Desert places

https://odb.org/2024/08/26/desert-places-2

Christian life, like any other life, has its ups and downs. While we look forward to the mountain top experiences, we dread the valleys. That is natural as everyone wants to have a fairytale ending, to live happily ever after, after getting past all the initial struggles and sufferings. But any ending when extended will likely return to the up and down cycle of life.

Ancient biblical history shows us that God is found in the desert places. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were led through the wilderness to the Promised Land as they travelled and lived in tents in search of the city, whose foundation is built by the LORD. Moses stayed in the wilderness for 40 years before God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, and in their journey to the Promised Land, they spent 40 years in the wilderness, mostly in Kadesh Barnea, an oasis just a little south of the Promised Land.

It is through these desert experiences that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses saw first hand the power and love of God. It was also in the journey from prisoner, slave to prime minister that Joseph experienced God’s favour and fulfilled God’s purpose for him to rescue the clan of Jacob that grew from 70 to 600,000 abled bodied men that Moses delivered from the Pharoah in Egypt.

In my life, I’ve had my share of disappointments, failures, and unrealised dreams. But I’ve also had my share of experiences where God intervened supernaturally to lead me to a fruiful conclusion despite injustices perpetrated against me. There were times I cried out in desperate prayer, and the LORD saw me through those desert experiences. The key is to trust in Him and to commit our future to Him. We do not dictate where our future should be or how it should look like, but trust that Jesus will lead us to a place that is flowing with milk and honey – a place that is beautiful and will reflect the glory of God!

Do not dread and shun the desert experiences. Neither fear nor approach such experiences with trepidation. What matters is that the LORD is there with us and we will be safe!

Have a great week ahead, everyone!

Politics in the church

https://odb.org/2024/08/25/space-race

It is common to have politics at the workplace as different groups of individuals align themselves with certain leaders. Sometimes, it is inevitable because a business division needs to achieve its business objectives and thus need to work closely with other business divisions, and as a result, some of the business leaders are politically aligned. But at the very top, the CEO or Group CEO will tell everyone, don’t compete internally as the customer is out there in the market. Internal competition weakens the organisation as the time and resources spent competing with one another would have been better spent acquiring new customers and growing existing ones. Usually, the progress of one division is impeded or blocked or even sabotaged so as not to outshine the other or no help is extended for the smaller one to grow, especially if it’s a startup business.

Sadly, a similar situation may exist in the church when we identify and align ourselves with certain leaders or personalities within the church. In the process, we may create divisions within the church when the enemy is out there in the world. In fact, such a pattern of conduct was prevalent in the church at Corinth two thousand years ago, and Paul had to call them carnal or worldly. This is because politics led to divisions and then envy and jealousy, all negative traits that may eventually destroy the brethren if allowed to fester and grow. Paul had to teach that in the end, it is God who brings forth the fruits and the growth. We are all just sowing the seed and watering the plants.

1 Corinthians 3:3-7 NKJV:

3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?

5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

The message this morning is that we must be watchful for politics in the church and the resultant division, envy, strife, and jealousy. We will still be carnal and baby Christians and can only be fed with milk. In verse 2 of the same chapter, Paul wrote: “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able” (NKJV). In other words, politics in the church will make us weak and unable to grow the same way politics at the workplace weaken the organisation. Always remember that we are all co-workers in Christ, and it is God that will give the increase.

Our objective in church and as individual believers is always to grow in the Lord so that we are progressing in maturity to become the person God wants us to be, fulfilling His will and plans for us for the seasons of our lives.

Repentance

https://odb.org/2024/08/23/a-repentant-heart

When I was a younger believer, I was taught a very important lesson that perhaps nowadays we place less emphasis on. The lesson is that even as we confess our sins and seek forgiveness before God and accept by faith Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we need to also repent from our sins. Repentance means turning away and starting anew, and it is crucial to avoid a cycle of us committing a habitual sin, confess, seek forgiveness, and then do it again and again. We will not grow spiritually if our battle with sin ends up that way, endless.

The reason for the need for repentance can be seen in Jeremiah 4:3-4 NKJV:

3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground,
And do not sow among thorns.
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
And take away the foreskins of your hearts,
You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Lest My fury come forth like fire,
And burn so that no one can quench it,
Because of the evil of your doings.”

Fallow means unplowed, and from an agricultural perspective, no farmer will sow seeds before ploughing the ground to loosen the earth. Neither will a farmer sow seeds before clearing the thorns and the weeds as they will compete for the richness of the soil and may eventually overwhelm the crops. Circumcision for the Israelites was part of God’s covenant with Abraham as a sign for the people to be set aside for Him.

Figuratively, Jeremiah 4:3-4 means that God is not able to work with us if our hearts are not conditioned and not set apart for Him. If we still have sin and are unrepentant, we are like unplowed and thorny ground and have not been set apart for Him. How can we then grow in the faith and become spiritually matured?

I think we need to be reminded of the importance of repentance in our relationship with the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sin will be that chasm that will separate us again from the glory and presence of God. Confess our sins before Him, seek His forgiveness, and repent. He will surely forgive and accept us back into His fold and the shadow of His wings.

Putting our prayers on God’s plate

https://odb.org/2024/08/22/gods-plate

Recently, I had some worries and anxieties over a piece of work, basically how to tie in and align our contract with the client as the prime contractor with our contracts with our subcontractors. I eventually figured it out, but I recalled after having committed the whole thing unto the Lord. Sometimes, I also start the day by praying for wisdom and discernment when dealing with people and work issues. Things will become smoother if we have the Holy Spirit guiding and showing us the way.

Thus, I think that putting our worries and anxieties on God’s plate is an excellent suggestion. Things may or may not work out as we envisaged, but when we know that the Lord is with us, we have more confidence that things will eventually turn out well. Even in situations where someone close may have betrayed us, like in the case of David with his close confidant, Ahithopel, who turned against him and sided with Absalom to usurp the throne and kill him. It was heartbreaking enough that his own son Absalom was going after his blood!

A lot of things are actually beyond our control, although sometimes they look like they are. By a split of a second, something could happen and change the course of our lives, some temporarily, some forever. Lives could be lost by a mistake on the road while driving, or we could meet with an accident while cycling or running or hiking. If we are suddenly diagnosed with cancer, there will be treatments that will turn our lives upside down, and we will never know whether we could survive. Worse is when a wrong choice of words was said, and the impact may be long-term and affect relationships.

In a world of uncertainties, the only thing certain is our Lord Jesus Christ and His love for us. His steadfast love endureth forever. His love is renewed every morning like dew. Cast all our worries and anxieties on God’s plate and trust Him that all will work out for good even as we love Him and are called according to His purposes.

Glorify Christ every way

https://odb.org/2024/08/21/a-life-in-four-words

These four words are very apt to describe how we as believers should live our lives. “Glorify Christ every way” is a paraphrased shortened version of Paul’s encouragement in Romans 15:6 NKJV that reads:

6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In essence, if we were to live our lives and interact with others on the basis that we seek to glorify Christ in every way, we will not go wrong in our spiritual walk. When faced with any situation, if we were to ask, will our response glorify Christ? Then, surely what we do will be good and pleasing to God. For example, if someone rudely cuts into our lane as we drive, will we glorify Christ if we were to get all worked up and angry? We know the answer, and so our response should be one of forgiveness and grace. Or if we are presented with an opportunity to be boastful of our achievements, will we glorify Christ if we were trumpet ourselves instead of giving glory to God? So we will know what to do.

A corresponding verse in Romans 15 is verse 3, where Paul quotes Scripture (which in his day comprised only the Old Testament) taken from David’s Psalm 69:9 –

NIV 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”

Thus, if we are insulted, please know that Christ takes our insults, and thus, our reaction that glorifies Christ is not to respond harshly or get into a fight. Instead, we could perhaps correct the person insulting us and continue the discourse in a civil and cordial manner so that our lives may be an inspirational testimony to the glory of God.

Alas, we are only human, and as much as we seek to glorify Christ in every way, the reality is that we may not be that successful. Even in the simple traffic intrusion above, we could have got all worked up and blasted our horns at the rude driver!

Nevertheless, as Christians, our motto is not “once fail; we will always fail!” Instead, we pick ourselves up and do better the next time. We persevere through and keep on doing this until we succeed. We can surely do it with the strength, power, and guidance from the Holy Spirit. Remember these 4 words – “Glorify Christ every way.” Make it our way of life, and I’m sure our faith and salvation will be kept intact until our dying day! Amen!

Impact on others – hospitality

https://odb.org/2024/08/20/our-impact-on-others

I have a first cousin who has a house with two self-contained sections, and she used the smaller but separate section as a guest house. When my parents visited their hometown, they used to stay at the guest house. My wife and I have stayed there once many years back. Later, I heard that she and her husband used to host preachers speaking at her local church and passing missionaries at her guest house, so much so that her husband and her later came to become missionaries themselves! A living testimony of the goodness of God and, in their case, their kind hospitality, genuine and sincere desire to bless impacted others as well as themselves!

If we are able and have extra room, it is an excellent opportunity to host mighty men and women of God who are serving Him in ministry. In the olden days, during the time of the Apostles, inns were scarce and less safe. Thus, hospitality for passing ministers was more of a necessity. Nowadays, I believe churches are more inclined to host ministers and missionaries in hotels, and with Airbnb, there is an abundance of paid accommodation. Depending on the preference of the guests for privacy or fellowship, the latter will usually benefit the hosts as I believe the glory of God in the lives of the ministers will rub on to the hosts as much as the hospitality will be a blessing to the ministers. It is thus a mutually beneficial interaction to the glory of God, as is evident in the life of my first cousin.

The message this morning is to live a life that impacts others, and hospitality is one of the means to do so. When we are kind and considerate, like the professor in today’s ODB life story, who reserved and set aside food for a latecomer; it may have a lasting lifelong impact on others. But additionally, when we are kind, considerate, and hospitable, we ourselves will somehow be impacted by the Lord in terms of our strengthened faith, in our spiritual experience and the blessings that flow from heaven.

The LORD, my refuge

https://odb.org/2024/08/19/forest-darkroom

We know that as believers, we are not immune to the rigours and rhythm of life. At best, we could flow along and make the best of what life throws at us. Sometimes, certain events are too hard to bear, and we falter. We get distracted. We get disheartened and discouraged. Some even fall into bouts of depression. Usually, when we respond this way, God is far from our line of sight. In fact, sometimes it is like we are just sulking at the Lord, somewhat upset that the misfortune had struck us. Upset that the Lord didn’t step in and be our deliverer and refuge.

But is it true that the Lord left us out to dry? Is it true that He is not our deliverer and refuge? Perhaps He wanted us to go through this unfortunate situation to build up our character for the future? Often, circumstances do not change, but instead, we change for the better within us. From a child, we become a man or a woman. We become more mature in God.

An interesting life experience from today’s ODB (Our Daily Bread) article is the attitude of looking at trouble or difficult situations as opportunities for us to testify to the goodness of God. In other words, no matter what we go through and no matter how tough and depressing it may be, our prayer is not so much for it to pass but the Lord to be with us.

He is indeed our deliverer, saviour, and deliverer. He is our rock and our fortress. Our faith and resolve must and shall remain strong, notwithstanding our condition, despite our suffering. Maybe we are afflicted with an illness that we need to go for difficult treatment regimes, or perhaps we are now constrained that we are unable to enjoy the outdoors like we used to. The Lord has not forsaken us, but instead, He gives us the opportunity to testify of His greatness and superior power. He is the God of the supernatural, of the impossible – a just, compassionate, and benevolent God.

We don’t know how long this situation will persist and whether it will really turn the corner. But our posture is that this is an excellent opportunity to give glory to God. Put our complete trust in Him and persevere on with our faith. He is our Lord and Saviour. He is our rock, deliverer, and refuge. Ultimately, He knows best. What’s most crucial to us is that we make it over to the other side with our faith intact.

Hallelujah

https://odb.org/2024/08/18/heaven-is-singing

Revelation 19:1-5:

1 After these things, I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honour and power belong to the Lord our God! 2 For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” 3 Again, they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” 4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”

All the heavens rejoice and praise God (Hallelujah) when the harlot was defeated, and the harlot represents Babylon, the corrupt empire that rules in opposition to God. The day will come when we witness this victory together with all the hosts of heaven, whether after the rapture to meet up in Christ or resurrected from our earthly deaths. Christ will finally take His rightful place to rule the earth as the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. The Lamb of God shall be the Lion of Judah seated in the throne, at the right hand of Father God. A time when there will not be any more tears and sadness and sin. Those who trusted the name of Jesus and put their faith in Christ will be sinless and blameless because of the blood of Christ, and we will have continued tangible communion with God. We will be able to see God face to face as we will be holy and blameless before Him as sin is no more!

In the meantime, let us praise Him for His goodness and blessings upon our lives and the lives of our loved ones. For who we are today and for how far we have journeyed in the faith. As Paul had declared before, God will make all things work together for good for those who love Him and who are called in accordance to His purpose (Romans 8:28). There may have been ups and downs to arrive at where we are, and the journey may still be arduous to where we will be in the years to come, but we will not give up and will continue to put our trust in Him. We will strive and persevere onwards like Christian soldiers marching as to war but with the cross of Jesus going on before!

Have a good and amazing time praising the Lord today! Remember to thank Him for all He has been to us all these years! Let’s celebrate His goodness and grace and mercy. Let’s exalt and proclaim His name as we who experienced His love, peace, and joy, His power and supernatural authority in our lives! The more we give Him our time and service, the more He blesses us! Hallelujah! The Lord is good, He is good all the time! Hallelujah!

Honesty before God

https://odb.org/2024/08/15/convicted-and-freed

Can anyone ever not be honest before God? Since God knows all things, even the things in the depths of our hearts. It is impossible for man to hide from God. For example, after Adam and Eve sinned, they realise they were naked and covered themselves up with leaves. Or after Cain killed Abel, God asked Cain where Abel was, and Cain answered, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” In other words, before God asked, He already knew what had happened.

I think the problem with humanity is that although we know we can not hide from God, we may refuse to acknowledge our sin before God. By pushing it aside and out of our minds, we may be hoping that it never happened or that God will eventually forget about it. Unfortunately or fortunately, we have a conscience in us, and as believers, we have the addition of the Holy Spirit on top of our human conscience. Even if we want to forget, the Holy Spirit may remind us. Our own guilty conscience may also remind us. The reason is that the Holy Spirit and our own conscience know that it is in our best interests that we come clean with God and deal with our sin with Him.

David was the perfect example. In Psalm 32:1-7, he expressed his remorse and repentance for his sin with Bethsheba. He suffered the consequences. He lost a few of his sons, including the son from his initial adultery with Bethsheba. But God nevertheless forgave him and his son with Bethsheba, Solomon, became the wisest and wealthiest King Israel ever had. In the Bible, three of the wisdom books are attributed to Solomon – Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon.

Pushing things out of our minds will not change things. Neither will asserting that we are following His will when it is our own desire and will. It is futile to play mind games with God. He is omniscient. He is all-knowing. We can not hide anything from Him. It is best that we are completely honest before Him. Let Him see our iniquities and weaknesses and sins. It is from our ashes and weaknesses that He will raise us up again to be the person He had always wanted us to be.

Have a good coming weekend, everyone! Spend some time to reflect on our life and our journey of faith. Be completely honest before God. Let Him examine our motives and desires. Let us always be frank and real and completely honest with the LORD, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen!

Love and forgiveness

https://odb.org/2024/08/14/generous-love

Colossians 3:13-14:

13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

I like the phrase used in today’s ODB that love is not an accessory in a believer’s wardrobe but the main piece. This is because God is love, and we can’t love God if we do not have love. Love thus forms the essence of who we are in Christ. As believers; we love God, we love one another, and we love our neighbours as we love ourselves. From our love, other virtues like grace and mercy, compassion, and kindness flow, and one of the significant virtues we should have and that we need to continuously work on is forgiveness. Forgiveness flows from love because it is only with genuine love that we may truly and sincerely forgive those who have harmed or hurt us.

Forgiveness is also necessary because unforgiveness may lead to bitterness, and bitterness may, in turn, lead to resentment, and the latter, as demonstrated in the case of Cain and Abel, may lead to terrible sin. Unforgiveness also separates us from God. Since God forgave us on the account of the blood of Christ while we were yet sinners, we must likewise forgive those who had harmed or hurt us. Or as expressed in the Lord’s prayer, those who had trespassed against us as we seek God’s forgiveness for our own trespasses.

As much as love and forgiveness are fundamental cores to our Christian belief and faith, it is easier said than actually done. Many of us who had gone through the 70s and 80s as youths had to endure institutional discrimination that, to many of us, had life-changing consequences. Many had to make do with whatever courses that were offered to us, and some, because of financial constraints, did not pursue tertiary education. We are now well into our 50s and 60s, and I’m sure we still think about what could have been if we were given equal opportunities back then? Are we still angry? Do we still harbour resentment against the government? Are we able to see beyond our past and see the goodness of God in our lives and thus forgive and move on?

At a more personal level, we might have gone through personal disappointments and heartbreaks and much sadness. It is time to truly let go and let the past be the past and remain in the past! Focus on our journey ahead, don’t look back, and let the Holy Spirit guide and lead us as we gaze heavenward to God in Christ Jesus!