Heavenly Father,
We come before You with the country of Malaysia in our hearts. You see everything that is going on in the homes, in the schools, in the streets, and in the government. You see everything in the hearts of the people. We want to commit this nation into Your hands, for we believe that You are Almighty, and that You are sovereign.
You said in Your Word, "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 I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14)." Father, we cling to this promise, and we believe that You are able to work this miracle for our country. We ask that You will help us and teach us to live in a manner that is worthy of Your gospel, that You will teach us to humble ourselves and seek Your face, and that You will give us the strength and the grace to turn from our sins.
We lift up our prayers for the governmental authorities to You. But even as we pray that You will establish a strong government in this land, we also pray for something more important, which is that You will work in the hearts of the people of Malaysia. For You did not come into this world to remove the government that oppressed Your people; You came to change hearts and touch lives.
As we celebrate Malaysia's 58th Independence Day, we pray that You will instill in us a heart of unity and peace.
We want to give You praise and thanksgiving for all that You have done, all that You are doing, and all that You are going to do. This is our prayer, and in all things, may Your will be done.
We pray all this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour,
Amen
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Children’s Institute Series PART 5: OWNERSHIP (Inspired by the IBLP Children’s Institute Curriculum)
Everyone likes owning things, from houses and cars to mobile phones and the latest gadgets. Ownership gives us the pleasant feeling of being in control and having authority, and that is natural. God also gave us the responsibility of stewardship over the earth. But as Christians, we know that everything in this world belongs ultimately to God, and we know that we should surrender everything to Him, even our whole lives, which were bought at a great price. But here comes the huge struggle: how do we go about surrendering and dedicating everything we have and everything we are to the Lord, especially when it’s so difficult?
In past years, I have often heard preachers give the challenge to surrender every aspect of my life to God, which means that everything I do and have must be pleasing to God. I was hesitant for some time, because I wasn’t sure that I could live up to the commitment. I hate failing in commitments, and I don’t easily make one. I felt God calling me to do it, but I didn’t because I felt I wasn’t ready.
But my Heavenly Father continued to work in my heart. It was not sudden. It was not dramatic. But slowly and gradually, through the things and opportunities He put into my path, He made my desire to dedicate my life to Him grow more and more. And today I am in the process of dedicating everything to God, as I continue to learn more about Him and to learn to walk closer with Him.
Now as I think about it, I find a particular method that I think is useful in helping us to learn to eventually surrender everything to God. The possible reason why the prospect of giving everything to God is so overwhelming is because we use the word “everything.” That’s a huge leap, and many of us find it too challenging to get from A to Z with just a single declaration of commitment. At least, that’s how we perceive it to be in our minds.
But what I find is that, as we work to draw closer to God, we can eventually reach our goal by working step-by-step through the process of specific commitments. For example, I have specifically dedicated this blog to the Lord for His purposes and glory. That is what I want to be the driving force behind the posts on this blog, and it’s what I want to be the focus of my heart when people respond to them. I am also currently researching on potential colleges as I work to finish my grades and plan to further my studies. In this area, I have surrendered to the Lord my future. I have asked Him to open doors that correlate with His will, and to close doors that do not. The next area may be music, or homework, or sports. As situations come up, God will prompt me to commit a specific area to Him, and through this process, I will eventually have my whole life given to Him. It’s easier to aim for point Z when we walk through points B, C, D through Y.
I would like to close with this thought: If everything belongs ultimately to God, what should our mindset concerning our possessions be? How would we use the things we have, the things in our lives, with that in mind? A common answer would be “to share with others,” which is correct, plus “To be good stewards by caring for those things,” “to use them wisely,” and most of all, “to not use them for things that displeases the Lord.” When we keep in mind that the things we have is God’s, we will use them differently, we will not place them in higher value than people, and we will be grateful and appreciative.
May we continue to grow in Christ.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank You for everything You have given us and all You have done for us. Give us a growing desire to surrender everything in our lives to You as we learn to walk with You more and more. Help us to remember that everything we have belongs to You. Teach us the way to live. We praise You and give thanks. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Blessings,
Nathanael Chong
In past years, I have often heard preachers give the challenge to surrender every aspect of my life to God, which means that everything I do and have must be pleasing to God. I was hesitant for some time, because I wasn’t sure that I could live up to the commitment. I hate failing in commitments, and I don’t easily make one. I felt God calling me to do it, but I didn’t because I felt I wasn’t ready.
But my Heavenly Father continued to work in my heart. It was not sudden. It was not dramatic. But slowly and gradually, through the things and opportunities He put into my path, He made my desire to dedicate my life to Him grow more and more. And today I am in the process of dedicating everything to God, as I continue to learn more about Him and to learn to walk closer with Him.
Now as I think about it, I find a particular method that I think is useful in helping us to learn to eventually surrender everything to God. The possible reason why the prospect of giving everything to God is so overwhelming is because we use the word “everything.” That’s a huge leap, and many of us find it too challenging to get from A to Z with just a single declaration of commitment. At least, that’s how we perceive it to be in our minds.
But what I find is that, as we work to draw closer to God, we can eventually reach our goal by working step-by-step through the process of specific commitments. For example, I have specifically dedicated this blog to the Lord for His purposes and glory. That is what I want to be the driving force behind the posts on this blog, and it’s what I want to be the focus of my heart when people respond to them. I am also currently researching on potential colleges as I work to finish my grades and plan to further my studies. In this area, I have surrendered to the Lord my future. I have asked Him to open doors that correlate with His will, and to close doors that do not. The next area may be music, or homework, or sports. As situations come up, God will prompt me to commit a specific area to Him, and through this process, I will eventually have my whole life given to Him. It’s easier to aim for point Z when we walk through points B, C, D through Y.
I would like to close with this thought: If everything belongs ultimately to God, what should our mindset concerning our possessions be? How would we use the things we have, the things in our lives, with that in mind? A common answer would be “to share with others,” which is correct, plus “To be good stewards by caring for those things,” “to use them wisely,” and most of all, “to not use them for things that displeases the Lord.” When we keep in mind that the things we have is God’s, we will use them differently, we will not place them in higher value than people, and we will be grateful and appreciative.
May we continue to grow in Christ.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank You for everything You have given us and all You have done for us. Give us a growing desire to surrender everything in our lives to You as we learn to walk with You more and more. Help us to remember that everything we have belongs to You. Teach us the way to live. We praise You and give thanks. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Blessings,
Nathanael Chong
Friday, August 7, 2015
Children’s Institute Series PART 4: SUFFERING (Inspired by the IBLP Children’s Institute Curriculum)
“Why, God?”
That is the question every person will ask at some point in his or her life. Terrible things happen all the time, and when we face situations that seem unbearable, we will wonder about what God has in mind.
An African American preacher and lecturer by the name of Charles once gave his testimony at a meeting in the Moody Bible Institute. He told the audience that he had been very successful in his ministry and contented with his work, and later on he had gotten married to the girl of his dreams. He said that he had waited so long to find a person like her, and he loved her.
Four months after they were married, his wife was coming back from a business trip, and he and his mother-in-law were waiting at the airport to meet her. As her plane was pulling up in the jet way, he looked out the window and saw hurried activity, with police cars and ambulances. Then he saw a stretcher being carried down the back steps, with a cloth laid over what was obviously a body. Someone must have died, he thought.
Then he saw his wife’s purse dangling from the stretcher.
Charles and his mother-in-law were told that his wife had a massive heart attack and died on board before the plane had even touched down. As he related this story to the audience before him, Charles said that the sorrow he felt was unlike anything he had ever felt before. He said that there was only one thing that kept him going: it was an undoubting confidence in the character of God.
Listen to that! An undoubting confidence in the character of God. Confidence that in Him there are no lies. Confidence that in Him there is no manipulation. Confidence that He Himself, in essence, is love.
When Jesus visited Lazarus’ grave and met the mourning Mary and Martha, he wept. Jesus, our Lord, the God and Creator of the universe, wept. When we cry at the loss of a loved one, we cry because of what death has taken from us, and because we are not able to restore that life. When Jesus wept, he did not cry because he was unable to restore the life that death had claimed. He cried because he was relating to the pains of His creation, of which He had become a part. Professor John Lennox, a Christian mathematician and scientist, reflected on Christ’s crucifixion and said that if Jesus Christ was God, the next logical question would be “What was God doing on a cross?” Then he said, “At the very least, that shows me that God has not remained distant from human suffering but has become part of it.”
Whatever pains we face in life, we can rest assured that our Lord knows and understands what we go through. When we suffer hunger and thirst, we can remember that He suffered hunger and thirst in the desert. When we feel lonely, we can remember that He felt alone in the Garden of Gethsemane. When we feel betrayed, we can remember that Jesus felt betrayed by a man whom He had called to follow Him. When we suffer physical pain, we can remember that His pain on the cross was indescribable. When we are heartbroken because of the loss of a relationship with a loved one, we can remember that He was heartbroken when the Father turned away from Him because of the sin He was bearing. Whatever pain we go through, Christ had been there.
I heard a speaker give a short talk on suffering, and he told us about how our responses to suffering can be compared to a tea bag in hot water. The hot water will bring out the true flavour of the tea leaves in the bag. In the same way, suffering brings out our true selves, revealing our character, foundation, and faith. The tea leaves are known by their flavour in hot water; our character is known by our responses in suffering.
Recently, a group of friends and I were fellowshipping in a cafeteria when an accident happened and two of us were scalded by hot water. Everyone was shocked to see the suffering that ensued as parents came to administer first aid, as a number of us are still very young. Our hurt friends were taken to the hospital, and we were all in emotional turmoil.
I’m sure every one of us was asking questions, mainly, “Why, God?” We couldn’t comprehend how something so disastrous could occur when everything was so happy and fine just a moment before. I couldn’t understand what God had in mind then either, but now as I think back, I see something beautiful.
As the scalded victims were rushed to the hospital, the girls grouped together and cried in each other’s arms, and the boys huddled in a tight circle to pray. Later, with the parents joining us, we came together to just pray and pour out our hearts before God. Shedding tears together, praying together, and just being together pulled us closer than we’ve ever been before. Laughing together does not bring us as close as crying together. That is what I see in the midst of this tragedy. We may also have learned some important lessons as a result of the event.
We cannot be certain why God did the things He did, and allowed the things He allowed. We can only speculate. However, we can see, throughout history, how God has worked through suffering, causing all things to work together for good for those who love Him and for His glory. And so I urge you, my brothers and sisters: do not doubt the character of God in your suffering.
Blessings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Nathanael Chong
That is the question every person will ask at some point in his or her life. Terrible things happen all the time, and when we face situations that seem unbearable, we will wonder about what God has in mind.
An African American preacher and lecturer by the name of Charles once gave his testimony at a meeting in the Moody Bible Institute. He told the audience that he had been very successful in his ministry and contented with his work, and later on he had gotten married to the girl of his dreams. He said that he had waited so long to find a person like her, and he loved her.
Four months after they were married, his wife was coming back from a business trip, and he and his mother-in-law were waiting at the airport to meet her. As her plane was pulling up in the jet way, he looked out the window and saw hurried activity, with police cars and ambulances. Then he saw a stretcher being carried down the back steps, with a cloth laid over what was obviously a body. Someone must have died, he thought.
Then he saw his wife’s purse dangling from the stretcher.
Charles and his mother-in-law were told that his wife had a massive heart attack and died on board before the plane had even touched down. As he related this story to the audience before him, Charles said that the sorrow he felt was unlike anything he had ever felt before. He said that there was only one thing that kept him going: it was an undoubting confidence in the character of God.
Listen to that! An undoubting confidence in the character of God. Confidence that in Him there are no lies. Confidence that in Him there is no manipulation. Confidence that He Himself, in essence, is love.
When Jesus visited Lazarus’ grave and met the mourning Mary and Martha, he wept. Jesus, our Lord, the God and Creator of the universe, wept. When we cry at the loss of a loved one, we cry because of what death has taken from us, and because we are not able to restore that life. When Jesus wept, he did not cry because he was unable to restore the life that death had claimed. He cried because he was relating to the pains of His creation, of which He had become a part. Professor John Lennox, a Christian mathematician and scientist, reflected on Christ’s crucifixion and said that if Jesus Christ was God, the next logical question would be “What was God doing on a cross?” Then he said, “At the very least, that shows me that God has not remained distant from human suffering but has become part of it.”
Whatever pains we face in life, we can rest assured that our Lord knows and understands what we go through. When we suffer hunger and thirst, we can remember that He suffered hunger and thirst in the desert. When we feel lonely, we can remember that He felt alone in the Garden of Gethsemane. When we feel betrayed, we can remember that Jesus felt betrayed by a man whom He had called to follow Him. When we suffer physical pain, we can remember that His pain on the cross was indescribable. When we are heartbroken because of the loss of a relationship with a loved one, we can remember that He was heartbroken when the Father turned away from Him because of the sin He was bearing. Whatever pain we go through, Christ had been there.
I heard a speaker give a short talk on suffering, and he told us about how our responses to suffering can be compared to a tea bag in hot water. The hot water will bring out the true flavour of the tea leaves in the bag. In the same way, suffering brings out our true selves, revealing our character, foundation, and faith. The tea leaves are known by their flavour in hot water; our character is known by our responses in suffering.
Recently, a group of friends and I were fellowshipping in a cafeteria when an accident happened and two of us were scalded by hot water. Everyone was shocked to see the suffering that ensued as parents came to administer first aid, as a number of us are still very young. Our hurt friends were taken to the hospital, and we were all in emotional turmoil.
I’m sure every one of us was asking questions, mainly, “Why, God?” We couldn’t comprehend how something so disastrous could occur when everything was so happy and fine just a moment before. I couldn’t understand what God had in mind then either, but now as I think back, I see something beautiful.
As the scalded victims were rushed to the hospital, the girls grouped together and cried in each other’s arms, and the boys huddled in a tight circle to pray. Later, with the parents joining us, we came together to just pray and pour out our hearts before God. Shedding tears together, praying together, and just being together pulled us closer than we’ve ever been before. Laughing together does not bring us as close as crying together. That is what I see in the midst of this tragedy. We may also have learned some important lessons as a result of the event.
We cannot be certain why God did the things He did, and allowed the things He allowed. We can only speculate. However, we can see, throughout history, how God has worked through suffering, causing all things to work together for good for those who love Him and for His glory. And so I urge you, my brothers and sisters: do not doubt the character of God in your suffering.
Blessings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Nathanael Chong
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