Joey's Journal - August 26, 2006

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me another day on earth. Thank You for watching over my family last night; the boys and their nannies having a good night’s rest and my wife coming safely home. Lord, today I lay at Your feet all my joys, works and sufferings and may they be acceptable and pleasing to You. Let me stay focus to You and be by my side all day. When certain situations arise and I am needed to make a decision, may Your wisdom be with me and always remember WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?). Take away from my mind all the anxieties and distractions brought about by the evil one. All these in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

My reading - Psalm 24 - Who will enter and stand in God’s presence?

God created the earth and everything in it is his! The world and all its people belong to him; for he has laid earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths. Who will stand in God’s holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never lies. They will receive the Lord’s blessing and have right standing with God the savior. They alone will enter God’s presence and worship the God of Israel.

My reflection – ‘Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never lies.’ If you think about this statement, really think about it – this statement reminds us about the two greatest commandments of God, that is, it refers to loving God and loving our neighbor. This is its foundation! And, if we do these, we will receive the Lord’s blessing and have right standing with God.

But, we have to have pure hands and a pure heart to love God and our neighbor. As I said in previous psalms, the most difficult to achieve is loving our neighbor because of our human frailty, self-centeredness in other words, our wanting to outdo others. However, in my recent readings, I have changed my mind to thinking loving God is the most difficult. How do I TRULY love God? To truly love God, we need to acknowledge Him, obey His Word and follow His Ways with a pure heart. All three words we think are easy but if we go deeper to their real meaning and requirements, we probably say, ‘it is tough!’ Yes, it is tough and that’s why we need all the help from our Lord. Without His help and guidance, we can not do it.

So, to stand in the presence of God, we need God to help us to lead us in the righteous path, the godly one.

My prayers – Gracious Father in heaven, teach me to truly love You. Lord, You have given up Your only Son, Jesus to die for my sins and be restored back to You. I can only think that it is just right to obey and follow Your ways. All I want is to be worthy of standing in Your presence at the final judgment. I know good deeds alone will not earn my salvation but acknowledging You, obeying You and following You, will be pre-requisites for getting that heavenly banquet invitation. May I lead a life from now on that will be pleasing and acceptable to You. All these I pray in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

by : Joey B

Joey's Journal - August 25, 2006

Dear God, I give You thanks and praise for watching over us last night. Thank You for Your comforting hands to get Joel to finally have some rest and sleep after waking up crying due to a bad dream. Also, for Joshua who was awaken by his brother’s voice and wanted to play rather than sleep. Thank You for finally making them sleep at 12 midnight. I thank You too, for watching over Annabel while she was out last night and bringing her safely home. Thank You, Father God. May our day be blessed in following Your Word. May You be in control of our lives. I rebuke all anxieties and distractions coming from the enemy and live more godly today. Take care of Joel in school. All in the Name of Jesus. Amen.


My reading - Psalm 23 – The Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need

The Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful waters. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You welcome me as a guest, anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.


My reflection – What a wonderful psalm this is from David! It is a prayer of affirmation that when God is with us, we will be safe and protected; sufficiently provided for and with abundant blessings. Yes! This is a prayer of affirmation of a loving and caring shepherd who watches over his herd of sheep; nurturing, protecting and guiding them from young to maturity. God, our Father, is like our shepherd, guiding us to right paths, protecting us from the evil one and providing for our daily lives. He is really an awesome God! And, if He is with and in my heart, I have everything I need!

During my primary school days in the Philippines, the Jesuit fathers were my mentors. ‘The Lord is My Shepherd’ was taught to us as a song in order for us to remember the words. At school, every Friday is dress up day for an all-school mass and celebration. We always sang this first part of the song………

My shepherd is the Lord, nothing indeed shall I want.

My shepherd is the Lord, there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures, where He gives me repose.
Near restful waters He leads me, to revive my drooping spirit.

My shepherd is the Lord, nothing indeed shall I want.

As Christians, we should remind ourselves to say this prayer of affirmation while in our quiet time with the Lord. By saying this, we rebuke the powers of Satan and what his legions are doing to us because the Lord, like a good shepherd, watches us with love, compassion and mercy. And lastly, we acknowledge that the Lord our Father has prepared a heavenly banquet for us when we meet with Him face to face and we will share in it permanently.

My prayer – Dear Father, You are all I want. You are all I long for. Let me stay focused to You. Be by my side always. Protect me from all that is evil. Guide me in Your ways to do good and be caring to others. Invite me to Your heavenly Kingdom where I will be permanently with You. All in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

by : Joey B

Joey's Journal - August 24, 2006

Our Father in heaven, I offer this day to You; my works, joys and sufferings. May they be pleasing and acceptable to You. Thank You for watching over us and giving us this day to live for You. Lord, I commit my son, Joel into Your guiding hands and keep him safe and obedient in school. And, when he is home this afternoon, I pray Your grace to be with him and us; obedience for him to our instructions and patience for us to discipline him. Help Carlyn take care of the two boys tonight as Maria is away. May I spend today being more close and focused to You and Your Ways as I continue reading Psalms. I pray all these in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

My reading - Psalm 22 - No one else can help me except You, Lord!

Everyday I call to you, my God; but you do not answer. Have you forsaken me? Why do you remain distant and ignore my cries? Yet you are holy, and the praises of Israel surround your throne. Our ancestors trusted you and you rescued them; they were never disappointed. But I am scorned and despised by all; everyone mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads and say, ‘Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!’

Don’t stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me. My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls, like roaring lions attacking their prey. My life is poured out like water and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. My strength has dried up like the sun-baked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth, and you have laid me in the dust and left me for dead. My enemies surround me like packs of dogs. They have pierced my hands and feet. I can count every bone in my body. My enemies stare at me and gloat; they divide my clothes among themselves.

Show the Lord reverence, all you descendents of Israel; for he has not ignored the suffering of the needy. He has not turned and walked away, and has listened to their cries for help. All who seek the Lord will praise him; their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and will return to him. People from every nation will bow down before him; for the Lord is king! He rules all the nations. Future generations will also serve him; our children will hear about the wonders of the Lord.

My reflection – After reading the psalm, I can’t help but put myself in David’s shoes and try to experience this situation he was in, being hunted by his enemies and fearing for his life. Facing certain death at the hands of his enemies, he cries out to the Lord to rescue him and describes how he feels. Scary for the most part of what he goes through thinking about death. But, he called on God to help and rescue him. And, God responded.

Oftentimes in my reading the psalms, I flashback to the car accident I had last year. I still clearly recall the events from the start; seeing that the car’s brakes would not be enough to safely avoid the mishap, my body being thrusted forward because of the braking motion and my mind thinking we would definitely hit the truck in front of us. Even for those seconds I was staring death in the face. Did I call on God’s help? I really don’t think so! Because it was only after the accident happened did I think of God. And, I even called out to Him and said, ‘Why?’ and had that voice encounter with Him. I was complaining to God why He let this happen now after committing myself to serving Him in our church in Surabaya. I vividly tried to move and lift myself up; my arms, shoulders, hands and legs but to no success. Even when the on-lookers were taking me out of the car, I was saying to my driver, ‘Saya mati! Saya tidak boleh krassa dan mundur! Anakku masih mudah.’(I am dead! I can not feel anything or move! My children are still young). While being transported to the nearby small hospital, I kept thinking about paralysis from neck down and could not walk, move or function normally. It was really scary! And, I called on the Lord to help me recover from this serious accident and help me walk again.

Like with David, God answered my call for help. He sent His Holy Spirit to my pastor and his wife to inform as many church members and friends and start the prayer brigade for God’s hand to be with me while in the hospital and that there will be no serious or unrecoverable injuries. My pastor when he saw me the next day, told me that God will fully restore me and I should claim His promise daily!

My prayer – Heavenly Father, may I always stay focused to You. May I always remember You are there by my side. Should I stumble or become weakened by the enemy, may Your Holy Spirit be my alarm bell to rebuke the bait of Satan and stay on the right path with You. May I always remember in my quiet time, to worship You; in my tough times, to trust You; in my happy times, to praise You and all the time, to thank You! All these I pray in Jesus Name. Amen.

by : Joey B

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