Faithfulness Forever

Exactly 2 more weeks I gonna face my Professional 3 exam. Feelings of anxiety and uncertainty begin filling my heart. So much to study, so much to clinical examination to practice. I really dunno how this 2 weeks is gonna be, what the outcome. I wish I could just turn back time and start all over again, but tats of course impossible.
We can try our best to achieve anything but, we cant guarantee anything in life.
With this I put my all my hope and trust in God. Whatever the outcome of this Pro 3, I will still praise Him.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but I everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.” Philippians 4:6

Trials and Tribulations

Heartfelt sharing by J. Ding

For most of us, we must have read about Joseph’s story. Basically Joseph was Jacob’s favourite son, because of his brothers’ jealousy towards him; Joseph was then sold as a slave to Egypt and was subsequently bought by Potiphar, the King’s official in charge of the palace guard. There Joseph was put in charge of Potiphar’s house but was sent to prison after Potiphar’s wife failed to seduce Joseph and accused Joseph of rape. In prison, he met the King’s personal servant and chief cook and helped them interpret their dreams. Later, when the King of Egypt had a strange dream, Joseph was brought forth to interpret it and in the end was made Governor of Egypt second only to the Pharaoh.

For us, knowing the ending of Joseph’s story, it is a happy story. However, what if we were in Joseph’s shoes? He faced challenges after challenges. At times when things were looking better, he suddenly found himself to be in a worse state than before.

I recently just recovered from chicken pox. Due to the disease, I was on medical leave for 10 days in my 6 weeks posting in the medical department. During the time I was sick, I had high grade fever, persistent headache, difficulty in swallowing food and vesicles all over my body. I also faced a risk of disfigurement because my face was swollen and covered with pustules. The scars from the pustule of adult onset chicken pox are very deep. But to cut a long story short, I finally recovered and managed to return to USM with minimal disfigurement but to without consequences.

Firstly, my medical leave meant that I missed some important lectures and had to self study them. Second, I was late in handing up my reports and had to do all the work within one week. Third, I missed an exam that I was supposed to have in the medical posting. Luckily, the lecturer allowed the exam to be postponed until I was back in USM. Fourth, I had to sacrifice my holiday with my family planned for the convocation holiday.

With all this misgivings, I was mad at God at first. I asked why this had to happen to me. But later I realized that everything could have gone worse.

Things like diseases and accidents happen without warning. They disrupt our lives, make our routine stress free life chaotic, and give us anxieties and worries. These are the challenges that God throws at us to make us grow up in mind, body and spirit. I believe that God gave Joseph all the challenges in his life so that he could be prepared to become the Governor of Egypt and fulfill his life’s mission of saving his family and people when the severe drought hit Egypt and the surrounding lands.

So friends, do not be despair when u face troubles or challenges, may it be studies, family, relationship. Have faith that God will always be there for you and help you. My motto is ‘I do not know about tomorrow, but I know who holds tomorrow’.

For those who do not know me yet, last year I got dengue fever and was admitted on my 21st birthday. This year, I got chicken pox around the same month. I am eager to know what I will get next year.

Tuesday with Morrie

Testimony by T. Liszen.

… a book that I read during early in my fourth year in University, I could recall not much of the book’s messages, but there is one chapter, one particular that keeps on lingering in my mind until now…and will once in a while pop out to echo loud in my mind. It is a chapter where Mitch, the author asked his old, bed-ridden professor, Morrie, who had been afflicted with a disease known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS, about his opinion of the Book of Job. I suppose Mitch was wondering how a suffering patient like Morrie would see God’s deeds on Job in order to test Job’s faith.

As a Christian who was very enger to know more about God then, I am ashamed to admit here that I was terrified when reading through the Book of Job.
Yes, I was terrified.
“If I were to give all out for God, will I be experiencing the same situation as Job?”
It was not the adversities to come in the way that I feared the most; It was the process of testing my faith to God.
I love God very much; at least that was what I thought I was then. “But will my faith survive all those adversities if I were Job?”
Despite all these thoughts, I could not help but try to learn to be a good servant of God, because without His salvation, I will not be here writing this. Hallelujah!
Hence I began my journey to learn to be a good servant since my Year 4 in University. And more often than not, I would be encountering helplessness, loneliness and being perceived as a weird person or hypocrite. I survived these and I said to myself. “Hmm, not bad…may be it is not as bad as I thought it will be. Yes, as long as I put my eyes on God, God will help me to go through all those trivial trials. He will be my strength when I am weak.”
I had been holding to that thought whenever I encounter difficulties, until a few months ago, I found myself too weak to even to think of that thought.
I was confused, bitterly in pain emotionally and physically, and worse, I blamed God for what had happened.
I blamed Him for giving me a problem that could not be undo, I blamed Him for allowing that incident to happen, I blamed Him for involving the people I care and love all this while, if all these were to help me to grow…why it could not be that I being the one and only who undergo it?
Then during the CF meeting when Mick came to preach about “Encounter”, he said about how job demands of God an explanation of his plight, and God said,

“Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?
Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer me.
Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?”
Those verses were like a slap on my face.

Who am I and what am I to question and to even blame God? Then I realized that I had been loving and worshiping not God, but rather God’s gift and blessings upon me. I love what God can bless me with, to the extent that I idolize the gifts, not the Giver. That is the reason, I suppose, I agonized so much when things gone so wrong in my eyes, and forgot that sometimes, humans will never be able to comprehend all of God’s ways. For God’s ways are higher than our way.

The recently, God put me through a serial of events to help me to seize the meaning of true faith in Him. I could not share with people I love what are in my mind, what are troubling me and why am I acting in such ways. It was indeed a true agony, when the people you love started to doubt you and you could do nothing to make them understand. Then I learned at that time, am I not the same? Putting God into such situation myself? I doubted Him so many times, while deep inside, I know He loves me, and He has always been there for me. It must have been very painful for God too, to have His child to doubt Him, when all the things He has been doing, are for the good of His child, just that it is beyond the child’s ability to learn the blessings behind. Thus, I know now, Father in Heaven, that I should keep on having faith in You, even if the situation looked terribly grim and messed up at that moment.
And at the end of that chapter, Morrie answered Mitch, “I think, God overdid it.”
Personally, I think, God was doing things in His ways, in accordance to His will.
Well, so now I am really grateful and praising God for the trials He has been giving me, and I think there are more to come…but thank you, Father in Heaven, for promising me that You will not give me burden that I cannot bear. And I would really love to end this by sharing with you all these verses.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4.

Faith and Science

Professor: Do you believe in God?

Student: Yes, sir.

Professor: Is God good?

Student: Yes, sir.

Professor: Is the Devil good?

Student: No, sir.

Professor: Did God created everything?

Student: Yes, sir.

Professor: Then how is God good if He created evil?

The student kept still in silence.

Professor: Do you believe in God?

Student: Yes, sir.

Professor: Have you seen God?

Student: No, sir.

Professor: Then how do you know that God exists??

Student: Erm… I think you have to count it on faith, sir.

Professor: Now, that’s the problem science have, Faith.

The whole lecture hall became quiet…

Professor: According to science, everything that exist on Earth is based on the 5 theorical senses; touch, taste, smell, sight and sound. So, have you touched your God??

Student: No, sir.

Professor: Have you ever tasted Him?? Smelt Him?? Heard Him??

Student: Erm… No, sir

Professor: Then according to the fundamental, basic, empirical theories of science established today, it says that your God does not exist.

The student stood still and said nothing. A smile was creeping up on the professor’s face. He thought he had proven his theory right.

Student:  Sir, is there such thing as cold??

Professor: Yes, of course.

Student: No sir, there’s only such thing as cold. You can hit 450 degress below zero, which has no heat but not cold. Cold is just a term used to describe the absence of heat.

All the students were now paying attention to what the student was saying.

Student: Sir, do you teach that humans evolved from apes??

Professor: Yes, I do.

Student: But have you seen the process of evolution??

Shaking his head, the professor was getting confused…

Student: Then sir, aren’t you just preaching your theories and not the actual facts of science??

The student turns to face the whole hall…

Student: Have anyone seen the professor’s brain??

All the students slowly shake their heads…

Student: Have anyone touched the professor’s brain?? Smelt it? Heard it or tasted it??

Turning back to the professor…

Student: Well, sorry to be rude but according to the fundamental, basic, empirical theories of science established today, science says that you do not have a brain sir.

The lecture hall broke into a contagious laughter…

Student:  How then are we supposed to believe anything that you teach??

Smiling, realising where this was heading…

Professor: I guess you have to based it all on faith, my son.