The Wesleyan Covenant Prayer

At this start of the New Year, many Methodist churches will be renewing their covenant using the covenant John Wesley wrote:

“Beloved in Christ,
let us again claim for ourselves
this covenant which God has made with his people,
and take upon us the yoke of Christ.
This means that we are content
that he appoint us our place and work,
and that he himself be our reward.

Christ has many services to be done:
some are easy, others are difficult;
some bring honour, others bring reproach;
some are suitable to our natural inclinations and material interests,
others are contrary to both;

At this start of the New Year, many churches will be renewing their covenant. Ponder these words from that service—

Beloved in Christ,
let us again claim for ourselves
this covenant which God has made with his people,
and take upon us the yoke of Christ.
This means that we are content
that he appoint us our place and work,
and that he himself be our reward.

Christ has many services to be done:
some are easy, others are difficult;
some bring honour, others bring reproach;
some are suitable to our natural inclinations and material interests,
others are contrary to both;

in some we may please Christ
and please ourselves;
in others we cannot please Christ except by denying
ourselves.

Yet the power to do all these things is given to us
in Christ, who strengthens us.

Therefore let us make this covenant of God our own.
Let us give ourselves to him,
trusting in his promises and relying on his grace.”

Have a blessed 2024, dear friends!

Music is God’s Gift


Martin Luther (1483-1546) was known as a Reformer. What amazes me is the fiery passion he had in making hymns accessible to worshippers during his time.
To him, music is a gift of God for refreshment, healing and comforting the worshippers. Music in church is also helps us to learn about God and to celebrate His generosity and goodness.

The next time we sing in church, let us be mindful that singing and music is indeed God’s precious gift to us.

Give Thoughts About Heaven

While our world is full of sufferings and tragedies, when we think about the life in Heaven with our Creator someday, we will have hope to live our daily life.

Our time on earth is but a breath (Psalm 39:4-6). There are sufferings in this world, many are deprived of their basic human needs, people living in poverty, victims of wars and natural disasters…

Christians are not exempted from such sufferings too. In fact, more than 360 million Christians are facing high levels of persecutions for their faith (https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/). 

As believers, we know this broken world is just temporal. God offers the beautiful gift of eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ. In the new heavens and the new earth, God will restore everything as He has intended from the beginning: sickness, sins, death, mourning, crying and sufferings will be no more (Isaiah 65:17).

The new heavens and new earth will be a glorious place. It brings the promise that God “will wipe every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4).When we reflect on what is to come, we will have the hope and the strength to live for Jesus today. 

Beauty is God’s Goodness

Beauty is God’s goodness

In a world that is chaotic and is in pain, God reminds us that He is present and He cares for us. God’s goodness to us is revealed in His handiworks —the nature.

Dallas Willard says, “Beauty is God’s goodness made manifest to the senses.” Every time we use our senses to see the beauty of the world around us, we are savouring and experiencing God’s goodness. 

Think of the moments you were enjoying the fresh air in the park, hearing the birds singing, marveling the diverse shapes and sizes of plants and flowers, playing with our pets, or enjoying the symphony of colours in the sky during the sunset.

All these are reminders of God’s goodness and love for us.

‘The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork’ (Psalm 19:1).

Learning

“Do one thing everyday that scares you” was a quote which was believed to have been said by Eleanor Roosevelt.

She wasn’t saying that we do something unwise and foolish. Rather, she was referring to stepping outside our comfort zones so that we will have greater courage as we move on in life.

On a daily basis, I have to make decisions, solve problems for the good of the church. It can be scary at times as the decisions can affect the running of the church.

I am glad that doing something fearful help me to be able to make better decisions when similar circumstances arise. It is something that I have to keep learning. 🙂

Last Day of the First Half of Year 2023!

God has carried us through the first half of the year. How was your first half of the year?

Today is the last day of the first half of 2023! Time flies! Looking back at the first half of the year, God has been good and faithful.

I am sure you have tasted and see God’s goodness in your life as well! He provided for us (Philippians 4:19, Matthew 6:31-32): we have food on the table, a shelter over our head, a bed to rest on at night, and work that we can do to keep our minds active and body moving.

He leads us (Proverbs 20:24): when we are struggling in our work, when we are at the crossroad when making decisions, God gives us wisdom and strength to manage them.

He gives us peace (John 14:27): when we are worried about our life, having a health scare, or even having a weak body, or worrying about our children, we know when we pray to Him and cast all over worries to Him, He hears us. He promises us that. He does not turn a deaf ear to us.

God has been faithful to us. There are so much to be thankful to God for! May God continue to lead and guide us for the second half of 2023!

What else can you add to this list?

Be an example

This was Apostle Peter’s instructions to the church leaders. In the Bible, believers are sometimes referred to as sheep because sheep are gentle and sheep are valuable. 

Peter reminded the leaders to be good examples for God’s people, to teach them God’s Word and to nurture them in their Christian faith. 

As leaders, we need God’s grace and wisdom to lead us and to guide us so that our lives may bring glory to Him.

What is the Good News?

The Gospel in a Nutshell

What is the “Good News” or the “Gospel”? The “Good News” or the “Gospel” refers to the same thing.

Apostle Paul wrote, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures “ (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

The Gospel is this: Sin has separated us from God. God loves us and wants to save us from sins. He sent His only Son Jesus Christ, who was without sins, to die on the Cross for us. The blood of Jesus washed away our sins. Nothing else can do that.   

Jesus had paid the price of our sins —with His own life.

In our sinfulness, we are rebelling against God. We reject Him as our God. But Jesus died on the Cross to reconcile us with God.

Three days later, by the power of God, Jesus rose from the dead. He is in Heaven now, preparing a place for us so that when we leave this world, we will be with Him in Heaven.

This is the Good News: no one is so bad and so unlovable that God can not save.

The Earth is the Lord’s (Earth Day)

22 April. Today is Earth Day. Since 1970, Earth Day has been an annual event celebrated by 1 billion people in more than 193 countries around the world. The participants take part in projects such as picking up litter and planting trees to protect the planet from pollution and deforestation.

But the task of taking care of this earth went back further than 22 April 1970. After creating the universe and the beautiful earth, God our Creator created a man and a woman and entrusted them to care for this world. God placed the man Adam and his wife Eve in the Garden of Eden, and oh, what a beautiful place that was! There were fruits on the trees and flowers of every kind and animals were living peaceably with one another. God gave them this responsibility to work and take care of this alluring garden (Genesis 2:15).

However, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they were banished from this garden. Taking care of the earth became a much harder job. There were now thorns, plants would wither, fruit trees might fall to bear fruits and we had to toil hard for food from the ground. Yet, God is still with us. He speaks to us through His creation. When we observe the nature around us, we see how tiny we are compared to the gushing waterfalls and the grandiose mountain. When we look at our garden: the blooming flowers, the singing birds, the mischievous cats and the loyal pet dogs, we can not help but be amazed at God’s creativity and love when He created all these wonderful creatures.    

In 1901, pastor and poet Maltbie Babcock wrote the hymn, “This Is My Father’s World”, expressing his delight in God’s creation! During his morning walks, he was fascinated by God’s creations: the sky, the seas and all the creatures in them. And he was inspired to write this song.

This is our God’s world. He puts the seasons in order (Job 38:12-13). He controls the weather (Job 38:22-30) and He provides food for the living creatures (Job 38:39-41). He sustains this world, whether it is things visible or invisible to our human eyes.  

Wherever we are, whether we live in a bustling city or a quiet town, each of us can play a part in caring for the environment. This can be our way of thanking God for creating this amazing world for us to live in. Let us protect this earth. We only have one earth. May our children and their children get to enjoy this beautiful world.