Practicing Kindness, Patience and Love

Going to the supermarket during the Movement Control Order can be quite wearisome.

I made weekly trips to the supermarket. Upon entering, there will be a staff who makes sure each of us is using a face mask, watches us as we line up to wash our hands with hand soap at a sink near the entrance. After that, he will motion us to him, and takes our body temperature.

Once we are inside the supermarket, the shoppers, including myself, are scurrying around with a shopping list, aiming to get what we need while staying a meter away from anyone. It certainly is a different atmosphere than what is used to be. The atmosphere is tense. We don’t smile at each other like we used to do. I don’t see people giving way to one another. We are less gracious than we used to be.

It is a timely opportunity to practice love, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, self-control and love. These will be helpful to ease the fears, frustrations and tension in us and around us.

The New Normal

Since the country is in a lockdown thirty-three days ago, life has a “new normal”.

Ministry are all online now: online prayer meetings, online meetings, online fellowships, online Sunday services… these are now the new normal.

In my social circle, it is easier now to have a catch-up session with friends. Everyone is at home. In the past, it takes two years to plan a dinner with a group of my girl friends – – – our timetables were always clashing with each others’. Now that everybody is home, it is easier to re-connect.

How are you coping with life when a significant amount of activities we used to do are now being carried out online?

Found a pair of unused earphones. They are useful as I have been using online video apps such as Zoom to communicate with friends and church members.

Time Tracking

At one point, I was tracking all my activities with Google Calendar. I use different colours for different parts of my life. At a glance, I knew where time was going.

I no longer do this, as I am familiar with the rhythm of life and ministry, knowing which hour of which day goes to which activity.

Recently, I downloaded an app called “Forest”. It is listed as one of the Top Productivity app in Google store. This app aims to help the user to “stay focused” and “be present”.

Forest app applies the Pomodoro technique: set the timer for 25 minutes, you work on your task. After that, you take a 5 minutes break. After 4 sets of 25 minutes of work, you will get a longer break.

When you first install the app, it will guide you through some instructions. I think the default minutes of Forest app is 25 minutes, but you can adjust it.

What I like about this app is that I can’t up pick my phone for mindless Facebook/Instagram scrolling when I have something to finish up. If I am disciplined enough (not picking up my phone), I can plant virtual trees and earn coins, which can be saved up and used to help plant real trees in Africa: Cameroon, Kenya, Senegal, Uganda and Tanzania.

As I am writing this blog post, I have this 25 minutes timer on. I get to finish this blog post as well as preparing for a short devotion for the meeting this afternoon.

The message I got after picking up the phone 25 minutes later, “I’ve stayed focused for 25 mins without touching my phone! #forestapp”

The coins I got

Planted a virtual tree today

My forest looks like this

Spiritual Lessons from Manna

Something so small and yet so impactful.

Manna was a provision for the Israelites during their 40 years in the wilderness when they were on their way to the Promised Land— a land flowing with milk and honey which God had promised them (Exodus 3:17).

During these 40 years, God was teaching them and preparing them to be His people, a holy nation He had set apart which would bless the other nations of the world.

‘5“I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot. 6“You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or strong drink, in order that you might know that I am the LORD your God.”’ (Deuteronomy 29:5-6).

In my last post, I talked about God being our Provider. He knows our every need. To the Israelites in the wilderness, manna was one of the provisions from the Lord, and He had specific rules for them. They were to gather it daily, except on the Sabbath day (no manna could be seen on the Sabbath day, as it is a day of rest, and so on the day before Sabbath, the Israelites were to gather the portion they needed for the Sabbath). If the Israelites gathered more than they needed, it would rot.

For us as believers, we are to pray for our daily bread as our Lord Jesus Christ has taught us to pray (Matthew 6:11). However, we can get so busy wanting more and more that we can fall into the temptations of whining, complaining and coveting for the things we do not need but want. This is hard for me too, because I am always yearning and wanting the shiniest and newest things. If I look back at my purchase history, I have wasted a lot on things I want but not necessarily beneficial for me.

In his letter to Timothy, Apostle Paul wrote, “7For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1Timothy 6:7-10)

God does provide for our daily needs. We do not need to be over-anxious. At the same time, we are to be wise stewards of all that He has given to us: time, money, talents and gifts.

The providence of manna reminds me to:

  • Be grateful with all that I have
  • Do not hoard things but share with those in need. Be generous!
  • Be a good steward of God’s gifts
  • Rest in God, trust in His goodness and plans for me

May the providence from the Lord brings us joy!

Be Satisfied

In the wilderness, God had supplied the Israelites with all that they had needed. He was with them: in a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night to give them light so they could travel by day or night (Exodus 13:21). Their clothes and sandals never worn out (Deuteronomy 29:5).

In the wilderness, they did not have lands to plant vegetables for food. God then provided food for them, manna, which He rained down from Heaven. Manna in Hebrew means “what is it?!”.

“4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days” (Exodus 16:4-5).

As time passed, the Israelites were sick of having manna every meal. They began to get upset and frustration got a hold of them. they began to wail, whine and complained that they had lost their appetite because they had (eaten and seen) too much manna.

“4 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” (Numbers 11:4-6) 

They were making comparisons with their old life in Egypt. They would rather be working as slaves in Egypt under the cruel task masters and had fish, and other types of food to eat, than being in freedom with God as their loving Provider. Being in the wilderness meant they had to trust God like never before.

They got what they wanted: meat. God sent them quails but it was not without a price.

It is easy for us to whine and complain. It is easy to find things to complain about. May God have mercy on us. May God help us to see His goodness, mercy, providence, forgiveness and love.

Let us cultivate a heart of thanksgiving. What are the things you can give thanks to God for today? Why not list them down and give thanks to God for His mercy and providence?

Time Management

If I don’t manage my time, other people will manage it for me. Time is one of the wonderful gifts from God, I want to make the most out of each day. Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 5:15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil“. Apostle Paul talked about “redeeming time”, which means, grabbing every opportunity to live in the light of God’s purposes. We should live carefully and wisely, because we are citizens of Heaven. And this includes the use of time. 

Peter Drucker, an American management consultant and author, says, “Time is the scarcest resource, and unless it is managed, nothing else can be managed”.

I am writing this post during the Movement Control Order (MCO), whereby we are to stay home to prevent the spread of Corona virus. It will be somewhat different if this Movement Control is lifted because then I will need to think about the time it will take me to commute to the office.

1. Prioritize

What is most important to you?

I make it a point to look at and reply to text messages only after 8:30am every day because I need to spend time with God before starting the day. In the past, upon waking up, I would be replying to texts I had received from the night before after I had went to bed, or responding to tags on FB. Then I would rush to the office, only giving the “leftover” time for God, instead of reserving the best hour of the day for Him.

Prioritize what is most important and the day will be sorted out well.

 

2.Schedule No Distractions time

There was a point in my pastoral life where I would need a nap but then, when the phone buzzed, I would hop off my bed to look at and reply messages. A few (many, in fact) minutes went by, and I was robbed out of my nap time; my alarm rang. Had I been more disciplined in the usage of my phone, I would get my nap and would be more energised for ministry in the evening (win-win situation for everybody).

It shocked me when I was rooming with my (pastor) friend during a conference. She would put her phone on the “airplane mode”, so that she could get some quality rest. Since then, I learned not to apologize for needing a nap (after office hours, of course). We all can use a break. Some non-urgent messages can be replied later.

 

3.Discern

There are many activities clamouring for our attention. It is good to discern which categories each activity belongs to: (1) Non negotiable, (2) important, (3) beneficial, (4) optional, (5) non negotiable necessities.

 

4. Plan tomorrow, tonight

Before I go to bed each night, I will think about the things I need to do. I will then have a rough idea on what I will be doing the next day. It will be less overwhelming when the sun rises.

On the Monday night of each week, I will take a look at my calendar and see what are the programmes I need to prepare for (Bible studies, Small Group, sermon prepping, etc) and how many (online) visitations/catching up I need to do. I will then put the other categories into empty slots.

 

5. Set the duration of meetings

Sometimes, I plan meetings back to back. It is my attempt to do similar things in a batch. I will set up my laptop, instead of needing to set it up for every meeting. It is good to remind those at the meeting what is the expected meeting duration, so that we will keep to the time and not get side tracked during the meeting. It is important to have an agenda too, so that everyone will come prepared and during the meeting itself, we will not wander around aimlessly.

 

6. Time for fun

At one point, I was close to burnt-out because I was so busy and overwhelmed with all that I have to do. Now with the MCO, I have more time to slow down. We can’t go for a walk at the part or play sports, but it is important to schedule in time to have fun for the sake of our sanity.

 

7. Limit screen time

With the MCO, I work from home. Bible studies, prayer meetings etc are all done online. Sometimes I forgot to look up from the screen and spend time with my parents. Limit screen time and pay attention to our family around us. Make the most out of this MCO period to enjoy our family. 

Easter Sunday Reflection

Praise be to our God!
“4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4-5)

Jesus Has Risen

28 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
1. Jesus Christ is risen! He had conquered sins and death. Some day, He will be coming back to judge the world. Does my life tell others that I am a follower of Jesus Christ? Is my life filled with hope and joy because He is alive and reigns forever more? Am I living in victory and in freedom in Christ because He has freed me from the bondage of sins and shame? 2. Do not be afraid. Jesus is with me. I have my personal struggles as well. Surrender them to Jesus. He is faithful. Do not be afraid. Jesus has calmed the storm and waves. Jesus will also calm my anxieties and fears.3. Jesus has commissioned His followers to tell others about Him. Why am so I afraid to share about His love to those around me? Jesus says, “Do not be afraid”. May God grant us boldness to live in personal and social holiness as we proclaim the Good News so that we will not stumble others.Christ has risen! Praise the Lord!

I See You

About 23 years ago, there is a cross-platform messenger called ICQ (which comes from the English phrase “I Seek You”). I spent 2 hours on Friday nights to chat with my friends on ICQ.

There were no face to face interactions then, we only exchanged words. My heart could easily be absent when I was chatting. I hid behind a string of colon and semi-colon, colon and a capital D, to sound more enthusiastic than I really was. We chatted to pass time.

With the recent MCO, I have been using apps like Zoom and WhatsApp to keep in touch with friends and do church ministries. Through video calls, we can see each other, and say to each other “I see you”. In the midst of the pandemic, we check in on each other.

We can get through this Pandemic together.

Afternoon with the GB Girls. “I See You”. With the online meeting, I was able to talk to them more than I usually would at the normal meeting.

Principles for Discipleship Mark 9:38-50

What are some of the things that other Christians do that drive you crazy? One day, the disciples of Jesus were getting agitated by a man who was using Jesus’ Name to drive out demons. They disciples could not bear with him.

The disciples of Jesus were given the authority and power to use His Name. They had been empowered to preach, to teach, to heal and to chase away the evil spirits in His Name. They saw people being freed from bondages and being healed. When the disciples noticed that there was someone outside of their group of 12 doing what they were doing, they got agitated and stopped Him.

Jesus told them not to stop the man. There are a few things we can learn from Jesus’ response. These can be applied in our lives as His disciples.

1. Uphold unity (v 40)
The disciples judged the man for not worthy enough to use the Name of Jesus because he was not one of them.
The original audiences of the Gospel of Mark would see themselves behaving like the disciples. There were conflicts over Jewish-gentile relations. The church was a young church and yet, the Christians were quarreling and having disagreements with each other.
Much harm is done when Christians fight among each other, when we behaving self-righteously and condemning others. Jesus wanted His disciples to look at themselves first, and not be to judge others. Similarly, today, let us not be so quick to find faults in others or judge others lest we hinder others from knowing Jesus and experiencing His love.

2. No actions are forgotten by Jesus (v 41)
The second principle of discipleship is that no action is unseen by Jesus. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward”.
What Jesus means is that everything that we do in His Name will not be forgotten. Think about the missionaries who obeyed Jesus and went to foreign lands for Jesus. They left everything behind for Jesus: their homes, their comforts, their possessions, their cultures and for some, even their lives. Jim Elliot lost his life reaching out to a group of tribal people. He left behind his wife and an 8-month-old daughter, who later on went back to minister to the people who killed Jim.
Think about Mother Teresa, who left behind her homeland to serve the sick, forgotten, rejected and dying in India. Think about the many ordinary everyday people who served in Jesus’ Name, who prayed in Jesus’ Name, who ministered in Jesus’ Name, who are making differences in people’s lives because they love Jesus.
All that they have done in Jesus’ Name is not forgotten by Jesus.
May be right now, you don’t always see the results of serving in the church ministries. You wonder are all these worth it.
But the ripple effects will always be there. As what Jesus said, giving someone a cup of water has its life changing effect. Sometimes, the person who received kindness will be changed. We have all experienced kindness and love from someone: our parents, our Sunday School teachers, our school teachers, our pastors and so on. They may not even know how they have touched us and impacted us with their actions and love, but we remember their acts of kindness and we passed it on to others around us.
One day, we will be surprised to see the impacts of the little actions which we have done in Jesus’ Name. So, don’t be discouraged. Keep doing good to glorify Jesus. May He be exalted in your life.

The next 3 principles is the warning of Jesus about the way we live our lives:
3. Don’t stumble others (v 42)
Jesus said in verse 42, “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.”
Jesus said it would be dangerous if His disciples make people fall down, especially the children and the weak. Jesus said for those who stumble others, it would be better if they were to be thrown into sea with a millstone around the neck than do harm to the children and the weak.
As disciples of Jesus, we are to live out the teachings of Jesus. If we are careless, it will bring irreparable damage to the body of Christ. We have heard of stories of Christians living in such a way that repel people from Christ. May God grant us grace so that we will be watchful and not stumble people or prevent them from knowing and enjoying the love of Christ.

4. Live in purity (vv 43-48)
Jesus very bluntly tells us about the realities of life after death, and we will either enter Heaven or Hell. To those who believe in Jesus by faith, we will go to Heaven. On the other hand, Hell is the destination for those who sin against God, who rebel against God, who are not obedient.
We have to be watchful. Guard the way we live. Jesus specifically mentioned the three body parts: hand, foot and eyes. Pay attention to how we use our hands, our feet and our eyes. Are we doing things, taking things not ours, going to places that are displeasing to God? As we seeing things with our eyes that cause us to stumble and sin? May God help us to live in holiness.

5. Do it (vv49-50)
Therefore, live out your lives as Christians. In the Old Testament, the burnt offerings and sacrificed were offered to God. Salt preserve the sacrifices which were to be offered up to God.
Apostle Paul also mentioned being holy living sacrifices for God as our spiritual act of worship in Romans 12:1. “Therefore, i urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship”.

Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
When Jesus said, “Be salted with fire” (v 49), it means, “to be empowered with the Holy Spirit”. Jesus was saying to offer ourselves as living sacrifices for God. Live in purity and holiness. When we renewed our hearts and mind, we want to live in ways that are pleasing to God.

Don’t underestimate the power of Christ in you. The power of the Name of Christ that sets you free from bondages and give you victory over temptations. As children of God, we have been given the authority to use the Name of Jesus. We pray in the Name of Jesus to cast away evil thoughts. When we are traveling, we pray protection and cleansing of the room in the name of Jesus. We also surrender our emotional and physical pains to Jesus in His Name and to receive healing. May our lives tell others the joy, the blessings, the peace and the unity we have as disciples of Jesus.

Sleep to glorify God :)

“30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. (Mark 6:30-34)

When I was younger, I was shocked to find out my older friends needed 8 hours of sleep each night. I was thinking: why waste so much time on sleeping! The younger me could survive with only a few hours of sleep, and I did enjoy the excitement of not sleeping the whole night to finish up my assignments.

  I thought that sleeping less = being productive.

And I was so wrong.

Doctors recommended that we get about 7-8 hours of sleep every night for our well beings.

More importantly, the Bible teaches us that sleep is important.

Firstly, God created us to need to sleep. After God created Adam, the first human being, God made Adam to fall asleep. And God did His work during Adam’s sleep. When Adam was sleeping, God took a rib bone of out him and made a woman—a life partner for Adam.

When we sleep, God is doing something in us. Our cells are rejuvenating. Our organs are resting. God refreshes us in our sleep.

Secondly, sleep is surrendering to God. Sleep means we admit our own frailty as human beings. We can’t work all the time. We don’t have everything in control all the time. We never will. But God is in complete control over the universe. We sleep at night knowing that our God is watching over us. We can trust in Him.

For the Israelites, the Sabbath started when the sun set. Their day and night started and ended at sunsets. They started their day not by working, but by going to sleep. It means, total surrender to God. We can’t do anything apart from God.

Thirdly, sleep is a gift from God.

Psalm 127 tells us, sleep is a gift from God. We need sleep and rest from our work, regardless how much we enjoy our work.

“1Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. 2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves”.

For God grants sleep to those He loves. It is a reminder that we should not be worry or anxious, but we should rest in Him like little babies, trusting in Him.

It is interesting how many times in Psalm 121 that we are reminded that God doesn’t sleep. It is His job to protect us. This Psalm tells us, God who watches over us does not slumber or sleep, therefore, nothing can harm us. He watches over from all harm. He watches over our life.

We can trust in Him and sleep in peace.

We read in Psalm 3:5–6, “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.” Then we read in Psalm 4:8, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

When we sleep and when we rest, we are surrendering everything to God. He gives us rest and peace, and sleep.

The Bible is not asking us to rest and sleep and rest and sleep. There should be a balance.

In Mark 6: 7-13, Jesus sent out His disciples 2 by 2 to tell others the Good News. Jesus also gave them authority to cast out evil spirits. The disciples went out to teach, drove out evil spirits and also to heal many sick people.

When they regroup with Jesus again, they were so excited to tell Jesus everything they had done and taught. About that time, a big group of people in need came to Jesus and His disciples for healing and to hear the teachings of Jesus. The crowd kept pressing in until Jesus and disciples did not have a chance to eat. So, Jesus said, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest”.

Jesus invited His disciples to come with Him to get some rest. Come with Jesus for a time of quietness and be recharged.

Soon, the crowd caught up with them. Jesus saw them and had compassion on them. Jesus demonstrated to us the balance between rest and work.

Jesus rested, and He worked hard too. In rest, Jesus glorified God, in His work, Jesus glorified God too.

We too, rest in Him to be energised to serve Him. We serve God and others to glorify Him.