https://odb.org/MY/2021/11/05/finding-joy-in-the-meaningless

I think everyone probably has experienced this phenomenon – you put in so much effort to research and then save up to buy something, perhaps a guitar or a camera or a tablet, then after we get the thing, the feeling of accomplishment is fleeting. It was just a short moment of euphoria and then it’s gone – we want to pursue something else, we want to move on to the next thing – another guitar, a prime lense or something else. I guess it’s the same with acquiring wealth or savings – the first house, the first RM10,000 and we want more and more – a nicer house, a nicer car and RM100,000! There is no end to it and after all that, what we have can still be meaningless and the feeling is usually fleeting. The fairy tale concept of living happily ever after is just that, a fairy tale!

Solomon spoke about this in Ecclesiastes 2 and as a king, he was unrivalled by anyone before him in Jerusalem in terms of possessions, slaves, buildings, projects, enjoyment of the finer things in life and yet after all that, he found everything he had done and enjoyed meaningless in the sense nothing had any lasting effect.

In the end, Solomon concluded at the end of Ecclesiastes 2 that possessions and achievements are only meaningful when we have God with us, when done for God, in relation to God. Even Solomon’s great wisdom is meaningless if God is not in it.

I think the conclusion is that whatever we go through here on earth is only temporal. It’s a pass through, everything is fleeting. It could leave us with memories but everything is still fleeting, for a moment only. What’s everlasting is God. As He is spirit, a spiritual being and as we are also spirits and spiritual beings, what’s everlasting is what’s eternal. Store up treasures in heaven, they will last for eternity. Thus, in everything that we do, have eternity in mind and those things will become meaningful and will no longer be meaningless. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness and all these shall be added unto you – meaning to say, for earthly things, seek eternity first, then all the things we need to live here on earth will be taken care of by God. That’s Solomon’s conclusion, the wisest man ever lived. Earthly pursuits are all meaningless and fleeting, unless we have God in them, unless we have eternity in mind! In the end, for things on earth, only God can give true meaning to such things. Seek God, seek eternity, then all will be good.

https://odb.org/MY/2021/11/04/rainy-days

I remembered the founding pastor of a church in Thailand many years back spoke at a conference at my previous church and talked about how he gave away his building fund for a needy cause when God prompted him. It certainly caused a stir among those who heard it! But the point was that generosity breeds abundant blessings and since the building fund ultimately came from God, he could give it away when prompted by God. The same attitude Abraham had when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac.

Everyone if they can save, will save for a rainy day. Individuals and churches are no exceptions. We save what we can, not spend all we can. We also invest for the future, hoping the ROI will offset inflation which reduces our purchasing power, the value of money. Some of us make riskier investments for better returns while most just stick with the good old FDs. Yet there are some who don’t believe in banks and prefer to invest in gold or Rolex watches or property or even US Dollars!

So we have saved for the rainy day. We have worked hard to save up. But it’s not yet raining at our end. I think the metaphor originated from agricultural settings as farmers can’t work on rainy days and thus if we had saved up some grain from previous harvests, we will have some to eat today. In our modern world, we are talking mostly of liquid assets and the most useful is cash.

So it is not raining at our end, but it is raining elsewhere or perhaps there is a famine somewhere else that prevented any harvesting at all. What do we do? Do we help out? Do we sell the food that we had hoarded as per Proverbs 11:26? The point is a generous person will prosper. He who refreshes others will be refreshed. See Proverbs 11:25.

From giving away our building fund, to giving out some money we saved for our rainy day to people in need, to lending our money to those who need (equivalent to selling the grain we hoarded), there is a wide range of things we can do. These are rightfully ours to keep, legally and morally, but should we be selfless and generous instead? The bible teaches that if we are generous, God will reward us. Do we believe God or do we trust just ourselves and our money?

https://odb.org/MY/2021/11/03/comfort-shared-2

When we are going through a period of suffering, we may ask God why? Why is this happening to me? Why me? Why didn’t you shield me, protect me and shelter me from this pain? Sometimes we pray for the entire environment to change so that our pain will be no more. But more often than not, the pain and suffering remain and we will be forced by the circumstances to face it, to confront it, to go through it. We may withdraw from the world or go on self destructive habits like drink – to drown our sorrows, so to speak. But, sorrows cannot be drowned! Such behaviour is self destructive as the pain and suffering remain. Drinking doesn’t change anything except the condition of our liver!

Paul speaks of comforting others in 2 Corinthians 1:4 with the comfort we receive from God. In the scriptural background page of today’s ODB, the writer talks about paraklesis or parakletos. Perhaps there lies the key to overcoming our despair and doom over our pain and suffering? There is a purpose in our suffering. Paul went through a lot in his journey as an apostle to the churches then. He said it was more than he could bear so that he despaired over life itself, meaning to say, it was so bad that he even lost hope in living. Yet through it all, Paul endured and He received his comfort from God who understands all things, who is caring and compassionate like no other. He received his comfort from the Holy Spirir, our parakletos, our comforter.

When I went through the difficult patch in my life 4 years back, my wife fully supported and comforted me. God also did that but He did more. He helped me to forgive myself and the various antagonists in that chapter of my life. Have I forgotten them? No. Have I forgiven them? Yes, through the comfort from my wife and God. Was God real? Yes, He was. His prophesies for me during those times came true to the letter. I knew and experienced Him. Did I blame Him? No. Do I know His purpose for me going through that pain? Yes, so I may share with others the comfort I received from Him.

Seek out the Lord and the Holy Ghost. They are the parakletos of our lives. As we receive their love, compassion and comfort, we will be able to share the same with others. More importantly, we are able to forgive and sincerely from the bottom of our hearts. We can truly say, never mind, we can live another day. God has a purpose for me for going through all this. I’ll be stronger and I will be able to help others in future. Thank you, Lord for your love, compassion and comfort, my true parakletos!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/11/02/the-critical-link

In Matthew 28:19, Jesus asked us to reach out and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Not just people we know like our family and friends but people who may never have heard of the Gospel, about the gift of salvation by the grace of God through Jesus Christ, His Son. The verse speaks of making disciples and not just preaching. It goes beyond just delivering the Good News on a “take it or leave it” basis, but it involves training, supporting and nurturing a community of believers over a long period of time, perhaps a lifetime or for generations.

My cousin Sharene and her hubby Ricky are directly involved in this ministry and just last Sunday, two days ago, she spoke on the pulpit at my church (via Zoom from my home) and preached a message on making investments into this ministry that reaches out to unreached people groups. In private, they spoke about their vision of one day establishing trust funds and foundations for unreached people groups so that this ministry may be perpetuated beyond their years here on earth.

I think there is a serious need for us to be involved in such a ministry as all communities should have the opportunity to not only hear the Gospel but also be part of the outpouring of the blessings of God through Abraham. When God comes into our lives through our acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we not only gain eternal life but His heavenly blessings. As mentioned yesterday, the life transformation that comes with knowing Jesus and the blessings of heaven will surely lift up our lives and our generations to come.

There are still many unreached people groups scattered across the world especially in dark or closed countries and there could be communities within our own nations too who are yet unreached. The work is ardous and long and the gestation period may span a lifetime of a missionary. We have heard of past stories of missionaries toiling the field for years and years only to see fruition in the next generation. Maybe they only managed to disciple two to three faithful believers over their lifetime. But these few who were discipled, went on to lead villages and provinces for Christ! The key to sustainable mission work is discipleship – teaching, training, support and nurturing – not just in spiritual matters or theology but often necessarily with life skills to earn a living or run a business. A disciple of Christ who is self sufficient and successful earning his or her keep for their families is a beacon of hope in such closed communities and as much as they may face severe persecution, they will gain the respect and admiration of their communities if they emerge successful in their own right. The glory of God shall indeed shine forth as they triumph despite such odds and adversity!

I urge you, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, to be involved directly in such ministries as a missionary while carrying out our vocations in such dark or closed countries if that is our calling from God. Plan our lives such that we may secure gainful employment in such nations so we may reach out and make disciples out of such unreached people groups. But if that is not our calling, consider seriously to invest into such ministries with our money and prayers. As this is a lifelong commitment, we can start by investing some money and praying for them. But the key to this ministry is consistency and fervency whether we are directly or indirectly involved. The work spans generations. Thus we should support such initiatives in the long term – in the investment of our money, in our prayers and also our physical efforts in the field whenever the opportunity arises. Lay up for yourself treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal (Matthew 6:20). To me, investing our money, time and efforts in unreached people groups is surely an investment into our treasures in heaven!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/11/01/ring-the-bell-2

Ringing the bell is an act to signify victory over cancer after going through bouts of radiation. It marks the end of chemotherapy, having conquered the cancer cells. It’s a practice that started in the US but has spread across cancer centers across the world. I saw this once on the medical TV series, New Amsterdam.

The sons of Korah, the writer of today’s ODB Scriptural reference Psalm 47, had a dark past. Their ancestors were part of a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. They were Levites set aside for full time service but only the descendents of Aaron were allowed to serve as priests. The Kohathites had the ardous task of transporting the implements of the Tabernacle but they had to do it on their shoulders and were not lowed to transport them by carts unlike the other Levites. So it was really tiring for them when the Israelites moved camp. Remember they were in the desert then. So this led to a rebellion by 250 men led by Korah and two others, Darren and Abram. In a show of divine power, the rebels and all they had were swallowed up by the earth and a fire came out from the LORD and consumed all of them. The children of the rebels were however spared and out of that remnant arose the sons of Korah who in the subsequent years became warriors for God and during David’s time became musicians in the royal court of David and composers of Psalms, a life dedicated to worship and song for God. A remarkable rise indeed from the ashes for a group of people!

No matter how dark our past was or the past of our descendents, we can all have the “ring the bell” experience of having victory over our past background as we accept Jesus Christ into our lives as Lord and Saviour. Like education having raised the standard of living of a whole generation of Malaysians from more humble beginnings to middle class trappings, Christ is able to turn our lives around like He did with the sons of Korah. From a forefather of a rebel who was severely dealt with by God, to a whole generation of composers and musicians at the Royal Court of David. Maybe it is not immediate, maybe it will take a generation or two, but surely God is able to transform us for the better, for His name’s sake that His glory may shine forth through our families and descendants. Over time and generations, our spiritual awakening and discovery in Christ will definitely lead to an uplift of our lives and it is a logical result as Christ brings the blessings of heaven upon our families and if we know Christ, it is less likely we will indulge in the vices of women, drink and gambling or be involved in criminal activities.

God can turn us around no matter how dark our past was. There is always a new beginning from God, a fresh start that will not only lead us onto the path to eternal life but will bring our families and loved ones to a better future here on earth as surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow us for the rest of our lives as we dwell in the house and the presence of the LORD forever (Psalm 23:6).

https://odb.org/MY/2021/10/31/redeeming-the-season

Autumn is remembered in the States as a period of decorating pumpkins that turned into Halloween in the 1800s as they harvested the pumpkins during autumn and made the harvesting into a community celebration. As a result, autumn seemed to celebrate death and its macabre and gruesome ways which the author of today’s ODB spoke about. Thus an attempt was made to celebrate autumn with gratefulness for God’s work in nature.

While we generally do not celebrate Halloween here, I think the effort to redeem a season should be commended. Chinese Christians here have traditionally replaced the All Souls Day of going to the graves of our departed ones to pay our respects and pray to our ancestors with a similar practice at about the same time but to celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ as that period is also the Good Friday and Easter season to us here. So we have redeemed that season with a practice that is relevant to us as believers in Christ without needing to comply with the tradition of praying to our ancestors which goes against the beliefs of our faith. Basically, we do not believe that the living can communicate with the departed in any way or form and we believe that the only way we can see our departed loved ones again is when Christ reunites us all who believed in Him on the day of the Lord.

Is there something in our lives that we can redeem and transform into something meaningful in Christ? Perhaps a habit of going to clubs at weekends to a Christian fellowship of worship and sharing? Maybe attending church worship service on a Sunday morning rather than a round of 18 holes at the golf course or joining prayer meetings on a Saturday evening than a few hours at the badminton courts? Not at the level of replacing All Souls Day or trying to give a better meaning to Haloween but a change in our own personal habits and practices for Christ. Remember that we will all live for all eternity and thus anything that is not of eternal value will not be of use to us in eternity. Set our eyes on the eternal as the temporal will pass and wither away.

https://odb.org/MY/2021/10/30/a-new-calling

Some of us experienced a dramatic and radical change in our lives after knowing Jesus like from a hard core criminal to a lifetime witness for Christ in today’s ODB life illustration. Or from a leading persecutor of believers of Christ to the preeminent theologist for Christ whose thoughts formed the fundamental and foundational tenets of our faith in the case of Paul. Some of us might have been fully indulgent in the 3 vices – women, drink and gambling but turned a new leaf when we got to know Christ. Yet some of us might have only seen a less dramatic but still significant change in the sense that we now have a new purpose in life, we are developing a new worldview of things, we know our final abode is heaven, we live a life of service and sacrifice – a paradigm shift indeed after knowing Christ!

The point I like to make this morning however is that this new calling that we find as we know Christ may or may not be as dramatic and life changing – but I believe it is not a one off only thing at conversion. I believe God may still have a new calling for us after years of serving Him in what we would have thought was our calling in Christ. We are all work in progress and as we grow maturity and faith in Christ, Christ may have a new calling for us.

Just last week my boss discussed with me a new role that I could play in our department at work, doing more strategic stuff which is in phase 2 of our transformation road map but hastened due to the current developments in the chips industry. As what we do at work continues to evolve to the ever changing business and global environment, our calling in Christ may also evolve as situations change and we change in maturity, anointing, experience, skillsets and character.

In church, I have always been involved in music. Started as a guitarist, then went on to play a bit of bass and then worship led. I have been doing this for more than 35 years now. But over the past 5 to 10 years I see my role in Christ evolving to be a shepherd taking care of a group of young people in a cell to perhaps shaping the spiritual mindset of a congregation through the pulpit. I believe that God has more for me in future and that should be the same for all of us.

Are we content in doing the same thing in church day in day out for the past 20 years? There is virtue in consistency and yet the world and the spiritual realm is ever evolving. As believers and as a church, we all need to evolve and do more. For example, if we are retired and have all the time in the world, we could form teams to visit members of our congregation or open up our homes for fellowship, rather than leave that to a few people. In the process, we will touch the family members of those we visit or those who visit us. More could be done among us and others if we believe that we ourselves can do more, instead of doing nothing much staying at home. Spiritual life cannot surely be a life of self enrichment. Faith without good works is dead and so is spiritual growth without service – it is meaningless.

In summing up, I think we may have a new calling in Christ even as we advance in age. Respond with action and I’m sure we will all see the glory of God manifested through us as we embrace our new calling!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/10/29/god-sings

On the day of the Lord, God will judge those who opposed Him and take away the punishment from Judah and Israel. He will be glad and will rejoice over Jerusalem with singing. That’s the essence of Zephaniah chapters 1-3.

Jesus Christ by His victory on the cross has redeemed Israel and Judah but Christ has done more than that. He has gone beyond the natural and into the spiritual and has redeemed all the nations beyond Israel, Judah and Samaria, to the Gentiles across the world. Christ has restored our relationship with God and thus we believe that even now, God rejoices over us with singing. There is no need to wait until judgment day, the day of the Lord. There is rejoicing in heaven now even as more are added to the kingdom of God here on earth. There is rejoicing and singing every day as more come to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

We can add to the rejoicing and singing in heaven by doing our part in reaching out to the lost souls. As more are rescued and brought back to the right path, the narrow road, there will be more rejoicing in heaven. Just share our testimony, our life with Christ, the victory of Jesus over sin and death, the gift of salvation by the grace of God – as more turn away from their wicked ways and follow God, there will be more rejoicing in heaven. God will be singing over the good news!

I guess for those of us already in the faith, we must make sure we continue on the narrow path and to walk that path. Don’t divert to other pastures where there are wolves in sheep clothing waiting to pounce and devour us, to ensnare and draw us away to the road that leads to destruction. The scenery may look enchantingly beautiful and vibrant with colours and life but it’s a fascade, a make believe world. What lies underneath all that, the truth of it all is destruction, despair, regret, sadness and sorrow. The Lord has taken all our tears, sadness and sorrow and turn them all into joy and rejoicing. Nothing on this earth can compare to the beauty and glory that awaits us in heaven.

So the day of the Lord is still relevant to us who are already in the faith. On that day, not only will there be rejoicing and singing in heaven, by God and the angelic beings that dwell in heaven, but we will also get to rejoice and sing together with all of them in heaven! We are the reason for the rejoicing and yet we are also a part of it all because on that day, we will be there as rightful citizens of heaven, redeemed by the grace of God through the blood of the Lamb, having accepted the gift of salvation and having decided in our hearts to walk the narrow path!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/10/28/god-hears-us

It is beyond our imagination to think and fathom the millions of prayers that God receives every moment in time from various ones of us in the faith all over the world – all of us communicating with Him at the same time and yet He is as personal to each and every one of us as He is to the brother in Moscow as He is to the sister in Sydney. I believe He hears and listens to each of us as we pray and as we speak to Him. He also speaks to us at the same time if we take the time to learn and develop the skill and sensitivity to hear from God.

The question then is what prayers will He answer and the answer to that question according to 1 John 5:14 is that He hears if we pray according to His will. Not that He doesn’t hear us if otherwise but “hear” here means He listens and acts. It means He will respond with action, with something tangible and real whether externally or within us, in our spirit and soul or body.

Jesus taught us to pray to our Heavenly Father that His will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. The sovereign will of God will nevertheless be done but perhaps our prayers and support in the spiritual realm will hasten its realisation in our midst. And yet God’s timing remains sovereign. He is compassionate and patient to wait for the last man to come on board. He will wait until the last moment before sailing off.

What about God’s will for our lives? His specific will for us? His plans and purposes for us? Can we pray that His will for us be done here on earth in accordance with His plans for us in heaven? Those plans that were crafted even before we were formed in our mother’s womb?

God’s timing is perfect. He works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romams 8:28). His will is supreme and will take precedence over our own agenda, our own desires and dreams. His sovereign will as well as His specific will for us. If we seek His will for us, He will surely work all things together so that we may fulfil His plans and purposes for Him.

So if we want God to hear us as in God listening and acting for us, pray according to His will. Pray that His will be done here on earth and in our lives. Let Him reign supreme, let His will reign supreme. Perhaps in the process our other more personal prayers will get answered as well? For Jesus did teach before that we should all seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these shall be added unto us (Matthew 6:33)!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/10/27/simplistic-formulas

As much as we believe that it is God’s will that we are to be whole and by His stripes we are healed, I believe healing is still by the grace of God. We can keep on believing and keep on praying and one day God may heal us. That’s our faith and the hope that we cling on to. We shouldn’t lose sight of that if that’s what God has placed in our heart. Keep up the faith, believe and trust God and this applies whether it is a disease or illness or medical condition that we are afflicted with or just a bad life situation that we are in.

Until the healing or breakthrough happens, life goes on and we need to nevertheless go through whatever we are going through. It could be the suffering the illness or medical condition afflicts us or the suffering that our life situation brings us. It is a cliché but Christian life was never promised as a bed of roses. It is a life of victory over sin and the bondage of sin but not a life free of suffering and pain.

I have been healed before of fatty liver and in my medical examinations back in 2017 and the recent one, it has been confirmed that I am free of that. Yet during the recent health screening, the doctor mentioned that there is a small buildup again. So I have to cut down on my carbs to prevent a reoccurrence but I am thankful I was given a refresh, a new start when God healed me previously. However, that didn’t mean that I am completely disease free. I still have my high blood, high cholesterol and high sugar issues I need to deal with. There are other areas I’m still believing God for healing and until that happens, there is pain and suffering, agony and disappointment, sadness and discouragement.

I think the big lesson we can learn and apply from Job and his sufferings is that whatever our situation, never blame God and I use the word “never” intentionally. Not just “don’t” blame God as it is grammatically more accurate but just “never”blame God. The thought must never even be in our mind and the reasons are multiple. For one, we are not worthy to assign blame to the One who can never be wrong, the One who is perfect. He is the creator. He is omnipotent. He knows all things, He is omniscient. Secondly, He loves and cares for us as He is our Heavenly Father. Like any father, God will not want to see His children suffer – unless there is a purpose, unless He has a plan for us, unless it is to make us stronger and more matured. Job saw the purpose of God in his sufferings as it resulted in him seeing God (Job 42:5) and he repented (Job 42:6).

As mere human beings, facing pain and suffering is unavoidable like any other human. But as a believer, we draw comfort knowing that there is a purpose in our pain and suffering and we have our Heavenly Father, the Almighty God watching over us, every moment of our pain and suffering. He feels and understands what we are going through and that should encourage us to boldly march on in our walk of faith towards the goal that He has set before us heavenward in Christ Jesus as we look forward to the day as revealed in Revelation 22, the new heaven and earth, the new Jerusalem where God will reside and dwell among mankind once again!