Page 44 - BOOK inside pages as at Aug 8

To Kajang for Life

properly pronounce words. Within six months, I could speak
reasonably well in English! It was amazing as I had learned
very little English at school.
I also started sharing Bible lessons with my fellow inmates
who had accepted Jesus as their Saviour, and even baptised
some of them. People in prison could see the difference that
Jesus made in my life. The change was a gradual process, but
the peace in my heart was real and permanent!
The Bible has many stories about people who were put in
prison. One of them was Joseph who was wrongly accused and
jailed. But God had a special purpose for his life, and Joseph
went on to become the prime minister of Egypt. Another
example was the apostle Paul, who served God while in
prison. Despite being in chains, he had many opportunities to
share the gospel with people he came into contact with.
Similarly for me, I found new purpose in prison and my
life took on a new dimension. I was no longer resentful and
angry. It was a spiritual transformation. I believe as a “new
creation”, I will continue to be transformed to be like Christ
until I meet Him face-to-face one day. I was experiencing
what the apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so
that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good
and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
I was set free from the power of sin through Jesus’ death.
Having been “crucified” with Him on the cross, I am now
dead to sin and I can experience the same power that raised
Jesus from the dead. My desire for God increased greatly, and
from the point of my conversion, my time in prison was well
spent preparing me for what lay ahead.
I read widely. After I became a Christian, I stopped reading
novels and turned to books on Christian living. Most of my
free time was spent reading and because the light inside the
cell was very dim, I soon had to wear glasses.
I remember several books that were especially helpful.
There was a copy of “Peake’s Commentary on the Bible”, that
was left behind by Tan Koon Swan, a former MCA president.
It is a commentary on the Bible providing information on

44

BOOK inside pages.indd 44 08/08/2018 05:44 PM