May 2020 – Candy's Blog

Day of Pentecost. Come, Holy Spirit

Today is the Day of Pentecost. We commemorate the Day of Pentecost on the 50th day after Easter (or the Seventh Sunday after Easter).

On the Day of Pentecost 2,000 years ago (and 10 days after the risen Jesus ascended to Heaven), the apostles and followers of Jesus were in Jerusalem for the Feast of Harvest. In the rush of wind and in tongues of flames, the Holy Spirit came and filled them, just as Jesus had said. It was the most wonderful and powerful gift from God. These apostles and followers of Jesus were afraid of what would happen to them after Jesus had gone to Heaven, but when the Holy Spirit came, He filled them with boldness, authority, power and language to proclaim the Good News. A crowd came to see what was going on, and each of them were amazed to hear the Good News in their own language.

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter (who only a few weeks ago had denied knowing Jesus three times out of cowardice) stood up with the other apostles and preached the Good News to the crowd so powerfully that 3,000 people became believers that day. The Book of Acts records many of the wonders and miracles the apostles did through the power of the Holy Spirit. With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, they “returned to Jerusalem with great joy” (Luke 24:52). They finally realized why Jesus had to leave them to return to Heaven—so that the Holy Spirit could come upon them.

Who will have the Holy Spirit? Anyone can receive the Holy Spirit. Today, the Holy Spirit lives in everyone who believes in the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit who filled the apostles is with us today. It is the same Holy Spirit who was present when the foundations of the world were laid. It was the same Spirit by whom Jesus Christ was conceived. It was the same Spirit that was with Jesus as He walked on this earth, preaching about the kingdom of God, healing the sick and casting out demons. Jesus said to His disciples, “whoever believes in me will also do the works I have been doing” (John 14:12).

The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, gives us new life, indwells in us and seals us and baptizes us into the Body of Christ. He also gives us spiritual gifts to serve God and to bless others (1 Peter 4:10) and to build up the church (1 Cor. 14:12).The Holy Spirit teaches us to obey all that Jesus has taught us (Acts 5:32; Hebrew 10:20). But, if we intentionally disobey the promptings of the Holy Spirit and continue to sin, the Holy Spirit can be grieved and quenched (Romans 6:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:19). Therefore, we have to be very careful. We do not want to intentionally disobey God and subsequently quench the Holy Spirit.

On this Day of Pentecost, many of our countries are still in lock down due to the virus. We may be feeling fearful. We are uncertain about the future. So did the apostles 2,000 years ago. But then, God sent them the Holy Spirit and their lives were never the same again. The coward and fearful disciples became bold missionaries, bring the Good News to the world. They turned the world upside down for God.We are in a lock down, but we are still people of peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).

May you and I be filled with the Holy Spirit continually so that we will live a victorious life over the bondage of sins.

“May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hop by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

A Lesson on Management?

I was walking past a cleaner who had just mopped the floor. I have never seen him before but he was friendly. He said I was leaving tracks behind me and he had just mopped the floor. However, he said that it was OK.

He went on to say that the management would check on him from time to time to make sure that he was doing his duties instead of loitering in the compound. His face was downcast as we chatted. It seemed that he was disheartened that his supervisors did not trust him enough to do a good job.

Now, I personally did not know this cleaner. I had never seen him before. I did not know his name. I did not know about his track record as a cleaner for that company. May be he was lazy, which might be why the management needed to resort to implementing this strategy.

I don’t know what you think about this but I think as leaders, we should first learn to trust and respect the people under our care. If we go the extra mile to build a happy, supportive, safe and respectful environment for people to work in, they would be happy coming in to work everyday. There would be smiles on their faces.

If we have the mindset that a company is one big family, and those working under us is part of our family instead of our servants to boss around, they will enjoy this sense of belonging and will thrive in their work regardless of their positions.

A few days ago, I sent my parents’ car to the workshop. The mechanic had junior mechanics under him. This mechanic knew how to be a good boss. As he was chatting with my dad, he said that the workers were from different ethnicities and different races but he cared for them like his own sons. They had come to work for him and so he realised he had the responsibility to care for them. He gave them food and he taught them skills. He said that he hoped that these boys would grow up to be useful people in the society. No wonder these junior mechanics were happy working there. They gave us excellent service because they had been given excellent treatments from the boss. They felt that they belonged there. They knew that they were a family. That was why they went the extra mile for their boss and for the customers. The atmosphere was so different.

Now, if you compare these two bosses, you would see how it would affect the customers. The first boss doubted his worker and so the worker was not happy. He gossiped, grumbled and complained about the management to whoever was willing to listen, even just a passerby.

The second one might not be a wealthy man, but he loved his workers and treated them like his sons. He hoped to provide values for his workers. It was not so much what his workers could do for him, but what he could provide for them. He was training them to be good mechanics and responsible citizens of the society.

I admire the leadership of the mechanic. Let us do good and spread love and kindness when we have the opportunity. Let us lift people up, regardless of what they do for a living. Let us show love and respect to the people around us.

Ladies Talk

This online talk (Talk 4) was exactly a week ago. I am blessed to be a part of it and it was so much fun working together with the other awesome speakers, host and the amazing IT team behind the scene! We are already friends for many years so that added to the fun!

This is the link to the replay of the 4 talks: https://fmc.org.my/blog/category/live-stream/talks/a-little-god-time-for-ladies/ Check it out. 🙂

Blessed

This is my 9th year of full-time pastoral ministry. There is nothing else I would want to do with my life than to serve the Lord.

Of course, the “working” hours are longggg! We work in the office during the day and we have ministries at night (visitation, small groups, prayer meeting, teaching, etc). There are also urgent things: church members admitted to hospital, etc. There are times when I am envious of friends who hold office jobs and are working from Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm and then they are free for the rest of the evenings.

My office in the church. Not much in my room yet— just a desk, a good chair and a desktop computer to work on at the moment. Oh yes, there is the McDonald’s coffee. I need coffee to start the day!

This is my home office set up. A big, comfortable desk, a Xiaom Yeelight Indoor Lamp that changes colour, a “blink blink” pink notebook and a Wonder Woman mug.

But, to me, it is such a great blessing to serve the Lord and His people. I read from somewhere that pastors get paid to read God’s Word. How great is that!

There are challenges, frustrations and difficulties along the way too but God is so faithful.

During this MCO period, my family and I have been experiencing blessings and so much love from our church friends. Some of them sent us delicious cooked food: curry chicken, pork, rice dumplings, Kentucky Fried Chicken, three layered pork belly, sweet and sour pork. Someone sent free range chicken. Yesterday, a church friend sent me a feast! Some of these were made by her, with love.

All that I can say is, “Thank you, Lord, You are so so good to me”.

“How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They can not be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!” (Psalm 139:17-18)

The God that we serve is a God that enjoys giving us wonderful surprises. May you experience His love and blessings today and everyday!

Light Up the City

A couple of days ago, I signed up to pray for my nation, city, community and neighbourhood with “Thy Kingdom Come”. This prayer movement starts on Ascension Day (21 May) and ends on Pentecost Day (31 May).

Look at these lights! Each light shows that someone is praying for the nation/community/society

It is so touching to see different countries around the world being lit up in prayers!

This is how Malaysia looks like. Obviously our country can use more lights and prayers

When I see these lights, the teaching of Jesus comes to mind, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16, NIV).

Let us all shine for Christ by doing deeds and living a life that glorify His holy Name! Let us all pray for His Kingdom to come to our nation!

Come, let us light up the city!

Recharge to Restart

The battery of my parents’ car was flat so we took it to the mechanic.

Sometimes when I am exhausted (when my battery is flat), I will take a nap. Sometimes when I am exhausted as a leader, I will read a book to take the matter off my mind. Sometimes when I am exhausted from the notifications on my Facebook, I log out and only sign in again until a couple of days later.

We recharge ourselves to get back on the journey again. Take a break from work as and when necessary. Take a break from social media, when you need some time alone to reflect, meditate and be still. Take a break when needed but never take a break from God. He is our everything.

Choose Gratitude

I was in the garden this morning when dad showed me a plant (photo below). He said the fruits of this plant are poisonous.

It is such a beautiful plant but unfortunately it carries poison. It reminds: don’t look nice on the outside but is filled with poison on the inside.

The Bible verse for my meditation this morning is from Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived: God can not be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (NIV). If I have poison in me, I will bear fruits that are poisonous. I will reap poisonous consequences. They will bring damage to me, cost me my health as well as destroy my relationships with others. They will also break my love relationship with God because the poison gets in the way of receiving His love and His healing grace.

Bitterness is the poison to the soul. Therefore, it is important to cultivate gratitude. Choose gratitude. Count our blessings daily. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A joyful heart is a good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones”. Bitterness will make us rot on the inside and then it will show up on the outside.

Whenever I feel frustrated, whiny, complain-y about the circumstances I am in, or getting bitter and jealous at someone, I will bring this matter to God. I tell Him how I feel, and I grumble to Him and let Him know my frustrations. He already knows what is in my heart and He is eager to hear about it from me.

Bitterness dries up my soul. May I encourage you to choose joy. If there is something you are not so happy about, bring this matter to God, for He cares for you.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for harbouring bitterness, anger, resentment, and frustrations. I admit these emotions eat me up and destroy my relationships with You and with the people around me. Give me a heart of thankfulness and to a heart of gratitude to remember Your blessings and goodness to me. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Day Off

Since we were talking about the Sabbath rest yesterday, I would like to talk about my off day, which is today. Monday is my off day, and it is also the off day of the other pastors in the conference. The purpose of the off day is to obey God’s command to rest and to keep the Sabbath day holy. On Monday mornings, I will have my Quiet Time, then, I will visit my grandma and aunty. Before the MCO, I would visit them with my parents. After that, I will have lunch with my parents, and go grocery shopping for the week. In the afternoon, I will read the newspapers, read a book (usually not the whole book, but at least a few chapters), catch up with some friends or family members, strum on my ukelele and have an enjoyable nap. Sometimes, I hang out with fellow pastors on Mondays. But I do that less now since I am back at my home town. I hang out with my parents instead. We are a close-knitted family. In the evening, I will have some time to read. Monday evenings are when I am most relaxed. I enjoy the peace on Monday evenings. I may also watch a movie. And then, I will start to plan for the week ahead, slotting tasks into my “to do list”. I enjoy my Mondays. It is a gift that I treasure. It relaxes me from the demands of ministry and also prepares me for the week ahead. It is a time to enjoy my parents and puppies as well as my hobbies and interests. So, on Mondays, I make sure I have time to rest physically and emotionally and to spend more time to worship God. Jesus says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27) What about you? What are some ways for you to rest?

A picture of a box of Macarons which I had when I was in Australia. Such is life. There is a different flavour for each day. Each day is to be savoured and enjoy. Let’s give thanks to God for our gift of life. He ordains our days.

The Rhythm

As created beings, it is important to find a balance between work and rest. When it is time to work, we are partnering with God to do the work He has entrusted to us. We put in all of our best efforts and attention. When it is time to rest, we rest fully from our work to enjoy Communion with God and His creations. We work to use the gifts God has given to us. We rest to enjoy God’s gifts for us. When we are overworked, it will bring negative impacts our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual states. When we are mentally and physically tired, we will produce poorer quality of work. We will also become easily agitated and it leads to strains in relationships, especially with those we care about. When we are spiritually exhausted, we can’t find joy in our relationship with our Creator. Our Creator too, rested after He had created the universe. It says in Genesis 2:2-3, “On the seventh day, God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” In the 10 Commandments God gave to Israelites, God commanded them to rest and keep the Sabbath holy. Sabbath is a day when God also rested, and He wanted His people to be rested too. Sabbath is God’s desire to be in a communion with His people. So, keeping the Sabbath is to live out of this communion that we are God’s people. In Ezekiel 20:12, God says, “I gave them my sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, so that they might know that I the Lord sanctify them”. For us today, we rest on The Lord’s Day, Sunday. This is to rememeber that Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday. In the New Testament, Jesus encouraged His disciples to rest. Rest is more that just recuperating from a busy week. We can nap and be refreshed but we are invited to a deeper rest in Jesus. Jesus says, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). This rest Jesus offers allows us to surrender everything to Him: our minds, hearts, plans, wills. We let go of this and focus our gaze upon Jesus. With God’s help, let’s have a healthy rythm between work and rest. We work hard and let us “rest” hard too. Let us be refreshed in His friendship and in His love.

How to Love My City

If it wasn’t for wanting to spend more time with my parents, I would have left this city and state many years ago when I was much younger.

I struggled to love this city. I still am. I struggled to enjoy this city. I admit I am very much blinded to what this city has to offer. Oh yes, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. The moon seems to be brighter and bigger on the other side of the globe. Oh yes, my Instagram is filled with pictures of delicious local cuisines and sceneries I took when roaming about. In fact, my Instagram is my attempt to remind myself what a lovely city I am living in.

As much as I have tried loving it, the incident of having my handbag snatched from my arm just earlier this year is the final nail in the coffin. My bag, phone with precious photos, car key, the wallet which had been with me since I was in secondary school, photos and the bookmark my sister drew for me were all gone within a few seconds. Praise the Lord no one was injured.

I have since forgiven the thief and prayed that he will come to know Jesus (my pastor card is in there). But loving this city is still hard to do.

Luke 19: 41 recorded the compassion Jesus has on the city of Jerusalem. Jesus even wept over it. It was because He foresaw the destruction of Jerusalem, which happened in the year AD 70. The temple was never rebuilt.

Jesus had compassion over the city. He wept for people who did not know Him.

I come to this conclusion: I don’t have to love this city. All I should do is to appreciate its beauty, enjoy its rich cultures, enjoy my family and friends, serve my congregation faithfully, and be thankful for a place I can call home. Oh yes, and to pray for this city.

Prayer: Our Father in Heaven, thank you for having compassion on us and on our cities. Help us to be thankful in wherever You have placed us, and to pray for its well being so that it will be filled with Your glory. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.