Faith, Hope and Love

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...