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As the Year of Victory draws to a close, there is much to give thanks for....for God's grace, goodness and faithfulness in granting us victories in so many areas of our lives. May it be on the personal front, family, career, ministry, I thank God that I have so many blessings to count.
And I fully resonate with SP's belief that as we enter the Year of Sabbath, instead of seeing the end of victories, what we will see is a continuation of victories greater than anything we have seen...on the condition that we obey the Lord and honour His Sabbath.
"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
The mouth of the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 58:13-14)
Indeed, as it has been spoken of so many times before...victory in Christ IS our birthright. We however need to be watchful that we do not sell our birthright as eternal victors for "a bowl of stew".... something that brings only temporal relief and pleasure.
Even as the we reach the last day of 2007, the Lord is speaking loud and clear to me on this issue. And I believe that His promise is that if I am willing to trust, honor and obey Him above wholeheartedly, joy and victory beyond my imagination will definitely be experienced.
So that even in the Year of Sabbath, 2 Corinthians 2:14 will continue to be a familiar refrain in my life:
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him!
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Monday, December 31, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Good Guys DO Finish First!
"Tonight is really special for me," said Kaka, who helped Milan to their seventh European Cup title in May and was also inspirational in Sunday's 4-2 Club World Cup final victory over Argentina's Boca Juniors. "When I was young I dreamed of playing for Sao Paulo and playing just one game for the national team. That was it...but the Bible says God gives us more than we ask for and that is what has happened in my life." - ReutersMILAN — AC Milan and Brazil playmaker Kaka defies the model of a modern footballer. The 26-year-old chooses to let his football make the headlines, not for him boozefuelled romps with starry-eyed groupies or days out on the track eyeing fillies of the four-legged variety.
Kaka, a devout Christian, largely avoids celebrity parties and does not worry too much about his image, expressing himself on the pitch with mesmeric skill and driving runs.
On Monday (Tuesday morning, Singapore time), his dedication saw yet another individual award go his way, as he was crowned World Player of the Year by Fifa. Last month, he had already bagged the FIFPro World Player of the Year and Uefa European Club Player of the Year accolades.
A goal in Milan’s 4-2 win over Boca Juniors in Sunday’s Club World Cup Final was the perfect curtain raiser to the Brazilian’s latest individual gong. Filippo Inzaghi thanked Kaka for setting up his two goals. "Kaka was just excellent. He scored one himself and helped me with my goals," said the 34-year-old Italian striker.
The win also avenged Milan's defeat on penalties to the Argentinians in the final of the 2003 Intercontinental Cup, the Club World Cup's previous incarnation. ."I don't like the word 'revenge,'" said Kaka. "In 2003, we lost and it was history. Now we won and made history."
AC Milan's Filipo Inzaghi (L) celebrates with teammate Kaka after scoring a goal against Boca Juniors during their FIFA Club World Cup final in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture. Italian giants AC Milan overwhelmed Argentina's Boca Juniors 4-2 to win a record fourth intercontinental crown. Kaka's unselfish play created 2 goals for his team-mate and Inzaghi was quick to acknowledge the Brazilian's contribution to his success after the match.
He finished ahead of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo in the voting. Kaka struck 10 goals to guide Milan to their seventh European Cup triumph in May.
With no World Cup or European Championship to help voters, Kaka’s form for Milan has been the reason why he is now rated as the top footballer in the world.
Few will disagree he is the best right now. He scores goals, he has bundles of energy, shows plenty of courage and is also unselfish, creator as well as finisher.
His wife announced recently they were expecting their first son while Kaka says life as an evangelical pastor appeals to him after football. But football is his calling now.
— AGENCIES
Way to go Kaka! Congratulations!
What strikes me always is Kaka's testimony for God in the glitzy world of football. (Compare this to the recent fiasco involving Man Utd players at a Christmas party leading to rape allegations. see http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2007/12/18/manchester-united-party-rape-probe-89520-20259565/ )
He plays by God's rules. He attributes His success to his Creator. Despite his powess as a world-class footballer, he is not a selfish player, and frequently creates goals for the team instead of scoring on his own. He does not let success go to his head or subscribed to the hedonism that many famous players are notorious for. His faith is so much a part of him, and he carries it so naturally that the secular press, whenever writing about him, almost without fail mentions that he is a "devout Christian".
He brings to mind God's promises in Proverbs 3:1-6
My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,
For they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.
Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
May he continue to shine brightly for the Lord, may he always be an excellent role model to millions around the world so that they will always "see his good works and glorify our Father in heaven".
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Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Lessons from Malachi (II)
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One of my guys made an astute observation after reading the book of Malachi that the root of the issue - causing us either withold our best from God, and/or complaining about the burdens of serving Him is found in Malachi 2:17, 3:13-15, when God summed this up by rebuking the Israelites:
You have wearied the LORD with your words.
"How have we wearied him?" you ask.
By saying, "All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD, and he is pleased with them" or "Where is the God of justice?"
"You have said harsh things against me," says the LORD.
"Yet you ask, 'What have we said against you?'
"You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.' "
In short, God is saying that His people find it pointless to serve God, since from their observations, God is unfair in "blessing" pagans more than He blesses His own people, and unjust in letting evil-doers go unpunished.
I believe I do the same. It is called "envying the wicked".
Indeed sometimes when I see the happenings around me, when non-Christians seem to prosper and get away with so much, living a seemingly easier and more luxurious life; while we struggle to walk in faithfulness, it does cause me to wonder what God is doing about all these. There are moments too when I doubt the value of trying hard to keep God's laws, since the benefits and rewards of obeying God are often not immediately apparent.
But the bottomline is that God calls this kind of thinking and attitude - sin.
More than ever, I need the Lord's reminder, that it DOES make a difference that we choose to obey and serve Him wholeheartedly, without double-mindedness.
Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.
"They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. (Malachi 3:16-18)
_
One of my guys made an astute observation after reading the book of Malachi that the root of the issue - causing us either withold our best from God, and/or complaining about the burdens of serving Him is found in Malachi 2:17, 3:13-15, when God summed this up by rebuking the Israelites:
You have wearied the LORD with your words.
"How have we wearied him?" you ask.
By saying, "All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD, and he is pleased with them" or "Where is the God of justice?"
"You have said harsh things against me," says the LORD.
"Yet you ask, 'What have we said against you?'
"You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.' "
In short, God is saying that His people find it pointless to serve God, since from their observations, God is unfair in "blessing" pagans more than He blesses His own people, and unjust in letting evil-doers go unpunished.
I believe I do the same. It is called "envying the wicked".
Indeed sometimes when I see the happenings around me, when non-Christians seem to prosper and get away with so much, living a seemingly easier and more luxurious life; while we struggle to walk in faithfulness, it does cause me to wonder what God is doing about all these. There are moments too when I doubt the value of trying hard to keep God's laws, since the benefits and rewards of obeying God are often not immediately apparent.
But the bottomline is that God calls this kind of thinking and attitude - sin.
More than ever, I need the Lord's reminder, that it DOES make a difference that we choose to obey and serve Him wholeheartedly, without double-mindedness.
Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.
"They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. (Malachi 3:16-18)
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Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Lessons From Malachi (I)
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As I prepare myself to enter the year of Sabbath, I believe an integral part of that preparation involves examining our lives to ensure that our actions and our attitudes please the Lord. In view of that, meditating on the book of Malachi really helped me to realise that very often, until the Lord points out the areas of our lives that displeased Him, we may actually think that we are still walking right with Him.
The accusations from the Lord and the Isrealites' corresponding replies indicate that they are so deceived, that they were not aware of what they were doing wrong. Consider the following:
A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says the LORD Almighty. "It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name. "But you ask, 'How have we shown contempt for your name?' "You place defiled food on my altar. "But you ask, 'How have we defiled you?' "By saying that the LORD's table is contemptible." When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? (Malachi 1:6-8)
Like the Israelites, I believe I have often been guilty of showing contempt and defiling the Lord by saying that His table is contemptible. How? In the same way I know I have done similar things -
(1) Bringing blind, diseased and crippled sacrifices to the Lord. I know that the Lord is worthy of honour and the highest praise; He deserves our best offerings. And yet, too often I give God the "second-best", the "leftovers" in terms of our time, our finances, among other things. For example, I "know" that I need to give the Lord the best time each day to seek His face but so many times have I chosen instead to do as I pleased and chose instead to sleep more, to play computer games etc, relegating the time with Him to hurried moments during "more convenient" times of the day. If that is not equivalent to bringing crippled and diseased sacrifices to His table, what is?
(2) "But you profane it by saying of the Lord's table, 'It is defiled,' and of its food, 'It is contemptible.' And you say, 'What a burden!' and you sniff at it contemptuously," says the LORD Almighty. (Malachi 12:13)
In the same way, I know I have been guilty of this. Complaining that it is such a difficult burden to serve the Lord, to offer our sacrifices. Disliking the "obligations" as a servant of God, secretly wishing that I do not have to do all these, so that I have more time to do "my own things".
That very attitude, according to the Lord, profanes His Name. Not to be taken lightly.
It is by His mercy that He is helping me to see the deceitfulness of my heart. I pray God gives me the wisdom, humility and obedience to heed His warning.
_
"And now this admonition is for you, O priests. If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name," says the LORD Almighty, "I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me. (Malachi 2:1-2)
_
As I prepare myself to enter the year of Sabbath, I believe an integral part of that preparation involves examining our lives to ensure that our actions and our attitudes please the Lord. In view of that, meditating on the book of Malachi really helped me to realise that very often, until the Lord points out the areas of our lives that displeased Him, we may actually think that we are still walking right with Him.
The accusations from the Lord and the Isrealites' corresponding replies indicate that they are so deceived, that they were not aware of what they were doing wrong. Consider the following:
A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says the LORD Almighty. "It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name. "But you ask, 'How have we shown contempt for your name?' "You place defiled food on my altar. "But you ask, 'How have we defiled you?' "By saying that the LORD's table is contemptible." When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? (Malachi 1:6-8)
Like the Israelites, I believe I have often been guilty of showing contempt and defiling the Lord by saying that His table is contemptible. How? In the same way I know I have done similar things -
(1) Bringing blind, diseased and crippled sacrifices to the Lord. I know that the Lord is worthy of honour and the highest praise; He deserves our best offerings. And yet, too often I give God the "second-best", the "leftovers" in terms of our time, our finances, among other things. For example, I "know" that I need to give the Lord the best time each day to seek His face but so many times have I chosen instead to do as I pleased and chose instead to sleep more, to play computer games etc, relegating the time with Him to hurried moments during "more convenient" times of the day. If that is not equivalent to bringing crippled and diseased sacrifices to His table, what is?
(2) "But you profane it by saying of the Lord's table, 'It is defiled,' and of its food, 'It is contemptible.' And you say, 'What a burden!' and you sniff at it contemptuously," says the LORD Almighty. (Malachi 12:13)
In the same way, I know I have been guilty of this. Complaining that it is such a difficult burden to serve the Lord, to offer our sacrifices. Disliking the "obligations" as a servant of God, secretly wishing that I do not have to do all these, so that I have more time to do "my own things".
That very attitude, according to the Lord, profanes His Name. Not to be taken lightly.
It is by His mercy that He is helping me to see the deceitfulness of my heart. I pray God gives me the wisdom, humility and obedience to heed His warning.
_
"And now this admonition is for you, O priests. If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name," says the LORD Almighty, "I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me. (Malachi 2:1-2)
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Monday, December 3, 2007
What I learned from Nick
Amazing man. Thank God for Him.
His life testimony forces me to look at my own life in a new perspective. Key things I learned and needed to apply for my own life include:
(1) Relative to the challenges Nick has to overcome, my own circumstances, inconveniences, seem so minor in comparison. All the grumblings about the things that don't go right in my life...I am almost ashamed to mention them right now. The lack of gratitude and thanksgiving in my own life disturbs me....what a sin. Contrast that with Nick, I need to come back to 1 Thess 5:18 - give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Thanks Nick, for reminding me of that important truth!
(2) There is no excuse for not walking with God, obeying & trusting Him regardless of my circumstances. It is all about renewing my mind with the truth of God. If Nick, with all his limitations, can fully trust God's plans for his life; to bless him with a wonderful future, what is my excuse? The hardship at work? challenges of balancing work, family, ministry? I must have that attitude of a overcomer...with the strength of God. Surely I can trust God that my circumstances are a part of His plan of training for me? I need to trust Him, and shine as I go through my circumstances. Need to believe in God's unchanging truth, His love, His goodness.
Thanks Nick, for inspiring with your life!
God reminded me again even when I was running the 10 km race in yesterday's Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. As I was struggling through the last couple of kilometers, I saw this sign which read: "There is no such thing as bad weather..only weak minds."
How true. My mind needs to be renewed with the strength to trust God absolutely for His plans for my life. Indeed, there is no such thing as bad circumstances...only unrenewed minds that choose not to trust and believe in God.
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