Faith, Hope and Love

Was just about to catch up with my work at my computer when a cell group mate sent a very thought provoking message to the cell’s whatsapp group regarding the ongoing debate on the HPB FAQ. Interestingly, the verse of the day on the Bible App is James 3:17-18 “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” This got me thinking about my own response to the issue so far. Many of us like to zoom in on the word “pure” in James 3:17 and see it as our moral duty to speak out against what we see as an encroachment on our values and way of life. I am no different. Quite sick of being dragged around by all sorts extremist modern day crusaders’ almost militant pursuit of their own (sometimes misguided) agenda, I was all ready to heed the clarion call for the silent majority to rise up and be heard. The image I often lik...

In the gospel of John, chapter 9, the story was told of a man born blind. Jesus’s disciples asked him “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”   “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” answered Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” He then went on to heal the blind man.   The question that Jesus's disciples asked is a familiar question for all of us. We all want to know why there is suffering in this world; why bad things happen to innocent people. And my wife and I are no exception. We too ask this question very often. When Ethan was born 5 years ago, my wife and I were very excited. He was our first child and God had given my wife a dream about him a year earlier, before he was even conceived. In the dream, God gave the full name Ethan Ong Le An. We had no doubt that Ethan was a gift from God.   But when Ethan was about 3 months old, our world suddenly turn...

Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church started its 30 days series "Live like you were dying" today. As part of today's sermon, our pastor played the song that led to this series being written. I found the song particularly meaningful and it has certainly provoked some thoughts. How often do we put off something, thinking that we have all the time in the world to do it? How often do we shy from pursuing our passion and our calling as there are seemingly more important things to do around us? How often do we take the relationships we have with our friends and loved ones for granted? Do we really need to wait till we are really dying before we live differently? Most of what we do in everyday life is in denial of this fact that we will all one day die. Our world perpetuates the lie that there is always a tomorrow that we can count on. But the fact is, this tomorrow may never come. And the world would really be a better place, and our lives much better if we live like we were dying.

In our Asian homes, fathers often take a back seat when it comes to parenting. We assume in our chauvinistic view that our role is to bring home the dough and all matters pertaining to the home is the responsibility of our wives. However, this is not what God had intended for us. The examples of Joseph and Eli clearly show otherwise. The story of Joseph as a father is told in Matthew 1-2. While many of us like to focus on the role of Mary in bringing Jesus into the world, the account in Matthew shows Joseph as a very involved father and reveals two things about fatherhood. First, God has very specific roles for fathers to play in rearing children. God could have very well left everything to Mary and gave her all the revelation. But He did not. He chose to involve Joseph right from the start when an angel appeared to announce the birth of Jesus. Joseph was also made responsible for the safety of baby Jesus as he was the one who received the vision and made the decision to leave for Egyp...