Geng For Christ

Easy And Light

2011-12-28T22:04:00.000+08:00

I dreamt that I was ploughing the field together with Him
With the yoke on our shoulders joined to the plough by a beam.
Pushing against the barren soil with our bare feet
Moving forward step by step with our backs to the heat.
Then our plough hit upon rocky ground, and I asked the Lord, frustrated and angry
How dare these rocks set themselves against Your Majesty!
But He replied with a smile gentle and humble
How else can we grow stronger?
And tucking the yoke tightly against His shoulder
He pushed on forward all the more harder.
Then I understood: when He said that His yoke was easy and His burden light
It wasn't that the ground becomes soft, but that it'll be overcome by His might.

Full Love

2011-09-27T02:11:00.000+08:00

Imagine this:
A person who you cannot put up with. A person who constantly irritates and irks you, sometimes to the point of a mental breakdown. A person who you totally and utterly ~~hate~~ ~~detest~~ cannot like. Basically, a person who you might sometimes (or all the time) wish you never met.

Now imagine this:
You live together and you put up with that person. You provide care and support. You love that person.

Unimaginable? Impossible? Yeah, maybe, if it is really as extreme as I described. But I just had a revelation that it is not as far-fetched as it sounds. And I have personally witnessed a lot of that, right at home. From my parents. In fact, I was on the receiving end of that. And I still am.

I certainly hope that I am now much more pleasant to put up with. But I know how bad and ugly my behaviour can be, especially when I was younger. And the more I think about it now, the more I am convinced that there is absolutely no other reasons for them to put up with me except for the fact that I am their son and that they love me.

Parents are humans. Id est, they are not perfect. They may have done things that did more harm than good to their children. Some may not even have acted as parents should. I am blessed to have good parents. And when I reflected further on the love my parents have shown me, I felt that I have caught a glimpse of the love God have shown us. Then I began to understand the following verse a little better.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8)

You see, God hates sin, as much as light hates the dark. The two cannot coexist. Darkness is eliminated when it is brought into the light. But while we were filled with darkness, a Light came and gave itself up to replace the darkness inside us, so that we may coexist with light. This, is love. This, is God.

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
(1 John 4:12)

The full expression of love is not just when we love our families and friends, our brothers and sisters in the church, even though these alone can be a quite a challenge sometimes. It is best shown when we actively love those we do not and could not. Oh, what a paradox... But "that is another story, for another time".

For now, I want to thank my parents for teaching me what love is, in the best way it can be taught: by loving me. It is a lesson that has taken over twenty years, and for many more years still to come.

Thanks dad. Thanks mom. I love you.

Weary And Burdened?

2011-05-31T01:30:00.001+08:00

Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

I had the privilege to pray for a brother a few days ago, and God gave me this passage to bless him with. It's a great passage that is often used but I saw it in a different light this time. Here are my reflections on these verses.

1. It doesn't mean no work.

A yoke is a wooden beam pulled by one or two animals to do work, usually to plough a field or pull a load. Jesus tells us to go to Him and TAKE His yoke upon us. So this passage is not saying that you will be freed from work to find rest.

2. It means doing things His way.

Yokes in the middle east are usually the two-animal type. Typically, a more experienced animal is paired with a less experienced one, which doubles as a form of training. This passage did not say that Jesus will take our yoke upon Himself and help us pull it. Jesus tells us to take HIS yoke upon us and to learn from Him. So while we might still end up ploughing the same field or pulling the same load, we will be doing it HIS way.

3. It means He will be with us.

Jesus is inviting us to join Him. We don't have to be alone as we work through the struggles and hardships in life. He WANTS us to go through life with Him, side by side, step by step, all the way.

So if you are feeling weary and burdened, be it physically or mentally or emotionally, go to Jesus, learn from Him and live your life His way. And by taking on His yoke, you will find rest.

edit: I just discovered that I had written about a revelation on this same passage 3 years ago! Read it here.

Diary of a Believer - He's Alive

2011-04-24T23:18:00.001+08:00

"Teacher is alive! It is really him. He showed us the wounds on his hands and feet. This is the best miracle ever! He's alive!

Diary of a Follower - End of the Journey

2011-04-24T23:14:00.000+08:00

"We've been talking about it the whole day. None of the guys know what to do now. First, Teacher was crucified. Then, his body went missing. And now, we are all meeting behind locked doors for fear of what they will do to us. It has really been a stormy time of mixed emotions for all of us.

Then we more or less decided. We'll all go back to our old lives after tonight. After all, there's nothing holding us together anyway. So I guess this will be my last entry in this diary. It's been an exciting journey following Teacher and learning from him. And the fellowship with him and the rest of the disciples would be something I will always miss. It's been a great journey for me, and now I guess it has come to an end. So...

Wait, something's happening downstairs. I hear a familiar voice. It sounds like... Teacher!!!

Diary of a Follower - He's Missing

2011-04-24T11:25:00.000+08:00

"Mary ran in this morning telling us that the large rock sealing the tomb had been rolled aside and the tomb was empty. When we heard this news, Peter and I quickly ran out to the tomb.

I got there first and looked in from the entrance. The tomb was empty, and the burial cloth used to wrap Teacher's body was lying where his body was place. When Peter arrived, I went in after him. The body had really disappeared. What could have happened? Did someone came in the night to take the body?

We went back and told the rest of the guys what we saw. And now I am having a strange feeling about this. I don't know why, but I don't feel as sad as I did yesterday. And I can say the same for Peter and the rest too.

Diary of a Follower - He's Gone

2011-04-24T11:22:00.000+08:00

"He's gone. Teacher is dead. He is lying in a brand new tomb now. I don't know how to accept this. I don't know what to make of it.

They came out of a sudden last night. Teacher had just woke us up again when a large group of soldiers and armed guards stormed the garden, led by that Judas. Teacher did not resist when they arrested him, but the rest of us didn't know what to do and we just ran out of the garden without thinking. We returned to the place we were staying at, and I decided to head back to the city at dawn.

I found Teacher and the crowd gathered outside the Roman governor's residence. The governor, Pilate, was telling them that he found Teacher innocent, but the temple priests and teachers had gathered a huge crowd to demand for Teacher to be executed. They accused Teacher of blasphemy because he claimed to be the son of God.

Pilate must have knew their motives for he did not give that order. He ordered for Teacher to be flogged instead.

It was terrible, what they did to him. They mocked him, then flogged him mercilessly till he was very badly wounded and bleeding all over. Then Pilate offered to release Teacher again in that horrible state. But the large crowd grew restless and kept shouting for Teacher to be executed. And when Pilate couldn't control the crowd any longer, he gave in and handed Teacher over to the crowd to be executed.

I followed behind the crowd as they led Teacher out to Golgotha to be crucified. All along the way, I kept looking at Teacher with a hope that he will perform a powerful miracle and free himself from the horrible fate awaiting him, but he did nothing.

I could hardly bear to watch as the soldiers nailed his hands and feet to the cross. And then they raised him up with a sign that said "King of the Jews". It was a long and painful time. And then at the end, he looked up and said "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." And he breathed his last.

Then Joseph and Nicodemus attained Pilate's permission to take Teacher's body. They buried him in a new tomb nearby and then sealed it with a large rock.

I don't what to do now. I don't know what to make of all these. It's been more than a day, and all of us still have not spoken about our plans for now. The Teacher we believed in is dead, so what is there left for us to believe in now? I think James and I will go back to helping our father in his fishing boat.

Diary of a Follower - Long Night At Gethsemane

2011-04-22T01:44:00.000+08:00

"It's been a cool and quiet night out here at the garden of Gethsemane. Teacher has been praying much longer than usual. Before he went over to pray, he had told Peter, James and me to keep watch with him. But we were all quite tired and dozed off after awhile.

I was awakened when Teacher came over and told us to wake up. And he told us again to keep watch and pray, so that we will not give in to temptation. "For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!". Then he went back to his spot just in front of us and continued praying. I can hear him praying for the suffering to be taken away from him if there's another way, but God's will should be done instead of his own.

I'm a little concerned now because I noticed that he was sweating quite profusely, even though it's a cool night. And he had that same look in his eyes as he had during the Passover meal earlier.

When Teacher broke the bread earlier, he said that it represents his body, which is broken for us. And we should do that to remember him. Then after the meal, he passed the cup of wine around and told all of us to drink from it, for it represents his blood which is shed for the forgiveness of sins. It confirms the covenant between God and His people.

That supper was the most solemn meal we've ever had with Teacher. It makes this night seem to pass even slower. Well, I guess I'll stop writing now and return to praying...

Diary of a Follower - Daily Quiet Time

2011-04-21T09:21:00.000+08:00

"Teacher has been bringing us to the olive garden at Gethsemane every night since we came to Jerusalem at the start of this week. It is a very quiet place, a big difference from the day time where Teacher would be constantly surrounded by a large crowd. He would tell us to pray, then move a small distance from us to pray by himself.

Each time when he starts to pray, he would appear stressed and troubled, but after praying for a couple of hours, he would be calm, confident, and even cheerful. I don't really get the same results when I pray, but I'm trying to learn how to pray with the same intensity and intimacy as Teacher.

Earlier this morning, Teacher told us to go into the city to prepare a place for us to take the Passover meal later in the evening together. And we did it exactly as he had instructed. We went into the city and saw a man standing by himself. We told him, 'The Teacher says that his time has come, and he will eat the Passover meal with his disciples at your house.'

We sounded crazy, but the man not only agreed, he told us that the upper room in his house had already been prepared for this! What a blessing! Now all we need to do is buy the food, bread and some wine.

Diary of a Follower - The Last Days

2011-04-20T13:53:00.000+08:00

"They stopped questioning Teacher after he answered their question on which is the most important commandment. He also showed them that their understanding of the Messiah is incomplete. Then Teacher told us that sorrow awaits hypocritical Pharisees and teachers of the law. They perform many religious acts for show to gain honour and glory for themselves, but they don't lead people to God.

On our way back, we walked past the Temple. Teacher said that the time is coming when it will be completely demolished, and not one stone will be left on top of another. Then he also told us how the last days would be, when the Son of Man returns to the world. There will first be great suffering on earth, and then those who love and follow him will be taken away. But that time will come suddenly and unexpected, for only the Father in Heaven knows the timing.

After he had told us all these, he said that in two days time when the Passover begins, he'll be arrested and given to be flogged and crucified. We then asked him how that could be possible, and if he could prevent it from happening. But Teacher said that unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it will always only be a single seed. But if it dies, it will produce many other seeds.

I don't know what that means, or if what he said will really happen. After all, Teacher can perform great miracles and since he know of their plans, I'm sure he can thwart them.

Diary of a Follower - Questioned and Answered

2011-04-19T19:28:00.002+08:00

"Teacher has been teaching at the temple almost every day now. And every time, there's sure to be someone around from the temple to challenge him with tricky questions.

For example, yesterday some Pharisees questioned him on his authority to teach and to perform miracles. Teacher told them that he'll answer their question if they answer his first. Then he asked them with whose authority did John the Baptist baptized in. That question threw the Pharisees into a debate. I knew that they were in a tight spot. If they said John baptized with God's authority, Teacher would question them why they didn't believe. If they said John baptized with man's authority, all the people who believed that John was a prophet would sure be against them. So I wasn't surprised when they finally answered Teacher that they didn't know the answer. And Teacher replied that hence he wouldn't answer their question.

Then today, a group of men were asking him if we should be paying tax to the Caesar. Teacher knew they were trying to trick him to say something that could get him arrested. So Teacher asked for a coin and asked the men whose face was inscriped on it. They replied that it was Caesar's. So Teacher told them to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to give to God what belongs to God.

Teacher has been amazing with his answers. But I can sense a growing hostility from the Pharisees and teachers of the law. They seem to be doing a lot against Teacher ...

Diary of a Follower - Raising Lazarus

2011-04-17T02:31:00.000+08:00

"This morning, after we had our breakfast, Teacher told us that we'll be going to see Lazarus. Then some of us said to him that just 4 days ago, we were almost stoned by the people there. It might be too dangerous to return. But Teacher told us that Lazarus has died, and he will go and wake him up.

We arrived at Bethany without any incident. Then Martha ran out to meet us when she heard that we had arrived. She cried out to Teacher that if he had been here, Lazarus wouldn't have died. Then Teacher told her that her brother will rise again. He asked her if she believed that he is the resurrection and the life. She said that she has always believed that he is the Messiah, the Son of God. Then she ran home to call Mary to meet us just outside the village.

Shortly after, we saw Mary running out to Teacher, covered in tears, and she said that if he had been here, her brother wouldn't have died. When Teacher saw how upset she was, he wept.

They brought Teacher to the tomb where they laid Lazarus. He told them to roll away the stone door, but Martha was hesitant because there would be a foul smell by now. But Teacher told her that she would see God's glory if she believed. So we all helped to push the heavy stone door aside. Teacher looked up and thanked God for hearing him, and then he shouted "Lazarus, come out!"

As we all stood there staring at the tomb entrance, a man wrapped from head to toe in burial cloth stumbled out. It was a shocking sight! Nobody knew what to do and everyone was dumbfounded. Then Teacher instructed us to unwrap the grave clothes from the man. And as we did that, we discovered that it was Lazarus!

All the people in the area that had gathered to see what was happening cried out in amazement that it was a miracle, and some ran to the neighbouring towns to spread the news. What an amazing miracle we've all witnessed today. Surely, there's no doubt on Teacher now.

Diary of a Follower - News of Lazarus

2011-04-15T11:46:00.000+08:00

"We've been out here for awhile now. John the Baptist first started baptizing people here, and many of the people here are amazed that everything John had told them about Teacher has come true. And so, many of them believed in him.

Then just yesterday, a messenger came looking for Teacher. He was sent by the sisters Mary and Martha. He told us that Lazarus has fallen very sick and the sisters are very worried. They don't know what else to do but to ask Teacher for help.

Teacher was very concerned at the news for he loved that family a lot. However, he didn't give us any instructions to pack up to travel back to see Lazarus. But he did tell us that Lazarus will not die, and that this happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.

Well, still no instructions from Teacher today, but I trust that he knows the best timing for everything to happen.

Diary of a Follower - Rocky Situation

2011-04-15T01:04:00.000+08:00

"We were walking at the Temple today for the Festival of Dedication when a group of people surrounded us. They started demanding Teacher to tell them plainly if he was the Messiah, the anointed one.

Teacher answered that he has told them all along, but they just didn't get it. They don't believe him because they are not his sheep. His sheep will listen and follow him, and he gives them eternal life. And no one can snatch them away from him for they are in the Father's hands.

Then he said to them "The Father and I are one."

This immediately caused a huge uproar! The crowd started jeering and someone shouted for Teacher to be stoned. The commotion built up very quickly, and before we knew it, we were surrounded by an angry mob armed with stones. The guys and I started to panic, and were looking for a way to run.

Then Teacher boldly stood out in front of us and questioned them on why they wanted to stone him. The mob replied that it is because Teacher, a mere mortal, claimed to be God, which is blasphemy!

Then Teacher told them that they don't have to believe him if he did not do what the Father has called him to do. But if he does, then they should believe in those evidence, and they will know that the Father is in him, and he is in the Father.

Woah! At that, the mob rushed in and tried to arrest Teacher. But Teacher grabbed us and led us straight out of the mob, out of the city, and across the Jordan River. It all happened so fast that I can't even remember how we got away, and unharmed!

Well, that was the really "rocky" situation we got out of. I guess we wouldn't be going back to Jerusalem any time soon. But if Teacher really is the Messiah and the Son of God, then I will follow him, follow him wherever he may go.

Diary of a Follower - Who Is Really Blind

2011-04-13T00:47:00.001+08:00

"We just spent our Sabbath at Jerusalem. While we were there, we saw a man who was born blind. Teacher made some mud to cover his eyes and he told the man to wash his eyes at the Siloam pool.

We found the man again later that day, and his eyes were totally healed! He told us that after he went to wash his eyes and was healed, he was taken to be questioned by the Pharisees. They wanted to know the real identity of the person who healed him. The man thinks that the man is a prophet from God, but the Pharisees say that it is not possible because he healed on a Sabbath and they felt that it broke the law.

The man then told them that he had no idea who his healer really is, but he was sure of one thing: he was blind, and now he can see.

Teacher asked him if he believe in the Son of Man. The man said he wants to, if only he knew who he is. Teacher looked at him and told him that he is the one. The man immediately recognised his voice and he bowed down and praised Teacher!

Teacher then said "I entered this world to render judgement - to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind."

There were some Pharisees who had followed nearby, and when they heard Teacher say this, they became angry and questioned Teacher if he was calling them blind.

Then Teacher told them that if they were really blind, they would not be at fault. But because they claim that they can see things very well, they will be found guilty.

It is a great miracle to heal a man blind from birth. Teacher must really be God's chosen one. Is he also the son of God? Maybe I should ask him one day...

Diary of a Disciple - Out on a Mission

2011-04-08T21:44:00.000+08:00

"It's been a week since my last entry. Teacher had sent us out in pairs to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He gave us clear orders not to bring anything with us (not even our diaries!), and to stay with anyone who will receive us.

I went towards the south, staying at and speaking to the people at 3 villages. It was an amazing experience. We healed the sick, the blind, those who were mute or crippled and cast out spirits. Most importantly, many people believed in Teacher because of what we did among them. It was a really exciting time, even though at the start I was really nervous and hesitant.

When we came back and shared our experiences with Teacher, he was very happy and he praised God for revealing all these things to us. He also told us that we are very blessed indeed because we have seen what many rich and powerful people in the world wished to but will never see.

I think now I am beginning to understand what was on his mind when he appointed us as his apostles.

Diary of a Disciple - That One Thing

2011-04-06T00:03:00.000+08:00

"Teacher brought us to the house of the sisters Mary and Martha today. He blessed the family, including their brother Lazarus. He's a good man whom Teacher knew, and he got along well with the rest of the guys too.

Teacher was teaching to all who had gathered in the hall. It was a good time just listening to him speak with a strong enthusiasm and authority. In fact, it felt good just being in the same room as him. Mary must have felt the same way too because she was sitting just beside Teacher the whole afternoon, listening to him.

It was approaching evening when Martha came out from the kitchen. She was all sweaty from preparing for the big dinner and she looked pretty tired. She went over to Teacher and said it was unfair that Mary is just sitting here while she's doing all the work, and she wants Mary to help her.

But Teacher told her that she is too worried and upset by all the details, and that there was only one thing worth being concerned about. Then he looked at Mary and said that Mary had discovered that one thing, and it will not be taken away from her.

Martha calmed down after that and rested in the hall for awhile before resuming her work, this time with a smile. That got me wondering. What is that "one thing"? Could it be listening to Teacher's teachings? Being where he is? Or perhaps, spending time in his presence?

Diary of a Disciple - Showing Mercy

2011-04-02T23:06:00.000+08:00

"We were in town today when some religious teachers dragged a woman to us and brought her before Teacher. They told him that the woman was caught committing adultery, so by the law, she ought to be stoned to death. They wanted to hear Teacher's view on this.

Teacher looked at them and the woman, and then bent down and started writing on the sand, ignoring them. But when they pressed Teacher for an answer, he stood up and said "Alright, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone."

The religious teachers hesitated, some said "Whatever...", then one by one they dropped their stones and walked away.

Then Teacher looked at the woman and asked her if there were still anyone who condemns her. She said they have all left. Then Teacher told her "I don't condemn you either. Go, and don't sin anymore."

Teacher forgave her without even a bit of condemnation, even though her sin was so detestable. And then I recalled Teacher previously quoting from the scriptures, "I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices." I think I'm beginning to understand that we should love one another, and not judge and condemn.

Diary of a Disciple - Walking on Water

2011-03-30T08:25:00.000+08:00

"Last night, after feeding the thousands of people with 5 loaves and 2 fishes, Teacher sent the crowd home and then went up the hill by himself to pray. He had told us to head across the lake first.

We wanted to take turns to row through the night so that we would get to the other side by dawn. But in the middle of the night, a strong gale started blowing and the seas became very rough. All of us were rowing hard to fight the waves but it was a mad struggle. We were being thrown around like a toy. After fighting the sea for a couple of hours, I became completely exhausted and couldn't row anymore.

Just then, I saw a figure of a man in the distance standing upright on the surface of the lake. At first I thought my tired mind was playing tricks on me but then I saw the figure again, nearer and clearer! A chill ran down my spine and I immediately pointed at it and shouted for everyone to look. Some of them shouted in fear, calling it a ghost.

But thankfully, our panic did not last long. The figure came close enough for us to see that it was a man. Then we heard him call out in a familiar voice. "Don't be afraid. Take courage. I am here."

It was Teacher! He was walking on the water! The choppy water! I have no idea how he did it. But he quickly came to us and climb into the boat. And the moment he stepped in, the wind stopped blowing. The storm ceased that very instant! And before we knew it, we reached our destination. It was simply amazing...

I've been amazed by Teacher since I first started following him, and he still continues to amaze me all the time. He must really be a special man...

Diary of a Disciple - Feeding the Thousands

2011-03-30T00:39:00.000+08:00

"Yesterday started off on a sad note. A few disciples of John the Baptist came and told Teacher how John had died while in prison. We were all upset by the news, and Teacher told us to take him by boat to a remote part of the shore so that he could be alone. But the crowd that has been following us knew where we were going and they ran there ahead of us, gathering even more people along the way.

I was kind of frustrated that they wouldn't let us have a quiet time, but Teacher had compassion on them and he miraculously healed all those who were sick.

When it reached evening, some of us suggested to Teacher that he should send the crowd away because there were no places nearby where they could get their dinner. But Teacher told us that it's not necessary because we could feed them. I immediately asked him how is that possible when there were thousands of them, and we didn't have any food or money!

Just then, Andrew found a young boy who had 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes. That's the only food that could be found. Teacher instructed us to seat the people down in groups. We divided the men into groups of about 50, and they formed a total of 100 groups. The women and children were quite evenly spread out among the groups. So we reported to Teacher that there were around 5000 men, in addition to women and children.

He took the 5 loaves and 2 fishes, blessed them, and divided them into pieces for us to distribute out. We went back and forth to give out the food until all the groups had plenty to eat. It seemed like the food would never run out. Then Teacher told us to gather the leftovers so that nothing is wasted. Each of us went around with a basket to collect the leftovers and when the twelve of us returned, all our baskets were completely full!

Everyone there ate their fill, and they all started to cheer and praise Teacher. The whole crowd was shouting and jumping with joy and delight. It was just totally amazing.

Diary of a Disciple - The Storm Obeys Him

2011-03-29T01:37:00.001+08:00

"Last night was an amazing night for all of us. We were sailing across the lake when a huge storm hit us. I mean, I've been fishing out in the lake for years, and I've never been through a storm this big. The waves got very high, and the boat was taking in more water than we can bail out. I actually had a doubt that we might make it through the storm.

That was when I gave up trying to save myself and went to look for Teacher.

He was sleeping soundly at the back of the cabin but he woke up upon hearing us shouting that we were going to drown. Then he walked out of the cabin calmly and totally unafraid, even though the boat was being tossed about violently. As he stepped outside, he said sternly to the wind and waves "Silence! Be still!"

Immediately, and I really mean immediately, the wind died down and the water was completely calm. It was unbelievable... Then Teacher looked at us and asked us why we were afraid, and reminded us that we need to hold on to our faith, especially in a storm.

Teacher is amazing. Not only is he not afraid of the storm, but even the wind and waves obeys him! Who is this man??

Diary of a Fisher of Man - Love Our Enemies

2011-03-24T23:58:00.000+08:00

"Yesterday, Teacher spent the whole night praying up on the mountain. I don't know how he did it, but I guessed that he was going to do something important. Then today at dawn, he gathered all of us who were following him, and he picked out 12 of us. And guess what? I was one of those he picked!And standing us in front of the rest, he appointed us as his apostles! Apostles? That's like some kind of a messenger or ambassador right? Not really sure he expects from us at this point, but I'm willing to give it my best shot since he's given me such an honour.

After that, we came down from the mountain and, boy, there were lots of people who had gathered to see the Teacher! Then he started doing amazing things among the people. He would touch the sick, the lepers, the handicap, and they would be healed immediately. Although I was busy helping the rest of the guys to usher the people and make a way for Teacher to walk around, I was also observing what he was doing. Maybe I can learn a thing or two from this.

After some time, Teacher got everyone to sit down and he started teaching us. He taught us about staying true to God's way, to avoid sinning, and to do good to others. Then he taught us to love our enemies, and to do good to them! We should do to them as we want them to do to us. So if we want them to do good to us, then we must do good to them. If they hit us, we should not hit them back. If they force us to do something for them, we must go the extra mile and do more than they asked!

I must admit, I don't know if I can do what Teacher has taught today. It is not what people would normally do, and it is definitely not easy. I hope Teacher will show us how to have the strength and courage to live like that. I would really like to be able to follow his teachings and to shine for him, as he told us to.

Diary of a Fisher of Man - Healing for the Sick

2011-03-22T22:42:00.000+08:00

"A new guy, Levi, joined us today. He's a tax collector and since none of them are any good, we kept our eyes on him all day. We went to his house for a big dinner, along with many of his friends and colleagues. His friends were quite a wild bunch, and I was actually feeling quite uneasy throughout the whole evening.

As we were leaving Levi's house after the dinner, some Pharisees and religious teachers who had gathered outside came over and questioned us on why we would eat with Levi and his company. I could tell that they were very disgusted at the fact that Teacher would associate himself with a group of crooks.

Teacher heard them, and he said "Healthy people don't need a doctor, sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent."

Now that I'm thinking about it, I realize that I had a prejudice against Levi, even though I don't know him personally. That's not fair to him. I should get to know him better...

Diary of a Fisher of Man - Keeping the Best for the Last

2011-03-17T22:32:00.000+08:00

"We were in Cana yesterday where we were invited to a wedding banquet. We met Teacher's mother there. She is a very cheerful woman and I can tell that she holds Teacher in high esteem from the way she treats him.

We all had a good time there, and I was getting to know some of the other guys better. Nathanael joined us after Phillip brought him to meet the Teacher, and he seems really excited over something that I didn't really understand.

Well, before we knew it, Teacher's mother came to inform him that the wine had ran out. She also told a few servants to take instructions from him. Teacher then told the servants to fill up six large stone jars with water. After the servants returned from filling up the jars, Teacher told them to scope some of the water and present it to the master of the banquet. Upon drinking the water, the master of the banquet had a face of amazement, and he pulled the bridegroom aside. I heard him asking the bridegroom why he had kept the best wine till the end when usually the best wine is always served first.

Puzzled by this, I went over to the stone jars and helped myself to a cup of the water. The moment I scoped my cup in, I saw that it was not water in the jars. It was wine! Thick, red wine. Hesitant and unsure, I slowly held the cup close to my mouth. The smell filled my nose and immediately awoke my tongue. Without further hesitation, I took a big gulp of faith. Oh boy... I may not be much of a wine drinker, but it was the best wine I had ever tasted! But I sure saw the jars being filled with water! It was unbelievable. All the other guys were just as amazed when they tried the wine too.

Well, since then I've been watching and listening to the every action and word of the Teacher, just in case he does something like that again. Now I think I am just as excited as Nathanael just to follow him!

Diary of a Fisherman - Overflowing Catch

2011-03-16T01:15:00.000+08:00

"This morning as we were cleaning up after a tiring and totally unfruitful fishing session, I saw a man teaching a large group of people nearby. Andrew quickly pointed out to me that it was the Teacher whom he and his brother Simon had been following. That immediately got my attention because Andrew had previously told me of how the Teacher had healed his mother-in-law and many others in their town at Capernaum.

As the crowd grew larger, the Teacher came over and asked Simon to take him out into the water so that everyone could see and hear him. He started teaching on the kingdom of Heaven, and spoke to the people to repent of their sins and turn to God. This is the first time I'm hearing this man speak. He is an amazing teacher with great knowledge, and he taught as a person with authority.

After he had finished speaking, they took the boat further out into the sea to fish. I was thinking if they were trying to catch something for tonight's dinner when Simon shouted for us to help them. James and I quickly got into our boat and rowed out to them. Their fishing nets were so full that we struggled to pull them up. They had caught so much fish that both our boats were overflowing with the catch and barely staying afloat!

This man is surely divinely anointed! I was shocked by the amazement and I just looked at him in awe. He looked at all of us calmly and told us not to be afraid. He also told us to follow him, and from now on, we will be fishing for people.

All of us are following him now. I'm really excited to see what the Teacher can do. Will he bring so many people to our side that we will be overflowing like the catch today?

Diary of a Fisherman - Amazing Baptism

2011-03-14T23:33:00.000+08:00

"My friend, Andrew, was telling me about something incredible that he witnessed yesterday. He was out by the Jordan listening to the teachings of John the Baptist, as he has been doing almost everyday after our morning fishing session. But yesterday, a special man came by to be baptized by John. John didn't seem to want to baptize him at first, but the man told John that they must carry out all that God requires, and John agreed.

What happened next was almost unbelievable. John was baptizing the man, and as he lifted him out of the water, it seemed like a light shone down through the clouds onto him and something like a dove flew down and landed on him. And Andrew said that at this moment, there was a voice coming from above saying "This is my dearly loved son, who brings me great joy." Andrew was completely amazed by this. The man then left the area and went into wilderness.

I'm not sure what to make of this. It sounds like some fairy tales for little children, but I know that Andrew isn't one who makes up stories. I wonder who this man is...

Diary of a Fisherman - Incident at Bethany

2011-03-13T16:09:00.001+08:00

"Today I heard from some friends about an incident that happened earlier at Bethany, between some temple priests and the man called John, who is also called "The Baptist" because that is what he has been doing out there. The priests were questioning him on his rights to baptize. John was boldly telling them that he wasn't the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, but he was preparing the way for the Lord. He spoke of someone far greater than he who will be coming soon, who will baptize with the Holy Spirit instead of water. Wow!

I don't think the priests would have been pleased with John's answers. After all, he's the son of Zechariah, who was a priest as well. I remember hearing John's birth story when I was a kid. It was said that it was a miracle, because Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were both very old then. And throughout the whole pregnancy period, Zechariah couldn't speak at all. It was only after he named the new born son by writing it down that he could speak again, and he immediately started praising God. He gave a prophecy that his son will be called the prophet of the Most High and would prepare the way for the Lord.

Amazing story. Now I'm wondering if that was why my father gave me the same name as him...

Moment Of New Birth

2010-06-22T02:18:00.000+08:00

This is a long, long overdue post about how I personally invited Christ into my life. I've shared about my journey with God before and after receiving salvation, but now after 6 years, I feel that I can, and maybe should, go into details about the moment I made that decision.

In a previous post, "Revelation To Salvation", I've mentioned that I'd experienced and believed in an almighty, omnipresent God. In fact, there was a period of time when I was around 18 where I had considered learning about all the monotheist religions. Although I have heard about Christianity, I felt that I didn't really know Jesus and hence I should also consider the other 2 monotheist (single god) religions. But of course, the "heavy duties and difficult responsibilities" (read: playing and hanging out) of a teenage life kept me away from my quest of knowledge.

In those years though, I kept an open mind with regards to who God is, often staying neutral in debates over dinner. I also asked myself occasionally the question: "Which religion teaches about the God that I know exists." This also led me to reading the Old Testament of the Bible, as I had believed that this was what Judaism covered. However, I strictly avoided reading the New Testament, partly because I wanted to read the entire Old Testament first before deciding for myself if I can believe in Jesus. If I could, then I would proceed to reading the New Testament. And because that never happened in all those years, I never got to the stage of even just browsing through the New Testament.

All in all, things only really got started for me after I invited Christ to be my Lord and Saviour. So how or why did that happen?

It was just over 6 years ago, around Good Friday 2004, and the movie "The Passion of Christ" was screening. My sister invited my parents and me to a private screening of the show. And by the end of the show, I felt that in terms of theology, I pretty much already knew about every event that was depicted. The only thing that I took away from the movie, I believe, was the acknowledgement that the process of Jesus' crucification must have been really painful and hard to bear. How was that going to sway my beliefs?

That night, I found myself asking these questions: Is Jesus real? Did he really once walked this earth as one of us?

And almost immediately, the answer came: Hardly anyone will ever argue against the existence of Jesus of Nazareth. I guess it is because of an overwhelming amount of historical references about this person.

The next question: Is the biblical account of Jesus real? Can we believe what we read about him from the Holy Bible?

And again, the answer was immediate. The bible is unarguably one of, if not the most, reliable historic text, with, I believe, the most number of cross references from other historical texts and number of ancient manuscripts that verifies it.

Hence the most logical question to follow on came to mind: So he is real, and he did went through all that suffering. Does that prove that he really is the son of God? (Although if I really believed the Bible, I should believe in this truth too. But somehow, I just needed more conviction.)

And this was when scenes from the movie flashed before me. And then this question: Why would anyone willingly put himself through all that pain and suffering? Would someone lying about his identity put up with the scorning and scourging to protect the lie? Would someone with a personal agenda hold on to it to the cross?

No. Only someone who knew the great things that will be accomplished and the great joy that will be brought about by his sacrifice would go through all that physical and emotional pain willingly.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

I was all alone when all these thoughts were running through my mind. No, they weren't running. That's an understatement of the speed and impact they had. The answers that cleared all the questions, doubts and skepticism I had were hitting me like punches. Feeling drained in my spirit, I feel to my knees under the heavy weight in my heart. Weeping from an intense feeling of remorse, I was filled with undeniable conviction of the holiness of God Almighty, of my sinfulness and rebelliousness, and the undeserved mercy and grace given through Jesus Christ. And there with my head bowed to the ground, the words of the Sinner's Prayer flowed out from my broken heart with resolve and hopefulness.

That was the account of how I received Christ into my life. But the journey of life didn't become a smooth, flower lined road after that. If anything, my eyes became open to how dangerous and unstable the road of life is. But the difference is, I was walking down that road with someone who is mighty to save. Someone who can overcome all things. Someone who cares and loves me deeply. You can read more about the turns and tumbles, the triumphs and thanks-giving, in other testimonies written here, including this one written over 3 years back, "Three In Christ".

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5)

Wait Tills You

2010-01-07T22:40:00.003+08:00

Alright people, here's a complaining post. Once in a while, you just have to let off some old steam so, kindly bear with me k.

I guess this disgruntlement started while I was in JC. Having got to prepare for the 'A'-level exams, I lamented the fact that I was a student and had to study. Thus, I started yearning for the day that I would enlist into the army, where exams would be the last thing on my mind. I mentioned this to a couple of seniors who had already served their time in the army and someone gave me an advice that would find its way back to haunt me relentlessly and unsettle me psychologically for many years till I can no longer contain it within my cranium and thus write it out on my blog.

The advice went along this infamous line: "Wait till you get to... [put the stage in life that you are looking forward to here], then you will... [choose one: "regret it", "want to go back to what you were doing", or the worst "realise how fortunate you are now"]."

I understand that the one giving the advice may think that he is giving a word of wisdom from his experience. However, the way this advice is often given is in the way that tells the suffering soul that the problems he is going through now is nothing compared to what he will face next. To advice someone that their situation is nothing compared to the next, is an advice that is next to nothing.

Imagine with me. A student is struggling with school, and when he shares with someone his problems, that person tells him that his problem is nothing compared to what he will face when he starts working. HOW does that help him with his current problem? Sometimes, the kind soul will also mention to the suffering one that he should treasure the time he has while he is still in his current stage. Well, I can see some wisdom in it, which is for one to treasure what we have while we have it.

Ok, maybe my case of just wanting to get out of where I am doesn't really deserve any solid advice. But what I am really bothered about here is when the advice become really unhelpful. I've seen cases where a student honestly shares about the stress and struggles he faces in school to some working adults, (sometimes this student is me), and the advice he gets is, "Oh this is nothing compared to what you will face when you start working." Sometimes, the word "honestly" is added into this line and it makes it even more loathsome. To give such an advice is basically the same as saying "Your problems are so small, they aren't worth my time."

A student facing struggles in school is the best time to teach him about handling stress, juggling work and life, dealing with conflicts etc. Some of them may truly be small in comparison, but for the student, it might just be the biggest struggle he has faced to date. Therefore, it would be the best chance for you to train him for bigger difficulties in the future.

When someone approaches you with a problem, that is not the time to compare problems, or 'boast' about the bigger problems that you have to face. If you are going to mention about your problems, then make sure it is only because you are also going to share about how you coped with it and how you handled it in a way that you feel is worth emulating.

Lastly, for those who approach you complaining how they can't wait to move on to the next phase in their life, use this chance to teach them patience. Teach them how they can use this time to prepare for the upcoming phase, and how waiting can build ones character.

Wait tills you.

Great And Unsearchable

2009-11-25T01:24:00.004+08:00

While I am still figuring out how to pen out my other post, I thought I should share my verse for this birth year. It is usually the verse of the day on my birthday each year. Previously, it was 1 Samuel 16:7, and for 3 years in a row, God gave me that verse on each birthday to remind me what matters most in His eyes. It spoked directly to my heart as I knew during those years, I was working hard to attain recognition in the eyes of men. And now, I hold it dearly as a life verse, applying it as a principle to live my life by.

"This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it—the LORD is his name: 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.' (Jeremiah 33:2-3)

With this new birthday verse from Jeremiah, I feel God leading me into a new area in my faith. Jeremiah had always been my most admired prophet from the Bible, even before I became a Christian, and I first knew him as the Prophet of Doom. Lore and bore aside, I know that deep down inside, I have an insatiable hunger to know more about God, His plans and His thoughts. Therefore, I humbly, and fearfully, pray that God will use me in unimaginable ways to tell the world about Him.

"I want to know God's thoughts; the rest are details."
- Albert Einstein

Grace - Too Free? (Part I)

2009-10-21T14:19:00.007+08:00

This post is for a man in my life whom I hope gets to read this. He always had an issue with the freely and (too) easily available grace that comes from Jesus. I remember him always presenting this scenario when I was younger: A murderer repents and becomes a Christian one day, but the next day commits another murder. If he was to seek God for forgiveness again, will he be forgiven? Will he still go to heaven? If he does, isn't it too unfair?

Well, let me post a parable first before I give my take on this.

A son comes home drunk and wrecks up the house. While struggling to control his son, the father receives a punch in the face. The next day, realizing what he has done, the son comes before his father to seek his forgiveness. The father forgives him.

Yet the very next day, the son gets himself drunk again and comes home to cause yet another wreckage. This time, the father receives yet another punch, giving him a broken nose. Upon sobering up, the son, realizing the grievous act he committed, comes before his father again to beg for his forgiveness. The father forgives him as he did before.

The son seeks forgiveness twice after causing hurt to his father. The father forgives and accepts his son into his house, irregardless of what he may have done in the past. No acts or works required from the son. The father forgives him unconditionally because of his status and the relationship between them. The father forgives him because he loves him. Maybe those of you who are fathers will have a deeper understanding of this love.

This is the way God will forgive and accept any of us, simply because of the status we have in Christ Jesus. "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12) And because God is our perfect Heavenly Father, so is the nature of his love.

Thus is the love, forgiveness and acceptance we have from God. Thus is His grace.

Justice - is getting what we deserve.
Mercy - is not getting what we deserve.
Grace - is getting what we do not deserve.

Xp ē Diff

2009-09-24T03:57:00.005+08:00

The Cross can make a big difference in your life.

You just have to ask for it.

He Who Teaches

2009-09-03T15:13:00.006+08:00

This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. (Isaiah 48:17)

University wasn’t an easy time for me. Since the first semester 4 years ago, I’ve been struggling with my studies. Other than the math modules which I had great difficulties in, I also found it hard to score in other modules even after spending a lot of effort in them.

There were many times when I found myself asking if that was really where God had wanted me to be. Sometimes I would think that maybe I should just quit my course and do something else. Many times I felt that the best thing for me to do was to give up.

But about 2 year ago, when I was reflecting on this, God brought me back to the time when I first got the course that I studied. I had initially gotten a place in NTU’s Computer Engineering course, which was my 2nd choice. My first choice was the same course at NUS and 3rd choice was NUS’ Computing. This was 2 years before I would start school as I had to serve NS first.

Then just a few months before school started, I shifted to my current house which is just a short walk away from NUS. So I decided that I should try to get a place in NUS, simply for convenience’s sake. I applied for Computer Engineering as first choice and Computing as second choice. Again I did not get into Computer Engineering but was given a place in Computing. It was only then that I looked in detail at the course syllabus and realized that it was more suitable for me than Computer Engineering, which was very hardware focused.

And at that time when I was reflecting on this, I knew that if I had not changed to my current course, I would definitely have done a lot worse. I felt the assurance from God that this is where He placed me and that this is what He wants me to do. Because of this assurance, I knew that I must not give up and that I would get something out of it.

After that, I found school more meaningful for me. I starting going to school with a different attitude and I had a new enthusiasm and determination to work hard. And even if I didn’t get good grades for some modules, I knew that the knowledge I had gained will be useful in the future. On top of that, God also gave me an attitude of compassion for the other students and even for the staff of the school. I also joined a prayer group organized by some of the youth leaders from my church to pray weekly for the school.

In my first couple of years in school, I was a strongly independent student. I had to be. I did not have any friends in the same course as me; I had no one to turn to for questions or advice on course-related issues; and I had to go about learning and doing everything on my own. But God turned things around after that. I started meeting familiar faces in almost every module I took, many of whom became project group mates and eventually, friends. Because of this, school became less lonely and more enjoyable. I also started learning in groups, which helped me greatly in my studies.

Having graduated 2 months ago, I have a lot to give thanks to God for. Although I just barely qualified for Honours, I am very proud and thankful of my results. This was also partly based on the fact that my course was a tough one, where in a class of 36 students, only 4 students had got 2nd Upper. I also saw a big improvement in my grades in my last few semesters. Although this was the most difficult and stressful period of my student life, it was the most rewarding and meaningful one.

Looking back to that turning point, I realized that my circumstances did not change immediately, my studies got even tougher and the struggles I faced were still there. But through it all, God had changed me. And that might just be the main reason for God to have allowed me to go through that journey. From this, I learnt that we might not always understand the circumstances we are going through, but we can use them to better understand God and ourselves.

Test-thee

2009-08-03T23:48:00.009+08:00

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
(Psalm 139:23-24)

From the start of this year, which I had resolved to grow in righteousness, I have been going out in the morning a lot more than I have been in the last few years. And when I walk out to the main road in the morning, with the sun in my face, I'll be reminded to say my daily prayer. And for most mornings, it would be the following:

My Father who is in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven, in me and through me.

Give me this day my daily bread. Forgive me of my sins as I have forgiven those who have sinned against me.

Reveal any anxious thoughts and offensive ways in me, that they may be corrected, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Lead me not to temptation, but deliver me from evil. Guide me in paths of righteousness for Your name sake.

For Yours in the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

I remember an incident that happened during one of the first few times I prayed this. While walking to the bus-stop, just when I finished the prayer, I missed my bus. In fustration, I cursed under my breath. Immediately, it struck me. God was revealing my offensive ways to me.

Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. (James 3:10)

Besides that, I have been finding myself going through many events and incidents that bring out the ugly side of me. And everytime I react or behave in a less than desirable manner, I am quickly reminded of how I asked God to test me. Sometimes, I really hate the person I can be, so much so that there were mornings when I was actually afraid to make that prayer. I had to struggle with myself to not take the easy way out and to put myself through the test of the everlasting way.

I know I still have a long way ahead of me, and with it, a lot more tests to go through. Everyday, I am reminded that I am a testee, going through multiple tests, that I may constantly check and correct myself, so I may be one step closer to being like Christ.

He's not finished with me yet (YouTube Vid).

Five Alive

2009-04-17T20:16:00.007+08:00

Today marks the 5th year of me receiving the Lord Jesus Christ into my life. Every year on this day, I would reflect on the journey I took, both before and after the day of my salvation. It just helps to remind me of how different and unique everyone's journey is or can be. But our God remains the same, as is the truth of His love and grace.

All of us have our own story, and each is just as special and unique. For some, it may have started off simple, with a small step of faith in making that decision, only to go through life-changing transformation at the hands of the Maker. For others the journey before that moment may have been long and filled with obstacles, and with them, miracles.

Our individual journeys can be great encouragement, both to ourselves and other believers, and also great testimonies to non-believers. They are one of our Stones of Glory, and I would always encourage believers to write it down, reflect on it often and also share it with others. God bless.

[Christ the Wisdom and Power of God] For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Living Like Fools

2009-03-08T03:02:00.003+08:00

The greatest wisdom a man can have,
Is to know the moment of his death.

But since we have not the slightest clue,
That’s why we’re all living like fools.

This poem is a result of a reflection of an old post "Death Sentence".

Μείζων Δὲ Τούτων Η Αγάπη

2009-02-14T13:45:00.006+08:00

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

The title of this post, read mezon de tuton ee agape in Greek, is the last five words of the endearing verse above. But what is it about love, that makes it the greatest?

The most common explanation I have heard is that of the three, love is the only one that comes from God. For me, faith and hope is to believe and trust in God. But I cannot give a similar definition for love. On top of that, we are called to love God. And "We love because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19)

With today being Valentine's Day, the subject of love is undoubtedly on many people's mind. And for me, it triggers questions that I have asked myself in the past on this subject. Questions that some might feel are bordering on being morbid like "What matter is love?" or "What is the origin of love?"

Well, I can't answer these questions in a simple manner, but to get you thinking, here's a phrase I like to use. "Love is a choice, not a feeling."

Yup. We don't fall into love. We choose to love. Think for example, a volunteer worker who takes care of an invalid for years, unnoticed by most. The worker can choose to do so out of love, choose to love the unfortunate, but it would be unimaginable that he "fell" into it. In the same way, we can choose to love our neighbour, choose to love the unloved, choose to love our family.

Love is when you make a deliberate choice to bring benefit to another other party, to put the other party above yourself, without conditions. This is a simple definition of agape, the Greek word used in the above mentioned passage that is translated as love in English, or in some cases, as unconditional love, or as charity in old English (KJV).

I feel that I shouldn't elaborate much further and just return to the aim of my post. That as we think of love and our loved ones, let us also return our attention to the origin of love. God. Not with the aim of dampening any festive mood, but to bring about a pure, true and deliberate celebration of love.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16b)

To end off, here's one of my previous works, Love1347.

Edit (9 Feb 2012): Here's a dark version, Love1348. Links to download original size for both files are below.

Love1347 (1920x1080) : download
Love1348 (1920x1080) : download

Unpolished Mirrors

2009-01-20T14:01:00.013+08:00

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Almost three years back, when I just started writing on my journal, I had wrote a small entry entitled "Reflecting Glory". Lately, it was brought back to my mind again so I guess I shall write about it here.

We are all like mirrors, reflecting the glory of the Lord and this reflection can be seen by all those around us. We are mirrors that reflect Christ.

However, the quality of this reflection will depend on how polished the mirror is. Maybe you might be picturing the mirror in your bathroom and thinking of how seldom you polish it, or if you even had the need to. But mirrors in the past were different, usually made from shiny metal surfaces. This meant that they tarnish easily and would need to be polished often.

If left unpolished, a mirror would not give a good reflection. Meaning to say, if we don't polished ourselves often, we wouldn't present a good reflection of the Lord. On the other hand, the more we polish ourselves, the better we would reflect Christ. This "polishing" process would include many things, such as spending quiet time with the Lord, studying and meditating on the Word, meeting with fellow believers frequently, etc. This process is also a communal one, meaning we can all help to "polish" each other, building one another up in our walk with God. (Hebrews 10:25)

Right now, I do feel a little "unpolished", having been rather slack for quite a while. But I do want to reflect a good reflection of the Lord. This means I will have to start being more active in my walk with God. One thing that I am sure of is that with frequent and sustained "polishing", we will transform ourselves to be more and more Christ-like, and this should be one of the main goals of any believer.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (NKJV 2 Cor 3:18)

From Revelation To Salvation

2008-12-15T18:45:00.016+08:00

While preparing for a testimony that I will be sharing in an upcoming Christmas event, I had the chance to reflect upon the many phases of my walk with God. And I felt that I should share about the time before I accepted Christ and my attitude towards God and Jesus.

I had long known that there is a God in my life, right from a young age. I could still recall an incident during my primary school days, way before I was even interested in religions. I was running and jumping down a couple flights of stairs on my way home after school. On the second flight, as I was about to make a jump, my shoe caught on to a protrusion at the edge of a step and I fell forward face first. It was a quick and accurate flick of my arm to grab a vertical railing that probably saved my face and maybe a few bones in my body. The moment I returned to my feet, I found myself, or so I think, saying the following words in my mind: "Oh thank you God." And the very next instant, I was asking myself "Why did I just say that?"

Thinking back now, I'm no longer sure if it was I who grabbed the railing and saved myself or if it was me who said those words of gratitude. I am not sure about the actual impact this incident had on my life, but it was from that moment on that I knew inside me that God exists.

For the next phase of my life, which was around 9 to 10 years, I was on an on-and-off journey of discovering and learning more about God. I was convinced that this God I knew was the God in the Holy Bible, and I devoted time to read the Bible to know more. I had heard about Jesus, but I wasn't convinced that He was real, and hence I focused only on the Old Testament. During this period, I had read from Genesis to Deuteronomy as well as Job, Proverbs and parts of Psalms. I wanted to complete the Old Testament before I moved on to the New Testament and I felt that maybe then I will know if Jesus was real.

Well, till date, I have still yet to complete reading the Bible, although I have plans to complete it before mid of next year. Yet it was NOT by the knowledge I learnt but by the grace of God that I received the revelation of Christ from the Holy Spirit and was convinced and convicted to accept Christ as my Lord and Saviour. I will write more about this in another post.

These events showed me that salvation does not come with knowledge or wisdom, but only by grace. It also reminded me that it is the Holy Spirit who reveals the reality of God to man. My prayer for this Christmas season is that as we go out sharing the story of Jesus and Christmas, the Holy Spirit will go with us, to use us and to speak to those who need to hear from Him.

So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (2 Timothy 1:8-10)

Higher Ways

2008-10-15T21:12:00.008+08:00

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)

I was recently quite downtrodden by my performance in school. This is my fourth and final year now and I've really been pouring my guts out in school for the last one year or so. My grades on the whole have seen a significant improvement compared with my first two years. However, I'm still not meeting the mark. I guess two years of poor performance is a little too much to undo. As such, I can't help but feel dismayed. Seems like my hard work and efforts are not paying off, or at least as much as I would have liked them to.

It is at times like these when I feel like trying my best just isn't going to help. Can I possibly improve my results? Can I ever recover from the mistakes I made in the past?

I'm sure God knew what was on my mind. On the very Sunday after I spoke to my leader about this issue, God spoke to me through the sermon. He reminded me that we, as humans, sometimes go our own ways or make mistakes, veering from the route He had planned for us. However, there is never a dead end road when we are travelling with God. If we make a wrong turn somewhere along the way, God will always provide a road for us to get back on track.

On the other hand, there are also times when we think we made a wrong turn, and we stop moving for fear of what might lie ahead. Fear, uncertainty, doubt, regret. Various states of mind we end up struggling with. But this is what the Lord reminds us in Proverbs.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
(Proverbs 3:5-6)

Whether I made a mistake, took a wrong turn, or am unsure if I am on the right path, I need only to seek the Lord with all my heart, trust in His perfect plan for my life and receive His guidance at every step. That way, it wouldn't matter how rough my path may be, so long as God is travelling with me.

To end of, here's what God has been showing me. If the world is telling me that my best just isn't good enough, maybe that's exactly what God wants me to hear right now.

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! (Romans 11:33)

The Work Of His Fingers

2008-10-06T01:12:00.010+08:00

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? (Psalm 8:3-4)

For anyone who's noticed a big and bright star high up at night for the last few months, slowly setting earlier each day, here it is. It is the biggest planet in our solar system, Jupiter. And it's been cruising the night sky with the archer Sagittarius for the last few months.

Photo taken on a long 15s exposure at my window.

Here's how the constellation looks like in Stellarium. Some sites show the constellation with only the part in the photo I took above.

Hanging On

2008-09-24T23:17:00.001+08:00

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12)

Forgive And Forget?

2008-08-19T12:56:00.006+08:00

We all know that God forgives. But does He forget?

Well, before we can answer that question, we have to examine another question. What does it mean to forget?

When we use the word “forget”, most of the time we refer to its accidental or erroneous aspect. For example, “Oops, I forgot about it!” or “You can be really forgetful at times.” The word “forget” in such cases can mean a temporary, unintentional inability to recall something from one’s memory.

There is another aspect to “forget”, one which is used less often and even harder to do. This is the intentional choice to leave or omit something out of one’s memory, to not recall or bring something up. Examples would be “Let’s forget this ever happened.” or “Forget it. It’s not worth mentioning.” In such cases, the word “forget” can be replaced by “choose to not remember”.

I am sure that God does not unintentionally leave something out or experience an inability to recall something. But does He choose to leave things out intentionally?

I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. (Isaiah 43:25)

No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. (Jeremiah 31:34)

I picture the day I meet God after this world has passed away and when I talk about a sin I have done before, He will tell me that He does not remember it.

So can we say that God forgives and forget? Well, this time round I will not make a defining statement but I will leave you to your own conclusion. But I will say that if God forgets, it is because He chooses to. Most importantly, since God Himself chooses to forgive us and remember our sins no more, we should not hold on to our sins and dwell in its misery and guilt. Learn that no matter how much we grow, none of us are infallible and that apart from Christ, we are nothing.

Also, in the book “Boy Meets Girl”, author Joshua Harris quoted from Isaiah to show that God will never bring up our past sins against us and we should do likewise by not bringing up each other’s past sins, especially in an argument.

At this point, I remember a very touching and meaningful poem I read a few years ago and I hope that you will take the time to read through it, even if you have read it before. Here’s the poem, entitled “God’s Eternal Ink”.

One Thing: Part 2

2008-07-16T15:29:00.007+08:00

One Thing To Remember – God is patient and faithful

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
(2 Peter 3:8-9)

There will be times in our lives where we feel that we urgently need an answer from God but we don’t get any. Times where we need God to help us but we don’t see it happening. Times where we pray to claim the promises of God but don’t see ourselves receiving it. Basically, there will be times where we don’t see God working as we expect Him to.

However, this passage reminds us that God will keep his promises and that He works in His timing. God knows when the best time is, He knows our present and our future, and He will act when the time is right for us. And what He does, He do so because He loves us and wants to draw us closer to Him.

God is timeless. He sees our past, present and future at the same time. I believe He knows what happens in our future when He does something in our present. Often times when I look back after a major chapter in my life, I see in retrospect how God intervene or spoke to me at just the right moments. Those were the moments that could be described as “when Chronos meets Kairos”. Moments where time as we know it, the passing of seconds, days and years (Chronos), meets the timing of God (Kairos). Be patient, as God is patient, and wait for God to work in His perfect timing for you.

One Thing That Is Needed – Worship at the feet of Jesus

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42)

This is a passage in the scripture that is often referred to and there are many interpretations and views of it. I will look at it from just one point of view for now. Invite Jesus in, leave all your burdens aside and worship at His feet. Nothing else is really needed. God wants us to worship Him. In fact, that is why He created us!

When you find yourself swarmed with work, deadlines, expectations to meet and promises to fulfill, remember this one thing. We may work to live, but we live to worship. You don’t need more time. You don’t need a different job or a different boss. You don’t need to live in another country. You don’t need a different life. God may give you these if they are part of His plan for you, but only He is the solution we need.

One way to understand this is to not think of yourself as the master of your own life, running your own show. Remember who the Lord over your life is, over both the good times and the bad times.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)

One Thing: Part 1

2008-06-13T14:43:00.012+08:00

For those who know me well, you will know that I like a good argument. I like to trade points, search for multiple meanings and hidden truths. I like to dig for knowledge and gain deeper understanding in areas I am interested in. However, in my walk with God, I have learnt that trusting the Lord and following after Christ can be a simple thing if we can have a simple heart. We need not know a lot in order to be walking in the way of the Lord. Knowing more is just adding to our understanding and appreciation of God for who He is. Here, I would like to share the simple “One Things” I have found in the Bible that I believe will help us in our walk with God. One thing I ask, one thing I know and one thing I do.

One Thing I Ask – To Be With The Lord Always

One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)

What more can we ask from God, but to be allowed into His presence all the days of our lives. To admire and stand in awe of His majesty, and to find rest and comfort in His house. As the psalmist says in Psalm 84, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere”. There is simply nothing better we can have than to be in the house of the Lord. The more we dwell in His house, the better we know Him, and through that we will gain an understanding of what He has planned for us here and the strength to go through all that life may throw at us. Only in His presence can we find the true peace and rest that flows out from the Lord Almighty, who is above all and in control over every storm and circumstance in our lives.

One Thing I Know – My Salvation In Christ

He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" (John 9:25)

I chose not to leave out the first half of the verse, because this verse shows us the simplicity of the man who was blind from birth and was healed by Jesus. He did not really know who healed him or how that person looked like. Yet one thing he knew for certain; he was healed. We do not know everything about God or Jesus Christ. Sometimes, doubt or uncertainty may creep into our minds through questions we cannot find an answer to. It is at those times, when our faith is being challenged, that we can count on the fact that one thing will always remain certain; we were blind but now we see. We were blind to our spiritual death and our sinful nature, but now we see the salvation and forgiveness we have in Christ. Let this one thing always remind us of the price Jesus paid on our behalf, and let our faith be firmly rooted in the fact that we are saved.

One Thing I Do – Forgetting The Past And Pressing Forward

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

We all have different past. We all have sinned against the Lord, and these sins may have consequences that are still evident in our lives after many years. At times we may feel weighed down by past events and failures, causing us to stagnate or even regress. Or on the other hand, we may be living in former glories and past successes and become so content in things we have achieved that we do not see any need to strive further. Yet Paul tells us how all these are nothing compared to our journey of knowing Christ. Our failures and successes are like hurdles in a race we are running. Hurdles we cross or knock over will only let us know ourselves and the race better, and through these lessons we can better run the rest of the race to cross the line and “win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus”. Our prize is in heaven. Let not the hurdles on earth stop us in our race there.

In my next post, I will be writing on two more “One Thing” that the Word teaches us. One thing to remember and one thing that is needed.

Spiritual Gyming

2008-05-16T14:24:00.004+08:00

Recently, the Lord has been reminding me that I have not been doing my quiet time, not the way I used to. No longer do I sit in a corner of my room, with or without a guitar, just worshiping the Lord and dwelling in His presence. Quiet time has been shortened to reading a few chapters of the Bible and occasionally making an entry into my journal. Some might say that this isn’t even a quiet time, and I wouldn’t argue against that. This is when I recall a journal entry written more than a year ago.

I used to do quite a bit of physical training in the past. This made me understand the fact that when we cannot do something or have not done it before, we need to train for it. That is why I had to go for trainings 4 times a week. It was to improve on my current level of standard. If I had done any lesser, I might have only ended up maintaining the same level, if not dropping. The key is to be unsatisfied with the current state and to keep pushing for improvement.

Drawing the parallel, our spiritual being needs training too. I have not been able to do my quiet time everyday, but I want to. I believe this desire is the key. With it, I will derive the discipline to drive myself to do my quiet time everyday. It will be tough in the beginning, as it is with any physical training. But with consistent trainings, the parts of our bodies required to perform the task will strengthen, making the task easier to perform over time. Once we can train up our spiritual discipline and strength, it will definitely get easier and more enjoyable. I really enjoy a good workout, because I know it will make me better. In the same way, we can enjoy a good quiet time, because we know it will draw us closer to God.

Another important point about physical training is the need for food or energy. There have been days where I hit the gym on an empty stomach or where I went for trainings tired and hungry. I will only end up feeling sick and dizzy, causing the training to be ineffective and defeating its purpose. Likewise, we need the Holy Spirit in order to lead a disciplined, beneficial and improving spiritual life. Without the Hoy Spirit, we might end up only hearing our own voice during quiet times and thus lose touch with what we were trying to achieve, which is to be able to hear the Lord’s voice everyday. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you in drawing close to the Lord, and let the Lord draw close to you.

I know of people who are afraid of going to the gym, usually because they have never been there before or tried once and found it too painful. I remember my first few times as well and I disliked them. Every part of my body that was not supposed to ache was aching. Everyone has their “once upon a time” and “in the beginning”. The changing factor is the desire to move beyond the initial learning curve and from that, we will derive the perseverance to press on in this training. The training to help us draw closer to God, and with the Holy Spirit as our coach. May the Lord bless you as you seek after Him.

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:8)

And The Stars Looked At Me

2008-04-28T18:15:00.007+08:00

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing. (Isaiah 40:26)

Early this morning, or late last night depending on how u see it, I decided to put Quantum physics to the test by looking out of my window into the sky. And true enough, the stars looked at me, from a few decades to a few hundred years ago. So I decided to take a few photos using my really simple point-and-click camera. All you really need is a tripod, a camera with a long exposure (mine has a maximum 1 second exposure, but 3-4 seconds would be great) and of course, a dark sky. Photos had their mid-tones increased to make the stars clearer.

Here's two constellation I spotted, as well as the planet Saturn. For anyone interested in stars and planets, check out Stellarium, a software that was heavily used in my astronomy module and I highly recommend it. Just key in your GPS coordinates and enjoy.

The constellation Crux, a.k.a The Southern Cross, and its pointers.
Diagram shows how to locate the South Celestial Pole, the part of the
sky directly above the South Pole.

The constellation Leo. Inset shows how it will look like when viewed
higher up in the northern hemisphere as it is crosses the meridian.
The planet Saturn was also clearly visible and had an orange-red tinge.

Just in case any of you might think that I'm into astrology (not astronomy) or horoscopes, using stars to see my future and fortune etc, I AM NOT. To me, constellations link the stars up, like sorting them into tables, making it easier and more systematic for me to appreciate them (so me right?). And to anyone who might be into astrology, including tarot cards, or the habit of reading horoscopes, remember that as wonderful and amazing the stars may be, they are all made by the Lord Almighty, who is above all of creation.

And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. (Deuteronomy 4:19)

Share His Yoke

2008-04-23T22:39:00.004+08:00

I am used to doing things on my own since young, facing difficulties and finding solutions on my own. Because of this, I learnt many lessons the hard way, through failures and setbacks. I will often feel lonely and helpless when I encounter tough situations and this made me even more withdrawn and at the same time desiring and hoping to find some form of company.
Even after Christ entered my life, this feeling of loneliness still persisted. My feelings could be described as that of a lone ox, tilling the fields alone. I thought that as I took on Jesus' yoke, things would become easier for me. Yet my heart was still weighed down by the loneliness that was inside of me.
Things changed about half a year ago, during a re-encounter session on prophesying. A brother spoke over me Jesus' invitation to share His yoke. This can be found in Matthew chapter 11.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

I had always thought that after taking Jesus' yoke, I would still be alone, except that things would be easier. But what I never knew was that a yoke was shared between two oxen. This totally blew my mind away! Jesus is not merely inviting us to take His yoke upon ourselves, He is inviting us to SHARE His yoke, to till the fields TOGETHER with Him. This means that He will walk beside us and share our load in life. He is also asking us to walk the life God has intended for us, the life Jesus walked.

Now I know I no longer have to till the fields alone. I don't have to be a lone ox. I can walk with Jesus, and He walks with me. The knowledge of this truth has in a sense given me wings; knowing this truth has really set me free.

"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)

Hello World: Part 2

2008-03-27T23:23:00.005+08:00

Geng4Christ is 1 year old! Gracious Lord! It’s still here! Woot! Hence, in lieu of this special occasion, I’m posting a very long overdue post. The part 2 of my very first post, specially for you. So, here it is.

I have always been enthralled by the stars at night. Sometimes, when I'm standing under a clear night sky filled with stars, the weight of the presence of the glory of the Lord falls so heavily that I find it hard to stand. When I look at nature, I see God. I can’t think of anyone that could possibly have this much creativity. And what I know is only a tiny fraction of what is really out there. I will start by just examining something closer to home. The way I see it, Earth alone is a miracle. Let me pretend that I was to create Earth.

Earth’s axis of rotation is angled at 23.5° to the plane of revolution, causing seasons and all (learn more from Wikipedia). I would never have thought of doing something like this. If I were to make Earth, it would definitely be a perfect sphere, if it would even be round. Making Earth flat would make it easy for me to see everything on it at the same time, much like playing a computer game.

Let’s say I do make Earth round, I would probably make a small and bright object called the sun to orbit earth to provide light. If I made earth orbit around the sun, then only one side of earth would get the light, much like how we only ever see one side of the moon.

To make sure the whole planet gets light. I’ll have to make earth rotate as well. If I have to make Earth rotate, its axis would surely be perpendicular to the direct line between Earth and the sun. And what would be the result? The equator region would remain much the same, but further away, in the temperate regions, they will be permanently experiencing spring/autumn kind of weather conditions. No summer, no winter. Well, depends on the size of the sun too.

If the sun’s larger than Earth, then we’ll have a much warmer earth. If the sun is much smaller and much nearer, then the polar regions will forever be in darkness, making them much colder. If Earth was flat, then every region will get almost the same amount of sunlight; and we can make it really equal in all regions if Earth was concave. This would mean the entire planet would only have one season and one climate, making it much easier for me to control the whole planet’s ecosystem.

The way Earth is now, there are so many conditions to cover, so much room for errors. You wouldn’t want to stay on the planet I make for sure. Thankfully, God is God. His work is perfect, ingenious, amazing, wonderful, inconceivable, unimaginable, awesome, and simply beyond words and understanding. There is no way I would believe that the miracle we call the universe happened by chance. The stars and galaxies, they exist to give praise and glory to God and to testify of His amazing wisdom and creativity.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard." (Psalms 19:1-3)

You Are My Peace

2008-03-17T17:29:00.002+08:00

My eyes are stricken with an insatiable hunger.
And my heart is one that is prone to wander.
My mind and my soul are always at battle.
Just to be still is such a struggle.

My adversaries are many, crawling all around me.
I cry out to You Lord, O wouldn’t You set me free.
You part the clouds and shine Your light, down from heaven above.
And in the warmth I’m reassured, of Your everlasting love.

Though my sins are countless, like the stars in the night.
Your grace rose like the sun, blotting them out of sight.
Thus I’m standing here in awe, for You have kept me sound.
And I know my soul can rest, in You my peace is found.

You Are All I Need

2008-03-16T23:59:00.002+08:00

In a dark and cold night, amidst the stormy rain.
I find myself alone, dwelling inside my pain.
And as the skies thunder, my heart felt all weary.
From all the past troubles, burdens I’d to carry.

Then the clouds broke a gap, I thought I saw heaven.
A voice stirred in my soul, “Pray, whate’er your petition.”
Closed my eyes bowed my head, softly whispered a prayer.
O Lord just this I ask, make my skies above fair.

You reached Your hands to me, pulled me out of darkness.
And You called me Your own, cloaked me with righteousness.
You caught me when I fell, put me up on my feet.
Though I’m slow to praise You, You gave me all I need.

Let me never forget, the hour I first believed.
For years I denied You, till wisdom I received.
I’m still the same today, ‘cept for Your saving grace.
Don’t take Your hand from me, till when I see Your face.

‘Cause You are all I need.

Sharing The Christ In Our Lives

2008-03-08T20:18:00.005+08:00

I was thinking about the issue of sharing Christ with our parents and some thoughts ran through my mind so I would like to share them here and maybe encourage some of you.

When I think of finding the right chance to sit down with my parents, whether together or separately (although separately tends to be more effective due to the different levels of their belief), to share with them about Christ, it just feels awkward and difficult. It's like I don't know what excuse to use or conversation starters to lead into this topic. And jumping right into the topic might make the other party very defensive unless you have been doing it for a long time.

As I examine these scenarios, the explanation became clear to me. It is because I have not been sharing about my own life with them. I hardly talk with my parents about my daily life, about things I am going through and how I handle them. Of course it would be weird to start a conversation with them, much more so to talk about my faith.

Imagine your son who hardly chats with you about anything and then one night comes up to you and starts sharing his religion. Would you not think that he cares more about his religion than you? Or that he only talks to you when he has some motives, like sharing his religion or asking for money etc. It would be hard to accept what he is telling you, much less to change their beliefs.

On the other hand, think of a son who shares with you frequently his problems in school, the people he meet, the issues he face everyday and how he deal with them with Christ-like values and how he overcome his struggles through prayer. Wouldn't your impression of your son's faith be much better? You would most likely become more open to what is working in your son's life and maybe even allow it to work in your life.

Personally, I have been drawing closer to mom, talking to her a lot more than I used to. As a result, I find it much easier to talk to her regarding just about anything and she is very open to me sharing about God and my relationship with Christ.

So the next time you find yourself thinking of how to share Christ to your parents, remember that by sharing the life you live in Christ, you are sharing the Christ that lives in you. There is no more real way for your parents to witness God at work than through the lives of their own children. Sharing about the problems, struggles, weaknesses and failures in your life will not make them think less of you, it only shows that you are human. But by also sharing how you overcome, how you fight temptations, how you see breakthroughs and victories, you show that it is not because of your own strength or wisdom, but because of God who loves you.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

A Child's Prayer

2008-02-27T22:08:00.005+08:00

While I was spending some time praying earlier, I came to a point where I didn't know how to phrase my words. I was either trying too hard to be formal or my thoughts weren't collected. Then the Lord prompted me to take a simple approach.

Pray like a child.

What does that really mean? Well, if you've heard a little child pray, or even just make a request to you, you would have a rough idea. When a child wants a cookie, would he ask "Father, it's the longing of my tummy to have a cookie and I ask, Father, that if you will, please bless me with one." Or would he simply ask "Dad, can I have a cookie?"

I'm not trying to compare the different ways of praying, and I pray in the former manner quite often actually. Maybe God gave me a glib tongue, maybe God gave me poetic lips, maybe. But I guess what God is trying to show me now is the child-like faith involved when praying simply, like a child. It is humble while at the same time fully believing that our Father will bless us with all the good and perfect gifts.

Well, just to show you how a child's prayer is really child's play, here are a couple of popular child's prayer I found online. They can be rather poetic too!

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray thee, Lord, my soul to keep;
Thy love guard me through the night
And wake me with the morning light.

God Is Great

God is great, God is good.
And we thank him for our food.

By God's hands we all are fed.
Thank you, God, for daily bread.
God is great and God is good,
And we thank God for our food.
(with lines 3-6, sung to the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars")

I hope to write more for this blog now that I'm off WoW. In the meanwhile, keep praying!

Wash My Feet, Clean My Life

2008-02-18T16:56:00.003+08:00

In John chapter 13, Jesus demonstrated servant-hood and love through the washing of His disciples’ feet. About three years ago, I had a chance to meditate upon this passage and God gave me a revelation which I will share here today.

The part of the passage that really caught my attention was what Jesus said in verse 7. “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”

I believe Jesus was speaking to Peter through a parable. By clean, He really means clean of sins. That is why He said not everyone of them is clean as He was referring to Judas the Betrayer. Then I wondered, did they really just had a bath? If He was referring to being cleanse of sins, then I think that the ‘bath’ that the disciples just had was the period of time they had spent together with Jesus, from the time He called them till that moment, which was the last night He would spend with them. It was like they were bathed by the presence of Jesus Christ. Jesus also said later to them that they are clean because of the word He had spoken to them. (John 15:3)

Our feet reflects our walk in life. By cleaning their feet, Jesus was washing off all the grit and dirt they have in their lives. And by showing them how to live, it was like showing them how to walk in life, how to keep their feet clean. He also told them to do the same to each other, to live their lives like Christ did as an example to others.

Jesus also said, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” Unless we allow Jesus to wash us, to deal with areas of our lives that are not clean, we have no part with Him. We ought to lay bare our sins and iniquities before Jesus and to allow Him to clean us. Allow Jesus to wash our feet, and to clean our lives.

To sum up, God showed me through this passage that I should emulate Jesus in the way I live my life, to allow Him to wash me clean and to set the example for others around me. He also showed me that bringing up disciples for Christ would require me to put aside my self and to intercede for their lives and also to teach them by setting the example for them.

A Void In Perfection

2008-01-12T03:32:00.000+08:00

I did this a few months back, inspired when I was writing something about the God-shaped void in our lives. Since I'm decommissioning my website where I posted some of my previous works, I will post this up here to share with all of you.

"God-shaped Hole"

And here are a couple of older ones that I felt deserved a second look.

"The Cross Marks The Way" and "In The Shadow Of The Cross"

4.7 Job

2008-01-06T18:55:00.000+08:00

This post is a little background information about myself. Came across my mind when I was reading the bible this morning so I decided to write it here.

4.7 Job does not refer to a verse from the book of Job. It was my secondary 4 class. I was from ACS(I) and every class had a name of a bible character. But why am I writing about this?

You see, in secondary 4, my class gave our teachers quite a bit of a headache. I guess they got pretty upset with us at times. Once, our pastoral care teacher, who happened to be the discipline master, said something to us after our form teacher and he gave us a lecture. He was wondering aloud if we were like Job, where we would go through suffering and hardships before seeing victories and breakthroughs.

Well, what he said made me curious about Job. So I went home and read through it. Probably took me a few days to finish the book of Job. Back then, I was not a Christian yet, so I was reading it like a history text. But if you know Job, then you know it made no sense to me.

However, now that I'm reading through Job again with the guidance of the Spirit, I can see how much truths there are to be learnt. I hope to be able to share them here in the days ahead. For now, I would like to encourage everyone to read through the bible being sensitive to the Spirit as there are tons of truth kept between those lines.

Death Sentence

2008-01-05T20:59:00.001+08:00

Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. (Psalms 39:4)

Alright, it’s been awhile since I could think of things to write here, so I’ll start writing things from the past before I started this blog.

Slightly more than a year ago, I had a clear dream. It was one of those rare dreams where you could remember every detail very clearly. I believe it was a message God was trying to tell me.

In this dream, I was a young married man, probably late 20s, and I had a child. I was in a courtroom, and all I knew was that I was sentenced to death. The exact date and time of when the punishment would take place was announced by the judge. I knew I was guilty and it was a sad and sobering moment. Thoughts started to run through my mind. I knew how many days I have left to live. I had so many things left to do with so short a time. There were worries about my family, my ambitions, my goals; things left unaccomplished.

I woke up shortly after, and I wrote it down in my journal. I knew that this dream was a message. What happened in the dream is not real, but the thoughts that ran through my mind when I heard the sentence were my actual thoughts. What if we knew the exact date and time which we would leave this earth?

Our lives would surely be lived a lot more purposefully. We would have aims and goals planned for every single day, things that must be done in order for everything to be accomplished before our last day here on earth. What if that last day is near? Think of all the things left undone and incomplete. Think of the loved ones we would leave behind, lives that were intertwined with ours.

Sometimes we live our lives like they are not numbered, thinking that there is always tomorrow, there is always next time, there is always another time. Truth is, our days are numbered, even before we were formed in the womb. Live purposefully and grab opportunities from God. Let’s live our lives being effective and fruitful for God.

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalms 90:12)

Jesus Took The Bullet

2007-11-11T23:23:00.000+08:00

I was reflecting on the message of the cross when God showed me a way to relate to it on a more personal and deeper level.

First let’s start off with man, with ourselves. Imagine that there is this handgun called the gun of judgment. It fires a special kind of bullet that will only kill a person who has sinned before. However this bullet will have no effect on someone who is totally sin-free. And now picture that at some point in your life, well actually at the end of your life, this gun will be aimed at you. And at that point, you can raise your hands to surrender, you can plea all you want and you can offer reasons as to why you shouldn’t be shot at. And here’s where there is the good news and the bad news.

Bad news first, as usual. The gun will STILL fire. And that bullet will still hit you. Will it kill you? I know it will kill me for sure. So what can I do about it? There’s where the good news comes in.

The good news: Jesus took the bullet for us. He did. But as you know, Jesus, the son of the Living God, has no sin in Him. So how could the bullet do Him any harm? Well, He knew the bullet would go right through Him harmlessly and still hit you. So, He took your sins from you and place them upon Himself. He can do that? Yes, and here’s why I think so.

Imagine a person, John Doe, owes the bank a large sum of money. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, he is unable to pay back the loan. As he faces the threat of bankruptcy, his best friend, Jack Daniels, gets the bank to transfer the loan to his own name. If Jack himself had a debt to settle with the bank, they would definitely not transfer the loan to him. But if he is debt-free, I’m sure they will, so long as they get their money back.

So Jesus, himself free of sin, took our sins and took the bullet for us. But does that mean I can then do anything I want to now since I’m saved? November-Oscar. No. This is where it might get a little confusing.

You see, the gun of judgment has YET to fire at you. It will only happen after our life here on earth. Er, I thought you said Jesus already took the bullet? Yes He did. He took the bullet long before any man did. It was a gift. A gift of redemption. So when it comes to the time for us to face the barrel, we can call on Jesus and claim what He did for us, and thus will be saved.

BUT, when you call on Jesus, He will have to acknowledge you first! If He looks at you and says, “Yes, I know you. I took your sins from you and faced death caused by the bullet thereby removing those sins forever. Therefore the bullet will now do you no harm.” And the bullet will be harmless to you. However, if Jesus looks at you and says, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.” Then, you will not be spared from the fatal effects of the bullet. Where did I get this from?

Matthew chapter 25. The Parable of the Ten Virgins, the Parable of the Talents and the Sheep and the Goats. They shows us how even if we know Jesus, from the way we live our lives up to the hour where the bridegroom (Jesus) comes, we might not be spared from death, or eternal separation from God.

You mean I have to live a perfect life? No, of course not. That’s not possible. If it was, Jesus wouldn’t need to die for us. You see, nothing will change the fact that Jesus DID took the bullet. What we should do on our part, is to accept what He did for us, and proclaim it with our lives. Out of a heart of gratitude, we ought to do our best to live our lives the way Jesus has taught us. Jesus did not only come to die for us. He also taught a series of lessons that is the best moral teachings man has ever seen.

So, Jesus had laid the path for us. The path that leads to God’s presence. What we can do on our part, is the human thing that all of us can do. Walk. Down the path with faith in God, hope in His will, and love that He has poured out so freely. It’s my hope that this will be an encouragement to you, that you will find confidence and freedom in God, knowing that Jesus took the bullet for you.

Who He Is To Me

2007-08-25T23:52:00.000+08:00

Jesus is my saviour, my comfort and my friend.

He is the pillow I cry on at night.
He is the cover that wraps me up tight.
He is the one who makes it alright.
He is the source of my guiding light.

Jesus walks with me, all the way to the end.

The Look Of My Heart

2007-08-04T02:15:00.000+08:00

When I opened my blog earlier and saw the verse of the day, my eyes opened to twice their size and the engine in my head started going into overdrive.

I quickly flipped open my journal and turned to the entry dated exactly a year ago. I had noted down the verse of the day in that entry. It was the exact same verse. Not just any verse. But it was MY verse.

And that's the verse of the day of this day, of my day. So on this birthday of mine, I want to thank You Father, for creating me and keeping me all this years. May I be a fruitful vine for You, one that bears much fruit. And if I could only ask for one thing, then it would be that the look of my heart would always be pleasing before the You.

“But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

It Is Near

2007-07-30T03:50:00.000+08:00

Lately I've had the chance to pray for some of my friends who are ill or injured that they'll recover and be of good health. And I praise God that I've seen healing take place.

Just a week ago, one of the students in my NDP cluster was admitted to hospital and the doctors had to perform a scan of her brain. It sounded pretty serious to me when I heard of what the doctors suspect she might be suffering from. So I decided I had to go to the hospital to see her and to pray for her.

Well, we did that and I was glad she looked her usual cheerful self, despite being hospitalized. Then just two days later, she sent me an sms informing me that she has been discharged and thanking me for our visit and prayers. She also told me that the scan showed nothing wrong! Her doctors were just as amazed that they commented about her stay in the hospital being a holiday. Whether or not they believe it, I knew God healed her. For this I am truly thankful to the Lord.

But just this afternoon at service, I was wondering again about something that has been on my mind recently. Why is it that I've not seen times where we can say to the crippled "Stand and walk", and to the blind "Open your eyes and see", and see them healed as Jesus and his disciples did. Surely there must be people who believe that the Lord can heal through them when they call on the name of Jesus. I really want to be a witness of such a work of faith and power, because I know the Lord can.

And it was just then that, as an answer, God simply impressed these three words to me. "IT IS NEAR."

This is really getting me excited. Revival is near. I believe I'm going to see it and I really want to be a part of it. This is my prayer. God, use me.

Can I Bless You?

2007-07-18T22:24:00.000+08:00

Hi all, I am currently asking around for prayer requests, with the aim of blessing the people of this land.

If you have a need currently, going through a difficult situation, having any worries or you are just concerned about the health and safety of you and your loved ones, do let me know. I will pray for a blessing and pray over the need for you.

Nothing's too small that God will ignore, and nothing's too big that God can't handle. All that's required is people of faith.

Blog A-Sleep

2007-07-04T17:21:00.000+08:00

Well, before my blog really falls into a deep sleep, I'd better write something here.

I've been wanting to give my blog a good face lift for the longest time, but you know... However, I'm really trying to start now and I hope to get it up ASAP. Thanks to my bro for his suggestion about the shout-box.

This is another thanks-giving post. Just a few months back, I was suffering from insomnia. I believe you would have guessed it from my earlier post, "Insomnia Is Evil". It was around my exam period and I was stressed over almost everything, exams being just one small area.

Lately, I've been having good nights of sleep. I may sleep 6-7 hrs a night, but that's really enough. I wake up feeling fresh and rested. Best thing is, I don't toss and turn on my bed for hours anymore. Air-con or no air-con. Warm, cold, dry or sweaty. I haven't found myself awake for more than 10 mins on my bed for the last couple of months. THAT, is an achievement. Thanks be to God, who ALWAYS leads us into VICTORY!

Tension Emancipation

2007-06-18T13:14:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I last wrote, so I guess I'll start by giving thanks to God, our Lord who saves.

Early this year in a healing service, I remember asking my cell leader to go up front with me. I had needed healing for a long time, and Sr Pastor reminded me of one thing I had yet to do.

Just a little background info. I've been having tension headaches since mid 2005. If you read my really long testimony (here), you might have a rough idea why. In short, I would say that it was due to a period of sin. It got really bad, hitting me at least once a week, lasting from one day to a few days each time. It robbed me of comfort, of the ability to concentrate or study, of joy and of energy. Seen many doctors, took many drugs, of which some offered relief, some didn't. Even the doctors were amazed I was getting tension headaches at my young age.

It was until January this year, when SP talked about things that hold us back from healing. And the one thing that I did not do was confess to someone about my sin. I knew I had to confess my sin to my cell leader, as part of my accountability to him. It's been more than a year since I went before God with my sin, but this part was almost just as hard to do, if not harder.

But my cell leader forgave me on the spot, and prayed for healing upon me. There and then, it felt as though my chains were freed, my bonds cut. It was as though the last shackle holding me down was removed and I was totally free. I was emancipated.

As is the case for some healing, you do not know for sure that you have been healed. At that moment, I wasn't having a tension headache, so I couldn't say for sure I was healed. And after a while, I kinda forgot about it. That is, until now. Because I still haven't had another case of tension headache. =) Yes, I have been healed. Praise God.

It is my hope that this might be an encouragement to any of you who might be in need of healing or knows someone who does. God heals.

Love-Boasting

2007-05-03T14:21:00.000+08:00

     “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (1Jn 2:15-17)

The bible tells us that boasting of what we have or what we do is evil. It comes out of our love of the world and things in the world. It is our worldly desire to boast about our achievements and accomplishments. Love of the world and love of the Father cannot coexist. We can only have one or the other in us. One leads to death while the other leads to life.

Is boasting just about what we have done or own? Nope. It also includes boasting about what we want to do in the future, about how we are going to build our own future. Like boasting about the great school that you are going to go to, the high-earning job that you will get and the ways you are going to make it big in life. Here’s what the bible says very clearly in the book of James.

     “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.” (Jam 4:13-17)

So it is clear we shouldn’t boast about ourselves, whether it is what we have done or what we have planned for ourselves. Why is boasting so bad? Well, when we boast about what we have or what we’re going to do, we are claiming ourselves as masters of our lives and our future. We forget about the One who blessed us with our lives and everything in them. This love of the world is direct opposites with the love of the Lord.

In that case, is all boasting bad? Nope. We can boast about two things. About God and about the good works of others.

When we examine our lives and all that we have done or received, we should give praises and thanks to God. Firstly, our life, our salvation, is a gift from God. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Eph 2:8-9)

Secondly, our accomplishments in life are blessings from God. We have done things beyond our capabilities because the Lord was with us. (Read 1Cor 1:26-31) God chose the weak to shame the strong so that no one may boast before Him. And as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Boasting in the Lord is a testimony of His goodness and it brings faith and joy to people. As David says in Psalm 34, “My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.” (Psa 34:2) Boasting about what God has done for you brings hope to those who want to see breakthroughs in life, for it is not by our strength that we overcome, but by the grace and power of the Lord.

In the bible, Paul and the other apostles often boast about the good works of the churches in the region. An example is Paul boasting about the Corinthians to the church in Macedonia, “For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action.” (2Cor 9:2) By doing so, Paul gives encouragement to the Macedonians as well as affirmation to the Corinthians. This is also what the book of Proverbs tells us.

     “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.” (Pro 27:1-2)

As we can see, the love of the world, or the love of boasting, is evil and must not dwell in our hearts if we are to fully follow and seek after God’s heart. Instead, let us boast about all the goodness that God has granted to us and those around us, and about the love of God that is Jesus Christ. Or in other words, let us go love-boasting.

     “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Gal 6:14)

Insomnia Is Evil

2007-04-21T20:10:00.000+08:00

“A hungry man is an angry man.” I believe many of us have heard this phrase before. I have a line to add to it. “A sleep-deprived man is a crazy man.” Well maybe it’s just me, but when I’m desperately in need of sleep but can’t sleep, I find myself being… not myself.

I’ll not go into why I can’t sleep or what exactly happens since those details go into my private journal. I’ll also not discuss about what physicist or psychologists says about insomnia here. I’ve read many articles already and you can easily find them online. Here, I will just be writing about a thought I had while trying (in vain) to sleep.

When I found myself in this “crazy” state, I felt as though my peace and rest had been stolen from me. As though someone had killed my joy and my mind, destroying my body and my soul. And then it dawned upon me. This sounds exactly like what the evil one does. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10a).

“Are you saying that insomnia is a work of the devil? Isn’t this what the old churches thought during the 15th-16th century, where victims were subjected to exorcism?” Well, I’m not claiming a scientific break-through for discovering the one source of insomnia. I’m saying that lest we forget, it is entirely possible that the evil one is depriving us of sleep.

Maybe for me, sometimes I can say it’s due to an overactive mind, OCD, stress etc. But coming up with all these reasons does not solve anything. Thinking to myself that I am thinking too much doesn’t make me think any less! So what do I think I should do?

Here’s what the bible tells us. “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” (Psa 23:1-3) Isn’t this a great promise? All I need to do is claim this promise and reject all that the evil one is trying to do, and I will find my peace. I can have back all that the devil has stolen or destroyed because in that same verse, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10b)

I believe that in His presence, I will find my rest. And that is what I will be doing. I hope this will help any of you who might find yourself in a similar situation, be it stress or sleeplessness. To end of, here’s a verse to remember. “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” (Psa 4:8)

Three In Christ

2007-04-17T04:16:00.000+08:00

Today marks the third year of me giving up my life for Christ, to be renewed and transformed. Yup, 3 years ago on this day, under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, I surrendered my life to God and accepted Jesus as my Lord and my Saviour.

Here, I would like to express my gratitude to a few people God has been using to influence my life. Firstly, my dearest sister. Thank you for all the years and God-knows-how-many prayers must have been prayed since I was still in primary school up till 3 years back. Hmm.. Maybe I really am a hard ground... *sheepish smile* Well, I thank God for you.

And next, my spiritual family, especially the older guys. Junyan, Mel, Brandon, Danny and a few others in Ps Roland's tribe that have helped me and guided me in my walk with God. Having tried to do it on my own before, (that is, trying to know God on my own, no church no cell group), I can say that if not for all the brothers and sisters in Christ who have spoke into my life at some point or another, I really doubt that I will be where I am today.

The last 3 years haven't been all easy. It's been a time of growing, molding, refining and transforming. I know there's still more work to be done in the future. But at this stage, I feel as if I have grown pass my "infant" stage. I feel more eager, more on fire, more confident, more faithful and more passionate to go all out for God than ever before.

I could really go on and on here about all that had happened in the last 3 years but I wouldn't 'cos I've already done that. You can read it here if you want to (5 pages, 2800 words). It's my personal testimony written at the end of last year. My "Stone of Glory" for God. I really want to thank God for all that He has done, and I hope by sharing my experience, I can give God the glory.

Stones Of Glory

2007-04-09T01:57:00.001+08:00

When the whole nation of Israel had crossed over the river Jordan, Joshua had 12 men pick a stone each from the river bed as instructed by the Lord. After that, the ark was brought out by the priests and the river water flowed back in to the river, returning it to its flood stage. The 12 stones were used to build a memorial to remind future generations of what the Lord did for Israel at that place. (Jos 4:1-9)

Sometimes I wonder why we encounter so many big problems, around us and in our lives. Why can't my life flow smoothly? I can accept those issues brought about due to my own sins, but what about those that have nothing to do with sins in general? Like difficult project group mates, impossible workload and deadline, almost unreal targets that our minds would not accept as attainable. Things like these have made me feel like giving up so many times. Wouldn't it be better to just throw in the towel and walk away? I might just save myself from all the stress and possible trauma I might have to go through.

Imagine if Joshua had felt this way. “Let's give up since we're blocked by the river Jordan. We'll wait till the flood season is over before crossing it. Anyway, eating manna in the desert isn't all that bad.” Or Moses, when he lead Israel out of Egypt and was trapped before the Red Sea with the Pharaoh's army pursuing them, “Being slaves in Egypt isn't really a bad prospect for Israel. It's better than drowning while trying to swim across the sea or killed fighting those soldiers...” (Exo 14:12)

These men faced impossible obstacles. They didn't give up, even though they knew that there's nothing they could do to overcome the obstacles. Why? Because they knew that they didn't have to do anything, except to call out to the One who is Almighty, the One who can overcome any obstacles, big or small.

I had a question at this point. Why didn't God just remove all those obstacles and pave the way really smoothly for them right from the start? That would have saved them all that stress, fear, panic, grumbling and resentment. This question is just like me asking, “Why can't my life be smooth sailing all the way? Why must I encounter all these problems? Why does God allow me to face these problems?”

I felt that the best way for me to approach this question was to see what happened after the obstacles were overcome. In the parting of the Red Sea, the Lord displayed such a great power that the Israelites, who were afraid and skeptical, “feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.” (Exo 14:31) Overcoming this obstacle had another result. The Lord gained glory and because of this, “The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord”. (Exo 14:18)

And at Jordan, a memorial built after the crossing to remind future generations of what the Lord did for Israel there. I feel that it couldn’t have been more apt that the memorial was built with stones taken from the river bed. Remember that the river was at its flood stage, and that there were no underwater exploration vehicles at that time. (I’m assuming there isn’t...) So the only way these stones could have been taken was that men had to walk across the river bed on foot and carry them. By the way, these were not tiny pebbles that you can dive down and pick up. I believe that these were large stones, given that men had to carry them on their shoulders and that they were used to build a memorial. To me, this stones were testimonies of how the Lord had overcome the obstacle for Israel.

Another example I would like to quote is that of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. It brought glory to God and glorified Jesus, the Son of God. And also, many Jews who were at the scene and saw what Jesus did, put their faith in him. (Joh 11:1-45)

Obstacles have been occurring ever since man was banished from Eden. And based on what we have seen, overcoming them gives glory to God, reminds us of God’s faithfulness and goodness and leads unbelievers to placing their faith in God. It builds our faith and causes us to believe in God to achieve great things in our lives. It also gives us testimonies that not only move the hearts of people but also remind us in times of discouragement that we have an Almighty God who loves us and who is powerful to overcome. No doubt sometimes the problems we face in life are huge and daunting, but all the more we need to call out to God for help.

Well, what about minor issues in life? Faced with small problems, we tend to depend on our own strength to overcome them. After which, we usually forget about them, forget about giving thanks to God that we could overcome them. Over time, we might feel that we can do it on our own, that we can overcome any obstacles we face. It’s only when we face a problem too big too handle that we are reminded that we need to depend on God always. When problems are settled smoothly, it was because God was helping us. My prayer is that I don’t need a “wake-up call” to remember all the goodness the Lord has shown me, to trust in Him and to give Him thanks always.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Pro 3:5-6)

“To God be the glory, great things He has done.”

Crossing Our River Jordan

2007-03-27T05:00:00.000+08:00

In the book of Joshua chapter 3, we saw how the Israelites crossed the River Jordan when Joshua did what God commanded him to do. The Levites carried the ark of the covenant into the river and as they stepped into the river, the water was held back upstream and all the tribes could cross on dry ground, into the promised land. Read Joshua 3 for more details.

When I reflected on this chapter, I could see what this means for us. Firstly, the ark of the covenant represents Jesus. Secondly, the river Jordan, in its flood stage, symbolizes obstacles and difficulties in our lives. And lastly, the land on the other side, the promised land, represents all the promises God has for us.

Putting all three items together, we get the picture of Jesus defeating and overcoming all that holds us back from God's promises. Everything that hinders, prevents or frustrates our work for God. Jesus laid down His life for us and has made a path for us, so that we can step forth boldly and victoriously into the promised land to claim all that God has promised for us.

God has many promises for us, more than I really know for now. Is there anything holding you back from seeing all that God has promised for you? From seeing victories for God in your life? Know that Jesus has overcome all that, the river Jordan in our lives. Go forth, and claim the victory we have in God, just as God gave Joshua every place he set his foot on.

One last thing to note before you close this blog and run out in excitement. Before we go out and claim God's victories in our lives, let us first set apart our lives for God, allowing Him to sanctify us. Then surely, we will see God's hand in our lives. Quoting verse 5 of the chapter, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you."

Age Of Age

2007-03-26T01:29:00.000+08:00

I’ve been asked this question before. “How can Christians say that the earth is around 6000 years old when the mountains alone are clearly much older than that?” I’m pretty sure many others had also faced this question at some point in time.

In the past, I’d be really quick to jump to my answer for this question. I like to reason and logic things out, as some of you would know. My cell group leader also told me once that I think too much but always keep things to myself. He’s right, and that’s actually one of the reasons for me starting this blog. Oh well, back to the topic.

One thing I’ve learned and observed from those asking questions like this is that they are not really seeking an answer. These questions are mostly to fuel a doubt or an issue that they have with God. Either they are not prepared to accept God, or they are not willing to let God deal with their lives. Which ever it is, an answer to such a question isn’t going to do much to change their mindset.

You can’t reason a person to God. It’s just the same way you can’t reason a son into loving his father. If love could be reasoned, then I could probably make my computer love me. (Err… thank God I can't…) So, when asked such a question, we should examine the reason behind the question, and not really the question itself.

So, what is my answer to the question after all? I will still share my thoughts on this, but first it is important to let you know that my answer is not important. It’s just my own way of interpreting what I know and is highly susceptible to changes.

Here’s what I think. Asking a question regarding the age of the world or the universe for that matter is like asking “How old is time?” Can you really ask man such a question? I don’t think so. Even Einstein can’t answer that. Quoting the genius himself, "The more I study science, the more I believe in God." I don’t think it’s because he ended up with more questions than answers, which is highly likely, but because of the sheer marvel of science. We admire Albert Einstein for the Theory of Relativity and Isaac Newton for the Law of Gravity. How much more should we admire the creator of the sophisticated system in which all these and infinitely more exist in?

So the question is basically asking how can something which scientists predicts by theory to take millions of years to form exist in a world which is only around 6000 years old. There are two groups of people who ask this question and my answer is only relevant to one of them. The first group consists of those who believe that the universe started from an accident. A mass of particles from God-knows-where gathered together, big bang, balls of gas, suns, planets, water, oceans, tectonic plate movements and Wallah!, Mountains. Well, I don’t think I can offer a better solution than that. The second group would be folks who believe that there is a supernatural, omnipotent being who created the universe and all. For them, this question probably makes them doubt the Christian faith. So here’s my take on it for this group.

Let’s say for example I have a computer-simulated-world program. (Think: The Sims.) Then I create a 20-year old 'guy' inside the program along with a whole other bunch of really cool stuffs. Then I run the program, which simulates the 'guy' going about his daily routines in real time, for one whole year. At the end of that year, how old is that 'guy'? To him, and everyone else inside that virtual world, he would be 21 years old. But to me, his creator, he’s only 1 year old.

Try applying this analogy to the "age-of-the-mountain" problem. If God could create the universe and the stars and the planets, could He not have shaped the mountains and the rivers to look the way they are today? If anyone really wants to find out how old the earth is, or any other questions pertaining to creation, I suggest that they ask its creator. To me, it’s rather silly second-guessing God with our limited knowledge and understanding.

Having said all these, I must add in conclusion that no amount of answers can draw a person closer to God. From my own personal experience, it has always been the other way around.

Hello World!

2007-03-25T00:16:00.000+08:00

"Hello world!" A heading most programmers can associate with. It's usually the title of the very first program that most of them, or us (if you think I can be counted as one), write. Hence I tend to use it as the heading for the first post I put up, on a blog or on a website.

Here I'm struck with a thought. I am imaging God saying this same phrase at creation. I'm imaging Him leaning back from all His work on the seventh day and when looking at His creation that is good, say "Hello World!"

It's amazing what He has created. Earth, space, science, mathematics, logic and reasoning and everything else in between. The most amazing thing He created though, is us. I'll talk more about this the next time if I get round to it. For now, why don't we just pause whatever we are doing, look at the world around us and appreciate the wonderful and marvelous creation of the one who created all things.

"[Praise to the LORD] O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago."- Isaiah 25:1