This is a regular monthly platforms for believers in the marketplace, and in particular, Christian Business Owners, to meet for the specific purposes of:
1. Worship;
2. Receiving a teaching to empower our lives and our business;
3. Sharing and praying with like-minded believers in business, especially those who have similar experiences in your industry; and
4. Networking with fellow Christians in business.
Yesterday the topic shared on was Divine Restoration: Rising from the Ashes of Failure
Speaker: Michael Song
I was very touched and was reminded indeed how good God is.
Mr Michael Song, Executive Director, V.Hive furniture, shared his personal journey and God’s amazing grace in his life.
He shared how he worked as a salesman selling luggage at High Street Capitol Cinema after his O levels. After his army days, he joined Electrolux as a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. It was a very humbling experience being constantly rejected and abused by customers, but he never gave up and learned to persevere and work hard to make a living. He did very well after joining GCE as a printing materials salesman. With his successes, Michael set up several businesses in the fashion boutique and lighting industry with some seed capital from his father, but only to fail and lose everything due to the 1987 financial crisis.With an unwavering and conquering spirit, Michael set up V.Hive with his brother Felix in 1989. Then, he was the only christian in his family.
V.Hive was blessed and doing well until a fire broke out in his Aljunied warehouse in Aug 1999.
( And he commented when that happened, in his heart he was thinking O lord how can you let this happen to me? I'm a believer who attends church regularly every Sunday and also obeys what you ask. Why O lord? And like every normal person, the anxiety of losing it all comfort such as housing, wealth etc was such a fearful thought. But God indeed works wonders. If you have faith and leave it in God's hand. God showed him to trust and gave him a vision of a better and bigger warehouse. And he held on to that faith and God has indeed fulfilled his promise)
This fired destroyed everything that he had built up over the last 10 years. This fire that consumed everything was the second biggest fire in Singapore in 1999. Everything was burnt down, including the fire proof safe! And to make things worse, his insurance told him that it was impossible to cover him because they did not know how much inventory there was etc. What to do? He prayed. And when the fire died down, he and his workers rummage through all the burnt piles ( melted iron rods, melted forklift) - what hope was there to find anything - but God has his way. They found the accounting ledger book - semi burnt but still leaving the codes to allow him to go to IRAS to trace back the records. How amazing!
Covering all the loss with insurance, he rebuilt his business and God has been blessing him. And he too remembered God's goodness and in return is blessing back the community.
He reminded me to always remember to lean and thank God in all that I do.
Let God be #1,#2,#3,#4.... in your life and as long as he is central of your life, peace will come.
I still remembered the time I struggled getting admitted in university and I was very fearful. But God just prompted me to pray. And I did for a whole of 10 minutes. Trusting in the Lord for the answer. And its so surprising and sudden but I suddenly felt peace. And the remaining days before the university admissions closed, I felt joy like never before. And true enough, on the last day of the university admission, the letter of acceptance came. And my university was great. I felt close to God in many things that I did - expeditions, exams, competitions etc
Deuteronomy 30:2-3: “and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.”
If you seek God with all your mind, your soul, your strength, and your heart, God will open the door for you. In Revelations 3:7-8: “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: these are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.“
God is always faithful!
1 Pet 5:9-11: “Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
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