He has made everything beautiful in its time --- Ecclesiastes 3:11
Tuesday 30 April 2013
A Lifetime of Favor
A
Lifetime of Favor
TODAY’S
SCRIPTURE
Sing the praises of the
Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a
moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime…
Psalm 30:4-5, NIV.
TODAY’S
WORD
Let this truth sink down
into your spirit today: God’s favor is not for a season; it’s for a lifetime.
How do we obtain God’s favor? Proverbs three tells us that when we honor His
Word, when we obey His commands and walk in mercy and truth, that’s how we find
favor in God’s sight. When we do our part, God will do His part.
Today, if you are believing
God for something, maybe a turnaround in a relationship, career or your health,
stand firm that God’s Word is true. When you put Him first place in your life,
when you follow His commands, He promises to pour out His favor on you. When
those thoughts try to tell you, “It’s not going to happen. It’s too good to be
true.” Turn it around and say, “Father, I want to thank You for Your favor on
my life, on my children, on my career, on my future. I am Your child, and I
know it’s not temporary. It’s not seasonal. It doesn’t come and go. Thank you,
God, for a lifetime of favor!”
PRAYER
FOR TODAY
Father, thank You for Your
goodness and faithfulness in my life. I choose to honor You in all I do. I
choose to acknowledge Your ways. Thank You for pouring at Your favor and
blessing on me as I boldly follow Your commands in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
***
“He has made my skin and flesh grow old. He has broken my bones. He has besieged and surrounded me?with anguish and distress. He has buried me in a dark place, like those long dead .… And though I cry and shout, he has shut out my prayers.” (Lamentations 3:4-6, 8 NLT)
We all go through a time when our lives seem to be falling apart. We lose our job. A relationship falls apart. Someone dies. Our health takes a turn for the worse.
In those times, we’re tempted to think God has abandoned us.
But he hasn’t.
The ancient prophet Jeremiah was in the same boat when he wrote the book of Lamentations. His country, Judah, endured an economic tailspin and was terrorized by a foreign enemy. He witnessed incredible inhumanities committed against his people. People were out of work and starving to death.
Where did Jeremiah start? He told God how he felt. In Lamentations 3, Jeremiah says: “He [God] has made my skin and flesh grow old. He has broken my bones. He has besieged and surrounded me?with anguish and distress. He has buried me in a dark place, like those long dead .… And though I cry and shout, he has shut out my prayers” (NLT).
Does it surprise you that these words are in the Bible? Jeremiah, too, felt God had forgotten him. But Jeremiah didn’t ignore what he was feeling. He didn’t sugarcoat the situation. He told God what was on his heart. In fact, Jeremiah spent five chapters telling God what he thought about the situation. He told God, “This stinks!”
Why would God put that kind of passage in the Bible? He wants you to know that he can handle your anger, your gripes, and your grief. Jeremiah spends an entire book of the Bible blowing off steam. If God was big enough to handle Jeremiah’s pain, he’s big enough to handle yours, too.
Swallow your emotions, and you just hurt yourself. Your stomach will keep score!
Instead, unload them on God.
When my kids were little, they’d throw temper tantrums. Their temper tantrums didn’t make me love them any less. They didn’t make me doubt my decisions. They didn’t make me feel like less of a father.
They reminded me that my kids were immature. They didn’t know what I knew.
God doesn’t love you any less when you throw a temper tantrum. He doesn’t owe you an explanation, but he is never afraid of what you have to say.
So tell him. It’ll be the beginning of healing.
Talk It Over
- What is going on in your life that you’ve been afraid to talk to God about?
- Why is it difficult to be honest with God about our struggles?
- Try writing a letter to God about your struggles. How does it help to put these words on paper? What can you more easily say to God by writing rather than speaking?
|
Monday 29 April 2013
God Will Never Shortchange Us – Pastor Shawn Kong
7 April 2013 by Timothy Tai
Shawn Kong is the kind of guy that every Asian parent wants their children to be like (and the kind of person that every Asian child dreads being compared to). He was an outstanding and model student throughout secondary school and a few months after leaving his hometown of Kuching to study in KL, he was voted the President of the Student Council at college. No one was surprised at all when he went on to graduate with a First Class Honours degree in Accounting & Finance from the University of London and got his first job with the consulting arm of one of the Big 4 accounting firms.
One and a half years into his job, things were going very well for him and he was about to be promoted when he made a ‘crazy’ career move: he tendered his resignation letter so he could pursue a one year bible course in Manila.
Although Shawn didn’t grow up in a Christian family, he came to know Jesus through some high school friends and his faith really grew and matured during his university days when he attended Eaglepoint Church. He began to understand what it meant to be saved and to be discipled and it was then that he made a decision in his heart to follow Christ no matter what.
When his peers found out about his decision to quit his job, many of them questioned the wisdom of it as he was just starting out his career. Even his own boss tried to stop him and get him to change his mind by saying:
“Why don’t you earn more money first and next time when you’re rich, you can serve God and give to charity?”
However Shawn’s mind was made up as he had been sensing a hunger to know God deeply and he desired to be equipped for the works of ministry. So despite his boss’ advice, he left for Manila with the blessings and support of his pastors and leaders. After completing the one year course, he returned to KL to work full time in the campus and young adult ministry.
Another year and a half later, he felt that God was leading him to be a bi-vocational pastor (i.e. to have a job in the marketplace and serve as a full-time pastor at the same time) so he emailed his former boss who offered him a job and wanted him to start immediately! But here’s the most incredible part: His former boss didn’t offer him the previous position that he held prior to his resignation. Instead, Shawn was given a position which was 3 levels higher than before!
He remarked, “When I calculated back the years it would have taken me to reach this position if I had stayed on (working in the company), it will take me an additional 9 months. Which means, in corporate progression sense, I have actually saved 9 months even though I have gone to my training for 1 year and work full time in my church for another 1.5 years. That’s amazing for me. I felt God is telling me that when we choose to obey and serve Him, He will never shortchange us!”
Today, Shawn is the pastor of Eaglepoint Church Damansara which he led a church planting team to start in 2006. He has also moved on from his job at the Big 4 accounting firm and now works at a multi-national financial institution as a senior client portfolio manager. God’s favor continues to be with him and he performed so well at his new company that he won the “Rookie of the Year” award in his first year. Glory to God!
In addition to being a pastor and having a full-time job, Pastor Shawn is married to an amazing wife and is blessed with two young children. He loves spending time with his family and watching movies with friends. He is also a loyal Arsenal fan who enjoys playing futsal and reading good books. When I asked him if he had any advice for others about how to juggle work, ministry and family life, he replied:
“That’s exactly what many people think they need to do: juggle. However, this mindset tends to segregate and compartmentalize our life into different segments i.e. work, family, ministry, God, personal etc. It’s only a matter of time before a person will be exhausted from the feeling of being pulled in all directions. I tend to see it more holistically – as one. That my life is centered upon Christ and that I live to please Him and live for His purpose. It is from that centrality that I live out my life as a Christian, as a husband, as a father, as a pastor, as an employee etc. Once someone discovers their calling and purpose, the rest is a matter of practical out-working of our daily life, routines and demands. Knowing your purpose will then simplify your life. You will learn to say ‘yes’ to what brings you towards your purpose, and ‘no’ to what distracts you away from it.”
I also asked him how Christians could become more effective ministers in the marketplace and he said that two things need to take place:
“Firstly, we must do our best to be excellent in what we do in our work place (Colossians 3:23). It’s hard to be an effective minister if our performance at work is the poorest. Be excellent in our quality of work, in relating to the people around us and in our attitude.
Secondly, we must also know the scripture and discern what God wants us to do. So that we can be equipped in and out of season to minister, to encourage, to bring hope, to pray, to lead, to share the message etc. We need these 2 aspects to work hand-in-hand. Many times, we find Christians who are strong in one aspect but not that strong in the other.”
Pastor Shawn also stressed the need for Christians in the marketplace to guard themselves against becoming too caught up with their careers and losing their passion for God.
“Too often we hear of fervent Christians but as they enter into the working world, their zeal diminishes over time. Some are overwhelmed with work pressures, the demands of living in a fast-paced city, some are drawn away by pleasures and attractions (or distractions) of life. Or we hear people say, ‘Let me focus on my career first’ when we should be taking God’s promise in Matthew 6:33 on seeking His kingdom first and all shall be added unto us.
As I’m still in this journey, my humble opinion is that we must first and foremost be fully surrendered to God and His kingdom purpose – know that our career is only a sub-set of our entire calling in life. Secondly, as we progress in our careers and life, we should also progress in our spiritual zeal and effectiveness to be a minister. Taking constant pit-stops to evaluate is always good. And be open to God to change our path in life. Sometimes He does the unexpected. Another key factor is having someone in your life (your pastor or your small group leader or your spouse etc) to speak into our lives and giving them permission to guide us back on the right path when they think we have ‘lost it’.”
If there’s one thing that’s evident when I look at Pastor Shawn’s life, it’s this: when we put God’s kingdom before our own interests, He really will take care of everything else in our lives. And He will definitely never shortchange us.
Hiding in the Right Place
Hiding
in the Right Place
TODAY’S
SCRIPTURE
In the day of trouble he
will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his
tabernacle and set me high upon a rock
Psalm 27:5, NIV.
TODAY’S
WORD
Have you ever watched
children play hide and seek? They look for the best place to hide in the house
or yard and wait quietly for their friend to try to find them. It’s a fun game
for kids, but even as adults, we need a good place to hide from time to time.
Sometimes we need a place of refuge, we need a place of safety, and we need a
place to rest when we feel overwhelmed by the circumstances of life—a place
where the enemy of our soul can never find us.
The good news is that God
has the perfect hiding place for you! You don’t have to hide in your job. You
don’t have to hide in relationships. You don’t have to hide in food or
addictions because God Himself promises to hide you! He freely offers you
shelter from the storms of life any time you call upon His name.
Remember, there’s only one
place the enemy cannot find you. There’s only one place where opposition cannot
steal from you. There’s only one true place of safety and rest for your soul,
and that is in the arms of Jesus. Know that He loves you, and He is ready to
receive you when you call upon His name!
PRAYER
FOR TODAY
Father, today I come humbly
before You giving You all that I am. Thank You for hiding me in Your shelter
and keeping me safe from the storms of life. My soul finds rest in You as I
seek You and praise Your holy name in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
***
“So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:11-13 CEV)
Faithful people are generous when they don’t have anything to give. Anybody can be generous when they have a surplus. I can be generous with my time when I’ve got a lot of extra time. I can be generous with my money when I’ve got a lot of extra money. I can be generous with my energy when I’ve got extra energy to spend. It’s when I don’t have enough time for me, I don’t have enough energy for me, I don’t have enough money for me, I don’t have enough talent for me that God says, “This is a test. I’m watching you to see if you are faithful. Will you be faithful, and will you trust me?”
Here are five principles in which God will test you and then bless you:
1. God gives to generous people.
Why does God want me to be generous? Because he wants me to be like him.
2. Obeying God’s vision will bring God’s provision.
If you do what God tells you to do, God will bring along the resources you need at the right time. What he’s given you the vision for he will give you theprovision for.
3. When I do all that God tells me to do, he does what I can’t do.
God often asks you to do the impossible to stretch your faith. When you give what little you have, God multiples it and makes up for it.
4. When I have a need, I sow a seed.
Whatever you need in your life, sow that as a seed, and it will come back to you.
5. There’s always a delay between sowing and reaping.
There is a season between planting and harvesting. What’s going on in the time delay? It’s a test of your faith.
Will you be faithful to give when you have little? Will you keep on doing the right thing? Will you do what God wants you to do, no matter the cost, and then see what God does?
Talk About It
- In what ways are you generous with your time, money, and talents?
- How do you respond to giving something in which you have a shortage?
|
Sunday 28 April 2013
He Will Complete It
He
Will Complete It
TODAY’S
SCRIPTURE
And David said to his son
Solomon, ‘Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be
dismayed, for the LORD God--my God--will be with you. He will not leave you nor
forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house
of the LORD’
1 Chronicles 28:20, NKJV.
TODAY’S
WORD
Is there something you’ve
been believing for, something you’ve been hoping for that’s taking longer than
you expected? You might be tempted to just accept things the way they are. You
might be tempted to think it’s never going to happen. If that’s you today, be
encouraged because God is a finisher! He will complete what He’s started in
you!
Your part is to believe.
Your part is to keep your eyes on Him. When you believe, you have the Creator
of the universe fighting your battles, arranging things in your favor, going
before you, moving the wrong people out of the way. Don’t be intimidated by the
size of a problem or the size of your dream! Don’t let circumstances convince
you to stop believing. “Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our Provider, is still on the
throne. One touch of God’s favor and you’ll go from barely getting by to having
more than enough! Begin to thank Him and declare that God is at work. Declare
that He is perfecting what concerns you. Declare that He will complete
everything He’s started in your life!
PRAYER
FOR TODAY
Father God, I thank You for
completing every good work that You have started in my life. I choose to
believe Your Word, even when things look impossible. I choose to believe that
You are working behind the scenes and that You will bring victory and
breakthrough to every area of my life in Jesus’ Name! Amen.
***
“That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:15-17 NLT)
The difference between faithful people and unfaithful people is unfaithful people give up at the first sign of difficulty. Faithful people keep on keeping on. Faithful people are determined. Faithful people are diligent. Faithful people are persistent. Faithful people don’t know how to quit. You know how a little acorn becomes an oak tree? An oak tree is just an acorn that refused to give up.
I’m not that smart, but I do know one thing: It is always too soon to quit. You are never a failure until you quit, and it’s always too soon to quit. God uses tough times to test our persistence.
When we started Saddleback, I preached the first sermon to one person: my wife. She thought it was too long. Thirty-one years later, she’s still saying my sermons are too long!
I thought when we started a church we’d get a building quickly. We went 15 years without a building. In the first 13 years of this church, we used 79 different facilities. You know how many times I felt like giving up? Just every Monday morning! But I don’t know how to quit. And God said, “Rick, if I never give you a building, would you still serve me?” And I said, “Absolutely!”
Saddleback grew to more than 10,000 people before we built our first building. How would you like to set up and take down a church for 10,000 people every week? There’s not a lot of glory in that. It’s just hard work. God uses tough times to test our persistence.
If you’re going through tough times right now, then this verse is for you: “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:15-17 NLT)
God is more interested in what you’re becoming than what’s happening to you. He often allows trials, troubles, tribulations, and problems in your life to teach you diligence, determination, and character. The problem you’re going through right now? It’s a test of your faithfulness. Will you continue to serve God even when life stinks?
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9 NIV).
Talk About It
- In what situation are you ready to give up?
- How can you renew your spirit so that you have the strength to persevere in this situation?
|
Saturday 27 April 2013
You're on Assignment
You're
on Assignment
TODAY’S
SCRIPTURE
We are therefore Christ's
ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on
Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:20, NIV.
TODAY’S
WORD
God has an assignment for
you that nobody else can fulfill. God needs you. He needs your gifts, your
smile, your love, your passion. You are a part of His divine plan. You have
something to offer nobody else can offer. Nobody has your exact personality,
your exact looks. There is something unique about you. Don’t wear that
“average” label. If you think you’re average, then you’ll be average. If you
think you’re ordinary, then you’ll live an ordinary, “get by life” and never do
anything great.
The truth is, there is
nothing ordinary about you. You have the fingerprints of God all over you. The
Creator of the universe breathed His life into you. He crowned you with His
favor. You have royal blood flowing through your veins. You have a destiny to
fulfill, something greater than you’ve ever even imagined. Embrace His truth,
embrace His love, and embrace the blessings He has in store for your future!
PRAYER
FOR TODAY
Father, thank You for
equipping me and choosing me to be Your ambassador on earth. Help me to be Your
light and use my gifts and talents to lead others to know You in Jesus’ Name.
Amen.
***
“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10 NLT)
God uses my talents to test my unselfishness. You have to decide in life for whom or what you’re going to live. You’re either going to live a self-centered, miserly life or you’re going to live for something greater than yourself — the kingdom of God.
Faithful people don’t live for themselves. They realize that the talents God gave them are not for their own benefit; they’re to make the world a better place.
When God made you, he gave you all kinds of gifts, talents, and abilities. We call it your s.h.a.p.e.: your spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences. These five things make you you. And God made you you. There’s nobody like you in the whole world, and he wants you to be you for his glory.
God shaped you to serve him, and there’s only one way to do that: by serving other people.
Faithful people realize that their talents are not for their benefit. You may have a talent for art and say that you do it “just because you love to do it.” That’s nice, but that’s not a good enough motive. God didn’t give you artistic ability just so you can love to do it. He gave it to you so you can use your art in some way to help other people.
Some of you have an ability to fix things. Some of you are good at math. Some of you are good at closing deals. Some of you are good at music. Some of you are good at organizing. And some of you are good at trimming and gardening.
God made us all different so that everything in the world gets done. If we all liked to do the same thing, there would be a whole lot left undone.
You are the steward of your talents, and God is watching to see if you use what he gave you effectively on Earth. If you use them effectively on Earth, he’s going to give you more responsibility in Heaven.
Have you ever thought about why didn’t God just create us and take us to Heaven? Why does he put us here on a broken planet for 80 or 90 years? He put you here because life is a test and a trust and a temporary assignment. He’s watching to see if you are faithful to use what he gave you here on Earth to bless other people.
The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:10, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (NLT). God gave you talents, and he’s watching to see if you’re faithful with them.
Talk About It
- How are you using your talents to serve others?
- Test your motives in everything you do. For example, are you serving somewhere to help others and glorify God or so you will receive some notice or glory for yourself?
|
Friday 26 April 2013
A One Year Special
What made the one year a
special One? Well, it’s the people I've met and marked a special part in my
heart. It was in knowing and understanding them that made my learning process a
more life-enriching one. I liked going to school to listen, report and lead, to
attend worship and fellowship, to teach kids once in a while and be engaged with
the people who loved me as well. Grateful that I can still commune with God
every morning and happy knowing that some people in other countries reading my
blog (thanks for the stats!) as I continuously sharing what I have in mind. I thanked
the Lord for the work He entrusted upon me. I thanked Him for the past
experiences I gained from the people that God brought into my life and blessed
me in full swing spiritually, physically, emotionally, and cognitively --- for
the wisdom they shared I owe it all to them for what I am right now… from the
bottom of my heart I sincerely appreciated it. The richness of all their Love, prayers,
care and support has been rooted in my heart… what else can I say… but to appreciate
and thank more.
I’m grateful that I have gone
this far and still able to see the greater perspective of God’s Master development
plan in my life and in our family. I’m happy that our younger brother continuously
blessed by the Lord in other country (oh, how I missed him so). I’m glad that
our younger sister was also blessed with a loving husband (welcome to the
family!) and joyful that we have our mother and father beside us (glad to see
our parents were happy too).
Never to forget smart Winwin --- the
favorite of all this time. =)
Sincerely,
Meg
His Mercy is Greater
His
Mercy is Greater
TODAY’S
SCRIPTURE
For the LORD is good; His
mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100:5, NKJV.
TODAY’S
WORD
When you make a mistake,
unfortunately, the critics and naysayers come out of the woodwork. People will
tell you, “You’re all washed up. It’s too late.” If you wear that label, it
will keep you from the amazing future God has in store. God says, “My mercy is
bigger than any mistake.” God says, “I can still get you to your destiny.” God
says, “I will give you beauty for those ashes. I’ll pay you back double for the
unfair things that have happened.” You wouldn’t be alive unless God had another
victory in your future. Why don’t you take off the “washed up” label? Take off
the “failure,” “guilty,” “condemned” labels and put on some new labels:
redeemed, restored, forgiven, bright future, new beginning.
Always remember, you have
been made in the image of Almighty God. God did not make any mistakes. You are
the perfect size. You have the right personality, the right gifts, the right
looks, the right skin color. You are not an accident. God designed you
precisely for the race that is laid out for you. You are fully equipped for
this life, and His mercy is greater than any mistake you could make. Embrace
the truth and the victory He has in store for your future!
PRAYER
FOR TODAY
Father, thank You for Your
mercy. Thank You for equipping me for everything I need in this life. I choose
to renounce old labels and forgive those who have hurt me. I set my eyes on
You, Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
***
“Whoever is faithful in small matters will be faithful in large ones; whoever is dishonest in small matters will be dishonest in large ones.” (Luke 16:10 GNT)
We think it’s the big things in life that create a leader — no. The big crises in life reveal leadership, but leadership is not built in the big things of life. It’s built in the small things of life. That’s where integrity shows up — in the stuff that nobody sees, in the stuff behind the scenes. In the small, unseen, unspectacular choices of life where you do the right thing even though nobody’s ever going to see it.
Faithfulness requires integrity, and God tests your integrity in the little things.
In Luke 16:10 Jesus says, “Whoever is faithful in small matters will be faithful in large ones; whoever is dishonest in small matters will be dishonest in large ones” (GNT). He’s saying your public blessing is determined by your private integrity.
Every time a politician has a scandal, you can always count on his defenders to come out and say this: “It really shouldn’t matter what a guy’s private life is like.” Have you ever heard that one? “It really shouldn’t matter what a guy does in his private life. It hasn’t a thing to do with him as a leader.”
It has everything to do with him as a leader! Because if a man lies to his wife, he’ll lie to his constituents. Believe me! If he’ll lie to his best friend, to whom he said, “Till death do us part,” he will cheat on you, voter! Count on it!
My public blessing as a leader comes because of private integrity that nobody ever sees. Your public blessing as a person comes from your private integrity that nobody will ever see. God uses little things to test our integrity.
Talk About It
|
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)