Appraising Your Life

Remember him — before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the wheel broken at the well, and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:6-7 (NIV)

IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE you took stock of where you are going, hasn’t it?  And how about an evaluation of the kids?  Or your marriage?  Or your own future?  You know what I mean: trimming off the fat of lazy thinking and taking a lean, hard look at your remaining years.

As I write, I’m now in my eighties.  If Christ doesn’t return (and I don’t die in the meantime), I figure I’ll keep going until I’m at least one hundred!  How old are you?  How many years lie between now and when you turn sixty-five or seventy years of age?  It’s about time you came to terms with your future, isn’t it?

If that doesn’t grab you, consider your family in the next decade.  Cynthia and I feel it was only last week when our home resembled a cross between Grand Central Station, the Indianapolis 500, and the San Diego Zoo!  That was long ago.  We now find ourselves with ten grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.  It’s amazing how quickly all that happened.  As the old newsreel used to say, “Time marches on.”

Consider Solomon’s wise counsel:

Remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken.  Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well.  For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
ECCLESIASTES 12:6-7

For what are you asking the Lord on behalf of your children and grandchildren?  I challenge you to stop long enough to make an honest appraisal of your life.  By the way, don’t just think about it . . . get alone and write down your thoughts, your dreams, your aspirations.  Refuse to let tonight’s television programs or some insignificant activity interrupt this necessary discipline.  If you put it off, you may lose the urgency you’re feeling right now.

{From Good Morning, Lord . . . Can We Talk? A Year of Scriptural Meditations by Charles Swindoll}

To Worship God

Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord has comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. ISAIAH 49:13

To worthily worship God as He desires to be worshiped, I must have absolute confidence in Him.  I cannot sit down with any person and enjoy fellowship if I have reason to fear he is out to get me or trick me or deceive me or cheat me.  My fellowship with Him must be based upon respect and confidence.  I have to trust him before I can have fellowship with him; and so when I go to God, I have to raise my affections and confidence to God.  In the presence of God, I must come without doubt and nervousness, without worry and fear that God will cheat me, deceive me or let me break down or do something wrong.  I need to be so convinced about God to the point that I can go into the presence of God in absolute confidence and say, “Let God be true and every man a liar.”

“With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And, “Father, Abba, Father,” cry.
CHARLES WESLEY (1707–1788)

[From My Daily Pursuit: Devotions for Every Day By A. W. Tozer]

Consequences of sin

Isaiah 59:6 - Their cobwebs are useless for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make.  Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands.

In Isaiah 59:6, the prophet paints a vivid picture of the consequences of sin and the futility of human attempts to find righteousness and peace.  This verse serves as a part of a larger passage (Isaiah 59:1-15) where Isaiah highlights the people's separation from God due to their sins.  He describes a people whose efforts to cover themselves and find security are as feeble as cobwebs.  Despite their best intentions, their actions are tainted by evil deeds, and violence permeates their lives.

This verse serves as a reminder that all humanity, regardless of our best efforts, falls short of God's perfect standard.  No matter how hard we try to construct a facade of righteousness or find fulfillment in worldly pursuits, our attempts will always fall short.  Amid this bleak reality, there is hope. Isaiah 59:1 assures us that God's hand is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear.  Despite our sinful state, God extends His mercy and grace to us.  He sees our desperate need and offers a solution that transcends our feeble attempts at self-justification.

The ultimate answer to our sinfulness and brokenness is found in Jesus Christ.  Through His perfect life, sacrificial death on the cross, and victorious resurrection, He offers forgiveness, redemption, and a restored relationship with God.  Jesus' sacrifice provides the covering we desperately need, far surpassing any cobwebs of self-righteousness or human effort.  As we recognize the futility of our own works and the destructive nature of sin, we are invited to embrace the redemption and salvation offered through faith in Christ.

Seow Bak (Roast Pork)

Crispy Pork Belly, just like you get from the Chinese BBQ meat shop!

1. Pricking lots of holes in the skin = puffy crackling with bubbles.  This is what makes all the difference, yielding that beautiful bubbly crackling that is so unique to Chinese pork belly.

2. Roast covered in rock salt = crispy crackling.  Salt draws moisture to the surface, helping to guarantee you’ll get crispy crackling every single time.  And yes, it works whether you do the pricking or not.

The pork belly is first roasted with the salt crust, then the salt crust is removed.  At this stage, the skin is rubbery and looks thoroughly unappetising.
All it takes to transform the ugly ducking into a crispy golden swan is to stick it under the grill/broiler for 25 minutes.  Watch in amazement as it starts to puff and crackle and becomes so crispy!!!

Pork Belly Marinade
The pork flesh is infused with subtle flavour by marinating it in classic Chinese flavours – Chinese cooking wine (or dry sherry or even Mirin), five spice powder, salt and white pepper.

Loving God: Daily Reflections For Intimacy With God.

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. —1 John 4:16

No one can come face-to-face with what God is like and ever be the same. Seeing the truth about His personality touches the depths of our emotions, which leads us to spiritual wholeness and maturity.

BEHOLDING THE GLORY OF WHO HE IS AND WHAT HE HAS DONE RENEWS OUR MINDS, STRENGTHENS US, AND TRANSFORMS US.

God is a Person

It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. LAMENTATIONS 3:22–23

When I was a small boy, I thought of God as an old man with a long white beard.  After all, hadn’t Michelangelo painted Him that way?

Later, as I read the Bible, and after I had accepted Christ as my Savior, I realized that God is a spirit, yet He has the attributes of a person:  He thinks; He speaks; He communicates; He loves; He becomes angry; He grieves.

Because God is a person, He feels that which we feel.  After all, we are made in His image, so it is to be expected that we would be able to communicate our deepest feelings and emotions to God.

God communicates with us in two ways.  First, He communicates with us through His written Word, the Bible.  It tells us who God is, who we are, and why we need a Savior so that we might have that relationship with God which sin has broken.

Second, God communicates with us through His Son.  Jesus said that no man can come to the Father except through Him.  We have that access to Jesus, and thus to God, through salvation.

God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  He never changes.

Our Father and our God, sometimes I can’t express my deepest emotions. But I know that Jesus can express my very heart to You and that You understand.  Thank You, Father, for Your great compassion and faithful love.  In the name of Christ, amen.

[From  UNTO THE HILLS  A Daily Devotional by BILLY GRAHAM]

God's Goodness

Psalms 34:18  "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”[NIV]  The Good News: Though you may feel defeated, God is closer than you realize.  He is always with you and can heal your heart.

The heart of a Psalmist is familiar with suffering and consistent in hope. This pattern emerges time and time again. The writer expresses an honest struggle, makes a request, and ends with a choice to trust in God.  Some Psalms focus on lament, which means to grieve the loss of something or someone.  Some focus on praise.  But many combine the two, even when several verses reveal the pain of suffering.

The power of God’s love has a way of enhancing our ability to believe.  When we experience a deeper connection to love, the tank of our ability to believe gets filled and empowered.  On the other hand, our ability to believe can feel like it is getting shipwrecked with our hearts are struggling with disconnect to love.

When you see someone struggling to believe, you will often find someone who carries a broken heart and the absence of the power of love in their life.  Disappointment has taken over.  Weariness has gotten the upper hand.  Life has a way of beating the belief out of you.

That is why the healing power of love is needed in our lives every day.  We need it to heal and recover from all the experiences we are going through.  When love has not been imbedded in someone’s heart, it can be so easily to lose hope and struggle to believe.

Many believers are trying to help their belief with a “I think I can” kind of approach.  They try and try harder, but struggle to make progress, because there is a love issue missing in their heart.

When you love someone in a way that it impacts their heart, it can literally bring their belief system back to life.  That’s what love does.  It revives hope, renews your perspective, gives you meaning and purpose.

For many of us in our journey, we just need the experience of being loved back to life. 

THE POWER OF INTERCESSION

THE POWER OF INTERCESSION

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:18

I once received a message with the following words: “I will be requesting a doctor's report on the wear and tear of your knees any time soon.  Hope you are still remembering me in your prayers.”

As I meditated on the words I realised how easy it is for our prayers to become selfish and how we approach the Lord all the time and it is all about us.

The Father wants to use us as instruments to reach out to others that are hurting, He wants us to learn the discipline of desiring the best for others before we have even received it ourselves.

The day you learn to reach out for others in prayer is the day you will learn the highest expression of love for others.  You have to pray with all kinds of prayer and you have to persevere in your supplication for all the saints.

Your prayers have the potential of winning mighty victories for someone else.  Someone at this moment needs someone to call on the Lord on his or her behalf.  They need someone to cover their backs...

When last did you take someone as your prayer assignment and prayed consistently for them?  What is the wear and tear of your knees like?

When Job prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes.  In fact, the LORD gave him twice as much as before! Job 42 v 10 [NLT]

When Job obeyed this principle of interceding for others, the Lord restored his fortunes.  Many people have battled to receive something from the Lord because all they have done is to selfishly pray for themselves.

Learn the discipline of standing in the gap for others, that alone can open doors of for you.  It does not matter what the people you have to pray for are like!

They might have hurt you and they might not even be able to reward you for being there for them.  Realize that your reward is with the Lord.  Job prayed for his friends with no regard of how they had criticized him.

Someone is in need of your prayers today, doors for you when you learn to stand in the gap for others.

FROM THE SHEPHERD’S DESK DAILY DEVOTIONAL VOL 1 by Charles P. Magaiza

Fresh Grace Every Day

Matthew 6:34  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

"I am concerned about the big business deal that I have to close tomorrow."

"I am worried about tomorrow's job interview."

"My medical test results will be out tomorrow.  I am afraid it won't be good."

God does not want you to worry about tomorrow.  He wants you to know that He gives you all the help you need for today, and when tomorrow comes, so will fresh help from Him.

This is God's principle even in the Old Testament.  When the children of Israel were in the desert, God gave them fresh manna from heaven every morning. (Exodus 16:13-16, 31)

They did not have to worry about tomorrow because when tomorrow came, there was fresh manna again.  He was their provision every day.

Today, God's manna is the grace He gives you every day.  If you are worried about a situation tomorrow, know that there will be sufficient grace for that situation when it comes.

God wants you to simply rest in His ability to heal, deliver, protect and provide for you every day.

In the Old Testament, when the armies of Moab and Ammon came against King Jehoshaphat, God told the anxious king, "Do not be afraid nor dismayed... for the battle is not yours, but God's... You will not need to fight in this battle... stand still and see the salvation of the Lord..." (2 Chronicles 20:15-17)

When the next morning came, King Jehoshaphat saw how God caused such confusion to come upon his enemies' camp that it brought about their own slaughter.

Amid all that fighting in the enemy camp, God's people merely stood still and saw Him fight the battle for them just as He had promised.

My friend, when you see a problem looming in your tomorrow, don't be afraid or dismayed.  Look to the Lord, and see His grace and salvation deliver you.

God wants you to live a stress-free life, not one filled with worries about tomorrow's problems.  When tomorrow comes, His grace will be there for you as your help, protection, favor and enabling!

Thought For The Day: God gives you all the help you need for today. When tomorrow comes, so will fresh help from Him.

[Taken From : Destined to Reign by Joseph Prince]

USE YOUR AUTHORITY

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19 KJV)

Visualize a traffic control policeman, as he stands in the street; every motorist has to respect his authority.  Even the strongest man driving an eighteen wheeler has to STOP when he is commanded to do so.  What happens if someone thinks they are in a hurry and decide to run over the policeman?  There are a number of problems with that; the policeman does not stand there depending on his own power and authority.  There are structures and institutions that are designed as back up to this man’s authority, however tiny or huge, whatever his colour or gender.  If you do not respect the authority that person represents, you are in serious trouble.  Behind that single policeman, there is the whole police force, the army of the country, the cabinet, the president, the courts, the air force and many other structures that are in place.

This is the same with the authority that Christ gave to us as believers.  We have been given POWER to tread on scorpions and over ALL the power of the enemy, nothing by shall any means hurt or harm us.  The above scripture allows us to take hold of our destiny and know the rights that have been given to us.  All this power is within us, surprising many believers go through life without a single clue of this power.  They faint at a single blow from the enemy and do not take authority over the situation.

The above reference has some absolutes that are mentioned in it:

i)  Over all the power of the enemy
ii) Nothing shall by any means hurt you.

The above points us to the fact that whatever strategy the enemy tries to use, it can be foiled by the power that we have received.  From time immemorial, the enemy has been employing different strategies like bringing sickness and disease, discouraging us, attacking us with worry, attacking our businesses and even directly attacking us through other people.  Before the knowledge of this truth, it is easy for the enemy to ride on our ignorance of this inheritance of authority the Lord Jesus gave us.  He will throw everything on us and we will take it as if it was due to us.  The above absolutes however do not leave any room for some of the enemy’s power to hinder us or hurt us.  Nothing is permitted and nothing should be allowed room to even harm us.

Child of God, you can begin to exercise this power.  The enemy knows that if he tries to oppose that authority, you are backed by all the angels of heaven, the Lord Jesus Himself and God the Father.  The word of God is alive and powerful and you can begin right now to speak it into your situation.  You have to exercise that authority over your sickness, your job and your destiny.  That situation that you are facing that appears insurmountable can be subdued by that authority.  Take charge of that situation and remind it of your inheritance in the Lord Jesus.  Before the above verse, the disciples had witnessed that authority at work; demons were subject to them in the name of Jesus. There is power in that name saints, when it is mentioned every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord (Phil 2:11).

Take authority over your overwhelming situations and over all the power of the enemy today.  With this knowledge, begin to address every strategy that the enemy has been using to get to you and your loved ones.

(From the Shepherd’s Desk Devotional by Charles P. Magaiza)

“Come and rest with Me.”

I care deeply for you, My child.  There is nothing that you feel or experience that I don’t also experience as I carry you through life.  My hand is upon you, and nothing will take you away from My love.  Quietly wait on Me, and you will feel my nearness.  You will hear Me whisper into your soul, and My peace will descend upon you.

My little one, there is a hiding place you can find in Me.  The shadow you see over you is the shadow of My wings.  It is not a shadow of confusion, but a shadow of My hiding place where I will place you next to My heart.  For I have taken you from troubled waters and brought you up on high to rest in My presence.  No matter how dark the night and how fierce the trial, My kiss of mercy will keep and protect you.

No one says in My presence, “I am afraid.”  It is never heard in My glory, “I am poor.”  For I have given you all things that will strengthen your life and prepare you for eternity.  In My presence all cry, “Glory.”  Come into the shelter of My shadow, where all My lovers are washed, robed, crowned, and seated with Me.  I care deeply for you and nothing can disturb you in the hiding place of My glory.  Come and rest with Me.”

[Excerpt From I Hear His Whisper: 52 Devotions (The Passion Translation) by Brian Simmons]

THE POWER OF GENTLENESS

THE POWER OF GENTLENESS

Do you remember the old fable about the contest between the wind and the sun?  It seems they got into an argument over which one of them was the most powerful.

An elderly man in a tattered coat came walking down the path.  The wind challenged the sun to see which one of them could get the man’s coat off.

Confident in his own strength, the wind went first.  He began blustering and blowing with all his might, ripping at the edges of the tattered coat.  But the poor old man ducked his head, hunched his shoulders, and pulled the coat more tightly to his chest.

When at last the mighty wind gave up, it was the sun’s turn to shine.  The sun slipped out from behind the clouds and beamed down on the old man so gently—and warmly— that the man immediately removed his coat and folded it over his arm.

This story always reminds me of the truth of Proverbs 15:1: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”  In our relationships with others, we often take an aggressive posture.  Like the blustering wind, we try to win the point—or the argument—by overpowering and intimidating the other person.  We blast him or her with the full force and strength of our sharpest words.  But seldom does this approach produce the results we’re looking for.  Often we achieve the exact opposite!

The Scripture tells us there is a better way.  Whether we’re giving or receiving constructive criticism, settling an argument, or addressing a sensitive situation, we’d do well to remember the wisdom of Proverbs 15:1 and the power of a “gentle answer.”

Take It To Heart!

Can you think of a problem or circumstance in your life that was exacerbated by harsh words?

How could it have been handled differently?

What about a situation where a gentle answer saved the day?

Pray that God will give you gentle answers for the difficult people and circumstances that come into your life today.

Read James 3:3-18. Write down the areas that you need to work on.

Taken from : Take it to Heart by Christin Ditchfield

A Heart To Know Him

God has sworn by an oath to give us a new heart—one that is inclined to obey.  “I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart” (Jeremiah 24:7).  “Then I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).


God promises not only to give us a new heart, but to write on our hearts His commands.  In other words: He promises to cause us to know Him.

Again, the Holy Spirit is the one who accomplishes this work in us.  He teaches us about the Father’s nature and way—and in the process, He transforms us into Christ’s divine image.

Our Lord has sworn a sovereign oath to be merciful to us in our struggles against sin.  Until full victory comes, He will be patient and loving with us, never casting us aside.  He promises, “No matter what I demand of you, I will supply you with all the power you need to accomplish it.  I will not ask anything of you for which I have not made provision.”

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead—and enabled Him to fulfill God’s law through a perfect, sinless life—now abides in us.  God’s own Spirit is alive in us, providing all power over every work of the enemy.

When the enemy comes flooding into your soul, enticing you toward an old lust, call upon the Holy Spirit.  Listen to His every whisper, and obey His every command.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

[Taken from : God is Faithful by David Wilkerson ]

Labour Day Outing at Tanjong Bungah beach

 Labour's Day picnic at Tanjong Bungah beach with two other families after few months of Movement Control Order.

A Wounded Heart

For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded and stricken within me.—Psalm 109:22

Is it wrong to have a wounded heart?  No, a wounded heart is not wrong, but you need to get it healed and go on.  In Old Testament days, if a priest had a wound or a bleeding sore, he could not minister.  I think today we have a lot of wounded healers.  By that I mean there are a lot of people in the body of Christ today who are trying to minister to other people but who themselves still have unhealed wounds from the past. These people are still bleeding and hurting themselves.

Am I saying such people cannot minister?  No, but I am saying they need to get healed.  Jesus said that the blind cannot lead the blind; because if they do, they will both fall into a ditch. There is a message in that state- ment.  What is the use of my trying to minister victory to others if I have no victory in my own life?  How can I minister emotional healing to others if I still have unresolved emotional problems from my past?

In order to minister properly, we need to go to God and let Him heal us first.  I think we need to wake up and realize that God is not looking for wounded healers.  He wants people with wounds He can heal who will then go and bring healing to others.  God loves to use people who have been hurt and wounded, because nobody can minister to someone else better than one who has had the same problem or been in the same situation as that person.

If we are still bleeding and hurting from our own wounds, we are not going to be able to come against other people’s problems with the same kind of aggressive faith we would have if we had already worked through that problem ourselves. The bottom line is that we need to let God heal us so He can use us to bring healing to other people.

[Source : New Day New You by Joyce Meyer]

Kafe Tsunami Village

Fellowship dinner with the Cheah's family at Kafe Tsunami Village, Tanjong Bungah.

Hiking from Sungai Ara Hindu Temple

Sungai Ara Hindu Temple to Coconut Farm Loop is a 13.5 kilometer lightly trafficked loop trail located near Bayan Lepas that features a great forest setting and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking and mountain biking.

THE LEADER AND STRESS

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. [PSALM 23:1]

Have you discovered the differences between problems and facts?  Problems are things we can do something about; we can solve problems.  Facts are things we can do nothing about; therefore we do well not to worry about them.

We should apply energy only to those things we can change.  When we do, we can feel peace and act with poise, because we no longer beat our heads against an unbreakable wall.

Psalm 23 reminds us of what God alone can control and what we can control.  It distinguishes between problems and facts. It defines God as . . .

Our possession
Our provision
Our peace
Our pardon
Our partner
Our preparation
Our praise
Our paradise

In your life, have you been treating a fact as a problem?

[Leadership Heart 365 Devotion by John Maxwell]

Humility is concerned with what is right

James 4:10 - Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (NIV)

James reminds us of an important biblical principle that is found throughout the pages of Scripture, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James lays out the criteria on living a humble life that honours the Lord in chapter four of his epistle.  He lists a series of commands that will not only keep us in close fellowship with God but encourage us towards humility of heart and gentleness of spirit.

Humility is a fruit of the Spirit that should be exhibited in every believer’s life, but there is much misunderstanding about biblical humility and what it means to humble oneself before the Lord.  Humility is not thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less.  It is understanding ourselves properly considering who God is and who we are and living accordingly.  This humbling of oneself is not meant to be forced, but instead should be voluntary in a willing action.

James gives us a challenge that demands us going against our current day of self-exaltation culture.  He encourages us to appropriately humble ourselves before God.  When we recognize who we are apart from the Lord, the only response that can come from us in the presence of God is humility.  True humility grows in the heart of someone who is submitted to God, growing in grace, and maturing in the Christian faith.  The reward of true humility is exaltation from God - He will lift you up.  The exaltation from God is far greater than the exaltation of the world.

Gossip

In Ancient Greece, Socrates had a great reputation of wisdom.  One day, someone came to find the great philosopher and said to him:

- Do you know what I just heard about your friend?
- A moment, replied Socrates.  Before you tell me, I would like to test you the three sieves.
- The three sieves?
- Yes, continued Socrates.  Before telling anything about the others, it's good to take the time to filter what you mean.  I call it the test of the three sieves.  The first sieve is the TRUTH.  Have you checked if what you're going to tell me is true?
- No, I just heard it.
- Very good!  So, you don't know if it's true.  We continue with the second sieve, that of KINDNESS.  What you want to tell me about my friend, is it good?
- Oh, no!  On the contrary.
- So, questioned Socrates, you want to tell me bad things about him and you're not even sure they're true?  Maybe you can still pass the test of the third sieve, that of UTILITY.  Is it useful that I know what you're going to tell me about this friend?
- No, really.
- So, concluded Socrates, what you were going to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor useful.  Why, then, did you want to tell me this?

"Gossip is a bad thing. In the beginning it may seem enjoyable and fun, but in the end, it fills our hearts with bitterness and poisons us, too!"

- Pope Francis

Hopeful Connection

I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me - Proverbs 8:17

Do you recall falling in love?  You hoped to know the person better and learn all the details that made the individual special.  You spent all your free time with your new love.  You formed strong bonds to last through troubles and time.  It was a moment when you felt connected to another person, when there was someone outside of yourself whom you could not picture your life without.

A. W. Tozer spoke of the desire to know God better.  The moment God became real and special to him was when he was fifteen years old.  He had heard a street preacher say that people needed to call on God if they did not know how to be saved.  Tozer ran home to his attic, got on his knees, and began a lifelong pursuit of God.  This moment inspired his pursuit to a deeper knowledge of God.  He loved and grew in his connection to God for the rest of his life.  Our pursuit of God should be lifelong.  God is too deep, too wide, and too high for the knowing to ever end.  The pursuit begins at the moment you understand that God truly loves you, and this begins your connection of hope.

Just tell our heavenly Father, "I love You and long to know You deeper. Lead me in Your ways so that I may walk closer to You day by day."  Amen

Source: 365 Devotion for hope by Karen Whiting

Chinese New Year Eve Dinner and First Day Lunch Fellowship

Chinese New Year eve dinner with the Yap's family. We had steam garlic prawn, curry chicken, pipa duck, ji hoo char, lor bak, tu tor soup and roasted chestnuts.

On the first day of CNY, our lunch consists of Korean Fried Chicken, Curry Prawns, Curry Chicken, Garlic Crabs, Onion Omelette and Vegetables Soup.

Lor Ark (Duck)

BRAISED DUCK (LOR ARK)

Most people tend to associate braised duck with the Teochews.  However, braised duck is also traditionally eaten in many Hokkien families.

Malaysia is a melting pot of a cornucopia of different cuisines which borrow heavily from each other.  So it is hard to pinpoint the exact difference between the Hokkien and Teochew versions, or which is more ‘authentic’.

In general, the Teochew version is darker-coloured and more savoury, while the Hokkien version is lighter and sweeter.

Some Hokkien Braised Duck stalls make this dish with a thickened gravy.  No starch is added to the gravy, apart than the slight natural thickening effect as the fats and collagen from the duck dissolve into the sauce during braising.

Ingredients : Sugar, 5 Spice Powder, Star Anise, Cloves, Cinnamon Stick, Dark Soy Sauce, Rock Sugar. 

[After cleaning the duck, stuff it with ginger, garlic and blue ginger (galangal)]

Walk the Talk

James 1:22 - Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (NIV)

The book of James encourages Christians to act like Christians and live a life that proves the gospel is at work.  It is intensely practical, action oriented and describes the outward serving of faith.  According to James, if faith is real and if we truly trust God, then our faith will lead to all kinds of practical actions for the benefit of others.

In today’s verse, James urges the believers who listen to God’s Word to demonstrate a sincere commitment to the Lord by reacting to what they hear with obedient action.  The very nature of this passage is application, being doers of the Word.  The original language gives the sense that we must “keep on becoming” doers of God’s Word.  Genuine faith calls for obedience that endures.

The Word of God is not just a beautiful piece of literature to be savored and enjoyed.  Its purpose goes beyond provoking thought and inviting meditation.  It demands a change of heart that prompts a change of behavior.  Genuine faith does what God’s Word says and experiences the blessings from it.  Genuine faith believes God is right and is willingly to change to do what is right based on God’s Word.

The keys to the Kingdom

THE KEY OF DAVID

Matthew 16:19 — I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

BOOK QUOTE: When Heaven Invades Earth [Chapter 2]

THE gospel of salvation is to touch the whole man: spirit, soul, and body.  A study on the word evil confirms the intended reach of His redemption.  That word is found in Matthew 6:13 (KJV), “Deliver us from evil.”  The word evil represents the entire curse of sin upon man.  Poneros, the Greek word for evil, came from the word ponos, meaning “pain.”  And that word came from the root word penes, meaning “poor.”  Look at it: evil—sin, pain—sickness, and poor—poverty.

Jesus destroyed the power of sin, sickness, and poverty through His redemptive work on the cross.  In Adam and Eve’s commission to subdue the earth, they were without sickness, poverty, and sin.  Now that we are restored to His original purpose, should we expect anything less?  After all, this is called the better covenant!

We were given the keys to the Kingdom — which in part is the authority to trample over all the powers of hell (Matthew 16:19; Luke 10:19).  There is a phrase key of David, which is mentioned in both Revelation and Isaiah (Revelarion 3:7; Isaiah 22:22).

All that the Father has is ours through Christ.  His entire treasure is at our disposal in order to fulfill His commission.  But the more sobering part of this illustration is found in controlling who gets in to see the King.  Isn’t that what we do with this gospel?

When we declare it, we give opportunity for people to come to the King to be saved.  When we are silent, we have chosen to keep those who would hear away from eternal life.  It was a costly key for Him to purchase, and it’s a costly key for us to use.  But, it’s even more costly to bury it and not obtain an increase for the coming King.  That price will be felt throughout eternity.

When we are silent, we have chosen to keep those who would hear away from eternal life.

[A LIFE OF MIRACLES by Bill Johnson]

Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob. . . . I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. (Isaiah 41:14–15)

Could any two things be in greater contrast than a worm and a threshing tool with sharp teeth?  A worm is delicate and is easily bruised by a stone or crushed beneath a passing wheel.  Yet a threshing tool with sharp teeth can cut through rock and not be broken, leaving its mark upon the rock.  And almighty God can convert one into the other.  He can take an individual or a nation, who has all the weakness of a worm, and through the energizing work of His own Spirit, endow that person or nation with strength enough to make a profound mark upon the history of their time.

Therefore a “worm” may take heart.  Almighty God can make us stronger than our circumstances and can turn each situation to our good.  In God’s strength we can make them all pay tribute to our soul.  We can even take the darkest disappointment, break it open, and discover a precious jewel of grace inside.  When God gives us an iron will, we can cut through difficulties just as an iron plowshare cuts through the hardest soil.  As He said in the above verse, “I will make you. . . .” Will He not do it? John Henry Jowett

Christ is building His kingdom with the broken things of earth.  People desire only the strong, successful, victorious, and unbroken things in life to build their kingdoms, but God is the God of the unsuccessful—the God of those who have failed.  Heaven is being filled with earth’s broken lives, and there is no “bruised reed” (Isaiah 42:3) that Christ cannot take and restore to a glorious place of blessing and beauty.  He can take a life crushed by pain or sorrow and make it a harp whose music will be total praise.  He can lift earth’s saddest failure up to heaven’s glory. J. R. Miller

“Follow Me, and I will make you . . .” Make you speak My words with power, Make you vessels of My mercy, Make you helpful every hour.

“Follow Me, and I will make you . . .” Make you what you cannot be— Make you loving, trustful, godly,

Make you even just like Me.

Source taken from Stream in the desert