The Gravity of Sin

Read 2 Chronicles 34:14-21

Reflection of Tommy:

Nowadays, no one is safe or protected from the influence of immoral worldview ideas that bombard us constantly from television, film, music, newspapers, magazines, books, etc. Sadly, as they are so appealing to the desires of the flesh, many unknowingly incorporate them into their own personal worldview. Very often we see how people making excuses for sinning, blaming others, and treating it lightly.

We know God does not and never take sin lightly; He even sacrificed His one and only Son to redeem us from the penalty of sin! Instead of pretending that our sin is nothing or not such a "big deal", we should start taking it and God's commands seriously; knowing how severely it can affect us and others. Seek God's Word daily and diligently, asking the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit for wisdom and discernment.

Dear Father, thank You for constantly revealing to me my ways that are wrong and against Your will and plan for me. Teach me to be sensitive to Your voices through reading of Your Word, faithful friends You brought into my life and the works of the Holy Spirit in me. I pray I will have a willing heart to obey and be firm in my commitment to follow Christ wholeheartedly. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

No Record Of Our Sins

Read Psalm 130

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." - Romans 8:1

Reflection of Tommy:

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). So, are we forever trapped in endless and futile loops of earning God's approval and acceptance with our own strength? Are we hoping and wishing we'll be good enough to be able to eventually rest ourselves in a 'better' place when we die? There is neither certainty nor clarity. Neither hope nor assurance.

But, as Christian, we know that there will be no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Because God loves us so much, He offers us a way through our genuine faith in His Son, that we will be assured 100% to be redeemed from all our iniquities (Psalm 130:8) and to be reconciled with Him again even if we were to die tomorrow. No ambiguity. No uncertainty.

Dear loving Father, thank You for the certainty and confidence I have in You through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You for Your love, grace and mercy- to forgive me of all my iniquities and justified freely through the redemption that came by Christ (Romans 3:24).

Father, teach me to be an obedient follower of Christ, having Him not only as my Savior but also as the Lord of everything in my life. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

The Pain Of Falling

Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-12

Reflection of Tommy:

We do fall as Christian sometimes when we are not careful with the way we live. The constant pressures and stress we face may make us easy to ignore or forget lessons from our past or from the stories we learned from the Bible. As what cautioned by Paul in today’s passage, we should be prepared and take heed of those similar lessons the Israelites learned (idolatry, sexual immorality, testing God, discontentment: v6-10) so we will not repeat their errors.

But, if we are struggling with sin and keep on falling, feeling discouraged and even disgusted by ourselves to face God again, don’t hide or run but to humbly turn and confess our sin to Him, asking Him to help us get up and keep us from falling again. God who loves us so much, He will forgive, upholds, lifts up and renews us (Psalm 145:14, Rom. 12:2) to follow more closely with Him.

Dear Father, thank You for being such a loving and forgiving God even though I have disappointed You so very often. Thank You for teaching me to correct my ways, to be more prepared in resisting temptations and to recognize people or situations that can give me trouble. Guide me to study Your Word more regularly so that those lessons can remind me always how You wants me to live and need not to repeat their mistakes. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Talent Search

Isaiah 6:1-8

Isaiah's Commission
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."

4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Reflection of Tommy:

We may feel like quitting when we realized how our shortcomings will never measured up to God’s standard of holiness. With frustration, we may turn away from seeking God to change us and settling on what we can do best on our own.

But, we need not ‘run’ away from God when we realize His holiness, purity and moral perfection compares to our sinfulness. Like Isaiah, allow God to work in us and recognize the extent of His forgiveness. By submitting ourselves and confessing our sin before Him, through His love, mercy and grace, he will forgive, renew and purify us again. Then, we will be empowered once more to worship and serve Him with confidence and thankfulness.

Dear Father, thank You for giving me the right view of You when it was distorted by the daily frustrations, pressures and my own shortcomings. Forgive me of all my ‘unrighteousness’ and for doing things that are not pleasing to You. Cleanse me from within with Your burning coal that I may be purified once more to truly represent You to the world. Thank You and I pray this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Morning

Lamentations 3:19-32

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.

28 Let him sit alone in silence,
for the LORD has laid it on him.

29 Let him bury his face in the dust—
there may yet be hope.

30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
and let him be filled with disgrace.

31 For men are not cast off
by the Lord forever.

32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.

Reflection of Bee:

Very often, my anger for someone never last. Before the morning comes, my anger would have been dissipated. For the Lord has taught me to forgive. Yes, though I may still wonder why that person hurt me, but I don't bear grudge against that person.

As follower of Christ we just reflect the image of God. It is God's work in our hearts, not our own doing. In the same way, God's anger upon us will not last forever. He is full of compassion and mercy towards His children. However, we should not take that for granted.

Dear Lord,
Thank Your for your Your compassion upon me all the days of my life. Thank You that You did not give up on me but continue to transform my life to be more like Yours. May I continue to show compassion and mercy to others as well.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


Reflection of Tommy:

There are many sincere Christians out there who feel so disappointed with themselves for constantly falling into sin that they stop asking God for forgiveness altogether. They live with guilt and bitterness; thinking they are unworthy of anymore grace or mercy from God.

But from the Bible, we know that God’s great love and compassion for us never fail (v22). There are no sin he would not forgive if we are sincere, and no matter how many times we have fail Him, He still will offer us His forgiveness as they are new every morning (v23). So, before it’s too late, return to God for He is waiting to welcome us back into His loving arms.

Dear Father, thank You for Your love, grace and mercy to forgive an unworthy sinner like me. Thank You for what Christ has done that allow me to approach and reconcile with You again. Teach me with all Your loving lessons, always seeking You and Your kingdom first. Lord, guide me to reflect silently each day on what You wants and be patient to wait on 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.

Fox Trouble

1 John 1:5-10

Walking in the light
5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[a] sin.

8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

Reflection of Bee:

Our God is a compassionate God and ever ready to forgive us if only we confess our sins and ask for His forgiveness. Yet we tend to accumulate them, thinking they are too small or too big to confess to God.

Tonight's passage shows us that no one is sinless, therefore it is only normal to come to God for cleansing daily or whenever we sin. He is always faith and just to forgive us.

Dear Lord,
Thank You for Your cleansing blood. Thank You for Your love and forgiveness of all the sins I may have committed, knowingly or unknowingly. Thank You for the assurance.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.




Reflection of Tommy:

In today’s Our Daily Bread, the writer mentioned that the most deadly sins do not leap upon us, but creep up on us. How often those seemingly small, harmless and insignificant sins in our lives left unchecked. It may be our dishonesty at work, bad-mouthing on others, lying or doing things with hidden agendas. Those little sins will inevitably grow larger and before we know it, we’ll find ourselves in difficult situation bearing the heavy consequences of our action (James 1:15).

Dear Father, thank You for reminding me to walk in the light, as You are in the light (v7). Teach me to confess all my sins to You and be committed not to continue to do them again. Lord, I pray for Your continual strength for me to defeat all temptations coming my way. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

The Blame Game

Genesis 3:1-13

The Fall of Man
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "

4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"

10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."

11 And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"

12 The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."

13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"
The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

Reflection of Bee:

There is a tendency for us to blame others when things go wrong. One subtle way of not taking personal responsibility is by saying "I am like that, can't be helped." or "I am a bad guy". These statements do not correct the wrongs that were done.

To take personal responsibility is to right the wrongs. One good example of this is Zaccheus, the tax collector. When Zaccheus followed Jesus he said, "if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." (Luke 19:8-10) That is to make restitution and restoration if we truly feel sorry for the wrongs we made.

Dear Lord,
Thank You for reminding me not to blame others when things go wrong but to take personal responsibilities. I pray for grace and strength to do what is right to bring glory to Your name. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.



Reflection of Tommy:
Despite knowing its consequences, many Christians today still feel helplessly trapped in the bondage of sin. They also realized how the effects of their sin spread to those close to them. The first step to overcome sin is not by hiding from God, like Adam and Eve, but to recognize and confess them to God. Because of what Christ has done on the Cross for us, we can come to God in repentance, knowing God actively offers us His unconditional love.

But, repentance is not merely a thought but also an action. We need to begin making decision each day to take concrete steps to overcome, run (sometimes literally) and avoid things or situation that will lead us to sin. Pray daily for strength from God to resist all form of temptation and wisdom to discern areas of our lives that need to be changed. And finally, always remember Jesus is with us every step of the way!

Dear Father, thank You for teaching me once again not to blame others or situation for my wrongdoings. Teach me to ask the Holy Spirit to show any wrongdoing I may have- thoughts, desires, words, relationship, actions; and confess them to You. Lord, guide me then take step to truly repented from them and placing myself in Your hands in total obedience. Thank You Lord, for all these I ask in Jesus’ Name, 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.