Wrapping Up 2013

Towards the end of this year, I took the courage to quit my job in the United States where I was at for the last five years. Now after slightly more than three months being back home in Singapore, I am glad I did that. I am happy and satisfied with being close to my unsaved parents, although they have compounded five years of nagging and unleashed it all upon me over these last few months.

Another major change is the change of my heart more towards God as I returned home to Singapore this last September. I figure that this change of my heart to desire to be close to Jesus Christ even more comes from the fact that I have to trust in Him to bring me back home safely and in all the transportation of my personal belongings all the way back from the state of Utah. My heart is now made more sensitive towards the Holy Spirit as I have no one else to depend on except Him alone for this major decision made to move back to Singapore.

The trusting in His Word and that He is my sole Provider led me to a new job by His Grace alone. As a Christian, I have never expected my life to be easy and smooth sailing at all. The reason is God the Father never let His Begotten Son, Jesus to have an easy life. Jesus Christ Himself has to drink the cup given to Him by God the Father (John 18:11). However no matter how tough our lives here on earth may be, it is not going to last, folks. That is why we as Christians always have that eternal hope (1 Peter 3:15) which is in Jesus Christ and we all look forward to that day when we will all be ushered into the new heaven and earth (Rev 21:1-4) where sin does not have a foothold and God’s Glory is at the center of it all. Amen!

As Christians, let’s continue to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ and run the life’s race with perseverance (Heb 12:1-2). My prayer is that I will always be amazed by the Gospel which is accomplished only by Jesus Christ’s finished work on the Cross. I should never grow weary or fainthearted, noting that I have not yet resisted sin to the point of shredding my blood (Heb 12:3-4).

In 2013, I thank God for allowing me to finish reading through the Bible for the third time. Although I didn’t really complete my 2013 resolution of memorizing a key verse from every book of the Bible, I look forward to completing this resolution in 2014. In this coming new year, I also hope to practice what Pastor A.W. Tozer had mentioned in the concluding chapter of his book, “Experiencing the Presence of God” in order to have a daily personal experience of God’s Presence. They are namely, the discipline of shunning the world, the discipline of mediating of God’s Word, the discipline of solitude, the discipline of the daily expectation of God’s Presence, the discipline of reverential awe, the discipline of obedience and finally, making room for God’s Presence.

Have a blessed New Year, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Let’s continue to journey with our big spiritual Brother who is our LORD, Jesus Christ and strive to know Him deeper with each passing day. 

The Creator of Heaven & Earth

Throughout the entire Bible, we can find numerous verses of the ONLY TRUE GOD telling us that He Only is the Great I Am and He Only is the Creator of Heaven & Earth. This is comforting to me because through this truth, I know He is the ONLY TRUE GOD whom I can trust with all my heart.

Here’s a link which I found online documenting 64 verses from the Bible about God being the Creator of Heaven & Earth. Let us reflect upon them as we prepare our hearts in gratitude for this Same Creator of Heaven & Earth, sending us His Only Begotten Son to redeem us from our sins. As we approach Christmas Day in about a month’s time, let us give thanks for His Grace and Mercy in adopting us into a relationship of spiritual sons and daughters with Him. Amen! 

True Story

In the American culture, it is very prevalent as a group of friends sit down together for a chit-chat and one of them bursts out with a tall tale of something incredible or unbelievable. The storyteller will end off with the phase, “True Story”. This signifies that the tall tale which was shared earlier is true. The audience will normally response with “No Way!”.

We all love true stories and so when we see movies headlined with “Based on a true story”, we are immediately attracted to go and watch them. No wonder, these movies normally had excellent box office sales. There is significance when a story is true, isn’t it? Because if a story isn’t true, no matter how unbelievable or incredible it is, it doesn’t matter anymore. On the contrary, if a story is true, we not only believe in it but also like to share it to as many people as we can. True stories inspire and I have watched many movies which are based on true stories like “The Notebook”, “Catch me if you can” and “Jobs”.

One true story which is very crucial to our human history is God’s redemption story through the person of Jesus Christ. The Bible documents for us this story through forty different men who are inspired by God Himself, the source of Truth, over a period of about fifteen hundred years. The key message is God is Holy (1 Pet 1:16) and He is our Creator (Gen 1:27) but man has disobeyed Him and sinned (Eccl 7:20). Man’s only hope is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 14:6) who redeemed us through the Work on the Cross (2 Cor 5:21). As sinful men, we must respond to His Redemption Plan for us (1 John 5:10-12).

True Story.

A Relationship with God

As followers of Jesus Christ, it is vital that we not only treasure our relationship with God (made possible only by Christ’s work on the Cross), but we also must be willing to give up anything which stands between God and us. God wants us to surrender all aspects of our lives to Him. Therefore, when we do not surrender, He will lead us into difficult situations to bring us into the right perspective of focusing only upon Him. God wants us to go to Him first whenever we are faced with any issues in life.

The Only True God as depicted in the Bible is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last (Isa 44:6, Rev 22:13). He is God and there is none other (Isa 44:6). He is the One who laid the foundation of the earth (Job 38:4, Isa 48:13, Psa 102:25, Heb 1:10). He asks that all of us look to Him and be saved (Isa 45:22).

All of us are like sheep which have turned astray (Isa 53:6) and that is why the Bible states that we have sinned against the Only True God (Rom 3:23).The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23) and this is why we find that death comes to all men. No matter who you are, you will die one day. This happens because we all have sinned against God.

The Gospel (Good News) is God did not forsake us but desires that we are reconciled back to Him (2 Cor 5:18-19). God sacrificed His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ to bear all of our sins (Isa 53:4-5).  Being satisfied with Christ’s work on the Cross, God resurrected Him from the dead (1 Cor 15:3-5). Christ has helped us to remove our sin issue which has hindered our relationship with God since ages past once and for all (Heb 10:10)!

If you have not trusted in Jesus Christ as your personal LORD and Savior, what is your response to God’s Great Love for you as described above? The Only True God of the Bible, who has created you in His Image and breathed the breath of life into you, has also taken the initiative to make a way out for you in order to be reconciled back to Him and have a relationship with Him. If you still have questions, please feel free to watch this video to learn more about the Gospel.

For those of us who have responded, we have a relationship with the Only True God of the Bible. However, we need to place our relationship with God above all other priorities in our lives. We need to treasure our relationship with God and work at this relationship by ensuring that our hearts are solely belonged to Him. In other words, we should be like King David – a man after God’s Heart.

the number is 2037...

2037 days passed and that's the number of days which I have spent in the "Land of the Free, Home of the Brave". The experience has been phenomenal! I will never forget this chapter of my life and all the true friendships which were built over the course of these 2037 days. 

As I pack my bags to leave the United States of America, I will continue to pray that the Only True God of the Bible will help to ensure a great revival of Americans back to following Jesus Christ as their personal LORD and Savior.

Goodbye, America.

A Direction I Seek

August 2013 marks the completion of my Professional M.B.A. program at the University of Utah. I have finally graduated officially after having spent a period of about two years in the program. All Praise to God! HE alone is the One who has seen me through the program. To think that I almost didn’t make it to the second semester of the program at that time but it is His Grace that has helped me to pull through it all. Although it is indeed a joyous occasion, at the same time, I felt the need to be seeking a new direction in my life. I need a brand new fresh beginning in my life.

At this moment, I intend to spend more time praying and seeking God’s Will for my life as I continue this spiritual journey with Him all the way to the end where I will be seeing Him face to face. Folks, our lives on earth are not all that is to be…

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

- Psalm 119:105

America's Founding Fathers

George Washington

1st U.S. President 

"While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian." 

_{--The Writings of Washington, pp. 342-343.}

John Adams 

2nd U.S. President and Signer of the Declaration of Independence 

"Suppose a nation in some distant Region should take the Bible for their only law Book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God ... What a Eutopia, what a Paradise would this region be." 

_{--Diary and Autobiography of John Adams, Vol. III, p. 9.}

Thomas Jefferson 

3rd U.S. President, Drafter and Signer of the Declaration of Independence 

"God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever; That a revolution of the wheel of fortune, a change of situation, is among possible events; that it may become probable by Supernatural influence! The Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us in that event." 

_{--Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVIII, p. 237.} 

"I am a real Christian – that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus Christ." 

_{--The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, p. 385.}

Have a blessed birthday, America!

All We Need is the Bible

Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

This very first verse of the Bible tells us a lot. As I mediate on this verse for a few days, it comes across to my mind that if all of us take this verse seriously and really believe in it, what a different world we will live in today!

The Bible does not seek to argue but always present God’s Word to us. God’s Word is true because God never lies (Numbers 23:19). Furthermore, God’s Word will never pass away (Matthew 24:35). I believe that the Bible is true because God Himself is the Author and this explains why His Message is consistent throughout Man’s history. Although the Bible was written over a period of fifteen hundred years by about forty different authors (Top 10 Reasons the Bible is True), God’s Message remains the same – He is always here with us and is at work to bring about a reconciliation of the initial good fellowship with Him back in the Garden of Eden.

God’s Word is extremely powerful because He created everything which we see today just by mere articulation. Starting with Genesis 1:1, He is the Beginning of all things and He is the Uncreated Being. If we really take Genesis 1:1 for what it is saying literally, you will realize that the theory of evolution has absolutely no grounds to stand on. All the other so-called gods which we know and worship does not even come close because none of these gods ever claim about creating the heavens and the earth. Even though Joseph Smith claims that he is the apostle to the restoration of the “true” biblical Christianity, we soon realize that the LDS church holds to a different belief in the origins of the universe. Basically, they do not believe in Genesis 1:1 literally. 

In addition if God’s Word is so powerful, we know that He Himself is even greater than His Word. With this premise, we can be assured that God Himself will protect His True Biblical Christianity to bring about the reconciliation of Mankind back to Him. There is absolutely no need for Joseph Smith, a sinner much like you and me (Romans 3:23) to “restore true biblical Christianity”. Not even God’s Word, the Bible can be removed from this earth (Matthew 24:35, 1 Peter 1:24-25), much less God’s true biblical Christianity. Voltaire, a French Enlightenment writer and deist, once said that within 100 years of his time, Christianity would be swept away from existence and pass into the obscurity of history. Yet 50 years after his death, the Geneva Bible Society used his house and printing press to produce stacks of Bibles. It is now nearly 120 years past his deadline and the Word of God is still going strong.

Folks, we can completely trust the Bible because it is our spiritual food (Matthew 4:4) and we should never allow any other books to replace it.

Travel

Over the last few weeks, I have been travelling to Asia from U.S. twice. First time to Singapore for about ten days, then back to U.S. for my graduation walk at the U. Next to Beijing, China for about one week as part of my International Applied Management class and then flew back to U.S. again on May 12. It had been really tiring flying four times over the Pacific Ocean. One can truly appreciate the fact that 70% of our earth is covered by water.

The flights over the Pacific Ocean are normally at least about 12 hours. It is long, boring and tiring being cramped in a little space with at least 80 other people. However when you finally get to your desired destination, life is good. You get to visit the places you want to. You enjoy the beautiful times and create new memories for your trip. You forget the long and tiring flight you took to get to your destination. It is true. You just don’t remember that tiring experience until you are about to board your flight back home…

In some sense, taking a flight to a destination of choice can be like our current life here on earth. It seems to us that our life can be filled with so much suffering, pain and even bored with all our routines. However, I do believe that when we as Christians get to Heaven, it is going to be such a beautiful and amazing experience that we will forget the suffering and pain that we had gone through with our lives on earth.

As mentioned in my April blog post, Revelation 21:1-4 gives us a nice description of what the new heaven and earth will be like. All of us whether we are Christians or not, are travelling right now to our eternal destinations. There are only two eternal destinations which are either Heaven or Hell. These two destinations are different for Christians and non-Christians because it depends on whether we have placed our trust in Jesus Christ to be our personal LORD and Savior.

Jesus Christ is the one and only access to Heaven (John 6:44, Acts 4:12, Acts 16:30-31).  There is no other possible way to get to heaven but by the Son of God Who is Jesus Christ.  Getting to heaven is a one-way trip and so you only get through the travelling part which is your current life here on earth once. If heaven is not your final eternal destination because you did not trust in Jesus Christ, then you are most certainly going to the only other eternal destination which is hell and that also is a one-way trip from which there is no return.

Revelation 21:8 shows the fate of those whose final eternal destination is not heaven:

“But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

For some, they think that it is okay to choose hell as their final eternal destination because all their friends will be there. I suggest that it is naive to think in this way because if hell is ever going to be a ‘not so bad’ place, we will not get to read the story of the rich man and Lazarus in the Bible (Luke 16:19-31). This parable is a warning to all of us that we should take God’s Word (the Bible) seriously. The rich man was seeking to change his final eternal destination but it is a one-way trip. Once the plane has landed on the airport like once you have reached your final eternal destination, there is no turning back. For those who will like to read more about this topic, The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis is a great book where he described the Christian conception of Heaven and Hell.

Therefore folks, please remember that our lives here on earth are a one-way trip to one of the two eternal destinations (i.e., Heaven or Hell) for mankind. We are all on a journey to either one of these destinations. Please choose wisely, yeah?

Heaven & Hell

The Bible in the 21^st chapter of the book of Revelation gives us some perspective of Heaven. There is no longer any sea (Rev 21:1), no longer any death (Rev 21:4), no need of the sun or the moon to shine on it but only the glory of God (Rev 21:23) and the LORD is making everything new (Rev 21:5). The Bible also talks about the wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food (Isa 65:25).

Being back in Singapore for about ten days, I am still not used to the hot and humid weather. However, if I am not comfortable being in Singapore’s weather, I am pretty sure being burning in hell (Luke 16:24) will be even worse.

A brother in Christ once shared this on his Facebook page,

"Being a true believer in Christ, living on earth is as close to hell as we will ever get. However for the non-believer, living on earth will be the closest to heaven they will ever get."

The LORD’s Plan for all of us is to be reconciled with Him (2 Cor 5:18-19) and spend our eternity in Heaven. Hell is a place which He has designated for the devil (Rev 20:10). It is never a place for all of us who are created in God’s Image. If we reject Jesus Christ’s offer to salvation which is the Only Way back to God (John 14:6), we will be spending our eternity like the devil, burning forever in hell (Rev 20:15). This has never been God’s destiny for us. God has given us eternal life (1 John 5:11) if we only believe and follow His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16)

Let us all ask for His forgiveness of our sins and accept Jesus Christ Whom He has graciously given us to save us from our sins. Friends, if you have never known Jesus Christ; I will like you to go through all the Bible verses which I have referenced in this post. Furthermore if you will like to find out more about how Jesus Christ has died on the cross for you and me, I like to invite you to read this article by Dr. C. Truman Davis, analyzing the anatomical and physiological details of death by crucifixion.

“For the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but for those who are being saved, it is the power of God”

- 1 Cor 1:18

Only F.A.M.I.L.Y is True

F.A.M.I.L.Y means “Father And Mother, I Love You”, but F.A.F.I.L.Y and/or M.A.M.I.L.Y are confused terms to children.

Quoting from WorldNetDaily:

“We understand that Canada is seen by people around the world as a country in which public policy is developed carefully and judiciously. It would, therefore, be a natural assumption that in legalizing homosexual marriage our government and courts thoroughly considered the implications of this action through proper and extensive study of social sciences and facts,” the apology continues. “But it is essential that the people of the world understand that this was not the case. Our government and courts only considered adult ‘rights.’ Among other things, the impact on children’s rights, children’s education, parental rights, religious rights, adoption, the economy and family law were never fully considered. Changes were thrust upon us by court actions followed by a vote that did not allow for a free vote of every member of our federal parliament. “Our warning to you, the people of the world, is to learn from our mistakes and avoid repeating them in your own countries. Forewarned should be forearmed,” the statement finished.

Read more

Showing Others the Heart of Jesus

Jesus in His prayers for all His disciples before He was betrayed and crucified, said in John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the Only True God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” In my humane mind, I can never understand why God never gave up on us. Why didn't He pull the plug on us and wipe out all of us? I know from my own sinful heart (Psalm 51:3) that I cannot never be worthy of His Love for me (Romans 3:23).

His Grace and Great Mercy shown to us as Christians to me are unfathomable. I can never understand why He sacrificed so much just so we can have a relationship with Him. Indeed, only He will have the answers (Deuteronomy 29:29). Now that we have received His Salvation by His Grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), we should constantly pray to ask that He teaches us how to be showing Jesus’ Heart to many others around us who are still sinners and turning their backs against the Only True God.

Through our unique experience of coming to know Christ, we know that God has never given up on us. He wants all of us to learn what true, authentic love really is. The entire Bible is about His Great Love for us and how He is educating us what His Real Authentic love is all about. The ultimate way to educate us about love is for us to show others what His Love is all about. This then is the Heart of Jesus so pass His Love around, folks (Matthew 22:39).

We are commanded to pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44) and even to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44) because we need to show them the Heart of Jesus. We are also commanded to even go to the extent of laying our lives for our brothers (John 15:13). I believe that God did not take Christians away like Enoch (Genesis 5:24) because He wants all of us to show others His Heart. He wants all of us to be witnesses of His Grace and Mercy towards all sinners. He desires all of us to have a relationship with Him and none to perish at all (2 Peter 3:9). 

Let us as true Christians be always ready to give a defense for the Hope we hold on to (1 Peter 3:15) so dearly in the midst of a dying and sinful world (1 John 2:16-17). Let’s be showing this Heart of Jesus to many others who are still rejecting Him today!

The Spiritual Journey of our lives

When I became a Christian about ten years ago, I realized one key thing about my life here on earth. It is everything which I have and am going through in this life is not all that I got. There is a better place than life here on earth. The most amazing thing is I am actually moving closer and closer to this better place as each day passes by. This place is the eternal dwelling with God which is called Heaven. This journey towards Heaven is also the main plot of The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. Folks, if you haven’t read this book yet, I encourage you to read it.

Although I have never been to Heaven, but I do know that our lives here on earth is nothing compared to the surpassing glory of Heaven (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). Heaven is an eternal weight of glory beyond comparison to all things which we can see physically here on earth. Life here on earth is just a transient according to the Bible and is passing away (1 John 2:17). All of us are actually on a journey. We are passing through this phase of our lives which is on earth at the moment. However, we are moving towards another place where we will be spending eternity. There are namely two places where we can be spending eternity. It is either Heaven or Hell. These are the only two options. We can trust in Jesus Christ and spend eternity with Him in Heaven where life really begins or we can turn our backs on Jesus Christ, be spending eternity in Hell and separated from Him forever. God created us to be eternal beings and He also gave us the option to either follow Him or to reject Him. Both Heaven and Hell are two eternal dwellings which God has designed for all of us.

Is Hell good or bad? That’s one tricky question which we dealt with this week during my community group with Gospel Grace Church. Hell is good because if there is no Hell, there is no justice. God created all things and He called it good. Therefore, Hell itself is good because Hell is God’s eternal dwelling place for people who do not place their faith in Jesus Christ. Hell exists precisely because God has committed Himself to solving the problem of evil. Hell is not evil; it’s the name of the place where evil gets punished. Hell is not pleasant, appealing or encouraging, but Hell is morally good, because a good God must punish evil. Actually, I should be journeying to Hell but it is God’s Grace that today I am saved through Jesus Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is because of what Jesus Christ has done for all of us (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) that today once we place our faith in Him, we are changing our spiritual courses and journeying towards Heaven (1 John 5:11-12)! Amen!

Each day that passes can only mean that we are moving closer and closer to one of the two eternal dwellings (i.e., Heaven or Hell) which God has prepared for all of us. With each day, we are also moving further and further away from the investments which we have made in our lives. All of us whether we are aware or not, are on a journey to either Heaven or Hell. It is a spiritual journey and what ultimately counts for you and me is the destination of this spiritual journey. All other matters in life fade in comparison to this. Our lives only really begin when we are in Heaven. You can change your spiritual courses today simply by acknowledging that you are a sinner and you need Jesus Christ to be the Savior of your soul. Today is the day of salvation, folks (2 Corinthians 6:2)!

The Vanity of Life

Psalm 39

¹ I said, “I will watch my ways
    and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth
    as long as the wicked are in my presence.”
² But when I was silent and still,
    not even saying anything good,
    my anguish increased.
³ My heart grew hot within me,
    and as I meditated, the fire burned;
    then I spoke with my tongue:

⁴ “Show me, O Lord, my life’s end
    and the number of my days;
    let me know how fleeting is my life.
⁵ You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
    the span of my years is as nothing before you.
    Each man’s life is but a breath. Selah
⁶ Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
    He bustles about, but only in vain;
    he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.

⁷ “But now, Lord, what do I look for?
    My hope is in you.
⁸ Save me from all my transgressions;
    do not make me the scorn of fools.
⁹ I was silent; I would not open my mouth,
    for you are the one who has done this.
¹⁰ Remove your scourge from me;
    I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
¹¹ You rebuke and discipline men for their sin;
    you consume their wealth like a moth—
    each man is but a breath. Selah

¹² “Hear my prayer, O Lord,
    listen to my cry for help;
    be not deaf to my weeping.
For I dwell with you as an alien,
    a stranger, as all my fathers were.
¹³ Look away from me, that I may rejoice again
    before I depart and am no more.”

I think what really counts in my life is to fear God and keep His Commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Everything else under the sun just fades in comparison...