Where are you?

Before every peak of provision is a valley of decision.

The decision is to leave my little man-made hill and reach the majestic peak that only God could make and call me to.
The decision is to press on when I am at my lowest point and maybe even lose sight of the peak, because my view is obscured by the clouds hovering beneath the summit.
The decision is to trust that God who called me from the hill, will bring me through the valley to reach the peak.

Neither soldier nor servant.

A friend asked me this question about my essential identity as a Christian recently,

"Are you a soldier, servant, or son in Christ?"

Well, sensibly I know the biblical answer to that question is 'son'. Ephesians 1:5 practically puts it out there that every believer in Christ is a son in the great family of God, not that there aren't other verses in the NT that points to our adoption by God the Father into His family.

"But are you acting like a son?"

This is the real pertinent query, the heart of the matter.

A soldier serves his nation, because he owes a duty to his country. He has sworn an oath to uphold his duty at all times, even at the expense of his own life, so he is not exempt from suffering for his nation.
A servant serves his master, because he is the master's property. This is true regardless of whether he is in that relationship because he chose it or it was forced upon him. So, his rights (and free will) are dependent on the latitude his master permits him.
A son serves because he loves the parent. For him, neither suffering nor lowering himself in service is a chore like that of the soldier or servant. It is a choice, one that springs out of his eager desire to please the one he loves. It is a decision in the heart, made manifest through his hands. On the outside, it can look the same, but inwardly, the driving motivation is definitely of a better caliber. A son can suffer enormous loss, and still rejoice in it. A son can serve in utter humility, and still draw satisfaction in what he has to do.

So, dear Christian, what is the truth of your relationship with God? Is it based on the Word as in Ephesians 1:5, or is it based on other things? Are you a soldier, servant, or son in Christ?

Addendum [16/05/16]: Duty drives the soldier, debt drives the servant, but devotion drives the son.

Kicking the habit.

Hi everyone, I am a recovering cynic. I don't quite know when it started, but I have been cynical for a very long time. The first time I was told I am a cynic was back in my teens, and I carried the label proudly then. I hadn't known what it meant...or at least the full extremity of the label.

For defining's sake, a cynic is a person who believes that people are motivated purely by self-interest rather than acting for honorable or unselfish reasons.

By a very strict definition, I am not a cynic, at least not entirely. But that is too kind. As the saying goes, if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, chances are that it is a duck. So, how do you know if you are a cynic? One oft-spoken phrase I catch myself using is this, "I am just honestly speaking...don't you agree/think so?" The toxicity doesn't come from the honesty, but from the appalling lack of grace in conducting it.

For wholly pragmatic reasons, I prefer not to deny my cynical behavior, since it so shows in my day-to-day habits. But why is cynicism so frowned upon? Is there no cause to be cynical?

If I were not a believer in Christ, then there is every reason to remain a cynic. However, thirteen years of being a Christian has yielded a very simple truth: a Christian cannot remain a cynic. The two are immiscible, like oil and water. I dare not speak for other faiths, but I speak for every believer who is found in Christ and call Him Lord and Savior. We cannot be cynics. That is not to say we will not stumble into cynical behavior from time to time. After all, we need His grace day by day to live a godly life. And because His grace changes us to be more like Him, we have hope that we will be truly, fully unselfish one day.

So what am I saying? A Christian cannot be both godly and cynical at the same time. He is one or the other; walking in the Spirit or walking in the flesh. 

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." - Romans 14:17 states that the Kingdom is about living life in the Holy Spirit, marked by godly living in peace and joy.

"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." - Philippians 2:1-4 states that if I am part of the Kingdom, then being united one heart and one mind with fellow believers is crucial. A cynic criticizes because he believes he 'sees' better than others...and maybe even is better than others. A Christian persuades with love and patience, speaking the truth in love.

Finally, I want to borrow the words of the Lord Jesus Himself on hypocrisy, because we are all sinners saved and secured by grace. Jesus Himself said this in Luke 6:41-42, "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye."

So, time to put away that cloak of cynicism, dear Christian. Put on the new nature, that shines the glorious goodness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Postscript: I preach to myself, that I may not be disqualified in the Day of His coming. For what good is it if I gain the whole world, yet lose my soul?

Making [THING] a lifestyle.

This represents my lifestyle. I have made cycling a lifestyle. The bicycle is the symbol of this lifestyle. Graphically, it is often simplified to this: 

But do not be deceived, this is only a simple representation. There are many moving parts that are not represented in this simplified model. There is a Wikipedia entry detailing the parts of a bicycle and the practice of cycling if you want to read about it. Also, if you are interested in learning to ride a bicycle, please feel free to read this WikiHow article too.

Some people don't believe me when I tell them I ride from my place to where I was presently meeting them. They tell me things like, "Isn't it dangerous?", "What if a car knocks into you?", "What if it rains?", "Don't you get tired?", "Have you been in an accident before?", "Why do you want to cycle on the road?" And in that order, the answers are,

"Yes, but I wear helmet/have lights."
"I can't help it if someone else doesn't pay attention when driving."
"I have a raincoat/Sometimes I bring a change of clothes too."
"Yes, some days worse than usual."
"Not counting those dumb ones where I crashed into stationary stuff, zero so far. Near misses are not uncommon."
"I enjoy cycling because it brings me great pleasure."

I draw your attention to the last answer. I do it because it gives me immense pleasure in life to be cycling. As a cousin puts it, it is a "freedom machine". I couldn't agree more. The wind in my face, the freewheeling down long slopes, the weaving around obstacles, the freedom to stretch out my hands and ride hands-free on quieter roads, the wonder of seeing things I wouldn't normally pay attention to while zooming past in a car, the trepidation of exploring a new route or unknown path. These things in cycling make up the pleasure I feel while cycling, and it is not the bike that makes me feel that way. I must concede though, a high quality bike will make all these things more pronounced and increase the pleasure even more. The act of cycling brings the pleasure.

For the sake of this lifestyle, however, I have had to make many tough decisions, and some sacrifices. For example, I have to find a parking spot that I can lock my bike to when I reach my destination. In Singapore, shopping malls are not exactly bike-friendly. It is okay, I do my best to find a spot to secure my bike to. However, twice I have had my bike stolen, and both times really hit me pretty hard...both financially and emotionally. I have since replaced those stolen bikes and I own more bikes than I can effectively ride at any one time. Hah. I carry tools, a spare inner tube and a folding air pump in my pannier bag, in case of any punctures. One can never be too sure what could happen when you are on the road, so I carry a simple first aid kit too. It is all worth it, because this "freedom machine" gives me immense pleasure in life.

Now that you've bothered to read this far, welcome to the real point of the post. For you, my dear reader, I needed to draw a parallel. For you see, while cycling is indeed a part of my lifestyle, it is not the whole picture. Because, in truth, there is more to my life than cycling around on a bike. I am also a teacher to my students, a son to my parents, a learner to my lecturers, a leader to my lifegroup members, and hopefully one day, a father to a bunch of children. Even then, it may not completely tell you about all of me.

Regardless, this which follows is my real lifestyle. And graphically, this which follows is the symbol of this lifestyle,

I hope you made it to this line, so please continue reading. Some people don't believe me when I tell them that being Christian is my lifestyle. They tell me things like [INSERT RELEVANT STATEMENT HERE], [INSERT ANOTHER PERSONAL REASON HERE] and [INSERT RELATED BAD EXPERIENCE HERE]. Well, my answer to any of those questions is this,

"Jesus set me free so I could know and have Him as my supreme Pleasure."

There are so many other things I could continue to spell out here, but I know the places where I've been in real life, and inside my mind, so I am thankful Jesus died for my sins. And for the sake of this lifestyle, I have had to make many tough decisions, and some sacrifices. My parents aren't believers; they don't appreciate their only son of three children having contrary beliefs. My Saturdays are spent with my church community; I have missed numerous opportunities to meet up and hang out with good friends. Some days, especially recently, have been spent on interceding with a heavy heart for beloved members who have strayed from the Lord. But, it is all worth it, because Christ is a greater and better pleasure than cycling...or any other. If you don't know how to take on this lifestyle, I am sure you have a decent Christian friend who could tell you. If not, this will tell you how to do so, straight from the Bible.

Postscript: The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. - 1 Timothy 1:15

Lessons from driving lessons.

I have received formal instruction in driving from two different instructors in my life, and both showed me very different approaches to instruction. Before I get started, let me provide a bit of background to why I needed training twice. First time, it was for my Class 3 driving course in NS. This was when I was utterly clueless about driving and the sum total of my driving experience was from Daytona arcade racing. The second time was for my civilian Class 3 driving license. By this time, I had acquired a fair bit of experience of driving on the public roads (thanks to NS) and also a number of bad habits.

Back to the point, I want to bring out the biggest and most distinct differences that I recall from both types of training. In the military training, I had an amazingly skilled instructor who made everything look easy but I always felt that I was always lagging behind. Also, I noticed that the instructor's side had a brake pedal that mirrored the one on my side. Later on, I realized that the purpose of that is to act as my back-up, in case I was to mess up while driving.

The latter and later training I had for my civilian license had no such safety 'feature' installed. In fact, during my first driving lesson with my civilian instructor, he pulled over as soon as he found out I knew how to drive...and switched seats with me. I found myself in the driver's seat, bad habits and all. A mere fifteen minutes into the lesson and already driving the car, that was memorable. I recall the first time I had to pull off the legendary 'half-clutch and hold at biting point' in his car. I revved the petrol-fueled engine extra hard, thinking it was a diesel Land Rover from the '70s. I managed to carry out the maneuver, albeit poorly and unskilfully. All he said was something to the effect of, "Okay, next time let's do that better."

And often times, we think that the Lord is like my first driving instructor, only keen to show me how good He is. Some of us would prefer that the Lord be like my second driving instructor, letting us take the steering wheel immediately.

Truth is, God is like both of them, or rather, He is even better than both of them put together.

#1: God is better than all the best instructors put together.
Need I say more? He is perfect. He really does know what He is doing.

#2: God is in charge...and yet He put you in the driver's seat.
We will mess up, yet He still puts us in the driver's seat. Isn't that more grace than we can ever ask for? He wants to share His glory with you, though He clearly doesn't need to. He's the one with all the 'mad skillz' but He wants to pass it on...to you. Let that sink in.

#3: He's got 'brakes' on His side too, in case you forget who's the Instructor.
Never too wise to get smart with the One who put you in the driver's seat. It is enough for the disciple to be like the master, and the son to be like the father. He is still God, and still in control.

#4: He knows your bad habits, yet He still wants to teach you.
My driving instructors were paid to instruct me. God sent Jesus to pay the price, so we could have a relationship with Him...because? He loves us and wants to be with us on this merry ride we call "Life". As if that was not enough, He wants us to be with Him forever in Eternal "Life".

Post-it #2.

I struggle with sin, not because I don't have big dreams...but because I don't have the kind of foundations that skyscrapers are built on.

Five things from a run

Having recently completed a 10K run, I realized a handful of things useful to liken to the spiritual journey I am on with God.

#1: 10K isn't really 10K (To be fair, the event organizers did state it in fine print).
It's the same with the journey of faith & life. God has a plan, and we need to read the fine print.

#2: Run for the finish line, not for the mileage.
If you quit before the finish line, you miss the point. Many people were griping and stopping at the 10K mark, which was a fairly narrow bridge that allowed four abreast to cross. Just run lah!

#3: The finish line is likely to be hidden by many bends and turns.
The last kilometer or so was a whole series of 'blind' bends and turns that obscured the finish line. It made the whole final stretch a pain to run (literally for me, because of #4). In other words, just keep running till you cross the finish line.

#4: Unexpected things can happen, so deal with it.
At the 5K mark, I developed an unexpected knee pain that made me slow down and even stop at several junctures. I never had that sort of pain on a 10K before, and I thought I was going to have to resort to walking. Rather than give up, I managed to endure the pain and keep a constant (albeit slower) pace to the finish.

#5: Forerunners who know the way make great encouragers.
Shortly after the (deceptive) 10K marker, I encountered people, who had finished earlier, on the way back. A number of them encouraged those of us still running, shouting "Just 500m more!" or stuff like that. Having someone who's been there and done that tell you how far to go is really very helpful.

<BONUS> #6: It is good to have someone to run the race with you.
If you didn't already know this, it is good to have a friend or two to run the race with you. Of course, it's going to be a little different for real day-to-day life, but the principle's the same. Stick together, share with each other what's going on, and press forward in faith!

God's Wrote A Book

Have you heard,

Do you know?

There's a rumor,

God's wrote a book!

Will it be about romance,

Thrill or mystery?

Or even intrigue

With a dash of history!

No no, none of these!

God's a serious Man,

So it must be factual,

Deadpan, sober, serious.

Are you sure?

Did He not make man,

Of differing humors?

Surely there is more!

Common to all men,

It must be then.

Yet, without equal it be too,

Since it bears the Maker's mark

Wait, what kind of God

Puts His thoughts

In paper and pen

Subject to petty men?

So very many

Schools of thought

Too many to know

Who really is God

Everyone's got a say

But really, what does God say?

So have you heard,

God's wrote a book!

Read it and then you'll see.

He prevails!

Two years ago, the Lord called me to push for a change in what was well-established, to carry a vision for a future He first envisioned. Today, as I completed LTC '15, I realized that the vision has come to fruition. Perhaps it was always my apprehension that halted the progress, but the Lord is an Almighty God and I believe He prevails in all things.

LTC has found its preferred form and mode of operation on the mainland, able to achieve its original objectives and fits the current school climate. For this, I thank the Lord for His original idea, put in my heart as a refusal to believe that an idea as powerful as "Lead, Train, Conquer" had to be limited to an offshore island, or that a vision as meaningful as "Come as a Boy, Leave as a Man" needed a wilder, more forested environment. Thank you, Lord, I am immensely grateful.

Now to the Lord, who is able to cause hope to arise in times of hopelessness, and His glory to shine even in the darkest places! He is able, He will prevail! There is indeed none like the Lord, Creator of all, Sovereign of the universe! Bless His name, for He is good, and His love endures forever!

Postscript: When I wrote this post, I hadn't imagined that I would see the vision come to pass before I passed on the torch. 

When God Wants To Drill A Man

When God wants to drill a man,

And thrill a man,

And skill a man

When God wants to mold a man

To play the noblest part;

When He yearns with all His heart

To create so great and bold a man

That all the world shall be amazed,

Watch His methods, watch His ways!

How He ruthlessly perfects

Whom He royally elects!

How He hammers him and hurts him,

And with mighty blows converts him

Into trial shapes of clay which

Only God understands;

While his tortured heart is crying

And he lifts beseeching hands!

How He bends but never breaks

When his good He undertakes;

How He uses whom He chooses,

And which every purpose fuses him;

By every act induces him

To try His splendor out-

God knows what He’s about.

– Anonymous

"For I am ready"

While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” 

When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” - Acts 21:10-14

I have read this passage so many times in my life, yet the level of conviction that Apostle Paul displayed never fails to stagger me. This is the sign of a man who will finish strong in the journey of faith - "for I am ready..." Through the life and writings of Paul, I learnt what discipleship really means. It means to follow Christ wholeheartedly...even when it makes no sense at all.

All needs met...in Christ.

Credits: http://goo.gl/tixiEw

I was taught in a lecture before that Maslow's hierarchy of needs apply to everyone. Furthermore, each level of need must be met before attempting to meet the level above it. And so, most of us spend a lifetime trying to attain self-actualization, struggling with the levels below it. Let's see what Scripture says about this lifelong struggle for the Christian believer:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:19 (NLT)

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. - Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

If Scripture is true, I suppose I should start praying more often, and about everything in my life. Don't you think so too?