The Passion of Christ




Some of you may not have caught Mel Gibson's 'Passion of Christ' movie. Anyway, I've just included a short snippet of the movie (how Jesus was tortured and crucified by the Romans to the point where He breathed His last). Do spare about 5mins for this movie :)

This movie is certainly meaningful as it reminds me of how we so often hear and talk about 'For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only begotten son...', that it doesnt seem to mean much, does it?

The price that Jesus had paid for us all didnt come cheap and while watching the movie, I couldnt help but feel much anger towards the Roman soldiers. How they tortured Him was almost beyond what any human being would be able to endure. Yet, Jesus uttered to the Father to 'Forgive them for they know not what they do.."

Do you also feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude knowing how Jesus, the Son of God, Kings of Kings, who has the power to command legions of angels to save Him from the cross, chose instead to complete the mission so that we might be saved?

Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,and by His wounds we are healed.


Thank You for the cross Lord
Thank You for the price You paid
Bearing all my sin and shame
In love You came
And gave amazing grace

Thank You for this love Lord
Thank You for the nail-pierced hands
Washed me in Your cleansing flow
Now all I know
Your forgiveness and embrace

Worthy is the Lamb
Seated on the throne
Crown You now with many crowns
You reign victorious

High and lifted up
Jesus, Son of God
The darling of heaven crucified
Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy is the Lamb

devotionSEVENTEEN - Almighty God

As Christians, we love and worship God, but do we fear Him? Do we remember that He is all-powerful and sovereign? In this devotional, we look at Isaiah chapter 6, where Isaiah's encounter with God reminds us how mighty He is.

I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Isa 6:1-5

God is wonderfully complex and can never be fully defined by any single thought or idea. He has many natures and many sides which are all very different and all equally valid. For example, one of the most cherished images we have of Jesus is that of an accessible and compassionate friend and companion. Without a doubt, Jesus fulfills that role for his faithful. Yet at the same time, consider the image of Christ we get from the Book of Revelation.

"His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were bright like flames of fire. His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance." Rev 1:14-16.

The contrast is startling. Jesus is kind and loving, but He is also a fierce warrior. The Father is likewise loving and merciful, yet this very same God declares, "I will pour out my vengeance on all the nations that refuse to obey me." Micah 5:15.

We can be certain that any descriptive term we use for God, in isolation, will fall well short of elucidating all that He is. The best we can do is to continually appreciate and accept all his many qualities, without neglecting those we may not understand.

In this devotional, we want to take you to the other side of the spectrum and look at another aspect of God's nature which may be equally overlooked. If we are guilty of overlooking the fact that Jesus became a man, then perhaps we are sometimes guilty of failing to remember His awesome power, His supremacy and His authority.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with our cherished image of the peaceful and kind Jesus who calls children to Him and always turns the other cheek. It's a completely accurate albeit incomplete description of our Lord. As an extension of that image, we may have the idea that if we were to meet Jesus face to face, we would shake His hand, perhaps give Him a hug and then go grab a coffee.

This passage from Isaiah is a startling reminder of what would happen if we were to actually meet our God face to face, revealed to us in all His true glory. Like Isaiah, in the presence of the almighty God, seated on His throne, we would fall on our knees and proclaim "Woe is me - my eyes have seen the King!"

Let us never forget that God is to be feared. God is to be respected. He is the creator of everything seen and unseen, and deserves our worship and adoration. His power is limitless and without equal. His glory and holiness are beyond our measure.

Our purpose in this devotional is not to in any way diminish his human qualities or his love, mercy or compassion. Without those qualities, we would all be lost! Rather, our hope is that when you ponder Jesus Christ and all that He is, you might never forget His power and glory which completely fill the heavens and the earth. As you love and surrender to Christ, may you not forget to fear Him as well.

Health Awareness

EFFECTS OF COLD WATER & SYMPTOMS OF A SILENT HEART ATTACK

For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal. A serious note about heart attacks - You should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line. You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms. 60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.

Just Some Thoughts (Part II) haha

Hi Revelations! Its me again :)
Anyway, I was just looking (just realised it existed) at the verse at the DailyBread Corner, and it really shook me.

I was thinking about live/cell groups and why is it actually even important for us to come together be it in your own cell in church or in CF. Relating to my last devotionSeventeen, our life on earth is not an easy one as we're thrown with temptations everywhere right from the moment we wake up in the morning. Just think about it...

1) In the morning - Quiet time or TV? But TV sounds more interesting and...my favourite program is on now!
2) Gathering with friends or church meeting? But...my friends are more interesting!
3) Church or sleep-in later? Im really tired and I dont think I'll be able to concentrate even if I go to church like this!
4) Money to get my new MP3 or for offering? MP3 does seem like a more worthwhile investment.

I think Jesus is like an anchor of the ship and brothers and sisters in Christ are like life-buoys. We need one another to remind us what we are here for and to pull us back when we've drifted far out into the sea.

We need God and one another in our lives as no man is infallible (in our walk with Him) :)

Devotion SEVENTEEN: Ready For Heaven?


Heaven is a place in the future of every christian. Are u prepared? Are u really ready to go? And I dont just mean: Do u have the hope of heaven? Thats part of it. Trusting in Christ also means recognizing that our lives on earth should count for something, and we should lay up our treasures in heaven.


Matthew 6:19-24
19Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness...24...You cannot serve God and money.

Got to admit, more often than not, I can be so caught up with accumulating more treasures here on earth than I should for in heaven. A pastor who preached in my church once asked the congregation, 'Do u ever feel truly happy / joyful when you manage to earn your 1 million dollars, beat the rest of your classmates in an exam, taste the most expensive or delectable dish....? Well, the list could go on and on. But if we ask ourselves this, Im sure most answers would be a "YES!.....But it only lasted for that short while." Agree?

Everything we have on earth will be left behind. But Jesus told us if we were wise, we would "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." As christians, this means we'll one day receive rewards for our faithful service to the Lord.

What are you doing for Christ? Are u using the gifts He has given you?

I can have the greatest life on this earth - not because Im trying to obtain happiness or fulfillment, but because Im trying to walk with God and please Him. The fringe benefit of living life for the next one is that I can have a happy, fulfilled life doing it. - Greg Laurie

Random

Just a random picture to brighten up your day?

Cute right? See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

We shld alwys b seeing,hearing and speaking things tt r nt evil,haha. (:(:(:

devotionSIXTEEN - WHAT CAN YOU HEAR?

THINK ABOUT IT

A ringtone which prying elders can't hear -- if you think it is just a teen fantasy, step aside. Cellphones, which youngsters can hear but most adults can't, are now in vogue in American schools.The technology is based on the fact that most adults gradually lose the ability to hear high pitched sounds and was developed in Britain.But recently, it has spread to the US where schools are banning students from bringing cell phones to class rooms.The use of peculiar ring tones came to light recently in a school in New York where the cell phones must be turned off in class rooms, New York Times reported.

The Times said last week, a high pitched ring tone went off that set teeth on edge including their 28-year old teacher.

When she asked whose cell phone it was, the students were surprised and asked her how could she hear it when it should be inaudible to adults. But apparently her ears had not yet lost the sensitivity.

TAKE A LOOK

1 Corinthians 2:9-16 - (NLT)
9That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." 10But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God's deep secrets. 11No one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. 12And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world's spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. 13When we tell you this, we do not use words of human wisdom. We speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths. 14But people who aren't Christians can't understand these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means. 15We who have the Spirit understand these things, but others can't understand us at all. 16How could they? For, "Who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who can give him counsel?"But we can understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

ACCORDING TO TODAY'S SCRIPTURE, WHO CAN HEAR WHAT GOD IS SAYING?

Here's some insight notes:
2:14-15 Non-Christians cannot understand spiritual truths, and they cannot grasp the concept that God's Spirit lives in believers. Don't expect most people to approve of or understand your decision to follow Christ. It all seems so silly to them. Just as a tone-deaf person cannot appreciate fine music, the person who rejects Christ cannot understand truths from God's Spirit. With the lines of communication broken, he or she won't be able to hear what God is saying to him or her.

If you know Christ as your Savior, you have ears to hear God. If you are not living in obedience to Christ every day, your spiritual ears will lose sensitivity to God's Spirit and you will not understand God's communication to you.

Listening to Jesus and obeying His commands will keep you hearing the ringtone of God's Spirit.

TALK ABOUT IT
Thank God for the presence, power and work of His Holy Spirit in you. Confess any way in which wanting your own way has dulled your spiritual hearing. Thank Jesus for always listening to you. Ask Him to help you listen to Him and obey His commands consistently. Praise Jesus for revealing His mind and truth to you as you respond to Him in love.

TRY IT

1. Read today's passage again and "listen" to God's Spirit.
2. Be consistent in a daily time with Jesus. Remember that intimacy with Jesus through time in God's Word and through prayer and worship. This will make your spiritual ears very sensitive to hearing God.
3. Whenever you hear your cell phone ring in the next few days, let God remind you that you can hear from Him through His Holy Spirit.

Have a blessed week ahead! God loves you and Revelation loves you!
kev