https://odb.org/MY/2021/12/31/one-day-closer-to-christmas

We had looked forward towards Christmas and now Christmas is over. We looked forward to the year-end holidays and today is the last day of the year. Of course for us who are Chinese Christians, Chinese New Year or CNY is exactly a month away this time on 1st February 2022. So at least for us Chinese believers we have another festival to look forward to although it’s back to the grind for most of us come Monday. I for one have circa 12 contracts to negotiate and close this coming January 2022 and I say wow to myself!

So one way to comfort ourselves after Christmas is over is to say that we are one day closer to Christmas, the next one! It’s the same with our birthday. After it is over, we are one day closer to our next birthday.

The only problem with that is that we are sounding a little bit presumptuous. It’s as though we think we will live forever when we know that life and death is in the hands of God. Will we live till the next Christmas, our next birthday? Will we? We will never know for sure what our next moment is, what more months ahead! Life is vanity indeed! We are but a fleeting moment in time.

I think as humans we need to plan ahead, prepare in advance in terms of work, ministry, calling, savings, retirement and if we are younger in terms of education, experience, exposure, career progression, ministry, family, children, children’s education etc. However, I think we must always also remember at the back of our heads that anytime the Lord may call us back or He may return. Like our marriage vows for those of us who have married – “till death do us part or till our Lord returns”. Even if the world as we know it doesn’t come to an end just yet, our time here on earth may come to an end.

So I do agree with the ODB writer today – another day is indeed another day closer to our Lord’s return. Every day forward, any new day is a day closer. A day closer to us meeting Jesus, whether we go or whether He comes. Are we ready? Have we fulfilled His calling for us? In our planning for our next birthday, our next Christmas – have we charted what we will do for our calling in Christ? Are we on the way or out of the way? Are we even on the chosen path, the narrow road? Let’s take some time to think and reflect and pray as 2021 comes to an end and 2022 begins.

Blessed 2022 and may 2022 be a better year for all of us in all that we do; our work, ministry, family and our faith and walk with God! Happy New Year, everyone! Take care and stay safe!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/12/30/better-than-gold-2

I had shared before in a previous post (https://ronnielim.com/2021/09/11/choosing-god-is-choosing-wisdom/) that if given a choice like Solomon, we would probably all choose wisdom over wealth as with the former we may acquire the latter. But if we examine the issue more deeply, we will realise that actually choosing wisdom means choosing God and with that all the blessings of heaven will flow our way. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.

In real life, we are not directly asked by God to choose between wisdom and wealth. It was a question posed to Solomon, as a lesson to all, to ask whatever he wanted and God would give to him (1 Kings 3) and Solomon asked for a discerning heart to govern the people and to distinguish between right and wrong. God was pleased that Solomon asked for a discerning heart to dispense justice and not wealth or a long life or death for his enemies and because of that, God told Solomon that He will grant him a wise and discerning heart, and also what he did not ask for – wealth and honour so that there will not be an equal among kings in his lifetime.

Although God may not have asked us the question like He asked Solomon, we could apply this to our lives perhaps in this manner; the key to Solomon’s answer was that he was young and thus did not know how to carry out his duties as King. Solomon was more concerned on how best to fulfil His calling before God. He was not focused on enjoying the perks or power that his station in life brought, which is what most young kings would have done as can be seen in the bible and in human history. Solomon had a heart to do God’s will in his life and that to me was the key as to why he chose wisdom over wealth or health or the downfall of his enemies. He wanted to be able to fulfil his calling as King to the best of his ability and thus asked for a discerning heart to know right and wrong to govern his people.

I think we can all be like Solomon although God may not have spoken to us in a dream like He did with Solomon. The prayer we should all pray is for us to be given all that may be required, based on His abundant grace and mercy, so that we may be able, like Solomon, to fulfil God’s calling for our lives. Whatever is required whether it is opportunities, finance, a seminary education, a promotion, open doors – may God grant us that so we may do our part for His Kingdom. Wealth or health – all are good and well but most importantly will we ask the LORD to give us all that we need to fulfil His calling for us? We start by responding to His call and we work towards fulfilling His call and as we respond and work, may God facilitate all that we need to carry out our role and responsibilities in His Kingdom. Read 1 Kings 3:1-15 and see the heart of Solomon. May we be like Solomon that God may grant us our prayer and request like He granted Solomon. Amen

https://odb.org/MY/2021/12/29/lion-lamb-savior

It is a unique and special quality of Jesus Christ that He is both Lion of Judah from the lineage of David and Lamb of God that was slain on the cross for the sins of mankind. He is also the Lion of Judah because the Lamb that was slain rose victorious and is alive! Jesus is both mighty, strong and fierce as well as humble and meek. In Revelation 5:5-7, we see that when no one in heaven, on earth or under the earth could open the scroll and look inside; Christ, the Lion of Judah and the Lamb could open the scroll, break its seven seals and look inside it! Praise the Lord! Glory be unto Jesus! As much as Jesus was meek as a lamb when He first came, He will be as fierce as a lion when He comes again the second time!

There is a sense that as believers we must both be a lion and a lamb. Strong and powerful and yet meek and humble. Be assertive as we stand firm in our faith and yet teachable and humble before man and God. When we are strong, we tend to be proud. When we are confident, we tend to look down on others as though we are better than others, above others. Why is that so? There is no need to step on others to project ourselves above others. I think the right way is always to do our best, but never at the expense of others. Even in our self talk, if we are righteous before God, then that’s good. There is no need to compare against or be condescending to others lest we are labelled by Christ like the Pharisees and Scribes, who became haughty as they become righteous. Others need our help and encouragement, not our judgment and contempt.

The other paradox that we face as a Christian is to be as innocent as a dove and yet as sly as a serpent. It is paradoxical because it is seemingly contradictory and yet in real life, practicable because we have Christ in us. I think it just simply means we should naturally be good to others but not to be simply taken advantage of. Sometimes the latter may be intentional on our part and if so, then it’s all good. Even when we exercise our role to be as sly as a serpent, we do not take the character of the serpent to steal, kill and destroy. Our intention is always for the better of the Kingdom of God, community, church or family – never to take advantage of the other or to harm or cause distress. Win-win is thus the best outcome always with win-lose to be avoided if possible.

As Jesus is both Lion and Lamb, we could likewise be both lion and lamb, and dove and serpent. Strong and yet meek. Fierce and yet humble. Assertive yet teachable. Innocent and yet cunning. Pure and yet sly.

https://odb.org/MY/2021/12/28/great-wisdom-and-a-thousand-eyes

I think one of the challenges as shepherds and fellow believers is to deal with brethren holding a different point of view. It could be something radical or just a simple matter. It could be something as serious as being against the current Covid-19 vaccinations or just a matter of not wanting the mRNA vaccine or not wanting the booster shots. Some could be led by strange teachings or false teachers as enumerated by Jude, the half brother of Jesus. Or it could just be holding on to solid teachings but with a radical slant or taking a more extreme approach. There are diverse viewpoints and the challenge as leaders and fellow believers is how to navigate through all that while maintaining peace and harmony and discipline, not stifling growth but encouraging revival of the spirit.

So I agree that the shepherd needs great wisdom and a thousand eyes to examine the soul’s condition from every angle. How do we care well for people spiritually? We need to maintain discipline and standards but at the same time allow fresh ideas and approaches to germinate to revive the church.

I think the best way to have that wisdom is to pray more for our sheep and fellow brethren, something I’m guilty of not doing enough myself. Prayer brings us to the throne of God, to hear His heartbeat, to know His will, to listen to what He is doing in our midst. And that may not be the same as in other churches and communities as every church and community is unique and God could be working in different ways in different contexts. Whatever we do must be done within the context of the dynamics in play at the local church. With prayer, the Holy Spirit can work in our lives amd ultimately all these work have to be birthed and ignited by the Holy Spirit. May the Holy Spirit give everyone, leaders and followers alike, the wisdom to deal with diversity of views and bring a revival of our souls in our midst so that we may all actively participate in what God is doing among us!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/12/27/gods-right-hand

There are times in our lives when we are in such a fix, usually stemming from our own incompetence or carelessness, that we can only call upon God for help. No one except God can turn the tide against us. Judah faced a similar situation with their disobedience and insolence, with God promising them the Assyrians and the Babylonians to overrun and conquer them and drive them into exile in a foreign land, becoming slaves as a result of their own folly despite God forewarning them countless times before.

We knew it was coming. God already told us and yet we were stubborn like a bull. We were like Judah. We rebelled against God. We refused to bow down and obey. Instead we went our separate ways. We wanted our own way. Now we are in a fix. Will we continue on this road or will we repent and return to the righteous path?

From the ancient experiences of Judah when it came to the Assyrians and Babylonians, as much as the LORD wanted to teach Judah a lesson, it was not out of revenge or intention to destroy. The lesson was not meant to kill Judah but to bring her to repentance, to reconciliation with God, to come home rather than continue to drift away. If Judah had heeded God’s call, she could have averted the disaster and yet even after the punishment was afflicted, God remains ready to accept her back if she repented.

I believe what we can learn from these episodes of Judah’s encounters with the LORD is that ultimately God loves Judah and His people, the children of Israel. He will not see her destroyed. Judah will not be wiped out from the face of the earth as history will testify, Israel as a nation was created in 1948 thereby reuniting all the Jews from around the world back to Canaan, the Promised Land.

There is a sense that if we are children of God, the LORD will protect and keep us safe. If we had sinned and strayed, there are consequences and implications but God will not see us destroyed. Repent and come back to Him, He will restore us and nuture us back to strength. The LORD our God will lift us up again as He did with the Israelites over the years. Be humble, admit our mistakes, return to God. He will give us rest, the peace that surpasses all understanding. Don’t continue to run away and be rebellious anymore, He only has love amd compassion for us. His steadfast love never ceases. Repent and return to Him, Christ has paid the price for our sins and iniquities. There is no condemnation in Christ if we repent and return to God. God will indeed be our God, our help.

https://odb.org/MY/2021/12/25/christmas-child

Blessed and Merry Christmas, everyone! It is my prayer that you are having an enjoyable and uplifting time with friends and family, attending church whether on site or online this morning, worshipping God and having fellowship with other brethren. Christmas is a time of celebration, a time of rejoicing of the goodness of God despite the challenging year before and the expected challenging year ahead! It’s about the Christmas tree, the presents, the nice food and drink but ultimately Christmas is about Jesus Christ, the Immanuel. That God made Himself man and became a tiny speck in Mary’s womb to enter this world He created as a created being, a baby born in manger all forlorn, among the animals but witnessed by the angelic beings in heaven, proclaiming the Good News of the Messiah, the saviour of the world with the government upon His shoulders. He is the First Noel.

Let’s all just enjoy this day, the day the Lord has given to praise and worship God, to honour and give glory to Christ for dying on the cross for our sins and for the eternal ife we are enjoying here in earth and will be enjoying later in heaven for all eternity as we await the day when our Lord comes again triumphantly as King and Lord over the whole earth that indeed every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is the King of Kings nd Lord of Lords!

Have a Blessed and Merry Christmas! May all of us be filled with love, peace and joy wherever we are and may our praise and worship today be a sweet incense unto Him in the heavens that He may dwell in the praises of His people! Amen!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/12/24/the-prince-of-peace-2

It’s Christmas Eve! As we prepare for the big day tomorrow, for our presentations or to show our pre-recorded presentations or if we are leading worship or playing an instrument tomorrow or those of us who are preaching on Christmas Day, or just plain attending church whether on site or via Zoom or Facebook live – just take a moment to pause and remember Jesus’s birth and what it means to us.

What is Christmas to us? Gifts and presents under the Christmas tree? My happiest gift was a remote control car I got from my dad in Std Two. It was really cool and quite expensive too! Then we celebrated Christmas as a tradition as we weren’t born again Christians yet. So Christmas was a time to look forward to. It’s the holidays and there will be nice programmes to watch on TV and mum will cook up some nice dishes to eat!

When I became active in church, Christmas almost always involved something to do in church – a play to act in, songs to sing, worship leading etc. December was always a busy month of preparations, practices and carolling. Covid suspended some of those but we now prepare in advance and film and record and then show on Christmas Day!

I think it’s good to do something for God for Christmas in church even if it’s just a small role as a shepherd boy looking at the angel proclaiming the birth of Christ. If we are offered, just grab it and do our part! Everything we and everyone else does will have an impact on those watching, hopefully giving them a better picture of what our Lord did for them by coming to earth and dying for their sins! We like Paul only preach the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

As we ponder on Christ, know that He is indeed the Prince of Peace. Only He can give us everlasting peace. We will still struggle with life, its unfairness, its cruelty, life with its uncertainties and unpredictable consequences – yet with Christ in our lives, we are able to go through life with peace, love and joy, with hope and strength! The peace that surpasses all understanding. The love that is steadfast and unconditional. The joy that overflows and abundantly available.

Take a moment to pause and reflect. God has been good to us all this while…. We are forever grateful and eternally thankful for the gift of salvation and the promise of eternal life. The Prince of Peace and the hope of the nations indeed, Christ my Lord and my God! We love you with all my heart, soul and might. You are our King of Glory! Amen!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/12/23/how-theyll-know

I recalled that I used to identify myself as a Christian when young because I had a Christian name, or what some will say a Western name to my Chinese name. In fact most of my friends then with such names were usually Christians. I used to justify that by saying that my dad was a Catholic and Catholics were Christians. However, as I seldom go to the Catholic Church and thus was not schooled in Catholicism, I wasn’t sure exactly what it really meant to be a Christian. As I used to study at the Anglo Chinese School, we had religious classes and since I professed to be a Christian, I was placed at those classes and it was there that I first learned about Christ. Later after I moved to the East Coast, a close friend encouraged me by writing to me about Jesus Christ and with the English-Malay New Testament at home, this led me to seek out God and when an outstation teacher in my little town offered to bring me through a Navigators bible study, I jumped at that chance. That was how I accepted Christ and became known as a Christian, who now have had a proper beginning or what we would call a “born again” experience.

Being identified as a Christian may or may not have implications in present day Malaysia as Malaysia is more keen to know whether you are a Malay Muslim or a native of Borneo in terms of your constitutional rights. However, if we are known as strict religious adherents to our faith, there could be issues of practicality and being less street-wise but issues of integrity will be the least of a concern. But as believers, we know that if we have God on our side, we will be better at what we do, at doing our job and the effects of that will be felt as part of our work output and deliverables. So long as we are hardworking, responsible, trustworthy and not calculative, we should be able to be good at what we do and master our job requirements and perform. It is good to work more than others even if we are not paid as much as the more we work, the better we will be and over the years we will be very good at what we do. Doing more is always good although it is not the fairest of situations. But when was life ever fair, right?

The time may come that being identified as a Christian may become a liability. Like during the days of Paul and the Apostles. When Greeks became to be known as Christians and the faith was no longer perceived as a mere sect under Judaism and thus became to be looked upon as a threat to the Roman Empire. A time will come when being a Christian may be perceived as a threat because we are different and are not bowing down to a man-made symbol of humanity and thus perceived as anti humans, as against the human race. We could face a similar situation as that faced by Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel Chapter 3. Will we bow down and relent in order to live on or will we plough on holding on to the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord? The time will come when the label Christian may not be something to boast of, to be proud of and may be looked upon like scum, like a criminal, a condemned person as Jesus was – on the cross stripped naked and left hung to die. Where will we be then? Will we still be known as Christians?

https://odb.org/MY/2021/12/22/virtual-presence

Covid 19 has changed the face of the earth. At its peak, our carbon footprint reduced tremendously when countries went into lockdown and factories ceased production, in particular in China. CO2 emissions dropped across the globe and global warming was given a reprieve with our ozone layer recovering a little. But it had disastrous economic consequences and one of its aftermath is that the cost of things have gone up across board now. Freight charges have increased even 5 fold, mainly because shippers needed to recoup significant losses suffered in 2020. It is paradoxical, we know we are destroying the environment with the way we are going on as humans and yet when something catastrophic like Covid-19 occurs, we work very hard to get back on track as soon possible so that we can continue to destroy the environment! It is tragic that human activity is such that if we pause even for a few months, it is detrimental to almost everyone, except the animals and trees in the forests and marine life in the oceans.

Some say that Covid-19 is the devil’s plan to destroy the church since nearly everyone was forced online and missed out on the gathering of the brethren, the joy and celebration of worshipping God together physically ushering His presence in our midst. The blessings from the fellowship of congregated believers. But was the church destroyed? It was definitely affected and people could have gone astray or became plain lazy, worshipping God in their pyjamas or skipping church entirely. No, the church survived and adapted. Those of us in the worship and AV ministries worked hard to make the experience as good as it could possibly get and we praise God for the advent of connected technologies like high speed broadband, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet that church and work could continue online from the comforts of our homes. We are only limited by the broadband bandwidth of our homes and with online services, we are now able to tune in to services across the globe, anywhere that we wished as long as the other side lets us in.

Embrace change and adapt my dear brethren because in the end times, things will not become easier. As congregations, we must support one another that we may all continue in the faith. Covid-19 has changed the world forever. There is the new normal. Perhaps hybrid meetings will be a permanent feature in our church services? Or smaller churches could offer multiple services to cater for more on site services at reduced capacity with SOP and social distancing implemented? Not a question of law but the well being and health of our fellow members.

At the end of the day, we trust and have faith that the Holy Spirit unites us all and we will continue to experience the presence of God despite worshipping alone from the confines of our rooms or living halls. Even as some of us continue to complain about this less than ideal situation, know that just 30 years back before the advent of cellular phones and during the era of tapped fixed lines, believers in the underground church in China relied only on the prompting of the Holy Spirit on where and when to meet! Stop mumbling and do our best now that we have everything at our finger tips virtually! God is good and good all the time!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/12/21/gods-compass-2

When I was a baby scout (called cub scouts) in primary school in Sitiawan, one of the things I really wanted to have was a nice knife and a compass. It never came to pass as scouting wasn’t active in Pasir Puteh, the East Coast town I moved to at Primary 6 and thus I never got to trek deep into the jungle. So I didn’t really understood the function of the compass then as it can only show north, except to figure out later that if we are ever lost in a jungle, going north means going in one direction and the wisdom of going one direction is that we will not end up in circles. Often people who are lost in a jungle fail to get out because everything looks the same and thus they ended up going round in circles. Of course, even as cub scouts we were taught to leave markings as basics for trekking but never got to practice that then. Nevertheless the basic essential equipment for trekking remains the little compass.

How wonderful an illustration is the little compass to our real life on earth! It is really an excellent picture of what the Word of God is, a compass for us as we thread through life. Like the compass, the bible points us to only one direction and that is to the Almighty God Himself. Whatever we are going through if we stick to God we will not go wrong. We won’t go round in circles whether in our ministry, our career, relationships and our faith.

Stick to one direction, stick to God, stick to the narrow path. Do not waver or let ourselves be distracted or turn to the left or the right. Just go straight ahead. Don’t go on a frolick of our own or become like Alice in the Wonderland as the world can indeed become a Wonderland, drawing us away from God and His purposes for our lives. The world can also be a Wonderland that can ensnare and devour us like the Venus Flytrap. The world entices us, attracts us and then slowly but surely destroys our faith in Jesus, causing us to eventually lose sight of Him.

Like the humble compass, stick to one path, krrp to one direction only as illuminated and lighted up by the Word for us like a lamp unto our feet. Read and meditate upon the Word and we will be like a tree planted by rivers of water, that brings forth fruit in its season, whose leaves will not wither and whatever we do shall proper (see Psalm 1). Amen!