Friday, November 30, 2007

Born to be a blessing!

Belated Merry X'mas & Happy New Year to all brothers & sisters in Christ! I 'log in' the date of November last year as I blog once a month but little did I know it took me 2 months after my last entry. I had stomach & gastric flu just a few days before the Korea trip with the family & by grace of Jesus; I manage to recover though the doctor warned me that I am not fit to travel. This is another amazingly testimony I will share in the next entry, God is good is definitely an understatement...

I am unwell and had been on medical leaves for near to 15 days, which is why I had not blog as I spend most of my time resting in bed. My asthma was triggered after a week of lung infection & doctor’s explanation was stress & bad weather. I had very bad asthma since young but stopped for 10 years & this relapse is really challenging. Frequent chest pain, feeling breathless, induces fatigue & frustration. Beloved, pray for me & I am keeping myself joyful with verse 1 Thess 5:16-18 [NCV], "Always be joyful. Pray continually, & give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants you in Christ Jesus."

Dread for medical review coming Monday, was advised to rest in hospital but I chose to stay at home as I never like hospital environment. The smell, the machines...Last Sunday I managed to attend service where Pastor Brian Houston from Hillsong Church quoted a verse that is inspiring from the book of Nehemiah. "So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose...And Ezra opened the book in sight of all the people; & opened it, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the Great God. Then all the people answered, "Amen, Amen! While lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads & worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground." Neh 8:4-6 [NKJV]

His revelation of the word "platform" reaches deep into my heart. We have various platforms to share the grace of God from our workplace to our family! What stuck me most was the voice of the Lord; He spoke about the new "platform", our blogs in cyberspace where an island such as Singapore can be reached to as far as United States, Australia, Britain, Africa, India, & China...basically the whole World! In the old covenant, with Ezra just opening the book, everyone fell on their faces to worship the Lord, how much more is the new covenant where Jesus, the son of God, on the old rugged cross gave us life, a life of abundance & grace! Amen?!

Result of good Gospel of Jesus Christ is health & wealth. If we are still debating about health & wealth whether these are the portion of the Gospel, then we have problem with Jesus as everywhere Jesus went He healed every individuals. Everywhere Jesus went, He made fishermen who toil all night caught nothing; He gave them a net breaking boat of fishes. He fed 5000 with 12 baskets full of left over! Health & wealth is the result of the Gospel, the Gospel of Grace! By Faith Abel offered...By Faith Enoch was taken...By Faith Noah...By Faith Abraham...By Faith Sarah...By Faith Jacob...By Faith Joseph...By Faith Moses...By Faith Rahab...Heb 11:1-40 [NASB] By Faith Amen?! All things are possible through Christ Jesus! By Faith we are Healed, we are Blessed Amen?!

With Jesus. No back-door entrance. No late-night arrival. Paradise knows neither night nor second-class citizens. As we accept His forgiveness, our day of gripes & groans becomes a day of gratitude. Gratitude is the firstborn child of grace, the appropriate response of the blessed. When others nail us to the cross of our past, Jesus swings open the door to our future paradise. Jesus treats our shame-filled days with grace. We are wrong. He is right. We sin. He is the Savior. We need grace. Jesus can give it. So ask Him, "Remember me when you enter the kingdom." And when you do, the one who spoke then will speak again. "Today you will join me in paradise."

Inspired By:

Pastor Brian Houston, Pastor Prince & Max Lucado