My soul is burdened, my heart weak and weary...
May You remind me day by day, the richness of Your mercy and grace that has indeed
completely saved a wretch like me...
Teach me Lord and mould me more and more, to become more like You.
That I may only ever find joy, in serving my King.
That all I may do, might please His glorious name.
Only in Jesus name might I pray and ask, for a life that is wholly rendered unto You.
Only in trust and obedience, might I walk this Earth bravely, to face the coming days.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
My life of worship
Col 3:23
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.
Give me, one pure and holy passion - To know and follow hard after You.
Let it not be an emotional cry out to God, so that I may be satisfied with the praises of man for my outward pouring of my love for Him.
Let it not be an emotional cry out to God, so that I may be satisfied with the praises of man for my outward pouring of my love for Him.
Oh please Lord, let it not be a senseless attempt, to reach a standard I know I'll never be able to reach, for the sake of becoming a better man.
Even more so, let it not be a self-fulfilling act, to place myself higher before my other brothers that they may turn their eyes away from You, to me.
Work heartily
Beyond my tiredness
Beyond my boredom
Beyond my selfishness
Beyond my lustful thoughts
Beyond my prideful nature
Beyond all that I am
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Love is Essential for True Humanity - Meaning of life
Aim: PArts band members will be challenged to live a life that is pleasing to God in their speech, actions and lifestyle in school.
3 Main Points:
1. Men everywhere are trying to find the significance of being human
2. All the knowledge and all the religious faith in the world will not give a true and ultimate evaluation of human life. Only love will do that.
3. We cannot discover the true worth of human existence without love
Introduction
I’m sure most of us, if not all, have asked ourselves this question: What is the meaning to life? As I was preparing for this devotion, I have come to understand, that as Christians, we don’t have to search far in order to find an answer to that question. Like many of our friends who are not yet believers, we can be busy searching for that answer by supporting causes (Like saving the whales etc.), finding bf and gfs, giving to charity, mugging and chionging our projects and even just trying to be the nicest and happiest person in school, but if we search everywhere else but upwards, we will never truly find an answer.
As Christians, we must first come to terms that we are God’s creation and He as Creator, is totally sovereign over our lives. Therefore, we must recognize that it is not us, not our parents, not our teachers and not our friends, but only Him who determines our purpose in life.
So what indeed is our purpose in life?
For today’s devotion we will be looking at 3 main points.
1. What is our purpose in life
2. How should knowing that purpose affect our lives
3. A hunger to share the gospel
1. What is our purpose in life
Matthew 22:37-39 gives us a very clear picture of what God wants us to do. To love God with all of your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, to love God in your speech, to love God in your actions, to love God in even your thoughts, to love God with all you are.
It might seem easy enough to say “Yeah sure! I can do all that, I mean God is like the awesome dude up there, He is all good man so there is no problem loving Him!” But then comes the next part of the passage which tells ‘…a second is like it. You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ To love God is to love your neighbour as yourself.
That means, we are to love our neighbours with all our heart, soul, mind, speech, actions, thoughts and even all that we are.
So one question we can pause to ask ourselves right now is:
1. How have we been not loving the people around us with all the above criteria? What are some things we can change in our attitudes and behaviour to the “difficult” people in our lives?
2. How should knowing that purpose affect our lives
In every single way! When Christ died on the cross, He not only took the penalty of our sins, but He redeemed us by His saving grace that we might now depend on Him to help us change from our old ways and that is by trusting that His work on the cross was completed there and then. But not only that, if His work truly was completed, that means now we have a responsibility and that is to respond to what He tells us to do in complete obedience.
We won’t ever be able to perfectly love the people around us, at least not in this life time, but we must begin changing some of our stubborn old habits like picking on people’s weaknesses, joining in our other classmates in their gossiping, coarse language towards others and ultimately, seeking God’s words to know how exactly He wants us to live our lives. In that, we learn to truly be genuine to people not because we are trying to put on a false front, but because the call to love is a command and it is not a choice.
Another question to think about is:
1. Is there a person in your life who you find particularly difficult to relate with? Knowing that loving others is a command, how can you begin to show love to that person?
3. A hunger to share the gospel
Ultimately, the gospel (meaning God’s words, who He is and what He has done) is what changes lives. If we truly love the people around us, we will want point them back to the One who is Love. Our actions as insignificant as they are, reflect how we truly treasure who God is and when we finally have the opportunity to share the gospel, it is not out of obligation (like someone asking you to do it), rather, it is because you have truly been convicted that the gospel alone can save and transform lives.
Final Challenge:
Sharing the gospel is not just a one off thing of telling the gospel message, but it is a whole life lived out in love with God.
1. Think of 2 friends that you want to start sharing the gospel with, invite them for the event
2. In what you have learnt from today’s devotion, pray and ask God for help in loving Him and the people around you and ask Him to challenge you to live a life that honours Him with all that you are
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Worship Is an End in Itself
Worship Is an End in Itself: "Worship Is an End in Itself on DesiringGod.org"
Monday, October 25, 2010
What the Lord gives, let it be used for His glory alone
I've explained it a million times, but I realize that words alone can never show you the heartbeat of what I do. Now, I put it in my mind that I will continue to fight for what I truly treasure, not compromising the truths that God has revealed to me and has convicted me off. If to live means to suffer, let me die so that this suffering might be an indication that I am alive in God alone.
2 Timothy 1:8-10
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus , who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel
The likes of Jim Elliot and his friends, the Apostles Paul, John and the rest of them, all have gone before me. Indeed when the question was asked, "What is this story you would lay down your life to tell?", what must have went through the minds of these people? Were they super Christians whom God gave more power or wisdom too? Were they but crazy old fools who were living for old traditions that are not practical for the times we are in? No! They were but fellow human beings - they felt pain, they were insulted and mocked at, they were lonely at times, people couldn't understand why they did what they did, no matter how they tried, somehow there seemed as if their work was fruitless and yet, they laboured on.
It is a joke to call myself a Christian, look at this people and but simply put in my minds that what they did were beyond what is expected of me as a Christian at this day and age.
What does it look like then, to truly live as one who treasures God and loves Him with my heart, mind and will?
Even as I venture off into the world of the media, let my walk speak loud and my words be true, that I do not treasure what everyone else considers as important if is not in relation to loving the LORD with my all. Don't get me wrong, as a student, I have put in my mind that I will treat every assignment as a service to God, not just doing my best, but using every opportunity I have as an experience to grow closer to Him.
Oh how can I show you, that my ministry is not a blind phase loyalty to an organisation, but to the God whom loved me so that He opened my eyes to truly see that there is so much to this life than worrying about which internship I'll get or whether I'll get into a good university.
If I were to die this day, would I come before the Father merely saying, "I have been a good and faithful student, I completed all my assignments on time, I exhausted all my time and energy into producing a work that is pleasing unto Your name, blessed be that I have written an essay that has gotten me a perfect GPA score."
What good is my GPA score if it is not in worship and service to the God who loves me? What good is it, that I gain the whole world, but lose my soul to eternal condemnation?
But still, it is painful that people can live for every other reason and people will applaud you, everything else matters, travelling the world, getting experience, making good contacts, having more money, not having to spend that money, everything else is so much important then coming back to the Father and taking a step closer to Him each new day? IT IS SICK! It just makes me feel nauseous, like I just want to lie on the ground, it's an feeling I cannot even begin to describe. I'm not even trying to hold my tears back, because I am just so disgusted, that my tears demand to be held in, they are screaming not to be let out for such a ridiculous way of living as if you're no better than the ones who treat Jesus like His an optional character where if you are good, well then that's a bonus. Rubbish. I will live for nothing less than for what God is doing with the life He has given me.
Let me stand firm in my conviction that truly, the gospel is sufficient to live life truly as it is meant to be and because of that, I'll continue to live my life for God alone be it whether you look down on me, be it whether you think I'm a fool, be it whether you see me as stubborn, for I serve one master alone and that is God above who has saved me not for condemnation, but for a life where my joy is found in Him alone because of His saving grace, and the faith in which I can now live, alive.
2 Timothy 1:8-10
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus , who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel
The likes of Jim Elliot and his friends, the Apostles Paul, John and the rest of them, all have gone before me. Indeed when the question was asked, "What is this story you would lay down your life to tell?", what must have went through the minds of these people? Were they super Christians whom God gave more power or wisdom too? Were they but crazy old fools who were living for old traditions that are not practical for the times we are in? No! They were but fellow human beings - they felt pain, they were insulted and mocked at, they were lonely at times, people couldn't understand why they did what they did, no matter how they tried, somehow there seemed as if their work was fruitless and yet, they laboured on.
It is a joke to call myself a Christian, look at this people and but simply put in my minds that what they did were beyond what is expected of me as a Christian at this day and age.
What does it look like then, to truly live as one who treasures God and loves Him with my heart, mind and will?
Even as I venture off into the world of the media, let my walk speak loud and my words be true, that I do not treasure what everyone else considers as important if is not in relation to loving the LORD with my all. Don't get me wrong, as a student, I have put in my mind that I will treat every assignment as a service to God, not just doing my best, but using every opportunity I have as an experience to grow closer to Him.
Oh how can I show you, that my ministry is not a blind phase loyalty to an organisation, but to the God whom loved me so that He opened my eyes to truly see that there is so much to this life than worrying about which internship I'll get or whether I'll get into a good university.
If I were to die this day, would I come before the Father merely saying, "I have been a good and faithful student, I completed all my assignments on time, I exhausted all my time and energy into producing a work that is pleasing unto Your name, blessed be that I have written an essay that has gotten me a perfect GPA score."
What good is my GPA score if it is not in worship and service to the God who loves me? What good is it, that I gain the whole world, but lose my soul to eternal condemnation?
But still, it is painful that people can live for every other reason and people will applaud you, everything else matters, travelling the world, getting experience, making good contacts, having more money, not having to spend that money, everything else is so much important then coming back to the Father and taking a step closer to Him each new day? IT IS SICK! It just makes me feel nauseous, like I just want to lie on the ground, it's an feeling I cannot even begin to describe. I'm not even trying to hold my tears back, because I am just so disgusted, that my tears demand to be held in, they are screaming not to be let out for such a ridiculous way of living as if you're no better than the ones who treat Jesus like His an optional character where if you are good, well then that's a bonus. Rubbish. I will live for nothing less than for what God is doing with the life He has given me.
Let me stand firm in my conviction that truly, the gospel is sufficient to live life truly as it is meant to be and because of that, I'll continue to live my life for God alone be it whether you look down on me, be it whether you think I'm a fool, be it whether you see me as stubborn, for I serve one master alone and that is God above who has saved me not for condemnation, but for a life where my joy is found in Him alone because of His saving grace, and the faith in which I can now live, alive.
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