Joey's Journal - August 20, 2006

Our Father in heaven, thank You for loving me; thank You for the protection over my family; and thank You for giving us another day here on earth. Lord, today is Worship Service and I look for Your inspiring words to move me as it is said by Pastor Khong. May Your Word hit a raw nerve in my heart to follow it in my objective of saying Jesus is the Lord of my life. May I be reassured that when I pick up my cross and follow You, I will not falter or stumble due to hardship or weakening of the spirit. May You be always at my sights and nothing else matters except the thought of being with You always all the days of my life.

Father, thank You for today and the chance to hear Your Word in church. May my example be a blessing to my family. All in Jesus Name. Amen.

My reading - Psalm 18 The Lord rewards those who do right.

In contrast, the Lord’s wrath will fall on the wicked. His anger will make the earth quake and tremble; foundations of mountains will shake; smoke will come out of His nostrils and fierce flames from His mouth. He will come down from the heavens and mounted on a mighty angel, will soar in the wings of the wind covered by darkness and concealing His approach with dense rain clouds. He will breakthrough from the clouds and shoot His arrows and scatter the enemies confused. His breath will blast and the bottom of the sea will be seen and everything of the previous earth will vanish. The foundations of a new earth will be laid bare. (perhaps the psalmist is speaking about the second coming.)

(Here is King David’s affirmation of God rescuing him from all his enemies and from Saul.)

To the faithful, You will show yourself faithful; to those with integrity You show integrity; to the pure You show yourself pure; but to the wicked You show Yourself hostile. As for God, His way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection. For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock?

You gave me victory over my enemies and appointed me as the ruler of all nations; people I don’t even know now serve me. As soon as they hear of me, they submit; foreigners cringe before me. They all lose their courage and come trembling from their strongholds. The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock!

My reflection – I can’t help thinking about David’s jubilation after the Lord rescued him from his enemies and Saul who were trying to hunt and kill him. During his plight from his enemies, I can picture from the previous psalms of his fear of death while his enemies gloat at him. I can see a young David who did everything good and pleasing to God, yearned for His help. Also I saw God’s compassion to David and poured out His mercy to His Anointed One. God’s love and favor moved from Saul to David and He protected him and gave him the kingdom of Israel to rule.

Just like how are earthly fathers, when we were young, rewarded us when we did the right thing and punished us for doing wrong. It is with great love and compassion that we display this to our children. I still think that if we, as earthly fathers, showed this love and compassion to our children, what more from our Father, who wants us to be with Him permanently in heaven. In comparison, I showed love and compassion to correct and discipline my son, Joel a couple of days ago. God also did this to David; He brought David to the caves during his plight, living away from Saul’s palace and testing and strengthening his character to persevere during times of adversity and preparing him for ruling Israel. Joel did something wrong and he had to be disciplined and punished accordingly. Although our heart aches and bleeds when we do this to our children, it is quite necessary and this corrective action will build their character for their own good when they’re grown up. God’s heart aches and bleeds too when we hurt Him by doing wrong but He forgives and still sends us His love and offers us salvation so we can enjoy His presence forever.

My prayer - Father in heaven, thank you for giving me the grace of wisdom to understand Your word in the book of Psalms. Especially with David’s plight and hiding from his enemies and from Saul, he was really after Your heart during times of anguish and fear because he placed his trust in You. He knew You will be his deliverer. Lord, during my trying hours when the evil one attacks or plants evil thoughts in my mind, may You strengthen me and be my deliverer. May I seek You more and more and sing praises to You in good times and bad. Lord, allow me not to lose focus in You and be my shield daily from the arrows of the enemy. May Your name and glory be always in my mouth as I spread Your word. All these I pray in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

By Joey B

Joey's Journal - August 19, 2006

Heavenly Father, I ask for Your continued protection, provision and guidance in my life and my family. Lord, may we always give You the controls of our lives and trust in Your ways. Thank You for Your protection over Annabel last night and for bringing her safely home. I also give You thanks and praise for giving the children good sleep and their nannies good rest. May I have full focus on Your ways and obey Your instructions. May You send Your Holy Spirit to remind us about Your love and forgiveness and may we give You in return our obedience this day and the rest of our lives. All in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

My reading - Psalm 17 The Lord shows his unfailing love in wonderful ways

Lord, You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart; You have scrutinized me and found nothing amiss for I am determined not to sin; followed Your commands; my steps have stayed on Your path and I have not wavered from following You. I know You will answer my prayer because You save those who seek refuge in You from the enemy. Guard me as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings; protect me from wicked people who attack me. And because, I have done what is right, I will see You and will be fully satisfied for I will see You face to face.

(Omitted purposely David’s call for God’s wrath to befall against his enemies, their children and their children’s children and so on.)

My reflection – My thoughts after reading David’s psalm are with full adoration and awe in the Lord’s unfailing love and compassion. We have read about David’s life after slaying the Philistine giant, Goliath and being favored by King Saul in his rule. Even though he was God’s Anointed One and gave the kingdom of Saul to him, became king of the Israelites, yet he still fell to the traps of the evil one. The most heinous crime he committed was taking someone else’s wife and sending the husband to inevitable death. (2 Samuel 9). Our God and all-knowing Father already saw that this will happen during King David’s rule but yet, He still rested His favor on him. God knew of all the inequities of King David yet He blessed and prospered him, stood beside him and David’s house continued to rule Israel under his son, Solomon.

In our Christian walk today, when we sin against God for disobeying His commands, do we ask for mercy and repent for our evil deeds. God’s unfailing love and compassion are shown to those who repent and do away with sin in their lives. They are forgiven and blessed as they stay godly obeying God’s will.

My prayer – Almighty Father, You know what is in my heart. You have examined and scrutinized it. I am a sinful man with many sins in the past; sins of disobedience, evil thoughts, desires and actions, greed and idolatry believing in the pursuit of material earthly things. I confess these to You and lay them on Your feet. I hope for Your unfailing love and compassion to have mercy on me; forgive me for my sins. May Your grace refresh me and give me strength to push on staying in the righteous path to You. Send Your Holy Spirit to remind me of my ultimate goal – to attain salvation and spend permanent days with You in heaven. All these in Jesus Name. Amen.

By Joey B

Joey's Journal - August 18, 2006

Father in Heaven, I give You thanks and praise for keeping us safe while we slept. Thank You for giving us another day on earth to do godly deeds and obey Your laws. Keep us today focused to You, Father God and our lives be worthy and pleasing to You. I commit my son, Joel in Your protection and safeguard. Send Your angels to watch over him and his behavior at school. May his temper be controlled and rude attitude be changed. Thank You Lord for keeping my wife protected last night and bringing her safely home. I offer my day’s works, joys and sufferings to You. May I continue to be blessed in reading the book of Psalms and may You guide my thoughts and heart with my reflections and prayers. All in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

My reading - Psalm 16 When the Lord is with me, I will not be shaken!

Lord, You are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You protect all that is mine; the land You have given me is a pleasant land. I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart tells me You are right beside me. No wonder I am filled with joy and I sing praises to You. For You will not leave my soul among the dead or allow me to rot in the grave. You will show me the way of life as I stand with joy in Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forever.

My reflection – This psalm of David reminds me of the prayer of Jabez. ‘O Lord, bless me indeed. Enlarge my territory. May Your Hand be on me to keep me from harm and be free of pain. And, because Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, God granted his request.’ (1 Chronicles 4:9-10) It was a simple prayer but yet important that Jabez professed to God and the Lord heard his prayer. Why was Jabez’s prayer placed along God’s lineage of the leaders of His Chosen people? There must have been a purpose; it is a simple yet important prayer from an honorable man. The main thing here is that God saw Jabez as more distinguished or more godly than his brothers. Even though, his mother gave him a name not to be admired because it meant ‘his birth had been so painful’, God granted his prayer. David talks about this pleasant land God has given him and asks for the Lord’s protection and guidance in his life, watching him closely and never leaving his side.

When we look to the Lord and ask for His blessings of provision, protection, and guidance, the Lord will respond to our call and we hope we are worthy enough for Him to grant our requests just like what He did for Jabez and David. The main word here is whether we are worthy; meaning are we continuously living a godly life, honorable and pleasing to God? And, when the Lord answers our request, His favor rests with us and, we will not be shaken!

My prayer – Father in heaven, may You continue to shower us with Your abundant blessings of protection, provision and guidance. May our walk with You be acceptable and pleasing, worthy to be at Your side and stand in Your presence. Father God, may You watch over us, examine us and scrutinize us in order for us to be godly here on earth. It is gong to be tough Lord, but I know You will be with us and keep us from the clutches of Satan. May You enlarge my territory and may Your hand be with me and keep me from harm. I pray these in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

by Joey B

Joey's Journal - August 17, 2006

Last night while Joel was playing his game boy, Joshua wanted to ‘sayang’ his brother but accidentally hit him instead on the head. Joel who probably felt the pain or could have been disturbed while playing, retaliated and tried to hit back. Carlyn was able to hold his one hand holding on the game boy but couldn’t stop the other hand. Joshua was hit on the right cheek and cried. Carlyn hit Joel on the rear end and I heard the cries and commotion. I called Joel out shouting at the top of my voice. Joel, in defense said, his brother hit him first. I scolded him for doing this and told him Joshua is still a baby and doesn’t know if he hurts someone or not. Also told Joel that Joshua is his younger brother and rather than hurt him, he should look after him and be his protector when they are grown. While I was driving this point to him, I could see his displeasure and his wanting to vent his anger at me. I told him he should not be like this and if does this hitting his brother again, he will get a real serious spanking from me, one that he will feel so much pain. I banged the desk with my left hand so hard so that he will know, I can still give him a painful spanking. I told everyone not to talk to him as punishment for his actions. He walked off with such an angry and displeased face. I reminded him again to stay away from Joshua and sit in the living room so I can see him.

After a while watching TV, he said he was hungry and wanted his food right away. His mom called earlier and told the nanny, Maria that she was bringing cheese pizza for his dinner. Joel waited but was very hungry so he asked Maria for some food first and will still eat the pizza later. Finally, his mom came and gave him the pizza. She stayed with him for 5 mins and said she had to go out again because she forgot to buy the newspaper. Joel didn’t create a fuss unlike before with his mom leaving the house in the evening because he was really hungry. About 45 mins later, he washed up after taking his dinner and went straight to bed without saying goodnight or asking about his mom who was still out.

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for watching over us last night while we were resting. Thank You for keeping us safe from the enemy. Lord, I also thank You for sending the Holy Spirit last night and I was able to control my anger at Joel. I hope and pray that my disciplining Joel last night will work positively on him and he would not repeat this incident. I am sorry that I had to raise my voice and display what Joel will get should he do this again. Father, I pray that he would have a change in attitude towards disciplining from us and know this is for his own good. May You watch over him today at school that he behaves well and obeys instructions from teachers. Lastly, may You watch us today and keep us protected from the evil one’s works and temptation. I pray all these in Jesus Name. Amen. 

My reading - Psalm 15 Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord?

O Lord, who will be saved and enter Your kingdom to stand in Your presence? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right; speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to slander others or harm their neighbors, or speak evil of their friends. Those who despise persistent sinners and honor the faithful followers of the Lord and keep their promises even when it hurts. Those who do not charge interest on the money they lend, and who refuse to accept bribes to testify against the innocent. These people will stand firm forever!


My reflection – Why does David clearly define ‘the treatment we give to our neighbor’ as a pre-requisite to enter God’s kingdom. Aside from clean and blameless living for ourselves, He speaks of our treatment to others like not slandering others, harming others or speaking evil of others as tantamount to our salvation. He also clearly points out that people who charge interest for money lent or accept bribes to testify against the innocent will not be in God’s presence. Jesus also proclaims this statement of ‘loving your neighbor as yourselves’ as one of the two greatest commandments of God. The other, of course, is ‘love God with all your heart, your soul and strength’.

These two commandments, I believe can not go without the other. To love God with your all also means to follow and obey Him. And, in our obedience to Him, we have to deal with others in the world. Jesus, in His ministry on earth, was asked by His disciples a question – who will inherit the Kingdom of God? And, Jesus responded by saying ‘I was hungry and you feed me; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you invited me to your house; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; and I was in prison and you visited me’ and He added ‘whoever does these things to the least of my brothers and sisters will enter the Kingdom.’ In obeying God’s Word and following how Jesus lived, we have to love them just like we love ourselves hoping for that invitation to gain entrance to the Kingdom of God.

My prayer – Lord, may the two greatest commandments You have given be always in my heart. May I exercise them in my life especially wanting to know more of You and being with You always. May I always long for You and may I follow Your example of loving our neighbor wholeheartedly. I pray these in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

by Joey B
 

Joey's Journal August 16, 2006

Dear Father, I thank and give You praise for Your protection on my household. Lord, I offer to You my joys, works and sufferings of this day; may they be pleasing to You as I continue to walk with You. May Your grace always be with me to have humility, patience, kindness and forgiveness to the people I will be dealing with this day. Gracious God, may Your Holy Spirit watch over me and be my alarm bell when I swerve away from the righteous path. I also pray my loved ones, wife and children and relations and nannies to be under Your watchful eyes and protection. All in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

My reading - Psalm 14 Will those who do evil never learn?
The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; He looks to see if there is even one with real understanding, one who seeks for God. But no, all have turned away from God and all have become corrupt. No one does good, not even one! Terror will grip the evil doers for God is with those who obey him; the Lord will protect and restore his people and salvation would come from Mount Zion.

My reflections – This is a clear warning to those who do evil! For God knows everything that happens to us. And if we do evil, we should be gripped with fear because of God’s wrath. But, for those who obey Him, they will be protected and salvation will be with them. I believe the major word here is ‘obey’; and it is the most difficult instruction to follow in our Christian walk. A Christian can say the sinner’s prayer and profess his belief in Jesus who died for his sins and accept Him as Lord and Savior, but after that what happens to his life. Most often, this person thinks he has been promised the salvation and is unaware of his disobedience to God and His decrees. What happened when he accepted Jesus was more of giving God lip-service and then, resorting to his old self.

The righteous things we do after accepting Jesus is what counts. We are all sinful people and can easily ‘go back to our old self’. This is when we need Jesus’ strength to get us through these sinful phases in our lives when we are weak and can easily fall to Satan’s traps. His Holy Spirit will be our helper in advising us to avoid sinful thoughts, desires and actions. All Christians are not assured of salvation to God’s Kingdom. It is a requirement to acknowledge God and believe that He sent His Son to die and wipe away our sins, but our response and follow through to this belief is the one that will save us, and this is living a godly life and obeying God’s laws. 

My prayer – O Lord, I am grateful for Your Hand to be guiding and protecting me on the right path. May I stay dedicated to living a life that is godly and pleasing to You. Although in my trying times, I stumble and fall, may Your grace help me to get up and be reminded of Your forgiveness and love. Lord, keep me focusing on You and the salvation You offer. I pray in Jesus Name. Amen.

by Joey B

Joey's Journal August 14, 2006

My God, praise and thanks I offer You for taking care of us last night; giving the children a good night’s sleep and rest for the nannies; bringing my wife safely home and keeping all loved ones and relations protected. I thank You for letting me wake up to another day yet always longing to be with You when You call me. May Your blessings be upon us as we live this day. May You guide us today to be more and more like Jesus as we proclaim He is the Lord of our lives. May You keep Joel safe when he is in the bus, in school and in their field trip at Raffles Hotel. Keep him attentive and obedient to his teachers and his temper controlled. May today be a blessing to us and the people we interact with. I pray these in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

My reading- Psalm 12 Where are the godly?

Help O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished the earth! Neighbors lie to each other; speaking with flattering lips and insincere hearts. They will lie to their hearts’ content and say – who can stop us? But the Lord sees all the violence done to the helpless and have heard their groans. Now He will rise up to rescue the godly, who fear the Lord. The Lord’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over. Therefore the Lord will protect the godly and preserve them forever.

My reflections – I thought to myself, ‘why is the psalmist saying the godly are fast disappearing?’ I asked myself was this also happening then in the psalmist’s time? Evil and wicked people and things abound then. Now, we are more sophisticated and quite modern. Take away crimes like murder, rape, robbery, debauchery and other serious ones, what is prevalent today are lying, slandering, cheating, gossiping, philandering, womanizing, drinking etc. These are modern words saying the same evil things. Living on earth now is no different from when the psalmist lived back then.

Yes, the godly is fast disappearing. The people who fear the Lord are diminishing. Have they been swallowed by the wickedness of this evil world? Has the evil one placed his mark on his captives enticing others with material possessions so that they can follow their ways? No! I know there are still many out there who fear the anger of the Lord and by doing evil, they forfeit their invitation to the heavenly banquet God has prepared for us. These are the people who will stand firm because God is beside them and they engage in spiritual warfare with the enemy. Like the early prophets and followers of Jesus, they stood firm and upheld their faith and trust that they will be saved even with certain death staring them in the face. These were the godly people and they were let in to God’s heavenly feast and will live forever with the Lord.

My prayer – God, our Father, send me Your Holy Spirit to remind me to live a godly life. Keep me in the right path with Your decrees and help me be obedient to Your laws. I am a sinful man Lord, forgive my transgressions against You and my neighbor. Allow Your grace to change me and not forsake me to be given to the hands of the evil one. Breathe Your strength in me so that I can be firm like Your followers, fearing the lost of Your love and compassion. May I live more and more in the likeness of how Jesus lived then. All these I pray in the Holy and Precious Name of Jesus, who took our sins and nailed them on the Cross with Him. Amen.

By : Joey B 

Joey's Journal August 13, 2006

Got up at 6:20 am and prepared to get ready for Sunday service. At 7:30 am, Joel and Joshua woke around the same time and the nannies were getting them ready. Annabel got up at 8:00 am when Joel went inside the room to wake her up. Had their light breakfast and we left at 8:35 am for FCBC at Singapore Expo.

While being transferred from car to wheelchair by Carlyn, Tommy from Special People Ministry (SPM) came over to help and informed us about cell group meeting. Informed Annabel that after church, SPM will have cell meeting. Wheeled in place with other wheelchair bound people; said hello to Mrs. Koh who was beside me and saw brother Joseph, who was not present for 4 weeks. Glad he is back with us. Praised and thanked God for all SPM volunteers, Pastor Patrick, Joanna and Viola. It was great to see them.

Worship was led by the Planet Shakers from Australia and the whole place was rocking. Worship songs were great and very moving. FCBC was jumping and rocking the whole Max Pavillion. The song ‘Evermore’ was really moving and touched many people in the congregation; words of the refrain went like this.

‘You are my God, my life, my all;
And I’ll live for You alone.,
I am Yours Evermore.
Heaven and earth will shout Your praise,
The wonder of Your Name,
I’ll be Yours Evermore.’

It was an awesome sight! Senior Pastor Khong’s message was titled ‘If we want to proclaim Jesus is Lord, we have to go beyond religious beliefs, rules and authority’ which is taken from Col 2. After service, I met with the cell group comprised of 6 wheelchair bound people. Leader spoke from the book of Daniel and how a servant like Daniel was favored by God; and how God used him to draw the masters and other servants to His Glory. Like Daniel, we have to stand firm in our belief and trust in God; meaning we have to deal with ourselves internally first. When we have done this then, God will do the external part of rewarding and blessing us and even using us to bring in the unbelievers to be saved as we live here on earth.

My reading - Psalm 11 The Lord watches us closely

I trust in the Lord for protection, so do you say to me, ‘Fly to the mountains for safety! The wicked are stringing their bows and setting their arrows in the bow strings. They shoot from the shadows at things who do right. The foundations of law and order have collapsed. What can the righteous do?’ But, the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from the heavens. The Lord watches everything closely, examining everyone on earth; examining both the righteous and the wicked. He is righteous and he loves justice and those who do what is right will see his face.

My reflection - I remember this story of a teenager who got caught shoplifting a 40 cent pen at the neighborhood drugstore. When he was apprehended by the store security, he quickly pulled his wallet and offered to pay for the item. The store manager, when he was questioning him, recognized the boy who lived a few houses away from his. He also didn’t tell him that the boy’s father and he were close friends back when they were in school. He interrogated him like any other shoplifter whether he lifted goods worth 40 cents or ten dollars, to prove a point – it was wrong and if this goes unpunished, there is great probability that this offence will continue. He called for the boy’s father to inform him what had happened and told him that he wanted to teach the boy a lesson. The father was furious about his son’s actions but went along with the store manager’s plan for corrective action. They planned for the father to agree on whatever punishment the store manager gives out on the boy and it was to work as a drugstore bag boy and assist older customers with their purchases for a whole month. The boy really thought hard about his punishment, sometimes shaking his head and saying, ‘this punishment does not fit my shoplifting a 40 cent pen; where is the fairness in this?’ But, unwillingly he did his punishment at his father’s insistence or it would be worst at home.

Sometimes we think we can get away with our offence against God. Maybe we think, it is a small offence and God will not be angry. How terribly wrong we are! An offence whether how small or how serious, is an offence against God. God always watches us very closely from heaven and He knows our every move even before we think or act on it. He gives us a free will to decide what we want to do – good or bad.

My prayer – Almighty Father, this morning I got up with a bright outlook and hope that today’s sermon would touch our hearts in a special way. And once again Lord, You guided my heart to reach out more for You and proclaiming that Jesus is the Lord of my life. The worship song ‘Evermore’ led by the Planet Shakers from Australia, was very inspiring and moved a lot to tears. Thank You for speaking through Senior Pastor Khong’s message that we long to bring our personal relationship with You to a higher level, beyond religious beliefs and rules and authorities. The new life that Apostle Paul spoke in Colossians must be higher than all these because God wants us to be more and more like Jesus and these rules like religious rituals and beliefs were surpassed by His love for mankind.

Father, teach me to be like Jesus; to follow His example of servant-hood humility, unfailing love, compassion and forgiveness. May I be worthy to even be guided by You to do these to others, especially my loved ones. Open my heart to understand Your word and know that You have been speaking to me through my readings. All these I pray in the Holy Name of Jesus. Amen.

Today is the birthday of our eldest sister, Maribel who resides with her husband, Eddie in Japan. I sent her my birthday greetings and offered a prayer for both for their relationship to be more focused to God even in their present ages. There are no age boundaries in serving God as Moses and Abraham did. It is that first step that is difficult to proclaiming that Jesus is Lord of their lives. But with God’s strength and grace, anything can be done! Amen.

by : Joey B 

Joey's Journal August 12, 2006

 I woke up when Carlyn switched the light on. It was still dark outside as I looked at the clock and figured it’s going to rain again. She got me up and transferred me to the wheelchair. After washing up, I asked her to put me by the computer so I can write down my daily opening prayer. Before I could start, Joel comes out of his room and says, ‘Dad, I have this line on my leg, what is it?’ I looked at it and told him it was a scratch, maybe from playing with Joshua last night. I asked him if he was feeling better after the stomach flu virus and he said yes, but he still felt warm last night due to a slight fever.

Dear Father in heaven, I thank you for watching over us and keeping us safe. I thank you for a peaceful night for the boys and their nannies. I thank you for calming down Joshua when he was drinking his milk and wanted to be hugged at the same time. He wanted comforting and assuring hands and not his pillow. I also thank you Lord, for watching over my wife last night and bringing her safely home. I thank you for healing Joel of his fever and viral stomach flu. Lastly, I thank you, Lord for giving us another day here on earth. I commit this day into your mighty hands; keep us protected from all anxieties and distractions of this world; keep us focused on you and obeying your will. I asked all of these in the Holy Name of Jesus, your beloved Son. Amen.

My reading - Psalm 10 The Lord will call us to account

Father, You see all and take note of what we have done on earth. You see the proud and wicked oppressing the poor; bragging about their evil desires; praising the greedy and cursing You. The wicked people are too proud to seek God; they seem to think that God is dead. Though the wicked succeed in everything they do but they do not see Your punishment awaiting them. They say to themselves ‘nothing bad will happen to us and we are free of trouble forever.’ But Lord, You do see the trouble and grief the wicked has caused. You take account of it and punish them. The helpless put their trust in You as You are the defenders of orphans. You know the hope of the helpless and surely You will listen to their cries and comfort them.

My reflections - While re-reading the chapter, my thoughts bring me to the story of a young and aggressive officer of a company who proved to his bosses of his worth by successfully raising funds through public offering of shares and other fund raising vehicles. The bankers and portfolio managers quickly snapped up the offer and after analyzing the company’s books, they were so convinced of the company’s present and future financial capability and strength and started to give huge loans to it. The officer was on a high roller coaster ride and gleamed of his accomplishments and rewards from the bosses. Bankers admired him and co-workers aspired to be like him. But, the high ride was short-lived due to the market’s downturn and resulted to the company’s inability to service its debt with all the creditors. Creditors sued the company as it defaulted on the debts; some claiming that the financial records were pumped-up to show higher earnings. The bosses got together and pointed the finger at the officer of the company who allowed all this to happen. The officer was also asked to leave the company or face more accusations in court from the creditors. After this whole incident, nobody wanted to be associated with the young officer; bankers snubbed and sneered at him; co-workers even betrayed him by saying to the bosses, they only did their job following his instructions and worst of all, he could not get a decent job after his departure, as no other company wanted to hire him.

My feelings go with the young officer and the co-workers but they are not free of the offence against God. Why? Because he was doing his job and as an officer, he was responsible for the company’s well being and financial future growth. I’m sure he informed his superiors and reported to them what he was planning to do and how he was to accomplish this. As a boss, you would like to know how this will be achieved. If there was real evidence of ‘fudging the books’, the young officer did it knowingly and deliberately and this was wrong and this was an offence against God. If the bosses knew about it and still let him continue with plan, they too were wrong and it was an offence against God. And likewise, if the co-workers knew what they were doing was wrong and continued to do so, this was also wrong and also an offence against God.

At the end of it all, we will all be held accountable to what we do here on earth because God watches us 24-7 and 365 days a year. The offences we commit against God are in the Book of Life which the Lord will show us at judgment day.

My prayer – Lord and Father, may You always guide me to live a godly life. May You send Your Holy Spirit to be my conscience in the daily business dealings I go through. May I have Your wisdom to do what is right and pleasing to You. I give You full control of my dealings with others, and full control of my life from here on. I know that You will guide me in path of righteousness. All these I pray in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

by Joey B

Joey's Journal August 11, 2006

O Lord, I give You thanks and praise for another day that You give us here on earth. Thank You for sending Your angels to camp in our house and protect us from any evil that is out there. I thank You, Lord for watching over my wife when she is out and bringing her safely home. Praise God! I pray for Joel who is still with the viral stomach flu that You will heal him today and make him feel better. I also pray for Your help in getting Joel be balloted for his new school. If he doesn’t make it in that school, I know that this is Your plan and will help us find him another school. Lord, keep me focusing on You today. Lastly, I pray for loved ones, my nephew Dino and family, that You look after them; give them protection and safe flight to Manila this afternoon. All these I pray with Jesus’ Mighty and Glorious Name. Amen.

My reading- Psalm 9 The Lord will judge and He will be fair

O Lord, our God, You reign forever, executing judgment from Your throne. You will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness. You will rebuke the nations and destroy the wicked; my enemies have met their doom; their cities are perpetual ruins and even the memory of their uprooted cities is lost. Yet Lord, You are a shelter for the oppressed; a refuge in times of trouble; and those who know Your name trust in You for You do not abandon them. O Lord, do not let mere mortals defy you! Let the nations be judged in your presence; make them tremble in fear and let them know they are mere human and You are God!.

My reflections – The thought of not being with You in heaven, scares me! The mere idea of You not in control of my life, makes me weak and I stumble and fall in Satan’s snares. Before, I always thought I controlled my life without You. My achievements and good accomplishments, I thought, I did by myself. The decisions I made then, I believed, were totally without Your help. But I know differently now, I could not have done them without You. In times when I followed, You were always with me and when I decided to disobey You, this hurt You dearly. I know You will be fair when I am with You face to face during final judgment. My sins and offences against You will be presented to me. O God, I hope for Your mercy and forgiveness for past and present sins. Your love and compassion I will long for!

My prayer – Dear God, as I said above, I am scared of not being with You. I am scared I won’t be invited to the heavenly banquet You have prepared. Lord, I confess my past and present sins and am truly sorry for them. These offences have hurt You dearly and I ask Your forgiveness and mercy. May Your unfailing love and compassion be bestowed on me for I commit the rest of my life serving You and being godly. Lord, help me in this goal I have placed upon Your feet and I promise to give You all honor and glory from this day forward. All these I pray in the Holy Name of Jesus. Amen.

by Joey B 

Joey's Journal August 10, 2006

Our Father in heaven, I thank You for Your provision and protection. I am grateful that You have provided for some extra funds via commission for the palm oil business done in the Philippines and Your guiding hand on the supplier’s decision to give the commission for flexitank orders which we did not agree to in the beginning. Lord, I also want to commit my son, Joel who last night had high fever because of viral stomach flu. Let Your healing hand touch him when he is in pain and give him the confidence to understand to start calling to You for help. In my condition, I can only pray with him and I am sure You will be there to help him. I also pray that You will send a message to my wife to be with Joel in times like these when Joel needs her comforting words and embrace. I pray for Your protection be with her always when she is out. Let her be aware that You are in control of her life too. Special prayers go out to Joshua, who is becoming to be wanting more attention nowadays. He is also pushing off his big brother when I am holding him and doesn’t want Joel to join us when we are playing. Lord, as Your appointed parents and caretakers of Your two boys, give us patience every day to handle them with love and discipline and bring them up close to You.

Father, may Your guidance be on me as I reflect on Your Word. May I be able to soften some hearts so that they can seek You, believe in You and trust in Your plans for them. I ask all these in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

My reading- Psalm 8 The Lord’s plan for man

Lord God, I see Your mighty creation of the earth from the moon and the stars that are set in place in the heavens. Your sovereignty in the heavens and on earth and its life forms are truly majestic. Yet, who are we, humans and what is Your plan for us? You have made us second to You and crowned us with glory and honor. You put us in charge to have dominion over everything. You have made us to be of authority over all things – the sheep and the cattle and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. O Lord, our Lord, Your name is so awesome!

My reflections – God made us second to Him to live on this world and have dominion over all things He has created. What a privilege this is for us! We were created in God’s image. Again, we should be thankful as it’s quite an honor. This was God’s plan for creation and man. But, God also gave us the free will to decide on what is right and wrong. And, it is quite often that we decide to do the wrong thing, one that He didn’t plan for us. We offend Him for doing sinful things and this hurts Him dearly. Isaiah 59:2 says, ‘but our sinful acts have alienated us from our God; and caused him to reject us and not listen to our prayers.’ In comparison to our earthly fathers who gave us life, raised us, sheltered us and loved us more than anything else, God also feels this way and wants us to be on the right path and not do wrong and offensive things. With His unfailing love and compassion for us, He sent His Only Son to die for our sins and be restored to Him. Romans 5:8 says, ‘but God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.’

My prayer – Lord, may You keep me from taking the wrong path of offending You! I should be thankful to Your creation and the plan to be second to You. Yet, I am the one with my own free will who offends You the most. May You continue to plant in my mind Your plan for man and that is, to have dominion over all on earth and be thankful to You for this provision. May I be worthy to walk the earth and lift my head in gratitude for Your love. All these I pray. Amen.

by Joey B

 

GoGroup question, Sunday September 10. 2006 with Sermon Note

QUESTIONS

1. What is the most romantic moment you experience in your life ? Please share.
2. What make it so romantic ? Was it because of the atmosphere, the setting, your mood, or anything else.
3. Married is like going to the restaurant, especially if you never go to that restaurant before. You order  something, your friend order something, and when you get your food, you think somebody else's is better than yours.
Do you agree with that opinion? Explain why.
4. Do you have a special time that you set to have a quality time together with someone you love ? Please share  when, how often and what do you do ?
5. Please share if you have tips to keep your love with your spouse/girfriend/boyfriend.
6. For singles who dont have BF/GF ypu can share who do you fall in love with or who do you want to pursue now. Is he/she from ICA ? :) Share tips among each other how to treat the person you love and how to attract them.

There is no right or wrong answer in those questions. The important thing is share your life with your gogroup members. Let's pray for each other's burden. May be you srtuggle with your relationship with someone, or may be you still doing your job 'naming the animals' and haven't find your mate. Keep on working and praying each other.

Challenge :
For husbands/boyfriends, to give thanks to God everyday for your wives/girlfriends. Dont forget to give her appreciation, respect and gratitude.
For wives/gorfriends, to give him respect, honor and care.

God bless you all

SERMON NOTES
Part #4 of 6 The First Family
How to Fall in Love and Stay There
TEXT : Genesis 2:15
1. Imagine the garden of Eden
2. It was Adam's job to give guidance to Eve
a. Men take spiritual authority in your home
b. God never told Eve directly
c. Women make men wait a little bit, it's good for them.
3. Adam fell in love more quickly than Eve.
a. I wonder what went through Eve's mind
b. ADam had been waiting is whole life for that moment.
4. God did not create Eve directly after Adam stated he was lonely.
a. Loneliness happened even before sin entered the world. It is not a sin to be lonely.
b. Adam named the animals first before looking for a suitable mate. It takes a long time.
c. God created Eve so that when He did Adam would have the utmost : appreciation, respect and gratitude.
d. God created Adam so that when he met Eve she would have the utmost : respect, honor and care.
5. There is security in perfect love.
a. For that reason they could be naked.
b. This was the first thing they notice after eating of the fruit was they were now naked.
c. They had a level of security between the two of them.
6. Sin cause people to fall out of love.
a. When you are first in pursuit everything is perfect.
b. When we have sinned against each other love begins to disappear.
c. Imagine how much they lost.
d. Being a Christian and rediscovering God's love for us help us to know and attain perfect love.
 
Go SOLID

Joey's Journal August 9,2006

Our Father in heaven, as today is Singapore’s National Day, I say a prayer for the people of this country. Lord, may You continue to watch over the people of Singapore and bless the country even more! Let Your hand guide its leaders to preserve the country’s safety, freedom and financial well being. But most of all, may the great spiritual revival happen here and plant a seed in every Singaporean’s life to know You are the Lord and Savior. All of these I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

My reading – Psalm 7 The Lord will be our judge

King David, in his call to God, acknowledges that God will pass judgment on all. And the Lord will declare the righteous and end the wickedness of the ungodly. He will help those who obey Him for the Lord looks deep within the mind and heart of all. God will be the shield of those whose hearts are true and right. God is a judge who is perfectly fair. For those who do not repent. He will sharpen His sword; He will bend and string His bow. He will prepare His deadly weapons and ignite His flaming arrows. I will thank the Lord because He is just.

My reflections – At the final day, I have put this picture in my mind when I am face to face with our Father. The picture is like a normal room, but everything is white, chairs, tables, cabinets etc. God the Father will be seated in front of me and Jesus will be on His right. My book of life will be presented to me and I will see a lot of recordings in it and the records are in red and green. And God will point at this red record and ask ‘what do we see here on such and such a date, you did this offence against someone and eventually against me etc.’ I will be asked to respond and if I had a sinful day or a day of disobedience against Him, I will look at Jesus to intercede for me for the good deeds after my re-commitment to the Lord. I sincerely hope that God has a liquid ‘white out’ and with my pleadings and Jesus’ intercessions, those bad days will be ‘blankoed-off’.

It is sort of funny the way I picture judgment day to be, just like in a judge’s chamber. I sincerely hope that my sins, my offences and my disobedience against God will be forgiven. Jesus, my brother, will definitely intercede for me as He will for all. The Father will be fair during this day.

My prayer - O Lord, I know You will be our judge during Your second coming. By then as I have re-committed to You, may my heart be pure as gold and worthy of Your love and invitation to enter Your Kingdom. Guide me with Your Hand and keep me focused on You and Your Ways. I pray this in Jesus’ Holy Name. Amen. 

Joey's Journal August 8,2006

Gracious and merciful Father, may Your goodness strike a raw nerve in my body that it would change my attitude during times of impatience, arrogance, doubtfulness, and unkindness. Lord, teach me to be more patient, humble, trusting and kind to people I deal with daily like my spouse and children, house helpers, friends and relations, business associates and so on. Help me to follow and attain Your attitude to people You came across with in Your time, O Lord. Keep me straight on Your path of righteousness so that I may be presentable to Your eyes. May I live my life with Your help, more and more like Jesus’. I offer these prayers with the blood of Jesus which has been given up for our sins. Amen.

Psalm 6 The Lord hears our call

Heavenly Father, during our darkest and most trying moments, we can call on the Lord for His help and deliverance. We think that because things don’t change at once when we pray, the Lord is angry at us or is not listening or even testing us. We cry out until we are so worn out and succumb to the evil one’s thoughts that the Lord has left us. We must fight him and rebuke his evil thoughts and ways. And say, the Lord has heard my cry for help and He will answer our prayer.

My reflections – I remember the times in my Christian walk that I have felt forsaken by God and all my cries for help, He has not listened or responded to. I felt that He was very distant to me because my prayers have not been answered. As a result of this, I grew impatient and weary because of no response from You, Lord. There are times in my weakest state that I question and ask ‘Lord, are You punishing me for my sins by being quiet?’ I know during these times, the evil one attacks me with more fervor because I am at my weakest without You. But, I have to be strong and resist Satan’s temptation. I know it is not You who is distant, but me O Father! I have put distance between us when I sin and entertain Satan’s words. I have to call on You for help.

My prayer – Dearest Lord, let me walk with You and be assured You are beside me. Give me the strength to fight the evil one’s grasp! Do not let me go astray, during times when I am weak. Let me stay firm and in good standing with You all the days of my life. Amen.

Joey's Journal August 7,2006

Father in heaven, I commit my day to You! May I be worthy and pleasing to stand firm in faith and trust in Your word. May the experience of today be more about Your glory and awesome power as I continue to read and interpret the book of Psalms. Lord, I know that You said, You will not forsake me, but during the times when the enemy plants evil thoughts and desires in my mind, may I have the strength to counter and drive him away. With Your help and guidance, I will be able to stand up to him and never loss focus on You. Lord, when the road is rough and the trials become unbearable, please be my rock, my fortress and my shelter. I claim Your promise of being fully restored again and put my full faith and trust in You. Keep my family safe and protect them from illnesses and diseases; and give us good health. Thank You too, Lord for the negative report of my TB test which I know, You had Your hand in the good result. And, Lord, use me as the example for them to follow in my wanting to have a close and personal relationship with You. I pray these in the Mighty and Precious Name of Jesus, Your Son. Amen.

My reading - Psalm 5 The Lord detests the wicked

In contrast to the godly, Lord, You take no pleasure on the wicked as You can not tolerate the slightest sin. The proud will not stand in Your presence; the evil doers will be hated by You; those who tell lies will be destroyed by You and You detests murderers and deceivers. David laments; ‘my enemies cannot speak a word of truth; their desire is to destroy others; their talk is foul and smell like an open grave; and it is filled with flattery. O God, declare them guilty, caught in their own traps and drive them away because of their sinfulness against You’. But the godly who takes refuge in You, will rejoice and sing praises to You forever. Protect them, for those who love Your name may be filled with joy because You bless the godly and shield them with Your love.
My reflections – I think about how you detest the slightest sin. But I believe, You will not weigh one sin against the other when we are being judged by you. A sin is an offence against you and no matter how major or not. I remember my catholic upbringing through the Jesuits, they spoke of sin being called ‘venial or mortal’. And back then, they taught us about white lies being venial sins and real lies as mortal. Now, as a Christian, I see sin as sin; an offence against God and His laws. This is why there is no in between living a godly life and a wicked life. It is one or the other. And, in reading the chapter, I know the evil doers will be hated by You and You will punish them for the evil things they have done. But the godly, You will favor and reward them for following Your decrees and the ultimate reward is permanently being with You at the heavenly banquet You have prepared.

My prayer – Father God, do not allow me to do wicked or evil things in this life. May You guide me on the right path to You. May Your Holy Spirit remind me of Your goodness and mercy to my life; giving me a second chance to serve and follow You wholeheartedly. Lord, whenever I veer away from Your path, please be there to put me back to the right direction to You. I ask these in Jesus’ precious blood. Amen.

Joey's Journal August 5, 2006

Heavenly Father, I thank you for watching over us while we sleep and keeping us safe and sound. Lord, as I live my life today, may it be focused on You. May You take away all distractions and anxieties of the day and let me give You the controls of my life today and all the days of my life. Lord, give me Your grace of patience, love, hope and total trust in Your ways and I lay on Your feet my joys and sufferings of this day. May Your wisdom be imparted to me as I continue to read the book of Psalms. May I dedicate this day and all the days of my life to You, Lord. I ask all of these in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

My reading - Psalm 4 The Godly will be saved

As David hid from Saul’s snare, he calls on God for mercy and take away his fear of his enemies. Likewise, I ask the Lord for His protection and mercy as I do battle daily with the evil one’s grasps and temptation. But the Lord ‘will separate the godly for Himself and answer our call to Him’. To be godly, I must not sin nor let this anger to my enemies gain control of me. I must meditate on it in silence with the Lord, offer sacrifices and trust in Him. With this, The Lord rests His favor on me and I will have great joy and sleep peacefully knowing that when I am with Him, He keeps me safe.

My reflections – When the fear of what consequences will happen to us stares us in the face, we call on the Lord for His help. Just like King David, who was fearing for his life, we shout out to the Lord to have mercy on us. But I am thinking, what got us in this situation in the first place? For King David in the book of 2 Samuel, he was being hunted by his son, Absalom, who wanted to overthrow him because he didn’t exercise his kingly authority against a crime committed in his house (2 Sam. 13) and because he was a weak ruler and also broke the law of God against murder and taking one’s wife (2 Sam. 9). For us, we have committed sins that weighed the same as King David’s and now, we are griped with fear losing our lives to the evil one.

This is the time we call on God for mercy and forgiveness. Again, I ask, what got us there? It is because of our sinful nature. We just stumble and fall on the traps of the evil one. We are enticed by Satan’s lures of temptation. Yet God, full of compassion and love rescues and forgives us; bringing us back to godly standing with Him. He makes us fully restored in His presence. Even though, oftentimes, we struggle and fall to the same sin again because of our human frailties. It seems like a never ending process of us committing sin after sin yet God forgives. Why? Because of His unfailing love and compassion for us always giving us the chance to live godly lives and attain our salvation. What a wonderful and merciful Father we have!

My prayer – O Father in heaven, I am a sinful man. I confess that because of my weakness, I get caught in Satan’s traps. I am lured by him of evil thoughts and desires. I call on You Father God, to rescue me from this situation. I long to stand rightfully in Your presence; to do godly things that would honor You; to faithfully live and obey Your laws. I thank You for giving me these chances and opportunities to go back to You. And should I fail again, please do not desert me for I only long to attain my salvation. And to have this, it will only come from Your unfailing love and compassion to me. I asked all of these in the precious Name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
 

Joey's Journal August 4, 2006

Heavenly Father, I thank you for Your protection and provision. Lord, may Your angels look after Joel while in the bus, in school the whole day and bring him safely home with a changed attitude so that he will not be hard-headed and obey instructions given to him. May You be in control of the TB test reading I will be getting this afternoon. May You watch over my wife, Annabel and give her wisdom as she meets up with the bank people. May You always show her You control her life and may she affirm this and obey Your will and follow Your ways. As I live my life today, may it be focused on You, Jesus. May You take away all the distractions and anxieties of the day. I pray all these in Jesus’ Holy Name. Amen.

My reading - Psalm 3 Call on the Lord for help

Lord our Father, as I face the trials and tests in my life, I call on the Lord for protection and deliverance just like David did when he was hunted by Saul. Lord, you are my protector and deliverer, who comes from the most high. Even in my sleep, you watch over me and I will not fear these tests and trials around me because You will rescue me. Victory comes from You!

My reflections – In these present times when there are a lot of trials and tests mainly due to the works of the evil one, the Lord is always there to rescue us. Our evil thoughts and desires, our self-centeredness and uncaring for others, and a lot more are slowly choking us to the clutches of Satan. But, if I follow God’s decrees and live my life more and more like Jesus did, I will be protected and freed of Satan’s grasps. The Lord sees all that is happening and will happen in our lives. All we need to do is to call on Him and He will be there for us. Guaranteed!

My prayer – Father God, let me call on You for protection and deliverance as I go through the trials and tests of my life. Sometimes these can be overbearing to me because I am weak and can easily fall to Satan’s traps. My desires are at times only for myself, never thinking about the people I offend. My wishes Lord are at times only for my self gain. Please Father, when I am like this, send Your Holy Spirit to breathe a new life in me. Make me realize that I can always call on Your help to deliver me from my sinful ways. O Lord, assure me that You will always be by my side. Amen.by : Joey B 

Joey's Journal August 3, 2006

I was up to see Joel have his breakfast and bid him goodbye as he headed for school. He walked up to me, held my arm and placed it over his shoulder and neck area. As I told him ‘to be good in school and no hitting anyone’, I hugged him and said this prayer over him ….

Joel, my dear son, may the blood of Jesus cover you with His protection and safety all day. May His angels watch over you and guide your behavior in class and during playtime and not allow you to be naughty and unruly. May you follow the instructions of your teachers obediently without any grumbling or rude response when you do not get your way. May you have a good day today. All these I ask in the Holy Name of Jesus. Amen.

Lord, as I continue to read and interpret the book of Psalms, may Your Words speak to my heart so that I may understand what You want me to read and guide my thoughts as I record each chapter’s interpretation in my journal of today. May Your wisdom continue to be with me as I speak of any chapter or verse in the book of Psalms. I lay my heart and my mind at Your disposal. Amen.

My reading - Psalm 2 The Anointed One

The psalmist writes about the earthly rulers and kings of nation’s anger and rage wasting their time with futile plans plotting together against the Lord and His anointed one. The Lord scoffs at them and rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury and warning. The Lord has placed His chosen king on the throne of Jerusalem and the king proclaims the Lord’s decree. ‘You are my son, only ask and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the ends of the earth as your possession. You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like pots of clay.’

God’s warning – Be warned, you rulers of the earth, serve the Lord with reverent fear and rejoice with trembling; submit to God’s royal son or he will become angry and you will be destroyed for his anger can flare up in an instant.

God’s promise – But what joy for all who find protection in the Anointed One.

My reflections – I wonder after reading the above, is the psalmist talking about King David or about Jesus Christ. I believe this is about King David, anointed one by God to be king of Israel, and given the nations as his inheritance. Jesus Christ already has all these as God the Son. God sends His enthroned king to proclaim His laws to the people of Israel and gives him the power to rule other nations with God at his side. God sends out a warning to these rulers to fear and submit to King David, His royal son and if they don’t, He will vent His mighty anger and destruction at them. And for those who do submit and fear King David, they will be full of joy because they were protected by their submission to him.
In a way, I can’t doubt the analogy to Jesus Christ with this statement. We, in our current days, should submit and fear Christ Jesus for He is the Son of God, making sure through our submission, we will follow Him. And, by doing this we will be joyful as we live in the protection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

My prayer – Father in heaven, let me heed Your warning in my heart that I serve the Lord Jesus, Your Son, with reverent awe and trembling fear and submit to Him, as my Lord and Savior. For if I do this, there will be joy in my heart because of His protection and the assurance of taking the right path back to You, Father. May the Anointed One be always with me. I pray these in His Holy Name. Amen.

by : Joey B 

Joey's Journal August 2, 2006

Woke up when Carlyn brought Joshua in our room. Joshua said, ‘hi daddy’ ‘hi mama’. He was playing on our bed throwing the small pillows to my face. He also got a hug and a kiss from his mom. At 7:15am, Carlyn transferred me to wheelchair and parked beside the dining table. Joel left at 7:30 am for school. I prayed that God will give His protection for a safe ride to school and that His angels would watch over him at school in his behavior and attentiveness to his teachers and that he would be safe there.

Did my journal on the completion of the book of Colossians recorded in August 1 journal.

Today, I begin my bible reading and journalizing my reflections and after-thoughts on the book of Psalms.

My prayer in preparation for this reading – Dear Heavenly Father, as I prepare myself to reading and interpreting the book of Psalms, I ask that you impart your wisdom to my mind as I read thru the book and plant a seed in my heart in order for me to correctly interpret what the psalmist wants to say in his book. May I be enlightened by Your word and by my recording it, may your word touch the lives of the people who will read my journal. All these I pray in the Holy Name of Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 1 The Godly and the Wicked

The psalmist writes about how happy are the godly. They are the ones who do not follow the advice of the wicked or be with sinners. The godly delights in doing all the Lord wants, day and night they live His law. As compared to a tree planted along the river bank, the godly bear fruit each season without fail and leaves never wither, but prosper.

However, this is not true for the wicked, who are worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They are condemned at judgment day. Sinners will have no place among the godly.

God’s promise – For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

My reflections – In this world we live in with all the temptation and material things that we want to possess like, money, fame, health, careers and relationships; how do we become godly? When someone ‘hits’ you on the right cheek with an offence, do you freely offer the other? How do we explain to ourselves about God’s fairness when we see evil doers stay in big houses and drive big cars? Is God ‘blessing’ the wicked too? It is tough O Lord.

But, the psalmist didn’t expound on the material possessions of people in those days. There were people then owning large herds of cattle, huge parcels of land and rulers and king, who lavishly held expensive banquets. Did they thank and praise God for what they had? Maybe some did, but many didn’t. Then there were many who clung on to their meager possessions, but honored and thanked God for what little they had. This is also true with our time. We, as human beings, have this envious attitude towards another person who has more than us. We want to outdo our neighbor with earthly possessions.

Thus, the psalmist is right in saying to live godly while on earth. If we live godly which means living and following God’s law, doing good and not evil to others, loving our neighbor and resisting the evil one’s temptation then, we will receive God’s reward as He promised. The godly will be watched over by God and will have the nourishment from the Lord like a tree planted by the riverbank drawing water for its growth and will bear fruit every season and its leaves will not wither. While the evil doers will find destruction in their paths. I believe the point here is ‘earthly possessions’. People who think this way only think of ‘life on earth which is temporary’ as mentioned in The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren. When we die, we all leave behind what we have, either riches or rags. No one brings their possessions to the after life.

My prayer – O Lord, I pray for Your guidance to be a godly person. I know it will be tough but with Your strength and reassuring promise of being with You, I am contented and I will follow Your law day and night; will not listen to the enemy and succumb to his clutches; and when I stumble, I will be refreshed by Your nourishment and assurance that as a godly person, I am near You, beside You and with You all the days of my life. Amen.

Today, is my niece’s birthday, Tina. I wished her via cellphone a happy birthday and many more to come. May her day be blessed as she continues her walk with the Lord. Hope and pray she’s coping well with their new addition in the family, Cassidy. May God continue to bless them in their missionary work in the Philippines and bringing in the nonbelievers to Christ.

by Joey B

Joey's Journal August 1, 2006

I was awaken by Joshua’s cries. Must be 5:45 am as it was still dark outside. I prayed for God’s grace to calm Joshua down and go back to sleep. He became quiet and the next thing I heard from him was he was jabbering and chatting with Carlyn. By then, it was about 6:45 am and he was trying to wake up his brother, Joel. Joel didn’t want to get up as he was still sleepy and soon, started to cry and banter. Annabel got up and went to find out why he didn’t want to get up. After much talking to Joel, he finally goes unwillingly for his bath. Left for school bus without saying ‘goodbye’ and I prayed for God’s protection to be with him, in the school bus and in school. May he listen to the teachers and not hurt anyone and be naughty in school.

Annabel left at 9 am to register Joel at Ngee Ann Primary at Marine Parade. We thought we were going with her which is why we all got ready. Before she left I asked Carlyn to follow her to get my passport as I have an appointment for TB test injection at SATA in Bedok. She said, she needed my passport for Joel’s registration and will be back after and go for the test.

I read Colossians 2-3 as a continuation of my bible reading of yesterday. Here are my thoughts.

In chapter 2, Apostle Paul talks to the people of Colosse that by believing in the truth about God’s merciful plan of sending Jesus Christ to die and take away our sins, they are free of all rulers and authority. This new life in Jesus and His commandments are to be obeyed and we should follow Christ’s way.

Verses 6-7 say ‘and now, just as you have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. Let your roots draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught.

Paul explains and reiterates the do’s and the don’ts in this new life in Christ throughout chapters 2 and 3.

‘Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.’ v7

‘Don’t let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high sounding nonsense that come from the evil powers of the world, and not from Christ.’ v8

‘So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new-moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.’ v16

‘Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on self-denial. And don’t let anyone say you must give worship to angels, even though they say they have had visions about this.’ v19

‘…so why do you keep on following rules of the world, such as ‘don’t handle, don’t eat, don’t touch’. v24

Paul’s explanation to this. ‘Such rules are mere human teaching about things that are gone as soon as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, humility, and severe bodily discipline. But they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person’s evil thought and desires.’

Here are other ‘do’s and don’ts’ in chapter 3.

‘Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, (you) set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God’s right hand in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts. v1-2

‘So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sins, impurities, lust, and shameful desires. Don’t be greedy for the good things of life, for that is idolatry. v5

Paul adds a warning to the above ‘God’s terrible anger will come upon those who do such things.’ v6
‘But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.’ v8

‘Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your evil nature and all its wicked deeds.’ v9

Paul’s affirmation in this new life of how Christ lives in all.

‘In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave or free. Christ is all matters, and he lives in us.’ v11

‘… you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you.’ v12-13

‘And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. Always be thankful. v15

Finally, Paul speaks of our purpose and commission.

‘And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.’ v17

Like his letter in the book of Ephesians, Paul speaks of God’s instructions for the Christian households of Colosse (and also to us.)

‘You wives must submit to your husbands, as is fitting to those who belong to the Lord. And you husbands must love your wives and never treat them harshly.’

‘You children must always obey your parents, for this is what pleases the Lord. Fathers, don’t aggrevate your children. If you do, they will become discouraged and quit trying.’

‘You slaves must obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Obey them willingly; work hard and cheerfully as though you were working for the Lord; and the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward. But if you do wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites who can get away with evil.’

‘You slaves owners must be just and fair to your slaves. Remember that you also have a Master-in heaven.

‘Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.’ Col4:2

‘Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone.’ v5-6

My prayer from this reading of scripture – Our Father in heaven, as I have embraced you as Lord and Savior, may I be faithful to Your teachings of the truth. May Your grace continue to be with me as I endeavor to imitate the life of Jesus as He lived on earth. Help me Lord to set my sights on Your kingdom, following and obeying Your ways. May You give me a special anointing to share and speak about You and about Your heavenly kingdom that awaits us all. Father, through Jesus, I ask for your help that I may follow the rules of the new life, live and abide it in my heart All these I ask in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

by Joey B

Joey's Journal August 6, 2006

Father in heaven, I thank you for your protection and guiding hand for looking after us while we sleep. Lord, I praise and glorify your name as I begin my day in walking with you. May your awesome and majestic power be always on my lips as I share my spiritual growth to others, most especially to my loved ones. May you Father, soften their hearts as I speak of my experience with you; open their hearts so that they can also see you as I do; and follow your ways as I do. May today be a blessed day for us as we celebrate church service with fellow believers at FCBC; and may the sermon of senior pastor be inspiring to them to live their lives for Jesus. All of these I pray in the Holy Name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

‘Jesus is Lord’, a second part of six series of messages by Senior Pastor Lawrence Khong of FCBC taken from the book of Colossians.

Apostle Paul says in Col 2:24-25, ‘I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am completing what remains of Christ’s sufferings for his body, the church. God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his message in all its fullness to you Gentiles.’

Paul, in speaking to the people of Colosse, further illustrates his passion ‘to minister’ to them about the life of Jesus Christ. For him, it probably felt like ‘a suffering’ because he took on the task of building Christ’s churches after Jesus ascended to be with his Father. I’m sure there were times when Paul’s physical strength was drained and needed God’s help to keep his body going to continue to minister to the new churches and resulting to changing the lives of people in these places. Paul states, he is glad to suffer for the church and thereby, completing Christ’s suffering for His church. He was not talking whether Christ still had to suffer for the church, but takes it to himself that he will continue that suffering in his ministry. Because Christ’s suffering and eventual death has already accomplished our sins to be wiped away. Our redemption has been completed as He said, ‘it is finished!’ while He was dying on the cross. Paul is talking about ministering and changing the lives of the new believers which is what Christ entrusted to His followers.

It is a clear message to us followers and believers of Christ that there is more suffering ahead when we take up the responsibility of affirming that Jesus is Lord of our lives.

Verse 28 says, ‘So everywhere we go, we tell everyone about Christ. We warn them and teach them with all the wisdom God has given us, for we want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.’

Paul speaks of the biggest responsibility he has taken up in his ministry. Aside from spreading the Good News that Jesus proclaimed when He was on earth, Paul’s greatest commission was ‘to bring everyone perfect in their relationship to Christ’. This is what he is telling us Christians and if we proclaim Jesus is Lord in our lives, we should do the same. What a tall order, this is from Paul! How do we present others PERFECT in their relationship with Jesus? This is quite a task! Spreading the word to others and getting them to embrace it is already tiring, what more making them perfect to Christ? This will be a life long undertaking because we will be dealing with the lives of others. But, this is the Lord’s order! It is not enough to say, I believe that Jesus died for my sins and rose from the dead. But we also proclaim Him as our Lord and Savior!

And, when we truly mean this, we should in all our energy and with Christ’s help try to achieve it. This is true when we pick up the ministry of spreading God’s Good News to all. This ministry is a life long struggle and it is continuous, never ending task. And, it will cost us dearly; maybe our careers, finances, relationships and even our lives. That's probably why Paul calls it 'a suffering'.

Finally, Apostle Paul affirms his role in verse 29 saying, ‘I work very hard at this, as I depend on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.’

My prayer after reading these verses – Sovereign Lord, thank you for opening my heart to Your word! It has touched the very corners of my heart and mind that I now know what Jesus meant when He said, ‘pick up your cross andfollow me!’ It is with satisfaction that as I read these verses, my heart leaps for joy! Yes, Lord, I will continue what you have started and follow Your way to minister to people. I know that the road will be rough and challenging; will cost me dearly; and will be an endless struggle and suffering to change peoples lives so that I can present them to You, perfect in their relationship to Jesus. But, I know, that with You by my side every step of the way, I will not tire because the thought of You, refreshes me; I will not complain about physical pain, because You will heal me and restore my strength; and I will not turn my back on this ministry, because You are at its head and I long to be with You to finish the race. I ask all this in Jesus’ Mighty Name. Amen.

Important things to remember about taking up this ministry of Jesus and proclaiming Him as Lord.

1. It will cost us dearly, i.e., careers, finances, assets, relationships, lives etc.
2. It will change the lives of other people, presenting them perfect to Christ.
3. It will be a never ending struggle or suffering of a continuous ministry.

So, with all these, I ask ‘Is Jesus still the Lord of your lives?’

by : Joey B

 

Joey's Journal 31 July 2006

Was woken up by Joshua’s cries at 6:30am. Annabel got up to find out what made him cry. Joshua continued to cry and wanted his mom to hold him. I prayed for God to quiet down Joshua and be contented with his mom carrying him. He eventually stopped and was having his pancake with syrup breakfast. Carlyn put me on the wheelchair and parked beside the table. Joel was ready for school and having his doughnut breakfast while watching tv. His mom reminded him to take food and he threw a tantrum and rudely answered his mom. Annabel warned him that if he responded or gave her the rude look again, she will slap him. She went to the room and laid on the mattress. Joel left for school without saying goodbye to his mom. Prayed for him that the blood of Jesus will protect him in the bus and in school for the day.

Joshua was given a bath and also threw a fit, long cries. His mom got up and carried him but he continued to cry and didn’t want to put on his clothes. His mom was getting upset and smacked his backside lightly. Joshua continued to cry each time she raised her voice. I prayed that the Holy Spirit would help Annabel to control her patience with Joshua’s crying and that Joshua would calm down. Eventually Joshua peed on his mom’s house dress and Carlyn carried him while his mom changed. Soon Joshua stopped crying and he played in his room.

I continued to finish my journal for yesterday and Annabel laid on the mattress while Joshua was playing in his room.

Read and finished the book of Colossians. Some after-thoughts are as follows:

1. Apostle Paul as in all his letters to different churches, starts with a prayer greeting to the people of Colosse. He gives thanks and praise that the members of the Colosse church have trusted on the Lord and have loved one another. Why? The answere are on chapter 1, as follows:
   qVerses 5-6 says ‘you do this because you are looking forward to the joys of heaven-as you have been ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. The same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is changing lives everywhere, just as it has changed yours that very first day you heard and understood the truth about God’s great kindness to sinners.’
   
   Paul speaks of what the Colossians did after hearing about Jesus and His teachings for the first time. They changed their lives and embraced the faith in God and gave full trust in Him. He emphasizes that the same teachings of the Good News is being spread all over the world and would change the lives of different people just like it did them knowing of God’s mercy to all who have sinned. The Good News of the Father, full of love, mercy and forgiveness that is given to us to believe.
   
   My prayer after reading this verse: ‘Lord, continue to strengthen me during times when I am weak and unable to share Your Good News to others. Give me a fresh anointing of Your Holy Spirit to have the right words to say to both believers and unbelievers as I share my experience of you with them. Open their hearts to the Good News you want them to hear and keep it with them so they can live their lives for You, Father. And, lastly, give them the tongues of fire from the Holy Spirit to share what they have heard and have embraced with others. May we continue to live Your Good News in our daily lives for Your greater glory. Amen.’
   
   
2. Paul in v15-17 talks about Jesus Christ is God.
   
   ‘Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation. Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see-kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him. He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together.’
   
   This is a clear statement saying ‘Jesus Christ is also God’. I thought of some other faith with many followers who believe in a God but contend that Jesus was a mere human being, who lived like a prophet in those days and was not God. I believe that God the Father, who is invisible, sent His only Son to be His visible self or image on earth. This means to be visible, Jesus had to be human. But Jesus as God existed before the Father made anything, before creation itself. I spoke about this bible scripture and sermon last Sunday by Pastor Khong to my caregiver, Carlyn who is an Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) member. INC upholds the belief that Jesus Christ is not God. I asked her to read the verse and listen to the sermon again via FCBC website and open her heart and mind to the truth. I know it would be hard but I will pray for her to believe in this- Jesus is God who was sent by the Father to be human and visible image on earth in order for him to die for our sins and save the world from the grasps of the evil one.
   
   My prayer on this verse of scripture – Heavenly Father, allow my mind and my heart to focus on you as I pray this prayer of belief that Jesus is God. I commit my sister and caregiver, Carlyn, to know more about Jesus and your plan for Him to be both God and human so as the people would see a visible God and through Him, their lives will be changed so that they will attain their salvation. Lord, speak to her heart daily and let her know Your goodness and mercy for those who did not believe this truth. May she willingly accept the belief that Jesus is God through the things she can see happening around her. I pray for her salvation to start today, Lord and may she cherish learning more about Jesus being part of her life. Amen.’
   
   
3. Paul also speaks of the Heavenly Father’s plan for Jesus, His only begotten Son in v19-23 and through Jesus, His forgiveness to us all which has brought us back in good standing with God, without any sin. Finally, Paul warns of not drifting away from this truth but rightfully affirming and standing by it.
   
   ‘For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his (Jesus) blood on the cross. This includes you who were once so far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his (Jesus) death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe in this truth and stand in it firmly. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.
   
   Sovereign Lord, I thank you for this divine plan of rescueing me from the clutches of the enemy. Oftentimes, I am weak and succumb to the power of the evil one and this I know, offends You. Lord, please do not give up on me when I have distanced myself to you. Bring me back to Your fold of righteousness through the blood of Jesus Christ, my brother and strengthen me not to waver anymore so that I may be worthy to be in Your presence. I give thanks and praise to Jesus for obeying You wholehearted and trusting in Your plans. May I live my life more and more like Him. Amen.
   

To be continued ………Aug 1st.

by : Joey B

Joey's Journal Sunday, 30 July 2006

Woke up early at 6:30 am to get ready for 9 am church service. Second son, Joshua was already awake, as usual and having his pancake with syrup breakfast. Noticed fishbowl water was cloudy and asked Carlyn to change water and wait for Joel to wake up and feed his new pet goldfish. Didn’t feel like having anything for breakfast, just water. Was still feeling bloated from not going to the toilet for some time.

At 7:40, Joel and Annabel wake up same time. Very synchronized. While Annabel was getting ready, Joel feeds his fish and we talk about what name to call it. Nemo? El-josh? Fishy? Joel liked ‘fishy’ so from now on it will be called Fishy! I said good; at least Joshua can call its name. By 8:20 am, Joel and Annabel were having their breakfast, pancakes with syrup for him and a Fuji apple for her. Carlyn was pushing Joshua on his pram; he really looked sleepy after taking his morning bath. Maria was attending to Joel and Annabel.

We were off to church at 8:35 am taking ECP to Singapore Expo. Was very concerned about the way Annabel drives and at times, very scary. I pray that she is able to get the confidence of driving back and with God’s help and guidance, she will be able to. At the entrance, brother Tommy from the Special People Ministry, met us and asked three gentlemen to assist Carlyn to transfer me from car to wheelchair. Thanked Tommy and the guys for giving me ‘red carpet’ service. Carlyn wheeled me to the place where all the other wheelchair-bound people were. Said hello and nodded to all who were there already. Said hello to Mrs. Koh and her caretaker, Jennifer while coming in to join the worship time.

Worship, what can I say. This time I spend glorifying and thanking the Lord for all His blessings on me, on us as a family and for loved ones. As each song is sang, my eyes start to water and soon I am engulfed in this breathlessness feeling, like I will start weeping. But these are not unhappy tears, but joyful ones. Someone said, I remember reading this, that these heartfelt tears sting the eyes unlike unhappy ones. And, I agree; they do sting! Once the worship team turns from fast and jovial songs to slow and somber ones, I look at the congregation and notice there are others who are moved to teary eyes. I sincerely hope for their heartfelt connection to our Lord as I have connected. Praises and glory be to God!

Senior Pastor Lawrence Khong delivered the word of God, 6 part series called ‘Jesus is the Lord!’. He read from Colossians 1: 1-14 about Paul’s affirmation why Jesus is the Lord. Pastor Khong supported this by 3 definitive reasons why Jesus is Lord. (1) Jesus is God; (2) Jesus is God in the flesh; and (3) Jesus is God and He died for us. These are very basic truths in which our faith as Christians is etched in the cornerstone of our hearts. Every Christian believes in these three basic truths. Listening to Pastor Khong gave me a sense that he was driving these points across very emphatically so that we, as believers in the Word of God, would not be shallow in our faith. He compared some believers to a Sequoia tree, towering almost 300 feet from the ground and considered to be the tallest of trees. Yet, in its majestic splendor, its roots are not deep and would topple over when strong gusts of wind came along. Some believers are shallow; outside like the Sequoia, they look holy and regal; but their faith can be tested and soon, they are no longer the believers they say they are. They give lip service about the faith and sometimes the word and could not support what they say. Real believers live with the three basic truths. They uphold this faith in their hearts. They spread and share these three truths with others. Overall, another good and moving message from our spiritual father.

After church service, we headed for Parkway Parade for lunch. Had 2 green bean filled pastry and coffee; still feeling full. Met former cell members, Mike and Grace with their son, Jared. Also, saw Sally and Liang Kheng plus 4 boys. Annabel asked Sally to join us for coffee at MPH Bookstore while we were on our way out of food court area. On the way to MPH, a lady approached Annabel, introduced herself and asked what happened to me that I am on a wheelchair. She brought the lady over to talk to me. The lady introduced herself as Susan from Lighthouse church led by Pastor Ronnie. Susan asked if I have attended their healing service at Tampines and if not, I should plan to go because she has witnessed cripples walking and miracles happening. I told her I believe in healing services and went to one done by well-known pastor from South Africa, Korbus van Rensburg, who had the gift of healing. I told her too that I believed in miracles and seen people healed through healing services but I respectfully declined. She was puzzled with my response. I explained that the Lord is using me to be of service to Him on this wheelchair. I added that God revealed His plan for me to minister to the wheelchair-bound people, since I can empathize with them. He also said He will not forsake me after calling on to Him to claim His promise that I will be restored. I told sister Susan that I will follow God’s word to be ‘healed spiritually’ now and wait patiently for Him to physically heal me and said ‘if God wants me to be on this wheelchair to spread His Good News, so be it!’ I informed sister Susan that I am a member of the Special People Ministry of FCBC and explained that the ministry is involved taking care of the physical needs of the wheelchair bound people like cooking for them, cleaning their homes, giving them baths and taking them out of their homes from time to time. Along with other volunteers, I have to get involve in cultivating their spirituality. This is what God has revealed to me in serving and uplifting the spiritual side of these people whom He has not forgotten. I added that God’s purpose for me has been revealed and this is why He gave me a second chance in life; to serve Him with all my heart. I briefly mentioned about the voice encounter with the Lord and gave Him praise and thanks for being fortunate enough to hear His voice and following His purpose that He revealed during my stay at the hospital. Sister Susan understood what I told her that this message was from God and I must follow it. She spoke of her visions and asked me for my interpretation. I told her that her visions are related to salvation; hers first, second are her loved ones and third, are the lost. God is speaking to her on these visions of seeing the Singapore river filled with honey rather than water; people lined up on its banks being interrogated by the evil one; and one by one asking them if they were Catholic, Christian or otherwise. Should they renounce their faith in God then they are sent to the depths and sweetness of honey and if not, they were sent back to earth. Of course, the devil entices them with honey, making hell sound nice. She mentioned that when it was her turn, she saw the sky filled with crucifixes and a balloon floating in the heavens. The crosses asked her to cling on to the balloon and she did. But, she thought of her loved ones and pleaded to take them, particularly her mother, who was a staunch buddhist being left behind while other believers in the family went with her. I explained this is what is going to happen at the second coming of Jesus. Believers will be raised up in this rapture and along with the believers who have passed away before us will meet the Lord and be judged. Not all will be allowed to enter God’s kingdom.

Sister Susan understood that God’s message to me was clear and said ‘maybe after my service to the wheelchair bound people, He will let me walk’. I said I sincerely hope for this to happen. She prayed over me and I prayed for her before she left to attend church service at Tampines. I told her to spread what I have testified to her with her church members and continue sharing God to others.

Home around 4:30pm and spent my quiet time thanking God for this meeting with sister Susan. I prayed for strength and God’s hand to be on me. Prayed the Jabez prayer as we go through finding what business to concentrate on and for God’s hand of protection to be on us; shielding us from anxieties and the evil one’s temptation; that God’s grace will give us strength to release forgiveness to those who have offended us and keep us safe under His refuge.

Did some computer work and took on sister Susan’s advise to journalize my daily affairs and experience with God in my heart’s focus. This is first day.

Washed up and prepared for bed at 10:30pm

by : Joey B


 

GoGroup question and Sermon Note - Sun July 16th

Questions

1. Describe what is your goal as a Christian (Your main goal in life)
2. Beside your main goal in life, do you have a personal short term goal you want to achieve? (Can be in work, family, hobby, etc)
Please share how you're doing with tat goal. How do you work on it, how long do you think you can achieve, how it is related to your main goal in life.
3. Please share if you have any tips, dealing with LUST. Please share simple ideas to avoid them, because this is really not easy.
Remember, in this world we are surrounded by lustful views we cannot avoid.
How do you think Job can make covenant with his eyes against lust (Job 31:1)
4. Please mention your hobbies, as many as possible.
5. From all your hobbies, which one do you think you are doing too much so you need to reduce or fast from it for a certain period?
6. Let's make commitment together if there something we need to fast, to gain self control over it.
Pray for each aother for it.

Have a wonderful go group discussion this week.

GoSOLID


SERMON NOTE
Sunday, July 16th 2006
Title : Seven Habit of Highly Defective People Part #3

GOALS and GAPS
In our Chrdtian life we should have the right goal.
Our goal as a Christian should be : Get closer to the Lord. It should be a constant and continual desire. That 1st goal sould be above any other goal (family, hobby etc)
As we don't pursue that goal, the gap between we and God become bigger and bigger, and when we never think about that goal may be our Christian life will be like 'auto pilot'. We may go to church every Sunday and doing church activities but we don't really realising God.

Habit #6 : LUST.
On all internet surveys, Lust was always the #1.
Every book of the New Testament warns us to avoid lust because it leads to sexual immorality.
Mat 5:28, Mark 7:21-23, Acts 15:29, Romans 13:12-13
1Cor 5:11, 6:13, 6:18, 2Cor12:21, Jude 7

Define LUST to have an inordinate desire especially sexual.
When lust came, there is a chemical reaction and it is addicted so we will want more. It happen mostly on men.
It can be illustrated like having test drive on a car. The seller let us try and enjoy the luxury of the car, the smell of its leather, comfortable driving, and when we realise we already sign the contract, purchase it.

Lust isn't limited to sexual things, it is lusting after something in this sense, it is related to greed but mostly focused on other people.
For women, lust is more spiritually and emotionally like thinking about how is it like to be married to another husband.

Sexual sin is more grievous than other sins.
We easily tolerate mixed standards in everything.
We must make covenant with our eyes likr Job
Job 31:1 "I make covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman."
We must make covenant with our minds too.
Because by not having covenant with our eyes and minds we make worse defect.
We will reap the benefits in our heart and in our relationship with God and families.
Minimise the opportunity for temptation.
From ladies perspective you must dress modestly.

The CURE of LUST is LOVE.
When we lust we USE people and when we love we VALUE our relationship with people.

How can we attain love instead of lust?
- firstly by reading and staying in the word of God (Ps. 119:9 How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word.)
- By being a accountable to someone for eyes and thoughts
- By making your spouse the center of your desires and not allowing desires for someone else to creep in.

Habit #7 : GLUTTONY
Gluttony is misdirected hunger, It is the pursuit of physical or personal pleasures.
Several types of gluttonous behaviors are things like watching too much TV, sleeping too much, playing too many games on the computer, a hobby that is out of control and of course over eating.
It was describes by one person as they no longer eat to live but live to eat.
Stoppong gluttony is about gaining power...
The gluttons says "I have no will power."
Stopping gluttony is about having control...
"Don't let anything have control over you. FASTing is good, it disciplines you.
When it comes to being gluttonous about food it is hard because you just can't stop eating.

The CURE of GLUTTONY is SELF CONTROL
We over eat, we over sleep, we over work, we over play, we over over. So how do we become self controlled and defeat the voice that is inside us saying just one more time won't hurt.

Self control enables us to stay within God's ordained boundries.
People in God's word that were mastered themselves, their appetites and emotions so they could please God and not themselves, Self control is the evidence that you are allowing the Holy Spirit to work in your life.
Self control provides protection.
Self control provides freedom.

Here are a few other steps to gain the cure;
- know what you want
- Don't settle for anything less.
- Be purposeful in everything you do.
- Depend on Christ.

GoSOLID