Be With You in 2012

Be With You

Savior of my soul
I confide in you
Through all my darkest moment
In you I find my peace
My comfort when I'm weak
I trust in You, through storm and raging sea

Faithful, You're my God
You're the Glory and the Lifter of my head
Your light it fills my days
It leads me in Your ways
Forever I surrender all to You

Chorus
And I live to worship You
My Jesus You're the only one for me
Nothing will ever take Your place
My precious Savior
Who can stand between my Lord and me

Lord I live to honor You
And I long to bring my life an offering
Take me higher
Draw me deeper
I give all to be with You

[Translated from "Selalu Menyembahmu" by Sendy Stepvina]

One-Third in World are Christians

A major study (Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life) released on Monday puts the total number of Christians worldwide at 2.18 billion, or 31.7% - nearly a third of the estimated global populaton of 6.9 billions while Muslim comprise the second largest group, with about 1.6 billion people.
I wander how many of those 2.18 billion are truely followers of Christ - or are they just Sunday Christians.

According to Wikipedia - A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament.

The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to describe anything associated with Christianity, or in a proverbial sense "all that is noble, and good, and Christ-like."It is also used as a label to identify people who associate with the cultural aspects of Christianity, irrespective of personal religious beliefs or practices.

Christians must examine themselves regularly to see whether they are living as Christians (II Corintians 13:5, I Corintians 9:27).

The Bible describes a Christian as one who is a new creation, having put to death the former sinful self (II Corintians 5:17, Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:6). Because of our love for and responsibility to God, we strive to follow the New Testament pattern for Christian living.
However, because we all sin, we never reach the perfection for which we strive (Romans 3:23, I John 1:8). If we will follow in Jesus' footsteps, His blood will continue to cleanse us of sins (I John 1:7, II Corintians 5:7).
Nevertheless, we are not saved because of any of these works of righteousness of ours, but through the grace of God (Acts 15:11, Titus 3:5).
Let us continue to please God and "walk worthy of the Lord" (Colossion 1:10).

Let us be Christians that are known for our righteousness, faithfulness, love, service, example, and self-control.

Only as Christians who are striving to serve and please God according to His will can we know and feel "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:7).

E.N.D.

Emotional Neglect and Depression appear to be the biggest problems among Malaysian children, if calls to the country's first 24-hour helpline for children, 15999 Childline are anything to go by. Forty percent of the children calling the helpline had symptoms of psychosocial and mental health problems. Of the 5,127 calls that Childline received since its launch on November 20 last year, 2,044 were from children who were bored, lonely, stressed or depressed, with some even having suicidal tendencies. Some were as young as 4 - most were latchkey kids.

[New Sunday Time 18-Dec-2011]

Children want our time and attention. They want to give and receive affection. They also want to play and eat together as a family, to jump and run, to climb and explore. They want to go to bed each night knowing that they are safe and loved.

The foundation of a child is how we as a parent bring them up physically, spiritually and mentally.

Parents roles are to prepare them to leave us as independent, emotionally resilient beings with a strong moral and social compass. That means being loving and kind while setting clear behavioural boundaries and consequences, positive as well as negative.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul. Proverbs 29:17

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

Fear of the Lord

One of the best words to describe the fear of the Lord is reverence. Reverence is a response to a revelation of God. When God reveals Himself, I believe the only appropriate response is reverence. And with it goes submissiveness. A submissive attitude towards God is an expression of the fear of the Lord in our lives. - Derek Prince

Some of the benefits of the fear of the Lord in the book of Proverbs :-

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction - Proverbs 1:7
Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil - Proverbs 3:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understandin - Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened - Proverbs 10:27
In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge - Proverbs 14:26
The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death-Proverbs 14:27
Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith - Proverbs 15:16
The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility- Proverbs 15:33
By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil - Proverbs 16:6
The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil - Proverbs 19:23
By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life - Proverbs 22:4

IF WE FEAR AND LOVE GOD, WE WILL OBEY HIM.

Pondering my path....

I was pondering the years that went by when Deuteronomy 8 and Proverbs 4 came to mind.
In Deuteronomy, it reminded us to "remember that the Lord God led you all he way......."[verse 8] and to "beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments" [verse 11]. In the book of Proverbs, we are to be careful and choose our road in life with wisdom.

Two significant events in my life took place this year : my daughter joined NTU, Singapore in early August while my son graduated from Curtin University at the end of the same month.
Praise be to God for His presence in my family life and His promises of the life to come.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. Proverbs 4:23-27

NEVER LET THE ABUNDANCE OF GOD'S GIFTS CAUSE YOU TO FORGET THE GIVER