2nd coming of Christ

https://odb.org/2024/06/13/expecting-jesus

When I was younger, I was afraid when I read Matthew 24, where Jesus describes His second coming like it was in the days of Noah. In essence, we will be living life as normal, and He will come in a flash, totally unexpected. I was afraid because I was struggling deep within me in some areas of my life. It was like I was giving Him my life and yet keeping some for myself. In some areas like my ambition and certain character traits, I refused to surrender to God. I wanted the liberty to do as I wished.

The other point of apprehension was that I was unsure I had done enough for God in terms of my service in ministry and showing kindness to others. I felt that I would likely be tongue-tied in explaining my life to Christ when I meet Him face to face. Have I served Him with all my heart, soul, and strength?

Now that I am older, I am also wiser. I have also known Christ much longer and deeper. Over the years, I have become what I am today in terms of character and personality, and although I still have some way to go, I have also come a long way. The signs are there that He will likely return in this generation. Regardless of when He actually returns and whether it is pre tribulation or post tribulation, we must nevertheless be prepared.

Since Christ will return as we live our lives normally, what do we actually do as we live our normal lives? Are we serving God in some capacity? Are we showing kindness to others as we live out our lives? Are we fulfilling His plans and purposes for us? The plans God had prepared for us even before we were formed in our mother’s womb? Are we doing our part in His Kingdom of Grace? Are we giving and supporting worthy causes that promote the Kingdom of God? Are we even attending church, or are we still left behind in the Covid era, still watching church services in our Pjs with a coffee mug in hand? There is a certain discipline involved in getting dressed and making the effort to attend church physically. It is part of our honouring God with our lives.

If we are still afraid to meet Christ face to face, let’s get prepared. Let’s start to get serious with God. Let’s begin to align our lives with His plans and purposes. Let’s participate actively in the work He is doing in our midst. Don’t procrastinate and delay any longer. We may cease to be part of the living, or Christ may well return tomorrow!

We are fearfully and wonderfully made

https://odb.org/2024/06/12/wonderfully-complex

This verse from Psalm 139:14 written by David is the well-known exaltation that God took the effort to personally make each and every one of us. We are fearfully and wonderfully made! We know from Jeremiah 1:5 that the LORD Himself proclaimed that He knew Jeremiah before He formed him in his mother’s womb. Before he was born, He had sanctified and ordained Jeremiah to be a prophet unto the nations. In Ephesians 1:4, Paul asserts that God chose us before the foundations of the world, to be holy and acceptable to Him.

As we are the only created beings that are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), we are special in and to God. We have the means and capacity to know God personally, to have a personal and direct relationship with God. Made possible because of the death and resurrection of Christ, reconciling us to God after the fall of mankind.

What is the consequence to us? Obviously, we do not exist for the moment, fleeting like flowers in the field who come and go in the day. We are here for the long haul, here on earth and thereafter. We do not merely disappear and cease to exist once we lose our breadth and our human bodies decompose and rot away. Our souls live on forever. The question is, will we live on in the presence of our Saviour and Lord and our Heavenly Father, or will we live on in damnation in the place where there is gnashing of teeth.

We are not only fearfully and wonderfully made as a natural consequence but for a purpose. God has plans for each and every one of us. His salvation and our role in His Kingdom of Grace. We are each a square peg to perfectly fit that square hole. We are that brick on the wall to make up that wall.

Yes, we only live once here on earth. As much as we want to do as much and experience as much of this world, remember that this is also our only chance to give ourselves unto God and live for Him and serve Him. We can’t live for Him anymore once we depart from this earth. We can’t serve Him anymore once we no longer participate in the affairs of this world. We only live once. Use it for the glory of God! Don’t miss out on this God-given opportunity, for we are fearfully and wonderfully made! God knew us before we were in our mother’s womb. He chose us before the foundations of the world.

Death and the grave

https://odb.org/2024/06/11/shebnas-grave

I know of people who placed less priority on the grave because if we are in the faith, we have the assurance of resurrection one day. Where our earthen body is placed after death and whether we are buried or cremated are less important as our resurrected body is not dependent on the location or condition of our earthly body.

As much as the dead do not participate in the affairs of the living anymore, the grave is the epitome of our appreciation and rememberance of them. It is thus a good practice by the Chinese to bring the young to clean and visit the graves of those who had departed during All Souls Day (Qing Ming). A practice replicated by Chinese Christians on the Easter weekend, which incidentally is usually just around the corner from All Souls Day.

The grave is a place of remembrance. A place of memory of those departed lest they be forgotten by the world that inevitably will move on and leave them behind.

However, as the LORD chastised Shebna in Isaiah 22 for his pride in preparing a monumental grave in advance for himself, we must not to overdo this. Perhaps some may think that since I can not bring my earthly wealth over to the other side and since my earthly possessions will be owned and enjoyed by my heirs, I might as well build a monument unto myself! But the LORD opposes the proud and exalts the humble.

The message this morning as we live one more day is to focus on our tasks at hand in this world for Christ. We should prepare for our retirement and eventual departure for the sake of our descendants. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses all had graves. Even our Lord Jesus Christ had a tomb, although it was empty on the 3rd day because He is risen! Let’s prepare for our ultimate destination in Christ one day where we shall live for eternity with the Tree of Life available to us again. Let’s prepare by fulfilling His plans and purposes for our lives and responding to His calling for us!

Preach Christ

https://odb.org/2024/06/10/every-moment-counts

One of the fundamental things that we need to do as a believer is to preach the Gospel and make disciples. This was the last commission of Christ in Matthew 28:18-20, more popularly known as the Great Commission, which is for us as believers to go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey all that He had taught us.

In 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul exhorts Timothy to remain focussed to preach the Word, in season and out of season, to correct, rebuke, and encourage, with great patience, and careful instruction. In verse 5, Paul continues to exhort Timothy to keep his head up in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, and discharge all the duties of his ministry. Paul then said the famous words in verse 7 that he has fought the good fight, have finished the race, and have kept the faith. It is the words that all believers aspire to say at the end of our own journey here on earth.

2 Timothy is about finishing well, to keep the faith until the very end. We keep on preaching the Gospel and fulfil the duties of our ministries until our last breadth. Don’t be distracted by the pleasures of the world, and don’t be bogged down by our old age and infirmities. We continue to fulfil God’s plans and purposes for our lives in Christ Jesus so long as we still have breadth in us, and we start now and not later.

Have a good week ahead, everyone! Persevere on with the faith! Never give up on Christ and the amazingly powerful work He is doing in our lives and in our midst! Yield to Him, and we will experience His power in our lives! The power of God will be manifested for His glory in the transformation of our lives!

Better to give than to receive

https://odb.org/2024/06/07/joy-in-giving

It is better to give than to receive is not only paradoxical but counterintuitive. This principle originates from the bible, and yet I believe that even the world embraces it. Somehow, a generous heart opens up the heavenly blessings whether we are a believer or not. It’s like a universal principle that applies to all and that the blessings of spiritual realms are triggered when we do this.

It is a paradox because we will have less when we give. Thus, how can it be better for us by having less and giving away our hard earned money? Yet giving generously, genuinely, and sincerely will ultimately lead to us having more. Perhaps God, as the creator of all things, looks at us in a kinder tone with more grace and mercy in His benevolence when we give.

In Malachi 3:10, it is written: Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. Even though it is in the context of tithes in the Old Testament, the principle remains that if we give generously, we can experience God opening up the windows of heaven and pour down a blessing until we have no more needs. In Proverbs 19:17, it is written: Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.

But in Acts 20, Paul takes it one step further by giving himself to his ministry. He taught as much as he could and, at the same time, endured persecutions and severe hardships and beatings for the sake of Christ. He perservered on and never gave up. He worked for the upkeep of himself and his team and didn’t need to rely on the charity of others, although he was full-time dedicated to the ministry. He concluded in Acts 20:35 that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

Give your finances but also your time and your service. Don’t just be content sitting on the pews observing and receiving. Stand up and go out there and serve God. It is indeed better to give than to receive!

Giving thanks to God

https://odb.org/2024/06/06/give-thanks-4

When it comes to food, we were taught from young to eat what’s on the table and finish our portion of it. We will eat even if we are not hungry as we also need to eat at appointed times so that prepared food is always fresh and warm. Being a primary school teacher and sole breadwinner, my dad had a humble income, and thus, our household budget was limited. We never had an abundance of food and so we don’t waste whatever we have.

Nowadays, we are more well-off, partly through education, but mostly because the country has progressed economically over the years. We can afford both a simple meal at the hawker centre or a lavish meal at a fancy restaurant. But if my wife cooks, I eat whatever she cooks. Somehow, anything she cooks is nice to me. And the responsibility extends to finishing up as soon as possible any leftovers. We try not to throw away food, which is more a Chinese cultural habit. As Chinese, we are brought up to be frugal and not wasteful, especially when it comes to food.

At the broader context as a believer, we give thanks to God for whatever station in life we are and will be. We are thankful that we have jobs and income that put food on the table and pay the bills. We don’t splurge even if we have more as it is better to use our extras to help others or give it to worthy Christian causes than indulge in fancy meals or things. I guess if anyone wants to own a Rolex, that’s his choice of investment, but perhaps there is no need to own a dozen of them.

Be thankful to the Lord for providing us with our daily needs. Give thanks for all things. Do all things in moderation, including eating. Actually, I have learnt the past few years that the best way to lose weight is to eat less. The lesser we eat, the more our excess fats will be burnt off by our bodies! So long as we are not underweight in BMI terms, eating less will not be harmful to us!

Liked and loved by the LORD

https://odb.org/2024/06/05/a-not-so-brief-history-of-like

I think wanting to be liked by others is something ingrained in us (some say, hardwired). Thus, the creator of likes in social media is a genius taking advantage of an inherent desire in humans, although Justin Rosenstein regrets the ensuing social media addiction by many. Fortunately, God first loved us and continues to love us.

In Jeremiah 1:5, God told Jeremiah that before He formed him in the womb, He knew him, before he was born, He set him apart and appointed him as a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah answered that alas, he doesn’t know how to speak as he is too young. God then told him not to say he is too young. He must just go to everyone He sends him to and say whatever He commands him. Do not be afraid for I am with you and will rescue you, says the LORD.

Taking Jeremiah as an example, we are likewise liked and loved by God even before we were formed in our mother’s womb. Like Jeremiah, God had already prepared and chosen us for His plans and purposes for our lives before, even before the foundations of the world (Ephesians 1:4).

As we live our lives and traverse the world that we were born into in terms of place, family, community, and era of time, we often struggle between pleasing man or God as a child of God. We cannot don’t care what people think of us as we are hardwired to want others to like us. But if we face the crossroad of choosing between pleasing God or man, I pray that we will all be wise enough to choose the former. Know that God likes and loves us. Always choose to please God as He holds our destiny in the next place. In the world, it is suicidal and futile to fight your own boss as he or she holds the keys to your future in the company. Likewise, it is clearly and simply foolish to rebel against God in our lives, especially when God genuinely likes, loves, and cares for us. In Jeremiah 29:11, speaking to the Israelites, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future”.

God’s Word for us today is that He likes and loves us, and like Jeremiah, He has set us apart before the foundations of the world to be holy and acceptable before Him.

Like a deer pants for water

https://odb.org/2024/06/04/thirsty-and-thankful

If you ever had a strenuous bout of competitive sports like playing a good set of badminton, you will realise how thirsty you can become. For me, the tendency before was to gulp down a 500ml bottle of 100 Plus or Gatorade or some isotonic sports drink to quickly replace the electrolytes and fluids. But the body trigger is thrist. In sports, the added carbohydrates may give us an energy boost. Actually, just plain water is good enough to quench our thrist and when really thristy, even plain water tastes illusionary sweet! That is why wildlife, like the wildebeest or the impala even cheetahs in the Serengeti, brave the dangers posed by crocodiles in the waters. They just needed to quench their thrist to rehydrate their bodies.

Psalm 42, attributed to the Sons of Korah, likens our desire for God to that of a thristy deer panting for streams of water. I guess as Solomon concluded in Ecclesiastes, we humans can not really live without God. Life is all vanity, meaningless, but becomes meaningful when we live for God. We then have a mission, a goal in this earthly life for God. We are assured of our destiny on the other side of eternity, by the grace of God through the blood of Christ. We can look forward to Eden Recreated.

A point I like to highlight this morning is that the Sons of Korah were descendants of a man named Korah who was part of a rebellion to overthrow Moses in the wilderness. The rebels who were not part of God’s plans were severely punished, and yet the descendants of Korah were reconciled to God, becoming worship leaders in the Israeli congregation. Such a remarkable turnaround and also such a privilege to be a worship leader for God. If you worship lead, whethe in a congregation or a cell group, count that a privilege and honour. It’s an exalted place of service!

God, by sending His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth 2,000 years loved us so much that whosoever believed in Him shall not perish but have life everlasting. As the deer pants for the streams of water, our soul longs for God. If we have known God already, cherish and appreciate our life in Him. Fulfil His plans and purposes for our lives. Respond to His calling for us. If we have yet to know God, perhaps it is time to do so. We need God in our lives like the deer pants for the water.

Cleansed by the blood of Christ

https://odb.org/2024/06/03/cleansed-by-christ

The picture of a water filter turning murky water into crystal clear clean water is, to me, a perfect picture of how the blood of the Lamb cleanses us from sin to righteousness in God. Through Christ, we are presented blameless and unblemished before God. It is by the grace of God and not through our own works (efforts) as the murky water is not able to cleanse itself without the filter. Only Christ can do that for us and make us white as snow before God.

That doesn’t mean that we will never sin again. It takes time and effort to transform our old self to our new man in Christ. With the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to do much better, but it is nevertheless a process. The more we are willing to yield to Christ, the better we will become.

1 John 1: 8-9 gives us a very effective approach to deal with sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. We have to be humble and honest before God and confess our sins whenever we sin. He is faithful to forgive us. But we need to be humble and truthful before God. We can not claim to be without sin. The important thing is to confess and repent. Over time, with the power of the Holy Spirit, we will become overcomers and victors in Christ!

Paul taught before in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what’s God will is – His good, pleasing, and perfect will. ” Read and study the Word. As we immerse ourselves in His Word, we will be like the tree planted by rivers of water that brings forth fruit in our season, whose leaf will not wither and whatsoever we do shall prosper (Psalm 1:3). Amen!

Generosity and God

https://odb.org/2024/06/02/generously-given-and-shared

One of the common themes in these pages is the one on generosity. The LORD loves a cheerful giver, not only a giver to the church but more so, a giver to those in need. Like the young couple in today’s ODB that needed a lower interest rate loan to settle a study loan of which they couldn’t get from a local bank due to their short credit history. Instead, their friend, who is an elder in the local church, decided to lend them the money interest-free. Sometimes, generosity may not require us to part with capital but just to forgo the interest income we could obtain from  a bank for the capital.

In Psalm 112:5, it is written that good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. In other words, we should be generous and fair. We don’t take advantage of other people’s predicament or misfortune, like buying over the distressed assets of a brother facing foreclosure. Instead, if we could, we should extend him a loan for him to keep his creditors at bay. When the economy improves, he should be able to repay us. This is not mandatory, but if we do this, good will come our way as God loves a generous person.

But sometimes, generosity also means giving away money to a worthy cause. Not just forgoing interest. Some causes have perpetual benefits, like contributing to mission organisations that spread the Gospel. Sometimes, the impact of our money will only be felt a few generations away, especially those involved in urban renewal projects or contributions for work in closed countries. Nevertheless, these are worthy causes, and we can give an amount we are comfortable with, balancing our need to save for our old age.

Be generous. It doesn’t mean that we need to give large sums of money. It just means that we are willing to lend or give freely with justice and fairness. Give or lend what we can afford, but do it cheerfully and generously as the Lord loves a cheerful and generous giver! Amen!