A nice summary to the book of Habbakuk

Calvin's Prayer.


Grant, Almighty God, that as we cease not daily to provoke thy wrath against us, and as the hardness and obstinacy of our flesh is so great, that it is necessary for us to be in various ways afflicted, — O grant, that we may patiently bear thy chastisements, and under a deep feeling of sorrow flee to thy mercy; and may we in the meantime persevere in the hope of that mercy, which thou hast promised, and which has been once exhibited towards us in Christ, so that we may not depend on the earthly blessings of this perishable life, but relying on thy word may proceed in the course of our calling, until we shall at length be gathered into that blessed rest, which is laid up for us in heaven, through Christ one Lord. Amen.

I believe that God meets us in His Word

Not following any devotional material lately, I decided to pick up Psalms to read. Psalms because my soul feels weary and parched dry, and I don't know where to draw nourishment from. Not knowing where to start either, I decided to pick up the psalm that has the same number as the date of the day. I think I started around the 20-something, and the precise contents of the Psalms addresses the concerns of the moment. It was wonderful.

Yesterday was one of those particularly not so good days. I read Psalm 30.

"weeping may remain for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."

Times are bad, but weeping shall not remain for long, rejoice and praise the Lord at all times.

"Hear, LORD, and be merciful to me; LORD, be my help." I continue to plead with our God.

Rom 5: 1 to 11

Romans 5 TNIV (Today's New International Version)

Peace and Hope

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 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! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.


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Life sometimes can get too comfortable that we forget that virtue of Perseverance. I, for one, seem to have gotten less disciplined as the years pass. Maybe is the fact that I earn my own keep, am an adult, can make my own decisions, know the ways of the world, what needs to be done, what doesn't...that it becomes not as important to be disciplined and to find ways out of our miseries asap.


I read a superb write-up during my devotions using the Every Day With Jesus booklet. Which I will extract below:


Today we ask ourselves: What is the point of diligence? Why keep persevering with a task? I'll tell you why. It is because it is the arena of perseverance that true character is forged, shaped, tempered and polished. It is in the daily grind -- in the hard and often tedious duties of life -- that the character of Jesus is given the maximum opportunity to be reproduced in us, replacing what Charles Swindoll calls that 'thin, fragile internal theology with a tough reliable set of convictions that enable us to handle life rather than escape from it'.


Listen to what the apostle Paul says about this in Romans 5:3-4: 'We also rejoice in our sufferings, [why?] because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope'. Because life is a task, we need strength to face it, not speed to escape from it. When the foundations shake beneath our feet, when Christian friends or even leaders allow themselves to fall into immortality, when the anchor points of civilisation disappear, when the bottom of our world seems to drop out and brutal blows push us up against the ropes and pound the very life out of us, we need what diligence and perseverance offer us - willingness to face whatever comes, determination to stand firm, knowing that Jesus is not just with us but in us, insight to see Christ's hand in everything, and character enough to continue.


Without diligence, we will stumble and fall. With it, we can survive and overcome. The astute of this world are wise enough to recognise that no advances can be made in life without diligence. How much more ought we, who name the name of Christ and have Him living within us, recognise this also?

Introducing my current fave webby

I've been using this webby - International Bible Society (IBS) - for the past few days. My favourite feature is its passage search engine, and its ability to display up to three different Bible translations at one go. That means, besides the NIV, I can also look at Amplified, New Living Translation, The Message, and New American Standard versions. There are other features too, but I've yet to explore them. Check out also the RSS feeds, and Daily Manner, etc.

Notes from Watchnight Service - 311207

Extracted from sermon by Rev Dr David Wong.

Passage: Ephesians 5: 15 - 20

Title: Redeeming the Time

• How have we used our time?


• Time as an opportunity.


• Give our time to God.


• Make the most = Give it the highest value.


• Wisdom is knowing the will of God.


• Think about God's love/ Revel in His grace/ Catch God's heartbeat/ Know His will/ Seize the opportunity.

Relatives came and gone

My mom's youngest sis and her daughter, aka my auntie and my cousin, came last week for a holiday. Of course, the main objective is to visit my mom. I've come to respect ladies who have to move away from their homes to stay in a foreign land without the support of their families. It's tough. I don't think I can fully understand or even empathise with my mom, but she must have gone through some tough days. My aunt has been very thoughtful and has made the effort to come visit her every now and then. I suppose in alot of ways blood is still thicker than water.

On the home front, things have not been too rosy...

Sometimes when faced with the realities of life and adulthood, it does get a little overwelming, and a small feeling of helplessness overcomes. To all the teenagers dying to quickly grow-up, I tell you, take your time. It's not so great to grow up and face increasing responsibilities.

This week's devotion encourages us to read and meditate on the words in Matthew 6: 25-33.

v 25 was my encouragement yesterday, and today v 33..

"Therefore I (Jesus) tell you, do no worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Did Samuel finish well?

The new sermon series is launched. And we're encouraged to do quite abit of reading from the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings. Also, David Wong's book, "Finishing Well".

It's good to read. It feeds the mind. I suppose....if we're reading good stuff.

A few nites ago, I read from the book of 1 Samuel and came across Samuel's parting shot. The book is not chronologically arranged, so oso dunno how parting shot is this parting shot. Anyway, he said some interesting words.

Suppose, Samuel is referring to his God-appointed ministry. But, I took the verse and also apply it to my vocation..and all spheres of life, since there should not be any compartmentalization.

"But be sure to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you." - 1 Sam 12:24 (read also vv23 -25).

It spoke to me, because it highlighted three action points that I could do to combat the struggles I was currently facing. (1) Fearing God - so that I may avoid sin. (2) To serve faithfully, in view of point (3) - so that I will remain joyful and faithful at work and ministry. (3) Remember GREAT things He has done - so graciously and abundantly my God gives, how can I not honor Him and respond in faithfulness towards Him.