Anyone who fears Him and does what is right?

"...God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right." Acts 10:34,35

Surely O God, You are the creator of all the earth and of all mankind. Surely, You are the Holy and Wise One who sees and knows all, and yet, wonder of wonders, You are also the Loving One who cares and has compassion on us, frail children of dust.

Today, are there any who fear You and do what is right? Cornelius was one in the time of the early church, and there were many others too. Today, here in Malaysia, are there any? You know, Lord, and You will bless them wherever and whoever they may be, and grant them to come to Your salvation. Surely there are, and surely O Lord, You will bless them.

And grant that You may use Your children, as You did Peter and the other disciples, to be that channel of blessing for these precious ones You are seeking. And for us too, grant that we may fear You, revere You in the heart always, and do what is right, and be prepared to give an answer to those who inquire of our hope, to "always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15)

My Petitions

Praise the LORD!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.

The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.
He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding is infinite.
The LORD lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground.

...
He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.
(Psalm 147:2-6,20-11)

Lord, thank you so much for these 2 weeks' break from school. It's a time to refresh myself and prepare for the new semester. Thank you that You are so great and mighty and that Your understanding is infinite. You know what I need before I even say it. I really need wisdom and organisational skills, to plan the lessons and activities for the coming semester. I need Your strength and power to love and understand others, and compassion to care. And I need and want a good memory too, for all I read and watch and hear and learn.

I need You, O Lord, Your Holy Spirit, to sanctify and mould me more and more into the likeness of Your Son.

Thank You, Lord, for hearing me, for answering me even before I call. Thank You for healing me and lifting me up.

I love You, Lord, and praise You for all that You are and do.

To be or not to be

To be or not to be - that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
or to take arms against a sea of troubles
and by opposing end them; to die, to sleep,
No more - and by a sleep to say we end
the heartache and the thousand natural shocks
that flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation
devoutly to be wished: to die, to sleep -
to sleep - perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub
for in that sleep of death, what dreams may come
when we have shuffled off this mortal coil
must give us pause. There's the respect
that makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
that patient merit of the unworthy takes,
when he himself might his quietus make
with a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear
to grunt and sweat under a weary life.
but that the dread of something after death,
the undiscovered country, from whose bourn
no traveller returns, puzzles the will
and makes us rather bear those ills we have
than fly to others we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
and thus the native hue of resolution
is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought
and enterprise of great pith and moment
with this regard their currents turn awry
and lose the name of action.

Shakespeare, Hamlet

To be or not to be, to live or to die, to live fully or to just exist, to do or not to do but just think, talk, watch and pray? - these are decisions that we have to make daily, that determine our life story.

I'm memorising these lines and find them to be truly sublime. O, if I were to be marooned on an island, or more likely, detained and cast into prison, just give me a Bible and Shakespeare, and it wouldn't matter how long the stay there!

But to return to real life here - I am amazed at the grace and mercy of God who hears the cries of the helpless and downcast, who cry to Him in desperation, humility and faith. There are some smiles now on the face of the 16 year old girl, some glimmer of hope shining through. Thank you, God, for opening a way for her, at just the right time. Please give her the strength and will to choose life, to choose You.

Please be with A2, heal her of her sicknesses and grant her to continue in strength and wisdom to reach out to even more, for Your name's sake.

The One who Bore Me

Yesterday was a blessed day, thank you Lord!
D took me n Elliot out to lunch at the newly opened Korean restaurant below Hope. The food was pretty tasty. In the afternoon, I drove to Eric's, enjoyed baby Jian Shern, and took mother out to Carrefour.

Mother is getting on: she has been complaining of weakness, and has gone for a medical checkup. Today she'll be going for a blood test. She walks extremely slowly now. Her left foot is still hurting her, and her back is hunched.

O Lord, have mercy upon my mother, and papa, my brothers n their families too.

I praise you, and thank you that Lord, you are

"... gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.

The LORD is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.

The LORD upholds all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down.

The LORD is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.

The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.

He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them."
Psalm 145:8-19



On my birthday, I remember it was my mother who bore me and gave birth to me. Without her, I would not be here. She has worked hard all her life, serving us all selflessly.
Remember her, O Lord, in Your great mercy and compassion. Let her know Your very presence even today, and help her come to taste of Your goodness and to call upon You in truth.

Thank you, Lord.

LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?
Man is like a breath;
His days are like a passing shadow.

Psalm 144:3,4

Today is my 53rd birthday. I am filled with thanksgiving for all the Lord has given and done for me, all undeserved. Thank You, Lord, that You took knowledge of me, that You have been mindful of me. Nay, more than that, You have been exceedingly kind and gracious, to forgive my sins and show me Your goodness. You have given me the very best gift of all: Your very own Son, Jesus Christ/Messiah, to bring me from darkness to light, from death to life.

So here I am, all Yours. Do with me as You will. Fill me with Thy Holy Spirit, like You did Stephen and the other members of the early church. They were filled with the Spirit and with wisdom and faith and power, and were able to do great things for You, becoming effective witnesses for You.

How I need Your Spirit! Without You, I am nothing. Apart from You, I can do nothing. So live in me, and take control.

Let me say, as Paul did, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20

And Lord, let me not just say it with my mouth but with my life: let it true of me, that it may be even said of me: "She had been crucified with Christ; it was not longer she who lived, but Christ lived in her; and the life she lived in the flesh, she lived by faith in the Son of God who loved her and gave Himself for her." O let it be so. Amen.

Spiritus Sanctus

"I think the Holy Spirit struck me!" said James when I asked him how it was that he had chosen an amazingly apt song for the closing yesterday. It was his first time leading worship service at Hope, and he had done well. All the songs were well-chosen, and there was an atmosphere of reverence, with the absence of the drums a nice change. The last song was "Spirit fill my heart with Jesus" and D's sermon had been on Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit. I, and everyone else, had thought that James must have communicated with D and found out about the topic. But no, he had not known at all what was going to be preached.

"That's wonderful! It surely is the Spirit's work!"

Thank You, Abba God, thank you for Your gracious work in our midst. We want more and more of Your Spirit. Jesus, come and fill Your lambs.

In the evening, surely it was God too who led A2 and me to visit with this family, to talk with and listen to a sixteen year old girl afflicted with depression.

This morning, surely it was the Spirit who led us 4 ladies to pray and intercede for her and other precious ones facing trials and temptations.

Gracious God, forgive us for grieving Thee, Thy Holy Spirit, dwelling within us. Fill us more and more, and help us walk in step with Thee, please Thee, do the works that glorify Thee, and bear the fruit that that reflect Thee.

Venire, Spiritus Sanctus, venire, come and have Thy way.

Life, Oh Life!

Here I am, blessed with Life! Not just physical but Eternal! Jesus said: "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." John 17:3 and "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10

And this is my prayer to You, O Lord of all,
in the words of David in Psalm 141:

"LORD, I cry out to You;
Make haste to me!
Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You.
Let my prayer be set before You as incense,
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips.
Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice wicked works
With men who work iniquity;
And do not let me eat of their delicacies.

Let the righteous strike me;
It shall be a kindness.
And let him rebuke me;
It shall be as excellent oil;
Let my head not refuse it.

For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.

Their judges are overthrown by the sides of the cliff,
And they hear my words, for they are sweet.
Our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave,
As when one plows and breaks up the earth.

But my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord;
In You I take refuge;
Do not leave my soul destitute.
Keep me from the snares they have laid for me,
And from the traps of the workers of iniquity.
Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
While I escape safely."

I am Thine, and Thine alone. Let me abide in Thee, and never leave Thee, never let my heart grow cold. Let me do that which please Thee, and do all for Thee and Thee alone.

What is life on earth apart from Thee? I cannot live without Thee! So feed me, O Living God, and teach me, lead me in Thy everlasting way.

Thank you, O Lord, for giving me Life, for making me for Yourself. You died that I may live, You gave me Your very own Life and all You have that I may share in Your heaven and abundance. Thank you, thank you, I love You.

The Cross: symbol of shame and degradation? or sign of power and wisdom of God?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. - John 15:13

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:7-8

The attitude of selfless concern, sympathy and self-sacrifice for those far lesser than oneself is exactly what makes God even more majestic, noble and commendable to Christian thinking.

Whereas for a Muslim, that a ruler would subject himself to such humiliation for the sake of his lowly subjects is unthinkable.

That God would degrade Himself and come down to the level of His own creation; that God would sacrifice Himself/His own son (in fact, even having a son) for lowly created beings; that a perfect, infinite, uncreated God could at all relate to a flawed, finite, created world; or even that an innocent prophet might die at the hands of sinful unbelievers – these ideas are anathema to Islamic thinking.

As Hodi Jones sneers, such actions would disqualify a King from being worthy of his throne.

So the same action of God sacrificing Himself for humanity makes Him more deserving of worship to Christians, while making Him totally undeserving of deity to Muslims.
(http://scottthong.wordpress.com/2011/03/14/one-pieces-neptune-a-kingly-sacrifice-christian-and-muslim-views/)

It is exactly as what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:23,24 -

But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

On Good Friday, we who believe in the Christ, came to the Cross and contemplating it, fell in love with and adoration of such a great Saviour. There's no other love that can compare. But many others can only see the humiliation and scoff: "What kind of god is that who is so weak and pathetic?"

But they forget: then came Sunday! The One crucified and buried broke out of the grave, rose from the dead, defeating Death and all the principalities and powers, and now reigns on high over all. He is alive! And His spirit is moving mightily all over the world today, convicting and drawing men to Himself still, bound by unbreakable cords of love and gratitude.

Mercy and Justice

How compassionate and merciful God is! The laws He laid down for the Israelites in Deuteronomy 23 and 24 show a concern for the poor, the stranger, the fatherless, the widow, the hired servant that is poor and needy. As He is, so we, His people, are to be: compassionate, merciful, considerate of the needs of the disadvantaged in society.

But against those who sin, He will punish. He is holy and He cannot see any unclean thing in us, or He will turn away from us.

Thank God for Jesus becoming our Passover Lamb giving His body for us, shedding His blood for us and writing a New Testament in His blood for us. (Luke 22)

He who is Lord and King of all so humbled Himself and became a worm, trampled on by evil men, crushed and disfigured, without resistance. And we, His followers now, also have to humble ourselves and be prepared to suffer as He did, to serve as He did, to live and die as He did. Therein lies our hope for resurrection and salvation, for he who saves his life will lose it, but he who gives up his life for God will gain it.

For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
So help me, God.

The God who makes all things new

"And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new." Rev 21:5

O Lord, what a promise and a hope for Your children!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Cor 5:17

or according to the KJV:
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

Lord Jesus Christ, Thou art the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Eternal Word and the Everlasting Father. By Thy will and wisdom, and in love, hast Thou created all things, and art indeed redeeming and making all things new, redeeming and moulding fallen men and women into new creatures bearing Thy very likeness.

All praise and honour and glory be unto Thee!
Renew my mind and change my heart again and again today and in the coming days of this new year, for Thy glory and name's sake.

p/s started using the KJV again to read through the Bible in this year.