As 2014 drifts away…

Each year before Dec 31 comes along, I will try to sit down and think back on the past one year’s happenings. A good opportunity awaits at this moment each year for me to grab for reflection upon the lessons which I have learnt from my LORD. 2014 is a year of adjusting back to the hectic lifestyle in Singapore as I moved back home from the United States since Sep, 2013. Time flies by and each day of my life is given by my LORD as a token of His Grace & Mercy towards me a worthless sinner through and through. My LORD is indeed merciful and patient towards me as He continuously molds me towards the Character of His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ.

Looking back over these past twelve months, I realized too that I have ran quite a lot. From Green Corridor in May to Army Half Marathon in Aug to POSB Kid’s Run & Straits Time Run in Sep, followed by Presbyterian Run in Nov and ended the year with the Standard Charted Marathon earlier this month. Total mileage covered was 103 km. As I pondered using hindsight wisdom, this sounds really crazy for me! This coming new year 2015, I am also kicking off two different 21km runs (one in Feb, 2015 & another in Mar, 2015) early in the year. Besides running, I realized that this year I started to be really passionate about cycling as well. Did quite a few rounds of cycling from Sengkang to East Coast Park to Changi Village and then back to Sengkang (~46km). Earlier in 2014, I was also very much into swimming due to free admission granted through the ActiveSG program. With that, I thank God that I am able to slim down and remove majority of the fats accumulated through the last 5 years spent in the United States.

This was also a year of putting down my own personal struggles with habitual sins for good. I believe that it was not possible without God answering my prayers for a soulmate in life. It is true. Truly, I understand now why He made that comment in the Garden of Eden – “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. (Gen 2:18)” I am indeed very, very thankful to God for bringing a special woman into my life. As I looked back to all my struggles in the past, I think that all those struggles to stay pure were worth it. Totally worth it! Praise God for His Grand Plan and continue to be praying that both of us can demonstrate how a godly relationship should be like, according to God’s Perfect Design. I pray that we can both fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2) and finish the race which is set before us well. Therefore in 2015, I want to cherish every moment with this special soulmate whom God has brought into my life.

In summary, God has opened my eyes in 2014 to behold His Character and His Role as my Abba Father. He has indeed allowed me to see the ultimate reality of being in sync with Him according to His Plan (Proverbs 3:5-6). His Timing is always Perfect (Ecc 3:1-8) and who am I to question Him (Job 40:1-2)? Looking back to my past experiences of being frustrated with the single life sounds very silly. The reason is God was using those days to mold me to become a better soulmate to a godly woman whom He has also been molding all this while. My New Year resolution for 2015 is to continue to seek God and observe His Hand at Work so that I can truly be able to convey His Love Message to those who have yet to know Him. In addition, through seeking Him daily, I hope to be the man who is always able to shower the woman whom he loves with the unconditional love which he himself has received from God Who is love (1 John 3:16, 1 John 4:8).

Have a blessed 2015, folks!

No Man is An Island

Really like to give thanks to God for blessing all the TPBC Men with a fantastic weather over last weekend as we gathered for our very first TPBC Men's Ministry Retreat. It was definitely a great time of fellowship and bonding over a short time of 1.5 day. 

We discussed briefly on the importance of how to have a walk with God. This is crucial for building a personal relationship with God. Every true believer in Christ needs that and indeed, no man is an island. Brothers, let's unite in the name of Christ and desire to finish well for His Glory (2 Tim 4:7)!

Walking with God

As Christians, we all have to learn how to walk with God. He has always been with us but sometimes, we ourselves have this problem that we like to do what we want to do. As such, we conveniently tell ourselves that He is not with us. We rationalize our minds that it is okay to slack once in a while because we put a pat on our backs that we have been ‘walking right with Him’ for a season now, right? That’s when we fall and sin against Him (1 Cor 10:12). Next, the guilt feeling sets in. This vicious cycle of events is always happening in my own spiritual walk with Him. I resonate with Paul in Romans 7:24 - Oh what wretched man I am!

This coming November, my church is kicking off the first Men’s Ministry retreat. The theme is “No Man is An Island” and the workshop topic is “Walking with God”. As I reflected on a quote by A. W. Tozer:

A whole new generation of Christians has come up believing that it is possible to “accept” Christ without forsaking the world.

Truly, I need to remember that by accepting Christ, I have turned my back against the world. I cannot hold on to Christ and walk with God on one hand if I am also holding on to the world on my other hand (John 17:16). Please pray along with the men of TPBC that God will speak to all of us at this retreat to be serious in our walk with Him in the years to come.

The Lesson of Life

God depicted in Genesis 1:1 is the Only True Living God Who Alone created the heavens and the earth (Isa 44:24, Isa 45:12). There is no other God besides Him (Isa 45:18). We must all turn to Him and be saved (Isa 45:22).

There is indeed a reason for Him to put all of us through this lesson of life. When He gave us the breath of life (Gen 2:7), I strongly believe that there is a purpose for living. This purpose is for living is to know Him, the only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He has sent. This is Eternal Life (John 17:3).

Life is hard for all of us because we fail to see through our own individual circumstances with a bigger purpose, a bigger story in mind. If we are too focused on our own needs, we will tend to think that our own problems are daunting to solve. However if we are able to look beyond the problems to gaze upon the face of our LORD, we would be able to see that there is a reason for the issues which God has placed in our lives. We must ask Him for wisdom and guidance to learn the lessons which He wants to teach us. God disciplines us because we are His Children (Heb 12:5-7).

As Christians, we must walk through this lesson of life in the strength of the Spirit which He has given to us as a pledge for our eternal inheritance (Eph 1:14). Personally, I failed Him in many ways because I neglected my time with Him in reading of His Word, in prayers and in worshipping Him by acknowledging Him as the LORD of my life at all times. The moment, I am complacent in walking in the Spirit, I went on to gratify the desires of my flesh (Gal 5:16). LORD, forgive me.

One question which I will like to ask myself daily at every moment of my life is found in Gal 5:7 – “You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?”

At this moment, I may not yet see the finish line of my life but I really want to finish well. I hope to really echo Paul’s words in 2 Tim 4:7. Brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s continue to encourage one another in desiring to draw closer to our LORD and Savior of our souls daily, shall we?

Ready for the Life to Come

I have been thinking about this – is praying the Sinners’ Prayer all that one needs to do and once he has gotten his ticket to Heaven, he can live out his life in whatever manner he pleases, waiting to go heaven when he has passed on from this life?

The answer is no because when we look to the Bible, it is actually pointing us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12). In essence after we have prayed to receive Christ as our personal LORD and Savior, we all need to continually work towards bearing spiritual fruits for Christ (Gal 5:22). Furthermore, we are to work this out with fear and trembling which is to truly be putting away our own self will of being rooted in our sinfulness and putting on a complete surrender and dependency upon on our LORD Jesus Christ (John 15:5). We are all reminded by Solomon to fear God and keep His commandments (Eccl 12:12-13). We are all taught by Jesus Christ Himself to seek Him first in all righteousness (Matt 6:23). We are all instructed by Paul to die to sin and not live in it any longer (Rom 6:1-2).

Therefore, we definitely cannot think that we are okay so long we have prayed the Sinners’ Prayer (a one-time momentous event) and we can idle spiritually to wait to be ushered into heaven. Fellow Christians, let’s remember that we need to persevere on. We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses before us and let’s all run this race of life with perseverance (Heb 12:1-2).  Let’s continue to be the salt and light for Christ (Matt 5:13-16). Let’s be Christ’s ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20). Let’s be telling people about Christ and the Gospel message which is made possible because of Christ’s Work on the Cross (2 Cor 5:21, 1 Cor 1:18). All of us as Christians need to be involved in the Christ’s ministry of reconciliation.

The Christian must look at this world through the lens of the Gospel. He must be able to see how the Bible is very much applicable to his life on earth. From Genesis to Revelation, the Word of God is conveying to all of mankind one consistent message - there is a grave problem for mankind which is sin and there is only one solution to this grave problem who is Jesus Christ. Bearing the Christian faith is definitely not holding to a ticket to heaven passively and waiting for the trip to heaven to commence. By placing our faith in Jesus Christ, we have declared war against the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4). Wake up and arise, O Christian and be ready to fight (Rom 13:11-14)!

One key thought for all of us as Christians is: What does the Christian life entail?

Potential

Potential according to Wikipedia.org, generally refers to a currently unrealized ability. 

All of us as humans have the potential to know the Only, True Living God and Jesus Christ Whom He has sent (John 17:3). All of us have the potential to be filled with His Holy Spirit Who will be our Counsellor to teach us all the things which God the Father wants us to learn from Him (John 14:26).

However, the key question is, “Are we fulfilling this potential?”

This week as my cell group came together to study the book of 1 Peter together, we realized that we were once lost but now found. We were continually straying like sheep, but now we have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls (1 Peter 2:25). For non-believers, they are still straying like lost sheep, in urgent need of a Shepherd to lead them to safety. For believers, we may be already safe in Christ’s Hands but we do have to close up the gap to accomplish what God has begun in each of our hearts (Phil 1:6).

Therefore as Christians, although we may have fulfilled the potential to know the Only, True Living God but we still need to fulfill the potential of developing the unique talents which God has given to each one of us. Are we fulfilling the potential which God has called each of us for, based on the gifts which He has given to us? This is a staggering question to me as I know deep down in my own deceitful heart (Jer 17:9); I have also failed Him in many ways and have sinned against Him even as a child of His. I am in constant need of His forgiveness and purification from all unrighteousness in His Sight (1 John 1:9).

Father, You Alone are my Creator and You define what is right and wrong by Your Will. Please forgive me of the sins which I have committed knowingly against You. Please pick me up from where I have fallen again and again. Please change my heart continually to be closer to You and help me to constantly be renewed in my mind with Your Word. Help me, LORD to trust You, obey You and wait upon You daily, moment by moment. Change me and use me as your vessel, as the salt and light which You have called me to be. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.

TPBC Retreat

I am excited to be able to get time off from work and be spending the most part of this week at a retreat. This is my first time back with my Singapore church family for a retreat after being away for five years. Please pray with me that it will be a great time of learning from the LORD and also a good break for my mind from my work. Thanks~

Patience is Key

As Christians, being patient is pretty important because it is all about God’s timing. His timing is always right and He is also testing us as we wait for Him. Therefore, I shall continue to wait for Him to provide a family of my own. I will also continue to wait anxiously for the mercy of our LORD Jesus Christ to eternal life (Jude 1:21).

In the meantime while I am waiting, I need to continue to trust in Him, building myself up in the most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit and keeping the love of God (Jude 1:20-21). May my spiritual journey with Jesus Christ be bearing fruits of the spirit (Gal 5:22-23). I pray that God will continue to strengthen me in obeying His Word fully in my life…

因著信

Reflecting upon Philippians 4:6-7

I labelled this short passage with traffic light colors. Red, Yellow, Green… Stop, Pray, Go…

Red – Stop: Be anxious for nothing… what is the biggest worry of your life? Jesus is telling us not to worry… food, drink, clothing and even death… early in this very book, Philippians, Paul mentioned about Christ being obedient to the point of even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). Even the biggest problem / obstacles of our lives is being solved by Christ, what do we have to worry about? Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” All of us who have accepted Christ as our LORD and Savior have a great future in eternity because we know that He is for us all (Philippians 1:6). We are able to cast all our anxiety upon Him alone because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7) and now He is telling us not to worry… “Who by being worried can add a single hour to his life? (Matt 6:27). “Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matt 6:34). In this physical life, normally we will worry when we are uncertain about the future. However, we absolutely have nothing to worry about because we already know about the future. And it is a bright future as described in Revelation 21 and 22. Our future is secure in Christ when He proclaimed, “It is finished.” (John 19:30). Upon knowing all of these, one reflection question for all of us: What is the biggest worry of your life?

Yellow – Pray: In everything, let’s be praying. We are gathered here tonight primarily to be praying. By praying, we are focusing our attention upon our great God. When we pray, we are exercising our faith in Christ. “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” (Matt 26:41). We are told to be anxious for nothing because God wants us to be praying instead of worrying. We should be praying for God to work and to show us His Will for our lives instead of worrying or thinking we are able to handle life on our own. When we pray, we also acknowledge and thank Him for the way He has watched over us. As we close our eyes, focus upon Christ and begin to pray, the message of His Gospel will being to flow through our minds. Let’s be thanking Jesus for dying on our behalf on the cross. Give thanks with a grateful heart.

“The first ever cordless phone was created by God. He named it “Prayer”… It never loses its signal and you never have to recharge it. Use it anywhere.” 

My 2nd reflection question: How often do you pray to our God?

Green – Go: As we journey with Christ in our spiritual lives, we need His peace to be with us to guard our hearts and minds. The peace of God must be our guardian of our hearts and our minds so that we are placing our confidence in Him alone and we are truly living out this verse “let him who boasts, boast in the LORD.” (1 Cor 1:31). When we place our confidence in Him alone, we are glorifying God for who He really is in our own spiritual lives. In order to be able to experience this peace of God which transcends all comprehension, we need to first stop worrying, be praying and thanking Christ for what He has done for us all. With this peace of God as our personal guard, both of our hearts and our minds will be protected from the world, the devil and the flesh. We need His peace to be our guard so that our hearts (which is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked – Jer 17:9) can constantly be in Christ and be sensitive towards the prompting of the Holy Spirit. At one point in our own lives, our hearts were broken before Christ and when our hearts were truly broken, we truly believe with our hearts and committed our lives to Jesus Christ, resulting in righteousness (Romans 10:10). We have put on Christ in order that we make no provision for our flesh in regard to its lusts (Romans 13:14). Therefore now as believers, we need the peace of God to guard our hearts from returning back to the old path where we were before knowing Christ. The world, the devil and the flesh. We need His peace to be our guard so that our minds can be constantly renewed and we can be transformed more and more towards Christ’s likeness (Romans 12:2). Our minds need to be guarded so that we can destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Cor 10:5). Both our hearts and our minds need to be guarded by the peace of God which transcends all comprehension. Only then, we are able to live out the two greatest commandments – to love our LORD, our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength (Matt 22:37) and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matt 22:39). My final reflection question: Is the peace of God your personal guard?

If any one of us do not really know who Jesus Christ is, this passage Philippians 4:6-7 is speaking to you as well. You are able to be secure in your spiritual future and not to worry. You are able to access the very first cordless phone of prayer – unlimited talk time with God to share what you want to tell Him, but first, you need to first acknowledge Him for who He really is, confess your sins before Him and ask Jesus Christ to be the LORD and Savior of your soul. You are able to have the peace of God which transcends all comprehension to be the guard of your heart and your mind. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life and nobody comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). 

Do you want to know Him?

You can

Or maybe you do know Jesus Christ but you have walked in your own strength for many years. Tonight is the night for you to recommit yourself to Him. Pick up this very first cordless phone of prayer and update Him on where you have gone all these years. Stop worrying and start praying. You will be amazed by His peace which transcends all comprehension. Let your heart be cut off from the world, the devil and the flesh. Let your mind be renewed and may you resume your spiritual journey of loving Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Today is John 3:16 Day!

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
- John 3:16

Being Engaged

This month I have been thinking about my spiritual walk with Jesus. Am I always engaged in my fellowship with him? What does being totally engaged with Him look like? Christ is the vine and I am just a branch which needs to abide in Him while our Father is the vinedresser who will prune me if I am bearing fruit. If not, I will be cut off or taken away (John 15:1-2).

Staying engaged with Christ is important in my spiritual walk. One practical way of stay engaged with Christ is spending time in His Word because He is the Word (John 1:14). Living out my engagement with Christ means that I have to believe and obey His Word. To be engaged with Christ also means that I am fully aware of His Presence with me whenever I am and whatever I am doing.

I pray that I can continually stay engaged with Christ because there are too many times where I fail to stay engaged with Him, resulting in sinning against Him and damaging my fellowship with Him. I have to stay sober and alert (1 Peter 5:8) because Christ’s return can happen at any moment.

The Great Commandment

A lawyer from the Pharisees camp questioned Jesus about which is the great commandment in the Law. Jesus’ answer was, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40)

Love is introduced into our sinful world by Jesus Christ when the word became flesh and dwelled among us (John 1:14). We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). God is love and He is asking us to obey His Greatest Commandment by loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27). By relating to Him in obedience and love, I believe all of us can truly know the joy of loving our neighbors as ourselves.

However, loving our neighbors may not be easy at all. Even if he or she is a Christian, it can be tough because we all have turned our backs against God and strayed (Isaiah 53:6). We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23), but listen to what Jesus is telling us – As Christians, we are to extend this love which we have experienced from Him to all of our neighbors. Everyone around us is a neighbor to us. Loving God and loving our neighbors are the foundations for all the Law and the Prophets.

We as fellow believers in Christ still have a long way to go before we can truly live out these two commandments entirely in our spiritual lives. I look back to what King Solomon had concluded in Ecclesiastes – The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

 

Fear God and keep His commandments…

 

Are we really fearing God and keeping these two great commandments which He has articulated clearly for us which are namely, to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves? Knowing these commandments in our heads but not living them through the application from our very own hearts can only demonstrate that we are actually no different from the Pharisees or the Sadducees, isn’t it?