we think GOD is for us when He approves of us, blesses us, protects us, and gives us a great day.

No.

GOD is for us.

In his perfect wisdom, purity and power, love, goodness and grace - that means He will never let go of who are truly deeply are.

We do not know who we are. We think we are this personality, that profile, this set of strengths and gifts, a fusion of successes and regrets. No, those are all bits of who we are - as we respond and live in a fallen world.

Perhaps this is why the ancient church fathers urge us to discipline ourselves..to be quiet, to sometimes even purposefully act against what we are naturally inclined to. It is to break the bondage of who we have carved ourselves into in our attempt to cope…that who are are may emerge; carried by God’s loving everlasting arms. Then, we are ready to truly bless our world.

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this term sounds oxymoron right? a fellow Chrisitan should NOT be a stranger. we share eternal bonds! Yet..

I (jenni) talk to strangers. Today, i spoke to 3 women who shared my table at the coffee shop. What struck me was how cuatious and uninteresting they were compared to some more energetic, feisty totally stranger-folks i have talked to on other occassions… of course, much can account for their general coldness..they could be introverts, sick, been cheated one too many times… i won’t know.

But i sensed they were CHristians so i asked. the reply came back with no gladness. (1 down). after a few more sentences, i shared that i was a pastor. they said i did not look like one. [no problem there]…then they talked about how we are no longer allowed to distribute tracts and how it’s okay to enter temples when u go on tours but to step out if you felt unease.

This raised major Qs for me about discipleship!

i gently suggested that they can pray for their friends on those tours and make it a mission trip!

the whole time, no warm smile, glad connection or sense of concern…hmmm… [2 down]  did i mention that when i came back to the table after my visit to the loo, my food had arrived and one of them said to me curtly, “the birds could have eaten your food”! [3 down i thought a smile and we watche your food for you would be more helpful…]

Discipleship is a huge D!! for the Determined, Dogged and Decided.

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Sometimes the Word of God - the Bible - becomes so familiar to us that its authority and its weight of truth can fade…this is the danger of knowing the Word.

God is calling us to live in and live out the Word.

Sometimes He has to let things happen to us. Or even let things happen to our nation - to show us that He exalts His Word and His Name above everything (Psalm 138). So we can once again humble ourselves and cry out, “forgive us, we will obey you afresh!”… a moment like Israel in the time of Ezra. A time to rediscover God’s Word’s power, penetrating truth and eternal stability.

What word is God bringing to light and life for you? Dwell on it and let it travel deep into the depths of your being. When the harsh winds blow and you feel caged in; it is the Word that will rasie you up as the Spirit anchors you again.

Be strong and very courageous; let not this Word depart… (Joshua  1v8f)

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We live in amazing times. Life has never been so luxurious and indulgent and so pathetically impoverished all at once. We can cheer on total strangers, write and opine, whine and beoman, campaign and complain… with the internet especially, we seem to know so much and have so much to do…

As Christians who want to see God’s Kingdom realised each day, we can about burn out just from trying to circulate those nice powerpoint emails about thanking God, living better, being stronger and so on.  We also become more aware of social, political and environmental issues….

Frankly though we remain much the same. We either get so drained by our own struggles we could nto care less what goes on in the world, or we care but feel guilty coz we dont do enough, or we care but get totally frustrated since we feel so powerless to bring change.

Singaporean Christians in general are a well-fed lot. We already know more than we can make meaningful use of. What is needed is a sense of focus, calling, destiny.

As a wife-mother-pastor, there are endless concerns and issues i can pursue. But i surely cannot impact every area to the same degree and with the same passion and energy.

So perhaps the key is to ask: what do i focus on this season? Am i willing to admit what I dont know and work hard to find out if this is the area of focus God has for me? Am I willing to pray and receive His peace for areas beyond my action for now?

Balance focus with open-ness. Being open to the Spirit’s prompting is essential to an exciting faith-life. While we have a focus, we must remain open to divine interruptions, surprises and twists! It is easy to tust our own strength and make a big deal of our actions when we are merely focused.

We are concerned for many things in our world today: poverty, the church, the gospel, our neighbours, our marriages, children, parents, governement, mass media…and the list goes on… but we can become world-weary and lose our shine if we forget that this is our Father’s world! Our Father would have us focus and at the same time be open to His winds of leading and change.

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With the financial woes around the world, the Singapore government has come up with an inventive scheme to give citizens money; called credits. Employers are given credits, ordinary folks are given credits — to hedge against rising costs, loss of jobs and hardships. Many are glad and some rile that it’s little and in effective.

But this makes me think of another credit we who trust in Christ as Lord and Saviour have: it’s called the credit of righteousness. Unlike the cash and incentive credits; this one in unrelated to performance, background and future prospects! God freely gives it to all who would receive it with humility. It is the credit that allows us to come to God and call Him ‘Father’. It is the credit that sets down a deposit for a heveanly home. It is the credit that is signed, sealed and delivered right into the depths of our hearts through the power of the Spirit.

Do you and I know anyone who needs this credit?

Do you and I who have it rely on it fully and experience it joyfully?

G -race

S - alvation

T - otality

this is what God Alimghty offers us - in good times and bad; since the beginning of time. Let;s open our hearts and receive it afresh - especially during this season of Lent; when we are drawn to rememeber the meaning and power of the Cross.

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