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.