Life's Goals

I was watching a YouTube by BBC India about a 3-foot man's fight to become a doctor. Rejected by the medical council that admits students into medical school and lost in the High Court and at the end, he won his right to become a doctor with a Supreme Court ruling. It's amazing story and he seems to be doing well in spite of his height or lack thereof. Several times this 3-foot tall doctor who made it at the end said one must have life's goals. I was just thinking to myself. What are my life goals at this stage of my life?

When I was sick late last month, I thought to myself what I wanted written on my tombstone. I remember hearing just once an American preacher who was an evangelist missionary in Irian Jaya said that he would like his tombstone to read "Living carelessly" ("Hidup tak hati-hati"). He referenced that in his efforts to evangelise savage tribes and through that, he was infected with Malaria more than ten times, and after each recovery he would return to his mission field and spoke of Christ to these warring tribes. At the end, he won over 10,000 souls for the Lord and the latest I heard (after almost 30 years) he was still serving in Irian Jaya among other tribes. Amazing! Living carelessly. 

Perhaps it is also partly true of my life. But when I thought about it, I told my wife to write, "Tony Siew. Devoted to God 1994-". Why 1994? It was the year of me entering into the mission field, the Lord's harvests are plentiful but workers are few. I am not an evangelist, nor a missionary in the traditional sense of the word, but I am like Apollos, who waters the plant others have planted. So I ministered mostly among believers, converts who want to know the Lord more and His Word in a deeper way. 

These are the five fold ministries in Eph 4, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers given by a risen and ascended Christ (ascension gifts) that the church must accept if she wants to be equipped for ministry, grow into maturity and come to a full knowledge of the Son of God. I play a small part among these five-fold ministries in my work and if one asks for my life's goals, perhaps in a concrete way, I can say there are still a few books that I want to write. 

The big three are John's Gospel, Galatians and Romans as a foundation and I am only half way through with the second volume of a commentary on John's Gospel that is coming along nicely (still in revision) and perhaps I see whether I could start writing something about Romans later in the year. After that, a couple more projects, in the Psalms, Ecclesiastes and finally, God willing, something on the book of Revelation. 

Speaking of John's Gospel, unless one truly immerses oneself in John's Gospel I can't see how one could say I have come to a full knowledge of the Son of God. There is still much light and mystery in God's Word! And to whom the Son chooses to reveal it.