Speech

Good morning, everyone.

Before I begin, let us pray. "Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you that you have given me this opportunity to speak today. May you open our hearts and minds to receive and respond to Your Word. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen."

When Miss Grace met with me in December of last year to plan for today's talk, she mentioned that you all would be in the middle of the National School Games. I used to run cross country when I was in RI and RJC in the early 2000s, so perhaps my talk could be relevant to you this season in your life.

Listing my achievements is uncomfortable in a speech, but I will share a few so that my sharing will make sense. I am a double gold medalist in the triathlon and marathon events at the Southeast Asian Games. During my running career, I won the Singapore Marathon seven times and set national records in the 5000m and half marathon events. I had endorsement deals from major running brands, airlines, and insurance companies. In 2015, I took a year off work to train and qualify for the 2016 Olympics before starting my Orthopedic Surgical Residency in 2017.

However, my life changed in 2016 when I sustained a knee injury.

Despite multiple MRI scans, no one could solve my problem, and countless therapy sessions proved fruitless. I was dropped by sponsors, no longer winning five-digit prize money, and no longer being requested to give talks. Could you imagine how I felt? I was at the lowest point in my life. Just a year ago, I was on Mount Everest with people clamoring to be a part of me. And with a snap of a finger, all was lost.

Have you ever felt this way? That life suddenly came to a stand still? Perhaps not yet. Now, I have three main points for us today. The headings may shock you now, but I sincerely hope you lend me a listening ear as I unpack these truths from God's word.

• Firstly, Your results at the games will not matter
• Secondly, Your results cannot save you
• Finally Only Christ can

Firstly, Your Results Will not Matter

Regarding the loss of my running career, I was confused and discouraged. How could everything go wrong so quickly? I wasn't a Christian at the time, but as God gradually brought me out of my despair, I discovered that what I went through was forecasted in Ecclesiastes 4:16 which says - "Endless crowds stand around him, but then another generation grows up and rejects him. So it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind."

That's what I felt - rejected and merely chasing the wind. What I learned, and it is something that you young people must learn as soon as you can, is that your achievements and results will one day mean nothing. In fact, this is how the saints who walked before us viewed their achievements and even themselves. Consider what Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:8:

Yes, he used the word "rubbish" to describe all he had achieved in his life in comparison to Christ. The NIV translates it as garbage. What were all these things he counted as rubbish? Well, a few things that he continues to describe in Philippians 3. Paul was an established teacher of the law. He was trained under the top Rabbi Gamaliel. He passed all his theological exams with flying colors. He was zealous in upholding the law. He had a great attitude. In your context, he was zealous in his training. He worked hard. He scored goals. He set records. He was the best of the best. He was blameless in his conduct.

Yet Paul calls all this rubbish, garbage.

In the grand scheme of life, none of this matters, because one day, each and every one of us will stand naked in front of a Holy God, and we will be judged. That is my greatest concern for us. How will you stand in front of a holy God?

Now, I really don't want you to misunderstand what I am saying. I am not saying it is okay to not take your school exams seriously or to slack off during training. That's not what Paul meant when he called his life's achievements rubbish. He really worked hard in proclaiming the gospel, so much so that he was persecuted. We must never take God's word as an excuse to justify sin. But it is also true that nothing we do with our hands can make us look better in front of Him. Our straight A's do not make us more likable to God. Our gold medals do not make us His favorites. Our titles do not gain us anything in front of Him. When compared to God's holy, perfect, righteous standards, we are all in the same boat - sinful and broken. No amount of worldly achievement can change that.

So my first point is that our results do not matter to how God views you as a child of His, nor do they matter in the grand scheme of life in this world. It is like chasing the wind if that is the primary goal in your life.

2. Your Results Cannot Save You

Now, the second point I want to make is that Not only will your results not matter at the end, but they cannot save you.

The Bible teaches us that we are all trying to look for a savior and no one is the exception. You may wonder, what am I trying to be saved from? I am not on a sinking ship. Perhaps you think you are "okay" because you have a boyfriend or girlfriend who makes you feel safe and secure. Perhaps you feel "okay" because you receive regular external validation from your grades and CCA achievements. Perhaps you feel "okay" because you are so different from your peers, such as owning a startup at a young age, having a podcast, or making a difference by being active in social work. We can all feel comfortable and "okay" for various reasons.

Now before you fall asleep, let us probe deeper into this together.

Consider this question that you have probably thought about at least once in your life - Who am I? It is the issue of identity. If I were to ask you - who are you? What makes you, you? How would you respond to that question? You see, all of us are suffering from a condition of lacking identity. We are all seeking to establish a unique identity in this world full of people. This is why people describe this as a rat race. Everyone looks the same and the race is to establish an identity in a small niche area so that we can be "someone.”

If you are like me, perhaps at your level, this is how I would answer - I am from ACJC. I am a student athlete. I am a SEA Games Gold medallist. Now, some of us may feel uncomfortable responding this way out loud, but truthfully, is that not what we think in our minds? These are things we mention and think about ourselves with pride. But is it actually wrong to introduce ourselves this way? Of course not. Paul introduced himself as an Apostle of Christ in his epistles.

The problem arises when the things we use to describe ourselves become our identity, because in order for us to be saved from a situation of lacking identity, we end up placing our identity on our titles, achievements and possessions. According to the Bible, we look to these to save us from our lack of identity.

How does that apply to me? Well, the truth is that I believed winning gold medals could save me from my lack of identity. There is an emptiness in me, a hole in my heart that needs to be filled. Winning became an addiction that gave me the praise and affirmation my human flesh desired. However, these praises were temporary and I needed to keep winning the next medal to keep my sense of self-worth and identity up.

What am I really doing? I am looking to my achievements as my savior for my identity and worth.

In 2016, when God took away my ability to run, I lost my identity and self-worth. My life had been entirely built on my running achievements and the praise of others. I questioned who I was without them. This left me feeling lost and depressed. However, I found solace in abiding by God's Word.

Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 7.

What I have been doing with the praise of men is building a house on sand that has finally come crashing down and collapsing all over me. All the praises, achievements, medals I have amassed over the years could not save me.

Trust me, this reality will catch up with us before we know it. The reason why top athletes and CEOs get depressed when they retire is explained by God. We all build our lives on a foundation of sand that cannot save us when the ultimate rain and flood, death, hits. Only our Lord Jesus Christ can withstand that storm. As Jesus warned in Matthew 6:19,

Your results may seem valuable today, but one day their value will fade into oblivion and they will not be able to save you.

3. Only Christ Can.

Now I have illustrated two dire problems that you are facing or will definitely face in the future. First, you will realize that your results and grades do not matter as much as you thought they would. Second, you will inevitably find yourselves building your lives on things that are perishable that cannot save. Both, as Jesus warned, are acts of folly and will ultimately lead to doom.

So what, then, is the solution? Since we are all in chapel this morning, the answer can only be found in our Lord Jesus Christ. In my darkest moments, a friend asked me to go to church to seek miracle healing. I went to church solely with the self-centered desire to have my problem fixed so that I can get my life back on track. I wanted God to give me what I wanted, and there was no understanding about what Christ has done on the cross for me. However, I am grateful that God did more than what I had wanted. He saved my life from my addiction to people’s affirmation and, more importantly, from my sins.

Through His word, I learned that God’s standards are infinitely perfect, holy, and righteous, and that none of us can meet them. To receive His forgiveness, it cannot come from the works of our hands but by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Whether you are a straight-A student or about to fail this semester, whether you are the star athlete on your team or on the bench, Jesus Christ is your only lifeline.

You must remember young people, your results will one day fade and will not be able to save you. Only Christ can save you when the time comes.

It's easy to focus on our immediate needs - lunch, a cure for a disease, a good grade - but the biggest need we all have is to be reconciled with God. He is holy, and all of us sinners face eternal separation from Him. Your school motto - "the best is yet to be" - is true only if you accept Christ's salvation. He died on the cross for our sins, and promises the same for all who believe. But if we treat Him like a genie in a bottle, only interested in meeting our needs, we've missed the point.

Summary

Listen - I care dearly about young people like you. Thus, one thing I want you to consider is this - that being born into a Christian family and attending a Christian school with weekly chapel can be dangerous.

Yes, it is dangerous because it can give some of you a false sense of security.

I have spoken to many of your seniors who are now in medical school. Despite attending chapel every week and church every Sunday for a good part of their lives, some of them have rejected the gospel and the gracious love of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is heartbreaking.

My sincere hope for you is that you remain firm in your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the only one that matters and the only one who can save you. The question you should ask yourself today is whether you have truly come to know Christ. This is not a sarcastic question, but rather one that we are commanded to ask ourselves in scripture. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 13:5

Right now, there are only two groups of people here. One group will respond wholeheartedly to what I have said, and the Spirit will stir in you to spur you on in your walk with Christ. The other group may not feel the need for Christ now and may walk away from this thinking that this is just another chapel talk. If today's message has left you feeling unsettled about your relationship with God, I encourage you not to let that go. Instead, cry out to Jesus in your hearts and pray to God in your words. God draws His people to Himself.

My prayer for you young people is for God to reveal your shortcomings and your need for a savior - one that is constant in life and death and will be with you even when you fail.

With that, let me end with a prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing me here this morning to deliver this message. It is with great joy that you remind us of your Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for the sins of those who believe in you and put their faith in Him. Please encourage us to think deeply about our lives and urge us to lean into the love and mercy of your Son, Jesus Christ. We pray for your mighty work upon our hearts today and in the days to come. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.