JURONG OUTREACH - MAR 06

THIRSTY?
5 Mar 06

Some years ago in South America, a crew of Peruvian Sailors, heading toward the Amazon River , came upon a strange sight. A Spanish ship was anchored off the coast and all the sailors were stretched out on the deck of the ship. As the Peruvians drew closer, they saw that the Spaniards were in terrible physical condition. Their lips were parched and swollen. They were literally dying of thirst. "Can we help you?" shouted the Peruvians. The Spaniards cried out, "Water! Water! We need fresh water!"

The Peruvian sailors, surprised at this request, told them to lower their buckets and help themselves. The Spaniards, fearing they'd been misunderstood cried back, "No, no! We need FRESH water!” But they received the same reply from the Peruvians to lower their buckets and help themselves!

They finally did lower their buckets into the ocean waters, but when they brought the buckets on deck they discovered -- to their amazement -- FRESH WATER! Unknowingly, they had been anchored for days at the mouth of the Amazon River. They were too far from land to see the coast, but not too far from the mouth of the River. There they had access to fresh water in abundance.

Dying of thirst, the sailors had given up all hope. All that they needed to do, however, was to lower their buckets.

Like these sailors, many today are dying of ”spiritual thirst” unaware that "Living Water" is well within their reach!

The Scriptures record for us the account of a Samaritan woman of deeply immoral background who went out to Jacob’s well at noon to draw out some water. She may have been physically thirsty, but Jesus detected in her a greater, ”spiritual thirst”

Jesus said to the woman at the well: “Whoever drinks of this water will THIRST AGAIN, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will NEVER THIRST. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13-14). The woman responded, “Sir, give me THIS water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw” (John 4:15).

It seems that this woman was dying of ”spiritual thirst” and resigned to continue bearing her GUILT and SHAME. But Jesus informed her that FORGIVENESS and LIFE could be hers if she would just “let down her bucket.”

Like that woman, YOU and I have a sin problem, and “the wages of sin is DEATH” (Romans 6:23). Yet, Jesus invites us to ” lower our buckets” in faith and obedience so that we may take in the Living Water that quenches our thirst and satisfies our souls. To drink of the Living Water -

Likewise, a lecturer was giving a lecture to his students on stress management. He raised a glass of water and asked the audience, "How heavy do you think this glass of water is?"
The students' answers ranged from 20g to 500g.
"It does not matter on the absolute weight. It depends on how long you hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it is OK. If I hold it for an hour, I will have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance. It is the exact same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes ."

"If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, we will not be able to carry on, the burden becoming increasingly heavier."
"What you have to do is to put the glass down, Yes, we must learn to leave our burdens at Jesus’ feet. He has promised to give us the Water of Life and has asked that we cast our burdens on Him for He cares for us. ( 1 Pet 5:7)

These blessings are within our reach if only we believe in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Matthew 10:32), and be baptized (immersed) in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38). Then, we must continue to drink from the ” Fountain of Living Water" through our faithful obedience.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7).

Thirsty? Let down YOUR bucket and take in the Life-giving Water!

WHAT CANCER CANNOT DO?
12 Mar 06

Cancer! This very word brings such a broad range of emotions to those who hear it: sadness, despair, disappointment, and the list goes on. One would be hard-pressed to find a family that has not been affected by this terrible disease.

Yet, as the following poem written by an unknown author reminds us, cancer is still very limited:

Cancer Is So Limited...

It cannot cripple LOVE,
It cannot shatter HOPE,
It cannot corrode FAITH,
It cannot eat away PEACE,
It cannot destroy CONFIDENCE,
It cannot kill FRIENDSHIP,
It cannot shut out MEMORIES,
It cannot silence COURAGE,
It cannot invade the SOUL,
It cannot reduce ETERNAL LIFE,
It cannot quench the SPIRIT,
It cannot lessen the power of the RESURRECTION!

Because of JESUS, cancer does NOT have the last word.  Because of Jesus, ANY disease – and even death itself – are not the FINAL chapters of our lives. The Apostle Peter wrote the following words of assurance to some suffering Christians: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a LIVING HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for YOU" (1 Peter 1:3-4).

This IS the hope of the Christian, and this hope can be yours –IF– you will :

place your trust in God (Hebrews 11:6) But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

repent of sin (2 Corinthians 7:9-10)Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death,

confess Jesus before others (Romans 10:9-10) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

be baptized (immersed) for the forgiveness of sin (Acts 2:38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

AND cling to that living hope that Christ offers - through your continued, faithful obedience (1 John 1:7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

HEAR the words of the Apostle Paul; "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor ANY other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).

Cancer CANNOT touch the hope that Christ brings!
Cancer CANNOT tarnish the inheritance of the faithful child of God.
Will YOU not TRUST and OBEY so that this hope can be YOURS?

LIFE EVERLASTING
19 Mar 06

She was six years old when I first met her on the beach near where I live. I drive to this beach, a distance of three or four miles, whenever the world begins to close in on me. She was building a sandcastle or something and looked up, her eyes as blue as the sea. "Hello," she said. I answered with a nod, not really in the mood to bother with a small child. "I'm building," she said. "I see that. What is it?" I asked, not caring. "Oh, I don't know, I just like the feel of sand."

That sounds good, I thought, and slipped off my shoes. A sandpiper glided by. "That's a joy," the child said. "It's a what?" "It's a joy. My mama says sandpipers come to bring us joy." The bird went gliding down the beach. "Good-bye joy," I muttered to myself, "hello pain," and turned to walk on. I was depressed; my life seemed completely out of balance. "What's your name?" She wouldn't give up. "Robert," I answered. "I'm Robert Peterson." "Mine's Wendy ... I'm six." "Hi, Wendy." She giggled. "You're funny," she said.

In spite of my gloom I laughed too and walked on. Her musical giggle followed me. "Come again, Mr. P," she called. "We'll have another happy day."

The days and weeks that followed belong to others: a group of unruly Boy Scouts, PTA meetings, an ailing mother. The sun was shining one morning as I took my hands out of the dishwater. "I need a sandpiper," I said to myself, gathering up my coat. The ever-changing balm of the seashore awaited me. The breeze was chilly, but I strode along, trying to recapture the serenity I needed. I had forgotten the child and was startled when she appeared.

“Hello, Mr. P," she said. "Do you want to play?" "What did you have in mind?" I asked, with a twinge of annoyance. "I don't know... you say." "How about charades?" I asked sarcastically. The tinkling laughter burst forth again. "I don't know what that is." "Then let's just walk." Looking at her, I noticed the delicate fairness of her face. "Where do you live?" I asked. "Over there." She pointed toward a row of summer cottages. Strange, I thought, in winter. "Where do you go to school?" "I don't go to school. Mommy says we're on vacation." She chattered little girl talk as we strolled up the beach, but my mind was on other things. When I left for home, Wendy said it had been a happy day. Feeling surprisingly better, I smiled at her and agreed.

Three weeks later, I rushed to my beach in a state of near panic. I was in no mood to even greet Wendy. I thought I saw her mother on the porch and felt like demanding she keep her child at home. "Look, if you don't mind," I said crossly when Wendy caught up with me, "I'd rather be alone today." She seemed unusually pale and out of breath. "Why?" she asked. I turned to her and shouted, "Because my mother died!" and thought, my God, why was I saying this to a little child? "Oh," she said quietly, "then this is a bad day." "Yes," I said, " and  yesterday and the day before and -- oh, go away!" "Did it hurt? 'she inquired. "Did what hurt?" I was exasperated with her, with myself. "When she died?" "Of course it hurt!!!!" I snapped, misunderstanding, wrapped up in myself. I strode off.

A month or so after that, when I next went to the beach, she wasn't there. Feeling guilty, ashamed and admitting to myself I missed her, I went up to the cottage after my walk and knocked at the door. A drawn looking young woman with honey-coloured hair opened the door. "Hello," I said. "I'm Robert Peterson. I missed your little girl today and wondered where she was." "Oh yes, Mr. Peterson, please come in. Wendy spoke of you so much. I'm afraid I allowed her to bother you. If she was a nuisance, please, accept my apologies." "Not at all-she's a delightful child," I said, suddenly realizing that I meant it. "Where is she?" "Wendy died last week, Mr. Peterson. She had leukemia. Maybe she didn't tell you." Struck dumb, I groped for a chair. My breath caught. "She loved this beach; so when she asked to come, we couldn't say no. She seemed so much better here and had a lot of what she called happy days. But the last few weeks, she declined rapidly..." her voice faltered. "She left something for you. If only I can find it. Could you wait a moment while I look?" I nodded stupidly, my mind racing for something, anything, to say to this lovely young woman. She handed me a smeared envelope, with MR. P printed in bold, childish letters. Inside was a drawing in bright crayon hues-a yellow beach, a blue sea, and a brown bird. Underneath was carefully printed: A SANDPIPER TO BRING YOU JOY.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and a heart that had almost forgotten to love opened wide. I took Wendy's mother in my arms. "I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," I muttered over and over, and we wept together. The precious little picture is framed now and hangs in my study. Six words -- one for each year of her life -- that speak to me of harmony, courage, undemanding love. A gift from a child with sea-blue eyes and hair the colour of sand-who taught me the gift of love.

NOTE: The above is a true story sent out by Robert Peterson. It serves as a reminder to all of us that we need to take time to enjoy living and life and each other.  Blessed be the God and Father of  Our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a LIVING HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for YOU" (1 Peter 1:3-4).

This IS the hope of the Christian, and this hope can be yours too.

Death CANNOT touch the hope that Christ brings! Death CANNOT tarnish the inheritance of the faithful child of God. 

Will YOU not TRUST and OBEY so that this hope can be YOURS?

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

ENGRAVED IN STONE by David A Sargent
26 Mar 06

A story is told of two friends who were traveling together through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the SAND: TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath.
The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a STONE: TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "When I hurt you, you wrote in the SAND and now, you write on a STONE, why?"

The other friend replied, "When someone hurts us we should write it down in SAND where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in STONE where no wind can ever erase it."

The moral of the story is: Learn to write your hurts in the SAND and to carve your blessings in STONE.

Consider another application of the story…

By committing sin, WE are just like the ones who tortured and mocked the Son of God when "they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands” (Matthew 26:67).

Yet, because of His great love for us, Jesus is willing to "write these offenses in the sand" and forgive us. In fact, He was hung on a cross for that very reason. He "bore OUR sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness; by whose stripes YOU were healed" (1 Peter 2:24). "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7).

His forgiveness is available to those who: will accept through an obedient faith: placing their trust in Christ (Acts 16:31)And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house, repenting of sin (2 Corinthians 7:9-10)Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death, confessing Christ (Romans 10:9-10) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation and being baptized (immersed) in the name of Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Christ continues to forgive those who continue to follow Him (1 John 1:7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Even when we didn’t deserve it, Christ died on the cross so that we might have forgiveness for our sins (Romans 5:6-8)For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

THAT'S a blessing we need to accept and "engrave it in stone!"

God bless you!
David A. Sargent