Dedicated to all the faithful beloved brethren who have gone before us.
In the last days, increasingly, believers would encounter, in varying degrees, sufferings, persecutions, injustice, ill-health, untimely accidents, premature death, emotional illness and disappointment in seeing Christian inconsistencies and moral failures.
In the light of all these, we tend to lose heart and wonder where God is and whether our faith is practical and relevant. It is heartbreaking to see some fellow believers in such situations giving up their faith and ending up cynical and disillusioned.
The scriptures have much to tell us why we need not lose heart in such circumstances in the last days. In fact, we can be courageous as we press on and we can indeed realise meaning and victory in the midst of pain and sufferings.
As we examine what the scriptures reveal, we can certainly appreciate the richness of what we have in Christ here and now and also what we can look forward to when we finally see Him face to face.
Quek Koh Choon
January 2010