When I was six years old, my father was teaching me not to smoke cigarette. The only problem was that he was smoking one at that very moment. As an obnoxious kid, I asked him why he can smoke? He gave some silly excuses that the toilets were very smelly during his younger days. I did not listen to him teaching me as I did not believe in a person who was smoking at the moment and telling me not to do so. Of course, I did not pick up that bad habit as I was intelligent enough to understand the bad effects from my own readings. I took personal responsibility for my own health. To be fair, my father, who I loved dearly, had many good qualities that I had benefitted and learned from. Smoking, however, was not one of them.

Fast forward to recent years. I exercise to keep myself healthy and fit. Why? Because I cannot bring myself to tell my church members to keep healthy and fit if I am not doing so myself. Having a big fat midsection and telling them to take care of the body, the temple of God, is a very bad example and as ridiculous as my father teaching me not to smoke while smoking many years ago. I cannot bring myself to give ridiculous reasons. I have to talk the walk and walk the talk.

This living right has to continue till the end of our lives. We cannot live on the history of doing good. What happened yesterday is gone, today is a new day. It is for us to continue to live well. I used to read the bible conscientiously but I got lazy and stopped does not really cut it as a good example to learn from. We need to persevere. Past glory cannot be used to teach others. Only what you do now can be a testimony. And this testimony is good only as long as you continue to live well.

Christians must really learn to live the life worthy of the gospel. A life that is characterized by the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We may once be lost but now must live like one that is found by God. Do not give excuse to ourselves. What’s gone is history, today we live to create the future, a future with God as Lord and King.

God bless,
In Christ’s service,

Barry Leong

在我六岁的时候，我的父亲就教导我不要抽烟。唯一的问题是在那一刻他正叼着一根烟。身为一个令人厌烦的小孩，我问他为什么他可以抽烟？他提出一个愚蠢的理由说，在他小时候厕所是非常臭的。我没有听从他的教导，因为我不相信一个当时正在抽烟的人竟然能够教导我不可如此行。当然，我没有染上那个坏习惯，因为我足以聪明的从个人阅读中去明白它的不良后果。我为我自己的健康负责。公平的说，我的父亲，是我心深爱的，有许多好品德是我受益良多并可以学习的。只是抽烟，并不在其内。

快速来到这几年，我常常运动以维持自己的健康及强壮。为什么呢？因为我不能允许自己在告诉我的会友要保持健康和强壮的同时，自己却没有作到。有一个肥大的肚腹却告诉他们要照顾身体，上帝的圣殿，这是非常不好的榜样，这就如多年前我的父亲在他抽烟的同时告诉我不可以抽烟一样的荒谬。我不能允许自己找荒谬的理由。我必须言我所行，行我所言。

正确的生活必须持续到我们生命的终点。我们不能活在光荣的历史中。昨日种种已经消失，今天是新的一天。我们需要继续活得好。我曾经切切实实的查阅圣经，但之后就懒散并停止，这绝不能成为学习的榜样。我们必须坚持。过去的荣耀不能用来教导别人。只有你目前所作的才能成为见证。唯有当你继续活得好，这见证才能是美好的。

基督徒一定要学习活出与福音相称的生命，一个能印证圣灵果子的生命。我们可能曾经迷失，但是现在一定要活出被上帝寻回的生命。不要为自己找藉口。过去的已经成为历史，今天我们活着是要创造未来，是以上帝为主为王的未来。

上帝赐福，
主里同工的，

Barry Leong