God looks at the heart

https://odb.org/2024/07/10/search-my-heart

The thing about God looking at the heart, rather than our appearance or credentials or background, is that no one else really knows what’s in our hearts. So, man, still look at credentials and background, and that is why churches still look at your seminary qualifications, and those in full-time ministry still chase after titles and paper qualifications.

However, as God is the most powerful being in existence, and He created us at the beginning and had already laid out His plans and purposes for our lives since then, the wisest thing for us to do is to align our lives with Him. We may have our ideas of what we want to be or what we want to achieve in our lives, but if we work with God, it is likely to be something good and chances are we will like it too. Remember, as humans, we change and adapt as we grow older and become more mature.

To succeed in Christ, we need to get our hearts sorted out first because God looks at our hearts. How far will God bring us to be a part of His grand plans for His Kingdom of Grace? It depends on our heart’s condition.

Thus, David is a fine example for us to emulate and follow. David was chosen out of Jessie’s 8 sons, although he was the youngest. As he was still in his youth, David was not the strongest or the biggest or tallest. Not that he was the ugliest as Scripture describes him as having a fine appearance and handsome features (see 1 Samuel 16:12). It was just that he was still a young boy. But God chose Him because his heart was for Him.

We don’t really know what lies ahead when God calls us. Like Abraham, there are many exploits that await us as we embark on this journey with Christ. But even as God calls us, He will only promote us when we are ready. Thus, settle our hearts early to be for Him completely. No matter what happens or where He leads us, resolve in our hearts that we will always be with and for Him. Let His will be done and not ours. Sanctify our lives and our ambitions and desires, and He will lead us to do His will and His will alone. Leave behind all our selfish desires and ambitions. Let Him lead us, and we may gain something in this world and also an eternal place for our souls as what profits a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul?

Philip and the eunuch

https://odb.org/2024/07/09/do-i-belong

In Acts 8:29-39, there is this account of Philip sharing Christ with an Ethiopian eunuch of great authority who was in charge of the treasury of the Ethiopian Queen Candace, which I have read before but didn’t see its significance until today.

The reason the story was significant is because eunuchs are looked down upon by both Jews and Greeks, and most crucially, they are banned from the inner courts even if they are Jews – see Deuteronomy 23:1. The law prohibited those whose testicles are crushed or whose penises are cut off to be admitted into the assembly of the LORD. This is unfortunate as most eunuchs are not eunuchs by choice. They are usually prisoners or spoils of war caught when young and castrated to be slaves or to serve the royal households where the women of the monarch are segregated from the general populace. Those who survived the often fatal and very painful procedure ended up as servants for the king, and some like Admiral Zheng He (Cheng Ho) rose to high positions of power.

However, in Isaiah 56:3-5: it is written:
Let no foreigner who is bound to the LORD say,
“The LORD will surely exclude me from his people.”
And let no eunuch complain,
“I am only a dry tree.”

For this is what the LORD says:
“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose what pleases me
and hold fast to my covenant—
to them, I will give within my temple and its walls
a memorial and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that will endure forever.

Thus, the encounter by Philip of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 was the fulfilment of the prophesy in Isaiah 56:3-5. In Jesus Christ, all are accepted into the Kingdom of Heaven, including eunuchs.

Notwithstanding that the eunuch is regarded as a foreigner in Israel, God provided for them like He did for the widows and orphans through the law requiring harvesters to leave some behind for the poor and disadvantaged. God’s heart has thus always been compassionate and thoughtful despite the ancient religious laws.

The message today is that if we somehow believe that we are not accepted by God because of our past – heritage or misdeeds, God is actually compassionate, and in Jesus Christ, all are accepted and will have the same access to spiritual gifts and authority as anyone else who believe. All are children of God in Christ. The blessings and protection of God are open to all, regardless of our background or past. We have equal rights to have our names written in the Book of Life by our faith in Jesus, in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jeremiah and the cistern

https://odb.org/2024/07/07/trapped-in-chocolate

The story of Jeremiah being lowered jnto a cistern filled with mud as punishment for speaking the truth that might have discouraged the soldiers (Jeremiah 38:1-10) is a predicament that we sometimes may face as believers. The truth usually hurts, and not many can accept a frank and honest opinion. In the case of Jeremiah, he was advising the Israelites to leave Jerusalem for Babylon before the Babylonians invaded the city and overrun it. He had been prophesying from the LORD that the LORD would allow a foreign power to defeat and capture Jerusalem because of the insolence and disobedience of the Israelites to His law. They had forsaken and forgotten Him.

But living in this world requires us to be shrewd and smart when dealing with people, whether in church or at work. That means that we may need to avoid being too blunt or honest in the things we say. There is no need to lie, but we need not be too brutal or too piercing. Perhaps we could side-step the issue. Or look at it from another perspective, to give it a better light or tone. Especially for someone who is just starting out. We want to encourage and not dampen the spirit. We want to uplift rather than pour cold water.

However, an exception needs to be made if God wants us to speak. Like in the case of Jeremiah. Then we should be as bold and courageous as Jeremiah. We speak despite the consequences. That’s because the Word of God will not return void. It will achieve its purposes. This is important for preachers proclaiming God’s Word in sermons. By speaking the Word, something is already achieved in the spiritual realm. The bondages and chains of the enemy are broken, and the captives are set free.

If we operate in the spiritual gift of word of knowledge, speak as the Holy Spirit prompts us. Our spoken word as prompted may be the key to unlocking the calling and the mysteries of the Kingdom on a person’s life. God may have so much more in store for that person.

We may not be called to be a Jeremiah, and maybe we are called to be a Barnabas (encourager) instead. Whatever our calling, there will be times when we need to speak the truth and, if so, speak it boldly and with confidence knowing that the LORD seeks to achieve His plans and purposes in the process. The truth sometimes hurts, but it could lead to healing and liberation of the soul!

Jacob

https://odb.org/2024/07/05/grappling-with-god

I was on annual leave from work yesterday and couldn’t make the early morning slot to prepare and write my morning devotional commentary as after 7.00 a.m., I had to leave to travel to the smaller city for the weekend. But as I liked Jacob, I wanted to talk about him for today’s commentary.

First, I commend the writer of Genesis, attributed to Moses, for not glossing over Jacob’s character flaws, especially his cunning and conniving ways. I used to wonder how such a cunning man could be one of the patriarchs of the Jews? The wonder of Scripture is that it lays to bear for all to see, human weaknesses, and sin. For example, Abraham lied about Sarah to King Abimelech or the adultery of King David. Or even the murder of Abel by Cain.

Although there were sins, there was repentance. After this encounter with the angel (actually, it was God Himself in the form of an angel) where Jacob grappled and struggled with God and refused to let go until “the angel” blessed him, Jacob became a changed man. He became to be known as Israel. It was this same Jacob whose son was Joseph, who eventually became the prime minister of Egypt and saved his clan from extinction from the severe famine. The clan of 70 led by patriach Jacob, who settled in Egypt, became 600,000 abled bodied men 430 years later, meaning if you include the women and children, the children of Israel had grown to about 2 million by then.

The story of the bible is characterised by God’s love and compassion. Sin has its painful consequences, but God’s love remain intact always. If we repent of our sins and seek His forgiveness for our wayward and rebellious ways, He will forgive us and restore to us what the locusts have devoured.

The parable of the prodigal son illustrates this very well. Although the prodigal son took his inheritance and squandered it all away with reckless living, when he came home fully repentful (he was willing to live with and eat what the pigs ate), the father threw a feast of the best calf, gave him back his robe and placed a ring in his finger. The latter signifies restoration and redemption. Was that fair to the elder brother who stayed behind and faithfully served the father? The point is that what the father had was always the elder brother’s. More pertinently, Jesus said to Peter before – what is that to you if I want John to live until I return?

As much as sin has its consequences, as people after God’s heart, we must always be glad to see the restoration and redemption of a repentant sinner, no matter how cruel or terrible his past life was. Christian life is always about turning back to God and turning a new leaf.

As we close this week tomorrow, repent and return to God if we have strayed away from Him. Seek His forgiveness. It is good to start well, but in Christian life, it is essential that we end well. No matter what’s our present age and no matter how much we have wasted before in the past, we can start afresh today in God. Repent and return to Him, the path to eternal life remains open to us!

Calling our “Abba Father”

https://odb.org/2024/07/04/call-home

Our elder son currently lives in the UK. He has been working there for nearly two years after graduating in 2022. As a result, we don’t see him much. But he calls home often, in fact, nowadays, sometimes every few days, but at least once a week. Mainly, just to chat and tell us what is happening in his life. For example, he is now more settled in a certain church and will start to play piano for them. He cooks most of his meals and sometimes talks about his cooking techniques. Mostly, he talks about his work and the small online business he runs. I’m sure he calls not only to maintain a connection with us but also to make us proud of what he is doing. Every child wants the affirmation of his father and mother.

Likewise, we, as children of God, want God our Heavenly Father to affirm our faith and commitment to Him, in our character as a person and our service to Him. Ultimately, we want Jesus to say to us on that day when we meet Him in heaven – “Well done, good and faithful servant, welcome to the joy of your Master!”.

But actually, we need not wait till the very end after we have breathed our last and meet Jesus in heaven. We could from today onwards begin to call upon our Heavenly Father in prayer and talk to Him like any child to their father and mother. Tell Him the struggles we face and how we overcome them with His grace and strength. The issues we face at work. The obstacles we need to manage and sometimes evil plots we need to manoeuvre through. Everyone has their own goals, and we will always be a means to an end. Except for Jesus, our spouse and children, and our close brethren in Christ, few will genuinely want to help us do well unless it is in their best interests as well.

Talk to Him. Tell Him about our work, our friends and colleagues at work. Make Him proud of us for the spiritual work we are doing in our midst, amidst the pursuit of worldly interests of our workplace.

Paul taught us in Romans 8:12-15:

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him, we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Do not live according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For those led by the Spirit are children of God, and we may call upon God as our Heavenly Father. Talk to Him and make Him proud of the things we do here on earth!

God’s life changing gift

https://odb.org/2024/07/03/a-life-changing-gift

We know that the Bible is life-changing as at the macro level, we get a glimpse of who God is from the outset at creation until He called Abraham out of the Ur of the Caldeans to Canaan and from Jacob’s family of 70 who settled in Egypt, they became a community or nation of 600,000 abled bodied male adults 430 years later. In particular, the 40 years spent with Moses in the wilderness after Egypt, the LORD was with them by a cloud in the day and a ball of fire by night and with manna from heaven, led the children of Israel through Moses which later culminated with the Ten Commandments and the Law as recorded in Leviticus. Basically, on how to sanctify themselves before God as God is a holy God.

Exodus tells us of their journey, while Genesis tells us how the nation of Israel came about through the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and Joseph. The more we read, the more we see God’s heart and character. The Old Testament is a remarkable achievement as the Torah (the first 5 books of Moses) was preserved and passed down through many generations by the oral tradition of recitation and memorisation.

After the conquest of Joshua and Caleb in the Promised Land, we see the lives of Saul, David and Solomon and the exploits of the prophets Samuel, and later Elijah and Elisha. But before that, we have Queen Esther and the era of the judges before the era of the kings. Later books are mainly books of wisdom and praise (the Psalms) and those of the prophets of God.

When we reach the Gospels, we see God in the flesh in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Saviour. Thus, God takes the form of a man so we may relate better to Him. That is why Paul says that while God spoke through the prophets in the past, He now speaks through His Son, Jesus Christ. From the crucifixion, resurrection and ascession of Christ comes the exploits of the Apostles from Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, out to the rest of the world reaching Jews and Gentiles alike, and the many letters of  Paul, plus those of Peter and John, and it all ends with the end of the world as shown to John and revealed by him in the book of Revelation. From Eden to Eden recreated, that’s the journey of mankind and for the latter, for those who placed their trust in Jesus Christ.

I just had a copy of a Malay-English Gospel in the mini-library in my home when I was growing up, and it had a profound effect on me that piqued my curiosity and led me to search for the truth until I accepted Christ at 14. I read about Jesus (Yesus or Isa in Malay) in that Gospel, and He has remained in my mind ever since. Over the past 40 years, I have known Him personally and grown in my faith and have served Him as well, and as faithfully, as I could. It all started because of the little book among the other books. Indeed, I can testify that the Word of God is God’s life changing gift to me!

Festival of Tabernacles

https://odb.org/2024/07/02/a-national-campout

The Festival of Tabernacles is one of the celebrations instituted by God for the Israelites to remember the time their ancestors spent in the wilderness after God delivered them from Egypt back into the Promised Land. That journey was mostly spent in an oasis just south of Canaan called Kadesh Barnea. They lived in temporary shelters during those 40 years in the wilderness before Joshua led them across the Jordan River to conquer lands flowing with milk and honey despite the fortified cities, strong armies and the sons of Anak (descendants of giants).

We do not have the same ancestral heritage like the Israelites. But as modern-day day Malaysian Christians, we could perhaps remember the sacrifices made by our forefathers making their way to Malaya at the start of the last century and how God using evangelists like John Sung reached out to those early immigrants who then made it possible for many of us in subsequent and later years to hear and receive the Gospel and accept Christ into our lives. We must always be thankful to God for our lives today that we may serve Him in our local churches in air-conditioned buildings in fellowship with other like-minded believers to celebrate the goodness of God, Sunday after Sunday, when our ancestors toil day and night just to put food on the table. Yes, the world has moved on. As we look to the future, let’s not forget our own past.

Egypt represents the world, while the wilderness is a place of preparation before we enter into God’s promises, plans, and purposes for our lives, as represented by Canaan. Thus, we should also recall the time in the past when we were yet sinners and Jesus nevertheless reached out to us through the Holy Spirit to touch our hearts and lift the scales over our eyes to see the glory of God. We must appreciate and be thankful to God that He brought us out of the miry clay and placed us on the rock that is higher than I (Psalm 40:2). We are now on solid ground. We will not falter and will instead stand firm despite the fiery darts of the enemy. We are no longer selfish and self-serving but selfless and always willing to give and share out God’s blessings upon our lives.

We don’t have a Festival of Tabernacles here, but we could spend some time remembering our journey in Christ, from who we were in our previous life until who we are today in God. The LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is our God, and we are His people. Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour and the protector of our hearts. Let us remain true and faithful servants until our very last day here on earth as we look forward to an eternity to be spent with Him!

At the pleasure

https://odb.org/2024/07/01/serving-at-the-pleasure

To those of us who have studied law or are involved in law enforcement, we are acquinted with the phrase “at the pleasure of,” and it is usually used in the context of detention. Thus, if a minor is convicted of a penal crime, he can’t be imprisoned but will be detained at the pleasure of the YDPA (his majesty, the King of Malaysia). This practically means he will be sent to a correctional facility, but not a real prison.

Likewise, if an adult commits a crime but pleads insanity and the court agrees that he was not of sound mind at the time of the crime, he will be committed to a mental institution at the pleasure of the YDPA. In the case of the minor, he may be released when he reaches adulthood and for the insane person, when his mental condition is under control. But in the latter case, he may never be released at all.

When someone serves at the pleasure of the Prime Minister, or the President of the United States as in today’s ODB life story, it basically means it’s a political appointment which terminates when the appointing person is no longer in office.

However, when we serve Christ at the pleaure of God, it will never end because God is immortal while we are mortal in relation to our life here on earth. It basically means our service is for God and His purposes, and it is until our dying breadth.

We just heard a very illuminating sermon yesterday of the parable of the talents. When read with the parable of the 10 virgins and taken in the context of Jesus’s teaching on His return, it means that we can not be only waiting and not serving. While we are to be prepared for His return, we need to serve Him by making full use of the talents and gifts He has given us. Thus, we need to serve Him at His pleasure so that when He returns, He will be proud of us as true and faithful servants of God. Not a question of success but faithfulness to our calling and appointed role in His Kingdom of Grace.

Serve Christ at the pleasure of God in order that God’s plans and purposes may be fulfilled in our lives! That His sovereign will may be done here on earth as it is in heaven!

Have a great and wonderful week ahead, everyone, and may we live in the fullness of His will! Amen!

What is that to you?

https://odb.org/2024/06/30/what-is-that-to-you-3

John 21:22 is perhaps one of the most profound statements made by Jesus that spells out a fundamental core of our faith. It speaks of our faith being very inclusive as in love your neighbour, but at the very core, it is very personal. Personal because our spiritual walk, the race, is between us and our finish line, and Jesus Christ, our Lord. We have our own lane, our own narrow path, our own road. The rules are the same for everyone as in the path being the narrow one. But it is a personalised one. The rewards and blessings, the trials and tests, and the suffering are all unique to us. Not that something that no one has gone through before, but no two believers will have the same exact experience in God. We are all uniquely created beings.

That is why when Peter asked Jesus, how about John, Jesus’s answer was that if I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? Not that John will become immortal (which history testifies that he was not!), but that what’s John’s calling is of no consequence to Peter. We will all have our distinct calling and battles to fight, birthed out of our own unique journey in life, and conceived by God even before the foundations of the world. That is also why when it comes to matters of faith, we should only listen to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit and do not allow other factors or human pressure to force us into any decisions. We are answerable to God and God alone. People may be disappointed, or they may have certain expectations of us, but ultimately, His plans and purposes for us are for us and not anyone else.

Having said that, we can not make our own rules. We can not compromise and change the narrow path into the broad one. That is not our choice. That is already fixed and set. We should pause to enjoy the roses but not get distracted and wander off into the somewhat magical but illusionary pathway created by the devil to seduce and tempt us away from Jesus. Keep our eyes and focus on Jesus and our tasks at hand and keep on persevering, pushing on towards the goal set before us in Christ Jesus!

Psalm 1:1-2:

Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.

Deserts into pools of water

https://odb.org/2024/06/28/seeing-a-future-of-hope

If you travel from Egypt to Israel via the Rafah crossing, the unfortunate scene of the current Israeli-Hamas war, you will notice a distinct change in the landscape. From parching desertlands to green agricultural farms and vegetation. The change of scenery is spectacular, to say the least, and as a believer, you can not help but marvel at the mighty power of God. Isaiah spoke of this thousands of years before in Isaiah 41:18 – I will turn the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into springs.

Modern-day Israel is thus a testament to the divine grace and goodness of God. Of course, if you are into documentary programmes, you will know that irrigating water from the mountains for farming is something done since ancient times like in the grape growing (to make raisins) Muslim minority communties in China along the ancient silk road to the the west. There is another city in China where the source of water from their great lake comes from glaciers in the mountains. In the case of Israel, the wonder of science and technology (and God’s provision) was the ability to bring fresh water from the Sea of Galilee down south over many kilometres to grow agri produce in desert places.

Taken in a spititual sense, this speaks of God being able to change our own parched desertlands into pools of water. It speaks of turning our barrenness into fruitfulness. It speaks of turning our poverty into prosperity. In our own lives and our church. It speaks of transforming the same old boring stuff again and again into fresh experiences of joy and mercy. Dullness into sparkles of colour and light. Weariness into smiles of joy.

My prayer for us today is that we will all begin to experience a revival in our spirit in the days to come, that there will be a great outpouring of His anointing and the Holy Spirit upon our lives, that many lives will be set free to know the Lord and many bondages and chains will be broken. May the heavens be opened in these last days for mankind to experience God in special transformative ways that His plans and purposes will be fulfilled in our lives for His glory!