JOURNEY OUTSIDE THE CAMP

Stay hungry. Stay foolish. No thanks.

People around the world are sad at the passing of Steve Jobs. I am among their ranks. As I watched my Twitter stream this morning, it was impossible to read the tweets that were literally flowing by in an endless stream. Such is the influence of the man and the degree of love people have for him and for Apple. Even I'm typing this on a Mac. I have a great respect for his genius and truly appreciate the products that he has created.

Many friends are sharing snippets and the video clip of Jobs's 2005 commencement address at Stanford. My Facebook newsfeed is littered with various cries of "Stay hungry. Stay foolish", and "Death is the destination we all share". I'm familiar with his commencement address. My heart ached when I first read it. It aches all the more today.

It's an inspiring speech until you get down to the final portion. For me, a follower of Christ, it begins to unravel at that point. First let me quote and then let me explain. Steve said:

"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

It is true that death is the destination we all share. We die because all of creation is under the curse of sin (Romans 5:12). It started at the fall and will continue to be this way until Jesus comes again to end death completely. Jobs says that no one has ever escaped death. Well, Jesus did something better than escape death. He conquered it. He utterly destroyed its power (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). The power that death has over us is fear. Jesus promises that when we put our trust in him, death will not be the end. Instead, death is the doorway that will lead us into his presence. So believers need not fear death. In fact, death is welcomed because it leads us straight to Christ, who is preparing a place for us in Heaven (John 14:2).

Death is also not an invention of life. Death is a result of man's rebellion against God. (See Genesis 3). Death is not a process for the earth to renew itself or for the earth to get rid of the old and usher in the new. Death is a consequence of sin. And again, Jesus dealt with death once for all, by his own death on the cross. His death was in payment for the death we deserve, for the sins we have committed. His death means we won't stay dead. People who trust Jesus will pass on into an eternity where there will be no more sickness, disease, strife, tears or pain (Romans 5:6-11).

Now, about dogma. Yes, there is bad dogma. But there is also truth and doctrine. As humans, we tend to live for ourselves and in the process, act selfishly and hurt others. The Bible says the truth will set us free (John 8:32). There is such a thing as absolute truth and knowing the truth is knowing what we were made for. Knowing the truth is discovering our purpose in life and that purpose is to love God and enjoy him forever (Psalm 73:25-26). Following our heart and intuition will only lead to sorrow, pain and alienation (Genesis 8:21; Ecclesiastes 9:3). Following Jesus leads to freedom, happiness and a joy that is everlasting. (e.g., Psalm 86:12-23; Psalm 35:27).

Then there is Steve's quote of the Whole Earth Catalog: "Stay hungry. Stay foolish." Why would anyone want that when instead we can say, "Eat the Bread of Life. Enjoy God's wisdom." Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:35). He satisfies us completely. Christ is also the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). Knowing Christ is understanding the world and understanding ourselves. The "stay hungry" path leads us to be dissatisfied with life and always seeking something better. Jesus says he is the ultimate treasure and in him there is fulfilment, rest, peace and joy. So yes, I do want to live someone else's life. I want the life that Jesus led. I want to be transformed into his image (2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 John 3:2). The Treasure of the universe is far better than any apple on the earth.

Being part of the Global Day of Prayer

It was quite an experience to be at the Global Day of Prayer in Singapore. There were two adult sessions and I was at the second one. I'm not sure how many of God's people were gathered but a ballpark estimate would be 5,000. It was amazing to be with so many believers praying together. We started by praying for ourselves, then for our churches, then for the country, then finally for the nations. God's Spirit was definitely moving among the people as I could sense the Holy Spirit helping me to worship God.

I was touched also by Rev Wee Boon Hup's account of how as a boy, he had witnessed the previous generation pray for God to raise up a generation for himself in Singapore. And tonight, looking at the mass of people, he noted that their prayers were answered. It was now our turn to pray for God to continue to expand his kingdom unto the next generation. And to that end, it was exciting to hear that this year, there was a Youth session for GDOP. And there were also two children's session as well.

It was a foretaste of what it will be like to honour and worship God together as a united body of Christ. Amazing.

Global Day of Prayer 2009

31 May is Pentecost Sunday and millions of Christians around the world will join together to pray at the Global Day of Prayer (GDOP). Some information from this year's GDOP prayer guide:

At the turn of the millennium, believers in South Africa sensed God calling them to seek Him in repentance and prayer and to call people across their country to assemble in united prayer for their cities and nations. Soon gatherings like it—all meeting on the same day of the year—multiplied across Africa, and in the years that followed, all over the world. The result was the first Global Day of Prayer on Pentecost Sunday in 2005.

Last year, Christians from 214 nations gathered to pray for the world. Our family is eager to join in the Singapore GDOP event this Sunday and see how God will transform the world. Check to see what's happening in your corner of the globe.

The world has hated me before it hated you

These past few weeks, I have seen and read the most awful comments hurled at Christians. There were many Christians who expressed shock and surprise at the vicious words levelled against those who strive to follow Christ. Even I got a little distressed by all the vitriol in the press and online.

But the Holy Spirit reminded me that as followers of Christ, we are not to be loved by the world. In fact, if the world were friends with me, it would mean I was not a friend of Christ. For in John 15:18-20, Christ himself said:

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you."

It's a humbling reminder not to slide into a state of somnolence and become one with the world in terms of values and aspirations. Christ rescued us from the world, which is under Satan's control. We are to live in the world but we are not to be part of it. These past few weeks have been a stark reminder of the battle we are in. We must not expect to be loved by the world and we must be ready to be persecuted.

Pilgrim's Progress - the movie

Imagine my surprise when i stumbled upon the official web site of a new movie based on John's Bunyan classic, "Pilgrim's Progress". According to the web site, it's about to be released on DVD on 25 May. I wonder how good it will be. I've just spent the last few months reading a children's version called "Little Pilgrim's Progress" by Helen Taylor to my kids and they loved it and learnt a lot about their walk with God from it. So if the movie turns out to be well-made and faithful to the story, I'll want to get my kids to see it.