https://odb.org/MY/2022/03/02/managing-our-gifts

There are spiritual gifts like prophesy, serving, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership and mercy (Romans 12:6-8) and yet there are other spiritual gifts like word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophesy, distinguishing between spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:8-10) as well as is stated in 1 Corinthians 12:28-30 like apostle, prophet, teacher, miracles, healings, help, administration and tongues or the five fold ministries in Ephesians 4:11. We know all that and we may have some of them and some of us may operate in these spiritual gifts. The important thing is that whatever is our spiritual gifting, we use it or them to serve others as good stewards of God’s grace (1 Peter 4:10). Spiritual gifts are given to us for the sake and the betterment of the brethren, not to glorify or enrich us or to make us popular or famous. It is to facilitate the spiritual growth of the church and the congregation.

But there are other talents that are unique to us like writing or drawing or painting or singing or composing songs or playing musical instruments or studying or sports or computers or games. Each of us are also given such gifts and talents, some are special and unique while some are common and yet still special to us. For example, there are many who can play the guitar or piano, but compared to the person who can’t, we are sort of special and yet we may not be that good compared to those who can. That is why whatever talent or gift we have been given by God, it will always be special and unique to us as there are many who do not have our gifts and talents or have other gifts and talents.

The question today is what are we doing with our gifts and talents? Are we using it to serve God? Are we using it for ministry, for the church, in our Christian fellowship or cell group? Are we using our gifts and talents to reach out and bless people around us, people within our sphere of influence at our corner of the world?

I have a talent in writing and although there are thousands and thousands out there who can write much better than me and have a much wider reach (like journalists or writers of books that reach and are read by millions), I am undeterred and unperturbed and will continue to write my blog so long as the Lord gives me inspiration. Maybe only a hundred people read my blog each day but for me it is good enough that I am able to touch and bless this one hundred people and inspire them to greater heights in their walk with God, that they may respond to God’s calling upon their lives and fulfil His plans and purposes for their lives. The point is to use our gifts and talents to serve one another. Let’s all begin to use our gifts and talents from God for God and His people! Maybe that’s God’s unique calling for us!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/03/01/a-friendly-conversation

Friendships are often premised on neutral grounds whether it is race, religion, work, sports or even political views. So if you are a Manchester United fan, you cannot be critical of Chelsea if your friend is a Chelsea fan. Neutrality means it is ok for you to support Man U while accepting that I support Chelsea. In general, you cannot be on a mission to turn me into an MU fan. When it comes to football clubs, it is usually a life long affiliation and identification although there have been people who have switched sides. However people have usually remained good friends despite different club affiliations because people accept that others may like a different club. That includes political support whether for PN, PH or BN. But emotions run high here and families have known to be split because of different political beliefs and support.

The thing is the world in general have an inherent diversity and that includes different faiths and as much as different faiths have led to conflicts and bloodshed throughout history, governments do make the effort to help societies accept diversity in faiths. We try to help and facilitate different religions to live harmoniously among each other. There can be unity in diversity because diversity breeds strength.

However, as Christians we still have a duty to share the Gospel. Not to convert our friends and relatives but to tell them of the Good News. Even as Paul was in chains, he nevertheless wanted to preach the Gospel fearlessly as the Word of God cannot be bound or chained, which is incidentally the current theme of my local church.

It will always be a risk whether to share the Gospel with our close friends and relatives because the basis of our relationship with them is often premised on neutrality. Yet we must proclaim the Gospel as it is the Good News of mankind being reconciled with God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a question of eternity and eternal life, of what happens after we die and depart from this world. It is a risk worth taking because even if our friends do not accept the message, they will not necessarily reject our continued friendship. So, we should pray for them, share the message and continue to be a living testimony of God’s love and glory. Salvation is a gift from God, conviction comes from the Holy Spirit and mankind is always given the freedom of choice, the will to make our own decisions. As in today’s ODB life story, the risk was taken and it was worth the reward – seeing someone accepting the privilege and taking up the challenge to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and be a part of the family of God! Praise the Lord indeed!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/02/28/choosing-celebration

I guess we cannot avoid making comparisons with our family, friends and colleagues as that is probably one of the ways we are able to know where we stand in relation to others, to form the basis to spur us to go from where we are. We want to progress in our career, ministry and life. Thus comparing ourselves against our parents, our siblings, relatives, friends and colleagues is natural and is not wrong. It’s just that sometimes comparisons give rise to envy and jealousy, and sometimes envy and jealousy could lead us to take more destructive action against the person we are envious of. Thus looking at it from the other perspective, it is also wise not to gloat and pride ourselves too much like a peacock if we are doing well as it could then invoke the envy of others.

How do we avoid envy and jealousy within us? Today’s ODB article suggests that the opposite of envy is celebration and thus we celebrate and be happy despite us lagging behind. I should add that we should work harder at what we do and focus on our work and life but I can see the goodness in celebrating instead of envy. This is because envy in most cases is self induced and thus self destructive. It is something like resentment and unforgiveness and bitterness. Envy just eats us from within and will consume our passion if we allow it to overpower us and take control.

Celebrate and be contented with our lot in life. Work harder if we want to be better. Train and practice more. Find ways to improve ourselves but at the base of it, celebrate what God has given us. Celebrate where we are now. Instead, focus on God’s plans and purposes for us. That is much more important than what we can and have achieved in our life. If we look at this in that perspective, we will see that our worldly and even ministry achievements are nothing compared to what God wants for us to be. That’s what matters most and that’s where most of our energies should be directed to. All others are just fringes. That is core. In the end, we run our own race and have our own finish line. Who reaches first or last does not matter at all, so long as we all reach our finish line and complete our own race. If it helps us to complete our race, by all means compare. If it causes envy and jealousy, resentment and bitterness, unforgiveness and hatred, then don’t. Let us all just commit unto Him our lives and our journey with Him that we will not be distracted by envy but be propelled to move forward by His calling upon our lives to fulfil His plans and purposes for us!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/02/26/part-of-the-family-2

We have read about the plight of those born as stateless children in Malaysia and how basic rights like schooling, formal work, subsidised medical care are denied them. They are largely confined to find work in the informal economy like giving tuition or the gig economy and some may even be forced to go underground working in the flesh and drug trades and moving around in the shadows. These are not illegal immigrants who may be deported to their home countries but children born here in Malaysia with no other country to call home and yet are not recognised as Malaysian citizens. Somewhat similar to what Paul described in Ephesians 2:19 as foreigners and strangers but not quite. But they are the same if taken in the context of people living among us and yet do not enjoy the rights, privileges and benefits of citizenship including the right to participate in the political process as voters and election candidates.

As Christians grafted into the family of God through the blood of Christ shed on the cross of Calvary, we are now no longer foreigners and strangers in the Kingdom of God. We are rightful children of God seated in the heavenly realm as co-heirs with Christ to the rich inheritance of glory in the Kingdom of God with all power and authority in heaven accessible to us in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. We can now pray and relate to God the Father in the name of Jesus. The Holy Spirit now resides in us the same way God resided in the Tabernacle and the Temple of old. That is why we must always be careful to present our bodies as a living sacrifice as it is the temple upon which the presence of God in the form of the Holy Spirit resides.

What is the message this morning? I believe it is two-prong. First, be reminded that we are now rightful children of God, seated together with Christ at the table and having a direct path of communication and relationship with God. We have the authority and power as given us by Christ. Exercise the power and authority in the spiritual realm, exercise it in our lives, take control and command healing and deliverance in our lives. Live the life that God had planned and ordained for us to live, a life that is victorious, joyous and having the peace and presence of God.

Secondly, be reminded that we need to continually work out our salvation with fear abd trembling. Our salvation is assured but there is a purpose for us to be saved. Salvation is not the end by itself. It is the ultimate end but there is a journey we have to walk and travel with God. There is transformation in our mind not to conform to the pattern of this world so that we may discover and test the good, pleasing and perfect will of God. In other words, there is work to be done inside us and there is work to be done outside us in the church, in ministry and generally in the Kingdom of God. Salvation is not just a question of saying the sinner’s prayer. It is much more than that. Our words must be followed by our life story.

Let’s all be thankful that we are now part of the family of God. Rightful children having access to God with power and authority in the spiritual realm and seated in the heavenly places. But remember that with power comes responsibility and thus we must also behave and take up the challenges and responsibilities that come with our position in the family. We must defend and make sure that the honour of the family is preserved and protected at all times. Definitely not docile and uninvolved but always active and “working at it” all the time “getting on with the programme” kind of life and response!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/02/25/avoid-the-door

Wisdom is multi-facetted. There is insight like the ability to see between issues or read between the lines. There is also prudent behaviour in terms of wise dealing. There is prudence in terms of good judgment or good sense. Wisdom also encompasses knowledge and this includes knowledge of how the world works in dealing with people and the world and how the spiritual world works in dealing with spiritual forces and the heavenly realm. There is also discretion whether in terms of planning ahead or preparing a course of action with foresight or just plain ability to know what to say at the right time and right place. Wisdom also involves discernment especially in spiritual matters. As was mentioned yesterday, everything is permissible but not all things are beneficial and wisdom helps us make that distinction.

Thus when it comes to doors, it is wise to open the door of our heart when Jesus comes knocking as it leads to Jesus coming to live inside us as we enthrone Him as King in our lives. With the door of our heart opened to Jesus, God opens the door to the heavenly realm to us as well as our mind to the mysteries of His kingdom. We can exercise our authority and power as children of God seated together with Christ in the heavenly realm and partaking in our rich inheritance of glory even while still living here on earth as mere mortals but born again spiritual beings.

It is also wise to open the door of our heart to the person God has chosen for us to be our life partner so we may navigate life and our spiritual journey together. Two is better than one in most instances including wisdom as two heads will always be better than one. The counsel of another provides cover for our blind spots and complements our weaknesses. Our views and actions become more balanced when we have the counsel and wisdom of our loved one.

Therefore it is wise to avoid the door of temptation or the seductress. The devil is here to kill, steal and destroy. To kill our relationship with God, to steal our joy and anointing in Christ and to destroy our faith and ministry. But Jesus is instead the way, the truth and the life! Ask and it shall be given, seek and you shall find and knock and it shall be opened.

Wisdom is knowing which door to knock, open and enter, which door to flee from. Not every open door leads us to God. Not every door leads us to freedom, joy and salvation. Solomon was wise to choose wisdom above all else. In choosing wisdom, he actually chose God and the ways of God although in the end, he did not use his wisdom wisely. Will we use the wisdom God has given us wisely to avoid doors that lead to destruction and only open doors that lead to God and eternal life?

https://odb.org/MY/2022/02/24/follow-the-leader

It’s a prevailing theme in Christian life of putting others first ahead of self. It speaks of selflessness rather than selfishness. We think of the interests of others before ours. It is a strange and somewhat unnatural position to take as human nature dictates that we take care of ourselves first before others. The mind and body is programmed to be self protecting to be naturally putting self preservation as first priority. I can think of two instances where we cannot put others first before ourselves. One is when we are in a plane and the oxygen masks come down. We are to take our own first before attending to others as we will not be useful to anyone if we ourselves are dead. Second is if we are on climb up Mount Everest and reach an area above 8,000m (its height is 8849m) that is known as the Death Zone or Everest’s Graveyard. The oxygen level is so low and it is so difficult to get up there that anyone who is there can only save themselves. If you are in trouble there, you are on your own. That is why people who died there remain there as no one could go so far up there to have the strength to retrieve the dead bodies. It is a zone where you can only use your strength for yourself as that itself is barely enough.

Thus, the conclusion is that it remains a debate that in putting others first should we endanger ourselves in the process? Should we put our lives at risk? Very relevant in our present Covid times. Only Jesus had put everything aside and sacrificed His life for us, for all mankind. There have been other humans who have done so in the past and present but that is not something that is demanded of us as we are in most cases more useful alive than dead unless of course it is a question of denying Christ.

However, so long as it doesn’t involve our life, the standard is to put others first and that includes their conscience as Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 10:29. We seek the good of others and in everything we do, we make sure others do not stumble and may keep their conscience clear. We must not act in such a way that will make others feeling doubtful or feeling guilty and so if any act of ourselves may cause someone’s conscience to be affected, then we refrain from doing that thing. So we may do anything, but not everything is beneficial to everyone, nor everything is constructive, not everything is edifying. That is why even though there are actually few restrictions in Christian life, we follow the standards of the community that we live in. We should blend in harmoniously rather stand out like a sore thumb. Always seek the good of others and not ourselves so that they may be saved as Paul advised in 1 Corinthians 10:33. Follow the example of Paul as he follows the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

https://odb.org/MY/2022/02/23/the-challenge-of-the-stars

I just like to point out this morning that even in ancient times during the time when the Psalms were written, God already was regarded as having looked upon mankind as above all other creatures on the earth. That God treated humans with dignity and had crowned us with glory and honour and made us rulers over all the works of His hands. All creatures are under us, whether flocks or herds, wild animals, birds in the sky, fish in the sea and all other marine life. This was in contrast to other faiths existing then which looked at mankind as mere insignificant slaves only to do the bidding of the gods, that mankind existed merely to serve the desires and wishes of the gods.

Why is there a need to challenge the stars? Even as mankind is able to travel to outer space, it is not able to outdo the stars! The stars are just too far away and numerous. The stars are like the sands on the seashore and we a peck. No matter what we do, the stars will remain. Despite the vastness of the universe, God knows us personally. He knows the exact situation we are in every time and all the time. Even as no one knows our thoughts and inner desires, God knows. Our motivations, our sincerity, our weaknesses and blind spots, God knows. The devil doesn’t know but God knows. God knows our exact thoughts and our heart.

What is the message this morning? Know that despite the vastness of the universe as evidenced by the stars that are in the millions and are also millions of miles away from us, God knows us and wants to relate to each and every one of us. There are billions before us, billions now and there will be many to come so long as Christ has not returned and yet we are never just a statistic to God. We are not part of a number in an Excel sheet. We are real people, real flesh and blood who need to care for many other flesh and blood like us around us. There is a face to each and every one of us. There are thousands of thoughts and motivations in each and every one of us. Every second of time something independent is happening with every single one of us and yet God knows every single moment in every single human being, alive today or having existed in the past and coming into existence in the future. Nothing is synchronised, nothing is scripted and yet God is able to make all things come together for good for all who love Him and who are called according to His purposes.

Know that God knows and loves us. Trust in Him, place our hope in Him – He will make our paths straight and smooth despite these trying times. There will be a future for us and our children because we are His people and He is our God. He knows and loves all mankind, but He knows and loves us more for we are His own, having been born again in the Spirit and having been redeemed by the precious blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. We are unique and special to Him. Know that.

https://odb.org/MY/2022/02/22/love-your-loved-ones

In my 40 years as a believer, I have seen at least a few instances of people in ministry having falling out with one another leading to splits in church. A lot of pain and sorrow and sometimes our faith is destroyed through disillusionment and disappointment. In fact I was part of a group who left our previous church and started an independent church. But I am glad that after nearly 15 years, a few of us did meet up with the senior pastor of our previous church and shared a meal together and prayed for one another. There is a need to be reconciled and let bygones be bygones, forgetting the past and moving on toward the goal that Christ has set for us for our lives.

The story of Paul and Barnabas and Mark in the book of Acts highlights one important aspect of Scriptures. They are real as to describe what happened then and real to describe what is happening now in the church two thousand years later. The strife, conflicts, tensions, disagreements and falling out which happened then are also happening today. Why? Because believers then and now are just ordinary people moved by the Spirit of God to do great exploits. We are all ordinary people with jobs, life challenges to face, work and family issues to deal with and yet doing ministry to the best of our ability for the good of the congregation and the Kingdom of God. Our current challenges are compounded by the pandemic and the disruptions it brings to our daily lives that a new normal for some churches is perhaps perpetual online or at least hybrid services. It may be many more years to come before we can meet together on site as a church congregation worshipping God corporately like we used to.

With so many things happening in the world and the changes brought about by the pandemic and we know that these are the end times with Jesus possibly coming again in our generation, why do we want to let our past to continue to hound and haunt us? Not a question of sin and guilt but broken relationships waiting to be mended and made whole. Forgive and forget and reconcile. God has lots more stuff ahead of us for us to possess and actualize. The world is still our oyster. Mend and heal whatever destructions we left behind. God heals but we must also heal. If a tank destroys everything in its path with its weight and iron chain wheels, it is time to come down and replant those vegetation and plants that we had flattened before. As we heal our past, God will heal our hearts and lead us on to greater heights. Paul later forgave and accepted Mark, also known as John Mark and regarded as the same Mark the Evangelist who wrote the Gospel of Mark. Always be a Barnabas, the encourager and reconciler of men and women.

https://odb.org/MY/2022/02/21/never-say-cant

I’ll say that this is often a situation faced by many of us in responding to our call from God. God has a calling for each and every one of us. But as we contemplate responding to His call, we look at ourselves and most of the time we feel we are inadequate, not qualified or don’t meet the requirements; and there could be a variety of reasons for that. Maybe we are not ready to lay down our lives for God. Perhaps, we feel we don’t have the right skill sets or the right tenacity of character. Or there are other responsibilities we need to fulfil like meeting the expectations of our parents or we need to take care of our family first.

If we look at the lives of the great men and women of God, we will see that most are defined by their call from God. Abraham is regarded as the father of faith because he responded by faith and uprooted his family to follow after God across thousands of miles by bringing along all of his possessions including livestock and servants. Joshua responded and brought the Israelites across the Jordan into the Promised Land to conquer fortified cities, strong armies and giants and in the process experienced the mighty hand of God working through them to give them victory after victory. The disciples of Jesus dropped everything and followed Jesus when Jesus called them to be fishers of men. They followed and learned from Christ throughout His ministry and later after Christ’s death and resurrection, they continued His ministry and later with the help of Paul, they preached the Gospel to the Gentiles out of Jerusalem and Judea and to the rest of the world. It is through the response and faith of these great men and women of God throughout generations since ancient times that we today have the privilege to hear the Gospel and to respond to God’s gift of salvation and eternal life.

Therefore, we have a responsibility to respond – not only to become the person that God wants us to be but also for the sake of the many who will be blessed by our response whether in the present time or in the time to come. Our response to God’s call will define us in Him as well as define us in the world. Will we be known as someone after God’s heart or will we be just like everyone else, chasing after our own dreams and desires?

The message today I believe is that if we are worried that we don’t have the right credentials whether in terms of our skills set, our spiritual condition, our character, our ability to speak in public – don’t be as God will provide and equip us accordingly like He did in the case of Moses. So in the case of Moses, why did God not choose Aaron to confront the Pharaoh instead of using Aaron as the spokesman for Moses but nevertheless sticking with Moses? It could be who Moses was, being formerly a Prince in the court of Pharoah. It could be because Moses had the heart for the children of Israel. Whatever may be the reason, God chose Moses and then chose Aaron to complement him.

I therefore believe that God’s call is unique to us and only we may respond to it. If we are inadequate, God will provide the adequacy. If we have a weakness, God will be the strength. If it’s a call to be a missionary and we have no finance at present, God will make a way when there is no way. Keep God’s call upon our lives in our heart, respond to it and start our preparations. The day will come when we will all meet our Egypt and Pharaoh. The day will come when we will come face to face with our Red Sea and the long journey in the wilderness and finally the challenges in taking our Promised Land by going across our Jordan. Take the step of faith forward, believe that God the creator of heaven and earth shall surely able to make His Word for us come to pass. He created heaven and earth and all things by His Word, surely He is able to bring our calling to pass!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/02/19/spotting-god

Today’s ODB life example of spotting as a technique to overcome the dizziness that comes from doing a ballet spin or pirouette is an excellent illustration on how to keep God in focus when we face problems in life. A ballerina will get dizzy and fall when doing a pirouette if she lets her focus to spin along as she spins but if a point of constant focus is established, that point focuses the brain and the dizziness goes away. The ballerina then is able to maintain her balance while doing the spins.

Therefore, when trouble comes and problems surface, focusing on God and not the problems helps us maintain our balance in life as focusing on the problems will inevitably overwhelm us and cause us despair. Fear of failure will paralyse us.

This immediately reminds me of Peter who jumped out from the boat into the water and walked on water even as he focused his attention on Jesus, who was walking towards him on the water. He was full of faith and I guess adrenaline. But the moment he focused on his surroundings, he sank and Jesus had to reach out to him to pull him off the water.

We cannot avoid focusing on our problems when we face trouble. This is because we are right in the middle of it. We have to deal with it. Avoiding it will not make it go away. Problems and challenges have to be resolved one way or another.

I guess focusing on Jesus at such times simply means we are to constantly pray and seek God for strength and guidance even as we tackle our problems and challenges. It also means keeping our standards intact when resolving our issues. It means we put God first as we find a resolution. It means we preserve and protect the character and glory of God in our lives as we deal with the issue at hand. Not our own needs and desires or our wants but what’s best for God and His Kingdom. Will the Lord be pleased with our decision and action? Are we putting God first? Will Jesus take the same action and make the same decision as ours?