Spring Is A Celebration Of Hope

Dear FCBC family,

It’s springtime! I love spring! To me, spring is a joyous time as nature is refreshed and life blossoms around us. The freshness of spring; a field yet to be planted is totally alluring to me. It also paints a picture of forgiveness, which is why I am reminded of spring every Resurrection Sunday. When spring comes, our mourning turns to dancing, and our trials turn to joy, because we have hope!

I want to encourage us with the words of prophet Jeremiah to the people of Judah and Jerusalem in Jeremiah 4:3, “Break up your unploughed ground and do not sow among thorns.”

Breaking up our unploughed ground means uncovering things we thought we could hide from God. It involves turning over the dark underside of our lives. It requires vulnerability, honesty, accountability and confession. It literally breaks us and forces us to confront the sins that we thought could be kept secret. Breaking up our unploughed ground means admitting to the things of this life that we’re unwilling to risk and afraid to lose, and giving up these idols, coping mechanisms, and hiding places.

The thorns that prophet Jeremiah speaks of refers to sexual temptations and lust, self-indulgence, pride, anger, selfishness, love of entertainment and recreation, addictions, greed, and more. Each of these thorns chokes God’s word in us. It has a devastating effect on the crop that God wants to grow in you and me. We must root them out instead of revelling in them.

Join me to seek our Lord Jesus and ask for His forgiveness for the times we have failed. Let us surrender our unploughed ground to God, and receive the opportunity He gives to each of us to refresh our relationship with Him. We can do so with hope, knowing that He loves us and has forgiven us.

This is so apt as we’re gearing up towards Celebration of Hope next month. Let us focus on how each of us can better cultivate our individual hearts, to prepare for the coming great harvest in our nation this year. God hasn’t given up on us. He loves us and wants us to turn to Him. We can wake up each morning and seek His guidance as we sow new seeds of righteousness in our ploughed ground. 

- Senior Pastor Nina Khong

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