Christ matters most

https://odb.org/2025/01/24/what-matters-most-4

Colossians 2:6–12 (ESV): 6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

I think most of us would have gone past the stage in our Christian walk when we were told not to watch Hollywood movies and television or listen to secular music or songs, if ever we had such a stage in our walk of faith. There was a time when I was taught not to even read other Christian books or publications as I might get confused. As much as shielding young believers from the myriad of ideas and thoughts outside may prevent confusion, I have established from my own experience that allowing independent exploration of thoughts, even in the context of our faith, is the best approach to gaining knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The real world is not black and white. The ability to stand firm in the blurred lines of grey is thus essential for the long-term survival of our faith. How we manoeuvre amidst the different thoughts and ideas out there is the real test of our faith and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, we may indeed be confused and may lose our way. But if we seek the Lord hard enough, He will be found. The truth will prevail in the end. That’s what I believe in.

That is why Paul advises us in Colossians 2:6 to be rooted and built up in Christ and be established in our faith. We need to put effort in to learn more about Christ and our faith so that we will not be swayed by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world (spirits associated with earth, wind, fire and water as Paul’s way of referring to the evil side of the spiritual realm).

Nowadays, I look at movies and television content as mostly fictional work conjured up by creative writers and played out by talented actors. So yes, I can see certain worldly ideas perpetuated like violence and sex or that what matters most is our happiness. The latter is particularly dangerous as it champions the idea that we may change our spouse based on our happiness when the Christian principle is to be married to one for life. Obviously, Hollywood or content writers write based on their own prevailing worldview. For example, the pressure to be inclusive has led to many Netflix movies portraying same sex relationships as something normal and acceptable.

Personally, I draw the line with the horror genre as I believe that there are dark spiritual elements in play there. As much as I know werewolves and vampires are purely fictional and folklore, other aspects of the horror genre may be based on some reality of that realm. I hold on to the fact that – greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). But we also know that as children of the light, we are not to dabble in the occultic and dark forces. The avoidance of the horror genre is my own personal conviction and is not a teaching on the fundamentals of our faith.

The message this morning is that Christ matters most, not our happiness or wellbeing. Pursue and focus on the eternal as much as we need to live in the present and in the natural. Make sure that the latter does not take precedence over the former, and we should be fine.

Treasure chest

https://odb.org/2025/01/23/treasure-chest

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 (ESV): 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

I think it is really encouraging that if we have someone we love who suffers from dementia that God has a treasure chest of his memories in heaven. Dementia is really sad and debilitating. The sufferer lives physically healthy but forgets his past. If he meets you today, tomorrow he will forget who you are or that he had even met you.

It is difficult as sometimes it is the memories of the past that keep us going for the future. Our younger times when growing up, doing silly things. Our courtship days. Our days at college or university. Our first bible study. Our first introduction to the Word of God. The birth of our babies and their infant days. Feeding them milk in the middle of the night. Our children’s school speech days and concerts and sports days. Our trips holidaying as a family. Basically, the longer we live, the more memories we have. Most we cherish, some we rather forget, but at least we can bring them back to remembrance. Alas, a dementia patient loses that ability. But our LORD has kept them in a treasure box for him or her! Praise the Lord, indeed, for His goodness and grace!

We live for the unseen as the things that are seen are transient and temporal. They are beautiful and functional. But as things age, they break down, and after years of neglect, they lose their lustre. Consumerism encourages us to discard the old and buy new ones. Moments are even more fleeting. They come and they go. Lost forever. Not everything may be preserved for posterity. Only the Word of God will be perpetual and will outlive even time.

This morning, while we are still mentally well and good, treasure the memories of the past, with our loved ones and with God. If possible, create more memories in the days to come. With our children and grandchildren, with Christ as we walk with Him. Make them memorable. Maybe we can not remember all of them, but God has kept for us in heaven a treasure chest of all our memories. Even if we were to lose them in the natural, we will get them all back in the eternal! Amen! Hallelujah!

Recognising God

https://odb.org/2025/01/22/recognizing-god

Hebrews 1:1–4 (ESV): 1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

During ancient times, God spoke through His prophets. They were the likes of Isaiah, Ezekial, Jeremiah, and Daniel. Later, God had people like Hosea, Joel, Amos, Ezra, Jonah, Zechariah, and many others. The LORD also passed down the 10 Commandments through Moses at Mount Sinai.

But in modern times, God sent His only begotten Son so that whosever believed in Him shall not perish but have life eternal. Thus, He spoke through the words, deeds, and life of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The Immanuel of God who became flesh and blood and yet without sin to die for the sins of mankind and rose victorious over sin and death. That is why the Apostles preach Christ crucified and resurrected.

Because of the Holy Spirit, given by God to us believers after Jesus ascended to heaven to be at the right hand of the Father, we are able to pray and hear the voice of God too. As much as we can see God, through Jesus as recorded and depicted by the writers of the Gospel, we can also see God as He speaks to us through Scriptures. We need to pray and learn to recognise the voice of God as He speaks to us to encourage and support us to live out our faith and fulfil His plans and purposes for our lives.

The message this morning is that we need to recognise God in our lives. Recognise His voice in Scriptures and as He speaks through the Holy Spirit. Recognise Him through His creation, through nature and the events that occur in our lives. Recognise Him in our trials and tribulations. Recognise His hands working in us, moulding us to be more Christ-like each day.

In these last days, the devil will double up efforts to mislead believers to distract us from the narrow road. Therefore, we need to be vigilant against the tricks and snares of the evil one. Recognising God’s voice is our best defence and offence against the devil.

His sheep will know His voice as He is the good shepherd, and we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Always take heed of the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Suffering in Christ

https://odb.org/2025/01/21/the-gift-of-trials

1 Peter 4:12–14, 16, 19 (ESV): 12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 19 Therefore, let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

The story of the Wright brothers is a great inspiration as they went through many failures before succeeding in flying an aeroplane. They went through lots of trials and adversity, including money woes, serious injury, and ridicule, and yet, instead of giving up, they triumphed. As their biographer, David McCullough wrote, adversity is exactly what you need to give you a lift higher. Orville Wright once said, “No bird soars in a calm.” In other words, the eagle needs the wind to lift it up higher.

Thus, in a way, like martyrdom is a gift, trials and tribulations are also gifts to help us achieve spiritual maturity. If we don’t go through difficult times, how will we experience the reality of God in our lives? If we don’t go through disappointments, how will we experience the comfort of God? For example, I was really sad that I was laid off after so many years with my previous organisation, but I was glad to experience the provision of God with a job offer elsewhere. Actually, the story was that I was about to resign to accept a job offer at another organisation because of certain unacceptable changes at my workplace then, but I was instead offered a severance package before I clicked. How it all happened in one particular day was the reality and provision of God working in my life. To cap it all, the new job was only a 15 mins drive from our condo in the city that my younger son was already staying in for his college education! There was not any need to relocate to another city or travel for more than an hour through rush hour to my new workplace! That’s the provision of God working in my life! Every time I think of those moments, I shed a tear of joy recounting the goodness of God!

We might prefer a smooth sailing life and perhaps experience less spectacular “miracles” or touches from God, but alas, in life, we don’t actually get to choose. With the benefit of foresight, we might have done otherwise. But life comes as it comes. Could we choose to avoid the MCO that destroyed our just launched business then and left us near penniless? Our dreams and hopes shattered, and our renovations all went to waste because we had zero customers? Or someone we loved could not get vaccinated in time and perished when the Covid-19 attacked his lungs? I knew of that exact person. It is now close to 3 years since all these happened, but frankly, that was the time when I felt that I was really vulnerable when I got sick. I was worried that I might not make it, especially in those early days when the vaccine was not yet widely available.

If you are going through hard times, keep your head up and persevere through. Trust in Jesus and the provision of God. God knows us personally and loves us dearly. The tide will turn eventually. We will see the light at the end of the tunnel. Don’t lose hope. The Wright brothers didn’t give up, and now there are thousands and thousands of flights every day. We could be at another city in the world in a matter of hours.

Have a good week ahead, everyone! Dwell in the presence of God, and may He lift up our spirits to face all adversities and trials that come our way so we may triumphed and become more mature in Christ! Amen!

The righteous shall still bear fruit in old age

https://odb.org/2025/01/19/still-fruitful

Psalm 92:12–15 (ESV): 12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13 They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, 15 to declare that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

I noticed that in my local church, there is a sizeable number of older folks. The children at this church enjoyed considerable academic success in the past, leading to many having migrated abroad for work. Also, as jobs are more abundant in the Klang Valley in a challenging job market, many have flund jobs and are working in KL, PJ, and the surrounding areas. They do return home most weekends. It’s just that with the younger generation only around on Saturdays and Sundays, the church has become very much a weekend church.

Church activities thus revolve around weekends and days of festivities like Chinese New Year and Christmas or long weekend breaks. It is quite a paradox as older folks have all the time in the world but perhaps not the energy or inclination while the younger ones are busy with work in another city and thus have limited time but are full of energy and drive. I guess even the mega churches in Klang Valley face the same issue of running church activities mid-week and engaging with the broader community.

God reminds us today that the righteous still bear fruit in old age. They are ever full of sap and green. In other words, old age shouldn’t hinder our service for God since we have all the time in the world. We may get tired more easily and are afflicted with ailments here and there. Yet our fire for God still burns bright and clear. Serve Him while we are still mobile as there may come a time when may face difficulty to move around or are unable to drive anymore. Do hospital visitations or meet other believers in their homes to fellowship and pray for them. Be a Barnabas to those around us. Mentor the younger ones in their spiritual walk and job careers as our spiritual wisdom and past work experience should stand us in good stead. Share how we overcome or avoid spiritual landmines and work hurdles. Share with them our past experiences with God and the Holy Spirit. There are many ways we may become a blessing to many around us!

Have a good worship service today, everyone! As we get older, it’s not the time to slow down in Christ. Continue to serve Him fervently and faithfully as the righteous shall still bear fruit in old age! Amen! Hallelujah!

Keep up the good work

https://odb.org/2025/01/17/keep-up-the-good-work-2

Galatians 6:7–10 (ESV): 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

There is a concept called delayed gratification, where people delay the enjoyment of life in order to accumulate wealth or capital for the future. It is more particularly defined as the ability to resist the immediate reward in favour of a greater reward in the future. Thus, if we like a particular guitar, we save up to buy it instead of charging it to our card and pay an instalment plan. Of course, in the modern world, we can not avoid using credit like buying a car or a house. But if we were to invest in a car or house and still save, we may need to forfeit holidays or dress more modestly.

It’s the same thing with our job and career. Work hard to acquire the right skills, and one day, we will be able to command the commensurate pay, rather than jumping from one job to the other for a few hundred more but unwilling to work hard. Putting in the hours is inevitable. Anyone who has learnt any craft, whether you’re an athlete, a musician, or a singer, you need to train and train. Training comes with sacrifices. The rewards will come later. It is delayed gratification.

In our faith, we do good and serve God after we accept Christ. It’s a lifelong journey. It’s a journey of joy and yet fraught with pain and suffering. Happiness mixed with tears. Our rewards are definitely not immediate and may not even be realised here on earth. But we don’t give up. We pursue riches in heaven. We store up treasures in a place where the thief may not steal or moth and rust may not destroy.  Do we have to apologise for wanting to store up riches in heaven? We serve in the Kingdom of God as bondservants, although we are co-heirs with Christ. It is delayed gratification.

Strive forward in our faith. Push on and don’t relent. Always do good and serve God with all our heart, soul, and strength. Sometimes, we get tired. Take a break, but continue on after that. Never give up as our rewards are for all eternity. We will get to be in direct fellowship with the Lord and live in the glory of His presence one day! Hallelujah! Amen!

The easy and hard

https://odb.org/2025/01/16/easy-and-hard

Exodus 14 ESV – 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

After Moses, with God having inflicted the Egyptians with the 10 plaques, brought the Israelites out of Egypt, the Pharoah changed his mind and pursued the Israelites. The road to salvation was easy but then became hard when the Egyptians were in pursuit. The Israelites became afraid and blamed Moses for delivering them out of Egypt, preferring to remain slaves serving the Egyptians, a common trait that they carried on even in the wilderness. In the end, none who left Egypt as an adult (except Joshua and Caleb) entered the Promised Land as every single one of them died in the desert during those 40 years.

Sometimes, we could be like those Israelites who were delivered out of Egypt by Moses. Instead of being grateful and thankful for the salvation given to us by God’s love and grace, we grumble that it’s better for us to have remained in our old self. Perhaps Christian life was easy at the beginning but turned hard when we needed to make a stand for God. Perhaps when we live out our faith, we face discrimination and persecution. Perhaps doing the right thing had pleased God. But, it did not yield financial rewards or recognition from our peers. Or we thought Christian life would be rewarding and filled with good fortune when we have Christ in our lives. Instead, we are experiencing hardship and difficult times. Some of us couldn’t understand why God allowed our young loved ones to die in our arms or did not intervene when some misfortune or illness inflicted us.

Like the Israelites and Egyptians, the LORD allows both easy and hard times. He did all the work to convince the Pharoah (the 10 plagues) to release the Israelites but, in the end, allowed the Pharoah to pursue them. The hard part, however, was met with triumph when He parted the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites safe passage but He closed it back when the Egyptians followed so.

I believe that as much as there are easy and hard times, if we have God in our lives, God has a plan and reason for our hardships. Out of those hardships, heartbreaking moments, tears, and mourning, He is doing a special work in our hearts to bring us to the next level of our relationship with Him. When we experience pain and loss, we may become a vessel for God to minister to those experiencing pain and loss. If the Egyptians are at our backs, there will be a Red Sea moment for us to see and experience the glory of God working through us! Trust Him, the time will come! Hallelujah and Amen!

God’s love

https://odb.org/2025/01/15/you-too

Romans 5 ESV – 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from othe wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

While we know that Jesus died for our sins because God loved us, Jesus actually died for all mankind. God’s love was and is for everyone. He died for us while we were yet sinners, and that means He died for everyone else. The atonement and forgiveness of our sins are available for everyone. Salvation is a gift from God. It is by His grace. Mankind on our own, we can not gain salvation. Never a question of good deeds as we are all tainted by the original sin of Adam. Thus, the Second Adam (Jesus Christ) was required to rectify the situation and reconcile us back to God.

As much as the work has already been done, mankind still needs to take the step of faith to accept Jesus into our lives as our Lord and Saviour. This is because individually, we are justified by our faith in Jesus Christ. Everyone needs to come to God through Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

The question this morning is, have you personally accepted Jesus Christ into your hearts as Lord and Saviour? If you haven’t, say the sinner’s prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I know that I have sinned, and I repent from my sins. I thank you for sending Jesus Christ, your one and only beloved Son to die for my sins, and reconcile me back to You. I believe that Jesus died for me and rose again 3 days later. I accept Jesus Christ into my life and heart as my Lord and Saviour. I want to trust and follow Jesus for the rest of my life. In Jesus’s most precious name, I pray, Amen!

Share with others the Good News and guide them through the sinner’s prayer if they believe that Jesus Christ died for their sins and rose again and was victorious over sin and death. We all need to be on the road of righteousness that leads to eternal life! We all need to begin this journey to fulfil God’s plans and purposes for our lives! Amen!

Walking with God

https://odb.org/2025/01/14/walk

Genesis 5 NIV – 21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24 Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

The Bible uses the imagery of walking to describe our journey of faith with God. Thus, a picture of two sets of footsteps on the beach is apt. As we go through life, Jesus is beside us, is one way to look at our walk of faith. There are times when the footsteps become one, and those are the times when Jesus carried us in His arms.

Perhaps another way, and a better one, to look at the footsteps on the beach is that we are walking with God to wherever He is leading us. God is still there as we go through life, but we are following Him. We are tagging along to where He is going. We are living in the centre of His will, fulfilling His plans and purposes for our lives. We are thus like the Israelites, as God leads them through Joshua, we are following God to enter into our Promised Land, the land flowing with milk and honey. The LORD is telling us to be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid and do not be discouraged for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. See Joshua 1:9.

As God leads us and we follow Him, we need not be afraid or discouraged for He is with us. We do not know what life will bring us as the future is uncharted territory, but what we so know is that we are in good stead if we are following Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. He will strengthen us when we are weak and encourage us when we are down.

How’s our walk with God? Are we walking faithfully with Him like Enoch did? Or are we threading our own path and trying to force Jesus to tag along like a parent running after a toddler? Yes, Jesus will never let us go, and like a parent, He will try to make sure we will not fall down and hurt ourselves. But that’s not the path that Father God has appointed for us. Our own path is not God’s plan for us. It’s not the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. Most importantly, it’s not the path of righteousness that leads to eternal life.

How’s our walk with God? If we have strayed, come back to Him quickly lest we drift farther and farther away as the devil came to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus came that we may have abundant life (see John 10:10).

Are you a scout or a soldier?

https://odb.org/2025/01/13/scouting-for-truth

James 1 NIV – 19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

It is interesting to note that more often, when confronted or in a conversation, we tended to behave like soldiers. We want to defend our position, and sometimes, in the process, the atmosphere is unwittingly escalated, and we end up quarrelling. This occurs, I believe, more often between husband and wife. A small thing like, “Did you put this here,” could potentially be turned into an explosive argument. Of course, quarrels between spouses are usually quickly reconciled. However, we can not be assured of the same between friends and colleagues as some have long-lasting effects.

That is why it is better to be a scouting soldier than a mere soldier out to defend our positions. In the army, there is always an elite group that goes out first to survey the terrain and possibly infiltrate into enemy territory before calling in the big guns – whether airstrikes, artillery, or the infantry. The scouts usually don’t attack as they are hidden. They are there to observe and report back. They have to be objective and tell it as they see it. Often, the success of the mission depends on their observations. That is why nowadays, people speak of a soldier or a scout mindset. Which are we?

This distinction is a most useful application of James 1:19 as our standard of behaviour is to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to becoming angry. If we adopt a scout’s mindset, who is open to contrary viewpoints and always seeking the truth, it will be easy to meet James 1:9. Unlike a soldier, a scout wants to get to the bottom of the situation. The more information is shared by the counter-party, the more accurate the assessment will be. So we will listen rather than speak. If we are not out to defend, we will be less likely to become angry quickly.

A note of caution. The Word of God also has a standard when it comes to scouting specifically. Remember the 12 spies sent out by Moses to spy and give an account of the Promised Land? In spiritual matters, we need to look not in the natural but with eyes of faith, believing in God’s ability to move mountains. Always remember Joshua and Caleb.

Have a scout’s mindset, and we will be quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to become angry. It will be an excellent testimony of God’s work and grace in our lives if we can live out our lives in that fashion. But also remember that when it comes to formulating plans for ourselves or the church, we must always move with eyes of faith and not with our own strength in the natural.

Have a good week ahead, everyone! Be a scout rather than a soldier!