Lord’s Day, Vol. 9 No. 2
7th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service
God willing, we shall gather on 31 January 2021 for the 7th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service of the Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church. By the grace of God, He has led us through this journey of being a witness for Jesus Christ in this local church that He has established since 28 January 2014.
The theme for our Anniversary is taken from Hebrews 4:11a, “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest”.
You are cordially invited to rejoice with us on this special occasion to thank God for His grace as we co-labour together for the furtherance of His kingdom in a new year.
All praise and glory to His blessed Name.
Daily Spiritual Refreshing
Psalm 119:107 (KJV) I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word.
The psalmist describes how he was “afflicted very much” and how God’s Word rejoices his heart. God’s Word, his indispensable companion in troubles past, is also what he will pass down to his posterity forever (v111a). Indeed, God’s Word has the supernatural power to calm every troubled soul, rejoice every aching heart. Have you been experiencing its power too? Let us take time to immerse in prayer and God’s Word to find daily spiritual refreshing.
The Bible is a storehouse packed full of wisdom. Unpacking its treasures take time. God’s Word holds answers God’s people desperately need. The Scriptures can shed light on any situation. A surface skimming of God’s Word will not suffice.
Only a careful, thoughtful period of meditation will ensure that we grasp all the ramifications of God’s Word to guide us.
Paradoxically, many who are busy facing significant time pressures assume they have no time to meditate on God’s Word. Time is precious. Yet the wisest thing a child of God can do is to seek God’s wisdom.
We need to understand the enormity of this truth. How does it work out in the workplace? What does it mean when we are admitted to the hospital? Is it still true when everyone seems to have abandoned us? How does this work practically in day-to-day situations? How can I know God hasn’t forsaken me when everything in my life is going wrong? The Bible holds promises with enormous implications if we would take time to consider their potential to change our lives. Let us grow to rejoice in His Word.
George Muller testified of the daily refreshing he experienced with the Lord in prayer and the Word especially during times of affliction: “Our very weakness gives opportunity for the power of the Lord Jesus Christ to be manifested. That blessed One never leaves and never forsakes us. The greater the weakness, the nearer He is to manifest His strength; the greater our necessities, the more have we ground to rely on it that He will prove Himself our Friend. This has been my experience for more than seventy years; the greater the trial, the greater the difficulty, the nearer the Lord’s help. Often the appearance was as if I must be overwhelmed, but it never came to it, and it never will. More prayer, more faith, more exercise of patience, will bring the blessing. Therefore, our business is just to pour out our hearts before Him; and help in His own time and way is sure to come.”
The word “quicken” means “to make alive”, it means “to nourish up”. God’s Word nourishes the person. We need the wholesome diet of God’s Word that will bring spiritual vitality to our life. How does this work? When we are born-again in Christ, the Holy Spirit that indwells us uses God’s Word to energize and revitalize us. The Apostle Paul explains this in Romans 8:11 (KJV) But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
It is the Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, giving us victory over sin and death by Christ’s resurrection from the dead. This is that same Spirit that will guide you to find true peace and joy in your heart through obedience to His Word – Romans 8:10 (KJV) And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Reading through the Bible in One Year is a good way to begin growing spiritually. There is also a daily devotion prepared for the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; the Book of Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Book of Proverbs; Book of Revelation for your reading complied since 2015. https://www.blessedhope.sg/archive/. Do avail yourself with these devotions.
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee