot claim to know God intimately. Dear friends, please forgive me: I have not loved you enough. I pray that God will change me and fill my heart with His love, so that I may love as He does.
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7-8
By Carolyn... As some of you may know, my grandfather passed away on 29th Dec 2006. He was a Buddhist.
During the funeral, there were many disputes among the relatives because of religion, and hence, to avoid more quarrels, my mother, uncle and aunt (who are Christians), had to conform to the Buddhist religious rituals to send the spirit off.
Luckily, for my two brothers and me, we had the option of not doing the rituals as we are “outside” grandchildren, meaning that we are related to him through our mother, and not our father.
The last night of the wake, the rituals started. Luckily that night, I was in charge of collecting the money given by those who visited, so I had an excuse not to do the rituals. My two brothers were asked to do, but they went, “Aiya, lazy lah…”, so my relatives let them off, as they are young kids.
The next day we sent our grandfather off to be cremated. Before we left, there was one last ritual. This time round, I had no excuse. But I didn’t want to join in the rituals. My cousin told me to, but I told him that I refused to do so as it was wrong of a Christian. And he scolded me, saying that he knew he should never have let my mother turn us to Christians.
That one sentence of his really hurt me, although I didn’t show it. At that time, I started to think if I was wrong, if my stand was wrong. I disobeyed my cousin whom I’ve looked up to and respected since I was young. He was always looking after me and looking out for me. As I always tell my friends, my cousin is the most important man in my life (besides Jesus of course!).
Thus, I was very troubled throughout the whole day.
This incident has always been weighing on my mind, and the burden finally lifted when I told Si’er about it, as I needed some confirmation of whether my stand in refusing to do the rituals was right or wrong.
You can’t imagine the joy and relief I felt when he told me that I made the right choice. As he said, sometimes, we have to disobey our parents to do the right things.
I never had my faith tested in such a manner, and I used to wonder if I would be able to stand up for Jesus. But this incident helped me to grow stronger in my faith in Christ, instead of drawing me away from Christianity.
Just like to share with you guys an old song by Chris Tomlin 'Enough' A thought to ponder, what are we really thirsting for in our lives?
Isaiah 55:1 [ Invitation to the Thirsty ] "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."
All of You is more than enough for all of me For every thirst and every need You satisfy me with Your love And all I have in You is more than enough
You are my supply My breath of life And still more awesome than I know You are my reward Worth living for And still more awesome than I know
All of You is more than enough for all of me For every thirst and every need You satisfy me with Your love And all I have in You is more than enough
You're my sacrifice Of greatest price And still more awesome than I know You're the coming King You are everything And still more awesome than I know
More than all I want More than all I need You are more than enough for me More than all I know More than all I can say You are more than enough for me
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1
How is it possible for us to see the invisible?
Because of faith, and I believe faith is one of the most important parts of our walk with God, and in our service to Him. When Jinhang read this verse to us last Saturday, a lightbulb went on in my head because I've been encountering so many passages on faith lately in my QT, and I'll be sharing two that have really impacted me.
The first is from Matthew 17:20.
"So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move it from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."
Just some background on this verse - A man brought his epileptic son to the disciples for a cure, but they were unsuccessful in casting out the demon that was within him. This puzzled them, and they asked Jesus if he could explain why. He gave them his reply - "because of your unbelief."
In other words, they were unsuccessful because they lacked faith.
To me, this really spoke about how we must have faith in order to accomplish the work that God has prepared for us. Believing in His strength and power, and His ability to work through us can enable us to move mountains. Isn't that exciting?
We can overcome the problems that we may face in school or at work, pluck up the courage to bring our friends to church... nothing in the world, be it a big or small issue, is impossible for us because we are empowered by God.
The second is from James 1:2-4.
"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
Trials can certainly cause our faith to waver - a least from personal experience, where I've probably asked/told God more than once, "Why is this happening to me?" "I don't understand. It's not fair." "Why are you letting this happen?"
But this passage showed me how trials may be used by God to refine our faith, and to make us more like His Son. Instead of blaming God and losing faith in Him, why not look at each trial as an opportunity to learn and to strengthen our faith in God as we seek Him for strength?
Yup hope these two passages have encouraged you all just like they've encourage me. Remember, in God all things, in all circumstances, are possible! =)
Adrian here. This post is a little late but better than never. :) P.S. Sorry it's so long.
May every one of you who care about a spirit of real, encompassing love and warmth in our precious fellowship be encouraged and strengthened by these words. I put this hope of mine in God's hands as I ask God to write this through me to all of you.
This will be about Philippians 2:2-8.
Philippians 2:2, NASB. "Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose". I gave some of the Matchstix bookmarks i made with that very verse on it for Christmas. I went for a Bible seminar last night, covering Philippians 2.
"Mind" in the above verse doesn't refer to the brain, or solely intellectual thoughts. The word used refers to character, attitudes, values; everything internal to us that makes us a "good" or a "bad" person. In fact, "mind" and "purpose" in the above verse use the same Greek word: phroneo.
"Being of the same mind"; the mind of Christ. What's a good summary for the mind of Christ? Let's put it this way. The mind of Christ = The heart of a servant. Why is that?
Verse 6-11 of Phil chapter 2 is about what Jesus abandoned for us. He emptied Himself, says verse 7. Of what?
It's not his glory. John starts his gospel by speaking of how God's glory shone through Jesus; Hebrews says Jesus was the "radiance of His (the Father's) glory".
It's not his deity, his godhood. Without that the crucifixion would have no power to save the dead; it would have been the death of just another man.
What He gave up was his rights. His spirit of "My agenda, my way, my plans, my honor first."
Verse 7 says He took on "the form of a bond-servant". A bond-servant is a slave; not someone who can leave at any time, but someone who chooses to place himself under unbreakable obligation to serve. The word "form" here doesn't mean the 'external shape', which is "schema" in Greek. It is written in the original as "morphae"; a word meaning essence.
Jesus forfeited and abandoned his right to honor, his right to be the leader; right to his own pleasure, comfort, ease or peace; he in his ESSENCE became a servant.
When He washed the disciples feet; it's not like us now, with "relatively" clean feet, hidden from the world in socks and shoes. The men of Jerusalem walked in open streets with open flowing sewage and filth on the roads in sandals; they ate their meals in a reclined position next to the table, so the feet had to be cleaned of filth. This was the job of the lowest servant in the household.
No disciple could do it. It was unthinkable.
Jesus did it.
No bitterness, no spirit of wanting to shame his disciples. It was simply what He was. And Jesus was what he was, with the pure essence of servanthood, because gave up His rights. He made that choice.
He followed that choice, with the very essence of servanthood in Him, when He died on a wooden cross, nailed and suspended to it by his wrists, naked and dirty and encrusted with blood, with His own people screaming for his death; with his dear disciples hiding away; no one to turn to, and no one to care.
Most theologians say that the crucifixtion of Jesus had one very special, particular, specific, very real aspect to the situation.
Something no Christian ever experiences. Ever.
I believe it's the thing that makes it the really horrific thing that it was.
It's this:
The Father turned His back on Jesus as well.
Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani. Jesus own words: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
On Earth Jesus was a man who was God who knew clearly what his own state was, at all times. God forsaking Jesus - He would not have said that, unless He felt God's presence gone. No reassurance and no strength. No power, no Spirit, no more peace.
No love of the Father.
That is real loneliness.
Our lives are based on what the Word tells us. God is always with us, that He will never forsake us. We get through life following this when everything else betrays our needs. Men and women, missionaries, servants and slaves to God have lived in pain, in suffering, in fear, in agony, in perscution and by sword and flame and alone and afraid, and died, clinging to that promise when there is nothing else, finding peace and joy in it when it should have been impossible and ridiculous; earning their rewards in Heaven.
"Nothing seperates us from the love of God", we tell ourselves, we remind ourselves that the Bible says. "Neither depth nor height nor heaven nor hell", Paul says. When trouble comes, when pain comes, when our children die and our parents are taken away from us, when our lives crumble and our name is a curse on the lips of men, we cling to the Father.
Not for Jesus. Jesus died alone. Not like a child of God, but like something lower than a sinner.
How can that be? Yet that was the plan; Jesus died alone so that we could have the Father.
It was the plan.
For the first time, Jesus had no one. He came to earth to serve, to follow the Father, and he died alone and in shame and in darkness. And that was the plan.
Nobody was there for Jesus when He died. Enough pain to force from Jesus' lips that cry of abandonment, of a child thrown away by his father. It was the plan.
It was so that He need not ever do it to us, poor pitiful mortals made of dust, who don't deserve anything at all.
Because God loves us, that was the plan.
Nothing else could save us.
No other plan.
Jesus lived and died with no agenda, no rights to his own comfort, or peace. No right to the love of God to sustain him! We can't even imagine! Yet Jesus followed all the way to the end; and in the end He was brought to the right hand of the Father, glorified for what He did.
He bowed his head, and washed our feet, and died alone and with his name a curse, because he loved us.
That is the mind of Christ.
Phil 2:3 is about what would destroy that unity.
Selfishness. Empty conceit.
My needs are most important, and my honor is most important.
Let us as the redeemed children of God, covered in Christ's blood, face this bravely: We all have agendas; egos; "my way or the highway".
Ourselves first. Our comfort first. Our "fair share" first. Let's be realistic: even the pagans know what a "fair share" is. Did Jesus have his "fair share" ? Who do we follow?
Paul wrote "he was the greatest of sinners" when he wrote his last epistles; it used to be "least of apostles", and then "least of disciples" in earlier epistles.
I'm not much either. What kind of thoughts do I think?
"I can teach better than Si'er." "I can plan a play better than that." "You all are not serious about this." "I know more than all of you." "You all don't know what you're doing." "I know what I'm talking about! I'm the one here who has the understanding. It's a waste of time to listen to all of you."
My agendas, my plans, my way of doing things, my way or the highway; my bitterness when my fair share is not given me, my not talking to people who look depressed in favor of "fun" people, my blaming others for what goes wrong in life.
My pretending to act blur when i play my computer games and my mom is doing household chores, at 2 am in the morning. When I scream at and criticise my mom, not even in ignorance but in the knowledge of how much that will hurt her. Turning off my msn when I see my friend and they have a sad nick, because i have "other things I need to do." Right. I need to read my online comics and relax. More important.
Greatest of sinners, that's my name. That's not Paul's title, that's mine. It's only right for all to look down on me.
But God doesn't.
He tells us, I give you My power. My only Son died so this power will come into your life.
It will change us.
Change us until what? Until how good?
Until we're "quite nice"? Until we're "decent people?" Until we're "read my Bible, go to church, go for Youth, shake hands when the worship leader says so, serve in a ministry" people?
Can already right? After all, Jesus died for us only what.
No big deal.
So. Change us. Until?
Until the people around us don't understand any more. Until they don't understand why we don't argue and backstab them back, when they betray us and "eat" us in horrible ways.
Until our fellow students think we're idiots because we refuse to make fun of our strict and demanding teachers behind their backs.
Until we take over duty in church or army or ECA or school project for someone else who keeps avoiding their work, and then pray that God will come and help them with their problems - because we finally realised they're not happy like that. Not happy at all; dying without knowing it.
God will change us until we're like Jesus.
Phil 2:12. Work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
We work as hard as we can, because we know what our salvation cost.
Phil 2:13: for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and work for His good pleasure.
And we cling and rely on God, because even the will to do so, and the strength to work, is God working in us. We have no power to change on our own.
Do our quiet time so that we can be closer to God. We will change. Pray so that we can commune with God and intercede for others and ourselves. We will change. Confess to Him our sins and confess to each other our sins. We will change. Throw away everything that hinders us, that makes our life complicated, things we idolize. We will change.
Jesus died for us. We will change.
Let's steathily, quietly, do things, do them well, do them quickly, carefully and excellently, and sneak away, so that no one sees our work for God. Jesus sees.
Let's encourage people who will never encourage you back, show people who will never speak well of us all the love we can. Jesus sees.
We shall sneak into the lives of the people around us, look after their needs, give to solve their problems, smile and spend our time finding out how they are, sacrifice our conceit to reassure them with our own past stories of failures. And we'll never hope for them to tell others how nice we are. Jesus sees.
Let's love each other, forgiving each other's faults, doing each other's duties if there is such an opportunity. Not a pain, but an opportunity. Jesus sees.
Let's tell each other our shames, encouraging each other, letting no one suffer alone in his own guilt and fear. Jesus sees.
Let's be a family not of goodie-two-shoes, but of sinners. Let's comfort each other's struggles with our own, reduce each other's shame with our own shames, restore each other's strength with our own lips. Jesus sees.
Let's cling to God like desperate sinners. Let us know what we do wrong, begging for the Spirit to change us, not letting a single drop of the blood of Jesus be wasted.
Jesus sees.
And what Jesus sees, He will tell the universe. He will say, This one is My follower. This one is My friend. This one does what I tell him to do.
"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."Philippians 3:14
Numerous sources have told the story of Florence Chadwick, who on one foggy morning in July 1952, waded into the waters off Catalina Island, intent on swimming across the channel to the Southern California mainland. This challenge was not too difficult for Chadwick as she had been the first woman ever to swim the English Channel in both directions. However, on this day, having lost sight of the land because of the fog, Chadwick decided to give up. As it turned out, she had only been one-half mile from reaching her goal. She was not exhausted or cold. Rather the fog, having obscured her vision from the goal, was the reason she quit. Still, some two months later, on a clear day, Florence Chadwick attempted the same challenge and this time round, she succeeded, setting a new speed record because she was able to keep her eye upon the goal.
As Christians, we have a goal to pursue: to follow Jesus, to become more like Him, to love and serve Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. But, we often encounter the world's fog, which can obscure our vision and keep us from seeing the goal clearly.
Many a times as we travel along life's journey, we find ourselves choosing to give up pursuing the goal because we have become distracted by the fog - the fog of busyness, of career, of material pursuits, of self-interest. We will all experience foggy days, spiritually speaking. Don't quit. Persevere. Do your best to keep your eyes focused on Jesus who awaits with reward in hand, at the finish line.
As the words of that old hymn written by H.H. Lemmel goes: Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full in His wonderful face And the things of earth will grow strangely dimIn the light of His glory and grace.
Today, let the fresh breeze of the Holy Spirit's presence in your life blow away the world's fog. Fix your eyes upon Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
Posted by Joanie... Hello guys, just want to share this beautiful image that Marcus sent me some time ago. He put the Names of God on a picture of the cloud designs over a photo of Lake Awoonga. Check it out!!
Fact says, "Jesus is dead." Truth says, "Jesus lives!"
It's been almost a month since my grandma has left this world for His Kingdom. Although her departure wasn't a sudden one, it impacted me like it was. Though I appeared strong, I was weak inside; I did believe she was heading for Heaven, but I couldn't settle for the fact that I could no longer see or speak to her.
But one fine day, this familiar verse came upon my mind: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (NIV) Immediately, I realized the fact had blinded me from His Truth.
Since then, I truly believe that she is in Heaven, enjoying eternal life with our Lord Jesus Christ. The fact suggests a sad situation, whilst His Truth shows otherwise.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32 (NIV)
How often have we failed to see beyond the situations/circumstances (fact) we're facing? Are we still worried or afraid of what lies ahead or stands before us? Have we forgotten His promises?
God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. Fact states that God wanted to end the life of Isaac. However, His Truth speaks of Him being just and righteous - He knows what He is doing. Indeed, God was testing Abraham; His Truth prevailed in the end - overwriting the contradicting fact earlier on. It became "God was testing Abraham", rather than "God was going to kill Isaac".
I attended a healing conference a couple of months back, and I saw numerous wheel-chair bounded people being able to stand up and walk after receiving prayers. His Truth has set them free from the fact that they couldn't walk.
We're only human living on this world that our God has created. Problems/situations/circumstances arise as and when they do, and we can choose to set ourselves free with His Truth. Facts may change or fade away and reside in the past, but His Truth remains from everlasting to everlasting. Most importantly, Truth only comes from God.
I thank God and you for this privilege of sharing the above with you.
Song sharing! Lyris speak for itself! Let us all live out L.O.U.D. for Jesus!!! =)
Live out Loud Steven Curtis Chapman
Imagine this I get a phone call from Regis - he says "Do you want to be a millionaire?" They put me on a show and I win with two lifelines to spare
Picture this I act like nothing ever happened and bury all the money in a coffee can Well, I've been given more than Regis ever gave away I was a dead man who was called to come out of my grave I think it's time for makin' some noise
CHORUS: Wake the neighbors Get the word out Come on, crank up the music, climb a mountain and shout This is life we've been given, made to be lived out So, la, la, la, la, live out loud
Think about this Try to keep a bird from singing after it's soared up in the sky Give the sun a cloudless day and tell it not to shine
Think about this If we really have been given the gift of life that will never end And if we have been filled with living hope, we're gonna overflow And if God's love is burning in our hearts, we're gonna glow There's just no way to keep it in
CHORUS
So, la, la, la, la, live out loud Live out loud Everybody La, la, la...la, la, la...la, la, la, live out loud I wanna hear everybody La, la, la...la, la, la...la, la, la, live out loud
Every corner of creation is a living declaration Come join the song we were made to sing
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." 1 John 3:1
In 1962, Dick and Judy Hoyt gave birth to their son Rick. When Rick was born, the umbilical cord was caught around his neck, cutting off air supply to his brain. The Hoyts were told by the doctor that Rick would be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life and advised them not to bring up the baby. However, the Hoyts disagreed despite their newborn's disability.
Ten years down the road as Rick grew up, he was given a computer that would help him write out his thoughts. Three years later, he was admitted into a public school. As time passes, Rick told his dad one day that he wanted to participate in a 5k race for a local athlete who was paralyzed in an accident. His father agreed to take part in the race together with Rick, even though it requires him to push his son on a wheelchair during the race. Since then, Rick and Dick, who are known as "Team Hoyt" have competed in over 900 events, including 64 marathons and over 200 triathlons.
So why does this father run, swim and ride with his disabled son through all these events? Because the day they finished their first 5k, his son said through his computer...
"Dad, when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore.''
Dick wasn't a runner, a swimmer nor a biker before those words were said. He was simply a father who loved his son unconditionally. He was a father who wanted his son to feel like he could fly. The love of this father is amazing!
We too have a Father who loves us unconditionally and calls us His children. All of us grow up with different situations with our earthly fathers. Some people have fathers who cares for them, while some may even have never met their fathers before. Some fathers are workaholics, while others are alcoholics. Some people view their fathers as heroes; others view their fathers as villains.
But above all of these, our Father in heaven is perfect. He loves us unconditionally, cares for us, knows what is best for us and gives without asking for anything in return. All He desires of us is to have an intimate relationship with Him and to draw close to Him. God walks alongside with us in every single step of our life's journey, joys and trials. He never leaves us alone nor forsake us. Your Father in heaven withholds no good thing from you. I pray that you will live a life fully surrendered to God, for He will lead and guide you good and bad times. Like Rick's dad, our Heavenly Father is always there to nudge us on and to carry us through the seasons of life.
God is ever faithful to each one of us. Let us make it our hearts' cry to be obedient and faithful to our Father who clothes us with His unceasing love that compels our hearts to love Him.
FINAL APPRECIATION TO ALL FOR YOUTH CAMP 2006 'THE ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE'
i know this is about 1 month late. but allow me to show my gratitude towards the following people involved in the preparation for the youth camp 2006 'The Ultimate Experience'. these are the people who have given much of their time and efforts to this camp and some of their efforts may have even gone unnoticed and unappreciated. of course, i would like to acknowledge that the ultimate Person that made it all possible is our Heavenly Father. :D
1) Althea, our camp commandant, despite her busy schedules, made time to prepare for the camp. she was the one with the crazy ideas and the one that is always so enthusiastic.
2) Celine, our worship coordinator - also our projectionist during the camp itself. thank you for your efforts in planning the schedule and missing most of your meals with your group just so that you can be with music team for practice. :D thank you for making it down despite your fever!
3) Rhys, our publicity head - thanks for cutting the name tags till 5am in the morning! :D and coming down to office almost everyday just to finish the last bit of publicity matters. appreciated your efforts despite the last minute notices. also, for being there although you fell sick the last few weeks towards camp. Adrian - our backstage designer - thank you for designing the wonderful registration form and also for the other designs that we couldn't (sadly) use eventually. they were beautifully done. :D
4) Peixuan, Tina, Steven and Shuhei - our games team - i think you guys did a fantastic job in planning the games and coordinating everything. thank you for taking time to meet and prepare despite your work. and really thanks for making the camp really enjoyable. and not to forget for getting everyone so dirty!! :D (plus the rashes!:p) [thank you peixuan especially for helping us with everything and also for disturbing you at office everyday!]
5) Pekhar and Timothy - our welfare team - i know that we always disturbed you guys about doing the dirty work. but i think you guys did more than that. our welfare were well-kept indeed! :D thank you for coordinating everything and especially thank you SO MUCH for thinking everyone would have diarrhea during the camp that you made us carry so many toilet rolls to the camp :P thank you pekhar especially for coming down to the office so often and completing such wonderful angel and mortal set even though you fell sick towards the camp. :D
6) Zhongfa - who became our last-min editor - thank you for helping us out at the very crucial point!! and making the booklet look really comfortable to read and pretty! :D
7) Workshop speakers - Arlene, Tina, Zhong Fa and Pastor Raymond - thank you so much for your wonderful and inspiring workshops! thank you for your understanding too! :D
And of course, not to forget those who have put in great effort during the camp itself!
8) many thanks to the music team - Vincent, ZhongFa, Joanie, Arlene, Jasmine, Shuhei. the camp wouldn't be complete without you guys during worship sessions!
9) wonderful job by our games leaders - Jonathan, Eunice, Jasmine, Augustine, Huiwen, Calvin, Wen Xun, Rebecca, Caroline, Jethro, Violet, Vincent - in taking care of your members and helping the committee alongside!
10) kudos to our cell leaders - Peixuan, Arlene, Zhongfa, Jun Hoong, Celine, Timothy, Edward, Joanie - for taking charge of cell devotions and cell discussions. :D
11) many thanks to our dorm masters/mistresses - Eddy, Andy, Meiyan, Michelle, Carolyn for keeping watch of your dorm people and taking care of the keys.
12) and not to forget -YOU -all campers present! this camp is for YOU! you guys are the one that made the camp memorable. :D
13) anyone else i have not mentioned - you are important too!!
Thank you everyone for your efforts. Indeed, our reward isnt the earthly riches but one in heaven. :D May everyone who walked away from this camp gain a greater experience with our Heavenly Father. He is the One that desires the intimate relationship with us. Let us also not forget to know the Father Himself and hunger more for Him. :D
Dezhang (from BPGC)
