Editor’s Note: Written during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Malaysian marketplace writer Ivan Tan’s maiden book “What If You Could Complete Jeremiah in 8 Weeks?” goes through the whole book of Jeremiah one chapter at a time. Tan, who is Malaysian Chinese worships at the Metro Tabernacle A/G. In a recent interview with China Christian Daily, Tan talked about the first devotional work he has published and how it shed light on the world under the pandemic as well as our daily life. He also shared some useful advice on daily devotion or meditation for the benefit of other common people.
China Christian Daily: Could you please introduce yourself and your new book to us?
Ivan Tan: My name is Ivan Tan or in Chinese 陈添宝, I was born and bred in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
I started my professional life in IT, and after 5 years I was awarded a scholarship to study Finance in Australia. Upon graduation, I returned to work for my ex-employer dealing with import-export of people-friendly products like organic foods. Not long after that, my brother and I started a property magazine, I then spent about nine years building up the magazine before venturing out on my own as a Partner of Rightwiz (a content writing and publishing company). At the moment I am working as a content writer and publisher with Rightwiz. I have been delivering professional content for industries such as real estate, tourism, education and sometimes in verticals like tech, science, and life pieces.
What If You Could Complete Jeremiah in 8 Weeks? is my very first book after writing and publishing many volumes in different business genres for my clients since 2006. It is a devotional book that was written during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a chapter-by-chapter devotion, it can accompany readers in their daily Bible reading, to follow the events written by Jeremiah and draw inspiration from it to abide in a closer walk with God. In a way, I hope it can pose a challenge for people to finish Jeremiah in 8 Weeks.
China Christian Daily: How did you come to write this book?
Ivan Tan: It began just as a casual daily meditation in mid-February 2020. From that morning’s devotion, I was prompted to read Jeremiah and I recorded my devotional experience in my blog at RightKingdom.com just as I sometimes would do. And then when it came to the next day, I was able to write something again. It went on smoothly maybe up to the fifth or seventh day with one chapter a day.
It was very rare that I got to journal every day this consistently, so I challenged myself, why not continue to journal the whole book? Also, since it was the COVID-19 season with most people limiting their outside movements, I thought this could be an opportunity for me to actually take on and complete the challenge. After making the decision, I almost fell off my chair because I had not realized it had 52 chapters! But I thought if God was with me, then I can do it. So, I meditated one chapter a day and tried to keep it that way, although at times I needed more days due to other work commitments.
China Christian Daily: What are the highlights and main ideas of this book?
Ivan Tan: Throughout the book of Jeremiah, I think the main highlight is obedience, and the supporting highlight is the potential to transform our lives. And these are the key messages of my book as well.
From the book of Jeremiah, we can see that God has been calling people to come back to God and worship him alone. He wanted obedience on this matter. If we are obedient to worship him, our life will be different - we will be under his care and walk in the light. Although storms might still happen, we will be protected and even though we die, we know we will go back to be with him. That is the journey of life that He wants us to live on earth. There are also other themes, including repentance, forgiveness, love, etc. But the general message is obedience.
China Christian Daily: How did you write devotions, and how is each chapter and each devotional piece structured?
Ivan Tan: In this book, each piece is for one chapter in Jeremiah. The writing was very fluid and a little creative. I read one chapter each morning as the first thing I did, then I would seek the Lord for his guidance and direction, and the revelation sometimes came immediately but it could also take days or longer. Then I would relate it with either my life, relationships, or workplace, including things that happened years ago.
Usually, for each devotional piece, there is an extract from the Bible, then the description of the text, my thoughts and things that I wanted to share or alert people with, then sometimes it ends with a prayer. For every single chapter, there is a different essence of the message. Non-Christians might think Christianity only talks about “love”, but we know that God has more to say to us.
China Christian Daily: We learned that this is your first book, and that you are neither a professional Christian book writer nor a Bible teacher, and a lot of your work-related writing is about real estate, and other fields. Do you think these features of your background provide a different perspective for your writing of this book?
Ivan Tan: I think a person’s writing is very much influenced by their background, their experience, and the life that they are going through. In fact, the more diverse the experience, the more it contributes to the thinking process. My experience in the real estate magazine and other industries revealed to me that people from these different industries think differently, behave differently, have different views about life and the world. All of these experiences enhance my writing and contribute to how I relate to the words from Jeremiah.
I included reflections on my experiences in my devotionals, some were mistakes and regrets, some were very rewarding times. And I think this makes the book a real compelling read.
Before this book, I had planned to produce another book some years back where the manuscript was reviewed by my pastor (Pastor Chin) so I could avoid any misinterpretation of the scripture. He made many comments, including what was good, what was wrong, what was too sensitive and should not be elaborated, etc. I took all these comments into consideration when I began work on this Jeremiah book and it helped me immensely to stay on the right path.
China Christian Daily: You mentioned that when you read the Book of Jeremiah during the lockdown, you found it very relevant to the world under the pandemic. Could you tell us more about this, as in, how the book of Jeremiah speaks to us now? What’s the heart of God for us?
Ivan Tan: In Jeremiah, there are passages that are directly pertinent to the COVID-19 situation. In Chapter 19 for example, v10: ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: ... They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room.’ From the doom and gloom of COVID-19, I believe we’ve all heard how there is no more room for burial in some places.
God’s heart for us has always been that he loves us. In Jeremiah, God meted out His instructions that if they were not going to repent and follow him, there would be a plan of destruction, diseases and violence. However, at the end of each of those messages, God would say that if you repent, you will be forgiven.
China Christian Daily: Personally, what do you think about COVID-19? Do you think it was human sinning and disobedience that brought the pandemic? Some Christians think that people must repent when such huge disasters take place, what do you think about this?
Ivan Tan: In my book, I touched on this question. I think each of us should reflect on ourselves. Whether or not COVID-19 happened because of our wrongdoings, let it be an instrument to correct our posture and begin to seek God. I am really not in an authoritative position to judge, but I can only say it can be an instrument to remind us to seek God again. In every tragedy, there is such a chance to reflect and come back to God. But I also think it’s important to move away from the expectation of instant gratification, that we repent today, and we become a billionaire tomorrow.
China Christian Daily: It seems that this book is quite Covid-related and was written in the height of the pandemic. Now as many countries are lifting restrictions and going back to a more normal life, would you say that this devotional is still relevant in this post-COVID situation?
Ivan Tan: I believe this book can be a timeless book, beyond the COVID-19 era. The Bible itself is timeless, and the messages in Jeremiah are timeless. The issues raised in the book include a lot about human character, including love, mercy, forgiveness, redemption, restoration, servanthood, as well as warnings about the prosperity gospel, his power, his promises, discernment, purpose, discipline, commitment, loyalty, legacy, and many other things. The values and principles written in this book, derived from and inspired by God’s word will continue to be relevant and purposeful for our lives.
China Christian Daily: You mentioned that you found that Jeremiah is surprisingly reflective of the modern society and professional marketplace. Can you please give us some specific examples?
Ivan Tan: For example, in Jeremiah 27, God informed Jeremiah that the kings will be serving Nebuchadnezzar and told them what would happen.
God spoke to the kings through Jeremiah because the kings were the leaders and had responsibilities over their people. In our workplace, similar things might happen where leaders need the wisdom to honor their roles, such as when your company is acquired by another which leads to leadership changes.
Similarly, Jeremiah 22 offers the way we should be as a leader, to be fair and just and not to oppress. Chapter 32 touched on buying lands, agreements, contracts and witnesses; chapter 34 mentioned slavery, and chapter 38 touched on negotiation, and so on.
China Christian Daily: Could you give some advice on reading or meditating on the books of the prophets, since they could be considered hard to read, or seemingly repetitive? Particularly for common people who may not have much time to dive into Bible reading every day.
Ivan Tan: Regarding the question of prophets being hard to read, I’d like to say that, apart from calling His people back, Jeremiah does include other messages. And even though it might feel repetitive or boring, you can turn back to ask yourself: do you want to know more? Do you really want to know the essence of the message? Do you want to equip yourself? If we have this mindset, we will be able to search the scripture for the answer.
When we read, it’s okay to not understand the first time. Just read it again, then we should allow ourselves some space to visualize what God was trying to tell us through the passage and frame it in the context that it was written in. Revelation can emerge at any time or sometimes not at all. But don’t despair because sometimes, without you knowing, the meaning of what we’ve just read will emerge in the next hour or halfway through the week or so.
As for busy people, I believe wholeheartedly that the Lord will speak to us at every moment if only we are ready to listen to Him. In that regard, we should always find ways and means to connect with Him. It is always important to remind ourselves that our time with God is special, so special that the two of us deserve some time alone. The time alone with God is all about quality. When we quiet down to seek him and prepare our hearts to hear from him, we will be amazed at what can transpire.
If we’re truly busy, and God is a loving and gracious Father to us, He will understand our struggles if we are genuinely missing Him. With our desires made known to Him that we want to spend time with Him, believe it or not, He will arrange our time so we can commune with Him too at the right time. By then, we just have to be ready to enjoy our time with Him.
China Christian Daily: Do you have any words for Chinese Christians?
Ivan Tan: Whatever the situation may be in China, if one has been touched by God and come to know that He is the real God, just inscribe it in your heart that the relationship with him is real and he truly is our Abba Father, and it is our privilege to be connected with him.
Secondly, I would say being a Christian opens up a whole new dimension of life perspectives that may have escaped us when we weren’t yet a believer. Just allow yourself the time to learn about it and be immersed in it when time and space permit. The fruit of our labour will certainly be rewarded in many ways when we have our faith in the Lord.
Thirdly, as life can take us on a journey unique to only our own, be ready for all the bountiful life lessons that he has prepared for us. In all things, know that his wisdom is the highest, and in earnest give glory to him for all our success and even failure.
Life is not all about a scorecard but one that sees us obedient, aligned with God, and worship him as the one true and living God, just like how he has commanded his people from the ancient days until now.
编者注：在持续的新冠肺炎疫情期间，马来西亚市场作家陈添宝（Ivan Tan） 的处女作《如果你能在 8 周内读完耶利米书会怎样？》（What If You Could Complete Jeremiah in 8 Weeks?） 通过一次一章的方式通读耶利米书。陈添宝是马来西亚华人，在美罗帐幕神召会英文堂（Metro Tabernacle A/G） 礼拜。在接受 China Christian Daily 采访时，陈添宝谈到了他出版的第一部灵修作品，以及它是如何照亮疫情下的世界以及我们的日常生活。他还分享了一些有用的日常灵修或默想的建议，以造福其他普通人。
China Christian Daily：请您向我们介绍一下您自己和您的新书好吗？
陈添宝：我的英文名字叫艾文 ，中文名是陈添宝，我生长在马来西亚吉隆坡。
我的职业生涯始于互联网技术行业（IT），5年后，我获得了奖学金，前往澳大利亚学习金融。毕业后，我回到我的前雇主那工作，处理有机食品等人性化产品的进出口。不久之后，我和弟弟创办了一本地产杂志，之后我花了大约 9 年的时间来建立这本杂志，然后作为Rightwiz（一家内容写作和出版公司）的合伙人独自创业。目前，我在 Rightwiz 担任内容作家和出版商。我一直在为房地产、旅游、教育等行业提供专业内容，有时也为技术、科学和生活等垂直领域提供专业内容。
《如果你能在 8 周内读完耶利米书会怎样？》是我自 2006 年以来为我的客户编写和出版了许多不同业务类型书籍后的第一本书。 这是一本灵修书，写于新冠肺炎疫情的高峰期。 作为一章一章的灵修，它可以陪伴读者们每天阅读圣经，跟随耶利米所写的事件，从中汲取灵感，与上帝更亲密地同行。在某种程度上，我希望它可以挑战人们在 8 周内读完耶利米书。
China Christian Daily: 您是如何想到要写这本书的呢？
陈添宝：它始于在2020 年 2 月中旬的一次不经意的日常默想。从那天早上的灵修开始，我被提醒阅读耶利米书，我在 RightKingdom.com 的博客中记录了我的灵修体验，就像我有时会做的那样。然后到了第二天，我又有些东西可以写。这可能会一直以每天一章的进度连续进行到第五天或第七天。
我很少能坚持每天写日志，所以我挑战自己，为什么不继续写整本书呢？ 此外，由于这是在新冠肺炎期间，大多数人减少了他们的户外活动，我认为这可能是我真正接受并完成挑战的机会。做出决定后，我差点从椅子上摔下来，因为我没有意识到它有52章！但我想如果上帝与我同在，那么我就能做到。所以，我每天默想一章，并试图保持这种状态，尽管有时由于其他不得不做的工作，我需要更多天。
China Christian Daily：这本书的重点和主要思想是什么？
陈添宝：在耶利米书中，我认为主要的重点是顺服，而次要的重点是改变我们生活的潜力。这些也是我这本书的关键信息。
从耶利米书中，我们可以看到神一直在呼吁人们回到祂面前，单单敬拜祂。祂想要在这件事上的顺服。如果我们顺服，来敬拜祂，我们的生活就会有所不同——我们会在祂的看顾之下，行在光中。
虽然风暴可能还会发生，但我们会受到保护，即使我们死了，我们也知道我们会回去和祂在一起。 这就是祂希望我们生活在地上所有的人生旅程。还有其他主题，包括悔改、宽恕、爱等。但总的信息是顺服。
China Christian Daily：你是如何写灵修的，每一章和每段灵修的结构是怎样的？
陈添宝：在这本书中，每篇都是耶利米书中的一章。本书是写作过程非常流畅，并且带有一点创意。我每天早上的第一件事就是读一章耶利米书，然后我会寻求主的引导和带领，启示有时会立即出现，但也可能需要几天或更长时间。然后我会将它与我的生活、人际关系或工作场所联系起来，包括几年前发生的事情。
通常，每篇灵修文章都有圣经的摘录，之后是对文本的描述，我的想法和我想分享或提醒人们的事情，然后有时以祈祷结束。每一章的信息都有不同的精髓。非基督徒可能认为基督教只谈“爱”，但我们知道上帝有更多话要对我们说。
China Christian Daily：我们了解到这是您的第一本书，您既不是专业的基督教书籍作家，也不是圣经教师，您很多工作相关的写作都是关于房地产等领域的。 您认为您的这些背景特征是否为您撰写本书提供了不同的视角？
陈添宝：我认为一个人的写作很大程度上受到他们的背景、经验和所经历的生活的影响。事实上，体验越多样化，对思维过程的贡献就越大。 我在房地产杂志和其他行业的经历告诉我，来自这些不同行业的人的想法不同，行为不同，对生活和世界的看法也不同。所有这些经历都增强了我的写作能力，并有助于我理解耶利米的话。
我在灵修中反思了我的经历，有些是错误和遗憾，有些是非常有益的时刻。我认为这使这本书成为真正引人入胜的读物。
在写这本书之前，我曾在几年前计划制作另一本书，我的牧师（甄牧师）检查了手稿，这样我就可以避免对经文有任何误解。他做了很多评论，包括什么是好的，什么是错的，什么过于敏感而不应该详细阐述等等。当我开始写这本关于耶利米的书时，我考虑了所有这些评论，这对我保持正确的道路有着极大地帮助。
China Christian Daily：您提到在封锁期间阅读耶利米书时，您发现它与疫情下的世界密切相关。您能告诉我们更多关于这方面的信息吗？比如耶利米书现在如何对我们说话？神对我们的心是什么？
陈添宝：在耶利米书中，有一些段落与新冠肺炎的情况直接相关。 例如，在19 章10节中：“万军之耶和华如此说：......人要在陀斐特埋葬尸首，甚至无处可葬。” 从新冠肺炎的厄运和阴霾中，我相信我们都听说过有些地方已经没有可用来埋葬的地方了。
上帝对我们的心一直是爱我们的。在耶利米书中，上帝施行了祂的旨意，如果他们不悔改跟随祂，就将会有毁灭、疾病和暴力。 然而，在每一条这样信息的结尾，上帝都会说，如果你悔改，你就会被饶恕。
China Christian Daily：就个人而言，您是如何看待新冠肺炎的？你认为是人类的罪和不顺服带来了疫情吗？有些基督徒认为发生这么大的灾难，人必须悔改，您怎么看？
陈添宝：在我的书中，我谈到了这个问题。我认为我们每个人都应该反思自己。无论新冠疫情是不是因为我们的过错而发生，都让它成为纠正我们态度并使我们开始寻求上帝的工具。我真的不是站在一个权威性的位置上进行判断，我只能说它可以成为提醒我们再次寻求上帝的工具。在每一个悲剧中，都有这样一个机会来反思并回到上帝面前。但我也认为摆脱对即时满足的期望很重要，像是我们今天悔改，明天就能成为亿万富翁这种。
China Christian Daily：这本书似乎与新冠有关，并且是在疫情的高峰期写的。现在，随着许多国家解除限制并恢复到更正常的生活，您是否认为这种灵修仍然适用于这种后新冠的情况？
陈添宝：我相信这本书可以成为超越新冠肺炎时代的永恒之书。 圣经本身是永恒的，耶利米书的信息也是永恒的。书中提出的问题很多是关于人性的，包括爱、怜悯、宽恕、救赎、恢复、仆人，以及关于成功的福音、祂的力量、祂的应许、洞察力、目的、纪律、承诺、忠诚 、遗产和许多其他东西的警示。本书中所写的价值观和原则源自上帝的话语并受其启发，将持续与我们的生活相关且有意义。
China Christian Daily：您提到您发现耶利米书令人惊讶地反映了现代社会和职业市场。您能给我们举一些具体的例子吗？
陈添宝：例如，在耶利米书第27 章中，上帝告诉耶利米诸王将侍奉尼布甲尼撒，并告诉他们会发生什么。
上帝透过耶利米对君王们说话，因为君王们是领袖，对他们的人民负有责任。在我们的工作场所，类似的事情可能发生在那些领导者需要智慧来履行他们职能的地方，例如当你的公司被另一个公司收购导致领导层发生变化时。
同样，耶利米书第22章提供了我们作为领导者应有的方式，要公平公正而不是压迫。第32章涉及了购买土地、协议、合同和证人；第34章提到了奴隶制，第38章涉及到谈判，等等。
China Christian Daily：您能否提供一些阅读或默想先知书的建议？因为它们可能被认为难以阅读，或者似乎很多重复。特别是对于可能没有太多时间每天潜心阅读圣经的普通人。
陈添宝：关于先知书难以阅读的问题，我想说，除了呼唤祂的子民回转，耶利米书还包括其他的信息。即使它可能会让人觉得重复或无聊，你也可以回头问问自己：你想知道更多吗？你真的想知道这些信息的精髓吗？你想装备自己吗？如果我们有这样的心态，我们就会从经文中寻找答案。
当我们阅读时，第一次不理解也没关系。那就再读一遍，然后我们应该给自己一些空间来设想上帝试图通过这段经文告诉我们什么，并在上下文中构建它。启示可能会在任何时间出现，有时甚至根本不会出现。但不要绝望，因为有时，在你不知道的情况下，我们刚刚阅读的内容的含义会在接下来的一个小时或一周左右的时间里出现。
对于忙碌的人，我深信只要我们准备好聆听祂，主就会每时每刻对我们说话。 在这方面，我们总是能找到与祂连接的方式和方法。提醒自己，我们与上帝在一起的时间是特别的，特别的是我们双方应该有一些单独相处的时间，这一点很重要。与上帝独处的时间完全是关于质量的。当我们安静下来寻求祂，并预备好我们的心，聆听祂的声音时，我们会惊讶于所发生的。
如果我们真的很忙，而上帝对我们来说是一位满有慈爱和恩惠的父亲，如果我们真的想念祂，祂就会理解我们的挣扎。随着我们向祂表明，我们想与祂共度时光的意愿，不管你信不信，祂会安排我们的时间，这样我们也可以在合适的时间与祂交流。到那时，我们只需要准备好享受与祂在一起的时光。
China Christian Daily：您对中国的基督徒有什么话要说吗？
陈添宝：无论中国的情况如何，如果一个人被神感动，知道祂是真神，就在心里写下，我们与祂的关系是真实的，祂真的是我们的阿爸父，与祂相连是我们的荣幸。
其次，我想说，成为一个基督徒打开了一个全新的生活视角，这可能是我们还没有成为一个信徒时所没有的。只要让自己有时间去了解它，并在时间和空间允许的情况下沉浸其中。当我们对主有信心时，我们的劳动成果肯定会在许多方面得到回报。
第三，因为生活会带我们踏上属于我们独一无二的旅程，所以要准备好接受祂为我们预备的所有丰富的人生课程。在凡事上，要知道祂的智慧是最高的，在我们所有的成功甚至失败上，都认真地将荣耀归给他。
生活不只是一张记分卡，而是在见证我们顺服、与神结盟、敬拜祂为独一真神、永生的上帝，就像祂从古至今对祂子民的命令一样。
马来西亚华人作家陈添宝：耶利米书的灵修书挑战基督徒从上帝的话语中汲取灵感
Editor’s Note: Written during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Malaysian marketplace writer Ivan Tan’s maiden book “What If You Could Complete Jeremiah in 8 Weeks?” goes through the whole book of Jeremiah one chapter at a time. Tan, who is Malaysian Chinese worships at the Metro Tabernacle A/G. In a recent interview with China Christian Daily, Tan talked about the first devotional work he has published and how it shed light on the world under the pandemic as well as our daily life. He also shared some useful advice on daily devotion or meditation for the benefit of other common people.
China Christian Daily: Could you please introduce yourself and your new book to us?
Ivan Tan: My name is Ivan Tan or in Chinese 陈添宝, I was born and bred in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
I started my professional life in IT, and after 5 years I was awarded a scholarship to study Finance in Australia. Upon graduation, I returned to work for my ex-employer dealing with import-export of people-friendly products like organic foods. Not long after that, my brother and I started a property magazine, I then spent about nine years building up the magazine before venturing out on my own as a Partner of Rightwiz (a content writing and publishing company). At the moment I am working as a content writer and publisher with Rightwiz. I have been delivering professional content for industries such as real estate, tourism, education and sometimes in verticals like tech, science, and life pieces.
What If You Could Complete Jeremiah in 8 Weeks? is my very first book after writing and publishing many volumes in different business genres for my clients since 2006. It is a devotional book that was written during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a chapter-by-chapter devotion, it can accompany readers in their daily Bible reading, to follow the events written by Jeremiah and draw inspiration from it to abide in a closer walk with God. In a way, I hope it can pose a challenge for people to finish Jeremiah in 8 Weeks.
China Christian Daily: How did you come to write this book?
Ivan Tan: It began just as a casual daily meditation in mid-February 2020. From that morning’s devotion, I was prompted to read Jeremiah and I recorded my devotional experience in my blog at RightKingdom.com just as I sometimes would do. And then when it came to the next day, I was able to write something again. It went on smoothly maybe up to the fifth or seventh day with one chapter a day.
It was very rare that I got to journal every day this consistently, so I challenged myself, why not continue to journal the whole book? Also, since it was the COVID-19 season with most people limiting their outside movements, I thought this could be an opportunity for me to actually take on and complete the challenge. After making the decision, I almost fell off my chair because I had not realized it had 52 chapters! But I thought if God was with me, then I can do it. So, I meditated one chapter a day and tried to keep it that way, although at times I needed more days due to other work commitments.
China Christian Daily: What are the highlights and main ideas of this book?
Ivan Tan: Throughout the book of Jeremiah, I think the main highlight is obedience, and the supporting highlight is the potential to transform our lives. And these are the key messages of my book as well.
From the book of Jeremiah, we can see that God has been calling people to come back to God and worship him alone. He wanted obedience on this matter. If we are obedient to worship him, our life will be different - we will be under his care and walk in the light. Although storms might still happen, we will be protected and even though we die, we know we will go back to be with him. That is the journey of life that He wants us to live on earth. There are also other themes, including repentance, forgiveness, love, etc. But the general message is obedience.
China Christian Daily: How did you write devotions, and how is each chapter and each devotional piece structured?
Ivan Tan: In this book, each piece is for one chapter in Jeremiah. The writing was very fluid and a little creative. I read one chapter each morning as the first thing I did, then I would seek the Lord for his guidance and direction, and the revelation sometimes came immediately but it could also take days or longer. Then I would relate it with either my life, relationships, or workplace, including things that happened years ago.
Usually, for each devotional piece, there is an extract from the Bible, then the description of the text, my thoughts and things that I wanted to share or alert people with, then sometimes it ends with a prayer. For every single chapter, there is a different essence of the message. Non-Christians might think Christianity only talks about “love”, but we know that God has more to say to us.
China Christian Daily: We learned that this is your first book, and that you are neither a professional Christian book writer nor a Bible teacher, and a lot of your work-related writing is about real estate, and other fields. Do you think these features of your background provide a different perspective for your writing of this book?
Ivan Tan: I think a person’s writing is very much influenced by their background, their experience, and the life that they are going through. In fact, the more diverse the experience, the more it contributes to the thinking process. My experience in the real estate magazine and other industries revealed to me that people from these different industries think differently, behave differently, have different views about life and the world. All of these experiences enhance my writing and contribute to how I relate to the words from Jeremiah.
I included reflections on my experiences in my devotionals, some were mistakes and regrets, some were very rewarding times. And I think this makes the book a real compelling read.
Before this book, I had planned to produce another book some years back where the manuscript was reviewed by my pastor (Pastor Chin) so I could avoid any misinterpretation of the scripture. He made many comments, including what was good, what was wrong, what was too sensitive and should not be elaborated, etc. I took all these comments into consideration when I began work on this Jeremiah book and it helped me immensely to stay on the right path.
China Christian Daily: You mentioned that when you read the Book of Jeremiah during the lockdown, you found it very relevant to the world under the pandemic. Could you tell us more about this, as in, how the book of Jeremiah speaks to us now? What’s the heart of God for us?
Ivan Tan: In Jeremiah, there are passages that are directly pertinent to the COVID-19 situation. In Chapter 19 for example, v10: ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: ... They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room.’ From the doom and gloom of COVID-19, I believe we’ve all heard how there is no more room for burial in some places.
God’s heart for us has always been that he loves us. In Jeremiah, God meted out His instructions that if they were not going to repent and follow him, there would be a plan of destruction, diseases and violence. However, at the end of each of those messages, God would say that if you repent, you will be forgiven.
China Christian Daily: Personally, what do you think about COVID-19? Do you think it was human sinning and disobedience that brought the pandemic? Some Christians think that people must repent when such huge disasters take place, what do you think about this?
Ivan Tan: In my book, I touched on this question. I think each of us should reflect on ourselves. Whether or not COVID-19 happened because of our wrongdoings, let it be an instrument to correct our posture and begin to seek God. I am really not in an authoritative position to judge, but I can only say it can be an instrument to remind us to seek God again. In every tragedy, there is such a chance to reflect and come back to God. But I also think it’s important to move away from the expectation of instant gratification, that we repent today, and we become a billionaire tomorrow.
China Christian Daily: It seems that this book is quite Covid-related and was written in the height of the pandemic. Now as many countries are lifting restrictions and going back to a more normal life, would you say that this devotional is still relevant in this post-COVID situation?
Ivan Tan: I believe this book can be a timeless book, beyond the COVID-19 era. The Bible itself is timeless, and the messages in Jeremiah are timeless. The issues raised in the book include a lot about human character, including love, mercy, forgiveness, redemption, restoration, servanthood, as well as warnings about the prosperity gospel, his power, his promises, discernment, purpose, discipline, commitment, loyalty, legacy, and many other things. The values and principles written in this book, derived from and inspired by God’s word will continue to be relevant and purposeful for our lives.
China Christian Daily: You mentioned that you found that Jeremiah is surprisingly reflective of the modern society and professional marketplace. Can you please give us some specific examples?
Ivan Tan: For example, in Jeremiah 27, God informed Jeremiah that the kings will be serving Nebuchadnezzar and told them what would happen.
God spoke to the kings through Jeremiah because the kings were the leaders and had responsibilities over their people. In our workplace, similar things might happen where leaders need the wisdom to honor their roles, such as when your company is acquired by another which leads to leadership changes.
Similarly, Jeremiah 22 offers the way we should be as a leader, to be fair and just and not to oppress. Chapter 32 touched on buying lands, agreements, contracts and witnesses; chapter 34 mentioned slavery, and chapter 38 touched on negotiation, and so on.
China Christian Daily: Could you give some advice on reading or meditating on the books of the prophets, since they could be considered hard to read, or seemingly repetitive? Particularly for common people who may not have much time to dive into Bible reading every day.
Ivan Tan: Regarding the question of prophets being hard to read, I’d like to say that, apart from calling His people back, Jeremiah does include other messages. And even though it might feel repetitive or boring, you can turn back to ask yourself: do you want to know more? Do you really want to know the essence of the message? Do you want to equip yourself? If we have this mindset, we will be able to search the scripture for the answer.
When we read, it’s okay to not understand the first time. Just read it again, then we should allow ourselves some space to visualize what God was trying to tell us through the passage and frame it in the context that it was written in. Revelation can emerge at any time or sometimes not at all. But don’t despair because sometimes, without you knowing, the meaning of what we’ve just read will emerge in the next hour or halfway through the week or so.
As for busy people, I believe wholeheartedly that the Lord will speak to us at every moment if only we are ready to listen to Him. In that regard, we should always find ways and means to connect with Him. It is always important to remind ourselves that our time with God is special, so special that the two of us deserve some time alone. The time alone with God is all about quality. When we quiet down to seek him and prepare our hearts to hear from him, we will be amazed at what can transpire.
If we’re truly busy, and God is a loving and gracious Father to us, He will understand our struggles if we are genuinely missing Him. With our desires made known to Him that we want to spend time with Him, believe it or not, He will arrange our time so we can commune with Him too at the right time. By then, we just have to be ready to enjoy our time with Him.
China Christian Daily: Do you have any words for Chinese Christians?
Ivan Tan: Whatever the situation may be in China, if one has been touched by God and come to know that He is the real God, just inscribe it in your heart that the relationship with him is real and he truly is our Abba Father, and it is our privilege to be connected with him.
Secondly, I would say being a Christian opens up a whole new dimension of life perspectives that may have escaped us when we weren’t yet a believer. Just allow yourself the time to learn about it and be immersed in it when time and space permit. The fruit of our labour will certainly be rewarded in many ways when we have our faith in the Lord.
Thirdly, as life can take us on a journey unique to only our own, be ready for all the bountiful life lessons that he has prepared for us. In all things, know that his wisdom is the highest, and in earnest give glory to him for all our success and even failure.
Life is not all about a scorecard but one that sees us obedient, aligned with God, and worship him as the one true and living God, just like how he has commanded his people from the ancient days until now.
Interview: Malaysian Marketplace Writer’s Devotional Book on Jeremiah Challenges Christians to Draw Inspiration from God’s Word
