How Can I Fear

When shadows fall and the night covers all,
There are things my eyes cannot see.
I’ll never fear, for the Saviour is near;
My Lord abides with me.

Chorus
How can I fear? Jesus is near.
He ever watches over me.
Worries all cease; He gives me peace.
How can I fear with Jesus?

When I’m alone and I face the unknown,
And I fear what the future maybe,
I can depend on the strength of my Friend-
He walks along with me.

Chorus

Jesus is King, He controls everything;
He is with me each night and each day.
I trust my soul to the Saviour’s control;
He drives all fear away.

Lyrics and music by Ron Hamilton

Watch the video on youtube.

I guess this song becomes even more meaningful and real when I found out yesterday of a friend being diagnosed with cancer. I mean, one day he’s fine, and the next, life is never the same anymore. It is in these kind of situations, that our faith is really tested. Can we really not fear, because we know Jesus is near. Because we know He is watching over us.

Keeping you in my prayers. May our faith, strength and confidence be found in the One who is our Creator, God, King, Saviour, Redeemer and Friend.

How Deep The Father’s Love For Us

How deep the Father’s love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the man upon a cross
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts no power no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom.

Lyrics and music by Stuart Townend

Listen to How Deep the Father’s Love For Us

Rejoice in the Lord

So many problems. So few solutions.

We seem to be lurching. From one problem, to another.

Sometimes I just wish I could run away and hide, and pretend like all these haven’t and isn’t happening. Yet realising that running away, has never been, and should never be the way.

And then realising. That the reason is really so simple. That we don’t know our God enough.

Rejoice in the Lord

God never moves without purpose or plan
When trying His servant and moulding a man.
Give thanks to the Lord though your testing seems long;
In darkness He giveth a song.

Chorus
O rejoice in the Lord.
He makes no mistake.
He knoweth the end of each path that I take.
For when I am tried and purified,
I shall come forth as gold.

I could not see through the shadows ahead;
So I looked at the cross of my Saviour instead.
I bowed to the will of the Master that day;
Then peace came and tears fled away.

Now I can see testing comes from above;
God strengthens His children and purges in love.
My Father knows best, and I trust in His care;
Through purging more fruit I will bear.

Lyrics and music by Ron Hamilton

Listen to this song here.

When I Look Into Your Holiness

Heard an amazing rendition of this song yesterday during service. 

When I look into your holiness,
When I gaze into your loveliness,
When all things that surround
Become shadows in the light of You;

When I’ve found the joy of reaching Your heart,
When my will becomes entrhoned in Your love,
When all things that surround
Become shadows in the light of You:

I worship You, I worship You,
The reason I live, is to worship You.
I worship You, I worship You,
The reason I live, is to worship You.

Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
Pslam 29:2

Listen to the song here

Because He lives.

God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus,
He came to love, heal and forgive. 
He lived and died, to buy my pardon, 
An empty grave is there to prove my Saviour lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know, I know, He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

How sweet to hold, a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he brings.
But greater still, the calm assurance,
This child can face uncertain days because He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone. 
Because I know, I know, He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

And then one day, I’ll cross the river.
I’ll fight life’s final war with pain.
And then as death, gives way to victory,
I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives. 

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone. 
Because I know, I know, He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

I am Thine, O Lord

We sang this amazing hymn, written by Fanny Crosby, during Prayer Meeting. It is special.

I am Thine, O Lord
I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Refrain
Draw me nearer, nearer blessèd Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessèd Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the power of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
Refrain

O the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!
Refrain

There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.
Refrain

May this song be an encouragement to you, and a prayer and desire for each of us to draw nearer to the One who has died for each of us. =)

Listen to it here

In Christ Alone

In Christ Alone
Sang by: Brian Littrel 

In Christ alone will I glory
Though I could pride myself in battles won
For I’ve been blessed beyond measure
And by His strength alone I’ll overcome
Oh, I could stop and count successes like diamonds in my hands
But those trophies could not equal to the grace by which I stand

[Chorus]
In Christ alone
I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory
Let it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope
Is Christ alone

In Christ alone do I glory
For only by His grace I am redeemed
For only His tender mercy
Could reach beyond my weakness to my need
And now I seek no greater honor in just to know Him more
And to count my gains but losses to the glory of my Lord

[Chorus]
In Christ alone
I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory
Let it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope
Is Christ alone 

You can listen to this beautiful song here

Okay, I know he was one of the Backstreet Boys, and here he is singing a Christian song. But the lyrics are beautiful, and really summarizes what I’ve been learning in 1 John, that Christianity is Christ. I do hope, that in this new year, I will be able to live my life as the song puts it so precisely. 

Job search has turned up empty, with a few insulting offers for me to do jobs paying me $5.25 to $5.50 an hour, before CPF deduction. Yet, staying at home isn’t the solution. Hopefully, something decent comes in soon.

Christmas 2008

I always knew this Christmas was going to be a nice one. The last 2 Christmas’ have been spent as a recruit, and as a commander in Braves Coy. This time round, it is as a civillian. Anyway, it’s also the first time I decided to join carolling. I always had this fear of singing in a “choir” kind of setting, because people’s expectations are always going to be higher, and I know I’m not cut out to be a singer. But, through the practices this year, I think I learnt to be more “thick-skinned” and not be so sensitive or conscious of what other people think, so it was a pretty fun experience. 

So with all the Sunday practices, it culminated in our carolling session yesterday to 3 homes around our church. It was fun going from house to house, singing carols, talking and having food! Hearing the testimonies from some of the members and Pastor’s sharing also helped me to put Christmas into perspective, and remember why we even celebrate this occassion known as Christmas. 

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
Matthew 1:23 

So Christmas day was spent with our Combined English/Mandarin service this morning, and it was pretty chaotic because our church sanctuary is too small to fit in everyone today. I was ushering and missed out on the entire service, but I heard Rev. Heng’s sermon was really good. Trust that God will work in the hearts and minds of all who heard the gospel today, and may they know the true meaning of Christmas! 

I came home and slept the entire afternoon away! Was really tired from the lack of sleep and activities over the past 2 days. Had dinner with the family before heading off to Marina Square, my favourite shopping destination! G2000 sale is now on, so I bought another pocket-less long sleeved shirt. Next to Gloria Jean’s for some excellent coffee. Irish Nut Creme and Choc Macademia Nut, niccee! In my opinion, GJ has probably the best coffee I’ve tasted so far. Finally rounded off with a present to myself, another model kit. 

Total damage today: $82. =(

Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne
Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room
For Thy holy nativity.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus, There is room in my heart for Thee. 

Heaven’s arhces rang when the angels sang
Proclaiming Thy royal degree;
But of lowly birth didst Thou come to earth,
And in great humility.

 O come to my heart, Lord Jesus, There is room in my heart for Thee. 

Thou camest, O Lord, with the living Word
That should set Thy people free;
But with mocking scorn, and with crown of thorn,
They bore Thee to Calvary.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus, There is room in my heart for Thee.

When the heavens shall ring, and the angels sing,
At Thy coming to victory,
Let Thy voice call me home,
Saying, “Yet there is room,
There is room at My side for Thee.”

My heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus, When Thou comest and callest for me.

Words by: Emily Elliott
Music by: Timothy Matthews 

Here’s wishing everyone a Blessed Christmas and enjoy the last few days of 2008. =)

Wings As Eagles

Jo and I were playing/singing various songs from the Majesty hymn book and we came across this song, by Ron Hamilton, and it is a lovely song, based on the passage from Isaiah 40:31

Wings As Eagles

When the race still lies before me,
And the wind is blowing strong,
When the witnesses surround me,
And my strength is almost gone;
When the valley plunges deeper,
And life shatters all my dreams,
Then I lift my voice to Jesus,
And He gives my spirit wings.

God gives wings, God gives wings as eagles;
God gives wings to fly and strength to rise above.
God gives wings, God gives wings as eagles,
When my feet begin to stumble,
And my dreams begin to crumble,
I mount up on eagles’ wings.

Let us run the race with patience,
Let us lay each weight aside,
Looking only unto Jesus;
He will be our faithful Guide.
He has run the race before us;
He has won the victor’s crown.
And He calls to ev’ry Christian.
Follow me to higher ground.

Lyrics and Music by Ron Hamilton

Found 2 versions of this song online.
Majesty Music
Youtube

Isaiah 40:31
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles:
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not be faint.”

His Way Is Perfect

His Way Is Perfect
Music and lyrics by Betsy Kistler

When my way seems dark and drear and the future I don’t know, 
My heart feels so empty as the tears unending flow.
When my heart breaks with sorrow and a tempest fills my soul,
This one thing I know for sure: my God is in control.

Chorus
His way is perfect, His way is perfect.
Though I don’t understand His wise and loving plan,
His way is perfect. His way is perfect.
Take my life and make a vessel purified.
God makes no mistakes, His way is best.  

When the toils of life are come and my heart is worn with care,
I faint ‘neath the burden of a cross I cannot bear.
When the joy has departed from my sorrow stricken soul,
This one thing I know for sure: my God is in control.

Listen to this beautiful hymn here, a pity because either WordPress doesn’t support imeem, or I don’t know how to embed the codes here. It is a really comforting and reassuring hymn, that God is always in control in every situation, and His way and will is always perfect. =)

 

Finally in, books from eTULIP

 

Read the first few chapters of John MacArthur’s book “The Keys To Spiritual Growth: Unlocking the Riches of God” and it is really different from reading sermon transcripts. Because the information is much more organised and possibly more condensed. Every chapter, and even sentence, holds so much content to take in. And as covered before in the Spiritual Growth Series, one of the ways to glorify God is trusting Him. And I have to admit that I severely fall short in this area, and it has been magnified in the way I have handled my upcoming operation. I don’t trust Him enough, and I even doubt that He knows best, and that He is in sovereign control of every situation, my life included. Here’s a quote I would like to share from what he writes in the book. 

God is glorified when we believe in Him, when we rest in His full assurance. That gives him glory. 

Went to Marina Square today with the family, because they know how I’ve been feeling a little down over the past few days. Finally bought another model kit, the last I purchased was more than 2 months ago on National Day. Anyway, this kit was bought in view of the modelling lessons I’ll probably be signing up for next week. 

 My wisdom teeth operation, if it goes ahead (it can only proceed if I’m not unwell in any way…), will commence at around 9.30 to 10am tomorrow, and I should be under General Anaesthesia for around 2 hours. Do pray for me! =) To round it off, I’ll just share a couple of verses which have encouraged me, and hopefully, whatever trying situation you find yourself in, it may speak to you as well.

Philippians 4:19
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

2 Corinthians 12:9
“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” 

Philippians 4:7
“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding: In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”