Today God gave me the biggest revelation yet in quite a long while ever since i entered NS... i decided to spend half my afternoon today reflecting back as well as "trying" to seek God by reading his word, but to be honest, it took me a loooooooong time before i actually got something from God, and that's when God taught me PATIENCE today!
God can't always appear to you in this SUPER NATURAL INSTANTANEOUS way! Like how He did to me a lot of times in the past years, now God taught me a valuable new lesson, and it all started when i found an old slip of paper in a notebook that i use to keep valuable lessons from God, it had some writings of a vision and verses that was written for me at a YM GAP meeting many mths back! I remember chieh ming prayed for me and there was a scribe who took down the prayers. (The slip of paper said this "VISION of TREE, Psalms 1:1-3, Jeremiah 17:7-8, Picture of a tree roots deep, reach Living Water")
And you know why those writings seem so striking to my heart today,as the devotion that i was reading was TALKING ABOUT THAT EXACT same verses! First there was a statement that said "Slow growth is GOOD GROWTH!... it is the same as the garden of the soul." The scripture verse was this...
18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.2 Peter 3:18 (New International Version)
And the FURTHER READING verses given were PSALMS 1:1-3 and JEREMIAH 17:7-8! THATS what shocked me! Not one verse was similar but TWO!
(the devotion book that i was reading)
Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (New International Version)
7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.
8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."
When i read it, it just gave me a DEEP SENSE of assurance from the LORD that... sometimes i just need to continue to trust in the Lord's plans,i may not get the very "EXPERIENTIAL feeling" from God as often as last time, but i just need to continue to just meditate on his laws and to wait PATIENTLY for Him...just like a tree planted, where you can't rush the growth of it, as the roots need to penetrate slowly but deeply into the ground where the foundation will be stronger as the days come and it will also then reach deep into the LIVING Waters of the Lord!
This is a script of the message i was led to share at the recent God’s Clay Retreat@ Praisehaven (26 to 28 December 2009) after coming across an article from the tidings... part of this message has been adapted from that article...
PASSION! - Ben Lau (adapted from Tidings 2009 Quarter 4 pg 12-13 Passion to Glorify God by Ng Kwee Choo
Questions: What’s Passion to you?
Pas⋅sion (DICTIONARY.com) 1. any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling,. 6. a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything:
11. a. the sufferings of Christ on the cross or His sufferings subsequent to the Last Supper. b. the narrative of Christ's sufferings as recorded in the Gospels.
Acts 1:3, meaning suffering, referring to the sufferings of our Lord. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1) What’s your primary purpose on earth?
Westminster Shorter Catechism Q. 1. What is the chief end of man? A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
Isaiah 43:7 (New International Version) 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."
Isaiah 42:8 (New International Version) 8 "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.
"Let me forget the world and be swallowed up in a desire to glorify God!"- Henry Martyn
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) How do you Glorify God?
We must first be passionate and excited about the God in whom we believe, the God we love, the God we worship. Putting in another way, unless we are deeply, intimately and passionately in love with God, we would have little interest in honouring and glorifying Him. It’s Imperative for us to cultivate a deep close, intimate relationship with God.
It than changes our CORE NATURE in us! Our ideas,likes, our desires, our dreams are all-CENTERED around GOD . Leading to how we portray our daily lives, in our conversations with people, how we treat people around us, what people will perceive of us EVERYTHING will change for the glory of GOD! And that’s what just BEING it is! When we truly LIVE FOR OUR KING!
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31
Imagine if every member in God’s Clay can be like this! Wouldn’t it start creating a huge impact in wherever we are, be it in the U.S, Australia, Ireland, Singapore! SMU,NUS, NTU, the army! We can be that living SALT & LIGHT whose GLORY OF GOD shines in us! As we minster to people around us!
God's Clay Small Group!
(Concept of multiplication (from Pay it Forward)... Where if we can all impact & minister to just that few person that come across our lives, imagine in the long run how that impact can spread to so many people all over the world!)
“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3" . ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Can you keep that Passion? Being Christians for so long? How you can keep BEING IT?
3) How do you KEEP & GROW that PASSION to Glorify GOD?
Paul as an Example… 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:8-11 (New International Version)
He has a STRONG desire to KNOW CHRIST
1) We need to PRAY & SURRENDER our personal desires to the LORD!
2) We need to ask God for forgiveness
3) We need fellow like-minded brothers and sisters in our lives to encourage us on! That’s what SMALL GRP is for!
A small group- a place for sharing of lives!
“If we intentionally put ourselves in the right environment, it will help our spiritual growth and journey in this whole Christian life. We definitely need to be in a group of other on fire passionate Christians who really want to be that "Change maker" for Christ! As take this analogy, when there are other Christians around you in your school or work place where you have constant interaction with and encouragement from the fire in them and in you can spread and grow even stronger. And this increase the fire and passion for Christ for everyone even more. I can't imagine living this Christian life alone, we definitely need each other!”
4) We need the LIVING WORD of GOD
And last of all, the most important thing i believed ALL Christians out there need to follow strictly is meditating and dwelling in the WORD of GOD everyday. Remember "We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7".And as we mature more in Christ each day, we need that spiritual discipline to maintain that close walk with our Lord each day. And its wanting to know him by the act of our own will. Reading his WORD and He will then start working and changing your heart inside out with that continuous renewing of our mind and surrender to Him. His grace will help us start living into His will more easier than before!
Can you imagine what revival from the passion of people for Christ is like?
* *Show video of A movement that started from praying! (facing the giants!) The clip of the video below... is what a glimpse of revival is like to me…
“14May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ …”Galatians 6:14 (New International Version)
From 26-28 Dec!!! We had our fifth and longest small grp retreat yet! And as usual, we manage to bond even more as a grp and spend a good time of relaxing as well as some times of sharing and just being in God's presence! It was a nice to see a fellow younger ym grp there too, as we join them on Sunday night for a fabulous BBQ!!! This was also the first retreat where i actually shared a message to the grp and i think this cld be one of my more convicted sharing yet on The PASSION TO GLORIFY GOD! (this is photo reminds me of a DEJAVU!.., if u looked back the last retreat here in 2008, i had a photo similar to this too!) (Now we went more hitech and we got a projector too!) (Watch some shows and movies at the retreat!)
(we brought all the mattress to the living room, so it felt really comfortable!)
(The awesome supper at AL-Azhar after my sharing sessions on the last night)
After 14 weeks! I have finally ended my Service term in OCS in TANGO WING! It sure was a memorable 3 mths here, with long time friends made, and now we are all separated to our different vocations before we see each other again 6mths later during our joint term!
Finally got my SENIOR BAR today as we all prepare for our next phase in ocs, our professional term! Where i got posted to my first choice of being a future SIGNAL officer!.... STAGMONT CAMP here i come!
(What my notice board look liked in my bunk in SAFTI!... a bunch of photos of friends that played a part in my life!) (All the ranks that i have gotten in my 14 weeks in TANGO!... from left to right, my freshmen bar during the first 2 weeks of Common leadership module(CLM) , to my first appoint of Cadet Wing Welfare Officer, than got back my 2 bars , junior cadet and now as we go into our pro term ,got my third milk bar as a SENIOR Cadet now going into our pro term!... the badge below is the IPPT GOLD badge and the OCS vocation badge.)
(TANGO WING PLATOON 3! all dress smartly!) (Platoon 3 and our dates!)
We had our first ever TANGO WING 77/09 Social night at THE LEGENDS@ Fort Canning on friday! It started of alittle akward at the start as we all came in formal clothes and the whole occasion just so FORMAL, made it hard to be yourself. But in the later part of the night we manage to be more laid back as we went thru memory lane looking at a special video compiliation of our service term! (Help out in our seniors commissioning parade the 75/09 batch! Quite a big batch with a lot of important people there, i was the lucky few who got chosen to "choke" seats for the V V IPs and watch the parade at a pretty good location! Feel really inspired after watching that awesomeeeeeeeeeee parade!)
YM CAMP 2009@ Singapore Sports School! Manage to rush down close to midnight after their final service to catch up with my sec 1s, G.E.Ls! and im really truly encouraged at how God has touch them and change their lives thru this camp, as for the first time, they ALL SHARED openly from their heart and even prayed from their hearts at the end of our grp time! This was certainly a night with them i will never forget!
You know i'm just again full of thanks giving to the ALMIGHTY LORD! As yet again, He has been Faithful! I really thank everyone for praying for me for the past week, as first it didn't rain when in periods we needed the dry environment especially in this rainy season and God gave me the strength to overcome the tough week clearing the biggest exercise in my service term! Really feel a great satisfaction after overcoming the many things that i have been through the best 12 weeks! 2 more weeks to go! =)
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.
This is a song that came to my mind as i pondered about the very down moments i faced throughout the past week in ocs, but our ever FAITHFUL GOD has encouraged me and kept me going thru small circumstances here and there!
Its going to be longest week to come and toughest week to come now! Back to living with insects and mud again this week!
