Are you prepared for His arrival?

Still meditating on John 14... 2 Corinthians 11:2 says, "I promised to give you to Christ, as your only husband. I want to give you as His pure bride." There is no doubt that Jesus can live without us, but He doesn't want to. He longs for his bride. Who could bear to live without this bride? Some reading for sharing...

Look long enough into the eyes of the Savior &, there, too, you will see a bride. Dressed in fine linen. Clothed in pure grace. From the wreath in her hair to the clouds at her feet, she is royal; she is the princess. She is the bride. Walking toward him, she is not yet with him. But He sees her, He awaits her, He long for her...

Who is this beauty who occupies the heart of Jesus? He loves His creation & creation groans to be with Him, but He never called creation His bride. It is not His angels. His angels are ever present to worship & serve Him, but He never called the heavenly beings His bride. Then who? Who is the bride about whom Jesus speaks & for Jesus longs? Who is this maiden who has captured the heart of God's only son?

You & Me! We have captured the heart of God, "As a man rejoices over His new wife, so your God will rejoice over you" [Isa. 62:5]. The challenge is to remember that. To meditate on it. To focus on it. To allow His love to change the way you look at you. Do you ever feel unnoticed? New clothes & styles may help for a while. But if you want permanent change, learn to see yourself as God sees you: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God: for He has clothed me with the garments of Salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks Himself with a garland, & as a bride adorns herself with her jewels" [Isa 61:10] [Amplified Bible].

Does your self esteem ever sag? When it does, remember what you are worth. "You must know [recognize] that you were redeemed [ransomed] from the useless [fruitless] way of living inherited by tradition from [your] forefathers, not with corruptible things [such as] silver & gold. But [You were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ [the Messiah, like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot. [1 Peter 1:18-19] [Amplified Bible]

Are you concerned whether the love will last? You needn't be. "It is not our love for God, it is God's love for us in sending His son to be the way to take away our sins" [1 John 4:10]

Ever feel like you have nothing? Just look at the gifts He has given us: He has sent His angels to care for us, His Holy Spirit to dwell in us, His church to encourage Us, & His word to guide us. We have privileges only a fiancée could have. Anytime you speak, He listens; make a request & He responds. He will never let you be tempted too much or stumble too far.

Let a tear appear on our cheek, & He is there to wipe it. Let a love sonnet appear on your lips, & He is there to hear it. As much as you want to see Him, He wants to see you more...

Family Fiasco...John 4:19 -21

"We love because He first loved us. If anyone say, "I love God," & hates his brother [detests, abominates), he is a liar for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment (charge order, injunction) We have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother."1 John 4:19-21

Can change verbs : Sister/Name of relative or friends in Christ

First day of Lunar New, I ended up heated words with my mum & Dad. I had 'horned' many dangerous drivers on the road or should it be away around? O' Godwyn what happened, why were there such much frustrations, that's the work of the Devil trying really hard to break the bonding of the family as we finally went for a Church service as a family. Satan wants to remove the seeds before such grow...

As my sister was the last want to leave the car, I witnessed 3 doors of the vehicle was closed & I wanted to shut the last door, she came out late, I unintentionally hit her hand. You know what was the first reaction without listening to any explanation? My mum threw away all the mandarin oranges onto the road, created a scene, sitting down on the payment of car park. My sister is the princess of not the house, the World & the Universe...crowned by Mother...

She is the only daughter in the family, I understand naturally, she might be 'spoilt' in some sense. My parents then had not received Salvation while raising my sister, how I wish I can share the Proverbs 22:15 "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him." What about the next line, Proverbs 23:13 hold back discipline from the child, Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die. You shall strike him with the rod And rescue his soul from Sheol." I am bless to receive the blessing of the rod since young.

I attended FCBC's church services in the morning as New Creation was at indoor stadium, starting 4.30 p.m, not really a good timing for the festive season. In Lunar New Year, the chinese will visit families as a custom, fellowship or 'gossip'. Have you watched the show "I am not stupid, Part II?" It is quite amazing how Jack Neo relates our daily life, where a child seldom get compliments but just nagging, overkill their confidence, interest & family life. Parents are constantly looking for their Child's faults, seldom praise, just nag. Proverbs 21:9 "It is better to live in a corner of a roof. Than in a house shared with a contentious woman."

Oh for my incident, my mum did not even nag, she went 'insane', before my syster started crying, my mum threw all the bags of oranges on the street as I describe before, I did no know was she targeting me or her skill was really bad as Praise God, no orange on me! Ha-ha No Weapons shall form against me in the name of Amen?! Christ Jesus! It was a small incident but it depends of the parties involvement & how space they need to cool down & think with a right mind. Jesus is the prince of peace, I pray that I have His ways in me daily...Do you?

Psalm 139

Beauty of Pslam 91 [Amplified Bible]

O Lord, you have searched me [throughly] & have known me.
You know my downsitting & my uprising; You understand my thought afar off.
You sift & Search out my path & my lying down, & You are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word in my tongue still [unuttered], but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.

You have beset me & shut me in - behind & before, & You have laid Your hand upon me.
Your [infinite] knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high above me, I cannot reach it. Where could I go from Your Spirit? Or where could I flee from your presence? If I ascend up in heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the place of the dead), behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there shall Your hand lead me, & Your right hand shall hold me. I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me & the night shall be [the only] light about the me.

Even the darkness hides nothing from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness & the light are both alike You. For You did form my inwards parts; You did knit me together in my mother's womb.I will confess & praise You for You are fearful & wonderful & for the awful wonder of birth! Wonderful are Your works, & that my inner self knows right well.

My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately & curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various color] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness & mystery].

Your eyes saw my unfirmed substance, an in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.How precious & weighty also are your thoughts to me. O God! How vast is the sum of them!

If I could count them, they would be more in number than sand. When I awoke, [could I count to the end] I would still be with You.If You would [only] slay the wicked. O God, & the men of blood depart from me.

Who speak against You wickedly, Your enemies who take Your name in Vain!
Do I not hate them. O Lord, who hate you? And am I not grieved & do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with perfect hatred; they have become my enemies.

Search me [throughly], O God, & know my heart! try me & know my thoughts!
And see if there is an wicked or hurtful way in me, & lead me in the way everlasting.

Too busy to read a thanksgiving?

An Inspiring Email from Sister in Christ, When I most needed Jesus to embrace me:

Her Testimony:

Hey Godwyn

How have you been? I hope you are on top of your work now (You’re on my daily standard prayer list! That means you have a friend in me~). (=

I’ve been giving thanks for a particular thing and I want to share it with you because you’re related to it. I was backsliding during Christmas time until New Year in 2005. It was due to a person in my church whom I’d respected a lot but he became a bad example cos of something he did. It affected me quite a bit to the extent that my trust in God swayed. It happened during my exam period, so I conveniently used studying as an excuse to not attend my weekly Youth Fellowship meetings and action group (u’ll call it care group) meetings. I hung out with my close friends (non-believers) and they were like my support. I remember I was so far away from God that I couldn’t sing praises to Him, meaning every word in the lyrics. I just walked out of church straight after service, not wanting to fellowship with fellow believers.

Then God sent you in that phase that I was going through. I remember our godly chats and constant thanksgiving to God. For the first few times, I thought you are a ridiculous person to msn and keep praising God like that to me. I even thought it was a total waste of time. But somehow what you quoted about where two or three have come together in my name, God will be amongst us, really did bless the time that we talked about God’s goodness. I don’t know how and when, but I returned back to God and for a moment I felt Joy in my heart getting back with Him. God does things in the most amazing ways. I was thinking that He used you because I would be less repulsive to you than my other Christian leaders cos you’re a stranger. The sight of them coming up to me makes me wanted to run! It doesn’t matter how because He is God and has the best plan for all who calls him Father! Amen!?!

I am thankful that God did not let me wander off. My favourite Psalm when I am down is 139. It reminds me of who God is. I can run from Him but I can’t hide and He knows my every thoughts and every word that I utter under my breath. Someone told me that Psalms is the most beautiful book in the bible because of how descriptive and much resemblance it bears to ones life. I didn’t understand what she was saying… but I do now! (=

You know, my conservative church is skeptical of how modern churches worship. I was influenced to a certain extent but thank God I am starting to have a mind of my own, not like a child feeding on milk. It’s because of your great faith in God that I stepped out of my comfort zone to see the other side of the coin. (I visited your church with one of my sisters-in-Christ! heh.. finally.. After being warned many times to be careful about not being stumbled. * big grins *) I am telling you that you are a good example that convinced me that non-conservative Christians truly love God too! (= I am not embracing this new perspective of worship (not just the praising of God) and still have my reserves.. but the presence of the love for God is undeniable. I thank God that I did go to New Creation myself having to see what it really is like, rather than hearing so much about it and still wonder if it is true.

Look to Jesus and ride above the storm of work, of deceptive lies of the devil, of disappointments, of weariness, of trials etc.. Trusting in God is living out our faith. Amen?

My Words:

Dear Sister in Christ,

I am so bless to have you. You have brought me so much comfort after the dear loss of my beloved uncle and I had been deeply rooted myself with work to stay away the pain.

God had brought me many comfort during these 2 weeks of grief and I am so glad to know not only God is for me, all around me love me so much, the God we serve is a good God, Amen?! I had crossed quite a number of people on the net [through MSN] whom experience similar 'backsliding'. I boast not of how much I love God but how much God loves me!

HE is the one who is almighty and praise HIM that I was used to bring you back to our Father who loves us more than any in the World we live. Beyond the universe, the hell or Heaven! Your email means alot to me with every words like a sweet smelling aroma from Jesus.

I have a request, can I upload your email to my 'blog' as many will be inspired by your words and your testimony. I hope to share how the Lord will upheld His love in all circumstances of life. Many a time, we left the truth that HE is with us through eternal life and thought God is far away looking down from Heaven wondering how we are. In all to say, thank you for sharing and lifted my spirit to know I am upheld by His Love!

Cheers,

Godwyn Lim [Uploaded with blessing from Sister in Christ]

The Alpha & the Omega...

"I am the Alpha & the Omega..." Say the Lord, indeed He is the first & the Last. My uncle departed from the World yet I feel the peace as I know he is with the Lord & one fine day I will hug him in Heaven, with happy tears...When the life support system was lifted from him, I was one of the first to enter the Intensive Care Unit as I wanted to lay hand on him, with hope of his revival...as I prayed in Spirit he did the last miracle move [while in coma], turning his head, moving his lips, unfortunately we can't hear or understand...

I felt in my heart, the Lord is bringing him back that night but I keep hoping for a miracle that non of the family members believe...that evening, my family wanted to head home as my sister had to attend class the next day while my brother had to return back to camp to serve in the army...I protested but accepted the reality. I rushed back in the night, bringing a brother in Christ along to pray for him as it is written in the Bible, when two or more are gathered, our Lord's presence will be felt...

Manage to reach Hospital around 10 p.m. but got delayed answering a business call. 10th of January 2006, at 10.02 p.m. uncle left with the Lord...I was there 10 minutes late...I wanted to hold his hands till his end but it was too late. I could not help but to tear & instantly the Devil attacked my mind, "If Only you did not entertain the phone call...If only you paid attention to the hospital entry & not got yourself lost...If only..."

All that mattered, matters no more, just for Christ to come...I thank all for the postings, emails, mobile text msg etc that kept me focusing on the perfect work, Christ has done on the cross, thank you all beloved ones! John 14: 1-3 [Amplified Bible] says "Do not let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in & adhere to & trust in & rely also on Me...I will come back again & take you to Myself, that where I am you may also be." How comforting the verse came...

The Lord promised to return Himself to bring us back to Heaven where we belong...We just do the trusting and Jesus will do the taking, O' what a good God He is, our living Saviour...John MacArthur's defination of eternal life, "Heaven is the perfect place for people made perfect." Amen?! Some sharing...

Why would God go to such efforts to reclaim us? What good are we to Him? He must have his reasons because two thousand years ago, He entered the murky waters of our world in search of his children. And on all who will allow Him to do so, He lays His claim & tags His name, "I will come back," Christ says. We do not know when He will come for us. We do not know how He will come for us. And, we really do not even know why He would come for us. Oh, we have our ideas & opinions. But most of what we have is faith. Faith that He has ample space & a prepared place &, at the right time, He will come so that we can be where He is...It is up to us to do the trusting...

"No one knows when that day or time wil be, not the angels in heaven, not even the Son. Only the Father knows...So always be ready, because we don't know the day our Lord will come..The Son of Man will come at a time you don't expect Him" (Matt. 24:36, 42-44)

God has made the promise to us. "I will come back...,"He assures us. Yes, the rocks will tumble. Yes, the ground will shake. But the Child of God needn't fear - for the Father has promised to take us to be with Him. But dare we believe that promise? Dare we trust His loyalty? Isn't there a cautious part of us that wonders how reliable these words may be? I do not know about you, but I trust in Him...especially witnessing how sudden death can be...

Final Hours - When We wonder if Our Prayers Matter

The conference was tensed and intensive as the Doctor provided final advises to the families about my beloved Uncle. We were advised by the doctor there will be 5% chance of my uncle recovering, even so, he would not be able to survive for more than 6 months with Lung Cancer. I kept myself cool as I can be quite impulsive, in my mind I was thinking, "You guys are playing God." I do not believe in chance, fate or pathetic of all, luck...

The life support system would be removed from my uncle much later in the evening [ Not more than 12 hours from now]. Uncle will have to depend on his own lungs to breath, meaning his possibilities of death can be instant or just a matter of hours, the least days...

The doctor made it clear that even we manage to get my uncle back from coma, he will be facing another life challenge with Lung Cancer. I expected, every reports are highly scientific, and I gently asked the doctor if he had witnessed miracles in his line of work, & isn't the 'definition of miracle' is when ALL failed & an out of ordinary situation arise! "For nothing will be impossible with God." Luke 1:17

To cut the story short, let us pray in faith that My Uncle would recover, to be a strong testimony of our living God, how much Jesus loves us! On the other hand, since He had received the Salvation Prayer, my life with him will be eternal with love! Amen?! The family is spilt into other religion at this moment against the Christians but I do not believe in religion but the relationship with Jesus, Holy Spirit and Abba, Daddy in Heaven for they love us heaps! I been trying my best not to be involved in such politics...

These are the final hours, I expect my Uncle to awake & be a good testimony for our living God, if it is time for him to be with the Lord, I will have the shalom...Pray with us please as my uncle dotes on me & spend years looking after me since I am a naughty baby to a man of 'Grace & Polish' [praying to be]...

Here is some sharing from my readings mostly on prayers. Some of us pray like a super sonic aircraft- smooth, sleek, high & almighty. Your words reverberate in the clouds & send sonic booms throughout the Heavens...I believe most of our prayers lives could use a tune-up. Some prayer lives lack consistency. They're either a desert or an oasis. Long arid, dry spells interrupted by brief plunges into the waters of communion...

We go days or weeks without consistent prayer, but then something happens - we hear a sermon, read a book, experience a tragedy - something leads us to pray, so we dive in. We submerge ourselves in prayer & leave refreshed & renewed. But as the journey resumes, our prayers don't...

Others of us need sincerity. Our prayers are a bit hollow, memorized, & rigid. More liturgy than life. And thought they were daily, they are dull. Still others lacks, well, honesty. We honesty wonder if prayer makes a difference. Why on earth would God in Heaven want to talk to me? If God knows all, who am I to tell him anything? If God controls all, who am I to do anything?

The Power is not in the prayer; it's in the one who hears it. Would God not hear you? At times, I prayed out of desperation. "If you can do anything for him, please have pity on us and help us." Does my prayer sounds courageous? Confident? Strong? Hardly. One word would have made a lot of difference. Instead of If, what if I'll since. "Since you can do anything for him, please have pity on us & help us. But that's not what I said. I said IF. The Greek is even more emphatic. The tense implies doubt...

If your prayer sounds like mine, don't be discouraged, for that's where prayer begins. It begins as a yearning. An honest appeal. No pretense. No boasting. No posturing. Just prayer. Feeble prayer, but prayer nonetheless!

We are tempted to wait to pray until we know how to pray. We've heard the prayers of the spiritually mature. We've read of the rigors of disciplined. And we are convinced we've a long way to traverse. Let us not wait but keep praying...start NOW Amen?!

God is more moved by our hurt than our eloquence, He will response Amen?! "for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not in any way degree leave you helpless nor forsaken nor let [you] down [relax My hold onyou] [Assuredly not!] So we take comfort and are encouraged & confidently and bodly say, The Lord is my helper: I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to us?" Amplified Bible Heb 13:5-6

Jesus loves us. Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it & not the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference...

Uncle in Coma - Please Pray with Us

"Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree [harmonize together, make a symphony together] about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My father in Heaven]. For wherever two or three are gathered [drawn together as My followers] in [into] my name, there I AM in the midst of them. " Matt 18:19-20 [Amplified Bible]...

That is the wonders of fellowship, the gathering of faith, that move mountains...It's been three days since my uncle went into coma after the operation [Lung Cancer]. I ask that you will pray with me for a new lung my uncle needs & only Christ Jesus alone can perform such as He is our living God! "Martha then said to Jesus, "Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died" John 11:21

Her words have been echoed in a thousand cemeteries. "If you..." If I you were doing your part, God, my uncle would have survived. If only you'd have heard my prayer, God, my arms wouldn't be empty...When we faced death, our definition of God is challenged. Which in turn, challenges our faith. Which leads us to ask a grave question. Why is it that we interpret the presence of death as the absence of God? Is healing the only way God demonstrates His presence?

Sometimes we think so. And as a result, When God doesn't answer our prayers for healing, we get angry. Resentful. Blame replaces belief. "If you had been here, doing your part, God, then this death would not have happened." NO I would not want to be Martha, I choose to believe "Jesus is the resurrection & the life; he who believes in Jesus will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives & believes in Jesus will never die. Do you believe?" John 11: 25

Not everyone believe in the Lord, from our big family of relatives & friends. The conflicts between whom believe in Christ & the idols have started even before the death of my uncle. I believe God will give my uncle a choice of leaving this World to Heaven or heal him with miracle as it would be disastrous for the family to choose the funeral services for my uncle...Wait! I will not look at our flesh but the perfect work on the cross! Amen?!

"Jesus said, Remove the stone." Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God. So they removed the stone. Jesus just shouted "Lazarus come forth." John 11:39-43

[The stone is the same stone where the God engraved on the Law, the ten commandment & the stench symbolize our flesh. The resurrection of Lazarus is the resurrection of Christ Jesus in us! Halleluiah! Jesus had removed the stone [Law] & we are resurrected just as Lazarus, be it 3 or 4 days in a grave! Amen?!]

John said, "The man who had died came forth, bound hand & foot wrappings, & his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Let's read the 7 words of the verse again, "The man who had died came forth." Louder! "The man who had died came forth!" What's the big deal Godwyn?

Question: What's wrong with this picture?

Answer: Dead men don't walk out of tombs.

Question: What's kind of God is this?

Answer: The God who holds the keys to life & death

The God we serve is a good God! The God we serve is a living God! It is written in the Bible, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, & with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those departed this life in Christ will rise first." 1 these 4:16 [Amplified Bible]

It's God's problem to resolve & I shall just pray for my Uncle...Believing even those departed this life in Christ will rise first...I will see my Uncle through eternity...on earth or as in Heaven...

Light of the World...

"Arise [from depression & prostration in which circumstances have kept you - rise to a new life]! Shine (Be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, & the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! Isaiah 60:1 [Amplified Bible] Let us rise to a new life of 2006 & SHINE with the light of Lord, Christ Jesus, whom loves us deeply...Amen?!

While we were enjoying our year end long holiday, with our families and friends, the Lord is with us, always...Are you aware of His presence? My new year eve was spent at the hospital with my uncle as He battled with Cancer. Had not have the time to visit him yet as He went through another operation today, yet I know the Lord is with Him! I reminded myself, God's efforts are strongest when our efforts are useless!

When Jesus tells us to stand, Let's stand.

When He says we're forgiven, let's unload the guilt.

When He says we're valuable, let's believe him.

When He says we're eternal, let's bury our fear.

When He says we're provided for, let's stop worrying.

When Jesus says "Stand up," for this year 2006,

Let's Just Do it!