A story was told of a candle maker who made coloured candles for a living. One day there was a black out, and the whole house was dark. The candle maker said to his wife, "Fear not, I'll get a candle from the back and light it up." So he went to the back and opened the drawer. As he reached for the first candle, it said, "No! Do not light me now, I'm meditating on what it means to be a candle so that I can shine brightly later on." The candle maker then reached for the second candle, and it said, "No! Do not light me now, my gift is in singing, not in burning." And it started to sing, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine...". The candle maker then reached for the third candle, and it said,"I am ready, for my gift is burning brightly for you." (Sorry Alvin I made a few changes)

I think it is very obvious what this story is driving at, and also obvious what the question is going to be. Which candle will we be?

Today during church, I felt something was wrong. Maybe it was because I was just tired. But I don't think so. During the worship, I felt something was wrong, in my heart. Then I looked around me, and I saw people lifting their hands to worship, I saw people with hands together. I saw that almost everyone was looking at the screen. I felt something in my heart, but I did not know what it was. And of course, I could not worship properly after that. I could not help but just look at the kind of worship state that the people in the hall were in. Then Daniel Foo came up to speak, and I remember one of the first few things he said really hit a raw nerve. I cannot remember what was it exactly that he said. But the sermon was about Achan's sin. He highlighted three main points about sin. Sin hurts. Sin affects others. We cannot hide from sin.

Then he also mentioned that there are consequences for our sins. And this week at YFC, we were also talking about sin, and I asked the question, we all know that we will face judgement for our sins, whether its "the hidden things of darkness" (1Cor4:5) or "the counsels of the heart" (1Cor4:5). But the thing is, we are aware of these sins, and therefore we made it hidden things, or counsels, but what if we are not aware of something that we did. What if we did something, or said something, and we thought that it was right, but in reality it is wrong? Because if that happens, then we won't know it's a sin, and so we won't make it a point to repent from it, because we think it is right. Then I thought again, and I realise that we sin everyday. There is not a day that goes by, where we never sin, for even if we think we did not sin that day, that very thought is a sin. So you see what I'm saying here? We are in a very dangerous situation.

But today, Daniel Foo was talking, I could not help but think about all the sins I've committed in the past. Or at least of all the things I know are sins, that I've committed in the past. And doubt started to fill my mind. I felt a sense of guilt as I left the church, well maybe not guilt, just not peace. Then as I was out with Alvin, Es, and dre, I started to think, this is a very comfortable life I lead. Then when we were going home, I noticed the conversations that took place in the car. Slowly changed as one by one we left the car, till it was just Alvin and I who were in the car. We started to talk about the sermon, and what we felt, and learnt. About 3 hours out for lunch, and we only talked about the sermon and what we learnt in the last 10 minutes before I reached home.

Is your heart still cold? Is it not yet stirred? Has the evil one gone into your heart, and taken the word away (Luke 8:12), that you now feel indifferent when you hear a message?