Be The Best Violet You Can Be...

This little story that I am going to share and expand was taken from a book, Streams in the Desert by J.B. Cowman.

A story is told of a king who went to his garden one morning, only to find everything withered and dying. He asked the oak tree that stood near the gate what the trouble was. The oak said it was tired of life and was determined to die because it was not tall and beautiful like the pine tree. The pine was troubled because it could not bear grapes like the grapevine. The grapevine was determined to throw its life away because it could not stand erect and produce fruits as large as peaches. The geranium was fretting because it was not tall and fragrant like the lilac.

And so it went throughout the garden. Yet coming to a violet, the king found its face as bright and happy as ever and said, “Well, Violet, I’m glad to find one brave little flower in the midst of this discouragement. You don’t seem to be the least disheartened.” The violet responded, “No, I’m not. I know I’m small, yet I thought if you wanted an oak or a pine or a peach tree or even a lilac, you would have planted one. Since I knew you wanted a violet, I’m determined to be the best little violet I can be.”

Others may do a greater work,
But you have your part to do;
And no one in all God’s family
Can do it as well as you.

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God has given us abilities, skills and talents to do things that He wants us to do. He has given us the capacity to add more knowledge into our arsenal. We are called to do one thing but to do that one thing in different ways. So do not be envious of others who seem to have “more” and who seem to be able to do “more”. You have your own ability to work at your own capacity.

Philippians 4:11
I have learnt to be content whatever the circumstances.

Paul wrote that above sentence while being locked up in a prison cell. He was a simple man; he had neither riches nor special talents. He was your ordinary guy and if he was here today you could actually mistaken him for a beggar or maybe a retard because of his outer appearance. But what he had in him made him stood up among the rest in ministry. He was the forefront man who spearheaded missions and also church planting. He was the man who wrote more than half of the New Testament books. He was the man who met kings and queens and was hunted by oppositions group. He was basically THE man.

But how many of us recognize those who were with him and supporting him throughout all the years of ministry?

There were people in the background doing what they were good at. Paul had friends who helped him to flee from his enemies. He had friends who were in the prison with him praying and singing. He had friends who spend hours at home praying and intercessing for him. He had people providing him with money to eat and continue his ministry.

Whatever Paul accomplished, he did it with the help of other people who were doing what they were called to do. At the end of the day when they meet God, those who did the background work will still get their rewards and praises.

So be what you are called to be and do what you are called to do.

In His Service,
Zlwin Chew

Storm Shapes The Mighty Oak

Life’s troubles and challenges may sometimes sweep over us so suddenly like a storm. And most of the time it takes us by surprise when we are most vulnerable and not prepared. Some sees the formation of little storms but to them it is insignificant because of its size but it will soon be so large it overwhelms us and covers the whole sky above us.

Let’s admit it, we do not like storms. We know that physical storms causes massive damages to buildings and in the sea, it destroys ships and vessels and tears them apart if the ship is not strong enough. We pray for all kinds of good things to happen to us but how often do we pray and allow God to create storms in our lives.

Is it necessary?

Storms are God’s way of equipping us for greater challenges. A ship that is presumed to be strong can only be tested when the storm comes. And when the storm comes, she will know her true strength and only then will she make herself stronger. When no storms come, the ship will remain as it is, thinking that she is strong.

Take a look at the mighty oak tree. When God wants an oak tree, He will plant it where storms will shake it and where heavy rain will pour down on it. It is only in the midnight battle with the powerful elements that the oak tree develops its rugged fiber and becomes the king of the forest. Through the storms and rains, it beats itself to stand under such pressure. In the storm, the tree pushes itself to plant its root deeper into the ground to gain more strength and stability. The storms and rain will then form and shape the mighty oak tree.



When a storm sweeps over an area, it destroys all the things that are weak and useless. The storm reveals both the weakness and also the strength. The things that survive the storm have then proven its strength. The storm cleanses.

When God wants to make a person, He places him into storms. It is in the storm that he gets beaten and brought down and it is in the storm where he learns to stand up under it and to overcome the element. It is in the storm that his weakness is made known to him. It is when the storm is too overwhelming that he will learn to cry out to God and say, “Lord, I can’t do this on my own. I need You!” and it is in the storm where he feels the warmth of God’s embrace. It is in the storm that he looks up to see God’s hand creating a shelter for him. It is in the storm where he learns to trust in God and to rely on God. It is in the storm that he is shaped.

It is through the storm that he comes out strong, mighty and powerful.

Job 23:10
But He knows the way that I take, when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

1 Peter 5:10
After you have suffered a little while, God will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

When the oceans rise and thunders roar,
I will soar with You above the storm,
Father, You are King over the flood,
I will be still and know You are God.

Click here to hear this beautiful song entitled Still.

*The pictures in this post were not taken by me. I grabbed them from Google.

Time To Stop

A little girl and her father went out for a bicycle adventure one day. The little girl has been riding for quite awhile now and she loves the bicycle. So that day they decided to tackle the hill behind their house with their bicycles.

Father and daughter sat atop the descent and looked down it. To that little girl, it was Mount Everest. “You sure you want to try?” the father asked.

“I think so,” she gulped.

“Just put on your brakes when you want to stop. Don’t forget your brakes.”

“Okay.”

Her father went down midpoint and waited. Down she came. The bicycle began to pick up speed. The handles began to shake. Her eyes got big. Her pedals moved in a blur. As she raced past her father she screamed, “I can’t remember how to stop pedaling!”

And she crashed into a curb.

If we do not know how to stop, it can be disastrous. It is true on bicycles. It is true in life.

Sometimes doing something seem to be okay and alright because “It has always been like that. So why bother changing?” We are rather stubborn. We could see that our cycling thus far has achieved nothing. We are still on the same bicycle and on the same track and we do not have the skill to tackle challenging tracks like hills and mountains. But we are stubborn. We continue doing what we want because it has always been done like that.

Until we realize that we need to stop in challenging times like this, we would never be able to achieve anything. All we are doing is just having some fun and enjoying the ride downhill. And once it is time to put on the brakes, we would have forgotten how to. And we would crash. Whether we get up after the fall or not is another matter to think about.

We are going downhill now. It is time to stop and listen. It is time to stop and compromise. It is time to stop and learn. It is time to stop and change course.

It is time to stop before we crash.

2009 Theme

FRUITFUL IN THE MIDST OF AFFLICTION

John 15:16
You did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you to bear fruits - fruits that will last.

Genesis 41:52
The second son he named Ephraim and said, "It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."

About Zlwin Chew

He is a person who is sold out for Jesus. Nothing can move him once he has set his mind on doing and achieving something. Once he is set for one thing, no one can tell him otherwise. He blogs, but he blogs differently. The world blogs about themselves, nothing but me, myself and I. But Zlwin Chew blogs his God. He believes that a blog is a powerful medium in which one can tell the world about what He, Himself and God has done in me, meself and I. God needs to be glorified, even online. The world needs to hear what it does not want to hear but need to hear. The world need to know what it does not want to know but need to know.

Zlwin Chew is also a magician who has a heart and passion to enhance his Gospel sharing with the aid of magical effects and illusions. His magic portfolio can be found at www.zlwinmagic.blogspot.com

He loves photography as well. Stopping time is everyone's dream but only the camera can do it. Capturing every moment in pictures is Zlwin's passion. His photography blog can be found at www.zlwinchew.blogspot.com

He is radical. He wants to be radical. He wants to be different. Because everyone thinks outside of the box, he thinks inside of the box. He is different. And he does not care how people view him. He only cares how God views him. Zlwin Chew is a Jesus Freak.

And he dare you to do something radical. He dare you to...

BLOG GOD...

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