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. 
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2 Chronicles 5 
The ark brought into the temple

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 (: 

sacrifice comes with a great price

Judges 11
Jephthah promised that he would sacrifice anything he sees when he opened his food, should the Lord give him victory in war.

He saw his daughter when he returned home from victory. But still he kept to his promise and sacrificed his own daughter to the Lord.

Just reminds me of how God the father has also sent Jesus the son to die for us. Even though it was a sacrifice of His own.

Today. Let's learn to give to the Lord areas in our life that we want Him in.

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19.09.2012 Happy 39 (:

Leviticus 23
List of festivals that the Jews celebrated. 

e.g. Feast of passover, Feast of firstfruits etc...
There were many festivals which the Jews celebrated to thank God for the many blessings that He has place upon their lives. For us, we mainly have Christmas, Easter and Good Friday. However, I feel that thanksgiving should be present every single day in our lives.

Let's try to find something worthy of celebration everyday in our lives. Thank God for His abundant blessings! Today I thank God that He led me into teaching. He is a God who knows all my ways indeed! (:

Numbers 5
Ceremonially unclean person isolated
In the Old Testament, many times when someone became unclean, they have to seperate themselves from the rest of the camp so that they do not come into contact with people who are cermonially clean. This shows how God is particular about purity of the congregation. Even if there is one impure person, it "contaminates" the camp. Let's pray towards having pure hearts and clean minds today.

Confession and Restitution
Concerning unfaithful wives
- Law of jealousy. (Kinda like how the Chinese burn paper and put into the water and drink)

Numbers 6
The Laws of the Nazirite
The Priestly Blessing
God told Moses to tell Aaron and sons how to pray and bless the children of Israel. 

‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them:24 “The Lord tbless you and tkeep you;25 The Lord tmake His face shine upon you, And tbe gracious to you;26 tThe Lord tlift up His countenance upon you, And tgive you peace.” ’27 t“So they shall tput My name on the children of Israel, and tI will bless them.

Can we pray for people like that? Me like (: 

Reminds me of the show: Jane Eyre
So as the Lord is longsuffering, so shall we be. hahahaha

Victory through the Lord

Joshua 12- List of Defeated Kings
Whoa! Joshua and gang defeated 31 kings in total. This means 31 lands that God has given victory to them. Can you imagine the vastness of the land that is being given to them?

Joshua 13- Land still to be Taken
Haha God so funny. At the start He said to Joshua: "You are very old, but they are still many lands to be taken over." 31 pieces of land is not enough still.

This just reminds me of how God really fulfills His promise to Abraham that He will make him a Father of many nations. (Genesis 12) God showed Abraham the land. God used Joshua to lead the people into the land.

In this chapter, Joshua assigned the land to the Israelites (Which was actually assigned by Moses), except for the Levites cos their inheritance is the food offerings that is presented to God.

Joshua 14
Allotment for Caleb
Wa Joshua and Caleb very old already. Caleb (85 years old) asked for a place. He served God for 45 years. When he was sent out as a apy he was "only" 41 years old. God promised Caleb that He will bless him with a land as he has followed God wholeheartedly. So Joshua blessed Caleb with Hebron

Joshua 15- Allotment for Judah
Got boundary one. I suppose the boundaries are there to protect the people of Judah.

Caleb drove out the 3 Anakites. Then so random, he said he give the daughter Aksah in marriage to his brother Othniel.

Judah could not drive out the Jebusites. To this day, the Jebusites lived with the people of Judah.

Genesis 6:8

God saw the wickedness in men. And he grieved for them in his heart.

That's why He wanted to destroy them from the face of the earth. But Noah found grace in God's eyes.

so what did Noah do to find grace in.God's eyes ?

Noah was a just man who walked with God.

Also I always find it amazing that God gave such detailed instructions to Noah to build the ark.

what more things He can teach us if we ask Him! Be it our studies, work or even when we choose our direction in life!

ask Him many questions today!

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Acts 23- 25

Acts 23
Before the Sanhedrin
Paul was brought before the Sanhedrin (The highest court of justice and the supreme council in ancient Jerusalem.) because of the offenses that he brought upon the jews when he shared that Jesus is the Messiah, and that He resurrected from the dead. 


During the trial, he shared his own story on how he himself was born a Pharisee (1. A member of an ancient Jewish sect, distinguished by strict observance of the traditional and written law, and commonly held to have pretensions to superior sanctity) He declared that he is standing on trial because of his hope in the resurrection of Jesus. At that, there was a dispute that broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  


Some background information is that the Sadducees do not believe in angels, spirits, resurrection. But the Pharisees acknowledges all of them. 


So the dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces. So he ordered troops to take him away and bring him to the barracks. 


The next night, God stood near to Paul and told him that even as he testified about Him in Jerusalem, he will also do so in Rome. 


The plot to kill Paul
There were some Jews (about 40 of them) who came together and plotted to kill Paul. Son of Paul's sister heard and ran to the barracks to inform Paul. 


Paul transferred to Caesarea
The commander sent for 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen and 200 spearmen to escort Paul to Governor Felix. 


Can you imagine the no, of people that is escorting Paul so that he can reach Caesarea safely?


The commander also wrote a letter to Governor Felix. Paul was placed under guard in Herod's palace. 


Acts 24
The trail before Felix
The high priest Ananias came down to Caesarea before Felix. Governor Felix listened to both Ananias and Paul. And then said that he will take some time to decide the case. But before that, he ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard but to allow him some freedom and he also permitted Paul's friends to come and take care of his needs. 


Wow. God's favour is upon Paul even as he sit in jail. Amazing huh. No matter where we are (in the high or low) God will always take care of us as long as we stay close to Him. 


A few days later, Felix and his wife sent for Paul and listened to him as he shared about his faith in Jesus. However, Felix was afraid and sent him back. Said that when it is convenient, he will send for Paul. (Was just wondering, what is Felix so afraid about?) At the same time, he was actually hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe so because of that he sent for Paul frequently and talked to him. 


After 2 years, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus but because Felix wanted to do a favour to the jews, he left Paul in prison. 


Even though Paul didn't get out of prison, I feel that during the 2 years, he was really well taken care of. 


Acts 25
The trail before Festus
3 days before arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalme where the priests and Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented their charges against Paul. They urged Festus to transfer Paul to Jerusalem so that they can kill him along the way. (They have planned an ambush)


Festus did not allow that. Instead, he insisted that Paul will be trialed in Caesarea and the Jews should send their leaders there. (Wise man!)


On the day of the trial, the Jews who had come from Jerusalem brought down many serious charges against Paul, many by which they could not prove. Paul made his defenses. Festus proposed to Paul whether he is willing to be brought to trial in Jerusalem. Paul insisted that he should be tried in Caesars court. He appealed to Caesar. 


Festus consults King Agrippa
King Agrippa arrived at Caesarea. Festus consulted him and asked how he should go about to try Paul. Cos he don't really see that Paul has done anything wrong. King Agrippa said that he want to hear Paul for himself. 


Paul before Agrippa
Festus announced to everyone that he did not find that Paul did anything which deserved death. But because of Paul's appeal to Caesar, he will be sent to Rome. However, he does not know what to write to Caesar because there are no specific charges against Paul. 


END OF CHAPT 25
(to be continued)

Today, I read Mark 10 -12. Feel that there is so much to absorb from New Testament! So many things to think about, to talk about, etc.

Okay here goes.

Mark 10 
Divorce
Jesus addressed the issue of divorce and how Moses had set the law in place that time was because the people's heart were hardened. But Jesus said that whoever divorces his/her wife/husband for another woman/man, is committing adultery towards his/her ex-wife/ex-husband. Haha this sentence is confusing to read.

Little children and Jesus
People were bringing little children to Jesus but then the disciples rebuked them. Jesus felt indignant and said this: "... anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

This struck me. I feel that when children trust in someone (like their mom or dad) they do not doubt that person. Their trust is complete.

Lord, today it is my prayer that both joel and i will learn to trust in You like little children. In Jesus name, amen!


The rich young man
Talks about how this rich young man goes to Jesus and told Him how he has followed all the commandments in the scriptures. But yet when Jesus told him to sell away his possessions and give to the poor, he didn't obey.

I feel that sometimes in our world, we base everything on like what we have, money and all these kinda things.
But God is saying that there is much more than that.

Jesus predicts his own death
Scary thing for Jesus to do :(

Request of James and John
To sit at the right hand and left hand of Jesus. But Jesus answered that this decision was not up to Him. By this, He is acknowledging to them both that there is someone greater than Him up there. God the Father!
Trinity is a difficult concept that I still find hard to grasp. But well, His ways are higher!

And in vs 43 Jesus said: "Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant."

And it reminds me of one of the lessons that we taught the children in children church. About acts of service to others. Like how we ought to learn from Jesus' example, how He put others before Himself, etc,

Blind Bartimaeus recieves sight. 
Bartimaeus is quite thickskinned in some sense. When he heard Jesus was entering town, he kept shouting for him. Even though people around him rebuked him, he continued to shout to Jesus. And Jesus upon hearing him, healed him.

I think what amazes me about Bartimaeus is that he can't see. He doesn't know how Jesus look like (you know how everyone base things on first impressions) and he can't even see where he is. But he just continues to shout and shout for Jesus. (I think he must have heard alot of exciting things that Jesus was doing) And it just struck me how his faith was in something he could not see. Reminds me of Hebrews 11:1.

Today, let's have faith like Bartimaeus. (blind faith in some sense) haha Although we can't see the future, let's trust that God has a plan for us (for you at work) and that our parents are coming to know Him as their personal Lord and Saviour.

Mark 11
The Triumphal Entry
Palm Sunday. Very magnificent sight. People were spreading cloaks on the ground so that the donkey that Jesus was riding on had some sorta red carpet! JESUS ROCK STAR! YOU ROCK MY LIFE!

Jesus clears the temple
cos people were selling things in the temple where its supposed to be a place of worship. They turning the temple into a market and Jesus was very angry (i think it's from another account - either John, Luke, Matthew that describe Jesus whipping the ground/tables)

The withered fig tree
Earlier, Jesus cursed a fig tree cos it bore no fruit. Then the next day, the tree withered (machiam fringe)
Okay I like vs 24 and 25 here (:

24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prater, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

This reminds me of what you have learnt today. Jiayou jiayou jiayou!

Authority of Jesus questioned
by the chief priests and pharisees. By now, they really don't like Jesus. They went up to Him and questioned "by whose authourity are you doing all these things?" And Jesus asked if they believed in John the Baptist's Baptism. (whether its from heaven or from men) They couldn't answer the question (fickle minded people) cos they wanted to say heaven (but then Jesus would ask "then why don't you believe him?) or from men (but they were afriad the crowd would tekan them cos the crowd believes in John)

So they answered I don't know.
So Jesus gave best answer: " Neither will I tell you by whose authority I am doing these things."
WA JESUS SO ZAI

Mark 12
Parable of the tenants 
you should read it. very difficult to type here. But its a parable against the chief priest and pharisees.
So they angry and want to arrest Jesus.

Paying taxes to Caesar
As I said, they want to arrest Jesus so they find all sorts of ways to trap Jesus.
Like they asked HIm whether they should pay taxes to Caesar. Then again Jesus answer very ZAI
He said "Give to Caesar's what is Caesar's and to God what is God's"

I believe in this passage Jesus tells us to submit to authority. (and this is also what you have learnt today)
Be it the gahmen, our parents, our leaders or whoever, God has placed these people in our lives for a reason.

Marriage at resurrection
Greatest commandment
my fave (: Mark 12:30
the 2nd is love your neighbour as yourself.

whose son is Christ
Widow's offering


okay finito.

Jeremiah 12
Jeremiah asked God why are wicked people successful? (vs 1 -2)
Like even though they always talk about God, they care nothing about Him.

Jeremiah told God to appoint a time for the wicked people in the land to be "slaughtered"
So harsh a word! 


God later assured Jeremiah that He knows everything that goes on in the land.
And that He will abandon the nation, He will forsake them and turn them over to the enemies.
Because these people have turned their backs to God.
God will do it such that the land will lay in waste and lie empty.

But God also promised that after He has uprooted the people of those nations, He will relent and have pity on them. He will restore these people to their own lands and to their own country. But these people must make sure to follow the ways of God.

Jeremiah 13
An Object Lesson from Ruined Linen Shorts
God told Jeremiah to buy some linen shorts and wear them. And that he should not put it in water.
Jeremiah did so.
Then God told Jeremiah to take the shorts to this place called Perath and bury them in a crack in the ricks.
Jeremiah did so.
Many days later, God told Jeremiah to get the shorts from Perath.
Jeremiah did so. And realised that the shorts were ruined and good for nothing.

God spoke to Jeremiah through the shorts.
God will ruin the highly exalted positions in which Judah and Jerusalem take pride.
The people who are stubborn and worship other gods will become like the linen shorts - good for nothing.

Quite cute huh! God speaks through many funny situations. But quite sad for the Israelites. As I think about how they can stray away from God, even though He is so good. I feel that it can be the same for us- it is very easy to stray away from God. But being close to God takes a lot of intentional effort!  So we need to be on our toes and always remember God because He is good! And always spend time with God! 

Jeremiah 9
Jeremiah cried for the people who have been killed.

The Lord laments that He has no choice but to judge them
God explained His reasons to Jeremiah:
That the people have become powerful in the land but not by honest means.
They do evil things and do not pay attention to God.
Everyone is on guard around people (even relatives) because everyone will find some way to cheat him.

4Everyone must be on his guard around his friends. He must not even trust any of his relatives.12 For every one of them will find some way to cheat him.13 And all of his friends will tell lies about him.  5One friend deceives another and no one tells the truth.

wa very sad sia. Imagine living in those times. There is no one that can be trusted! 


Therefore God is punishing them.

The coming destruction calls for mourning


Jeremiah 10
The Lord, not idols is the only worthy object of worship

Jeremiah 11
The people have violated their covenant with God
A plot against Jeremiah is revealedand he complains of injustice


God gave JEremiah knowledge that he might have understanding. And God showed Jeremiah what the people were doing. They actually made plains to kill him. So Jeremiah told God to vindicate his cause.
And God said that He will punish the people who threatened Jeremiah.

04.25.2011

Jeremiah 7 
Faulty Religion and Unethical Behaviour will lead to judgement. 

6Stop oppressing foreigners who live in your land, children who have lost their fathers, and women who have lost their husbands. How often is it that we discriminate against the foreigners who live in Singapore (think about the Ah Tiongs) ? Question for thought.  In this passage, God is angry at the people. Because even though they sin against Him and all, they still can go into His temple and say that "We are safe". Like quite shameless hor. God was so angry that He instructed Jeremiah not to pray for these people. - the extent of His anger. God was also angry that they built places of worship so that they can sacrifice their sons and daughters by fire and God was angry because He did not command them to do so. Jeremiah 8 God said that judgement will come upon the land but even then He will leave some survivors alive and banish them to other places. But these survivors would wish that they had died instead of lived. Wilful disregard of God will lead to destruction Jeremia laments ove r the coming destruction Jeremiah is sad over what is going to happen. he has compassion on the Israelites.

I'm gonna be a light and let it shine. For Jesus (:

Jeremiah 6
The destruction of Jerusalem depicted


God has given the people warning time and again.
But again and again they ignored His warnings.

God is sending an army from the north to siege Israel.
They will be cruel and show no mercy.

God made Jeremiah observe how the people behave.
And Jeremiah observed that they are a stubborn people.

Jeremiah 3
God is angry with the Israelites because they have prostituted themselves to other gods.
I feel that in this context maybe the Israelites were into some occults that has sexual practices. 

Because of this, the land is defiled.
Thus, the rains have been withheld. Even though they have done wrong, they still dare tell God

'You are my father!10 You have been my faithful companion ever since I was young.  5You will not always be angry with me, will you? You will not be mad at me forever, will you?'11

But then after saying that, they still continue to do wrong.

God says that even though Israel received punishment from God because of their sins, Judah saw God's judgement on Israel but they too continued to sin against God. God said that they had pretended to turn back to Him but without any sincerity.

The Lord calls on Israel and Judah to repent. 
God is a forgiving God. Even though Israel and Judah have both turned away from Him and worshipped other gods, He still called them back and ask them to repent. But however, He said that they must confess that they have done wrong.

Even though God wants to punish them already, He still so compassionate. Still give chance and ask them to repent before He carries out the punishment. 

Jeremiah 4
Warning of Coming Judgement


Jeremiah 5
Judah is justly deserving of coming judgement
God told Jeremiah to look around the streets of Jerusalem and find a single person who deals honestly and tries to be truthful. And if he can, then God will not punish Jerusalem. God says that some of the people make empty promises to Him.

When we promise God something, we need to fulfill it. If not, He would be upset. 


Jeremiah told God that everyone refuse to be corrected even when God nearly destroys them. They are described as hardheaded as a rock- VERY STUBBORN. And at first he thought that only the ignorant poor people are stubborn but even when Jeremiah went to the leaders, they also refuse to submit to God.

God commanded the enemy to ruin Israel and Judah. Even though He is punishing Israel and Judah, He still had compassion for them . He commanded :

"March through the vineyards of Israel and Judah and ruin them. But do not destroy them completely. Strip off their branches for these people do not belong to the LORD.

God said to Jeremiah that He will put the words in his mouth like fire and the people like wood so that when Jeremiah speaks, the fiery judgement he speaks will burn up. (so metaphorical i dont know what it means)

God will send a nation (Babylon) from far away to attack Israel.

It will be a nation that was founded long ago and has lasted for a long time. It will be a nation whose language you will not know. Its people will speak words that you will not be able to understand.

18Yet even then57 I will not completely destroy you," says the LORD.  19"So then, Jeremiah,58 when your people59 ask, 'Why has the LORD our God done all this to us?' tell them, 'It is because you rejected me and served foreign gods in your own land. So60 you must serve foreigners61 in a land that does not belong to you.'

04.20.2011

Jeremiah's name means "Yahweh exalts". One of the main prophets of the bible. Jeremiah was also known as the weeping prophet (also written Lamentations) BECAUSE his job was to reveal the sins of people and explain the reason of impending disaster (which is destruction by Babylonian army and taken into captivity into Babylon) 


Jeremiah 1
The Superscription
The Lord spoke to Jeremiah in the 13th year of the reign of king Josiah (King of Judah)
The Lord spoke to Jeremiah during Jehoiakim reign, Son of Josiah (King of Judah) until -->
the 11th year of the Zedekiah's reign, son of Josiah (King of Judah)

This is the period where the people of Jerusalem taken into exile.
Jeremiah is a prophet who has seen both God's favour (during King Josiah's reign) and anger (During Jehoiakim and Zedekiah's reign. ) 


Jeremiah's Call and Commission
God has called Jeremiah even when he was in his mother's womb.
And even though Jeremiah felt that he was too young to do God's work, God assured him.

7The LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am too young.' But go13 to whomever I send you and say whatever I tell you.  8Do not be afraid of those to whom I send you,14 for I will be with you to protect15 you," says the LORD. And even assured him that He will give Jeremiah the words to speak. In our context, I feel that God has called us to be His even when we were in our mother's womb too. And sometimes, perhaps, we feel inadequate to do God's work (be it serving in Youth or Children ministry) But God says that He will give us the words to speak. So we must seek Him to ask Him to teach us how to teach our young ones!  Also, I feel that God is saying like how we shouldnt be afraid of sharing the gospel with people older than us (example our parents). Because He is there to protect us.  Visions Confirming Jeremiah's Call and Commission.  - The branch of an almond tree which means that God is watching that His threats are carried out (His anger towards the people during Jehoiakim and Zedekiah time) - The pot of boiling water tipped towards them from the north which means tht there will be destruction from up north on all who lives in the land. God is passing His judgement on people of Jerusalem and Judah because they have turned away from Him. 2 Kings 24 1During Jehoiakim's reign,1 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked.2 Jehoiakim was his subject for three years, but then he rebelled against him.3  2The LORD sent against him Babylonian, Syrian, Moabite, and Ammonite raiding bands; he sent them to destroy Judah, as he had warned he would do through his servants the prophets.4 2 Kings 25 1So King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and set up camp outside1 it. They built siege ramps all around it. He arrived on the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign.2  2The city remained under siege until King Zedekiah's eleventh year.  3By the ninth day of the fourth month3 the famine in the city was so severe the residents4 had no food.  4The enemy broke through the city walls,5 and all the soldiers tried to escape. They left the city during the night.6 They went through the gate between the two walls that is near the king's garden.7 (The Babylonians were all around the city.) Then they headed for the Jordan Valley.8  5But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with him in the plains of Jericho,9 and his entire army deserted him.  6They captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah,10 where he11 passed sentence on him.  7Zedekiah's sons were executed while Zedekiah was forced to watch.12 The king of Babylon13 then had Zedekiah's eyes put out, bound him in bronze chains, and carried him off to Babylon. Even though Jeremiah has such scary visions about the country that he lives in, God still assured him that He will be with him. And that, He will protect him.  Jeremiah 2 The Lord Recalls Israel's Earlier Faithfulness The Lord reminds them of the Unfaithfulness of their ancestors I feel that Israel is kinda like us. LIke sometimes, we can be faithful towards God but sometimes we are unfaithful when we turn away from Him and turn to the other "gods" in our life. E.g. school/dance,, etc,,, And God remembers all these times when we are faithful and unfaithful. God, today I come before You and acknowledge that there are times when I am unfaithful towards You when I spend so much time studying my schoolwork but none to study Your word. I am sorry for these times. God, help me be faithful towards You and that I'll be so excited to spend time with You each and every day. Thank You God. In jesus name, amen. The Lord charges Israel with Spiritual Adultery Israel's Reliance on Foreign Alliances The Lord Expresses His exasperation at Judah's Persistant Idolatry

As I look into the beautiful blue sky today

I am reminded that my God is an awesome God.

And how many artists are inspired by Him. Sure, they do paint well, but no one can paint the morning sky as beautifully as He can. And who would have thought of creating all the beautiful creatures and all in the world? Only HIm (:

Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
In wisdom, power and love,
Our God is an awesome God.

Psalm 63

This psalm really speaks of how I feel right now, at this juncture of my life.

1 O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; 
   my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you,
   in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
   my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
   and in your name I will life up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
   with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
   I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
   I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 My soul clings to you;
   your right hand upholds me.
9 They who seek my life will be destroyed;
   they will go down to the depths of the earth.
10 They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God; 
    all who swear by God's name will praise him,
    while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Without God, I have no life. Without God, I have no joy. At this point of my life, I feel empty because I have not been spending enough time with Him. Lord, I pray and ask that You help me be disciplined to spend more time with you. This is so that I have joy in my life. Thank you. In Jesus name, amen (:

Why- Nicole Nordeman

We rode into town the other day
Just me and my daddy
He said I'd finally reached that age
And I could ride next to him on a horse
That of course was not quite as white

We heard a crowd of people shouting
And we stopped to find out why
And there was that man
That my dad said he loved
But today there was fear in his eyes

So I said, "Daddy, why are they screaming?"
"Why are the faces of some of them beaming?"
"Why is he dressed in the bright purple robe?"
I bet that crown hurt him more than it shows
Daddy please can't you do something
He looks as though he's gonna cry
You said  he was stronger than all of those guys
Daddy please tell me why
Why does everyone want him to die

Later that day, the sky grew cloudy
Daddy said I should go inside
Somehow he knew things would get stormy
And boy was he right
But i could not keep from wondering
If there was something he had to hide

So after he left, I had to find out
I was not afraid of getting lost
So I followed the crowd
To a hill  where i know men had been killed
And I heard a voice come from the cross

And it said, Father why are they screaming?
"Why are the faces of some of them beaming?"
Why are they casting their lots for my robes?
This crown of thorns hurts me more than it shows
Father please, can't you do something?
I know that you must hear my cry
I thought I could handle a cross of this size
Fathe remind me why
Why does everyone want me to die
Oh, when will I understand why?

My precious son, I hear them screaming
Im watching the face of the enemy beaming
But soon I will clothe in robes of my own
Jesus, this hurts me more than you know
But this dark hour, I must have nothing
Though I heard your unbearable cry
The power in your blood destroys all of their lies
Soon you'll see past their unmerciful eyes
Look there below see the child, trembling by her father's side
Now I can tell why, she is why you must die.

This song always never fails to touch me. To think of all that Jesus has done for you and for me. Such a painful death. Not just the pain of bearing the cross, but also the pain of seeing the unmerciful eyes of people wanting Him to die. And we are the reason why. We are the reason why He must die, so that we may have life. 

Thank You Jesus for all that You have done for me. Thank You for loving me even before I knew You. Thank You for this huge sacrifice that You have paid, because of love. Thank You Lord that You are victorious. Thank You that You rose again and gave us life anew. Without You. I know that my life would be void of joy and feelings. Thank You Jesus (: 

David inquires and the tearing of clothes.

DAVID INQUIRES.
As I read 1 and 2 Samuel about David, I notice that in everything that he does, he always inquire the Lord of directions or whatever that needs to be done. His relationship with God is so close. That in everything he did, the Lord blessed him and gave him great success (God was with him)

In 1 Samuel 17: 45, David made this statement which I like alot:
" David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied."

Sucha powerful statement eh? Indeed the name of our Lord is greater than worldly weapons.

TEARING OF CLOTHES.And today as I read 2 Samuel 1-3, this action struck me. Did a mini research and found this. The practise of tearing clothes by people of the Old Testament was to express anger or extreme sadness. (http://www.chc.org.sg/breakthrough_word/bb_2002_21.htm. )
Some interesting points:
- Being clothed in the glory of God and wearing Jesus Christ (:

But not only can we be clothed with the whole armor of God and the Holy Spirit, we are also told, "Put on (clothe yourself with) the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 13:14). No wonder we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37), the head and not the tail, above and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13) ... we have the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57)!

Kingdom business professionals fight daily in the trenches of commerce, battling the enemy come rain or shine. It is not always easy or pleasant. We are in (but not of, hallelujah!) a dirty, dishonest and depraved arena called the marketplace. Here, the people we mix with are often "lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of God" (2 Timothy 3:2-3).

But as we "shout unto God with the voice of triumph" (Psalm 47:1) we know that we are called to be light in the darkness, and that with the armor of light-the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ—clothing us, we will usher in the Kingdom of God in all its fullness!

Ruth 2 - 4
I read about how Ruth approached Naomi and told her mother-in-law of her wish to go to the fields and pick up leftover grains behind anyone who finds her favourable. And so she went along and gleaned sheaves behind the workers. She was in the fields of Boaz (relative of Elimelech- Naomi's husband) When Boaz saw her, he questioned his harvesters who she is. He knew of what Ruth has done for Naomi - that she has given her company even though her husband is dead. And so he took good care of her in the fields. He made sure she had enough to eat and even instructed his workers to pull out stalks from their bundles for her to pick up.

Although they have no one to rely on, they did not believe in sitting down and wait for things to happen. Instead, Ruth took an active part in providing food for herself and Naomi. In the past, women played an active role in food production.

Women has many roles (Proverbs 31)

And so the day was over. Ruth went back to Naomi. Naomi saw that Ruth had gathered a lot from the fields. And so she asked whose fields did the latter gleaned from. Naomi found out it is Boaz and told her that he is their close relative, their kinsman-redeemer.

A kinsman-redeemer is a male relative who, according to various laws found in the Pentateuch, had the privilege or responsibility to act for a relative who was in trouble, danger, or need of vindication.he Hebrew term designates a male relative who delivers or rescues (Gen 48:16; Exod 6:6); redeems property (Lev 27:9-25) or person (Lev 25:47-55); avenges the murder of a relative as a guiltless executioner (Num 35:9-34); and receives restitution for wrong done to a relative who has since died (Num 5:8).
One day, Naomi wanted to find a home for Ruth. Instructed Ruth to spend the night with Boaz at the threshing floor. Gave her instructions on what she should do. Boaz is a kind man and he informed Ruth that there is a closer kinsman-redeemer than himself but Boaz told her not to worry. For if the closer kinsman-redeemer were to redeem Ruth, it is in God's will.

The next morning, Boaz got the closer kinsman-redeemer and 10 elders of the town to gather at the town gate. At the end of the "transaction", Boaz acquired Ruth as his wife to continue the name of Elimelech. And so, they got married (: And Boaz and Ruth is David's great great grandparents (:

So cool eh. God can use a foreigner, a Moabitess, to continue the bloodline. And because Ruth is faithful to Naomi, God blessed her by using her for His purpose and even took good care of her by allowing her to meet Boaz the kinsman redeemer.