Discretion and wisdom

https://odb.org/2024/08/07/the-voice-we-can-trust

Proverbs 2:11 (NKJV): Discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you…

With advancements in technology and communications, the world, in a way, is at our fingertips. At the click of a button, we can find out about virtually anything or be transported into another city or culture. The Google search engine made learning so accessible when just twenty to thirty years back, we needed to buy books to learn about things. With YouTube, we can learn much more about the world around us. I especially find unboxing videos, particularly useful when setting up stuff like when I bought a battery-operated grass cutter recently or when I got myself a Karcher water jet 2 years ago. Now, with Open AI’s ChatGPT, AI can even shape our line of thought and way of thinking.

Some of us who want to reach out to others for the Lord find that YouTube makes hearing the Gospel possible for many closed communities if they have Internet access. Thus, we could broadcast to the world our own thoughts, messages, and teachings as well as our church’s worship services, including evangelistic sermons. The reach for the Gospel has never been that wide and far before.

Consequently, the Internet being a neutral platform is a double-edged sword. While we may have access to the yet unreached, the devil also has access to us. Besides confusing us with the myriad of messages out there, he could also lead us astray through wild exotic teachings. Although there could be people seeking fame and fortune for selfish reasons, many sincere and genuine people could still be manipulated by the enemy to lead us away from God. Anyone is at liberty to teach or offer a point of view since the Internet is only a platform. There is no accreditation required.

That is why when we surf and follow the teachings of various people on YouTube or the Internet generally, we need to exercise discretion and wisdom. It’s best that we equip ourselves first from credible sources with basic knowledge before we embark on more difficult and subjective topics. For example, perhaps we should buy a good book on Christian apologetics before attempting to learn from the web more controversial subjects like the age of the earth?

We have the Holy Spirit with us. Pray and ask for discernment and wisdom as we seek to better ourselves in the knowledge of God and the mysteries of His Kingdom. Always go back to the Bible and its commentaries. While the LORD may give us and the teachers out there “revelational” insights into the spiritual realm, everything must be grounded in our tenets of faith and the Scriptures.

We worship God in all seasons

https://odb.org/2024/08/06/behind-the-scenes-6

We know by now that Christian life is not a bed of roses. We are humans, and we go through life like any other. Meaning to say, we face heartbreaks, disappointments, tears, sadness, and loss like we also experience happiness, joy, peace, exciting and exhilarating times, as well as laughter and moments of proud achievements. We celebrate birthdays and weddings, but we also attend wakes and funerals. Like Lee Zii Jia, who just won a bronze medal in the current 2024 Paris Olympics, he went through a lot to be where he is today, especially harsh and biting criticisms from Lee Chong Wei. But his win in the Olympics proved his critics wrong! He is championship material!

Likewise, we must strive to stand tall in the Lord amidst all the struggles and challenges we face in life. Maybe our career didn’t progress as high as we wished. Maybe many did better than us. But are we on the streets? Do we have to beg from meal to meal? Don’t we have a spouse, a family, and children, and a roof over our heads? In the Bible, Job lost everything and yet stood tall before God. He never once accused or criticised God. His faith was intact despite his life journey.

In all that we go through in life, it is important to hold on to God come what may, no matter what we go through. Like a boat pulling a rope, we must hold on to that rope no matter what. If we let go, we will drown in the vast ocean. Hold on tight. Hang on until we reach dry land. Like Jacob, we must not let go even though the day will break soon!

The reason is simple – He is God, and we must let Him be God! We must allow Him to be who He is. We worship Him regardless of our situation. It is not our place to question Him. He is sovereign. We do not wish for bad times, but we worship Him in good and in bad. He deserves our worship and is worthy of our faithfulness regardless of what we might experience in life. One day, whether here on earth or in heaven, we will triumph like Lee Zii Jia did yesterday in Paris! Remember, Jesus already died for our sins! He already did the hard part. All we need to do is cling on to the faith He gave us and serve Him until our dying breath!

Romans 12:18

https://odb.org/2024/08/05/it-depends-on-me

Romsns 12:18 (NKJV) If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

In the earlier chapters of the book of Romans (1-11), Paul taught us that salvation is by the grace of God through our faith in Christ Jesus. In the subsequent chapters (12-16), Paul taught about the practical aspects of how our beliefs impact our conduct and our relationships with others. In other words, the pattern in Paul’s writings is to first spell out the theology of what we believe and then elaborate on how we are to live and behave. Faith is not just about believing but also how to apply our beliefs to our day to day living, in our interactions with others. It may look like rules, but the latter may sometimes include principles to activate the blessings of God by opening the floodgates from the heavenlies. But mainly to ensure that our conduct does not compromise or contradict our beliefs.

Taken in that context, Romans 12:18 is first to make sure that we ourselves do not create or cause conflicts with others (believers and non-believers alike). But more crucially, if someone else were to bait or provoke us, we avoid that outright confrontation. We may have healthy discussions, I guess, but we need to maintain harmony or, as the NKJV puts it, live peaceably with all men. This is because, fundamentally, our faith is about reconciliation, love, grace, and mercy. We build up rather than destroy. We lift up and not tear down (unless we are talking about spiritual strongholds).

As much as it depends on us and if it is possible, we must live in peace and harmony with others. Let’s take that to heart and practice this for the coming week. Avoid conflicts and preempt confrontations. Let things proceed smoothly. Wouldn’t that be living a better life for everyone? Have a good week ahead, everyone! May the Lord grant us discernment and wisdom to deal with issues at work, at home, and in the church in a harmonious and peaceful fashion?

Faith of a child

https://odb.org/2024/08/02/a-childs-hope

One of the profound passages of the Bible that remained etched in my memory is this statement by Jesus in Luke 18:16 and 17 (NIV):

16 But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

In other words, we need to be like a child or have the faith of a child to enter the Kingdom of God. But what does that mean? A child is full of innocence. For example, a child is colour blind and does not have racial prejudices or bias. A child is pure in thought as they have not reached the age of maturity to understand sexuality.  A child is also genuine, sincere (no self-serving motives), and dependent. A child is trusting and trustworthy and has little appreciation of wealth and money. Thus, the love of money being the root of all evils has little impact on children.

But most importantly, a child is humble, and humility is the key to the heart of God as the LORD gives grace to the humble and opposes the proud (James 4:6). Humility is thus a trait of a child that we should all redevelop as adults. This is because as we grow older, it gets increasingly difficult to be humble, even before God. No matter what our lips may say, deep in our hearts, we are less humble than we make ourselves to be, and that is something we need to work on continuously, I believe, throughout our Christian life.

For example, if we are truly humble, why are we so sensitive to hurtful remarks? If people say we are weak and not good at something, why do we need to get offended? That’s because we think we are good and are proud of that! If we are humble, why do we care what others say so long as we know where we stand with God? I think a lot of people get hurt and become spiteful and resentful and sometimes even unforgiving because of words uttered, but I think if we are humble, we can let things slide and just move on. Be humble, and if we need to;  we could prove to them that we are otherwise, but there is no need to feel slighted and become revengeful.

Have the faith and heart of a child as anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. Those are the words of Jesus, not mine!

Daniel’s life of integrity

https://odb.org/2024/08/01/visible-traces-of-jesus

Daniel 6:1-10 demonstrates the integrity of Daniel that despite serving the Babylonian emperors for seventy years, there was no trace of any anamolies, questionable practices, or corruption. He was clean throughout those times even though he was an exile from Judah. He treated his place of captivity like his homeland, although I am sure he dearly missed Jerusalem. Notwithstanding that he was in exile in a foreign land, he prayed to God three times a day with his window opened towards Jerusalem. He was faithful t; God the same way he was faithful to Darius then, and to Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar before him, and he would also be faithful to Cyrus of the Persian Empire after him.

We may not be perfect in who we are, whether at work or at home. But do know and be reminded that our lives leave traces behind. People will appreciate or despise us for who we are. People will respect or hate us. It is not a quest for popularity unless we are politicians. But neither should it be a challenge to be the most difficult or mean person around. We don’t have to leave behind unpleasantness and tears. Instead, we should strive to be someone responsible, dependable, trustworthy, and diligent that people we deal with respect our work and our work ethics. This is important because who we are at work and at home points others to our God, to Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. We reflect God because we are His children. So, do we want to give Christ a bad reputation by being a bad Christian?

The reminder today is that Jesus accepts us for who we are, that we are “works in progress”, that we are not perfect, and that we have sins and weaknesses. Nevertheless, we have to be mindful that who we are reflects Christ. We carry His name, His goodness, and mercy and grace. For example, we can not be unmerciful with others while professing the name of Jesus as Jesus is merciful and gracious. We can not be unforgiving when God first forgave us our sins and accepted us into His Kingdom of Grace. As much as we are to love the LORD, our God, with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, we need to also love our neighbours (that practically means everyone else) like ourselves.

Our lives will leave traces. Don’t leave behind a legacy of destruction, grief, and tears but leave behind a heritage of God’s love, peace, and joy!

Christ- the Beautiful One

https://odb.org/2024/07/31/the-beautiful-one

Have you ever experienced a situation where you meet someone who looks normal, but as you get to know him or her, you find that he or she is pretty attractive. That is because as much as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, it is also skin deep. There is more to a person’s beauty than just his or her appearance. The same way when you hear a preacher preach. Someone with less eloquence and theatrics may deliver a touching sermon because it was inspired by the Holy Spirit and comes from the heart, made more real and meaningful by the vulnerability of his or her real-life experiences.

In Isaiah 53:2,3 (NKJV), it is written:

For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
3 He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of [e]sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

In the NIV, they used the phrase, “He has no beauty or majesty that attract us to Him.” Yet once we discovered the significance of what He did for us, for you and I and the millions before and to come, we see how beautiful Christ is. There is no description of how He really looks like in the Gospels or in the Acts of the Apostles or the letters written by the Apostles who had the privilege to live with Him for those 3 years plus. Perhaps to reinforce the point that His beauty lies in His mission for mankind.

In Isaiah 53:5,6 – Isaiah so beautifully describes His mission:

But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes, we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

He enabled us to make peace with Father God and healed the spiritual chasm that separated us from God as God laid on Him the iniquity and sin of all mankind. As the Lamb of God, He was sinless and blameless and that qualified Him to be the perfect sacrifice to atone and redeem the sins of humankind.

Indeed, Jesus Christ is the beautiful one! The most beautiful of all! One day, the day may well be sooner than later, He will return in all His beauty and glory and will take His rightful place as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords here on the earth! Hallowed be Your Name! Hallelujah! Hosanna to the Highest!

A life worthy of the Lord

https://odb.org/2024/07/30/a-meaningful-hyphen

Colossians 3:10-11:

10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.

In Colossians 3:9, Paul wrote that he always thanked God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and continually prays that the members of the church in Colossae will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will through all the knowledge and wisdom that the Spirit gives that they may live a life worthy of the Lord in every way – bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God and most importantly strengthened so they may have endurance and patience while giving thanks to Jesus who qualifed them to share in the inheritance of the saints.

The thing about Paul’s writings is that every sentence is profound and loaded with spiritual truths and wisdom! I believe one can constuct a sermon on the foundation of just one or a few verses of his letters, but it will be very tough indeed to preach a message based on a whole chapter!

I just want to pick one point this morning and that it is possible to live a life worthy of the Lord as the Holy Spirit empowers us with the knowledge of God’s will through all knowledge and wisdom that the Holy Spirit gives. The Spirit will give us the endurance and patience to live such a life worthy of the Lord to the fullest, in response to His calling for the various seasons of our lives and achieving His plans and purposes for us. The Holy Spirit will empower and guide us, strengthening and encouraging us during our down times and cheering us during our highs. Some of us may suffer for the sake of the Gospel, but we are happy to go through them as proud battle scars for the Lord!

I like to encourage us, including my own self, that whenever we are discouraged and sad and feeling downtrodden that we can call upon the Spirit to lift up our spirits to continue His work and the ministries and responsibilities our Heavenly Father has entrusted us through our Lord Jesus Christ. We may indeed live a life worthy of the Lord for the rest of our days to come, and when we meet Him face to face, we will surely be able to say that we had done our best to live a life worthy of Him! Praise the Lord!

Daniel

https://odb.org/2024/07/29/the-unseen-king

Daniel was exiled in Babylon as a teenager like many Israelites at that time, after Jerusalem and Judah were overrun by the Babylonians. History repeated itself – like the patriarch Joseph, Daniel became advisers to kings of ancient civilisations, in his case, Babylon and Persia. Daniel was an adviser to 3 kings – Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius. It showcases the amazing power and providence of God that an exiled immigrant may rise to the position of adviser of a superpower’s king and not only one but 3 kings!

The other significance of the book of Daniel lies in chapter 10. In Daniel 10:10-19, we see the often quoted narrative of an angel (believed to be the archangel Gabriel) speaking to Daniel the prophet and telling him that he was delayed by 21 days by the prince of the Persian kingdom (meaning a territorial spirit of the highest order) and that he only managed to overcome the Persian principality with the assistance of Michael, another archangel. Although there are smattering accounts of angelic appearances in the bible, this is one of the few that described the spiritual warfare in the heavenlies between demonic and angelic forces. However, as the bible’s principal message is to proclaim to the world God’s loving and covenant relationship with Israel and by extension us Gentiles too, less emphasis is placed on celestial beings. So we only know the names of a few like archangels Michael and Gabriel.

The message this morning is that as much as we can only see the natural and tangible side of things, remember and be reminded that as Paul taught us before, our battle is not against flesh and blood:

Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Sometimes, things occur on earth because of the cosmic warfare by celestial beings, and thus, we must always pray for our spiritual warriors in the heavenlies so that God’s will may be done here on earth as it is in heaven. We can do our part for God’s work in our midst by setting aside time to pray. Pray in general and then in specifics as we are led by the Holy Spirit.

Have a good week ahead, everyone! May the LORD our God bless us with wisdom and discernment to deal with our challenges at work, and may Christ bless the work of our hands as we strive to give glory to God in all that we do. May the Holy Spirit guide and lead us to be a part of the work and move of the LORD in our midst, wherever we are! Amen!

Worship that transforms

https://odb.org/2024/07/28/transforming-worship

If we know how to play an accompanying musical instrument like a guitar or a piano or keyboard (we don’t have to be very good at it), you may find worshipping a more personalised experience as you have full control of the music, especially the key you want to sing in. Alternatively, we can just play worship songs on Spotify or YouTube and worship together with the songs.

As we sing and worship, we enter into the spiritual realm and sit at the feet of Jesus like Mary did. In worship, we may touch the train of his robe as it fills the temple even as we enter into His presence and His throne of grace. That is why some songs say that in worship, we see the Lord face to face.

It is true that worship doesn’t change God – it transforms us instead. It makes us have greater hope and trust in Him, and even in dire situations, we know He reigns and is in full control. Sometimes, worship changes situations. Sometimes, it doesn’t. But it can and will certainly change and transform us. No matter the circumstance and situation, what matters is that our faith in God is unwavering, unchanging. We are nevertheless steadfast and firm in Him.

Perhaps we don’t worship Him daily in our quiet time. Perhaps we only pray, commune with Him, and read His Word. But we should worship at least once a week, in addition to the corporate worship at the gathering of the congregation of God’s people. Have a personal time of worship. Personalised it. Make it our own time with the Lord. Worship Him for He deserves all our worship. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the author and the finisher of our faith. Worship Him and let worship transform us from within, from within our spirit, as we worship Him in spirit and in truth!

Have a wonderful and exhilarating time today worshipping God this Sunday morning! Meet Him face to face and let Him touch and transform us! Amen!

The stain of sin

https://odb.org/2024/07/26/jesus-removes-the-stain

One of the things I dread is eating my favourite Malaysian food and getting a stain on my shirt or pants. For example, from curry mee or hokkien mee or even wan tan mee. Fortunately, curry and black sauce can usually be removed if we immediately wash the stain with a bit of soap. But one ingredient, if present, may make the stain removal really challenging even if washed immediately is kunyit (tumeric in English). I love Malay food, and one of their favoured ingredients is tumeric. I recalled once holding a fried fish wrapped in a plastic coated paper, which resulted in a dripped oil stain onto my new M&S shirt. As they had seasoned the fish with tumeric, it was a disaster!

Thus, the concept of sin and its stain is very real as God is holy, and He can not accept the presence of sin in humankind; present because of the fall of Adam and Eve. As a consequence, we do not only have the stain of the original sin, but our flesh is also prone to sin being self-serving, selfish, and naturally egoistic. We are constantly challenged by the 3 elements that plague mankind – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is of the world (1 John 2:16).

However, Jesus died on the cross for our sins. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). We are now unblemished like the Lamb of God as the blood of Christ washes us clean as snow that there is now no condemnation before God as the redeemed of the Lamb (Romans 8:1) but note that for those who do not walk in accordance with the flesh but who walks in accordance with the Spirit.

In life, some stains are difficult to remove, like our past misdeeds and mistakes, even with the passage of time. Some do come to haunt us. But God is a God of second chances. He is able to see past our stains because of Christ. Therefore, dear beloved, let’s forget what’s behind and in the past, and reach out and forth for those that are before and ahead of us – Philippians  3:13. Let’s push on in our walk of faith and reach for the crown of glory that awaits us in Christ Jesus – our Lord, Saviour, and Redeemer! Amen!