"so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11
Indeed, God's word never reuturns to Him void. I was just listenning to the audio reading of Matthew 5-7 along my way to NUS and th Lord spoke so powerfully to me on 2 important lessons, faith and humility.
Humility:
Mat 6:1 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' in front of others, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Mat 6:5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
Mat 6:16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
Mat 6: 19 - 21 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. So often, when I honestly reflect upon my actions, they were meant to be a display to the people around me. "To be blameless before God and Man" I rmb...But pleasing , getting attension and receiving praises becomes the main motivation to do "good". Pleasing God became secondary, but pleasing an first. Ah, and to think I always rmb the verse Col 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The treasures stored in heaven are too difficut to be seen, it's easier to see the rewards on earth. And anyway, that's not too un-biblical, to see the smiling faces of people's approval and to hear the sweet praises. But that is not where the treasures should be stored. For my heart should be on what pleases the Lord, and not Man. My heart should be on that which is eternal and not that which will be destroyed.
Oh Lord, help me be humble.
Faith:
Mat 8:1-3 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.
Mat 8:13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.
Mat 8:26 He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?"
Mat 9:22 Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.
Mat 9:29-30 Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith let it be done to you"; and their sight was restored.
A mixture of the faithful and the faithless. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Heb 11:1). Our faith lies in the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He can save and He can heal, that He has authority over all heaven and earth, that He is the Son of Man. Faith can move the mountains, faith can do the impossible, not by our own efforts but by His grace!
Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.
As log as we come before God in faith and humilty, He is willing to save us. Why hold back away from Him? Why rely on our own strengths which is limited How long will we be like the faithless? God is calling me to have faith, take courage and fight the war for Him!!! For He has already won the victory and I'm just claiming the harvest for Him.
Praise be to God!!!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The race begins!!!
Ah, M5 finally begins...My heart is filled with fear and excitement.
Fear: for the many things that I'm expected to be good but still very lousy eg presenting history, p/e; for the heap of knowledge/skills I have to know well before graduating; for the know hecticness and stress that is to come, and how I will cope.
But last week's sermon by Rev Ee was a great encouragement. On Gideon's faith in God and humilty to obey which helped him overcome his fears. God puts us thru tests/trials/challenges/failures so that we will be refined by them and become more and more in His image. The more we fear (and thus run away), the more God will put us in that situation, just as He did with Jonah. So since God has brought me on this journey, there is no escape. I'll face the fears, with God's grace.
Father Lord, I do not pray for an easy going year ahead, but rather, a year of good training/discipline and learning. Father, I know things will get tough and will only get tougher, Lord I pray that you increase my faith in You, to rely on Your strength and not mine. Father, teach me to always be humble, to trust and obey, to learn from others. In times of despair, Lord, send forth comfort and strength. I'm Yours, use me.
Fear: for the many things that I'm expected to be good but still very lousy eg presenting history, p/e; for the heap of knowledge/skills I have to know well before graduating; for the know hecticness and stress that is to come, and how I will cope.
But last week's sermon by Rev Ee was a great encouragement. On Gideon's faith in God and humilty to obey which helped him overcome his fears. God puts us thru tests/trials/challenges/failures so that we will be refined by them and become more and more in His image. The more we fear (and thus run away), the more God will put us in that situation, just as He did with Jonah. So since God has brought me on this journey, there is no escape. I'll face the fears, with God's grace.
Father Lord, I do not pray for an easy going year ahead, but rather, a year of good training/discipline and learning. Father, I know things will get tough and will only get tougher, Lord I pray that you increase my faith in You, to rely on Your strength and not mine. Father, teach me to always be humble, to trust and obey, to learn from others. In times of despair, Lord, send forth comfort and strength. I'm Yours, use me.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Life is like cycling
Ah, ever since my first fateful lesson in cycling, I've realised the parallels between cycling and life:
1) The cornerstone of cycling is to balance...It too is the hardest step :( Life too is all about living in the balance. Be it our diet, our attitudes in work, relationships...it's all about finding the balance.
2) In cycling straight, you have to be in constant adjustment, making micro left/right turns. So is it with life. While we travel a straight path towards our goals in life, there is no simple and straight road. We often fall to the left and right, and to travel in a straight line requires us to be constantly aware of ourselves and make the micro changes.
3) The art of cycling through obstacles is to look far ahead. Many times, when I look at the nearing obstacles (eg road blocks, cars, pillars of narrow walkways), the chances of me hitting them is so much higher than if I just focused straight ahead eg the person in front of me. This is so in life. If we look at the obstacles at hand, we would often tremble in fear and thus not pass it. But if we looked ahead, focusing on our ultimate goal, we would move straight on...For me, I focus on God!!!
4) As I cycle, I pray all the time!!! This is so with life...PRAY!!!
Thanks guys for the great night cycling experience. Won't have been able to do it without you guys. Thanks for the patience, support and encouragement.
1) The cornerstone of cycling is to balance...It too is the hardest step :( Life too is all about living in the balance. Be it our diet, our attitudes in work, relationships...it's all about finding the balance.
2) In cycling straight, you have to be in constant adjustment, making micro left/right turns. So is it with life. While we travel a straight path towards our goals in life, there is no simple and straight road. We often fall to the left and right, and to travel in a straight line requires us to be constantly aware of ourselves and make the micro changes.
3) The art of cycling through obstacles is to look far ahead. Many times, when I look at the nearing obstacles (eg road blocks, cars, pillars of narrow walkways), the chances of me hitting them is so much higher than if I just focused straight ahead eg the person in front of me. This is so in life. If we look at the obstacles at hand, we would often tremble in fear and thus not pass it. But if we looked ahead, focusing on our ultimate goal, we would move straight on...For me, I focus on God!!!
4) As I cycle, I pray all the time!!! This is so with life...PRAY!!!
Thanks guys for the great night cycling experience. Won't have been able to do it without you guys. Thanks for the patience, support and encouragement.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Discipline...begins today!!
Dear Lord,
As a hectic year begins, at the starting point of this final lap, I want to commit myself into Your hands before I get washed away by the storm or get stuck in the sinking sand.
A Christian senior doc (when sharing about HO life) once reminded me that we should start doing what we want ourselves to be, and not wait till we are caught in the busyness of things. And so Father, I want to commit myself to the following things, to actively and intentionally set aside the time to work on them:
1) Prayer ---A constant reliance on Your strength, a constant reminder of Your providance.
2) Excercise --- To keep this temple healthy so that I may serve others.
3) Sleep --- To maintain a proper sleep cycle, best sleep before 12am.
4) Family --- To spend time, even if short, with the precious gift You have given.
Oh Lord, help me keep these commitments to You. To start during this 2 week "self-study". Amen.
As a hectic year begins, at the starting point of this final lap, I want to commit myself into Your hands before I get washed away by the storm or get stuck in the sinking sand.
A Christian senior doc (when sharing about HO life) once reminded me that we should start doing what we want ourselves to be, and not wait till we are caught in the busyness of things. And so Father, I want to commit myself to the following things, to actively and intentionally set aside the time to work on them:
1) Prayer ---A constant reliance on Your strength, a constant reminder of Your providance.
2) Excercise --- To keep this temple healthy so that I may serve others.
3) Sleep --- To maintain a proper sleep cycle, best sleep before 12am.
4) Family --- To spend time, even if short, with the precious gift You have given.
Oh Lord, help me keep these commitments to You. To start during this 2 week "self-study". Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)