Hello All:D MERRY CHRISTMAS!:D This is the best Christmas I've ever had:D.Thank you God for letting me have friends like you guys.You guys have been a blessing to me.I would like to say that I appreciate all the cards and gifts I've received.Those cards that you guys written,mean a lot to me:) I've been touched by words you all have written.Whenever I read it,from time to time,it just melts my heart and brings me to tears,that God has given me such loving friends.I pray that as the new year begins that,God may you guide us on the right paths.That even as we fall or make mistakes,you'll turn us back to you.Our hearts will have a blazing spark and light,that the warmth of this fire will touch the hearts of others,so that they may come and get to know You,Lord.Thank you for giving us an awesome year ahead that we may draw closer to you and our cell mates.Amen:) Have a BLESSED CHRISTMAS!:D
Okay, I shall be the first one to post in the past few months then. (: Hmm, I think the one thing that I have learnt from yesterday’s sermon really dug deep into me. And into whether I treat God too much like my friend and in thinking that He would do the think our friends does. So much as to not trust Him anymore. Anyways, I think that we have to know that God’s out very special friend and He would never ever do anything to hurt us. So, we can always trust Him. Because He loves us. So much! Really! And I think we all need that reminder- That God really loves us. And no matter what we are going through, He’s there to help us. Just call on Him, trust Him and praise Him.
I gotta keep singing I gotta keep praising Your name Your the one that's keeping my heart beating I gotta keep singing I gotta keep praising Your name That's the only way that I'll find healing
I think I'm drifting further away from God. Seriously, many things are happening now, i really really can't stand it. It's like clouding my relationship with God. The feeling is really bad. I think I'm like so mean. I blame God for all the bad things that he done to me, but if I really did look then, what about all the other people in the world dying of starvation,being tortured or even worse. So yeah, when I think God is being bad to me, I'll praise him, because no matter what, I'm still at a much better state than many other people out there. I know that God would strengthen me through him and make me a much stronger person than before. JL
Have you ever wondered why we're called sheep Bible? I have and I kind of found out why.In my devotion book there are 3 reasons given(:
1. Sheep are stupid(I'll let you make any personal application of that principle to your own life) I feel that the principle of stupidity certainly does apply in my life as I make wrong choices and need a Shepherd (God)to teach me how to make the right choices in life.
2. Sheep are really dirty. They are dirty animals which need someone to keep them clean. That's why sheep need a Shepherd. That's why God calls us sheep as we need a Shepherd to keep us clean.
3. Sheep are defenseless. Most animals have some kind of defense mechanism to protect themselves but not for the sheep. Sheep have no way to defend themselves as they can't bark, spew venom, or have sharp claws. Sheep are defenseless. That's why we need a Shepherd(God) to protect us.
So that was what it said and I felt that it did make sense why we weren't represented by some other animal in the Bible. So yea hope it made sense to you too(: -Natasha.
HERE I AM POSTING! YAY Okay. I wanna post about chinese exams! YAY. HAHA. It was really scary. The day before, my friend said she'll lend me a dictionary, but SHE DIDN'T BRING!! HAHA. I didn't really blame her, cause she just got too nervous about her higher chinese paper. Very common of her. I was like super anxious. I would fail paper 1 without a dictionary. HAHA. cause its the only time I'll seriously write my chinese composition, cause there's two hours for letter writing and the composition. I went around asking like most of the teachers, but they already lent or didn't have. Another friend and I went looking, cause we both didn't have dictionaries, but I helped her got hers but I still didnt have mine. At that point, I was so disappointed. It felt as if, God didn't care about me. I prayed many times to ask him to help me, but even as I walked in the examination classroom, no one saved me. I just accepted that. I was totally racking my brains, I knew many phrases or words, but I didn't know how to write them, which means I need substitute words, which would come out really lame and stuffs. Like around 45 minutes before the exam ended, my best friend who's sitting behind me put her electronic dictionary at the back of my chair. I was thinking. OMGOMG. HAHA. Yeah, and I got to fill in the blanks in my paper. I learnt that we must trust God to do anything for you. He;s like testing our faith in some sense. Like, how he tested (i forgot who) in the bible, by taking all his things away and seeing if he'll still love God. Yeah thats all!:D
Down the Road of Moriah, living the life of endurance.
In a race, there are five stages.
1.Pleasure
2.Drudgery
3.Labour
4.Temptation to quit
5.Endurance/quitting.
à the capacity to finish well is what the New testament calls endurance/perseverance.
Perseverance is the ability to honour commitments when honouring them becomes difficult.
1. In our spiritual lives what phase are we in right now?
Personally, I’m in the drudgery stage. I guess in SSM in June, like all camps, I just really was at stage 1, enjoying EVERY moment, without even a trial at one point. But as the weeks of school began and I returned from that spiritual high, trials and tests both emotional/mental/spiritual that were laid before me make me feel like I’m carrying weights but not to the point of labour. I still enjoy His presence everyday, though the trials are getting increasingly difficult, it helps me magnify Him amidst troubles. (Someone reminded me of this lesson for her own devotions J )
2. What commitments do I have?
Son of the most high king
Son and brother
Studies
Cell
Friendships/younger ones
Hebrews 12: 1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Perseverance through suffering
James 1:2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
àThe biggest factor formative in spiritual growth was suffering,
1. When we face through suffering, look at how it can benefit us, and not at the problem itself.
2. Look to Him for the solutions, not at the problem.
Road to Moriah
Moriah was the road Abraham took on his way to sacrifice Isaac.
“Take your son, your one and only son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burn offering on one of the mountains.”
à It was a dark road to Moriah because it meant Abraham had to give up what he loved the most in the world
à The road was a lonely road because no one knew how Abraham felt. (God actually gave him a son after so many years of waiting (Sarah was ninety! I think) only for him to lose Isaac!) At times during our trials we feel that no one understands, and that’s normal because only He does.
He understands what it meant because; God took Abraham’s place. In every bible story like David/Job/Daniel they all had good endings but for Jesus, God let him die. There was no thundering from heaven saying “STOP” when the nails pierced his flesh. Yes, Jesus rose in 3 days, but then he endured the pain, and God endured the pain Abraham avoided- watching his own son die.
The role of testing
Testing is only for the people who have a relationship with God. So if you’re going through a trial, it pretty much means you’re enjoying an act of love on God’s part.
Q: How was Abraham able to walk that road up to the mountain to sacrifice Isaac, the road must have been a pretty depressing journey.
à He remembered God’s promise to make him the father of all nations. In our trials, look to the bible for His promises.
Eg. Seek first his kingdom, and all these things shall be added unto you
I have plans for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you.
à Every journey has a beginning, middle and an end. When we’re in the middle, no one is allowed to know what the end will be.
- Abraham chose to walk in faith down the road of Moriah, when you’re in your trial, will you walk in faith?
Q: why does God test us?
To teach us to depend on Him
Transformation in our lives
Glorify Him and be a testament to others
To test our faithfulness
What does it mean for YOU to be faithful in the dark land of Moriah?
I.e. What trials are you facing now, no matter how big or small?
“Suffering alone does not produce perseverance. Only suffering that is endured somehow in faith produces it.” John Ortberg
When Jesus was bound, no voice cried out to stay the ropes, when the blade pierced his body, no power held it back. This time, no other sacrifice was provided. This time the Son died on the cross. This time the Father grieved.
But the third day came; as it will come someday for you and me, meanwhile, don’t quit, persevere.
