"Best Christian Blog of The Week" Award! Thank you LORD!

Monday, 5th February 2007

I happened to be checking the statistics of my blog and noted to my pleasant surprise that there had been a sudden spike of visits over the weekend.

Then, I discovered that this guy by the name of CybeRanger had left a comment that my blog had just been awarded "Best Christian Blog Of The Week" for the week ended 4 Feb 2007!

I really do not know how he chanced upon my blog, but like I mentioned in an earlier blog entry about there being no such things as coincidences in the life of a Christian, I really believe that this is "divine appointment" and of being "at the right place at the right time".

I take this as the LORD affirming me to continue to declare the great and mighty deeds He has done in my life. This award could not have come at a more appropriate time. Thanks be to God! Hallelujah! It has motivated me to carry on and blog for the glory of Jesus! Amen?

The award has been most timely, especially after getting mixed feedback over the past week or so, which frankly speaking, really made me feel very discouraged, and wonder whether it was all worth the effort.

Yesterday morning, as I was about to partake of the Holy Communion, I broke down and wept, because I felt that the devil was destroying the good friendships and relationships that have been built up, and I asked the LORD whether this was worthwhile because of the gospel of grace and the finished work of the cross. That was when I felt Him comforting me and saying, "My son. This is what being persecuted for the sake of my gospel is all about. Take comfort and continue to stand firm and declare my deeds in your life." After having a good cry, I felt my strength being renewed like the eagle's (Isa 40:31).

The doctrine of the gospel of grace and the finished work of the cross seems to really divide us as Christians, which is to be expected I suppose, because the evil one will not want the people of God to know the truth that will set them free to live out the victorious and abundant Christian life of prosperity, health and every success here on earth.

Christ has not only paid the full price for our salvation, but also for our health and healing (by being striped with the cat-o-nine-tails) and our prosperity (by being stripped totally naked on the cross). The Divine Exchange was not only our sin for His righteousness, but also our diseases for His divine health and our poverty for His riches.

Even though satan has succeeded in keeping this truth from many believers for more than 2000 years, this will no longer be so because we are the Benjamin end-time Generation, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against us who confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. Amen?

What has also dawned upon me is that suffering for Christ is not being inflicted by sickness or diseases (which is actually the works of the evil one). Rather, "suffering" for Christ is being misunderstood by others (yes, even those whom your hold dear) and yet, still being able to continue to love them unconditionally.

When I had lunch with Rev Wee Boon Hup last week, he mentioned that whenever there are conflicts and disagreements, the way of the world is for the one who is vindicated to tell the other "You deserved it. I told you so." God's way however, is for that person to be around to help the other person "pick up the pieces" and initiate reconciliation and restoration. That truly is a word of wisdom from the LORD.

When Peter met Jesus after our LORD was resurrected, he was full of guilt because he had denied Him three times. Jesus did not condemned him, but instead helped Peter to "pick up the pieces" by asking whether he loved Him three times (one, for each of the time he had denied Jesus). This process of restoration and reconciliation helped Peter to go on to be a mightly apostle, whose preaching at the Day of Pentecost resulted in 3,000 souls being saved!

My cluster leaders Sunny and Yeok Ming put this in another way. At the end of the day, it does not really matter who is right or who is wrong. What matters is that we are right with God. Amen?