Is anything too hard for the Lord? - Genesis 18:14 

As time goes on, one can have the high spirit to do things but have to admit that the flesh can be weak. I am feeling it now after hitting 60. Once a while I need that 10 minutes rest to regain my strength and composure.  I try not to take each task as a job but as my vocation. Everything we do is efforts of our dedication to God's work.  Many have asked me, where I get the energy to do so many things at the same time. The miracle behind this is for us not to consider what we do as 'mere work' alone but as a service to God and mankind. To have the right attitude is to be happy in everything we do. 

In God's service, one does not pray for success but to seek for faithfulness. It is in His power to provide us the strength and wisdom to do His will. He will lift us up spiritually when the chips are down. He will send His Angels and servants to come to our aid.  We are never too old to be in the Lord's army. In the Lord's army, we fear no evil. Everything works well for those who loved Him. 

God can use you at any age - if you are willing.

Let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. - Philippians 2:3-4

A community that has bonding and harmony would survive any outside threats. I remembered how in the 60s my Chinese neighbours would surround a Malay family and even stay in the house to ensure that the occupants were safe during a time of racial discord in Singapore.

Having the interest of others would ensure our own interest to be protected. It is like a train, each carriage is linked and when the locomotive moves forward, the rest would follow. Should any of the coaches decided to pull out of the line, it would cause problem for itself and others.

When we are all in the same boat, no matter who is rich and famous, if the ship sank, all will be affected. Equally important is the Captain of the Ship. We are in the Lord's command and standing united would ensure victories. We can lose a battle but never a war which is lead by our Master and Lord.

In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.

Looking to the needs of others honours Christ.

A product can sell just by having it's famous and well respected company's name or country of origin. Before, any product from China was received with some concerns but not any more. Once I bought a product in France and presumed it to be a French made one. Upon unwrapping when reaching home, low and behold, it was made in China. It was a good product. However with greed and dishonest intentions, some companies have brought shame to their companies and countries.

Reputation goes before us. People could avoid or welcome us. It is important that we need to be consistently reminded that any word or action can be a stumbling block for others. We must be mindful that our desire to have a closer walk with Jesus each day is not practiced only during our quiet time, in church or in the company of fellow Christians. 24 hours, 1,440 minutes, 86,400 seconds in each day is important for our Lord. He wants to be our Lord and Master every second of each day. One second of lapsed concentration can destroy 86,399 seconds of faithfulness.

A Christian reflects Jesus Christ

Love the Lord your God, obey Him and be faithful to Him, and then you and your descendants will live long in the land that He promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. - Deuteronomy 30:20

Hard work with discipline is what most of us have been taught as the ingredients for success. If we add to it, God's love, obedience and faithfulness, we are assured not only success but everlasting peace and joy. 

To reach the destination, we need to take the first step forward. The beginning could be most difficult. Once we are on the way, the journey can be much easier. We need to take one step at a time and in no time we could accomplish half the journey and the end could be soon in sight. Rushing and actions done in haste will eventually go to waste.

The journey with Christ is the same. All we need is to take is one step at a time. Read and memorize one verse a day, seven in a week, thirty in a month and soon we will have 365 verses by the time we celebrate His birthday. Remember; do not let God down with one step forward and two steps back!

One small step of obedience is a giant step to blessing.

Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!" - John 20:28 

I empathized with Thomas. He earned the name of "doubting Thomas". He said that he would not believe that Jesus appeared to the other disciples until he had seen Jesus in person and touched His side. When Jesus appeared before Thomas, He told him to stop doubting and believe. 

Yes, at times we are not prepared to accept unless we see it with our eyes. Yet, we can be fooled and be deceived by magicians and con men. We could have been injured and had been weighed down by the wound in our lives. It is good to take some time in prayers and ask God to reveal the depth and scope of our wound. Revisiting the scene of our injury can be frightening but with Jesus by our side, He will help us to open our hearts to the truth once and for all.  

It is important to know that no matter what we have gone through; our God welcomes us home with opened arms with no questions asked. He will do His part as our Lord and our God. 

A child of God is always welcomed home.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.- Romans 8:26

It is so comforting to know that our Lord's Spirit intercedes for us and helps us in time of weakness. At times, we may not find words to express our inner feelings or the presence of mind to pray. When we do pray to God, it is wonderful to be devoid of all concerns and allow the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with God's grace and mercy. Our thoughts will be diverted into waves of God's refreshing holy words, grace and wisdom.

Like children seeking solace in the arms of their parents, God's arms are not only stronger but able to embrace and heal the wounds spiritually, physically and mentally. Hurt and injury from human conflicts are common. One sure way to recovery is for us to forgive. Ultimately, all healings come from God. Allow Jesus to give to us the healing power we need and deserve.

When praying, it's better to have a heart without words than words without heart.

 Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? - 1 Corinthians 6: 19

Our Lord blesses us and delivers His Holy Spirit to fill our hearts and souls. It is never half full or half empty. It is always overflowing with His love and grace when we are prepared to obey and trust Him.  

When we sin, we are grieving the Holy Spirit. We insert a nail into His side each time we sinned. We may be in control of our bodies and go anywhere we want but any action that does not abide by the standard of our Lord would hurt Him. Remember that it is no longer our old selves that live. Our own interest shall take second place. It is God's interest that we should consider when we invite His Spirit to enter our bodies. By acknowledging that He abides in us through His Holy Spirit would automatically give us the courage and strength to rise up to any occasion. We shall bring praise and glory to His Name. We can do this only if we do not harbour hate, jealousy, unforgiving, evil and ungodliness in our hearts. 

We can hide and fool people. However, we cannot hide or fool God. He is the Creator of all new lives when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Master. Release the hurt, hate and harbour no ills in our hearts. There is no room for the Evil one. Our heart belongs to our Lord and in it He shall reside. 

Don't let the Spirit reside in a cluttered heart. Take some time to clean it up today! 

For it is our desire that you may not be without knowledge of our trouble which came on us in Asia, that the weight of it was very great, more than our power, so that it seemed that we had no hope even of life: - 2 Corinthians 1:8 

In this financial tsunami, institution which is thought to be a sure bet and steady turned out to be false and rotten. The truth is that everything under the sun is temporal. Nothing is permanent and we are not to put too much hope into anything that belongs to this world. God calls us to heap our treasure in heaven where neither crooks nor creatures of any sort would be able to destroy. 

Yes, at times financial trouble can be devastating. We can lose our power. We can even have no hope of life. It is sad that two of our foreign students in NTU took their lives recently. Their actions may not be related to the financial tsunami. Sadder still to know that a 65 years old Japanese man believed to have killed himself in Ritz Carlton this week. Then there was a young army medical officer found dead in Australia. They must all have common  thoughts of hopelessness and the weight of it must be very great to allow them to lose power and control. 

On the other hand, those of us who knows our Lord Jesus have this comfort that He cares and loves us. In Him there is no emptiness and our hearts would always have His warmth and support. 

Trials make us think; thinking makes us wise; wisdom makes life profitable

He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. - Philippians 1:6 

We came into the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ not just by chance or by choice but He chose to allow us to be so. Jesus consistently stands at our door and knocks. Whosoever opens the door to Him; He will enter and lives within his heart. The beginning is an invite and the rest would be a partnership on the life and spiritual journey of truth and light.  

In truth, we are no longer the same old us. We are reborn into the family of Holiness. Our God, the Father, Jesus our Lord, the Holy Spirit our guide. The journey is long and at times difficult. With God nothing is impossible. There is no stopping as the race has just begun. Like a good farmer, when his hands are on the plough, he has to look straight ahead and no turning back. Even after a harvest, replanting the seedlings would guarantee continuous blessings for generations after generations. 

In Light, there is no darkness. With Christ in the vessel we can smile at the storm. Be transparent. With good governance in everything we do, we would reap not only heavenly approval but peace of mind, contentment and joy. 

Please be patient. God isn't finished with us yet!

I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. - Psalm 6:6

When in time of trouble, we may have to find moments to be alone and have a good cry. Yes, crying release the tension and frustration within. It would be better if someone can be by our side to hear and hold us up. Sometimes to find this someone can be trying and could add to our woes. However we are glad that we have our Lord's shoulder to cry on. He said, "'Come unto me, all ye labouring and burdened ones, and I will give you rest" - Matthew 11:28 

Praise God! Yes, when we are heavy burdened, Jesus will not only lift us up but will instill in us the calmness and wisdom we need to allow the facts and matters to sink deeper  for better appreciation in our hearts and souls. Any action taken in haste would backfire. We must consider various options before we take the next step or say something that we may regret. Always be safe and err on the caution side than to be bold and quick but not effective and correct.

God's whisper of comfort quiets the noise of our trials.