BEYOND DREAMS

On Saturday, I went around the city for sightseeing and lunch. Then, I met up with Ps Lim and Peung from Alive Church for fellowship. We had a wonderful seafood dinner with leaders and members. It was a very memorable experience for me to catch up with old friends. I love the food in Thailand. It is irresistable!


BEYOND DREAMS

We have a God that loves to do things beyond our dreams! Read Ephesians 3:20-21

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen! Ephesians 3:20-21

What are your dreams? Do you dream of having a better life, a bigger future or more fulfilment in life? I would like to share how to live beyond our dreams.

Beyond dreams starts with knowing God

God has greater and grander dreams for our lives than we think! God is big and He has big dreams for all of us. My dreams are so small in comparison to the dreams that God has for me. I am so glad that I came to know God 21 years ago. When we discover God, we also discover His great dreams for our lives. God is a personal God. He is a relational God. He longs to impart dreams and visions into our lives because He desires the best for us. God speaks to us in so many ways. We need to communicate and listen to God.

Beyond dreams starts with giving control to God

Wonderful things can happen in our lives when we surrender to God. Allow God to be the driver of our lives. When I was a new believer, I struggled with giving God control of my life because I was afraid of the unknown and I feared God would mess up my plans. I did not trust God enough to follow His plans for my life. But over the years, I’ve discovered that God’s plans are always better than mine. I am learning to put my trust even more than before because God is faithful to His Words and promises.

Beyond dreams starts with the local church

Just as we need a natural family for nurturing and development, we need the local church for spiritual growth. God works through the local church to bring blessings into our lives. A local church is like a family. It is not just a building or organisation. The church is a place where God’s given dreams can be received and fulfilled. I know of some successful Christian business people in the local church. God gave them dreams to start business ventures with little resources and experience. But over time, their businesses grew and prospered. God dreams can be birthed and formed within the local church.

Start to live a life beyond dreams with God today because He desires the best for us!

A GENEROUS GOD

My close friends know that I carry a camera everywhere I go. I love photography. I love taking pictures of beautiful sceneries and nature. I visited a beautiful garden with Ps Mark, Susan, Eric and Atom. I really enjoyed taking photos of the colourful flowers in the garden. It was a relaxing day with my best friend Ps Mark. We share the same interests: God and photography. He just bought a new D90 Nikon camera and a photography magazine so we had lots to talk about.

A GENEROUS GOD

How do you view God? Do you see God as a selfish and stingy God who wants to take everything from your life? Our view of God can determine our behaviour and lifestyle. Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-11

2 Corinthians 9:6-11 (New International Version)

6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9As it is written:"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever."10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

For the last 21 years of my Christian life, my perception of God has changed from seeing Him as stingy to viewing Him as a generous God.

God initiates giving

Have you ever thought about where the concept of giving came from in the first place? Why did God encourage us to give to one another? It is because God was the one who initiated giving. He desires for us to love one another through the act of giving and helping others. God gave His most treasured possession: Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. He gave us the best so we can have an abundant life in this world and the next.

God gives to the giver

God gives generously to us so we can be generous and help other people. God meets our needs so we can support, provide and bless others. We can give to others what God gave to us. I really want to live my life as a blessing to other people around me. I pray for God to give me what I am lacking in my life so I can be an even greater blessing to others. I really desire for more of God's love, wisdom, anointing, and gifts of the Holy Spirit so I can be a blessing to others.

God blesses the givers

God will give further increase in our lives when we live out the principle of receiving and giving. He gives us more love, wisdom, anointing and gifts of the Holy Spirit when we become

His channel of blessings.

Personally, I had seen so many miracles in my life as I surrender my life to serve God and people. This week during the healing service, a crippled man started to walk for the first time. Another man recovering from a stroke started to walk more freely. He began to cry on the stage. Also, a few people in the church started to cry with joy when they witnessed this miracle. A lady blind in one eye saw some light, compared to the total darkness before. A few deaf and mute people were able to speak.

Start to know the Giver so you can be a blessing to others.

LIVING FOR ETERNITY

I am so thankful to God for the opportunity to appear on the Christian Radio Program called "Pure Heart Clean Wave". Nippon invited me to speak on his radio program called "Miracle Time" from 8pm to 10pm. I had two Christian sisters who helped me to translate my English into Thai language on the radio.

I had a wonderful experience to share my faith and how God used me in the healing ministry. I even got to pray for listeners to receive healing and blessing from God. I am so encouraged to hear that a man was healed during the "Miracle Time" radio program in Chiang Mai. I asked the listeners on the radio to put their hands on the area where they have pain. A man placed his hand on his arm because of the pain and God healed him! He told his daughters that God healed him through the radio program. God performed a miracle on the radio station! Glory to God! (See photos)


LIVING FOR ETERNITY

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (New International Version)

17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

There are many ways we can live on earth. I want to inspire every one of you to live for eternity with God. I would like to share some of the reasons that motivate us to live for God.

Living for eternity brings personal fulfilment

Through my personal life experiences, I discovered that living for God is both satisfying and fulfilling. As a car is designed to carry passengers and a clock designed to tell the time, we are created to fulfil God’s purpose and plan on earth. We need to find our personal fulfilment in knowing and serving God because the things of the world can only bring temporal pleasure.

Matthew 6:19-21 (New International Version)

19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

When I was young, I found pleasure in going to nightclubs. I loved the music and the people I met at the nightclub because they temporally numbed my loneliness and lack of self-worth. I really hated the day after because I had to confront the reality of my life. I was a man who was lonely and empty inside, in search for love and acceptance.

After I accepted Christ, I found my love and acceptance in God who changes my life. God is always by my side in times of loneliness and struggles. He helped me to overcome my weaknesses and limitations. He restored my self-worth and significance that I needed for life. My personal outlook and perspective on life has changed dramatically. I am more optimistic of a better future because God is with me. I am fulfilled by a God that cares for my wellbeing.

Do you want God to give you personal fulfilment? I encourage you to know Him and follow His personal plan for your life.

Living for eternity brings blessings and rewards

When we live for God, we will receive blessings from Him. Whatever we do for God to help others will be rewarded on earth and heaven. Our main motivation for serving God is not just to receive blessings, but to give to others what we have received from God. God blessed Abraham so he could forward God’s blessing to others.

Matthew 6:33 (New International Version)

33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Over the years, God has blessed me so much as I seek to fulfil His purpose for my life. I discovered God’s calling for my life as I serve Him. I discovered my natural and spiritual gifts through my involvement in the local church. God has supplied all my needs as I serve Him to bless the body of Christ.

Start living for God today and you will never regret it because God will give personal fulfilment, blessings and rewards.

LOVING GOD & LOVING PEOPLE

I had a wonderful cultural dinner and enjoyed a dance performance with some friends from around the world. I enjoyed eating the sticky rice, the fellowship and watching the various cultural dances. I even got on the floor and performed some of these dances. It was fun learning a dance from another culture. (See photos)


LOVING GOD & LOVING PEOPLE

1 John 4:7-11 (New International Version)

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son[a] into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Experience the miracle of His love

I believe one of the greatest miracles we can experience is the love of God through Christ. The Bible says that God is love. God demonstrated His love through sending Jesus to die for our sins. God took the initiative to love us so we can respond to His love. The Bible says we love God because He first loved us.

When I heard about the unconditional love of God 21 years ago, I wanted to receive and experience more of His love in my life. Since then, His love has changed me in so many ways. I have been transformed by the love of God. He helped me change my sinful nature into Christ-likeness. He replaced my bad habits with good habits. He drove away my fears and gave me His strength. I love God because of what He has done in my life. God has given me so much peace, joy, strength and blessings over the years. I want to love Him more because of what He had in my life

Have you experienced the miracle of God's love? His love will change you for the better both now and forever.

Experience the miracle of sharing His love

Our lives are complete when we live like a river where water flows in and out into the open sea. Likewise, after we experience the love of God, we can release the love of God to others so they can be blessed.

I remember years ago, when a Christian friend called Andrew Lee showed God's love to me. I was jobless and homeless. He offered his place for me to stay for three months until I was able to find work and accommodation. Andrew sacrificed his privacy by allowing me to share a room with him. He cooked dinner for me and did many other kind things so I could feel the love of God.

Years later, I also repeated the same act of love by allowing my friend to stay in my rented apartment free of charge until he could find his own place. When we forward God's love to another person, it can create a chain reaction. We can build a loving community instead of a divisive and isolated community.

Have you experience the miracle of sharing His love to others? Try to forward God's love this week because someone can experience the love of God through you.

EVERYDAY LIFE MIRACLES

I had a wonderful time watching the elephant show. The elephants are so well trained. Their act is so amazing: playing with a football, painting, playing musical instruments and dancing. I also went on an elephant ride with Aaron from the UK. I had a lot of fun riding on the elephant. However, I was praying the entire time for a safe journey during the elephant ride because I was so high above the ground! In the end though, I enjoyed the elephant ride very much. See photos.

EVERYDAY LIFE MIRACLES

Many times we think that God only perform signs and wonders in special places and at special times. We limit God to where and when He can do great things in our lives. We put God in a box because of our natural thinking. We go about our day-to-day routine without expecting God to do something out of the ordinary. Today, I would like to share about “everyday life miracles” with the passage from Luke 5:1-11.

Jesus is on our boat

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[a]with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, 2he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. Luke 5:1-3

Where is your boat? Your boat can be your home, office, school, university, college, playground, shopping centre, hospital, church etc. God wants to come into your world and do something special and out of the ordinary. Jesus entered Peter’s everyday world: fishing boats and nets. Jesus wants to come into your world today and make a difference.

Jesus wants to intervene in our life

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." Luke 5:4-5

Simon was tired from working all night without catching any fish. Furthermore, he was told by Jesus to return to the sea and let down his nets again. I am sure Simon preferred to have gone home and sleep, rather than experiencing disappointment again with an empty catch. However, something prompted him to trust in the words of Jesus for a surprise catch. Jesus can bring life, peace, joy and blessings in our everyday life. Jesus can turn things around when we listen and obey.

Jesus makes a supernatural day

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. Luke 5:6-7

The catch was amazing! They never experienced anything like this before. It was unexpected: there should not have been any fish around because of the low tide. Jesus acted beyond the natural; He called the fishes to swim into the nets. They caught such a large number of fish that the boat began to sink and Peter had to call for help. When we allow God into our daily life, something good is going to happen out of the ordinary.

Jesus wants us to live an extraordinary life

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. Luke 5:1-11

I could imagine the great commotion by all the fishermen after they saw Peter’s enormous catch. Peter’s immediate response was to acknowledge the presence of God in his boat. He acknowledged the hands of God in his life. Jesus' next challenge was to call Peter to be a fisher of men. God want to reveal His reality in our world so we can bring praise and glory to Him. He wants all people to have a personal encounter with His love and power.

Are you ready to experience everyday life miracles with Jesus?