John never performed a miraculous sign John 10:4

Perhaps you are very dissatisfied with yourself. You are not a genius, have no distinctive gifts, and are inconspicuous when it comes to having any special abilities. Mediocrity seems to be the measure of your existence. None of your days are noteworthy, except for their sameness and lack of zest. Yet in spite of this you may live a great life.

John the Baptist never performed a miracle, but Jesus said of him,"Among those born of women there is no one greater" (Luke 7:28). His mission was to be a 'witness to the light, and that may be your mission and mine. John was content to be only a voice, if it caused people to think of Christ.

We are doing more good than we know. The things we do today-sowing seeds or sharing simple truths of Christ-people will someday refer to as the first things that prompted them to think of Him. By George Matheson

SEEK THE LORD (2 TIMOTHY 2:22)

Sometimes when we move we promise our neighbours and friends we will keep in touch. Years go by and we get busy in our lives. We stay in touch at first and gradually drift away. The odd Christmas card gets sent, but the closeness that was shared is lost.

Isaiah says to call on God while He is near. God is always near. It is us who move away from Him. We drift or, worse, erect a barrier between Him and ourselves.

Seek God now. He is, and always will be, near.

God is always near and waiting for your call. By Nancy Revie

Christian "Lo Hei"

Red envelope which contains pepper
"Praise the Lord, for peppering us with His loving grace and truth" (John 1:17)

Green envelope which contains five-spice powder
"Praise the Lord, for accepting our labour as a fragrant offering to His plan" (Romans 12:1)

Fish
"Praise the Lord, for the grace of God to be fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19)

Oil
"Praise the Lord, for anointing us with the oil of joy (Psalm 45:7)

Plum Sauce
"Praise the Lord, for the sweetness of His Word... sweeter than honey to my mouth" (Psalm 119:103)

Crackers
"Praise the Lord, for the street of pure gold that you have prepared for us to live in eternity" (Revelations 21:21)

Blessing Verses as we toss the raw fish -yu sheng

May our loved ones come to the saving knowledge of Christ
May God grant us unity as a body of Christ
May the Lord's favour go before and with us
May there be peace and harmony in our families
May God keep our marriages strong
May the Lord lift up His countenance on us
May the Lord grant us victory each day
May God send revival to our land
May there be a powerful outpouring of His spirit on our nation
May the Lord's hand be with us
May the Lord bless us each day in our coming in and going out
May God protect us and keep us safe under His wings
The Lord's provision is more than enough
May we continue to grow in faith
May God grant us wisdom and understanding
May we grow deeper in love with Jesus
May we fear God always
May the Lord bless us with opportunities and boldness to share the gospel

Nothing will be impossible for you (Matthew 17:20)

It is possible for believers who are completely willing to trust the power of the Lord for their safekeeping and victory to lead a life of readily taking His promises exactly as they are and finding them to be true.

It is possible to daily "cast all your anxiety on him" and experience deep peace in the process.

It is possible to have our thoughts and the desires of our hearts purified in the deepest sense of the word.

It is possible to see God's will in every circumstance and to accept it with singing instead of complaining.

It is possible to become strong through and through by completely taking refuge in the power of God and by realizing that our greatest weakness and the things that upset our determination to be patient, pure or humble provide an opportunity to make sin powerless over us. This opportunity comes through Him who loves us and who works to bring us into agreement with His will, and thereby supplies a blessed sense of His presence and His power.

All these are DIVINE POSSIBILITIES. by H C G Moule

John 15:5

Pam appeared one day at our church service, shabbily dressed, strung out on drugs, and grumbling to herself. Amidst our well-attired, properly behaved congregation, Pam stuck out like s sore thumb.

At the end of the service, two young mothers went up to Pam and took her under their wings. They welcomed her, hugged her, and invited her to out for lunch with them. It was truly a miracle to see Pam's face change from a scowl to a smile as she happily accepted.

All God needs is a willing heart to make a difference, to heal a hurt, to graft a broken branch back onto the vine so it can bloom again.

All it takes to work a miracle is your willing heart. By Linda Knight

MARK 11:24

When my little son was about ten years old, his grandmother promised him a stamp collecting album for Christmas. Christmas came and went with no stamp album and no word from Grandma. The matter, however, was not mentioned, until his friends came to see his Christmas presents. I was astonished, after he had listed all the gifts he had received, to hear him add, "And a stamp album from my grandmother."

After hearing this several times, I called my son to me and said, "But George, you didn't get a stamp album from Grandma. Why did you say you did?"

With a puzzled look on his face, as if I had asked a very strange question, he replied, "Well, Mom, Grandma said, and this is the same as." Not a word from me would sway his faith.

A month passed and nothing else was said about the album. Finally one day, to test his faith and because I wondered in my own heart why the album had not been sent, I said, "George, I think Grandma has forgotten her promise."

"Oh no, Mom," he quickly and firmly responded. "She hasn't"

I watched his sweet, trusting face, which for a while looked very serious, as if he were debating the possibility I had suggested. Soon his face brightened as he said, "Do you think it would do any good for me to write Grandma, thanking her for the album?"

"I don't know," I said, "but you might try it." A rich spiritual truth then began to dawn on me.

In a few minutes a letter was written to mailed, as George went off whistling his confidence in his grandma. Soon a letter from Grandma arrived with this message:

My dear George, I have not forgotten my promise to you for a stamp album. I could not find the one you wanted here, so I ordered one from New York. It did not arrive until after Christmas, and it was not the right one. I then ordered another, but it still has not arrived. I have decided to send you thirty dollars instead so that you may buy the one you want in Chicago.Your loving Grandma.

As he read the letter, his face was the face of a victor. From the depths of a heart that never doubted came the words, "Now, Mom, didn't I tell you?" George "against all hope .... in hope believed." that the stamp album would come. And while he was trusting, Grandma was working and in due time faith became sight. By Mrs. Round.

John 13:15 DO AS I HAVE DONE TO YOU

What glory is there in cleaning up after your incontinent parent? What joy is to be found in washing sheets and pajamas after your sick child whimpers, "I couldn't make it to the bathroom, Mama"?

It takes a lot of motivation to cook yet another pot of soup to take to a family in crisis. Great determination is also required to do another load of laundry, while mountains of it stare you in the face.

I used to daydream of doing great things for Him. The LORD showed me, by the example of washing His disciples' dusty feet, that acts of kindness and service don't have to be big. They do have to be done with love and humility.

To make menial acts meaningful, I must see a purpose in doing them beyond pleasing myself. Understanding this now makes all the difference in the world in the way I approach serving others.

You serve Christ by serving others. By Elaine Young McGuire

DO NO FRET (Psalm 37:1)

Dear restless heart, be still; don't fret and worry so;
God has a thousand ways His love and help to show;
Just trust, and trust, and trust, until His will you know.

Dear restless heart, be still, for peace is God's own smile,
His love can every wrong and sorrow reconcile;
Just love, and love, and love, and calmly wait awhile.

Dear restless heart, be brave; don't moan and sorrow so,
He has a meaning kind in chilly winds that blow;
Just hope, and hope, and hope, until you braver grow

Dear restless heart, recline upon His breast this hour,
His grace is strength and life, His love is bloom and flower;
Just rest, and rest, and rest, within His tender power.

Dear restless heart, be still! Don't struggle to be free;
God's life is in your life, from Him you may not flee;
Just pray,and pray, and pray, till you have faith to see.

By Edith Willis Linn

WHY ARE YOU DOWNCAST, O MY SOUL (PSALM 43:5)

Is there ever any reason to be downcast? Actually, there are two reasons, but only two. If we were still unbelievers, we would have a reason to be downcast; or if we have been converted but continue to live in sin, we are downcast as a consequence.

Except for these two conditions, there is never a reason to be downcast, for everything else may be brought to God "by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving". And through all our times of need, difficulty, and trials, we may exercise faith in the power and love of God.

"Put your hope in God". Please remember there is never a time when we cannot hope in God, whatever our need or however great our difficulty may be. Even when our situation appears to be impossible, our work is to "hope in God". Our hope will not be in vain, and in the Lord's own timing help will come.

Extracted from Streams in the Desert

ROMANS 11:33 STRENGTH IN WEAKNESS

With her two young children at her side, Linda has risked everything to flee an abusive situation in South Africa. Picking up the pieces of her life, she'd come to church that Sunday seeking refuge. Answering an altar call for prayer, I was the one assigned to counsel her.

The horrific abuse she'd fled left me speechless. Not knowing what to say, I simply gave her a hug. As my arms went around her shoulders, Linda held on to me as if sh'd found a long-lost treasure. Then she looked up at me and said, "Thank you so much for the gift of your hug. You'll never know how much it's meant. This is the first time anyone has reached out to me since we fled South Africa."

Sometimes God's greatest gifts are His little ones-like a hug. A loving touch can turn a life around.
By Linda Knight

FOLLOWING THE CROWD (1 SAMUEL 15:24)

When I was in first grade, my mother helped me make lacy valentines for my classmates. But there was one boy who wasn't liked . My friends thought he was different, so I did, too. I told Mom not to make one for him. She told me I had to.

When she wasn't watching, I took a small discarded paper heart and pasted a picture on it cut from a Sears catalog. It was an ugly card. I wrote the boy's name on it and took to to school.

On Valentine's Day when the teacher asked if everyone had received valentines, the boy said sadly, "I only got one and it's an ugly homemade one."

Years later I can still see his face and hear the heartache in his voice. I did "what the people demanded" rather than what was right and hurt that little boy.
By Leslie Nivens

THIS IS MY DOING (1 KINGS 12:24)

My child, I have a message for you today. Let me whisper it in your ear so any storm clouds that may arise will shine with glory, and the rough places you may have to walk will be made smooth. It is only four words, but let them sink into your inner being, and use them as a pillow to rest your weary head. "This is my doing."

Have you ever realised that whatever concerns you concerns Me too?"For whoever touches you touches the apple of my eye."(Zech 2:8) "You are precious and honoured in my sight" (Isa. 43:4). Therefore it is My special delight to teach you.

I want you to learn when temptations attack you, and the enemy comes in "like a pent-up flood"(Isa 59:19), that "this is my doing" and that your weakness needs My strength, and your safety lies in letting Me fight for you.

Are you in difficult circumstances, surrounded by people who do not understand you, never ask your opinion, and always push you aside? "This is my doing." I am the God of circumstances. You did not come to this place by accident - you are exactly where I meant for you to be.

Have you not asked Me to make you humble? Then see that I have placed you in the perfect school where this lesson is taught. Your circumstances and the people around you are only being used to accomplish My will.

Are you having problems with money, finding it hard to make ends meet? "This is my doing." for I am the One who keeps your finances, and I want you to learn to depend upon Me. My supply is limitless and I 'will meet all your needs" (Phil 4:19). I want you to prove My promises so no one may say, "You did not trust in the LORD your God"(Deut. 1:32)

Are you experiencing a time of sorrow? "This is my doing." I am "a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering" (Isa 53:3). I have allowed your earthly comforters to fail you, so that by turning to Me you may receive "eternal encouragement and good hope" (2 Thess 2:16). Have you longed to do some great work for Me but instead have been set aside on a bed of sickness and pain? "This is my doing." You were so busy I could not get your attention, and I wanted to teach you some of My deepest truths. "They also serve who only stand and wait." In fact, some of My greatest workers are those physically unable to serve, but who have learned to wield the powerful weapon of prayer.

Today I place a cup of holy oil in your hands. Use it freely, My child. Anoint with it every new circumstance, every word that hurts you, every interruption that makes you impatient,and every weakness you have. The pain will leave as you learn to see Me in all things. By Laura A Barter Snow (Streams in the Desert)

THE THORN IN THE FLESH

What is your thorn in the flesh? Is it a frailty? Is it a physical problem or an emotional problem? Could it be a personal weakness? OR it may be a fault:a defect, or imperfection-one that feels embarrassing and humbling. It could even be a friend. Sometimes a dear friend can be a real thorn in the flesh. Perhaps he is difficult, you may feel a rival spirit around this person. Or it may be an enemy- who keeps you on your toes(also on your knees in prayers).

Could your thorn in the flesh be that you have known failure? It may have been financial failure, a failed marriage, or a job loss. Or, when facing temptation, you failed, and the whole scenario haunts you daily.Perhaps someone has lied about you. You cannot defend yourself. People believe the lie. You long with all your being to be vindicated. But God withholds vindication. This could be your thorn in the flesh.

Don't despise your thorn, whatever it is. Don't resent it. It exists by God's sovereign pleasure. It is for your good. It is the best thing that ever happened to you next to your conversion and anointing. The thorn in the flesh is God inflicting the pain to keep us in continuous reminder lest we lapse. It keeps us from competing with His glory. It ensures that we will not take any personal credit, and it gives Him all the glory. It keeps us from thinking that we have arrived, that we are good enough, that we are worthy. It brings humility. By R T Kendall