:: Updates ::

Today Hannah had her first taste of watermelon. Before this, she only saw watermelons in books and at the supermarket. Today she saw a watermelon that was sliced and she sunk her teeth into it. As you can see, she loved it.

Tomorrow is my first day as homemaker at home. David kindly reminded me that at long last my ambition has been fulfilled! That is true...I used to tell my friends that my ambition was to be a housewife, to stay home to care for my family. I am privileged in the sense that I'm still staying with my parents-in-law and we have a helper at home to help with the chores and the meals. I cannot imagine doing everything on my own yet, as much as I am eager to have my own home in the near future.

I am truly excited to work with the time God has blessed me with. There is so much to do. I need to spend some time setting up a proper routine. I would also like to be accountable with my time and not squander it away just because I am no longer working outside the home.

For now I am just thankful I do not have to wake at 6am every morning to get to school on time. I do not have to say goodbye to my sleeping daughter, or send her to my mom's in the morning. I do not have to (and should not) grumble about not having enough rest because of trying hard to juggle between family and work. I realise not every working mother can take such a step as easily as me. I see my colleagues struggle and they envy my decision. So I must be thankful that God has and will always provide for our family as we honour Him.

:: Search the Scriptures - Love that covers sin ::

I have often been confused by the fact that the Bible tells us that love covers all sins (Proverbs 10:12). Does that mean that when I see a friend, or even my daughter sinning and doing what is wrong in God’s sight, I just cover and bury it somewhere? Then would correction and instruction in righteousness would be unnecessary? Where does rebuke and reproof come in then? These are the questions that I hope to answer through searching the Scriptures.

1. What kind of love covers sins?

The love that covers sins is an agape love, a biblical love. It is exemplified by our loving God who sent His son to earth to die for our sins (John 3:16 “For God so loved the world…”) It is not a phileo brotherly love, not the eros love between husband and wife.

2. What does the word ‘cover’ mean and where is it used in the Bible?

I did a search on the word ‘cover’ (both in Hebrew and Greek) and this is what I found. Of course, I did not list the verses where the Bible uses the word literally. When we look at the word ‘cover’ in this context, we mean it metaphorically (see the importance of Literature here?). I only listed those related to covering sin. Here’s what I got:

Old Testament

[hok kacah kaw-saw']
a primitive root; properly, to plump, i.e. fill up hollows; by implication, to cover (for clothing or secrecy):--clad self, close, clothe, conceal, cover (self), (flee to) hide, overwhelm.

• Proverbs 10:12 “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.”

• Proverbs 17:9 “He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends.”

• Psalm 32:1-2
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.”

• Proverbs 28:13
“He who covers his sins will not prosper,
But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”

New Testament

[kaluptw kalupto kal-oop'-to]
to cover up (literally or figuratively):--cover, hide.

• James 5:19-20 “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”

• 1 Peter 4:8 “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

3. So when should Christians cover sins?

Having read all those Bible verses in which God tells us that agape love covers sins, one can conclude that the love that covers sins is not a love that ignores, condones or sweeps things under the carpet. Surely the Bible has more to say about this issue. And it is found in all the other verses with the same root word that is used. This gives us a clearer picture indeed.

The love that covers sins is a love that:
a) turns a Christian brother back to the truth (James 5:19-20)
b) wants a Christian brother to confess his sins and seek God’s forgiveness (James 5:19-20, Proverbs 28:13)

Showing biblical love may not always be a pleasant task to a Christian. It isn’t pleasant when one’s sin is confronted. It isn’t pleasant to rebuke, or reproof (parents can understand that) and point out truth in God’s Word. Agape love rejoices in the truth. Corinthians 13:6 says that this agape love “does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth”. I foresee that this may sometimes put relationships at stake.

Proverbs 27:6
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”

Conclusion

Love and truth always go together, and when they do, we as Christians can indeed cover a multitude of sins. When we understand what it means to cover a multitude of sins, we can go forth with a right view of God (that He is indeed just but merciful). He never contradicts Himself in these matters. It is only when we see our loving, just and merciful God and how He deals with us, chastising us, seeking repentance, and then forgiving us when we sin, then our relationships with others can be pleasing to the Lord.

***

In my next study, I will be looking at other references to love in the Bible, mainly 1 John, 2 John and 3 John, as well as 1 Corinthians 13. It is so exciting to be able to do this. I pray God will continue to teach me and help me to change in where I have viewed His Word errantly.

Philippians 1:9-11
"9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

:: Search the Scriptures – An Introduction ::

I was rather disappointed a few days ago when I realized that I was not able to use a Bible Study tool, Sword Searcher, on my macbook. After doing some search, I was able to download a trial version of some application that would be able to run Windows applications on my mac. The good news was also that my brother had a free downloaded version he kept quite awhile ago. And so now, I am glad to say that I am able to use my Sword Searcher on my mac!

I am thankful for my husband who spurs me on in searching the Scriptures. God has used him greatly in my life to prod me on in my walk with God. Being the geek (all RI boys are I think) that he usually is, he takes time to dig deep into God’s Word, meditate on these things and explains them to me as he sees them in Scripture. I am sometimes amazed at the number of times a thought or truth goes through his mind. He does not merely cut and paste from commentaries or books that he has read. It goes through his mind as the Holy Spirit illuminates these truths in his heart. These truths are processed and said after much study and prayer. If not for his example to me, I would just be one who would take things as they are presented to me. I realized after awhile it isn’t a discerning thing to do and I am not handling God’s Word reverently and responsibly if I merely listen to what others say about God’s Word instead of studying it for myself.

In Acts 17, Paul and Silas were ministered to the Bereans:

Acts 17:10-11
“Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so."

The Berean Christians did 2 things with God’s Word:

1. They received the Word

When they received the Word, they did not listen passively. They listened attentively and respectfully to the Word of God being preached. In Romans 10:17, it says “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

2. They searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so

I am encouraged to know that there were Christians who studied God’s Word daily. When they searched the Scriptures, according to Strong’s Links of the Greek definition, it means this:

properly, to scrutinize, i.e. (by implication) investigate, interrogate, determine:--ask, question, discern, examine, judge, search.

Before I continue, I also want to add that I believe God’s Word has answers for ALL of life. Why? Because God has clearly said so in His Word:

2 Peter 1:2-4
“2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

Do I really believe that God has already given us all the answers we need to life and how to live a godly life? If so, then I must rest on this promise that He has, and I must search the Scriptures to find out these things. I need to scrutinize the Bible, to question (not doubtingly or pridefully but humbly seeking answers), to examine verses, to keep them in the context as presented in the Bible, and so on.

And so, as I end my teaching career, I am very thankful for the opportunity to be a homemaker as mentioned in Titus 2. To do this well, I need to be living God’s Word. My highest priority is not my husband and daughter, but to know my God. Only then can I be the wife and mother that He wants me to be. I want to spend more time searching the Scriptures and finding answers to difficult questions that I have.

So I am excited to embark on this new (but not really new) journey. Join me!

:: School Memories (Part 2) - I Will Not Miss Marking ::

:: School Memories (Part 1) ::

It's my last day at school today. I'm feeling a mixture of emotions, conflicting ones. Relief, yet sadness. I shall attempt to record my school memories in the weeks ahead, before I tuck it at the back of my mind and move on to my 'new' vocation. There are so many memories that I have to do it one page at a time. This one is of my first English class. More of words than photos and design.

:: Photo of the Day - Teddy Blankie ::

Took a shot this morning before David dropped me off at school, then Hannah to my mom's. Thought it was nice.

:: Chinese New Year in a nutshell ::

Happy Chinese New Year Everyone!

CNY traditional costume
Originally uploaded by chiaochyi

Like my costume? I hope to get many angpaos this year, especially since I'm so cute I can charm many adults with my smiles!

Love, Hannah

:: Photo Booth ::

The macbook also has a photo booth that Hannah and I are very amused with. It is a fun feature to use.

:: My New Friend ::

I thought I'd like to introduce my new friend to you before I forget. She's nameless for now because I'm not very good at naming things, or people for that matter. It took David and me about 9 months to decide on a name for Hannah. In fact, we only confirmed her name (after some extended family 'conferences') a day before she was delivered.

Anyway, I consider this macbook a partial farewell gift from the Ministry of Education because I used my Learning Development Scheme (LDS) grant before I'm striked out from their payroll. I would never have considered a macbook because I basically dislike change of any kind. I took awhile to think about it and decided to give it a try because of all the reasons I use the computer anyway.

So far, I am liking the macbook very very much. The change isn't as great. Here's why I like my macbook:

• I especially like the font book. I used to be a font addict in my university days. I can name most of the fonts used in advertisements and such haha. The font book allows me to classify and organise my fonts. This makes it very easy to choose a font to suit the design I have in mind. I'm currently trying to do with less fonts so I don't clutter my mac.
• I am amazed at how quickly downloads take. In fact, I downloaded 12 sermons in a few minutes! Just a click of the button.
  
• I love the feel of the keys when I type.
• The trackpad is pretty cool. It can double-click, right-click and scroll...all in one flat rectangular thing
  
• I finally have an in-built webcam and can skype with my brother and sister-in-law in the States.

So all in all, it isn't that bad. It was a little frustrating to get around photoshop at first, but I'm getting the hang of it. I'm also looking out for avenues to use my creativity and love for design to serve the Lord. Somehow there doesn't seem to be much opportunity for the moment. I am keeping a lookout.

Let me know if you have any names in mind for my new friend. I called my benq 'QQ' previously, named after me :)

: Castle of Christ ::

I'm backdating my stuff and looking for scrapbooking potential in photos. This camp was a memorable one for me because it was born out of difficult times and the Lord saw us through. It was also a camp where I learnt the most from studying and teaching God's Word to the children. It's interesting that the truths that were taught to the children always bounces back to me as well. Such simple but sometimes profound truths that we need to live out everyday. I want to look back and remember all these lessons God has taught me, to live it out now.

God's glory is always the issue.

:: My Little Princess ::

It's been a long while since I did any kind of scrapbooking, and I was itching to create something. It is much easier to scrapbook when inspired by a good photo. This one was taken by my brother yesterday when we attended a wedding dinner.

:: Supress, Distract or Substitute? ::

Just read this off a parenting book and I thought it would be helpful to remember.

To supress is to deny the child a specific action. To distract is to attempt to redirect the child to a new activity. Substitution, in contrast, offers an equally desirable experience similar to the original one that caught your toddler's curiosity, but the place and timing will be under Mom's control.

I am still learning to strike a balance as Hannah learns to explore on her own two feet. She wants to go everywhere and touch everything. She usually responds when I tell her to come, but thinks Daddy is playing with her when he tells her to come. In fact, she intentionally veers off in another direction! For now, I am more preoccupied with catching her from her trips and falls. We've also set up our room such that she can almost roam freely. Of course, there are boundaries like the bathroom, Daddy and Mommy's bookshelf and the fan that she is not allowed to touch. I'm glad I'll have more time with her soon to see if I can substitute anything instead of just saying "no, no, no". I try not to say it so much because it seems to be showing in her vocabulary now. Well, that's another story...

Other than this quote being related to child training, I was also thinking that sometimes we adults are really grown up kids. I was thinking, doesn't that sound like us? And perhaps it is biblical as well, that we 'put off' our old conduct that is undesirable or wrong, and 'put on' (substitute) what is pleasing to the Lord. I think in biblical counselling this is done too. Take away a sinful word, thought or action and replace it with a godly response.

:: Count all things loss that I may gain Christ (Part 2) ::

I decided to put an excerpt of the chapter I was referring to in my previous post about Philippians 3.

from Knowing God
By J.I. Packer

Chapter 2 – The People who Know Their God

They (those who really know God) never brood on might-have-beens; they never think of the things they have missed, only of what they have gained. 'But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake for Christ,' wrote Paul. 'What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whosesake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ' (Phil 3:7-10). When Paul says he counts the things he lost rubbish, or dung (KJV), he means not merely that he does not think of them as having any value, but also that he does not live with them constantly in his mind: what normal person spends his time nostalgically dreaming of manure? Yet this, in effect, is what many of us do. It shows how little we have in the way of true knowledge of God.

:: I Won a Contest!!! ::

I can't contain my excitement, and I'm pleased to announce that I won a contest! It's the first ever in my life haha. Thanks to my mom and mum-in-law actually :)

Check it out here. 

:: tdeger tdeger tdeger ::

Hannah has been amusing me the past two days with her babbling. It goes like this "tdeger tdeger tdeger" without the aspiration (i mean the puffs of air that comes out of your mouth). She says it everywhere she goes!

:: Count all things loss that I may gain Christ ::

Philippians 3:7-11
"7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."

Looking back at the past year and into the new year, I've been thinking about all that I have to 'lose' in my life, be it my job, my priorities, my friends, my ministry, or what I hold in my heart so dear, that I may gain Christ. I read in J.I. Packer's Knowing God that when I count these things as rubbish, I don't look back and wince or pine for them. He further mentioned something that tickled me: No one would look at a pile of dung and long for it! But sometimes I do, and it's really so silly to do so.

I'm glad God is teaching me this important lesson through events that have unfolded in my life. Only He is able to purge my allegiance to what is unnecesary in God's kingdom. I only pray I will continue to allow Him to do so.

Only You, Lord
by Mac Lynch

What am I committed to? A man or worthy cause?
A godly institution, Lord, or brotherly applause?
I lay aside what might seem good for something that is best.
Commitment to the Saviour true - That's when I pass the test.

Only You, Lord, only You, no one else but only You.
Woo and win my selfish heart; may Your spirit draw each part.
Only You, Lord, only You.

Truth within the inward parts, Lord, honesty must reign.
I find myself attached to things that hint of wordly gain.
This one thing I search and seek and that I will pursue:
To love my God and God alone, to give Him what is due.

Only You, Lord, only You, no one else but only You.
Woo and win my selfish heart; may Your spirit draw each part.
Only You, Lord, only You.

:: Hannah and Lambey Series Completed ::






















It was actually completed just before her 1st birthday, but I didn't have time to put it up and forgot about it until now.

:: What 'time' is it now? ::

Ecclesiastes 3
Everything Has Its Time

1 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born, And a time to die;
A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill, And a time to heal;
A time to break down, And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to gain, And a time to lose;
A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
7 A time to tear, And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
8 A time to love, And a time to hate;
A time of war, And a time of peace.

The God-Given Task

9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? 10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

12 I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, 13 and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.
14 I know that whatever God does,
It shall be forever.
Nothing can be added to it,
And nothing taken from it.
God does it, that men should fear before Him.
15 That which is has already been,
And what is to be has already been;
And God requires an account of what is past.

:: All Smiles ::

Such a lovely photo of Hannah and her Po Po by my younger brother. It is indeed rare to get a full smile and her looking directly at the camera. Sometimes looking at Hannah now and how she's grown leaves me speechless. And whenever I look at her I am reminded that she is indeed a good and perfect gift from God.

If I have to 'give up' my passion for teaching in school and devote my time to training her to know and love God, then I must never turn back or feel bad about leaving a seemingly promising career. There are days when I step in and out of the classroom and feel so satisfied just teaching and being with my students. It is difficult to describe, but the feeling unsettles me and I wonder (again and again) if it's right to leave it all and stay at home. I know it is, because it is my God-given duty to do so. I cannot and will not look back.

Having said that, I miss Hannah quite abit as school begins again. 2-3 hours a day with her is simply not enough for instruction in righteousness. Thankfully it won't last long.