In Australia, we have a bird called the willie wagtail. Although it is a  different type of bird, I often liken it to the sparrow.

​Perhaps it is just the way they puff their chest or how tiny I see they are. They are however much bigger than the sparrows but the sight of one brings me joy and reminded me of the verse in Matthew 10.

In the Bible, Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s care…So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29 – 31).

Jesus is heeding us to hold on to the faith that the Lord is bigger than any of our problems and challenges. When circumstances threaten us to lose hope, we can find this truth that the Lord who loves the little sparrows are also our Saviour who numbers the very hairs on our head.

He is the Saviour who watches over us; the loving Saviour who remembers every detail of our lives and everyday, every moment, we are always under the Lord’s watchful eyes and loving care. His eyes who are on the sparrows are also on you and me.
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Matthew 10:29 - 31
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

- Irene Soon 

One afternoon, a little girl lingered in front of a thrift shop, studying the items displayed in the window. After taking her time, she stepped inside and shyly asked to see a necklace with a small pearl pendant.

The shopkeeper, Dan, brought it to the counter. The moment she saw it, her eyes sparkled. “It’s perfect,” she said softly. “Could you wrap it for me, please? My sister would love it. She’s been taking care of us since our mom passed away, and I want to give her something special for our first Christmas without her.” Dan looked at her gently and asked, “How much do you have to pay for it?”

The little girl untied a cloth bundle and poured its contents onto the counter. There were stacks of coins, a few folded dollar bills, and a well worn Snoopy watch. “I emptied all my savings,” she said earnestly. “That watch is the only one I have. Will it be enough?”

Dan picked up the necklace and asked her name. “Lily Grace,” she replied.

With a warm smile, Dan disappeared into the back room. He returned moments later with a beautifully wrapped gift box, a Christmas card attached, Lily Grace’s name written neatly inside.
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Days later, on Christmas Eve, a young woman walked into Dan’s shop holding the same package Lily Grace had purchased. “Do you remember who bought this?” she asked.

“A little girl named Lily Grace,” Dan replied. “She bought it for her sister for their first Christmas.”
“It must have cost much more than she could afford,” she said. “How much is it really worth? I would like to pay the difference.”

Dan gently handed the package back to her and said, “She paid with everything she had. That is exactly how much it is worth.”

This Christmas, may we rejoice in the truth that we are no longer a slave but through Jesus Christ, we receive the gift of adoption of Sonship; we have been gifted Heaven’s Best to redeem us from the condemnation and curse of the law to receive free flowing loving mercy, grace and daily favours. Jesus paid with everything that He had to redeem us, that is how much you and I are worth to Him. Rejoice for we are redeemed by a Good Saviour who loves us unconditionally.

Jesus Christ, He is the greatest gift of all. 
 
Galatians 4: 4 – 7
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
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- Irene Soon

When I was younger, I strive to excel in studies and sports with a goal to get that coveted trophy prizes. Now, no matter how the trophies display my accolades over the years, they do not bring lasting happiness nor it determine my worth.
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As an adult, we too could unknowingly chase things instead of intentionally and mindfully making time for the Lord; time to pray, time to worship and time to listen to Him, to heed His wisdom and finding His strength in the quietness and stillness.

In Revelation 4, it tells of 24 elders who fell down before God, casting their crowns before Him who sits on the throne. The act of casting crowns down is symbolic in those days; it is essentially an act of casting down their honor whilst also pledging loyalty and faithfulness.

A crown often symbolizes our status, achievements, and the “trophies” we have worked so hard for. Yet in this passage, the elders willingly lay their crowns at the foot of the throne; giving all glory to the Lord. Being elders also suggests they hold a place of wisdom, authority and leadership, the kind of people whom others turn to for guidance and still, these elders humbly acknowledge that the Lord alone is worthy of all praise.

Let us learn to cast our crowns down before Jesus with an intentional reverence and adoration to our King of Kings and Saviour who alone is worthy of all praise and worship.

Revelation 4: 10 - 11
the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.
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- John W.

Recently I have been reading through the book of Jeremiah. There are lots of judgement - not only for God’s people, but also for other nations. Surprisingly though, it is not the focus of the book as God also promises restoration to other nation as well. This reminds me of the Sovereignty of the Lord, He is the Judge as well as the Restorer.
 
God’s grace and mercy is not reserved only for His people, neither is His judgement only for unbelievers. His fairness reminds me that we pray not only for believers to keep rooted in faith and be fruitful in Christ but we also need to extend His mercy and compassion to unbelievers because it is within His heart to restore, to see all be blessed abundantly and that everyone including those who are yet to believe in Him, can have a fulfilled lives through Christ Jesus.

Personally, it is hard for me to pray this, seeing corruptions, greed and suffering in my country, seeing people in power to be self-serving and harming the weaker innocents; marginalizing them to poverty rather than fostering peace and caring for the ones in need. It is however, not for me to judge as God is the judge of all and I’m called to extend His compassion and grace to unbelievers too, to pray for them to have the heart of Christ and bring the likeness of His Kingdom to the world, to instil in believers’ hearts the courage and faith to be a true ambassador of Christ, bringing hope and restoration in this uncertain, challenging and corrupt times. God want's to restore.
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May God strengthen us to bring changes and restorations in our own world through prayers and courage to do what is needed. God bless you.
 
2 Corinthians 5:20 (NIV)
"We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
 
Colossians 3:13 (NIV)
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

- Jenni Wang

Antonio Stradivari, the Italian violin maker was a poor man. He was unable to afford most materials s and got the woods to craft his violins from the harbors where he lived.

The wood materials were dirty waterlogged pieces, discarded and unwanted lumbers. Stradivari would take those wet fibrous woods, cleaned it and dried in his shop. Despite this humble beginning, Stradivari violins are the most prized violins; recognised for its rich and resonant sound that can’t be duplicated. Stradivari sees the unwanted lumbers on its potentials and not on how it was unwanted, dirty and discarded materials.

This made me reflect on how God could also transform any of us from a humble beginning to the potential and purpose He has planned for our lives. We may view ourselves as those dirty, unwanted and discarded lumber with no hope of redemption, perhaps from past shame, adversities or mistakes, but God can transform each one of us into what we are meant to be; He could save us no matter how hopeless we feel.

He is Sovereign and we are His beloved children, give the Lord a little faith, try Him. Receive His redemptive grace, “…He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.” – Hebrew 7: 25
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- Irene Soon 

Wishing you and your families a blessed Merry Christmas where there are joy, glad tidings, warmth and peace. We pray that there are no loneliness and griefs as our Lord place the lonely in families to celebrate together the reason for the season.

The Lord will especially strengthen the weak and needy and we pray that He makes His presence and love tangible in every way that you need. He will bless you and me. Amen!

Merry Christmas, dear blessed ones.
Our Lord and Saviour is born, Emmanuel - God is with us.

- Hopeful Heart Team

I came across a writing that states, “men are better than walls and faith is stronger than castles.” I believe one of the ways our God strengthen us is by making us strong in the inward might, this is done through perseverance, quiet trust and giving thanks amidst all situations and faith, faith being our spiritual weapon; the castle and unshakeable fortress  of our inner man.

When we place our faith in the author and the perfecter of our faith, God can take the feeblest of us and make us to be courageous like David. He could fortify you better than walls before your enemies. We serve a living God who gave victory to a small shepherd boy who had only a slingshot and stones against an almost 7 feet trained military soldier. We, the armies of the living God as proclaimed by David, are not weak and hopeless, our confidence is in our living God; He makes His champions mightier than all of their enemies. Let our faith be strong, let our stance be strengthened, the Lord is our Victor and He gives us victory!

Lord, infuse Your strength unto my faith and fill me with the courage to rise above my situation and take up my victory. Amen!
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Hebrew 12: 2- 3
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

- John W. 

Through all ups and downs in life, I still want to testify that God is trustworthy.

I have started a new role in my team, as Assistant Prayer Coordinator (APC). It is a role that could overwhelm me with worry. Taking the role took me out of my comfort zone but I believe it is an opportunity to experience the Lord’s faithfulness and it is a learning curve for me to depend more on Him.
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I believe there will be times in our lives when we are asked to make decision when we have several choices in front of us. We may not be an expert decision maker but I believe when we choose to obey the Lord and step out of our comfort zones, He will grace us to have the strength and wisdom daily. Even if we doubt our own ability, He would still allow us to have the opportunity to advance beyond ourselves and abilities.

Choosing to obey and trust the Lord may seem like threading a path less known, it may seem uncertain but would you challenge yourself to believe that it would be the best decisions we could make? Not because of our own intelligence or discernment but because of the Lord’s everlasting love that gifted us everlasting mercy and grace. The Lord is truly trustworthy and we can put our trust in Him.

Ephesians 2: 4 - 5
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved.

- Jenni Wang

The human eyes is an extraordinary creation. No camera could replicate its complexities in size and functions. Human retina contains over 130 million light sensitive cells and it is able to differentiate approximately 10 million different colours. The eyes muscles could move 100.000 times a day making it the fastest muscle group in our body.

These facts are just a fraction of the many good creation the Lord has gifted our eyes and Charles Darwin wrote in his book of evolution, “to suppose that the eye could have been formed by natural selection (evolution), I freely confess absurd in the highest degree.” To say that the dubbed Father of Evolution himself admit to such finding could very well add to the truth that we are not merely a product of evolution but we have a mighty Creator who creates good thing around us, within us and for us.
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All good things in life comes from God and He freely gives us so we could serve and be a blessing to others. Let us give thanks to our Creator for He is a good God.
 
1 Timothy 4: 4
Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks.

- John W.

In ancient Israel, there is a clear distinction between a good shepherd and a hired hand. A hired hand only goes as far as tending to the needs of the sheep for the day.

A good shepherd tends to his sheep above what is required of his duties. He enjoys the time spent with his sheep and he answers to the faintest cry of each lamb. He comforts each lamb and knows their livelihood depends solely on his protection and provision. A good shepherd has deep knowledge for each of his sheep’s characters and his care is faithfully abiding.
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In John 10: 14 – 27 Jesus refers Himself as the Good Shepherd, “I know my sheep and my sheep know me…” Just like the sheep, we are able to place our helpless self to the capable care of our Good Shepherd, Jesus. How wonderful it is to know that we are not sheep with shepherd and with The Good Shepherd beside us, we are no longer helpless. We are able to rest in the promise of His sustaining care in each trial and season we face.

The Lord knows our livelihood depends solely on his protection, love and provision. Try our Good Shepherd, he is faithfully abiding.

John 10: 14 - 16
I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me - just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.

- Irene Soon