Seeing the Father's Heart

I have been ministered by this and it just blows my mind just thinking about it.

Do take some time to read it, whether you believe in God or not, to just understand how amazing the world we live in is:

Adapted from “Loved Like Never Before” by Ken Symington

• Sun: If earth was just 5% closer to the sun, the oceans would boil and waters evaporate; if it were 5% further away, the oceans would freeze
• Oceans: If the ocean were half the size, we would get 25% of our present rainfall; if it were only 1/8 larger, the annual rainfall would increase 400%, turning our planet into an uninhabitable swamp
• Water:  The earth’s oceans have salt in them enough to prevent the world from being encased in ice.
• Earth: The earth travels around the sun, giving us day and night; otherwise one side would have permanent light and the other side permanent darkness, and nothing could grow.
• Earth’s Rotation: If the rotation was much slower than it is, our days would be unbearably hot and our nights freezing cold.
• Moon: The moon’s size and thus its gravitational pull, in tandem with its distance from the earth, slows the earth’s spin down to liveable speed that permits life
• Earth’s Distance: The earth’s distance from the sun is 400 times the earth’s distance from the moon and the sun is 400 times the diameter of the moon; thus the sun and moon appear to be about the same size when viewed from the earth and this “coincidence” enable us to occasionally see total eclipse of the sun
• Jupiter: Positioned as a sort of meteorite vacuum cleaner; great protector where its strong gravitational pull draws toward itself meteorites that would otherwise damage or destroy earth.
• Earth’s Gravitational Pull: If earth was significantly smaller, gravity will be lesser and would not be capable of holding the atmosphere that is essential for breathing and also will not be able to protect us from the 25,000 meteors that burn up in the atmosphere over this planet every day; if the planet was twice as large, everything will weight eight times what it weighs today
• Fish: God can choose to fill the seas with one species of fish, say mackerel (look good, taste good and very easy to catch), but He chose the extravagant option and filled it with dolphins, whales, cod, halibut, marlin, wrasse, moray, eels, manta ray etc; 1,500 species of fish
• Animals: God can choose to fill the earth with one species of animal, say rabbit (cuddly, cute), but He chose the extravagant option and filled it with lions, giraffes, sheep, tigers, horses, camels, dogs, cats, elephants, buffalo, cows, anteaters, monkeys etc; 167 species in Africa alone.
  
• Birds: God can choose to bless the earth with one species of bird, say sparrows, but He chose the extravagant option and filled it with pelicans, eagles, canaries, ducks, ospreys, hummingbirds, swans, finches, rainbow lorikeets, king parrots, peacocks etc; almost 9000 species of birds.
• Trees: God can choose to bless the earth with one species of tree, say magnificent oak (tall, strong and superb for building with), but He chose the extravagant option and filled it with orange, apple, silver birch, gum, giant redwood etc; an estimate of 100,000 species of trees planted.
• Flowers: God could have created flowers and gave a nice shade of yellow, but He chose the extravagant option of giving us a estimated quarter of a million different flowering plants.
• Food: He gave tomatoes, bananas, potatoes, leeks, carrots, apples, garlic, chilli, sugar, lemon, thyme, salt and pepper; estimate more than 10,000 different herbs in the world.
• God is extravagantly generous.

Psalm 19:1 - The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.Whatever the “statistics”, this world is an amazingly crafted world that speaks of something that is more than “coincidence”

Then, here is the part which blows my mind: “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;” (Genesis 1:26a)

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2: 7)

• God did not ask “mother earth” to breathe life into His offspring nor did He ask the archangels Michael or Gabriel to breath life into His offspring but He Himself.
• Let’s better understand what this means.
• Just as parents would prepare the nursery with nice toys, nice wallpaper, cot, mattress for a much-wanted child, so did God prepare a extravagant earth for you, His most-wanted child and He wants you back to Him.

Be it whatever the statistics, the earth is an amazingly wonderfully crafted place that speaks of the existence of a God and this has been prepared as a “nursery” for His beloved child: you.

In “Language of God”, a book by Dr Francis Collins that I read some time ago, he made the case of how DNA gave us understanding of how amazing this world is. He was the Director of the Human Genome Project which mapped human DNA, and though was an atheist, he realised how DNA was strong arguments that there is a God, Who is able to engineer something so complex and yet amazing as the human DNA.

And the bible declares this: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20, NKJV)

God makes Himself visible in the things that are all around us. Take time to think and return to Him because He is a loving Heavenly Father.

And He has provided a way for you to come back to Him, amidst all the mess we have made, amidst all the sin which separates us from the holy God.

Know what is the basic message God wants to bring to us at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCMpeLNEA30


Once you have understood and want to come back to God, you can just receive Christ right now by faith through prayer:

Prayer is talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."

If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, then you can pray this prayer right now and Christ will come into your life, as He promised.

If you still would like to know about the Father’s love for you, see video at http://youtu.be/3GvY0X-bL_k


Now, if you have prayed the prayer and would allow God to now work in your life, share this with a close friend who is a Christian and who could help you align your life with God and help you grow in Him. It would be the best decision you can make in this life.

Courgeous Movie: Gun Range

Just watched courageous.

To all dads and future dads, you have an anointed role in the life of your children to NOT mess up their lives.

Also, our Heavenly Father does not want to see us mess up our lives...

We will all see Him face to face and that is where we will be judged. 

11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelations: 20: 11-15, NKJV)

He is the good Judge. Think His judgment will be based on the weighing of our goods over bad to see if we are saved for heaven? Think again.

If any of you are keen, do contact me... 

What's Your Citizenship?

Hi everyone,

Felt ministered to as I read from Romans so sharing it here:

Romans 5

Like in "The Matrix", there are 2 parallel world we live in: 

1. World of darkness where sin reigns through disobedience of God which ultimately brings us God's wrath and Death (worldly & eternal life without God), and 

2. World of light where righteousness reigns through obedience of God which ultimately pleases God and brings life (meaningful, purposeful and full worldly life & eternal life with God). 

But then God loves us so much that He first gave us the Law; like glasses it helps us to see clearly what is right and what is not. Because it is only when law is given that it becomes clear what is lawful and what is not. One thing leads to another; God's law clarifies where we are and starts to stirs in us to seek the parallel world and points us to the solution: Jesus Christ. He, who is sinless, came and stood in the gap between the 2 worlds that we might cross the border. 

As Romans 5:20 states that as law causes sin to abound, so does it in turn causes grace to abound. Without the law we won't know we are sinful and if we do not know we are sinful we do not know we need grace from God because, there is nothing we can do to run away from judgment and condemnation from the Judge. 

So through believing in Jesus Christ, we receive the "visa" to enter and also "citizenship" to be and enjoy the privileges of God's world; the Kingdom of light where God and all His good things are. 

But Romans 6 later also remind us that since we are now citizens of the Kingdom of light, we cannot hold two citizenships or obtain visa to go back down. 

Where are you now? Are you in the world of darkness going around lost and lamenting? If so, a new citizenship is offered to you. 

Are you in the Kingdom of light but take trips to the other kingdom once in a while? If so, you are reminded that you hold but one citizenship and should not mock it.

Reflections of Good Friday 2011

Hello everyone,

The time has come again when we are reminded of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and what He did for us.

And as I ponder on the reason for the season, I would never fail to remember a meaningful story I once read, I am the Cross, about the pain that Jesus bore for me.

This year, at staff chapel earlier, I am again reminded of the pain that Jesus bear, but this time, not only on the cross but when the pain starts being unbearable at the Garden of Gethsemane.

Matthew 26

 ³⁶ Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

 ³⁹ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

 ⁴⁰ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. ⁴¹ “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

 ⁴² He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

 ⁴³ When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

 ⁴⁵ Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Someone was sharing in chapel from an article written by Max Lucado, The Passion, the Pain and the Promise, and I have come to realise how how Jesus loved us and how the battle for our lives between God and Satan was won, not on Calvary, but at the Garden itself, when Jesus painstakingly make the decision to die on the cross even, this even though when He could have walked away.

Snippets from the article "The Passion, the Pain and the Promise" by Max Lucado


... History records it as the battle of the Jews against Jesus. It wasn’t. It was a battle of God against Satan...

... And Jesus knew it. Jesus knew that before the war was over, he would be taken captive. He knew that before victory would come defeat. He knew that before the throne would come the cup. He knew that before the light of Sunday would come the blackness of Friday. And he is afraid...

... It will be the last time he sees them (His disciples) before they abandon him. He knows what they will do when the soldiers come. He knows their betrayal is only minutes away. But he doesn’t accuse. He doesn’t lecture. Instead, he prays. His last moments with his disciples are in prayer..

... It’s worth noting that Jesus chose prayer. He chose to pray for us...

... You need to note that in this final prayer, Jesus prayed for you....

... “I am also praying for all people who believe in me because of the teaching.” (John 17)...

... As Jesus stepped into the garden, you were in his prayer...

... His humanity begged to be delivered from what his divinity could see...

... we do know he asked to get out. We do know he begged for an exit. We do know there was a time when if he could have, he would have turned his head back on the whole mess and gone away. But he couldn’t.

He couldn’t because he saw you. Right there in the middle of a world which isn’t fair. He saw you cast into a river of life which you didn’t request. He saw you betrayed by those you love. He saw with a body which gets sick and a heart that grows weak. He saw you in your own garden of gnarled trees and sleeping friends. He saw you staring into the pit of your own failures and the mouth of your own grave. He saw you in your Garden of Gethsemane—and he didn’t want you to be alone. He wanted you to know that he has been there, too. He knows what it’s like to be plotted against. He knows what it’s like to be confused. He knows what it’s like to be torn between two desires. He knows what it’s like to smell the stench of Satan. And, perhaps most of all, he knows what it’s like to beg God to change his mind and to hear God say so gently, but firmly, “No.” For that is what God said to Jesus. And Jesus accepts the answer....

... The battle is won. You may have thought it was won on Golgotha. It wasn’t. The final battle was won in Gethsemane...

... For it was in the garden that he made his decision. He would rather go to hell for you than go to heaven without you.

This is the love of Christ, the love of God, for you and for me...

I like one of the songs which expresses this in its wonderful simplicity; that He is above all but He chose death and thought of us above all...

ABOVE ALL

Above all powers

Above all kings

Above all nature

And all created things

Above all wisdom

And all the ways of man

You were here

Before the world began

Above all kingdoms

Above all thrones

Above all wonders

The world has ever known

Above all wealth

And treasures of the earth

There's no way to measure

What You're worth

Chorus:

Crucified

Laid behind the stone

You lived to die

Rejected and alone

Like a rose

Trampled on the ground

You took the fall

And thought of me

Above all

One of the songs sang during cell last week captivated me and may we never lose the wonder of the cross; remembering the meaning of the cross not only on Good Friday and Easter but every day of our lives:

THE WONDER OF THE CROSS

O precious sight, my Savior stands

Dying for me with outstretched hands

O precious sight, I love to gaze

Remembering salvation's day

Remembering salvation's day

Though my eyes linger on this scene

May passing time and years not steal

The power with which it impacts me

The freshness of it's mystery

The freshness of it's mystery

Chorus:

May I never lose the wonder

The wonder of the cross

May I see it like the first time

Standing as a sinner lost

Undone by mercy and left speechless

Watching wide eyed at the cost

May I never lose the wonder

The wonder of the cross

Behold the God - Man crucified

The perfect sinless sacrifice

As blood ran down those nails and wood

History was split in two

Yes, History was split in two

Behold the empty wooden tree

His body gone, alive and free

We sing with everlasting joy

For sin and death have been destroyed

Yes sin and death have been destroyed

The Passion, The Pain, and The Promise

By Max Lucado

http://www.maxlucado.com/articles/topical/the_passion_the_pain_and_the_promise

Chapter Two - In The Garden

It’s nearly midnight when they leave the upper room and descend through the streets of the city. They pass the Lower Pool and exit the Fountain Gate and walk out of Jerusalem. The roads are lined with the fires and tents of Passover pilgrims. Most are asleep, heavied with the evening meal. Those still awake think little of the band of men walking the chalky road.

They pass through the valley and ascend the path which will take them to Gethsemane. The road is steep so they stop to rest. Somewhere within the city walls the twelfth apostle darts down a street. His feet have been washed by the man he will betray. His heart has been claimed by the Evil One he has heard. He runs to find Caiaphas.

The final encounter of the battle has begun.

As Jesus looks at the city of Jerusalem, he sees what the disciples can’t. It is here, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, that the battle will end. He sees the staging of Satan. He sees the dashing of the demons. He sees the Evil One preparing for the final encounter. The enemy looks as a spectre over the hour. Satan, the host of hatred, has seized the heart of Judas and whispered in the ear of Caiaphas. Satan, the master of death, has opened the caverns and prepared to receive the source of light.

Hell is breaking loose.

History records it as the battle of the Jews against Jesus. It wasn’t. It was a battle of God against Satan.

And Jesus knew it. Jesus knew that before the war was over, he would be taken captive. He knew that before victory would come defeat. He knew that before the throne would come the cup. He knew that before the light of Sunday would come the blackness of Friday.

And he is afraid.

He turns and begins the final ascent into the garden. When he reaches the entry he stops and turns his eyes toward his circle of friends. It will be the last time he sees them before they abandon him. He knows what they will do when the soldiers come. He knows their betrayal is only minutes away.

But he doesn’t accuse. He doesn’t lecture. Instead, he prays. His last moments with his disciples are in prayer. And the words he speaks are as eternal as the stars which hear them.

Imagine, for a moment, yourself in this situation. Your final hour with a son about to be sent overseas. Your last moments with your dying spouse. One last visit with your parent. What do you say? What do you do? What words do you choose?

It’s worth noting that Jesus chose prayer. He chose to pray for us. “I pray for these men. But I am also praying for all people who will believe in me because of the teaching of these men. Father, I pray that all people who believe in me can be one . . . I pray that these people can also be one in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me.”

You need to note that in this final prayer, Jesus prayed for you. You need to underline in red and highlight in yellow his love: “I am also praying for all people who believe in me because of the teaching.” That is you. As Jesus stepped into the garden, you were in his prayer.

As Jesus looked into heaven, you were in his vision. As Jesus dreamed of the day when we will be where he is, he saw you there. His final prayer was about you. His final pain was for you. His final passion was you. He then turns, steps into the garden, and invites Peter, James, and John to come. He tells them his soul is “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” and begins to pray. Never has he felt so alone. What must be done, only can he do. An angel can’t do it. No angel has the power to break open hell’s gates. A man can’t do it. No man has the purity to destroy sin’s claim. No force on earth can face the force of evil and win—except God. “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” Jesus confesses. His humanity begged to be delivered from what his divinity could see. Jesus, the carpenter, implores. Jesus, the man, peers into the dark pit and begs, “Can’t there be another way?”

Did he know the answer before he asked the question? Did his human heart hope his heavenly father had found another way? We don’t know. But we do know he asked to get out. We do know he begged for an exit. We do know there was a time when if he could have, he would have turned his head back on the whole mess and gone away. But he couldn’t.

He couldn’t because he saw you. Right there in the middle of a world which isn’t fair. He saw you cast into a river of life which you didn’t request. He saw you betrayed by those you love. He saw with a body which gets sick and a heart that grows weak. He saw you in your own garden of gnarled trees and sleeping friends. He saw you staring into the pit of your own failures and the mouth of your own grave. He saw you in your Garden of Gethsemane—and he didn’t want you to be alone. He wanted you to know that he has been there, too. He knows what it’s like to be plotted against. He knows what it’s like to be confused. He knows what it’s like to be torn between two desires. He knows what it’s like to smell the stench of Satan. And, perhaps most of all, he knows what it’s like to beg God to change his mind and to hear God say so gently, but firmly, “No.” For that is what God said to Jesus. And Jesus accepts the answer.

At some moment during that midnight hour an angel of mercy comes over the weary body of the man in the garden. As he stands, the anguish is gone from his eyes. His fist will clench no more. His heart will fight no more. The battle is won. You may have thought it was won on Golgotha. It wasn’t. The final battle was won in Gethsemane. And the sign of conquest is Jesus at peace in the olive trees. For it was in the garden that he made his decision. He would rather go to hell for you than go to heaven without you.

The Kingdom of God - For You & Others

Thy Kingdom Come from Curtis Wiklund on Vimeo.

What is the Kingdom of Heaven?
Is it to come or is it already here?

God's Kingdom or yours? It's your choice?

LIFE Box from Ryan Brien on Vimeo.

What's the big deal with the Kingdom of Heaven?
Are you letting the Kingdom of God transform you?


Amazing Grace from Bradley Miller on Vimeo.

The Amazing Grace of God and the invitation to the Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God from Stewart H Redwine on Vimeo.

Is the Kingdom of Heaven significant?

Is it worthy?

Are we prepared?

If it's here, why is there evil around?

Are we like the Pharisees and the religious leaders then who was rebuked by Jesus? Do we deprive others of the Kingdom of God? Do we bring it to others?


Matthew 9:10-13 (NIV)
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
 
Matthew 23: 13 (NIV)
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The Love of a Father

Matthew 7:11 (NIV)

11If 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!

Luke 11:13 (NIV)

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 the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Revisiting the Meaning of Good Friday

With Good Friday round the corner, let me put this question to you: How many Good Fridays have you been through and even as we go through our how many-th time, do we still remember the significance of this day?

Even as a child, Good Friday to me, is public holiday and I remember being all happy because we would all pack off the the hall to watch a video on Jesus, which means it is a time out from class... But not until my coming back to Christ have I come to realize the real meaning of Good Friday. 

As I revisited some of the articles in this blog, I am brought to the article "I am the Cross" and am reminded once again of the significance of the day. Even though I have read this story before, it does not fail to almost bring tears as I read through what Jesus went through and what kept him to the cross. And yet, these are just words. How much more pain did Jesus has to go through in the actual crucifixion? And for what reason?

As I go through thinking about Good Friday, I am brought to 1 Peter, where I read about the work of Christ on the cross:

1 Peter 2:22-25 (NIV)
"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

1 Peter 1:18-21 (NIV)
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

Even before Christ came, prophets told of the work of the one who would be sent by God for our sake. One of them is Isaiah as he wrote in Isaiah 53.

Isaiah 53:3- 7(NIV)

 ³ He was despised and rejected by men,

       a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.

       Like one from whom men hide their faces

       he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

 ⁴ Surely he took up our infirmities

       and carried our sorrows,

       yet we considered him stricken by God,

       smitten by him, and afflicted.

 ⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,

       he was crushed for our iniquities;

       the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,

       and by his wounds we are healed.

 ⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

       each of us has turned to his own way;

       and the LORD has laid on him

       the iniquity of us all.

 ⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,

       yet he did not open his mouth;

       he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,

       and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,

       so he did not open his mouth.

Important Reflections in Life

Today we celebrated my brother in law birthday. My younger sis told me that she had been a free thinker for many years. Actually all along I consider that she is a backslided believer. To hear that from her made my heart feel so painful and I can feel that my heart just sank then. How could she have received Jesus in her life so many years back and then now behave she dun really know him at all? I asked if it is because of me. She was shocked when she heard that, she said she had became free thinker because of her hubby-my brother in law who is a staunch Buddhist. This probably gave her more space and more flexibility to deal with different situations in life, and she say can worship other Gods as they wish. To her it seems like her husband is her everything in life. How about the Lord Jesus in her life? Where are you my Lord Jesus? Can you come back to my younger sis's life once again? Why has Christian faith become just a religion and a set of ritual to her? To think that she felt that I came back from the wake and was concerned I go shower soon due to some superstitious thinking. About my friend's grandmom who had passed on lately, I told my sis to me the ritual (even if it is Taoist one) is not everything but I only hope that her grandmom has indeed received Jesus into her heart, that is all that really matters. At the end it seems my dear sis could not really identify with what I had said, the trace of her childlike faith as in the past is no longer there now, I felt really deeply grieved at the change I see in her now. I really feel very sad and burdened whenever I think of my family salvation. I felt guilty at times maybe I felt I have not prayed hard enough for their salvation. But I really wanna to thank God because of the courage to share with her about my thinking of our Christian faith and also about my friend's grandmom passing on with my sis, and though I am upset but I am glad God let me know of her spiritual state better.

In fact as the year is ending off very soon, I hope to do some reflections of life since 2 years back then. Ever since I was restored back to the Christian community (my cg) in 2008 when I aspired and wanna to be committed to be part of cell, the community God had put me in, this is also a year which the foundation in my life is laid again. Before that I was quite distracted by many issues in life and I was so far away from God. God had been faithful to me, never he had forsaken me despite some tough challenges and temptations to go back to the old ways. It is a year when I experienced restoration and healing in my life. I am really thankful to what God had done in my life. Year 2008 is also a special time God began to place in my heart a burden for my family salavation, my mothers and my 2 sisters (especially my younger sis who moved from christian to backslided Christian to a free thinker), God ignited me a passion and love for my family never like before even though many times I lamented at my imperfections.

Then in this year 2009 which will be passing on in 19 days times, there are many things I really wish to give thanks to. This is a year when I started serving God in the ministry and also contributed more to part of cell life, learning to build God's community where he has placed me in. Even there were down moments but as I choose to fix my eyes on Jesus and surrender it all to him, I felt it had always been joyful and privileged to be serving God and his people, I thank God for all I had learn in this spiritual journey with the Lord, perseverance, faith and trust in him, full surrender of troubled emotions to the Lord. I am thankful I am learning to let go of my old self, of course this year there is lots of tough battles, dealing with negative condemnations and lingering hurts, many times my emotions acts to deceive me, all I can say it is tough but again I learn to look beyond myself to serve God and his pple, learning to let go and to see from pple's perspectives and have a clearer communication (having a clearer expectations may help). Going through Mission Trip in September helps me further to look beyond myself and having a closer glimpse of mission on God's heart, my life and many of those who went on the mission trips, our life have been transformed!

God also brings me to different groups of Christian community in my life, that goes bey0nd my own cg (CG is still the source despite I did learn a lot and blessed through many of these community). I felt encouraged and experienced spiritual growth as I established deep bonds with these fellow brothers and sisters in Christ (regardless of church background and denominations) and we encouraged each other along this journey. And I thank God that through christian community he placed me in he has blessed me with the friendship and support of a fellow sister in Christ who is also my dear prayer partner. Even though she maybe quiet in her own ways but I thank God for her being supportive and her friendship that really means a lot to me. Somehow we are able to encourage and pray for each other naturally, iron sharpen iron is the word that describe about our friendship and partnership.

I also started with my reading of God's words this year, not easy because I tried to use many different forms (online reading, different types of bible study plans printout, daily devotions) and there are times I have stopped for a while as I was feeling pretty tiring and unmotivated to read God's words and I remembered I also had a challenging discussion with a fellow brother on reading God's words. Somehow this challenging discussion seems to play quite a significant role to help me to get back to the basics of hearing from God through reading of his words.

For next year I hope that God can help me to continue to grow spiritually through diligent reading of God's word (to be more comfortable with the current bible reading plan), more personal time with God, more time to pray and fast especially for my family salvation (I wanna to experience this hunger to pray earnestly and hungry for God's word), I ask God to expand my heart to serve and love pple even if it requires me to go through a heart surgery-change my heart Lord so that God can use me to do his work. I ask God to expand the ministry in my heart, to be seeking God in any other possible area of ministry that he will be placing me in. May I continue to rise up to his call in year 2010!

Have Been Thinking: One True God

I had recently led in devotion at my workplace and God had showed me how life can sometimes be like being at the airport... there are so many airlines but which will in fact bring you to where you need to be? Similarly, in life, we are surrounded by "religions", worldviews, new age beliefs and how do we know that we are worshipping the one true God? Maybe I will reserve sharing the devotion for another time.

While reading my devotion this week, I was brought to Acts 17:16-34. There, Paul was waiting in Athens and observes how the people were worshipping idols (Acts 17:16) and instead of condemning them, his passion for Christ compelled him to reason with the people to draw them to God (Acts 17:17) even though it meant ridiculed sometimes or not being understood (Acts 17:18). Paul had wanted to proclaim the one true God to them (Acts 17:22-23). He made his case:

The One True God is not limited by temples and only live in it (Acts 17:24)
Think about it. If God is all so mighty, why is He only limited to buildings? Psalm 139:7-8 reminds us that "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there."

The One True God does not need sacrifices to be appeased (Acts 17:25)
The verse says it all... God does not need to be served by human hands as if He needed anything. After all, does He not own the whole world and gives man life and breath? Hebrews 10 reminds us that "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made)" (Heb 10:8). It goes on to explain how "those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" (Heb 10:3-4). The bible describes man as very forgetful, often forgetting who God is and how He had delivered them...

The One True God is not fashioned as an image or idol made by man (Acts 17:29)
God in the bible has commanded that He is to be revered and that man are not to bow down to any idols. Who has seen God and who can do justice to fashion Him with our thoughts of His image.

The One True God is not far from us and accepts us as His children (Acts 17:27-28)
God accepts us as His children, to bless and watch over... John 1:12-13 "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." And man are being called children of God way in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 14:1) and several times in the New Testament e.g. 1 John 3:1 "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" This is perhaps a very bold preposition.

The One True God is a loving God (Acts 17:30-31)
God is a loving God and Father and allows man to repent as 2 Peter 3:9 reminds "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."And He gives us choice to choose Him and gave us His son as an indication of His sacrifice Hebrews 10:10 "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." And God calls out to all to be reconciled to Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21:

"17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

The One True God is in control (Acts 17:26)
God is always in control as He reminds in Isaiah 44:24 "This is what the LORD says—your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the LORD, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself..." and Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart..." But we are given a choice in life, just as Adam and Eve was given a choice and ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God gives us the choice to choose to love Him or be apart from Him. He draws people to Him through those who are called by Him and who are willing to be a part of the ministry of reconciliation. But precisely how all these work together, I have no answer because Romans 11:33-34 reminds us "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" A similar case is being put forth in Job 38-41.

And as a result of God's children going about with the "ministry of reconciliation", some come to become followers of Christ, while some has yet to (Acts 17:32-34).

Again, I thank God for giving me the wisdom to pen this down within this short hour... I pray He will bless your hearts with it.

The Destination or The Process?

"Morning Run" by lusi

Cell Discussion: Israel in the Wilderness: Faith
Hi everyone, thanks for your sharing today. I had been blessed by your sharing of verses which has ministered to you during times of trials. I hope you will remember these verses as they have spoken to you in the past and keep them close to your hearts. Anyway, I hope to share some of my personal takeaways from my preparation for cell last night.

An Object Lesson on Faith
In fact, I thank God for bringing us through the cell. Frankly, before cell, I was totally clueless how to facilitate cell last night. I had been going through a tough week dealing with negative emotions and thoughts which had been affecting my self-esteem but then soon, God helped me realise one thing; that He had brought me through an object lesson about faith this whole week.

I have also been "plagued" by self-esteem issues and always tend to feel inferior and have all kinds of negative thoughts about myself and my abilities. I doubt myself constantly. And even though I am still face these issues now, but then the main difference, as I have come to realise, is how I am responding more in faith now. In the past, I would have been very devastated whenever this happens and sometimes it can really spiral downwards. But God has brought transformation to my life through the past few months and years that I am now able to cope with these thoughts and feelings.

Oooo, I have to admit it had been a horribly draining week but then by the end of it, I have come to realise how, despite being still affected by these feelings, I am able to overcome it because I held on to God in faith. I have faith in God because I had seen how He has shown me grace and brought me back from backsliding, how He has brought me through trials, how He has guided me through ministry (both my cell and work ministry), how He has changed my life and I also remember the promises I have received from Him through His word. And I hold dearly to God, responding in my mind "God, no matter what the circumstances, I am holding on to You and Your promises to me, knowing that You will bring me through."

On Faith & Deeds
Anyway, even though I realised how God had brought me through an object lesson in faith, I was still totally clueless as to how to facilitate cell. So yesterday morning, as I made my way to work, I prayed to God to show me how to facilitate cell. As I opened the bible to do my quiet time, I opened to James 2 (the reading for the day) and the heading read "Genuine Faith" (James 2:14-26). I read the chapter which spoke about faith without deeds is dead. Even though I understood that the sermon last Sunday was on faith, somehow the link was not evident. I was sensing being led to use this verse as the opening for cell discussion and I remember thinking to myself "God, this verse does not really link to what we are talking about, but I will have faith and trust in You. I will use this verse, trusting You will use it to minister and open the discussion."

The Confusion Begins: In Deed or Not In Deed?
The worst thing came when I arrived at work and as I accessed the Our Daily Bread website, the devotion shown was for the day before (since it is a day before in the states), on "Whom Will You Trust?". It is no doubt on faith but then the devotion made me more confused. Just this morning, I had read from James 2:26 that faith without deeds is dead. And now, the devotion has a verse from Ephesians 2:8-9 which says "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." So what, is works necessary? I became very very confused.

Then, I thank God for giving me time to discuss the topic briefly with Min Qin over the phone during lunch and as we discussed, God brought me to 2 Peter 1:3-11 (NIV):

3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;
6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall,
11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And he also brought me to Philippians 3:8-11 (NIV):

8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

2 Sides of Faith: Saving Faith
And everything was beginning to click together, including a deeper understanding of what Elder Freddy mentioned on Sunday about the 2 sides of faith. It became clear to me that, on one hand, faith as in Hebrews 11:1 says that "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Just as we have accepted by faith about God and what He done on the cross for our salvation, so we accept by faith Christ as Saviour and Lord of our lives and so do we accept by faith that at the end of the journey, we are assured of where we will go. This is the saving faith. And this was mentioned in Ephesians 2, that we are saved by God's grace and not because of what we have done. In fact, I have recently read a devotional which says that the "God of Christianity never claims to be fair". Yup, you heard it right. Andy Stanley mentioned in the devotional that "A truly fair God would give you exactly what you deserve and nothing more... He decided not to give us what we deserve-that's mercy. In addition, God decided to give us exactly what we don't deserve-we call that grace". So it is no doubt that we are saved by grace and it is through faith in Christ that we are saved.

2 Sides of Faith: Faithfulness
But then Elder Freddy also spoke about faithfulness. And it is more about how we "run the race". In 2 Peter 1, Peter wrote to give guidance to growing Christians and asked to "make every effort to add to your faith..." So there is faith but then there is more after that... It seems that it is a process that as we profess our faith in Christ Jesus, it is not complete. We are to continue the process of being more Christ-like so we do not become ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:8) and becoming more like him in his death, (2 Peter 1:10) pure, holy and blameless but yet obedient to God. So it speaks of the process. So, is process more important or the destination? Well, both!

And Elder Freddy Boey has clearly given the analogy of running in the Olympics to show how we are to live as Christians and as children of God:

• Just as it is by invitation to join the Olympics, so are we also invited into God's family by His grace.
• Just as it runners represent not themselves in the Olympics but their countries, so are we to represent God in the race, knowing His identity and reflecting it.
  
• Just as the runners having to keep their eyes on the prize, so are we to run the race with faith, fixing our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2), to run the good race, in a way to win the prize (1 Cor 9:24) and receive the crown of righteousness (2 Tim 4:7-8).

Elder Freddy Boey has further mentioned that faith is the way of the church. It is the way of life for Christians.

How Do We Keep the Faith?
There are giants that keeps faith away from us, just as the giants has kept the Israelite from possessing the promised land from God and they had been sidelined for close to 40 years, wandering in the wilderness. In the same way, there are giants which would keep faith away from us e.g. fear, wrong teachings, persecution, losing focus and being swallowed up by the world and/or succumbing to our sinful nature etc. What are some of the "giants" in your life which is keeping you from being faithful?

In keeping the faith, different of you have shared how you have kept the faith. For me, it was the promise which I had received from God and subsequently being affirmed through His Word (1 Chronicles 12 and Zechariah 2) when I was doing cell planning. For some, it is in keeping with Godly counsel while for some, it is prayer and for some, it is the Word of the Lord which has encouraged you in your darkest moments and in trials. From Psalm 23, 1 Cor 15:58, 2 Tim 2:4-7, Matt 6:5-7, Matt 6:25-34, Matt 14:25-33 and to Psalm 46:10, all these verses spoke to different ones of you during difficult times. Remember how the Lord has brought you out of the pits. Finally for some, it is a strong conviction in your life that God is always with us and will deliver us. Just as in Matthew 14:33, the people in the boat saw what Jesus did and came to worship God when they came to realise truly He is the son of God. So we need to first know who our God is and trust that His ways are not our ways (Isa 55:8) and that He knows best and is almighty to save.

So at the end of the day, we start the race and will end the race with faith, but we are also reminded to run the race with faith. Both the process and the destination are important. Just as it is useless to just stay put at the starting line, knowing that the finishing line and the prize is on the other end. But unless we start running and run according to the rules, it will be a futile race... True, we have been saved by grace and we have faith in our salvation, but just as James 2:26 reminds "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead". The deeds of becoming more Christ-like and adding to our faith goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, love are equally as important.

God has been faithful to us so how will you respond in faith?

Related Topic: Running the Race

Ephesians 1-4:16

How is everyone enjoying the study of the book of Ephesians so far? I do not know about you but then the current sermon series on the book of Ephesians is making me fall in love with the book. It's one of the books which says so much succinctly and yet contains so much depth and insights into how we should live lives as a child of God.

Who We Are in God? (Ephesians 1)
Starting with Ephesians 1, Paul first tells us how we are valued in God's eyes (v4-5) and what he did for us (6-10):

4. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5. he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6. to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10. to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

There Must Be More Than This (Ephesians 1)
But then, it does not stop there, Paul tells us that "there must be more than this"; that there is more to just salvation but he prays that the eyes of our hearts be open that we will have the wisdom and be able to experience God more (v17-21). :

17. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19. and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20. which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21. far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

Being God Aware (Ephesians 1)
To experience (i) hope, (ii) blessings and (iii) His power. We need to be, like Lydia nicely puts it, "God-aware" because God is in our lives and all we have to do is jut be more aware about it. Which is why I am encouraging for a time of thanksgiving everytime we meet for cell because it helps us to see how real God is in our lives and help to also encourage others. For me, I can see how there is marked difference between the time I backslided and now. Yes, there are still of course challenges (who says life is going to be easy for Christians?) but then the difference I realise is that I have God in my life and in many areas of my life, including work, ministry and personal life, I have seen God work in marvelous ways. I am more positive now and trust in His power. With each thanksgiving, I am reminded more of this. Where is God in your life? Is He your saviour, redeemer, friend, counsellor? How can we make Him the Lord of our lives?

Saved by Grace, not Works (Ephesians 2)
Ephesians 2 then starts off by reminding us again what God did for us, that we are saved by grace (v1-9); for God showed mercy to us even when we did not deserve it because of our sin and unrighteousness. Then Paul makes his case, instructing the church about how we are to live as a body of Christ because "His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility." (v15b-16). There are no strangers to God's kingdom and God's family because all deserve God's grace.

Praise for God and Prayer for Ephesian Church (Ephesians 3)
Then, Paul breaks into praise and prayer in Ephesians 3, recounting how he himself was unworthy (v8-9) but yet God shown him grace. Paul, formely Saul, persecuted and allowed the killing of Christians but had an encounter with God in Damascus (see Acts 9). He then prayed for the Ephesian church.

Live a Worthy Life (Ephesians 4)
Ephesians 4 begins instruction on how we are to live in the church, the body of Christ. The "Church" is not merely a physical building as most of us would understand it but the community of believers who have come to accept salvation and Christ as Lord. Paul starts off by asking us to live a life worthy of the calling we received (v1). The question is: what is a worthy life? Maybe we can gain some insights from Colossians 1:10-12 which says:

10. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11. being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12. giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

A "worthy" life now that God has saved you from darkness with what Christ done on the cross and a "worthy" life in response to that, administering God's gifts to fulfill God's purpose and will for you. Have you thought about what the purpose of your life is? For some of you, you have shared that you have come to realise while for some, you are still discerning. Keep praying for God to show you His purpose for your life.

Some would say a "worthy" life is to grow to be more Christ-like. To me, being Christ-like is not only about how we behave but about one's heart too. Do we behave in a Christ-like manner but ALSO develop a heart for God just as Christ did? We can see this heart for God through Matthew 22:37-40 which speaks of the two greatest commandment that summarizes the 10 commandments; love God and love our neighbours (Christ has He himself explained in Matthew 5:17 that He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it). But it seems that Paul is taking this a little further by telling us ways in which we can fulfil the 2 greatest commandment; because if we love God and our neighbours, all that is mentioned in Colossians 1:10-12 will come to be.

Ultimately, it is about our heart for God and what we are doing in our walk with Him in response to what Christ has done for us on the cross.

The Purpose & Power of Community (Ephesians 4)
Then Paul speaks of the purpose and power of community; reminding us that although we are all diversely different with different gifts, we are all one in Christ. Unity in diversity! The purpose of God's community is really to help build up each others' lives (v12) that we become more mature and Christ-like (v13-14). In this way, we will not be swayed by lies especially from the enemy, whose aim is to distance us from God, ever since the beginning of time.

12. to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13. until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.

Colossians 2:2-4
2. My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3. in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.

And part of the building up and also maturing is how the community can help people to receive restoration and healing from God for past hurts. A Christ-centered community can allow God to administer healing and restoration through it but in a similar way, a non Christ-centered community can also has the power to destroy much. Love in a Christ-centered community can bring about much building up. For me, the community played an important role in helping me rebuild my life when I first came back to God (even though I did not foresee myself staying in cell at that time). In the same way, part of the building up also comes from how we help restore others from sin, helping to keep each other accountable. This would be what we may sometimes called "tough love".

Galatians 6:1-2:
1. Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

So, the purpose and power of God's community is really to help us, upon being saved, to continue our walk with the Lord as WIP (Work in Progress); to help build up and mature, to edify each other.

Different Yet United; Gifts and Instructions (Ephesians 4)
Now how are we to be able to tap into and release the power of God's community? God gave gifts to everyone to allow for one another to build one another up. Everyone will have gifts given by God that he/she can administer to help build each other up (v7-8, 11-13):

7. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8. This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men."...

Romans 12:4-8:
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.

God's Gift & Accepting the Significance of His Gift to Us
The analogy of the body is constantly used because everyone has a part to play and God has a purpose for different ones of us with different giftings. It is important that we learn to accept the gifts God gave us and how uniquely God made us to be.

1 Corinthians 12:27-30:
27. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30. Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

I shared about how initially when I was called to leadership, I struggled and struggled and struggled. I was feeling all lousy about how I was such an introvert and how I could not compare to other leaders. Whenever, I see other leaders leading their cell, I remember always asking myself and asking God "God, why can't I be more extroverted?", "God why can't I be more charismatic?" etc But soon, God helped me realised how He had made me different and gave me giftings for the purpose He has for me. Now, as I look at our cell, it becomes clear what His purpose is for me and how much He had blessed my cell ministry. Not only that, I have also come to realise how everything came together to help me in my work ministry. I have been put into IT training and I picked up IT and training skills. I have worked in a hospital as a medical social worker but could not survive more than 6 months but I picked up important case management skills. I have been put into a professional association working at policy development level and I picked up project management and programme development skills. Now, God not only called me back from backsliding but also into my current job where everything fits together nicely. All the skills has come in handy and, by God's grace, my work ministry was taking off, despite not having done volunteer programme management before. God never wastes our past experiences and God has His purpose for us. Do we accept the unqiue self God has made us to be?

Talking about giftings, I am reminded of an illustration used by a fellow friend to demonstrate how we are all different but important, just as parts of a body are.

One day, various parts of a certain body entered into a heated debate about who is the most important of all. Every prominent and well-known part claimed to be superior to the others.

The Brain started the ball rolling by saying, "I am the most important of all. Without my ability to think, what can the body and all the parts do? You will all be helpless like a newborn baby!" Not to be outdone, The Eyes exclaimed, "Do you really think so? Without our ability to see where the whole body is going and what is happening, what can anyone of you do? And what can you, Mr Brain, do if you have no idea what is happening?". "That's what you think, Mr Eyes, " said The Hands. "Just look around you: how many things are made only possible by us and the 10 digits that we have? Can you even put on the clothes without us? You will be as naked as the lamppost. Hahaha", The Hands continued.

The ears, mouth, legs, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and various others took their turns to pitch their importance above the rest, all except for the lowly ass****. He did not know what to say. He thought again and again. What can he boast about? Nothing much, actually.

By now, everyone who has said their piece, turned to the quiet ass****. Suddenly, they all broke out in a guffaw.

"Of course (heehee) he has nothing to say, " offered Mr Brain, trying to control his laughter. "He just takes out the trash. Buahahahaha!" So, while the rest continued to poke fun at him and called him all kinds of unflattering names, the ass**** did not say a single word. He was too hurt to even mutter anything. He just shut up and sobbed quietly.

One day passed. Another day came and went. By the third day, the various parts of the body were groaning and moaning. The colon, intestines, stomach, liver and various members of the digestive system began feeling like wool and clogged drains at the same time. The throat and mouth became sore, while the eyes turned blurry and teary. Even the brain began hallucinating, while the limbs and various external parts of the body became numb and weak. The heart was at a loss as to what to do when the blood it pumps kept bouncing back almost immediately.

"Wwhhh...at's hhh..appening? Are we ddddyyyy...ing?" The Brain asked. The Eyes kept quiet. They couldn't tell what was wrong. Likewise, the ears, the mouth, and everybody else. After a long pause, a weak voice from far down was heard. "Maybe..." said the colon, "...it's got something to do with our friend, Mr Ass****, sir." "Everything we processed for disposal isn't moving at all. I think we are gonna die...The toxins have hit us..."

Finally, Mr Ass**** spoke.

"Sorry, folks. I have remained shut for the past few days to reflect on what happened. It's true. There's nothing noteworthy for me to say. I cannot claim to be as important as any one of you because I am just a lowly garbage man. Nevertheless, I hope you will accept me as a fellow member of this body. Nobody asks to be an ass****, and I am just trying to do this unglamourous task assigned to me everyday, and to do it well."

You can read a similar illustration in 1 Corinthians 12:20-26.

God's Instructions: Unity & Love
So, enough about gifts. What about instructions? Paul instructed that the church needs to remember that even though we are all diverse and different, we are one and are told to make effort to keep the unity:

Ephesians 4:2-5
2. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5. one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

But how do we keep the unity? Paul recognise that we need to make effort and this can come from one thing: love. Paul later mentioned in Colossians 3 about the list of things we need to do but gives an indication how we can achieve it:

12. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

And this interestingly points us back to Christ's greatest commandment again: love your neighbour. Paul mentioned that love will bind them together in perfect unity.

In fact, Christ himself mentioned about loving one another in John 13:34-35:

34. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Others can be found in Romans 13:8, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 John 3:11, 1 John 3:23, 1 John 4:7, 1 John 4:11-12, 2 John 1:5.

But like what was mentioned earlier, love and tough love can both edify and help build up. But we need to always remember that whatever it is, the commonality is still love.