Buying from the Right Source

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. -Isaiah 55:1-3 (NIV).

It's interesting when I read this this morning and realized the word "buy".  Went to search dictionary.com and to buy would also mean to acquire by way of exchange. Webster states to buy is "to obtain in exchange for something often at a sacrifice"

"What are we exchanging our lives, effort, time, resources for?" I feel God reminding us to buy from him, and that He gives not as the world gives (conditional and with money) but He gives so we can acquire life (see v1). He is a faithful God of covenant. "...I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." -John 10:10b (NIV). And yes, the buying do involve sacrifice, or shall I say--setting priorities. David said that he will not sacrifice a burnt offering that costs him nothing. - 1 Chronicles 21:24 (NIV).

What are you "buying"? Are you seeking and acquiring security, joy and peace from things, obsession/addictions, people, jobs or other things other than God? We need to buy from the right source.

Worship

Hi everyone, in my recent QT, God has been showing me much about devotion and worship. As I pondered on it and after our cell discussion last week, found this video quite nicely helped me to understand about it. So simple but yet, sometimes I can miss it:

Be blessed! :D

Who Am I?

Hi everyone,

Thanks for making the prayer and praise encounter yesterday wonderful with all your participation. As we sing the last song yesterday, "Who Am I", it does reminds us, in a timely manner, why we worship...

We worship because of who God is
We worship because of who we are
Therefore, we worship in spite of our circumstances because it is a declaration from our spirit of this very fact.

John 4:23-24 (NIV)

... the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth

Would care to know my name

Would care to feel my hurt?

Who am I, that the bright and morning star

Would choose to light the way

For my ever wondering heart?

Not because of who I am

But because of what You've done

Not because of what I've done

But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading

Here today and gone tomorrow

A wave tossed in the ocean

A vapor in the wind

Still You hear me when I'm calling

Lord You catch me when I'm falling

And You told me who I am

I am Yours, I am Yours

Who am I, that the eyes that see our sin

Would look on me with love

And watch me rise again?

Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea

Would call out through the rain

And calm the storm in me?

Whom shall I fear?

Whom shall I fear?

'Cause I am Yours, I am Yours

Once again, it is amazing to see how God worked yesterday once again! Take care!

The Heart of Worship

Hi everyone, was at chapel today and was ministered by the sharing on the heart of worship.
Consider both Saul and David:

In 1 Sam 15, we read that God gave instructions to Saul, as punishment to the Amalekites for what they did to Israel, to attack them and totally destroy everything, even "cattle and sheep, camel and donkeys". But Saul acted in disobedience and tried to justify himself:

• "I have carried out the LORD's instructions." (v13)
• "The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest." (v15)
• "But I did obey the LORD," Saul said. "I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal."
  

But further down the chapter, Saul's heart was revealed that he had the fear of man more than the fear of God; he chose to honour man and himself over God. Even after being confronted by Samuel and being given a chance to repent, his heart remained hard and distant from God as he again chose to want to be honoured by man rather than honoured by God:

1 Sam 15:30 (NIV)

Saul replied, "I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God." (Emphasis mine)

And so God rejected Saul as King and his worship. Even though he began well, he did not end well.

Fast forward to King David, the man who is after God's own heart (1 Sam 13:14). And even though David sinned when he committed adultery and murder, his response to his sin was different from Saul. After being rebuked by the Prophet Nathan, he wrote Psalm 51 and continue to walk righteously with the Lord. When he came to Araunah to buy his land to build an altar to God, Araunah offered him the land and everything else for free but look at David's response... "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."

Though both Kings were called by God to be the leader of His people and started well, only one finished well. Both, on the outward, offered sacrifices to the Lord but yet God accepted and blessed one but yet rejected the other. Kind of reminded me of Cain and Abel.

1 Samuel 16:7b (NIV)

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

We can try all we want to look holy, act holy but God is the one who knows us from the inside out and who sees our heart. 

1 Sam 15: 22

But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

The person sharing at chapel shared a parable of a boy who stole 4 apples from the kitchen and went to the chaplain to confess and pray. The boy prayed "Dear Lord, I come before you to ask for your forgiveness for stealing 8 apples." Puzzled, the chaplain asked the boy why he prayed that he stole 8 apples when he stole 4. The boy answered "Oh, I am praying for tomorrow too." What is our heart's condition for God? Are we like the boy who continues to take God's grace for granted and sin, grieving God and in a way, mocking the work on the cross?

An unchanged life, a divided heart, a hardened heart, an empty worship are not what God desires.

It is said that Martin Luther only had two days on his calendar: this day and that day, that is, the great Day of Judgment." How we want to present ourselves to God on that day will determine how we are this day.


Indeed, life is like running a torch relay where the crucial thing is not about speed (which a lot of people may want us to believe) but about keeping the torch ablaze and finishing well before the Lord. Along the way, there may be "winds of adversity", "gusts of conflicts", discouragements, alternative finishing lines but keep our eyes on Jesus and make effort to finish well.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

I pray this will bless you. Amen.

Being, Not Just Doing

Hi there,

Sorry for the misleading title in the earlier post "Being, Not Doing"... just to clarify that we need to also remember our being in God and not just doing or even doing for the sake of looking righteous. It is a fine balance to reach and I am still learning as well.

Jesus said in Matt 28:19 "therefore, go and make disciples of all nations..." and James 2:26 (NIV) also said that "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." So there is also doing part in the Christian walk.

The Christian faith is not one which focuses on just what we do but also who we are; children of God and who we are refined and transformed to be; Christ-like.

A personal lesson for me is that the starting point for me is in the "being" and loving God, and the actions will naturally follow. I remember a sermon on the 2 greatest commandments (Matt 22:34-40) and the pastor mentioned that when we love God, we will naturally fulfill the first 4 commandments and when we love our neighbours, we will naturally fulfill the other 6 commandments. It was refreshing because I have come to realise it was not an easier "standard" but it is something which starts from the inside... that as we love God and our neighbours, we will fulfill His commandements.

For me, I can tend to be focused on "doing" sometimes to help with my self-esteem. But at the end of the day, God reminds me that I am His child and that I can depend on Him and need not strive for human praise. But what matters most is how I am walking with Him, growing in Him and receiving others into His Kingdom. Well, it's a fine balance and I am learning. I have to always keep myself in check to see if I am indeed focusing on doing, for the wrong reasons.

So, yes, the title should read "Being, not Just Doing" and I have amended it. Forgive me for the mistake and may God continue to watch over you and help you walk stronger and stronger in faith.

Being, Not Just Doing

I have been reflecting...

The Christian faith is not so much about doing but it's also about being: being redeemed by God from the enemy, being restored by God, spiritually, emotionally, physically, as He wills, being a child of God, being holy and righteous in our walk, being one who seeks and loves the Lord, being still and know that he is God, being a loving neighbour who is there to bless others as God blessed you, being a vessel through which God's light to the world can shine.

John 1:12-13 (NIV)
12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

Being, Not Just Doing

Please refer to this article for updated entry.

I have been reflecting...

The Christian faith is not so much about doing but it's also about being: being redeemed by God from the enemy, being restored by God, spiritually, emotionally, physically, as He wills, being a child of God, being holy and righteous in our walk, being one who seeks and loves the Lord, being still and know that he is God, being a loving neighbour who is there to bless others as God blessed you, being a vessel through which God's light to the world can shine.

John 1:12-13 (NIV)
¹²Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

The Heart of Service & Worship

Two Questions to Ask Yourself
Last week, we looked at Elisha and the heart of worship and serving God. Somehow throughout the week, God seems to be speaking to me about the heart of worship and service. I had shared how sometimes ministry could be a very "weary affair" for me but wait a minute, it should not be the case. It points me to re-examine myself on my heart of worship and of service to the Lord.

"What is our posture towards serving the Lord?"
"Are we seeing the big picture of it all?"

These are all good questions to ask ourselves at various junction in our ministry life. Remember the times when some of us were fired up for our ministries, do we still have the passion?

The Heart of Service
Last week, the story about Jesus feeding the five thousand kept coming up. As I also listened to the lyrics of the song, Five Loaves and Two Fishes, by Corrine May, it becomes clear to me that without the boy and his bread and fishes, how would the Lord feed the five thousands? It took faith and trust in the Lord and the Lord multiplies to bless many others. What "little" or "much" do we have that we can commit to the Lord to bless others? This spoke to me about the heart of service.

Keeping the Big Picture
Then, we also spoke about keeping the big picture. Why do we serve? Yes, the reasons for serving could be a multitude including:

"I am serving in gratitude to what God has done in my life"
"I am serving to learn to rely and trust in the Lord"
"I am serving to offer what giftings I have in the Lord's work"

Other reasons could also include:

"I am serving because I was asked to join the ministry"
"I am serving because my friend asked me to"
"I am serving to appear holy"

Well, being in the line of volunteer management, I too come to realise that volunteers come for a variety of reasons e.g. to find a life partner, to learn a skill, to get perks of being a volunteer, to spend time more meaningfully, to gain exposure to working in the social service sector etc but then one thing is true, and that is, as a volunteer coordinator, I always try to coordinate the efforts of the volunteers to move in the same direction so we can serve the beneficiaries. That should, ideally, be the main idea and big picture of serving as a volunteer. In a similar way, all may be serving in ministry for varying reasons or the reason might have changed over time, but it should ultimately be to do our Father's will i.e. to reconcile people back to Him. Is it doing business with the Father (you give me this, I do this) or doing the Father's business (Lord, this is what I have to offer, have it Your way)?

Two takeaway for me from the recent Connect Conference organised by Navigators and Campus Crusade (yes, I do "da bao" for you all :D) are:

• As Christ-followers, we all do have different mission (e.g. calling to the market place, calling to full-time ministry etc) and different priorities (e.g. placing focus on evangelism, worship, discipleship, prayer but one thing is for sure, we all have the same purpose (doing the Father's Will)
• But are we too burnt out? We were asked at the conference: "When you see God face-to-face, is He going to ask you 'What have you done for me?' or 'How have you grown as a result of what you have done for me?'" What do you think is God's focus here? In sum, Ps Edmund Chan asked:
• Do we live the religious life or the redeemed life?
  (Philippians 3:8-9, "...that I may gain Christ and be found in him")
• Do we live the intense life or the intimate life?
  (Philippians 3:10, "...I want to know Christ")
• Do we live the empty life or the exchanged life?
  (Philippians 3:11, "...to attain to the resurrection from the dead")

Offering Yourselves as Living Sacrifices
Romans 12:1 says "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship." Frankly, when I first came back, I did not understand what sacrifice meant and the first image that came to my mind is those human sacrifices used in tribal ceremonies in those Indiana Jones movies. But far from it, I have later come to realise it meant literally "dying" to the old self, letting God redeem you and run your life; living sacrifices.

Arun has nicely put it that we are like married to Christ and to go back to our old sinful selves is like committing adultery. Cheryl has also brought up Romans 6:15-23: Will you be a slave to sin (which leads to death) or slaves to righteousness? The chapter ends "For the wages of sin is death, but then gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 12:4-8 further specifies about offering your bodies as living sacrifices: "... 4. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,5. so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.6. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.7. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;8. if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."

Wow, OK, think it's time to stop. Looking at what was typed, I just thank God for the flow of thought and how all these just came together nicely in just twenty minutes.