My Doodling:
Couldn’t agree more with this brother’s thoughts. Let’s keep the main thing the main thing- Jesus is why we do what we do.
God is never more interested in how many people we reach out and attempt to save than He is interested in how much (big of a heart) we love people as He loves.
It is not uncommon to hear comments from others including Christians saying why Christians are so “aggressive” in getting people to convert, or why for that matter should Christians evangelise?
And to uncover the answers, we only have to look to God and understand His heart.
God from the beginning
God since the very beginning has been the initiator of the God-man relationship. Even when the first man fell from perfectation, God sought him from the bushes.
In bringing about His redeemtive plan for man, He had called the father of Israel, Abraham who eventually left his country to prepare the way for his descendents.
When the Israelites were held in slavery in Egypt, He freed them by appointing Moses, but not before appearing before him with the burning bush.
For us to know God is His idea and His original plan, not ours.
Jesus Christ- God seeking men
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Luke 19:10
The birth of Jesus Christ is the epitome of God’s love seeking to save us man. Jesus came from heaven and made Himself a man in order that He could show us The Way, The Truth and The Life.
Christianity is unique among all other religions in this world as it consists of not men seeking God, but God seeking men.
Therefore, Christians ought to be His rightful ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal to men through them.
“When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.”
Psalm 73:21-26 (NIV)
Two incidents within this week got me marvelling at how He looks out for me. It is just amazing to know how God loves me and cares for me or each one of us for that matter.
First was when I was thinking, “Now tight budget, how to meet my friends over dinner this week to catch up?”
God provided.
My colleague from the Finance Division called me to collected money dued to me which I was not even expecting. Wow!
Second was during one breakfast, I had ordered porridage for take-away. A piece of pancake had caught my eye but I didn’t buy it.
Incredibly, as I was paying for my take-away, the stall-owner out of so many other choices took the pancake and gave it to me for free!
She explained she was going to close early that day, so she wanted to clear her food.
Wow… God loves me leh… (c.f. Psalm 139)
Thank You God for showing me that You really care for every matters- big and small- in my life! =)
REUTERS
By Melanie Lee
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Carol John, 27, doesn’t own a bed. Every night she sleeps on thin mattresses which she shares with her three young children. Outside her one-room flat, a smell of sewage lingers in the common corridor.
Just a few kilometers away, on Singapore’s Sentosa island, Madhupati Singhania relaxes on his $435,000 yacht berthed at the city-state’s swanky One 15 Marina Club.
Income inequality is nothing new in free-market Singapore, but two years of blistering economic growth and a government policy of attracting wealthy expatriates have created a new class of super-rich, while a string of price increases for everything from bread to bus fares have made life harder for the poor.
“I can’t save anything, it’s so difficult for me,” John told Reuters. John, who is unemployed, relies on her husband’s S$600 (US$420) monthly salary and a S$100 government handout.
“We don’t benefit at all from the economy. As far as I know, my husband’s pay hasn’t gone up,” she said.
Singapore’s economy is firing on all cylinders, with a booming construction sector, record tourist arrivals and a fast-growing financial sector all contributing to a gross domestic product set to grow nearly 8 percent in 2007….. (Continued)
Read the full story here>>>
Last Friday was at Studio 54 @Ministry of Sound (MoS) for a networking nite supported by SMa between IBM’s partners and SMa members.
Here’s me with Perfect 10 DJ and Singapore Idol host, Daniel Ong!!!
Cool or what??? =P
No one can imagine or believe the kind of person I was in the past. Beside my vices, I was also an angry and hot-tempered person.
Without knowing then, I was pretty much consumed with anger with many frustrations about my life all bottled up within.
A wretched mess
I was a walking time-bomb just waiting to explode at a slight provocation.
Back then, this anger would explode especially when I drank. That’s when I lose all resistance of any self-control and let all hell loose.
There were many countless ocassions that I recall how I broke things in a fit of rage or even hurt people that crossed me without remorse. And one of these incidents that I am going to share will depict the mess I was before Christ.
An unforgettable incident
Rummaging through my stuff, I found a police statement made in 2000 by someone against me whom I had physically hurt when I was drunk.
Here’s what’s written:
Around 2 to 3am on 23/11/99. I went to Kelvin’s (that’s my old name) house to take some of my things with my brother. Upon reaching his mum opened the door and let me in. His bedroom was locked so the mum looked for the key to open it when the door is opened by Kelvin himself.
After I take my things he pushed me against the gate and beat me up. he also kicked my face. I want to complaint against him for causing bruises on my body on several ocassions.
Injuries sustained:
Nose might be broken
Face swollen
Lips swollen
Bump on head
Bruises on hands and legs
Bruises near shoulder
Reminder of His Grace
Reading this really serves as a good reminder to me of how God’s grace is so amazing to save and love a wretched person like me- the worst of all sinners.
God’s love is unconditional. He forgives and offers a new life in Him.
Now in Him and with Him, He has taken my past with its hurts and frustrations with Him and replacing them with His Spirit.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
2 Corinthians 5:17
Thank you Lord for loving me and paying the price for my sins on the cross. And more importantly, making me new!
If You can do it for me, surely You will do it for others!
Amen.
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
1 Timothy 1:15-17 (NIV)
Somehow divinely, I have been meeting old friends over the week. It is good to catch up over old times and remember the times- good and bad– together that had impacted my life.
One of them was Joshua (picture below). He was my first appointed shepherd or spiritual mentor in Hope Church. And this was the first time we got to sit down to talk after 3-4 years.
My first shepherd
If my memory serves me right, I really gave him hell back then. I came in as a newbie-in-Christ carrying all of my past attitudes, beliefs and habits. And somehow, he managed to take my crap =P
With him, I recall many conflicts we have had as my carnal nature was challenged by the word of God he taught me and tried to impart on many occasions. But basically, I understood that had long and thick “horns” that had to be sawed off.
Being a shepherd
Going thru everything that I did with Joshua and gaining revelation through the word of God, I have learnt to embrace the call of God in being a shepherd to others (c.f. John 21: 15-17).
Without the unconditional love and godly guidance, sheep like me would get have gotten lost.
Therefore I thank God he (Joshua) loved me just enough to persist and faithfully followed up on me all the time. Or else I’m pretty sure I would not have remained in Hope or with God growing strong and biblical.
It is seeing and catching up with friends like him that reminds me of God’s goodness and faithfulness in my life.
Thank you God =)
For years it has always been an almost impossible task for my group of old friends to gather for some fun time.
Some of the reasons they gave:
But finally, last Saturday we managed to get together over a BBQ time. At least the most of us.
These were my trench buddies from my secondary school days. And they were very much part of who I was then and my life, even till now.
We almost everything together- quitted school, runaway from our homes, stay over night, fight, smoke, gamble. You name it, we did it lar…
We were so close that anyone would have mistaken us for being a gang. Hey wait… we were a GANG! Ha ha ha…
Now fast-forwarding, I think it is safe to say we have pretty much grown up as responsible and sensible adults =P
In the past, we were all busy finding trouble or taking care trouble when it found us. But now, most of us are busy pursuing our own dreams and making our lives work out.
Guess who is who….
The gang (some of us only) now and then. Not bad…. After 10 years we still look good! =P
Through this BBQ, I’m glad I’d learnt that one of them recently accepted Jesus into his life and rocky marriage.
It was definitely elating to know how God had intervened and prevented a divorce from erupting. Now he, his wife and child are attending a church. Praise Him!
My prayer:
Dear God, please reveal your Son Jesus to my friends. I pray that they too will get to taste and see how good You are and receive Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour. Amen.
Andrew: Inside & Insights 