G2's!

A Son to Redeem the Land and a Son to Redeem the World

2011-10-26T08:54:00.001+08:00

A Son to Redeem the Land and a Son to Redeem the World

Excerpted from The Heart of the Story by Randy Frazee

Ruth 1 But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. (v. 16)

[Ruth and Naomi] arrive in Bethlehem during the harvest season, which offers a way for these two poor women to earn some money. According to God’s instructions, wealthy farmers were required to let the poor glean the fields — follow behind the harvesters to pick up scraps of grain they missed. Ruth convinces Naomi to let her go to a field to glean, a sure recipe for trouble. Bethlehem is a relatively small town where everyone knows everyone else and especially takes notice of strangers.

As it turns out, of all the fields surrounding Bethlehem, Ruth unknowingly chooses one that is owned by a relative of the father-in-law she never knew. This relative’s name is Boaz, and when he discovers that she is the Moabite widow who accompanied Naomi back to Bethlehem, he showers her with kindness. He invites her to glean all she wants and to drink from the jars of water he provides to his workers, and he warns his men not to lay a hand on her. He even tells his workers to deliberately leave a little extra grain behind so that Ruth won’t have to work so hard.

Ruth is stunned! She knows her status. Foreigners were never treated so well, and when she rushes home to tell Naomi her news, the older woman begins to taste hope for the first time in many years. So the old woman takes on the role of a Jewish matchmaker straight out of Fiddler on the Roof.

She tells Ruth to take a shower, splash on a little Chanel No. 5, and put on her Sabbath best. She must then head over to Boaz’s place that night and play the part of Cinderella. She has to wait until he finishes eating — never approach a man with an empty stomach. After he goes to bed, she is to sneak in and uncover his feet and lie down at the foot of his bed. Boaz will understand exactly what Ruth is doing.

And Ruth follows her mother-in-law’s inspired instruction to the letter. When Boaz awakens, startled at the sight of this stranger camped at the foot of his bed, he asks who she is, to which his secret admirer replies, “I am your servant Ruth . . . Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family.”3

The word for “garment” in Hebrew is the same word for “wing.” When Ruth first met Boaz, he referred to God’s wings providing her a place of refuge. Ruth is now asking Boaz to become God’s wing for her permanently. And he accepts. He exercises his obligation, and they become married! He buys not only Ruth’s deceased husband’s land but his brother’s land and Elimelek’s as well. Risking his own estate, he redeems them all.

As overwhelming a turnaround as this is, the good news doesn’t stop here. There’s more going on in the Upper Story. At the end of the book of Ruth, we are given the genealogy of Boaz’s family. Here we learn that Obed grew up and had a son named Jesse. Jesse grew up to have a son named David. Twenty-eight generations later, a little baby named Jesus was born in a stable in the town of Bethlehem.

Jesus is the ultimate Guardian-Redeemer. He will redeem all who want his wings of forgiveness to cover them, even outsiders. Jesus came from the family of an outsider named Ruth!

God was working above the scenes of Ruth’s and Naomi’s lives in the Lower Story to provide them with a son who could redeem the land. God was also working above the scenes of Ruth’s and Naomi’s lives in the Upper Story to provide them with a Son who could redeem the world.

Why do we remember?

2011-09-17T09:49:00.001+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a video on the value of remembering the past...

M.Y.

No Fear

2011-09-17T09:44:00.000+08:00

Daily Devotional - September 09, 2011

No Fear

read›
Matthew 10:29-31
Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns,
for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to Him than any
birds! (Luke 12:24).

The other day I stopped at a service station to fill
up my car’s gas tank. When I went inside to pay,
I noticed a little sparrow hopping around on the
windowsill next to the cashier. She told me the sparrow
had flown into the window a few days earlier and
injured its wing. So she had brought it inside to give it a
chance to mend.

It was obvious that the fragile bird was frightened.
But a caring woman had taken him under her wing,
providing him shelter and a place to heal.
Shortly after my encounter with the little bird, I thought
of the discussion about sparrows that Jesus had with His
twelve disciples. He mentioned the small birds as He
was sending the men out to represent Him officially to
the people of Israel (Matthew 10). It was a dangerous
mission that would put them in harm’s way. He knew the
Jewish religious leaders would malign and persecute
them just as they did Him. In light of that fact, He said
to them, “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among
wolves” (v.16).

Understanding that the disciples naturally would be
afraid, Jesus then told them about the sparrows. He said,
“What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin?
But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without
your Father knowing it. . . . So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God
than a whole flock of sparrows” (vv.29-31).

Jesus’ point was simple. Since God makes it His business to consider the
welfare of little birds, He will also look after those who follow Him.
Is God sending you down a difficult path? Remember the sparrows and walk
without fear. Your heavenly Father will look after you.

—Jeff Olson

more›
Proverbs 29:25 describes what happens when we fear people and what
takes place when we trust God. Take a look!

next›
When do you tend to fear man more than God? How do
Jesus’ words about the sparrows encourage you today?

Visit: http://www.OurDailyJourney.org

Angel In The Doorway

2011-08-25T10:04:00.003+08:00

Daily Devotional, August 5, 2011 "Angel In The Doorway"

Angel In The Doorway

read›
Genesis 18:1-15

Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done
this have entertained angels without realizing it! (Hebrews 13:2).

He stood in the doorway with a toothy grin and
an evident social awkwardness. My friend, lying
in his hospital bed after having endured major
surgery, deftly shooed the visitor away with one-word
answers and obvious disinterest. Tom (the visitor) was
also a patient. His background and behavior were rough
and unpolished. A local mission was his most recent
address. In time, however, my friend warmed up and
showed Tom some hospitality. But it wasn’t until later that
it struck him: Tom might have been an angel. It humbled
my friend to realize that he had nearly spurned what
might have been a gift of comfort from God.

You never know who might show up in your doorway
or for dinner. Abraham once saw the Lord and two
angels heading toward his tent (Genesis 18:1-3). His
immediate response? Sarah, it’s time to whip together
your finest feast, for we have some VIPs that deserve a
heaping portion of hospitality! (vv.5-8).

For Abraham, it became increasingly clear that he was
entertaining angels (and the Lord). The aged patriarch
was surprised to learn from the Lord that he would
be a daddy—made possible by God’s divine power
(vv.10,14).

Taking Abraham’s example of being hospitable and
compassionate to the next level, Jesus said, “I was a
stranger, and you invited Me into your home. . . . I was
sick, and you cared for Me. I was in prison, and you visited Me” (Matthew
25:35-36). Driving it home, He proclaimed, “[What] you did . . . to one of the
least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me!” (v.40).
Remember, when you show kindness to that awkward person or give selflessly
to those in need, you just might be entertaining angels—perhaps even the Lord
Himself!

—Tom Felten

more›
In Luke 14:12-14, Jesus tells the host of a dinner (and us) what type
of people should be shown hospitality. Note what God will do for
those who follow Jesus’ instruction.

next›
How does it alter your view of others, when you realize that they might
be angels? How will you help someone today?

Visit: http://www.OurDailyJourney.org

Do Everything

2011-08-16T09:58:00.002+08:00

Daily Devotional, July 18, 2011

Do Everything
by Steven Curtis Chapman

I wrote the song “Do Everything” really to remind myself and also to
encourage others that everything matters; everything we do can be done
as an act of worship. 1 Corinthians 10 says, “Whatever you do, do it for
the glory of God.” There’s this tendency it seems to think of life with this
line drawn down the middle where there’s the spiritual stuff on one side
and then just the stuff of life on the other. But I really think God wants us to
remember, and I’m trying to learn, that whatever we do, it all matters. Some
might say, 'well, my job or role isn't important enough to make any real
difference," but I disagree.

1 Pet 4:10 & 11 addresses this, "God has given gifts to each of you from His
great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God's generosity can
flow through you. Are you called to be a speaker? Then speak as though God
Himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all
the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything
through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belong to Him forever and ever. Amen."

Whether it’s walking the dog, washing the dishes, taking out the trash, driving car pool,
trading global stocks, leading a massive company, all of these as well as the really big
spiritual moments, all of these can be done as an act of worship and everything can be done
to bring glory to the God who made us for that very purpose.

--Steven Curtis Chapman

God's offer of His parachute to us

2011-07-13T11:01:00.001+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a video for our reminder....

M.Y.

Sacrifice Song

2011-07-05T10:52:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a reminder of God's sacrifice to us.....what have we sacrificed for Him?

M.Y.

Made Perfect Through Sufferings

2011-06-28T11:47:00.003+08:00

Streams in the Desert

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Made Perfect Through Sufferings

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Rom. 8:18).

I kept for nearly a year the flask-shaped cocoon of an emperor moth. It is very peculiar in its construction. A narrow opening is left in the neck of the flask, through which the perfect insect forces its way, so that a forsaken cocoon is as entire as one still tenanted, no rupture of the interlacing fibers having taken place. The great disproportion between the means of egress and the size of the imprisoned insect makes one wonder how the exit is ever accomplished at all -- and it never is without great labor and difficulty. It is supposed that the pressure to which the moth's body is subjected in passing through such a narrow opening is a provision of nature for forcing the juices into the vessels of the wings, these being less developed at the period of emerging from the chrysalis than they are in other insects.

I happened to witness the first efforts of my prisoned moth to escape from its long confinement. During a whole forenoon, from time to time, I watched it patiently striving and struggling to get out. It never seemed able to get beyond a certain point, and at last my patience was exhausted. Very probably the confining fibers were drier and less elastic than if the cocoon had been left all winter on its native heather, as nature meant it to be. At all events I thought I was wiser and more compassionate than its Maker, and I resolved to give it a helping hand. With the point of my scissors I snipped the confining threads to make the exit just a very little easier, and lo! immediately, and with perfect case, out crawled my moth dragging a huge swollen body and little shrivelled wings. In vain I watched to see that marvelous process of expansion in which these silently and swiftly develop before one's eyes; and as I traced the exquisite spots and markings of divers colors which were all there in miniature, I longed to see these assume their due proportions and the creature to appear in all its perfect beauty, as it is, in truth, one of the loveliest of its kind. But I looked in vain. My false tenderness had proved its ruin. It never was anything but a stunted abortion, crawling painfully through that brief life which it should have spent flying through the air on rainbow wings. I have thought of it often, often, when watching with pitiful eyes those who were struggling with sorrow, suffering, and distress; and I would fain cut short the discipline and give deliverance. Short-sighted man! How know I that one of these pangs or groans could be spared? The far-sighted, perfect love that seeks the perfection of its object does not weakly shrink from present, transient suffering. Our Father's love is too true to be weak. Because He loves His children, He chastises them that they may be partakers of His holiness. With this glorious end in view, He spares not for their crying. Made perfect through sufferings, as the Elder Brother was, the sons of God are trained up to obedience and brought to glory through much tribulation. --Tract.

***

No more night

2011-06-21T15:30:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a song for all of us to persevere on....

M.Y.

The timeless theme, Earth and Heaven will pass away.
It’s not a dream, God will make all things new that day.
Gone is the curse from which I stumbled and fell.
Evil is banished to eternal hell.

No more night. No more pain.
No more tears. Never crying again.
And praises to the great "I AM."
We will live in the light of the risen Lamb.

See all around, now the nations bow down to sing.
The only sound is the praises to Christ, our King.
Slowly the names from the book are read.
I know the King, so there’s no need to dread.

No more night. No more pain.
No more tears. Never crying again.
And praises to the great "I AM."
We will live in the light of the risen Lamb.

See over there, there’s a mansion, oh, that’s prepared just for me,
Where I will live with my Savior eternally.

No more night. No more pain.
No more tears. Never crying again.
And praises to the great "I AM."
We will live in the light of the risen Lamb.

All praises to the great "I AM."
We’re gonna live in the light of the risen Lamb.

Your Rod and Your Staff

2011-06-14T12:47:00.004+08:00

Streams in the desert

Saturday, June 04, 2011

Your Rod and Your Staff

"Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. " (Ps. 23:4).

At my father's house in the country there is a little closet in the chimney corner where are kept the canes and walking-sticks of several generations of our family. In my visits to the old house, when my father and I are going out for a walk, we often go to the cane closet, and pick out our sticks to suit the fancy of the occasion. In this I have frequently been reminded that the, Word of God is a staff.

During the war, when the season of discouragement and impending danger was upon us, the verse, "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord," was a staff to walk with many dark days.

When death took away our child and left us almost heartbroken, I found another staff in the promise that "weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning."

When in impaired health, I was exiled for a year, not knowing whether I should be permitted to return to my home and work again, I took with me this staff which never failed, "He knows the plans He has for me, plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future. ."

***

In times of special danger or doubt, when human judgment has seemed to be set at naught, I have found it easy to go forward with this staff, "in quietness and trust is your strength." And in emergencies, when there has seemed to be no adequate time for deliberation or for action, I have never found that this staff has failed me, "He that believes shall not be impulsive." --Benjamin Vaughan Abbott, in The Outlook

***

"I had never known," said Martin Luther's wife, "what such and such things meant, in such and such psalms, such complaints and workings of spirit; I had never understood the practice of Christian duties, had not God brought me under some affliction." It is very true that God's rod is as the schoolmaster's pointer to the child, pointing out the letter, that he may the better take notice of it; thus He points out to us many good lessons which we should never otherwise have learned. --Selected

***

"God always sends His staff with His rod." " The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days. " (Deut.33:25).

***

Each of us may be sure that if God sends us on stony paths He will provide us with strong shoes, and He will not send us out on any journey for which He does not equip us well. --Mclaren

Funny Video about Late For Church

2011-06-06T10:46:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a funny video about late for church LOL

M.Y.

Your Crown of Glory

2011-05-27T11:22:00.003+08:00

Streams in the Desert

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Your Crown of Glory

"They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb....they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." (Rev. 12:11).

When James and John came to Christ with their mother, asking Him to give them the best place in the kingdom, He did not refuse their request, but told them it would be given to them if they could do His work, drink His cup, and be baptized with His baptism.

Do we want the competition? The greatest things are always hedged about by the hardest things, and we, too, shall find mountains and forests and chariots of iron. Hardship is the price of coronation. Triumphal arches are not woven out of rose blossoms and silken cords, but of hard blows and bloody scars. The very hardships that you are enduring in your life today are given by the Master for the explicit purpose of enabling you to win your crown.

Do not wait for some ideal situation, some romantic difficulty, some far-away emergency; but rise to meet the actual conditions which the Providence of God has placed around you today. Your crown of glory lies embedded in the very heart of these things--those hardships and trials that are pressing you this very hour, week and month of your life. The hardest things are not those that the world knows of. Down in your secret soul unseen and unknown by any but Jesus, there is a little trial that you would not dare to mention that is harder for you to bear than martyrdom.

There, beloved, lies your crown. God help you to overcome, and sometime wear it. --Selected

"It matters not how the battle goes,

The day how long;

Faint not! Fight on!

Tomorrow comes the song."

Who Am I -- Casting Crowns

2011-05-18T10:54:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a song of reminder for those who are feeling down....

M.Y.

How should a Christian view politics?

2011-05-05T11:56:00.001+08:00

Question: "How should a Christian view politics?"

Answer: If there is anything that will spark a spontaneous debate, if not an outright argument, it is a discussion involving politics—even among believers. As followers of Christ, what should our attitude and our involvement with politics be? It has been said that “religion and politics don’t mix.” But is that really true? Can we have political views outside the considerations of our Christian faith? The answer is no, we cannot. The Bible gives us two unassailable truths regarding our stance towards politics and government.

The first truth is that the will of God permeates and supersedes every aspect of life. It is God’s will that takes precedence over everything and everyone (Matthew 6:33). God’s plans and purposes are fixed and His will is inviolable. What He has purposed, He will bring to pass, and no government can thwart His will (Daniel 4:34-35). In fact, it is God who “sets up kings and deposes them” (Daniel 2:21) because “the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes” (Daniel 4:17). A clear understanding of this truth will help us to see that politics is merely a method God uses to accomplish His will. Even though evil men abuse their political power, meaning it for evil, God means it for good, working “all things together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Second, we must grasp the fact that our government cannot save us! Only God can. We never read in the New Testament of Jesus or any of the apostles expending any time or energy schooling believers on how to reform the pagan world of its idolatrous, immoral, and corrupt practices via the government. The apostles never called for believers to demonstrate civil disobedience to protest the Roman Empire's unjust laws or brutal schemes. Instead, the apostles commanded the first-century Christians, as well as us today, to proclaim the gospel and live lives that would give clear evidence to its transforming power.

There is no doubt that our responsibility to government is to obey the laws and be good citizens (Romans 13:1-2). God has established all authority and He does so for our benefit, “to commend those who do right” (1 Peter 2:13-15). Paul tells us in Romans 13:1-8 that it is the government’s responsibility to rule in authority over us—hopefully for our good—to collect taxes, and to keep the peace. Where we have a voice and can elect our leaders, Christians should exercise that right by voting for those whose views most closely parallel our own.

Having said that, it should be noted that one of the grandest deceptions of Satan placed within the mind of man is to believe that we can rest our hope for cultural morality and godly living in politicians and governmental officials. This nation’s hope for change, for a better life, is not to be found in the halls of Congress or in the White House or in any country’s ruling class. The church has made a huge mistake in thinking that it is the job of our politicians to defend, to advance, and to guard biblical truths and Christian values.

The church’s unique, God-given purpose does not lie in political activism. Nowhere in Scripture do we have the directive to spend our energy, our time, or our money in governmental affairs. Our mission lies not in changing the nation through political reform, but in changing hearts through the Word of God. When believers think the growth and influence of Christ can somehow be allied with government policy, they corrupt the mission of the church. Our Christian mandate is to spread the gospel of Christ and to preach against the sins of our time. Only as the hearts of individuals in a culture are changed by Christ will the culture begin to reflect that change.

Believers throughout the ages have lived, and even flourished, under antagonistic, repressive, pagan governments. This was especially true of the first-century believers who, under merciless political regimes, sustained their faith under immense cultural stress. They understood that it was they, not their governments, who were the light of the world, the salt of the earth. They adhered to Paul’s teaching to obey their governing authorities, even to honor, respect, and pray for them (Romans 13:1-8). More importantly, they understood that as believers, their hope resided in the protection that only God supplies. The same holds true for us today. When we follow the teachings of the Scriptures, we become the light of the world as God has intended for us to be in the first place (Matthew 5:16).

The bottom line is this: political entities are not the savior of the world. The salvation for all mankind has been manifested through Jesus Christ. God knew that our world needed saving long before any national government was ever founded. He demonstrated to the world that redemption could not be accomplished through the power of man, his economic strength, his military might, or his politics. Peace of mind, contentment, hope and joy—and the salvation of mankind—is accomplished only through His work of faith, love, and grace.

Easter Sunday Mass Dance

2011-04-27T08:49:00.001+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a Easter Sunday mass dance....celebrating the resurrection of our Lord

M.Y.

Not just a matter of eggs and bunny

2011-04-15T14:53:00.002+08:00

Not just a matter of eggs and bunny

Just like how Santa had managed to somehow usurp Jesus’ role in Christmas, Easter is quickly becoming an affair to merely celebrate painted eggs and bunnies. It would be prudent for us to appreciate the significance of this historical event. »

Yes — historical. We can sometimes fail to remember that many of the religious festivals we celebrate are really a commemoration of true historical events that actually occurred. Similarly, Easter is the observance of a spectacular and unparalleled incident that took place approximately 2000 years ago. And this is not merely because the bible informs us so. Rather, there is much evidence that point to the certainty that the resurrection did in fact take place — though we do not have the time or space to explore them all here. (By the way, this is really what is unique about the Christian faith — that our beliefs are not baseless but that there are good reasons for us to believe them.)

Almost all serious scholars, whether conservative or liberal, agree on the three things that were recorded in the Gospel accounts:

the claims about Jesus’ resurrection were immediate and not a legend that developed over time;
Jesus’ tomb was indeed found empty by the women who first arrived, and
a signiﬁcant number of witnesses claimed to have seen Him risen from the dead.

Obviously something miraculous had taken place and the Christian explanation is that Jesus had risen from the dead as He had predicted, and appeared to His followers.

Nonetheless, many skeptics throughout history have attempted to come up with naturalistic theories to explain away the resurrection. Though many of these theories have been discounted to be implausible, some of them are still hanging around in the viral cyberspace.

For example, some have suggested that Jesus did not really die on the cross but “swooned,” i.e. He merely fainted and appeared dead. However a check with medical studies shows that it is quite impossible to fake death by crucifixion. Crucifixion kills a person by asphyxiation (deprivation of oxygen), making a swoon fatal. Furthermore, the experienced Roman executioners ensured Jesus was dead by a spear thrust into His side. Besides, even if we grant that Jesus was able to pull off such a hoax, He must have been in terribly bad shape when His followers saw Him — bloody, pale and weak; surely this would not have convinced them that He is the risen Lord, victorious over death! As such, the belief that Jesus had swooned, did not die and hence did not rise from the dead is not plausible.

Some also allege that the accounts of the resurrection were stories that were made up by the disciples to “help fulfill” Jesus’ prediction. Just like other world religions, the resurrection was just a religious legend that developed over time. However, literary and historical scholars argue that three generations would have to pass before a myth like that could develop as there would be eye witnesses that would discount any embellishment or hoax. And the consensus of all scholars today with regards to the dating of the Gospels is that they were all written within the first century and their style is not mythological.

Besides, why would the disciples start this myth – what would they get out of such a lie? It would be good to recall that most of them were persecuted and executed for believing in Jesus! None of them benefitted from making up such a story. Additionally, if the followers wanted to make up a story to cover up a non-risen Lord, it would be poor sense to claim that women were the first witnesses to the empty tomb. As women at the time were not considered credible witness in the court of law, it would defeat the purpose and would even be embarrassing to announce that the first ones to have witnessed the risen Christ were Mary Magdalene and the party of women who went to the tomb to embalm the body of Jesus.

For reasons such as these and many others, we have good grounds to believe the historicity of Jesus’ death and resurrection. In the days leading to His crucifixion, Jesus revealed to His disciples His identity as the Son of God and His purpose on earth — to serve and to offer His life as a ransom for many.

In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis writes:

“Jesus…told people that their sins were forgiven. This makes sense only if He really was the God whose laws are broken and whose love is wounded in every sin… I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’”

That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said that sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

What about you? Who do you say He is?

I’Ching Thomas attended Biola University in California, where she received an M.A. in Christian Apologetics. She is currently the Associate Director of Training with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

Our Lord is ALIVE and our God is filled with grace

2011-04-08T10:58:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

As we come to the season of Easter....let's remember that our Lord came down to save us from our sins and eternal damnation....let's share this Good News with others!

M.Y.

Counting the Cost

2011-03-29T13:50:00.002+08:00

Streams in the Desert

March, 24

Counting the Cost

" I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Phil. 3:8).

This is the happy season of ripening cornfields, of the merry song of the reapers, of the secured and garnered grain. But let me hear to the sermon of the field. This is its solemn word to me. You must die in order to live. You must refuse to consult your own case and well-being. You must be crucified, not only in desires and habits which are sinful, but in many more which appear innocent and right.

If you would save others, you cannot save yourself. If you would bear much fruit, you must be buried in darkness and solitude.

My heart fails me as I listen. But, when Jesus asks it, let me tell myself that it is my high dignity to enter into the fellowship of His sufferings; and thus I am in the best of company. And let me tell myself again that it is all meant to make me a vessel meet for His use. His own Calvary has blossomed into fertility; and so shall mine. Plenty out of pain, life out of death: is it not the law of the Kingdom? --In the Hour of Silence

Do we call it dying when the bud bursts into flower? --Selected

"Finding, following, keeping, struggling,
Is He sure to bless?
Saints, apostles, prophets, martyrs,
Answer, 'Yes."'

Japan's smallest rescue dog

2011-03-21T12:02:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Here's Japan's smallest rescue dog....

M.Y.

Why does God allow natural disasters, i.e. earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis?

2011-03-15T10:52:00.000+08:00

Question: "Why does God allow natural disasters, i.e. earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis?"

Answer: Why does God allow earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis, typhoons, cyclones, mudslides, and other natural disasters? Tragedies such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the 2008 cyclone in Myanmar, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and the 2011 earthquake/tsunami near Japan cause many people to question God’s goodness. It is distressing that natural disasters are often termed “acts of God” while no “credit” is given to God for years, decades, or even centuries of peaceful weather. God created the whole universe and the laws of nature (Genesis 1:1). Most natural disasters are a result of these laws at work. Hurricanes, typhoons, and tornados are the results of divergent weather patterns colliding. Earthquakes are the result of the earth’s plate structure shifting. A tsunami is caused by an underwater earthquake.

The Bible proclaims that Jesus Christ holds all of nature together (Colossians 1:16-17). Could God prevent natural disasters? Absolutely! Does God sometimes influence the weather? Yes, as we see in Deuteronomy 11:17 and James 5:17. Numbers 16:30-34 shows us that God sometimes causes natural disasters as a judgment against sin. The book of Revelation describes many events which could definitely be described as natural disasters (Revelation chapters 6, 8, and 16). Is every natural disaster a punishment from God? Absolutely not.

In much the same way that God allows evil people to commit evil acts, God allows the earth to reflect the consequences sin has had on creation. Romans 8:19-21 tells us, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” The fall of humanity into sin had effects on everything, including the world we inhabit. Everything in creation is subject to “frustration” and “decay.” Sin is the ultimate cause of natural disasters just as it is the cause of death, disease, and suffering.

We can understand why natural disasters occur. What we do not understand is why God allows them to occur. Why did God allow the tsunami to kill over 225,000 people in Asia? Why did God allow Hurricane Katrina to destroy the homes of thousands of people? For one thing, such events shake our confidence in this life and force us to think about eternity. Churches are usually filled after disasters as people realize how tenuous their lives really are and how life can be taken away in an instant. What we do know is this: God is good! Many amazing miracles occurred during the course of natural disasters that prevented even greater loss of life. Natural disasters cause millions of people to reevaluate their priorities in life. Hundreds of millions of dollars in aid is sent to help the people who are suffering. Christian ministries have the opportunity to help, minister, counsel, pray, and lead people to saving faith in Christ! God can, and does, bring great good out of terrible tragedies (Romans 8:28).

What does it mean that God is holy, holy, holy?

2011-03-08T13:20:00.001+08:00

Question: "What does it mean that God is holy, holy, holy?"

Answer: The phrase “holy, holy, holy” appears twice in the Bible, once in the Old Testament (Isaiah 6:3) and once in the New (Revelation 4:8). Both times, the phrase is spoken or sung by heavenly creatures, and both times it occurs in the vision of a man who was transported to the throne of God: first by the prophet Isaiah and then by the apostle John. Before addressing the three-fold repetition of God’s holiness, it’s important to understand what exactly is meant by God’s holiness.

The holiness of God is the most difficult of all God’s attributes to explain, partly because it is one of His essential attributes that is not shared by man. We are created in God’s image, and we share many of His attributes, to a much lesser extent, of course—love, mercy, faithfulness, etc. But some of God’s attributes will never be shared by created beings—omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, and holiness. God’s holiness is what separates Him from all other beings, what makes Him separate and distinct from everything else. God’s holiness is more than just His perfection or sinless purity; it is the essence of His “other-ness,” His transcendence. God’s holiness embodies the mystery of His awesomeness and causes us to gaze in wonder at Him as we begin to comprehend just a little of His majesty.

Isaiah was a firsthand witness of God’s holiness in his vision described in Isaiah 6. Even though Isaiah was a prophet of God and a righteous man, his reaction to the vision of God’s holiness was to be aware of his own sinfulness and to despair for his life (Isaiah 6:5). Even the angels in God’s presence, those who were crying, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty,” covered their faces and feet with four of their six wings. Covering the face and feet no doubt denotes the reverence and awe inspired by the immediate presence of God (Exodus 3:4-5). The seraphim stood covered, as if concealing themselves as much as possible, in recognition of their unworthiness in the presence of the Holy One. And if the pure and holy seraphim exhibit such reverence in the presence of Jehovah, with what profound awe should we, polluted and sinful creatures, presume to draw near to Him! The reverence shown to God by the angels should remind us of our own presumption when we rush thoughtlessly and irreverently into His presence, as we often do because we do not understand His holiness.

John’s vision of the throne of God in Revelation 4 was similar to that of Isaiah. Again, there were living creatures around the throne crying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty” (Revelation 4:8) in reverence and awe of the Holy One. John goes on to describe these creatures giving glory and honor and reverence to God continually around His throne. Interestingly, John’s reaction to the vision of God in His throne is different from Isaiah’s. There is no record of John falling down in terror and awareness of his own sinful state, perhaps because John had already encountered the risen Christ at the beginning of his vision (Revelation 1:17). Christ had placed His hand upon John and told him not to be afraid. In the same way, we can approach the throne of grace if we have the hand of Christ upon us in the form of His righteousness, exchanged for our sin at the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21).

But why the three-fold repetition “holy, holy, holy” (called the trihagion)? The repetition of a name or an expression three times was quite common among the Jews. In Jeremiah 7:4, the Jews are represented by the prophet as saying, “The temple of the Lord” three times, expressing their intense confidence in their own worship, even though it was hypocritical and corrupt. Jeremiah 22:29, Ezekiel 21:27, and 1 Samuel 18:23 contain similar three-fold expressions of intensity. Therefore, when the angels around the throne call or cry to one another, “Holy, holy, holy,” they are expressing with force and passion the truth of the supreme holiness of God, that essential characteristic which expresses His awesome and majestic nature.

In addition, the trihagion expresses the triune nature of God, the three Persons of the Godhead, each equal in holiness and majesty. Jesus Christ is the Holy One who would not “see decay” in the grave, but would be resurrected to be exalted at the right hand of God (Acts 2:26; 13:33-35). Jesus is the “Holy and Righteous One” (Acts 3:14) whose death on the cross allows us to stand before the throne of our holy God unashamed. The third Person of the trinity—the Holy Spirit—by His very name denotes the importance of holiness in the essence of the Godhead.

Finally, the two visions of the angels around the throne crying, “Holy, holy, holy,” clearly indicates that God is the same in both testaments. Often we think of the God of the Old Testament as a God of wrath and the God of the New Testament as a God of love. But Isaiah and John present a unified picture of our holy, majestic, awesome God who does not change (Malachi 3:6), who is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), and “with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning” (James 1:17). God’s holiness is eternal, just as He is eternal.

A song of hope

2011-02-25T11:32:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a song of hope to remind us that our God is in control.

M.Y.

He'll Take Care Of The Rest Lyrics

You know it ain't no use, banging your head, up against that cold stone wall,
Cause nobody's perfect, except for the Lord, and even the best bound to fall,
Remember He is de vine, and you are de branch,
He'd love to get you through it if you'd give Him a chance,
Just keep doing your best,
And pray that it's blessed,
And Jesus takes care of the rest.
Yes the Lord said that He'd take care of the rest, He's gonna do it,

He'll take care of the rest, He'll see you through it,
He'll take care of the rest, the devil blew it,
He'll take care of the, He'll take care of the rest.

Just think about Moses, in front of the burning bush, barefoot on the Holy
ground,
You know, he must have been thinking, what's an old dude like me,
Gonna tell em all when I go down, go down Moses,
The Lord said, hey Moe, don't you worry about going down south,
I'll be saying every word that comes out of your mouth,
Just keep doing your best, and pray that it's blessed,
Hey Moe, I'll take care of the rest.
Yes the Lord said that He'd take care of the rest, he's gonna do it,

He'll take care of the rest, He'll see you through it,
He'll take care of the rest, oh, Pharaoh blew it,
He'll take care of the, He'll take care of the rest.

Just believe, and you'll receive, that comfort you need,
You just think about all those lonely people you know,
They've got everything they want, but they have empty souls,
Well, He'll take care of the, He'll take care of the, He'll take care of the,
care of the rest.

You just think about Noah, toting his umbrella, when there wasn't a cloud in
the sky,
All his neighbors would laugh at his pet giraffe, and would snicker as he
walked by,
But the Lord said, hey Noah, keep cool, just keep building that boat,
It's just a matter of time till they see who's gonna float,
You just keep doing your best, and pray that it's blessed,
Hey Noah, I'll take care of the rest, I'm the weatherman.
The Lord said that he'll take care of the rest, He's gonna do it,

He'll take care of the rest, He'll see you through it,
He'll take care of the rest, his neighbors blew it,
He'll take care of the rest, He's gonna do it, He's gonna do it,
He'll take care of the rest, only Jesus can see you through it,
He'll take care of the rest, yes, yes, yes,
He'll take care of the, He'll take care of the rest….

Meant to be Used

2011-02-16T10:00:00.003+08:00

Streams in the Desert

February 12

Meant to be Used

"Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises" (2 Pet. 1:4).

When a shipwright builds a vessel, does he build it to keep it upon the stocks? No, he builds it for the sea and the storm. When he was making it, he thought of tempests and hurricanes; if he did not, he was a poor shipbuilder.

When God made you a believer, He meant to try you; and when He gave you promises, and bade you trust them, He gave such promises as are suitable for times of tempest and tossing. Do you think that God makes shams like some that have made belts for swimming, which were good to exhibit in a shop, but of no use in the sea?

We have all heard of swords which were useless in war; and even of shoes which were made to sell, but were never meant to walk in. God's shoes are of iron and brass, and you can walk to Heaven in them without their ever wearing out; and His life-belts, you may swim a thousand Atlantics upon them, and there will be no fear of your sinking. His Word of promise is meant to be tried and proved.

There is nothing Christ dislikes more than for His people to make a show-thing of Him, and not to use Him. He loves to be employed by us. Covenant blessings are not meant to be looked at only, but to be appropriated. Even our Lord Jesus is given to us for our present use. Thou dost not make use of Christ as thou oughtest to do.

O man, I beseech you do not treat God's promises as if they were curiosities for a museum; but use them as every day sources of comfort. Trust the Lord whenever your time of need comes on.
--C. H. Spurgeon

***

"Go to the deeps of God's promise,
And claim whatsoever ye will;
The. blessing of God will not fail thee,
His Word He will surely fulfill."

God is with us always!

2011-02-08T12:03:00.004+08:00

Hi all,

Feeling down and despair.....our Lord said:"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."(Matthew 28:20)

M.Y.

Here With Me lyrics

I long for Your embrace
Every single day
To meet You in this place
And see You face to face

Will You show me?
Reveal Yourself to me
Because of Your mercy
I fall down on my knees

And I can feel Your presence here with me
Suddenly I'm lost within Your beauty
Caught up in the wonder of Your touch
Here in this moment I surrender to Your love

You're everywhere I go
I am not alone
You call me as your own
To know You and be known

You are holy
And I fall down on my knees

I can feel your presence here with me

Suddenly I'm lost within Your beauty
Caught up in the wonder of Your touch
Here in this moment I surrender to Your love

I surrender to Your grace
I surrender to the one who took my place

I can feel Your presence here with me
Suddenly I'm lost within Your beauty
Caught up in the wonder of Your touch
Here in this moment I surrender:

I can feel Your presence here with me
Suddenly I'm lost within Your beauty
Caught up in the wonder of Your touch
Here in this moment I surrender to Your love

Is there such thing as outer aliens and UFOs?

2011-02-01T14:36:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

Is there such thing as extraterrestrial life form? What does the Bible say about UFOs?

I hope the following article give us some insights into what's the Bible's view on this topic.

M.Y.

Question: "Are there such things as aliens or UFOs?"

Answer: First, let's define “aliens” as “beings capable of making moral choices, having intellect, emotion, and a will.” Next, a few scientific facts:

1. Men have sent spacecraft to nearly every planet in our solar system. After observing these planets, we have ruled out all but Mars and possibly a moon of Jupiter as being able to support life.

2. In 1976, the U.S.A. sent two landers to Mars. Each had instruments that could dig into the Martian sand and analyze it for any sign of life. They found absolutely nothing. In contrast, if you analyzed soil from the most barren desert on earth or the most frozen dirt in Antarctica, you would find it teeming with micro-organisms. In 1997, the U.S.A. sent Pathfinder to the surface of Mars. This rover took more samples and conducted many more experiments. It also found absolutely no sign of life. Since that time, several more missions to Mars have been launched. The results have always been the same.

3. Astronomers are constantly finding new planets in distant solar systems. Some propose that the existence of so many planets proves that there must be life somewhere else in the universe. The fact is that none of these has ever been proved to be anything close to a life-supporting planet. The tremendous distance between Earth and these planets makes it impossible to make any judgments regarding their ability to sustain life. Knowing that Earth alone supports life in our solar system, evolutionists want very badly to find another planet in another solar system to support the notion that life must have evolved. There are many other planets out there, but we certainly do not know enough about them to verify that they could support life.

So, what does the Bible say? The earth and mankind are unique in God's creation. Genesis 1 teaches that God created the earth before He even created the sun, the moon, or the stars. Acts 17:24, 26 states that “the God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands…he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.”

Originally, mankind was without sin, and everything in the world was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). When the first man sinned (Genesis 3), the result was problems of all sorts, including sickness and death. Even though animals have no personal sin before God (they are not moral beings), they still suffer and die (Romans 8:19-22). Jesus Christ died to remove the punishment that we deserve for our sin. When He returns, He will undo the curse that has existed since Adam (Revelation 21–22). Note that Romans 8:19-22 states that all of creation eagerly waits for this time. It is important to also note that Christ came to die for mankind and that He died only once (Hebrews 7:27; 9:26-28; 10:10).

If all of creation now suffers under the curse, any life apart from the earth would also suffer. If, for the sake of argument, moral beings do exist on other planets, then they also suffer; and if not now, then someday they will surely suffer when everything passes away with a great noise and the elements melt with fervent heat (2 Peter 3:10). If they had never sinned, then God would be unjust in punishing them. But if they had sinned, and Christ could die only once (which He did on earth), then they are left in their sin, which would also be contrary to the character of God (2 Peter 3:9). This leaves us with an unsolvable paradox—unless, of course, there are no moral beings outside of the earth.

What about non-moral and non-sentient life forms on other planets? Could algae or even dogs and cats be present on an unknown planet? Presumably so, and it would not do any real harm to any biblical text. But it would certainly prove problematic when trying answer questions like “Since all of creation suffers, what purpose would God have in creating non-moral and non-sentient creatures to suffer on distant planets?”

In conclusion, the Bible gives us no reason to believe that there is life elsewhere in the universe. In fact, the Bible gives us several key reasons why there cannot be. Yes, there are many strange and unexplainable things that take place. There is no reason, though, to attribute these phenomena to aliens or UFOs. If there is a discernable cause to these supposed events, it is likely to be spiritual, and more specifically, demonic, in origin.

A funny praying Cockatoo

2011-01-26T11:30:00.001+08:00

Hi all,

Here's funny praying cockatoo....

M.Y.

Waiting For Rain

2011-01-19T11:22:00.000+08:00

Our Daily Journey

Daily Devotional, January 18, 2011

Waiting For Rain

read›
Joel 2:18-32
Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice
in the Lord your God! For the rain He sends
demonstrates His faithfulness. Once more
the autumn rains will come, as well as the
rains of spring (v.23).

Competing against the thwap-thwap sound of
the windshield wipers, the rain beat a rhythmic
pattern against the car. Driving out of town for
a retreat with our youth leaders, I was thankful for the
chance to spend time with them.

The rain outside, however, fell in contrast to the desert
condition inside my heart. His presence real, I felt that
Jesus was near, but I wrestled with feelings of significant
disappointment in ministry. Soil that had seemed to
promise such beauty now seemed hardened by relentless
heat and wind. Nettles of discouragement readily
flourished in the dry, wounded places of my heart.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, “Blessed are those who
trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope
and confidence. They are like trees planted along a
riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by
long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and
they never stop producing fruit.” In the moment of
adversity, however, we sometimes believe that something
has gone dreadfully awry. Wanting God to rescue us,
we cry out in our pain. We wonder at His timing, at His
seeming silence. All the while, in that place of confusion
and uncertainty, our spirit presses through the hardened
clay of surface living, pushes aside the gravel of selffocus,
and—in a refusal to give up—finds living water at
the point of desperation (John 7:38).

He is real, and so are His promises.

Jesus—who came and lived among us—“grew up in the Lord’s presence like
a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground” (Isaiah 53:2). In the certainty of
His grace and the steadfastness of His hand, He can be trusted. The refreshing,
restoring rains will come again. —Regina Franklin

more›
Read Psalm 52:8-9
to see where we should
be planted and what
the attitude of our
heart should be in all
seasons—especially in
those where rain
is scarce.

next›
What circumstances in
your life have caused
you to give up hope for
change? How have your
circumstances shaded
what you believe God
wants to do in you?

Jesus throughout the Bible

2011-01-12T11:16:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

I hope the following video will inspired us all to love the Bible more and more!

M.Y.

Are we doing our resolutions?

2011-01-05T12:06:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

An interesting video....let's ponder and do them.

M.Y.

Upside Down

2010-12-31T13:41:00.000+08:00

Daily Devotional, December 30, 2010

Upside Down

read›
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
This foolish plan of God is wiser than the
wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is
stronger than the greatest of human strength (v.25).

My friend’s sister is due to give birth, and no one
is happy about it. Her baby has Trisomy 18, a
fatal disease that will likely claim the infant just
minutes after she is born. It seems fiendishly upside down
that the baby is alive as long as she remains within her
mother, but the moment she is born she will begin to die.
Cutting the umbilical cord is not her liberating path to
life, but a death sentence. What should be a day of joy
will commence a season of mourning.

This situation would be entirely hopeless if not for Jesus.
He has reversed this tragically twisted scenario with an
equally ironic moment that leads in the opposite direction.
Just as this baby’s birth is really a death, so Jesus’ death
conceals the power of life.

God may have never appeared weaker than when
Jesus hung on the cross, naked and broken and bearing
the guilt of the world. But this moment of weakness was
actually God’s greatest triumph, for Jesus took death with
Him into the depths, and when He arose He left death in
the dust. Death died in the death of Christ.

Martin Luther observed that it takes faith to believe this
“theology of the cross.” Most people take a commonsense
view of the world, believing that what they see is what
they get. But we who interpret life through the lens of the
cross learn to raise a fist of defiance at death.

It may seem that death has won, for it has taken our loved
ones from us. But Jesus’ death and resurrection assure us that death does not have
the last word, for the grave where we say goodbye is resurrection ground.
(My friend’s niece was born—and died—days after I wrote this devo. Her
parents named her Hope.) —Mike Wittmer

more›
“O death, where is your victory? O death,
where is your sting?” . . . But thank God! He
gives us victory over sin and death through
our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:55,57).

next›
Why was Hope the perfect name for this
baby girl? Can you think of other counterintuitive
truths of the Christian faith, where reality is not.

A Band use iphone as their instruments

2010-12-14T10:12:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a concert which uses iphones as a musical instuments!

M.Y.

The Story of Jonah told by a child

2010-12-02T10:22:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

Here's the story of Jonah told by a little child. Very refreshing and a good reminder for us all.

M.Y.

Can Christians Get Tattoos?

2010-11-22T10:13:00.000+08:00

Question: "What does the Bible say about tattoos / body piercings?"

Answer: The Old Testament law commanded the Israelites, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:28). So, even though believers today are not under the Old Testament law (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:23-25; Ephesians 2:15), the fact that there was a command against tattoos should raise some questions. The New Testament does not say anything about whether or not a believer should get a tattoo.

In relation to tattoos and body piercings, a good test is to determine whether we can honestly, in good conscience, ask God to bless and use that particular activity for His own good purposes. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). The New Testament does not command against tattoos or body piercings, but it also does not give us any reason to believe God would have us get tattoos or body piercings.

An important scriptural principle on issues the Bible does not specifically address is if there is room for doubt whether it pleases God, then it is best not to engage in that activity. Romans 14:23 reminds us that anything that does not come from faith is sin. We need to remember that our bodies, as well as our souls, have been redeemed and belong to God. Although 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 does not directly apply to tattoos or body piercings, it does give us a principle: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” This great truth should have a real bearing on what we do and where we go with our bodies. If our bodies belong to God, we should make sure we have His clear “permission” before we “mark them up” with tattoos or body piercings.

Let's learn to give thanks :-)

2010-11-10T09:44:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

Let's learn to give thanks to God more rather than focusing on our pain. As the Bible says: "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. " (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

M.Y.

Specialize in the Impossible

2010-11-04T10:58:00.004+08:00

Streams in the Desert

Friday, October 29, 2010

Specialize in the Impossible

"but the forested hill country as well. Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours" (Josh. 17:18).

There is always room higher up. When the valleys are full of Canaanites, whose iron chariots withstand your progress, get up into the hills, occupy the upper spaces. If you can no longer work for God, pray for those who can. If you cannot move earth by your speech, you may move Heaven. If the development of life on the lower slopes is impossible, through limitations of service, the necessity of maintaining others, and such-like restrictions, let it break out toward the unseen, the eternal, the Divine.

Faith can fell forests. Even if the tribes had realized what treasures lay above them, they would hardly have dared to suppose it possible to rid the hills of their dense forest-growth. But as God indicated their task, He reminded them that they had power enough. The visions of things that seem impossible are presented to us, like these forest-covered steeps, not to mock us, but to incite us to spiritual exploits which would be impossible unless God had stored within us the great strength of His own indwelling.

Difficulty is sent to reveal to us what God can do in answer to the faith that prays and works. Are you straitened in the valleys? Get away to the hills, live there; get honey out of the rock, and wealth out of the terraced slopes now hidden by forest. --Daily Devotional Commentary

Got any rivers they say are uncrossable,
Got any mountains they say 'can't tunnel through'?
We specialize in the wholly impossible,
Doing the things they say you can't do.
--Song of the Panama builders

A dog saying grace hahaha

2010-10-27T10:58:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a dog saying grace lol :-D

M.Y.

Love our enemies....

2010-10-21T13:19:00.000+08:00

Daily Devotioanal, October 11

Posted to Luke 6:27 on Oct 6, 2010 at 12:03 PM

Luke 6:27

“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

love your enemies

I may not love God as I should, but I’m determined to get a handle on it. I may not love my family the way I should, but I intend to work at it. I may not love my neighbor as I should—but I’ll keep trying. But love my enemy? Wow. That seems impossible!

Here’s why it’s so difficult. Enemies scheme, backstab, subject you to mental distress, and can even cause you bodily harm. If you could truly love them, they wouldn’t be your enemies anymore, would they? But in Luke 6, Jesus says, “Love your enemies” by doing good to them (vv.27,35).

Love is not mere emotion—it’s the decision to do what’s right and good for another person. It means blessing those who are against you, praying for them, and responding to their evil with good. And it means helping them even when they don’t deserve it. The three motivations for this kind of love are: • “Your reward from heaven will be very great” (v.35). Jesus doesn’t expand on this statement here, but it’s clearly a promise. If we choose to honor Him by loving our enemies, He will reward us. • “You will truly be acting as children of the Most High” (v.35). As children of the Most High, we can say along with the martyrs throughout the ages, “You can’t take my true wealth because it’s stored up in heaven. You can’t take my real life because it’s eternal in Jesus Christ.” • “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” We are called to imitate our Father, who is kind even to the “unthankful and wicked” (vv.35-36).

Let’s choose love over hatred. No occasion justifies evil for evil; no injustice warrants unjust behavior. Instead, we can follow God’s leading by choosing to love our enemies. —Poh Fang Chia

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

Struggling With Society's Labels

2010-10-14T09:45:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

We have the tendency to label people based on society's standards consciously or subconsciously. Let's ask God to help us to put away our prejudices especially to those we deem as weird and strange. As the Lord remind us: "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you...." (Matthew 7:12)

M.Y.

Devil's Burden

2010-10-06T11:17:00.002+08:00

Streams in the Desert

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Devil's Burden

"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God" (Heb. 4:9).

The LORD gave them rest on every side...the LORD handed all their enemies over to them." (Joshua 21:44).

"He crowns the humble with salvation." (Ps. 149:4). (Rotherham, margin)

An eminent Christian worker tells of his mother who was a very anxious and troubled Christian. He would talk with her by the hour trying to convince her of the sinfulness of fretting, but to no avail. She was like the old lady who once said she had suffered so much, especially from the troubles that never came.

But one morning the mother came down to breakfast wreathed in smiles. He asked her what had happened, and she told him that in the night she had a dream.

She was walking along a highway with a great crowd of people who seemed so tired and burdened. They were nearly all carrying little black bundles, and she noticed that there were numerous repulsive looking beings which she thought were demons dropping these black bundles for the people to pick up and carry. Like the rest, she too had her needless load, and was weighed down with the devil's bundles. Looking up, after a while, she saw a Man with a bright and loving face, passing here and there through the crowd, and comforting the people.

At last He came near her, and she saw that it was her Saviour. She looked up and told Him how tired she was, and He smiled sadly and said: "My dear child, I did not give you these loads; you have no need of them. They are the devil's burdens and they are wearing out your life. Just drop them; refuse to touch them with one of your fingers and you will find the path easy and you will be as if borne on eagle's wings."

He touched her hand, and lo, peace and joy thrilled her frame and, flinging down her burden, she was about to throw herself at His feet in joyful thanksgiving, when suddenly she awoke and found that all her cares were gone. From that day to the close of her life she was the most cheerful and happy member of the household. And the night shall be filled with music, And the cares that infest the day, Shall fold their tents like the Arabs, And as silently steal away. --Longfellow

A Armless Pianist

2010-09-29T10:19:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

Feeling down and frustrated with life? Let the following video gives us some encouragements

M.Y.

Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

2010-09-07T13:35:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

Should we as Christians celebrate Halloween? The following article will give us some guidelines.

M.Y.

Question: "Should Christians celebrate Halloween?"

Answer: Whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween can be a very controversial topic. Some Christians celebrate Halloween simply by dressing up in a costume and having fun, seeing it as innocent and harmless. Other Christians are equally convinced that Halloween is a satanic holiday established to worship evil spirits and promote darkness and wickedness. So, who is right? Is it possible for Christians to celebrate Halloween without compromising their faith?

Halloween, no matter how commercialized, has almost completely pagan origins. As innocent as it may seem to some, it is not something to be taken lightly. Christians tend to have various ways to celebrate or not to celebrate Halloween. For some, it means having an “alternative” Harvest Party. For others, it is staying away from the ghosts, witches, goblins, etc., and wearing innocuous costumes, e.g., little princesses, clowns, cowboys, super-heroes, etc. Some choose not to do anything, electing to lock themselves in the house with the lights off. With our freedom as Christians, we are at liberty to decide how to act.

Scripture does not speak at all about Halloween, but it does give us some principles on which we can make a decision. In Old Testament Israel, witchcraft was a crime punishable by death (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27). The New Testament teaching about the occult is clear. Acts 8:9-24, the story of Simon, shows that occultism and Christianity don't mix. The account of Elymas the sorcerer in Acts 13:6-11 reveals that sorcery is violently opposed to Christianity. Paul called Elymas a child of the devil, an enemy of righteousness and a perverter of the ways of God. In Acts 16, at Philippi, a fortune-telling girl lost her demon powers when the evil spirit was cast out by Paul. The interesting matter here is that Paul refused to allow even good statements to come from a demon-influenced person. Acts 19 shows new converts who have abruptly broken with their former occultism by confessing, showing their evil deeds, bringing their magic paraphernalia, and burning it before everyone (Acts 19:19).

So, should a Christian celebrate Halloween? Is there anything evil about a Christian dressing up as a princess or cowboy and going around the block asking for candy? No, there is not. Are there things about Halloween that are anti-Christian and should be avoided? Absolutely! If parents are going to allow their children to participate in Halloween, they should make sure to keep them from getting involved in the darker aspects of the day. If Christians are going to take part in Halloween, their attitude, dress, and most importantly, their behavior should still reflect a redeemed life (Philippians 1:27). There are many churches that hold "harvest festivals" and incorporate costumes, but in a godly environment. There are many Christians who hand out tracts that share the Gospel along with the Halloween candy. The decision is ultimately ours to make. But as with all things, we are to incorporate the principles of Romans 14. We can’t allow our own convictions about a holiday to cause division in the body of Christ, nor can we use our freedom to cause others to stumble in their faith. We are to do all things as to the Lord.

Five Loaves And Two Fishes

2010-09-03T12:04:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a song that will be an encouragement and a reminder for those of us that are weary.

M.Y.

An Interview with Satan

2010-08-31T11:50:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

Here's an interview with Satan. It's very interesting.....except the part where he said "I don't read the Bible and King James Bible is the only correct version." that's a lie.

M.Y.

A Prayer for Singapore

2010-08-18T14:02:00.001+08:00

A Prayer for Singapore

O Lord, You have guided us so far

From a small fishing village of yesterday,

To a cosmopolitan city of today.

You have blessed us with many good things

O Lord remind us not to take any of Your blessings for granted,

Remind us where does it come from.

Lest we become arrogant and forget You O Lord,

For everything good comes from You and You alone.

May You guide the leaders of this country,

Bestow upon them wisdom from above.

To lead this nation in peace and prosperty

So that we can continue to be a blessing to the world

M.Y.

What is the value of our live?

2010-08-05T09:42:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a slide that is a good reminder of the value of our lives.

M.Y.

Fight the Good Fight

2010-07-28T09:25:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

Let's persevere in following the Lord to the end!

M.Y.

Streams in the Desert

Friday, July 23, 2010

Fight the Good Fight

"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Tim. 4:6, 7).

As soldiers show their scars and talk of battles when they come at last to spend their old age in the country at home, so shall we in the dear land to which we are hastening, speak of the goodness and faithfulness of God who brought us through all the trials of the way. I would not like to stand in the white-robed host and hear it said, "These are they that came out of great tribulation, all except one." Would you like to be there and see yourself pointed at as the one saint who never knew a sorrow? Oh, no! for you would be an alien in the midst of the sacred brotherhood. We will be content to share the battle, for we shall soon wear the crown and wave the palm. --C. H. Spurgeon

"Where were you wounded?" asked the surgeon of a soldier at Lookout Mountain. "Almost at the top," he answered. He forgot even his gaping wound--he only remembered that he had won the heights. So let us go forth to higher endeavors for Christ and never rest till we can shout from the very top, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."

"Finish thy work, then rest,
Till then rest never;
The rest for thee by God
Is rest forever."

"God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas but for scars."

Of an old hero the minstrel sang--
"With his Yemen sword for aid;
Ornament it carried none,
But the notches on the blade."

What nobler decoration of honor can any godly man seek after than his scars of service, his losses for the crown, his reproaches for Christ's sake, his being worn out in his Master's service.

All creation declares God's handiworks

2010-07-21T09:51:00.005+08:00

Hi all ,

Here's a beautiful song about God's creations. As the psalmist said: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork." (Psalms 19:1)

M.Y.

In God, Not Out of Trouble

2010-07-14T09:47:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

Let's all be reminded that being a Cristian is not problem free life but a life that is victorious above all our troubles.

M.Y.

Streams in the desert

Sunday, July 11, 2010

In God, Not Out of Trouble

"Should you then seek great things for yourself? Seek them not. For I will bring disaster on all people, declares the LORD, but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life.' " (Jer. 45:5).

A promise given for hard places, and a promise of safety and life in the midst of tremendous pressure, a life "for a prey." It may well adjust itself to our own times, which are growing harder as we near the end of the age, and the Tribulation times.

What is the meaning of "a life for a prey"? It means a life snatched out of the jaws of the destroyer, as David snatched the lamb from the lion. It means not removal from the noise of the battle and the presence of our foes; but it means a table in the midst of our enemies, a shelter from the storm, a fortress amid the foe, a life preserved in the face of continual pressure: Paul's healing when pressed out of measure so that he despaired of life; Paul's Divine help when the thorn remained, but the power of Christ rested upon him and the grace of Christ was sufficient. Lord, give me my life for a prey, and in the hardest places help me today to be victorious. --Days of Heaven upon Earth

We often pray to be delivered from calamities; we even trust that we shall be; but we do not pray to be made what we should be, in the very presence of the calamities; to live amid them, as long as they last, in the consciousness that we are, held and sheltered by the Lord, and can therefore remain in the midst of them, so long as they continue, without any hurt.

For forty days and nights, the Saviour was kept in the presence of Satan in the wilderness, and that, under circumstances of special trial, His human nature being weakened by want of food and rest. The furnace was heated seven times more than it was wont to be heated, but the three Hebrew children were kept a season amid its flames as calm and composed in the presence of the tyrant's last appliances of torture, as they were in the presence of himself before their time of deliverance came. And the livelong night did Daniel sit among the lions, and when he was taken up out of the den, "no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God." They dwelt in the presence of the enemy, because they dwelt in the presence of God.

God changes a gay to a normal person

2010-07-07T10:17:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a testimony of a man who was a gay but after he accepted Christ, God changes him from the inside out. Our God is the God of the impossible (Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27)!

M.Y.

My True Hope

2010-07-02T10:09:00.001+08:00

Hi all,

I hope the following poem can be an encouragement to us all when we face challenges in life :-)

M.Y.

My True Hope

When everything seem dark and foggy
When I can't see what is ahead of me
O Lord may my hands hold tightly to Yours

When I have to travel through deep dark valleys
O Lord may my eyes be fixed on You
Guiding me through these uncertain times

When I'm battered and bruised
By the war of life
O Lord remind me that You are my Healer

When I fall in the moments of weakness again and again
O Lord strengthen me to finish this race of life
And never quit till the end of my days

Breaking down barriers

2010-06-24T11:26:00.003+08:00

Hi all

Let's learn to breakdown walls and barriers of prejudices and build up bridges of Christ's love with other through our words and deeds based on biblical truth so that we can truly be the salt and light in this dark and corrupt world (Matthew 5:16).

M.Y.

Daily Devotional, June 21

Posted to Ephesians 2:14 on Jun 19, 2010 at 12:28 PM

Ephesians 2:14

For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,

"the walls come tumbling down"

If you perform a Google search for the Rwandan genocide, you’ll encounter thousands of disturbing stories and graphic images. The most disturbing emerge from a church building in Nyarubuye, where between five and ten thousand Tutsis were murdered. The visual depiction of such gruesome violence in the one place where the victims thought they would be safe is horrific. BBC writer Fergal Keane viewed the scene and described “the rotting bodies . . . twisted terribly, faces frozen in the last terrible expression of violent death.” Keane finished with the question we all ask: “How could men do this?”

We do this, the Bible tells us, because we are sinful and are tempted toward the vile bent to crush others who seem different from us or who are offensive to us.

In Ephesians, Paul wrote a letter bursting with overarching themes of sin, mercy, and grace (Ephesians 1:2-9). After painting broad brushstrokes of God’s redemptive activity, however, Paul specifically stated how God’s people were to live in His world.

The central social issue of Paul’s day was the bitter conflict between the Jews and the Gentiles. This was not mere dislike—but true hatred. One first-century Jewish theologian stated this extreme view: “The Gentiles were created by God to be fuels for the fires of hell.” And the Gentiles abused Jews at every opportunity.

“But now,” says Paul, “you have been united with Christ Jesus” (v.13). Because of Jesus, the wall separating human from human has come crashing down.

Jesus intends to do this to every wall sin erects. The wall of resentment between husband and wife. The wall of anger between daughter and dad. The wall between Israelis and Palestinians, between Hutus and Tutsis, between rich and poor. Everywhere we find a wall of division, the mercy of Jesus will one day arrive with a wrecking ball.

--Winn Collier, Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

Remember the love of our fathers

2010-06-17T10:17:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Let's remember the love of our fathers but also more importantly remember our Heavenly Father.

Let's wish all of our fathers happy father's Day!

M.Y.

AGPC G2 Youth Camp 2010

2010-06-16T09:49:00.002+08:00

Come and join us pple.

JC..

Let's ask God to give us wisdom

2010-06-09T10:19:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

We need God's wisdom in dealing with various things in our lives as the Bible reminds us: "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5)

Daily Devotional, May 25th

Posted to Proverbs 1:7 on May 24, 2010 at 03:10 PM

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

“Refusing to play the fool”

Israeli media recently reported on the frenzied scene in garbage dumps around Tel Aviv, as people searched for one million dollars stuffed in an old mattress that had been accidentally discarded. A woman identified only by her first name, Anat, told a local radio station that she didn’t realize her elderly mother had the money stuffed into the beat-up bedding. After she made the discovery, the garbage truck had already picked up the trash-turned-loot. Perhaps sticking a million dollars in your mattress without telling anyone is not the wisest choice.

We make both wise and foolish choices every day. Some decisions yield good dividends, some are costly. Some choices weigh heavy, while others prove to be inconsequential. Most of us, however, would prefer to live according to wisdom. We’d like to make healthy and fruitful choices for our lives, careers, friendships, finances, and marriages.

Scripture tells us that God desires to give us wisdom, to bless us with the kind of knowledge that allows us to live with joy and integrity (Proverbs 1:2). In fact, God Himself is the wellspring for this freeing wisdom. The “fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,” says the Bible’s wisdom writer (v.7). If our lives already reflect wise direction, we can take in God’s wisdom and “become even wiser” (v.5). If we’re struggling with learning how to live well, God’s wisdom will teach us how to “do what is right, just, and fair” (v.3).

The opposite choice, of course, is to ignore wisdom, to ignore God. Tragically, disaster and heartache will always result from this foolish choice. As Bob Dylan once sang, “Gonna change my way of thinking, make myself a different set of rules. Gonna put my good foot forward and stop being influenced by the fools.”

God alone provides wisdom to keep us from playing the fool. —Winn Collier, Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

We are all beautiful in God's eyes

2010-05-31T10:11:00.001+08:00

Hi all,

I hope the following video be an encouragements to us all. The Bible reminds us: "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)

M.Y.

Source of the meaning of life

2010-05-18T11:18:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

I hope that the poem below will give some encouragements to those who are still searching for the meaning of life

M.Y.

SOURCE OF THE MEANING OF LIFE

Since the beginning of time,
Mankind has been searching,
For the meaning of life

Great teachers of ancient time
Try to tell us the true meaning of life
But none of them can show us,
Where the real source of life is

As mankind journey through this life in darkness,
One Man, His name is Immanuel,stood up and proclaimed
Something that others did not
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." He said

Through His words and deeds recorded in the Bible.
Many have come to salvation through Him.
Alot of skeptics who challenges Jesus' credentials
In the end found themselves can't resist the truth
Of His words and deeds

The Way to lead us to the real meaning of life
The Truth that will set us free
And the Life that will fill us abundantly

Let's not take our mothers for granted

2010-05-11T08:48:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Have we ever say thanks to our mothers for the sacrifices that they have made all these years? If we have not, it's a good time to reflect as we watch the skit below. As the Lord reminds us: "Honour your father and your mother...." (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16). Let's not take our parents for granted, let's show them our appreciation daily in our lives in small little ways.

M.Y.

Persistent Prayer

2010-05-04T11:37:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

I hope the devotions below reminds us not to give up in our prayers.

M.Y.

Daily Devotional, April 26th

Posted to Matthew 15:28 on Apr 21, 2010 at 11:44 AM

Matthew 15:28
Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once.

“Chutzpah”

When I was growing up, my father kept one can of WD-40 in the house and another in his car. It seemed it was the be-all and end-all for almost every mechanical problem. But what is WD-40? It literally stands for Water Displacement 40th attempt.

In 1953, chemist Norm Larsen was attempting to concoct a formula to prevent corrosion—a task which is accomplished by displacing water. Larsen’s unyielding tenacity and persistence paid off when he perfected the formula on his 40th try.

Matthew introduces us to a Gentile woman who had this same kind of persistence. Her daughter was violently and cruelly demon-possessed (15:21). She had no hope of ever seeing her daughter normal again, until she heard that Jesus was in town. She had heard about Jesus’ power and the miracles He had worked in the lives of others, and she believed He could help her too. So she approached Jesus boldly and persevered with unyielding tenacity, even when everything and everybody seemed to be against her. Her race, religious background, gender, the disciples, Satan, and even Jesus seemed to be against her (v.24).

Despite these seeming obstacles, she did not give up, but pushed her way through the dark corridors of her desperate need. She had chutzpah (khoot-spuh), a Jewish/Hebrew word for headstrong persistence, unyielding tenacity, bold determination, and raw nerve. Jesus complimented her chutzpah and rewarded her faith by healing her daughter (v.28).

Sometimes we pray, and if we don’t get an answer the first time, we give up. That’s not chutzpah! Chutzpah is having the raw belief, the deep trust, and the confident hope to be persistent with God, believing that He is good, just, and loving, and that He desires what’s best for us. —Marvin Williams, Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

Where is the love?

2010-04-26T20:08:00.001+08:00

I know this song is really way back.
But it's just one of those song lyrics that never get old.

Let's ask ourselves again if we're willing to be used by God for His glory to spread His love to this loveless world.

Father, father, father help us
we need some guidance from above.
Cause people got me questioning:

"Where is the love"?

---

What's wrong with the world, mama
People livin' like they ain't got no mamas
I think the whole world addicted to the drama
Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma
Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin'
In the USA, the big CIA
The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah

Badness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how angers works and operates
Nigga, you gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all

People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us
Send us some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love

Where is the love
The love, the love

It just ain't the same, always unchanged
New days are strange, is the world insane
If love and peace is so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don't belong
Nations droppin' bombs
Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones
With the ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young
So ask yourself is the lovin' really gone
So I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong

In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin' in
Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends
Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother
A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover

The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug
If you never know truth then you never know love

Where's the love, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the truth, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the love, y'all

People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us
Send us some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)

Where is the love
The love, the love

I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder

Most of us only care about money makin'

Selfishness got us followin' our own direction

Wrong information always shown by the media

Negative images is the main criteria

Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria

Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema

Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness in equality
Instead in spreading love we spreading animosity
Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity

That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down
There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under
Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found

--

Keep the faith and keep praying.
This world will die eventually,
and God's kingdom is the only thing that will remain.

Yours sincerely
Sarah.

YMTG

2010-03-26T13:27:00.002+08:00

The Journey of the Cross

2010-03-24T11:23:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

As we approach the Holy Week (the last week of our Lord's life on earth 2000 years ago). Here's a poem for us to ponder.....

M.Y.

The Journey of the Cross

As I follow the journey of the cross,
I was in the crowd watching,
As the Roman soldiers mocked and spat at the Lord,
His face is disfigured by continuous punches,
Smeared by countless spittle.
His head is pierced by the crown of thorns.

Then the Lord was brought to be scourged,
Where He was whipped by heartless men,
Like an animal is whipped by its cold-blooded owner,
Blood flowed from His body and soaked the floor in red.

Lastly, the King of kings was crucified with criminals,
Mocked by passer-bys and sneered by by-standers,
But He asked God the Father to forgive their ignorance.

My heart aches within me,
Instinctively I start crying out to Him:
"Why Lord? Why do You allow Yourself to suffer like this?"
The Lord looked at me with a smile, And said:
"I suffer for you My child. I came to rescue you
From sin and eternal death."
As I looked at my hands,
I saw the hammer and the nails,
That nailed my Saviour to the cross.
Then I realised I was one of those
Who murdered Him,
I was one of the culprits!
The Lord shed His blood for me!
So that I can be reconciled with God!

Real Life Kungfu Bear

2010-03-20T09:38:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a video of a real life kungfu bear. Hope you all like it. Personally I find it amazing.

M.Y.

God will stand till the end

2010-03-16T10:57:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Let's be reminded that our security lies in God and not in the things created by Him. When we substitute God with others things, they becomes our idols in our lives that will fail us one day. God reminds us: " ...declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all My purpose...'" (Isaiah 46:10)

Let's spur one another to trust in the Lord always!

M.Y.

Daily Devotional, March 11th

Posted to 1 Kings 18:21 on Mar 8, 2010 at 12:11 PM

1 Kings 18:21

Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.

“Hedging bets”

Millions of people say they believe in God, but to guarantee the good life they also put their trust in capitalism, science, or immoral pleasures. Recently, however, we’ve seen further proof that these gods cannot deliver. Free markets have collapsed, sending the economies of most countries into deep recessions. Scientific breakthroughs have produced cloning and greenhouse gasses. And the sexual revolution left us with AIDS and increased divorce.

Our predicament is not unlike Old Testament Israel, which hedged its worship of Yahweh by betting on Baal, the god of fertility. Baal was the storm god who, with lightning in one hand and thunder in the other, promised to send rain on the Israelites’ fields and make them rich.

God by striking Israel at their point of compromise. You worship Baal for the rain he provides? Then “there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!” (1 Kings 17:1).

After 3 years of drought, the parched Israelites agreed to meet Elijah on Mount Carmel for a faceoff between Baal and Yahweh. The prophets of Baal shouted and cut themselves, but they couldn’t persuade Baal to drop a lightning bolt and burn their sacrifice. Elijah scoffed that perhaps the pagan god was “daydreaming” or “relieving himself,” “Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!” (1 Kings 18:27).

When the exhausted Baal worshipers had finally given up, Elijah called down fire on his waterlogged sacrifice, a fire so intense that it consumed even the stones of the altar. Then Elijah seized the prophets of Baal and slew them.

Capitalism, science, and sex are good gifts from God. But if we put our trust in them (instead of Him), He may use these very things to destroy us. —Mike Wittmer, Our Daily Journey CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

Children trained to be suicide bombers

2010-03-09T12:10:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Let's remember and pray for the children in countries where poverty is a norm and hatred is been taught by extremist groups that advocate murder in the name of religious beliefs and make use of innocent children as their tools. And let's pray for our children and youths in our church to be strong in the faith of the Lord and the ability to discern between what is good and evil based on the the word of God, the Bible.

M.Y.

Look unto Jesus

2010-03-01T10:13:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a poem of comfort written by a person who is constantly struggling with his physical diseases. Hope it will bring comfort to those of us who are struggling.

M.Y.

LOOK UNTO JESUS

When we are trapped,
Surrounded by the walls of impossibility,
Look unto Jesus,
The God of the impossible.

When storms threaten us,
And we are overwhelmed by them,
Look unto Jesus,
The Lord who walks in the midst of the storm.

When things do not go our way,
Which makes our hopes and dreams shatter,
Look unto Jesus,
The Giver of Heavenly peace,
And the Comforter of our souls,
Who will always be there,
Whenever we need Him.

Synod Youth Games 2010

2010-02-23T16:09:00.002+08:00

Hi G2s,
Please be reminded that this Sat 27 Feb 2010 is our Synod Youth Games
And guess WHAT!!

Our very own Youths will be participating in all of the 3 events;

1) Soccer
2) Captain's Ball
3) Badminton

So, do come and support us and we will be at

Venue: Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Sec Sch (KCPSS)
Time: 1pm-6pm

We will be meeting 11am at Bishan Mrt before we head together to KCPSS.

*Wear our G2 RED T-shirt if you are coming :)

See ya,

JC

Are we amazed by Jesus?

2010-02-22T13:35:00.004+08:00

Hi all,

As we heard about Jesus every Sunday on the pulpit or in our own Quiet Time daily, are we feeling numb to that name drown by our busy schedules and activities that we have taken the name of of our Lord for granted? The angel Gabriel told Mary about the title of Son she was about to conceive and gave birth to: "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." (Luke 1:31-33)

Let the following video reminds us how amazing our Lord Jesus is. And let our love for Him be renewed! Have a fruitful week ahead! :-)

M.Y.

Let's pray for the salvation of people around us

2010-02-18T10:06:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

As we enjoy the Chinese New Year festivities let us also remember to share God's greatest gift Jesus Christ to our family, relatives, colleagues, classmates and friends through our words and deeds. We'll never know what God might do in their heart as we share with them. Just like the story below:

Daily Devotional, February 15th

Posted to John 9:11 on Feb 9, 2010 at 01:24 PM

John 9:11

He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so I went away and washed, and I received sight.”

“Unbelieving evangelists”

Since its release in 1979, the Jesus ﬁlm has been watched by more than 6 billion people, making it the most-watched movie in history. Today it’s suggested that every 4 seconds someone becomes a Christian after watching the ﬁlm. That’s 21,600 people per day, 648,000 per month, more than 7.8 million per year, resulting in a total of 225 million people to date who’ve come to faith through the Jesus ﬁlm.

I was surprised by the revelation that Brian Deacon, the actor who played Jesus in the movie, isn’t a believer himself. “I’m still searching,” Brian told me on my radio program. “I probably got as close to becoming a true believer while making that ﬁlm as I ever have done,” he said. Yet, he remains unconvinced. Ironically, he’s played a part in 225 million people coming to faith in Jesus while having no faith himself.

Brian isn’t alone as an unbelieving evangelist. Jesus once healed a blind beggar (John 9). The means were unconventional—saliva, mud, and a dip in the creek. When the beggar returned with sight, his community plied him for answers (vv.8-10). He told them that a man called Jesus had healed him, though he didn’t know much more than that (v.11). The beggar was dragged before the Pharisees, who were incensed at Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. “I don’t know whether He is a sinner” (v.25), the former sightless man said to the Pharisees regarding Jesus. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” Later he even asked the Pharisees if they wanted to become Jesus’ disciples too! (v.27).

The beggar evangelized his community and religious leaders for Jesus, but only later did he discover Jesus’ identity and come to personal faith (vv.35-38).

It’s a story that I hope and pray becomes Brian Deacon’s story too. —Sheridan Voysey, Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

Let us never give up!

M.Y.

Greetings from G2 Advisors

2010-02-08T17:05:00.004+08:00

Hi G2,
Just a reminder that this Sunday 14 Feb there's NO Youth Fellowship
as we'll be having a Combine Service at 10am.

And on behalf of all G2 Advisors we would like to take this opportunity
to wish everyone of you a Blessed CNY.

Have a great time collecting AngPow :)

On behalf of all G2 Adv,
JC

Many caring couples adopted Haiti's earthquake orphans

2010-02-08T11:25:00.005+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a video of caring couple receiving their adopted Haiti children. As the Lord reminds us: 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.'" (Matthew 25:40)

M.Y.

A story of God's grace

2010-02-01T10:37:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

A story of God's amazing love, grace and protection on a baby boy born with a heart defect. The Lord promises us: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5).

M.Y.

A Poem of Encouragement

2010-01-25T09:59:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a poem of encouragement that is written by a person who is suffering a physical disease. I hope it gives us some rays of light in the midst of our sufferings.

M.Y.

A SPARK IN TIME

Different lives to lead....
Different destinations to meet;
But our journeys must go on,
Despite life's raging storms;
Paths are crossed in time and space,
Sparks fly off in unseen maze....
Building up to cosmic dimensions....
Before returning to earth's frame of reference.

Touching souls, wherever it flowed;
It's true purpose and consequences....
Only the Maker knows.

June Koh

The power of our words

2010-01-18T11:09:00.004+08:00

Hi all,

Our words is a very powerful tool that God has given us. It can either build up or destroy a person. As the Bible reminds us: "A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man(or woman) keeps a secret." (Proverbs 11:13). Let's all depending on God's wisdom and strength learn to use our words constructively instead of destructively.

M.Y.

17 Jan 2010

2010-01-13T14:58:00.002+08:00

Hi G2s & Everyone else.. :)

Pls take note of the latest updates on the CG rooming.

Sec 1 & 2 Boys - Level 2 (Joy 1 & Joy 2 Room)

Sec 1 & 2 Girls - Level 2 Wisdom Room (Next to ladies Toilet)

Sec 3 - Level 2 Faithfulness Room (Next to Men's Toilet)

1619 - Level 2 (Love 2 Room)

Thanks and have a gr8 week.

Jc out..

The Beauty Of God

2010-01-11T12:02:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

May we remember that this world even though is contaminated by sin. But it still reflects the power and God in the way nature functions (Psalm 19:1).

M.Y.

Daily Devotional, January 6th

Posted to Revelation 4:3 on Jan 5, 2010 at 03:13 PM

Revelation 4:3

And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.

“The beauty of God”

Novelist D. H. Lawrence believed the human soul needed beauty more than bread, and for good reason. There is a reason why we bring flowers to the depressed, take the weary on scenic drives, and choose the restaurant table with the view of the lake. Beauty refreshes, encourages, and inspires us. The reason can be found in its source. As we gaze on that setting sun, that mountain peak, or that orchid leaf, we glimpse something bigger—a reflection of its beautiful Creator.

While no one has seen the invisible God in His fullness (Exodus 33:20; 1 Timothy 1:17), God has chosen to be known. Intriguingly, whenever He has revealed Himself, He has done so using beautiful forms:

• Moses and his tribal leaders climb a mountain. There they see a Being standing on a pavement of lapis lazuli (sapphire), as clear as crystal, as blue as the sky (Exodus 24:9-11). • Ezekiel has a vision. He sees a throne like lapis lazuli on which a majestic Being is seated as a man, His body the brilliance of a flame, His radiant light emanating into a myriad of colors across the sky (Ezekiel 1:26-28). • John receives a revelation. He sees a Being with an appearance like the most brilliant of gems—the crystalline white and orange of jasper, the fiery red of carnelian, and rays of emerald green encircling His throne like a rainbow (Revelation 4:1-6).

At the center of our universe sits a beautiful Creator. The earth is full of His glory (Isaiah 6:3) and heaven will be a place where His beauty will radiate at full intensity (Revelation 21:9-21).

One day we will see the invisible God face to face (22:4). In the meantime, His reflection can be traced in the natural beauty around us. —Sheridan Voysey, Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

Remember To Take Care Of Our Natural Environment

2010-01-06T10:49:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

Let's remember to take care of our natural environment that God has given to us. As the Bible reminds us:"The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." (Genesis 2:15)

M.Y.

A Fresh Start In The New Year

2010-01-02T09:42:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Happy New Year 2010! May we all start anew in this new year to come closer to God and build a stronger relationship with Him! Here's a poem for us to ponder....

M.Y.

A Fresh Start In The New Year

O Lord, let me start afresh in the New Year
By depending on Your wisdom and strength alone
There will be dark and stormy days
When I can't see Your face or feel Your Hands
O God, give me faith to trust in You still

When I journey through the dark and rocky valleys
Remind me to trust in Your words O Lord
Even when I'm battered and bruised
Let my heart not turn away from You O God I pray
Let my faith be anchored in You
Who brings me safely home
To the Celestial City above

G2 Session Resume & Welcoming the new Youths into G2

2009-12-28T11:28:00.003+08:00

Wassup G2,
Say Ho............!!

Please be reminded that this Sunday,
Time: 9.00am
Date: 3rd Jan 2010
Venue: Joy Room

We'll resume our G2 session/Fellowship from 9am -11am.

And there will be a Special Welcoming slot during the 11.30am Svc to welcome the
'Graduates' from AGkids to Youth Ministry (G2).

They are;
1) Ariel Lim
2) Reuben Ong
3) Yi Yuan
4) Gabriela
5) Samantha Law
6) Sean Tan
7) Ryan Wong
8) Kymberly Liaw
9) Hannah Thomas
10) Claris Tan
11) Timothy Thian

So to show our supports and warmly welcome them, please come for 11.30am svc and
wear our G2 Red-Shirt.

Thanks
JC

Santa or Jesus?

2009-12-19T14:49:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

It's that time of the year again! Christmas shopping, decorating Christmas trees, lots of Christmas parties.....but is that all? Let the following video stimulates us of what is the true meaning of Christmas. Is it about Santa Claus or about Jesus Christ? May we all be reminded.

M.Y.

God Of Comfort

2009-12-17T10:28:00.006+08:00

Hi all,

Are we feeling lonely or being mistreated? God knows our pains and sorrows. I hope the following will remind us to put our trust in Him.

M.Y.

Daily Devotional, December 7th

Posted to Genesis 16:11 on Nov 30, 2009 at 10:03 AM

Genesis 16:11

The angel of the LORD said to her further, “Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has given heed to your affliction.

“Tender talk”

Sheryl Crow gets it—at least when it comes to loneliness. Many of her song lyrics express our longing for relationships and the questions that bubble to the surface when we live in isolation for too long. Does anybody want me? Does anybody need me? What will I do if the answer is “no”?

For Hagar, the answer was no, and she hit the road, leaving behind Sarai and Abram. The thing was, Hagar was carrying Abraham’s child, but Sarai had “treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away” (Gen. 16:6).

The only one who came looking for Hagar was the angel of the Lord. The angel found her alone and in the desert. He struck up a conversation by asking, “Where have you come from, and where are you going?” (v.8). Although God already knew the answers, His messenger established a two-way connection with Hagar to ease the pain of her isolation.

As this tender talk unfolded, the angel reassured her that her solitude was temporary, and He gave her a revelation of God Himself—showing that He truly cared for her.

Hagar’s aloneness mattered to God. The angel said, “The Lord has heard your cry of distress” (v.11). While the Bible doesn’t record Hagar’s desperate plea, it appears that God’s healing dialogue started in the most heartbreaking and loneliest moment of her life.

Are you suffering from the ache of absentee friends or family? Remember that God hears your call of distress, and He’s ready to talk openly and tenderly to you—to lead you out of your loneliness. After all, the One who soothed Hagar’s soul is “the God who sees me . . . the Living One who sees me” (vv.13-14). —Jennifer Benson Schuldt, Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

A Christian school Janitor saves many student lives

2009-12-07T09:55:00.005+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a story of a Christian school janitor sacrifice his life in order to save many other Muslim students lives. I hope this story can be a reminder to us all of our role as Christ's ambassadors (Matthew 5:16)

M.Y.

What is the year 2012 Mayan prophecy?

2009-12-03T10:20:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

For those who have watched the movie 2012 or is planning to watch it, here's an article about the source of the movie's inspiration.

M.Y.

Question: "What is the year 2012 Mayan prophecy?"

Answer: The ancient Mayans, based on star charting, prophesied that December 21, 2012 would be the end of the world (or at least some form of universal catastrophe). Meso-American star charting started around 680 B.C. by the Olmec civilization who were recording astrological patterns in the sky and eventually shared this information with the Mayans. The Mayans had a long history of tracking the winter solstice (probably for planting crops) and creating calendars (at least 17 that we know of). At some point, they developed the belief that our sun is a god and that the Milky Way, called the “Sacred Tree,” was a gateway to the afterlife. After learning from the Olmecs, they began keeping records of the stars’ patterns of movement and continued to do so for the next 200-300 years. The Mayans then developed their own calendar (The Long Count) ca. 355 B.C. They were able to use their observations and mathematical prowess to calculate the future movements of stars across the sky. The result was that the Mayans discovered the effect of the earth’s wobbling as it spins on its axis. This wobbling rotation causes the stars’ patterns of movement to drift gradually in the sky (called “precession”) in a 5,125-year cycle. The Mayans also discovered that once every cycle the dark band at the center of the Milky Way (called the Galactic Equator) intersects with the Elliptical (the plane of the sun’s movement across the sky).

During that year, the sun reaches its solstice (a brief moment when the sun’s position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane from the observer) on December 21 for the Northern Hemisphere and June 21 for the Southern Hemisphere. That year, the solstice occurs at the moment of the conjunction of the Galactic Equator with the Milky Way. The year this occurs (in relation to our Gregorian calendar) is A.D. 2012, and happened last on August 11, 3114 B.C. With Mayan mythology teaching that our sun is a god and the Milky Way is the gateway to life and death, the Mayans concluded that this intersection in the past must have been the moment of creation. Mayan hieroglyphs seem to indicate that they believed the next intersection in 2012 would be some sort of end and a new beginning of a cycle. The Mayans also believed that the blood of human sacrifices was what powered the sun and gave it life.

All the so-called “Mayan prophecies of 2012” are nothing more than wildly speculative extrapolations, which are based on the yet uncertain interpretations by scholars of Mayan hieroglyphs. However, the truth is that apart from the astrological convergence, there is little indication that the Mayans prophesied anything specific regarding the events of this distant future. The Mayans were not prophets; they were not even able to predict their own cultural extinction. They were great mathematicians and accomplished sky watchers, but they were also a brutally violent tribal people with a primitive understanding of natural phenomena, subscribing to archaic beliefs and the barbaric practices of blood-letting and human sacrifice.

There is absolutely nothing in the Bible that would present December 21, 2012, as the end of the world. While that date is no less valid for an end-times event than any other future date, the Bible nowhere presents the astronomical phenomena the Mayans pointed to as a sign of the end times. It would seem very inconsistent of God to allow the Mayans to discover such an amazing truth while keeping the many Old Testament prophets ignorant of the timing of the events. In summary, there is absolutely no biblical evidence that the 2012 Mayan prophecy / prediction of doomsday is in any sense valid or probable.

Accepting the Mayan 2012 prophecy logically requires acceptance of the following theories: our sun is a god; the sun is powered by the blood of human sacrifice; the creation moment occurred at 3114 B.C. (despite all evidence that it happened much earlier); and the visual alignment of stars has some significance for everyday human life. Like every other false religion, the Mayan religion sought to elevate to the point of worship that which was created in place of the Creator Himself. The Bible tells us about such false worshipers: “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25), and “since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). To accept the Mayan 2012 prophecy also denies the clear biblical teachin g about the end of the world, because Jesus told us “…of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32).

Youth Camp - 6-9 Dec 2009

2009-11-11T16:01:00.004+08:00

Hi Everyone,
Youth Camp is approaching...yay!!!
Invite your friends before the school hols..

And also You..You..You..!!!! Yes..You!! have u sign up??
If not, sign up now..

Closing Date is : 20 NOV 09

c ya...

Josh out..

Poem -- The Book Of Heaven

2009-11-09T11:37:00.005+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a poem that I hope that can encourage us to love and treasure God's word more

M.Y.

The Book Of Heaven

As I walk through the history of Your word O Lord
Many people whom You had chosen
Treasured Your written word with their lives
As persecutors pressured them to betray You
They would rather have their blood shed
Than to turn their backs on their Master

O Lord teach me not to take Your word for granted
Let me learn to treasure Your holy word
As Christians of the past did
For the Holy Bible is a gift from You
So that mankind can find You
The Way, the Truth, and the Life
That guides me to Heaven
And teaching me how to live life to the fullest
According to Your will for my life

Please learn this song.

2009-10-26T18:41:00.002+08:00

The touch of the Master's hand.

Requested by pastor carrie.

DON'T KEEP POSTING SO OFTEN OR THIS VID WILL GO ALL THE WAY DOWN THE PAGE.

Youth Sunday practices:

1 Nov, 9am to 11am.

(This one's the full rehearsal.)
7 Nov, BAND: 3-6pm (don't worry we're not going to practice for the WHOLE 3hours, I'm not crazy. BUT, musician's gotta brush up on everything.)
CHOIR: 4-6pm (The choir includes EVERYONE, as long as you're not part of the cast)
DRAMA: 4-6pm
Full run through of service: 6-7pm.

Dinner not provided.
Is it? O.O

TTFN

RAH.

Let's revere God's name

2009-10-23T09:34:00.004+08:00

Hi all,

I hope this devotion reminds all to give due reverence to God's name.

M.Y.

Daily Devotional, October 18th

Posted to Psalms 29:2 on Oct 12, 2009 at 12:47 PM

Psalms 29:2
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in holy array.

“omg”

With the advent of cell phones, texting, and online chat, an abbreviated form of language has emerged. Texters and chatters regularly communicate with shortcuts like “lol” (laugh out loud) or “idk” (I don’t know).

For the most part, these abbreviations are harmless. One popular shortcut, however, is truly offensive to believers in Jesus—“omg.” The most common meaning given to this abbreviation is the expression “Oh, my God.”

Should we be concerned by its use? Or are we making something out of nothing? Consider this: Although the Bible doesn’t legalistically regulate every single word that comes out of our mouths, it does plainly state that we are not to use God’s name in a way that regards it as trivial (Exodus 20:7). Even though blurting out “Oh, my God” or texting and e-mailing “omg” have become socially acceptable, they’re still examples of using God’s name wrongly. It boils down to an issue of respect. To refer to the God of the universe in this manner, even as an expression of shock or surprise, is flippant and dishonoring. It treats “the name above all other names” (Philippians 2:9) as irrelevant, as if it carries little weight or special meaning. To be fair, some may not intend to use “omg” in this way. They may believe that it is an innocent expression that—for them—means “Oh, my goodness.” Given how it’s most widely used and interpreted, however, it would be wise to use another abbreviation.

God’s name is to be revered, not to be misused or treated as meaningless. Whenever we refer to God, may we reflect the spirit of the psalmist who wrote, “Honor the Lord for the glory of His name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness” (Psalm 29:2). —Jeff Olson, Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

Lead me to the Cross

2009-10-18T21:19:00.001+08:00

Watch this on how our Lord suffer and beaten.
And let us ponder and hold on to that cross.

Some useful Q&A websties

2009-10-17T11:56:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Here are some websites that is useful for us when we encounter difficult questions thrown at us by our family, relatives, classmates, colleagues or friends when we are sharing the gospel with them.

http://www.meant4more.com/aboutGod.htm
http://www.everystudent.com/
http://www.beyondtheultimate.org/beyond-the-ultimate.aspx
http://powertochange.com/

M.Y.

A Poem about the feeling of the Samaritan woman by the well

2009-10-16T10:22:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Here's an interesting poem recital about the feeling of the Samaritan woman by the well in John 4:1-30.

M.Y.

Who are we?

2009-10-13T09:45:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

I hope we can constantly discover who we are in Christ.

M.Y.

Daily Devotional, September 25th

Posted to John 1:12 on Sep 21, 2009 at 12:54 PM

John 1:12

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,

“Who are you?”

Who are you? Who, who, who, who?” These opening lyrics of a classic pop song are more than just lines from a catchy tune. The lyrics actually raise a key question: Do you know who you really are?

It’s an important question. And answering it isn’t as simple as rattling off your name, where you live, and what you do for a living. You are more than the basic information found on your driver’s license—a lot more. To truly answer the question, you have to put away your driver’s license and pull out your Bible.

For starters, the opening pages of the Bible tell us that we bear the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). In fact, human beings are the only part of His creation to hold the distinct honor of being created in God’s likeness. Unlike a thundering herd of wild horses or a snow- capped mountain or a constellation of stars in the night sky, we carry around the dignity of being marked by the image of God.

The Bible also tells us that “we are [God’s] offspring” (Acts 17:28). In other words, we are precious children of the King of the universe. Amazing! Who we are is wrapped up in the truth that we are people created in His image, who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. We can walk in the peace and the joy and the purpose of our new life in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17).

It’s important that these answers resonate with your own understanding of who you are in Jesus. Much is riding on how you answer the question at the start of this article. If you don’t know who you really are, you will continue to live in lesser ways than God intended for you.

So, who are you? —Jeff Olson, Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

Our action does make a difference to others

2009-10-10T11:10:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Let's not underestimate what God can do through our small acts of kindness to others.

M.Y.

Funny Talking Animals

2009-10-08T10:14:00.001+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a video of funny talking animals lol

M.Y.

2009-10-06T09:58:00.001+08:00

Hi all,

Here's another poem for us all to ponder.....

M.Y.

To Do List From God
I ran my life in search of worldly things;
My time and will were firmly in control.
I thought I had no need for what God brings;
I gave no heed to murmurs from my soul.
“You’re planning, doing all the time,” it said,
“But something else is missing deep inside.
Your mind is whirling, but your heart is dead,
So turn to God and let go of your pride.”

I did, and God said, “Here’s My plan for you:
Give your life to Me, and just let go.
Have faith and pray, and read the Bible through,
And you’ll have blessings more than you can know.”

So simple, yet it brings me perfect peace,
Living life for God the way I should.
Direction, purpose, fullness and release—
Life with God is very, very good.

By Joanna Fuchs

A picture of Jesus Christ by a graffiti artist

2009-10-02T09:46:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

A picture of Jesus Christ drawn by a graffiti artist.

M.Y.

Love Crucified Arose

2009-09-30T11:14:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Let's remember our Lord's love for us daily in our lives.

M.Y.

Long ago He blessed the earth
Born older than the years
And in the stall a cross He saw
Through the first of many tears
A life of homeless wandering
Cast out in sorrow's way
The Shepherd seeking for the lost
His life, the price He paid

Love crucified, arose
The Risen One in splendor
Jehovah soul Defender
Has won the victory
Love crucified, arose
And the grave became a place of hope
For the heart that sin and sorrow broke
Is beating once again

Throughout Your life You felt the weight
Of what You'd come to give
To drink for us that crimson cup
So we might really live
At last the time to love and die
The dark appointed day
That one forsaken moment
When Your Father turned His face away

Love crucified, arose
The One who lived the died for me
Was Satan's nail-pierced casualty
Now He's breathing once again

Love crucified, arose
And the grave became a place of hope
For the heart that sin and sorrow broke
Is beating once again

Love crucified, arose
The Risen One in splendor
Jehovah soul defender
Has won the victory

Love crucified, arose
And the grave became a place of hope
for the heart that sin and sorrow broke
is beating once again

Love crucified, arose
The One who lived and died for me
Was Satan's nail-pierced casualty
Now He's breathing once again

Let our lives brings glory to God's name

2009-09-29T10:24:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

May our lives brings glory to God's name as we live in this world (Matt 5:16).

M.Y.

Daily Devotional, September 23rd

Posted to Acts 9:36 on Sep 21, 2009 at 12:36 PM

Acts 9:36

Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did.

“Dying for life”

Recently, I saw a poster with these words: “When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a way so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.” —Indian (Cherokee) Proverb

The story of Tabitha (Dorcas in Greek) is a sad one. Tabitha was a devout follower of Christ. Not much else is said about her. But this one- sentence description says a lot: “She was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor” (Acts 5:36).

Tabitha was a good person. But, sadly, sometimes the good die early. Even so, it seemed so tragic, wasteful even, that a useful, beloved, kind, and untiring worker like her should die so suddenly and unexpectedly (v.37). It shows us that death can come suddenly, even in the midst of a fruitful ministry.

Up until that time, Peter had performed just a couple of healings (3:6 and 9:34), but he had not done anything so dramatic or difficult as raising the dead. So it was an act of faith on Peter’s part for him to respond and to go to Joppa to see Tabitha (vv.39-41).

Upon his arrival, we are told that “the room was filled with widows who were weeping and showing [Peter] the coats and other clothes Dorcas had made for them” (v.39). What a testimony of a life well lived. When Peter prayed and Tabitha came back to life, there must have been great rejoicing.

When you’re gone, will you be missed? Will there be many people who weep for you? What testimony of good works will you leave behind? Will there be coats and other clothes to show? When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. But when you die, will the world cry as you rejoice? —K.T. Sim, Our Daily Jounrey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

2009-09-26T10:16:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

Do we trust God when we have doubts and questions or when we encounter something that we can't understand in life? The Bible reminds us: "if we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself." (2 Tim 2:13). Let's remember to trust in God's love and faithfulness even when He seems "disappeared".

M.Y.

Sometimes my little heart can't understand
What's in Your will, what's in Your plan.
So many times I'm tempted to ask You why,
But I can never forget it for long.
Lord, what You do could not be wrong.
So I believe You, even when I must cry.
Do I trust You, Lord?
Does the river flow?
Do I trust You, Lord?
Does the north wind blow?
You can see my heart,
You can read my mind,
And You got to know
That I would rather die
Than to lose my faith
In the One I love.
Do I trust You, Lord?
Do I trust You?

I know the answers, I've given them all.
But suddenly now, I feel so small.
Shaken down to the cavity in my soul.
I know the doctrine and theology,
But right now they don't mean much to me.
This time there's only one thing I've got to know.

Do I trust You, Lord?
Does the robin sing?
Do I trust You, Lord?
Does it rain in spring?
You can see my heart,
You can read my mind,
And You got to know
That I would rather die
Than to lose my faith
In the One I love.
Do I trust You, Lord?
Do I trust You?

I will trust You, Lord, when I don't know why.
I will trust You, Lord, till the day I die.
I will trust You, Lord, when I'm blind with pain!
You were God before, and You'll never change.
I will trust You.
I will trust You.
I will trust You, Lord.
I will trust You.

3 Meals for Charity - 05.09.09 - 06.09.09

2009-09-21T12:19:00.015+08:00

Hey people,
Below is some of the pix from the 3 Meals for Charity 09.

Jc out..

The touch of the Master's hand

2009-09-21T11:19:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a song of reminder for us all that we are created by God with a purpose for us to live out His purpose in our lives.

M.Y.

“Touch Of The Master’s Hand”

Well it was battered and scared,
And the auctioneer felt it was hardly worth his while,
To waste much time on the old violin but he held it up with a smile,
Well it sure ain’t much but its all we got left I guess we aught to sell it to,
Oh, now who’ll start the bid on this old violin?
Just one more and we’ll be through.

And then he cried one give me one dollar,
Who’ll make it two only two dollars who’ll make it three,
Three dollars twice now that’s a good price,
Now who’s gonna bid for me?
Raise up your hand now don’t wait any longer the auctions about to end,
Who’s got four Just one dollar more to bid on this old violin?

Well the air was hot and the people stood around as the sun was setting low,
From the back of the crowd a gray haired man,
Came forward and picked up the bow,
He wiped the dust from the old violin then he tightened up the strings,
Then he played out a melody pure and sweet, sweeter than the Angels sing,
And then the music stopped and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low he said now what am I bid,
For this old violin and he held it up with a bow.

And then he cried out one give me one thousand,
Who’ll make it two only two thousand who’ll make it three,
Three thousand twice you know that’s a good price,
Common who’s gonna to bid for me?
And the people cried out what made the change we don’t understand,
Then the auctioneer stopped and he said with a smile,
It was the touch of the Master’s hand.

You know there's many a man with his life out of tune,
Battered and scared with sin and he’s auctioned cheap,
To a thankless world much like that old violin,
Oh, but then the Master comes,
And that old foolish crowd they never understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is rought,
Just by one touch of the Masters hand.

And then he cried out one give me one thousand,
Who’ll make it two only two thousand who’ll make it three,
Three thousand twice you know that’s a good price,
Common who’s gonna bid for me?
And the people cried out what made the change we don’t understand,
Then the auctioneer stopped and he said with a smile,
It was the touch, that’s all it was; it was the touch of the Master’s hand,
It was the touch of the Master’s hand; oh, it was the touch of the Master’s hand.

Let Me Finish Well

2009-09-21T10:04:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a poem that I hope will be an encouragement to us all to spur us on in our walk with God to the end.

M.Y.

Let Me Finish Well

O Lord as I journey in this life
Let my eyes be fixed upon You
O Lord as I walk through dark and cloudy places
Let my heart trust in Your faithfulness
When I'm bruised and wounded
O Lord remind me that You are my Healer
And as I live my life to the very last breath
Enable me Lord to finish the race well
And bring glory to Your name