The Cutting Edge of Life

Weekly, I will received encouragement from our pastor in charge of the CBD prayer grp. Personally, I am always set into thinking Deep Deep by the weekly mail. And I decided that it will be selfish of me if I don't use this blog to share some of this really awesome word that I believed is form the heart of God, may you be bless as I will continue to post this weekly as I have it:

Have you become so engrossed in doing God’s work that you forgot your focus? We can easily become so busy with activity that we lose our effectiveness. We can become so focused on the quantity of work that we forget about quality.

Read 2 Kings 6:1-7. This passage describes a man who was busy for God, yet lost his effectiveness. He had lost his cutting edge while he was busy working.
When the prophets decided to build a larger meeting place, they began chopping wood near the Jordan River. “As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water. ‘Oh, my lord,’ he cried out, ‘it was borrowed!’” (2 Kings 6:5).

The ax head represents the cutting edge of life — a life that is being equipped with an anointing by God’s Holy Spirit. The loss and later recovery of the ax head shows us a picture of God’s grace, mercy and willingness to restore our usefulness for His kingdom.

Like the borrowed ax, everything we have is borrowed from God. Nothing we claim actually belongs to us — It all belongs to God — even our very life and breath. But when we think of ourselves as owners, instead of stewards, we can easily fall into the temptation of hoarding our blessings. Yet Jesus warns, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).

So when we become complacent about our borrowed resources or caught up in our activities, we begin to lose our effectiveness in God’s work. The evidence of God’s blessing upon our lives is not how busy we are with activities and committees, but with our effectiveness for Him. The evidence of God’s blessing upon our lives is His anointing and the changed lives around us.

Like the busy worker in this passage, if we fail to remain on guard we will miss the warning signs of impending trouble. For the worker, he was so consumed with chopping that he did not notice the loosening of the ax blade from the handle until it was too late. For us, we can become so preoccupied with activity that we fail to see our slackening relationship with God until we fall into temptation. Jesus told His disciples, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (Matthew 26:41).

How do we recover our effectiveness? First, we must figure out where we have fallen. Elisha asked the worker regarding the ax head, “Where did it fall?” (2 Kings 6:6). In order to retrieve that sharp edge, he first had to learn where it was lost. Likewise, our place of departure is the place of our recovery. We will only find power where we have lost it. It is futile to think we can overlook the past without confessing it to God.

Second, we must reach out for Jesus. Elisha used a branch to save the ax head miraculously. “When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water. Then the ax head rose to the surface and floated. ‘Grab it,’ Elisha said to him. And the man reached out and grabbed it” (2 Kings 6:6,7). Jesus, the Branch of David, will restore us when we are drowning. He is the only One who can liberate us from the currents of the world’s temptation. He is the only One who can cleanse us of the soot and mud when we have hit the bottom of the river.

Have you lost your keen edge in your Christian walk? Have you been spinning your wheels? Do you feel that you have moved away from your effectiveness for God? Commit to Him today to return to the places where you have fallen so that God may restore and renew your effectiveness in your service to Him.

Life @ work

Recently, to our pleasant surprise, our office rent were lowered about 5 %. Although its not a lot, its still a kind gesture from the management or leaser.

A look at today's Straits time explained the matter as office rental price has been sliding this year due to higher vacancy, business has either closed down or moved away to lower-priced, non- CBD area, etc etc.

Months ago, my brother was taking the office lift, and the office cleaner happened to be in the lift and she commented on the number of office tenants that has left, it was an Exodus.

Anyway, back to my story, I am really thankful to God for the lower rental. Praise God. I am so happy , so I decided to help advertised for my leaser:

http://www.ewiim.com/index.htm

They(Ewiim) are a business center , that offer office spaces in central business locations, great service, if you don't need a big office space like me, and don't want to spend too much or being tied to a office rental contracts in terms of years, this is a good option. Check it out!

I have no idea how my brother managed to find this office space offering back 2 years ago, but he did, and I believe its from God :

As you know, we have a pushcart at the mall, and as we want to offer on-the-spot personalization of our product, we were exploring ideas of how to do that. Should we find a shop in the mall to do it, or should have a office? both are not great idea, because the rental are really high, and for a un-tried idea then, it was too much risks.

So months went on without any progress, then I remember praying to God for help. The story goes that one fine day, my bro saw this fine little ad space on classfied, and lo and behold , we found the perfect solution:

A office space, 3- 5 mins walk to our cart.
Super low and reasonable price
Rolling 3 months contract, very flexible terms, considering the prime location (its in CBD) -- thus a low low risk options for us
its 24-7 access, and no need us to pay utilities, its in the rental : )

As I explained before, this office is a gift from God,( confirm plus chop plus gurantee with life time warranty )because simply, the day that we moved into the office was 13 August 2007.

And that's my birthday !

The office lady told us " Hey your contract says that you are supposed to start on 16th August, but well since 13th August is a Monday, why not you moved in then, no extra charge la"

Of cos we moved in.

And of cos, its God who gave us the office.

And there's a reason why we are still there.

Of Cos.

Hallelujah.

: )

Cost of Disobedience?

I ever wrote about me finding a marketplace weekly prayer group at suntec city since last November. Nonetheless, due to the nature of my work, my lunch hours differs from the prayer group timing. As a result, I can only really join them on a rather ad-hoc basis.

Nevertheless, I thank God for the precious fellowships that I have found in the marketplace and I am sure God has a purpose for this weekly happening.

At the start of the year, I sensed that the Lord impressed upon me to bring more fellow Christians who are in the area to join in the prayer group. As you know, other than the pushcart, we also rented a small office in one of the hours. And my next door- neighbour in my service office rental suite rooms, Miss Ang, a 60 yr old lawyer, is a Christian.

I know she is a Christian, because . .

a) she always likes to play her Christian music or audio Bible a little loud,
b) she prays in tongue from time to time,
c) and she share Christ with her fren/client loud and clear
d) and of cos, because i asked her about it.

But because due to our work patterns, we hardly communicate much, so i am not that friend with her to talk to her and invite her to the prayer group. Furthermore, I am not a regular attendee myself.

But I just sense that the Lord burden on me to ask her to join since start of the year.

Little did i find out why the burden may possibly be..

Fast forward to March to May period, a certain grp of fervent fellow Christians decided to take over the exco of ERAWA (spell backwards obviously :P keke) , and did some amazing things that make themselves the headlines of our national papers for days and weeks.

And like they say, the rest is History.

And well as u guess it, lo and behold, my next -door neighboour is one of the ousted Exco members.

When I see her face on t.v plus newspaper, I was like SO SURPRISED, so are my brothers!

Anyway, just so that you know, she went for a overseas vacation for a time-out after the whole thing. Also, she is actually very fervent in serving in church, and she is going for a mission trip to Thailand this weekend. On this, I am just very encouraged to see someone of that age being so fired up for the Lord. I Praise God indeed, for what they have set out to fight for, no matter what had happened, the results was there and things are really moving. Praise God!

Back to my point, one of my prayer mate actually bought some chocolate for her after the whole saga, and yes, I finally did asked her to join ask the prayer group yesterday. She was very encouraged by the fellowships. She found out that choco gal was in the group and she was so thankful .

You know what i am thinking.

I am thinking what might have been if I OBEY God to invite her in January.

i wonder. Furthermore, the exco meeting was held on site my workplace area too. So i am just wondering about the what-would-have-been..

Of cos, I share this not to add any condemnation or guilt to my part, or try to say that if she join the prayer grp, the saga would have turn out another way. the Lord is always in control and His ways is always higher than our ways.

but just to share that I sense that sometimes or many a time God just want our simple obedience and God knows why it has to be done that way and at that time. You never know how a simple act of obedience might just be God wanting to bless someone, or the community at large.

I just hope that my sharing makes all of us think more in terms of really ACTING in Faith and in His time, all the time.

May the Lord forgives and have mercy.

For now, i am just so glad that i din wait forever.. :P

God Bless you.