twenty-two

I turn 22 today. I'm now a year older.

In the past year, God has been incredibly gracious to me, as He has always been. As one grows older, more is expected of him or her, in terms of maturity in thinking and in actions. Each year, I aim to become more mature spiritually, increase in my knowledge of God and the bible, and to apply what I've learnt in appropriate ways. I have grown, but there's no way to measure by how much I have. It's a continuous process of learning and maturing, there is no end to it, maybe in the day of the new creation. I have fallen short in more ways that I thought I would. I have sinned again and again despite knowing the consequences. I am thankful. God has given forgiveness to us freely through Jesus Christ, despite our sinfulness. I do not deserve it at all. Such a great gift, such a wonderful piece of good news to tell the whole world about.

I have one birthday wish, on top of my desire to know Jesus better, which is for the people who know me to know Jesus as well. So, do you know Jesus?  

Back into First Gear

The slender book shelf gets filled with textbooks and some of the other necessary appliances are back in place. It hasn't been the easiest 3 days in uni, having to commute daily to and from home. The wounds are healing quickly, though some still refuse to stop oozing. 

It's a new semester and there have been plenty of changes to scheduling. But some things never change.   Here's a good reminder from the bible about who Jesus is. 

Colossians 1:15-23

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Extending forgiveness

It has become slightly inconvenient for me to walk around the house due to the injuries. I have become a victim of a road accident involving cyclists. Yes, my life has been affected and things that I have been able to do just require slightly more effort. It's painful. As I reflect on what I have been reading about forgiveness, I have no grounds to not forgive the driver who caused all these wounds and my broken bike. It is hard to forgive looking at the state that I am in, but it is even harder to forgive who I actually am. 

I have received forgiveness through the blood of Jesus despite being a wretched sinner. The man who knocked me down is a sinner too, and I am no better than him. We are both in need of forgiveness of our sins. As God has forgiven me for such a great crime I have committed against Him, forgiving the man now seems trivial. I have forgiven him.

Having learnt to forgive recently, I checked my mental account of the sins that were committed against me for various reasons. There were not many and I actually had some difficulty trying to find them. Thank God for allowing me to understand forgiveness, even though I believe there is more to it than what I already know. 

Forgiveness: A Good Reminder

They are big words heavy on meaning. Forgiveness and mercy are marks of love. Anyone can say 'I forgive you for what you have done wrong against me'. But, what is the basis of that forgiveness and what sets a Christian apart from the non-Christians when it comes to forgiving another person?

I see myself as a person who has spurned God's wrath and fury because of my utter sinfulness. I deserved only death. Yet, God, being full of mercy and overflowing with love, sent His Son Jesus to die for my sins, so I can be reconciled to Him in the coming Kingdom. This is forgiveness at its best. God forgave me of my sins in the death of His own Son. Knowing my status and the immense mercy I have received, there is no reason that I do not forgive another person who has sinned against me. I know that I forgive because I'm forgiven. 

An Issue

Doctors have a huge responsibility. They need to have the courage to tell a patient the diagnosis, no matter how grave an illness it is. Lately, I have been feeling some form of discomfort not known to me before. More than that, it's in the area of the chest where the heart is. I run and cycle frequently, play badminton up to twice a week, eat plenty of greens and drink plenty of water. I would say that I am healthier than most Singaporeans I know.

'This is unusual for your age', the doctor says. 'At worse, IHD. Though chances are very slim given your profile. Let's wait for about a week and come back again. In the meantime, stop all medications and supplements and drink more water'.

Do I fear the possible diagnosis? How could I say no. I know how serious IHD is in terms of causing fatalities. It is going to be a hard week for me and I have to pay extra attention to any tightness in the chest and dizziness. What if things don't turn out well all of a sudden? Or if I can't tell the people I love about who Jesus is in time?

It's incredibly painful. If it is in the big plan of God that I give up my physical body right now, I will gladly and humbly follow.

Glory to God alone.

Worshipping Figurines

Singapore is a place full of diversity. We have 4 major ethnic groups and quite a number of religions, mostly dominated by the 'traditional' beliefs. They would include Taoism, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism. I call them traditional because they usually run in the family are passed down the generations, largely in terms of what is practised. I grow up in a traditional Chinese family, which more often than not, as with other of such families, are confused between Taoism and Buddhism and lines tend to blur between the 2. Most who believe do not even exactly know what they are believing in. But that is not the main point of this entry.

One very significant characteristic of traditional Chinese religions is the worship of figurines. You would be able to fully understand what I mean when you observe the places of worship, namely the various Chinese temples. Stepping inside, one would immediately be drawn to the huge statues that resemble humans, and are often dressed up in gold. Believers offer up food of all kinds, fruits, incense, joss paper, money, you name it. Lots of money is spent in hope to please and appease these gods. Offerings usually follow after asking the gods for certain favours too, with the most common being wealth. There's no end to what believers would do so that they can earn their way to nirvana, as they would call it. In a way, they are working to get right with their gods, who come in the form of figurines they made with their own hands. It is saddening to see how they try in vain, and not understanding that they are actually not getting anywhere. There is no way that we can earn our salvation.

Let us now look at a different belief, one that is not centered on us but on a God who sent His Son to die for all of us. There is a marked difference between the traditional Chinese religions and Christianity in terms of idol worship. In Christianity, salvation is a gift from God through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. He has to die so that we can be made right with God. We are sinful by nature and are in need of a saviour. God, being full of love, pure and holy, wanted to reconcile us defiled sinners to himself. No matter what we do, there is no way that we can erase our sins and work our way to God. That is how wretched and dirty and undesirable we are, so much that we cannot even rid ourselves of sin no matter how much we offer up to God, or how well we keep the festivities and vegetarian diets. No way at all! Despite our utter undeserving status, God sent his very own son to redeem us from the clutches of death and be in his kingdom. All that is required of us is only to believe.

As believers of Jesus Christ, we seek to live out a life worthy of the death of our Saviour. We know that no matter how much we try, there is no way that we can be right with God except through Jesus. We live in response to this gift we have received, knowing clearly that we are promised eternal life in Christ alone.

There is a choice for all of us. You can choose to continue worshipping figurines in vain, in hope that some miracle would happen one day such that you will get very wealthy. You can continue to burn offerings in hope that you will get a place in heaven and get right with your gods. Or, you can choose Jesus, through whom you will receive eternal life. It will be given to you free of charge, you don't have to burn stacks of paper so that you will be accepted into God's perfect promised Kingdom. 2 ways to live, it's up to you.

2013

As people from all over the world usher in the new year, how many actually begin the year with the end in mind? This end that I am speaking of isn't the end of 2013, but the coming of the promised Kingdom of God.

It is crucial to take the Kingdom of God seriously. Let us first look at who is God. In the very first book of the bible, Genesis, this is the God who has created the world.  By saying created the world, I do mean everything that we see around us, including you and me. God has a perfect plan for all of humanity. However, because of the weakness of Man, we fell to sin. Sin is rebellion against God. Adam defied God's orders to him. This sin defiled the human race and we were thrown out of God's perfect kingdom in the Garden of Eden. God is ultimately a God who cares about us. He created us in His image and want to reconcile us back to Him. Because of our utter sinfulness, there was no way that we could be right with God again. The Kingdom of God promised to Abraham seems like too far a dream for the people in the Old Testament of the bible. God did not lose control, He has always been in control. In the New Testament, we read about Jesus, God's son. Jesus Christ, in very nature God, came from heaven to Earth to redeem us from slavery to sin. For the price of sin is death, Jesus, being an obedient Son, went to the cross (a humiliating way to die in ancient Rome) to die, so that we can be reconciled to God again. Sin was defeated at the cross of Christ. Jesus was then resurrected and brought to life again, and ascended to the right hand of God. In the book of Revelation, the last book of the bible, John speaks of the new heaven and the new earth, where God's perfect world would be restored. Christ will be coming again. The Kingdom of God is at hand.

As we begin a new year, take time to stop and consider Christ. It is only through the death of Christ that we can be made right with the God who has created us. This is unconditional love and immense grace, for we are sinful and alienated from this almighty God.

Have a blessed 2013. Remember grace.