Last night I attended a prayer meeting in church. Praise the Lord that I was there as it was a time of refreshing for me. About close to 40 members were present and though it was just two hours of prayer, it brought to my heart a lot of joy and excitement. It is a wonderful feeling to be assured that God has heard our cries and have answered or in the process of answering the petitions made.
During the session, the Assistant Pastor encouraged every one in the sanctuary to spend some time in quiet, just listening to God. Though it was a mere 15 minutes of silence, it was enough to help me re-organise certain areas of my life. We always think that we need to spend like hours to do this (not that it is wrong and it is beneficial to do that occasionally) but sometimes in the midst of all the busyness, even 15 minutes of being away from the hustle and bustle will bring our focus back to God. It will then cause us to do things right because we are conscious again of the Lord's presence in our lives and also the testimony we need to show.
I used the word "conscious" because several times throughout the day, we can go through our routines blindly to the point where sometimes when certain things get on our nerves or affect us, we just react and in the process, stumble people with our actions and words. Food for thought for all of us as we persevere in practising this discipline.
Oh yah, when I was praying with my Assistant Pastor and another dear brother-in-Christ about the outreach effort of our church, I was reminded of this phrase which I read from a sister-in-Christ's MSN title - "The mark of a great church is not its seating capacity but its sending capacity." I came out with another which is similar - "The gauge of a growing church is not about the number of members being in there but the number of them being sent out!"
When I said those words, my heart just sank and I asked God to move the church so that we will not be inward looking all the time.
Well, praise the Lord for the reminder and revelation!
I am so happy for a sister-in-Christ from another church - last night she has been anxious about the church camp that she is attending next month. Prior to that she has another trip to China but that trip overlaps the duration of the camp by a day. With that, she has to find ways to travel on her own to the camp venue in Malaysia. Interestingly, there are no coach services from Singapore to the campsite.
I helped her check via the internet; this morning I called several tour agencies and even made a trip to Johor Bahru (JB) with my colleague during lunch-time to make more enquiries but to no avail. The trip was fun though as I learnt that it is much cheaper to take a coach from JB to other parts of Malaysia as compared to taking it from Singapore.
Oh yah, both my colleague and I had a sumptuous seafood lunch... so full to the point where I felt as if the seams of my pants will just rip apart. Haha.
Anyway, when I came back I got a call from this dear sister-in-Christ informing me that her China trip now has been shortened by a day which means to say both trips do not clash anymore. It was an answered prayer for me because last night I was actually quite concerned for her having to travel alone to a place she is unfamiliar with. Well, God is faithful and good as always.
It has been an eventful day at work and also travelling around! It makes life more fun and adventurous.
I am actually still quite full from the lunch - that is why I am not so excited about cooking my dinner. Usually I am all eager to make myself a sumptuous meal. I guess not tonight. :)
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor." Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD's renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed." Isaiah 55
During the session, the Assistant Pastor encouraged every one in the sanctuary to spend some time in quiet, just listening to God. Though it was a mere 15 minutes of silence, it was enough to help me re-organise certain areas of my life. We always think that we need to spend like hours to do this (not that it is wrong and it is beneficial to do that occasionally) but sometimes in the midst of all the busyness, even 15 minutes of being away from the hustle and bustle will bring our focus back to God. It will then cause us to do things right because we are conscious again of the Lord's presence in our lives and also the testimony we need to show.
I used the word "conscious" because several times throughout the day, we can go through our routines blindly to the point where sometimes when certain things get on our nerves or affect us, we just react and in the process, stumble people with our actions and words. Food for thought for all of us as we persevere in practising this discipline.
Oh yah, when I was praying with my Assistant Pastor and another dear brother-in-Christ about the outreach effort of our church, I was reminded of this phrase which I read from a sister-in-Christ's MSN title - "The mark of a great church is not its seating capacity but its sending capacity." I came out with another which is similar - "The gauge of a growing church is not about the number of members being in there but the number of them being sent out!"
When I said those words, my heart just sank and I asked God to move the church so that we will not be inward looking all the time.
Well, praise the Lord for the reminder and revelation!
I am so happy for a sister-in-Christ from another church - last night she has been anxious about the church camp that she is attending next month. Prior to that she has another trip to China but that trip overlaps the duration of the camp by a day. With that, she has to find ways to travel on her own to the camp venue in Malaysia. Interestingly, there are no coach services from Singapore to the campsite.
I helped her check via the internet; this morning I called several tour agencies and even made a trip to Johor Bahru (JB) with my colleague during lunch-time to make more enquiries but to no avail. The trip was fun though as I learnt that it is much cheaper to take a coach from JB to other parts of Malaysia as compared to taking it from Singapore.
Oh yah, both my colleague and I had a sumptuous seafood lunch... so full to the point where I felt as if the seams of my pants will just rip apart. Haha.
Anyway, when I came back I got a call from this dear sister-in-Christ informing me that her China trip now has been shortened by a day which means to say both trips do not clash anymore. It was an answered prayer for me because last night I was actually quite concerned for her having to travel alone to a place she is unfamiliar with. Well, God is faithful and good as always.
It has been an eventful day at work and also travelling around! It makes life more fun and adventurous.
I am actually still quite full from the lunch - that is why I am not so excited about cooking my dinner. Usually I am all eager to make myself a sumptuous meal. I guess not tonight. :)
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor." Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD's renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed." Isaiah 55
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