2 Timothy 3
"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God --- having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."

This passage makes clear that God wants our undivided love for Him, that we should have no other love but God and His will. Could it be said that anything less could well be considered as falling short of what He saved us for? Looking at this list or any lists of "ungodliness", it's perhaps a harsh of this life that we will always be struggling against sin until the day we die. However, for Christians there is a hope that because of who we have faith in, we will be delivered from the ultimate consequences of our lost battles. Also, there is joy in knowing that we have a God who is willing to forgive us time and time again and to give us the will the change for Him.
I pray that we will continue to seek God's will in our life, to make that our goal in all that we do.

Categories: Thoughts

2 Timothy 2

"In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some are for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the master and prepared to do any good work."

As a "church kid" or someone who grew up in a Christian family, it's sometimes hard to grasp the concept of being "reborn" or to be made new simply because there was no incident where I cast aside everything to follow God. I think this has led to a different set of struggles in that I'm often too self-assured of my faith and perhaps know too much for my own good, not willing to seek new challenges and new revelations from God.
I pray that God will constantly challenge me to become more and more suited for His purposes. Perhaps being a Christian for so long also meant that I've become too comfortable and have lost the joy and the need to constantly let God mold and change me. I pray that for me and for everyone that we would be willing to allow God to cast aside things in our lives that are ignoble, even if it comes at our own cost.
For Christ has already paid the greatest cost of all and we can expect no less than to pay the same to be in fellowship with Him.

Categories: Thoughts

2 Timothy 1
"I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into the flame th gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of humility, but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline."

After going through the 2 books of Timothy, I've grown to understand Timothy as an identifiable young man of God who has the heart but sometimes not the confidence to give his all the God. In the 2 letters Paul writes to him, he often directly encourages Timothy to be bold in God inspite of his young age and apparent lack of experience. To me it's quite stirring to see Paul and God honour Timothy like that and also an example I think many youth (including myself) can learn. Before long we would all have more and more responsibilities that would take us away from God's service. Things like family and careers will eventually make it harder and harder for us to serve God self-sacrificially, even though Jesus tells us that we must put Him above even our own families.
I wonder at the benefits of our Asian upbringing, the speed and single-mindedness to progress from primary, high school, uni then our careers. How many of us actually consult God in what we should do after each season of our lives? Do we dare to heed God to make a choice for us in our lives?

Categories: Thoughts

1 Timothy 5
I've always had trouble reading into passages in the Bible that deal with a different society, a different time in which we live in. But then again, in every society there are groups of people that have more needs than others and part of Jesus' ministry was also to tend to the needy. Sometimes we can all be living in such a sheltered environment at home or at work that we don't really see people in need or we don't recognise the signs.
Maybe the important thing is to remain compassionate and be ready to help those in need. Even if we don't know any that are immediately around us.

"The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgement ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden."

Categories: Thoughts

1 Timothy 4
"For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer"

When I look at the world today and as I age, I begin to realise that the world is a much bigger place than I've always taken for granted. Of course, I'm plenty busy with study, work, planning a career, planning a life, relationships, entertainment and everything else, but if I slow down and have a look around, God has created an immensely diverse world. Although we only play a small part, it's always good to be aware of just how different people can be. And a lot these people do live outside our comfort zones of university campuses, churches and the office.

I once heard a testimony about a Malay guitarist who accepted Christ when, during a gig, he saw Jesus walk into the smokey pub he was playing in, wearing a Metallica t-shirt. Being a Malay, his Muslim family and community persecuted him for his beliefs but he still stands strong. I actually laughed when I first heard this but it's such a powerful example of how God does indeed use everything and anything to bring more of His children to Him. So how much more should be be accepting of things that are different to us, even when these things make us uncomfortable. And I'm not saying this is an excuse for us to be tolerant to sin, but we can't save sinners until we befriend them, we can't clean the dirty without touching them.

Categories: Thoughts

1 Timothy 3
A chapter largely written about what deacons and "overseers" in a church should be, what we should look out for in one. ALthough it doesn't directly apply to everyone of us unless we use it as a criteria in our search for our church leaders but v14 was quite interesting:

"Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth."

From this I can't help but smile at the thought of the church being a "household" or a "family", it's almost like a mafia of faith. But in a way, it is a reminder that we as Christians are representatives of God in this world. And when we look at how the church is viewed today, it is a sad fact that a few bad Christians can be detrimental to the image of the church on a worldwide level and I don't think this just applies to the usual fingerpointing at paedophile priests, tele-evangelist and street corner doom preachers. Each Christian has the calling to reflect the character of Christ, it's quite cliche but we are the "Christ" that people see and in turn believe.
So everytime we don't display the fruit of the Spirit, we are being counter-productive to the message of grace and transformation Christ brings to us. So I guess we all need to pray hard and work hard on our own lives to ensure what we're perceived as is more than an empty faith.

Categories: Thoughts

1 Timothy 2
"I urge, the, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and me, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men - the testimony given in its proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle - I am telling the truth, I am not lying - and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles"


Sometimes I wonder at the purpose of prayer in our walk with God, and even more so whether it actually plays any part in God's will and work in this world. Reading instances in the Bible where man actually conversed directly with the Creator always fills me with wonder. These days however, our prayers can sometimes seem so static, we pray alot and almost exclusively for exams, our jobs, our relationships, our wants and desires...
I don't quite know, but maybe as a Christian matures, prayer also changes into more than calling out to silence. Or maybe it's our perspective that changes, when we commit more and more to prayer, we also see more and more of how God answers them.
Either way, it's probably a matter of constantly praying and having faith in God to listen to them.

Categories: Thoughts

1 Timothy 1
"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbleief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the fiath and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance; Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst"

I've always loved the way Paul 's strongest teachings always stem from his own experiences as a sinner and how Christ transformed him. While reading this I'm just reminded that the most powerful method of evangelism is probably the presence of a transformed life.
I realise that the milestones in my own Christian walk are always accompanied by people who have shared their lives and their stories with me. I think all Christians should have access to the kind o testimony Paul has, for indeed if we all believe we were saved from being the worst of sinners, the life we live after will just be that much more focused on spreading God's message of grace to the world.
But I guess with different Christians come different processes and timings. Paul was transformed completely while some of us take a lifetime so I'll pray that we are always aware and prayerful that God uses the weakest of us to show His strength.

Categories: Thoughts

Galatians 6:1-5
"Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one shoudl test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load"


The thing that struck me about this morning's sermon is that in each of our cold and weary bodies is a God working on a plan to save the whole world. The law of Moses dictated that we need to be holy and set apart, but the law of Christ gives us the calling to get dirty, to carry our cross and if neccessary one and another's. Jesus Himself was known for touching the diseased and befriending the rejected.
It's a real challenge to know that that's basically who we as Christians aspire to, a leader who isn't afraid to ask us to suffer for him and to demand our all. But then again he's also the saviour who gave us all first.

Categories: Thoughts

It's great to re read parts of the Bible and discover new relevance and meanings in it for life. For 1 Thessalonians, I remember that in yr12 we kind of breezed through this book simply because all the main points were pretty simple, endure in the name of the Lord and produce fruit for Him. But to actually apply this is a long and hard process. In chapter 5 v13 we are called to:
"Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone."

I started thinking about who are the idle, timid and weak among us and more importantly who are those called to warn, encourage and help them. But the thing is we all have moments of weakness when we do need help from each other. I think therefore it becomes our place as Brothers and Sisters in Christ to constantly be on the lookout for these people who do need support and be there for them. And to do that we must be available and willing to pray and sometimes have the courage to be honest in our words and actions.

Categories: Thoughts