https://odb.org/MY/2021/09/09/hotel-corona

2 Corinthians 5:14-20 speaks a lot of reconciliation, between us and God through Christ as well as a ministry of reconciliation and for us to bring forth a message of reconciliation. As a new creation in Christ, the old has passed and as Christ had reconciled us to God, we should likewise attempt to reconcile other people back to God by bringing them the message of the Gospel that Christ died for their sins and salvation is by the grace of God.

But as ministers with a ministry of reconciliation, we should also reconcile people in our midst. Family feuds cannot go on forever. Past quarrels cannot be left unresolved. Our friends should not stop speaking to each other. Like the Corona Hotel in Jerusalem (the life story in this morning’s ODB) which united and reconciled people of different faiths due to and despite their common ailment, we should reconcile those among us who are still feuding after many days, weeks, months or even years.

Reconciliation with God brings us to the road to eternal life, the narrow path that leads to God instead of the road that leads to destruction. Thus, reconciliation among feuding persons will lead to harmony, forgiveness, compassion, kindness and love – all factors necessary for their reconciliation with God. In order for God to forgive us, we need to forgive those who had trespassed against us. Let go of that quarrel, that fight, that feud – forgive if you’re the party wronged and apologise and say sorry if you are the party who did the wrong – and move on in life and in God. If we are still unrepentant and allow pride to control us, to overpower us – we will be stuck in the past and will miss out on all that God wants to do in our lives and lose our testimony in the process. This applies if we are already in the faith, in fact, this applies especially if we are already in the faith. Should we be proud and boast that that as people of God redeemed by Christ and reconciled to God that we are not able to reconcile with our family, friends and colleagues?

There are no excuses anymore! We who are tasked with the ministry of reconciliation, to share the message of reconciliation to reconcile man to God, we ourselves must practice reconciliation in our midst! Pray, commit it to the Lord and just do it! Step out in faith and reconcile…

https://odb.org/MY/2021/09/08/send-me

Throughout the Bible, we see God choosing and calling different ones to fulfil His specific will. God called Abraham out of the Ur of the Caldeans to Canaan and as Abraham responded in faith, the nation of Israel was born and Jesus came through that line that Isreal became an utmost blessing unto the whole world, reconciling mankind to God. Then Joseph was called to go to Eqypt first as a slave, then a prisoner and later he became the prime minister and as a result of his faithfulness, he ended up saving the surviving Abrahamic clan led by Jacob from intense drought in Canaan then. That bunch of folks ended up settling in Egypt and over 400 plus years became slaves when the ruler of Egypt changed after Joseph’s demise. God then called Moses and as Moses responded in faith, he freed the nation of Israel from slavery back to the Promised Land (Canaan) although in the end, it was the new generation raised in the wilderness that made it into Canaan led by Joshua and Caleb. Then we saw how God anointed Saul and later David and later Elijah followed by Elisha to name a few prominent examples of God’s calling.

In the era of Jesus, God sent Jesus to die for our sins and then called the 12 disciples and later Paul, Barnabas, Priscilla and Aquila, and host of others during the time of the Acts of the Apostles.

In modern times, many had taken heed the calling of God to be missionaries like Hudson Taylor to China or Eric Lund to Spain and the Philippines (today’s ODB) and thousands and ten thousands of others including present day missionaries like my own cousin and her hubby who have been reaching out to the Tibetans and residing in China for the past decade or a pastor and his wife affiliated with my local church and who have been working among the local aboriginal tribes for more than 40 years.

Is God calling us to do something for Him that is part of His sovereign will and part of His specific will for us? Is God calling us to His plans and purposes for us? Have we explored and discovered what are those plans and purposes of His for us? Are we fulfilling our destiny in Him?

I’m doing my part to fulfil His calling to me to write these commentaries as faithfully as I can day in and day out as He inspires the right words in my mind. He has a further calling for me that I hope I will be bold enough to respond in the coming years. What about you? What’s His calling for you? Will you step out in faith and respond like how the many thousands and tens of thousands before us did throughout history? Will we respond to serve Him and see His glory fill the whole earth? As much as we are like Isaiah, a man of unclean lips, the LORD will cleanse and sanctify us for His work as we respond to His call. Be bold and courageous for the LORD our God is with us!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/09/07/complete

While we can only be fully complete in Christ, I think we should not dismiss the notion that our better half completes us in the context of a marriage that is sanctified by God. Besides continuing the family line and thus the perpetuation of the human race, marriage brings together two distinct individuals to become one flesh before God (Genesis 2:24). In the union of marriage, Christians believe that our spouses are other children of God specially chosen by God to complement us – thus in the natural sense, to complete us. That is why marriage is for life, till death do us part or until the Lord returns.

I find this to be true in my own marriage. I’m more relaxed but my wife is more uptight. To those who are acquinted with the DISC analysis of personalities – my wife has a strong D, while I’m strong in I, S and C. I’m more of a relationship person, non-confrontational while she will speak her mind in anything that she sees to be wrong, especially to me! In the arrow analogy taught by Pastor Albert Kang, she’s more arrow head while I’m more arrow shaft and tail. That is why when our boys want something, they come to me first! Even in music, she plays the piano and I play the guitar and she sings harmony naturally while I am better at just singing the straight melody.

In a true Christian marriage sanctified by God however, as much as our spouse completes us in the natural, there is still that spiritual dimension and most of us believe in a triangle with Christ as the Lord of our lives and thus our marriage. The same way as Christ is the Lord of our family and home, He is the Lord of our marriage. Therefore, we fulfil the will of the Father in Christ but we are stronger in all that we do for Him as a couple. Two is better than one for if one falls, the other can lift him up (Ecclesiastes 4:9). But ultimately, Christ is the Head and we are His body.

If we are married or planning to marry one day, always put Christ as the Head but remember that our spouse is to complement us to make us a more complete person in Christ. There is no need to compete with him or her in the things we do to prove we are better as we will always be better together as a couple!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/09/06/resting-secure-in-god

When I was much younger before I knew Jesus, I used to think about who I am. Asking questions like why was I born this way, to this family, in this town, in this country? Prior to that I was living in a more multi racial town in the West Coast of Malaysia. But when I moved to a small town in the East Coast, it was evident that I was different from my peers in school, with funny looking eyes compared to the rest. There were people like me in that small town but they mostly attended another school.

Over the years I began to accept myself as I am on the basis that we can’t choose how we look like and which family or town or country we are raised up. Despite some racism and the institutional discrimination I faced when growing up, I was nevertheless thankful to be born as a non-Muslim in this country. This is because I could accept Jesus into my life at 14 and got to know and serve Him since then, freely worshipping God in the churches I attend and serve in.

As I got to know God, I became more thankful that I was born as I was. Not because I was born into a privileged background but because it was God who created me as I am. I felt privileged to be created by God. But it was more than that – because the Creator was my creator and since He has accepted me as His son through Christ my Lord, I knew I was in good hands. There were unique talents to discover deep inside me, to be birthed and flourished by God and because God is God, He can add on other things, talents and skills, in my life as I follow Him and allow Him to mould and shape me.

As I look back and reflect upon my life, I am truly grateful to God for having reached out and touched me in this small town in the East Coast. I may have had misgivings about who I was when I was young but over the years I am most thankful and grateful that I have had the opportunity to grow up knowing God. In the end, I think it was my good fortune to be born as I was. God was gracious and merciful to me and my family for all the blessings He had bestowed us and will continue to bestow upon us throughout our lives.

I think if we accept that God created us exactly as who we are, we can accept us as we are. Since we belong to God, there is much He can do with us and there is still much He will do us in terms of who we are in Him. We are all unique and special, created for God’s pleasure and service. Embrace our self and our identity in God. There is still much He can achieve and will achieve in and through us.

https://odb.org/MY/2021/09/05/help-from-the-holy-spirit

God’s standards are high and yet He wants us to meet them. Thus He sent Jesus to die for our sins so that we are all redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. After Christ rose again but before He ascended back to heaven, He promised us a helper and the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost. Such a mighty outpouring of power in miraculous healings, signs and wonders and most importantly, extra ordinary boldness came upon the Apostles and believers to proclaim the power of God in their lives that many were added to the faith daily. The Holy Spirit made a historical change in the lives of believers!

God’s standards are still high today. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. But with the Holy Spirit in us and with us, there is actually nothing that we cannot do – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 3:14). Nothing is impossible with God – or with man this is impossible but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

The message today is that if we, like the Israelites, have backslided; God wants to cure us of our backsliding (Jeremiah 3:22). The LORD is calling us to return to Him, to repent of our sins, to turn away from our crooked and rebellious ways. God wants to give us victory over sin. There is no habit or sin that is too difficult to overcome. His standards may be still high but He is gracious and compassionate and forgiving. God is like the professor who wants us to do well. If He is marking our life story, He wants to find all sorts of ways to give us points, to let us pass, to help us overcome, to let us succeed and move on to greater heights in Him. He is not the examiner who is constantly finding fault with us to minus our marks to fail us and impede our progress in Him. The thing is God refuses to lower His standards but He will help us through with the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives! Repent and turn back to Him and He will make our paths smooth and straight again! He will be our God and we His people again!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/09/04/man-of-prayer

One of the testimonies that I heard in a message from the pulpit and which stayed with me till today is the exaltation given to his late father by a pastor in my former church. The pastor’s late father, who was a founding member of a well known mega church in the Klang Valley, was known in his family to be a man of prayer. He is always gathering everyone together to pray whenever there is something on – whether it’s the exams of his children, a doctor’s appointment, birthdays, an interview, someone is not well or they face a small or major family crisis from finding misplaced keys to finance etc.

That testimony led me to think today that I’m not actually like my pastor’s late father as I don’t pray that much except in my quiet time, during meals or prayer meetings, or when my wife and I pray for those we lead and the church once a week (we try to keep this going as regularly as possible). I do speak to God but rarely do I gather everyone together to pray or pray with someone for the things we are facing. Even if we do, it is not a regular feature in my family life.

That realisation led me to think as to why I am not a man of prayer and why is it that I am not aspiring to be a man of prayer? It is kind of silly, I think, not wanting to be a man of prayer because prayer is the most powerful weapon every believer can have against the forces of evil (the oft quoted Ephesians 6:12). It is a privilege and honour given to those redeemed by Christ to communicate and commune with the Creator of heavens and earth, the all powerful, all knowing and ever present Almighty God, the Great I Am. Our prayers reach the heavenlies, will transcend straight into the spiritual realm and as we pray that Your will be done here on earth as it is done in heaven, we know God will surely do something about the thing we prayed in accordance with His will and in His time. A prayer moves the Hand of God and thus prayers may move mountains and part seas and rivers like we saw in Moses and Joshua. Prayers also may raise the dead or bring down rain in a drought as seen in Elijah. Or in the case of Peter and John, made the lame walk.

Therefore, I encourage everyone including my good self – let’s all be people of prayer. Pray in all things and for all occasions. Aspire to be known as men and women of prayer as a touch from God can only do good in any situation!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/09/03/empty-hands

There is this worship song entitled Majesty by Delirious, with these words, “Your grace has found me just as I am. Empty-handed but alive in Your Hands.”

The Father will accept us no matter what our situation and condition. We are what we are. In His grace and in His compassion, He will take us as we are. With nothing to offer Him, He will take us and make us come alive in His Hands. Like the prodigal son who squandered his inheritance in wild living and was left with nothing but the clothes on his back and who was willing to work as a servant with the pigs, his father rejoiced that he was back and restored his place as his son with a fine robe and a ring.

This reminds me of the little kitten my son adopted two months back. She was abandoned by her mother at our house compound. We took her in, fed her and she now stays inside our house at the guest room with her own toilet. She had nothing and was alone before but now she has a family of humans who love her.

But I think the message today is more than that. I think it is more about the fact that Jesus is able to and will make us come alive in His Hands whether we are empty-handed or have something to offer Him in the form of our wealth, talent, education or fame. We are alive in His Hands in the sense that we will become the person we should be in His Hands, sanctified and prepared for His service. We will realise our fullest potential as a human being with Him in our lives. We will achieve the plans and purposes He had planned for us even before we were conceived in our mother’s womb.

Whatever is our situation whether we have nothing or we have something to offer; come to Jesus today and be a living sacrifice unto Him. He is worthy of our worship and honour and praise as He had died for our sins. Whether we are already in the faith or not, come to Jesus. He will take our nothing and make it into something. He will take our something and make it into something more, a piece of sculpture that will shine forth the glory of the Father. He is and will be the Potter and we the clay. Let Him mould us and make us into a thing of beauty – unblemished, holy and worthy before the Father. As much as God is beautiful beyond description, we can be and will be beautiful too as we come alive in His Hands!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/09/02/the-bigger-picture

I think the foundation to reading the bible and deriving maximum benefit from it is to believe that it is THE WORD OF GOD. That I believe is fundamental. Every word, every passage, every paragraph is true. Even though it is written by men, it is inspired by God. Not dictated by God like to a secretary in verbatim but written using our human understanding, our natural talents, our writing skills as prompted by the Holy Spirit but coloured by the cultural and literal context existing at the time of writing, where certain words may convey a meaning that is different as used today. God always works within the confines and rules of the natural world He created. That is why to save humankind from damnation, He had to send His Son into the world as a man that we may see and witness an example of how we could be – as a perfect sinless human. The same way the Law had dictated that the sacrifice of an unblemished lamb is required for the atonement of sin, the Lamb of God was sacrificed on the cross to redeem mankind from sin.

The second principle that I believe in when reading the bible is that there are things that I may not understand but that doesn’t mean it is not true. Perhaps someone has found the truth but I haven’t read it yet. Or perhaps one day someone will find the truth on that passage. The point is that the mysteries of the Kingdom may not be fully revealed now but I believe God will reveal them to us one by one, by His grace and mercy in His time.

The third thing I hold on to when reading the bible is that if that passage is His Word, then there must be a reason for it to be there. 3 persons may see a situation and literally describe it differently with distinct emphasis and highlights of similar facts. The version that made it as Scripture is God’s will and thus there must be a reason for that version to be there, perhaps as a lesson to us in the future? For example, the feeding by Jesus of the 5,000 and the 4,000 – just because two incidents of such miracles are recorded in the Gospel doesn’t mean Jesus only did that twice in His entire 3-year ministry. It just means that God wanted to only highlight these two specific ones. The same thing about Jesus’s healings. There were times when He healed the whole town but only a few healing events are recorded in the Gospels. There would have been many interactions between Adam and Eve with God in Eden but only those recorded are the ones God wanted us to remember and learn from.

The final principle that I hold on to when reading the bible is to look for the Rhema Word that would be applicable in my present context, in my current situation. That is why the Word is a living Word because our God us a living God! Amen! It has the meaning as it was written (Logos) but it can have a meaning for us right now at this present moment. God speaks to us through His Word as the our Lord Jesus Christ is the Word and He was with God at the beginning (John 1:1).

Read the Bible, don’t ever give up. Research the things we don’t understand but persevere on even if we can’t find the answers. The bible is the best and the unfailable way of knowing God personally and in a deeper way. Don’t rely entirely on our experiences. Check everything against the Word. I wish you all the best as you explore His Word more and more each day of your life! See Psalm Chapter 1 Verse 2!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/09/01/fix-up-time

If we are a believer, there is just no way we may remain like the world and not have have kindness, compassion and forgiveness. How different are we from the world if we quarrel and don’t reconcile? How are we a new creation in Christ if we hold a grudge and don’t forgive for days and weeks and months and sometimes years? We console ourselves that God understands; He is kind, compassionate and forgiving – but we are not? It seems like God is kind, compassionate and forgiving to us, but we need not be so to others? Why are we so special? Does that make any sense?

Corollary to that, can we knowingly remain in intentional sin and still fellowship with God? Isn’t that a contradiction? Can we be in a drug rehabilitation programme and yet still taking hard drugs? Replacement therapy is perhaps controversial but it is different. It is not breaking the habit and still indulging in it.

It is true that we are all work in progress until that day and that we cannot be perfect in this fallen body and fallen world. But if we give up and accept that we are immune from being kind, compassionate and forgiving because of our unique situation or accept that we can intentionally sin and yet remain in God, then I think we are just kidding ourselves.

Ephesians 4 is clear, we need to be made new in the attitude of our mind and to put on our new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. If we have sin – be like David and turn to God in grief, sorrow, regret and repentance. Don’t rebel or fight against God like Saul, rationalising in our wrong self-belief.

https://odb.org/MY/2021/08/31/sharing-jesus

I doubt any of us can be like Evangelist Dwight Moody who preached the Gospel to someone at least once a day. Yes, it is proclaiming and not converting as the choice remains with the hearer. Reaching out to someone at least once a week or once a month might be more doable, especially in these pandemic afflicted times.

Even then, I think not many among us actually reach out as much in the sense that it’s a regular thing in our life, done consistently and faithfully. Perhaps the busyness of life, our work, our family responsibilities or even our ministry tasks may make it difficult for us to reach out on a regular basis.

To motivate us to make this a more regular feature in our life, may I suggest that we recall how we ourselves or our loved ones came to the faith? How someone else took the trouble and the determination to reach out to us and our families. Perhaps it was not a one off thing but a constant encouragement to us to consider Jesus? Perhaps that person was always there for us, helping us in our times of need and despair and cheering with us when we were happy and celebrating. Perhaps that person cried with us when we cried and grieved with us when we grieved?

I think reaching out should be a more regular thing in our lives and yet I know that it is not so much a once off proclaiming of the Gospel to a stranger in the street although it can be. I think we should all remember and cherish how we ourselves came to the faith and reciprocate by doing the same to someone else. Make it regular but a long term project that we may be like Christ to this person so that Christ Himself will lift the scales of his or her eyes, the Holy Spirit may touch his or her heart and salvation and eternal life shall indeed be a reality for that person!