Bishan church

I believe in God, not Luck.

February 1st, 2005

Chinese New Year like many Chinese things is full of symbols of luck, prosperity, abundance and success. We have the symbol of fish which is a homonym of abundance. The number eight sounds like luck. Number four should be avoided because it rings the death knell. Strangely, Luck and Misfortune understand Cantonese (I’m glad I am a Hainanese!)

Fate (ming yun) is part of Chinese belief. The fatalistic Chinese hope in superstitions to shield them from bad luck. Fate is the unknown power which controls your destiny that cannot be changed. Usually the word “fated” is associated with misfortune. Your destiny according to the Chinese is written in the time of birth( the hour, the day, the year ), space (fengshui), your name and the number of strokes in the chinese characters and the mystical Iching etc. When a Chinese says, “Aiyah! You are so lucky to have a well behaved son” or ” It is fated that I get this job”, she may be resigned to her lot in life which she believes is beyond control and redemption.

I do not believe in luck. I avoid using the word luck as far as I can. It is a pagan word which I discourage usage and refuse to be associated with. I believe in statistical chance of random occurence but “all things will work out well for those you love the Lord”. The vicissitudes of life are part and parcel of a sinful world but our Lord Jesus has overcome. I believe in Jehovah Jireh. Anything that is bad from pagan’s point of view, will be made good because I have the assurance of spiritual blessings , a conviction of eternal things not seen. Only the hopeless hangs on to the goddess Lady Luck.

In the 24Feb 1996 Saturday newspaper issue of Life!, there was an article on raw fish. Yusheng i.e. raw fish, and the practice of lohei is an invention of 4 Singaporean chefs in 1963. In a short period of time, this dish has become a superstition among businessmen. I will not be surprise if some foolish Christians are drawn into this pagan practice. These Christians may hide their belief by saying ” I eat only for fun “. One way of knowing whether you are truthful is to avoid lohei altogether. If you squirm with discomfort, ask yourself why? Is it because you are afraid your luck will run dry this new year? You may deceive me but be honest with yourself. Lohei means tossing luck. Any Christian who wishes to dabble with pagan practice deceitfully, beware! It is no joke and no small matter. By your inclination, you are unwittingly saying that the Lord is unable to provide. Your providence comes from another powerful Force. It is then impossible for you to please God. (Heb 11:6.) You have lost connection with the Head (Col. 2:19)

As a mad man who casteth firebrands,arrows and death, so is the man who deceiveth his neighbour and saith, “Am not I in sport?” (NIV -I was only joking) Prov.26:18-19 KJV

Foolish thinking(folly) which undermines your faith in God is a sin (Read Mark7:18-23 esp. v22). It is a sin because your mind has highly exalted a thinking, a reasoning, an argument, an imagination or a pretension against the knowledge of God. You have not tamed your thoughts instead are enslaved by a pagan stronghold. Read 2Cor.10:5. Be warned!

By James HF Lim

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