Ronnie's Thoughts

Gentle answers with God’s help

https://odb.org/2026/10/01/gentle-answers-with-gods-help

Proverbs 15:1–6 (NIV): A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
      2 The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
      3 The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
      4 The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.
      5 A fool spurns a parent’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.
      6 The house of the righteous contains great treasure, but the income of the wicked brings ruin.

“Close it up. I’ve seen enough.” Those were the words of an older, experienced beekeeper to me one afternoon when I was learning how to tend a hive. My movements had been quick and forceful. Even though I was trying to care for them, I was only making them angry. Today (years later), when I go into a hive, my motions are so much smoother that my wife tells me it almost looks like I’m dancing. Sometimes difficult conversations are like dancing with bees. When others are upset and emotions are tense, reacting angrily only makes matters worse. As King Solomon observed, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). Responding kindly and peacefully to those who are irritated or unreasonable may take time to learn. But because gentleness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit at work within us (see Galatians 5:22-23), with God’s help we can make progress in it. (James Banks, Our Daily Bread 1st October 2026)

I think we can all relate to Proverbs 15:1 that a gentle answer turns away wrath. Many great leaders are able to be calm and composed when faced with anger and loud words. In fact the mark of a leader is to be calm and composed when under pressure. In that sense I’m not a very good leader as I tend to get overly-excited speaking and sometimes when in a bad mood, I easily get agitated. So I can quickly get into a quarrel with my wife – she will blast me back when my tone is off. Fortunately, we reconcile quickly but it’s a personal weakness that has followed me throughout my life, from young till I’m an older man now.

James Banks’ piece in ODB this morning takes this point further. He postulates for gentleness in the caring of bees and then brings it into difficult conversations where the tendency is for both sides to get heated and overheated. An angry reaction solves nothing. In fact, in rare cases it may even lead to wars between nations.

First, meeting anger with gentleness takes time to learn. It’s actually a skill to be cultivated, meaning, we are naturally not made that way. Like learning to be gentle when handling bee hives, we can learn to be gentle with our words even when confronted by angry people. Perhaps having a pet may help as it is difficult to build a bond if we are rough and angry when dealing with our cat or dog.

Secondly, as gentleness is part of the fruit of the Spirit, we could seek God’s help to be gentle. That might be the most pertinent missing element. Have we ever asked the LORD to teach and help us to be gentle when dealing with people around us, our loved ones and colleagues? Gentleness will lead to kindness and compassion. It will make us a more wholesome and complete person although the day will come when we are able to see beyond our Calvary to be complete in Christ. In the meantime, let’s learn to be gentle in our words and deeds, asking the Holy Spirit to help us along!

Elemental spiritual forces of this world

https://odb.org/2026/09/30/not-ritual-but-christ

Example of the elemental forces of this world

Colossians 2:6–15 (NIV): 6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

In Santa Fe, New Mexico, thousands gather each year to burn Zozobra—a fifty-foot towering effigy stuffed with their worries, bills, and regrets. They shout, “Burn him!” as they hope the flames will devour their anxieties and troubles and reset their lives. The apostle Paul wrote, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ” (Colossians 2:8). He reminded his readers that they shouldn’t trade Jesus for empty substitutes, and he explains why: Christ is the visible “image of the invisible God” (1:15), is supreme over creation (1:16), fully God in human flesh (2:9), and victorious over “every power and authority” (v. 10). Because of His death and resurrection, we’re “rooted and built up in him” (v. 7), and fully alive and forgiven by Him (v. 13). Human rituals and cultural ceremonies can mesmerize a crowd, but only Jesus can cancel sin’s debt and break its grip forever. (Marvin Williams, Our Daily Bread 30th September 2026)

Paul wrote, “[God] has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith . . . and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel” (1:22-23). The apostle is combatting false teaching here—probably Gnosticism. Among its claims were that Christ didn’t have a physical body. This isn’t a biblical teaching, as it denies the crucifixion and resurrection. Paul warned, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy” (2:8). As he said, “You were dead in your sins” but now “God made you alive with Christ” (v. 13). When we accept Jesus’ sacrifice as payment for our sin, we become free from sin’s burden. (Insight, Our Daily Bread, 30th September 2026)

Besides Ephesians 6:12 (our fight is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers and authorities and powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies), Colossians 2:8 and 2:15 are the other verses (there are others as well) that Paul speaks about the spiritual world that co-exists with us in the natural realm. In Colossians 2:8, Paul uses the phrase “elemental spiritual forces of the world”, powerful forces that may continue to torment us even after we have come to faith whilst they continue to hold in captivity the rest of the world who have yet believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

As believers, being aware of the spiritual realm helps us recognise that there are parallel forces that may bind others when we witness and reach out with the Gospel. So before we reach out to any specific person, we should spend time praying against these elemental spiritual forces binding the person. We will find that such intercessory prayer helps us in our evangelism efforts although ultimately it is the Holy Spirit who will make the real conviction.

But, more importantly, we must not indulge or engage in or with any of such elemental spiritual forces of the world. That’s dangerous territory and has the potential of deceptively and inevitably drawing us away from our faith. This is particularly so as one day we may accept, for example, like in the West, propositions by the LBGTQ+ community that homosexuality is permitted in the bible or is a norm in society. The influences of these elemental forces is subtle and over time, we may be influenced and our faith compromised. Or dabbling with occultic practices out of curiosity or for some ulterior motive like getting rich (for example, fengshui practices to bring in wealth).

The message this morning is to pray against such elemental spiritual forces exerting themselves in our midst and to stay clear of them in our actions and the things we do. Do not engage or dabble in any form of occultic practices. We put our complete trust and faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit and Yahweh our Father God, the one and only true Almigthy God of the universe who sent His only begotten Son to the world so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have life everlasting. Always remember the First Commandment – you shall have no other gods before Me!

Listening to the voice of the Father

https://odb.org/2026/09/29/listening-to-god-2026

Ecclesiastes 5:1–5 (NIV): 5 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. 2 Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. 3 A dream comes when there are many cares, and many words mark the speech of a fool. 4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. 5 It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.

In a TED Talk, Celeste Headlee outlines “10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation.” One of those might appear to be counterintuitive: In order to have good conversation, we need to listen. Often when the other person is talking, we aren’t really listening to them but forming in our minds what we next want to say. Headlee quotes author Stephen Covey: “Most of us don’t listen with the intent to understand. We listen with the intent to reply.”

Scripture has much to say about listening, especially when it comes to God. Ecclesiastes is rather blunt: “Keep your ears open and your mouth shut” (Ecclesiastes 5:1 nlt). It reminds us that God knows a whole lot more than we do—“God is in heaven” (v. 2)—so it’s wise for us to listen to Him. A verse in Proverbs seems to resonate with the quotes from Headlee and Covey: “Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions” (18:2). (Kenneth Petersen, Our Daily Bread 29th September 2026)

Having the posture of a listening and responsive heart is an important part of prayer. We often hear from God as His Spirit nudges us to the Scriptures (John 14:26), which challenge us to listen to and obey His words and enlighten us to wisdom for the challenges of life. This may explain why obey and listen are the same word (shema) in Hebrew. To hear God and not obey Him is the greatest of follies. In 1 Samuel 15:22, Saul is chastened by Samuel’s words: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice.” (Bill Crowder, Insight, Our Daily Bread 29th September 2026)

It is interesting to note that Scripture actually teaches us to listen to God when we pray as I think most of us just want to shoot away our various requests and supplications, whether it is for ourselves, our loved ones or our friends and brethren. The tendency when we pray is to voice out our thoughts to God our Father. Because God is a spirit and unseen, it is difficult for us to have an ongoing conversation with Him like we do with another fellow human being.

However, we do know that in our quiet time, as we pray we also ask the Lord to speak to us. The easiest way for God to speak to us is through Scriptures and that is why in our quiet time, prayer should go hand in hand with bible reading and worship. As we pray, we read the Bible and also worship – worship ushers in the presence of God and prepares our heart and spirit to receive of Him, His Word for us.

Practically, to hear His voice speaking to our hearts needs practice. It is not something that will come naturally although a sheep will always recognise the voice of the Shepherd. We will not be sure at first but after some time and in faith, we will recognise His voice and will know as He speaks. This is because our spirit is already awakened (born-again) and thus we have the capacity and capability to hear the voice of God the Father, Jesus Christ our Lord and the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Just a final thought for the day – listening goes beyond just hearing. As Bill Crowder says in today’s Insight, listening is obeying. In fact in Hebrew, the same word – shema – is used for both. To listen to God is to obey Him and I can guarantee you that in every instance that we take heed of His voice, we will not be shortchanged or lose out. Banish the idea that obeying God limits our freedom or choices. Instead it is wisdom from the heaven from the One who is omniscient (all knowing). He sees the past, the present and the future and has seen human behaviour and psychology since ancient times. Most importantly, He is still guiding and nudging us to fulfil His plans and purposes for our lives that He had prepared for us before the foundations of the world. Listening to God leads us closer to His destiny for us in this world!

Rejection by others, acceptance by God

https://odb.org/2026/09/28/accepted-by-god

Judges 10:17–11:8 (NIV): 17 When the Ammonites were called to arms and camped in Gilead, the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah. 18 The leaders of the people of Gilead said to each other, “Whoever will take the lead in attacking the Ammonites will be head over all who live in Gilead.”
11 Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. 2 Gilead’s wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. “You are not going to get any inheritance in our family,” they said, “because you are the son of another woman.” 3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a gang of scoundrels gathered around him and followed him.
4 Some time later, when the Ammonites were fighting against Israel, 5 the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6 “Come,” they said, “be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites.” 7 Jephthah said to them, “Didn’t you hate me and drive me from my father’s house? Why do you come to me now, when you’re in trouble?”
8 The elders of Gilead said to him, “Nevertheless, we are turning to you now; come with us to fight the Ammonites, and you will be head over all of us who live in Gilead.”

In spite of Harold’s outstanding record in his medical studies, no hospital in London hired him because of the color of his skin. So in 1913 he opened his own practice in his home, often treating the poor for free. Dr. Harold Moody spent his life helping those discriminated against, earning him the title “Britain’s Martin Luther King.”

Although a mighty warrior, Jephthah was rejected by his half brothers and driven away from their town. They told him, “You are not going to get any inheritance in our family . . . because you are the son of another woman” (Judges 11:2). “So Jephthah fled from his brothers” and settled in another area (v. 3). Although his family rejected him, God didn’t. When an enemy made war on Israel, it was Jephthah that the people turned to for help (vv. 4-6). They said, “Be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites” (v. 6). God used and helped Jephthah to subdue their enemy (vv. 29, 32-33) and to later lead Israel (Judges 12:7). (Karen Huang, Our Daily Bread 28th September 2026)

Jephthah the warrior was rejected by others, but God used him for His purpose (Judges 11:2-3, 29). Jesus also understood rejection. He was rejected by the people of His hometown of Nazareth, who doubted His authority (Mark 6:1-6). He was rejected by the Pharisees and other Jewish religious leaders who plotted to kill Him (3:6). Many of His followers deserted Him (John 6:60-66). For a time, His siblings failed to believe He was the Messiah (7:5). His disciple Judas Iscariot betrayed Him (18:2-3). At His trial, the people shouted for His crucifixion (Mark 15:13). When we face rejection, we can bring our pain to Him knowing He understands. He sees us, loves us, and accepts us. (Alyson Kieda, Insight, Our Daily Bread 28th September 2026)

We face rejection in the ordinary course of life because not everything will flow as we expected or wanted. If we have ever tried to win over a girl or a guy, most would have faced rejection or incompatibility before we find the right one. Unless, of course, we didn’t try in the first place! In fact, the fear of rejection is probably why some people have never been in a relationship. In life, if we dare not try, we will never get as trying always involves some chance that there will be rejection or disappointment. People who are successful will tell you that they never gave up trying despite failures, rejections and disappointments.

But what we like to focus on this morning is not to let the rejection of others shape us. This is because even though the world may reject us, God accepts us and He has His plans and purposes for our lives. His plans and purposes could be something in the Kingdom of God but it could also be something in the world for us to make a living and contribute to society. As much as Dr Harold Moody couldn’t find work in the hospitals of his time, he set up his own practice to treat others, often without charge. He didn’t sulk and withdrew into a world of his own. Instead he found another way to serve society by opening up his own home to treat people who faced discrimination and rejection.

Never let our past rejections define us. Instead look to our Saviour for the inspiration to do something else that He had prepared for us even before the foundations of the world. Each and everyone of us have our place in this big, wide world of 8 billion people. In a world where even fresh graduates find it increasingly difficult to find work, we need to look to God. He accepts us even if we may have not found acceptance after sending out 500 job applications. The world may reject us, but Yahweh accepts us and will guide us to our destined place in this world if we put our trust and hope in Him. As He takes care of the birds of the air, if we seek His Kingdom first and His righteousness, He will make sure we will continue to live! That’s the promise of His Word in Matthew 6:33.

P/s I only posted one post last week as I was away for my Legal Department’s off site team building event in Melaka. My apologies for those who were waiting for my posts.

The heart that matters

https://odb.org/2026/09/21/the-heart-of-the-matter

1 Samuel 16:6–12 (NIV): 6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.”
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” 9 Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the LORD chosen this one.” 10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”
12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.
Then the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”

When we make assumptions, we base them on external factors that may not have any bearing on the moment. It’s helpful to recall the story of David’s selection as future king of Israel. As the prophet Samuel considered Jesse’s eldest son, he thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord” (1 Samuel 16:6). But God told Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (v. 7). Basing judgments on appearances will lead to wrong conclusions. We do well to let God do the judging. He sees the heart of the matter. (Bill Crowder, Our Daily Bread 21st September 2026)

We all should have heard about this before that God sees our heart. The story of David’s anointing by Samuel perfectly illustrates this principle that although he was the youngest and thus the weakest among Jesse’s sons, the LORD still chose him. Of course, the memo to Samuel was to anoint a particular person, not one of the sons of Jesse. It was target specific. It was in advance, well before David’s time as he was still a young shepherd boy then. Nevertheless, the fact God chose him and not the other sons of Jesse goes to show that the LORD looked beyond physical appearance and into his heart for the future.

Not so much the state of David’s heart at that point but the characteristic of his heart that puts God first – the bible uses the phrase “a man after His heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). It is a characteristic that Saul didn’t have when he offered the offering that only Samuel could because he didn’t want to wait anymore. So it’s from that incident that came the principle – obedience is better than sacrifice. You may read it in 1 Samuel 13 and how Samuel broke it to Saul that God had by then decided to choose someone else to be king).

We know from the narratives recorded in the bible that David had two clear opportunities to take Saul’s life but he didn’t even though Saul was after his life. David held on to the principle not to touch the LORD’s anointed (Psalm 105:15 and 1 Chronicles 16:22) and thus believed that if it’s God’s will that he would be king, then the LORD will make the way for him to ascend the throne. He need not do it himself although he had clear justification to do so – he was already anointed by Samuel as Saul’s successor and Saul was out to kill him. David had a heart that’s fully committed to God. He would never take things into his own hands. In fact when he eventually did with Bathsheba, he suffered immensely.

In our Christian walk, a heart that is always for God is a heart that, amongst others, fully trusts in God. Like in Psalm 147:11 – the LORD delights in those who fear Him and who put their hope in His unfailing love. David is the shining example. He fully trusted God that the day will come when he will replace Saul – it is not his place in the larger scheme of things to engineer that himselfa. God will make all things beautiful in His time.

Have a good week ahead, everyone! Commit our ways to Him, in all things give thanks and trust Him to make our paths straight! Amen! Hallelujah!

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God

https://odb.org/2026/09/18/seeking-gods-kingdom

Matthew 6:25–34 (NIV): 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

In Matthew 6, Jesus speaks straight to our struggle with worry about what we’ll eat and drink, about our body and what we’ll wear (v. 25). The Greek root of the word translated “worry” means to be torn in two directions—the direction of faith versus self-reliance. In verse 33, Jesus offers the solution to worry: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” It’s a challenge to us to choose and follow the one direction that leads straight to His heart. (Elisa Morgan, Our Daily Bread 18th September 2026)

In Matthew 6:25-33, Jesus used a principle for logic and interpretation sometimes called qal wahomer, Hebrew for “light and heavy.” It argues that if something is true for something less important (“light”), it’s also true for something more important (“heavy”). Christ used this principle to emphasize that if God cares for the birds and clothes the fields, how much more must He care for His beloved children (Matthew 6:26-30). When we trust God, we exchange our preoccupation on what’s less important for a devotion to what’s most important. Today, when we struggle with worry, God can help us focus on Him, knowing that He’ll take care of all our needs (v. 33). (Monica La Rose, Insight, Our Daily Bread 18th September 2026)

When I was growing up, my father kept a running account of our household expenses and I could see that we had just enough to live on. But as a child, I didn’t worry about where my next meal will come from as I always had something to eat at home. Putting food on the table I guess at that time was my dad’s worry. We seldom eat out as that’s a luxury those days. We adapted in life by having less things in terms of clothes, furniture and toys. I recall that my worry then was what will become of our lives if something were to happen to my dad as my mum was a stay home mum and was not earning an income. I also remember that we never had air conditioning at home and the telephone was only installed when I was older, likely a few years after I started schooling.

I believe every human adult worry about such things as the cost of living is not decreasing year in and year out. Inflation is real. Things are getting more expensive and as we grow older our needs increase, especially after marriage and with children. So we hope to earn more as we mature and become better at what we do for a living. As a safety net, experts advise us to have a parallel source of income so if we lose our day job, we have something else to hang on to. Nowadays, the younger ones are mostly into YouTubing, Insta and becoming somewhat an influencer and some even do that full-time.

As believers, one of the popular bible verse we place our hopes on is Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. It promises that if we pursue God and His Kingdom and His righteousness, we need not worry too much about what we will eat, wear or stay. Jesus taught this by asking us to look at the birds of the air. If they can live as provided by God through nature, what more us – His beloved children? Will God not take care of our needs since we are His precious children? Do we have to worry that we will go hungry and have nothing to wear or have a roof over our heads? So long as we hold a steady job and follow Him, our needs will be taken care of. We will surely progress in life and my own life is a living testimony of Matthew 6:33.

I have pursued God and His kingdom and righteousness for more than 40 years now since I accepted Christ and have seen how He has blessed me with a loving family, material wealth and good and steady jobs over the years. Worldly wealth is relative but I can safely say that I am able to enjoy a nice cup of gourmet Arabica coffee every working day without thinking too much! Of course with the profileration of coffee shops beyond the US-origin Starbucks and Coffee Bean, prices have become more reasonable nowadays!

Have a good weekend, everyone! May we all be recharged as we rest and worship Him on Sunday to go back to the world and earn our living next week and live out His promises for our lives!

Commit our struggles unto the LORD

https://odb.org/2026/09/17/look-to-god

Nehemiah 4:6–14 (NIV): 6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”
11 Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

As they prayed, Elise started to feel more assured. Just keep looking to God, she told herself. With this God-given peace of mind and Sam’s practical tip, she went to work—and completed the task in time. As she did so, Elise recalled the Israelites’ mammoth task of rebuilding their city wall (Nehemiah 4). As if it wasn’t difficult enough, enemies mocked them and conspired to sabotage their work. But Nehemiah encouraged them to keep looking to God. “By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall,” Judah said, but Nehemiah replied, “Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome.” (vv. 10, 14 esv). Then he deployed the men to work on the wall and guard against attackers, with leaders behind them (v. 16). He also encouraged them, saying, “Our God will fight for us” (v. 20). (Leslie Koh, Our Daily Bread 17th September 2026)

We should spend some time reading the book of Nehemiah as it keeps an account how the exiles after the second invasion of Israel (Judah) were allowed to return and rebuild the Temple and Jerusalem. Biblically this is also known as the Babylonian invasion. It was by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon where the Temple was destroyed but it had a happy ending in the sense that the Temple and Jerusalem walls were rebuilt by Nehemiah and the people working with him including Ezra the prophet.

The ancient Jewish exiles were allowed to return because there was a change in the political powers in the natural (political shift) as Babylon was later invaded by the Persians. It was the Persian King, Cyrus the Great, who issued the decree allowing the Israelites to return to Israel, unlike the first invasion of Israel by the Assyrians which led to the loss of the ten tribes. Not that the Northern Israelites were killed but they never returned during those biblical times as they assimilated into Assyrian society. I’m not sure though whether modern day Israel (constituted in 1948) comprised of those who originated from those ten tribes.

The thrust of today’s devotion is when we commit our struggles to God like Nehemiah did, He will help us through our struggles. So if we are struggling over something whether personally or at work or in the family or even in the church, let the Lord take control and hopefully the issues and struggles will be resolved.

But note that in respect of the Babylonian invasion, a geo-political shift at the superpower level (surely pre-arranged by God Himself at the highest levels just like He allowed the Babylonians to overrun Jerusalem) allowed a change at the micro level enabling the exiles’ return. Like the Jacob clan who ended up becoming slaves in Egypt after Joseph passed with new Pharoahs ruling Egypt, macro changes and political shifts affect lives of ordinary people.

We do not know what the future lies for Malaysia with the uncertainty posed by the upcoming GE16, but we pray that God will allow us especially Malaysian believers in Christ to enjoy a time of peace, and political and social stability for our children to grow and earn a living and have their own children. Most importantly, for years to come where we may freely worship God like we used to in this beloved country of ours for the past 100 years! Blessed Malaysia Day again!

The gift of salvation and eternal life

https://odb.org/2026/09/16/eternity-with-god

John 11:17–27 (NIV): 17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Death may be “normal” because it will happen to everyone. But those who love and serve Jesus can prepare for their death without fear, as we see in Jesus’ conversation with His beloved friend Martha after her brother had died. Jesus promised her that Lazarus would “rise again” (John 11:23). He told her that He is “the resurrection and the life” and that “the one who believes in [Him] will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in [Him] will never die” (vv. 25-26). Martha responded by making one of the few professions in the New Testament that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God (v. 27). She believed. (Amy Boucher Pye, Our Daily Bread 16th September 2026)

One of the fundamental truth we could derive from Jesus’s encounter with Lazarus is that as much as Jesus had proven that He was God by raising Lazarus from the dead (after 4 days when the body had already entered active decay with discolouration and bloating), there is a greater resurrection awaiting us, one that is greater than Lazarus’s.

Jesus in raising Lazarus had reversed the effects of decomposition and restored life, Lazarus will nevertheless still grow old and die naturally like everyone else. Like the feeding of the 5,000 – Lazarus’s resurrection was a miracle defying nature that only a creator God could manage. Yet salvation promises an even greater miracle of reuniting our soul/spirit with a new glorified body one day (it matters not how we died) when Jesus returns again. This was demonstrated by Jesus’s own glorified body witnessed by His disciples and other followers for 40 days after His death and resurrection. That’s the miracle and hope of our salvation, that one day we will live with God dwelling amongst His people in the new heaven and new earth and the new holy city of Jerusalem as revealed in Revelation 21.

Salvation is encapsulated in the phrase of “one death but two births” – that is, if you are born twice, you will only die once but if you are only born once, you will die twice. The former speaks of believers in Jesus Christ who experienced their second birth by being born-again in the spirit, while the latter speaks of those who rejected Jesus and thus will die again in the spirit after their physical death on earth (condemned to the place of fire and gnashing of teeth). It is only those who responded to God’s gift of salvation will experience eternal life and will only die once in the natural.

Eternal life means we will live forever like God originally intended for Adam (mankind) in the Garden of Eden in Eden Recreated (Revelation 21). Eternal life is made possible by the death of Jesus on the cross having defeated sin and death. With the availability once again the Tree of Life and Jesus being the bread of life and the river of everlasting waters, mankind who had accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, will never die again. Death is “normal” in the present world – in the world to come, life will be the new norm!

Salvation and eternal life is freely given by the grace of God. Accept it if you haven’t done so and protect it with all you have if you have already believed!

John 3 16 KJV – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

P/s Blessed Malaysia Day 2026!

Patience as a virtue

https://odb.org/2026/09/15/be-patient

Ephesians 4:1–6 (NIV): 4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Oguni’s creative genius led to what is known as the Restaurant of Mistaken Orders, an actual restaurant with this added twist—all the wait staff struggle with memory loss. Now, from the usual business perspective, the results were poor—thirty-seven percent of the time, the guests did not receive what they ordered. But those guests also expect such problems, so they understand. After these “surprises,” apologies and hearty laughter ensue, and customers leave happy. Paul writes, “Be patient” (Ephesians 4:2)—and we all know that’s so much easier said than done because it involves bearing with each other, a word that can mean everything from “carrying” to “enduring” to “supporting.” In other words, effort is involved. Yet if the effort has its source in God’s love as opposed to our own strength, the burden is lightened and leads to a lighthearted way of living, full of surprises and apologies and even laughter. (John Blase, Our Daily Bread 15th September 2026)

Patience is one of the more difficult virtues to attain as we live in a world where we expect people to understand and do things quickly. Perhaps in the smaller towns, the pace is more leisurely and laid back, but in the big city things move fast. That’s part of city living I guess.

I take the train to work and I see that every day – people tend to walk fast to catch the train. That is why besides an increase in daily steps, taking the train is good exercise as practically no one walks leisurely. If you’ve been to Hong Kong or worked with people there, you will see that they walk and work very fast, almost frantic in their pace. As a result, they also think very fast.

Unfortunately, in the world, increasingly people suffer from dementia or related illnesses leading to slower responses and forgetfulness and mistakes. So imagine ordering cafe latte and chicken sandwiches to get americano and chicken chop! Unless we are understanding and patient, that is unacceptable except at the Restaurant of Mistaken Orders! Then it becomes a comedy of errors, a fun-filled time anticipating what we will get but driven by abundant patience and understanding.

In the church or at work, we encounter all sorts of people at different levels of competence, urgency and outward appearance (though friendly, some may harbour evil intentions!). Not suffering from dementia but likely with a different take towards life and work. Especially in church, we need to be patient and enduring. For example, after countless times of reminding people that the service starts at 9.30 am, there are still people trotting in at 9.45 am and we know that for most families, getting everyone ready and into the car could well be a chaotic and messy shouting affair! The irony of it all is that the farther you stay, the earlier you will usually arrive in church!

Life encounters us with a variety of characters, even scheming evil manipulators. We need patience and endurance to deal with these people, more so in the context of the church. Our role in church is to build up and encourage, not to tear down and destroy. We are to stabilise and put lives into a steady and strong footing in the faith, so they may grow spiritually and in their knowledge of Jesus Christ and fulfil God’s calling for their lives. Most importantly, we are to guide them to continually be on the narrow path of righteousness that leads to eternal life. Much patience and endurance on our part is sometimes needed and it works best if fueled and powered by God’s love, power and strength. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we will surely be able to endure and be patient with one another! Amen!

Our God will help us

https://odb.org/2026/09/14/the-god-who-helps

Exodus 2:23–25 (NIV): 23 During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.

The Israelites desperately cried out to God for help because they were being severely mistreated by the Egyptians, who had enslaved them (Exodus 1:11-12). Working them ruthlessly, “they made their lives bitter with harsh labor” (vv. 13-14). The Israelites must have wondered if they’d even survive the cruelty. But God heard their cries and raised up Moses to deliver them (3:4-10). Eventually God used him to rescue them and lead them out of Egypt (see Exodus 14-15). (Anne Cetas, Our Daily Bread 14th September 2026)

God worked through Joseph to preserve His people, who at the time of their migration to Egypt four hundred years earlier had been seventy in number (Exodus 1:5). Now, as the King James Version so poetically renders it, “There arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph” (v. 8). This pharaoh enslaved the Hebrews, who were now numerous, and he began to commit infanticide against them (v. 22). But Pharaoh’s murderous net failed to get the baby Moses (2:1-10). As God had used Joseph to establish His people, He’d now use Moses to deliver them. But it would take time. Forty years would pass before Moses futilely tried to help his own people (Acts 7:23), and forty more would go by until God called him out of the desert (v. 30). Still another forty years would transpire as God corrected and instructed His disobedient people (v. 36; Deuteronomy 2:7; Joshua 5:6). (Tim Gustafson, Insight, Our Daily Bread 14th September 2026)

There is no doubt God will help us through our perils and troubles. He demonstrated that clearly when He raised up Moses to deliver the Israelites from Egypt. Joseph saved them when they were only a 70-strong Jacob’s clan. They resettled in Egypt from Canaan to escape the long famine where God used Joseph to save the Hebrews as well as the Egyptians when Egypt as a superpower kept 7 years worth of wheat in anticipation of 7 years of famine. No one would prepare so much excess for an entire nation without divine knowledge. After 430 years, they had become slaves to the Egyptians for around 200 years and they cried out to God to deliver them from their severe mistreatment by the Egyptians.

On Saturday night at our Young Adults life group, we dwelled into this question – why is it difficult for us to put our hope in His unfailing love (Psalm 147:11)? We know His love will not fail and He will come through for us, yet it remains challenging to trust Him completely. One of the reasons is because we cannot be sure of His timing. The Lord will make all things beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:21), and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). Trusting Him fully also means accepting His timing and also the manner of His intervention. Trusting Him also means we accept He knows what’s best for us.

The Israelites in Egypt had to wait altogether for eighty years before God spoke to Moses from the burning bush. Moses was forty when he left the palace to see for himself the condition of his people and as a result of him killing an Egyptian to protect his own people, he had to flee Egypt. He fled to a place called Midian, married Jethro the Priest’s daughter Zipporah and lived as a shepherd for 40 years before he received His calling at the burning bush.

God’s intervention is based on His timing and it takes time. For example, I received a prophesy in 2017 and although I’ve seen part of it coming to pass, I’m still waiting for the rest to be a reality in my life. The Lord has His reasons for His timing. It is thus best for us to leave everything to Him and prepare ourselves in the meantime. Sanctify our lives, serve Him and faithfully fulfil His plans and purposes for our lives.

Have a good week ahead, everyone!