Recently I felt like reading the book on 'Finishing Well' by David Wong again. I have read this book several times but I still felt that the message offered me new perspective every time I read it. We are so prone to forget what we have learnt in the past and the Holy Spirit is the One who brings to remembrance. God reminded me with Isaiah 48:6 'You have heard; see all this. And will you not declare it? I have made you hear new things from this time; even hidden things, and you did not know them.'
Then as I read my journals from July 2011, I saw that God was leading me through a review of the past three years in my old company. It was like looking back before God moved me on to the next stage. I knew He was doing a new thing and He also assured me that I have closed the previous chapter of my life well. What I didn't know was that new thing is not about having another baby but about my care group (CG) ministry work, which He has embarked me on. As I read those, I really felt like deja vu. The messages He told me then was exactly what He has been telling me for the past few months. I knew the importance of closing each chapter of my life well because of the impact it would have on the next chapter.
I know too well that many started well but few finish well. I want to be amongst those who finish well. It's not hard to start something but it's difficult to finish well. It takes patience and endurance to finish well. Patience is better than pride. The end of a matter is better than its beginning. Closure is as much a part of life as change. Whenever change takes place, there is usually some form of closure. Each change brings with it a new beginning but each beginning is preceded by an ending. That's why when God comes to me with a message that He is doing new things (like verses connoting divine shifts), I am excited. I know that He has also come to complete the good work that He started in me. How we end one chapter is important as how we begin the next.
What is the definition of finishing well? Towards God, it means faithfulness to our calling. Our focus is how we live in order to finish the race and complete the assignment God has for us. As much as I wanted to move on to my childbearing season in those years, I put His will above mine. I don't know and I don't want to speculate when my appointed time will be. All I know was that I have to shepherd my sheep and care for the sheep entrusted to me well. I just did what I knew to do and leave the childbearing issue to the Lord.
Secondly towards ourselves, it means a clear conscience. To know that we have discharged our responsibilities with integrity so that we have no cause to feel guilty at unfulfilled obligations and unkept promises. I remember telling the Lord not to put them through the pain of feeling abandoned like they did when our previous CG leader had to step down suddenly. And the Lord did it. I held on to the mantle until another person was ready to step up. I wanted to finish well so that they would give me their blessings when I move on.
Finally, finishing well involves relationships. Towards others, it means the value we place on people and the difference we make to their lives. What we have accomplished in this world will be measured by the lives of people we have touched. I want to be known as a leader who has been faithful to the end. You know, when I saw that the CG is functioning well without me, when the legacy of God's love and care is passed down to them, my heart is so relieved. And that was when I knew that should God move me on from this CG, all will be well with my sheep for He deeply cares for them.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Praise God for the open door!
On 1st May, I received an email from a sister in New Creation Church (NCC) whom I didn't know. She wrote to tell me that she saw my book while browsing through the Biography session at Tecman, a popular Christian bookstore in Singapore. She was surprised that the author was actually someone from NCC. She bought the book, read it and found it to be a blessing to her. Hence she wrote to tell me all that. I was pleasantly surprised by this piece of good news. My book was published in mid 2012 and ever since the initial excitement, I have not been actively marketing it.
It was amazing because I didn't even know my book was carried by Tecman until I saw the email from her. There was a time I used to frequent this bookstore to buy Christian books but somehow I have not visited Tecman for a long while. I remember calling them to ask if they could carry my book in Sep 2012 and they replied they only retail books straight from distributors. It was a closed door then but I was not discouraged. After all, I tried. And so all this while I thought my book was sold only in USA and through on-line bookstores like Amazon. Unbeknownst to me, the Lord has been working behind the scenes to open the door for my book to reach Singapore shores! I really can't believe it. A door that was previously shut to me is now opened by The Lord. Wow! I felt so loved.
Last Sat, we went to Tecman to check out my book. It was displayed in quite a prominent place in the bookshelf under 'Biography'. I don't know how to describe the feeling but I was just dumbstruck when I saw my book sold there along with other books. I really couldn't believe my eyes. It's like is it really my book??? I have never dreamt that one day I would actually publish a book, let alone for my books be sold in Tecman! I am a lover of Christian books and I used to frequent Tecman to check out the books by different authors. But on that day, I was there checking out my own book! It was really a wildest dream come true!
Seeing my book on the shelves made my heart beam with joy and pride. Yet I know it has never been me in the first place. God was the One who put the desire in me to write a book, inspired me to actually write it and He also opened the doors for publishers. Now He even opened the doors for my book to reach Singapore shores! The sister from NCC told me that my book was a new addition. I was meditating on the fact that when God opens a door, no one can shut it. It was the power of open doors.
Until today I still feel awed by the fact that God has been working behind the scenes all along. It's like I didn't even have to labour or toil or force open the door. Everything was effortless because I didn't even know about it in the first place! So how could I even sweat about it? I didn't even ask God for this open door. Since the launch of my book in 2012, it has gone all quiet after the initial buzz but I knew God has not forgotten about my book. It was just maybe the season was not right. Now that He has done this wonderful thing for me, I felt like the season to market my book again has come. After all, God made it easy for my local friends and supporters to purchase my book from Tecman, instead of having to order it on-line. Praise God for open doors!
It was amazing because I didn't even know my book was carried by Tecman until I saw the email from her. There was a time I used to frequent this bookstore to buy Christian books but somehow I have not visited Tecman for a long while. I remember calling them to ask if they could carry my book in Sep 2012 and they replied they only retail books straight from distributors. It was a closed door then but I was not discouraged. After all, I tried. And so all this while I thought my book was sold only in USA and through on-line bookstores like Amazon. Unbeknownst to me, the Lord has been working behind the scenes to open the door for my book to reach Singapore shores! I really can't believe it. A door that was previously shut to me is now opened by The Lord. Wow! I felt so loved.
Last Sat, we went to Tecman to check out my book. It was displayed in quite a prominent place in the bookshelf under 'Biography'. I don't know how to describe the feeling but I was just dumbstruck when I saw my book sold there along with other books. I really couldn't believe my eyes. It's like is it really my book??? I have never dreamt that one day I would actually publish a book, let alone for my books be sold in Tecman! I am a lover of Christian books and I used to frequent Tecman to check out the books by different authors. But on that day, I was there checking out my own book! It was really a wildest dream come true!
Seeing my book on the shelves made my heart beam with joy and pride. Yet I know it has never been me in the first place. God was the One who put the desire in me to write a book, inspired me to actually write it and He also opened the doors for publishers. Now He even opened the doors for my book to reach Singapore shores! The sister from NCC told me that my book was a new addition. I was meditating on the fact that when God opens a door, no one can shut it. It was the power of open doors.
Until today I still feel awed by the fact that God has been working behind the scenes all along. It's like I didn't even have to labour or toil or force open the door. Everything was effortless because I didn't even know about it in the first place! So how could I even sweat about it? I didn't even ask God for this open door. Since the launch of my book in 2012, it has gone all quiet after the initial buzz but I knew God has not forgotten about my book. It was just maybe the season was not right. Now that He has done this wonderful thing for me, I felt like the season to market my book again has come. After all, God made it easy for my local friends and supporters to purchase my book from Tecman, instead of having to order it on-line. Praise God for open doors!
Friday, March 28, 2014
An eventful three months
I realize that I haven't been blogging for more than three months. My friend asked why I have not been blogging for a while. I told her that I have been grappling with certain issues early this year. From the start of Jan, our family was hit by a viral attack. First it was Joshua who got sick and it took him more than a week to recover. Then it was Heng who fell sick but thank God Heng recovered very fast. Lastly it was me and it also took me a while to recover. It was the first time that all three of us fell sick one after another. It came so suddenly and we were caught off guard. But thank God that He has delivered us from those viral attacks.
In the second half of Jan, one of my care group hosts developed a complication after an operation. It was not exactly a major operation but somehow there was a blood infection in which she had to be re-admitted and operated again. In the next two weeks, she went through three consecutive operations. The entire care group was still praying and believing for her healing, no matter how impossible it seemed in the natural. But it came to a point where she fought a good fight of faith and went home to be with The Lord on 31 Jan. It was a difficult period for our care group and her husband but God comforted us with the comfort of Christ. We found comfort when we knew she was in a much better place, with a brand new body. She is with Jesus now and she must be rejoicing in heaven as she looks at us. Even though it is God's will to heal, it could be her will that she wanted Jesus to take her home. God would not supersede her will because He gave us free choice.
After her passing, some of us were still a bit shaken because it was so sudden and she did not even have time to say goodbye to us. I think we all missed her dearly because she was like the mother of our care group. She will always be in our loving memory because of her love for Jesus and her love for us. But because of the sudden nature of her passing, fear came into some of members' mind. They were wondering what happened to our prayers. Does God still heal? If so, why didn't it manifest in her life? Because of such doubts, it manifested in members' lives through hospitalization, lying symptoms of sicknesses etc.
Thank God that He addressed our doubts when Pastor Prince said that God will not force His healing on anyone if they don't want healing. And we should come into agreement with His word if we want healing for our life. Yet for their whose healing didn't manifest on this side of heaven, a believer will not lose out because he will be with Jesus in heaven and a brand new body. That's perfect healing. After these doubts and fears were addressed, there were no more such lying symptoms or threats of poor health on care members. It is so true that right believing leads to right living.
I was quite exhausted by all these events that happened to our family and my sheep that it took me a while to rest and sit at the feet of Jesus, so that I can be refreshed. Thank God that He gave me the rest and refreshing as I took time to feed from Jesus and pray in tongues. It didn't take me too long to realize that these are attacks on our lives. I don't want to be caught unawares and always fighting fires. Once I put out the fire here, the enemy started the fire in another area. I told The Lord I want to be prepared and alerted of things to come.
One of the ways to regain my footing in the midst of chaos was to pray in tongues. Praying in tongues not only helps to build up my wearied body by giving me rest, it is also a defensive weapon. Coupled with the word of God, praying in tongues is really effective in recognizing and thwarting the enemy's plans. In times of challenges, I was prompted to put up the word of God everywhere in my home so that I could meditate and declare God's word. I found that the other way out of these challenges was to praise God and to worship Him. As we worship Jesus, we turn our eyes away from the problems and God begins to turn our situation around.
In all things God works for the good of those who loves Him. Through these incidents, I thank God that I gain a far greater revelation of Jesus and precious lessons about the spiritual things of God and the will of man. Things that are unseen are permanent whereas things that are seen are only temporary. Spiritual things are powerful because the physical world mirrors the spiritual. We have to declare the word of God over our lives because God calls things that are not in existence as if they do (Romans 4:17) and we are made in the image of God. I also learnt that life and death lies in the power of our tongues and we really have to learn to be careful about what we say. Speak what you want to see, not what you see. Dear friends, I hope you have been blessed by my sharing on the precious lessons I learnt during this time.
In the second half of Jan, one of my care group hosts developed a complication after an operation. It was not exactly a major operation but somehow there was a blood infection in which she had to be re-admitted and operated again. In the next two weeks, she went through three consecutive operations. The entire care group was still praying and believing for her healing, no matter how impossible it seemed in the natural. But it came to a point where she fought a good fight of faith and went home to be with The Lord on 31 Jan. It was a difficult period for our care group and her husband but God comforted us with the comfort of Christ. We found comfort when we knew she was in a much better place, with a brand new body. She is with Jesus now and she must be rejoicing in heaven as she looks at us. Even though it is God's will to heal, it could be her will that she wanted Jesus to take her home. God would not supersede her will because He gave us free choice.
After her passing, some of us were still a bit shaken because it was so sudden and she did not even have time to say goodbye to us. I think we all missed her dearly because she was like the mother of our care group. She will always be in our loving memory because of her love for Jesus and her love for us. But because of the sudden nature of her passing, fear came into some of members' mind. They were wondering what happened to our prayers. Does God still heal? If so, why didn't it manifest in her life? Because of such doubts, it manifested in members' lives through hospitalization, lying symptoms of sicknesses etc.
Thank God that He addressed our doubts when Pastor Prince said that God will not force His healing on anyone if they don't want healing. And we should come into agreement with His word if we want healing for our life. Yet for their whose healing didn't manifest on this side of heaven, a believer will not lose out because he will be with Jesus in heaven and a brand new body. That's perfect healing. After these doubts and fears were addressed, there were no more such lying symptoms or threats of poor health on care members. It is so true that right believing leads to right living.
I was quite exhausted by all these events that happened to our family and my sheep that it took me a while to rest and sit at the feet of Jesus, so that I can be refreshed. Thank God that He gave me the rest and refreshing as I took time to feed from Jesus and pray in tongues. It didn't take me too long to realize that these are attacks on our lives. I don't want to be caught unawares and always fighting fires. Once I put out the fire here, the enemy started the fire in another area. I told The Lord I want to be prepared and alerted of things to come.
One of the ways to regain my footing in the midst of chaos was to pray in tongues. Praying in tongues not only helps to build up my wearied body by giving me rest, it is also a defensive weapon. Coupled with the word of God, praying in tongues is really effective in recognizing and thwarting the enemy's plans. In times of challenges, I was prompted to put up the word of God everywhere in my home so that I could meditate and declare God's word. I found that the other way out of these challenges was to praise God and to worship Him. As we worship Jesus, we turn our eyes away from the problems and God begins to turn our situation around.
In all things God works for the good of those who loves Him. Through these incidents, I thank God that I gain a far greater revelation of Jesus and precious lessons about the spiritual things of God and the will of man. Things that are unseen are permanent whereas things that are seen are only temporary. Spiritual things are powerful because the physical world mirrors the spiritual. We have to declare the word of God over our lives because God calls things that are not in existence as if they do (Romans 4:17) and we are made in the image of God. I also learnt that life and death lies in the power of our tongues and we really have to learn to be careful about what we say. Speak what you want to see, not what you see. Dear friends, I hope you have been blessed by my sharing on the precious lessons I learnt during this time.
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