Foreword

In November 2013 I was struck with a bad throat infection. It was extremely painful. It was then that a dear friend of mine, Annie Khoi, offered me a special bird’s nest soup and double boiled Chinese herbs to soothe my throat and aid my recovery. She had spent a lot of time and money preparing this

traditional Chinese delicacy.

On my way home from Annie’s house, I found a mini inspirational book in my car that had a short devo-tion on each page. After drinking the soup and enjoying the Christian love and warm hospitality of Annie, I felt lifted up. I was reflecting on the devotional book and Annie’s soup.

It was then that the idea of an alphabet soup for the weary soul bubbled to the surface. Annie had made soup and encouraged me. I had a knack for words and poetry – why not cook up an alphabet soup to en-courage fellow sojourners?

And that is exactly how this book happened. I hope you will be refreshed.

Paul SelvamMalaysiaJanuary 2014

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my late wife Esther Selvam who entered glory in 2013. She was truly a woman after God’s own heart and a source of strength for me. She inspired me to wholeheartedly seek after the things of God. I dedicate this book in memory of the amazing mother, wife, friend

and encourager that she was.

Alpha and Omega

We are so used to a beginning and an end. Like the circle of life - to be born and to die. Like any good story, a beginning, an exciting plot and finally, and hopefully, an unpredictable end. But an end there must be. Maybe even a fairy-tale ending of happily ever after. All of this makes us

human. And makes sense to us as humans. Mortal humans.

But then we are faced with the declaration that He has no beginning and no end. And at the same time He is the beginning and the end. Makes no sense to our human logic. And then we step out in faith. At His bidding. And we behold a Maker who is eternal. Who transcends logic. And we discover that we too are immortal spirits. Like Him. Made in His image.

Blessing

The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.

What a blessing, what a comfort. For the Lord of the Universe to do good unto us and to keep watch over us. To look upon us kindly and with pleasure. To provide all that we could ever need, and more. For His grace is sufficient for us. No, we are more than conquerors in Him. To

give us peace. Yes. He died on a tree that we might become partakers of Him, the Prince of Peace. He lost all that we might gain all. We are blessed indeed.

Children

“....unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”.

Unimaginable bundles of joy. Each one born with unlimited potential loaned to us for a season. Fearfully and wonderfully made . Knitted by the hand of God in the secret places. Purpose made for a divine assignment. Pure souls. How we mould them will decide if one will be a Hitler, a

Ghandi, an Einstein or a Mother Theresa.

And for ALL, however we are formed or deformed by the world, He offers hope. Hope of a transformed life. Hope of eternal life. When we believe - like a child.

Death

Nothing in life fascinates man more than death. Nothing in life prepares man for death. So we seek to live longer. To delay the inevitable. To cheat death if that were even possible. But alas we are creatures born with a death sentence. To many, death is a fearful mystery. Yet to others a stealthy

evil waiting to strike. At any turn in the road called life.

But then one man in history died and rose again. One man in history declared, I am the resurrection and the life. Even if you die, you will live again. For me to live is Christ, to die is gain. Before Christ death was a loss, a total loss. After Christ, death like the cross, is a plus. To die now is to gain Christ. To gain eternal life.

Earth

He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing.

We are obsessed with this earth. We race through life to win a bit more of it at every twist, every turn. We hunger for earth. We thirst for earth. An inch more, an acre more. A block more. We fight for it. We lie for it. We cheat for it. We even die for it.

And then we discover, our Father owns tonnes more of this speck called earth. And that the meek shall inherit the earth. And that those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

A bit more earth, anyone?

“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and cow-ard, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”

Carl Sagan, The Pale Blue Dot.

Friendship

A friend. Someone who loves us unconditionally. In good times or bad times. In good health or bad. Who knows our secret sins yet condemns us not. Who knows our strength is low yet urges us on. Laughs with us in our joy and cries with us when the world is laughing at us. Rare jewel. More rare

than refined gold. Warms our hearts in the bitterest cold. Souls in sync. Speech without words. A wordless sigh that communicates a wealth of meaning. A glance that speaks oceans of words. A life lived through another.

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

Grief

But though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies.

Grief touches every human being. At some point in our life. Loss of a loved one. Diagnosed with an incurable disease. Loss of a limb. Or a vital organ. Loss of a job. Loss of property. Loss of freedom. Loss of innocence. Loss of hearing. Loss of speech. Loss of respect. Loss of zest for life. Grief

knows no boundaries. Is no respecter of persons. On every continent. Every village. Every city. The human race grieves.

But He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. Which is why He can say, come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. There is a rest. Today. From all grief. Only believe.

Hope

A sure expectation. That which keeps an earthquake victim surviving under tonnes of rubble. For days without food or water. Alive on a finest thread of hope. The hope of seeing the sunlight again, hope of embracing a loved one again. Of hearing the birds sing cheerfully again. The farmer who

sows his seed in drought resting in the sure hope of rain to bless his labor. The hope of a better future that keeps humanity moving. Growing. The dry tree in autumn that “dies” in winter yet lives in hope of a spring. When it shall bloom again.

Though its roots grow old in the ground and its stump dies in the dry soil, at the scent of water it will flourish and put forth sprigs like a plant.

Inspiration

Inspiration – God breathed. We seek for inspiration. For innovation. For a new way out of our old di-lemmas. For creating art. Music. Poetry. Dance. Life. We meditate. We manipulate. We vegetate. We stimulate. We regurgitate. To seek new meaning. A fresh perspective. And we feel important when we

are praised. Celebrated. Honored. Inspired.

Yet our very breath is borrowed. Never knowing when it will be taken back. No guarantee of even one more breath to breathe.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Jesus

To many a curse word. A swear word. Spoken under the breath. In moments of exasperation. In fits of frustration. In spasms of anger. As a rant of rebellion. Under the misery of invisible chains. Chains of the past. Of soul wounds running raw. Daily torment. Quickening pace of the race. In-

security. Addictions. Unsatiable appetites. Demonic deception. Worshippers of self. Like lucifer himself.

But to those who know Him. Sweetest Name. Wonderful. Counselor. Mighty God. Prince of Peace. King of Kings. Saviour. Healer. Baptizer. Son of God. Lamb of God. Lion of Judah. Maker of Heaven and Earth. Great High Priest. Our advocate in Heaven. Judge. Lord of Lords.

Therefore God exalted him to the highest placeand gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father

Kindness

Kindness is the quality that makes the difference between a life measured by success vs a life meas-ured by significance. Alexander the Great was an unprecedented success if measured by the sheer size of his empire and the number of armies he overcame. But he also ordered the merciless killing

of entire cultures and peoples that did not surrender on his terms. The names of Mother Theresa or Nelson Mandela will live on forever because of their kindness.

One was kind to strangers cast out as trash by society; the other to people who tortured and enslaved him and robbed him of the prime years of his life. Kindness is a divine attribute. Humans struggle to be kind in a world that believes only the fit and tough deserve to live. Those who have found the Light, those who have tasted the unconditional love of a Saviour will find it easier to be kind.

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice; and be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you

Light

A world without light is unimaginable. No human would want to live in utter darkness. When a person is locked up in solitary confinement and denied the luxury of light, death slowly sets in. Yet so many of us are living without light in our souls. Without The Light. Jesus said “I am the light of

the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”. He is the Light that transforms. That heals. That saves. That totally delivers us from all bondages.

A candle’s but a simple thing; It starts with just a bit of string. Yet dipped and dipped with patient hand, It gathers wax upon the strand

Until, complete and snowy white, It gives at last a lovely light. Life seems so like that bit of string: Each deed we do a simple thing;

Yet day by day if on life’s strand We work with patient heart and hand, It gathers joy, makes dark days bright,And gives at last a lovely light.

- Clara Bell Thurston

Mother

Truest embodiment of God’s love. Constantly caring, thinking, planning for the health and welfare of her child. Selfless giving - no sacrifice is too great. The same qualities no matter in Mongolia, Cairo, Nairobi, London or Paris. A truly redeeming grace of the human race.

If I were hanged on the highest hill, Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine I know whose love would follow me still, Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine!

If I were drowned in the deepest sea, Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine I know whose tears would come down to me, Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine!

If I were damned of body and soul, I know whose prayers would make me whole, Mother o’ mine, 0 mother o’ mine!

By Rudyard Kipling

Nuggets

Nuggets of wisdom. Nuggets of truth. Nuggets of precious metals. Something rare and valuable. Someone once said when mining for gold or diamonds, a mountain of dirt is removed to find a tiny piece of metal or stone. Yet it is not the dirt we are looking for but the hidden, buried jewel.

So in out interaction with others, we will face a mountain of dirt, but if we keep digging we will find that ultimate good in each and every person. We just need to remember, it is not the dirt we are looking for but the nugget.

Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies;nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed.

Opinion

Our opinions, our senses often deceive us and we discern very little.

What good is much discussion of involved and obscure matters when our ignorance of them will not be held against us on Judgment Day? Neglect of things which are profitable and necessary and undue concern with those which are irrelevant and harmful, are great folly.

We have eyes and do not see.

What, therefore, have we to do with questions of philosophy? He to whom the Eternal Word speaks is free from theorizing. For from this Word are all things and of Him all things speak—the Beginning Who also speaks to us. Without this Word no man understands or judges aright. He to whom it becomes everything, who traces all things to it and who sees all things in it, may ease his heart and remain at peace with God.

- Thomas Kempis

Pride

Pride turned an angel into a devil. Pride has launched countless wars between egotistical monarchs. Shakespeare’s Juliet was sacrificed on the altar of family pride. Pride still divides nations, tribes, families, couples.

It is only when we see our lives in the light of eternity that we can deal with this insidious monster that can utterly destroy us. Nebuchadnezzar ate grass for seven years to cure his chronic pride.

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Quit

Diana Nyad became the first person in history to swim the 110 miles non-stop from Cuba to Flor-ida without a shark cage. She succeeded in her fifth attempt at age 64. Her first words when she reached Florida was “Never give up”. She succeeded because she refused to quit. She faced numer-

ous challenges in her attempt but instead of giving up, she always found a way to overcome each obstacle.

When things go wrong as they sometimes will, When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill, When the funds are low and the debts are high And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest if you must, but don’t you quit. Life is queer with its twists and turns, As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about When he might have won had he stuck it out; Don’t give up though the pace seems slow-- You may succeed with another blow,

Success is failure turned inside out-- The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far;

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit-- It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Edgar A. Guest

Rest

We dream of restOf taking a break from stressYet into a crowded dayMore things we try to press

We dream of friendsWe have not met for decadesThen we hear the thing we dreadAnd then how our heart aches

If the carousel of life is spinning too fastIf the things that matter are becoming a blurJump off, break with the pastListen to your heart; do what is dear

We must find our rest todayIn the midst of the turmoilWe must find our rest todayOr not at all

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Stars

Ancient astronomers like the Mayans understood celestial movements especially of the sun, moon and stars. The stars have been used for navigation by centuries of seafarers. A star guided the three wise men from the East to where the Christ child was to be born.

It is estimated that a galaxy can have up to 100 trillion stars. With a known number of 170 billion galaxies, the total number of stars exceeds one Septillion. That’s a one with twenty four zeroes. Our minds cannot even begin to fathom the sheer number of stars in the Universe yet the bible says that God has it all under control.

To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

Time

King Solomon, regarded as the wisest man who ever lived said that there is a time and season for everything under the sun. A time to be born and a time to die. Moses cried to God “teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom”.

We know we have a few more hours to get things done in the day because the sun will set soon. The sun setting is a certainty, as it has been for thousands of years. Likewise we literally have a few more hours in our lives before our own sunset; yet we run our lives like we are going to live forever.

If only we knew the frailty of life, perhaps we would get less hurt, less provoked less stressed. If my life was going to end tonight, I rather be doing things that left a legacy than get worked up over issues that are trivial in the light of eternity.

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.

- Mother Theresa

United

Unity is a paradox when we consider that God made each one us unique. Each one with his or her own values, thoughts and opinions about everything. Yet almost magically we are able to unite for a common cause. When our safety or way of life is threatened, we are able to put aside our differ-

ences and unite for the greater good.

Being united in a marriage covenant is one of the greatest mysteries of life. Two people coming together to stick together for life. No matter what. It is either madness or a miracle. God desires this unity among his creation. The unity that evolves under a marriage covenant demonstrates faithfulness. To be faithful to one another no matter the situation. Just like He is faithful to us. Unconditionally.

So great is our God’s faithfulness, So vast our Father’s love, So marvelous His wondrous works Portrayed in skies above.

The sun, the moon, the stars reveal And witness to His pow’r, Each awesome handiwork displayed Will testify each hour.

From early dawn to setting sun, From night to new-born day, God’s faithfulness is manifest In visible display.

Though storm clouds often fill our skies And dim our earthly view,

God’s compassions never fail us, Each day they are anew.

And though the stars refuse to shine, The moon falls from the sky, God’s mercy and His faithfulness We never can deny.

So great is our God’s faithfulness, Of this we can be sure, Forever and forevermore His mercies will endure.

- Lynda J Stevenson

Value

Oscar Wilde famously said that we have become a people who know the price of everything but the value of nothing. If this was true in his day, it is certainly more true today. All it takes is a few seconds on a search engine and we can compare the price of anything under the sun. Almost

anything.

So in the midst of our frantic rush to accumulate wealth to show we have succeeded, we tend to value our fellow human beings less and less, especially those that are not wealthy. Contrast this with how God views us. When the Lord Jesus walked this earth he was derided for mingling with social outcasts. But He found time to heal lepers, forgive wayward women and restore broken men like Peter. He valued the most downtrodden of people. The greatest thing we can find today is our true value according to our Heavenly Father. We may not be in Forbes list, but we should know we are in the Father’s heart.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.

Winter

Winter is a magical time. I remember my first winter in Washington DC so well because so much snow fell that when I went to the parking lot after work, I could not find my car because every car looked the same under a thick blanket of pure fresh snow. I remember the joy on our four

year old son’s face as we played on a toboggan, made figures from snow and threw snow balls at each other.

But while winter may be a wonderland to many, there could be some of us struggling to deal with the winter of our lives. It could be the winter of old age or ill health. Or a particularly bad time financially. Or it could be a winter brought about by the loss of a loved one.

We can draw strength and inspiration from the fact that for every winter there has to be a spring. A spring when we could rise up as a resurrected being. Or a spring when everything in our lives can start to blossom again.

For winter’s rains and ruins are over,And all the season of snows and sins;The days dividing lover and lover,The light that loses, the night that wins;And time remembered is grief forgotten,And frosts are slain and flowers begotten,And in green underwood and coverBlossom by blossom the spring begins.

- AC Swinburne

Xmas

Xmas, a short form of Christmas is actually a proper word in the dictionary. But to say Christmas without Christ is like fruit cake without fruit. Like diabetic bread that fills the tummy but leaves the taste buds dead. Like decaf coffee that tastes like coffee but leaves the senses dull.

Merry Christmas I’ll say with a grin Smile at me and I’ll say it again Those two words are the sweetest thing They have the power to make me sing This is the day to celebrate love It started with Heaven above A baby boy to free us all Erase our sins both big and small Grateful to Jesus I’ll always be For lifting this burden away from me How can anyone celebrate this day Unless thinking of how it came to stay Christmas without Christ at the front Is no more than a silly stunt

- Cathy Daviss

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

Yesterday

Alice Earle said “The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present”. Nothing we can do will bring yesterday back. Celebrate the victories and precious memories of yesterday. But

don’t live there – move on.

Today is the tomorrow I worried about yesterday And today was such a lovely day, that I wondered why I worried about today yesterday So today I am not going to worry about tomorrow There may not be a tomorrow anyway So today I am going to live as if there is no tomorrow And I am going to forget about yesterday.

Today is the tomorrow I planned for yesterday And nearly all my plans for today did not plan out the way I thought they would yesterday So today I am forgetting about tomorrow and I will plan for today But not too strenuously Today I will stop to smell a rose I will tell a loved one how much I love her I will stop planning for tomorrow and plan to make today the best day of my life.

Today is the tomorrow I was afraid of yesterday And today was nothing to be afraid of So today I will banish fear of the unknown I will embrace the unknown as a learning experience full of exciting opportunities Today, unlike yesterday I will not fear tomorrow.

Today is the tomorrow I dreamed about yesterday And some of the dreams I dreamt about yesterday came true today So today I am going to continue dreaming about tomorrow And perhaps more of the dreams I dream today will come true tomorrow.

Today is the tomorrow I set goals for yesterday And I reached some of those goals today So today I am going to set slightly higher goals for today and tomorrow And if tomorrow turns out to be like today I will certainly reach all of my goals one day!

- anon

Zero

It seems Zero is a quantity of no significance. Yet without the concept of zero, computing will not ex-ist because the binary world consists of 1s and 0s. The concept of personal significance stems from our heritage. Who we are is a consequence of whose we are. If we can understand that we are a spirit

made in the image of God, the Supreme Spirit, we are no longer a zero, but a being created for a purpose. Uniquely crafted for a unique mission in life. Both here and hereafter.

Some people have the misguided idea that God only gets excited when you’re doing “spiritual things,” like going to church or helping the poor, or, you know, confessing or doing something like that. The bottom line is, God gets pleasure watching you be you.

- Pastor Rick Warren

About the author

Paul Selvam aka Panir Selvam has a calling as an evangelist. He serves as an elder and board member at Grace Assembly of God, Klang, Malaysia. He has been associated with Dr Henry Pillai, senior Pastor of Grace Assembly Malaysia since 1991. Dr Henry has an apostolic calling, has planted hun-

dreds of churches and is a senior leader of over forty years of ministry in Malaysia and a spiritual father to many pastors and leaders internationally.

Selvam holds a BEng(Hons) Degree in Electrical Engineering and was the former CEO of a Telekom Malaysia Dutch joint-venture overseeing operations in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and India. He has a MBA from Southern Cross University, Australia and a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounts and Finance from the ACCA, UK. As a European Union scholar he obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing from Holland. He now owns Stellarnet Sdn Bhd (www.stellarnet.biz), specialising in customized business software.

Selvam has been a director of Grace Community Services, a charitable organization, for many years. GCS raises and provides funding for shelter homes for destitute women, drug rehab programs, orphanages, shelter home for unwed mothers etc. It also provides food rations and cooked meals for the hard core poor in the streets of Kuala Lumpur, Klang and several other locations.

Selvam has ministered in churches in Malaysia, Holland, Argentina, Australia, USA and in Jordan. He has also ministered at Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship meetings in Malaysia. He shares a wealth of personal experiences of signs, wonders, miracles and divine healings. He hails from a family of mediums for many generations. He is also director and advisor to Jesus Calls Malaysia, a ministry dedicated to pray-ing for the needs of people 24 by 7, over the phone. Jesus Calls was pioneered in India by the late Dr DGS Dhinakaran, a leading evangelist of his time.

Selvam has written several gospel articles and poems as inspired by the Holy Spirit. He lives with sons Jonathan and Joshua in Subang Jaya, Malaysia. His late wife Esther Selvam entered glory in 2013 after 29 years of marriage. She was a woman after God’s own heart and a tremendous blessing to Selvam, his sons and his ministry.

Acknowledgements

All quotes, where not original, have been credited with their respective authors. Where a quote ap-pears in italics but is not credited, the quote has been taken from the Holy Bible, in most cases, from the New International Version.

For feedback and/or enquiries please contact the author through panir60@gmail.com