Heart to heart #43 What truly matters (31st Oct 2012)

Dear...

And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.
                Jeremiah 18:12

Adam Smith, the economist, not Adam the sinful  fruit eater, wrote the "Wealth of the nations, " back in the 18th century( http://www.adamsmith.org/wealth-of-nations) His thoughts had a profound influence on the economies of the Western world. Max Weber, the German sociologist and economists, in 1904, wrote that the Protestant work ethic was an important force behind the unplanned and uncoordinated mass action that influenced the development of capitalism. This idea is also known as the "Protestant Ethic thesis.

'Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of he world, and the glory of them; And said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.'
              Matthew 4:8-9

But the provisions have since superceded God our Provider, and today, capitalism has gone awry and displays more the traits of the devil whom man now worship in exchange for the treasures of the temporal world. And look how we have gone asunder by turning away from God to mammon.

'Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.'
              Matthew 4:10

I did not realize that the the term "Bourgeoisie"was a sought after social status back in the pre revolution days, before perceptions changed with Bastille France and Bolshevik Russia. My familiarity with this term arose more from reading about the revolution in Russia, when the masses(Bolsheviks or majority) overthrew  the Tsar and embraced communism. "All are equal,' now we know the clarion call of the communist is but a delusion, as George Orwell in his satirical book "Animal farms," so clearly reflected the truth about the self deceiving mind of man, something that God continues to warn us of.

'This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their ownselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers......Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away.'
                2 Timothy 3:1-5

With the fall of the Berlin Wall, the worship of fellow man has come to an ignominious end, save for a few embalmed bodies in North Korea, China and Russia. The Western democracies at that point, symbolically represented by that iconic image of the late Russian President Yeltsin atop a Russian tank, facing up to the military might of the  last communist holdups, proudly heralded a new era of a happy capitalist world. Who would expect that 20 years on,  we are witnessing capitalism as we know it near its death throes, possibly succumbing in a couple of years time, if not sooner.

But fear not, or rather, be fearful, for a new religion has arisen, "secularism," the worship of self.
Look around you today, and you will see not just clear but growing manifestations of the world that 2 Timothy 3:1-5 warned us about. "God for many today is a God of fortune, and His love is measured on the weighing scale of the devil, dollar terms, as is the implied message of the prophets of the prosperity gospel." Not to be outdone, the LGBT movement decided that the best way to transform the world into its likeness is to work from within. So they now have their own "churches" which gets God to fit their mold, rather than men submitting to Him. And with the trend now glamorized  by Elton John and his partner, soon children of such dalliances will grow up accepting their same sex parents as the norm.
And in the corporate world, MNCs have increasingly moved from correctly protecting discrimination against gays,( thttp://www.telegraphindia.com/1110731/jsp/7days/story_14312050.jsp) to unfortunately overtly discriminating against anyone who does not embrace such orientation. Not agreeing should not be equated to being discriminatory.

Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
                Matthew 18:33

As Christians, there is no room for condoning such deviation in sexual orientation, for who are we to vary the command of God? However, not agreeing does not mean that we should not show love for our fellow children of God, believers or not, straight or pink. There is no room for discrimination. Through prayers and agape love, may we seek to provide the genuine acceptance  that many LGBT hunger after. And in doing so, may they turn to God Who will make possible,what medical science claim is a condition that is not possible to change, that one can be joyful without being gay.

What is right, or rather whose beliefs are right? Or is it possible that there truly can be a harmonious pluralistic society, where everyone is free to live their own attitudes without impinging on another? Truth is any human defined belief system is territorial in nature and it is impossible to achieve utopia. Again witness how the perceived repressed LGBT minority in America, the land of the free is steadily and stealthily imposing its will on the silent and increasingly  cowed majority. Our response as Christians should be one of boldness to live our beliefs, and yet being willing to love our oppressors.

I know thy works, that thou are neither cold nor hot...So then ...I will spue thee out of my mouth.'
              Revelation 3:16

What about the Christian faith?
If it is about converting our neighbors, it will fall flat as well, as it has often.
But our faith is about the  Holy Spirit transforming us, from the carnal man to the spirit child of God. It is not about us changing others, but rather God changing us. And in seeing Christ in us, perhaps some will feel led to want to turn to Him, and in doing so, His Spirit will sanctify them.

'...and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
                    Acts 17:26-27

This is what truly matters. And this can only happen if we are willing to put our relationship with God as the only thing that truly matters, for then we will experience the gospel, not just in words but its sanctifying power.

For they themselves report concerning us what manner of entering in we had unto you; and how ye turned unto God from idols, to serve a living and true God,
                  1 Thessalonians 1:9

Many of you would have received the testimony of this good doctor, who thought the things of the world was what matters. This late brother in Christ might have been taken home early, but what he gave up in the temporal, God has given him in eternity.
(See below testimony of Dr Richard Teo)

And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
                1 Thessalonians 1:6

The times are short. I count myself blessed to be shaken out of my stupor by the grace of our Lord more than a decade back. But because the times are short, each of us who continue to think that preparation for eternity is not the key priority, must be prepared to undergo a much more intense shaking, for not just yours, but the soul of people God placed in your path is at stake. What truly  matters is, are you ready when God calls you home today, and not do I have enough for tomorrow, for tomorrow might not come for you? And if it does, I know He is in control. Do view this lovely song in Mandarin. I am learning mandarin via karaoke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-lwLIaXafQ&sns=em

'As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.'
                Revelations 3:19

We now live in an unreal world of deceit, self centeredness and denial. If the looming economic, political and social cataclysm does not shake you, then the physical will, be it natural disasters or personal woes. God is patient for He wants all to be saved, but the time will come sooner than later that He will put an end to the intensifying evil that has now entered mainstream life.

'I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed...'
              Revelations 3:18


God blesses

Eng Hieang
30th Oct 2012

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Dr Richard Teo lost the battle with cancer at Age 40 on 19 Oct 2012. But thankfully, he made the best decision of his life, in the last few months of life on earth. . .

·       
Dr Richard Teo Keng Siang
Recorded at the Dental Christian Fellowship , on 24 Nov 2011, 8 months after his diagnosis.

Richard would have liked to share this with you. We are doing this to continue his work.


Below is the transcript of the talk of Dr. Richard Teo, who was a 40-year-old millionaire and cosmetic surgeon with a stage-4 lung cancer, sharing at a Dental Christian Fellowship Meeting. He would have liked to share this with you too.


Hi good morning to all of you. My voice is a bit hoarse from the chemotherapy, so please bear with me. I thought I'll just introduce myself. My name is Richard, I’m a friend of Danny’s, who invited me here.

I’d just begin to say that I’m a typical product of today’s society. Before this, I was talking about how the media influences us etc. So I’m a typical product of what the media portrays. From young, I’ve always been under the influence and impression that to be happy, is to be successful. And to be successful, is to be wealthy. So I led my life according to this motto.

Coming from a poor average family, back in those days, I was highly competitive, whether in sports, studies, leadership. I wanted it all. I’ve been there, done that. But at the end of the day, it’s still about money.

So in my recent last years, I was a trainee in ophthalmology, but I was getting impatient, cos I had friends of mine who were going out into private practise, making tonnes of money. And there I was, stuck in a traineeship. So I said, ‘Enough, it’s getting too long.’ At that time, there was a surge in protégés of aesthetic medicine. I’m sure you’re aware, aesthetic medicine had peaked over the last few years, and I saw good money in there. So much so that I said, ‘Forget about ophthalmology, I’m gonna do aesthetic medicine.’ So that’s what I did.

The truth is, nobody makes heroes out of the average GP in the neighbourhood. They don't. They make heroes out of rich celebrities, politicians, rich and famous people. So I wanted to be one of these. I dived straight into aesthetic medicine. People were not willing to pay when I was doing locum back in those days. Anything more than $30, they would complain that “Wah, this lo kun (doctor) jing qwee (very expensive)”. They made noise and they were not happy. But the same people were willing to pay $10 000 for a liposuction. So I said, ‘Well, let’s stop healing the sick, I’m gonna become a beautician; a medically-trained beautician.’

And that was what I did – liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid surgeries, you name it, we do it. It was very good money. My clinic, when we started off, waiting time was 1 week; 1 month; became 2 months; became 3 months. There was so much demand that people were literally queuing up to have aesthetic work done on them. Vain women – easy life!

So the clinic grew. I was so overwhelmed, from 1 doctor, I employed 2, then 3, then 4 doctors, and carried on. Nothing is ever enough. I wanted more and more and more. So much so that we set up shop in Indonesia to lure all the Indonesian tai tai’s. We set up shop, set up a team of people there, to get more Indonesian patients to come in.

So, things were doing well. I’m there, my time has arrived.

Around sometime in February last year, I said, ‘OK, I have so much spare cash, it’s time to get my first Ferrari. So there I was, getting ready for the deposit. ‘OK! There comes my first Ferrari!’ I was looking for land, to share with some of my friends. I have a banker friend who makes $5 million a year. So I thought, ‘Come, let’s come together. Let’s buy some land and build our houses.’

I was at my prime, getting ready to enjoy. At the same time, my friend Danny had a revival. They were going back to church, some of my close friends. They told me, ‘Richard, come, join us, come back to church.’

I have been a Christian for 20 years; I was baptised 20 years ago, but it was because it was fashionable to be a Christian then. All my friends were becoming Christians then. It was fashionable! I wanted to be baptised, so that when I filled in a form, I could put there “Christian” – feels good. In truth, I had never had a bible; I don’t know what the bible is all about.

I went to church for a while, after some time, I got tired. I said it’s time to go to NUS, stop going to church. I had a lot more things to pursue in NUS – girls, studies, sports etc. After all, I had achieved all these things without God today, so who needs God? I myself can achieve anything I want.

In my arrogance, I told them, “You know what? You go tell your pastor to change your sermon to 2pm. I will consider coming to church.” Such arrogance! And I said 1 statement in addition to that – till date, I don’t know I’ve regretted saying that – I told Danny and my friends, “If God really wanted me to come back to church, He will give me a sign.”. Lo and behold, 3 weeks later, I was back at church.


THE DIAGNOSIS


In March 2011, out of the blues – I was still running around, ‘cause I’m a gym freak and I always go to the gym training, running, swimming 6 days a week. I had some backache, and that’s all I had, but it was persistent. And so I went for an MRI to exclude prolapsed disc. And the day before I had my scan, I was still in the gym, lifting heavy weights, doing my squats. And the next day, they found that half my spine had bone marrow replacement. I said, “Woah, sorry, what’s that?”

We had a PET scan the next day, and they diagnosed that I had terminal lung cancer, stage 4B. It had spread to the brain, half the spine, whole of my lungs were filled with tumour, liver, adrenals…

I said, “Can’t be, I was just at the gym last night, what’s going on?” I’m sure you know how it feels – though I’m not sure if you know how it feels. One moment I was there at the peak, the next day, this news came and I was totally devastated. My whole world just turned upside down.

I couldn’t accept it. I have a hundred relatives on both sides, my mom and my dad. 100 of them. And not a single one has cancer. To me, in my mind, I have good genes, I’m not supposed to be having this! Some of my relatives are heavy chain smokers. Why am I having lung cancer? I was in denial.


HIS ENCOUNTER WITH GOD


So the next day, I was still in a state of denial, still unable to accept what was going on. There I was lying in an operating theatre in a hospital, for a needle biopsy (for histology). There I was, just completed the biopsy, and lying in the operating theatre. The nurses and doctors had left; told me I had to wait for 15 minutes to do a check X-ray to make sure there’s no pneumothorax (a complication).

And there I was, lying on the operating table, staring blankly at the ceiling in a cold, quiet operating theatre. Suddenly I just heard an inner voice; it was not like coming from outside. It was inside. This small inner voice that I had never felt before. And it said very specifically, it said, “This has to happen to you, at your prime, because it’s the only way you can understand.”

I said, “Woah, why did that come from?” You know, when you speak to yourself, you’d say, “OK, what time should I leave this place? Where shall I have dinner after this?” You’d speak from a first person point of view. You don’t say, “Where should YOU go after this?” Whereas the voice that came spoke as a third party. It said, “This has to happen to YOU, at YOUR prime, because this is the only way YOU can understand.” At that time, my emotions just overflowed and I broke down and cried, alone there. And I knew then, subsequently, what it means to understand that why this is the only way.

Because I had been so proud of myself, my whole life, I needed nobody else. I was gifted with things that I could do, why do I need anybody else? I was just so full of myself that there was no other way I could have turned back to God.

In fact, if I were diagnosed with stage 1 or 2, I would have been looking around busily for the best cardiothoracic surgeon, remove a section of the lobe (do a lobectomy), do preventive chemotherapy…The chances of it being cured is extremely high. Who needs God? But I had stage 4B. No man can help, only God can.

A series of events happened after that. I wasn’t sold after that, because of the inner voice, I became believing, prayers, all that. No I wasn’t. To me, it was just ‘maybe there was a voice; or maybe that was just me talking to myself.’ I didn’t buy the story.

What happened next was that I was being prepared for chemotherapy. I started off with a whole brain radiation therapy first; takes about 2 -3 weeks. In the meantime they prepared me for chemotherapy, supplements etc. One of the things they used for chemo was a thing called Zometa. Zometa - they use it to strengthen the bones; once the bone marrow (replacement) is cured of cancer cells, it becomes hollow, so we need Zometa to strengthen the bone to prevent compression fractures.

One of the side effects of Zometa is that it can cause osteonecrosis (bone death) of the jaw, and I had to have my wisdom teeth removed. Years ago, I had my upper wisdom teeth removed, cos it was giving me trouble. The lower ones didn’t give me trouble so I said, “Forget it, just leave it.” So of cause, Danny volunteered to remove it for me.

So there I was, lying there in a dental chair, asking myself, suffering all the side effects of radiotherapy, and now I have to go through wisdom tooth surgery. As if I’ve not had enough to suffer! So I asked Danny, “Eh, bro, is there any other way? Can I not go though this?” He said, “Yes, you can pray.”

I said, “What’s there to lose? Ok lah, pray lah!” And so we prayed. And we did an X-ray after that. Everything was all there, all the appliances and everything. And lo and behold, the Xray showed that there was no wisdom teeth in the lower jaw. I know most people have 4 wisdom teeth, maybe some have none, but to be missing one or 2, as I understand – I’m not too sure, as I understand – is not that common.

Still I was, “Nah, I don’t care about that.” To me, as long as I didn’t have to take out the tooth, I was happy. At that point, I still wasn’t sold on prayers. Maybe it was just a coincidence – for whatever it’s worth.

I continued meeting my oncologist, asking him, “How long do I have?” I asked him. He said, not more than 6 months. I said, “Even with chemotherapy?” About 3 – 4 months, he said.

I couldn’t grasp that. It was difficult to come to terms. And even as I went through radiotherapy, I was struggling everyday, especially when I wake up, hoping that it’s just a nightmare; when I wake up, it’s all over.

As I was struggling, day after day, I went into depression, which is the typical denial, depression blah blah blah that you go through. But for 1 reason, I don’t know why, there was this specific day that I was supposed to meet my oncologist. At about 2pm, I felt this sudden surge of peace, comfort, and in fact, a little happiness. It was just overflowing. For no rhyme or reason, it just came about 2pm, as I was getting ready, dressing up to meet my oncologist. So much so that I whats-apped all my friends that, “Bros, I just feel so good suddenly! I don’t know why, it just came!”

And it was only days, or was it weeks after, that Danny revealed to me that he had fasted for 2 days for me, and he was bargaining with God, and fasted for 2 dyas, and he ended his fast at that exact same point, about 2pm thereabouts, that this surge of sensation came to me for no rhyme or reason. And I didn’t know that he was fasting for me. And when he ended the fast, I felt that sensation!

Whoa, things were getting a bit too coincidental. I was starting to buy a bit of the story, but still I wasn’t sold. As days passed by, I completed my radiotherapy, about 2 weeks plus. Getting ready for chemo, so they let me rest for a few days.

See, the mortality rate of lung cancer : Lung cancer has the highest mortality rate. If you add up breast, colorectal (colon) cancer, and prostate cancer (the top few cancers in Singapore for men and women), if you add up the mortality rate of these 3, it still doesn’t add up to lung cancer. Simply because, you understand, you can remove the prostate, the colon, the breast, but you cannot remove your lungs.

But there’s about 10% of lung cancer patients who do pretty well for some reasons, because they have this specific mutation; we call it the EGFR mutation. And it happens, only 90% of the time, in Asian ladies who never smoked in their lives. Me, first of all, I’m male. 2ndly, I’m a social smoker. I take one a day after dinner; weekends, when my friends offer me, I take it as well. I’m a light smoker, not a social smoker. But still, my oncologist was still not hopeful for me to have this mutation.

The chances of it happening for me was maybe 3-4% for me to get it. That’s why I was being primed to go for chemo. But through all the intense prayers, friends like Danny, people that I don’t even know, it turned out that, during my waiting for chemo, the results came back that I was EGFR positive. I was like, “Woah, good news!” Cos now I don’t have to undergo chemo at that time, because there’s this oral tablet that you can use to control this disease.


Just to share with you some idea – this is a CT scan – thorax – of my lungs, before treatment.

AFTER BEFORE

Every single dot there is a tumour. You can see all the mets (metastasis) there. This is just one single plane. Literally I had it in both lungs, and I had literally tens of thousands of tumour. That’s why the oncologist told me, even with chemo, at most 3-4 months.

But because of this mutation, they have this oral medication. This is what happened after 2 months of treatment. As you can see over here; this is what God can do. And that’s why I’m still here having this opportunity to share with you. As you can see over here, the difference between before and after treatment.

At that point, I said, “Well, it’s to be expected, isn’t it? The medicine is good.” I’m still not buying the story. Well, the guys prayed for me and the tumour markers started to come down. 90% of the tumours were wiped out, and the tumour markers came down to more than 90% over the next few months.

But still, you know, once you have the clinical knowledge, you know the statistics. One year survival, two year survival; having all this knowledge is not a good thing. Cos you live with the knowledge that even with all this, the cancer cells are so unstable, they keep mutating. They will overcome and become resistant to the drugs, and eventually you’re gonna run out of medication.

So living with this knowledge is a huge mental struggle, a huge mental torture. Cancer is not just about a physical struggle, it’s a huge mental torture. How do you live with no hope? How do you live with not being able to plan for the next few years? The oncologist tells you to bear with it for the next 1 – 2 months. So it’s a lot of struggles as I went through: March, then April. April was my lowest point, in deep depression, struggling even as I was recovering.

HIS ACCEPTANCE & PEACE

And one of those days, I was there in bed, struggling in the afternoon, asking God, “Why? Why do I have to go through this suffering? Why do I have to endure this hardship, this struggle? Why me?”

As I fell asleep, in my dreamy state, a vision just came, that says Hebrews 12:7-8.

Now mind you, at this time, I had not read the bible. I have no clue what’s Hebrews, I don’t even know how many chapters there are. Totally clueless.

But it says Hebrews 12:7-8, very specifically.

I didn’t think too much of it. I just continued sleeping. Then I woke up, and I said, “What’s there to lose? I’d just check it out lah!” Danny had bought me a bible; it’s still quite new. I said, “It’s ok, just try.” So I flipped to the Old Testament. Hebrews to me sounds like something ancient, so it should be in the Old Testament right? So I flipped through the Old Testament. No Hebrews there. I was so disappointed.

Then I said, “Maybe New Testament, let’s have a look!”. WOW – New Testament, there’s Hebrew’s!! It says Hebrews 12:7-8. It says, “Endure hardship as discipline as God is treating you as His children.”


I said, “WAH!! Where did that come from?” I was getting goose pimples all over my body. I said, “This can’t be, right?” I mean, what’s the chance of somebody, who has never read the bible, to have a vision of a chapter of a specific verse, that answers my question directly?

I think God called to me directly as I was there sleeping, struggling with it, asking God, “Why do I have to suffer? Why do I have to suffer this?” And God says “Endure hardship as discipline as God is treating you as His child.”

At this point, the chance of that happening is even lesser than my EGFR being positive. There’s just no way; there’s so many millions of thousands of verses in the bible, how can I just conjure up something like that?

So at that point, I was sold I said, “YOU WIN! YOU WIN!!”

Ok , I was convinced. And so from that day onwards, I started believing in my God. And the last time I heard that inner voice was the end of April. And that inner voice, same thing, in the afternoon, as I was sleeping (this time I wasn’t struggling, just going to sleep). In a dreamy state I just heard Him say, “Help others in hardship.”

It was more like a command, rather than a statement. And that’s when I embarked on this journey, helping others in hardship. And I realised that hardship is not just about being poor. In fact, I think a lot of poor people are probably happier than a lot of us here. They are so easily contented with whatever they have, they’re probably pretty happy.

Hardship can happen to rich people; it can be physical hardship, mental hardship, social, etc. And also over the last few months, I started to understand what this true joy is about. In the past, I substituted true joy with the pursuing of wealth. I thought true joy is about pursuing wealth. Why? Cos let me put it to you this way, in my death bed, I found no joy whatsoever in whatever objects I had – my Ferrari, thinking of the land I was going to buy to build my bungalow etc, having a successful business.

It brought me ZERO comfort, ZERO joy, nothing at all. Do you think I can hold onto this piece of metal and it’s going to give true joy? Nah, it’s not going to happen.

True joy comes from interaction with other people. And at a lot of times, it is a short term pride, the past. When you pursue your wealth, Chinese New Year is the best time to do it. Drive my Ferrari, show off to my relatives, show off to my friends, do my rounds, and then you thought that was true joy? You really think that those guys who sold you your Ferrari, they share their joy with you? And your relatives, wow, they share this joy with you? In truth, what you have done is just to illicit envy, jealousy, and even hatred. They are not sharing the joy with you, and what I have is that short-term pride that wow, I have something you don’t have! And I thought that was joy!

So what we have is basically a short-term pride at the expense of somebody else. And that wasn’t true joy. And I found no joy at all on my deathbed, thinking of my Ferrari – to hold on to it, sayang it?!?

True joy I discovered comes from interaction. Over the last few months I was so down. Interaction with my loved ones, my friends, my brothers in Christ, my sisters in Christ, and only then was I able to be motivated, able to be uplifted. To share your sorrow, to share your happiness – that’s true joy.

And you know what makes you smile? True joy comes from helping others in hardship, and because I’ve gone through this, I know what hardship entails. In fact, there’re some cancer patients who tell me a lot of times, people come up to them and tell them, “Stay positive. Stay positive.” Yah, right. You come in my shoes and you try to stay positive! You don’t know what you’re talking about!

But I have the licence. So I’ve been going out to meet other fellow cancer patients, to share with them, encourage them. And I know, because I’ve been through it, and it’s easier for me to talk to them.

And most importantly, I think true joy comes from knowing God. Not knowing about God – I mean, you can read the bible and know about God – but knowing God personally; getting a relationship with God. I think that’s the most important. That’s what I’ve learnt.

So if I were to sum it up, I’d say that the earlier we sort out the priorities in our lives, the better it is. Don’t be like me – I had no other way. I had to learn it through the hard way. I had to come back to God to thank Him for this opportunity because I’ve had 3 major accidents in my past – car accidents. You know, these sports car accidents – I was always speeding , but somehow I always came out alive, even with the car almost being overturned. And I wouldn’t have had a chance. Who knows, I don’t know where else I’d be going to! Even though I was baptised it was just a show, but the fact that this has happened, it gave me a chance to come back to God.

Few things I’d learnt though:
1. Trust in the Lord your God with all your heart – this is so important.
2. Is to love and serve others, not just ourselves.

There is nothing wrong with being rich or wealthy. I think it’s absolutely alright, cos God has blessed. So many people are blessed with good wealth, but the trouble is I think a lot of us can’t handle it. The more we have, the more we want. I’ve gone through it, the deeper the hole we dig, the more we get sucked into it, so much so that we worship wealth and lose focus. Instead of worshipping God, we worship wealth. It’s just a human instinct. It’s just so difficult to get out of it.

We are all professionals, and when we go into private practise, we start to build up our wealth – inevitably. So my thought are, when you start to build up wealth and when the opportunity comes, do remember that all these things don’t belong to us. We don’t really own it nor have rights to this wealth. It’s actually God’s gift to us. Remember that it’s more important to further His Kingdom rather than to further ourselves.

Anyway I think that I’ve gone through it, and I know that wealth without God is empty. It is more important that you fill up the wealth, as you build it up subsequently, as professionals and all, you need to fill it up with the wealth of God.

I think that’s about it. It’s good to share. Thanks.

Heart to heart #42 Bricklayer (24th Oct 2012)

Dear...

For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.
                 Nehemiah 6:9

"Build the foundation well, " this was the thought our good Lord impressed deeply upon my heart this early morning. Brick by brick, every moment He provides, I must lay the foundations of my new endeavor at work well, His way as His Spirit leads. And this attitude must also encompass my life outside work. And should not the same apply to all who profess themselves as not just believers but followers of Christ our Lord?
Whether you are like me on a new endeavor, or be it in your present station in life, we are
the temple upon which the Spirit of our Almighty God resides. And as a church, we are the body of Christ. And till Christ takes us home, or till He returns, every moment of our finite life must be lived well in preparation for eternity, for there is life after death.

Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
                 Nehemiah 4:9

So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days. And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.
                 Nehemiah 6:15-16

In the past, when reading was a passion, I used to like to sneak a quick peek a boo of the last few pages of the novel that I was reading. I like to know the conclusions even before I began. In my moment of weakness, I wished that this new leg of my continued journey of faith that I have embarked on will be completed like now. Or at least I be given a glimpse of the what lies ahead. In the parlance of my craft, my client base will be restored like before, my productive capacity in revenue generation back to full throttle. And I can sit back and wallow in perceived comfort.

For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
                    Matthew 3:3

But is this truly the will of God or His purpose is much greater than what the finite man can fathom?  God has a greater purpose when He called me into this new leg of my journey of faith.  To bring Godly principles into the workplace, where man will learn to live like His children, and not as denizens of the jungle.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
                     2 Timothy 2:15

Ideals it might seem, but it is not, for some in the world will turn to God if they witness Christ at work in our lives. The immediate question will be, will we the lamp be willing to be polished His way, even as His light emanates from us unto the darkness?
Much as from experience, I know that as a good farmer, I can only plant wisely in this new platform , and it is God Who will bring about the increase. Fear of a crop failure does hover over me occasionally, but thanks be to God, such delusions are rare and it is soon blown away by His reassuring presence. There is however a greater and more insidious threat that I am well cognizant of, yet fearful that I will still succumb to it. Which is through pride of God given success, I fail to be what 2 Timothy 2:15 exhorts.

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly:therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
                    2 Chronicles 16:9

And so as I enter the end of the 4th week of my new journey of faith, I asked that you pray not for success for me in this new endeavor, for that God will and has provided. But that my heart move not away from Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. And the same for you.

And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
                     2 Chronicles 15:2

And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.
                       2 Chronicles 16:7

God blesses

Eng hieang
25th  Oct 2012

Heart to heart #41 Pray (11th Oct 2012)

Dear..

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
               Philippians 4:6-7

"You can pray."  I am not referring to an unique talent someone has in this particular area, but rather a statement of the biblical truth that all believers have a direct line to God our Father through His beloved son, our Lord Jesus Christ. An immediate gratification you might not get, for often our desires are misaligned with the will of God. But peace of heart His Spirit will imbue in us if we are willing to stay in His presence.

"Be strong in  the Lord." This was the choral offering this morning in church, and though many more lines of this song was sung, this line struck a chord even as the Spirit of God deeply impressed upon me the word "to pray."

Prayers, especially in public has never been my forte when I first renewed my relationship with our Lord back in 1998. But then neither was praising Him in songs in public for I had a "vocal" block since my Primary 2 music teacher Ms Gloria Teo left on the impressionable me,  an indelible possibility that my family line was related to the Frog Prince.

I lead worship in Church today by His grace, but thankfully at the wee hours of the morning when the congregation might still be drowsy to notice my less than baritone voice. But matters  not, for what pleases God is an obedient heart.
And prayers or rather, being involved actively in prayer meetings have been my main stay in ministry this past decade.

God will use the weak if we are willing.

And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
                 Ezekiel 43:2

So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house. And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.
                 Ezekiel 43:5-6

A vision or was it simply a dream? In my sleep, I saw this clear blue sky. A beautiful azure blue, a picture of serenity. Suddenly, without any preliminaries, a bolt of light shone forth, dazzling to the eyes, yet not hurting. I felt my bodily self being lifted up, and matching my involuntary movement was this voice that resonated like the roar of the thunderous waves, yet was clear as the finest crystal. The words I heard was " to rise like the Oriole."
"Oriole" is a bird with colorful plumage. This I know but just to be sure, I looked up the dictionary the next morning. But what caught my eye was this unknown  word "orison." Strange or rather new to me then, "orison" means "prayer."

It has been a decade since my active involvement in prayer ministry. But it was never due to an actual response to this vision. For back then I never truly understood what it meant for me. But rather, on reflection, I realized that somehow, my service for our Lord has always revolved around "prayers."

And much as this vision was received back in early 2000, it was not until year 2009 that I came across  Ezekiel 43:2 for the first time in my life and  realized that these were the words that so vividly described my vision then. And Ezekiel 43:2-12 was where our good Lord brought me to back in 2009 as I was praying as regards a vexing issue my publisher and dear sister in Christ and myself were facing regarding the cover page of our blessed first art book "Reflections - A traveler's muse." And for those of you who have kindly accepted my book, do take a look at the cover and you will see that Ezekiel 43:12 aptly describe the cover scene in the same blessed book.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
                Philippians 4:8-9

Prayers is a powerful time of communion with our omnipresent God. Christ always took time in prayers, irregardless of the compelling circumstances. Prayers is an act of submission to the Sovereignty of God, that we recognize all things move from Him, through Him and by Him. The author of today's Daily Bread termed prayer as "the bridge between panic and peace."

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
                   Philippians 4:11-13

Prayers is a time of waiting upon our Lord. And not Him waiting upon us to receive our list of wants, as many are apt to confuse God for the genie in the lamp.
Prayers is a quiet time of reflection. A time to look beyond our present difficult circumstances, to the will of God and being thankful for His ever present care, much as the dark clouds have not dispersed.

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
                    Philippians 4:19-20

Life is a journey. Having left the familiar highway of the past 17 years, for a new route, can be both exhilarating, yet daunting. The tendency is to either turn back to the familiar path or to wish that we can gobble up the miles ahead quickly. God is the cartographer.To Him we must seek every day of our lives in prayers, for only then will we be able to not just navigate through the treacherous waters of our fallen world, but be able to claim the victory of the cross, that our Risen Christ has won.

'Be still, and know that I am God:
I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.'
                        Psalms 46:10

Prayers I am reminded by our good Lord, empowers us, what time and distance seek to make hapless. As parents, 10,000 km is too far a chasm for us to effectively shepherd my daughter. But prayers enable us to plug onto our Chief shepherd, the omnipresent God, to know His will, and to pray His way as His Spirit leads. For we are the passengers, and God is our driver.

'....Help us, O Lord our God, for we rest in You, and in Your name we go against the multitude.'
      2 Chronicles 14:11

It has been close to two weeks since I embarked on this journey of faith to build banking relationships on a platform of trust and integrity, rather than greed and fear, which has sadly epitomized the industry. "Threatening Giants" there were, but God is much larger than such specters. And prayers was the conduit upon which I draw my strength from Him.

And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.
                  Genesis 28:16

Like Jacob, I am blessed to know, experience and acknowledge the loving hands of God in my life and in this labor of love He has now placed me in. All glory to our Lord.

God blesses

Eng hieang
11 Oct 2012

Heart to heart #40 Amongst the giants (5th Oct 2012)

Dear...

Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
                  Luke 22:42-43

Disorientated, spaced out or feeling like a "blur sotong" ( squid or cuttlefish - colloquial term for a disconnected individual), this was me at the first day of my new job this Monday 1st Oct. A ministry I was reminded, but in my brief moment of weakness, I had a tinge of regret for adhering to what Christ did in Luke 22:42.  But thanks be to God, I found my rest in His presence that same night and indeed, God will strengthen the willing with His words.

In the Daily Bread(DB)reading on 1st Oct, the author Bill Crowder wrote the experiential truth
"When we enter the disturbing, unsettling seasons of life, it is good to know that real peace is available in the God of peace."

'Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way.'
      2 Thessalonians 3:16

A lovely swim in the night followed by a loving meal cooked by the wife, was nicely topped off with luxuriating in the Word of our Lord.

Sanctified I was, but our good Lord knows I needed a further lift, and 2nd Oct DB reading was a good admonishment. Often we go to God like a puppy wet on its tail, whimpering for deliverance when we should be focusing on His greater plans for us.

'I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.'
        Philippians 4:11

God is a wonderful teacher. He allows us to fall, but not just cushion the impact, but lifts us even higher, when He knows we have learned His teaching for that phase.
Today, has been a great day. I have settled in and He provided a great piece of reassurance at work that will prayerfully set the next stage in this ministry He has called me upon.
And by the way, I do remember reading at an exhibition, not sure if it was about jelly fish or squid that contrary to popular misconceptions, they are in fact brilliant creatures.

Once again, I thank our Lord for moving me out of my comfort zone. For spiritual growth deepens, when our dependency on Him alone intensifies. And God is good. He provides wonderful friends like you, many of whom have sent me messages of encouragement, but most importantly your prayers. And who knows, I might be able to hitch a ride from one of you for the next 10 days, as my car protested my obedience to our good Lord by breaking down. So the poor wife has to include me as part of her delivery schedule, save for this evening when I finally understood, in the midst of the crush of commuters, why the MRT trains were prone to breakdown.

'And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.'
                Matthew 24:14

And what has work got to do with ministry? It is not just work, but everything we do is a ministry. This call to share the gospel by our daily living, which for many of us, is at the workplace. And God will provide wherever He places us. And He reminded me again today of the same message He gave me when I finally step out in obedience 3 months back. In day 3 DB reading(Oct 3rd)
"Moses reminded the people that the blessings God wanted to give them depended on their obedience: "observe and obey.... That it may go well with you."(Deuteronomy 12:28)"

'Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.'
                  1 Corinthians 10:12-13

But what if we err or was tempted to err? Our perfect God will intervene, much as the imperfect us wobble. This was the case with Abram when he lied about his wife not once but twice to deal with his fears. And this was the case for me come day 4.

'All things work together for good to those.....who are the called according to His purpose.'
          Romans 8:28

For  yesterday day 4, I had an even larger spiritual challenge. But God is good. More saddened for than aggrieved with the actions of some people I used to work with back in the bull pen. But God is good. He allows challenges to ensure I will definitely start right in this ministry. And how can I be sure that He intervened. Because, this little unjustified shock to my system has ensured that the little temptation that was luring me just before the "shock" hit me, was quickly snuffed out. Interesting how difficulties are actually "saviors in disguise."

But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;
                  Philippians 1:12-13

And so now, I know I have no fear and can move confidently forth in this promised land He has placed me in. For indeed, the Daily Bread readings these past days since I started work seems to be written for me, by our Lord, to guide, correct, assure and strengthen.
The  Daily Bread(4th Oct)  reading on Psalm 37 was for me, and it sums up God's assurance and intent. And it is so personal for me in my present circumstance that I felt compelled to put in its entirety  Psalm 37 below. May it be used by our Lord to minister to you as well.

And so as this week closes, Friday was the cream on the cake of a victorious week for me in The Lord.
Early days this might be, but I have enjoyed the week in this land and with the people God has placed me in. And more importantly, I am reminded that much as we know that God will see us through challenges, often enough, the difficult circumstance has a greater purpose, to align us back into Christ focus, rather than self focus.

Psalm 37
A Psalm of David.
1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers,
neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
and wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the Lord;
and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the Lord;
trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light,
and thy judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:
fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way,
because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath:
fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off:
but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be:
yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth;
and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plotteth against the just,
and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
13 The Lord shall laugh at him:
for he seeth that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow,
to cast down the poor and needy,
and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
16 A little that a righteous man hath
is better than the riches of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken:
but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.
18 The Lord knoweth the days of the upright:
and their inheritance shall be for ever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time:
and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish,
and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs:
they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again:
but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth;
and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord:
and he delighteth in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down:
for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old;
yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,
nor his seed begging bread.
26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth;
and his seed is blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good;
and dwell for evermore.
28 For the Lord loveth judgment,
and forsaketh not his saints;
they are preserved for ever:
but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land,
and dwell therein for ever.
30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom,
and his tongue talketh of judgment.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
none of his steps shall slide.
32 The wicked watcheth the righteous,
and seeketh to slay him.
33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand,
nor condemn him when he is judged.
34 Wait on the Lord, and keep his way,
and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land:
when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
35 I have seen the wicked in great power,
and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not:
yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright:
for the end of that man is peace.
38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together:
the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord:
he is their strength in the time of trouble.
40 And the Lord shall help them,
and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked,
and save them, because they trust in him.



God blesses

Eng hieang
5th  Oct 2012