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Hopeful Heart

God’s vision vs. human vision

30/4/2014

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Isaiah 55:9

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts

When I read the story of Moses, something struck my mind. Moses was the prince in the Pharaoh’s palace, but he is also a murderer. He killed an Egyptian and he chose to flee from Egypt to escape the punishment from the Pharaoh.

All these facts however did not matter; God chose Moses still to lead His people from Egypt. God chose a murderer to be a deliverer. From a human perspective, this is out of an ordinary and unacceptable but God’s vision and mission is not something for us to understand all the times, it is part of God’s mystery.

When Moses thought he is not worthy, God took Moses and changed his heart, taught him about humility during all his years as a shepherd before he became a deliverer. When we think we are not worthy due to what we have done, God is not over with us yet. He will take us in and if we let Him mold us, He will do something great through our lives.

When we think we are not worthy and we surrender in humility to the One who gives life, He will do something great through us. He will fulfill His mission in us no matter how impossible the circumstances from the world’s perspective. It is time to surrender to Him and acknowledge that His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. And only when we stop counting on our strength, He will work in us to give us His strength for His glory.

- Jenni Wang

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The start of a change

29/4/2014

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“Stay fit, take the stairs”, “Every step counts,”– are one of the new campaign slogans that has been cluttering our office entrance and elevator doors. To reinforce the message that keeping fit is vital for the company’s vision, management posted significant number of signs all around as a daily reminder.

Within a 4 weeks period, the number of staff choosing to take the stairs doubled and the management team is confident that the signs are able to influence decision makings if it seen regularly.

The Bible is filled with written signs reminding us that God’s way is higher than our ways and obedience to the Lord is a way of life. Life is not always changed by giant steps or life altering decisions, it is changed one step at a time, one decision at a time and one act of service at a time.

One step is the start of a change. Take a step to your change and let that step be an act of obedience to the Lord.

2 Corinthians 2:9
Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.

- John W.


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Not just a man

28/4/2014

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And he is before all things, and by him all things consist - Colossians 1:17

Napoleon was right when he said, "I know men, and I tell you, Jesus is more than a man. Comparison is impossible between Him and any other human being who ever lived, because He was the Son of God."

Emerson was right when he replied to those who asked him why he did not include Jesus among his Representative Men, "Jesus was not just a man." 

Arnold Toynbee was right when he said, "As we stand and gaze with our eyes fixed upon the farther shore, a simple figure rises from the flood and straightway fills the whole horizon of history. There is the Savior."

Prayer for the day
My Savior, I worship and revere Your name for You are the risen Christ, beloved Son of God.

- Writing of Billy Graham

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Miracles from the Ordinary

24/4/2014

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Elisha was a man in the bible who was famous for supernatural miracles. He told a woman in need, who had just a little oil left in her jar, to gather as many containers as she could. Miraculously the little jar of oil filled many, many containers before running out only when she couldn't find any more containers! He made a poisonous stew edible with just a little flour, he made a metal axe head float by throwing a stick into the water, he fed 200 people with just 20 ordinary loaves of bread and so on...

Elisha's miracles demonstrate that when we present our simple, ordinary tools or abilities that we have to God, He can turn our everyday situations into supernatural miracles!

Don't discount your 'simple' abilities or 'ordinary' situations. Invite Christ in and watch what your Heavenly Father can do!

Psalm 111:2 
Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.


-Jo Voon-

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Are you hungry?

23/4/2014

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Matthew 4:1-11 shows us a record of the time when Jesus was tempted by the Devil in the wilderness. "And when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, afterwards, he was hungry".

Are you hungry for something? Some people are hungry for success in their business, or hungry for love and understanding. After waiting for a long period of time, praying, yet still not fulfilled, they become disappointed and starting to loose hope.

Let us learn from Jesus. Jesus said to the Devil "Away with you, Satan!..." Then the devil left Him, and angels came and ministered to Him.

When negative thoughts, disappointment and hopelessness from the Devil attack our minds, we need to say "Go away, Satan. My life belongs to Jesus. He has good plans for my life, I may not see it yet, but I know it's there, waiting to happen."

We also need to keep praying for the thing that we hunger for. When we resist the Devil, overcame the temptation to give up and loose hope, God will minister to us.

Luke 18:1 
And he spoke a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.

- Diven

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Doubting Thomas

22/4/2014

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The apostles Thomas is best known as doubting Thomas. He was known for being slow to accept anything as truth without sufficient evidence. When the disciples told Jesus that they had seen Jesus, Thomas refused to believe them. Thomas only believed when he saw Jesus himself; his mind was fixated on the fact that Jesus has died and unless he sees otherwise, he would not believe.

Many of us are mostly like doubting Thomas. We often refuse to believe something without physical evidence or direct personal experience. We may claim to have faith in Jesus and the Bible but the existence and size of our faith is mostly conjured by the limitation of our mind or by our doubting Thomas character.

Maybe in this season, God is asking you to walk by faith and not by sight. Your sight may tell you nothing is going to happen or that breakthrough is still a long way to go but are you going to limit God’s ability by what you see? Please don’t do so; I tell myself this every so often.

Faith is a walk with God in good and bad, with or without evidence because we know that one touch from God is all we need to turn our circumstances around. From lack to abundance, from sickness to health and from brokenness to wholeness.

When you are starting to doubt like Thomas, hold fast to your unseen faith that Jesus is able and willing. Thomas believed because he saw but would you believe even though you do not see? Place your faith on His nail scarred hands. Nothing is impossible for Him who has risen from death.

John 20:29
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

- Irene Soon

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The Lord is Risen

20/4/2014

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Someone once wrote this about Jesus: “He who is the Bread of Life began His ministry hungering. He who is the Water of Life ended His ministry thirsting. Jesus hungered as a man, yet fed the hungry as God. He was weary, yet He is our rest. He paid tribute, yet He is the King. 

He was called a devil, but He cast out demons. He prayed, yet He hears prayer. He wept, and He dries our tears. He was sold for 30 pieces of silver, yet He redeems sinners. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, yet He is the Good Shepherd. He gave His life, and by dying He destroyed death.” Throughout His life on earth, Jesus was a man of striking contrasts—reflecting both His genuine humanity and His full deity. On that Sunday before He died, one might have expected Jesus the King to enter Jerusalem on a mighty steed. But He chose instead a lowly donkey. Before He could come as a King to reign, He had to come as a Savior to die.

We would expect to find such contrasts in the life of One who was fully God and fully man. Jesus, who is the sovereign Lord of the universe, became a man to die for us. But one day He will return as King of Kings. 

- Writing of Our Daily Bread (Richard DeHaan)
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Blessed Good Friday

18/4/2014

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John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

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King of Peace

16/4/2014

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In a not so modern world, a king usually always rides a horse or be in a chariot at every occasion; especially in a battle. Many would die for this king so that his life would be preserved.

In the Bible however, we find a king who rides on a donkey. The King of kings who is born in small town called Bethlehem and later on mocked as the King of Jew when He died on the cross. This King brought us salvation and ultimate peace to all nations including the nation which rejected him; the Jews.

He will conquer the enemy and break all the battle bows by conquering death and bringing new life to those who put their trust in Him. His weapon is not sword or armor but love for the lost world. He is a king who is willing to leave His Heavenly throne and come to save His own people though He was rejected as their king.

Do we accept our King and sing praises to Him for the peace He has given us through His death on the cross? Let us draw closer to Him. Do not let our lips praise Him today but curse Him tomorrow just because we could not comprehend His love for us. He has come in a donkey to bring us peace, even when He deserves an army of chariots and horses. He is the true King that deserves all the honor and praise for He has sacrificed His life for us so that our lives may be preserved and it will flow with abundance.

Praise the name of Jesus this Easter and all the days of your life. Let us make Jesus the King over our lives so that His love and peace will reign in our hearts.

Zechariah 9:10 - 11
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.


- Jenni Wang

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Look for the silver lining

15/4/2014

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Get into the habit of looking for the silver lining of the cloud and when you have found it, continue to look at it, rather than at the leaden gray in the middle.

Do not yield to discouragement no matter how sorely pressed or beset you may be. A discouraged soul is helpless. He can neither resist the wiles of the enemy himself, while in this state, nor can he prevail in prayer for others.Flee from every symptom of this deadly foe as you would flee from a viper. And be not slow in turning your back on it, unless you want to bite the dust in bitter defeat.

Search out God’s promises and say aloud of each one: “This promise is mine.” If you still experience a feeling of doubt and discouragement, pour out your heart to God and ask Him to rebuke the adversary who is so mercilessly nagging you.The very instant you whole-heartedly turn away from every symptom of distrust and discouragement, the blessed Holy Spirit will quicken your faith and empower you with divine strength.

All the marvelous attributes of God are on the side of the weakest believer; who in the name of Christ, and in simple childlike trust, yields himself to God and turns to Him for help and guidance.

Exodus 16:10
They looked...and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud 

- Anonymous

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