On 14th June, we looked at the 4th Session of Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. This time, we were looking into How to be more Christlike.

Working out is your part
Working in is God's part
Ephesians 2
How does God help us to be Christlike?

God's tools :

1) His Word - All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

It will change your character.
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.Romans 10:17

2) Holy Spirit

3) Circumstances - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.Romans 8:28-29
God brings good out of bad.

3 choices we have to make that will help us to be more Christlike :

1) We have to change what we think about.
What we feel affects our thinking, and eventually our actions.
to be made new in the attitude of your minds;Ephesians 4:23
If you change using willpower alone, you will be stress and go back to old ways.

2) Depend on God - Remain 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. "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. -John 15:4-5
Depends on your prayer life

3) Respond the way Jesus did

Following Jesus is a process, not a 1 time thing.

The Reason for Everything - 26th Apr

This week after a long absence from Purpose Driven Life, we watched the last video entitled "the reason for everything" by Pastor Rick Warren. And what a fantastic video to summarise the entire series on "why are we here on earth?".


"God made it all for his glory. The ultimate goal of the universe is to show the glory of God.

As humans created by God we are commanded to recognise God’s glory, honour his glory, praise his glory, reflect his glory, and live for his glory. Why? Because God deserves it!

In the entire universe, only two of God’s creations fail to bring glory to him: fallen angels (demons) and us (people). Not giving God his due glory is called “sin.” All sin, at its
root, is failing to give God the glory he deserves"

"everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made."
~ Isaiah 43:7

Just like birds, who chirp, fly, nest - they fulfill God's purpose for creating them. As God's creation, we too are asked to fulfill God's purpose for us, which is to glorify Him.

The video talked about 5 purposes we have on earth that will glorify God.

1) we bring glory to God when we Worship Him
do we just do this in church every Sunday?

2) we bring glory to God when we Love others
have we showed love to our family, our friends, fellow believers?

3) we bring glory to God when we become Like Christ
what characteristics of Jesus do you admire? His compassion? Patience?

4) we bring glory to God when we Serve others
can we think of ways this can be done every week in MHI?

5) we bring glory to God when we Tell others about Him
when was the last time we shared something about God to others?

none of the above is easy or may come naturally to all of us. As we discussed on Sunday, let us try to practice one of the above to glorify God. I will personally come and ask how you did :)

See you soon.


*excerpts from Purpose Driven Life pg 49-59. Cartoon from Joyful'toons.

Life Is a Temporary Assignment - 22nd March

Lets praise God for the safe return of all our team members from Laguna. It was such an exciting trip and the team has so much to share with all of us from their experiences. Look out for the official debrief date. We want to thank the Lord for being with the team throughout their trip and the impact the trip had on everyone.

Last week the video continued with "Life is a Temporary Assignment". We spoke earlier that life is a TEST, a TRUST and a TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT. What does that mean?

Basically, the video reminded us that our life does not end when we breathe our last breath on earth. We are not home yet! Pastor Warren reminds us that "God’s Word compares life on earth to temporarily living in a foreign country. This is not your permanent home or final destination." We are now ambassadors for Christ on earth.

Our identity should be focus on eternity and once we understand this concept, we would not be focus in chasing all the things on earth. "It is a fatal mistake to assume that God’s goal for your life is material prosperity or popular success, as the world defines it. The abundant life has nothing to do with material abundance, and faithfulness to God does not guarantee success in a career or even in ministry. Never focus on temporary crowns.”

Life on earth is a preparation for eternity which is even better than what earth has to offer. Instead what shall we do?

We are asked to focus our eyes on things unseen for what is unseen is eternal. God is more interested in building our characters than our comfort. Let us remember John the Baptist who remained faithful to God yet was beheaded or Paul who was imprisoned. "In God’s eyes, the greatest heroes are not those who achieve prosperity, success, and power in this life, but those who treat this life as a temporary assignment and serve faithfully, expecting their promised reward in eternity."

So brothers and sisters? What shall we do?
Do we continue to store up our treasures on earth or should
we all learn to treat our lives on earth as a temporary assignment?

cartoon from joyfultoons

Seeing Life from God's View

Last SUNDAY, we welcomed PengPeng, Jasmine, Anthony, Alan and Shifeng to SF . It was good to see friends from MHI's past and our fellowship was definitely enriched with their presence. We all look forward to having fellowship with them again on the 22nd March.

In the video by Pastor Rick Warren, he asked us what is our life's metaphor (image/symbol/analogy)? What is yours? A pack of cards? A roller coaster? A puzzle? A party? We are reminded the metaphor we have of our lives will reflect the way we live our lives. If we think of life like a party, then all we aim to do is to have fun. If we think of life as a competition, our life will be just about winning. Is your life metaphor based on the world's metaphor of success?

The bible mentions 3 metaphors that teach us about God's view on life.

• Life is a test
• Life is a trust
• Life is a temporary assignment (next session)

Our entire life is a test!! Wow.... Our characters are developed and revealed through test that God has given to us. "We will be tested by major changes, by delayed promises, by impossible problems, by unanswered prayers and by undeserved criticism." During these tests, there will be moments that we will not feel the presence of God just like King Hezekiah (read 2 Chronicles 32). What do we do in moments like these? Do we turn our backs on Him? Do we give up? Let us all understand that God will never test us beyond our capabilities and will always give us strength to endure them. Do read 1 Corinthians 10:13.

Our life is also a trust. The "energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships, and resources are all gifts that God has entrusted to our care and management." We were reminded that God has placed us as stewards and guardians for these things. One item which the video specifically highlighted is money. Are we good managers of our money? Does the manner in which we manage money prevents God from doing more in our lives?

Indeed life is a test and a trust. What are YOU going to do about it? Let us all reflect on these points. Here is a quick summary from Lynette on pdf.

Publish at Scribd or explore
Cartoon from Joyfultoons

What Drives Your Life?

Indeed that is an interesting question. It made me take a hard look at myself and reflect the driving forces of my life.


Rick Warren lists 5 of the most common driving forces of our lives in this chapter.

• Guilt- Many people live their lives burdened by past guilt. Perhaps it is regret or hiding in shame for an episode long ago. "We are products of our past but we do not have to be prisoners of it". God wants to give us fresh start. (Psalm 32:1)

• Resentment & Anger- You may feel there is some unfairness. Because of that you may feel resentful and even anger. While your offender has probably forgotten the offense and gone on with life, we may continue to feel resentful and allow it to continue to hurt us. Warren’s advice is “For your own sake, learn from it, and then let it go.” (Job 5:2)
  

• Fear - Fear is a self-imposed prison that keeps us from becoming what God intends us to be. Perhaps we fear due to an unrealistic expectation or growing up in a tightly controlled environment. During our sharing, someone mentioned that we in Singapore tend to have a fear of "losing out". We banish fear with faith and love. (1 John 4:18)
  

• Materialism - We are all driven by material things. A new phone, a new bag or a new laptop? Even a new car or a new house. We want more things because society has taught us that more is better, more can make us feel more happy, contented and even superior. Our value is not determined by our valuables. God reminds us that the most valuable things in life are not things! (Matthew 6:24)

• Need For Approval -Have you ever felt that you didn't want to disappoint your parents, friends, teachers or partners? In school or office we try to be "cool" and live our life seeking reassurance/confirmation or approval from others for the things we do. Being controlled by the opinions of other is a guaranteed way to miss God’s purposes for your life.

All these 5 reasons will lead us to unused potential, unnecessary stress, and an unfulfilled life. That is why it is important to know God's purpose in our life. In the next week, we will go through 5 benefits to knowing our purpose and lead a more meaningful (purposeful) life.

I am encouraged by this chapter and I want to look beyond the mistakes of my past. I want to live a life that God intended for me.

Care to Join me?

Purpose Driven Life
Image from Google. Link here.

You are not an accident!!!

Indeed we are not!
In Isaiah 44:2, it says...

I am your Creator.
You were in my care even before you were born.

We watched the video by Pastor Rick Warren, who reminded us that God decided how and when we were to be born. As God never makes mistakes, you and I are not accidents. Phew! We have been part of His plans all along, our lives in His mind even before the world was created.

He created us because God is love. All of us are His expression of love towards us. That is why we have this world to live in, a place so meticulously and specially designed that experts have concluded that the fundamental goal and purpose of the cosmos was to be inhabited by mankind :)

In our discussion group last week, we explored areas where we may not be happy with the way we were created. Perhaps some areas of ourselves, our weight, our face, our hair or even our height? (WT?) Perhaps our past or background is not something we are proud of. It was interesting to listen to everyone share about some insecurities and discover that each of us is not perfect.

Yet all of us were reassured by the passage in the bible that God is our Creator and has a purpose for each and everyone of us.

Check out Isaiah 46:3-4 , Isaiah 45:18, James 1:18 and Romans 12:3

It all starts with God !!

Greetings in the name of the Lord !!!

For the next 3 months (6 sessions), SF will be going through the book, Purpose Driven Life - Chapter 1, What on Earth Am I Here For?

Last Sunday, we looked at Session 1 - It All Starts With God!
There was a short video (which i unfortunately cannot reproduce here due to copyright issues) but will try to summarise here.

It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. - Eph 1:11 (The Message)

We talked about a car. We all know cars are used to transport us from one place to another. However for someone who has never drove a car, been driven in a car or seen a car, he or she will wonder what is the car used for? he or she will need to ask the creator of the car to find out its purpose.....

Similarly, since we did not create ourselves, would it not be wise if we ask our Creator? Should we not ask God the purpose He created you and I?

We went through a few questions this week..
1. You discover your purpose and identity through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
2. God was thinking of you long before you ever thought about Him.
3. The purpose of your life fits into a much larger, cosmic purpose that God has designed for eternity.
Do take some time and read what the bible has to say on this, (Hint: read Psalm 57:2, Job 12:10)

See you this coming SUNDAY,

I would leave all of you with this question today,

How does knowing God's purpose make a difference in your life?