Remembering God's goodness

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It is good to be back home. i missed home and I missed my loved ones. So it was good to finally touch down in Singapore yesterday at 12.05 am. Just want o take the opportunity to thank all who have prayed for me and my family when I was abroad.
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Throughout the trip, God reminded me of the importance of remembering His goodness and faithfulness. So I think it is no coincidence when my eyes were lead to set upon this engraved stone in Wal-mart (of all places....). So I just had to buy it, as a sign of remembrance of the goodness of God in my life; not only during this trip, but throughout all the days of my life, past, present and future.

Strange to be lugging a piece of rock back to Singapore all the way from USA, but hey, anything it takes to help me remember that God is indeed good, all the time!

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Under the Shelter of His Wings

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What a difference it makes to have God watching over us all the time, regardless of where we are! Let me recount 3 incidences of my trip here in the USA that demonstrate what I meant.

Incident 1

Parked my rented Corolla out side a super mart so that I can shop for some groceries. When I came back to my car, I saw a man standing by my car. He apologised to me because He has driven his truck too close to my parked car and clipped my left side view mirror. The mirror was knocked out of its casing. He had actually waited for me to come back to the car so that he can apologise to me as well as to give me full details of his drivers' license, insurance number etc so that I can report the accident to the rental company to contact his insurance company to pay for all the damages.

I was impressed; firstly by his integrity and honesty, and secondly by the goodness of God in looking after me in a foreign land. I mean, of all the people to damage my car, He somehow chose a man with integrity who bothered to stay back to wait for me to return so that I will not have any trouble with the rental company.... :)

Incident 2

Driving back to the hotel from the office and was making a right turn. I had the right of way. In the midst of turning, I was suddenly aware of another car at full speed turning left into my lane from the opposite side. He was probably beating the traffic lights over his side and was coming in too fast to notice me until then. He horned and I swerve as much as I could towards the right. Good thing that US roads are wider. We missed each other by probably a foot. I wondered how many angels were there that night to push the two cars apart so that they do not collide? Again. all thanks be to God for His mercy and goodness in protecting me.

Incident 3

Early weekend morning. Was about to drive off when I remembered I wanted to get my passport out from my bag in the car boot. So I opened the boot from the inside of the car, got out and closed the car door. As I got my passport from the boot and closed it, I was about to get back to open the front door when suddenly the car autolocks all 4 doors....with my car key still in the car!

What a mess! I was locked out of my own car, with my possessions stuck in the boot! What should I do? As I paused to think...I began to see that even in the midst of this unfortunate incident, the protective hands of God are upon me.

For a start, I am stuck just outside my hotel, and I still have my hotel room keys with me. A much better deal than being stuck elsewhere. Next, the car rental office is within walking distance from the hotel! So I prayed, and then went there to seek help. Unfortunately, they do not have an extra set of keys. But they did get me on their helpline and I was assisted by a most helpful call agent who promptly called all available locksmiths in my vicinity and managed to contact one to come my location within an hour. The locksmith arrived on time, "broke" into my car, and I got back my car keys! Boy, was I relieved!

The locksmith costs me US$75. but I was more than willing to pay that amount to get myself out of a fix. As someone once said,"Whatever problem that can be solved by money is not a problem." (My US boss subsequently even told me to charge that to the company because, to him these incidents are part and parcel of travelling hazards that the company wants to cover for its employees - more blessings, what can I say...:-))

So what started out as a potential "disaster" turned out to be just a minor disruption to my schedule...all because our God watches over us, even in incidents like this. Unfortunate incidents will still happen from time to time, but what a difference it makes to know that our God is in full control, all the time!

Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge-
10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

Amen.

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Chinese New Year Blessings

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It's been a good stay in the USA so far. God's been taking good care of me. Indeed His faithfulness amazes me all the time.

It's been hectic over here. To get the business forecast meetings on track, the whole team here has been working almost non-stop, even over this Chinese New Year weekend (I am writing this on a Sat in the office, while taking a short break).

It's been stressful, for sure, with multiple presentations on different days to different VPs on the business forecasts etc etc. But, as I make it a point to start each day spending some time with the Lord and reading His Word, the peace that follows me throughout the rest of the day has been priceless. Indeed, with his help, things actually went smoothly: Things I thought I could not do in time got completed with some time to spare; and my presentation on Friday (SGP time) went well. It was such a relief! All thanks be to God!

Not only that, God blessed me in the midst of all these with an early Hong Bao :-)

My US boss gave me an excellent performance review earlier this week and with that, came a salary increment that exceeded my own expectations! God is good, isn't He?

But while I am here alone on Chinese New Year in a foreign land, the greatest comfort comes from knowing that my family and loved ones are well...under the faithful eyes of God. Many thanks to all who have been praying with me. Blessed New Year to all!

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord,
"He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

Psalm 91:1-2
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To Oregon USA I shall go...

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It's been another hectic week. Just had a 2.30 am teleconference (yes...2.30 am!) till about 4 am, and tomorrow at 5.30 am I shall be on my way to catch a plane to Portland via Seattle and Tokyo.

This will be the first time that I will be spending Chinese New Year alone...in a foreign land, without family around me. Wonder how it would feel when the time comes. Will definitely miss the wife and kids, and family & friends too.

Good thing will be that He is with me anywhere I go around globe. Somehow that is a comforting thought. Definitely gives me a sense of peace and reassurance.

Will be hard work next week working with the team to formulate the multi-billion business forecast for the VPs of the company. Work has started a month back (hence the hectic schedules) and will cumulate in presentations over the next 2 weeks.

Yet somehow there has been peace in me throughout the whole week. It does make a big difference when you decide to put your trust in God for all things:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Php 4:6-7).

Familiar verse, I know. But nothing like the reality of it happening in your life when you need it!

So of to Oregon USA I shall go, for the next 2 weeks. In a strange way, I am also looking forward to the possibility of having time to spend extended devotional time without other distractions while over there.

So if you do read this post, do remember to keep me and the family in prayer. I hope to be able to have time to post while I am there. Will be back on 24th Feb. See you then! :-)
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Sanctifying the Mind

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RO 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

1TH 5:23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

After going through the session on the how the media shapes our thinking 2 Fridays ago and then the sanctification week this week, I believe God is putting some things together for me. I believe an important part of sanctification for me will be in the area of the mind - my thoughts, my perception, my worldview. God pointed out to me that I need to undo all the incorrect views and thoughts in my mind that had been shaped by prolonged exposure to the media over the years.

The scary part of it is that they have become such a subconscious part of me, thanks to constant bombardment from what I see and hear on the media that I am sometimes oblivious to how much some of my thinking and values are shaped by the pattern of the world.

Let me elaborate on the 2 areas that were revealed to me:

(I) Definition of Success

I know in my mind that my worth and in significance is in God alone, and in Him I lack nothing. Unfortunately in my heart and in my subconscious mind I think I still yearn for "success" in the way that the world defines it. Watch TV and you know how it has shaped how many of us define "success" - successful carreers at a young age, cash in abundance to splurge on private property, a flashy car, a "beauty pageant" type of girlfriend/wife, jetsetting lifestyle, regular holidays in exotic locations.

Why do I say I am still not free from these worldly stuff? Let me confess a few things:

(1) I still seriously mind the size of my paycheck; I mind even more how much my increment is going to be. (though honestly, as I have admitted before, God has already graciously blessed me with more than sufficient for me and the family.)

(2) I am still conscious of my "title" and job grade, relative to my peers at work.

(3) I still wish I can have a cool silver Mazda RX8 to call my own.

(4) I yearn for regular holidays in exotic places.

(5) I am concerned about whether I will ever have enough for a comfortable retirement.

I think the list goes on....

Popular media from sources such as "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" are not helping our generation either. My peers are so convinced by those "truths" that their thoughts are preoccupied with how to amass wealth. Others earn less than me but yet are stretching their financial means to own those "badges" of success such as expensive condos and cars.

I thank God that at least my values are redeemed and I am not tempted into similar excesses, but I will be first to admit that I am far from being totally redeemed or sanctified. May the Lord continue to sanctify me through and through and help to to inculcate in my character "godliness with contentment that is great gain"!

(II) A woman's beauty

No thanks to the media, I have been unconsciously placing disproportionate amount of importance and priority on a woman's looks and appearance. I may not have articulated it, but the truth is that in my perception of women, my focus has shifted somewhat from looking out more for the inner beauty of the character to more of just her looks and figure. I need to repent because God has made it so clear to me that it is WRONG.

If I do not change, I believe that it will only be a matter of time before the same values creep into how I see my own wife, my daughter and those around me. And that will be so damaging!

Once the guy's mind is tuned to what the world is showing...soon he imposes those standards to the women around him, and it is a matter of time before most women are led to believe that THOSE are the standards that they must meet to be "beautiful". Wouldn't that be so sad? Consider the damage that may potentially cause in a woman's self-esteem, as well as her mental and physical health?

What really jolted me recently was the awareness that someone I know personally - mid thirties, slim and attractive, is spending tens of thousands on crash diets, botox and liposuction! Reason: She cannot stand the sight of herself in the mirror, that she is not young and pretty enough or slim enough in the right places.

So sad....even more so when I realised that I am also responsible, because I have bought into what the media and the countless slimming and beauty ads are selling to us.

God, please forgive me! Help to renew and sanctify my mind, that my definition of a woman's beauty will not be what the world says it is, but rather what You have said in Your Word:


1Pet 3:3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4 Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.

PR 31:30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
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