Bearing in Love

Read Ephesians 3:14-4:3

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." - Ephesians 4:2-3

Reflection of Tommy:

As Christians we are not entirely free from disagreement and even argument with other believers. We may be trying our best to be loving, sincere and caring to others, but we do at times struggle to keep our temper and be patient and gentle to those who irritate and annoy us. Sometimes we are also saddened by the things others do and words they have said about us. People, even our own brother and sister in Christ, may hurt and bring us down.

But we need not to burn in anger and harbor resentment towards them. Instead, we should first know how deeply God loves us (v18-19). We need to allow our minds to be transformed and renewed by His love. We need to see how Jesus himself demonstrated this love for His enemies, with true grace and mercy. This enables us to truly look pass what others have done to us, not repaying evil with evil or insult with insult (1 Peter 3:9) but with good, patience and gentleness reflecting God's love in us (Matthew 5:16).

Dear Father, thank You for reminding me about patience and gentleness today. Thank You for revealing to me how amazing and great Your love is for me. Forgive me of doubting Your love and care for me when I can't truly see how You works all things for good for those who love You.

Father, I pray that You'll lead and guide me to forgive, be patient and gentle always towards others. I pray that You'll continue to change me to be who You wanted me to be, pleasing in Your sight and to shine for You in the world around me. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

A Boost Of Courage

Hebrews 12:1-11

God Disciplines His Sons
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

4In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."[a]

7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Reflection of Tommy:

Today’s passage shows as Christian we are not exempted from hardship and difficulties. There are times where we feel like giving up our relationship with God when we see no clear help or solution in our problem.

But, we should know that many have remained faithful to God until the end, even though they have to endure far more difficult circumstances than we have ever experienced. God who loves us deeply may use our trials as a way to develop our patience and character, equipping us for our final victory.

Dear Father, thank You for Your discipline sometimes when I’m ignoring Your teachings. Forgive me of doing things my way without seeking Your guidance and leading. Keep my sight always in Jesus while running this race and trusting You to look after me and giving me the best. 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.

Learning To Lament

Lamentations 3:19-27

19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.

20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.

21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;

26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.

27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.

Bee's Thoughts:

God's love and compassion are "new every morning"like the morning dew. That's why even though we who hope and trust in Him are downcast at times, yet we can be restored in our soul and spirit whenever we pour our sorrows unto God. God is faithful in seeing us through each life's trial.

Personally I have experienced how God delivered me from my broken-hearted spirit whenever I lament before Him. In my despondency and helplessness the Lord always remind me that:

"A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench"(Isaiah 42:3; Matthew 12:20)

Yes, God will not forsake me in my time of great sorrow and will not break me till I am beyond repair.


Dear Lord,
Thank You that each time I lament about my sorrows to You,You always hear me. Thank You for Your great love, Your compassion and faithfulness to me. Even now, I pray that You'll look into my heart and and heal me completely from all wounds and let me rejoice in You always.
I pray likewise for my buddy in Your word that You too will do a complete restoration and healing job in his heart, mind and spirit, so he can serve You and be a blessing to others without any hindrance.
Thank You also for bringing my brothers and sisters in Christ together with me home safely, even though we were driving in the midst of darkness and the heavy pouring rain tonight.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


Tommy's Thoughts:
How will our future turn out to be? Sometimes, the future unknowns and uncertainties can be quite overwhelming and daunting to us. We can see that there are many out there who live in fear, feeling lost and aimless; there are also those who feel trapped in an inescapable situation in life; and there’re many too who have doubt about their life will ever turn around and become better tomorrow.

As Christians, how should we respond when we face similar situation or feeling? Like Jeremiah in today’s passage, we can learn to pray to God, pouring out all our emotions and feelings of grief and bitterness to Him when we face difficult trials in life. Not only that, by knowing how faithful and good our God really is, we can have the peace, patience and hope to wait for Him to make things right and perfect for us one day.

Dear Father, although I do not know or understand about what tomorrow may holds, I’ll still trust and wait for Your timing and plans for me. Teach me Lord not to be short-sighted and impatient while waiting for You because You are always faithful and compassionate to those who follow and obey You. Thank You and I pray this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Overcoming Evil With Good

Luke 9:51-56

Samaritan Opposition
51As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them[a]?" 55But Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56and[b] they went to another village.

Bee's Thoughts:

Dear Lord,
You are so forgiving and we need follow Your example. Help me to forgive fully those who have hurt me do much. Set me free from my own prison cell of unforgiveness if any. Let me love my enemies and thereby fulfill Your law of love.
In Jesus' name I pray.

Tommy's Thoughts:
Like James and John, we sometimes do feel like retaliating when others reject or scorn us. Although we may not necessary be doing something clearly evil, but in a subtle way, we try bringing down that person whenever there’s an opportunities or treating them unfairly all the time.

Today passage shows how Jesus rebuked this attitude of retaliation because judgment belongs only to God. Instead of repaying evil with evil, we are called to overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:19-21) and leaving vengeance to God.

Dear Father, thank You for reminding me about not taking things into my own hands; but instead trusting You to be the Judge for all injustice. Teach me to have the patience and wisdom to know when to speak and when to be silent, and always act in peace and with gentleness. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Joy In Trials?

James 1:1-8

1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:
Greetings.

Trials and Temptations
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

Bee's Thoughts:

I just came back from a 2-days mission trip today. We visited the poor villagers and also an orphanage to celebrate Christmas with them. Though the people there are poor, and the orphans have no parents, yet I could see the joy in them when we celebrated with them in songs, dance and giving them little gifts. It's very touching to see a number of them raise their hands to worship God and closed their eyes tight in prayers to God. Aren't they in worst condition than I am? Yet they can rejoice knowing that God cares for them through us.

Tonight's devotion reminds me that all the trials I am facing now is to teach me to be even more persevering than before. If God has kept me from falling in my past trials, surely He will continue to keep me in my current trials. All I need is to know that God is carving a beautiful being out of me through all that I am going through now. Therefore, I should rejoice that I have a God who cares for me and He knows how much I can take. All I need is to ASK from Him wisdom to handle these trials appropriately.


Dear Lord,
You have asked me to ASK You for wisdom when I face trials. Therefore, I am asking You now to grant me the the wisdom to know the difference between what I can change and what I can't. Give me the Your peace and serenity to accept what I can't change.Give me Your grace and courage to change what I can. May my life be what You want me to be.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.




Tommy's Thoughts:

It may be easy to be good, kind and generous when we’re fine and everything is going well. But, will we be the same when others treating us badly or we are under stress or feeling distressed?

To consider it pure joy (v2) doesn’t means to pretend to be happy when we are in pain, but rather to have a positive outlook that our trials produce perseverance in us, building our character- making us mature and complete and helping us to grow in our faith. God has promised to be close with us through these rough times, helping us to solve our problems or giving us the strength to endure.

Dear Father, thank You for teaching me to be patience and to trust You at all times. Lord, teach me also not to complain or be shortsighted when things don’t go the way I wanted them to be, but instead to pray to You for wisdom and the grace to trust and obey. Lead me to commit wholeheartedly to Your loving care and seeing all trials as opportunities to grow to be more like Christ. I pray this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Withering Grass

Psalm 102:3-12

3 For my days vanish like smoke;
my bones burn like glowing embers.

4 My heart is blighted and withered like grass;
I forget to eat my food.

5 Because of my loud groaning
I am reduced to skin and bones.

6 I am like a desert owl,
like an owl among the ruins.

7 I lie awake; I have become
like a bird alone on a roof.

8 All day long my enemies taunt me;
those who rail against me use my name as a curse.

9 For I eat ashes as my food
and mingle my drink with tears

10 because of your great wrath,
for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.

11 My days are like the evening shadow;
I wither away like grass.

12 But you, O LORD, sit enthroned forever;
your renown endures through all generations.

Bee's Thoughts:

The Psalmist has said what I couldn't express.... I felt exactly the way he wrote above. I felt my heart dying. I have to drown myself with work and busyness everyday. Yet I know God is still holding me up so that I will not do anything silly or irrational at the spur of the moment. He is keeping me sane even as I feel as if I might be going crazy with pains.

Dear Lord,
This burden is too heavy for me, please support me and let me not do anything I will regret for life. Hold me securely that I may not fall. Keep me strong in You and let me be immersed in Your love, Lord.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.




Tommy's Thoughts:
Sometimes, we do neglect our basic needs like food and rest when we are in despair. Like the psalmist in today’s passage, we can learn to lean on God for comfort and strength in these times. And when we recognize our weaknesses, we’ll see God’s greatest strength becomes available for us.

Being a Christian, we are called not to suffer silently but to share our struggles and accepting graciously the support and help from others.

Dear Father, thank You that despite everything has perished and failed, You are still there, endure forever (v12). Thank You for lifting me up and giving me hope again when things seem so bleak and uncertain. Lord, continue to provide me with Your strength and peace to guard my heart and mind to walk closer to You each day. In Jesus’ Name I pray, 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

Rosebud Potential

Mark 3:13-19

The Appointing of the Twelve Apostles
13Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14He appointed twelve—designating them apostles[a]—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15and to have authority to drive out demons. 16These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder); 18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Bee's Thoughts:

I am such an imperfect being, even after so many years of moulding by the Lord. Because I am living, not dead, I may resist the Potter's moulding process. I crumbled down many times and the Potter has to remould me over and over again, just like tonight. *sigh*

To me, I am such a wretched soul indeed... nothing good in me... nothing, absolutely nothing. Yet Jesus sees something I or others couldn't see. He sees the "rosebud potential" in me.

So what did Jesus sees in me?
Perhaps my persistency?
I may be down, but not out.
I may not see, but I believe.
I may lose hope, but I never give up.
I may feel hurt, but I never revenge.
I may be fragile, but I can be strong.
I may be naive, but I can be wise in God.

Dear Lord, Jesus,
Thank You for choosing me to be your disciple though I am so weak many times. I pray that this 'rosebud' in me will blossom into a beautiful rose soon. Hold my hands when I am down, like now. Let me not be drowned by sorrows and forget my crown. Lead me moment by moment and day by day.
In Your blessed name I pray. Amen.


Tommy's Thoughts:

I have been offered a position in my church committees for the coming year. I was wondering whether I’m capable to accept this offer as I felt I’m not very good in that area of ministry. Furthermore, I think with the current tiring and hectic schedule I have everyday, I may not have enough time for the responsibilities in the committee.

Jesus selected imperfect men (Mark 3:13-19) to be His apostles. He has chosen them not because of their faith, as their faith often faltered. It is also not because of their talent, ability or leadership.

The only similarity between the 12 apostles is their willingness to obey Christ. And Jesus looked not at their imperfections but at their potential for extension of God’s kingdom.

As I read today’s passage, I realized that we shouldn’t disqualify ourselves from service to Christ because we think we don’t have the expected credentials. Instead, we should know being a good disciple of Christ simply a matter of following Jesus with a willing heart.

Dear Father, thank you for using me to further your kingdom work. Thank you for using me even though I often fail you. Help me to be a beacon of light in this world clothed with your power from on high.

Lord, lead me to seek you first and obey your every command. I pray for Your guidance in every decision I’m going to make, that they may glorify Your Name. Thank you for your love and mercy. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.