Saturday, September 29, 2018

President Halimah interviewed by seniors of home

Source Website: https://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/president-halimah-interviewed-seniors-home
By Zhaki Abdullah, The New Paper, 28 September 2018 at 06:00 am


Mr Arvind Sharma takes a selfie with President Halimah Yacob as St John's Home chairman Woon Wee Yim looks on.
PHOTO: Mr Arvind Sharma takes a selfie with President Halimah Yacob as St John's Home chairman Woon Wee Yim looks on.
TNP PHOTO: JONATHAN CHOO
Picture posted by Zhaki Abdullah, The New Paper on 28 September 2018 at 06:00 am
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTdNsTWj3VdeX6aLCAAUGkUW0vt4VNUQKtOqCjV_-4fXx5cnLRA6Wi-dGygAzchhvJ5vxlBeIGFbmd_ufcioUhDCeDjolEXG26edVFjBNj5YZPItXhM196_2Yfrbb-NqsWPHhyBBZY7M/s1600/NP_20180928_AZHALIMAH285SQ7_4309972.jpg
https://www.tnp.sg/sites/default/files/styles/rl780/public/articles/2018/09/28/NP_20180928_AZHALIMAH285SQ7_4309972.jpg?itok=EE9SuJKP
https://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/president-halimah-interviewed-seniors-home


Having been in public service for 17 years, President Halimah Yacob is no stranger to being interviewed.

But it was a different kind of interview for her yesterday as she fielded questions ranging from whether prawn sambal was served at the Istana to whether she would be dancing at the President's Star Charity event next month.

Madam Halimah was asked these questions by eight residents, aged between 66 and 91, of the St John's Home for Elderly Persons during a visit there.


President Halimah Yacob chatting with St John's Home resident Tan Sing Choon, 93, and volunteer Anita Lin (left, in blue), 72, yesterday. Accompanying the President are Potong Pasir MP Sitoh Yi Pin (behind Madam Lin) and Mr Woon Wee Yim, the home's chairman.
PHOTO: President Halimah Yacob chatting with St John's Home resident Tan Sing Choon, 93, and volunteer Anita Lin (left, in blue), 72, yesterday. Accompanying the President are Potong Pasir MP Sitoh Yi Pin (behind Madam Lin) and Mr Woon Wee Yim, the home's chairman.
ST PHOTO: JONATHAN CHOO
Picture posted by Zhaki Abdullah, The Straits Times on 28 September 2018 at 5:00 am SGT
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfVmLaI6DvU0H24apNqP0RMBtqN3h8xwsS65hjyYdF-wFACNJj0a3rRR-ma7LOuNXDfem9YJvdzZIlDnco3W5giHeobKreO6uZuIGxYqTFfxdixNQ0tmzPOQNGznpMrvFbGnKme_nvBs/s1600/ST_20180928_AZHALIMAH28_4309828.jpg
https://www.straitstimes.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_pictrure_780x520_/public/articles/2018/09/28/ST_20180928_AZHALIMAH28_4309828.jpg?itok=NrFuZ9bv&timestamp=1538074209
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/president-meets-tech-savvy-seniors-of-st-johns-home


Resident Arvind Sharma, 75, told The Straits Times: "I was curious about what they ate at the Istana, plus I am a fan of Malay food like sambal."

The eight residents also shot videos of Madam Halimah on their smartphones as she toured the grounds of the home in Wan Tho Avenue.

In May, the residents made a video that was posted on crowdfunding site Giving.sg and was as a campaign that has raised $200,000 for the redevelopment of the home.

Madam Halimah said their effort is proof that senior citizens are also able to leverage on technology and be productive members of society.


PE2017: Halimah Yacob Unveils 'Do Good Do Together' Election Campaign Slogan
PHOTO: PE2017: Halimah Yacob Unveils “Do Good Do Together” Election Campaign Slogan
The slogan, “Do Good Do Together” calls on Singaporeans to join her in building an inclusive and progressive community.
Commenting on the slogan, the 63-year-old former PAP MP and Speaker of parliament said:
“I really believe there is a lot of good that we can do… we can do so much good for everyone if we do it together.”
That is the challenge facing us as a community of believers today - to stop serving ourselves within the cloistered walls of our buildings and to become involved with our communities, so that we can become the instruments of our Lord and touch the lives of those who struggle and suffer around us.
Picture posted by Redwire Singapore on 29 August 2017
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9G0aSJGLiCn-84SuR9Xu9vOHSvA6WtQjpM5YFDNxusO_theE1f18rYnbLuFX6twwf5d_jWD9Vupei3muznrUx4plazYR0riCESzVm4ntPqlGeEluK3Ep1IesI_NxrYZdAvmFbUHhbo8/s1600/redwire-singapore-halimah-yacob-campaign-slogan.jpg
http://redwiretimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/redwire-singapore-halimah-yacob-campaign-slogan.jpg
http://redwiretimes.com/kua-politics/pe2017-halimah-yacob-unveils-do-good-do-together-election-campaign-slogan/


"They have managed to raise quite a significant amount, and as I spoke to them, they were so proud of it,"

she said, adding that society needs to change its perspective on senior citizens.

Madam Halimah was accompanied by St John's Home chairman Woon Wee Yim and Potong Pasir MP Sitoh Yih Pin as she toured the grounds of the 60-year-old facility - which caters to those over 60 years old who are ambulant - and viewed plans for its redevelopment.

She also celebrated the birthdays of six of the home's 79 residents, who are aged between 72 and 91 and have their birthdays this month, with a cake-cutting ceremony in the dining hall.

The $15 million redevelopment will include a new five-storey building, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.

There will be an increase in the number of beds from 86 to 150, greater privacy for residents and improved facilities.


The recently appointed president, Halimah Yacob,  even lives in an HDB, which is a first. She’s also the first female president of Singapore.
PHOTO: The recently appointed president, Halimah Yacob,  even lives in an HDB, which is a first. She’s also the first female president of Singapore. Even though the Prime Minister plays a bigger role here than the president, it is still progress to finally see a woman in this role.
The Istana  houses the offices of the prime minister and the president and is used for official visits from other leaders of the world.
Picture posted by Curly Traveller on 20 October 2017
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJuOFHvhCPXfK6sNNvaVR3iLI_wR-59dTkrJVuJs0tUdKhVTyzGBl2KNJMwS1DxIab7zICU57n8DoqoTCrz3kOXGbc988DYNzRJDZnc9mcZfgNp2iRQEABaalHYqzipcg1swYU8Mxwt0/s1600/istana15.jpg
https://i1.wp.com/curlytraveller.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/istana15.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1
https://curlytraveller.com/2017/10/open-day-istana.html

By Zhaki Abdullah, The New Paper, 28 September 2018 at 06:00 am
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now



Reference
[1] Zhaki Abdullah, The New Paper, President Halimah interviewed by seniors of home, posted on 28 September 2018 at 06:00 am, https://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/president-halimah-interviewed-seniors-home


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at

Friday, September 28, 2018

People ‘not saving enough for retirement’

Source Website: https://www.tnp.sg/news/business/people-not-saving-enough-retirement
By Aw Cheng Wei, The New Paper, 26 September 2018 at 06:00 am


Chief executive of Prudential Singapore Wilf Blackburn (third from left) says the findings underscore the importance of financial planning.
PHOTO: Chief executive of Prudential Singapore Wilf Blackburn (third from left) says the findings underscore the importance of financial planning.
PHOTO: PRUDENTIAL
Picture posted by Aw Cheng Wei, The New Paper on 26 September 2018 at 06:00 am
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6q9-xl0yRMsItfjXNMa1SXg0TM41knEpx1iw2XxDTDv81zPHavoyJTZRr26C_4PDRVoIO0Bc1U9csCX0b9WlFUXpT6J6PbqtDKgYskSFxd_d6KLcFYl0ubIVexdTEptj-_zpZlsXezrk/s1600/NP_20180926_AWREPORT26_4304409.jpg
https://www.tnp.sg/sites/default/files/styles/rl780/public/articles/2018/09/26/NP_20180926_AWREPORT26_4304409.jpg?itok=23GsNWTM
https://www.tnp.sg/news/business/people-not-saving-enough-retirement


Survey shows most people in S'pore plan to keep working after retirement age

People in Singapore are living longer, but their savings may peter out sooner than expected as they enter their golden years.

A survey released yesterday by international research firm Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and insurer Prudential found most respondents plan to rely on a wide range of assets to support themselves financially after they turn 62 - the standard retirement age - but they also plan to rely on drawing a salary.

A longer life expectancy is one reason for inadequate savings.

Other sources of retirement funds could be cash savings, the Central Provident Fund (CPF) and inheritance.

The report, titled Ready for 100? Preparing for Longevity in Singapore, polled 1,214 residents in March this year. It was commissioned by Prudential.

"People are just not saving enough for retirement," said Mr Laurence Lien, chairman of the Lien Foundation, whose expert opinion was sought for the report.

"If they are planning for 84 or 88, rather than 90 or 94, they are in for a shock."


People are just not saving enough for retirement
PHOTO: People are just not saving enough for retirement. If they are planning for 84 or 88, rather than 90 or 94, they are in for a shock. The report, titled Ready for 100? Preparing for Longevity in Singapore, polled 1,214 residents in March this year. It was commissioned by Prudential.
Picture posted by Kathleen Coxwell on 06 July 2016
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaZQ7Pwdvh5gN71bUHYnSq-0JIN534ibgm7wytCdATepdBRSeBm_Rjik8M9IwINASC36HcuZIbNOYzPuHnIkUqBORu3fUvRSeeOCCR2qqdWaXld5gnPFOTAOxxaQQIxTsZu0hvwegoOM/s1600/iStock_41243910_SMALL.jpg
https://cdn.newretirement.com/retirement/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/iStock_41243910_SMALL.jpg
https://www.newretirement.com/retirement/loneliness-puts-retirees-at-risk/
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/09/reflection-imitating-christ-difference.html
 

In fact, about three in four respondents in EIU's survey said they are not financially ready or they do not know if they are financially ready for life until 100.

Survey results showed that 8 per cent of respondents expect to rely entirely on their salaries after they turn 62 while 44 per cent expect to rely significantly on their salaries. Some 33 per cent said they would rely somewhat on salaries, and the remaining 15 per cent said they would not rely on their salaries at all.

When asked to what extent they expected to rely on wages in meeting expenses after 62, respondents ranked salaries fourth, after cash savings, the CPF and national medical insurance schemes.

Chief executive of Prudential Singapore Wilf Blackburn said the findings come as Singaporeans are living longer, underscoring the importance of financial planning.

"Our intent with (the report) is to get people to reimagine life," said Mr Blackburn, "and how we plan to spend it."

For example, "forming the ability to keep re-skilling and learning new things and staying relevant is going to be the most important way that people are going to insure themselves".
 

Living to 100 presents both opportunities and issues to be overcome. It requires us to be more self-aware and proactive.
PHOTO: "Our intent with (the report) is to get people to reimagine life," said Mr Blackburn, "and how we plan to spend it."
For example, "forming the ability to keep re-skilling and learning new things and staying relevant is going to be the most important way that people are going to insure themselves".
Living to 100 presents both opportunities and issues to be overcome. It requires us to be more self-aware and proactive.
Picture posted by knowyourmeme.com - Waited too long
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYP_MFn748AMdUFu4kjFX04qmxmdRqBDChO821k_eDXA7Jl7QcCKBobdYnaTFaumyrNEIdILa0GD4Isb-ihudw1ZE66oXgF01R0F6seitc8qnFC4f2fquR328hDXTb0s2aUGR9PVGr3Cs/s1600/442.jpg
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/643/028/442.jpg
https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/643028-skeletons


According to Population.sg, an online initiative by the National Population and Talent Division, 1,100 Singaporeans lived to at least 100 in 2015.

A World Health Organisation report last year stated that the average life expectancy at birth for Singaporeans is 83.1 years, third longest in the world, after the Japanese and the Swiss.

The report also covered factors such as health, relationships and work, as these "are known to contribute to the length and quality of (people's) years".

"Living to 100 presents both opportunities and issues to be overcome," said Mr Blackburn.

"It offers us the promise of being with our loved ones, pursuing work and enjoying lifestyle activities for longer... At the same time, it requires us to be more self-aware and proactive."


About three in four respondents in EIU's (Economist Intelligence Unit) survey said they are not financially ready or they do not know if they are financially ready for life until 100.
PHOTO: About three in four respondents in EIU's (Economist Intelligence Unit) survey said they are not financially ready or they do not know if they are financially ready for life until 100.
Picture posted by NY Finances Website
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQ9WgExJKa0SrR4v13ceoBT5wogJ9LGehuRO-zadHdAqFX1AV6oFpYYY5Tzye6rR3Mkp4AQjVWNKfMDoPLLO0d3droHQ0SiPczveOYU438-wwWleydlTH3tTNy6C1BuPi1RWL9hAYKQE/s1600/TELEMMGLPICT000001772218_trans%252B%252ByuLFFzXshuGqnr8zPdDWXiTUh73-1IAIBaONvUINpkg.jpeg
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/business/2018/08/31/TELEMMGLPICT000001772218_trans++yuLFFzXshuGqnr8zPdDWXiTUh73-1IAIBaONvUINpkg.jpeg
https://www.nyfinances.com/how-to-maintain-a-healthy-work-life-balance-in-your-60s-and-beyond/


Encountering an empty nest at home is the time to reimagine a life
PHOTO: Encountering an empty nest at home is the time to reimagine a life; Spiritual Direction's challenge: Respond to the voice of Jesus.
When every part of our body and life becomes an instrument of righteousness, it also becomes a consecrated instrument of Christ, through which He manifests His character and ministry. We will become the kind of people we were meant to be - reflecting the beauty and holiness of God, and the compassion and love of Christ. Become "Little Christ".
Picture posted by God's Minute Station Network
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxERJ6fSEo18Q6GU7qz2DG5GorjGj3o-VhgnoAHXZyOyn7dOtCxnN0YTX4OKMe6jhmvL5OxkV7yqOPyJyFKQsq_X6HwWLy93o9aHGnFdAwy6fj5lqGaBuXw3LSw_bruHDGuO8i0Y_uLA/s1600/ninos-jesus.jpg
http://minutodedios.fm/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ninos-jesus.jpg
http://minutodedios.fm/una-imagen-vale-mas-mil-palabras-142/
http://veryfatoldman.blogspot.sg/2017/11/reflection-challenges-and-hopes-in.html
http://veryfatoldman.blogspot.sg/2018/01/reflection-making-sure-you-go-to-jesus.html
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/01/reflection-making-sure-you-go-to-jesus.html

By Aw Cheng Wei, The New Paper, 26 September 2018 at 06:00 am
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now



Reference
[1] Aw Cheng Wei, The New Paper, People ‘not saving enough for retirement’, posted on 26 September 2018 at 06:00 am, https://www.tnp.sg/news/business/people-not-saving-enough-retirement

Links
at

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Reflection - Letting Christ Live in Us - Consecrate ourselves to God

Source (book): "Finding rest for the soul", Chapter Ten, Question 3, Page 162.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012


Why is important to consecrate our body and all areas of our lives to God?
PHOTO: Why is important to consecrate our body and all areas of our lives to God?
It is when we surrender every part of our body and every area of our lives to Christ that we become His hands, feet, voice, and ears. This is the "true and proper worship" that Paul writes about as he urges his readers "to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God" (Romans 12:1). In the same vein, the apostle also tells us, "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness" (Romans 6:12-13).

How can we do this on a regular basis?
Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th-century monk, wrote about how we can consecrate all our bodily parts to Jesus in a practical manner, committing ourselves to use them as instruments for the Lord:

If the appetite alone hath sinned, let it alone fast, and it sufficeth. But if the other members also have sinned, why should they not fast, too . . . Let the eye fast from strange sights and from every wantonness, so that that which roamed in freedom in fault-doing may, abundantly humbled, be checked by penitence (regret). Let the ear, blameably eager to listen, fast from tales and rumors, and from whatsoever is of idle import, and tendeth least to salvation. Let the tongue fast from slanders and murmurings, and from useless, vain, and scurrilous words, and sometimes also, in the seriousness of silence, even from things which may seem of essential import. Let the hand abstain from . . .all toils which are not imperatively necessary. But also let the soul herself abstain from all evils and from acting out her own will. For without such abstinence the other things find no favor with the Lord.

How does Jesus use our lives to manifest himself and to touch lost and hurting people?
When every part of our body and life becomes an instrument of righteousness, it also becomes a consecrated instrument of Christ, through which He manifests His character and ministry. We will become the kind of people we were meant to be - reflecting the beauty and holiness of God, and the compassion and love of Christ.

The example of the Good Samaritan, however, shows what Jesus wants of us. He wants us to see the needs of people through the eyes of God, to let our hands became the hands of God as we help them, and to speak from our mouths the words of God as we bring comfort and hope to others. When we consecrate ourselves to Christ fully and offer ourselves to Him, He will live through us, and people will recognise Him in our lives.

That is the challenge facing us as a community of believers today - to stop serving ourselves within the cloistered walls of our church buildings and to become involved with our communities, so that we can become the instruments of our Lord and touch the lives of those who struggle and suffer around us.

Reflect prayerfully on what this means for you personally.
When we imitate Christ in word, attitude, and action, we will carry His life, character, and ministry to a watching world. In this way, Jesus will be manifested in all corners of the world, wherever His faithful disciples of Jesus live and serve. We will become little lights in the world (Matthew 5:14) as we display the Light of the world to others (John 9:5).

If we remember that we have been chosen by God to "be conformed to the image of the Son" (Romans 8:29), then we will understand why Jesus calls us to come to Him, to take up His yoke, and to learn from Him. And it is when we respond and become His apprentice that we become, in the words of C. S. Lewis, "little Christ".
Picture posted by ccouch on 04 May 2016
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbU0uo6vLoX_hZzTwEmVN4JTuxuGZ6rl1Rlk28_sMjg_uXU4HHxS0cJsbrckp3makHWGaYvCSN0ByQTQlsheeDz6ls-7-9Hw0Go7_7xMBdBtgydz5Uaad8cKFLHLCsUulhHOG4-Umar6M/s1600/dreamstime_m_35729437.jpg
http://mylifeinheals.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/dreamstime_m_35729437.jpg
http://mylifeinheals.com/one-year-ago-may-4th-2015/
http://veryfatoldman.blogspot.sg/2018/03/reflection-solution-to-worn-out-lives_26.html


Why is important to consecrate our body and all areas of our lives to God? How can we do this on a regular basis? How does Jesus use our lives to manifest himself and to touch lost and hurting people? Reflect prayerfully on what this means for you personally.

Why is important to consecrate our body and all areas of our lives to God?
Consecrating Every Part of Our Lives [1]
In A Spiritual Check-Up, writer Margaret Magdalen encourages Christians to imagine entering the waters of baptism, and committing each body parts, from the feet up to the head, to a life of godly righteousness. [43]
 

Consecrating Every Part of Our Lives
PHOTO: Consecrating Every Part of Our Lives
In A Spiritual Check-Up, writer Margaret Magdalen encourages Christians to imagine entering the waters of baptism, and committing each body parts, from the feet up to the head, to a life of godly righteousness.
Picture posted by Красота gantelin - The girl falls into the water
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMaHbRkwsCx087D70TQ5vnkGX3hu29sFjcw248JmPYqjpz9ga1SlFDgy5EiGTdzT8H6DwXZRaISe_CuWXFBd-ChCa7WREsCl3WV7gpxK-YgzJDrQvdMUWzs5khvR58DdnGuLr5YPmUlg/s1600/orig.gif
https://avatars.mds.yandex.net/get-pdb/211794/2ebb29d8-d897-4468-bc12-088ac1b50cf1/orig - (orig.gif)
https://yandex.com/collections/card/5a4385ea215a8466dde25250/


Dallas willard suggests applying this idea in a spiritual exercise:
I recommend that you then lie on the floor, face down or face up, and explicitly and formally surrender your body to God. Take time to go over the main parts of your body and do the same for each one. What you want to do is to ask God to take charge of your body and each part, to fill it with his life and use it for his purpose. [44]
 

Consecrating Every Part of Our Lives
PHOTO: Consecrating Every Part of Our Lives
Dallas willard (Renovation of the Heart) suggests lying on the floor, face down or face up, and explicitly and formally surrender our body to God. Take time to go over the main parts of our body and do the same for each one. What we want to do is to ask God to take charge of our body and each part, to fill it with his life and use it for his purpose.
Picture posted by Ksenia Mazko - photo, Valet.ru
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij39X03cSJ7lWf8ZQZX1VoxUtR-AxBI1JbxmLoOMWzZMkLlHmTIbn4PjVvc23-uQSWiXTVA177ml8gBqeHwxMHYi2vNPaO8U-amfIC1D9-acEyAE1jByMPiFSIF7e1wWuf1cnqVPgVRfM/s1600/tLnbtEwrYUY-1.jpg
https://pp.userapi.com/c840625/v840625164/2204/tLnbtEwrYUY.jpg
http://valet.ru/user/252301693/


It is when we surrender every part of our body and every area of our lives to Christ that we become His hands, feet, voice, and ears. This is the "true and proper worship" that Paul writes about as he urges his readers "to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God" (Romans 12:1). In the same vein, the apostle also tells us, "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness" (Romans 6:12-13).


It is when we surrender every part of our body and every area of our lives to Christ that we become His hands, feet, voice, and ears.
PHOTO: It is when we surrender every part of our body and every area of our lives to Christ that we become His hands, feet, voice, and ears. This is the "true and proper worship" that Paul writes about. "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness" (Romans 6:12-13).
Picture posted by UB David & I'll B Jonathan
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTCu8JfHhqm6nlmNRmSi8-6wz4trfzPS-ndbgUvN7lSrz9_FPxRRFuySgIPH-i8qJr8iNd6fGO2skvjDwfz8VbuIEboFeBXemrCCQ7oy_FKnzNtGl-rh-ImX_LNm0UALOZEawyR0Bqgs/s1600/16_consecration-as-alive.jpg
http://ubdavid.org/advanced/new-life3/graphics/16_consecration-as-alive.jpg
http://ubdavid.org/advanced/new-life3/new-life3_16.html


How can we do this on a regular basis?
Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th-century monk, wrote about how we can consecrate all our bodily parts to Jesus in a practical manner, committing ourselves to use them as instruments for the Lord:

If the appetite alone hath sinned, let it alone fast, and it sufficeth. But if the other members also have sinned, why should they not fast, too . . . Let the eye fast from strange sights and from every wantonness, so that that which roamed in freedom in fault-doing may, abundantly humbled, be checked by penitence (regret). Let the ear, blameably eager to listen, fast from tales and rumors, and from whatsoever is of idle import, and tendeth least to salvation. Let the tongue fast from slanders and murmurings, and from useless, vain, and scurrilous words, and sometimes also, in the seriousness of silence, even from things which may seem of essential import. Let the hand abstain from . . .all toils which are not imperatively necessary. But also let the soul herself abstain from all evils and from acting out her own will. For without such abstinence the other things find no favor with the Lord. [45]
 

We are to abstain from all evils and from acting out of our own will.
PHOTO: We are to abstain from all evils and from acting out of our own will.
Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th-century monk, wrote about how we can consecrate all our bodily parts to Jesus in a practical manner, committing ourselves to use them as instruments for the Lord.
Picture saved from Tom Engel
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWpwVQxUlRFsGrN0h1hRMAfM54cRYkC2lJwx9r-vd9RQn5lrLCPUVDk0dkuoxX1ul_2bepieJo10rLKmDZopcd1Q-FEtiH2FsflXRM3PqWakdcBAx13df4u6LQx6N6FfYh6zoKdOjj40/s1600/1774ec38e71c77638aa862b3fac0a8f6.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/17/74/ec/1774ec38e71c77638aa862b3fac0a8f6.jpg
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How does Jesus use our lives to manifest himself and to touch lost and hurting people?
When every part of our body and life becomes an instrument of righteousness, it also becomes a consecrated instrument of Christ, through which He manifests His character and ministry. We will become the kind of people we were meant to be - reflecting the beauty and holiness of God, and the compassion and love of Christ.


When every part of our body and life becomes an instrument of righteousness, it also becomes a consecrated instrument of Christ, through which He manifests His character and ministry.
PHOTO: When every part of our body and life becomes an instrument of righteousness, it also becomes a consecrated instrument of Christ, through which He manifests His character and ministry. We will become the kind of people we were meant to be - reflecting the beauty and holiness of God, and the compassion and love of Christ.
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The scriptural prescription is an antidote to what much of modern Christianity has absorbed from the dysfunctional world. In Incarnate: The Body of Christ in an Age of Disengagement, Australian missiologist Michael Frost describes this trend as "excarnation". He explains: "Whereas Jesus Christ was God incarnate and His church was called to an incarnational lifestyle, today we find ourselves drifting toward excarnation - the defleshing of our faith. We have been moving through a disembodying process that has left us feeling rootless and disengaged, connected to our world more and more through screens rather than face to face." [46]
 

The scriptural prescription is an antidote to what much of modern Christianity has absorbed from the dysfunctional world.
PHOTO: The scriptural prescription is an antidote to what much of modern Christianity has absorbed from the dysfunctional world. Whereas Jesus Christ was God incarnate and His church was called to an incarnational lifestyle, today we find ourselves drifting toward excarnation - the defleshing of our faith. We have been moving through a disembodying process that has left us feeling rootless and disengaged, connected to our world more and more through screens rather than face to face.
Banksy's Mobile Lovers Painting by Bhanu Teja Mamidala
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Frost warns of how the church may be drifting towards a cocooned existence that has little or no impact in the world. When the church takes on the habits of the world, it risks becoming a ghostly existence; Christians can end up passing by the poor, the exploited, the sick, and the unsaved, without saying anything, hearing anything or doing anything. Like the priest and the Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37), they fail to meet human needs because they fail to engage with people. Their hands and their feet remain un-consecrated - they belong solely to their human owners, and are used solely for their purposes and pleasure.


When the church takes on the habits of the world, it risks becoming a ghostly existence; Christians can end up passing by the poor, the exploited, the sick, and the unsaved, without saying anything, hearing anything or doing anything, like the priest and the Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37).
PHOTO: When the church takes on the habits of the world, it risks becoming a ghostly existence; Christians can end up passing by the poor, the exploited, the sick, and the unsaved, without saying anything, hearing anything or doing anything, like the priest and the Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37).
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The example of the Good Samaritan, however, shows what Jesus wants of us. He wants us to see the needs of people through the eyes of God, to let our hands became the hands of God as we help them, and to speak from our mouths the words of God as we bring comfort and hope to others. When we consecrate ourselves to Christ fully and offer ourselves to Him, He will live through us, and people will recognise Him in our lives.
 

The example of the Good Samaritan, however, shows what Jesus wants of us.
PHOTO: The example of the Good Samaritan, however, shows what Jesus wants of us. He wants us to see the needs of people through the eyes of God, to let our hands became the hands of God as we help them, and to speak from our mouths the words of God as we bring comfort and hope to others.
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That is the challenge facing us as a community of believers today - to stop serving ourselves within the cloistered walls of our church buildings and to become involved with our communities, so that we can become the instruments of our Lord and touch the lives of those who struggle and suffer around us.


Reflect prayerfully on what this means for you personally.
Becoming "Little Christs" [1]
When we imitate Christ in word, attitude, and action, we will carry His life, character, and ministry to a watching world. In this way, Jesus will be manifested in all corners of the world, wherever His faithful disciples of Jesus live and serve. We will become little lights in the world (Matthew 5:14) as we display the Light of the world to others (John 9:5).


Becoming 'Little Christs'
PHOTO: Becoming "Little Christs"
When we imitate Christ in word, attitude, and action, we will carry His life, character, and ministry to a watching world. In this way, Jesus will be manifested in all corners of the world, wherever His faithful disciples of Jesus live and serve. We will become little lights in the world (Matthew 5:14) as we display the Light of the world to others (John 9:5).
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Apologist and writer C. S. Lewis puts it aptly: "Every Christian is to become little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else." [47] This is God's purpose for us, and all our activities - individual or corporate - must be measured from this perspective. Lewis adds, "The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose." [48]
 

Every Christian is to become 'little Christ'.
PHOTO: Every Christian is to become 'little Christ'. This is God's purpose for us, and all our activities - individual or corporate - must be measured from this perspective. The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time.
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If we remember that we have been chosen by God to "be conformed to the image of the Son" (Romans 8:29), then we will understand why Jesus calls us to come to Him, to take up His yoke, and to learn from Him. And it is when we respond and become His apprentice that we become, in the words of C. S. Lewis, "little Christ".


We have been chosen by God to 'be conformed to the image of the Son' (Romans 8:29).
PHOTO: We have been chosen by God to "be conformed to the image of the Son" (Romans 8:29). Jesus calls us to come to Him, to take up His yoke, and to learn from Him. And it is when we respond and become His apprentice that we become "little Christ".
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Dear Lord, Please help us to consecrate and surrender every part of our body and every area of our lives to Christ so that we become His hands, feet, voice, and ears. Help us to have true and proper worship by offering every part of ourselves to Him as an instrument of righteousness.<br>We need help us to repent and abstain on a regular basis from all evils, Help us to prevent our soul or even a single body part from acting out with evil will and sin. Help us not to be rootless and disengaged but consecrated ourselves to Christ fully, and offer ourselves to Him so that He live through us, and people will recognise Him in our lives.<br>Help us to be consecrated instrument of Christ, through which He manifests His character and ministry. We want to become the kind of people we were meant to be - reflecting the beauty and holiness of God, and the compassion and love of Christ. We pray for help to respond and become His apprentice so that we become 'little Christ' and stop serving ourselves within the cloistered walls of our church buildings, but to become involved with our communities. We can then become the instruments of our Lord and touch the lives of those who struggle and suffer around us.<br>Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, Please help us to consecrate and surrender every part of our body and every area of our lives to Christ so that we become His hands, feet, voice, and ears. Help us to have true and proper worship by offering every part of ourselves to Him as an instrument of righteousness.

We need help us to repent and abstain on a regular basis from all evils, Help us to prevent our soul or even a single body part from acting out with evil will and sin. Help us not to be rootless and disengaged but consecrated ourselves to Christ fully, and offer ourselves to Him so that He live through us, and people will recognise Him in our lives.

Help us to be consecrated instrument of Christ, through which He manifests His character and ministry. We want to become the kind of people we were meant to be - reflecting the beauty and holiness of God, and the compassion and love of Christ. We pray for help to respond and become His apprentice so that we become 'little Christ' and stop serving ourselves within the cloistered walls of our church buildings, but to become involved with our communities. We can then become the instruments of our Lord and touch the lives of those who struggle and suffer around us.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
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Reflection - Letting Christ Live in Us - Consecrate ourselves to God
Question from source (book): "Finding rest for the soul", Chapter Ten, Question 3, Page 162.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012
Reference
[1] From "Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, Copyright © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon, ISBN 978-1-62707-709-5, Part III: LEARN FROM ME, Chapter Ten "Learning from Jesus: Letting Christ Live in Us", Page 158-161.

[43] Margaret Magdalen, A Spiritual Check-Up: Avoiding Mediocrity in the Christian Life (Guildford: Highland, 1990).

[44] Willard, Renovation of the Heart, 139.

[45] Horatio Grimley, trans. and ed., St. Bernard Abbot of Clairvaux: Selections from His Letters, Meditations, Sermons, Hymns and Other Writings (Cambridge University Press, 2013), 208-209.

[46] Michael Frost, Incarnate: The Body of Christ in an Age of Disengagement (InterVarsity Press, 2014), 15.

[47] Lewis, Mere Christianity, 149.

[48] Ibid. (has been mentioned in a previous reference), 166.


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John 9:5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+9%3A5&version=NIV

Luke 10:30-37 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10%3A30-37&version=NIV

Matthew 5:14 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A14&version=NIV

Matthew 11:28-29 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+11%3A28-29&version=NIV

Romans 6:12-13 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+6%3A12-13&version=NIV

Romans 8:29 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A29&version=NIV

Romans 12:1 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+12%3A1&version=NIV
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