Being the church

https://odb.org/2025/12/09/being-the-church

Acts 2:36–47 (NIV): 36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

On a sunny afternoon, I drew with sidewalk chalk with the Sudanese family next door. We could hear singing coming from the house next to theirs, where a small group holds worship services. The young mom I was talking with was curious about what was going on, so she and I walked over and listened in. They invited us to gather with them. A young man, standing in a tank filled with water for baptism, spoke about receiving forgiveness for his sins and committing himself to follow Jesus. This was a unique opportunity for us to hear a testimony of salvation in the yard right next door. This group was being the church in our neighborhood. (Anne Cetas, Our Daily Bread, 9th December 2025)

I always believed that we bring the Kingdom of God to wherever we are because as believers, God is with us and within us. In other words, we don’t only represent but we are the Kingdom of God with its full power and glory accessible through us. That’s why we can pray or as some circles say, command healing in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. We embody the Kingdom of God.

But being church takes that reality one step further as “being church” means undertaking church activities. We know that when two or three are gathered in His name, He and His presence is with us (Matthew 18:20). Thus we could gather as a house fellowship to study the bible, pray and worship. Or we could be a house church, where the Word is preached, the Holy Communion is partaken and like in today’s ODB life story, baptism is conducted. One distinct advantage of a house church is that we are right there deep within the community and if we have a potluck, more may be attracted to join in. A different set of dynamics is at play when church is in a home compared to a formal setting in a building. Nevertheless, we must always be reminded that our faith cannot be practised in isolation.

Perhaps we could open our home to our cell group and have a house fellowship? Or we allow the church to use our home as an outreach to our community, where Christ is preached, His crucifixion and His resurrection. Our home could well be the avenue for the manifestation of the power and glory of God! A place where the Holy Spirit will reign with His healing miracles, signs and wonders. This Christmas season, we could consider inviting the carollers to come by and open our home to our neighbours for a time of feasting and fellowship or we could just have a Christmas party with our church members and neighbours.

Hospitable generosity and gleaning

https://odb.org/2025/12/08/hospitable-generosity

Deuteronomy 24:17–22 (NIV): 17 Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. 18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this. 19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 22 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.

A few years ago, our church hosted refugees fleeing their country because of a change in their political leadership. Entire families came with only what they could fit in a small bag. Several of our church families opened their homes, some with little room to spare.

Such gracious hospitality echoes God’s command to the Israelites before they inhabited the promised land. As an agricultural society, they understood the importance of the harvest. Every bit of food would be essential to get them through until next year’s harvest. God told the Israelites when harvesting not to go back to retrieve what they may have missed. “Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow” (Deuteronomy 24:19). They were to practice generosity not by giving when they knew they had enough but by giving out of a heart of trusting in God’s provision “so that the Lord [their] God may bless [them] in all the work of their hands” (v. 19). God always has enough. (Matt Lucas, Our Daily Bread, 8th December 2025)

The law in Deuteronomy for the Israelites not to go back and glean the harvest but to leave the leftovers to the foreigner, widows and orphans is one of more intriguing aspects I learnt from the Lord these past few years. It is through my morning devotional preparations that I learnt of this and I have not ceased to be amazed ever since.

It goes to show where our LORD God’s heart is and it is something we need to emulate when dealing with people in general. Unfortunately, the Israelites didn’t practice this law religiously as much as they didn’t adhere to the Mosaic law most of the time as can be seen during the reigns of their kings, most of whom rebelled against God whether in Judah or Northern Israel. This was amongst the reasons why the LORD allowed them to be exiled by the Assyrians and then by the Babylonians.

In the world, we are conditioned “not to leave anything on the table” when negotiating. This means we extract as much as we can from the other side. Similarly, we bargain for as low a price as possible when procuring. Process efficiency means we have zero tolerance for wastage or leakage. In fact, auditors conduct exercises to test for revenue leakages in businesses. That is why although RM1,000 may mean much less to a very wealthy person, like a multimillionaire, it is surprisingly painful for such a person to give it away.

As a Christian, however, in our own affairs, we need to practice generosity in giving to God, His causes or in just helping those in need. It is indeed a tragedy of the faith if we have RM100 million and yet find it hard to give away RM10,000 although we have less issue buying a car worth RM500,000 or more for ourselves.

In fact, we are to practice generosity not by giving when we know we had enough but by giving out of a heart of trusting in God’s provision “so that the Lord God may bless us in all the work of our hands”. God always has enough! We give willingly because we trust God! Amen!

Have a good week ahead, everyone! As we usher in the spirit of love, compassion and generosity this Christmas season!

Walking the “wrong” way

https://odb.org/2025/12/05/the-power-of-influence-3

Galatians 5:7–10 (NIV): 7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9 “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” 10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty.

It was Tuesday at the gym, so the people walking around the track were supposed to go clockwise. The first walkers my wife joined were doing that. But then another person walked onto the track going counterclockwise. A couple of her friends joined her—and then another. Suddenly there was chaos on the track—and it took a few minutes to restore order.

While the wrong-way walkers intended no harm, I couldn’t help but think about the power of influence. One person headed the wrong way leads to another, and on it goes. It’s a bit like Proverbs 13:20: “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” Following a person going the wrong way leads to trouble. (Dave Branon, Our Daily Bread 5th December 2025)

There is an aspect of going the wrong way that we should be careful in these end times. Not so much wrong teachings although that would well lead us astray. The point I like to highlight this morning is how strong we want to hold on to a certain belief or spiritual principle. For a simpler example, in the area of divine healing, there were teachings that focussed on our faith such that our faith must be strong and unwavering to the extent of excluding medical treatment. It is like if you do not go for medical treatment, you are telling God that you are 100% dependent on Him and vice versa. In a way, it’s an appealing principle because the LORD does expect us to totally depend on Him. But the flaw in that principle is that we are sort of putting God in a spot – heal me or I die. A bit like the temptation of the devil to Jesus to jump down from the top of the Temple. Always remember that medical science is part of the natural world.

The overriding spiritual principle remains that as much as healing is real, it is still at the grace of God and that means it is discretionary and not compulsory on the part of God. We should all know by now that we cannot “force” God into anything as He is always sovereign in how He responds and His timing is always His choice. Of course at the other extreme is to be dismissive of healing and to only have unbelief cloud our hearts that we completely miss out on the supernatural side of our relationship with God.

If we find ourselves being too dogmatic or taking unconventional or radical views over certain things especially on spiritual matters, we need to check ourselves and pray that the Lord will enlighten us to see if we are going the wrong way. Some views if taken to the extreme may have irreversible and even fatal consequences. Not all unconventional ways are wrong but in most cases, it is better to follow the crowd walking clockwise, rather than walk the wrong way, anti-clockwise. The crowd is not always right though. So it still boils down to how well we know our God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Believing in things unseen

https://odb.org/2025/12/04/believing-more-than-we-see

Hebrews 11:1–4 (NIV): 11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

In the late nineteenth century, few people had access to the great sequoia groves, and many didn’t believe the reports of the massive trees. In 1892, however, four lumberjacks ventured into the Big Stump Forest in California and spent thirteen days felling Mark Twain. Twain was 1,341 years old, three hundred feet tall, and fifty feet in circumference. They shipped part of this remarkable beauty to the American Museum of Natural History, where everyone could see a sequoia.

The reality, though, is that we can’t prove every truth with our eyes alone. Hebrews describes faith as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith isn’t irrational or a fit of fancy, because the whole story is grounded in a person—Jesus—who has entered human history. Faith includes human senses and reason, but it’s not limited to them. Faith requires more. “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command,” Hebrews says, “so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (v. 3). (Winn Collier, Our Daily Bread, 4th December 2025).

Faith is to believe in things unseen and yet it is not irrational, in the sense that it is still grounded on facts and logic. That is why faith also requires the use of the mind to understand the tenets of the faith. That is also why many spent years just studying the various aspects of our faith, especially the Word of God and Jesus Christ as the Word and Christ form the foundation of our faith. Paul uses the phrase that we may increase in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ because the more we know Him and of Him, the more mature we become in our spiritual life.

Thus as much as we believe in miracles and faith healing, we still abide by our doctor’s instructions. The latter may not have the perfect cure but it is backed by years of knowledge pioneered by those in medical research. Yet God can still heal in the midst of treatment. It is wrong to say that if we take the medical route that we do not have faith for God to heal us. For example, while Covid vaccines had not gone through vigorous testings and thus may lead to unknown consequences, they were still necessary to save millions of lives as medical infrastructure was not able to cope when thousands and thousands require respitory assistance. Without vaccines, Covid patients die within days when the virus attacked their lungs and incapacitated their natural ability to breathe.

Our faith is based on the LORD God that we can’t see. Our Saviour who was God incarnate, the Immanuel, walked the earth 2,000 years ago and there are infinitely more who believed in Him who did not see Him in the flesh compared to those who did. Yet millions over the ages gave their lives and many died and sacrificed their lives for His name’s sake.

We are who we are in the faith because we believe in the hope that Christ will return one day in full glory and power (it should be soon) and we will have life eternal in the new heaven and new earth, where God will once again dwell amongst His people but in tangible form. One day, not now, the things unseen will be seen. Until then, it requires faith to believe and hope.

Growth through pain

https://odb.org/2025/12/03/growth-through-pain

Psalm 119:65–72 (NIV): 65 Do good to your servant according to your word, LORD.
66 Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I trust your commands.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. 68 You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees. 69 Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart. 70 Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law. 71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. 72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

The brain is remarkably small, but stress can make it even smaller. Recent research has revealed that cumulative stress can shrink the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for managing emotions, impulses, and social interactions. This shrinkage is linked to anxiety and depression, highlighting the toll that a lifetime of stress can take. But there’s good news—the brain’s plasticity allows it to heal through intentional practices like exercise, meditation, and meaningful relationships.

Like our brains, our spirits are capable of being stretched. God uses this stretching to cause growth and renewal. Through Scripture, prayer, and a Spirit-inspired perspective, He can reverse the effects of our hardships. He can use our afflictions for our spiritual growth, transforming pain into purpose. (Marvin Williams, Our Daily Bread, 3rd December 2025)

While in the natural stress may be harmful to the brain in the long run, stress also induces growth in our intellectual abilities in the sense that more of our brain’s capacity is utilised. Thus, as we study and work hard, we get better at the things we do. That is why for a young graduate, we always emphasise exposure is more crucial compared to monetary returns. It is much better to earn lesser a bit doing more, than earning more doing nothing much. Even at the end of our working life, the debate is whether to continue working or retire completely and do nothing as sone say idleness may well shorten our life. Perhaps people without a sense of purpose drift away and die younger.

But in the spiritual realm, the principle is clear. The more we go through for God and Christ, the more we will grow in our faith, our knowledge of Jesus Christ and in our spiritual maturity. This is because suffering produces perseverance and perseverance produces character and character produces hope as per Romans 5:3-5. We should follow the LORD’s exaltation for Joshua – “be strong and courageous for I am with you wherever you go.” Face life courageously with a strong faith despite the struggles and the hardships. Look at the unseen things in life as that is faith, for the seen is temporal while the unseen is eternal.

Have a great day ahead today! Remember, it is through the hardships in life as we face them courageously with faith grounded in Christ that we will grow spiritually and fulfil God’s plans and purposes for our lives. Take care, everyone and God bless us all in all that we do!

A gentle answer

https://odb.org/2025/12/02/positive-graffiti

Proverbs 15:1–4 (NIV): A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly. 3 The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. 4 The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

As a young man, journalist Sebastian Junger traveled the United States and wrote about it. One day in the 1980s, he entered a restroom in the Florida Keys and found hateful graffiti scrawled on the walls. Most of it targeted Cuban immigrants. But one message, apparently from a Cuban, stood out. It read, “Thank God the rest of the people in this country are warm and caring and welcomed me in ’62.” Junger observed, “The very worst things about America were on that men’s-room wall, and the very best.” (Tim Gustafson, Our Daily Bread 2 December 2025)

As a believer, the words that come from us whether verbally or in writing, in person or from the pulpit, should be comforting and encouraging. As Proverbs advises in 15:1 – a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. I guess there are times when we are unable to avoid harsh words, maybe because we were overcome by emotions or anger. But as part of our Christian character development, we should always aim to be calm and steady even when provoked, Jesus being the perfect example of calmness.

The strange and ironical thing is that our harsher words are usually directed to those closest to us like our spouse, children and siblings. That’s tragic because they are the ones we love the most and more importantly, who love us the most. It’s a pattern we need to break if that’s the norm. Exercise restraint whether at home or outside. Be patient. Usually the difficult moment will pass and things will settle down. Refrain from the temptation to inflict harm as harsh words can cause long-term ramifications and people seldom forget such words. Even words uttered in jest but are insensitive will be remembered for a long time with lasting damage. Proverbs 15:4 – The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit. Surely as fellow believers, we do not want to crush the spirit of a another believer, especially a young one.

Allow the Lord to work in our lives to soften our hearts to listen and obey His voice and ask Him to help us exercise restraint and patience in our choice of words even when we ourselves are confronted by harsh words.

Don’t do this alone

https://odb.org/2025/12/01/dont-do-this-alone

Romans 12:3–8 (NIV): 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

As I opened the bookshelf assembly instructions, I viewed a set of instructional diagrams of what to do and what not to do. One diagram—with a large X on top—depicted a person staring at a pile of boards and tools with a bemused frown not unlike mine just a few minutes prior. On the right side was drawn the “correct” way to assemble. The only difference? A second person was there. Both figures now had smiles on their faces as they worked together. So I got my husband. “The instructions say I need your help,” I said, showing him the drawing. He laughed, and we assembled it together. I could have stubbornly tried to find a way to put it together on my own. But the manual was right; the process wasn’t meant to be done alone. (Monica La Rose, Our Daily Bread, 1 December 2025)

While there are things that may be attempted alone, there are matters that should be undertaken by more than one person. In fact, assembling furniture usually require two persons. For example, in counselling, it is better to counsel someone from the opposite gender as a couple to avoid possible emotional attachments. The reason is that people are at their most vulnerable when going through emotional turmoil and thus most susceptible to developing new relationships.

In the Kingdom of God, ministry is almost always collective as each of us have our part or role to play. Each of us has a different gift, according to the grace given to us. We are all unique and thus, we are to complement one another. We are not in competition as we serve God in accordance with our own God-given abilities, gifts and talents. As per the Parable of the Talents, we just need to act upon the talent given to us and not hide it away somewhere. Use it for the betterment and expansion of the Kingdom of God that more will repent from their sins and give their lives to God.

Our responsibility and obligation is to do our part and for some of us, that could be to provide leadership and lead. Some may be to mentor or make disciples. Or others, like what my wife and I have been doing in our Young Adults group, is to guide aspiring young believing adults to adapt and thrive in the workforce while growing spiritually. After all, we have been in the working world for more than 30 years, in management and various capacities. Just do our part as God calls us for the season but always remember that in ministry, two is always better than one!

Have a good week ahead, everyone! Let’s do our part for the Kingdom of God even as we do our job to earn a living for our family, to pay the bills and put food on the table and most importantly, to carve out a better future for our children in the world and the Kingdom of God! Amen!

The lost city and the hidden treasure

https://odb.org/2025/11/28/what-city-are-you-seeking

Philippians 3:3–9 (NIV): 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

On May 29, 1925, Percy Fawcett sent a final letter to his wife before he ventured deeper into the unmapped jungles of Brazil. He was seeking a fabled lost city of great splendor. But his team of explorers got lost, the city was never found, and many expeditions failed to recover either. Percy’s courage and passion, while admirable, was squandered on a lost city that could never be reached. But there is a real treasure for each person that’s worth seeking with all of our heart, mind, and strength. (Karen Pimpo, Our Daily Bread 28th November 2025)

A lost city or a seemingly unreachable or an unrealised dream. If we have spent our entire lives chasing after that elusive dream, perhaps it is time to pause and consider the greatest treasure mankind can ever find? A treasure so great that a man sold everything he had to take possession of it. “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and, in his joy, went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matthew 13:44). It is attainable through faith in Christ Jesus. It is well worth above anything else in this world. It is the hope and promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is by the grace of God and a great honour to accept for “many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14).

Are we still searching for that lost city, that hidden treasure, that big break to propel us into the limelight, that big song to launch our career in showbiz? Or more down to earth, that promotion to bring us into senior management, that big sale to earn us a few years’ of income or that severance package for our years of faithful service? Actually it is not wrong to aim high or to keep on trying but it’s just that we shouldn’t miss the forest for the trees. The big picture is that our soul lives on forever even though our body will die and perish. Thus, is our spiritual life and salvation secured? Don’t miss the boat while it is still at port. Once it sails, it will sail into eternity! That is why the man quickly sold all he had and bought the field in Matthew 13:44!

Have a good weekend ahead even as November draws to close and we herald in December and the Christmas season! Have a good and personal time dwelling in the presence of our Lord even as we worship God in spirit and in truth in church this Sunday! Hallelujah, praise the Lord!

Blessed Thanksgiving

https://odb.org/2025/11/27/a-humble-thanksgiving

Proverbs 22:1,6 (NIV): A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. 6 Start children off on the way they should go and even when thet are old they will not turn away from it.

One Thanksgiving I called home to greet my parents. As we talked, I asked my mom what she was most grateful for. She exclaimed that she was most grateful that “all three of my children know how to call on the name of the Lord.” For my mother, who’d always emphasized the importance of education, there was something more valuable than her children doing well in school and taking care of themselves. (Katara Patton, Our Daily Bread 27th November 2025)

In a way, Thanksgiving is a celebration or festival that’s quite unique to the North American culture, that is much rooted in being grateful to God for giving them a good harvest. It has now become a more secular holiday celebrated as a cultural tradition around one month before Christmas. As a harvest festival, it is however not unique as various cultures across the globe celebrate harvests like the Chinese mid-autumn festival (moon cakes) or the Gawai of the Borneo Dayaks.

Although we Malaysians do not celebrate Thanksgiving like the North Americans, the concept of being grateful and thankful to the Lord is something we must cultivate, whether as part of our daily routine or every Sunday as we worship Him in church. We must be thankful for His calling upon our lives to be sons and daughters of God. While many are called, few are chosen, in the sense, not many actually respond to God’s call of salvation. There are several who responded but as the trappings of the world creep in and faced with the pressures of living, they have sadly fallen by the wayside and “forgotten” God. That is why Paul exhorts us in Romans 12:2 not to be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds that we may test and prove the good, pleasing and perfect will of God. Jesus Himself taught of the good soil versus the rocky soil.

As parents, our greatest joy and satisfaction in life is to see our children thrive in the midst of the challenges in the world but most importantly, knowing how to call upon the name of the Lord. It’s the greatest gift given to mankind, the gift of salvation and eternal life that one day we may all live in the new heaven and new earth with God as He dwells amongst His people.

Happy and blessed Thanksgiving to those who are celebrating in the US and Canada! Have a good celebration with family and friends as we usher in the Christmas season! Soon 2026 will dawn upon us and we will in the course of the new year be one year older! 😊

My prayer for all of us – “May the Lord our God bless us and keep us; may the Lord make His face shine upon us and be gracious to us; may the Lord lift up His countenance upon us and give us peace”.

Count your blessings

https://odb.org/2025/11/26/count-your-blessings

Ezra 3:9–11 (NIV): 9 Joshua and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together in supervising those working on the house of God.
10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the LORD, as prescribed by David king of Israel. 11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

When I was a little girl, I loved the old hymn “Count Your Blessings.” The song encourages those who are “tempest-tossed” and “thinking all is lost” to “count your blessings, name them one by one.” Years later when my husband, Alan, was discouraged, he would often ask me to sing that simple song to him. Then I would help him to enumerate his blessings. Doing so took Alan’s focus off his struggles and self-doubt and centered his thoughts on God and his reasons for thankfulness. (Alison Kieda, Our Daily Bread, 26th November 2025)

I feel we should all count our blessings every now and then, not just when facing difficult times, but on ordinary days as we go about our daily routines. We have a house to live in, a roof over our heads and food on the table. Or in the case of Malaysians, a short walk downstairs or outside or in more cases, a short drive away, there are abundance of cafes, hawker centres or restaurants offering delicious delicacies. Every time I watch a documentary on the homeless, most of who lived normal lives like us until some tragedy struck causing them to lose their jobs and can’t pay rent, I am thankful for the roof over my head.

Yes, there are tough times, we have health issues (sometimes self-induced) and some of us have to live within our meagre means. Yet we are not out wandering the streets searching for our next meal. If we are out of a job, we still have family support. If we are laid off because our employer is right-sizing, at least there is some compensation to tide us over. That is why many now advocate having a dual income stream in case we lose our main source of income. We count our blessings, especially when we are going through down times, knowing in our hearts that God will deliver and save us from our down times.

The worst thing we could do when faced with tough times is to wallow in self pity and spiral down into a web of self-fulfilling depression. Instead count our blessings and look to the Lord, the alpha and omega, the author and finisher of our faith. Do not allow the devil to deceive us to think we are failures. We may have had our failures but we are not a failure in the eyes of Christ. We are sons and daughters of the most High Almighty God, the creator of the universe and all things in it. Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the Bible, is our God too! We can and shall overcome! Count our blessings and know that He is good, all the time! Amen