Friday's recap (290808)

Last Friday we talked about regrets and joy. I asked the cell what is their greatest regret and greatest joy should they die tonight? Most of them lamented the missed opportunity of evangelizing to their loved ones as their greatest regret. For their greatest joy, they answered that it was their family, especially their children.

This question is meant to be wake-up call to all of us. It is a pleasure to count our blessings. Our joy is worth every second remembering or recounting. They are the things we are proud of. Some may even called it “relishing in their glorious past.” But our regrets are the opposite. They are our un-glorious past. And here is the absolute truth about regrets: People are more likely to regret actions NOT taken than actions taken, regardless of outcome. Please read and digest the last statement.

So, if you are afraid of dying while leaving behind unsaved loved ones, do something about it. Simple things; simple action. Start now; start small. Don’t wait for an international evangelist to come before you spread the good news. Don’t wait for an indoor stadium Praise and Worship concert before you show Christ-likeness to your unsaved loved ones. Don’t wait for Christmas to tell them how much Jesus loves them. Because, for some of our loved ones, Christmas may be a day too late for them. Remember you plant the seeds, God waters it. No regret is as painful as the day we stand before God to account for our works and realize that we are still holding on to seeds that Christ had given us. And these seeds have our parents’, siblings’ and friends’ names on them. Unplanted seeds yield unsaved souls.

On a personal note, if you have always wanted to take up a course, then do it. If you aspire to change your job, take a sabbatical or bring your wife for a second honeymoon, do it. The greatest deception of humanity is to rest on the assumption that we still have time to do all that. Remember, time is only our ally if we use it wisely. If we squander it away, time is irredeemable. One day past is one day lost – lost forever. We can pay back a loan later, make amends of our wrong or change our course midstream, but we cannot re-live yesterday. How we spent yesterday will determine how we live today – with regrets or with joy? Will Rogers once quipped, “Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.”

Our most common sin is empty minutes. How do we spread our time? What do we fill it up with? There is a saying that time is money. But in truth, time is more than money. Time is hope. Time is our greatest resource. Time is life. If we waste time, it is more than money that we are throwing away. To a dying billionaire, time is priceless. To a convicted man, time is redemption. To a Christian, time is opportunity to share the good news.

I realize that there is one thing that does not have an opportunity cost: evangelism. Others may beg to differ. But my reply would be; what’s the point of gaining the whole world, but losing our soul – or the souls of our loved ones.

If I may define opportunity cost, it is the cost of foregoing an activity. For example, if I choose to go work on a public holiday to earn that extra overtime pay instead of spending time with my family, then the opportunity cost would be the lost of value of spending quality time with my family. If I had been spending time with my family often, the opportunity cost would be low and I can, with a peace of mind, choose to go to work to earn that extra overtime pay. If I had been neglecting my family or if I were a workaholic, then the opportunity cost would be high. I have seen many business men working their way to a broken marriage, rebellious children and an empty life. Nothing disappoints more than material success.

So, sharing the gospel is the divine mandate for every Christian. We honor the past, treasure our present and value our future by evangelizing to our loved ones.

Having said this, it is also important for us to enjoy ourselves sometimes. We should give ourselves a break. Life should be made up of frequent Kit-Kat moments. I believe that the most silent and indirect killer of a life is stress. On this, we can learn a lot from zebras. Zebras spent most of their waking moment eating grass. They only get all hyped up or stressed out when their enemy, the lion, chase after them. The chase, if unsuccessful, only takes about 15 to 20 minutes in a day. Thereafter, the lion gives up and retreats. The stressed out zebra then gallops to a safe spot, cools down completely and returns to eating grass. The zebra’s stress level then plummets to normal. It is as if the lion incident never happened.

We humans are different. We are chronic stressed out machines. Unlike zebras, we find it extremely difficult to switch stress off and return it to normal, non-life threatening level. We stress ourselves out by worrying. We live our life as if it was one big lion-and-zebra safari chase. Even in our sleep, some of us wake up in cold sweat. Some of us have our imaginary lion chasing us around in the small confined space of our mind. Stress controls our life and at most times, defines it. And the result of chronic stress is coronary heart and organs failure. It also results in stroke and depression.

Unless we have serious issues to deal with, I think we should give ourselves permission to enjoy life. Be a “deviant” for once. Do something “unproductive” like rewarding yourself with a shopping trip. Go get sand and seawater in between your toes. Go splurge a little. Go on an unplanned vacation. Go on a lark. And most importantly, don’t take your “self” too seriously!
Philosopher Bertrand Russell once said, “The time we enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”

Any view is welcome.

Heaven is a place on Earth

I was amazed with the cell question of ‘What must be present in Heaven for Heaven to be Heaven for you’ because in my mind, heaven is simply, heaven. We trust in God and therefore believe that He knows what is best and what will bring us joy beyond words, and therefore, that will make our future home heaven. In my mind, heaven is where I will finally live in my big mansion, for did not Christ say he will go prepare the place for us? And yes, make it sea-facing, high floor… you get the drill.

What occurs on earth is very much contrary to the bible’s view of what will bring us joy. That is why this is Satan’s world, not God’s. However, Christ came to die for us, not just for our salvation in the future, but also for today, for isn’t today the ‘present’ as in, God’s gift to us, to live life abundantly? And come to think of it, if we go to heaven and the only real, deep relationship is with Christ (we will all be Christ’s bride and there is no marriage ceremony to be held in heaven), then conversely, if we do manage to have real, deep relationship with God right now, here on earth, then does this not mean that we can have a pie of heaven right here on earth?

I remember when I first took the salvation prayer in May 2002. I was so overjoyed that I kept humming ‘heaven is a place on earth’ to myself, which is the title of this subject. I found my new-found freedom in Christ, though in the years to come, find out for myself that it comes with a lot of price, though all worth it. We are now imperfect creatures in an imperfect world, and yet with every hurdle that comes our way, there is only one solution: Faith. Faith is the ‘leaning of your entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom and goodness’. Through life’s storms, there are times that we nonetheless will fall slightly out of the centre and start worrying or feeling faint, but when we reflect and go back to God once again, He is ever faithful and we are back on track again. Therefore, in this imperfect world, we can still have our heavenly moments and be at peace, knowing the outcome is all in God’s hands and He will work everything out for our good.

I look at God’s will for us, to eventually turn us into Christlikeness, as something like the process of making raw diamonds into a treasure. I am a fan of diamonds and it is interesting to note that the best reflected diamonds depend on the colour of the diamond, the type of cut as well as number of cuts. The colour of a diamond is like ourselves and our attitude. The more willing we are to be open to God doing His work in our lives, the whiter and purer grade diamond we are. Then, the cut. Different cuts reflect lights differently. You need to cut at the right place in order for the diamond to reflect light at its best. These days, there are very few companies that hand-cut diamonds, but they are always the best, if put on the hands of the best craftsman. A personal craftsman is like God who has a personalized tuition plan for each one of us and know exactly where to cut (change) us. We must first be willing to go under the knife (trials) and then with each trial we pass, the light through the diamond (us) becomes so much clearer. The more we learn and become better through God’s process, the more facets (character changes) we have made and the better we will be as light of this world.

Life is never easy, but we must learn to enjoy today and embrace tomorrow. First step is to accept the lives we have been given and not compare ourselves to others, and always remember that God’s gifts are not just success and money – there is a lot beyond just material possessions. Set your eyes on God, and even a simple walk with nature will satisfy you beyond words. And when you are spiritually mature, He will bless you abundantly, more than you can imagine. The road ahead may be fearful, but what William Allen White, an American journalist, says are indeed wise- ‘I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today’. God has been so faithful all along, what makes us think He will provide us with anything less? Just like how God fed the Israelites manna only enough for the day, remember to live one day at a time, as if it is your last, and the question of when your life will end on this earth will no longer matter.

Zenn
27th August 2008

Friday's recap (22 Aug 08)

Last Friday, I asked the cell one simple question: What must be present in Heaven for Heaven to be Heaven for you? The answers I got was worth a listen and this sharing. Most of us want our loved ones to be in Heaven with us, especially our children. Heaven will not be Heaven without our loved ones. For me, I hope that there are enough books in Heaven to keep me busy for a whole eternity.

But as the discussion progressed, Nigel, one of the cell members, gave us an insight into Heaven that at first seemed peculiar but later made some sense. He said that there may very well be no earthly relationships in Heaven. All relationships are effectively erased, neutralised or abolished. This means that our wife will no longer be our wife in Heaven. Our children will no longer be our children. Even our friends will not appear in Heaven as our friends. Quite uncanny, though not altogether illogical, we may walk past our wife and children in Heaven and not know that we had once shared an intimate relationship with them as their matrimonial partner and biological parent.


Nigel further remarked that in Heaven, the only relationship that matters is our relationship with God. All other relationships ceased to exist. This will be how we will spent eternity: with our Heavenly Father in a place of eternal bliss. This prospect may not at first sight appear appealing to the inseparable lovers or the close siblings but I am sure an eternal relationship with God would surpass all earthly relationships in width and in depth. I believe this by faith and by faith only.

If Heaven is going to be Heaven, then earthly relationships, with all its emotional baggages, misgivings and spousal conflicts, can only make Heaven less than perfect, peaceful and blissful. To be sure that our relationship is perfect, devoid of envy, disappointments and betrayal, we would be better off keeping one relationship alive and shining, that is, our relationship with the Prince of Peace. King David once wrote, "One thing I ask 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)

When all heavenly souls keep their eyes and minds on God, I believe all else fades into oblivion: all worries, all sorrows, all earthly pain - even all nostalgic longings that are aroused when we think about our earthly relationships. So consumed by God's presence, we become one with God and loose all perspective of self - our carnal cravings. When desires of the world lose its allure, we are then truly transformed to be like Christ, our brother and savior. "The vision of God has a transforming power," writes a 19th century priest, Father J. Boudreau. "Thus the soul, because she only sees God as He is, is filled to overflowing with all knowledge; she becomes beautiful with the beauty of God, rich with His wealth, holy with His Holiness, and happy with His unutterable happiness." We can therefore trust that all our loved ones will be so caught up with God's glory to ever miss us in Heaven!

In the end, Heaven is truly Heaven because God makes it so. His presence makes Heaven special. Without God, Heaven is just another place - an address with a fancy name. But with God, Heaven becomes a purposeful haven, an eternal resting place for the tired soul, a river of living water and a home where the heart will always feel at home.

Let the inspiring words of John Donne lift your spirit, warm your heart and renew your hope in Heaven, "I shall rise from the dead...I shall see the Son of God, the Sun of Glory, and shine myself as that sun shines. I shall be united to the Ancient of Days, to God Himself, who had no morning, never began...No man ever saw God and lived. And yet, I shall not live till I see God; and when I have seen Him, I shall never die."


Any views on Heaven-living?

Go fly kite

Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it - Winston Churchill.

Last week, I saw the dvd "the kite runner." It is a heartwarming show about friendship, betrayal, loyalty, hypocrisy and redemption. Many lessons can be learned from the show.
One of them is that nothing demonstrates more clearly the freedom and power of personal choice than to come face-to-face with adversity.

Between adversity and our response is a small space. This small space is the exercise of our choice. When faced with a crisis, our choice makes the crucial difference. We can choose how we respond to the crisis. Our fate is not determined by the adversity; it is determined by our choice. Ultimately, we are in control, we determine our fate.

What is consistent in this life is adversity. What is not is our response to it. Some choose to overcome adversity. They grow stronger; they become more resilient. Some choose to succumb to it. They remain defeated; they are miserable. As the saying goes, "setbacks are inevitable, but misery is a choice."

Next time you find yourself in the eye of a crisis, pause for a moment and give a thought to that small space in between. The small space is no doubt small but it carries great power. It is the power of personal choice. It determines your response to the crisis; it ultimately determines the direction of your life.

So, if you are a kite, go where the wind is the strongest and wildest. Because if you do so, you will rise the highest!

Recap for Children

Hi parents,

We finished the creation and also the fall of men.

The memory verses were

All wrongdoing is sin 1 John 5:17 (For those below 5 years of age)

For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. Romans 3:23 (For Jared & Jezer)

I have taken to doing differentiated instruction. This means that for the older ones, they will be more challenged. The work will be catered to their ability to handle the concepts. Stories will be the same, but activities will be more challenging for Jezer & Jared as they are older.

Thanks, and see you all on Friday!!

Friday's Recap (150808)

Last Friday, we did two little surveys. We asked the cell members two questions relating to our mortality. Here are the general response to the two questions.

Q1: How would you wish to die?

Despite the question being a little morbid, our cell were rather enthusiastic in their reply. Almost 95% of the cell wish to die in their sleep. This is the best way to go - death by slumber. Only faith, one of our cell members, wishes to be raptured to join with Christ. For me, rapture would be ideal. But death by slumber bodes well for me too.

Nobody, naturally, wants to die a painful death. Cancer, diseases and organ failure are definitely no-go for all living souls. The hope is to die without pain, without debt and without despair. Most importantly, our dying moments should be spent with our loved ones. No cars, money or accolades can provide the comfort of a warm hand to touch, a listening ear to receive our last urgent instructions and an embrace of love and deep affection. Except, of course, if you love mahjong...

One of our cell members, jokingly, said that she doesn't mind dying while playing mahjong or dying while singing karaoke. Well, I guess you can say that there's no better way to die than to die while doing what you love.

Now, for the 2nd question.

Q2: If you can know when and how you are going to die, will you want to know?

Quite surprisingly, only Mark, Jasmine and Evangeline wanted to know. They answered that knowing would give them time to plan. At least, they reasoned, they could set things in order. Make a will. Take a vacation. Leave behind a legacy - in words and action. The knowledge would be empowering for them. It would give them a sense of control and a sense of urgency of purpose.

The rest of us rather not know. Annie even thought that such knowledge was unwholesome and should be rejected wholesale. For me, I am stuck in two minds about it. My first choice is to reject the knowledge. Knowing when I am going to die can be very scary. It is particularly scary when the time we have left in this world is short, very short, say, a few months or even one year. Especially in my current station in life - being a young father of two young children - having one year to live scares me to death!

I told the cell that I wish to live long enough to give my daughter away in marriage, carry my grandchildren in my arms and go for a long vacation with my wife after retirement. All these things cannot be done or experienced until I am about 60 to 70 years old. So, to die before that would be very depressing for me and to know in advance that I am going to die soon is even more depressing. So, for me, I'd rather live with uncertainty - turning my back on death for as long as I can - than to live with certainty and plan for my funeral while I countdown the minutes I have in this world.

However, wouldn't it be wonderful if we were told that we would die at a fruitful age of 80 on our king-size bed surrounded by our spouse, children, grandchildren, family members and close friends? This knowledge would be both a great relieve and empowering for the hearers. But the fear is that knowing this, we might take our avaliable time on earth for granted. Because we don't feel the imminency of death, we live carefreely and carelessly. Compare to someone who has only 1 year to live, a person with 40 years or more to live would tend to take things easy, invest less on things eternal and live aimlessly without focus, discipline and plan.

Well, on this point, Mark begs to differ. He admits to the cell that if he knew he had 40 years to go (and mind you, Mark is not 28 years old...he is much older), he would start to plan. He would leave a legacy for his children. He would build a financial nest for their future. He would do all things necessary for the present world and the world to come as if he had only 1 year to live. For Mark, knowing that you have 1 year or 40 years to live makes no difference in the way he will live his life, that is, he would live purposefully regardless of the length of time he has left. Note the operative word here is "knowing".

But the question I posed thereafter was: if that's the case, should it then make any difference if we know or don't know how long we will live if the answer would be that we will live for another 40 years? On the normal run of things, aren't most of us going to live to 70 or 80 years old regardless of whether we know it now or later. Put it in another way, should knowing that we will die 40 years later and not knowing but assuming we will die 40 years later it make any difference to how we live now?

Well, it shouldn't. We can all safely assume that we will live till 70 or maybe over. So, this assumption should be motivation enough for us to live purposefully now; planning and enjoying life along the journey.

So, in the end, I guess it is the fear of bad news (or for Annie, the suspicion of the source of such knowledge) that cause most of all to avoid knowing. Indeed, ignorance, on some things, is bliss.

But whether we know or don't know our date with destiny in advance, the bible has assured us about life and death. Many of us think that we are in the land of the living going to the land of the dying. In fact, the opposite is truer. We are in the land of the dying and going to the land of the living. We start to die from the first second we were born. In fact, our birth is the beginning of death.

But, as christians, death is only a transit from this world to another, a place of eternal reconciliation. Therefore, the knowledge of the time of death shouldn't scare us to death. If anything, we should embrace John 11:25 and live our life the way Jesus lived it. And the knowledge of the time of our death should not make any difference to how we live now (although Evangeline has a good point saying that it is often easier said than done).

"Jesus said...I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."

Any comments?

Balance Is Crucial (By Zenn Tan, 8th August 2008, 10.10am)

Since the beginning of this year, life has been an upward slope for me. Not in the good sense though. I have been climbing a mountain just to survive. It only struck me last Sunday that I was breaking down. Really breaking down. My husband, seeing that I kept rushing through everything in a very tight schedule, ran even faster, and I ran to keep pace with him. In short, both of us shortchanged ourselves in our race through life and forgot to live our lives. It is indeed a coincidence planned by God to reconfirm this when we both read Michael and Anna’s blog the very next day on their newly-posted article.

Indeed, we must learn to live. For the most part of our lives, we work just to survive. On good times, we have a career and we work as hard as we can to give a good life to those we love. This is totally in line with what the bible teaches as well, but it is more than that. When we do well, we must learn to be generous instead of simply spending lavishly on ourselves and satisfying our pleasures. First of all, we must remember God and show that we truly love him wholeheartedly with our giving of tithes and offerings. Then come providing financially to our immediate family members and their needs. Not to mention, maintaining a house, the car, and what other fixed monthly financial commitments. In addition, as Christians, we are to look beyond that. When we are blessed, we must be a blessing to others as well. We reward our elderly parents too, in addition to a monthly fixed payment, perhaps even some extras so they are happy and share in our joy. In the book of Timothy, we are also to extend our arms to relatives who are in need. And throughout the bible, we are told to always look out and provide for the poor when we encounter one. Our Heavenly Father blesses us to be a blessing to others. We are not the end product – we are to share His love for mankind by extending out to others whatever monetary or time we have. In so doing, we may touch them with the touch from God.

Love for God and our neighbours, the first two commands of the bible, include extending our time to them. Whether it is to reach out to them and preach the gospel to God, or in very practical ways, we are to aim to be like Christ and help those in need. Sometimes, certain small acts may seem irrelevant, but they are not to God. Remember how Christ extended Himself to the children as well when the disciples thought it was a waste of their Master’s time? Therefore, always remember that your smile and your small little concern to even stall owners when you purchase food from them can bring light to this dark world. When we do these, showing our love, we thereby own the first fruit of the Spirit, namely love.

However, life is not easy. It is not a bed of roses. For some, the test comes when they are very blessed and they know they are to share, and be more generous, and they fail. For others, they are even struggling to pay for their monthly bills and keep up with providing for their family members, and perhaps their test is how to manage the little they have and grow on it. For others like myself, our incomes are not fixed and since we like control over life, when times are good we forget to stop and rest. When times are bad, we work even harder to maintain our life of a certain standard we feel we should have.

That is why in the last commandment of the bible, namely covetousness, and the last fruit of the Spirit, self-control, is the part that when put together, prove that all of us fail. Some are very good with work, but fail in the home front (I mean comparatively). Others fail in work and are mediocre workers, but great at home. God bless the ones that are good with none. But what I am trying to point out is that life is a constant struggle to balance out our lives. There are always areas to work on. We are not on a long, straight road. Life is just like driving on the road. You have long roads but they are never straight all the way (life is never smooth sailing), you have short roads with endless traffic lights (problems along the way that prevents or slows us down from fulfilling our dreams) and you encounter all the weird drivers plus your own imperfections on the road that can lead to major or minor accidents (we are not perfect and things will happen). As drivers, and in keeping up with life, at times we must speed a little bit because of deadlines at work and urgent family needs, but we also learn to drive slower in times when we are not in a hurry and enjoy the scenery (eg. Laughter of our loved ones, spending time on a hobby you love but usually do not have the time to spare).

In conclusion, I find one of Michael’s paragraph very thought-provoking and true but extremely hard to apply. Therefore I find it apt to end this letter with it --
“But the beauty of total surrender is not that God requires us to cease all desires for material things and thereby becoming owner of nothing; it merely requires us to stop wanting a stake in the outcome of life’s events. It merely requires us to stop wanting to control how things turn out. It merely requires us to trust and hope that all things, however the outcome, is in good hands and God will one day give an account of them.”

Faith That Endures ...

Dear Cell,Hope Michael is feeling better and that all of you are standing firm in faith.What Michael says is very true. Faith is a very mysterious word, and the more you want to have it, the more you must learn how to obey God. However, the more you learn how to obey, the more you are challenged and therefore may slip or feel that you have failed God. In fact, you may even sin. I always wondered and complained that Christians have the worst character and during these few months, realised that sometimes it can be because we are tried more than non-believers. After all, besides this terrible, imperfect world, we are against the dark spiritual forces, not to add the trials along the way. Therefore, I have determined in my heart to be more forgiving to others now than I have ever before.Faith is obeying both the Word and the Spirit. We cannot walk with only one, neither can it be swayed towards one direction. If we only have the Word (bible) then the worst fear is falling into legalism and self-righteousness. However, if we only obey the Spirit, and do not take into account the Word, goodness, we may stumble and fall out. Therefore, in obedience, balance the two and you get it right. It is like those Engineers who design a building--if they do their calculations wrongly, the building may crack in minor case, or even collapse in major case. Faith is also about standing up once again. While learning obedience, we may err. The Holy Spirit is there to warn us when something is not right, then will comfort us when we fall. Accept His help graciously and move on. Like what Michael says, God is most concerned about our character building. Don't let it cripple you and in doing so, give the devil a foothold to condemn you.In all things, 'trust and obey'. I thought that obedience means that once God asks you to open the door, you will get into the house. But not necessarily so. He may ask you to do something, and you may assume a certain outcome from it, but that is not always so. Remember what happened to Abraham? I never pondered much about his trial, but just this afternoon I was shown a vision of him standing there with Isaac all tied up and ready to kill his only son who is supposed to be his heir. How we must thank God to stop him from doing so! Also, obedience does not mean a straight road and trouble-free life. Michael has already covered that portion.

Stand firm, my brothers and sisters in Christ,
Zenn.

Making Disciples

Dear Cell Members,

These are just some of my after-thoughts from Michael’s article.

Jesus’ command was to ‘go and make disciples of all the nations’. Many Christians today think that this means preaching and preaching, till they are the ones who convert the non-Christians. This is definitely not what Jesus meant. And come to think of it, in my previous religion the ‘truth’ about spirituality was the number of hours you clogged in going door to door preaching. If anyone is scared of preaching, well, I am who was really scarred by it.

We are all told to be the light and salt of the earth. Then again, to be a Christian is to accept Christ as Saviour and Lord. Now we get it. It is not simply to go up the altar call and then get your free passport to heaven, though most were first converted that way. Later on, we slowly learn that to accept Christ as Lord encompasses so much more than worship and attending Sunday services—it is surrendering your whole will to God. When that becomes so, and you truly live your life by His word and spirit, the nudge from the Holy Spirit inside you will keep telling you whom to preach the gospel to anyway. It may not even be the way you think He wants you to do so. It may be through practically helping the person in some aspect first before having the chance to really talk about God. Or, it can also be to preach to someone who has backslided. We must remember always the Parable of the Lost Sheep. Sometimes we are focused on teaching and converting new ones, we forget that still others may need encouragement or to be steered back correctly to the right direction in some of their beliefs about God.

To impact others first, we must be able to be a force of impact. Do we truly ‘shine like the stars’ in this darkened world? Do our conducts in the first place speak for itself? After all, the first witness is the unspoken—our actions. To first witness, do we show others first that we are different and therefore our testimony can shine?

I have found throughout my life that the ones who changed my life most are not the ones who kept on banging and telling me to accept Jesus. In fact, many of those stumbled me in the past through their words and conduct. However, there are those who were really different, upon inspection. I had this Secondary School Physics teacher who was a part time Pastor, teaching me not just Physics but Bible Knowledge class. He knew of my religion then, but not once did he tell me in the face I was in the wrong religion. Instead, he always asked me if I minded him praying with me for Jesus to touch me. When I ended my Secondary school life, and taking from what he wrote in my autograph book,
“Do you know that there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Prov. 18:24) inside your spirit? You can develop an intimate heart to heart relationship with Him. Do not seek outside what you have within, if you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him there. Do remember that if you have a love story with the one that is inside of you, then nothing outside can shake you.”
Such profound words that I could not understand at all until so many years have passed. The first time I think I felt there was a God who performed miracles was in my Physics practical O level exam. He walked past me and then went in front and then I heard a still, small voice saying, ‘He’s praying a prayer for you to get your answer right’. Oh, God really answered his prayer then. I actually made a critical mistake in the lab that I managed to resolve before the end of my exam.

What I am trying to say is that these people who slowly touch our lives, do not proclaim from the rooftop. They show by their actions that God is alive and slowly, not one but several people will touch our lives in different ways before we find God. Sometimes when we are the ones who convert the person finally and witness the person going for the altar call, we may think we are the ones who made it, but we did not. We just play a part in the whole body of Christ to bring that person to God. And again, ‘I planted, Apollos watered, but it is God who made it grow.’

So, let us impact the world, each of us in our small little part, and let God do the rest.

Zenn Tan
5th March 2008

Left hand is better than right

Do you know that God used a left handed man to kill a right handed pagan king!
That pagan king is Eglon of Moab who had tyrannized the people of Israel for 18 years.
So, in came Ehud, the leftist. For some reasons, Ehud had lost the use of his right hand.
So his daily activities depends wholly on his left hand. God seized this opportunity and entrusted Ehud with a sacred job: Become his divine assassin!

And the opportunity arrived on tribute day. As all nations came to pay tribute to the king, Ehud stood in line for his turn. As with all days, the security guards protecting King Eglon was as tight as a corset and most were denied access to the king. This was not so for Ehud.

You see, Ehud was not seen as a threat as he was left handed and viewed by all as a
handicap. So, Ehud had a private one-to-one audience with the king. As Ehud drew closer to the fat pagan king, who was then seated on his royal ornate throne, he revealed his sword and quickly plunged it into the unsuspecting king's belly. The king was so fat that his belly swallowed the sword. The king's death liberated the people of God.

God uses our weakness and turns it into strength. Ehud's left hand, Moses' cowardice, Peter's denial and Saul's hatred were weaknesses in the eyes of Man. But God used them all to accomplish great work and to fulfill specific purposes.

Do you have a handicap? Do you think you are unworthy? Do you feel inferior, unwrought, undeserving? God doesn't care about your weaknesses. You may be left handed, small sized, unruly looking, God doesn't CARE. All He cares is this: your left hand does not work alone...God complements it with His Right Hand! Together, we work in partnership with God and impact lives for His glory!

(Inspired by a book by Pastor David W.F. Wong entitled "The Left Hand of God and other Surprises" - if you want to read it, let me know.)

Tiger Balm for the Soul

“If we live, we live to the Lord: and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” – Romans 14:6.

In the context of our daily lives, this verse puts all things in perspective. Imagine with me, if we have internalized this verse in our spirit, we are actually saying that death has truly lost its sting. And when we fear neither misfortune nor death, we are truly fearless. We stand like an anchor on the promises of God’s love, mercy and grace. We remain unshakeable by the storms of life. As such, we do not shun or cheat death. We do not run from it. On the contrary, we embrace it not as an end to the old Christian life but a start of a new one.

Death is an exit to His eternal rest. Death is a doorway to paradise. And in our life, we become a testimony of faith to both believers and non-believers. Richard Wurmbrand aptly put it, “A flower, if you bruise it under your feet, rewards you by giving you its perfume. Likewise Christians, tortured by Communists, rewarded their torturers by love. We brought many of our jailers to Christ. And we are dominated by one desire: to give Communists who have made us suffer the best we have, the salvation which comes from our Lord Jesus Christ.”

What is bothering you, beloved? What is your present pain? What is the bitterness in your cup? Are you lost in your stride? Beloved, all is not lost. God has made a way for you. The way may not be obvious. The way may be narrow. The way may be hidden for now. But the way will soon reveal itself to you as you take the walk of faith with God. Your hope therefore is not just in overcoming your current trials; your hope is in the one who will carry you through it. For it is written in Isaiah 42:16, “I will lead the blind by the ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”


“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” – Psalms 27:14.

Patience is not my strongest virtue. I dislike standing in queue. I dislike waiting for my wife. I dislike delays, postponements and setbacks. I want it and I want it now. Waiting is a discipline I lack most and want the least. But God has other plans for me. Like a farmer who waits for his harvest, or a patient who waits for his healing, God wants us to wait for his reply to our prayer.

Many times, we don’t experience instant answer to our prayer. We may call upon the Lord but his voice is not immediately forthcoming. God seems to be silent. God seems to be busy. God seems to be far away. In our Christian experiences, God responds to us in three ways when we pray.

The first way is the surest and the fastest. He answers instantly like fresh manna from the sky. Prayers like this never put a dent to our faith. The second response from God is a slow and steady one. To the person praying, it appears that God is taking His time. But despite the delay, God still answers and our faith is seldom rattled by this kind of prayer. Answers to this prayer are always based on divine timing, that is, God’s timing. And when the answer comes, it is always neither too early or too late. In the end, it is always just nice, for the maximum benefit.

The third response is the most trying and frustrating of them all. There is no answer. God seems to have forgotten about your prayer. God seems to be on a holiday – gone for a cosmic vacation. Many people I know have been praying for a miracle, or for a specific healing, or for a way out of their personal crisis, but to no result. In fact, to kick sand into the wound, the outcome was totally different from the prayer requested. Christians who are praying for healing find their loved ones getting worse. Christians praying for a financial breakthrough ends up bankrupt. And Christians praying for a husband ends up with a pet for lifelong companion.

By faith, I know God’s silence is not His withdrawal. If God is God, then He knows what’s best. To those who feel that your prayer is not answered, and the results are totally different from what you’d expected from a God who loves unconditionally and is all-powerful, I want to challenge you to hold on to the faith. Don’t be shaken. God knows best. Like a ripple in stream, God sees the many consequences of an action. A death in the family is not the end of a life. It may be the beginning of many lives. Ask a martyr and you will note that churches are built on martyr’s blood. A financial downfall may result in financial prudence in the future. An unanswered prayer may be God’s way of telling you that it is not the best time or it is not in His will or it may be worse if it is answered. For all you know, God’s answer may very well be his non-answer. His reply may be his silence. His plan may just be the opposite.

As far as we are here on planet earth, we will never completely understand. There are just too many consequential ripples over time to know what’s best and what’s not. Just rest on the assurance that God knows best and His best will suffice for now.

“When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.” – Proverbs 16:7

This is a powerful principle. I call it the mirror principle. We reflect what is inherently inside of us. Others see in us either the glory of God or the gory of sins. When we walk in God’s laws and principles, control our tongue and internalize His love for us, we cannot help but project an image irresistible to the people around us. There is surely something attractive or compellingly curious about a man of God. It is not in his Sunday smile. It is not in the way he preaches. Neither is it in his fine suit and tie. The curiosity goes deeper.

It cuts through mere appearance and superficial showmanship to where the spirit resides. The spirit of God flows out of a man for whom God is well pleased. It is a spirit of genuine love, empowering faith and abundant hope. And this spirit is contagious. Your friends, relatives and loved ones cannot help but get polarized to such people.

I believe that what is wrong with most Christians today is not so much that they are not changing the world for God, but they are not changing themselves for God. We can be the greatest obstacle to our spiritual growth. Beloved, don’t let yourself stand in your way. If you are your own blind spot, then do something about it. Remember, coping with difficult people is always a problem, especially if the difficult person happens to be you. Is there unforgiveness in your heart? Is there a secret sin that you are still keeping in your closet? Is there envy and hatred in your spirit? Sins of this sort give out rancid, pungent smell and people around you can whiff it up.

So, examine yourself. Are there areas to be changed? Remember, change yourself and you will see the change you want to see in others – because, for the simplest reason, everybody is looking for a role model and you can be that role model if your role model is God.


“The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” – Galatians 6:8

This is another powerful verse, and I sincerely believe the forerunner of all self-improvement literatures. I have read my fair share of self improvement books. Mention first names like Covey, Robbins, Ziglar, Peale, Dryer, and Maxwell, they all ring more than a bell to me. But I realize that invariably, all their principles, encapsulated in acronyms, in point forms, in short hand, are but principles that are based on the above verse – that is, the principle of sowing and reaping, action and consequences, or circle of influence.

Let me explain. I am sure you guys are familiar with the principle of sowing and reaping. Most basic of all examples is that you sow an apple seed and you get an apple tree. You sow durian seed you get a durian tree. Putting it metaphorically, you sow love you get respect from others. You sow kindness you receive charity in return. But the reverse is inevitably true. You sow prejudice you “get” hatred. You sow lust you “get” promiscuity. You sow bitterness you may end up having a short life. So, like a boomerang, your thoughts, words and actions will come back to you with full swing and force.

Therefore, applying this principle, I can confidently say that success and failure are determined by what you sow today. If you want to excel spiritually, you have to look at your hands. Are you holding seeds of faith, love and hope? Or, are you holding seeds of unforgiveness, hatred and lust? Remember, a farmer sows diligently, be it rain or sun, and he sees through his effort until the harvest. Beloved, your harvest awaits you; just remember to plant the right seeds.

“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.” – Proverbs 4:18

When I read verses like Matthew 5:48, which says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect,” and 1 Peter 1:16, “Be holy, because I am holy,” I told God that His standard is too high. I mean, how can I, a mere mortal, be like God, a divine being? I mean, I don’t remember looking at a void and say, “Let there be light.” I don’t remember instructing Noah to build an Ark. And I don’t remember flooding the earth. I am a mere mortal and I have many limitations, too many that I may have sadly lost count.

But, the above verse is telling me to stop comparing. It is not about comparisons. I don’t take a spiritual ruler and measure my spiritual level against that of Jehovah God. The attempt fails right from the start. Remember the verse, “…we all fall short of His glory.” The above verse tells me not to compare but to rely. And that is the key word, “rely”. We as Christians are called to rely on God. To drink from his stream of living waters. To trust and obey, for there’s no other way, but to trust and obey.

And we are not without help. Jesus has sent a guide, a spiritual guide, his initial is HS. Holy Spirit in short. Of course, based on our own effort, we can never be perfect. But with HS’s help, we are on the right path. For it is written in Proverbs 15:19, “The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.” I believe that for those who are sincere and consistent, the path of righteousness is indeed a journey with HS and every step takes us closer to our destination. Soon enough, the first gleam of dawn shall shine ever so brightly until the full light of day. Perfection will ultimately come…on a perfect day.


“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” – James 1:2-4

Whenever I read this verse to myself, I am reminded of the last exchange of a communist guard (CG) and a tortured Christian. It goes something like this…

CG: I am almighty as you suppose your God to be. I can kill you!
Christian: The power is all on my side…I can love you while you torture me to death.

I think nothing speaks more about maturity than the last words of the dying Christian, “I can love you while you torture me to death.” Surely, the choice to love when there are all the reasons in this world to hate is infinitely more powerful than a heart that has succumbed to the cold and frigid hands of hatred. I can only imagine the pain, sorrow and agony that the persecuted had to go through in the hands of their enemies. And yet, despite all that they had gone through, they were still able to turn hatred into love, sadness into joy, and pain into hope.

I guess we are never complete in Christ if our faith remains untested. There is something about putting our faith to the test that works “leap and bounds” for our spiritual growth and maturity. In the book, Jesus Freaks Volume Two, Richard Wurmbrand challenged his communist persecutors about the genuineness of his faith by saying, “When an engineer has built a bridge, the fact that a cat can pass over the bridge is no proof that the bridge is good. A train must pass over it to prove its strength.”

Beloved, whether we like it or not, our faith will, in one way or the other, be tested. No Christian is immune to this. We may not face testing of the sort encountered by Christians in China, Middle East or Africa - the sort that is too gruesome and brutal to recount. But our testing, in the comfort of our living room and our air-conditioned workplace, comes in a somewhat subtle, insidious, and equally menacing form. It has a name – it’s called “spiritual complacency.”

Ever felt tired of going to church? Ever felt tempted to go back to that sin you had renounced long time ago? Ever felt God is not real? Ever felt God doesn’t care? Ever felt that you have everything you want and you don’t need God? Sergio Scataglini put it well in his book, The Fire of His Holiness, by cautioning us about the telltale signs of spiritual decadence. Take note of them as listed here:-

1) Lack of spiritual a moral energy;
2) Refusal to change;
3) Lack of joy;
4) Becoming too controlling;
5) Living with anxiety and panic;
6) Accepting sin as normal;
7) Boredom in your prayer life;
8) Having our feet in the church and our eyes in the world;
9) Withholding finances from the Lord;
10) Bothered by the cross;
11) Addictions;
12) Fatalism - lost faith in our future;
13) Hooked on pornography;
14) Unholy entertainment; and
15) Deadly Passivity.

It’s no wonder God had to confuse the people with different tongues to stop them from building and scaling the Tower of Babel - to attain a false sense of godliness.


“Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. Because I have sinned again him, I will bear the Lord’s wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness.” – Micah 7:8-9

This verse is my comfort blanket. I remember how this verse consoled me in my darkest moments. When I sin, this verse gives me hope. It spoke to me the way a father would speak to his son, in that assuring and comforting voice. What is so amazing about this verse is the affectionate mention that God is our advocate, our present day lawyer. He says he will “plead my case” and “establish my right” and he will “bring me out into the light” and “I will see his righteousness.”

In one verse, the whole depth of God’s love and intent are spelt out in full judicial splendor. God has indeed pleaded my case when He let His son go. He has established my right when He allowed His creation to crucify the creator. He has brought me into the light when He gave us the Holy Spirit - the Spirit that will lead us to all truth. And where is all this leading us? Beloved, it leads us to the personal realization of God’s holiness, His righteousness. Our pathway has been set for us. God’s plan has been put in motion. The devil’s fate is sealed.

Why am I so sure? 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 gives us the assurance, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will al be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true – Death has been swallowed up in victory!” So, how can one not be positive, hopeful and joyful about this promise?

Indeed, whether we live or we die, we belong to God. So, beloved, in all life’s challenges, let us deal with them with the unquenchable optimism and hope of Galatians 9:6, which proclaimed, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Bible Quirks

Mike, for you to fill in this space.

Uplifting Thoughts for the Day ...

The hand that supplies our greatest ness, forgiveness of sin, is the same hand that can supply ALL our needs today!

Welcome to Our Cellgroup

Friday's Recap

Last Friday (8 August 08), we shared about the atheist's creed or the creed of a "believer of no-beliefs". We wonder what drives a non-believer in his or her daily grind in this world. We question the values that motivate a non-believer to get up in the morning for work and to get into bed at night for sleep. In short, the atheist's creed can be amusingly put as follows:-

We believe in Marxfreudanddarwin.
We believe everything is OK,
As long as you don't hurt anyone.
To the best of your definition of hurt,
and to the best of your knowledge.

We believe in sex before, during and after marriage.
We believe in the therapy of sin.
We believe that adultery is fun.
We believe that sodomy's OK.
We believe that taboos are taboo.

We believe that everything's getting better
despite evidence to teh contrary.
The evidence must be investigated.
And you can prove anything with evidence.

We believe there's something in horoscopes,
UFOs and spoon bending.
Jesus was a good man just like Buddha,
Mohammed and ourselves.
He was a good moral teacher although we think,
his good morals were bad.

We believe that all religions are basically teh same -
at least the one that we read was.
They all believe in love and goodness.
They only differ on matters of creation, sin,
heaven, hell, God and salvation.

We believe that after death comes the Nothing.
Because when you ask the dead when happens they say nothing.
If death is not the end, if the dead have died, then it is compulsory heaven for all;
except perhaps Hitler, Stalin and Genghis Khan.

...we believe that man is essentially good.
It's only his behavior that lets him down.
This is the fault of the society.
Society is the fault of conditions.
Conditions are the fault of society.

We believe that each man must find the truth that is right for him.
Reality will adapt accordingly.
The universe will readjust.
History will alter.
We believe that there is no absolute truth excepting the truth that there is no absolute truth.

We believe in the rejection of creeds, and the flowering of individual thoughts.

My view:-

The above is riddled with contraditions. I am glad that not all atheists subscribe to it. It appears more like an anarchist's creed than an atheist's. Or a fatalist's creed would be more appropriate. Just to pinpoint some contraditions...anyone who believes that everything is OK is a "promiscuitist". This squares with the belief in the second paragraph that writes, "sex before, during and after marriage," "sodomy's OK," and "adultery is fun." This attitude will surely leave a trail of broken relationships along one's random walk to the grave.

The third paragraph talks about "positivism" - that is, "you can prove anything with evidence." Can you? Till today, no scientist has discovered the unifying force that holds all other subsidiary forces together like forces of gravity and electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces in quantum particles. God cannot be scientifically proven. Quantum particles cannot be directly detected or predicted. The dark matters in the universe are beyond a scientist's grasp. Love and faith are real but they are not made of tangible materials - they can only be demonstrated in conduct. Even the causes of the common cold escape some doctors. In fact, the world and universe as we know it are the creation of superior forces unseen, and sometimes, unfelt. It is only from the snout of arrogance that a man can stand before the world and declare that what is not proven does not exist or should not exist since it is irrelevant.

Paragraphs 4 and 5 are confusing. It accepts all thoughts and religions with one hand and rejects it altogether on the other. It basically trivialises and marginalizes everything until its impact and influences are negligible. The doctrine becomes so diluted that it differs little from homeopathic therapy.

Death, as described in paragraph 6, is a joke. I think Hitler, Stalin and Genghis Khan would agree; and agree most viscerally where they are now.

The rest of the paragraph, for me, conjures up an image of the proverbial bee hitting against the glass window hoping to crack it or an all dressed-up man with a brief case walking on a treadmill and thinking that he is getting closer to his place of work by the minute. Don't even try to comprehend it!

The last sentence says it all - "we believe in the rejection of creeds, and the flowering of individual thought." It is more like "we believe in the acceptance of all creeds and the degeneration of individual minds." One common denominator in this atheist's creed is, "Do as thou pleaseth regardless." This is his defining creed or motto and one he will carry to the tomb and beyond...

Any thoughts...?

My God; My Father

Thank you Jesus!

To my cell group, I love each one of you. (all kisses and hugs arewelcome)

With a thankful heart to God and you gals, I have experienced love. Lovethat is unconditional, love that is unselfish and love that I can feelsurrounding me. I have also learned how to love. How to love unselfishly,how to love others more than myself and how to love from my heart withoutbeen seen.

God has been good to me and He is still good to me now and forever. He seesme through every difficult situation.

I have been praying for Jasmine and my family members salvation. Godanswered my prayer. (I believe that all our family members will be savedone day - according to God's timing )
God sent my dad to the hospital and later to St Andrew nursing home lastyear. It was at the nursing home where the nurses actually shared thegospel with my dad and prayed for him. It was there that my dad told methat he wanted to receive Christ and be baptized. God is good. God iswonderful.I did question God why He made my dad suffer and go through all the pain.But now I understand. In whatever situation that seems doom to us (by ournaked eye), God is always behind the scene doing something good for us.My dad did not receive his physical healing from the doctor but he receiveda brand new life (which is more precious whereby you cannot buy it).Instead of the doctor telling me that my dad is in critical condition andmay go any moment, my dad has gained eternal life.

Without the work of God - sending my dad to hospital, I don't think my dadwill receive his salvation. (going to hospital was good)

Do not be discourage when things don't seem to be going right. God knows itand He knows what is in our heart. He even knows that we are angry with Himbut God is so gracious. Not only He is not angry with us, He even turn thesituation around to our benefit. Sometimes we don't even see it at a muchlater time.

I feel ashamed of myself for been angry with God. Why get angry? God knowseverything. I have Christ in me. I should not be living a defeated life. Iam a conqueror. I have God by my side. In all "difficult" situations,something good is bound to take place. So let's face our "difficult"situation with faith, trust, strength and with the mind set of a conquerorand rejoice.
When my dad was at Econ nursing home (sep-dec last year), he had tomake frequent trips to the hospital for his checkup. The monthly expenses was high. About $3,000 per month. My brother couldn't really help becausehe was facing some financial difficulties. My sister couldn't help becauseshe is not working. So the "burden" falls on me. I became my mum's atmmachine and also her 24 hours call centre helpline.

I was feeling stressful at that time (so blinded, still can't have completefaith in God). In fact very stressful according to Jasmine, She said thatquite a number of nights, I actually woke up and sat by the bedside.

As you know, I am self-employed. I don't have a basic pay, no cpf, nomedical benefits. I pay my housing loan and other expenses all by cash. Inorder to meet the extra $3000 expense on top of my own monthly expenses, Ihave to make $150 more everyday (that is to bring in $70,000 more saleseveryday). Who would have $70,000 to invest everyday? Sounds impossible.To make things worst, during this period, I had to pay $5000 out of my ownpocket money for an error made.

Coming to work wasn't easy. I do not know how much I can make everyday. Iwas stressful when my phones weren't ringing. I was even more stressfulwhen my colleagues phones were ringing all day.

I met up with my cousin. He said that my financial burden was heavy. I was still feeling stressful, but somehow or rather, I do feel that God isseeing me through. I do not see it as a burden but I see it as a blessingfrom God that I can support my dad during these period. Even though it wasonly 4 months, I thank God that my dad had a wonderful time there. Heexercises every morning, plays mahjong (with one hand) in the afternoonand keeps himself busy talking to the guy next bed. My mum had a good restduring these 4 months. My wonderful wife was simply wonderful. She was fullof support for me. Instead of selfishly keeping all the money to ourselves,we used it purposefully. Thank God for all his financial blessings.

The doctor called my family 2 weeks ago. He told us that my dad could be indanger any moment. He wanted us to make a decision of whether to let himgo or to operate on him (to insert a tube into his throat to let himbreathe but it will be very painful and only temporary). It was a easydecision for me to make. To let my dad home with the Lord. What's more canI , a sinful man , ask for?

Mark HL

* Thank God for leading me and Jasmine to you wonderful gals. Thank you forhaving my dad in your prayers.

What we did last night ...

Dear parents,


Just an update :


Yesterday we learnt about creation in chronological order.

Day 1 : God said "Let there be Light" and Day and Night were created.

Day 2 : God made the sky.

Day 3 : a) God seperated water and dry ground.

b) God filled dry land with vegetation

Day 4 : God made the sun, moon and stars.

Day 5 : God made fishes in the sea, and birds in the air.

Day 6 : a) God made animals on dry land.

b) God made man in His image to rule the land.

Day 7 : God rested

At the end of every day, God said that ALL the He had made was good.

Memory verse : Genesis 1:31

God saw all that He had made and it was very good.

Next week, we will be touching on the fall of man...

Coming full circle: an atheist converts

On my way to heaven, I stumbled upon this truth…we will die one day; so don’t forget to live. Last week, I was going to work in the morning on a usual busy weekday and was cruising at a speed of about 70 km in a 90 km highway. I was on the heavy vehicle lane on the extreme left so I was not hogging the road. Neither was I travelling fast in the normal estimation of a Singaporean driver. At this speed of 70 km, I was naturally the slowest of the 1600 cc vehicular traffic. I counted all the cars that sped past me that morning and they numbered an average of 5 to 6 every few seconds. The drivers seemed mindfully preoccupied and awfully busy.

Those cars which started off together with me on the highway were way ahead of me and those cars which started way behind me had already had a comfortable lead ahead of me. That morning, I was indeed the slowest of them all. If this had been the hare and tortoise race, I would have definitely been the proverbial tortoise, taking its own sweet time to get to the finishing line. And on that day, there were a lot of hares on the expressway.

As the cars hurried past me, I started to think about life in general. We are indeed very busy people, whether on the road or in the office. Even at home, we have our nanny duties all stacked up for us. Those parents with children know very well that their little precious tots are, by nature, attention-seeking monsters. They don’t just want attention from you; they suck it dry!

We are born into a busy life. Our agenda is usually packed. Our schedule is all filled up. Even when we are not busy physically; we are kept busy mentally. Our thoughts are like little sport cars in our labyrinth neural highway. Our brain never sleeps. Our conscious or unconscious thoughts, our worries and concerns, our dreams and hopes, our fears and suspicion all clamor for our attention during our waking moments.

Considering that we will die one day, and for some, in the very near future, some of us strangely carry a cavalier attitude towards our impending death and the life thereafter. Somehow, death seems to be an alien concept to the young and the young at heart. Somehow, death scares not the rich since the pleasures of life have effectively insulated them from the sobriety that the thought of one’s imminent death would naturally bring. Somehow, death as a wake-up call is categorized as a social taboo reserved for the superstitious and the religious – not for the young, the well-off and the hot-bloodedly ambitious. An atheist always sees death as the end of all – so they live their life as best as they can before they call it a day…one day.

I believe there are different stages of growth in our life. And the last stage of growth is death. Since the learning never ceased until we die, death can be viewed as the last lesson for the dying. But the lesson for the dying is always more profound and more sobering. They do not fuss with the inconsequential or the petty issues of life. Generally, you can ask a person, who is about to die, about life and he will tell you only two things: get right with yourself and get right with others. Only when these two issues are settled, if they are ever settled, that is, would the dying then deal with their possession, make a will or go for a tour.

Relationships matter - that the last lesson for the dying, the last stage of their growth. On earth, our relationship with our loved ones counts for everything before our mortal shell expires. Then, comes the issue of the afterlife. I believe that what survives our death is us. Yes, us, the one writing and reading these words. We are created in God’s image and that image is our spirit that reflects our creator. Our spirit is imperishable, inextinguishable. It survives death because it is an eternal entity that makes us who we are. We are thus earmarked for eternity whether we believe it or not. In the book of Ecclesiastes 3:10-11, it reads, “I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. He has…set eternity in their hearts.”

In 2004, a renowned atheist philosopher and a mortalist (someone who does not believe in the afterlife) crossed over the existential line. At age 81, Professor Antony Flew made the following declaration to the public, “I now believe there is a God!” A little background about Professor Flew will show that he is the least likely of intellectuals to subscribe to the belief in God. For more than 50 years, Professor Flew denounced religion as irrational and illogical. He wrote books refuting the belief in God and his writings set the agenda for the growth of modern atheism. Many well known atheists like Professor Richard Dawkins and Journalist Christopher Hitchens owed it to Professor Flew for his years of systematic debunking of religion and all its flawed doctrine on the deity of God.

But all this changed in December 2004 when Professor Flew opened his mind and heart to the Creator’s still small voice. What is so amazing about his conversion is that he now finds that the belief in God and the afterlife are logically defensible. God is no longer a myth, a superstition or a fairy tale to him. The universe is too complicated to be left to the intellectual speculation of science alone. Professor Flew admits that science has its limitation. It cannot explain the beginning of the universe and the genesis of the diversity of life as we know it today.

I believe that there comes a point in a person’s life, whether he is a scientist or a layman, when he has to stand back, drop all his tools of skepticism, and acknowledge that the wonders all around him is a result of deliberate and purposeful design and not a lucky throw of the cosmic dice.

At the end of his search for the divine, Professor Flew sums up his conviction by writing, “I am entirely open to learning more about the divine…I am open to omnipotence.”

Imagine an octogenarian, at almost the end of his life, and after spending decades arguing against the existence of God, taking that all important first step to know his creator. How much more then should we, who have decades ahead of us, treasure the time we now have to know God and to know the depth of his love for us. Indeed, in this life, it is never too late to come back full circle to God and to admit that we have lived amiss without Him. Are we fully opened to omnipotence?

Everything we do in this life only makes complete sense when we measure all our thoughts, actions and contributions against the benchmark of eternity. Our hope as Christians should therefore be hinged on this promise, “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me…I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:1-3)

The trouble with some of us is that we suffer from what I call “eternity-myopia”. This condition plagues our spiritual sight and prevents us from looking beyond the empty tomb. This condition also causes us to grieve over material losses more in this world because we are blinded to the life beyond. We therefore need to go for sight correction. God needs to perform a spiritual lasik on us so that we will always keep eternity within our spiritual sight. A chaplain’s witty remarks is in order here, “we think that we are in the land of the living going to the land of the dying when in reality we are in the land of the dying headed for the land of the living.”

What counts for eternity is how we live our lives now. While we are still alive, we can make a difference to our own life and the life of others. The difference need not be large; it can be small but incremental and progressive. I do not want to spend the rest of this short letter telling you how to live a Christian life since what needs to be said has already been said in the Bible. The change I am advocating is not a change of conduct as a start; it is a change of the heart. Don’t rush to become a “good Christian” without giving the matter much thought and prayer. I do not believe in a grand start leading to a miserable end.

What distinguishes a true Christian from a counterfeit one is a convicted heart. And true conviction comes with discipline and ceaseless focus. Sometimes, it takes a lifetime. Sometimes, it takes an encounter. But most surely, true conviction comes with total surrender to God. And this is no easy task since we still want our way as much as we want full control of all things while paying lip service to biblical principles. The phrase “let go and let God be God” is still very hard to do for some of us.

But the beauty of total surrender is not that God requires us to cease all desires for material things and thereby becoming owner of nothing; it merely requires us to stop wanting a stake in the outcome of life’s events. It merely requires us to stop wanting to control how things turn out. It merely requires us to trust and hope that all things, however the outcome, is in good hands and God will one day give an account of them.

We must always bear in our spirit that we are living in three different worlds. The Bible puts it beyond doubt that the world around us is the first world. Then, running concurrently, is the world within us - our spirit being, the temple of God. The last world is the world to come, our heavenly rest. Our hope and focus should always be on the world to come. We do this by cultivating the world within us, feeding our spirit, tending to its needs and allowing it to hold captive our fleshly desires.

When our focus is on the world to come and our world within is at peace, we are then ready to face the world around us. Until then, our heart is far from being convicted by God’s promises.
It is only when our priority is scrambled, when we let the things of this world to harass us, to keep us busy, to shake our faith and focus that we suffer unceasing unrest and remain in a state of rebellion and discontent.

Let the comforting words of the author of the book, Eternity, Joseph M. Stowell take us home, “Life is most disappointing, most despairing, when it is lived as though this world is all we have. Questions have few answers, and cries become all-consuming. Thankfully, this is not the only world. Christ connects us to the eternal world to come and provides for us an eternally redeemed world within. This present world makes sense only when we live here in the light of these other worlds.As Paul said, “if we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are all men most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:19)