“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. “ – Author Of Hebrews (Heb 4:12)
Here it tell us that the word of God is a living and powerful weapon. We need to have this understanding about the word of God. For it is not a dead literature or a mere piece of ancient writing.
If we regard the word of God is one that is living and with vitality. Our attitudes towards the bible will be different compared if we were treat it as a mere ancient document. If we believe that the bible is the word of God and it has spirit and life, we will read it with a different attitude and heart .
That is why we need to understand that the word of God is living and powerful. It can bring us comfort and strength in life. For Paul explains
“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. “ – Paul (Rom 15:4)
Paul told us that the bible is written specially for us, it is written to bring us hope, endurance and comfort. This is something ordinary literature cannot do. Today in the world, we have many self help books and book discussing religion and philosophy. There are times such literature bring us comfort, happiness, it may even inspire new thoughts within us. They may even be able to point us to new direction in life, inspires us to do what we normally would not do.
I do not deny the fact that common literature can provide help & comfort or even inspire us to think positively. But today if we were to face a hopeless situation, that is the time when these book are unable to give us strength.
Learning to find strength in the words of God
Let us recall the story of Elijah, how he slept under the broom tree and prayed to God for death. Was Elijah dying because of hunger? No, for we knew that he was afraid and disappointed. How did Elijah overcome his predicament?
Initially we read of an angel offering him food and drink, but after eating he continues to sleep. The second time the angel offered him food and drink. He comforted Elijah saying “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” After that we read that Elijah had the strength to walk for many days. Is the root of the problem hungriness?
Sometimes if the problem is merely exhaustion, we only need to rest before we regain strength. But what happens when we are tired in spirit? How can one receive strength in spirit? Physical food and rest can replenish our physical strength. But only the word of God can give our spirit hope and strength.
Life on earth is full of worries, we are pressured from work, sometimes our superior threaten us by withholding our salary. There are many problems in life which we want to run away from, they make us feel that our lives are not worth living.
These are all signs of being tired in spirit. That is the time we need the words of God the most.
Prophet Amos once said
““Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, “That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord.” – Amos (Amos 8:11)
And Jesus reminds us
“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”- Jesus (Matt 4:4)
The bible is the word of God, it is a book where we can gain strength and help from God. If we do not listen nor read from it, we will never be able to get any strength and help for our spirit. If we view the bible as ordinary literature and the sermons as mere oratorical speech and not the words of God. How can we ever be moved by the Holy Spirit? The Spirit of God will only work within us if we believe and desire the word of God. That is when we receive strength from God.
This is the reason why the author of Hebrews says that the word of God is living. It can generate strength within us and his words are not empty words.
The Word Of God That Never Fails
Before Joshua dies, he spoke his last words to the children of Israel
“Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed.
Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the Lord your God promised you, so the Lord will bring upon you all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.
When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”- Joshua (Jos 23:14-16)
The last words of Joshua is important and similar to the last words of Moses. He reminded the Israelites that they are the chosen people of God. He told them that the word of God will always come to past. For God had fulfilled every promise he made to Abraham.
For God said, “ I will bless you and you will be a great nation”. At that point of time Abraham had no son, he had Isaac at the age of 100. From Isaac came 2 children, by the time Israel entered Egypt, they were numbered to 70.
Eventually they became a great nation, their numbers grew so great that the Pharaoh was afraid of them and wanted to destroy them. But yet the more he opposed the more they continue to grow. For it was the will of God. Eventually Moses brought them out of Egypt and Joshua led them into the land of Canaan. God fulfilled his promise to bring them into the land of Canaan. That is why Joshua told them that Gods promise will always come to past.
Where is our blessing? Why Can’t We See It?
Similarly let us believe and esteem the words of God. For everything that God had spoken in the past had always been fulfilled. we often mind what others have to say and we often forget what God told us. Let us remind ourselves of the blessing that God had promised us in the scriptures.
But sometimes we wonder “Where is our blessing? why are we unable to see it?”
Joshua told the people, the words of God never fails, both his blessing and his curses will come to past. If we follow his words, blessing will be upon us. But if we transgress against his words, his curses will come to past. If we do a bit of both then both his blessing and curses will be upon us.
Often the real problem lies within us, if we really uphold the words of God. The modern Christians often talk about his blessing but they ignore his curses altogether. That is why we must examine our faith to see if we believe in all of Gods word.
God is merciful and loving, he will always be ready to forgive us. But God is also righteous, eventually he must judged us for our sins. Let us learn to fear God follow his words and receive his blessing
The Two Response When Pierced : Repentance
The word of God is not just double edged. It is sharper than a double edged sword. It can pierce through our souls and reveal the evil intent within us. It reveals the secret thoughts within us. At the same time it can pierce into the heart of man.
Most man will have 2 response when they hear the word of God. One would fear God and recognised the sin within him. For we read earlier that Gods word is like a mirror. That is when it becomes a 2 edged sword, revealing your sin and piercing through your heart.
An example of this can be seen on the day of Pentecost, when the Jews heard the preaching of Peter, they were cut in their heart. Acts 2:37 is not a mere description, for they felt the pain piercing through their heart. How cold they crucify Jesus to the cross?
The preaching of Peter allow them to see their hard heartedness, wickedness, pride and ignorance. As the result they humble themselves and repented.That is when the word of God pierce through their soul like a two edged sword. God did it because he did not want us to suffer eternally in pain and suffering. He wanted to awaken us and call us back.
The Two Response When Pierced : Anger
On the other hand, there are others who, after being pierced by the word of God, became angry with the word of God. For the word revealed the shame that is hidden within their heart. In the end they wanted to destroy the word of God. This was recorded in Lk 4:28-30
“So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.” – Luke (Lk 4:28-30)
These people were filled with wrath upon hearing the words of Jesus. For the word of Jesus revealed their hypocrisy. They know they cannot murder Jesus openly, but they wanted to do it badly. So they thrust him out of the city and wanted to throw him down the cliff.
The word of God is spirit and it is life, different people will have different responses to it. Some upon hearing will repent from their sins. While others became full of wrath and wanted to kill Jesus. For when Jesus pointed out their sin they were unable to accept it. They refuse to repent. These are the wicked that are often mentioned in the scriptures.
What is the Difference Between Sinners And The Wicked?
Jesus wanted to save sinners but not the wicked. Perhaps you may ask, is there a difference between the wicked and the sinners? Most will define murderers and killers as wicked, we will think that those who commit miner sins are sinners. But God uses a different approach when it comes to differentiating sinners and wicked.
In God’s eye, a murderer is still a sinner for he can still repent. The wicked are sinners who knew their sins and refuse to repent. It is not that God did not want to save the wicked but rather the wicked refused to be saved by God.
If we try to dissuade a wicked man to stop sinning, they will tell you boldly “Stop persuading me, if I perish so be it”. They are well aware that they are treading on the wrong path but they choose to do it. The devil is like that, that is why we call him wicked. The devil is well aware of the impending judgement he will receive, but he will never repent.
On the other hand, let us not be like Pharisees, even though they fear and they do many things hoping to please God. They pay the tithes, fast 3 times a week and make long prayers. These are all things that are hard to do. But all they show is external piousness, they do not repent from their own sins. They too, wanted to kill Jesus.
True Knowledge Of The Word Of God
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the HolySpirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” – Paul (1 Cor 2:12-13)
If we want to understand the word of God, we would need guidance of God to understand his will and his words. For we are able to read but we cannot fully understand it. For Paul mentioned earlier
“But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. “ - Paul (1 Cor 2:10)
Paul tells us that the spirit of God searches all things. Indeed only a spirit of man can understand the things of man. We may have a pet but our pets will never understand us fully. In the same way, the words of God can only be understood by the spirit of God.
We cannot use the wisdom of man but we need the spirit of God. That is why we need the Holy Spirit to guide us to understand the scriptures. While human wisdom can help us analyse passage and rationalize thoughts, it may even help us know the original text and understand the verse better.
It cannot guaranty that we would be able to understand the things of God. If knowledge of biblical Hebrew is so important, why is it that those who read the Hebrew scriptures in its original form are unable to see that Jesus is the messiah that they were waiting for? Why is it that they are unable to see how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies about the messiah?
Jesus once spoke to his disciples
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” – Jesus (Jn 16:12-13)
Paul calls the word of God the sword of the spirit. that is why we need the Holy Spirit to abide in us and teach us. Only then will the word of God be powerful within us. For the Holy Spirit will work with the word of God. We need both of them in our hearts.
That is why we should emphasise on the word of God as well as prayer. For the sword of the spirit is the word of God. The holy spirit will work together with the word of God to encourage us and give us strength.
That is why we should not just pray, we need to read the bible and understand it. Then it would become a useful and powerful weapon of the Holy Spirit
The Word Of God Is Like Medicine
“My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.”- Solomon (Prov 4:20-22)
The word of God is like a medicine. Even though we are healthy and well at the moment. We may fall sick at times. The worst illness happen when we are sick in our spirit, for the best doctor cannot cure the matters of the heart.
We need medicine for the heart in order to cure such illness. The word of God is the best medicine for our heart. That is why Solomon describes it so, for the word of God gives health to everyone and it can allow us to remain healthy. For a joyful heart is good medicine.
In the past, and sometimes even in our modern world. There are people who thinks that illness were a result of spirit and ghost. But today science have taught us that diseases are clause by virus. As the result we can heal ourselves now. But the Psychiatrist tells us that if we are sad, it will weaken our immune system. Therefore our emotional well being is related to our physical health.
The word of God can bring joy and comfort to our hearts. It can broaden our minds and give us the strength to forgive the people who had hurt us. As the result we could control our temper and choose not to fight. We could use this medicine to help us.
A Medicine that Enlarge Our Hearts
But how can it help us achieve peace in our hearts? How can it help us forgive and let go?
Only the word of God can help us and the Psalmist explain it clearly
“My soul melts from heaviness; Strengthen me according to Your word.”- Psalmist (Ps 119:28)
“I will run the course of Your commandments, For You shall enlarge my heart.” -Psalmist (Ps 119:32)
Our hearts can be bound by our hatred and wrath, it can also be bounded by sorrows and worries. For there will be words that will make us angry, and words that will break our hearts. That is when we need prayers, and we need to believe and mediate on the words of God. It can melt the heaviness and strengthen us, it can enlarge our hearts if we follow his commandments.
The Psalmist continues to plead with the Lord
“Remember the word to Your servant, Upon which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has given me life.” – Psalmist (Ps 110:49-50)
It is by remembering the words of God we can find hope. It can give us life and give us comfort. That is why the word of God is the best medicine for the heart. It is the reason why we need to read and ponder over them. That is why we often make children memories bible verses in Sunday school. For we want them to keep the words in their heart. Only then can the word of God comfort them when they are in trouble. For if we do not know the verse, how can we be reminded of it?
The Right Medicine For the Right time
Every good doctor is able to prescribe the right medication for the right diseases. In a same way, Christian must learn to make good use of the word of God. For if we abuse the word we will bring more harm than good to the people who hear us.
For example, we remember the 3 friends of Job who came to visit him in hope of bringing him comfort and counsel. They wanted to help him, but they make use of the wrong medication. They insist that Job’s suffering was a result of a judgement of God. And they went on to say that we all have sinned.
That is when Job defended himself asking them to point out his sins.
When they are unable to do so, they claim that it is the will of God. They advised Job to be humble and receive it. Their words brought more anger and disappointment in Job. Job calls them worthless Physicians who are only here to pass judgement.
As Christians, we are guilty of that at times. But we ought to know that the words of God are given to save people and not to harm them.
A Concluding Story
There was a preacher who debated with a unbelievers and that man is hardened in his heart. That man refuse to believe and in the middle of the debate he asked “Do you truly believe that all the words in the bible and all the instructions from Jesus? “
The preacher replied yes, and the man referred him to Matt 5:39
“But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” – Jesus (Mat 5:39)
Before the preacher could say anything, the man gave him a slap and he was in shock. So the man replied “Please do not be angry, but if you truly believe in the words of Jesus, please turn your cheek to me now”
The preacher replied “Well, I have this verse for you. Jn 3:36.”
“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”- Jesus (Jn 3:36)
The unbeliever was wise, and but as the preacher was showing him the scriptures, he let down his guard. Before he could finish reading, he received a punch in his stomach.
The preacher replied “Here is how the wrath of God looks like”
Both of these man know how to use the bible, but they use it only to teach and hurt others. They use it to vent their anger and frustration. This is not the right way to use the word of God.
Sometimes we behave just like these two me. But we need to know that God wanted people to repent and return to him. God wanted to save their souls and wake them from their slumber. Therefore we need to ask ourselves
“Are we using the word of God to help the ones in need?”
Let us learn not to use it merely to give others a lesson or to ridicule people. For if we do so are we suppose to be good or useless physicians?
Recently I came across an interesting MTV by Jay Chou. It is about a song called 青花瓷 (The Blue And White Porcelain) I find the lyrics very poetic and beautiful, so I decided to share it with you on the blog.
To many of my audience from the west, you would be wondering what is a blue and white porcelain. You can take a look at some example of it from the Wikipedia entry here . In ancient times it was a type of porcelain often sought after by traders. It is regarded as an luxury item. I remember once in Brunei I visited the Maritime Museum and among the artefacts recovered from one of the most ancient shipwreck in Brunei bay, it is proven that traders would visit China to buy blue and white porcelain for trade. Along the coast of Africa, blue and white porcelain plates are often used as ornaments and are regarded as treasures.
The MTV is very Asian so i will give an synopsis here.
The MTV began in Ancient China, where a woman was captured by bandits and taken prisoner. She was taken captive by the Bandit King and raped. Her lover was a swordsman who fought to save her . He took his precious blue white porcelain vase as ransom for his wife. But as the woman was released, she was killed by the bandit king. She died in the arms of her lover.
Later the precious antique porcelain was auctioned in the modern era. The characters in the previous story were reincarnated. But they find themselves fighting over the same porcelain antique once again. The swordsman decided to let the woman buy the antique. Their love rekindled again, unfortunately the bandit King now a mob boss, he tried to prevent the swordsmen and his lover from running away. This time the swordsman was shot and he died in the arms of his lover.
The lyrics of the song was about the swordsman missing his lover. The song uses the elaborate drawings found within the porcelain vase as a metaphor to describe the beauty of his lover as well as his longing for her.
Here is the lyrics of the song and its translation
Stanza 1 The plain outlines from the porcelain, with its strong and weak strokes combined The peony painted on it is as beautiful as you The whiff of incense through the window carries worries which i understood I paused the brush strokes which kept us apart.
The glazing on your portrait hides your beautiful charm. But your sweet smile bloom from within like a flower Your beauty dissipates like smoke it entered a place which I cannot follow
Chorus Within its blue misty drizzle I am waiting for you Through its spiral smoke & rivers, we are a thousand miles apart That little stroke at the bottom of that vase Is a foreshadow of our meeting that is to come
Within its blue misty drizzle I am still waiting for you As the moon light washes ashore the remnant of our meeting As our precious porcelain retains her beauty Your eyes carries your smiles
Stanza 2 A painted white koi came alive at the bottom of the dish But its ancient inscription were longing for you. The eons of secrets hidden within the kiln Remain as silent as a embroidery pin falling
The palm leaves by the curtain stirs up showers, attracting rust on the door knockers As I pass that little town in Jiang Nan, I attracted you Within the coarse ink of that beautiful landscape painting You are hidden within the depths of its brushstrokes
Repeat Chorus twice
My lyrics were translated with some inspiration taken from Youtube user RandomMess
My Vietnamese friend may want to check out this translation of the song in Vietnamese
Recently i came across a very nice translation of the song, the Singer manage to successfully capture the spirit of the song even though it is not a direct translation. But I like the feel of the song
As I shared a few days back, granny was called home to the Lord a few days back. God had been kind to her by granting her wish to see her great grand child. God arranged for all her grand children to spend time with her just before the Lord brings her home.
Though it is our wish to have her by our side, but God knows that she would be better off in his bosom. God already dropped my family the hint when he allowed her great grand son to come prematurely to fulfil her request.
Even though we are sad that she is no longer with us, and we can no longer talk to her or lay down near granny to be pampered by her. We know that soon we will all gather beyond the river. For we will all meet before the Lord.
During the funeral, we shared the testimony of how God granted her request not to take her home at December 2015 . God granted her 8 more months on earth. Even though granny did not share with us her requests to the Lord. But we are sure that one of it concern her great grandchild. For he was conceived during December and God allowed the boy to come early in order for her to see him.
At the cremation ceremony, I missed the chance to deliver an Eulogy for her. So please allow me to deliver my Eulogy here. I wanted to write this down so that one day her great grandson will read of his great grandmother. I wanted to preserve all my memories of her while they are still fresh in my mind.
Introduction
Firstly on behalf of of my family, I would like to thank the Church for arranging the funeral and for all my relatives, friends, brothers and sisters for attending the funeral.
Secondly I would like to thank the brother or sister who took the picture on Senior members day 2013, the moment when my brother and I saw the picture of granny smiling while receiving her brooch of flowers, we know that it would be the picture we would want to use for her funeral. Little did he/she know that his/her simple service to the Lord had such a great impact on our family.
When I was a kid, mother made me sleep beside granny and sometimes I would snuggle beside her and she would tell me her story. While everyone ask me how granny died. I would rather be talking about how she lived. And that would be what I would like to share with each and everyone of us seated here in this crematorium.
Granny Early Life
My granny was an adopted child. She came to Singapore from China at the age of 5. We have no idea who our great grand parents are. When Granny visited her home town in China, they were unable to identify our great grandparent. The only thing we know is that everyone in her village bear the same surname. Therefore granny decided to use Chua as her surname.
Granny grew up as a child in Singapore in the late 1920s and she lived her life by the banks of the Singapore river. As a girl from that era, she did not go through school but she taught herself to read on her own. She had also keen interest in watching Teochew Opera. Whenever she is sad and unhappy. She will choose to watch Teochew Opera and movies to lighten her mood.
I remember as a kid, I saw many Chinese story books that she kept in her cupboard, she would often read the books and later on I understood that the books were actually stories and synopsis of Teochew Opera.
Granny’s Favourite Opera Story
One of the Teochew opera stories that left a great impression to me is entitled “柴房会”(translated “The meeting in the firewood room”) . In that play, there was an honest and good man known as “Lee the third” (李老三）. In the opera he was a very comical character and it often attract the attention of my elder brother.
In that play, 李老三 (Lee) encountered a lady ghost while staying in a firewood room. The lady is known as 莫二娘 (Second lady Mo). She had a very sad life, Lady Mo was a decent lady, from a good family but she was deceived and abducted from home. She ended up making a living as a courtesan. Eventually she fell in love with a businessman from Yang Zhou known as 阳春 (Yang chun) but that man cheated her of her life savings and left her stranded in the inn. She later died and her spirit haunted the firewood room in the inn.
In the story she saw that Lee is a good and honest man, therefore she wanted Lee to help her travel to Yang Zhou to seek vengeance against Yang Chun. Granny told me that Lady Mo had to hide in an Umbrella (as Chinese believed that spirits are unable to withstand sunlight). That is why when Lee took Lady Mo on the journey, Lady Mo must reside in an unopened umbrella, it is to prevent the sun from hurting her.
My brother is captivated by the story as the opera performer who played the role of Lee was very comical and he performed many acrobatic stunts on a ladder to demonstrate the shock Lee had when he first encountered the spirit of Lady Mo in the firewood room.
Grandmother had a collection of Teochew Opera cassettes which she liked to listen to. One of her favourite Opera singer is known as Tan Chor Hui (陈楚惠). She was a famous Teochew Opera singer from Hong Kong, she passed away in 2012.
For those who were wondering how “柴房会” is like. My Brother managed to find a clip of it on youtube. Sadly, it only had Chinese subtitles.
Granny As A Young Woman
Granny was a curious young lady. Whenever granny’s adoptive mother sent her on errand , she like to take a look at the busting city around her and she would be scolded for coming home late. I understand that Granny will also take the chance to look at Chinese characters on the street. She would copy them and bring them to a lady living nearby and she will teach granny how to read it.
When she was young she worked in a Joss paper factory. She would be in charge of pasting gold foils on joss paper
She married my grandfather before the second world war, and she gave birth to my father shortly after the war. At the time of my fathers birth, there was still a lot of administrative problems within the government.Therefore Dads birth certificate bears the name that Japanese gave to Singapore during the second world war. Which is Syonanto 昭南島 Shōnantō which is translated “the light of the south”.
Granny went on to have my aunt, and she had a difficult life bringing up my father and aunt. She loved both my father and my aunt dearly. At one point of her time, she was offered a job as a laundry woman in the house of a wealthy British family. Her employer gave her the condition forbidding her to bring her children to the work place. So she rejected the job so that she could be with her children.
She made a living as a laundry woman and she singlehandedly raise up my father and aunt. She loved them both very much. She often reminded me that I would have to take care of my father and aunt on her behalf when she dies.
Granny had a God-Daughter whom she loved very much as well. She would often talk about her. She loved her children as well as her god daughter.
Granny continued to stay in a shop house by the banks of Singapore River. My dad and aunt grew up beside the Singapore River
Granny Life In The 70s and 80s
Later on Granny moved to Redhill and lived in a two roomed HDB flat (they are small apartments built by the Singapore Government). Life was still tough for granny as my father was working as a bus conductor (a bus ticket seller) . Our house is small and cramp. Eventually my elder brother was born in Red Hill.
Later on my father managed to get a taxi drivers licence, and our life slightly improved. So eventually my family moved to Clementi New Town. We lived in a 3-room apartment and I was born in 1981. We lived together as a family. Even though life was tough, we managed to get by.
Granny had a few favourite foods, she like eating fish especially during new year and she love making Soon Kueh, it is a Teochew snack that looked like a dumpling. It is filled with a fragrant mixture of shredded bamboo shoots, turnip and dried shrimps wrapped in a smooth rice-tapioca flour skin.”
During the dragon boat festival, she would make traditional dumplings with her own special additions. We missed her dumplings, she was unable to make them when she was old. In the past she would often distribute them to her beloved children.
The Happier Times With Granny
Since childhood till the 80s, granny did not smile much for life is tough. But the change in granny happened when she found the Lord. When God brought my mother back to church, she took my brother and me to church for the first time. We were baptised into the Lord on 1st April 1990 (yes, it was April fools day )
Granny witnessed for herself how the Lord took care of my elder brother and me. She believed that the Lord is a God who answers prayers and takes care of his children. Her faith in the Lord grew over the years and she was eventually converted to Christianity, she was baptised in 1991.
From then on she started to smile more often, she had started her walk with God. Even though she did not understand theology and the bible well, she would often pray to God and make offering to church on behalf of both my father and aunt.
Once we asked her why she did it and she explained that even though my dad and aunt do not believe in the Lord, she wanted the Lord to watch over them and protect them. She believed that by making offerings on behalf of her children, she could ask the Lord to protect them. She did it out of the love for her children.
Later on my father was converted to Christianity, but Granny continued to make offering for her children voluntarily.
The Love Of Granny
Granny loved all her three grand children. They are my elder brother. my little cousin and me. She took care of us when we are babies and she would always pat us to sleep. whenever she patted us she would sing us children songs in Teochew. Many of these songs are arched into my memory.
Later on I have to leave my home country to make a living outside. Granny would often pray for me, she believed that God would protect me, whenever I have the chance to call home, she would often ask about my life. Even though her questions were often repeated, I would answer her the same answer again and again. For I know it was her love for me.
Even at her death bed, she continued to show her love for her grandchildren. She would comfort my elder brother and reminded him to tell her his problem She is also worried that my little cousin would go hungry and she wanted to ask someone to make milo for her .
She continued to show her love for us no matter how terrible she felt. Even when she was in pain and distress she continued to show her love for us.
She is also well liked by the neighbours. At the last part of her life, She likes to seat with a group of elderly at ground floor of my apartment. Many of the neighbour treated her like their big sister and they also came to offer their respects at her funeral.
Granny is often remembered in church as a quiet lady who always smile brightly, that is why we are able to take a picture of her smiling on senior members day 2013. She is also remembered for always coming forward to the pulpit pray.
Granny’s Favourite Hymn
Before I end my Eulogy, I would like to share her favourite hymn. It is “Walking On The Kings Highway. It was written by F Horton. But I have shorten the hymn into the way she would have sang it.
Here are the Lyrics
Title : Walking On The Kings Highway
Lyrics : F Horton
We shall see the desert as the rose,
Walking in the King’s highway;
There’ll be singing where salvation goes,
Walking in the King’s highway.
Refrain
There’s a highway there and a way,
Where sorrow shall flee away;
And the light shines bright as the day,
Walking in the King’s highway.
There the rain shall come upon the ground,
Walking in the King’s highway;
And the springs of water will be found,
Walking in the King’s highway.
Refrain
There no ravenous beast shall make afraid,
Walking in the King’s highway;
For the purified the way was made,
Walking in the King’s highway.
Refrain
Goodbye Granny, I miss you forever. May we meet at the feet of Jesus one day. Until we meet again then you would always be living in my heart and mind. I love you and miss you. Goodbye granny.
It had been seem sometimes since I have last written on this blog. Many things had happened between my last post to now.
God had finally sent me away from the first country which I was working overseas in. Now I am living in a difference place, life here is very different and I am still trying hard to adapt. In the midst of all this, there was a huge mix of joy , sadness, pain, helplessness, anxiety and unknown.
It is exactly as how God told me 6 years ago.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.”- Jesus (Jn 21:18)
In the midst of all these my little boy came into the world, he brought us much joy and much adjustment. While we are barely trying to adjust to our new lives here and our new born. Then we received the news that the child’s great grandmother had passed away.
It appears as if God allowed him to come one month early so that he could say hello to her, and God kept her alive so that she could see her great grandson before allowing her to rest in the Lord. The day before she passed we keep reminding her that one day we will all meet before the Lord. She is only going a while before us.
A Christian only feel sadness in a funeral. We do not mourn in despair, we only grieve because we are temporarily separated from our loved ones. We cannot bear not being able to see them and talk to them right now. But we know that one day, when Christ comes, we will all be gathered before him and we would be together forever.
For God once told us through Paul as he wrote 1 Thessalonians
“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. …… For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord”- Paul (1 Thess 4:14,16-17)
That is how Christians ought to remember about death. While we mourn for our love ones, let us not despair, for they are safe in the homeland shore. In the arms in the Lord.
That is why I would like to dedicate this hymn to my granny. It is by Fanny Crosby and it is titled the Home Land Shore. I would always remember the little children songs she taught me to sing in Teochew, how she always patted me to sleep and taken care of me when I was a kid.
I have arranged the hymn in the way that is often sung at church. So its arrangement may differ from the original slightly.
Title : Home Land Shore Lyrics : Fanny Crosby Tune : Stephen Foster (In tune of Swanee River)
Far, far beyond the storms that gather Dark o’er our way. There shines the light of joy eternal Bright in the realms of day,
Far, far beyond rolling billows Faith spreads her wings; Love tells us of the golden City, Hope of its glory sings. [Refrain]
Refrain: There shall be sorrow, pain, and parting Grieve our hearts no more; Soon, soon we’ll meet beyond the river, Safe on the Homeland shore.
Far, far beyond the vale and shadow Loved ones have passed; We’ll meet them in the “many mansions,” All gathered home at last.
O blessed morn of joy unbounded! O glorious day! There every tear of grief and anguish Jesus shall wipe away. [Refrain]
The Hesitant Prize Fighter 