Be There for One Another

Freed from Slavery

One in Christ Jesus

Live to CHRIST

Closure of 2019 Chapter

As we approach the closure of another year, the last twelve months of my life was spent across my family, my studies and my work. There were challenges along the way but through GOD’s Grace, I managed to overcome them. There were moments of sadness and regrets because one of my pastors passed on suddenly but yet again, these moments highlight the fact that I do not have control over anything and I can only look to GOD. The only true GOD and Jesus Christ Whom He has sent (John 17:3).

My second daughter came in April and I am now a father of two. With prior experience, my wife and I do realize that it was easier on us as we brought her home from the hospital to start caring for her well-being. Personally, parenthood is an advanced moulding and training of my soul compared to marriage which serves as a basic level, now that I looked back on my journey so far. Kids bring joy to the family but they also reveal my own sins greatly. The fathering experience allows me to realize how rebellious I can be spiritually to my Father in heaven. Being a father brings to my mind in practice how it is like for my Father to sacrifice His Only Son. Fathering is not a job for the faint-hearted. I can only learn as I go along, concurring with the fact that I am never perfect and would definitely make grave mistakes but I have to learn from them to improve on my fathering role.

My studies in counselling would come to an end in March, 2020. It had been a challenging journey not because of the course work but the sacrifices which I would have to make in order to attain this degree. At this juncture, I am glad that I am completing my studies soon and made the right choice to upgrade myself. I thank GOD for opening the door for me to become a counsellor and how the counselling journey has been a fruitful one for me. Discovering my own interest in counselling has been a wonderful experience that widens my perspective in how one crafts out a career path. My heart is grateful to GOD who answers my prayers when I pray for a new direction in my career.

With my completion of my studies, I am excited to apply what I have learnt to my work as a counsellor. I hope to improve on my counselling skills continually as I work with more clients. As I dedicate the remaining time of my career journey to counselling, I would like to make impact in people’s lives. Consequently, I hope my children will be inspired as I share my career journey with them in the coming years.

2019 had been a year where I felt split across different roles, as a father, a husband, a student and a counsellor. It was busy for me and I also learnt that in the midst of busyness, I can trust in GOD who has a much clearer direction and plan for me. In this coming New Year, I pray that I can spend time to focus on my church in building up the church body and encouraging fellow brothers in their walk with our LORD. I wish all a Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year ahead.

What is Eternal Life?

Spirit of Truth

Vine and Branches

Love GOD

Love One Another

Abundant Life

The Truth

Living Water

The Harvest

My Food

Born Again

Children of GOD

2018 Recall

Yet another year of 365 days had come to past. I thank GOD for blessing me with a good wife and a cute daughter. We had a blessed year where we are provided for and GOD has granted me a stable job. In addition, my wife and I also thank GOD for giving us another child who will be arriving in Apr / May next year. We look forward to how GOD would see us through the upcoming challenges for us in 2019…

Engage Minds by Reason

but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; 

- 1 Peter 3:15

Give Thanks to the LORD

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

- 2 Corinthians 9:15

Our Awesome GOD

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
    or who has been his counselor?”

“Or who has given a gift to him
    that he might be repaid?”

For from him and through him and to him are all things. 
To him be glory forever. Amen.

- Romans 11:33-36

Cheerful & Joyful Heart

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

- Proverbs 17:22

Hearts are Tested...

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
    but the Lord tests the heart.

- Proverbs 17:3

Seek God Always

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

- Jeremiah 29:13

Drink Fresh Water

Drink water from your own cistern

And fresh water from your own well.

Should your springs be dispersed abroad,

Streams of water in the streets?

Let them be yours alone

And not for strangers with you.

Let your fountain be blessed,

And rejoice in the wife of your youth.

As a loving hind and a graceful doe,

Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;

Be exhilarated always with her love.

For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress

And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?

For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord,

And He watches all his paths.

- Proverbs 5:15-21

Know the Will of GOD

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

- 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8

May 14, 1948

Then it will happen on that day that the Lord

Will again recover the second time with His hand

The remnant of His people, who will remain,

From Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath,

And from the islands of the sea.

And He will lift up a standard for the nations

And assemble the banished ones of Israel,

And will gather the dispersed of Judah

From the four corners of the earth.

- Isaiah 11:11-12

Praise the LORD!

Sing praises to God, sing praises;
Sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with a skillful psalm.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits on His holy throne.

- Psalms 47:6-8

Are you GOD's friend?

"Did you not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?"

- 2 Chronicles 20:7

Looking Ahead to 2018

As 2017 comes to a close, I thought about my life for this past year. It had been a year of learning for me as I took up the new role of a father. My daughter was born earlier this year and a new chapter of my life began. Being a father is indeed a life-changing experience for me. I figured that I have much to learn and also much to give up as I now dedicated much of my time to my family. Looking at my child, I sometimes do not believe that GOD has graciously gave her to my wife and me. The reason is she is so cute. Her laughter and smile just melt our hearts.

Looking back to the years where I lament about being single, I realized how GOD has brought me thus far. There is a purpose in marriage and GOD allowed me to be married because He wants me to learn something through it. Ultimately, it is never about being single or being married but it is about believing in His Son – Jesus Christ Whom He has given His Testimony (1 John 5:10-12). Being single has its purpose while being married taught me about true love which leads me to reflect on GOD loving me as my Heavenly Father, how I can be loving my wife unconditionally as her husband and with our new addition – how to love my daughter as her father. The greatest model of love is displayed at the cross and what I am being trained by GOD in this passing moment of life is merely a glimpse of what Jesus had demonstrated to all of us (Phil 2:5-8).

Life is short and passing away in a blink of an eye. Coming towards the end of the year, I received news that Pastor Harley Johnson (the pastor whom I got to know when I was working in Lehi, Utah) had gone home to our LORD. His dying wish was that he can meet the LORD, finishing well in his life. Every moment that I got to spend with him back in those days have now became precious moments in my mind. I was deeply encouraged by Pastor Harley who always finished his sermon with an invitation for people in the congregation to receive Jesus Christ as their personal LORD & SAVIOUR. In wrapping up the church service, he would always invite all in the congregation to sing this short hymn, Heavenly Sunshine together.

Heavenly sunshine! Heavenly sunshine!

Flooding my soul with glory divine;

Heavenly sunshine! Heavenly sunshine!

Hallelujah! Jesus is mine!

I believe that he is truly walking with our LORD and enjoying the heavenly sunshine now. Once again, I am reminded that I will meet the LORD one day and to give an account of my life (Rom 14:12). Everything that I have gone through in this life is nothing compared to the experience I will have when I am home with the LORD (Phil 3:8, Rom 8:18). Treasure every experience I have now because they are there to teach and prepare me for heaven. Let every living moment become a precious moment and be living for the LORD. Let us spend the time of our lives to know the LORD a little better each day and be thankful for all that we have by counting our blessings (1 Thess 5:18).

Have a blessed year in 2018!

no other besides HIM

To you it was shown that you might know that the Lord, He is God; there is no other besides Him.

- Deuteronomy 4:35

Know GOD, Give Thanks to Him

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.

- Psalm 100:1-5

Sanctified

For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,

“SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME; IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE. “THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.’”

After saying above, “SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, NOR HAVE YOU TAKEN PLEASURE in them” (which are offered according to the Law), then He said, “BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL.”

He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

- Hebrews 10:1-10

Redeemed

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a [a]tree”—in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

- Galatians 3:13-14

GOD, the Author of History

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you;
He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

- Zechariah 9:9

I am the FOOL!

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”

- Psalm 14:1

Sinful Man

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;

Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;

Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes

And clever in their own sight!

- Isaiah 5:20-21

Know GOD

"Be still, and know that I am God..."

- Psalm 46:10

Sometimes We Never Understand

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.

- Deuteronomy 29:29

Welcome a New Family Member!

Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.

How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

- Psalm 127

"Who is Jesus to you?"

A simple question which can be asked of Christians and people of other faith is “Who is Jesus to you?” To be frank, this question can be dug as deep as one will like and answers can be awakening. A thousand of follow-up questions can be asked and after which, different responses can be felt by the questioner.

As I think about my own answers to this simple question, I agree with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that Jesus is my Savior. However, isn’t this just a model answer? Can a person of a different faith answer this question with “Jesus is the Savior of the World.”?

Sure, he can.

The more I think about this, the more I realize that to know Jesus more intimately takes effort. One follow up question can be, “Am I making this effort?”

If yes, how?

If no, what am I going to do about it?

Folks, looks like to live out this verse John 17:3 – to know the Only True GOD and Jesus Christ Whom He has sent is not as simple as praying the Sinner’s Prayer and live as an auto-pilot Christian. Let’s wake up and be alert to the fact that we all need to continue to walk closely with Jesus like what Enoch had modeled for us in Genesis 5:24!

2016 IS going away for good…

Because… 2016 is coming to a close! It is fast but we all know that time waits for no man. 2015 ended with me opening a new chapter of my life as a married man. For 2016, it was a year of living with my soulmate and starting our lives together as a family. We thank our beloved GOD for blessing us with a place of our own and managed to move in smoothly. As we were comfortable with where we are, GOD led us to a new chapter of our lives…

… My wife is pregnant.

This brought us to a mood of excitement, anticipation and a little uncertainty as we are going to be parents to a new soul. Are we ready? We can only pray for GOD to grant us wisdom continually as we welcome a new member to our family. In the journey of pregnancy, we had our fair share of clashes and conflicts as life can be tricky sometimes. Zika virus came along to join us in the party while our baby’s fetal scan was not quite in accordance to the doctor’s expectation. Nevertheless, we learnt a bit more of placing our faith in our awesome GOD (1 Pet 5:6-7). We also learnt that we simply need to channel all our energies in praying to our King, our Priest and our Savior, Jesus Christ (Phil 4:6-7).

Now as the husband of my wife and soon a father, I realized the importance of submitting to Jesus as the Head of my family. My spiritual walk with Christ has taken on a new perspective and it is paramount for me to walk rightly and closely with Him. With that, I have to lead my wife and my soon-to-be born child in growing close to knowing the Only True GOD and Jesus Christ Whom He has sent.

Just before I got married last year, I felt a sense of responsibility as a husband-to-be because I need to stand up to the occasion as a man to take care of my wife and be a pillar of support for her. Approaching the end of this year, my shoulders got loaded with more responsibilities now as a father-to-be. Pray for me to look to our LORD for wisdom and courage to live out His Word in Deuteronomy 32:7:

“Remember the days of old,
Consider the years of all generations.
Ask your father, and he will inform you,
Your elders, and they will tell you.”

As the clock strikes 12 and 2017 rolls in, I hold on to my bible and pray to GOD that may He help me to be a good husband and a good father - A man who is trustworthy (1 Cor 4:2) and faithful to His Word (2 Tim 2:15).

Have a blessed 2017 in our LORD!

Experiencing GOD

It has been a long while since I wrote something on my blog. The primary reason is I have been busy. Busy since I got married. Busy since my wife and I have to move to our own place. Now busy again because we are preparing for a new member who is coming soon to our family. As I looked back to the days which I lamented on being a single man out there, I have never thought that in a short period of 3 years ever coming back home to Singapore from the United States that my life can be changed entirely. All by the grace of God. He Alone provided a life partner for me. He Alone provided a home for us. He Alone now gave us a child.  We so are thankful and also amazed by how our LORD has been with us all along and this is all in accordance to his Timing (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

In the midst of enjoying His abundant Blessings to us, we want to be a blessing to others too. We like to be used by our LORD to be a conduit of His Blessings to others. The purpose is clear for me but on the specifics of how, this awaits much prayers. I continue to pray for God’s direction in living out a purposeful life for Him.

Life goes on. As I journey with my LORD, I realize that one needs to continue to seek Him earnestly. One’s relationship with the LORD can only flourish when one seek Him consistently daily. Therefore, we need to continue to read our Bible and pray to Him without ceasing. 

Number Our Days

"So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to Your heart of wisdom."

- Psalm 90:12

Rely on The Helper

But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

- John 16:7-11

Let Christ Dwell In Our Hearts

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

- Colossians 3:16-17

Are You Lukewarm?

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

- Revelation 3:15-16

Follow Jesus Today!

"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

- John 14:6

The Abundant Life

 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

- Jesus in John 10:10

Meditating on Psalm 71

In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge;

Let me never be ashamed.

In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;

Incline Your ear to me and save me.

Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come;

You have given commandment to save me,

For You are my rock and my fortress.

Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,

Out of the grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man,

For You are my hope;

O Lord God, You are my confidence from my youth.

By You I have been sustained from my birth;

You are He who took me from my mother’s womb;

My praise is continually of You.

I have become a marvel to many,

For You are my strong refuge.

My mouth is filled with Your praise

And with Your glory all day long.

Do not cast me off in the time of old age;

Do not forsake me when my strength fails.

For my enemies have spoken against me;

And those who watch for my life have consulted together,

Saying, “God has forsaken him;

Pursue and seize him, for there is no one to deliver.”

O God, do not be far from me;

O my God, hasten to my help!

Let those who are adversaries of my soul be ashamed and consumed;

Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor, who seek to injure me.

But as for me, I will hope continually,

And will praise You yet more and more.

My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness

And of Your salvation all day long;

For I do not know the sum of them.

I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord God;

I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone.

O God, You have taught me from my youth,

And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.

And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,

Until I declare Your strength to this generation,

Your power to all who are to come.

For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens,

You who have done great things;

O God, who is like You?

You who have shown me many troubles and distresses

Will revive me again,

And will bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

May You increase my greatness

And turn to comfort me.

I will also praise You with a harp,

Even Your truth, O my God;

To You I will sing praises with the lyre,

O Holy One of Israel.

My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You;

And my soul, which You have redeemed.

My tongue also will utter Your righteousness all day long;
For they are ashamed, for they are humiliated who seek my hurt.