Month: May 2020

Fight the Good Fight

Too many of us are spiritually flabby,
often avoiding spiritual conflict
instead of facing it. That was not
the apostle Paul’s style, nor was
it John Monell’s (1811-1875).
Morsell was a gifted Anglican
clergyman who could hold his
congregation spell-bound as
he spoke and who advocated
“more fervent and joyous singing
In his church. He once said: We
sing but not as we should, to
Him who is the chief among ten
thousand, the altogether lovely.

Lord, we’ll Fight the Good Fight:
Pursue righteousness and a
godly life, along with faith, love,
perseverance and gentleness.
Fight the good fight for the true
faith. Hold tightly to the eternal
life to which God has called you,
which you have confessed so well
before many witnesses (1Tim 6:11-12)

Lord, going through life journey,
there will be battles and there will
be challenges. Help me not grow
weary in the battles I face but
continually seek You Lord to fight
the good fight on my behalf. Give
me faithfulfulness and perseverance.
Thank You Lord for Your promise of
eternal life in Your presence. Amen.

Lord, Speak to me in the quiet
moments each day & minister to
my needy soul. Remind me to turn
to You and choose Your better way.
Say a word to encourage amidst
the challenge that faces me.
Shout a word of warning when
I wander away from You path. And
Stay close Lord that I may hear the
things You say to me, and learn to
trust Your in all I do and say. Amen.

Fight the good fight with
all thy might! Christ is thy
strength and Christ thy right.
Lay hold on life and it shall be
Thy joy and crown eternally…
Run the straight race through
God’s good grace; Lift up
thine eyes and seek His face.
Life with its way before us lies;
Christ is the path & Christ the prize..
Faint not nor fear, His arms
are near; He changeth not,
and thou art dear.
Only believe and Thou shall see
That Christ is all in all to Thee. Amen

Take Time to Be Holy

Backgrounder: William Longstaff
of England heard a sermon on
the text:Be ye holy, for I am holy,
and wrote down what holiness
meant to him. A businessman
at heart, Longstaff wrote no
pious sounding verses but down
to earth thoughts and appeared
in Christian newspaper in 1882.
Years later gospel composer
George Stebbins remembered
the poem when he was asked
if there was a good hymn on
living a Holy life. Retrieving
the newspaper clipping he had
saved, he set the poem to music.

Lord, we’ll take time to Be Holy.
Warn those who are lazy.
Encourage those who are timid.
Take tender care of those
who are weak. Be patient with
everyone. See that no one pays
back evil for evil, but always try
to do good to each other and
to all people. Be joyful always;
pray continually; give thanks in
all circumstances, for this is God’s
will for you in Christ (1Ths 5:14-18).

Lord Jesus, Your sacrificial love is
amazing and grateful for Yr depths
of love. Lord I truly belong to You.
But I acknowledge that I can’t
navigate this journey on my own.
Help me to be ready to do Your
will and to take up the cross daily.
And as I look up with steadfast
hope, let my will be lost in Thine.
It’s been my prayer Lord that I be
drawn nearer to You God & be able
to commune as friend with friend.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, I know it is always Your will
for me to be joyful and pray often
and give thanks in all circumstances.
Help me to remember to do Your
will even when I don’t see answers
to the prayers as I would like.
No matter what is happening
in my life, I know You Lord are
greater than anything I face.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Take time to Be Holy,
Speak off with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always,
And feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children;
Help those who are weak;
Forgetting in nothing
His blessing to seek…
Take time to Be Holy,
Let Him be thy guide,
And run not before Him
Whatever betide;
In joy or in sorrow
Still follow the Lord,
And looking to Jesus,
Still trust in His Word. Amen.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Helen Lemmel was already a noted
Christian singer on a day in 1918
when a missionary friend handed
her a tract called “Focused”. It said:
“Turn your eyes upon Him, look
full into His face and you will
find that the things of earth will
acquire a strange new dimness.”
Suddenly, she said later, I was
singing in my soul the chorus,
putting word to word to make
rhyme and note to note to make
melody. Later that year, the song
was published in London and
became a favourite at Keswick
Convention around the world.

Lord, we’ll think of things eternal:
Since you have been raised
to new life with Christ, set your
sights on the realities of heaven,
where Christ sits in the place
of honour at God’s right hand.
Think about the things of
heaven, not the things of earth.
For you died to this life, and
your real life is hidden with
Christ in God (Col 3:1-3).

Father God, open my spiritual
senses to see and know the
realities of heaven & Your kingdom.
Lord Jesus, fill my mind with eternal
thoughts and help me live effectively
as an influencer in Your kingdom.
And Holy Spirit, make me new for
only You can empower the life I am
meant to live. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Lord, help us to see with new
eyes today. Instead of troubles,
help us focus our vision on You,
the author & finisher of our faith,
the lover and keeper of our soul.
Help us to trust in the realities
of Your kingdom more than
we experience with our body.
Help us to turn our eyes upon
You and focus on things eternal.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

O soul, are you weary & troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!!!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth
will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace!!
His word shall not fail u He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell. Amen.

Day by Day God With Us

God is always with us, even during
our most painful experiences.
Carolina Sandwell Berg (1832-1903)
understood this truth personally.
As a child, she spent much time in
her father’s study & grew especially
close to him. When she was 26,
she accompanied her pastor father,
on a voyage to Goteborg Sweden.
As they stood on deck, the boat
lurched and spilled Ps Sandwell
overboard. The crew was unable
to save him and he drowned as
she looked on. Berg was already well
known for hymns she had published
as a young girl, but this tragedy
inspired many more. At the loss of
her earthly father, she drew even
closer to her Heavenly Father.
She discovered that even during
the times of greatest loss, God’s
comforting presence was near.

Lord, we abide in Your presence:
For it is God who commanded light
to shine out of darkness, who has
shone in our hearts to give the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God.
This precious treasure – this light &
power that shine within us, is held
in perishable containers, that is
in our weak bodies. So everyone
can see that the glorious power
is from God and is not our own.
We are pressed on every side by
troubles, but we are not crushed.
We are perplexed, but not driven
to despair. We are hunted down,
but never abandoned by God.
We get knocked down, but we
are not destroyed (2Cor 4:6-9).

Lord, Thank You for designing me
to be a clay jar with an amazing
treasure inside. And although the
circumstances of life may press
me down, You never abandon me.
May You Lord truly be glorified
in my weakness, in this earthen
vessel that I am. And may the life
of Christ Jesus be manifested.
In His precious name. Amen.

Lord, the forces of evil are intent
on opposing us. But thanks for
Your promises that You Lord will
not allow us to be crushed and
that You will never abandon us.
Grant me the faith, courage and
perseverance to keep following hard
after You for I want to keep going.
And I want to please You and have
an eternal impact on those around
me. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, Day by day and with each
passing moment, Strength I find
to meet my trials here; Trusting
in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear…
He whose heart is kind
beyond all measure Gives unto
each day what He deems best –
Lovingly, its part of pain & pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace & rest. Amen

Grace Greater Than Our Sin

Grace is one of the hardest lesson
for us to learn about God. Some
show their ignorance of God’s grace
by working hard to be good enough.
Others display misunderstanding
of God’s grace by concluding it’s
inaccessible to them. It’s this second
group that Julia Johnston (1849-
1919) was writing for. She knew how
important it was to understand and
experience the simple, yet difficult
truth of God’s gracious forgiveness.
Though she penned texts for more
500 hymns, this is the only one
widely known. It powerfully teaches
this essential Christian truth:
You can’t out-sin God’s grace.

Lord, thanks for Gift of Grace:
Not only that but we also rejoice
in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have
received reconciliation (Rom 5:11)
God’s law was given so that all
people could see how sinful they
are. But as people sinned more
and more, God’s Wonderful Grace
became more abundant. So just
as sin ruled over all people and
brought them to death, now God’s
Wonderful Grace rules instead,
giving us right standing with God
and resulting in eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 5:20-21)

Father, I rejoice in my relationship
with You all because of what Jesus
Christ has done for me. Having an
intimate relationship with Jesus,
the friend of sinners, allows me
to have an eternal perspective
about everything else that can
happen to me. I Praise You for
the joy such a friendship brings.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, thanks that we first receive
reconciliation and forgiveness,
and then abundance of grace.
We cannot merit or earn either
one or the other; all we have to
do is to take what You God offers.
Lord, for souls redeemed,
for sins forgiven; for means
of grace, and hopes of heaven.
Lord what can we give to You
Who gives us all? Our heart! Amen.

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin & guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured
There where blood of Lamb was spilt.
Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace
that will pardon & cleanse within,
Grace, grace, God grace, Grace
that is higher than all our sin!
Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will u this moment His grace receive?

Humble & Seek God’s Face

Backgrounder: Solomon leads
the nation in dedicating the newly
completed temple to the glory
and worship of the God of Israel.
After Solomon finished praising
God for unfailing promises,
the glory of God fills the temple.
But there is cause for concern.
By night, God appears to Solomon
to warn him that if the nation fails
to remain true to God, He will
uproot the people from their
homeland & destroy the temple.

Dear Lord, we learn from the first
quarter of 2nd Chronicles that You
want Your people to worship You.
We recognise that though we are
the temple of the Holy Spirit, we’re
fresh & blood with the fallen nature.
Lord, grant us grace to live rightly.
Lord, we’ll Seek Your Forgiveness.
Lord, we’ll Pray & Seek Your Face.
Lord, we’ll Be Your Witnesses…
Father in Your mercy come heal
our land; Lord heal our land.
Hear our cry and turn our nation
back to You. Lord, heal our land,
Hear us O Lord & heal our land
Forgive our sins & heal our
broken land. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord, we Seek Your Forgiveness:
When they sin against You… yet
when they come to themselves…
and repent & make supplication
to You saying: We have sinned,
we have done wrong… and when
they return to You with all their
heart and pray, then hear their
prayers, uphold their cause and
forgive Your people who have
sinned against You. Now my God,
may Your eyes be open and
Your ears attentive to the prayers
offered in this place (2C6:36-40)
Lord, Thank You that there is
really no problem so great that
we can’t turn to You for help.
Help me to be a holy place for
Your Spirit to dwell. Forgive me
of all sin and cleanse my heart
of all unrighteousness. Nothing
is more comforting than to know
You are with me, no matter what
is happening in my life. Amen.

Lord, we will Pray & Seek Your Face:
Thus Solomon finished the house
of the Lord…Then the Lord appeared
to Solomon: I’ve heard your prayer
and chosen this place for Myself…
If my people, who are called by
my name, will humble themselves
and pray and seek my face and
turn from their wicked ways,
then will I hear from heaven
and will forgive their sin and will
heal their land (2 Chron 7:11-14).
Lord, we come humbly before You
and confess the sins of our nation.
Help us O Lord to turn from our
wicked ways and seek your face
so that You will hear our prayers,
forgive our sins and heal our land.
We need Your hand of blessing
and protection upon our country.
Pour out Your Spirit on us & work
Your righteousness in the hearts
of Your people in Antioch. Amen.

Lord, we will Be Your Witnesses:
Now when the Queen of Sheba
heard of the fame of Solomon,
she came to Jerusalem to test
Solomon with hard questions…
So Solomon answered all her
questions; there was nothing
so difficult for Solomon that
he could not explain to her…
Queen Sheba (said) to the king:
Everything I heard about your
achievements and wisdom is true!
How happy these people must be!
What a privilege for your officials
listening to your wisdom. The Lord
your God is great indeed! He delights
in you and has placed you on the
throne to rule for Him (2 Chr 9:1-8).
Lord, help us be worthy witness,
so that others see You at work.
Show us who You want us to
share Christ and shine your light.
Pray that they be open and let
our response reflect God. Amen.

Service for the Glory of God

A father’s dream becomes a son’s
delight as Solomon undertakes
his greatest architectural feat
building the temple in Jerusalem.
Great quantities of men & materials,
plus seven years of Solomon’s
life, are invested in the task of
completing the house of the Lord.
When at last the temple stands
finished with the ark of the covenant
in place, Solomon leads the people
in heartfelt praise to God. And when
they lifted up their voice with the
trumpets and praise the Lord..then
the house filled with glory of God.

Solomon achieved much in business
and government but most important
he was the man God used to build
the glorious temple. Each of us have
things that we will want to achieve.
And it’s so easy to be sidetracked
and get the wrong perspective on
what’s really important in life. Lord,
We will Worship Reverently.
We will Enquire Your Will.
We will Follow Your Word. Amen.

Lord, we will Enquire Your Will:
Solomon & the people gathered
in front of the Tabernacle to
consult the Lord… That night
God appeared to Solomon in a
dream and said: What do u want?
Ask and I will give it to you!
Solomon replied: You have been
so faithful to my father David and
now U made me a king in his place.
Give me wisdom to rule properly,
for who is able to govern this
great place of yours?…God said:
Because your greatest desire is
to help your people, I will give u
the wisdom you requested. And
I will also give u riches, wealth
and honour (2 Chron 1:5-12).
Lord, we purpose to enquire of
You to discover Your plans for us.
Grateful that whenever You give
us a new task or responsibility,
You also give us what we need
to carry it out. Help us to order
our priorities like Solomon to
put U God first in agenda. Amen.

Lord, we will Worship Reverently:
Solomon decided to build a Temple
to honour the name of the Lord…
He enlisted 70,000 labourers,
80,000 men to quarry stone…
Solomon also sent message to
King Hiram at Tyre: Send me cedar
logs as you did for my father David,
when he was building his palace.
I am about to build a Temple to
honour the name of the Lord…
This must be a magnificent Temple
because our God is awesome,
greater than any other (2C2:1-5).
Lord, we purpose to worship You
acceptably with reverence & awe.
We will place priority on worship;
expressively praise You with
adoration and excitement. And
live our daily life appropriately
to honour Your awesome name
for You deserve the best. Amen.

Lord, we will Follow Your Word:
Solomon also made a bronze altar
30 feet long, 30 feet wide and
15 feet high… He also made
ten basins to wash the offerings…
Solomon then cast ten gold
Lampstands according to the
Specifications that had been
given and put them in the Temple.
Five were placed against the
south wall, and five were placed
against the north wall (2C4:1-7).
Father God, we realise that when
You give specific instructions,
they must be followed to the letter.
Fan the flames of passion for
You Lord so that others may see
Your light inside of me. Let the
fire that burns be a steady flame,
not one that flickers in winds of
change. But let it be a light that
shines the way to You. Amen.

2 Chronicles & Prophets

As the Bible is arranged by genre,
(Laws, History, Poetry, Prophets…),
to enhance understanding context
we’re meditating by time sequence.
For clarity and simplicity sake, here’s
Old Testament Expository Phases:
OT1: Torah Laws
OT1A: Genesis
OT1B: Poetry Book of Job
OT1C: Exodus to Deut (Life of Moses)
OT2: Conquest to United Kingdom
OT2A: 1Chr (History to King David)
OT2B: Five Books of Psalms
OT2C: 1 Kings & Wisdom Poetry
OT3: Divided Kingdom & Exile
OT3A: 2 Kings & Prophets
OT3B: 2 Chronicles & Prophets
OT3C: Return From Exile & Prophets

Following coverage of Northern
Kingdom, next we move South.
The book of 2 Chronicles spans
four centuries of Judah’s history
from the glory days of Solomon
and the building of the magnificent
temple to the conclusion of the
Babylonian Exile. Following death
of Solomon, a succession of good
and bad kings rises to power. As
go the leaders, so Go the people,
until finally the spiritually bankrupt
nation is carried off into captivity.
But the final verses of 2 Chronicles
sparkle with hope. After 70 years,
the Persian King Cyrus decrees
the rebuilding of God’s house
and the return of God’s people.

We’ll cover 2 Chron over 4 weekends
under the following eight divisions:
2C1-5: Solomon’s Temple Erected
2C6-9: Solomon’s Temple Dedicated
2C10-12: Divided Kingdom
2C13-16: Asa’s Reforms
2C17-20: Jehoshaphat’s Reforms
2C21-28: Judah’s Kings & Ahaz
2C29-32: Hezekiah’s Reform
2C33-36: Judah’s Last Days

God of the Earth, Sky & Sea

Samuel Longfellow (1819-1892),
brother of the famous poet Henry
Longfellow, loved the seashore.
He once compiled a book called
Thalatta, including all the charming
bits of poetry in the language
about the sea and the seashore.
Like many of the psalms, this hymn
praises God for His involvement
in nature. Paul wrote that the
invisible qualities of God are clearly
seen in what God has created.
Longfellow echoes Paul’s message
here. God’s love, life and power
are seen in the events of nature.

Lord, we Seek U our creator master:
He is the God who made the world
and everything in it. Since He is Lord
of heaven and earth, He doesn’t live
in man-made temples, and human
hands can’t serve His needs… He
Himself gives life & breadth to every
-thing and He satisfies every need…
His purpose was for the nations
to seek after God and perhaps
feel their way towards Him & find
Him – though He is not far from
anyone of us. For in Him we live
and move and exist (Acts 17:24-28)

Lord, I know You are sitting next to
me; and that You are watching me,
even sharing Your heart with me.
For Your Word says in Acts 17:28:
In Him we live and move and exist.
Help me become a noticer of
Your presence and acknowledge
You in every situation. Help me to
see not only Your past handiwork
as Creator God, but also Your
current activity as Lord, Comforter,
Provider, Healer and Guide. Amen.

Lord Creator, Your hand is in the
inexplicable & seemingly senseless
circumstances of life. And Lord
Jesus says You are always working.
And You want us to join You in
Your work. So Lord, open our eyes
and ears to see any assignment
You God have for each one of us.
Slow me down enough to see the
opportunities You have arranged.
May I be sensitive and willing to
be Your hands and feet and fulfill
the spiritual assignment You have
for me this day. In Jesus’ name.

God of the earth, the sky, the sea,
Maker of all above below,
Creation lives and moves in Thee,
Thy present life through all doth flow..
Thy love is in the sunshine’s glow,
Thy life is in the quickening air;
When lightnings flash & storm blow,
There’s Thy power; Thy law is there..
We feel Thy calm at evening’s hour,
Thy grandeur in the march of night;
When the morning breaks in power,
We hear Thy word: Let there be light!

I Love to Tell the Story

Katherine Hankey (1834-1911)
the daughter of a British banker,
grew up in a stylish London suburb.
In her twenties, she started
Bible classes for factory girls.
When she was in her thirties, Kate
became seriously ill and doctors
said she needed a year of rest.
During her recovery, she wrote two
poems. The first became the hymn:
Tell me the Old Old Story. The second
became: I Love to Tell the Story. She
soon returned to her Bible classes
and continued teaching many years.

Lord, we’ll share the gospel story:
He commanded them not to
depart from Jerusalem, but to
wait for the Promise of the Father.
For John truly baptised with water,
but you shall be baptised with the
Holy Spirit not many days from now..
You will receive power when the
Holy Spirit comes to you. And
you will be my witnesses, telling
people about me everywhere –
in Jerusalem, in Samaria, and to
the ends of the earth (Acts 1:4-8).

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank
You for Your deep love for us;
for providing our every need; and
for Your great gift of salvation.
Dear Lord Jesus, in gratitude,
we purpose to tell of Your story.
For we cannot deny the fact that
You love us so much and that
You are so real to us. And we
want to Praise Your name, Amen.

Lord, I first learned this hymn as a
teenager. Since then ‘I love to tell
the story’ to whoever will listen.
Remember especially the 3-4 mth
period when I personally witnessed
the power of the Spirit in convicting
dozens to know the Lord Jesus.
Grateful being given the grace to be
able to live this story for some 50 yrs
Now in my 60s, I confirm the truth
of this hymn: For those who know it
still thirst to hear it like the rest.Amen

Lord, pray that more people
in SIngapore and all around the
world will do and sing this hymn.
For Jesus You love me so much
and I want to tell the world.
For Jesus You satisfy my
longings as nothing else will do.
For twill be my theme in glory
to tell the old, old story
of Jesus and His love!! Amen.

I love to tell the story of unseen
things above, Of Jesus and
His glory, of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story, because
I know ’tis true, It satisfies my
longings as nothing else would do…
I love to tell the story,
’Twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the old, old story
Of Jesus and His love…
I love to tell the story, ’tis pleasant
to repeat, What seems each time
I tell it, more wonderfully sweet.
I love to tell the story, for some
have never heard, The message of
salvation from God’s own holy Word.