Someone was telling me how obedient and wonderful her friend’s child was. How he listens and does his school work and assessments diligently. What an obedient child! Wonderful! I told this person that a child is not measured by his or her willingness to do school work and assessments. There are other aspects of a child that may tell a different story. What if this wonderful school work- and assessment-finisher is selfish and heartless? He cares only for himself and bullies others. Can he still be considered obedient and wonderful? There are many cases of academically clever children who are rotten eggs in other aspects. What do we say then?

Unfortunately, this is the phenomenon in an examination-mad society. Just look at the proliferation of tuition centres and “making your child a super brain” centres and the number of people flock to them, and you will understand what I mean.

My dear brothers and sisters, people are differently gifted. If you ask a fish to climb a tree, by that yardstick of achievement, it will always be an idiot. Similarly, if we expect the monkey to swim well, then the monkey will always be deemed a great failure. Both creatures are differently gifted. Put the fish in water and see how it swims, or see the monkey get up a tree. Clear now?

Give the children a chance to experience their childhood beyond just examinations. We are all different and we want others to respect that. Why then are we not giving the child that chance?

Likewise the church is made up of people with different talents. We must learn to respect each one as special in the sight of the Lord. The auntie who may not read or write English as well as you do may cook a way tastier meal than you or me ever will. That uneducated cleaner may be able to do and endure more hardship than any of us. For all you know, they may live a better life than most so-called educated people.

Let us learn to respect the difference in one another, beginning with our own children. Do not compare with other. Let us grow together on this journey of faith.

God bless!

How does one deal with disappointments? Examinations marks that were not up to expectations, the promotion that did not come, the prince charming or beautiful princess that did not materialise, or the marriage that failed. Life’s disappointments come one after another, some more than others. Some resort to deception of self and others, pretending that all is well. Others seek consolation everywhere they can find – self-help, religions and gurus, counselling, etc… When all fails, blame others.

Is that how we deal with our disappointments? To be honest, we all indulge in one of the above mentioned methods at one time or another. We are not immune to disappointments nor bad reactions to them. So, how should we deal with them?

I am not about to say the textbook answer: “Believe in Jesus and all will be well”, although that saying by itself is not wrong. Nor will I say that we should just grit our teeth and bear with it. We have to come to terms with our feelings and emotions; there is no denial here.

We have to start the healing (yes healing not just dealing) with God. We come to God with a contrite heart, and surrender the whole issue to Him. There is no need for padding in our crying out to God; just straight honest truths and facts. Listen to it ourselves, as we rant to God. After all is said, leave the whole matter to Him. Do not attempt to give or suggest the solution that satisfies us to God. He is God, not you or I. He knows what to do better than you and I. Next comes the difficult part – wait and listen. This is the most difficult part because it comes in His good timing, not ours. If you get it instantly, praise God. If it tarries, praise God also. Then put into action diligently what you hear God wants you to do. Remember it is what God wants; Do not disguise what you want in the religious garb, “Thus says the Lord.”

You may now know that I was referring to prayer all this while. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, PRAY without ceasing. That is how to deal with disappointment.

God bless!

There I was, a volunteer of SACS, selling flags at one end of the escalators coming out of the MRT station. As expected, many just passed by me as they got on with their lives. Some saw me and approached to donate some money, while others gave as I approached them. It was nothing out of the ordinary. It would be a breeze to me since I had done it before. After a while, though, the disdainful looks of some of the people got to me. I began to wonder what right they had to look at me like this. After all, I am doing a charitable work. Then arrogant thoughts about how virtuous I was came into my mind. Almost immediately I wanted to throw in the towel, so to speak.

Then the Lord spoke to me and reminded me that humility is the key to victory. I responded by asking Him for forgiveness. I kept praying silently, asking the Lord to help me humble myself. Before long, I was just enjoying myself (though it was a little tiring) serving the needy by selling flags. It was a very humbling exercise for me, one which I thank the Lord for. It will help keep my feet firmly rooted on the ground as I continue to serve Him in the days to come.

It is so easy for us, living in an affluent nation, to forget that what we have is a blessing from God. Of course we worked hard for what we have and cannot be faulted for saying that we deserve them. It is so easy to fail to give thanks to the Lord. It is this danger of arrogance that we need to be aware of, to keep from falling. The key to success is, therefore, humility.

Humbleness helps us to remain thankful. By it we are at peace with our real self and situation without experiencing despair. We can then appropriate things and situations well. Life can be balanced in an affluent and fast world. Then, and only then, can we move on to know true success and realise that it is not measured in the way of the world. It is good for us to have a reality check, time and again, to keep us rooted firmly to the Lord.

Humility and Thankfulness work hand in hand. They will keep us in good stead and close to the Lord. My brothers and sisters, work at it.

God Bless!

While talking with a parent of three children, he shared with me his insight on studying for major examinations (PSLE, ‘O’ level). He had come to the conclusion that the most important time to get up to speed for the PSLE examinations is not in P6 but in P5. The time in Primary five will strengthen all the foundations and the time in P6 merely adds to it. Starting to prepare in P6 is akin to a last-minute rush. I must say that I fully agree with him.

Many well-meaning Christians think that the way to go is to live it up when you are younger and start to prepare for “heaven” when older. Then you will have more time and experience; you will have no worries about finances and other considerations. These are pretty convincing and compelling excuses, but for all intents and purposes they are just excuses and really bad ones at that.

I know that a believing Christian will go to heaven, no question about that. Many may pass their PSLE if they languish in their digital endeavours, but the few who endure the rigour of hard work will score and reap the benefits. Too often then, many give up the eternal rewards for the temporal gratifications of this earth. Sadly, some even lose their salvation for such. Taking the final “examinations” for granted is dangerous. With diseases like “face glued to phone,” “will die without social media,” many are going to ignore what is really important, to their own peril. Just ask or look around, do children more likely to ask their parents for a book to read or for an iPhone to play games?

It is important for us to get our relationship right with God at the onset. Many things in this world can wait, because they become obsolete faster than the speed of light anyway. Contrary to many people’s assumption, heaven cannot wait. Think carefully about instant and temporal gratifications versus eternal rewards. It is your call for your own life; I am merely pointing it out. Your choice to make for yourself. I cannot make it for you.

Think wisely and act upon it early.

God Bless!

A recent report of a car knocking down a two year-old toddler in China shocked many people. It is not just the driver who knocked the girl down but also the reaction, or non-action, of the people around that is atrocious. A young child was very badly injured and nobody cared, not even a little. Finally, in true Biblical parable fashion, an elderly rubbish collector was the one who rendered help. Others passed by without giving any attention. Another driver did not care and drove over the girl as if she was some piece of rag lying on the road.

Does it remind you of the parable of the good Samaritan? We thought that it was not possible for people to pass the other side? It was just a parable that Jesus used to “shock” the establishment then, yadda yadda… Well, you see it in real life here, with video to boot. If you are still not convinced that the world is getting heartless and cold, then I urge you to seriously re-think. The Bible tells us that the love of most will turn cold in the last days. In such times, people would only want to hear what scratches their itching ears. The truth will be shunned; of course, in the guise of very clever arguments.

Let me tell you, the last days are here. Look at the signs of the times – increased frequencies of natural disasters, coldness of hearts, idolatry (in various forms), and turning away from the truth for false religions. I am no doomsday prophet. I am just pointing you to the truth in the Holy Bible. I am only asking you to take heed of what is written there. If you are not reading it enough to know, then it is a good time to start reading and living it out. Nobody knows when Christ is coming again. It will be a sad day to find that out at Judgement Day.

Brothers and sisters, let us work while it is still day. Do not let our hearts turn cold. Keep it warm and caring with the love of Jesus Christ. Care for and love one another. Live a life worthy of the gospel. When the night comes, no one can work. Scripture is clear and is fulfilling before our eyes all that is written in it. Be warned. Do not procrastinate; there may not be time tomorrow.

God bless!

Two factions within a Christian organisation took their internal dispute to a civil court. After spending close to half a million dollars in legal fees, the case was thrown back to them to settle between themselves. As a result of the entire fiasco, the two factions disgraced Christ, the teaching of their organisation’s founder, and wasted a big sum of money that could have been put to better use. Is it worth it? Wise up.

The Bible teaches us not to have civil lawsuits between Christians. We are to work the dispute out amongst ourselves. Have we forgotten the Word of the Lord? Maybe our “superior” education caused us to think that portion of scripture does not apply to us?

My feel is that it is more difficult to love than to hit out. As I did mention before, to love is painful. It means that we need to bear all things. Someone argued that the other person will take advantage of the forgiveness and keep doing it to irritate you. Then again, the Lord did say seventy times seven, didn’t He?

Yes, to love and to forgive is painful. I would even venture to say that it is extremely painful. If it is so easy to love, the world would not be what it is today. The world is filled with hatred, deceits, wars, killings and whatever bad things that you think of. What the world needs is the love of God, exhibited through His disciples (all of us). Jesus went through extreme pain (emotional, mental, physical and even spiritual) as he went to the cross. He did it out of love for the Father, and for us.

To love is painful, but it will be worth its weight in gold. Take for example, parents forgiving their children. The pain that they bear all those years till the prodigals return are replaced by joy in that moment.

Love one another. It is God’s commandment that we do so. It is how the world will know of our Father in heaven – by our love for one another. Forgive one another. Do not bear it to heart. Give it to the Lord who judges. He is fair and just. He will return to you the due justice and reward. Do not take it in your own hands, leave it with God.

God bless!

A couple of us, Christians of various denominations and theological inclinations, were having a casual discussion while enjoying a good cup of coffee. Many topics were talked over pretty quickly. It got a little heated up when it came to “worship” or, more precisely, “worship styles.” I knew it was going to be “ugly” but I let the discussion go on. I soon regretted that decision when two of them got really heated up over each other’s opinions. I had to stop them, with the help of the others of course.

Is worship style really that important? Important enough for two good friends to argue like bitter enemies? I really do not think so. Granted, a suitable worship setting does help us to praise God well. Is that to say, therefore, that we cannot praise God properly in another setting? Unfortunately, many of us get bogged down by such trivial trappings.

Scripture has always been exhorting us to live a life worthy of the Gospel. To me, it would mean that our lives are to be of the highest standard in terms of morality, ethics and spirituality. We are to be exemplary in our conduct of speech and action. It really has not much to do with whether we sing contemporary or “Hymns – Ancient and Mouldy,” drum or no drum. It really has everything to do whether we worship in spirit and in truth. It does not matter much if the preacher is eloquent or not. Sadly, to many it does. I would think that it has a lot to do with whether our lives are touched and changed by the message.

I wonder in which of the seven letters to the churches in the book of Revelations was it ever written that we are judged by the way we sung. As far as I know, we will be judged by the way we lived according to the commandments of God. They testify to our work, toil, patient endurance of persecution, love for God, being fervent and living by faith. There is really nothing to justify high or low tempo. Brothers and sisters, let us major on the important things and do them well. The trivial stuff will take care of itself and are not worth any squabbling.

God Bless

My son loves to find out about how we lived in the past. Since we were in the stairwell, we spoke of the lights along the stairs. These lights were for safety and security. In the past, however, when we were staying in the farm, the light outside of the house was not primarily for safety or security. We did not have much for others to come and steal. The light at the porch was left on throughout the night for us to find our way home. Rural areas can be really dark at night. The light always provided comfort to us when we see it, no matter how dim it was. Somehow, it made it all that different just to see that light on the front porch of home.

Yes, it is easy for any of us to lose our way in the crazy, maddening world today. We are spun so fast that even the most stable among us lose bearing at times. It is during such times that we need a steady light, to help us find ourselves again. No matter how dimly lit or how insignificant it may seem, we derive comfort and a sense of safety from it. Ask any naval personnel from Singapore about the comforting feeling of seeing Horsburgh Lighthouse as they are coming back from an exercise or overseas trip.

God leaves the light on for us. For those who are lost, that light (i.e. Jesus Christ) seeks to guide us back to our real home (heaven). Though we knew this, we still often strayed. The world and its attractions have a way of drawing us out of the real happiness that is in Jesus Christ. Praise be to God that He never gives up on us. He leaves the light at the porch on, no matter how dim it may seem sometimes, to help us find the way back home. He is the loving father who never gave up on the prodigal son. He is constantly looking out for us. It is up to us to want to pay attention to that light breaking through all that darkness.

God never rejects anyone who wants to return. In fact He meets us half way through His son Jesus Christ. If you are struggling, don’t. Just return to Him. Return to the peace and joy that can only be found in Jesus.

God bless!

A friend shared with me that he had just painted his house. During the process, the different layers of paints in hidden corners of the house reminded him of different times in his life. It was to him a cache of history stored there without the knowledge of anyone. It was but a key to unlock and bring to the surface that which was in a far corner of our memory.

We are never alone and never “blank.” Our history consists of people, places and events (happy or otherwise) interacting with us all the time. It cannot be taken away nor denied on our whim. If we fill our memories (past, present and future) with “rubbish,” then all we have will be rubbish. If we fill our memories with wonderful and good things, then we have much to rejoice. Such memories are vital to us in times of hardship.

That is why it is crucial for us to have a close relationship with God. It is He who will pull us out of whatever doldrums we get ourselves into. Only He has the ability and power to do so. But He wants us to participate in the process. He does not want us to be a passive “victim.” He wants every one of us to be an active conqueror together with Him.

How does one learn to trust God? By remembering all that He had done for us during the good times. Read the Psalms, the Prophets, the entire Bible, and you will see the constant reminder of all that God had done in the past. Because He is faithful in the past, He continues to be faithful today, as well as the days to come. This is not a dwelling on yesterday’s glory, because God is still working with us today. If you do not build up that relationship with God now, how would you “remember” when it matters.

Learn to use the GPS on roads that you are familiar. When you are in unfamiliar territories, you can then trust that GPS. Learn to lean on God today, giving thanks along the way. On the way of darkness, you will be able to find strength to trust Him.

My friends, God loves you. Do not put Him to a dark corner and hope to find him when needed. Put Him first and at the very forefront. Then you will not need to search for Him when you encounter difficulties.

God bless!

            We were at a friend’s house when he was joking about the house feeling like a prison because of the steel grilles. The bigger-than-usual padlocks did not help either. He had them installed as a security measure. Yes, it did have a prison-like feeling. The good news was that they will deter and keep potential thieves / intruders out. The bad news was that they also lock the residents in. Trying to get out in an emergency may be a little difficult.

            There are inevitable choices that we make in life. There can be no two ways about them. You want security; go with the “prison” feel. You want privacy, don’t have bodyguards. Safety or privacy, you cannot have both.

            It is the same with believing in Christ. You have to die to yourself and trust in Him. One cannot be in Christ and still live as an unrepentant sinner. You cannot enjoy the privileges of a marriage without taking on the responsibilities of a marriage. Co-habitation is not “cool” with the Lord, no matter how you argue from the human perspective.

            Likewise, one cannot call oneself a Christian engages in homosexuality. A Christian homosexual is a big lie and does not exist. By ‘homosexual’, I mean one who is actively practising homosexual acts. I do not mean anyone who has an inclination but refrain from practising exchange of bodily fluids. Read Leviticus 20:13. Christians are not against the homosexual as a person. We do however, abhor the homosexual act. If anyone wants to engage in active homosexual activities, then he should stop saying that he believes in God. There are no two ways about it. You cannot twist the Word of God to suit you. You cannot be holy while engaging in an unholy act.

            Yes, it is a difficult path to live a life pleasing unto the Lord. However, it can be done. We need to die to ourselves and live the life of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Then, and only then, will we be safe in the arms of God.

 

God bless!