But God.......

Sunday February 1, 2015

A man dealing with despair confessed to a Bible teacher, "My life is really in bad shape." "How bad?" asked the teacher. Burying his head in his hands, the man moaned, "I´ll tell you how bad - I´ve got nothing left but God."

The man thought that life had dealt him a bad hand. He didn´t understand that "bug God" is a frequently repeated comforting expression found in the Bible.

Here´s a few examples :
- "You´ve intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good" (Genesis 50:20)
- "David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill of country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn´t let Saul find him" (1 Samuel 23:14).
- "My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever" (Psalms 73:26)
-"[Jesus] said, 'Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible" (Matthew 19:26).
- " You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!" (Acts 3:15).
- "Most people would not be willing to die for an upright person ..... But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners" (Romans 5:7-8).

There are times that life may seem to be hopeless. Perhaps you feel that way today. But God is there and He has not forsaken you.

Pastor and writer Ray Stedman wrote : "Whenever we face an impossible challenge or obstacle, we must remember those two words: 'But God ...' His power is limitless. His character is dependable. His promises are sure. Whatever He says, He will do."

When you find that you have nothing left but God, remember : God is all you need. - Poh Fang Chia

Read
1 Samuel 23:7-14
Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, "God has handed him over to me, for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars." And Saul called up all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.
When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod." David said, "O Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, God of Israel, tell your servant."
And the Lord said, "He will."
Again David asked, "Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?"
And the Lord said, "They will."
So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.
David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.

Ephesians 2:3-5
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved.

Question to Ponder
What are some "but God" moments in your life?
How can you actively remember that He is with you today?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue

From A Distance?

Sunday January 11, 2015

"From a Distance" the 19991 Grammy Song of the year popularised by Bette Midler, describes what the world looks like from a distance : "From a distance the world looks blue and green ... there is harmony ... And no one is in need. And there are no guns, no bombs and no disease... We are instruments... playing songs of hope, playing songs of peace." The song ends with the lingering refrain : "God is watching us from a distance."

A song in the Bible seems to be saying the same thing : "The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From his throne he observes all who live on the earth" (Psalm 33:13-14)

Psalm 33 is a song of praise (vv. 1-3). The writer calls God´s people to praise Him for His Word and His works (vv. 3-9), for He´s the trustworthy, just, good, faithful and loving God (vv. 4-5). We worship a God who powerfully creates, sovereignly controls and providentially cares for His creation (vv. 6-22). The all-powerful Creator of the cosmic world is also the supreme Author of human history! (vv. 9-11).

From heaven, God "sees the whole human race. From his throne He observes all who live on the earth" (vv. 13-14), but that doesn´t make Him distant. Rather, our God is intimately involved with us. "He made [our] hearts, so he understands everything [we] do" (v.15). God isn´t merely watching us from a distance. He´s Immanuel - God with us (Matthew 1:23).

We don´t worship a God on a distant throne. We worship Jesus who entered our world (Hebrews 2:17-18); sympathises with our weaknesses and humanness (4:15-16); rescues us from death; and is our hope, help and shield (Psalm 33:19-20). - K.T.Sim

Read
Psalm 33:1-22
Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; 
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
Praise the Lord with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
Sing to him a new song;
play skilfully, and shout for joy.

For the word of the Lord is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
he puts the deep into storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the people of the world revere him.
For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, 
the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind;
from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth - 
he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.
No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

We wait in hope for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord,
even as we put our hope in you.

Psalms 139:1-10
O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O Lord.

You hem me in - behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, 
If I settle on the far side of the sea,
Even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

Question to Ponder
Do you sometimes feel that God is far away from you?
How can you draw nearer to Him?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue

An Unwed Mother

Friday December 12, 2014

Imagine this scene. Joseph leading a donkey-drawn carriage towards Bethlehem. Inside that carriage sits his pregnant wife, Mary. She was found to be pregnant before they had consummated their marriage! This would be the scandal of the town. Imagine the gossips and stares. Surely she was a promiscuous woman. And both of them are guilty of premarital sex!

A few months before, Joseph had to make a difficult decision. He could have easily cleared his own name by publicly exposing Mary´s perceived infidelity. But in doing so, it would have led to Mary´s death (Deuteronomy 22:23-27). Joseph had wanted to break off the engagement discreetly, a course that would not shame or harm her (Matthew 1:19). But that was not to be. For an angel ordered him to proceed with marrying the pregnant Mary as planned, for "the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit" (v. 20). And Joseph was to name the baby boy "Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (v. 21).

We´re not told how much the distraught and confounded man truly understand about his situation. But we are told that Joseph simply obeyed. He immediately " did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born" (vv. 24-25).

Today, there´s not a hint of anything scandalous about Jesus' birth, or that Jesus was an illegitimate son (John 8:41). Instead, there´s an inexplicable sacredness and indescribable awesomeness about a virgin who was with child.

The story of the unwed mother is the story of God´s power (Matthew 1:18), God´s salvation plan (v.21), and God´s presence (v.23). By God´s grace, we experience those same things today. - K.T.Sim

Read
Matthew 1:18-25
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about : His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet : "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, "God with us."
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign : The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Question to Ponder
If you had been Joseph, would you have believed Mary if she had told you that "she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit? (Matthew 1:18)
Why or why not?
How are you experiencing God´s power, plan and presence today?

** Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue