Are You Free?

Galatians 4:21-31

Hagar and Sarah

28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son." 31 Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.

Bee's Thoughts:

Initially when I read the above passage, I felt it was rather 'unfair' that "the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son" since both have the same father. Then as I pondered over it I realized that it was the "law" that made it so unfair. As long as the people are living under that law, it applies to them and they are bound by it. The only way to be freed from that law is when a person dies or when a new law is imposed.

The above principle also applies to our Christian living. Before we become Christians, we have been under the bondage of the law of sins. But when we accepted Jesus as our Saviour, He set us free from that law and gave us a new law of freedom in the Spirit. "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (2 Corinthians 3:17)

Talking to Tommy earlier about 'gambling' on CNY reminds me of what 1 Corinthians Chapters 8-10 teach concerning our new freedom. Example, we may know that we can eat anything, even food offered to idols (since idols is nothing), or we can play 'gambling' on CNY (since we are not addited to gambling). Yet we have to note that those who are non-Christians or young in age or in spititual life might take these actions seriously and become stumbled.

1 Corinthians 8:9-13:

9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

1 Corinthians 10:23-33:

23 "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. 24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.



Dear Lord,
Thank You for the freedom I have in Christ Jesus. Thank You that because of Christ I can have Your promised eternal inheritance. Yet I pray that I will not take this freedom for granted or do things that will stumble my brothers or sisters in Christ, or people around me. May what I do give glory to You always.

I asked all these in Jeus' name. Amen.

The Lost Library

Isaiah 40:6-8

6 A voice says, "Cry out."
And I said, "What shall I cry?"
"All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.

7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.

8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God stands forever."

Bee's Thoughts:

I am like "grass", so is all mankind. Life is so fragile, we may "wither" and disappear from this earth any time. The bible compares men's glory/achievement to flowers which will fall easily too. Nothing is permanent... except one thing... "the word of our God". God's word never fail and it comes to past all the time.

Yesterday, I read that one of my friends' wish before she dies is to complete reading the whole bible. That's a very good thought! But to set her due date as before she dies is as good as no due date, since she won't know when she is going to die. By the time she knows, it will be too late to complete reading the whole bible. So I hope she will do it immediately and complete it within a year instead.

Yes. God's word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path always. It guides my life so that I may not walk in darkness.


Dear Lord,
Thank You for Your word which lives forever. Let me always keep Your word in my heart that I may do what is right in Your sight. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

The Greatness Of Gratitude

Luke 17:11-19

Ten Healed of Leprosy
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

Bee's Thoughts:

Gratitude or thankfulness is is not just a thought, it is an action. When one is thankful, one will do something to express that gratitude. In the case of the only leper who thanked Jesus for healing him, his action was an expression of his "faith" (v19) in Jesus' total healing of his sickness. Jesus said that his "faith" has healed him. I wonder what will happen to the other 9 lepers... perhaps their leprosy might come back to them again?

That's why the bible says "in everything give thanks".... not only in some of the things. As I pondered over what I might give thanks for, some thoughts came to mind...

1. Thank God for setting me free from my distress in 2005 and give me something more meaningful in 2006.

2. Thank God for giving me a new job and a changed attitude... the ability to work well with my new bosses, colleagues, children, parents, and the vendors.

3. Thank God for removing the pain from my tooth, a speedy recovery and an early appointment for the new tooth crown.

4. Thank God for helping me keep my daily devotion time.

5. Last but not least, I want to thank Tommy for being my devotion partner, who is running this spiritual race with me. I also want to thank him for asking me to stay on this blog when I wanted to blog alone elsewhere, for letting me know that I have made a difference in his life and that he has been encouraged. This knowledge has encouraged me too.

The Choice Is Ours

Colossians 3:1-17

Rules for Holy Living
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Bee's Thoughts:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

I like the above hymn 'cos it reminds me to think of things above and not things on earth. Sometimes in the midst of my business I might forget that I am just a 'passerby' on earth and small problems look so big. But the moment I remember that my goal is heaven, everything seems trivial.

I wonder why the bible says "over all these virtues put on love" (v14). Doesn't "love" covers all these "virtues"? Perhaps a person can have these virtues without loving... for agape love is unconditional.


Dear Lord,
May You constantly remind me of where I am heading for eternaity. Let me choose to focus on You rather than on things around me so that Your peace can rule in my heart always. Let me love with Your unconditional love too. Give me grace to do everything for Your name's sake.

In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Fellow Workers

Exodus 17:1-6

Water From the Rock
1 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink."
Moses replied, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?"

3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?"

4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, "What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me."

5 The LORD answered Moses, "Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Bee's Thoughts:

Complaints and murmuring seem to be the nature of mankind. In order to counter this nature, God wants Christians to give thanks in everything. They can't complain and give thanks at the same time, right? God also wants Christians to rejoice in Him always. When that happens, there won't be any complaints and murmuring. :)

I was wondering what Moses might be thinking when told to "strike the rock"... how can the rock produce water? Yet Moses just obeyed without questioning. I guess Moses' obedience produces the miracle of water coming from the rock for so many Israelites to drink.

God will be there at the rock... what a great assurance! When God calls us to do something, He will be there with us... we won't be alone.

Dear Lord,
Thank You for always being with us whenever You want us to do something. You never leave us alone as we obey You by faith. Thank You that we can rejoice in You always instead of grumbling.

Let me not complaint when things look bleak at times but to trust in Your faithfulness always.

In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Bee's 3rd Month of Devotion

Last week, a friend of mine, who is doing her coaching course, asked me a very thought-provoking question: "What is the difference that makes the difference?" (She was refering to the success in my change of attitude this year, that makes me feel peaceful and contented, that improves my career and financial health.)

I thought for a moment.... then I replied, "My 3-months of daily devotion time with God."

Yes, that's the difference that makes the difference to my life in 2006. Without spending time with God daily to let His words encourage me, and see what's more important in my life, I would have been as unmotivated and in distress as last year. My devotion time for the last 3 months is just like 'oxygen' to me now. It helps me 'breathe' properly in a spiritual sense, which also translates into my physical and emotional well being. It's so powerful... it transforms me for the better. :) Thank God!

Actually, I wanted to stop blogging my devotion at Tommy's blog and has started a new blog for myself, called "Time Alone", on 16 Jan 06. The reason was to remove some confusion/misconception about Tommy and me. However, Tommy has requested that I continue to do my devotion at his blog as an encouragement for him. I obliged... so now there is a duplication in a way. I told Tommy that my "Time Alone" blog would be my standby 'Resort', in case he tells me to 'get lost' from his blog one day... kiasu me. :P

For those who are still curious about Tommy and me, let me set the record straight once and for all... Tommy is not my bf. So if any of you gals are interested in Tommy, please feel free to approach him. (Tips: you must be a devoted Christian gal who loves God and is intelligent to interest him. =D )

All things said, blogging devotion with a fellow Christian can be quite fun as it helps us to encourage one another when the going gets tough.


So Tommy, when it's time for me to 'get lost' from your blog please let me know, ok? Thanks for running this spiritual 'race' with me. May the Lord bless you richly in all aspects of your life.

.......the thoughts of Bee

Tommy:
hey drama Bee, I'm not that bad la till ask you to get lost!
I appreciates you very much being here & encourages me yea...
btw, your tips there are not very accurate la...not sure about that "intelligent" part :P

Bee:
hard to say la... man changes very fast and can be very drastic at times... so better prepare for the worst. ;)
ok ok, correction.... 'stupid' also can apply... for more 'accurate conditions' please email Tommy directly. :P

Magnifying Our Master

2 Corinthians 11:23-30

23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

Bee's Thoughts:

Apostle Paul's life seems to resemble that of moses, in that though he was a man of high regards and could boast of all his achievements, yet he distrgarded them and suffered for Christ.

"I will boast of the things that show my weakness." (v30)...

1. I find it hard to trust others -- but by trusting God I learnt to trust others as well.

2. I don't have faith in things/people I did not see, I need evidence -- yet I have simple faith in God, and I learnt to have faith in things/people even when I can't see them.

3. I can't forgive people who have hurt me deeply -- but with the power of the Holy Spirit I could forgive.

4. I don't believe in love, I see liars everywhere -- but by knowing God's love, I learnt to love with His agape love too.

5. I hated myself and wish I didn't born -- but God told me I am precious to Him, He bought me with His blood.


When I am weak, then the strength of God becomes more obvious to me and others. Then God will be magnified.


Dear Lord,
Let me magnify You in me. Let others see the changes in my life and glorify Your name.

I am very tired tonight... let me have a good peaceful sleep and wake up fresh in the morning.

In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

And It Was So

Genesis 1:1-13

The Beginning
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Bee's Thoughts:

God is a God of His word. Whatever He says, "it was so"... it comes to past. No wonder the bible tells us, "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one" (Matthew 5:37).

I find it very difficult to accept uncertain answers from people too. When they are uncertain, I will rather treat their answer as 'No'. People who are vague in their answers seem to be thinking that they can have a 'back door' when they cannot fulfill their promise. What they don't know is that they are making the other person stressful. When they finally decide to say 'Yes', the other person might have already given up hope.


Dear Lord,
Thank You that You are always certain in Your answers and not vague. Let mine 'yes' be yes, and mine 'no' be no, just like Yours. Let me be known as someone who is reliable and keep her words, just like You do.

In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

A Bad Day?

Psalm 118:15-24

15 Shouts of joy and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
"The LORD's right hand has done mighty things!

16 The LORD's right hand is lifted high;
the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!"

17 I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

18 The LORD has chastened me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.

19 Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.

20 This is the gate of the LORD
through which the righteous may enter.

21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.

22 The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone;

23 the LORD has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.


Bee's Thoughts:

I tend to be able to identify myself with King David's Psalms most of the time. The above Psalm sounds like my life. It speaks of King David's near death, and how God delivered him from it (v17). It also speaks of God's dealing with his life (v18) to mould him to become a man after God's heart. In spite of the things he had gone through he said, "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (v24)

I have so much to learn from King David's life... his heart toward's God, attitude, repenting spirit, justice, thankfulness, faith, joy, loyalty, forgiveness, love and many more.

Yes, I should rejoice in the Lord always... yesterday, today, tomorrow, and the days to come. For God makes the days new for me.


Dear Lord,
Thank You that Your loving kindness never cease and Your compassion never fail, they are new every morning. Therefore, I can rejoice in You daily no matter what suituation I encounter. May Your joy in me be contagious to those around me, that they may experience Your joy too.

In Jesus' name I ask these. Amen.

Lead Them To Jesus

1 Corinthians 3:4-8

4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?

5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.

Bee's Thoughts:

Whatever we do will not be fruitful unless God causes it bear fruits. Time and again this message is repeated that without God being in it, whatever we strive to achieve (career, relationship, wealth, even spiritual works) will not prosper.

Dear Lord,
May Your name be exalted in whatever I do. I commit everything I do into Your hand... be it my work, relationship, service, etc. I know that unless You bless them, all these will go down the drain. Thank You for today's message, Lord.

In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

In Defense Of Life

1 John 3:10-23

10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

Love one another
11 This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

Bee's Thoughts:

"Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer" (v15). That's serious! What did John mean by that?

John gave the example on how Cain hated his brother, Abel, and then ended up murdering him. The seeds of hatred and unforgivingness in our hearts are tools used my the devil to cause strife and even murders amongst fellow humans.

As children of God not only we shouldn't hate our brothers, instead, we should love to the extent of willing to "lay down our lives for our brothers". This is true love "with actions and in truth". This is a self-sacrificing love.

Isn't that a tall order? I think so, since it refers to "our brothers (all born-again Christians, not just our loved ones). If we can't even love to that extend for those close to us, how can we talk about loving just another Christian whom we don't know? Yet, that's a command from God.

We know that God will never ask us to do something we can't do. Therefore, when He commands us to love in that way, I believe He will give us that kind of agape love to do it when the time comes. On our part, perhaps we need to practice agape love on the few who are close to us first, and extend the love to more and more Christians each day as we allow God's love to fill our heart.


Dear Lord,
Thank You for Your reminder today that agape love is what You require from me. You are love. By letting You live in me is by letting love dwells in me too. I have the power to love in the way You want me to because You lives in my heart.

Yes, "love covers a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8). Thank You for helping me to forgive those who have hurt me and still love them with Your love, if they allow me to... I can't force anyone to accept such love. I pray that they too will let Your love flows thorugh.

In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Love One Another

The World Without

Matthew 23:13-23

23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former

Bee's Thoughts:

I have heard that Christianity is not a religion. Why isn't it so? A religion is men looking for God to find their way to heaven by doing good works. Whereas, in Christianity, it is God looking for men to bring them to heaven because no good work can save them; it's God becoming a man to die on behalf of men for their sins.

I won't debate on that term, but it's also true that some Christians do unconsciously treat their faith as a religion, thinking that all their services to God can bring about salvation. I guess the difference is whether in what we do brings life and growth to ourselves and others. Even reading the bible or doing devotion can become a routine with no life if one isn't careful.

My friend's question to me this afternoon made me pondered hard. She asked me, "What is the difference that makes the difference?" - referring to my change of attitude that leads to a more contented and happy me, and therefore enables me to make some progress in my career and financial health compared to how I felt last year.

My reply was, "My 3 months of devotion time with God, letting His words encourage and transform me."

Yes, when my inner world is transformed it will lead to the transformation of my outer world. I see that change in me very clearly... which can also be seen and felt in how I relate with my colleagues at my new work place... "justice, mercy and faithfulness". I surprised myself at my own change actually. I hope I can be a good change agent and manager at my place of work; I hope to see good progress in the change I intend to make for my school by end of next month.


Dear Lord,
Thank You for the change You have made in my inner world. Thank You that this change has resulted in the change in my outer world in how I relate with my colleagues and people I know. I pray that my devotion time with You will continue so You can transform me daily. Let it never ever become just a mere religious practice or routine.

I pray that I will be a shinning light at my work place, so that my colleagues will see the difference between me and my predecessors. May your justice, mercy and faithfulness be seen through me.

In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

The Difference Faith Makes

Psalm 14

1 The fool says in his heart,
"There is no God."
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good.

2 The LORD looks down from heaven
on the sons of men
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.

3 All have turned aside,
they have together become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.

Bee's Thoughts:

Faith really makes a difference. Without faith, no relationship can last. I have faith in some of my online friends even though I have not seen them in person. With a few of them, I have full confidence that they will keep their promises, I know they are reliable. That's faith!

I find it hard to understand why many people do not believe in Christ/God just because they can't see Him. When I recall the time I accepted Christ, I always marvel at how I could have that simple faith. I guess at that time, accepting a God whom I have not seen is better than accepting nothingness which is a sure way to my destruction. If I never try I will never know, right?

I still have not seen Christ and still have not heard His audible voice... isn't this worst than my relationship with my online friends? At least with some of my online friends I have chatted with them frequently and have heard their voices before, some even have seen me on videos... there are interactions between us in one way or another. Yet, after accepting Christ by faith I slowly experience His reality in my life. This faith grows stronger as days go by though I still don't get to see Christ or hear His voice. But I can feel Him in my heart and read what He wants to tell me in the Bible. This is enough for me... I don't need to see Him physically to believe.

Yes, sometimes I wish I can touch and feel Christ; I wish He can hug and embrace me... but I know it isn't possible now, but it will take place one day when I see Him face to face. I will wait for that day to come... that's faith.


Dear Jesus,
I miss You a lot. I long to see You and touch You. But You asked me to wait. You promised You will come back for me and take me to where You are. I believe in You. I know You won't break Your promise. You won't tell me that it was a mistake after making that promise. I place my hope in You. Come quickly.

I pray for my friends who do not know You that they too will come and accept You by faith. I pray that they can join me in heaven one day when we leave this earth. I don't want them to be left behind. May they experience Your love just as I did.

In Your precious name I pray. Amen.

Learn To Teach

Job 2:1-10

Job's Second Test
1 On another day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"
Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."

3 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason."

4 "Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life. 5 But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face."

6 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life."

7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.

9 His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"

10 He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

Bee's Thoughts:

Hmmn... after going through my recent toothache and the resultant painful swelling of my cheek and neck, the above passage has become more realistic to me. There are some lessons for me in my experience which I could relate to Job's.

1. Satan is always "roaming through the earth" (v2) to look for his victims, especially those who wants to seek God...

So I need to be careful of his tricks on me.

2. "Ruin" or losses may still happen to a godly Christians "without any reasons" (v3). They come from Satan, but with God's permission...

Though I have lost many things in my life, God knows how much losses I can take, and He will not let the temptations be too much for me to bear. Yes, I may not have fully got over my hurt of loss, nevertheless, I am still trusting God and staying close to Him to receive His grace daily.

3. God does not allow Satan to take a Christian's life even though He may allow Satan to inflict suffering on him/her (v6, 7)...

Perhaps that's why I was at the brim of death 2 days ago and yet not dead? It's not time for me to die yet I guess.

4. Suffering is a way to test my faith in God (v10)...

Though feeling drowsy day and night because of the pain killers, I resisted the temptation to take a break from my daily devotion... it's a test of perseverence. Thank God for His strength!


Dear Lord,
Thank You for the lessons I can learn from the life of Job. Thank You that my life is in Your hand and all things happened in my life not without Your purpose and permission. Keep me strong regardless of what happened to me, even when I have to suffer pain and loss. Amen.

Get The Point!

Galatians 2:11-21

Paul Opposes Peter

14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

15 "We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' 16 know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

17 "If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. 19 For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Bee's Thoughts:

Often we hear complains that some Christians behave just like non-Christians or even worse. Just like my previous boss, who claimed to be a Pastor, was more unscrupulous in his business dealings and with his employees than any non-Christians bosses I had before. It brought shame to Christ because of such people. I heard that recently he had to close some of his businesses because of debts. People who do such things will never escape the consequences of their wrong doings.

Yes, Christians are to live by faith; they are judged by faith in Christ, not by the law (do this or do that). Yet Jesus said "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them." (Matthew 7:15.16) A good tree will bear good fruits; a rotten tree will bear rotten fruits. Therefore, a person who behaves like the devil, we will know who his 'father' is. So when a person claims to be a Christian, we shouldn't just believe but to look for his 'fruits' of Christ-likeness.

All things said, there are Christians who are weak because they are new, or because they don't read the bible and remain as babes in Christ for many years. Yet even if they do read the bible and are growing spiritually, it's still a process of growth, and there might be many truths they have not learnt yet, like in the above case of Peter (v14 & 15). The difference for a growing Christian is the attitude of willingness to learn and change.

It took so many trials in life for Paul to come to a stage of full surrender to Christ where he proclaimed, ” I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (v20). I understand the meaning of this verse better now after my brush with death... "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me". I am ready to go anytime I feel... perhaps what holds me back is the salvation of people I know?


Dear Lord,
Why didn't I go and meet You yesterday? I always long to see Your face... to see the only One who loves me so much. What is it that You want me to do before I can meet You? To share Your gospel to those who do not know You? Let me live for You then. Let me share Your love around. Amen.

Loving The Unlovable

Luke 19:1-10

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' "

8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."

9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

Bee's Thoughts:

It's easy to love the lovable isn't it? But to love the unlovable is difficult, if not impossible. Many good relationship turns sour when at least one party becomes unlovable.

I was at my brim of death today at the dental clinic due to vasoconstrictor effect from the anesthesia. At that moment my mind went blank and I couldn't breathe. I thought I was going to die without any close one beside me. Tears just automatically flowed uncontrollably. Not that I fear death, but I thought I have no chance to say "goodbye" to those close to me before I go.

Yes, I did feel angry with the incompetency of the dental officer who did the injection for me. But I do not wish to lodge a complaint against the hospital for not having a specialist to guide her during the process. I don't wish to ruin her career. Thank God that I am still alive to blog here.


Dear Lord,
Thank You for loving me, the unlovable. Thank You for helping me to love the unlovable too. Should I die, let me die without regret. Amen.

Time Alone

Dear Friends and Readers,

I have decided to spend quiet time here after all the troubles I have gone through. Hence, this blog shall be used for me to write down what I may learn from God each day. All my thoughts and reflections of the day shall be written here too. You are still welcome to drop by and comment when you have the time to spare.

May God bless you.

Bee

My Life A Mist

James 4:13-17

Boasting About Tomorrow
13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

Bee's Thoughts:

My life "a mist", this I already know.
Will I see tomorrow? That I don't know.
If the Lord's will, there is one place I will go.
Although it is cold, I like to touch the snow.
- Bee

Sometimes unknowingly we boast, thinking we hold tomorrow.... so we make many plans and goals without asking if they are within God'swill. We forget that our lives are in God's hands. Such boasting can become sinful and lead us in the wrong direction. We, therefore, need to be humble and prayerful, committing out lives, plans, paths, etc, to God.

Dear Lord,
Thank You for reminding me again that my life is "a mist"and I need to live a day at a time to glorify Your name. I want to commit my work, my relationship, and my all into Your hands. Teach me to do what is right so that I may not sin against You or others.
In Jesus' name I humbly pray. Amen.