After a series of reflections... I asked myself have i been giving of my time to God out of comfort?
Do I lead worship, play the guitar, be a small group leader, plan events out of my own free time?
or do i like in Deuteronomy 6
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
ALL is the key word here.
Come, ye that love the Lord,
And let your joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
While ye surround his throne:
Let those refuse to sing
Who never knew our God;
But servants of the heavenly King
May speak their joys abroad
The God that rules on high,
That all the earth surveys
That rides upon the stormy sky,
And calms the roaring seas-
This awful God is ours,
Our Father and our love;
He will send down his heavenly powers,
To carry us above.
There we shall see his face,
And never, never sin;
There, from the rivers of his grace,
Drink endless pleasures in:
Yea, and before we rise
To that immortal state,
The thoughts of such amazing bliss
Should constant joys create.
The men of grace have found
Glory begun below;
Celestial fruit on earthly ground
From faith and hope may grow:
Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We are marching through Immanuel's grounds
To fairer worlds on high.
John Wesley
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
A REBELution
Luke 22:37 (New Living Translation)
37 For the time has come for this prophecy about me to be fulfilled:
‘He was counted among the rebels.’ Yes, everything written about me by the prophets will come true.”
Isaiah 53:12 (New Living Translation)
12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels
37 For the time has come for this prophecy about me to be fulfilled:
‘He was counted among the rebels.’ Yes, everything written about me by the prophets will come true.”
Isaiah 53:12 (New Living Translation)
12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels
Thursday, May 1, 2008
WHY? AND I WILL ...
Why do people shy away, afraid to say your name?
What is it that scares them, for all things you are blamed?
Why is it that people talk, so low it's hard to hear..
Do you know precisely ... what do your people fear?
Does not every life created, breathing in your air..
want to get to know you and how you truly care?
Don't they want to know of you and how you're in their lives,
even though they can't see, the love that's in their eyes?
Don't they know you love them all, separate as they are,
and you're right beside them, never gone afar?
I will do my best, to tell them of your name.
I will always love you, and never be ashamed.
I will hold my head up high and try to make you proud.
I will talk about you, even in a crowd.
I will spread the gospel of your every single word.
I will let the others know, and pray it will be heard.
Never will I lose the hope, that all your people know,
You are a Loving Father, who will never let us go....
Ellen C. Doucette
What is it that scares them, for all things you are blamed?
Why is it that people talk, so low it's hard to hear..
Do you know precisely ... what do your people fear?
Does not every life created, breathing in your air..
want to get to know you and how you truly care?
Don't they want to know of you and how you're in their lives,
even though they can't see, the love that's in their eyes?
Don't they know you love them all, separate as they are,
and you're right beside them, never gone afar?
I will do my best, to tell them of your name.
I will always love you, and never be ashamed.
I will hold my head up high and try to make you proud.
I will talk about you, even in a crowd.
I will spread the gospel of your every single word.
I will let the others know, and pray it will be heard.
Never will I lose the hope, that all your people know,
You are a Loving Father, who will never let us go....
Ellen C. Doucette
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Hymns of adoration sing
Hello!!
I'm back blogging once again. Its been great doing internship in church and God has been opening doors for me to experience His goodness and see His work. Thank You God.
Well, its been some time since habakkuk; here's what i did
A Walk through Habakkuk’s Prayer
Station 1 - Habakkuk 1, 2 - Asking God Questions
Write on the piece of paper provided questions you have about God, man, Christianity etc
Station 2 - Habakkuk 3:3-15 – A Proclamation of God’s Greatness in the past.
Because of our human tendency to worry, we often forget the times God has blessed us. Take a few moments to see if we can recall any time in our lives when we felt God’s goodness in our lives.
Activity: Write or draw one such event on the piece of paper provided as an act of proclamation of God’s grace.
Station 3 - Habakkuk 3:17 - “though the fig tree does not blossom…”
Habakkuk was thinking of the worst that could happen (famine and starvation).
Activity: Take a few minutes to think of one or more of your most significant fears. Write or draw it down on the piece of paper provided
Station 4 - Habakkuk 3:18-19 – A Pledge to God’s Praise Forever.
Habakkuk was not being morbid by thinking of the worst that could happen (famine and starvation). He was making a resolution to remain faithful to God and His righteousness no matter what.
Activity: Praying for one another
Meditate on the closing words of Habakkuk’s book:
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.
Habbakuk's Prayer
Though the fig tree does not blossom
And there are no grapes on the vines
Though the olive tree is barren
And the fields produce no fruit
Though there are no sheep in the penfold
And no cattle in the stalls
I know the Sovereign Lord my Saviour
Is my strength and is my job
The Sovereign Lord is my strength
He makes my feet like those of deer
I can walk on my high places
Treading bravely without fear.
Chorus:
So I will exalt in the Lord
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!
I will exalt in the Lord
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!
As we come into His presence
Humbly bow before our King
As we bow our hearts to worship
Hymns of adoration sing
He has promised He will meet us
If we truly seek His face
As we come into His presence
Resting only in His grace
As we come into His presence
We will worship and adore
Christ our one and only Saviour
King of kings forevermore
Many of the youths responded to the challeng to live in faith and by whenever trials and tribulations come their way. I pray that whenever that is, you will remain faithful to the God who has always been so faithful to you :) Jesus Christ
I'm back blogging once again. Its been great doing internship in church and God has been opening doors for me to experience His goodness and see His work. Thank You God.
Well, its been some time since habakkuk; here's what i did
A Walk through Habakkuk’s Prayer
Station 1 - Habakkuk 1, 2 - Asking God Questions
Write on the piece of paper provided questions you have about God, man, Christianity etc
Station 2 - Habakkuk 3:3-15 – A Proclamation of God’s Greatness in the past.
Because of our human tendency to worry, we often forget the times God has blessed us. Take a few moments to see if we can recall any time in our lives when we felt God’s goodness in our lives.
Activity: Write or draw one such event on the piece of paper provided as an act of proclamation of God’s grace.
Station 3 - Habakkuk 3:17 - “though the fig tree does not blossom…”
Habakkuk was thinking of the worst that could happen (famine and starvation).
Activity: Take a few minutes to think of one or more of your most significant fears. Write or draw it down on the piece of paper provided
Station 4 - Habakkuk 3:18-19 – A Pledge to God’s Praise Forever.
Habakkuk was not being morbid by thinking of the worst that could happen (famine and starvation). He was making a resolution to remain faithful to God and His righteousness no matter what.
Activity: Praying for one another
Meditate on the closing words of Habakkuk’s book:
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.
Habbakuk's Prayer
Though the fig tree does not blossom
And there are no grapes on the vines
Though the olive tree is barren
And the fields produce no fruit
Though there are no sheep in the penfold
And no cattle in the stalls
I know the Sovereign Lord my Saviour
Is my strength and is my job
The Sovereign Lord is my strength
He makes my feet like those of deer
I can walk on my high places
Treading bravely without fear.
Chorus:
So I will exalt in the Lord
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!
I will exalt in the Lord
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!
As we come into His presence
Humbly bow before our King
As we bow our hearts to worship
Hymns of adoration sing
He has promised He will meet us
If we truly seek His face
As we come into His presence
Resting only in His grace
As we come into His presence
We will worship and adore
Christ our one and only Saviour
King of kings forevermore
Many of the youths responded to the challeng to live in faith and by whenever trials and tribulations come their way. I pray that whenever that is, you will remain faithful to the God who has always been so faithful to you :) Jesus Christ
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Question the Question
Apologies for the lagg of posts. Been lazy and playing this new game Cabal. This kinda mmopg games really get you hooked on fast.
Anyways, i've been out visiting a few people in hospital in the past month. Brings back memories of when my mum was in hospital. Looking at the patient, looking at the family - i cannot help but try to figure out what is going on in their minds, especially with those whose family member is just on the verge of death. I've gone down this road before and i can empathise. And i'm going to ask this question - Why does God allow us to suffer? Isn't He the God of love, mercy and compassion? Surely He would not bear to see us suffer.
Do we suffer because, it is a test from God of our faith?
Do we suffer because, He wants us to draw near to Him?
Do we suffer because, He wants to teach us something?
Do we suffer because, God is using us as part of His plan?
Do we suffer because, we are sinful by nature?
Do we suffer because, we chose God?
To push the question further, Why does God allow the righteous/innocent to suffer? Look at the wars happening around the world, natural diseasters, violence, crimes. This is exactly the same question the prophet Habbakuk struggled with.
Habakkuk cried to God because the wicked people were treating the good people very badly. He wondered how God could allow the wicked people to do mean things for so long. After a "short dialouge" with God, the answer comes...
The final conclusion of Habakkuk is that we must allow God to be God, and allow Him to do things His way and in His own good time. Our job is to trust Him and to live by faith! "The righteous will live by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:4) --- the key verse of this entire book!! Although things do not always turn out as we would like, yet we will rejoice in the Lord anyway! (Habakkuk 3:17-19).
I have come to terms with this. Whenever we “wrestle” (which is actually what the name Habakkuk means) with such doubts or questions. Have this in the back of your head. Our job is to trust Him and to live by faith! Although things do not always turn out as we would like, yet we will rejoice in the Lord anyway. Faith, Hope and Love.
Anyways, i've been out visiting a few people in hospital in the past month. Brings back memories of when my mum was in hospital. Looking at the patient, looking at the family - i cannot help but try to figure out what is going on in their minds, especially with those whose family member is just on the verge of death. I've gone down this road before and i can empathise. And i'm going to ask this question - Why does God allow us to suffer? Isn't He the God of love, mercy and compassion? Surely He would not bear to see us suffer.
Do we suffer because, it is a test from God of our faith?
Do we suffer because, He wants us to draw near to Him?
Do we suffer because, He wants to teach us something?
Do we suffer because, God is using us as part of His plan?
Do we suffer because, we are sinful by nature?
Do we suffer because, we chose God?
To push the question further, Why does God allow the righteous/innocent to suffer? Look at the wars happening around the world, natural diseasters, violence, crimes. This is exactly the same question the prophet Habbakuk struggled with.
Habakkuk cried to God because the wicked people were treating the good people very badly. He wondered how God could allow the wicked people to do mean things for so long. After a "short dialouge" with God, the answer comes...
The final conclusion of Habakkuk is that we must allow God to be God, and allow Him to do things His way and in His own good time. Our job is to trust Him and to live by faith! "The righteous will live by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:4) --- the key verse of this entire book!! Although things do not always turn out as we would like, yet we will rejoice in the Lord anyway! (Habakkuk 3:17-19).
I have come to terms with this. Whenever we “wrestle” (which is actually what the name Habakkuk means) with such doubts or questions. Have this in the back of your head. Our job is to trust Him and to live by faith! Although things do not always turn out as we would like, yet we will rejoice in the Lord anyway. Faith, Hope and Love.
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." - Revelation 21:4
Sunday, March 16, 2008
The Case For Evangelism
Jesus, I believe in YouAnd I would go to the ends of the earth
To the ends of the earth
For You alone are the Son of God
And all the world will see
That You are God
You are God
2 Corinthians 2:14-17 – But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.
The apostle Paul declares that our evangelism is always victorious… whether men submit to Christ in faith, or whether they reject Him… We triumph as God manifests through us the knowledge of Christ in every place. This witness is a sweet aroma to God… regardless of how men respond to it!
However, concern for the nobleman's soul was not the supreme motive that moved Christ to witness to this sinner. Running even deeper within His breast was a love of God. Though induced by a desire to save men, Christ was primarily motivated by a longing to glorify His Father. You cannot carefully read the Gospels and fail to see that our Lord's chief aim in every act was to do the will of His Father and to make His glory known to men.
The apostle Paul declares that our evangelism is always victorious… whether men submit to Christ in faith, or whether they reject Him… We triumph as God manifests through us the knowledge of Christ in every place. This witness is a sweet aroma to God… regardless of how men respond to it!
However, concern for the nobleman's soul was not the supreme motive that moved Christ to witness to this sinner. Running even deeper within His breast was a love of God. Though induced by a desire to save men, Christ was primarily motivated by a longing to glorify His Father. You cannot carefully read the Gospels and fail to see that our Lord's chief aim in every act was to do the will of His Father and to make His glory known to men.
-John Piper, Let the Nations be Glad!
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