Parallel lines towards the same point

I live in country ABC,
run by a government called XYZ,
a group of men head the government,
many policies they implement.

Every year they collect income tax,
ten percent for every pax.
Into a central fund the money goes
to fight our foes and solve our woes.

Our hard-earned cash is firstly spent,
to pay the men in the government.
then into operation cost and rent,
some even for ostentatious events.

Finally a small slice of the pie
goes into covering the lies
by distributing money in the form of welfare
to make us think that they really care

I live in country ABC,
and I also happen to go to church RST
led by a pastor called hong kee
whose wife appears on MTV.

Every week i pay entrance fee,
into a little red bag that goes around,
if i don't give everyone can see,
so conformity to pressure is the key.

Funnily, they also collect "taxes",
in the form of a t-i-t-h-e.
They use it for wages and for expenses,
and the rest maybe for charity.

Sometimes they collect "building fund"
so for many weeks I'll sacrifice my lunch,
millions of dollars for an extragavant building
when the money can be spent on better things!

My Lord delights more in obedience,
than meaningless sacrifices and offerings.
To follow His commands with compliance,
and carry out His work with diligence.

So let me give to the country what I owe,
and submit to whichever leader if I must.
But into people's lives is where I'd rather sow,
than into organisations that I no longer trust.

Only with You

One of the greatest pleasure of my life now, is a quiet worship in the stillness of His presence.

A morning song

I give You thanks on this lovely morning,
for the sun is gentle on my eyes,
and the warmth is pleasant on my skin.
The wind whispers into my ears,
as I breeze past Your beautiful creations along the sidewalks.
The moon has gone to hide her face,
and the stars shy away from the morning light.
And all the guiltless ones come out of their dwellings
to bask in Your blessings and provisions.

Be careful! The pagan kings are crawling out of their beds,
to don their hermes ties and armani suits.
Anonymity is their armor, and deception is their sword.
They deceive the arrogant and the ignorant,
but the humble and vigilant shall escape from their tricks.
Because they arm themselves with Your word and see with their eyes;
and they surrender their possessions to hang on to Your promises.

And You, my Lord, who never sleeps,
on Your throne, You watch over us,
and with Your shield, You protect us.
When You turn Your face towards us, we rejoice;
when You shine Your light upon us, we are saved.
Your food fills our stomach, and Your word feeds our soul,
Your mercy pours upon us, and Your grace flows endlessly.
So let us sing Your praise for every new day,
let us marvel at the wonders of Your works,
let us love You and all of our neighbours,
and let us hold on to what is important to You.

"On fire"

It's funny how they came out with the phrase, "on fire".

According to the bible, or at least the new international version one, the only things that were set on fire were cities, marshes, fields, dwellings, villages and evildoers, but never righteous men. I have not finished the whole book, but if you would, tell me, which of God's annointed ones were "on fire" or seen as doing what we know today as being "on fire"?

As far as I know, do not mistake human-induced hype or inflated exhilaration as being on fire, for the joy of the Lord is calm and peaceful, and the delight of doing His work is quiet and humble. (:

When actions speak

There is an auntie at my workplace,
she sweeps the floor and clears the bin,
labouring with her wrinkled hands,
to earn her daily keep.

One afternoon, I started talking to her,
and this was what I found:
She lives alone in a one-room apartment,
her sons have left her, her daughters migrated,
her siblings have rejected her,
and her parents has long returned to dust.

Knowing her state, I started to pray for her.
I prayed that her children return, her siblings will reconcile,
her body will remain strong, and the Lord will touch her life.
And quietly in my cubicle, I prayed.

I prayed for seven hundren and seventy days,
and yet I did not see any changes.
Her face still wears a weary smile, her body still frail;
her family still did not return, her spirits still low.
So I asked, has He not heard my prayers?
has He not seen her plight?
And all He replied, "Faith without action is dead".

Then I finally opened my eyes,
and saw the blessed position He has placed me in.
I can be the hand that helps her when she is in need,
the ears that listen to her when she needs to complain,
I can be the human touch that she longs for,
the child and sibling that she has lost.

So my friends, remember,
prayers are powerful, prayers are helpful,
but prayers alone cannot touch lives, while actions can.
Prayers are heard by the Lord, but actions are felt by people.
And only through your actions, will His glory shine
then through your words, will His name be heard.

My school, the factory assembly line

Today, I pack my bag and get ready for school,
My textbook is thick and heavy, I loathe to carry it.
But my teacher asks me to,
So that I can highlight and copy what he says.

At school, the teacher feeds me with knowledge,
I just need to read the notes and absorb.
If I fall asleep, I can always copy my neighbour's notes.
Since we are all made to learn the same thing in the same way,
Like how it works on a factory assembly line.

Then I ask myself, is this really what I want?
Why does the PE teacher ask me to exercise,
and there he is eating Macdonalds?
Why does the english teacher correct my grammar
and yet she says "this student don't know anything".
Ah, maybe this school is not for me after all.

For the best schools do not spoon-feed their students,
and teachers do not provide information, but questions.
They encourage the students to find the answers themselves,
because the journey of growth is difficult but fulfilling.

So fellow students, don't be lazy.
Open your eyes, and discover for yourself.
For He knows our hunger, and delights in our labour,
so by His guiding hands, you'll find
and by His wisdom, you'll understand
the Truth behind His word.

distracting noises everywhere

yesterday, I felt a little sad when I walked into a bookstore.

how is it that the religion section of one of the largest bookstore in singapore, is filled with books that denies His existence, persecutes Him, and blasphemes His name? I wanted to look for an author that is true to Him, and yet I found none (before you jump to conclusion, allow me to clarify that I gave up after three shelves and there were more). if somebody walks into that section wanting to look for answers, it seems that the battle is already lost even before it started.

hence, I decided to not look elsewhere, not listen to what others tell me first. but place my eyes on His word with a sincere and humble heart to seek, and He will naturally lead me to the answers when it's my time.

Wild Paper-Chase

These days, we love paper so much.

We work hard in the hope of making more money,
so that we can receive paper notes that can buy us food,
or so that we can see big numbers on our bank account statements.

We study hard in the hope of getting better grades,
so that we can receive a certificate that qualifies us as an “expert” in a particular field,
and so that we can buy a ticket to success.

But some people would protest,
“I don’t work hard, nor study hard, so I don’t love paper!”
But look carefully again, their only hope seems to lie in a lottery ticket,
which they fervently purchase three times a week.

Why do we love something that is so thin and flimsy?
Why do we chase after something that can be easily torn and tossed away?
Since when did we start this paper-chase?
That even after we die, our children offer burnt papers to us?

If you look beyond the paper,
If you see beneath the surface,
You will find that there is much more to life than just papers.
The truth lies on paper, but the answer comes from above
So do not be deceived, do not be blinded,
If you seek after paper, you shall be as flimsy as one.

Life, at twenty four

But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

-- Matthew 8:22

I chose 25, because that is when men’s plans for me shall end. But You choose 25 because that is when Your plans for me shall take over.

That is why You told me at 24, “Not yet, my child, listen to Me. You may think that I have forsaken you, but I have not. I have heard your cries, I have witnessed your sufferings, I am aware of the pains in your heart."

But I questioned, "How is it possible? I did not see You, or hear You, or feel You? Where were You?"

And You replied, "You did not see Me, because you had hardened your heart. I knocked on your door several times, but you refused to open. I called your name several times, but you did not hear. I held out my hand for you, but you did not hold on to Me.”

So You had to send a messenger to me, and he touched my life with Your presence, Your truth and Your love.

Then finally, I opened my eyes, “Lord, I am sorry that I have previously rejected You. I was defiant and disobedient, arrogant and proud. But still You did not give me up. I committed idolatry, I spoke against You and did many things that are displeasing to Your eyes. And yet You reacted to my sins with kindness, mercy and grace. You took me to places I did not want to go, but You gave me courage to walk on. You brought me to people I have no desire to deal with, but You gave me patience to pull through. You threw me into the bottom of a pit, but You gave me strength to climb up.”

“Lord, if I could only see then, but I did not. But now I understand why I had to go through all tehse things, and I know that it was only for my betterment. Through my suffering, I learnt to seek You. Through my pain, I learnt to turn to You. And only through my helplessness, did I learn to depend on You.

“My Lord,, my King, will You forgive me? Will You give me a second chance? Will You delete away my past bad records and breathe a new life into me? Will You wash away the pain and fill me with joy? Will You take away my worries, and give me peace? Will You grant me strength, courage and love?”

and You replied, “I will be your refuge when you are broken in spirit, your shield when you need protection, your sword when you fight against your enemies, your joy when you are sad, your light when you walk in darkness of the world, your guide when you are lost. If you seek me, you will find me. If you ask from me, you will receive. And if you hold on to me and keep me close to your heart, then I will keep you close to mine too.”

“For I am the Lord, your rock, your savior, your creator, your healer, your light, your truth, your one and only God.”

And because of this revelation, this understanding at 24, I was saved from the ultimate sin, the ultimate rejection.

When love speaks

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

-- 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

To love the annoying, the proud, the naughty, the arrogant, the defiant, the recalcitrant, the ignorant, the talkative, the angry, the self-indulgent, the ones who are different from us, the ones who have wronged us, the ones who have betrayed us, the ones who have beaten us, the ones who have made us suffer, the ones who test our patience, the ones who are so unlovable.. is such a difficult task.

But sometimes, people are unlovable, perhaps because they haven't been loved enough. Hence, they hurt others, they get angry, they lie, they do annoying things, maybe just to hide their inner child. So if you would, if you are kind, if you are patient, if you are slow to anger, if you are humble, if you are forgiving, and if you are at the receiving end of love in abundance, then I hope you would not only love the lovable, but the unlovable ones too, so that they may one day, be at the giving end of love.