Yup, dear brothers and sisters, let's lay our burdens before God.
Thank God for all that you've been through.
Continue praying until something happens.
Most of all, believe and have faith when you pray! (:
God bless,
JO.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
PRAY AND THANK GOD
Yup, dear brothers and sisters, let's lay our burdens before God.
Thank God for all that you've been through.
Continue praying until something happens.
Most of all, believe and have faith when you pray! (:
God bless,
JO.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
If you're not choosing to spend regular time with God, then you're choosing to die spiritually.
In many cultures, life is centered around food. Very few people in the western world would go for more than 10 or 12 hours without food or drink. Besides the fact that food is built into culture, doing so would make one very hungry.
Many people wouldn't dare going physically hungry; yet they starve themselves spiritually. If you ate food only once a week, you'd certainly die of starvation and malnutrition. Yet countless Christians do exactly that in their spiritual lives.
It is no wonder that Jesus called himself the bread of life (John 6:35). In order to grow spiritually, you must feed on spiritual food -- God's word.
Have the attitude found in Isaiah 26:8: Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Make it your desire to know God better.
When you regularly spend time with God -- praying, seeking him, and studying his word -- you will thrive spiritually. Take some advice from the psalmist: Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always (Psalm 105:4).
Make time with God a priority in your live. If you made being well fed spiritually as important as be well fed physically, your relationship with God would thrive.
extract from : http://www.christnotes.org/ww.php?d=2010-04-12
Dear brothers and sisters, let us regard His presence and the relationship with our Lord as the most important thing in our life ! Let us never to doubt it or take it for granted! :)
-jo
In many cultures, life is centered around food. Very few people in the western world would go for more than 10 or 12 hours without food or drink. Besides the fact that food is built into culture, doing so would make one very hungry.
Many people wouldn't dare going physically hungry; yet they starve themselves spiritually. If you ate food only once a week, you'd certainly die of starvation and malnutrition. Yet countless Christians do exactly that in their spiritual lives.
It is no wonder that Jesus called himself the bread of life (John 6:35). In order to grow spiritually, you must feed on spiritual food -- God's word.
Have the attitude found in Isaiah 26:8: Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Make it your desire to know God better.
When you regularly spend time with God -- praying, seeking him, and studying his word -- you will thrive spiritually. Take some advice from the psalmist: Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always (Psalm 105:4).
Make time with God a priority in your live. If you made being well fed spiritually as important as be well fed physically, your relationship with God would thrive.
extract from : http://www.christnotes.org/ww.php?d=2010-04-12
Dear brothers and sisters, let us regard His presence and the relationship with our Lord as the most important thing in our life ! Let us never to doubt it or take it for granted! :)
-jo
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Happy Easter Day!
As Christians, we believe that Jesus resurrected after 3 days from His death.
Through His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty for sin, thus purchasing for all who believe in him, eternal life in Christ Jesus.
YAY! Let's thank God for His Sacrificial Love for us even though we are not worthy and don't deserve it, not even a single bit.
HAPPY EASTER DAY ! :D
-jo
What is Good Friday?
Good Friday, the Friday before Easter Sunday, is a day when Christians remember Jesus' death on the cross.
For Christians, Good Friday is a time to be with Jesus in his time of suffering and wait with him in hope of God's promise, eternal life to all who believe. The "good" in Good Friday reflects the Christian hope of resurrection and new life in Jesus, foreshadowing Easter Sunday, when Christians believe that God resurrected Jesus from the dead.
Why is Good Friday called Good?
The words good and celebrate don’t seem like the right words to explain this holy day but they are.
Good Friday is celebrated the Friday before Easter Sunday. As with Easter Sunday, Good Friday does not fall on the same date each year. This is because Good Friday is a moveable feast and it is based on a lunar calendar similar to the Hebrew Calendar. Most other American holidays, like the Fourth of July, are based on the regular calendar known as the Gregorian Calendar, which is a solar calendar.
As discussed in Chris Armstrong's article titled "The Goodness of Good Friday," dated August 8, 2008 and found on the Christian History website, there are many explanations for why such a solemn day is called good. The Old English word for holy is good, so that translates to Holy Friday. Another thought is that Good Friday comes from “God’s Friday,” just like “good-bye” is derived from “God be with ye.” The simplest explanation is that the day is truly good because in Christ’s death, God had the last word. His people were redeemed by the death of Jesus Christ.
The Cross and Good Friday
Good Friday is the day that Christians focus especially on the cross and Jesus' sacrifice for the sins of the world. The cross is a central symbol of the Christian faith. Christians believe that Jesus, son of God, died to save all believers from sin, all that separates human beings from God. The cross reminds Christians of Jesus' death and their salvation, how Jesus saved them from death by dying in their place.
Jesus' crucifixion, death on the cross, is the source of eternal life for all who believe according to Christian teaching. Jesus put himself in the place of every believer's sins as he suffered for the whole world by sacrificing his own life.
Atonement, Jesus giving himself for the sins of Christians, saves all Christians from hell and suffering. Good Friday is a time for Christians to remember Jesus' sacrifice and reflect on how the cross has saved them from their sins
extract from:
http://catholic-practices.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_is_good_friday
http://protestantism.suite101.com/article.cfm/good_friday_meaning_and_purpose
Christ's death is celebrated by Christians around the world in many different ways but the signifigance of this holy day is universal; if Jesus had not suffered and died, we would not have been saved by his resurrection, so let's commemorate this day in rememberance of our precious Lord Jesus who died for us(:
-jo
For Christians, Good Friday is a time to be with Jesus in his time of suffering and wait with him in hope of God's promise, eternal life to all who believe. The "good" in Good Friday reflects the Christian hope of resurrection and new life in Jesus, foreshadowing Easter Sunday, when Christians believe that God resurrected Jesus from the dead.
Why is Good Friday called Good?
The words good and celebrate don’t seem like the right words to explain this holy day but they are.
Good Friday is celebrated the Friday before Easter Sunday. As with Easter Sunday, Good Friday does not fall on the same date each year. This is because Good Friday is a moveable feast and it is based on a lunar calendar similar to the Hebrew Calendar. Most other American holidays, like the Fourth of July, are based on the regular calendar known as the Gregorian Calendar, which is a solar calendar.
As discussed in Chris Armstrong's article titled "The Goodness of Good Friday," dated August 8, 2008 and found on the Christian History website, there are many explanations for why such a solemn day is called good. The Old English word for holy is good, so that translates to Holy Friday. Another thought is that Good Friday comes from “God’s Friday,” just like “good-bye” is derived from “God be with ye.” The simplest explanation is that the day is truly good because in Christ’s death, God had the last word. His people were redeemed by the death of Jesus Christ.
The Cross and Good Friday
Good Friday is the day that Christians focus especially on the cross and Jesus' sacrifice for the sins of the world. The cross is a central symbol of the Christian faith. Christians believe that Jesus, son of God, died to save all believers from sin, all that separates human beings from God. The cross reminds Christians of Jesus' death and their salvation, how Jesus saved them from death by dying in their place.
Jesus' crucifixion, death on the cross, is the source of eternal life for all who believe according to Christian teaching. Jesus put himself in the place of every believer's sins as he suffered for the whole world by sacrificing his own life.
Atonement, Jesus giving himself for the sins of Christians, saves all Christians from hell and suffering. Good Friday is a time for Christians to remember Jesus' sacrifice and reflect on how the cross has saved them from their sins
extract from:
http://catholic-practices.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_is_good_friday
http://protestantism.suite101.com/article.cfm/good_friday_meaning_and_purpose
Christ's death is celebrated by Christians around the world in many different ways but the signifigance of this holy day is universal; if Jesus had not suffered and died, we would not have been saved by his resurrection, so let's commemorate this day in rememberance of our precious Lord Jesus who died for us(:
-jo
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Being Optimistic not Pessimistic!
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
(Philippians 4:13)
I Can Vs. I Can't
He who THINKS he can, very likely can and will! Likewise, he/she who THINKS they can't is right, and surely will not, because they will follow what they THINK.
Some people fail to begin the Christian life, thinking they can't hold out! Some start and drop out, thinking there are too many difficulties! Many, as Paul, under difficult circumstances finish the course (2 Tim. 4:6-8). With the mind set that they could, they did.
Determination comes from having decided that one CAN and thus they will, because God will enable them to do so! Beloved, let us have the mind set that Paul manifested and therefore, we'll achieve good things on earth and be prepared for the blessing of heaven! Let each of us say with the apostle, "I can do all things through Christian who strengthens me."
Christ is the avenue to real spiritual success.
Strength is provided for me, you and anyone who willingly submits! Paul attributed all his success to the strength given him by the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So, must we all recognize and accept that fact: without Him we can actually do very little or nothing that really counts in the eternal perspective (Jn. 15:4).
Conclusion: Look at Paul, Daniel and others --in difficult situation purposed Not to be defeated; understanding each can succeed!
1. Only in and through Christ!
2. He'll give us strength -- when we are weak enough to depend on Him, we are strongest! Beloved each of us can do all things that REALLY COUNT through Christ who strengthens!
extract from: http://www.bible.ca/ef/expository-philippians-4-13.htm
Fellow brothers and sisters, let's learn to lean on God and His Strength always. Remember that there is nothing that you and the Lord can't handle together today (:
-jo (finally signing off with my name)
Saturday, February 20, 2010
praying even when you feel spiritually dry
Why I must pray even when I don’t feel like it
I’m feeling very convicted by what I read in Don Carson’s book, “A Call to Spiritual Reformation“.
Some time ago I developed a very strange way to evaluate my prayer life that actually led me to pray less. Originally this helped to alleviate my feelings of guilt about not being as prayerful as the giants of the faith, and it ironically arose from a deeper grasp of the doctrine of my salvation by grace alone. Where before I had wrongly viewed prayer as an obligation to earn God’s love and acceptance, yet because I now knew it was not by my prayerfulness or any other good works that I am saved and justified, I find myself less motivated to pray. Why should that be?
I say things like “I’m sure God doesn’t want me to pray out of obligation”, and “praying when I don’t feel like it means I am doing it to justify myself and earn brownie points, thus nullifying the Cross, and that’s wrong”. I was thinking that to please the Lord by praying more is to deny the power of the Cross. But what was good and right was that I came to see I didn’t have to pray in order to get grace and love from God. Whenever I was tired or dry, or just don’t feel like praying I’d simply say “It’s okay not to pray.” I sure thought I was avoiding legalism successfully.
Don Carson writes in the chapter on ‘Excuses for Not Praying” that we are in fact ‘casting a terrible slur on the cross when we act as if the usefulness or acceptability of our prayers turns on whether we feel full or dry’ (pg 114). And then he describes a further error I make, which is ‘to assign to my mood or my feelings the right to determine what I ought to do (which is) unbearably self-centered. It is to act as if the Bible never says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Rom 12:12, emphasis added)’ (pg 115)
Of course it’s catastrophic and heretical to think that my prayerfulness earns my salvation, justifies me before God, and is the basis of his love for me. But, on the basis of the Cross alone, now that I am reconciled to him, it would be more atrocious notto seek him in regular prayer, which is essentially communion witth him.
As one preacher I’ve been learning from often puts it: It’s not that we ought to pray, but we get to pray. To the God of the Universe, who loves me not on the basis of my saintliness or prayerfulness but on the basis of his own faithful love! So I should pray even when I feel spiritually dry. It’s my privilege and also a command which I should love to obey, because it’s for my good that he has commanded it.
I’m feeling very convicted by what I read in Don Carson’s book, “A Call to Spiritual Reformation“.
Some time ago I developed a very strange way to evaluate my prayer life that actually led me to pray less. Originally this helped to alleviate my feelings of guilt about not being as prayerful as the giants of the faith, and it ironically arose from a deeper grasp of the doctrine of my salvation by grace alone. Where before I had wrongly viewed prayer as an obligation to earn God’s love and acceptance, yet because I now knew it was not by my prayerfulness or any other good works that I am saved and justified, I find myself less motivated to pray. Why should that be?
I say things like “I’m sure God doesn’t want me to pray out of obligation”, and “praying when I don’t feel like it means I am doing it to justify myself and earn brownie points, thus nullifying the Cross, and that’s wrong”. I was thinking that to please the Lord by praying more is to deny the power of the Cross. But what was good and right was that I came to see I didn’t have to pray in order to get grace and love from God. Whenever I was tired or dry, or just don’t feel like praying I’d simply say “It’s okay not to pray.” I sure thought I was avoiding legalism successfully.
Don Carson writes in the chapter on ‘Excuses for Not Praying” that we are in fact ‘casting a terrible slur on the cross when we act as if the usefulness or acceptability of our prayers turns on whether we feel full or dry’ (pg 114). And then he describes a further error I make, which is ‘to assign to my mood or my feelings the right to determine what I ought to do (which is) unbearably self-centered. It is to act as if the Bible never says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Rom 12:12, emphasis added)’ (pg 115)
Of course it’s catastrophic and heretical to think that my prayerfulness earns my salvation, justifies me before God, and is the basis of his love for me. But, on the basis of the Cross alone, now that I am reconciled to him, it would be more atrocious notto seek him in regular prayer, which is essentially communion witth him.
As one preacher I’ve been learning from often puts it: It’s not that we ought to pray, but we get to pray. To the God of the Universe, who loves me not on the basis of my saintliness or prayerfulness but on the basis of his own faithful love! So I should pray even when I feel spiritually dry. It’s my privilege and also a command which I should love to obey, because it’s for my good that he has commanded it.
source: http://www.victorcandy.com/2009/10/why-i-must-pray-even-when-i-dont-feel-like-it/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So let's apply what we've learnt and start a prayerful life by taking everything to our God in prayer!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
ANNOUNCEMENTS
sorry for the lack of updating.
big thank you to all of you who are still checking out this blog!
i have a few announcements to make.
#1: Anshao camp is in 6 days time!!
Remember to pack your bags and prepare your hearts for the camp!
Also, for those who have not pay up, please pay by this Sunday (13dec) to Esther or Grace.
The shirts have been nicely printed, we will be able to get it on Tuesday (15dec) itself :D
#2: Caroling!
For those who have signed up for caroling or are interested, there will be a short practice on Sunday (13 dec), from 11am - 1130am.
Let me know if you guys want the list of songs, i can email you guys. :D
#3: Last day of the year.
Thanksgiving dinner on 31 Dec will be held at Yan Ge Restaurant, situated in Chinatown.
There will be programmes, other than food, lined up for you!
Those who have not paid, please pass the money to Junyan.
If you face any financial difficulties, feel free to look for any Daoshis or Junyan.
After the dinner, everyone is encouraged to go back to church to attend Watch Night Service.
We'll be sharing our thanksgiving for the church and ourselves, praying and counting down together!
Annual Unofficial Anshao Stayover is not confirmed yet.
More details and information to be released at a later date.
Do check out your Fackbook events and remind your friends to visit this space + fb!
HAVE A BLESSED WEEK AHEAD! :D :D :D
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