In his autobiography, Blessings in Disguise, the late actor Alec Guinness wrote that as he was walking up Kingsway in the middle of an afternoon, he had an impulse to start running. He ran until he reached a little church. He’d never been there before, but he caught his breath and knelt to pray. For the next ten minutes he “was lost to the world.”

Guinness explained the compulsion as a “rather nonsensical gesture of love,” an outburst of thanksgiving. He ran to the church and fell on his knees in prayer not long after March 24, 1956, the day he had converted to Christianity after years of being an atheist.

Guinness, in a move reflective of the movement of the Holy Spirit in his life, learned in part what “fearing God” is all about. Although Scripture uses the word “fear,” God doesn’t want us to be afraid of him. Instead, he wants us to realize how magnificent, awe-inspiring and deserving of our worship he is.

God always expresses His love in some kind of action toward us, and he desires that we return our loving expressions in action, as well as in trusting His leading and following His commands for our life.

God’s love, coupled with our sense of awe and reverence, leads us to action. It led Alec Guinness to run down the street and then fall on his knees in thanksgiving and adoration. Perhaps you’ve only recently come to know about God’s grace revealed through Jesus Christ. Perhaps you’ve been his devoted follower for years. Or perhaps you’re just looking for a fresh experience of God in your life. What actions will you take today to express your “fear of God”? Don’t be afraid to go for it!

Deuteronomy 10: 12 - 13 
And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.

- Anonymous

Merry Christmas to all our friends and families. 

We pray that the joy of the Lord will fill your household and time with families and loves ones. Jesus is the reason for this season; let the joy of the birth of our Savior bring you hope and peace throughout the rest of the year and the coming days in the New Year.

Have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year 2015.

This Christmas, do we remember that it is Christ’s birthday? He is reason for the season and the center of the season’s celebration. If you do, what present have you prepared for Jesus for His birthday?

Gold, frankincense and myrrh: are they the most valuable gifts ever given to Christ the Lord? The willingness to travel hundred miles and the sincerity of the Magi is their gift for Christ. The willingness and obedience of Mary to contain in her womb the Creator of the world is the best gift she offered to the Lord. The willingness and obedience of Joseph to accept Mary and to take care of Jesus is the best gift he offered to the Lord. The trust and obedience of the shepherds is what brought them to meet the baby Christ which is a once in a life time experience and it is also their best gift to the Christ.

God does not lack anything; He is the giver of all things we can ever give to Him. He does not need any of our gifts, but He loves us too much that He wants us to be with Him. He chose to come and give us the gift of Salvation. My gift to God would be my heart which has been broken and humbled, so He can create in me the clean heart: the heart that will rejoice in Him despite any circumstances. What present have you prepared for Christ? There is no too small gift either too big gift He cannot accept. The Word has become flesh and be with us. Merry Christmas and Happy birthday Jesus.

John 1:14 
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Psalm 51: 16-17 
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.


- Jenni Wang

What are the Christmas traditions you enjoy?

Maybe you enjoy taking the time to bake trays of cookies, decorating the house and the Christmas trees at a specific time and in certain ways or story telling for the whole families during Christmas dinner; maybe you have been  doing all these for years, if not for generations but some traditions undoubtedly change with time. The rich butter cookies Great grandma used to bake maybe have been replaced with healthier options or maybe the house is only decorated if all family members were around for Christmas.

Unlike our Christmas traditions, God does not change from year to year, generations to generations, century to century. He who came to the manger in Bethlehem as our Savior and Redeemer still comes to us to this day – as a Risen King and a Risen Savior in all of our humble circumstances. May we in turn, reach out to others in His Name to share the real joy of Christmas on the love of Jesus and His grace.

Psalm 117: 1 - 2
Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.

- Irene Soon

Matt 19:25-26 "When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, 'Who then can be saved?' Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" 

I think that when we look at this well-known verse in Matthew, "With God all things are possible," we think that if only we believed in God more, He would solve our problems. There are two sides to this. Yes, God desires us to trust Him more. If the man with all the wealth had loved God more than his money, Jesus says that He would have gone to heaven. But it is God Himself who gives us our faith and trust in Him. Nothing we can do earns us stronger belief or grace or sanctification. 

So instead of looking at this verse and thinking that we are failing because our faith in the midst of our trials is not enough - that we don't believe that He can ever heal our hearts, or that we don't believe that He is doing what is best for us - let us turn to God and say with the father in Mark 9:23-24, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" 

Our Father delights in giving us every good gift, the best of which are belief, hope, faith, and peace. He even brings unfathomable contentment in the midst of deep grief.

- Taken from http://www.haventoday.org/all-things-are-possible-dv-5204.html -

A hero to a generation of people who grew up after World War II, Corrie ten Boom left a legacy of godliness and wisdom. A victim of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, she survived to tell her story of faith and dependence on God during horrendous suffering.

“I have held many things in my hands,” Corrie once said, “and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that, I still possess.”

Corrie was well acquainted with loss. She lost family, possessions, and years of her life to hateful people. Yet she learned to concentrate on what could be gained spiritually and emotionally by putting everything in the hands of her heavenly Father.

What does that mean to us? What should we place in God’s hands for safekeeping? According to the story of the rich young man in Mark 10, everything. He held abundance in his hands, but when Jesus asked him to give it up, he refused. He kept his possessions and he failed to follow Jesus—and as a result he “went away sorrowful” (v.22).

Like Corrie ten Boom, we can find hope by putting everything in God’s hands and then trusting Him for the outcome.

Mark 10: 17  - 22
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”... Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

- Dave Branon (Our Daily Bread)

Have you ever wondered how animal trainers can control a five-ton elephant and keep it from running away? They do it by controlling the animal’s thinking. When a baby elephant is being trained, a rope is put around its leg and then tied to a wooden post secured in the ground. The elephant, which is not yet very strong, pulls at the rope but is unable to break it or to pull up the post. Eventually it gives up. 


From that point forward when the elephant’s leg is secured it believes it cannot get away—even though it is fully capable of escaping, and has been for a long time. It remembers its struggle. That’s one reason it’s said, “Elephants never forget.” 


And we are like that too. Our thinking limits us, just as an elephant’s does. Usually it’s because of fear. The truth is, fear can steal your dreams. You may be afraid of failure. You may be afraid of rejection. You may not want to make a fool of yourself. You may be afraid of trying because you believe you can’t succeed. 

If you give in to these thoughts and believe that you can’t achieve your dream, you’ll be right—and therefore unable to achieve your dream. Often what we fear has no connection to reality. But here’s the good news: fear can be overcome. The first step to overcoming it is to believe God when He says about you: “You are my servant; I have chosen you…do not fear, for I am with you…I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (vv. 9-10 NIV).

I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭41‬:‭9-10‬ NIV)

- Daily Devotions from Jentezen Franklin ministries -

Have you ever felt like the Israelites did in the story of David and Goliath? They were quaking in their sandals at the obnoxious cries of the Philistine giant, Goliath. All seemed lost, but one boy, David had the faith that his Heavenly Father was bigger than the giant. He was not regarded highly by his earthly father and his brothers, but God chose him to one day be king of Israel. David’s oldest brother confronted him, calling him conceited and wicked even though David had come to bring food to his brothers. King Saul thought David was too young and inexperienced to fight Goliath that he gave David his armor and sword.

However, David declined. Armed with faith and merely the clothes on his back, he took his sling and chose 5 stones and confronted the giant. The giant sneered at him and taunted him, but David stood strong and declared, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, this day the Lord will deliver you into my hands… and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel ( 1 Samuel 17: 45 – 46)  David knew that the Lord had already given him victory over his enemy.

Sometimes we forget that this is not merely a story, but a true occurrence in history documented by the Word of God. We can learn from David’s faith, that even when things look bleak God is always in control and will deliver us from harm. He has already won the battle. It did not matter what people said or thought of him. He stood strong in his faith because he knew that God was on his side and that the glory belonged to God. Speak by faith and the Lord will bring your mountain tumbling down. God can work miracles. Remember He is bigger than your giant.

1 Samuel 17:36-37
Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.” The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.

- Zhen Ang

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged -  Deuteronomy 31: 8

In the presence of a great work or a great warfare, here is a text which should help us to buckle on our harness. If God Himself goes before us, it must be safe to follow. Who can obstruct our progress if the Lord Himself is in the van? 

Come, brother soldiers, let us make a prompt advance! Why do we hesitate to pass on to victory? Nor is the Lord before us only; He is with us. Above, beneath, around, within is the omnipotent, omnipresent One. In all time, even to eternity, He will be with us even as He has been. How this should nerve our arm! Dash at it boldly, for the Lord of hosts is with us! Being before us and with us, He will never withdraw His help. He cannot fail in Himself, and He will not fail toward us. 

He will continue to help us according to our need, even to the end. As He cannot fail us, so He will not forsake us. He will always be both able and willing to grant us strength and succor till fighting days are gone. Let us not fear nor be dismayed; for the Lord of hosts will go down to the battle with us, will bear the brunt of the fight, and give us the victory.

- A. Simpson