Day 3: Recognizing Jesus, the Eternal Word

In John 1, we see that Jesus is the eternal Word, and in him was the light of men which shines in the darkness. Although the world was made through him, many does not recognize/ accept him. But for all who does receive him, we are now the children of God through Jesus.

While Moses brought us the Law, Jesus brought us grace and truth. And it is only through Jesus that we can come near to God, to see the riches and blessings that God can provide in our lives. Because it is only through Jesus, the Lamb of God, that our sins can be taken away.

I am blessed

I woke up from a mini nightmare of sorts today – I was there in a hospital and my teeth and gums were hurting, pressing very hardly against my jaws such that they were bleeding and uncomfortable. The pain felt real. Even the message from the nurse / nun to me: that this illness was a curse from someone. My mind raced through the thousands of people whom I met and indeed it could have been anyone? Anyone who have felt I was arrogant. Or lazy. Or selfish. Or greedy. She prayed over me and sent me off (i.e. Back to reality) with this message. That I am blessed now. I am ok now. My teeth and gums will hurt no longer and I am healed.

and indeed I am blessed. really. I have a great family. Many friends. A good job lined up for me with a great pay. I get to go to one of the best churches in Singapore. I an free of any major illness. I look good. I have an awesome girlfriend who really cares for me and with whom I see a future with. I have had a great education. With great results from my pri to sec to Jc to uni. I have intelligence. I survived army and survived it well. All is good, and its all because of you Lord. Thank you!!!!

Making Moses the Man (Exodus 4-6)

I think God is truly amazing in the ways He will use his people. In here, we see how Moses is given the job of his life, to lead the Israelites whom the Pharaoh has enslaved out of slavery. But Moses, like all/most of us, is not confident of his own abilities and begs God to give this large task to another person.

But God is good. He does not give up on us, despite our incapabilities, disabilities, even our unwillingness to do the job! He gives Moses miraculous powers – to change a snake to a staff and vice versa, to change a leprous hand back to normal, and to change water from the Nile to blood on the ground. Even with all these powers, Moses begs him to choose another because he cannot speak well, and God gave him his own brother Aaron as his spokesperson/ assistant.

An important lesson to learn is to Just do what God tells us to do, even if it seems stupid or impossible by our human understanding and logic. Moses’ own people disapproves of him because of the extra work they have to do for the Pharaoh, but God tells Moses to go speak to Pharaoh still. Moses is bewildered by this request, because naturally he thinks that Pharaoh will not listen to him if his own people do not care about him. But really, God works in supernatural ways. Amen!

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I want to thank God for Nigel’s birth today – thank you for giving me this great friend who has stuck with me through thick and thin. I want to lift him up today, oh Lord. Please take good care of his life, his family, his wife-to-be. Pray that he will not take the great things around him for granted, but to accept that it has truly come from you. Pray that he will continue taking good care of his family and his own life, so that he will not be far from you.

I also want to pray myself today – that I will be productive in my work. That I will not be distracted by the things around me, but to work hard and finish the work I have to do so that I can really set aside my time and fully celebrate Nigel’s birthday tonight. I pray that it will be a great time of fellowship and joy – seeing him for the first time in months (yet it seems as though he has never left) – that he will be truly happy today and for the days to come.

Thank you Lord for always listening to me, and hearing my thoughts and fears and hopes for the future. For always standing by me. Amen!

A new year ahead

Thank you heavenly God for this beautiful Wednesday morning. A free day away from school so that I can be closer to you. A day to refresh my energies and focus on what is important to me. A day to have a longer QT, to renew my relationship with you, as I continue to seek your face.

I want to thank you God for this new year ahead. Thank you  for the healthy lifestyle I will be undertaking. The routine of: Waking up early, doing sit-ups, praying in the shower, doing QT, reading the papers while having breakfast, before I head out into the world to do my stuff, fully charged up with the strength that only you can provide.

I want to thank you God for this new cell group of mine  - Isabel, Daniel, Cara, Charmaine, Shaun and Shermaine. I want to pray that we will continue to have a vibrant atmosphere among us, that we will continue to stay close and united, just like our former cell. And to this end, I pray that you will help me open up myself a lot more, so that others are willing to open up as well.

I also pray for this new year ahead, that I will continue to love the people around me. To continue strengthening and maintaining the relationships I have with my family and friends, as I continue to be a good testimony for you, so that I can reveal your face through me. I pray that as Uni ends, and work begins, that I will continue to stay in close contact with my Uni friends and that I will be able to make good good friends with the people from Goldman Sachs. Cultivating a good relationship with my bosses, my mentor, my colleagues.

I want to pray especially for my time in Goldman Sachs really. I pray that I will be able to fit in well with their culture. That I will not be consumed by it, but instead be able to stay close to you in that environment. And even transforming the people there so that they will even begin to see your face. And know what a good God you are. I pray that I will be able to find favor with my colleagues and my bosses, that I will be able to outstanding in my job responsibilities. I thank you Lord that you have promised that I will be the head and not the tail, that you have plans to prosper and not to harm me.

I want to pray that all the background checks and administrative work will go well without any major problems. That there will be no hiccups and that I will be successfully employed as a proud member of GS group.

Lastly I want to pray for my family as my brother looks ahead to his marriage and considers a suitable home even before he gets his Dawson flat. I pray that there will be a wise and peaceful conclusion to this little situation, and that we will eventually reach a decision that will be favorable to all parties, such that we will all be happy and stay united.

Blessed to be a blessing

Matthew 14: 14-21 blessed to be a blessing

Jesus broke 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes and gave them to the people to eat , and there were more than enough for everyone.

This is what God will do in our lives – multiplied blessings, beyond comprehension and explanation.

6ps + 4 blessings

national blessing, Reputational, personal, carriers of blessing

1. Present ourselves to Jesus – give Him what little we have
Just like the people had to give the 5 loaves and 2 fishes, we have to give our own talents, time, treasures (finances) and testimony (share our story) to the Lord for Jesus to multiply these gifts.

2. Prayer of faith – thank God for what we have
Jesus gave thanks for the 5 loaves and 2 fish BEFORE the miracle happened. have faith that God will provide and it shall be given to you.
instead of praying for God to give you something, pray and thank Him for what he has given and what he will give you.

3. Broken for multiplication
Jesus broke the bread after giving thanks. Similarly, God will sometimes break us and provide trials for us to become stronger and have greater faith, before we are able to do his work. This can be painful or cause inconvenience, but believe that blessings will overflow, and that we can be a blessing to others.

While salvation is free, discipleship cause us something.

Leaders training
- Person – am I more like Christ?
- Perspective – how I see the world
- Practice – how should we live our life
- Partnership – how do I build through kingdom of God

4. Pass it on

Cultivating a thankful heart

1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing, give thanks for this is the will of God.

All things work out good for those who believe in God! Do not just thank him for the good things but for circumstances that are not going well too. Believe that things will eventually turn out well.

Have the right attitude for life – “Do not blame God for creating the tiger, but thank him for not creating the tiger with wings.” It is this attitude that determines whether your workplace becomes a beautiful place or a prison. Change our heart from one that is always grumbling to one that is filled of gratitude.

Never take God and the kindness of people around us for granted.

Keep a journal of all the good things that have been done to you by God. Share these good things as a form of testimony to your friends.

HSBC

thank you Lord for what you have done in my life so far. I want to thank you for giving me the continuing faith to believe not in myself, but to put my trust in you Lord. “When I am weak, You are strong” and Indeed!

Truly it has been an amazing journey so far. I know that I have not done well in the last round of the Group case – I have not taken the lead as I have planned to, I ignored my turn to speak because I can’t even wrap my head round the case much less know which 2 projects to undertake, I interrupted Leslie and disagreed with him strongly and got it all wrong, I stuttered when it was my turn to present …. and so much more.

But in the end, thanks to you Lord, it is not by my strength but yours, that I am able to make it pass this round. Only you can make me cry tears of joy, as I lay on my bed, reading the email that they sent.

This is one incident that I can truly and proudly say that it is not by own strengths or understanding that I have done something. Glory all goes to you Lord. For you have made the impossible possible. Love you!

Seeds and Faith (Daily bread Nov 4 2009)

I read a fable about a man who was browsing in a store when he made the shocking discovery that God was behind a sales counter. So the man walked over and asked, “What are You selling?” God replied, “What does your heart desire?” The man said, “I want happiness, peace of mind, and freedom from fear . . . for me and the whole world.” God smiled and said, “I don’t sell fruit here. Only seeds.”

In Galatians 6, Paul stressed the importance of sowing seeds of God-honoring behavior, for “whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (v.7). We can’t expect to experience the fruit of God’s blessings if we don’t recognize the importance of doing our part.

It helps to follow the example of others who have sown good seed. Author Samuel Shoemaker said that a good example can either inspire us or cause us to say, “Oh yes, he (or she) is like that. He is not troubled by temper or nerves or impatience or worry as I am; he is just a happier temperament.” Shoemaker continued, “It may not occur to us that perhaps he had to fight for his serenity, and that we might win if we would do the same.”

Are you weary of the way you are? Ask God for His help and begin sowing seeds of new actions and responses today. In due season the Spirit will give the increase.  — Joanie Yoder

We’re always sowing seeds in life
By everything we do and say,
So let’s make sure the fruit we reap
Comes from the good we do each day. —Hess

The seeds we sow today determine the kind of fruit we’ll reap tomorrow.

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Dear God,

I thank you for the seeds you have given me to allow me to grow in your name Lord. For the past experiences I have been given, for my failures, for the restoration you have provided, for my family and friends who support me in every step that I take, for a wonderful education and the opportunity to work and learn in established firms.

I thank you for all that you have provided. And today, I declare that I want to sow these seeds, to nurture and to grow them for your glory God. I believe I have been given much, and so I will give much. I want to really use all these talents that I have been given Lord. And I pray for your help and strength in all these. That whenever I feel weak/ lazy/ without self-confidence, that you will remind me that I am indeed a child of God, to whom you have given much. That you have plans only to prosper me. Amen.

Hsbc + IPPT

I want to thank you Lord for bringing me thus far in my application for the management associate programme for Hsbc – for allowing my resume and online application to be noticed by the HR staff, and for the wisdom and calm state of mind you provided during the verbal and numerical reasoning tests. I pray that my will is aligned to yours, and that if this is where you want me to start off my career, that you may continue providing and blessing me in the rounds to follow. I pray God for the ability to impress the interviewers during the interview as well as the assessment centre. For the wisdom and discernment to speak what is right, and ability to make a great impression with the people there.

I would also like to see your intervention and the strength that I can obtain through your grace for my IPPT training that I am going to embark on from tomorrow. It has been a long time since I last ran for a test, but I believe that I can do all things though Christ that strengthens me. Let this be a strong testimony to the people around me that all things are possible through you Lord and that my brother and friends will be motivated to do the same as well. I know that I am not in a physically good state these days, but I believe with all my heart that with you, I would be able to attain something that I could not even get during my Army days.

Lastly, I seek your direction and guidance with my social life, in particular with my SJI friends – people like Ganesh and Andrew who I have known half my life, as well as others who I have gotten to know recently though soccer like Justin. I really dislike the way they speak about me, their insensitivity and lack of common respect. I don’t know whether they actually think before they speak, but am even more disgusted with them if they did indeed thought before they spoke. Forgive me for thinking of them as such, but I sometimes really wonder if I should continue being treated as such. My “closest” friend Ganesh is often the main instigator and it often saddens me so that he is so insensitive esp when we are among other friends. I dislike the way they try to make everything seem like a joke, putting others down for their own enjoyment. I also hate the joy they seek in using vulgarities and swearing as though there is no tomorrow.

It feels as though I am a tipping point now whereby I am seriously considering whether to hang out with them beyond the usual weekend soccer. cos what else do we do anyway? drink, drink and what? Drink, is this the way I want to live my life? Is this the way I want to remember my past when I look back at it in 10 years time? And most importantly, is this a lifestyle that glorifies God?

I know the answer is clear but I try to convince myself otherwise all the time – that this is an activity that brings us together. That forgoing drinking is akin to breaking the friendships I have with them. and yes, sometimes I do wonder whether it is worth it at all to do all these for these disrespectful and insulting people.

It is unfair to both my friends and I if I continue to partake in such unhealthy activities. We smoked, we were unruly, we did illegal activities; and it is foolish to say that we did not influence one another negatively during those times. If I want to be the one that brings about a good change in them for God, I have to be stronger than what I am now in denying to partake in wrong, unhealthy activities just as drinking and gambling. I believe my decision to quit smoking did affect them in one way or another. I remembered Nigel saying he felt inspired to quit, and I believe Ganesh had also been challenged to do the same. Similarly, I must continue to make a strong stand for what is right in the Christ. I do not want to live in regret 40 years down the road as I attend the funeral of a dear friend who has died of lung or liver cancer.

Likewise, I must make a stronger stand in how they speak and treat people.It is not funny at all to make personal attacks or to treat certain groups of people e.g. China nationals, malays as lesser beings. I am disappointed with myself for not condemning Ganesh more for how he threw stones at the cat, for all is disparaging comments he makes about China nationals and Malays. For thinking all chinese have flat noses etc. It is really disgusting now that I really stop and think about it.

I know that I can do much for God to change their ways. but there is always a danger of being consumed in it all as well. I swear more when I am with them, I lose my temper more often, I forget that I am a child of God when they insult me.. and I don’t like it at all.

I pray for the day when I look around and all my friends are all true disciples of God. I pray for the day when we can hang out together and worship, and pray for one another, for really having a good conversation and showing that we do indeed care for one another. I pray for the end of childish insults and disparaging comments. I pray for such a strong focus on you, instead of on how we are viewed in each other’s eyes, the need for affirmation and to prove that we are greater than the other. All these I ask in Jesus’ name.

The vine and the branches (John 15:1-8)

The passage that we explored during my 1st cell meeting at Stone Ave, Bukit Timah.

1. He (Jesus) cuts off every branch (bad things) in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit (good stuff) he prunes, so that it will be even more fruitful.

Jesus is my gardener, and I am his vine! He will take care of me with all his heart, removing any thing bad within me that hinders my growth, and glorifying ALLL that is good with me, making me a better person =)

So, what BAD things have been taken away from me?

• Smoking - After smoking for close to a decade, spending stupid amounts of money, destroying my own health, I really want to thank you Lord for helping me quit!
• Arrogance/Playfulness - I have always thought that academics is not a problem for me, that I need not study that much to do well in exams..how wrong I was… Thank you for showing me that not all is lost, for showing me a new path, and for restoring me to where you want me to be.
• Other delinquent behavior - pills and spills did me no good at all, hanging out at wrong places, thinking it was cool and that i belonged? Thank you for bringing me out of that dark place God.

These branches that bore no fruit, God you have removed every one of them. And i am so so thankful o’ lord. Thank you!!!

And so what GOOD stuff have you pruned, such that it is more fruitful?

• Academic - I want to thank you God for making me an above-average student, with the ability and intelligence needed to do well in my exams. For giving me the resources and the friends to help me in my daily work.. The good environment at home, the loving people around me to support me as I strive to get my grades.. Thank you God!
• Friends and family – I have good communication skills!!! =D I am friendly and I do not turn people off (that much) I hope.. I feel comfortable with most of the people I meet, and this certainly helps in building strong relationships and bonds. Thank you God!
• A good future ahead – Thank you for giving me the security of a job in PwC even before I am in my final year in the university. It is something that perhaps I do not really deserve or expect, but you are indeed good to me. I have soooo many options ahead of my life! And I am really thankful that these paths are open to me. (But God, can you please open my eyes and my heart as to which path I should take?)

2. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch (person) can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine (Jesus). Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

As I stop and reflect on all these things that you have done for me, please grant me the humility, the heart and the spirit, needed to always remain in you. To always remember that all that I have, they came from you.. All my skills and talents, my friends and family, the opportunities and the successes I had.. they were all given by you. Never let me forget…

3. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

What a powerful message!! And what a simple command – as long as I remain in you and your words in me, all that I wish for will be granted. It sounds so easy! But as Sherms said, somehow this simple command can be so hard to achieve. It seems like human nature to want to do things our way, the hard way, to put in our effort to get the success we want.

But God, I know this message is true. And I want to do things your way God. I want to remain in you always, to feel you beside me always. I remember that day in the taxi on my way to SAJC to get my results. I FELT you beside me my lord… you were right there and you told me “dont worry son, you will get the grades you want” And I want to thank you God for opening my heart and spirit to accept your grace and love, for believing in your words so strongly. I remember how I knew right there and then that I will do well for my A’ Levels, and how right you were Lord.

Please never let that faith and belief leave my heart God, never let me forget how powerful you are, and how easy it is to receive your blessings. “I can do all things through Christ my Lord who strengthens me” A special thanks you pam’s dad for showing me the power of this message… I have always believed in it, and indeed it has brought me much.. Thank you God!!!