Focusing on Jesus and loving our family

In the Bible, we are taught to focus on Jesus, the author and the perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2). Yet at the same time, we are also called into a family of God whereby we can encourage one another, support one another, help one another grow into maturity and so on.

When I see my family members suffering or even in a terrible situation, my first response should be of love and edification for we are family. We are the body of Christ. If the suffering members are too far for us to reach out or comfort, like the eye is so distant away from the suffering toe, what should we do?
We continue to function for the body of Christ lest the other parts of the body suffer. We continue to supply and encourage those in our area of influence. We continue to encourage them to focus on Jesus and grow in Him. We continue to teach them to show Christ's love and pray for the family members who are in trouble, instead of adding fire to the burning situation (in the end the whole body will suffer).

If we need to speak, remember use our words wisely.
Instead of speaking against one another, use our words to intercede and petition for God's grace and mercy.
Instead of using our words against another, use our words to encourage the others to focus on Jesus.
Instead of using negative words which destroy, use good words to build up.

Love God wholeheartedly and love another fervently...

Romans 12:10 (NASB)
¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;

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Romans 13:8 (NASB)
⁸ Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

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Ephesians 4:2 (NASB)
² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,

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Ephesians 4:32 (NASB)
³² Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

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Colossians 3:13 (NASB)
¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

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1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NASB)
¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

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James 4:11 (NASB)
¹¹ Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it.

Who walked around the city of Jericho?

Joshua 6:2-4 (NASB) ² The LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors. ³ "You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. ⁴ "Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 


Joshua 6:10 (NASB)
¹⁰ But Joshua commanded the people, saying, "You shall not shout nor let your voice be heard nor let a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you, 'Shout!' Then you shall shout!"




Joshua 6 gives us interesting account of the miracle that God provides for Joshua and the Israelites. The biggest obstacle that hindered them from advancing was the wall and God bought it down when they submit themselves under God's direction and to the leadership of Joshua.

Submission is an attitude that we need to have in order to see the work of God established in our lives. The submission of the priests and men of war to Joshua's command was one of the keys to see the  miracle of God coming to pass. While we would have thought that young children walked around the city keeping quiet, the Bible noted that it was the priests and the men of war who did the marching without making the noise. The men of war or the strong warriors were disciplined, skilled, talented and strong. Some might even be better than Joshua in certain aspects of their capability. Yet they submitted to the leadership of Joshua. This is the picture of submission: We, being able and gifted, in our own capacity voluntarily subject ourselves to the leadership of God's appointed. We submit out of love for God and one another. We submit because there is a common objective that we are going for: God's kingdom advancement. And when we have a positive spirit of submission, we will be able to see God's provision in our situations.

The Reality of Life and Death

I was visiting my granduncle in hospital yesterday. He was in ICU with lots of tubes inserted. I am not sure about the condition but it seemed critical. He could not speak but did move his eyes to indicate his acknowledgement that I was there. I told him not to move and offered a prayer in Jesus' name. I pray that the Lord Jesus will reveal Himself to him.
As I reflect upon this situation, the reality of death is real and tangible. Physical life is a gift from God. We can treasure this duration with our loved ones, we can enjoy this length of time with friends, we can also serve God's purpose using the time God has given to us. There are many things we can do with this gift of time God has given to everyone. But let us use it wisely. Even Moses prayed to God for wisdom in realising
the brevity of life. Psalm 90:12 (NLT) ¹² Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. The Psalmist David also mentioned that for the life given to him, he will praise and thank God because if he die, he will not be able to do so. Psalm 30:9 (NLT) ⁹ “What will you gain if I die, if I sink into the grave? Can my dust praise you? Can it tell of your faithfulness? 


But more than physical life God has given, He also given to everyone an opportunity to receive Eternal life - life that will be forever, even after death hits us. My prayer for all of us is that our loved ones will experience this eternal life God has given through Jesus Christ.


I pray also that we will be serving God, fulfilling the calling He has given to us, and spending good quality time with our loved ones and family. 

Lessons from the Tower Crane

When I passed by the construction of high rise building, I am always intrigued by the way it was built. Some machines will stack the 'already fabricated' units one on top of another. And at the end of the building process, that block of flat is completed. If you wonder what machine is that, that is the tower crane. It is quite amazing to see how the tower crane works because from a certain height, it can go higher and higher. And depending on the height of the building to be erected, the tower crane will go higher in order to lift the fabricated units to that height. 

It reminds me of the building and mentoring process. - In order to build help someone goes higher, we must also go higher. If we do not grow higher, we will not be able to be at a level to help lift them up. - And in order to grow higher, we need to strengthen and extend ourselves. It is exactly like what the tower crane does, there has to be another piece inserted at the top before the whole machine goes higher. 

I guess pictures and videos speak a thousand words. Let this be a challenge for all of us who are interested in building and mentoring lives.
Click to find out how it works: How the tower crane works
Click to see video to show the erection of the tower crane  

Old thoughts revised new: Time is investment

Wrote this on 28 Jan 2004: 

'Time is investment... 
When time is spent polishing our skills, 
When time is spent playing with our instruments, 
Improvement is evident. 
A Better Way: 
When time is spent in the presence of God, 
When time is spent praying (communicating) with God, 
Sharpening in the spirit takes place, 
Anointing is rubbed off from the Anointer. 
Choose the better way. '

It is still true that time can be invested and we will profit from what we invest. If we invest time in a relationship, we will be rewarded with a richer and stronger relationship. If we invest time in studying, we will be rewarded with a deeper understanding of the subject. If we invest time in playing a game or training in a sport, we will get better. We will taste of the fruits and the enjoy the success of our investment, especially of time.  

As we are entering in the 40 days season of prayer and fasting, what will we be investing of our 40 days? Realising that time can be invested and we will profit from this investment, what are we going to do with these 40 days? I want to encourage and challenge us, as an individual, as a family, as a congregation, as a church, to invest wisely these 40 days. Invest in seeking and spending time in the presence of God. Invest in a deeper intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Another Prayer in Ephesians 3:14-19

Ephesians 3:14-19 (NASB)
¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, ¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.




The immediate context of this prayer seemed to suggest that the believers would not lose heart at Paul's tribulation (v13). So for this reason, he prayed that: God would grant them strength by the power of God's Spirit in the inner man. It could be that tribulations could distract and disrupt or even distance us from God Himself. Therefore the prayer of such was necessary so that Christ may dwell in the believers' hearts and that they would be rooted and grounded in love (v17). The prayer was necessary so that the believers would understand the amazing love of Christ that surpasses knowledge and reasoning (v18-19). Finally, the prayer was necessary so that the believers may be filled up to all the fullness of God (v19)

While we looked at this prayer and also the larger context of which Paul prayed, we could also say that this prayer to experience God's love could be in line with the theme of unity. Paul said that Christ has put the Jews and the Gentiles together (Eph 2) and the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus (Eph 3:6). It is amazing to think God's love can be extended in such way, therefore pray that you will be able to comprehend the love of Christ (v18-19). It is beyond knowledge and reasoning.

Therefore, we pray this prayer for ourselves and others so that they can have the strength from the Holy Spirit to be rooted in Christ and His wonderful love. We pray that one will be able to experience that love in a tremendous measure and that one will be filled up to the fullness of God.

The Prayer from Ephesians 1:15-19

It is good and we should pray this prayer for ourselves and others. However, I think there are more prayer details inside the content of these verses of which Paul did not specify. (It is like you go to someone and said "I have prayed for your spiritual growth" without telling him the specifics details of what you prayed for)

In Ephesians 1:15-19, Paul was telling the believers that he remembered them in prayer. He constantly gave thanks to God for them and prayed for them.
When we prayed this prayer (v17-19) for ourselves and others, we usually go through these pointers:
God will give us
- The spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him
- The eyes of our understanding being enlightened
- that we may know the hope of His calling
- that we may know the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints
- that we know what is the exceeding greatness of His power towards us

We can allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in this prayer. For example, when we pray that God give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation, we can pause and allow the Holy Spirit to drop impressions on how to pray along this theme. When we pray that the eyes of our understanding being enlightened, again we can pause and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us to pray specifically in this area.

Do not let prayer be a repetition of words or format without the passion.
Instead, prayer led by the Holy Spirit can be a wonderful experience.

Pray Ephesians 1:17-19 (AMP) 
¹⁷ [For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him,¹⁸ By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones), ¹⁹ And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength,