come what may

Saturday, July 25

Can a caterpillar fly?
If you said, "No," you would be partially correct.
Actually, a caterpillar can fly, but it must have a transformation first.

The butterfly begins life as a caterpillar,
a wormlike larva that spins a cocoon for itself.
For weeks, the larva remains hidden within the cocoon
as it undergoes metamorphosis.
When it's time for the butterfly to emerge,
it must struggle and fight its way out of the cocoon.
We might be tempted to help this process
by tearing open the cocoon
- but that's the worst thing we could do.
The struggle makes it strong and enables it to fly.
Butterflies need adversity to become what God intended them to be.
So do we.

One day Satan came before God and God asked him,
"Where have you come from?"
Satan replied,
"From roaming through the earth
and going back and forth in it."

God said to Satan,
"Have you considered my servant Job?
He is blameless and upright,
a man who fears God and shuns evil."

Notice that God pointed Job out to Satan!
God gave Satan permission
to put Job through a trial of adversity.
Job's herds were stolen,
his servants were murdered,
and all of Job's children were killed by a sudden tornado.

Through his trial of adversity, he grows in strength,
wisdom and faith.
His entire perspective on God
is transformed by his suffering.
He was even accused of sin by his closest friends.

Get beyond the notion
that God is interested only
in making us healthy, wealthy and happy.
More than anything,
He wants us to be like Christ.
And the road to becoming like Christ
often leads through the wilderness of adversity.

In order for the butterfly to fly,
there must be a transformation process
that is often developed through adversity.

You Were Made to Fly.

-4:09:00 AM
`els

Sunday, April 26

God's sovereign plan

Sometimes i wished i were deaf
Deaf to the world
Deaf to the insensitive words
Words that pierced like darts
Words that cut the heart

But God had other plans
He planned for me to hear
To hear the crying
To hear the troubles of a despaired soul

Sometimes i wished i were blind
Blind to the world
Blind to the faults of those around me
Faults that irked and irritate me
Faults that discouraged me

But God had other plans
He planned for me to see
To see that face joy left
To see that face that now hangs a broken smile

Sometimes i wished i were lame
Weak and limbless to the world
I wouldnt have to run no more
I wouldnt even have to walk

But God had other plans
He planned for me to renew my strength in Him
To mount with wings
To soar as eagles
To fight the fight
To finish the race
And to keep the faith

Sometimes i wised i were just a block of wood
Unfeeling to the world
Distant from the sarcasm,
The harsh words,
The actions that put me down,
The responsibilities i long to shirk
Why me?

I am God's plan
He plans my journey
He planned for me to be the person i am
And should be
He planned for me be.

Phua Song'en Elsia
National Junior College
Track And Field
09SH26

time to pray
take on prayers

-4:01:00 AM
`els

Wednesday, March 4

Jesus said to them,
"Fill the waterpots with water."
And they filled them up to the brim.
-John 2:7

some how, this verse has been
at the back of my mind for awhile.
i stand amazed at the obedience of the servants

after being in school for about fifteen years
homework bores me
extra activities tire me
the mundane life just depresses me

yet,
although these servants who
- were ranked the lowest
- had to suffer in silence
however overbearing their masters were
- were doing the same old things each day

still did they jobs to their fullest ability!

not only did they
obey Jesus's seemingly absurd command,
they filled the pots
TO THE BRIM
they gave Jesus the best effort they could

and that
makes me wonder
what has he called me to do?
makes me ponder
am i still on it?

how often, i start on smth without really accomplishing it
and even if i did,
it wasnt whole heartedly
somehow or another
implications butt in
my efforts die premature

im grateful that God isnt like me

He who has begun the good work in me
WILL complete it till the day of His coming

"God's faithfulness endures to all generations"

so,
wheres the commitment
wheres the passion

i really actually want to give my best
i really actually want to end it strong and well.

"For nothing is impossible with God"
-Luke 1:37

prayer makes things happen

-4:37:00 AM
`els

Sunday, February 8

"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands"

An evangelist
named Sadhu Chellappa
was on a mission trip to a village north of Madras,
when in the middle of the night
he suddenly sensed God speaking to him:
"Leave this house quickly and run away!"

Not exactly a convenient thing to do.
But Chellappa
was accustomed to accepting
even strange instructions from the Lord
without debate,
so he dressed quickly and
ran into the darkness.

After a while, he was in open country.
As he passed beneath a large tree,
he felt God tell him,
"Stay here and start to preach!"
Now, even for an experienced evangelist,
this was puzzling
because there was no one to be seen.

Why did God want him to preach
to an empty field in the middle of the night?

But he stopped under the tree
and began to preach the gospel.
Finally, he reached the point
at which he called on his unseen listeners
to give their lives to Jesus.
He was surprised to hear
a voice from the top of the tree
and see a man climb down, crying.
The man tearfully gave his life to Jesus.
When Chellappa asked why he was
in a tree out in the middle of nowhere,
the man admitted,
"I came out here to hang myself."

how often God calls us to be obedient
to that small voice inside
that can direct us to sometimes do strange things.
Jesus was obedient in ALL things.

God can do exceedingly great things
through you
who is willing to be obedient to His voice.

though His ways we do not fully understand
we know for sure our future is in his hands
its a supernatural knowledge
we have of the final result.
it is victory
victory in Christ.

He will make a way for me.
He will be my guide
He will hold me close.

-5:13:00 AM
`els

Thursday, February 5

Dear God,
I have not always lived blameless.
Please forgive me of that.
I pray that You would make me
a person who lives a life
above reproach,
one who is blameless,
who keeps a good testimony
and reputation.
I want to
grow closer to You every day.
Thank You for covering me
with the blood of Jesus,
for forgiveness of sin,
and for giving me a new life.
You hold my hand because i might let go.
I praise You,
the most blameless of all,
who is always good,
full of grace
and love.
Have mercy on me.
Amen

-6:29:00 AM
`els

Sunday, February 1

Jesus did all of His miracles
as a man, not as God.
Let that sink in.
This is a profound truth
that changes everything.

Pastor Bill Johnson writes: "Jesus alone could not heal the sick.
Neither could He deliver the tormented from demons
or raise the dead.
To believe otherwise is to
ignore what Jesus said about Himself,
and more importantly,
to miss the purpose of His
self-imposed restriction to live as a man.

Jesus said of Himself:
"I tell you the truth,
the Son can do nothing by himself;
he can do only what he sees his Father doing,
because whatever the Father does the Son also does"
'nothing' means NOTHING.
He had NO supernatural capabilities whatsoever

While He is 100 percent God,
He chose to live with the
same limitations that man
would face.

Jesus is the model
for all who would embrace
the invitation to invade the impossible
in His name.
He performed miracles,
wonders, and signs,
as a man in right relationship to God...
not as God.

If He performed miracles because He was God,
miracles would be unattainable for us.
But if He did them as a man,
I am responsible to pursue His lifestyle.

Jesus said
you and I will do
even greater works than He did.

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."
John 14:12-13

The question for each of us is,
"How dependent
and obedient to the Holy Spirit
are we so we can experience this same power?"

-6:08:00 AM
`els

Saturday, January 31

when youre not appreciated
esp by those whom you love
or those who supposedly love you
it sucks

when they put you down
or despise
your plans
it hurts

when they dont trust you
never were
and never will be proud of you
it just breaks your heart

somehow,
im reminded of God
of how he loves us so much
and we too always profess to love him

however,
His good intentions are overseen
His plans for us are never considered
we just dont entirely rely on Him
and it disappoints Him.

He's God!
He's all powerful!
i know i should let God
but its tough,
SO tough

prayer changes things.

-9:11:00 AM
`els