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 […]
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 […]
<strong>Waiting Through Pain, Disappointment And Doubt</strong>
Have you gone through times of waiting where perhaps minutes felt like hours, and days like years? It feels as though life has ground to a standstill and time froze while you’re seeing others around you move on. Perhaps you start to wonder, “Will God answer my prayer?” or “Why is He taking so long?” followed by self-condemning thoughts of “Maybe I didn’t pray enough”, “I’m not worthy” or even having an urge to ‘help God’. While it’s important […]
<strong>The Mark Of True Maturity</strong>
More than 90% of the New Testament addresses the spiritual growth and maturity of believers. In his letters to the Galatian Church, Paul addressed believers born again in Christ, exhorting them to spiritual growth. And to the spiritually-gifted Corinthian Church, he wouldn’t have called them ‘carnal’ and ‘babes in Christ’ if he was impressed with their ability to operate in spiritual gifts. Paul was emphasising that spiritual maturity is not a given, but must be an intentional pursuit in the […]
The Pursuit of Holiness
God commands His people, “Be holy, for I am holy.” But what does that look like in everyday life, and what’s our part in holiness? The concept of holiness may seem a bit archaic to our current generation. Some associate it with an endless list of do’s and don’ts, while others associate it with a repulsive ‘holier than thou’ attitude. But holiness is a very biblical concept. The word ‘holy’ occurs in various forms more than 600 times in the […]
It’s As Simple As Starting With “Hi!”
As believers, God commissions us to evangelise (Matthew 28:18-20). What comes to your mind and how do you feel when you think of evangelism? An event or a programme? A Christian obligation? Bringing people to church? Or this may sound familiar – “I can’t do this! I’m too shy, it’s too awkward.”; “I’m not a good communicator.”; “I’m too busy, too tired, wait till I have more time and energy.”; “I’m feeling discouraged and spiritually dry to reach out to […]
The Measure of Significance
We live in a society that promotes self-grandeur and instant gratification through social media, TV ads, and billboards in almost every space possible. Have you ever looked at an advert so many times that you start thinking, “I really need that product, and I need to get it now before it’s gone.” But, after buying it, you realise you didn’t really need it. What happened is you’ve fallen into the trap of confused or impulse spending. Or perhaps you entertain […]
A Time To Weep, And A Time To Laugh
Life is full of ups and downs that come in many unexpected moments. It oscillates from one extreme to another, from sorrow to celebration. It can be the joyful surprise of a long-awaited pregnancy or the grief from the sudden loss of a loved one. Ecclesiastes chapter 3 begins with pairs of opposites that serve as poetic merisms to convey a sense of the totality of human endeavour in all its manifold forms. It starts with the contrast of birth […]
