Boundaries

Read Jeremiah 5:20-29

"Your wrongdoings have kept these away; your sins have deprived you of good." - Jeremiah 5:25

Reflection of Tommy:

There are many time that I've seen people ridicule, criticize and even scorn certain teachings in Christianity. 'Boundaries' revealed by God in issues like idol worship, profanity, homosexuality, extramarital affair, premarital sex and abortion are often wrongly seen as unnecessary man-made rules that block, hinder and restrict the human freedom to enjoy what they want and when they want them.

But in Jeremiah 5:25, we see how God warns that when we ignore and violate these boundaries by sinning, we will withhold good from ourselves. As we are free-will beings, God allows us the freedom to choose between right and wrong. Because He loves us so much, He shows those boundaries to guide and lead us away from things that may bring harm and negative consequences into our lives. It is our responsibility to make the right choice based on these boundaries that God has lovingly and kindly set before us.

Dear Father, thank You for Your grace, mercy and love to reveal all the wonderful truths in Your Word to me - truths that protects and saves me from unnecessary headache, trouble and given me true freedom to be who You intended me to be.

Lord, thank You for constantly reminding me of my wrong ways and leading me back to You and Your righteousness. Forgive me for being a slow learner of Your Word, my lack of faith in what You and the power of the Spirit can do in changing me to be more like Christ each day.

Abba Father, I pray that You will draw me nearer and closer to You daily with reading and meditating of Your Word, listening to Your soft voices through my quiet time and praying to You in all things, presenting all my requests to You with thanksgiving. In the Name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Two Kingdoms

Read Matt 22:15-22

Reflection of Tommy:

They say there are two things that are certain we can't run from in this life - death and taxes. We often have various reasons or excuses for not paying the amount of taxes we should be paying. Some even justified their action by thinking that they shouldn't cooperate with human authority but only to God.

But Jesus in today's passage clearly explained that each of us should fulfill both our duty as citizen of this world and at the same time giving God our full commitment and obedience. But among the two kingdoms, our greater responsibility was to God and His kingdom (Acts 5:28-29).

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding me that I should render to authority all that are theirs and to You what is yours. While I am still a citizen to this world, teach me to carry out all duty and responsibility honestly to those You have allowed to govern the country.

Dear Father, but above all, made my heart knows that You have the ultimate authority and that I should devote my life honoring You and doing Your will. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

Abide in Him

Read John 15:9-17

"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." - John 15:9-11

Reflection of Tommy:

The Holy Spirit often convicts us when we ignore God’s commands. We will feel as if God has hid His face and block us from receiving joy and peace from the relationship we used to have with Him.

To have lasting and complete joy in our lives, both in good and bad times, we need to have a consistent, personal and growing relationship with Jesus Christ. As the today’s passage says, we can be filled and remain in the love and joy of Jesus when we genuinely seek and obey the Father’s commands (v10).

Dear Father, thank You for filling me with the Spirit; guiding me and leading me to Your truth, wisdom and righteousness. Lord, I pray that whatever I do, I do it for Your glory and honor, and not my own. Teach me to truly abide in You and Your Words remain in me always. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

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.

Matters of the Heart

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24

Reflection of Tommy:

There are so many gems found in today’s passage! In verse 12 and 13, Paul was talking about giving the respect to those leading our church: pastors and leaders. So very often we criticize them for not preaching what we would like to hear or even ridicule them for their idiosyncrasy. Here, Paul urges us instead to express our appreciation and hold them in the ‘highest regard’ for their effort to help us in our journey. We need to remember they need and deserve our support, cooperation and love.

In verse 14, Paul talked about having the sensitivity to know the condition of our brothers and sisters and finding effective ways to help the situation. We are to know the difference between those who are idling from those who are timid and use a unique approach (warn those idling; encourage those timid, help those weak) in each case.

Verse 16 to 18 give us 3 clear commands to obey always and in all circumstances – be joyful, pray continually and give thanks to God. This requires our conscious decision to do what God says and acknowledging our dependence on Him. This allows Him to change us to naturally want to obey Him and doing His will. And when we do His will, we will find it easier to be joyful and thankful to God in everything. Even when evil strikes, we can still be thankful for God’s presence and His sustaining grace for us, and for the good that He will accomplish through the situation.

Dear Father, thank You for Your Word today. Thank You for reminding me how to obey You and how to live in peace with one another. Forgive me Lord of sometimes being so critical over those who work hard to lead the church. Teach me to be more respectful for what they have done and doing for your church and Your people.

Lord, give me the wisdom and the sensitivity to effectively help in the ministry when I am reaching out to them. I pray more of them may come and fully devote their lives to honor and glorify You. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Listen, Know and Follow

John 10:14-30

14"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

19At these words the Jews were again divided. 20Many of them said, "He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?"

21But others said, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

The Unbelief of the Jews
22Then came the Feast of Dedication[a] at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. 24The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ,[b] tell us plainly."

25Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, 26but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[c]; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30I and the Father are one."

Reflection of Bee:

As Christians, sometimes we get frustrated when we couldn't breakthrough to non-believers or even to some believers when we tried to witness or testify for Christ to them. We wonder why they just can't believe or understand what we are saying. Tonight's devotion reminds us that it's normal because they are not the "sheep" of Jesus, and therefore they can't hear His voice (v26,27).

Jesus did not say my lamb, but my SHEEP, hear my voice. That means, in order to hear God's voice we need to grow up spiritually instead of remaining as babes in spiritual things. To grow, we need to read the bible and pray daily just like new born babies need to drink milk and then progress to eating solid food in order to grow well.

The "sheep" of Jesus not only LISTEN to His voice, but also KNOW Him and FOLLOW Him (verse 27). For that no one can snatch the "sheep" from Jesus' hand.... the basis for eternal security (v28,29).


Dear Lord,
Thank You for revealing to me this truth again tonight that I can be secured in Your hands when I become Your sheep. Teach me to listen, know and follow You as I put my hands in Yours. I want to know Your will and follow Your leading. Give me grace to do be obedient.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


Reflection of Tommy:

There are times we doubt whether we’ll be eternally secured in God’s hand. We are afraid of missing the mark and losing God’s gift of salvation due to our failure. We may be discouraged and quit growing in our walk with God. But from today’s passage, we learn that Jesus, like a shepherd that protects his sheep. We can be assured that He will give us firm, everlasting safety and protection from eternal harm when we sincerely choose to follow Him.

Dear Father, thank You for Your constant guidance and leading. Thank You for supplying me with both Your wisdom and peace to deal with all situation in my life. Lord, guard my heart and mind always from all forms of distraction and enticement that may lead me away from You. Teach me to follow my Shepherd wherever He led me to. 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.

When Instructions Seem Stupid

2 Kings 5:1-14

Naaman Healed of Leprosy
1 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. [a]

2 Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. 3 She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."

4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 "By all means, go," the king of Aram replied. "I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents [b] of silver, six thousand shekels [c] of gold and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy."

7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!"

8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: "Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."

11 But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.

13 Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

Reflection of Bee:

Just like Naaman, when we don't understand why we are told to do certain things that seem illogical, we become very defensive and even angry with those who said them. Pride also makes it hard to accept comments from others. Sometimes we also react the same way when God asks us to do certain things we don't wish to do. We tend to rationalize them to our likings.

However, God says He will use the foolish things to confound the wise and that His ways are higher than our ways. We need to humble ourselves and not rely on our intellects so as to receive healing from God.


Dear Lord,
I know that Your ways and thoughts are higher than mine. As I reflect on all the events that happened in my life and all the people I met along the way, I know You have a purpose for me through them. Though I may not fully comprehend them, I see Your hands guiding me, keeping me, protecting me from harms, and bringing me into something more meaningful each day. Help me not to cry for the past. Help me to stay close to You.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.



Reflection of Tommy:

Like Naaman, our pride and self-will sometimes rob us from receiving God’s healing. Although we may not be in a rage like Naaman, but we do quietly go our own ways ignoring God’s clear commands to us. We may even doubt His way is the best way for us when we do not understands how He works and when results are few.

But, in today passage we learn that obedience to God begins with humility. It is about acknowledging God’s way is always better than ours and knowing that God wants our obedience more than anything else. By humbly obeying, God in His time and way will bless and heal us from all our infirmities.

Dear Father, thank You for teaching me to always humble myself to You and Your way. Teach me to obey and abide in You, seeking each day to be more like Christ. Continue to guide me, setting aside my pride that I may see the better way to live for You and Your people. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Which Way Am I Growing?

Galatians 6:7-10

7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature^[a]will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Reflection of Bee:

Tonight we are reminded of the principle of retribution or reaping what we sow. It is a comfort to those who seek to do right despite all odds.

There were many times I felt being unjustly treated but each time God reminded me that vengeance is His, He will repay accordingly. Whoever treated me unjustly will receive what they sowed. Sometimes, the ones that do that to me may be Christians whom I have trusted. Yes, I felt very disappointed, hurt and sad. But then again, they are still my brothers and sisters in Christ and I will leave it to God to due with them. I am to do good to them instead.


Dear Lord,
Though it may seems hard to accept that even Christians can do things to hurt me badly, yet I know that I am to do good to them. I pray for your strength and grace to forgive and bless those who hurt me. May You lead them to the path You want them to go and may Your love touches them.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.



Reflection of Tommy:

Sometimes, we tend to ignore what we sow, thinking our action will have no or little negative effect on us or on others. But, Paul made it clear in today’s passage that if we always sow to please our sinful nature, we’ll reap crop of sorrow, evil and destruction. We may not yet realize the consequences of our action, but sooner or later it will be too late for us to mend the situation.

Paul then teaches us instead of merely sowing to please our own desires; we should sow to please God. By doing so, we will reap true joy, fulfillment and everlasting life with God.

Dear Father, thank You for reminding me that every action has results and everything I do matter. Teach me not to be shortsighted and reckless but to have an eternal perspective on anything I do. Lord, continue to guide me to abide in You, sowing what pleases You and submitting all my wills to You each day. I pray You will continue to provide me the strength to live for You and for others; to grow in Your grace and kindness. In Jesus’ 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.

Hearing The Sermon Again

Matthew 4:12-17

Jesus Begins to Preach
12When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. 13Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, along the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
16the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned."[a]

17From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Reflection of Bee:

Many of us are quite 'hard of hearing' when it comes to spiritual things. That's why Jesus has to say "my sheep hear my voice". He did not say "my lamb hear voice". That means there is a process of growth needed in our Christian life before we can recognize the voice of God when He speaks to us. What God tells us to do will never deviate from the biblical principles. Therefore, we need to study the bible to know what they are and start following them first. When we are obedient to what is obvious and clear, we will be able to hear God's voice and know His direction.

Repentance can only take place when we know our wrongful ways. So again it is necessary to know right from wrong as we read the bible and allow the Holy Spirit of God to prompt us to do what is right.

Dear Lord,
Please remove all blockages that made 'hard of hearing' to Your voice. Let me be still and know what You want to tell me. Give me strength to obey You even though at times it may seems painful at the beginning. For You promised to work all things together for good to those who loved You and are called according to Your purpose.

Thank You for today's Sunday message that help me see why You have taken me out of certain situations or removing certain people from my life. For You want to bless/promote me and to protect me from harms.
Thank You for so many exciting things and plans that are coming my ways. Thank You for opening the doors for me. I pray for more guidance and wisdom to make the right decisions.
In Jesus' name I pray.Amen.


Reflection of Tommy:

Jesus started His ministry with the message of repentance. It is as important during that time as it is today, but many still have problem to truly understand what repentance is all about, or how to repent? To truly repent, we need to first direct our heart toward God, asking Him to teach us how to train and make it easier for you to turn and draw near to God.

Repentance is practice of continually carrying our cross and forever dying to self; turning our lives over to Christ’s control. It is also about continually being more and more alive to God!

Dear Father, thank You for teaching me to repent from all my old ways that are not pleasing to You. Help me to draw closer to You, to take up my cross, turning away from my self-centered ways and continually trusting and surrender to Your direction and control. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Who Is To Judge What’s Right?

Romans 2:12-16

12All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) 16This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

Reflection of Bee:

God made us with a conscience. Whenever we are about to do something wrong, our conscience will e pricked so we would pause to think if we should proceed. However, we may also numb our conscience by disobeying it. After sometimes, this conscience might be dead and we will sin w/o even feeling guilty. That's the case for the hard-core convicts.

We need to be careful not to impaired the conscience God has given to us. In fact, for Christian our conscience becomes very sensitive as we let the Holy Spirit fill us. We would have discernment in situations we come across.

Dear Lord,
I pray that my conscience will be sharp so that I may do what is right all the time. I pray that Your Holy Spirit will grant me the discernment to judge right from wrong.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.



Reflection of Tommy:
General Revelation is given and available to all people at all times and at all places. It can be through nature, human history, or our conscience (Romans 1:20). But through the history of mankind, we see how despite the availably of general revelation, men still did not keep even those standards that their own consciences dictated. We know what is right, but still insist on doing what’s wrong.

We should know that people are condemned not for what they don’t know, but for what they do with what they know. As a first step to forgiveness and healing, we need to admit to ourselves and to God if we constantly fail to live up to our own standards (much more to God’s).

Dear Father, forgive me for so often turn away from what I know from Your Word and do exactly the opposite. Guide me not to merely know about Your commands but to follow them obediently daily. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

God’s Secret

Romans 6:11-23

11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

Slaves to Righteousness
15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

19I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.

Reflection of Bee:

The amazing grace of God had saved us from the guilt of sins when we accepted His salvation. After being saved, we need to know that Satan has no more power over us, unless we allow him to control us (v14). "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." —1 John 4:4

The wages of sin is death (v23). This death not only refers to the physical one but also the spiritual death and death to our soul. When we continue to sin our conscience may becomes numb to guilt and therefore will not repent.

We need to learn to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit prompting in our heart so that we will not fall into the trap of the devil.


Dear Lord,
Thank You for the fact that sin has not power over me. Therefore, I can have the choice to be Your 'slave' and do what is right in Your sight. Yes, though there may be struggles in obeying You, yet You always win. Let me be sensitive to Your Spirit and know Your will for me in my life.
I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.



Reflection of Tommy:

There are still many Christians out there who are struggling with sin. They are unable to picture themselves as slave to righteousness as mentioned by Paul in today’s passage. Despite their sincere desire to offer themselves in slavery to righteousness they still stumble continually in the bondage of sin. Is there a way out? Is it really possible for us to freely choose between sin and righteousness?

The solution to this problem can be found in the first and greatest commandment of all: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ (Matthew 22:37). To love Him is to obey Him wholeheartedly and looking at His commands positively. It is also about trusting and surrendering our all fully to Him. Next is to seek Him and His kingdom first. And God will then be able to give us the power and strength to obey Him with all our heart.

Dear Father, thank You for what Christ has done on the Cross and Your gift of salvation. Forgive me Lord for any disobedience and ignorance towards Your clear commands to me. Remind me always that because of my union and identification with Christ that I should regard all my old sinful nature as dead and that I have the choice of no longer obligated to give in to sin anymore. Lord, I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to help me in my daily experience to grow into what You have declared me to be. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

The Way To Success

Joshua 1:1-9

The LORD Commands Joshua
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea [a] on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Reflection of Bee:

Why did God have to tell Joshua to be strong and courageous" twice (v7, 9)? Because there will be many things which may discourage him and the Israelites as they tried to enter the promised land. The giants of the land are sure discouragements to them. Yet God showed Joshua how to be successful and prosperous.... by being obedient without compromising (v7, 8).

Similarly, we may encounter some discouragements in our Christian walk. Tonight God is also telling us to be courageous and be obedient to His word. This is the way to be successful and prosperous. He promised not to leave us nor forsake us.

Dear Lord,
Thank You for being with me through my discouraging moments. I pray You will grant me grace to be obedient to You always. I pray You will heal my sickness tonight and grant me a good night sleep.
I pray for safe journey home for my 'bf'. Grant him the power of Your Holy Spirit to live a life that is victorious and successful too.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.




Reflection of Tommy:
In today’s passage, we see how God repeatedly asking Joshua to be strong and courageous because of the tough challenges coming his way. Likewise, we will similarly face all kinds of difficult situation and trials in this life. But, as Christian we need not to be afraid or discouraged because God has promised never to abandon us or fail to help us.

All we need to do is to rest in His loving arm, trusting Him, obeying His Word day and night, and asking Him to direct and lead us in everything we do. In doing so, we’ll receive true lasting prosperity and success in God’s eyes.

Dear Father, thank You for the comforting assurance I have in You despite the difficulties at hand. Thank You for teaching me to be prepared always to face all obstacles ahead by being strong and courageous, obeying all Your laws and constantly reading, studying and applying Your Word in my life. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

The Best Find

2 Chronicles 34:14-2

The Book of the Law Found
14 While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the temple of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD that had been given through Moses. 15 Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, "I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD." He gave it to Shaphan.

16 Then Shaphan took the book to the king and reported to him: "Your officials are doing everything that has been committed to them. 17 They have paid out the money that was in the temple of the LORD and have entrusted it to the supervisors and workers." 18 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.

19 When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. 20 He gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, [a] Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king's attendant: 21 "Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD's anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book."

Reflection of Bee:

Before we became Christians, we were ignorant of the sins we have in our life. However, when we became Christians, the Holy Spirit will quicken our spirit and help us see many truth as we study the Bible. Things we did not consider as sins before now become sinful to us. When we know that we have sinned, the right response is to repent.

Dear Lord,
Please let me be willing to repent of all known sins and I pray that the blood of Christ to wash me white as snow. Please grant me an obedient heart to follow Your ways as You reveal them to me.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


Reflection of Tommy:

Josiah in grief tore his robes because he was so appalled at the people’s neglect of the law. Many treat sin lightly- blaming others or making excuses for their own action and irresponsibility. There are also those who trying to minimize the harm done by pretending that it’s not so bad.

We can only have true remorse of our sin when we stop taking it lightly and blaming others or situation for causing us to sin. When we finally see, understand and grieve over our sins, we’ll be moved to true repentance that leads to salvation.

Dear Father, thank You for teaching me that I’m responsible for my action and attitudes. Thank You for reminding me to never treat any sins lightly, but to understand and respond with true remorse like Josiah. Guide me to repent of any sins or wrong desire in me and allowing You to change me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. 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.

Running From God

Jonah 1:1-10

Jonah Flees From the LORD
1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me."

3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.

4 Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.
But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish."

7 Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.

8 So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?"

9 He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land."

10 This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)

Reflection of Bee:

A question I asked God frequently is, "Why did God allowed me to be born?" I wished I were never never born, like what I wrote in my poem in 2005. When I am in great distress I asked God:

How I wish I were never born
or my first cry were soon gone
or I were given to a good family
then I don't have to suffer this misery

I want to run away from this harsh and loveless world. People only want to receive but not give. People just want to make use of others and discard them when they are no longer useful to them. Even close ones can betray us and drain us totally. I feel so tired. *sigh*

Perhaps I can run away from people but I can't run away from God. Just like what Psalms 139: 7-12 says:

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, [a] you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

Dear Lord,
I know I can't run away from You. Please help me to find meaning of my existence in this sinful world.
Amen.




Reflection of Tommy:

Like Jonah, sometimes we clearly know what God wanted us to do but we didn’t do them. Instead, we run away because of stubbornness or ignorance, claiming that God is asking too much from us or thinking we are in control and knows what best for us. But often running from Him brings us worse trouble.

Not only that, Jonah’s disobedience also endangered the lives of the ship’s crew. Our deliberate act of disobedience can hurt others around us. So, we need to always obey and do what God asks in the first place instead of paying the unnecessary and costly price of running away in the end.

Dear father, thank You for making known to me everyday the things You wanted me to do. Teach me to have a receptive heart to follow them obediently; trusting You knows what best for me. Help me not to be distracted by the ‘noises’ around me but to seriously take time each day to listen and understand Your plan for me. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.