Friday Night Reflection, Week 3: James 1:2-4

“Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say: it is well, it is well with my soul”

I watched as the time on my computer changed to 11pm, but the list of assignments and studying that I had to do that night had not dwindled a bit in the past few hours. As I reluctantly entered midterm season, one thought rang in my head: “It’s almost over. I just have to wait until this weekend and then I’ll be okay.” But is that how we are to look at trials?

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Friday Night Reflection, Week 2: The Purpose of Wisdom: The Book of James

Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; 

she will honor you if you embrace her. 

She will place on your head a graceful garland; 

she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”

– Proverbs 4:8-9

In this chapter of Proverbs, King Solomon urges his children to consider the abundant treasures of godly wisdom. The lush language and personification in these two verses both burgeon powerfully with promise. The pursuit of wisdom is greatly rewarded, Solomon says. But, why is obtaining wisdom so important, both for the new believer and the mature, seasoned one? As Matt preached last Friday on an overview of the book of James, a book of practical wisdom likened to the Proverbs of the Old Testament, he considered this question. 

Friday Reflection, Week 1: A Clarion Commission

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. Colossians 1:28-29

By the Lord’s grace in the hearts of His people, I pray that these reflections on this past week’s  large group sermon by Matt Ng will be of great exhortation to you.

Comfort in Sovereignty

As a child, the sovereignty of God was a vague concept that simply served to bring attention to the power of God –that is, He created the universe and exercises control over it. It wasn’t until these recent years (especially with all the preaching in Job) that I came to understand how agreeable  that truth can be, and the amount of comfort that can be found there. I appreciate Psalm 115 because of the way it presents the sovereignty of God in a way that calls us to trust in and worship Him for His “Godness”.

God’s Sovereignty and His Glory

Friday Night Devotional by Geo Ng, 4/22/16

“I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.” Job 42:2

God is sovereign. He orders everything, controls everything, and rules over everything.

Firm Convictions

Friday Night Devotional by Will Chen, 4/15/16

Truth is objective. We believe this wholeheartedly as Christians. The Word of God is intrinsically true and needs no additional validation for its veracity. We must have this conviction as we are inundated with worldly opinions, especially at a college campus. But how is it that truth actually affects our lives? Is it enough to know bible verses, doctrine, and theology? Is the sum of the Christian life simply knowing about the objective truths of Scripture?

Behold, the Lamb who Takes Away our Sin

Friday Night Devotional by Tim Ushijima, 4/8/2016

“The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming to him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29). This is such a simple phrase but the enormity of it is staggering.

Do You Pray?

Friday Night Devotional by David Chow, 4/1/2016

Penned in his famous booklet, “A Call To Prayer,” J.C. Ryle asks the reader again and again three simple words, “DO YOU PRAY?” He goes on to emphasize the importance of prayer as absolutely needful to a man’s salvation, as one of the surest marks of a true Christian, as a source of great encouragement, as the secret of eminent holiness, and as one of the best means of happiness and contentment. He also states that there is no spiritual activity more neglected than prayer and to neglect it is one great cause of spiritual backsliding. If prayer is so important to the Christian life, then stop and ask yourself the question, DO YOU PRAY?

The Power of Prayer

Friday Night Devotional by Michael Teng, 3/5/16

When we think about examples of the effective power of prayer, it is difficult not to think of the miraculous life of Elijah. Elijah was a prophet who prayed often and prayed boldly for God’s power to be revealed. As a result, his ministry was marked by miracle after miracle after miracle after miracle. Some of these miracles included resurrecting people from the dead, calling down fire from heaven, supernatural provision of food, and parting of the Jordan river. Above all, Elijah was one of the only people in history never to taste death, and was brought directly to heaven in a whirlwind (1 & 2 Kings). Often when we read about Elijah, we are left wondering what kind of unique and pious man he had to be for these miracles to occur.

However, James almost underwhelmingly states: “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly…” (James 5:17)

Tossed To and Fro

Friday Night Devotional by David Chow, 2/26/16

Have you ever been on a boat hit by heavy waves, or in a car during a blizzard where the wind pushed the vehicle side to side? I have been in both situations and it is as if I had no control of my life whatsoever. One moment I was being pushed to the right and the next pulled to the left. During both situations I attempted to do whatever I could to be planted to the ground, to be stable and to not sway.