YoutthNet Buzz – 2 Mar 08

“Brokeness”

As a young Christian, I was impacted greatly by the writings of Watchman Nee, a spiritual giant who knew and experienced close intimacy with God. His books like "The Normal Christian Life" and "The Release of the Spirit" increased my understanding of the spirit man by leaps and bounds. "Brokenness" has been the buzz word this last week. I thought I can do no better than share with you some gleanings from his writings on this subject:

"Many of God's servants are not able to do even the most elementary works. Ordinarily, their spirits should enable them to know God's Word, discern the spiritual condition of another, send forth God's messages under the anointing, and receive God's revelations. However, because their outward man has never been dealt with, revival, zeal, pleading and activity are a waste of time. There is just one basic dealing that can enable man to be useful before God, and it is this: brokenness.”

"Without the breaking of the outward man, the inward man cannot come forth to bless others because Christ's life is imprisoned by us. It is not that the Lord cannot bless the church, but that the Lord's life is so confined within us that there is no flowing forth. If the outward man remains unbroken, we can never be a blessing to His church, and we cannot expect the Word of God to be blessed by Him through us!"

How do we know if we've been broken?

"There is one common feature that marks those who have been enlightened and disciplined; they become meek. Meekness is a sign of brokenness. All who are broken by God are characterized by meekness” (Note: not weakness!).

Jesus said, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words which I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life." (John 6:63)

PSALM 62 ~ 2 MARCH 2008

By David

Put Your Trust In God At All Times

“Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” Psalm 62: 8

In Psalm 62, David commits himself to the Lord when faced assaults by his son who had wanted to dethrone him.

David must be devastated yet he did not allow disappointment to rule in his heart. Instead David placed his confidence in God once again, verses 1 -4.
We can trust God at all times when we place our confident in him.

David finds strength in the Lord when he claims that God is his:
• Rock & Salvation – Vs1
• Fortress & Shelter – Vs 2
• Saftety and Hope - Vs 5


Application:
Do not look to men or material things to meet your needs. Rather look to God and place your trust in Him.
Tell God that you accept his loving kindness. Pour out your hearts to God – verse 8. Do not hide or ignored your emotions, come before God to tell him how you feel.
As you do that, invite God to be your Rock & Salvation, Fortress & Shelter and Saftety & Hope.

PSALM 61 ~ 1 MARCH 2008

By David

God Is Your Shelter

“I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings” Psalm 61:4

David, in this Psalm, as in many others, begins with prayers and tears, but ends with songs of praise. Psalm 61 is likely to be written soon after David lost his son, Absalom. Absalom plotted against his father’s throne but his plot failed and he died - 2 Samuel 18:9-15.

Once again, David was deeply distressed and he was shaken. As he prays to God, he was being reminded of what God has been for him, a strong refuge and tower. And he began to long for God’s presence –where there is security and peace.

We can make one observation of David’s prayer to the Lord through Psalms. Quite often, the prayer would start with a depressing or down mood and as David calls onto the Lord and began to proclaim the character of God, his mood changes. Changed from outcast and dejected to being hopeful and confident in the Lord.

Application:
It is perfectly ok to acknowledge how we feel when things aren’t going well. While doing so, we should not allow ourselves to stop there. Most of the time, David did not stop at his depression or discouragement. He would go beyond the feelings of the circumstances to praise God and to declare God’s goodness. There is power in the person God. Learn to profess the character of God everyday, especially when you are facing challenges. Come under His shelter.

PSALM 60 ~ 29 FEBRUARY 2008

By David

Final Victory Is In The Lord

“With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.” Psalm 60:12

After many Psalms that were written when David was in distress, Psalm 60 was written after David took throne as King

In this Psalm, David reflects upon the bad state of the nation for many years, Verse 1-3. He prays for the deliverance of the nation in verse 5.

Finally, David saw victories. He had numerous victories. Despite the numerous victories, David continues to pray in Hope. In the day of triumph where they defeat many nations, they see themselves in trouble because they are still at war.

David knows that unless God gave them help in the next battle, they might be defeated. Thus prays David,
“Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.”

Application:
We see the humility of David in his good days. He did not become proud or conceited even when he was wining battle after battle, not by own ability but by the power of God - From the Lord comes deliverance, Psalm 3:8.
Are you in good times or bad times? Whatever it is, do not forget the God of your victories. Speak Hope and blessing of God for the future regardless of how you might feel now.

PSALM 59 ~ 28 FEBRUARY 2008

By David

You Can Praise God When Facing Troubles

“But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.” Psalm 59:16

King Saul sent a party of soldiers to David’s house in the night with an order to kill David. It must be a terrifying moment for David. Thankfully, David managed to escape with the help of his family.
1 Samuel 19:11-18 has recorded the event.

David prayed to be delivered from the enemy in verses 1-7. He is in grave danger as the enemy could often return in hope of finding him. (Verse 6) He asks God to take him away from his enemies and make him safe. He pleads to the Lord for deliverance. Once again, we see David placing his confidence in God. He is confident that God will win the fight for him, verses 8 - 13

David know full well who God is, “my strength, my fortress and my loving God” – Ps 59:9. Knowing who God is and being certain of the outcome in God, David could sing praises to God while running for his life.

Application:
We always find it hard to Praise God joyfully whenever we are in distress.
You can praise God when things go wrong.
You can do so by not focusing on what had gone wrong, but rather, focus on who God is – your strength, your fortress and your loving God. Come before Him now to receive a personal assurance from Him.

PSALM 58 ~ 27 FEBRUARY 2008

By David

God is your Judge

Then men will say, “ Surely the righteous
still are rewarded; surely there is a God
who judges the earth.” Psalm 58:11

In this chapter, David’s prayer is to God the Supreme Judge. There is corruption of the judicial power from the days of Saul to the end of the monarchy. Even when David was enthroned as King of Israel, he still has to face troubles caused by the corrupt system.

Accusation against the wicked judges was made in verse 1-5. Their mouth, hands and hearts were filled with injustice, Ps 58:1-2.
These injustices were brought before God in prayers.

There was assurance that David has in God that He will surely judge. Psalm 58: 9-11.
Finally, when God had judged, the whole earth will see the righteousness of God rules.

Application:
Are there any unfair or unjust treatments that are receiving? Go to God to be your Judge. Leave the matter to Him. Do not use your own ways to get back your justice. Do not take revenge. Do not repay injustice with injustice. Surrender it to God.
Or have you done any injustice to people around you knowingly or unknowingly? Ask God for forgiveness. Pray to bless these people.

PSALM 57 ~ 26 FEBRUARY 2008

By David

Fixed Your Heart To Trust God

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed” Psalm 57:1

David had fled and hid in the cave. This prayer was birthed out of the cave where David was hiding. From Psalms 54 – 57, David was fleeing from Saul’s attached and pursuit. 3 chapters later, David is still in the run for his life. Yet, he did not give up his hope in God. This is clearly demonstrated in Ps 57. David asked God for help in verse 1-5. He asked to be gracious and merciful. David continues to pray to God to deliverance.

Psalm 57 has two parts: verses 1-5 and verses 6-11. Both end with the words “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.” (Ps 57:5, 11). First part is about David’s complain of the enemy and prayers to God. Yet this is not without his assurance in God that God will help. David’s faith in God increased in second part where he praises God for his saving help.

Application:
In life, there are times where we will feel we are being cornered by the same struggle or fear. And we just want a way out. Sometimes we lost our hope in God when we have yet to see His saving grace. Is there any situation you are facing that is causing your hope to grow weary over time? Do not loose heart. Fix your heart to trust God and to praise God today.

PSALM 56 ~ 25 FEBRUARY 2008

By David

Do Not Be Afraid

“In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” Psalm 56:4

Psalm 56 is a prayer for help when being attached by the enemy and David’s life is threatened. Ps 56:1-2 was David’s appeal to God for help.
The background to this Psalm is the same as previous where Saul was trying to kill David.
David was afraid and we can see this in verse 3 and verse 4. Despite his fear, he chose to trust God. The more fearful David is, the more he confessed his trust in God.
Such is David’s confident in God that he offers thanksgiving and praise to God for delivering him even though he has yet to see deliverance.
David is able to do so because he knows who God is. God is a faithful, covenant keeping God. His love for his people will never fail. Can you trust God the way David trust?

Application:
Are there any fears in your heart? The things that cause you to panic are likely to be your fear. What are these fears?
Do what David did by putting your cares and burden in the Lord. Commit the outcome to God. You can trust Him.
Memorize Psalm 56:4a
“In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust, I will not be afraid.”

YouthNet Buzz – 24th Feb 2008

THE KING BECKONS...

What are you doing with the invitation from the King? Go on with life as usual and come back to the invitation when you have the time? We trust not. You drop everything you're doing and you re-schedule your priorities so you will be able to make it to His Presence!

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.� (Jeremiah 29:13)

While we can be assured of finding God�, this verse also gives a key condition. The condition is to search for Him with all your heart. We cannot find God if we are not seeking Him with all our heart. It will be naive on our part to think that we could just experience intimacy without giving God all our heart.

Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but they will not find me." (Proverbs 1: 8)

All our heart does not refer to diligence (in effort or action) alone. It is an issue of complete dedication (heart) to the person. And it is best reflected in our attitude.

"Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD." (Proverbs 1:29)

The attitude needed would be the fear of the Lord� i.e. a deep reverence for Him.

Can Intimacy and Fear go hand in hand? Yes, fear of the Lord is the key to intimacy because it ensures we hate sin and all the things that turn the King's face away from us. We cannot enter His presence with a casual attitude and expect God to come near.

Let's press on to the King's presence and find each other there!

YouthNet Buzz – 17th Feb 2008

~Dying To Self~

Somewhere in Senior Pastor's message last week was a nugget of truth worth repeating.

That Delight in the Lord and Denial of self are both sides of the same coin. Did you catch that?

We cannot bring delight or find delight in the Lord if we come to Him like a sugar daddy or a vending machine which can be manipulated at our every wimp or fancy.

Luke 9:23, Jesus said to them all, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up His cross daily and follow me."

I reflected over three counselling cases which I was involved in recently. In all three cases, the problem would have been solved by Jesus’ prescription - to deny oneself. Ahh, the self is too much with us. Selfishness, self-centredness and self-love. What does it take to come to a point where our delight is God's delight, where we desire what He desires and we care for what He cares?

Impossible to do? Absolutely. It calls for death. Someone who understood this cost of discipleship was Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian and Christian martyr who wrote this prayer, "Make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be free."

PSALM 55 ~ 24 FEBRUARY 2008

By David

You Can Cast Your Care Unto God

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

Psalm 55:22

This is another prayer for God’s Help in time of troubles. David was in great distress when he wrote this Psalm.

We can look at Psalm 55 in 3 parts:

1. Verse 1-8, David speaks of his fear of his enemy and he prays to God for his manifested favour.

2. Verse 9-15, David complains of his en enemies’ wickedness.

3. Verse 16-23, David prays that his enemy would die that they would be taken away form him. He is assured in the Lord.

Such is the confident that David has in God. He has many life’s threatening moments, yet it does not shake his faith and confidence in the Lord.

He cast his cares on the Lord because he knows that God can be trusted.

In every trial let us call upon the Lord, and he will save us. The burden of afflictions is very heavy; there is also the burden of sin and corruption. The only relief under it is, to look to Christ, who bore it.

Application:

What are your cares and burden? There are heavy and you need not carry these weights. To cast your cast upon God is to rest upon His provision and promises.

He will carry you and will strengthen your spirit by His spirit. Go to Him with your cares now! Commit your cares to the Lord in prayers.

PSALM 54 ~ 23 FEBRUARY 2008

By David

The Lord Is Our Helper

“Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one

who sustains me.” Psalm 54:4

This is a prayer of David for deliverance from his enemies who want to have him killed. The occasion this Psalm was written was when the Ziphhites betrayed David by telling Saul his whereabouts. David

In the first part of this Psalm, verses 1-3, David complains to God about the enemy and pray to God for help.

In Ps 54:4-7, David receives assurance of God’s favour and protection. He is being comforted.

Although David is on the run for his life, and the enemy were determined to find him to destroy him, he turned to the Lord for help. He is sure that God would be on His side. He proclaims confidently that God is surely his help in verse 4. He speaks in faith that the enemy will be removed.

God is a God of covenant with His people and David knows that full well. It is with this faith in God that he promised before God that he will give thanks and praise His name after he is being delivered from his enemy’s pursuit.

Application:

Have you given thanks to God and praise Him after He has seen you through a trying or difficult time? It is the kind of thanksgivings that comes with a grateful heart that I am talking about.

Start praising Him now!

PSALM 53 ~ 22 FEBRUARY 2008

By David

Godlessness of Man

“God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand,

any who seek God.” Psalm 53:2

Psalm 53 is similar to Psalm 14.It’s purpose is to convince us of our sins. God show us through the psalmist how bad we are.

How can men be so bad? This is because there is no fear of God. The fool says to his heart that there is no God, verse 1. Men's bad practices flow from their bad values; if they profess to know God, yet in works & thoughts they deny him, it would mean his heart has no God. Such is a man of folly.

Psalm 53 ends with the Psalmist prayer to the Lord for the deliverance of Israel. And God shall restore their fortunes.

Is there the fear of God in your heart? Do you acknowledge the Holy God in your heart? We will sin not when we fear the Lord. Ask God to show you what is in your heart.

Application:

Pray to the Lord:

“Dear God, show me how bad I can be. All my sinfulness and wickedness is naked before you. Reveal to me my corrupt thoughts, that I may know them. ”

As you pray the above prayer, wait patiently before God. He will speak.

Allow Him to review your priorities and it’s motives.

Are these priorities of God or of the world?

Take time to re-set your life’s priorities.

PSALM 52 ~ 21 FEBRUARY 2008

By David

Your Confidence & Security is God

“But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love

for ever and ever,” Psalm 52:8

Psalm 52 was written when David was fleeing from King Saul. David, knew that Saul was determined to destroy him, went to take refuge. On his way, he stopped at the Tabernacle and sought help from Aimelech. The news of David reaches Saul and he ordered the death of 85 priests & all the inhabitants of Nob. The account can be found in 1 Samuel 21:1-7, 22:9-23.

Psalm 52

Verse 1-5: Wickedness of a powerful enemy and it’s destruction
Verse 6 -7:The righteous would rejoice
Verse 8 -9:Confidence & Security is in God

God will destroy the wicked. Those that glory in sin, shall glory in their shame. But those whom place their trust in God will rejoice & praise Him. They will rejoice in God’s unfailing love.

If you choose to dwell in the house of God by faith and love, you shall be like green olive-trees. You will live a life of faith and holy confidence in God and His grace.

Application:

Are you hard-pressed like David? Are there any difficult people you are facing now? Vengeance is the Lord’s, the Lord is the judge. Do not repay evil for evil by going against them. Instead, turn to the Lord to bless them. You can have confidence & security in God as you remain in His presence.

PSALM 51 ~ 20 FEBRUARY 2008

By David

Create In Me A Clean Heart

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart,

O God, you will not despise.” Psalm 51: 17

This is a humble prayer for forgiveness and cleansing. David, being convinced of his sin, poured out his soul to God in prayer for mercy and grace.

This is a famous psalm. David wrote it after he had done something very wrong. He saw a woman, Bathsheba, bathing and wanted to have her. But she was the wife of Uriah. David sent Uriah to war to be killed by the Philistines so that he can have Bathsheba. He committed adultery and was responsible for Uriah’s death.

David was convicted of his sin against God as recorded in Psalm 51. He pleas for God’s mercy not to take over his spirit, Ps 51:11.

This pleases the Lord. What pleases God more than sacrifices is a humble heart that looks to him.

God rebuked Israel for its sin in Psalm 50. It was made clear to us the consequences of sin. Here in Psalm 51, we learn the importance of repentance and asking God for Pardon. David demonstrated to us how to pray to God for forgiveness and cleansing.

Application:

As much as God has convicted David of his sin, be silent before God to allow the Holy Spirit to convict you of your sin. Do not be blinded to your own sin and remain living in the same sinful ways. Confess your sins and ask God for forgiveness now.

PSALM 50 ~ 19 FEBRUARY 2008

By Asaph-the Levite

True worship brings obedience

“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:23

Psalm 50 is the first 12 Psalms (Psalms 73-83) by Asaph. Asaph’s family became one of the 3 families given responsibilities for music and song in the temple - 1 Chr.25:1-9

This Psalm is also a Psalm of instruction, not of prayer and praise. It tells of the coming of Christ and the day of judgement, in which God will call men to account for their lives. In Ps 50, God deals with those who were religious in practice and yet neglected godliness. Their heart is not set on worship and godliness. It was the duty of the people to bring the sacrifice; but God is not pleased with the outward sacrifice they bring. Nothing pleases him where it is done religiously as an act. True worship comes from the heart. The judgment of God is being mentioned in this chapter, where he will judge according to our heart more than the act. His rebuke and correction to the wicked is in verse 16-23.

Obedience is better than sacrifice. God desires obedience from your heart more than what you can offer to Him.

PSALM 49 ~ 18 FEBRUARY 2008

By The Sons of Korah

Temporal Riches Vs Eternal Riches

“A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish” Psalm 49:20

Psalm 49 carries a word of instruction concerning the vanity of the world.

Wealth cannot buy security and happiness. Nor can wealth save yourself and others from death. Nothing perishable, such as silver or gold can ever redeem you. But with the precious blood of Christ without blemish that you are redeemed, 1 Pet 1:18-19. No amount of wealth can buy life.

Therefore the rich should not take their delight in their wealth. And the poor should not be oppressed by the rich and become fearful of life. Do not trust your life to your wealth, verse 6.

Matthew 6:19-21

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Do not place your security in wealth, and let this be a motive for living. Instead, put your faith and trust in the Lord.

Application:

Take some time to meditate on Ps 49. Ask God to reveal to you if your love for money has become your zeal in life?

If its’ yes, repent today and ask God to re-direct your course.

If you have not been tithing regularly, do it now.

PSALM 48 ~ 17 FEBRUARY 2008

By The Sons of Korah

God Is Our God Forever

“For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. Psalm 48:14

Psalm 48 tells us that God can protect Zion, a city in Jerusalem. Verse 1-3 of Psalm 48 talks about the beauty of Mount Zion. God is the fortress for Zion. He is the defence for Zion. God protects Zion.

Verse 4-7 records for us the futile attacks of the nations. The enemy fled in terror (vs5) when they saw that the great King was in Zion. God is Zion and the people’s security – verse 8. From verse 9-11, the people were able to worship and praise God with gladness because of God’s mighty saving acts.

Because of God’s unfailing love, he will protect His city and His people. He will be our defence when there are attackers. He is our refuge and fortress. He is our strength. God is the everlasting God and His promises to His people will stay.

Application:

God comes to our defence because He loves us. Recall a time where God delivered you from an impossible situation. Praise God for His deliverance. May gratitude fill your heart with thanksgiving.

Take a few minutes to praise God for His unfailing love. Give thanks to Him for great is the Lord and He is most worthy of your praise. God Loves you and His love is unchanging. Receive His great love for you now. Ask God to touch you and fill you with His love today!

PSALM 47 ~ 16 FEBRUARY 2008

By The Sons of Korah

The Lord Reigns

God reigns over the nations; God is seated on

his holy throne. Psalm 47:8

The Lord reigns over all the earth. Nations are called to rejoice in God. We are called to praise the Lord. Let’s celebrate the King.

God is worthy of all praises. He is an awesome and a great King. Victory has been won on Calvary. Jesus has triumph over death.

At the name of Jesus, every knee must bow and every tongue confesses that Christ is Lord. Phil 2:10-11

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again rejoice - Phil 4:4

Application:

Take a moment now to rejoice in the Lord.

Sing praise unto Him for He is worthy.

He has triumph over death and victory had been won. Declare God’s victory through His son Jesus now.

Throw away all the feelings of defeat. You can have victory in the Lord.

Allow God to take charge of everything. Come before Him and invite Him to take control for He is the God of power and authority.

PSALM 46 ~ 15 FEBRUARY 2008

By The Sons of Korah

God Is Our Refuge And Strength

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1

Psalm 46 is a song of hope. Psalm 46:1-5 encourages us to take comfort in God when things seem gloomy. Glory is given to God both as king of the nations as well as king of His people in Psalm 46:6-11.

When in distress, God is our help. We can triumph through distressing and fearful moments when He is with us. God is our present help in times of trouble – Ps 46:1.

His presence with us brings us to triumph over darkness moment of life.

To triumph over the greatest dangers faced, God is our strength and our help. His strength is sufficient for us. Therefore do not be afraid. God will help you out of your troubles.

The sovereign Lord is with us. He will never leave us. His is a God of power against all enemies. He protects the nations and His people.

Application:

Have you ever become fearful because everything seem to be falling apart?

Take heart that God is your refuge and strength, your ever-present help when in trouble.

Release all your fears and anxiety to God. Take time to be still before God and acknowledge Him as the God of power and authority over these circumstances.

No problems and difficulties are too big for God.

Bridge to Once Upon a Time

Something unexpected happened a few weeks before Chinese New Year.

My paternal cousins whom I’ve not met for about 10 years decided to meet up. And so came about a meeting that gathered all of us together.

We spent our childhood together in our Grandmother's house. Our parents would go off to work, and it was the place we would go back to after school, be it after the "morning-sessions" or before the "afternoon-sessions" for the whole bunch of us. You could say we spent most of our early school years there.

Fast forward to 2008, meeting again 10 years down life’s road, this time with a plastic white McDonald's table between us (instead of the warm brown wooden table we were so used to), we were looking at faces that were familiar and yet foreign, defined by certain characteristics that each of us had since taken on.

I was surprised. We were initially hesitant and afraid that we would not know what to say, or how to start. So many years of our life we could share. But somehow, our conversation flowed. It would bore you to be told of what we talked about exactly :) But for us, those were milestones and symbolic, because they were topics that we knew existed in our lives once upon a time... and they’ll always be part of us.

I thank God for bringing us together again after the many years. I thank God for relationships that were built effortlessly - relationships built through silly games played as kindergarden kids, relationships that somehow remain a part of your life, though people may drift apart… and ignore each other for the longest time. But when we have the chance to look at each other again, we’ll somehow find the ability to smile, and look into the pair of familiar eyes you once knew so well and say…

“nice to meet you, cousin.”

Is there someone like that you know? Maybe all it takes is just an SMS or email to build that bridge. May the Lord bless the relationships of your life.

A Blessed New Year to Everyone!

Shuyan

Growing In True Devotion- Buzz for 10th Feb

Psalm 40:4, “Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.”

As we seek God’s face by reading the Psalms daily, we can discern differences in how we relate to God, using a structure shared by Ps Edmund Chan at the Love Singapore Pastor’s Prayer Summit.

The Psalmist through his writings reveals a FUNDAMENTAL dependence upon God – he cannot live for one moment without being sustained by the breath of God. Not a single day apart from God’s guidance and direction, not just when he is under siege. He actively puts aside false gods to turn to the Lord.

There is the person for whom devotion to God is merely ORNAMENTAL. Even though he or she may come to church and read the Bible, life goes on relatively unchanged and independent of God.

Yet there are others for whom devotion to God is INCIDENTAL. From time to time, he runs across an inspiring touch of the Holy Spirit through the word and is encouraged by the grace and goodness of God.

Then there is also the man who reads the word, draws from Him intentionally, but that inspiration is only SUPPLEMENTAL to all other sources of support in his life.

Whatever position we are in, let’s press in to drink deeply from God, to have Him as our FUNDAMENTAL source and sustenance. It requires tasting of the deeper things of God and a humble thirsting for it, renouncing all other sources of dependence. We find rest when we find our sufficiency in God alone.

Psalm 27:5, “For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.”

Experience on A-Psalm-A-Day (Feb: Week 1)

When approached to share about A-Psalm-A-Day, I was quite reluctant initially because of the amount of things I knew I had to complete piling up. And, even though I have been faithfully reading a psalm a day, I know something wasn’t really right about the way I did it. As the Lord revealed later on to me, this was because, instead of coming before God each morning, and saying “God, I want to learn something from you through this”, I often rushed through the psalm for that day, eager to finish so I could get my day started.
Even though this is the Year of Sabbath, it has been a year in which I have to learn to cope with many things, especially in school. But yet, it is not about my studies.
In my first semester last year at University, I joined my school’s Business Faculty Club as the director of Corporate and Alumni Relations. This was what I asked the Lord for, and by God’s favour, He granted it.

A month into the New Year however, these past two weeks grew increasingly harder because of an upcoming event we had to organise. Because of the event, I have to work with the Business School alumni and I felt they often put me down critically. This was a first for me because previously, my teachers and mentors have always been the ones affirming me of my abilities and talents. God used this incident to break my heart and all my pride. Through this process, I finally understood what the phase “the end of man is often the beginning of God” meant. Last Saturday, after having to cope with serving in Young Arrows, volunteering with a Youth Congress project and my Alumni school event, I felt I had reached the end of myself.
Overwhelmed, I cried out to God… God highlighted to me Psalms 20, a word that he had released to me prior to this incident. It was during service 2 weeks ago, that I asked the LORD if he remembered me. And Pastor Eugene released a word saying “God remembers your sacrifices and burnt offerings”. At that time, I didn’t know that it was a verse for me and so I did not take much notice of it.
On that very same day, one of my friends blessed me with this same verse from Psalm 20,
“May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. “
Through the entire pride breaking incident (distress), the LORD has still protected me and indeed “saves his anointed”. God has blessed me with a committee made up of a group of selfless and endearing people, who often encourage me through this difficult season. Also, he reminded me once again, that even as He blessed me to be a Marketplace Minister in school, He will remember all my sacrifices and make my plans succeed.
He also reminded me that I have to consciously depend on His strength, and not on my own strength, which is why I was really running on ‘low fuel’ over the past 3 weeks or so. Even as I decide to commit my event to the LORD, I had a prayer meeting in school just praying for the event, and proclaiming that Jesus is the event organiser and not me.
I thank God so much for his grace and mercy through this learning journey. Indeed, the joy of the LORD shall be my strength. May He be yours too!

Jia Li.

Reflections on Psalm 1..

While meditating on the very first Psalm on this first day of the year in 2008, God showed me a new meaning in Psalm 1. Usually what I would do during QT while reading His word would be to just paraphrase the things that “jump out” at me. For me, verses 2 & 3 are the crux of this psalm.

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

But today, I was very motivated to move beyond just doing this. I chose to meditate on these 2 verses. I learnt from Rick Warren’s “Bible Study Methods” the definition of meditation - to think over and over about a thought. I also read somewhere in the book that one way to meditate is to put yourself in that situation described in the chapter. Since verse 2 was about a tree by the river, I imagined a tree next to a river in lush greenery and then imagined myself walking towards the tree. As I walked closer to the tree, I observed that the tree has big strong roots. At the metaphorical level, simply by reading the verse one would know that we are the tree, and our source of life is the river, who is God. But upon meditation, God showed me as I looked closer at the roots of the tree that:

1) Water enters the tree by the roots first, so the roots will receive the nutrients first. Which is important because the tree needs to develop a strong foundation before anything else can occur. In the same way, when I seek the Lord’s law, His word nourishes me by first establishing my foundation in Him, before I can bear any fruit. And when I am firmly established in His word, no wind can move me, no rain can drown me.

2) The tree takes time to grow and as it grows, the roots continue to grow bigger as well, thus making the tree stable and grounded. In the same way, I need time to grow and I will bear fruit in season. My passion and obedience in doing all that is pleasing to Him and according to His will, will also take time to show fruitfulness, which is why trust and patience is a must.
The most exciting thing was the fact that as I found new meaning in His word, I became very fascinated by what I read and meditated upon. I realized that when I really desire to seek Him, He speaks to me in such clarity that I know it is Him. The new knowledge I’ve gained is because of He chose to reveal it to me. And I even want to give more glory to Him because of what happened next.

Because we are doing A Psalm A Day as a church, a covenant that we’ve made with God, we have planned out devotional materials that will equip us in reading the 150 Psalms. When I finished meditating upon Psalm 1, I opened up the devotional material that was given to me. Lo and behold!! This was what was written about Psalm 1 - “To take delight is to be thrilled - imagine how your eyes suddenly widen, your face beams into a happy smile and your heart feels a nice fuzzy warmth. Yes that is how God wants us to feel when we approach the Word. What we like, we would think more about it, BE FASCINATED AND AMAZED BY IT: and that’s the very meaning of meditation. Meditation was never meant to be a deliberate, laborious chore, it’s a natural connection to what we are drawn to.“

Tears rolled down my cheeks at the delight of knowing I found delight in His word. God is GREAT! I desire for my fascination with His word to grow even stronger tomorrow morning. But I also pray that in the next 149 days, if I don’t feel like God has revealed anything to me on any of the days, I will not be discouraged but to trust that He will reveal to me in due time.

Xiuting.

BRIEF thoughts about the year of Sabbath...

To me, this new year is really a continuation of what God has been teaching me in 2007. Just before my preliminary examinations last year, God prompted me to start practicing ’sabbath’ on Sundays meaning that I would not study but take the day off to rest and spend time with him.

It was definitely not easy, especially during the prelims and the A-levels when I had papers on Monday mornings. But each Sunday I was forced to commit and recommit my exams to God, and to remember that he alone is my source of security - not how much time and effort I put in. That helped me to tackle every paper with a spirit of victory, regardless of how (under)prepared I felt. It also took me to a new level of depending on God and holding on to his promises. Each time, it got a little easier because I could look back and see how good and faithful God had been to me in the past.

I was truly amazed when 2008 was declared the year of Sabbath, and even more so when “remembrance and reliance on the Lord” became the first focus area of the year. It was exactly what God was teaching me in the second half of 2007, and I believe that last year was only the beginning. In this year of Sabbath I know that God will bring me to an even deeper understanding of these principles, and they will be put to the test in my life (in fact, they already have). This year will be even better than the last, and I am really excited to see what God has in store as we all make the effort to draw closer to him.

Natalie.