Like David
The deepest longing in our hearts, the “Abba!” cry of our spirits and our constant prayer, should be to be transformed – or, to be more precise, to be conformed into God’s likeness. That’s why Zechariah’s prophetic prescription in Zechariah 12:8 is so stirring: ‘(The weakest among us) in that day shall be like David…’ (my paraphrase). He speaks of a day when we’ll display the dignified qualities of royal heirs of the King of Heaven. It’s the culmination of […]
Love vs Duty
I met a lovely Christian couple in my neighbourhood and, in our friendly banter, they shared with me intentions to bless the residents with gifts and organising a block Christmas party at the year-end. With all eagerness, they asked, “What do you think? Will it work?” I was encouraged by their zeal and initiative but wondered if they were missing something. Without sounding like a party pooper, I asked, “What’s your goal in having a Christmas party for your block […]
Building Fences
There are special moments in your life when Jesus beckons you to come away with Him to be refreshed and refilled in His Presence. I was blessed with just such an opportunity at a recent conference by joining a band of Burning Hearts infused with one magnificent obsession – to worship and exalt Jesus alone. During one worship session, a line from a song by Caleb Andrews captivated me and began swirling in my spirit. ‘I’m building fences around the precious, […]
What’s In Your Kindness Box?
While fetching my boy from school, a big colourful box with the words ‘Our Kindness Box’ in his classroom caught my attention. It brought back memories of Singa the Kindness Lion that was launched as our National Courtesy Campaign’s mascot back in 1982. Its slogan went ‘Courtesy is part of our tradition, it’s so nice to be courteous.’ The campaign later became part of the Singapore Kindness Movement as a call for Singaporeans to become a more gracious society. In […]
The Ideal Community
One great myth of church life is that community is something we stumble upon. In an ideal world, community is simply out there somewhere, waiting to be discovered like lost treasure on a map, or the elusive ‘somewhere over the rainbow’ pot of gold. All you have to do is find the right people, join the right group, or become involved with the right ministry. That’s why so many go from relationship to relationship, cell group to cell group, or […]
God’s Friend
‘And he was called the friend of God.’ James 2:23 Only two people were given the distinguished title ’Friend of God’ in Scripture. What an honour! What a privilege! What a legacy! I can think of no greater elite class to be a part of than this space occupied by Moses and Abraham. Exodus 33:11 says, ‘The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.’ Lest we forget, Exodus was written by Moses. Over […]
<strong>We’re On The Same Team! </strong>
The New Testament uses many metaphors to depict the Church – a body, bride, family, one new man, vineyard, army, etc. What do these have in common? They’re all living entities! One reason why multiple imageries are used is because the Church is too comprehensive and rich to be represented by a single description. And, if she’s living and healthy, growth is a natural by-product – both internally (spiritually) and externally (numerically). The Body of Christ is called to display […]
Idle Talk
Paul, the greatest apostle the world has ever known, was a man of action. As a result, he simply could not stomach people who were full of bluster. His letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, exhorted him to ‘Have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths’ (1 Timothy 4:7). Peter, too, warned us to stand clear of people who bragged about themselves with empty foolish boasting, describing them as dried-up springs, mists blown away in the wind, incapable of […]
Loving Well
Many of us know the truths of the Bible well – we can even recite the Ten Commandments and other key principles for Christian living. We’re committed to our relationship with Jesus, and keep our spiritual disciplines. But the issue is that our commitment to Jesus often excludes relating to people in an emotionally mature way. We believe wholeheartedly that loving others well is one of the goals of Christian life. We may even desire relating to those around us […]
Smoked Wineskins
And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins.’ Luke 5:37 When religious legalism and its pharisaical trappings reigned supreme, Jesus stepped down from the realms of glory to usher in the new age of freedom in His Name. He was the ultimate ‘New Wineskin’ spoken of in Luke 5:37. His final gasp as He hung on the tree, “Tetelestai,” was a resounding and deafening […]
