Christmas Isn’t Christmas

There’s this old Disney song that goes…

Christmas isn’t Christmas
Till it happens in your heart
Somewhere deep inside you
Is where Christmas really starts
So, give your heart to people
You’ll discover when you do
That it’s Christmas, really Christmas
For you!

For me, I had a most beautiful candlelight Christmas in church! It was a moving sight, seeing the little flickers of light slowly spread through the whole hall, slowly turning the cold dark place into a sea of light and warmth.

It just felt different, standing there, feeling the warmth from my own little candle, relishing the notion that though I am only one among the many candles, this little light of mine is still making a difference.

This year, Christmas happened in my heart. It was really Christmas for me.

Was it Christmas for you?

Seeking God

I was giving bible study this morning when we came upon this very familiar verse in Hebrews:

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” - Heb 11:6, NKJV

What struck me was the second part (since I’m sure many of us already know the first half). We know that we need to have faith to please God, and we have heard often enough where faith comes from (for those who do not know, faith comes by hearing the word of God).

What we often overlook is what kind of faith should it be? According to Heb 11:6, there are 2 things we “must believe” in before we leap into having faith for the things we are praying for:

1. We must believe that He is. This means we must first believe that God exists and lives in us. We must believe that the Holy Spirit is real and working through us. We must believe in God’s character and who He is, as revealed through the scriptures.

2. We must believe that He is a rewarder. Some people think that God is sitting at the edge of heaven, waiting for someone to sin so that He can strike them with lightning or something. That’s not God! That’s the devil! We must believe in God’s Fatherly nature and that He is always eagerly waiting to bless us! (“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” - Jer 29:11, NKJV)

However, God always lays down one condition that we have to fulfil in order to enjoy His rewards. We need to diligently seek Him! And that is the only condition He sets for us. As long we keep our hearts right before Him, to seek Him and His kingdom first before all our personal needs and agendas, God will be faithful to reveal who He is to us and reward us accordingly!

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. - Matt 6:33, NKJV

Asking Why

I once read a quote that says:

“The man who knows HOW will always get a job. The man who knows WHY will always be his boss.”

Such a simple quote, but what a powerful truth!

You see, how many of us live every day of our lives assuming that things are “taken care of” or “well-thought through” by someone else that we never really stopped to ask, “Why?”

For example, why should we be concerned about world politics? Why is democracy (or the lack of it) a good thing? Why is the Singapore government so inflexible in allowing freedom of speech? Why are we so apathetic towards politics and social issues? Why do Singaporeans (like me) complain so much? Why should we study so much? Why should we help the poor? Why should anyone do anything about the moral decline in the world? Why should we keep asking why?

Oh, all these don’t really concern me, some would say. Yet this is the exact same reason why we should start asking why. Because if we never ask why, we would never realise how much we do not know, and hence never see a need to improve ourselves. We would never think out of the box, not because we are unintelligent, but simply because we are so contented with whatever we have IN the box that we never realised that there could be anything outside of it.

Singaporeans I feel, have become such a materialistic lot, so much so that anything that does not bring us tangible benefits are not worth worrying about. Perhaps when we start seeing a need to devote more time and energy to things that are simply nice to know, like literature, art, music and philosophy would we find more purpose and beauty in life.

After all, it is God who created all these, and as His creations, shouldn’t we take some time to stand back and admire the great things He has done?

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10, NKJV

Food for thought:
Now, if you find such a discussion topic very “bo liao”, then perhaps a good way forward is to answer this question: “WHY is it so “bo liao” to talk about this?