The 'cost' of Lying

There was a famine in the land, as bad as the famine during the time of Abraham. And Isaac went down to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, in Gerar. God appeared to him and said, "Don't go down to Egypt; stay where I tell you. Stay here in this land and I'll be with you and bless you. I'm giving you and your children all these lands, fulfilling the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. I'll make your descendants as many as the stars in the sky and give them all these lands. All the nations of the Earth will get a blessing for themselves through your descendants. And why? Because Abraham obeyed my summons and kept my charge-my commands, my guidelines, my teachings." So Isaac stayed put in Gerar. The men of the place questioned him about his wife. He said, "She's my sister." He was afraid to say "She's my wife." He was thinking, "These men might kill me to get Rebekah, she's so beautiful." One day, after they had been there quite a long time, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out his window and saw Isaac fondling his wife Rebekah. Abimelech sent for Isaac and said, "So, she's your wife. Why did you tell us 'She's my sister'?" Isaac said, "Because I thought I might get killed by someone who wanted her." Abimelech said, "But think of what you might have done to us! Given a little more time, one of the men might have slept with your wife; you would have been responsible for bringing guilt down on us." Then Abimelech gave orders to his people: "Anyone who so much as lays a hand on this man or his wife dies." (Genesis 26:1-11 MSG)
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Ok, so Abraham's lie almost cost Abimelech and his men to sin - by sleeping with another man's wife. Sometimes we lie to keep ourselves out of trouble; but have we considered the consequences of it upon ourselves and even other people?

It's better to NOT lie and face the music rather than having to tell a lie to cover up another lie or get others into trouble.


Consider that.

Revival is coming!!!

My blog I mean!

Your Love Never Fails

Nothing can separate
Even if I ran away
Your love never fails

I know I still make mistakes
But You have new mercies for me everyday
Your love never fails

You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There maybe pain in the night but joy comes in the morning

And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails

The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails

The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I'd reach the other side
But Your love never fails

You make all things work together for my good

Value yourself FIRST!!

Today we had 'Princess Warrior Conference' at Mimi's house. A time when women of God come together to learn and encourage each other as we walk on this journey with Him. This time round, the topic was centred on BGR (Boy-Girl Relationship) which I thought was good since I've always gone through this in Brisbane, so it was great to hear from a different speaker.


I was just reading through the notes again when I saw this sentence quoted from Dr Les and Leslie Parrott's book, Relationships:


"If you try to find intimacy with another person before achieving a sense of intimacy on your own, all your relationships become an attempt to complete yourself."

Many times we try to find someone to complete ourselves (at least for me). We think that we will have a sense of self worth, self identity and healthy self concept once we find that someone.

But, how wrong can we be.

As the old saying goes: "be the right person FIRST rather than trying to look for the right person." We need to find and see the value in ourselves before we go around looking for our other half!!




more thoughts on the Princess Warrior Conference coming up..

Struggles are NECESSARY

An interesting email sent by Mel. Be blessed!

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily.

 

But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!

I asked for Strength....... And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for Wisdom...... And God gave me Problems to solve.

I asked for Prosperity......... And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work.

I asked for Courage......... And God gave me Danger to overcome.

I asked for Love......... And God gave me troubled people to help.

I asked for Favors......... And God gave me Opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted........ I received everything I needed!

Trust in God! Always!

Serving God from Your Heart

Taken from Rick Warren's devotion:

One characteristic of serving God from your heart is effectiveness: whenever you do what God wired you to love to do, you get good at it. Passion drives perfection. If you don't care about a task, it is unlikely that you'll excel at it.

On the other hand, the highest achievers in any field are those who do it because of passion, not duty or profit.

We've all heard people say, "I took a job I hate in order to make a lot of money, so someday I can quit and do what I love to do." That's a big mistake. Don't waste your life in a job that doesn't express your heart.

Remember, the greatest things in life are not things. Meaning is far more important than money. The richest man in the world once said, "A simple life in the fear-of-God is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches" (Proverbs 15:16, Msg).

Don't settle for achieving "the good life," because the good life is not good enough. Ultimately, it doesn't satisfy. You can have a lot to live on, and still have nothing to live for. Aim instead for "the better life" -- serving God in a way that expresses your heart.

___________________________________________________________________________________

As some of us are entering the workforce for the first time or looking for another job the the xth time, let's take up the job not because you want to earn big bucks and then move on to something you're really passionate about. Instead, like what Rick Warren said,  "Remember, the greatest things in life are not things. Meaning is far more important than money."

DON'T settle for the 'good life'; instead aim for 'the better life' - serving God in a way that expresses your heart.

We Love Because God Loves Us

"Once we're secure inside God's unconditional love, we'll start cutting people a lot of slack. We won't be as angry as we've been. We'll be more patient. We'll be more forgiving. We'll be more merciful. We'll let others have grace." - Rick Warren's devotion

Let's learn to love because God loves us, not for any other reasons!

'Go' or 'Let's Go'

I realised something today (why did it take me so long?!!), I blog most when my mind is actively engaged (i.e. reading a book/researching on an issue etc). I am currently reading this book by John C Maxwell, "Developing the Leader within You" and only in the first few pages of Chapter 1, and it has got me thinking...

"A person may be 'in control' because he has been appointed to a position. In that position, he may have authority. But real leadership is more than having authority; it is more than having the technical training and following the proper procedures. REAL LEADERSHIP is being the person others will gladly and confidently follow."

By deciding where to go for dinner, we are leading. By saying 'No' to injustice, you are leading. Somehow or rather, like it or not, we are leaders in our own ways (though we sometimes do not see it).

As for me, I serve as a leader in church (with a certain amount of authority given to me) and the above statement in John's book has certainly got me thinking:

• will people still follow me if I do not have the authority given to me, in other words, will people still gladly follow me if I no longer have any authority given to me?
  

There is a difference between a boss and a leader (taken from John's book):

• The boss depends on authority; the leader on goodwill;
• The boss drives his workers; the leader coaches them;
• The boss says 'I', the leader says 'We';
• The boss says 'Go', the leader says 'Let's go' 

Are we saying 'Go' or 'Let's go' to our team members today?

Waiting to be READY

And so we continue waiting, just like how Abraham and Sarai waited for a child that God has promised.

"God also said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.'" (Genesis 17:15–16 NIV).

They waited and waited, to the point of frustration.

I am pretty sure that you have been in such a situation, when you believed you have heard from God and started praying faithfully for it. However, as time goes by, you start to get impatient and frustrated; doubts start creeping in - whether you have heard wrongly, or, if God actually will grant your prayer eventually.

Sarah and Abraham knocked on that door for another fourteen years! (Genesis 16:16; Genesis 21:5).

Finally, the breakthrough came because they were totally and wholly dependent upon God to fulfill his promise.

Not dependent because they'd obediently submitted everything to God, but totally dependent because they'd exhausted every other possibility.

And that's often why God delays. He's waiting on us to be ready for him.

Are you ready?

Waiting is HARD..

Yesterday, the Rick Warren devotion sent to my email caught my eye - Waiting is the HARDEST part.

I must say I FULLY AGREE with this (same sentiments anyone?) because all my life I realised that waiting is a process that I experience till now and definitely forever..and..it is HARD!

And many times, we tend to try taking things in our own hands, hoping that it will reduce the waiting time and discomfort of waiting.

Sarai from the Bible is one good example. As you read, Sarai actually took it upon herself to solve God's problem.

Let's take a pause here.

How many times have we tried to take things from the hands of our Creator(i.e. Jesus Christ) and simply forget that we are nothing without the Creator. To put it simply, how can we, the masterpiece of the Creator be able to fathom the thoughts and ways of our Creator??!

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isa 55: 8-10

Jon Walker (author of 'Growing with Purpose,' and editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-line Devotionals) commented:

"When faced with a delayed answer, do you break with God? What does manipulating an answer to our prayers say about our belief in God's character?"

I believe it speaks alot.

Consider it.

Waiting...

Waiting is part and parcel of life, waiting:

for Mum/Dad to bring you to the zoo when you were young; for the day you get to have your own schoolbag; the day you graduate from primary school and step into your teenage years; for the first pager (in my times!); to be called up on stage to receive your graduation certificate; your first interview; for the call from the employer that you've been anticipating; and it goes on and on...waiting for something to happen..

Regardless of our age, the process of waiting is here to stay in our lives.

So, since the process of waiting is here to stay,

SHOULD we learn to wait,
EVEN IF it takes longer than we expected?

Love E.V.E.R.Y.O.N.E

Even if it's...

- the neighbour who's constantly blasting his/her music;
- a rude salesperson ;
- the uncooperative groupmate in your project group;
- the unfriendly colleague who sits next to you in the office;
- the person who didn't thank you for holding the door etc

""You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?" - Mt 5: 43-44, 46-48

God reminded me of this verse today. Recently, I have been finding it hard to love someone whom I come into occasional contact with. I don't really know this person very well, but he is close to the family enough for me to have to be in contact with him sometimes. On top of that, I don't find him well-mannered or at least giving me the due respect I deserve.

Most of the times when I see him, a rush of negative emotions just consume me and they translate into actions. Many times, I get frustrated with myself for being two-faced (or double standard) for being able to treat love everyone but not this person.

It's easy to love those who love us and treat us the same way we do to them. But then we are no different from the others (i.e. people who do not have Christ in them)

It's NOT easy (as I've experienced) to love someone when they DO NOT treat us the same way we do to them.

But, that's what MAKES THE DIFFERENCE.

We are called to be salt and light to the world (Mt 5: 13-16) not salt and light that fades into the world.

"Lord, please teach me to have a heart for people just like you - to not judge and respond to them based on their actions. Rather, teach me to love them like you do - to look beyond their flaws and love them for who they are."

No Worries!

Worry is a learned response. We learn to worry from:

i. EXPERIENCE. Out of years of mistakes, failures etc, we form the habit of worrying.
ii. EXAMPLES. Models around us, maybe our parents, friends etc.

Since worry is a learned response, then it can be unlearned!

"An anxious heart weighs a man down” (Proverbs 12:25 NIV).

Worry cannot change the past nor control the future; instead, it only makes us miserable today.

Worry exaggerates the problem - when you worry about a problem, it only gets bigger.

- adapted from Rick Warren's daily devotion

"Lord, teach me to pray instead of worry - to turn all my worries into prayers."

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Philippians 4:6–7 MSG).

Decision-making in the CLEAREST of times..

"Commitments to a preferred future do not come randomly. They are intentionally established at times when you are thinking clearly and are close to God." - Cordeiro, W

How many times have we made the WRONG decisions at the WRONG time (i.e. in the spur of a moment):

- after an argument with our parents;
- a tiff with our boyfriend/husband;
- a bad day at work;
- a discouraged moment in ministry;
- moments of silence while waiting on God;
- people who do not reciprocate according to your expectations etc

I believe we have all made some wrong decisions when we were not in the best 'time' of our lives, and sometimes, these wrong decisions result in long-term consequences that cannot be reversed.

Looking back, I have made some decisions at the wrong 'times' and these have resulted in situations less favorable. I thank God that these bad decisions never led to any major consequences. Now that I am back in Singapore for a season, I'm in a mode where I have to do alot of pondering and planning to the next step of my life - career, relationship, family etc. These are definitely areas of my life that I DO NOT want to make decisions that I will regret later on.

Hence, it is VERY IMPORTANT that we make decisions at the clearest of times - when we are "thinking with insight rather than ambiguity".

The next time you feel discouraged, angry or in a physical setback, take a step back and refrain from making any hasty decisions. Instead, allow yourself to take control of your emotions before you make any decisions.

Take Time Out to Reflect

"The best lives are like notebooks whose writings are read and reflected upon over and over again. Lessons are extracted and futures reassessed." Wayne Cordeiro

It hit home today the importance of taking time out to rest and reflect.

Imagine the amount of time you've wasted committing the same mistakes in life, ministries, relationships etc. If only we are disciplined enough to sit down and reflect on what was good/bad, then alot of time could be saved!!

Having more free time on hand back in Singapore has really given me the time out to reflect on the past few months, even years. This is the only (and start to many) time that I've really sat down to pen down my thoughts and not merely running it through my mind and shaking it off at the end of the day.

As Wayne mentioned, the BEST notebooks of life is one that is reflected upon over and over again - to the extent that the 'pages' become seasoned as a result of the constant 'revisits'. The best notebooks of life is NOT one that has a detailed record of everything good/bad and looks pretty; BUT has never been revisited.

"Experience alone will not make one wiser. When we repeat a mistake, experience only reminds us that we made the same blunder before. Experience plus reflection will grant us insight, and insight helps us to grow and change." Wayne Cordeiro

I want to be one who has insight - which will help me to grow and change.

Time to take time out to reflect!

Our acceptance is NOT determined by anything or anyone

"Most of us spend our entire lives trying to earn acceptance. We want to earn it from our parents, peers, partners in life, from people we respect, maybe even from people we envy. The drive to be accepted is a deep drive that can influence the kind of clothes you wear, the kind of car you drive, the kind of house you buy, even the career you choose." - Rick Warren's daily devotion

I thought by changing my dress style, I'll be accepted by the 'cool' people;
I thought by doing what my peers do, I'll be accepted by them;
I thought by being someone that conforms to the society, I'll be accepted.

So many 'I thought's, but ultimately, I have come to the realization that I will never be happy if I allow my acceptance to be determined by something or someone.

I thank God that I do not have to earn His acceptance, I don't have to prove myself to Him. Jesus accepts me and it is not based on my performance (if it was, I think it'll take me a lifetime to earn His acceptance!!)

If there is one person I want acceptance from, it is God. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Is your acceptance determined by anything or anyone today?

We all give our life for something..

In our lives, like it or not, we give our lives for something. Some give their lives for their career, some for their hobby, some for the fame, some for the people around them, some simply for the term of their lives.

As for me, I used to spend my life trying to please others - trying to fit into a mold defined by others, and many of us will know that it wouldn't work out at the end. We can never please everyone around us, in the midst of doing so, we just end up frustrating ourselves and setting 'goals' we can never achieve.

I have decided, that I will not live my life for others; I want to live a life that counts - a life for God!

What about you?

MISSing them already!!!

"God, please break down the 'walls' that are hindering my faith."

What is right?

“We should choose to follow what is right. But first of all we must define among ourselves what is good” - Job 34:4 LB

Everything we do is somehow influenced by the values we have - our actions in life are largely determined by the values we hold:

How we decide to react when someone treats us unfairly;
How we decide to respond to a situation perceived favorably by our friends when they are looking at us;
How we allow the norms of society to replace what is right (in the eyes of God) etc

What kind of values do you have today - are they shaped by society (i.e. parents, friends, experiences etc); OR are they shaped by that of God.

Values determined by Man are fallible; but values based on the Word of God is infallible.

Lord, teach me to learn what is right and daily make the conscious decision to NOT follow the norm BUT follow what is right.