Not To Be Shaken By Setbacks While Serving God
We tend to assume that things will go well with us when we obey God. Thus, some people were taken aback when their obedience is followed by contradictory outcomes. So how can we face discouraging setbacks and obstacles when we serve God?
Joy And Sorrow Intermingled
Joy and sorrow are present in every one’s life, just that certain people experience joy more often, while others taste sorrow more frequently. And we often thought that joy is mutually exclusive from sorrow. If one feels sorrowful, he cannot at the same time feel joyful, or can he? We cannot avoid the sorrows of living in this fallen world, but how can we taste joy in the midst of sorrows? What is the purpose of both joy and sorrow in our lives?
Obedience After Meeting God
We like to hear God’s voice. If we hear God supporting our plans, we will be thrilled and quick to proceed with what we want to do. But what if God tells us something we do not like to hear or something very hard to do? Do we try to ignore that voice, or procrastinate doing His will? Find out how Moses responded to a divine calling which he was hesitant to accept at first, how God led Moses to embark on his godly mission, and how that relates to our lives.
“I AM WHO I AM”
We may think we know God, but is our understanding of God based on who He reveals Himself to be, or is it based on our own imagination and definition? The world often makes us care more about many trivialities of life than to be interested to know who God is. But it is most essential for us to know God. When God said, “I AM WHO I AM”, what does this tell us about God and how we should relate to Him?
Fighting Selfishness
The world increasingly thinks it is alright for us to be selfish, to engage in self-care, to love ourselves above other people and things. It thinks that it is nothing wrong for people to be selfish. But what does the Bible say and what was the teaching of Jesus? Is it really in our self-interest to be selfish? What can bring us greater reward than self-gratification?
Honoring The Lord’s Day
The world is full of unrest, our souls are often in unrest, there is also unrest in some of our interpersonal relationships, and only God can calm our unrest and give us true peace. Thus, God tells us to set aside one day in a week to find rest in the Lord. But is the Old Testament Sabbath still relevant for New Testament believers? Why do modern day Christians worship God on the Lord’s Day (Sunday, first day of the week) instead of on Sabbath (Saturday, seventh day of the week)? What are we suppose to do on the Lord’s Day? Is finding rest in God simply doing nothing? Find out more from this week’s message.
Practice Christian Hospitality
What do you understand by hospitality? How is Christian hospitality different from secular one? What challenges do you face in practicing hospitality? How can you offer Christian hospitality especially during the Chinese New Year?
Good Intentions Are Not Enough
The devil loves “mere intentions”, which stay as just that, intention – a goal, but without any concrete steps or actions. It is like the delusional dreaming of a “more God-pleasing tomorrow”, when one is not even living in a God-pleasing way today. It is like agreeing with the goal of being Christlike, but just naively imagine that one can become more like Christ simply by valuing that goal. Are your good intentions in line with God’s word and will? Are you willing to pay a good (heavy) price for your good intentions too?
Justification by Grace Alone through Faith Alone
If anyone asks you how can you be sure that you are saved, what will your answer be? What is the basis for a Christian’s justification? What’s the difference between justification and sanctification? How does knowing all these affect our relationship and walk with God?
What Achievements Are You Striving for This Year?
Have you ever felt a sense of loss and regret, as you feel you didn’t achieve much despite already being at certain age, and you don’t seem to be getting anywhere in life? At a certain point in life, people may start reflecting: “Have I achieved what I planned to attain by this age? Have my dreams been fulfilled? Is my career on track to success? Am I settled down in a good marriage or family?” Many people may feel lousy because they have a mistaken understanding of what “accomplishments” mean. Thus, we need to ask: What does God consider as “achievement”?
