The treasure of Jesus Christ

https://odb.org/2025/07/04/the-treasure-christ-offers

1 John 5:6–13 (NIV): 6 This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9 We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

I came into the faith at 14. I wanted to embrace Christianity after professing to be a Christian since I was young. I knew at that time I was not really a Christian as much as I had a Western name tagged to my Chinese name. When I was 12, my family moved back to Pasir Puteh in Kelantan. I was staying in Situawan before that. I had a childhood friend who encouraged me by ending her letters with bible verses. So, when a group of Christian teachers from outstation offered me to follow a bible study booklet on knowing Jesus, I jumped at the chance. I accepted Christ about a few months after we completed the bible study

It has been more than 40 years since those teenage days, and over the years, I’ve had my ups and downs in the faith. Fortunately and to the Holy Spirit’s credit, I’ve never ventured into other spiritual domains like other faiths or any new age spiritualism. I didn’t dabble in the occultic or look for spiritual aids in search of riches or fame. I may have backslided before in God, but I have always remained faithful to Jesus Christ in my heart. Except for the few years when we had our babies (both are now adults), we have always served God in music, governance, and ministry.

As I reflect upon my conversion experience, I am forever grateful for the Holy Spirit opening my eyes to see Jesus as my Saviour and Redeemer of my sins and sinful nature. I accepted Christ in faith and dealt with the questions as I grew in the faith. Of course, the biggest question was, what if Jesus is not the way, the truth, and the life?

We will only find out for sure when we leave this world one day. But seriously, have my life been worse because I had put my faith in Christ? Would I have better and more material things if I had not known Christ? Perhaps, but does that really matter? In the process, I gained a purpose and a pathway to eternity. Even if the world view that “all roads lead to Rome” is true, I have no regrets choosing this road, this narrow path. I have had a relationship with my Lord and Saviour all these years. I have gained immense knowledge of the mysteries of His kingdom of heaven.

If we find earthly tresures in real life, we are blessed. That’s true. But it still can’t compare to the treasure in Christ that is for all eternity. That is why the kingdom of heaven is like a hidden treasure in a field. If a man discovers the field, he will sell everything he has to buy the field. Nothing in this world is worth more than Jesus Christ in our lives! To die is gain, but to live is Christ! Amen!

Your love is better than life

https://odb.org/2025/07/03/jesus-our-everything

Psalm 63:1-4 (NIV) – You, God, are my God,
earnestly, I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. 2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name, I will lift up my hands.

Psalm 63 is a famous Psalm that is often used in song compositions. A local one is the one that is sang and written by Esther Mui. Below is the link for the song: https://youtu.be/4oyC8489kZY?si=PXQo49Y0YyKclhG6

It is believed David wrote Psalm 63 while fleeing his own son, Absalom. The Psalm expresses David’s deep desire for God, but ultimately, to me, it is his confession that God’s love is better than life itself that is striking. It reminds me of Paul’s assertion that to die is gain, but to live is Christ. Similarly, David’s son, Solomon, proclaimed that life is vanity (meaningless) in Ecclesiastes unless it is lived with God.

Thus, if we dont have Jesus in our lives, life will come and go. In a blink of an eye, we will be 90 (if God allows us to live that long) and staring at death. What awaits us on the other side, according to the bible, is the lake of fire with gnashing of teeth. It is believed that hell is not only a place of torment but also loneliness as there is no fellowship with God or others. We will suffer and be tormented all alone, in isolation. Unlike as depicted by popular culture, we will not be seeing our “friends” or partners in crime in hell.

With Jesus in our lives, not only will we have a passage to heaven, and specifically, the new heaven and new earth (Eden recreated), we will also have a meaningful life while still on earth in the present. We will have a purpose driven life (title of a very famous Christian book!). Our lives become meaningful because our purpose is to please God, and every good deed we do is remembered and appreciated by Jesus. Nothing we go through in life will be wasted. Our bad experiences will be the foundation to build upon our ministry in the Kingdom and our good deeds will stand us in good stead when we give our account to our Lord Jesus Christ at the Bema judgment seat of Christ.

So, one day at 90 (if God allows us to live that long) as we stare at death coming our way, we will not be filled with sorrow or regret. Instead, we will be looking forward to seeing Jesus face to face, confident that we have done our best for the glory of God! Indeed, God’s love is better than life! I will glorify You with my life! Amen!

From glory to glory

https://odb.org/2025/07/02/from-glory-to-glory

2 Corinthians 3:7–18 (NIV): 7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!
12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

The teaching of Paul in 2 Corinthians 3 is that as much as the glory on Moses’ face after meeting Yahweh was tangible, it was temporal. As much as the Mosaic law was carved in stone, it ultimately led to death because man without Christ’s redemption would not be able to meet the demands of the law. But we who are born of the Spirit, redeemed by Christ’s blood, are instead being transformed into His image, by the Lord who is the Spirit, from glory to glory. In other words, our glory is everlasting and will be ever increasing.

That’s the theology and aspiration. Of course, in our natural state, in our humanity, we may not feel that transformed as so beautifully and eloquently described by Paul! We may feel we are still very much our wretched old self!

But seriously, can we say that we are absolutely the same man or woman before we knew Christ? That there has been zero change in us all these years? Has Christ not made us kinder, gentler, more caring, and more compassionate? If we used to keep every sen we earn, we are now willing to give away hundreds and thousands of Ringgit for Godly and worthy causes. We are now more sensitive to the spiritual environment. Our hearts are more in tune to the voice of God, the prompting of the Spirit. We are more inclined to obey the Lord as He nudges us through the Spirit. That change in us, in my view, is what Paul means when he says that we are being transformed from glory to glory.

Granted, we are not fully transformed. We are still WIP. There is still much to be done for our new self to be victorious over our old. But what really matters is not so much our perfection and sinless state but our journey of faith. What matters is that our trajectory of righteousness in the narrow path, the path that leads to eternal life. We have the ticket of salvation in our pocket and are on the bus to heaven, where we belong. We know of heaven, and even though we have not seen it, we know we are created for heaven.

Run the race, and as Paul teaches, we will be transformed from glory to glory by the Lord, who is the Spirit. Always hold on to our faith no matter what we are going through! Amen!

Showing love through prayer

https://odb.org/2025/07/01/loving-others-through-prayer

1 Samuel 12:19–25 (NIV): 19 The people all said to Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.” 20 “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 21 Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you because they are useless. 22 For the sake of his great name, the LORD will not reject his people because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 25 Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.”

When I was younger, around 20-25 years back, I used to travel a lot for work. Mainly to Delhi and Chennai in India, but also to other cities like Seoul, Saigon, Ha Noi, Manila, Hanzhou, and Beijing. During that time, I also had a chance to travel to Dubai, Karachi, London, Moscow, and Sydney. It was an interesting time in my work life, and I recalled that my late mum and dad fervently prayed for me. Except for a bad bout of food poisoning from consuming fresh fruits at the airport lounge in Mumbai (it was a silly mistake), I don’t recall having had a bad experience during my travels abroad for work. I believe my mum’s and dad’s prayers and also of the saints in the church stood me well in those times, preserving and protecting my well-being. We used to pray that the blood of Jesus covers us and His angels keeping us safe.

Thus, as much as God allowed but was displeased with the Israelites depending on their King instead of Him; Samuel, His prophet, nevertheless did not cease to pray for the people of Israel. Samuel declared in 1 Samuel 12:23 – “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. ” It was a telling statement by Samuel. No matter what he thinks of their rebellious ways, his love for his people never ceases.

One of the ways we could show our love for others is to pray for them. Praying for others is beyond having communion with God. It is asking God to protect them or that He intervenes in their unique situations to heal or guide them along and often times despite their sinful, rebellious ways. We look beyond their human weaknesses and seek divine providence for them even though we may not even like them! That’s the meaning of love your enemy! We show love for our enemies by praying for their well-being, not their destruction! We don’t call down thunder and lightning but God’s love, joy, and peace upon their lives. We pray that despite their iniquities, God will touch them to give their lives to Jesus.

There are people who pray for us, especially our mothers, and I believe a mother’s prayer is especially special, like my wife’s prayers for our two beloved sons. We can see changes in them even as she prays for them. Likewise, we should reciprocate by praying for others. For our family, our cell group members, our church members, our friends and colleagues, and for believers and non-believers in this land and elsewhere. That’s one way we can show love – by praying for them.

Sleeplessness

https://odb.org/2025/06/30/sleepless

Psalm 3: 1 Lord, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” 3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4 I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me. 6 I will not fear, though tens of thousands assail me on every side. 7 Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. 8 From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.

I think most of us would have experienced sleepless nights before. Sometimes, it’s just due to overthinking or over day-dreaming. The latter is quite an oxymoron as we dream at night when we sleep, but if we are not sleeping and still dream, then we are day-dreaming even though it’s not day! But mostly, we are unable to sleep because we are worried over something. Perhaps it was a mistake we made at work. Or an upcoming failure of a project. Or, it concerns a decision we are to receive for something like our examination results. Or we are just worried about what tomorrow brings when we don’t have much money left in our wallet. Or, like someone I know, she has trouble sleeping because the dogs next door bark through the night!

However, if we are always sleepless because we are always worried over things, then our lives are pretty miserable. We will be tired in the day because we didn’t have a good rest in the night. If we are tired, we will likely be less productive and more moody. All these will not bode well for our overall well-being and health if the situation persists.

As believers, although we are as human as other humans, we are spiritually awake and have direct communion with God. We can speak to our Heavenly Father, our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Thus, when we experience sleeplessness, we should take the opportunity to pray. Pray in tongues if we are Spirt-filled. Enter into a time of prayer. Talk to the Lord or just pray for someone. Most importantly, commit the situation that is causing us to be unable to sleep to the Lord. In Psalm 3, David faced the heartbreaking situation of his own son, Absalom, going after his life, and yet He found comfort in the LORD. He believed that the LORD God would rescue and deliver him. He committed his unenviable situation unto the LORD. He trusted in the deliverance of God.

No one can escape sleeplessness. It is bound to occur. Just that it happens too often, it is not good for us in the long run. But if we are believers, don’t miss out the privilege of working with God for our situation. Pray for peace despite our anxiety. Pray for calmness of heart notwithstanding the uncertainties. The Lord is our shepherd. We shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me besides still waters. He refreshes my soul. And even if He leads me through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil as His rod and staff protect me. Read Psalm 23 and commit our situation and life unto Him! Trust that surely goodness and mercy will follow us the rest of our days as we dwell in the House of the Lord forever! Amen!

Choose Christ and the Kingdom of God

https://odb.org/2025/06/26/priorities-for-christ

Mark 1:35–39 (NIV): 35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he travelled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

To be able to say that I decline this offer because God wants me to do something else or wants me to be some place else requires sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, courage, and faith. This is because most of us will treat an open door as a sign that God wants us to go there. Of course, if we have a few open doors, we will weigh our options and choose the opening that gives us the maximum benefit in terms of exposure, experience, skill development, travel convenience and income. Yet actually, the most important deciding factor remains where the Lord wants us to be.

We can pray and ask the Lord to guide us specifically if a few doors are opened or if we should decline one opened door to remain where we are. Or we could move in a trajectory that gives us the freedom and flexibility to exercise our faith and continue to serve Him. For example, there was once in my career, I was offered an opportunity to interview for a vacant senior legal position in Genting. First, working for a gaming company was not really in line with my faith. Secondly, the job required me to work at least one weekend and a Sunday at the hill for management meetings. That would have hampered my freedom to attend Sunday worship services (that was before the advent of Zoom) and serve God in music. Thus, as much as the rewards may prove significant, I had to decline the opportunity to pitch for the job.

My example above was a dilemma I faced but was nevertheless a no-brainer in terms of choice. In life, there could be more difficult choices to make. For instance, if we are given an opportunity that meets most of our hopes and expectations in the natural, and yet we hear a prompting in our heart from the Holy Spirit to let it go. There are no obvious contradictions, but the Spirit says God has other plans for us. Will we still decline the opportunity, or will we heed the Spirit’s voice? Do we go for our own ambitions, or we fulfil God’s plans and purposes for our lives for that season?

Very early one morning, Jesus retracted Himself away from the crowds to a solitary and quiet place to pray. He knew He needed to do that, although everyone expected Him to continue ministering to the crowds. The latter seemed obvious, but Jesus knew God wanted Him to go to some place quiet to pray and perhaps recharge Himself. And as much as the crowds were looking for Him, He decided to travel to somewhere else, to the nearby villages so that He could preach there as well. Jesus said that was why He came. In other words, He changed course based on the leading of the Spirit – but always keeping His main objective in mind.

For us, whatever choices come our way, whether it’s a job or a ministry opportunity or an invitation to preach, we should only choose as the Holy Spirit leads, remembering that we are to fulfil God’s plans and purposes for our life. If we follow this principle, we will have a fruitful and effective spiritual life, a life where our life in the narural will not contradict or hinder but will complement and support our spiritual goals and objectives!

Giving glory to God

https://odb.org/2025/06/25/credit-where-due

Daniel 2:13–19 (NIV): 13 So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.
14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. 15 He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. 16 At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time so that he might interpret the dream for him.
17 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 During the night, the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven

One of the issues we face as believers is our own ability and efforts versus God’s help. Will we attribute our successes to God or to ourselves, and I am not talking about false humility? False humility is when one deflects the glory but is effectively taking the glory for ourselves. Some do it better than others, but in the end, what really matters is what we ourselves think of ourselves in our hearts. If we are genuinely humble, our humility will not be false. CS Lewis has a good saying for this. Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but it is thinking of yourself less! Here’s a good article to read on false humility:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/problem-false-humility-joel-blake-frsa?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&utm_campaign=share_via

In Daniel’s case, it was clear-cut that his ability to interpret dreams came directly from God. He and his friends prayed to God in heaven, and the LORD revealed the answer to him so that he and all the other wise men of Babylon may be spared their lives. Daniel gave all glory to God. But he could have turned it around and said that God favoured him and chose him as the special vessel to convey His message to the King. Some famous preachers fall into this trap and imply they are special in the eyes of God. That they are a specially chosen instrument to be the voice for God. Thus, as much as they give glory to God, they are giving glory back to themselves, and some use their “special status in God” to seek fame and riches.

Yes, I agree that it’s a fine line to draw. For those of us in ministry, it is best not to imply that we are specifically chosen in any way. Our attitude should be that God could have chosen anyone to do the same thing. We are all equal in the eyes of God. Remember that when God raised prophets of old, they lived a specially consecrated life fully dedicated to suffer for His service, often ending up in misery and even in dungeons because they prophesied things unfavourable to ears of the king or the ruling authorities. In other words, if we are a true voice for God, be prepared to live a life of suffering because that is how it really is.

At the most basic level, the easiest way not to take the glory for ourselves or to take advantage of any talent or gifting that God has bestowed upon us, in my view, is to recognise that all that we are and have originated from God. There is no need to be proud of ourselves and to proclaim it publicly because God can take away everything in an instance, like He did with Job. Especially so when God opposes the proud and exalts the humble. Be genuinely humble and do not practice false humility. In all things, give glory to God. Daniel was like that, and so was Joseph.

Our God who gathers the scattered

https://odb.org/2025/06/24/the-god-who-rescues

Jeremiah 23:1–4, 7-8 (NIV): 23 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 2 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the LORD. 3 “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the LORD. 7 “So then, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ 8 but they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”

Jeremiah 23:3 and 8 are a few of the verses from the bible foretelling creation of the state of Israel in 1948. That is what finally occurred in 1948 was the fulfilment of the ancient prophesy by Jeremiah. God had gathered the remnant of His people from all the countries that He had scattered them in the past and brought them all back to the land of their forefathers, as was given to Abraham and his descendants.

Verse 8 proclaims, God rescued the Israelites before when through Moses, He brought them out of Egypt into the wilderness and then with Joshua and Caleb, 40 years later into the Promised Land. But it was only in 1948 that the Jews finally had their proper homeland where they finally lived in their own land, where they would be fruitful and increase in their number. A place where the LORD God will place shepherds over them, and they no longer will be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing. Nevertheless, the journey was not without its hazards as the surrounding nations went to war with them, and even today, they still need to go to war to preserve and protect their existence. But God will surely make sure that His Word remains true, and we believe that Israel and her people will no longer be scattered or destroyed until the day the Lord returns.

In the spiritual sense, we may hold fast to these verses, believing that as adopted Gentile children of Israel, God will also bring us back into His fold all those who knew Him before but have now backsided and are now living lives of their own. He still loves them like He loved the Israelites.

Repent from your rebellious ways and return to God. If we confess our sins and forgive those who sinned again, He will surely forgive us and accept us back into His family like the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son. He will surely give us a robe to wear, put a ring on our finger, and slaughter the fattened calf in our name. Return to God and reclaim our sonship in His Kingdom as redeemed and rightful citizens of heaven!

Throw off everything that hinders

https://odb.org/2025/06/23/entangled

Hebrews 12:1–3 (NIV): Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Sometimes, at work, we get overwhelmed. Multiple projects are running at the same time with multiple deadlines. But work is always like that. There are down times, and these are busy moments. Even if you’re working at a call centre with quite a predetermined work scope, there are still days with fewer calls, and there are days with lots of calls. But when faced with multiple documents to look at, the only real way to clear the workload during busy moments is to either delegate or prioritise. For those work that can’t be delegated, we will have no choice but to deal with the more important ones first.

The thing about sin is that until we are in heaven, we will always need to deal with it. Our adversary, the devil, will spare no effort to tempt us and to divert our attention from God. He will seek to entice us to give up our narrow path and follow his broad path that leads to destruction. We may not notice our slow inclination as the devil’s methods are subtle. Sin has the ability to change our trajectory, and eventually, we will drift away and be caught up in his web of entanglement.

No matter where we are, a handful of sins to deal with or an entanglement of webs of sins, the first thing is to make the decision to stay clear. Then, we prioritise and deal with our sins one by one. We seek strength and willpower from God. We week His strength to overcome. We will likely be overwhelmed and give up if we want to fight all at once. Having said that, the best way out is still “cold turkey” – stop immediately and don’t look back, unlike Lot’s wife. Whether it’s cigarettes, drugs, alcoholism, pronography or solicited sex or compulsive lying, shoplifting, or plain anger management or pride or our selfish desires or manipulative ways or poison pill gossip, repent and don’t look back. Don’t get into situations that compromise our faith and principles. Stay far away, repent, and seek forgiveness from God. Over time, all these things will no longer hold any appeal to us.

Hebrews advises, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that easily entangles us. Instead, let us run with perseverance in the race that is marked for us. We all know what our weaknesses are and what are the sins we need to deal with. Cut them all out, but if we are overwhelmed, cut them off one by one.

Have a good week ahead walking with our Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord, Saviour, and Redeemer! Amen!

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God

https://odb.org/2025/06/20/and-god-sent-moths

Matthew 6:25–33 (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 notlabourr or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour 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.

It is interesting to note that while moths are a pest to humans, they are food to the birds of the air and thus illustrate how God takes care of the birds in the natural. In our context, perhaps the common house lizard or gecko is a pest to us because of its droppings, but they help remove insects and mosquitos from the house. God has built an ecological system for wildlife and marine creatures to thrive in their environments, which in turn provide a source of food for humans. In fact, the reintroduction of wolves into the Yellowstone National Park even reshaped rivers as the wolves preying on elks reduced overgrazing on riverbanks and thus strengthened the banks and altered the flow of the rivers.

Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 6, taught along those lines. Speaking to the believer, He advised us not to worry about our life too much. God will take care of us in the same way that He takes care of the birds of the air. The birds do not cultivate food (sow and reap) or store in barns, but they have enough to eat to survive. The important thing for us to know is that God knows our natural needs. He will take care of us. Our responsibility is to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto us. In other words, focus first on the things of God, and the natural will run its course.

As I approach retirement age and reflect upon my past, I can see that God has indeed provided for me, my wife, and our family. Yes, I don’t own a business worth millions, and I’m not the CEO of my company. But can I honestly say that God hasn’t taken care of our needs in the natural? Surely not! Yes, in the early days, we struggled and adapted by living more frugally (actually, we have not changed much in this respect!). But over the years, we have tasted and enjoyed the finer things in life. For example, due to loyalty miles accumulated by my travel for work, there was once when we could travel overseas by business class as a family (incidentally with my late father a few months after the passing of my late mum). That was in 2009, and the boys were only 6 and 9 then. Until today, those moments are still remembered by the boys and have been immortalised by the photos taken during that trip.

Trust me, we will not miss out in life if we commit our lives to Jesus. Besides opening up the mysteries of the Kingdom and our eternal destiny, we will still have opportunities to enjoy some of the finer things in life as the LORD blesses us with material things and unforgettable experiences! Indeed, do not worry about life but instead seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these shall be added unto you! Amen