Tuesday, December 18, 2012

holiday jottings 1 - thanksgiving

Job 28:28 NIV

28 And he said to the human race,
"The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding."

i had the privilege to have lunch with dad and his friend this afternoon. witnessed wisdom lived out daily by this man of faith, who delights in the Lord. Also, to give thanks for their amazing brotherhood for the past 42 years!

Sunday, December 16, 2012

sunny island, here i come!

excitement finally + gradually kicking in.
this time tomorrow I will be xin jia po!
as a free bird!

2 thumbs and 2 big toes up!
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

on some days, sitting in an empty room and doing nothing sounds like the ideal situation to be in.

i wish i could be more grateful for challenges in life.

God, please open my eyes and help me see..


Friday, November 23, 2012

cry baby

I Will Run To You (Hillsong United)

Your eye is on the sparrow
And Your hand, it comforts me
From the ends of the Earth to the depth of my heart
Let Your mercy and strength be seen

You call me to Your purpose
As angels understand
For Your glory, may You draw all men
As Your love and grace demand

And I will run to You
To Your words of truth
Not by might, not by power
But by the spirit of God
Yes I will run the race
'Till I see Your face
Oh let me live in the glory of Your grace

Saturday, November 10, 2012

in awe

Job 37

New International Version (NIV)
37 “At this my heart pounds
    and leaps from its place.
2 Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice,
    to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
3 He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven
    and sends it to the ends of the earth.
4 After that comes the sound of his roar;
    he thunders with his majestic voice.
When his voice resounds,
    he holds nothing back.
5 God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways;
    he does great things beyond our understanding.
6 He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’
    and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’
7 So that everyone he has made may know his work,
    he stops all people from their labor.[a]
8 The animals take cover;
    they remain in their dens.
9 The tempest comes out from its chamber,
    the cold from the driving winds.
10 The breath of God produces ice,
    and the broad waters become frozen.
11 He loads the clouds with moisture;
    he scatters his lightning through them.
12 At his direction they swirl around
    over the face of the whole earth
    to do whatever he commands them.
13 He brings the clouds to punish people,
    or to water his earth and show his love.
14 “Listen to this, Job;
    stop and consider God’s wonders.
15 Do you know how God controls the clouds
    and makes his lightning flash?
16 Do you know how the clouds hang poised,
    those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge?
17 You who swelter in your clothes
    when the land lies hushed under the south wind,
18 can you join him in spreading out the skies,
    hard as a mirror of cast bronze?
19 “Tell us what we should say to him;
    we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness.
20 Should he be told that I want to speak?
    Would anyone ask to be swallowed up?
21 Now no one can look at the sun,
    bright as it is in the skies
    after the wind has swept them clean.
22 Out of the north he comes in golden splendor;
    God comes in awesome majesty.
23 The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;
    in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.
24 Therefore, people revere him,
    for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?[b]”

Thursday, November 01, 2012

taxing terrors

tried my hands on tax return last year and gave up.. thank God I got to lodge it 5 mins before deadline this year. with the help of generous people like my dad and seetho.

would have never got through half of that complicated maze without any assistance. i can very well say it killed me before i could kill it... and then we killed it. hoorayy sleepytime!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

utmost.org

Justification by Faith

I am not saved by believing— I simply realize I am saved by believing. And it is not repentance that saves me— repentance is only the sign that I realize what God has done through Christ Jesus. The danger here is putting the emphasis on the effect, instead of on the cause. Is it my obedience, consecration, and dedication that make me right with God? It is never that! I am made right with God because, prior to all of that, Christ died. When I turn to God and by belief accept what God reveals, the miraculous atonement by the Cross of Christ instantly places me into a right relationship with God. And as a result of the supernatural miracle of God’s grace I stand justified, not because I am sorry for my sin, or because I have repented, but because of what Jesus has done. The Spirit of God brings justification with a shattering, radiant light, and I know that I am saved, even though I don’t know how it was accomplished.
The salvation that comes from God is not based on human logic, but on the sacrificial death of Jesus. We can be born again solely because of the atonement of our Lord. Sinful men and women can be changed into new creations, not through their repentance or their belief, but through the wonderful work of God in Christ Jesus which preceded all of our experience (see 2 Corinthians 5:17-19). The unconquerable safety of justification and sanctification is God Himself. We do not have to accomplish these things ourselves— they have been accomplished through the atonement of the Cross of Christ. The supernatural becomes natural to us through the miracle of God, and there is the realization of what Jesus Christ has already done— “It is finished!” (John 19:30).

Monday, October 08, 2012

Unusual Suspects- #1 THE CAN MAN

While Subi Church continues to explore the unusual suspects of the bible in the recent weeks - the unsung heroes/ seemingly negligible characters, I've come across a few unusual suspects in the past weeks too.

UNUSUAL SUSPECT #1 - The Can Man.
Once upon a time i ran out of house, across the road, down the hill, across another road and boarded the bus to destination: PRAC. Being the lucky number 1 passenger, the only passenger boarding from the first bus stop, i found my way to my favourite bus seat by the door and made myself comfortable. However, that fine day, my seat was not TOO comfortable because someone left an empty Mother drink can on the ground where my seat was. It rattled and rolled around my feet as i wished with all my heart that the bus would make a right turn so that the can would roll somewhere far away from me. And it did.. the bus driver made a right turn and the can made its way into the middle strip of walkway, down the steps and rattled in the middle of the empty bus. LEG ROOM! *silent celebration in my mind*
At this point, passenger number 2 had boarded and settled into the front row seat. Upon hearing the rattling noise of the empty drink can, he turned around, eyes scanning the bus for the rolling can. As he looked at the can, a feeling of guilt arose in me for allowing that can to roll around the bus, posing a major slip/trip hazard to future unsuspecting passengers. The man promptly left his seat, walked to the middle of the bus, picked up the can and walked back to his seat.
The bus arrived at it's third stop where the 3rd-30th passenger boarded, all of them unaware that their days have been saved by... THE CAN MAN.

Monday, September 24, 2012

What is SIN?

Since last week for a month or so, our church has started a new series on: The Unusual Suspects - looking at characters of the bible that we would never have paid much attention to, and learning from them and their godly qualities. Last week, we looked at PRISQUILLA [the powercouple name for Priscilla and Aquila] who invested time in the life of others (eg, supporting Paul's ministry, inviting Apollos to their home to explain the gospel to him). Today, it was Obed-Edom (2 Samuel), who led a life pleasing to God. But what I got more out of the message, was the opportunity to compare ourselves with people in the old testament, and reflect on who God is in our lives. Have I been offering God the respect HE commands?
Our pastor shared this excerpt towards the end of sermon today
When John Piper asks the question: what is sin? he is simply seeking to re-direct our attention to what sin really is. You see sin is more than the bad things we do, sin is also the good and precious things we don’t do. What is sin?

The glory of God not honoured; the Holiness of God not reverenced; the greatness of God not admired; the power of God not praised; the truth of God not sought; the wisdom of God not esteemed; the beauty of God not treasured; the goodness of God not savoured; the faithfulness of God not trusted; the commandments of God not obeyed; the justice of God not respected; the wrath of God not feared; the grace of God not cherished; the presence of God not prized; the person of God not loved … that is sin.
 
how humbling it was to be reminded of how far i am from perfection, to realise how I've been sinning even without realising it.