came upon this video when i was listening to don moen songs on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc5SdTV6rYk&NR=1

When it's all been said and done
There is just one thing that matters
Did I do my best to live for truth?
Did I live my life for you?

When it's all been said and done
All my treasures will mean nothing
Only what I have done
For love's rewards
Will stand the test of time

Lord, your mercy is so great
That you look beyond our weakness
That you found purest gold in miry clay
Turning sinners into saints

I will always sing your praise
Here on earth and in heaven after
For you've joined me at my true home

When it's all been said and done
You're my life when life is gone...


what are we living for, my brothers and sisters?

perhaps at the end of our lives, we would look back and realise that all that we have done are things for ourselves. things that we cant bring away.

its probably a bit difficult to think of the day you die when most of us are barely 20.

but i wouldnt want to look back on my life in regret.

realizing my life.. and what i've done.

doesnt really matter.

we rush and make ourselves busy to earn money, to get a car, to get good grades, to buy a house.

but what for?

so we can live in greater comfort? so that we'll be happier?

but wld these really soothe us? really make us happy for long?

i pray for god's grace to be with us.

such that we have enough to not want. and also just enough for us to treasure what we have.

and that we can have to joy and peace of God with us. everyday. every second. and every footstep taken on the journey with God.

was sharing with the youth this past sunday on doing quiet time. and all of us expressed difficulties at keeping to a schedule, at doing it everyday.

its very much a matter of discipline.

and also how you yearn for the words of the lord.

if like Peter, we see Jesus as all we need then quiet time spent alone with him will probably be what we are doing everyday.

sang the song 你的恩典每天够我用

there was this part where the song goes 奉献一生皆因为爱是你，为了你，我愿将一切放弃，耶稣 为要得着你

first question:
what do we have to give up if we pledge to follow him? Are we prepared for it?

second question:
why shouldnt we prepare ourselves for it? Why should we avoid singing this phrase (i told them that i dont dare to sing sometimes) if we have pledged ourselves as Christians who will carry the cross of Christ and follow him for the rest of our lives?

I guess a lot of us just dont want to take that responsibility. happy to be mediocre Christians for the rest of our lives. we tell ourselves that, well.. as long as I dont do anything wrong, then I'm fine.

but our faith is not meant to be like that. we are supposed to grow. we arent supposed to stay at a standstill.

and no matter how difficult it is. we have to. because there is a small part of us that wants to. if you let go of all the things that you are doing. you will probably realise that there is a part of us that yearns to understand and find out more about Christ. yet, we often bury this voice with our work, our activities.

for me, it was because i couldnt bear to hear the voice. because i know that i have a lot to learn. and it requires me to change and to put in effort to do so.

but this new year. i made a little promise to listen to that voice. to grow internally. to not be satisfied with what i know about Christ. to dedicate the rest of my life to learning about Jesus Christ.

and if He wants me to serve him. I will trust and obey.

my dear brothers and sisters. let us not be happy with what we have now. we are a blessed bunch because we have known Christ from a young age. but why limit what we have to serve and give back to God to the amount that we have been giving for the past 10 years, while we are still children?

we must grow and leave the starting point of Christianity where we have been for the past years.

let us truly sing.

恳求主　你看看我双手
一切我所有　甘心为你用
恳求主　你看看我的心
朔造，练净我
将我分别为圣

我们要奔向你的祭坛
得找你的火焰
站在破口中
拯救那失丧的灵魂

求主赐我怜悯的心
为着迷失的人群
我们要改变世界
带来　光　在这地

a true friend

READ: John 15:9-17

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.. --Proverbs 17:17

I have a friend named Nelson. We work together, play together, cry together, and often laugh together. Our friendship keeps growing.

Recently Nelson said he wanted me to conduct his funeral if he died before I did. I said, "Hold off on that request for a few years. I might disappoint you, and you might change your mind." "Oh no," he quipped, "that won't happen. You can't disappoint me any more than you already have."

We had a good laugh, but I began pondering his comment. Isn't that what it means to be a true friend-- knowing the disappointing side of a person's life yet continuing to accept him? Solomon described such a friend as one who "sticks closer than a brother," one who "loves at all times" (Prov. 18:24; 17:17). We all need someone like that in our lives.

Jesus wants to be that kind of friend to us. When we admit our sinful disobedience, ask for His forgiveness, and submit to Him, He becomes our Savior and Friend. Because He took the penalty of our sins upon Himself on the cross, nothing we've done, or may do, will turn Him away.

Jesus is one friend you can't afford to be without. Is He your Friend? ¡X Dennis J. De Haan

We have a Friend who sticks by us,

Who's closer than a brother;

And even though He knows our faults,

His love is like no other. --Sper

Christ is the truest friend you can have.

Quotes..

Love the moment, and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries.-Corita Kent

A man does not have to be an angel in order to be a saint.-Albert Schweitzer

Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.-C.S. Lewis

Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.

Man has never made any material as resilient as the human spirit.-Bern Williams

The family fireside is the best of schools.-Arnold Glasgow

Love is an act of faith, and whoever is of little faith is also of little love.-Erich Fromm

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.-Winston Churchill

Some people succeed because they are destined to, but most people succeed because they are determined to.-Anonymous

The great man is he who does not lose his child's heart.-Menicus

Beware the barrenness of a busy life.-Socrates

Love wholeheartedly, be surprised, give thanks and praise--then you will discover the fullness of your life.-Brother David Steindl-Rast

What Makes Heaven Heavenly

by Max Lucado

You will be you at your best forever. Even now you have your good moments. Occasional glimpses of your heavenly self. When you change your baby's diaper, forgive your boss's temper, tolerate your spouse's moodiness, you display traces of saintliness. It's the other moments that sour life. Tongue, sharp as a razor. Moods as unpredictable as Mount Saint Helens. This part wearies you.

Just think what Satan has taken from you, even in the last few hours. You worried about a decision and envied someone's success, dreaded a conversation and resented an interruption. He's been prowling your environs all day, pickpocketing peace, joy, belly laughs, and honest love. Rotten freebooter.

But his days are numbered. Unlike he did in the Garden of Eden, Satan will not lurk in heaven's gardens. "There shall be no more curse" (22:3 NKJV). He will not tempt; hence, you will not stumble. You will be you at your best forever!

Christ will have completed his redemptive work. All gossip excised and jealousy extracted. He will suction the last drop of orneriness from the most remote corners of our souls. You'll love the result. No one will doubt your word, question your motives, or speak evil behind your back. God's sin purging discontinues all strife.

No sin means no thieves, divorce, heartbreak, and no boredom. You won't be bored in heaven, because you won't be the same you in heaven. Boredom emerges from soils that heaven disallows. The soil of weariness: our eyes tire. Mental limitations: information overload dulls us. Self-centeredness: we grow disinterested when the spotlight shifts to others. Tedium: meaningless activity siphons vigor.

But Satan will take these weedy soils to hell with him, leaving you with a keen mind, endless focus, and God-honoring assignments.

We might serve in the capacity we serve now. Couldn't earthly assignments hint at heavenly ones? Architects of Moscow might draw blueprints in the new Liverpool. We will feast in heaven; you may be a cook on Saturn. God filled his first garden with plants and animals. He'll surely do the same in heaven. If so, he may entrust you with the care and feeding of an Africa or two.
One thing is for sure: you'll love it. Never weary, selfish, or defeated. Clear mind, tireless muscles, unhindered joy. Heaven is a perfect place of perfected people with our perfect Lord.

From 3:16, The Numbers of Hope
Copyright (W Publishing Group, 2007) Max Lucado

posies

READ: 2 Corinthians 2:14-17

We are to God the fragrance of Christ. ¡X2 Corinthians 2:15

One morning I was looking at a bouquet of flowers in a vase on an old carpenter's bench in front of our "window on the world." I realized the bouquet was spent; its leaves had wilted and the blossoms were falling.

The same morning I also read George Herbert and quite by "accident" came across his poem titled "Life." In it Herbert talks about a "posy" (a bouquet of flowers) he gathered so that he could smell the fragrance. But, as he put it, "Time did beckon to the flowers, and they by noon most cunningly did steal away, and withered in my hand."

The loss of his flowers caused him at first to see "time's gentle admonition." Herbert wrote that it "[made] my mind to smell my fatal day; yet sugaring the suspicion." Yet even as the wilted flowers reminded him of his own death, he found in the metaphor something that sweetened the thought. Herbert concluded:

Farewell dear flowers, sweetly your time ye spent,

Fit, while ye lived, for smell or ornament,

And after death for cures.

I follow straight without complaints or grief,

Since if my scent be good, I care not, if

It be as short as yours.

What wisdom in this poem! Our time, however short, may be spent "sweetly"¡Xa sweet fragrance of Christ to others (2 Cor. 2:14-16). Should not this be our prayer each day as we arise? ¡X David H. Roper

Farewell dear flowers, sweetly your time ye spent,

Fit, while ye lived, for smell or ornament,

And after death for cures.

I follow straight without complaints or grief,

Since if my scent be good, I care not, if

It be as short as yours.

A godly life is a fragrance that draws others to Christ.

God is Good

READ: Genesis 3:1-7

Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He teaches sinners in the way. ¡XPsalm 25:8

The phrase "God is good, all the time; all the time, God is good" is repeated by many Christians almost like a mantra. I often wonder if they really believe it or even think about what they're saying. I sometimes doubt God's goodness¡Xespecially when it feels as though God isn't hearing or answering my prayers. I assume that if others were more honest, they'd admit they feel the same way.

The serpent planted a doubt in Eve's mind about whether God had been good to her and had her best interest at heart. He said, "God knows that in the day you eat of [the fruit] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:5). Satan tried to convince her to believe that God was holding out on her and not giving her something really good¡Xmore knowledge.

Do you feel as though God isn't answering your prayers? Are you tempted to doubt His goodness? When I feel this way, I have to remind myself that my circumstances aren't the barometer of God's love and goodness¡Xthe cross is. He has shown how good He is by giving His only Son Jesus to die for our sin. We can't rely on our feelings. But day by day as we choose to trust Him more, we learn to believe with confidence that God is good¡Xall the time. ¡X Anne Cetas

When you are tempted to deny

God's goodness, love, and grace,

Look to the cross of Calvary,

Where Jesus took your place. ¡XSper

Circumstances aren't the barometer of God's love and goodness

The Potter's purpose

READ: Jeremiah 18:1-6

The vessel . . . was marred . . . so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. --Jeremiah 18:4

Jeremiah watched intently as the workman shaped the clay. All seemed to be going well until the potter saw a flaw in what he was making. But instead of throwing the clay away, he reworked it until he had produced a perfect vessel.

God told the prophet that this is what He would do with Israel. Her sins were preventing her from becoming the kind of nation He wanted her to be. But He would not throw her away. Instead, He would bring circumstances into her life to make the changes necessary to mold her into a nation that pleased Him.

God does something similar with believers today. Whether to remove sin from our lives or to mold our character to become more Christlike, His goal is to improve us.

Some of Christ's followers seem to go through life without major reshaping experiences. But with others, in His infinite wisdom God seems to take special measures. As a result, these people can be further down the road to spiritual maturity than most of us before they leave this life.

If you are going through an unusual amount of grief, disappointment, and pain, don't despair. The Potter is at work in your life. Allow Him to shape you, removing the imperfections and building your trust in Him. ¡X Herbert Vander Lugt

I do not understand, Lord,

But one day I will see

Your loving hand was taking pains

To mold and fashion me. --Anon.

God sometimes may break us so He can remake us.

a serious celebration

READ: 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

If we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. --1 Corinthians 11:31

An exclusive club in New York refused membership to a man because he was Jewish. A minister who belonged to the club denounced this from his pulpit as "morally reprehensible." Shock waves rippled down the aisles, because many church members belonged to that club. The pastor then added, "Anyone who has in any way--by thought, word, or deed--condoned this action is not welcome to receive Holy Communion until he has worked out his own peace with God."

The pastor had biblical support for his insistence that no one should come to the Lord's Table with unconfessed sin. In 1 Corinthians 11, the apostle Paul confronted some church members who needed to recognize their selfish, divisive attitudes and confess them as sin (vv.18,21). He urged them to pause for serious self-examination before participating in the joyous celebration of the complete forgiveness Jesus secured for us by His sacrificial death.

The principle still applies today. Anything that has come between us and our Savior must be identified and confessed before we partake of the Lord's Supper. The bread and the cup then give fresh meaning to the forgiveness that is assured us by the shed blood of our Savior. ¡X Dennis J. De Haan

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

Save in the death of Christ, my God;

All the vain things that charm me most--

I sacrifice them to His blood. --Watts

Before you come to the Lord's table, make sure you have a clean heart.

*copy from an email..

conduct and feelings

READ: Psalm 119:161-168

Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble. --Psalm 119:165

Mark Twain is quoted as saying that you can tell if something you did was morally good if you "felt good afterward." But if it left you "feeling bad," it was morally wrong.

This statement can be understood in two ways. One is that good or bad conduct can produce good or bad feelings. This is true. The other is that feelings determine what is good or bad. A secular writer showed the fallacy of this interpretation when he said, with tongue in cheek, that he liked Twain's statement because it implied that you've got to try something at least once to know whether it's good or bad.

Feelings are not a reliable indicator of moral conduct. The only trustworthy standard is God's Word, the Bible. To obey the Lord's commands sometimes goes against our emotions. To forgive others, for example, isn't our natural tendency. Yet we know that is what God wants us to do (Mt. 6:14-15).

When we grow in our love for God and His laws and when obedience becomes a pattern of life, we gain a sense of God's approval and presence. This results in good feelings that are founded on truth. The psalmist described it as the "great peace" that belongs to those who love God's law.

How do you feel about your conduct? ¡X Herbert Vander Lugt

Help us, O Lord, to heed Your Word,

Its precepts to obey;

And may we quench that selfish urge

To have things go our way. --Sper

To feel good about yourself, do what pleases God.

p/s: This post is copy from an email..