Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Today my CCA welcomed the new J1s. All of them have great potential to be great public speakers! Sometimes I feel that I cannot succeed in the CCA since I'm considered the second or third best speaker among the J2s only. The J1s add even more competition. Sometimes I even feel left out.
Gonna keep trusting in Abba Father. He knows what's best for me. Through all my doubts and disappointments, He will never fail to comfort me. There's definitely more to achieving success in a CCA apart from winning competitions or being in the EXCO. Otherwise my life as a speaker is a failure. I want to be able to look back on this post when CCA finally ends and smile, because of what God has done to lift me from this situation :)
Abba, You love me.
7:36 PM
Today, the CJC community welcomed a new slew of J1s with a commencement ceremony. What I didn't expect was that today I would go up on stage to receive a Good Progress Award too.You know, that really reminds me of God's awesome grace. Just 4 months ago I was worried over my exam results, worried that I would fail to promote like in the past because I wasn't confident about my paper. This whole incident has taught me two things:1) God never lets your past affect His glorious future for you!2) God is so good, even in the midst of our unbelief!Now that I think back, there really was no need to worry. Take a look at this:“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Matthew 6:28-30)This is the cure for anxiety and worry. Think about it, if God makes sure that even the ravens and the lilies of the field, small creatures which are usually held in little regard, are fed and clothed, how much more will He supply our needs, as our beloved Abba? Here's a little poem I wrote recently:Provider
Consider the ravens of dark plumage
As free as can be, entrapped by no cage
They spend all their days in the womb of the sky
No harvest to sow, no labours to ply
Considered by many as ill-omened and crude
Yet God still ensures that they never lack food
Consider the lily so humble and white
Possessed of a presence and stature so slight
Her home is the valley, an overlooked place
Yet God has made sure that she sees no disgrace
For even Solomon, garbed in garments so fine
Could not match her beauty, in raiment divine
If God cares for things that are little and wild
How much more will He give to you, O beloved child!
Abba, You love me.
6:37 PM
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Today is 3rd February, 2010. That means its 3-2-10. A fitting countdown indeed. So here's the rest of the sermon I promised. Ready? 3-2-1-0!
Something awesome about the Bible before we begin. There are 594 chapters before Psalm 117, which is the shortest chapter in the Bible. There are also 594 chapters from Psalm 119 onwards, which is the longest chapter in the Bible. 594+594=1188. So what is Psalm 118:8?
"It is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in man."
How awesome is that? Lets dive into the Word now.
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4-7)
What can we see from this?
1) God is rich in mercy. Some people have the mental image of an angry God, ready to punish them for any sin. Well, its true that God can get angry. But the Bible never records that He is "rich in anger". No, He is rich in mercy! That same lovingkindess sent Jesus Christ to take His wrath for our sins, meaning that His anger will never fall on us! Hallelujah!
2) We are already raised up with Jesus and seated in Him in the heavenly places. You may ask: "How can this be? I'm still here on Earth!" True, but that cannot negate your position in Christ. For example, the Queen of England would still be the Queen, even if she were dressed in casual clothing and eating from a hawker centre in Singapore! Similarly, your identity as a conqueror in Christ is secure, even on this side of heaven.
"But if I am a conqueror in Christ, where is my victory? I still feel this pain in my body!"
Beloved, the devil can only work in the feelings realm. He can make you feel depressed, he can make you feel sick. But what he CANNOT do is to work in the spirit realm, where it is the truth that you ARE healed in Christ! Don't forget that by His stripes we were healed. Take not that it is "we were healed", not "we will be healed." The healing has happened through the suffering of Jesus! So lets not base our feelings on what happens around us. If we do, we would never be at peace. Always feeling restless and worried about situations. But when our foundation for security is based on the perfect work of Jesus, we can rest. Lets believe God's promises because His promises are never revoked!
Some people serve in ministry because they think that God would love them more this way. How sad! Even the prodigal son, who spent his inheritance on riotous living, was loved unconditionally by his Father. We should serve because we are God's beloved, not in order to become God's beloved. Did you know that you can only truly help people when you are secure in Christ? Help people out of the overflow of God's love for you! If you are bound by other people's opinions of you, you cannot help them. God sees you in Christ, even now!
Always remember this: For in Him(Jesus) dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. In this security, be at peace. God completes you and come what may, will never leave you nor forsake you. Stay restful and God bless!
Abba, You love me.
8:53 PM