Think

Well-versed in which chapter

For each of us, the foundation is laid and the cornerstone has been our Lord Jesus Christ. Take heed how we build thereupon.

It is that season of the year again! As we come to the close of yet another 12 months, is it time to sigh and sigh deeply? And was that tremor a mere tinge of regret or a seismic sense of outrage?

Let’s see if this can set you off somehow. Recall the two Steves (Jobs and Wozniak) who were the founders of the sensational Apple organisation, incorporated on April Fool’s Day in 1976 in Cupertino, California.
According to James Desborough, writing in MailOnline (10 Aug 2013), there was a third partner – Ron Wayne. He sold his shares for US$800 (S$1,018) in 1976 after only 11 days. Two other sources claimed that the amount was US$1,700 (S$2,163) or US$2,300 (S$2,927).

But wait for this: if Wayne had not sold his shares, they would be worth US$35 billion (S$44.5 billion) today! Wayne left the company because he found Jobs difficult to work with. Despite being labelled “the unluckiest man in the world”, Wayne claimed he had no regrets for his decision and went his merry way into other forays.

What bad luck, one could exclaim, for Wayne to cash out so early. If only he knew. His act seems like a modern twist of Esau selling off his inheritance for a bowl of red lentil stew (Genesis 25). Who could have known, in those early heady days of inventions and innovations, how wildly successful Apple would become?

How different has it been for us? Have we also cashed out too early and missed out on being commended as good and faithful servants (Matthew 25:21) who complete the race with joy?

Having secured our salvation, do we then proceed to spin off on our own orbit and succeed in things that do not matter?

For each of us, the foundation is laid and the cornerstone has been our Lord Jesus Christ. Take heed how we build thereupon (1 Corinthians 3) – gold, silver, precious stones; wood, hay or stubble. The final verdict will all come to light, revealed and tested by fire. What is the desired outcome?
Constructions of worth and value that span eternity. They last forever.

Here’s help – “work it backwards and pay it forward”. As both spiritual and intelligent beings, we can deduce the eventuality of the future and work towards it. After Spring is Summer, then Autumn and Winter. Re-stating it broadly: What decision would you like to make and implement today, so that 20 years down the vista of time, as you look back at 2014, you are able to say “That was the best thing I ever did”?

Possibly, James Hudson Taylor’s personal experience may encourage all of us. The English medical missionary and founder of China Inland Mission once shared: “I used to ask God to help me. Then I asked if I might help Him. I ended up by asking Him to do His work through me.” Together.

So, you win in the end. It’s another year well lived.

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Dr Andrew Goh is the Honorary Editor of Impact Magazine, Singapore’s only trans-denominational magazine. He is one of the founding elders of RiverLife Church and chairs its Elders’ Board.

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