2024 is the Year of Soul Winning for our church. What does this mean for you and me? As we progress into 2024, let us keep inclining our ears to His Word and pray that God will give us a deeper love of His wisdom and understanding in all things. When we do, we will become a wellspring of life that never runs dry!
 
Our Hearts are Created to Understand God’s Ways
“So that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;” (Proverbs 2:2)
 
Above all, the Lord is after our hearts. The Lord is captivated by the heart that He has fashioned ever since we were in our mothers’ womb. Our God alone knows the number of days we each have left in this life. Our God alone knows the inner motivations of our hearts and the inner battles of our lives. And still, He loves you and me. He knows the mistakes we have made in the past and has not rejected us. He decided to take on our human frailty to dwell among us (John 1:14), to be with us, as us! Our Lord Jesus could have come to this earth, die on the cross to pay for our sins, and then immediately return to heaven in glory. He did not have to stay for a week, a month, or a year. Yet He lived on earth for a lifetime so He can empathise with our human sorrows, hurts, and disappointments. He did so to understand our weaknesses, tempted in every way (Hebrews 4:14). As you begin this year, many challenges may arise, but never forget to fix the eyes of your heart back on our Lord Jesus. God already loves you and is asking your heart to obey Him and be faithful to what He has instructed you to do. Let Him win over your heart and soul first.
 
Our Lives are Created to Overflow with God’s Wisdom and Understanding 
“Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly.” (Proverbs 16:22)
 
This year marks the third year we are doing our community outreach to the rental flats near our worship centre in Tampines. Every month, we do our volunteer briefings and emphasise that the activity of food distribution to low-income families is not the primary goal. That would be missing the point entirely. Our understanding of this outreach must be to reveal the love of Jesus through these activities, with the hope that we ourselves would be transformed in the process to become lifelong witnesses for Christ. This helps us stay dependent on the Lord in all we do and focus on what God wants us to do for the people around us to be saved over the long term. It is one thing to perform a temporary act of kindness, and whilst that is encouraged, the greater goal is to become more consistent as disciples of Christ in being a “wellspring of life” to love those around us. Jesus Himself is our prime example who never missed the point when He spent time with those around Him. He overflowed with wisdom and understanding when He spoke and listened to people with attentive and compassionate ears. The Lord overflowed with a life-giving love that liberated those who encountered Him. Think of His encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:4-30), His interactions with the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11), or His reinstatement of Peter at the end of John’s Gospel (John 21:15-22). All three found freedom and purpose, delivered from lives of fear, hurt, and condemnation after speaking with Jesus. That is the kind of “delivering” love we are created for. Our victory will come from giving our hearts to overflow with that understanding and love for our family and friends around us. Here is a prayer for us:
 
“Lord Jesus, many may look on the outside, but You look on the inside. You are after our hearts. May You impart a fresh love in us for Your wisdom and understanding so we may overflow with compassion to bring Your gift of salvation to those around us. We cannot do this alone, but we pray and trust You to enable us to take those steps of obedience in faith. Come and do Your miracle of touching and changing lives through us. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”