devotional thoughts

Dear Jesus

2011-12-29T10:15:00.003+08:00

It's been quite a while since we spent time alone together,

Me enjoying your presence,

Basking in your overflowing grace and mercy.

Weeping by your revelation of the cross.

It's been a while since I spent time hearing your voice,

It has been always me distracted over the sound of my own requests,

It has been my mind telling me working hard to dig through your word,

My intelligence trying to derive meaning from your holy scriptures.

My eyes lit from hearing good theology and sermons,

While they flicker with disinterest when "poor" ones are preached,

My eyes is forever roaming for deeper understanding,

While my heart is puffed up in pride of my little knowledge.

Dear Jesus,

I thank you for reminding me,

That there is indeed none like you,

I thank you for telling me,

That I have to count on you,

Not on myself and my strength,

I thank you for touching my heart again,

this time.

(I was listening to a preaching of Scotty Smith from The Gospel Coalition and he was talking about his mentor, the late Jack Miller whom he remembered most fondly as a true man of God, Scotty related his most recent experience with Jack. It was during one afternoon when old Jack was staying around and Scotty assumed that Jack had gone out for lunch. He opened the door of Jack's room to take something but saw Jack kneeling on the floor, hands raised spending alone time with Jesus!)

This simple sharing I have heard so many times but I believe this time Jesus is reminding me to re-check my life. And that it is not the amount of knowledge I have, nor is it the ability to refute atheist that makes me happy and fulfilled. It does not give me strength to live a Holy life, nor does it give me a purpose.

It is Jesus and the alone time spent with him. It is JESUS.

Mark 16, Matthew 28, Luke 24

2011-11-16T09:44:00.001+08:00

Mark 16 describes the aftermath of Jesus' crucifixion,

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him...

The women were grieving, the disciples scattered, Peter cowering in shame and Mark (most probably) fleeing naked from his pursuers. That little ragtag band had disintegrated, the director lost and their hopes dashed.

The scene of Peter denying his leader, played over and over again in his mind with the bells of betrayal ringing loudly in his ears. How could he pull himself together again after such blatant denial of someone he called "the messiah"!? And worse of all, even a servant girl could evoke such a denunciation from his lips. Surely his weeping did not bring any comfort nor his existence any joy to mankind!

"If I could have just another chance..."

Suddenly, there came a knock on the door of the upper room they were cowering in, the knocking sounded urgent. Cautiously Peter moved to the door and cracked it open expecting to find a burly Roman soldier coming to arrest him. Surprisingly enough, standing there were none other than the grieving women! Boy, did they look excited! In fact, they didn't look mournful at all!

"He has risen! And he goes to Galilee!"

-----------------------------------

We easily skim through this words and fail to feel the power of these words that the women uttered. In actual fact, these words are the words that empowered and transformed the cowardice of the toughest man into death defying boldness in preaching Christ and His gospel! From Peter the betrayer to Peter the Martyr!

Because Christ has risen and he condemns not those who have disbelieved, nor does he denounce us as we have denounced him, nor does he blamed us for his death. Because He is Risen, we can now have a new hope.

"Another chance..."

Instead his death brought us life, his atonement satisfying the wrath of God. Bearing our sins he faced the terrible wrath of God with complete humility, so that we need not face it.

How powerful is that few words, "He is risen!" Now we can line up behind him, hold on to him and follow him because He is alive, now we can cling on to him when we are in doubts and even in our worst fears, we can still have hope.

All because He is Risen.

What was in the cup that Jesus drank? (Luke 22:42)

2011-11-10T21:14:00.001+08:00

“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” Jesus on the Mount of Olives

It is most common to ask, "What was the cup that Jesus meant? What was in it that he was suppose to drink?"

It was this cup that made him sweat drops of blood and it was this cup that caused his soul to anguish even to the point of death. Some common answers from bible study is "The soon coming death on the cross", "The cup that bears the sins of the world", " The cup of betrayal by his followers", and perhaps the more unusual one I heard was that:

"In order that we can say that Jesus went willingly to the cross, he must fully know the extend of his suffering. God enabled Jesus to see the furnace that he was about to be thrown into so that it can be said that Jesus went to the cross willingly." Wai, my FES staff-worker

But perhaps the clearest and the nail-in-the-head answer is what I heard while listening to an old sermon by Paul Washer.

The Cup that Jesus was about to drink was the cup of God's wrath. God's full, extended wrath.

It is the real thing. The shadows was that in Leviticus 16 (The Day of Atonement)

He (Aaron) is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness. (v21,22)

The real Day of Atonement was done when Jesus took our sins - your sins and mine, out into the "wilderness", away from the presence of God. He took the curse of God, the punishment for sin.

"And it pleased God to crush him and cause him to suffer..." Is 53:10

It's hard to imagine the wrath of God measured out in full extend and can only be felt by Jesus actions and words as well as the prophecies of Isaiah and the symbolic "Day of Atonement".

"My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow till the point of death." Mk 14:34

"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"Mk 15:34

"He was led like a lamb led to the slaughter..." Is 53:7

Some may read this and say, "Whoah! Wait a minute, that sounds so disgusting!"

As a matter of fact, Yes, it is disgusting! So much so that some people like this guy try to say that Jesus suffered to the extend of the cross. And did not have to suffer after that, they say that right after he died on the cross, he returned straight to the father who was pleased with him.

Yes, God did raise him up and "gave him the name above all names" but not before Jesus "bore our sins and took our infirmities", "pierced for our transgressions", "stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted", "cut off from the land of the living" and "assigned a grave with the wicked".

Oh how we "think so highly about our little righteousness" when it is a sin in itself! And how often we fall short trying to obey him; or worse; blatantly disobey him." We who deserve God's wrath can now be seen righteous by him because Jesus took it for us!

That is why Jesus calls us to "abide" in him:

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5)

It is not because of our obedience that we are saved, nor by a one off acceptance and profession, but by continuously remaining in Jesus and his finished work. Then we will see fruit.

Oh, Dear Lord! Remind me again and again when I fall short of abiding in You.

Why does a Loving God allow Brokenness and Suffering in this world?

2011-11-05T14:52:00.000+08:00

Since coming to Aussieland I have been intellectually challenged by skepticism against Christianity both from within and without the circle of Christ followers and have developed a liking for the area of Apologetics.

I have slowly gotten to understand the New Atheism and started to recognise names of people who champions this movement or "Belief" these are people who are brilliant and high scholastic achievers whose name sound like Richard Dawkins, Peter Atkins and Christopher Hitchens. But more importantly I have also gotten to know a group of people equally brilliant and equally passionate in defending the Gospel of Jesus Christ and counter-attacking the arguments put forth by the New Atheists these people are Dr. John Lennox, Gary Habermas, Lee Strobel, Dr. William Lane Craig, and also the AFES Staff workers in UWA who has really inspired me to dig deeper into the materials and provide substantial evidence about my faith.

Back to the question that is commonly asked by everyone including myself:

Why does a loving God allow brokenness and suffering to plague humanity?

I have been continuously struggling with this question because it addresses the foundation of humanity and creation itself. Why, God?

Why not just live in a world free of brokenness and suffering? Why not live in a world where joy would be prevail in the absence of hurt and sadness? Why even create a place where there is distinction between the rich and poor, black and white, good and evil? Cant there be a possibility where everybody loves and cares for each other; Where nobody thinks ill of another, or has ulterior motives towards a brother? Why not share everything? Where God would be walking amongst us and we would enjoy him and his presence?

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman (John 4:1-27)

2011-11-05T11:53:00.000+08:00

I am extremely blessed to have such a wonderful bible teacher here in Aussieland and not surprisingly, he is a Singaporean. Unfortunately our time together would be limited and he'll be going back to his country soon. :(

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman, Guercino

What is the name of the Samaritan woman?

It's interesting to ask a question in order to evoke a thought process given that the name of this woman is NOT recorded in the passage of John 4:1-27. It is through the passage that we discover the background of this woman and also the person of Jesus Christ.

It is not important that we know who she is, after all, ironically, she was one person whom people wouldn't want to even be friends with, they would look on her with disgust and contempt! The Jews, who considered themselves superior to those "mixed breed" samaritans and who believe that they, still, are the chosen one that would dominate the world with the coming of the "Messiah" wouldn't even want to associate themselves with her type of people, they thought that the samaritans were impure. But what's even worse is that her own type of people, the samaritans would have looked down on her as an unfaithful woman, given that she had slept with 6 different men and is still unwilling to marry! She lived a life of sin.

It was hot in the noontime and the scorching heat of the sun would make even the strongest scurry for shade in the town of Sychar, Samaria. That was the only time she would dare come out to draw water from the well, to fill that empty jar that she and her boyfriend depended on to hydrate themselves everyday. It wasn't a job, it was a meagre necessity, even if she detested this task, she had to drink to survive. Her thoughts wandered to her past life, if she hadn't tried to seek love and attention of men in order to have her life fulfilled, if she hadn't tried to chase after the "right" men time after time! If she hadn't done all that, she would have been an accepted woman in her community! After all, she didn't need that "love" to survive in this little village! "What's worse," she thought with disgust. "Is that love! Oh, more like lust from men that is packaged to sound enticing!"

Her thoughts snapped back to reality, what could she do? After all, what has been done is done and cannot be undone. She would just have to slowly live this wretched life away with shame and contempt by her neighbours. She mustered up her courage, swallowed her self-pity and trudged wearily to the ever familiar well. "If I didn't need to avoid the other woman and their sharp, gossiping tongues, I wouldn't have to endure such a scorching sun," She thought.

There was a strange sight to behold, there was an unfamiliar Jewish man also by the well, he didn't have any jar to draw water from and yet he was sitting there under that scorching sun. What was he doing? "Oh wait, he looks tired, must've been on a long journey," she thought. " But there is no way this Jew would want to talk to me, I'll just get the water quickly..."

"Will you give me a drink?" Came that shocking question from that Jewish man.

"You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" She heard herself reply.

"If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." Jesus, that Jewish man replied.

"Yeah right," she thought. "But you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob who gave us the well and drank from it himself so as did his son and lifestock?"

"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst again. Indeed, this water i give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Jesus replied.

Remembering her thoughts again she tactfully enquired, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming back here to draw water."

Jesus then went on to prove his identity as the Messiah, the one who come and save. He told here that there would be a time when the Jews and samaritans would no longer worship on a specific location but worship the Father in Spirit and in truth! And that day was here to come!!!

Oh what hope that filled her that day, this Jewish man had broken down all the walls that existed between the samaritan and the Jews, more importantly, he had given her a new hope of a good life! A life free of all the torment of her past! What could the people do to harm her?

Then leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and told the people, "Come see a man that told me..." She left her water jar sitting there at the well, completely forgotten, there at the well she left her self-pity of a wretched life, together with all the pursuit of love and sex she left it there. At the well, she left all the shame she had accumulated as an outcast of society, and together with all of those, she had forgotten her need for water from the well Jacob had dug, instead, she found living water from the well who was the descendant of Jacob. Jesus is the well of living water, and she drank from it.

"Come, those who are weary and heavy laden, come.""And I will give you rest." Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Come and drink from the well. It doesn't matter what race you are, what past sins you have done, what shame that you have upon you, just come as you are. Come.

It is Jesus that saves.

False Assurance

2011-10-30T21:42:00.003+08:00

I am really glad that the Lord has blessed my church in Aussie (Westminster Presbyterian Church, Bullcreek) with a wonderful lead pastor- Steve Schoof whom over these 15 odd years has nurtured and brought countless lives into the Kingdom Of God, now, as he retires and prepare to return to America, his sermons will still live on in the hearts and minds of the members here in Bullcreek.

Today at church he talked exhorted us believers to examine our faith, whether our certainty as a christian is or not according to God's word.

"I am a person who is certain I am a christian when in actual fact I am not according to God's word"

Who would be silly enough to contradict himself about believing firmly in his salvation and yet honest enough to admit that his assessment above is flawed? I wouldn't even dare to do that and even if I do, i would jolly well do something about it!

But in reality, this is the exact thing that Jesus warns about and stresses in his 3 years of ministry here on earth! And it also reminds me of the harshness of Paul Washer to christians and warning them to live a regenerate life.

"I believe I am saved because I was baptised once upon a time and share the Lord's supper."
"I believe I am saved because I am actively serving in the church and participating in the various ministries"
"I believe I am saved because God used to answer my prayers."

Doesn't that sound familiar?

Pastor Steve points out the amount of parables Jesus uses to address this category of people. It is clear that Jesus acknowledges these category of people. He identifies and warns them so as does Paul and the other apostles.

1. Having lips but no life. (Mt 7:21)
"Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord", will enter the kingdom of heaven."

2. Having ears but no practise (Mt 7:26)
"But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practise is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand."

3. Having seed but no soil. (Mt 13:22)
"The one who received the seed that fell amongst thorns is the man who hears the word but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful."

4. Having lamps but no oil (The parable of the ten virgins)
"..."Sir! Sir!" They said. "Open the door for us!" But he replied, "I tell you the truth, i do not know you.""
The virgins who waited without preparing any oil are comparable with people living unprepared lives in the light of Christ's return.

5. Having knowledge but no obedience (1 Jn 1:6, 2:4)
"If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and the truth is not in us."
"The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

The real question is, "IS JESUS GONNA KNOW ME?"

"Not everyone... will enter... but only he who does the will of my father who is in heaven..."

In other words, those who would not enter, are those who have no evidence of grace energised obedience. Not that our obedience would gain us an entrance pass to heaven, but he who has truly tasted the goodness and mercy and goodness of Christ the redeemer, would want to obey and follow him!

What is a church that preaches forgiveness without repentance, church membership without rigorous church commitment, privileges without responsibility and blessings without persecution? It produces nothing other than nominal christians! Steve Schoof

"There is a necessity to look for ongoing fruit in the life of a believer... You will see the evidence of conversion in the life of a believer..." Paul Washer

It's Reformation day (31st October), the day to remember the brave heroes of faith who stood up to the institutionalised church to preach that we are saved by grace and grace alone.

Being Born Again (John 3:1-21)

2011-10-29T11:44:00.002+08:00

It is CHRIST the redeemer!

Nicodemus came to Jesus at night to seek for truth regarding salvation and eternal life and it was because of his prompting that Jesus delivered the gospel message in one paragraph, here we find the phrase that almost all christians would be able to recite:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whosoever believeth in him shalt not perish but have eternal life."

But the richer and deeper meaning of this phrase lies in the context in which Jesus is speaking in, and for this we have to read the whole paragraph of Jesus' speech in John 3:1-21:

Indeed we struggle to understand the true gospel message because amidst the noise created by worldly beliefs, we find that it dims the message of redemption that Jesus had said here:

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him shall have eternal life."

"... for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him..."

"...but people love darkness rather than the light..."

"... but..."

"...whoever does what is true comes to the light..."

"... so that it might be clearly seen that his works have been carried out through God."

Matthew Henry writes a beautiful Commentary on John 3:1-21. And he ends by saying this:

Our works are good when the will of God is the rule of them, and the glory of God the end of them; when they are done in his strength, and for his sake; to him, and not to men. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a subject to which the world is very averse; it is, however, the grand concern, in comparison with which every thing else is but trifling. What does it signify though we have food to eat in plenty, and variety of raiment to put on, if we are not born again? if after a few mornings and evenings spent in unthinking mirth, carnal pleasure, and riot, we die in our sins, and lie down in sorrow? What does it signify though we are well able to act our parts in life, in every other respect, if at last we hear from the Supreme Judge, "Depart from me, I know you not, ye workers of iniquity?"

John 1:35-51 Jesus calls his first disciples

2011-10-22T12:26:00.001+08:00

John 1:35-51 Jesus calls his first disciples

"The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus."

(John 1:35-37 ESV)

Again we see John the Baptist pointing to Jesus as "the lamb of God" as does not stop his disciples (Andrew and most probably John) from following Jesus. Jesus selects his disciples as if he had a clear knowledge of who they were going to be. Thus at this point of time, Jesus has selected 5 out of the 12 disciples that would later form Jesus' inner circle. They are Andrew, John, Peter, Phillip and Batholomew (also called Nathanael).

Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

(John 1:49 ESV)

Even in this early part of Jesus ministry, the disciples recognised that he was the "Messiah", "the son of God" and "the King of Israel"! Although it took them 3 years to understand what the messiah really cam to earth to do. Even until the crucifiction, they thought that jesus would come to redeem the Jews from the Roman Empire and establish a kingdom here on earth.

And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

(John 1:50-51 ESV)

Jesus answers by correcting Nathanael (and all the others) by quoting perrhaps what is known as "Jacob's Dream" in Genesis 28: 10-22:

Jacob was escaping from Laban and laid down to rest when God showed him a vision of a ladder leading up to heaven with angels ascending and descending. Later, God made a promise to Jacob that sounds like this:

Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

(Genesis 28:15 ESV)

Jacob's dream was a shadow of what Jesus was going to do, instead of coming and establishing a kingdom for the Israeites, he came to fulfill the promise made to Jacob, to establish an everlasting relationship with God, "God with us".

Little doubt that the disciples understood at that time what Jesus meant, truly.

John 1:19 - 28

2011-10-20T10:34:00.002+08:00

The Testimony of John the Baptist

19 And this is the otestimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him,p“Who are you?” 20 qHe confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? rAre you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you sthe Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am tthe voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight7 the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, u“Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, v“I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even whe who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The first question that comes to my mind is, "Why would the writer (Apostle John) include the story of John the Baptist in his gospel?"

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

(Malachi 4:5-6 ESV)

The arrival of John the Baptist has been prophecied and the Jews were anticipating him to come because his arrival meant the sign that the salvation for Israel (mankind) would soon come ('the great and awesome day of the Lord"). However, the past prophets could only describe John the Baptist as "Elijah the Prophet" because they could only look to the past to describe what they envisioned.

So John the Baptist comes and "prepares the way of the Lord" fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah as well as Malachi. I'd like to understand the the actions of John the Baptist was a "shadow of what is to come- the baptism of the Holy Spirit by Jesus".

All the other gospels except John says it more clearly:

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Mt 3:11

Of course he would have known Jesus was his maternal younger cousin brother but more than that he was his superior:

"After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but bfor this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel." v30

it is interesting to note that John the Baptist confidently deflects the credit to Jesus and Jesus alone, he acknowledges that he is not the messiah but he is the long awaited "Elijah" as prophecied by Malachi 400 years earlier.

The way John describes his ministry is quite random I would say compared to the other gospels. He jumps to the post-baptism of Jesus without talking about the baptism itself. All we know is that few statements John the Baptist made in that whole day.

Perhaps the reason of picking that few sentences is to confirm the ministry of John the Baptist as the one who "paved the way for Jesus" and "points towards the fact that "the lamb of God" is here!

After all the story is not about him, his ministry was just the build up to "the real thing". Jesus' mission on earth and to save mankind, "...lest I(God) come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany (The devotion of the woman)

2011-10-04T11:20:00.001+08:00

Taken from Mark 14:1- 11

This familiar incident accounted by Mark about the woman who came to Jesus while he was reclining at the house of Simon the Leper poses some very deep and amazing biblical truths about Jesus that I have learnt in Bible study and would like to share with you.

This passage can be broken down into 3 parts:

1) It was two days from Passover that the chief priests and teachers of the law were looking for a chance to arrest Jesus and kill him. (Treachery)

2) Now Jesus was at Bethany reclining at the table of Simon the Leper and a woman came with an alabaster jar of perfume (worth a year’s wages) and anointed Jesus with it. When the crowd rebuked her, Jesus stopped them by saying that she has done a very beautiful thing to him (and preparing his body for his burial) and that wherever that gospel is preached, whatever she has done will be told, in memory of her. (Devotion)

3) Judas Iscariot then went to the chief priests to betray Jesus and they were delighted. (Treachery)

Just by the title, we can observe that the middle part (part 2) is the main “meat” of the story (as my bible teacher always says) and the “sandwiching” parts are easily overlooked. But it is from the contrast of the “sandwiching” parts that we can see a clear message Mark is trying to convey.

The chief priests and the teachers of the law along with Judas Iscariot carried with them a treacherous attitude seeking to be done away with Jesus while the women’s devotion to Jesus made Jesus acknowledge her. Digging deeper, we can discover two very different valuations of Jesus from these 2 attitudes- treacheries by Judas and the Chief Priests; and true, humble devotion from the woman.

1) The woman saw the worth of Jesus far beyond any money of gold could buy, she saw Jesus, as he was, the Messiah who came to save her.

2) The Chief Priests and Judas saw Jesus as just but a man, their equal, who did not deserve any special treatment, much less be honoured.

Question to ponder:
Is Jesus the messiah who came to save me from my sins and who is worthy of my full devotion and worship? Or is Jesus the person whose life and teaching I should try to model and follow?

*Other interesting discoveries:
What does verse 9 mean when Jesus says”…wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”?
The heart of the gospel is essentially the death of Jesus, his atonement for the sins of many. What the woman had done through her devotion, unknowingly she had prepared Jesus’s body for his burial. Verse 9 shows Jesus’ revelation of the appropriateness of her actions.

Can we continue to sin?

2011-05-02T11:57:00.003+08:00

Now, here is one passage written by the apostle Paul to the Romans that I can always count on to answer the very popular question of whether we can continue to sin after we have become a christian:

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue sinning so that grace may abound? By no means! You who have died to sin, how can you live in it any longer? Or don't you know that you who have been baptized with Christ Jesus have been baptized unto his death?

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, we too may live a new life."
(Romans 6)

Now dear brethren, the issue is not whether we can continue to live in sin after we are saved by Christ. The issue is have we died to sin with Christ as we are baptized into his death.

Hopefully this sounds ironic enough: "Our life in Christ involves constant and continuous death to sin."

Day Sixteen: 2 Thessalonians 3: 6 - 10

2011-03-14T07:38:00.003+08:00

2 Thessalonians 3:6 - 10

"... the one who is unwilling to work shall not eat."

The seriousness of the tone in which Paul is writing this instruction and the words he uses to reinforce this statement reveals the weight of this issue pressing the Thessalonians as well as our society today. Paul set an example by "...laboring and toiling night and day, so that we will not be a burden to any of you." and therefore instructs the believers not to tolerate those who are "...idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us."

Being idle is not an option. W.O.R.K.H.A.R.D.

Father, may all who read this including me be convicted to work hard and even "labor and toil" as we live life on this earth today. For we know that it is You that sustains life and it is you that holds everything in your hand. Thus Lord, give us strength.

Amen.

Day Fifteen: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

2011-03-10T11:26:00.006+08:00

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

" Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance."

Lord, may the message of you spread rapidly through the ranks and files of INTI and may your name be honored. May you deliver us from wicked and evil men as not everyone has faith. But we know that you are faithful Lord and you will strengthen and protect us from the evil one. May we do the things that you command and that you will direct our hearts into your love and Christ's perseverance.

Day Fourteen: 2 Thessalonians 2:16

2011-03-09T12:16:00.002+08:00

2 Thessalonians 2:16

" May the Lord Jesus Christ... God the Father... who loved us... by his grace gave us eternal hope... encourage your hearts... strengthen you... in every good deed and word."

Let us be reminded to trust him because he gives us encouragement and strength the do EVERY good deed and word. Without him we can't stand on our own. We just can't.

Thank you Jesus and may you continue to change us to become more like you and less like what we used to be- deformed in every moral value and perverted in many ways. Father, we need your grace, reveal it to us.

The King's Speech & Step Up 3D

2011-03-07T16:15:00.001+08:00

"The British can be celebrated for their art of speech and the Americans celebrated for the art of motion."

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Day Thirteen: 2 Thessalonians 2: 14- 15

2011-03-07T08:11:00.002+08:00

2 Thessalonians 2: 14- 15

" ... He called you to the gospel, so that you might share in the glory... stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed..."

It is amazing and wondrous how His will is beautifully intertwined with the choices we make.

He called us to our purpose,according to his riches and glory he selected us to be his children and in the midst of a wicked world raised up a generation of people who desires to follow him, and yet it is us that makes the choice of following him.

But again, it is not only us who chooses, but him who empowers us to be holy, because by ourselves it is impossible to love God. As Paul Washer put it, "...even if God reveals himself to those in hell in their wicked state of heart, they will slam the gates of hell and stay inside..." Thus, we give all acknowledgment to the Holy Spirit that empowers us to choose Jesus Christ- To love the things that God loves and hate the things that God hates.

Praise be to the Lord God almighty who called us to his purpose and empowers us to belief on him!

Day Twelve: 1 Thessalonians 2:13

2011-03-05T12:27:00.005+08:00

1 Thessalonians 2:13

"... from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Sprit... through the belief in the truth..."

Our faith hinges upon the doctrine we believe; in our lives we respond accordingly based on the belief we hold so true; some beliefs may be true, some not, but let us hold true to this belief- that the Lord Jesus Christ has chosen us from the very beginning of creation to be saved. And praise Him because he has, and this saving grace is evident when he continues to make us holy (sanctify us) and as we belief in the truth (God's word).

Salvation is not a one of act of God, it is a 180 degree turn away from the things of this world to walk in the direction of holiness and righteousness. A long journey down the road of life to hate the things of this world that we used to love so much and start loving the things of God that we used to hate so much. Remember, it is an ongoing process and the evidence of this is when we see Jesus Christ changing our lives to become more Holy and Righteous. And as we find ourselves believing more and more in the truth, integrating it with our very own lives.

What then shall we say about those that does not belief nor are changed? Did Jesus Christ choose them? Or not? For all we know, we do NOT have an answer. Only Jesus knows it and He won't tell us because it's not their story that matters, it's ours...

Day Eleven: 1 Thessalonians 2:11- 12

2011-03-03T00:01:00.002+08:00

1 Thessalonians 2:11- 12

"... God sends them a powerful delusion so that ... believe the lie... all will be condemned..."

Those who do not believe in the truth will believe in a lie. There is no neutrality in choosing between good and evil. When we choose to believe in Jesus Christ and His saving grace upon our lives, we have actually stepped out of the rut of believing in the lie.

The lie that Satan has effectively been blinding us with, the lie that says, "Jesus, is just another way to satisfaction in life." Just another way? Are there many other ways?

Not a chance! There is not other way that human beings can find true satisfaction. Life can be a endless chase, after education, grades, relationships, technology, money, family, properties, ideologies, and ultimately leaving behind a legacy... All these are no substitute for the word of God.

Father, forgive us for finding refuge and motivation in anything other than you. I implore on You Lord that you keep us from loving the things of this world so that we will not be condemned by believing a lie.

Amen.

Day Ten: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-10

2011-03-01T09:33:00.002+08:00

1 Thessalonians 2:1-10

"... the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction..."

When he (the man of lawlessness) comes:
1. Rebellion would have occurred.
2. He will oppose everything that is called God.
3. He will exalt himself above God.
4. He will set himself in God's temple proclaiming to be God.
5. He will be lawless.
6. He will use all sorts of display of power through signs and wonders.
7. He will serve the lie (Satan).
8. He will deceive those who are perishing (Those who refuse to love the truth and be saved).

And later when Jesus comes:
1. He will overthrow the man of lawlessness with the breath of his mouth.
2. He will destroy him with the splendor of His coming.

Praise be to our Lord Jesus because only in Him can we take refuge!!!

Amen!

Day Nine: 1 Thessalonians 1:12

2011-02-25T10:32:00.003+08:00

"... we pray... the name of the Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and you in him..." Oh brethen, our destiny cannot be anything other than having Christ glorified in our lives... And let us pray that he will bring this destiny to completion and we will take refuge in the promise that he would do it! BECAUSE of his mercy and according to his grace. May the prayer of Paul be a model for us and become a kaleidoscope for us as we see the world.

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Day Nine: 1 Thessalonians 1:13

2011-02-25T10:32:00.001+08:00

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Day Eight: 2 Thessalonians 1:11

2011-02-23T10:57:00.003+08:00

2 Thessalonians 1:11

"... that our God may make you worthy of his calling..."

O how comforting to know that we have been called from the very beginning, He has called us personally to the grace abounding salvation, each and every one of us he has called by name.

Predestined since the beginning of creation, carefully molded into His perfect plan, he quietly oversees our choices and guides our every actions, speaking to our hearts and convicting us of our sins; we trudge and toil trying hard to save ourselves but we falter in our steps looking for a eternal handrail to guide us.

"Then is when he reaches out his hand and calls us...
He calls us by name...
And we respond..."

O how the host of heaven rejoices when one soul takes refuge in the Lord Jesus and his saving grace!
Oh how the brethren rejoices when one more person believeth on Christ!
Oh how all creation sings His glory when one eye is opened to his works!
And oh how the lost spirit rejoices when it has finally found true peace!

Praise be to the Lord God of ALL, maker of heaven and earth. May his power bring to fruit every good desire in us and may our every deed be prompted by faith!

Amen!

His power manifested in us brings forth a desire to do good and live by faith, and until this bears fruit

Day Seven: 2 Thessalonians 1:9-10

2011-02-21T08:50:00.003+08:00

2 Thessalonians 1:9-10

"They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might..."

O how terrible it will be when we stand before the mighty God of heaven and earth glorious in all his majesty and power, consumed by fear and trembling before the throne of judgment and hear him say, "I don't know you. Depart from me you evildoers."

O how we wish we were never birthed into this world. O how cursed will be the womb that bore us because we missed it! And there will be no second shot at this chance. O how the fires of hell loom before us threatening to engulf every part of our very wrenched life.

We cry out with genuine remorse, no, desperate bereavement. And we try to prove our righteousness... "Lord, Lord, have I not served...?"

"...even your righteousness are like filthy rags..."

All this because we found refuge and strength in something else other than Jesus Christ. Something else...

Lord, I implore you to not allow my friends and myself to face the possibility of facing you and to find wanting. Oh Lord, I ask that you put anything into our lives, anything, be it good or bad, in joy or in suffering that ultimately we might be able to put ALL our hope in You and You alone. O Lord I pray...

Amen.

*Reference:
*Matthew 7:23
*Luke 13:27
*Isaiah 64:6

Day Six: 2 Thessalonians 1:8

2011-02-20T09:15:00.002+08:00

2 Thessalonians 1:8 NIV

"He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus."

At the end of the day what actually matters if not knowing our Lord Jesus Christ and obeying him? What really matters if not these?

O Lord, let us not waste time on things that doesn't matter at all. O Lord, help us I plead...

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Day Five: 2 Thessalonians 1:6-7

2011-02-19T09:07:00.006+08:00

2 Thessalonians 1:6-7

"God is just."

Yes He is! Rewarding the righteous and punishing evil is what our Lord has promised. The balances of justice in our lives will be checked and the righteous found wanting will be filled and those who practice evil; what they have will be taken away from them. All these because the Lord is just!

Therefore worry not my brethen because the time has not come for justice to take place, we see evil boasting of its success and the righteous persecuted and brought low. All this is so that we will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God when Jesus comes in His glorified body one day.

Praise be to the Holy Spirit in all that we suffer and experience for nothing can take away what he has already sowed in your life and mine. He has been present even from the beginning.

Amen.

Day Four: 2 Thessalonians 1:5

2011-02-18T11:03:00.004+08:00

2 Thessalonians 1:5

"... all this (persecutions and trials) is evidence that God's judgment is right and you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God which you are suffering."

What is sweeter than to be counted worthy of His kingdom? what is more eternal to be in His presence? We, justified by faith and not our deeds can finally prove ourselves worthy of his kingdom by bearing with the trials and persecution He has allowed in our lives. We are finally empowered by His grace (the Holy Spirit) to resist all the temptations of this world and bear with all the trials. The torment that the devil throws at us is rendered powerless under the power of His blood. And the guilt we were bound to are no more. We are free! He has saved us and empowered us as a child of God. And we can now live with joy and the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Amen.

Day Three: 2 Thessalonians 1:4

2011-02-15T08:51:00.004+08:00

2 Thessalonians 1:4

"... we boast about your perseverance and faith in all persecutions and trials you are enduring."

Paul boast about the ability of the Thessalonians to garner much publicity, bring in many new believers, collecting lots of finances and moving into a new church building. No?

Instead he boasts about the PERSEVERANCE and FAITH of the Christians who are ENDURING all the PERSECUTIONS and TRIALS.

Faith and perseverance is proceeded by enduring persecution and trials that comes our way. If life is going too easy for you, think again.

Father, thank you for the persecutions and trials that you have allowed in our lives because in it may learn to persevere and our faith will be proven genuine.

Day Two: 2 Thessalonians 1:3

2011-02-14T08:39:00.004+08:00

2 Thessalonians 1:3

"... your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing."

If there is anything someone could commend us for, would it be our good looks? Our achievements? Our strengths? Or our popularity?

Our ego and self- image is undoubtedly increased but what about our eternal standing with God?

Here Paul commends the Thessalonian Christians for their growth in faith and their love for one another.

As we look back at our lives, many things we seek for are not eternally satisfying. Only what is done for God can be and will be written down in eternal ink.

Father, grow my faith and let my love for my friends and enemies abound. Let me love them with your love and treat them with your care.

Amen.

Day One: 2 Thessalonians

2011-02-11T11:08:00.004+08:00

2 Thes 1:1 (Acts 17)

A flashback on Paul's first encounter with the Thessalonians in Acts 17: He reasoned in the synagogue for three Sabbaths and proved to them that Jesus was the messiah and that he rose from the dead. Many Jews and gentile heard the message and believed.

Soon he congregated a church and they continued to worship there even after Paul was persecuted and sent off. Their faith and commitment to Christ Jesus were commendable and Paul wrote this letter to encourage them to "keep their faith" and "reaffirm their doctrine" and to "point their focus back to the hope" that has been there since the beginning".

Lord, as we open our hearts to hear your word, guide us amid the oceans of ideas the world throws at us and speak to us amid the many false doctrines written everywhere. May we take refuge in You, Lord Jesus and let you take control of our life. Amen.

Devotions on 2 Thessalonians

2011-02-11T10:56:00.006+08:00

I shall be starting on Paul's second Epistle to the Thessalonians and I thought it worthwhile to share my devotional thoughts to you who are also walking in your journey in Christ.

BE AWAKENED, O WE CHRISTIANS!!!

2010-10-05T10:47:00.005+08:00

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left."
Matt 24:36-41

Why did the rest of the people miss the ark?

1. The flood was unprecedented (No such flood had happened before that could kill people and they couldn't imagine it happening. Therefore, they concluded that Noah must be crazy.)

2. The people loved their lifestyle. (They love the things of this world, why would they part with their parties, their sinful lifestyle, their friends in exchange for a small and cramped space in the ark?)

3. They were blinded by Satan. (The God of this world hath blinded their minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ -2 Cor 4:3-4)

*unbelievers -Sometimes we can just become as blind and dull as an unbeliever- as accepting and tolerating to sin and evil, adopting bad habits that would grief the Holy Spirit in us...

Let us read the passage again and examine our lifestyle:

What do we really love?
What or who can't we live without?
What warnings of our friends that did we choose to ignore?
Are we suppressing the inner guilt that is building up inside?
What are the bad habits that we ought to change?
Are we following after Jesus fervently?

Let us as children of God repent and be as Noah whom God chose to save, because he was fervent and faithful before Yahweh if not we will be blinded by the devil and miss the heavenly train when it comes...

Jesus, I repent...

Prayer: Part 3

2009-12-19T02:04:00.003+08:00

As we acknowledge that we owe our whole life to God, we naturally will implore- or rather beg Him for the welfare of our future... (Hope you following me this far)

"IMPLORING God to continue His work..."

When we get our hands on something nice eg. ice-cream/ PSP/ computer, we always beg for more...

In a way that's how implore God, we ask God to continue sustaining us and keeping us from harms way because there is NO OTHER WAY! Only He can do the job, only he knows best...

When we have experienced His providence in our lives, when we see that the Holy Spirit has transformed us to start to hate the bad things- to become more holy, we beg God to see us through the tougher times and the unpredictable future and also beg Him to continue to make us more holy... We ask the Holy Spirit to continue what-we- call a sanctification process in us...

As we pray, let us implore God to see us though our long life and continue to sanctify us from our sinfulness...

Love, Dan

Prayer: Part 2

2009-12-19T01:36:00.002+08:00

We now come to the part of acknowledging ourselves- who we are:

"ACKNOWLEDGMENT of ourselves"

We are fallen, sinful creatures and just as a fish does not know it is wet, we do not know that we are sinful- it is what we do- sin.
The law of the Lord exposes us to sin- we realize that we cannot escape from sin- no matter how hard we try not to, we still sin...
God gives us a way out by overlooking our sin by counting us righteous, he judged His own son in our place- as a sin offering.
That's where we find our new identity- in Christ- because we are counted righteous- we are justified! That's justification- a gift from God to us.
Now we are not guilty as far as God is concerned... But we still inherit the sinful nature- a tendency to rebel against God and his righteousness... When we see ourselves succeeding in life, We become proud, trusting in ourselves, striving for things not of God, we look to and trust ourselves instead of God.

That's us...

But deep inside us, the still assuring voice of God is telling us that in fact, it is not us who has achieved all this, it is God...

"The Lord gives, the Lord taketh away..."

He Is God.

Through suffering and experience we know that it is God who guideth our lives...
So, we ACKNOWLEDGE our dependency upon Him as provider of our daily bread, forgiver of our sins and deliverer from our sins.

"He who has began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus..."

So my dear brothers and sisters,

Do not worry as it is not you who succeed in trying to be righteous and live a proper life, it is the finished work of Jesus who counts us blameless and the continues work of the the Holy Spirit in sanctifying us ( we'll come to that later) that we become more and more like Christ. So as we pray, let us continue to acknowledge our dependency on Christ and acknowledge the work of God in making us who we are today...

Love, dan

Prayer: Part 1

2009-12-19T01:19:00.005+08:00

In view of the previous post on prayer,

I would like to share on exaltation:

"EXALTATION of God"

Do you know what the bible is about?

Yes! It's about God!!! There are countless passages in the Holy Scriptures describing Yahweh and His awesomeness...From His mighty power upon all creation to the still small voice assuring our troubled hearts, God Reigns!

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands..."

As someone emphasizes, it is immoral NOT to exalt God to His rightful position and to make our problems so big that we are blinded to His enormous capability and might!

Let the essence of our prayers be on magnifying God and appreciating the little He has revealed about Himself personally to us. If we do not know how to adore, the psalms will be a good meditation starting point...

Love, dan

Guidelines to prayer

2009-12-19T00:33:00.003+08:00

Jesus says, "When we pray say:

Our father in heaven, hallowed be thy name, your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven...

(Adoration- appreciating and glorifying God for who He is)

Give us today our daily bread...

(Acknowledging our dependence upon Him for our well being and daily needs)

... and forgive us our trespasses...

( Acknowledging our dependence on Him for forgiveness and justification, we are creatures who constantly need His grace and mercy because we cannot save ourselves from sin)

... as we forgive those who trespass against us...

( A conscious act of obedience to God to love our neighbor as ourselves and to exemplify the grace and love shown to us by Jesus to those around us)

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one...

(Imploring of God to continue to extend His grace and love towards us for we are inadequate without Him)

For thine is the kingdom, power, and glory forever...

( Surrendering our will to His plan and to put our hopes on the unfailing promise of God- our inheritance as His child)

Amen.

Notice the themes in the prayer?

Adoring and praising Him as God- Exaltation
Acknowledging that we owe our whole life to Him who saved us- Justification (by Jesus)
Imploring of God to continue His good work in us- Sanctification (by the Holy Spirit)
Consciously surrendering our will in obedience to Him- Submission

* note that if we rearrange it, it becomes...

Justification
Exaltation
Sanctification
U?
Submission

There s a "U" lacking which can be Unity, or anything that starts with U :P

I am Back...

2009-09-18T20:59:00.002+08:00

Hi, I am back and the reason I am back is to share with all of you reading it, how relevant is the scriptures to us...

Yes, I will continue my study on the book of John and I would like to document my personal walk with Christ and thoughts for your encouragement and reference.

Sometimes we may feel the irrelevance of the bible in our lives, and the bible may seem so distant from our daily lives... Sometimes we dont even know where to start...

There will be 4 questions post in every study and I will magnify these questions and address them to our lives.

Q1: What are the characteristics/ attributes of God which are clearly seen in this passage?

Q2: What has Jesus (God) done for us? ( Place emphasis on the word 'done' and 'us')

Q3: What are the sins that humans- WE- commit as seen in this passage?

Q4: What is God trying to tell me in this passage? What are His promises?

This are the 4 basic questions that I will answer during every passage.

Some days I may just put the numbers (eg.1,2,3,4) and we will all assume that the numbers are according to the respective questions.

It caused me thinking...

2009-04-13T11:56:00.003+08:00

One day a man had a dream, he was standing in heaven and he saw his past life flash past him. His life's journey was long and winding, he noticed that there were 2 sets of footprints- one belonging to him and another belonging to Jesus.

He man also noticed that there were some times that there was only one set of footprints, and also noticed that it was during these stages that he experienced difficulty and hardships- in short, these were the toughest times of his life.

The man turned to Jesus and asked, "Lord, why is it that during my toughest times of life you left me and I had to walk alone?"

Jesus turned to him and told him, "I did not forsake you, those footprints you saw, those were mine, I carried you."

I read this from a little note in Alvin Victor's bible and I paraphrased it.

As we celebrate Good Friday and Easter, let us be reminded about Jesus sovereignty in our lives and what he has done for us- His children. And bow our hearts in gratitude because he has showed us who we are.

I love you son.

2009-01-27T15:49:00.004+08:00

This is a video that never ceases to touch my heart and open my eyes to God's love for us. I first watched this video in Banting Church and I wept as this wonderful love of God touched my heart.

After watching this a few times over, I still feel the sense of God's love so strongly and my heart cries out gratefully to God for loving us so dearly.

This is a real story, Rick Hoyt was born with a umbelical cord around his neck and the doctor advised his parents to put him aside as he had no chance of talking, walking nor behaving as a normal human. Both Rick's parents would not do such a thing so they brought him up as they would to a normal kid.

Rick would follow them for a swim and enjoy movies together.

One day while watching a marathon ad, Rick was asked his father, "Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?" The father who despite having a heart condition, said, "Yes".

They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying, "Yes" to his son's request of going through the race together.

One day, the son asked his father, 'Dad, let us join the Ironman together; to which his father said, "Yes", too.

Father and son went on to complete the race together.

Rick says, 'Dad is my hero!'

I cannot upload this video just yet but i strongly encourage you all to watch it and experience the father's heart of God through this man-Dick Hoyt.

the link: Team Hoyt

Me? A hero of faith?

2009-01-18T16:52:00.002+08:00

I just wrote this poem after I witnessed so many heroes of faith, people who know God and found Him relevant to their lives. And how I pray that I may find God relevant too.

Me? A Hero of faith?

We see a man of God
We think they are unique
Holy, a special breed
Unlike us, just ordinary
sinful men

We see Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Who knew you intimately
Sadhu Sundar Singh
who was the holy man
And Annette Arulrajah
whom you used mightily

Now I-we stand here
Looking back at our past iniquities
and look to the future
which seems as bleak as it can be
Its quite impossible
to imagine me like one
of these heroes one day
Nor can I be as godly as they are

I know so little
I don't have the words
to tell my friends
about God
I don't know
what to say to them
All I know is
to laugh their jokes away

O Lord, I cry...
prepare me to be a hero of faith
one day
I dont know what I will be or what
will be of me, but
I trust you to
mold and shape me
little by little,
as you have done.

May I remember
My creator
in the days of my youth

John 1:15-18

2009-01-18T16:31:00.003+08:00

John 1:15-18

Father, capture my heart and prepare me for my mission. May I know you more.

v15 -John testifies... he who comes after me ranks before me because he was before me."

Here, John is ushering Jesus into His ministry by exalting Jesus to His rightful position. "Ranked after me"= "holds a higher office".

v16-John further exalts Jesus by testifying about the importance and reasons Jesus made himself known to the human race, 3 statements-

From the fullness of his grace, we receive one blessing after another (I prefer RSV: From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.) What is fullness? The fullness of the deity in the flesh(Col 2:9)? My finite mind cannot comprehend just yet but we have received grace upon grace/ blessing upon blessing. Praise the Lord!

v17-For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came from Jesus Christ.

The contrast lies between the methods of approach to God. Obedience of the law is clearly inferior to the simple acceptance of grace and truth. Jesus has come to redeem the lawbreakers and sinners (us) just by performing simple steps- to receive his grace and acknowledge the truth- His word.

v18-No one has ever seen God, but the only begotten who is at the father's side has made Him known.

This is wonderful news that we often overlook and take for granted The son of God who is God has made his identity known to us by being us as we cannot comprehend nor know him if he doesn't reveal Himself through the way we- humans can comprehend- As L.T Jeyachandran quote: "He who has seen the square (Jesus) has seen the cube (God)." Wonderful!!!

As we continue on with our hectic lifestyle, let us take this time to meditate on these few verses and pray that our hearts true desires will be answered- to know Him intimately.

O Lord, may you reveal much of yourself through the book of John.

John 1:14

2009-01-13T23:41:00.002+08:00

John 1:14

v14a: "The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us"

Here it is where Jesus's humanity is recorded. Just a short four-word sentence, yet it is used to describe the most important milestone in history, when God became man, so that man might know God through their 3D vision. Without the word becoming flesh, men would not have a perfect example of righteousness and therefore, God will be "somewhere above". Of course, there is the ten commandments and also many prophets sent by God, but the commandments were instructions to follow, humans had no example to follow. The prophets were spirit filled but they were not God.

So this sentence "the word became flesh" is used to describe the birth of Christ in it's simplest form. "...and made his dwelling amongst men." Among men- the word lived a human live even though he was God.

v14b:

John testifies that he has seen/beheld the glory of the only begotten, from God the father- full of grace ad truth.

"We have seen... glory"

On hearing the word "glory", our minds drift to the imagery of bluse sky, clouds, shining light, Jesus's transfiguration. True, John and the other 2 witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus and this experience also "transfigured" their view of Jesus. Also, the glory of the word when he made his dwelling on earth is the moral splendor exhibites in his life, we shall in the coming chapters.
Therefore, look out and note the moral splendor of Jesus as he walks the earth.

"who came from the father... full of grace and truth."

now we can learn something about God the Father. Why does John put grace and truth, instead of holy and righteous. But how is grace and truth relevant to that passage there? Grace is only 6 time in the old testament but countless tims in the NT. Therefore, it is from this time onward when God exemplifies His character of grace to mankind.

"... grace and truth."

Why is it truth instead of peace? From what we know, Jesus doesnt come to the world to make peace but make war. His teachings were different from the pharisees, it was contradictory! But it was relevant to everyone, therapeutic to their conscience and reasoning, it was the truth. God now sends truth down to us. "For I am the way the truth and the light, no one comes to the Father except by me."

We are living in a time of grace and truth, grace we receive and truth we should seek. His word is the only truth we can find.

Praise Him.

2009-01-05T12:45:00.002+08:00

Day 3

John 1:10- 13

Salvation

Not Terminator: Salvation but Jesus: Salvation.

The light was in the world but the world did not recognise Him even though He was their creator. But there were some who received Him and he gave them power to become the children of God (Wow! There is power in being the children of God)- not born of the will of flesh but born of God (through the blood(singular) of Christ).

A question I asked: If they recognise and receive Him, we will be children of God, but what should we DO to receive Him? Or do we just receive Him into our hearts?

Answer: "For what you do unto your brothers, you do unto me."; "For it is not by works so that no one can boast"

And now the word Salvation just popped into my mind! "Wow!!! What have I been thinking? This IS salvation!"

Salvation- becoming children of God is merely by recognising and receiving the light of the word (v12)! By acknowledging this, we have entered into the kingdom of God and He becomes our father.

So many a times we are disillusioned about salvation, the forgiveness of sins, the sinners prayer and accepting the Lord. It has becomea ritual without any joy and peace, as if it is a major desicion worth reconsidering. But through this passage, we hear that the life in the word is the light of men (Jn1:4)and it is by this that we find everything-everything necessary to live a joyful and fulfilling life ie. finding the reason we live, a hope fpr a secured future, theassurance that there is a perfect father ready to discipline us and put us on the right track, the comfort we need for a rainy day and the assurance that our sins are forgiven-we are not guilty anymore in God's eyes!!!

And how do we inherit this?

By becoming His child, recognising and receiving Him for who he is.

We praise you Lord for showing us how simple and joyful it is for becoming your child. May we continue to be faithful and obedient children as we grow to know you more.

2009-01-05T11:54:00.002+08:00

Day 2

John 1: 5-9

The witness of John to testify concerning the light

(Jesus is the light that gives light to every man)
There are many questions surfaced as I try to understand the symbol of "light", the light is used to represent "the son" - Jesus, but what will Jesus do or what is Jesus character that will resemble Him to light? (How do we explain it metaphorically?)

But lets say we are reading this gospel for the first time and there is no introduction to Jesus before this so what i can assume about the light is

The Word was with God in the beginning, the word was God> in the word was life -> (which was) the light of men.

Therefore the light is God.

Note the difference, "the light shines in the darkness but the darkness has not understood it (before God became man- v5)" vs. "this was the true light that gives light to every man who comes into the world (when jesus came-v9)."

Before the light comes into the world, the light was shining in the darkness BUT the darkness has not understood it.
So when the light comes into the world, the light no linger shines in the darkness but illuminates the darkness- the darkness (the absence of light) has become light- which can also mean that the sinful nature of men (the darkness) has become sinless.
This is all done so that the darkness which HAS NOT understood the light, can understand in now.

How? Through the example of the darkness becoming light- God becoming men!!!

Praise God!

(Actually this is what I learnt in d'NA during Michaels session, just a little reminder that without the example of Jesus- God becoming man, it is impossible for humans to comprehend the character of God)

Thank You Lord for manifesting to us your character in a way we can understand- through Jesus, please continue to open our eyes as we study your word in search of your character and your example for living.

Darkness and the Light (John 1:1-5)

2008-12-22T13:41:00.003+08:00

Now we will start from the prologue of the gospel of John, it basically introduces us to Jesus Christ starting from the beginning of creation- a jump of countless centuries. What I learnt from it was the divinity of Christ Jesus and the purpose of his coming.

Through, this brief yet profound introduction of the gospel, John is trying to convey something so magnificent which can hardly be put into words- giant terms such as “grace”, “truth”, “ light”, “darkness”, “glory”, “life” and “the WORD”, some of these terms may be metaphors but these metaphors are have deep and theological meaning. I am inaccessible to the original greek text and its translation, therefore I shall not speculated more on these terms. We shall see it as we encounter and study it in the text.

John 1: 1-18: Prologue

1: 1-5 The pre-existent word

1: 6-8 The witness of John to the Word

1:9-13 The light coming to men

1: 14-18 The incarnation of the Word

Day 1

Father, as we embark on the journey to know you more, please walk with us and may we be in constant communion with you.

John 1: 1-5

The first three words echo that of Genesis 1: 1, “In the Beginning…” The story starts even before creation, the presence of the Word. (Note that the name Jesus was not stated until much later in this chapter, when the Word made His dwelling among us.) For now let us meditate and reflect on the omnipotent presence of God (v1-3) and be reminded of His greatness and power (v3).

(v4) “In Him was life and that was the light of men”

This is a profound theological statement and yet it is so real. In Jesus was life which was the Light of men. What is “the life in Him” and what is “the light of men”? This is the question I ask when I read this verse. Bible commentaries interpret the light to be (spiritual enlightenment or the conscience and reasoning of men). (Note that God is never changing and this is what He is forever), the life in God is the answer to our conscience and reasoning and also the way to spiritual enlightenment. Therefore God has given us conscience and reasoning so that we may use it to find Him and know Him. So with this in mind, let us move on to verse 5.

(v5) “The light shines in the darkness but the darkness (the flesh) has not understood it.”

Aware now that the life in Him is the light of men, let us see the painful reality- We, His creation, blinded by our sinful nature, comprehended it not (KJV).Questions can be raised which will question our pre-assumptions on this passage:

Since there is no timeline given, we assume that this “life in Him which is the light of mankind” has been present even before the coming of Christ. This is an assumption. So based on this assumption, how has God revealed the life in Him in the OT? Through the law and the prophets? How?

The setting of v5 is in present tense, our basic assumption is John was writing this chapter chronologically and during this verse, Jesus has not come to earth, so how can “the light shine in darkness when Jesus is not yet in the world? Is the life in Him, readily available throughout the history of mankind, even in the OT? Or is the life in Him only available to those who came after the time of Jesus?

Now, let us not get muddled up by me trying to understand this, but let us come back to the verse and reflect on it and see how it is relevant to our lives today.

The darkness- our flesh has not understood the light or is trying to understand the light. Dietrich Bonhoeffer says that,” a God who let us prove His existence would be an idol”. Indeed, God has not forsaken us, He has documented His Word for us and it is but our choice to discipline ourselves to seek Him through His word.

O Lord, may you prepare our hearts. May we understand the light.

The Book of John

2008-12-20T19:04:00.000+08:00

Post d'NA, I felt the need to discipline myself reading the bible consistently and studying it thoroughly, after the eye opening exposition on the OT and NT and a deeper knowledge of our history and our present-age, a failure to put it into practice would be a shame...

That is why I decided to continue my journey with Jesus with a much stronger sense of conviction and seriousness- To really put Him first in our lives and study the word thoroughly. We'll start by Jesus and His life on earth- the book of John.

As you know, I don't write well, nor am I an expert on bible interpretation and devotion, I am also learning together with you so I would like you to join me in this journey with Jesus. May the Holy Spirit be our teacher and guide as we meditate on the Word.

danielcheng