This verse, “the joy of the Lord is my strength” is found in Nehemiah 8:10. The descendants of the Israelites had returned to Jerusalem from the exile in Babylon. Ezra, the servant of God, read the law of the Lord to them. They were overcome with grief and they wept. They realised how they far they had drifted away from God. But God was merciful and loving. Through the grace of God, He reconciled us to Himself.
“The joy of the Lord is our strength”. This strength means God’s grace. In times when we are weak and frail, God’s grace will strengthen us. Nothing can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38). When we first and foremost put God first in our life, and love Him, we will experience radiating joy that comes only from Him.
As children of God, we have the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit is the Giver of Joy. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Even in trying and difficult times, we can experience the joy of God because of His grace and His love that never leaves us or forsake us. God’s grace and love give us strength to face the day.
Today we remember the legacy of our spiritual forefather, John Wesley, the man who started the Methodist movement. John Wesley became a missionary to America. Unfortunately, he failed in his mission trip and returned to England with a broken heart and discouraged spirit. He had all the head knowledge about God, but he did not experience God yet.
On 24 May, 1738, John Wesley unwillingly attended worship at a Moravian ‘Religious Society’ meeting on Aldersgate Street in London. It was during this service that he felt his “heart strangely warmed”, as he experienced God’s love in a most personal way. Until then he had only known God in his mind, but not in his heart. Now he understood the value of a personal experience of God that would bring assurance of salvation to the believer.
And this changed his life and his ministry.
As a result of this change in his heart, John Wesley said he wanted to be “a man of one book”. He said, “Let me be a man of one book”. He wrote about it in the preface of his book, “Sermon on Several Occasions” (1746-60).
He wrote, “I am a creature of a day, passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God, and returning to God: just hovering over the great gulf; till, a few moments hence, I am no more seen; I drop into an unchangeable eternity! I want to know one thing—the way to heaven; how to land safe on that happy shore.
God himself has condescended to teach the way: For this very end he came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. Oh, give me that book! At any price give me the book of God! I have it: Here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be a man of one book.
John Wesley graduated from the Oxford University and was a lecturer. He had impressive knowledge, yet, out of all these books and knowledge, he said, the Bible was the most valuable and precious.
John Wesley truly believes that the Bible is the revelation of God. Bible is the infallible Word of God. Bible is precious. The Bible helps us to understand about the way to eternal life and how we should live our lives on this earth. That’s why he so confidently said, “Let me be a man of one book”.
This book—the Bible, has become the compass in the way he lived his life, and it sets the standard for him in serving God and the community. It was his guideline and moral compass.
John Wesley put an emphasis on God’s Word in his life and ministry. He had this strong desire for God’s Word.
Do you desire God’s Word? Is God’s Word the guide and compass in your daily life?
Do you spend time reading God’s Word?
Apostle Paul also recognised the importance of God’s Word. In his last pastoral letter to Timothy, Apostle Paul mentioned the importance of the Bible.
Paul wrote:
Salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (verse 15)
Reading the Bible once in a life time is not enough. There is no such thing as know it all when it comes to reading the Bible. It is not like a text book for a subject, you only need it may be only for one semester then you resell it to your juniors.
The Bible is also not a romance book, you only read it once, it made you feel good and after that you donate it. The Bible is not a book you borrowed from the library and never see it again after returning it back to the library.
It is a love letter from God to us, but as lovers in relationship, we will keep reading the letter because every time when we read the letter, we will feel the sweet feeling and that we feel loved. When someone you love sends you a letter or a SMS or WhatsApp, you will enjoy reading it again and again. Likewise, in our relationship with God, when we read the Bible, Our heart is warm by the love of God.
The Bible is meant to be read daily.
Paul wrote to Timothy, “continue in what you have learned” (verse 14). Continue to learn more about the Bible. It is a journey. There is never an end to it until we die. We can’t learn everything about it in our lifetime.
“Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of”.
Don’t let your fire die down for God’s Holy Word. Continue to guard your heart and guard your faith, because it is only through God’s Word that you will receive salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Apostle Paul also mentioned about Timothy learning the Bible from his mother and grandmother. Reading the Bible on our own in our quiet time with God is important. But don’t neglect from learning from someone. I have mentors and friends. We go for Bible seminars to deepen my understanding about the Bible. I listen to sermons from other guest speakers and talk about sermons with my friends. The church organizes a lot of Bible seminars for us to deepen our knowledge in the Bible. Always keep learning the Bible from reliable sources.
My parents had always been nurturing my sister and I spiritually. When I was young, my mum read Bible stories to me and my sister before bed when we were little children. It was always the favourite part of the day for me because I enjoyed the stories and the colours and pictures of the children Bible. Our parents sent us to Sunday school, we enjoyed the arts and crafts and the Bible stories. I praise the Lord for the spiritual legacy of my parents.
My maternal grandma lived to be a hundred years old. Despite her old age, she spent a lot of time in her room in prayers and reading the Bible. She prayed for each of her children and their families, her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She hunger for God’s Word so much that she continue to read the Bible despite failing eyes due to old age. I have this legacy and example to follow. At her funeral, my aunties, uncles and cousins were testifying what a woman of God grandma was. And we all strive to be like her, a woman of prayer and a woman of one book, the Bible.
My aunties and uncles from my mum’s side of the family are godly women and men. They inspired me so much by the way they live their lives and the way they love the people around them. It was through these examples of godly parents and grandma, aunties and uncles that I became sure of my salvation. And they read their Bibles.
Let’s remember to read our Bibles. It is food for our souls.
Victorious living (verse 16-17)
There is a story about a man named. In just six months, Gerald’s life fell apart. An economic crisis destroyed his business and wealth, while a tragic accident took his son’s life. Overcome by shock, his mother had a heart attack and died, his wife went into depression, and his two young daughters remained inconsolable. All he could do was echo the words of the psalmist, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1).
The only thing that kept Gerald going was the hope that God, who raised Jesus to life, would one day deliver him and his family from their pain to an eternal life of joy. It was a hope that God would answer his desperate cries for help. In his despair, like the psalmist David, he determined to trust God in the midst of his suffering. He held on to the hope that God would deliver and save him (Psalm 22: 4–5).
That hope sustained Gerald. Over the years, whenever he was asked how he was, he could only say, “Well, I’m trusting God.”
What does God do with people who put their trust in Him? God certainly honored that trust. He gave Gerald the comfort, strength, and courage to keep going through the years. His family slowly recovered from the crisis, and soon Gerald welcomed the birth of his first grandchild. His lament is now a testimony of God’s faithfulness. “I’m no longer asking, ‘Why have you forsaken me?’ but God has blessed me.”
When it seems there’s nothing left, there’s still hope.
The Bible is God-breath, it is the Word of God. There is power in God’s Word. It sustains us during difficult times.
As in Apostle Paul’s letter to Timothy, Paul also said that the Bible is the manual for victorious living.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that they servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (verses 16-17)
So that we will not end up like hot messes in our lives. God’s Word teaches us, rebuke us and correct us and train us to be righteous people, living lives which pleases God.
John Wesley gave us some practical ways to read the Bible.
In his book which was published in 1765, “Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament”, he wrote that reading the Bible should include these basics:
a. little time
You need to spend time to read the Bible. John Wesley said every morning and every evening, every day. You need to spend time to read the Bible. Make time in your schedule for Bible reading.
b. a chapter
John Wesley was saying read a chapter from the Old Testament and a chapter from New Testament. If you can’t do that, you can read a chapter.
c. a single eye
Read the Bible with a single eye means that we have to figure out what we can apply in our daily lives. After reading the chapter, what we should apply in our daily lives?
d. a constant eye
Have a constant eye to the analogy of faith: the original sin, justification by faith (because of faith, we are saved, and not because of good works), the new birth we have through Jesus Christ, Inward and Outward Holiness (emphasizing on Holy living).
e. pray
While we read the Bible, we pray. We pray for the Holy Spirit to give us understanding to understand the chapter. We also pray that God’s Word will be written in our hearts as we read.
f. pause
While we read, we also should pause and examine ourselves by what we read. Examine our hearts and lives. This will result in giving praise to God when He has guided us to a path of blessedness, or at certain parts, we identified with the sins mentioned in the Bible, we then ask God for forgiveness.
g. power
The Bible gives us power to live a victorious life. Like the examples of my grandma and also the story of Glenn, we see people living victorious life because they are people of one book, they love God more than anything else, and they were able to weather storms in their lives.
The Bible reading method I personally like to use is the ACTIONS.
A-adoration (praise God. Who God is in this passage?)
C-confession of sins (what are the sins this passage is talking about? Am I committing this sin? Confess it to God)
T-thanksgiving (according to this passage, what can I give thanks to God for?)
I-inspiring verses (which verse speaks to me the most?)
O-obedience (what is the one thing or things God is asking me to obey?)
N-now action (what is the action I have to take?)
S-share (share with others the new insights you have received from reading the Bible today)
I find that using ACTIONS is helpful in my personal Bible reading.
The Bible is a very powerful book. It is God’s Word. It has power. Let us not abandon or neglect it. It is God’s love letter to us, it is the teachings, source of wisdom and instructions for us while we are here on earth.
The Holy Spirit worked in the heart of our spiritual forefather, John Wesley. He then was remembered as “a man of one book”.
May the Holy Spirit inspire us to fall in love with Him and His Word. May God help us to follow the teachings of the Bible in our daily lives. May we treasure God’s Word and mediate on His word day and night. Let’s pray that we too, will be “men and women of one book”, and live victorious lives.
Dr Strange is one of Marvel’s superheroes. In the past decade, Marvel has been rolling out movies for its Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The first installment of Dr Strange was a part of Phase Three of the MCU.
In the first movie, we join Dr Strange as he went through a series of crises. He was a skillful neurosurgeon. One eventful night, he got into a terrible car crash that disabled his 2 hands. Desperate to recover completely from the injury, he went to Nepal to seek for healing. It was during this trip that he met a group of sorcerers and was guided by the Ancient One to master spells and magic. He slowly regained his health and received his calling to be a sorcerer.
I enjoyed the first movie. It was refreshing and the CGI was spectacular. The second movie explores traveling in “multiverse” (the existence of dozens of other universes). A character named America Chavez had the superpower to travel across these universes was introduced. She claimed there were other Dr Stranges in the multiverse. To prove her point, she showed Strange the corpse of another Strange from another universe.
This movie picks up from Disney Plus’ WandaVision whereby Wanda used dark magic to bring her deceased husband back to life. Wanda also used this dark magic to create a pair of twin boys: Billy and Tommy. This family of four was in a magical world; they do not exist in the real world. Wanda got obsessed with being with her family in this magical world that she would do whatever it takes to have her family with herm including harming others by using dark magic. Wanda knew America Chavez possessed the power to travel multiverse, and she would chase her through multiple universes to steal the power for herself. That was the only way she could be with her made-belief family.
Throughout this movie, Dr Strange and his companion, Wong, protected America from Wanda. There were entertaining scenes especially when Dr Strange traveled in different universes and how they had different rules compared to living on Earth.
However, I was taken aback by how dark the movie was. This movie is rated PG-13 but it was filled with magic spells and sorcery and violent scenes of killing and jump scare scenes. You might not enjoy this movie if these are the things that you find disturbing. I saw little children in the cinema. I wonder if they got scared.
What does the Bible say about Multi-verses?
One of the major themes of this movie is the multi-verses. Every person in the universe has alter egos that exist in other universes, and it could be a few of them. The alter egos appear in your dreams. Marvel seems to be going with this direction with its latest movies. In 2018, there was “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse” whereby there were different Peter Parkers, Spider-men and Spider-women all exist concurrently from different Spider-universes coming together to beat the bad guys. Multi-verses are a common themes in entertainment: movies, books and video games.
Are there multiple universes? The number of universes wasn’t mentioned in the Bible. But the Bible tells us is that God created the Heavens and the Earth (Genesis 1:1). And God said it was good (Gen 1:25b). Everything God has created was good and pleasing in His sight. The universe was made so wonderfully by God. There are always new discoveries that we human beings noticed about the universe and our world every day, because this is how vast and great our universe is! Our simple human minds can not grasp the depth of God’s love and creativity!
One thing I know from the Bible is that there is only me in the universe. And I was created with much thought and love by God my creator.
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:13-16)
“Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8)
He loves us with an unconditional love. He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die on the Cross for us (John 3:16) so that we will not perish in sin and death. For us who believe, we will be with Him in His Kingdom someday.
Even if there are multiple universes, I know there is one of me that is wonderfully made by God and deeply loved by Him.
Loneliness and temptations
Another theme of this movie is about loneliness and the temptations in order to overcome it. In one of the opening scenes of the movie, Dr Strange was attending the wedding of his former love. Throughout the movie, as he traveled to multi universes, he would search for the other Christines, wanting to see if they had any success in other universes.
As for Wanda, after losing her husband (who was sacrificed in Avengers: Infinity War, in their fight against Thanos), she was consumed with pain and loneliness. She succumbed to using dark magic to create a family of her own.
Both characters were lonely but they responded differently. Dr Strange was tempted to use dark spells so that he could have Christine in his life again. But he overcame this temptation.
Being lonely is a real issue that we all face from time to time. In times of loneliness, we will feel weak and it is easy to fall into temptations. Men and women of God are not exempted from loneliness. Prophet Elijah was lonely and depressed. Moses was lonely as he led the millions of Israelites out of Egypt into the Promised Land.
Praise the Lord that Jesus Christ understands when we are lonely. He had gone through it Himself. “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” (Isaiah 53:3). Jesus Christ came into this world and into our lives to destroy loneliness. We are not truly alone because He is with us.
What comfort is God’s Word to us: “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands” (Isaiah 49:16).
Horror elements
When my friend told me he had watched it and it was a scary movie, I doubted him. How could a Disney-Marvel be scary?
It really was! There were some scenes that were terrifying, for example: (1) half of Wanda’s face was covered in dried blood, (2) Dr Strange possesses a rotting corpse with half of its face rotted off, (3) demons were screaming and flying around when Dr Strange was performing his sorcery, (4) people with demonic eyes, (5) rituals of casting spells and the chanting of spells, (6) gore and violent killing scenes.
I am a Marvel fan but was surprised it is heading to this dark path. If you are planning to watch it, I suggest not to watch it with young children because some scenes are scary and violent. The acting by the cast was superb (especially Wanda, played by Elizabeth Olsen), though the script/storyline was just ok. Basing on entertainment value, I will give it a 2.5 out of 5.
22 April. Today is Earth Day. Since 1970, Earth Day has been an annual event celebrated by 1 billion people in more than 193 countries around the world. The participants take part in projects such as picking up litter and planting trees to protect the planet from pollution and deforestation.
But the task of taking care of this earth went back further than 22 April 1970. After creating the universe and the beautiful earth, God our Creator created a man and a woman and entrusted them to care for this world. God placed the man Adam and his wife Eve in the Garden of Eden, and oh, what a beautiful place that was! There were fruits on the trees and flowers of every kind and animals were living peaceably with one another. God gave them this responsibility to work and take care of this alluring garden (Genesis 2:15).
However, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they were banished from this garden. Taking care of the earth became a much harder job. There were now thorns, plants would wither, fruit trees might fall to bear fruits and we had to toil hard for food from the ground. Yet, God is still with us. He speaks to us through His creation. When we observe the nature around us, we see how tiny we are compared to the gushing waterfalls and the grandiose mountain. When we look at our garden: the blooming flowers, the singing birds, the mischievous cats and the loyal pet dogs, we can not help but be amazed at God’s creativity and love when He created all these wonderful creatures.
In 1901, pastor and poet Maltbie Babcock wrote the hymn, “This Is My Father’s World”, expressing his delight in God’s creation! During his morning walks, he was fascinated by God’s creations: the sky, the seas and all the creatures in them. And he was inspired to write this song.
This is our God’s world. He puts the seasons in order (Job 38:12-13). He controls the weather (Job 38:22-30) and He provides food for the living creatures (Job 38:39-41). He sustains this world, whether it is things visible or invisible to our human eyes.
Wherever we are, whether we live in a bustling city or a quiet town, each of us can play a part in caring for the environment. This can be our way of thanking God for creating this amazing world for us to live in. Let us protect this earth. We only have one earth. May our children and their children get to enjoy this beautiful world.
Today is Maundy Thursday. The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin of Jesus’s words when He gives his disciples a “new commandment” (mandatum novu) to love one another (John 13:34). The last words of someone about to die are very precious and important. Jesus knew that He would be heading towards the Cross very soon. It was His final night with His disciples on earth. He wanted His disciples to carry out this Commandment: to love one another. Love is the hallmark as His disciples.
From this passage, there are 3 things that we as the disciples of Jesus should do:
(1) Serve one another
Half-way during the meal, Jesus got up, took off the outer clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist, kneeled down before His disciples and washed the feet of His disciples one by one, drying the feet with the towel around his waist.
This was not what a king should be doing. What type of king would serve His servants? It is the servants who are at the king’s commands to serve Him.
What Master would serve his disciples? Washing the feet of the disciples is not one of the things the Master should do. The disciples were shocked. What type of a Master is this?
Footwashing was something that the lowest of servants would do. The servant would draw the water, wash the feet and dispose of the water. In those days, footwashing was a synonym for slavery. Those who received footwashing were superiors to the servant who washed the feet.
That was what Jesus did. No servant is greater than the Master. Yet, Jesus humbled Himself to show us an example of love and humility.
Jesus, after taking off his garment, was most probably in a tunic, which was something like an undershirt. This garment was what the servants in those days would wear to serve a meal. Jesus, the Master of His disciples, dressed like a servant as He washed His disciples’ feet.
Paul later wrote to the Philippians that Jesus made Himself nothing by taking the form of a servant. The Prince of Heaven took on the form of a servant.
Paul would later write to the Philippians that Jesus, the Son of God, made himself nothing by taking the very form of a servant.
“Who, being in very nature a God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature b of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!
Philippians 2:6-8
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who had authority above all things, came from Heaven to Earth as a man like us. He stooped down to wash His disciples’ feet to show us how to love.
In our culture today, we do not have foot-washing. What Jesus showed us was not the act of foot-washing itself, but it is about humbling ourselves to serve others. It is about serving others with humility and love. It is His humility and His love that enabled Him to stoop down and take the role of a lowly servant, and washed His disciples feet.
Jesus Christ never came to this earth to boast or to boss us around. He came to serve. He came to love.
What does it mean for us today? How does serving look like? Who can you serve? How can you make a difference in someone’s life, starting with your family? Who can you serve in your family? How can we serve?
Many of us worry that we can’t do much. But serving does not need to be a grand thing. A tiny act of kindness and goodness will have a ripple effect. Like a pebble thrown into the pond, there is a spreading effect. A tiny act of kindness will spread from one person to another. The effect will impact many others.
May God enlarge our hearts to love each other, to love our friends, to love our neighbours and even to love our enemies.
Who can you serve today?
2. Love one another
The acts of Jesus in the upper room must have impacted His Disciples. One of them, John, wrote,
“Beloved, let us love one another. For love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)
We love because love comes from God. Those who love have God in their lives.
Jesus gave the Commandment to love one another. He said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). Love is the hallmark of being the disciples of Jesus.
Jesus introduced the Last Supper to His disciples, teaching them the significance of the bread and the cup. 2000 years later, we celebrate Holy Communion in remembrance of what Jesus did for us. We remember the love of Jesus for us that bring Him to the Cross. Because He loves us, He was willing to head to the Cross, although He was scared too.
When we partake the Holy Communion, let’s be reminded that we share the one loaf of bread and the same cup. Let us not ignore or dismiss any of God’s people. We partake from the same loaf and cup. We are one in the Body of Christ, although we have different backgrounds, occupations and even skin colours, we are all same in the eyes of God. We are not any better because we are all sinners deserving death but we are saved by the mercy of God.
Jesus came for all of us. He died so that we will know what love is. Jesus loves us and He wants us to love one another.
3. Forgive one another
On that night in the upper room, as Jesus was holding the bread in His hands, He knew what was waiting for Him. He understood that this bread in His hands symbolised His body.
In a few hours’ time, His body would be crushed and broken —crushed for the sins of mankind. The entire weight of the sin of humanity was upon Him. He would be nailed on the Cross.
As Jesus was holding the cup, He would see the glistening red wine which was a symbol of His blood. In a few hours’ time, His body would be bloody from the merciless whipping. His would wear a crown of thorns which pierced His head. His blood was shed for us so that all of us who believe can be free from the snare of sin and death. Jesus shared the Cup with His disciples, reminding them that His blood would be poured out for the forgiveness of sins.
Later that night, Jesus said one of the 12 of them would betray Him. The disciples looked at each other. Who could it be?
Then, Judas, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples betrayed Him and sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
I am sure Jesus did certainly forgive Judas for betraying Him. There were no one so bad that Jesus could not forgive. No one so evil that Jesus did not came to save.
In 1988, a famous novelist was on a tv interview, she said, “What I envy most about you Christians is your forgiveness; I have nobody to forgive me.” Why? Why was there no one offering her forgiveness? Why is it she has not forgiven herself when she knows that she will receive forgiveness if only she takes a step to embrace the forgiveness of Jesus? May be she has not fully understood that Jesus offers forgiveness to anyone who would come to Him.
Jesus has offered forgiveness to everyone but it is not received by all. Why?
Forgiveness is hard to give but why is it even harder to receive?
How should we Christians tell others of the forgiveness we have in Christ? How should we live our lives as testimonies that we have been freed from our sin and guilt? There should be forgiveness in us because of the forgiveness that Jesus had given to us.
May we be reminded that Jesus came to serve, to love, to forgive. Let us also serve one another, love one another and forgive one another.
My parents have 2 dogs. They are such loyal friends and companions! Whenever I am home, they would sit by me (while I am typing this, one of them is only 1 foot away from me). After my aunt died, I was sad and I cried. The dog came to me and licked the tears on my cheek. He could not speak, but he brought so much comfort to me.
Dogs are such loyal companions!
Unfortunately, stray dogs and stray puppies are everywhere in my city!
Before getting a dog, please do remember that it is a commitment – – – as long as your dog shall live. No doubt, there are a lot of hard work involved in caring for a pet. But this is not an excuse to abandon the pet dog in the street and let it survive on its own. There are too many people abandoning their dogs when they are unwell or old. Some owners even abandoned their dogs once they are bored with them. If you are a dog owner, it is your responsibility to spay your dog so that it will not produce litters after litters of puppies! If you have been wanting to have a dog, do consider rescuing or adopting a stray dog instead of buying from breeders or pet shops.
Palm Sunday is the first day of the Holy Week. It is the Sunday before Easter. Palm Sunday is to commemorate Jesus’ triumphant entry in to Jerusalem as Saviour and King. By entering into Jerusalem, He knew He would be heading to the cross, where He would be crucified and die for the sins of humanity.
Today is your birthday. A decade ago, it was such a big deal! We would meet up and celebrate your birthday. After all, you deserved nothing but the best in life! Rewind back to 18 years ago, we were sitting in your parents’ car, and they would drive us to fancy restaurants for meals. On a weekend, we would drive 45 minutes to sea food restaurants by the beach. I felt special because your parents took me instead of your other friends. I did think you enjoy our friendship as much as I did.
Those were the good days.
When I was studying in Singapore, you flew over on the Eve of Lunar New Year to spend the new year together. We had a simple reunion dinner at China Town. I can not recall the dishes we had. Those were the days before camera in the phones were clear and sharp. But what was clear in my mind was that we had a great time. It was such a joy seeing you again, despite the fact I had only moved to Singapore last July. I took you around Singapore and sent you off at the airport with a heavy heart. These memories seemed not so long ago. They were so vivid in my mind.
2 decades ago, we would often hang out. With our other friends, we would go to the movies and we go bowling. Those were the things the young people did then. Back in those days, we didn’t have a lot of choices for entertainment.
You brought me to places I hardly go — you opened up my world and told me not to be so naïve. You critiqued my sense of fashion, you thought I could do better. You introduced me to your siblings and I met your friends too.
The memories remain. Today it is your birthday. But I did not send you any Birthday greetings. I had not been doing so for the past few years. The last time I saw you from a distance was when you were fetching your kid from the tuition school. It was just a casual wave to say “hi”. Nor did we exchange text messages after that.
After my studies in Singapore, I felt we were miles apart. We had different things in life. We did meet up a few times, but there wasn’t any similar topic of interests anymore. You got married to the man you loved, and I pursued my calling as a pastor. Eventually, you got busy with your children. I visited you on the birth of your firstborn, and I did not visit anymore when your other children were born. I was never married. I had a hard time keeping up with their birthdays, although I know their names. How old are they now? We had tight schedules. And our free times do not match each other’s.
It does take effort to pick up from where we left off years ago. In fact, it will need so much effort on our parts to reconnect again. That was why we silently agree to let our friendship die. I don’t text you anymore, you don’t text me anymore. We let each other go. And we have peace with that.
In some other friendships, we can easily reconnect again and seems nothing has changed, even if we do not stay in touch constantly. But not in our friendship. Even if I do see you today, I will not know what to say. You may not know what to say. It may be just a wave to say “hello” or “goodbye”.
Perhaps it is a part of life. Someone once dear to us can be a stranger.
Sundays are often packed with people and ministry. After the ministry this morning, my companion and I enjoyed a cup of coffee and shared a slice of salted caramel cheesecake.
I have been living in a complicated tension. On some days, I believed that the cake was evil. It will bring more harm than good to my health, it will destroy the good bacteria in my gut, it will add a few extra pounds on my already chubby body. The cake has to be avoided at all costs, I told myself. Oh, the measures I had taken to guard my mouth from taking a bite of the baked sugary dough!
On some other days, I swung to the other end of the pendulum, believing that the cake is a divine gift—created to pleased the palates of mankind. Today, the cake smells heavenly. Every cell in my body dance to the beat of each bite of the cake. My tongue bathed in the richness of the cheese. My heart sang. My tummy exploded with joy. I was satisfied and happy. Oh, what a great life, I thought to myself.
Nothing is all bad, I realised. Nothing is all good.
Life is not all bad. Life is not all perfect either. Life comes with challenges or obstacles but there are good days too. There are days when it is rainy but there are sunny days. Someone said, the rainbow is more beautiful after a rough storm.
People too. No one is all bad. No one is perfect. We have different sides to us. There is not a person who is all bad. There is still some goodness in each person, even the ones we deemed as “hopeless” or “bad”.
Praise be to God who saw us before we were formed in our mother’s womb (Isaiah 44:24.! He loves us unconditionally just as we are. We can accept Him and come to Him in repentance. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came from Heaven and earth to die for us and His blood cleansed us from sins so that we can have a relationship with God. No one is too bad that He could not love. No one is so good that does not need Him.
Human beings are always searching for meanings in life. The Teacher came up with 3 observations about life and death:
Life is a gift from God (verses 9-10)
The Preacher noticed something in the pattern of mankind.
“9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race” (verses 9-10)
All of us are carrying burdens. There are financial burdens and worries. We are carrying our loads as parents who provide for our children. Or we are caregivers to our elderly parents. If you are a young adult, you face the pressure of balancing work and family life.
If we see life as a gift from God, we have a better attitude and outlook in life. Even if we are going through difficulties times or are carrying burdens, we can still give thanks to God for the gift of life.
If we treasure life as a gift, every breath that we take is a gift. Life becomes meaningful because it is a gift.
If we see our life as a burden, we will miss the gift of life God has for us. We will not see the blessings from God, but all we can see are problems, pain and difficulties. This will make us angry people, bitter people, people who hold on to grudges, people who are always blaming others for their unhappiness.
The way we look at our lives is important. How we view our life will determine how we live our lives. How we live our lives will most likely determine how we leave this world.
2. Our life is linked to eternity (verse 11)
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (verse 11)
Mankind is created in the image of God. When God created mankind, God placed “eternity in the human heart” (verse 11). God put eternity in our hearts, we were meant to last forever until sin came into the world and separate us from God. In our attempts to find God, we tried many ways to fill in this emptiness.
The Teacher searched for fulfilment in life. He searched for it in entertainment. He could not find it. He searched for it in wealth and could not find it. He was not satisfied. Without God, there is emptiness.
How does knowing that you have been created for eternity affect the way you live your everyday life?
God accomplish His purposes in His time, and we may not understand His plan because He sees it from the eternity point of view. God is all knowing, all seeing, almighty, ever present. God is eternal. He sees the whole picture. He makes everything beautiful in His time, and we can fully trust in Him though we may not understand it all. But it is not for us to worry about. We just need to trust in God and live by faith.
3.Our life is enjoyable— now (vv 12-14)
“12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.” (verses 12-14)
Yes, each of us is carrying our own load of burdens. But the Teacher tells us to enjoy what we have right now. Appreciate what we have now. Some are caught up dreaming of some possible future thinking that we can only enjoy life when we have a car or a house or be married or have kids or retired, or have more money in the bank. Some are dwelling in the past, lamenting about that the good days were gone.
We can appreciate our live right now and live in the moment, not dreaming about the future or dwelling in the past.
Ecclesiastes seems to talk a lot about “meaningless, meaningless” because this is what it is without God, meaningless. But another theme of Ecclesiastes we do not hear a lot is “enjoy life”. We can see this theme being repeated from chapter 3-10.
Life is difficult. Still, we are to treasure each day, and be thankful for what we have. Everything that we have comes from God. God gives us the strength, ability and talents for work and to make a livelihood.
God gives us rest from our labour.
No matter what comes our way, as people who love the Lord, learn not to complain but to give thanks for all that we have with all that we have.
When we are mindful that life is a gift from God, life is more meaningful and manageable. We can rest in God and find satisfaction in our daily toil.
