Today marks the first Sunday of Lent, the season of prayer and penitence as we reflect upon Christ’s suffering and sacrifice—his life, death, burial, and resurrection. During this period, we devote ourselves to being quiet before God, reading and reflecting upon His word, considering and confessing the depth of our sin, but also the greater…

If overcoming the power and paralysis of our sins requires an active trust in Christ’s authority to liberate us, what is the character of such faith? The examples of the leper, the paralytic and his friends, and Levi in Luke 5 teach us that faith earnestly seeks and decisively looks to the Lord Jesus. As…

The beginning of a new year is usually a time for making resolutions; setting up goals to be reached in the new year. For some people, however, the making of resolutions is a futile endeavour because their resolutions never go beyond the planning stage, as they are not acted on.  One January, some years ago,…

A common description of Singaporeans is that we are a very pragmatic and task-oriented people, concerned more about outcomes than about reasons. After all, all the good intentions in the world will not feed you. And what does it matter why your boss wants something done? You’re not being paid to understand but to do!…

“The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” (Eccl. 1:1-2). Thus begins the reflection of Qohelet, translated “Teacher” (NIV) or “Preacher” (ESV), on the meaning of life. Why does he render such a bleak conclusion that everything is meaningless? And is this…

When I reflect on the life of Jesus, I am amazed at his teachings, feats and most importantly, his commitment to the Father. At the same time, what equally amazes me is the way he relates to people, whether it is to heal a leper, raise the dead (Lazarus), celebrate in festivities, dine with sinners…

God’s ultimate plan for us is salvation through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Before Jesus carried out this divine mission, He fasted to prepare Himself. The devil stood in His way by tempting Him. God has His divine plan for each of us. But just as he tempted Jesus, Satan will always try hard to…

It is the start of a new year. How has your week been? As many among us begin to return to our workplaces and schools, furiously cranking up through the gears to try to match the increasing demands on our time, I am reminded of another Presbyterian pastor’s purposeful countercultural social media posts on slow…

The apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 1:16 that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation, for it reveals God’s righteousness. The amazing news is this: the righteousness of God, miraculously by God’s doing, becomes ours when we believe in Christ. How can this be? Zechariah’s song in Luke 1:68-69 reminds us that…

The Bible tells us that the first Christmas was experienced by the least-known, the lowly or the most unlikely of people—the shepherds; the 3 non-Jewish wise men; Mary and Joseph; and someone whose name is hardly mentioned in Christmas celebrations. In fact, this someone was not even there when Christ was born; yet, the wonder…