Serving God with Joy

It's my first month out of a cage or the metaphor I gave in my farewell speech at the end of January, I will fly with wings unbound and those who are willing to accept my ministry I will bring them fly with me for God's glory. I am in full flight in less than 3 weeks out of a "job". I feel unbound and not just freer but free to do what Christ wants me to do. I have written over 100 pages for my commentary on John's Gospel from 13-21.

I have preached twice on Monday and last night. Last night was quite unusual but God brought it about. I ministered in a VVIP's house with 20 members from my first church, Likas (BM) in Kota Kinabalu where I was pastor from 2003-2008 before leaving for Singapore. Almost all of them knew me except a few new comers. Most of my friends now have less hair or grey hairs or dyed black. 

The only half-joke I gave was that in my 30s I did not have to get up during the night and slept throughout soundly in 66 villages I visited in 3 years preaching 300 times in 28 Distircts except once when I had a stomach ache and had to get up at least twice, at 2am and 4am to go to the toilet across the field about 50 meters from the pastor's house. Those were the days that it was taboo to build a toilet too close to the living quarters but last November for the first time I stayed in an en-suite air-conditioned room in a far away District in Entilibon preaching three times and drove 9 to 10 hours to and fro. 

Lord, how long can I do it? I told them I prefer to minister in nearby places nowadays and only 10 years ago in the Bible College near Ranau, I showered or bathed with rain water collected in a water tank outside my house at least twice a week, as the water supply was bad to my old residence built in 1970s and refurbished in 1980s. As a matter of fact, the VVIP  whom I visited last night was the one with his own finances renovated the semi wooden concrete house for me on Campus and I lived there for 2 full years after staying in a room at the Hostel for a year. 

But I was still in my early 50s then and I could drive up and down KK once a week to return to my homebase. Now I can't do it anymore. There is a time for everything, a season for every thing under heaven. But I serve the Lord with joy. What I told my youth of 15 years old is coming to pass as I write full-time and part time do preaching and ministry as the Lord leads.