Caring for the oppressed

https://odb.org/2025/08/08/caring-for-the-oppressed

Jeremiah 22:1–5 (NIV): 22 This is what the LORD says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there: 2 ‘Hear the word of the LORD to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates. 3 This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor, the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. 5 But if you do not obey these commands, declares the LORD, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’ ”

The Malaysian Christian is believed to be largely middle-class, whether Chinese or Indian or Kadazan, or Dayak, although we do actually span a wider band of the socio-economic spectrum in both East and West Malaysia. The tendency is self-preservation, and thus, we are less vocal publicly as much as we may be well versed with the social and political issues plaguing our country lately. For example, the government boasts of high foreign investments, yet at ground zero, we find more taxes are introduced or increased, and things are getting more expensive while the average daily wage has remained mostly stagnant.

The call to the believer, however, is to “do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor, the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.” Jeremiah 22:3.

There is a call to social activism, although most of us are just busy working to put food on the table, pay bills, and save for the rainy day. For the younger ones among us, our wages may just be enough month to month. In other words, we will likely be living from paycheck to paycheck for a considerable period before we may see a healthy bank balance in savings. It is tough for an average Christian to work hard, attend church, and serve God while also devoting time to social causes. However, I just found out yesterday of someone who is now working for an NGO helping Orang Asli build simple homes, hence combining work with socialism.

God’s heart, however, is always for the oppressed – the foreigner, the orphans (fatherless), and the widow (this is perhaps more “single parent” in our present context). We must always remember that. We may not be directly involved in social activism, but we should help in whatever way we can, based on our affordability, to lend our voice to their cause or extend financial support. Even a donation of RM10 each by crowd funding could go a long way to help these marginalised or oppressed people in society.

Have a good weekend ahead to break from work, rest, and worship God this Sunday! This post concludes my posts for the week – you would have noticed by now that I only usually post during weekdays nowadays.

Take care, everyone, and God protect you and your loved ones, and bless the work of your hands!

Walking in the light

https://odb.org/2025/08/07/walking-in-his-light

Ephesians 5:8–13, 15 (NIV): 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient does in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise.

It is a good practice to switch on some light at home in the night, especially if we have a large house although nowadays with our phone always beside us, it is less of an issue. In our room, a side lamp is useful if we wake up and need to use the toilet in the middle of the night.

Thus, a light under the bed that illuminates our path, triggered by movement, will be very useful as we grow older. We need to be wise as we age because if we fall and become bedridden, we will be a burden to our family and will less likely live a long life.

In the spiritual context, we have the light of Christ illuminating our paths in life ever since we left the darkness when we accepted Christ. Will we stumble and fall? Not likely as Christ lives in us, and we read and abide by His Word, which is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths (Psalm 119:105).

Yet, as we all know, our soul is on the path of redemption, and our soul consists of the mind, emotion, and will. We need to transform our minds not to conform to the pattern of this world as per Romans 12:2. Then only may we control our will to acede to God’s will and His Word. Mankind has the free will to do as he or she wishes, and it is out of this free will that we need to choose to stay in the light to eternal life, and not step back into darkness and destruction. God let us have the freedom to choose, and we must always choose Him as He calls us to Himself.

Be very careful how you live – not as the unwise but as wise (Ephesians 5:15).

Have a good day ahead even as we approach the weekend! May the LORD our God grant us wisdom, patience, and discernment in the next two days at work to do things effectively and efficiently! Amen!

Love your neighbour

https://odb.org/2025/08/06/tree-debris

James 1:19–25 (NIV): 19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

The real-life story of today’s ODB writer of him dealing with a damaged roof and fallen tree debris and branches after a major thunderstorm is an excellent illustration of the Christian teaching of “love your neighbour.” This was because the trees that caused the mess were not his, but his neighbour’s! Under normal circumstances, we would have asked the neighbour to clean up the mess and pay for the repairs.

In fact, if the neighbour’s trees were causing such issues, we could call the Council to cut them down or at least trim the branches. I personally had an experience of about 4.5 years back during the Covid pandemic of a large oil palm tree at the reserve land crashing into the grounds of our old house and damaging the parameter wall. Fortunately, we managed to claim against the Council’s public liability insurance.

Some photos of the fallen tree during Covid

Loving your neighbour will often involve tolerance and patience if we have a difficult one. This is because our calling as a believer is to love and be slow to anger. Some do this better than others, but do we must if we bear the name of Jesus. This is practically what it really means to listen to the Word and do what it says. The effect is that it makes us stronger in the faith when we are able to love our neighbour despite the difficulty. Christian principles and teachings are real in the sense that they transform us from within and in our mind as we apply them in our lives. Always remember that God sees and remembers all that we do for Him or in His name. Nothing is ever wasted or lost.

Loneliness

https://odb.org/2025/08/05/never-alone-8

Deuteronomy 31:1–8 (NIV): 31 Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: 2 “I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ 3 The LORD your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the LORD said. 4 And the LORD will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. 5 The LORD will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” 7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

As I’ve written before, we can be lonely even in a crowd. This is because we do not know anyone in the crowd. Even at work, we can be lonely if we are not able to fit in and be part of a group. Our interactions cease after the workday ends. Thus, having a spouse, soul mate, partner, or close friend is pretty essential. Someone we could relate to and just talk about anything under the sun. If not, then it is likely that some of us will immerse ourselves in a favourite pastime like fishing or running or for the younger generation in social media or gaming.

When speaking with my wife, I realise that she can cover a variety of topics within a short conversation span! The truth is conversations with her are seldom short! I learned long ago that speaking with her is a way to break my loneliness as much as it is therapeutic for her. So, l also learned to be an avid listener. Sometimes, just being a good listener will help us find companionship and break our loneliness.

But if we have Jesus in our lives, we know that God will never leave nor forsake us. The exaltation is to be strong and courageous, like Moses’ exaltation to Joshua to be strong and courageous as the LORD is with him and will go before him. Notwithstanding the challenges we face in life, despite the struggles we go through, Jesus is with us and will never leave nor forsake us. Hold on tight to the faith until the very end. Be strong and courageous!

We will not be lonely with God as He will never leave nor forsake us. But at the human level, open ourselves up to have close friends so that we are not alone on this earth. Be willing to be vulnerable. Start trusting people. Be selfless, helpful, and friendly. Don’t always be counting dollars and cents in the things we do. Not everyone needs to pay their fair share all the time! Be willing to spend with close friends. 

Have a good week ahead! May the LORD bless us with wisdom and patience to deal with issues of life and at work, and may we be able to forget close friendships in due course! Amen!

God’s faithfulness is forever

https://odb.org/2025/08/04/forever-faithful-2

Isaiah 40: 6-8, 10-11 NIV – 6 A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall because the breath of the Lord blowsl on them. Surely, the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” 10 See, the Sovereign Lord comest with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

The exile—God’s people taken from their country first by Assyria and then Babylon—came as a result of His judgment for His people’s failures. However, the suffering it caused raised serious questions about His faithfulness. Had He forsaken His people? Or was God not able to do anything about what had happened to them? In Isaiah 40, God offers a resounding no to both of those questions. He hadn’t abandoned His people. His promise to be faithful to them could be trusted, for “the word of our God endures forever” (v. 8). They’d return from exile, and God’s presence and glory would be with them (vv. 3-5), and He would care for them

The above was extracted from today’s ODB, and as I’ve mentioned last Friday, God’s justice and deliverance transcend a few generations. The Assyrian exile lasted between 190 and 195 years, while the Babylonian exile was for 70 years. If you’re an individual living in those times, it is likely that you would have died in exile before returning to the homeland.

Fortunately for us, we are the “spiritual Israel,” and Israel of ancient times serves more like a picture of our relationship with God. The ancient nation of Israel can be likened to the universal body of Christ of present times. What all of this means is that as an individual, if God had “exiled” us as some sort of disciplinary action against us, know that He will not abandon us. He still loves us and will restore to us what the locusts had eaten. He remains faithful to us, His people, and His children, for the Word of God endures forever. Meaning if He says He is faithful, then He is! His Word never changes throughout generations. It endures forever!

Return to God if you have moved away. Like the father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, God will welcome us with open arms. He will cook the fattened calf for us, put a ring on our finger, and give us new robes and shoes to wear! We will have honour and recognition in His presence, even if the world treats us badly. He is our rock and salvation! Amen

Life may be unfair

https://odb.org/2025/08/01/inherit-the-land

Psalm 37:5-11 NIV  – Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. 7 Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. 10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. 11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.

In the Old Testament, with little knowledge of the afterlife, the Israelites’ concept of God’s justice is very much here on earth. Thus, in their view, evildoers will be punished or destroyed while the meek (righteous) will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity. God will make their righteous reward shine like the dawn (Psalm 37:6 above). Invariably, prosperity equates the blessings of God and righteousness.

The reality is that as a nation, they did experience God’s justice and protection over the years. For example, their delivery out of slavery in Egypt to Canaan. Or Joshua’s and later David’s victories in their battles against the surrounding tribes and nations. But as an individual living in those times, it was a different story as God’s justice and protection sometimes transcends a few generations. Everyone who was 20 years old above died in the wilderness and didn’t enter the Promised Land to enjoy of its flowing milk, and honey is another example.

After Jesus came, He redeemed mankind by His blood shed on the cross of Calvary. Now we know that as much as the Kingdom of God is where His believers are here on earth, there will be a day when His redeemed righteous saints will receive their just rewards. Now we know there is a concept of Eden recreated as revealed to John in Revelation 21.

Yet, as we believe that the nation of Israel of ancient times is a picture of our spiritual life as an individual in Christ, we seek God’s justice and protection while still living in our earthly vessels. Thus, as much as we know we are pilgrims passing through this world on the way to our eternal destiny, we still seek justice, providence and blessings from God for ourselves, our loved ones and our fellow believers. By God’s grace and will, if we live till we are 80, it is still a long time here on earth. In fact, a day can be a long time if we are waiting.

The message this morning is that life can and may be unfair to some of us. But often, what’s fair or not can also be relative. The LORD may or may not intervene on our behalf. He has His timing, His plans and purposes, and He is sovereign. But know that if we keep to the righteous path and fight the good fight and keep our faith until the very end, we will have our just rewards. What happens to those who had wronged us, leave them to God and His mercy, grace, and compassion.

2 Timothy 4 – 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

1 Timothy 6 – 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

Have a good weekend, everyone, and have a wonderful time communing with God this Sunday in worship and humble adoration!

The Jersey of Christ

https://odb.org/2025/07/31/looking-like-christ

Brazillian national football jersey with the image of Jesus the Redeemer statue

Matthew 5:6-10 – 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The idea of the kingdom of God as we believers all wearing the same Christ jersey is excellent as it illustrates that although each will have an individual number, we are all of the same team. We identify as one through Christ, but we are still individuals saved by Him and called by God for a specific purpose in the kingdom of heaven. Each of us has a role to play. Each of us has been given a talent, a spiritual gifting to serve one another.

But in reality, we don’t wear a jersey. We are all part of the crowd, nicely blended in as Malaysians if we are in Malaysia or as Americans if we live in the States. The thing that distinguishes us from the rest is our heart. We are born again in our spirit, albeit our soul is still on the road to full redemption. We do not conform to the pattern of the world, but we are being transformed by the renewing of our mind (the dominant element in our soul). We thus hunger and thrist for righteousness. We are merciful, unlike the world. We are peacemakers and are not out to stir trouble. Our hearts have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and are pure.

Today, as we go back to the grind to earn a living for our families, remember that we are different from the world because we have Christ in us. The Holy Spirit lives in us. Instead of destroying, we help others. Our mission in life is to glorify His name in all that we do! Amen!

A friend at midnight

https://odb.org/2025/07/30/a-friend-at-midnight

John 15:14–17 (NIV): 14 “You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name, the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

I can count a handful of friends whom I could call at midnight if I were in trouble. Under normal circumstances, it would be our parents or siblings, but in my case, my parents have passed on, and my only sister stays in a town two hours drive away. The next person will be my pastor, whom I think will be the first person every member of my church will call when they get into trouble! I do have a few close friends beyond my church social circle, some who are ex-colleagues that I still keep in touch. But basically, that’s about it.

We know that we can call upon Jesus and, more specifically, the Holy Spirit. He is just a prayer away. He is a friend as much as He is a brother and our Lord. He is the person who carries us when we see only one set of footsteps at the beach. He is a shoulder we can cry on, and our friend, whom we may rejoice with, when we reach a milestone in our physical and spiritual lives. He is after all the Alpha and Omega, the author and finisher of our faith. He may be our judge at the Bema Judgment Seat of Christ, but He cheers and encourages us to give our best for God!

Jesus actually spoke in Luke 11:5-8 on the parable on a friend at midnight, but in a different context, to illustrate a different point.

The question this morning is, can we be the friend at midnight our friends may call upon when they are in trouble? Can we be Christ to those around us as a reflection of Christ’s glory and image in our lives? Will we take up the call, get dressed, and go out and help our friends, although we are in the midst of our adventures in dreamland? Our day at work tomorrow will likely be ruined, but will we spare the moment, sacrifice our beauty sleep to still help?

Have a great day ahead at work today, and may the LORD our God bless and provide us with wisdom to manage our time effectively to do our best!

Sustained by God

https://odb.org/2025/07/29/sustained-by-god

Psalm 55:16-23 NIV – 16 As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me. 17 Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice. 18 He rescues me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me.
19 God, who is enthroned from of old, who does not change— he will hear them and humble them because they have no fear of God. 20 My companion attacks his friends;
he violates his covenant. 21 His talk is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,
yet they are drawn swords. 22 Cast your cares on the Lord, and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous be shaken.
23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of decay; the bloodthirsty and deceitful will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you.

There are times when we are overwhelmed with multiple issues occurring in parallel in our lives. Usually, it’s when an elderly loved one falls ill and needs constant care. Our lives could, in an instant, be turned upside down. From dealing with demanding bosses or clients at work to running the household to caring for our loved ones, we could be overwhelmed. At the core of all that, there could be the question of money and expense and a significant strain on our savings and investments.

In Psalm 55, David was hunted, of all people, his own flesh and blood, Absalom. He was greatly distressed and feared for his own life as much as he was king and had led numerous victories for the LORD. He was older now and was not the David of his youth, yet he still trusted God to deliver him. He cast his cares unto the LORD and believed that God would sustain him. He held on to the strong brief that the LORD would not let the righteous be shaken.

As much as we are shaken and overwhelmed, cast our cares unto Him, and He will make sure we are not shaken. Put our trust in Him that He will work things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Somehow, things will work out. Heaven and all the spiritual forces therein will help us go through our moments of great stress. There will be some toil on our body and our resources, but everything will turn out well. Like Karen Huang of today’s ODB needing to suddenly take care of her bedridden and ill father amidst her ongoing issues at work, God saw her through all that. Fourteen years later, she is still taking care of her father! Praise the Lord!

Cast our cares unto Him. Commit our situation to Him. He will take care of us, He will protect and preserve our faith and spiritual life as we push through despite all that we are going through! Amen!

God sees and hears

https://odb.org/2025/07/28/to-see-and-to-serve

Lamentations 3:58–59 (NIV): 58 You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life. 59 LORD, you have seen the wrong done to me. Uphold my cause!

Often, we go through miserable times. But there are people who go through worse, much worse. It’s so bad that some things, once seen, can not be unseen. Yet we have seen examples in Scripture where God saw and heard the cries of those who were mistreated like Hagar in the case of Sarah or the oppressed Israelites in Egypt. Hagar was an Egyptian slave girl to Sarah and thus a foreigner. But God heard her and saw her plight: Genesis 16:13 NKJV: Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?”

The message this morning is whether we are the ones facing miserable situations or others. Know that God sees and hears. He will, in His time, bring us relief and alleviate our circumstances. There may be times when He will choose us to be the vessels of His grace. Go and see someone to comfort and encourage. Send some money over for them to tide over their difficult times. It could be just RM100 like PMX’s SARA aid. For those without any money at all, RM100 will be helpful for them to buy some basic necessities.

I don’t know what each of us is going through. We all have our struggles in life. Struggles at work or in our spiritual life. Or just not having work and needing to deplete our savings. God sees and hears. He knows exactly what we are going through. His justice is on the way. He will redeem us as He has seen the wrong done to us!

Have a good week ahead, everyone! May His infinite blessings be upon us in His grace and mercy! Amen!