Choose Life

See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

~ Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Every choice I make, Lord
Let me worship You
Let me glorify You
Let me choose life.

Thou has lacked nothing

The Lord spoke to me in a real way during my QT this morning. As I was embarking on the book of Deuteronomy, I came across this verse which convicted my heart deeply:

For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.

~ Deuteronomy 2:7

Am thoroughly overwhelmed by how great and amazing our God is as I meditated on this portion of His Word..all the way our Saviour leads us and we can certainly trust Him -- He will be with us each step of life's journey and through it all, we will lack absolutely NOTHING. How He preserved His beloved children of Israel and provided for their every need, He will certainly accomplish the very same in each of our lives. I thank God for using His truth to challenge me especially during this time. What a wonderful and precious promise from His heart..one that will see me through every step of faith that I will be making for His glory in the months ahead. Our Heavenly Father will definitely show Himself strong in our lives..and His providence for all of our needs WILL surely be very real and awesome. Am particularly blessed by Pastor Jason and Paul's recent preaching on faith, laying up treasures in Heaven and living in the light of eternity. Thank God for these reminders of His goodness and greatness through His faithful servants. I prayed to the Lord today to ask Him to meet Eugene and myself at each step of faith that we will be making in the future.

Lord, I am ready to trust You come what may, I am ready to let You lead us.
I will choose to yield to You and follow You unquestioningly. Please take absolute control of all that is within my life. I know that I have been bought with a price. This life and its rights do not belong to me. It is all from You. And it is now all Yours.

Please grant me Your unfailing grace as I journey on with You. Thank you for the assurance that I can trust and depend on You..the all-powerful and awesome One who loves us with an everlasting love, died for us and saved us for all eternity.

Thank You for giving me the comfort and peace of leaning on Your everlasting arms.
I believe that You will NEVER fail me.

People Need The Lord by Steve Green

Everyday they pass me by,

I can see it in their eyes;

Empty people filled with care,

Headed who knows where.

On they go through private pain,

Living fear to fear;

Laughter hides their silent cries

Only Jesus hears.

People need the Lord,

People need the Lord;

At the end of broken dreams,

He's the open door.

People need the Lord,

People need the Lord;

When will we realize

People need the Lord.

We are called to take His light

To a world where wrong is right;

What could be too great a cost

For sharing life with one who's lost?

Through His love our hearts can feel

All the grief they bear;

They must hear the Words of Life

Only we can share.

People need the Lord,

People need the Lord;

At the end of broken dreams,

He's the open door.

People need the Lord,

People need the Lord;

When will we realize

That we must give our lives,

For people need the Lord.

People need the Lord.

nancillas forever~*

*~always precious to me..Moots, Nancilla, Weini, Ah-Na & Choby~*..You gals have been such amazing St Cats buddies and i thank God for all of ya. ♥ ya babes loads..nancillas forever! ;)

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed a dream. I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord.

When the last scene of my life shot before me I looked back at the footprints in the sand. There was only one set of footprints. I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life. This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.

“Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way. But I'm aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I just don't understand why, when I need You most, You leave me.”

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.”

~ Margaret Fishback Powers

Every circumstance that touches my life has first been filtered through His fingers of love..♥

The Lord had accomplished a truly incredible soul-saving and life-changing work during the recent Philippines evangelistic campaign! It has been about a month since our return to Singapore and I am still in awe of the many wonderful things that He has done and allowed us to experience there. Praise God for granting us open doors to serve Him in a land where people are so hungry for the truth..what a joy and privilege it was to reach out to so many in need of the Saviour’s love and grace.

There is proof of a ripe and vast harvest field prepared by the Lord in the Philippines and it is such a great blessing to see that the hearts of the people are ever willing and ready to hear the gospel. Thank God for the marvelous working of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of men..He had touched and changed so many lives during the campaign. All of us were expecting God to do mighty things in the lives of the people there but He also did amazing things in each of our lives too. Praise God for His grace and favour and for going before us each step of the way!

I was particularly humbled and inspired by the dedication and commitment of our Filipino brothers and sisters-in-Christ serving at Student Movement for Christ (SMC) - a campus ministry dedicated to evangelizing to students in the high schools and universities in the Philippines. These dear brethren have great unwavering love and faith in the Lord and they gave so much of themselves to the cause of winning souls to Christ.

As faithful labourers for the Lord, they always seek to be a blessing to every one that God brings into their lives. Throughout the course of the trip, they cared for our needs and made sure that we had adequate meals and lodging, arranged transportation and assured appropriate preparation and equipment at each outreach and gospel night during the evangelistic campaign. Special thanks to Pastor Mechelle and Fily Joy (SMC Dumaguete), Renz (SMC Cebu), Ven (SMC Bohol), Ate Joy (SMC Leyte) and the many faithful servants of the Lord who serve alongside them - all of them have been so giving and selfless to us without expecting anything in return. I pray that God will bless their hearts and reward their humble labour of love tremendously.

Praise God for the incredible opportunity of being part of a servant-hearted and mission-minded team of fellow believers – Filipinos (from SMC), Americans (from Highlands Baptist Church and Falls Baptist Church) and Singaporeans (from Gospel Light Christian Church) – all with the common vision of fulfilling God’s desire that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. I am very inspired by Pastor Mike’s love for God and his fervent passion in preaching the gospel. Thank God for his wonderful servant-leadership and his mentorship in evangelism. We learnt how to challenge others to place their complete faith and dependence on Christ through various soul-winning illustrations taught to us by Pastor Mike. He encouraged us, led us, prayed with us, laughed with us, and worked tirelessly with us - praise God for using him greatly to inspire, sharpen and equip us for the mission at hand.

The prayer sessions that we had as a team were very precious. These times of seeking the Lord together on our knees enabled us to catch the vision of the Lord’s heart for the lost. We prayed for Him to saturate our hearts with the love and compassion of our Saviour and to make the powerful gospel fresh and real to us as we preached it from our hearts. Our hearts were filled with much thanksgiving for the multiple answers to prayer daily as souls were saved by the hundreds and doors of opportunities for us to evangelise freely were opened. The Lord also gave us sweet unity within the team despite our different cultures and backgrounds. It was simply wondrous experiencing the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit..what a great joy it was to be one in Christ, yielded and ready to be used by Him!

The Lord blessed us in so many ways! He allowed countless opportunities for us to do room-to-room evangelism within the campuses, to give tracts out freely and to hold open-air gospel meetings attended by hundreds of high school and university students. We also had numerous divine appointments and much freedom proclaiming the gospel to many groups of students during their break-time and during after school hours at the campuses. Such light, life and liberty in soulwinning could only come from our awesome and amazing God who does the impossible. It was nothing of our own doing, but all of Him - He was definitely in absolute control.

He truly has been very faithful in equipping and strengthening each of us for the work. Having never preached the gospel and giving an open invitation to trust Christ to a large crowd in a classroom setting before, I felt quite overwhelmed, yet excited about how the Lord was going to work. I knew that I had to fully depend on the Holy Spirit to grant me courage and wisdom to speak to the people. I daily exchanged my weakness and inability for His strength for it was evident that in and of myself, it was impossible meeting the needs of the many students so hungry for His Word, His truth. It was a truly challenging and inspiring experience for me claiming God’s power and going forth boldly into each classroom jam-packed with young people to share the good news. Thank God for being so patient and merciful in guiding this weak vessel into taking steps to walk by faith and not by sight! He has been so real to me and I will never forget how He showed Himself strong, granting me opportunities to trust Him completely in my inadequacies.

I thank God for the opportunity of teaming up with Mrs. Angela Tucker and Erica Ebel from Highlands Baptist Church together with Eugene during the classroom evangelism sessions at Dumaguete – both of these dear American sisters never held back from declaring the good news with passion and love when given the opportunity to do so. The Lord had instilled in them a tremendous amount of boldness and faith and it was a real blessing witnessing the might of the Spirit with them.

In all the divine appointments that we had, it was absolutely amazing seeing many people raising their hands and indicating their desire to accept Christ. The harvest truly is plenteous and ripe for the picking..at each classroom encounter, the Lord moved in wondrous ways and many teachers and students had open hearts ready to receive Him. Their hearts are so tender towards the Lord and it was evident that they have an insatiable thirst for the truth. I saw people broken over their sin, and others being delivered from their past having made the decision to forsake their sinful lifestyles and get their hearts right with God. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s power in breaking each hardened heart and healing every broken heart was so real to us and we have only gratefulness in our hearts towards the Master of Miracles for bringing people to repentance and to Himself.

There were many personal encounters that we had and my most memorable one was meeting a young lady who walked into our first gospel night held at Negros Oriental State University (NORSU), Dumaguete. It was then I met A for the first time. She seemed to be living the ‘alternative’ lifestyle by the looks of her attire and behaviour. Her companion followed her into the hall and both of them took their seats at the back. That evening, Pastor Mike preached strongly against the sin of homosexuality and immorality and he implored everyone to examine their hearts and to make the most important decision of their lives to trust Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. He cited Bible verses which emphasized the need for us to forsake sin and to choose a new life and freedom in Christ. He also urged everyone to awaken to the urgency of the hour and to receive the gift of salvation that night.

God worked to convict the hearts of the people and many indicated their desire to give their hearts to Christ. A did not respond to the appeal, but her friend raised her hand and made a decision for Christ. I believed that A was struggling - a battle was raging within her heart. A’s friend made her way towards the front when Pastor Mike asked for those who responded to come forward. A remained unsurrendered and sat at her seat looking downcast. I took the opportunity to introduce myself to A and to speak to her. As I opened my Bible to share some verses with her, I could feel her confusion and pain as she opened up to me. She shared that deep within her heart she is willing to forsake her sin and give up her old lifestyle. She just did not think that God could forgive her for the ways she had lived her life. Tears flowed down her cheeks. The Lord was breaking her heart. Praying silently in my heart, I asked Him to take hold of her heart and bring her to a point of surrender. I later challenged her to allow Jesus into her life as He was the only one who could transform it and set her free from her bondage to sin. By God’s grace, she eventually made the precious choice to surrender her heart to the Lord. There was immense joy in my heart when she took the step to pray the sinner’s prayer with an earnest heart. The battle within her heart ended and the Lord had the victory.

After parting with A that evening, I thought that that was the first and only time I was to see her. Little did I know that God had greater plans. Before the start of our 3rd and last gospel night at NORSU that week, I headed to Freedom Park, a popular hang-out place of campus students, to invite people to join us for the event. It was then A came up to me and offered her help. At that very moment, I had been praying for someone to give me a hand in rounding up the students in the park and directing them to the gospel night venue in NORSU..and A was a definite answer to prayer! In a jiffy, she set off to work. Before my very eyes, Christ had converted this precious soul to become a saint and now she had become a soulwinner for Him! A crowd of young people followed A back to that same hall where she gave her heart to Christ 2 nights ago. The Lord had used her to invite about 25 newcomers and a number of them trusted the Lord that evening. I was touched to tears seeing her saved and now serving her Lord.

Before we parted, she indicated that she would like to know more about SMC and attend the Bible Studies there so I allowed her to meet fellow SMCians who shared more details regarding the ministry to her. Both A and me had a time of prayer together after and I prayed that the Lord will continue to mould and shape her life, that He will use her greatly to serve Him at SMC. Before we parted, we rejoiced in the fact that even if there was a possibility that we might not be able to see each other again in the Philippines, we will meet each other again in Heaven. Please pray with me that the Lord will continue to do a deep work in this young lady’s life and that she will grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. This encounter with A, orchestrated by the Lord, has left a deep impression on my life, and also on the lives of A’s friends who trusted the Lord. He truly can do amazing things through one heart, one life that is completely consecrated and surrendered to Him. It is my hope that the Spirit’s power be manifested in each of our lives just as it was in A’s.

We have such a great prayer-answering God, an amazing mountain-moving God..we rejoice to know that 20,643 people heard the gospel and about 11,400 of them made a decision for Christ at the end of two weeks! To all faithful prayer warriors who have been labouring in prayers for this evangelistic campaign: your labour is not in vain in the Lord! All of you have fought spiritual battles for victory on your knees and without each of you interceding for God’s power..the hearts and minds of the people would not have been so open and prepared to receive Jesus Christ; the souls of many people would not have their eternal destiny set in heaven. We experienced a number of spiritual attacks whilst we were in the Philippines, but Christ had the ultimate victory..because He used each of you to intercede for the ministry. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much for being such willing servants for His work! Please do pray with us for the thousands who have heard the gospel and commited their lives to Christ. Please also continue to pray that the follow-up and discipleship of the new converts through SMC and partnering churches will be fruitful and effective - that fruit will remain and that many will dedicate their lives to serving Him in SMC.

It is God’s desire that all of us will gain a greater sense of where He wants to use us in His master plan. Through all the experiences I had in the Philippines, God had left such deep impressions on my heart that I have decided to take bigger and bolder steps to make evangelism a lifestyle. I pray that I will always respond to the Lord as He directs, and that He will help me take my eyes off from myself and increase my burden for the lost. It is so true that when you choose to take a step of faith for Christ to be used by Him, you will never be the same. He will become so real to you that the ways you think, minister, give and pray will never ever be the same. The Spirit transforms and fills you at each step of faith you take for His glory and at the very end of our journey of faith with Him, we can all look forward to that glorious day in Heaven when we will be reunited with all of these precious souls again, and each of them will tell us that through our steps of faith in serving Him - God became real to their hearts and lives too.

Each of us can make a difference. The experiences I had in the Philippines made me realise this fact more then ever - that we can be that one to make a great difference for Christ, for a person, for eternity.

Will you be the one?

In a world full of broken dreams

Where the truth is hard to find

For every promise that is kept

There are many left behind

Though it seems that nobody cares

It still matters what you do

Cause there's a difference you can make

But the choice is up to you

Chorus

Will you be the one

To answer to His call

Will you stand

When those around you fall

Will you be the one

To take His light

Into a darkened world

Tell me will you be the one

Oh sometimes it's hard to know

Who is right and what is wrong

And where are you supposed to stand

When the battle lines are drawn

There's a voice that is calling out

For someone who’s not afraid

To be a beacon in the night

To a world that's lost its way

There are still some battles

That I must fight from day to day

Yet the Lord provides the power

For me to stand and say

Chorus

I will be the one

To answer to His call

I will stand

When those around me fall

I will be the one

To take His light

Into a darkened world
I will be the one

(Two SMCians, Sandra and Emily, shared this song entitled “Will You Be The One?” with a group of us during our journey to the campuses in Leyte. *Composer: Al Denson)

As sons and daughters of God, we face a crucial choice: will we turn inward and focus on the new life we have in Christ only as it benefits us? Or will we look beyond our very selves, giving ourselves completely to God and opening our hearts to His purposes for us? I pray and trust that the Lord will enable all of us to make that right choice to take the stand to say that we will be that one to answer His call...to serve Him wherever He leads us.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

And how shall they preach, except they be sent?

~ Romans 10:13-15a

That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.

~ Joshua 4:24

The Power of Prayer

The prayer power has never been tried to its full capacity. If we want to see mighty wonders of divine power and grace wrought in the place of weakness, failure and disappointment, let us answer God's standing challenge, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not!"

~ J. Hudson Taylor

The great people of the earth today are the people who pray! I do not mean those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; nor those who explain prayer; but I mean those who actually take the time to pray. They have not time. It must be taken from something else. That something else is important, very important and pressing, but still, less important and pressing than prayer. There are people who put prayer first, and group the other items in life's schedule around and after prayer. These are the people today who are doing the most for God in winning souls, in solving problems, in awakening churches, in supplying both men and money for mission posts, in keeping fresh and strong their lives far off in sacrificial service on the foreign field, where the thickest fighting is going on, and in keeping the old earth sweet a little while longer.

~ S.D. Gordon

Only He Himself Mattered

I had utterly abandoned myself to Him.
Could any choice be as wonderful as His will?
Could any place be safer than the center of His will?
Did not He assure me by His very presence that His thoughts toward us are good, and not evil?
Death to my own plans and desires was almost deliriously delightful.
Everything was laid at His nail-scarred feet, life or death, health or illness, appreciation by others or misunderstanding, success or failure as measured by human standards.

Only He Himself mattered.

~ Victor R. Edman

Worship

Worship is the occupation of the heart, not with its needs, or even with its blessings, but with God Himself. It is the outpouring of a soul at rest in the presence of God.

~ A.P. Gibbs

Father, please grant me a heart filled with unwavering faith in Your greatness and goodness.
A heart that is completely yielded to You..a heart that is always yearning to worship You in spirit and in truth.

My greatest inheritance - heaven and its glory.
My greatest victory - over death through Christ.
My greatest neglect - so great a salvation.
My greatest crime - to reject Christ.
My greatest bargain - to lose all to win Christ.
My greatest profit - godliness now and forever.
My greatest peace - passes all understanding.
My greatest knowledge - to know God and Christ.

A soulwinner is a nobody who is seeking to tell everybody about Somebody who has the power to change anybody.

- Michael Gott

Are you able?

Able to suffer without complaining,
To be misunderstood without explaining?
Able to endure without breaking,
To be forsaken without forsaking?
Able to give without receiving,
Able to ask without commanding,
To love despite misunderstanding?
Able to turn to the Lord for guarding;
Able to wait for His own rewarding?

~ Mildred White Stouven

Born for God

I am born for God only.
Christ is nearer to me than father, or mother, or sister -- a near relation, a more affectionate Friend; and I rejoice to follow Him, and to love Him.
Blessed Jesus! Thou art all I want -- a forerunner to me in all I ever shall go through as a Christian, a minister, or a missionary.

~ Henry Martyn

What is Joy?

Joy is not gush: joy is not jolliness. Joy is simply perfect acquiescence in God's will, because the soul delights itself in God Himself..rejoice in the will of God, and in nothing else. Bow down your heads and your hearts before God, and let the will, the blessed will of God, be done.

~ Amy Carmichael

There is a need for us to give ourselves for the life of the world.
An easy-going non-self-denying life will never be one of power.
Fruit-bearing involves cross-bearing.
There are not two Christs – an easy-going one for easy-going Christians, and a suffering, toiling one for serious believers.
There is only one Christ.
Are you willing to abide in Him, and thus bear much fruit?
Would that God would make hell so real to us that we cannot rest; heaven so real that we must have men there; and Christ so real that our supreme motive and aim shall be to bring Him joy by the conversion to Him of many.

~ Hudson Taylor

Go Forward

Our Lord told us that the field is the world. In politics today men are thinking in terms of international affairs, in business all the continents are being combed for markets, and even in daily life every newspaper reader is becoming world-conscious. And yet, we, the people of God have not fully realized that we are to be a testimony to the world. We say that the door of heaven is shut to everyone who does not come through Christ, and while millions are dying without having heard His name, we are shamefully cold and indifferent toward foreign mission work.

Shall we beat a retreat and turn back from our high calling in Christ Jesus? Or dare we advance at God’s command in the face of the impossible? Let us remind ourselves that the Great Commission was never qualified by clauses that called for advance only if funds were plentiful and if no hardship or self-denial were involved. On the contrary, we were told to expect tribulation and even persecution, but with it victory in Christ. Surely His answer today is just what it was in Moses’ day, “Speak unto the people that they go forward.”

Our way is plain. We must not retrench in any work which we are convinced is in His will and for His glory. We dare not turn back because the way looks dark. Of this we may be sure, that if we have been redeemed by Christ’s blood, and our called into His service, His work done in His way and for His glory will never lack His support. We must go forward in the face of the impossible even if we know only the next step.

And whether we labour in the churches, or in evangelistic work, or in missions, we must all seek to answer the cry of this godless civilization by turning men to Him who saves from the penalty and power of sin. This bewildered age needs to know that only the foundation of God standeth sure. God is using these days to tear many a man loose from the things to which his heart has clung. It is ours to show them incorruptible riches which bank failures and economic conditions cannot touch. It is ours to show them in the salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in personal communion with Him a joy unspeakable and full of glory that cannot be affected by any outside circumstances.

We too must press forward, for it is no time for delay when a million souls a month pass into Christless graves in China, with other countries adding their hundreds of thousands. We must bring them that message that will deliver them from the power of Satan and bring them into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

For every Christian there is this challenge of man’s need and of God’s command to make all haste in the propagation of the gospel. Let us be sure that we are engaged in what is really His work, and then despite the difficulties, the remembrance of His faithfulness in the past will give us renewed hope and courage for the future.

People of God, does it not thrill our hearts today to realize that we do not answer such a challenge in our own strength? Think of it! God Himself is with us for our Captain; the Lord of Hosts is present in person in every field of conflict to encourage us and to fight for us. With such a Captain, who never lost a battle, or deserted a soldier in distress, or failed to get through the needed supplies, who would not accept the challenge to “Go forward, bearing precious seed”?

~ John Stam, April 21, 1932

It’s as clear as daylight to me that the only worthwhile life is one of unconditional surrender to God’s will, and of living in His way, trusting His love and guidance.

When we consecrate ourselves to God, we think we are making a great sacrifice, and doing lots for Him, when really we are only letting go some little, bitsie trinkets we have been grabbing, and when our hands are empty, He fills them full of His treasures.

~ Betty Stam

Will you be the one?

In a world full of broken dreams
Where the truth is hard to find
For every promise that is kept
There are many left behind
Though it seems that nobody cares
It still matters what you do
Cause there's a difference you can make
But the choice is up to you

Will you be the one
To answer to His call
Will you stand
When those around you fall
Will you be the one
To take His light
Into a darkened world
Tell me will you be the one

Oh sometimes it's hard to know
Who is right and what is wrong
And where are you supposed to stand
When the battle lines are drawn
There's a voice that is calling out
For someone who’s not afraid
To be a beacon in the night
To a world that's lost it's way
There are still some battles
That I must fight from day to day
Yet the Lord provides the power
For me to stand and say

I will be the one
To answer to His call
I will stand
When those around me fall
I will be the one
To take His light
Into a darkened world
I will be the one

~ Al Denson

Thanks so much for sharing this meaningful song with me, dear Indays Sandy and Emily..thank you for answering God's call to be the ones to take His light into this darkened world.
May Christ's cross be your cause, and His purpose, your passion.
Praying for both of you to be used mightily by the power of the Holy Spirit to be a shining light in our generation.

With love,
Ate Daphne :)

What are you living for?

I hope you will be a missionary wherever your lot is cast..
It makes but little difference after all where we spend these few fleeting years,
if they are only spent for the glory of God.
Be assured there is nothing else worth living for.

~ Elizabeth Freeman

If there be therefore any consolation in Christ,
if any comfort of love,
if any fellowship of the Spirit,
if any bowels and mercies,

Fulfil ye my joy,
that ye be likeminded,
having the same love,
being of one accord,
of one mind.

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory;
but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Look not every man on his own things,
but every man also on the things of others.

Let this mind be in you,
which was also in Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the form of God,

thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men:

And being found in fashion as a man,
he humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross.

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him,
and given him
a name which is above every name:
That at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
of things in heaven,
and things in earth,
and things under the earth;

And that every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

~ Philippians 2:1-11

Only Christ
enables us
to live this life
not somehow,
but triumphantly.

Thanks be unto God
who always causeth us
to triumph in Christ.

~ 2 Corinthians 2:14a

I need my soul
to have a fixed,
unflinching gaze
on Christ,
wherever He takes me.

No matter what shakes my world
His mighty and everlasting arms
are underneath it all.

I can trust You, Lord.
I can trust You
with my life.

I believe that
with You alone,
the impossible
becomes possible.

I Belong

Not angels, nor demons, no power on earth or heaven
Not distance, nor danger, no trouble now or ever

Nothing can take me from Your great love
Forever this truth remains

I belong, I belong to You
I belong, I belong to You

Not hardship, nor hunger, no pain or depth of sorrow
Not weakness, nor failure, no broken dream or promise

Nothing can take me from Your great love
Forever this truth remains

I belong, I belong to You
I belong, I belong to You

~ K. Scott

Be Wary of the Adversary

Satan promises the best, but pays with the worst; he promises honor, and pays with disgrace; he promises pleasure, and pays with pain; he promises profit, and pays with loss; he promises life, and pays with death.

~ Thomas Brooks

Your Heart

As the waters cover the sea
So Your everlasting love covers me
Guiding me on
To roads unknown
I trust in You alone

I will rest in Your open arms of love
A true haven of peace and rest
Keep me there, Lord
And draw me nearer
And closer
To Your heart

Of Chapters and Choices

Plan the various forms of your life’s ministry in chapters.
Chapters are divided by various things - age, strength, singleness, marriage, employment, children at home, children in college, grandchildren, retirement, etc.
No chapter has all the joys.
Finite life is a series of tradeoffs.
Finding God’s will, and living for the glory of Christ to the full in every chapter is what makes it a success, not whether it reads like somebody else’s chapter or whether it has in it what only another chapter will bring.

Always develop a wartime mentality and lifestyle; that you never forget that life is short, that billions of people hang in the balance of heaven and hell every day, that the love of money is spiritual suicide, that the goals of upward mobility (nicer clothes, cars, houses, vacations, food, hobbies) are a poor and dangerous substitute for the goals of living for Christ with all your might and maximizing your joy in ministry to people’s needs.

~ 'A Prayer for Women' by John Piper

A New Year

I am the new year.
I am unused, unspotted, without blemish.
I stretch before you three hundred and sixty-five days long.
I will present each day in its turn, a new leaf in the book of life for you to place upon it your imprint.
I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.
I am your next chance at the art of living.
I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.
Each hour of every day, I will give you sixty minutes that have never known the use of man.
White and pure I present them; it remains for you to fill them.
With sixty jewelled seconds of love, hope, endeavour, patience and trust in God.
All that you sought and did not find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination.
All the good that you tried for and did not achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.
All that you dreamed but did not dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have -- these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose.
I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Him who said, "Behold, I make all things new."
I am the new year. I am here -- but once past, I can never be recalled.
Make me your best!

~ Author Unknown