The Heart of the Church

Read 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

"May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones." - 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13

Reflection of Tommy:

Paul in today's passage tell us clearly that for any ministry to be successful, two characteristics need to be cultivated - love for one another (v12) and holiness (v13). A body of believers can have hundreds of members but yet can be stiffled from being fruitful and with no true changes in the life of its members.

The same is true for those who serve or participate in the works of God. Our works will be futile and doomed for failure if we ourselves does not live a commited, faithful and holy life. If we still couldn't love or forgive those around us, it's impossible for us to be used by God in any areas of His minitry.

Loving Father, thank You for giving me the oppurtunities to serve Your people, not that You need me but because the Spirit working in me to be Your worker in your mighty plan. As I serve, search my heart and reveal to me anything that still sin against You and dishonoring Your holy Name. Lead me to repentance and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Teach me to genuinely love one another and surrender my all to You, living a changed life that is pleasing to You. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

Not Boredom But Freedom

Read 2 John 1-6

Reflection of Tommy:

In 2 John, we are reminded to recommit ourselves to be a person of truth, of love and of obedience. We are asked to walk in love as Christian (v6), a real love that contrasts starkly to the distorted love in our world today. This real love is all about selfless giving, caring, sharing and even dying.

We can show this real love in many ways; by refusing to judge or looking down on others; by accepting people; by being a good and emphatic listener; by helping, giving and serving others without always expecting something in return. By doing this, we put what we have learned into practice; walking in obedience to God’s commands (v6).

Dear Father, thank You for teaching me to not just love in word or in tongue but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18). Open my eyes to see any opportunities to display the same genuine love Christ has shown to me. Guide all my ways that they will be always pleasing in Your sight. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Actions Speak Louder

"My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." - 1 John 3:18

It's easy to agree praying for a friend who requested our prayer for them. We should not stop there after a prayer, we can do more like following up with them and offering our help to them. Like what mentioned in 1 John 3:18 and today's passage, we should not merely love in word but in actions.

Dear Father, thank You for teaching me this important lesson today. Guide me to be aware always of any oppurtunities to show love to others in action and sincere concern. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

The Giving Kind

Ruth 2:14-20

14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, "Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar."
When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. 15 As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, "Even if she gathers among the sheaves, don't embarrass her. 16 Rather, pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don't rebuke her."

17 So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. [a] 18 She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.

19 Her mother-in-law asked her, "Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!"
Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. "The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz," she said.

20 "The LORD bless him!" Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. "He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead." She added, "That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers."

Reflection of Bee:

Kindness doesn't always beget kindness. In fact very frequently kindness may be taken for granted, or worse still being rewarded with hurts or abuses. In times like these there is a tendency to stop being kind and mind one's own business. When one is cheated for being kind, one may become hard hearted in order not to be cheated again.

Yet the bible said in Ephesians 4:1-3, 32:

1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Kindness is expressed in our being humble, gentle, patient and forgiving towards each other in the Lord first, and extend it towards those who are not. Kindness is one of the attributes of love in a practical way.


Dear Lord,
Thank You that Your loving kindness never cease and Your compassion never fail. I pray that I will show Your kindness to others that they may know You.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


Reflection of Tommy:

There are those who feel agitated and bothered when their peaceful and comfortable daily lives being disrupted by someone who came to seek for help. It is easy to do the bare minimum to provide for their needs and move on with our lives. We need to learn to respond to God’s kindness and generosity to us similarly to those who are less fortunate around us. Like Boaz, we can always do more than the minimum for the needy.

Dear Father, thank You for all the blessings You have been showering into my life that I always took for granted. Forgive me Lord and teach me instead to respond to Your love and kindness by displaying likewise towards others. Guide me that I will not be self-centered but to make my best effort to provide to those around me who are in need. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Love and Be Loved

1 Corinthians 13

Love
1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Reflection of Bee:

Is it wrong to seek to be loved by a human being, other than by God?

Frequently, over 'spiritual' Christians may make it seems that desiring to be loved is wrong and that they should always seek only to give love and never the other way round. Well, if God didn't create us with the inner longing to be loved we will never know what God's love is like, isn't it?

John 13:34-35 says that it is a commandment for Christians to love each other so that non-believers will know that they are the followers of Christ.

34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

That's what I experienced. As a young child, before I came to know Christ, I sought for love but didn't find. At the age of 12 I found love in Christ through the love of some loving Christians in a church. They showed me that they cared for me and shared with me where that love and care came from. I accepted Christ after some time attending that Sunday School. If I didn't seek for love I wouldn't have found Christ.

However, when I grew older life became more complicated... love that is pure seems illusive. It's hard to find someone who truly love and care for me as an adult. Instead it's my turn to love and care for others, even when I am hurt by the people I cared for. Perhaps this is what it means in v11, that I have to grow up and not remain as a child. I am still not perfect yet, but will be one day when I see God face to face (v9,12).

Yes, God have made us such that we both need to be loved and to love so that a relationship can be formed, which is a representation of our love relationship with Christ.

How do we recognize love? It is summed up in v7 & v8:

7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails.

Dear Jesus,
Let me not feel condemned whenever I longed to be loved. It's You who have made me a human being to both receive and to give love.
Thank You for showing me what love is through some Christians who practiced love when I was young. Now it's my turn to show that love to others too. Let me not feel short-changed when my love is not reciprocated. For You didn't get Your love reciprocated too.
Help me to be more and more perfect just as You are perfect (Matt 5:48).
In Your loving name I pray. Amen.



Reflection of Tommy:

Tonight devotion reminds me again of my uncaring attitude towards someone close to me this morning. Although I’ve said how much I love and care for this person, yet I treated her so badly over something not entirely her fault, in fact, it was mine! My impatience is indeed an ugly reflection of my own self-centeredness in response to life’s disappointments (Our Daily Bread).

Like what Paul said in today’s passage - love is patience toward others. It suffers long and is kind; it does not behave rudely, does not seek its own and is not provoked (1 Cor. 13:4-5). We should think of how incredibly patience and kind God has been to us before we lash out on others. When we say we love someone, we need to show true patience and kindness to them. We also need to ask God to provide us with this kind of love and patience towards others in our prayers.

Dear Father, thank You for Your forgiveness for what I’ve done wrong. Teach me to be truly repented of my action and not to repeat it anymore. Lead me to display the kind of love You have shown to me through Your Son. Give me the patience and kindness to put You and others first before myself. Thank You Father. I pray in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

An Age-Old Question

Job 2:1-10

Job's Second Test
1 On another day the angels [a] came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"
Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."

3 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason."

4 "Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life. 5 But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face."

6 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life."

7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.

9 His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"

10 He replied, "You are talking like a foolish [b] woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

Reflection of Bee:

Earlier on, I was watching a movie at home and a statement said by one of the characters made me ponder much....

"Your love for her is limited, for you love only if you can be with her. If you really love her, you will love even if you know you can't be with her."

Isn't it similar to what Job said to his wife, "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" (v10). If we really believe in God we will accept both good and trouble because we KNOW that He works all things (including the trouble) together for good to those who loved God.

So be it love or faith, they must be unconditional to be real.

My Lord,
Thank You for speaking to me tonight. Thank You for revealing to me what it means to be consistent in our love and faith and not let circumstances change them. Teach me to practice these truth in my life with You and people You have chosen for me. Let me be true and real.
In Your name I pray. Amen.


Reflection of Tommy:

Recently, a friend asked me why her 90 years old grandmother who is a very kind and generous person has to suffer at her old age now. Both her sons and daughters no longer care or concern for her well-being and never come to visit her. They even argued with one another over the very small amount of monthly payment for the nursing home. My friend’s family, who is the poorest among them all, was there all this while, taking care and support her and praying for her everyday.

So, why do good people suffers? Good Christian and everyone else in this fallen world are subject to suffering. Although God allow certain things to happen for reasons that we may not understand, we can still trust Him to do what is right and best. We can take comfort knowing that all our suffering will end when Jesus returns.

Dear Father, thank You for the assurance that all suffering and sorrow will end when Christ returns. Thank You that because of who You are, I can rely and trust You for things I do not understand. Thank You for Your constant guidance and protection, leading me to walk closer to Christ each day. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Compete Or Converge

Ruth 4:13-22

The Genealogy of David

13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. Then he went to her, and the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi: "Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth."

16 Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, "Naomi has a son." And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

18 This, then, is the family line of Perez:
Perez was the father of Hezron,

19 Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,

20 Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon, ^[a]

21 Salmon the father of Boaz,
Boaz the father of Obed,

22 Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of David.

Reflection of Bee:

The recent devotions seem to have a central theme on love such as:

• Amazing Love
• Joy of True Friendship and Love
• Love in Action
• Love Goes Beyond Liking
• What is Love

Tonight again we read about Ruth's love for her mother-in-law, Noami. How did Ruth demonstrate her love?

Love is being faithful
Love is being courages
Love is being trusting
Love is being obedient
Love is doing, not just talking

When we obey God's command to love, God will see to it that our rewards will be great.

Dear Lord,
You are the author of love. Without you, all 'love' will become self-love instead. Teach me to love more and more in Your way each day.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Reflection of Tommy:
The speaker in today’s home fellowship gave an amazing highly concise and informative history of Christianity within 2 hour! It was about how the early Christianity spread since the days of the apostles to what it is now. I can see how God has meticulously planned everything since the beginning, His sovereignty and amazing works in lives of believers throughout the centuries.

Like Ruth, we will never know the full purpose or importance of our lives until we are able to look back from the perspective of eternity. But, by living in faith, we can make daily decision to live in faithfulness and obedience to God, even though we may have to endure hard times or couldn’t see all the results. We should always remember to have God’s eternal values in mind, knowing the significance of our lives will extend beyond our lifetime.

Dear Father, thank You for the wonderful lesson tonight. And thank You for the speaker and those brothers and sisters who has spend time and effort to invite and did all the necessary preparation for the gathering. May Your blessings be upon them always and continually guiding their walk with You. Lord, I pray You will also continue to lead my path, changing me each day and reminding me to focus on things with eternal values. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Amazing Love!

John 3:13-18

13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.[a] 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.[b]

16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[c] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.[d]

Reflection of Bee:

"For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eternal life."
- John 3:16

This is a very well known verse which precedes John 15:7-14 (devotion for 4 April 07, Joy of True Friendship and Love). Without the former there will be no latter. Because Jesus had demonstrated what true love is, He has the right to ask those who claimed to love Him and are His "friends" to do likewise, i.e. to love (and be willing to die for) those who also truly love Jesus (John 15:12-14).

"Blood is thicker than water", as the saying goes in our physical relationship with our siblings. Similarly, it is so (through the blood of Jesus) with our spiritual BORN-AGAIN 'siblings' in Christ, who also obey His command to love (John 15:12-14).

In the past, I always thought that John 15 was trying to tell us that we must be willing to lay down our lives for EVERYONE. Almost impossible, I feel, unless that person is extremely close to us. Now I understand that all these are possible ONLY IN CHRIST. That means it is only possible within the family of God (amongst those who not only accepted Christ's salvation but also obeyed Christ's command to love, thus become Christ's and ours friends) . This makes more sense, isn't it?

Jesus did not ask us to die for sinners, but rather to die for our friends (definition of friendship is in accordance with God's word in John 15, not by the world's definition).

Dear Lord,
Thank You for Your revelation on what Your word says about love, friendship, and obedience. Now it seems not so difficult after all to love the way You do once we fulfill the criteria which will make Your way of love possible.
Now I pray for my special friend that You grant him peace in his heart and faith in Your providence for him. Let him understand why You allowed things to happen in his life, to make things for good, 'cos he loves You.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


Reflection of Tommy:

Love is when God became man. And love is when God sacrificed His only Son for us. This is the model of love that should be the basis for all love relationships. When we say we truly love others, we should be like Jesus - willingly to give freely and sacrificially; that they may join us in receiving God’s love. Keep this passage close to my heart always:

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends”. – John 15:9-13

Dear Father, thank You for Your amazing love for me. Thank You Jesus for taking all the punishments for my sins though You never deserve them. Thank You for offering me a new life in You; filling me each day with Your righteousness and Your Words. Thank You and I praise You, my risen Lord! All honor and glory to You. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Joy of True Friendship and Love

John 15:7-14

7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command.

Reflection of Bee:

The above passage is a very familiar one. However, the message seems much clearer to me tonight than before. It talks about how we may have joy by having true friendship and love with each other as true believers of Christ.

How can we have joy?
When we remain in Christ's love (v11)

How do we remain in Christ's love?
When we obey His command (v10)

What is His command?
Love each other (true believers) in the way Christ loves us (v12).

How does Christ love?
Willing to lay down His life for His friends (v13).

Who are Christ's friends?
Those who obey His command (v14).

Who are our friends?
Those who are Christ's friends (v14).


Clearly, to be a true FRIEND of Christ is to obey His COMMAND to LOVE our fellow Christians who also obey Him. To truly love is to be willing to lay down our lives for each other. In this way our JOY will be full/complete. Therefore, true joy, friendship, love and obedience are all interlinked and not stand alone. They are 'fruit' of true disciples of Christ (v8).

We can't expect true joy when we don't obey Christ's command to love those who love Him.
We can't have true friendship with Christ when we can't have true friendship with those who love Him.
We can't say we love Christ when we can't love with actions for those who love Him.

If someone says he loves Christ or is a friend of Christ but does not practice the command of Christ stated above, he is lying to himself.

Dear Lord,
Thank You for showing me clearly what it means to be Your friend, to love and to experience Your joy.
I want to be Your friend, to love and to experience Your joy the way You command. Help me to obey fully, Lord.
In Jesus' name I ask these.



Reflection of Tommy:
It is easy to be frustrated and even sink into depression when bad things keep happening to us. We may then seek out ways to temporarily make ourselves feel better or to run away from our problems. But, often as we depend on these earthly ‘horses’ for relief, it doesn’t takes long before we sink even lower in our misery or worst getting us into more problems (Amos 5:19). We will never find true lasting joy and peace when we are easily swept by the rolling waves of circumstance.

The solution to have a lasting and complete joy is by developing a consistent relationship with Jesus. When we walk closely with Him each day and obeying His commands, we will remain in His love (v10). He will supply us with true joy, peace, wisdom and courage to move forward, even as life's challenges trying to pull us down.

Dear Father, thank You for reminding me to remain in You and having Your Words remain in me (v7), bearing good fruits as a true disciple of Christ. Guard my heart and mind that I may not be constantly distracted and pulled down by my problems. Teach me to follow You, to obey Your commands and to spend more time listening to Your leading. Lord, I will give You praise and thanks in all things; good or bad..bringing all glory and honor to You. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

How God Shows His Love

John 13:5-17

5After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

7Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

8"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

9"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"

10Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." 11For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

12When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Reflection of Bee:

Many times we don't know why God allows certain bad things happened to us, especially in the midst of the situations we go through. They may be very hurtful situations, e.g. someone accused us wrongly, or someone we loved deserted us, or someone we trusted very much betrayed us, etc. We might be left broken and wondering why us? What have we done wrong? We need an answers to all our questions.

Yes, we don't understand why. However, one God will disclose to us the reasons and make us understand (v7). A speaker shared recently that when God remove something/someone from us, He may be trying to protect us. Yes, it very painful... I still feel the pain whenever I think of it, even now. But by faith, I know God is doing it for my good. I shall understand fully one day.

Despites the hurt, we need to love in Jesus' way.... we are to be humble (washing of someone's feet) and loving. That is love.

Dear Lord,
As I remember the things that happened to me, the people who have hurt me, I felt the pains once again. :'( Thank You for reminding me that I will understand Your plans clearly one day. Teach me to love in spite of what others do to me. Teach me to know how to response correctly. Teach me humility and service.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.





Reflection of Tommy:

From this passage of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples, we learn that as a follower of Christ, we are to serve others with a humble heart. To be a leader, we must be a servant, serving others in love and ways that glorifies God. Are there anyone around us that we can serve today? Are we willing to also follow through and serve like Christ do?

Dear Father, thank You for teaching me to have a willing heart to serve You and Your people. Guide me to take time to listen to You, showing me opportunities to serve those in needs. Teach me to let go of any pride or self-will that hinders me from serving effectively for Your kingdom. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

For Her and Him

Ephesians 5:22-33

Wives and Husbands
22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing[a] her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30for we are members of his body. 31"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."[b] 32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Reflection of Bee:

Although the above passage seems to be talking more about a marriage relationship, the implication goes beyond that. It talks about true love and submission in a healthy relationship, which can also be applicable to singles.

"We believe that God's purpose for the body of Christ is that it should provide the context for deep and satisfying relationships. Marriage is one context for meeting our needs, but not the only one by God's design."
- FIND OUT WHAT GOD HAS IN STORE FOR YOUR MARRIAGE

The command is for a wife to "submit" to her husband, not so much as to love her husband. Why? Women, by God's design, tend to love their men or husbands without being told when they can feel and see the men's love for them. However, submission might be a bit of a problem when they have more knowledge than their men. Submission and respect also go hand in hand. If the women find it hard to respect their men, it will be hard to submit. Yet women need to learn submission.

As for the men, the command is to "love" their wives. Men have the tendency of falling head-over-heel for their women during courtship or initial marriage. Yet time will tell if the men actually love the women in their lives or it was just some emotional infatuation. Therefore, men need to learn to truly love, just like Christ loves (sacrificial and unconditional).

The love of the men for their women will pave the way for this to happen. Mutual love, submission, and respect are what God wants us to have in a healthy Christian relationship with each other.

Dear Lord,
Teach us, your sons and daughters in Christ, to learn to truly love and submit just like Christ did. Turn our eyes upon Jesus so that we can model after Him. Teach us not to be selfish, but to love unconditionally. Teach us to submit to the authority You have ordained.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.


Reflection of Tommy:

In our today’s culture, submission is not a popular concept and it has been distorted by some to give unlimited authority to husbands. But in today’s passage we can learn from Paul, that true submission is mutual and its God’s way to preserve order and harmony in any kind of relationships. It also increases love and respect between two persons.

Dear Father, thank You for teaching me to submit and love one another by choice. Thank You also for guiding me to submit to You, that I may willing to obey Your command to submit to others too. Lead me to trust You more to be changed and renewed by Your Word each day, and being sure that Your perfect love will see me through. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

What is Love?

1 John 3:11-18

Love one another
11This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. 13Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 14We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

Reflection of Bee:

What is love?

Love is to "lay down our lives for our brothers" (v16). It is not just words, but actions and reality (v18).

It may not be so hard to love this way for just ONE person, but to do this for everyone may be a tall order, or seems impossible. Yet that is how God wants us to love our "neighbours".

Love needs to grow and build upon something. We can't love anyone overnight. Can we? To love in such a way we need to allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. Perhaps we can't do it at first since we are born selfish. But the Spirit of God can help us to grow to love one or two persons in this way at first. As our capacity to love expands (when we spend time with God) we will learn to love more and more people in this way.

Dear Lord,
I confess that I can't love everyone in the way You do at the moment. But I will learn to love someone in that way as Your Spirit works in my heart and brings that person to me. I pray that I will learn to love more people in that way as I draw love from You. For You are love.
Guide me to those You want me to love in this way.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


Reflection of Tommy:

Sometimes it is easier to say we’ll die for someone than to truly live for them. Making daily decision to care for those in need; putting others’ desires before ourselves; be generous in giving our possession, time and energy in service to others without expecting anything in return.

God often bring people into our life, to teach us how to love and care for them. Real love is more than mere words of kindness but involves proactive action and effort to reach out to others in a selfless and sacrificial manner. So, we need to ask the Holy Spirit daily to guide us and teach us to love others genuinely.

Dear Father, thank You for teaching me never to be a murderer at heart (Matthew 5:21,22) but to truly love others the way You love them. Guide my heart that I may never harbor resentment or bitterness towards those who has wronged me. May I love others selflessly and sacrificially always. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Do You Love Me?

John 14:15-24

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15"If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

22Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"

23Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Reflection of Bee:

What is the sign of love?

In my search for the answers to know the difference between love and lust I found some articles that shed some light.

1. Article Are You In Love Or Lust? ....the difference between them

2. Article Are you in Love or Lust? ....talks about Relationship Compatibility being The key to happy long lasting relationships....

3. Article Love or Lust? ....a Christian's viewpoint


In the above passage, Jesus repeated 3 times, "If you love me, you will obey..." (v15, 21, 23). Biblically, the sign of love is the willingness to do what your loved one ask you to do in order to please him/her. Of course, if you love the wrong person you may do the wrong things.

Therefore, if we say that we love God we are to obey Him and please Him.


Dear Lord,
I pray that my love for You will grow each day and I will obey You more and more. For Your command is always good for me.
I pray for my 'bf' too, that You will teach him to trust and obey You. In His weakness please give him strength.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.




Reflection of Tommy:

Jesus loves us with more than the love of friendship. He didn’t spare Himself, He has given us all, and He asks for all in return. The slightest reserve from us will grieve Him to the heart. As He has completely surrendered all that He had for our sake, we must also surrender our all to Him in obedience and love, without limitation or measure.

Dear Father, thank You for Your amazing love and grace for us. Although we do not deserve these gifts, yet You have given them all to us, even Your only beloved Son. Teach me to love You back by obeying all Your commands and teachings (v15,23), may my every word and action bring pleasure to You and glory to Your Name. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

There Is Love

1 John 4:7-11

God's Love and Ours
7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son[a] into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for[b] our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Reflection of Bee:

A Valentine's Day postcard says:

Love is not in the air... it is on the cross.
Some say that love is in the air. Well things in the air come and go with the passing breezes. The bible teaches that real love was firmly planted on the earth in the cross of Jesus Christ who died so that we can be God's friends forever.

Yes, the test of real love is on the cross. The cross speaks of sacrifice and giving. Can we pass the test?

Dear Lord,
Let not bad experiences remove true love from my heart. Let me love no matter how I am treated. Come into my heart and let Your love fills my soul always.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Reflection of Tommy:

In today passage, we are clearly called to love one another, for love comes from God (v7). If we are to look around us, we’ll see many opportunities to love faithfully those God has brought into our lives.

This love always involves a choice and action, not merely a feeling, as 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 shows. And when we truly love one another, God reveals himself to others through us, and His love is made complete (v12).

Dear Father, thank You for teaching me to stop and evaluate whether I have love faithfully those You have brought into my life. Guide me to love not like the world, but the way You love. I pray for discernment and strength to obey Your commandment of love always. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Spiritual Passion

Revelation 2:1-7

1"To the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Reflection of Bee:

It is not surprising that seemingly 'strong Christians' like the Ephesians can forsake their "first love" for Christ (v4). For if a man can for no reason lost the passion and love for the woman whom he once knew and 'loved' dearly, how much more will he not do likewise to a God whom he couldn't feel nor see. Our physical experience is a foreshadow of the spiritual experience, just like the husband and wife relationship on earth is a foreshadow of Christ and the Church.

The warning above is to "repent and do the things you did before" (v5)... to go back to the "first love" and do what is right. If not, our "lampstand" will be removed. Some commentaries say "lampstand" refers to "position of honour", others say "light in sharing the gospel". Whatever that means, it would be something sad to have our "lampstand being removed.


Dear Lord,
Thank You for the reminder that I need to continue with my "first love" for You. Though human may fail me and forget their love for me, You will not. Let me love You with all my heart once again.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.



Reflection of Tommy:
When answering questions by non-believers, we may be often quick to shoot down their arguments with our judgmental and sometimes insulting remarks; making others feel that we think we are better than everyone else. This happens when our words are based on pride and not love. We should accept, respect and love all people; believers and non-believers. We are called to reflect God’s glory and love to the world, not to be a bad example for being condemnatory and judgmental.

Dear Father, thank You for reminding me of showing love in words and actions for one another as an authentic proof of the gospel (John 13:34). Forgive me at times of doing the opposite, thinking highly only about myself. Teach me to change that and to make good use of every opportunity to reflect Your light to the world around me. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Love & Grace

Matthew 22:34-39

The Greatest Commandment
34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:

36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Reflection of Bee:

The word "love" seems to have lost its real meaning these days. To many, "love" is just an emotion or feeling.... people fall in and out of 'love' quickly. The moment the feeling is gone, the conclusion is "love" is gone.

However, real love does not rely on feelings. Real love is an act of WILL and it demonstrates itself through "grace", which is what God did to us. Instead of using law to judge us for our sins, God's love, in the form of grace, shows mercy and forgiveness for our sins. Love accepts us despite of our shortcomings and ugliness.

"By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God."
—Ephesians 2:8

Yes, God has commanded us to love Him and others. In order to obey God's command, we need to know what it means to love and to apply God's grace to others, which was freely given to us.


Dear Lord,
Thank You for Your grace, which You have freely given to me. You have accepted me JUST AS I AM. Likewise, may I love and accept another just as he/she is and shows grace and mercy instead of law and justice.
In Jesus' name I humbly pray. Amen.



Reflection of Tommy:
Whenever we are discouraged or in despair, it is easy to be blinded from seeing all the wondrous deeds God has blessed us with. We forget how God has sent His Son to die for us and allow us to be enriched, strengthen and called into fellowship again with Him.

We should make it the most important thing in our lives, regardless of the situation, to put God first and to love Him with all our heart, soul and mind. This helps us to focus on God instead of our problem; bringing our minds to follow Him in true, joyful obedience and to have the zeal to tell others about the Good News.

Dear Father, thank You for Your mercy and faithfulness to always forgive me even when I’d spend so much time and energy on worthless things, ignoring Your way and choosing the weaker way and fallen into sin.

Lord, give me a clear mind to follow You and continue to fill me with zeal to bring others to know You, that they too may follow You and be renamed as Your own. I put my whole trust in You alone, as I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.

Impaired Vision

1 Corinthians 13:8-13

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Bee's Thoughts:

When we have impaired vision, we can't see things clearly. Similarly, when we have impaired emotion, we can't feel or give love properly.

What does it mean by "love never fails"? I always wondered.

Tonight, in comparing with the next three sentences in the above passage, I begin to understand better:

"prophecies... will cease" - love never cease, it will continue
"tongues... will be stilled" - love will not be stilled, it will keep expressing itself
"knowledge... will pass away" - love will always be here to stay, be present, not becoming history

Why is it so? Because "God is love" and God is always present.

As I sought to understand more I came across a very good article "For women in ministry: Love requires sacrifice". Below are some excerpts from it:

True love is strong, unconditional – God's love – a love that we cannot understand or explain in human terms. The life of the Old Testament prophet, Hosea, powerfully illustrates this kind of love. Hosea was married to Gomer and had three children. Gomer was unfaithful to Hosea, betraying the covenant of marriage. Hosea had every right to walk away, but love that never fails calls us up to higher choices that are beyond human reasoning. Supernatural choices demand supernatural action.

First choice: Love that never fails chooses commitment. *
Second choice: Love that never fails chooses to forgive. **
Third choice: Love that never fails chooses to sacrifice ***

Mother Teresa said, "Love, to be real must cost! It must hurt! It must empty us of self!" The words of King David reveal the essence of love and forgiveness. "No, I must pay the full price. I won't give an offering that costs me nothing." (1 Chronicles 21:24 ICB)

Love that never fails goes beyond reason and refuses to settle for justice alone but insists on granting mercy.

Love that never fails is yours to receive and yours to give.

Notes:
* "true love does not collapse under the weight of testing. It will not disintegrate when the pressure is on nor will it fall apart in the hard times. True love is strong, unconditional – God's love – a love that we cannot understand or explain in human terms. The life of the Old Testament prophet, Hosea, powerfully illustrates this kind of love.
....Commitment never stops trying and never tries stopping. It is a pledge and bond, a covenant and contract. Commitment is a promise."

** "Love that chooses forgiveness is really the only choice that delivers us from the chains of anger, resentment, revenge, and bitterness. Right now, choose forgiveness and set yourself free."

*** 1. Hosea had to sacrifice his pride.
2. Hosea had to sacrifice his rights.
3. Hosea had to sacrifice materially.

Dear Lord,
Thank You for helping me see what it means to truly love. Let me love with Your Agape love that never fails.
Amen, Jesus.

Tommy's Thoughts:

Sometimes, we find it hard to understand or accept certain situation in our lives. We felt confused and lost over problems and unanswered questions. Paul in today’s passage gives us the hope that one day we’ll be able to see and know the whole big picture with God’s perspective. We will meet Jesus face to face and all things will be made clear to us. Until then, we need to trust and humbly allow God to work in our lives, so that He can lead us closer and closer to His truth and changes us in the process.

Dear Father, thank You for the hope and promise for me to be made complete one day. Thank You that through these Word of Yours, my faith is strengthened each day. Lord, lead me to follow You wholeheartedly, giving You my all in true and joyful obedience. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Spiritual Eyes

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

3-4If our Message is obscure to anyone, it's not because we're holding back in any way. No, it's because these other people are looking or going the wrong way and refuse to give it serious attention. All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They think he can give them what they want, and that they won't have to bother believing a Truth they can't see. They're stone-blind to the dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with Christ, who gives us the best picture of God we'll ever get.

5-6Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we're proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, "Light up the darkness!" and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.

Bee's Thoughts:

This Christmas season doesn't seem to be any different from other ordinary days. I couldn't feel much of its atmosphere. When I was in KL last weekend, though I saw Christmas trees displaying in shopping malls and hotels, yet I wondered if people know the true meaning of Christmas.

I was 'ambushed' by my 'bf' last Sunday while in KL and he 'hijacked' me from the rest of my church members. Gosh! I didn't know what to do or how to react but I could feel his persistency in wanting to be with me for that day. I finally relented. No Christmas present or any gift from him, but the gift of his time is more precious than any gift to me. Can people see this? Maybe not.

Likewise, non-believers can't see the true meaning of Christmas no matter how hard we try to share with them. At times, even Christians may be blinded by the devil or our own selfish desires to view Christmas as a time of indulgence. We need to pray and ask God to open our spiritual eyes to see the truth. Only the truth can set us free.

Christmas is all about God's love for mankind.
Christmas is all about peace to those who sigh.
Christmas is all about how we may do things nice.
Christmas is all about how to give of our time.

- Bee

Dear Lord,
Search my heart tonight and cleanse me from my hidden sins and things that obscure my sight from seeing what You want me to see.
I pray also that this Christmas will bring forth Your glory, that sinners may be set free from the bondage of the devil. May peace dwell in people's hearts as they let Christ reign.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


Tommy's Thoughts:

When we share the Good News to others, are we bringing glory to God and what Christ has done or merely to make us appear godly or wise (v5)? Our pride to show off our abilities and accomplishments may not only hinder God’s true message to non-believers but also giving them a bad impression of Christian in general. We should focus on Jesus and what He has done on the Cross whenever we have the opportunity to witness for Christ.

Dear Father, forgive me of sometimes being a bad witness for Christ, focusing only on glorifying myself rather than on You in front of others. Teach me to change this attitude and to learn the right way to share to those who yet to know Christ, effectively.

Lord, thank You for Your forgiveness and the great hope and promises I have in You. Thank You that no matter what happens to me in this life, I have the clarity and assurance of an eternal destiny with You and my loved one, when all suffering will end and all sorrow will flee away (Isaiah 35:10). Lord, I continue to pray for strength, peace and patience to love, trust and obey.

I pray this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Bee's 13th Month of Devotion

After having done my devotion together with my buddy for the last 13 months, I feel it's time for me to leave.

Perhaps God really wants to teach me to trust Him despite of my pains. He led me to read an article "Getting to Trust God" when I was searching for a verse. The following excerpt from the article helped me understand the difference between "faith" and "trust":

But trust, which must go hand in hand with faith, says, "Lord, I commit myself to Your care and keeping." That's trust. Faith is believing what God can do and what He is willing to do. But trust says, "I commit myself to Your care and keeping. Do with me, Lord, whatsoever You will." Faith is believing God can push a wheelbarrow on a tightrope across the Niagara Falls. Trust is getting on board that wheelbarrow. Faith is believing that William Tell is so skilled with a bow and arrow that he can shoot straight through an apple that's sitting on someone else's head. Trust is being that person with the apple on your head.

"Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" (Job 13:15).

"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, because God is with me" (Ps. 23:4, paraphrase).

I was going through very difficult time and just want to be alone. However, my buddy's waiting for me to post here for the past few nights makes me do an U-turn... So here I am again.


Thanks for waiting, Tommy.



... the thoughts of Bee

Treasure In Heaven

Matthew 6:19-21

Treasures in Heaven
19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Bee's Thoughts:

Politics are found in most working places, even in churches and Christian organizations. Sometimes I find my works become meaningless when I have to battle all these.

Tonight's devotion reminds us to lay our treasures in heaven and not on earth. Fame can't be brought along with us to heaven no matter how glorious it is. What types of treasure will we see in heaven?

"8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away... 13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13)

Everything will pass away except "faith, hope and love". That means we should cultivate these 3 things now so that when we are in heaven, our treasures go with us.

Dear Lord,
Teach me to grow daily in "faith, hope and love". Help me to set my heart on the right treasure that will last for eternity.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Tommy's Thoughts:

How to store up treasures in heaven? Jesus said no one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24); if we can honestly say God occupies more of our thoughts, time and efforts, we are then indeed storing up treasures in heaven. It is accomplished by our acts of obedience to God, truly committed to Him and focusing on spiritual and eternal matters.

Dear Father, thank You for teaching me not fall into the materialistic trap; wasting time and energy on things that will not lasts while neglecting important things like relationships and developing godly character. I pray You will keep my eyes on the richness above, obeying all Your commands and trust You in all things. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.