AbeLog

Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.­” (John 8:12)

I had really a good time at the 50^th Anniversary dinner of the School of Theology English (SOTE) of Singapore Bible College (SBC) last evening. It was good because I had a chance to meet up with many good friends. It was good because I heard many testimonies of faithful servants of Jesus Christ, how they had served the Lord and His people for the past fifty years. It was good because I was able to face my giants when I met them at the dinner, and I knew that the Lord has led me out of the darkness into the light of life.

Jesus is the light of the world. He is not the light bulb of the world, but the light of the world. He does not need external source of energy to be lighted up, He is the light. In Him, there is no darkness. But we will not be fully in Him until we see Him face to face in the days of glory, that is when we go home to the Lord. While we are still in the world where there is still darkness. I must carefully qualify myself here: darkness is still in control over those who have yet to received Jesus, the light, into their lives, but for those who are already in Christ, they have the light of the world, Jesus, in them; though we may not be able to shine as brightly as Jesus, the light is there, in the heart of each and every one of us.

While we are obedience to Christ and faithfully following Him, people can see the light of Christ in us. The testimony of Rev Henry Khoo, one of the first few graduates from SOTE of SBC, clearly testifies this point. He was only a school teacher, because of his faithfulness of the call of God; he stepped into full-time ministry and went through the heavy wooden doors of prison and ministered there until he retired 2 years ago. His life and his ministry has been the light of the prison world. He walked with many convicts through their death sentence by implanting the light of the world in them, so that they can face their death with the assurance of Christ’s forgiveness. This man, Rev Henry Khoo, is a carrier of the light of the world, because he follows Jesus to the prison and visited those who are in prison, for he sees Jesus is working there too. I am surely touched and impressed by such a man of faithfulness in following Christ.

But there are times in our lives whereby we are being challenged by many trials and difficulties and God seems to be so far away and even absent; these are the darkness of life. This is even true to a Christian. I do not want to give Satan any credit of such situation in our lives, but to realize that God is always there even when we are going through the dark season of lives. Some call such season as winter, and some call it the night; to me they are the same, no matter what you call them. I believe you have such experience before: When you are struggling with some very important decisions to make, God does not seem to have given you any guidance; there are times when you family members and love ones around you fall sick or go through difficulties in their lives, one after another or altogether at once, and God does not seem acting fast enough to answer your prayers for them and has not given you enough comfort; and when yourself are suffering some incurable illnesses or some minor sicknesses, God’s healing doesn’t seem to work on you. You ask: God! Where are You? These moments and seasons seem so dim and dark to you.

I have gone through my dark season not too long ago, and God didn’t seem to be there when I need Him, but He was there. God did not answer my prayers, but He actually did, just that I was not listening and not willing to accept His answer as the answer. God seemed to have lost His power when I needed Him to heal and to work miracles, but God still heals. When there seems to be darkness in my world, Jesus is still there in a small corner room in my heart, lighting up that small little corner which I have allocated to Him; but the light of the world is still in me. The light never goes off, the light is waiting for a moment to light me up again, and He is not in hurry.

Jesus waited for me to be ready and rekindle me to be the light for Him once again. Today, I am glad that I am shining for Jesus again, not very bright, but shining. If there is once lesson I learn from my dark season of life, it is to be patience with God’s timing as He has been patience to my disobedience.

Are you going though some dark seasons in life too, now? Just remember that the light of the world is still in us for those who have already received Christ as Lord and Savior. If you have not, you can invite this light into your life and have confidence and assurance that the light of the world will be able to see you through your dark seasons.

Jesus is the light of the world, let us follow Him and live our life even we have to walk through darkness, as we are no longer in complete darkness within.

HHS…

Abel…

And looking up to heaven, with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” (Mark 7:34)

I am going back to Singapore Bible College today for its Homecoming. I have been going back for past few weeks to attend chapels, and use the library resources. It is nothing new. But today, I will meet up with many of my classmates whom I have intentionally trying to avoid ever since graduation. It is not because I don’t like them or have anything against them, it is because I am going through a recovery process and need some space for myself. I sort of tired being asked about my being as I am not in the condition to share.

Today, I will meet many of them again, and I know that they will ask how I am doing, what I am doing and so on. But at least I am ready to face them and most importantly, I can face myself. Jesus looked up to the heaven and with a deep sigh, spoke healing to a man who was deaf and had speech difficulty. I am trying to imagine what Jesus was doing. He lifted up His head, looking toward heaven. He probably saw His Heavenly Father sitting at His throne, looking down at Him. With a deep sigh, or a deep breath, or some form of long and intimate conversation with His Father; Jesus commanded the ear to be opened and tongue to be loosen so that the man can hear and speak.

I had a long and intimate time with God during my journey through the dark season of my soul. I have nothing to cling on to, but Jesus. I have no courage to speak to anyone, but to Jesus. I have no ear to hear from anyone, but from Jesus. As I walked through this season of darkness, I know that I have come out stronger and closer to God. I am able to open my ears to hear His voice clearer and loosen my tongues to speak words of blessing to others.

As you read this, you may accuse me for interpreting this verse out of context, but before you judge me, read your heart. When was the last time you really look up to heaven and have a long deep sigh? Commentators have agreed that the “deep sigh” here refers to a form of prayer whereby Jesus was breathing out to His Heaven Father out of His soul emotionally.

I desire to have long and deep sigh as I look to heaven. Do you? I long to just spend time to wait upon the Lord to speak a word, so that my ears can hear, my mouth can speak and my heart can feel the heartbeat of God in my day to day events.

I have been trying to wait up at 5am to spend this sacred moment with Jesus. This is my sacred moment, not yours. This is my sacred moment whereby I can sigh deeply as long as I want and write my devotion. This is my sacred moment whereby I can simply enjoy God’s presence. This is my sacred moment I can hear and write the heartbeat of God. This is the moment I am healed and ready to step out of my boat to walk on water. This is my sacred moment, not yours. You are merely reading my sacred moment. Do you have a sacred moment whereby you can sigh deeply too?

When was the last time you express your deepest emotion to God? May it be joy or sadness, may it be trials or victories, and may it be challenges or blessings? We need to get beneath our shallowness of our expression of our emotion with God, anyway, He sees through us. Be opened. Have a deep sigh.

May God grant me great time today to reconnect with my classmates and others, as I connect with God with a deep sigh.

HHS…
Abel…

And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” (Mark 5:34)
It takes me quite awhile to ponder and meditate on this verse. It is a very powerful verse. It speaks of the faith healing. It is about Jesus willingness to heal a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage problem for twelve years (v25) and had spent all she had for a cure but with no avail (v26). She was sick, poor, an outcast as woman with hemorrhage was considered ceremonially unclean, and surely she would be depressed and feeling as sense of hopelessness. She was suffering physically, socially, spiritually and emotionally. She was totally a hopeless person in the eyes of others, maybe even herself. She had probably lost her faith.

When she gathered all the courage which still remained in her to move into the crowd and touch the cloak of Jesus, she was committing suicide. She was not supposed to be in the crowd, she was an unclean woman! She was not supposed to touch a Rabbi, simply because she was a woman. She could have been stoned to death if the people found her doing so, but no one noticed her. No one would notice such a social outcast, no one would bother about the presence of an unclean woman in their midst when they were so overwhelmed with joy of following their new superstar: Jesus – the miracle man.

I think sometime when we are so hyped up with our own spiritual journey, we neglected the down and out of our soul, and sometimes, the down and out in our church and community. When we are thinking that we have sort of made it in our spiritual life, there is a hemorrhage somewhere bleeding slowly, and we just ignore it and chuck it aside in the dark corner of our soul. Yes, we are attending church, we are tithing, we are attending a small group, we are even serving and maybe even preaching like me; we have done all that our ‘religion’ requires us to do. But we close one eye, and perhaps close both eyes to the lust we have when we see a good-figured lady in extremely short skirt, or to the anger breeding in us when someone takes our parking lot and cause you to be late for work or church.

Jesus was not bothered by the religiosity of those days; He did not ignore the woman. When no one noticed the woman, Jesus called her out when He noticed her touching His cloak. He knew the desire of this woman, He knew her deepest struggle. Her struggle was not so much the physical healing, since she had endured it for twelve years, she could live with it. She was not so much concerned about her ‘cleanliness’ religiously or socially, she was probably sick of the people around her. But I am sure that she desired to be called: Daughter. She simply wanted to be recognized as a human being, a beloved creation of our Mighty Creator. And Jesus said to her: Daughter, your faith has made you well. Jesus went beyond recognizing her as a human, but a beloved daughter.

I have no doubt that Jesus had healed her with the power. I am sure that the faith of this woman had begun the healing process and brought to completion when Jesus spoke the word. But it was the recognition of her as a daughter by an important Rabbi of the day, Jesus, brought comfort and faith and light back into the darkness of her life. Jesus called her: Daughter. That woman was more than a human being; she was a ‘daughter’ to Jesus.

Daughter is an intimate term used when a father addresses his daughter. Jesus being God the Father, recognized that woman as His daughter whom He loved and came for. Jesus declared His intimate relationship with that woman, He declared His affection for her, and He announced to the crowd her new identity: She was a child of God. Jesus is also declaring His intimate relationship with us, His affection for us and our new identity in Him. He also calls you: Son or Daughter.

Behold, for those who are sick and suffering from some form illness or diseases; you may have been praying and asking God to heal you or remove the affliction you are having, and it does not seem to be happening. You may doubt if it is because you have not enough faith; your healing does not depend on the amount of faith you have, it depends on God’s faithfulness. You may think that you still have issues in life and God is not willing to heal you yet; your healing does not depend on the things you do and have in life, it depends on God’s grace.

I do not know why you have not experienced the healing you want, but I am sure that God has began His healing process one the very moment you believe that He will heal you. God’s way is higher than ours, we just have to look to Him and clinch on the His declaration to us: we are His children, dearly loved.

 HHS…
Abel…

And they became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” (Mark 4:41)

There are many things I am afraid of. I am afraid of losing my family. I am afraid that one day all my past, present and even future sinful and shameful acts and thoughts will be made known to all. I am afraid of what I cannot control. I am afraid of many things.

I am afraid because I am not God, and do not have control over life. But I know that in my fears, I can trust God, because I have seen and experienced how God has worked in and through my life with His power which is beyond my imagination.

When the Lord leads me to the point of conviction that Christian Education will be my new assignment from God, I confess that I am afraid, very much afraid. But as I look back, I know that I am not a reading and research person. Yes, I might know how to teach as a former teacher, but I am not one who will read extensively to research and develop materials for others to learn through me. I don’t really like to read. I don’t like to write. But when you are reading this, you know, and I also know that God has done a deep and powerful work in and through me.

I know that Christian Education is a very broad scope and requires a great deal of hard work, and I am sure that I do not have the personality to sit and read and think and write and develop and deliver to all levels of people who need to be taught and equipped with the Word of God. I prefer playing games, having lunch, drinking coffee, chit-chatting and counseling. It’s more relational. I know that I am wired up to be with people, not with books. I am afraid that I will develop personality disorder. I am afraid that I will be suppressing my inner passion. But God is really marvelous. He does an overhaul transformation within me. I don’t know how He does that, and when He does that. But I began to enjoy reading, thinking and writing; and the beauty of it all, I have not lost my original personality as a people-person. God has expanded my personality scope as He expands my scope of ministry.

I have never imagined that I will be preaching in Mandarin. I have never imagined that I will be invited to preach in camps. But these are becoming reality. I am afraid of all these challenges ahead. But I know that I can trust God, because of what He has done for me in the past and even the wind and the sea obey Him.

There are surely situation in our life that we are afraid of to make our next step, but we have a God whom even the wind and the sea obey Him. He is almighty and all-loving. He knows your fears, He knows your struggles He knows you; and He loves you so much, surely more than I love you, that He will be there for you even thought when you are afraid.

I don’t think the disciples here were afraid of Jesus. They were afraid because of the storm which they had just experienced and of course amazed by Jesus’ power and authority over the wind and the sea. They were recovering from shock, and became very much afraid. But I am sure that they knew that Jesus could surely do something about the situation they were in, and that’s why they woke Him up.

Do you have some situation which you are going through or currently facing some difficult decisions to be made? And perhaps you are afraid that you will handle the situation wrongly or make the wrong decision. Have faith in Jesus and trust in Him, for even the wind and the sea obey Him. Have faith in Jesus and trust in Him; remember how He had guide you through the last time, remember the power that He had work through you before, remember that He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Maybe you are sick or someone you love dearly is sick. I have family members who are sick too. I can identify with you, though may not be able to fully understand you. I am afraid of losing my family members, because they are so dear to me. I think you are also afraid of that too. But since Jesus has even overcome death and was raised from the death, death has no power over Him and those who put their trust in Him. Not only the wind and the sea obey Him, even death is powerless and has to obey Him. Even the sickness and diseases and death obey Jesus, therefore, have faith in Him.

Live in faith, not in fear. For the wind and the sea obey Him.

HHS…
Abel…

And the men marveled, saying, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” (Matthew 8:27)

Jesus did miracles. He healed the sick, raised the dead, and commanded the storm to calm down. What kind of a man Jesus is? Miracles performer? The disciples were marveled by Jesus, for He did not only can heal and revive, but had control over the nature! This was marvelous! What kind of a man Jesus is? Superman from far away Krypton or one of the DNA-mutated X-Men? Someone with supernatural power to control weather, like Storm in X-Men?

I am not very much into these superheroes stuffs, and I definitely do not believe that any of these is true. These are merely made real by Hollywood and other media producers. But I do marvel at the creativity of the creators of these super-powered human beings. And I am even more marveled by the fact that people are so attracted to these made-believed characters. This is desire of humanity; we need a savior with supernatural power to deliver us from wherever we are.

When the disciples saw what Jesus had done and did right before their eyes just before verse 27, they were marveled. They were marveled because Jesus had authority even over the winds and the sea; the natures had to obey Him. What kind of a man is Jesus? They had got the question both right and wrong.

Jesus is fully man, a perfect man, an imprint of the image of God which is marred within the hearts of all humanity. I believe that if Adam and Eve had not sinned against God, they too, including me, would also enjoy such authority over the winds and the sea and all of the creations which God had put under the charged of man. But we had lost it all. We can now only marvel at Jesus who can do it.

Jesus is also fully God. The disciples should say: What kind of God is Jesus? Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is over and above all things. He is for sure to have authority over all things, include the winds and the sea.

As the disciples asked: What kind of a man is Jesus? Jesus also wants to ask: What kind of disciples they are? What kind of disciples we are? What kind of disciple you are? In the context of the passage right before this verse, it was about Jesus dishing out some discipleship testing and faith testing. If we have such a all-powerful God who has promised us that the same authority and power are given to us together with the Holy Spirit indwelling within us, what kind of disciple should we be?

What will be the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning knowing that you have to drag yourself to work as there are thousand-and-one things for you complete? Worried? Anxious? Or angry with your boss, so curse him first? How about thanking Jesus for the brand new day to face your challenges together with Him, and have the opportunity to marvel at the miracles He is about to do today?

What will be the first thing you do when you are sick? Consult a doctor? Why not ask Jesus to heal, since you have read that He heals and believe that Jesus is God who heals? Sometime we simply do not act in consistent with our beliefs. We have intellectualized Jesus with our theology and leave Him inside our head, but never willing to believe that Jesus is still the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. I think Jesus is also marveled at our unbelief (remember that I wrote something on “No wonder Jesus also wondered…”).

There are many people who have been sick around me lately. I love these people dearly, they are my family members and some are from my small group. But I believe that God loves them more than I do. Besides giving some practical advice and showing care to them, I can only fast and pray for them. I am waiting for God to heal them. He could use the hands of doctors, but He also can do it just by Himself.

What kind of God is Jesus? He is a loving God. But what kind of disciple you are? Believers only or followers of Jesus in faith? I want to follow Jesus in faith, not only believing that He will heal, but I want to be marveled at His healing, because Jesus is my only, and the only, superhero.

HHS…

Abel…

Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame and withered, [waiting for the moving of the waters;] (John 5:2-3)

I used to go to Pulau Ubin for personal retreat. I would simply set out in the late morning, and by the time I reached Changi Village it would be already lunch time. I would take my lunch there and then do some last minute shopping for the things I would need for my retreat, as I would be staying over there for a night. A short bumboat ride brought me to the island and I would quickly rent a bicycle. I would tour around Pulau Ubin on bike and exploring the beauty of God’s creation. I would end up at a beach where I set up my hammock and little shelter with the ground sheets I brought along. Then I spend some time praying and reading the Bible, inviting Him to join me at where I was. After an hour or two of immensely soaking in God’s presence, I would start to prepare my dinner. And after my dinner, I would sit by the sea and watch the sunset. It was so romantic, but I was always alone.

I was alone with God by the water; I was quiet, God was quiet too. I was waiting, God was also waiting. God was waiting for my heart to be fully in tune with Him, God was waiting for me to yearning and hungering for Him. He leads me beside quiet waters (Ps 23:2b). I was just simply enjoying the sense of peace in the presence of God. I could feel that all my stress and worries and anxieties and troubles and all that I had carried with me were taken off. Jesus was there with me, He was among the whistling of the wind, among the chirping of the birds as they were on their way home to their nests, among the waters rushing in and hitting the shore, and also among the hopelessness of those who were sick, blind, lame and withered.

There was once I was practicing Ignatius Contemplation with this passage, stretching from verse 1 to 9. I was led to be that pallet (in some other translation, it’s the mat). I (the pallet) had been there lying with my master for thirty-eight years (v5), I didn’t even know my master name, he was just a nobody. I had heard the whining of others who were also there, some were so sick; they literally died or withered there. Some were blind and some were lame; they couldn’t see and could walk well, and they kept stumbling over me. But had only one hope: for the waters to move. I had long given up that hope, but my master seemed to be still hanging on. Perhaps that was his only hope; there was nothing much he could do, anyway. I had not shifted a single inch for the past thirty-eight years, the chances for my master would step into the pool first when the ‘angel’ stirred up the water was almost closed to zero. I was just trying to be nice here. Anyway, I would rather him to stay where he was; at least I would have a companion until he passed on, maybe a few more years. By the way, I was not at all confident that he would remember me if he ever get well. I thought that he would simply leave me behind and walk off.

Then one day, this man called Jesus came by. He asked a strange question to my master. He asked if my master wished to get well; what a stupid question! Would anyone like to remain in their state of sickness? I was sneering at Jesus’ question in my heart, and then I was struck. I didn’t want my master to get well, I did not think that I would ever get out of this place; I had lost all my hopes. I was hopeless. Then the next thing I heard Jesus saying to my master, “Arise, take up your pallet, and walk.”(v8) Jesus did not only speak hope to my master, He speaks miracle. My master immediate became well and took me and began to walk (v9). I was amazed, not because Jesus healed my master, I knew that He can heal and had healed many others, I was quite sure that He could heal my master if He wanted to. But I was also being lifted up, I was not being forgotten. Jesus did not leave me there, even I was hopeless. Jesus gave me hope.

Jesus was there when I was waiting at the waters; He was there to give me hope. It was at waters, I could wait for hope, even though I was in a hopeless situation. Jesus is among the hopeless. As I reflect upon the experience of being that pallet in this episode of miracle in the Gospel of John, I am delighted to have time to wait by the waters.

Recently, I went with my pastoral team to a retreat at Telunas Beach. It was again by waiting by the waters, I was refreshed and recharged to ministry. It was waiting by the waters that brought me to realize that I got to step out of my boat in order for me to walk on water.

There will be time we will have to wait by the water, as Jesus will come by in the most unexpected manner and ask the most thought provoking question. Jesus will come by to plant the seed of transformation. He will eradicate our hopelessness and turn it into a life of water-walker.

Maybe you are feeling hard-pressed because of your overwhelming amount of work being thrown to you; you need to wait by the water so that you may be refreshed and strengthened by Jesus to face the giants. Maybe you are stressed up by the coming big event in your life which you have no idea what is going on within you; you need to wait by the water for Jesus to sort out your mixed emotions. Maybe you are simply tired of all the religiosity and your spiritual-dryness which you won’t even dare to admit; you need to simply wait by the water to allow yourself to soak deeply in the presence of God with no agenda, just let Jesus’ love and grace embrace you and to know that you are dearly loved by Him regardless of your spiritual condition.

Let’s take time, to wait by the water. It will be stirred… one day…

HHS…

Abel…

But go and learn what this means, “I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. (Matthew 9:13)

Sometime it is difficult to discern the will of God, what does God really want from me? How can I please Him? Can we ever do anything to please Him? I doubt so. I know my heart’s condition. I know how sinful I am, maybe you are better than me, but nonetheless, we are sinners. You may sin less than me, but you are not sinless. How can a sinful person please a sinless God? What is the desire of God?

I wonder if you have such mentality: You are a Christian, you pay tithe, you serve in Church worship team or as an usher or as Sunday School teacher or as a Bible Study group leader; you have made some sacrifices in term of your money, your time and your family time. God should be pleased with you. You deserve to get a pat on your shoulder from God. And as I am a full-time pastor, I give the church all my time, I have definitely made a great financial lost, and I have made great adjustment in term of time spend with my family. Then God should be more pleased with me than you. May it never be.

If God is pleased with me just because of what I have done, then He will also be displeased with what I have not done, or what the ‘other’ things I have done. Jesus said that He desired compassion, and not sacrifice. This was in the context that He was trying to make a point that His ministry was for those who were sinners and knew that they needed forgiveness and salvation. Jesus’ point was that He was not looking for our sacrifices, but rather our compassion for the lost.

It is easy for us to sing or to play some instruments in church, anyway the members will be appreciative of your talent and skill, unless we sing or play the wrong tune at the wrong timing. It is also rather easy for me to preach a sermon in church, they will understand all my Christian terms and lingos; after all, it is the Word of God which has the authority I am preaching, I don’t think they will have problem with God. It maybe not so easy to teach in Sunday school or lead a Bible Study group, because there will always be strange and difficult people around (I am not saying about you, it is me) but the worst case scenario will be they go and join other group or sit under another teacher. We can hang up all up all your certificates of Degree of sacrifices, but God is not impressed with them.

God is concerned about those who are lost. Jesus came for the sinners who hang out at the coffee shop and street soccer court; not for the righteous who are in some church committee or fellowship groups. It is not easy to spend week after week with a group of children who come from non-Christian family, helping them to acquire skills and hopefully they will come to know Christ, at your own time. I call this sacrifice. I am always very impressed by the bunch of young people who are working with me to reach out to the children from Boys’ and Girls’ Brigades in a neighborhood school almost every Saturday. To me, its part of my job, and to put it bluntly, I am paid to be there, even though keep lamenting that is not my cup of coffee. But for this bunch of young people, they are serving on a Saturday morning, almost every week, and not many people know the amount of hard work and sacrifice they have put in for the children. These children may never have a chance to hear of Jesus, not because of the bunch of young people.

When every people who know about this ministry, they will praise me for my good leadership and sacrifices I have made for this ministry. Yes, I have sacrificed, but those young people have the compassion which I lack. I am sure that Jesus is really pleased with them.

Jesus came not for the righteous, but the sinners, He desires compassion, not merely sacrifice. When you have the compassion, you won’t consider your sacrifices as sacrifices. Do you have compassion as Jesus has for the sinners? When was the last time you go out of your way to help an old lady to cross the road? Or you think that there will be someone else to do so. When was the last time you buy a packet of chicken rice for a destitute? Even you don’t think he deserve to be treated so nicely. When was the last time you smile at a Bangladeshi worker? Or you are still complaining about them being staying around your neighborhood.

Compassion has to be translated into action, and that action is sacrifice. Sacrifice without compassion is merely action. Therefore, sacrifice with compassion.

HHS…
Abel…

And when they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish; and their nets began to break; (Luke 5:6)

I am very this point as I am writing this. Last night, I came back late from a church meeting, and continued to have some good time of sharing and praying with my wife. This morning, I have to get myself to wake up early to prepare for my Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade ministry; there is a shortage of manpower this morning, and I will have to share a devotion and also to lead a time of worship. But I still think that I will be good for me to start my day with God, to start my day having my breakfast and coffee with Jesus, to let myself soaking in the presence of God before I embark my journey today. I need Jesus to be with me, I can’t do it alone.

I need Jesus to be with me when I lead worship and devotion, as I am tired, I need His guidance to give the right word to the boys and girls. I need Jesus to give me strength and love as I will be having a makeup session with a brother for his baptism class, so that he will experience Christ love and assurance as he prepares himself for baptism. I need Jesus to love me and to help me to love my family when I come home later to spend time with them. I just need Jesus.

Jesus was with some fishermen. He simply told them to let down their nets again after they had worked all night and had no avail. A carpenter telling fishermen how to fish? Ironical? Humorous? Indeed, but they did as they were told and they had a big catch! It’s a miracle!

The miracle began even way before Jesus told them to recast their net. Jesus had to firstly command the fish to go for a hiding all night long, then at the point when He asked them to cast their nets again, He summoned them to come out and swim to the net to be caught. Not one fish, not two fishes, but a great quantity of fish, so much that the net began to break.

Jesus knows my heart. Jesus knows yours too. Jesus knows that we had worked very hard all day long, and some all night long, and even on Saturday. Jesus knows that we are tired, but Jesus is not done with us. Jesus wants to show us His grace and love and blessing in abundance, only if we continue to obey Him even when we are tired and have given up. Jesus knows how to bless us and want to bless s abundantly, more than we can ask for and imagine.

Those fishermen didn’t ask for fish, they had already closed shop, drying their nets. But they obeyed Jesus. I always think that these fishermen were very brave and dare to be different and stretched themselves just bit more to see what can happen. I cannot imagine this will happen to us today, but Jesus will still prompt us to do some strange and illogical things in the eyes of the world. Can you imagine Jesus ask you to turn on your computer after you shut it down and getting ready to go home, just to help a colleague to print a document? You want to go home to spend time with your family, after all this document is not urgent. But can you also foresee that this obedience of yours might lead you to hear the deepest struggles of this colleague or leading him to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior? Isn’t that an abundance blessing? Jesus is at work, even though you may be tired and just want to go home.

Can you imagine Jesus ask you to give a call to a student at the middle of the night and find out that he needs your help to solve a Mathematics problem which will give him the confident to do extremely well in his examination on the next day? Jesus is still at work, though we may think that we have done all that we can already.

Today, it will be busy and tired day for me. I will go home tired, but I also want to be sensitive to do what Jesus would ask me to do, even though it may seem illogical to me. I want to witness and experience the abundance of His power and joy to work in and through me. I want to see my net breaking up. When we are done, Jesus is still at work. He is already but not yet.

HHS…
Abel…

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

I have been traveling by public transport for the past four months. I find it very inconvenient and I don’t like to squeeze with other hundreds of people in a small MRT train. I like my freedom of having my own transportation, my motorbike. But ever since my fall (sound as if I have sinned big time!), I am forbidden and advised violently by family members not to ride motorbike anymore! I whine and pester my wife to give me the green light to get a new bike, because I like the convenient. But for the sake of my family, she insists that I go public.

To me, having losing my own transport is more than a matter of convenient; it is a matter of lifestyle. It is a matter of the way I want my life to be like. Surely, I want convenient; but I also want to have a faster pace of life so that I can do more things, go to more places and have more works and feel more important! This is what the world wants me to become. This is the message from our meritocracy society that I got to do more so that I can feel better. This is the lie of Satan that I am not go enough unless I do more externally, so that I will do less to the important thing which is within.

Advertisement persuades you to buy the latest gadget which you don’t really need. Magazine tempts you to pursue the lifestyle which may not necessary suit you. And the society pressures you to be conformed to its pattern by asking you to earn more money but giving you very little time to spend it. This is the reality of this world. This is the real world which we are living in. And Apostle Paul knew that and challenged his readers: Not to be conformed to this world, but be transformed!

Be transformed is the way to go for Christians. Be transformed by renewing of your mind. We have to start with the mind. We have to have the right thinking then we can have the right action. We have to know what God wants before we can do what He wants. Be transformed.

I read a book by John Ortberg lately. He is an excellent writer-pastor and he is a Presbyterian. He has a book by the name: The life I always want to have. It is about how to have a transformed life. As a Christian, we do not transform overnight, because transformation is a process. We keep transforming and the Greek word for transforming has the same connotation as morphing. I have been really blessed by the book. I will read it again and might even use it as some bible study materials for my church people. I am beginning to morph. I am not there yet.

I have decided that taking public transport is not that bad after all. I can have some travelling time to read and to watch other people’s behavior so that I can have more real illustration to write for my devotions and my sermons. I am at peace now with taking public transport. I have morph in this area. I am taking driving lesson now.

HHS…

Abel…

And He [Jesus] wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around the villages teaching. (Mark 6:6)

I had a motorbike accident a few months ago. It was not really an accident per se, it was me losing control of my motorbike and hit the curb and I fell off my bike. It was not as if someone else’s fault, and I was even embarrassed to call that an accident. It was like walking on a street and for whatever reason, your left foot tripped your right foot and you lost balance and feel to the ground. Maybe the correct word of that is “clumsy”.

But my point is not about me being clumsy, though I am; it is about the miracle that happened to me. I fell and fractured my right wrist. I was actually being thrown off by my bike and I was only less than a foot from a tree. If I flew a foot more, I will have my head hitting the tree and my spine might be injured further. I was already having slip-disc condition for a few years.

As I was recovering from the fractured right wrist, I discovered that my slip-disc condition seemed to have disappeared. I no longer feel my back aching for sitting too long which was a common phenomenal. I guess God did a once-and-for-all alignment for me when I was flying off my bike and my shoe-lace was hooked onto the mirror so that my flight will land just a foot before the tree. The pull back by my bike somehow straighten me up! I am amazed by God’s way of healing.

When that accident happened, I was about to graduate from my Theological studies and will be back to church to work in July. The doctor and the physiotherapist told me that it will take me at least four months to recover from the fracture and about six months before my right wrist can regain its full function. Well, I am now typing with my both hands, and no problem with my right hand at all. My right wrist was fully recovered and was officially discharged by my hand doctor and my physiotherapist eight weeks after the surgery on my right wrist. They were amazed and I told them, it must be God who healed me and helped me to recover that fast, and it was just in time for me to start work in July with good hands.

I believe God still heals and do miracles today. I have experienced His healing power. I read about it in the Bible, I have seen it and heard about it in other people’s testimonies, and I have experienced it personally. But there are still people who do not believe. I wondered at their unbelief, and no wonder Jesus wondered at their unbelief.

I am not a hyper-charismatic or a healing evangelist; I am a Christian who reads the Bible and have been involved in lives of many others to conclude that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. I wonder at people who claim to believe in Bible as the living word of God, but do not embrace that God is still very much alive today in our lives. I wonder at people who believe in praying for the sick but do not accept that miraculous healing can still take place today. I wonder at people who believe that God still speaks today but have restricted God’s vocabulary to all we can find in the Bible.

I wonder, no wonder Jesus also wondered. Again, I must re-emphasis that I am not a hyper-Charismatic or a healing evangelist, but I dare not confine God in the way He would want to work and minister to His people. I believe all that I have read in the Bible, that God still heals and works in and through and among us. I believe that He has all the authority and as He commissioned us as His disciples, and He promised to be with us to the very end of the age, His authority and power from the Holy Spirit will also be with us too (Matt 28:18-20, Acts 1:8).

Be opened to the wonders which Jesus is going to in your life, do not let Him wonder at your unbelief.

HHS…

Abel…