Praises and Worries Do Not Go Along

Psalm 113 :1 -3

Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord,
Let the name of the Lord be praised,
both now and forevermore.
From the rising of the sun to the
place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be
praised

Yes, we all want to praise our Maker. He has given us so much!

However, has it ever occur to you that praise and worry do not go together?

When you praise, you have lifted your sorrows and difficulties to God. The empty space in your heart should be filled with praises for Him alone. You should be happy and singing praises. But, what has happened?

Yes, you have replaced the praises and gratitude with worries. There are too many questions ….. ‘What ifs’ in your mind even though you agreed to allow God to take over.

All you have prayed for become fruitless because you have no confidence in God. The truth is, you are unwilling to let go the sadness and failures in your life!

It is time to replace the sorrows and problems in your heart with praises. It is time to sing praises to God with the knowledge that He knows how to deal with your problems. It is not worth worry for tomorrow as you do not know what will happen. Only God knows. So, let Him deal with all the problems.

All you have to do is to keep on praising His Name! It is that easy!

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Live In Dreams or Live Out Your Dreams?

Matthew 21 : 21 – 22

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say this to the mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

The story started when Jesus saw out side the city one morning. He went nearer to pluck some fruits. However, there were only leaves. Jesus said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” The tree withered almost immediately!

Of course, in real life, things do not happen that way. What a disappointment!

Someone once told me that life has many options. We have the right to choose what we want. We have the right to choose to live in our dreams or to live out our dreams.

Jesus said, "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

When we believe in our dreams, we can visualize them clearly. When we are visualizing them, we know what we really want!

The next step is to ask for it. Then, we release the dreams into God's hand; for Him to send the dreams to us.

This is what great life achievers have been preaching all along - Goal Settings!

Go and set, visualize and pray for your dreams now!

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Ask Him Sincerely

James 4 : 2 – 3

"You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."

Ever wondered why many of your prayers are not answered at all? Those ‘big projects’ you have hoped to launch before the whole world – they would not happen at all. You also prayed for small unimportant things, and they were all answered. Why?

Many times, we are too shy to ask too much from God. We do not want to sound too selfish! Well, God knows the motives of our prayers. Remember, He knows what we want long before we ask Him! Since God knows our motives, He will choose His own time to answer us.

Maybe it is time for us to reflect on our motives before we make any request. Admitting that we need help and believe God is there to help us; our prayers need to be sincere and thoughtful.

Make praying for ourselves and others, expressing gratitude for God’s assistance throughout the day and days ahead, as well as praying for our future plans sincerely and earnestly as part of our routine from today onwards!

Let us steadfastly do so and see miracles happen when God answers our prayers!

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He is With Us

“.. Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.……….” Isaiah 43 : 1 - 2

We all have fears. These fears increase every single moment as we see the environment around us changes everyday. We all face problems everyday. These problems are partly resulted from our fears.

We have sought help everywhere. We even cried in despair, thinking we are facing the problems alone.

No, have you forgotten?

God has spoken, many years ago. He has spoken again and again since. He reminds us that His promises have not changed. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

He will be with us, His children as we each goes on our own journey in this world. He has redeemed us personally and so will not leave us to wander on our own.

He will protect us and keep us save so that we can overcome problems and fears. All we have to do is to surrender ourselves into God’s love ….. willingly.

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Think Before You Light The Light

“Who among you fear the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, which has no light, Trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. But now, all of you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your torches you have set ablaze, This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment.” Isaiah 50:10-11

God is just. He knows when to let go. He wants his children to be independent and able to grow well spiritually. The reason He does this is because He wants all His children to continue trusting, relying and having faith in Him.

However, when we lost the guiding light, we start to light our own torches. We have forgotten to consult our Maker about this ‘light’. We have forgotten that we still have His grace which can help us to go on. We have forgotten to pray and meditate on His Words.

We have been through good times when we know the Lord is with us. We ought to live well too when God lets us be. We still have His grace. Our faith in Him should not diminish in such a short time. We must not give ourselves reasons to light our own way. The result is just too painful to bear.

Remember, God is always in control. He will not let us down. He will help us to pull through because He knows us better than we know ourselves.

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You Reap What You Sow

Galatians 6:7 – 8

“Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

We are going to discuss what we set to do in future here. When you have set for yourself a goal, make sure you know what you are getting at the end of it. Know that your reward comes in the form blessed by God. In short, be very careful what you wish for!

When you dare to sow, you dare to reap. Visions are not for those with weak hearts!

Selfish thoughts embedded in our visions may destroy us.

Let us all sow seeds that bring in good harvest, pleasing to our God. Let us sow the seeds of God so that they will produce good crops.


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His Plans and Futures For Us

Jeremiah 29:11 – 13

“…. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. …….”

The Lord will never leave us to survive alone. This world is like an immeasurable desert. It is because our Lord God wants things to happen on this desert that he gives us the chance to create and continue to do so.

What we see in the past, present and future are all from Him. He has plans for everyone He calls. He promises hopes and futures. Jesus acknowledges that He is the Light of the World, the light that will not go off. The very light that does not depend on expensive fuel to go on shining forever.

Yes, seeking the Lord with all our heart, to commit our plans to Him should be our mission. Pray to Him with faith for He listens all the time. For our Lord never sleeps or slumbers. When we call on Him, he will keep His words and protect us from all dangers.



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Commit Your Plans to Him

Commit to the Lord whatever you do,

and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16 : 3

In his heart a man plans his course,

but the Lord determines his course. Proverbs 16 : 9

Many times we grumble because we are not so successful in life. However, have you asked yourself, what is ‘success’?

Someone told me some time ago that there are many formulas to ‘success’! In short, to be successful, everything counts.

We often forget that we need to commit our plans to God for His approval. It is crucial for us to do so. When God does not approve a plan, He will delay it for a while. He will definitely show us the way when the time is right.

When God wants us to commit our plans to Him, He has every reason to do so. He wants to be humble and patient. He knows what the best is for us.

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Spring Clean Our Temple

On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And he taught them, he said, “Is it not written:

‘My house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations’ ?

But you have made it ‘a den of robbers’. Mark 11: 15 – 17

Many years ago when I was attending a bible sharing class, someone shared about the verses above.

A temple or any place of worship is considered sacred. Not just considered. It is definitely sacred. We never allow any ‘unholy’ activities in and around the temple.

Actually our body is like a temple. We need to take good care of the temple.

The Chinese has a tradition of ‘spring cleaning’ the whole house before any major festivities. It is during the spring cleaning all unwanted things are thrown out. The Chinese believe that if they do not do away with the old, they will have no place for the new.

It is time for all of us to spring-clean our temples too. We want God to stay in our temples comfortably.

Whose Faults?

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” they were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them. “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

John 8 : 3 – 11

I did not understand the whole story when I first read it many years ago. A Bible teacher shared that the point in the story is not in the woman. However, focus on what Jesus said. He only said one very effective sentence to the capturers: “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

These days, we are quick in condemning others over a little fault. We saw everything as others’ faults. We are the sad result of their ‘faults’. Since we cannot do anything, we can only blame those unfortunate who pass our way.

It is time we search our hearts. Are we really without any fault? If God doesn’t judge us, it only shows how kind and generous He is. Since God is able to accept us despite our faults, we should be able to accept others, who are as imperfect as us.

The Gate You Choose

…“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life and only a few find it.” Matthew 7 : 13 – 14

Have you entered the airport security scanner? That is a gate you enter alone. This is where you are scanned for security before you board the plane. The scanner may check your pockets for any harmful weapon. No, it will not check your heart or what you are thinking at that time.

However, this is not the case when we choose to enter the narrow gate to eternity. We are checked and scanned thoroughly. There are pressures and hardship along the way. We have to stop and recheck ourselves many times along the way.

The wide gate, although is always opened to welcome everyone, may not be the one for us.

Which gate you choose is your own choice.

Don't Just Pray

Proverbs 30:7-9

“Two things I ask of you, O Lord;

do not refuse me before I die;

Keep falsehood and lies far from me;

give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you

And say, ‘Who is the Lord?’

Or I may become poor and steal,

And dishonor the name of my God”

It takes a lot of built-up courage to say this prayer. Who doesn’t like riches? As long as one knows the way; who cares where the money comes from.

However, life isn’t necessarily about riches. There are other things more important than money. Living honestly is not only an option, it is an obligatory.

When we have too much, we would forget the pain and hardship we had experienced. We would not want to remember what we had prayed and promised God. We believe that we are ‘great’, maybe greater than God himself.

On the final day, we put the blame on everyone else, except ourselves.

Be careful what you say in your prayer. You are talking to God, the Omnipotent and the One-Who-Creates and Knows-All. This is very serious.

Don't just pray, act it out!

Letting Go

Luke 12:32-34

“… Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

When we hold on tightly to our worldly possession, we have a problem of letting go.

The truth is letting go is not so easy (especially when we have much more than is needed). However, remember that our possessions in this world do not really belong to us. Not even our lives and family members. They are all just a loan from God to make our worldly life complete.

Yet, when it is time to let go, we must do so.

As humans, we all have our selfish wants and needs. Yet, God accepts us despite all our shortcomings.

Nobody can perceive when, why, what or how events we deemed ‘bad’ will happen. Only God does. That is why He says, “…….Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Know What You Want

“… And do not set your heart on what you eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world run after all such things and your Father knows that you need them. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well…….”

Luke 12:29-31

How true! We are always running after things we thought are important to us. We are always worried what we should eat, wear and buy. We all like to show off, even a little, believe it or not.

We put in so much effort to make sure others envy us. We care so much for things that we do not really need. We care not for things that can help us to grow, spiritually.

God knows our needs …. In the Lord’s Prayer ….. ‘Give us today our daily bread’ … which also means God will provide what is enough to fill us. He gives more if we care to seek His Kingdom ….

God’s Kingdom is not a matter of words. Not everyone can enter. Those who qualified had already sacrificed not only their worldly possessions, but also themselves.

Decide What Is Important

Luke 12:29-31

“… And do not set your heart on what you eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world run after all such things and your Father knows that you need them. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well…….”

How true! We are always running after things we thought are important to us. We are always worried what we should eat, wear and buy. We all like to show off, even a little, believe it or not.

We put in so much effort to make sure others envy us. We care so much for things that we do not really need. We care not for things that can help us to grow, spiritually.

God knows what we need …. In the Lord’s Prayer ….. ‘Give us today our daily bread’ … which also means God will provide what is enough to fill us. He gives more if we care to seek His Kingdom ….

God’s Kingdom is not a matter of words. Not everyone can enter. Those who qualified had already sacrificed not only their worldly possessions, but also themselves.

He Is There

“Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in his entire splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith! ……” Luke 12:27-28

Read these verses. There is so much assurance in just a few words. The Bible contains many promises and assurances, if you care to read and ponder.

As a believer, I have to confess that I am also one of them …. with little faith. However, God’s Words and assurances are always there to help me through.

As a freelance photographer, I know how beautiful the nature is. It is God’s wish that we appreciate His handiwork. Just look at the beautiful wild flowers, one will always wonder who takes care of them.

Since God cares for them, He will care for us too. Didn’t He send His very own son to die for us, the sinful ones? We sometimes forget that God is with us when we care too much about ourselves.

The first thing we must do is ….. to be grateful. God is there, everywhere and is always ready to help whenever we ask.

Acceptance

“Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. …. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or fall. And he will stand for the
Lord will make him stand." Romans 14: 1, 3-4.

We are not talking about food here. These days, what we eat is a matter of choice and supply. If we can afford more expensive food, we would surely like to eat them too.

Faith is like the food we eat. Some people suspect that certain foods are harmful to their health. Let them be. God has accepted them. We should too. We just don’t go around and criticize people because they don’t eat the same dishes as we do.

Judging others is becoming quite a habit. We judge not only others, but people around us. Yet, we have forgotten to judge ourselves. We like to be among the crowd. For this matter, we have forgotten that the crowd may not accept us. The crowd may not even suit us.

God has accepted all to be His children. As His children, we are all equal. Since God does not judge, we shouldn’t too. He loves us all equally. It is always us, who make lives complicated.

Return of Investments

2 Corinthians 9: 6 - 8
"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you to you, so that in all things at all times, having all you need, you will abound in every good work."

Do you count how much return every time you give away something?
If we keep on thinking how much we gain from our giving, God will not be pleased. After all, we have already been rewarded, why should we receive any rewards from God?

A happy giver expects nothing in return.
A cheerful giver hopes his gifts will cheers other.
A generous giver hopes his gifts will help others.

No matter what the amount you give, God knows and will reward you more!