the heart

Recently, in the sequence of events that has happened, God’s been speaking to me on the issue of the heart.

the heart is the strongest muscle in our body, and strangely sometimes the weakest one in terms of emotional strength.

pro 4:13

Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

our heart, is the place where faith is generated. it’s where the issues of life is spring forth. the bible clearly instructs us to guard our heart with all diligence.

it’s funny how this weeks  a lot of things been on the topic of heart.
be it the praise and worship sermon from pastor kong, dealing with how we should praise God with our heart.
to the family of God which deals with our heart for the family and to loyalty which deals with the heart as well.
to the cell sermon which brings us back to the very basic of loving God’s word and it is gotta to do with the heart as well.

when we feel for others, it’s our heart.
when we love others, it’s our heart.

so our heart play a very important role in our lives and really in all things i’ve learnt to see the heart in it, the heart behind it and the heart out of it.  that opened up my eyes and my heart a lot. but above all in learning all these, i pray for God to give me a shepherd’s heart, a heart that loves and cares for people. a heart that feel for people. a heart that breaks when God’s heart breaks.

Beyond that, i pray that my love, my heart for God and for people will never by complicated by things or by myself.
I want to love God with a love that is pure, i want to love people with a love that is pure, a love that is not complicated. For love is never complicated. i just want to simply love God and love people. this few weeks of cell meetings and services have brought about a renewed love for God and for people. I am thankful to God for that and i want to love the word of God even more and plunge myself into it more.

all in all, i just want to use my heart to love God and love people more.

sidetracking, i really had 2 awesome days of fellowship.
the late night fellowship with the cell was really awesome. it built a rapport between some young ones and some old ones. ha, and winning jean and jianhui with aaron 4 times in a row was simply SHIOK! lol. i have never felt so satisfied playing pool that much before. but yeah it was really a good session of fellowship =)

I was kinda feeling sick and i slept in the afternoon and went to meet some of my beloved friends for dinner. angie, ling and max =) we had a relatively good meal. i ate cold soba, ubon, pork chop rice (it’s a set meal of 3 small samples la okay) and also shared sashimi! WHEEE!. good sashimi =) and we went to walked around, caught up with each other.
it was nice because these are some of the people whom i grew up with haha, and i’m glad for the session.

now back home, i’ll try to sneak more rest when i can cause i just realized my cough is getting bad to worse. bummer!

12 tests of Abraham

Twelve Tests of Abraham

Abraham’s faith was tested at least twelve specific times. Some of them were not what we might call big tests, but together they establish a picture of Abraham as a person whose faith was genuine. After the last of these, God said, ‘Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” (Genesis 22:12). Each of Abraham’s tests can have applications for us:

(1) Genesis 12:1-7
Test: Abraham left Ur and Haran for an unknown destination at God’s direction. Application: Do I trust God with my future? Is his will part of my decision making?

(2) Genesis 13:8-13
Test: Abraham directed a peaceful separation from Lot and settled at the oaks of Mamre. Application: Do I trust God with my interests even when I seem to be receiving an unfair settlement?

(3) Genesis 14:13-18
Test: Abraham rescued Lot from the five kings. Application: Does my faithfulness to others bear witness to my trust in God’s faithfulness?

(4) Genesis 14:17-24
Test: Abraham gave a tithe of loot to the godly king of Salem, Melchizedek, and refused the gift of the king of Sodom. Application: Am I watchful in my dealings with people that I give proper honor to God and refuse to receive honor that belongs to him?

(5) Genesis 15:1-6
Test: Abraham trusted God’s promise that he would have a son. Application: How often do I consciously reaffirm my trust in God’s promises?

(6) Genesis 15:7-11
Test: Abraham received the promised land by faith, though the fulfillment would not come for many generations. Application: How have I demonstrated my continued trust in God during those times when I have been required to wait?

(7) Genesis 17:9-27
Test: At God’s command, Abraham circumcised every male in his family. Application: In what occasions in my life have I acted simply in obedience to God, and not because I understood the significance of what I was doing?

(8) Genesis 18:1-8
Test: Abraham welcomed strangers, who turned out to be angels. Application: When was the last time I practiced hospitality?

(9) Genesis 18:22-33
Test: Abraham prayed for Sodom. Application: Am I eager to see people punished, or do I care for people in spite of their sinfulness?

(10) Genesis 20:1-17
Test: Abraham admitted to wrongdoing and took the actions needed to set things right. Application: When I sin, is my tendency to cover up, or confess? Do I practice the truth that an apology must sometimes be accompanied by restitution?

(11) Genesis 21:22-34
Test: Abraham negotiated a treaty with Abimelech concerning a well. Application: Can people depend on my words and promises?

(12) Genesis 22:1-12
Test: Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. Application: In what ways has my life demonstrated that I will not allow anything to come before God?

Sons Vs Servants

i heard this sermon from pastor audrey 2 years ago. and till now it’s still etched in my memory.

The differences between sons vs servants in ministry.

Heb 3:1-6

Ministry that births forth from sonship super seed the ministry that births forth from servanthood.
Servanthood on one hand, is good. God has called many servants in the beginning of times till now.
However, those who God called “sons” are the ones who have built to last, who have heard from God, and who have walked to the beat of God’s heart. Moses, David all these great men of God was never called a son of God but a servant. Jesus is the son we should look up too and learn the differences between sons and servants in ministry

1. Sons hold the Father’s heart in success of the Father’s work while servant thinks about their own rights.

Luke 16:12
Everyone starts off with an opportunity to be faithful in what is others.
No matter how big or how small we are required to be faithful, we were given the opportunity.
and out of this opportunity, if faithfulness were found, a relationship will then be developed or the relationship will be taken into deeper level.

God only builds only those He have a relationship with.

when we work for someone faithfully, very often we are put through the test of faithfulness.
like what pastor shared in the 3 keys to promotion.
(a) faithfulness in the little
(b) faithfulness in money
(c) faithfulness in the Father’s vision

and through all these, we will know who are the sons or servants as, Sons hold the Father’s heart in success of the Father’s work.

2. Sons use the language of the family because sons are family oriented while servants are ministry oriented, they uses individual terminology

Sons have a “we” mind-set
while Servants have a “I” mind-set

3. Sons honors headship, covers nakedness of Father while servants trade and expose weaknesses.

In Hebrews 11, we see the hall of heroes of faith.
and throughout this hall, we see a pattern that God chooses people to serve because of the call of God upon their lives, their ability to serve and also in their attitudes never was once God chose someone cause of their lifestyle.
Noah was a drunk.
David was a murderer, an adulterer

In Noah’s life, through his 2 sons we can examine the attitude of sonship.
how his sons could gloat and laughed over his weaknesses while the other covers up the Father’s weaknesses.
God builds the house with His Children.
ingredients that can build the house is a relationship with God that birth forth the ministry of the House.

4. Sons honor naturally chain of commands, servants constantly need definition of lines of authority and commands.

the question is not can we take commands from someone we like, but from someone we don’t like?

5. Sons share their life with the Father down to the very bottom.

this teach us one thing to look out for sons in the house.
and never build on people who are never sons to be.
obedience precedes sacrifice.

6. Sons bore new people to the Family while servants bore new people to themselves.

7. Sons focus on the welfare of people while servants focus on the appearance

8. Sons shares inner conversion, while servants only share what they want you to know.

Relationship in the natural, demands intimacy and sons is secure in sharing what is wrong.

Jn 15:15

the Master will tell the Sons everything.

9. Sons are secure, they welcome correction, conflict and discipleship

sons know that when they are being corrected, they are not being judged

10. Sons have puppy feet, their potential can be seen.

Servants don’t come with a heart to be taught.
Sons can take correction.

as many as are led by the Holy Spirit, these are the sons of God. aspire to be a Son not a Servant today.