1. Clock
   The clock says, “The hands of my dial have returned to its original position. But when that happens, it is no longer yesterday. Time move 24h a day. From origin to the end, from the end to the origin. But when it returns to the original point, it cannot return to yesterday. For the time is no longer yesterday.”

Right now is a time in this very moment. We can’t hold back today. We may look forward to tomorrow. But is an unknown. Tomorrow will surely come. But we may not be there to see it come. Therefore we have to treasure the time we have today.

Let us hence not live in the past. The past exists but we shouldn’t dwell on it. We also shouldn’t live in the future. The future exists but it doesn’t exist today. What truly exists is the now. So let us treasure and seize the opportunity of living now. When we connect all the ‘now’s that we live, that is our life. Therefore for every moment ‘now’ whether good or bad is a time we must treasure. Because we don’t know whether tomorrow or an accident will come first.

2 Cor 6:9-10
Would you say Paul’s life was fortunate or unfortunate? When people looked at Paul on that particular occasion, they thought he was bound to die. Yet, Paul said, “I live!” People thought he was being chastened and sorrowful, but he said, “I’m not killed. I’m rejoicing!” People said he was unfortunate but Paul says he was very very blessed.

How do you determine if you’re blessed or unfortunate?

There was a rich and poor man discussing what blessing was. The poor man said, “Whatever I have today is a blessing.” The rich man looked at the humble dwelling place of the poor man and his clothes and said, “Are you so poor that you become muddle-headed and can’t even tell what a blessing is?”

The rich man said, “My blessing is having 10 houses and 100 servants! THAT is blessing!”

The poor man answered, “I may be poor but I’m not poor to the point I’m muddle headed. I may have little but I am content with what I have.”

The rich man gave a wry smile and walked away. One day a fire burned down his 10 houses. The 100 servants seized hold of the opportunity to grab his possessions and fled. The rich man had no skill to make a living and so became a beggar.

On a hot afternoon, he was thirsty and was in much agony. He walked and came by the little house of the poor man. He begged for some water from the poor man. He offered him some cold water. He recognised him as the rich man who discussed what blessing was.

“Now what do you think blessing is?”

The rich man kept silent for a while and then said, “Blessing is this bowl of water you give me at this moment.”

Blessing is all you have today at this moment. Now you have water. Now you have a bed to rest your head. Now you have freedom to walk on your own. Now you are still alive. Isn’t that in itself is a blessing?

Many people don’t realise what they have today is a blessing. Because they’re still not contented with the present. They’re always looking forward to the so-called blessing in the future. They spend all their effort on the blessing they want to receive. If we’re not content with what we have today, we won’t be able to experience happiness and blessing. Even if we do indeed acquire more and better things in the future, we wouldn’t feel blessed or happy. Because true blessing doesn’t lie in what we’re going to have in the future but what you have today.

Just like the rich man’s view at first. Only when he lost all he has that he come to understand: blessing is what you have today.

But let us not misunderstand. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pursue future blessings. What it means is that we ought to be content with what we have today and

A puppy asked his mother where his blessing was and where to go to get it. His mother said, “See the tip of your tail? That’s where your blessing is.” The puppy believed. That’s why puppies run around in circles trying to bite its own tail. He can see the blessing but can never get hold of it.

After trying hard and being so tired he asked, “Why can’t I get hold of the blessing?”

She answered, “Silly boy. You don’t need to seek that blessing. Just raise your head high and the blessing will follow you.”

Often we human beings cannot feel the blessing we have around us. We keep seeking for the so-called blessing we haven’t attained; or seek the supposed blessing other people have. Actually it’s not that we lack blessing in our lives, but that we lack in the spirit that can appreciate that blessing.

Actually blessing is very simple. When you are hungry and have something to eat, that’s blessing. When you’re thirsty and have something to drink, that’s blessing. When you’re cold and someone hands you a jacket, that’s a blessing. You don’t just feel physical warm but also in your heart. When you’re sad and someone keeps you company and comforts you, isn’t that blessing?

“If I want to eat char kway teow and my wife buys it for me, that’s a blessing. Even if she doesn’t, that’s okay as long as she stays with me till we’re old.”

If any unhappiness arises between married couples, don’t put it in your hearts. It’ll make you unhappy.

Speaker says, “You think me and my wife are so happy together but actually we fight also lol.”

Even if there’re matters that make us unhappy, we must learn to put them aside. A lot of things don’t matter. What really matters is to be together when we’re old. Of course, one will leave first. And of course some of us don’t have a husband/wife and are alone. But they’re still blessed. Why? Because Jesus is there. When there’s no one there to keep us company, Jesus is there. Most importantly, on our death beds, Jesus will be there to bring us to heaven. Where there’s no sorrow and pain. The Lord Jesus Himself is the biggest blessing in our lives. If this is the case, aren’t we incredibly blessed already?

Isn’t it a blessing you can eat char kway teow? Now the speaker needs to ask for a permit lol. And has a quota imposed on him.

Life is not lacking in blessing. It is lacking a heart that’s able to appreciate the blessing. So we ask the Lord to open our hearts so that we can realise and treasure what we have today.

Regardless of what the environment may be or what people say about us, we know that we’re blessed and rich in the Lord. Because the Lord Jesus Christ is our wealth.

Isn’t that a hymn that says Jesus is our everything?

1. Beancurd
   The beancurd says, “At the critical moment, you must be ‘enlightened’.”

At a critical moment, an agent must be added for the beancurd to coagulate. If it’s missed, the boiling beans will not become beancurd.

Likewise, in our lives we need people to give us that ‘boost’ to be in the right direction. Especially when we’re out of line. When someone points that out to us, we can return to the path of success.

1 Sam 25:30-35
David was really angry, so much so he wanted to kill Nabal and his entire household. What happened that made him want to kill people? Nabal was just rude and mocked him (v10-11).

Seems like David is unreasonable. You ask for food from someone. They have the right to give or not to give. Of course them additionally insulting you isn’t good. Being unhappy is natural. But there’s no reason to be so angry to the extent you want to kill him right?

How could David who was one usually reasonable and is God fearing be like this? Actually, he had reason. Even the servants of Nabal thought David was right.

v15-17
Turns out David and his men protected Nabal’s shepherds. Usually those who had a lot of sheep in the wilderness need to hire protectors. You need to pay your protectors and provide them food. David voluntarily protected them without wages. Asking for some food was not much a request.

That’s why David’s anger was justified. But he was a bit overboard. Thankfully, Abigail turned him in the right direction. Thankfully, David also accepted being guided. He was able to reflect and turn away from the evil.

We have our moments of error too. We need to have people like Abigail, to point it out and direct people.

More importantly, have a heart like David to be willing to listen to people and be guided.

Exo 18:17-24
Key point is in v17 and v24. Moses’ father-in-law that the thing he did was not good. In v24 it records Moses heeded his voice and did all that he had say.

Think about this: Moses was one man and he administered all the matters in the entire camp. So many people were queuing up waiting for him to settle their matters. Moses did this from morning to night. He didn’t say, “Coffee time!”

His father-in-law said, “What you do is not good.” If he had just stopped there, Moses would have been angry. Besides criticising Moses, he provided a better suggestion.

Do we have a better suggestion to offer? Or do we just criticise?

We can criticise how people are doing things. But after doing that, do we have a better suggestion?

We should also learn from Moses. “Even if I’m a leader and performed many miracles, there’re areas I haven’t thought things through enough. I accept suggestions.”

Even though David and Moses didn’t hear what the beancurd said, they understand what the beancurd said. We need to accept what people point out at the critical moments to be able to succeed.

Prov 27:17
When iron sharpens iron, a very jarring sound to the ears occurs. It makes it very difficult to bear at the moment. But we know this is necessary and so something worth enduring. Because after iron sharpens iron, they become even sharper. We understand this. So the author of this proverb says “so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend”.

Amongst friends, we will come into situations of conflict. If we are willing to learn, this conflict will lead both parties to develop a deeper understanding. Each will receive edification from the conflict and the friendship becomes more robust. But if both parties refuse to learn, this conflict will cause the skin of their faith to be thinner and be destroyed (lol?). That’s why we see good friends fall out after a conflict.

We need people to point out our mistake and direct us. We need to have a heart like David and Moses to accept people pointing out our mistake.

The beancurd also says, “I am one of the most adaptable.”

If you make bean curd too hard, you sell tau kwa. If you make it too soft, you sell tau hwey. If you make it even softer, you sell 豆花水tau hwey drink. If you don’t manage to sell it, you get 臭豆腐 smelly tofu LOL

We need to be adaptable like the bean curd. Nowadays people are even more volatile. A person can be different in the day and night. In the day, a proper worker. In the night, how he indulges! “I just don’t understand this person!” some people remark.

When we are faced with many of these challenges, we must be adaptable. If the mountain doesn’t turn, the road turns. If the road doesn’t turn, people turn. If people don’t turn, hearts turn.

Which river just follows from the origin to the sea in a straight line? All rivers meanders and twists until it reaches the sea. Because there’re many obstructions along the way. So the water needs to finds its ways around the corners. Only then can the water reach the sea.

The path of our lives is like this. We must have courage to forge forward. But even more so we must have the wisdom to make a turn.

Furthermore we cannot anyhow turn. We must turn in a reasonable way. Never turn until we go outside the boundaries of the truth.

Jesus said, “I have sent you as sheep amongst wolves. Be crafty as serpents.”

The Lord Jesus didn’t say oh because you’re like sheep amongst wolves, He’d send an angel to protect each of us. Instead He tells us to be nimble as serpents. This doesn’t mean to do wrong. Being crafty doesn’t mean to do wrong.

Learn from the bean curd. Be adaptable and nimble. If the path doesn’t turn, man turns. If the man cannot turn, turn your heart.

How do you turn your heart?
A saying goes like this:
2 convicts looked out the window. One looked at the mud on the ground. One looked at the moon in the sky. Both were stuck in the small cell and can’t turn their bodies. But based on what they look at, we know who feels better in their hearts. You can look at the dark ground. Or lift your eyes to the heavens.

If we can’t see the light and look right and left and still don’t know where to go, why not look up to the heavens?