贺新年/恭喜呀恭喜/恭喜恭喜/小拜年 - 普天同庆迎新年福音贺岁
新年到/迎春花/新年赞美主/一起去拜年 - 普天同庆迎新年福音贺岁
恭喜大家过新年/天上人间/春风吻上我的脸 - 普天同庆迎新年福音贺岁
祝福你/主恩宠/幸福年/太平年 - 普天同庆迎新年福音贺岁
赐福满满 - Chinese New Year 农历新年
大家恭喜 - Chinese New Year 农历新年
唯上帝 - Chinese New Year 农历新年
迎春花 - Chinese New Year 农历新年
新年好 - Chinese New Year 农历新年
岁岁安好 - Chinese New Year 农历新年
Sunday, 25 January 2009
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Jacelyn Tay: Having It All is not Enough
Hi all,
Believe Jacelyn Tay's tesimony has been going around. Here's an excerpt from Impact Magazine :D
Jacelyn Tay entered the 4th bi-annual Star Search Competition organised by MediaCorp while in her freshman year at the National University of Singapore in 1995, and won the female category of the competition and the top prize of an acting contract. Her big break came when she played He Xiangu in the Singapore TV series “Legends of the Eight Immortals” in 1998. Thereafter she acted in various roles ranging from a girl-next-door, to a member of a hotel staff to a psychiatrist. Tay’s screen performances in period dramas were so well-received that she won the coveted award of Taiwan’s Most Popular MediaCorp Female Artiste in Star Awards 1999. She also performed theme songs and intermediary songs for several drama serials and released a compilation album with Mediacorp Music.
When it seemed that her success had no bounds, a twist of fate took away almost all that she had worked for. She was forced to declare bankruptcy after owing $300,000 to a stockbroking firm. This event tarnished her image and made many sponsors shy away from her. Instead of letting this get the better of her, she worked hard to put her finances back in order. She then went on to produce a magazine show, write 2 books and hosted a health and beauty show entitled A New You in 2005.
In 2006, she became the founder & current chief executive of The Health Club, a medical spa that holds the vision of restoring the body’s natural ability to heal itself and bringing health to greater heights. She is presently studying to become a nutritionist.
You were rising in your career when you became a Christian. What led you to consider Jesus Christ?
Before I knew God, I only believed in myself. I believed that all gods were the same. Handling pressure was basically part and parcel of life.
I am a very strong person. I thought I didn’t need God and I could survive very well. A lot of people think that somebody becomes a Christian because he is weak or has problems. In my case I found God when everything was going well. My career was fine. My relationships were fine, but there was still an emptiness in my heart which I didn’t understand. I was actually pretty lost when I had everything.
At that time I was actually a staunch Buddhist. I had my Fai Ming (a Dharma name acquired during a Buddhist refuge ceremony, traditionally given by a high- ranking Buddhist monk.) and the black and yellow-coloured robes. I was ‘baptised’ into Buddhism. I even prayed in the Japanese temple. I also believed in Feng Shui.
You would think I had no need for all that since I was doing well. But as a celebrity, you depend on so-called luck. When you have fame, you have money, but you are also afraid of losing what fame you have. How do you get fame? Hard work alone is not enough. It’s by luck. You are dependent on luck, so you pray to all the gods, in the hope of becoming popular and famous.
In January 2006, I was injured during a Renci Charity show. I took that opport unity to speak up for the performers. We should not have to do dangerous stunts to get the funds or donations. There are better ways to raise funds.
As I was recovering at home I received a letter from a lady, who wrote that she had a dream of me. She said she was not a fan, but on her 57th birthday, she dreamt of me. In her dream, her husband tapped her on the shoulder during the altar call in church and asked her to pray for the person in front of her. Since she didn’t know who that person was, she was a bit shy. After that she woke up. It was about 3 am. She felt very guilty that she hadn’t prayed, so she asked God to reveal who the person was and what to pray for. When she went back to sleep she saw my face! She began praying for me, and continued to do so until the day that she wrote the letter. But to me, she sounded like another preacher and I threw the letter away.
After that, I kept meeting people telling me about God. The first one was my friend Ricky. I asked him, “So, you are a Christian? But why? Why do you believe that there is only one Almighty God?” He explained to me and somehow I could understand it; I could accept it as logical. From then on, God brought many people to me. Everyday I would meet people telling me about God.
It also happened that the father of the chiropractor who treated me was a retired Bishop worshipping at Kampong Kapor Methodist Church, which is my church now. I wanted to go there to challenge him. I wrote a long list of questions and told my chiropractor,”1 am going to ask your father questions and see whether he can answer me.” I went to church not looking for God. I am quite stubborn. When everybody was standing up, I refused to stand up, and instead, remained seated and disrespectful. I took the Bible from the pew and it opened to Revelation chapter 12 about the woman and the dragon. I suddenly realized I had dreamt about that before, even though I had never read the Bible. How could it be?
In my dream, Revelation chapter 12 was actually in three parts. I dreamt of the first part on one night, and two weeks later the second part, then three weeks later the third part. That is not normal! In my dream I was chased by a dragon. As I read Revelation 12,1 realised the scenario was similar to my dream. It was impossible. There must be a God. How could I have dreamt of something in the Bible that I had never read before? That was 19 February 2006.
That night the retired Bishop led a prayer, saying,”If you decide to receive the Holy Spirit and accept Jesus Christ, then you should say these words.”
In my heart I said, “Okay, I don’t want to decide now:’ But after I went back home, I thought about it and was convinced there must be a God. So I said the sinner’s prayer.
What is the biggest change in your life since you became a Christian?
The biggest change is that God is above everything. So, in my life, God is the most important. God is more important than my mother, and even my future husband or anybody else, anything on earth. God is number one. This is my choice. I choose to commit and be faithful to God because He is really faithful to me. He has been really good to me. Good as in,
I have gone through rough patches, but it always turns out to be good. Those rough patches are for me to learn. When something bad happens I know it is another test. It is to sharpen my character. So I don’t see bad things as bad things anymore. Before I knew God, I was actually very lost. You don’t know why you are here. You do everything and everything is meaningless. But since I came to know God, I know why I am here and I know everything is meaningful. Even when I just bump into somebody, I know it is not by coincidence. It must be God’s arrangement So, I am always looking forward to each new day.
How did you overcome the objections you have to face over your conversion?
My mum is now a Christian. But when I wanted to get baptised in April, which was two months after I received Christ, she objected. Everyday she would call me, cry and threaten me, saying that I was not filial, that I was deserting her, since I was not going to pray to her after she died. She didn’t want me to get baptised, and forced me to speak to a monk, saying,”You must speak to Shifu (Master). If you want to be a Christian, that’s fine, but you cannot be baptised.”
I replied, “If you want me to speak to Shifu, I shall. But if he cannot answer some of my questions, then I’ll go ahead and get baptised.”
The monk called me and said, “Christianity is actually something lower than Buddhism.” He believes in the wheel of reincarnation. The six levels of the wheel of reincarnation are: hell, all the lost souls, the animals, human, deity and the Buddha. You have to work hard for millions of years. For instance, if you are a pig, then in the next life you become a human, and then in the next life you become something else.
I replied, “Okay, as a Buddhist, I have to work very hard. I have to do good so that I can earn the points in my report card, hoping that my next life I may be able to become a Buddha. And then as a Buddha, I have to work some more because I want to go to the world of ‘nothingness’ - Nirvana. If that is the case, who decides what I have done so wrong to fall into this wheel of reincarnation. What have I done wrong? Who decides my first life? What did I do to come into this world? Where do I come from?”
He answered, “From the world of nothing¬ness.” But if I come from nothing, which is the ideal state, what wrong did I do to fall into this wheel of reincarnation? He could not answer me. So, everything is meaningless. I came from nothingness and I have to work so hard to go back to the world of nothingness. Because he couldn’t answer me, he told my mum to let me become a Christian.
The night before I got baptised, my mum was still crying and threatening me. Although the monk had said “Let her go”, I think she was controlled by some satanic force. She was like two totally different persons. My mum has never been an aggressive person but during that period she was so aggressive that it seemed she was not being herself. It’s a little strange. My sister who has been a Christian for the past 20 years advised, “Don’t listen to the devil, just go ahead. It will be fine.” So I went ahead. After I was baptised, she became normal again.
How did undergoing the early financial troubles strengthen you as a person? What helps you face the inevitable ups and downs of being an entrepreneur?
I have gone from ‘plus’ to ‘zero’ to ‘minus’. When I was a ‘plus’, I experienced the life of a ‘plus% I was 19 and had more than 100 thousand dollars. Suddenly I was popular. And then after that, I became a ‘minus’. I owed people money. And I realised I could still survive as a ‘minus’. So, what else was there that I couldn’t do? What actually strengthened me was that I didn’t think that there was anything that was impossible, as long as you are positive.
But that philosophy was before I became a Christian. That is why I told you I didn’t believe in anybody else but myself, my own strength. Now when I think about it, I thank God. By my own strength, I actually climbed from ‘minus’ to ‘plus’ but I was still lost. Everything was still meaningless without God. I used to say,”If you have money, if you don’t have money, it’s still the same. You don’t know why you are here and where you are going.”
Believe Jacelyn Tay's tesimony has been going around. Here's an excerpt from Impact Magazine :D
Jacelyn Tay entered the 4th bi-annual Star Search Competition organised by MediaCorp while in her freshman year at the National University of Singapore in 1995, and won the female category of the competition and the top prize of an acting contract. Her big break came when she played He Xiangu in the Singapore TV series “Legends of the Eight Immortals” in 1998. Thereafter she acted in various roles ranging from a girl-next-door, to a member of a hotel staff to a psychiatrist. Tay’s screen performances in period dramas were so well-received that she won the coveted award of Taiwan’s Most Popular MediaCorp Female Artiste in Star Awards 1999. She also performed theme songs and intermediary songs for several drama serials and released a compilation album with Mediacorp Music.
When it seemed that her success had no bounds, a twist of fate took away almost all that she had worked for. She was forced to declare bankruptcy after owing $300,000 to a stockbroking firm. This event tarnished her image and made many sponsors shy away from her. Instead of letting this get the better of her, she worked hard to put her finances back in order. She then went on to produce a magazine show, write 2 books and hosted a health and beauty show entitled A New You in 2005.
In 2006, she became the founder & current chief executive of The Health Club, a medical spa that holds the vision of restoring the body’s natural ability to heal itself and bringing health to greater heights. She is presently studying to become a nutritionist.
You were rising in your career when you became a Christian. What led you to consider Jesus Christ?
Before I knew God, I only believed in myself. I believed that all gods were the same. Handling pressure was basically part and parcel of life.
I am a very strong person. I thought I didn’t need God and I could survive very well. A lot of people think that somebody becomes a Christian because he is weak or has problems. In my case I found God when everything was going well. My career was fine. My relationships were fine, but there was still an emptiness in my heart which I didn’t understand. I was actually pretty lost when I had everything.
At that time I was actually a staunch Buddhist. I had my Fai Ming (a Dharma name acquired during a Buddhist refuge ceremony, traditionally given by a high- ranking Buddhist monk.) and the black and yellow-coloured robes. I was ‘baptised’ into Buddhism. I even prayed in the Japanese temple. I also believed in Feng Shui.
You would think I had no need for all that since I was doing well. But as a celebrity, you depend on so-called luck. When you have fame, you have money, but you are also afraid of losing what fame you have. How do you get fame? Hard work alone is not enough. It’s by luck. You are dependent on luck, so you pray to all the gods, in the hope of becoming popular and famous.
In January 2006, I was injured during a Renci Charity show. I took that opport unity to speak up for the performers. We should not have to do dangerous stunts to get the funds or donations. There are better ways to raise funds.
As I was recovering at home I received a letter from a lady, who wrote that she had a dream of me. She said she was not a fan, but on her 57th birthday, she dreamt of me. In her dream, her husband tapped her on the shoulder during the altar call in church and asked her to pray for the person in front of her. Since she didn’t know who that person was, she was a bit shy. After that she woke up. It was about 3 am. She felt very guilty that she hadn’t prayed, so she asked God to reveal who the person was and what to pray for. When she went back to sleep she saw my face! She began praying for me, and continued to do so until the day that she wrote the letter. But to me, she sounded like another preacher and I threw the letter away.
After that, I kept meeting people telling me about God. The first one was my friend Ricky. I asked him, “So, you are a Christian? But why? Why do you believe that there is only one Almighty God?” He explained to me and somehow I could understand it; I could accept it as logical. From then on, God brought many people to me. Everyday I would meet people telling me about God.
It also happened that the father of the chiropractor who treated me was a retired Bishop worshipping at Kampong Kapor Methodist Church, which is my church now. I wanted to go there to challenge him. I wrote a long list of questions and told my chiropractor,”1 am going to ask your father questions and see whether he can answer me.” I went to church not looking for God. I am quite stubborn. When everybody was standing up, I refused to stand up, and instead, remained seated and disrespectful. I took the Bible from the pew and it opened to Revelation chapter 12 about the woman and the dragon. I suddenly realized I had dreamt about that before, even though I had never read the Bible. How could it be?
In my dream, Revelation chapter 12 was actually in three parts. I dreamt of the first part on one night, and two weeks later the second part, then three weeks later the third part. That is not normal! In my dream I was chased by a dragon. As I read Revelation 12,1 realised the scenario was similar to my dream. It was impossible. There must be a God. How could I have dreamt of something in the Bible that I had never read before? That was 19 February 2006.
That night the retired Bishop led a prayer, saying,”If you decide to receive the Holy Spirit and accept Jesus Christ, then you should say these words.”
In my heart I said, “Okay, I don’t want to decide now:’ But after I went back home, I thought about it and was convinced there must be a God. So I said the sinner’s prayer.
What is the biggest change in your life since you became a Christian?
The biggest change is that God is above everything. So, in my life, God is the most important. God is more important than my mother, and even my future husband or anybody else, anything on earth. God is number one. This is my choice. I choose to commit and be faithful to God because He is really faithful to me. He has been really good to me. Good as in,
I have gone through rough patches, but it always turns out to be good. Those rough patches are for me to learn. When something bad happens I know it is another test. It is to sharpen my character. So I don’t see bad things as bad things anymore. Before I knew God, I was actually very lost. You don’t know why you are here. You do everything and everything is meaningless. But since I came to know God, I know why I am here and I know everything is meaningful. Even when I just bump into somebody, I know it is not by coincidence. It must be God’s arrangement So, I am always looking forward to each new day.
How did you overcome the objections you have to face over your conversion?
My mum is now a Christian. But when I wanted to get baptised in April, which was two months after I received Christ, she objected. Everyday she would call me, cry and threaten me, saying that I was not filial, that I was deserting her, since I was not going to pray to her after she died. She didn’t want me to get baptised, and forced me to speak to a monk, saying,”You must speak to Shifu (Master). If you want to be a Christian, that’s fine, but you cannot be baptised.”
I replied, “If you want me to speak to Shifu, I shall. But if he cannot answer some of my questions, then I’ll go ahead and get baptised.”
The monk called me and said, “Christianity is actually something lower than Buddhism.” He believes in the wheel of reincarnation. The six levels of the wheel of reincarnation are: hell, all the lost souls, the animals, human, deity and the Buddha. You have to work hard for millions of years. For instance, if you are a pig, then in the next life you become a human, and then in the next life you become something else.
I replied, “Okay, as a Buddhist, I have to work very hard. I have to do good so that I can earn the points in my report card, hoping that my next life I may be able to become a Buddha. And then as a Buddha, I have to work some more because I want to go to the world of ‘nothingness’ - Nirvana. If that is the case, who decides what I have done so wrong to fall into this wheel of reincarnation. What have I done wrong? Who decides my first life? What did I do to come into this world? Where do I come from?”
He answered, “From the world of nothing¬ness.” But if I come from nothing, which is the ideal state, what wrong did I do to fall into this wheel of reincarnation? He could not answer me. So, everything is meaningless. I came from nothingness and I have to work so hard to go back to the world of nothingness. Because he couldn’t answer me, he told my mum to let me become a Christian.
The night before I got baptised, my mum was still crying and threatening me. Although the monk had said “Let her go”, I think she was controlled by some satanic force. She was like two totally different persons. My mum has never been an aggressive person but during that period she was so aggressive that it seemed she was not being herself. It’s a little strange. My sister who has been a Christian for the past 20 years advised, “Don’t listen to the devil, just go ahead. It will be fine.” So I went ahead. After I was baptised, she became normal again.
How did undergoing the early financial troubles strengthen you as a person? What helps you face the inevitable ups and downs of being an entrepreneur?
I have gone from ‘plus’ to ‘zero’ to ‘minus’. When I was a ‘plus’, I experienced the life of a ‘plus% I was 19 and had more than 100 thousand dollars. Suddenly I was popular. And then after that, I became a ‘minus’. I owed people money. And I realised I could still survive as a ‘minus’. So, what else was there that I couldn’t do? What actually strengthened me was that I didn’t think that there was anything that was impossible, as long as you are positive.
But that philosophy was before I became a Christian. That is why I told you I didn’t believe in anybody else but myself, my own strength. Now when I think about it, I thank God. By my own strength, I actually climbed from ‘minus’ to ‘plus’ but I was still lost. Everything was still meaningless without God. I used to say,”If you have money, if you don’t have money, it’s still the same. You don’t know why you are here and where you are going.”
Saturday, 17 January 2009
Remain in me, and I will remain in you
Hello everyone!
Thanks for all your sharing yesterday and for blessing me. Personally, it has been really wonderful seeing God at work throughout the whole week even at cell. And it was also great singing and worshipping the Lord in both English and Mandarin :D
有一位神
一切歌颂赞美
Spirit Touch Your Church
I thank God for showing an object lesson on John 15 as I went about the past week. Sometime during midweek, I had just suddenly felt so tired and weary with ministry that I wanted to give up. I had been holding on and trusting in the Lord for working in everyone and every aspect of cell. And I can see Him work. Frankly, I can see the purpose God has for this cell taking shape but then I was really getting all weary; I asked if I am indeed bearing fruit or if someone else would do a better job. I got so tired I told God I had wanted to call it quits (one more time).
But God sent me people and verses to encourage and also circumstance to make me reflect upon it. He sent me Min Qin to remind me with Jeremiah 29:11 which appeared when I was called back to the Lord after years of backsliding. Do I believe in God's plans for me? Yes! Then, God brought Psalm 1 on Wednesday evening about the tree planted by streams of water and even on Thursday during corporate devotion, reminding me about being staying with the streams of water to be nourished. It seems that I was reminded that, just as trees have seasons, so will my life, but whatever happens, the streams of water is still there to not only sustain me but also nourish me. When I think back, God had been faithful in my ministry and has helped me through.
Then a volunteer came to meet me and we started talking about our spiritual walk. I thank God for bringing a volunteer to come to visit on Thursday and how we talked about our spiritual walk. I thank God for using me to encourage this volunteer and for also using him to show me about remaining in God's word. It was really evident that God used the session because I can tell He is present whenever conversations just flowed and I become amazed at the things I say; things that in the end also blessed me. Though I had not been prepared for the talk, God had helped me share about my own walk and how I had come to see God's word as powerful and also ministering, always at the right time. This young volunteer had shared how he is not part of any church (though he is looking) and how he is inspired by praise and worship music but finds reading the bible rather a chore. He was taught by someone that as long he prays, it will be OK. But I felt a prompting to share with him how I too had struggle to read the bible but over the past 3 years, God had spoken through His word far too many times and soon it became cool to read His word because I had wanted to know what He had to say about certain things in my life and also to get to know Him better. And as I shared, stories of several people like Horatio Spafford, John Newton and Eric Liddell (as portrayed in the movie "Chariots of Fire") came to mind. I personally did not know how blessed he was but I personally was blessed through the words that God had gave me and spoken through my mouth.
Then I shared that earlier on in the week, I was affected when I saw a leader of the Lord, a pastor, reacting in an ungracious manner. I had really been very disappointed by the whole incident. Though I do not know this pastor or work with him, I was frankly affected and decided to write him an email on Monday. I prayed to God that I would type the email with the focus to edify than to vent my anger. I thank God things worked out well and for helping me as I penned the email. Frankly, I had not expected the pastor to respond but he did and emailed to apologise. At the end, I was glad things turned out well and was resolved but most importantly, my disappointment went away because the pastor had humbly acknowledged his mistake. I myself can sometimes be ungracious and this seems to be a reminder that I needed to also remain in God's ways; asking "What Would Jesus Do?" more often to keep myself in check.
I thank God for showing me, before cell started, that what has happened throughout the week, has showed me what it means to "remain in Him" (John 15:4) i.e. to remain in His WILL for me and my ministry and his WORK of reaching out to people, to remain in His WAY from my reflection on the disappointment with the pastor, to remain in His WORD from my reflection on my talk with the young volunteer, to remain in His WORSHIP even through the darkest of moments, remembering His faithfulness, grace, love, hope and promise.
As Jesus said in John 15:4 "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.", I thank Joyce for sharing the analogy of the Velcro... that one its own, it proves to be useless but when stuck onto another piece, it can hold things together.
Yes another analogy is that of the "cut-flower Christian" as mentioned in Our Daily Bread:
Thanks for all your sharing yesterday and for blessing me. Personally, it has been really wonderful seeing God at work throughout the whole week even at cell. And it was also great singing and worshipping the Lord in both English and Mandarin :D
有一位神
一切歌颂赞美
Spirit Touch Your Church
I thank God for showing an object lesson on John 15 as I went about the past week. Sometime during midweek, I had just suddenly felt so tired and weary with ministry that I wanted to give up. I had been holding on and trusting in the Lord for working in everyone and every aspect of cell. And I can see Him work. Frankly, I can see the purpose God has for this cell taking shape but then I was really getting all weary; I asked if I am indeed bearing fruit or if someone else would do a better job. I got so tired I told God I had wanted to call it quits (one more time).
But God sent me people and verses to encourage and also circumstance to make me reflect upon it. He sent me Min Qin to remind me with Jeremiah 29:11 which appeared when I was called back to the Lord after years of backsliding. Do I believe in God's plans for me? Yes! Then, God brought Psalm 1 on Wednesday evening about the tree planted by streams of water and even on Thursday during corporate devotion, reminding me about being staying with the streams of water to be nourished. It seems that I was reminded that, just as trees have seasons, so will my life, but whatever happens, the streams of water is still there to not only sustain me but also nourish me. When I think back, God had been faithful in my ministry and has helped me through.
Then a volunteer came to meet me and we started talking about our spiritual walk. I thank God for bringing a volunteer to come to visit on Thursday and how we talked about our spiritual walk. I thank God for using me to encourage this volunteer and for also using him to show me about remaining in God's word. It was really evident that God used the session because I can tell He is present whenever conversations just flowed and I become amazed at the things I say; things that in the end also blessed me. Though I had not been prepared for the talk, God had helped me share about my own walk and how I had come to see God's word as powerful and also ministering, always at the right time. This young volunteer had shared how he is not part of any church (though he is looking) and how he is inspired by praise and worship music but finds reading the bible rather a chore. He was taught by someone that as long he prays, it will be OK. But I felt a prompting to share with him how I too had struggle to read the bible but over the past 3 years, God had spoken through His word far too many times and soon it became cool to read His word because I had wanted to know what He had to say about certain things in my life and also to get to know Him better. And as I shared, stories of several people like Horatio Spafford, John Newton and Eric Liddell (as portrayed in the movie "Chariots of Fire") came to mind. I personally did not know how blessed he was but I personally was blessed through the words that God had gave me and spoken through my mouth.
Then I shared that earlier on in the week, I was affected when I saw a leader of the Lord, a pastor, reacting in an ungracious manner. I had really been very disappointed by the whole incident. Though I do not know this pastor or work with him, I was frankly affected and decided to write him an email on Monday. I prayed to God that I would type the email with the focus to edify than to vent my anger. I thank God things worked out well and for helping me as I penned the email. Frankly, I had not expected the pastor to respond but he did and emailed to apologise. At the end, I was glad things turned out well and was resolved but most importantly, my disappointment went away because the pastor had humbly acknowledged his mistake. I myself can sometimes be ungracious and this seems to be a reminder that I needed to also remain in God's ways; asking "What Would Jesus Do?" more often to keep myself in check.
I thank God for showing me, before cell started, that what has happened throughout the week, has showed me what it means to "remain in Him" (John 15:4) i.e. to remain in His WILL for me and my ministry and his WORK of reaching out to people, to remain in His WAY from my reflection on the disappointment with the pastor, to remain in His WORD from my reflection on my talk with the young volunteer, to remain in His WORSHIP even through the darkest of moments, remembering His faithfulness, grace, love, hope and promise.
As Jesus said in John 15:4 "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.", I thank Joyce for sharing the analogy of the Velcro... that one its own, it proves to be useless but when stuck onto another piece, it can hold things together.
Yes another analogy is that of the "cut-flower Christian" as mentioned in Our Daily Bread:
Cut-Flower ChristiansAre you a Velcro on your own? Are you a cut-flower Christian? Are you separated from your life-source? The great thing about God is that it is never too late to turn back... remain in His will, His WORK of reaching out to people, His WAY in our daily living, His WORD to guide us in living and living righteously (Ps 119:105 - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path), His WORSHIP even through the darkest of moments, remembering His faithfulness, grace, love, hope and promise.
I enjoy buying or receiving a fresh bouquet of cut flowers. After admiring and smelling them, I waste no time getting them into water. Even though fresh and beautiful when I get them, their days are numbered. Because they've been severed from their life-source, they will soon wither and die. I know that one day I will have to throw them away.
Author Lloyd Ogilvie sees in this a picture of the Christian whose spiritual vitality has faded and shriveled. Such a person has become a "cut-flower Christian." Jesus used a similar illustration about a vine and its branches to describe our relationship to Him. Just as a branch can't bear fruit by itself, He explained, we can't bear spiritual fruit unless we abide in Him, the true vine (John 15:4).
If a branch could speak, it wouldn't apologize for its need to depend on the vine for bearing fruit. It would say instead, "For this I was made!" Jesus knew we were made for dependence on Him, our life-source—no apology needed! In fact, such dependence is the only way to avoid becoming a "cut-flower Christian."
Let's embrace His declaration, "Without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). As we depend on Him, we will bear much fruit—and for this we were made. —Joanie Yoder — Joanie Yoder
Closer yet I'd cling, dear Savior,
You're the all-sufficient Vine;
You alone can make me fruitful,
Blessed source of strength divine. —Bosch
Fellowship with Christ is the secret of fruitfulness.
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Look Up, Within and Ahead!
Recently, I have been sensing a strong prompting to pray for one another in cell and I know that different ones of us may be facing challenges, big or small, family, career, finances etc... frankly, though I may not know what some of you are going through but then I am praying to God to show me how I can encourage you all...
For 2 days, I did my morning devotional and also randomly opened my bible devotional earlier on... both are from the book of Job.
The first day, I read about Job's response to the trials and accusations he was facing. Here is someone who lived a righteous life and didn't deserve the troubles that came his way. And he cried out to God in Job 31:5 onwards that "If I have walked in falsehood or my foot has hurried after deceit-let God weigh me in honest scales and he will know that I am blameless".
But Job claimed God's loving sovereignty and looked UP and claiming God's right to rule over his life
"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." Job 1:21
The, he looked AHEAD and counting on the Lord's promise of resurrection:
" I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" Job 19:25-26
If you ever gets weary and find it hard to believe, remember the times when God delivered you as He delivered Israel:
'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself" Exodus 19:4
Those times are testimony to how He had been real in your life and how He had drawn you to Himself.
Lastly, Job looked WITHIN and confessed his own lack of understanding:
"I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know." Job 42:2-3
Today, I prayed and asked God to speak to me so I can encourage and randomly flipped my bible to a devotional on, yup you guessed it, Job again. The first few lines mentioned:
"God doesn't always deliver us from our troubles; sometimes He delivers us through them. That's a hard truth to accept but it represents a very real dynamic in God's economy.... but as with Job, sometimes God has a greater purpose-to teach us, to draw closer to himself, or for some other reasons we struggle to understand..." things that are too wonderful for me to know.
I have to agree that Job is always a tough book because it speaks of hanging on in times of trials. But personally, even as I go through some struggles myself even now, I cannot deny how God had been real and had blessed me and even brought me through past struggles... so I do look within and admit I can never fully comprehend God and His ways, I look up ahead holding on to the promises He had previously given me through His word especially Jeremiah 29:11) and I look up and accept his sovereignty in my life.
And so I will still sing...
"many things about tomorrow, i don;t seem to understand, but i know who holds tomorrow and I know who holds my hands..."
I Know Who Holds Tomorrow - Alison Krauss and The Cox Family
Perhaps, like Senior Pastor has reminded... who is your pilot? in times of turbulence, it is not the time to jump out of the plane but to trust the pilot, return to your seats and fasten your seat belts. Times of abundance and blessings bring praises to the Lord but what about times of trials and tribulations, draw closer to Him.
I hope we will just keep praying for one another, for our church leaders as they go for their leaders' night tomorrow, for our church and for all who are hurting... be a blessing to them.
Isa 40:13 says "Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor? But
Isa 40:31 says "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
When we know of nowhere to turn, fall on your knees and pray.
As someone sends me an sms, it says "in times of troubles, do not say 'God we have a big problem' but 'Problem, we have a big God!'"
I hope I have been able to bless your hearts.
For 2 days, I did my morning devotional and also randomly opened my bible devotional earlier on... both are from the book of Job.
The first day, I read about Job's response to the trials and accusations he was facing. Here is someone who lived a righteous life and didn't deserve the troubles that came his way. And he cried out to God in Job 31:5 onwards that "If I have walked in falsehood or my foot has hurried after deceit-let God weigh me in honest scales and he will know that I am blameless".
But Job claimed God's loving sovereignty and looked UP and claiming God's right to rule over his life
"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." Job 1:21
The, he looked AHEAD and counting on the Lord's promise of resurrection:
" I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" Job 19:25-26
If you ever gets weary and find it hard to believe, remember the times when God delivered you as He delivered Israel:
'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself" Exodus 19:4
Those times are testimony to how He had been real in your life and how He had drawn you to Himself.
Lastly, Job looked WITHIN and confessed his own lack of understanding:
"I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know." Job 42:2-3
Today, I prayed and asked God to speak to me so I can encourage and randomly flipped my bible to a devotional on, yup you guessed it, Job again. The first few lines mentioned:
"God doesn't always deliver us from our troubles; sometimes He delivers us through them. That's a hard truth to accept but it represents a very real dynamic in God's economy.... but as with Job, sometimes God has a greater purpose-to teach us, to draw closer to himself, or for some other reasons we struggle to understand..." things that are too wonderful for me to know.
I have to agree that Job is always a tough book because it speaks of hanging on in times of trials. But personally, even as I go through some struggles myself even now, I cannot deny how God had been real and had blessed me and even brought me through past struggles... so I do look within and admit I can never fully comprehend God and His ways, I look up ahead holding on to the promises He had previously given me through His word especially Jeremiah 29:11) and I look up and accept his sovereignty in my life.
And so I will still sing...
"many things about tomorrow, i don;t seem to understand, but i know who holds tomorrow and I know who holds my hands..."
I Know Who Holds Tomorrow - Alison Krauss and The Cox Family
Perhaps, like Senior Pastor has reminded... who is your pilot? in times of turbulence, it is not the time to jump out of the plane but to trust the pilot, return to your seats and fasten your seat belts. Times of abundance and blessings bring praises to the Lord but what about times of trials and tribulations, draw closer to Him.
I hope we will just keep praying for one another, for our church leaders as they go for their leaders' night tomorrow, for our church and for all who are hurting... be a blessing to them.
Isa 40:13 says "Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor? But
Isa 40:31 says "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
When we know of nowhere to turn, fall on your knees and pray.
As someone sends me an sms, it says "in times of troubles, do not say 'God we have a big problem' but 'Problem, we have a big God!'"
I hope I have been able to bless your hearts.
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