God is Gracious

Thank God Jayne returned home safely from her
three -week diving holiday at Cebu, Philippines.

Just two days before her arrival, Sat , 11pm, there
was a brief mention, over the radio, of news that
Typhoon Fengshen would attack central Philippines
and the surrounding islands.

When it was time for her and Eleanor to leave Puerto
Princessa, they heard about the typhoon. Thank God
they were not affected because it was no small matter.
It had killed enough lives for our President and PM to
send condolence letters to President Arroyo.

The tragedy was that the typhoon had "flipped" a MV
Princess of the Stars on Sunday, sinking the ferry
and leaving "700 of her passengers feared dead".

By Tuesday, news was that "only 38 out of 800"
reached safety. Today (Wed), the search for bodies
is still going on and that many bodies have been
found inside the ferry, raising fears of a "mass
underwater grave".

Notwithstanding the inaccuracy of the figures, it's a
fact that 'floating coffin' tragedies are not uncommon
in the Philippines given the country's horrendous
track record of ferry tragedies. The fares are cheap
but the condition of the ferries is something else!

And when you hear how Jayne herself described
her banca boat rides - truly, God has been most
gracious to her (and me ) in sparing her from any
accidents, at least this time round because it can
also be reasoned that if God allowed her to go
through any of these harrowing experiences, we
can thank Him all the more for bringing her home
safely ! Or what if ........

I just thank God that He "deemed it best" to bring
her and Eleanor safely from their diving holiday .
It's truly by God's grace that they came back
safe and sound, free from any mishaps or
tragic accidents, enjoying themselves thoroughly,
when those hundreds who had gone for a 'safer one'
in the MV Princess of the Stars didn't even make it.

Wounded For Me

Don't know who exactly wrote the lyrics-W.G. Ovens (1870 - 1945)
or Gladys Westcott Roberts, 1888- ? Both names are mentioned.
But tune is definitely by W.G. Ovens.

1. Wounded for me , wounded for me.
There on the cross, He was wounded for me;
Gone my transgressions and now I am free
All because Jesus was wounded for me.

2. Dying for me, dying for me.
There on the cross, He was dying for me.
Now in His death my redemption I see
All because Jesus was dying for me.

3. Risen for me, risen for me.
Up from the grave, He has risen for me.
Now ever more from death's sting I am free.
All because Jesus has risen for me.

4. Coming for me, coming for me.
One day to earth, He is coming for me.
Then with what joy, His dear face I shall see.
O how I praise Him, He's coming for me!

A Most Difficult Thing To Do - Christian Love

John B. Phillips' paraphrase of 1 Cor. 13 on Love.
The italics in brackets is NASB version.

"This love of which I speak-
is slow to lose patience -
it looks for a way of being constructive.
It is not possessive:
it is neither anxious to impress
nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its
own importance.

Love has good manners
and does not pursue selfish advantage.
It is not touchy. (is not provoked)
It does not keep account of evil
or gloat over the wickedness of other people.
(does not rejoice in unrighteousness)
On the contrary, it shares the joy of those
who live by the truth.
(rejoices with the truth)

Love knows no limit to its endurance,
(bears all things)
no end to its trust, (believes all things)
no fading of its hope; (hopes all things)
it can outlast anything. (endures all things)
Love never fails.

About Tomorrow

"Never doubt in the darkness
what God has told you in the light."

"Never be afraid to trust an
unknown future to a known God."

"Fear not tomorrow for God
is already there."

"God has no problems - just plans!"

I think all the quotes are from Corrie ten Boom

"The Love of God "

1. "The love of God is greater fa-r
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest st-ar,
And reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with ca-re,
God gave His S-on to win;
His erring child He reconci-led,
And pardoned fr-om his sin.

Chorus:
O love of God, how rich and pu-re!
How measurel-ess and strong!
It shall fore-ver more endu-re
The saints' and an-gels' song.

2. When years of time shall pass away
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God's love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam's race
The saints' and an-gels' song.

3. Could we with ink the ocean fi-ll;
And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a qu-ill;
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God a-bove
Would drain the o-cean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the wh-ole
Though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall for evermore endure
The saints' and angels' song."

Day by Day

Swedish hymnist Lina Sandell Berg served with
her father in an evangelistic ministry. As they were
travelling by ship, he accidentally fell overboard
and drowned. In need of the comfort that only
God can supply, she wrote the hymn below:

1. "Day by day and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,
I've no cause for worry or for fear.

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best.
Lovingly, it's part of pain and pleasure
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

2. Ev'ry day the Lord Himself is near me
With a special mercy for each hour
All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow'r.

The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,
This the pledge to me He made.

3. Help me then in ev'ry tribulation
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith's sweet consolation
Offered me within Thy holy Word.

Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting
Er'er to take, as from a Father's hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the Promised Land. "


Help me then in every tribulation
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord

In Truth and in Love

Loving in truth. John Stott has a knack of putting
it across:

"Our love grows soft
if it is not strengthened by truth
and our truth grows hard
if it is not softened by love.

We need to live according to Scripture
which commands us both to love in the truth
and to hold the truth in love."

An Open Heart not a Cynical Mind

Here's another one of those quotes found in my
'Blue Book'. Whether they're spoken by characters
from his books or by himself, I don't know. But I
like the way Henry Ward Beecher explained why
some of us do not enjoy God's goodness and mercy:

"There is dew in one flower and not in another,
because one opens its cup and takes it in,
while the other closes itself, and the dewdrops
run off. God rains His goodness and mercy as
widespread as the dew, and if we lack them, it
is because we will not open our hearts to receive
them."

Besides the closed heart, there is also the cynical mind:

"The cynic is one who never sees a good quality
in a man and never fails to see a bad one.
He is the human owl, vigilant in darkness and
blind to light, mousing for vermin, and never
seeing the noble game.
The cynic puts all human actions into two
classes - openly bad and secretly bad."


Actually sounds witty and funny, especially the last
line.

God is Awake

This is a poem or short quote that I have always
liked. It's by Victor Hugo. Don't know whether
there's a proper title to it. Great wisdom and
encouragement in it.

"Have courage for the great sorrows of life
and patience for the small ones;
And when you have laboriously accomplished
your daily task,
Go to sleep in peace.
God is awake."

An exhortation that is worth being reminded of.
That's why I think I should have it in my list.

Why I Like to Quote

Why are most of my postings, if not all,
just quoted stuffs? Well, another quote
to answer the question:

"In reading authors, when you find bright
passages that strike your mind and which,
perhaps, you may have reason to think on,
at other season,
be not contented with the sight but take
them down in black and white;
such a respect is wisely shown as makes
another's sense one's own." - Byron-

That's the reason why. I had this on the
first page of my 'blue book'. Now having
this idea of going through the book and
posting in this blog or saving them in my
thumbdrive those I still like after all these
years.