| <The Lord Loves us Without Conditions> |
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Date: 11 May 2002 Shalom & Bokertof, As I was preparing to write the message for this week, I was drawn to an incident that happened to me yesterday and the spirit actually prompted me to change the topic and share my experiences instead. So the actual message will be postponed to the following week. Most, if not all, of you would have received a mail from me yesterday cautioning everyone of a computer virus in the form of a computer executable program, and the instructions were to not just delete the file but to empty the recycle bin on your PCs. Little did I know, when I first received the mail, that
it was all a hoax because Well, after sending out that first mail, I received many phone calls from senior management staff of the bank who had received my mail and they reprimanded me for not following proper bank procedures of first checking with IT whether the warning was for real. Of course I had to apologize to them for the inconvenience just as I am apologizing to all for causing all those inconvenience and in some cases maybe even embarrassment. As I proceeded throughout the day, the feeling of guilt, embarrassment and frustration came over me and I felt terrible. I was trying to think of all the possible scenarios that could happen and the more I thought about it the more guilt I felt. Being in the business continuity profession, I should be more in tune with all these virus warnings and with following the proper procedures as set out by the organization. Also this would always be the advice we give to all staff and yet, I committed the very mistake that I have been telling all the staff of the bank not to commit. I turned to the Lord for comfort and He heard my cries and the Holy Spirit reminded me of the great love that our Heavenly Father has for me and out of this love, He sent the Lord Jesus Christ to this world to die for all our sins. And the beauty of it all is that He did it while we were still sinners ( But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5: 8 (NIV) ). God did not say that He will love us if we do not sin. No, He loves us so much that He sacrificed His Son for our sakes so that we can now be legally redeemed and by calling on His Name, we become children of the Heavenly Father. By giving up Heaven's best, now the Father has many children. We are not just His creation but we are His children when we believed on His Name. When I heard that reminder, my heart leapt for joy and I felt a peace coming over my heart. What was tensed before is now overjoyed by the knowledge of the love of God in my life. Of course, I still have to face up to the consequences of my actions. I cannot presume that what I did with that e-mail did not happen at all. No, I still need to apologize to my friends and the senior management team members but now I will do it, not out of fear but out of a sense of peace knowing that I have the Lord Jesus in my life and that GOD LOVES ME. My friends, maybe you have gone through similar experiences in the past and the sense of guilt may still linger on in your life. Fret no more. Receive the love of the Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ in your hearts and move on with Him. That is what I am going to do, leaving behind my bad emotions and move on with the love of our Lord Jesus in my heart. Maybe you have not yet received the Lord Jesus into your heart and you would like to do so. Why not pray this simple prayer and the Lord will come into your life as He promised in 1 John 4: 7 - 12, 16 - 18. Our Heavenly Father, thank you for Your great love for us
in that while we were still sinners, You sent Your Only Son Jesus Christ
into this world to die for our sins and to save us from eternal condemnation.
Thank you that I am now Your child, no longer separated from Your love.
Lord Jesus, come into my heart and lead me in my daily affairs of life. Welcome to the Family of God. If you have prayed that prayer you may want to share the good news with someone you love. Go on, tell someone of the love of our Lord Jesus Christ and encourage that person as well. All of us need encouragement especially when we look around at what is happening in the world. Your encouragement may make a difference in another person's life. In addition, you will need to be around Christian friends who would be able to help you grow in the Christian faith. I would encourage you to join a local church and be an active member of the congregation. Take part in as many of the activities of the church as you can. There are many excellent churches in Singapore. Check with your Christian friends who may be able to advise you. The Lord blesses you and keeps you, Shavrou-tov Shalom,
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