When I Run, I Feel God’s Pleasure



The pioneer staff of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine
From left, Andrew Ang, Rachel Lau, Lionel Lee, Lydia Tan, Chan Wei Chuen, Janet Teo



'But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not be faint.' Isaih 40:31

 

In the movie, "Chariots of Fire", Eric Liddell in explaining to his sister why he wanted to run in the Olympics said, “Jenny, when I run, I feel God’s pleasure”. My friend, Benjamin Ng noted Eric Liddell's statement with this comment, “What a change it will make in our lives and what an impact God will make in our society when we can say that we feel God’s pleasure when we work”.

 

The photograph of the pioneer members of Singapore's newest Medical School, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine was taken in May 2011. At that time, we all felt that by God's grace we were given the mission to establish the School on a firm footing. It was time to be of service to the country once again and work hard to start-up the new school which saw its first intake of 54 students in August 2013. By 2021, LKCMedicine celebrated its 10th anniversary. Within 10 years, the school is listed in the top  100 medical schools list in the university rankings, an unprecedented achievement.

All of us save one person had since left the School. We left with a deep sense of a mission accomplished. We felt that to be of service to church, society, friends and country is a calling and privilege. Like Eric Lidell, it seems that we can feel God's pleasure at work. The Bible puts it more clearly

'Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Jesus Christ you are serving.' Col 3:23-24

Once, at Dover Park Hospice, an interviewee for the post of CEO, asked the panel, "What was expected of me on the job?" The answer that the interviewee got was Servant-Leadership. In some jobs like in working at a hospice, from the CEO to the kitchen staff requires an attitude of dedicated service. Leadership in such jobs needs an attitude and action of a servant; not to lord over others but to serve.

Around the same time in 2011, Singapore experienced a very exciting, some say a watershed general election. There was a groundswell of expectancy of the electorate to have  politicians who will serve the people and not just their own interests, the party’s platform or indeed even the government’s agendas. That election brought a shift in the once one-party dorminance returning more opposition members into parliament.  

Notwithstanding, the People's Action Party who has been in government from 1959 and eversince, won by a huge margin. But what ensued soon after was interesting. After winning a unexpectedly hard-fought election, the Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, in introducing his cabinet said, “Politics is not a job or a career promotion. It is a calling to serve the larger good of Singapore.” On 28 May 2011, the PM issued a 'Rules of Prudence' letter to the PAP MPs and he reminded them of their responsibility to uphold the spirit of service to the people and work hard on their behalf.

This stance indicated an emphasis on people-centred leadership. I think the Prime Minister has demonstrated then and since, the ethos of 'Humility of Service.' This was well expressed by the apostle St. Paul

'We are encouraged to have the same mindset as Christ. He did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant' Philippians 2:5-7

'Humility in Service' was dramatically demonstrated by Jesus Christ who took a basin of water and with a towel, wiped the feet of the disciples. Jesus’ example with the basin and towel is not only for the spiritual service of the church, the mission field or the monastery but for the everyday tasks in a busy world at the market and work places.

It is certainly required of our political leaders, especially the Covid-19 task force leaders, at these very trying times of the Covid pandemic in Singapore. They have to navigate and balance between imposing restrictions to curb the spread of infection and opening up the community and country to protect economy and livelihood. They need to promote vaccination to a stubborn 20% of the population who continue to resist. They have to convince the population not to fear the inevitable endemicity of the virus for many more months and years ahead. (We hope that this endemic phase will be one of  attentuated severity achieved by a high vaccination rate.)

Every press conference is clearly difficult for these leaders who, not only have to relay information but to assuage the worries of people and businesses. Few appreciate their efforts. Some criticised these leaders vehemently and with much vitriol, which goes unabated in internet chatter and chat groups. It is very sad to watch. 

How can our doctors, nurses, medical workers, nursing home staff, frontline workers and leaders carry on? Many have a sense of passion and purpose. It is not the money, it is a service-mentality often characterise by humility  

The Greek word for humility tapeinophrosunē is literally translated 'lowliness of the mind'. How we treat other people depend entirely on how we think of them and how we evaluate them. In our mind’s evaluation of our subordinates, our bosses, our colleagues we are to count them better than ourselves. This means to place a value of others as being more important than ourselves; to consider their dignity and worth. Humility is the attitude, mindset and basis for all our relationship building, our collegiality at the workplace.

Humility begins with the mind but it continues into conduct and service, that is to say, humility is 'action-able'. Jesus took actions:

• He emptied himself,

• He became a servant

• He was made in human likeness

• He humbled himself

• He became obedient

• He died on the cross

After winning the men's 400m gold medal at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, Eric Liddell followed in his parents' footsteps and served as a missionary to China from 1925 to 1943. He served in Tianjin and Xiaozhang. He was interned during the Japanese occupation of China and died in 1945 just five months before liberation. In 2008 near the time of the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese authorities revealed to his family that Liddell had refused an opportunity to leave the camp and instead gave up his place for freedom to a pregnant woman.

Serving like a servant at our workplaces; is this possible? It becomes possible when we realise that it is not just our colleagues or bosses whom we serve but God. Like Eric, we hope to feel God’s pleasure. 

In 1991, a memorial headstone in Eric's memory was unveiled at the former concentration camp in Weifang and on it is inscribed, "They shall mount up with wings as eagle, they shall run and not be weary." Isaiah 40:31

You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord

Who abide in His shadow for life

Say  to the Lord, "My Refuge, 

my Rock in whom I trust'

And He will raise you up on eagles' wings

Bear you on the breadth of dawn

Make you to shine like the sun

And hold you in the palm of His hand

You need fear the terror of the night

Nor the arrow that flies by day

Though thousands fall about you,

Near you it shall not come 

For to His angels He's given a command

To guard you in all of your ways

Upon His hands they will bear you up

Lest you dash your foot against a stone

And He will raise you up on eagles' wings

Bear you on the breadth of dawn

Make you to shine like the sun

And hold you in the palm of His hand

Lionel

Updated 1st published on 28 May 11.

Exponential Multiplication

Tabgha's Mosaic (480 C.E.)

"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" John 6:9

Nicky Gumbel told this story (Ref 1), Hatti May Wiatt, a six-year-old girl, lived near Grace Baptist Church in Philadelphia, USA. The Sunday school was very crowded. Russell H Conwell, the minister told her that one day they would have buildings big enough to allow everyone to attend. She said, "I hope you will. It is so crowded I am afraid to go there alone." He replied, "When we get enough money we will construct one large enough to get in all the children."

Two years later in 1886, Hattie May died. After the funeral Hattie's mother gave the minister a little bag they had found under their daughter's pillow containing 57 cents in change that she had saved up. Alongside it was a note in her writing: 'To help build bigger so that more children can go to Sunday school.'

The minister changed all the money into pennies and offered each for sale. He received $250 - and 54 of the cents were given back. The $250 was itself changed into pennies and sold by the newly formed Wiatt Mite Society. In this way her 57 cents kept on multiplying.

Twenty-six years later, in a talk entitled, 'The history of the 57 cents', the minister explained the results of her 57-cent donation: a church with a membership of 5,600 people, a hospital where tens of thousands of people had been treated, 80,000 young people going through university, 2,000 people going out to preach the gospel - all this happened because Hattie May Wiatt invested her 57 cents. 

This story reminds me of a famous miracle by Jesus, the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. Today this miracle is commemorated at the Church in Tabgha by the shores of the Sea of Gallilee. This miracle, described in John 6:5-13 has some similarities with the Hatty May story. From a meagre 5 loaves and two fishes of a small boy, first divided and then multiplied several times, five thousand men and more women and children were fed. A measly 57 cents savings of a small girl divided into pennies, then multiplied by donations into a foundation that provided charity and humanitarian relief to countless people. 

These two miracles demonstrated a mathematical concept of exponential multiplication in which something multiplies by itself over and over again; such as the pennies, fish and loaves. Just a few pennies? The answer is found in the passage in Matthew describing the miracle of exponential multiplication in which Jesus instructed, "Bring me what you have." 

"We have here only five loaves of bread and two fishes," they answered. "Bring them here to me," He said. Matthew 14: 17-18 

Whenever we offer to the Lord our ordinary resources, Jesus Christ will work a miracle of transformation to answer a need in the community and in our lives. 

John Bunyan in the Pilgrim's Progress posed a riddle, 

'A man there was, though some did count him mad

The more he cast away the more he had.'

Çharles Spurgeon commented, "It is certainly so with talent and ability, and with grace in the heart. The more you use it, the more there is of it."

It is not the numbers of loaves nor the fish that matter. The boy packed just enough to feed himself that day. The point was that he gave to Jesus all that he had and from that donation, the miracle of exponential multiplication could ensue. 

Another real-life account of giving all that one had is recounted in Mark 12:41-44

'Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all that she had to live on."  

My father in law the late Rev James Kao Jih Eng, a Chinese-speaking Methodist Pastor, took this two coins lesson to heart. I watched him collect milkmaid tin cans, washed them, restored the covers and wrapped them up with a donation appeal for the church building fund. He placed them at the door of the church. He told me that he noticed only the poor and elderly ladies collected those donation tin cans. They would dutifully save whatever they could, small change, and hand over these tins during the offering. 

I watched my father in law empty those cans and count them at end of the Sunday. The men and the young people seemed to be too proud or embaressed to take those tin cans, they were happy to donate their money in the offering bags. Little though these tin-can donations may be, I know that my father in law raised money to build Foochow Methodist Church and Geylang Chinese Methodist Church in Singapore, Chin Hock Methodist Church in Kampong China, Sitiawan and another church on Pingtan Island in China. 

It does not matter how much or how little you give, God will multiply your gift many times over. He owns the Cattle on a Thousand Hills

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills
The wealth in every mine,
He owns the rivers and the rocks and rills,
The sun and stars that shine,
Wonderful riches more than tongue can tell
He is my Father so they're mine as well
He owns the cattle on a thousand hills
I know that He will care for me.

Lionel

Ref 1: Nicky Gumbel, The Bible in One Year 2020, Day 55 

One Moment In Time

Yap Pin Xiu, Singapore's double gold medallist at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics

'Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise making the best use of the time, because the days are evil' Eph 5:15-16

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics Games are both over. Both were held in Jul-August 2021 delayed by the raging Covid-19 pandemic. Even so the pandemic especially in Tokyo raged on during the Games. Many criticised holding these games at such bleak times. I was not one of them. I felt for the athletes, the time and sacrifice they gave to training, should not be downplayed. For  many these games gave them the opportunity of that one moment in time

'One Moment in Time' is the theme song of the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul Korea. The sentimental ballad expresses the very sentiments of the Olympian; the sacrifices and the crowning glory of an Olympic medal. It is exactly the pride that Singapore's paralympian swimmer, Ms Yap Pin Xiu must have felt when she received two gold medals. 

Each day I live

I want to be a day to give the best of me

I'm only one, but not alone

My finest day is yet unknown

I broke my heart for ev'ry gain

To taste the sweet, I face the pain

I rise and fall, yet through it all this much remains

I want one moment in time

When I'm more than I thought I could be

When all of my dreams

Are a heart beat away

And the answers are all up to me

Give me one moment in time

When I'm racing with destiny

Then in that one moment of time

I will feel, I will feel eternity

I've lived to be the very best

And I want it all, no time for less

And I've laid the plans

Now lay the chance here in my hands

Give me one moment in time

When I'm more than I thought I could be

When all of my dreams

Are a heart beat away

And the answers are all up to me

Give me one moment in time

When I'm racing with destiny

Then in that one moment of time

I will feel, I will feel eternity

You're a winner for a lifetime

If you seize that one moment in time

Make it shine

Give me

One moment in time

When I'm more than I thought I could be

When all of my dreams

Are a heart beat away

And the answers are all up to me

Give me one moment in time

When I'm racing with destiny

Then in that one moment of time

I will be, I will be free

I will be free

I will be

I will be free

This song captures the moments of personal achievements; feats that we should all recognise and celebrate. Yap Pin Xiu has achieved much and being young, she will achieve more in the future. Do you know that in 2018 she was a nominated member of the Singapore Parliament? She is a five-time Paralympic gold medallist, a one-time IPC gold medallist and holds two world records. She was awarded the Singapore Pinjat Jasa Gemilang (the national Meritorius Service Medal). She deserves her one moment in time.

The ancient Greeks have a word for this defining moment, Kairos (καιρός) meaning the opportune or critical moment. It defines time in terms of the meaning of time as distinct from Chronos (χρόνος) which can be defined as the movement (passage) of time.

Kairos suggests that time has value and is not just a quantity. In the New Testament, Kairos is used to describe the appointed time or the God-ordained time. For example,

'You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.' Romans 5:6 

'The time has come, He said. The kindom of God has come near. Repent  and believe the good news.' Mark 1:15

Indeed there are God-given moments such as the times when Jesus walked this earth. For many Christians, there is not one moment in time compared to the time when we received salvation and confessed Jesus as Saviour and Lord, 

"In the time of My favour I heard you and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favour, now is the day of salvation.' 2 Cor 6:2 

On hearing the Olympic anthem sung by Whitney Houston, we would have concluded that the singular acheivement, well deserved no doubt, is made possible entirely by human efforts. Not detracting anything from the celebratory moments of the Olympian medallists, it will do well to remember especially for Christians, to appreciate God's hand in all our greatest moments and achievements. 

'So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up.' Galatians 6:9-10

We should learn to recognise the God-appointed times, those times when His will and His times intersect with ours. That will be our one moment in time; God has made all things beautiful in His time.

In His Time

In His time, in His time,
He makes all things beautiful, in His time,
Lord, please show me everyday,
As You're teaching me Your way,
That You do just what You say, in Your time.

In Your time, in Your time

You make all things beautiful in Your time

Lord my life to you I bring

May each song I have to sing

Be to You a lovely thing, in Your time

Lionel

Photo from Straits Times

Take Me Deeper

 

'Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.' 1 Cor 9:24

Calvin Miller in the introduction to his book 'Into The Depths of God' told of a family visit made to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Calvin and wife snorkeled in the shallow waters whilst their son scuba-dived. Mr Miller later wrote, “Ask me if I’ve been there, and I will hastily answer yes. So will my son. However, the truth is that the content of our experience was vastly different. We will both spend the rest of our lives talking about that experience and our enthusiasm will always be exuberant. But only our son really knows the Reef; only he understood the issue of depth.” (Ref 1)

We live our lives in the shallows. This is the era where communication by Twitter and information exchanges by 30 sec sound bites are preferred. We are ever so busy, moving from one place to another, skipping from one assignment to the next; Zooming and sending emails. We scarcely have time for each other, to talk and make conversation. We scarcely have time for ourselves.

It becomes serious when we apply the same hurry and superficiality to the nurturing of our spiritual selves, our souls. Spiritual depth needs time, contemplation and discipline. It had better be; we are touching the lives of others. Our testimony and witness shape the lives of our friends. We cannot be play-acting, dwelling on the peripherals and hope to get away with it. To be authentic we must go deep; into the very depths of our souls. 

Think of a huge tree with spreading branches giving shade. We know instinctively that the roots of this tree must be equally gigantic growing deep into the earth; giving it stability to weather any storm. The Bible described a fulfilled man in Psalm 1. 

'He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.' 

Bishop Robert Solomon in his book, The Race, called for discipline to train the soul and thereby achieve spiritual fitness. (Ref 2) He wrote, "An athlete has to put in hours of training before he or she can hope to excel in their sport and win a race. Spectators only see the final results, and feel the excitement of watching a race or an athlete perform new feats - going faster, jumping higher or throwing further. But behind these achievements lie hidden hours of private discipline and the hard work of constant training."

St Paul also urged the training of the soul 

‘You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally. I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.’ 1 Cor 9:24-27 The Message

To get deep, we need a teacher to make the dive with us. That teacher is the Holy Spirit.

'The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along.' 1 Cor 2:10 The Message

Bishop Solomon calls this coaching, "An athlete has a coach who pushes to his maximum potential. Being human, the athlete in training has to manage his own doubts, laziness, pride, stubbornness and blind spots. That is where the coach comes in. The coach offers a different perspective as he observes the strength and weaknesses of the athlete. He gives feedback and corrects mistakes and bad habits that he finds in the athlete. He offers motivation, and encourages his trainee when he feels like giving up or when the going gets tough."

The practice of meditation can help us go into the depths of our souls and make the deep dive. Father Laurence Freeman in his book, Light Within, wrote "Meditation is the way to be fully open to the power of the Spirit. All these different parts of our being come together under the guiding influence of a power that transcends both thinking and feeling and unites them both at a higher level of consciousness. This is the power of the Holy Spirit." (Ref 3)

'Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given to us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.' 1 Cor 2:12-13

John Wimber understood this as he wrote the Spirit Song.

Oh, let the Son of God enfold you with His Spirit and His love

Let Him fill your heart and satisfy your soul

Oh let Him have the things that hold you and His Spirit like a dove

Will descend upon your life and make you whole

Jesus, O Jesus, come and fill Your lambs

Oh, Come and sing the song with gladness as your hearts are filled with joy

Lift your hands in sweet surrender to His name

Oh, give Him all your tears and sadness, give Him all your years of pain

And you'll enter into life in Jesus' name

Lionel

Updated article: 1st published 6 Jul 2009

Ref 1: Calvin Miller, 'Into the Depths of God' Bethany House, 2000

Ref 2: Robert M Solomon. ''The Race - Finding the Real Journey in Life' Genesis Books, 2008
Ref 3: Laurence Freeman, 'Light Within. Meditation as Pure Prayer' Canterbury Press, 1986

Deep Dive Photo by Edmidentity

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Jeremiah by Rembrandt

 'The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your Faithfulness.' Lamentations 3:22-23

The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, described this painting by Rembrandt of the lament of the prophet Jeremiah as 'The crestfallen Prophet Jeremiah rests his weary, old head on his hand. He laments Jerusalem going up in flames - in the background - whose destruction he had prophesied. Rembrandt heightened the sense of drama with powerful contrasts of light and dark.' (Ref 1)

A truly dramatic portrayal of the Lamentations of Jeremiah. 

Equally artistic but lost in English translation, is the Biblical Book of Lamentations. It is a collection of poems attributed to the prophet Jeremiah lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE by the Babylonian Conqueror, Nebuchadnezzar. Rev (Dr) Gordon Wong, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore, pointed out the intricate Alphabet Acrostic Songs of the first four chapters of Lamentations. 

An acrostic is a poem in which the first letter of each line spells out a word or message. An alphabet acrostic spells out the letters of the alphabet e.g. ABCDEF. Since the Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, Lamentations 1,2 and 4 have 22 verses whereas Lamentations 3 has 66 verses, with a triplet of 3 verses beginning with one letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Whatever the artistic rendering, we should not miss the Bishop's message in which he contrasted two opposing realities especially apt in these times; where there seems to be  hopelessness, God renders hope by His faithfulness. 

The Bishop contrasted Lamentations 1-3

'I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of His wrath; He has driven and brought me without any light; surely against me he turns His hand again and again the whole day long.'

with Lamentations 3:21-23

'But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.'

The Hebrew name of the Book of Lamentations is Ekah which can be translated as alas or how. Chuck Swindoll wrote, 'Lamentations pictures a man of God over the results of evil and suffering in the world. But at the heart of this book, at the center of this lament over the effects of sin in the world, sit a few verses devoted to hope in the Lord. This statement of faith standing strong in the midst of the surrounding darkness....'  (Ref 2)

These are bleak times too. The delta variant of the Covid-19 virus is raging unrelentingly worldwide and Singapore is no exception, notwithstanding the high vaccination rates. During such times, we are wont to ask of God, in the Singlish vernacular of Singaporeans "How Ah?" as the Hebrew title of Lamentations suggested. But rather than wallow in despair at the apparent staying of God's hands, it may do us well to read and re-read Lamentations Chapter 3. Then, between adversity and hope, we will be encouraged by the  faithfulness of God which has been showered on us time and time again and renewed every morning. 

• Lost in Suffering - 'I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of His affliction.' Lamentations 3:1

• Hope in Silence - 'Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust - there may yet be hope.' Lamentations 3:28-29

• Found by Love - 'For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though He causes grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast Love.' Lamentations 3:31-32

• Refreshed by Faithfulness - 'The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness.'  Lamentations 3:22-23

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father

There is no shadow of turning with Thee

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning, new mercies I see

All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside

Great is Thy faithfulness O Lord, great is Thy faithfulness!

Lionel

Inspired by a Sermon of Bishop Dr Gordon Wong entitled My Redeemer Is Faithful And True

Ref 1: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/SK-A-3276

Ref 2: https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-major-prophets/lamentations