Lesson learnt: Be Gracious & Meek

I have a nervous week. Thank and praise the LORD! My Shepherd leaded me through.

Yes, nervous because I needed to account to my customer why I am delaying his project due to the late arrival of the crystal oscillators which I ordered since last September (see post on Feb 19 – Waiting …Hoping … :( or :) ? ).

Also, I was nervous because my team had a presentation on a new design to make to the bosses. It is a sort of an accountability presentation. Will there be fire and storm??

After a long distance call and talking to the supplier of the crystal oscillators, I took a few days to pray for wisdom how I should answer to my UK customer of the frequent delay of the project which we promised to deliver. I also prayed that my customer be gracious to me and not penalize my company for the overdue. After much prayer, I decided to be honest and state the situations, giving them the assurance that I will do my utmost best to expedite the work. God is good, the customer is quite gracious and there is no penalty or cancelation of the project. Now I need to honor my words and praying that my supplier of the crystal oscillators will deliver their goods next week as promised.

Still waiting … and hoping.

Then in the mid-week, the presentation wasn’t that smooth as I would hope to. This is a team work project (and is still on going). One of my junior engineers did make an honest mistake and the computer simulation of a part of the design did show some potential problem. Perhaps, he did not realize it. I didn’t spot it either during the preparation of the presentation. But during the presentation, it appeared quite obvious to everyone! (Why is it that when something is not right it seem so obvious :(??)

At that point, one of the Vice-president started to attack the engineer. And it got quite merciless. It was like what Jesus said, when I read today’s devotion on Our Daily Bread Matthew 20:20-28

Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,(Mat 20:25,26)

Reflecting back on the week, the LORD seems to speak me to be gracious to people. In life, there will always be mistake, delay and hold-up. How should I response to such situations?

Be gracious when others are at fault.

Be meek when I am at fault.

Sermon thoughts: Submission between spouses!!

OK, I am going to put my head on the chopping board and blog about submission in a marriage! :(

Well, that’s because last Sunday, our worship sermon was on 1Peter 2:12-3:13.

This is by far the most sensitive issue for Christian marriage. I remember way back about 20 plus years ago when I was attending this young adult cell group in San Jose, California. One newly married couple spoke strongly against submission. The wife, a Taiwanese lady but raised in America claimed that the passage was “a mistake” in the Bible. Her American husband smiled and nodded. The discussion centered mostly on cultural issues, where submission was a Middle East ancient culture which women normally submit to men (father, brother, and husband). So, the group unanimously agreed that submission in marriage is subjective to culture and does not apply to Americans. Hooray!!

Back track couples of years when I was student in Polytechnic trained under the para-church, Navigators. In one of the leadership training session, my ministry leader made a profound statement which I still remember till this day. He said, “In any organization, system or animal group, there must only be one head (one leader). If there is no head, it is a demon. If there are 2 or more heads, it is also a demon. There must be only one head.” On reflection, this apply also to a family, there must be one head (one leader). Even in the Trinity Godhead, it is the Son submitting to the Father and never the Father submitting to the Son.

OK, so why can’t wife be the leader at home and husband submit to wife?

I know it is very hard for the sisters to swallow if I said that God told Eve that he (referring to Adam, her husband) will rule over her (Gen 3:16) after they sinned. Before they sinned, Eve is Adam’s helper (Gen 2:18-25). To be able to help someone means that you must be capable in order to be of help. It is only after they sinned that Adam is designated as the ruler of the home.

Frankly, I am ok that my wife wants to be the leader of the house. Since she wants to take leadership and there can be only one leader so that it is not a “demonized” home, I do my part and give love, respect and consideration to her (1Peter 3:7). But, sisters, bear in mind one day, you need to stand before God and answer Him: “Why do you want to be the leader of the home?”

Finally, to sisters who are not yet married: marry only a Christian man whom you can accept him as the leader of the home. If you can’t, he is probably not good for you.

Agape :)

Waiting …Hoping … :( or :) ?

Waiting can be daunting. Even now, I am still anxiously waiting.

I wait because I believe there is hope. Otherwise, there is no point waiting.

You see, I had ordered some crystal oscillators on 3 September 2009 for my project which must be delivered on 8 January 2010. At first, the supplier confirmed his delivery date to be November 27. Then as the day came and gone, I was told that it’s going to be December 18. So there was still hope. Unfortunately, it turned out to be false hope. They delayed the delivery date to 19 February 2010. This set me wondering, is this finally going to be real?

A week before Lunar New Year (14 Feb), I emailed them. Sadly, it was another false hope and they shifted the new date to be the first week of March. I began to get anxious and worried.

And I am still waiting and hoping, hoping and waiting. In the midst of all this kan-chong (anxiousness), I was also praying and seeking God for wisdom. But HE chooses not to speak – silence.

I took leave on 12 Feb and was at the Singapore Bible College Library. As I was browsing through the books for only a short while, one particularly book caught my attention.

WAITING – Finding hope when God seems silent

Yep, this is the book I have read during the last 4 days of this holiday period. Is this what the Almighty is directing me to do? If Abraham has to wait for 25 years to see his child born (at the age of 100!), what does waiting mean to me?

Then yesterday’s devotion from Our Daily Bread passage was on Psalm 62. I was reading from my New Revised Standard Version and verse 5 & 6 just jumped out of the text:

For God alone, my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.


Waits … in silence … hope is from him …He alone … not be shaken.

Mere coincidence?? This verse speaks volume to me today.

Roger, over!!

Moving forward or staying put?

Ever since I read what Dr Albert Ting (Principal of Singapore Bible College) wrote in the Jan-Feb 2010 edition of the SBC newsletter:

"Vision without action is only good intention."

Shall I or shall I not continue with what I have planned to do?

Devotional Thought: Who else are invited?

Whenever I received a wedding dinner invitation from a friend, my mind usually ask: “Who else are invited?”

Also, to be invited to one’s wedding is a show of good friendship and relationship. After all, we want to celebrate our joyous occasion with good friends and relatives only. So, I never, never turn down a wedding invitation unless I am oversea or in army (reservist) training.

Last month, one of my company’s former engineer invited me to his wedding dinner. He did not invite his boss (who is my colleague and peer ) to his wedding. I guess they are not in good working relationship. That is also probably a reason for leaving my company.

In today’s Our Daily Bread, as I read Revelation 19:1-9 , I know one very important day will come where I will be invited to a wedding supper. I am excited about going to this wedding supper. To miss this wedding supper is as important as Heaven and Hell. Are you sure that you will be invited to this wedding supper? And so, I will ask “Who else are not invited?”

This wedding supper is only for those who have received the blood of the Lamb, and have a good relationship with the groom, our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us reach out to those who we know and introduce them to the groom. They will then be invited to this wedding supper.

See you are the wedding supper of the Lamb! :)

'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'

Devotional Thought: Wealth - Sharing or Hogging?

We all like to get rich. And there is nothing wrong with it.

But then, the question is, what do I do with the vast amount of money if I am rich?

As I read Our Daily Bread this morning on Luke 12:13-21 , I can’t help but ask this question to myself. No, I am not rich, just enough to live the day, sufficient to sustain my family of 5 (I am the only bread-winner), and keep some for the children’s university education in the near future.

The rich farmer in Jesus’ parable, did nothing wrong actually. He continues to grow his wealth. However, what Jesus says is wrong with him is that he is rich only to himself and not rich towards God (Luke 15:21). How then does one become rich towards God?

Last Saturday, I attended a friend’s daughter wedding dinner. In Singapore, a wedding usually cost a fortune and guests usually give cash gift in the form of Ang Pao (red packet). As I was deciding how much to give, the words “Be a Blessing” kept ringing in my mind. It is good to have money to be able to bless someone. Perhaps, that is what Jesus means when He calls us to be rich towards God – sharing our wealth and not hogging it all for self?

Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." (Luke 12:15)

Dinner @ Crab Party

Last Saturday night, the Young Adult! ministry had a group dinner at this place called Crab Party.

About 14 of us were there. Shannen and her boyfriend came later and left shortly.

Luh Sy came, what a surprise. :) Thank you, we need more of the "older generation" to come. OK, sorry for calling you old. I am just as old (haha!!)

It was just a gathering, nothing much. We have been thinking about how we can improve this group meeting to draw more of the young adult who had left us to come back. It is tough to get them back. Seem like we have been paying the price of not spending time in nurturing them spiritually when they were younger. Now that they have left - Erina, Rachel, Faith, James, Cecilia, Eunice, ... , I wonder the church have realised the mistake some ten years back to just leave the Youth Alive! to be run by the youth themselves.

May be not. We still think we are doing well. .... :(