The Great Pandemic

Read Numbers 21:1-9

"Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." — John 3:14-15

Reflection of Tommy:
Few years ago, a pastor from another church came to my church for a healing session. It was a packed room with so many who came hoping to be healed. Most heard about how gifted and powerful this pastor is in healing. But later, before he begin his sermon, he reminded those who came that any healing that will takes place comes not from him but from God alone. The power of healing comes when we believe in Jesus and what He has done for us on the Cross.

Jesus brought the complete and fuller meaning to the story of Moses’ bronze snake in today’s passage centuries later in John 3:14-15. It was not the bronze snake that healed the Israelites, but their belief that God could heal them when they obey God’s instructions. In the same way, all of us can be saved from the sickness of sin by looking to Jesus’ death on the Cross.

Dear Father, thank You for sending Your only Son to die for us on the Cross that whoever believe in Him will have eternal life (John 3:16). Teach me to be faithful to You always, obeying Your commands and always be thankful for everything You’ve done for me. Lord, keep my eyes focus unto Jesus as I walk closer to know Him and Your will for my life. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Anywhere With Jesus

Read Exodus 33:12-17

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" - Hebrews 13:5-6

Reflection of Tommy:

It's hard at times to know and experience God's presence with us when we face dreadful and frightening circumstances in our lives. But as we read the countless verses in the bible, we can take comfort knowing our faithful and loving Father will indeed be presence with us at all the time and in every imaginable circumstances. Not only that, He has also promised to help and provide us refuge and strength to go through them (Psalm 46:1).

Dear Father, thank You and I praise You for being there with me always, protecting and caring for someone so unworthy of Your love. Thank You for Your forgiveness and mercy despite my constant lack of obedience and zeal to commit my life fully and truly to You.

Lord, teach me to submit my all to You, earnestly seek You and Your righteousness first above all things. Guide me to be willing to be changed and refined each day by You; working out Your plan and will in me. In Jesus' Name, I pray, Amen.

Getting Through

Read Psalm 46

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." - Psalm 46:1

Reflection of Tommy:

I was asking a friend about what’s the worst that can ever happen to her? I asked whether it is death. But, she answered death in fact is less dreadful than other problems in life. No wonder many take their own life as a way out when life is so hard to bear. Of course, taking our own life is a sin and as Christian we know there is a better way out.

While reading Psalm 46, the psalmist talked exactly the same fear and overwhelming anxiousness (v2-3) when facing the challenges in life. In here, we learned few great God’s promises for us when things go really awry and unbearable for us. God will always be there with us (v11), He will be our true refuge- providing us the strength to endure and persevere (v1).

Dear Father, thank You for Your presence, You strength, protection and help when the going get tough. Teach me to seek You each day in prayer, reading and meditating on Your Word and applying them in my life. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

The Bug Zoo

Read Acts 4:32-37

Reflection of Tommy:

At times we feel inadequate, insignificant or unimportant in God's works for His people. But as we read the Proverbs today, we know that God can display His marvelous wisdom and greatness in each of us if we were to humbly ask for them. And when we do, God can use our unique strength and gifts for the extension of His Kingdom.

In Galatians 6:9-10, the Apostle Paul tells us, "And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith."

Dear Father, thank You that I'm complete and whole in You. Thank You for your gift for me to serve and minister to Your people. Guard my heart and mind that I will not grow weary and lose heart in doing good, especially in serving and loving those You have brought into my life. May my every word and action bring all glory and honor to You. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

Whitewater Experiences

Read 1 Chronicles 28:9-20

Reflection of Tommy:

"Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God—my God—will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." —1 Chronicles 28:20

I was with some friends this weekend thrashing through forest and crossing streams with ridiculously strong rapid and experience the amazing sight of a huge waterfall. As we were settling down for a swim, I climbed up to this big log that fell across the stream and planning to do a plunge from there into the sandy riverbed below.

It took me awhile before making the jump. A nearby guide advised me to just close my eyes and make the jump. I did and it was so easy, I did another jump instantly after that.

Similarly in today’s passage, David advised Solomon not to be frightened about the size of his task as both king and builder of the temple. Our fear of our tasks at hand, its risks or pressure can easily immobilize us and causing us to do nothing. The remedy to this fear is not to focus on the fear but to fully trust in God and to get to work! Our loving God has promised to always be with us (v20); never fail or forsake us (v21).

Dear Father, thank You that I can be honest and direct with You at all times for You know and understand everything in my heart. Search me, try me and reveal to me any part of my heart that are not right with You, that I may ask for Your forgiveness and to be changed and refined by the power of the Holy Spirit. May my heart be always open to Your molding that I will become a better witness and more obedient follower of Christ. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Bread For The Coming Day

Read Matthew 6:9-13

Reflection of Tommy:

Many today are still being deceived by Satan’s lie that we can find greater significance and fulfillment apart from God. As we continually trapped in this meaningless search, we rob ourselves from what we truly need and what God intended us to be.

Only God can supply and fulfill these needs of ours. Only Him can fill the void in our heart. Seek Him and his kingdom today, and He will show to us the fruitful and abundant life He has promised for each one of us.

Dear Father, thank You for Your providence and blessings, that I have no need to worry about my needs if I were to follow You obediently. Guide me to seek the truth in Your Word and apply them in my daily life. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Celebrating Disappointment

Psalm 30

A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David. ^[a]

1 I will exalt you, O LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help
and you healed me.

3 O LORD, you brought me up from the grave ^[b] ;
you spared me from going down into the pit.

4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.

5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

6 When I felt secure, I said,
"I will never be shaken."

7 O LORD, when you favored me,
you made my mountain ^[c] stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.

8 To you, O LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:

9 "What gain is there in my destruction, ^[d]
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;
O LORD, be my help."

11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Reflection of Bee:


Dear Lord,
Thank You for turning my wailing into dancing too.
Thank You for removing my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.
Thank You for opening so many doors for me when one is closed.
Thank You for leading my life and guiding my career path.
Thank You for preparing me for greater works ahead.
All the thanks I give to You will never be enough to thank You.
May all glory and praise be to You through the works You have done in me.
In Your wonderful name I give You thanks. Amen.




Reflection of Tommy:

Sometimes God has to ‘punish’ us because of our stubbornness to change or deliberately ignoring His commands. He may use difficult, painful or uneasy situation to discipline or wake us up from our wrong ways. God also uses it to help us grow to be a more mature Christian. He does that because He loves us and wants to help us from getting into bigger trouble later.

As we read in verse 5, the discomfort of God’s anger towards us will lasts only a moment but the good effects will go on for a long time. Be thankful to our merciful God that at times His teaching maybe like a sharp painful shot given by a doctor, but it is always for our own good. It warns us to turn away from sin and helping us to grow to be a more obedient disciple of Christ.

Dear Father, thank You for Your lesson to change me when I’m disobedient. Forgive me of my ignorance to Your commands sometimes, doing the very thing You asked me not to. Forgive me and help me to always keep my ways right with You, to be a true follower of Christ. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Never Hunger

Psalm 23 (Amplified Bible)

A Psalm of David.

1THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.

2He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.(A)

3He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him--not for my earning it, but] for His name's sake.

4Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with [a]oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.

6Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.

Reflection of Bee:

I was so thrilled when I saw tonight's passage, as I had been pondering over v1 during my bath before my devotion. So it seems God is confirming with me that I shall not lack or need anything more than I have, regardless of my situation. In fact, when I reflect on the things that God allowed to happen in my life I see God's hands and blessings in disguise.

Yes, whenever I make Jesus "my shepherd" to guide me, I shall not lack. He constantly refreshes me and protects me from harms. Yes he prepares "a table before me in the presence of my enemies". This really takes place. Praise God!

Dear Lord,
I see Your goodness, mercy and love in my life all these years. Thank You very much. I pray again that the things I do, the decisions I make, the words I say will be to Your glory. Guide me, my Shepherd, lead me to Your green pasture.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.



Reflection of Tommy:
One of the worst tragedies in life is not having what we want. Discontentment is the primary source of unhappiness, frustration and misery. For most people, the things that they want are not bad in themselves and some are actually very good (eg. a better relationship with children, parent, or spouse).

But God wants us to learn to be content now through our fellowship with Him in Christ. He wants us to experience the peace and joy of His presence now, resting in Him, regardless of our circumstances or unfulfilled earthly desires. We need to ask God to open our eyes to see ways we are exchanging His glory for things on earth, resulting in our discontentment.

As Jesus has said "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst" (John 6:35), God wants to fill the emptiness of our heart, all our want and discontentment, with the joy and love of Christ. Not only filling it, He wants to keep pouring until it even overflows to others.

Dear Father, thank You that Jesus has come to give me not only a new life, but to have it abundantly (John 10:10). Teach me to believe and be thankful that I can always have the fullness of joy in Your presence regardless of the circumstances. I choose to obey Jesus' command to abide in His love.

Lord Jesus, I trust You, through me, to keep Your commandments so that I will abide in Your love and have Your joy made full in me. I offer my mind and mouth for use by the Holy Spirit in giving continual thanks with praise, and sharing the love and joy of Christ with others. In Your mighty and precious Name I pray, Amen!

Unlikely Heroes

Judges 2:7-19

7 The people served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel.

8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres [a] in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the LORD to anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 In his anger against Israel the LORD handed them over to raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the LORD was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.

16 Then the LORD raised up judges, [b] who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had walked, the way of obedience to the LORD's commands. 18 Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the LORD had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

Reflection of Bee:

History repeats itself, so is our generation of people as stiff-necked as the people of the Old Testament's generation. There is nothing new under the sun, just a different expression of sins. Yet those who continued to seek God despite of these sinful environments are 'heroes' through the grace of God. We need to stay strong in our faith and resist the temptations that surround us daily.

Dear Lord,
Thank You for keeping me despite being in such environments. Thank You for Your grace the saw me through my life's journey. Even as I continue to travel without my special companion now, I pray that You will keep me strong. I pray for my new career venture that You will guide me as I have to make many new decisions. May each decision I make brings glory to You.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.



Reflection of Tommy:
Throughout Bible, we can see those who worshipped idols receive the harshest punishment from God. It is very bad in God’s sight and it violates the first 2 Commandments He gave to us. But even today, many Christians are still indulging in worshipping all kinds of idols. They created their own gods to satisfy their selfish and sinful nature.

As Christian, we need to be aware that there are many things that can tempt us to compromise and abandon our faith. We need to always be on guard and seek the guidance of God to help us live in His way and not be pressured into disobedience in order to be accepted by others.

Dear Father, thank You for the message today and how You can see there might be things ahead that may lead me astray. Forgive me if I have not put You first in my life or ignoring Your clear commands to me. Keep my feet firm to walk obediently in Your way and protect my heart and mind from things that are unacceptable to You. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Keep On

Psalm 66:1-10

For the director of music. A song. A psalm.
1 Shout with joy to God, all the earth!

2 Sing the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious!

3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power
that your enemies cringe before you.

4 All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you,
they sing praise to your name."
Selah

5 Come and see what God has done,
how awesome his works in man's behalf!

6 He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the waters on foot—
come, let us rejoice in him.

7 He rules forever by his power,
his eyes watch the nations—
let not the rebellious rise up against him.
Selah

8 Praise our God, O peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard;

9 he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping.

10 For you, O God, tested us;
you refined us like silver.

Reflection of Bee:

Tonight's devotional title, "Keep on", and the article that followed it struck me hard. For they echoed my thought today and was inspired to write my poem "Stay Strong In The Rain".

Very often, we may crumble when the 'rain' of broken hopes, dreams, trust, love, friendship, or relationship falls on us. We tend to see all things we do in life as "meaningless" just like what Ecclesiastes 1 says. Yet despite the 'rain', despite the fact that our pains mean nothing to anyone, and no one care about us, we have to "keep on" and "stay strong in the rain".

Some Christians may become too 'heavenly' or 'spiritual' that they do not feel their own or others' pains anymore. Instead of being in touch with their own emotions or that of others, they begin to quote scriptures to tell themselves and others that they shouldn't feel sorrowful about the pains and hurts they or others experienced.

Tonight's devotion shows us that God is the one who "preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping". That means, we do go through times of doubts and sadness. He is the one who "tested us" and "refined us like silver" (v9 , v10). We should be able to feel our emotions and that of others, but we take heart that all trials are under God's control.

However, knowing this fact does not make us 'robot' and have no feeling for others since God will be caring for them. In fact, a truly spiritually matured Christian is one who is able to empathize with others. Jesus was 'earthly' and human when He was on earth. He could empathize and weep with those who felt hurt and sad. He did something about their sorrows and not just tell them not to feel sad.

So what is meaningful in life? Ecclesiastes 12 concludes that....

1 Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
"I find no pleasure in them"-

13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.

14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.

Dear Lord,
Thank You for helping me find back my soul instead of just pretend to be 'heavenly'. As I begin to feel my emotion once again, I remember I need to rely on You. Thank You for keeping me from falling and moulding my life. Your "tests" helps me understand others better so I can console them when they need a listening ear and a shoulder to cry. Give me a heart of compassion always.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.



Reflection of Tommy:
It is always easy to complain what thing doesn’t go the way we wanted it. We seldom see God working in us through our trials; to refine and build our character and to help us to grow. Very often trials bring us a new and deeper wisdom, which helps us to discern truth from falsehood. It also gives us the discipline to do what we know is right.

Dear Father, thank You and I continue to praise You for both the good and bad things. Although there are still things I yet to truly understand but I trust You to make them clear to me one day. Meanwhile, give me Your strength, peace and wisdom to obey and surrender my all to You. Lord, guard also my heart and mind that I may always walk in Your ways. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.