He Made The Stars Also

Relevant Bible Verses:-

1) Genesis 1:16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.

2) Heb 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

3) Phil 2:15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.
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I find it really interesting and facinating how the following pictures are presented:-

Picture 1


Pictures 2


Picture 3


Picture 4


Picture 5


Dr. John Polkinghorne is one of the greatest living writers, theoretical physicist and thinkers on science and religion. A truly renowned world-class scientist turned priest.


In one of his university lectures he presented a cosmic slide in a physics class. He mentioned that there are billion of stars in the sky and if you chose to count them at one per second, it will take you 2,500 years just to count those stars.

I couldn't help but think of a verse in the Bible that says, He made the stars also!

Dr. Polkinghorne mentioned further that when we look at the earlier days of the formation of the world and universe, the expansion and contraction rates had to be so precise and the margin of error so small that it would be like taking aim at a one square inch object at the other end of the universe twenty billion light years away and hitting it bulls-eye!

Simply by just looking at the pictures above and what were mentioned by Dr Polkinghorne, one cannot deny the great power behind the creator of the universe. These have reminded me of the greatness of God. And Bible says that by the mere utterance, God created the universe! How great and poweful God truly is! And we humans think we are all powerful by our little supremacy here on earth controlling a little tribe of nation given to us.

Remember, we don't have authority and power if we surrender all our principles, we merely have an office.

Beholding and Reflecting

I am honored that Bro. David Chong from Kuching, East Malaysia, is able to contribute an article in my blog. I got to know him during my stay in Australia 10 years ago. A lawyer by training. He used to attend the weekly Friday cell meeting at my Melbourne city apartment. He is now a happily married and God fearing man with two lovely children. Thank you David.


by David Chong


2 Cor. 3:18 But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.
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Have you ever wondered why teenage boys like to ride motorcycles or drive souped-up cars at breakneck speeds? Or why teenagers experiment with drugs, smoking and drinking copious amounts of alcohol?

Brother David Vinson from Texas, USA pondered these questions a lot. A medical doctor by profession, he spent countless hours in emergency rooms trying to save the lives of teenage American kids who had either overdosed on drugs like cocaine or were involved in accidents due to DUI or just plain reckless foolishness. He has concluded from his observations over the years that there are certain laws operating which explains these behaviours. He shared his observations with us during a conference in Kuching last year and it goes something like this:

1. You reflect what you behold.
When you behold something long enough, you will reflect it. Why do some people have weird hairstyles, ghastly tattoos or pierce their body parts with metal objects? That's because they hang around with people with similar hairstyles, tattoos or body-piercings. 1 Cor. 15:33 cautions us not to be deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals. You will reflect what you behold.

2. You behold what you love.
You will only behold something/someone that you love. Sadly, for most teenagers today, be it in the US or in Malaysia, what they love more than anything else are their friends or acceptance by their friends. They place this social acceptance above the teachings of the Bible or their parents. In the end, they only behold their friends or the opinions of their friends for that is what they love above all things.

3. You love what you set your heart upon.
Now we get to the crux of the matter, which is your heart. You will love what you set your heart upon. So crucial is this matter of the heart that Jesus even linked it to our seeing and hearing. In Matthew 13:14-15 we see Jesus quoting Isaiah which says, "In hearing you shall hear and by no means understand, and seeing you shall see and by no means perceive. For the heart of this people has become fat, and with their ears they have heard heavily, and their eyes they have closed, lest they perceive with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart, and they turn around, and I will heal them".

So we see that the key here is our heart. Whenever the heart turns to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. This is what we should practice day by day, moment by moment. It all boils down to the little decisions we make daily. When we wake up, do we read our Bible or the newspaper? While driving to work, do we muse on God's word or do we think of other mundane things? Liverpool vs Man U match, do we stay at home to watch the match or attend the youth meeting held at the same time? Being an overcomer means making the right decisions day by day and making these decisions depend upon what you love and set your heart upon.

4. Ultimately, you become what you love.
The pinnacle of all this is as promised in 2 Cor. 3:18, whereby if we turn our hearts to the Lord, behold and reflect Him moment by moment throughout our lives, we shall be transformed into the same image as He is. What a glorious thought this is!

Full Grown Man

Relevant Bible Verses:-

1) 1 Thes 5:23 God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2) Heb 4: 12 For the word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

3) Eph 4:13 Until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
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The Bible says that “as many as received Christ, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name.” (John 1:12). Then the next logical step after becoming the chosen children of God is to grow up into a matured person.

Becoming the children of God can be very rich in its implications. It implies that we have received the divine nature of God and grace of Christ in our now regenerated life. In a proper sense we need to boast of our status being bestowed as children of God. Christians indeed are considered very privilege to have received the grace and mercy of God.

God works in a miraculous way. He deals in our spiritual grow gradually. Firstly God takes possession of our spirit through regeneration in the blood of Christ. Secondly by spreading and mingling Himself as the life-giving Spirit with our human spirit to saturate our soul. The full saturation of the soul with the Spirit of God will transform our soul and ultimately enliven our mortal body through our soul and transfiguring our body by His life power. It is mysterious to see God’s miraculous way working throughout our tripartite human being – spirit, soul and body.

I am going to bring you back to the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. This event will illustrate God’s divine intervention and process in our spiritual growth and ultimately leading us into the promised land (Canaan).

God commanded Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, from which they were delivered. Secondly when the children of Israel were in the desert, from which they wandered. Finally, when they entered into Canaan, from which they experienced the full enjoyment of God and kingdom rest.

“Their history in these three places signifies the three stages of their participation in God’s full salvation. This is a type of us, the New Testament believers, in our participation in the full salvation of God. In the first stage, we receive Christ and are redeemed and delivered from the world. In the second we become wanderers in following the Lord; our wandering always takes place in our soul. In the final stage we partake and enjoy Christ in a full way; this is the experience in our spirit.” (Extracted from footnote Heb 4:12Recovery Version Bible)

Therefore until we take the word of God seriously, as it is living and operative and sharper than two-edged sword, we can still be wandering in the “wilderness”.

We must press on as Caleb and Joshua did with conviction believing in the word of God, obeyed the Lord and entered into the Canaan land with full enjoyment of Christ “at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."

Why Does God Allow Pain & Temptation?

Relevant Bible Verses:-

1) 1 Cor 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

2) 1 John 4:4 You , dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

3) Matt 6:13 And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

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I attended the weekly Friday evening cell group meeting in one of the brother’s new house. Currently we are pursuing a series of discipleship and last week’s subject was “Victory over Temptation”. Amongst the many issues that were raised, discussed and studied, one very good question (which was not answered with full satisfaction) that was asked particularly in reference to verse 1 Cor 10:13. In this verse, it says that God is faithful; He will not let us be tempted way beyond what we can bear and that God will provide a way for us so that we can stand up under it.

The question was, “Why do we still see devoted and committed Christians (even leaders and pastors) fall under the power of temptation, if God will not allow us to be tempted way beyond what we can bear? Why didn’t God provide a way for them when temptation was before them?

The same questions could be asked about Adam and Eve.

In the Christian world, we believe that God is the creator of the universe. When God created and fashioned human beings in His own image (Gen 1:27), the greatest gift that God gave to mankind was in the freedom for self-determination, i.e. the right to choose (Gen 2:16…"You are free to eat from any tree…") and the entrustment attached along with it.

Thus, we can either trust and obey God in the definition of right and wrong attained or to become our own definer of right and wrong. By the exercise of the will to reject (disobey) God’s claim on good and evil or right and wrong, man “sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.

Re-defining good and evil by man was the instrumental source of evil, temptation, pain and downfall.

In addition, for centuries God has mentioned that the fundamental problem with man is his own very heart that’s something twisted, almost demonic within the heart of man. The insatiable human heart desires to have plenty causing the misalignment of the heart with God’s great economy and plan. I have even heard from a finest evangelist confessing, “The worst thing I can say to you ladies and gentlemen is that sometimes minutes before delivering a sermon on the enormous theme of the holiness of God, some of the most unholy thoughts are still raging in my heart.” How deceitful and desperately wicked is the human heart? (Ps 36:3).

I have also a short story which, I hope to further answer the above questions.

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed
As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation.
They talked about so many things and various subjects.

When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said:
"I don't believe that God exists!"

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer. "Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people?
Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things."

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.

Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt.

The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber:
"You know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber.
"I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist! That's what happens when people do not come to me."
"Exactly!" affirmed the customer.

"That's the point! God, too, DOES exist!

That's what happens when people do not go to Him and don't look to Him for help.
That's why there's so much pain, temptation and suffering in the world."

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry, everything to God in Prayer.

Be Watchful

Relevant Bible Verses:-

1) Luke 12:35 Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning.

2) Rev 3:2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain,

3) Luke 12:37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master, when he comes, will find watching…
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Oblivious as we always are, we do not realise how people around us observe our every move, and mostly through their subtle glances. They may not seem to be very interested in what you do and/or possess but believe me, they do!. So, be watchful. They observe the way we live, the cars we drive, the shirts we wear, the house we own, the things we write in our blog and many other activities we do in our daily life. When we only take it for granted that they don't.

A good friend and ex-accountant of mine from Australia sent me an email which I find it very appropriate to forewarn us not to take people for granted and to be careful in our walk with the Lord. Although we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and are freed from the bondage of sin and death, we should “be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak” (1Cor 8:9).

Read on….,

Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a Church in Houston , Texas .

Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area.

When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change.

As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, 'You'd better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.'

Then he thought, 'Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount?

Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it.

Accept it as a 'gift from God' and keep quiet.'

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, 'Here, you gave me too much change.'

The driver, with a smile, replied, 'Aren't you the new preacher in town?'

'Yes' he replied.

'Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship.

I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change.

I'll see you at church on Sunday.'

When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said,


'Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter.'
This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christians, and will put us to the test! Always be on guard -- and remember -- You carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself 'Christian.'

Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read.

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

I'm glad I received this reminder!

The Law of Garbage Truck

Relevant Bible Verses:-

1) Matt 5:38-39 An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you not to resist him who is evil; rather whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.

2) Matt 5:45,48 So that you may become sons of your Father who is in the heavens, because He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust. You therefore shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

3) James 4:6 God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
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My wife and I were busy shopping for food and groceries on the Saturday just before Chinese New Year (CNY) at the wet market near our house in preparation for the coming auspicious day. It was quite normal that the market was much busier than usual during this period as more Chinese people were rushing to store up sufficient food for the coming CNY celebration.

After our rounds in the crowded wet market and our usual weekly wanton noodle breakfast, we quickly whipped our car out of the busy and congested market area only to realize we had forgotten to pack some noodle breakfast for our two kids who were waiting impatiently at home. I made a U-Turn into the busy market area heading towards the noodle stall and was caught in a massive jam.

Following behind another car turning into the back lane trying to avoid the jam, the car in front stopped suddenly and just parked his car right in the middle of the through road, blocking me. When I signaled him to move his car, he shouted at me asking me to reverse my car instead. Then he gently opened the door for his wife and kids, walked away from his car and into the restaurant for their breakfast, while my wife and I sat in our car shocked and speechless! How could a normal man, with children and wife next to him behave so rudely, ill-mannered, oblivious, insensitive and total disregard for others? I asked silently.

There were so many evil retaliation thoughts running wild in my mind at that moment in time. It was a perfect time to engage in an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth position! Anyway after about the longest 2 minutes seated in the car speechless thinking about all the “evil things” I could do to this person and his car, I reluctantly engaged the reverse gear and backed off our car, speechless and furiously mad, while the person and his family looked unperturbed, seated in the restaurant ordering their breakfast!

Since that unforgettable outraging incident, I have been waiting for the right moment to relate this experience in my blog until I read the following email sent to me:-


by David J. Pollay

How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you're the Terminator, for an instant you're probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly he/she can get back her focus on what's important.

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened.

I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches!

The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!'

And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

Many people are like garbage truck. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally.

You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did.

So this was it: The 'Law of the Garbage Truck.' I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets?

It was that day I said, 'I'm not going to do it anymore.' I began to see garbage trucks.

I see the load they're carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my Taxi Driver, I don't make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.

One of my favorite football players of all time, Walter Payton, did this every day on the football field. He would jump up as quickly as he hit the ground after being tackled. He never dwelled on a hit. Payton was ready to make the next play his best.

Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Teachers and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best for the people they care about.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day.

What about you?

What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by?


Sometimes, it may seem unfair on ourselves that we have been taken advantage of the situation or perhaps being bullied. But in the above Bible verses, the Lord is asking us to resist whatever that is evil and be kind to those who offended us - go with him the second mile!

How difficult it is to be kind to people who offended us, but God gives grace to those who humble.

The Mask

Relevant Bible Verses:-

1) Phil. 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ...

2) Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me…

3) Phil 3:9 And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is out of law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is out of God and based on faith

4) Eph. 4:15 But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ.
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The Mask is a movie about an incredibly nice and shy bank clerk by the name, Stanley Ipkiss, who has just discovered a mysterious ancient green wooden mask by the sea that is inhabited by Loki, the Norse night god of mischief. When Stanley puts on the mask, he transforms into an uncontrolled reflection of himself in a wacky-suited green-skinned cartoony romantic maniac that does craziest things and amazes the people in search of justice and a good time too. The transformed new super-hero could perform acts beyond the wildest dream of any man on the street without actually exposing the real identity of Stanley.

Many a time we are like the transformed Stanley, hiding ourselves behind the mask and wearing not only one but variety of masks to suit different occasions or when dealing with different sets of people. We can become a better actor than those in the Hollywood with so many masks available for our selection. It is very natural for us to act differently in front of different sets of people. In the Christian life it is easy to agree and follow certain practices. For example, we may be told that we are not a good listener and later quickly adopt the practice of good listening skills. We may also join Lion Club or other charity organizations to embrace and harness generosity when we find lack of charitable heart. We may succeed to become a better listener and a very generous person and yet fail to live Christ.

It is one thing to follow a certain practice or custom; it is another thing to live Christ. I do not think God cares too much of how holy, spiritual, or victorious we are in ourselves. Actually, to live in this way by self-effort and pretense can be a struggle for many. In effect by doing so, we are striving to keep the law. What counts in the eyes of God is the righteousness of Christ living in us (See “New Covenant”). It is by faith in the righteousness of Christ which is of God and His grace that we have been saved.

“The problem in your life and mine is not the availability or the lack of availability of truth. It is the hypocrisy in our search….” (Dr Ravi Zacharias).

Let us not put on masks in our daily walk with Christ but instead live Christ and put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand (Eph 6:13). But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ (Eph 4:15).