Rhythm of Faith

         Paul said that the old covenant mediated by Moses bore a “ministry of condemnation” ( 2 Corinthians 3:9 ). What does this mean, and would Moses have agreed? The Book of Deuteronomy clarifies three things: 1) Moses’s old covenant plea , 2) the people’s old covenant problem , and 3) God’s new covenant promise . 1. The Old Covenant Plea Moses called for the right things: “Love the Lᴏʀᴅ your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your might” ( Deuteronomy 6:5 ), and “love the sojourner” ( Deuteronomy 10:19 ; see Leviticus 18:5 ). Jesus said that these are the first and second most important commands ( Mark 12:29–31 ). Moses even urged, “These words that I command you today shall be on your heart ” ( Deuteronomy 6:6 ). This command sounds just like what is promised in the new covenant ( Jeremiah 31:33 ). 2. The Old Covenant Problem Nevertheless, as loud or as long as Moses talked, the Israelites did...

God created you in his own image to dream, and work, and laugh, and love, and labor, and hope, and eat, and enjoy the good gifts in this world. “A man is such a noble work of God,” said nineteenth century preacher Charles Spurgeon, “he cannot have been intended merely to measure off yards of silk, or to weigh pounds of sugar, or to sweep street crossings, or to put on crowns, and robes, and diamonds. There is something grander than that for man to do.” Yes, and most grand of all: God created you to worship, praise, and sing. The beauty of Christ is the cause of our songs. His glory draws worship from our hearts to our lips ( Revelation 5:6–14 , 7:9–12 ). This Christ-centered, thank-filled worship is the capstone over everything else we are and do in this life ( 1 Corinthians 10:30–31 , Colossians 3:17 ). And so we sing. To the best of our ability, we sing in our homes. We sing with our families. We sing alone in our cars on the drive to work. We sing toge...

Genesis 24:1 1: Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. The Bible says that Abraham was righteous. But do you know that his nephew Lot was righteous too? (2 Peter 2:7–8) Yet, both men lived very different lives. Although they both lived under God’s grace some 400 years before the law was given, Abraham was very blessed, whereas Lot lost a lot! Both men had large herds and flocks. When their herdsmen started quarrelling over space, Abraham took the initiative to make peace. He even let Lot pick the lands that he wanted. Both men were righteous, but one was more gracious than the other. Lot picked the well-watered plain of Jordan, where the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were. He dwelt there and pitched his tent as far as Sodom. Eventually, he lived in Sodom. Now, Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible represent a sinful lifestyle. Some Christians think, “Since I am righteous by faith and under God’s grace, I can live a sinful lifestyle.”...

Jesus was, is, and always will be in a league of his own. Many are happy to honor him as a good teacher and social reformer, and some religions even admit that he was a great prophet of God. But none of them go far enough. The Greatest Messenger Jesus was not just another prophet like those who had come before him. Nor was he merely a great moralist and motivator. He was, and is, qualitatively different. Jesus is, as the Father himself testified at his baptism and on the Mount of Transfiguration, God’s beloved Son ( Mark 1:11 ; 9:7 ). And as God’s Son, “he is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” ( Hebrews 1:3 ). You cannot get any greater than this. So Jesus surpasses every other messenger God has sent, or ever could send, because by his very nature, he far exceeds all other contenders. The Greatest Message Not only is Jesus the greatest messenger. The message he brings is also the greatest, trumping every message that has ever, or could ...

Ephesians 5:17 17: Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. God wants us to walk as wise men and women, and not as fools. (Ephesians 5:15) Now, He will not tell us to walk in wisdom without showing us how. That is why His Word goes on to say, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” So what is the will of God? The next two verses tell us how to identify it: “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord ”. (Ephesians 5:18–19) As you allow yourself to be filled with the Spirit by lifting songs of praise to the Lord, singing or speaking (God knows some of us can’t sing!) psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, and making melody in your heart to the Lord, God promises that you will know what His will is for your situation. You will then have the wisdom to decide wis...

  Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 2:1-2   Our reference today says, "You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Jesus Christ. And the things that you have heard from among many witnesses, commit these faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore, must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of life, that he may please Him who enlisted him as a soldier..." Beloved, having declared Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, automatically, we become known to the kingdom of darkness of this world. Whatever we do in our service to our Master becomes a threat to the kingdom of darkness. Expectedly, they would react because of their hatred for you and your Master. Friend should you be afraid or abandon your Master? Of course not! For the psalmist says, "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I b...

Psalm 94:22 22: But the Lord has been my defense, and my God the rock of my refuge. Imagine being a poor widow, a stranger in the land and holding one of the lowliest jobs in society. That was Ruth’s situation, so it would have been easy for her to feel vulnerable and defenseless. But because she trusted the Lord (Ruth 1:16), He placed her under Boaz’s protection. Boaz, the owner of the field she worked in, commanded his young men saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her.” (Ruth 2:15) What he was saying to his men was this: “She might be a gleaner, but because I care for her, treat her with respect and make sure she is not put to shame.” Boaz is a picture of our Lord Jesus. If you are feeling vulnerable and defenseless right now, imagine Jesus commanding His angels, “Watch over this one who belongs to Me. Make sure he is treated with respect and not put to shame because he is someone I love and someone whom I died for.” God’s Word tells us that i...

  Scripture Reading: John 13:17 " If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them". You are judged not by your intentions but actions. You may have a heart of gold, full of wisdom of God but this goodness cannot be known unless actions emanating from such thoughts are known by people. A thousand words may not leave so lasting an impression as a simple action displayed. Let your good intentions be followed by appropriate actions, because if you do not do it, then it means you do not believe in what you have in your mind. No wonder St.John says in our reference today that blessed are you when you put to practice (action) these things that you know. Believers often undermine action with the excuse that they are praying. In praying they refuse to put their faith into action. Most believers speak of what is the right thing to do but never find time to practice it. Hear St.James, "Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him, it is...

What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words. Pro:18.21.GNT Proverbs 18:21 21Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Most people, when they desperately want something, will say things like, “I am dying for that piece of cake!” Few will say, “I am living for that piece of cake!” What is worse is that we are quick to mention death when things go wrong. We Singaporeans are quick to say things like, “Die lah! Die lah!” at the drop of a hat. Nobody says, “Live lah! Live lah!” Yet, the truth is that every word you speak has power — to build or destroy hopes and dreams, to restore or cause loss, to heal or break the spirit, to bring delight or despair, to bless or curse — for God’s Word says that death and life are in the power of the tongue. So stop lining your words up with the negative circumstances. Instead, start lining your words up with God’s Word and release the power of H...

Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Listen, sir! I will give half my belongings to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay back four times as much.” Luke 19:8 8Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” Zacchaeus was a tax collector. He was despised because he was a deceitful man, cheating people of their money and resorting to false accusations to get what he wanted. One day, Jesus visited him. The Bible makes no mention of Jesus rebuking him for his dishonest lifestyle the whole time they were together. Instead, Jesus showed him grace and honor by spending time with him. Before long, Zacchaeus stood up and declared to Jesus that he would restore fourfold to anyone he had taken from illegally, and would even give half of his goods to the poor. A moment with Jesus completely changed Zacchaeus’ heart. A moment with grace in person...