My Walk with God 🌱

  "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling-place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God."  -Revelation 21: 2-3 I can't wait to walk down the aisle ... and hear the words: "This is your captain speaking...✈️" 😉 I don't know about you, but I enjoy getting on a plane, travelling, being a tourist and exploring this big wide beautiful world we live on, observing and learning about various cultures and seeing different people. So when I discovered that today was World Tourism Day, my curiosity was peaked. I learned that the United Nations sets aside this day (September 27) every year to promote awareness of the benefits of tourism to personal development, local, regional and international collaboration and the wo...

"I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving." - Psalm 69:30 Have you ever heard the expression "Ungratefulness is worse than witchcraft" ? I have heard this being said time and time again where persons share about having helped or nurtured others, only to be on the receiving end of quite the opposite - acts of unkindness, carelessness or neglect. While we all may have benefitted from the kind care of another at one point in time, many either felt they were entitled to it anyway, or were too wrapped up in their own self to appreciate the effort of another. Imagine the irony when the opportunity presents itself to help someone who has helped us, and we let it pass us. While being helped doesn't necessarily mean you are indebted for life to the person who helped us, sometimes we are guilty of causing hurt and disappointment to others when we behave in a way that shows outright thoughtlessness and disrespect, or demonstrates ungratefulness. I...

  "Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps." -Matthew 25:7 What do you use to give light? Many use a light bulb or an electrically powered light source. However, there are other traditional light sources. For example, consider a wax candle that we tend to seek out when the electricity goes, or even a scented candle when we want to set a mood. In my country, during the Hindu festival of Divali, deeyas (small cup-shaped oil lamps made of baked clay) are placed all around the devotee's home. Consider also, even before electricity was the standard form of power in homes, many would rely on what we call oil/kerosene lamps. These traditional light sources tend to have some things in common. They have a supply of fuel, and a wick, that serves as a conduit for the fuel, which is lit and burns to give light. On doing some research, I realized also that the wick does tend to get charred, and if not trimmed, tends to smoke or not give off as bright a light as desired. I...

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." - 2 Corinthians 3:18 Have you ever stopped, observed life around us, and wondered to yourself "Hmm, Christianity today surely looks a lot different to the Christianity lived and displayed by Jesus" ? It is something I have been contemplating for a while. Historically, the early Christians lived in simplicity, hungered for truth and righteousness, endured persecution to the death, shared what they owned with each other, worshipped together in secret because Christianity was considered illegal, and were bold in their courage of living for Jesus and dying in Him. Their belief and testimony was so firmly rooted in Christ that even after their death, through the working of the Holy Spirit, more persons were won over and converted to the message and movement of the gospel. After all, something w...

"I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine." -Song of Solomon 6:3 This week many around the world celebrated and treated the loved ones in their life in a special way. Persons may have either showered their partner with affection or engaged in acts of appreciation to their friends, coworkers and family members. Let's be honest: intimacy is something that the human being craves. Finding someone to love and be safely loved by is a beautiful experience, however sometimes, we find ourselves looking for that intimacy in places that can instead end up being a source of disillusionment.  So how can we go about fulfilling that need for intimacy without risking disappointment? While nothing in this life is perfect or guaranteed, it is an important step to acknowledge that human love was created to reflect the love of God in many ways. If we were to learn what true love is from God, we not only elevate our ways of loving, but also, elevate our criteria in our search for and identifi...

  "Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29: 12-13 Fun Fact: Did you know that this year (2024), more than 1 billion people around the world will be celebrating the New Year on February 10? While this may sound a bit late to many of us who follow the Gregorian calendar and would have typically celebrated on January 01, Chinese citizens and the diaspora follow the lunar calendar in which the new year falls at this time for them, and varies every year. Great importance is placed on celebrating and spending this time with family, with  traditional meals,  reunion dinners, and prior cleaning and renewal of ones environment. Interestingly enough, my appreciation for Chinese culture has mostly been limited to Chinese cuisine and a visit to a dragon boat festival last year. I have usually perceived it as out of reach due to the language barrier, until recently, ...

Illustration ©  Review & Herald Publ. Assoc. "And I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself. that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:3 I remember reading a piece of writing some years ago that described a vision that the writer received. They recalled seeing a large group of believers sensing the darkness of this world and setting off on a journey to heaven, or as some may refer to it, the promised land. As they progressed along this journey, they noticed that the path got narrower and steeper, and little by little, they needed to shed the bulk and the weight of the things they had started with on the journey. The path was challenging, and oftentimes, they would have lost their footing if they hadn't maintained their focus on the light provided by the Holy City ahead. Some got discouraged along the way, and fell away. Almost at the end of their road, the path was so narrow, all they could depend on was holding on with both...

"Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen." - Revelation 1:7 Have you ever had a dream that felt so real, you woke up and were experiencing real physiological reactions like tears, or strong heart palpitations, or panic responses? I had such a dream this week. And as I awoke and tried to process it, I prayed about it too. It was a nightmare to me. After I finished telling it to God, I checked my messages. One of these messages was from a friend who appears to have awakened from a dream one hour earlier, and was sharing his dream. As I read his dream, it brought comfort to me. This was his dream: I was in a park, looking up at the mountains, and then we saw this huge foot break through the stratosphere (sky). It seemed to belong to what reminded me of the statue in the prophetic dream of Nebuchadnezzar, but I believe that it was Jesus. Everyone started to ru...

  “But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind." - Job 12-7-10 These past few weeks, I have been seeking soothing encouragement from nature. I missed being able to be outdoors and enjoy my usual exercise. I had to settle for looking at photos and videos. Deadlines, marathon sessions to complete work assignments, fatigue and pressures of daily responsibilities had taken up most of my focus and time. There were some moments where I was wondering how was I going to get everything done. I had to remind myself that with God all things are possible and that I can and will reach the finish line by God's grace. Today I reached the finish line, and what a feeling of relief and release I felt...

"Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. " -Genesis 5:23-24 Has anyone ever told you to take a hike?  They may actually be giving you a compliment.   Traditionally, it was meant as an insult, as walking was considered a necessity for the poor due to lack of transport, but now, hiking has become a sport of choice with enthusiasts from all walks of life. In fact, November 17 has been acknowledged as National Day of Hiking in the USA. Anyone who knows me, knows I like to walk. I am always looking for someone to walk with me or an opportunity to walk, be it in the mountains, on the walking track around the savannah, or even walking through a garden. Walking has many benefits for me. It is a good form of exercise, uses pent up energy, is an effective de-stresser, and it also takes me places where I wouldn't have been able to reach on wheels. I enjoy the forest, being around rivers, waterfal...

"Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed;  Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy.  I will abide in Your tabernacle forever.  I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah" - Psalm 61: 1-4 A few weeks ago, while returning downhill from a hike as darkness fell, my friend and I passed a chapel. Usually it is quiet when we pass, but this time, the voices of a group of Christian brothers singing emanated through the open windows and blessed the night air with a spiritual flavour. Accompanied by the sounds of a gentle drum, they were singing the heartfelt psalm of David, as is quoted by tonight's scripture. The words of this psalm resonate with many folks, but it was a unique experience listening to male voices banding together in faith, praising the Lord their Father, their source of strength and help, and echoing the words of a f...