Recently, I've been facing lots of temptations. Temptations to steal. My housemates leave their doors open and since I stay on the school compound, it would not be easy to suspect who did it. I've been eyeing some of the laptops around. The Sony Viao is not a cheap laptop, at least $3000-$4000 and works pretty well as well as looks nice. For me to have taken it is would have been so easy. Just walk into a room when no one is around and take the laptop back to my room and recustomize it. What if i get caught? Well, I've walked in and touched it and then walked back out. What drove me to walk in? I'm human and it's human nature. What brought me back out? God's spirit in me told me that it was not right.

How did I counter the temptation? First, I told someone trustworthy and also in the faith that I was tempted to steal and that I knew it was not right and like 50/50 did and did not. Second, I prayed consistantly in tongues and I thought how easy it was for Jesus to sin as a man and be tempted but yet He stood strong.

This was about a week ago. This week while I was reading Hebrews in my quiet time, I found a passage which really spoke to me. Hebrews 4:15"For we do not have a high priest who is unale to sympathize with our weakness, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin."

Let this be our encouragement as we walk away from sin and temptation as children of God.

In His Love
Yao Qun

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Hi to all. First let me say that I am glad I've worked on the new layout and can once again get this blog up and running. I hope some of you will step forward to help me run it and keep us posted. Let's keep in contact through this blog since I can't really see you for the next 6 months.

In God's Love
Yao Qun

footprints in the sand 7:24 AM

Daily Devotion for Wednesday 25th October
Keep Watching

Read Matthew 24:23-44 (Then if anyone says to you, 'Look! Here is the Messiah!' or 'There he is!'--do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Take note, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, 'Look! He is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look! He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. "Immediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see 'the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven' with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.")

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 118:24 (NRSV)
THE night was clear, and we had a great view of the Fourth of July fireworks - huge, colorful spirals that exploded into larger circles and shapes we had never seen before. We overheard conversation about the spectacular finish. When multiple rockets went off in an extravagant display, someone would exclaim excitedly, "It's the grand finale!" only to be proven wrong by more bursts of colorful light across the sky.

Just as with us when we were watching the fireworks, we don't know the time of God's "grand finale" at the end of time. In fact, the Bible tells us that no one can know this. So why do some people devote so much attention to it? Sometimes this world seems so troubling that we may long for the future world God promises. But trusting in God doesn't mean only that we believe things will work out well in the end. Our faith and hope can bring joy and peace in our present circumstances.

Jesus was clear that the day and hour of his return are unknown. He was not telling us just to be ready for a specific time yet to come but to be ready all the time - right now - so that we can enjoy God's amazing display of every day. William Kirklin (Indiana, U.S.A.)


Dear Lord, give us such confidence in you that we spend each day in praise, giving thanks for the beauty you have created around us. Amen.

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Daily Devotion for Tuesday 24th October
Temporary . . .

READ: 1 Peter 1:3-9 (Praise to God for a Living Hope 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.)
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials. — 1 Peter 1:6

Some things we accomplish in life require intense commitment for a short time — and the result has lifelong value.
Think, for instance, of people who earn a doctorate in their chosen field. Those diligent people set aside other goals and dedicate their time, money, skills, and hard work for a period of time so they can achieve something that in 50 years will still be attached to their names. Temporary intense effort results in a lifetime of honor.

In 1 Peter, the apostle described an exchange of tough times for good results. In this case, Peter was not talking about formal education, though we could call it the school of hard knocks. He was writing about the temporary tough times that come into our lives even though we haven't chosen them, and he indicated that they can have lasting benefit. We rejoice during our trials, not for the trial itself but for the coming glory and honor, which is permanent.
Tough times can bring pain and sadness—and they don't seem to promise any good news at all. But Peter told us to "greatly rejoice" in them (1:6-7). He wanted us to look ahead to the forever joy that is promised—a joy that will help us understand the temporary tough times. — Dave Branon
Be this the purpose of my soul,My solemn, my determined choice:To yield to God's supreme control,And in my every trial rejoice. — Anon.
We can endure this life's trials because of the next life's joys

footprints in the sand 7:04 AM

Administrative Matters
Hi, I just want to take a quick poll of this blog. Who finds the daily devotions useful? Please reply via the tagboard. I am also looking for someone to take over the posting of devotionals (i will provide to you) while Jiehuan is taking his O levels.

Thanks
God bless

Yao Qun

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Daily Devotion for Monday 23rd Oct
Done!

READ: John 19:25-30 (25Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. The Death of Jesus
28Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.)
When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" — John 19:30
So many of our hopes and dreams remain unfulfilled. Composer Franz Schubert departed this world leaving behind his "Unfinished Symphony." Similarly, prolific author Charles Dickens was unable to fully develop the plot of his novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
We too undoubtedly have aspirations that we will be unable to fulfill. But what a blessing to know that the work of our redemption was totally and perfectly accomplished by Jesus on the cross.
The last words of Jesus, "It is finished," are actually a single word in the original language (John 19:30). But that word holds oceans of meaning. What Jesus gasped was "Completed!" or "Ended!" That cry from the cross announced that not only had His suffering come to an end but also His redemptive work was eternally accomplished. All that He had come to achieve in His human life was finished. Done!
We can do nothing to add to His sacrifice. Christ's self-giving death was all-sufficient. We stretch out the empty hand of faith, and God in grace puts into it the gift of eternal life.
Have you stretched out your hand of faith to receive this gift? — Vernon C Grounds
"It is finished," Jesus cried,Then on Calvary's cross He died;Christ the Lord atonement made,And sin's debt was fully paid. — Hess
Christ's sacrifice was what God desired and what our sin required.

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Daily Devotion for Tuesday 17th October
Drink Up!

READ: John 4:7-14 (7When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])
10Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
11"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"
13Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.")
Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. - John 4:14

In 1981, Ida's Pastry Shoppe in Jenison, Michigan, advertised this special offer: "Buy one of our coffee mugs for $4.79 and fill up your cup for a dime each time you visit."
But the owners never expected that 25 years later, four longtime customers would still be getting their cup of java every day -for 10 cents.

You won't find many deals like that anymore. But Jesus offered something far greater to the woman at the well (John 4:10). He said, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but . . . the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life" (vv.13-14).
The woman at the well was ready to listen. None of her many personal relationships had ever filled up her emptiness. Then Jesus offered her "water" that would soothe her parched life and give her something more¡ªthe promise of eternal life.
That same promise is ours as well. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).

God's grace and love come from a bottomless reservoir. Drink from the water He offers, and you will never thirst again. - Cindy Hess Kasper
Gracious and Almighty Savior,Source of all that shall endure,Quench my thirst with living water,Living water, clear and pure. - Vinal
Only Jesus, the Living Water, can satisfy the thirsty soul

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Daily Devotion for Monday 16th September
The Universe Is God's

READ: Psalm 104:31-35 (31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works-
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
33 I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD.
35 But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more. Praise the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD. )
He touches the hills, and they smoke. - Psalm 104:32

Rising 6.3 miles from its base on the ocean floor and stretching 75 miles across, Hawaii's Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on Earth. But on the surface of the planet Mars stands Olympus Mons, the largest volcano yet discovered in our solar system. The altitude of Olympus Mons is three times higher than Mt. Everest and 100 times more massive than Mauna Loa. It's large enough to contain the entire chain of the Hawaiian islands!
Long ago, David looked up at the night skies and stood in awe at the wonder of his Creator's universe. He wrote, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork" (Ps. 19:1).

But the stars and the sky were not all that stirred the wonder of ancient writers. Earthquakes and volcanoes also inspired awe for the Creator. Psalm 104 says, "[God] looks on the earth, and it trembles; He touches the hills, and they smoke" (v.32).
As space probes explore more of our solar system, they will continue to discover unknown wonders. But whatever they find is the work of the same Creator (Gen. 1:1).
The wonders of the universe should move us to praise God, just as they moved a shepherd boy long ago as he gazed up at the heavens (Ps. 8:3-5). - Dennis Fisher

I sing the mighty power of GodThat made the mountains rise,That spread the flowing seas abroadAnd built the lofty skies. - Watts
All of creation bears God's autograph

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Word from me

Hi to all of you, sorry that I've not been active on this site, I've been readjusting to life in England. Classes are fine. I'm currently working on bringing 3 people to church in my school and actively reaching out to a few others. There are many new students this year, a lot of them from Europe. I'm also trying to start a christian fellowship here. I just want to encourage you all in this time of exams with this word from Isiah 40:31 'but they that wait upon the Lord whall reknew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.' Keep each other in prayer and uphold one another.

God bless you

Yao Qun

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Daily Devotion for Monday 25th September
Why Worship?

I will worship God today, because it is good and right to do so.
I will worship God today, not because of what it will do for me, or because it is popular, or because it is Sunday, or because I like the worship music, but for the simple reason that I was made to do this. To worship God is what I am here for.

Worship is not an asset. It is not an added benefit to my life like working out or taking vitamins. Nor is it a secret formula that will add a deeper dimension to my life. Worship is the air I breathe. It is the blood pumping through my veins. It is the cells in my body that reproduce and keep me alive for this. Everything else I do is extemporaneous. To worship God is the root of my being.

Remember the pet rock craze? Or canned air? Or rain in a jar? Or anything else so basic that someone tries to make a buck off of packaging, in a clever way, what everyone already has for the taking? Certain aspects of worship today have become so popular that it sometimes seems like it's being packaged and sold. That's not worship. Worshiping God is a state of mind that is accessible to all of us all the time. It is not a means to an end; it is the end itself.

The Westminster Catechism says that the "chief end" of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. That's another way of saying it is the most important thing we were created to do. And if it's that important, then it is accessible to everybody, all the time.

The Lord our God is one God, and we will love him and worship him because of who he is and who we are. It is good and right to do so. It is arrogant not to do so. We are his creatures; he is the creator. We are the sheep of his pastures; he is the shepherd. We are mere people; he is God. To do anything but worship him is to inadvertently put us in his place, and I don't think anyone really wants to be there.

By the way, we are not the only ones worshiping. The psalmist says that the trees of the field clap their hands, the mountains break forth into singing, and the heavens are constantly declaring the glory of God.
That's a heck of a lot of noise going on out there, if we could just hear it.

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footprints in the sand 8:33 PM

Daily Devotion for Tuesday 19th September
What Jesus would do

"Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him." (John 13:3-5 NLT)

He could do anything; so he served. What a radical thing.

This is a highly unusual cause and effect and one that sets Jesus apart from the rest of us. Here you have described what secular sources today would call the ultimate in self-realization. Jesus knew who he was, where he came from, and where he was going. Oh, and on top of that, he had authority over everything. "So ..." and what follows is the last thing we would expect. Put this level of confidence and authority in the mind of any average human being and I don't think the natural consequence would be to see this person purposely taking on a servant' role.

So what does this say to the rest of us? It says we need to do the radical thing. We need to use our personal gains to serve others.

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Daily devotion for Monday 18th September
Spritual Soul Food

"When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty." (Jeremiah 15:16)

Anorexia and bulimia are mind-crippling diseases that only function where food is plentiful. There are way too many starving people on this Earth, but most of them can't help it. Where they live there is not enough food to go around. It is ironically tragic that people can starve to death in the midst of plenty.

What happens in the physical world is almost always an illustration of something like it in spiritual realms. And in spiritual terms, there is nothing more tragic than to have Christians starving spiritually with an overabundance of Bibles and teachers everywhere.

I don't know a lot about anorexia and bulimia, but I do know that they are fueled by a culture that glorifies being thin, and that those who purposely starve themselves have a false view of themselves as being overweight. They look in the mirror and see a fat person regardless of how thin they are.

The spiritual implications are obvious here as well. Our culture is awash in its own shallowness. We even glory in it. Shallowness and stupidity are celebrated in many of our most popular movies. I worry that as democracies begin to flourish around the world, it seems that the lifestyle of American culture goes along with them through the power of music and entertainment. We are exporting our own emptiness. And yet when we look at ourselves in a spiritual way, we look fat with so much cultural Christianity. Never in history has a culture looked more Christian while being so spiritually dead. We are, indeed, the spiritually anorexic.

What changes this picture is a commitment to the truth of God's Word and a constant diet of it in our spiritual lives. And you have to do this yourself. No one can save an anorexic person; each has to decide to eat. The Word of God is spiritual soul food, and if you are spiritually starved, that's only because you are not eating. We need to get a more realistic view of ourselves. We may look fat to ourselves, but in truth, we are thin, near death, and we need to eat - and food is plentiful. Just pick up your Bible and eat.

The Purpose Driven Life is no substitute for the Word of God. It is designed to help you get into the word and enjoy it. Don't ever think that because you fulfilled the 40 days of purpose that you don't have to eat anymore. That's what these devotionals are for - to help remind us all of the fact that our spiritual lives need daily attention.

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Daily devotion for Wednesday 13th September
Growing through Regret

Where does character come from? For one thing, it comes from hardship. "We can rejoice, too," said Paul, "when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us - they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us ...." (Romans 5:3-4)

I think it is safe to say there is no way to have character without pain, failure, and hardship. Sometimes we short-circuit what God is trying to build in us because we avoid these things or we refuse to face up to our shortcomings or our sins.

In the movie Big Kahuna, a young Baptist fresh out of Christian college played by Peter Facinelli is on his first business trip with two co-workers played by Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito. The young Baptist is admirable, working hard to stay true to his Christian convictions amidst Spacey's foul-mouthed cynicism and DeVito's honest questions about God. Though the young Baptist's faith is sincere, it is untested, and as Danny DeVito points out, it hasn't yet touched the whole of his life. The character played by DeVito is actually closer to truly knowing God than the young Baptist in that he is searching and asking all the right questions.

In a final scene, DeVito makes a stinging observation of the young Christian. He tells Bob that in his opinion, though he is sincere, he has no character, and the reason he has no character is that he hasn't lived long enough to regret anything. To which Bob replies, as I would have at his age because I had the same perception of myself then, "You mean I have to do something I'll regret in order to have character?"

"No Bob," says Danny DeVito, "you have plenty of things to regret. You just don't know what they are."
We are all in the process of finding out who we are in Christ, but part of that also includes finding out just how far we have to go to get there. It's a painful process, but the more we avoid it, the more we deny the very thing that will build character in us and cause us to grow. We grow from facing the truth about ourselves, even when that truth is something regrettable. There is no shortcut to the character that comes from the pain of confession and the joy of being saved. And this is a daily occurrence.

Pray that God will open your eyes to the things that will build character into your life. Ask God to show you what he wants to teach you about yourself today, even if it's something you might regret.

footprints in the sand 9:40 PM

Soccer event on 17th September Sunday

As most of you're should know by now that this coming sunday (17th september), JT is hosting a soccer event. This event will take place after service, and we need at least 5 people to represent our cell. So whoever who wants to play, please state so in the tagboard.

jiehuan

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Daily Devotion for Monday 11th September

God of no accidents

"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken."(2 Corinthians 4:8 NLT)

Today is a day of infamy that has now joined a handful of other days where you can ask the question, "Where were you when you first heard about ..." Depending on your age, you could insert JFK's or Martin Luther King's assassination there, or Pearl Harbor, or perhaps the Challenger space shuttle disaster. But most of us can remember exactly where we were and what we were doing five years ago today, the day we know now simply as 9/11.

According to a message I received a couple of years ago via e-mail, there are a number of people who are grateful for what they were doing that day that made them late for work. From stopping for donuts, or getting stuck in traffic, or having a car that wouldn't start, to spending extra time with a son's first day in kindergarten, or answering that last telephone call instead of going out the door, every one of these people had a split-second decision or an aggravation that kept them from being at work on time at the World Trade Center in New York, Sept. 11, 2001.

One man apparently was late to work because he stopped in at a drug store to buy a Band-Aid for his foot, which was smarting over a new pair of shoes. That is why he is alive today.

So now when you are stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone - all the little things that annoy you - think about how this may be exactly where God wants you to be at this very moment. It may even mean your life.

God is infinitely meticulous. He is aware of every detail of our lives and is even working out his will in the midst of them. From our perspective, our lives are full of "accidents" and "coincidences." God has no use for either of these words in his vocabulary.

So the next time your morning seems to be going wrong - you can't find the car keys, or you hit every traffic light red - remember that God has a plan that takes into account all these things. Every little detail, every breath you take, is a part of God's knowledge about you today. It's all about knowing and believing that there are bigger things at work in our lives than what we can see. God's plans continue to go forward in spite of the unthinkable. Someday we will discover all the events of our lives woven into an intricate tapestry that brings nothing but glory to God.

Who knows what life's little aggravations (or even its big ones) might mean for you today?

footprints in the sand 2:49 PM

Daily Devotion for Thursday 7th September

In the company of sinners

In The Purpose Driven Life, ministry has been described as serving the needs of believers; mission has been described as serving the needs of those who are not presently Christians. The latter may present a problem for some. You can't really serve someone if you don't know them, but being a in relationship with those who aren't Christians can be dangerous. Old habits and old ways of life can come back to haunt you when you are around people who don't share your desire to follow Christ.

For this reason it may be necessary for some to keep only Christian friends for a season, but the goal for us all is to be stronger than this. God didn't save us and leave us on Earth to band together and live nice, safe little Christian lives until he returns or we die, whichever comes first. We are here to share the good news of God's forgiveness with those who don't know about it yet, and we can't do that without getting close to people who need it. We need to be close enough to people to know them, love them, and serve them without judging them or losing our own hold on Christ.

How will we do this? A couple suggestions to think about today:

1. Don't ever forget you are a sinner in need of salvation. This will help keep you from a self-righteous and judgmental attitude. We never have a perfect day; we encounter our own need to be saved all the time. We all sin and fall short of God's glory. We lead people to Christ not by reaching down to them but as one thirsty person bringing another to water.

2. Remember that sin entraps everyone. Your friends who aren't Christians may very well have a soft heart toward God and the truth but it may be covered up by a host of things the enemy uses to blind us like fear, failure, addictions, and all sorts of false-coping mechanisms. Success, power, and wealth can blind you as well. We need to ask God for the ability to look past all these distractions to the heart, because at the heart, everyone is hungry for God. We were created that way.

Lord, teach us to see people as you see them. May we not give in to the things that once entrapped us. Make us keen to the lie and hungering for the truth today, and help us to find it even in those who don't know you. Remind us that we are all children when it comes to you, even the toughest among us. Show us how to love everyone and stay true to you

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Daily Devotion for Monday 4th September

Servant Material

One of the prerequisites for being a servant of God is to think like a servant. This would be fine if it wasn't so hard. We are all naturally wired to think only of ourselves. Learning to give preference to others is one of the true marks of a Christian because it is so contrary to human nature.

That's why desiring it comes from God, and doing it comes through the Holy Spirit.
Paul said of Timothy: "I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares for your welfare. All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ." Philippians 2:20, 21 NLT

Hidden in these verses is the secret to making an attitude of servanthood a part of your thinking. It starts with Jesus. When you fall in love with Jesus, you focus on him and worship him. As you do this, you find out about him - you get to know him as you would a friend - and soon you come to know what matters to him, until finally you start to realize that what matters to him, matters to you. This is not just a factor of familiarity either. There is a supernatural element at work here as well. What matters to Jesus connects with the Holy Spirit in you, and the Spirit answers from deep inside you to the call of truth.

Other people mattered deeply to Jesus. He could read their hurt and pain. Scripture says he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Well where did that grief and sorrow come from if it didn't come from the suffering of people around him? In other words, he was carrying their grief. He was empathizing with their sorrow. Once a woman touched him in a desperate need to be healed, and he could feel the compassionate power go from him even though he didn't see who touched him in the press of the crowd. He was that sensitive to the needs of those around him.

Now truly, thinking like a servant doesn't automatically make you one, but it goes a long way toward getting you there. If you are thinking like a servant, you are noticing other; and the more you are aware of others, the more the Holy Spirit can use you in reaching out to them. All this increases the opportunity for the Gospel; people are simply not used to being served.

Take it from me, a guy who is not by any stretch servant material, it's actually a relief to get off my most popular subject - me - and on to someone else. Ask God to help you think like a servant today, and who knows, maybe you'll get a chance to be one.

footprints in the sand 4:06 PM

Daily Devotion for Monday 28th August
Give More--Not Less
There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that with holdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. ¨C (Proverbs 11:24)When money gets tight, it's always a temptation to cut down on your giving. After all, it seems like the logical thing to do. Don't do it! You'll end up cutting off the flow of God's financial blessings just when you need them most. I faced that kind of situation just a few years ago. This ministry had fallen behind financially--one million dollars to be exact. Gloria and I had been living by faith for 20 years at that time. We knew firsthand that God would meet our needs--"according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19).

We'd seen God prove that over and over again, not only in our personal lives but in the life of our ministry as well. Yet this particular time, all the prayers and the faith that had brought us victory before just didn't seem to get the job done. In fact, as time went on, the situation grew worse instead of better. By the end of the year our deficit had grown to be a million dollars. Frustrated and weary, I finally went to God one day and laid the situation out before Him. "Lord," I said, "You see the condition of this ministry. I need a million dollars just to break even." "Oh no, you don't!" the Lord replied. I could hardly believe it. How could He possibly be telling me that I didn't need a million dollars? Hadn't He looked at the books? Hadn't He talked to my accountant? I was stumped. All I could figure was that I'd misunderstood something. So I went through it all again. Again He said, "Oh no, you don't." Despite my initial confusion, as I kept asking and listening, I began to understand what the Lord was telling me. He was saying that the red ink on the books wasn't the only thing wrong. There was a bigger problem behind it. Then He showed me what I needed to do was to start giving ten percent of the ministry's income into ministering to the poor. To the natural mind that looked like no solution at all. How do you solve a deficit by giving away what money you've got? But when I applied that solution, the million dollar deficit began to disappear.

Remember that next time the devil tries to put the squeeze on you. Break his hold on your finances by giving more instead of less. It won't be long until the prosperity of God is poured out on you!Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 17:1-16

footprints in the sand 9:39 AM

Daily Devotion for Wednesday 23 Aug
Give God a Way In

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land. – (Malachi 3:11-12)

God is vitally interested in your finances. He wants to multiply and protect them. But He won't be able to--unless you open the door for Him to do it. How? Through tithing. When you tithe, you give God the legal right to intervene in your financial affairs, to bless you richly, and to defend you against the destruction the devil brings. When you tithe, you lay a foundation for success and abundance. You establish deposits with God you can draw on when you need them. But don't wait until your back is against the wall to start. Begin now. Start developing your faith when things are going well by meditating on the blessing God's Word promises you as a tither.

Learn to act on that Word now, and when Satan tries to put you in a financial corner, he'll fail. His power over you financially will have already been broken. Because you've established yourself on the covenant of God, Satan will have no chance against you. God will rebuke him for your sake. If you haven't yet opened the door and given God a way into your finances, don't wait any longer. Do it today. Then, when the pressures of tomorrow come, you'll be prepared and protected by the special privileges that are guaranteed to those who tithe.Scripture Reading: Hebrews 7:1-9

footprints in the sand 9:29 AM

Living A Holy Life for Christ

Reflecting on Ps Khong's sermon this Sunday, I realized something very true. Living a holy life is impossible. Yes! It is IMPOSSIBLE!! To live according to God's instruction through the apostle Paul in Colossians 3: 1-17

"1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."


To follow any one of these guidelines is not natural, how long can you go by your will without slandering, or being filled by greed/lust/evil desires/impurity? Not long right? If this is so isn't it going to be impossible for us to live to God's standard?

NO.

It is impossible with our human bodies and human minds, but with God's strength through us, we have the ability to do all things. It is a supernatural task for a natural being like us, empowered by a supernatural God. Why is it possible? Paul writes in Phillipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

How can we achieve this holiness in life? There are 3 steps I want to give to you.

First, you have to want it. You have to desire it in your life and not just let it be words but let the wanting for this come from deep in your heart. For when it comes from your heart, it will come from your mind as well.

Second, you need to seek God and ask Him for it. Jesus said in Luke 11:9

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

It is not enough to just want it, as I mentioned earlier, it is a humanly impossible task, but if we ask God, He will grant us our desire and enpower us with the strength to live a holy life. Trust me, I am not boasting when I say I have a very strong will. I do. I have a very strong will power, but take it from me, it is IMPOSSIBLE to live a holy life just based on your own strength.

Third, we have to live a holy life. It is not enough to just ask God for something. You have to try your best to do it as well. The effort is 100% God and 100% man. I like this line that Ps Seng Lee said on Sunday: "Without God, Man cannot; but, without Man, God will not". No effort is 100% your doing, it is always God behind you pushing you along, carrying you through. It is only through His grace that you are where you are today.

Put off your old self. You have to die to this world. As Jesus prayed in John 17: 6-19 for His disciples that they would be in this world but not of it. In other words, to segregate themselves from the evil in this world and be a light shining unto others. By seperating yourself from this world, it does not mean you keep to yourself and be anti-social. You have to know your limits. For instance, if your friends are going to a club where there is going to be drinking, if you know you don't have the self control to fight that vice, don't go with them. But be a blessing to them in your daily life. You have to be willing to sacrifice the things of this world for Christ. Will you lay down your life to do His work? How far are you willing to follow Him. (Read Matt 8:21-23)

Put on God's desired being for you. Every morning when you wake up, look in the mirror and say to yourself:" I am God's beloved." It is true. In Genesis, God made Man in His own image. Put on the character of Jesus everyday let others see Jesus in you. When you go to school, through the way you carry yourself, your classmates may not know Jesus, but they will see something different in you. When you are at home, put Jesus' character on, your family will say: "WOW! That's Jesus."

Indeed, you can be a blessing to those who do not know Jesus personally. Will you live a holy life for God?

Pray: "Our heavenly Father, hallowed be Your name. This day, I invite You into my life and proclaim You as Lord and King. Jesus, enpower me with Your supernatural strength and help me to live a live which speaks a testimony for You. Lord Jesus, forgive me for all my past sins and earthly desires. Help me Lord, to put on Jesus every day, and to be a light shining in the darkness. God, I am a willing vessel for You to fill. I surrender everything to You. I am Yours. In Jesus name I pray, Amen."

Yao Qun

footprints in the sand 2:58 PM

Daily Devotion for Monday 21Aug
A Life-changing Process
Read Psalm 119:129-136 (Your decrees are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. With open mouth I pant, because I long for your commandments. Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your custom toward those who love your name. Keep my steps steady according to your promise, and never let iniquity have dominion over me. Redeem me from human oppression, that I may keep your precepts. Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes. My eyes shed streams of tears because your law is not kept.)

The psalmist wrote, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." - Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

I had always thought myself a Christian. Raised in a Christian home, I attended church regularly and accepted Christ as my Savior. But one thing I had never done was read the Bible through completely. Occasionally, I would pick it up and read passages, but mostly it gathered dust on my bookshelf.
When I retired in 2002, I began a study of world history and geography that motivated me to begin reading a study Bible some friends had given me. I soon realized that though I attended church I had never completely turned my life over to God. I had idols like job, money, and perfection - things I never thought of as idols. I realized too that I still suffered guilt from past sins.
Reading the Bible has given me greater strength, understanding, and peace. I realize that being a Christian means making God the center of my life. Reading the Bible has been a life-changing process for me, and I continue to rely daily on its message of hope and salvation. Norene R. Stephenson (Pennsylvania, U.S.A.)

Pray: Thank you, O God, for speaking to us through the words of the Bible. Amen.

footprints in the sand 11:44 AM

God's Love For Us

This is a link to Jon Wong's page (from Ps Hee Guan's 12) showing an "inspirational video". I just thought I'd add some comments on the video. It is actually quite thought provoking in the way of our relationship with God. After watching it, I've realized that actually, like this video shows, while we are helpless and "useless" to God, our Father still perseveres and pushed us through our race of life. He helps us to "fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith"2 Timothy 4:6-8

Well, enough said, here's the link.

http://captnj.blogspot.com/2006/08/inspirational-video.html

P.S. I'm going to reformat the page, not in layout, but that the announcements and prayer requests are more easilly visable.

Yao Qun

footprints in the sand 10:42 PM

Daily Devotion for Friday, 18 Aug
Whose Prisoner?
READ: Ephesians 3:1-9 (Paul the Preacher to the Gentiles 1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles 2Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. 6This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
7I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. 8Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.)
This grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. Ephesians 3:8

A story is told of Scottish minister Alexander Whyte, who was able to look at the bleakest situation and yet find something to be thankful for. On a dark Sunday morning when the weather was freezing, wet, and stormy, one of his deacons whispered, "I am sure the preacher won't be able to thank God for anything on a day like this. It's absolutely horrible outside!"The pastor began the service by praying, "We thank Thee, O God, that the weather is not always like this."
The apostle Paul also saw the best in every situation. Consider his circumstances as he wrote to the church in Ephesus while he awaited trial before the Roman emperor Nero. Most people would have concluded that he was a prisoner of Rome. But Paul saw himself as a prisoner of Christ. He thought of his hardship as an opportunity to bring the gospel to the Gentiles.
These words of Paul should challenge us: "To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ"(Ephesians 3:8). Paul, a prisoner of Christ, saw himself as being given the privilege to serve God and present the riches of Christ to many.
Whose prisoner are we? - Albert Lee

Afflictions may test me,They cannot destroy;One glimpse of Thy love Turns them all into joy.
The trials that imprison you need not limit God's work in you.

Yao Qun

footprints in the sand 10:57 AM

Just Some Thoughts

This is not a daily devotion which i have been posting daily, this isn't even a "cell message" it's just something i just thought of and would like to share with all of you.

Is Jesus really Lord of your life?

Over the last 2 weeks, i have been having a very tough time emotionally and i felt that God was very far away. I felt as if God didn't care and i questioned myself and even God, "God, are you there? Why are you putting me through this? Why me?"

"Why me?" i'm sure it's a question many of you ask many many times especially when you go through a rough patch in your life. Correct me if i'm wrong.

The week of 24/7 prayer chain that our church carried out in TC auditorium every night, i went. Sometimes i saw people i knew there and others i went alone. Then the following wednesday came the EJ144 Youthnet Leaders meeting and again i went for that. The day before national day, i went to the indoor stadium for the Love Singapore churches prayer meeting. I can't say i wasn't blessed by any of these meetings and it's not like anyone forced me to go, i went of my own accord. During the week of 24/7 prayer, i felt the closest to God i'd been for a while and was very blessed, but following that week all my emotional turmoil started.

Details i will not give, but over 2 sundays when i went to church and listened to Pastor Khong's sermon, i just realised that God did not leave me or forsake me, rather He was always there and it was me who let my own human problems stand in the way of my relationship with Him. If i wanted my life to be better, i would have to take the step towards God.

Life is still not what I want it to be, but i've chosen to surrender my desires to our Maker and let Him choose the life He wants me to lead. On my part, i'm just going to live the holiest life i can and be a living testimony for others to see, starting right now...


Yao Qun

footprints in the sand 9:29 AM

Daily Devotion for Thursday 17 Aug
Lessons From Mom

READ: Romans 1:8-16 (Paul's Longing to Visit Rome 8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
11I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong, 12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. 13I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
14I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome.
16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.)
I am ready to preach the gospel to you. ¡ª Romans 1:15

Dementia was slowly taking Mom Cetas from us. And there was nothing my husband or I could do to keep her from slipping away.
In those difficult days, Mom taught us many lessons. She forgot how to do a number of things, but one of the things she did not forget was how to pray. Occasionally, someone would mention a problem they were having, and she'd stop right there to pray for the person's need.
She also continued to talk to others about Jesus. Those who took care of her at the nursing home said that she often asked the other residents and workers if they knew Jesus as their Savior. She wanted them to be sure that their sins were forgiven and they were going to heaven.
When I think of these qualities in Mom, I think of Romans 1. The apostle Paul remembered the people in the Roman church always in [his] prayers (v.9). And he was ready to preach the gospel because, as he said, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes (vv.15-16).
As long as Mom Cetas was able, she kept looking to Jesus in prayer and telling others about Him. We all can learn from her example of boldness and trust in the Lord. - Anne Cetas
If we with all our heart and soulDevoutly love the Lord,We'll talk of Him to those we meetAnd share with them His Word. - Sper

Talking to Christ about others gives us the passion to talk to others about Christ.

footprints in the sand 9:16 AM

Daily Devotion for Wednesday 16 Aug
Raised in Power
Read 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 (But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. Not all flesh is alike, but there is one flesh for human beings, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one thing, and that of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; indeed, star differs from star in glory.So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.)

[Our] body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. - 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 (NIV)

MY grandmother had a garden beside her back step. As a boy, I used to hoe and work it, under her close supervision. Marigolds, one of her favorites, are a beautiful and fragrant plant. However, at the onset of the winter, they deteriorate, wither, and waste away. Their treasure, a beautiful flower, turns brown and brittle. Its life is used up, good for nothing -- or so I thought.
But every winter, my grandmother would carefully remove the ugly, dried-up remains of blooms and place them in an old coffee can in the garage. Later, as winter gave way to spring, she would bring out the old can and plant the seeds just below the surface of the wet and freshly turned soil. Soon, the flowers were reborn.

Paul writes that one day our used-up, withered bodies will become seed for something greater. We do not know what we shall be, but by faith we can look forward to being raised. This body will perish, like fruit left too long on the kitchen counter. But also it will yield itself as a seed for a spiritual body -- imperishable, everlasting, and infinitely more wonderful than the former. James Schroeder (New Jersey, U.S.A.)

Pray: Dear God, we place our faith in your promise of new life in Christ. Amen.

footprints in the sand 9:19 AM

Daily Devotion for Tuesday Aug 15
Behind The Scenes

READ: John 3:22-36 (John the Baptist's Testimony About Jesus 22After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized. 24(This was before John was put in prison.) 25An argument developed between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew[a] over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, the one you testified about, well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him."
27To this John replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ[b] but am sent ahead of him.' 29The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30He must become greater; I must become less.
31"The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God[c] gives the Spirit without limit. 35The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."[d]
Footnotes: a : John 3:25 Some manuscripts and certain Jews b; John 3:28 Or Messiah c; John 3:34 Greek he d; John 3:36 Some interpreters end the quotation after verse 30. )
He must increase, but I must decrease. - John 3:30

People around the world instantly recognize Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch from the children's TV show Sesame Street. But Caroll Spinney is not a well-known celebrity, even though he has brought both characters to life on the popular program since 1969. A skilled puppeteer, Spinney has been content to work behind the scenes.
I believe God calls every follower of Jesus to take a similar approach in making Him known to the world. John the Baptist told his listeners: "I said, I am not the Christ,but, I have been sent before Him.. . . He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:28,30). John acknowledged that he was not the bridegroom, but only His friend (v.29).

Oswald Chambers reminds us: Goodness and purity ought never to attract attention to themselves, they ought simply to be magnets to draw to Jesus Christ. A beautiful saint may be a hindrance if he does not present Jesus Christ but only what Christ has done for him; he will leave the impression "What a fine character that man is!"that is not being a true friend of the Bridegroom; I am increasing all the time, He is not.

Jesus the Savior is onstage. We must be behind the scenes. - David C. McCasland

When you share the Lord with others,See that He is on display;For the world to see Him clearly,We must not get in the way. - Sper

He who glories, let him glory in the Lord. - 2 Corinthians 10:17

footprints in the sand 9:51 AM

Daily Devotion for Monday 14 Aug
Sustained In The Silence

READ: Psalm 94:16-23 (16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?
17 Unless the LORD had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
18 When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O LORD, supported me.
19 When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.
20 Can a corrupt throne be allied with you¡ª one that brings on misery by its decrees?
21 They band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
23 He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the LORD our God will destroy them.)
In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul. ¡ª Psalm 94:19
Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) was the founder of the China Inland Mission and a great servant of God. But after the ferocious Boxer Rebellion of 1900, in which hundreds of his fellow missionaries were killed, Taylor was emotionally devastated and his health began to fail. Nearing the end of life's journey, he wrote, "I am so weak that I cannot work. I cannot read my Bible; I cannot even pray. I can only lie still in God's arms like a child and trust."
Have you been passing through a time when you are tired of body and sick of heart? Do you find it difficult to focus your mind on biblical promises? Has it become hard for you to pray? Don't write yourself off as a spiritual castaway. You are joining a host of God's people who have experienced the dark night of the soul.
When we endure such times, all we can do indeed, all we need do is lie still like a child in the arms of our heavenly Father. Words aren't necessary. A comforting father doesn't expect his child to make speeches. Neither does God. He knows we need His soothing care. In times of trouble, His mercy holds us up (Psalm 94:18). We may trust Him to carry us through that dark night of the soul and on into the dawning light. - Vernon C Grounds
Under His wings I am safely abiding,Though the night deepens and tempests are wild;Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,He has redeemed me, and I am His child. - Cushing
When we have nothing left but God, we'll find that God is enough

footprints in the sand 9:27 AM

Daily Devotion for Friday Aug 11
Wake Up And Live
READ: Revelation 3:1-6 (To the Church in Sardis 1"To the angel[a] of the church in Sardis write:These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits[b]of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Footnotes: a; Revelation 3:1 Or messenger; also in verses 7 and 14 b; Revelation 3:1 Or the sevenfold Spirit )

I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. -Revelation 3:1
It happened more than 30 years ago but it still hurts. During a period of spiritual rebellion, I ran into a young man I had introduced to Christ. He was stunned to discover that I had walked away from the Lord and was no longer the person he had known. It is one of my most regretted experiences, and I still pray for an opportunity to make it right with him.
During those wandering years, I would have fit in comfortably as a member of the First Church of Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6). My dilemma, like theirs, was that people thought I was the person I used to be.
The risen Lord confronted the church in Sardis: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God" (Revelation 3:1-2).
Their reputation for being alive didn't match reality. They were spiritually dead. But there was still hope. The Lord told them to wake up and fan the spark of spiritual life still in them. Hold fast and repent,He warned (v.3).
Pretending to be what we aren't is a heavy burden to bear. Our Lord calls us to lay it down, repent, come back to Him, and live. - David C. McCasland

O Lord, return to me Your powerThat once by grace I knew;Forgive the sin that grieved Your heart,And help me to be true. - Anon.

No matter how far you've run from God, He's only a prayer away

footprints in the sand 9:18 AM

Daily Devotion for Tuesday 8 Aug
Let It Flow
Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. - (John 4:14)

Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Gentleness. Goodness. Faith. Meekness. Temperance. Powerful forces the Bible calls the fruit of the Spirit. They're the character traits of God Himself and when the Holy Spirit came to dwell in you, He brought them with Him, so they could become your character traits too. They're designed to bubble up inside you, to gush forth like a powerful stream constantly protecting and cleansing you from the inside out. Have you ever noticed that you can't put any trash in the mouth of a flowing fountain? When it's shooting that water up, the force of its own outflow protects it and keeps it clear of any impurities from the outside. Well, the spiritual fountain within you works the same way. When you're allowing the forces of love and joy and peace and gentleness and all the others to flow out, the devil can't get any of his junk in. How do you keep the Spirit flowing? You pump your heart so full of the Word of God that the forces of eternal life start bubbling out. Just a little at first...and then stronger and higher. Choose to keep those forces streaming out of the fountain of your heart. Refuse to let selfishness and sin stop the flow. You have a fountain filled with unbeatable LIFE forces inside you and it's ready to come forth. Let it flow!Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 17:7-13

footprints in the sand 9:45 AM

Daily Devotion for Monday 7 Aug
Safely Back Home
Read John 14:1-7 ([Jesus said,] "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.")

Jesus said to [Thomas], "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." - John 14:6 (NRSV)

WHEN I began my morning walk around the lake, I noticed that the fog was unusually heavy. I could hardly see 10 feet in front of me. When the weather is clear, I can see buildings and homes and the sparkling waters of the lake. None of this was visible on this morning.
When I arrived on the opposite side of the lake, I looked out into the fog toward my home across the water. I could not see it, but I still knew it was there. I also knew that if I followed the walking path, I would arrive safely back home.
In our Christian walk, sometimes the hurts, fears, and frustrations of life are like that heavy fog. We cannot see our way clearly. But if we follow the path our Lord has laid out for us, we will arrive safely at our destination, a destination that brings healing and peace and joy.
And at the end of this life's walk, we are assured that Christ has prepared an eternal home for us where we will see him face to face. The fog will be lifted forever. Woody A. Adams (North Carolina, U.S.A.)

Pray: O God, we thank you that in Jesus Christ we discover "the way, the truth, and the life." Amen.

footprints in the sand 10:04 AM

Daily Devotion for Friday 4 Aug

What price for a book?

READ: John 6:60-69 (Many Disciples Desert Jesus 60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"
61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? 62What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit[a] and they are life. 64Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."
66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
67"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.
68Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
Footnotes: a: John 6:63 Or Spirit )
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. - John 6:68

A missionary who worked with Underground Evangelism told a story about a believer in Russia before the collapse of communism. Learning that a friend had acquired a Bible, he asked to borrow it. His friend, however, read the precious Book every evening until 10 p.m. So each night for 8 months, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., that dedicated believer laboriously copied his friend's Bible. Eventually, when some fellow Christians visited him with Bibles, he exchanged his handwritten labor of love for several copies.
Imagine not having access to a copy of the Bible. What price would you pay to get one? Let's take this question to a deeper level.

When Jesus' teachings began to "offend" those who were following Him, many chose to leave (John 6:60-66). So He asked His disciples, "Do you also want to go away?" (v.67). Peter replied, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (v.68). Peter knew that Jesus was the living Word - God revealed in the flesh. He was willing to forsake everything in this life to pursue the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Do we have Peter's commitment? Do we have the devotion of that Russian believer? What price would we pay for the Book? For our Lord? - Vernon C Grounds
Thy Word is a lamp to my feet,A light to my path alway,To guide and to save me from sin,And show me the heavenly way. - Sellers© Renewal 1936, Broadman Press
One measure of our love for God is our love for the written Word and our love for the Living Word.

Yao Qun

footprints in the sand 9:57 AM

Daily Devotion for Thursday, 3 Aug
A New Song

Read Philippians 3:4-10 (If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death.)

The psalmist wrote, "[The Lord] put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God." - Psalm 40:3 (NIV)

I decided to take voice lessons when I was in my fifties, and I found an instructor who had taught for many years. Refusing to get hung up on technical matters, she would tell me to relax my jaw and forget about my tongue. She encouraged me to visualize the air from my diaphragm moving straight up a pipe and out my mouth. Feeling I should understand all the mechanics of voice, I asked a lot of questions. "Just open your mouth and sing," she would say.
Singing isn't that easy. It is physically demanding. Using exercises, I practiced diligently. Then one day I "got it" and produced a sound that was open, resonant, and pure.
Like me struggling through those voice exercises, we can sometimes bog down in the process of seeking God and so miss God altogether. We look for the perfect prayer or study formula, instead of simply spending time meditating on God's word and listening with our hearts. But now I "get it": All that we do is meant to help us abandon ourselves to God's will and sing God's song. Linda Thompson (California, U.S.A.)

PRAY: Dear God, open our hearts to the possibility that you delight in us, and show us how to relax in your presence and enjoy your love for us. Amen.

Yao Qun

footprints in the sand 9:45 AM

Daily Devotion for Wednesday 2 Aug
Three Friends

Lord, help me be the kind of friendThat makes my friend secure,So he can find new strength and hope,His trials to endure. -D. De Haan
A true friend is like support to a leaning wall.

READ: Daniel 1:11-21 (11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see." 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. 17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
18 At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king's service. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. 21 And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.)

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. - Proverbs 17:17
The Old Testament characters Job and Daniel had much in common. Both went through serious trials and challenges. Both had great success because of the blessing of God's presence in their lives. Both are viewed as giants of the faith, one for his patience in suffering and the other for his purity in an impure culture.
Job and Daniel had something else in common ; each had three significant friends. Here, however, the similarities end. Job's friends became a thorn in his flesh, offering him condemnation when he needed compassion and companionship. As Job struggled with loss and grief, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar seemed bent on intensifying his pain rather than helping him in his adversity.
Daniel's three friends were very different. Taken captive together, Daniel and his companions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, supported and strengthened one another in difficult times. They stood together in honoring God (Daniel 1) and in prayer (2:17-18), and in refusing to bow before the king's image (3:16-18). That's the kind of friend we need.
So what kind of friend am I? Proverbs 17:17 says, "A friend loves at all times."
Who needs you to be a friend today? -Bill Crowder

Lord, help me be the kind of friend that makes my friend secure,So he can find new strength and hope,His trials to endure. -D. De Haan
A true friend is like support to a leaning wall.

footprints in the sand 9:36 AM

Daily Devotion for Tuesday 1 Aug
We're winning

Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. ¨C (Numbers 14:9)
Thousands of years ago, God told the children of Israel to go up and occupy the land that He had given them. He told them to take it, by force and without fear, from the ungodly ones who were dwelling there. He's still saying that today. God is still trying to get us, as His people, to take the good land He's given us. He's still trying to get us to use the power He's given us to run the wicked one out. You see, this earth doesn't belong to the devil. It belongs to God (Ps. 24:1). The devil has just moved in and taken control of things because we believers haven't stopped him. That is our job, you know. Jesus took Satan's legal rights away from him on Resurrection morning. Then Jesus put us in charge of enforcing Satan's defeat. The Scripture says that Jesus is going to sit at the right hand of the Father until His enemies are made His footstool (Heb. 10:12-13). Do you know what that means? It means Jesus is waiting on us to kick the devil and his crew out of the affairs of this earth. He's waiting on us to carry out the victory He won at Calvary and occupy this land. But just like Israel had to rise up physically to take the land of Canaan, you and I have to rise up in the Spirit if we're going to establish the dominion of God in the earth. We're going to have to get moving. We can't do it sitting down! Listen, you may not know it, but we're at war. We're in a spiritual battle--and we're winning. In fact, if you realized what was already established in the spirit world, you'd laugh at the devil every time he showed his face.
So today if the devil has control of an area of your life or your church or your community, rise up in the Spirit through faith and prayer and the Word and start taking that territory back. Don't be afraid. His defense is departed from him. He has no weapon that can stand against you. The Lord is with you.
Rise up in the Name of Jesus and take back the land!

Scripture Reading: Exodus 14:10-31

footprints in the sand 9:13 AM

Daily Devotion for Monday, 31 July
The Riches of God's Peace
Read Ephesians 2:14-18
(For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.)
[Christ] is our peace. - Ephesians 2:14 (NRSV)

THE phone call that night was urgent. Carrie, my neighbor's sister, had been admitted to the critical care unit at the local hospital. The doctors did not expect her to live through the night. As I rushed to the hospital, I asked for God's wisdom about how to pray.
I knew that Carrie had struggled with her health for many years. What she needed was a miracle. I also knew that she was a Christian and ready to go home to heaven. Not knowing exactly what to pray for, I simply asked for the peace of God. My prayer was not lengthy.
Peace is one of the most powerful words in the Bible. We often hear the phrases "peace and quiet" and "peace of mind," but these expressions suggest only a limited view of peace. Shalom, the Hebrew word that is translated peace, encompasses much more. Shalom includes completeness, soundness, safety, health, tranquility, contentment, and friendship. When we have shalom we have everything we need.
My prayer for peace was answered. Carrie lives in heaven now, enjoying the unlimited provision of God's peace. Charles E. Harrel (Oregon, U.S.A.)


Pray: God, fill us with your peace so that we may share it with friends and neighbors until all the world's needs are met. Amen.

Confession is the soil in which forgiveness flourishes.

Yao Qun

footprints in the sand 11:34 AM

Daily Devotion for Friday, 28 july
The Eraser Of Confession
READ: 1 John 1:5-10 (Walking in the light 5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[a] sin. 8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
Footnotes: a; 1 John 1:7 Or every )

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. - 1 John 1:9

From the time that Joseph Dixon (1827-1869) began producing the pencil during the US Civil War, the only substantial change in its design has been the addition of an eraser. Consider for a moment this unique little writing stick. At one end is a hard black point and at the other a small rubber tip. This simple instrument can be used to scribble, sketch, compute complicated formulas, or compose lofty poetry. But it can also quickly correct an error, change a figure, or start all over.
Each day the Christian inscribes words and deeds on the record of his personal history. But as he reflects upon what he's said and done, he becomes aware that some of what¡'s been written is not of the quality that will please the Savior. He remembers attitudes and actions that should never be part of a believer's life. Yet these sins are forgiven and fellowship with God restored through honest confession and repentance.

In John's first epistle, he told us how to walk uprightly and enjoy fellowship with Christ and with one another. But John was a realist, knowing that some of the pages of our composition would be marked by daily flaws and failures. That's why 1 John 1:9 is such a blessed promise. It tells us we can use the eraser of confession and start over. - Dennis J. De Haan


Pray: We're thankful, Lord, that when we fall. We can begin anewIf humbly we confess our sin,Then turn and follow You.

footprints in the sand 9:43 AM

Daily Devotion for Thursday 27 July
Sharing Our Faith

Read Romans 10:8-14 (But what does it say? "The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?)
How are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? - Romans 10:14 (NRSV)

BECAUSE they were off to a great start, my favorite college football team was a hot topic of discussion, even among people who were not sports fans. A friend of mine who knows what an avid fan I am asked me about the possibility of obtaining tickets to an upcoming game. My excitement in discussing the team and my yearning to add more fans to the base was obvious.
Recalling that conversation later in the day, I thought about how God wants to bring more people into the community of faith. If I had been discussing my relationship with Jesus Christ, would I have shown the same level of enthusiasm and eagerness that I had shown earlier when talking about my favorite team?
I realized that when an opportunity comes to express my faith, God wants me to have the same excitement and vigor about it that I have when I am talking about other things that are important to me. For Christians, our faith should be that easy to talk about. - Diane Fletcher (Arkansas, U.S.A.)

Pray: Dear Lord, thank you for the good things that give us pleasure. But help us to remember that relationship with Christ is the most important thing in life, and help us to see our opportunities to tell others about you, enthusiastically. Amen.

footprints in the sand 9:28 AM

Daily Devotion for Wednesday 26 July
Prosperity and Adversary

READ: Proverbs 30:1-9 (Sayings of Agur - 1 The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh¡, an oracle [a] : This man declared to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ucal: [b]
2 "I am the most ignorant of men; I do not have a man's understanding.
3 I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know!
5 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.
7 "Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD ?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
Footnotes: a; Proverbs 30:1 Or Jakeh of Massa b; Proverbs 30:1 Masoretic Text; with a different word division of the Hebrew declared, "I am weary, O God; / I am weary, O God, and faint)

Give me neither poverty nor riches "feed me with the food allotted to me. "Proverbs 30:8
Prosperity and adversity are equal-opportunity destroyers. The extremes of life can be hazardous because a person with too much may encounter as much difficulty as one with too little.
Agur, the writer of Proverbs 30, must have sensed this danger when he prayed:
''Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, "Who is the Lord?" or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God" (Proverbs 30:8-9).

A similar request occurs in a beautiful choral anthem composed by Benjamin Harlan:
Write Your blessed name,O Lord, upon my heart,There to remain so indelibly engravedThat no prosperity, nor adversityShall remove me from Your love.

In Proverbs 30 the focus is on circumstances, while the song centers on the state of our heart. Perhaps we should pray that God would guard us in both areas of our lives.
The late Dr. Carlyle Marney, a prominent pastor, often said that most of us need to have our "wanted" fixed. Instead of always asking for more, we should seek the balance expressed in Proverbs 30.

When we invite the Lord to place His mark of ownership on our lives, we acknowledge His wise and loving provision for all our needs. - David C. McCasland

Contentment is realizing that God has already given me all I need.Sharing Our Faith Read Romans 10:8-14 (But what does it say? "The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?)
How are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? - Romans 10:14 (NRSV)

BECAUSE they were off to a great start, my favorite college football team was a hot topic of discussion, even among people who were not sports fans. A friend of mine who knows what an avid fan I am asked me about the possibility of obtaining tickets to an upcoming game. My excitement in discussing the team and my yearning to add more fans to the base was obvious.
Recalling that conversation later in the day, I thought about how God wants to bring more people into the community of faith. If I had been discussing my relationship with Jesus Christ, would I have shown the same level of enthusiasm and eagerness that I had shown earlier when talking about my favorite team?
I realized that when an opportunity comes to express my faith, God wants me to have the same excitement and vigor about it that I have when I am talking about other things that are important to me. For Christians, our faith should be that easy to talk about. - Diane Fletcher (Arkansas, U.S.A.)

Dear Lord, thank you for the good things that give us pleasure. But help us to remember that relationship with Christ is the most important thing in life, and help us to see our opportunities to tell others about you, enthusiastically. Amen.

footprints in the sand 9:57 AM