A Testimony of Repentance (Part One)
Matthew 19:19 "Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
Backtrack to 2016, it was a year that I will never forget for the rest of my life. In the early part of the year, it was when we as a family, decided to move to Australia for good. That was in the month of February. This was in spite of my wife's plea not to do so.
In the month of March 2016, it so happened that a strife arose in the family of my wife resulting in her parents being made homeless. At that point, it saddened me very much, but I had hardened my heart in not doing anything about it. I did what I did because I believed in the reasons for doing what I did. Thereafter, believe me beloved brothers and sisters, everything that I touched was like it catches on fire and turned into ashes. I was in great agony.
My family too, suffered with me. I tried to open my King James Bible and read God's word but God would not speak to me from his word. I kind of knew at that point what was going on. I knelt before my King James Bible and confessed my faults, with tears and in sorrow, because I have sinned against God. I did that every morning and practically throughout the whole day. I could not eat, I had no appetite, because of the sorrow knowing that I had sinned against God.
Then one day, as I was reading from my King James Bible, I was led to Matthew 19, the story about the rich young ruler. While I was reading it, I stopped at verse 19, and it was just like a sword that pierced in, through to the depth of my heart, straight into my soul. I cried out to God and asked him to forgive me of my sin... It was very painful.
Needless to say, we decided that we should move back to Singapore, to do what is needful. It so happened that not too long ago, when I shared this testimony with a brother, the Holy Ghost once again led me to check out on the phrases: “father and mother” and “thy father and thy mother”.
“father and mother” - found 11 times in the KJV.
“thy father and thy mother” - found 8 times in the KJV.
Do the math: 11 + 8 = 19.
Matthew 19:19 "Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
[Note: “I have sinned” 19x in the KJV]
This was the verse that convicted me, that caused me to repent and do what is right in the sight of the LORD. While I called myself a Christian, and had professed in the faith of the LORD Jesus Christ - my actions did not measure up to what I professed to believe in. After I left my job, I hardened my heart and left Singapore for Australia. We thought we were in a better place and we could be happier here. Never did we imagine the months ahead would be the exact opposite of what we wanted things to happen.
It was as if everything that we touch caught fire and got burned down to the ground. Life wasn't like that when we were in Singapore. It was as if God has removed his blessing and protection from us. Life was miserable in Australia. I couldn't get a proper job, and my children were constantly falling sick. I made an initial payment for a courier business, but later realized it was a scam. We also made an initial payment for a new house, and the installments were kicking in, but that was also when my wife's company announced that they could no longer keep her in her current position except she move back to Singapore.
We were reduced to a piece of bread, and that was when I began to sought the LORD in tears and in sorrows. I knelt before my King James Bible every day in the morning, crying out to God and asking the LORD to show us a way out. It was then, when God inspired me to this verse Matthew 19:19 "Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." The context of this verse is about a rich young ruler who claimed he has kept all of God's commandments, and in pride, asking Jesus how he can have eternal life. I was that rich young ruler.
Back in Singapore, I had everything, and I claimed to serve God, and I thought I knew much about the Bible… God used this experience to humble me. He chastised me with the rod of men, and with stripes of the children of men, and later on he led me to his word, to that which is “thus saith the LORD”, and caused me to repent.
Romans 2:3-4 "And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? 4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?"
It was the chastisement of God that brought me to my knees. It was the goodness of God that led me to repentance. It was the word of God that brought us back to Singapore, to do that which is right in the sight of the LORD. All praise, honour and glory to the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost. Amen.