I...l...o...v...e....You

I gulped as I looked at the lyrics of the song....

"Deeper in love with You... deeper in love with You..."

I double gulped as I read the next line...

"I love You more than anything in life.."

I've not sung songs with the lyrics "I love You" in my devotional set for quite some time... maybe I don't think I really love God. I try to love Him... but to tell God "I love You"... somehow I feel I fall short...

But somehow, this song rings in my heart...So I decided to sing it...I told God, this is my prayer! To love You more and more... deeper and deeper...

And as I engaged my heart to sing this song to God that day, something happened in my heart...

I hear God began to tell me... "Yes, I'm listening... yes, you do love Me, you know... you really do... more than anything in this life... yes, you do..."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I continued to sing this song...my voice choked.. but I sang on... this time, with my heart responding in tearful joy... "Yes, I do love You God!! I do love You!!"

In that day, God ambushed me... He had to tell me that I do love Him, cos He knows I doubted if I do...

Oh how He loves me!! Oh how I love Him!!

What makes your heart leap?

When my friend reminded me over the phone that the Global Bridegroom Fast in December is going to be a week-long (instead of the usual 3-day long during the first week of every month), my heart leaped within me and I exclaimed "yay!!!"

I was actually quite surprised that I was joyful, instead of thinking... "oh I'm going to be hungry for 7 days..."

I turned to God and excitedly began to think, "oh, what shall I bring to You, Lord... these seven days...each day I will bring you something!" It felt like I was invited to something.... to draw near... and thus my immediate response was "what shall I bring..as a gift, as an offering..." Just like if you were invited to a birthday party of a good friend, you'll think of a gift to bring :)

Before I even began to think of the actual tangible things I can bring and do - e.g. first day, bless someone with a gift, second day, give a love offering to God etc... then God prompted my heart...

2 Chronicles 16:9 ~ For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

1 Sam 16:7 ~ For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Yes... He is looking at our hearts...

With tears in my eyes, I responded to Him..."Yes Lord, I know You are looking at our hearts...I will bring to You a heart that is...

Surrended - all I have is Yours..
Pliable - always receptive to what God has to say, even the most outrageous thing!
Devoted - coming before Him in loving meditation
Pure - no other gods but Him!
Extravagant - pouring out my love to Him, like what Mary of Bethany did...
Intense - may zeal for Your House consume me...me Lord.... Psalm 132
Burning - may I be faithful to You through all seasons... set my heart ablaze for You..hotter and hotter each day!

3 to 9 December 2012 here I come!!

What is Jesus saying through His last final parable here on earth? Matthew 22:1-14

Matthew 22:1-14 was the final parable Jesus preached in His public ministry here on earth. His last word must be delivered with much weightiness - both on His heart and on the hearers' heart.

Jesus must be thinking... "I'm going to leave the people with these parting words. I've kept it till my final hours to say this... I've spoken of many things that my Father has entrusted me to say, and pressed on to do all the things He has told me to do... This is the very message that will sum up what's on my Father's heart...may they take heart...may they take heed and respond..."

Why did Jesus liken the kingdom of heaven to a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son (Matthew 22:2). What does He mean when He ended the parable with the statement, "For many are called, but few are chosen." (Matthew. 22:14)?

What is the kingdom of God like?

There are three major focuses in this parable. Firstly, it speaks of what the kingdom of God is all about (v2). Many parables in the gospel describe the "kingdom paradigm" - the kingdom of God is like a man who sowed good seed into his field... the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed... the kingdom of God is like leaven ... the kingdom of God is like treasure hidden in a field... and so on... In Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus describes the kingdom of God as a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son. It gave the clearest description of why Jesus came for the first time and what He is looking for in His second coming. He is looking for a bride for His Son, a bride who is equally-yoked in love and maturity with Jesus, for the wedding feast to come!

The parable crescendos to the verse in Matthew 22:37-38:

"Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment."

The parable of the Wedding Feast, as what Matthew 22:1-14 is commonly referred to, provides the context for the Call to the First and Great Commandment. Matthew 22:37-38 is in the context of a wedding feast!  God is calling out to us to love Him wholeheartedly because there is a wedding to come! Oh God, let this truth marinate our hearts! May we know what You are saying and looking for!

How then shall we preach the gospel?

Secondly, this parable shows us how we should proclaim the kingdom of God. Do we preach a gospel that merely tells people that it is the way to escape the lake of fire? - "believe in Jesus and you will be saved from hell's  fire!" Or do we proclaim what is the eternal plan in God's heart? - the very core message of the Gospel centres around a wedding feast! This is the very ultimate desire of God the Father! He has a Son and He is looking for an equally-yoked bride to 'marry' Jesus. This union is nothing sensual in the human sense, rather, what God means is that He seeks a spiritual intimacy with believers that is at the closest level. Apostle Paul aptly proclaims this in the context of the relationship between husband and wife in Ephesians 5:32

"This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church."

The importance and necessity to prepare ourselves

Finally, this parable reveals the highest focus of any ministry - to be prepared for the wedding to come! The core message of the Gospel, the ultimate desire of God and the highest focus of any ministry is hidden in the parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1 - 14). So take heed! Whatever ministry that God has given us, they are an instrument to enhance our love for God and an expression of our love for God and people. We are to be faithful in doing it - be it exciting, laborious or even at times mundane. We are to be faithful till the end, standing firm on His truth, with clarity in what we are doing, even when our 'assignment' from God may seem unpopular, our ministry is not growing or we face resistance from all sides..

Yet we need to remember that the primary goal of any ministry is love, for there is a wedding day to come! Are we preparing the flocks that God has entrusted us to be ready in wholeheartedness before His coming? Is the focus of our ministry one that enhances love for God? We often put the cart before the horse and get distracted and preoccupied with the works of the ministry and so neglect our First Love. The works of the ministry are important, yet they are to be secondary. When we put the secondary things in the first place, we will burn out and lose our First Love...

As we read what God is saying and looking for in this parable, may we see the importance and necessity to prepare ourselves for the wedding feast. God has given us a blueprint in the Scriptures, showing us how we should prepare ourselves - the Book of Esther gives us an allegorical description of how Queen Esther, depicting the bride of Christ,  responded to the bridal invitation and prepared herself in partnership with God 'for such a time as this'. She stood in readiness, even unto death, having been through a lengthy process of bridal preparation and intercession. The book of Joel also gives the clearest description of how we should prepare ourselves in times of crisis, which is the very hour we are entering into. May our hearts tremble and may we take heed and respond!

What God is saying and how shall we respond?

The primary and premier work of the Holy Spirit in such a time as this is to restore and awaken the Church to her First Love! (Matt. 22:37-39; Mark 12:30; Deu. 30: 1-14; Songs 6:8-9). Are our hearts burning for God? Do we love Jesus more today than yesterday? Oh, may our goal here on earth be this - to be able to present to Jesus at the end of our life - a life testimony of complete obedience and the offering of our perfect love to Jesus. (1 John 4:12-17). We can love God wholeheartedly! If God has called us to love Him, He will give us grace and empower us too!

Our readiness for the wedding day to come is determined by our preparation. The readiness of an individual believer is the result and combination of both the divine grace of God and human responsibility. We don't earn what God has in store for us, our destiny in Him, but we reach for it (Rom. 8:28-29; Phil. 2:12; Rev. 19:7). It's not about attaining perfection but about the posturing of our hearts to pursue God wholeheartedly with diligence, focus and intensity. For many have said "yes" but few go after it intentionally and deliberately (Matt. 22:14)...


One of the questions of the hour
The parable ends with an exhortation to prepare ourselves and the consequence of not being ready for the wedding day. Matthew 22: 11-12 says,

"But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ "

One of the questions of the hour is this: "Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?" (Matthew 22:12) What a sobering sight - the man was already in the wedding feast but he did not have a wedding garment on. Who was this man? He was in the eternal city but did not receive the full inheritance God has in store for Him because he was not ready. He could be a nominal believer who is casual about his faith or lived in compromise in sin and thus did not esteem loving God wholeheartedly and running in partnership with Him here on earth as important and a priority.

God exhorts us in 2Cor. 13:5 "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified."  

The consequence of not being prepared was liken to being in the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth for the glory of entering into the wedding feast and eternity in proximity with God is something he could have but it was too late. Oh God, give to us understanding of the 'it's too late' reality...let Your truth so strike our hearts...give us understanding and grace to respond! In that day, we want to be speechless in gazing at the fullness of Your glory; not speechless in realising that we are not prepared when we could have done something about it...

He who has an ear,  let him hear what the Spirit of God is saying! And as we hear, may we respond in bridal preparation, intentionally and deliberately. And having done that, to contend earnestly for the fullness God has for us!

"Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints." (Jude 1:3)

Heart Connect... Heart Ablaze...

I asked my friend..."are you hot for Jesus?" (Rev. 3:15-16)

He replied..."no, I'm not...I'm lukewarm..."

Then I asked, "so... what are you going to do about it?"

He replied tongue-in-cheek..."date a girlfriend who is passionate for Jesus!"

=_= To which I replied tongue-in-cheek, "then you got to change your girlfriend!"

--------------

Well, the morale of the story is not about changing your girlfriend or boyfriend... nor is it about hanging around people who are passionate for Jesus in the hope that we can be passionate for Jesus too...

Think about it... if we always have a heart connect with someOne within us who is hot, how can we not be hot too? If we have someOne who is burning inside of us, the key is not to look at things or people outside to just ignite the fire, but to seek to add 'fuel' (through reading of the word, meditation / prayer, fellowship with the Holy Spirit etc) to keep that flame burning within us, inside-out..

Not just ignite... but keep the fire burning...

True that people can inspire us, but it can't last us very long. Nothing can replace our own searching out and journey with God. Besides, conviction's gotta come from our innermost being, not just because 'someone said so..'. If we have conviction, even when no one is looking, or doing it, we will still do it. If we do or believe something because of what someone else said, when the person cease to exist or imperfection sets in (people or relationship changes..), we will lose heart.

A mother asked her five-year-old boy.... "How do you keep the fire burning?"...He replied swiftly, "Throw in fresh logs." (Lev. 6:10-13)

Daily... removing the ashes.. things that hinder the fire from burning... and adding in fresh logs... to keep the fire burning...Perhaps some of us have ashes to remove, so that our fire can burn brighter... Perhaps some of us gotta throw in fresh logs to keep the fire burning...

What diminishes love? Trash them.... even valid as they are... what enhances love for God and people? Cultivate them...

Jesus' eyes are blazing when He looks at us because His heart is passionate for us...  (Dan. 10:6; Rev. 1:14; 19:12)... if we are near Him, and have a heart-connect with Him...how can we not be passionate for Him?


p/s: Thank you my dear friend... a mirror for my soul, a stabiliser in times of storm...you have spurred me on in Christ!!

Beyond the manifestation

About fifteen years ago, I was in an overnight prayer meeting. We earnestly gathered to seek His face and hear His voice. Led by the Spirit, we worshipped and prayed....

As we tarried for God's presence to come, He broke in! All across the small room where some thirty people were gathered in prayer and worship, everyone was caught up in the presence of God. No one had to say anything. God came. We knew it. We worshipped. Some broke into tears as God's presence walked in the room... some travailed in prayer in intercession for a burden upon their hearts... some laid slain in the spirit while others were worshipping God with hands wide open.

What a sight...What an experience...

Then a still small voice spoke in my heart... "after this, then what?" It was a sincere question, not a sceptical one. I had a stirring in my heart... by God's grace, I saw in the spirit that some were touched by the Lord but they 'had issues'... while some others had the God-encounter but did not understand or had the maturity to process "so what happened?" and thus "so what can I do in response to God's touch?"

I remembered asking my pastor... that move of God, genuine as it is, how does it bear fruit in us, unless we 'sustain this encounter' in our walk with Him? Perhaps some may need further ministry as God reveals an aspect of their lives that He wants to work through them. Perhaps some need a godly counsel as to what God is doing and saying in their lives through the encounter. Yet some others needed a spiritual deliverance. Of course, for some, it was a timely refreshing deep within as they continue in their journey with God. If there was no 'follow-through' after this encounter, the manifestation of God, genuine as it is, will not bear fruit at all. In fact some may interpret it as a 'top-up' kind of stuff and go from place to place to get 'topped up in the spirit'. How wrong can we get!

That encounter left me wanting... wanting more of God's presence - for He is real and wants to touch us!... wanting more understanding in how to build up the body of Christ (including myself) in receiving His presence, sustaining the presence of God in our lives and releasing it as God directs our hearts in love...

Quoting from an article on 'How to discern the moves of God', I learnt what God does when He moves in power:

Generally, the Holy Spirit has 3 purposes when He releases and heightens His activity:

1. He manifests His power to those needing salvation, healing or renewal. (e.g. Toronto Blessings)

2. He imparts His truth or wisdom. In every move of God there are particular facets of truth that He wants the larger Body to receive.

3. He wants to establish godliness and holiness. (e.g. humility or love)

It is the intention of God to allow all involved with His move to be humbled and sometimes even humiliated....  People have unnecessary pain and disillusionment in the wake of a revival because they thought that revival was mostly about enjoying God’s power instead of learning wisdom and growing in humility.

Fifteen years later... I say... good for you if you had a manifestation... as a loving sister-in-Christ, if I still hear you wowing about the physical experience after a few weeks, I'll give you a loving tap on your shoulder and say... let's go beyond the manifestation... do not be caught up with it, exciting as it may be... may our greatest and most magnificent obsession be... Jesus Christ our Lord! p/s: not just a slogan, but truly walking out in loving Him with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength...over years, over decades... Give us grace, Lord, as we set our hearts on loving You wholeheartedly!

If... (We want to love You)

[God reminded and strengthened me through His word in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3...

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, 
but have not love, 
I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.  

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, 
but have not love, 
I am nothing.  

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, 
but have not love, 
it profits me nothing." 

We may have many talents, hear God's voice clearly with accuracy, do many things in serving God and yet not know that our hearts could be distracted or we have subconsciously 'moved away' from God... Many a time, doing the needful or the routine, good as it is, if we do not check our heart in the Lord and be open and teachable, it may give us a false impression that we are 'still ok' in our walk with God. God once again strengthened my heart... in knowing that it profits me, my heart, nothing... yes nothing (how can it be?)...yes nothing (really?)....yes nothing (oh it hurts)... if all that I do... sing, pray, minister, serve..., I do not have love in my heart.... love of God in my heart, love for others in my heart....

O God, I turn to You...I want to have love in my heart (Pour out Your love as spoken in Your word in Romans 5:5!), I want to love You more, just as the Father loved Jesus (Jesus prayed this for us in John 17:26!), I want to grow in my love for You (empower me!)... 

I want to feel the movements of Your heart.... I want to move Your heart... with my songs, with my prayers...with my all...


If.... (We want to love You)

If ...we play a song to You
But have not love (in our hearts)
We become a sounding brass
We become a clashing symbol

If ...we say a prayer to You
But have not love (in our hearts)
It would profit us nothing
It would profit us nothing

O... We want to love You (with all our heart)
We want to grow in our love for You

Lover of our soul
Keeper of our hearts
Enlarge our hearts
Come fill us with Your love

That we may love You (more and more)
That we may move Your heart (with our song)

That we may love You (more and more)
That we may move Your heart (with our prayers)


Mark 12:30 "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment."

One Thing (is needed)

[Hmmm... it's amazing the number of songs that came out of the House of Prayer that speaks of Psalm 27:4... Truly our DNA - to be the people of one thing... so few lines but so many ways of singing this to God... Praise Him!]

One Thing is needed

This is what I’ll seek

One Thing is needed

I wana dwell in Your Presence

One Thing is needed

This is what I desire

To gaze at Your beauty

Inquire of You, My Lord

To stand, burn and minister, all my days

To stand, burn and minister, hearing Your voice