Ahh… finally found this article. Reproduced from the good old TOUCH NUS Connexion, a quarterly production by TOUCH NUS ISN 4/94…. Gee… more than 10 years ago!! But the message still resonates in my heart, and I hope yours too… It’s written by a dear brother-in-Christ, whom I had a pact with - to continue to spur one another in Christ (includes knocking the head, slapping the shoulder etc) if either of us dare stray off from God, whom we dearly love and serve with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. We all have a debt to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ… a debt to continue to love one another… don’t we? Rom13:8
Reflections & Projections
It is the time of the year again when the world talks (and jokes) about making (and inevitably breaking) New Year resolutions… For us, however, it must necessarily be different. As God’s chosen people, beloved children and soldiers of His mighty army called to serve Him alone, I believe that each New Year is an important landmark for look back (in evaluation and thanksgiving) as well as forward (in terms of vision, goals and plans).
When the nation of Israel was poised to enter the Promised Land after 40 years of wandering, Moses’ injunction to them not to forget the Lord (in Deu 8) included the important command to remember (v2, 11) all that God has done, and to hope in anticipation of the land promised to their forefathers (v1, 7-9). It was Israel’s failure to obey that led to her sin and suffering. Indeed, a clear command to ‘watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live’ is recorded in Deu 4:9.
I believe nothing streamlines our walk as much as knowing where we came from and where we are going. It is in remembrance and thanksgiving that faith arises ( 1Sam 12:24 – ‘Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all of your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.’) And with rising faith and commitment, we face the challenges of the new year ahead – things that our Father will bring into our lives to teach and mold us, and promises to be fulfilled.
It is important to note that the difference between this and a ‘New Year Resolution’ is that – we are not our own! It is our dear Master and Commander who sits with us both in planning and execution. And He says, “My word that goes out of My mouth (to you)… will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purposes for which I sent it.” Isa55:11
Let us at the beginning and end of this year, and every year of our lives, be able to say with Paul:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it for a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” 1Cor 9:24-27
Guidelines for Reflection and Projection
- Find a quiet place and set aside at least an hour or two. Bring along a notebook!
- Ask God to bring you back through the past year (like a motion picture!) – its significant events and lessons learnt / thanksgiving items (you’ll be surprised how much the Spirit helps you to remember!)
- Prayfully ask – and listen – for God’s direction and vision for you in the new year.
SUGGESTIONS for Areas of Life to Consider
* Reflection * – significant events of the past year; new experiences; special areas of growth; other blessings and victories etc
* Projection * – Personal life: areas that God wants to deal with; level of walk / personal devotion / area of service. Ministry: new areas; visions; goals for the new year.
General (The Whole Person)- evaluation and goal setting in the areas of : Spiritual, Social, Physical, Mental, Emotional and Career.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Friday, December 30, 2005
Pain pain go away...
Halo God.. it's me.. again. Yes... you remembered correctly. I was the one who came to you, yesterday, and... the day before yesterday. Yes, it's about the pain again. I'm asking you again to take it away. Would you hurry please Lord...
What do you mean how long it has been there. If I can remember, since the beginning of time!! Alright, I'm exaggerating.. but you surely KNOW what I mean. This PAIN hurts, this PAIN weakens me, and oh my, this PAIN is so much in the way and the PAIN... hmm...erm.. I see that I'm full of the PAIN and focusing on just the PAIN. But God...
Oh God you are beginning to speak, yes, yes, over here, this pain... but soon as you speak, my garfield eyelids covered half of my eyes... you mean you are not REMOVING my pain?!?
2Cor 12:9a And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
I was about to protest vehemently, but something welled up inside me. Could it.. could it be the grace so amazing that warmed my heart. Wait, the pain.. it's still there.. but somehow it doesn't seem to matter THAT much anymore. And instead of getting so 'full of the pain', I seem so drawn into knowing the grace of God, and my, it's sufficient for me. That's all he said, and that's all I need to know...
So on and on I lay hold of the thought about his grace...about his strength made perfect in weakness. I lay hold of it because there is something I received that I could not fully grasp with my carnal mind. Oh God, speak through my thick skull I pray!!
And the next moment, I found myself proclaiming things I have not heard of from myself... I cried out.. "most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Cor 12:9b-10
I could almost sing a song... not about the pain, but about the grace that is sufficient, and the power of Christ that rest upon me, making me strong in every way.
~ He is my everything, He is my all. He is my everything, both great and small. He gave His life for me, made everything new! He is my everything, now how about you? ~
Psalm 34:8 ~ Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
What do you mean how long it has been there. If I can remember, since the beginning of time!! Alright, I'm exaggerating.. but you surely KNOW what I mean. This PAIN hurts, this PAIN weakens me, and oh my, this PAIN is so much in the way and the PAIN... hmm...erm.. I see that I'm full of the PAIN and focusing on just the PAIN. But God...
Oh God you are beginning to speak, yes, yes, over here, this pain... but soon as you speak, my garfield eyelids covered half of my eyes... you mean you are not REMOVING my pain?!?
2Cor 12:9a And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
I was about to protest vehemently, but something welled up inside me. Could it.. could it be the grace so amazing that warmed my heart. Wait, the pain.. it's still there.. but somehow it doesn't seem to matter THAT much anymore. And instead of getting so 'full of the pain', I seem so drawn into knowing the grace of God, and my, it's sufficient for me. That's all he said, and that's all I need to know...
So on and on I lay hold of the thought about his grace...about his strength made perfect in weakness. I lay hold of it because there is something I received that I could not fully grasp with my carnal mind. Oh God, speak through my thick skull I pray!!
And the next moment, I found myself proclaiming things I have not heard of from myself... I cried out.. "most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Cor 12:9b-10
I could almost sing a song... not about the pain, but about the grace that is sufficient, and the power of Christ that rest upon me, making me strong in every way.
~ He is my everything, He is my all. He is my everything, both great and small. He gave His life for me, made everything new! He is my everything, now how about you? ~
Psalm 34:8 ~ Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Knowing God through the Book of Haggai
The Book of Haggai
(Haggai: rebuild the House; Ezra: restore the Law; Nehemiah: rebuild the wall)
WHAT
Background: Ezra 1:1 -4:5; 4:24-6:22
Work had started on the temple on the issue of Cyrus' edict, in 537. However, the work lapsed in the face of the opposition of the mixed peoples who had remained in the land during the long captivity, and who feared the restoration of Jewish power.
Cyrus had died in battle in 530, and the armies of his tyrannical son Cambyses had marched through the land on their way to subdue Egypt . They would have laid tribute on its produce as they went, impoverishing its inhabitants yet further.
In 522, Cambyses himself died, and an ambitious but nobler man, Darius, an officer of his armies and himself of royal stock, seized power. It is at the beginning of his reign that Haggai prophesies. Ezr4:5; 4:24-5:2; 6:14
WHO - The Main Characters
* Haggai – Prophet
* King Darius
* Zerubbabel – Governer of Judah
* Joshua – High Priest
HOW to use the book to know God more / grow as a believer
Personal: Consider our ways and return to putting God first. Trust in God's provision for our lives even as we do His work and put him first. (Hag 2:8 don't worry about finance)
Corporate: Pray for the word of the Lord to come. Stir up the hearts of the believers (the Anna's, Mary's, songbirds, musicians, helpers etc) to come and build the House.
- The word of the Lord came (6 times)
- Thus says the Lord of Host (13 times)
- Says the Lord (6 times)
- Consider your ways (5 times)
WHY - Purpose of the Book
4 Prophetic Messages
- Call to build the House (Hag 1)
- Encourage the people to build the house through the prophet Haggai (Hag 2:1-9) -> be strong
- Blessings of obedience (Hag 2:10-19; 15-17)
- Assurance to Zerubbabel (Hag 2: 20-23) -> God's encouragement to the leader
(Haggai: rebuild the House; Ezra: restore the Law; Nehemiah: rebuild the wall)
WHAT
Background: Ezra 1:1 -4:5; 4:24-6:22
Work had started on the temple on the issue of Cyrus' edict, in 537. However, the work lapsed in the face of the opposition of the mixed peoples who had remained in the land during the long captivity, and who feared the restoration of Jewish power.
Cyrus had died in battle in 530, and the armies of his tyrannical son Cambyses had marched through the land on their way to subdue Egypt . They would have laid tribute on its produce as they went, impoverishing its inhabitants yet further.
In 522, Cambyses himself died, and an ambitious but nobler man, Darius, an officer of his armies and himself of royal stock, seized power. It is at the beginning of his reign that Haggai prophesies. Ezr4:5; 4:24-5:2; 6:14
WHO - The Main Characters
* Haggai – Prophet
* King Darius
* Zerubbabel – Governer of Judah
* Joshua – High Priest
HOW to use the book to know God more / grow as a believer
Personal: Consider our ways and return to putting God first. Trust in God's provision for our lives even as we do His work and put him first. (Hag 2:8 don't worry about finance)
Corporate: Pray for the word of the Lord to come. Stir up the hearts of the believers (the Anna's, Mary's, songbirds, musicians, helpers etc) to come and build the House.
- The word of the Lord came (6 times)
- Thus says the Lord of Host (13 times)
- Says the Lord (6 times)
- Consider your ways (5 times)
WHY - Purpose of the Book
4 Prophetic Messages
- Call to build the House (Hag 1)
- Encourage the people to build the house through the prophet Haggai (Hag 2:1-9) -> be strong
- Blessings of obedience (Hag 2:10-19; 15-17)
- Assurance to Zerubbabel (Hag 2: 20-23) -> God's encouragement to the leader
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
A Lifestyle of Worship, Reading the Word & Living as a People of One Thing
There is something to learn from the patriarchs of old.
They build altars.
They pitch tents.
They dig wells.
Genesis 26:25
So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.
Altars of Worship
Noah sure had the adventure of his life. Swung around the flood, he was in the ark for numerous wandering days. I wondered how he survived all that smell of the creatures great and small. Anyway, he was in step with God's great plan, and I'm quite sure God took care of that, and many other issues. Very sure. Besides, our God who is so detailed in giving Noah the specific measurements of the ark, will surely note and provide what Noah needed to survive the flood.
Come on Noah. The ark is not moving anymore. It's on dry ground. Even the dove told you so with proof on its beak. Move it. Don't waste time. Oh, I see that you were waiting for God to speak before you make the next step. My sincerest apologies. Now I know why I often go ahead of God, and get frustrated. I learnt something here. Thanks Mr Noah.
So step by step, all went out of the ark, into the dry land. And as if he has been planning that for the longest time, Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. Gen2:20.
And it was so with Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua... They all built altars. Altars of the expression of worship unto the Lord. And there at the altar, setting apart what was holy. Whenever we now come before God in worship, we remember the greatest perfect sacrifice on the cross, and say He is worthy!
Pitching Tents...
What's the fad with tents? Aren't they temporary, and not to mention not here to stay for long? I mean, how can you count on tents to cover your head, especially in moments of storms? And, how does it feel like going home to a....'tent'? Surely not!
Bingo! Right on spot. I just answered the question with my questions.. so much for thinking my thoughts aloud.
Hebrews 11:13-16
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them,embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
Paradigm shift. I've got some re-thinking to do. Set priorities and re-align my life. Am I a pilgrim (TR: Temporary Resident) or PR (PR: Permanent Resident) of this earth? Tents would do. Whatever's over my head, it's temporary. Besides, it helps to have little to give up and pack / unpack along the way. When storms come, we hide under the shadow of the Almighty. He is our ultimate refuge and strong tower. Paradigm shifted, and much re-alignment in the process.. Thank God He helps the faint but sincere hearted ones. We stumble and fall, we get forgetful and go off-track, but God is the strength of our heart and portion forevermore...
No wonder God is not ashamed to be called their God. He has even prepared a city for them. To reign and rule and be with Christ is the greatest hour they longed and lived for. Putting up with the discomfort of tents is really nothing compared to what they will receive in the days to come.
I long to join them... I want to join them. I must join them!
Dig Wells
DW101.
Step one: Identify location.
Step Two: Pick up tools.
Step Three: Dig it in, dig it deep, till fresh water gushes out.
That should be it. And keep at it. From truth (reading of the word) to revelation (discovery of truths that speaks to the heart, development of conviction) to history (my journey with God) to testimony (share the word / history with impact).
Dig the word. Stay focused. Let the word marinate your heart as you meditate on the truths. Use the word as your prayer language. May we find delight as the word of God comes forth to us, and swiftly.
So in the new year ahead, may we grow deeper in cultivating a lifestyle of Worship, Reading God's word and Living as a People of One Thing. And what's on the altar got to be holy. They call it set apart. In Romans 12:1-2, we are exhorted to set apart our lives as a spiritual act of worship, constantly renewing our mind with the truths of God.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
They build altars.
They pitch tents.
They dig wells.
Genesis 26:25
So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.
Altars of Worship
Noah sure had the adventure of his life. Swung around the flood, he was in the ark for numerous wandering days. I wondered how he survived all that smell of the creatures great and small. Anyway, he was in step with God's great plan, and I'm quite sure God took care of that, and many other issues. Very sure. Besides, our God who is so detailed in giving Noah the specific measurements of the ark, will surely note and provide what Noah needed to survive the flood.
Come on Noah. The ark is not moving anymore. It's on dry ground. Even the dove told you so with proof on its beak. Move it. Don't waste time. Oh, I see that you were waiting for God to speak before you make the next step. My sincerest apologies. Now I know why I often go ahead of God, and get frustrated. I learnt something here. Thanks Mr Noah.
So step by step, all went out of the ark, into the dry land. And as if he has been planning that for the longest time, Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. Gen2:20.
And it was so with Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua... They all built altars. Altars of the expression of worship unto the Lord. And there at the altar, setting apart what was holy. Whenever we now come before God in worship, we remember the greatest perfect sacrifice on the cross, and say He is worthy!
Pitching Tents...
What's the fad with tents? Aren't they temporary, and not to mention not here to stay for long? I mean, how can you count on tents to cover your head, especially in moments of storms? And, how does it feel like going home to a....'tent'? Surely not!
Bingo! Right on spot. I just answered the question with my questions.. so much for thinking my thoughts aloud.
Hebrews 11:13-16
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them,embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
Paradigm shift. I've got some re-thinking to do. Set priorities and re-align my life. Am I a pilgrim (TR: Temporary Resident) or PR (PR: Permanent Resident) of this earth? Tents would do. Whatever's over my head, it's temporary. Besides, it helps to have little to give up and pack / unpack along the way. When storms come, we hide under the shadow of the Almighty. He is our ultimate refuge and strong tower. Paradigm shifted, and much re-alignment in the process.. Thank God He helps the faint but sincere hearted ones. We stumble and fall, we get forgetful and go off-track, but God is the strength of our heart and portion forevermore...
No wonder God is not ashamed to be called their God. He has even prepared a city for them. To reign and rule and be with Christ is the greatest hour they longed and lived for. Putting up with the discomfort of tents is really nothing compared to what they will receive in the days to come.
I long to join them... I want to join them. I must join them!
Dig Wells
DW101.
Step one: Identify location.
Step Two: Pick up tools.
Step Three: Dig it in, dig it deep, till fresh water gushes out.
That should be it. And keep at it. From truth (reading of the word) to revelation (discovery of truths that speaks to the heart, development of conviction) to history (my journey with God) to testimony (share the word / history with impact).
Dig the word. Stay focused. Let the word marinate your heart as you meditate on the truths. Use the word as your prayer language. May we find delight as the word of God comes forth to us, and swiftly.
So in the new year ahead, may we grow deeper in cultivating a lifestyle of Worship, Reading God's word and Living as a People of One Thing. And what's on the altar got to be holy. They call it set apart. In Romans 12:1-2, we are exhorted to set apart our lives as a spiritual act of worship, constantly renewing our mind with the truths of God.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
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