Christmas in a manger

Luke 2: 15

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

This has been an atypical Christmas.

I had no caroling to busy and tire myself. However, I also didn't get to hear a Christmas message and was busy fighting fire and personal frustrations given the chaotic time attempting to settle the children program of Christmas day. It's amazing how the church can have members who have spent so many years in church but are still so ugly in behaviour that they are just plain rude and a pain to have. I simply couldn't believe that I spent the entire time of the Christmas service forcing myself to smile, be nicer to the kids and not lash out at the adults who came my way to infuriate me. 

Honestly, for a moment, I almost lost it and I was teetering on the brink of screaming to chase all the idiots who rushing into the room to sit down and eat, before the kids could leave and the room be cleaned up. The only thing that stopped me from ruining my own Christmas was the fact that I told myself it was a special day, too special for me to sabotage myself.

I spent a large part of Christmas having dinner with my friend who flew down for a holiday with her kids. Enjoyable as it was to catch up with other friends amidst a simple quiet dinner, it struck me that somehow I would have loved to have the chance to enjoy a still Christmas in a manger.

Settling all the chaos in church literally ruined my Christmas. Getting lost in constant activities and doing lotsa stuff is purely secular. All I wanted, in reality, was a moment to cherish the fact that my saviour came to seek and save.

M.

No word of God ever fails

Luke 1:34 & 37

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

"For no word from God will ever fail.” 

It has been a while since I have been deeply ministered from the pulpit. Saturday was perhaps one of the most simple, yet profound message that gave sustenance to my life's journey.

The birth of Christ that we will come to celebrate this week is by the very fact that God never fails. From the prophesies that he gave many years back, to the actual miracle of a work through a virgin, He fulfilled a work that is good. Not simply good, but God's version of good that He had earlier pronounced in Genesis after every day of creation.

Through the many years of waiting for God, the miserable dark ages, the tough conditions where man never seemed to hear of God, in God's time, He sent His angel to inform Mary that a miracle will be done through her.

In this one and only supernatural moment, God delivers a blessing that would bring redemption to mankind. Are you, like me, also awaiting for the redemption of God's promise in your life or situation? 

Take heart and keep the faith. No word of God will ever fail.

M.

The giver of all good gifts.

Matthew 7:11
“If you hardhearted, sinful men know how to give good gifts to your children, won’t your Father in heaven even more certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them?

The things we do to give gifts to those we love. Especially during birthdays and Christmas. Even though I often get back some bizarre, lame or crummy gifts from the recipients of my gifts, I don't mind nor will you ever see me complain.

I do it every single year. Swamp myself with the stress of ensuring that I get a gift for the individuals whom I plan to show my love. It's stressful and takes up unnecessary brain cells because I don't only spend good money getting the present, I attempt to go overseas to buy something different from what the boring local  shops sell. The truth is, I would do it all again and again.
 

Thus, this verse speaks of the true heart of God. If we who are sinful know how to give good gifts to those we love, what more the God who loves beyond himself that He should sacrifice His only son for us.
 

This year, with my room cluttered with enough stuff, my new unworn clothes still packed nicely, I don't need anything for Christmas except for God's answer to my prayers. He is after all the giver of better gifts than me.

M.

God's consolation

Psalms 94:18

When anxiety was great within me,  your consolation brought me joy. 

I learned the truth of this verse yesterday. 

Given the nice evening weather, I elected to go for my quiet-time jog instead of doing it on my regular tuesday because who knows if it'll pour with rain tomorrow! With the MP3 plugged on, it is only then that I allowed my thoughts to be free as I sought a time of audience with God. 

It has been a while since I've been ministered in worship, and each lap around the stadium was a ministry by songs that brought out the worries, struggles and honest feelings that had been bottled up for the past days. The more I shared, the more I felt overwhelmed by life.

However, in the last 2 laps, just when I was so intimidated by the anxiety and hopelessness of life, the MP3 changed track. Hearing the song declaring the glorious nature of God suddenly brought a renewed hope. It was the Holy spirit reminding me that in the woes of life, when all seems lost, God is still a glorious God of Victory. That consolation brought out a new joy in the midst of my worries and for once in a long while, I slept rather well.

M.

Far better

I can't find the bible verses that inspired this song. Every word means much to me as I look ahead at the remaining days of this year and see the year come to an end.

Far better is to be with You
Even for a day
Than to live a thousand years
And to never see
One glimpse of Your face
As for me I want to be
Close to You
All my days I want to live
In Your house
So take me
Make Your home in my heart
Wash away these guilty stains
Make me like You are
Surround me
Closer than the air that I breathe
Because You have loved me
I want to be
A friend of God

M.

"If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far" (Philippians 1:22-23)

Bitter in affliction

Ruth 1: 20-21

Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” 

Its very difficult to be positive when things do not work out. 

Life has been hard on Naomi. She left her hometown for a seemingly better place but instead encountered a worst state of life and had to return eventually when things didn't work out. In her context, she witnessed the death of her husband and two sons. 

In the hardest of time, joy is often sucked out and how easy it is to fall into a state of bitterness and offense. For a short-tempered, critical person, I can attest to it. However, the journey only gets more difficult when we close up and look at life negatively and everything irks us. Things only spiral out of control into a worser state  as we allow bitterness to consume us. 

I always say, emotions come and go. However, the most key is the fact that the Lord prevails. I'm grateful that the story of Naomi ends in joy because it testifies of God's goodness as our redeemer even when we proclaim bitterness in our life's affliction.

M.

Strength for the journey

Psalms 46:10

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 

Overwhelmed.

The season has been overwhelming and looking ahead, the many uncertainties coupled with our individual problems that is troubling us and making the attempt to journey ahead tough. As we gathered to seek the Lord on Saturday, it was humbling to lock arms and yet be our own individual selves before the Lord.

2012 is about to arrive, and with the many things that we have worked to achieve, the equivalent amount of personal challenges are crippling some of us in the RR community. However, as I sat and waiting in the presence of God, accompanied by the people who have impacted my life greatly, I couldn't help but recognise that even these whom I look up to, are helpless. It made God to be even more sovereign because when no one is able to come to our aid, the only way to look us up or down. I sat in tears, I chose to look up because this was the verse that had triggered the urgent prayer meeting.

When difficulties of life overwhelm us, the Lord still reigns. Just as the hebrews feared the approaching Egyptian army and stood trapped by the red sea before them, they were told to stand and see the salvation of the Lord. Therefore, we choose to stand and be still before God because He will carry us through our individual issues and the challenges that we face in the ministry.

His name be exalted.

M

Daily Encouragement

Hebrews 3:13

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

It is not a very common occurrence, but yesterday my mentee sent me an encouragement verse in the morning. He would have never imagined that his simple encouragement would result in the key verse striking my heart and result in a series of emails that would culminate with the fruition of a rallying call to have a corporate time of prayer amongst the RR leadership on saturday.

It's a tall order to encourage one another daily. But I can fully understand how important it is to our souls to have someone speak words of life. 

I've just sent a sms of encouragement to encourage my mentee, I hope I can maintain the discipline. Who can you encourage regularly?

M.

Strength in weakness

2 Corinthians 12:10

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

This was a part of the sermon on Sunday. The emphasis was on understanding that in our weakness, we will witness the grace of God in our circumstances as He leads us through with His provision and strength.

Boy is it really hard to delight in weaknesses and all hardship. I cannot really swallow the truth mentioned by Paul because it is a hard message.Yet, that is also the reality of life. As I witness individuals fall sick and get hospitalised, it is only through this physically weakness that they have nothing except for the grace of God to empower them with the needed strength that will pull them through.

M.

Tomorrow may never come

James 4:14

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

The past 4 weeks, I know of 2 individuals who have been hospitalised and I've made more trips to NUH than I have to Orchard road. But each trip to the hospital reveals the fragile nature of our life as the hospital is a place of birth as well as death.

The individuals I visit are healthy until something crops up unexpectedly and they get warded. As I witnessed one go from strong to weak, I'm reminded that we aren’t here just to pass time until we die. Worse if we waste all the time given to us thinking that we can always redeem it some other day. That day may never come.

We are here to enjoy God, fulfill His purpose, and have a significant impact.

M.

Through the eyes of a child

Psalms 23:1-6

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

I make a point to memorise this psalm everytime I have RK who have to. I’ve always told myself that if a 7 year old kid can do it, so must I. So every two years or so when we come back to the stage where this psalm is taught, I rememorize it and it means heaps to me.

Nothing can be further from the truth when you witness a child recite this with playful innocence. Yesterday, as Nathan leaped about playfully and attempted to memorise the verses, I could picture how God would look after him exactly as he would with any of us as per how the verses pan out.

M.

Attractive isn't always best

Genesis 13:10-12

Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom.

I learned this yesterday. What is nice before you may not be best for you.

If you look at the example of Lot, he selected the land that he surveyed before him which was well watered. It must have really looked great if the bible described it to look like the garden of the Lord. But it looked, it wasn't. In fact it was also sin-riddled and not good for him.

Attractive as things before us look, never chose anything with the human eyes. Abram may have had the drier piece of land but when the Lord was with him, he lacked nothing and only prospered. In contrast, Lot eventually paid the price for selecting the sexier choice of land.

May the decisions of your life, not by viewing what lies before your eyes. Do it with God's guidance.

M. 

Can you perform without God's help?

Philippians 4:13

I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. 

I learnt this today. If God called you to do something, then you shouldn’t be able to do it without Him. In fact, if you could do it without Him, then it’s really not a God-thing. How very interesting.

This also means God won’t let you use weaknesses as an excuse for not doing what He’s asking you to do. If God is calling you to any task, then He’ll give you everything you need to complete the task. The Holy Spirit will empower you with God's strength, wisdom and everything needed to accomplish your task. At the end of it, you'll realise the super-natural help and boast about God, not yourself.

On another note, it also means that you and I should evaluate what we are doing for God. Is it simple and such a breeze that you don't need God? Maybe it's time to reevaluate and aim for something harder so you can learn to rely on God more.

M.

When God leads, you lack nothing

Nehemiah 9:21
For forty years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.

I'm a very boring person. 

I'm hardly adventurous, and often see no need to find new things to do or experience in life. In fact, if you see my pictures since teenage till today, I probably still sport same form of hairdo, dress sense and still would look about the same size. 

I may have, in my teenage days, toyed with the idea of having an earring, but I've never desired to colour my hair (I do think I've a really enviable shade of brown tinted hair), never desired a tattoo or even bought fashionable clothes that don't seem to shout 'me'. That's why when I bump into people of the past, they often still recognise me because I don't seem to have changed much.

I must say that I've an anti-establishment rebellion streak in me and I'm sure all of us do in some measure of ways, due to our fallen nature. Since young, when everyone was running after the latest fad, I'll spite it. Even in clothing, when foreign brands arrive and everyone goes wild, I'll drop the interest in them like a hot stone. Why bother to follow en-mass? Yet, if myself and millions are trying to look unique, the end result is we all look kinda the same isn't it? 

Look at gangs and folks who rebel by trying to look different; in the end, they still look like a bunch of idiots because everyone is attired in similar looks and the only people they are different from is the ordinary folks who are already making efforts to be different from the other man on the street.  Frankly, originality and being unique is really over-rated. Therefore, I rather just be normal, reject any trends and mute all attempts to try new experiences that don't matter. I prefer to maintain myself to be the person I was when young, because I feel that being steadfast is under-rated. As a bonus, at least people who know me will always know I'm original and never attempted to go outside of who God made me and how I've locked in myself after my teenage quest of self-identity.

Yet, the majority of you don't think like me. I see so much experimentation and attempts to try out new things that could give your self-confidence a boost, or make life more interesting. Call it anything you want and justify all you want, but let's face it, everyone is just doing something to enhance their life and outlook.

I shudder violently when I see individuals elect to colour their hair, wear something different, cut new hairdo's or participate actively in different interest/lifestyles that aren't very typical of them as they grow up. Is there a real need to find new pleasures of life?  It's not about finding the new 'me', there is nothing wrong with the current 'me', nothing boring about being you and remaining static when God loves you the way you are. It's no heinous crime, but it does nothing for you either, apart from a temporary ego boost. Actually, it speaks to me of the lack of self identity and the cry out for something steadfast deep in you. Very much the same as the mid-life crisis faced by aging adults who suddenly change their dressing sense and lifestyle hoping to regain something they felt lost.

Imagine 40 years of living life where you wear the same stuff, live life the way in a routine that God dictates. Nothing experimental that would cause you to walk out of the right or left of your foot. No attempt to live out your youthful days to the max, experience new stuff/activities simply because you don't need to when God leads.

When God leads, the people lack nothing. From the physical, mental, all the way to the emotional and deep rooted identity, nothing is lacking. Importantly, when you are satisfied and have inner peace, you understand with wisdom what to do with the time and resources God had given you.

Call me plain, boring, static and anything negative. I don't need to maximise my life's experiences here on earth, because I wasn't born to do that. This is just a short passage of journey because I'm a stranger on earth who is heaven-bound. 

M.

Stand, Go and Watch.

Habakkuk 2:1

I will stand upon my watch and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.

I was just speaking to myself as I walked to work; I really need to get into a place of solace and then a flood of wild thoughts and options of pulling out of life struck me. However, before I went astray with the negative options, how timely it is to be able to read about the need to withdraw like Habakkuk because it reminds me of the correct action to take.

What the Prophet Habakkuk says, is his way of saying; ‘I'm going to get alone with God.’ This is a priority that is above serving. In order to fulfill God’s vision for our lives and ministries, we must continually hear from God. We must believe that hearing from God daily is a requirement for us to live first before we can be poured out to help any others. It is not just an add-on to our list of things to do; it is a necessity for being a loving and effective person. For how to we give out of what we do not possess. 

This is why all the airlines safety videos often state, when the oxygen masks drop, help yourself before you help the children/others around you. As life's situation squeezes all the juice out of myself, the drained core inside needs to withdraw to find its maker so I can refocus from me to God.

Learn to go to a place to tarry before God. It may look like your are eat up precious time, but the wait is immeasurably worth it because you will last much longer than if you relied on yourself.

M.

 

What's in your hand

Exodus 4:2

What is that in your hand?

Many sermons have been shared about this verse. I has a lot of meaning for me because when I look at myself, it challenges me to always commit what I have for God: Time.

I can't play instruments to save my life, I'm not keen to be a missionary or work full time, but I do have time to serve the purposes of God.  Sure, it can also be used for my own personal pleasure and I can do "better" things such as live my own life. But when I stare at the lines on my palms, I know I'm better off giving away the time I am given. 

When God never asks this question, I'm sure he already knows the answer of what we hold deepest to us. So we can learn to surrender and be purposefully transformed.

Yet, I answer this question differently today. I hold in my hand a few lives that are of utmost importance to me. So important they are that I hold tighter than anything I possess. Much like a child who catches a small grasshopper in his hands and goes to show his father, I often bring it to show God that this is what I have in my hands because I want Him to see, acknowledge and bless. 

Time that I possess of this life, I've given. Today I have individuals that I hold tightly in my hands. I commit and let them go in Your presence like Moses did with his rod because what is dead will be made alive.

M.

Hold fast

Deuteronomy 13:4

It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.

Life sometimes feels like this to me; I'm a swimmer kept afloat by the life vest around my neck and as I'm tossed about by the waves. I'm unable and yet somehow unwilling to die. So I do what I only can and continue to hang onto the life vest and hope for the waves to calm and for respite to arrive.

In all the must do's of the verse above, what strikes me most is the needs to hold fast to God. Everything else is of obedience and servanthood. However, as we swing back and forth with life's challenges and our emotions sometimes taking precedence over our discipline, if we learn how to hold fast to God, it'll see us through the crest and trough of every wave that buffets us.

As I state this in words, may my heart, mind and soul also absorb it and follow what my head has expressed.

M.

Bad Company

1 Corinthians 15: 33

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

I stopped in my tracks (in the rain!) when I heard this on my podcast today. Really? I never knew this simple truth existed in the bible.

So I searched it out and there it is! Simple common statement which says it all and I never saw it and I'm amazed to find it in its point blank simplicity.

In my life, I've taken much pains to distance myself from childhood friends and peers who are a lot of fun simply because some chose to live alternative lifestyles or simply enjoy secular enjoyments that I condone. Fun and exciting as they are as companions, I've learned to protect myself and withdraw, even to the extent of cutting friendship ties.

Strong as I think I am, I'm not. No one is. For this is a fact of life and something clearly documented in the bible; bad company corrupts good character. 

M.

Honest standards

Leviticus 19: 35-36

Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin.

I'm very easily annoyed when someone takes stuff from me without informing me, more annoyed if a person takes without even recognising the fault of being dishonest. So imagine how very annoyed I was to find out that someone wore back a pair of slippers that has been given to me and that I had placed in church for common use every Sunday. Moreover, the individually did not even have the decency to return them and many were clueless trying to hunt for it to use.

In many ways, I'm not an easy person to work with and I imagine that I'll be a terrible boss to many. I have exacting standards of what I expect to be done and because I work fast, I expect people to be responsible and to work with an equivalent amounts of finesse. Based on the many I interact with at church, there are few I would ever employ or recommend for a job. For the honest salary that we earn, we need to be accountable for handling great work and setting even higher standards than non-christians. For the lack of salary that christian volunteers volunteer, I expect equally high standards, if not higher, because they serve God!

However, it is tragic when many Christians are often the worst to employ because their attitudes suck. I find it to be a reasonable gauge to look at an individuals attitude at doing any task in church and extrapolating it to how they will do work in the secular. Afterall, it is only a marginal difference of change because it'll take too much effort to have differing standards in different places, unless one has multiple personality disorder. Thus, when I look around at the standards of many in church, I often frown because it's a laid back, rotten attitude that I know speaks of the worst of a person's behavior at the secular place.

Frankly, an honest standard is very lacking in today's working world. Attitudes have gone down such that many just do what they think is their requirement. So many complain that they are overworked, yet, often I find them to be inefficient because they don't work fast or hard at the right moment. Look around in churches and you see people coming late and expecting to leave early. Even those who are serving, no doubt we are all volunteers, put in sloppy standards because they aren't measured by a salary scale.

This guide of honesty was given when the people were in the wilderness, and barter trade was the order of the day. Honesty, sets us apart. When our hands are clean and conscience clear, we become people who are distinguished. People can't help but give glory to God for what we do reflect an exacting standard that most don't possess.

May you live with honest standards. 
M.

Return to give thanks.

Luke 17: 15-18

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”

When someone does something nice for me, I am grateful. When I receive a gift, I treat it as a bonus.  If a life grows up well, I'm blessed, but I take no credit for it. Over the years, I've hardened myself to recognise that there will never be nine others who will return out of the ten helped. Honestly, people don't owe me an iota of thanks because lives rarely turn out exactly the way I've dreamt it to be. Moreover, all that transpires is by the very grace and blessings of God. 

I've been brokenhearted too much to expect much and therefore, I do not bother to cling onto beautiful dreams. I've witnessed enough people who are disillusioned/bitter with God or their life and decide to give up on doing what was right because what they hoped and assumed never came to pass. When what doesn’t appear, disappointment sets in. frustrations and anger emerges. Then, it is often left in a feeling of bitterness and offense. God and anything Godly is discarded because it serves no purpose. With lesser expectations, I've learnt self-preservation, even though it inevitably makes me colder and distanced. 

However, as I stand by in the sidelines more often than not broken and spent, I encourage myself to cling to hope, a hope in how God's grace will always be more than I ever imagine. I trust in God not just because I have to, but because I need to. Faith is more than what I feel and know. Therefore, I commit myself, like a blind man with nothing to rely on but his stick, I trust in an unseen God that I've professed to trust and will follow. 

Life has often taken its toll on me, but I continue to do what I must do to handle those in my charge. I know that, even though people will eventually stumble, drop out and break the exposed parts of my heart, they possess some good inside of them that must be nurtured and influenced. Even if none return, I must continue to do what my God will expect of me till the day I see Him and be accountable for the breathe that I was given.I pray you will do likewise too. 

M.

What will people say of you

Luke 23:47
The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man."

The Roman centurion never knew Jesus, all he witness was how He suffered and died.  But that was enough for him to declare that He was a righteous man. That really says a lot of our Saviour.

People often say that genuineness and character are unveiled in misfortune. When crisis hits us and we are crushed in spirit, how many of us can look upwards towards God and still live in obedience? How many of us can live in the turbulence that life brings us and reflect a sober, kind countenance that would make those around acknowledge that God is present  in our lives?

M.   

Seeing fulfillment

Psalms 27:13 (NIV)

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

Psalms 27:13 (NASB)

I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.

Ps Rick Warren's devotional sharing today ended off with this statement; "A God-given vision will always be fulfilled." My daily psalm calendar has Psalms 27:13 and it sits staring at me as I work today.

The NASB version of this verse is a song I know well and love to sing as it will go on to declare about the testimony of my faithful God. I know that I find my rest in the faithfulness of God, even when I'm unable to be as faithful to He would like or have the faith that would drive me on like an duracell bunny.

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart for we will see the fulfillment of God's goodness.

M.

Leaving a legacy

Judges 2:10

After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.

A leader pointed out this to me; The difference between Moses and Joshua is Joshua did not mentor someone and leave behind a legacy of a disciple with right values and standards to lead the next generation onwards with God. 

From Exodus to Deuteronomy, we read of many accounts of how Moses walked with Joshua closely behind him. Indeed, bold as Moses was, every Moses needs a Joshua. Especially during the moments of battles where the arms are weary and discouragement abounds. To have a protege support the arms or stand out to defend the cause of God would make a significant difference to any leader who is pushing ahead to do things for God.

Joshua was an amazing man of God. There's no doubt about this fact and the many powerful miracles and victories he had. He possessed great compelling faith and was talented in his leadership as we witness the battles fought and his drive to get the people to claim what God had promised them. Even in his last words to the people, he kept the people focused on God and challenged them to faithfully serving Him.

But we all know that our hearts are not as steadfast as we like it to be. I know because one moment I'm on a powerful high having accomplished much, but when the next season of my life comes, my emotions can get the better of me. Promises and determination often wane, more so as living a life that is easily distracted by wants and needs, it all takes it toll on us. That is why, it takes more than death to make a difference in many of us. The only thing that drives us strong in our conviction is the values which we learn and choose to have it take root in us.

The generation following Joshua’s generation grew up and the bible states that they neither knew the Lord, nor knew what God had done for Israel. The result was the Israelites did evil in the eyes of God and served Baals! In just one generation people had turned away from God.

Where was Joshua’s successor, just like Moses had Joshua to mentor and succeed him? I'm sure Joshua spend a lot of time with the people since he was warring all the time. However, as a leader, it wasn't just about going after a goal and getting the full promises of God upon the land. What good is that if there isn't the next generation who will be personally influenced to know God fully.

Our life will come and go. I look around and know some people will have more people mourn them and lament about how they are missed because they were nice people or they had done much great stuff. But what good is that legacy left behind where people remember us for what we did and how godly we were and it end there? Without developing and empowering those that would come after us to have deep rooted values and relationship with God, years after our passing, no one can guarantee those left behind will follow God.

We need to find people to intentionally encourage, equip, develop and empower. Mentoring takes a lot of time, effort and sacrifice. What we must do in our life must affect the next generation and they to the next generation. The legacy we leave behind must be of strong individuals who will stand firm when the storms of life hit, they must be amazing conquerors who will advance the kingdom of God and importantly, they must also leave their own legacy of godly individuals whom they have imparted all they had. 

M. 

My portion

Joshua 14:12

"Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said."

Of the 12 spies of Israel, only 2 were able to enter the land of Canaan and see the promise of God fulfilled. 

Numbers 13 records that from each ancestral tribe, each sent one of its leaders to explore the land of Canaan. So the 12 were elite men at the prime age of around 40 years old, not young, unproven individuals. However, something must have occurred in the hearts of the other 10 spies to bring back a bad report and because of what they said, the people did not want to enter the promised land. As a result, the Israelites stayed another 37 years in the desert before entering the promised land.

Yet, Caleb stood up in faith and challenged the people to take what was before them because he saw through the eyes of faith how it was achievable. The bible records that Caleb followed God wholeheartedly and even at the age of 85, he claimed what was portioned to him and his tribe.

I've nothing but marked respect for a man who dares to see what is promised and fights tooth and nail until what is promised comes into fruition. Those who live by faith value that which is given by God's promise, far above what is given by His providence only.

M. 

The ordained days ahead

Psalms 139:16

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book  before one of them came to be.

Where will you be in 5 to 10 years time? 

Its time to take stock of your present position and recognise that if the next 5 years of our life can be a whole lot greater than we imagine if we recognise the gravity of not ramping up what we are doing today.

Firstly we need to assess where we are and have a moment to be honest to come face-to-face with God. Everything starts when we dare to stand before God and take stock of our current life. Even if you are heading nowhere or just going downhill, you aren't in a resigned position that is past the point of no return. 

Don’t let your weaknesses be an excuse to stay on where you are. God's calling on our life isn't only on the move when we are in a perfect condition. We will never get to perfection, so stop procrastinating or beating yourself. In the brokenness and soiled state we are in, as we willingly submit to God and the people he leads us under, we will find grace as we stand before God.   

The bible says all the days before us are ordained and we are destined to move with God in greatness. However we can always choose to do nothing and go round and round in circle. To avoid this from happening we need to frankly ask God to reinstil in us the vision and purpose for our lives. I'm not talking about secular plans and dreams, but the plans of God which are centered on us achieving greatness for His kingdom.  

As we spend time to fuel up by God, I'm sure that there are lives which we need to touch, personal sacrifices that need to be made, changes we need to made in our lives, but all that we will choose to do will accomplish more than we can ever dream of when it is powered by the Holy Spirit.

Focus! Focus! Focus! Let God inspire us to move ahead of ourselves.

M.  

At God's command

Hebrews 11:3

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

This fact hit me yesterday as the US national comdr shared. At the very of "be' the universe was created, formed and fashioned. However up to today, the universe continues to expand outwards as NASA scientist have discovered.

The very fact is, at God's word of creation, the power of His very word is limitless. It's not a one time, limited statement, but the very essence of power in His command that our limited mind can never fathom.

How is it that we who are made to worship Him can swing in our emotions and constantly waver in our faith when God has time and again given us clear commands to obey. By grace, we are not stuck down by God's might when He gives commands for our lives. However, we must come to a point of obedience to do what God would expect of us, not what we desire or stubbornly hold onto.

As the very word of God, the heavens and the earth were created. Why then do we struggle to obey the word of God that we read or hear. Just as the universe is still being formed by God's rema power, we who have ears need to also hear and be transformed. For it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

M.

Keep ourselves in God's love.

Jude 1:21

Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Is this a contradiction? No. It is merely two sides of the same coin. The Bible is teaching that God will keep us, but at the same time, we must keep ourselves in His love. We don't keep ourselves saved, but we keep ourselves safe.
 

There are things we must do on a daily basis to keep ourselves in a place where God can actively bless us, and to keep ourselves away from all that is unlike Him, and those things that would drag us down spiritually. As I witness this emotional ER of a fellow commander and even as I chart my own feelings these past few weeks, I can indeed testify of how our moods goes up and down more often than a roller-coaster ride's journey.
 

Attacks will come our way. Were it not for the preserving grace of God, none of us would make it. Clearly, we are preserved, protected, and kept by the power of God. But the battle ground of our mind is one place that we need to actively guard.

M.

Careful attention

Proverbs 27:23-24

Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.  

The older I get, the more I learn that it takes so much more that what I already know and do to look after those under me.

Just when I think I can comfortably release a youth into adulthood, I realise that I do not know how to strike a balance between letting one be fully independent or to keep constant hand-hold supervision. I struggle with trying to being there to instruct and dictate versus not doing anything and letting consequences take their course.

It's very typical of me to not let go. I'm one who drive myself to having things fully in control. Doesn't help that I'm unwilling to see mistakes be repeated in the lives of those under me and can come across to be controlling. I guess, being unmarried and with lesser commitments helps too in how I'm willing to devote my time in the same way a workaholic single person is at the corporate world.

In the last couple of years, I thought I was learning how to relax the way that I oversee the RAs. I called it "remote supervision" as I thought it was about a journey of life that each would take and that each will always make a right decision. Yet, with every stumble and fall that I witness, I reeled in shock and pain when I found out about it - often too late, since I'm not very well informed in a timely sense. Yet, I know I'm not God and can never prevent bad things from happening to all those I once lead. Even God respects the will and choices of mankind- even if they are horrid ones.

I wished I knew of this verse when I first stepped out and decided on my "remote supervision" modus operadi. An empire never lasts forever and I should never have relaxed till I assumed too much. 

God arm me with devotion, strength and wisdom that I will always pay careful attention to those I'm called to influence and lead all the days of my life.

M.

     

Teach a child

Proverbs 22:6

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Happy teachers day to the teachers and comdrs who inspired me to continue to serve as a leader for these 18 years. 

Every year, I've faithfully received a thank you 'teacher's day' message from one of my dearest kid who is now an adult. It's really heart-moving and rewarding to be thanked despite the fact that I am no longer teaching him and really makes my day when I wake up to receive his message. 

This verse has had an impact on me as a young comdr when I was taught how a young child was impressionable under the age of 12 and all effort spent has a lasting effect in their lives. I recall being excited at the promise of seeing the children I taught be steadfast into their old age. I told myself that I would teach and instruct all the kids to the best of my ability since I was then teaching a group of boys under the age of 11 years old.

Today, many of the kids of yesterday are above the age of 20 and I sometimes struggle to make light of this truth when I see them live their lives. Yet, I also know this bible verse is true by looking at myself that I have values and thinking shaped by the educators who taught and imparted much into my life. 

The KJV version of this scripture says "Train up a child", it connotes effort and much repeated exercises. Today, I can't help but agree at the importance of needing to subject children to proper training of Godly values because they will be strengthened to make a stand in their adult lives. Wherever we are, teaching children in church, do stay on course in life so we can make an impact to the next generation and live to see them steadfast even as adults.

M.

But I trust

Psalms 13:2

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?  How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Let me just indulge in a rare post of emotions because this verse simply speaks what I'm feeling. In a rare show of emotions, I must say I am quite overwhelmed. Doesn't help to discover the emo song by Chris Medina and understand the moving story behind the lyrics of his song. 

Life's really interesting, if interesting can indeed be the right word to be used to describe what I'm trying to say. 

One moment life is smooth sailing and packed with activities, then it takes an about turn and our emotions go all over the place. I enjoy the rare emo moments when I indulge in tear-jerking japanese tragic movies, but the older I get, the harder it is to face up to life when it comes my way and not on my terms.

I'm very independent, hardened and have always been distanced from most of life's bad news. So, I never imagined that I would struggle with endless arrays of thoughts because those important to me are all hurting. The past few days, as I limp about life with my inner man hurting, my physically body exhausted from unrestful sleep, I can't help but chuckle at how life can make an unpredicatable abrupt turn from the routinal days of past to the present days of fighting for hope.

I've never had many prophesies in my life and I've never felt disappointed with the very few that were told to me. It did teach me to cherish the rare few that I've inscribe in my heart. Someday, all the seeds that I've spent the best years of my life nurturing will grow up into magnificant giant trees and I will sing the Lord’s praise, and proclaim that He has been good to me. 

M.

God is Able

On Sunday, Timothy told me to check out this song by Hillsong Australia. I've never heard of it, but the song's text brings strength for the week's journey. 

God is able
He will never fail
He is almighty God
Greater than all we seek
Greater than all we ask
He has done great things

God is with us
God is on our side
He will make a way
Far above all we know
Far above all we hope
He has done great things

Lifted up
He defeated the grave
Raised to life
Our God is able
In His name
We overcome
For the Lord
Our God is able

Greater than all I can hope or dream of, my God is able.

M.