hey heyz...
hows ur progress!!!

January 20, 2006

The Difference Faith Makes

Read:Psalm 14
The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." —Psalm 14:1

Bible In One Year: Genesis 49-50; Matthew 13:31-58

What if we didn't have faith in God but accepted instead the God-denying theory of evolution?

Suppose we had an atheistic view of life. Cornell University biologist William Provine declared in a public debate that if you're a consistent Darwinian, you realize there's no life after death, no ultimate foundation for ethics, no ultimate meaning for our existence, no free will. Life would be empty.

Instead of that bleak unbelief, we can open our hearts and minds to have faith in God as He has revealed Himself through His Son Jesus Christ. We can have forgiveness of our sin through His death on the cross. This not only assures us of a blessed eternity but also fills our here-and-now experience with measureless blessings of meaning and hope. We can know by the indwelling Holy Spirit that Jesus' words in John 8:12 are true: "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

As we move along on our earthly pilgrimage, we don't need to stumble in the darkness of unbelief. Instead, we can walk confidently in the light toward an eternity of unending blessedness. That's the difference faith in Jesus Christ makes. —Vernon Grounds
Come to the Light, 'tis shining for thee,Sweetly the Light has dawned upon me;Once I was blind, but now I can see—The Light of the world is Jesus.
—Bliss

Hey heyz guys and girls... i realised that black font veri boring...
so i shall now use coloured font if i can...:D

How's ur quiet time coming along???
Have you had to make the choice between sleep, work, play and time with God. If you have, and has succeeded... well DONE!!!
if not... dun be disheartened, you've got to make the effort... its difficult to achieve success in the physical and spiritual world without effort...

aniwae here's the daily bread for ...

January 19, 2006

Learn To Teach

Read:Job 2:1-10
Have you considered My servant Job? —Job 1:8

Bible In One Year: Genesis 46-48; Matthew 13:1-30

After my father injured his eye so severely that it had to be surgically removed, doctors and nurses commented on how well he accepted the loss. His response was indeed exceptional. Throughout the ordeal I never heard him complain.

After the accident someone asked, "Why would God allow this to happen? What does your dad have to learn at his age?"

Not every tragedy is the result of our being enrolled in God's school of hard knocks against our will. There is always something we can learn from suffering. But in this case, my father was the teacher as well as the student.

Dad's response to pain and loss, combined with my mother's ongoing godly response to her own health problems, is teaching me the lesson that God's servant Job knew was true. At the height of his suffering, his wife urged him to "curse God and die!" (Job 2:9). But Job responded, "Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" (v.10).

Job didn't understand the reason for his suffering, yet he affirmed his steadfast belief in a God who had the right to allow trouble in our lives as well as good. In times of suffering, it's important to consider what God would have us teach, as well as what He would have us learn.
—Julie Ackerman Link

Affliction has been for my profit,That I to Thy statutes might hold;Thy law to my soul is more preciousThan thousands of silver and gold. —Psalter

heyo..i'm here to so called "testify"...it's something lyk wad lynn said bout the lessons..

so yesterday, one of my sec 2 fwen asked me to play for next year's sec 2 chapel..so i told her i'll think bout it...yeah..so i prayed yesterday night for God to tell me whether his plan was for me to go for it or not..

so today morning when i got ready for sch i prayed again for God to reveal his plan..yup..so i went to sch..and y'know wad...??? for today's morning devotion..the pastor shared "God gave each and everyone of u different talents..when he gives u a certain talent, it muz have a reason."and many other things..then he said "U should serve (God) wheneva u have the opportunity.." and i was lyk..stunned..it's so...y'know..accurate...lyk lynn said..i'm still lyk.."woah" now..haha..God's so amazing..lol..

teh amazed gal..rachel (tan li wen)...

Heyz... here's the belated posts yahz... so sorrie for the late updating


January 18, 2006

Get The Point!
Read:Galatians 2:11-21
A man is not justified by the works of the law. —Galatians 2:16

Bible In One Year: Genesis 43-45; Matthew 12:24-50

One thing you have to say about the apostle Paul—he was not a man to mince words. It didn't matter who it was—a judge, a ruler, or his fellow apostle Peter—Paul said what had to be said. In Galatians 2:16, he made the same point three times: No one is justified by the works of the law.
The law was a critical issue in the early church because many of the converts were Jews. Although they believed in Jesus, some of them just would not let go of their legalistic ways. I imagine hearing them say, "A person can't be saved unless he is circumcised and refuses to eat meat offered to idols. And no Jewish believer should ever eat with Gentiles." But Paul told them in no uncertain terms that they were wrong. Being made right with God comes by faith, not by any requirements a church or individual adds.
As the author of confusion, Satan finds all kinds of ways to corrupt the gospel by giving us the impression that faith is not enough. He plays into our desire to be in control and to do something to save ourselves—adding anything from tithing to perfect church attendance to clothing styles to entertainment choices. Each of these is important to the believer, but none is essential to salvation.
The point is: Salvation is by faith. —Dave Egner
Lord, I know that salvation is by faith becauseof Your grace. Help me not to require anything elsefrom myself or others, so that I cannot boastin my goodness—but only in Yours. Amen.
Justification: Our guilt gone; Christ's goodness given.

January 17, 2006

Loving The Unlovable
Read:Luke 19:1-10

The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. —Luke 19:10

Bible In One Year: Genesis 41-42; Matthew 12:1-23

Zacchaeus was easy to dislike. As a tax collector for an oppressive occupying government, he made himself rich by overcharging his countrymen. Yet, to the consternation of the crowd, Jesus honored him by going to his house and eating with him.
A judge with a reputation for toughness tells how he learned to relate to unlovable people. In a Sunday morning homily his clergyman urged the congregation to try to look at people through the eyes of Jesus.
A few days later the judge was about to give a stiff sentence to an arrogant young man who kept getting in trouble. But then he remembered what the minister had suggested. The judge said, "I looked this young man in the eye and told him I thought he was a bright and talented human being. And then I said to him, 'Let's talk together about how we can get you living in more creative and constructive ways.' We had a surprisingly good conversation."
Jesus saw Zacchaeus as a sinner with an empty hole that only He could fill, and through His kindness Zacchaeus was transformed. The judge could not report any such change, but who knows the long-term outcome? He set a good example for all of us, because he saw the man through the eyes of Jesus. —Herb Vander Lugt
We need to see through Jesus' eyesOur neighbors who are lost;For then we will reach out to them,Regardless of the cost. —Sper
True compassion will put love into action.


January 16, 2006

Doing Justice
Read:Exodus 23:1-9
You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice. —Exodus 23:2

Bible In One Year: Genesis 39-40; Matthew 11

In the decades since the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the US national holiday established to commemorate his birth has also become a day to remember the cause in which he gave his life.
During the '50s and '60s, Dr. King led a nonviolent struggle against racial discrimination and issued a plea for the civil rights of African-Americans. His goal was justice and equality based on human dignity, not skin color.
From Old Testament days until now, God has commanded His people to exercise justice in their dealings with others. "You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice" (Exodus 23:2).
"He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8).
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for doing their religious duties while neglecting "justice and the love of God" (Luke 11:42).
To treat people with fairness and integrity is part of our responsibility as Christians. Standing publicly for what is right is required of us as well.
May we honor God by living out truth in action in our world today. —David McCasland
Justice is the clarion call for Christians—We cannot step aside from what God said;He has told us how to treat our neighbor,And we must follow in the path He's led. —Hess
God's standard of justice leaves no room for prejudice.




David’s thoughts on Doing Justice

Very true indeed, but it is so hard to put the idea into action. Look at our normal lives, do we treat everyone equally, are there people whom we treat unfairly? What’s the connection between justice and forgiveness?
If someone does wrong, is it necessary to bring him to justice and exercise punishment or can we just forgive and forget. Personally, my feeling is that if it is able to help the person, then we should go ahead and give him/her the lesson in which he/she can learn.
Looking at another example, it is by the rule that man should be send to the lake of fire for eternity because of the sins we have committed. But the fact that Jesus Christ died and took our sins, is it justified for Him to do so? Is it even fair to Him?
I’ll let you all think about this, do feel free to post your ideas and questions

--kan--

yayz!!! i'm veri proud of rachel for posting...:D

aniwae... guys and girls...
here's ur daily devotion for the January 15th


January 15, 2006

No Grudges After Sunset
Read:Psalm 4:1-5

Do not let the sun go down on your wrath. —Ephesians 4:26

Bible In One Year: Genesis 36-38; Matthew 10:21-42

A little boy got into a fight with his brother and the whole experience left him feeling bitter. When his brother wanted to make things right, he refused to listen. In fact, he would not speak to his brother all day.
Bedtime came, and their mother said to the boy, "Don't you think you should forgive your brother before you go to sleep? Remember, the Bible says, 'Do not let the sun go down on your wrath'" (Ephesians 4:26). The boy looked perplexed. He thought for a few moments and then blurted out, "But how can I keep the sun from going down?"
He reminds me of some Christians. They're angry at certain people and hold grudges. When they are confronted with their unforgiving attitude and urged to make things right, they sidestep the issue and refuse to heed the clear instruction of Scripture. True, we cannot change another person's heart, but we are responsible for our own attitude. The Bible says, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32).
No, we can't keep the sun from going down. But we can keep it from setting—on our anger. And that means we must forgive. —Richard De Haan
Anger, malice, and ill willCan leave a stain of sorrow;Ask forgiveness by His graceBefore it is tomorrow! —Bosch

For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.

Yupz...
for those of u who want to start tomolo... you can use this article or u can go to
http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb.shtml to get the next day's one...

rememebr... even when the food is place in fron of you, the decision to eat lies with you

--kan--

hey ppl..i'm here to tell u bout 2 things



number 1: please do not spam the tagboard. it's gonna be very messy and confusing if u spam..yeah..and u'll get insulted by aldrin.haha.kidding..but dun spam on teh tagboard okay? okay.


number 2: please use yr own real names OR decide on a fixed nickname..cuz if u use a diff nick everytime u tag, it's also gonna be very confusing..


yup..so dats about it..thanks for tagging and visit the blog often :)


see ya guys this sunday...rachel..btw..rachel is MUAH..the not so short one..rach is the not so tall one..:)

Hey guys and girls...
the ghost account is out for u guys to use...
so do post about ur week, ur experiences and everything u would like to share with the cell group...

Since i'm posting, i might as well tell ur about the future miracle service dates
unless further notice...this will be as follows

Dates: 1st week of the month (4th Feb, 4th March, 1st April, 6th May, 3rd June)
Time: 5.30p.m.
Location: Lighthouse Tampines church porch

--kan--

Alrightx guys...
the contact list and your role description in cell is up at http://sg.briefcase.yahoo.com/lightningforgod
The username is lightningforgod and the password is password

do take a look and HAPPIE NEW YEAR!!!
btw, take a look at jane's sketch

--kan--