May is almost coming to and end and June beginning, marking the arrival of mid year. Time has never minded people's business, and would never heed a halt from anyone. It's beginning to be a famous saying that a week is a long time in politics; many things can happen, especially in the context of turning tables. I think it applies to ministry too.
It's been a good long two weeks, with many things happening at the same time -- both good and bad. Yet, we know that all things work out for good to those who love the Lord, and to those who are the called according to His purpose. Everything happens for a reason. For a GOOD reason.
I'm not a believer of fate. I am a believer of destiny. People say to me that it is the same, even dictionaries may say so, but it's not. Read the two words carefully and you will know that the former carries a negative connotation, with an implication of bad omens and unfortunate happenings. But the latter is a positive word -- a purpose, good plan, a destiny of greatness.
In the past two weeks, I've seen the mighty God turned a fate into a destiny. I've seen the Lord sealed up chapters of life in the past, and begin re-writing this person's life on a fresh new page, with a new brush and with new ink. Even though there were many times that evil tried to prevent that destiny by causing ill fates to befall upon the person, there is nothing that can separate man from the love of God. Even though the devil always wants to flip to the old pages to reveal the errors and ugliness, Jesus has signed and sealed them with His blood, stamped with a big 'FORGIVEN' across every page.
I realised that I began to understand grace in a deeper way. Grace has already been poured out to us. For by grace we have been saved through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Eph 2:8-9) Because of the grace of God, we are able to love and forgive, to hope and believe. Abiding in faith, hope and love, we know that LOVE is the greatest; love NEVER fails.
I'm speaking words of faith and hope into lives, but loving people would take more than just flattering lip service; it is an act that radiates the desire to bless from the deepest of heart. The love of God never fails or fades.
It is in love that we walk out our destinies, because God birthed our destinies in love. Therefore walk in love, as we walk with God.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Who am I?
This is one of the excerpts found in the Church Camp booklet. It spoke deeply to my heart, so I just want to share it here with you...
God has a plan for our lives. He has a perfect strategy, all plotted out for us, it's just a matter of listening to His voice, being obedient to His promptings and boldly stepping out in all His ways. Astronaut, accountant, zoologist, doctor, lawyer, engineer... we could do anything we set my mind to with His help, but...
I don't think that's what the Lord truly intends, but instead of asking "What do you want to do", He's asking "who do you want to be". It's a question of CHARACTER and becoming the PERSON He intends us to be -- not the occupation.
There are many people who say "I believe God has spoken to me about a life partner, preaching, prophecy, dreams, visions, etc." So many things that God has whispered in our hearts about doing, and these are all great things. But beyond that, God wants us to become people of great worth in our hearts and minds, not just in our roles and job descriptions.
This is so true. God sees us as who we are as a person, not our occupation or job description. Of course, when it comes to functioning in the spirit as His servant, He does call us into positions as Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Evangelists, and Teachers, but more than that, He wants us to live up to the CHARACTER of one.
It gives me great comfort that although I may not do well in my job, or at times when I fail miserably, God still looks at me with grace and mercy. He still looks at us with that sense of great worth that is written in our destiny.
And He continues to whisper to us, to speak to us, to tell us His plan and purpose of us. We need to be like Samuel, listening and responding correctly to God, so that His will can be carried out through our obedience. And through it all, we become who we are, by the grace of God.
1 Sam 3:1, 10, 11What do you want to do when you grow up? It's a question that is relevant, no matter what age, no matter how old you are. What are you going to do with the rest of your life? It's never too early, it's never too late to ask this question. God will use the young and the old, all He really needs is an open and willing heart.
1: The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.
10: The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"
Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
11: And the Lord said to Samuel: "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle.
God has a plan for our lives. He has a perfect strategy, all plotted out for us, it's just a matter of listening to His voice, being obedient to His promptings and boldly stepping out in all His ways. Astronaut, accountant, zoologist, doctor, lawyer, engineer... we could do anything we set my mind to with His help, but...
I don't think that's what the Lord truly intends, but instead of asking "What do you want to do", He's asking "who do you want to be". It's a question of CHARACTER and becoming the PERSON He intends us to be -- not the occupation.
There are many people who say "I believe God has spoken to me about a life partner, preaching, prophecy, dreams, visions, etc." So many things that God has whispered in our hearts about doing, and these are all great things. But beyond that, God wants us to become people of great worth in our hearts and minds, not just in our roles and job descriptions.
This is so true. God sees us as who we are as a person, not our occupation or job description. Of course, when it comes to functioning in the spirit as His servant, He does call us into positions as Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Evangelists, and Teachers, but more than that, He wants us to live up to the CHARACTER of one.
It gives me great comfort that although I may not do well in my job, or at times when I fail miserably, God still looks at me with grace and mercy. He still looks at us with that sense of great worth that is written in our destiny.
And He continues to whisper to us, to speak to us, to tell us His plan and purpose of us. We need to be like Samuel, listening and responding correctly to God, so that His will can be carried out through our obedience. And through it all, we become who we are, by the grace of God.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
God the Builder
World Harvest Church Camp 2009 is here! HURRAY!!
Last night was our first session of preaching with Ps. Dennis Lee from River Glory Ministries, Singapore. I guess most if not all of us are so hungry and thirsty for the Word, that it was truly a refreshing and restrengthening time as we listened to His preaching.
It's awesome to have the opportunity to hear from this man of God again. Though I am unable to join the camp at MBS Recreation & Training Centre, Rawang, I know I treasure it even more because I can only attend the night sessions after work. Thanks Denion, for driving us to and fro every night. :)
Ps. Dennis started off the message for this camp as his usual self -- seriously humourous. Yet in his jokes there was deep, profound truth that you couldn't overlook.
It was a message that struck the exact chords and notes that Ps. Gloria had delivered last Sunday -- God builds. And Ps. Dennis, full of the Holy Spirit and completely speaking under His anointing, spoke exactly the same message -- God is a Builder and He builds us individually, that we will build up one another and to build His Church.
He began by saying that it is time we Christians recover our positions as salt and light to the world -- salt as an antiseptic and anti-decaying agent, and light as the source for direction to truth. And He said, "It's time to BUILD! to join ranks as the body of Christ and push back the darkness to advance and expand the Kingdom of God!"
The Lord spoke to me about Ps. Gloria's message where she preached 3 points: (1) God builds on revelations; (2) God builds on relationships; and (3) God builds through generations. And He impressed upon my heart the word 'BUILD'. I checked up the definition for this word and this is what it means:
From all these definitions, we can clearly see that God has a construction plan -- a blueprint -- for our lives, and He builds according to it. Yet, He doesn't rush in to build us, but this building project of our lives is a process, step-by-step, increasing little by little, built upon what has already been founded and established previously, and will eventually heighten to fulfil the fullness of our destiny.
God builds on what we have already known and on our knowledge of who He is in our lives. If we believe that Jesus is our God, Healer, Provider, Saviour, Redeemer, Deliverer, Renewer, Restorer, Creator and Sustainer -- if we really, really believes that He is -- then the gates of hell will not be able to prevail against us (Matt 16:18), we will stand fast and not fall away.
In Matthew 7: 24 - 27 it says that if we establish ourselves on the Word of God, hearing and obeying Him, we are building our house (our lives) on the Rock -- on Jesus, the Beginner and the Finisher of our faith. This is what it says:
Incidentally, these are also the closing words of Jesus' long Sermon on the Mount. Now, that means 'these sayings of Jesus' were all the principles He taught in that three-chapter long sermon. And Jesus described us as the salt and light to the world in the early part of the sermon. (Wow! Go figure!)
Perhaps we have always known Him as the Creator, or as the Master Painter of our future, or as the Potter who moulds us to become who we are, but He is no lesser the Builder of our lives. And He's still building us, shaping us, not giving up on us even though we may have given up hope on ourselves many times.
Do you know why He doesn't give up on us? I believe it's because He must have seen something in us that we can't see. He must have seen that no matter how misshapen we are because of our past failures and ugly sins, His blueprint of building us is never with flaws and mistakes. He knows what He's doing. And if we hear Him and let Him build us the way He wants to, then we will never be shaken, no hell is going to prevent us from living out His will for us, because we are founded on the Rock.
Prayer of response:
Lord, build me, the way that You want to build. I may not understand what You're doing, but Lord, have Your way in my life. I just want to surrender myself to Your love and let You build me til I'm complete and mature, lacking nothing in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Your will be done in my life. Amen.
Last night was our first session of preaching with Ps. Dennis Lee from River Glory Ministries, Singapore. I guess most if not all of us are so hungry and thirsty for the Word, that it was truly a refreshing and restrengthening time as we listened to His preaching.
It's awesome to have the opportunity to hear from this man of God again. Though I am unable to join the camp at MBS Recreation & Training Centre, Rawang, I know I treasure it even more because I can only attend the night sessions after work. Thanks Denion, for driving us to and fro every night. :)
Ps. Dennis started off the message for this camp as his usual self -- seriously humourous. Yet in his jokes there was deep, profound truth that you couldn't overlook.
It was a message that struck the exact chords and notes that Ps. Gloria had delivered last Sunday -- God builds. And Ps. Dennis, full of the Holy Spirit and completely speaking under His anointing, spoke exactly the same message -- God is a Builder and He builds us individually, that we will build up one another and to build His Church.
He began by saying that it is time we Christians recover our positions as salt and light to the world -- salt as an antiseptic and anti-decaying agent, and light as the source for direction to truth. And He said, "It's time to BUILD! to join ranks as the body of Christ and push back the darkness to advance and expand the Kingdom of God!"The Lord spoke to me about Ps. Gloria's message where she preached 3 points: (1) God builds on revelations; (2) God builds on relationships; and (3) God builds through generations. And He impressed upon my heart the word 'BUILD'. I checked up the definition for this word and this is what it means:
1. to construct (esp. something complex) by assembling and joining parts or materials.Now, we often hear of the phrase 'Build up' in preachings, and we are always told that it means 'to edify'. But if you really break it up to details, it means precisely this way:
2. to establish, increase, or strengthen (e.g. to build up)
3. to mold, form, or create.
4. to base; found. E.g. a relationship is built on trust.
5. to form or construct a plan, system of thought, etc. (usually followed by 'on' or upon'). e.g. He built on the philosophies of the past.
6. to increase or develop toward a maximum, as of intensity, tempo, or magnitude; to heighten to a climax
a. to develop or increaseI love the last definition -- aren't we suppose to build up with praise? Aren't we suppose to build up in our praises and worship to God, to exalt Him in shouts of praise and to just cry out to Him?
b. to strengthen.
c. to prepare in stages.
d. to fill in with houses; develop into an urban area.
e. to praise or flatter.
From all these definitions, we can clearly see that God has a construction plan -- a blueprint -- for our lives, and He builds according to it. Yet, He doesn't rush in to build us, but this building project of our lives is a process, step-by-step, increasing little by little, built upon what has already been founded and established previously, and will eventually heighten to fulfil the fullness of our destiny.
God builds on what we have already known and on our knowledge of who He is in our lives. If we believe that Jesus is our God, Healer, Provider, Saviour, Redeemer, Deliverer, Renewer, Restorer, Creator and Sustainer -- if we really, really believes that He is -- then the gates of hell will not be able to prevail against us (Matt 16:18), we will stand fast and not fall away.
In Matthew 7: 24 - 27 it says that if we establish ourselves on the Word of God, hearing and obeying Him, we are building our house (our lives) on the Rock -- on Jesus, the Beginner and the Finisher of our faith. This is what it says:
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine [Jesus], and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
Incidentally, these are also the closing words of Jesus' long Sermon on the Mount. Now, that means 'these sayings of Jesus' were all the principles He taught in that three-chapter long sermon. And Jesus described us as the salt and light to the world in the early part of the sermon. (Wow! Go figure!)
Perhaps we have always known Him as the Creator, or as the Master Painter of our future, or as the Potter who moulds us to become who we are, but He is no lesser the Builder of our lives. And He's still building us, shaping us, not giving up on us even though we may have given up hope on ourselves many times.
Do you know why He doesn't give up on us? I believe it's because He must have seen something in us that we can't see. He must have seen that no matter how misshapen we are because of our past failures and ugly sins, His blueprint of building us is never with flaws and mistakes. He knows what He's doing. And if we hear Him and let Him build us the way He wants to, then we will never be shaken, no hell is going to prevent us from living out His will for us, because we are founded on the Rock.
Prayer of response:
Lord, build me, the way that You want to build. I may not understand what You're doing, but Lord, have Your way in my life. I just want to surrender myself to Your love and let You build me til I'm complete and mature, lacking nothing in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Your will be done in my life. Amen.
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