Devotional: Letting Go and Letting God

Psalm 9:10 (NIV)

Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Today's devotion at work is about "Letting Go and Letting God".

Somehow, deep inside us, we know this cognitively but then to practice it seems like nearly impossible. In the words of someone else, "we tend to give God a hand".

Today's devotion was from the devotional article, The Perfect Storm, in Our Daily Bread, based on Mark 4:35-41. It asks if you are currently facing a storm in life and just as Jesus had calmed the storm, do you trust in the Lord to deliver you from your trials. As someone has put it nicely too:

Our God does not promise us a smooth life's journey but a safe landing.

How Do We React in Times of Trials?
Yes, many a times, we get angry when God seems far away and allow suffering (I myself am guilty of that). We can be like Naomi, who intially lamented how the Lord had made her life bitter. We however learnt later how she was blessed in small ways. Last week, the Old Testament Challenge sermon was on 1 Samuel and we saw how Hannah had cried out to the Lord in her desparation of having her womb closed and being chastised by Peninnah:

1 Samuel 1:6-7 (NIV)

6 And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.

We cannot fully appreciate the torment Hannah went through but we know she persistently cried out to the Lord and trusted in Him and in the end, she gave birth to Samuel and many children:

1 Samuel 1:21 (NIV)
And the LORD was gracious to Hannah; she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.

A Personal Testimony of a Mini Storm and God's Deliverance
Yes, for me, I have come to realise, over the past few weeks, how God has blessed my leading of cell. I am this meek person who just do not know what to say and how to lead. I asked God why did He choose me, to the extent I was really not having an easy time, worrying and fearing every week. But then, on hindsight, I have realised how God has led the cell through me in the past few weeks. Somehow, God will speak to me and minister to me in themes and that would in turn help me in leading cell discussion. Yes, I am not the most charismatic leader of all, but then I have come to learn that I can trust in the Lord to minister through me. My heart still remains that it is not what I say but what the Lord says through me that is important and I sincerely pray for God to continue to use me to minister to others.

How Do we Treat God's Deliverance?
Trials are something that we are all familiar with. We have our various experiences of successes and failures with them but ultimately, they are what has shaped us to be what we are today. Some of us also have experiences of facing trials and being delivered by God. But the question is now: how then do we treat these deliverances? There is a tendancy for us to just shove the experience aside and sometimes forget how God delivered us. Just like the Israellites who were delivered by God and soon forgets His deliverance and strayed away from God, angering Him. We can sometimes be like Israel, don't we?

The Bible = A Book of Reminders, Lessons and Testimonies
If we put things into perspective, what is the bible about? yes, it is about God's love and God's grace. But ultimately, it is a chronicle of the story of God's people which serves to remind us, teach us and also a testimony of the greatness of God to others. We can sometimes be forgetfulof how God has delivered us and stray away. Are you one of them? Do you remember how God works in your life and how God has delivered you? Better still, do you keep an account to remind yourself with and learn from your experiences? Do you share your testimony of the greatness of God with others?

Our Daily Bread (21 January 2003)
In the Car Wash

I'll never forget my first experience using an automatic car wash. Approaching it with the dread of going to the dentist, I pushed the money into the slot, nervously checked and rechecked my windows, eased the car up to the line, and waited. Powers beyond my control began moving my car forward as if on a conveyor belt. There I was, cocooned inside, when a thunderous rush of water, soap, and brushes hit my car from all directions. What if I get stuck in here or water crashes in? I thought irrationally. Suddenly the waters ceased. After a blow-dry, my car was propelled into the outside world again, clean and polished.

In the midst of all this, I remembered stormy times in my life when it seemed I was on a conveyor belt, a victim of forces beyond my control. "Car-wash experiences," I now call them. I remembered that whenever I passed through deep waters my Redeemer had been with me, sheltering me against the rising tide (Isaiah 43:2). When I came out on the other side, which I always did, I was able to say with joy and confidence, "He is a faithful God!"

Are you in the middle of a car-wash experience? Trust God to bring you through to the other side. You'll then be a shining testimony of His keeping power. —Joanie Yoder

How wonderful to know that He

Who watches from above

Will always keep us sheltered in

His ever-present love! —King

A tunnel of testing can produce a shining testimony

Source: http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb-01-21-03.shtml

What Are You Going to Do About It?
We thank God for His deliverance but here comes the hard part of remembering and sharing about it.

Conclusion? God will not promise a smooth journey but He promises He will be there with you. He knows what you are going through. At times, when God seem so far away, He is not. He is still with you. But when we are delivered, how do we remember His deliverance and how will we react again in the next trial?

Devotional: The Tea Cup

OK, the part about the tea cup speaking is unthinkable but then, on reflecting on the article, it is true how sometimes trials make us stronger, complete and more beautiful.

There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially teacups. One day in this beautiful shop they saw a beautiful teacup. They said "May we see that? We've never seen one quite so beautiful."

As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke. "You don't understand," it said. "I haven't always been a teacup. There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, 'let me alone,' but he only smiled, 'Not yet'.

"Then I was placed on a spinning wheel," the teacup said, "and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. 'Stop it! I'm getting dizzy!' I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, 'Not yet.'

Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled, and I knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head, 'Not yet.' "Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool.

'There, that's better,' I said. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Stop it, stop it!' I cried. He only nodded, 'Not yet.'

"Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head, saying, 'Not yet.' "Then I knew there wasn't any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up.

But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and said, 'Look at yourself.' And I did. I said, 'That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful.''

I want you to remember, then,' he said, 'I know it hurt to be rolled and patted, but if I just left you, you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked.

I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any color in your life, and if I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't survive for very long because the hardness would not have held.

Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you.'

~ AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Source: http://www.creativeyouthideas.com/blog/teaching_illustrations/the_tea_cup.html

CG Discussion: Lessons from Naomi

Hi everyone!

When God Leads

Galley Head Light, Co Cork Ire by harris

Yesterday's cell discussion was great! I hope you have been ministered to by the word of God as much as I myself was. As I have shared, I really give thanks to God for being such as wonderful God. I had started the week on a bad note, ending with having to take leave yesterday to just have some time alone. But as I went through the week, I give thanks for everything God has given me and I also started to see how God ministers to me throughout the week through my reading of His word, the devotion at work, a sms sent by a friend, a DVD sermon my dad was playing and even a devotional I have read some time back. Everything just clicked so nicely. As you all would know, I am this meek and quiet person, but I give thanks how God has used me yesterday and things just flowed, from the discussion, to my line of thought and also our prayer.

The Lesson from Naomi
During sermon last week, we learnt about radical obedience from Ruth and Boaz. But as I was reading the book of Ruth this week, somehow I sensed that we also have something to learn from Naomi. I have decided to cover Naomi for various reasons: (i) I somehow had the feeling to cover Naomi and when I read in my bible commentary:

"obviously, Naomi's life was a powerful witness to the reality of God, Ruth was drawn to her - and to the God she worshipped... she (Ruth) became the great-grandmother of David and an ancestor in the line of the Messiah. What a profound impact Naomi's life made!"

I just suddenly felt compelled to cover Naomi, although the sermon's covered Ruth and Boaz as well, (ii) it would tie in with the line of cell discussion so far: two discussion ago it was about choices, then last week was about gifting and so this week about being an impact in others' lives and lastly (iii) it is a timely reminder as we prepare to reach out to people for the upcoming Sy Rogers outreach event. It was a radical choice because nothing much is written about Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, except that:

• she had moved away from Bethlehem down to Moab to escape a famine,
  
• she lost her husband and two sons,
  
• lamented that her life is bitter,
  
• was blessed with Ruth (her daughter-in-law, a Moabitess) who decided to stay with her and follow her back to Bethlehem and
  
• later advised Ruth how to go about expressing her love for Boaz

But what we know is that Naomi:

• Had suffered badly because she had moved away from Bethlehem (God's land) for a Moabite land (similar cases also seen in:
• Abraham - he moved down to Egypt to escape a famine [Gen 12:10-20],
  
• Lot - he chose the "greener pastures" when the quarreling beween the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot made it necessary to "go their separate ways". He chose the "greener pastures" which seemed like a good choice, but it was near Sodom and Gomorrah, full of sin, later destroyed by God. Lot also lost his wife [Gen 13 & 19]. And then later, a family tragedy took place when his daughters laid with Lot and became pregnant. Lot eventually became the father of the Moabites
  
• Jonah - who refused to hear God's call to preach the word of God in Nineveh but went the other way, only to be swallowed by a big fish)

• Had been such a powerful witness of the reality of God so much so Ruth decided to follow her and her God.
  
• Does things in love, even the request to her daughters-in-law to leave her when Naomi lost her husband and her two sons.
  
• She later even advised Ruth to express her love to Boaz

Naomi Laments about God & her Life
Yes, sometimes God does seem far away, as lamented by Naomi (Ruth 1:20-21):

20. "Don't call me Naomi, " she told them. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.
21. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me."

Psalm 9:10 and 112:4 reminds us of God's presence that all who are righteous will have light even in darkness:

Psalm 9:10: 10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Psalm 112:4: Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

Having God in our lives doesn't mean it will be free of trouble but that we have someone Almighty within us when we are in darkness, trusting that He will deliver us in one way or another, just like Job, when he was tested by satan. Sometimes, we turn away from God and God allows trials to help us grow. Leviticus 26:40-45 tells us:

40 " 'But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their fathers—their treachery against me and their hostility toward me, 41 which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies—then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, 42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. 43 For the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will pay for their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my decrees. 44 Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the LORD their God. 45 But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the LORD.' "

Ruth further illustrates this point that sometimes God do not deliver in miraculous ways but will sure do, guiding our every day lives.

Salvation for ALL
Then passages about God's salvation being for all people keep coming out:

• Ruth, who is a Moabite but became part of lineage of Jesus Christ
• Jonah who refused to preach to the people of Nineveh who he thought was evil and worthy of God's salvation, and also
  
• Isaiah 56:3-8

3. Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD say,
"The LORD will surely exclude me from his people."
And let not any eunuch complain,
"I am only a dry tree."

4. For this is what the LORD says:
"To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose what pleases me
and hold fast to my covenant-

5. to them I will give within my temple and its walls
a memorial and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that will not be cut off.

6. And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD
to serve him,
to love the name of the LORD,
and to worship him,
all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
and who hold fast to my covenant-

7. these I will bring to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations."

8. The Sovereign LORD declares—
he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
"I will gather still others to them
besides those already gathered."

Naomi as a Spiritual Impact, What Sets Us Apart as Christians?
Yesterday, we also discussed what sets us apart as Christians from pre-believers? Why do we continue to read His word, go to church, meet for cell group discussions? Yes, God desire for His people to be in communion with Him again, to turn away from sin which has separated us from God. Now that we have salvation, is that the end of the story?

Some mentioned that what distinguishes us is that our eyes are open to God and His grace and we get to enjoy having God in our lives. We also have the choice to tap into God's power. There is also assurance of our "final destination" and our names in the Book of Life.

But yet, some also suggest that we are sometimes no different from pre-believers. We should not let our status as God's children bring us so much pride we feel we are different from "them". After all, do we all not fumble again and again even after accepting Jesus into our lives? But, just as I left home, I heard a message from my dad's sermon DVD that reminds us that, because of our very sinful nature, we are not perfect and does not only go to the altar once. We come to the altar of God again and again to confess our sins and repent, just as Abraham and some of God's people did in the bible.

Naomi has had a profound spiritual impact on Ruth so much so they became part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. And as some have highlighted, she may not even have known the impact she has made but the fact is that, in her own ways, she had been an impact. What about us? What have we been doing/are going to do to become a spiritual impact?

Philippians 2: 14-15
14. Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15. so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

Mark 4:21:
21He said to them, "Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand?

Then I remember a devotional I came across some time back: Let your Light Shine. The devotional reminds us that in order to be good mirrors and an icon, we need to be clean mirrors, focused on the source of light (Jesus) and also in the world. It is also interesting that the discussion yesterday also brought up two interesting points: that a mirror with crack can also still reflect light and how as as a body of Christ, shining as one, we can be an icon to others. As Philippians 2:14-15 above shows us that we can be shining stars in a crooked and depraved world (which is all so evident). But remember Peter Tsukahira's reminder that we ought to be "in the world but not of the world"; that we sometimes need to get out of our comfort zone and bring salvation and hope to all who need it. Our focus, just like our church, should always be on being outreaching, to reconcile more to God and that is what God desires. Be a beautiful water lily growing out of muddy waters, be a torch in the midst of darkness.

On Thursday, our devotion in my office was on Mark 13 and the second coming of Christ. The first word spoken by Jesus is "watch" and guess what is the last word in the chapter, yes, "watch" as well. Are we doing what His word tells us in Mark 13:32-37:

32. "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34. It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

35. "Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' "

Then yesterday morning, I was reminded of the parable of the talents (Matthew 15:14-28).

What are we doing with our gifting? Are we letting our light shine and are we behaving in Christ-like manner? Are we joining the ranks of people like Abraham, Noah, Joshua etc?

Song: By His Wounds

Somehow, happen to hear this song quite a bit these few days... nice song, meditate and focus on the words... simple but meaningful :)

Picture"+) It is Finished (+" (Right) by VinnyPrime

Glory Revealed - By His Wounds Lyrics
(Feat. Mac Powell, Mark Hall, Steven Curtis Chapman and Brian Littrell)
Isaiah 53:5

He was pierced for our transgressions
He was crushed for our sins
The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him
And by His wounds, by His wounds we are healed

We are healed by Your sacrifice
And the life that You gave
We are healed for You paid the price
By Your grace we are saved
We are saved

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus

Devotional: Let your Light Shine

Hi everyone, I was preparing cell for this week and remember a sharing I did at work sometime back of an interesting article. Here it is:

Put Your Bible Down for a Day. Let your light shine.
by Dennis Stout
From: http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/areas/biblestudies/articles/070221.html

Recently, I was in Cincinnati for a conference. Our activities were at the Duke Energy Center where the entire west facade is a sign of 77 lights that spell out Cincinnati. The sign can be seen for miles as it adorns the skyline and has become somewhat of an icon of the city. Upon further inspection, I noticed that the lights were not lights at all. In fact they are just flat panels angled to reflect the light below. The result is a huge sign that impacts the surrounding community.

Isn't this our call as Christians as well? Aren't we as Christians supposed to be shining? Jesus tells us that we are the "light of the world." However we are merely reflections because Jesus is the true light of the world. We're just mirrors. But here is the catch. In order to be a mirror for Christ, we must be clean, focused on him, and in the world. Obviously a mirror is much more effective if it doesn't have dirt and grime impeding its ability to reflect light. I know at my house or on my car, cleaning the mirrors is a regular activity. The spiritual parallel is also true in that we must continually work to keep our mirror clean. Secondly, we must also focus on Jesus if we want to reflect him. We can have the cleanest mirror in the county but if it is not trained on Jesus, the reflection will be in vain. In fact it will be reflecting something else because you can't turn off a mirror. It always reflects, so take care in what you focus yours on.

Finally, get in the world. If you want to shine light on something, you must get reasonably close to it. Distance makes light less effective; so if you want to give light to a lost world, get in there and do it. You can't cook dinner by staying in the living room. You must go into the kitchen where the stove, pots and pans, pantry and such are. You can't take light to a place in which you don't go. It is important to note that Jesus left his safe, comfortable, and holy place to go into a dark world with the gospel of love. If God considered it necessary to respond in this manner, shouldn't we?

Let me encourage you to try something. For a day, lay down your Bible, pick up a tool, and go "live" the Bible. I'm not saying "don't study the Bible." But you may be the only Bible that someone reads—go live it for them, and live it well. The Bible does mention Jesus reading Scripture and even expounding on it. However, the Gospels are not about how well Jesus read, studied, prayed or even spoke. The Gospels are about the new covenant. God knew that this new covenant would be misunderstood so he brought in the big gun—Jesus. Well, today Jesus is back on his throne and God chooses to use us as his hands, feet, and light. The religious leaders of Jesus' day did not impress God with their knowledge, smooth talk, or strict adherence to the laws. He was impressed by a boy with fish and bread, a centurion with simple faith, and a leper's genuine appreciation.

Today, we have the Good News, but what do we do with it? Hide it under a bushel? No, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let … hmm, sorry, I digressed there. But wait, aren't those our instructions? If we are the light of the world, shouldn't we be shining? And if we are not the true light but simply sharing the light of Christ with others, doesn't that make us like mirrors and our light merely a reflection of his light? Like that sign on Duke Energy Center, shouldn't our impact to the community be great, visible, and even iconic? To put the great commission into today's vernacular, it might go something like this, "Go light your world—with my light. Be a mirror of me to your community. Go make a difference."

Thanksgiving: James (20 June 2007)

This week has started on a bad note for me but I would still want to give thanks for the following:

• I give thanks for the pain in my throat disappearing
• I give thanks for the opportunity to reach out to a friend
• I give thanks for good colleagues again; was taking group photo to welcome our new officer and we had a wonderful time staying back after work to take the group photo. We laughed ourselves crazy when we had to take out phone books so the guys standing behind will not be blocked by the ladies in front
• I give thanks for work which has been manageable
• I give thanks for being blessed with a good time of rest from cell preparation last week
• I give thanks for being affirmed when I was asked if I will consider taking up office in the executive committee in a professional association
• I give thanks for being able to complete a few major tasks this week including finishing the report for the planning retreat last month, prioritising of a list of refinements for the electronic volunteer management system I am working on with my IT department now and also finished penning the welcome greeting and coordinating my department photo for our new officers' welcome
• I give thanks to God for my gifting in the area of IT, making it possible for me to work on my professional association's web community and also on my CG blog
• I give thanks for the opportunity to meet up with an old friend from secondary school who was back in Singapore from the States. We met and visited Jurong Bird Park. Was great feeling going back there after so many years. I think the last time I went there was in secondary school.
• I give thanks to God for sending people around me to encourage me on in my spiritual walk and for a friend who, despite have not kept in touch for very long, never fail to send me "devotional" smses, which sometimes speak to me and is so apt for the week's cell group discussion. This week, we have covered the book of Ruth in the Old Testament which spoke or Ruth and Boaz's radical obedience, is like a beautiful water lily coming out of muddy waters, in the midst of darkness in the history of Israel as written in Judges and 1 and 2 Samuel. And the sms came on Monday:
  "Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness Psalm 112:4. God sometimes puts us in the dark to show us that Jesus is the light"
• I give thanks for a prospective volunteer who walked into my office and we spent more than 2 hours talking about working in the social services... it helped me rekindled my passion in working in the social services and made me appreciate my job more

Devotional: Century of Experience

A man, after 25 years with same company, doing the same old job and drawing the same old salary, decided to approach his boss for a raise and a promotion. While talking to his boss, he was outlining his justification for such a request. "After all," he concluded, "I've had a quarter of a century of experience."

"My dear man," sighed the boss, "you haven't had a quarter of a century of experience, you've had one experience for a quarter of a century."

I wonder if the same might not be said about some of us... "You haven't had a quarter of a century of Christian experience, but one Christian experience in a quarter of a century. Too often, we are also happy with one experience, instead of experiencing God each and every day. Others journey through life seeking dramatic experiences, climactic turning points, and instant solutions to spiritual problems instead of seeking God's face. But neither of these define the Christian life.

Christianity isn't an event that happened at a camp, at a retreat, or at a difficult time in our life. Christianity isn't our activities as a deacon, a Sunday school teacher, or a group leader. Christianity is experiencing God day by day.
Like the oak, whose growth you cannot see, you may be able to define when the seed was planted, when the tree sprouted, but growth takes place almost invisibly day by day and moment by moment.

So next time, instead of looking for an experience, choose to experience God day by day.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.... So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (II Corinthians 4:16, 18)

"But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers." (Psalm 1:3,4)

"Be still and know that I am God..." (Psalm 46:10)

Author: Ken Sapp - copyright 1999 - Permission granted for non-commercial use

Source: http://www.creativeyouthideas.com/blog/devotional/century_of_experience.html

CG Discussion: Choices

Last week’s cell discussion was on choices, which is the main theme that we study the book of Judges and Ruth. We saw how despite being a sharp contrast from each other, the two books is really linked to each other, telling us about choices. We make choices everyday and should be experts but yet, we can sometimes still make the wrong choices…

• The choice of Jephthah - The choice that Jephthah made which cost him as daughter. Even though “… the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah” (Judges 11:29) just before he prepared for battle with the Ammonites, in the very next verse, he made a vow to the Lord that if He deliver the Ammonites into his hands, he will sacrifice as burnt offering whatever that came out of his house to meet him when he returns in victory (which happened to be his beloved daughter) (Judges 11:30-31). That spoke of his trust in the Lord and the choice he made.
  
  
• The choice of Samson - Samson chose to marry a Phillistine woman despite the Lord’s command to not intermarry with people who would turn the Israelites away from God (see Dt 7:2-4). His marriage caused much bloodshed and later his choice to be with Delilah caused his downfall
  
  
• The choice of Ruth – Though a Moabitess, decided to stay with Naomi even after she has been widowed and Oprah (her sister-in-law) left Naomi. She later became part of the lineage of Jesus Christ
  
  
• God Gives us Choices – Just like how He gave Adam and Eve the choice about the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Romans 1:24-32 also show us how sometimes God gives people over to their sinful desires
  
  
• Choose to be in the world not of the World - We started cell with a discussion about our choice of our ambitions when we were young and also played a game about choices and survivial. Sometimes there can be misleading messages, which even though seem sound, will sometimes help us make the wrong choices. Just as Peter Tsukahira encouraged us to be “in the world and not of the world”; to influence the world away from being unchrist-like.
  
  
• Choose Life or Death – I shared about the story from Our Daily Bread of John Wilkes Booth (who assassinated President Lincoln) and his elder brother, Edwin Booth, who saved President Lincoln’s son. One chose life, one chose death. God gives us the choice of life as well. See Dt 30:15-20 and Dt 11:26.
  
  
• How to Make Decisions – (i) some of us suggested using WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?), while some reminded us of the need to maintain a close walk to God which sometimes make making decisions easier because we know God’s will (see example of Job). Some choices may seem like wise ideas, just like how Lot (Genesis 13: 12-13) chose to stay near Sodom and Gomorrah because the land seemed better, but it turned out to be living near sin.
  
  
• Why People Keep Making “Bad” Choices – Some suggested not walking closely with God and as such not knowing how to make the right decisions. Perhaps making the choice to walk closely is also not easy because we can be forgetful about how the Lord has worked in our lives, just like the Israelites (see Judges 2:10), and just don’t see the need to. Whatever decision we make (even though if it is seemingly “right”), God knows our intentions. Remember how Jesus condemned the Pharisees for choosing to follow the Letter of the Law but not the Spirit of the Law (as discussed in previously in cell).