Hezekiah and the LORD

https://odb.org/2025/05/14/bring-it-to-god

2 Kings 19:14–20 (NIV): 14 Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: “LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear, LORD, and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. 17 “It is true, LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 19 Now, LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, LORD, are God.” 20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria.

King Hezekiah, when he received the letter from his messengers, spread it out before the LORD and prayed. Hezekiah was King of Judah (the Southern Kingdom with its capital in Jerusalem after the split with Israel, which was the Nortern Kindom with its capital in Samaria). Hezekiah reigned for 29 years from the age of 25.

Hezekiah did what was right in the eyes of God. This included removing the high places where the Israelites offered sacrifices to pagan gods; cutting down Asherah poles used in the worship of Asherah; and destroying the bronze snake made by Moses, which the Israelites had begun to worship. He trusted in and held fast to God and kept His commandments.

In 2 Kings 19, after Hezekiah laid out the letter in the Temple and prayed, he received word from Isaiah that the LORD Zhad heard his prayer and God later destroyed the Assyrians who had taken over a few cities and was about to invade Jerusalem. The Assyrians later overrun and captured the Northern Kingdom of Israel under King Hoshea, and this was seen and witnessed by Hezekiah during his reign. About 75 years later, during the reign of King Jehoiakim, Judah fell, and this was to the Babylonians when Jehoiakim and the people did evil in the eyes of God, disobeyed His laws and commandments and worshipped Baal and Asherah, the dominant deities of Canaan.

When we are distressed and face difficult situations in life, we may like Hezekiah, spread out our issues before God, and ask our Father in the name of our Lord Jesus, to intervene and help us. But note that Hezekiah was a righteous king before God, unlike Hoshea or Jehoiakim, who were evil before God. Remember – it is not just our prayers but also our matching lives. The prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16).

Have a good week ahead, although it is already Wednesday! May the LORD our God bless us with wisdom and knowledge in all that we do and cover us in His protective arms, and may we be blessed in the shadow of His wings! Amen!

Help the foreigner

https://odb.org/2025/05/13/a-helping-hand-3

Leviticus 25:35–38 (NIV): 35 “ ‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you. 36 Do not take interest or any profit from them, but fear your God so that they may continue to live among you. 37 You must not lend them money at interest or sell them food at a profit. 38 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.

May 13 is a watershed moment in Malaysian history in which politics coupled with power fueled the first racial violence in post-independence Malaya that led to the National Economic Policy. The NEP was justified on the basis that racial inequality led to racial riots, but over the years, it has most sadly been used as an excuse by politicians to enrich themselves and their cronies. The truth of the matter is that with the economic status of indigenous and native elevated, you will not simply throw stones at an urban home like in the days of old as you could well hit a Malay home. In other words, any disruption of economic activities in contemporary modern Malaysia will likely hurt everyone – Malay, Chinese, Indian, Dayak, or Kadazan!

In ancient Israel, as recorded in the Holy Bible, the issue was the opposite. Instead of the foreigner enjoying economic prosperity like early Malayan migrants, the foreigner struggled in their lives. This is because Israel then was very much an agricultural society, and practically every Israeli family was a land owner since God gave everyone a piece of the Promised Land after Joshua led the Israelites into Canaan. But if you’re a slave or a foreigner, you don’t get a piece of that land and thus will end up as labourers in the field working for a wage.

Without land, the foreigner will also need to rent their own home and thus the wage which put food on the table and a roof over their heads may just be enough for them to survive day in day out. This, unfortunately, is reminiscent of most of our journey in life until we have saved enough to buy our own place. And if we had been careful with our wages while we were still working, we may have enough as we retire and grow old.

The point is that throughout the ages, there will always be people and families who struggle. In the case of ancient Israel, it was the foreigner, the orphans, and the widows. In the present world, it will be those starting out and those from underprivileged families or those caught in the web of crime or substance abuse. In as much as the LORD bequest that we help the foreigner during ancient times, we must, whenever we can, help those who need help in our midst. No one should starve to death, and neither should anyone be denied an education because of lack of finance. As a fast developing prosperous country, everyone who lives in Malaysia, whether a foreigner or a citizen or a native, should enjoy a reasonable and respectable standard of living. So long as we are willing to work, we should be able to make a living by the grace of God! Amen!

Blessed Mother’s Day

https://odb.org/2025/05/11/a-mom-looks-back

Genesis 29:31–35 (NIV): 31 When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”
33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son, she said, “Because the LORD heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.
34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi. 35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son, she said, “This time, I will praise the LORD.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.

When we read the story of Jacob and Laban, we often overlook the treatment Leah received because of Laban’s trickery. We are more indignant of Laban’s deception but likely see it more as God’s retribution to him for his own deceving ways vis-a-vis Esau. Laban promised Jacob Rachel’s hand if he worked for him for 7 years. But when the time came, the daughter Jacob married was Leah. The “justification” was that it was customary that the elder be married off first. Laban did give Jacob Rachel after his bridal week with Leah, but he needed to work another 7 years for Laban.

It was difficult for Leah since Jacob loved Rachel. But the LORD looked out for Leah (as He did for Hagar, the maidservant of Sarah in Abraham’s case) and blessed her womb. She bore him 7 children – 6 sons and 1 daughter. But most significantly, her son Judah is the tribe from which Jesus descended. Thus, despite her unloved status, the LORD honoured her.

A mother’s love knows no bounds. Leah persevered on by bearing Jacob sons after sons even though Jacob loved Rachel. Later, the LORD opened up Rachel’s womb, and she bore him 2 sons, Benjamin and Joseph, and they became Jacob’s favourites. It is likely that family politics led to his brothers (other than Benjamin) selling Joseph to slavery. But we all know how God later turned that tragedy into a pivotal moment of salvation for the Jacob clan.

In real life, a mother will love her children even if they are naughty and rebellious. It is an undeniable fact that my dearest wife thinks about the well-being of Ivan and Daniel much more than me and prays for them constantly. For example, despite her busy schedule and workload, she makes it a point to cook for Daniel at least a few days a week. As her husband, I will, of course, benefit when she cooks! But between us, we are good to have a few slices of bread for dinner. She has done much more for the boys than I as their father, but these pages will not be enough to list down her deeds.

Blessed and happy Mother’s Day to all mothers out there! Know that your children will always appreciate and remember your love and efforts, as your husbands will certainly testify to the same! Amen! Praise the Lord!

Recognising Jesus

https://odb.org/2025/05/09/loves-great-surprise

John 20:11–16 (NIV): 11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

All four Gospels have the account of Mary visiting Jesus’s tomb but with varying details. The main takeaway, however, was that Mary initially couldn’t recognise Jesus, although He had risen. It’s not unique to Mary either as the other accounts of others walking with Jesus for hours also were in the same situation. It is only when Jesus opened their eyes and revealed Himself, in the case of Mary, when He called her name, that they recognised Him. The conclusion from all these accounts is that the glorified body of Christ post resurrection is not the same as the one He had before His crucifixion and death. And yet when He reveals Himself, they all knew He was Christ Himself.

Consequently, we could deduce from the resurrected body of Christ that our glorified bodies one day will be different from our bodies when we die. Come to think of it, it is logical since we all die at varying ages (of decay in our fallen bodies), and we can assume that at Eden Recreated we will no longer age or grow old (since we will live for eternity) and thus it is likely all of us will be at the same age and optimal physical condition.

But the point I like to make today is Mary’s response when Christ called her name. She instantly knew it was Christ, and she replied in Aramaic “Rabboni” (meaning “Teacher”). We can feel the tenderness, closeness, and familiarity between Christ and Mary even as we read the verse. We know, like with the disciples, Peter and Andrew, James and John and the others, Jesus was close to both Mary and Martha.

The question this morning is, are we close enough to Jesus that we will recognise Him the moment He calls our name as we pass through, one day, from the land of the living to the realm of the dead? Will we call Him “Lord, Lord, you are my God”? “You, O Lord, are the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!”. Will we?

But do not despair as there is still time here on earth. Get to know our Lord more and more each day. Develop that personal relationship with Him. Become as close to the Lord as we can in our fallen mortal state. Pray and speak to Him. Serve Him. Do the will of our Father God. Fulfil God’s plans and purposes for our lives! Become the son or daughter that He always wanted us to be! Amen!

Deeply rooted in Christ

https://odb.org/2025/05/08/deeply-rooted

Ephesians 3:14–21 (NIV): 14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

A benediction is a horizontal statement of blessing bestowed by a person on another. A classic example is the Aaronic blessing in Numbers 6:22-26. A doxology, however, is a vertical statement of worship to God. The word doxology comes from two Greek words—doxa (“glory”) and logia (“word” or “saying”). It’s a declaration of the glory of God. An example is the angels’ doxology on the night of Jesus’ birth in Luke 2:13-14. In Ephesians 3:14-21, Paul blends both. In verses 14-19, he prays for God’s blessing on the Ephesian church, and in verses 20-21, he declares God’s “glory in the church.” We could practice both benediction and doxoloy when we pray, speaking of God’s blessings upon our loved ones, our brethren in church, and all those who are going to hard times and giving glory to God for the goodness He bestows on us and in our lives.

Coming back to the topic of the day, we need to be deeply rooted in Christ, in His love so that our faith remains strong in the face of both adversity and deception, the latter will become more prevalent in these end times.

How do we be rooted in Christ? We read God’s word and meditate upon it more. We spend our quiet time with both Christ and the Father, with the Holy Spirit helping us along in the communion. We learn and grow more in the knowledge of Christ and His Wotd. Ultimately, we need to learn more of our faith in order not to be deceived. Then we practise what we learn as we apply His Word and teachings into our daily life, in our interactions with one another. In the process, we are transformed into the person God wants us to be in our words, deeds and thoughts. We embody the fruit of the Spirit. We become more loving with more joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We become a person of good character, living out the goodness of God in our lives. In this way, we will stand firm despite adversities life brings, deceptions of the devil, or even temptations of the world. We will always stand firm in our faith! Amen!

Mephibosheth – faithfulness and love

https://odb.org/2025/05/07/a-new-game

2 Samuel 9 (NIV): 3 The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.” 6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honour.
David said, “Mephibosheth!”
“At your service,” he replied. 7 “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”
9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

I have written a few times on Mephibosheth in these pages, and until today, David’s love and compassion for Mephibosheth still fascinates me. It is a love borne out of a pact made with Jonathan while he was young and was in hiding from King Saul, who was bent on killing him on the mistaken notion that by eliminating David, he will preserve his throne. It was mistaken because God preserved David’s life and, in fact, gave David two opportunities to kill Saul, which the former declined because he believed that the throne should come to him by God’s will and not through his hands. Saul, on the other hand, had become known as the man who took things into his hands and suffered the devastating divine consequences. Saul eventually died in battle, and unfortunately, his son and David’s best friend, Jonathan, also died in the same battle. See 1 Samuel 31 – the battle at Mount Gilboa.

In 2 Samuel 9:3, David asked whether there was anyone left in Saul’s household to whom he could “show God’s kindness” for the sake of his friend Jonathan. The word translated “kindness” is the Hebrew word hesed, which is often used to describe God’s steadfast love and faithfulness to fulfil covenant promises to His people. In this context, David shows hesed, or covenant faithfulness, by keeping the covenant promises he had previously made with Jonathan when he was young by restoring the lands and servants Saul used to have to Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, and promising the latter a permanent place at his table.

There are times when we ourselves as the redeemed of the Lord should show the hesed kindness that David had for Mephibosheth. It speaks of the covenant love and faithfulness of God. A love and compassion and kindness that is steadfast and unfailing. A love and kindness God has for us as His children translated into our love and kindness for others. A love that is steadfast and unwavering for our spouse, our children, and our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Humility and honour

https://odb.org/2025/05/06/humble-honor

Luke 14:7–11 (NIV): 7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

I always thought of this concept of humility, as taught by Jesus, is for us to be humble now in order to be honoured in heaven as those who are last will be first in the kingdom of God. But when we read Luke 14 above, we will see that this principle also applies here on earth. Meaning to say if we are humble at the beginning, we will be honoured or exalted in the end while still on earth. Or one of the ways to achieve honour is humility. This is also in line with another teaching of Jesus where He taught that if we are faithful in little, we will be given more. In a way, it also means that we are not to look down on our humble beginnings as one day we will achieve much for God. Start small in serving Him. Eventually, we will be doing mighty works for Jesus.

A great example is King David. He was the youngest in his family of seven brothers and two sisters, and among the males, he was chosen to be the next King of Israel despite his youth and his then scrawny appearance. It is from this narrative that came the famous expression – “While men look at the appearance, God looks at the heart.” David had humble beginnings. Yet because of that, God exalted him as he grew up, and he eventually became the greatest King Israel ever had, so much so that Jesus Christ traced His geneology to David. Jesus, the Son of God, the second Yahweh, the Son of Man, was proud to be from the House of David.

What does this mean to us? Like we started in an organisation as a fresh graduate right at the bottom, we will one day rise to the top if we hone our skills and be good at what we do. We may become senior management one day. Don’t despise our humble beginnings. Or we may start a business with little revenue and sales at the beginning. But one day, we will have revenues exceeding a million MYR a year and then a million a month. Similarly, we may serve God as ushers or, like some of us, in the early days, we started by cleaning toilets. But one day, we will do much more for God, leading missions, setting up outreaches, opening churches, leading and discipling hundreds in the Kingdom of God. Don’t despise our humble beginnings. It is from our humility that God will raise us up and exalt and honour us one day!

God of fresh starts

https://odb.org/2025/05/05/god-of-the-fresh-start

2 Chronicles 33:10–17 (NIV): 10 The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. 11 So the LORD brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. 12 In his distress he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed to him, the LORD was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God. 14 Afterward he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, west of the Gihon spring in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate and encircling the hill of Ophel; he also made it much higher. He stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah. 15 He got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple of the LORD, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city. 16 Then he restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel. 17 The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the LORD their God.

Before I start writing today’s devotional reading, I just like to remember my late dad, who passed away 3 years back on 19th March. If he is alive, he would be 83 years old today as today, 5th of May, is his birthday. As much as I miss him, I know he is in a better place with the Lord, and our hope is that we will see him again one day if we hold on fast to the faith that our Heavenly Father has bestowed us through our Lord Jesus. https://ronnielim.com/2022/03/21/obituary-mr-michael-lim-5-may-1942-19-march-2022/

Today’s passage and ODB article are about repentance of King Manasseh, who disobeyed God when he ruled Judah cruelly and set up an Asherah poles that honoured the pagan goddess Asherah and later built altars for Baal, both the then dominant gods in the region. As a result, the LORD allowed the Babylonians to overrun Israel and took King Manasseh captive to Babylon by putting a hook on his nose and bound him in bronze shackles. In his distress, he cried out to the LORD in humility, and later, the LORD allowed him to return to Israel. On his return, he restored the altar of the LORD and removed the Asherah poles and the altars to Baal in Jerusalem. He spent the rest of his rule in peace, serving God and doing his best to undo the wrongs he’d done before.

In a similar fashion, Alfred Nobel, the inventor of the dynamite, was shocked to read press headlines declaring that “the merchant of death was dead.” Although the press mistaken his brother’s passing for his, he realised that people will remember him for the many deaths his invention caused, and so he donated most of his significant wealth to establishing an award for those who had benefited humanity. It became known as the Nobel Prize, and this award is still given out today under 6 distinct categories, namely, Physics, Chemistry,  Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Peace, and Economic Sciences. There have been 627 Nobel Prizes awarded to date, and from 2023, each recipient gets 11 million Swedish Kronos equivalent to USD1,035,000.

If we have not been close to God lately or have fallen away from the narrow path, it is never too late to repent and return to the LORD. God is a God of fresh starts, and Jesus, our Lord and Saviour will accept us back with open arms. In fact, He will help us fulfil God’s original plans and purposes for our lives so that we will become the person God wants us to be! The past is the past. Let’s look forward to all the things He has in store for us. Like Alfred Nobel, as much as his invention led to many deaths, his contribution to society in the form of the Nobel Prize has led to great advancements by humanity. If we repent in humility like King Manasseh, we will have the opportunity to live the rest of our days in peace, correcting our past wrongs and fulfilling God’s plans and purposes fir our lives!

The 12 spies

https://odb.org/2025/04/29/hopeless-or-hopeful

Numbers 13:26–33 (NIV): 26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There, they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.” 30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

The story of the 12 spies is well-known for the spiritual principle of the devastating consequences of not trusting God despite living in the midst of God’s miracles. The problem with the 10 spies (other than Caleb and Joshua) was they saw the stark reality of the strong armies, fortified cities, and giants (sons of Anak) but instead of trusting God who parted the Red Sea for them to flee from the mighty Egyptian army, they were terrified and feared for their lives!

If you read on, you will see that they demanded to be returned to Egypt, despite the LORD having expanded so much effort to bring them out of slavery and put them on the journey to the Promised Land. That must have deeply shattered God’s heart and was the last straw that broke the camel’s back, and the LORD then decreed that everyone who was 20 years of age when they left Egypt will not enter the Promised Land except Joshua and Caleb. Thus, the Israelites ended up in the wilderness for 40 years before they could finally enter Canaan and do what Caleb and Joshua believed they could do 40 years earlier – trusting that the LORD their God will fight the battles for them!

There are many angles one could expound on this event as it has and will always be a good bible story to preach on the pulpit. We could prepare many sermons as many no doubt have shared on it.

What I feel is relevant this morning is that we must be grateful and thankful for God’s love and compassion and grace and mercy for our lives. For how He had brought us through all the trials and hurdles in life so far, we must trust that He will bring us through whatever we are facing today. Never ever long to return to our old life after all that God has done for us to bring us into this journey of faith on the narrow path that leads to eternal life.

Never ever look back to the past. Like Paul, we need to forget what is behind and look forward to the promises, plans, and purposes God has for our lives. Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt! The Israelites wanted to go back to Egypt, and they ended up dead in the wilderness, missing out on the promises God had for them in Canaan. In fact, God waited for every one of them to perish (except Joshua and Caleb) before the rest could enter and conquer the Promised Land, the land flowing with milk and honey, where a bunch of grapes needed two men to carry!

Testing produces perseverance

https://odb.org/2025/04/25/832-steps

James 1:2–6, 12 (NIV):
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Sometimes, we equate testing in our faith with the trials and tribulations of life. As we persevere to make ends meet, we see and experience the grace and mercy and provision and providence of God.

Life brings its share of challenges. From young when we learn how to walk and speak, to learning how to read, write, and count when we reach kindergarten and primary school to socialising and sports and learning more complex stuff in secondary and university.

Then, we face new challenges as a rookie at work, how to survive and succeed in the corporate or work set up. From having our finances taken care of by our parents or through loans or grants for our university education, we then embark on a journey of financial independence, attempting to accumulate wealth to provide for our family and prepare for our old age.

If we are in the faith, we will likely do well to retire with enough savings to see us through our old age provided we are thrifty and careful with money when we are no longer earning. This is because the Lord will take care of our needs for this life.

However, James is not actually talking about the above. It is not about testing in life but testing of our faith that leads to perseverance and which brings us to maturity and completion in our faith, lacking nothing. In the end, we will receive our crown of life.

Paul puts it in another way in the oft-quoted Romans 5:3-4 that suffering produces perseverance and perseverance, character, and character hope. In other words, the suffering and hardship we go through on account of our faith will bring us to the hope of glory. Our faith and fire for Jesus burns bright and strong despite the persecution we may go through because we honour God with our lives. In spite of the difficulties and sufferings life brings, our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ is not only unwavering but becomes even stronger.

We serve Him more and give glory to Him more even if we are out of a job or lost someone we dearly loved or faced major disappointments in life. Even if we are fighting a life-threatening illness, our faith in God is unchanging because the testing of our faith produces perseverance. We will not give up on God. We will strive on and serve Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength because Jesus Christ is our Lord, and God is our Heavenly Father. We hold on tight to the eternal life Jesus promised us, the hope Paul talked about in Romans 5:4.

My exaltation for us today is that in whatever we are facing in life that tests our faith, make sure that we persevere through and keep our faith in Christ Jesus intact. Our fire must burn bright and brighter for Him. Serve Him. Continue to be a good and faithful servant for our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!