Crawling to the Rain

As the daylight from the afternoon sun dazzled his eyes, he realised the impending ascent was far nearer than it had seemed. Nevertheless, there existed a feeling of displacement.
Where was the fiery passion that burned within? Where was the sense of urgency that consumed his days? They seemed to be so far in a distant memory now.


The young apprentice trotted on. He knew he had to for it was hardly an option.

The recalcitrant Hyde bought over 51% of the shares. Alas, Jekyll was impuissant, his business acumen had lost its former sharpness. It was another failed negotiation.


The young apprentice moved pass the classic literary novel. He knew he had to peruse a different genre.

The rage of the afternoon sun had quelled. But its beams of heat cooled his mind. What was this heat when compared to that treacherous feeling of displacement.


It was a desolate land. Nothing in sight yet noises for hearing.
"Whhhrrrr....."
"Vrrruuoommm....."






"Zrrrroomm...."








"I stand here to receive you", came a voice.
It appeared so remote.

It wasn't too late.


The young apprentice was dehydrated. Rain clouds had gathered. His weary trudge had diminished to an imperceptible crawl, on his knees.

The Wings of the Eagle

Last night, on a birthday gift that I received, a bible verse stood out.
Today, during my morning bible reading, a particular verse got me thinking some more.

So there was a splendid iconographic representation of Isaiah 40:31 on the T-shirt,
while my bible-reading of Exodus 19 caught my extended attention in verse 4.


A quick reference to the bible tells us we're talking about the majestic bird: the Eagle.



Throughout history, the eagle has been viewed as a symbol of Power, Independence and Beauty.
From being state symbols to emblems and coat-of-arms, from being crests in academia and postage stamps to graffiti art imprints on T-shirts, the Eagle has left an indelible mark on mankind.


Chile, Egypt, Mexico, Poland, Romania are but some countries which have the eagle in their coat-of-arms.
French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte adopted the Roman golden eagle as the symbol of his empire.
Of course, the ancient Romans had the standards of its armies emblazoned with the bird while USA has bald eagle as its national emblem.


Perhaps it is the fixation on the ideals of Sovereignty, Power, Independence and Strength;
or it could well be that the eagle has an inexplicable charm in the graceful swiftness of its being that causes it to be so highly recognized around the world.




In Christianity, the noble bird also happens to be an allegory for God and his Power. In Deuteronomy 32:9~12, God is described as a parent that watches keenly over his children. The emphasis is in verse 11, where God being the eagle, “stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings”.



Reading Exodus 19 this morning reminded me of the struggles and trials that the Israelites were put through before they participated in the exodus. As I read verse 4, it struck me how much God held on to His children’s hands and guided them along, so often forgiving them, so often enlightening them.

God spoke to Moses, “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.”



At that juncture, unbeknownst to the entire nation of Israel, God was preparing to confer His Holy Edict in stone.
We now know them by their more celebrated term: the 10 Commandments.


I found it especially meaningful that God described the journey to the foot of Mount Sinai as Him bearing Israel on eagle’s wings.
While they grumbled because of their very-human fears, to God, it was Him that was bearing their sorrows and toils.



Reading up on the majestic bird, I found out its flight pattern.
When an eagle spreads its wings and takes flight in the air, it flaps its wings strongly. Underneath the clouds in the sky, there is an updraft needed for soaring.
The pressure from the updraft under its wings, and the pressure above caused by the downdraft produces the lift necessary for flight.
When we understand that God designed the eagle’s wings for soaring, we see how with outstretched wings, it can float on the updraft to further heights.



It is important that the first few flaps before take-off are strong so that it can gain enough lift into the air. Considering this, it becomes clearer that there will be certain troubles and setbacks in the early stages of any task.
When we are faced with a new test from God, it definitely will be hard to overcome the temptations that the devil throws in as a package.

When we are faced with tribulation, the first singular thought often is to give up. But when we overcome these, we rise up higher and further, the updraft will continue to lift us to God.
Marvelously, the updraft is the power from the Holy Spirit.




“You have seen what I did to the Egyptians,”…
This line kept surfacing in my head.
Have I really seen and understood what God has done to my adversaries?
I find that I often fail to give thanks for His grace and mercy upon my sinful being.
How often have I complained and grumbled at the first instance of my plans being thwarted.
I've also neglected to see how he bore me on His wings, choosing instead to see the hardship and trials for what they shouldn’t be worth.
It is no wonder that I often veil my own sight, thinking that I had not been brought before the LORD.



How do you relate to the majesty of the LORD God? Do you see Him bearing you on His wings?





God truly understands our human failings and limitations and with His immortal Word, He exhorts and comforts us through the utterance of prophet Isaiah.



Isaiah comforted God’s people when they despaired.
He spoke the oracle of hope and future renewal in Isaiah 40:30~31. Agreeing with the fact that youths and young men are imperfect, he says that “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall”.
Nevertheless, the chance of hope for restoration exists and
“those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”



A slight variation exists here in that this time when we have waited on the LORD, we are not borne on His wings.
Instead, we rise up and fly like the eagle.


In spite of all our sins and shortcomings, God fully acknowledges us as His Children, allowing us to soar higher to His standard of perfection, and We become like the majestic bird.


How wonderful is that! Moreover, it fully resonates with the truth in Deuteronomy 32:9~10 -
9“For the LORD’s portion is His people;
Jacob is the place of His inheritance.

10 “He found him in a desert land
And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness;
He encircled him, He instructed him,
He kept him as the apple of His eye.”


We are the spiritual Jacobs!
We are His precious portion!
In us He dwells with His precious Holy Spirit.




If there should be a catch to this regal status of ours, it is only this:
“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.” (Exodus 19:5)
– To indeed obey God, to keep His commandment. It is always simple to say it in theory, yet I so often fail to do so.


I have disappointed God on so many occasions, perhaps you feel the same way too?
I can identify with the despondency and guilt that Israel must have felt in days of Isaiah, I’m sure you understand what I mean as well?
I pray and get up on my knees to meet with setbacks and temptations, only to give in so easily. Maybe you can agree with me too?




Let us understand the eagle’s flight pattern for it is such a valuable lesson for us. We really need the power from sincere prayer to be the updraft for our flight. We may be weary, but let us take heart that God Himself will give us strength, for when He finds us in our "desert land and howling wilderness", He will "encircle" us and "instruct" us, only because when we've kept His commandments, we are the "apple of His eye" (Deut 32:10).



As the sun sets on my birthday today, I thank God for His everlasting blessings.
Much like the eagle print on my T-shirt gift, I hope to live out His promise to me and fly like the eagle.
May you have the same hope as well.

Emmanuel.

Do You Remember?

After placing my order for lunch, I sat back in the chair. The air was stuffy, hazy and warm. Not the ideal setting for a great meal, just a utilitarian lunch.

The food took longer than the expected amount of time to arrive. In the meanwhile, a stallholder walked passed my table and parroted our orders, albeit erroneously.

“Chao Fan hor”, he said in a hurry. (that would be Fried Rice in Chinese)

There I was wondering to myself, “How could Hor Fun suddenly sound like Chao Fan in a matter of 5 minutes?”


After 10 minutes, there was still no sign of the food.


In the meanwhile, I had begun to muse on the issue of memory span.
It occurred to me that people in certain professions require short-term memory spans while others may require much longer.


Using the case of the food hawker above, his memory span begins from the moment you place your order and ends when he brings you your food – about 7 minutes on average.

Now how about a stage actor in a grand musical?
With the mass of lines she has to recite, surfeit of dance steps to remember, and a cascade of melodious notes to sing, I would reckon that her memory span begins from the moment the first practice begins and ends only after the last curtain call – about 1 year at least for perfection.



Closer to home; what about ourselves?
Do you remember what clothes you wore on Monday, 3 days ago?
What was your most recent meal?
How about the color of the drinking glass? Erm, wait, was there a drinking glass?


It is evident that people don’t remember everything.
Or to put it more lucidly, we only choose to remember specific things.
These things are remembered only because we attach a certain value to them.
For other less or even insignificant things, we conveniently filter them out.
Thus unless your most recent meal was cooked by a loved one, you wouldn’t probably choose to remember it.


For us as Christians, I believe there is a greater purpose that can be explored.

Our memory of Christ our God and His saving grace – how much we recall of it says a lot about the significance that we place on His love.


When we were baptized into His death, the host of angels in heaven rejoiced
for His blood washed away our sin stains
and reconciled us to the Father and His Church.
– do we recall the great sacrifice He went through to effect this for us?

When we received the Holy Spirit after praying in earnest at length,
He came to live within us, being our Comforter, Counselor, Guide and so much more.
For those who spent years or decades to pray and finally receiving the Holy Spirit,
do we recall the immense joy that filled our hearts,
the tears of joy that flowed down as we gave utmost Glory to Him?
- do you recall His words to the disciples that “I go so that the Helper will come and dwell amongst you”?



Sadly, we often forget.





Much like the ancient Israelites who forgot countless times, so we do the same today.


When God promised His people that He would guide them into the Promised Land of Canaan, they cheered.
He brought them out of Egypt, parted the Red Sea so they could believe with their infantile eyes.
Despite such a colossal display of God’s power, they feared the Anakim giants of Canaan.

Sentenced to 40 years in the wilderness, God nonetheless gave them Manna for sustenance.

Yet, it didn’t take long before the gripes and murmuring went into overdrive.
“Give us meat to eat!” was their grouse.
“Give us the delicacies of Egypt!” they wailed.



More so during the era of judges was this cyclical malaise played out.
They trusted God, got complacent, sinned, incurred the wrath of God, were punished, repented, and trusted God, but not for long.
In fact, the last verse of the book of Judges aptly sums up the culture of that period.


Despite all the miracles, signs and wonders, they forgot God was their king. So instead of the holy theocracy, they opted for the temporal monarchy.
“Give us a king to rule over us!” they yelled



So sometimes we wonder why the Israelites couldn’t remain faithful to a God who so tangibly demonstrated His greatness before them.

Wouldn’t the stories of the patriarchs have been told to the succeeding generations?
– The stories of God being a Friend to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob.





But before we point all 10 fingers at them and snort, let us examine ourselves.


Don’t we often fall into the trap of sin?
We are tempted by our own lusts and desires and choosing to ignore the Spirit’s warning, we take the same step as David did.
Just as he inquired as to whom Bathsheba was, so we are inquisitive about the sensuous pleasures that seem to be luring us.
As David sought his men to bring her to his palace, likewise we enter the door of sin by accepting the temptations.


When we do so, it becomes all too easy to forget and ignore the Holy Spirit’s warning and prompting.
I could go on but it would merely be calling a cup a mug.


The biblical examples and stories were recorded in ink, not pencil, for us to know their endurance and permanence for this life. They are lessons for us to heed.






Coming back to my earlier point on affixing value, it is true that we have the option to choose if we want to place value on certain things.


Take for example the food hawker.
He wouldn’t place much value on our order for it would merely be a matter of $3 to him.
But if his grandchildren come to the store to patronize,
he would rush up to serve them and ensure that their plate is overflowing with food.
Why?
Simply because he values his precious little tots.




Did the Israelites place great value on their status – Sons of God – or was that title merely an excuse to be complacent and arrogant?
Palpably, it can be seen many times that they veered toward the latter.


Samson for all his strength and might often failed to see beyond the lust and violence. He placed his value on hedonistic pleasures and lost his Advocate. It is by God’s grace that he regained his strength for one last time when he remembered God and cried out in regret.




As for us,
How much value do we place on Christ?
And more importantly,
Has the value that we placed on Him initially lessened when it should actually increase?

It is a fact that,
We so easily lose sight of our goal of the prize.
We are so easily shaken by temptations.
Sin and Pride constantly overtake us.

We need to,
Remind ourselves of the value of Christ in our hearts.
Refresh our minds that we can only choose God and not the world.
Recall that Christ placed the greatest value on us – the value of His life.


Believe me when I say that I need this lesson as much as everyone else does, or perhaps even more.



Despite all our flaws, God has remembered us even before we were born.
- Being chosen before time to be His sons (Ephesians 1:4-5), we are consummately precious to Him.
- He is the only One who counts our grief, sorrows, and bottles every drop of tear we cry. (Psalm 56:8)
- He is the only One who remembers our good deeds and His righteous judgment fire will test and proof our favorable works for Him. (1 Corinthians 3:13)
- Being the righteous Judge, He will remember everything, be they good or bad, for which we have to give and account of on the Last day. (Hebrews 4:13)



While human memory is only for a lifetime on earth, God is the Alpha and Omega and in Him we see eternity.



"But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him,and his righteousness with their children's children- with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all."
(Psalm 103: 17-19)




My Hor Fun finally arrived after 15 minutes. It was not bad.

3 Touching Short Stories (3)

And finally, the last story, which concludes this mini-trilogy.


Story 3 : "We were only inconvenienced for 3 hours"


It was fortunate that hubby and I managed to get train tickets for the trip back to my parents' place. Upon boarding the train, we found a lady sitting in our designated seats.

Hubby motioned for me to sit beside her but did not inform the lady of her wrong seating arrangement. I was puzzled but did not question Hubby.

On closer look, I realised why Hubby had not told her that she was in the wrong seat - her right leg was handicapped.

So it was that for the entire journey from JiaYi (a city in Taiwan) to our destination city of Taipei, Hubby never once indicated to the lady that her seat actually belonged to him.



Upon disembarkation I said to my dearest Hubby,
"You know, giving up your seat was indeed a very considerate act.
But it really pained me to see you standing all the way from Jiayi to Taipei.
The journey was really long and you could have at least exchanged places with her for a while right?"


Hubby didn't take long to reply.
"Well, with her impediment, I guess she is inconvenienced for her whole life.
For us though, it was merely 3 hours."


My heart melted when I heard that. How blessed I am to have such a loving, big-hearted husband! It truly put some warmth into the often-cold world that we live in.





___________________________________________________________________
Post-Script:

When we change our perceptions, the world may also change, for the better. In fact, for every circumstance in life, there is a possibility for us to shift our understanding of things. What matters is how we change our thoughts or perception, for better or worse, we all have a choice.


While we may not be able to succeed in 3 minutes, but sometimes all it takes is a single minute
for our lives to change for the better.


After reading these 3 short stories, we can return to cleaning up our rooms, do the dishes, or tidy up the newspapers. Alternatively we could share these stories and their valuable lessons with our loved ones and friends, thereby making their world a better place.

3 Touching Short Stories (2)

And here's the second story:

Story 2 : A Heart of Innocence

Rain had not fallen upon the small town for a long while. The drought caused a huge loss of income to the farming community.
The local pastor decided to gather the townsfolk in the church to pray for rain.



Droves of people arrived at the church and amongst them was a little girl.
The girl was diminutive in stature and was nearly obscured from the other grown-ups.
Despite all that, she too came with a ready heart to pray for rain.



The pastor cast a gaze at the congregation and his eye caught hold of the singular object in the little girl’s hands.

At that instant, quivering with much emotion, he pointed in her direction and cried out, “That little girl has really moved me!”




Everyone’s head turned.




The pastor went on, “Today we’re gathered here to entreat the Lord for rain. Yet amongst the entire congregation, only this little girl had the faith to bring an umbrella.”

Everyone turned their heads again to look closely and sure enough, there it was in her hands, a red, foldable umbrella.

The hall was filled with a deafening silence.
The loud stillness eventually gave way to a crescendo of applause and incessant tears of joy.
Such was the picture of bliss.

Many a time, we can’t help but say that little children are not in the least little. In fact, they are big.

They are big in Love.
They are big in Faith.

3 Touching Short Stories (1)

I've translated the stories into English for my English-speaking/reading readers.
Here's the 1st story.
Hope this brings some joy to you as well.



Story 1 : The Heart of a Child

A young, single lady had just relocated to her new home.
She discovered that her immediate neighbors were a poverty-stricken family.
That family consisted of a widow and her 2 young children.



On a particular night, a power outage occurred in the neighborhood.
The young lady did the next best thing and lit candles to provide some light.



Not long after, there came a knock on her front door.
It was the neighbor’s child.
He came asking nervously, “Hallo, you have candle in home?”



The young lady thought to herself ‘Could it really be that these guys are so poor? They can’t afford candles!?
‘What if these guys become dependent on me in future? I’d better not lend them any candles!’
Then, with much indifference, she responded that she had none.



As she proceeded to shut the door, she noticed that the poor child’s countenance displayed a quiet smile.

“I knew you no candle in house” he chirped.


As he said that, he took 2 sticks of candles out from his pocket and cheerily handed them to the young lady.

“Mommy and I afraid you no candle ‘cos you stayin’ 1 woman. Here 2 candle for you!”



On hearing that, she was pricked by her guilty conscience.
She reprimanded herself and
As tears flowed from the bottom of her heart, she embraced the young boy whose warmth melted her cold heart.

三则感人小故事 (3)

第3个故事 : 我们只不方便三小时


那天跟老公幸运地订到了票回婆家，上车后却发现有位女士坐在我们的位子上，
老公 示意我先坐在她旁边的位子，却没有请这位女士让位。
我仔细一看，发现她右脚有一点不方便，才了解老公为何不请她让出位子。



他就这样从嘉义一直站到台北，从头到尾都没向这位女士表示这个位子是他的，
下了车之后，心疼老公的我跟他说：
「让位是善行，但从 嘉义到台北这么久，大可中途请她把位子还给你，换你坐一下。 」



老公却说：「人家不方便一辈子，我们就不方便这三小时而已。」
听到老公这么说，我相当感动，
有这么一位善良又为善不欲人知的好老公，
让我觉得世界都变得温柔许多。



心念一转，世界可能从此不同，人生中，每一件事情，
都有 转向的能力，就看我们怎么想，怎么转。
我们不会在三分钟内成功，但也许只要花一分钟，生命从此不同。



你看完这篇短文后，可以马上起身去擦桌子，或洗碗；
可以把报纸放一边，闭起眼睛沉思一会；
也可以把这篇短文，与很多朋友分享。
当然，我最希望你选择最后这一项，谁知道，你可能会改变很多人的一生。



“我们不一定会因为赚很多的钱而富有，但我们可以因付出的善念而使心中富有”

三则感人小故事 （2）

第2个故事 : 纯真的心


有一个小镇很久没有下雨了，令当地农作物损失惨重，
於是牧师把大家集合起来，准备在教堂里开一个祈求降雨的祷告会。



众中有一个小女孩， 因个子太小，几乎没有人看得到她，
但她也来参加祈雨祷告会。
就在这时侯，牧师注意到小女孩所带来的东西，
激动地在台上指著她说：「那位小妹妹很让我感动！」


於是大家顺著他手指的方向看了过去。



牧师接著说：「我们今天来祷告祈求上帝降雨，可是整个会堂中，
只有她一个人今天带著雨伞！」
大家仔细一看，果然，她的座位旁挂了一把红色的小雨伞；
这时大家沉静了一下，紧接而来的，是一阵掌声与泪水交织的美景。



有时我们不得不说：小孩子其实一点都不「小」，他们其实很「大」！
他们的爱心很大！
他们的信心很大！

三则感人小故事 （1）

第1个故事 ： 小孩的心


有一位单身女子刚搬了家，
她发现隔壁住了一户穷人家，
一个寡妇与两个小孩子。



有天晚上，那一带忽然停了电，
那位女子只好自己点起了蜡烛。
没一会儿，忽然听到有人敲门。
原来是隔壁邻居的小孩子，
只见他紧张地问：「阿姨，请问你家有蜡烛吗？」



女子心想：「他们家竟穷到连蜡烛都没有吗？
千万别借他们，免得被他们依赖了！ 」
於是，对孩子吼了一声说：「没有！」



正当她准备关上门时，
那穷小孩展开关爱的笑容说：「我就知道你家一定没有！」
说完，竟从怀里拿出两根蜡烛，说：
「妈妈和我怕你一个人住又没有蜡烛，所以我带两根来送你。」



此刻女子自责、感动得热泪盈眶，
将那小孩子紧紧地拥在怀里。

The Glow of the Eventide

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
~Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847)



[As also found in our Hymnal, #239]

The greatest pieces of art are composed
by the hands of God; The grandeur of prose:
No human nor device can render
Such a vivid canvas of splendour.
~RME

So You Think You Can Dance (2)

There are many statements that speak of a partnership needed for something to happen. Some examples are:

"It takes 2 to tango"
"It takes 2 hands to clap"

I received an email on the same subject:

~Dancing with God ~

When I meditated on the word GUIDANCE,
I was drawn to"dance" at the end of the word.
I reflected upon how doing God's will is a lot like dancing.

When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.

When one person realizes this and lets the other lead,
both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
or by pressing lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.

The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from one person
and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word GUIDANCE.
When I saw "G," I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i."
"God, "u" and "i" dance." !
God, you, and I dance.
This statement is what guidance means to me.

As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
and mercies be upon you and your family
on this day and everyday.

May you abide in Him as He abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting Him to lead
and to guide you through each season of your life.
I Hope You Dance !!!
Life is Precious - "Give God Thanks For It"

Hope this sharing has been edifying to you all who read it.

Remember, the Lord of the Dance will lead us in our steps.

More on this in the near future.

A Short Story of a Crab (1)

TK had it's annual REU Family Day on Sunday. What a blast it was! Numerous families and youths of all ages gathered together for a morning of worship, fellowship, song, games, and laughter.

Walking away from the bustling activities, my eye caught hold of a blissful sight. 2 young brothers aged 5 and 7 were by themselves looking at the sea. Silently, I crept up behind them. Listening to them, it was both amusing and tenderly endearing.
[Amusing because they were talking about things that made no sense to me! :) ]

Before long, I got their attention. They didn't say anything.

We looked at the sea for a while.

I pointed out something to them that was on the breakwater, scurrying about sideways. It amused them both because they've read about it in their children's stories.
Or perhaps, they had seen it before in Spongebob Squarepants.

It was a lovely, little crab.

They called him "Mr Krab".

This is the short story of a crab that bonded the 3 of us for that brief moment. But things that ran through my mind went deeper.

In time, these young boys would grow up to be strong and abled-youths.
It is my hope that they would grow up to be willing and obedient servants of the Lord;
that they would grow up to be friends and examples to themselves and others;
that they would be the future pillars of the Church.

REU day means so much because it reinforces the faith that we have in the Lord Jesus being the real Teacher of our young ones.

May God Teach us all, everyday of our lives.

Why no Connecting Flight? (appendix)

As an afternote, I've posted the rough sketch of the map of Philip's journey as outlined in Acts 8 : 26 - 40.

I was researching into the distance between Samaria and the desert road from Jerusalem leading to Gaza. And what I found out based on rough estimation amazed me even more. The Bible does not state where along the Desert Road did Philip exactly establish contact with the Ethiopian eunuch. A conservative estimate would put the distance at approximately 45miles (72.5km).

Now we're talking!

I may not be at that level to fully understand yet, but I'm starting to see the real value in the long, solo journey that he undertook.

Why no Connecting Flight?

Philip was caught away by the Holy Spirit and seen no more by the Ethiopian eunuch. But he appeared at Azotus, a good 15 miles away from Gaza. (approx 24km)

It is a common understanding amongst many that Philip was "teleported" away. We do not know what exactly happened, but it is inconsequential. I personally take it to be a miracle and awesome work of the Holy Spirit.

Prior to this incident, Philip was in the city of Samaria preaching the Word of God fervently, snatching many souls back for salvation, converting families and individuals.
The work grew so prosperous, that even Peter and John were sent to Samaria to assist in the ministry.

In spite of the prosperous and flourishing growth of the gospel in Samaria, God had other plans for Philip.
Big Plans.
For in Philip's humble acceptance of the Holy Spirit's motivation and instruction, the Ethiopian eunuch was able to fully hear, understand, confess and accept the gospel of salvation. And we know that the Ethiopian church came about because of this.

So if Philip was expedited by the Holy Spirit over a spatial difference of 15 miles, from Gaza to Azotus; why wasn't he given the same luxury to go from Samaria to Gaza in the first place?

I got some answers during last night's sermon:

1) Philip's ministry was flourishing in the city of Samaria. Yet, God's plans are not what man can conceive. We being the sideline spectators, know the story as it is told, front to back, back to front.
But for Philip, whom the story had yet to unfold, what would he have thought?
To leave the important nascent evangelical region of Samaria for an off-road journey was probably at the bottom of his shopping list.
But did Philip complain?
No.
He was far too humble for that. He knew that God's work and instructions were above all.
He understood that he had to heed the call of the Holy Spirit.

2) Moreover, Luke emphasizes that the road from Jerusalem downwards to Gaza was desert. (Acts 8 : 26)
So from an area of bustling civilisation and commercial activities, Philip was called to go to No-Man's Land, a dusty wilderness. If we are scratching our heads at this, imagine the migraine that Philip would have had!
Would we understand God's purpose in such a situation? Philip probably didn't. But he was obedient and that mattered most.
Saying "Yes" to that bewildering instruction allowed the Holy Spirit guidance to work fully within him.
And the rest as they always say, is history.

3) I thought of some reasons of my own so here they are:

The journey in solitude would have given Philip ample time to himself and God.
He would have confided in God and continued to rely on Him through prayers.
After the many busy days of human interaction, this was a chance for him to catch a breather and catch up with himself.
As Philip was called to do so during his time, we should do the same once in a while. Go away from the crowd, the busy society, the complexities of growing up in an adulterated world, to truly seek some rest and spiritual renewal with God.

The journey was probably a complex obstacle course. Ups and downs, slopes and tracks. Whoever said that a desert was going to be a straight, easy path? Furthermore, it was a path that had no clear destination or goal. It was not stated in the clause that Philip would be coming into contact with the Ethiopian. Philip only found out later as the plan was gradually revealed to him.

Perhaps, the Lord had meant for Philip to go away from Samaria where there was joy, dancing and celebration for Christ's Salvation had been freely preached.
Lest he be caught up in the joyful praise of God, which could so easily be twisted by the accuser, to tempt him into believing that it was his own effort that converted the Samaritans, God knew what was best for Philip and used the desert journey to train him to further perfection.


Philip did not allow himself to be caught up in the joy and human praise in Samaria. He heeded the the Lord's calling, set out on the lonely, danger-fretted desert road. Eventually, he was caught away by the Holy Spirit for an exhilirating experience to Azotus.

Beginning of Sarcasm?

I came across this really fun cartoon. See if you can find the simple irony and how it relates with the title.

Different Seasons of Life

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The 1st son went in the winter,
The 2nd in the spring,
The 3rd in summer,
The 4th son in the fall.

When they had all gone and came back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.


The 1st son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.

The 2nd son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The 3rd son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The 4th son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.


The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.
He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pain, sorrow, failings, pleasure, joy, fulfilment and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's cold winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.

Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Don't judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time or later.

Above all, God doesn't judge us by a snapshot moment to determine what kind of child we are, but by the sum total of all these snapshots that He has taken over the years.
When we finally see the snapshots, would we see our progression to become His intended useful vessel?



















May all our photos and portraits, through the many seasons, include Christ in all that we do.

Mind Bogglers

Time for a little fun...

Try to solve the following puzzles!
I'll provide the answers soon. :)

Communion Silence

Though we so often have the Holy Communion sacrament in Singapore, I still find it amazing each time i partake of it. It isn't a routine to me, but an assurance of salvation that the Lord had promised.

It isn't very often that the Holy Communion concludes out-of-sync with the congregational hymn-singing.
(More often than not, the closing of the Communion and the hymn-singing is Singaporean-timed to perfection to end in-sync :P )
This time however, it did not, and it gave me time to reflect and refresh my heart in the Lord's Beauty.


As the Holy Communion drew to a close, I witnessed the church ministers placing the fine white cloth over the Communion table. I wondered to myself how many of us stood in amazement of the scene before us.
Or maybe it was just me and my wandering mind again! :)


"Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb..." -Mark 15:46


Joseph of Arimathea was a prominent Council member but he went beyond his OB-markers to honour Christ. In his mind, there was was the fear of political backlash from his fellow Jews but he "took courage" and did what he set out to accomplish.

Luke recorded that Joseph was a "good and just man" who "did not consent" to the poisonous actions of his fellow Jews.
What he did however, was part of the salvation plan of God. Together with Nicodemus, Joseph wrapped the body of Jesus with spices and fine linen, thereby according Christ a deserved Jewish man's honorable burial.

Joseph and Nicodemus worked together to accomplish that final act for the physical body of Christ. Both of them never expected that their actions would set off a chain of magnificent events afterward.


As they labored in the silence, wrapping His body with fine white linen; adding myrrh and aloes of a 100 pounds, what was on their minds?

Perhaps they felt a sense of loss:
To Nicodemus, Christ was the Rabbi who pointed him in the way of eternal life.
To Joseph, Christ was a teacher who was wholly blameless and fully righteous.

I'm inclined to believe that all they had on their minds was: "What next? Was all this merely one grandiose dream?"

Both were men of standing in the Jewish community but they had willingly risked trouble to be His secret disciples. Were their dreams now dashed forever? For now, that did not matter.
All they wanted was to accord Christ one last honorable consecration.

Joseph took the body of Christ and buried it his tomb, where no one had ever lain before. Closing the stone to the tomb, they all hurried home for it was the day of Preparation.

____________________________________________________


As the church ministers drew the cloth over the communion table once again, I'm reminded of His immense love for you, for me, for us all.
The King on the Cross was obedient to the death, His blood was shed, for us all.

He descended into the heart of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights, fulfilling His own prophecy, and afterwards, rising again to the resurrection glory.

- It was through human hands that Christ was given an honorable burial.
But it is through His cleansing blood in Baptism that we gain life eternal.

- It was a brand new, empty tomb in which His body was buried.
It is only in an undefiled heart of ours that He can come in to tarry.

- Joseph and Nicodemus drew the linen shroud over His body and they hurried home with their hearts heavy.
The church ministers drew the cloth over the communion table in silence and my heart gave Him glory.

Glory, for He had indeed resurrected, promising us that one day we would all be able to drink the cup anew with Him, in His Kingdom.

Oh, the wondrous silence that caught me.
How Blissful, how Peaceful.
It was in the Silence that I recalled His Assurance.

Maximum Result, Minimum Effort

I did my own washing of my clothes as usual. But tonight, something suddenly struck me.
As I wringed my FOX T-shirt to remove the excess water, some thoughts came to my mind.

(Perhaps some of you may not know this but FOX apparel hails from the land of Israel.)

The T-shirt is particular has this slogan emblazoned across the chest:
MAXIMUM result
MINIMUM effort
At the back there is a small stylized '1948'.

I've never taken a 2nd look at the slogan and 'year established' but tonight I had a 2nd opinion.

In light of the recent global backlash on Israel's air campaigns and hostile bombarding of Southern Lebanon, I thought of some things.
But as I've earlier mentioned in a previous post that this isn't meant to be a political blog in anyway, the comments here are my own opinions and in no way represent anyone else.

So Israel has struck a UN observation post.
So Israel has bombed a village killing many young ones.
So the whole world minus the USA has heaped much vituperation on Israel.
So what?

As it has been since 1948, Israel will always be seen as the bad guys. It is the perceived fact and will remain this way until the world caves in.

1948. A year where the thinkable occurred.
After disappearing from the face of the earth for so many hundreds of years, the State of Israel was proclaimed on May 14, 1948.
Jews from all over the globe trotted back to their homeland, defying all logic and reasoning, established Yisra'el as a sovereign nation.

MAXIMUM result, MINIMUM effort.
The eyes of the world may never understand it, but Israel will always be the first chosen nation of God.
Her very name was bestowed upon Jacob after he wrestled with God.
Israel = “he who Struggled with God” OR “Prince with God” OR "Upright (with) God"
(Genesis 32:28)

Though she had revolted against her God countless times;
Though she had turned her face to foreign idols innumerably;
Yet,
In God's eyes, Israel is still His first chosen race.
________________________________________________________

Throughout history, ancient Israel has defeated countless enemies without so much as relying on themselves, but on God.

-Abraham and his 318 warriors were heroes during their rescue mission.

-Isaac always had plenty of living water in the wells he dug, despite his enemies shutting off his water supplies.

-Gideon and his valiant 300 men defeated the Midianites with torches in one hand, and trumpets in the other, all the while calling out, "The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!"

-Joshua and his men at the brink of Jericho, came face to face with and prostrated before the almighty Commander of the LORD's army.

The ancients had total reliance and submission to His will and they won battles. ________________________________________________________


When they lost, it was the failure of man, not God.

-Israel lost at Ai because of Achan's sin

-Israel lost at Ebenezer because of the nation's constant disobedience.

-Israel was put to near-total annihilation because the blood of Jesus came upon their hands as they had foolishly proffered when they called for His crucifixion.

They were dispelled far and wide.
They lost their birthright temporarily to the Gentile world so that we might have access to Jesus our Father.
_________________________________________________________


But God is a faithful God.
He has preserved a remnant(Romans 11) that would one day accept Jesus as the Messiah, the only King.
When that day comes, we would all be in close anticipation of His coming glory.
1948 was the beginning of such a great work and miracle.
God's work and love for Israel is one that transcends human and earthly understanding.

So be it Hezbollah today or Hamas tomorrow, Be it a 6-Day war or a Gaza Strip tussle, God's chosen race will continue to defeat their enemies IF, and only if, it is in God's plan and will.

(Curiously, is it any coincidence that the flag of the Hezbollah features a hostile arm grabbing hold of a cold, cold AK-47 Assault Rifle, while the emblem of the Hamas features 2 crossed swords that speaks silent violence?)


As God was El Elohe Israel to Jacob, He is still the same today, to His physical Israel, and more so His Spiritual Israel.

This is a quote not born of a slacker, but of a victor who truly relies on Jesus:
MAXIMUM result,
MINIMUM effort
- Since 1948 ...... or rather, much further before & into all eternity.

An Anchor of Our Faith

I shared my first sermonette during a recent youth service.
I've decided to put up the notes to share. Note that it has been edited to fit a blog-post style. Whether a cursory or thorough reading, I hope you are edified as much as I was in preparing it.
Do give me some pointers.

The theme for this quarter’s Youth Service is ‘Unchanging Truth & Faith in a Changing World’.
Admittedly, I encountered some difficulty in thinking of what to speak on. In the end, I decided on: ‘An Anchor of Our Faith’
_______________________________________________________
Many of us have faced times or situations where we were forced to make decisions. Being forced means that we felt constrained to make the decisions that would affect the sequence of events ahead and more importantly, the direction of our faith.

A simple MCQ :
How often has it been for you that you had to make some tough decisions about your faith? (A)Quite often? (B)Very often? If we belong to any of these 2 groups, we should count ourselves fortunate. Why so? Firstly, it’s because these 2 options are actually the same, really, meaning that we’re working hard at preserving our faith. But more importantly, it reflects that we are actively concerned with ensuring that our decisions will only affect our faith in a good way.

Now this is of paramount importance in our compromising world. When we see how much the morals and ethics of the world have regressed, there is a strong need to be proactive in maintaining a steadfast faith.
Sometimes, we may not realize it, but the slightest thing that we take part in can have some form of repercussions on our spirituality.

For example, the progress of technology is a great gain to us. But when we do not exercise enough caution, we may just let Satan deceive us into watching more TV, spending too much time in front of the computer, or fiddling around with our new techie toys too much. The clear implication here is that we let ourselves willingly be robbed of time which could have been dedicated to God.

Today's world is changing further beyond the realms of technology. Morals have sunk to new lows. Decadence and opulence have become the order of the day.

How do we remain steadfast in a changing world?

The Bible's counsel in Hebrews 6:19-20 reads:
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,”

Here, the author of Hebrews mentions of an Anchor of the soul. This anchor is sure and steadfast, unmoving and unchanging. The anchor is the hope of our salvation and the future glory in the kingdom above. Anchors are attached to vessels.

It is interesting to note how the Bible describes our bodies as the Vessels of God. Since in another sense, a vessel can refer to a boat, a ship, or an ark even. So we are vessels of the Lord, sailing on the seas of the world today, do we have an anchor that is strong enough? Have we examined whether our hope is well-positioned to help us to remain rooted when calamity strikes?

Ephesians 4:14 serves to remind us of this danger:
“That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,”

I recall of a testimony which I read and heard before:
There was an Indian brother who was Malaysian naval officer from Perak. He was sailing with the ship when he was mysteriously flung overboard in the middle of No-man’s Land. We can imagine how worrying it would be to get lost in a crowded place like a shopping centre, but this guy was lost in the ocean. He struggled to stay alive and had to fend off the attacks from jellyfish and predatory fishes.

Furthermore, the area where he was lost was famous for sharks! The brother struggled to stay afloat despite the rough seas and huge waves that pounded him from all sides. At one point he almost gave up, but his faith that God would save him, kept him from committing suicide.

Eventually he fainted but awoke to find himself near a shoreline. So he swam to the shore and was eventually rescued by the island's tribal men.
This is an extremely wonderful testimony.
It shows us that no circumstance can be too difficult for the Lord to show His grace upon us. What is important is whether we have the anchor that keeps us faithful to His promise.

However, there is a regretful ending to this testimony. Apparently, in a turn of events, this Indian Brother eventually got swayed by the wind of doctrine and cunning trickery of men and he defected to the Jehovah’s Witness.

What can we learn from this testimony? I believe that his faith in the Lord was genuine when he was in desperate situations. His prayers were heartfelt pleas to God to preserve him, which God did. At that time, his faith was true, his faith was sincere.

So what went wrong? This is where Ephesians 4:14 comes in, as we’ve read earlier.

1 Corinthians 10:12 gives us another indication and strong warning.
“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

Today we may think we’re standing firm and doing well in our faith.
Yet how sure can we be?
-Who is to say that we won’t give in to temptations and sin?
-Who is to say that we can be sure of our faith in the Lord?
-Are we really that strong?
-Who measures the strength of our faith?
Is it ourselves? Or do we let the Word of God be the measure?

When the author of Hebrews mentions of the hope of salvation being the anchor of our soul, the key issue is whether the hope we have is sure and steadfast.

There is a quote that goes “Change is the only constant”.

Things change and they always do.

• The world environment changed after the Great Flood.
• Lot changed after he moved to Sodom.
• King Hezekiah changed after his life was given a time-extension and he became a fool.
• In Revelations, the church of Ephesus changed and left her first love.

People, Emotions, Surroundings change all the time. How can we remain steadfast to the promise of God?

To answer that, we must know that there is only one thing that is immutable.
The Word of God that was in the Beginning is still the same today as it was in the past. Jesus is the Word. Jesus doesn’t change.

When Jesus mentioned that He was the way, the truth, and the life, He was providing a way of hope to the lost sheep of the world.
He made that hope available 2000 years ago. Today that hope continues to be the ultimate goal of ours.
Thus we should always bear in mind that this hope of salvation has to be worked out in fear and trembling, just like how Paul exhorted the Philippians in Philippians 2:12.
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;”


Do not be like King Saul who lost sight of his hope when his heart changed to be filled with hatred and jealousy. His anchor was dislodged from the the truth and correct understanding of God.
The happenings and eventual outcome of the Indian naval officer also serve as a great warning to us that we must never be complacent in our faith.
We need to be strong, alert and aware of the changing world to ensure that we stand firm.

To ensure that we’re in the right path of hope, we have to look to the only source of hope - The Bible is the true anchor of our faith and the Hope of our salvation – God’s Word.

The times ahead are going to be even more uncertain. We need to remain in the pattern of sound words and traditions of the apostles. This was what Paul encouraged young Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:13-14. Remain in the hope of salvation by remaining in the doctrines and teachings of the Word of God.

Our Vessels are battleships in the raging seas of the world. The waves may shift and the tides may turn against us, but when we have the hope of salvation as an anchor of our faith, we would do well to resist the trickery of man and Satan.

Have we lost our direction of our hope? - Lower our anchor.

Fortify it with the strongest of materials by reading the bible and praying for the Holy Spirit’s in-filling.

Barnabas' Encouraging Act

On Sunday, Bro V shared a sermonette on Barnabas and how he was an exemplary encourager for us to learn from.
What caught my attention most was this particular point:

Barnabas accepted Mark even when Paul rejected him.

The insight:

1) When Paul was formerly Saul, he was the foremost of sinners, having persecuted and killed Christians. He was a barbaric pariah in their sight. Yet it was Barnabas who appected him with open arms and gave him a second chance.

2) Yet when it was young Mark's turn to become weak, though not to the extent of (S)Paul's former wickedness, Paul could not accept him.
It was Barnabas again, who gave Mark a second chance.

Barnabas never stopped encouraging others. Little wonder why should we as well.
Lord, please help us to be Sons of Encouragement

Post-Mortem on World Cup 2006

The FIFA World Cup 2006 recently concluded with a bang(head-bang actually), some fizzle and lots of passion. Curiously, this world cup will not be remembered for its winner - Italy, for that matter - but for the high drama that ensued in the final match.

Why oh why Mr Zidane?

That, though would not be the crux of this posting.
I choose to remember the World Cup 2006 for other aspects.

This World Cup was famous for the Coaches and Referees. There were some really good ones while others were just incorrigible. I choose to focus on the Coaches.

Coaches play an important role in gelling the team together. Without them, what you get are individuals, all eager to prove their own ability, without any concern for the team.
When a coach makes the right tactical decisions at the appropriate time, something fabulous may just occur.
When a coach is a good leader, he gets the whole team together, to lay aside their differences, and just for that magical moment, scale the heights of glory together as one formidable alliance.

The Good:
Germany sent the nation into a frenzy at No. 3,
France retained some glory at No. 2,
Australia dazzled our eyes in the knock-off stages,
Ghana did well to leave a memory of their determination.

The Bad:
England boasted, made empty promises, and played boring football,
Spain & Argentina looked promising until some bewildering tactical decisions,
Brazil was a shadow of its fomer self.

What went wrong for the losers? England et al were filled to the brim with promising players, rambunctious and eager to prove their youth. What proved their downfall however, were the gaffes in coaching tactics.

What went right for the winners? Germany was focussed and believed in reviving the nation's glory, Australia never said 'die', France proved their detractors wrong and showed that age and experience are essential, Ghana never showed their arrogance and remained humble to their roots. Above all, they had fantastic coaches.
_______________________________

What are your reflections on the posting so far? My main point is this:

We the chosen race of God, have Jesus our Lord as our coach.
He is our coach for life, He is our coach for death.
"For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide, Even to death" -Psalm 48:14

I, like all individuals, am often eager to prove my worth. Sometimes I forget that God is my guide, my coach. I've made wrong decisions, I've turned my ears away from Him, I've sinned against Him.

But each time I read this verse, I stand in awe of His promise and wonder.
He knows we are weak. But He never stops being our coach.
Even when we've lost the battles in the qualifying stages, He is still our guide.
Even when the Church is weak and without faithful prayers, He is the patient Groom who awaits the perfecting of His imperfect bride.

Often times, each of us has thought of himself better than others. But this is not to be so in God's church. We are a team. We need to gel together and never say 'die'.
With each passing day that we age, it brings experience that tells us we can only rely on God. When we've qualified for the world stage, we need to remain humble to our roots, lest we become proud and fall.
We are all members of His Body, and there "should be no schism in the body, but that the members have the same care for one another" - 1 Cor 12:25

Jesus is infallible. Our God is immutable. His can never make coaching gaffes like the human ones do. He has shown Himself to be the the truest guide and Commander to Ancient Israel, He will do the same for His spiritual army today.
One day we will all sing this song together, like Joshua did: "You have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the LORD your God is He who fought for you." - Joshua 23:3

We all need Jesus as our guide, our coach.
Heed His counsel.

A Short Story about True Love

TRUE LOVE

It was a busy morning, approximately 8:30 am, when an elderly gentleman
in his 80's, arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb.

He stated that he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. I
took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an
hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his
watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would
evaluate his wound.

On examining, found it was well healed, so I talked to one of the
doctors and got the supplies to remove his sutures and redress his
wound. While taking care of his wound, we began to engage in
conversation I asked him if he had a doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry.

The gentleman told me no, but that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.

I then inquired as to her health.

He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease.

As we talked, and I finished dressing his wound, I asked if she would be worried if he was a bit late.

He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised, and asked him. "And you still go every morning, even
though she doesn't know who you are?"


He smiled as he patted my hand and said." She doesn't know me, but I
still know who she is."
I had to hold back tears as he left, and thought, "That is the kind of
love I want in my life."


True love is neither physical, nor romantic.
True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not
be.
With all the jokes and fun that are in e-mails, sometimes there are some
that come along that have an important message, and this is one of those
Just had to share it with you all.

"The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the best of everything that comes along their way."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Afterthought:
Sometimes, we stop knowing who God is. Yet He still loves us because He knows us continually.
That is the Agape Love He has for us.

True Love transcends human understanding, and goes to the extent of exchanging His life for ours.

A Reflection On MYSM

And so the 2-day MYSM has concluded...

The theme - Grow In the Grace of Christ

We had the 3 Chins, delivering powerhouse sermons one after another to exhort and edify all of us.
Thank God for arranging His 3 dedicated workers who labored hard to prepare the sermons - Pr SC, Pr CAQ, Pr DC.
God remember their work and keep them strong in the faith to lead us onward.


In honesty, I know that my heart wasn't fully prepared for the event. Regardless of how I kept reminding myself prior to the MYSM that I had to consecrate and prepare my heart, I still fell short of the goal I had set.

Maybe it was the lack of sincere prayers,
Maybe it was the lack of total consecration,
Maybe it was the weakness of the flesh to keep to His Commandments;
Yet, Christ in the fulness of His grace, accepted me, along with all my shortcomings, blemished offerings and imperfect devotion.

This ascension on His holy mount was accompanied by Tribulation, Temptation and Distress. Some, I failed in the battle, while in others, barely making it.
Yet, coming to the Holy Temple, God's mercy and grace were never lacking.

Perhaps Christ wanted me to learn lessons, hard ones at that in order to make me See clearly with spiritual eyes, Hear better with spiritual ears, Sense better with spiritual touch.
My prayers seemed to have gone unheard and I felt weak in the Spirit.
It was distressing and painful, feeling that God wasn't listening.
I felt like I was grasping in the dark for something that I wasn't sure of, something that I didn't understand fully.


Nevertheless,
Every sermon pierced through my heart and soul, bringing warning and encouragement to me. Every testimony inserted at the right moment admonished my spirit, rebuked my pride, and revived my hope.


Satan doesn't waste his time on unbelieving souls. He spends all his effort in striving to bring down those who love God. Those who truly love Christ should be ready to undergo all afflictions.


It was in the concluding sermon that I awoke to my folly. Many questions richoted through my mind:
Was I letting myself be ruled by Satan, to give him a foothold first and then ultimately, a throne to sit on, in the Church?
Was I letting Jezebel corrupt me inwardly while maintaining a hypocritical face in front of others?
Was I letting myself make secret offerings in front of an Idolatrous Altar hidden behind the Pulpit?
Would I fall to pride to seek after man's applause and not God's acceptance?
Would I make the Church of God become my stage in the future?
Would I grow lukewarm and glory in my past work for Christ?

These questions are important and need to be constantly asked by ourselves when we serve Him. The reason: Every individual makes up the Church, and the Church must be loyal and reverent to Christ; Every individual must be faithful and godly.

The last prayer for the Holy Spirit, I confessed:
My weaknesses, My sins, My infidelity, My wretchedness, My baseness, My reluctance, My unworthiness.

I experienced God's calming reassurance in that prayer.
Listening to His still, soft voice, I know that He spoke to me.

Lord, let me learn to love you with my heart in it, help me grow in your grace which you so unsparingly pour out on us, everyday.

Are You BUSY?

Babylonian SYSTEM: (Read even if you're busy)

Satan called a global convention of demons.

In his opening address he said,

“We can't keep Christians from going to church.”
"We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth."
"We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their savior."
"Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken."

"So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, BUT steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ."


"This is what I want you to do," said the devil:

"Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"


"How shall we do this?" his demons shouted, with maniacal glee.

"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered.
"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow."

"Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles."
"Keep them from spending time with their children."
"As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!"

"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice."
"Entice them to play the radio or CD player whenever they drive."
"Keep the TV, DVDs, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly."
"This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ."


"Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers."
"Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day."
"Invade their driving moments with billboards and road-rage."
"Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes."
"Engulf them with stocks, shares, investments, betting et al to store up perishable treasures which blind them from the future crown of glory."


"Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives. "
"Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night."
Give them headaches too!
"If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere."
"That will fragment their families quickly!"


"Give them Santa Clause, Presents, Mistletoes, Parties, Revelries to deceive them about Christmas and the true humble significance of Christ's birth."
"Give them an Easter bunny, Easter eggs, Hot-X Buns, to deceive them about Eostre/Ishtar/Astarte/Ashtoreth, to blind them from the saving grace of Holy Communion."


"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive in all aspects."
"Have them return from their recreation exhausted."


"Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, clubs and movies instead."
"Keep them busy, busy, busy!"
"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences."


"Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus."
"Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause."


"It will work!" "It will work!" cried the insidious schemer.

It was quite a plan!

The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there.
Having little time for their God or their families.
Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives.

I guess the question is, has the devil been successful in his schemes?

You be the judge.

Does "BUSY" mean:

B-eing
U-nder
S-atan's
Y-oke ?

An Ascension Prologue

Hebrews 10:25
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

Find Peace...
Find Jesus Christ

Join Mid Year Spiritual Meeting
at Teluk Kurau and Adam Road Churches, Singapore
26-28 May 2006 (Fri-Sun)
____________________________________________________________

I got this through the (e)mailer today. As I read it, I thought of a recent conversation I had with a fellow brother. He mentioned that the MYSM wouldn't really be too big an event for regular, sincere attendees of services, given that their weekends were already filled to the brim.
Friday Evening Service - Sabbath AM & PM Services, Choir Practice, various Meetings - Sunday Youth Service.

In that regard, what he said does make sense. Yet a nagging feeling within me said that there was something more: a spiritual, deeper dimension to the MYSM and all spiritual convocations for that matter.
I leafed through the Psalms and found one of ascents.
Psalm 122 was one such paean of King David to the ascension upon the hills of Jerusalem.

I believe the Israelites were brimming with expectancy, hopes and dreams - of the renewal and revival from God.
They ascended thrice-yearly (Ex 34:18~23) & we do so biannually (at least in Singapore).
I don't see much of a difference today. It is still the same God, and we the same chosen people coming before Him, for a similar important event.

It is an extension of what many of us are already experiencing every weekend. But it is even more so a Holy convocation, appointed by God through the Church for us.
The hope is that we all prepare our hearts, set aside our time, and dedicate our Spirits to the worship.

'I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!'
'Where the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, to the Testimony of Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD' - (Psalm 122 : 1~2, 4)

Purpose

So I just thought I should define the background and direction of this Weblog and its Title.
I guess I drew inspiration mostly from Proverbs 27:1 which goes "Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth."

We like to plan ahead, to ensure things run according to our designs.
We plan our study timetable(though we hardly keep to it - haha)
We plan our workflow, our projects, our lifestyle.
We plan for meetings, games, movies, events.

Lots of plans but so little time. That is a familiar feeling isn't it?

Tomorrow,
We shall have lunch at the great new cafeteria,
We shall catch that latest movie at 7:30pm,
We shall meet at the train station before heading for tuition class,
We shall do this and that,
We shall take our ease, eat, drink and be merry...

Instead,
Shall we attend service since it has been set aside for us members?
Shall we put aside our appointments with our friends to worship God?
Shall we hasten our footsteps to His sanctuary and pursue His holiness?
Shall we strengthen the bond of the fellowship among the brethren?
What is God's plan for our Tomorrow?
Since we do not know what tomorrow may or can bring forth (adapted from Ecc 8 : 7), seize whatever time and oppotunity given to us today to consecrate ourselves to Him.

Truly, given that I sure don't know what tomorrow may bring forth, I decided to make use of my time to write some useful things, in the hope of edifying myself and even others.
If any of you are edified, I give thanks to God.

Let's live our lives like Tomorrow may never come.
Not to indulge in this life's revelries,
But to strive for sanity & sanctity through the help of the Spirit.
Definitely we are all weak, thus all the more ought we to pray for one another to undergo constant renewal.


For the simple reason that I wish for this blog to serve a worthy purpose, I shall not bore you all out too often with ramblings of my day et al. Thanks for taking time to read. (I know some are real lenghty! :P)

Who Turned...?

Who turned...
From the Sunlight
From the Love
to a realm of dusk, distrust, displeasure
to seek after fleeting events,
which be self-seeking, scourging, sinister

Who walked...
Away from the grasp,
to sway to the dust.

Who dimmed the lights?
Who lost the fight?
Non! Non! he cried
All but you took flight


Contemplations in the grey matter did abound:
Turn from the swaying fetters, turn around.
your spinning-top is dizzying the soul,
your sinning thoughts are quenching the spirit.


He calls to you but chose you to hear not?
Far too often you got tangled in the knots
Drowning that voice, you then end up with nought.


Arise, Awaken, Affirm
Let the Accuser despair you not
Get the Blinker back on top
Set your heart to turn back now


The Word...
is faithful, true and sure
to bring you back from that seizure
and renew your mind, heart and spirit

On thy knees thou ought to fall,
only then can thou rise tall

But first,
to remove those stones thou must,
& confess thou trespasses that obscured.

He is faithful till the end
Never letting His Hand go.
So with hyssop thou must cleanse
& seek Him now to cure thy soul.

Sherpa Walk

In unspoken words, the Sherpa communicated to his followers. The members of the expedition placed their trust in the guide. They were on hostile Himalayan terrain, but nevertheless continued to moved upwards from the Base camp, navigated through jagged obstacles, faltered and quavered a little but at last reached their destination.
----------------

As part of a teambuilding activity, everyone in my department had to be blindfolded and placing our hands on the shoulders of the person in front, we formed a train. Our leaders were the only ones with 'sight' and brought us through the path of the unknown.

Along the way, we met with uncertain slopes, distorted vegetated landscapes, walls, descents and uneven steps. You get the picture. While blindfolded, one is severely hampered in her/his motions. The only source of guidance and assurance came from the 'sherpas'. On our part, what was needed were Trust, Communication, Perserverance, Teamwork.

The game was called Sherpa Walk.

While the activity was meant to be a team-building one for corporate comapnies, it certainly went further for me. The micro-scale obstacles were conquered without much difficulty because we worked together and trusted the 'sherpas'.

Some of us may be facing macro-scale problems in our lives today. It could be severe abjection, burdensome illnesses, financial strains or the various vissicitudes of life that just seem to be unending. We feel the toll of gravity upon our feeble shoulders and wish to give up because it seems to be the easy way out.

It is difficult. It is seemingly impossible. No one seems to understand your pain and troubles except you.
But God knows every single one of your tears. He keeps them in His bottle, close to His heart - Psalm 56:8
He who did not forsake the Israelites but instead "guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night" - Psalm 78:14, would He not all the more be your guide today?

What is needed of us is that we be Righteous in His sight, be Humble to confess our inadequacy. Put your Trust in Him, Communicate with Him on your knees, Perservere in His promises, share your troubles with His Team (our brethren), let Him be your Guide, even unto death.

Sherpa Walk took 22 minutes. With God as our Guide, our Walk of Faith will definitely go much further and longer into eternity.

The Lord's Prayer

The "Our Father" Prayer: Do I Really Mean What I Pray?
I received this in my email recently so I thought I should share it.
Examine how well you live what you pray as you meditate on the following:
_____________________________________________________________


I cannot say OUR if I keep my faith only to myself and never share it with others.

I cannot say FATHER if I do not trust in His loving and complete concern for me, forgetting that He always answers prayers how and when He knows is best.

I cannot say WHO ART IN HEAVEN if I am so attached to the ways of this world that I neglect to seek God first in everything.

I cannot say HALLOWED BE THY NAME if I am unwilling to let His holiness penetrate my life and help me grow in my own holiness.

I cannot say THY KINGDOM COME if I am not using my life to bring His love into the world.

I cannot say THY WILL BE DONE if I live by my own ideas of morality or choose to follow the world's standards instead of taking heed to His will.

I cannot say ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN if I am not devoting my life to serving Him here on earth.

I cannot say GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD if I am not willing to be generous with whatever God gives me.

I cannot say FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES if I don't want to put forth enough effort to change.

I cannot say AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US if I still hold a grudge, if I'm still angry, or if I still insist that other people change.

I cannot say LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION if I deliberately or knowingly place myself in a position to be tempted.

I cannot say DELIVER US FROM EVIL if I'm not actively fighting against evil through deeds of love and service for everyone in my life, especially those who cause problems.

-------------------------------------------

Thereon, the email concludes.
Some of my random thoughts to the unmentioned portion of the Prayer:

For Thine is the Kingdom, Power, and Glory, Forever. Amen.

• Let's bear in mind that His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36) so we ought to fix our focus more on His Spiritual kingdom
• Remember that He alone sustains the whole world in His powerful hand, suspending the earth over nothing (Job 26:7)
  
• Ascribe glory to Him only and strive to live in peace with Man (Luke 2:14)

Verily, verily, If we keep our peace with Him, He will not fail to do all He promised.

Dimensions of The Cross

During a morning prayer session before Youth Service today, Bro B mentioned something briefly that caught my ear. Perhaps I had not thought of it in this manner before thus the intrigue.
In my own words now, I shall attempt to expound on it. Given the brevity of the statement, I may not be complete in my explanation. You all can help to add to it.

How do you view the Cross? Definitely, it is a symbol of Salavation that was born out of Grace and Love (but let's save this for another entry). The cross is a symbol of our relationship with Christ and also with our fellow Church Brethren.

How so, you ask?

• Wasn't it always just the symbol of our relationship with Christ, since it was only through the cross that we were reconciled with Him?
  

No doubt about that.

For this is first and foremost, of paramount significance to our faith as true Christians.
This is the vertical relationship we share with Christ our God.
Vertical being a Straight channel, Upright, Unbroken and Total.
Picture Christ hanging upon that accursed tree, His body as a sacrifice, that we might attain a perfect reunion with the Father.
That is the vertical relationship we have with Him, Top-down first and then a Bottom-up thirst.


The church is the Body of Christ. She is the beautiful bride betrothed to Him and she was bought at a price, the ransom of the Son's blood.
We, His children, are the Church.
We who once were scattered far and wide have been brought back to the fold by His hands.

The Hands that were stretched on the cross continue to encompass His Church today, reminding us of the horizontal relationship we share with each other in the Church.
Horizontal being Outstretched, Undeviating, Level and Balanced.
Once again, we picture Christ and His nail-pierced hands outstretched on the beam, drawing His last breath, undeviating from His purpose, He asks the Father to forgive them, even us.

We need to emulate His example today. Every individual in His Church was saved by His hands. Who are we to condemn? Why should we be partial?

Let us pursue that horizontal relationship with all our brethren in the Church, knowing that it was Christ who first extended His arms for us and to us.

The Vertical and Horizontal dimensions of the Cross, explore them here :
Ephesians 2 : 14~19