I would like to thank God for bringing all of us safely back home after this year’s church camp. This year’s camp theme, ‘Joy is My Inheritance’, was very meaningful to me, because in school people would think and say bad things disrespectfully about Christians. I had doubts and fears, but my sister and brother would often sing, ‘O rejoice in the Lord, He makes no mistake…’ This is truly a wonderful phrase that I would remind myself when someone tries to attack the Name of God.
has a plan for me. My responsibility now is to study hard to praise God’s Name and defend the Word of God. I would also like to thank the Lord for delivering the messages through Pastor Koshy and our preachers, so that I could know the true meaning of joy, which is my inheritance.
On the way back to Singapore, I chanced upon many impoverishedlooking families along the route. It made me wonder if they have enough to feed themselves and meet their daily needs. I pray that one day these people would come to know and find joy in the Lord. Surely, we must always be grateful to God for what we already have, whenever we want to ask for something from Him.
May the Lord bless and keep us all till He takes us back with Him to our eternal home.
As we had signed up rather late for the church camp (due to my parents’ hesitancy in making their decision), we could not get a place in the coaches hired by the church. So I decided to drive up to the camp. I dreaded driving such a long distance of about 370km along Malaysian highways. I prayed earnestly for God’s help and protection, and a lot of preparations were also made. God provided Sis Kim Lei, who helped me with GPS, and also arranged for me to drive with a convoy of cars driven by Elder Choy and Pr Daniel Lim. Thank God that we arrived in good time to attend the meetings.
We had a wonderful time of fellowship, and great “feasting” of God’s Word and good food. I benefited greatly from the preaching of God’s Word, especially from the theme messages on ‘Joy is My Inheritance’. For quite a while, I had been weighed down by many things in life. So the messages on joy were most appropriate for me, and they helped to lift my spirit up before the Lord.
Surely the Lord has supplied all our needs in His time. My mother and I were unwell for a short time, but the Lord restored us quickly. Oh, how we must praise the Lord for His goodness towards us! Also, I would like to thank each and every one who have helped us and prayed for us. “But let those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee” (Psalm 5:11). Truly, as Nehemiah 8:10 declares, “the joy of the LORD is (our) strength.”
Thank God for the good gift He has bestowed upon His people in the recent church camp, wherein we were able to set aside time to learn of the inheritance of joy He has given us, even joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8). Thank God for the preaching of His Word through the theme sermons, which opened our eyes to behold wondrous things out of His law (Psalm 119:18), thereby causing us to rejoice greatly “Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart” (Psalm 119:111).
Thank God for the timely warning against taking pleasure in and pursuing after delusive counterfeit joys, particularly shallow and superficial spiritual joys, which cannot abide in time of trial. We must beware of the short-lived joy of one who receives the seed of the Gospel and the Word of God in “stony places”, as highlighted in the parable of the sower. This served as a timely reminder to examine ourselves, as to whether we be in the faith (cf. 2 Corinthians 13:5) and whether our joy in the Lord be genuine.
Thank God for the assurance that true and divine joy – being God’s gift through Christ, sustained and maintained by the Holy Spirit – surpasses understanding and circumstances, even in the face of sorrow or fear (cf. John 16:33; Proverbs 14:10). Hence, those who refuse to be comforted (Psalm 77:2) have failed to look to the Lord (the Source of our joy) and failed to realise that this joy is plugged into the inexhaustible and perfect goodness and glory of God. The true sentiment of a pious soul is joy in the Lord, dwelling in the presence of God and experiencing the outpouring of His joy full and complete (cf. Psalm 16:11b; John 15:11; 16:24; 17:13).
Thank God for the exhortation on overcoming hindrances to joy through repentance from sins, the remembrance of the Lord’s goodness and mercy (Psalm 77:10; 31:7; Deuteronomy 26:11a), and communion with Him (Luke 10:21). Also, it is good to be reminded that the joy of the Lord (which triumphs over dejection) is the strength of His people (Psalm 21:1); being the common inheritance of the saints, it ought to be infectious (Deuteronomy 26:11b; 27:7; 32:43).
Thank God as well for the various morning and evening devotions faithfully delivered unto us, which put us in right perspective of our lives in Christ, revealing to us the many causes for joy in the Lord, exhorting us to give thanks to the Lord, to trust in His faithfulness in times of trials, and to submit fully to His will (Psalm 40:8).
Finally, I thank God for His hand of mercy and preservation throughout the camp, and for His unfailing provisions for our physical needs even as we rejoiced in His spiritual blessings through His Word and communion with the saints. May the Lord sanctify us to receive His Word with humble hearts, and grant us sincerity of faith, that in His presence we may find the fullness of joy unspeakable.
Ithank the good LORD for making this camp trip possible even though I dislike travelling over a long distance. When we arrived at the first rest-stop in Malaysia, my left knee was so painful that it left me limping for 2 days, up to Wednesday. In spite of this pain, God’s love, joy and peace stayed in my heart.
I thank God for kind souls who offered their help, like Pr Dennis (who got herbal roots for me through Rev Lee Kim Shong), Sis Annie (who offered me her cream) and Sis Jessie (who gave me her plaster and knee guard). Pastor even asked whether I needed a wheelchair. I wish to thank all the brethren who had prayed for my healing.
This camp also stirred me to constantly examine myself, whether I am doing “right in the eyes of the LORD” or “evil in the sight of the LORD” (which basically spells the difference between the good and bad kings of Israel and Judah in the Old Testament). For me, to have the joy of the Lord in my heart is to do right, especially in the house where my family members (particularly my impressionable grandson) are ever listening and watching.
I often remind my girls that together with serving, they must have daily communion with the Lord. Our strength and joy come from our Lord God Almighty, “for the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Amen.