As we celebrate Father’s Day today, I would like to honor this occasion reflecting on the biblical role that we, grandparents, can play in our multi-generational family.

When our first granddaughter was born seven years back, God gave me Proverbs 17:6 to meditate on. This verse declares that “Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers”. This crown that we wear may not be adorned with jewels or exotic ornaments but rather, it is filled with precious memories of our grandchildren’s milestones as we interact with them at various phases of their lives.

Moses reminded the Israelites (and us too) in Deuteronomy 4:9 “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children”. We are commanded to ensure that our children and grandchildren know of God’s glorious deeds. Not only are we to walk this straight and narrow path with our eyes fixed on Jesus, we are also called to be a disciple-maker to the future generation.

Psalm 78:4-7 give us some insights on how we can pass this baton of faith, entrusted to us, to our children and grandchildren. 

“ 4We will not hide them from their children but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that He has done. 5He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children, 6that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, 7 so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God.”

Firstly, we are to intentionally share with our grandchildren our salvation story and testimonies of God coming alongside us, whether in times of blessings or trials and tribulations. God has given us this privilege to be His witness, using our own life as the means to glorify Him.

Secondly, we are commanded to teach them not only the works of God (what God had done) but also the word of God (what God has said) through the reading of the bible together so that they too will walk in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Grandparenting is not to be confused with parenting. The charge of bringing up the children belongs to their parents as their primary caregivers, not the grandparents. God has decreed that the glory of children is their fathers (Proverbs 17:6). We must be mindful not to usurp or override their mandate of bringing up their children in the training and instruction of the Lord. Even if we do not agree with their methods, we are to honour them and respect their decisions. To do otherwise will ultimately lead to disagreement and conflicts in the family.

As we celebrate Father’s Day today, my prayer is that we each embrace our respective biblical role in accordance with God’s overall design for the family (Colossians 3:18-21). May we seniors too, learn to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12) and for us to continue to “still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him” (Psalm 92:14-15).

By brother Vincent Lim

The apostle Paul wrote to the new church in Thessalonica urging them to remain steadfast in the faith despite facing challenges and persecution in their lives. He gives specific instructions in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 commanding them (and us) to “rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances”. This seems almost impossible in our human nature to obey completely. Can we really testify that there was not a single moment in our discipleship journey that we have not fallen short?

God commands us to rejoice always.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). “Rejoice always” does not mean that we should always be joyful, and never feel sad, disheartened, or depressed even when we are facing trials and tribulations. But as Christians, we can take comfort from James 1:2-3 “to count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness”. Thus, the key to dispel these negative feelings is by faith to surrender them to God and in return, we can experience real joy in Him.

 God commands us to pray without ceasing.

“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.” (Psalm 34:17) Praying without ceasing does not mean that we are to go on our knees every minute of the day. What it really means is that we should pray persistently and not lose heart.  The parable of the persistent widow who kept returning to the judge to seek justice until the latter heard her out is a good example (Luke 18:1-8).

God commands us to give thanks in all circumstances.

“Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”. (Ephesians 5:20)

We should acknowledge that God is sovereign and is in control of our circumstances. We can confidently claim on God’s promise in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose”. Therefore, we can give thanks in all circumstances (good or bad) to our Heavenly Father who loves us. We are His children, and He will walk alongside us in our journey for He is the author and perfector of our faith.

For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

We are called to be in Christ Jesus in order to discern the will of God for us. As we remain steadfast in Him, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit will transform us to discern what the will of God is, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2).  Though we may sometimes falter, God’s grace will be sufficient for us for His power is made perfect in our weakness  (2 Corinthians 12:9). Whether life gives lemons or roses, we will always keep our focus on Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.

“Heavenly Father, may I grow in grace and in an attitude of thanksgiving for all that you have done for me, in Christ Jesus. Lord, I desire that Your will be done in my life – and as it is Your will that I should give thanks in all things, I pray that You would develop and refine this exquisite grace of thanksgiving in me. This I ask in Jesus’s name, AMEN”.

(prayer.knowing-jesus.com/ 1-Thessalonian)

By brother Vincent Lim

The past few months have been tough for many of us as we try to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic – monitoring the daily numbers of confirmed cases, adhering to stringent Circuit Breaker measures, being required to stay home and go out only when absolutely necessary. For many, losing our jobs or businesses as well as the fear of our loved ones or ourselves getting infected is a frightening possibility. Being cooped up at home for    a prolonged period, especially for our seniors and those living alone, only added on to our distress. Our physical and mental health may suffer without us realising it.

In this unprecedented time, I am once again reminded of Psalm 121, one of the favourite passages that I often mediate on when I am feeling downcast.

1    I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
        2     My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

James Montgomery Boice, an American theologian, wrote “What he (the psalmist) is telling us is that his gaze did not stop when he looked upward to the hills but that he looked beyond them to God, who made the mountains”.  Indeed we are assured in the latter part of the psalm (vv 3-8) that God, who made heaven and earth, is capable of keeping us from all harm and danger. He who never slumbers nor sleeps will protect us from the evil one every single step we take on our journey.

He will watch over us whether we are asleep or awake.  He will protect us from the scourging heat during the day as well as the freezing cold at night. Indeed, “the sole source of ‘help’ comes from Yahweh, who as Creator, has unlimited power” (William A. VanGemeren). We are under God’s sovereign care and protection at all times and in all circumstances. For in Ps 121:8, the psalmist declares on our behalf that “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore”.  Our God is our divine help and keeper.

By God’s grace, we get to humble ourselves when we cast our fears and anxieties on Him because we are His precious children. “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcome the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5).  Jesus, himself, personally assured us in John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world”. Our Lord Jesus overcame death when he went to the cross on our behalf two thousand years ago, and by His death we now have that guaranteed peace when we abide in Him.

Let us therefore rally together, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in prayer and in faith as we courageously enter into a new way of life during this period. It may take a year or two or even longer. Together “let us run with endurance the race that is set beside before us, looking to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2) and let us also “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:23-24). For in Romans 8:37, the apostle Paul declared, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us”. Stay Safe! Stay in Christ, the Overcomer of the World! Amen.

By Brother Vincent Lim (YCKC Bulletin 14 June 2020)

My wife Mei Lee and I love children very much. When we decided to get married in 1980, we planned to have “at least three if not four” children. We were prepared to bear the monetary disincentives for not abiding to the “Stop at Two” policy in place then. Psalm 127:3-5 declares “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate”.

However, after many months of trying to conceive but with no result, and even after seeing a gynaecologist, we became anxious. And so we cried out to the Lord and prayed for His favour to be upon us. Like Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:11, we prayed that if He would grant us a son, we too would name him Samuel and dedicate him to serve Him all the days of his life.

God answered our prayers. He first blessed us with a baby girl and we named her Charmaine (bountiful joy and delight) for the Lord had blessed us with much joy and delight with the arrival of a much awaited child. We were next blessed with a boy three years later and we named him Samuel to fulfil our commitment to God. Our third child arrived much later and we named her Benita (Blessed). For indeed it was a prayer of thanksgiving; acknowledging His divine grace and mercy to the family. Mei Lee’s blood platelet count dropped suddenly during the third trimester of her pregnancy. As this would endanger her life during labour, she was hospitalized to undergo various tests and was given medical leave for most part of that period.

We were thankful that the church came alongside and prayed for our family. The delivery went through miraculously well (coincidentally it was Good Friday that year!). A life support machine placed on standby outside the delivery room for emergency use was not needed. Indeed, God was merciful and in full control during the delivery.

We participated in the Family Dedication Services for each of our three children! We declared God’s sovereignty over us as parents and acknowledged with thanksgiving that our children are a gift from God. We covenanted to responsibly bring them up to love our Lord and when they grow up they will accept Jesus Christ as their own personal Saviour.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 has provided three valuable insights for us as parents:

1.We are to love our Lord wholeheartedly (vv4-6). We recognise that we are all sinners saved and redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. We are called into an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father. And our response (and command) is to love Him in all aspects of our lives –- body, mind and soul.

2.God has given us the responsibility to raise our children (v7). Proverbs 22:6 exhorts us to “train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it”. We are also instructed not to provoke our children into anger, resentment or be discouraged by our words or deeds but instead, to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21).

3.We are to seize every teachable moment and opportunity to speak into our children’s lives and to tell them about God and His Kingdom’s values (vv7-9). Remember that their faith learning journey is more likely caught than taught, we are to lead a godly life that will glorify our Heavenly Father for our children to emulate.

Looking back, Mei Lee and I are grateful that God honours our commitment made more than thirty years ago. He has called Samuel to serve in the pastoral ministry in church. And for the rest of the household, we, too, pledge that we will continue to love and serve Him in any ministry that He has called us to, whether in church or in the marketplace (Joshua 24:15).

YCKC will have a Family Dedication Service coming up on Sunday, 18 August. As a loving and God fearing community in this local church, all of us are charged with this awesome responsibility to come alongside the parents in our midst to support them in the task of raising their children in the faith. May we as a church stand together and affirm Matthew Henry’s final words to a friend:
“A life spent in the service of God and communion with Him is the most pleasant life that anyone can live in this world.” Amen.

By Vincent Lim (YCKC Bulletin 4 August 2019)