Young People's Group

Meditate on These Things

by Mitchell Tan
April 24, 2019

REFLECTING ON EASTER 2019

Our hearts are full as we reflect on the Lord’s blessings on the programmes during Easter week. We have been gearing up for Easter through the messages at the Morning Worship Services for the last two months. We have been deeply encouraged and challenged to seek to perfect our service to God as we look at Christ, the epitome of servanthood. All the various programmes, Maundy Thursday service, Easter Concerts and Easter Sunday Service turned out really well. The highlight for many of you was to be involved in the Easter concerts. Much hard work was put into preparing for them. Truly, we can see the Lord’s hand involved in blessing each special event.

THE CHALLENGE TO PONDER ON THE RIGHT THINGS

“Finally, brethren whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things.”
Philippians 4:8

The apostle Paul challenged the Philippians to dwell on the right things. They were to logically think through them and to reflect on them. Their minds were meant to be saturated with truths that would bring peace rather than things that would bring anxiety. The Philippians were to ponder on principles that were based on the truth of God’s word. They were to think on things that were honourable, righteous, pure, well-pleasing, anything that was of good report and praise worthy. During the Easter week, we focused on the truth of eternal salvation. Two thoughts come to mind.

1. ETERNAL SALVATION – BEHIND IT IS THE LORD’S ETERNAL LOVE

I was deeply encouraged by Pastor’s Maundy Thursday’s message. Pastor spoke from Isaiah 45 and John 13. He explained to us of how even though God hid Himself from sinful Israel, He would still save them with an everlasting salvation (Isaiah 45:17). And the Lord’s people would not ashamed and disgraced forever. He connected this to the Lord Jesus’ kind of love shown to His disciples. He, after loving His own in the world, loved them to the very end (John 13:1). Behind this eternal salvation is His eternal love. The Lord’s love is one that is not spoken but demonstrated through Him washing the feet of the disciples. It was wonderful to appreciate the depths of the Lord’s love, to seek to deal with our sins and to be able to understand further eternal salvation and His love, even though at times we may not.

2. ETERNAL SALVATION – THE LORD WILL WORK ON OUR CONSCIENCE AND LEAD US TO ETERNAL SALVATION

Eternal salvation was also the theme for the concert nights on the life of Paul. The Lord’s hand of blessings was on both night performances. The Youth Choir, One Voice and the Evergreens all sang well. Thank God for His grace in blessing the concerts. Paul’s struggle with his conscience and his sins brought him to a point where he met with the Lord Jesus in a very personal way. It is through this spiritual encounter that he repented and found eternal salvation. He found a tremendous purpose to be a minister and witness for the Lord. We too can have this eternal salvation.

PERSONAL APPLICATION OF THE RIGHT THINGS

“The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4:9

The apostle not only challenged the Philippians to ponder over the right things. They were to practise what they had learnt as well. What Paul was looking for was obedience. He wanted the Philippians to follow through with what they had learnt from him. These past two months have been a most enriching time of studying the Lord Jesus as the epitome of servanthood. Much has been taught. Much now needs to be done to apply what we have heard and seen and received. The challenge is to practise a greater spirit of servanthood and to constantly look at our Master as the ultimate example. When we do this, the Lord’s presence would be with us in all things.

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