In Christ Alone

Verse 1:
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My comforter, my all in all
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

Verse 2:
In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless Babe
This gift if love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save

'Til on the cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

Verse 3:
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then, bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

Verse 4:
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand

(Song by Newsboys)

Through God We Will Do Valiantly...

Psalm 118
Thanksgiving for the LORD'S Saving Goodness.

1Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2Oh let Israel say,
"His lovingkindness is everlasting."
3Oh let the house of Aaron say,
"His lovingkindness is everlasting."
4Oh let those who [a]fear the LORD say,
"His lovingkindness is everlasting."
5From my distress I called upon the LORD;
The LORD answered me and set me in a large place.
6The LORD is for me; I will not fear;
What can man do to me?
7The LORD is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.
8It is better to take refuge in the LORD
Than to trust in man.
9It is better to take refuge in the LORD
Than to trust in princes.
10All nations surrounded me;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.
11They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.
12They surrounded me like bees;
They were extinguished as a fire of thorns;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.
13You pushed me violently so that I was falling,
But the LORD helped me.
14The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
15The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
16The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
17I will not die, but live,
And tell of the works of the LORD.
18The LORD has disciplined me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
19Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the LORD.
20This is the gate of the LORD;
The righteous will enter through it.
21I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,
And You have become my salvation.
22The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
23This is the LORD'S doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25O LORD, do save, we beseech You;
O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity!
26Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD;
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
27The LORD is God, and He has given us light;
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
28You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
You are my God, I extol You.
29Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

All the way my Savior leads me...

All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.

All the way my Savior leads me,
Cheers each winding path I tread;
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living Bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see;
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see.

All the way my Savior leads me
O the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s house above.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day
This my song through endless ages—
Jesus led me all the way;
This my song through endless ages—
Jesus led me all the way.

God has never let me down throughout my life's journey and I know that He will not disappoint me now. Though the struggle is strong and tiresome, and the journey long and dreary, Christ is my Guide and thus I will overcome & I will complete this race.
I will put my trust in Him and surrender to Him my all.

HOPE - Holding On, Praying Expectantly

The following is an extract from John Maxwell's "Think on these Things - Meditation for leaders".

Many men and women become bitter toward life because of the unfortunate circumstances in which they find themselves. Many quit. Others have taken their own lives. What makes a difference in the outcome? Talent? No! The only difference between those who threw in the towel and quit and those who used their energy to rebuild and kept going is found in the word "hope".

What does hope do for humanity?

Hope shines brightest when the hour is darkest.
Hope motivates when discouragement comes.
Hope energizez when the body is tired.
Hope sweetens while the bitterness bites.
Hope sings when all melodies are gone.
Hope believes when the evidence is eliminated.
Hope listens for answers when no one is talking.
Hope climbs over obstacles when no one is helping.
Hope endures hardship when no one is caring.
Hope smiles confidently when no one is laughing.
Hope reaches for answers when no one is asking.
Hope presses toward victory when no one is encouraging.
Hope dares to give when no one is sharing.
Hope brings the victory when no one is winning.

There's nothing to do but bury a person when his or her hopes are gone. Losing hope usually precedes loss of life itself. You don't need a better environment - you just need more hope. It's the one thing in your life you can't do without!

My prayer for myself and for you my friends, is that no matter the size of the hope that is within us at this moment of our lives, God will cause it to grow instead of becoming diminished.

God's limitless love, grace and power...

He Giveth More Grace

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater;
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase.
To added affliction He added His mercy;
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father's full giving is only begun.

Refrain:
His love has no limit;
His grace has no measure.
His power has no boundary known unto men.
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!

We all face our individual and perhaps unique challenges in life. During such times, we may often feel downcast, depressed or even disllusioned. Often our burdens are too much for us to carry alone. Often times, even friends may not be able to share that load with us. In moments like these, may we be reminded of and assured by God's great love, grace and power. God will meet us at our point of need. May He give us eyes to see His loving and giving hands.

An update...

It's been 11 months since all this madness began last year and I must thank all of you for your unfailing concern, support and prayers. Thanks for the smses, phone calls, emails and home visits... I especially appreciate the many who have met up with me and my lawyers in recent months, to provide facts which may be useful as evidence in my defense. It's even harder for some of you who are students and by providing evidence in my defense, you may risk adversely affecting some of your friendships. Respect for your moral courage. It is neither my intent to damage relationships nor to hurt anyone in the process of clearing my name. Thanks for standing up for what you consider to be the good and right thing to do.

The process of trial preparation and the entire experience has been draining for me and my loved ones. But God has been gracious and He has answered your prayers for me in a multitude of ways. He has given me the inner peace and strength I need, and also the practical assistance I need in the case. God has also upheld my health and there has not been any recurrence of my heart condition since the operation in November last year. Praise God that despite the challenges, we've been making much progress in our defense preparations.

The trial begins on 10 April with the prosecution stating its case with the accusers and their witnesses. They are estimated to take about 3 weeks, after which, the defense will begin our case. The entire trial will take about 6 weeks.

During the trial I'll be providing some updates (without compromising the process) for all of you who care, thus helping you to pray along with us. It may not be appropriate to post these updates on this blog so I'll be sending out email updates instead. If you wish to receive these updates, please send me an email request (at dingatacs@hotmail.com) with your name and contact no. (for verification purposes).

I will only post general updates, prayer requests or devotionals on this blog for the time being.

seeing differently - perspectives and priorities

"...earth, if chosen instead of heaven, will turn out to have been, all along, only a region in hell: and earth, if put second to Heaven, to have been from the beginning a part of Heaven itself." ("The Business of Heaven" by C.S. Lewis)

What is secular and what is godly? It may not depend on what we have or want but how we view and value it. Our choices themselves may determine the true worth of something in heavenly terms. Let us choose wisely...

19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. - Matthew 6:18-20