Faith, Hope and Love

The most interesting thing happened to me today. I had my first encounter with a catfish and it was quite a nasty experience. The sting was certainly an unforgettable experience. So my wife and I researched to find out more about it and we stumbled upon a very informative website with details of various wilderness emergencies and first aid treatment. The URL is found under my links for Recreation.

Lord, grant me the right attitude towards my examination, that even when I study, I want to glorify Your name. Give me the strength that I may press on, perseverance that I may endure, good health that I may study effectively. Help me to be single-minded when I study, remove all other thoughts, distractions and anxieties. Give me the power to concentrate, the ability to understand and to remember. Show me the way to study intelligently, to know what is important and what is not. Provide me Lord with quality time in my studies, remove all tensions and fears within me. Fill me with Thy confidence, teach me to draw strength from You each day. Let me learn to trust You in such times. In the examination hall, be with me Lord. Grant me the clarity and sharpness of thought. Let me not get distracted by things around me. Give me concentration and calmness Lord. Help me to gather my thoughts of what I’ve learnt. Grant me the discipline to space out time equally on a...

Life in fast-paced Singapore is no bed of roses. We have often heard the exhortation that we have no choice but to move this way in order to remain ahead of competition and ensure our survival. Thus, many of us are caught up in a rat-race, spending disproportionate amounts of our time working or studying. But are we getting anywhere? Are we just like a hamster running on its exercise wheel, expending all our energies but getting no where? I believe that in order to avoid ending up in the confines of a "cage", we have to take time off to reflect. An army colonel once commented to me, "There is a difference between having 5 years of experience and having 1 year of experience repeated 5 times." I guess that difference lies in pausing occasionally to reflect on my actions and to review my goals in life. There is more to life than just work or studies. Perhaps all these are best summed up by this poem by an unknown author: Take time to think; it is the source of pow...

I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day. I had so much to accomplish that I didn't have time to pray. Problems just tumbled about me, and heavier came each task; "Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered. He answered, "You didn't ask." I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on gray and bleak; I wondered why God didn't show me. He said, "But you didn't seek." I tried to come into God's presence; I used all my keys at the lock. God gently and lovingly chided, "My child, you didn't knock." I woke up early this morning and paused before entering the day; I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray. Author Unknown "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Phil 4:6) For Jesus promised, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock an...

Verse 1 In your despair and deepest sorrow When you are standing in the midst of pain's sharp arrows You carry on to face tomorrow's failing light It is love that will see you through the night When there is doubt and fierce uncertainty And there is darkness all around you can't see where to go You struggle on and find there is no end in sight It is faith that will see you through the night Chorus He knows your pain, He'll never let you go He gently holds your precious soul He lifts you high and in His love you'll stand Because you're holding the Father's Hand Verse 2 You cry to God when you are overwhelmed He'll lead you to a rock that's higher than where you'll ever be You battle on to face the journey's darkest fight It is love that will see you through the night When troubles come and courage fades away When you are sinking in the midst of life's stormy seas You triumph on and find within a hope so...

A man who was going on a journey called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' "The man with the two talen...

In the beginning, when God made man, He said, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." And God made woman to be man's companion. Though this event is often thought to refer to marriage, I believe it applies to friendship as well. No man is an island. From creation, God knew our need for companionship. In the case of Adam, God gave him Eve. For those of us who are not married, God has given us friends! Imagine how boring life would be if none of us has any friends! King Solomon talks about the advantages of companionship in Ecclesiastes 4:7-12 I observed yet another example of meaninglessness in our world. This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, "Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?" It is all so meaningless and depressing. Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one...

Some of us lament that we do not know when God is speaking to us. Others complain that God seems so far away from us. Actually, our relationship with God is somewhat like our relationship with our human friends. It takes some effort on our part to maintain it. For friends we keep in touch with regularly, we recognise their voice instantly when they call. We know their likes and dislikes and there is always a sense of closeness when we are around them. For friends we only talk to once in a while, we may not always recognise their voice, nor are we likely to understand them very well. The same rule applies for our relationship with God. Of course, for our human friends, we do not treat all of them the same. For various reasons, some get more of our time while others get less. Our best friends generally get more of our time. The question one then asks is – how about God? If we consider Jesus as our best friend, then we should be spending more time with Him than with anyone else. But ...

AFRAID "The LORD is my light and my salvation-so why should I be afraid? The LORD protects me from danger- so why should I tremble?" ~Psalm 27:1 "I am holding you by your right hand-I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, `Do not be afraid. I am here to help you.'" ~Isaiah 41:13 "Say to those who are afraid, "Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you." ~Isaiah 35:4 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear. ~1 John 4:18 BROKEN-HEARTED "He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds." ~Psalm 147:3 "Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes with the morning." ~Psalm 30:5 BURDENED "Now I will relieve your shoulder of its burden; I will free your hands from their heavy tasks. You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you; I answered out of the thundercloud.. ~Psalm 81:6-7 "Give your burdens to the LORD, and h...

When we look at our lives, we sometimes feel that we seem to be doing nothing important. Does it matter if I turn up at school/work today? Will anyone even notice? Compared to all the student leaders/key appointment holders, I'm just a nobody. Can I make a difference at all in this world? Well, I believe we can if we have the right attitude. The bible records the lives of many "nobodies" who later became important people. Esther, an orphan and a war fugitive, became the queen of a foreign king and was instrumental in preventing the complete annihilation of her own people. Joseph, sold by his brothers to be a slave, set up by his master and thrown into jail, later became the prime minister of Egypt and carried out the very first food rationing exercise in recorded history that helped to preserve thousands of lives in 7 years of drought and bad harvest. David, the youngest son of a shepherd, an occupation despised by his people, became one of the greatest king in the his...

For Christians, I think hope is best expressed in terms of prayer. Prayer is simply talking to God. God answers our prayers in three ways: yes, no and wait. Every time we utter a prayer to God, we exercise our faith and hope that God will answer our prayer favourably. But what if God answers "no"? Is there still hope? Well, I believe a "no" answer presents to us yet another opportunity to exercise hope. Consider the teaching of Jesus from Luke 11: 5-10. Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this illustration: "Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You would say to him, 'A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.' He would call out from his bedroom, 'Don't bother me. The door is locked for the night, and we are all in bed. I can't help you this time.' But I tell you this--though he won't do it as a friend, if you keep kno...

When I was undergoing teacher training, I had a solitary aim in mind: I wanted to return to my alma mater, VS, to be a teacher there. Teachers who taught me during my years in VS had inspired me to become a teacher myself and I just wanted to give something back to the school from which I had gained so much. I took the initiative to apply for a position in the school as early as December 2003. But God had other plans and I was posted to WSS. Though initially disappointed, I reasoned that where the will of God takes me, there His grace will follow. Still, having this knowledge was one thing, applying it in faith was quite another. In my first week of teaching, I came down with a bout of flu (great start!!). When I first took over my classes, 3E3 was so boisterous that I could hardly hear myself. 1E2 was close to anarchy, doing homework from other subjects during my lesson, chatting, using handphones and passing notes. 3E2? Well, they were a "consolation" - quiet, placid, an...

1 Corinthians 13 Love If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. W...