What Would I Be Without My Master

By Joshua Ong Tatt Poh

To come into this fallen world was bad enough but what was worse I had landed into a broken home in Penang with anirresponsible and happy-go-lucky father and an ever self-serving mother.

Before long my incompatible parents separated and I was taken into the home of my maternal uncle and then to that of my paternal uncle. Quite naturally I was often regarded as an intruder rather than as a subject of compassion. That was the beginning of my sorrow.

In those stormy periods of my life, my mother tried to find solace in worshiping strange gods and idols and I had to tag along being the obedient young boy I was. One thing that struck me was that those gods could not even eat the fruits and foodstuffs offered to them. Moreover, I had often wondered how they could ever lift a finger to help my mother and I meet our needs and deliver us from our plight!

To me life was a fever and not worth living as nothing held good for me and even the gods were oblivious to my constant sufferings. I was lost in the world, so to speak, and was also a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief!

I worked in the daytime and studied at night and without any loss in time I got myself a tertiary education in Singapore. In the University of Singapore I was introduced to Christianity. However, without establishing my personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, I could not understand how He could in any way do me good except to judge me more favourably when I died of old age perhaps.

Soon I graduated in law in 1968 and I determined to make good by working very hard. I further determined to build up my self-esteem and security by taking up martial arts of various types so that I could confidently take on almost anyone in and outside the courthouse – with or without a weapon as I had in my possession a gun that I had acquired through legal avenues. In the worldly sense I did believe that I had made it as by 1980 I was already the proud owner of a large house with a swimming pool and had several sport cars in my possession.

I had also joined the largest club in the world and it was called ‘the night club’ where I used to take my important clients and bankers frequently for entertainment.

Soon I believed that the good Lord thought that enough was enough and He gained my attention by squeezing my finance – probably God’s method of gaining my attention.

I quickly turned back to Him in ashes and repentance and it was at the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship, Asian Convention in Bangkok that I found Him again. This time I earnestly wanted to accept the Lord Jesus as my personal Saviour and He baptised me in the Holy Spirit and I broke forth praying in tongues. Though I was already a Christian I could not say I had a personal relationship with God until He had filled me with the precious Holy Spirit.

Thereafter I began to thirst and hunger for Him by reading the Bible diligently and sought Him in various ways. My attitude changed and instead of finding ways to gratify my flesh like playing mahjong overnight and enjoying false romance in the nightclub after a few drinks I rejoiced in the Lord and praised Him unceasingly.

My business attitude was uplifted, to do it more righteously and to follow like what John Wellesley said “to earn all I can, to save all I can and to give all I can.”

Soon after, the good Lord restored me and granted me financial freedom and gave me the conviction that I must live my life as a true pilgrim would. Soon I found joy in helping several ministries by giving Christian literature to various men of God. To bless others I would purchase various VOICE magazines and even printed the book of Luke (in large print) to evangelize to non-believers.

Now I pray to God to continue to lead me and strengthen me so that I will be forever faithful and fruitful bringing honour and pleasure to Him not as some body but only as a faceless Christian as the whole of creation is centred not about us but Him. Glory to the Lord!