I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD. (Psalm 27:13-14 NASB)

The LORD has heard my supplication, the LORD receives my prayer. (Psalm 6:9 NASB)

these words encouraged me today when i was blog hopping.... for those who are praying, have been praying for some time... take heart, God has heard your prayers....

when you pray for rain, carry an umbrella.... from the same post on that blog....

tired? thirsty? weary?

As I stepped into the sanctuary, each living fiber in my body was just groaning. I was tired. Multiple tasks to be completed, one stacked atop of the other. The work was truly getting to me.

"God I need Your grace."

I felt like my strength was sapping out of me, I just wanted to rest, and sleep. Could I? Could I just stop doing what I was doing? After all, I was working quite hard wasn't I?

"God I'm so tired."

My hands felt so heavy. My muscles felt like they could not contract to move. Could I truly worship while I'm feeling like this? When I feel horrible, akin to the term "like crap".

"God I need Your help. Please."

Maybe I could go lie down on the couch.

Too late. The music had started. I had to stay. Looking up towards the screen, the words of the song were put up, and slowly I scanned it. Word by word.

A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
I'm caught in Your grace
Everlasting
Your light shines when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

"God Your grace, Your mercy is ever abundant."

I chose to lift my hands up to Him.

Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

There were tears in my eyes at this point of time. The art of losing myself? All this while I was so occupied by what I was facing. All my problems, did I really let God be my help? Instead I held on tight, thinking I was the one to carry out every single task that was before me.

In my heart and soul
Lord I give You control
Consume from the inside out
Lord let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out
From the inside out
Lord, my soul cries out, Lord

It wasn't easy, to praise God from the inside out. Many of times I would just praise Him from the outside, but my inside was doing something else.
From the inside out. For His grace is abundant. Despite all I have done, I know He welcomes me with open arms.

The mercies of God

For most of the Old Testament, if asked to name one really bad king, King Ahab springs to mind. For a king who tolerated idol-worship, and persecuted the prophets, he was portrayed as the epitome of Israel turning away from God.

In 1 Kings 20, though, another side of Ahab appears. Ben-Hadad, king of Aram along with 32 other kings threatened Israel, and Ahab was bold enough to answer to his threats, "Tell him: 'One who puts on his armour should not boast like one who takes it off.' " (v11) Ahab managed to defeat Ben-Hadad with God's help, and later, he inquired if Ben-Hadad was still alive.

"The king answered, 'Is he still alive? He is my brother.' " (v32)

This seemed like magnificent behaviour on King Ahab's part. One might almost say his bloodthirsty reputation was not justified at this point. However, merely 10 verses later, a prophet had this to say to Ahab.

"He said to the king, 'This is what the Lord says: 'You have set free a man I had determined should die. Therefore it is your life for his life, your people for his people.' " (v42)

***

Put simply, there are some things the Lord wants to put to death. In verse 42, the word 'die' in Hebrew apparently is a term referring to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

Seemingly quite against God's nature, and unsurprisingly, its hard for me to put certain things away for good. But the consequences of this false mercy don't look good. Not only is my own life forfeit, but the lives of those around me, those that I'm responsible for, will be put at risk.

I've seen it all

Sometimes I think those of us who've been Christians for what seems like ages have a harder time of it. Some call it cynicism, others call it being realistic, still others are content to let things be and sit back, commenting inwardly on every spiritual high, nodding sagely to ourselves. 'It won't last.'

I've definitely had my share of 'I've seen it all' moments. The moments that happen just before being invited to a camp or a conference, or just before an altar call; feeling as though I know whats going to happen, and that no matter what DOES happen, I'd still be looking at a downward spiral somewhere later along the line.

***

"The LORD said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.' "

Not your everyday invitation to mamak. If I was a guy in the Old Testament and I'd heard that, I'd be suitably nervous and in fact, downright scared. Was I unclean in any way? In any case, there would be no time for me to offer a quick sacrifice and go to the priests for purification rites. The LORD would be outside my door in the next few minutes! Was I fit to receive Him? Or would these be my last few minutes on earth? In what manner would He arrive?

"Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD,...."

"After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake."

"After the earthquake there came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire."

By now I'd probably be almost dead with fear.

"And after the fire there came a gentle whisper."


And Elijah, for whom the invitation was meant, was expecting it and came out to have a chat with God when he heard the whisper. He'd had his share of spiritual highs and lows.

Instead of cynicism, he was sincere.(1 Kings 19:13-14)

Instead of complaining, he confessed his worries.

He may have expected a pat on the back for his work; but God gave him a plan, and a right-hand man.

***

Its a constant challenge for me not to stereotype Christianity and a relationship with God. For in doing so, we miss out on seeing God's workmanship, and the simple wonder of enjoying His presence.

Numbers

If you've watched The Guardian, the movie with Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Costner being life guards, at the end, he asks Kevin

"So what's your number?"

and Kevin goes... "20. That's the number of lives I've LOST."

And that just makes me think, what's my number? Must be a pretty big 4 digit one. Thousands of lives who have just passed me by. All lost.

What am I gonna do to make that change?

Vision!

When I saw this great idea by Jon Ling, I heart jumped with excitement. Finally, there’s something that connects the heartbeats of ECF IMUers together. A place where we can encourage each other, share visions and dreams God placed in our hearts, and together build His kingdom with the gifts and the positions God has placed us under.

Isa26:8… your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. (NIV)

The NLT version says “…our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.”

How more can we better do this if not through our profession as doctors; where we have contact with so many people each day, hearing and seeing how they journey their lives before our eyes. Being a doctor, not only give you such personal encounter with patients’ lives, it also gives us an “authority” or “right” to speak into their lives. We help, we save lives, we treat diseases, but we can do more. We can speak of His love, we can tell of His green hope, we can share about Jesus! Let His heartbeat be ours. Let whatever things that grips Him, grips us too!

“Break my heart for what break Yours!”

As church’s vision is towards “Community@heart” it is our dream and desire to have a hospital of our own, where like-minded people can come together and practice medicine together. Not only offering medicine to community, but let’s bring Jesus as our true medicine, as our healer and perfector of our lives into the community. It is such a great platform for people out there to know out Him!!!

Gen11: 1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. 3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." 5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." 8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel—because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

If we “speak the same language” there is nothing we plan to do which will be impossible to us. Not even “weak building blocks” (bricks and tar). God recognize the power of unity that these people shared. Even though they used weak building blocks to build the tower, God see the impact they would make if they build the towel as one spirit! The power of unity and one accord! Plus, if God is for us, who shall be against us!!! Just wanna urge you guys to join in this God given vision. Let’s partner together to serve our God!

the way

This season, is definitely a refreshing change for me. I must say, for once, I'm being a little more obedient with what God is asking me to do. He he. Unfortunately, with wanting to be purposeful, so many things will happen, and just so many things would try to drag one down.

Just the past Sunday as Ps Tim (ECF) had gathered the leaders to come together to put our faith pledge in our new church building (yes I said NEW!), he shared this verse, which I felt best described my season this time around also.

In Isaiah 30:
19 O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

What I really feel God is saying to me in this season is that, despite the trials and tribulations that I will face, God will reveal the path in which I am to walk in. I believe with each and everyone of us, who sometimes give up hope as we often don't know where we are headed, sit down, and ask God. For He has promised that despite the dishing out of the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, our eyes will be able to see our teachers and our ears will be able to hear the voice that guides us.

So, if you are discouraged this season, remember this verse, for God always fulfills His promises.

hi ppl,

i r trying this new blog. in dire situation atm. hope things sort out.

Update to the blog

Added the chatter box and added a verse to the title. Though I was then reminded that it's actually the iron sharpen iron verse. oopsies.
Will post soon. Hope to see everyone here soon. Please link your blogs if possible.

Starting off

Why irontoosharp? Wen Hau's quip about 'iron sharpening iron' seemed to make the most sense, and also stopped me from coming up with something even lamer.

Feel free to invite others who may want to contribute.

Now to get a chatbox going...