Friday, December 29, 2006

The Still Small Voice Always Triumphs!

I left work early and proceeded to the heart of Shenton Way to enquire about some banking matters. It was an educational time as I visited about 5 different banks to find out about a particular service which I thought they are offering but it was not to be.

Then I headed for Plaza Singapura to buy some things and also to get my lunch. I was on my way to church when I decided to consolidate all the receipts of my purchases. As I was running through every single one of them, I noticed a discrepancy on one receipt.

The price of the product, I remembered clearly, was s$13.90, but on the NETS receipt it printed only S$3.90. When I noticed the mistake, the train was just one stop away from where I was supposed to alight.

Then the battle of the mind began - one side screamed for me to proceed on with my journey and head for church but the other side gently told me to do the right thing by alighting the train, take the next one on the opposite line and head back to the shop. I was hungry at the time of my struggle - I guess the side that was screaming at me was my rumbling stomach. Haha.

I knew I needed to do the right thing and it was off to Plaza Singapura again.

The side that wanted me to ignore the matter was still making a lot of noises - "Why so stupid to head back to where you came from?" "S$10 is not much but still can buy three packets of chicken rice!" "It is going to rain - why so stupid to get caught in it and be all wet?!"

Trust me, those noises were really loud but I ignored them and proceeded on to the shop. I reported the discrepancy to the salesperson who attended to me and she was surprised by the mistake made. She thanked me for my honesty and because of that I got a 10% discount for the item I bought. Haha. S$1.39 off the actual price.

Then the noises came back again - "Go all the way back to the shop to report the mistake and in the end got only 10% discount?! Stupid!" "Now you have to spend an extra S$1.30 for the train ride back to where you were supposed to go. S$1.39 (for the discount received) minus S$1.30 equals S$0.09! What's the point?! What can S$0.09 buy? Not even a piece of chicken! At least S$10 can buy three packets of chicken rice!"

It sounded too much of an inconvenience to do what I did but when I gave thanks to God for giving me the courage to do what is pleasing in His sight, the noises just left except for those in my tummy. Haha.

Though it was S$10, I knew I could not just pretend nothing happened because the God whom I am worshipping is omnipresent (everywhere) and if I had chosen to ignore the matter, next time when I see Him again, the issue would still be brought to my attention and I have to account to Him then.

Well, it felt good after that. When I arrived at the church office, I happily opened my Subway sandwich and had a great time chomping it!

Thanks be to God for His still small voice. That gentle tone of His still triumphs over the loud noises of the evil one and the flesh! Hallelujah! God 1 - Devil 0!

"Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." Joshua 1:7-8

"All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart. To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice." Proverbs 21:2-3

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