Today's QT on Hebrews 10 (my own meditation)

Question 1 :
"Why do the high priests have to keep offering the different sacrifices again and again when Christ said in v5 that GOD did not desire sacrifice and offering?

Answer 1 :
Because GOD is Holy and before Jesus came, the only way man can reach Him is through sacrificing the animals for the cleansing of their sins. 
Because He loves us and wants to be our GOD that He first initiated to reach out to Abraham in Genesis and this shows His heart to have fellowship with His creatures (men). 

Question 2 :
"Why only when Jesus said "Here I am, I have come to do Your will.  He sets aside the first to establish the second." are we made holy?

Answer 2 :
If only we could see  and feel with our hearts what Jesus Christ has demonstrated for us on the cross -
His obedience to The Father in heaven,
His great sacrifice of heaven's glory; being fully God and then came to earth as fully man.
His great love for us to suffer humility, pain, torture, the worst death during the Roman's reign, in order to redeem us with His precious blood for without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.  He, being the perfect Lamb of GOD, the only Sacrifice acceptable to our Holy GOD, could atone for our sins once an for all so that we do not need high priests to continually offer sacrifices for our sins but we can simply come to the Holy GOD any time in Jesus' Name. 

In Jesus' Name we are made righteous and holy in GOD's sight and that is why we are no longer bound by the first law or covenant but we are now in the age of grace - grace through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Question 3 :
"What does it mean in v16 it says GOD will put His laws in our hearts and write them on our minds and He will remember our sins and lawless acts no more?"

Answer 3 :
Because the first set of laws were written in tablets (the 10 commandments GOD gave to Moses on Mt Sinai in Exodus), now He writes them on the human hearts and minds.  In Ecclesiastes 3:11 says GOD has set eternity in the hearts of men - only GOD can fill that void in our hearts as we are His creation, created only for Him and only He can satisfy us - no one, nothing from the world can fill that void He has put in our hearts. 

Because our hearts are deceitfully sinful, we are wilful and have free will, we are prone to wander away from Him.  We belong to Him in the first place and now with Christ's redemption, we are twice own by GOD.  In Proverbs it says only fools says there is no GOD.  May the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and hearts to see who we are in Christ Jesus, what we are to Him and all the spiritual inheritance we have in Him and through Him. 

Praise the Lord for what He has done that GOD has forgiven us and will not remember our sins and lawless acts,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFzsU6u853I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrNfaqZa8PI

To all the faithful moms... "Blessed Mother's Day"

Dear sisters in Christ,

Today, I read a blog on how a mother's love and sacrifices has rubbed off to her children and how the children turned out to be loving and close to one another.  It led me to think of you, the moms out there who have also, in the best of your ability and knowledge, given all you have to your family and to your children; caring for them, loving them, sacrificing for them even to the extend of giving up your rights at times for the sake of the family but somehow nobody seem to notice or appreciate.

I salute you and affirm you in the Lord - our God who sees all hearts, all deeds, all motives, and He will reward you in His time. Jeremiah 17:10 NLT "But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve."  We all go through different types of struggles and at times we even cry ourselves to sleep.  Believe me when I say that as I have been there and still struggle with issues only our Father in Heaven sees and understand. GOD appreciates what you are faithfully doing to impact lives of the next generation; reminding them of Who GOD is and what He has done and is doing, passing on the legacy of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Instead of focusing on the "whys", focus on the Lord Jesus, only He can satisfy all your needs and longings.  One verse that helped me till now and I still stand by it is Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." In fact, Colossians 3 is a good reminder and guide for all Christian.  Do take some time to read through it and let the living Word of GOD encourage you to live lives that please our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

I am still learning and trying to claim His many promises and work on my shortcomings.  Let's continue to encourage one another on this journey GOD has placed us in.  Hebrews 10 :23-25 "Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near."

Below is dedicate to all the mothers, who at times wonder "Why things turned out this way?", "Why my children are not as loving as you wish they would be?'"  "Why are your family members taking you for granted?" Why this and Why that.  We do not know why but GOD knows and we can trust His heart and His working out His purposes in our lives.  Jia You! Preserve on dear sisters in Christ.

Blessed is the Mom whose mind is stayed on Christ

Trusting Him by faith, and not by sight

Seeking first His kingdom, His righteousness

The Lord, her Shepherd and Guide

 

Daily fix your eyes upon the Lord

Casting all your worries and cares on Him

Asking Him for wisdom in all you do

And grace sufficient to see you through.

 

Because He first loved us,

In His love you can live victoriously

Praising Him and thanking Him

In good times and in bad.

May GOD grant us a heart of love to obey Him; to be thankful and grateful for all He has done.  May we live exemplary lives for our children.  May they grow up to be men and women of GOD who fear and love the Lord with all their hearts, soul, mind and strength.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9_0jiO5ZRM

In Christ's love,
Irene

26th Wedding Anniversary March 2014

Thank GOD for the opportunity to visit Melbourne, Victoria in April this year.  Peter wanted to celebrate our 26th Anniversary over there.

This was a one-eye stone figure taken along the Great Ocean Road.

The Lighthouse along the Great Ocean Road.  Pete's clever idea to pose with the Lighthouse on our hands.

 

We visited the Southgate to take some pictures.  Pete was not satisfied with the pictures taken on the 2nd night so we went back the following evening.

Beautiful lights along the Southgate.

Pete with the bridge in the background.

You can find helpful tourist guides along the streets of Melbourne who will give you advise on how to get to where you like to visit.

Thank GOD for their free public trams.  With this, we saved quite a bit on transport; visiting the various places within the city of Melbourne.

This is an Orange Tree we found in one of the wineries in Yarrah Valley.

Bought some Pear Cider from one of the wineries.

If I am not wrong, this should be St Paul's Cathedral.

The hotel we stayed in was very central and it's within walking distance to most of the tourist attractions. 

This is a beautiful pose.  Notice that the cap looks like a heart shape :)

My beloved husband :)

Smart of Pete to bring the tripod stand so we could have couple pictures.

This is the start of the Great Ocean Road adventure :)

More pictures along the Great Ocean Road.

Thank GOD for granting us beautiful sunshine and weather during our trip there.  On the last day before leaving for the airport, it started to rain.

In the background you can see a few of the 12 Apostles.  Supposed to be 12 but we counted only about 7-8 left.  Pete and others say that they may be gone in a few years due to the constant beating of the wind and sand.

Awesome :)

We stayed at the 12 Apostle Motel.  Outside our unit are lovely Lavenders.

We visited the 12 Apostles in the evening, late at night and early in the morning.  Typical Singaporeans - since travelled all the way there, might as well view them at different times of the day and night :O

Nice pose :)

London Bridge along the Great Ocean Road.

We got a bit lost on our way to the Yarrah Valley during the weekends but thank GOD for providing us with this group of 5 Haley Davidson riders to escort us.

Only 1 out of the team of 5 riders stayed outside the Yarrah Valley.  So he led us all the way and even led us to the freeway where we need not have to pay toll.  Praise the Lord for sending angels to assist us :)  Psalm 23 "All the way my Saviour leads me, what have I to ask beside..."

This is the first farm stopover  - Stone Orchard. We bought some peaches and fruit leathers.  This orchard grows mainly fruits with stones such as peaches, nectarines, etc.

This is a reservoir in Yarrah Valley, near where we stayed for one of the nights.

Beautiful scenery and loving couple ;)

Vineyards in the background.

Jesus says in John 15: 5 "I am the Vine, you are the branches; if a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing."

Another great pose from Pete :)

Must visit farms with produce.  How can I leave this place without buying stuff for my baking ;)

Apple Trees

Orange Trees

Pete loves seafood.  We bought 1/2 a dozen of fresh oysters from the Victoria Market and guess who was the satisfied consumer :)

More seafood.  Look at the crabs and lobsters :O

These are just some of the many, many pictures we took during our Melbourne, Victoria trip.  Thank GOD for this opportunity, for beautiful weather, for safety, for a wonderful time with my husband and for His bountiful blessings.  Could not have asked for more.  Praise GOD from Whom all blessings flow :)

Peter & Irene in the wilderness - our Isarel trip postings dated 3 - 18 August 2010

 

 

Peter and Irene in the wilderness

 

 

It's Peter's turn to lead Bible Study on John the Baptist this Friday at CG.  He wanted me to help dig out some of our photos of Qumran caves, Jordan River and the Wilderness, taken during our Israel trip in June 2010.  So I decided to read through what was written about 4 years back.

One thing that came to my mind is that I may not remember all the beautiful places we have visited and the lessons learnt during that trip but I must and by His grace, will remember what GOD has done for us, Who Jesus is to me and that I must pledge my allegiance to Him and Him alone. 

Thank You Lord, for saving my soul

Thank You Lord, for making me whole

Thank You Lord, for giving to me

Thy great salvation so rich and free.

 

 

Jan - Feb 2014

This picture was taken in my daughter's apartment.  It was the night before I came back to Singapore from my visit to London.  I cooked for her two Thai friends, Maaew, Kookup and her flatmate, Farah a simple dinner of Prima Deli Chicken Curry, stirred fried Spinach with garlic and Fried Egg.  We had Nutella Pecan Pie with Ben and Jerry Ice Cream for dessert.  Had the opportunity to pray a short prayer of blessings for them as they study over there.

 

Made this Prima Deli Laska with chicken, fish ball, tau pok and siow pai chye for one of our dinners.  Tried to cook as much of her favourite homecook food as possible when I was there.

Could not resist buying their fresh raspberries from Borough's Market.  Made some Raspberry Jam. 

 

My first bake in London -  Chocolate Muffins. 

This was my last bake in London - Banana Muffins.  Did not really bake much over there as I do not want to make Eliza put on too much weight because mom was there :)  Only made twice Nutella Pecan tarts, two types of muffins and once Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes.

Baked this batch of raisin and walnut buns after a month of break from baking to bless the brethrens who attended the Saturday morning prayer for the church leaders.

Then came this batch of French loaves to replenish those eaten up from the freezer during my trip ;)

Must have variation right?  So made some Molten Lava Chocolate cakes garnished with fresh strawberries for breakfast ;) 

The following Saturday morning Prayer meeting,  I made these Chocolate and Cranberry Muffins.  Something simple and delicious to be baked in the morning so that the brethrens could enjoy them fresh :)

These are Taiwanese Pineapple Tarts with Blueberries.  GOD created me with the curiosity to experiment and have variety in my baking, etc.  That's why cannot stick to the norm ;)

These are Taiwanese Pineapple Tarts with Cranberries ;)

Wanted to try adding Black and White Sesame Paste into my Kueh Lapis and I did :)

Pizza for Breakfast.  Prepared the dough the night before and kept it in the fridge.  Woke up earlier the next morning to roll out the dough, prepare the filling and baked fresh for breakfast :-)

 

Made two variations of pizzas - Ham and Cheese plus Sausage and Tomatoes.

These are buns filled with Ham and Cheese topped with more cheese, Sweet Rolls for the Monday Night Cyclists.

Yam and Sweet Potato filled with Sticky Cake Fritters :)  My cousin, who cooks and bakes very well, makes sticky cake every year for Chinese New Year.  Yummy ;)

Renfred asked if I could help him make a savory appetizer for the Youth Valentine's Day Dinner.  Am afraid of big numbers but because I wanted to support my son, I said, I shall try.  Thus, began the experimental journey of making Savory Hot dog Muffins and Kenny Rogers Corn Muffins. 

That Saturday was crazy for me.  Had a very tight schedule of going for the Saturday morning prayer, then rushed down to our old class mates gathering in the West and then hurried back to buy last minute ingredients at the supermarket and back home to bake 198 Kenny Rogers Corn Muffins :O

 

Baked Savory Sausage Muffin for the first time in my life.



Made these French loaves, a day before the old class mates gathering, to go with the curry chicken which Joyce was bringing.  Thank GOD they love it and I wished I had made more.

Also made these Prawn Rolls, which I had to wake up earlier to fry, for the old class mates gathering. Thank GOD for seeing me through that crazy Saturday, standing 4+ hours to bake the muffins.

 

Had some leftover Bak Kwa.  So..... made some Bak Kwa Garlic Buns :)

 

Using the French loaf recipe, I added walnuts, oat, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and topped with poppy seeds.  Very fragrant ;)

Pecan Cinnamon Squares :)

Baked some mini sausage buns for another group of brethrens.

A simple dinner for my hubby - Yee Mee with fresh prawns, squid, mackerel slices, green vegetables and an egg :)

Once in a while, I feel like playing with colours.  So I made these two rainbow agar agar.  In Genesis, rainbow reminds us of GOD's covenant with Noah not to destroy the earth anymore with rain.