Hahah ok a quick thanks giving
yesterday i got a massive ache under my armpit area
sounds weird? well it hurt ok!!
like couldnt move my arm hurt.
given the area, i thought it might be the lymph node
which might mean infection
which is not good
but i prayed about it and wanted to wait a few days to see what happens
and what'dya know, today its ALOT better!!
hehe PRAISE GOD
Dan
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The Grateful Samaritan
This morning's passage for me was Luke 17:11-19. It was amazing. It comforted me, warned me and awed me.
A short synopsis of this passage is 10 men suffering from leprosy approached Jesus for healing. Jesus healed them from a distance. After he healed them 1 man, a Samaritan, returned to Jesus and praised God in a loud voice.
What God spoke to me from it was:
1. Jesus is the miracle worker.
Jesus had mentioned that faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain (Matt 17:20). Perhaps I might not even have faith the size of mustard seed, that I can't even believe that Jesus will do great things in the ministry I work in.
2. The Samaritan returned in gratitude to Jesus.
Luke placed emphasis on the fact that it was the Samaritan, the outcast of the outcasts in this group of lepers that return to Jesus in thanksgiving (Luke 17:16). Often, I am one of the 9 who enjoys receiving and then forgetting to say "thank you".
3. Jesus was merciful and loving.
If I were to be Jesus, I would probably have ran farrrrrrr from them. It's called instinct. Now God had said that only godless men live according to their instincts and we are to live in obedience to God. Around us, there are people who needs to be shown compassion. Beggars who stink, prostitutes, those who are sick and dying with no one by their side, God has compassion on them and so should we. Or even not as severe as such people, we have parents and grandparents at home who are difficult and testing for us, outcasts in our midst because they're simply 'different'. Do we even show them mercy when they get nasty. Everyone is a mistake by God's standards, yet God can be so merciful and loving to us. Don't Christlikeness mean we should do the same boldly without biasness?
4. Jesus is the healer of my spiritual leprosy
This is a humbling statement for me. I was reminded that once I was a spiritual leper but God healed me. From the depths of the pit, he rescued me and cleansed me from the dirt in the pit. Jesus is always there to cleanse me and heal me from the conditions of my heart. And only he has the power to do so.
God bless,
Alicia
A short synopsis of this passage is 10 men suffering from leprosy approached Jesus for healing. Jesus healed them from a distance. After he healed them 1 man, a Samaritan, returned to Jesus and praised God in a loud voice.
What God spoke to me from it was:
1. Jesus is the miracle worker.
Jesus had mentioned that faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain (Matt 17:20). Perhaps I might not even have faith the size of mustard seed, that I can't even believe that Jesus will do great things in the ministry I work in.
2. The Samaritan returned in gratitude to Jesus.
Luke placed emphasis on the fact that it was the Samaritan, the outcast of the outcasts in this group of lepers that return to Jesus in thanksgiving (Luke 17:16). Often, I am one of the 9 who enjoys receiving and then forgetting to say "thank you".
3. Jesus was merciful and loving.
If I were to be Jesus, I would probably have ran farrrrrrr from them. It's called instinct. Now God had said that only godless men live according to their instincts and we are to live in obedience to God. Around us, there are people who needs to be shown compassion. Beggars who stink, prostitutes, those who are sick and dying with no one by their side, God has compassion on them and so should we. Or even not as severe as such people, we have parents and grandparents at home who are difficult and testing for us, outcasts in our midst because they're simply 'different'. Do we even show them mercy when they get nasty. Everyone is a mistake by God's standards, yet God can be so merciful and loving to us. Don't Christlikeness mean we should do the same boldly without biasness?
4. Jesus is the healer of my spiritual leprosy
This is a humbling statement for me. I was reminded that once I was a spiritual leper but God healed me. From the depths of the pit, he rescued me and cleansed me from the dirt in the pit. Jesus is always there to cleanse me and heal me from the conditions of my heart. And only he has the power to do so.
God bless,
Alicia
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
QT meditations
hey guys
hope everyone's doing ok out there
remember to keep upholding each other in prayer and support!!
Just thought i'd share some of my quiet time reflections
(really encourage everyone to do this so that we can encourage each other
make good use of this wonderful site alicia has set up ^_^)
If you've been following the crossroads book, you'll notice a kinda trend that seems to appear
It's this thought of denying ourselves, taking up our cross and following Christ
(wow... that sounds STRANGELY familar ... like it was a memory verse or something...)
sometimes we can read the bible and the words dont really sink in
but over the past few days, the reality of this call to discipleship began to hit me
and it hit me the hardest is afew days ago when i meditated on Luke 9:62
Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
this kinda blows away your pretty picture of "God'll bless me while i do what i want" kinda image of christianity
You wanna really follow Jesus? This is the standard
Hand to the Plow
Eyes forward
It means living radically different
It means turning from your sin and keeping it in the past
It means doing God's work even when you're met with failure
It means doing what is right even when everyone else does what is wrong
(remember a little incident with a red light last friday???)
Are we following the real Jesus
or are we just following our own image of Jesus
because make no mistake ppl
this is the standard
Dan
hope everyone's doing ok out there
remember to keep upholding each other in prayer and support!!
Just thought i'd share some of my quiet time reflections
(really encourage everyone to do this so that we can encourage each other
make good use of this wonderful site alicia has set up ^_^)
If you've been following the crossroads book, you'll notice a kinda trend that seems to appear
It's this thought of denying ourselves, taking up our cross and following Christ
(wow... that sounds STRANGELY familar ... like it was a memory verse or something...)
sometimes we can read the bible and the words dont really sink in
but over the past few days, the reality of this call to discipleship began to hit me
and it hit me the hardest is afew days ago when i meditated on Luke 9:62
Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
this kinda blows away your pretty picture of "God'll bless me while i do what i want" kinda image of christianity
You wanna really follow Jesus? This is the standard
Hand to the Plow
Eyes forward
It means living radically different
It means turning from your sin and keeping it in the past
It means doing God's work even when you're met with failure
It means doing what is right even when everyone else does what is wrong
(remember a little incident with a red light last friday???)
Are we following the real Jesus
or are we just following our own image of Jesus
because make no mistake ppl
this is the standard
Dan
Friday, February 15, 2008
Summary of Romans Part #5
Romans 6: 1-11
Now that we have the grace of God, what do we do with it? There are 2 ways. First is to live in the fear of the Lord, offering our lives to Him. The second is to misuse the grace given to us like the godless men mentioned in Jude. Why should we not go on sinning? It is simple. If we can go on sinning, then we contradict God’s purpose of salvation. We are supposed to be saved from sin and not be given reason to sin any longer. Paul’s explanation of why is quite clear.
In verse 2, Paul says that we have “died to sin”. If we died to sin, how can we be part of it any longer? Paul mentions about our death in almost every verse.
Verse 2 – We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
Verse 3 – all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death
Verse 4 – We were therefore buried with him though baptism into death
Verse 5 – we have been united with him in his death
Verse 6 – our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with
Verse 7 – anyone who has died has been freed from sin
In order that we might live a new life, our old sinful nature has to be put to death. It has to be destroyed like bacteria in our bodies that make us sick. When you are suffering from an infection, you seek treatment until it’s totally gone. In the same way, when we died to sin, we eradicated all desire to sin and changed it to a desire to living a pleasing life to God. Going back to the sinful lifestyle is like going to the grave of your sins and digging them back up. Were they so enticing that you want to go back and dig the grave for them again?
In this passage, Paul uses the word ‘we’ as well. ‘We’ refers to those who have been crucified with Christ and have died to sin. We have the identity as transformed people and this is our uniqueness. We are Christians. So should we sin any further and be like those who are still in Adam and not in Christ?
Paul also said we “died”. We are not ‘dying’. When we believed and made the decision to join the allegiance of Jesus, we have put ourselves to death. Neither does he say we “ought to die to sin” because our death to sin is what God has done for us and not what we can do.
Just as we are united with Christ in his death, we also have unity with him in his resurrection. Because of Christ’s victory over sin, we who believed share the victory. This is the hope we have, the sure hope that has been given to us. So now that we are dead to sin and alive in Christ, Paul says in verse 12, “do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires”. This makes our first response as those who are dead to sin. In order not to let sin reign in us, we flee from it. We guard ourselves against it by equipping ourselves with the armour of God.
The next response is to offer ourselves to God “as instruments of righteousness” As we have a new life, our purposes become God-centred and not self-centred. We seek to please God and not to satisfy the sinful desires or our own ambition. For fulfilled ambitions only last for a fleeting moment but God’s purpose lasts forever. Though we are physically alive, we are spiritually dead to sin and then resurrected. In Gal 2:20, we are called now to “live by faith in the Son of God”. This involves applying Luke 9:23 again. To live for Christ, we have to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him.
Are you dead to sin? One indication is your purpose in life. Who are you living for?
Now that we have the grace of God, what do we do with it? There are 2 ways. First is to live in the fear of the Lord, offering our lives to Him. The second is to misuse the grace given to us like the godless men mentioned in Jude. Why should we not go on sinning? It is simple. If we can go on sinning, then we contradict God’s purpose of salvation. We are supposed to be saved from sin and not be given reason to sin any longer. Paul’s explanation of why is quite clear.
In verse 2, Paul says that we have “died to sin”. If we died to sin, how can we be part of it any longer? Paul mentions about our death in almost every verse.
Verse 2 – We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
Verse 3 – all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death
Verse 4 – We were therefore buried with him though baptism into death
Verse 5 – we have been united with him in his death
Verse 6 – our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with
Verse 7 – anyone who has died has been freed from sin
In order that we might live a new life, our old sinful nature has to be put to death. It has to be destroyed like bacteria in our bodies that make us sick. When you are suffering from an infection, you seek treatment until it’s totally gone. In the same way, when we died to sin, we eradicated all desire to sin and changed it to a desire to living a pleasing life to God. Going back to the sinful lifestyle is like going to the grave of your sins and digging them back up. Were they so enticing that you want to go back and dig the grave for them again?
In this passage, Paul uses the word ‘we’ as well. ‘We’ refers to those who have been crucified with Christ and have died to sin. We have the identity as transformed people and this is our uniqueness. We are Christians. So should we sin any further and be like those who are still in Adam and not in Christ?
Paul also said we “died”. We are not ‘dying’. When we believed and made the decision to join the allegiance of Jesus, we have put ourselves to death. Neither does he say we “ought to die to sin” because our death to sin is what God has done for us and not what we can do.
Just as we are united with Christ in his death, we also have unity with him in his resurrection. Because of Christ’s victory over sin, we who believed share the victory. This is the hope we have, the sure hope that has been given to us. So now that we are dead to sin and alive in Christ, Paul says in verse 12, “do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires”. This makes our first response as those who are dead to sin. In order not to let sin reign in us, we flee from it. We guard ourselves against it by equipping ourselves with the armour of God.
The next response is to offer ourselves to God “as instruments of righteousness” As we have a new life, our purposes become God-centred and not self-centred. We seek to please God and not to satisfy the sinful desires or our own ambition. For fulfilled ambitions only last for a fleeting moment but God’s purpose lasts forever. Though we are physically alive, we are spiritually dead to sin and then resurrected. In Gal 2:20, we are called now to “live by faith in the Son of God”. This involves applying Luke 9:23 again. To live for Christ, we have to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him.
Are you dead to sin? One indication is your purpose in life. Who are you living for?
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Romans 5:6-8 devotional thought
2 words caught my attention from this passage.
Have you ever experienced a time reading your Bible where words just leap off the page and cause your heart to quicken its beat? Almost like these words were written just for you? That's how I felt reading these verses today. Ah! Words of life, Living Words, the Word of God!
2 small words at the beginning of verse 8 ... "But God" ... they turn around every unworthy human thought or perspective and they lift up worldly eyes to behold a heavenly perspective, they take me off myself and my woes towards an all-embracing Father, they negate all negativity (now that's a double-negative!) and provide hope, they are full of everything that's right ... "But God" ... 2 beautiful words.
None of the self-absorbed, WIIFM (what's in it for me), kiasu thinking - "Oh, what do I have to give up to help you?", "10% - so much!", "If I want to be a good disciple and go to Church on time I must sleep earlier on Saturday night, no fun cannot go out with friends!", "Friday's coming again, Argh! no time to finish BS" ... Me! Me! Me!
"But God" ... God is not like that at all. He is totally giving and sacrificing. Without thought of the cost to Himself, He gave Himself, God for the ungodly, so I am saved, I am free.
But God ... what a God!
May these thoughts of God fill your hearts and stir in you overwhelming feelings of gratitude that become a life worthy of such a God.
Wen-Wei
Have you ever experienced a time reading your Bible where words just leap off the page and cause your heart to quicken its beat? Almost like these words were written just for you? That's how I felt reading these verses today. Ah! Words of life, Living Words, the Word of God!
2 small words at the beginning of verse 8 ... "But God" ... they turn around every unworthy human thought or perspective and they lift up worldly eyes to behold a heavenly perspective, they take me off myself and my woes towards an all-embracing Father, they negate all negativity (now that's a double-negative!) and provide hope, they are full of everything that's right ... "But God" ... 2 beautiful words.
None of the self-absorbed, WIIFM (what's in it for me), kiasu thinking - "Oh, what do I have to give up to help you?", "10% - so much!", "If I want to be a good disciple and go to Church on time I must sleep earlier on Saturday night, no fun cannot go out with friends!", "Friday's coming again, Argh! no time to finish BS" ... Me! Me! Me!
"But God" ... God is not like that at all. He is totally giving and sacrificing. Without thought of the cost to Himself, He gave Himself, God for the ungodly, so I am saved, I am free.
But God ... what a God!
May these thoughts of God fill your hearts and stir in you overwhelming feelings of gratitude that become a life worthy of such a God.
Wen-Wei
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
I was browsing through quotes and found this which made me really joyful. Here it goes:
"What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God." -Eleanor Powell
Let's all strive towards bettering ourselves to become more like Christ, for the purpose of glorifying and pleasing God. :)
With love,
Yin Ting
"What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God." -Eleanor Powell
Let's all strive towards bettering ourselves to become more like Christ, for the purpose of glorifying and pleasing God. :)
With love,
Yin Ting
Friday, February 1, 2008
Yin Ting's received email
Hi guys, a story to share.Do find time to read it, it has touched me and I'm sure it will touch you too. God is with us. :)
A minister passing through his church
in the middle of the day,
Decided to pause by the altar
and see who had come to pray.
Just then the back door opened,
a man came down the aisle.
The minister frowned as he saw
the man hadn't shaved in a while.
His shirt was kind a shabby
and his coat was worn and frayed,
the man knelt, he bowed his head,
Then he rose and walked away.
In the days that followed,
each noon time came this chap,
each time he knelt just for a moment,
A lunch pail in his lap.
Well, the minister's suspicions grew,
with robbery a main fear,
He decided to stop the man and ask him,
"What are you doing here?"
The old man said, he worked down the road.
Lunch was h alf an hour.
Lunchtime was his prayer time,
For finding strength and power.
"I stay only moments, see,
because the factory is so far away;
as I kneel here talking to the Lord,
This is what I say:
"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN. DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS JIM CHECKING IN TODAY."
The minister feeling foolish,
told Jim, that was fine.
He told the man he was welcome
To come and pray just anytime
Time to go, Jim smiled, said "Thanks."
He hurried to the door.
The minister knelt at the altar,
he'd never done it before.
His cold heart melted, warmed with love,
and met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed, in his heart,
he repeated old Jim's prayer:
"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOO K AWAY MY SIN. I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME CHECKING IN TODAY."
Past noon one day, the minister noticed
that old Jim hadn't come.
As more days passed without Jim,
he began to worry some.
At the factory, he asked about him,
learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried,
But he'd given them a thrill.
The week that Jim was with them,
Brought changes in the ward.
His smiles, a joy contagious.
Changed people, were his reward.
The head nurse couldn't understand
why Jim was so glad,
when no flowers, calls or cards came,
Not a visitor he had.
The minister stayed by his bed,
He voiced the nurse's concern:
No friends came to show they cared.
He had nowhere to turn.
Looking surprised, old Jim spoke
up and with a winsome smile;
"the nurse is wrong, she couldn't know,
that he's in here all the while
everyday at noon He's here,
a dear friend of mine, you see,
He sits right down, takes my hand,
Leans over and says to me:
"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, JIM,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP, AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN.
ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,
I THINK ABOUT YOU EACH DAY, AND SO JIM, THIS IS JESUS CHECKING IN TODAY."
If this blesses you, pass it on. Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart
May God hold you in the palm of His hand
and Angels watch over you.
" If you are ashamed of me," I will be ashamed
of you before my Father."
In God we trust!
A minister passing through his church
in the middle of the day,
Decided to pause by the altar
and see who had come to pray.
Just then the back door opened,
a man came down the aisle.
The minister frowned as he saw
the man hadn't shaved in a while.
His shirt was kind a shabby
and his coat was worn and frayed,
the man knelt, he bowed his head,
Then he rose and walked away.
In the days that followed,
each noon time came this chap,
each time he knelt just for a moment,
A lunch pail in his lap.
Well, the minister's suspicions grew,
with robbery a main fear,
He decided to stop the man and ask him,
"What are you doing here?"
The old man said, he worked down the road.
Lunch was h alf an hour.
Lunchtime was his prayer time,
For finding strength and power.
"I stay only moments, see,
because the factory is so far away;
as I kneel here talking to the Lord,
This is what I say:
"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN. DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS JIM CHECKING IN TODAY."
The minister feeling foolish,
told Jim, that was fine.
He told the man he was welcome
To come and pray just anytime
Time to go, Jim smiled, said "Thanks."
He hurried to the door.
The minister knelt at the altar,
he'd never done it before.
His cold heart melted, warmed with love,
and met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed, in his heart,
he repeated old Jim's prayer:
"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOO K AWAY MY SIN. I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME CHECKING IN TODAY."
Past noon one day, the minister noticed
that old Jim hadn't come.
As more days passed without Jim,
he began to worry some.
At the factory, he asked about him,
learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried,
But he'd given them a thrill.
The week that Jim was with them,
Brought changes in the ward.
His smiles, a joy contagious.
Changed people, were his reward.
The head nurse couldn't understand
why Jim was so glad,
when no flowers, calls or cards came,
Not a visitor he had.
The minister stayed by his bed,
He voiced the nurse's concern:
No friends came to show they cared.
He had nowhere to turn.
Looking surprised, old Jim spoke
up and with a winsome smile;
"the nurse is wrong, she couldn't know,
that he's in here all the while
everyday at noon He's here,
a dear friend of mine, you see,
He sits right down, takes my hand,
Leans over and says to me:
"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, JIM,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP, AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN.
ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,
I THINK ABOUT YOU EACH DAY, AND SO JIM, THIS IS JESUS CHECKING IN TODAY."
If this blesses you, pass it on. Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart
May God hold you in the palm of His hand
and Angels watch over you.
" If you are ashamed of me," I will be ashamed
of you before my Father."
In God we trust!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)