Returning to my first love

I had accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour and went through water baptism a couple of years ago and yet I was unfaithful in attending Sunday services. 

But God had plans to draw me back to Him through the Company’s Christian Fellowship (CF) organized by the Christian brothers and sisters.  We gather every Monday for Bible study and sharing and Wednesday for prayer time.  My Christian colleagues always invite me to join them which I sometimes did but, I was still not following the way of Christ.  I continued to do the things that I enjoyed.  The fact was, God did not have the first priority in my life. 

Towards the end of 1994, I participated in my company’s Christmas presentation organized by the CF and one particular song that was sung in the presentation is “The Power of the Cross”, and one of the verses that really inspired me is “and everyday we’re changed into your image more and more, and by the cross we’ve truly been transformed”.  Tears began to fill my eyes and for the first time in my life and after so many years of walking alone, I felt God’s presence and His love for me that was drawing me back to Him. 

From that day onwards, I committed myself to know Him better and I started spending more time in prayer.  Every night I would pray for things that I needed and later I realized that it was very selfish of me.  But, God by His grace granted all my prayers e.g. provided me with a car (Kancil) with a car part, good salary increment and other wonderful blessings. 

My life was smooth sailing until in April 1995 when my mother was admitted to the Hospital with diabetic and high blood pressure and in October 1995 was admitted again due to a stroke which caused her to be paralyzed on the right side of her body. 

During this crisis I took two weeks leave and came back to Ipoh to be with her.  I knelt down and prayed to Jesus every night without fail, asking Jesus to heal my mom. 

While in Ipoh, I attended the Methodist Church in Canning Garden and during one of the worship sessions we sang a song entitled ‘God will make a way, where there seems to be no way’.  I was touched by the words and I know that God was speaking to me.  When we are confined in situation that doesn’t seem to have any way out, God says that He will open a way for us.  He will guide us out, one step at a time, giving us the strength we need and most of all His grace to sustain us. 

He spoke to me through Jeremiah 29:11-14, “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon 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 I will be found by you”, declares the Lord, “and I will bring you back from captivity.  I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you”, declares the Lord, “and I will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” 

From these verses, I believe that He truly has plans for me, plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future (and He did! Praise the Lord). 

From that moment, I felt peace in my heart because I know that my Master holds the key to my life. 

A long service staff at my Ipoh Branch Office had an optional retirement thus leaving a vacancy to be filled up and so I requested a transfer from my Head Office to the Ipoh Branch and my application was approved.  Praise the Lord.  God made a way.  Although I have to learn everything from scratch but praise be unto God, I was able to handle this new job. 

As Paul said “God’s grace is sufficient for me” and also in Philippians 4:13 “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” when I fully submit myself to Christ and I know no defeat now.  I have settled down in my new job in Ipoh and I am very grateful to the Lord for all that He has planned out and done for me.  The fruit of the Spirit is in me all the time, i.e. love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22).

May I, together with my brothers and sisters in Christ continue to grow in the Lord, bearing the fruit of the Spirit that all men will know that Jesus is Lord.  Amen.  Hallelujah!

(When you come through the tunnel of testing, you will shine brighter for the Lord).

 

 (From August 1996 Family Focus)