28 February 2011 - Temptation vs Opportunity

"Lead me not into temptation" says the Lord's Prayer
Paul said God will not tempt us beyond what we can bear
But there are times when I do not know
Whether it is a temptation that does show
Or whether it is in fact an opportunity
Which from temptation offers immunity
For both Colossians 4:5 and Ephesians 5:16
Say to "make the most of any opportunity" seen

So dear God, help me discern the difference
Of these situations help me make sense
To rely on you directly and indirectly
In order to make decisions correctly
And throughout it all let me remain focused on you
So that your will is what I may choose to do

27 February 2011 - ENCS

Rachel Ong spoke about "Performance Orientation"
For the "Grace Works" series continuation
She talked about how many of us strive to be the best
By doing so much, trying so hard, and acing every test
But to Psalm 46 verse 10 she told us to refer
Instead of 'be still', 'cease striving' she did prefer

Rachel then spoke of a performance oriented person
Ten characteristics she listed before she was done
Always stressed, often down, never contented were three
Not happy with self or others, all the time being a worker bee
An inability to find rest or peace, never keeping still
Constantly trying to prove something (climbing every hill)
Getting a kick out of a challenge, wondering what is next
(Or 'chasing after the wind' per the Ecclesiastes text)
While Rachel was in the midst
Of running through that list
She pointed out that if on God's word we meditate
Our inability to have rest will noticeably abate
For it makes it so much easier to sleep
If a Bible verse to memory each night we keep

Rachel then shared traits of a person overflowing with grace
An important contrast, although she spoke at a rather rapid pace
Comfortable with not doing anything (without being lazy)
Being okay without knowing the future (that's not crazy)
Next was being able to listen attentively to God and others
Not feeling obliged to always be involved, even with brothers
Being secure in knowing who they are in Christ was number five
Not having to prove anything to anyone else while being alive
They have nothing to lose or hide because they are humble
And by being content, in God's eyes they won't stumble
She referred to 1 Timothy 6:6 once again
"Godliness with contentment is great gain"

Rachel then talked of how performance orientation can be overcome
Referring to Luke 10:38-42 when to Martha's house Jesus did come
She highlighted the difference between performance and grace
Some of what would have been evident on Martha's face
She said that three things "drive Christians nuts"
Very convincingly - no ifs, ands, or buts
The first is if authorities don't give enough attention
But God is the ultimate authority was her contention
The second is trying to do God's work with our own powers
We will fail even if we work throughout all twenty four hours
Third is doing something for God that he did not tell us to do
Even if every week we might sing hymns and sit in a pew
At home and at work, we need to walk in grace
Caring about others and showing them face
If we are secure in Christ, criticism will not us faze
And our words and actions will help to others amaze
At how we spend our time Rachel asked us to look
Do we spend more time with the Bible or on facebook?
She then asked us Isaiah chapter two to see
"Go up to His mountain", per verse three
For knowing God's word is different than knowing Him
Knowledge with the brain brings pride, which is grim
But humility comes from knowledge with the heart
Letting God instruct us how to play our part

In conclusion, Rachel said that change comes from God
And versus performance orientation, grace must get the nod

25 February 2011 - 1 Thessalonians 2:4,6

"On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God"
"To be entrusted with the gospel" is far from odd
"We are not trying to please people" any more
"But God, who tests our hearts", says verse four
"We were not looking for praise from people"
Even from those who worship under the steeple
For as His disciples, "we could have asserted our authority"
But we do not require or seek the plaudits of the majority

Dear God, thank you for this reminder
Let your Word be my direction finder
And even if their comments try to dissuade
Do not let my actions by others be swayed
For yours is the only acceptance that I need
So your will is what I will try to heed

24 February 2011 - Isaiah 33:5-6

"The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high" Isaiah does stress
Saying that "He will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness"
"He will be the sure foundation for your times"
(And continue to be the focus for my rhymes)
"A rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge" for all
"The fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure" haul

Yes, dear God, I want to priase your name
For you will always be the same
The great I AM, comforter, and provider
Protector, healer, creator, and guider
So for all that you have done and will do
I want to humbly say thanks to you

23 February 2011 - Matthew 7:7-8

"Ask and it will be given to you"
"Seek and you will find" it too
"Knock and the door will be opened" more than some
This of course is where the acronym ASK comes from
"For everyone who asks receives"
"The one who seeks finds", if he believes

Dear God, please allow me to ask, seek, and knock
And let me do this regularly, not just ad hoc
For I want - and need - a relationship with you
To help me deal with whatever life throws my way

22 February 2011 - Job 42:10-12

"After Job had prayed for his friends" there and then
"The Lord made him prosperous again"
"And gave him twice as much as he had before"
Then everyone who knew him gave him even more
"The Lord blessed the later part of Job's life more than the first"
Once again proving that His best is better than the enemy's worst

Dear God, how I wish like Job I could be strong
Instead of tears, allow me to break out in song
For although I know that you are in control
My human emotions oft overcome my soul
So please continue to remind me of others
From the Bible as well as today's brothers
Whose plight was so much tougher than mine
But whose actions and words continued to shine
For I want to be a shining beacon of light
Doing your will and conveying what is right

20 February 2011 - ENCS

Today Pastor Larry kicked off the series titled "Grace Works"
The chosen topic of stress was just one of the perks
The foundation scripture was Hebrews 4:16
We can find mercy and grace from God unseen
In Singapore, stress is a major factor
But is can also act as a positive reactor
For when things seem too tough to bear
Stress can lead us to God through prayer
Pastor shared four ways for us to deal with stress
Covering so much, our ears were put to the test

Topic number one - relational stress - is never welcome
Marriage, divorce, family, and friends - to name some
Interestingly, from Genesis 3:9-10 we did read
That only after God's command that Adam did not heed
Because of his sin and the fact that he lied
Adam become stressed and tried to hide
Hiding from stressful relationships is not God's way
And of course His will is what we must obey
For if we focus on the fact that we are stressed
We will never be allowed to be fully blessed
To deal with stress, God gives us plenty of grace
Be it spouses, children, or other stressors we face
Philippians 4:6-7 has an important message for us
To pray and petition God instead of being anxious
Then the peace of God will guard our heart
For prayer provides perspective, Pastor did impart

Pastor then said that many have emotional stresses to fix
He first read from 1 Samuel chapter 30 verse six
This includes fear, hurts, bitterness, and depression
Which we all go through, per Pastor's confession
David found strength in God when he was distressed
That is what Psalms 119 verse 114 conveys the best
And if we read from David's Psalm twenty three
"Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me"
God's word is in great supply
He gives us the free will to comply
On Joshua 1:8-9, Pastor Larry did lean
The grace to encourage can be seen

Next up was the topic of situational stress
Job loss, finances, retirement, and illness
In John 16 verse 33, Jesus did say
"I have overcome the world", take heart you may
We need to thank God even in difficult times
(That has been the topic in many of my rhymes)
For God will provide pillars of strength
Pastor mentioned Job at some length
For despite his losses, God he always did praise
Similarly, Paul's voice in jail did also raise

The last topic was about time stress
Deadlines lead to frustration and anger no less
Matthew six contains more than one apt verse
From verse 27, worrying cannot time reverse
And then if from verse 34 we do read
Worrying about tomorrow we do not need
For God gives us grace to manage our time
Trusting in God is far from a crime
From Ecclesiastes 3, verses 10 and 11
None of us can fathom the acts of God in heaven
Per 1 Timothy 4 verse seven again
To be godly, it says that we must train

Remember that some stresses are self-induced
But God equips us to have them reduced
For God will not do for us what we can ourselves do
That is a statement that rings very true

19 February 2011 - Isaiah 1:18-20

"'Come now, let us settle the matter,' says the LORD"
“Though your sins are like scarlet" from the cuts of a sword
"They shall be as white as snow"
That is something we all should know
"If you are willing and obedient" to God's hand
"You will eat the good things of the land"
"But if you resist and rebel" says Isaiah's word
"You will be devoured by the sword”

Yes, dear God, my sins to you are clear
For your vision ranges far and near
It is only through your mercy and grace
That in heaven I might find a place
So please help me to be obedient and willing
And your word into my heart be instilling
For I want to be blessed by you
On earth and in eternity too

18 February 2011 - Isaiah 1:4

"Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great"
"A brood of evildoers, children given to corruption" and hate
As such, "they have spurned the Holy One"
"Turned their back on him", they have done

This week from BSF I did learn
That Isaiah's words on us can turn
The parallels are very clear
Despite the great difference in year
Prosperity leads to feelings of pride
With a belief in self-reliance on the side
Too often nations, leaders, and people forget
That our blessings are only what God does let
So dear God, please remove my pride
And thus help change my heart inside
From temptation help me to flee
For in your presence I yearn to be

16 February 2011 - 2 Peter 3:8-10

Let this one thing ring in your ears
"With the Lord a day is like a thousand years"
"And a thousand years are like a day"
In other words, do not question God's way
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise"
So we should not doubt, as did Thomas
"Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish"
"But everyone to come to repentance", for that is his wish

The message in this passage and rhyme
Has to do with God's sense of time
Fathom it, you and I are unable to do
But what Peter said is very true
Irrelevant to God are days and years
So while waiting we should not have tears
For his patience is never ending
And to our needs he is tending
So dear God, let me have patience
And please bless me with your presence

15 February 2011 - Matthew 26:36-43

"Sit here while I go over there and pray" Jesus said
Taking with him Peter, James, and John instead
But Jesus "began to be sorrowful and troubled"
He asked for his friends' efforts to be redoubled
Jesus prayed some more, He did not flee
"My Father...may this cup be taken from me"
And although He knew what would happen on the hill
He said to God, "yet not as I will, but as you will"
"He returned to his disciples and found them sleeping"
Instead of His pleading instructions keeping
"Couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour?"
"Watch and pray" and do not fall to temptation's power
And then "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak"
Jesus then went to pray again and for God's will to seek
"My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away"
"May your will be done", I will submit to your way

I must thank a friend for sending this my way
A perfect passage and message for me this day
Such a powerful passage this appears to be
Three important messages come through to me
The first is that Jesus, with all of his strength
Still needed to pray to God at some length
The second is that Jesus, God's only Son
Submitted to God's will, which must be done
The third is that as disciples we have a role
Others to support, encourage, and console
So dear God, let this remind me now and always
To pray and to do your will on all of the days
Also give me the strength not to fall asleep
When others are in need or start to weep

14 February 2011 - Job 42:1-3

"Then Job replied to the LORD"
I know that true is Your word
"I know that you can do all things" unsupported
And that "no purpose of yours can be thwarted"
For God asked, "Who is this that obscures"
"My plans without knowledge" of yours?
"Surely I spoke of things I did not understand"
"Things too wonderful for me to know" firsthand

This biblical person had the right perspective
Always praising God, not being selective
I try to remember that Job's trials were very rough
But that he was made of committed stuff
Job also understood that God's master plan
Is beyond the comprehension of any man
We should just accept that He knows best
Trust in Him, and He will take care of the rest

13 February 2011 - ENCS

Pastor Charles talked about "Love" today
On the eve of St Valentine's Day
His core text was John 13, verses 34 and 35
Loving each other shows discipleship while we are alive
He told us about St Valentine in 450 AD
Persecuted, but did not renounce Christianity
Today love is really big business
But let me not digress
For God is the true author of love
That was Jesus' impetus from above
Napoleon Bonaparte had a way with words
"Christ's kingdom was built by love, not swords"
Recently, the case of Egypt did patently show
That earthly kingdoms can come and go
But God's kingdom of love will always last
Even when ten thousand years have passed

Pastor shared three thoughts on love in his talk
That were designed to help us in our walk

The first was to look at love's definition
For there is clearly more than one rendition
"Phileo", or friendship love, is a word in Greek
Implying that kindness and affection we should seek
"Agape" is another very relevant Greek word
Meaning selfless love, as we saw from our Lord
For a point John 3:16 is making
Is that "loving is giving, not taking"
Pastor did try to debunk a common notion
Remember that love is not just an emotion

To understand what love is was the second
For Pastor, 1 John chapter 4 beckoned
"God is love" says the famous verse eight
A personification, to set the record straight
And then if we read ahead to verse nineteen
We love because of God's love we have seen
Pastor then used lyrics from a hymn
They were not written on a whim
Though by a mental patient they were penned
The words are very easy to comprehend
"Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky"

How we should respond to love was the third
Pastor shared stories and a serious word
From Solomon's Song of Songs he did read
Chapter five tells of a woman's misdeed
Her lover knocked but she delayed
His departure was the price she paid
Akin to the story of Thomas Carlyle and his wife
He regretted his absences when she lost her life

The morale of these stories should be clear as day
We need to respond to God's love without delay
For per Revelations three verse twenty
At our door, Jesus will knock aplenty
And if only we would let him in
Our fellowship with him could begin

11 February 2011 - Haikus

As I did not know what to do
I decided to write some haiku
Five, seven, five syllables per line
No rhymes, but hope they are fine
No imagery, as am only a neophyte
I hope they turned out alright
-----------------------------
Saddened I sit here
Snowed under by sorrow, stress
But God can bring change

God's love conquers all
Cast all your cares upon Him
For He cares for you
(from 1 Peter 5:7)

Rejoice suffering
Produces perseverance
Character, then hope
(from Romans 5:3-5)

I fear no evil
For God is always with me
His rod, staff comfort
(from Psalm 23:4)

Pray to our Father
He knows our needs already
Recite the Lord's Prayer
(from Matthew 6:6-9)

9 February 2011 - Philippians 4:4-7 (redux)

This verse came to me again today
It is clear what Paul chose to say
GIving thanks is what I should do
For God's presence, and his help too
Dear God, let me focus on things positive
For that is the way you want me to live
And when I feel overwhelmed with a burden
Remind me of your presence again and again

Always "rejoice in the Lord"
Rejoice is the key word
To all, "let your gentleness be evident"
For "the Lord is near" and ever present
"Do not be anxious about anything"
But "by prayer and petition" in everything
"Present your requests to God" with thanksgiving
So that "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding"
"Your hearts and minds" will guard
For in Jesus nothing is too hard

There is so much to be thankful for
God has blessed us - and so much more
Worrying is something I shall not do
For God's peace can make all things new

8 February 2011 - Untitled

When you have done everything that you could
And expect that things will turn out good
But instead the result is rather bad
Isn't it natural to feel a bit sad?

But then along comes an encouraging word
Often from the Bible or an angel of the Lord
Some days, it may be Psalm twenty three
Which always serves to reassure me
Or perhaps Romans five, verses three to five
Which helps my spirits to revive
On others, it may be a call from a friend
Which cheers me up to no end

So, dear God, hear my prayer today
Let nothing stand in my way
Let my focus be on doing your will
And let you my strength refill
Let me help others as best as I can
For they oft keep me from the frying pan
But most of all, let me be full of praise
And no matter what, to avoid malaise

7 February 2011 - Psalm 8 (redux)

Seven months ago I wrote the following rhyme
In some ways, quite a bit has changed in that time
But God's majesty will never ever change
For some on earth, this may seem strange
But for me, this provides a sense of peace
As I know that his blessings will never cease
So dear God, please hear my prayer
That I entrust myself to your care
That I remember that you are near
So no matter what, I do not fear

“Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth”
You deserve our praise from the time of our birth
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers”
The sight of the moon and the stars still lingers
When I think of man’s place in your eternal plans
“You made him ruler over the works of your hands”
You gave us authority over all living things
Including animals, fish, and the little bird that sings
So when I reflect, I find I must proclaim
“Yes, Lord, how majestic is your name”

Yes, God's name and His work are to be praised
There are so many things at which I am amazed
When I take time to look at the world around me
The beauty of a flower, the flight of a bumblebee
Looking at things of nature fills me with awe
And that is only based on things I actually saw
But at the same time there is an onus ever present
For us to look after this planet must be God's intent
For with authority comes responsibility
There really is no other possibility
So I thank God for all he has created and done
And I know that my work has barely begun

6 February 2011 - ENCS

Pastor Larry taught us a few Chinese words
But quickly referred to those of our Lord's
Wealth, honor, and life are mentioned in Proverbs 2:2-4
But humility and the fear of the Lord matter much more
Pastor focused on the topic rather sensitive
"Fear God=Blessings" was the sermon he did give

To understand fear, two definitions we were seeing
The real one is "reverence given to a supreme being"
For if the Old Testament we do inspect
We will show God much more respect
For we are actually powerless in His presence
So how do we get that level of reverence?
Be God-fearing, per Isaiah six verse five
God should be our priority while we are alive
And if Psalms 111 and 112 we read from
"The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom"
God sees everything with His omnipotent eyes
We must walk in obedience and not compromise
For He will judge how we live our lives
As children, parents, husbands, and wives
In Psalm 112, David lists five blessings we can get
If on God's ways our eyes are truly set
Prosperity, discernment, and goodness
Unshakable faith and being honored no less
Proverbs 28:14 says that unless God we fear
There will always be trouble near
As a result we should be quick to repent
For penalties result from sin and dissent
And if we read from Malachi two, the second verse
If we do not honor God. we should expect a curse
"Sin is only enjoyment for a short time" Pastor said
For sinning implies that we are not using our head

Pastor concluded with an Oswald Chambers quote
Which is a really good one of which to take note
"When you fear God, you fear nothing else"
"If you do not fear God, you fear everything else"

3 February 2011 - Happy Lunar New Year

As we enter this golden rabbit year
God's words are what we must hear
For natural disasters there has been a spate
And we can never be sure of our earthly fate
So whilst we revel in this time of celebrations
We should keep in mind God's revelations
And as we wish each other 'gong xi fa cai'
We must not listen to the enemy's lie
Instead we should trust in the biblical word
For it comes from our almighty Lord
It provides both security and substance
In this time of great turbulence

So dear God, on this Lunar New Year's Day
Let me see clearly and follow your way
And as challenges must be faced
On your word let my actions be based
And the unknown, let me not fear
For I know that you are always near
Finally let me act as a shining light
Always doing what you say is right

2 February 2011 - Pride

Today I am focusing on the topic of pride
But I am not just using my poetic side
A couple of acronyms I will employ
Like a good Singaporean boy

Personal
Rebelliousness
Is
Dictating
Events

Pride really is rebelliousness
Against our omnipotent God no less

Prevents
Repentance
Implying
Damaged
Eternity

For walking on our own path
Is bound to incur His wrath

Prayer
Really
Ignites
Deeds
Everlasting

The answer must lie in prayer
So we can show God that we care
For to follow Him is our aim
If we want to glorify His name

1 February 2011 - Colossians 2:6-10

"So then, just as you recevied Christ Jesus as Lord"
"Continue to live in him", as per Paul's word
Be "strengthened in the faith as you were taught"
"And overflowing with thankfulness" for what Jesus brought
"See to it that no one takes you captive"
Based on traditions or how this world may live
"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form"
To this world's ways we do not need to conform
"And you have been given fullness in Christ" verse ten said
He "is the head over every power and authority" living or dead

This reminds me that we should be drawn to the cross
For if we don't, it would be such a great loss
So dear Jesus, please live in me
And forever thankful I will be