Weeks 09 & 10 (08) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

Lately, I become totally convinced that discipline is the key to success in life. A lazy and undisplined body is the root of much failure; a lazy and undisciplined mind is the cause of the lack of success in life! God, in His wisdom, instituted special events to discipline our mind & body to remember His goodness whilst we are still on this side of eternity, living in a sinful world. With Easter coming soon, it focuses our mind on our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and I look forward to the Easter Fest (Camp) in 10 day's time. :o)

People of God are blessed people, because "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.......I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." [Ps 32:1-7 NIV]

God's blessing is not limited to the forgiveness of our sins and His gift of eternal salvation. He desires us to enjoy a wholesome and healthy life. "'When a man is cleansed from his discharge,.....he must wash his clothes and bathe himself with fresh water, and he will be clean......'When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean till evening.......'" [Lev 15:13-18 NIV] God wisely teaches us personal hygiene for the body; He actually encourages us to be clean in body, mind and spirit.

Life in Christ is a life of transformation or change. In our 9th Annivesary Celebration in October last year, we chose the theme "Go4Gold", with 3 goals set for the coming year. One of them is Personal Holiness. Holiness simply means God-likeness. We should desire God's likeness in us - in thought, in speech and in action. In theory, it is a very high order because changes are uncomfortable. To achieve it requires discipline or strict training. "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly.........No, I beat my body and make it my slave.....so that......I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." [1 Cor 9:20-27 NIV]

I am learning the lesson of discipline through my training for the 2009 London Marathon. I learn to make my body my slave. A couple of days ago, the Holy Spirit inspired me to make my mind my slave as well. Instead of thinking that I am running 4.2 kilometers (my usual training route), I break it up into 100m lengths. I discipline my mind to run 100m at a time and at the end of each I say "praise the Lord". This morning I tried it and I finished the run in record time and I was still fresh, because I made my mind (and body) my slave. :o)

I believe we can apply this discipline to any areas of our life that we want to change. For example, one can give up smoking by cutting down 1 cigarette a day, and no forgetting to praise the Lord at the end of each day. One will give up smoking in no time. Remember to set small targets and celebrate when each target is met. When we become disciplined people in body and mind, we will experience victory after victory like never before!

"In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil.......A wise man attacks the city of the mighty and pulls down the stronghold in which they trust." [Prov 21:20,22 NIV] May your house be filled with choice stuff from God; may you have victory over all the giants in your life.

Amen and amen!

Weeks 07 & 08 (08) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

Yesterday (26Feb), just before 01:00 GMT, UK experienced the biggest earthquake for nearly 25 years. It has shaken homes across large parts of England. People in Newcastle, Yorkshire, London, Manchester, the Midlands and Norfolk and also parts of Wales, felt the tremor. A man suffered leg injuries when a chimney collapsed in South Yorkshire. The British Geological Survey (BGS) said the epicentre of the 5.3 magnitude quake was near Market Rasen in Lincolnshire, NE of England. Bev Finnegan, who lives in the town, said: "I was terrified to be honest. The noise was really, really terrifying... it was so deep and rumbling. And Justin Cowell, in Gainsborough, told BBC News that it "started as a massive shake. People had come out into the street. It seemed the whole town had woken up."

If people think that the relatively minor earthquake was really, really terrifying, let us be warned of the prophesy of the day of the Lord in [Isa 13:9-13] "......the day of the LORD is coming- a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger-- to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.......I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place......". This prophesy is reiterated by Jesus in [Matthew 24]. A lot of people who are in spiritual slumber now will for sure be woken up on that day!

Clearly, God is doing many things in the world today to warn people of that fateful day. But sadly, many are either blind to them or choose to ignore them! But for those of us who believe and trust in the Lord, we can confidently proclaim that "The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?........For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling.......I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living......" [Ps 27:1-6,13-14 NIV]

Amazingly, God has, throughout the ages, initiated a plan of redemption for all mankind. But we need to acknowledge that we are sinners who cannot save ourselves. "'If a person sins.......he must confess in what way he has sinned and, as a penalty for the sin he has committed, he must bring to the LORD ......a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin." [Lev 5:1-6 NIV] In our case, Jesus is both the sin offering and the priest who has made atonement for our sins when He died on the cross. All we need to do is to "confess with our mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, we will be saved." [Rom. 10:9]

Once upon a time I thought I was wise by human standards. Seventeen years ago I thought I was strong and needed no help. "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-- and the things that are not-- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." [1 Cor 1:26-31 NIV]. I am thankful to God for proving me wrong and for opening eyes to see the truth in Christ Jesus!

Today, I live in awe of the mightiness of our Great God and choose to have a healthy fear of the Lord. This is because "he whose walk is upright fears the LORD.......A wise man fears the LORD.......He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death." [Prov 14:2,16,26-27 NIV]

Amen!