Coming Soon

Last day of the year, and what a year it has been! Full of changes on every front: David's company, FLC and work for me, Ethan to the US, Elliot did his O's. The Teys came during the summer like a whirlwind, and we're still unpacking the lessons taught.

The last chapter of the last book of the Bible tells about the new city of God and gives the promise of Jesus:

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Revelation 22:12,13

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life." v17

So, Lord, I come to You. I am thirsty for You. Let me drink from You the water of life. Lord, continue Your work in me, renew my mind, and fill me with Your Spirit that I may continue to do right and be holy, walk in Your ways and worship You alone.

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. v20

Yes, come, Lord Jesus, and may "the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen."

“What shall we do to save ourselves?"

“What shall we do to save ourselves? There is nothing left but to make ourselves prisoners in our homes,” said Talib Ali, 50, who was at the hospital attending to his son Mohammed, who had been wounded in his abdomen and back.

RAMADI, Dec 28 — Twin suicide bombings rocked a government compound in Iraq’s western city of Ramadi yesterday, killing 17 people, a deputy interior minister said.

It was the second attack this month on the compound, which houses the provincial council ands the police headquarters for Anbar province, and the third bombing there in the past year.

(http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/world/article/twin-suicide-bombings-kill-17-in-iraqs-ramadi/)

What shall we do? How can we save ourselves? We're all in this mad world, killing one another, fighting for power, position, property, prestige, pride and prejudice.

O Lord of all, we can't save ourselves, we need You desperately. O Lord, hear the cries of the suffering, the lost and helpless. You are the Saviour of the world, the Lamb of God who died for the sins of the world. Lord, have mercy upon all these people in Iraq, and in the other strife-ridden parts of the world, which would include most parts if not all.

Help your children to shine as light and be like salt to the world. Be with the soldiers and peacekeepers and peacemakers and help them bring peace and healing.

And in Malaysia, there's this squabble over the appointment of the State Secretary for Selangor. The Chief Secretary, acting for the Federal Govt, which means BN, which means UMNO and PM, wants to appoint the head of JAIS! Lord forbid it! Please, Lord, help the PKR leaders to have wisdom to deal with this. You are the one who elevates and dethrones, may You give power and authority to one according to Your will to accomplish Your good purposes.

Christmas has come and gone?

Yea, Christmas came and we sang and ate and gave and received, and we remembered the birth of our Gracious Lord and Saviour. It's over, but is it gone? For me, it's still here, here to stay in my heart.

Reading Isaiah, I am reminded that even from the days of old this is the God who says:

43:25 “I, even I, am he who blots out
your transgressions, for my own sake,
and remembers your sins no more."

and

44:22 "I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist."

How can the Holy One of Israel, the God who is Righteous and Just do that?

And yet, and yet, He has, He has!

Because the Baby born on Christmas Day grew up into the Man who laid down His life for us sinners on the Cross of Calvary - to pay the penalty for all our sins.

How marvellous this is in our eyes! How amazing and wonderful!

So I say to myself:

1 Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

(Psalm 103)

Praise the LORD, my soul.

Christmas has come and stays and never is gone: it is the Gift that keeps giving, the Love that never ends, the Joy and Peace that thrills and keeps through trials and tribulations, the Light that shines in the darkness and cannot be extinguished!

Hallelujah!

Merry Christmas! And God bless us everyone!

In the Morning

I wake up very early nowadays, and after the bathroom, will come to the desktop here. I'm supposed to go to the Word first, but still get here, and while putting on moisturing cream on my feet and hands, check the latest in my favourite links.

Still, I must overcome this, and go straight to the Word!

And to this too, to think and write.


"In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice;
In the morning, I lay my requests before You
and wait in expectation." Psalm 5:3

How wonderful is His love to me: that He should want to hear my voice the very first thing in the morning! My thoughts turn to Him and my heart sings praise to Him, my Maker, Redeemer and Friend.

I'm using the Bible Reading Plan of the Bible Society of Malaysia now and want to complete reading the whole Bible in one year. Your Word is truly food for my soul, drink for my spirit, light for my mind, and a lamp for my feet. Thank you, thank you for your wonderful Word.

I started memorising the Psalms last month and wanted to do all 150 of them. Well, I'm just at no. 8! Consistency and discipline is what I lack and need.

O Lord, hear my voice and plea: help me be consistent and disciplined in reading your Word every day, and in memorising it, hiding it in my heart that I might not sin against you, but that I might live it out every moment day and night.

O Lord, help me set apart the mornings for you, consecrate the new minutes and hours of each dawn to you, to hear your voice and to speak to you.

There is no one else that I'd rather spend these precious moments with, no one else but you, and you alone.

Another day, sin and death, compassion and faithfulness

What's happening to Malaysia?

We don't have any natural disasters like other countries: so far, no major earthquakes, no volcanoes, no tornadoes, no hot summer bush fires, no war or terrorist attacks. But people keep dying like flies every day from causes that are wholly avoidable: murders by jealous enraged husbands or boyfriends, shootings or beatings by police, being chased by the religious police and falling 5 floors down, being pushed by snatch thieves on the road, deaths in detentions, infanticides, daily and nightly traffic accidents involving buses, cars and motorcycles in which whole families perish. These things are happening so often every day that I fear we are becoming immune to it all.

Yes, we are a blessed country, shielded and spared from many natural disasters we read about in other countries. But we are being a disaster unto ourselves! We can't cope in this blessed condition: how are we going to survive a real major natural disaster?

O Lord, have mercy upon this country! Forgive us all the bloodshed, violence and abuse we have committed on this land, against our fellowmen made in your image. Forgive us our hatred, prejudice, racism, immorality, hypocrisy and lying. O God, despite our countless sins against You and against our fellowmen, despite our corruption and lack of love, forgive us according to Your great mercies and compassion, and bless our land, bless the leaders, bless the people of all ethnicity, all Your fallen creation.

Most do not know what they are doing: they are lost and in darkness. Father, forgive them and bring light into their lives. Others have the light but have failed to let it shine through them. Father, forgive us and cleanse us and make us truly Your salt and light in this land.

Surely, "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22,23

Surely, it is You, O Lord, who are interceding for us, and upholding Your children by the Word of Your Power. Father, hear, forgive and act, in Jesus' name!