Shoe Polish

The other day I was polishing my shoes with australian bee wax. Then the Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart that applying God's word is like shoe polish. Without shoe polish, the shoes will wear out faster. Shoe polish protects the shoes from the sun, dust, and water. Similarly, we are just filthy and evil without God's word (James 1:21).

But when we humbly accept God's word, we are saved. God's word not only cleans us from filth and protects us from evil, but also makes us shine. It's not enough to have the word of God though. James 1:22 says that we have to apply it, like a shoe polish.

If you have polished shoes before, you'll know that it's not enough to put the polish on the shoe. You have to rub it diligently until the shoe shines. Similarly, it's not enough to read the bible, but we benefit most when we do what it says. This is especially true for me, cos I tend to forget, and I need to revise and practice many times until I get it.

How much is enough?

How much do you need now? A bachelor living with parents may say $1000 per month, but a father of 4 teenagers (6 cars, 2 wives, and 3 crocodiles) may say that he needs to spend $80,000 per month.

How much do you think you'll need in the future? If Jesus doesn't come back in my generation, I may have another 70 years to live. Then again, I may not be living alone. I may have to feed 1,000 orphans, 5,000 drug addicts, or maybe just one or two dogs. And a wife, because wives tend to outlive their husbands by 8 years (I wonder why).

When you take up insurance, forget about investment-linked insurance, because after 50 years, you probably have nothing left. Go figure. If you plan to insure yourself, consider how much you (and your family) need in the future, and how much you can spend on the premium in the next few years. Take into account the inflation rate and rising costs of medical services. Then settle with what you can afford.

If you consider investments, try not to use it unless if necessary. Otherwise your investment will be like a runner running with an open parachute.

Compound interest is the most powerful tool in history. $100,000 becomes $1,000,000+ in 25 years at 10% interest. And it becomes $1,500,000+ 4 years later. Consider what will happen if you add $10,000 annually.

Enough is never enough. With so much temptations in the world, God had to remind us that Thou shalth not covet thy neighbours' 4 wives, Taylor guitars, BMWs, plasma TVs and diamond noserings (Exo 20:17). Doesn't mean that you can't have more than your neighbours though :P

It's not good to work for more than enough. Too much honey is not good for you (Pro 25:27). It's ok to earn supernormal salary, but don't forget your health, and other things that matter in life. So set a realistic goal for your life, and don't forget to enjoy it.

Be content with what you have in every situation (Phil 4:11-13). True contentment is irrelevant of wealth (Ecc5:10-11), but is found in relationship with God.

Beowulf

I watched Beowulf on Saturday night. It's an ethical movie about sin that so easily entangles in our lives (Heb 12:1). Be careful, because even kings and heroes fall for it. All the time.

I was somewhat intrigued because some of them mentioned Jesus Christ as a solution. But it's not enough to know about the Way. Acts 24:22-27 told us about a person who knew the Way, but was not willing to confront some personal issues, or simply loved the way of the world. True repentance is difficult because we have to deal with pride, greed and lust.

When you are drowning in sin, you have to stop struggling, then God can save you.

13 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:13-15)

Little Mouse Story

Just imagine.. you are in a dark room, and when you turn on the torchlight, you happen to shine it at a little mouse, and you see a huge shadow of the mouse on the wall. But when you switch on the ceiling light, you don't see the huge shadow anymore, you only find a little mouse ready to be pounced.. or maybe not, by then the mouse would have escaped already.

so what's the moral of the story? guess what, different light perspectives give us different ways of reacting to the mouse. The intimidating shadow turns into a vulnerable little mouse. Romans 12:2 reasons that we must renew our minds, then we can test God's reality. We have to take the step of faith, then we can discover more about God.

Sometimes we look at issues like ice in a glass of water, thinking that it will melt soon. But it may turn out to be the tip of an iceberg, able to sink even the mightiest battleship! be careful about the little sins in your life. and be extra careful about what's going on around you.

Servanthood Leadership

We can learn from John 13:1-17 about Jesus' attitude as a Master, where He demonstrated His love for His disciples by washing their stinking Hong Kong feet. And He emphasised this lesson by saying that there's no point just knowing it, you'd better do it! Later on in John 15:13, Jesus went further by saying that we are not just servants but friends, and He loved us to the point of death. How much are you willing to give to your friends?


When the church is growing, some leaders may feel inadequate because the people under their care may be more talented, more mature, etc. But a great leader is one who can take care of them, and does not need to be better than them. For example, the pastor may not be better in leading worship than the worship leader. A leader has to care, and to lead, to let them achieve their potential.

What if you are the really inadequate leader? hehehe.. I believe that leadership is appointed by God, and don't forget, Joshua was only a young boy, a servant, a son of Nun, and chosen by God. In Joshua 1:7 God said, be bold and courageous.. and as God knows our weaknesses, He topped it up with Acts 1:8, the promise of POWER when the Holy Spirit is with us. Not convinced? 2 Cor 12:9 assures us that Christ's power is made perfect in our weakness. So our weakness is actually expected by God to demonstrate His glory!

I'm not saying that all leaders may be slackers, but as long as we remain willing to be used by God, He will help us to overcome our lack. Have faith, comrades!

All Things New

Yeah, seems like it's the new buzz word among Christian circles. I just went to a live concert by True Worshippers last night, and the theme was All Things New. Steven Curtis Chapman also wrote a song with the same title. So what's the big deal? After all, the last thing that is new is God himself. And He's the same ancient lightyears ago, today, and forever.

Look at the bright side: compared to God, everything is new :D but cheekiness aside, 2Cor5:17 says that once we are in Christ, then out with the old and in with the new. By God's grace, we are set free from our old ways.

Halfway through the concert, the message hits home. God has been trying to tell me that now I'm experiencing 'All Things New'. New career, new home, new lifestyle, new church, new girlfriend new season. In the past few days, I've been super tired from travelling, with around 4-10hrs spent as a faithful passenger everyday. But God keeps reminding me of the vision of Revelation 21:1-8. One friend once asked me, which group of christians do you belong to? and I replied, "the ones who go to heaven."

There's no time to lose, we have to tell the world about Him! I can't wait to step on the new earth.