"All the Days are ordained for me" (Psalm 139:16)

Winding back from 2003 to 1998, I was in my final year as Treasurer-General. Only two years ago, early 2021 I realised how momentous my last year in office proved to be. In January 2021, it was announced that Malaysia suffered a contraction of 5.5% negative economic growth due to the Covid-19 health crisis and the many lockdowns. But the economist noted that it was not the worst in recent history as 1997-1998 was worse that the economic growth contracted by 7.5% due to the financial crisis at that time. I was in my last year as Treasurer-General and the growth in income was steady, the best coming in 1998 with more than 25% increase compared to 1997. At the height of economic crisis, God blessed the church and by November 1998 when I left office, I left a surplus of RM210,000 to my successor which lasted less than a year! With God nothing is impossible.

"My Times are in Your Hands, O Lord" (Psalm 31:16)

Oftentimes this verse is a strong support. Sometimes, one wonders how long one has to wait. The theme of my sermon on Lunar New Year is that it is God who determines our steps and our days before Him. It is not in man to determine his own paths (Jeremiah). Psalm 139:16 is even more explicit. If there is a verse that supports predestination and foreknowledge of God, this is it: "All the days of my life are written in Your book before one of them came to be" That's an amazing statement. As this is my 59th year on this earth as a living soul, I can begin to appreciate this Scripture more and more. It is not in me to determine my own future. My times are in Your hands, O God. When I look at the year of the Rabbit, a cycle of twelve years and if I count backwards according to the animal of my date/year of birth from 2012 backwards as just another year, I would have completed the mighty five cycles of 60 years. 

The Call of a New Generation

The Psalmist prays that before his time is up he would have declared God’s righteousness to the next generation. It is important for us to focus on generational change and renewal. We must ask ourselves whether we are preparing the next generation of believers, not just succession of leaders but the whole cohort of young believers, our next generation. Since my return to Sabah in 2014 when I turned 50 years old, I have been doing just that, first in my Ranau church our first service was filled with Secondary students between 100-200 of them each Sunday. Several times we had more than 250 people packed into our shoplot.

Passing of a 2nd generation Leader

When our former President passed away in 2017, I remembered thinking that the second generation of leaders in our Church would begin to cede leadership to the third or even fourth generation of believers. Today I attended the wake of a church leader who passed away last night and with the eulogies given, I was reminded that he was active in ministry in the 1970s in his teenage years. 50 years of Christian service and today he is no more with us.

Planning for 2023

I have been occupied with preaching since early Dec till New Year’s Day that I had no time to plan for 2023. I do not wish to rush anything as I had just completed a Galatians’ commentary last month and if anything comes about, it will be at least mid February before I start to write another book. When I thought about 2023, I am going to preach on Lunar New Year falling on a Sunday this year just as Christmas 2022 was on Sunday.

Loyalty no More

During the past couple of years I have lost more friends than gain new ones. There were some whom I thought were my friends but they are no more. Not that they vanish from the esrth but that they have behaved dishonourably and acted disloyally to their friends. How we take their words at face value? Last Saturday I drove for two hours one way into the interior of Sabah (one friend who saw my news thought the place I went was really far away). I did so because I wanted to keep my promise that when my book on Galatians was completed he would get a copy.

Second Sunday

This is the first Sunday since 5 weeks ago that I will not be preaching. Yesterday I drove up to Nahaba, 2 hours’ drive from KK. We stopped over for lunch in Tuaran and proceeded to Kota Belud reaching the town at 2.20pm. I picked up three books unsold (John’s Gospel) from a pastor friend at KB and proceeded to Nahaba to visit my good friend, the pastor of SIB Nahaba church. We reached there on time at 3pm sharp and it was raining heavily as we entered the stretch of road about 14kms from the main junction leading to Nahaba village.

Book Sales for New Year

It’s the Orthodox Christmas today. But my book sales are going well. I have only five good copies left for Sarawak and another 20 copies with a few typos that I am selling with RM10.00 discount. These were the first copies printed before they are corrected. I am still deciding whether to print more books in A5 size which is slightly cheaper to print and lighter to mail to different buyers across the State and country.

Confidence in my Heart

If our hearts do not condemn us, whatever we ask, shall be granted to us. And the Lord is greater than our hearts. Many a time, I would have despaired out of fear, within and without. When one does not know whether the person talking with you is a friend or foe, then we must be on one's guard all the time. Like in the Gospels, Jesus' enemies always watched for something Jesus said that they might use it against Him. But Jesus spoke plainly and boldly, the truth from the Father. But alas who wants the truth?

"That I may declare all Your works" (Psalm 73:28)

It has been a whirlwind Christmas and New Year's ministry. And it's not done yet until the Orthodox Christmas on Saturday. This itinerant ministry has taken me from KK (two churches) to Ranau for three days, then to Sandakan for New Year's ministry and now onto Kota Belud. I can only praise God and declare all that He has done, His great works for all who have eyes to see and ears to listen. I preached for 55 minutes on New Year's Day and I sensed that everyone paid attention and no one moved as I spoke. The interesting thing was that the elder who came after my sermon prayed a prayer of repentance for the church and I praised the Lord that the Word of God touched him and many members on New Year's Day. I have also restored my relationship with my closest relatives.

Four-fold Purpose

I have multiple reasons for going to Sandakan. First, to attend my niece’s wedding, some of whom nephews and nieces I have not known since I entered ministry 28 years ago. Second, to visit my auntie who had been ill and hospitalised for 7 weeks and God answered my prayers for her. She was near death and we feared we would not see her alive again. Her joy and tears in seeing me were worth my trip and all the expenses paid, air tickets and two night hotel accommodation.