Tuesday, April 28, 2009

1. God is the ruler of the world. He made the world. He made us rulers of the world under Him.

You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.
Revelation chapter 4, verse 11



2. We all reject the ruler - God - by trying to run life our own way without Him. But we fail to rule ourselves or society or the world.

There is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God. All have turned away.
Romans chapter 3, verses 10-12




3. God won't let us rebel forever. God's punishment for rebellion is death and judgement.



Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement. Hebrews chapter 9, verse 27



4. Because of His love, God sent His Son into the world: the man Jesus Christ. Jesus always lived under God's rule. Yet by dying in our place he took our punishment and brought forgiveness.


Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 18



5. God raised Jesus to life again as the ruler of the world. Jesus has conquered death, now gives new life and will return to judge.


In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 3



6. The 2 ways to live: a. our way (reject the ruler, try to run life our own way); results (condemn by God, facing death and judgement) OR b. God's new way (submit to Jesus as our ruler, rely on Jesus' death and resurrection); result (forgiveness by God)

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains in him. John chapter 3, verse 36

The first question you must ask yourselves is: Which way do i want to live?

in a sense, this is presenting the gospel in a pictoral form with someone speaking the words and relaying the verses i have typed out. rather interesting way of presentation, i feel. different in a sense that God being the ruler is brought up right from the start (for me, i havent heard it being brought up in a gospel sharing before, that is). but more importantly, the resurrection is emphasized as well. i agree that many a times, we share a lot about Christ's death, how He died for our sins, past, present and future, but we fail to say that He rose again in the gospel sharing to be our ruler. something else pretty new is the use of john 3:36 instead of john 3:16. the former verse brings up the point about sin and its punishment. pertinent, i guess, since salvation is not only about forgiveness but about repentence.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Connie Talbot - Ben

Amazing young talent!

realised its not good to be too practical. people end up always being more pessimistic, fearing the worst?
for me, im different...somehow always hoping for the best...

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Something I just read, a reminder to me as to everyone else:

Some have trouble believing that God should take this one act of disobedience so seriously, in what might appear to be a minor matter. But God's law is interconnected. If you disobey one statute (James 2:10), you have violated the whole law. Why? Because sin is of the heart. If you have the kind of heart that would disobey one word of God, you have the kind of heart that would disobey any other word of God. Either you are wholly devoted to serve God or you aren't. And God wants only wholehearted servants.
im so glad i managed to find what my grandma needs :)
and she sounds so happy on the phone! yay!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

tk God for worship pract and vibe!

Friday, April 24, 2009

Be an example, of the believers
in worship, in service
Be streadfast in love, in faith, in purity of life
For those behind us,
let us step between the gaps
and make a difference in their lives.
Be an example to follow Christ!

Apt...

Tmr is a day filled with activities. I pray that I wont lose my focus. Help me to serve You and You alone.
the figures are giving me a big headache. umpteenth time i have edited it...
oh wells, to take what i have been tasked to do, and give it my best is not that easy,
but, yeah i will try!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

yay, a very productive day at work, despite the 5 hours of sleep...
tk God for strength to last for quite some time
prob not gonna survive tonight's class though =P

i really cant wait for june. i hope i can end by the first week of june. i need the break.
and now, i need to sleep. how?


don't worry, will explain soon? heh


HELP I NEED TO STAY AWAKE TONIGHT! FOR THAT 2 HOURS AT LEAST...

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

zheng xue wen!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY haha
and i wont promise not to suan u bout dee and wy =P
MUMMY, love you very very much!
you know that i dont really respond much, but i do agree with whatever you have said.
i am learning...slowly. give me time :) whatever the circumstances, i can and will have learnt much. sometimes, its good to be really positive and resilient like i somehow am you know? haha

No taking small things for granted in life. Every small little thing can be a blessing. It's how we look at it.


Do you really know what it means?

Sometimes i wish things..........................


Then I'll show you there's a destiny
The best things in life, they are free
"I think sometimes we know not what our heart really desires, or what suits us best or what is going to happen in the future, but He is all knowing and all powerful, so we must surrender all"
- A sister in Christ

Amen to that.

Read Jer 38:19a: "But I am afraid to surrender".
Often times we fear what will happen when we surrender all to God. But, we forget that He has a much better plan and purpose for our lives. Just this part of a verse has taught me the need to surrender. Look what happened to the king when he did not. Well, im surrendering and praying, not only for open doors, but for closed ones as well. Show me clear directions, LORD.

PAT-ience!

Monday, April 20, 2009

just green, greener or less green?
i can't really tell for sure...or maybe just for now
well, with the hours, the minutes, the seconds
then yeah...perhaps?
but then again...that would be nearly 4000 hours,
and many more minutes and seconds
heh never mind, i believe
________________________________________________________

a voice keeps saying "why are you so stupid to not have applied for 2nd choices/another uni? what if you don't get anything?"
but another voice calls out "o ye of little faith, when will you learn to trust me? I will provide."
its a battle...and the smallest of voices cries out "in You i will trust"

Stars

Another one...

I dreamed a dream

A new favourite.
Ah... and i do wanna watch Cats

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Mark 12:28-33

28And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
32And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
33And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

thank God for the sermon preached today.
actually theses verses pretty much sums up what hit me the most and what i need to act upon:

Rev 2:
3I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.
4But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
5Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.
great time catching up with jy, yz and char =)
havent actually gone to someone's house to play and slack for a while le so yeah HAPPY
jy, study hard! poor girl keep going out with us, and neglecting your med sch stuff heh
watched 'what happens in vegas' which was actually pretty amusing, considering the thrashiness that came with it =P
well, ben's and jerry's free cone day anyone?


and now...i need to chiong my lit review....ARGH
praying for you, my bro, someday i hope you will see it...

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Hudson Taylor: A challenge to today's preocupation with self

By AJITH FERNANDO


We live in an era when selfishness has become respectable in society and even in the church. In fact a lot of the proclamation of the church today seems to be pandering to human selfishness. The church in Asia is also in danger of being carried away by this emphasis, especially with the growing popularity of Prosperity Theology.


We desperately need models of people who show us what Jesus meant when he said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). James Hudson Taylor is such a model. He and his early missionaries took several paths that would seem foolish to today’s selfish generation. But by doing so they showed us the glory of Christian discipleship. Let me give you a few examples.


This is an era of globalisation. People are talking about global cultures and because every second matters in business dealings, people are learning to be as efficient as possible. In this environment, the process of spending years immersing oneself in a given culture, learning its language and adopting its lifestyle before fully proclaiming the message seems to be a foolish waste of time. But Hudson Taylor and his missionaries showed us that this is the only way we can deeply penetrate a people with the Gospel of Christ.


Even in today’s global culture you cannot go near to the heart of people without identifying with them. Those seeking to reach people for Christ today, whether in the mission field, the neighbourhood or place of work, should be willing to endure what looks like a waste of time as they attempt to identify with them.


Today, in discussions about Christian mission, there is a lot of talk about measurable results and receptivity. We are told to go to where the people are most receptive. The success of one’s enterprise is measured by the numbers of those who have responded positively to the message. In this environment people sent to tough and resistant areas could become very discouraged because they would be considered failures by the churches or organisations that sent them.


Many of Taylor’s early missionaries worked in areas where the physical climate was hostile to the missionary and the people were hostile or indifferent to the Gospel. Yet through their suffering they broadcast the seed of the Gospel far and wide in China without seeing much visible fruit. I believe that this had an important role to play in preparing China for the explosive growth that has taken place during the past 50 years.


In heaven these missionaries must know that what looked like a waste of their lives was a huge and highly productive investment in the future of the church; that they had performed a service that helped change the course of history.


In today’s litigant society, greed or the desire for vindication on earth causes people to expend so much energy suing people who they think have harmed them. During the Boxer Uprising at the turn of the 20th century Taylor’s mission lost 58 missionaries and 21 children and suffered much damage to property. After the uprising was over, compensation was agreed upon by the government. But wanting to demonstrate “the meekness and gentleness of Christ” Taylor refused to accept the compensation. This resulted in praise for Christ even from official Chinese circles.


But this was not just a foolhardy decision of reckless generosity. It was an extension of an approach to life where the peace and joy of God was so important that no earthly thing should destroy it. When we start fighting for ourselves without concentrating on serving God and others, we lose the joy of being freed from self. And this is what makes the life of total dedication so worthwhile. We have a sense of peace and joy, of significance and worth, which nothing on earth could give.


A person once expressed his surprise to Taylor that he remained at peace while he was surrounded by so many pressures. Taylor responded that for him peace was “more than a delightful privilege, it was a necessity”. He let nothing take away his peace and joy. And armed with that peace and joy he had the strength to take on untold hardship for the cause of Christ.
When we follow the way of the cross not only do we have peace, we also have a sense of significance and worth.


After speaking about how the world and often Christians reject the call to self-denial and suffering because it is so unattractive to them, Taylor said that “seen from a right point of view” our suffering for Christ gives “abundant cause for overflowing thanks and joy”. He said: “The early Christians were neither fools nor madmen when they took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, exulting that their names were cast out as evil, and that they themselves were counted worthy to suffer.”


It was an honour to be counted worthy to suffer for such a great cause. Being devoted to such a cause gives us a strong sense of significance and worth.


Today some people are seeking to retrieve their lost prestige or wealth by suing for damages. Many are striving to go up in society without caring for their spouses, their families and their neighbours. They do not have time or place for the principles of God and for the mission of God.

And why is this? They want the satisfaction of having succeeded in life because they think it will make them feel significant and worthwhile. But human beings were made in the image of the eternal God. They are too exalted to be satisfied with mere earthly success. Only an eternally significant cause will truly satisfy.


When we take up our cross and follow Christ we take on a winning combination. We do what the world despises – live sacrificial, holy and dedicated lives – and gain what the world longs for – joy and peace, and significance and worth. Hudson Taylor demonstrated this through his life.
Jer 23:23-24, 36 (NLT)
23 Am I a God who is only close at hand?” says the Lord. “No, I am far away at the same time.
24 Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?” says the Lord.
36 But stop using this phrase, ‘prophecy from the Lord.’ For people are using it to give authority to their own ideas, turning upside down the words of our God, the living God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

jeremiah - a rather sad book...but yeah God's truths shine bright




so...where am i heading now?
LORD, show me...
just found out yest that i technically have no backups at all...
i mean i do but they are not feasible, surely cant afford to go heh
so now, i guess its just waiting again...
this year is truly a year of waiting with patience
i guess im a little worried about not having something to fall back on
but God has always provided me with just enough to get through.
i know He will do the same this time, and i can always fall back on His promises
people do always want to have something concrete they can see to believe,
but faith is believing in things unseen and yet known
keep praying and believing!




some do firmly believe i will get in...but im not entirely sure myself, so as God leads, i will follow...

Friday, April 17, 2009

a bit sian...guess im just kinda tired
i guess ever since i took it up last year, i knew i had to commit to whatever that came along with it. i mean 6 months is long. its not that i dont want to do the stuff i have to do
i mean im really grateful for all the help rendered, all the tips and even the leaves
i thank God for this, especially the people around me, without which i would possibly have not suvived thus far
but perhaps what im doing at the moment is not something im inclined towards?
and its tough to keep editing and reediting something not knowing what you are really doing
perhaps i want to be out there doing something more meaningful
no its not just looking at others and being envious of those who are free
in fact, i dont want to be bumming around and doing nothing with my life
but yeah i guess i could always be doing something more purposeful?

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

The Trinity

Worship
if Jesus the son of God is only a creature, then we are guilty of idolatry. for Christians have already for nearly 400 years worshipped Christ as God. He is worthy of worship only if He is equal to the Father, a member of the trinity.

Salvation
we cant be hoping to be saved from sin through a mere creature. only if Jesus is fully God, a member of the trinity, can He save us from our sins.

woah, pretty mind-blowing!

Monday, April 13, 2009

thank God for how it went!
should say the 2nd one wasnt the best it could have been, but i know i tried my best all the same
and being someone who usually finds it difficult to put my thoughts into words (haha!), there were no awkward pauses during the whole thing
i'm happy and grateful for God's presence, without which i would probably not have been able to respond to many bombarding questions.
thanks for praying, friends! appreciate it very much. :)




all the best for the next few days! praying...

Sunday, April 12, 2009

'...we all takes such pains to over-educate ourselves. In the wild struggle for existence, we want to have something that endures, and so we fill our minds with rubbish and facts, in the silly hope of keeping our place. The thoroughly well-informed men - that is the modern ideals. And the mind of the thoroughly well-informed man is a dreadful thing. It is like a bric-a-brac shop, all monsters and dust, with everything priced above its proper value."

hmm...kinda apt...
ah but all vanity?
the wonder of Your cross...
thank You for Your grace alone!

Saturday, April 11, 2009

got grilled today pretty badly
feeling rather unprepared despite everything i have prepared thus far
hmm...not that i am very worried
somehow i know that i will be able to answer on that day itself (hopefully!)
and most of the answers usually never ever come from me
i know i wont usually say whatever i will say
but yet somehow i do say and thats when i know that God has spoken

ah, i just need to talk to someone to throw out all my facts and thoughts so that they flow
i feel wierd talking to myself





girl, you will prob see this
heh sorry for always changing plans kinda last min yeah?
my bad my bad... my apologies k?
jiayou for everything!

Friday, April 10, 2009

at times i may grow weak
and feel a bit discouraged
knowing someone somewhere could do a better job
for who am i to serve You
i know i dont deserve You
but i know that is the part that burns in my heart
that keeps me hanging on


it was Your dying on the cross 2009 years ago, that i am here today
"We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started, and know the place for the first time" - T.S. Eliot

Thursday, April 09, 2009

I trotted on the avenue my heart opened to the unknowns
I wanted to say hello to no matter whom
No matter whom, it could be you, I'd said anything to you
It was enough to speak to you, just to calm down.

You said to me "I was pinned in a basement with fools
Who live guitar-in-hand from dusk till dawn"
Then I accompanied you, one sang, one danced
Any one who did not even think of embracing oneself

Yesterday evening two unknowns and this morning on the avenue
Two in love all dazed by the long night
And to the Star of Concord, form an orchestra with thousand cords
All the birds at day-break singing for the love

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Grace

Finally finished reading psalms after 3 months. The journey through this book has been refreshing. I never before made it a point to read each psalm in depth, but I have realised now how important it is. Verses have spoken to me countless times, and I thank God for His promises for every need that can be found in this book. The last verse of this book really brings a closure to this journey: "Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD". How true, how real.

Help me break down the high place, once reserved for You.
Help me rebuild my alter, and worship You anew.
Help me cast out all thoughts that exalt above You own.
Help me listen for Your sweet voice so Your will is always known.

As I move on to a new book, I am praying that God will continue to speak to me through His word.



what is inner should always shine much brighter...

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Psalm 139:

1 O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 141:

3 Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

Psalm 139:

14a I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made

Nearing the end of the book of psalms...its been a wonderful read thus far.

actually i knew too. somehow there's always this understanding that doesnt need words to explain... :) thanks!

Monday, April 06, 2009

was that a glint of disappointment i saw yest?
ah, but i guess its for good...
and it will definitely be worth it yeah?







no worries? :)

Saturday, April 04, 2009

To whom much has been given,
much more shall be required.
You have given gold and silver,
will you give to Him your life?
Will you labour with your savior,
will you do as He desires?
For to whom much has been given,
much more shall be required.


a heart fully surrendered to His control...

Thursday, April 02, 2009

somehow managed to pull my calf muscle when i got up this morning. the sudden sharp pain and tightness was intolerable so i sat on my bed for half a minute, wanting to scream, but not wanting to alarm my family. knew the only way to stop the muscle spasm was to move, so i gave in after half a minute and tried to get off the bed. thankfully the pain wasnt excruciating after i moved, and i managed to limp to the toilet.

thank God nothing serious happened. walking turned out fine, though squatting and going down the stairs was a problem. but ah... im glad its better now. muscle still rather tight though. guess i need to stretch it more.

all in a day's work

now i realised its not rare anymore for me to have a day packed to the brim with things to do. but heh a fruitful yesterday!

finally done after drafting and re-drafting... and then moved on to prepping for 5pm as well as reading my class stuff and doing the homework. should say that time was on my side somehow despite all the stuff i had to chiong out.

so, maybe the prep kinda paid off, but i went in there and it was not as bad as i thought (though i did smoke my way through some questions).

and well...had a good time after that which kinda made up for everything i had to rush through.




thanks =)


some part of me wants to just let it be.......
but the other half thinks after would be better