Personal Story of Derek Lam
My Swiss mother met my Chinese father in London, England, got married in Zurich, Switzerland, and decided to move to Malaysia where I was born. Growing up in the heat of the tropics, I appreciated my rich cultural heritage and loved the variety of ethnic foods, as well as the holidays associated with the different religions of the country.
I attended public school. Malaysia was a British colony, and for many years, it enjoyed a high standard of education. However, during my generation, the medium of instruction moved from English to Malay, and the average class size became fifty students. It wasn’t long before I fell behind significantly with my studies.
My parents decided to move me to a private British school. There the average class size was 15. I loved learning in English, the language I spoke at home. I was exposed to even more cultures and nationalities, because it was attended by students from all over the world. As we studied the main religions of the world, I noticed that they were basically different ways of people trying to avoid going to Hell and to reach Heaven through good works. While I was at the private school, I had two close friends, one from Bangladesh and the other from Italy. We would often walk around the school grounds discussing the different religions of the world. We wondered why there were so many different religions, and which one was the right one to follow.
I believed I was a Christian – we celebrated Christmas and Easter. I even prayed to God every night and would ask Him to forgive all my sins. My nightly routine was to list off my sins and end the prayer with, “Please God forgive me for any sin I might have forgotten about” to make sure I covered my bases. I would fall asleep hoping God had heard my prayer. However, I always had the nagging concern, “What if I sinned in the morning, died in the afternoon, and never got to pray at night; would I go to Heaven or Hell?” I had no real peace. The private school went up to Grade 8. After that, my parents felt it was time to leave Malaysia and move to British Columbia, Canada. While still in Grade 8, my teacher invited us to her church, where we watched the series, “Thief in the Night”. It was all about the second coming of Christ. Now I had a new worry! Little did I know that God was preparing my heart to hear the good news of salvation.
We bought a house opposite a kind, Christian couple. It wasn’t long before we were invited to a series of children’s meetings where I heard the gospel for the very first time. Growing up in Malaysia, I already knew I was a sinner, but I never knew that the reason the Lord Jesus came into this world was to die on the cross for my sins. I remember asking our neighbour, “When the Lord Jesus died on the cross, did He die for ALL my sins?” Her affirmative answer was the best thing I had ever heard! There wasn’t a specific verse that spoke to my heart, and I don’t remember the exact date I got saved. However, I do remember thanking God that evening for sending His Son to die on the cross for all my sins: past, present, and future! I finally had peace.
I later got the assurance of my salvation through Bible verses such as – “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). As I grew up in Malaysia, I knew the truth of the first part of this verse, but it wasn’t until I came to Canada that I discovered the truth in the second part of the verse. The promise of eternal life was a GIFT through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. In my simple faith, I reached out and accepted that most wonderful gift, the gift of eternal life.
I learned that salvation was not through a religion but rather through a person. The Lord Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
I am so thankful that He rose again from the dead and could say, “… because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19). I am so thankful that God loved me so much that He was willing to send His Son into the world. I am also thankful for the day a kind lady from across the street knocked on my door and shared the most wonderful news I had ever heard in my life. “Jesus died for all my sins! Hallelujah, what a Saviour!”
Share this Post
