HMMM.

In preparation for an NUS event, I hardly get the time to do a full blown quiet time. Meaning, either I fall asleep while saying a prayer, or I fall asleep sitting up and reading the bible. On a side note, it appears that after 30 days, I think I have mastered the skill of sleeping while sitting up- it's quite amazing.

Just to add on to little Samuel's post (written by KKB) about knowing the word of God and praying for unbelievers.

But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. Luke 8:15

I had an argument with my sister earlier this year with regards to journaling- besides the fact that I assume memorizing verses is way better than journaling, we didn't have very different views.

She got me thinking when she said, "Do you think it's useful to just memorize and not apply it to your daily life? Do you think we will ALWAYS remember the verses- or will we remember the application?"

From the verse above, by retaining and persevering... it is not only about memorizing verses. It is about continuously applying it to our daily lives and by doing it we may actually unconsciously affect those around us on how God has made our lives different from theirs. When people see that we have something in our lives that they don't they too will be interested to know about our one and only God.

So just remember, read your bible everyday with a pure heart... and apply it to your everyday life like possessing/ having the fruits of the spirit!

cheers,

ruth

16 June 2009

This following verses are from Samuel Leong, after he does his quiet time.

Psalms 9:17
The wicked go down to the realm of the dead, all the nations that forget God

His thoughts: W e have to pray for unbelievers and believe that God will do something

His vision: We have to read the word of God or else we will be condemned. People will die due to the lack of knowledge.

Revelation 3:11
I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

His thoughts: We all see North Korea with their nuclear missiles tests, H1N1 and the financial crisis, Christ is coming soon.

Jonah-ANGER

Hello all...Edward here..My random flipping of the Bible brought me to the book of Jonah.And after asking someone due to curiosity..

Firstly what I've learn is that the root of anger is self.As God called him to 'Go to Nineveh to preached against it because its wickedness has come back me.' (verse2) But Jonah himself didn't like that city so instead of boarding the ship for Nineveh,he board the ship heading for Tarshish. (Are you angry with God about things that He call you to do but you dont like to do?)

God can call everyone or use anybody and says 'arise' but because of many things in our heart, we choose to 'sit down' and escape from it.

Anger distorts our perspective.
Eg:Jonah dislike the city of Nineveh.God called him to go there is preach against it.Because Jonah already dislikes the city so he might think that going there is pointless or he thinks low of that city. What if God calls you to minster to someone you dislike will you be like Jonah and escape? We often fail to see the bigger picture but God sees it.

God is also patience.As He could have end Jonah's life in the big fish because of Jonah's disobedience.

In the end the story ends with the vine and leaves thingys.I also didn't much understand this vine,leaves and worm thingys but after asking someone I understand only a little of it? LOL?!

Vine=Problems?
Worm=God?

As Jonah was resting under the Sun and God provided him with the vines and brought shade. But later God send worm to eat it up and there was no longer shade.

We sees only the vine so God send the worm to eat away the vine so that we can see Him again.The worm is to protect us and guide us back so we can see the Sunlight again?

The story ends with the worm eating the leaves that act as shade for Jonah and showed us His mercy towards Jonah.He cared not only for the Jonah but also wants the city to be saved.

The story ends with ??? because He want us to ask ourselves are we the same? (Win-Win situation?) or like what Ivan said on the end times thingy-Calling God to wait so that more ppl can be saved or just wait and later enjoy paradise.

I also donno..the ending is for us to inter.p.rate(dono how spell =.=) ba?

Pictures some of you wanted :)

Happy Trio! :)

Normal smile from Clement! :)

Forced by Jolene to smile! :) I like the background! :)

Zachary is so cute! :) Jolene looks like his sister.. don't know whether that is a good or bad thing... :/

My Nephew

Just a little cute thingy to share with you guys... :) Hope it brightens up your day :D



Don't their eyes look almost the same? :D


Love, JJB

For This Cause

I dedicate my life to Your purpose
O Lord take me on in Your plan
Let me be completely surrendered
So You may be seen in this land

For this cause
We will answer the call
To be light in the darkness
And not count the cost

For this cause
We will give up our rights
And count them but loss
To the treasure
We've found in knowing You

What I learn today. =D

Just wanna share what I learn today. =D

The people who hear God's voice best are the ones who know his word most.

Jesus said to his followers, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32). If we hold to his teaching, meaning live in it, abide in it, and follow it, then we will know the truth. That's exactly the way hearing from God works. When we abide in his word, we will know his voice, which is truth.

All of scripture is God talking to his people. So, in order to hear from God, you must know scripture.

God has given us scripture, and he calls it his word. It is the word of God. And we refer to it as God's word. So, how do you know when God's talking to you? Because he talks through his word.
In order to hear God talking to you, you must know his word.

The more you know his word, the better you'll hear his voice.

So read your bible!

=D

Isa

A Time to Fast, A time to Pray

Hi TDY,

I hope you guys are enjoying the holidays...

Tomorrow, we begin our fast. I just want to encourage you guys to fast and pray for next three days for the church camp. Ask you to show you more of himself. Don't worry, as you spend time with God, God will always honor. Honor God, and He will honor you. 

Love,

KKS

"... and seek My face..."

Hi TDY! Here we are at Day 5. Something to reflect on:

"Here is my heart, make it Your sanctuary, for Jesus only You."

I know that most of the time, taking time out to spend it with God can be time consuming. In Singapore, it's like kind of a non stop thingy, "Go, go, go..." But you know what, which I think everyone of you already know, IT IS IMPORTANT to spend time with God.

I have to admit that there are times where I only seek God when I'm desperate or when I'm only in need. Someone once said,"Seek Me as if you were desperate all the time and then you won't find yourself desperate as often in reality." It is true. When I constantly find myself in God's presence, I know what to do and desperate situations actually don't seem so desperate anymore because I know that I can rely on the Lord to lead and direct.

God is yearning for us to draw near to Him, to spend time communicating with Him. It doesn't always mean that you have to spend an hour or so, you can do it anywhere and anytime. Keep your communication line between you and God open. Seek Him with all Your heart wherever you are.

John 7:37 "... Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink." Seek Him as though you desperately need water after exercising or on a super hot sunny day. The greatest reward is knowing that the Lord is there with us and that we are who we are, we are where we are because the Lord has blessed us.

Don't let anything stop you from coming before the throne of God. I always imagine myself dancing with God infront of His throne and there in my heart, I feel such love, joy and peace. Come to the throne of God, come to a place where you will never be thirsty again, come and join the heavenly angels adoring and praising the Lord. God is calling us to come back to His heart, to make our hearts a sanctuary for Him.

Love, JJB

"Be still and know that I AM God"

Dear TDY,

We are into Day 5 of the 12 days of consecration today, and its the end of the week. I hope you guys had a good week in really settling yourselves down and seeking God. The Bible reassures us that as we draw near to God, he will draw near to us. 

This morning, I was reflecting on the word 'stillness'. So often, we understand 'stillness' at a physical level, taking it to mean 'not moving'. While that is stillness in the human sense, when God talks about stillness, he is talking about the spiritual sense. Sure, we can go about doing thing physically, but is our heart communicating with God? 

I must admit that its been a really busy week for me and I have struggled to keep my line of communication open with God. In fact, I have been so busy that I have not had much time to pray. That's really bad. We need to deliberately choose to set time apart for just you and God time. And no one should be allowed to interrupt or take over that time slot that you have set for God and yourself. 

Go ahead, be daring. Ask God to show you more of himself today.

Love,

KKS

Consecration

Hi TDY,

I realized that I have been using this word 'consecration' rather a lot recently. Its a big word, and its a word that people don't normally like to use. Yet, it is such an important part of being a disciple of Christ. 

The word 'consecration' basically means set apart. We are called to make a difference wherever God has placed us in. Don't look at your situation and complain about your circumstances, but look at it as God's way of putting you in certain places to make a difference. God wants us to be set apart for his namesake and his glory. During last night's praying meeting in church, I was reflecting on this verse in 1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his special people, that you might proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 

We are called to be a people that will be separated for Him. Therefore, chose to set yourselves apart from the things which you know does not please God. As 1 Peter 1:16 says "Be holy, for I AM holy." Chose to honor God and put him above all the other priorities. 

I hope you guys have been thinking about how consecration over the past three days and how you can get back to the Father heart of God. :)

Love,

KKS

Living Sacrifices

Hi TDY, today we are into day 4 of our church consecration. I just want to say, "JIA YOU!!!" I believe that the Lord is going to do a mighty work in your lives even as you set time apart to spend it with Him.

As I begin to reflect on Galatians 5:19-21. I think many of us have such sins whether minor or major. Sins are sins, it is definitely not pleasing to the Lord. We may think that God is a gracious God, yes He is but He is also a God who can get jealous and a God who disciplines His children. He did give us a warning in v21, "... I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." I think the Lord was already being gracious by warning us of the consequences to come if we live such lives.

Hence, I would like to encourage you guys to come before the Lord in surrender and in all humilty. Build an altar of worship today and surrender, pour out yourself, your fears, your doubts, your frustrations, all your sins, whatever your emotions may be... offer it to the Lord as "living sacrifices." As we do, God will bring light into our darkness, renew the confidence of His covenant with us, and assure us that His promise has not been forgotten and is certain to be fulfilled.

As a youth zone, let's unite our hearts together in prayer and make our hearts a sanctuary for God to live in.

Love, JJB

Letting go and letting God

Hi TDY,

We are into our third day of the consecration today and I hope the past two days have been a deep learning experience for you. Its important to just take this time to reflect on what is holding us back from going deeper with God. Is it due to a lack of time? Is it due to unbelief in us? Is it due to some past hurt or disappointment? Or is it because we are hanging onto something that we don't want to give up?

As I was reflecting on this today, I thought about this point. "Until we learn to submit ALL things to God's control, we will always be where we are." Don't expect things to change when the same things keep happening again and again. For example, if we did not sweep the floor, there is no way the floor can be clean. And it will stay dirty until we do something about it. In the same way, don't think that your relationship with God will change if there remains an obstacle between you and him.

God put into my mind a picture of two clenched fists today. What this really spoke to me about was that the more I hold onto something, the more God cannot put new things into my hands. I need to learn to come to God with open hands and give him my all. I can't do this on my own, but with Jesus, all things are possible. As human, it is natural for us to want to control everything, but that was never God's plan.

Is this one particular area in your life today that you need a breakthrough in? Do you need someone to pray with you and for you? You can't do this on your own, you need the power of the Holy Spirit to enable you to surrender it all to Jesus. 

If you need prayer, just drop me an sms or call me..

Love,

KKS 

Day 3

Dear TDY, today is day 3 of consecration, "... will humble themselves..." I don't know about you but this speaks so much to me. Sometimes, I do think that I am better than others but the Lord reminded me that we are all different, we all have different giftings and the main purpose is to bless the body of Christ.

I was then brought to Psalm 51:16-17 "Going through the motions doesn't please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice." (The Message bible)

The thing that made David great to me, was a heart of humility. Each time he was seeking the Lord, he would humble himself. Don't you think this is something worth reflecting on in our lives?

In John 15:5 "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." (TNIV)

Do spend some time seeking the Lord to show you the areas which you have not been humble.

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking out for your own interests but each of you to the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4

It's all about Jesus, it's all by His grace that He has given to us for without Him, we can do nothing. David knew that- a humble heart, a heart that is prepared to let God take over and make it His sanctuary.

Love, JJB

"Speak Lord, I'm listening"

Hi TDY,

Today is day two of the consecration that the church has called. I hope you all have spent the past day spending some time with God. I'm sorry to sound so naggy, but, as in any normal relationship, its important to spend time. Seek the Lord for how he would lead you. Seek the Lord as to what expectations you should have in the upcoming church camp.

I was just reflecting on 1 Samuel 3 today about the call of Samuel. When God first spoke to Samuel, at first, he did not recognize the voice of God. He went running to Eli to check if he had called him. In the same way, Samuel did not recognize the voice of God because he had never heard the voice of the Lord. But, after advice from Eli, Samuel begins to realize that it is God who is calling him. And after that, Samuel's response is "Speak, for your servant hears". Can the same be said of us today? Now God did not just speak to Samuel out of the blue or at random. Verse 1 says that the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. Samuel had been spending time in God's presence. 

Would this be our response today? Would we spend time in God's presence? And would we be sensitive to God's voice? Would our response be 'speak Lord, your servant hears'? 

Lots to think about... but the key is to spend time in his presence... "Be still and know that he is God."

Love,

KKS

Good trees with good fruits

Hi guys! I was just reflecting on what I read in Matthew 12: 33, 35:

"33Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by it's fruit... 35Good people bring good things out of the good stored up in them, and evil people bring evil things out of the evil stored up in them."

It's like what the speaker somewhat spoke on Sunday, "The seed always produces the kind that we sow." My encouragment to you guys, sow good seeds into your lives. The things that we say, the people we mix with sometimes do have an effect on us.

May the Lord help you to make wise decisions and say words that reflect His glory in your life. :)

Love, JJB

Walking in the ways of the Lord

Dear TDY,

Today is the first day of the holidays and I hope you guys are enjoying yourselves. I have just come back home from course and I was just reflecting the entire day on the passage I was meditating on in 2 Kings. God commands it that we walk in his ways. Israel had many kings after Solomon, some were good kings, and some were bad kings. But they were judged according to how they walked with God and whether or not they walked in the ways of God or in the ways of other gods. In the end, how will God see us? Is it by our actions and the amount of money we earn or the number of 'A1s' we produce? I don't think so. God will judge us by a higher standard - did we, or did we not walk in his ways?

I really enjoyed yesterday's GDOP. I felt that it was really meaningful especially when it came to the part about praying for ourselves. Praying for a generation that would be pure. Praying for ourselves that we would be pure in the sight of God. This is so important. I believe God wants us to be consecrated, holy and pure in his sight. We can't, but God can. 

Even as the holidays begin, I believe that we're moving into a new season. This year, 2009, has been marked as the year of evangelism for the youth. Thus far, we have not had any newcomers visit us yet. Continue to press in to pray for your pre-believing friends. Take time to seek the Lord and really spend time to pray and read his word. Spend time with him and get to know him. 

Remember, God commands it, that we should love the Lord our God with all our soul, with all our might and with all our strength.

Love,

KKS