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Showing posts from July, 2009

INVITE GOD INTO YOUR LIVES!!

Believing in the Lord Jesus is a personal relationship. It is not a religion. Day by day I am learning to experience this great relationship. When I invite Him into my daily lives, I experience His peace and have a growing understanding of how to live according to His plan. Jeremiah 29 :11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Through His death and resurrection, He has become the indwelling Spirit and by obeying Him, we are transformed by Him into people who manifest love and care. You can invite Him into every place you go - your shop, business, school and ask Him to be a part of every encounter and relationship. When I walk with Him everyday, I also find that my life become more organized. He will teach me how to tackle a problem and also bring people to help me accomplish what He has asked me to do.

POSITION YOURSELF TO HEAR

Hi dear friends, to hear God's voice, we must always be humble and always be ready to hear from Him in whatever way He chooses to speak. In his book "Speak Lord, I'm listening" by Larry Kreider, he listed at least 50 ways! Learning to discern God's voice takes effort on our part. The Lord wants us to take the time to listen as we open our hearts to hear. He wants us to become increasingly familiar with His voice as our relationship deepens with Him. The more often we meet with God in prayer and talk to Him, the clearer His voice becomes. The Bible instructs us to make a concerted effort to meet with the Lord, thereby placing ourselves in a position to hear from Him. (Jeremiah 29:12-13). God wants us to acknowledge Him in our life. If we acknowledge a friend, we talk to Him, express our appreciation for Him and recognise His presence in our life. Imagine your friends not acknowledging your presence when you are together. You try to talk to them, but they comp

God is faithful and righteous

Last Friday, there were some questions raised in our home meeting. Do we need to confess our sins before God since God has already forgiven all our sins: our past sins, present sins and future sins? In 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." We still need to confess our sins when the Holy Spirit convicts us so that our fellowship with God is being restored. A brother gave a illustration on the above on a Sunday’s meeting. There was a small girl who stole some foods from the kitchen’s table while her mother was not at home. She carefully wiped her mouth and also the table. She was very confident that her mum would not find out about it. “Hello, sweet heart, mum is back” cried out mummy. The small girl did not feel the same as before. Usually she would run to the mum and gave her a big hug. She was guilty because she knew she had done something wrong. She decided to confess the

CHOOSE TO FORGIVE (Matthew 6:14-15)

Hi dear friends, I have read this story many times. Each time I am still touched and amazed by it. Thus I would love to share it with you. A frail black woman about seventy years old stands in the courtroom and listens to the confessions offered by Mr. Van der Broek, the white policeman who had brutally murdered her husband and son. The judge asks her,"How do you want justice be done to this man who has destroyed your family?" "I want three things," begins the old woman. "First, I want to give my family a decent burial." She paused, then continued,"My husband and son were my only family. I want secondly, therefore, for Mr Van der Broek to become my son. I would like for him to come twice a month to the ghetto and spend a day with me so that I can pour out on him whatever love I still have remaining in me." She also stated that she wanted a third thing. "This is also the wish of my husband. And so, I would kindly ask someone to come to

Think Twice before you choose to eat White Bread!!

Just learnt something from this book by Don Colbert, M.D. I think I better switch to whole wheat bread esp. after considering points 4 to 6. 1. The processing of whole grains of wheat to white flour takes approximately 20 steps. 2. During this process, both the bran and the germ have been removed, along with approximately 80% of the wheat's nutrients. 3. Refined white flour is pure endosperm or starch. The endosperm has far lower B vitamin and mineral content than the germ and bran and also significantly less fiber. 4. Furthermore the milling process involves such high temperatures that the remaining grain is damaged by oxidation. 5. At the end of the refining process, the flour has a grayish appearance from the oxidation. To solve this, a chemical agent such as chorine dioxide, acetone peroxide or benzoyl peroxide is used to bleach the flour to make it white. This bleaching process destroys even more of the few vitamins that remain. 6. In addition, the bleaches can re

TAKE A BREAK!!

I enjoy the Book on "Coffee Break with God." Sometimes I got carried away trying to clear all the "to-do" list. At the end of the day, I felt that I am not only physically drained up but spiritually dead. I need to remind myself that unless I pay careful attention, my perception can be distorted and even my responses to others can become negative. I need constant restoration and a good practice to take a short break now and then during the day. One of my church brother always practise praising and singing to God even while working. By doing so, it always keep him refresh before God and kind and gentle towards people

ACCIDENTAL SIN

Hi dear friends, at present I am reading a book by Joyce Meyer entitled :Approval Addiction. I would like to share this passage with you because I find this happens to me quite often too. I like to put it this way:I used to be a full-time sinner, and once in a while I accidentally slipped up and did something right. But now...... I concentrate on being a full-time obedient child of God, but still make mistakes, but not nearly as many....There are times when I accidentally make mistakes, but it is not the desire of my heart to do wrong. I did not deliberately, knowingly commit sin. I do not habitually sin. ....but I do know that the attitude of my heart is right. I can be having an absolutely wonderful day, feeling very close to the Lord and quite spiritual. Then my husband comes home and says he does not care for the outfit I am wearing, and I suddenly become angry and defensive, telling him everything I don't like about him either. I don't intend for that to happen; in fact,

WHY DELAY?

"But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!" (Habakkuk 2:3). We all hate delay, we are impatient! However, God uses delay to build our faith. In my experience, God will not start any thing until He is done with us. Rick Warren has remarked that: "Every believer must go through the University of Learning to Wait (ULW). Some of us are still working on our degrees from ULW!" Below are some examples from the bible quoted by Rick:- • Noah waited 120 years from the time he started building the ark until it began to rain. • Abraham was told he would be the father of a great nation and didn't have a child until he was 99. • God told Moses he would be the leader to lead his people out of 400 years of slavery, but then made him wait in the desert 40

COME TO ME, ALL YE THAT LABOUR !

There is an old, old legend of a time when the people of the earth made loud lament. Every man felt that he had been given a heavier load to bear than his neighbour, and that, if he could trade troubles with his fellow-man, life would be made easier. The clamour went on so long that God arranged that, on a given day, each man should bring his burden to a certain place, and there shed it forever. But it was arranged that each man must choose for himself one of the lighter loads he had so enviously watched others carry. "What a day that was!" People came and threw down their old burdens, the aches and pains, problems and responsibilities. And then they pawed over the vast heap, each person weighing one and then another, only to find it heavier and more uncomfortable than his old load. In the end, it is said, each man took back his own familiar burden! The simple fact is that any burden is heavy if it is carried the wrong way. And any load, however light, becomes intolerab

FOR HE HAD WINGS!

There is a lesson for us to learn from the eagle who sits on the edge of the precipice and watches the dark clouds overhead filling the sky with blackness. There he sits perfectly still, turning one eye and then the other towards the storm as the lightnings play back and forth. He never moves a feather until he feels the first burst of the breeze. It is then that he knows the hurricane has struck him. With a scream he swings his breast to the storm. It is the storm itself that he uses to soar upward into the black sky. He goes borne upon it. God wants this experience to take place in the lives of every one of His children! He wants us to "mount up on wings as eagles". We can turn the storm clouds into a chariot by using our wings! Spread out your wings and soar above the storm! Isaiah 40:31 Note: Picture drawn by a sister using color pencil. Isn't it beautiful?

Danger of Microwave - limit it uses

The following is extracted from Mercola.com How does Microwave heat up your food? It heats your food by causing it to resonate at very high frequencies. While this can effectively heat your food it also causes a change in the chemical structure of the food that can lead to health problems. A study published in the November 2003 issue of The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture found that broccoli "zapped" in the microwave with a little water lost up to 97 percent of the beneficial antioxidant chemicals it contains. By comparison, steamed broccoli lost 11 percent or fewer of its antioxidants. When microwaving, carcinogenic toxins could be leached from your plastic and paper plates or covers and mix with your food.

You are Custom Made!

Do you know you are custom-made? There's nobody like you in the whole world. You are unique. And the gifts, the abilities, the talents, even the interests you have, they were genetically encoded into you by God. You didn't have a say in what you were going to be interested in, what you are naturally good at. God made you with a specific mission in mind and He wants you to use the gifts He's given you in your work. The Bible says that you are God's workmanship. The Greek word used for workmanship is poema; that's where our word for "poem" comes from. You are God's poem! You are God's work of art. You are God's masterpiece. Your work is part of God's plan for your life and that is why, as you work, you worship God. Isn't this great!! Adapted from Rick Warren, the purpose driven connection

MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR THEE

Dear friends, I would like to share with you another of Annie Johnson Flint's poems. This is a very encouraging and beautiful poem.(2 Corinthians:12:9) God hath not promised Skies always blue, Flower-strewn pathways All our lives through; God hath not promised Sun without rain, Joy without sorrow, Peace without pain But God hath promised Strength for the day Rest for the labour, Light for the way Grace for all trials, Help from above, Unfailing sympathy, Undying Love You may wish to visit her at http://blessingsquietness.com/journal/homemake/ajf-annie.htm

The cloud is moving .....

Exodus 13: 21-22 "The Lord was going before them (Hebrews) in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people" The Hebrews (Jews) were guided by the pillar of cloud in the day and by the pillar of fire in the night after they came out of Egypt. When the cloud moved, they moved and when the cloud stopped, they also stopped & pitched their tents. It sounds wonderful, isn't it? But think further.... Just imagine a Hebrew family was coming to rest after a long journey during which the cloud had been moving on before them. It stopped. The family also stopped and began unpacking. Dinner was prepared and eaten. Just as the family was preparing to settle down for the night, someone called out over the camp, "The cloud is moving.". The family looked up, sure

FUTURE NEHEMIAHS!!

I was tasked to do a revision with the children on the story of Nehemiah. The heart of Nehemiah touched me. When he heard that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down and the gates were burned with fire, he wept, mourned, fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. An opportunity arised when the king he served noticed his sad countenance and asked him what he wanted. He didn't give an immediate answer but prayed first. Finally with God's help, the Jews rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem in 52 days despite many oppositions from the enemies. Things that touched me while the Jews rebuilt the wall:- 1. They had a mind to work. 2. They had to hold a weapon in one hand while building (cos of the enemies) 3. They only took their clothing off while washing After the revision, it is time for the activity session. The children were divided into two groups, to build the wall of Jerusalem and repair the city. They were given a site map. Initially the children were at a loss as how to be

RECIPE FOR MISERY

This is a sure-fire recipe for misery printed in The Gospel Herald: Think about yourself. Talk about yourself. Use "I" as often as possible. Mirror yourself continually in the opinion of others. Listen greedily to what people say about you. Be suspicious. Expect to be appreciated. Be jealous and envious. Be sensitive to slights. Never forget a criticism. Trust nobody but yourself. Insist on consideration and the proper respect. Demand agreement with your own views on everything. Sulk if people are not grateful to you for favours shown them. Never forget a service you may have rendered. Be on the lookout for a good time for yourself. Shirk your duties if you can. Do as little as possible for others. Love yourself supremely. Be selfish. This recipe is guaranteed to work. In fact, you do not even all the ingredients to achieve total misery. Proverbs 12:20

FOOD PARADISE

Hi dear reader, are you a food lover? Many Singaporeans simply love food! Singapore is a tiny island without any natural resources, but we are blessed with all kinds of food from all over the world! There are so many food outlets here that at any time of the day, someone must be munching something delicious. So, are you hungry now? Early in the morning, fill yourself with a cup of Psalm and a plate of Gospel. At tea break, take a love letter from the New Testament. For lunch, have your fill with something solid and wholesome from the Old Testament. Comes easy on your dinner with some Proverbs and for supper, just enjoy your bowl of promises from Revelations. You will digest the food well with lots of thanksgiving and prayers! Have some snacks too throughout the day from Internet bible study, Spiritual Blogs and Holy Spirit inspired books and novels. To enjoy your meals more, soak up some hymns and songs of praise as fruits and desserts. Wow, so much to build us up strong and health

What I do during my recess time?

Hi, I am Joseph, a secondary school student. Recess is a time where I buy my favorite foods to fill my hunger and also a time for me to catch up with my friends. I usually eat together with my friends and at the same time chit chat while eating. My school canteen sells many foods. My favorite food is wanton noodles and also fried spicy hot dogs and fried chicken from the Malay Store. Most of the time, I drink Milo (costs about seventy cents) and sometimes bottled drinks (about a dollar). Sometimes I spend about $3 - $5 per day. My school canteen sells many nice & delicious foods. Sometimes we have free milo from external vendor engaged by our school. I think is part of the vendor's promotional effort. I gave my school canteen a very good rating!!