Entering a Lovely Garden

Hello All,

Do you enjoy gardening? I love beautiful gardens but I do not have green fingers. Cacti – the hardiest of all plants – have all died under my care.

For those of us living in the city, a garden is a good place to enjoy the beauty of nature amidst a concrete jungle.

The beauty of a garden takes our mind off from the burdens of the day and provides us with rest and a sense of freedom.

Do you long for true rest and freedom?

Entering a Lovely Garden

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling (4 February 2017)

Coming out of a closet of shame

Following God who calls me by name

I now stand looking through the window

Gazing at a beautiful rainbow

Below the rainbow was a garden

Lovely; like the Garden of Eden

Jesus said, ‘Take my hand, I’ll guide you

Come, let us start things anew’

Memories of shame raced through my mind

Fear took on forms of many kinds

‘Should I take hold of His outstretched hand?

My pain, does He truly understand?’

I gazed at His nail-pierced hands and thought

‘Through great pain, my redemption He bought

How could I doubt His love for me?

Through His precious blood, He’s set me free’

I took His hand; we walked out the door

Unsure I was, of what was in store

I came to a halt at the threshold

My anxiousness I could not withhold

‘Let me behold this place for a while’

He nodded with a kind, knowing smile

Tears streamed freely down my pallid face

Then I said, ‘Let’s enter this new place’

With hands held, we entered the garden

Lovely; like the Garden of Eden

A perfect place unspoiled by sin

‘Let’s start anew; here’s where we’ll begin’

Strolling on smooth cobblestones walkways

Savouring the flowers in midday

Relishing the tunes of chirping birds

Those were pleasures that nature conjured

Jesus has taken my shame away

I came to realise that on the day

The day He led me to the garden

I am, in Him, a new creation

Points for Reflection:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

(2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)

·         God placed Adam and Eve, the first man and woman He created, in a perfect and lovely Garden – the Garden of Eden. It was unspoiled and untainted with sin.

·         But Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God for they desired to be gods themselves, deciding what was good and evil. We’re now living in a broken world where we are constantly sinning against others and are sinned against.

·         Although humanity has made a great mess of the world, God did not leave us without hope. He sent His precious only Son, Jesus Christ, to take our punishment on the cross.

·         Anyone who trusts in Christ is a new creation. The shame and guilt of our past have been dealt with by our Saviour. We do not need to hold on to the shameful and unpleasant memories of the past. Christ has set us free and we are free indeed.

·         What burdens of the past are you still carrying with you? Do you long for rest and freedom from the burden of shame? Does the freedom that Christ has bought for you often feel like an elusive dream?

·         No matter how unreal that freedom may feel at times, it is not. Fix your eyes on Jesus who has taken your shame away. You are a beautiful and new creation in Him. He is calling you to enter the lovely garden of freedom.

Why Do You Worry?

Hello All,

The following scenario may sound familiar to you:

You see a loved one worrying excessively about something and out of concern, you tell her, ‘Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.’ She responds by saying, ‘Do you think I enjoy worrying? It’s just so hard not to worry.’

Telling a person not to worry will not stop a person from worrying. Worrying is, in actual fact, a symptom and a manifestation of a deeper problem.

We worry about matters that are of great importance to us. What we worry about reflects our priorities and the things we hold dear to our hearts.

What do you worry about? Food? Clothing? Finance? Career? Responsibilities? Your reputation? The approval of others? Unmet expectations? Relationships? The wellbeing of loved ones? Aging?

Worry

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling (29 January 2017)

You say, 'How can I not worry?

Burdens are weighing down on me!'

God says, 'My child, do not worry

Lay your heavy burdens on me'

'I've dealt with your greatest burden

Your burden of sin I've taken

Give to me your lesser burdens

Those burdens I've also taken'

'Now, look at the birds of the air

Flying freely without a care

If God feeds the birds of the air

For you, dear child, He'll love and care'

Worrying is hard not to do

It may be natural for you

But God's Word tells us what to do

Seek first God’s kingdom; seek what’s true

THE END…

Points for Reflection:

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

(Matthew 6:33 ESV)

·       God tells us to seek first His Kingdom. Many of us struggle to put God’s Kingdom first because we are so worried about our ‘little kingdoms’.

·       We are so worried about our ‘lesser burdens’ that we unconsciously forget the joy and relief we should be feeling over our freedom from our greatest burden – the burden of sin.

·       It is ironic that we are often more worried about our ‘lesser burdens’ in this life but hardly give a thought about our greatest burden of eternal value. Christ’s death on the cross has freed us from God’s judgment on our sin. We do not need to fear the sting of death for we can look forward to our future hope in heaven.

·       When we are tempted to worry about lesser things, let us remind ourselves of the freedom we have in Christ and rejoice in that wonderful gift. Let us reach out to those who are lost in darkness and need Jesus. Let us rejoice over a sinner that comes to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ who are going through trials and temptations. Let us seek first the Kingdom of God.

Are You Worried?

Hello All,

Worrying is a common habit of many. There are some who are more prone to worrying than others.

However, no one in this world is spared from the anxieties and cares of this world. No one can say that they have never felt anxious or worried about anything. They may worry less in comparison to others but they are not ‘worry-free’.

Are you feeling worried? If so, what are you worried about?

You may not be feeling worried right now. But what do you usually worry about?

What are the things that distract you from enjoying the company of your loved ones, the cool breeze against your face or the gentle pitter-patter of rain at twilight?

Worry

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling

Worrying is hard not to do

It's all too natural for you

You have many things to do

Those things are piling up on you

There are words to say, bills to pay

Tension is increasing each day

But worrying just does not pay

It adds no hours to your day

'Worry not about tomorrow

For each day has enough sorrows'

The One who knows your tomorrow

Speaks soothing words to your sorrows

TO BE CONTINUED…

Points for Reflection:

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

(Matthew 6:34 ESV)

·         Many inspirational quotes emphasise on the brightness of tomorrow and on how we can overcome the challenges that tomorrow brings by sheer will power.

·         But there are many times in our lives when we dread the burdens of tomorrow. We push through lives with gritted teeth and clenched fists. And then we wonder to ourselves, ‘What is the meaning of life? Is this all there is to life?’

·         We have no control over what happens tomorrow. Although it is possible to steer the elements of our lives in our favour, we’ll have to admit that the outcome is often unpredictable.

·         But there is One who knows our tomorrow. God holds our lives in His hands and He cares for us. He is the Creator of the universe and He is asking us not to worry about tomorrow but to commit the future into His sovereign hands.

·         Jesus never minimised the problems that we face in this world. For He says, ‘In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world.’

·         Are you anxious about tomorrow? Why don’t you bring your anxieties to God in prayer? Tell Him what you are worried about and ask Him to give you the peace of mind to commit the future to Him. Find rest in Him and do not let the worries of tomorrow rob you of the blessings of today.

Coming Out of the Closet

Hello All,

Do you remember the feeling of being trapped? It is very common for many to rouse from nightmares of being trapped in an enclosed area. When I was a child, I often dreamt of being trapped under the bed, with all openings for escape sealed.

There was once a little girl who felt trapped in the closet she grew up hiding in. ‘The Closet of Shame’ was the name coined for that dark, gloomy closet. She had the key to open that locked closet. But the uncanny thing was that her mindset kept her believing that she was trapped, with no way out.

An inner child resides in each one of us. Our age may tell us that we are grownups but many of us carry the emotional wounds we sustained as a child into adulthood. Instead of bringing those wounds to God in prayer, we hide from them in a closet of shame.

Coming Out of the Closet

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling

I’ve been hiding in a place so dark

The place; a closet bearing shame’s mark

Has been my prison and hiding place

It’s trapped me like a winding maze

The darkness is thick and tangible

The shame is painfully palpable

The darkness of shame is like a fog

A fog that clouds a gloomy bog

One day, I heard God’s voice calling me

‘Why remain trapped when I’ve set you free?

Now, open the closet, do not fear

There’s no need to fear for I’m right here’

I pushed open the closet of shame

Took one step forward and out I came

I glanced back at what held me captive

I’ve been given a new life to live

‘Look, but do not return to your past

I’ve given you freedom that will last

Forever and for eternity

Your shame I’ve vanquished on the Tree’

The freedom felt too good to be true

Is this true? I didn’t have a clue

Am I really free? How could this be?

My heart was filled with uncertainty

‘Take my hand now, I’ll show you the way’

His kind voice compelled me to obey

He guided me with steps to follow

He told me to look through the window

I peered through the window in the room

I saw beautiful flowers in bloom

The garden had a beauty so rare

‘Are you now ready to set foot there?’

My yearning eyes gazed at the fountain

Right in the centre of the garden

Despite my longing, I felt great fear

‘There’s no need to fear for I’m right here’

‘I’ve never left this room; I’m afraid

So afraid of getting hurt,’ I said

‘You’ve been hurt deeply; now that is true

Look at my hands that were pierced for you’

‘My hands I’m now extending to you

Hold them and let us start things anew

My nail-scarred hands will heal those memories

In my arms, you’ll find strength and safety’

Points for Reflection:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

(Romans 8:1-2 ESV)

·       It is Jesus Christ who gives us the key to freedom from that closet of shame that has been holding us captive.

·       For those of us who trust in Christ, we may know intellectually that Christ has died in our place to set us free from facing the wrath of God. But our intellectual knowledge often does not match how we feel about our current circumstances in life.

·       Painful memories of the past, stormy trials of the present and nerve-wracking anxieties of the future may be holding our minds captive from fully enjoying the peace and freedom that we already have in Christ. We are living like prisoners instead of free citizens of God’s Kingdom.

·       What are the things that are holding your mind captive? What are you ashamed of? What are you hiding from?

·       Jesus Christ is extending to you his nail-scarred hands. Those hands were pierced for you. Remember the freedom that He has purchased for you with His precious blood. Find strength and safety in His arms.