Looking at a short segment of our history, we can discern a pattern with God’s leading.  Firstly, God has called us to a personal relationship with Himself.  God has a plan and purpose for our lives.  He always starts with establishing a personal intimate relationship with us.  Once we have aligned ourselves with His purpose and call for our lives, God will bring the church to what lies in His heart.  In the case of Bedok Methodist Church, it was stepping out to reach out to the lost and those in need.  Where God calls, He also equips. 

In Isaiah 46, God tells us that He knows the end from the beginning.  God tells His people what is in store, what lies at the end.  We are preparing for the return of our Lord.  Our discipleship is not meant to be kept for Bedok Methodist Church alone.  We are to reach out to people outside of our church.  The gospel of the kingdom of God is much more than about the forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life.  It is about the reign and rule of God in our lives, the world and the world to come.  We have a greater sphere of influence that extends to the circumstances that we find ourselves in and the people we interact with on a daily basis and so on.   

God’s love is for all nations.  In Revelations 7:9, God tells us about what He sees at the end “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.”  The Word of God has been moving through the nations to bring about this picture.  It started with Israel and moved to Rome.  From Rome, the western countries were evangelized and from there to the Pacific Islands.  Through the silk route, Asia, Middle East and Africa were reached and now, the Word of God is making its way back to Israel.   

Even in these dark days of moral confusion, God is calling the young people of today to bring God’s light into the world.  Fathers and mothers, God’s call to you is to protect these young people, to believe in them, encourage them, guide them in the way they should go, teach them to worship Christ, pray for them and where they are called to work for Christ, release them to their calling.   

Prayer

Dear God, thank you for today’s message and helping us to recall our rich history.  Help me to recall my personal walk with you and be alive to what you have been doing in my life these last few years.  Show me what your purpose and calling is for me now and enable me to carry that out in obedience, joy and with courage.     

A devotional based on a sermon by Ms Judy Foo. 

Judy is with Youth With A Mission, an internaltional, interdenominational movement of Christians dedicated to serving Jesus throughout the world.