Always do what is good for everyone

https://odb.org/2025/08/25/being-a-blessing

1 Thessalonians 5:15–18 (NIV): 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

In a sporting game, it’s commendable to point out a goal when it’s scored against your team, although the referee did not see it as the ball went in but went out through a hole in the net! It is rare to do so, especially when your team ends up losing, but that’s the essence of sports – it’s more about participating than winning! At least, that’s the essence of sports originally. Nowadays, with sponsorship money and sports personalities making a living out of sports, winning has perhaps taken a life of its own!

In my line of negotiating contracts, while we may point out obvious errors and we draft fair contracts, we don’t act on behalf of the counter party. So, for example, more experienced parties may ask for certain compromises when negotiating against some tough clauses, but less experienced ones will miss them out. In being kind and fair, I can not tell them what to ask for as I always act in the best interests of my company. It is for you to ask and for me to evaluate and consider.

I guess the context of 1 Thessalonians 5:15 is more within the community of believers. That we strive to act in the best interests of everyone – always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. It speaks more of the interests of the community being above our own selfish interests. It highlights the Christian value of selfless dedication.

It reminds me of manna from heaven when the Israelites were in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. Every household gets its fair share, sufficient for the day, but it may not be kept as it gets bad. But there’s no worry as a fresh supply will come tomorrow (except for the day before the Sabbath, where they will get a double portion that can last longer than a day). However, the manna is the same one for everyone in the community. There are no distinct flavours. There were no variations that they could order to their liking. Sometimes, being selfless is to cede to the needs of the community. We accept a flavour that’s neutral. Not salty, sweet, sour, or spicy, just plain and boring. Still, it’s better than not eating!

There’s a plain flavour to Christian life. Everyone gets something similar. It is for us to work with God and the Holy Spirit to make the best of what God has given us. Not for us to pick and choose but to go with the flow and allow Jesus to mould us and help us fulfil God’s calling, plans, and purposes for our lives. Then we will discover that His will is good, acceptable, and perfect! There is selflessness even in our relationship with God – we let God decide what’s best for us even if it may appear at first sight to be plain and boring!

Have a good week ahead, everyone! Accept the life God has given us and work with Jesus to turn it into the life God wants us to really have, living in His house and the beauty of His presence! Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life (Psalm 23:6)!

God’s heart

https://odb.org/2025/08/22/seeing-with-gods-heart

Psalm 146
1 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. 2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save. 4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day, their plans come to nothing. 5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. 6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— he remains faithful forever. 7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, 8 the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. 10 The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord.

It is sad to read about people displaced by war, like the case of Chantale Zuzi Leader highlighted in today’s ODB. See her personal account here: https://singjupost.com/dear-fellow-refugees-heres-how-i-found-resilience-chantale-zuzi-leader-transcript/

In the present Israel-Hamas conflict, many in Gaza have been killed and displaced. A war against Israel financed and supported by Iran but putting the 2 million plus Palestinians in jeopardy where the general population is powerless to act against the armed “freedom fighters” or militants, while the Israeli troops and bombs advance and destroy their homes and infrastructure.

The road to peace is fraught with difficulties as the most realistic way to peace is for Hamas to lay down their arms, but that would make them totally at the mercy of Israel. Similarly, most Ukrainians have fled the Donbass region, overrun by Russian troops. In the peace effort initiated by President Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is resisting attempts to cede territories Ukraine has lost to Russia, while Putin is determined to entrench a buffer zone against Nato in the west. In the process, many have perished from both sides.

We may be tempted to ask – where is God in all these human infractions? Many lives are lost. Yet we know human beings are not robots or animals driven purely by instinct. We have reasoning power and the will to do as we wished. The natural world must run its course.

All I can say is that God’s heart is always for the oppressed, as demonstrated by His Word and actions since ancient times. The widows, orphans, and foreigners always have a special place in Yahweh’s heart. As many have perished due to perils of men, I believe many have also been saved and rescued like Chantale Zuzi Leader.

What can we do? We can probably only pray that God will save and rescue more even as the bombs fall and the bullets fly, even as the machetes cut and maim or kill. Pray for those going through wars in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan. Pray that more will be rescued and saved even as many are killed. At the same time, be thankful that we are enjoying peace where we may earn a living, raise families, and attend church to worship God! Thank the Lord that most of the world is living in peace while enjoying the glory of His creation, from the mountains to the sea, from the north pole to the south, from he rising of the sun to its rest. Amen! We praise You, O Lord my God, my Rock and my Salvation!

Feed the need

https://odb.org/2025/08/21/feed-the-need

Acts 4:32–37 (NIV): 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power, the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time, those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. 36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.

It is very highly commendable and exemplary to open a restaurant to provide a full hot meal to the needy seniors who often had to go without meals and who rarely enjoy a restaurant experience. The couple had invested their savings to make a difference. A donation box receives contributions. Lisa McMillan says, “Sometimes we find nothing there. Sometimes, a thank-you note. Sometimes $1,000. Always, we have everything we need. Our goal is to feed the need, restore dignity, and develop community.”

A similar experience arose in the early church as recorded in the book of Acts of many who were convicted by the Holy Spirit selling their possessions and sharing the proceeds with those who were in need such that no one was in need. It became a form of community living where everyone’s needs were taken care of. Somewhat similar to the socialism practised by the communists in their early days except that the focus is on the latter and not so much social equality.

In fact, nowadays communist countries practice communism more as a method of government and not as an economic system. However, in analysing the difference between the economic system of the US versus China, commentators realise that in China, the economy does not serve the interests of capital but society. Thus, economic prosperity is enjoyed by all and not only a few billionaires.

If God calls us to do what Lisa and Freddie McMillan are doing, please go ahead. For most of us, I believe we need to be more generous in how we manage our wealth and savings. The human tendency is to hold on tightly. The bible also teaches that the labourer is worthy of his wages (see 1 Timothy 5:18). Yet when we have accumulated more than we need, it benefits us to share with the needy. Why? Because it pleases God that we are looking after the underprivileged – the widows, orphans, and foreigner of ancient times. There may come a time when the community living of the 1st century believers in the book of Acts may become relevant again. For example, if we are called to face the great tribulation of the end times.

Practice generosity. As we feed the need, we will always have everything we need! It is highly unlikely that we will be needy if we are generous! The LORD our God will surely provide! Amen!

Focus on Jesus

https://odb.org/2025/08/20/eyes-front

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.

Fixing our eyes on a stationary object like a pole definitely helps us focus, and thus, in learning how to ride a bicycle, it helps us keep our balance and pedal on. Similarly, in our Christian life, we will grow much in our faith if our focus is on Christ even as the world distracts us with its bright lights and various attractions.

Nowadays, with social media, we have windows into the world without needing to be present physically. We can see and hear things from all over the world from our living room on our TV and mobile phones. No doubt it is still 2-dimensional, and we miss out on the smell of the sea or the cold breeze blowing on our skin or the warm rays of the sun lightly skimming our faces.

At the personal level, we face temptations of the devil, chipping us away from the moral character Christ is moulding and building in us. Do we do the right thing, or will we compromise our standards and look the other way? Will we be a full-bodied believer facing Christ at the Bema Judgment Seat, or will we be a believer full of holes because of the various compromises we made while we were in the land of the living?

What does it really mean to focus on Christ? Look at Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Consider also John 8:31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

At the very core of our faith, practically, to focus or keep our eyes on Jesus is simply to apply His teachings in our lives. There are no two ways about it. Remember Psalm 119:105 His Word is the lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path. Or Psalm 1 as set out below:

1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

At the end of the day, we need to go back to the Word and make it our life’s daily mission to read His Word persistently and consistently, and apply it willfully and faithfully in our daily interactions with others, in our thoughts and the things we do. Then, like the child learning how to ride a bicycle, we will pedal on and not fall!

Hints of God’s glory

https://odb.org/2025/08/19/hints-of-gods-glory

Revelation 4:6–11 (NIV): 6 Also in front of the throne, there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the centre, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night, they never stop saying:
“ ‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”

Below is a slightly edited excerpt from today’s ODB article by Brent Hackett:

Christian Spencer spent more than 20 years taking pictures in the Itatiaia National Park in Brazil. He’s ’s captured the effect of sunlight passing through the open wings of the hummingbird, where the wings create a prism-like rainbow of colours when birds fly between the bright sun and his camera lens. As we find hidden treasures in God’s creation, may we enjoy each one, knowing there’s so much more awaiting us in heaven. In heaven, we will worship God the Father and praise Him forever: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (v. 11).

There are glimpses of God’s glory hidden in creation, and as mankind discovers them one by one, we must remember to appreciate and thank God for His magnificence. The glorious wonders of His creation. Even looking at my pet cat Cotton, I marvel at the beauty of her paws, how intricately intertwined are the colours and fur. To her, it serves her to make her movements silent, but to my eyes, she’s just so beautiful. But when she’s threatened or confronted with danger, her claws will extend and protract, giving her a weapon to inflict serious damage.

Words cannot sufficiently describe the glory of God that awaits us in the new heaven and new earth. We cannot imagine how it would be like to live in the holy presence of God when we are so used to the grind of daily living here on earth. Yet we know that it will be an experience way beyond our present experiences here on earth. Nothing will beat the real thing as we only see and experience glimpses of His glory now. Nevertheless, we still look forward to those glimpses as God reveals them to us in our lives.

As we pursue Him, may He not only reveal glimpses of His glory to us in His creation, but may He reveal more of Himself and the mysteries of His Kingdom. May we grow in maturity and be transformed in our character and faith as we grow in the knowledge of Him!

May the LORD our God through His Holy Spirit grant us wisdom and discernment as we go through our work day today! May His glory shine forth that more will come to know Him in time to come!

The promise to come

https://odb.org/2025/08/18/god-will-keep-it

1 John 3:1–3 (NIV): See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

The passage above, 1 John 3:1-3,  describes three aspects of God’s saving grace: justification, glorification, and sanctification. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, all who receive Him by faith are justified (or made right with God) and become “children of God” (vv. 1-2). God’s children have the hope of being “like him” (v. 2), fully conformed to His likeness. That’s glorification. But in the meantime, “All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure” (v. 3). That’s sanctification.

There is, thus, a sense that in preparing for His second coming, we need to get ready as much as we also need to live in this world. It doesn’t mean that we stop working and just wait for Him to come. Life still goes on. We still need to earn a living to sustain ourselves and our family. It’s just that in the process, we have to be vigilant to sanctify ourselves. We need to purify ourselves and not to intentionally sin or continue to sin. We need to maintain our righteousness before God. It’s part of the transformation of our minds as we do not conform to the pattern of this world. We may not be perfect, but we are moving forward, improving on our adherence to righteousness and holy living, day in and day out, as we become more and more like Christ, in character, actions, and thoughts. 

Because of the promise by wealthy donors to fund their college education, children as young as in kindergarten are motivated to do well in their studies in the hope of receiving the promised scholarships. Likewise, we believers should live in holiness and righteousness in anticipation of Christ’s return and the promise of eternal life that His second coming will usher in, the series of events that will occur culminating in the new heaven and the new earth.

Have a good week ahead, everyone! Another week has passed and gone, and a new week arrives as the cycle of life continues. This cycle appears to be constant, and it looks as though life goes on indefinitely, forever and ever. That’s an illusion. The reality is that we might no longer be around tomorrow or that Christ may return! In the meantime, sanctify ourselves to prepare for His coming!

Our merciful God

https://odb.org/2025/08/15/gods-property

Nehemiah 9:19–21 (NIV): 19 “Because of your great compassion, you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day, the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. 21 For forty years, you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.

An excerpt from today’s ODB below:

One of the prayers we pray each Sunday holds this phrase: “But thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy.” Not God’s real estate but a quality or trait belonging to God—to have mercy not just once in a while but always.

It is a distinct quality or characteristic of God that He is merciful and gracious and compassionate as much as He is love. He is a God of second chances, in fact many chances. As much as He is a judge, He is also our Father. Jesus Christ, His Son and our Lord and Saviour, is also our brother and co-heir to the inheritance that awaits us in eternity at the end of this age. Father God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit will all do their utmost best to help us through in our journey of faith so that we will fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith until the very end.

But note that while Jesus is still Saviour now, He will be Judge and King when He returns. As much as God is merciful and compassionate, it is while we still have breath and before Christ returns. We need to make the stand now and not tomorrow while we are still a part of the living as tomorrow may never come. What tomorrow brings will always be a mystery. Don’t procrastinate anymore. Decide now and make the decision now.

But if you have decided before and have now drifted away. Repent and confess your sins before our Heavenly Father. He is merciful and compassionate. That is His property. But remember, it is not for an unlimited time.

Have a good weekend ahead, everyone! Take a break from work, catch up on household chores tomorrow, but reserve Sunday as our Sabbath unto Him! Worship Him in church and soak in His Holy presence as He dwells in the praises of His people! May we all be strengthened and encouraged as we see Him face to face in the spirit in worship! Amen!

Divine providence and provision

https://odb.org/2025/08/14/god-provides

1 Kings 17:7–16 (NIV): 7 Some time later, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the LORD came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
12 “As surely as the LORD your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first, make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the land.’ ”
15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up, and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.

The story of Elijah and the Phoenician widow in 1 Kings 17 is a favourite passage of preachers to convey the rhema Word for His people for a season. It is somewhat similar to the story of Elisha with the widow in 2 Kings 4, where a prophet’s widow in debt was saved by the multiplication of a small amount of olive oil into as many containers as she could find to fill, for her to later sell and repay her debts.

These encounters with divine providence and provision prove and demonstrate that Yahweh could provide much out of little. This is also similar to the miracles of Jesus feeding the 4,000 and the 5,000 in the New Testament. In the latter case, with 5 loaves and 2 fish, while the former, with 7 loaves and a few small fish.

In all such cases, there was a divine objective to be achieved. In the case of Elijah with the Phoenician widow, it was to prove that Yahweh was more powerful than Baal, Canaan and the surrounding territories’s dominant diety and on agriculture, by creating a severe famine by ceasing rain for a period of time. It culminated with Elijah defeating (and executing) 450 prophets of Baal in the contest at Mount Carmel when he, in stark contrast to the prophets of Baal, managed to call on fire from heaven to burn the drenched sacrifice. After that, Elijah prayed to Yahweh, and the rain returned, ending the famine, proving once again that Yahweh was more powerful than Baal.

Can we apply the above to our lives? That God will provide for us in our times of famine and financial difficulties? We have heard testimonies of people having raw rice (beras in Malay) in containers that miraculously do not diminish or missionaries and ministers receiving cheques in the mail or bank transfers at critical times (doesn’t usually appear out of nowhere but because the Holy Spirit prompted someone to do so). 

I believe that God will provide for His people through various means, including opening doors for us to earn our living, which sometimes can by itself be a miracle! We should pray and ask the Lord who is loving and compassionate if we are in dire need of His supernatural intervention. But always remember that it is never as of our right. It is by His grace and mercy. It is His discretion. It is based on His plans and purposes for our lives. It is to achieve a specific purpose, perhaps to demonstrate His love and compassion for us. It is always in His divine timing and will.

The resurrected Christ

https://odb.org/2025/08/13/recognizing-jesus

Luke 24:25–35 (NIV): 25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

When I was young and living in Pasir Puteh, Kelantan, the year-end school holidays were usually time to chill and read. There was no schooling, and since my dad was a teacher, he also didn’t need to go to school. It was a time when the whole family was together at home. There are times when we will travel back to the West Coast, like pay a visit to my uncles in KL or go see my paternal grandmother and my maternal grandparents in Ipoh.

The weather was usually nice as it was rainy and without fail, the floods would come. It was the monsoon season, and thus, it would usually rain non-stop for one to two weeks, and the town would be flooded. It was just a matter of geography and physics as the ground could not disperse fast enough the heavy rainfall from the mountains to the sea.

One of the books I read during those times, besides fictional works on Perry Mason, was the dual language Malay-English bible, and the notable passages that caught my attention was why no one recognised Jesus after His resurrection? It was only after He opened their eyes that they knew. I only discovered the answer later, although I accepted Christ when I was 14.

The reason is likely that His appearance in His resurrected body had changed. He definitely did not resurrect in the form that He died as His body was badly wounded and afflicted on the cross. We could postulate that His resurrected form was probably His best form to the human eye. It was recognisably human, and yet He did not look exactly like He did when He was walking the earth preaching and performing miracles, signs, and wonders. If He did, He would have been easily recognised.

For me, the most important thing about Christ resurrected is that it gives us hope for our own resurrected body one day. Although our body could have been cremated or buried and left in bones or we could have died when young or badly disfigured by an accident or when we had been ravaged by old age or illness – when we are resurrected, our glorified body will be in our best possible form. It is likely that our glorified body will be our best form with all our earthly disabilities removed. We will all be beautiful because the glory of God will shine forth from our victorious, glorified bodies, clothe in white and shiny unblemished garments! As we will then be holy, righteous, and without sin! Amen!

Cling and hold on to Christ until the very end! He was resurrected from the dead to show us not only that He had defeated sin and death but also to give us a glimpse of who we would be one day, the glory that awaits each and every one of us if we had fought the good fight, finished the race and remained in the faith (2 Timothy 4:7)!

P/S: For those interested in the Gatacca movie scene referred to in my posting yesterday, please click on the link below: https://youtu.be/ll5qiWa6YDk?si=L6iZp4ocvxI5tNko

For those who missed my post yesterday, please see the link below: https://ronnielim.com/2025/08/12/distance-till-empty/.

Distance till empty

https://odb.org/2025/08/12/distance-til-empty

Exodus 20:8–11 (NIV): 8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labour and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it, you shall not do any work, neither you nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days, the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

It is interesting to use the fuel gauge’s distance to empty to illustrate the need for us to observe the Sabbath as God also rested on the 7th day after creating the world and everything in it 6 days prior. For us Christians, the Sabbath is a day of rest and worship, but not in the religious sense like the Jews. The distance to empty means it’s a hard stop, although modern cars still have reserved fuel before it really goes empty. It is nevertheless not advisable to go really empty as it could damage our car’s fuel pump.

I have dealt with religious Jews before (religious as opposed to secular, but not the orthodox), and they make it a point to fly back to Israel on Thursday night so they are in Israel on Friday evening to observe the Sabbath (pronounced as Shabath). For them, it is total abstinence from work, and time would be spent with family to read the Scriptures and worship Yahweh. I understand they don’t even cook on that day, with food prepared in advance the day before.

As believers in Christ, we should have our own Sabbath on a Sunday for us to attend church and serve God, to worship Him and listen to His Word preached. To just immerse ourselves in His Holy presence as we celebrate His goodness in our lives and express our gratefulness for His calling and purpose for us here on earth as well as His salvation for eternal life. We should take a break from work on a Sunday and just chill (unless absolutely necessary, like when we are chasing or closing a deal). Saturdays are meant to catch up on housework and gardening. But on Sundays, we should just rest in His presence.

Having said that, I remember watching the 1997 movie Gatacca, starring Ethan Hawk, Uma Thurman, and Jude Law. It is a sci-fi world when there are two distinct classes of humans, the genetically perfect (modified) and the imperfect (natural). All the posh jobs were reserved for the perfect, but our protagonist (an imperfect) wanted to be an astronaut, which was way beyond his wildest imagination. So he worked very, very hard despite his not qualifying. One of the most memorable scenes from the movie was when he challenged his brother (a perfect) to a swim into the open sea.  He defeated his brother, proving that the human spirit can triumph over his imperfect physical body. In fact, he had to bring his brother back to shore. How was that possible? He stretched himself to the utmost limit by not reserving anything for the swim back to shore. By not limiting himself, he was able to go much farther than what he thought his body could go!

That is how humanity progresses – by testing the limits of our humanity. But as people of the faith, we have the Holy Spirit in us and Christ and God with us. If we push ourselves beyond our own limits beyond our comfort zones, God will bring us deeper into Him, far deeper than what we could imagine, into the depths of the mysteries of His Kingdom. Like Paul and John, perhaps we could one day see and experience things that a human could not utter! In 2 Corinthians 12:4, Paul discussed the vision where he was caught up to “the third heaven” and heard “inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.”

Have a good week ahead, everyone! Have our own Sabbath, but don’t allow our own human limitations to limit God’s work in our spiritual lives! There is much more in this world that the eyes can see!

P/S: My apologies for not posting yesterday as I had to wake up at 5.30 am and travel back to the city at 6.00 am.