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Day 336: Psalm 130, Proverbs 18:13-15, John 1, Ezekiel 44, 45 Sanctify ourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among us (Joshua 3:5) Most people will be excited to have new things, wearing new clothes, moving into a new house and entering into a new year. The newness of all these bring a sense of hope and an expectation that all the past and the old are gone and we anticipate something good will come along our ways. With the new year of 2016 just 2 days away, we too anticipate a great year ahead of us in 2016. For us, believers,  we are in Christ, we are new creations, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Do remember that when we mix old and new, clean and unclean things together, the new and clean things will be made dirty. The new and clean will not make the old and the dirty things clean. That is why God commanded the priests to teach His people the difference between the holy and the unholy, clean and the unclean and the

Day 335: Psalm 129, Proverbs 18:10-12, Luke 24, Ezekiel 42,43 The concluding chapters of the prophetic book of Ezekiel are about th literal building to be constructed by a truly repentant and restored nation of Israel, and in which they will worship the Lord by offering and sacrifice BUT purely as a commemorative purpose just as what the church is doing today to partake the bread and wine in remembrance of Jesus' past work (1 Cor. 11:23-26). In today's New Testament's reading in Luke 24:33-35, the 2 disciples' eyes were "opened"  at the point when Jesus broke the bread with them. All these show the importance of traditions. Billy Graham has 10 Christmas traditions that he observed and one of which is to ensure the manger scene is an integral part of his Christmas decoration. This year, our family started a tradition whereby we will just stay at home on Christmas day and even till the New Year for guests to come. We did our usual ONE big Christmas dinner but

Day 334:Psalm 128, Proverbs 18:7-9, Luke 23, Ezekiel 40-41 Put to the Cradle to be on the Cross Blessed Christmas to All! We celebrate the birth of our Beloved Jesus Christ. Why would He come as a baby? Men have sinned against God and hence deserve to be punished. But Jesus committed no sins. In fact, Herod said for the 3rd time in Luke 23:22 that he found no reason to put HIm to the cross. But, the people cried out to release Barabbas, a rebellion and a murderer. Even the thief said that Jesus did nothing wrong. Therefore on this Christmas day, as we remember the birth of Jesus, we must know He Who had no sin was made sins purely and solely for our sake. He was born to die. He was put to the Cradle to be placed on the Cross. He came to take our place of Punishment so that we will enjoy Paradise forever (v41-43). Therefore, let us go to church today to worship and to thank our Lord Jesus Christ, the true meaning for Christmas. https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC (please click this link

Day 333: Psalm 127, Proverbs 18:4-6, Luke 22, Ezekiel 38-39 The Penalty For Our Sins: PAID IN FULL In Ezekiel 39:23-25, we read of how God dealt with the people of Israel, His chosen people. They went into captivity for their iniquity because they were unfaithful to Him. Hence, God hid His face from them and gave them into the hand of their enemies and they all fell by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions God had dealt with them. This shows our God is a just Judge. Surely, we want a judge who is impartial and pass a verdict without fear or favour. On the other hand, we want a judge who exercise mercy. This was exactly happened in Ezekiel verse 25 that God had mercy on the whole house of Israel and brought the captives back. We saw God demonstrated this on the Cross. We all have sins and hence warranted to be punished. God,being just MUST handed down the penalty/punishment. Out of His mercy, He provided a sacrifice to bear that punishment.

Day 331: Psalm 125, Proverbs 17:25-28, Luke 20, Ezekiel 34-35 On Christ The Solid Rock I Stand My daughter just came back from the annual Girls' Christian Camp (GCC) yesterday. Their theme this year is "Stand Firm". As I read today's Psalm verses 1 & 2, I am so comforted by the fact that we can stand firm, cannot be moved and will stand forever by merely trusting in the Lord Who is like Mount Zion and as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever. What a comfort! What a promise! Abraham Lincoln once said, "Be sure to put your feet in the right place and then stand firm." Therefore, my friends, I wish and pray that you will find Jesus Christ this Christmas as Jesus is the solid Rock that you must find to stand on forever . Jesus, the Rock is definitely the right place. He is the mighty Rock, Fortress, Protector, the Rock where we are safe, our Shield and our place of Shelter (Psalm 18:2). https

Day 332: Psalm 126, Proverbs 18:1-3, Luke 21, Ezekiel 36-37 Celebrate the Birth of A Saviour! Imagine this scenario: a child was playing in the mud and hence his shoes and his feet were full of mud. As he wanted to enter his house, his Mom gently stopped him and said that he needed to wash his feet first. It is only after his feet were cleansed that his Mom allowed him to enter the house. It is precisely the same thing with our spiritual life. Many have tried to do good works to enter  Heaven. However, they have not addressed the issue of the uncleanliness of their hearts due the sins committed. In Ezekiel 36:25-27, God said, "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will ke

Day 330: Psalm 124, Proverbs 17:22-24, Luke 19, Ezekiel 32-33 Do Our Duty Well Yesterday, we note that it is important to spread the true meaning of Christmas far and wide. Today, in Ezekiel 33:.2-4, we can see that God makes the watchman liable if he fails to do his duty to warn the people of the impending judgment if he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity. None of his righteous works shall be remembered but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die (v13). We know that as Christians, we are watchmen and watch women. Let us take heed and carry out our duty well for we surely look forward to God's best compliment of all that is "Well done, you good and faithful servant.." (Matthew 25:21). What better time to do this duty of sounding the warning trumpet during Christmas to share the urgency of the Gospel. https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC (please click this link to Twitter to view a visual)

Day 329: Psalm 123, Proverbs 17:19-21, Luke 18, Ezekiel 30-31 The Magic of Christmas is Not in the Presents But in His Presence Christmas is just around the corner.  Many take the opportunity to travel and to have long vacation. How about us, believers? Our family believes that this season of time is the best time of the year to open our home to invite people to celebrate Christmas with us. I personally was invited to a home by a church member when I just became a Christian almost over 30 years ago. It was at that moment I felt so blessed to be in a Christian home celebrating true meaning of Christmas. Today's word of wisdom, Proverbs 17:19 says "whoever builds a high gate invites destruction". Hence, it is a reminder for us to open the gate of our home and invite people to celebrate true meaning of Christmas, instead of letting people think that Christmas is all about shopping, santa clause, presents and holidaying! CHRISTmas is all about Jesus CHRIST. Let us spread

Day 328: Psalm 122, Proverbs 17:16-18, Luke 17, Ezekiel 28-29 Beauty & Wisdom In God It is natural that when people praise us we will feel good. However, we have to always remind ourselves not to allow these praises to "go up" to our head! There is a saying, "Love is not big-headed, it is big-hearted". This is exactly the warning that God gave through Ezekial to the King of Tyre in 28:17, "Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings." We must remember that our beauty, knowledge and wisdom are all from the Lord. We have to always glorify God and not ourselves. Today, as we prepare to go to church, let us give all glory, power, praises, worship and all adoration to our King of kings and Lord of lords Who deserves all theses praises, for is by grace we have been saved, through faith—and this is not from ourselves, it is th

Day 327: Psalm 121, Proverbs 17:13-15, Luke 16, Ezekiel 26-27 Jesus - Our Security Yesterday, when my family was travelling back, the plane suddenly started shaking for a while. My daughter was worried and asked me to pray. I am glad that she knows how to turn to our Lord for help. Indeed, what the Psalmist said in today's Psalm is so true. My help comes from the Lord Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow our foot to be moved. He who keeps us will not slumber... nor sleep. The Lord  is our keeper and shade at our right hand. The sun shall not strike us by day nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve us from all evil and shall preserve our soul. The Lord shall preserve our going out and our coming in from this time forth and even forevermore. What a comfort to know that our Lord is watching and keeping us 24 by 7! "Where does your security lie? Is God your refuge, your hiding place, your stronghold, your shepherd, your counselor, your friend, your redeemer, you

Day 326: Psalm 120; Proverbs 17:10-12;Luke 15; Ezekiel 24-26 Don't Take For Granted What God Has Granted In Ezekiel 24:13-14, God spoke to Ezekiel that He tried to cleanse the Israelites but they would not want to be cleansed from their impurity so much so that God finally said they would not be cleaned again until His wrath against them had subsided.  God further said the time had come for Him to act. He would not hold back. He would not have pity nor would He relent. The Israelites would be judged according to their conduct and their actions. How often we too experience this. We struggle and we still want to live in sins even though we know God is not pleased at all. We take God for granted. Take heed! Our God is a sure and steadfast God. He means what He says. He is a firm God Who will not go back against His words. He will judge and punish for the deliberate sins. Hebrews 10:26-27 says, "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the tru

Day 325: Paalm 119:169-176; Proverbs 17:7-9; Luke 14; Ezekiel 22-23 Forgive and Forget In recent months, more divorce cases were referred to me. As usual, the couples need to go for counselling which is offered free of charge for them. Most of them reject such free service, citing that enough talking had been done and they just refused to talk any further. In today's Proverbs, verse 9, it says, "He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; But he that harpeth on a matter separateth chief friends." In a husband and wife relationship, the principle of "forgive and forget" is important. It is no point that we keep harping on about a matter. As advised in the Proverbs, it will separate close friends and hence, it will definitely put a strain on the spouses' relationships. Let us heed St. Peter's advice in 1 Peter 4:8, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC (please cl

Day 324: Psalm 119: 161-168, Proverbs 17:4-6; Luke 13;  Ezekiel 20-21 Remember the Giver and His Heartbeat God's heart is always towards the poor and needy. Today's reading in Proverbs verse 5 says, "He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.” And in Luke, Jesus mentioned in 2 occasions in verses 13-14, how we must invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”” and in verse 21, the master of the house..said to his servant, ‘...bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’” These are good reminders for us to remember the poor and needy during this festive season of Christmas where it is not so much about the gifts but the Giver Who has given so much for us, even His life. This Christmas, remember the Giver and the Giver's heartbeat - the poor and the needy. "Who is like yo

Day 322: Psalm 119:145-52, Proverbs 16:31-33, Luke 12, Ezekiel 16-17 Let Us Boast In The Lord The world praises the talented, favours the handsome and the beautiful and inclines towards the rich and famous. In Ezekiel 17:24, we read of how the Lord brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish. This is our Lord, the miracle-Worker. We may look down on the lowly but He exalted them. You may think that you are not talented but He will raise you up to the mountain heights as long as your sincere desire is to serve Him and to make Him known. In fact, God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord”(1 Corinthians 1:27-31). h

Day 323: Psalm 119:153-160; Proverbs 17:1-3; Luke 13; Ezekiel 18-19 KNOW JESUS Just a few days ago, I mentioned that the most comforting words from Jesus Humself are when He said ask, knock and seek and it would be given, found and opened to us. In today's reading of Luke, the words from Jesus are distubing to me even when I first became a Christian. He said in verses 25-27, "...you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ ... ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ I am sure none of us want to hear this kind of reply when we meet Jesus face to face on Judgment Day. Hence, I made it a point that I must KNOW Him. Note that Jesus did not question how little we have DONE for Him. He said He did not  KNOW us. How to ensure we KNOW Him? Nothing short of reading His Words and KNOW Him. In my book, the format

Day 321: Psalm 119:137-144, Proverbs 16:28-30, Luke 11, Ezekiel 14-15 Ask, Find & Knock To me, the most comforting words from Jesus Himself are found in Luke 11:9-13, when He said, “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Note that this is a promise from God! When we ask, it WILL be given to us; when we seek, we WILL find and when we knock, it WILL be opened to us. It has no condition attached to it as well. The only requirement is that we must ASK, FIND & KNOCK! This calls for effort and perseverance on our part to keep praying and seeking God. Shall we do it right now? God loves importunate pra

Day 320: Psalm 119:129-136, Proverbs 16:25-27, Luke 10, Ezekiel 12-13 Seek God Today God, our Heavenly Father longs to know us and be known by us. However, people have been behaving and acting in such a way that God is ignored and forgotten. In just these 2 chapters of Ezekiel, the phrase, "then they shall know that I am the Lord" was repeated 7 times. It is as if God needs to "shout" to bring the people's attention back to Him. For instance, He needed to scatter the Israelites and dispersed them throughout the countries (v15);  God's hand was against the false prophets (13v9) and the wall that were plastered with untempered mortar was brought down to the ground (13v14). My prayer and hope is that God does not need to resort to these method to bring us back to Him. May we willingly and enthusiastically return to God to seek Him and know Him. Let us pray as Hezekiah prayed, saying, ‘May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone  who sets their heart on see

Day 319: Psalm 119:111-118, Proverbs 16:22-24, Luke 9, Ezekiel 10-11 Rend Your Heart To Jesus NOW God spoke to Ezekiel that although God had scattered the Israelites, eventually He will give them one heart and put a new spirit within them, take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh that they may walk in His statutes and keep His judgments and do them. They shall be His people and He will be their God. But as  for  those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, God will recompense their deeds on their own heads (Ezekiel 11:19-21). This shows God's loving-kindness, mercy, goodness, grace and compassion on His people at all times. There are at least 188 references of God's compassion in the Bible. However, God wants our HEARTS TO BE RENDERED TO HIM, just as stated in Joel 2:13 "..rend your heart and not your garments. Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger,

Day 318: Psalm 119:113-110, Proverbs 16:19-21, Luke 8, Ezekiel 8-9 Take Every God's Words as Spoken To Us A story was told of a wealthy Chinese businessman visited England and was fascinated by a powerful microscope. So he bought one and thoroughly enjoyed using it until one day when he looked at some rice that he was planning to eat for dinner. To his shock, he saw tiny living creatures crawling in it. He didn’t know what to do, since rice was a staple of his diet. Finally, in frustration, he smashed his microscope to bits. It had revealed something distasteful to him, so he destroyed the source of the discovery! God's Words are meant to illumine God's ways to us (Luke 18:16) and to expose the sinfulness of the human heart (verse 17). This explains why some reject God's Words and hide from the Light in order not to expose the foulness of our human heart. Let us take heed not to run away from God's Words! The Puritan pastor, Thomas Watson, said concerning the S

Day 316: Psalm 119:97-104, Proverbs 16:13-15, Luke 6, Ezekiel 4-5 Do What God Says Almost 30 years ago, when I was still a new believer, I took to heart the verse in Luke 6:46 which says, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?.." I made it a point to doubly checked, especially during weekly Communion time, as to what further things that I had not done according to what my Lord Jesus had said. I do not want to receive a reply from Jesus that says, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ go away..I do not know you" (Matthew 7:23).  Let us take heart and take heed to ensure we do what the Lord says so that we will be like a house that is built on a firm foundation on the rock as opposed to a house with no foundation. When strong wind comes, the house will fall and the ruin of the house will be great. Let us be like the Psalmist in Psalm 119:100-101 who says, "Because I keep Your precepts, I have restraine

Day 317: Psalm 119:105-112, Proverbs 16:16-18, Luke 7, Ezekiel 6-7 Know How Much You Have Been Forgiven! Ever heard of the question, chicken or egg first? As Christians, the answer is simple. In Genesis, the 1 st book in the Bible, clearly stated that God created living creatures according to their kinds and the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground on the 6th day. Hence, chicken came first! In today's reading of Luke 7, we read of a woman who loved Jesus so much that she gave her best, an alabaster jar of perfume to Jesus. Jesus commended her by saying that her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little (verse 47). It is because she realised her MANY sins had been forgiven, she loved MORE. We do need to create our love for Jesus. START realising what wretched poor sinners we were and how all those terrible, "dirty" sins of ours were ALL forgiven when we repented and put our faith in our d

Day 315: Psalm 119:89-96, Proverbs 16:10-12, Luke 5, Ezekiel 2-3 We are Our Brothers and Sisters' Keepers Ezekiel 3:20 says, "When a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity..he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand." From this verse, it is clear that when believers who are righteous because of what Jesus has done for them on the Cross, commit sins and do not repent, they shall die. If these believers are not warned, those who have the opportunity to do so but fail to warn, are equally liable. This sends a serious warning to all believers to repent once a realisation of sins are detected. On the other hand, warn and restore a brother or sister whom we know are sinning against God (Galatians 6:1). We are indeed our brothers and sisters' keepers! https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC (please click this link

Day 314: Psalm 119:81-88, Proverbs 16:7-9, Luke 4, Lamentations 5-6 Be Cautious From today's reading of Luke, we can learn 3 things how temptations come about. 1. Temptations occur to everyone even to those who are spiritual. 2. The devil took the opportunity when we are weak, just as when Jesus was hungry after 40 days of not eating anything. It means we have to be more alert when we are tired or busy. 3. The devil attacked by saying to Jesus which means by words. Similarly, the devil put thoughts in our mind. We have to be cautious of what enter our mind, hence the exhortation by Apostle Paul to wear the helmet of salvation to protect our mind (Ephesians 6:17). At the same time, we must fill our mind with the Word of God on a DAILY basis as our adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). And on a weekly basis, we must go to church to listen to sermon. Today, let us just do these! https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC (please c

Day 313: Psalm 119:73-80, Proverbs 16:4-6, Luke 3, Lamentations 3-4 God Is Faithful, Be Faithful In today's Psalm, the Psalmist said this, "I know, O Lord , that Your judgments are right, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me." The Psalmist recognised that the affliction that he suffered was out of God's right judgment and God's faithfulness. Yes, through the Lord ’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not, they  are new every morning. Great is God's faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23). God is faithful to keep us and preserve us and ensure that we go back to Him even though we may have to suffer. He is not willing to let us go and depart from Him. So, let us think twice before we sin! Is it worth our while to go through the affliction when we can live a victorious and trimphant life in obedience to Christ Jesus? But thanks be to God, who IN Christ always leads us in triumphal procession (2 Corinthians 2:14). https://twitter.

Day 312:Psalm 119:65-72; Proverbs 16:1-3; Luke 2, Lamentations 1-2 Be The Mouthpiece It is coming to the end of November and soon it is December. More than 2000 years ago, the angels appeared to a group of shepherd and said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people." So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. The shepherds who received the good tidings, travelled and MADE KNOWN what were told to them. With Christmas just round the corner, may we Christians, who are so blessed to receive the Good News, be the mouthpiece to make known the reason for Christma

Day 312:Psalm 119:65-72; Proverbs 16:1-3; Luke 2, Lamentations 1-2 Be The Mouthpiece It is coming to the end of November and soon it is December. More than 2000 years ago, the angels appeared to a group of shepherd and said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people." So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. The shepherds who received the good tidings, travelled and MADE KNOWN what were told to them. With Christmas just round the corner, may we Christians, who are so blessed to receive the Good News, be the mouthpiece to make known the reason for Christma

Day 311: Psalm 119:57-64; Proverbs 15:31-33, Luke 1, Jeremiah 51-52 Do Not Arouse the Anger of the Lord Yesterday, we read of how we must have faith to please God. Today, we saw two real incidents that emphasized this point. According to Luke 1:6, Zacharias and Elizabeth were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. Wow! They were termed blameless. But, when the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John", he did not believe. The results? The angel said, "behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” On the other incident, when angel Gabriel pronounced to Mary, "behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus, after some clarifications,  Mar

Day 310: Psalm 119:49-56; Proverbs 15:28-30; Mark 16; Jeremiah 49-50 Pray For Faithfulness We know that without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).  In fact, in today's reading in Mark 16:14, we saw our dear Resurrected Lord rebuked the Eleven disciples' unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. Actually, it is not difficult to understand why only through faith, we are able to please God. Which parents on earth will be happy when their own children do not trust them and keep on doubting their parents' love?  David Wilkerson, an evangelist, best known for his book, "The Cross and the Switchblade" once said, “Likewise today, some Christians are content to merely exist until they die. They don’t want to risk anything, to believe God, to grow or mature. They refuse to believe his Word, and have become hardened in their unbelief. Now they’re living just to die.” May we like Mother Tere

Day 309: Psalm 119:41-48; Proverbs 15:25-27; Mark 15, Jeremiah 47-48 Be Watchful & Sober According to BBC news, 129 people were killed, 352 injured and 99 in critical condition following a series of co-ordinated terror attacks in Paris. We mourn for them. We are sad. We are angry. We ask why such things were done by human beings against other human beings.  In today's reading of Jeremiah 48:8, the Lord has spoken, "...and the plunderer shall come against every city; No one shall escape. The valley also shall perish, And the plain shall be destroyed". We know that God is in control of every city. In 1 Thessalonians 5:3-11, Apostle Paul exhorted us that when mojority people are saying “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But we, Christians are not in darkness, so that this Day should NOT overtake us as a thief. We are all sons and daughters of light and children of the day. We

Day 307: Psalm 119:25-32, Proverbs 15:19-21, Mark 13, Jeremiah 43-44 Bible Is An Eternal Treasure At times, we may not have the time to read the Bible. But, Jesus said in Mark 13:30-31 that even heaven and earth will pass away, but God's Words will by no means pass away. This shows how important God's Words are! Imagine heaven and earth can pass away BUT God's Words shall remain. Further, in today's Old Testament reading in Jeremiah 44:29, it says, "This shall  be a sign to you,’ says the Lord , ‘that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that My words will surely stand against you for adversity.’" God's Words will surely stand until eternity! If God's Words shall remain for eternity, I want to spend my time and effort to marvel, meditate and memorize them as they will be my possessions for eternity. Don't you want to spend your time and effort for this eternal and everlasting treasure? https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC (please click

Day 305: Psalm 119:9-16, Proverbs 15:13-15, Mark 11, Jeremiah 39-40 Take Heed : God's Word CLEANSES Us Yesterday,  my beloved daughter became impatient and blurted some unpleasant words. Usually, she would seek for forgiveness but this time she hesitated, and I asked her why. She said what if she lose her temper and repeat the same offence? I guess many Christians do feel the same way. Seek forgiveness from God and then make the same mistakes again and hence, they feel like being hypocrites. The answer I gave my daughter was exactly in today's reading of Psalm, "How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You." The only way we might not sin against God is to KEEP ON reading God's Word, meditate, memorize and heed His Word. No short cuts! https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC (please cl

Day 306: Psalm 119:17-24, Proverbs 15:16-18, Mark 12, Jeremiah 41-42 Jealously Guard Unity! Yesterday, when a client came and asked me to draft a settlement agreement, it was a usual course of business. However, when I was subsequently given the particulars of the parties, I was shock to know that all of them were siblings. My client was willing to pay a substantial amount as a settlement to avoid the dispute to be brought to court. On one hand, I felt bad that he had to pay so much money, on the other hand, I praised him for the sacrifice he made just to ensure peace in the family. How true today's proverbs that say, "Better is a little with the fear of the Lord , Than great treasure with trouble. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, Than a fatted calf with hatred." In fact, Jesus prayed for His disciples that they all may be one... that the world may believe that Our Heavenly Father sent Jesus....and have loved them as the Father have loved Jesus. (John 17:21

Day 304: Psalm 119:1-8, Proverbs 15:10-12, Mark 10, Jeremiah 37-38 Obey God So That It Shall Be Well With You In Jeremiah 38:17-20, we read of the account whereby prophet Jeremiah revealed to King Zedekiah to surrender to the king of Babylon in order to save his life and soul and that the city would not be burned with fire. King Zedekiah reply was “I am afraid of the Jews who have defected to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they abuse me.” Despite the assurance from Jeremiah who said, “They shall not deliver you. Please, obey the voice of the Lord which I speak to you. So it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live". This shows that King Zedekiah was afraid of men as opposed to fear God. History told us that King Zedekiah was the last king of Judah and the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes in Riblah and killed all the nobles of Judah. Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze fetters to carry him o

Day 303: Psalm 118, Proverbs 15:7-9, Mark 9, Jeremiah 35-36 Be Faithful Ambassador for Christ In Mark 9:41-42, it says, "For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward. “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea." This shows the IMPORTANCE and SERIOUSNESS of bearing Christ's Name. Whatever that we do, Christ's Name must be glorified and people must not be stumbled. We are called to be ambassadors for Christ and as faithful ambassadors for Christ, we ought to bring health, refreshment, and comfort to the people with whom we come into contact (Proverbs 13:17). Let us pray that God will enable us to be the Faithful Ambassodors for Christ at all times, lifting high and exalting the Name of Jesus, which is above every name, tha

Day 302: Psalm 117, Proverbs 15:4-6, Mark 8, Jeremiah 33-34 Dial 333 Ever since the invention of telephone by Graham Bell, the world of technology on telecommunications has gone beyond the wildest dream of the inventor. In fact, today, the New York Times takes a step into virtual reality. NYT VR is a mobile app that can be used — along with your headphones and optionally a cardboard viewing device — to simulate richly immersive scenes from across the globe. There is still one phone device that remains the same yesterday, today and forever and it remains the most powerful phone device ever invented. That phone device is the availabilty of our King of kings and Lord of lords who will never sleep nor slumber and is always available to listen and to answer that call of yours. Just dial Jeremiah 33:3 that says, ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ Have you used this most incredible phone device? Yes, our Almighy God is just a

Day 301: Psalm 116, Proverbs 14:37-39, Mark 7, Jeremiah 31-32 We Are Empowered & Enabled By Grace In Jeremiah 31:33-34, the Lord says: "I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord ,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord . For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” This shows the ultimate goal of God is for us to love and obey God willingly and cheerfully from the bottom of our hearts. In fact, this is also the desire of every parent. We want to see our children grow up to love and obey the Lord, respect us, not outwardly to put up a show but sincerely and very willingly on their own accord.  We need the Gospel to help us: the grace of regeneration whereby our hearts are changed and we are empowered and enabled to carry out t

Day 300: Psalm 115, Proverbs 14:34-36, Mark 6, Jeremiah 29-30 Go And Get Rest We hear most people say that they are busy to the extend that they do not have time to rest or eat.  In Mark 6:31-32, we read an account where Jesus' disciples were busy that they did not even have time to eat. Jesus said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. Rest is CRUCIAL. Medically, it is proven that sleep and metabolism are controlled by the same area of the brain. Sleep releases hormones that control appetite. Researchers at the University of Chicago found that dieters who were well rested lost more fat. A study found that C-reactive protein, which is associated with heart attack risk, was higher in people who got six or fewer hours of sleep a night. In Exodus 20: 8-11, even God Himself rested after He completed His work in 6 days. Henceforth, with school holidays coming, plan some rest for your b

Day 298: Psalm 113, Proverbs 14:28-30, Mark 4, Jeremiah 25-26 Let Us Bear Fruit Yesterday, God has reminded us to be God-fearing people. In fact, Psalm 145:19 says that God will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him and He also will hear their cry and save them. In today's reading in Mark 4, the Parable of the Sower states that the seeds that are sown on good ground are those who hear the word, accept it, and BEAR FRUIT up to thirtyfold or sixty or some a hundredfold. The subsequent parables which are Parable of the Growing Seeds and Mustard Seeds have the similarity of expecting the seeds to grow into respectively,  ripen grains and trees with branches that can give shade to birds. Henceforth, as God-fearing people, let us heed God's command to BEAR FRUIT by sharing to others and doing our parts to see growth in the lives of others. https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 299: Psalm 114, Proverbs 14:31-33, Mark 5, Jeremiah 27-28 Let Us Be Ready When we read Bible, we will know God better. We will know the Author's ways of dealing, His likes and what displeases Him etc. In Jeremiah 27:6-8, God said that Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon was His servant and God had given the beasts of the field to serve him. Further, if the nation and kingdom which would not serve Nebuchadnezzar, that nation God would punish. What do we say after knowing this? Our God IS IN CHARGE! History is truly HIS-stories. David A. Noebel said in his book, "Understanding the Times: The Collision of Today’s Competing Worldviews (Rev 2nd ed), that "For Christians, history is moving toward a specific climax—the Day of Judgment (Acts 17:31; Romans 2:11–16)...Even at this very moment, God is moving human history closer to that End." Let us be ready at all times! https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 297: Psalm 112, Proverbs 14:25-27, Mark 3, Jeremiah 23-24 Have Fear In God We usually embrace people who fear God. We want leaders who fear God. In today's reading of Proverbs 14:26-27, we can see that one who fears God has strong confidence and his children will have a place of refuge. Further, one who fears the Lord  is like a fountain of life and will turn one away from the snares of death. Fountain of life is like a well of living water where source of water comes from. Hence, one who fears God has spiritual life springs from him whereby he refreshes the life of others just as Jesus said,  “...the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14). Let us pray that all of us, especially our leaders are God-fearing  people. Amen! https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 296: Psalm 111, Proverbs 14:22-24, Mark 2, Jeremiah 21-22 Be God's Faithful Messenger It was not a pleasant news when Jeremiah was asked by God to prophesy that the Israelites who remained in the city would die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence; but he who went out and defected to the Chaldeans would live..(Jeremiah 21:9). It is normal for one to reject bad news. Nobody likes bad news. Nevertheless,  we need to be God's faithful messenger to teach or preach EXACTLY what God wants and not according to what the itching ears of the audience (2 Timothy 4:3). How important for us to read through the Bible with its good and bad news and not portions of Scriptures only. It is never too late. Start today by reading 2 chapters of Old Testament, 1 chapter of New Testament, 1 chapter of Psalm (to praise and worship God daily) and 3 verses of Proverbs (to gain wisdom from God). https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 295: Psalm 110, Proverbs 14:19-21, Mark 1, Jeremiah 19-20 Show Agape Love Mark 1:9-11 recorded the incident where Jesus just came out from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water...a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” If we analyse the chronology of the events, Jesus had not started any ministry yet at that point of time. Nevertheless, God the Father was pleased with Him. As parents, we need to learn that we must be pleased with our children even before they ever do or achieve anything. We must show agape love to our children. We do not just love them because they fulfill certain sets of conditions. Parents need to take heed as we may inadvertently portraying such conditional love to our children, thus setting a heavy burden on them. Remember Jesus' Words in Matthew 11:30,  "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 294: Psalm 109, Proverbs 14:16-18, Matthew 28, Jeremiah 17-18 Be the Clay God Intended The potter and the clay's story is commonly told as if God, being the Potter has the absolute power to do as He pleases and we, being the clay are as if fated to the intention of the Potter. If we read carefully, the potter is actually forming the shape of the pots depending whether the clay would take the shape initially planned for it. Only if the clay would NOT take the shape the potter wanted, the potter would change his mind and form it into some other shape. In fact, the Lord further explained in verses 5-11 that if the nation turned from its evil, He would change His mind to shatter the nation. The contrary is the same i.e. if He promised to make a strong nation but its people start disobeying HIm and doing evil, God would change His mind. Let us pray, "O, Lord, we know it is not easy for You to work with stiff clay. Help us to trust and obey You more so that You can perfectly

Day 293: Psalm 108, Proverbs 14:13-15, Matthew 27, Jeremiah 15-16 Jesus Is Alive Resurrection of Jesus is the basis of our Christian faith, without which we are without hope. In today's reading in Matthew, verses 62-66, we can see that the chief priests and Pharisees took great pain and effort to ensure the tomb was made secure until the third day, a heavy stone was duly sealed and guards were commanded to make the tomb as secured as possible. Despite all those effort, history shows us the indisputable fact of an empty tomb. Jesus DID ARISE and He appeared to more than 500 people before He ascended and He promised He would return the same way as He ascended (Acts 1:9-11). Harvard Law Professor Dr. Simon Greenleaf said,"According to the laws of legal evidence used in courts of law, there is more evidence for the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ than for just about any other event in history.” “The cross is the victory, the resurrection is the triumph…The

Day 292: Psalm 107, Proverbs 14:10-12, Matthew 26, Jeremiah 13-14 God's Will is Always The Right Way Many a times, we thought that people who have lots of money and are famous and popular have made it in life and they are successful. However, we do hear such people, for instance famous movie actors or actresses or singers who had committed suicide. What has gone wrong? In Psalm 107:2-11, it states that when the redeemed of the Lord (which means Christians) cry out to the Lord, God will deliver them out of their distresses and would lead them forth by the RIGHT WAY to a place where their longing souls would be satisfied and their hungry souls be filled with goodness. Hence, success is not just about money and fame. That is man's way. Proverbs 14:12 very aptly puts it as, "There is a way that  seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death." Henceforth, how crucial that we pray for God's will be done just like Jesus Himself prayed in the Garden of Gethes

Day 290: Psalm 105, Proverbs 14:4-6, Matthew 24, Jeremiah 9-10 Understand and Know Him I am sure most of us, if not all of us would like to bring joy and delight to people, especially to our loved ones. In today's reading of Jeremiah 9:23-24, it says, Thus says the Lord : “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord , exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord . Our Lord explicitly declared that He will be delighted if we understand and know Him until we embrace the fact that He is full of lovingkindness, He executes judgement and He deploys righteousness in all His dealings. The key is that He wants us to understand and know Him. Reading the Bible and spending time speaking and listening to Him in solitude are the sure ways of knowing Him. L

Day 291: Psalm 106, Proverbs 14:7-9, Matthew 25, Jeremiah 11-12 Pray Like Never Before Yesterday, we saw how God is delighted when we understand and know Him. As said, when we read His Word, we will get to know the Author more and more. In Jeremiah 11:9-11, we read of how God would bring calamity and even would not listened to their cry when the men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem had turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers who refused to hear God's Words. Further, in Chapter 12:17, God said that He would utterly pluck up and destroy the nation if they would not obey. This is a glimpse of how God deployed righteousness and His way of execution of judgment. Do not think that our God is ONLY a loving God. He is righteous, He is just, He is holy and He is perfect. So, do not show our fist in the air, demanding an answer why is there sufferings around us. Let us clasp our hands, fall on our knees, humble our hearts, turn from our wicked ways, seek His face and call

Day 289: Psalm 104, Proverbs 14: 1-3, Matthew 23, Jeremiah 7-8 Respond to God When we send a message, we feel uneasy and uncertain when we do not receive an acknowledgement that the message is received. A simple "noted" or "received" will give us the peace of mind that our message has gone across and has been duly received by the intended recipient. In Jeremiah 7:13-15, God spoke but no one heard. He called but no one answered. No one gave Him an acknowledgement. Just as we hope and long for an acknowledgement, let us be still and listen to God speaking to us. Once we hear His voice, respond to Him. You will be amazed of His timely  words of advice and words of encouragement and comfort! https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 288: Psalm 103, Proverbs 13:22-24, Matthew 22, Jeremiah 5-6 Give Thanks Always Haze, haze is everywhere. We will surely worry about our health. The Malaysia Insider just reported that haze may comtinue till early next year. Malaysian Ringgit is still unstable. Everything is still unpredictable. With this environment, do we still thank God? Surely, we must and we can surely get good thanksgiving points from today's reading of Psalm in verses 2-5, "Bless the Lord , O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So  that  your youth is renewed like the eagle’s." Amen. https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 287: Psalm 102, Proverbs 13: 19-21, Matthew 21, Jeremiah 3-4 Believing, You Will Receive In Matthew 21:21-22, Jesus answered.. “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt,.. if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” A church in the foothills of the Great Smokies was given the condition by local council to double the size of its carpark,before they could move in to the new sanctuary. The Pastor called for members with "mountain moving faith" for prayer meeting. The next day, a contractor from Acme Construction approached the Pastor informing that his company was building a shopping mall and was in need of sand and would pay the church to get the same from the mountain behind the church. Part of the mountain was "moved" and it was a perfect spot for the carpark (retold by Pastor Dwayne Savaya, God Work Ministry). Today, as we atte

Day 286: Psalm 101, Proverbs 13:16-18, Matthew 20, Jeremiah 1-2 God Knows Us Way Before Our Birth Abortion has been legalised in most parts of the world. In fact, different countries give different definition as to when it is legal to perform abortion. One medical dictonary defines abortion as  expulsion from the uterus of an embryo or fetus before viability i.e. 20 weeks' gestation or 18 weeks after fertilization or fetal weight less than 500 g. I always wonder what is the basis for them to determine as to when it is legal to have abortion. As for me, God has made it clear and has this to say, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5). There are testimonies of survivors of abortion, for instance, Melissa Ohden who is the founder of Abortion Survivors Network. According to her, just one provider in US performed 327,653 abortions in 2013 to 2014. (source: CNN news by Melanie Hunter

Day 285: Psalm 100, Proverbs 13:13-15, Matthew 19, Isaiah 65-66 2nd Coming of Jesus Is Clear Finally, we come to the last chapter of Isaiah. Isaiah has been known as a miniature Bible, containing 66 chapters which is akin to 66 books in the Bible. Hence, the last chapter denotes the 2nd coming of Jesus. In verses 15-16, "For behold, the Lord will come with fire and with His chariots, like a whirlwind to render His anger with fury and His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword, the Lord will judge all flesh and the slain of the Lord shall be many." The 2nd coming of Jesus as a Judge to judge all flesh is clear. When Jesus first came on earth, He came as a Lamb of God, as a holy Sacrifice to pay the penalty for and on our behalf of each and every human being by dying on the Cross.  What we should do now is to persuade people to take heed of this warning that Jesus IS COMING BACK TO JUDGE each and every one of us! Have we paid our penalty? Jesus has paid f

Day 284: Psalm 99, Proverbs 13:10-12, Matthew 18, Isaiah 63-64 Humility Has Rewards Humility is recognising and acknowledging our total dependence upon the Lord and seeking His will for every decision (source:www.iblp.org). The Hebrew word is "kana" which means  to be brought into subjection as seen in 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." On the contrary, God punishes the prouds as in Daniel 4:30-37 where while King Nebuchadnezzar boasted, "Is not this great Babylon, built..by the might of my power..?", God struck him with a mental breakdown and took away his kingdom. In today's reading of Matthew 18:2-5, Jesus said, "..whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name

Day 283: Psalm 98, Proverbs 13:7-9,Matthew 17, Isaiah 61-62 Hallelujah! What A Promise! Yesterday, we have seen how we can be redeemed by the Lord. In today's reading in Isaiah 62:11-12, we read of how the Lord proclaimed to the end of the world that His reward was already with Him and His people would be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord, Sought Out and A City Not Forsaken. Yes, we, Christians are called the Holy People not because of anything we have done but by His grace we have been saved through faith, and that not of ourselves; it  is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). We are also called Sought Out as God called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began (2 Timothy 1:9). Last but not least, we are Cities Not Forsaken as God said in Hebrews 13:5 that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Hallelujah! What A Prom

Day 282: Psalm 97, Proverbs 13:4-6, Matthew 16, Isaiah 59-60 Don't Let Sins Stand In The Way By and large, people are doing good works to appease their gods with the hope to have life after death or to receive some kinds of rewards. In today's reading of Isaiah 59:1-2, it says, "Behold, the Lord ’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear". Hence,it is clear that we are separated from God because of our sins. No amount of good works will remove our sins. Someone who pleaded guilty will still need to be punished even though he or she does many good works. Freedom will only be achieved once the penalty of that sins is paid for. This is exactly what Jesus did - He who had no sins, died on the cross to pay for our sins to reconcile us to God. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world,

Day 280: Psalm 95, Proverbs 12: 25-28, Matthew 14, Isaiah 55-56 Confess Jesus Is The Son of God Matthew 14 alone records at least 3 miracles that show Jesus is God. Out of 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes, He fed 5000 people. He walked on water and He made all sick people perfectly well when they just touched the hem of His garment. Dictionary defines miracle as an extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore attributed to a divine agency. There are at least 37 miracles done by Jesus and recorded in the New Testament and no one had refuted the same for the past 2000 years. These undisputable miracles reveal that Jesus is God! Why wait then? Today's reading in Isaiah 55:6 says seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Just confess that Jesus is the Son of God for the promise in 1 John 4:15 is "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." https://twit

Day 279: Psalm 94, Proverbs 12:22-24, Matthew 13, Isaiah 53-54 Be A Contributor, Be A CuBIIIT No one who plants a fruit tree does not want the fruit. Similarly, in the oft-quoted parable of the sower in Matthew 13:1-9, when the sower sows a seed, he or she expects the seed to grow, bear fruit and produce a 100, 60 or 30 fold of products (verse 23). In the parable of the mustard seed in verses 31-32, Jesus further taught that though mustard seeds are the least of all the seeds but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree that provides shades and for the birds to come and nest in its branches. How about our life? Ponder for a while - how many people have sown at least some seeds in our life? Our parents, teachers, friends and colleagues? Most of all, God Who caused all these to be possible by granting us safety, peace and health. Is our life now bearing fruit? Are we contributors in some ways or another? Be a Contributor to Bless, Inspire, Influence, Impact a

Day 278: Psalm 93, Proverbs 12:19-21, Matthew 12, Isaiah 51-52 Let Evangelism Be Our Lifestyle The events that occur in the world right now do point to the fact that Jesus' Second coming is going to be very soon. Even yesterday's message from God to us is to work while it is still day. Today, God confirms and encourages us that those who bring good news, proclaim peace and bring glad tidings of the Good News are beautiful (Isaiah 52:7). Yes, Jesus' return is soon but God does not want anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Let us then take heed to bring the Good News to as many people as possible. Let evangelism be our lifestyle! https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 277: Psalm 92, Proverbs 12:16-18, Matthew 11, Isaiah 49-50 Work While It Is Day Psalm 92:4 & 5a says, "For You, Lord , have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. O Lord , how great are Your works!" Here, we can see that God's desire is to make us glad and triumph through and in His work. Why then, are we not doing His work? It is not a new issue. Way back in 1901, Andrew Murray wrote a little book entitled 'Working For God' with the objective of reminding all Christian workers of the greatness and the glory of the work in which God gives a share. It is nothing less than that work of bringing men back to their God, at which God finds His highest glory and blessedness. Are we working for God while it is day? The night is coming when no one can work (John 9:4). https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 276: Psalm 91, Proverbs 12: 13-15, Matthew 10, Isaiah 47-48 Our Net Worth is Measureless The trend now is to know your net worth. There is a way to calculate the value and even a special calculator to that effect. Seminars are even organised to teach about the importance of knowing your net worth. It is comforting to know that our Heavenly Father does not use a calculator to determine how much we are worth. He says in Matthew 10:29-31 that we are worth more than many sparrows. We are of immeasurable value! Even the very hairs of our head are all numbered. This shows how much we are loved and cared by God. Abraham Lincoln said this, “It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him." Hallelujah! Praise be to the Lord! https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 275: Psalm 90, Proverbs 12:10-12, Matthew 9, Isaiah 45-46 Have Faith In Action When we read Matthew 9, we saw how Jesus responded to those who had faith. First, He saw the faith of those who brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed and Jesus not only healed the paralytic but forgave his sins. Secondly, He asked the blind men whether they believed Jesus would heal them. When the blind men replied in an emphatic affirmation, Jesus healed all of them. From these 2 accounts, we learnt that we need to come to Jesus by faith and faith results in action. They BROUGHT the paralytic to Jesus. The blind men WENT to Him. Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Without action, faith is dead (James 2:17). Let us have faith in Jesus by showing it in action. https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 274: Psalm 89, Proverbs 12:7-9, Matthew 8, Isaiah 43-44 Be A Reliable Witness For God Even if law is on our side but if we do not have evidence, no lawyer can say with certainty that the matter is a good case to win. If we do not have evidence, be it in a form of documentary proof or by way of someone standing as a witness, it is very unlikely that any lawyer will win the case. Evidence/witness is crucial in any court case. Similarly, God expects us to be His witnesses. He said in 2 occasions in Isaiah 43:10 & 44:8 that "You are My witnesses". Are we reliable witnesses for God or in legal term, hostile witnesses for Him? Let us take heed to live our lives that not only reflect our faithful witness for Jesus but to emit the aroma of Christ to God wherever we go (2 Corinthians 2:15-17). https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 273: Psalm 88, Proverbs 12:4-6, Matthew 7, Isaiah 41-42 God Is Holding Our Hands I remember my parents held my hands while walking when I was a child. I have to hold my parents' hands now that their legs are weaker. I like to hold my husband or my children's hands when I walk a longer distance. We feel much more secured when we are holding someone's hand while walking. Do we know that God is holding our hands too? In Isaiah 41:10 & 13, our dear Lord Himself said, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." What a promise! What a security that we have! We have the Lord of lords and the King of kings holding our hands all the time! Let us not forget and give thanks to God ALWAYS (Ephesians 5:20) and in EVERYTHING, give thanks (1 Thes

Day 272: Psalm 87, Proverbs 12 1-3, Matthew 6, Isaiah 39-40 Jesus, Our Servant-God Yesterday, we ponder on the importance of knowing God. To know someone includes knowing his characters and how he responses to people and situations. In today's passage in Isaiah 40, we know that God will not faint nor be tired. He has vast understanding and gives power to the weak. He not only strengthens us but causes us to run, fly and soar on high like an eagle as long as we wait upon Him. Don't we want such a Friend? He is available for us 24x7 for He neither sleeps nor slumbers. Why wait? Get to know this Servant-God Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men (Philippians‬ ‭2:5-7‬). https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 271: Psalm 86, Proverbs 11:28-31, Matthew 5, Isaiah 37-38 Know Him More To Trust Him More It is good to know of someone who knows us well enough to vouch for our characters. When one can say, "I know Esther very well and I absolutely know for sure she will do it", it shows the level of faith and trust of the person in me. Similarly, we need to know God that well to have the deep level of faith and trust in Him. In Isaiah 37:16-20, we see how King Hezekiah knew God so well that when he prayed, he knew God would heal him. His relationship with God was so close that he intimately and openly spoke his heart out to God and spoke of all the good he had done for God's sake. God not only healed him but gave him a sign that had a lasting effect of the missing 40 minutes as God had caused the sun to move 10° backwards. (This 40 minutes exactly accounted for the 1 missing day when the sun stood still in the sky for 23 hours and 20 minutes for Joshua in Joshua 10:12-14.) Thi

Day 270: Psalm 85, Proverbs 11:25-27, Matthew 4, Isaiah 35-36 Fear Not Fear or anxiety is a natural response of human beings. One may fear to address a crowd in public or like me, fear to have my teeth treated by a dentist. In the short term, fear or anxiety increases the heart rate so that more blood flows to the brain, preparing to face any intense situation. If it becomes excessive, physical and mental health can be affected. God knows and hence, He assures us not to be afraid as in today's reading, in Isaiah 35:4, "Say to those who  are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with  vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.” The world may not let us have any certainty but with our Lord, we certainly have no fear. Praise be to God! https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 269: Psalm 84, Proverbs 11:22-24, Matthew 3, Isaiah 33-34 Be Humble Always "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom" (Proverbs 11:2). "Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice" (Proverbs 13:10). "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall"(Proverbs 16:18). "A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor" (Proverbs 29:23). These are just a few of the verses in the book of Proverbs on pride. In fact, God detests pride so much that He warned that the prouds will not go unpunished (Proverbs 16:5). Jesus Himself demonstrated humility when He went to John the Baptist to be baptised by him as seen in Matthew 3:13-15. Humility is a rare virtue nowadays but let us take heed to always do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 268: Psalm 83, Proverbs 11:19-21, Matthew 2, Isaiah 31-32 Cast Our Cares On God As parents, we are very delighted if we are the FIRST person whom our children turn to when they have problems or issues. In fact, we will feel offended if our children do not even come to us for help! This is exactly how our Heavenly Father will feel as seen in Isaiah 31:1-2,  where He said, "Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and  rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they  are many and in horsemen because they are very strong. But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel nor seek the Lord!" Let us remember that apart from God, we are nothing. (John 15:5). Hence, cast all our cares and anxieties on Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 267: Psalm 82, Proverbs 11:16-18, Matthew 1, Isaiah 29-30 Prophecies Fulfilled In just this 1st chapter of Matthew, we see at least 5 prophecies fulfilled. (1) That Jesus would be a descendant of King David, foretold in Jeremiah 23:5. (2) That Jesus would be from the tribe of Judah, predicted in Genesis 49:10 (3) Isaiah 7:14 foreshadowed the virgin birth of Jesus (4) Isaiah 9:6 prophesied that there would be a Child whose Name would be called Mighty God and in Matthew 1:23, Jesus' Name is also called Immanuel, "God with us". (5) Even the tiny village of Bethelem where Jesus was born had been revealed in Micah 5:1-2 sometime around 750BC. These are only a fraction of 2000 prophecies that had already been fulfilled. Wow! I stand in awe! I fell on my knees. My hope and prayers are that these will move us to repent and confess with our mouth and believe in our heart that Jesus is Lord and Saviour as His Name Jesus means He WILL save His people from their sins (Matthew

Day 266: Psalm 81, Proverbs 11:13-15, Revelations 22, Isaiah 27-28 Blessed Assurance Yesterday, we read of how the Church is delivered from the wrath or judgment of God but we, Christians will still be judged for the quality of our work to determine our due reward as seen in Revelations 22:12-14, "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the  Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”  "Each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it... If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself WILL BE SAVED, yet so as through fire." (1 Corinthians 3:13-15). What a Blessed Assurance that those who believe in Jesus WILL BE SAVED. Further assurance is in John 5:24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and sha

Day 265: Psalm 80, Proverbs 11:10-12, Revelations 21, Isaiah 25-26 Repent NOW to Keep Away From Wrath As we have spoken and defined Rapture, today's passage in Isaiah 26:20-21 confirmed it as God's invitation to His people to enter their chambers for a little moment for the Lord to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The tribulation period is a time set apart by God to once again deal with Israel in particular, and as such, it does not concern the Church (Jeremiah 30:7, Daniel 9:24). The Church as the Bride of Christ are those who are rescued and saved from wrath and punishment. Paul says: "... wait for his Son from heaven, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come" (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10). Later in 1 Thessalonians 5:9, Paul says: "For God has not destined us [the Church] for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ". Further, in Revelations 3:10, Jesus Himself said to the Church, "..  I also will keep yo

Day 264: Psalm 79, Proverbs 11:7-9, Revelations 20, Isaiah 23-24 Believe in Jesus NOW At times, it may be hard for us to share or preach on the verse in Revelations 20:15, "Anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire". But if Bible is the Word of God, it means that EVERY WORD in the Bible is the truth and WILL COME TRUE and we must share it. We know that the only way to have our names written in the Book of Life is to repent and have faith in Jesus. Therefore, think no further, now is the day of salvation as said in 2 Corinthians 6:2. Repent and believe in Jesus NOW to make sure your name is in the Book of Life. https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 261: Psalm 76, Proverbs 10:31-32, Revelations 17, Isaiah17-18 The Wrath of God We hear so much on the love of God BUT do we know that God can become angry? In today's Psalm, the Psalmist even asked who may stand in God's presence when He is angry. He will cause judgment to be heard from Heaven. The earth will fear and be still. When He rise up to judge and to save all the afflicted of the land, His wrath against mankind will bring Him praise. Indeed, this brings us comfort that ultimately, justice will prevail as we will have a Righteous Judge who will rule and reign the earth and heaven for eternity. https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC Day 262: Psalm 77, Proverbs 11: 1-3, Revelations 18, Isaiah 19-20 Return of Jesus Christ I don't think it is a coincidence that we read Revelations 18 and Isaiah 19 together. Both these 2 chapters prophesied the end of the Great Tribulation whereby Babylon (which depicts world power) will fall and a celebration is commanded in vers

Day 260: Psalm 75, Proverbs 10:28-30, Revelations 16, Isaiah15-16 All Prophecies In Bible WILL be Fulfilled There are approximately 2500 prophecies recorded in the Bible. About 2000 of them have already been fulfilled to the letter with no errors whatsoever.  The remaining 500 prophesies shall come to pass. In fact, Dr. Hugh Ross said that the odds for all these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance without error is less than one in 10 to the power of 2000 (that is 1 with 2000 zeros written after it). As we read Chapter 16 of Revelation today, where it is recorded that the rivers and springs of water will become blood and men will be scorched with great heat. Further, there will be unclean spirits and false prophets. People will be hit by plague and great hail. If ALL prophecies in the Bible so far were fulfilled, these prophecies in Revelation WILL be fulfilled as well. Let us then, be more alert, get ready and introduce Jesus as the Saviour and Lord to as many more people as

Day 263: Psalm 78, Proverbs 11:4-6, Revelations 19, Isaiah 21-22 Be Transparent Psalm 78 is a long psalm BUT an important one as it enlists the events that had occurred from how the Israelites were delivered from slavery to how they were provided when they were in the wilderness. These events were not hidden from the Israelites' children but instead were told from one generation to another so that they may set hope in God and not forget the works of God but keep His commandments (verses 4-7). Notice that the events told include the failures of their forefathers. Therefore, as we share our testimonies, do not hide our shortcomings but be transparent on how God has delivered us even in our times of weaknesses. https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 259: Psalm 74, Proverbs 10:25-27, Revelations 15, Isaiah 13-14 Must I Empty-Handed Go? In Isaiah 14:31-32, it says that no one will be alone in His appointed times. Believers and prebelievers alike have to be judged at His appointed times. The question is what will be our answer. For us believers, we can always have Jesus as our answer. Further to that, God expects us to be faithful and fruitful. As taught in Matthew 25:23-30, we long for the praise, "Well done, good and faithful servant" but dread to hear, "You wicked and lazy servant". In today's Proverbs, a lazy person is akin to vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes. Wow! Smoke and vinegar are surely a pain to us and hence, we must realise it would also be a pain to God. Let us therefore, rise up, have a good look at our talents God has given us and whether we have given our best and our all to God? Or “Must I go, and empty-handed?”Must I meet my Savior so?Not one soul with which to greet Him:Mu

Day 258: Psalm 73, Proverbs 10:22-24, Revelations 14, Isaiah 11-12 Tell of Jesus' Deeds I don't wish to write on End times so often, but as we follow the daily readings, God's messages to us recently IS revolving around End times. Today's passages remind us to be faithful and to tell of His deeds (Psalm 73:27-28). We need to keep His commands and to have patient endurance (Revelation 14:12). We need to pray and ask for the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord to rest on us (Isaiah 11:2-3). Yes, as End times are drawing near, let us be more urgent and fervent to tell of His deeds - that Jesus died on the Cross for us to pay the penalty of sins on our behalf so that God made Jesus who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Jesus we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).  So, repent and put your faith in Jesus. https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 257: Psalm 72, Proverbs 10:19-21, Revelations 13, Isaiah 9-10 Eternal Government The oft-quoted verse in Isaiah 9:6, i.e., "For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the Government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." It is interesting to note verse 7 that this great Government of peace will have no end, to be established and upheld with justice and righteousness forever. Further, this Government is accomplished purely by the zeal of the Lord Almighty. This is the Government of a thousand years that Jesus talks about in Revelation 20:6. We may have complaints about our present government but our hope is in this Eternal Government to be established by Jesus. Hallelujah! What a Glorious Hope! https://twitter.com//EstherOngHC

Day 256: Psalm 71, Proverbs 10:16-18, Revelations 12,  Isaiah 7-8 Be Ready for Rapture Many a times we come across people who do not want to know the sign and season for things to come. But, in today's reading, God Himself asked King Ahaz to request for a sign from the Lord and this king still refused. The Lord Himself gave a sign that a virgin would conceive and bear a Son. This sign remained the most important indicator that Jesus is our Messiah. How about now? Bible gave us many signs of End times and one of which is found in Joel 2:30-31, “And I shall give signs in the heavens and upon the earth: ..the sun shall be turned into darkness, the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord". A total lunar eclipse will spawn a rare and dramatic 'supermoon' blood moon on Sept. 27, 2015.Supermoons occur when the moon reaches its full phase at or near the satellite's closest approach to Earth, and appears abnormally large and bright as

Day 255: Psalm 70, Proverbs 10:13-15, Revelations 11, Isaiah 5-6 Encounter God Jesus knows that most people would only believe after they have seen. Hence, He appeared to Thomas when this disciple doubted (John 20:24-28).St Thomas became one of the greatest missionary to India. Similarly, Isaiah saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne and immediately this prophet cried out "Woe to me...For I am a man of unclean lips.." and later he was willing to say,"Here am I, send me" (Isaiah 6:1-8). When Paul heard a voice said to him, "I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting....", at once, this Apostle began to preach that Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 9:3-20). Encountering God will change our lives. Pray that the people who are gathering today will encounter God and their lives changed. However, whether we encounter God or not, have faith in Jesus because He said in John 20:29, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not

Day 254: Psalm 69, Proverbs 10:10-12, Revelations 10, Isaiah 3-4 Our Sins Not Hidden From God I am sure we sometimes wonder whether people who do wrong, commit crime and violence know what they are doing, They seems to think that no one will know their wrongs. Perhaps, they have escaped the punishment from law, or they even think they are above the law. But, we can be rest assured that each and everyone of us will NOT escape the punishment from God. He knows our foolishness and our sins are not hidden from Him (Psalm 69:5). Thanks be to God that love covers multitude of sins (Proverbs 10:12) provided we genuinely repent of our sins and commit our lives to God, trusting that only He can deliver us from all our unrighteousness because Jesus sacrificed Himself on the Cross for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age.. (Galatians 1:4). https://twitter.com/EstherOngHC

Day 253: Psalm 68, Proverbs 10:7-9, Revelations 9, Isaiah 1-2 Shine In Our Corner History showed us that God had judged and destroyed 2 cities, Sodom and Gomorrah because of the wickedness of the people there. In fact, God was so gracious and merciful NOT to destroy ONLY IF there were 10 righteous people as interceded by Father Abraham (Genesis 18:16-33). But, we knew that even 10 righteous people were not found there and hence, God had no alternative but to totally destroy these 2 cities. In today's reading of Isaiah 1:9, prophet Isaiah knew that unless the Lord of hosts had left to them a very small remnant, they would have become like Sodom and would have been made like Gomorrah. How important then that we do our part to learn to do good, seek justice, rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless and plead for the widow (Isaiah 1:17). Yesterday, I heard a testimony of how an estate agent in Singapore pleaded 3x to the buyer to take back the undertable money. We just got to s

Day 252: Psalm 67, Proverbs 10:4-6, Revelation 8, Song of songs 7-8 Walk In The Way Of Insight The book of Proverbs is good for us to read on a daily basis to gain wisdom. The Hebrew word for wisdom is "hakam". It means to master life's challenges with one's relationship with God. Wisdom has to be expressed in godly living. A wise person is one who is sensitive to God and willingly and humbly subject oneself to Him. He applies Godly principles and guidelines in everyday situations and he is guided by God's will in making daily choices. In today's reading of the Book of Wisdom, we are exorted to forsake foolishness and live and go in the way of understanding (Proverbs 9:6, NKJV) and leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of insight (NIV). Let us then discern God's Word and pray for insight to rightly divide the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15) to understand the time and season that we are living now to know God's will and His timing.

Day 250: Psalm 65, Proverbs 9:16-18, Revelation 6, Song of songs 3-4 Believe In Jesus TODAY When we see injustices and corruption becoming more and more rampant and unrestraint, we truly want to see that these people who commit such offences be brought to justice. If we, just mortal beings, have some sense of justice in us, how much more God, in His holiness, would not tolerate such injustices, inequality, discrimination, corruption,violence and murders? Hence, there must be a day of Judgment! In today's reading in Revelation 6:17, we read of the great day of His wrath would come! The question is who is able to stand it? The Good News is that Jesus came to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Wait no further, repent and have faith in ONLY ONE God, Jesus TODAY before His wrath comes. I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). https://twitter.com/Esthe

Day 249: Psalm 64, Proverbs 9:13-15, Revelations 5, Song of songs 1-2 Ignorance Is No Defence According to Proverbs 9:13, a foolish woman is clamorous, simple and knows nothing. From Psalm 64:9, the Psalmist wrote "All men shall fear, And shall declare the work of God; For they shall wisely consider His doing." In summary, a foolish person knows nothing but a wise person considers God's doing. In other words, do not plead ignorance, which is rightly so as ignorance of the law is no defence. As we are definitely in End times now, let us be aware, get to know the events that are happening in the world and be prepared at all times. Share the knowledge we gather and continue to warn people. In Ezekiel 3:20-21, it is stated very clearly that "..because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he doe

Day 248: Psalm 63, Proverbs 9:10-12, Revelations 4, Ecclesiastes 11-12 Fear God & Keep His Commands As we are pondering the event of Rapture, even in today's Old Testament reading of Ecclesiastes, God reminds us to remember Him BEFORE the difficult days come and while the sun, the light, the moon and the stars are not darkened (v1-2) and BEFORE the silver cord is loosed or the golden bowl and wheel are broken (v6). What is Rapture? It is a state or experience of being carried away. The English word comes from a Latin word, rapio, which means to seize or snatch in relation to the actual removal from one place to another. In other words, it means to be carried away in spirit or in body. The Rapture of the church means the carrying away of the church from earth to heaven. The Greek word from this term “rapture” is derived appears in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, translated “caught up.” (source:Bible.org). Henceforth, let us take heed of verses 13-14, "Let us hear the conclusion o

Day 247: Psalm 62, Proverbs 9:7-9, Revelations 3, Ecclesiastes 9-10 Hold Fast and Repent I am sure we know of people who do not want to know what is happening around them and just live day by day. There is nothing right or wrong about it but in today's reading in Revelation 3:3, Jesus Himself said, "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you." Please take note that the words in effect means that if we would not watch, He would come as a thief. In other words, it means that if we are to keep watch, we will not be caught by surprise. In the same Chapter verse 10,  Jesus also said, "I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth". It appears that Rapture has to happen before Tribulation so that we, the Church can escape the hour of trial that

Day 246: Psalm 61, Proverbs 9:4-6, Revelations 2, Ecclesiastes 7-8 Rest In God At times, we may feel overwhelmed with the events that are happening around us. In today's Psalm, especially verses 2-4, the Psalmist felt the same thing, "From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings." Let us learn from the Psalmist: (1)he cried out to God, which means intense prayer to God; (2) willing to be led to the Rock and to take shelter in God and run to God, as the strong Tower; (3) abide in Him; and (4) trust in God as his Shelter. Remember God loves us and He wants to give us rest. He had already extended the invitation,"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle

Day 245: Psalm 60, Proverbs 9:1-3, Revelations 1, Ecclesiastes 5-6 Shine Forth For God Believers are the church. And in Revelation 1:20, it is stated that the 7 lampstands are the 7 churches. The word "lampstand" first appeared in the Bible in Exodus 25:31, where God gave very detailed instructions how the lampstand was to be made and placed in the tabernacle of the Israelites. The lampstand was to be made of pure gold, hammered out to the perfect accuracy of God’s decree (Exodus 25:31). Gold is often spoken of in terms of being “tested by fire”. It means as a church, we are to be tested and refined to come out to be true people of God. In the tabernacle, the lampstand was to be placed in the Holy Place (Hebrews 9:2) and to be tended by priests so that its light never went out. The lampstand was to give forth light day and night (Exodus 27:20–21) and the lampstand’s being the only source of light in the Tabernacle, its light directly pointed to God. The church, i.e. the b