'object of comfort'.

i am not sure why, but i was reminded of this term a while ago. immediately i thought of my little red furry blanket that i had since kinder, and i had it all the way till secondary school i think. that's almost 10 years. i remember pulling it behind me wherever i went in the house, and it will always, always be with me during bedtime. it is the thing that made me enjoyed good sleeps.

it was interesting, cos when that red blanket was thrown away, i recalled being really upset, and i cried about it. and my mum rationally said that it was just a blanket, why did it evoke such emotions. and i realised, it was cos my source of comfort then was placed on an object, and when its taken away from me, i felt vulnerable, and a little lost.

similarly, as i grew up, i quickly replaced the red blanket with a cardigan that has furry insides. it was a gift from a friend when i was in college. it is still with me now, and pretty much, had a role in provision of comfort as well.

however, i thank God that the difference now, is that Jesus found me, and He is my source of comfort and strength in all times. placing my hope in Him has helped me understand how easy it is to 'misplace' or 'transfer' our hopes of deriving comfort from an object, or even from a person. and I am grateful that through various circumstances, it always brings me to remember that Jesus is the ultimate Comforter and Strength. He never gets discarded; He never gets weary; He bears with me in all grace; and He understands me fully well; and importantly, He desires to communicate with me at all times despite all situations, even when i fail Him. i am thankful for Him.

thank you Jesus, for being my 'friend of comfort' at all times.

read this in juli's blog. and so true.

" I prayed: the answer long deferred
Brought not the thing I sought;
He answered better than my plea,
Yes, better than my thought. "

The purpose of prayer is not to get what we want, but to become what God wants.

power of prayer!

there are several keys to effective prayers.

Key #1—Pray Sincerely to the True God

It is absolutely vital that you pray to the very real God of the Bible if you expect genuine answers to your prayers. He reveals Himself to mankind in many ways—in creation, in the Bible, in His foretelling specific divine intervention in world affairs and in direct ANSWERS to those who seek and obey Him.
The Apostle Paul was inspired to describe the true God in this way: "For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live" (1 Corinthians 8:5-6).
In our modern, ecumenical approach to religion, we may think that praying to some vague "blob" off in the sky or to an idol is just the same as praying to the CREATOR—the God of Abraham, Isaac, Israel and Jesus Christ. But it is not the same at all!
The true God was revealed by Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:27). To one of His disciples, He said: "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me…? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me" (John 14:9-11).
We read of Jesus Christ acknowledging that God was a loving, divine Person—a "Father." And we see the Father acting through Christ to heal the sick, to comfort the downcast and to teach those whom He calls to keep the Ten Commandments as a way of life (Matthew 19:17). This should certainly help us to better understand God's character and His desire for us.
Christ also set an example for us in praying to the Father: "Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: 'Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You'" (John 17:1). Again, when He taught His disciples the outline—the proper approach to prayer—He said: "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen" (Matthew 6:9-13).
So once again, Jesus revealed that the God to whom we should pray is a Father. And what does Christ reveal about Him? He is "in heaven." He has a Kingdom or Government that will be set up on this earth. He—as our Father—is One who can give us daily bread, forgive our sins, deliver us from Satan and bring us into that everlasting Kingdom.
In describing this true God, whom so very few even today are acquainted with, the Apostle Paul stated: "Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 'God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings'" (Acts 17:23-26).
We learn more about the true God from the Old Testament. The great Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, was told that he would be driven from his kingdom "until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses" (Daniel 4:32). And this God will not share preeminence with any other. He inspired Isaiah to write: "Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath" (Isaiah 45:22-23).
This is an awesome God, with limitless power and glory! When you get down on both knees and lift up your hands in prayer to the great CREATOR of the universe, you should think of to whom you are praying, and "hallow" or praise His name, as Jesus instructed. Remember that He is not only the Creator, but the active GOVERNOR of the entire universe—guiding the rise and fall of nations according to His will. He is the One in charge of the weather—sending "rain in due season" (cf. Deuteronomy 28:12)—or at times drought and destruction upon those nations that must be punished (vv. 24-25).
Yet, if you surrender to Him, obey Him and serve Him, God will become your loving Father, your Protector, your Healer, the Giver of "every good and perfect gift" (James 1:17) and the One who has abounding love and mercy. "For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust" (Psalm 103:11-14).
Be sure you always pray specifically to this God—the true God—and to no other. As you begin your prayer, think about whom you are praying to and consciously worship this Great God who gives you life and breath.

From http://www.tomorrowsworld.org/cgi-bin/tw/booklets/tw-bk.cgi?category=Booklets1&item=1104095186&gclid=COiy7NTB7I8CFR4cTAod6DarHw

received this cool thing from my friend. enjoy. :)

When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing 'dance' at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from one person
and gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw 'G: I thought of God, followed by 'u' and 'i'.
'God, 'u' and 'i' dance.'
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
that I would get guidance about my life.

Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
and mercies be upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
and to guide you through each season of your life.
This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.
If God has done anything for you in your life,
please share this message with someone else,
for prayer is one of the best gifts we can receive.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards;
so let's continue to pray for one another.
And I Hope You Dance

since today's valentine's, let's talk a little bit about Love.

:) from 1 Corinthians 13.

Love

1If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,^[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1. Only Love Counts (as shown in Verse 1-3)

Paul deals with the Corinthians' elevation of spiritual gifts

• miraculous gifts (1)
• spiritual endowments (2)
• personal sacrifice (3)

"without love", it all sums up to nothing.

2. Only Love Triumphs (as shown in Verse 4-7)

Paul deals with the Corinthians' spirit of division. What they were -

• prideful and arrogant- (1 Corinthians 4:6) (1 Corinthians 13:18-19) (1 Corinthians 5:2)
  
• self-centred (1 Corinthians 10:24)

Hence, Paul reminded us what true love entails.

3. Only Love Endures (as shown in Verse 8-13)

Paul deals with the Corinthians' claims to spiritual superiority

• Love lasts, while gifts and knowledge pass away (verse 8-10)
• Maturity is our aim (verse 11)
• Perfection awaits the world to come (verse 12-13) which is characterised by love.

i love verse 4-7. it often reminds me the purity of love. how it is unconditional and there's absolutely no expectation of returns. how it reminds us to give even though it may be difficult.

1 John 3:16-
This is how we've come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us.

today, had a good time doing some reading in Borders.

was spoken to many times, through the Holy Spirit.

"no matter where you are in your faith journey- whether you are just testing waters to see if there is anything out there worth believing in or you are a long time believer desiring a richer, more fulfilling relationship with the Creator of the Universe- the starting point is always the same. Seek. This is where it all begins. Seek, and you will find..."

- The Secrets of God.

Jeremiah 29:13-14

Seek.

what comes to your mind when you think of Jacob? (Genesis 32)

must say, for the many people that i have talked to before, not many holds jacob as someone that they want to model after from the old testament. however, there's something special about him that God adores, and God admires. :)

Jacob held onto God, and would not let Him go, until God blessed him.

what struck me from the teaching was that, there's no time which we can say, "there's nothing else that i can do; i've already done all that i can.".

cos, we can always do one thing, and that is to hold on, hang on. we can be down, but with God, we are never out. we also need to trust God, and have a biblical understanding of blessings. (Psalms 67:1-2).

so, be a Jacob today! hold onto God, for His faithfulness and love endureths forever!

ever wondered:

how are beautiful pearls made?

:)