The past twenty months or so have been challenging and unprecedented. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to so many changes in our lives. We have to constantly adapt to evolving safety measures promulgated by the authorities, so much so that our lifestyles have been impacted in so many ways. We have to wear masks and practise social distancing when we are out of our homes. Our homes have also become our offices as we can no longer report to office for work. And this might be distressing as we are no longer able to differentiate between working and family time. Our social and church lives have also been curtailed. We are no longer able to meet our loved ones and friends as freely as before and church services have mainly been restricted to meeting online.

All these changes have inevitably affected all of us in one way or another.  It is therefore no wonder that  we read of reports that many are suffering from some form of mental health issue such anxiety, depression, and even fear. A Duke-NUS Medical School in Jan 2021 reported that one in three local adults, particularly women, younger adults, and those  of lower socio-economic status, are experiencing psychological distress related to Covid-19.

How then, shall we as Christ followers try to cope with the pandemic which has been long drawn with no end in sight? We may be well mentally and physically but our spirit can be languishing, feeling weary, restless and even joyless as we see the daily number of infections and deaths increasing daily.

I suggest that we can do the following:

Draw Near To God

Spending personal time with God is essential if we want to remain flourishing in our spiritual lives.  James 4:8 beckons us to “draw near to God, and He will draw near to you”. Do not let this pandemic disheartened us but let us thrive to draw near to God daily through worship, prayer and reading His Word. When we spend extended time with God, our souls can be recharged in His presence. Jeremiah 31:25 promises that God will “satisfy the weary soul and every languishing soul He will replenish”.

Encourage Others

1 Thessalonians 5:11 exalts us to “encourage one another and build each other up”.

There is no denial that we all need encouragement. It keeps us motivated, loved and boosts our confidence. Encouragement is also good for our mental and overall health, both the giver and receiver can experience  joy. In other words, as we encourage others, we are encouraged as well.

We can speak words of encouragement, send an encouraging note, email, text, or make a phone call to lift-up someone’s heart and spirit in the Lord each day. This will surely go a long way to strengthen and lighten the loads of our follow brothers and sisters during this challenging period.

Thus, let us, as His disciples, not lose heart during this challenging time, but strive to draw close to God and be a Barnabas to someone each day. In John 16:33 Jesus encouraged us that in this world we will have trouble but we can take heart, for He has overcome the world.

By brother Thomas Teo

There’s no denying it. COVID-19 has turned the world upside down. To date, more than a million people have died from the disease, many more are still stricken and the death toll is still rising. The virus is still spreading exponentially and countries are enforcing lockdowns, implementing quarantine controls and limiting social gatherings to prevent its spread.

On the economic front, many businesses are also adversely affected. Many employees have lost their jobs resulting in financial hardship and strained family relationships. Some believe that economically, the worst is yet to come.

This pandemic has also affected our day-to-day life. Regular washing of hands, avoidance of face to face interaction, limited social interaction, social distancing, wearing of masks, doing safe-entry wherever we go and so on have become the “new normal”. These may seem like small, insignificant changes, but over time they add up and can make us feel like we are losing control over our lives.

Nonetheless, in spite of the pandemic giving us such a challenging time and changing the way we live, we need not despair. On the contrary, it can give us the impetus to live our lives better as God’s children:

Continue to Trust God

Looking at the deadly and devastating effects the unseen virus is still creating today, it is easy to lose faith and ask where is God in all these?  The Bible in 2 Cor 5:7 reminds that we are to “walk by faith, not by sight”. The object of our faith is God and His Word and not the things that are happening around us.  It is essential therefore that we do not lose heart and focus on God. It’s like when Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on water. As long has his focus was on Jesus, things went well. But when he began to look at the waves and feel the strong winds, suddenly his focus shifted from the Lord to the storm and he began to sink. Perhaps the Lord is stretching our faith during this season of time and when we come out of it, our faith can become stronger.

Speak Words of Encouragement

Spoken words are powerful. It can build us up or destroy us. When facing stressful times, it is easy to use harsh words and hurt someone. Eph 4:29-30 reminds us “not to let corrupt words proceed out of our mouth but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers”.

So let us endeavour and choose to speak work of blessings and encouragement to those around us, some of whom may be facing challenging times, that they may be edified. Let them be assured that all they are facing is under control by our sovereign God.

Be Kind to Others

While Covid-19 can gives us testing times, we can choose to be “kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph 4:32).

Kind acts like being friendly, considerate, generous, showing care and concern can improve the quality of life in the home, school, and workplace as well as in the community. It brings people together. Besides, showing kindness to others is just as rewarding as receiving it from someone else. It makes us feel good when you are kind to someone.

Take Good Care of Our Physical Body

In this trying time, we can choose to take care of our physical bodies. We can endeavour to properly nourish our bodies through eating healthily and having a well-balanced diet. God has created our physical bodies, and as good stewards, it is good that we take care of it. Exercising regularly is also essential. Besides helping us to stay fit, exercising can also boost our immune system to fight the virus and boost our well-being. So let us keep ourselves healthy so that we can serve Him in whatever capacity He calls us.

No one knows when this pandemic will end. But we know for sure that our God is sovereign in all situations. Let us thus not lose heart but continue to trust Him and live the lives that He calls us to in spite of what is happening around us.

By brother Thomas Teo (YCKC Bulletin 1 Nov 2020)

I came across an article recently on King Hezekiah. King Hezekiah’s story is found in the Old Testament and I would like to draw a lesson that we can all learn from his life.

By all accounts, Hezekiah was faithful and trusted God for most part of his life. 2 Chronicles 31:20-21 tells us that Hezekiah was someone who had a close relationship with God. He did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.

As a result of his faith and trust in God, God answered his prayers and granted him miraculous victories over his enemies. God even extended his life by 15 years after he became ill and was at the point of death. However, after he was healed, he made a serious mistake. When he received the Babylonian envoys, he was very proud of what he had achieved and proceeded to boast and show all his kingdom’s treasures as though he had attained all these on his own, leaving God out of the picture.

Like King Hezekiah, we can all easily fall into this false notion that what we have attained have been achieved through our own hard work. I have been guilty of allowing pride to come into my life on many occasions, one of which was when I got a promotion in my previous job. I knew that with my academic qualification, it would be difficult to attain that particular grade in the public service. With congratulations coming from the bosses and colleagues, I thought silently in my heart that I had done it – on my own! But I thank God that the Holy Spirit intervened and kept me in check. He reminded that promotion comes neither from the east or from the west nor from the south. But from the Lord (Psalm 75:6-7). And certainly not from my own strength.

Another incident I could recall was when I bought the property which I am staying at today some years ago. Back then, friends and relatives were saying what a nice place I had acquired at such a young age. Soon enough, pride crept into my spirit. Once again, I was reminded that every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father (James 1:17).

The story of Hezekiah reminds me not to be consumed by my earthly accomplishments. All that I have acquired and possessed in this world are transient. Hezekiah did not acknowledge God when he met the Babylonian envoys. On the contrary, he boasted of his wealth and achievements and this got him into “trouble”. Indeed if there is anything we need to boast about, it should be our Lord. The prophet Jeremiah exhorts us in 9:23-24: This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, declares the Lord”.

All glory to His Name!

By Thomas Teo (YCKC Bulletin 15 December 2019)