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!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/10/26/set-apart-2

Paul is called to be an apostle and to be set apart for the Gospel, which is the Good News of the death and resurrection of Christ which paves the way for every person who accepts Christ as Lord to receive the gift of salvation, by the grace of God. The Good News needs to be told and shared because it has a most profound effect on every person, here on earth and thereafter. It sets the tone and direction of our lives, whether to be lived once only or for eternity too. It also puts into perspective our priorities in acquiring skills, knowledge, wealth, possessions and experience – are we only preparing for our future here on earth or are we also, in parallel, storing up riches in heaven where moths and rust do not destroy? Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). There is the temporal as well as the permanent. There is the natural and the spiritual. We need both to work together for the good of the Kingdom of God. As much as we look forward to heaven, we need to still live on this earth for the years to come.

Today’s ODB mentions the tuk tuk as a mission field. Indeed it is. Wherever we are is a mission field. Wherever God places us is our promised land where the promises of God are realised and will come to pass. Wherever God places us shall be our land flowing with milk and honey. The glory of God resides in us and the presence of God is with us wherever we are as we obey His Word and reach out to those around us, whether in person or virtually or via social media. Connectivity is such nowadays that we can reach out to anywhere in the world with reciprocal connectivity through voice, video or just written messages. We can play our role and do our part wherever we are. The world had become a smaller place to all those who are connected.

The message that I like to share today is that we can be where we are and still be set apart for the Gospel as we discover and fulfil God’s calling for our lives. I think what’s really necessary is to have a life that is set heavenward towards the goal that Christ has for us. Let our eyes be focused on the things of heaven and yet fully cognisance of the requirements of the natural world we live in. Don’t say we only live once, but say that we live for Christ yesterday, today, tomorrow and for all eternity!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/10/25/the-testing

This story about Abraham and Isaac is a story so well known that I had heard of it even during Islamic religious classes in primary school. As I was the only non-Muslim in class, I stayed on to listen since I didn’t have anywhere else to go for that period. At that time I didn’t know Christ yet. The story stucked on in my mind because of the sheer and total obedience of Abraham. He just did as he was told. Full willingness to obey, full submission to God. That is why Paul calls Abraham in Romans 4 the father of faith. It all begin with Abraham when he stepped out in faith and moved his entire clan and family out of the Ur of the Chaldeans to Canaan. And in this story with Isaac, Abraham fully trusted God’s plans for him that he will be the father of many nations. I guess Abraham must have thought to himself that if God could give him a son even though Sarah was advanced in age, God could give him another son if he were to sacrifice Isaac as instructed. Total trust, total faith and total dependence on God.

In our Christian walk, I believe there will be times when God will test our heart to see whether we are truly for Him, to see how we real we perceive our faith in Him. Do we really believe God is real and alive? Do we really believe that God is the creator of all things? Do we really believe that God is our Heavenly Father, who loves us and whose plans for us is to prosper and not destroy us (Jeremiah 29:11).

I think if we were ever tested by God before He raises us to another level of our faith and trust in Him, it is important to remember two things. One is that all we have is ultimately from Him. Like Isaac, if God can give, He can also take away. If He can give and take away, He can also give another. Job lost nearly everything when he was tested but he gained two fold later on. Secondly, I think we can be rest assured that as God is our father and loves us dearly, whatever tests He has for us will never be to destroy us. Instead it will be for our own good and our growth in Christ. In the process, we will become a better child of God. The testing will make us grow in our faith and hear the voice of God better. His voice will be clearer to us as we trust in Him and respond in faith.

I have gone through a few major testings in my life and I can testify that a lot of who I am in God today stemmed from those moments when I chose Him instead of the world – I had stood my ground based on God’s worldview and didn’t allow the prevailing worldview of the world to overpower and overwhelm mme. If God tests us and we respond in faith, it can only make us grow in Him and I pray that each of us will be like Abraham, the father of faith, if God were to ever test us.

https://odb.org/MY/2021/10/24/talk-trust-feel

As I was growing up in the faith in a previous church, the method used to instill discipline is to create fear. I think it was to put the fear of God in our lives but some times ended up putting the fear of men in us. We were drilled to wake up at 5.00 am, do our devotions before God and then pass out our written devotional papers before we go for breakfast. I can’t remember exactly but I think we had an hour to sort everything out. It was a dreadful thing that I surely didn’t look forward to every morning then!

But as I looked back now, I realised that it was good training as I’m able to do this regularly now – wake up early, do my quiet time and write up my thoughts – all before the days starts. This training I received more than 30 years ago is seeing fruition after so many years. Fear is sometimes a good thing to instill discipline and consistency although we may hate it when we are going through it!

However, fear can also be oppressive and overly stressful and sometimes detrimental to our well being. The fear that comes when we have to do weekly reports of a project that is not progressing as planned. The fear to tell something to our bosses that is not favourable, being the bearer of bad news.The fear of making mistakes when conducting a hearing, of not knowing enough. The fear of not covering every angle and risk when drafting a contract. The fear of not knowing what to say next when preaching. The fear of not saying the right things when worship leading or if you have a solo piece, the fear of playing the notes wrongly.

Jesus did not give us a spirit of fear when we accepted Him. Instead He gave us the Holy Ghost who personifies boldness and courage. We will all have fears for reasons that may be personal to us, which may appear to be trivial to others. But our fears are real and if not managed properly, we may end up frozen with fear. At best, fear becomes oppressive and overly stressful.

From experience, the best way I believe to overcome our fears is to face them by preparing well. Confront them by preparing well to overcome them. In preaching, people say it’s 90% preparation, 10% delivery. I guess that applies to most things. The more we prepare, the more prepared we will be. But the difference is we have the Holy Spirit in us and on our side, He is the source of all power. Tap into that abundant ever flowing river of life in Christ, we will find our strength in Him as we persevere through and in the process we will overcome our fears. In fact, our past fears can now be our strengths to propel us to achieve greater glory in Christ, to achieve more for God in the Kingdom of God! We need not be paralysed and frozen by our fears, instead we can make our fears the stepping stone for our successes in future! Go for it!

https://odb.org/MY/2021/10/23/wise-christians

Jesus taught before that as He sends us out to the world that we should be as shrewd as serpents but innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). Some translations use the phrase wise as serpents and harmless as doves. This is because when we are in the world we are akin to sheep among wolves, thus we must balance our innocence with shrewdness. Or else we will be like lambs being led to slaughter.

In Luke 16:1-9, Jesus told us a story of how a manager about to lose his job started discounting the bills of his customers as a means to gain friends. Jesus commended the manager’s shrewdness although He did not applaud his dishonesty. The point is that it is wise to use our position, influence and wealth to gain friends or build a network while we still have our position, influence and wealth. The point goes deeper but I’ll come to that in a while.

I have a friend who treated me very well while I was only a prospective customer. Bought me dinners every now and then, and we got to know our respective families when I visited his country once with my family when I was there for a vacation. This went on for a number of years but I couldn’t help him as his product pricing was not within our acceptable levels. In other words, my business could not afford his premium top quality products. He didn’t get the business but in the process, he gained a lifelong friend. In fact, he told me that was his intention too so that when we are both retired, we can visit each other at our respective countries. When we have an expense account, we spend to promote our products and acquire new business opportunities but in the process we also gain friends.

At a deeper level, the principle expounded by Jesus is to use whatever influence we have, the money we have, our position to reach out to others, to help or bless others. When we use money, we are not “losing” money. When we use money to bless others, we are sowing on earth for God’s purposes while sowing towards our heavenly fortune. Money is earned to be saved but also used. When used wisely, we are investing for our future. But we can also use it wisely to invest for God and His kingdom purposes. Till today I still recall the kind hospitality given by a medical couple when my wife and I were still in university where we had a chance to have nicer meals. Those meals were out of our budget then but we were privileged to enjoy them because of the kind couple.

I think that the key takeaway today is not to be stingy with our money and influence. Do things properly and within rules, don’t be dishonest but be shrewd. Be wise but harmless. Use our money and influence while we still have them for God’s purposes. Use them to bless others, to gain friends for the Kingdom of God. We will not have money and influence forever. The time will come for us to retire as we grow old. But while we still have money and influence, don’t waste the opportunity to use them to bless and help others. The friends we gain will be lifelong and if they accept Jesus into their lives, their friendships will be eternal!