Daily Devotion: John 17

³Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

How do we really know that we have known Jesus?

1. Obedience to God's Word (vs. 6)

2. Knowledge that everything we have comes from the Father (vs. 7)

3. Acceptance of the Word of God (vs. 8a)

4. Wholehearted belief that Jesus came to die for our sins (vs. 8b)

Application:

1. Reflect on these 4 areas and how are we doing in them?

2. What are some areas that we need to improve on in this journey of really knowing and believing in Jesus?

3. Identify some of the struggles which are holding you back and account to your cell leader to pray together with you.

Daily Devotion: John 16

³³"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

I was pondering through this verse today and wondering what Jesus meant by "these things". It seemed so important because it sounded like that if we knew what "these things" were, then we would have peace in our hearts!

As I look through the scripture, it dawned upon to me what "these things" meant.

We can have peace in our hearts because:

1. We know that Jesus is always with us (vs. 16 & 22). Though Jesus may not physically be with us, but He has given us the wonderful counselor - Holy Spirit - to reside within each and everyone of us.

2. We are confident and assured of our place in God, therefore whatever earthly problems and troubles we face, it doesn't trouble us greatly (vs. 22-24). With this knowledge in mind, it helps us to be God-conscious instead of Self-conscious. Ever realized this? Most of our problems occur because we are too self-conscious / too conscious of how people look at us.

My Personal Application:

Honestly, I was very nervous this morning when I had to lead the combined staff worship. However, knowing these two things in my heart gave me the liberty in Christ.

Firstly, I know that as I lead the worship, it is not me alone, but the Holy Spirit is with me and in fact He is using me to minister to the people through worship.

Secondly, I know that even if I screw up the worship, God still loves me and I will still have a place in His Kingdom. That gave me the assurance to go out and worship with all my heart, focusing my attention on God instead of how man would look at me.

Daily Devotion: John 15

The Vine and the Branches

⁴Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. ⁸This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Many times we have the wrong mindset of what a Christian should be. We often think of Christians as weak, not a fighter, quiet, simple life...etc. Far too often we never thought that a Christian would be someone who is successful (or even rich) and is a striking role model at a high level. Someone who can balance between God's work and marketplace work. And often we think that God wants it this way... WRONG!

God wants us to be successful! (vs. 8)... but there is a post condition. Successful for what? Read on in Vs. 8 and it says that "showing yourselves to be my disciples"

God wants us to be successful so that we can show the world that we are His disciples! So that we can lead people to glorify Jesus! So that people and us can praise God the provider!

However, Jesus know that it is very difficult to balance between being successful in the world and also serving passionately in church. That's why this passage of scripture teaches us a basic biblical truth to embrace in that rough journey.

The solution is: "Remain in Him"

What does "Remaining in Him" means? Well, it simply means putting and considering Jesus first in all things and obeying his Word. Be it decision making, doing our work, talking to people, responding to people.... etc. We "remain in Him" by putting Jesus first and not ourselves.

Application:

1. Are there any major decisions you have to make this week? Instead of planning and strategizing how the decision could profit yourself or your organisation, why not pray and ask God how you can honor Him and remain in Him through this decision.

2. Are there any "hard teachings" that the Lord is prompting you to follow despite your dislike? Make a deliberate choice to remain in Him and follow through.

3. Involve one of your brother / sister in the cell group as an accountability buddy to check on you on remaining in God this week.

Daily Devotion: John 14

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— ¹⁷the Spirit of truth.
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²⁵"All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

What really will refresh our so-called 'boring' quiet time is really that sudden spark of revelation. But have you ever wondered where such sparks come from? Or how we are able to have an exciting quiet time everyday that is filled with revelations?

The answer comes in the form of a special form of connection - the Holy Spirit Broadband Connection.

Honestly, the scripture will just remain no different from a story book unless the Word of God comes alive and speak to us. Such will only happen when we allow the Holy Spirit to accompany us in reading the scripture in faith instead of through our eyes of logic.

Instead of just jumping straight to reading the scripture daily, start by praying in tongues for 5-10 minutes to stir up our spirit man and let the Holy Spirit energize us.

Ask the Holy Spirit to remove the human logical scales on our natural eyes and grant us supernatural eyes to see the Word of God come alive! Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal truth through the written word of God.

Daily Devotion: John 13

¹²When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. ¹³"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. ¹⁵I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

It's just astonishes me that this would be the passage of scripture that is "assigned" for my devotion on my birthday! Indeed, this is another scripture that has inspired me in my journey as cell leader.

The greatest leader is one who is also a great servant. Before one wants to lead, he must learn to serve. This example was set by Jesus himself.

Application:

1. Have you been active serving in any area in cell/church? If no, why not?

2. Take an active step today to serve one brother or sister in the cell group.

Daily Devotion: John 12

²³Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

This is the key scripture that I always hear Ps Adrian share ever since I started out my journey in coming back as a believer, and then moving on to being a leader and after which serving actively in ministry. =D

Many time people ask me what drives me to serve at the capacity I am going in ministry? Is it the "lucrative rewards", prominent status or pride in leading large number of people?

Honestly, none of these are true. If these were true, I probably would have dropped out of God's work much earlier because of pride issues.

What keeps me going is knowing that the life that I live now (today)... however I choose to live it, it will have an impact and influence on the people around me. So I can choose to either leave a good, positive, lasting influence..... or be famous for all the yucky bad reasons.

I chose the former... and that's the hard part. Because with that choice, it literally means I have to 'die' daily. Die to some of my desires and dreams. Die to my conveniences. Sacrifice seems to always to be greater in the equation.

Each time I come to a crossroad of challenging decisions, this first pops up and I ask myself, "How else can I 'die' such that people can have life and be blessed in what I decide?"

Application:

1. What are some things we have to sacrifice or 'die' to in order that we may have life? Example: Sacrifice watching our favorite TV show to do Quiet Time.

2. What are some things we have to sacrifice or 'die' to in order OTHERS may have life? Example: Going down the extra mile to help a fellow brother/sister which may inconvenient our pre-arranged schedule.

3. When we struggle to 'die', think about it. Is it because we can't do it? Or we don't want to do it? Take some time to reflect and see if are there any selfish thoughts we are holding?

Daily Devotion: John 11

Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead

³⁸Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹"Take away the stone," he said.
"But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."

⁴⁰Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

I'm once again reminded of what Ps Ed Silvoso shared with us - "If you want to see what you've never seen before, then start doing what you've never done before!"

But in the process of doing things which we have never done before i.e. moving in faith, there are bound to be obstacles which we need to overcome! And I would term these as stone(s) which we need to roll away.

When we think about rolling away these spiritual obstacles i.e. stones, the battle within our minds begin where seemingly logical and valid reasons will stop us from doing so.

But if we really believe God and that He is powerful, and will work things out for the good of those who loves Him (Romans 8:28), we will push ahead and roll away the stone(s).

Application:

1. Can you identify what are some of these "stone(s)" which prevent you from moving in faith or trusting God 100%? Examples: Fear, insecurity, pass hurts / disappointments, sin... etc.

2. What practical ways do you think your cell group can help you in rolling away these stone(s)? Example: Keep me accountable, spotcheck on me, encourage me more... etc.

3. Re-evaluate your faith goals 2009. Pray and ask God to re-ignite a fresh passion in you to believe in Him to move in faith.

Daily Devotion: John 10

Are You Listening?


³The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.

⁵But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice.

¹⁶I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

²⁷My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Ever wondered how come our Christian life is stagnating or not growing as vibrantly as we wished? Quite often we can blame the unfair circumstances of life, but down the wire, the maybe the tough question we need to ask ourselves is this, "During the crunch time, whose voice do you listen to?"

Is it your own voice of injustice, complain and frustration? Or your friends' sweet voice that echo your sentiments and tell you to just retaliate as your heart desires? Or do you tune your heart to listen to the voice of God?

As Christ's disciples, we must tutor and discipline our hearts to listen to His voice alone and no one else. All other voice will lead us astray. Period.

Application:

1. As you do your Quiet Time today, why not take 10 minutes to really be quiet and hear from the Lord what is His agenda for you?

2. Cultivate that habit of listening to voice of God daily as part of your QT routine and ask God to show you what He wants you to apply and learn from the scripture you read daily.

3. Move in faith and listen to the voice of God for a word to encourage and bless another brother/sister.

Daily Devotion: John 9

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

¹As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ²His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

³"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. ⁴As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

After all the haggling with the Pharisees in the previous chapters, Jesus once again reiterated the importance of preaching the good news of Salvation, highlighting the urgency of the hour. And in this case of the blind man, it was another perfect opportunity that the power of God can be displayed (vs. 3) so that people will be convinced and turn their hearts to God.

However, alas! Despite the miracle that Jesus displayed, the Pharisees still doubted Jesus and conducted so many levels of interrogation and questioning - simply just refusing to believe in the miracles Jesus has displayed.

Guess what? Came a point even the people got fed-up with the Pharisees. Listen to what the blind man whom was healed by Jesus has to say:

²⁴A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God," they said. "We know this man is a sinner."

²⁵He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"

²⁶Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"

²⁷He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?"

²⁸Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! ²⁹We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from."

³⁰The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. ³¹We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. ³²Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. ³³If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."

³⁴To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out.

Pause and reflect upon our spiritual walk. Have we at times been so caught up with 'arguing' with God rather than be doing what is more important i.e. sharing the good news, consolidating new lives..etc.

Application:

1. When was the last time you shared the gospel or testify of God's goodness with someone? If it has been a long while, why so?

2. If the world is coming to an end in 2 hours, what would be some important thing you would want to do or attend to?

3. Does any of these 'important' things include sharing the gospel with a loved one? If yes, why would you have to wait till end of the world and not now?

Daily Devotion: John 8

"Jesus got Fed-Up!"

Scripture Reference: John 8: 12-59

It's interesting to note the haggling conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees. Honestly, I salute Jesus for his patience in handling every single question bombarded by the Jews, even when they questions were filled with doubts and faithlessness despite having witnessed all the signs and miracles Jesus has done earlier! Yet there was an inner battle within their minds still:

Logic (from history and their so-called theological knowledge) vs. Faith (which totally dumbfounded them)

And finally when Jesus got fed-up and made the ultimate statement that He is God (vs. 58), He ended up being stoned by the Jews! Sigh.. the eyes of the people were still blinded by logic and couldn't "see".

Take a step back and re-look at this scripture again, but this time round, replace the word "Pharisee" or "Jews" with your our own name.. does it sound more familiar to us now?

How often in our walk with God have we been like the Pharisees and Jews who doubted, been skeptical, try to be intellectual or even reason and argue our way through the Christian faith?

There is a thin line of difference between curiousity questioning and intentional tearing down.
One speaks of a Seeker (curiousity questioning) but the other marks one who is a "Trouble Maker".

The truth of the matter is that in the Christian faith, there will always be many questions and thoughts which will bewild and dumbfound us (until we meet God in heaven in His timing) and there comes a point we need to just Believe and not doubt / cynical / skeptical. Cross that door and we enter the realm of Faith, else we will forever live in the shadows of doubt.

Application:

1. Evaluate our walk with God today. Are we seekers of truth or "Trouble Makers"?

2. What are some things that we till date have not understood about the Christian teaching and need to embrace in faith?

3. What is on faith action you would be challenged to take this week and believe God for miracles which cannot be reasoned by knowledge, theological equations and factors from textbooks?

Daily Devotion: John 7

³⁷On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

Take note the way Jesus prioritize His message through this scripture here:

Firstly, we must "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink"

Secondly, then we will have "whoever believes in me... streams of living water will flow from within him"

But how many times have we got the priorities upside down?

We yearn for that streams of living water to flow out from within us as we serve and give. We want to be the best worker in our companies and institutions. We want to strive, be excellent and achieve the best results. Sometimes these motivations can even be of good and valid reasons i.e. strong desire to be a marketplace minister for God.

HOWEVER, we need to always always remember that without the source we are nothing! Jesus yearns for a close relationship with us above all the achievements and accolades you and I can achieve. That's why every day before we get into the hussling schedule of our daily routine, let's come to Jesus and drink of Him!

Let's get our priorities right today! =D

Daily Devotion: John 6

Scripture Reference: John 6: 25-71

Thank goodness that Jesus never ran for an election! It’s a good thing because he often violated the hidden rules for smooth-talking, get-along-with-people speeches. In fact, some of the statements Jesus made would cause people to become really frustrated and angry.

Just imagine Jesus speaking at one of the election rally:

(vs. 36) But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.

(vs. 65) "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."

(vs. 53) "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

None of these statements seem politically correct right? Definitely none could serve as a catchy election rally slogan!

But pause for a moment and think…Why did Jesus say these things? Didn’t he want people to follow him? Why would he deliberately say things to offend people and turn them away?

The simple conclusion is this: It seems that Jesus cared far more about the quality of his disciples rather than the quantity. If he cared only about increasing the size of the crowds following him, he could easily have fed them more bread or performed more miracles. Or he could have toned down on some of his “hard teachings” (vs. 60).

But Jesus, being divine, already knew who didn’t believe (vs. 64). He also knew that some of the people following him only wanted free food (vs. 26) or a flashy sign from God (vs. 30).

Jesus didn’t want preoccupied followers, or followers who are lukewarm, indecisive… He wanted disciples who would proclaim, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (vs. 68).

The same truth still holds today. Jesus wants us to follow him, but he still desires quality disciples. That level of commitment might mean that we may ruffle some feathers in living, saying or doing things.

I like what evangelist Billy Graham says, “It is unnatural for Christianity to be popular.”

Application:

1. Do you think of yourself as a “quality” follower of Jesus? Why and why not?

2. What “hard teachings” cause you to struggle with following Jesus?

3. What steps can you take to become a more devoted follower of Jesus?

Daily Devotion: John 5

Testimonies about Jesus

³⁹You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, ⁴⁰yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

An important truth and reminder for all believers - that having more head knowledge of the Bible doesn't guarantee us eternal life. Knowing the Bible inside out only makes us a good scholar / researcher of the Bible i.e. no different from a scientist who is expert in his field of study!

Eternal life cannot be learnt or understood (by Logic).. it has to be embraced and believed in Faith! The teachings of Christ revealed through the Word of God is counter-culture and many times offensive to our logical mind. And therefore it is natural that our intellectual mind will struggle. But there will come a tipping point where we need to ask ourselves the question, "Do I believe?"

If your answer is Yes, congratulations as you begin a new journey of Faith and roller coaster journey. (Counter-Culture)

If your answer is No, then you will comfortably sink back into the norm mode of skepticism, cynicism and unbelief. (Culture-Follower)

Daily Devotion: John 4

Do you believe God's word 100%?

Or do you only believe God's word in the bad times, tough situations and challenging circumstances? And only to forget or ignore during the good times?

Jesus Heals the Official's Son

⁴⁹The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies."

⁵⁰Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live."
The man took Jesus at his word and departed. ⁵¹While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. ⁵²When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, "The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour."

⁵³Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." So he and all his household believed.

The truth is that there is no middle ground. We either believe or don't believe.

Let's stop giving excuses or be selective in believing God's word. Let's take the Word of God seriously and you'll begin to see miracles taking place.

BELIEVE IN HIM!

Daily Devotion: John 3

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

³In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

⁴"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

⁵Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. ⁶Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' ⁸The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

⁹"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? ¹¹I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.

Nicodemus's response is just like all of us - by Logic. Even in the face of Jesus, who has performed signs and wonders, Nicodemus still was functioning by Logic!

Jesus reminds us that even through logic is our old nature, the moment we receive Christ, we receive the new nature which is to function by faith! If we continue to function by logic, we will never be able to comprehend the things of God!

Do not let God be the last recourse for us today! Let Him be the first source that we turn to at any moment! :)

Daily Devotion: John 2

Jesus Changes Water to Wine

⁵His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

⁶Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

⁷Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.

⁸Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."

Jesus Clears the Temple

¹⁴In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"

¹⁸Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"

¹⁹Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."

Regardless of the times and seasons of life, Jesus was always ready to put a foot down and do / speak radical things so that all man's attention will be captured and of course ultimate end result to turn to Him and find salvation.

1. Jesus was radical in his ACTIONS (vs. 5-8, 14-16)

2. Jesus was radical in his SPEECH (vs. 18-19)

The only way we will ever see transformation in our families, friends, marketplace is really when we dare to be radical and do something different, something counter culture. Only when we are radical, we stand out different from the the usual - where we choose not to be norm.

What are some ways we can be radical for God in our actions and speech today?

Examples: Dare to pray for the sick / needy around you and believe God for that healing and providence? Against oppressing situations when everyone is negative and depressed, do we dare to speak words of Faith and believe God can turn situations around?

Daily Devotion: John 1

TALK IS CHEAP!! LET YOUR ACTIONS PROVE YOUR TALK!

Don't just be a bystander in your walk with God. Don't just talk airy fairy about your faith in God. Is our faith in God all talking and unable to withstand the trials of life?

So what can we do to build a strong faith foundation that doesn't wither in touch times?

ANSWER: Don't just talk about Jesus! But take active step to come to Him... EVERYDAY!

³⁵The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"

³⁷When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. ³⁸Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?"
They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"

³⁹"Come," he replied, "and you will see."
So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him.

My Commitment as a Christian

(Written by a young African pastor and tacked to the wall of his home)

I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problems recognizing me - my banner will be clear!