Psalm 27

Psalm 27
Of David.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—

whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life—

of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evil men advance against me

to devour my flesh,

when my enemies and my foes attack me,

they will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,

my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me,

even then will I be confident.
4 One thing I ask of the LORD,

this is what I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD

and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle

and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted

above the enemies who surround me;

at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the LORD.
7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;

be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"

Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,

do not turn your servant away in anger;

you have been my helper.

Do not reject me or forsake me,

O God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,

the LORD will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD;

lead me in a straight path

because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,

for false witnesses rise up against me,

breathing out violence.
13 I am still confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the LORD

in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the LORD.

It might be you?

IT MIGHT BE YOU (Stephen Bishop)

Time, I've been passing time watching trains go by
All of my life
Lying on the sand watching seabirds fly
Wishing there could be someone
Waiting home for me

Something's telling me it might be you
It's telling me it might be you
All of my life

Looking back as lovers go walking past
All of my life
Wondering how they met and what makes it last
If I found the place would I recognize the face

Something's telling me it might be you
It's telling me it might be you
So many quiet walks to take
So many dreams to wake and there's so much love to make

I think we're gonna need some time
Maybe all we need is time
And it's telling me it might be you
All of my life

I've been saving love songs and lullabies
And there's so much more
No one's ever heard before
Something's telling me it might be you
Yeah, it's telling me it must be you and
I'm feeling it'll just be you
All of my life
It's you, it's you I've been waiting for all of my life
Maybe it's you Maybe it's you I've been waiting for all of my life.

HI all, thanks to all the prayers. God's the faithful one. He saw us thru all . safe n sound. beautiful memories made. wonderful experiences shared by one n all.
There's so many things to thank god for. Thank God for protection. None of us were sick for more than 2 days. there were 2 students who fell sick - one had food poisoning, the other had flu - after we reached the village but after praying for them and resting for a day, both of them were up and well the next day! Isn't God amazing!

Thank God for all the kind people whom we met thru out the trip!
The 2 officials- wang shu [our baby-sitter ] and dan shu [our bus driver]- who accompanied us thru the 8 days in the village. they truely served us humbly. both in actions and life sharing they even woke up early one cold morning to repair the bus so that we could go to work on time! Wang Shu will always watch out for us, serving us all [those on the same table as him] with food before he eats.
the engineer - Zhao Bin [a christian local]. He partners with Dr Tan in all these humanitarin projects volunteerily. His heart to help the poor are admirable!
Sha Secretary - who took good care of our food and well being thruout our stay at her villa [on halfway of a mountain]. she's always the first to be up and last to sleep.
the workers at the villa - the chef who cooked for us to suit our singaporean taste, the 2 ladies who served us, the caretaker who wash the toliet for us...
The ex-lepers whom we visited. the old lady stil ard, but blinded.
The students whom we revisited. their warmth towards us. some of our NUS students had decided to keep in touch by writing to them. and they started their first letter to the kids before they left!
The kind and hardworking villagers whom we worked tog with on the reservoir project. they even roasted 2 huge buckets of potatoes for us on one of the days! serving us with hot tea....

Most if not all the students' feedback during our debrief on the last nite had been encouragin and touching to our hearts. Most imptly, hearts and lives had been touched by God's love for each and everyone of them. interestingly, quite a few of them had contacts with Christianity even way before when they were little, eg attended church,went missionary schools, read the bible before,etc. and most had opened up and receptive as we shared from the scriptures [as compared to the beginning]. We used the book "Tuesdays with Morrie", one topic each day to talk about issues that are close to us.eg, culture, death, money, etc.

Though i did not have the capacity to hang with the students this year, as compared to last batch, but God still used the limited time i had with a few to minister to them, sowing seeds into their hearts, revealing himself to them. God also used different ones [believers in the team] to minister to those who had not known Him.

What was most memorable are the times of devotions in the morning, how God used the passages each of us prepared beforehand to minister to us. The running theme was ALL ABOUT HIM, our relationship with Him not abt wat we do for him . Praise be to God:)

Not forgetting the breathe taking view on top of the mountain behind the villa. :) we scaled it 2 times, once on the first day we reached. the other on the morning before we left :)

one of my prayers for the team was that each of us will experience God in our own unqiue way. And i believed God did, whether we knew it or not.

Do continue to pray along for:
1. God to draw those whose hearts are ready to join us in our Bible study group.
2. God to continue to work in the lives of these students even after they return
3. the seeds that were sown will not be snatched away but be reaped and bear fruits for God in His due time.

On a personal note, i had been very challenged from the start- what if God do not bless this trip? wat if God decide not to grant favor? etc.. but indeed "in all things God works for the good of those who love him..."

touched once again by God's love..
jing :)

Drowning...

An article i felt it spoke my state of heart now...

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Single MindedWeek of November 13 - 19, 2005
Drowning

Cease striving and know that I am God; Psalm 46:10a NASB

"Lord, I'm so tired today. I'm overwhelmed. I have no strength or motivation. I'm frustrated. My emotions are on edge. I'm evaluating everyone around me and it's left me very unsettled. Evaluating myself has caused confusion. I'm drowning and I need a lifeline. But then, I haven't sat down with You, to listen to You, to share my thoughts with You. I say that 'I trust You, Lord,' but I haven't actually done that with my whole heart. I've been too wrapped up in the world, too busy to make time for You and me. It's no wonder I feel so tired. I'm finding it so hard to take time to be quiet. I long for – solitude, stillness, no interruptions, quietness… a place where I can 'cease striving' and know you are God. Lord, will you please help me?"
Have you ever felt this way?

Lately I've been so busy. I've been carrying my Bible in the car with me just so I can read it whenever I have a few minute… like perhaps waiting in the parking lot to meet a friend for dinner. I've been reaching out to others in need, encouraging friends in need of hope, serving at my church, doing repairs around the house, seeing people I haven't seen in a while, starting a new job. It seems the list is endless. Some days I'm so overwhelmed and I'm not sure how much more I can take. I literally fall asleep from exhaustion except that when I wake up I feel like I've not slept a wink. It's in the midst of this merry-go-round, I realize I'm trying to do all of it on my own.

I realize I can't handle all of these things apart from God. Lately, that's what I've been trying to do. I spend a lot of time in prayer throughout the day– but I haven't spent a lot of time alone with God. Prayer alone is not enough. I need time alone with Him. No wonder I feel like I'm drowning.

Have you ever tried to rescue someone who is drowning? It's extremely difficult. As the person panics, their arms are flailing about them, they are struggling and grabbing, trying desperately to save themselves – which is impossible under the circumstances. It makes it all the more difficult for you to help them because they are struggling so much.
I read the verse above and realized the Lord wants me to stop trying so hard. I'm struggling too much.

cease: to come to an end

striving: to devote serious effort or energy; to struggle in opposition

know: to have understanding of; to be acquainted or familiar with; to be aware of the truth or factuality of: be convinced or certain of

God is telling us – you and me - to stop trying so hard, stop struggling against Him. We are trying to do things in our own power, apart from Him and it's like trying to save a drowning person who is fighting against you… it's useless.

God is in control. He is powerful. He has strength we can't even begin to comprehend. In His hands we can overcome any situation. But in order to do that, we must wait for Him. He is our lifeline. We must cease striving and know He is God.

I went through my Bible and found the following scriptures reminding me of this. I'd like to share them with you. Maybe you can print this out or write the verses on index cards to read throughout the day when you are tired and overwhelmed. Meditate on these words. Let them permeate your heart and your mind. Rest in Him and let Him be your lifeline. He wants to rescue you and me from drowning in despair.

My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.Psalm 62: 5-6 NASB

I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry.Psalm 40:1 NASB

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;Psalm 37:7 NASB

Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 NASB

I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.Psalm 130:5-6 NASB

I wonder just how excited the watchman was to see the morning come. He's been up all night, alert, at attention, ready, watching in case the city comes under attack. He has an awesome responsibility – to keep watch on the city and the people that live there.

I've tried to stay up all night… it's tough. Our bodies are trained to sleep when it gets dark. I can only imagine how hard it must have been to be the one who kept watch during the night. He was probably very eager to see the sun rise in the east giving way to light.

This is exactly how we are to wait for the Lord. Excited, eager, alert and ready.
And just like the watchman, we must wait. It's not a passive act of waiting, but an active form of waiting. Instead of flailing our arms about as if we are drowning without any hope of help or a lifeline, we should wait patiently, trust Him, rest in Him and simply know… He is God!

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Thank You Abba FAther for ur love for me ~:)

contemplated the whole nite whether to ask the fren [who was doing me a favor to exchange for a pair of brooks running shoes [credits required: 30++points] with his credits in the SAF store] if i could 'upgrade' my request to a pair of mizuno instead, but costs 70++ points.

i hate to ask this as i was already 'using' his credits to exchange for a pair of free shoes.. but i figured our friendship should be able to take this request. So finally, in the morning when he asked for confirmation, i mustered my courage and asked... the reply i got was:
"there's only new balance or brooks in the store, u think it's a departmental store meh.how?"

i was really hurt. part of the reason i dared ask was also because my brother got his mizuno from the same SAF store too [at least this is wat i assumed.coz he told me he got his with 70++ points from his credit]. i tried to remind myself that this friend is doing me a favor, so i replied:
"oh that's strange.coz my brother got his from the store.its ok then, pls get me brooks k. thanks."

few minutes later, the reply was:
"found a last pair for you, but it looked as if it had been tried but still looks new.do you mind?"

oh God! how can i ask for? again i'm reminded i'm asking a favor from this friend. tho' in my heart, it was still sore from the previous reply. yet i said:
"okiez...i dun mind. thanks."

in my heart, i was wondering if it had been too demanding of me to ask for this favor in the first place! i am not a person who demands alot from others. whenever i can, i'll always do it myself. but again, i'm reminded that i'm asking a favor from others, so i should learn to be content in whatever was given to me.

"haha... guess wat, i got you a new pair fresh from the truck! it's a brand new pair!"

wow praise god! when i saw this sms, i knew it's God's little secret surprise for me!:)
He wants to tell me that He cares when i think he doesn't. :)
thank you LORD!
thank God for this friend too. i know he's already very tight with many other things on his hands, and yet he still made the effort and time to go exchange this shoes for me. how can i still complain? :)

Making Good Memories

this title is taken from a friend's blog.

here's an excerpt from her blog:
"try to live in such a way that when we are apart from one another, we only have good memories of each other."

so here i am blogging, after a friend's comment that i haven't blogged for ages.
[fren: happy now? :P]

ya. i should really start to make good memories before i leave for nz...
tho i'm only going to be away for a year, it's started to dawn on me that i have very little time left before i leave... that's only about 4 months from now to Feb.. and in between i'll be away in Yunnan with a group of students ... hmm.. will i have the time to say my goodbyes before i leave?

there's tons of things to do for now.. yet so much mixed emotions inside me too.
i remembered the day i sent bern & family off ... the mixed feelings i have inside me. in a way happy that they can finally take a break, yet can't bear to have them leave me...

i can't bear to even imagine the day i leave.. can't bear to leave my loved ones behind..
i dun think i can handle it. i'll get the most unearthly-hour flight n leave. juz a quiet one with my family... if not it'll be too much for me to handle...

til then, make good memories to safekeep n remember when i'm away...

"...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things..."
~ Phil 4:8

The Source of HOPE

Read this Sermon from www.thisdaysthought.org . enjoy it!

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The Source Of Hope

Romans 15:1-15:6 (NIV, NIRV, TNIV, KJV)

While hunting, Larry and Elmer got lost in the woods. Trying to reassure his friend, Larry said, "Don’t worry. All we have to do is shoot into the air 3 times, stay where we are, and someone will find us."
They shot in the air 3 times, but no one came. After a while, they tried again. Still no response. When they decided to try once more, Elmer said, "I hope it works this time. We’re down to our last 3 arrows."

Larry and Elmer were putting their hope in the advice of others, even though they didn’t understand that that advice didn’t apply to shooting arrows.

People in difficult circumstances often rely on advice of
· friends
· neighbors
· and experts
Just like Larry & Elmer, they will listen to others, placing their hope in the wisdom and experience of those they trust.

Hope is vital - in fact it’s critical - for our every day survival in life.

God understands that. That’s why, in Romans 15:4 we’re told: "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have HOPE."

When we speak of this type of hope. We’re not talking about the kind of hope I had when I was in Florida recently. My boy Jonathan was about 2 years old and I took him out for a walk. I’d heard of snakes and fire ants and wild cats in the jungle nearby, and as Jonathan walked, I scanned the ground "hoping" not to find any of these things.

That’s not the kind of hope that God talks about. His kind of "hope" could best be described as an attitude of confidence, expectation, and trust.

In Job 6:11-13, Job says: "What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient? Do I have the strength of stone? Is my flesh bronze? Do I have any power to help myself, now that success has been driven from me?"

Job was saying that if he had Godly hope, he would be confident and he would live expecting good things to happen.

Proverbs 29:18 tells us "Where there is no vision the people perish."

That is, without hope, people huddle up in the corner and die. No vision/ hope - no life.

Turn to Hebrews 6:17-20. We’re told there: "Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.
God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the HOPE offered to us may be GREATLY ENCOURAGED. We have this hope as an ANCHOR FOR THE SOUL, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."

Our hope, as Christians, is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ.

I Corinthians 13 tells us that one of the three greatest gifts God gives us is "hope."

Thus Hope is such a valuable gift from God… I want to know how I can get that kind of Hope.

I. Romans 15:4 says we gain hope by "Endurance"

It is God’s good pleasure to give you the desire of your hearts. BUT, it is God’s practice not to always give us what we want when we want it. Thus we learn to wait upon God and learn endurance.

But, why would God delay fulfilling that which we hope for?

One possible reason would be: so that we would gain "appreciation" for what He gives when it arrives. For example, when God created Adam, He didn’t immediately give him Eve. We’re told: "The LORD God said, ’It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him’" (Genesis 2:18). Then, almost inexplicably, God asks Adam to name all the animals. What? Couldn’t God figure out names for all these creatures? Sure He could. But God wanted Adam to see and review all the rest of creation BEFORE Eve was taken from his side. Thus, when Adam first sets his eyes on Eve, he declares: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman, ‘for she was taken out of man" (Genesis 2:23). God delayed in creating Eve, so that Adam would fully understand and appreciate the value of what he was to receive.

Another possibility would be our need for purification and strengthening. Romans 5:1-5 tells us:
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

God’s delays serve to prepare us to handle the responsibilities of our desires and the gifts we receive from God.

My son Jonathan wanted to help with dishes at age 2, so I gave him spatula and let him hold it under faucet - he wasn’t mature yet to do anything else. So also, many of the things we desire in this life - we’re not ready to handle yet. We’re not mature enough.

II. Romans 15:4 tells us that another way to gain God’s kind of Hope is through the encouragement of Scripture.

Psalm 119 reinforces this truth:
(vs. 43) "Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws."
(vs. 74) "May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word."
(vs. 81) " My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word."
(vs. 114) "You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word."
(vs. 147) "I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word."

Not only can we hope IN His word we can obtain hope FROM His word.

I recently read this story from Guideposts: "It was a beautiful spring day, and a sense of peace stayed with me as I left the cathedral on Easter Monday morning. I paused for a moment on top of the steps leading to the avenue, now crowded with people rushing to their jobs. Sitting in her usual place inside a small archway was the old flower lady. At her feet corsages and boutonnieres were parading on top of a spread-open newspaper. The flower lady was smiling, her wrinkled old face alive with some inner joy. I started down the stairs - then, on impulse, turned and picked out a flower. As I put it in my lapel, I said, "You took happy this morning."
"Why not? Everything is good."
She was dressed so shabbily and seemed so very old that her reply startled me.
"You’ve been sitting here for many years now, haven’t you? And always smiling. You wear your troubles well.""
"You can’t reach my age and not have troubles." she replied. "Only it’s like Jesus and Good Friday. .. ’ She paused for a moment.
"Yes?" I prompted.
"Well. when Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, that was the worst day for the whole world. And when I get troubles I remember that. and then I think of what happened only three days later-Easter and our Lord arising. So when I get troubles, I’ve learned to wait three days ... somehow everything gets all right again."

And she smiled good-bye. Her words still follow me whenever I think I have troubles. Give God a chance to help... wait three days.

The Word of God fills us with hope because it gives us examples of the faithfulness of God and the way in which He can and will work in our lives. For example:

There is Principle that repeated regularly throughout scripture. It is a description of how almost all the great lives of God’s people went through a 3 stage process.

First there was a vision given of great potential. One man described this as "the birth of a vision."

Next, the vision, the hope that was placed in the future of their hope, was destroyed (the death of the vision).

And lastly, their was the fulfillment of the original vision.

Consider the promise Abraham received that he and his wife would have a son. Abraham believed the promise originally, but when God visited him on the plains of Mamre, Genesis 18:11 tells us "Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing." 9 months later, Isaac was born in fulfillment of the vision.
At the age of 17, Joseph received a vision that prophesied he would be a man of greatness. Almost immediately, his brothers began to hate him, and when the opportunity arose - they sought to kill him and ended up selling him into slavery. Later, when his brothers were reunited with him, Joseph calmed their fears that he would seek revenge by saying: "you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good."

At a very young age, David was given the promise of Kingship by Samuel. But once he was introduced to Saul - when he came close to the throne he’d been promised - he spent the next several years running and in exile from a man who sought to kill him. But in due time, God came through on His promise.

And, of course, there is the story of Jesus who came to become the King of Israel. But, rejected by the people and plotted against by their leaders, He suffered and died a terrible death. Three days later (as the woman on Easter noted) everything changed, and the promise was fulfilled.

So, we attain God’s kind of Hope by Endurance, by the Encouragement of Scripture… and lastly

III. Romans 15:1-2 tells us we attain God’s Hope by true servanthood.

Do you remember what the Disciples always seemed to be arguing about? Who is the greatest? Jesus replied: "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves." (Luke 22:25-27)

Servanthood is God’s way of making us great. That’s because God created us to be happiest, and most fulfilled, and most at peace, when we learn to serve others

In the town of Port Hope, Canada there is a monument erected, not for the leading citizen who just died, but for a poor, unselfish working man who gave most of his life and energy to help those who could not repay him.

Joseph Scriven was born in Dublin 1820. In his youth, he had the prospect of a great citizen with high ideals and great aspirations. He was engaged to a beautiful young woman who had promised to share his dream, but on the eve of their wedding her body was pulled from a pond into which she had accidentally fallen and drowned. Young Scriven never overcame the shock. Although a college graduate and ready embark on a brilliant career, he began to wander to try to forget his sorrow. His wanderings took him to Canada where he spent the last forty-one of his sixty-years. He became a very devout Christian. His beliefs led him to do servile labor for poor widows and sick people. He often served for no wages.
It was not known that Mr. Scriven had any poetic gifts until a short time before his death. A friend, who was sitting with him in an illness, discovered a poem he had written to his mother in a time of sorrow; not intending that anyone else should see it. His poem was later set to music and has become a much loved Gospel song. It is said to be the first song that many missionaries teach their converts. In polls taken to determine the popularity of hymns and Gospel songs, his poem set to music is always near the top.
What was his poem?

What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear.
What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer.
Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh what needless pain we bear;
All because we do not carry, Everything to God in prayer.

Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

THE KEY - to true Hope is to focus on God

By Jeff Strite
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