Author Archives: Ronnie Lim

https://odb.org/2023/11/07/destruction-destroyed There is something alluring about forbidden fruits that ping our curiosity and will potentially lead us into trouble. In horror movies, there is always a room that is kept sealed, but somebody will open it to see what’s inside and unleash a trail of terror and destruction. In Genesis 3, the serpent started hisContinue reading “The deception of the devil”

https://odb.org/2023/11/06/persistent-pizza When I was growing up in primary school in Situawan, a small town on the West Coast of Malaysia, I was a baby Scout. If Boy Scouts may be equated to wolves, we were cubs. Although we were only cubs, we did most of the things the older ones did, including doing voluntary workContinue reading “A good deed a day”

https://odb.org/2023/11/05/welcome-home-3 I lost my father about one and a half years ago, just a couple of weeks shy of his 80th birthday. My mum passed on 14 years ago. I miss both of them very much, and I am technically now an orphan, having no parent still alive on earth. Of course, an orphan isContinue reading “Our Heavenly Father”

https://odb.org/2023/11/03/reflecting-the-light-of-the-son Couples’ quarrels are common even after years of marriage. A lot of harsh words may be uttered in the heat of the moment. Fortunately, for most couples, they argue within the strong foundation of their marriage, which, because of their undying love for each other, is usually a safe harbour in the midst ofContinue reading “Pause before we respond”

https://odb.org/2023/11/02/everybody-worships When I was growing up, before I became a Christian, I’ll say a prayer to God through a family ritual taught to me by my Taoist-believing uncle. So whenever I have a request, I’ll say a prayer in that fashion, calling out to God who, unfortunately, I didn’t know then. At that time, IContinue reading “The God we worship”

https://odb.org/2023/10/31/under-gods-wings I think the picture of a mother geese protecting her little goslings from people or animals that come too close to them is an excellent picture of God protecting His people. In Psalm 61, David describes the LORD as a rock that is higher than him, a shelter in His wings, a tent, andContinue reading “Shelter of His wings”

https://odb.org/2023/10/30/smartphone-compassion Nowadays, it is more common to have ratings after a stay, a meal, or after using an e-hailing service. In fact, I watched a movie about people’s lives in the future being determined by their ratings on social media to the extent that it affects their credit, where they could stay, and even theirContinue reading “Compassion and ratings”

https://odb.org/2023/10/29/you-can-trust-god As a believer, the issue of trusting God doesn’t really arise since we can see from the Psalms and the history of Israel throughout the pages of the Old Testament that He is trustworthy. He punished the Israelites for their unfaithfulness and insolence, and yet He rescued them when He saw them suffering tooContinue reading “Trusting God”

https://odb.org/2023/10/27/three-kings If we read the Old Testament books of 1 and 2 Kings as well as 1 and 2 Chronicles, we will see that most of the kings of Israel and later Judah (after Israel was divided into the Southern and Northern kingdoms) were either unfaithful to Yahweh or did evil things. It is bothContinue reading “Kings in the Bible”

https://odb.org/2023/10/26/beauty-for-ashes Under Mosaic law, the Israelites were to tend and cultivate their fields for 6 years and then let it rest for a year as a sabbath. It’s a good law that allows the soil to recover its fertility naturally. In geography, we know that most large river deltas like the Mekong or the IrrawaddyContinue reading “Year of the Jubilee”