Parenting a 6 year old in the multimedia generation

Had a funny and teachable moment yesterday while watching the drama at 9.
The young guy kissed the girl's forehead. Then the guy proceed to kiss the girl's face. But the girl ran away because she was embarrassed.
 I turned to Netanya and saw her blushing. Apparently, this scene has some effects on her.
Not sure what was going on in her mind. Maybe she could feel the 'puppy love' thingy. Maybe she found the running away of the girl was funny. I don't know the answer but being the father (now i a bit worry lol), I voiced out "How can the guy anyhow kiss the girl one?"

Me: "Netanya, can anyhow let guys kiss you or not?"

Net's response is: Shaking her head yet giving me the cheeky and 'want-to-laugh-cannot-laugh' look.

Isn't parenting fun and exciting?    

Assuring words from John 15:1-7

John 15:1-8 (NKJV) ¹  "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
²  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³  You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. ⁵  I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ⁶  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.⁸  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Today, the Lord assured me about growth in various aspects.
On the church level, discussions and plans were made to 'grow' the church. Plans and processes are debated and tightened. Experiences and faith were weight out. All these do bring out growth in our learning. However, at the end, it is God who brings the growth in the positive aspects of fruit. And the fruit should glorify the Father.

While sparring ideas and plans are good to grow our learning and minds, and it may even grow the church, we must be careful not to let knowledge puffs ourselves up. Remember it is not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord. Jesus' instructions to us are to abide in the Vine and to have the Vinedresser pruned us well. The Vinedresser has the right timing and power to do so. Therefore applying it individually or corporately, let's stay connected to the Vine. Our eyes should be on Jesus and our lives open to pruning. And we will bear fruit that glorify Him.

"Let my eyes be on You Lord that my focus will not shift.
 And let my hands be open to You, when You need to take away certain things.

Let my heart too, be tender for Your work and leading.
That indeed I will bear fruit glorifying Your name."    

Change of Spiritual Season?

The week has passed with a series of planning meetings and 2 weekend messages. A lot of discussions and forecasting into 2015. A lot of reflections and filtering. What was interesting is the realization of the state that we are in and that God is doing something within us. Personally, I felt that there is going to be an interesting season that God is leading me and the church in 2015. 

But how do you know that there is a change of ‘spiritual season’?

Some of them are:

1.       When you talk to people around you, they are saying almost the same thing or sensing.

When a physical season changes, from winter to spring, people talk about it. They start to prepare the right clothing. They go into the season.

2.       When you seek God for His plan for you, God leads you to do something you do not normally do.

When you have been doing something for the past many years and then you found yourself doing something else, then it is a good time to note that season might be changing.

3.       When your heart’s desire and inclination starts to grow towards other things

I must make known that there is a difference between heart growing cold/indifferent VS heart growing towards other things. The former is resulted because of the neglect of one’s spiritual life whereas the latter is resulted because of God’s leading and our spiritual growth.

Do you think whether you are in the midst of the spiritual transition? 

And in every season, there is a role that individual has to play and fit into God’s plan. What is yours?

I think it is good to seek the Lord now, in a regular daily basis, so as to move on to the next season with confidence and the strength of God.

Extent of His Love

And He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch." (Mark 14:34 NASB)

While Jesus was much burdened about the Cross at this point of time, there was also a great concern for His disciples. His soul was grieved not just because of the Cross but also partly for His sheep. He was going to be struck as the shepherd of the flock. And when He was arrest and eventually gone, the sheep would be in distress. Leading towards His death on the cross, this Shepherd still have much burden for His sheep. That is the Jesus we have. He has great burden and love for his sheep. (This love for the church is also found in Paul in the midst of his suffering. 2 Cor 11:28)

At that point of time, the disciples had to be instructed to keep watch of the coming 'attack''. They were to be on the alert and on their guard lest they fall away. They were to exercise their own responsibilities as the Shepherd had to carry His own cross. Yet I believe that Jesus was praying for them as He prayed to the Father for Himself. His love for His sheep is simply amazing.

Now at this point of time, the scenario is slightly different. We have a risen Lord and He does not have to face death and carry that burden anymore. Presently He is seated at the right hand of the Father interceding for us (Romans 8:34). He is constantly praying for us, His sheep. And for that, we can take heart and courage in our journey.

But does it mean we don't need to watch and pray? No. We still have the responsibility to watch and pray. But now, our security is in the love of the One who has been free from His burden. His focus is on us now.  

Structurally fit, Spiritually beneficial (3 John 1:2)

Recently, there are some of us whose health are not doing well. My prayer is that God will restore and strengthen the body so that you can serve Him more efficiently. My prayer is that this temple whereby the Holy Spirit dwells will be restored for His use.

However, more than praying for a good and strong body, we are reminded that our body do degenerated due to age. It does have an expiry date. The question is how well we take care of and use our body before we hit our expiry date. While we seek to have good health to accomplish things and also to enjoy the goodness and prosperity God has given, we must also seek that our soul prosper and grow.

The physical and spiritual aspects must grow in tandem. While the temple must be structurally fit for worship, yet the teaching from the temple must be spiritually beneficial for transformation.

I pray that "you may prosper in all things and all is well with you both physically and spiritually"   



  

Lessons from Heb 12:1-2

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV) ¹  Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ²  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

We are in the last quarter of 2014! How fast it was. Usually this is the time of the year that many of us are reflecting our 2014 and planning for 2015. While we may have made some 'stumble' here and there, let's pick up ourselves and move on and run. At the same time, while we want to set in place the things God has put in our hearts, let's fix our eyes on Jesus. Look at His example of running His race, demonstrating the right focus in completing the race.

What should we learn from Him? 
Personally, He should learn from Him the need to remove distractions and run towards the finishing line. While it is common sense to us as runners of a race, yet in the spiritual sense we often neglect that we need to move on step by step towards our destination. We are bothered by and got distracted many a times by 'things' along our way. Some of us may even shift our destination time to time. Therefore, remind ourselves what God is calling us into and keep our focus on the author and finisher Jesus. Align with the Finisher and He will give us the direction and encouragement to run. 

Prayer through a Hymn: May the Lord Jesus be our Vision and Focus in 2014

May the words of this hymn rings throughout our hearts for 2014

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art;
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my Wisdom, and thou my true Word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, and I thy true son,
Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Demonstrating the True Spirit of Jubilee

In 2015, Singapore is entering into its Jubilee (50^th year) and many are expecting it to be a great year for God to work in our midst.

However, this comes from paralleling the effects of Israel’s Jubilee to ours. The question is whether it is right to do so? Will there be the similar effects of the Jubilee on Israel to Singapore in 2015?

While many will debate on this assumption, the truth is that the constitution of the year of Jubilee points to the ministry of Jesus. And the Lord Jesus came to demonstrate and fulfill the true nature of the Jubilee.

Luke 4:17-21 (NKJV) ¹⁷ And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: ¹⁸ "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; ¹⁹ to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." ²⁰ Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. ²¹ And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

When Jesus proclaimed these words, He declared the partial fulfillment of the prophecy by Isaiah (Isa 61). Looking at His ministry on earth, He demonstrate the true spirit of the Jubilee: To release those in bondage; to bring restoration and healing to man; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

If there is something that we would like to equate the effects of Israel’s Jubilee to ours, let it be that we will join with the Lord in declaring and demonstrating the true nature of Jubilee to the land (this year 2014 and particularly next year 2015). These are some effects of the Jubilee which Jesus demonstrated.

1)     Restoration of man/Release of those under oppression or bonds.  

During the 50^th year in Israel, the commands of God to the people is that liberty being proclaimed to all the people of the land. Property and possession are to be returned to its original owner. Those who are slave or in some kind of bonds are released and set free.

Leviticus 25:13 (NKJV) ¹³  'In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his possession.

Leviticus 25:39-41 (NKJV) ³⁹  'And if one of your brethren who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave. ⁴⁰ As a hired servant and a sojourner he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the Year of Jubilee. ⁴¹ And then he shall depart from you--he and his children with him--and shall return to his own family. He shall return to the possession of his fathers.

Jesus came and set captives free. He came to restore man. He came to bring healing. May the church rise up to do so in 2014 and especially 2015. 

2)     Recognition of who the real owner/ redeemer is: God

In the time of Jubilee, although the land was reverted back to its original owner. Yet if we look carefully in Lev 25, we will recognize that the real owner/redeemer is God. It is because both the people and the land belongs to God. He was the one who delivered Israel from Egypt and had given them the land. He is the ORIGINAL owner.

Therefore, we can see these emphases in these verses:

Leviticus 25:17 (NKJV) ¹⁷  Therefore you shall not oppress one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 25:35-38 (NKJV) ³⁵  'If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. ³⁶  Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you. ³⁷  You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit. ³⁸  I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.

Leviticus 25:55 (NKJV) ⁵⁵  For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Jesus came and bring man back to God, the real owner. May the church, co-labor with Jesus, to bring back those who were lost and point many back to the real owner of the soul.

Jesus came to give understanding of who God is. Likewise, may the church also rise up to do so in the true spirit of Jubilee.

3)     Renew trust in God and His ability to provide

If we look at the Jubilee year, it is a year whereby the land is to rest.

Leviticus 25:11-12 (NKJV) ¹¹ That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee to you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of its own accord, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine. ¹² For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field.

Yet in the year before the Jubilee, the 49^th year is also a year of rest for the land.

Leviticus 25:2-4 (NKJV) ² "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the LORD. ³ Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; ⁴ but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the LORD. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.

Therefore, during the 49^th and 50^th year, it is consecutively 2 years of no sowing or systematic ingathering. Don’t you think that the people really need to trust God for His provision? One would need to have renew trust, increase confidence in God and His Promises during this Jubilee season.

But thank God for His promise in Lev 25:20-22. What He promised, He will fulfilled.

Leviticus 25:18-22 (NKJV) ¹⁸ 'So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety. ¹⁹ Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety. ²⁰ And if you say, "What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?" ²¹ Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years. ²² And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest.

Jesus taught about faith and trust in God. He ministered from the posture of rest. May the church be able to rest in His Presence and minister from the posture of rest. May the church increase the level of faith and confidence in God. And may the church trust in what He can provide in a daily basis and in a supernatural basis.

In conclusion, Jesus came and proclaimed the year of the Lord’s favor. He fulfilled and demonstrated the true nature of the Jubilee. And if there is something that we want to parallel the effects of Israel’s Jubilee to Singapore, I pray that it will be a demonstration of what Jesus did.