Dead and made alive in Christ

https://odb.org/2026/07/30/new-life-for-dead-hearts

Colossians 3:1–4 (NIV): 3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Heartwood is the central supporting pillar of certain trees. Although dead, it won’t decay or lose strength while the outer, living layers are intact. Composed of fibers bound together by a chemical glue called lignin, heartwood can be as strong as steel. This element of a tree’s structure enables it to survive nature’s travails.

When Paul encouraged the Colossians to live a resurrected life, he could have used the metaphor of heartwood to express how those who have been saved are transformed. “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). While Paul’s reference to us as “dead” might seem discouraging, when understood from the perspective of the resurrection we grasp the hope of such a statement. God transforms the dead core of our beings, strengthening us in the power of the resurrected Jesus to endure the trials of this life. (Elisa Morgan, Our Daily Bread 29th July 2026)

When we accept Christ and become born-again Christians, our old self is crucified with Christ. That is why we are considered dead but made alive in Christ. Our spiritual life is awakened. We now may communicate with God in the spirit, in prayer and worship. We are reconciled to the LORD and have a relationship with the Holy Trinity of Father God, His Son our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost.

Day in day out, we are transformed by the renewing of our minds as we accept and apply His Word in our lives. As our hearts are changed, we become a better person. We become more Christ like, from inside out. Rather than be self centred and selfish, we are forgiving and generous. We become more selfless, thinking of others more.

The analogy of heartwood is thus apt. Our inner core is dead yet strong in Christ. Heartwood is dead but doesn’t decay or rot or lose strength. No more nutrients nor water passing through yet it offers a solid foundation and is the core to the tree, like Christ is to us. Our inner self is dead yet Christ transforms it to be the core that reaches out to the heavens and is sensitive to and aware of the spiritual realm. We now can do battle with demons. In fact, we just heard last Sunday how it is essential that we wage spiritual warfare first before preaching the Gospel. Because salvation is not won in the mind but in the spirit.

The message this morning is to let the fire within us to continue burning. Let our old self remain dead but in Christ that the new born-again self thrives and takes control. Let our old flesh and fleshy desires continue to be crucified. As it is always a battle between our old and new self, always let our new self prevail as we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. Have a good day ahead, everyone!

The Company We Keep

https://odb.org/2026/07/29/the-company-we-keep

Proverbs 13:20 NIV Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.

A scientific study revealed that watching TV programs featuring mean characters can actually lead people to be mean. This connection is often subconscious, meaning that even shows with seemingly “harmless” jokes at others’ expense can subtly influence how we treat others. So, too, the people we choose to spend our time with will affect our behavior. Solomon provides timeless wisdom on this important subject: “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20). He implies that individuals may not achieve this wisdom alone, so they should associate with wise, God-honoring people—teachers and friends—instead of those who are foolish. Surrounding oneself with wise individuals fosters “good judgment” and helps us steer clear of “destruction” (v. 15). (Marvin Williams, Our Daily Bread 29th July 2026)

The book of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings penned by several people. Today’s text comes from a portion of Scripture that King Solomon wrote. Tragically, the challenge was one that he himself failed to follow. He wrote, “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20). Yet he’d surrounded himself with one thousand pagan wives and concubines (1 Kings 11:3), which was forbidden by God (v. 2), and they drew Solomon away from Him: “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites” (vv. 4-5). (Bill Crowder, Insight, Our Daily Bread 29th July 2026)

I’m sure when we were growing up our parents would have warned us to stay away from unsavoury characters like pupils who don’t spend time studying or who don’t do homework or who just absent themselves from school without a valid reason (playing truant). During my time, we had students who come to school but disappear later to play arcade games. These are bad influences and some of these so called friends may get worse as we grow older – dropping out of school, indulge in drugs or even criminal activities. In fact, some of these rebellious students may be picked up by organised crime syndicates to become their foot soldiers by enticing them with money, cigarettes and other rewards.

The wiser ones amongst us will not so much intentionally avoid such students but remain friends without getting close or joining their “extra curricular” activities. But we know the drill – don’t mix with them lest we become like them and we do the same with our children when we ourselves become parents. In fact, I recall vividly how once my younger son was around 15 then when he became more actively involved with his school’s Blue team (composition not limited to his class or form) and in the process, mixed with some older students and ex-students. My elder son was in college doing A levels but his friends who stayed back in school doing UEC (a pre-university qualification) saw the crowd my younger son was mixing with and warned him as one of the ex-students in that group were known to have dabbled in drugs before. So we intervened and pulled my second son out of that group before he got too deep.

While we all know the wisdom of Solomon’s words in Proverbs 13:20, as believers there is another dimension that we need to be reminded of and that is our role as light and salt of the world. We will be better off spiritually mixing with church people but if our friends whom we hang out with are all from church, then our sphere of influence will only be amongst the converted. We will have less ability and opportunity to be a testimony to the world and our reaching out efforts may well be limited to the street evangelism activities organised by the church.

We are in the world but not of the world. We know our place, our role in the larger scheme of things and we have this quest to walk forward with diligence in God’s plans and purposes for our lives. Yet there must be a balance between our spiritual and secular lives. Invest time among believers who will have a positive influence over our spiritual lives, yet we must also invest time among non-believers so we ourselves may be a positive influence to reflect the glory and goodness of God. As we receive, we also give and the more we give, the more we will receive.

Betrayed by a close friend

https://odb.org/2026/07/28/recovering-from-betrayal

Psalm 55:12–20 (NIV): 12 If an enemy were insulting me,  I could endure it; if a foe were rising against me, I could hide.
      13 But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend,
      14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers.
      15 Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the realm of the dead, for evil finds lodging among them.
      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.

In one of her novels, Toni Morrison tells the story of Nel and Sula, friends since childhood. But the friendship frays as Sula’s self-centeredness grows, culminating in her seducing Nel’s husband. “Why didn’t you think about me?” Nel asks Sula. “Didn’t I count?” Sadly, Sula doesn’t even care enough to answer.

As anyone who’s experienced it knows, the pain of a friend’s betrayal is hard to rival. King David felt such “malice and abuse” when a political conspiracy of “threats and lies” engulfed him (Psalm 55:10-11). The worst part was who was behind it. “If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it,” he says. “But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend” (vv. 12-13).

How should we respond to such betrayal? While David takes his turmoil to God (vv. 16, 20), he prays retribution will fall on his betraying friend (v. 15). We see a different approach taken by Jesus. Faced with Judas’ betrayal, he says, “Do what you came for, friend,” refusing to retaliate in kind (Matthew 26:49-50). (Sheridan Voysey, Our Daily Bread 28th July 2026)

I think most of us can relate to what David wrote in Psalm 55:12-14 – If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were rising against me, I could hide. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers. It becomes more painful and heart wrenching when a close friend, someone we trusted and may even know from back in the day, betrayed us. It is especially wrenching if he or she “stole” our girlfriend or boyfriend or spouse. In fact, seeing a good friend with our exes itself is already a “no no”, what more a betrayal. Betrayals can come in different forms. For example in the corporate world someone may intentionally plant what we call a poison pill to our higher-ups to perhaps slow down our ascension through the ranks. Usually it’s elimination of a perceived threat for one’s own benefit and interests. How I wish people would just focus on their own abilities and achievements than to rise by destroying other people!

As believers, we are presented with two choices – we could apply what David did or follow Jesus’s example. As both are biblical, the former is not wrong. With David, he prayed for vengeance through God. It is not wrong as the decision to punish lies with the LORD. It is His choice, His decision and He is sovereign. It’s just that in the New Covenant, our hearts have been transformed to be like Christ. We’ll rather forgive and move on, instead of dwelling on the hurt lest it turn from resentment to hatred to bitterness. We could end up killing ourselves from the inside when there is so much ahead of us in the Kingdom of God. In other words, it’s better to follow Christ’s example.

My own view, and this is personal, is to just leave it behind like Paul said before, forgetting what’s behind and look ahead to the crown of glory at the end of our race. Our lives are not our own. We belong to Christ. He has redeemed us with His blood. He chose us to be holy and righteous before the foundations of the world. We are created to do good works, not to willow in our misfortunes or in this case our close friend having betrayed us. But practically, as we are human, I don’t think Jesus expects us to be pretentious and continue to be friends with that person. We forgive and we move on to the greater adventures the Lord has in store for us in the future. If one day an opportunity is presented for us to reconcile, then we reconcile.

The lesson this morning is that if we had been betrayed, let it hurt and then move on. Forgive and leave it to God. Don’t pray for God to destroy our betrayer by fire and brimstone! This is not Sodom and Gomorrah!

Have a good week ahead everyone! I pray that the LORD our God will grant us His wisdom and discernment to deal with our issues of life and at work!

Created for good works

https://odb.org/2026/07/23/prepared-to-help

Ephesians 2:1–10 (NIV): 2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

My friend needed to practice parallel parking before her driving test. I was prayerfully looking for a safe place to teach her when the idea came to go to a neighborhood church with an ample parking lot. After we set up what turned out to be a less-than-ideal practice parking space using folding chairs, she made her first attempt to back into the spot between the chairs. Then the pastor came out with orange cones in hand, similar to the kind used in a driving test. He introduced himself and asked, “Could you use these cones?” He explained that just last week their church family had discussed ways to help neighbors new to the community. “We talked about letting people use these cones in our parking lot for parking practice.” They had prepared to help others, and what a blessing they were for my friend. Prepared to help others. That’s exactly what God did for us and in us. He “prepared in advance” for us to do good works and care for others (Ephesians 2:10). (Anne Cetas, Our Daily Bread 23rd July 2026)

As much as our works no matter how good or charitable will not be good enough to redeem our sins before God, we are nevertheless created to do good works. The fundamentals of our faith is that salvation is not by works but by the grace of God through the blood of His Son shed on Calvary. So we cannot gain entry into the Kingdom of God by the things we do while we exist as living beings on this earth. But once we have believed in Christ in our hearts and confessed with our lips that He is Lord, we are expected to do good works. As James wisely stated, faith without works is dead (James 2:26). In other words, our faith in Jesus Christ if it doesn’t produce good works is pretty useless as it benefits no one.

God created us to do good works as Paul argues in Ephesians 2:10. In essence, that means at our core we are made to do good, not evil. Perhaps for some of us we had done evil before not only in our past but in the not so recent past. Perhaps every now and then, we give in to the desires of our flesh and allow our old self to take over. We allow resentment and bitterness to take control. We wanted revenge and just retribution ourselves and in the process sinned against God. If so, we must repent from our sins, seek His forgiveness. For if we confess our sins (and be humble before God), He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9).

While by our very nature as born-again and awakened spiritual beings, we are to do good, God’s plans and purposes for our lives will lead us to do good works, the very same works He created us for. That is why He chose us before the foundations of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight (Ephesians 1:4). His plans for us is for good and not for evil, to give us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

If we faithfully and diligently fulfil God’s plans and purposes for our lives and embrace His calling rigorously, we will definitely do good works. Actual tangible works, not just being a good person to the world around us. Works that will uplift and raise up the spirit and spiritual lives of others. Works that will help Christ mould and mature another person, another believer. If we live our lives in this fashion, we will not only be on the way to life everlasting but we are useful and beneficial to the people and the world around us. That is why Jesus preached that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Ultimately, each and every one of us as believers in Christ are effectively the Kingdom of God! The life of Christ and the glory of God are manifested through our hearts, by our good works! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Amen!

Music and worship

https://odb.org/2026/07/22/rhythms-of-joy

Psalm 30:4–12 (NIV): 4 Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people; praise his holy name.
      5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
      6 When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.”
      7 LORD, when you favored me, you made my royal mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face,  I was dismayed.
      8 To you, LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy:
      9 “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
      10 Hear, LORD, and be merciful to me; LORD, be my help.”
      11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
      12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. LORD my God, I will praise you forever.

A scientific study—which sought to explore how much of people’s musical sensitivity is cultural and how much of it is instinctual—played drum rhythms for newborn babies while monitoring their brain wave activity. Occasionally, the researchers would omit a beat from the rhythm. Amazingly, they found the infants’ brain waves spiked right when the note was left out—showing their young minds were already anticipating that beat and reacting to its absence.

The study brings to mind the amazing way that God has created us. He’s even wired us to embrace the wonderful gift of music and respond to it with joy and, as the psalmist David writes in Psalm 30, to respond to God’s grace with music of our own—songs of “praise [to] his holy name” (v. 4). (Monica La Rose, Our Daily Bread 22nd July 2026)

If you’ve read these blog pages for some time, you’ll know by now that I got to know Jesus by learning how to play the guitar at around 13 to 14 years of age when a group of outstation teachers opened their house to reach out to us local students in my small town of Pasir Puteh, Kelantan. A few years later, I joined a church in Kota Bharu whose congregation worshipped a capela and thus there was an opening for me to play the guitar when I was better at it. That was the start of my involvement in the music ministry and it has been for more than 40 years now.

Even prior to all that, I used to follow my paternal grandmother to the St Michael’s Catholic church in Ipoh and was fascinated by the Latin songs sung then during mass. It had such a calming effect. Later, a year or two after I accepted Christ (but before I joined the Kota Bharu church), I had the opportunity to visit a church in Kuala Krai. It was my first encounter of a worship leader singing in the spirit and I would describe that experience as exhilarating. It was fascinating and uplifting. I certainly did not perceive it as strange but was much encouraged by it. Weeks later, I played along during worship and realised that it wasn’t difficult as the church sang mostly in one key and the songs were usually 4-chord choruses!

I’m sure we all have our fair share of experience in church music, whether in a simple set up like a house fellowship or a youth gathering in our youth or in bigger churches with a full band complete with in ear monitors and sophisticated sound systems and instruments. It is confirmed that music is one of the God-given ways we could touch God’s throne, invite His presence and allow Him to reach out to our spirit and hearts. Music in worship needs to be felt and experienced. It’s not head knowledge. We feel it through our ears and our other senses.

The next time we are in church, immerse ourselves in the music and the songs as we worship Him. Give Him all glory and honour. Let our hearts be edified and our souls be exalted. Let us be filled by the overflowing grace and mercy from the throne of the LORD our God our Heavenly Father as all creation and the angels and heavenly beings worship Him in all His glory!

A plumb line

https://odb.org/2026/07/21/doing-right

Amos 7:1–8 (NIV): 7 This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. 2 When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign LORD, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”
3 So the LORD relented. “This will not happen,” the LORD said.
4 This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me: The Sovereign LORD was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. 5 Then I cried out, “Sovereign LORD, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”
6 So the LORD relented. “This will not happen either,” the Sovereign LORD said. 7 This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the LORD asked me, “What do you see, Amos?” “A plumb line,” I replied.
Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.

Ben had bought pirated computer software for years, simply because it was cheaper. Even though it was illegal and broke copyright laws, he didn’t feel that it was morally wrong. After all, everyone did it, and why should he buy expensive original software? Who would check? After hearing a talk on daily examples of living by God’s standards, however, Ben, a new believer growing in the faith, began to wonder, What does it mean to do the right thing? Ben decided to replace all his software with original versions. It cost a lot more, but, as he explained to his friends, “God knows. And He calls us to do what’s right, right?”

In Amos 7, God reminded the Israelites that His standards were impartial and absolute and applied to all, including His favored nation. His laws and moral standards were like “a plumb line” (v. 8)—a weighted line used by builders to ensure structural integrity by showing if a wall wasn’t being built perfectly vertical. (Leslie Koh, Our Daily Bread 21st July 2026)

A plumb line is a string with a heavy weight (called a plumb bob) attached to one end. When hung freely, gravity pulls it to find an exact vertical line, ensuring structures are straight and true. Metaphorically, because the plumb line is dictated by gravity, it represents an unchangeable standard of truth and righteousness. In the Bible, it is frequently used to symbolize God’s unchanging moral standards.

As Christians, I believe we will wrestle with this issue of following our flesh to chase after worldly wealth and success or follow God and His righteousness and trust that all these shall be added unto us ala Matthew 6:33. Some Christian circles preach that we may also achieve worldly success and gain wealth if we follow God and not the world because the LORD will bless His people, His children. Thus the plumb line will be the measure of whether we are adhering to His standards of righteousness or we follow the ways and standards of the world.

As we progress in our faith, however, as we do not conform to the ways (pattern) of this world, we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. In the process, we will test and approve His good, pleasing and perfect will. In discovering God’s will for our lives especially His plans and purposes, we will then realise that actually wordly success and wealth are not really what we want after all. We realise that we do not need to prove to our families and friends that following God has its share of blessings that are equivalent or will even surpass what we would have gained had we followed our flesh. In fact, the path that Jesus has now opened for us is a path that we want to follow. Spiritual enrichment and understanding are more useful compared to worldly wealth or success. The plumb line has now become our moral compass, to keep us on the narrow path that leads to righteousness.

Just that every now and then we may face situations where we may be tempted to deviate from the plumb line and snag a gold coin or two. This is what happened to Elisha’s servant Gehazi in 2 Kings 5. After Naaman was healed of his leprosy (a skin disease during biblical times, but not Hanson’s disease of modern times) and gave Elisha gifts worth millions in today’s money he brought all the way from Damascus to Samaria, Elisha refused – to illustrate the point that divine healing cannot be bought or measured in terms of the wealth of the world. However Gehazi later ran after Naaman and spinned a tall tale to elicit two talents of silver (worth 40 years of wages, not savings) and 2 sets of clothing. Gehazi gave in to his flesh (his greed) in a momentary lapse of judgment and suffered the consequences as Naaman’s leprosy then clung on to him and his descendants.

Make the plumb line our moral compass in all that we do. Always do the right thing. Live right-side up. Even if no one sees or bothers, God sees. Indeed, do not conform to the pattern of this world. It is deceitful and a snare to draw us away from God. Be transformed by the renewing of our minds that we may test and approve His good, pleasing and perfect will!

Pass it on

https://odb.org/2026/07/20/pass-it-on-5

2 Corinthians 1:1–7 (NIV): Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

After a fifty-five year wait, England’s soccer team finally made it to the European Football Championship Cup finals. Locked in a tie with Italy, the game was decided by a penalty shootout. England’s last chance fell to a young player named Bukayo Saka. But as Saka kicked the penalty shot, Italy’s goalkeeper deflected it. England fans wept; the Cup was lost. Few will forget what happened next, though. England’s manager, Gareth Southgate, walked over to the devastated Saka and embraced him. Southgate knew how Saka felt. In 1996 it was he, as a young player, who had missed the penalty shot that cost England a place in the semifinals, and England’s then-manager Terry Venables had comforted him in the very same way. (Sheridan Voysey, Our Daily Bread 20th July 2026)

The spiritual principle shared in today’s ODB is that as God comforts us, we ought to comfort others. Paul encouraged in 2 Corinthians 1:4 – [God the Father] who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. That is why we know that the things we go through in life is how God matures us but that is also how He teaches us so we may use our life experiences, especially our encounters with Him, to comfort others. Nothing in our past life is wasted even though we may have gone through “hell”. For instance, if we had gone hungry for 3 whole days surviving just on plain water when young because there was no money for food before salary day, we are able to appreciate those who go hungry and understand what they are going through.

This principle may be further extended beyond our past experiences to the wealth we have or our God-given talents and skills we honed at work. All we have may be used for the glory of God – as God blesses us, we bless others. One of the best ways to serve God is to use whatever we have first while we equip ourselves. Our management skills may be used to organise events for the church first while we spend more time deepening our bible knowledge. We serve with what we have rather than only serve when we are ready. We don’t know how long we will live. So don’t wait, just start somewhere from where we are with whatever we have.

The idea is to pass it on as God gives and blesses us, as Jesus moulds, shapes and matures us. Very little in the Kingdom of God is ours to hoard, most are to be shared to bless the larger community one way or another including our past experiences. The more we give and pass on, the more our Father will give us. That is why in the spiritual realm, it is better to give than to receive from others as the more we give, the more God will give us!

Have a good week, everyone! Be mindful to give more of ourselves to others as the LORD our God sees our heart and will make sure our hearts are overflowing with His grace and mercy!

Creator God

https://odb.org/2026/07/17/flight-school

Job 38:31–41 (NIV): 31 “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Can you loosen Orion’s belt?
      32 Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs?
      33 Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?
      34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water?
      35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
      36 Who gives the ibis wisdom or gives the rooster understanding?
      37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens
      38 when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together?
      39 “Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions
      40 when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket?
      41 Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?

Dragonflies are dainty insects with some of the most amazing flight and endurance capabilities. Their aerial abilities have been studied to improve flight technology. Scientists recently found that with its wings beating thirty times a second, a dragonfly that has fallen upside-down can right itself in just 0.2 seconds. Its eyes process an incredible two hundred images per second to determine which way is up and make tiny adjustments.

God’s creativity and wisdom are on display all throughout our natural world. In the book of Job, the main character struggles to reconcile his suffering with God’s goodness and righteousness. God responds by asking Job, “Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?” (38:33). How exactly does a dragonfly maneuver so incredibly? We have a lot to learn. And yet we can trust that the all-knowing God who designed these creatures is the same one who knows how to bring us from the darkest night into the light and joy of His presence. (Karen Pimpo, Our Daily Bread  17th July 2026)

God’s majestic creation reveals many things about His nature. In creation, we see evidence of His power (Romans 1:20), for He spoke the universe into existence (Genesis 1:3; Hebrews 11:3). Creation reveals His sense of order (Psalm 139:13-14) and His brilliant design (v. 15). Perhaps above all else, however, it teaches us about His sovereignty (Colossians 1:15-18). Not only did He create the universe by the word of His power, but He’s even now maintaining that universe. He not only made everything, but He also rules over all that He’s made (v. 17). The challenge for believers in Jesus is to live in the conscious awareness of His power, His word, His order, and His design. We can trust the creator of the universe to help us in our trials and bring us into the joy of His presence. (Bill Crowder, Insight, Our Daily Bread 17th July 2026)

When I look at nature, I’m always fascinated by the complexity of God’s creation. Just today’s focus on the dainty dragonfly, you’ll be amazed at its ability to adjust itself when it falls upside down. Similar to how the domestic cat naturally adjusts its body to fall on its four legs from height.

I love documentaries and recently watched a clip on BBC using infrared light (night vision) on a drone tracking a male tiger moving towards a mother with her two juvenile cubs. The crew was so afraid that the male was looking to kill the cubs and might have ended up killing the mother as well. If you know general tiger behaviour, females raise their young on their own and are fiercely protective of their babies. In the end, it turned out that the male was part of the family, the patriarch, and this clip was the first if not the very few recorded evidence of a tiger family with both father and mother and their cubs! Nature has a way of even confounding our own comprehension of it! You may catch that clip here:

BBC One – Tiger Island, Series 1, Episode 2, A rare tiger family moment caught on camera https://share.google/LH4MJsvEQzkErV3Wc

Nature has its own way of amazing us and all this points to a creator. The intricate details of each species, whether animals or plants or even other organisms or how our internal organs work or how our bodies fight microorganisms that are invisible to the naked eye. As believers of Christ, we must always remember that Christ paved the way for us to reconnect with this all powerful and all knowing God, the God who created the universe and everything in it, by His spoken word. The same God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In the words of Karen Pimpo in today’s ODB – “And yet we can trust that the all-knowing God who designed these creatures is the same one who knows how to bring us from the darkest night into the light and joy of His presence”.

The LORD God is our Heavenly Father and He loves and cares for us, our wellbeing, the state of our spiritual life, whether we are heading towards eternity with Him. Speak to Him, call out His name – He will guide us and bring us safely out of our deepest, darkest nights into His light and His presence! Amen!

Have a good weekend, everyone! May we all bask in the glory of His presence as we worship Him this Sunday!

Strength in numbers

https://odb.org/2026/07/16/who-do-you-need

1 Corinthians 12:12–14 (NIV): 12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

A famous athlete sat tall in his seat as he prepared to fly to the championship bout he knew he’d win. A flight attendant walked by and said, “Sir, please fasten your seat belt.” The man smiled. “Superman don’t need no seat belt.” She replied without missing a beat, “Superman don’t need no airplane. Buckle up.” And he did. Success can swell our heads. We don’t need a seatbelt or a flight attendant telling us what to do. We can take care of ourselves. If we bring this attitude to church, we’re like an eye that says to the hand, “I don’t need you!” or a head that says to the feet, “I don’t need you!” (1 Corinthians 12:21). The truth is, every part of the body is needed, and “those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable” (v.22) (Mike Wittmer, Our Daily Bread 16th July 2026)

In the Old Testament, the famous saying is “two are better than one” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) because if one falls down, the other can help him up. With two, they have a good return for their labour. In Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NIV), it is written, “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken“. It speaks of strength in numbers. One of the reasons why marriage succeed in elevating one’s economic status is the pooling of resources and talents. So modern-day unions are more partnerships, similar to business partnerships creating synergies to harness higher outputs or as Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 pointed out, they have a good return for their labour.

In the New Testament, Paul uses the imagery of the body to illustrate this point in the church. There are different parts in church and everyone needs each other as the hand cannot say to the eye that I don’t need you. We all know very well that if the little toe is hurt, the entire body will be affected. In fact even a small cut or abrasion in any part of our bodies will create such an irritation that our immune system and cells will work frantically to quickly repair the damage and repel any alien invaders. That is why self-healing and the immunity system are two very essential systems in the body.

When the healing system is compromised by illness (like diabetes causing nerve damage) or the immune system goes haywire (for example, auto immune diseases), the body will get into big trouble. While we are strong when united, we crumble if we fight amongst ourselves or betray one another or given a task, we shrink away or don’t do our part. Everyone is a brick on the wall, if a few bricks move away, the wall may just collapse.

The mesaage this morning is that we all have our roles to play as individuals in the body of Christ in the local and universal church. We all contribute our various talents into the pool and God mixes and blends us together to create a potent force to deal with the principalities of the air and the dark forces. There are various spiritual gifts scattered among us. We need to come together and be united, in spirit and in truth. That is the church, which is why congregational worship is essential to the life of the church! No single person is as strong as the whole body – we need to be humble to accept that we actually need one another!

Gratitude and thankfulness to God our Father

https://odb.org/2026/07/15/always-giving-thanks

Ephesians 5:15–20 (NIV): 15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

A fifty-ton, female humpback whale swam into a web of crab lines off the coast of California, trapping her in a tangled mess. Hundreds of feet of line and hundreds of pounds of traps wrapped around her body as she struggled to stay afloat. Four divers came to her rescue, swimming under her belly. For an hour, they cut rope—dangerous work since one flap of her tail could have killed them. After they freed her, rather than immediately escaping, she swam to and gently nudged each diver. “It felt to me like she was thanking us,” one rescuer said.

Whether or not whales are able to express gratitude, being thankful is truly an important part of being human. It’s vital for our life with God. Many of us thank Him for larger blessings (the birth of a child or healing from a disease). However, Paul tells us to offer gratitude for every gift we receive, for every bit of goodness we encounter. We’re to be “always giving thanks to God,” the apostle writes (Ephesians 5:20). Not sometimes. Not only for exceptional moments. Always. (Winn Collier, Our Daily Bread 15th July 2026)

Ephesians 5 invites us to walk in Christ’s light rather than stumble through the darkness of the world (v. 8). In verses 15-20, we encounter a surprising source of spiritual strength: gratitude. Paul urges us to “be filled with the Spirit” (v. 18) and to “[give] thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 20). Gratitude is a posture and attitude that returns our focus to the source of all good things (see James 1:16-18). When we express our thankfulness—even in ordinary or difficult moments—we acknowledge God’s presence and goodness. This reorientation helps us to live intentionally, reflecting Christ’s love. (J.R. Hudberg, Insight, Our Daily Bread 15th July 2026)

Even in the world, gratitude towards God or the creator is accepted as one of the best boosters for good mental health and happiness. A quote from Google – “Practicing gratitude increases happiness by shifting your focus from what is missing to what you already have. Science shows this habit literally rewires your brain, lowering stress hormones like cortisol while releasing mood-boosting neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.” In other words, gratitude reduces stress and chemically increases our “feel good” mood.

Likewise in the spiritual world, Paul advocates the same principle of gratitude in general but specifically towards God. In everything, not for some major things, give thanks to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not for significant things only but in everything, always. As J.R. Hudberg wrote – “Gratitude is a posture and attitude that returns our focus to the source of all good things. When we express our thankfulness—even in ordinary or difficult moments—we acknowledge God’s presence and goodness.” It brings us back to God and that’s the key.

As we focus on the things we have, we forget those we don’t. To me, gratitude is like contentment. We are grateful and thankful for what we have and have already achieved, rather than lament on missed opportunities for greatness. If we are honest, we will see God has been good to us. Others may have done better, but there are also others who fared worse. Remember, in Christian life, we are running in our own lane. We have God’s will for us specifically. His tailored and bespoke customised plans and purposes for our life. Gratitude helps us to forget what’s behind, the past failures and disappointments, and focus on what lies ahead. As they say, leave the past behind and move on.

My prayer for all of us is that we look at the bright day ahead with gratitude and thankfulness towards God and our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit! We are still breathing, still alive and kicking! Indeed sad birds still fly, but grateful birds soar high under the shadow of His wings! Amen!