Ministers Letter

We are sorry that Rev Ann Hall is unwell at the moment and send her our best wishes for a speedy recovery. We are grateful to Rev Kim Goh for writing the monthly letter.

Dear Friends,

  Jesus said, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in His love.” John 15:10

Well, as I am writing this message on the first day of Chinese New Year I wonder what has the New Year got in store for us? I imagine that most of us ask that question differently in one way or another. So much can happen in 12 months and in any one year there will be a mixture of the expected and the unexpected. Some of the things that happen will be ‘life-changing.’ In the light of the fact that we will not always know what is going to happen, what should our aim be as we begin the New Year? The answer is to be ‘obedient.’

‘Obedient’ is a word that we tend to use mainly about children and dogs, who we say both need to be obedient. Being obedient is seen as being well-behaved. However, we rarely seem to suggest that adults also need to be obedient, and that is presumably because we associate obedience with “doing what we are told.” Adults don’t like being told what to do.

Being a Christian is often seen as being about our behaviour, but this is not the case. Obedience to God is not “doing what we are told.” It is about doing the will of God – doing his “good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12v2) God doesn’t tell us what to do. He simply invites us to go his way, to be obedient to his call on our lives. It is a very loving approach.

Jesus was obedient to His Father. He was “obedient even unto death.” At every moment He was seeking to do the will of His Father in heaven – He was being obedient. As He did so He remained in the love of the Father.

He tells us to do the same. We are to “obey His commands” which is not about our behaviour, but about receiving His loving guidance and direction.

So, as we begin this New Year 2012 – facing both the expected and unexpected, we need to aim to be obedient to God and to go His way wherever that might lead us.

Shalom,

Kim