It was a battle scene. People were rushing everywhere and it was difficult to know who was in which side. It was chaotic. It was the SJCp “retreat”.  Teams formed alliances to attack and defend their objectives. Their objective is to capture the royalties of the other teams.  In the midst of the chaos, a lady was heading into the “castle” of her opponents. She was immediately confronted by three defenders. Seeing the danger, the lady retreated slowly. At this crucial moment, her daughter in the same alliance, came running fast and furious to join in the battle to protect the mother. It was a scene that would touch the hearts of many.

Life’s journey is full of perils. At times we are able to overcome without help. Other times, we will need help. The question is, will there be help when we need it? Who would know that we need help?

Of course God is there and He knows. However, I believe that He has prepared the family, especially the family of God, to fulfil this duty of looking into the interests of others and caring for each other.

We must not neglect coming together in fellowship during the good times. Yes, times of hardship do have the effect of bringing people together. But why wait till those times? We must build foundations before anything happens. I pray that we need not go through difficult times. Coming to church has a social dimension as much as a spiritual dimension. Worshipping God at home through Internet streaming of the service only means that we do not really understand God or His intent. We are not meant to be loners. We are communal beings; God made us that way. Did not God say that it is not good for man to be alone? The apostle Paul also mentioned that we should not give up coming together to worship and fellowship.

Brothers and sisters, come and let us build up the family of God together. We will never walk alone.

 

 

 

God bless!

Many would not believe that a flash flood in Orchard Road is possible. Well, it happened and proved yet again that nothing is impossible. Water is an important commodity for us. Without it we are as good as dead. There will not be food and we will be all dirty and dusty. Most times, however, we take it for granted. Even in those years when we rely quite a lot on water supply from West Malaysia, we still took it for granted. Water, though able to give life, is also equally capable of destruction of life and property. For those of us who grew up in the sixties and seventies, floods were common. News of people drowning in a flood were not rare too.

In short, water is important. However, too much of a good thing in too short a time is bad. A fair amount of rain cleans our air and environment and refreshes us from the heat. Even heavy rainfall, adequately managed by the drainage system, for long period is a good thing as it really cleans the environment and provides the necessary sustenance. But when it comes too fast and too much, then it is destructive.

Beware, when you would shout to God to “bless me, bless me, blessme, blessmeeee, …..” Call it out fast enough, it may even sound like ‘blaspheme’. If the whole existence as a Christian is for nothing but for blessings galore – think 30, 60, 100 folds as preached by some – then something is really wrong. It also means that your focus is in the wrong place and you can easily be fooled by so called “prosperity pimps.”

Have faith in God to provide enough for you, or even slightly more at the times that you need. Too early and you will waste them, and you do not want it too late. Jesus had said that we should seek first the Kingdom of God and the rest will be added unto us. What is there to worry and to chase after? We must honour God in the way that He should be honoured. Then, and only then, will we do things that God is pleased. The rest then is history.

God knows best. Contentment under God’s care and guidance is bliss.

 

 God bless!

I was listening to the radio while driving to work. It was just about 8 am. Then the announcement of 8 o’clock came after five beeps. Suddenly, I was brought back in time to my stint in Navy. Every morning, without fail, we would patiently wait at the chart table for the 8 o’clock time check. Items that were laid out on the chart table were: the time log, stop watch, and chronometer. You are probably thinking, “Why does the Navy sacredly and religiously keep this “ritual” that seems meaningless, rather than keep an accurate watch. And why does one call it a chronometer?

A chronometer is a very accurate watch. To keep a very accurate watch, especially out in the open sea, is a very important matter. It may even be a life-and-death issue. The time is used for navigation and error for even a second will result in being lost and not knowing where one is and how to move on ahead. Now, you see how important it is!

The journey of life is a precarious one. It is important for us to “navigate” through it carefully in order that our lives would be one that pleases God. Otherwise, even with tremendously earthly achievements, it would be a wasted life. What really matters is not how big or beautiful a “ship” we are, it is getting there to the actual destination that is the real goal.

Therefore, we need to “calibrate” our lives daily with God through His word and prayer. There is no way that one can know God’s heart without studying the Bible (God talking to us) and prayer (we talking to God). Through God’s light illuminating us, we will be able to see our faults as they are. We can then make adjustments to correct them. We will be forgiven if we repent, but we must also “sin no more.”

Yes, it is difficult and laborious to do so. It is even dry and boring, just like the seaman having to synchronise the chronometer every morning. It is, however, absolutely necessary. We must never neglect it or dismiss it.

 

 

 

 

 

God bless!

A particular mega organisation was very much in the news recently. Many people were concerned for various reasons. There are many people who questioned me about the case, of which my answer was, ‘What has it got to do with me?’ I told them to ask the person in charge of the organisation instead.

 We really have to be careful of why we exhibit great interest in something. Is it a matter of curiosity or are we begin busybodies? Is it looked upon with a subconscious desire to judge? We are neither God nor were we appointed judge; it is not for us to make any judgment on the case aforementioned. Let us learn to leave that to the relevant authorities. Meanwhile, it is for us to pray for the affected disciples of Jesus Christ that they will not lose faith in God.

 It is easy for some to feel angry or betrayed during such times. I encourage you to feel otherwise. It is God who is in charge and not us. Why should we try to do the job that God should be doing? Our duty is to enjoy God and glorify Him forever. Yes, we can be angry like Jesus did but make sure that we get our facts correct first. Otherwise, we will be made to look like fools.

 If you are indignant about the way the organisation uses its fund, then ask what can you do about it. A man complained in the newspaper forum about the organization that he is attending and lamented on the way the funds were managed. My question to him is that if he is not happy about it, he should not contribute to the fund and leave the place regardless of how entertaining the shows are.

 Brothers and sisters, be wise and cautious. Look at what the Bible had taught about potential pitfalls and avoid them.

 

God bless!

I was struggling to wash the soap off my hands while pressing continuously on the plunger of the faucet. It was quite a task. There is no doubt that you would have a similar experience one time or another. Have you ever wondered why a first world nation has such a third world mentality contraption?

The common reason is the need to save water. Such plunger type faucets will eliminate the possibility of people failing to turn off the tap due to various reasons. It is a noble reason, so everyone accepts it and lives with it.

A careful observation would have informed you that the faucets in the church are the “turn on, turn off” type. Why are we not in line with the thinking of the world? Are we not “civic-minded” enough to “help” conserve water? Good question.

The plunger type faucet, as I explained to my administrators, is a clear example of how we think that people cannot be trusted to think and do not want to do good. It assumes that people are “bad and lazy.” Therefore, one must take necessary steps to eradicate such waste.

I believe that Christians have more sense and civic-mindedness than others. Nobody would waste water deliberately in the church, other than a few mischievous children playing pranks – yes, we do have a few of them who would even activate fire alarms without thinking of consequences. In the few years that we have change the faucets in the church, there were only a couple of occasions (I reckon less than five) where the tap was left on. It was too few to warrant changing back.

We have to learn to trust and be trusted. Who can be trusted if we Christians, the light of the world for Christ, cannot do so? We have to lead the way to be the prime examples of good citizens, useful and invaluable to the nation. Only in such a way can we be a blessing and witness in the place we live in.

Next time you are struggling with a third world mentality contraption, think about being a light.

  

God bless!

Two women, in their mid-thirties, were talking and praising the USA to the sky about the free education provided by their renowned universities. They spoke about all the wonderful things that they could do in those universities. After that they lamented on the need to pay for an education in Singapore. As far as they are concerned, the government should pay for everything that they fancy, like the Americans (a constant referral in their conversation). I wonder if they know how much debt the USA is in, or if they will love to live in a country where someone can just come to your classroom with a gun and start shooting everybody with real bullets!

There is nothing really free in this world, not even so-called free thinkers. The free world is not actually free but tied down with all kinds of bondages if you are willing to look closer. Free education? The only reason it can be free is because somebody else had paid for it. Where do you think the universities get funding? Building and utilities cost money. Somebody have to pay for them. In some welfare state, many praise the free medical and unemployment benefits. The money to finance all these, my friends, comes from very high taxes – somebody is paying for them. Welfare states works on the principle of everybody works hard to contribute to help each other. It is well and good when everyone does that. Do you really think that it is the case nowadays? Dream on.

The only thing that is truly free is the love of God exhibited by the salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. It is of no cost to you but it cost God greatly. He had to go through numerous humiliations to provide that love that is freely given and freely received. What humiliations? The almighty God taking on our weak miserable state, for example. That alone will blow your mind if you bother to even think about it.

The world has no free lunches. Only in God can we find the true love in Christ. This love truly has ‘no strings attached’, in every sense of the word. It is given so that we may live and live abundantly.

Somebody paid that we may live. Choose and choose well.

 

God bless!

An accident on the CTE caused a traffic jam stretching back for about two kilometres. Unfortunately, I was stuck at the tail end of it. After crawling along for the longest time, I finally “saw the light” – the end of the jam near the accident scene. I noticed that it was a very minor car collision between two cars where the damage was minimal. No, I am not hoping for a dramatic multiple cars pile up with many people dying. I was just thinking how such a minor accident caused such a long jam.

Church members are a family within the church. It is vital that we understand our interconnectedness as a family of God. We are not meant to be alone in this world. It is very difficult to be a loner and a Christian in a world full of temptations and evil. The lone strand connecting him to the main Body can be broken easily. It is only as a family that we can stand the onslaught of the world and to live out the life worthy of the Gospel.

As the family is connected, a “minor accident” within will cause the whole family to grieve or slow down tremendously. A sin, big or small, committed will drag the family down; just as the accident on the road caused a long jam. The apostle Paul reminded us of the concept of the body; the entire body hurts when one part is hurt.

Therefore, it is vital for all of us to guard and protect one another. No doubt that we need to watch our own lives and ensure that it is good. We will also need the help of one another. There is really no way we can go it alone. It was never meant to be. God had said that it is not good for man to be alone. He needs a family, not just a spouse, though it starts from there. 

Let us resolve to move forward in Christ as a family, loving and caring for one another. We watch out for one another, bearing up each other in prayers and supplications to God. Encouraging one another onwards and upwards in Christ.

 

 God bless!

A friend asked us a question: “Ali has 12 jelly beans. He gave two thirds to Jane, and divided the remainder into half. He ate two and took two back from Jane. Then his father gave him 50 more. How many letters are there in Ali?” Out of the five of us, two stumbled on the answer, two asked for the question to be repeated and one gave the right answer. In case you want to know, the answer was three. The two who were stumbled were too busy trying to solve the question from the beginning and stuck on one track. Thus, they failed to comprehend the question. The other two got lost somewhere within the question and tried too hard to get all the facts, hence their request for the question to be repeated.

We meet with many complications in our journey in life. There are enough twists and turns that can make our health deteriorate very quickly. It is no wonder that the need for more psychiatrists and counsellors is increasing at a very fast rate. People are just finding it hard to cope. We find it difficult to put a finger on things in order that we may sort it all out. The pressure of time, trying to keep pace with others and insatiable desires are just a little too much for the strongest of us.

Ultimately, the answer is really simple. It all comes down to trusting in the true and living God, Jesus Christ. Many do not believe that it is that simple. Blame it to the fact that we are too well-educated and think too much. We think too highly of our own abilities. That is why we find it difficult to believe that the answer is as simple as just trusting in God.

Jesus Christ told us not to let our hearts be troubled but to trust in God and also in Him. Have we not heard? Are we so good in complicating our faith that we forget that the very basis of our faith is just to believe in Jesus Christ?

Have faith my brothers and sisters, leave it to God. As the hymn goes, ‘Trust and Obey is the only way that we can be happy in Jesus’.

 

 God bless!

A full-time worker from elsewhere asked me if I know of any software to break lock codes so that he could make copies of copyrighted DVDs. He was not making backups. He just does not want to pay for them. Recent interactions with people from many different sectors of work also made me rethink some of the ethical issues that had gone into the corners of my mind. The glaring problem in many societies is the existence of different rules for work and home. The woman who would never allow her children to lie has developed a lifestyle of lying in order to make sales. The man who would never cheat on his wife regularly cheats on his income tax returns. The church member who professes to believe in Christ thinks nothing of violating copyright laws by burning CDs or copying MP3 files to pass along software and music to friends.

Christians need to review their positions on various issues – the consistency of our behaviours in different arenas – home, work and social groups.  Are we confusing our children when they see us behave differently in the various settings? They cannot come to an understanding of what is right or wrong. Jesus told us that our “Yes” must be a “Yes” and “No” should be a “No”. There must be consistency in the way we live our Christian lives. The light of Christ does not change with the circumstances. It is consistent. It should not be changed according to cultural or popular sentiments. The word of God must be the deciding and influencing factor for the manner in which we live. We cannot allow the so-called democracy to dictate what God says. Jesus Christ is Lord and God, not the general public who cast their votes.

My friends, you will have to choose for yourself the lifestyle that honours God. I would strongly suggest that you decide with Scripture in mind and in your hand.

As for me, I will serve the Lord.

  

 God bless!

I overheard a conversation between two pastoral staff members. One of them was in a public transport when he noticed that a young person’s card had dropped off. The young man was oblivious as he was too engrossed with whatever his ears were plugged into. Though others had seen the card no one went to pick it up for the young man. This pastoral staff moved from where he was, picked up the card and gave it to the young man. The young man took it, with his ears still plugged, took it without a hint of appreciation.

It begs a question: “Are we living or moving into a time where it is every man for himself?” It is almost like we are coming to a time where people feel that ‘Everything is my entitlement or right to have’. It is no longer a privilege that is extended. If this right is denied, it could lead to dire consequences. A young man in Tokyo went on a rampage and injured three family members and killing another two of them, then went out on the street and injured even more people. All because his father closed his Internet connection account. Many young people today, especially in Singapore, do not know that what they have are privileges given to them and not rightful entitlements. Therefore there is neither the need to give thanks nor is there even a slight perception of the need for it.

It is partly our fault when society begins to slide to this extent. Parents allow their children to ‘climb over their heads’ without disciplining them. Some do discipline but do it badly which led to bad experiences and rebellion. It is not an easy thing to do but nevertheless necessary. Do not leave it to the schools or church. It must start with the home.

Scripture is full of teaching on the need for us to give thanks, especially to the Father in Heaven. Woe to us if we forget that. I want to especially warn the successful, brilliant individuals who may think that their success is purely their own effort. Think again and do the right thing. Come before God and give thanks to the rightful owner.

 

 

 

God bless!