Looking Forward

Dearest Daniel 2,

Hope all of you had a great Christmas day (and boxing day for Brisbane people). I pray that you are still following through our bible reading plan, as D2 bulletin girl has been including the weekly reading plan in D2 bulletin. Last week and coming weeks, we are reading the book of Thessalonians. I would like to share a bit about what I have learned from 1 Thessalonians so far.

One of my favorite characters in the bible, Paul; he wrote this letter to the Thessalonians. Like the other books we read before (letters written by Paul to the locals), Paul was responding to the local circumstances with advices, corrections and instructions in which Thessalonians needed. I particularly like how Paul wrote this letter with personal illustrations that we all can relate to. For example in 1 Thessalonians 2:7 “Instead, we were like young children[a] among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children,” and in verse 11 “11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,”. We can see Paul’s heart is like spiritual mummy and daddy of the people in Thessalonica.

God touched my heart as I was reading chapter 2 verses 4. It says “On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.” Paul is very clear with what God has entrusted to him, the gospel. Paul wanted to urge everyone to be clear that the message was true, and that his motives were pure. And a lot of the time, because human are weak, we fall into pleasing man instead of pleasing God, especially when we are involved in many ministries. I believe that it all goes back to the foundation of drawing close to God daily; asking God “10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalms 51:10). And I believe it’s for all of us, no matter in what capacity or level of your ministry.

Last night we had a great time of cooperate prayer meeting, and Pastor Wilson shared about “Fresh” anointing, spirit of God, ideas and presence of God. He shared from the Isaiah 41:18-19.

18 I will make rivers flow on barren heights,

and springs within the valleys.

I will turn the desert into pools of water,

and the parched ground into springs.

19 I will put in the desert

the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.

I will set junipers in the wasteland,

the fir and the cypress together,

We prayed that in coming year, God will pour out more of His “fresh” sprit and presence into our lives. Many ones have responded to the prayer last night, seeking God, surrendering the past, asking God for healing, and to allow God to work in the inner hearts. As I was seeking God today, asking Him to prepare my heart to plan for coming year, God brought me to the illustrations of old and new wine skin in the bible. You can find them in Matthew 9:17, Mark 2:22, Luke 5:37.

Mark 2:22
22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

Yes, we need to first willing to surrender all of our past hurt, disappointment and things that we are holding to tightly which have stopped us to move forward; before we can contain all the new things from the Lord. What are your old wineskins? Are you looking forward for God to pour out new wine in your life in year 2011? Seek the Lord and ask Him!

Matthew 7:11
11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

God bless
KC