DReamLaNd

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

-Isaiah 40: 31-

Are you feeling tired? Weary? Frustrated over things going out of your hands? Upset about things messed up? Worried about the situation you are in? Unmotivated because you do not see fruits bearing? Stressed out in a relationship or even, feeling disappointed with yourself?

Those who hope in the Lord, will find renewed strength! It is not a condition, it is a certainty!

Isaiah 40:31 reminds us to put our hope in the LORD because God has a four fold promise for us when we put our hope in Him.

1)     Our strength will be renewed (better than any isotonic drink!)

2)     We will soar on wings on eagles (not grounded turkeys!)

3)     Run and not grow weary (imagine yourself as a marathon runner!)

4)     Walk and not be faint (going through dessert periods without stumbling!)

Our life is like a journey we take. Oftentimes, we find ourselves in challenging roads when we are tempted to give up! We think we are all alone! We think of throwing in the towel! DON’T!

These are times when we must realize that God’s love and pursuit for us is still present. He is there with us even when we don’t sense or feel Him. In the midst of our emptiness, frustration, pain and the agony of awful experiences that seem to blind us to the truth, may our eyes be opened this day – that God is by our side!

Why this certainty? Because God didn’t abandon you when you were dying in your sin. When we were yet sinners, doomed to eternal destruction, God didn’t just sit in heaven and watched. When we were yet sinners, Christ died for you and me.

The reason? So that you and I can have a close walk with God in this life and the life to come. Eternity will be restored in our hearts when we realize this hope that God has already placed in us because we believe in Him.

Therefore, in the valleys of life, whilst we are tempted to abandon it all, we must say in faith, “I can’t give up, because God did not give up on me.”

As in 2 Corinthians 4:1-16, Paul is saying to us, “Despite what is happening to me, God is not diminished. His power is not reduced by where I am. The pain, shame or disappointment is there, but I can keep going because I remember God’s great love for me.”

So, don’t quit. You may not have what it takes, but God does! Put your hope in Him!

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

-          2 Corinthians 4:16-17 –

In closing, take a look at this link and be encouraged that you are never alone. When you walk with the Lord, hand in hand, He will walk us to the end of life’s road.

Just hang on to Jesus!

http://www.donghaeng.net/english/donghaeng.htm

In His Grace,

Evelyn Kuang

SURGE : When it is time to go home

The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27 that all men have been appointed to die once.

A startling thought, but a realistic one. Everyone, including our loved ones and friends, will one day face the inevitable end to our momentary life here on earth.

And for us, it might be difficult to let go – of people and of things – we once held so dear, only for death or a tragedy for these to be taken away from us.

It is sad. It may be heart-wrenching. But life doesn’t have to end in despair.

God can help. He can heal. He can restore.

This edition of SURGE is written for you, at such a time as this. If you know of a friend/colleague who needs to read this, kindly pass this on too.

Written by,

Evelyn Kuang

(Writing Team: PJN4)

PrOmIsE : When Taken Away

(Promise: Is a reminder of the LORD’s wonderful promises to us from Scripture and also His commands to us for daily living)

                                                  

                                                 

 

" 2 …to comfort all who mourn,

3  and provide for those who grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendour. ”

– Isaiah 61: 2-3 –

Looking into the picture…

Imagine yourself walking towards the road ahead. It is likened to the journey of life. You still can’t see how far ahead you need to travel but you are determined to reach the end of the road to meet God. You want to live life to the fullest but there are times when the journey becomes difficult to carry on.

Hurdles and distractions, problems and hurts hinder you. Temporary moments of elation and joys cause you to stop. There are so many things you walked passed that you wished you could bring along or wished that it never would go away. Like maybe a moment of triumph. Or that time when you experience God in a tangible way.

Some people whom have started the journey with you, departed to their own routes. Some people whom joined you later on traveled with you for awhile and then left for other routes. Some people walked with you longer and gave you enough courage to carry on walking, and they left. You too became that somebody to someone else but there are times when circumstances separate you.

When people left you or precious things are taken away from you, your heart grieved at the loss and you start to ask God, why I can’t have him/her/it forever?

Now, look outside the picture…

Then, we see God. When we see a God of love, we are reminded that nothing on earth is everlasting, until the day we meet God. Eternity should be what you seek for deep in your heart because it is in eternity that the people you love and the true treasures of heaven are once again restored to you.

But right here and now, you might say, ‘But what about now? My sorrow and grief is just too much to bear…’ Especially if you are hurting from something that you feel has been ‘unjustly’ taken away from you – your health, a love one or even your wealth.

As you look back over the period of loss and uncertainty in life, ask the LORD to reveal to you, where He was in those periods. Allow Him to reveal to you that when He allowed the storms of suffering to increase and intensify in your life, He has a purpose. He is putting into you, something of eternal worth. He wants you to soar higher in your relationship with Him.

We might not understand this ‘purpose’ right now, but many can testify that they see it later on their life. Whatever was meant for evil, God can turn it around for good.

Faith that soars triumphantly is possible only when the winds of life are contrary to times of calm waters. It is in adversity that faith is built. God’s picture for our lives is much bigger than our own. And it reminds us of the challenge to trust His greater, ultimate purpose when bad things inevitably happen.

And so, during the times when you can’t trace God’s hand of purpose, you must trust His heart of love. When you don’t understand why, you must trust Him to overcome because God cares for you more than you can possibly know.

As His Word declares of His promises in Isaiah 61:2-3: The LORD wants to bestow on you a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

He can. And He will. Would you allow God to heal you and restore you? 

In times like these, cry out for more of God in meekness and stop blaming yourself (or even God) for what has happened. When you are weak, then God can be strong in you.

When the crown of beauty, the oil of gladness, and the garment of praise are upon you, then the revelation will come to you… that it is when you realized that as you passed through the valleys of sorrow, God has been with you all along, through it all.

—————

“Blessed are the poor in spirit…. Blessed are they that mourn…. Blessed are the meek… .”

– Matthew 5: 3-5 –

These beautiful beatitudes of Matthew chapter 5:3-14  would be an uplifting reminder to you that God has not forgotten or forsake you in your struggles, despairs, pains and hurts. Be rest assured that He knows about how much you could handle than you think you could. If only you could allow Him to bless you…

http://www.interviewwithgod.com/beatitudes/index.htm   (turn on your speakers) J

You will never walk alone, as long as you have faith, Jesus will be right beside you all the way!! I felt so comforted to sing this verse again and again….. Yes, Jesus is my “utmost best friend” and although I cannot see Him, I know He is just right beside me….all the way!! Wow, what a wonderful walk through life I have when I have Jesus in my life. As long as I believe, and have faith…… He is just beside me to walk through all my life journey. ….. What a remarkable gift I have in my Lord, Jesus Christ!

Nothing can compare to what I have in Him, not the achievements I gained, not the activity I participated, not the praises I got from people, not the results I attained, not even my life partner or my children next time that can satisfy this quench of thirst in me. This life that I breathe is from the grace of God.

By being a Christian, I try to walk as faithfully as I can in this journey and I am not perfect. I learn about the purpose of my life is not of my own, but that I am created with a purpose and reason to live for my God! =) I am God’s workmanship and is beautiful in His eyes. He will never forsake me no matter what I’ve done wrong, no matter how small I feel about myself, for He sees me for who I am. My worth and value is in God alone. He hold me secure in His love.

The joy of the Lord is my strength!

You Will Never Walk Alone

From Point of Grace           Free to Fly

Along life’s road

There will be sunshine and rain

Roses and thorns,

Laughter and pain

Across the miles

You will face mountains so steep

Deserts so long and valleys so deep

Sometimes the journey’s gentle

Sometimes the cold winds blow

But I want you to remember

I want you to know

Chorus:

You will never walk alone

As long as you have faith

Jesus will be right beside you all the way

You may feel you’re far from home

But home is where He is

And He’ll be there down every road

You will never walk alone

The path will wind

And you will find wonders and fears

Labors of live and a few falling tears

Across the years

There will be some twists and turns

Mistakes to make and lessons to learn

Sometimes the journey’s gentle

Sometimes the cold winds blow

But I want you to remember

Wherever you may go

Bridge:

Jesus knows your joy

Jesus knows your need

He will go the distance with you faithfully

AGAPE Love, this unconditional love… that caused Jesus Christ to make the choice to die on the cross for you and me, to bring us life, is a remarkable move that no one else would do.

Why does Jesus have to choose the nails??

See this presentation and know it yourself, and you’ll never regret that you get to know this piece of great news. =)

http://www.hechosethenails.net

A Beautiful Song by Nicole Nordeman -Why?

We rode into town the other day
Just me and my Daddy
He said I’d finally reached that age
And I could ride next to him on a horse
That of course was not quite as wide

We heard a crowd of people shouting
And so we stopped to find out why
And there was that man
That my dad said he loved
But today there was fear in his eyes

So I said "Daddy, why are they screaming?
Why are the faces of some of them beaming?
Why is He dressed in that bright purple robe?
I’ll bet that crown hurts Him more than He shows
Daddy, please can’t you do something?
He looks as though He’s gonna cry
you said he was stronger than all of those guys
Daddy, please tell me why
Why does everyone want him to die?"

Later that day the sky grew cloudy
And Daddy said I should go inside
Somehow he knew things would get stormy
Boy was he right
But I could not keep from wondering
If there was something he had to hide

So after he left I had to find out
I was not afraid of getting lost
So I followed the crowds
To a hill where I knew men had been killed
And I heard a voice come from the cross

And it said, "Father, why are they screaming?
Why are the faces of some of them beaming?
Why are they casting their lots for My robe?
This crown of thorns hurts Me more than it shows
Father, please can’t You do something?
I know that You must hear My cry
I thought I could handle the cross of this size
Father, remind Me why
Why does everyone want Me to die?
When will I understand why?"

"My precious Son, I hear them screaming
I’m watching the face of the enemy beaming
But soon I will clothe You in robes of My own
Jesus, this hurts Me much more than You know
But this dark hour I must do nothing
Though I’ve heard Your unbearable cry
The power in Your blood destroys all of the lies
Soon You’ll see past their unmerciful eyes
Look there below, see the child
Trembling by her father’s side
Now I can tell You why
She is why You must die"

As usual, I’ve been listening to my favourite mp3 songs at my office cubicle. One of them which I play very often is this Canon in D. It helps me to unwind and relax while I do my work, spurring me in motivation.

Recently, there’s a discussion at Cell group on how do we define success in life? What is our opinion on what is "successful"? Is it achieving what we have aimed? Is it reaching goals that we have set? What happens if one doesnt set goals? What do you see in a successful person? Always surrounded by people, termed as ‘popular person’ and stuff like that?

I believe it’s blessing people with who we are and what we have. Self centered people would never be succesful in life. How can we be a blessing to people around us, and to people in the world? What impact can we bring to lives…?

So, it’s a journey of a purpose-driven life…not so much so of attaining all things for ‘me’, ‘myself’ and ‘I’, which everyone has the natural instinct of being so. We are just too good at that. Believe me, it’s never going to be easy to not think of our own benefit! Well, It’s a learning process and character moulding journey to self-denial. One thing I’m most impressed about Jesus is that He is able to suffer and die for each one of us out of LOVE!! (even for people who rejected him, scourned and mocked Him). He came to this earth 2000 years ago with a purpose not for Himself, but for the people of the world. His sufferings has a great purpose. He suffered for the name of unconditional love and to save.

What is love? To Love people who loves you is easy, but to even love people who hates you is true unconditional love…

Can we do it? Jesus did.

Gospel John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only son Jesus to die for us, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have an eternal life.