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

​The year was 2000, the era of Y2K, the year where some embraced the excitement of entering to the new millennium, others felt trepidation, uncertain of what lay ahead; I belonged to the latter group.

Just a day after the dawn of the year 2000, I lost my mum. She was bedridden during the last two weeks I spent by her side. Having recently returned from my studies overseas, those final weeks were the only significant time I had with her before she passed.

25 years later, I still grapple with that overwhelming loss, often talking about it with the Lord. In difficult times, I have accused Him of not understanding my experience, feeling that no one, including Him, could truly comprehend my pain. It was as if I believed my tragedy was uniquely profound.

Then, with the gentlest prompting, Questions arose: What about Jesus? Could anyone truly understand Him? A person born with the destiny of crucifixion.

Matthew 27:46
My God, my God why have you forsaken me?

His cry of anguish echoed in my mind.

Tears welled up as it dawned on me how much He had suffered. What a heartbreakingly beautiful suffering. He endured, knowing that through it all, you and I could be together with the Father (John 14:6) and become joint heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17).

In that moment of reflection, my grief slowly transformed into a realisation of how minuscule my suffering is compared to His. Yet, in His ultimate suffering, He cried out in apparent heartbreak. This was a profound awakening to the truth that He truly understands what I am going through, having endured it all and more.

My pain, though deeply personal, is not isolated and misunderstood. In His anguish, I discovered a shared human experience, a powerful testament to His great empathy, love and the depth of His sacrifice. The Lord understands.

- Annie Pisca

Jesus came to our world in its brokenness and hopelessness to bring freedom and life. His resurrection is the very evidence that He has accomplished what He has set out to do as the Son of God atoning our sins; bestowing upon us righteousness to approach the Throne of Grace.

Let us celebrate His victory and share  the good news - He is RISEN! Praise His name for the new life He has gifted us. We wish everyone a blessed Easter Resurrection Sunday.

- Hopeful Heart Team

As we remember Christ's suffering and sacrifice on the cross, may we find His unending grace and mercy fill our days with peace, courage and hope.

We have hope because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross; He has given us the authority to trample upon our sins and no longer live under the bondage of sins but under the freedom He has purchased for us by His blood.

Praise His Holy Name and may you always remember that Jesus loves you.

-Hopeful Heart Team

“I’m human, I make mistakes …,” would be the most likely excuse I will use if I were to do something I shouldn’t.

It is pretty much the excuse that is acceptable without you having to explain further why you have faltered and did what you shouldn’t have. Others may dismiss and laughed it off with you, after all who are they to judge, some may judge, reading you as a generalized example of how Christians are but what matters is, are you truly repentant of the mistakes you have made?

We may just be the only doorway and example that some people see in their life as what a Christian is like. Do we aspire to inspire them to seek Christ and live a repentant life instead of one that is happy to make excuses every time we fall to sin and caught doing it?

Everyone is susceptible to sins. The Bible reminded us that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak hence we need to put on the full armor of God; taking on spiritual protection and relying on God’s guidance and wisdoms through prayers, praise worship and studying the Word; these will help us withstand spiritual warfare against evil, relying on God's tools and grace for defense.

Yes, I’m human and I make mistakes but God is there to help me every step of the way so I could try again and aspire to inspire others to seek Him more.

Ephesians 6:11-12
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Matthew 26:41
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

- John W.

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

In Matthew 13: 54 - 56, Jesus was rejected by the Nazarene; people of His hometown. They scoffed at the idea of how He was able to do miracles and possessed great wisdom. After all, they knew His family and Jesus was only the carpenter’s son. How did He learn all these things?
 
“And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him” – Matthew 13: 57

Jesus knows that His calling would face opposition yet he take no heart of the offence and stayed true to righteous living and teaching that offended even His disciples (John 6: 61). We tend to see things through the lens of worldly wisdom; we reject anything foolish or anything that does not make sense to us and we may even take to offence to some sayings or teachings that offend us.

Jesus has every right to feel offended from the judgement of the Nazarenes or even His own disciples yet offense is not something He teaches us to take. He forgives our offences and encourages us to do the same. “Make allowances for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Colossians 3:13

If you are hurting because you get offended in the past. Do not let the hurt dwell within you any longer. Do not let the hurt define and make who you are. Your identity has always been the beloved child of
the Almighty God. Jesus extends His loving hands toward you, let Him heal your grievances. Forgive those who offended you and forgive yourself, then fully surrender to Him.

The Lord is willing and He wants to take away the offense and the hurt. He promises love and rest, like a good Shepherd in Psalm 23. The question is now, are you willing?

- Annie Pisca

Charles Spurgeon wrote beautifully referencing the promise that the Lord has made in Isaiah.

"See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." (Isaiah 49: 16)
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In Spurgeon's active preaching years , it is said that He loved to preach on Isaiah 49: 16. It is a wonderful - wonderful promise and Spurgeon painted a visual reference for us whereby Jesus' wounds were engraved by nails, fastened to the Cross by thuds of hammers that His people will be truly engraved on the palm of His hands.

If and when we are plagued by doubts and thoughts that Jesus has forgotten us, we can look to our palms and remember Jesus' wounded engraved palm for us. Our names have been engraved on the palm of the Lord. He has put a permanent lasting mark on His palm for us, our walls are ever before Him; it is Jesus' way to say He loves you and me and He will always go before us; making a way and He will not in any way forsake us. Amen.

Deuteronomy 31: 6
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

- Irene Soon

​Don't look back to the past, it is a burden you need not carry, the past can be a lesson but don't let it be your hindrances to moving forward; to trying new experience or give today a new chance instead of it being burdened by yesterday's worries.

Paul says, "I focus on one thing; forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead (Phil 3:13). When we have sinned in the past, we need to renounce it, forget and let the Lord begin His healing within us. The Devil however, likes to remind us of our sins, shame and regrets so we will live in continuous guilt or fear. The scriptures says that the Lord looks to establish a new covenant with us and He will remember our sins no more (Hebrew 8: 12) - For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and the lawless deeds I will remember no more.

Paul would have had a list of shame he carried, he prosecuted many Christians before his life in Christ  but the Lord graced Him to look ahead and endured suffering for his new faith boldly. Paul chose to forget the past and look ahead & rely on the Lord's promise that his sins are remembered no more.

Do not look back to your past and let it stop your growth in Christ. Jesus has bore all of your sins, shame, fear, regrets and guilts on the cross. He has risen victoriously over all; don't take back the defeat that the Lord has conquered and won for you. The Lord has made us victors through Him. Let us receive His forgiveness, forgive ourselves and look forward to what lies ahead.

Isaiah 43:18-19 
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

- John W.