December | 2012 | Joshua House

The Year Just Flew By…

[People always say time fly very fast but if we think about it, time remain the same. In a day we still have 24 hours, not more and not less. I wonder how did that phrase come about. But anyway, that is not my devotion.. is just a thought to think about ^^ ]

We have just had our covenant reviews last week. The adventure that we had in 2012 is coming to an end soon. There may be some bitter sweet experiences in that adventure, but overall, I am sure it has been filled with much learning and growing. And as we look back, we may see some heartaches that we had to go through, some failures that nearly broke us apart, some disappointments that we could not tolerate, but, it is throughout this whole year that we learn to be humble and to rely on God and His Word, knowing that He always have our best interest. Sometimes we may not be able to understand the whole picture, but we know through His word that God loves us more than we could ever imagine.

As we wonder what is in store for us in this New Year, a mix of feeling may engulf us: scared, nervous, happy as some of us may be attending new school or new job, having new friends, or a new chapter of life. Though those feelings may be a norm to some of us, yet, we can choose to look at 2013 as another new adventure that we will be having. May we learn to turn to Him for security for most of the time when given the choice between trusting God or trusting the world, we will find ourselves choosing the secondary.

Hence, dear youths, as we start our adventure next year, may we start the year together with God. Do try to spend the rest of this year (it may sound like very long but it is only a few more days before the year come to an end) on praying for God’s direction for you in 2013. Yes, it may be filled with many challenges and maybe more heartaches but have no fear, God is still in control over all things. We may have a lot of good plans lining up for us but never start our plans without consulting God. Throughout the Bible, we have read of how the people, even the great kings, who ignore God and did not consult Him. At the end, as you know, they failed miserably in their plans. Hence, never leave God out from our plans and consult Him always (Proverbs 16:1-9)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6)

December 31, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

He Does It ALL…

‘The LORD your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’(Deut. 1:30,31)

These verses form part of the opening speech that Moses gave to the Israelites when they were about to enter Canaan. They had been delivered out of slavery in Egypt by crossing the Red Sea, and had just spent 40 years wandering in the Arabian desert, being fed with manna. Now, they were ready to enter the Promised Land.

Let’s break it down and look at each section in turn.

· ‘The LORD your God’

God is the covenant God of the Israelites. At Mount Sinai, he established his covenant relationship with them: they will be his people, and he will be their God. Similarly, as Christians we are God’s chosen people (1 Pet. 2:9). God is committed to us; he is our God.

· ‘who goes before you will himself fight for you ‘

Here Moses gives a promise: God will fight for the Israelites. It’s interesting to note how Godhimself will fight for his people – he isn’t some disinterested power in the sky, but a God who is personally, intimately involved in the affairs of his people. He is Immanuel (Matt. 1:23), God-With-Us, who understands our struggles and fights on our behalf.

· ‘just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen‘

Now, Moses gives evidence to back up the promise. God has repeatedly proven himself faithful. The Israelites have witnessed firsthand his great power in delivering them out of Egypt, leading them through the wilderness and feeding them with manna. They can have faith that God will fight for them in Canaan because he has already done so in the past. If you find yourself struggling to have faith in God’s promises, think back on the times when God has proven himself faithful in the past. Remember your firsthand experiences of his goodness.

· ‘how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son’

Again, there is emphasis on God as “your” God, and here Moses uses the simile of a father-son relationship to describe God’s loving care for his people. More than that, however, there is also the idea that God is the one who has guided and led Israel all the way from Egypt to the Promised Land. It was all God’s doing; he “carried” them. I’m pretty sure that the Israelites didn’t feel that way about it! They had to flee Egypt, walk hundreds of miles, fight hostile enemies… At times, they certainly wouldn’t have felt that God was carrying them. Yet the fact remains that it was God who led them and sustained them all along.

At times when we feel weak and inadequate, we should remember that God is our God, and he is committed to carrying us through whatever difficulties we face. It certainly won’t seem like it at the time – in fact, during trials, God is often glaringly absent from our consciousness. We feel that he has abandoned us, and that we’re walking through a dry and empty desert on our own, with no sign of his presence. But when we look back, we’ll realise that God was carrying us all along. His grace is sufficient for us (2 Cor. 12:9).

· ‘all the way that you went until you came to this place.’

God carries us all the way! “Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.’ (Isaiah 46:4). When God commits to do something, he will follow it through until the end. God had promised Abraham that He would give Abraham’s descendants the land of Canaan (Gen. 12:7). Finally, after generations had passed, this promise was finally about to be fulfilled. God led the Israelites all the way, until they arrived at the Promised Land. God keeps his promises! He is trustworthy, and he will carry us all the way.

‘Through many dangers, toils and snares

I have already come

‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far

And grace will lead me home.’

December 22, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Joshua House @ LifeGame Camp 2012

Joshua House youths & friends attended the LifeGame Camp 2012 at Chefoo Centre, Cameron Highlands from 10 – 12 December 2012. A total of 21 youths; comprising of 9 youths from Joshua House, 5 from MGS, 5 from SXI and 2 from St.Georges went for the camp.

We were sworn to secrecy, to never divulge the details of the camp…so that we won’t spoil it for those who intend to go for it later on! Sorry people! But believe me…it was INTENSE FUN!!

Here are the pics…

And we also had our very own contenders in…SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE…

Presenting…

and also…

That’s right folks…“I want nobody nobody but (you) Jesus!”…

December 14, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Joshua (ROOM) House…transformation…

The youth room for Joshua House had been under construction for the past 1 month or so. Here are some of the pictures of what had been going on.

On behalf of Joshua House, we would like to thank Mr Al Bennett for being the project manager and ardent supporter for the welfare of the youths. We also like to thank our own Kelvin Ng, for spending 1 whole afternoon, painting the walls on his own!

The grand opening for the NEW…JOSHUA HOUSE…YOUTH…ROOM…will tentatively be within the 1st week of January 2013!! Let’s get ready for it guys & gals!!