Sermon: Enter the Kingdom as a Child - Luke 18:15-17

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Devotion: The Way to Greater Blessings

Weekly Devotion by Pastor Chong Yew
"The generous man will be prosperous,

And he who waters will himself be watered." Proverbs 11:25

The way to receive greater blessings is to practice greater giving. A generous person will grant to himself a continuous supply of grace and prosperity from God. Psalm 112:3-5 describes a gracious and compassionate man as one whose wealth and riches are in his house. 

How do I know if a man will prosper and become successful? It is when I see in his life a pattern of receiving and giving; a continuous inflow and outflow of blessings. The famous Dead Sea of Israel is a landlocked body of water between Israel and Jordan and is the saltiest spot on earth. One of the reasons the Dead Sea is so salty is because there are no outlets. The minerals that flow into it stay there forever. There are several rivers and streams that feed into the Dead Sea, but none that drain out. With the hot temperatures, the water evaporates fairly quickly. As this occurs, it leaves behind any dissolved minerals in the sea, increasing its saltiness. Because the Dead Sea is so salty, no life can be found in its waters. It is a lifeless and watery desert. .

A person who keeps receiving and not giving will be likened to the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea though rich in mineral content, has no life. Similarly, a person may be wealthy in his bank account, but he has no life, no joy, no love, no one to share with. His wealth could not find a way to benefit him until he learns to give it away. Money could buy a big house, but not a home. Money could buy gifts, but not love. Money could buy medication, but not health. What we need is not material wealth, but true riches and life. A lifestyle of giving turns material wealth into true riches and life. The bible says, "One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, And He will repay him for his good deed." Proverbs 19:17.  We have received from God the ability and the opportunities to create wealth. He has given His very own Son so that He may redeem us from the kingdom of hell into the Kingdom of life. As we have so freely received from God, let us freely give.   

God has provided us guidelines as to how we could give towards the benefit of others. In Malachi 3:10, God gave clear instructions, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows." Giving 10% of our monthly income to the church is God's way of providing for the work of the gospel and for the poor. As we begin to give out of love for God and for others, God will bless us until our account overflows.

Sermon: United to be Blessed - Judges 7

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Weekly Devotion: God loves us by giving us the right to become His children

Weekly Devotion by Pastor Chong Yew

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name," John 1:12

I heard a story on "Focus on the Family" radio program some years back. It talked about this Vietnamese girl called Lian who was adopted by an American family. She later returned to Vietnam and built over 100 orphanages. During the Vietnam war, babies were frequently left in abandoned buildings, rice fields to die. Lian was an orphan herself and never saw her parents. At the age of 7, she was abandoned by her caretakers in a rat infested building together with a new born baby where the rats came and attacked them both. Even as an adult now, she could still hear the vivid screams of the new born as the rats chewed on her little body. Just then, a man came and carried her away leaving the baby behind. She was then placed in an orphanage where she helped out, caring and grooming the babies, for westerners to come and adopt them for a fee. 

When she was 11 as she recalled, there is this kind American couple who frequently visits and help out in the orphanage. They would spend time with every baby, cradling them in their arms, whispering to them before putting them back into their crib. Then, they were set to return to the United States and take along with them a certain baby girl for adoption. Lian took pride in her work and was very happy whenever a baby was set to be adopted. Early that morning, Lian groomed the baby girl for one last time before sending her off to her new home. The American couple came and sat down with the head of the orphanage. After a while, the head of the orphanage waved her towards them and told her that the American couple have decided to adopt her instead. At that time, she could not understand what had happened, as she has never had any parents. For a long time, she could not accept her new identity as a daughter and no longer an orphan. Even though her new parents loved her dearly, she was often difficult thinking that they were just using her. When she came to her twenties, her father passed away and left her his estate. Only then, did she come to understand her status as a daughter; all that her father owned is now hers. She need not work to earn it, because it is her right. She was an orphan with no possessions or inheritance, but now a daughter, an heir to her father's estate.

We were orphans because of sin and cursed in the world of hopelessness and suffering. We have no inheritance and left to suffer in eternal condemnation. Jesus redeemed us by making taking on our curses upon Himself. The bible says in Galatians 3:13, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us." Those who believe in Christ and repent of our sins will be given the right to become His sons and daughters. Once we are adopted into God's family, we are heirs of His creation forever.

Sermon: You Hold The Keys - Micah 4:2-3

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Weekly Devotion: Living One Day At A Time

Weekly Devotion by Pastor Chong Yew

"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34.

As there are 365 days to a year. Naturally there are 365 steps towards achieving the goals you have set for the year. You can have it all and achieve your goal, but not in one step! Our earth's orbit round the sun, our agricultural system, our financial system, our human psyche, all revolve round a framework of 365 days. Why doesn't God make the year as one continuous day? Why break it up into 365 portions punctuated with nights? The universal law of life is to live the year a day at a time! 

Farmers understood this perfectly: you just can't hurry growth! The timing of growth is built into life's system. We were meant to live one day at a time, to rejoice for the day's accomplishment, to rest, and stop worrying about tomorrow. By worrying, we rob ourselves of our right to abundant life. Life's most precious commodity is not money or fame, but joy! So the bible says, "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34). We rejoice and rest our bodies in contentment after we have accomplished what we have set out to do for the day.

God gives us a new portion of His grace each day, with new strength and new insights. God has divided his grace into 365 "grace-lets" and He grants us new resources and wisdom 1/365 portion at a time. Hence, it is normal that we do not know all the answers to our problems at once. Some times we expect God to reveal everything, but that is not how God works. It is like walking in pitch darkness using a torch light with limited visibility; we could only see what is immediately ahead of us, and make decisions based on what we know. However, God is always ahead of us clearing the way towards success. In Deuteronomy 1:30, God told the people of Israel, "The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes." God went ahead of the people and freed them from slavery in Egypt through powerful miracles. All they need to do is to follow the guidance of God a day at a time. God is ahead of us and He knows the end from the beginning. Having said that, He wants us to see and to accomplish only what is required for the day.

Developing a consistent discipline of reading the Bible and prayer every morning and evening is essential to our success. At the beginning of each day, we spend time receiving new strength and guidance through the word. We praise God in anticipation of succeeding in our vision. At the end of the day, we praise God for what has been achieved. Through prayer, we release our cares and results to Him.

Sermon: Responding to the Kindness of God - Romans 2:4

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