"Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one [v]mind striving together for the faith of the gospel..."
Phil. 1:27 NASB.
One of the verse that was shared tonight by UFS. A grim yet timely reminder to live a lifestyle worthy and pleasing to God. This of course isn't going back to living under the law and trying to satisfy it, but rather to live a life knowing Christ and the grace freely given by Himself so that we may pursue a life in obedience and holiness.
Paul was imprisoned when he wrote this letter. For? For the sake of the gospel of Christ that he stood for, he chose to honor God. He chose only because he believed in the gospel. He believed because he heard.
To know -> to believe -> to love -> to obey
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Phil. 1:9-11 NASB
Here Paul's encouragement to the Philippi Church was to remain sincere and blameless and seek God to be filled with the fruit of righteousness. And to be sincere and blameless required the Philippians to be able to approve the things that pleases God. And that was achieved through growing in real knowledge and having the wisdom of discernment.
And tonight's sharing on waiting with anticipation was just apt. It definitely was speaking to me, and I will hold onto the Lord as I wait upon Him. Against everything the world claims, I will hold onto Him and seek His Will for me. Because in all and for all things, it is to the glory of God. =)
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
A Godly Woman
10 An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13 She looks for wool and flax
And works with her [h]hands [i]in delight.
14 She is like merchant ships;
She brings her food from afar.
15 She rises also while it is still night
And gives food to her household
And [j]portions to her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
From [k]her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds [l]herself with strength
And makes her arms strong.
18 She senses that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her [m]hands grasp the spindle.
20 She [n]extends her hand to the poor,
And she stretches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household,
For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And [o]supplies belts to the [p]tradesmen.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
And she smiles at the [q]future.
26 She opens her mouth in wisdom,
And the [r]teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and bless her;
Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
29 “Many daughters have done nobly,
But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who [s]fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her the [t]product of her hands,
And let her works praise her in the gates.
All the attributes to look for in a life partner =)
For her worth is far above jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13 She looks for wool and flax
And works with her [h]hands [i]in delight.
14 She is like merchant ships;
She brings her food from afar.
15 She rises also while it is still night
And gives food to her household
And [j]portions to her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
From [k]her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds [l]herself with strength
And makes her arms strong.
18 She senses that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her [m]hands grasp the spindle.
20 She [n]extends her hand to the poor,
And she stretches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household,
For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And [o]supplies belts to the [p]tradesmen.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
And she smiles at the [q]future.
26 She opens her mouth in wisdom,
And the [r]teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and bless her;
Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
29 “Many daughters have done nobly,
But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who [s]fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her the [t]product of her hands,
And let her works praise her in the gates.
All the attributes to look for in a life partner =)
Love is in the air
This season of months has been weddings after weddings.
Truly they are the closest example we can get of God's love.
And that lovey-dovey feeling that comes with it, I know one thing for sure it ain't gonna last.
My point here? Love isn't just a feeling but a decision.
Here's a sharing I like to post here and hope it will bless you:
10 Keys to Relationship by Pastor Benny Ho.
The general passage was taken from Gen. 24:10-67 in the story of Isaac and Rebekah.
1. Wisdom in seeking counsel
2. Equally Yoked
3. Beauty of purity
4. Principle of shared inheritance
5. Presence of willingness
6. Key of Prayer
7. Virtue of kindness
8. Need for family blessing
9. Principle of timing
10. Hang around the 'well'
I pray that I will not look for the perfect partner, but strive to be the one.
The one who will please God.
Truly they are the closest example we can get of God's love.
And that lovey-dovey feeling that comes with it, I know one thing for sure it ain't gonna last.
My point here? Love isn't just a feeling but a decision.
Here's a sharing I like to post here and hope it will bless you:
10 Keys to Relationship by Pastor Benny Ho.
The general passage was taken from Gen. 24:10-67 in the story of Isaac and Rebekah.
1. Wisdom in seeking counsel
2. Equally Yoked
3. Beauty of purity
4. Principle of shared inheritance
5. Presence of willingness
6. Key of Prayer
7. Virtue of kindness
8. Need for family blessing
9. Principle of timing
10. Hang around the 'well'
I pray that I will not look for the perfect partner, but strive to be the one.
The one who will please God.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Decisions and decisions
Of late I've been increasingly challenged to make decisions.
Yet most of the times, I chose to defer the decision probably out of fear.
Then again, it can get really confusing for me!
Godly counsel will tell me to put my faith in God, hear from Him and act upon it.
Well I would think that there is an aspect of fear to that.
Somehow faith and fear are inseparable.
Questions like "What if I heard God wrongly?" or "What if that wasn't God speaking?"
Maybe it is just the inside of me longing to rant but I guess there's what a blog is for right?
Beats screaming into the ears of someone innocent, I think I rather pen them down.
I guess the more important the decision is, the more fear it is associated with.
I mean if the ice cream store isn't open when you get there, it doesn't disappoint you as much since 7-11s are like everywhere.
But some decisions are just not the same.
They have consequences. They have impacts.
I can only pray that I muster enough faith to believe.
God You make the impossible, possible.
Yet most of the times, I chose to defer the decision probably out of fear.
Then again, it can get really confusing for me!
Godly counsel will tell me to put my faith in God, hear from Him and act upon it.
Well I would think that there is an aspect of fear to that.
Somehow faith and fear are inseparable.
Questions like "What if I heard God wrongly?" or "What if that wasn't God speaking?"
Maybe it is just the inside of me longing to rant but I guess there's what a blog is for right?
Beats screaming into the ears of someone innocent, I think I rather pen them down.
I guess the more important the decision is, the more fear it is associated with.
I mean if the ice cream store isn't open when you get there, it doesn't disappoint you as much since 7-11s are like everywhere.
But some decisions are just not the same.
They have consequences. They have impacts.
I can only pray that I muster enough faith to believe.
God You make the impossible, possible.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
God is Love
As we begin to see God working in our midst, the Devil is secretly scheming his plans. And he is trying all ways and means to bring trouble.
And I acknowledge to You God, that all these is not about in the flesh but in the spiritual.
That there is a spiritual warfare going on and confusion is rampant.
Even among Christians, strife and dissensions have begun to rise up, causing many others to stumble.
1 thing I've learnt to anchor myself on is to point myself back to God.
That whenever I feel that I have to choose a side or worry that I will offend anyone,
I will choose to please God and honour Him.
This way, not only will I be able to find myself firmly rooted in my stand and faith, I am able to see things through the eyes of God. Many times I find that troubles and dissensions come about because we refuse to surrender our rights. We choose to play God. We think we are right, or least others are wrong.
Lord, may I always choose to please You and see things through Your eyes. As the song goes, Open the eyes of my heart Lord. Father, lead me and guide me. I praise You and thank You, for the love so deep You have given. Let what You have dictated, no Man shall change. You are God alone.
And I acknowledge to You God, that all these is not about in the flesh but in the spiritual.
That there is a spiritual warfare going on and confusion is rampant.
Even among Christians, strife and dissensions have begun to rise up, causing many others to stumble.
1 thing I've learnt to anchor myself on is to point myself back to God.
That whenever I feel that I have to choose a side or worry that I will offend anyone,
I will choose to please God and honour Him.
This way, not only will I be able to find myself firmly rooted in my stand and faith, I am able to see things through the eyes of God. Many times I find that troubles and dissensions come about because we refuse to surrender our rights. We choose to play God. We think we are right, or least others are wrong.
Lord, may I always choose to please You and see things through Your eyes. As the song goes, Open the eyes of my heart Lord. Father, lead me and guide me. I praise You and thank You, for the love so deep You have given. Let what You have dictated, no Man shall change. You are God alone.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Matters of the Heart
And I'm not referring to matters that are bugging me but my physical heart.
The one that goes beep-bob without resting for a single beat.
The one that reminds me of God's faithfulness even when we are in our sleep.
The one that keeps the rest of me functioning even when I'm unaware.
And tonight my heart is acting up for an unusually long time.
Was playing badminton earlier when the tight sensation just overwhelmed me =(
And now it still lingers =S
Hit me really hard, to give thanks with every single breath I take.
Because I never know, when my next breath will be my last.
Jesus, I surrender to You my life.
I shall not fear nor worry, because my life is in Your hands. Amen.
The one that goes beep-bob without resting for a single beat.
The one that reminds me of God's faithfulness even when we are in our sleep.
The one that keeps the rest of me functioning even when I'm unaware.
And tonight my heart is acting up for an unusually long time.
Was playing badminton earlier when the tight sensation just overwhelmed me =(
And now it still lingers =S
Hit me really hard, to give thanks with every single breath I take.
Because I never know, when my next breath will be my last.
Jesus, I surrender to You my life.
I shall not fear nor worry, because my life is in Your hands. Amen.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Dr. Matsutani
Larry Crowne was surprisingly good. First impression was that this is going to be another B grade!
But who knows as the story unfolded, it turned out to be one written really well with twists incorporated.
The funniest part was having George Takei cast as Dr M... Hilarious!
A man who was on the verge of losing all that he had, took a nose dive and came out stronger, better.
I particularly admired his courage to head back to the bank and sell away his house, with the fact that he was retrenched and divorced. He chose the hard way out, because it knew it would do him good in the long run. He had a SUV which he sold and got himself a scooter.
When the testing time comes, will I be able to lay down my pride and my everything before Jesus?
But who knows as the story unfolded, it turned out to be one written really well with twists incorporated.
The funniest part was having George Takei cast as Dr M... Hilarious!
A man who was on the verge of losing all that he had, took a nose dive and came out stronger, better.
I particularly admired his courage to head back to the bank and sell away his house, with the fact that he was retrenched and divorced. He chose the hard way out, because it knew it would do him good in the long run. He had a SUV which he sold and got himself a scooter.
When the testing time comes, will I be able to lay down my pride and my everything before Jesus?
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Is that Your voice I'm hearing?
Today's sermon was on Missing Piece.and Dr Huan preached on 3 points:
1. Personal response towards God's purpose by acknowledging Him when He speaks.
To surrender oneself to Him wholly and to undergo spiritual training.
2. Choose to work towards God's plans. In response, making a renewed choice.
To turn back and to reform from my wicked ways.
3. Fitted for God's plans and in response, give 100% devotion to God in Faith.
As we went through worship today, I prayed for God to convict me.
To convict me of the things I ain't letting go in my life.
To convict me to see what God is doing in our midst now.
The downpour(of the Holy Spirit) is coming!
And as I processed the sermon, I'm really amazed that the things I pondered during Worship,
God spoke of them through Dr Huan during the sermon!
Greater things are yet to come, Lord Jesus I'm believing You for it! Amen!
1. Personal response towards God's purpose by acknowledging Him when He speaks.
To surrender oneself to Him wholly and to undergo spiritual training.
2. Choose to work towards God's plans. In response, making a renewed choice.
To turn back and to reform from my wicked ways.
3. Fitted for God's plans and in response, give 100% devotion to God in Faith.
As we went through worship today, I prayed for God to convict me.
To convict me of the things I ain't letting go in my life.
To convict me to see what God is doing in our midst now.
The downpour(of the Holy Spirit) is coming!
And as I processed the sermon, I'm really amazed that the things I pondered during Worship,
God spoke of them through Dr Huan during the sermon!
Greater things are yet to come, Lord Jesus I'm believing You for it! Amen!
Durian Delight
A great day and a great trip!
Awesome food, fellowship and fun!
It definitely was a good buy of Scrabble Dash!
Had so much fun playing with Rachel and Sarah all the way from Jusco till on the PIE back to church.
And durians were just oooohhhhhhhh...counted more than 30 that I ate!
Dinner was not too bad, the fellowship just made up for the quality of the food!
And there was little or no jam, something really to thank God for.
Plus it threatened to rain when we reached the plantation, but eventually the sky cleared!
For those who missed the trip, I can only say please come for the next trip!!!
Especially with all the YAY! people on a bus!!! It's just so much more fun!!!
On a side note, developments have taken a strange turn and I'm watching what God is doing.
I would use to pray for a relationship with a particular person.
Now I find myself praying that God brings a partner whom He wants me to serve alongside with,
to give our lives together to His glory.
And God, I pray that I do just that. Amen.
Awesome food, fellowship and fun!
It definitely was a good buy of Scrabble Dash!
Had so much fun playing with Rachel and Sarah all the way from Jusco till on the PIE back to church.
And durians were just oooohhhhhhhh...counted more than 30 that I ate!
Dinner was not too bad, the fellowship just made up for the quality of the food!
And there was little or no jam, something really to thank God for.
Plus it threatened to rain when we reached the plantation, but eventually the sky cleared!
For those who missed the trip, I can only say please come for the next trip!!!
Especially with all the YAY! people on a bus!!! It's just so much more fun!!!
On a side note, developments have taken a strange turn and I'm watching what God is doing.
I would use to pray for a relationship with a particular person.
Now I find myself praying that God brings a partner whom He wants me to serve alongside with,
to give our lives together to His glory.
And God, I pray that I do just that. Amen.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Looking back
Was just reminded today about one of my long forgotten blog post.
I guess it must be really long ago cause I can't seem to find it now =(
Anyway reading a few of my old posts at random,I began to appreciate the journey I've had for the past few years as a child of God. I even laughed occasionally at some of the entries I've actually blogged about.
Nevertheless, it is by His Grace that seen me through all these years.
Been a long day and very tired now. So here are a few interesting links of my old posts:
- http://bestillandknowthatheisgod.blogspot.com/2007/09/god.html
- http://bestillandknowthatheisgod.blogspot.com/2007/07/rsaf-pilot-interview.html
- http://bestillandknowthatheisgod.blogspot.com/2007/07/everyday-its-you-i-live-for.html
I guess it must be really long ago cause I can't seem to find it now =(
Anyway reading a few of my old posts at random,I began to appreciate the journey I've had for the past few years as a child of God. I even laughed occasionally at some of the entries I've actually blogged about.
Nevertheless, it is by His Grace that seen me through all these years.
Been a long day and very tired now. So here are a few interesting links of my old posts:
- http://bestillandknowthatheisgod.blogspot.com/2007/09/god.html
- http://bestillandknowthatheisgod.blogspot.com/2007/07/rsaf-pilot-interview.html
- http://bestillandknowthatheisgod.blogspot.com/2007/07/everyday-its-you-i-live-for.html
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Face(less)book
As I begin my 40-day fast journey with the many other like-minded Christians in Singapore, this year is especially a meaningful one for me personally as I fast and pray for the YAY (Young Adults and Youth) Ministry and myself.
Several key emphasis would be:
- My career/calling in life since I'm a step away from graduation
- My relationship life since I've been *abstaining* from it as I really want to enter into one that God calls me
- My devotion to Jesus since all along I think I'm still not 100% surrendered
- The YAY Ministry to see the "DOWNPOUR" that God has hinted to us
Fasting from:
-Facebook for the next 40days hence I probably will expect a lot of blasting from people as to why I'm not responding
- 7am-7pm food fast at least once a week
I must be wary that fasting isn't about me trying to keep to it because I have to but that I fast because I want to devote myself to praying and interceding and be sensitive to God's voice. Someone wise told me that I'm very poor in relationship handling and a long time ago, another told me that I should learn to be more diplomatic in handling people.
I thank God for people willing to point out my hindsights to me (they are called blindspots for a reason). At the same time, I attribute my present self as a result of growing up in a home that showed no expressions of love but only anger and dissatisfaction. I can only pray that I will not carry this into my own future family and be mindful of the mistakes that I've gone through previously. I know only God can give me the grace to see me through.
This year is interestingly a time for me to grow in specific areas of my life and I'm praying/watching for it. Lord, please don't pass me by. I want to grow in You and love You more. Help me.
Several key emphasis would be:
- My career/calling in life since I'm a step away from graduation
- My relationship life since I've been *abstaining* from it as I really want to enter into one that God calls me
- My devotion to Jesus since all along I think I'm still not 100% surrendered
- The YAY Ministry to see the "DOWNPOUR" that God has hinted to us
Fasting from:
-Facebook for the next 40days hence I probably will expect a lot of blasting from people as to why I'm not responding
- 7am-7pm food fast at least once a week
I must be wary that fasting isn't about me trying to keep to it because I have to but that I fast because I want to devote myself to praying and interceding and be sensitive to God's voice. Someone wise told me that I'm very poor in relationship handling and a long time ago, another told me that I should learn to be more diplomatic in handling people.
I thank God for people willing to point out my hindsights to me (they are called blindspots for a reason). At the same time, I attribute my present self as a result of growing up in a home that showed no expressions of love but only anger and dissatisfaction. I can only pray that I will not carry this into my own future family and be mindful of the mistakes that I've gone through previously. I know only God can give me the grace to see me through.
This year is interestingly a time for me to grow in specific areas of my life and I'm praying/watching for it. Lord, please don't pass me by. I want to grow in You and love You more. Help me.
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