Monday, December 20, 2010
Lyrics for 唱一首天上的歌
Sunday, December 19, 2010
The Lord is my Saviour
As I sit and reflect the whole day, there is a deep gratefulness in my heart that the Lord is my Saviour, not my friends, not the pastors, not my business partner, not my parents (thought they are always supportive), not my products, and not my distributors or suppliers.
The Lord is my Saviour. It is Him who has weaved my life, my career and my future. Oh yes Lord, it is the finishend work of the cross that saves me O Lord. It is the finished work of the cross that saves me from eternal death, financial doom and career doom. Thank You O Lord.
The Lord is my Saviour. It is Him who has weaved my life, my career and my future. Oh yes Lord, it is the finishend work of the cross that saves me O Lord. It is the finished work of the cross that saves me from eternal death, financial doom and career doom. Thank You O Lord.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Year end
It is now towards the end of another year. How time flies! There is so much excitement for me next year and though there are many bruises from the battles of 2010 there is no time to lament but only ask God for bravery and strength to battle it out in 2011.
I am blessed that my 2 milk powders for children got approval for sale in China recenlty and we will launch in Jan 2011. God is a great God. We did it through proper channels and didn't have to bribe anyone and plus we gained respect of the agencies for being proper and professional.
I searched the web for apartments in Hong Kong and I told the Lord are you sure! The Lord said "dont doubt!". The apartments I liked are about HK$25million at around HK$13,000 - 15,000 per sq feet.
My pastor's wife wanted to matchmate me. My immediate response was to say I am leaving Malaysia in the near future so 'no need', but true reason is my half guess she will introduce the oldest unmarried ones from her care group. Best just to say 'no need'.
Monday, December 13, 2010
唱一首天上的歌
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Prophecy
Today while praying for someone I released a word of prophecy. He was asking us to pray for his upcoming work appraisal by his boss, and I saw a vision of orderly books and told him that he will not only have a good appraisal but be moved into admin work as part of a promotional move by the Lord. I have been spiritually out of tune for a while and have not move in the spiritual gifts for a while :-(.
I remembered praying for brother Terrence in a cell group once and told him God will give him a baby boy, and 2 years later his wife gave birth to a boy. I remember praying for a sister who broke up with the boyfriend and saw a vision of a horse running away and not returning. She flew to Melbourne to try to get back the guy she dated for 7 years from uni days but he never did come back to her.
I remember in my late 20's when Pastor Joshua prophecized that I will have a mulitnational business with products sold worldwide, I just kept it aside as I was still a very junior employee at Abbott. I am nowhere near that even now, but it seems more likely than 15 years ago.
I remember when Ps.Sally's husband prayed for me (in 2006) and said that the Lord will send me a business mentor I didn't think much of it, but 2 years later the Lord did send me a mentor cum partner in David Liu. Praise the Lord!
I remembered when Ps.Margaret Falls prayed for me and said that my business needs to be revamped and repackaged in 2007 and David later helped in that process in 2009 and 2010.
I remembered in 2003 when my partner Chris and I was looking for an office to rent, Pastor Joshua prayed for me (not knowing I was looking for an office) and released the word that the Lord will give me a blue-glass building that will house my corporation. At that time I only had 20% share of the company (Vidalin Corporation) and it went under as my partner Chris and others squandered all the money on night clubs and women. As a result I had to go back to employment and later came out again to establish Eleventh Hour and Guangzhou Dochen. Maybe the blue-glass building is for the 2 companies which I control :-).
I remembered I was so down in the beginning of 2007 that brother James Tan brought me to Wednesday night prayer meetings led by Pastor Charles Popson at Grace Assembly. One night Ps.Charles send me a personal SMS and said a breakthrough will come my way and it did the next month and I made 600k from that breakthrough. He later prayed and said that I will have a palm tree business in China. Palm tree being a tree where every part has economical value.
Yes it is a long road but yet I count my blessings. The Lord is good and He has a plan for me. I am too precious for the Lord to ignore :-).
Well all I can say is that we plan for the mid-to-long term but live each day as it comes.
I remembered praying for brother Terrence in a cell group once and told him God will give him a baby boy, and 2 years later his wife gave birth to a boy. I remember praying for a sister who broke up with the boyfriend and saw a vision of a horse running away and not returning. She flew to Melbourne to try to get back the guy she dated for 7 years from uni days but he never did come back to her.
I remember in my late 20's when Pastor Joshua prophecized that I will have a mulitnational business with products sold worldwide, I just kept it aside as I was still a very junior employee at Abbott. I am nowhere near that even now, but it seems more likely than 15 years ago.
I remember when Ps.Sally's husband prayed for me (in 2006) and said that the Lord will send me a business mentor I didn't think much of it, but 2 years later the Lord did send me a mentor cum partner in David Liu. Praise the Lord!
I remembered when Ps.Margaret Falls prayed for me and said that my business needs to be revamped and repackaged in 2007 and David later helped in that process in 2009 and 2010.
I remembered in 2003 when my partner Chris and I was looking for an office to rent, Pastor Joshua prayed for me (not knowing I was looking for an office) and released the word that the Lord will give me a blue-glass building that will house my corporation. At that time I only had 20% share of the company (Vidalin Corporation) and it went under as my partner Chris and others squandered all the money on night clubs and women. As a result I had to go back to employment and later came out again to establish Eleventh Hour and Guangzhou Dochen. Maybe the blue-glass building is for the 2 companies which I control :-).
I remembered I was so down in the beginning of 2007 that brother James Tan brought me to Wednesday night prayer meetings led by Pastor Charles Popson at Grace Assembly. One night Ps.Charles send me a personal SMS and said a breakthrough will come my way and it did the next month and I made 600k from that breakthrough. He later prayed and said that I will have a palm tree business in China. Palm tree being a tree where every part has economical value.
Yes it is a long road but yet I count my blessings. The Lord is good and He has a plan for me. I am too precious for the Lord to ignore :-).
Well all I can say is that we plan for the mid-to-long term but live each day as it comes.
Thursday, December 09, 2010
No confidence in the flesh
Last nite brother Simon Yap shared John 11:45 onwards. I don't have the notes with me but it was about the plot to kill Jesus. The chief priest and the pharisees had a meeting at the sanhedrin, and plotted to kill Jesus.
The wanted to kill Jesus at all cost despite the miracles Jesus performed. The sharing for the nite was oddly entitled "No confidence in the flesh" which was really a misnomer for a really good message nonetheless.
On reflection yes if I keep boasting of my fleshly abilities in building my business, not only would I be in a way 'plotting' to kill the Lord in my business, but will miss His miracles and grace in my career. Despite all our credentials like Paul boasted in Philipians 3:5,like Paul we must have no confidence in the flesh.
The wanted to kill Jesus at all cost despite the miracles Jesus performed. The sharing for the nite was oddly entitled "No confidence in the flesh" which was really a misnomer for a really good message nonetheless.
On reflection yes if I keep boasting of my fleshly abilities in building my business, not only would I be in a way 'plotting' to kill the Lord in my business, but will miss His miracles and grace in my career. Despite all our credentials like Paul boasted in Philipians 3:5,like Paul we must have no confidence in the flesh.
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Reflection after Wed nite bible study
After some exchange of views on Wed nite I went back to read my August 6, 2007 posting. You may also want to go to my August 24, 2007 posting.
August 6, 2007 posting:
These days to do business in some neighboring countries you need to bribe. Even locally it may also be the case. It is not that I condone bribery or pretend that it does not exist, but Christian business people must see its reality and then factor in as a cost. If this cost still makes sense and the risk worth taking, then perhaps one may proceed depending on one's conviction. If you wait for the normal process, the business may out of vogue or the product not in demand anymore. You may have missed the opportunity to make a good profit.
I searched the Bible and in all cases the offender in the bribery case is often the accepting party. The warning or the trespasses of bribery seemingly is always on the acceptor of the bribe, rather than the giver.
This is plausible as it is those in authority who had placed the premise in which business is run, or how permits are to be issued. There is a deluge of such scriptures that condemns the person accepting the bribe (Ex23:8; Duet 16:19; Duet 27:25; 1 Sam 12:3; Job 36:18; Ps 15:5; Pv 17:23; Pv 21;14; Eccl 7:7; Isa 5:23; Mic 3;11). as his judgments on business permits and practices should be impartial.
In contrast, there is only one verse that implicates the giver of the bribe. This is found in Pv 17:8, "A bribe works like magic. Whoever uses it will prosper!". As I read the different translations of this verse, there seem to be no hint of wrong-doing on the giver's part. Rather, this scripture seems to acknowledge it power and privilege, if not its acceptance.
The above sharing may sound like that of an iconoclast, but lets face the truth. In some countries, it is standard business practice, and all the spiritual warfare won't budge the system. It may be seen as subsidizing the officers' paltry salaries. In some countries like Honduras, some government servants have not been paid for over 10 years. Yet they turn up to work everyday. Taking illicit money is their only means of survival. If we give to them a small sum it can be seen as a blessing rather than a bribe.
I can imagine if the Pharisees had asked Jesus the modern day version of Caesar's taxes which includes some illicit bribes and state taxes as we see in Matthew 22:17 , what his response would have been. Even then the tax collectors were unjust and were hated by the subjects in those days. Zacchaeus was one of them who prospered from imposing unjustly from the public.
I can imagine Jesus saying literally and metaphorically, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's" (Mt 22:21). In some business cultures, a bribe however significantly small or big is the way of business. That is why Pv 17:8 says it works like magic and you will prosper. I find no implicit punishment mentioned. The Lord abhors different weighing scales yes, but the one maneuvering the scales is the person in authority and power. The giver is the victim of the system and not the perpetrator.
I was told by some elders that even the Jews who have prospered and are the upper echelons of the business society practice Judaism but with much grace, in spite of the legalistic candidness of its laws and teachings. I am sure the same goes for successful Christian businessmen. Following strict edicts won't get you far at times. Perfect principles are for a perfect world. Some of them you can't apply to an imperfect world such as ours depending on the circumstances.
August 6, 2007 posting:
These days to do business in some neighboring countries you need to bribe. Even locally it may also be the case. It is not that I condone bribery or pretend that it does not exist, but Christian business people must see its reality and then factor in as a cost. If this cost still makes sense and the risk worth taking, then perhaps one may proceed depending on one's conviction. If you wait for the normal process, the business may out of vogue or the product not in demand anymore. You may have missed the opportunity to make a good profit.
I searched the Bible and in all cases the offender in the bribery case is often the accepting party. The warning or the trespasses of bribery seemingly is always on the acceptor of the bribe, rather than the giver.
This is plausible as it is those in authority who had placed the premise in which business is run, or how permits are to be issued. There is a deluge of such scriptures that condemns the person accepting the bribe (Ex23:8; Duet 16:19; Duet 27:25; 1 Sam 12:3; Job 36:18; Ps 15:5; Pv 17:23; Pv 21;14; Eccl 7:7; Isa 5:23; Mic 3;11). as his judgments on business permits and practices should be impartial.
In contrast, there is only one verse that implicates the giver of the bribe. This is found in Pv 17:8, "A bribe works like magic. Whoever uses it will prosper!". As I read the different translations of this verse, there seem to be no hint of wrong-doing on the giver's part. Rather, this scripture seems to acknowledge it power and privilege, if not its acceptance.
The above sharing may sound like that of an iconoclast, but lets face the truth. In some countries, it is standard business practice, and all the spiritual warfare won't budge the system. It may be seen as subsidizing the officers' paltry salaries. In some countries like Honduras, some government servants have not been paid for over 10 years. Yet they turn up to work everyday. Taking illicit money is their only means of survival. If we give to them a small sum it can be seen as a blessing rather than a bribe.
I can imagine if the Pharisees had asked Jesus the modern day version of Caesar's taxes which includes some illicit bribes and state taxes as we see in Matthew 22:17 , what his response would have been. Even then the tax collectors were unjust and were hated by the subjects in those days. Zacchaeus was one of them who prospered from imposing unjustly from the public.
I can imagine Jesus saying literally and metaphorically, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's" (Mt 22:21). In some business cultures, a bribe however significantly small or big is the way of business. That is why Pv 17:8 says it works like magic and you will prosper. I find no implicit punishment mentioned. The Lord abhors different weighing scales yes, but the one maneuvering the scales is the person in authority and power. The giver is the victim of the system and not the perpetrator.
I was told by some elders that even the Jews who have prospered and are the upper echelons of the business society practice Judaism but with much grace, in spite of the legalistic candidness of its laws and teachings. I am sure the same goes for successful Christian businessmen. Following strict edicts won't get you far at times. Perfect principles are for a perfect world. Some of them you can't apply to an imperfect world such as ours depending on the circumstances.
