Archive for December, 2006

December 5, 2006

~Real Word~

Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening?
GOD doesn’t come and go. God lasts.
He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine.He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath.And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired,gives fresh strength to dropouts.
For even young people tire and drop out,young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon GOD get fresh strength.They spread their wings and soar like eagles,They run and don’t get tired,they walk and don’t lag behind.

(Isaiah 40:28-31 The Message)

Filed under: real word

December 4, 2006

From Suzie, RTFaith: I want to welcome Jade West, another amazing RT Staff writer!

The Fine Print
by: Jade West

“For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ~ Romans 8:38-39, KJV

Most Christians live their entire lives waiting for “the fine print”. There’s got to be a line somewhere in the Bible that says: If you fail to tithe or attend church faithfully, then Jesus’ love for you is considered null and void. Or if you make a “big” mistake or commit one sin too many times. (more…)

Filed under: Jade west, real devos

December 2, 2006

Let’s welcome Rä¢HÉl MôK, our international RTF staff member. She lives in Australia, but is from Singapore. Rachel will be blogging once or twice a month on RTF.

Today she gets real about True Faith.

True Faith
by Rä¢HÉl MôK, 17

Faith may become to us like a promise on demand and we operate it through formulae, mechanisms and techniques. The truth is, no matter how great our faith may be, God is the source of our answered prayer and cannot be manipulated in any way.

People often misunderstand what faith is. Recently, I just attended a church seminar on “True Faith”. A particular lesson taught about a number of different misunderstandings that people have about faith. Having true faith does not imply that we should not or are not supposed to do anything at all. So here I am going to share some common misunderstandings about faith, and my major struggle I go through.

The first common misunderstanding is that “faith works like magic to enable us to receive whatever we desire”, that is not true. Faith is not for getting the things that we want. We should not get confused with faith and God’s power to change things. Faith is to trust God even when we do not exactly understand what God’s plan actually is.

Secondly, people believe that “unanswered prayer is a sign of lack of faith”, which is false again. For example, I am currently praying for a scholarship for my university studies, however if God decides not to give me the scholarship, it doesn’t mean that my faith is weak. Although it is true that we must let God do His part, we must do our part as well. In this case, it would mean I have to study hard for my exams. Faith should be centered on God’s will for our lives. Our faith may increase the possibility of God fulfilling our prayer request, but if God doesn’t answer, it doesn’t mean we are lack of faith.

Finally, some also think that “lack of prosperity is a sign of lack of faith”, however prosperity has nothing to do with faith but it has something to do with what God has planned for our lives. Material wealth is not equivalent to spiritual wealth. We should be contented with what God has blessed us with. As stated in the bible - For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. So we shouldn’t be so focused on material wealth.

BIO: Rachel is 17, originally from Singapore, but studying high school in Australia and going on to study the bachelor of social work in University of Queensland next year. Her interests range from music, photography and writing, basically ways that she can express herself in art forms. Most of all, she has a great passion for people and hopes to be able to touch lives of many in all that she does. Check out her
blog, JUST LIKE HEAVEN.

Filed under: rachel mok, real devos

December 1, 2006

Home is Not Here
(It Never Was)
by Jenn Joshua, 16

The last bag is packed, the last zipper shut. I lean back on my heels and look at the room I’m about to leave. What was it…three, four days ago that we got here? Maybe less. It seems like just yesterday. I stand to my feet, pull the heavy backpack onto my shoulder and inch backwards towards the door. Maybe next time I should bring a piece of furniture, something to make the room look more…

“Time to leave!” a voice calls from downstairs. One fleeting glance is all I’m entitled to before I close the door behind me. (more…)

Filed under: jenn joshua, real devos