A Deep Dependence

2 Corinthians 3:1-11

4Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. 5Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

My thoughts for today...

It is difficult to be a Christian sometimes as the world we live in has its own systems that are contradictory to the system of God. There may be a pressure to compromise to be accepted by others. Yet God wants Christians be different, to be set apart, to be sanctified. We can do this on our own, we need God to help us to live a lives that are different, yet more productive.

Dear Lord,
Thank You that my competency comes from you. Thank You for giving me strength to be different, yet able to perform well in my work. Keep me holy and pure in You Lord.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

School Of Hard Knocks

Psalm 119:65-72

66 Teach me knowledge and good judgment,
for I believe in your commands.

67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I obey your word.

68 You are good, and what you do is good;
teach me your decrees.

71 It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I might learn your decrees.

72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me
than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

My thoughts for today...

Very often, we have to learn things the hard way although we should have save the pains if we were to learn them from others' mistakes or from the word of God. I too have been stubborn and God has to teach me through the school of hard knock. I hope I have fully learned my lessons and don't have to relearn them again and again.

Dear Lord,
Thank You for being patient with me, teaching me Your way that is higher than mine. Though there are many things which I don't understand, I trust that Your thoughts are higher than mine and Your will is always better. Thank You for the pain that growing brings, and through them I am learning to surrender everything to You. Keep me going, Lord.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

A Boost Of Courage

Hebrews 12:1-11

God Disciplines His Sons
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

4In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."[a]

7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Reflection of Bee:

Christian life is liken unto the athletic life, as running in a spiritual race. As they run, there are many distractions and hindrances to stop them from finishing the race or doing their best (v1). In order to run well, they need to throw away all weights. Not only that, they need to fix their eyes on the finishing line, for Christian it is Jesus (v2). They also need to go through vigorous training and discipline in order to do well (v6,10).


Dear Lord,
Thank you for reminding me to be disciple and not to allow anything to hinder me from my spiritual race. I pray that I will always fix my eyes up Jesus so that I will not lose focus or lose heart in what You want me to do. In all I do, may I bring glory to Your name.

I also pray for my friend, Tommy, that You will heal him from his sickness and guide him to serve in the right ministry You want him to serve. may Your peace be his guiding light.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Care Of The Heart

Proverbs 24:30-34

30 I went past the field of the sluggard,
past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;

31 thorns had come up everywhere,
the ground was covered with weeds,
and the stone wall was in ruins.

32 I applied my heart to what I observed
and learned a lesson from what I saw:

33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest-

34 and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and scarcity like an armed man.

Reflection of Bee:

Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"

That means even we may not understand our own heart and can be deceived by it. Our feelings are so fickle and and can change quickly even for no good reasons. If we allow our feelings to control us, our heart may become like what is described in v31 (thorns, weeds and stones).

Thank God that He said, "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." (Jeremiah 17:10) The only one who can truly understand our heart is God. We need Him to search and examine us daily and show us what the condition of our heart is and repent if necessary.

As Christians, "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding (including ours), will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."(Philippians 4:7) Yes, when we are confused by our deceitful heart, we can rely on the peace of God to guide us to do the right things despite of our feelings. That's the only way to prevent "poverty" (v34) of our heart.

Dear Lord,
Thank You for reminding me how deceitful my heart can be. It may think deceive me in thinking I need more than what I really need and seek after the wrong things. May Your peace guard and keep my mind in You whenever I get confused.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Lessons from Moses

Deuteronomy 34

The Death of Moses
1 Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, 2 all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, [a] 3 the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. 4 Then the LORD said to him, "This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it."

5 And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. 6 He buried him [b] in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. 7 Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. 8 The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.

9 Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit [c] of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses.

10 Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. 12 For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

Reflection of Bee:

The story of Moses was the story that brought awe into my young life when I was attending the Sunday School then. Each Sunday I learned something new about the God of Moses. By the time the story ended, I told my Sunday School Teacher that I wanted the God of Moses to be mine too. Many years later when I watched the movie on the life of Moses, "The Prince of Egypt", awe still held my life. Yes, what a mighty God I have!

Who was this Moses that God could use so mightily and was able to talk to God face to face (v12)?

He was a man whom God raised from being a servant's son to someone of high position (as the prince of Egypt), to learn all about leadership, and then to humble him again in order to use him to lead the Israelites out of bondage. Moses made many mistakes but his heart was genuine towards God. Some of those mistakes may have consequences at the end of the day, such as Moses not being able to enter the promised land. Yet Moses was one of the great man of faith commended in Hebrews 11:23-29.

As I once again reflect on the life of Moses I could see something similar God had been doing in my life from my childhood days. He had been moulding my life, teaching me, exposing me to leadership roles and humbling me to prepare me for some special works He wants me to do in the near future. I could feel it coming but I need to obey. Like Moses, I may tend to give excuse and say like what he did in Exodus 4:10,

"O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."

Dear Lord,
Thinking about Moses brings back many memories of how I came to know You. His life is also an encouragement for me to know that all I have gone through in my life have their special purposes. You have a special calling for my life which I need to obey. Give me strength and courage to accept what You have prepared for me to do. Let me not give excuses but to fully rely on You and not on my own abilities. May Your peace reigns in my heart tonight. Speak to me during the Sunday Worship tomorrow.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.