2 July 2009 

Live Soberly 

We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52) 

There should be a thin partition between heaven and earth for in a twinkling of an eye, one day we shall meet God, the God of the Universe. A little while and we shall see our Lord Jesus Christ. What are you busy with these days? 

My heart desires to please my God and be used by Him. The cares of the world and the weakness in my body weighs me down yet in my spirit, I soar up with wings as eagles into the arms of my God. My God cares for me and will hear my prayers. God is never tired of hearing the same prayers I made every day. In Matthew 26:44, Jesus prayed the third time, saying the same words. Daily I claim the promises that God made in Psalm 91, Psalm 121 and Psalm 23. God will preserve us from all evil. He shall preserve our souls. He shall preserve our coming and going out. There shall no evil befall us neither shall any plague come nigh our dwelling. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple. 

With the H1N1 cases rising in Singapore, I must put my trust in the Lord that He will protect us and keep us safe for we are the sheep of His pasture and He is our good Shepherd. I must continue instant in prayer – “By prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phillipians4:6,7) There is a saying “When the going gets tough, we who are weak must cling even more to the Almighty God that we in His strength can get going.” In this evil times, let our prayers transcends up into heaven, praying without ceasing and making melody in our hearts for God in heaven loves us. 

I thank my God for a very blessed June school holidays. My children and I revised memorizing Psalm1, Psalm23, Psalm121 and up to verse 12 of Psalm 119. We resumed our Bible study in the gospel of John and memorized certain verses in John. In John Chapter 6, we memorized verse 27 “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.” Jesus is the bread of life which comes down from heaven and in this analogy Jesus said “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye shall no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me and I live by my Father; so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me…whosoever eateth this bread shall live for ever…the words that I spake to you, they are spirit and they are life.” 

Jesus is teaching a spiritual lesson not making his followers cannibals in the literal eating flesh and drinking blood. Eating and drinking Jesus means believing in Jesus and living by Him; without Him we cannot have everlasting life and cannot do anything that earns our rewards in heaven. An ex-drug addict after he believed in Jesus, his neighbor made a remark in Hokkien to his mother, “Ah Soh, Ah Soh, gu bai le aye kia jia (eat) pei hoon (drugs) jia ga siang la gao. Choo Jun jia (eat) Yah Sor (Jesus), jia kar jin yen tao.”  In English – “Aunty, aunty, last time when your son took drugs, he looked like a monkey. Now that he believes in Jesus, he is so handsome!”  

This June holiday, God sent a butterfly to my Limau Purut plant and laid eggs. X.Yuan collected 7 eggs and put them in a container. The wind blew and the container fell. The eggs were smaller than a pin head and were round and white. We prayed to Jesus to help us find those eggs on the floor and X.Yuan carefully counted them  - “Seven!” 

The eggs hatched and the caterpillars grew, only 4 survived. X.Yuan gave them names as “Fatty, Hungry, Tail-up and Somersault.” Fatty and Hungry grew to be about 3.5cm. We had to go to my mum’s house and cut those lime and limau purut leaves and we cut a lot of those leaves outside the barber shop and the uncle is very kind to consent. Soon the leaves were running out and in the evening under the showers of rain, we cut pomelo leaves from the abandon pot in our neighborhood. This plant is huge and there lives a 12cm long Chameleon who feeds on the caterpillars of the plant. Fatty, Hungry and Tail-up have turned into pupas. In about 10 days, they shall be beautiful butterflies, able to fly up into the sky. X.Yuan took many photos of her caterpillars. 

One day our lives will also be changed. This mortal body shall put on immortal and we shall have a glorified body, dressed in line white linen and Jesus shall present us to God the Father before the angels, blameless and spotless for He bought us and cleanse us from our sin with His own precious blood. Time is running out, I must live soberly for soon I shall see my Lord and shall give an account to Him for all that I have done in this body. Though I will never be sentenced to hell, which I deserved because I have a wonderful Savior who took all my sins upon His own body on the cross of Calvary and there He bled and suffered for the punishments of all my sins, I would like to appear before my God without shame and that I could win many crowns and trophies that I could lay before His feet. I plead to God to have mercy on me and help me to live a life that glorifies Him! Let not just my lips that say "Praise the Lord!" but my entire life to praise His great name! 

10 June 2009 

Not I But My Heavenly Father 

Your Father knoweth what things ye need of, before ye ask Him…Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed by Thy name… Give us this day our daily bread. (Matthew6:8-11) 

To live a victorious Christian life, I must remember that the power to conquer sin is “Not I but Christ.” It is to remember “I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” In everything I must submit to God, to commit all things to God in prayer and expect Him to direct my path. God the Holy Spirit dwells in me and He is my senior partner in life. I do not own this body but God; I am bought with the price of Jesus’ blood. So in everything, I must be mindful of the existence of God the Holy Spirit who dwells in this body of mine and to keep my life clean that it will be fit as the sacred temple of God. Be careful what I see with my eyes, what I think in my mind and where I go with my feet and what I do with my hands. Let all the members of my body be servants of righteousness and not of sin. 

To live a life free of anxiety and worry, I must remember that I have my Heavenly Father who watches over me. His name is Jehovah Jireh and according to His name, He will provide for all my needs. I must be like as a child who never worries about his bread-and- butter but wakes up each day expecting all these will be provided by his dad. “Give us this day our daily bread” must be my daily prayer. 

All things that we have are not wrought out by the power of our own hands. Like Job, I must recognized that “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither; the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job1:21) It is the Lord who gave the increase and He has the right to take them all away. I thank the Lord that His mercy endures forever and His compassion never fails.

Last Sunday, JW shared about Lot and Abraham. Abraham who has all the right to make a choice of his land, gave up that right and let Lot his nephew to be first to choose. In life, we do not need scheme and fight for our right, we must live a life of faith and commit all things to God and speak when God tells us to speak and remain silent when God tells us so. When see the evil prosper and we suffer because of our righteous living, we must not fret but ask God for more grace to continue to live a life that is for His glory and pleasure. Don’t be contentious as your Heavenly Father knows all that you need before you even ask. He will fight for our cause for He is JUST. This world is not my home; living in this present life is for me to heap up my treasures in my eternal home. It is wise to live godly in this present world even if it means to suffer loss. How can we compare the inconvenience of this present time to joy in ETERNITY? Make me wise O Lord I pray! 

God has commanded, “I AM ALMIGHTY GOD; walk before Me, and be thou perfect.” (Genesis 17:1) “Shall not the Judge of the earth do right?” (Genesis 17:25) When we are slandered, we must commit this matter to God and He will do what is right for us and on our part, we forgive those who trespass against us. How are we going to get the power to forgive? The power of the Holy Spirit will enable us. When we sincerely talk to God regarding this matter, we are willing to obey God to forgive and ask God to give His Spirit of forgiveness in us, we shall have the power to pray for those who hurt us and despitefully use us. I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me. When we surrender to God, we shall get the supernatural enablement from God. We must believe that God will supply that power to us to live perfect before Him. “And he believed in the LORD; and He counted to him for righteousness.” (Genesis15:6) 

In all things, we must believe that God cares for us. “I [God] am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” (Genesis 15:1) Let there be no strife among us. Abraham said to Lot “Let there be no strife, I pray thee, before me and thee.Is not the whole land before thee?If thou take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart from the right hand, then I will go to the left.” (Genesis 14:8-9) In human wisdom, the first to choose will always get the best but Abraham trusted in God to provide and let Lot be the first to choose. 

Lot lifted up his eyes and chose all the plain of Jordon for it was well watered everywhere. After that Lot had separated from Abraham, God who sees all the intents of the hearts, came to speak to Abraham, “Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever.” (Genesis14:14-15) When we do what is right in the eyes of God, according to the principles God taught us in the Holy Bible, though we may appear foolish in this world, yet our Father who sees in secret will reward us. 

Bread-and-butter issues are the top concern among Singaporeans today. The recession continues with rising unemployment, many stressed due to worries about job insecurity and the host cost of living here. We are not alone, unemployment rates are persistently rising in America and it sits at 9.4 per cent, the highest in more than 25 years. We as Christians, we must not live in fear but to live in faith. We worship a living God who makes the heaven and the earth and He cares for us and will provide for us.  

Live a life of godliness and contentment is great gain. Spend within your means and do not get into debts – do not spend by credit. The world wants us to spend in luring us to have the outward look of beauty, glamour and status. Why labor on things that are temporal? If this body must age, let it age graciously and we need not dress extravagantly but modestly. Do not be materialistic and chase after all the good things of pleasure but spend your money on the cause of God like giving to missions, to help those who are in need, for the work of the furtherance of the Kingdom of God – Lay up your treasures in heaven. 

Well, that is my mediation for this morning. The children are still sleeping. I love school holidays where my children are at home with me. We refreshed our memory scripture on Psalm 1 and Psalm 23. X.Yi could sing the whole of Psalm 23 in Mandarin. We sang the whole Psalm 1 in English. Today we shall refresh our memory scripture on Psalm 121. In all relationships in this world, the one which we must build and cherish most is our relationship with our Heavenly Father. It moves my heart deeply when I called upon the Almighty God, Maker of Heaven and earth as my Father. 

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8 June 2009 

Not I But Christ 

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20) 

This Bible verse, I have committed it to memory and I pray that God will engrave it in my heart. In a true spiritual growth, I must conformed into the image of Christ – “I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” Hudson Taylor termed “the exchanged life.” 

Without the reality of Christ in us, we are cold spiritually and darkened with sin. Our life will be like a roller-coaster – going up and down. When we are conscious of the existence of Christ living in us and we submit to His leadership, we are abiding in Christ and we experience the power of the Holy Spirit not to fulfill the lust of the flesh. However the moment we lost sight of this reality, we embarked on the road of self-pleasing and we quenched the Holy Spirit and we grieved Him. “What! know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you.” (1 Corinthians 6:19)  

David set the Lord always before him and that is what I should do. When I wake up in the morning, before coming out of bed, I have a short prayer. In the morning, I must have my quiet devotion before God. In the afternoon, I shall pray for all my loved ones and friends. In the evening, I shall take time to read my Bible and pray. “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice.” (Psalm 55:17) 

Our Feiloshp group finished the study of the book of Revelation and by the grace of God, we shall study the book of Daniel which is also another prophetic book. I thank the Lord for helping me throughout these three years in the sharing of the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation is the only book in the Bible which started with these words “The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass…BLESSED is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those sayings which are written therein: for the time is at hand,” (Revelation 1:1-3) The book of Revelation ends with a heartfelt prayer “Come, Lord Jesus.” In this world of problems, persecutions, evil and immorality, Christ calls us to endure in our faith. Revelation is a book of hope. It shows no matter what happens here on earth, God is still in control. It promises that evil will not last forever. It depicts wonderful blessings for those who wait patiently for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ – for all who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. 

Today’s papers tell us that now Singapore not only has to contend with H1N1 flu virus but also malaria. There are so many fears surrounding us but when we have Christ in the vessel we can smile at the storm. The powerful words of Jesus, “Peace Be Still” have the efficacy to calm us. Abide in Him and the Prince of Peace will give us His peace. Praise the name of Jesus! He is my Rock. He is my fortress and in Him will I abide. Jesus told us that man ought always to pray and not to faint. Pray without ceasing must be my life pattern. 

This morning, Marie came over to my house and I could pass her the Tagalog tracts, Holy Bibles and RPGs for her to bring home.  She has finished her Bible Correspondence Course – “The Country called Heaven” and by the power of the Holy Spirit, she wants to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ to her family members and her neighbours. In our Bible study we read in John 4, how a certain nobleman whose son was sick came a long way to meet Jesus to beg Jesus to come and heal his son who was at the point of death. When Jesus spoke, his son was well, though the physical distance of Capernaum and Galilee was miles apart. “The son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.” (John 4:53) touched the heart of Marie of the mission that she has to do when she gets home to Philippines. We knelt before God and asked God for blessings. 

June Holidays is the time for my children to sleep long hours, to eat well and be fed with God’s word. Each morning, we shall continue with our Bible study on the book of John and we shall sing songs of praise and pray together. It is also the time when we do things together – our family time. 

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Surely I come quickly. (Revelation 22:20) 

Jesus told John that He is coming quickly and John responded with the words, “Amen, Come, Lord Jesus.” As Christians we are waiting for the Lord’s return and we must be sober, vigilant, watch unto prayer and with expectancy.  

Jesus is coming! We do not know if it is today, tomorrow or next year but we must be ready for the coming of the Lord. I must diligently study the word of God, be prayerful and keep a clean life. I am very grateful to my Lord Jesus for being Surety and my unchanging Savior and that He has gone to prepare a place for me in heaven. When I get to see Him face to face, I would not like to be ashamed but I could adore Him and hear Him say, “Well done, my wise, good and faithful servant.” 

I read the book “Messsiah’s Coming Temple” by John W.Schmitt and J.Carl Laney there is a passage that touched my heart. 

Yohanan ben Zakkai led a movement to update Jewish worship so that it could survive without a Temple and without a sacrifice. Yohanan died in A.D.80. In his last hours, his disciples found him weeping out loud. They asked him, “Why are you weeping?” He said to them:

Verily, I go to appear before the King of Kings of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, whose anger if He should be angry with me, is of this world, and the world to come, and whom I cannot appease with words or bribe with money! Moreover I have before me two roads, one to Paradise and one to Gehenna, and I know not whether he will sentence me to Gehenna or admit me to Paradise. Should I not weep? 

There was another road that led from Jerusalem in the first century. It was the road travelled by a well-known rabbi – Apostle Paul. As he approached the end of his life, he wrote his student Timothy these words: 

For I am ready being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought a good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day; and not only to me, but alos to all who have loved His appearing (2 Timothy 4:6-8) 

What a difference when you compare these words with the last words of Yohanan ben Zakki. The acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice makes all the difference in how death was viewed by these two men. It will make all the difference for you too.  

If you have not recognized that Jesus died for you, respond to His love and accept His redemptive work – a redemption that was anticipated by the old-covenant sacrifices and will be joyfully commemorated in the kingdom. 

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