Providentially Guided

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Note: the below is the text I have written as part of my assignment in my New Testament Foundation class. It was a spiritual exercise that made me reflect on how God had providentially guided me in my life so far.

The first incident happened after I received Christ into my life during my first year in NUS. Throughout the four years in NUS, I was able to build my foundation in Christ, made possible due to God’s providence in the areas of finance and academic results. With regard to finance, I was able to obtain a study loan from NUS in my second year which fully covered my study loan and provided me with an annual loan allowance. With regard to academic results, God blessed me with good cumulative average points every semester. Thus by my second year in NUS, I was financially secured enough and academically stable enough to fully commit my time to serve the brothers and sisters in the University Ministry without the need to worry about these areas of my life, thus allowing me the capacity to lead a life group and mentor the men in the ministry.

The second incident happened at the time when God spoke to me in May 2012 to pursue further studies with AGBC. Since I graduated from NUS in 2009, I have been struggling if I should pursue further studies in theology. God paved the way and it was the right time in 2012 to apply. I was to pay off my tuition fee loan with the bank by the end of 2012, which will leave me with the additional financial resources to pay for my school fees in AGBC. Along the way, my parents also told me that they were prepared and willing to let me pursue a theological education even when they were not believers. Moreover, I was blessed to be working in an organisation with good work-life balance and understanding supervisor. These providentially allowed me to have the time and resources to pursue a part-time education in AGBC.

The third incident occurred when I was roped in to coordinate the international community programmes for my church. At the time when I was called, my church was looking for someone who had proven himself to be faithful. However, I was able to make meaningful contributions in this role due to a few reasons. Firstly, I had experience in helping out with disaster relief in the tsunami-affected areas in Japan which I was able to witness how churches were able to make inroads in preaching the gospel in a land which was traditionally resistant to the message of Jesus. Secondly, in 2011, I made two exploration trips to Batam, one of the new areas which my church was planning to enter, to explore the possibility of planting a church there. The knowledge that I have gotten from the trips was to prove useful in supporting the community efforts in Batam.

Looking back at these experiences, it appears that God is equipping me with the knowledge and skills through these experience to minister and reach out to underprivileged people internationally. The first two incidents can be seen as God preparing me for the calling ahead and the last incident as the practical training that allows me to get my hands dirty. Moreover, over the past two years, God has opened my eyes to the needs in developed and developing countries through the series of trips to Japan and Batam. Lastly, God has long convicted me to live out the Great Commission in my life and it has been my burden to be able to go and make disciples in other nations of the world.

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