Call My Name

When I was reading Patrick Rothfuss' fantasy novel "The Name of the Wind" last week, snatches of the melody and some words (".... call your name ....") of a hymn kept up a refrain in my mind. Hmmm ..... was this hymn one of the worship songs led by Pastor Carol during Sunday service a while ago?

A search of the internet yields the following lyrics of the hymn "I heard the Lord call my name":

(1st stanza) I heard the Lord call my name,
listen close you'll hear the same.
I heard the Lord call my name,
listen close you'll hear the same.
I heard the Lord call my name,
listen close you'll hear the same.
Take His hand we are glory bound.

(2nd stanza) His word is Love, Love's His word,
that's the message that I heard .....

(3rd stanza)I felt His love from above
settle on me like a dove .....

(4th stanza)And to the Father all your dayswith the Son and Spirit praise .....
(Interlude) Put your hand in His and you will know
He will show you where to go .....

The Lord Jesus calls us by our name. He is our Shepherd and we are His sheep. In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells the parable of the shepherd and his sheep (John 10:1-18). The shepherd calls his own sheep by name and the sheep listen to his voice. He leads his sheep out of the sheep pen, going ahead of them. His sheep follow him because they know his voice. The good shepherd owns and loves the sheep, guards and protects them, and lays down his life for them.

Jesus is the good Shepherd who has laid down His life for us, His sheep. He lays down His life so that we can have life eternally and abundantly. When we believe that Jesus has laid down His life for us and calls on His name, we are saved (Rom 10:13) and our "names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20), in the "book of life" (Phil 4:3, Rev 20:12).

Psalm 23 captures beautifully all that our Lord, the Good Shepherd, does for us:

- He gives us green pastures and quiet waters, restoring our soul.
- He guides us in our journey through life and death, protecting and comforting our body and mind.
- He anoints us with goodness and love all the days of our life as we dwell in His house, blessing and uplifting our spirit.

Thanks be to the Lord Jesus, our good Shepherd who calls us to be His own; all glory and honour to Him!

Speaker for the Living

Orson Scott Card's book "Speaker for the Dead" is the sequel to his award-winning sci-fi "Enders' Game". Wikipedia says, "Whereas the previous novel was hard science fiction with armies and space warfare, Speaker for the Dead is philosophical in nature, although it still advances a xenology for the planetary setting unique in Science Fiction."

Ender Wiggin is the speaker revealing the secrets and hard truths in the life stories of those for whom he is called to speak. As Ender speaks for Marcao, a wife-abusing father and for Libo, a murdered xenologer (what Wikipedia calls "alien anthropology"), he unravels the guilt, deception and love behind the adultery of Macao's wife with Libo and the sacrificial death of Libo at the hands of the "piggies" (a native species on a colony in space). This speaking is very different from the eulogies (praises) that we hear at funerals.

Wikipedia gives this explanation on the meaning of the term "Speaker for the Dead":

"Any citizen has the legal right to summon a Speaker (or a priest of any faith, which Speakers are legally considered) to mark the death of a family member. Speakers research the dead person's life and give a speech that attempts to speak for them, describing the person's life as he or she tried to live it. This speech is not given in order to persuade the audience to condemn or forgive the deceased, but rather a way to understand the person as a whole, including any flaws or misdeeds."

As I read Card's book, I was struck by the happy thought - we do not have a speaker for the dead; better still, we have the speaker for the living, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:5).
Christ is our intercessor (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25).
Christ is our advocate (1 John 2:1).

How does Jesus speak or intercede for us?

First, through Jesus' death on the cross, He took our sins upon Himself and made us righteous before our Father God (Romans 3:21-26).

Second, after Jesus was raised from the dead, He sits at the right hand of God and becomes our advocate and mediator before our Father God (1 John 2:1, Hebrews 9:24). He pleads our case, that He has already paid for our sins, and secures our continued pardon.

Third, when we face temptation, Jesus provides a way out so that we can stand up under it (1 Cor 10:13, Hebrews 2:18)

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

A Wife of Noble Character

A friend said he decided to vote for Dr TCB as president after hearing the final telecasts of the 4 candidates' speeches on the eve of polling day. Reason? TCB was the only candidate who mentioned his wife and gave credit to her. My friend felt that a president must work with his wife in partnership.

Right after the polls and Dr TT became president-elect, he gave a glowing tribute to his wife. As I read the news report, I wondered how my friend would have voted if TT had given his tribute before the polls.

In the book of Genesis which describes the story of creation, God creates the man Adam from the dust of the ground and breathes the breadth of life into Adam. Out of a rib from Adam, God then makes a helper suitable for him - the woman Eve. Instead of forming woman from the dust of ground, God chooses to make her from the man's bone and flesh. This signifies the close partnership of man and woman, the oneness of the couple.

Matthew Henry says in his commentary of the "help-meet" (suitable helper) for man:

- a help like him, one of the same nature and the same rank of beings;
- a help near him, one to cohatbit with him and to be always at hand;
- a help before him, one that he should look upon with pleasure and delight.

Blessed is the man with a wife of noble character. The book of Proverbs describes such a wife as being "worth far more than rubies", whose husband "has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value" and who "brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life" (Prov 31:10-31). Besides taking meticulous care of the household and home, the noble wife "opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy", is "clothed with strength and dignity", "speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue". Such a woman "who fears the Lord is to be praised".

Going by the accolades showered on TT's wife, the First-Lady-to-be may well be such a wife of noble character.

One People

"We the citizens of Singapore pledge ourselves as one united people .....". In the weeks leading to National Day, our national pledge was telecast over and over again. I thought the tele-clip on the national pledge was very well done. It was refreshing to be reminded of the words which I used to recite in my schooldays but had somewhat forgotten after I left school.

But I also have a tinge of sadness - that we need a national pledge to keep our people of different race, language and religion united. I suppose as a young nation built by immigrants from all over the world and their descendants, a pledge is a necessity to develop and reinforce our allegiance to the country that we call home.

In the larger family of God, people of different race, language and status are "one in Christ Jesus", being "neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female" (Galatians 3:28). As children of God, we are brothers- and sisters-in-Christ, regardless of whether we are red or yellow, black or white. The people of God are united, not by a pledge, but by the seal of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:13, Ephesians 1:13-14).

The Apostle Paul aptly illustrates the unity in Christ with the body and its many parts (1 Cor 12:12, 14-26). The foot, ear, eye, nose, head, etc all belong to one body and have need of one another. "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it."

I particularly like a Peanuts cartoon which echoes Paul's illustration. In the cartoon, Snoopy calls attention to the whole “gang” (body) to go jogging and different body parts then claim attention/credit. The conversation among the body parts goes like this:

"Now, hear this!"
"Body components, attention! Okay, gang, we're all going jogging!"
"What's this? If the feet don't go, none of us goes!"
"Now, look here, feet! The rest of us wants to go jogging so let's get with it!"
"All right, feet .. on your feet!"
"You guys are always complaining .. we ears can hear you way up here!"
"Besides, it's us legs who really do the running ..."
"All I know is, running is hard on the back ... Backs should be home in bed ..."
"How about noses? I hate jokes about running noses!"
"Lips are made for kissing, not running ... We need more kissing ..."
"I'm hungry!"
"Ha! I knew the stomach would start complaining pretty soon! We arms never complain."
"That's a laugh! If it isn't bursitis, it's tennis elbow! We still say it's we feet who do all the work ..."
"You think it's easy being a finger?" "Ha! Just try being an elbow sometime!"
"How can the long-distance runner ever get lonely?"

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ." (1 Cor 12:12)

Freedom in Christ

Two friends from Wuhan, China came to stay with me for a few days after attending the Eagles Leaders' Conference. Having undertaken to 尽地主之宜, I was planning a tour to Little India including the famous Hindu temple at Race Course Road - something interesting that they didn't have back home in China, I thought. But gosh, they didn't want to visit temples; they were taught that, as Christians, they should not step into temples. So, ok, no visit to temples for them.

At one time when I was still a young Christian, I did feel uncomfortable bringing my late mom to the Chinese temple for her to make offerings to my late father (who predeceased her). When I related my apprehension to my former boss, a very mature Christian, she shared her view that by bringing my mom to the temple, I was honouring my parents. The Bible teaches Christians to honour our parents. This is recorded in the Old Testament as one of the Ten Commandments that God gives to His people through Moses (Exodus 20:12).

Today, I've no qualms about visiting temples, whether Chinese or Indian, or other non-Christian places of worship. I told my Wuhan friends that during my trip to Shanghai last year, I visited the Longhua Temple, the Jade Buddha Temple and the City Temple which I viewed as merely places of tourist/cultural interest. To me, what is important is our heart and not what we do, or eat, or drink.

In the New Testament, we have freedom in Christ. The Apostle Paul says, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." (Galatians 5:1) So does it mean that we are free to do anything we want? No, Paul further elaborates that we should not use our freedom in Christ to indulge the sinful nature, but rather, serve one another in love (Gal 5:13).

The Apostle Paul cites some examples of different practices in Christian living - some eat everything while others eat only vegetables, some consider one day more sacred than another while others regard every day alike (Romans 14). In his view, he who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord; he who eats meat, eats to the Lord for he gives thanks to the Lord; and he who abstains from meat also does so to the Lord and gives thanks to the Lord. And so, we should not pass judgement on another person who does differently from us.

We should also be careful that our freedom in how we live should not cause other Christians to stumble and fall. If our brother- or sister-in-Christ is distressed by what we do or eat, then we are no longer acting in love. We should then desist from doing what distresses our fellow Christians.

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men." (Romans 14:17-18)

In the presence of fellow Christians who think differently, I will then not visit temples, eat food offered to idols or practise Taijiquan. But apart from them, I have the freedom to visit temples, eat food offered to idols and continue to practise Taijiquan, for I am convinced that all food is clean and there is nothing wrong with visiting temples and practising Taijiquan.

Of Kings and Heirs

My sisters and I were mesmerised by the Korean drama Dong Yi for the last two months or so. Not content with the snail pace of the free-to-air TV screening, we took to watching the DVD of the drama. Cliff-hangers in episode after episode kept us glued to the drama for two to three hours at a stretch. We marvelled at the ingenuity of the script writers in weaving the plots and counter-plots in the web of palace intrigue.

The drama chronicled the ascent of a servant girl, Dong Yi, to one of the highest ranks as the king's consort. Perceived as a threat to the crown prince, Dong Yi's young son was caught in the politics of rival factions in the royal court and his life was nearly snuffed out. The court politics was such that only either the crown prince or Dong Yi's son may survive in order to secure the succession to the throne. Happily, the drama ended with both sons of the king being protected, with one succeeding the other as king.

In earthly kingdoms, it is often the king's first-born who is designated as the heir and crown successor. In the kingdom of God, all who are born-again in Christ are the children of God, and God's children are "heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17). As heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, what then is the inheritance that we can expect?

* We wait for the redemption (resurrection) of our bodies (Romans 8:23). What is this resurrection body like? It will be imperishable and raised in glory as a spiritual body (1 Cor 15:42-44) and we will bear the likeness of Christ (1 Cor 15:49, Phil 3:21).

* When God raises us up with Christ, he seats us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:6). Just as the Laodiceans who are overcomers receive the right to sit with Christ on His throne (Rev 3: 21), we too may share in the glory with Christ.

* Being saved by Christ, we become heirs with the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:4-7).

Meanwhile, our earthly life is not necessarily a bed of roses, with prosperity assured. We share in the sufferings of Christ in order that we also share in His glory (Romans 8:17). But take heart - the Apostle Paul considers that "our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). Indeed, our troubles are "light and momentary" and the ensuing eternal glory far outweighs whatever troubles we may have (2 Cor 4:17).

In the words of Jesus:
"In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

Just as Jesus has overcome the world, so will we.

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Cor 4:18)

Prosperity Assured?

(Written in Jan 2003 for Ezra Resources http://www.ezraresources.com.sg/resources/index.html)

Deu 6:3 “Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you.”

Heb 11:13 “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.”

A friend shared with me his belief that there is a purpose for prosperity, that God delights in the prosperity of His children. God blessed Christians, not just for ourselves but for the world to see so that God would be glorified. In his view, in the OT, it was already God's plan that His people should be prosperous. That was why He led them to the land flowing with milk and honey. Further, God had given the Israelites a set of commandments and statutes that would lead to a great social order and when followed would ensure that they walk in prosperity so that they would be the envy of the nations. He quoted Deuteronomy which stated that it is God who gives us the “ability to produce wealth”. (Deut 4:5-8, 8:6-18)

Indeed, God had promised many blessings to the Israelites in the days of old. In the OT, the blessings of God were in material terms (abundance of food, productive wombs, long life). They were conditional upon the Israelites' obedience to God. While Moses exhorted the Israelites to love the Lord, to walk in all His ways and to hold fast to Him, he also warned of the dire consequences of turning away from God. In the OT, blessings came with obedience and curses with disobedience (Deut 28). Scripture has ample records of the disaster and destruction that fell quickly upon the Israelites whenever they forgot the Lord and followed other gods.

In the NT, Jesus brought a different perspective to material success and wealth. Reward and retribution may no longer come in our earthly lives. In 2 Cor 11:23- 33, we see the Apostle Paul suffering hardships, imprisonment, floggings, danger, hunger, thirst, cold, sleeplessness. In Heb 11: 35-38, we read of the early Christians being tortured, jeered, flogged, stoned, sawed in two, executed, persecuted and mistreated, going about in sheepskins, living in caves and holes in the ground. "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised." (Heb 11:39)

What, then, is the hope and promise that we have, if we may not receive material success or wealth in this life? Scripture assures us that God had planned something better for us (Heb 11:40). We await the blessed hope of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we look to the New Jerusalem where God Himself will be with us and live with us, where there will no more death or mourning or crying or pain.

Meanwhile, what do we do? I think it's not so much what we do, but the motivation behind what we do, our response to whatever comes along. Whatever we do, we do for the glory of God, whether in our personal and family life, in our pursuit of education and career, in our dealings with people, in good times or bad. "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31) And our response when things don't go well or smoothly? We trust in the Lord, that He will see us through everything.

Finally, let me share a hymn inspired by the verses from Habakkuk 3:17-18:

"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."

William Cowper wrote:

Sometimes a light surprises the Christian while he sings;
It is the Lord, Who rises with healing in His wings:
When comforts are declining, He grants the soul again
A season of clear shining, to cheer it after rain.

In holy contemplation we sweetly then pursue
The theme of God's salvation, and find it ever new.
Set free from present sorrow, we cheerfully can say,
Let the unknown tomorrow bring with it what it may.

It can bring with it nothing but He will bear us through;
Who gives the lilies clothing will clothe His people, too;
Beneath the spreading heavens, no creature but is fed;
And He Who feeds the sparrows will give His children bread.

Though vine nor fig tree neither their wonted fruit should bear,
Though all the field should wither, nor flocks nor herds be there;
Yet God the same abiding, His praise shall tune my voice,
For while in Him confiding, I cannot but rejoice.

My friend put my mind to rest, after reading what I wrote, with this comment: “When prosperity is absent, we can still hold on to love, hope and faith, which the Lord also offers to us.” Amen.

Good Luck, Bad Luck?

"I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it." A speaker at my niece's commencement (graduation) ceremony last week quoted Thomas Jefferson (3rd US president), urging the graduates to work hard as they commence their working life.

I find the Thomas Jefferson quote somewhat tricky. On first hearing, he seemed to be talking about luck. I have to think hard before I conclude that hard work is advocated and not so much luck. First, you have to work hard; then, you may have the so-called "luck".

What's the context of Thomas Jefferson's quote, I wonder? I tried in vain to find from the web to have better understanding. Wikiquote (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson) alleges that the quote "I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it." is misattributed to Jefferson. So maybe Jefferson did not say this after all.

Anyhow, I found more quotes about luck on the web (http://www.famousquotesandauthors.com/topics/luck_quotes.html). Some quotes (eg by Alfred Hitchcock, Donald Trump) stake everything on luck. Others (eg by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Voltaire) allude to the senselessness of luck, maintaining that nothing can exist without a cause. I like the quote attributed to Homer: " 'Tis man's to fight, but Heaven's to give success."

I'm a great believer in Heaven, in the guiding of God's invisible Hands. Sometimes, when Christian friends share with me about fortuitious happenings in their lives, I would respond that these are the blessings of God who, in His goodness and mercy, watches over us and brings us through the ups and downs of life.

The words of the Apostle Paul, in his address to an assembly of philosophers at Athens, have left a great impression on my mind:

"24 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us." (Acts 17: 24-27)

With God determining the course of our lives, nothing happens by chance or accident, contrary to the belief in luck. But what about bad things that happen? Does God determine the bad things that happen to us?

The author Paul Little, in his book "Know Why We Believe", provides a Christian response on the age-old question "Why Does God Allow Suffering and Evil?" When my cell group discussed this difficult topic, we were comforted that even when bad things happen, God would somehow bring about good from the bad that He has allowed to happened.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. " (Romans 8:28)

Whether good or bad, we can trust in our Lord God. Whether good luck or bad luck, it's irrelevant.

This World Is Not My Home

My 姑婆 passed away last month, aged 93, having been bed-ridden for the last three decades. Yes, thirty long years of disability, during which one of her 7 daughters faithfully took care of her.

I was awed by the 陪葬品 prepared for my great-aunt's funeral - heaps and heaps of 金纸,银纸 in big black garbage bags, a multi-storied paper house, a car, ...... and a pair of paper 金童玉女. "She asked for servants to be burned and sent to her. She had chabokan (servant girls) to serve her when she was young, you know," her daughter told us during the funeral wake. My great-aunt had bound feet and lived a pampered life in her younger days.

Would my deceased great-aunt receive all the goodies that she deemed necessary for an afterlife of ease and comfort? From my Christian perspective, I think not; whatever is burned would just be carbonised - ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

"Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him. " (Psalm 49:16-17)

At one time, my late mother told us that she would go and squat at the 五脚基 (veranda) of my deceased father's house in 阴间. My father had passed away earlier and sent off under Taoist funeral rites.

By God's grace, my mom became a Christian before she died. As she laid on her deathbed, I assured her that Jesus Christ had already prepared a big house for her in heaven and we, her children, would join her there. She only needed to keep the house spick and span and wait for us there.

"In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:2-3)

We are aliens in this world (Leviticus 25:23, 1 Chronicles 29:15). Our eternal home is in heaven with Jesus and He has promised to come and take us to be with Him. What greater promise is there?

Not By Bread Alone

I borrowed 20 bread-making cookbooks from the Bishan Library in the last one over week. One cookbook says, "Place the dough in a container, except metal, to rise." Why not metal container, I wondered? I found the answer in another cookbook - metal container may impart metallic taste to the dough and conduct heat which hasten the dough to rise too quickly. Oh, ok, I'll use ceramic container then .....

My sis can't understand why I have to read so many of the cookbooks. While I've already learned from a baking demonstration class to bake a fairly decent white bread , the bookish me find the cookbooks very interesting in providing detailed explanations not only of the what and how, but also the why and when of bread-making.

And so as I enjoy the heavenly aroma and taste of freshly baked home-made bread, I savour the ingestion of information nuggets in the cookbooks. Food for the stomach and food for the brain.

What about food for the soul? Scripture says, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Deueronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4) The psalmist says, "But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers." (Psalam 1:2-3)

I think at some point in time, food for the soul becomes more important than food for the body (or brain). As we grow older and our material needs have been satisfied, life may feel empty and needing something beyond the material. Recently, when I asked my bro-in-law about his religious life, he said his belief in God is "a matter of timing". He agreed with me that belief in God is a 精神寄托 (which I roughly translate as spiritual commitment).

The Life Application Bible says:
Many people think that life is based on satisfying their appetites. If they can earn enough money to dress, eat, and play in high style, they think they are living 'the good life'. But such things do not satisfy our deepest longings. In the end they leave us empty and dissatisfied. Real life, according to Moses, comes from total commitment to God, the one who created life itself. It requires discipline, sacrifice, and hard work, and that's why most people never find it.

It has taken me a long while to find the real bread of life and the true living waters - Jesus Christ. "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." (Psalm 34:8) I've tasted His goodness. Have you?