Harvest Principle: Give generously

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God’s way at time is beyond human’s logic…
But He is God, He bless & He multiply.......
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Sunday, February 21, 2010
Harvest Principle: Give generously
by Rick Warren

Then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up. "There's a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?" John 6:8-9 (NLT)

Whenever you have a need, acknowledge your faith by planting a seed. In other words, take your focus off your need and look at ways you can provide for the needs of others, planting a seed in their lives.

This isn't easy; it goes against our nature; it's totally illogical. If I'm out of money, I'm probably going to think, 'I can't give away any money?' Or, if I'm out of time, I'm probably going to think, 'Why should I spend more time on something else?' Or, if I don't have any energy in a relationship, I'm probably going to think, 'How can I give more energy away?'

Yet, God says this is exactly what demonstrates faith: when you have a need, you plant a seed.

You can see this principle imbedded in our blood. When you give away blood, you get more blood. You don't end up with less blood; you end up with as much blood or more than you had before.
God often works through this harvest principle, that when you have a need, you give - and what you give away, God replenishes. Faith is like a seed, so it has to be planted - deposited.
Remember the story of the little boy who had five loaves and two fish? He gives them away, and God uses it to feed 5,000 people. Jesus takes what the boy gives; He breaks it; He blesses it; and He uses it.
That's what God does in our lives. He takes us; He breaks us; He blesses us; and He uses us. He multiplied a little into a lot because it was planted as a seed.

Lesson 5 : Establishing the Habit of Excellence - 28 Feb'10

Hey, Joyful gang:

….How to set goal in life?
……What is excellence in lives?
…….. What is self confidence?
……….How would you feel if Christians also seek for Excellence in lives?
…………How would a Christians can be equipped for excellence in works & lives?

Above are some questions we will touch base on 28 Feb’10 SG fellowship, in lesson 5 “Establishing the Habit of EXCELLENCE”, time: 1.30 pm after worship & church luncheon.
Welcome to bring friends and please read the attached materials prior attending.

Facilitator: Gene (Pls pray for her)
See you and God’s bless.

Titus 3:8 (NIV)
This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
-Ben-

Blessing on the 1st day of LNY...

Is a great pleasure and blessing to worship our Lord on the 1st day of Lunar New Year which is on Sunday…

We sing praises, worship and listen to the message delivery from God’s servant, Rev. Dr Lee.

Give thanks to our almighty God that He wants to bless us with joy, happiness, fortune, peace and blessing.

Our Lord shall lead us out of danger, adversary or disaster as well as strengthen us day by day!

We shall extol our Lord, both now and forevermore!
Deuteronomy 11:12 (NIV)
12. It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.
~Amen~

Pre-CNY visitation

Proverbs 14
21 ……but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.
31 ….but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

In God’s grace, for the good works of LCC (Love Care for Community) ministry, we visited families at Blk 5 TPY yesterday evening.

Mdm Teo, at her age of 92, & her daughter welcome us in joy. Last year in July, Mdm Teo was discharged from hospital, due to a fall she was admitted, but in God’s grace she was recovering well. She shared with us her health condition and appreciated our visitation.

Her daughter, Susan, told us that after her mom fall, her mom’s mobility is not so well; however, whenever she was off duty, she will bring her mom to the care centre to partake in the activities.

Mdm Teo spoken to us in Teochew, thanks God we have Bro. PT with us, who is good in Teochew, if not it will appear “Chicken & duck talk”…

We greeted Mdm Teo with “红.包”& some goodies to share the joy of Chinese New Year with her.

Our hearts fill with thanksgiving for the abundant blessing God given to us, and we are able to bless and share his love with others in our Lord’s gracious mercy.

~ Amen~

No Shortcuts to Christian Maturity

It take time for infant to grow up, so is our lives in Christ......

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Tuesday, February 02, 2010
No Shortcuts to Christian Maturity by Rick Warren

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:6 NLT)

It takes years for us to grow to adulthood, and it takes a full season for fruit to mature and ripen. The same is true for the fruit of the Spirit. The development of Christlike character cannot be rushed. Spiritual growth, like physical growth, takes time.

When you try to ripen fruit quickly, it loses its flavor. In America, tomatoes are usually picked unripened so they won't bruise during shipping to the stores. Then, before they are sold, these green tomatoes are sprayed with CO2 gas to turn them red instantly. Gassed tomatoes are edible, but they are no match to the flavor of a vine-ripened tomato that is allowed to mature slowly.

While we worry about how fast we grow, God is concerned about how strong we grow. God views our lives from and for eternity, so he is never in a hurry.

Billy Graham associate Lane Adams once compared the process of spiritual growth to the strategy the Allies used in World War II to liberate islands in the South Pacific. First they would "soften up" an island, weakening the resistance by shelling the enemy strongholds with bombs from offshore ships.

Next, a small group of Marines would invade the island and establish a "beachhead"—a tiny fragment of the island that they could control. Once the beachhead was secured, they would begin the long process of liberating the rest of the island, one bit of territory at a time.
Eventually the entire island would be brought under control, but not without some costly battles.

Adams drew this parallel: Before Christ invades our lives at conversion, he sometimes has to "soften us up" by allowing problems we can't handle. While some open their lives to Christ the first time he knocks on the door, most of us are resistant and defensive. Our pre-conversion experience is Jesus saying, "Behold I stand at the door and bomb!"

The moment you open yourself to Christ, God gets a "beachhead" in your life. You may think you have surrendered all your life to him, but the truth is, there is a lot to your life that you aren't even aware of. You can only give God as much of you as you understand at that moment. That's okay.

Once Christ is given a beachhead, he begins the campaign to take over more and more territory until all of your life is completely his. There will be struggles and battles, but the outcome will never be in doubt.

God has promised that "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion." (Philippians 1:6, NIV)

~end~