devotion this week…

Day one:
What Is This About?
READ: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

We were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives. –1 Thessalonians 2:8

Love. Forgiveness. Mercy. Grace. Goodness. Compassion. Kindness. Generosity.

Who in the world would be against these characteristics? Who could oppose such positive forces in a person’s life? In other words, who could be against Christians? Who could call Christians nasty names, consider them dangerous, and seek to put as much distance as possible between themselves and Christians?

Who? Many people. But why? It’s because in the Christians they already know, they do not observe love, forgiveness, compassion, goodness, kindness, mercy, grace, and generosity.

They won’t see Christ and His attributes if we’re standing in the way. If we have a self-serving agenda or cause, they’ll see our hate instead of our love, our grudges instead of our forgiveness, our indifference instead of our compassion, our harshness instead of our goodness. Our lives need to be consistent with the message we proclaim (1 Thessalonians 2:1-12).

Christianity is about Christ and His loving, forgiving, and compassionate gift of eternal life. Anything we do that reflects something else gives others the wrong idea.

It’s all about Jesus. Let Him shine through your life so that others can see Him. —JDB — Dave Branon

Show me the way, Lord, let my light shine
As an example of good to mankind;
Help them to see the patterns of Thee,
Shining in beauty, lived out in me. —Neuer

Live so that others will want to know your Savior.

Day two:
God’s Purpose or Mine?

He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side . . . —Mark 6:45

We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.

What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” ( Mark 6:49 ). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.

God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.
God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.

Day three:
The Missionary’s Predestined Purpose

Now the Lord says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant . . . —Isaiah 49:5

The first thing that happens after we recognize our election by God in Christ Jesus is the destruction of our preconceived ideas, our narrow-minded thinking, and all of our other allegiances— we are turned solely into servants of God’s own purpose. The entire human race was created to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Sin has diverted the human race onto another course, but it has not altered God’s purpose to the slightest degree. And when we are born again we are brought into the realization of God’s great purpose for the human race, namely, that He created us for Himself. This realization of our election by God is the most joyful on earth, and we must learn to rely on this tremendous creative purpose of God. The first thing God will do is force the interests of the whole world through the channel of our hearts. The love of God, and even His very nature, is introduced into us. And we see the nature of Almighty God purely focused in
John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world. . . .”

We must continually keep our soul open to the fact of God’s creative purpose, and never confuse or cloud it with our own intentions. If we do, God will have to force our intentions aside no matter how much it may hurt. A missionary is created for the purpose of being God’s servant, one in whom God is glorified. Once we realize that it is through the salvation of Jesus Christ that we are made perfectly fit for the purpose of God, we will understand why Jesus Christ is so strict and relentless in His demands. He demands absolute righteousness from His servants, because He has put into them the very nature of God.

Beware lest you forget God’s purpose for your life

Day four:
Submitting to God’s Purpose

I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some —1 Corinthians 9:22

A Christian worker has to learn how to be God’s man or woman of great worth and excellence in the midst of a multitude of meager and worthless things. Never protest by saying, “If only I were somewhere else!” All of God’s people are ordinary people who have been made extraordinary by the purpose He has given them. Unless we have the right purpose intellectually in our minds and lovingly in our hearts, we will very quickly be diverted from being useful to God. We are not workers for God by choice. Many people deliberately choose to be workers, but they have no purpose of God’s almighty grace or His mighty Word in them. Paul’s whole heart, mind, and soul were consumed with the great purpose of what Jesus Christ came to do, and he never lost sight of that one thing. We must continually confront ourselves with one central fact— “. . . Jesus Christ and Him crucified” ( 1 Corinthians 2:2 ).

“I chose you . . .” ( John 15:16 ). Keep these words as a wonderful reminder in your theology. It is not that you have gotten God, but that He has gotten you. God is at work bending, breaking, molding, and doing exactly as He chooses. And why is He doing it? He is doing it for only one purpose— that He may be able to say, “This is My man, and this is My woman.” We have to be in God’s hand so that He can place others on the Rock, Jesus Christ, just as He has placed us.
Never choose to be a worker, but once God has placed His call upon you, woe be to you if you “turn aside . . . to the right or the left . . .” ( Deuteronomy 28:14 ). He will do with you what He never did before His call came to you, and He will do with you what He is not doing with other people. Let Him have His way.

Day five:
The Compelling Purpose of God

He . . . said to them, ’Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem . . —Luke 18:31

Jerusalem, in the life of our Lord, represents the place where He reached the culmination of His Father’s will. Jesus said, “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” ( John 5:30 ). Seeking to do “the will of the Father” was the one dominating concern throughout our Lord’s life. And whatever He encountered along the way, whether joy or sorrow, success or failure, He was never deterred from that purpose. “. . . He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem . . .” ( Luke 9:51 ).

The greatest thing for us to remember is that we go up to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s purpose, not our own. In the natural life our ambitions are our own, but in the Christian life we have no goals of our own. We talk so much today about our decisions for Christ, our determination to be Christians, and our decisions for this and that, but in the New Testament the only aspect that is brought out is the compelling purpose of God. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you . . .” ( John 15:16 ).

We are not taken into a conscious agreement with God’s purpose— we are taken into God’s purpose with no awareness of it at all. We have no idea what God’s goal may be; as we continue, His purpose becomes even more and more vague. God’s aim appears to have missed the mark, because we are too nearsighted to see the target at which He is aiming. At the beginning of the Christian life, we have our own ideas as to what God’s purpose is. We say, “God means for me to go over there,” and, “God has called me to do this special work.” We do what we think is right, and yet the compelling purpose of God remains upon us. The work we do is of no account when compared with the compelling purpose of God. It is simply the scaffolding surrounding His work and His plan. “He took the twelve aside . . .” ( Luke 18:31 ). God takes us aside all the time. We have not yet understood all there is to know of the compelling purpose of God.

Day six:
God’s Overpowering Purpose

I have appeared to you for this purpose . . .—Acts 26:16

The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was not a passing emotional experience, but a vision that had very clear and emphatic directions for him. And Paul stated, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19). Our Lord said to Paul, in effect, “Your whole life is to be overpowered or subdued by Me; you are to have no end, no aim, and no purpose but Mine.” And the Lord also says to us, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go . . .” (John 15:16).

When we are born again, if we are spiritual at all, we have visions of what Jesus wants us to be. It is important that I learn not to be “disobedient to the heavenly vision”—not to doubt that it can be attained. It is not enough to give mental assent to the fact that God has redeemed the world, nor even to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did a reality in my life. I must have the foundation of a personal relationship with Him. Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim. He was brought into a vivid, personal, overpowering relationship with Jesus Christ.Acts 26:16 is tremendously compelling “. . . to make you a minister and a witness . . . .” There would be nothing there without a personal relationship. Paul was devoted to a Person, not to a cause. He was absolutely Jesus Christ’s. He saw nothing else and he lived for nothing else. “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

Day seven:
The Bewildering Call of God

’. . . and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.’ . . . But they understood none of these things . . . —Luke 18:31, 34

God called Jesus Christ to what seemed absolute disaster. And Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death, leading every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. His life was an absolute failure from every standpoint except God’s. But what seemed to be failure from man’s standpoint was a triumph from God’s standpoint, because God’s purpose is never the same as man’s purpose.

This bewildering call of God comes into our lives as well. The call of God can never be understood absolutely or explained externally; it is a call that can only be perceived and understood internally by our true inner-nature. The call of God is like the call of the sea— no one hears it except the person who has the nature of the sea in him. What God calls us to cannot be definitely stated, because His call is simply to be His friend to accomplish His own purposes. Our real test is in truly believing that God knows what He desires. The things that happen do not happen by chance— they happen entirely by the decree of God. God is sovereignly working out His own purposes.

If we are in fellowship and oneness with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, then we will no longer strive to find out what His purposes are. As we grow in the Christian life, it becomes simpler to us, because we are less inclined to say, “I wonder why God allowed this or that?” And we begin to see that the compelling purpose of God lies behind everything in life, and that God is divinely shaping us into oneness with that purpose. A Christian is someone who trusts in the knowledge and the wisdom of God, not in his own abilities. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the calm, relaxed pace which should be characteristic of the children of God.

devotion this week…

go to the link to watch the video k? maybe read the reflection questions first. and have your journal with you when you’re watching so you can jot things down.

day one: God’s Chisel

http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=849dc7c803281df74bb2

Ephesians 2:10
‘For we are GOd’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which GOd prepared in advance for us to do.’

reflection questions:
- do we compare ourselves with others more than we compare ourselves with God? how can we compare ourselves to God more?
-look in the mirror, do others see you or JESUS?
-do we always want to be in control of our lives? thinking we know best, telling GOd ‘time out’, ‘it’s enough’, ‘wait’ enough chiselling cause it’s too painful.
-do we think we are junk? rubbish? unwanted?

we are GOd’s MASTERPIECE! and HE has GREAT plans for you and me. the chiselling, shaping and moulding will be tough, but hang in there, cause when GOd is finally done, we’ll be super duper beautiful! so won’t you let GOd take control of your life?

day two: camp rules

http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=a8fb530fafbbac265218

the video’s stupid but funny. but really right, the message is really clear. obey the rules or there will be consequences.

reflections: -when was the last time you disobeyed your parents or someone in authority? what was the consequences you had to pay?

remember my story i shared? and how i had to pay painfully cause i tried to ‘play’ with GOd and think that everything is alright. not only that, when we disobey, we let the devil have a foothold over us. and it’s easier for him to attack us. so let’s ask God to help us to obey HIm, and that when ever we’re tempted to disobey and rebel for some reason or the other, HE’ll remind us of our previous horrible situations so we will not do it again.

day three: meet the King

http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=84ffe1c7a014e03ae5e6

two issues here i picked out. firstly, when we go meet the KING, how do we dress? do we dress sloppily or dress our best? i’m not saying to like wear a suit every week to church, but do we dress appropriately when we go to church?

secondly, 1 Samuel 16:7. People (the world) judges by the outward appearance, what you look like and how you dress. but really GOd looks a the heart. do we spend more time dressing up outwardly rather than inwardly? are we ‘appropriately’ dressed inside? do we look super good outside, but inside, our character and heart is ugly? what do we need to do to have a ‘well-dressed’ heart, that is pleasing in God’s sight?

day four: coffer for DAD

http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=54140669d6ce1c8ede51

reflections: -do we tell God that we love HIm?
-do we show HIm that we love HIm?
-how can we show HIm that we love HIm?
-do we do things for GOd, and view them as chores, doing them grudgingly? (honestly whenever my mum ask me to do some chores, i always grumble!)

GOd wants as to give to HIm and do things for HIm out of our love for HIm.

day five: thanksgiving inventory

http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=c78a553ea1572997e600

as we write our 2009 reflections, let’s not forget to add in a thanksgiving inventory, to thank God for all He has done in 2009 for you!

day six:

http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=c3060a0d81532ce56fa9

good vs great.

what have we done with what God has given us? do we strive to be just good or GREAT? i think it’s really a matter of whether we’re excellent for GOd in all that we do. or i some matters that dont seem very important, (even tho it’s for GOd), we just spend less time and effort to do it. so it becomes good (or even bad) when it could have been great. will we be committed to being GREAT for GOd? everything means like homework, dance, soccer, drums, marching, playing some other instrument, etc. not doing everything good, but doing everything GREAT.

we finally have our cell verse for the year!

PHILIPPIANS 4:19-20
‘And my GOd will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.‘

verse 19 is GOd’s promise to the cell, that He’ll provide for our needs. whatever our needs. which means, he’ll help us tru the crazy homework load, and crazy school schedule and more importantly, as long as we’re willing, he’ll give us the discipline, the strength and perserverance to work towards SPIRITUAL MATURITY.

verse 20 is our part to play. that in all we do, we do it to bring GLORY to our amazing and wonderful Father.

and really i cant help but give all the thanks, praise, glory and honour to God for what happened on sunday during cell time. honestly, asking you guys to take time out to listen and wait on GOd and ask for a verse each, it was scary for me too. cause i was like wondering how it’ll turn out and so afriad you guys wouldnt take it seriously or something. it took faith.

and GOd proved faithful! it was so wonderful and encouraging to hear that EVERYONE of you got a verse. and i believe you know why you got that verse. and for you it would take some courage and faith to believe that it’s the verse that GOd has given you. and let me encourage you, it is the verse that God has for you in the year ahead. so please cling and hold on to it. GOd has spoken it marvelous crazy ways and if you’re comfortable, please share it with us on the blog!

nick and i, we were really encouraged and amazed at what you guys shared during the group time. cont to expect greater and better things from GOd this year, and that you’ll grow more and more spiritually. hope you’ve been encouraged too!

love,
del

it’s pretty late. heh. but happy 21st nick!

devotion this week…

Day one:
Which way do I go?
Reading: Proverbs 14:12

How do you usually decide whether a certain belief of behavior is right or wrong? Do you:
-toss a coin: Heads it’s right, tails it’s wrong?
-weigh it carefully, considering whether it feels right?
-measure it against what the majority thinks? ( if it’s pretty much accepted in your school, church or community, it’s probably OK.)
-none of the above?

If you chose the first option, you’ve got a lot of company. Many people today make decisions this way. They may not actually flip a coin, but they don’t lose any sleep over such a decision. They put more thought into what kind of god food to buy than whether a certain action would be right or wrong.

If you chose the second option, you chose an extremely popular model for determining right and wrong. People who chose this usually try to decide what’s right or wrong based on their own opinions or feelings. They’re likely to say, “I think it’s wrong to hurt another person,” or “I feel it’s ok to get mad as long as you have a good reason.”

If you chose the third option, you’re with a number of people who make decisions about right and wrong the way you do. They try to decide what’s right or wrong depending on what everyone else is doing. If they see other people cheating or breaking the law, they think it’s Ok for them to do it too.

If you’ve chosen the last option, you’ll probably find yourself in the minority most of the time. But the truth is, we cant make right choices based on how we feel or on what everyone else is doing. Right and wrong are not determined by an individual’s opinions or feelings or by what the government or society accepts or rejects. Right and wrong are determined by God, who is the original, the universal, the absolute standard for everything that is good and right.

For example, lying is wrong because God is true. Stealing is wrong because God is just. Hatred is wrong because God is love. These things are wrong no matter what you may think or feel. These things are wrong, not because the majority thinks so or because society frowns on them, but because God thinks so.

Reflection:
-how do you usually make decisions about whether a belief or behavior is right or wrong?
-to what consequence will your method of deciding lead you?

Day two:
Recipe for right
Reading: Deuteronomy 32:1-4

You’re planning a surprise birthday party for your mom. You invite your little sister to help you bake the cake.

‘let’s make a chocolate cake!’ Sis squeals
‘Ok,’ you agree and pull out a box of chocolate cake mix from the cupboard. ‘this says we need a half cup of water, a half cup of vegetable oil and two eggs.’
Sis says, ‘I wanna do that!’
You shrug. ‘sure, ok’ you say. You pour the cake mix into a larger mixing bowl. Then you see that Sis is putting water into a doll cup.
‘sis,’ you say, ‘we need to use a measuring cup.’
‘this is a cup,’ she says, pointing to the miniature teacup holding the water.
‘but we need to use this cup,’ you say. You grab a glass measuring cup.
‘but I wanna use my cup!’ Sis’ face wrinkles up as though she’s just swallowed a lemon whole. She’s about to cry.

What should you do? If you use Sis’ doll cups, your cake will be a disaster, of course. Why? Because the recipe relies on a standard measurement. You cant just use any size cup. You know that when a recipe says to use a cup of flour or a teaspoon of cinnamon, you must measure those quantities against a standard.

It’s the same way with knowing whether something is right or wrong. A lot of people try to ‘measure’ whether it’s right to do something by how they feel or what they think of what other people might say. But the recipe for right and wrong relies on a measurement just like the recipe for a cake does. Only the standard measurement of right and wrong isn’t a cup or a teaspoon, it’s God.

In other words, God is the measurement of whether something is right or wrong. ‘HE is a faithful God who does no wrong,’ Deuteronomy says. Whatever is like God is right. Whatever is not like God is wrong. For example, telling the truth is right and lying is wrong because God is true and trustworthy.

If you want to figure out whether something is right or wrong, all you need to do is follow the recipe: Measure it against our God, “a faithful God who does no wrong.”

Day three:
Shell talk
Reading: John 8:31-32

Herman the crab stormed across the sea floor and under the family rock.
‘I want to be free!’ he screamed at his father. ‘I don’t see how you can expect me to wear this stupid shell twenty four hours a day! It’s confining! It cramps my style!’
His father, Fred, inhaled deeply and draped a heavy claw on Herman’s shoulder.

‘Son,’ he said, ‘let me tell you a story.’
Herman rolled his eyes. ‘Dad, not another…’
‘It’s about Humphrey the human, who insisted on going barefoot to school. He complained that his shoes were too confining. They cramped his style, he said. He longed to be free to run barefoot through fields and streams. Finally, his mother gave in to him. He skipped out of the house barefoot. Do you know what happened?’

Herman opened his mouth, but his father continued before he could answer.
‘HUmprey the human stepped on pieces of a broken bottle. His foot required twenty stitches, and some other guy took his girl to the prom while Humphrey sat home watching reruns of Flipper.’

‘That’s a pretty lame story, Dad,’ Herman said.
‘Maybe, Son, but the point is this: Every crab has felt this way at one time or another, thinking life would be better if he could be completely shell-free. But that’s like a sailor getting tired of confinement of a ship and jumping to freedom in the sea. He may think that’s freedom, but if he doesn’t get back to ship or shore, he’ll drown and end up as crab food. What kind of freedom is that?’

Herman pondered his father’s words. ‘Soon you will shed your shell, Son,’ Fred said, thinking how hard it would be to say that five times fast. ‘It’s called molting, and all crabs do it as they grow up. But,’ he said with warning in his eyes, ‘when that happens, you will be more vulnerable than at any other time in your life. Until your new shell hardens like this one’ –he tapped his son’s armored back- ‘you’ll have to be much more careful and watchful than usual. You’ll be less free without this shell, not more free.’

‘that’s weird, Dad,’ Herman said. ‘I never thought of it that way. You mean that some things may seem to limit freedom but really make greater freedom possible?’

Fred smiled broadly and patted his son on the back with a mammoth claw. ‘How’d you get to be so smart, Son?’ he asked.

Reflect: what, according to John 8:31, must happen before you can know the truth? Think of John 8:31-32 like a math problem: obeying Jesus’ teachings + knowing the truth = freedom.

Day four:
First knight
Reading: Ephesians 6:11-18

Picture two knights sitting on sparkling white horses. They face a gleaming castle surrounded by mammoth stone walls, which in turn are circled by a wide moat. Archers line the battlemats, awaiting the signal to launch their deadly arrows at the pair below.

The first knight wears in a shining suit of armor. A heavy helmet protects his head. His body is encased in a massive iron suit; his arms and legs are enclosed by hinged pieces of metal. His armor is ocmpleted by heavy ‘boots’ and rigid ‘gloves.’

The second knight sits astride his charger like the first knight, but the only metal he’s wearing are the braces on his teeth. A backward baseball hat and sunglasses protect his head from the glare of the sun. His shirt bears a picture of Ren and STimpy. A pair of shorts, socks, and Reebok shoes complete his attire.

The first knight looks at the second. He says, ‘We shall charge yon castle on my signal and bring honor to our families this fair day.’ He raises the broadsword he holds in this right hand and points it in the direction of the castle.

‘ok dude,’ the second knight says as he lifts a baseball bat. ‘Whatever!’
Which knight would you rather be? The first knight is rather confined, of course – it gets stuffy and sweaty inside his unwieldy suit, and it’s hard to scratch your back or wipe your noise. The second knight may be more comfortable, more ‘free’ but he’s unprotected.

God’s commands work like a suit of armor. They’re designed to protect you from the ‘fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan’ (Ephesians 6:16). His command not to steal, for example, protects you from the guilt and fear of punishment – and the shame, embarrassment, and real punishment that would result if you get caught! His command not to lie protects you from being trapped by a web of your own lies, spun from having to invent new lies to cover up the old ones. It also keeps you from losing the trust of your friends and family. His command to forgive those who have hurt you protects you from becoming a bitter, resentful person.

God’s commands are not designed to cramp your style or spoil your fun; they’re intended – like a suit of armor – to protect you from harm.

Day five:
Truth and consequences
Reading: Hebrews 11:24-28

‘welcome to TV’s most popular game show! And now, the hose of Truth and Consequences, Tom Foolery!’ Wild shouts and applause as the handsome host jogs down the centre aisle and leaps onto the stage.

‘Thank you! Let’s welcome our first contestants, Paul and Susan!’
Two teenagers leap from their seats and jog down the aisle to join Foolery.
‘Let’s play Truth and Consequences. For our first game, you may choose the prize behind the red door of the one behind the blue door. I’ll even tell you what they are.’

The sound of a drum roll enters the studio through the loudspeakers.
‘Behind the red door are two free tickets to next Saturday’s Jason Mraz concert. You want to go with your friends, but you don’t have the money – am I right?’
Paul and Susan nods. The audience applauds.
‘Behind the blue door is a night with Mom and Dad watching a rerun of Simpsons.’
‘I choose the red door!’ Paul and Susan shout their responses in unison.
Foolery flashes a toothy smile.
‘Not so fast. To open the red door, you must agree to ‘borrow’ sixty dollars from your mother’s purse. After all, you didn’t think we’d buy the tickets, did you? and of course, you can always repay the money later. To open the blue door, simply don’t ‘borrow’ the money. What’ll it be, the concert with your friends… or Simpsons with mom and dad?’

Tough choice huh? Many times, trying to do the right thing is really tough because the wrong thing could be so much fun, while the right choice seems like a drag! Take moses, for example. He faced a tough choice: turn his back on God and his people to live his life in the lap of luxury, or hang out with a bunch of complainers in the desert. Pretty clear choice, wouldn’t you say? But Moses chose the longerlasting rewards of obeying God instead of immediate gratification of sin.

That’s the way it goes. Many wrong choices offer immediate ‘gain’, while right choices often seem to involve short term ‘pain.’ To be honest, if we make moral choices simply on the basis of what will bring immediate pain or gain, we will very often make the wrong choice. But if we’re willing to choose right, we’ll be much better off in the long run. That’s the truth.

Day six:
A sure foundation
Reading: Psalm 111:1-10

It looks like a failed science fair experiment. It took 99 years to build, from start to finish. It’s already crooked and gets more and more crooked every year. Some day (unless preventive measures are taken) it will lean so far out of line that its eight stories, three hundred steps, and church bells will topple to the ground in a pile of rubble.

What is it? You’ve already figured it out, haven’t you? ‘it’ is the famous leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy. It was begun in 1173. by the time the first three stories were completed, the tower had begun to pitch to one side. Why? Because the ground beneath it began to sink. It’s foundation was unstable.

Imagine that – a masterpiece of architecture threatened because of a faulty foundation.

Same things happens every day. People go to school, devour books, pass exams, earn degrees, graduate with honors. Yet, in spite of all their learning, in spite of all their knowledge, they do all kinds of stupid things, make poor choices, and mess up their lives big time! Why? Because of a faulty foundation. They may have knowledge. They may have learning. They may have education. But they don’t have wisdom. Because ‘reverence for the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. The rewards of wisdom come to all who obey him’ (Psalm 111:10).

‘Reverence for the Lord’ has traditionally been referred to as ‘the fear o the Lord.’ The word fear in that phrase doesn’t mean fearing God the way we might fear Freddie Kruger or Frankenstein, the kind of fear that churns your stomach or keeps you awake at night. It means respect for God, for his power and for his love.

If you really want to be wise and make good choices, you need to begin with reverence for the Lord. Reverence for God means developing a profound awareness of him. It means respecting him for who he is and what he can do. It means obeying him. It means not taking his gifts or his grace for granted. It means remembering that he is the judge of good and evil, of right and wrong.

True wisdom is like a magnificent bell tower – a structure of power, beauty, and grace. And, like all sound structures, it has a sure foundation: reverence for God.

Day seven:
Because of love
Reading: 1 John 5:1-5

Though fifteen year old Shannon Miller won a silver medal in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, she returned home disappointed – she had not won a single gold medal. Four years later, however, at the age of nineteen, Shannon captured two gold medals in Atlanta for her effort in the team gymnastics competition and for her performance on the balance beam.

A few days after her thrilling victory on the balance team, she was asked by a television reporter how hard it had been to keep practicing and working in the years between the Olympics.

Shannon shrugged in response to the question and answered that she loved gymnastics. Because she loved it so much, she hadn’t minded the toil of training for the Olympics. The work that might have seemed hard and unpleasant to someone else was not so hard for Shannon because of her love for the sport.

It’s kind of the same with obeying God’s commands. People who don’t know God or his Son, Jesus, often look at the commands he has given to his people and think, Thou shall not this! And Thou shalt not that! They may say, “There are too many ‘thou shalt nots’! I don’t see how you Christians can stand all the rules and stuff you have to obey. That’s too hard for me.” Or they may say, “I could never keep all those commands.”

But such thoughts and statements show that they don’t really understand how the Christian life works. Like Shannon Miller, who trained hard because of her love for gymnastics, Christians obey God’s commands because of their love for God. God’s commands are not burdensome to his children. Obeying him isn’t torture. It’s not even difficult for those who rely on the Holy Spirit’s power because the Spirit does all the work – we just have to trust him moment by moment.

(taken from JOsh McDowell’s Youth devotions)

devotion this week…

Day one:
Reading: James 3:1-12

In march of last year, an oil tanker from Hong Kong named the Pacific Adventurer ran headlong into a tropical storm. The results were disastrous. From a leak in the ailing vessel, almost 250 tons of oil oozed across a 37-mile stretch of Australia’s Sunshine Coast. What’s more, 31 containers of ammonium nitrate broke loose and punctured the ship’s hull. The BBC reported how ‘environmental experts fear [that] the nutrient-rich fertilizer could cause [damage to] algal blooms, suffocate fish and kill natural habitats.’ What a wide swath of mayhem from one ship being tossed in a tempest!

Scripture often warns of the vast destruction that comes from small and overlooked places. We might think that ruin comes only from the sins that get the most attention: adultery, murder, injustice. For most of us, however, the temptations that undo us will emerge from more subtle corners. As James says, “We all make many mistakes” (3:2).

The write goes on to state that a small bit in a horse’s mouth will make it ‘go wherever we want’; and mammoth ships are turned by ‘a small rudder’ (v3-4). Nearer to James’ concern was the tongue, that small piece of flesh that has the capacity to do great good or harm. The tongue ‘praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God’ (v9).

Wise pastors and Bible teachers have taught us that blatant, abhorrent sins rarely arrive all at once out of nowhere. Usually, sins take root after we’ve given ourselves over to long patterns of disobedience as we harbor a heart chilled to God’s voice. Supposed ‘small’ sins do destroy us and others. As we start 2010, let’s make sure we don’t miss the little things that can bring us down. – Winn Collier (taken from Our Daily Journey)

Reflection:
-what small sins have you allowed to go unchecked?
-how might these small sins lead to destruction?

Day two:
Turning It Around for Good

“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:7-9

With all due respect to Rabbi Kushner, God does allow bad things to happen to good people. He doesn’t cause them, but He doesn’t prevent them either. The world is free and God doesn’t very often step in and alter the fact that the effects of sin are visiting themselves randomly upon the creation. So God lets trials happen to the Christian just like He lets them happen to the pagans so that the superiority of the life lived in God can be demonstrated through our lives. The majority of the world is choosing not to worship God, but a few of us, by God’s grace, can draw down upon God’s promised resources to get us through.

God did not cause the horrible events in your life, but you need to embrace the fact that He allowed them. God could not make a world in which we are free and at the same time guarantee that everyone would choose Him. So the world is broken and bad things happen. But God promises that He will be with those who love Him. He will bring us through the fire, and we will come forth as gold.

God allowed Paul to suffer a “thorn . . . in the flesh.” Paul said that God allowed “a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited” (2 Corinthians 12:7). Paul understood that God allowed this pain in his life for a reason. God allowed a demon to harass, or buffet Paul. The word buffet means to strike with a fist or beat. But God permitted it with a purpose: to keep [Paul] from being conceited.

God is so sovereign. He’s so much in control that even when Satan tries to ruin our lives, God takes the weapon that Satan wants to use to destroy us and turns it into a good thing. God says, “If you will lean hard on Me in the midst of this difficult time, I’ll take that thorn and make it for your good.”

We all have a thorn. We all have something that God has allowed into our lives that Satan meant for our destruction but that God has turned around to help us grow and change.
-James MacDonald

Day three:
Jesus Stands for You

“Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him.” – Acts 7:54-58

Get your arms around a really, really important truth. God is never more present in your life than when you are suffering. The harder the trial, the closer He moves toward you. Are you feeling crushed today? He is rushing toward you to stand beside you and help you.

Jesus Christ is an experienced sufferer. Lest you hold in your mind a picture of an anemic, weak Jesus, replace it with this: Jesus has His PhD in suffering. He has suffered like no other for your sin and mine. Not only does He identify with your suffering, but He is present with you in your suffering. First Peter 4:14 says, “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.”

There’s a unique intimacy with Christ when you’re suffering for Him. It’s unlike anything else. Think of Stephen in Acts 7 when he was giving up his life for Christ. As the crowd began to stone him, Stephen “gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (v.55).” If you’re a careful Bible student, you’d question, Why was Jesus standing? Hebrews makes such a big deal about how “he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (1:3).” Yet in this glimpse into glory, Stephen, at the moment of his greatest suffering, saw Jesus standing for him.
And it’s not just emotional support. As we’ve already seen, this new intimacy with Christ Paul describes as “the fellowship of His sufferings” (Philippians 3:10, NASB).

Believe by faith that in the middle of your trials you are experiencing the fellowship of God’s presence that gives you new courage to not give up. I’m not going to lose my faith, God help me. I’m going to keep on. I hate this world, but I’m longing for heaven. I’m going to serve Him until I get there. I’m telling you—in those moments of faith, there’s a wave of grace that God rushes upon you. Sometimes I think I can feel His breath.

How do you keep this wave in motion? Keep your communication open with the Lord. I’m not talking casual prayers over the shoulder. I mean on your face before God – a posture that we’ve had too little of in our lives. And in that place, the Lord will meet you. If you will humble yourself, the Lord will be present with you. He is an experienced sufferer, fellowshipping with you.

God is never more present than when His children are suffering. Draw near. –James MAcDOnald

Day four:
One way
Reading: Acts 4:5-12

We live in a day of options and alternatives. Marketers know that people like choices. Just think of how many cell phone plans there are to choose from or how many cable television channels you can flip through.

But we worship and serve a God who says he is the one and only way. He doesn’t present a ‘build-your-own-way-to-salvation’ plan. The God of the Bible offers one way to eternal life – that’s it.

Scripture speaks right to this truth. There’s just one God. Deuteronomy 4:39 says, “Know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord, he is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.’

In addition to that, there’s only one way to this one God. Jesus says in John 14:6, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ There is one single way. One God, available one way through one name.

Renew your mind with this unchanging, eternal truth: God is about ones.
While we may want to have it our way, God requires we do it his way. Why? Reason 1: He is God and we are not. Reason 2: His plan is the most phenomenal plan of the universe. He is able to do ‘far more abundantly than all that we ask or think,’ Ephesians 3:20 says. But we must choose it.

God has grace for everyone who wants to get on his program, but he also has a hand of judgement for everyone who pursues an alternate plan. Second Chronicles 13:12 says, ‘O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed.’

Are you among the followers of Christ on this one road to heaven? Jesus alone can satisfy your heart’s deepest longing and your life’s greatest need. Aren’t you tried of your own plan? –James MacDonald (taken from Our Journey)

Day five:
Thanksgiving

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south… He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of men! For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.” – Psalm 107:1-9

Psalm 107 is all about thankfulness. Very specifically Psalm 107 repeats one verse four different times.
“O, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His wonderful works to the children of men.”

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Praise and gratitude are inseparable. Praise starts from the soles of our feet and comes up through the muscles and sinews and joints and organs of our bodies and it bursts from our throat. It’s with all our hearts that we give God thanks. It is not something shallow or frivolous, flippant or superficial. Gratitude is the deepest expression of the soul in love with God. And he says, “With all my heart I give You thanks.”

The original meaning of praise was “to give public acknowledgement.” It’s the thought of telling others about something that means much to us. Not the normal term for giving thanks.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not negative on gratitude. What really bugs me, though, is when people express their gratitude today, late in November and then return to their self-centered, dissatisfied, hopeless and pathetic outlook on life the other 364 days.
Gratitude is more than an annual ritual performed hastily before diving into the Thanksgiving meal. It’s more than a holiday decoration, more than a snappy word that rhymes with “attitude.” Of all the human emotions, gratitude is the most powerful. So powerful is gratitude, it can obliterate fear, hopelessness and doubt. Gratitude can heal a broken heart, slow the aging process and restore broken relationships. Gratitude creates hope and hope brings joy. It is in joy, not fear, that we find strength. –JAMES MacDonald

Reflection: -take some time to write out the many things you’ve to thank God for, for all He has done for you.

Day six:
Do I Wear the Marks?

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” – 1 John 5:13-15

Are you a Christian? How do you know?
You’re not a Christian because you say you are anymore than you’re in Cincinnati because you know how to get there. Being a Christian is not about knowing how to become a Christian; it’s about knowing you are one.

If you don’t have a mane; if you don’t have sharp teeth; if you don’t have a long tail – you’re not a lion no matter what you say.
If you don’t have tires; if you don’t have a motor; and if you don’t have a steering wheel – you’re not a car no matter you say.
If you can’t carry a tune; and if you can’t hit a note; and if your singing doesn’t bless people – stick to the shower, because you’re not a soloist no matter what you say.
In the same sense, Christians have fruit; they have characteristics; they have evidence; they have identifying marks.

John said in 1 John 5:13, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” You can have the assurance that you’re saved. You don’t have to wonder – just ask yourself, “Do I have the identifying marks?”

The book of 1 John repeatedly explains the distinguishing characteristics of followers of Christ. No one has them perfectly, but look at your life and ask yourself if you’re increasing in these marks:

Am I loving more deeply? Not perfectly, but increasingly…
Am I obeying more faithfully? Not perfectly, but increasingly…
Am I living authentically? The Christian life is not a charade. I’m not wearing a mask. I’m not acting like I’m something I’m not. My heart is very tender to the Lord and He’s growing me. That’s part of being a real Christian.
When you see these marks in your life, and you know that you long to know Him more and be passionate about doing what pleases Him increasingly more in your life, then your heart swells with assurance. You belong to Him. –James MacDonald.

Day seven:
Answer the call
Reading: Ephesians 2:4-10

Every person who names the name of Jesus Christ has a threefold call on his life.

First, God calls us to know His Son Jesus Christ personally through faith. Responding to this call changes everything – our life, our purpose, our eternal destiny – but it’s not the whole story. God’s call doesn’t stop at conversion. Really it’s just the beginning.

God also calls you to follow Him. Jesus extends to us the same invitation that He did to the disciples on the shore of Galilee: “Come, follow Me.” This call to discipleship makes a place for you to walk and talk with the Lord daily; it’s an invitation to know and be known by the Lover of your soul.

But again, the call extends even beyond this to the call to serve Christ. Contrary to many people’s priority lists, working for God is not in the options column. No, He could easily do it. He calls us to leave the bench and join in the game because He wants to bless us. jus ask any faithful, fruitful follower of Christ, and they’ll tell you all about the joy of rolling up your sleeves and pouring yourself into the place He reserves for you to serve.

Ephesians 2:8-10 sums up our threefold calling thus: “By grace you have been saved through faith [the call to conversion]. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, … For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works [the call to service], which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them [ the call to discipleship].”

Obeying the call to know Christ, you’ll have the gift of eternal life. Obeying the call to follow Christ, you’ll fellowship with Jesus that brings increasing faith and joy. Obeying the call to serve Christ, you’ll experience the rush of investing in something greater than your life. It takes obedience in all three aspects to experience the abundant life Christ promises. 

Reflection:
-what I learnt about God
-the insights, instructions or inspiration I’ve gleaned
-how I’m going to apply it

NIMENHAOWOSHIZENGPEINING

There’s gonna be a freeze mob on the 29th dec
a new years eve mob
It’s at 7pm at orchard
It’s like a flash mob except you freeze on the spot suddenly for like 5 mins?
Im going as ADAM LAMBERT( you don’t need to dress up, im being extra)
BUT SERIOUSLY, it’s gonna be really fun, so don’t miss out.
Any enquires ask QH,im not in charge.

SEE EVEN ADAM WANTS YOU TO GO HAHA

LOVE,
GLAMBERT

PHOTOSSS

THE 2 VISTORRRS from korea

OH HAI DERE ANDY

GOOD REGINA YOU LOOK KINDA COOL

Qh looks like the videophone music vid things

MEGAN LOOKS VERY PRETTY. PREETY GIRL HOR

REGINA LOOKS VERY VERY PRETTY. All she needs is a mole on her cheek and she can do PCK for halloween next year XD

Tabi: I’ll put my back against yours and you put your against mine and we’ll stare into the sunset OKAY?

I spotted the photo-bomber by accident (:

Qing Hui sits very prettily

FOOD after being attacked

The sponsor of the party.

Michelle:OMG DOGGG (RUN AWAY)
Beatrice: Where? OMG SHIT

MOAR FOOD

tim and delci (:

THEN IT WAS TIME FOR WII

Max and luke concentrating. Max being pwned. Max failing.Max loses.Typical.

TEH POWDERFOOLS

After all the excitement. HAH.See ya’ll should have stayed for Pretty Photos.

I HAD AN AWESOME TIME HOPE YA”LL DID TOO
next time we should go to someone’s elses house and bring cards also.
I almost died just posting okay, It is not easy to post using retarded wordpress.
Those who want to post on facebook, go ahead.

LOVE,
GLAMBERT

Cell outing @ nick’s house 2day :)

Hey guys,
i really enjoyed the cell outing @ nick’s house 2day. I hope
u guys enjoyed it as much as me, playing cards, playing Wii
(*ahem* and trashing Max), eating all that ham and meatballs
and playing with Whitie and erm Max … So thanks nick for
sponsoring your house…

Merry Christmas, ;D
Luke (Skywalker)

devotion this week…

Day one:
The Christmas child
Reading: Luke 2:1-12

Watch Him. Watch Him. Watch this Child, who grows into a boy, who grows into a man and is found to be so much more.

Watch as He is born – among shepherds and angels and bright lights in the sky. Watch as He grows in favour and stature – as a youngster asking questions, giving answers, astounding teachers. Watch Him in the desert – a young man in prayer, with hunger and thirst and a calling from heaven.

Watch this strange northerner – with His calloused hands and radical ways – who grew up in ‘pagan’ Galilee, whose brothers once thought Him unbalanced, and whose neighbours once drove Him out of town. Yet watch His authority, His acceptance, His patience. Watch Him touch the leper, heal the diseased, cleanse the impure. Watch Him teach the crowds to forgive and pray always.

Watch Him as He kneels – in a garden, and in anguish. “Father, if You are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine” (Luke 22:42). Radical submission to a heavenly plan.

Watch as the Son of God is betrayed with a kiss. Watch as they arrest Him and His closest friends flee. Watch as He submits to a fate sketched before time. Watch as they spit on Him and hit Him and crucify Him on a tree.

Watch as one final breath slips from His lips – the sins of the world on the shoulders of one man. Then watch, yes watch, as the stone is rolled away; an empty tomb filled with hope, for He rose again!

Then watch as His name and His fame fills the world.
This God, this Man, this Boy. This Christmas Child. – Sheridan Voysey (taken from Our Daily Journey)

Day two:
Jesus, the stranger
Reading: John 1:6-13

The opening of the gospel of John contains a bewildering statement. It is as if John himself still cannot get over the disconnect that had occurred. Neither the world that had been created through him, nor Jesus’ own people, recognized him when he appeared in human flesh. He was, in effect, a stranger.

In the rest of his gospel, John reveals that the reason for Jesus’ estrangement was that the world wasn’t what it should have been – not because Jesus wasn’t what he should have been. The fallen world could not (or would not) recognize the One through whom it had been created. The result was that the last person in the world who should have gone unrecognized was the first person to be estranged by the very world he had created. According to John, he was simply more than the world could comprehend.

All the gospels portray the ‘stranger status’ of Jesus. In all of them he wanders in the wilderness alone. In each one he is seen as the misunderstood Messiah. But it is especially in John’s gospel that the cumulative effect of being estranged and misunderstood comes to a climax when the Greeks come seeking Jesus (12:20-23). Having been considered a stranger by his own people, Jesus recognizes the coming of these Gentiles as the sign for which he has been waiting.

Not only did Jesus come as a stranger, he also came for the stranger. He radically identified Himself with those who were strangers in the world, who were estranger. If you welcome and invite the stranger, Jesus says, it’s as if you’ve invited me (Matthew 25:35). Jesus has come so that no one has to be a stranger to him ever again – including you and me.

The more intimate you become with Jesus, the Stranger, the more you too will become a stranger to the world. After all, if the creation did not recognize Jesus, then how much less can we expect it to rrecognize those who belong to him? – Michael Card (taken from Our Journey)

Day three:
What’s in a name?
Reading: Matthew 1: 18-25

Babies may be small, but preparing and caring for one requires some big things: Fixing up his or her room. Buying a crib, baby clothes, and toys. And one biggie is deciding what to name the little bundle of joy. This is not always an easy task, for most parents want to select names that both sound good and possess special meaning. Joseph and Mary, however, didn’t have to sweat choosing the name that was just right for their first son. Joseph was supernaturally given the perfect choice: ‘Jesus’ (Matthew 1:21).

Two names, in fact, were given to the baby: ‘Jesus’ and ‘Immanuel’. Someone once said that ‘Jesus’ describes His purpose – what He came to do; and ‘Immanuel’ describes His nature – who He really is. Let’s take a close look at the name Jesus.

Jesus, the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, means ‘Jehovah is salvation’ or ‘The Lord saves.’ Jesus was born so that He could die to save us from our sins (v21).

When asked, “What is the meaning of Christmas?” a young woman shopping for Christmas presents sheepishly responded, ‘I don’t know. Is that the day Jesus died?’ She couldn’t have been more wrong and right! That precious little body, fashioned by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb, would one day be ‘flogged with a lead-tipped whip,’ exposing raw flesh and blood (Matthew 27:26). The head of that beautiful infant would one day have a crown of thorns thrust onto it (v29). Those adorable feet would one day walk up the dusty road leading to Golgotha (v31-33). Those tiny hands would be pierced one day by nails driven into a cross (Matthew 27:35).

Jesus saves. What a beautiful name! – K.T. SIm (taken form Our Daily Journey)

Day four:
Jesus’ innocence – Part 1: pilate
Reading: Luke 23:4-22

For unknown reasons, Luke focuses more than any of the gospel writers on Jesus’ innocence. This unique perspective is clearest in chapter 23 with the Roman trial of Jesus. During the previous three Jewish ‘hearings’ Jesus is pronounced guilty on the basis of conflicting evidence of false witnesses and His confession that they are right in saying that He is the Son of God. But in the two separate hearings that follow before Pilate and in His trial before Herod, Luke repeats again from the lips of two of the most irreligious, deceitful and bloodthirsty despots in the New Testaments the truth – Jesus is innocent.

The Jews bring the condemned Jesus to Pontius Pilate early in the morning, knowing they must speak to the governor before he begins his highly orchestrated day of leisure, principally at the baths. Their initial religious charge of blasphemy has been reshaped into three separate civil charges: rebellion, tax evasion, and usurpation of the throne.

Pilate, who say the incident as just another annoyance, asks Jesus one simple question: ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ to which Jesus responds, ‘Yes.’ Certainly there is more than the matter of question and answer, since Jesus’ response should have resulted in, at most, a verdict of guilt or, at least, cause for further investigation. But apparently wanting to brush aside the whole affair, Pilate pronounces Jesus as innocent.

During the second questioning before Pilate, after Jesus was sent to Herod who had found Him innocent, again Jesus is pronounced innocent. It was about this time that Matthew tells us Pilate’s wife sent word to him to have nothing to do with ‘this innocent man’ (Matthew 27:19). Pilate says he can ‘find no basis for a charge against him… Therefore I will punish him’ (v16,22).

Of all the men who pronounce Jesus’ innocence in Luke 23, no one has less to gain than Pilate. Whether his verdict is based on his own hatred of the Jews or some infinistesimal speck of compassion he might have for Jesus, he says infinitely more that he knows. – MichAel Card (taken from Our Journey)

Day five:
Jesus’ innocence – part 2: Herod
Reading: Luke 23:14-15

What’s it like for Jesus to appear before the same man who had executed His cousin, John or of being judged by someone who had married his own brother’s wife? Pilate had earlier also killed some of rival ruler Herod’s subjects (Luke 13:1). What did it feel like to be used as a pawn between the two ruthless rulers?

Only Luke tells us about Jesus being sent to Herod Antipas for a supposedly ‘further investigation.’ Apparently only Luke knew about Herod wanting to see Jesus perform a miracle (study Mark 6:20). Although Jesus has responded to Pilate’s questions, now before Herod, He apparently sees it’s useless to respond. So He remains silent. Herod, who has concluded that Jesus is innocent, with his soldiers, ridicule Jesus. Then they wrap Him up in an elegant robe, and send Him back to Pilate. Pilate clearly sees it as yet another indication of Jesus’ innocence. Luke seems to have access to information which the other gospel writers did not have. Since, by his own admission, we know that Luke was not an eyewitness to Jesus’ life, we are left to search his gospel for clues to just where he heard this particular story.

In Luke 8:3, we read that Joanna, who followed Jesus and helped support Him as the wife of CHuzza. Chuzza was the manager of Herod’s household. It seems reasonable to suppose that she was one of the eye-witnesses Luke interviewed for the writing of his gospel and that she was the source for this scene of Jesus’ story.

If the pieces of this puzzle form a likely picture then perhaps Joanna was even there that morning in the old Hasmonean palace in Jerusalem. Perhaps she heard, through CHuzza, that Pilate was sending someone to the house, for judgment. I imagine her standing beside the outer doorway to the palace. I can see the painful look of recognition dawning on her face when she recognized Jesus’ face, now covered with spit and blood. Perhaps she heard that Pilate had pronounced Him innocent or even heard Herod coming to the same conclusion. If so, she would have been the only one there who would have known it was really true – Jesus was truly innocent. – Michael Card (taken from Our Journey)

Day six:
Jesus’ innocence – part 3: the thief
Reading: Luke 23:39-43

Luke loves to portray moments in Jesus’ life when people who should understand what’s happening do not while simple ‘outsiders’ are able to perceive the truth of the moment. Zechariah, the priest refuses to believe Gabriel’s words, while Mary, the simple pleasant girl, is willing to accept God’s difficult will for her life (1:5-56). The priests cant see the need of the wounded man but the unlikely Samaritan can and responds with compassion. The list goes on.

Now, at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, Luke finds another example of this theme he loves so well. as Jesus hangs on the cross, surrounded by the howling religious leaders who have condemned Him, a convicted criminal sees the truth to which their hatred has blinded them.

He has most likely been flogged, as Jesus has been, since flogging before crucifixion was the custom. He has probably been nailed, hand and foot, to the cross, as has Jesus. If you and I had been passing by the scene that Friday afternoon we would not have been able to recognize a single difference between the repentant thief and the Saviour of the world, except from the charges scribbled in red across the gypsum covered placard above their heads. Scholars tell us that it is probably more accurate to say that the two ‘thieves’ were ‘insurrectionists’ since simple robbery was not punishable by crucifixion. They had probably been arrested along with Barabbas (see Luke 23:19).

He has absolutely nothing to gain by protesting Jesus’ innocence to the other criminal, who is still hurling insults. He has nothing to gain and yet he has everything to gain. As he hangs next to Jesus, gasping for breath as he pushes up on the nails in his ankles, like Jesus he speaks in short gasping phrases. ‘Remember me,’ he whimpers. In that luminous moment he sees two simple truths – his guilt and Jesus’ innocence. And that seeing becomes his salvation. – Michael Card (taken from Our Journey).

Day seven:
Follow the light
Reading: John 3:16-21

The world’s first known lighthouse was built about 300 BC on the island of Pharos near Alexandria, Egypt. It became one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Over the centuries, thousands of lighthouses have been built around the world to warn sailors of dangerous rocks and reefs and let them know that a safe harbour is near. Their dual message of danger and safety has never changed.

I see a similar message in the lights of Christmas. The flame of every candle and the brilliance of every twinkling bulb remind me that warning and welcome are at the heart of Jesus’ coming to this world. Throughout the gospel of John, the word light is used to illuminate the two paths open to us. After affirming God’s amazing love in sending His Son, John wrote: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil’ (John 3:19).

The great danger of our lives is that we will be aware of Jesus Christ as the light of the world, yet chose to live in the shadows so we can do as we please. In contrast, our grand opportunity is to walk a path made bright by the presence of the Saviour: ‘But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God’ (v21).

Seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the prophey Isaiah foretold His coming: ‘The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned’ (Isaiah 9:2).

Jesus affirmed His identity when He said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ (John 8:12).

At Christmas, God warns us of the dangers of darkness, and calls us to follow the light – Jesus – into the safe harbour of His presence and love. – David McCasland (taken from Our Journey)