I’ve gained three and a half kilogrammes in my short stay in Kuwait. The hospitality of the Chinese brothers-and-sisters-in-Christ there was overwhelming. Some of them do not have much in material processions, but their love for Christ was definitely in abundance. They really warmed my heart (and increased my waistline along the way). They do not have a pastor (long-term) to shepherd them. It is also not easy for them to have one, being in a restricted nation with harsh living conditions. That, however, did not stop them from wanting to learn the Word of God and to live it out. Being resourceful, they did what they could to listen to the teaching of God’s Word (DVDs, CDs and written sermons left by visiting pastors). Praise be to God for their perseverance. As much as they thought that we were an encouragement to them, they were an encouragement to us.
We, in Singapore, are most blessed in terms of being able to worship God freely. There are numerous churches (more than 400) and enough resources to “drown” anyone in search of God’s Word. Oh, how we should really give thanks to God! I really do not know if the abundance had caused us to be less hungry for the Word of God. We may have taken it for granted. So, many spent their time on frivolous living than learning the Word of God and living it out. A case of too much of a good thing, perhaps?
I really pray that we do not take for granted what we have, little or much. Whatever God provided for us, be it one talent or ten talents, we will have to account for it someday. Prayerfully, we do not have to sweat over the accounting. May it be that we will receive the commendation from God – “you good and faithful servant, come into my rest.” May we not be sent away empty.
Let us pray, together with our brothers-and-sisters-in-Christ elsewhere in the world, that we, alongside them, will cling close to God and stay faithful.

God bless!

I was at a neighbourhood shopping centre when I saw a young lady at a distance. She had her face fixed on her fruity phone and was walking toward the escalator. The only problem was that she was heading toward the wrong side of the escalator. And sure enough, she stepped on it and fell backwards. The people around her laughed loudly at her, instead of helping. I was too far to be in a position to warn her, although I suspect that she would not appreciate the warning.

Many of us are aware of the various types of dangers (physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual) around us. The question is, are we alert enough to avoid them? Are we even bothered with them in the first place? Most are too distracted by non-essentials just like the young lady who found out too late and embarrassed herself (or worse, she could have got seriously injured).

Do we have the moral courage and fibre to sound the alarm? Or are we just waiting to see “how they die”? It is difficult to be the watchman at the gate nowadays. There are too many distractions and “noises” that people pay attention to. No one wants to hear a doomsday prophet; everyone loves a happy blessing message. Watchmen are frowned upon in an affluent city. “Man! What can go wrong?!” Well, it is up to you to honestly consider. Look beyond instant gratification and see the signs.

What is essential and what is not? This is the question that we really need to think about in such a time. Jesus taught us that it is futile that one should gain the world and lose one’s life. Spend time with God, family and friends. I mean real time, not face time. Spend considerable time with the family before we start to miss them and cry in the night. No amount of photos can replace the real memories etched into our minds.

Make the effort to know God well, really well. Study His word so that we are not deceived. In the end times (now) there are many who will come and deceive you with all kinds of claims. Be aware and safeguard your own salvation.

God bless!

Not too long ago, a foreign workers’ dormitory that was to be built received much attention and protest from the locals. Many came out to speak against the building and quite adamantly “declared” that such “foreigners” were not welcomed. What made it more interesting (or sad) was that the most vocal dissidents were of a certain religious persuasion – yes, you guessed it, Christians. And I was given the understanding that a few of them were leaders in their church. Considering that the Bible taught, in no uncertain terms, that we should take care of the sojourners (foreigners) in our midst, this incident was a very sad reflection of the followers of Jesus Christ. It is no wonder that the Christian witness is so weak outside of the church.
Yet when we go overseas, we expect others to accept us with open arms. And many talk about how to welcome “sojourners” into our midst in churches. Is this a case of “No Action, Talk Only” or “welcome them as long as it is not in my vicinity”?
If Christians want to be a witness of their faith in the public square, then it is vital for them to live out their faith in the most genuine manner. One cannot say one thing and do another. Our walk and talk have to be congruent. Do not be too fast to say that “It is not me. I am not like them”. Jesus mentioned many examples of such in the Gospel.
It is vital for us to look deep into ourselves. Do not judge others but judge ourselves. What are we doing? Are we living lives that are worthy of the Gospel of Christ? Am I pointing fingers but doing nothing myself? Even if we are trying to change, we do not want to point fingers at others. Watch ourselves; no one else is responsible for us on Judgement Day. We answer to our own doings.
Let us live a life that will inspire others to give glory to God. Do not let our lives be a stumbling block to those weak in conscience. Remember the world watches us to see if we are genuine in our faith. More importantly, the audience of One is whom we must always be aware of.

God bless!

Among my friends there is one who will only do something at the very last minute. Often it meant that he is in trouble unless people scramble to help him. What made his friends irritated was the fact that they reminded and warned him long before anything was due. The person will procrastinate and delay until “the fire is burning the pants”. Then, and only then, will he do something. Very often such matters could have been done within 5 to 10 minutes if done early. At the last minute, it takes much longer time and frustrations ensue.
I do not know how much attention and importance we give to God’s word and warning. Granted that we do have much to do in this world and we hardly have time for much else. But how high a priority do we attach to our spiritual well-being? It is the word of the Lord Jesus that confronts us, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” Many think that we can start living “well” when we are old and have the time and then I will “cramp” for the “final examination”. My friends, THAT is very wrong thinking.
I do not expect anyone to immediately change their priorities and re-order their lives in such a way that the whole occupation of body, mind and soul is on the Lord. Even I have difficulties with that. It must start with a desire to love God, and then work towards putting that desire to action (not just words). If we want to change the world, it will have to start with all of us starting to do an act of random kindness every day. Then we’ll do more as we “grow.” If we start with 5 to 10 minutes of time a day with the Lord (for those outright beginners) and gradually increase that communion time with God and His word, we will find that it is easy to walk and talk with God. The fact is, it was never difficult in the first place; we just made it so by faulty thinking.
The worship of God must be our priority in life. Our time on this earth, no matter how long a life you have here, short relative to eternal life. Make your choice of doing what matters at the end. Choose well and choose life.

God bless!

I spent the evening watching the National Day Parade on TV with my son. The reminder of how Singapore moved from the humble beginnings of an insignificant fishing village to the present-day global city in a very short time was nothing less than astonishing. As for me, I could only say “Thanks be to God.” Quietly, I gave thanksgiving to God as tears streamed down my face (wiped away before my son saw it).
Maybe it was just me, being nostalgic and all. Many of us literally grew up with the nation. We had moved from the time where schools that resembled a small shed became multi-million dollars schools today. A time where we ran to each other’s house to talk, as opposed to sending a text message on the mobile phone. Much had changed and we benefited from it. Indeed we have to thank God for the blessings.
Are we filled with thanksgiving? Or are we filled with unhappiness due to the insatiable greed for more? Did we spend time to thank God and pray for the continual blessing of the nation? Or do we just take it for granted that a good, prosper and stable place is our birth right?
The Bible teaches us to pray for the welfare of the city that we live in, for it is in its welfare that we will find ours (Jeremiah 29:7). Too often we think that what we enjoy comes from our intelligence and abilities. It is the almighty “I” that did it. I can only say that we do not even have control over how our hair behaves, let alone the world. It is prudent for us to change our thinking from almighty “I” to Humble “I”; from “I’’ to “God.”
Let us learn to spend time to give thanks to God and to pray for the nation. Do not just pray for all things “me”; remember that what happens around us in our community/place will definitely affect us. The economic turmoil in Europe and US will definitely affect us, like it or not. Do not hide the head under the sand and pretend that in Asia we are all right. We are not powerless. It is only so if we are prayer-less. We are powerful when we are prayerful.
Let us join our hearts to pray for the nation, for in its welfare we find ours.

God bless!

There are plenty of needs around if you bother to look. Some needs are highly visible and others suffer in silence. Many organisations, I assume with good intentions, were set up to help the lesser known poor and needy. There are, of course, bad eggs that exploit such needy causes in the name of helping them. At the end, it is for their gains. Well and good if they were so called “win-win” situations, but mostly we know that they were not.
Christians are taught to emulate the Lord to help those in needs. Many had done well and glorified the Lord in the process. It is a wonderful thing to help others and the Lord’s name be praised. However, as in all things there will be corruptions. There are some that uses such needs as opportunities to push their agendas – political, fame, exploitative gains, you name it. The sad thing is that they are often packaged in such beautiful spiritual language, for example some bogus missionary agencies. Unfortunately many are fooled and their contributions did nothing to the needy communities.
We, Christians, need to be wise. We do not want to be cheated of the limited resources that we have to do good. Do not allow your good intentions and heart to be exploited for the unrighteous gains of others.
We also need to be honest to ourselves. In what we are doing, are we really doing it for the sake of the Lord? If what’s done is really “win-win” then it is great. Otherwise, we really have to know what it means by sacrifice. We have to be honest to ourselves. Reasoning and explaining our way out is not really the answer. Clear and honest motives are what we should go on. Then, and only, what we do is acceptable unto the Lord.
All being said, I must add this: Do not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up (Gal 6:9). The Lord is watching – not to punish us but wanting to bless us. Do well and be truly blessed by the Lord.

God bless!

There has been News reports indicating more people seeking help from organisations over problems with loan sharks and gambling – an expected outcome with the opening of the casinos. There are those that complain that the government did not do enough. I really do not know if that is valid. There has been plenty of gambling with or without the casinos. The amount of “warnings” over various media is so much that they are becoming background noise, something that you just ignore.
What about smoking? Do people not know that smoking is dangerous? That stuff is so dangerous that it kills people who don’t even smoke. Yet more and more so-called highly-educated Gen Y people are taking up the habit. Do they not know? Are they not educated? I believe they are, but wise they are definitely not. Money is not a concern, they think they have plenty. Wasting their lives? What’s that to them? Health? This is something that will only bug you when you lose it, otherwise it is not important.
Does the seemingly endless call to prevent mosquitoes breeding irritate you? This had been an ongoing call for a long time. Did people care? Not until someone close was struck down by dengue fever. Human beings have the tendency to lean towards dangerous undertakings, thinking that they would not be the ones suffering the consequences. The probability is remote and it would always be someone else. Be warned that the probability is 100% for the one that was hit.
Many will read the Bible, listen to sermons and read all kinds of Christian literature. How many will take heed of the teaching of our Lord? For those who take heed, how many interpret them with blinds or colour lens? Is that why many well-meaning Christians lead defeated lives? Jesus Himself said it many times in Scripture: “Let him who have ears to hear, let him hear.”
Brothers and sisters, we are neither blind nor deaf. Be alert and aware that we are living in the end times. Keep vigilant and stand firm. Know the Word of God and, equally important, Do it.

God bless!

My son and I were leaving the house for school one morning when he asked me to carry him to the car (as I used to do when he was very much younger). I told him gently that he had grown up and I am unable to carry him now. I went on to add that I could only lead him now. In the future, he would have to live on his own and, in the years to come, even lead me. As such, I said to him, he would have to make sure that he learnt well henceforth.
We are like babes in Christ when we first got to know him. We fed on spiritual milk. It tasted good, for indeed the Lord is good. However, there must come a time when we must move on to solid food (spiritual). We survive on milk when we are not ready for the bigger things (1 Cor 3:2). It is okay not to be ready as infants in Christ. However, it is NOT okay to remain as infants forever, is it?
One must not remain at that level where we keep on waiting to be fed and incapable of taking solid food but subsisting on milk. It is time to grow up. Heb 5:13 tells us that those still on milk are unskilled in the word of righteousness, since they are but children. Solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil (Heb 5:14).
It is especially important today that we grow up faster in the Lord. To have discernment to distinguish good from evil is even more vital as the end approaches. Woe to us if we fall because we neglected our growth in the way of the Lord. Such warnings are common in the Bible, and they are not there because it is fashionable to write such. They are there because the devil is real, deception is real and the possibility to fall away is real. Do not take it lightly. We do so to our own peril.
Brothers and sisters, we have to urge one another on. Do not tarry. Do not stop growing. Do not grow weary of advice to follow the Lord earnestly. There is still time but for how long more is anybody’s guess. Personally, I suggest that we be prepared rather than be sorry.

God bless!

I was at a very cosy restaurant that served great food at a reasonable price. The ambient was beautiful, ventilated by natural air and fans. Very few people were there, not because of anything except that the place was operated by people with special needs. As I stood there and looked at the place, I overheard part of a conversation between two “church leaders.” To make it clear, they were not from the management of the place. The gist of it is that they (the leaders) could not live without air-conditioning. They emphasised to each other the notion of “cannot live without”.

I know that Singapore is warm all year round, and at times quite hot and humid. To say that one cannot live without air-conditioning is going overboard. Looking at their ages, I am sure they grew up in sunny Singapore without the comfort of air-conditioning. So what happened?

Singapore became rich, that was what happened. People started to take the blessings of life for granted, so much so that they “think” that they cannot survive without it. There are people who would insist on driving the car even though their destination is within walking distance. And they complain that cars are so expensive. There is a saying that goes like this: “Luxury once tasted becomes necessity.”

What is contentment? The Bible exhorts us to live in contentment, giving thanks to the blessings of God everyday without complaining. So why the constant grumbling and non-stop pursue of “more and better” ? It may not be so bad if what we want is indeed better, but more often than not, it is the brand that many are chasing. Do we not have enough? Are we hungry or cold from lack of clothing? I do not think so. In fact, we had it good. I believe it is the failure to thank God constantly for the things we have that brought about such behaviour. We should learn to thank God for what we have and work within His will to strive for higher goals.

There really are more important things in life than those little comforts that we already enjoy. They are small things which lack will not kill us if we do not have them. Work instead towards loftier goals, love God and enjoy Him.

God bless!

A friend highlighted a word that was correctly spelled but wrongly used in one of my previous letters – “closet” as opposed to “closest.” Well, a mistake is a mistake, no excuse. It did give us all a good laugh and also set me thinking about the way some of us live out our Christian faith.

Automatic spell checks in our word processor programmes, slowly but surely, bring about complacency in the way we check our documents. Blame it on the amount of work and the deadlines. Over-reliance on technological advances will do us in one of these days. At the end of the day, it was still a mistake. It still got out into the world and plunged one into embarrassment. Hopefully, we all learn from it and regain the prudence before sending anything out. Along the way, we are reminded not to put too much trust on technology.

On another note, is Jesus your “closet” or “closest” friend? There are some who actually have Jesus as a closet friend. They will try to hide their identity as a Christian, and their lives tell no story of the Risen Lord. In a way, we can say that they are ashamed of the Gospel and the crucified Christ. This is a dangerous position. Christ had warned that anyone who denies Him will be denied by Him. Putting Him in the closet and not making Him known is almost as good as denying Him.

Having Jesus as the closest friend is a totally different story. One learns to trust and confide in Him. We are anxious to tell everyone about this very close friend of ours and that He could be their close friend too. We cannot stop thinking of Him and want to commune with Him ever so often. We live and please this closest friend of ours, on which our very existence depends. We change the way that we live in order to please Him. Indeed, that is the only way we can know true happiness.

Brothers and sisters, who is your closest friend? The mobile phone, facebook, other social media? If you spend more time on non- essential messaging and computer (or mobile) games, than reading and finding out more about Christ, then that is where your heart is. Do not deceive yourself. The end days are here, live well.

 

God bless!