Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Ezekiel 34
God the True Shepherd

11 For thus says the Lord GOD: "Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own and; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.
15 I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down, " says the Lord GOD. 16 "I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgement."

Thank You Lord for constantly reminding us that You are our provider. You are our shepherd and You lead us. In You we will trust. In You we trust.

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

All the way my Saviour leads me

All the way my Savior leads me 
Who have I to ask beside 
How could I doubt His tender mercy 
Who through life has been my guide 

All the way my Savior leads me 
Cheers each winding path I tread 
Gives me grace for every trial 
Feeds me with the living Bread 

You lead me and keep me from falling 
You carry me close to Your heart 
And surely Your goodness and mercy will follow me 

All the way my Savior leads me 
O, the fullness of His love 
O, the sureness of His promise 
In the triumph of His blood 
And when my spirit clothed immortal 
Wings its flight to realms of day 
This my song through endless ages 
Jesus led me all the way 
Jesus led me all the way 

This is a worship song by Chris Tomlin. In the past, i used to skip this track whenever it plays on my ipod. But recently, for reasons unknown, i decided to listen to it when it randomly played. And it filled me with sorrow because i realised i have not veem following where God was leading. "Who have i to ask beside" was the sentence that really spoke to me. It led me to think why am i not following the creator of my life when He only has good plans for me. It is my prayer that i start to be more sensitive and aware to God's calling and leading, as i prepare for the next phase of life, one that i truly desire for His stewardship.

Lead me God!

Monday, February 1, 2016

1 Kings 8 The Ark is brought into the temple

Solomon gathered all the important people together so that they can bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Zion (along with the tabernacle and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle) with sacrificing sheep and oxen that were too many to count so that the priests could bring them into the Most Holy place. The priests placed the ark under the wings of the cherubim.


Inside the ark was the two tablets of stone which moses wrote in Horeb when the Israelites came out of Egypt.

When the priests came out of the Most Holy Place, the Lord's presence rested as a cloud on the temple that Solomon had built.

Solomon spoke and invited God to dwell in the temple forever.


Solomon's speech at completion of work. 
Solomon turned and blessed the assembly of Israel while they were standing. He shared how God had fulfilled His promise to the Israelites. He also shared how David wanted to build a temple for God but because he was a man of war, the task was given to Solomon instead.

Solomon's prayer of dedication
And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of the Israelites and declared that God is the only God who always keep what He promised. He prayed that God will listen to the cry of the people whn they pray towards this temple; and that He will forgive them. He even prayed that if a foreigner prayer towards the temple, that God will hear the cry of the foreigner and help him/her so that everyone on earth may know His name and fear Him.

Lord, I pray that even as our friends see Your goodness through our lives, I pray that in their darkest times, they will recall how You are always our anchor in our lives. And I pray that in their desperation, they will pray to You because You have become their only hope in life. I pray that Lord You will hear them and they will come to know of the goodness of You. And that everyone on earth may know You and fear You. 

Solomon blesses the assembly
Solomon prayed a blessing prayer for the assembly. Let me translate the words that he prayed for Israel for us. Hehe learn from the wisest.

Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to Joel and Mong, according to all that He promised. May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with David. May He not leave us nor forsake us, that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgements. And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near the Lord our God day and night, that He maintain the cause of His servant us as each day may require, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there isno other. Let our hearts therefore be loyal to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day, 

Jool, we must walk in His ways ok (: 

Solomon dedicates the temple
Solomon and all of Israel offered sacrifices before the Lord. After that Solomon held a feast with all Israel for 7 days. Whoa what a party. On the eighth day, he sent the people away and they blessed Solomon and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the Lord had done for David and for Israel. 
_________________________________________________________________________________
2 Chronicles 5 
The ark brought into the temple


Monday, October 26, 2015

Proverbs 9:9

Instruct the wise,
    and they will be even wiser.
Teach the righteous,
    and they will learn even more.

_____________________________________________________________
Remember I said as I take up the challenge next year, the one thing I would face difficulty with would be working with the youths? I guess God answered the many questions I have with this verse. 

As i step into the new role next year, I would like to focus on those who wants to grow (those who are wise) so that they can become better. Even in my work place, every time i envision myself in the future, i see myself mentoring younger teachers. And that is what I feel I should focus on (;

God is good (: 

Thank You God for speaking so directly to me (: 

Monday, August 31, 2015

1 Kings 1
Adonijah presumes to be king
King David was old and he could not become warm even though they cover him with blanket. His servants asked a young woman to be his caretaker. They actually went to search for a lovely young woman (quoted) to take care of him. She lied with him to keep him warm at night but they did not have sexual relations.

Adonijah (4th son of David and Haggith) went to exalt himself and say he will be king. Then he just made preparations and all. Some more went to sacrifice sheep, oxen and cattle to like throw a feast. But hes super sneaky. He didn't invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, mighty men of David and his half brother Solomon. So sneaky. Max.

So Nathan went to speak to Bathsheba, mother of Solomon and informed her about this. And he advised her to go to David and tell him about it. Think she could do so also cos David promised her that Solomon would reign after him. So she went and told David. While she was talking to him, Nathan came in and also reminded David of what he has promised Bathsheba.

David proclaims Solomon King
David called Bathsheba and David took an oath that it will be Solomon who would reign as King. David then gave instructions for Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet to anoint him as king over Israel and Judah. So they put Solomon on a mule and went to Gihon and anointed him. All the people went up after him and they played flutes and rejoiced.

Adonijah heard the noise (apparently it was described as so loud until the earth like going to split with the sound) and asked what is happening. So Jonathan, told him that David made Solomon King. (PS Solomon was only 14 years old when he was made king, can you imagine a sec 2 boy having to rule the country?) Haha so the guests who were with Adonijah becaome scared and arose and left.
Haha paisei much. So Adonijah was afraid of Solomon and he went to take hold of the horns of the altar saying "Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword."

Then Solomon said Ïf he proves himself to be a worthy man, not one hair of him hall fall to the earth." Wow. Such wisdom at 14. I am impressed.

I like this passage cos it showed me how David keeps his word to what he has said before. He was sickly and he could have not bothered about Adonijah just usurping the throne. But he remembered his promise to Bathsheba and still proclaimed Solomon as king. I would think this process of doing so would have tired him out but he still made it happened. This is something that we need to learn from. Like when we make promises to people (or to each other or to God),  we really need to keep to what we say we will do. And that we need to be responsible to whatever we have decided on. (just like David) instead of just taking the easier way out. 

1 King 2
David's instructions to Solomon
David was about to die and he charged Solomon to do these:

Now, carefully obey all the commands of the Lord your God. Carefully obey all his laws, commands, decisions, and agreements. Obey everything that is written in the Law of Moses. If you do this, you will be successful at whatever you do and wherever you go. And if you obey the Lord, he will keep his promise about me. He said, ‘If your sons carefully live the way I tell them, sincerely, with all their heart, the king of Israel will always be a man from your family.’”

Again the law of Moses was repeated here. We need to remember the law of Moses too ok. That when we obey the Lord, he will prosper us and we will be successful in what we do and where we go. 

Death of David
:'( So sad! Hate reading about David dying. David reigned for 40 years over Israel. Solomon reigned for 80 years. Wa twice the number! 

Solomon executes Adonijah
Oh the haolian guy is back in the story! He asked for Abishag (the young woman that took care of David) as wife. And so Solomon executed Adonijah cos its not right for them to sleep with their father's women. 

Abiathar Exiled, Joab Executed
He exiled Abiathar the priest because he took part in the attempt to raise Adonijah as king. Joab (nephew of  David) who also swore allegiance to Adonijah heard the news and fled to the tabernacle of the Lord and held the horns of the altar and plead. (Remember Adonijah did that too? Was reading online and it said that this is a place of mercy for people) However, Joab was struck down at the horn of the altar. 

Shimei executed
Solomon called for Shimei and asked him to stay in Jerusalem. And so, Shimei did so. However, Shimei went to Gath to chase after 2 of his slaves. When Solomon was told, he executed Shimei. 

Wa, Solomon might seem very harsh hor. But i guess his first order of business when he took over the throne was to get rid of the toxic people he has in his life. I guess this is something important for us too. That we get rid of the toxic people in our lives. (think O) I think its very hard to live life with people plotting against you and what not. Its super xinku. Solomon is wise indeed. 

Psalms 37
Vs 4: Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Vs 23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.

Dear God, I pray that I will learn to delight myself in You. I know that when I obey You and stay close to You, You will grant me the desires of my heart. Thank You too that when I obey in You, You will delight in me. Lord, I would like You to be so real in my life. 

Psalms 71 God the Rock of Salvation

Psalms 94 God the refuge of the righteous. 

ok end.


Sunday, August 30, 2015

Deuteronomy 30
and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes[a] and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back.

We need to return to the Lord and obey Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Then He will gather us back. He is going to help us get out of the pit. 

Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, 10 if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

I would like God to delight in us again. Remember how we used to spend time with Him and how He blessed us so much in the different areas of our lives? I guess we have forgotten whats it like to be really really close to God. We cannot be like the Israelites ya? We need to stand strong and remember all the good things which He has done for us. 

16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

God wishes to bless us in whatever that we are undertaking so that we can bring glory to Him. But the key is that we need to love Him and walk in obedience to Him. Let's work hard again ok (;

Deuteronomy 31
Joshua the New leader of Israel
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

The law to be read every seven years
Moses commanded the people tat they are to read the law before all Israel in their hearing at the Feast of the Tabernacles. This is so that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord and observe all the words of this law. We need to  go back to God's word daily so that we may learn to fear Him again and be in obedience towards Him. 

Its not going to be easy and we might not feel close to God immediately but we gotta make the first step ya. 

Prediction of Israel's rebellion
Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tabernacle of meeting and God appeared to them in a pillar of cloud. To Moses, God said he will not enter the promised land, and instructed him to write a song so that people will remember that God had predicted that Israel will rebel and it will serve as a reminder to them. To Joshua, God said again that he needs to be strong and of good courage because He is going to be with him.

Wa, in this passage, God repeated to be strong and of good courage 3 times to Joshua. The message was brought to Joshua through Moses and to him personally (in the tabernacle) 

Lets jiayou ok (:

The Song of Moses

Monday, June 1, 2015

Psalms 111
Praise to God for his faithfulness and Justice

vs 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.

Father Lord, help us to fear you so that we may gain wisdom. Help us to understand You more each day so that we may do your commandments. Help us Lord. 

Psalms 112
The blessed state of the Righteous

1Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who delights greatly in His commandments.
2His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
3Wealth and riches will be in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
4Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;
He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
5A good man deals graciously and lends;
He will guide his affairs with discretion.

Father Lord, help us to fear You, to know You and Your commandments, to follow all your commandments. Because Lord we know that You bless those who obey you and You are happy with them. Help us to be that light in the darkness. That even as we live our lives, help us to be Your light. To be a good testimony to Your name and who You are. Help us to be gracious, full of compassion and righteous. We are not there yet but we long to be someone who will be worthy of who You are as God. We long to be more like Jesus. It's not easy but as we become more like You, we will be more gracious in our dealings with people. Come and teach us afresh how to be more like You Lord. 

Psalms 113
The Majesty and Condescension of God

Psalms 114
The power of God in His deliverance of Israel

Psalms 115
The futility of idols and trustworthiness of God

Psalms 116
Thanksgiving for deliverance from death

Psalms 117
Let all people praise the Lord

Psalms 118
Praise to God for His everlasting mercy

vs 14 The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.