3 January 2014 by Adeline Lum CM –
More than 200 TA Enterprise Berhad staffs and other visitors came to the Christmas event on 24 Dec at Menara TA One, held by Datuk Tony Tiah and Datin Alicia.
“It’s by the grace and mercy of God that our performance this year is spectacular. In His mysterious ways, He has opened up doors for us,” said Datuk Tony, substantial shareholder and co-founder of TA Enterprise Berhad, a conglomerate listed in Bursa Malaysia.
The afternoon started off with Christmas carols sang by Datin Alicia and staffs of TA, with Bryan Gan as the conductor. A festive spirit filled the place as they sang Feliz Navidad, A great big wonderful God, God is so good (Hallelujah), Hark! the herald angels sing, O come all ye faithful, Yesus telah lahir, O Holy night, Jesus we worship You, and Joy to the world.
After the choir, Datuk Tony shared about a speech entitled ‘Christmas Bonus,’ on the love of God and the power of forgiveness.
He shared that many sickness are caused by a lingering, unconscious, and invisible kind of stress. This kind of stress is most dangerous because it could ebb away our lives without us realizing it. Because of stress, Datuk Tony shared how some of his friends fell ill despite their healthy lifestyles, some even losing their lives. And one of the major causes of stress identified by him is an unforgiving heart- neither receiving nor giving forgiveness.
“This is the Christmas bonus that God gives you. The main one is forgiveness of sins by Jesus Christ. We can stand before God without fear. God forgives you. He sends His Son so that you will have eternal life,” said Datuk Tony.
In his speech, he shared about the total forgiveness of sins, which is the knowledge that our sins —past, present, and future— are forgiven once for all through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:18). In other words, Christ cannot be crucified again.
Hebrews 8:12
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.
Hence, under the new covenant, we do not need to feel stressed and guilty, thinking God will not forgive us.
Colossians 1:13-14
For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
Secondly, we must forgive ourselves for our sins, which may be the hardest. Datuk Tony shared a real incident of how a father was unable to forgive himself for being the sole survivor of a wrecked yacht, while all his sons died.
“We did not intend it that way but if the supreme God can forgive us, why can’t we forgive ourselves?” said Datuk Tony.
Thirdly, forgiveness also includes forgiving God. He shared that some people believed that God did not love them, which is not true.
Hence, when we do not forgive in all these areas, we would become dysfunctional people who are rooted in bitterness, shared Datuk Tony. Although he struggled many times using his will power to forgive himself, he was reminded of Luke 7:47, which says, “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
“I know that I have been forgiven much because I sinned much. I also realized that God first loves me,” said Datuk Tony who is able to forgive because of the love of the Father in him.
Citing George Muller, Datuk Tony also shared three things in life that made Muller happy, which included the ability to forgive all offences, reading the Word of God (Prov 4:21-22), and doing what God has assigned us to do.
Prov 4:21-22
Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
for they are life to those who find them
and health to one’s whole body.
He shared how the Word of God personally releases and changes his perspective at offenses in this world. He also shared how he enjoyed doing God’s Will in his life.
“I am doing an assignment of God, doing what I love to do, and excel in it. The most torturous thing is to do what you’re not meant to do and be someone you’re not,” he said.
Most importantly, he shared how one must come to a position of rest in God—doing our best and leaving the rest to God. Because he learned to depend on God, he did not need to worry about the outcome anymore because he knew that it would be positive according to the Will of God.
“How successful you are depends on how much you want to learn from God. If you have a Christ-like attitude and if you make a decision based on the love of God, you will be successful.
“Decisions that you make in life would determine the destiny of your life. And you can only make sense of your decision if it’s not based on fear, urgency, people influences, worry, and stress… but a clean, non-prejudice, and fair heart,” said Datuk Tony.
Many of us do not understand the unconditional love of our Father in Heaven (1 Cor 13) but love is a powerful weapon because it never fails and conquers all, shared Datuk Tony. You may think that you are losing by loving and helping, but you are actually helping yourself because you are filled with joy by giving. It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).
“God can only bless me when I learn to forgive. Please restart the engine starting from next year onwards. God will restore you if you wrap up all your unforgiveness in your heart,” said Datuk Tony.
Pr Peter Sze of tNCC ended the message of Datuk Tony Tiah with a prayer before the choir sang, “Give Thanks” and “We wish you a Merry Christmas” as the final song. Everyone adjourned for a merry lunch sponsored by TA.
In closing, Datuk Tony Tiah and Datin Alicia shared a few priceless biblical nuggets to success:
- Decision made out of love is normally God driven and we can be assured that it is God’s will.
- Free yourself from the past so that you can move forward.
- Know your identity in Christ. You are a son of the living God. You are a somebody, not a nobody.
- Do not feel guilty or condemned all the time; your sins have been forgiven once for all, washed clean by the precious blood of Jesus.
- While capability and educational qualification are important in our career, success comes from knowing that we achieved it by the Grace and Mercy of God.
- Unforgiveness is poison in your body. Get rid of it fast before it spreads and we become dysfunctional.
- Learn to enter into God’s Rest when we face a storm or crisis. When we cease from our struggles, strive, and worry, God gets to work on our behalf and success is guaranteed.
- Never give up hope because God is our hope and He will never forsake us.
Leave a Reply