Month: May 2025

Cultivate the Garden of Your Faith

Growing our faith is like cultivating a garden. It needs tender loving care and patience. Plants do not grow overnight – similarly, our faith takes time to grow and mature. We need our Master Gardener to help us cultivate our Garden of Faith.

Prepare the Soil – Make Room for God

Before any seed is planted, the soil must be tilled. That means removing rocks, weeds, and thorns—the habits, thoughts, and distractions that harden our hearts or clutter our minds. We have to ask ourselves: where is our attention and focus? Is there any space in our lives for stillness, prayer and reflection? Just as the gardener clears the soil, we are called to examine, purify and prepare our hearts to make room for God.

“Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness upon you.” — Hosea 10:12 (ESV)

Sow with Intention – Plant the Seeds of Faith

Planting takes intentionality. Faith grows when we consistently invest in it – through prayer, devotions, worship, scripture reading, acts of love and kindness, trust and obedience to God. We have to sow the seeds of God’s love in our hearts and nurture our faith intentionally.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” — Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

Trust the Process – Growth Takes Time

Gardens don’t bloom overnight. Likewise, our faith matures through seasons—sometimes in silence, sometimes in storms. But underneath, God is always working. While waiting, we must not lose heart, but stay vigilant against the weeds of bitterness, comparison or apathy that can take root if left unchecked. Even when we don’t see anything happening, know that God is working underneath the soil and growing our roots for a sturdy foundation against the storms of life.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest…” — Galatians 6:9

My Invitation

This is my invitation to you today – to start cultivating your garden of faith by weeding out the negative voices and plant seeds of God’s Words to sink its roots in the fertile soil of our hearts and for the branches to grow strong and tall.

The Danger of Small Compromises

How often do we overlook small white lies? Or do the things that compromise our values just because everyone else is doing it? Or we ignore the red flags?

Our downfalls might not be a dramatic moment of weakness, but the slow decline of our values and convictions. This was the cautionary of the Bible character, Samson. Gifted with extraordinary strength and chosen by God from birth, his downfall didn’t begin when Delilah cut his hair. It began much earlier—through a pattern of small compromises that quietly distanced him from his calling.

“But he did not know that the Lord had left him.” — Judges 16:20 (NIV)

These haunting words show how easy it is to lose what matters most—not with a crash, but with a slow decline.

1. Compromises Creep In Quietly

Before Delilah, Samson had already broken his Nazirite vows. He touched what was unclean, pursued relationships outside of God’s will, and followed his impulses more than God’s direction. Each step seemed small, but together, they chipped away at his spiritual foundation.

“Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards.” — Song of Songs 2:15 (NIV)

2. Strength is sustained by Surrender

Samson’s power wasn’t in his hair alone—it was in his set-apart life. We, too, are called to spiritual strength, but it’s maintained through daily surrender to God. When we stop praying, stop listening, or start drifting, we may still appear strong—but the roots are weakening.

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” — 1 Corinthians 10:12 (NIV)

3. It’s Never Too Late to Return

Despite his failures, Samson’s final prayer reveals a turning point. He remembered the source of his strength and cried out for one more chance. God granted him his last wish.

“Then Samson prayed to the Lord, ‘Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more…’” — Judges 16:28 (NIV)

My Invitation

This is my invitation to you today: pray and discern the small compromises in your life, and return to God humbly in repentance. Like small leaks, small compromises never remain small – don’t let them ruin you.

The Myth of Tomorrow: Embracing Today

How often have we said, I will do it tomorrow?

How often have we postponed our important appointments, e.g. our medical checkup?

How often have we procrastinated on important but not urgent tasks, e.g. writing our will?

Tomorrow is an Illusion

Our procrastination shows that we believe there is an infinite amount of tomorrows. Our urgency mostly comes when there is a deadline to meet, or a health scare, or a market crash! And sometimes, it is too late, resulting in regrets.

But the Bible warns against such complacency:

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”

— Proverbs 27:1 (ESV)

Today is Your Stewardship

We often think of stewardship in terms of money or resources, but our greatest stewardship is our time, specifically, our “today”. Each day is a precious gift from God.

Jesus lived with holy urgency:

“We must do the works of Him who sent me while it is day” — John 9:4

Embrace Today – in Good Stewardship

Let us be good stewards – faithful and obedient to God:

  • Start the day thanking God for each new day
  • Set aside time in the morning to seek God’s direction for the day
  • Turn your commune time into prayer time
  • Use break time to send encouraging messages of support and love
  • Be sensitive to God’s soft promptings to do things, whether it’s a Hello or a smile, or opening a door
  • When God nudges you to contact someone, do it immediately
  • When God convicts you of your sin, confess and repent as soon as possible
  • When God asks you to forgive someone, do it while you can – don’t wait until it’s too late
  • When God gives you a crazy impossible ideas, don’t make excuses
  • We are called to plant seeds “today”, but not demand a harvest by sunset – trust in God’s timing
  • End each day with thanksgiving to God for all His blessings and protection

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” — Psalm 90.12

My Invitation

This is my invitation to you today – before the day ends, do one thing you’ve been putting off – not in your strength, but in surrender. Do the one thing that has been prickling you for ages, and God is reminding you today. You know what it is…

His Whispers In Our Busyness

In the hustle bustle of a busy life, it is a challenge to discern the soft whispers of the Holy Spirit amidst the noise of the world. We are constantly moving from one place to another, juggling multiple tasks and assuming multiple roles at one time. Is it a wonder that we suffer from burnout and mental exhaustion?

God Speaks Differently than What We Expect

Elijah was expecting to hear God in the earthquake and fire, but God came in a whisper. In our noisy world, shouting the loudest to be heard seems obvious. But God wants us to quiet our hearts and lean in to Him to hear His soft whisper.

“And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” — 1 Kings 19:12 (KJV)

Busyness is the Modern Enemy of Hearing

Oftentimes, we wear “busyness” like a badge of honour, a sign of high productivity, even creativity. Eventually, it is through pain and suffering that we finally hear His voice, as that is when we stop struggling with our own futile efforts and finally surrender to Him. When our faith is attacked, or when our bodies break down, or when our relationships break up. Do we want to be so busy that we ignore God, neglect our health, and ruin our relationships? God asks us to pause.

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

— Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

When We Listen, We Gain So Much

God reaches out to us every day in hundreds of little ways – from the morning sunrise, the friendly hello, the call you’ve been waiting for, the insight from a book or video – to enjoying a simple warm meal.

He constantly reminds us of who we are – beloved children of God. He orchestrates great plans for our lives. He picks us up with we fall. He nudges us many times when we are hesitant. He is always patient with us. He guides and leads us in the right path – under His plan, protection and blessings.

“Whether you turn to right or left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way…'” (Isaiah 30:21)

My Invitation

This is my invitation to you today: to intentionally pause, listen to God’s whispers and delight in His presence.