Jesus Christ

God is Good...All the time...and all the time...God is Good!!!

Praise God for a tremendously fun time during the Youth Camp...had lots of laughter during the Celebration Night and lots of good clean fun during the games time. I praise God indeed for the friendships formed between people and for the many lessons that we learnt through sharings and bonding with one another. God is indeed faithful and He has called us not only to be fruitful(good works), but also to be faithful in whatever we do. Let us all look forward to God telling us..."Well done, good and FAITHFUL servant!" Matthew 25:21

Mission in Thailand & TnY Camp 2006

I'm back from a tiring yet fulfilling trip in Northern Thailand. Travelling from one village to another, we treaded on soil that was open to God's word. I must say this year's team is indeed a very different experience for me. I have learnt many lessons of which one that struck me was when i realised that it is so much easier to focus on God in thailand than in Singapore, simply by the fact that we are too distracted in our "comfort zone". The simple but yet tough way of life has shown me that life can still go on and there is a undivided attention given to God.

Along the way, the team struggled a bit as team members were sick, tired and drained from all the medical and outreaches. But nevertheless, God is good and we prevail through his divine strength. Praise the Lord indeed!

There is a lot more that i would like to share, but i think i will just stop here...next thing on my agenda...i'm in the second day of our Youth and Teens Camp. Had an enjoyable time so far...looking forward to more of His goodness as the youth and teens seek out our gracious heavenly Father.

Shalom!

Let us be...

Have you...

Encouragement for today

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God" Colossians 1:10

Refreshing Sunday!!

Sunday's service was good partly because i was not only blessed by the worship that i led, but i was also touched by Rev Goh's message where he was so personal in his sharing...sob...it was indeed heartwarming...but i'm sorry i can't share it here. Anyway, God has been really good to me this week...had trouble preparing my worship for Sunday but in the end, God still helped me in understanding that his grace is sufficient!

Today is tuesday...had a long staff meeting...looking forward to great things...and my Off Day on thurs! Yeepee...time for reflection and rest!

Praise be to God!

Lesson's from Solomon's life

Some of the Youth who attended Aunty Moi Lin's session on Solomon on 4 Nov was greatly blessed with the lessons that we can draw from his life. I was one of those who was greatly blessed as i took back some valuable lessons.

Some of the extracts from Moi Lin's sharing...

[Solomon's Mistakes]
- Misplaced love(v.1, see Mtt 10:37)
Love is good only when its objects are good

- Evil companions (v.2, see 1Co 15:33)
Close ties should not be made with those who follow evil

- Seeking status and prestige (v.3, see Mtt 19:30)
What we acquire in excess of need, is but for folly and pride

- Compromise (v.4, see Mtt 12:30)
If only halfway devoted to God, we are at enmity with him

- Idolatry (v.5, see Col 3:5)
Where idolatry is the practice, covetousness is the principle

- Rebellion (v.6, see Philippians 3:16-17)
The example of good parents and mentors is not to be scorned

- Entanglement in sin (v.7, see 2 Pet 2:20-22)
A sin willfully repeated becomes a snare without escape

- Serving many masters (v.8, see Mt 6:24)
The one who serves God can serve no other master

- Ingratitude (v.9, see 1Thess 5:18)
Once blessed, give thanks; twice blessed, give your all

- Disbodience
"Solomon did not observe what the Lord had commanded." (1 Kings 11:10)

[To avoid failures, we must...]

- Guard Your Heart (Proverbs 4:20-23)
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth ... for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also ... (Matthew 6:19-21)

"Whatever Captures Your Heart
Will Eventually Capture Your Head
& Your Hands"

- Watch Out For Small Compromises ( I Kings 11:1-8)
Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. (I Kings 3:1)

"The Greatest Failures Often Start With The Smallest Compromises"

- Go Deep Into God's Word (Deuteronomy l7:14-20)
'I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go." (I Kings 2:2-3)

[Lessons Learnt]
- Behind the story of Solomon is the fact that, no matter how strong our faith might be, we can, like Solomon, let it slip by not paying sufficient attention to God’s word daily.

- A wholehearted devotion to God is necessary, and we cannot divide our loyalties between God and other things.

[Main Lesson]
- In these last days we too "must pay closer attention to what we have heard lest we drift away" (Heb 2:1-3).

Headless Chickens/Christians?

There may be many activities that a person may be doing in church, school, home and in the streets. But all these activities would eventually become mundane and pointless if we do not have a direction to press on. Just like a headless chicken that has just been slaughtered. It will continue to run in all direction. Let us look at ourselves, do we have Christ as our "Head" to lead us in all our activities so that we have a direction and a purpose in life?

Finally...it is done!

I have finally finished summing up the qualities of good character... These are the qualities that i have read and it has impacted me. For the weeks to come, I will be striving to meet up to these qualities though i know it is not easy...but it is worth the try. Press on!!

Servant of the Lord

We must remember that our commander-in-chief is Christ Jesus our Lord. God has placed us in situations according to his will and his purposes. In other words, we don't wait to see how ou employer treats us before deciding how hard to work. Rather, we work as if Christ were our overseer, and in reality he is. He places us where he wants us to make a difference as his servants. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving" (Colossians 3:23-24).

Whether we recognise it, God is involved in every aspect of our lives. He will take the ordinary circumstances we face and use them to develop our character. But our hearts have to be right first. If not, we will face our circumstances differently.

We often blame God for difficult situations, but he will use these circumstances to promote greater dependence on him. "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purposes." God works for the good of those who love him. Our role is to be obedient to Him and faithful as each task or circumstances is placed before us.

[Extracted from "The Man God Uses", Hendry and Tom Blackaby]

Seek and Love God

The bible says... "Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God" (Exodus 34:14).

God not only demands our complete loyalty, but he also deserves it.
God desires to be found by those who are seeking him and He longs to reveal himself to his people and share the blessings he has for us.
God sets in motion his plans and his purposes for us, then we will find in our hearts a desire to seek after him. "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44).

[Extracted from "The Man God Uses", Hendry and Tom Blackaby]

Obedience

"This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3) .

Obedience is submission to the instructions of an authority. Our obedience to Christ's commands is proof to God and to everyone watching us that Christ indeed is Lord of our lives.

"To obey is better than sacrifice" (1 Samuel 15:22) .

God doesnt want you to give more money to the church. He isn't looking to see how many hours you spent witnessing. It doesn't really matter how much you feel you had to give up to follow Christ. God wants to see if you have truly heard him. He wants to see you OBEY.

[Extracted from "The Man God Uses", Hendry and Tom Blackaby]

Faithfulness

Faithful - "Steadfast, Dedicated, Dependable and Worthy of Trust".

The word faithful is linked to a promise: "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev 2:10). Faithfulness is a lifelong goal. It is persevering to the end. It is remaining true to the Lord and his Word through discouragement and difficulty as well as joy and success.

We may have been unfaithful, we may have stumbled in the race and are limping along the sidelines. Forgiveness and restoration are available for those who recognise their failures and repent of them.

A life of faithfulness begins with the first step of obedience and continues one step at a time.

[Extracted from "The Man God Uses", Hendry and Tom Blackaby]

Have a Kit Kat!

I think i'm gonna take a break before i continue...

Have a break...have some Kit Kat! :)

Fear of God

Fear brings about a sense of awe and reverence toward God. Sometimes biblical fear can also refer to terror or dread when facing God's judgement. A lack of fear of God demonstrates a lack of understanding of who God is and what he is able to do.

We display a lack of fear when we:

• continually use God's name in vain
• deliberately sin, expecting God to forgive us
• view worship, prayer, tithing, studying God's Word, and commitment to the church as options for the Christians
• approach God in worship with a flippant attitude
  
  [Extracted from "The Man God Uses", Hendry and Tom Blackaby]

A Contrite Heart

Contrite means to be "humble and repantant before God", crushed by a sense of guilt and sin. In one way we are responsible for how we come before God. In another way, God will bring us to the edge of brokenness through our circumstances. Part of a covenant love relationship involves God's helping us to repent when we need to, but it still remains an act of our will.

[Extracted from "The Man God Uses", Hendry and Tom Blackaby]

A Pure Heart

Pure means "to be singular in substance, without any imperfections or impurities." A pure heart is one solely committed to Christ first and foremost (Matt. 10:37-39).

Wax was often used to cover or fill in cracks in pottery so that it could be sold as undamaged. Uder the test of fire, the wax would melt and reveal the otherwise hidden cracks and impurities. If we want God to reveal himself to us so we can see him clearly, we must approach him with "clean hands and a pure heart" (Psalm 24:4).

[Extracted from "The Man God Uses", Hendry and Tom Blackaby]

Holiness

Holiness means "to be set apart and separate." We are to separate ourselves from the stains of the world and things that dirties our lives - free from all sinful thoughts, destructive emotions, unclean images, impure motives, and questionable activities. We cannot make ourselves holy. We can only become holy through the power of Christ and the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives and through it, we can then reveal to our world the reality of a holy God in our lives.

[Extracted from "The Man God Uses", Hendry and Tom Blackaby]

Qualities of Good Character

- Holiness
- A Pure Heart
- A Contrite Heart
- Fear of God
- Faithfulness
- Obedience
- Seeks and Loves God
- Servant of the Lord

I will be explaining more of these qualities...

[Extracted from "The Man God Uses", Hendry and Tom Blackaby]

Under Construction!!

This blog is under construction for the time being....