Sunday, July 29, 2012
Endless Hallelujah (Matt Redman)
When I stand before Your throne
Dressed in glory not my own
What a joy I'll sing of on that day
No more tears or broken dreams
Forgotten is the minor key
Everything as it was meant to be
And we will worship, worship
Forever in Your presence we will sing
We will worship, worship You
An endless hallelujah to the King
I will see You as You are
Love You with unsinning heart
And see how much You paid to bring me home
Not till then, Lord, shall I know
Not till then, how much I owe
Everything I am before Your throne
And we will worship, worship
Forever in Your presence we will sing
We will worship, worship You
An endless hallelujah to the King
No more tears, no more shame
No more sin and sorrow ever known again
No more fears, no more pain
We will see You face to face
See You face to face
And we will worship, worship
Forever in Your presence we will sing
We will worship, worship You
An endless hallelujah to the King
An endless hallelujah to the King
We'll sing
An endless hallelujah to the King
Saturday, July 28, 2012
The Resting Place - Bill Johnson
Listened to two sermons today.
The first was by Heidi Baker, when she preached at Cornerstone on "A resting place for the Lord". Was deeply, deeply struck by the testimony she shared of time when she was hospitalised for a life-threatening infection. She says, "There I was. Sick. Waiting, longing, longing for the presence of God. And the presence of God was so precious to me. Day and night I listened to the bible (on my ipod) and I worshipped, day and night, and the presence of God got so thick in my room that the nurses would walk in and start weeping. Here I was, weaker than I’ve ever been at anytime in my life and they would come in and say there is strength in this room, there is life in this room, there is presence in this room. At they would come and weep, and try and change the sheets and they’d be weeping. They’d come at 2-3am in the morning asking for prayer, lining up, asking for prayer. The presence of God was just in the room, and this little dove would come in the morning, a literal dove, I’m not giving you a vision, I’m telling you what happened. It would fly in front of my window, cock its head, look at me. And in the cool of the evening, it would come back. And the Lord said to me, “Who will become a resting place for me?”
How can we carry the presence of God? How can we become a resting place for the Lord?
Bill Johnson says, "Let the Holy Spirit remain on you so you can impart that presence everywhere you go." This is at the heart of his sermon below, which is so powerful, so wonderful, so inspirational. I am so heartsick, so jealous to host the presence of God, so that it may be released into the earth, into situations, to people. This is such a deep sermon, such a packed one, but one that bears listening to again.
"Work in me, O lord, so I can actually impart the presence of your Holy Spirit. Amen."
The first was by Heidi Baker, when she preached at Cornerstone on "A resting place for the Lord". Was deeply, deeply struck by the testimony she shared of time when she was hospitalised for a life-threatening infection. She says, "There I was. Sick. Waiting, longing, longing for the presence of God. And the presence of God was so precious to me. Day and night I listened to the bible (on my ipod) and I worshipped, day and night, and the presence of God got so thick in my room that the nurses would walk in and start weeping. Here I was, weaker than I’ve ever been at anytime in my life and they would come in and say there is strength in this room, there is life in this room, there is presence in this room. At they would come and weep, and try and change the sheets and they’d be weeping. They’d come at 2-3am in the morning asking for prayer, lining up, asking for prayer. The presence of God was just in the room, and this little dove would come in the morning, a literal dove, I’m not giving you a vision, I’m telling you what happened. It would fly in front of my window, cock its head, look at me. And in the cool of the evening, it would come back. And the Lord said to me, “Who will become a resting place for me?”
How can we carry the presence of God? How can we become a resting place for the Lord?
Bill Johnson says, "Let the Holy Spirit remain on you so you can impart that presence everywhere you go." This is at the heart of his sermon below, which is so powerful, so wonderful, so inspirational. I am so heartsick, so jealous to host the presence of God, so that it may be released into the earth, into situations, to people. This is such a deep sermon, such a packed one, but one that bears listening to again.
"Work in me, O lord, so I can actually impart the presence of your Holy Spirit. Amen."
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Thoughts from The Dark Knight Rises
Warning: Spoilers below!
Watched "The Dark Knight Rises" yesterday, and it was good, action-packed entertainment. Am saddened to hear about the shooting in Colorado though :(
Towards the end of the movie, there is a real danger that Gotham City will be destroyed by Bane. Batman (Bruce Wayne) is determined to stop him, at the expense of his own life.
Batwoman says to him, "You don't owe these people anymore. You've given them everything."
Batman replies, "Not everything. Not yet."
He goes on to sacrifice his life to save the city.
At that moment in the film, the verse popped into my mind: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45)
The analogy is not perfect of course. Batman felt like he had an obligation to save Gotham City. God doesn't owe us that obligation. Batman is a creation of Marvel Comics, a fictional superhero. Jesus is Unseen, but as real as life itself.
But there are parallels. Both Jesus and Batman willingly laid down their lives because of love. Both were willing to shed blood that others may live.
Jesus died that we may have life, and to have it abundantly. He died that our sins would be atoned for, and that the burden of our guilt and the punishment that is ours may be rightfully wiped out. He died that we would have the peace and joy that comes from knowing we are forgiven. He died that we may be reconciled to the Father, and be restored to rightstanding with God Himself. He died that we may be adopted into His family, and call God "Abba Father." He died that our names would be written in the Lamb's book of life, and that we would have our citizenship in Heaven. He died that we would have eternal life.
"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him." (Psalm 32)
How blessed indeed.
Some days I wonder, why would Jesus die for me? Why would He do that? Why would the Son of God do that? His love confounds me.
Today, if you are reading this, and do not yet know Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour, please know that He died for you that your sins may be forgiven and that you may be reconciled to Him. He came to give His life as a ransom for many; yes, including for you!
Watched "The Dark Knight Rises" yesterday, and it was good, action-packed entertainment. Am saddened to hear about the shooting in Colorado though :(
Towards the end of the movie, there is a real danger that Gotham City will be destroyed by Bane. Batman (Bruce Wayne) is determined to stop him, at the expense of his own life.
Batwoman says to him, "You don't owe these people anymore. You've given them everything."
Batman replies, "Not everything. Not yet."
He goes on to sacrifice his life to save the city.
At that moment in the film, the verse popped into my mind: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45)
The analogy is not perfect of course. Batman felt like he had an obligation to save Gotham City. God doesn't owe us that obligation. Batman is a creation of Marvel Comics, a fictional superhero. Jesus is Unseen, but as real as life itself.
But there are parallels. Both Jesus and Batman willingly laid down their lives because of love. Both were willing to shed blood that others may live.
Jesus died that we may have life, and to have it abundantly. He died that our sins would be atoned for, and that the burden of our guilt and the punishment that is ours may be rightfully wiped out. He died that we would have the peace and joy that comes from knowing we are forgiven. He died that we may be reconciled to the Father, and be restored to rightstanding with God Himself. He died that we may be adopted into His family, and call God "Abba Father." He died that our names would be written in the Lamb's book of life, and that we would have our citizenship in Heaven. He died that we would have eternal life.
"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him." (Psalm 32)
How blessed indeed.
Some days I wonder, why would Jesus die for me? Why would He do that? Why would the Son of God do that? His love confounds me.
Today, if you are reading this, and do not yet know Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour, please know that He died for you that your sins may be forgiven and that you may be reconciled to Him. He came to give His life as a ransom for many; yes, including for you!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Sharpening your edge
A few months ago, while I was brushing my teeth, I sensed God say to me that I was "losing my edge". I was taken aback by that. The week had been an extremely busy one, and this had caused me to be disengaged from my lifesource, Jesus, the vine Himself. It was a warning from the Lord, but one I appreciated. I would rather get some gentle chastisement from my Lord than live under His best for me.
I didn't know at that time that there is a bible verse that contains the same principle ... that is, until Ps Yang shared this verse from Ecc 10:10 today.
"If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success."
Here is a devotional entry from worthydevotions.com that resonates:
"When I was younger I used to take an ax and cut up firewood from the woods behind our house. The one thing I always did was sharpen my axe! A dull axe meant harder work chopping through fallen trees. The sharper the ax the less effort and energy required for the task. So I learned early on to sharpen my ax before venturing into the woods, and I saved myself a lot of time and energy. (Besides I was a small kid, growing up, so I needed all the help I could get! ;) )
I see a lesson here. How many of us are exerting so much energy for the Kingdom, but are working with dull axes? We need to sharpen our spiritual lives, get focused in prayer and spend deep time in the Word. Then, when we are "out in the woods", working for the Kingdom our effectiveness will be greatly multiplied because our axes are sharp!
Don't get so busy that your ax becomes dull. Remember that your devotion to the Lord and His word will sharpen your spiritual life, especially before you start the day. Prioritize your devotional life and watch how your "edge" will cut through the problems, obstacles and difficult situations, like a hot knife through butter!
I didn't know at that time that there is a bible verse that contains the same principle ... that is, until Ps Yang shared this verse from Ecc 10:10 today.
"If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success."
Here is a devotional entry from worthydevotions.com that resonates:
"When I was younger I used to take an ax and cut up firewood from the woods behind our house. The one thing I always did was sharpen my axe! A dull axe meant harder work chopping through fallen trees. The sharper the ax the less effort and energy required for the task. So I learned early on to sharpen my ax before venturing into the woods, and I saved myself a lot of time and energy. (Besides I was a small kid, growing up, so I needed all the help I could get! ;) )
I see a lesson here. How many of us are exerting so much energy for the Kingdom, but are working with dull axes? We need to sharpen our spiritual lives, get focused in prayer and spend deep time in the Word. Then, when we are "out in the woods", working for the Kingdom our effectiveness will be greatly multiplied because our axes are sharp!
Don't get so busy that your ax becomes dull. Remember that your devotion to the Lord and His word will sharpen your spiritual life, especially before you start the day. Prioritize your devotional life and watch how your "edge" will cut through the problems, obstacles and difficult situations, like a hot knife through butter!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
The manifest presence of God
Over the past month, I've been pondering about the manifest presence of God. I can sense His presence, and sometimes even split second changes in the spiritual atmosphere when He arrives. Words cannot describe what His manifest presence feels like ... I guess for me it feels like an encounter with liquid love. I feel His pleasure, and it is usually manifested as a warm feeling on the crown of the head. It's a very precious feeling, something I long for, and so I've been grateful for Murray Dueck's book "Keepers of the Presence" because he puts into words what I've felt. He says that some of us have been created to be "sensers/ feelers", and that when we are in His presence, it is as if we are "in the very atmosphere we are created for". I believe that to be so.
While I've felt God's presence in church, of late, I've been sensing it out in the world too, in my everyday life.
I felt it in a Japanese restaurant in my neighbourhood, as a friend started to share about how God was working in her life. As she started recounting her story, the spiritual atmosphere in our restaurant suddenly changed. I felt it visiting a friend in her house. We were yakking away for three hours, talking about this and that, and as we were about to leave, we felt it was only right to pray for her. And as we bowed our heads (just three of us), and said "Dear Father...", His presence came flooding in. Another split second change in spiritual atmosphere. I felt it having a conversation with a colleague just outside our office tower in downtown Singapore. It's been the first time I felt His manifest presence so strongly in such a secular place. Here she was, my colleague, being open and honest and authentic about her struggles to know the Father Heart of God; and as I conversed with her, God showed up!
It has been leading me to ponder why God showed up in these moments. I know for sure they are God-moments, but what was it about these situations in particular, that He was there?
Murray Dueck writes, "As spiritually sensitive people, we need to recognise that God created us to be sensors/ feelers of His presence that would mature into keepers of the presence of God. To fulfill this calling, we must learn to stand in, be aware of, and grow in our addiction to worship, intimacy, and the presence of the Lord. We need to realise that by focusing upon the Lord, His glory comes upon us, reflects from us, and transforms us into the image of Jesus. Over time, we begin to recognise, become accustomed to, and enjoy His glory and presence. This ability to recognise His presence is essential for us. As our spiritual sensitivity increases, we will start to get a feel for what the Lord is resting upon or involved in and what He is not. As our sensor tunes in, we become ready for the next step - learning to discern what the presence of God is resting on, then guarding and keeping His sweet presence."
I've just started to get a glimpse of what God's presence rests on - and it's always on people. In Italy, I was often awestruck by these iconic cathedrals that took 300 years to build, amazing structures that were the epitome of architecture at their best. But the two occasions I felt His presence were in very "ordinary" places, with people. His presence is on people hungry and longing for Him, people who are hurt and brokenhearted, people whom He has a special touch for. Oh, to know and abide in His presence, and to guard and keep it!
ps. After I wrote this, was just thinking still about how to put God's manifest presence into words, when I was reminded of Psalm 103. I believe this is a revelation by the Holy Spirit :) Thank you Holy Spirit.
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.
The Lord crowns us with love and compassion. No wonder I so often feel His presence as a warm feeling on the crown of my head :)
While I've felt God's presence in church, of late, I've been sensing it out in the world too, in my everyday life.
I felt it in a Japanese restaurant in my neighbourhood, as a friend started to share about how God was working in her life. As she started recounting her story, the spiritual atmosphere in our restaurant suddenly changed. I felt it visiting a friend in her house. We were yakking away for three hours, talking about this and that, and as we were about to leave, we felt it was only right to pray for her. And as we bowed our heads (just three of us), and said "Dear Father...", His presence came flooding in. Another split second change in spiritual atmosphere. I felt it having a conversation with a colleague just outside our office tower in downtown Singapore. It's been the first time I felt His manifest presence so strongly in such a secular place. Here she was, my colleague, being open and honest and authentic about her struggles to know the Father Heart of God; and as I conversed with her, God showed up!
It has been leading me to ponder why God showed up in these moments. I know for sure they are God-moments, but what was it about these situations in particular, that He was there?
Murray Dueck writes, "As spiritually sensitive people, we need to recognise that God created us to be sensors/ feelers of His presence that would mature into keepers of the presence of God. To fulfill this calling, we must learn to stand in, be aware of, and grow in our addiction to worship, intimacy, and the presence of the Lord. We need to realise that by focusing upon the Lord, His glory comes upon us, reflects from us, and transforms us into the image of Jesus. Over time, we begin to recognise, become accustomed to, and enjoy His glory and presence. This ability to recognise His presence is essential for us. As our spiritual sensitivity increases, we will start to get a feel for what the Lord is resting upon or involved in and what He is not. As our sensor tunes in, we become ready for the next step - learning to discern what the presence of God is resting on, then guarding and keeping His sweet presence."
I've just started to get a glimpse of what God's presence rests on - and it's always on people. In Italy, I was often awestruck by these iconic cathedrals that took 300 years to build, amazing structures that were the epitome of architecture at their best. But the two occasions I felt His presence were in very "ordinary" places, with people. His presence is on people hungry and longing for Him, people who are hurt and brokenhearted, people whom He has a special touch for. Oh, to know and abide in His presence, and to guard and keep it!
ps. After I wrote this, was just thinking still about how to put God's manifest presence into words, when I was reminded of Psalm 103. I believe this is a revelation by the Holy Spirit :) Thank you Holy Spirit.
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.
The Lord crowns us with love and compassion. No wonder I so often feel His presence as a warm feeling on the crown of my head :)
Crooked Lines (Corrinne May)
Was at the Corrinne May concert last night, and heard her sing this song "Crooked Lines". It moved me greatly. Especially the line "God writes straight with crooked lines, He takes the mess we make in life, Turns our groaning into perfect rhyme, Hidden by the veil of time, The wisdom of His love's design, God writes straight with crooked lines." There were so many moments last night when I had goosebumps just listening to her music, which was at once ethereal and ministering. Thank you Abba for Corrinne May!
My daughter tries to draw a butterfly
With her crayons and crooked lines
And she's crying cause she just can't get it right
So I wrap her tiny hand in mine
To guide her with her heart's design
And she smiles as her dreams take flight
Perhaps that's how it is on this labyrinth road
I just need to let Him guide my soul
God writes straight with crooked lines
He takes the mess we make in life
Turns our groaning into perfect rhyme
Hidden by the veil of time
The wisdom of His love's design
God writes straight with crooked lines
I've had days as dark as smoke
When it hurt too much to hope
And it felt like the pain would never end
Searching for answers but finding jokes
Limping along the winding road
Certain He left me all alone
When it's hard to trust that there's a greater plan
Like a child I've got to just hold His hand
God writes straight with crooked lines
He takes the mess we make in life
Turns our groaning into perfect rhyme
Hidden by the veil of time
The wisdom of His love's design
God writes straight with crooked lines
My daughter tries to draw a butterfly
With her crayons and crooked lines
And she's crying cause she just can't get it right
So I wrap her tiny hand in mine
To guide her with her heart's design
And she smiles as her dreams take flight
Perhaps that's how it is on this labyrinth road
I just need to let Him guide my soul
God writes straight with crooked lines
He takes the mess we make in life
Turns our groaning into perfect rhyme
Hidden by the veil of time
The wisdom of His love's design
God writes straight with crooked lines
I've had days as dark as smoke
When it hurt too much to hope
And it felt like the pain would never end
Searching for answers but finding jokes
Limping along the winding road
Certain He left me all alone
When it's hard to trust that there's a greater plan
Like a child I've got to just hold His hand
God writes straight with crooked lines
He takes the mess we make in life
Turns our groaning into perfect rhyme
Hidden by the veil of time
The wisdom of His love's design
God writes straight with crooked lines
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