thank You, Lord for this reminder...
found something i wrote 2 years ago...
17th May, 2003
I was really encouraged when Sheila shared at GTF today. It was her first time at GTF. What she said reminded me, if not all of us, about the promise we made to God on Dedication Sunday. When asked if she would like to choose a song to sing, she didn’t just choose any song randomly. Instead, she chose a song that she already had in mind: O Jesus, I Have Promised. She shared that this song comforts and reminds her of what she has decided to do for God, despite her busy schedule in JC. Indeed, we should ask God to let us feel Him near us, especially when there are worldly temptations or whatsoever. No matter what tempts us or distracts us, Jesus would be there to shield us from sin.
I thank God for bringing Sheila to GTF today. I have always thought that she was a quiet girl only very involved in studies. But I was so wrong. It was really encouraging to see another fellow sister-in-Christ so ‘on fire’ for God, especially when she was from Galilee. What she shared at GTF not only changed my opinion of her. It was also a reminder to all of us, especially the ex-co members: We’ve made a promise to God –to serve Him.
O Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end;
Be thou forever near me, my Master and my Friend.
I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my Guide.
something i've never realised
"And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen." Genesis 22:13-14
God caused the ram to be caught by its horns in the bush. If it had been caught by any other part of its body, it would have injured itself by struggling and trying to get free. If it had been injured, it would not have been an acceptable offering to God. God would only accept a healthy, strong animal as a sacrifice. Because God is perfect, He will only accept whatever is perfect. likewise, God had sent us His only Son, Who was perfect and sinless, as a Lamb Who was slained for us...so that we will not have to face death (hell). Just like the ram, Christ had died in our place so we may be reconciled with God.
anyway, today's topic in firm foundations class was abt faith and i believe tt it wasn't by chance tt "faith" was also the topic at prayer meeting. when God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, as a burnt offering, Abraham trusted God and obeyed. Abraham believed tt even if he did kill Isaac in obedience to God, God would raise Isaac from the dead. he knew it was impossible for man, but he trusted God to do this.
as difficult as it may seem, i just pray tt God would give me tt faith tt Abraham had...to trust God to provide a way for me regarding my studies in the future, and right now, to trust Him to be able to deliver me and the rest of us from this whole pa** issue we're facing...
and guess wat...today's quiet time, was abt faith too...guess God is trying to speak to me...just pray tt He'll make things clearer for me to see...and teach me what to do...
graduation ceremony, finally : )
well, this is the day i've been waiting for the past 3 years. but it seems like just yesterday tt i first stepped into temasek polytechnic, filled with uncertainties...wondering if i'd chosen the right course, but of cos trying really hard to accept it all as God's will for me.
there came a time i wanted to give it up...when i found a passion in teaching kids. wondering why didn't i choose early childhood in ngee ann, when, after all, i wanted so much to be in the same sch as my close friends like ss, josiah, mag, eve...but m glad i didn't...and like wat mommy said to me after the ceremony, "see, good thing you didn't give it up. you've now gone thru it and completed it in the end."
i thank God for my parents, and of cos, thank God, too, for giving me strength to obey my parents, as much as i didn't like what they advised me to do...
of cos, as much as i didn't like the work, i definitely had my fair share of fun these 3 years...m grateful to God for giving me friends like melissa, jiahui & yenting...i'll never forget the precious moments spent with them...celebrating birthdays together (without setting off the fire alarm), celebrating the end of exams at seoul garden, marine parade and even at swenson's when our exams weren't over yet, all the talks we've had over lunch in the many canteens at sch, taking a bus/train down to bugis during 3-hour break, endless printing/photocopying of notes, sharing of notes, preparing for open-book papers till the wee hours in the sch lib, tampines mall & even a void deck...skipping of lectures just becos we didn't feel like gng, and even running off halfway to chill out at jupiter's cafe...
thank God too, for all the friends i've not mentioned but God has placed in my life...i've no idea when, or if we'd ever meet again, but they'll always be remembered : )
also really grateful to Jehovah-jireh for making a way and allowing papa to fly back just on time for my grad ceremony : ) wat could be better than have my parents see me walk up tt stage and recieve tt piece of paper they've been hoping for me to get? :]
anyway, all glory to God, for seeing me through the past 3 years of my tertiary education!
my name is gwyneth van.
really thank God for seeing me thru the past week. just got home from church after firm foundations class & prayer meeting. got a chance to witness pastor heng burning the idols before i left church. m really glad too, for bringing all 4 of us (mag, eve, nelson & myself) plus ric & josiah to join us for firm foundations class & prayer meeting this evening : )
i thank God for elder richard's sharing at prayer meeting. i recently borrowed "the name book" from our church library and actually found out the meaning behind my name...and i really felt tt today's sharing was really timely.
GWYNN, Gwinn, Gwyn, Gwynne
Language/Cultural Origin: Welsh
Inherent Meaning: Spotless
Spiritual Connotation: Seeker of Wisdom
Scripture: Isaiah 58:14 NIV (Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth.)
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7
What den, is the fear of the Lord?
"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do i hate." Proverbs 8:13
i've come to realise how meaningful my name is and i really thank God for it. i pray tt i would indeed be a seeker of wisdom, and my God is a God of wisdom, so where else can i seek wisdom? no one else, no not one, but my Heavenly Father, the one & only omniscient God.
something really interesting too. my surname actually has a meaning!
VAN, Vann
Language/Cultural Origin: Dutch
Inherent Meaning: Water Dam
Spiritual Connotation: Forgiving
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:15 TLB (What is wrong cannot be righted; it is water over the dam; and there is no use thinking of what might have been.)
well...was really surprised, actually to find out tt my surname actually means "forgiving"...which makes me really ashamed of myself. was asking myself if i've been forgiving to the faults of others and realise...hmm, not really. just pray too, tt i would learn to be more like Jesus, always forgiving...so forgiving tt He was willing to die on the cross for our sins.
fondue fellowship
just wanna thank God for a wonderfully sweeet time of fellowship with the 1985s and nelson at my home last night : ) was kinda disappointed tt joanne dear & mag couldn't join us...cos if they did, we'd really have the entire 1985 cohort (old & new-timers) over at my place. even ivonne & joshua wee came! just wanna thank God for a chance for us to gather to catch up with one anor, and of cos, talk abt those days when we were still in sunday school, over spaghetti, chocolate & cheese fondue! haa...and you know, i can't believe tt i've known joanne, shelia, josiah, joshua & ivonne for 14 years! m so grateful to God for sustaining our friendship over the years & i pray tt God will continue to be the Lord of our friendship here on earth...till we all meet again in heaven someday!
"and friends are friends forever,
if the Lord's the lord of them...
and a friend will not say "never"
cos the welcome will not end.
tho it's hard to let you go,
in the Father's hands we know,
that a lifetime's not too long
to live as friends"
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