Return the Call

Return the Call
Karen Ehman

"Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer."

Psalm 4:1 (NIV)

Devotion:
"Ughhh!" I sighed as the telephone rang that morning...again. My frustration mounted as I replayed my morning's activities thus far in my mind.

I'd already answered a phone call from church, one from my son's teacher and yet another one from my other son's coach. I'd chatted with my hairdresser and made an appointment with the dentist, among about a half-dozen more connections that had to be made by phone. And it wasn't even noon yet!

My mind pondered as my heart began to race. "When am I ever going to get to the bottom of my never-ending "to do" list?"

I glanced at my caller ID to see who it was this time. The number flashing on my phone was a familiar one; that of my father. He is a retiree who has a great love for his grandkids and lots of time on his hands. I reasoned, since his schedule isn't nearly as full as mine, that I could call him back later at a time more convenient for me. So I ignored his call and turned my attention to my list.

On it were many tasks; some noble, some mundane. Normal errands such as "Pick up bread and milk" "Return library books" or "Fill car up with gas." But there were important items too like call a relative who was struggling with depression and ask the neighbor next door, who'd just had surgery, if he'd like our family to mow his lawn. There were even kingdom-building, ministry activities; finish my Bible study lesson and pray for a friend's operation taking place later that day.

Yes, my day was full; full of people and purpose. Why then did I feel so empty?

My thoughts returned to the call from my father. How many times had I ignored his calls, reasoning that, since his life as a retiree wasn't packed with activity, I could easily chat with him at a later time? But the reality of my hectic schedule, along with other relationship commitments, often meant that connecting with my father took a nearly permanent place on the back burner of life.

He was waiting; I was ignoring. I refused to return his call. And our relationship was at risk of suffering because of it.

It isn't just earthy fathers that sometimes get ignored. How many times have we "ignored" our Heavenly Father because of our screaming schedule and earthly relationship demands? Even though our lives may be full of good and "God" things—duties at church, connections with people—oft times we are so busy serving God and loving it, that we don't make time to actually love the God that we serve.

Today's key verse paints a picture of our loving God who is never too busy to answer us when we call. And He not only hears and answers, He gives us relief from our distress—even the too-busy-for-my-own-good kind of distress. The problem in our connection lies with us. He is calling. We ignore. And then, we don't bother returning His call.

Thankfully, God never gets tired of hitting or answering a "redial." He is waiting and longing, as He always has been, to have a deep, intimate relationship connection with us; one that requires we make one simple switch: We put Him at the top of our "to do" and our "must call" lists.

He is willing to answer, if only we will call.

Dear Lord, forgive me for ignoring Your calls to come and connect with You, free from any distractions. I'm ready now. Speak. I'm listening. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:

Do You Know Him?

For more on this topic and a Jesus Calling basket giveaway, visit Karen's blog
Living Life on Purpose by Lysa TerKeurst
Rest Assured: Devotions for Souls in a Restless World by Nancy McGuirk

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Application Steps:
When it comes to carving out time to spend with God, do you:

a. Consistently make it a high priority

b. Have great intentions of doing it but often get sidetracked by life

c. Fit it in when you feel like it or happen to "find time"

d. Don't really have any plan for connecting one-on-one with God

Take action this week to get God off the back burner and into the forefront of your life.

Reflections:
Have I ever scheduled an "appointment with God," just as I would with a business contact, doctor, or friend? How could that help me in my quest to grow in relationship Him?

Power Verses:
Psalm 91:14-16: "The Lord says, 'I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.'" (NLT)

Discussion: Abiding in the Presence of God

Open the Eyes of My Heart

Lover of My Heart

Lover of My Heart - Paradise Community Church

I Just Want to be Where You Are

God Always With Us
Elder Andrew Goh spoke on the presence of God recently. One of the thing about what I have learnt thus far in my walk with God is that God is ever present, even through the good times and bad times. Even though when things seems to be falling apart or not going well, and it feels horrible, God has never forsaken us because aren't Christ called "Immanuel" (Matthew 1:23), which means "God with us"? Similarly through the Old and New Testament, we have been reminded that as we seek the Lord, he will not forsake us:

Old Testament - Psalm 9:10
Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

New Testament - Hebrew 13:5
"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Feeling God Has Forsaken Us
Do you believe in that? I do, because I have seen how God has brought me through many personal, family and ministry struggles in my life so much so it becomes more than coincidences. But this do set me thinking why does it sometimes feel as though the Lord has forsaken me? I am reminded at devotion this week at work that these feelings are common, even to David who sought after God's heart, when in Psalm 22 he started "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" but he goes on to proclaim that he believe God will lead him out in victory. David has never took his eyes off God and proclaimed to him in verse 19 "But you, O Lord, be not far off; O my strength, come quickly to help me..." He believed in the power and will of God in his life. In Isaiah 49:14, the people of Israel felt that God had forsaken them but Isaiah puts forth his argument that God would never forget them as a loving mother would not forget her little child.

Isaiah 49:14-15
14 But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me."15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!"

Feeling Forsaken: God's Deliverance Through Trials
Why then do we feel "forsaken" by the Lord sometimes? Personally, I cannot answer that... but I do believe that God has His will in everyone's life... firstly to receive everyone into a relationship with Him and then to work with the person... I am reminded of how I came back to Christ when a sister-in-christ asked me "God has not forsaken you, have you forsaken him?" I was in a low period at that time and was going through horrible struggles but looking back, I can see how God has His plans for me as he reminded me when I first came back with Jeremiah 29:11. God has brought me through different phases and seasons and have made life better. I am reminded of a saying during one of my devotions that sometimes God does not deliver us FROM trials but delivers us THROUGH trials.... perhaps that's the reason why James has mentioned in James 1:2-4

2. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3. because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Feeling Forsaken: God's Pruning Through Trials
As I reflect back, God has used trials to prune me, removing undesirable parts of my life

John 15:2
He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

Feeling Forsaken: God Revealing Himself
And through trials, He showed me how he is real... So sometimes we feel "forsaken" because we need to be delivered just as the struggles came to bring me back to Him and then for Him to do His work on me.

Feeling Forsaken: Us Withdrawing from God
Perhaps we feel forsaken because we had to take responsibility for our actions and we withdraw away from God, just as Adam and Eve withdrew away from God when they ate from the Tree they were told not to eat from (Genesis 3). God loves them still and had wanted the best for them, to be in a relationship with Him. But they have fallen away and withdrew from God as they hid among the trees and as God called out "where are you?" In a recent devotion, I have read how sometimes, in our sinfulness, we make deliberate choices to withdraw from Him because we are uncomfortable having Him near. So it became clear to me that it is not God who has forsaken us but sometimes we withdraw from Him. But the good news is that "He allows us to stay in our dark places for a time, but he doesn't leave us alone. He patiently watches over us, waiting for any indication that we desire to emerge" (from "A Devoted Heart" in New Men's Devotional Bible). So where are we now?

Where Are You?
Where are you with regards to the presence of God? Through Matthew 14:22-33, Elder Andrew God brought us through lessons we can draw lessons on our journey of abiding in God's presence. Where are you now?

Presence of Christ Lost
Presence of Christ Dreaded (v26)
Presence of Christ Revealed (v27)
Presence of Christ Desired (v28)
Presence of Christ Trust (v29)
Presence of Christ Forgotten (v30)
Presence of Christ Restored (v31-32)

Do you desire a touch of Him or to abide in His presence daily?

Why is Abiding in His Presence Important?
Last week, I was reading my devotion on Acts 16:16-40, I began to see how God not only walked on in journey with Paul and his companions, watching over them but also how God cared for everyone, including the slave girl who was kept following Paul and Silas proclaiming how Paul and companions are servant of the most High God and have come to tell people the way to be saved (v17). But what struck me the most is how Paul and Silas could ever by praying and singing hymns while in prison (v25). To me, I thought to myself, it must be the presence of God comforting them...

But as we discussed last week, that if God is omni present and dwells within us, why do we still need to strive to abide in His presence and seek for something that is already all around and within us?

Reasons to Abide - A Relationship to be Developed
Many of you shared how it is because Christianity is a relationship with God and how like in any relationship, it is important to spend time with the person in developing the relationship. In the same way, just as Senior Pastor was sharing in sermon last week on spiritual disciplines, it takes time and effort; it is not automatic, does not happen instantaneously and it is not a mystical experience meant for super saints. I remember sharing with someone that just as in relationship, no one else can ever help you to "pak tor" (go dating) and you yourself will have to put in the time and effort in developing your relationship with God. So abiding in God's presence helps you build a relationship with God.

Reasons to Abide - Remembering God in Your Life
Some of you shared how abiding in His presence help you to remember God amidst all the distractions in life; work, temptation etc. So abiding in God's presence help some of you to remember God in your life.

Reasons to Abide - Knowing God More
Yet for some of you, you have shared how abiding in His presence help you to know Him more. I like the way that Jason had put it... you can read Lee Kuan Yew's autobiography but still not know him. In the same way, are we putting in effort to know God... Having a relationship with God is more than just reading the bible and not allowing to shape your life. So abiding in His presence helps some of you to know God better.

Reasons to Abide - Experiencing His Power
I have shared how for me, personally, learning to abide in His presence helps me experience His power and glory. Sometimes it just makes me want to see God's glory and power more and more in my life. I have shared how over the span of a week, God had worked miracle in my family and how things feel into place, including my dad's hospitalisation, and my mum began coming to church again after many years of prayer and feeling that it will never happen. I shared how it was amazing seeing during the Chinese New Year week how God had worked; how while visiting our relatives, they had one after another asked if my mother is going to church, how my father's sudden cramp attack during CNY day 3 early morning and hospitalisation seemed to have an impact on my mum, how God had brought Min Qin to my house to invite her to the CNY service in church, how as if God knew that I needed time to work on my devotion on Thursday had granted me leave on Wednesday to rest after sending my dad to A&E and also work on my devotional sharing in Thursday. Every step of the way, it was amazing seeing how God worked and this has been a constant thing in my walk to see how God works and it just amazes me. And, I have also seen how God has worked in my life and by His grace, I continue to do relatively well in my job which He had called me to when I returned to Him. And even though I had no prior experience doing volunteer management, He continued to guide me through and I give thanks everyday at work as I see how things work out and how I am sometimes being asked to share with other organisations on volunteer management. All these over a span of 3 years. On my own, I would not have been able to do it so I can only attribute it to God. This is similarly so for cell ministry as I looked back how He continue to guide me and teach me things in ministry. So abiding in the presence of God helps me to do things that I will not be able to do myself and helps me see Him at work.

Reasons to Abide - Experiencing His Comfort
I have also shared how this time round, when I sent my dad to A&E, I have come to realise that though I was still anxious, I was relatively less anxious as compared to the time when I rushed him to A&E a few years back when he had a heart attack. I remembered crying in A&E and feeling all lost and not knowing what to do as I faced the uncertainty and the thought of losing my dad. But this time round, I felt relatively more comforted and prayed and committed my dad into God's hands, trusting in Him after having seen how He is so real in my life. So abiding in the presence of God helps me to feel not alone and comforted in times of crisis.

Whatever the reason, I do pray for you to be able to experience God in your life as you continue to walk with Him.

How do you abide in His presence?
Again, I don't think there is a secret formula but as some of you have shared...

• for some it is daily bible reading and reflection
• for some it is daily devotion using devotional materials e.g. Our Daily Bread
• for some it is being still and in solitude with self and God
• for some it is listening to praise and worship songs and reflecting on the lyrics
• for some it is singing aloud while with yourself
• for some it is writing, blogging and journalling in helping you to be more God-aware
• for some it is strumming away on the guitar and singing to the Lord

Whatever it is, find your way of relating to the Lord and you can start today in experiencing God in your life...

Jeremiah 31-2-3
² This is what the LORD says:
"The people who survive the sword
will find favor in the desert;
I will come to give rest to Israel."

³ The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying:
"I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness.

Testimony: God Speaks, Affirm and Ministers

Hi everyone!

Awesome God
Our God is an awesome God,
He reigns from heaven above,
With wisdom power and love,
Our God is an awesome God!

Our God is an Awesome God
Just finished devotion this morning and want to share a little testimony. Through this morning's devotion, I have come to see how God is in control and how He is real, speaks, affirms and ministers. The last time I experienced this so strongly was at a missions trip in China and it was real exhilarating and exciting to see how God works; how nothing is impossible for Him as He brings together people and circumstances to work according to His will and to also minister to people; it's just awesome, amazing and exciting to see God work!

Do We Set Aside or Do We Find Time for God?
Our Tuesday devotions at work has not been very regular recently and sessions have been canceled simply because people were "too busy". Frankly, I get really affected and disappointed each time the devotion is canceled because it is just painful to see us forgoing time with God simply because we are too busy. But then reflecting back, this spiritual warfare is real and even I myself also struggle with trying to "squeeze out" time to be with the Lord.

God Uses Ministers through all Sharing
Anyway, today, there was to be devotion and looking at how everyone is busy, I was really not confident devotion will go on. But then, I decided to assume it will go on as usual and I contemplated whether I should lead since the last session (which was supposed to be led by me) was canceled and the next person who is to lead today might not even know she is leading today. I decided to lead but then somehow later at work, I just felt led to ask the person whether she is ready to lead devotion today, considering that I have no voice left. To my surprise, she agreed and within 5 minutes, she put together something to share. By the end of the devotion, it became very clear how God had worked through today's devotion; it's amazing how:

• ... devotion was not canceled and my colleague agreed to lead devotion despite the short notice
• ... everyone joined in for devotion today
  
• ... God ministered through her sharing of her testimony about how God had guided her in a recent decision about her flat. In short, she made a decision about her flat but did not feel at peace with the decision. She sought the Lord's will through prayer and through many incidents, affirmation by others, she felt led to change her decision. Eventually, she decided to change her decision but then a contract had been signed with HDB. But God opened a way for her to retract her decision with HDB and now she is at peace with the decision. From this, she shared about how sometimes we think we know best and insists on our plans when God knows His plans for us and will provide for us; how stubborn we can sometimes be and end up not wanting to choose the path God has for us.
  
• ... God used the sharing to also minister to another colleague who later shared that he was facing some issues with regards to his flat too and how the sharing affirmed him
• ... I initially felt bad about asking my colleague to lead the devotion at the last minute because I was not feeling very well but later was so glad that God has used the session to teach and minister
  
• ... how God had led me to read from Matthew 6:25-34 in the morning on my way to work, which seems to be a timely reminder about how God knows what we need and will provide.I was thinking of reading from another devotional but then realised that I have left the devotional material in office and so, read this devotion instead, not knowing that it was a timely reminder that was shared at the closing of the devotion.

After devotion, I was reflecting on how I can align myself to God's will for my lives and came to the following conclusion. We need to

1. believe that God has His plans for us and
2. we need to stay connected to God e.g. through quiet time, prayers, reading His word and supplementing it with devotional materials and
3. be open and willing to listen to Him when He does lead.
4. believe that God can work through you and use you to spiritually impact others
   

Matthew 6:26-
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Matthew 6:30-
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Matthew 6:31-33-
31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Think...

• On a scale of 1-10, where do you rate your belief that God, as Jeremiah 29:11 states, has His plans for you; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future?
• In this world of connectivity through handphones, internet, email, instant messengers, how is your connectivity to God? How can you connect better with God?
• How open and willing are you in hearing from God? What is your definition of hearing from God? How have God spoken to you in the past? How can you be more God-aware?
• Do you believe that God can work through you and use you to spiritually impact others and to draw them close to Him?
  

Encountering God Through Prayer

Hear Us From Heaven


Lord, hear our cry
Come heal our land
Breath life into these dry and thirsty souls
Lord, hear our prayer
Forgive our sin
And as we call on Your name
Would You make this a place
For Your glory to dwell

Chorus:
Open the blind eyes
Unlock the deaf ears
Come to Your people
As we draw near
Hear us from heaven
Touch our generation
We are Your people
Crying out in desperation

Bridge:
Hear Us From Heaven,
Hear Us From Heaven,
Hear Us From Heaven (4x)

We have started a 6-weeks series on prayer and frankly, the sermons, the preparation for cell group discussion and also reading a book which my sister had bought from Riverside Resource, Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels, have helped me to start think seriously about prayer and reflecting upon my prayer life.

• Why do we pray?
• Why do we struggle with prayer?
• How do we pray?
  

Beginning on the Right Footing #1: What's Your Attitude towards Prayer?
I myself am coming to learn more about prayer as I reflect and I hope you can share with me your experience and comments too :) As I was preparing for cell discussion, I felt that God was telling me that we need to start our prayer life with the right footing; before we can even talk about how we should pray, we need to understand why we pray and our attitudes about prayer:

• Do we believe in the power of prayer?
• Do we believe that God is willing to hear our prayers?
• Do we believe that God is able to do something about our prayer requests?
  

- Do you believe in the power of prayer?

Bill Hybels says in his book "an archbishop once observed, 'it's amazing how many coincidence occur when one begins to pray.'

As I look back, I see the value of prayer in my spiritual life. I can think of 3 instances specifically where I was awed by the power of prayer.

- Instance #1: God's Protection

The first was when I come to realise how prayer has helped me survive my first time mission trip in 2007. In April 2007, I went for a mission trip for the first time to China and we were there for 18 days. The 18 days were just amazing and it was a time when I became still and saw how great a God we have; a God that provides, watches over and protects. The trip was full of amazing testimonies throughout the 18-days including:

• how my life was preserved as we were making our way up to a village school, how we learnt about a stabbing case that took place where we stayed less than a week before we came,
  
• how the county government initially was not open to our team coming over to provide training and last minutes doors opened for the missionary team to work with them,
  
• how the virginia tech shooting (and the local stabbing case) which happened at the time we were there had provided open opportunities for people to talk about mental health issues (which was what we were doing training for there),
  
• how God brought 2 Singaporeans, who used to work as outdoor trainers, to us to bless us throughout the trip with their expertise
• how these 2 Singaporeans made a last minute decision to follow us on a visit to a missionary at a children's home and then halfway through the visit, the missionary (not knowing that these 2 worked as outdoor trainers) mentioned that he had always wanted to do teambuilding for his children and staff but did not know how to go about it. It's just amazing how God brought them to the home at the right time
• how our team had later also blessed these 2 Singaporeans, providing fellowship and Christian community to one who told us that she was beginning to feel distanced from God and also open opportunities for the other, who is a pre-believer, to learn about Christ. We were told she had been resistant to hearing the gospel but then the visit to the home provided an opportunity for her to hear a testimony of a staff (who did not know she is a pre-believer) and prepared her heart to want to know Christ
• how after 10 years of working with the local authorities and praying for breakthrough, the local government finally initiated working together for the long-term.
• and many others

Then, when I returned, I come to realise that many things went well because we had many prayer warriors behind us, including people we did not know who were also interceding for us at the missions office.

- Instance #2: God Is This Your Will?
The second was when I was called by God to "confront" a friend who was involved in a Korean cult here in Singapore. For a few months, I have been running away from that calling and finally one day, God provided the opportunity for me to invite him out alone (because previous attempts, he always brought someone along to try to "convert" me). I remember being all jittery about it on the day I was to meet him and I kept asking God if this is His will; for me to "confront" this friend about this matter. By the end of the day, I met a colleague (who does not take the train but happened to be taking the train with me on that day) and we chatted. Suddenly, out of her bag, she brought out a book "Knowing God's Will" and lent the book to me, telling me that she had intended to return the book to her church library the previous Sunday but the librarian wanted her to keep and finish reading the book.

Reading that book had also prepared me for what was to happen later; I was to face rejection from my friend. I remember reading from the book about how we sometimes play a small part in God's purposes and we may be laying a brick one at a time as we help build the house, so nothing is wasted although we do not see God's purpose at the point in time we lay the brick. As expected, I felt horrible after the meeting and felt terribly rejected but then I recall what I read. As if to make sure that it sank deep within me, the 'Our Daily Bread' article the next morning was about how we need to work with the Lord when working to save others just as we can put together the ingredients for a cake but ultimately, it is the oven that bakes the cake, not us. Talking about God answering your questions.

- Instance #3: God's Leading
The last instance I can think of is my prayer for my ministry. As I had shared before, I faced much challenges in my initial months of ministry and had wanted to just give up. But each time I made a decision to give up, God spoke through the pulpit. I could not understand what plans God has for me and I kept lamenting and crying out, praying for Him to reveal to me His plans. Breakthrough came months later and it is becoming clear why somethings happened the way it did. God also continue to equip me and lead me as I carried on my ministry and I came to realise that God had never forsaken me even though I faced trials:

Hebrew 13:5b-6
because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." 6. So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

And many of you also shared how God had answered prayers in your life. So do you believe in the power of prayer?

- Do you believe that God is willing to bless us?
In his book, Bill Hybels shared that God wants to bless you:

Luke 18:1-8 tells of the parable of the persistent widow and even of the judge who neither feared God nor cared for man can relent to help the widow, how much more our God?

Matthew 7:9-11 also reminds us:

9. "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10. Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11. If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Similarly, Leviticus 26:3-6 and Deuteronomy 28:2-6 speaks of how God wants to bless us as long as we seek to obey Him.

So do you believe that God is willing and wants to bless you?

- Do you believe that God is able to do something about our prayer requests?
This really is an interesting question because I believe most would say "yes". But why is it that if we believe He can do something about it and yet we are not fervent in our prayers? The ability and omnipotence of God is shown throughout the bible and also in lives of people in present day but yet why do we doubt?

Beginning on the Right Footing #2: In what state are you approaching God in prayer?

Isaiah 1:15-17
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even if you offer many prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood;

16 wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds
out of my sight!
Stop doing wrong,

17 learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed. [a]
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.

Really, God is holy and how are you approaching the throne of God when you go into a time of prayer. Do you treat God as "santa-claus" and treat prayer as just a time of putting in request for things to be right for you? I remember Elder Andrew Goh once shared about the half prayer (prayer which starts and stops with "God, make this happen, make that happen") versus the full prayer (God, may Your will be done). How do you deal with the sin as you approach the throne of God?

Luke 18: 9-14
9. To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10. "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

13. "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

14. "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

God exalts and the one who humbles himself before God and recognises his sins. He looks for the repentent heart. just as Luke 19:1-10 tells us about His encounter with Zacchaeus, the Tax Collector

Luke 19:1-10 Zacchaeus, the Tax Collector
1. Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6. So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7. All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' "

8. But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."

9. Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

Even in Genesis 32-33, we see how Jacob seeks to be forgiven and it is a contrast between the way in which he sought forgiveness and blessing from God and from his brother Esau. For God, it did not take goats, ewes, rams, camels, cows, bull and donkeys for Him to forgive because He himself has provided the lamb, Jesus, to die for our sins.

To Live is Christ



I make a vow
My life will always honour you
Whether I live or die

I belong to Him
He bore my sin
I owe this life to my saving King

Hallelujah, I am not my own
You are in control
Hallelujah

For me to live is christ
And to die is gain
No matter what price i pay
I choose to give this life away

Only by the cross I am saved

Do you come before God to confess your sins and be repentent just as Zacchaeus, Jacob and the tax-collector in Luke 18:9-14?

Why do We Pray?
Why do we pray? Is it purely to submit our requests to God and then amen? For many, prayer is...:

• a time of fellowship/communion with God; basking and enjoying His presence and the peace and assurance which comes with it
  
  
  Draw Me Close to You
  
  
  Draw me close to You
  Never let me go
  I lay it all down again
  To hear You say that I'm Your friend
  
  You are my desire
  No one else will do
  'Cause nothing else could take Your place
  To feel the warmth of Your embrace
  Help me find the way
  Bring me back to You
  
  You're all I want
  You're all I've ever needed
  You're all I want
  Help me know You are near
  
  
  
• a time of being humbled because we can sometimes think we are self-sufficient and refuse to take it to the Lord in prayer. Bill Hybels put it nicely to say that prayer is an assault on deep-seated values of self-sufficiency and independent living, which sometimes makes us forget we need God
• a time of confession to fall down on our knees before the Lord and seeking his forgiveness for our sins
• a time of thanksgiving and adoration of how wonderful a God He is
• spiritual warfare as we seek to intercede for others to take them away from the hands of the devil and also sometimes to shut the devil up because he can put thoughts which will serve to bring us away from God. I myself have experienced several negative thoughts about myself and how I am a failure and unable to do what God has called me to do. We need to silence these thoughts and the only way is to be in the presence of God
• a time of refuge in the Lord because sometimes we realise we can do nothing but go down on our knees
  
• a time of being still and seeking God's will in decision and circumstances e.g. before we go into quiet time
  
  Think of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He provides the most perfect model of what it is to pray according to God's will. Imagine being in Jesus' shoes and knowing the hour has come to die on the cross and crying out to the Lord, but yet recognising that it is God's will, not his will.
  
  
  I Surrender All
  
  
  All to Jesus I surrender
  All to Him I freely give;
  I will ever love and trust Him,
  In his presence daily live.
  
  I surrender all, I surrender all;
  All to thee, my blessed Savior,
  I surrender all.
  
  All to Jesus I surrender,
  Humbly at His feet I bow,
  Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
  Take me Jesus, take me now.
  
  
  
• a time of placing our request at the feet of God to help us,
  

but my most favourite one is, as I have realised in the past few days:

• Christianity is not a religion but a relationship with God and thus, how can one of the main component of relationship; communication, be left out? God wants to hear from us.

Why Do We Struggle with Prayer?
If we believe in the power of prayer, that God is willing and able to help us then why do we still struggle? Some cite:

• Busyness
• Laziness
• Our deep-seated values of self-sufficiency
• Sin which makes us turn away instead of to God for forgiveness
  
• Shame - some people feel that prayer is an admittance of weakness
• "Don't know how to pray"
  

Bill Hybels observes that it is amazing how sometimes we can put aside time for those things we set to do and learn but then when it comes to prayer, it is a different matter all together. I once was also plagued with the worry that I do not know how to pray properly and may look stupid in front of many people. This has caused me to feel rather awkward at prayer meetings because I am afraid I will not pray properly. But then, I later was ministered to by Matthew 6:5-15:

5. "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9. "This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10. your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11. Give us today our daily bread.
12. Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13. And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.' 14. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

How Do We Pray?
Personally, I do not think there is a standard way of praying because it is your relationship with God and your way of communicating with God. But some guidelines do exist which can help, until you develop your own. e.g. ACTS:

• Adoration - Praising God for His faithfulness, grace, love, wonders etc
• Confession - Repent and bringing to God your confessions of sin and ask for his forgiveness
• Thanksgiving - Giving thanks to God for all the works He had done in your life
• Supplication - Bring to God your requests

Something else I found:

Use your hand.
Your fingers can be used to bring to mind different things to pray for.

• thumb
  this is the strongest digit on your hand. Give thanks for all the strong things in your life, like home and family, relationships that support and sustain you.
• index finger
  this is the pointing finger. Pray for all those people and things in your life who guide and help you. Friends, teachers, doctors, nurses, emergency services and so on.
• middle finger
  this is the tallest finger. Pray for all the important people who have power in the world, like world leaders and their governments, members of parliament and local councillors, the Royal Family, other world leaders and their governments.
• ring finger
  this is the weakest finger on your hand. It can not do much by itself. Remember the poor, the weak, the helpless, the hungry, the sick, the ill and the bereaved.
• little finger
  this is the smallest and the last finger on your hand. Pray for yourself.

Bill Hybels also chooses to write down his prayers in a journal because it:

• helps him concentrate and be focused
• help him be specific
• help him see how God answers prayers which builds faith

Whatever you do, he encourages us to experiment with different ways to see how it works for us. But still Jesus provided us with the principles in Matthew 6:9-15 about prayer: regular, private, sincere and specific. And there is no substitute to praying except to just do it! No reading of books, researching on the internet is going to help but just do it!

So what are you going to do to raise the value of prayer in your walk with the Lord? What is different now and what can be different?

Discussion: Love

OK, now I remember that I said that God speaks to me in modules and every week, whatever the sermon topic was on, so will what I have to deal with that week. So when this week's sermon was on Song of Songs, on love and relationship, I was really asking God "now what do you have in stalled for me." Anyway, I began to come to realization what God was trying to teach me this week, something on relationship. As I was thinking about how to cover the CG discussion today, I came across a little wooden tag that was given to me as a gift and on it, it said from Ephesians 5:1-2 that:

1. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2. and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

This very much sums up about love... God Himself love us so much He became flesh and died for our sins; his unfailing and faithful love is so wonderful and we are always reminded to love God with all our heart, our soul and our might and to love His people as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40), that being the greatest commandment. The music worship was great yesterday as we sang of God's love for us and so was ice-breaker as we penned down words of encouragement, affirmation and poem for one other person:

New Every Morning

Lord Your love is higher than the mountains

Lord Your love is deeper than the sea

Lord Your love is wider than the ocean

It's a steadfast love You have given me

Your love is new every morning

New every morning

Like the sun that rises from the east

Your love is new every morning

New every morning

I am grateful for Your love to me

It's Your grace that I can now draw nearer

It's Your blood that cleanses me from sin

It's Your peace that my heart rejoices within

It's Your love, a love no one could give

I Could Sing of Your Love Forever
Over the mountains and the sea
Your river runs with love for me
And I will open up my heart
And let the healer set me free

I'm happy to be in the truth
And I will daily lift my hands
For I will always sing
Of when Your love came down

I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever

Oh I feel like dancing
It's foolishness I know
But when the world has seen the light
They will dance with joy like we're dancing now

For any relationship, love should be at the centre of it all. But how do we express that love? Anyway, here are the questions we used for the 5 Love Languages test we did yesterday and, in my opinion, our love language change with our life experiences and determines how we feel loved by others as well as express our love to others. So, it would be good to come back once in a while to understand our love language and also our loved ones' love language:

Click on the image for a larger version
Source: Virtuous Woman magazine (2005 Spring issue)

Gary Chapman, who wrote the book "Five Love Languages" briefly describes the different languages on his website as follows:

Words of Affirmation
Mark Twain once said “I can live for two months on a good compliment.” Verbal appreciation speaks powerfully to persons whose primary Love Language is “Words of Affirmation.” Simple statements, such as, “You look great in that suit,” or “You must be the best baker in the world! I love your oatmeal cookies,” are sometimes all a person needs to hear to feel loved.

Aside from verbal compliments, another way to communicate through “Words of Affirmation” is to offer encouragement. Here are some examples: reinforcing a difficult decision; calling attention to progress made on a current project; acknowledging a person’s unique perspective on an important topic. If a loved one listens for “Words of Affirmation,” offering encouragement will help him or her to overcome insecurities and develop greater confidence.

Quality Time
Quality time is more than mere proximity. It’s about focusing all your energy on your mate. A husband watching sports while talking to his wife is NOT quality time. Unless all of your attention is focused on your mate, even an intimate dinner for two can come and go without a minute of quality time being shared.

Quality conversation is very important in a healthy relationship. It involves sharing experiences, thoughts, feelings and desires in a friendly, uninterrupted context. A good mate will not only listen, but offer advice and respond to assure their mate they are truly listening. Many mates don’t expect you to solve their problems. They need a sympathetic listener.

An important aspect of quality conversation is self-revelation. In order for you to communicate with your mate, you must also be in tune with your inner emotions. It is only when you understand your emotions and inner feelings will you then be able to share quality conversation, and quality time with your mate.

Quality activities are a very important part of quality time. Many mates feel most loved when they spend physical time together, doing activities that they love to do. Spending time together will bring a couple closer, and, in the years to come, will fill up a memory bank that you can reminisce about in the future. Whether it’s sitting on the couch and having a brief conversation or playing together in a tennis league, quality time is a love language that is shared by many. Setting aside focused time with your mate will ensure a happy marriage.

Receiving Gifts
Some mates respond well to visual symbols of love. If you speak this love language, you are more likely to treasure any gift as an expression of love and devotion. People who speak this love language often feel that a lack of gifts represents a lack of love from their mate. Luckily, this love language is one of the easiest to learn.

If you want to become an effective gift giver, many mates will have to learn to change their attitude about money. If you are naturally a spender, you will have no trouble buying gifts for your mate. However, a person who is used to investing and saving their money may have a tough time adjusting to the concept of spending money as an expression of love. These people must understand that you are investing the money not in gifts, but in deepening your relationship with your mate.

The gift of self is an important symbol of love. Sometimes all your mate desires is for someone to be there for them, going through the same trials and experiencing the same things. Your body can become a very powerful physical symbol of love.

These gifts need not to come every day, or even every week. They don’t even need to cost a lot of money. Free, frequent, expensive, or rare, if your mate relates to the language of receiving gifts, any visible sign of your love will leave them feeling happy and secure in your relationship.

Acts of Service
Sometimes simple chores around the house can be an undeniable expression of love. Even simple things like laundry and taking out the trash require some form of planning, time, effort, and energy. Just as Jesus demonstrated when he washed the feet of his disciples, doing humble chores can be a very powerful expression of love and devotion to your mate.

Very often, both pairs in a couple will speak to the Acts of Service Language. However, it is very important to understand what acts of service your mate most appreciates. Even though couples are helping each other around the house, couples will still fight because the are unknowingly communicating with each other in two different dialects. For example, a wife may spend her day washing the cars and walking to dog, but if her husband feels that laundry and dishes are a superior necessity, he may feel unloved, despite the fact that his wife did many other chores throughout the day. It is important to learn your mate’s dialect and work hard to understand what acts of service will show your love.

It is important to do these acts of service out of love and not obligation. A mate who does chores and helps out around the house out of guilt or fear will inevitably not be speaking a language of love, but a language of resentment. It’s important to perform these acts out of the kindness of your heart.

Demonstrating the acts of service can mean stepping out of the stereotypes. Acts of service require both mates to humble themselves into doing some chores and services that aren’t usually expected from their gender. However, these little sacrifices will mean the world to your mate, and will ensure a happy relationship.

Physical Touch
Many mates feel the most loved when they receive physical contact from their partner. For a mate who speaks this love language loudly, physical touch can make or break the relationship.

Sexual intercourse makes many mates feel secure and loved in a marriage. However, it is only one dialect of physical touch. Many parts of the body are extremely sensitive to stimulation. It is important to discover how your partner not only physically responds but also psychologically responds to these touches.

It is important to learn how your mate speaks the physical touch language. Some touches are irritating and uncomfortable for your mate. Take the time to learn the touches your mate likes. They can be big acts, such as back massages or lovemaking, or little acts such as touches on the cheek or a hand on the shoulder. It’s important to learn how your mate responds to touch. That is how you will make the most of this love language.

All marriages will experience crisis. In these cases, physical touch is very important. In a crisis situation, a hug can communicate an immense amount of love for that person. A person whose primary love language is physical touch would much rather have you hold them and be silent than offer any advice.

It is important to remember that this love language is different for everyone. What type of touch makes you feel secure is not necessarily what will make your partner happy. It is important to learn each other’s dialects. That way you can make the most of your hugging, kissing, and other physical contacts.

Source: http://www.fivelovelanguages.com/learn.html

The 5 love languages help us to see how we can express love to others. But then, remembering that we are to love our neighbours as we love ourselves, how do we then develop a relationship with others? Through the discussion yesterday, we discussed a little and some speak of:

• Genuineness - I had shared yesterday how I had developed a very deep working relationship with this middle-age lady at my previous workplace. It was a wonderful working relationship though it started off rather rocky the first week, until we decided to sit down to talk about it. What happened in the end is that we agreed to be open with one another whenever we are upset with the other person. What followed was one and a half years of wonderful working relationship and she treated me like a son. In fact, the working relationship was so strong that when I was packing to go off on the last day of work, she laughed and joked that she felt I am not leaving but just going on long leave. As we pulled down the shutters for the last time together, she teared and seeing her tear made me tear too. To date, this is one of my most satisfying working relationship and it was only possible because both agreed to disagree and to sit down to talk about things whenever we are upset. We refused to let things snowball. There were of course times when still we had little conflicts but then we too took courage to apologise to one another when we felt something was wrong because we cherished the working relationship. Frankly, it was only her and me in that workplace so can you imagine the tension if there was any conflict :)
• Tough love - Sometimes, it is also essential to practice tough love when we see something not working right. We are reminded that tough love is still love and it should be done out of love and not out of resentment or to get back at someone. It is to help build each another up.
  
• Forgiveness - We need to sometimes also forgive people for their mistakes because if we do not, we carry with us baggages which not only will affect that relationship (because we will start to keep tabs of every wrong thing that person does against us) but also subsequently and possibly, relationship with others as well. I myself have faced this and has not learnt to let go. After a long chat with a friend yesterday at the airport, it has come to my realisation how my not letting go of a past hurt by a friend has impacted me in my relationship with others, so much so I became very introverted. I am continuing to pray for healing and will also take a step to address it at NLE.
• Acceptance - Someone shared that acceptance is also important because frankly, people can never be 100% similar. There are bound to be differences in the ways we live our lives mainly also because we all have different life experiences. It is a common analogy that people use to remind us that even on the first day of marriage, the way the husband squeezes toothpaste out might be different from that of the wife and this could even cause a conflict. Maybe, staying in focus about the love and not letting the little trivial stuff fret you maybe the key. Full acceptance and not resentful acceptance is important.

Of course, I gather there will be other ways as well so feel free to add on to the list :) The bible reminds us that we need to love others. We have talked about loving each other, but what about God? How do we develop a relationship with God? Maybe, if I can push it a little, God uses all the 5 languages...

• He speaks words of affirmation to you through people, circumstances, sermons, the bible, songs etc,
  
• He gave us the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ,
• Jesus also came to serve as a act of service,
  
• He also is willing to spend quality time with us if we would choose to spend quality time with Him and
  
• Finally, in my opinion, it is possible for Him to touch us too (though not in the conventional sense of the word) through the Holy Spirit.
  

But how are we developing our relationship with God? Feel free to contribute as well :)

My Heart Christ's Home

Hi everyone, I was blessed by a colleague last week. She is working as a part-time receptionist but then was going off for operation. One morning, she gave a little book to me. I really didn't think much about the little booklet because it looked a little old and dated, even the pages were yellow. That day was a busy day, so I set it aside, telling myself that I will read it when I am free (but frankly, I did not think I will be reading it given my work schedule).

Then the next day morning, on my way to work, I decided to read through the booklet and I was so blessed by it. Though told as a "parable", I learnt important lessons about inviting Christ into our hearts and how we treat Him as He dwells within us. In fact, as I was reading, I was touched especially the part about the drawing room (living room in this version). "How true!" I thought. Miraculously, I finished the book on the way to work and as I walked into my office, I passed by the receptionist. With a big smile, I thanked her from the bottom of my heart for blessing me with the booklet. I have thought of re-typing the whole passage but thank God I managed to find it online:

My Heart Christ's Home

by Robert Boyd Munger

In Paul's epistle to the Ephesians, we find these words:

"That (God) would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith" (Ephesians 3:16). Or, as another has translated, "That Christ may settle down and be at home in your hearts by faith."

Without question one of the most remarkable Christian doctrines is that Jesus Christ Himself through the presence of the Holy Spirit will actually enter a heart, settle down and be at home there. Christ will make the human heart His abode.

Our Lord said to His disciples, "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him" (John 14:23). It was difficult for them to understand what He was saying. How was it possible for Him to make his abode with them in this sense?

It is interesting that our Lord used the same word here that He gave them in the first of the fourteenth chapter of John: "I go to prepare a place for you .. that where I am, ye may be also." Our Lord was promising his disciples that, just as He was going to heaven to prepare a place for them and would welcome them one day, now it would be possible for them to prepare a place for Him in their hearts and He would come and make His abode with them.

They could not understand this. How could it be?

Then came Pentecost. The Spirit of the living Christ was given to the church and they understood. God did not dwell in Herod's temple in Jerusalem! God did not dwell in a temple made with hands; but now, through the miracle of the outpoured Spirit, God would dwell in human hearts. The body of the believer would be the temple of the living God and the human heart would be the home of Jesus Christ. It is difficult for me to think of a higher privilege than to make Christ a home in my heart, to welcome, to serve, to please, to fellowship with him there.

One evening I invited Jesus Christ into my heart. What an entrance He made! It was not a spectacular, emotional thing, but very real. It was at the very center of my life. He came into the darkness of my heart and turned on the light. He built a fire in the cold hearth and banished the chill. He started music where there had been stillness, and He filled the emptiness with His own loving, wonderful fellowship. I have never regretted opening the door to Christ and I never will - not into eternity!

This, of course, is the first step in making the heart Christ's home. He has said, "Behold I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20). If you are interested in making your life an abode of the living God, let me encourage you to invite Christ into your heart and He will surely come.

After Christ entered my heart and in the joy of this new relationship I said to Him, "Lord, I want this heart of mine to be Yours. I want to have You settle down here and be perfectly at home. Everything I have belongs to You. Let me show You around and introduce you to the various features of the home that you may be more comfortable and that we may have fuller fellowship together."

He was very glad to come, of course, and happier still to be given a place in the heart

The Library

The first room was the study - the library. Let us call it the study of the mind. Now in my home this room of the mind is a very small room with very thick walls. But it is an important room. In a sense, it is the control room of the house. He entered with me and looked around at the books in the bookcase, the magazines upon the table, the pictures on the walls. As I followed His gaze I became uncomfortable. Strangely enough, I had not felt badly about this before, but now that He was there looking at these things I was embarrassed. There were some books were there that His eyes were too pure to behold. There was a lot of trash and literature on the table that a Christian had no business reading, and as for the pictures on the walls - the imaginations and thoughts of the mind - these were shameful.

I turned to Him and said, "Master, I know that this room needs a radical alteration. Will You help me make it what it ought to be? - to bring every thought into captivity to you?"

"Surely!" He said. "Gladly will I help you. First of all, take all the things that you are reading and looking at which are not helpful, pure, good and true, and throw them out! Now put on the empty shelves the books of the Bible. Fill the library with Scriptures and meditate on them day and night. As for the pictures on the walls, you will have difficulty controlling these images, but here is an aid" He gave me a full-size portrait of Himself. "Hang this centrally," He said, "on the wall of the mind."

I did, and I have discovered through the years that when my thoughts are centered upon Christ Himself, His purity and power cause impure thoughts to back away. So He has helped me to bring my thoughts into captivity.

May I suggest to you if you have difficulty with this little room of the mind, that you bring Christ in there. Pack it full with the Word of God, meditate upon it and keep before it the immediate presence of the Lord Jesus.

The Dining Room

From the study we went into the dining room, the room of appetites and desires. Now this was a very large room. I spent a good deal of time in the dining room and much effort in satisfying my wants.

I said to Him, "This is a favorite room. I am quite sure You will be pleased with what we serve."

He seated Himself at the table with me and asked, "What is on the menu for dinner?"

"Well," I said, "my favorite dishes: money, academic degrees and stocks, with newspaper articles of fame and fortune as side dishes." These were the things I liked - worldly fare. I suppose there was nothing radically wrong in any particular item, but it was not the food that should satisfy the life of a real Christian. When the food was placed before Him, He said nothing about it. However, I observed that He did not eat it, and I said to Him, somewhat disturbed, "Master, don't You care for this food? What is the trouble?"

He answered, "I have meat to eat that you do not know of. My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me." He looked at me again and said, "If you want food that really satisfies you, seek the will of the Father, not your own pleasures, not your own desires, and not your own satisfaction. Seek to please Me and that food will satisfy you." And there at the table He gave me a taste of doing God's will. What a flavor! There is no food like it in all the world. It alone satisfies. Everything else is dissatisfying in the end.

Now if Christ is in your heart, and I trust He is, what kind of food are you serving Him and what kind of food are you eating yourself? Are you living for the lust of the flesh and the pride of life - selfishly? Or are you choosing God's will for your meat and drink?

The Living Room aka The Drawing Room

We walked next into the living room. This room was rather intimate and comfortable. I liked it. It had a fireplace, overstuffed chairs, a sofa, and a quiet atmosphere.

He also seemed pleased with it. He said, "This is indeed a delightful room. Let us come here often. It is secluded and quiet, and we can fellowship together."

Well, naturally as a young Christian I was thrilled. I couldn't think of anything I would rather do than have a few minutes with Christ in intimate companionship.

He promised, "I will be here early every morning. Meet me here, and we will start the day together." So morning after morning, I would come downstairs to the living room and He would take a book of the Bible from the bookcase. He would open it and then we would read together. He would tell me of its riches and unfold to me its truths. He would make my heart warm as He revealed His love and His grace He had toward me. These were wonderful hours together. In fact, we called the living room the "withdrawing room." It was a period when we had our quiet time together.

But, little by little, under the pressure of many responsibilities, this time began to be shortened. Why, I don't know, but I thought I was just too busy to spend time with Christ. This was not intentional, you understand; it just happened that way. Finally, not only was the time shortened, but I began to miss a day now and then. It was examination time at the university. Then it was some other urgent emergency. I would miss it two days in a row and often more.

I remember one morning when I was in a hurry, rushing downstairs, eager to be on my way.

As I passed the living room, the door was open. Looking in, I saw a fire in the fireplace and Jesus was sitting there. Suddenly in dismay I thought to myself, "He was my guest. I invited Him into my heart! He has come as Lord of my home. And yet here I am neglecting Him."

I turned and went in. With downcast glance, I said, "Blessed Master, forgive me. Have You been here all these mornings?"

"Yes," He said, "I told you I would be here every morning to meet with you." Then I was even more ashamed. He had been faithful in spite of my faithfulness. I asked His forgiveness and He readily forgave me as He does when we are truly repentant.

"The trouble with you is this: you have been thinking of the quiet time, of the Bible study and prayer time, as a factor in your own spiritual progress, but you have forgotten that this hour means something to me also. Remember, I love you. I have redeemed you at great cost. I value your fellowship. Now," He said, "do not neglect this hour if only for my sake. Whatever else may be your desire, remember I want your fellowship!"

You know, the truth that Christ desires my companionship, that He loves me, wants me to be with Him, wants to be with me and waits for me, has done more to transform my quiet time with God than any other single fact. Don't let Christ wait alone in the living room of your heart, but every day find some time when, with your Bible and in prayer, you may be together with Him.

The Workroom

Before long, He asked, "Do you have a workroom in your home?" Down in the basement of the home of my heart I had a workbench and some equipment, but I was not doing much with it. Once in a while I would play around with a few little gadgets, but I wasn't producing anything substantial or worthwhile.

I led Him down there.

He looked over the workbench and what little talents and skills I had. He said, "This is quite well furnished. What are you producing with your life for the Kingdom of God?" He looked at one or two little toys that I had thrown together on the bench and held one up to me. "Are these little toys all that you are doing for others in your Christian life?"

"Well," I said, "Lord, that is the best I can do. I know it isn't much, and I really want to do more, but after all, I have no skill or strength to do more."

"Would you like to do better?" He asked.

"Certainly," I replied.

"All right. Let me have your hands. Now relax in me and let my Spirit work through you. I know that you are unskilled, clumsy and awkward, but the Holy Spirit is the Master-Worker, and if He controls your hands and your heart, He will work through you." And so, stepping around behind me and putting His great, strong hands over mine, controlling the tools with His skilled fingers He began to work through me.

There's much more that I must still learn and I am very far from satisfied with the product that is being turned out, but I do know that whatever has been produced for God has been through His strong hand and through the power of His Spirit in me.

Do not become discouraged because you cannot do much for God. Your ability is not the fundamental condition. It is He who is controlling your fingers and upon whom you are relying. Give your talents and gifts to God and He will do things with them that will surprise you..

The Rec Room

I remember the time He asked me about the playroom. I was hoping He would not ask about that. There were certain associations and friendships, activities and amusements that I wanted to keep for myself. I did not think Christ would enjoy them or approve of them, so I evaded the question.

But there came an evening when I was on my way out with some of my friends, and as I was about to cross the threshold, He stopped me with a glance and asked, "Are you going out?"

I replied, "Yes."

"Good," He said, "I would like to go with you."

"Oh," I answered rather awkwardly. "I don't think, Lord Jesus, that You would really want to go with us. Let's go out tomorrow night. Tomorrow night we will go to prayer meeting, but tonight I have another appointment."

He said. "That's alright. Only I thought that when I came into your home, we were going to do everything together, to be close companions. I just want you to know that I am willing to go with you."

"Well," I said, "we will go someplace together tomorrow night."

That evening I spent some miserable hours. I felt wretched. What kind of a friend was I to Jesus when I was deliberately leaving Him out of my associations, doing things and going places that I knew very well He would not enjoy? When I returned that evening, there was a light in His room, and I went up to talk it over with Him. I said, "Lord, I have learned my lesson. I can't have a good time without You. From now on we will do everything together."

Then we went down into the playroom of the house and He transformed it. He brought into life real joy, real happiness, real satisfaction, new friends, new excitement, new joys. Laughter and music have been ringing through the house ever since.

The Hall Closet

There is just one more matter that I might share with you. One day I found Him waiting for me at the door. An arresting look was in His eye. As I entered, He said to me, "There is a peculiar odor in the house. There is something dead around here. It's upstairs. I think it is in the hall closet." As soon as He said this, I knew what He was talking about. Yes, there was a small closet up there on the landing, just a few feet square, and in that closet, behind lock and key, I had one or two little personal things that I did not want anyone to know about and certainly I did not want Christ to see them. I knew they were dead and rotting things left over from the old life. And yet I loved them, and I wanted them so for myself that I was afraid to admit they were there.

Reluctantly, I went up with Him, and as we mounted the stairs the odor became stronger and stronger. He pointed at the door. "It's in there! Some dead thing!"

I was angry. That's the only way I can put it. I had given Him access to the library, the dining room, the living room, the workroom, the playroom, and now He was asking me about a little two-by-four closet. I said to myself, "This is too much. I am not going to give Him the key."

"Well," He said, reading my thoughts, "if you think I'm going to stay up here on the second floor with this odor, you are mistaken. I will take my bed out on the back porch. I'm certainly not going to put up with that." Then I saw Him start down the stairs.

When you have come to know and love Christ, the worst thing that can happen is to sense His fellowship retreating from you. I had to surrender. "I'll give You the key," I said sadly, "but You'll have to open the closet and clean it out. I haven't the strength to do it."

"I know," He said. "I know you haven't. Just give me the key. Just authorize me to take care of that closet and I will." So with trembling fingers I passed the key to Him. He took it from my hand, walked over to the door, opened it, entered it, took out all the putrefying stuff that was rotting there, and threw it away. The He cleaned the closet and painted it, fixed it up, doing it all in a moment's time. Oh, what victory and release to have that dead thing out of my life!

Transferring the Title

Then a thought came to me. I said to myself, "I have been trying to keep this heart of mine clear for Christ. I start on one room and no sooner have I cleaned that then another room is dirty. I begin on the second room and the first room becomes dusty again. I am so tired and weary trying to maintain a clean heart and an obedient life. I am just not up to it!"

So I ventured a question: "Lord, is there any chance that You would take over the responsibility of the whole house and operate it for me and with me just as You did that closet? Would You take the responsibility to keep my heart what it ought to be and my life where it ought to be?"

I could see His face light up as He replied, "Certainly, that is what I came to do. You cannot be a victorious Christian in your own strength. That is impossible. Let me do it through you and for you. That is the way. But," He added slowly, "I am not owner of this house. I am just a guest. I have no authority to proceed, since the property is not mine."

I saw it in a minute and dropping to my knees, I said, "Lord, You have been a guest and I have been the host. From now on I am going to be the servant. You are going to be the owner and Master and Lord."

Running as fast as I could to the strongbox, I took out the title deed to the house describing its assets and liabilities, location and situation and condition. I eagerly signed it over to belong to Him alone for time and eternity. "Here," I said. "Here it is, all that I am and have forever. Now You run the house. I'll just remain with You as a servant and friend."

He took my life that day and I can give you my word, there is no better way to live the Christian life. He knows how to keep it in shape and deep peace settles down on the soul. May Christ settle down and be at home in your heart as Lord of all!

Robert Boyd Munger (1911-2001) was a minister who wrote this timeless work exactly 50 years ago.

Source: http://christiandevotionals.blogspot.com/2006/12/my-heart-christs-home.html