God is ever fain to return me to His fold. The past week has been one of acclimatising to the new job at Orica, and as I am slowly adjusting, it will ever take some time for me to start being comfortable with the work, and especially to many degrees more, the work. Orica's workload has been much, much less for me, and being in a far slower paced environment was, and still is to some degree, a culture shock for me. I have been feeling extremely unproductive, and with the sudden expansion of free time that I have, both during work hours and after work, I had no idea what to do with it. And so I have been languid throughout the week, not completing the things that I am supposed to do. The 2016 Planner I had targetted to finish by the end of this week is now still incomplete, and only more complete because I had finally distilled my emotions the night before, that I was able to make some progress last night and today. Thank God.

Along with the unproductivity comes a higher propensity to sin. Not only that, I have been neglecting reading God's Word and praying. How disappointing I must be in the sight of Jesus who has given me so much, from blessings of material needs and wants, to physical rest, to family and friends. Yet he fain returns me to His fold, as the message today has refreshed me and given me much needed my water of life. Thank God. As the weekend draws to a close and the work week starts anew, I pray that He will sustain me through the week, that I may be productive in the things I set out to do, and most importantly, to honour Him above all and be a good testimony, and never to bend (the root word for iniquity is crookedness) to please man.

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Pastor Dudley Tyng (January 12, 1825-April 19, 1858) was an Episcopal Church pastor in Philadelphia. He was born to Rev. Stephen H. Tyng, pastor of the large Episcopalian Church of the Epiphany in Philadelphia. Dudley served as an assistant to his father in this church for a short time and then became his father’s successor in the pulpit.

Dudley Tyng was an outspoken, powerful, uncompromising preacher, with great influence on spiritual leaders around him. The members of the church were very unhappy about his forth-right statements and clear stance against slavery. He resigned in 1856 and took his followers and started The Church of the Covenant.

He also began noontime Bible studies at the YMCA. In order to reach more men for Christ, he organized a rally on March 30, 1858. Five thousand men came! During the message the 29 year old shouted: “I would rather this right arm were amputated at the trunk than that I should come short of my duty to you in delivering God’s message.” He was preaching from Exodus 10:11 on the text: “Ye that are men, go and serve the Lord” One thousand men accepted Christ as their Savior that day.

Two weeks later he was visiting the countryside, watching a corn-thrasher in a barn. He moved his hand too close to the machine, and his arm was ripped from its socket. Four days later they had to amputate his arm. As he was dying, he told his old father (the former pastor of the Episcopal Church), to “Stand up for Jesus, father, and tell my brethren of the ministry to stand up for Jesus.”

Pastor George Duffield was stirred by the funeral and preached the next Sunday from Ephesians 6 about standing firm. At this message he read a poem that he had written, having been inspired at the funeral. This has become one of America’s favorite hymns, now being sung by millions.

"From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." (Ephesians 4:16)

Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
Ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner,
It must not suffer loss:
From vict’ry unto vict’ry
His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished
And Christ is Lord indeed.

Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
The trumpet call obey;
Forth to the mighty conflict
In this His glorious day.
Ye that are men, now serve Him
Against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger.
And strength to strength oppose.

Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
Stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you;
Ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the Gospel armor,
And, watching unto prayer,
Where duty calls, or danger,
Be never wanting there.

Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
The strife will not be long:
This day the noise of battle,
The next the victor’s song;
To him that overcometh
A crown of life shall be;
He, with the King of glory,
Shall reign eternally. || posted by Kuan Hui