In my years of working, I have observed a pattern in workplaces, ministry and teams. Leadership or power quietly drift from servant posture into control and pride stemming from insecurities.

It simply happens when protecting our position becomes more important than caring for the people we lead or working with. You will see the changes when collaborations turn into compliance, others may stop speaking up because they no longer feel safe in offering ideas or suggestions in the fear or worry of being seen as challenging leadership or any power above them.

The shift is often subtle but the observing it and shifting our behaviour as someone with authority, power or leadership matters. When something goes differently than we planned, do we feel concern for those affected or do we feel personally threatened and exert control at, sometimes, the expense of others’ inconveniences. The answers will reveal whether we are leading or simply guarding our own authority and pride.
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In Matthew 20, James and John asked Jesus for positions of honour. The other disciples were upset at the questions because they too, wanted the same thing. Jesus gently redirected all of them: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”
In God’s Kingdom, greatness is not measured by influence, title or how many people “listens” to us. It is measured by how well we serve. Control grows from insecurity but service and a servant posture grow from knowing who we are in Christ.
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When our identity is rooted in Him, we no longer need to cling to our title , power and influence. We can lead with open hands, free to give, free to listen and free to serve without fear of losing our authority or leadership. We can lead through serving, just like Jesus.

Matthew 20:26–28 NIV
Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant… just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.

- John W.

I keep a few photographs on my fridge and there is one that always makes me smile.

In it, my children are of toddler age, gap-toothed and smiling ear to ear, leaning to me with the complete and uncomplicated trust that only very young children have. I remember that photo, I remember that moment, I remember being exhausted that very afternoon. I remember wondering if I was doing enough for my kids.

I was present in body but my mind was burdened and three tasks ahead of time. Motherhood has a way of making me feel incompetent and not enough. The love we feel for our children is so vast that it could be frightening sometimes; knowing and worrying that we can’t always fully protect them, can’t fully fix their problems and then, there are some days where I have raised my voice when I meant to show my care in a gentler way or I simply came home from work with no more attention left to give to my children, that guilt settles in like an invisible yet tangible weight.

The Lord, however, He constantly reminds me that we are not called to  be perfect mothers. He asks us to lean on His strength. The same hands that formed our children before we even knew them are holding them still. We are not their only covering, the Lord is.

To every mother reading this, the tired one, the busy one, the one who wonders if you are enough, yes you are enough and yes, what you do matters. God sees you, God loves you and God loves your children.

Isaiah 49:15-16 NIV
Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.
 
- S.I.L

It’s been awhile that I have noticed my unsettling morning habit. Before I say any word or prayer to God, I have already read 10-20 news headlines, scrolled through my phone notifications, reminders and watched reels that I can’t even recall properly.

When it is time to open my Bible, my mind was cluttered and full even at the dawn of morning and I couldn’t sense the Lord’s presence but of the world’s noise. Do you relate to this too?

The phone is mostly, the first thing many of us reach for in the morning and also likely, the last thing we see at night. The device itself its not sinful but when we allow the noise of all the information replace the stillness we need to hear from God, this is a sign we need to put it down longer.

In Mark 1:35, we read that Jesus rose early in the morning while it was still dark and went to a solitary place to pray. Jesus was not a man with nothing to do, crowds were following Him, demands were pressing in from everyone he meets including His own disciples and yet, He knew how to separate the noise of His worlds and protect the stillness and quiet time with His Father above all else.

If the Son of God guarded His devotional life against the urgency of work, ministry and everything else, how much more must we guard ours against the distraction of a phone screen?

Could I challenge you to try this daily? Before you reach for your phone tomorrow morning, reach for the Lord first. Even a few deliberate minutes in prayer or in the Word will reorient your heart in a calming peace that 10 – 20 headlines never will.

​The world will always demand our attention. Let us choose daily and intentionally, to give our first moments to the Lord who is worthy of them.

Mark 1:35 NIV
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

- John W.

Dear blessed ones, let us take a moment to remember the sacrifice that Jesus Christ has done for us at the Cross. Though initially the Cross and Jesus' sacrifice bore wordly sorrow, it opened the way to an incorruptible inheritance and reconciliation to our Father in Heaven that we have a living Hope who unconditionally loves us and call us His children.

His Light could break through any darkness and no death could defeat the power of Christ, His Spirit courses through our body with strength and assurance of victory. This Easter, remember the victorious power of Christ is on our side. Celebrate His Glory, praise His Holy Name! The Lord Jesus Christ loves you!

- Hopeful Heart Team

I often wondered how could Jesus forgive his enemies whilst He hung in pain and grief from the cross and graciously said "forgive them for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34) and for those who put Jesus on the cross, didn't they know they were killing an innocent man?

Perhaps, they were just following the protest where most people yelled "crucify Him" but would they know what was Jesus' crime? If only they knew how much Jesus loves them. Jesus demonstrated His love on the cross by dying for His children and He did not impose any blame unto them. If an earthly parents will never dream of seeing their own children suffer, how much more God will not allow suffering unto His children.

Are you weary and burdened today, let us return to the Cross.

The Lord has died on the cross to set us free from all torments, sins, shame and guilt; He reconciled us to God at the cross. For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more , having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation (Romans 5: 10-11). His resurrection then becomes the assurance that the same power that raised Him is available to lead us into a life of victory.

How would our lives be if we have the boldness and hope to live in the overflow of God's abundant love for us? That His Light could break through any darkness and no metaphorical death could defeat the power of Christ, His Spirit courses through our body with strength and assurance of victory. This Easter, return to the Cross, remember the Lord's unconditional love for you and receive His forgiveness. Let Him renew your strength and hope once again, to live wholly and joyfully assured that His mercy and goodness will follows us all of our days.

Psalm 23: 6
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

- 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.

Growing up, my parents taught us the children on the values of persistence, determination and commitment in all our pursuits and endeavours. Whilst they are good qualities, in my case, it imposes self-generated urgencies.

John 10: 10 tells us that our Lord has come to give us life in abundance opposing to the thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy, but what if our self-generated urgencies are stopping us from living the abundant life God has gifted us?

Self-generated urgencies are weights or metaphorically, ‘the stones’ we unknowingly carry. They manifest mentally as a burden that we carry everywhere we go; it constants reminds that you have not done your best, the house is still dirty, your wardrobe is full of junk, you have not lost the weight or that you were passed for that job promotions and the list goes on.  The nagging will only stop if you heed the voices and urgently finish tasks that you think will bring you happiness. Yes, it will give you temporary satisfaction or happiness but it is a never-ending daily cycle that constantly tries to steal your peace and joy.

Dear friends, it is the Lord who gives us the wisdom to know when to lay aside or let go of the self-generated urgencies. The Bible heeds us to cast every burden to the Lord. Could I encourage you to lay every ‘stones’, aspirations, worries, anxieties with prayers to seek strength and wisdom. It is your heritage to receive the abundant life God has gifted you. Learn to let go and deliberately cast the stones that torments you. Let the Lord grant you wisdom that brings clarity; He will take care of you, cast each burden and He will strengthen you to let go of any false self-generated urgencies.
 
Psalm 55: 22 NKJV
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved

Isaiah 54:17 NKJV
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” says the LORD.

- John W.

During my trip to China, I saw barbed wire fence along the border between China and the nation next to it - DPRK, it came to mind a picture of physical oppression. We as follower of Christ are no exempt as we may be under spiritual oppression – oppression of sins making us prisoners of sins.

God reminded me about freedom in Him, that we are no more slave to sin but slave to righteousness (Romans 6: 18). In the Bible, being slave o righteousness means we are fully repentant and committed to the cause of Christ, we strive to be obedient to His calling and seek to do what is pleasing to the Lord in contrast to us serving the sins that engulf and entrap us in cycles of defeat.

When I pray for clarity and guidance in trials, there are times I was met with no answers but am reminded of His promise in the Bible that when I obey, the Lord with strengthen me to continue and when I stray, He will lead me back to the path of righteousness.

This freedom is given by the Lord so we could have a life of living testimony and that we could proclaim the Good News to the poor in the spirit, freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free (Luke 4: 18). Proclaim the Good News of the Lord and set the prisoners free.
 
Romans 6: 18 NIV
You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness
 
Isaiah 42:16 NKJV
I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them and not forsake them.

- Jenni Wang

Recently, I saw a car sticker – “not perfect but forgiven.” How wonderful it is to remember that we serve a God who does not look for perfection but able to see the condition of our heart and repentance.

Forgiveness has a tremendous healing power. Do you remember the moment an understanding is cleared or that both parties have forgiven each other sincerely? There is always a sense of relief that releases peace and joy that you are unable to explain but how it strengthens you from within? That is the life that God has come to give to us, a life forgiven, filled with relief, peace and joy to the fullest.

Yes, we are not perfect and so is life but always remember that we are fully forgiven and made righteous by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Christ who is perfect in all His ways has forgiven us so we could follow His ways and extends forgiveness to others.

Dear blessed ones, the Lord highly esteemed you and He forgives all your sins. He is a God who accepts us the way we are and He will work with us when we are willing to grow and be pruned, to embrace honesty, humility and forgiving others as we walk daily with Him.

The Lord forgives us not because we are perfect but because He loves us. Try again and falter not, the Lord is our strength, hope and miracles.
 
Psalm 86:5
You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.

Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Romans 8:38-39:
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
- Irene Soon 

There are times I really ‘envy’ the faith of great people who trust God and overcome trials in their lives but then I am reminded that I have the same great God who is with me and is within me. The same One Saviour who is working through the great men and women I read in books and in the Bible; He is at work in and through me and all of us who call on His name.

I have many days where I’m persuaded that I could not do anything for the kingdom of God in my line of work, I feel that my prayers for mission work do not bring forth any fruits sought and to top it off, we constantly get fed bad news from the media. All these are enough to think why we bother to be the salt of the world.

If you are tired and doubtful, may I encourage and remind you to remember that God is ever patient and present if you feel your prayers are repetitive or if you are plagued with constant doubts needing God’s assurance daily. Please continue to seek His Heart and focus on the Lord. The Lord will strengthen us ,let us march daily with bold confidence that God is on our side and are turning things around supernaturally in our favours. Amen!
 
Psalm 108:13 ESV
With God we shall do valiantly, it is he who will tread down our foes.
 
- Jenni Wang