Friendship

"But in Friendship, being free of all that, we think we have chosen our peers. In reality, a few years' difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another, posting to different regiments, the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting—any of these chances might have kept us apart. 

But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret Master of the Ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you," can truly say to every group of Christian friends "You have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another." 

The Friendship is not a reward for our discrimination and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each the beauties of all the others. They are no greater than the beauties of a thousand other men; by Friendship God opens our eyes to them. They are, like all beauties, derived from Him, and then, in a good Friendship, increased by Him through the Friendship itself, so that it is His instrument for creating as well as for revealing.” 

― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Jesus' Advice For Writers

As an aspiring writer, I was enthused to discover the following advice from Jesus regarding what scribes (writers) would do in my recent reading from the Gospel of Jesus Christ:-

"Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.” " -- Matthew 13: 52 (NKJV)

Inspired by this nugget of wisdom from Jesus Himself, I would venture to say that a writer brings out the best that he has learnt and kept preciously in his memory bank -- things he has learnt from way back and things that are like fresh bread from heaven.

And, the key to learning anything is a 10-letter word called UNDERSTAND which Jesus has taught when explaining the Parable of the Sower:-

"But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”" -- Matthew 13:23 (NKJV)

Interestingly, Jesus' parables involves daily chores such as farming and husbandry of which his audience in that era could identify with ease. 

Without a doubt, Jesus is a Master Teacher. As observed by Benjamin Franklin, "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."

One Thing -- A Matter of Priority

"But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” -- Luke 10:40-42

Fast forward to our present time, as with Martha, we may be distracted from laying down what we are doing to be with Jesus Christ, our LORD and KING.

While what we are doing may be important, I would infer that our priority may at times be out of alignment with Jesus' priority. This is the Son of God who spent time regularly communing with His Father while going about doing His Father's business on this earth with a clear sense of purpose, determination, discipline, direction, dedication and devotion.

We cannot afford to be so busy that we have no time to spend in the presence of Jesus who is One with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We need to catch hold of this revelation:-

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!" -- Psalm 46:10

God is still God whether we take heed or not. But, if we retreat from our distraction and rest our soul, we will know that God is with us for real and He is more majestic and glorious than what we can ever think or envision. 

And, yes, God is certain that He will be exalted among all people and throughout the earth; every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is LORD!

It is time for us to draw near to Jesus daily and eat of His Words (spiritual bread and water) which are life and spirit. 

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." -- Matthew 11:28 

Let's take heed and make it a priority to accept God's Invitation To An Abundant Life as outlined in Isaiah 55:

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, 

Come to the waters;

And you who have no money,

Come, buy and eat.

Yes, come, buy wine and milk

Without money and without price.

Why do you spend money for what is not bread,

And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

And let your soul delight itself in abundance.

Incline your ear, and come to Me.

Hear, and your soul shall live;

And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—

The sure mercies of David.

Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people,

A leader and commander for the people.

Surely you shall call a nation you do not know,

And nations who do not know you shall run to you,

Because of the Lord your God,

And the Holy One of Israel;

For He has glorified you.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found,

Call upon Him while He is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way,

And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

Let him return to the Lord,

And He will have mercy on him;

And to our God,

For He will abundantly pardon.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts.

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,

And do not return there,

But water the earth,

And make it bring forth and bud,

That it may give seed to the sower

And bread to the eater,

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void,

But it shall accomplish what I please,

And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

“For you shall go out with joy,

And be led out with peace;

The mountains and the hills

Shall break forth into singing before you,

And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,

And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;

And it shall be to the Lord for a name,

For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

It is well and good for us to come to Jesus and be blessed. When we come to Him, Jesus will speak His specific words for us which we could learn to well recognise like a sheep knowing the shepherd's voice. 

To the rich young man who had kept the commandments, Jesus had this to say to him:

"Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” " -- Mark 10:21 

God has no problem with us having wealth (look at Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), but we have a problem when we are possessed by our possessions. As explained by Jesus in Mark 10:23-31, it is hard for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God and the reason is that they tend to place their trust in riches (rather than God). 

But, with God, all things are possible. This means that with God, we can learn to trust Him and still be able to handle riches with proper stewardship; godliness with riches without losing our consecration. It is, after all, the love of money that is the root of all evil and not money, in and of itself.

May we soldier on to make our time with God (Quiet Time, church service, prayer meeting, etc) a top priority. We may then partake of King David's pursuit of God and godliness:

"One thing I have desired of the Lord,

That will I seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord

All the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of the Lord,

And to inquire in His temple." -- Psalm 27:4

Note: All Scriptures shown here are from the NKJV version.

God Helps Those Who Can't Help Themselves

'God help those who help themselves' is a mistaken theology which many an earnest Christian subscribes to. It sounds so right, but it is actually of this world and not Scriptural. Truth be told, God helps those who can't help themselves. 

When we face an impossible situation, we could try whatever is humanly possible without even seeking God's help and remain stubborn that we need to do 'something' to save ourselves by the skin of our teeth. For sure, if we can brush our teeth, then we can do it on our own without seeking God. But, if we are unable to brush our teeth, then surely we need God's help rather than struggle or strive on with our carnal wisdom.

Naaman was a powerful man of great stature. He was "commander of the army of the king of Syria" (2 Kings 5:1), but he could not rid himself of leprosy. His saving grace was the divine connection he had through his servant girl who let on there was a prophet in Israel who could help. 

When Naaman came (by faith) with his horses and chariot (think of a Rolls Royce in modern-speak) to the house of Elisha the prophet, he was expecting an audience with the prophet in person. However, he was met by a messenger who conveyed Elisha's instruction to "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” (2 Kings 5:10b)

Naaman flew into a rage as his exacting expectations were not carried out in that the prophet neither met him nor invoked the name of LORD to heal him instantly. Moreover, he reasoned that there were other rivers with better water than the Jordan. Thankfully, his servants persuaded him to obey the prophet's instructions. "So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean." (2 Kings 5:14)

When we are at our wits' end, we learn to be still and know that God is God. God helps those who can't help themselves; if Naaman could help himself, he would not have needed God's help.

Even a person who has a decent livelihood or much wealth would not be able to help himself or herself due to an incurable sickness. Consider the woman with the issue of blood. "Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped." (Luke 8:43, 44) 

The doctors couldn't cure her and she no longer had the means to pay for further medical treatment. Even if she could, there was no guarantee that they would be able to cure her. Only God could help. She recognised this and reached out (by faith) to touch the hem of His garment.

Jesus said to her,  “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” (Luke 8:48b) There is a clear distinction between being unable to help ourselves and being able to help ourselves, and we need to humbly recognise that when we are weak, God's strength is perfected in us. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

In the case of the boy with the mute spirit, his father was desperate for Jesus to intervene. "Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23, 24) Jesus cast out the deaf and mute spirit, and the boy was restored.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life; His Words are spirit and life. And, He has the power of the Holy Spirit within Him. We need the Word of God and His Holy Spirit to overcome our impossible situation. It is God who has the power to help us when we can't help ourselves. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to us. Linger in His Presence and let Him show Himself strong on our behalf. We need Him more, more than yesterday. Be blessed in Jesus' Name!

Daily Devotional -- God is Our Sun and Shield

"For the LORD God is a sun and shield;

The LORD will give grace and glory;

No good thing will He withhold

From those who walk uprightly.

O LORD of hosts,

Blessed is the man who trusts in You!" -- Psalms 84:11,12 (NKJV)

God is light and He is brighter than the sun. The sun, as we know it, lights up the earth that we live in. The sun never sleeps, as with God, in that it is ever shining even when we rotate on our axis and turn our backs to him. Moreover, the sun, among other things, gives energy and allows for photosynthesis to take place. 

To digress, as gleaned from TheFreeDictionary.com, during photosynthesis:

"A. sunlight is absorbed by chlorophyll in a leaf

 B. carbon dioxide is taken in from the air

 C. water is transported from the roots

 D. glucose is synthesized and distributed throughout the plant

 E. oxygen is released"

The sun is already awesome -- how much more awesome by far is our God who created the sun!!

I would also add the sun is highly noticeable and we have enjoyed the uplift of bright sunny days. Yet, we may at times forget to give thanks for the sun and take it for granted. Or, we may even wanna shun the sun which could eradicate the fungi or mold infecting our garment.

In Genesis 15:1, "... the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”" 

Just ponder and forget your seaside villa, Bombadier jet plane, Bugatti Veyron or Patek Phillipe Henry Graves Supercomplication which are but a speck in comparison to divine fellowship with God Himself.

Consider this sampling of the Psalmist's testimonies:

"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:2 (NKJV)

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him." Psalm 28:7 (NKJV)

Speaking of giving, we can never out-give God -- He had already given us His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. And, God is a giver of good things. Reflect deeply how significant it is for God to give us grace (mercy) and glory (honour) to those who walk uprightly.

God is the LORD of hosts. According to gotquestions.org, "The word LORD, capitalized, refers to Yahweh, the self-existent, redemptive God. The word hosts is a translation of the Hebrew word sabaoth, meaning “armies”—a reference to the angelic armies of heaven. Thus, another way of saying “LORD of hosts” is “God of the armies of heaven.” "

Indeed, how blessed is the man or woman who trusts in the LORD of hosts. After all, when all is said and done, we enter the realm of eternity with God. With wisdom, we might as well start living in the knowledge of the backing of the LORD of hosts while on earth, walk uprightly and start rehearsing for the life we are meant to live.

Living The Dream (Broken Crayon Still Colour) by Bishop Dale Bronner

The following is a sketchy recollection, with adaptation, of LIVING THE DREAM as preached by Bishop Dale Bronner at City Harvest Church on 25 June 2016 for your refreshing.

"Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. “Listen, I have had another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!” Genesis 37:9 (NLT)

The sun, moon and stars are all sources of light (and in the context of this verse they connote Joseph's parents and his eleven brothers). Even before the sun, moon and stars were created on the fourth day, light already existed for God Himself is the true source of all lights. God called light into existence on earth on the very first day. "Then God said, "Let there be light'; and there was light." Genesis 1:3 (NKJV)

The Word of God gives us light for our path. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105 (NKJV) 

You dream in living colours. Interestingly, a spectrum of light consists of seven colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet (ROYGBIV).

A dream is caught (not taught). When an idea or Word comes from God, we gotta pay attention and register it in our being. Moses took notice of the burning bush. Samuel heeded the Voice of God when he was just a boy. 

A dream is carried. Just as in pregnancy, there is a gestation period; your dream needs time to grow. You don't become successful overnight. That so-called overnight success is a result of hours and possibly years preparation. 

Don't skip (or despise) the carrying stage of your dream before it can be conveyed or delivered. Joseph kept his dream alive even when he was sold into slavery by his brothers. 

A dream is conveyed. The blessing of God is carried before it can be realised. It depends on your capacity to carry. If the blessing of God poured on you is all 3 litres and your capacity is 1 litre, you will retain that amount which you can carry. The problem is fixed in size, but you have the capacity to grow. Have a growth mindset; not a fixed mindset. You can improve with effort.

Dream preplays our future. Memory replays our past. Don't just live on memories and wake up to a nightmare. Live your dream regardless of your age. Catch a new dream. You are only as old as your last dream.

Preparation is the key to make your dream a reality. It's the idea that starts the money and not the other way round. Money follow vision. Tell it well to sell it well. You always sell from your heart. Tell it in such a way that prospects could see that you believe in the dream that you are articulating and be moved to support your dream.

Dreams are the substance of all achievements. God's answer to every problem is a person. That person is one who is at the right place at the right time doing the right thing.

Step out in faith and stand on the Word of God. The faith is worthless without the faithfulness to stick it out! "But Jesus quickly spoke to them, “Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” Peter said, “Lord, if it is really you, then command me to come to you on the water.”  Jesus said, “Come.” And Peter left the boat and walked on the water to Jesus." Matthew 14:27-29 (NCV) 

Hope is the blueprint (big picture of your dream) and faith is the building materials. People may steal your building materials, but you can replenish them. Don't let anyone steal your blueprint; guard it well.

There are three types of dreamers:

1. Those who wish for it.

2. Those who wait for it.

3. Those who work for it.

Has God asked us to do anything that was easy?

God brought life out of frustrated womb. Consider Sarah giving birth to Isaac, Hannah giving birth to Samuel and Elizabeth giving birth to John the Baptist. These were miraculous births made possible by the spoken Word of God. Don't let your dreams frustrate you; hold on to your hope.

The Word of God came in a vision to Abraham and proclaim that God is his shield, his exceedingly great reward. "And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. Genesis 15:4-6 (NKJV)

According to scientists, there are about 10 sextillion stars and 5 sextillion grain of sands. God showed Abraham the full magnitude of his promised son in the heavens as well as down here on earth.

Faith is the vision of God. You show what you are waiting on by what you are working on. Dream requires risk; risk requires faith; faith requires the Word of God; and the Word requires your undivided attention. Dream in living vivid colours; the clearer the dream the better so that your whole being can align with it. Your mind cannot differentiate between a dream and reality. When we are asleep, the unfolding events in a nightmare is as if they are real to our brain.   

Bishop Bronner drew two revelations from his granddaughter's broken crayon. Firstly, you got nothing to share unless you have been broken. Secondly, there is still as much efficacy in a broken crayon; broken crayon still colour. 

Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our life of faith. Let's keep our hope, our dream alive in vivid colours. It may have been broken along the way, but broken crayon still colour the same. Keep standing on the promises of God and work with Him as you keep pursuing your dream.

[Feel free to check out The Ink Room, if you are interested to purchase a CD copy of this sermon.]