Steps to friendship

'A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.' Proverbs 18:24

Everyone needs at least a small circle of friends. The first step to friendship is 'be friendly'.

'A man who has friends must himself be friendly.' You should not, however, become friendly just in order to gain a friend. This is an unhelpful motive because you are more interested in gaining a friend than being a friend. Self-centredness will get you nowhere.

Friendliness is tha art of going out of yourself and appreciating others as much as you appreciate yourself. It is really a mind-set, an attitude. The main reason why some people have no friends is because they demonstrate an unfriendly attitude. To have a friend - be one.

The second step to friendship is to 'allow time for friendship to develop.' In friendship, it is futile to try to force doors open. Instead, be like Christ in the book of Revelation (Rev, 3:20); stand reverently at the door - and knock. Only if the door is opened from within should you go through it.

Some relationships you have with people may never develop into close friendships. Don't be upset about it. If you are open and friendly, then God will guide you and show you where deep frinedships are to be developed.

Father, help me be a friend who does the knocking before i enter instead of knocking down after i have left. And show me not only how to sympathise with my friends' weaknesses, but how to draw out their strength. In Jesus' name. Amen.

'A Friend with skin on'

'As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.' Proverbs 27:17

One good definition of friend is: 'A friend is someone who knows all there is to know about you and loves you just the same.'

Looking back on our life, we can see how valuable our friends have been to us. Because we have felt safe with them we have been able to reveal ourselves, and in the revealing we have come to know ourselves in a way that we could never have done with a mere acquaintance.

Yes, God is our Friend, but we need human friends too. This might be difficult for some to accept, but the more effectively we relate on a horizontal level with our human friends, the more effectively we will relate on a vertical level with our heavenly Friend.

Father, I see that my best friend is someone who brings out the best in me. Help me to be a best friend to someone - and to bring out the best in that person. In Jesus's name i ask it. Amen.

Every Day with Jesus on 26/08/08 - Synergy

'A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.' Proverbs 17:17

Christians who bring their friendships under the authority of God and His Word need not be concerned about anything that comes, for they have or should have an internal security which enables them to deal with anything and everything.

A friendship can be exhilarating, exciting, and at times exhausting. But it can also open up new possibilities, new trails, new adventures, new territories and new continents. We live deprived lives if we live without friends.

Father, I see that I am made for relationships, not isolation. Help me understand this principle of synergy and how it can work to the extension of Your kingdom. This i ask in Jesus' precious and incomparable name. Amen

The fusion of friendship

'Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.' Ecclesiastes 4:12

-'It's good to have a friend because if you fall down a friend can help you up, or, if you are suffering the effects of cold, a friend can help keep you warm'
-'A strength and a power which comes out of the relationship and which you could never have known had you both stayed apart.'
-'In the fusion of friendship, you discover a power that could never be discovered were you not bound together in the relationship of friendship.'
-'Your strength plus your friend's strength produces a new and even greater strength.'

Friends with godly motives are good but not those who only befriend you for a purpose which does not honour the kingdom of God! So, let all of us, with the help and strength of our Father, able to choose only those true and wise friends which will bring honour and glory to Jesus.

Father, now i see into the heart and meaning of friendship. Out of it comes a power and a strength that is greater than the sum of the two parts. Teach me more, dear Father. In Jesus's name i ask it. Amen.

I passed my RT IPPT Test!!!

Our God has indeed done a great thing in my life on Thursday evening. During the LSS (Life in the Spirit) Seminar on Wednesday, Jerry was arranging an interview for all of us in his group to be held after next Wednesday LSS. I told him that I won’t be able to make it on every Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday until 04/09/08 as I need to go for my Remedial training in my army camp near Bedok. This made it worse when Brother Daniel shared that he will be on night shift the whole of next week. So the arrangement was quite uncertain at that moment, as Brother Jerry is finding a replacement for Daniel.

That Wednesday night I went back home and before I headed off to bed, I did a small prayer asking God to help me pass my Remedial IPPT test the next day which was on Thursday evening. To my surprised, my prayer was answered…praise the Lord!!

There are total of 5 stations that I needed to take. Before I started my stations, I quietly stand at a corner and did a small prayer myself, telling God that I’m starting my Test now and I asked for his protection & guidance & most of all, lending me a helping hand to pass this Test.

1. Sit up station – Completed with 34 without problem. Got 5 points.
2. Standing Broad jump – Always having difficulty, normal practice can only jump to about 189cm. But to my surprised, I was able to jump 198cm (Got 2 points). It must be God that through His strength at that time that helped me jump 9cm further. I just got this feeling that he was with me at that moment when I prayed to him before I started jumping.
3. Chin Up – This station is also my ‘Killing’ station. Before I pulled, I really prayed so hard to Jesus asking him for help and strength to pull at least 2 times. Indeed, He helped me through and I just managed to pull 2 to get 1 point. Actually. I can feel that this station He helped me the most as I’m always a Zero pointer every practice. My arm was not even straightened when I was doing it. The Physical training instructor (PTI) at that time also "closed both eyes" just to let me pass. I really want to thank God for His help as He knows me well.
4. Shuttle Run – Before I started to run this station, I also prayed to Jesus, our God for help & His strength. I figured that I needed another 4 points (8 points for the first 3 stations), in total 12 points to pass this test. So, I needed to score at least 3 points to pass this exam, knowing that after getting this 3 points, I need to get at least 1 point for my last station, which is my 2.4km run. True enough, our God, Jesus Christ, has not failed me as my prayer really came true that I scored exactly 3 points for this station. So, now left 1 last station to go for another 1 point to pass this test.
5. 2.4km Run – After completing the first 4 stations, I was so happy as I got exactly 11 points which I have asked God for. This showed that God has answered my prayer. I know that He was with me then when I was taking the Test. Since I got what I wanted, I asked God again for the last time to help me gain another 1 point for my 2.4km run. True enough, I scored 1 point after running for 13:33 mins for total of 6 laps. During the 2.4km run especially after the second lap, I nearly wanted to give up as I had difficulty in breathing. But I continued running and at the same time, I really prayed to God asking him to provide me with His strength to go through the last station and He did. I really want to give thanks and glory to Him. He is so so great. Even at the last moment, He did not forsake me and guided me through my entire Test.

After passing my IPPT test, I was so happy. During this period of training, I have asked my boss’s permission to release me earlier from my work around 4.45pm without having to compensate for the time at all so that I can attend my RT on time. I told him that this training will be till 04/09/08.

After I passed my Test on Thursday, I experienced another great thing from God, which is His Holy Spirit.. Initially, my plan was to go back to the office the next day to lie to my boss that I have failed the test so that I can enjoy another few sessions of early release from work every Tuesday & Thursday till 04/09/08. But somehow I heard some voice keep telling me: “Are you sure you are going to do it? Do you think this is the way God wants you to do?” After hearing this, I was totally disturbed and in my mind I made a promise and assured to God that I will not do things that will not bring honour to Him. He had answered my prayers and I will walk rightfully with Him always. The next day, I went to tell my boss that I have passed my Test and I do not need to fall out earlier already. He too congratulated me. Through this incident, I have learnt that although there are many evil spirits around us, but if we can stand firmly and walk closely to our God, Jesus, He will definitely guide us and protect us from any evil thoughts and ways that will hinder our glory to his kingdom.

Lastly, I want to share with all of you brothers that Jesus has become a very important person in my life after I accepted him as my Saviour, my Lord & my close friend. As long as we trust Jesus, our Saviour whole heartedly, there is nothing else we will fear except Him as He will be around with us every moment guiding and protecting us. I always remember our pastor's very fearful sentence: ‘When Jesus comes down one day for judgement, do not face a situation where He tells you that He does not know you!”. This is the most fearful sentence that always stays inside my mind. I will always remind myself that I will not allow such situation to happen to me. No way! How about all of you, brethren?

First Blog

Hi,
This is my first blog created today.
Regards,
Kelvin