Why Come Back?

Why come back to church? That’s one question I’ve been pondering over the last two years. After all, many of us seemed to be doing quite well with church online during the Circuit Breaker and Heighten Alert etc. Is there any need for onsite church anymore? Can’t we just carry on with online church? Here are my simple reflections two years along as to why I believe we need church on-site.

The Significance of Ash Wednesday

Read this slowly. “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Turn away from sin, and be faithful to Christ..”

These words are pronounced in the sombre dim of flickering candlelight, while a priest/pastor marks the sign of a cross on the foreheads of penitent faithful with black ashes. It is a symbol of my mortality, a sign that my life is as fleeting as shadows cast around the walls. A reminder that it is by grace alone that I receive eternal life in Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Preparing to Meet King Jesus

Discipleship in a Shaken World

Where Is History Headed To?

The Christian worldview tells us that all of history is heading to its final fulfilment because of the decisive victory accomplished by Jesus Christ at the cross. However, it can be difficult to describe what that fulfilment (or consummation) looks like, as the Bible uses much metaphorical language to describe it. But that does not […]

Authentic Intentional Sexuality

Sexuality – Design for Blessing

Don’t Mistake Surplus for Security

Have you ever been betrayed by earthly treasures? Or by material promises that vaporise overnight? It happened to my family during the 2009 financial crisis. Through that incident, I was awakened to my confusion of surplus for security, and my misplaced trust in earthly treasures. A few months before the financial crisis, my wife and I agreed that I would leave my corporate job to work full-time in church. We made a firm commitment. Up till the moment of our decision, there […]

Greatness Redefined

In the Gospel of Mark, the Lord Jesus taught His disciples what following Him really entailed. Surprisingly, even Jesus’ hand-picked twelve apostles struggled to understand this in their early days of following Jesus. Let us embark on a brief journey together to better understand what following Jesus Christ is about. Jesus predicted three times (in Mark […]

Meaning in the Midst of Disruption

Disruptions to our life are untimely and inconvenient. They break the flow of our plans, scheduled events and normal ways of doing things. We cannot do business as usual. We are forced to make changes and adapt. When the disruption is severe and unprecedented—as in the case of the present pandemic—our routines are broken, our […]

Daily Devotional Journal

Scripture:
Daniel 3:19-23; Jeremiah 17:7-8

Thu, 30 March 2023

The Heat of Adversity Increases

Observation:

What significant observations can you make about the heat of adversity in
Jeremiah 17:7-8?

Deeper Reflection
Nebuchadnezzar threw Shadrach, Mishael and Abednego into the blazing furnace for adamantly refusing to worship his golden statue. And they “fell into the furnace of blazing fire” (v.23). The Aramaic word for “fell”, nephal, occurs seven times in Daniel 3 – with six times used in “fall down and worship” Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statue (Dan 3:5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 15). The writer makes the point on discipleship choice very sharply: nephal before Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statue or nephal into the blazing furnace. Which nephal will I choose?“Filled with wrath”, Nebuchadnezzar commanded the furnace to be heated “seven times” more before throwing Shadrach, Mishael and Abednego into it (v.19). There are times when the heat of our adversity increases. Four waves of devastating troubles fell upon Job one after another with this repeated report transition, “While he was still speaking, another also came and said” (Job 1:16, 17, 18). The fourth wave was very painful: the loss of Job’s beloved children (Job 1:18-19). Job worshipped God in his perplexing pains (Job 1:20-22). But little did Job know that the fifth wave was about to come… (Job 2:1-8). Nevertheless, Job endured, though not without tensions with God (Jas 5:11).Discipleship adversity is like being in a forest fire. And we can be a tree that “when the heat comes, its leaves will be green”, not burned (Jer 17:8). That’s a miracle. That’s God’s power working mightily within us. But we must be “planted by the water” with our “roots by a stream” of the Word of God by which we trust in God (Jer 17:7-8; Psa 1:2-3).

Application:

How do I respond to an increase of troubles in my discipleship journey?

Prayer:
Write a prayer to God as your response from your meditation on and application of the Scriptures.

Prayer Pointers:

Give thanks and praise
Pray for Outreach/Missions/New Life leaders: To be strengthened in faith in facing adversities
Pray for significant people
Pray for those in need
Pray for self