For The Everyday Teenager

Life is hard, we all know that. Especially as Christians. But what if it gets harder?

In Philipians 1: 8-18, Paul is writing as he is in prison. Now, to most of us, that might seem like a horrible time in life. A time where most of us would naturally ask, “Where are you, Lord?” But this is not what Pual said.

Instead, he wrote: “I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherence of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and by my chains, are much more bold to speak the Word without fear.” (vs 12-14)

What looks like a detour, may actually be a new road to blessing.

There is a time in life, no doubt, where we will face problems. To put it in other words, detours, or roadblocks, that may hinder our journey with Christ. I know that, as I myself am facing a difficult situation as I write this. However, even when our journey in life is marked by confinement, or limitations, we can be assured that God, our Lord Jesus Christ is with us. He will continue encouraging us, and encouraging others through us as we speak His Word and trust in Him.

And we know this for sure, that for the Christian, what looks like a detour, may actually be a new road to blessing.

Blessings to all,
MZ

Most of us know for a fact that as Christians, our life is like an unending marathon.

Well, we all know what a marathon is. The question is, what does it take to finish one? Well, from what I gather, (from personal experience, really) it takes endurance, and a lot of patience and perseverance to finish the race.

It takes endurance, and a lot of patience and perseverance…

So, of course, we don’t even have a doubt that finishing the race of life, is going to take a lot more of that. A lot more of endurance, perseverance and patience. Here is an interesting fact. The Christian’s race is not a competitive event, but an endurance run.

In Philipians, Paul writes about running towards the goal (Phil 3: 12-21). We find a few key points in this verse. In vs 14, we know that we run toward the goal, so that we can win the prize of being called to heaven. In vs 16, we know that we must keep going in the direction we are now headed (In other words, we must keep pushing on, persevering). In vs 21, we know that God, Jesus Christ, has the power over EVERYTHING, and he will make our bodies, our meek and weak bodies, like his own glorious one someday.

So what should we do? We should press on, and keep striving to finish the race. To set Jesus Christ as an example of how to run life’s marathon.

The secret to finishing well, is to look forward to the joy that awaits us after life’s race—eternal life with Him, our Lord Jesus Christ.

I ran to meet Him when I heard His call -
The Savior’s arms were open to receive;
And I’m still running since I gave my all.
Inviting others also to believe.

Blessings to all,
MZ

Busy, is a very common word.

Many of us are familiar with this term, and, most of us can say we often use it as an excuse.

People say, “I’m too busy to bother with this right now.”
Parents say, “I’m too busy to bother about your problems right now.”
Children say, “I’m too busy to spend time with my family right now.”
Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera…

But what is the most important and widely used excuse that involves the word ‘busy’?

Christians say, “I’m too busy to spend time with God.”

‘Have we ever thought that God might somehow, constantly feel, rejected?’

Isn’t that just… Sad? That we are always ‘too busy’ to sit down and spend time with God for even 15, 10, or maybe even 5 minutes a day. Christians, children of God, who give the excuse that they cannot even take a few minutes out of their day to spend time with the one and only God who saved us from our sins.

Let’s try answering a question… Have we ever thought that God might somehow, constantly feel, Rejected?  Yet, God has promised us so many benefits if we just obeyed God if we were just to obey Him in this one area.

Confidence for the people who doubt, protection for the people who are weak, comfort and knowledge for the depressed and weary, discretion and lessons learnt for those who have made unwise and foolish choices, and the list goes on… Considering all of this, wouldn’t our days go SOO much smoother when God’s word is firmly planted in our minds and hearts? This alone is the very reason why we should give our all to God.

So, think again… Busy? There’s always time. It’s just a matter of whether we choose to use it wisely or not.

Blessings to all,
MZ

Hello everyone, sorry for the LONG absence without notice…… But, here I am!

*I am dedicating this post to our church’s dearest Aunty Wai Ngor… May you rest in peace with our heavenly Father. Thank you for everything…*

Saying ‘goodbye’ is never easy, especially to the ones you love most.

“Come unto me, all who are weary, and I will give you rest…“

Sometimes, it’s good news, because it means relieve from pain for those who have moved on (and for you as well sometimes). However, sometimes… It might be bad news. Let me start with the sad part of today’s post.

All humans are different. VERY different. But let’s face it. We all have at least ONE thing in common. That is, we all have people we love. People who are dear to us, and people who love us too. But what happens if we, as Christians, fail to give those people the one thing that we have?

If you’re wondering what that is, here’s your answer: Jesus Christ.
What if we failed to give all those people we love, and are dear to us, Jesus Christ? And what happens when it is too late?

As Christians, it is very important that we share the good news of Christ with our non-Christian loved ones. Because, before we know it… It might be too late. And this is something, I am 100% positively sure, non of us would want to regret for the rest of our lives, while we know we could have made a difference.

Now, for the good news! (enough of the sadness right?)

For those out there mourning the passing of a loved one, I am here to give you some form of comfort. In the bible, we read from Luke  23: 43 that Jesus said to the criminal on the cross – the one who was dying at the same time Jesus was, who was the only one who rebuked the other criminal for hurling insults at Jesus, and the one who repented right there and then – Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

This is God’s promise to those who believe in Him and have repented. So, fear not for those you love. You might want to still have them here with you, but trust me, wherever they are now is a FAR better place to be compared to earth. They are in a place of peace, love, and comfort. A place without sorrow or fear or tears. A place that anyone would call, Paradise.

Blessings to all,
MZ

2 Corinthians 6: 17-18 says, ‘”Therefore, come out from them and be seperate,” says the Lord. “Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”‘ (vs 18) ‘”I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,” says the Lord Almighty.’

So here’s the ultimate question… How does a person who has lost his/her purity, whether it is physically, emotionally or spiritually, become pure once again? God has said, ‘touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.’

But what about the people who have already touched unclean things? Or done sinful things that are considered unclean?

Here is the solution to our problem:
We know that He wants us to purify ourselves, from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting HOLINESS out of reverence for God.  By repenting. So the thing that we all need to do is simple. We need to repent, ask God for forgiveness and turn away from the sins that we have committed.

God tells us that if He frees us, we will be free indeed. That if we seek for forgiveness, and truly repent, deep in our hearts, and turn from sin, we will be forgiven.

How wonderful is it that God still receives us even after all the hurt that we’ve caused Him…

Prayer for today:
God, help us to repent and turn away from our sins and follow You. So that we may be Your sons and daughters, and we might call You, Abba Father.

Blessings to all,
MZ

Finish The Race…

Today’s verse is Psalm 2:1-12. It was all about how God always protect His leaders, especially the ‘anointed one’. I guess that obviously refers to Jesus. And because of that, we can ’serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.’ (Psalm 2:11)

God assures us that whoever follows Him and serves Him wholeheartedly—with of course the right mind set—he will bless and protect them. Most of the leaders out there, of course, would probably realize this. But there is the minority that forgets that God is right beside them and guiding them as they serve Him. And, at the end of the day, they easily give up…

I guess, in a sense one could say that leaders are really blessed, because God promises them refuge. This is something that they should always be aware of and keep in mind when serving God, so that they will not easily give up in running the race for God.

And that’s why we should all serve God with rejoicing, even through our sufferings—as I know I myself have often been in and am still facing—and when we face trials and temptations. Alright, that’s about my quiet time today.

There are so many things that one can learn from just six verses…

Can you count your blessings, and name them one by one?

Today, I learnt that most Christians, not all, but most, are actually really a bunch of ungrateful people.

I’m not excluding myself here, because I am quite sure when I say that I recently found out that I am one of them. We only ever praise God when He is truly good to us. Blessing us in our everyday lives, and when things are going well for us. But when we face struggles, most of us are quick to forget Him, or put the blame on Him.

I also learnt that, in order to keep according to God’s word, we must learn to refrain ourselves from certain places and people. People who will influence us in the wrong way, and places that will tempt us to sin. We shouldn’t allow ourselves to be influenced by the people who do not have a relationship with God, because they might end up ‘’stealing” our faith. This is something, I’m afraid, that I have not been doing my self either.

We must always meditate on God’s word, ‘day and night’. If we truly obey God, our lives would be sure to reflect God’s blessings, everyday, everywhere we go, etc, etc. God promises that these promises are not temporary, but they will continue even when circumstances are changed. These are the people who are truly ‘blessed’, or in simple terms, happy ALL THE TIME. (Psalm 1:1-6)

I once read a story—and I believe that many of you have done so as well—about a father who was explaining trials and temptations to someone else. He said, “You see, I can be walking with my daughter, right beside me, and she may fall down. But that does not mean I allowed her to fall. And yet, I’m still there, right by her side, to pick her up again, dry her tears, and carry her in my arms.”

God has not only given us protection, but provision as well as assurance of gain, even in our pain.

BUT, the most important thing I have learnt today? For the blessings we receive, thank God. And for the struggles we face, trust Him.

Blessings To All,
MZ

I discovered the power of God’s… Well… Power. To put it in other words, I should I say, the extent of God’s power.

In Isaiah 43: 1-7, we know that God will not let any harm befall us. And that He is always protecting us. Through this, we can have the courage and the strength to carry on. To go through anything, to face any tragedy etc, etc…  We very well know that, all in all, He will always be there, holding us, and protecting us. We can survive anything, through Him.

God has always been my source of strength, through thick and through thin. Even when I’ve neglected Him most of my previous life, He’s always been there watching me, and carrying me when I didn’t even know it.

Can God be like that for all of us? The simple, short and sweet answer is… Yes. No matter who we are, what we’ve done before, God is always ready to forgive us when we repent and turn back to Him. And God will protect us wherever we are, no matter what we are doing. He is like an invincible umbrella over our heads, protecting us from the heat and strong winds, and storms. And we didn’t even know…

Blessings To All,
MZ