Pleasing God - big isn't always better

Ecclesiastes 2:26
"To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind."

Pastor Rick Warren states; "The goal of your ministry isn’t to have the biggest church. It isn’t to have the most followers. It isn’t even to help the most people. It’s all about God. It’s all about bringing him glory. Pleasing God has to be your first priority."

Over the years of serving, it's really a priority to see the ministry grow. There is an unspoken rule to ensure that the people grow in numbers and in maturity. Not just remain in a happy-go-lucky club. At a recent news report of the mega churches in Singapore, s a pastor mentioned the need for all churches to grow and chided old churches that have not progressed because "the corpus christi must grow and not be stagnant."

Big is good, at least in some context. It surely has its advantages. When I first taught ER (then named Challengers) there were only four boys. Activities were limited because the number was too small. But as the years progressed and the numbers swelled to eight and thereafter to twelve, there was a healthy critical mass that allowed more things to happen. The entity of the group became such a powerful organism because there was enough people to do much and sufficient energy available without exhausting the original few.

However, being big and strong isn't the end and goal of our service in church. Therefore it is an important and sobering point to often fall back at the purpose of our lives and what we do for the Lord. Everything we do is to please Him. It is a good reminder to note that the ministry and whatever we do in church is because we do it to please God.  Growth, assisting the needy or training excellence is just a by-product of our service to God.

Lord, make our hearts humble and let it rule over the pride and purpose driven nature that often makes us forget that we serve because we want to please our maker. 

M.

Manna for the day

Psalm 62:8 (NLT)

O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.

This was the verse of the day when I reached office and flipped to the daily psalm calendar on my table.

I cannot tell you how much it means to me when the Lord provide the right manna for me when I need it most, more so when it is provided to build up the immune system. When my accountability group last gathered to pray for each other and I received what was prayed over me, I never imagined that the change of my life's season prophesied would effect me that much. Yet, for every thing that transpires this season, God graciously gives me enough encouragement to pull through life's moments. 

I must say that in every winter season of life, there is much discomfort when I trudge through the issues and still go on with life as normal. Some days are normal, however, the horrid days are truly crippling. Without the  grace that comes to protect and intimate ways that He encourages to compensate for the discouragement and emotional lows, I cannot imagine the state I'll be on the busy weekends that I've ministry.

My God my refuge.

M.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see. (Amazing grace by John Newton, 1779)

If only we prayed

1 Samuel 3:18

So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, "He is the LORD; let him do what is good in his eyes."

2 Kings 20:2-6

Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.  Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.' "

It has been a while that I enjoyed a Sunday sermon and yesterday's guest speaker (can't recall his name, but the greatest of all messages all resound of the cross not the speaker) shared a humorous, yet sharp sermon that brought great light to the subject of prayer.

Apart from the two examples above, there were a couple more to press home the point that God, in His majesty listens to prayer.  Even a desperate cry from an undeserving person can get the attention from God. What more from one who faithful and loved deeply by God.

Eli, a high priest, demonstrated the negative example as he did not repent nor mutter a prayer to turn the judgment of God. There was such a resignation in him as he heard the words from the little boy Samuel. If only he prayed.

Hezekiah, on the other hand, had his death sentence proclaimed by prophet Isaiah. He reacted by praying and pleading and got a 15 year extension on his life.

Prayer can and does move the hand of God. I must take heart because I speak to my inner man in this season that when we pray, God will move.

M.

"When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened" (Jonah 3:10)   

To the ends of the earth

Isaiah 42:10

Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them.

Aunty Betty is going to Ghana. Ghana! Oh goodness gracious, before she sent her farewell  note I did not even know which part of Africa, Ghana belonged to. I immediately searched online to find out more about Ghana and became a bit wiser because I now know where it is - bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. (Btw, I do know of the names of these African countries thanks to watching a British fact-trivial TV program)

I'm really stunned by the sudden trip to Ghana because I only knew her as a missionary who goes to China and as of the last few years, based in Muar, Malaysia. She gets by with the marginal support provided by the church and has been dedicated in her calling as a Missionary.

Aunty Betty is also someone whom I've always had in the church as I grew up. I cannot recall much, since she never taught me, just the fact that she eventually went to bible school, served in the church and became Rev Betty Mow, but I continued to call her Aunty Betty. Also helps that in my terror days of childhood, she had a surname, "mow", which sounds hokkien for the act of punching. So she too was the constant brunt of my teasing.

In the same line, my secondary school friend is leaving Singapore to move to Thailand for a one year missionary work with his wife. He's smarter than I am, has an excellent character and temperament and had such a great future. But after a few years of a cushy well-paying auditor job, he heeded the call to go to Boys Brigade, Thailand to revitalise the ministry because its christian fundamentals were being diluted. It was not long before he entered into bible school and after graduating with a Masters of Divinity, he's served for a year in his church. Now, instead of a comfortable job serving his church, he has decided to go where the needs are greatest and where God wants him. So, he now has to rely on love offering from friends and church while he moves out of Singapore to serve the Lord. Whereas, here I am, earning income in the comfort of home. 

We all know the end times is coming, we also know of the great commission to go to the ends of the earth to share the word of God. Yet, it's also just another statement because how many are regularly going to the remote part of the world to evangelise? Well, now I have someone whom I know and that makes me shudder at the reality that a single, post-50's lady is going to a part of Africa to evangelise and bless people she doesn't know because God said so.

What about you and I living comfortably at home? Are we doing enough back home that warrants our presence here while many others in the remotest part of the world have not had the chance to hear about God.

May we be of greater use to God.

blessings,
M.

"Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." (Matthew 8:20)

Alone

Romans 14:7

For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.

Yesterday, I had time to myself because my tennis-mate didn't join me for jogging. Alone with my headphones, I did my exercise and allowed myself to be alone to converse with God. Only then am I am free to think, share and let out all. 

I know man is not created to be alone, but in this season, I appreciate the time given to me to be alone. God and me, without all the disturbances of people or things. Even as I subsequently spent my time lying on the bed and pouring out my thoughts before I sleep, I know that not all issues will be resolved, everything does not change overnight the moment I wake up. However, God is still there to listen to me and would even entertain my stream-of-consciousness.  He does not even need to respond or say anything but just be there and I'm contended.

Many times I realise that there are lots of things and feelings that I cannot share with anyone, but I can with God in my alone time. Well knowing that there are no implications to worry of, no need for any form of standard responses that humans will provide- and annoy me. For this, I love the sovereignty of God who loves so much that He always bothers to be available for me and to listen to a mere speck in this vast universe.

I may always be alone in my thoughts and bear most issues I deal with strictest private confidence. However, alone as I am, there's always God there in the blizzard storms or by the lush green pastures of my life and that is all I ever need. 

M.

"He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters" (Psalms 23:2)