Four things on earth are small,
yet they are extremely wise:
Ants are creatures of little strength,
yet they store up their food in the summer;
Coneys are creatures of little power,
yet they make their home in the crags;
Locusts have no king,
yet they advance together in ranks;
A lizard can be caught with the hand,
yet it is found in kings' palaces.
Proverbs 30:24-28
Last Sunday's sermon was from this passage, but since I overslept last Sunday and didn't go to church, I only heard the sharing from Cell group tonight. It's stuck in my mind because here we are, always being told to look up to the great men/women of this earth, be it Gandhi, Einstein, Billy Graham, Mother Teresa etc.. yet this wise man who wrote this points us to 4 creatures.. small ones at that! Mind boggling.
The ants.. small little creatures yet they work hard. You have a picnic, they carry your potato chips away to store. They work hard in the summer so that they have food to eat in the winter. They don't put off to tomorrow what they can do today. They know the timing of things.
For us, the 'preparation for winter' is to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. Now is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6:2). If we have done that, then we must also work hard to equip ourselves for difficult times by storing God's Word in our hearts.
Coneys.. are like the size of a guinea pig and they are vulnerable to attacks from predators. So they know their own strengths and weaknesses. As long as they hide under the rocks, no eagle can get to them. The eagle would have to rip the whole mountain of rocks to get to them! But if they get out onto the plains, it's dead meat!
Likewise, we are like these coneys, vulnerable to diseases, depression, temptation, name it, we're exposed to it. So where is our strength? In the Lord, of course. Like coneys, they did not make the mountain, but they know how to use it. So we don't have the strength ourselves, but our God have that strength! Be strong in the Lord, the Bible tells us, and in His mighty power (Eph 6:10)
Locusts.. one locust can't do much, but when they get together, they can create havoc and devastation to crops over a vast area. Farmers fear them. They know when they do things collectively, they make an impact.
Christians can make an impact like these locusts when we come and work together, and pray together. Let us come together and contribute to the unity of the church.
Lizards.. they're creepy, slimy, cold blooded and you will forever remember the occasion should one fall on you.. urgh! They're everywhere! You can't get rid of them (sorry Van!) and they can be found in kings' palaces.
Think of the people who are not lovable, and you might one day see them sitting next to you in our King's palace! And we might be like that lizard ourselves, not lovable nor desirable, but by God's grace we can live in heaven as sons and daughters of God.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Deep In The Jungle
"Out, out, out!" barks the CO, "on the double, soldier" as you scrambled out of the transport that had stopped in the middle of nowhere. "You got your Basic Kit and your gear, I'll see you back in camp in a week's time, soldier! Try not to get killed!" and as fast as he had dropped you, your CO was gone.
"This is it," you thought, as you take a quick look at your surrounding. You are at a clearing of 50 feet and the sun is starting to show beyond the tree tops. You check your watch, it is 0600. Beyond the clearing, spreading in all directions, are trees. Thick tropical trees that seem to crowd out the sun. This ain't no basic training, you think as you shift your gear on your shoulder. "This is deep s&(*%, you're in deep s*&^%, soldier!" as a wave of panic swept over you and you hurled.
Glad that no one could see you as you threw up, you wiped your mouth with the back of your hand as you threw your gear onto the ground and you followed suit, sitting on the grass still wet with dew. "Ok, think, soldier, what were the instructions?" You dig out your Basic Kit and flip to Ps9. "What did the CO say... v10.. "know him will trust in him, he has never forsaken those who seek." Hmm... you gaze unseeingly at the trees as you thought about that.. "know him will trust in him, he never forgets those who seek."
Time seemed to stop as your thoughts drifted back to the first day you made your way to basic training camp, and the first time you met the CO. You have never seen anyone like him; tough as nails as he challenged you to finish the course, to suck it up and study your Basic Kit even when you're tired and sleepy, but when you faltered at the 6 foot wall, he showed you the trick to get over it, each time. He was patient that way. He challenged you, stretched you, encouraged and taught you all you knew. "He taught me all I knew, I gotta trust him," you tell yourself as you suddenly discovered that it's already 0800.
Scrambling to your feet, you berated yourself for wasting time daydreaming. As you shoulder your gear, you gave yourself a little smile because you have discovered the way out, sorta. "I gotta trust the CO, he didn't put me here if he didn't know I could get outta here." Your eyes again swept over the trees surrounding the clearing and this time, you could just about make out the outline of a path in between the trees. "This is it, soldier, time to put what you learnt to the test," as you tuck the Basic Kit into the front pocket of your jacket and started heading towards the path.
"This is it," you thought, as you take a quick look at your surrounding. You are at a clearing of 50 feet and the sun is starting to show beyond the tree tops. You check your watch, it is 0600. Beyond the clearing, spreading in all directions, are trees. Thick tropical trees that seem to crowd out the sun. This ain't no basic training, you think as you shift your gear on your shoulder. "This is deep s&(*%, you're in deep s*&^%, soldier!" as a wave of panic swept over you and you hurled.
Glad that no one could see you as you threw up, you wiped your mouth with the back of your hand as you threw your gear onto the ground and you followed suit, sitting on the grass still wet with dew. "Ok, think, soldier, what were the instructions?" You dig out your Basic Kit and flip to Ps9. "What did the CO say... v10.. "know him will trust in him, he has never forsaken those who seek." Hmm... you gaze unseeingly at the trees as you thought about that.. "know him will trust in him, he never forgets those who seek."
Time seemed to stop as your thoughts drifted back to the first day you made your way to basic training camp, and the first time you met the CO. You have never seen anyone like him; tough as nails as he challenged you to finish the course, to suck it up and study your Basic Kit even when you're tired and sleepy, but when you faltered at the 6 foot wall, he showed you the trick to get over it, each time. He was patient that way. He challenged you, stretched you, encouraged and taught you all you knew. "He taught me all I knew, I gotta trust him," you tell yourself as you suddenly discovered that it's already 0800.
Scrambling to your feet, you berated yourself for wasting time daydreaming. As you shoulder your gear, you gave yourself a little smile because you have discovered the way out, sorta. "I gotta trust the CO, he didn't put me here if he didn't know I could get outta here." Your eyes again swept over the trees surrounding the clearing and this time, you could just about make out the outline of a path in between the trees. "This is it, soldier, time to put what you learnt to the test," as you tuck the Basic Kit into the front pocket of your jacket and started heading towards the path.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Prayer Meeting
Normally our church prayer meeting is held every Monday night but this week it was held on Thursday and we had a special team from the Sarang Church from Seoul, South Korea. Sarang Church is the biggest church in the world. I had sms all the leaders and asked them to try make it since it was their holidays, and because we don't get visiting teams with us every week.
After the P&W, their pastor shared the Word with us. And it was taken from Psalms 9:9-12. The first two verses leapt out at me, "The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you." The pastor said do not ask the Lord whether He has forsaken us, because he will never forsake those who seek him. Many times it is us who do not seek the Lord, and Satan will keep telling us that God has forgotten us, it's not use calling God. You have to depend on yourselves. And if we believe in Satan's lies, we are deceived and we walk further away from God.
The pastor mentioned that God doesn't always put us on gentle slopes, because on gentle slopes, we don't have to pray earnestly to be able to overcome the difficulties. Sometimes he put us in front of a mountain, so that we may depend on him and pray earnestly and diligently so that we may overcome that mountain. I tell you, those words just strike me to my core. That's why God's Words are living and active and effective!
It was a great prayer meeting. In fact, I encourage all of us to attend prayer meetings, that our faith may be built up and that we may be encouraged.
After the P&W, their pastor shared the Word with us. And it was taken from Psalms 9:9-12. The first two verses leapt out at me, "The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you." The pastor said do not ask the Lord whether He has forsaken us, because he will never forsake those who seek him. Many times it is us who do not seek the Lord, and Satan will keep telling us that God has forgotten us, it's not use calling God. You have to depend on yourselves. And if we believe in Satan's lies, we are deceived and we walk further away from God.
The pastor mentioned that God doesn't always put us on gentle slopes, because on gentle slopes, we don't have to pray earnestly to be able to overcome the difficulties. Sometimes he put us in front of a mountain, so that we may depend on him and pray earnestly and diligently so that we may overcome that mountain. I tell you, those words just strike me to my core. That's why God's Words are living and active and effective!
It was a great prayer meeting. In fact, I encourage all of us to attend prayer meetings, that our faith may be built up and that we may be encouraged.
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