Courage in Christ

https://odb.org/2024/03/12/stand-up

Queen Esther is one of the shining examples of someone who put her life at stake to save her people. It was in a way similar to the courage displayed by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel’s 3 friends) when facing King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, except that in Esther’s case, she had the choice to keep quiet and mind her own business. She could like most of us need not have taken the risk and step out in faith.

You may read the account in Esther 4:10-17, where she told Mordecai, her cousin who adopted her as his own daughter, that it is the law at the court of the Persian King Xerxes that anyone who approaches the King in the inner court without being summoned will be put to death unless the King extends the golden spectre and it has been 30 days since she was called. Modercai answered her somewhat prophetically that if she refrained from helping, it didn’t mean that she would escape the fate of the evil plot to exterminate the Jews (although the King didn’t know she was Jewish) and God would achieve His purpose some other way. After contemplating, she decided to intervene and approach the King. Her famous words were, “If I perish, I perish.”

Many believers have over the years since the days of the book of the Acts of the Apostles uttered similar words in their hearts of hearts. If I have to die for Christ, then so be it. From the martyrs put on stakes and burnt to death to those thrown into the ring to be devoured by wild beasts as entertainment for the Romans back in the day. To the many who were asked to recant their faith in Christ but refused and froze to death in the snowy winter night in China. One day, we, too, may be tested on our faith.

We may not be called to put our lives at stake for our faith in the present. However, there could be many instances when we may be called to stand with and for those facing injustice. Some may have been dealt with a cruel twist of fate, losing their loved ones to sickness and thus their sole means of survival. Will we stand in the gap if Christ prompts us? Or will we be tenpted to look the other way? Let’s pray for the courage to do the right thing in obedience to God’s voice in our hearts of hearts.

Realm of the dead

https://odb.org/2024/03/11/embrace-today

I think it’s tragic that when we are about to die that we regret not having made much of our life that God gave us. Like in the novel, Nicola, who was born with wealth and talents, felt she had wasted her life and thus refused to acknowledge that she has terminal cancer. I hope none of us will ever reach such a sad conclusion on our dying bed.

Ecclesiastes 9:1-7 teaches that we should eat and drink with gladness. Enjoy our life with our wife. But remember our creator, the LORD our God, follow His ways and obey His Word and enjoy and embrace every opportunity that He provides us to live and love.

We need to balance between the present and the future. Delaying immediate gratification to later may be a good principle to follow to save up and invest for the future. Yet we must also live in the present. Not in the past and not always for the future. Do what we can do today. Do for God what we can do today. Don’t wait until we are older or when we are ready or retired. Our time on earth is limited. Our time may even be cut short by infirmity. We may not live until a ripe old age. Thus, remember God today and do what we can for Him today.

If we begin to take accountability for our responsibilities to God today, for the fulfilment of His promises, plans, and purposes for our lives today; we will not have any regrets when we finally enter into the realm of the dead. It is the realm when we will not be able to do anything anymore in the world of the living. We will meet again at the end of time, but as far as the realm of the living in the present, we will not be able to do anything anymore.

Let’s live life to the fullest in God, in the centre of His will, enjoying every day as He provides, and serving Him to the best of our abilities. If we are in our golden age, are we just counting our days to leave this world? No! Live on, enjoy life, and continue serving God. We may still have years to live in God.

God’s creation

https://odb.org/2024/03/10/god-made-them-all

The diversity of nature is a testament to the magnificent power and glory of God from the world of microorganisms of bacteria, cells, and viruses to the oceanic plankton, algae that produce as much as half of the earth’s oxygen. I guess that the other half is produced by the photosynthesis of plants. The continued availability of fresh water on land despite the oceans and seas holding 97% of the earth’s water in salted form. As humans strive to explore the deep space beyond our terrestrial existence, the immensity of the universe makes us feel like we are just a mere drop in the vast earthly oceans or a mere bacterium on this vast earth. Yet, there are still areas on earth itself that humans know very little about. As humans need air and water to live, civilisations are always built on lands close to water sources. The sea is off-limits because we can’t drink the water, and neither can our lungs access the oxygen in the seawater. But the day will come when the sea will be no more as revealed to John in Revelation 21.

Nature showcases the power of God. If we are still in the faith when we breathe our last, one day, we will get to live in the new heaven and new earth in our glorified bodies. We have a glimpse of our eternal life in Revelation 21, but a few passages in Scriptures will not be enough for us to imagine what that world will be like and how we will live with God living amongst us. However, we trust God to make sure that everything will function in perfect equilibrium like the nature we know now. The earth itself was broken by sin and the fall of man and is groaning for the day of liberation. In other words, the earth itself is waiting for the new heaven and new earth of Revelation 21, where perhaps the present uncertainties of nature may finally be tamed!

This morning, as we worship God in His splendour and glory, let us trust Him with our lives and our future. The future, like nature, is unpredictable. We don’t know when it will rain and whether the rain will bring too much water into the system, leading to flashfloods. For us here in the tropics, we crave the rain for our plants and crops, but also, it’s a refreshing touch on an otherwise hot and humid day. Trust that the LORD will make our paths smooth as we put our faith in Him. Like His creation declares His glory, He can and will make our lives likewise, what more when we are also His creation and are created in His own image!

Using whatever we have for God

https://odb.org/2024/03/08/its-enough

The story of Moses with his staff is a good example of us using whatever God provides to answer and fulfil His calling on us. When Moses threw his staff to the ground, it became a snake, but when he picked up the snake by its tail, it became a staff. It was miraculous, and thus, people will believe that he is a messenger of God.

When it comes to serving God, we use whatever little we have and just move forward. For me, I have been writing this blog for more than 2.5 years now, although I started doing these devotional commentaries much earlier. I have Pastor Albert Kang of Faithline International Ministries to thank, in guiding and encouraging me to start a blog. The blog keeps a record of my writings compared to just writing and forwarding WhatsApp messages. The point is I used whatever I have to help others in their spiritual journey as my response to a call from God. It’s a simple blog, and I only have my thoughts. No audio-visuals or fancy pictures, as what I have are only words. And yes, I try to make consistency a feature. So I write between 5 to 6 days a week and take a break when I am travelling. It takes about 1.5 hours every day, and I wake up as early as possible to seek God and do this first before my usual routine and work start to push me back into the daily grind. We give Jesus whatever little we have and let Him make the best of it like the boy with the two fish and 5 loaves of bread.

Just a further thought. We may have our humble beginnings when we started our ministry in God, and that also includes churches. God will use whatever little we have and bless and multiply our little for His glory. But when we already have more, we should then shift into a different mindset, and that is to give God our best. This is because Jesus deserves our best. Yes, it’s true that all this stuff is peripheral. God accepts our worship even with a cappella and in wooden structures with ceiling fans only. But shouldn’t we upgrade when we can well afford better stuff?

To close, I just like to say that we must serve God now. Don’t wait until we have more or are better equipped. Start now with whatever we have and respond to His calling. Start with whatever little we have. The Lord will train and equip us as we move along. Don’t be afraid. Instead, be strong and courageous (see Joshua 1:9) for the LORD our God will be with us. He will bless the works of our hands and turn little streams into rivers of everflowing waters!

God our refuge

https://odb.org/2024/03/07/strength-and-tenderness

The temptation to sin is always present all around us. It could be the work of dark forces in the spiritual realm, or it could also be naturally occurring as a lot of times it could also be an internal perception. Meaning to say, instead of some invinsible being putting temptations along our way, temptations are just what we see. After all, sin is rebelling against God, being off the mark of righteousness. Our flesh naturally wants to go against the Lord. It is for our born-again spirit-man, our new creation in Christ, to overcome the desires of our flesh. This will be a constant and lifelong battle.

Thus, we should make it a quest for us to outlive the temptations around us. At the end of the day, so that our faith and righteousness may still be intact, and we are victorious. As much as our Lord will be the judge of our success, He also offers us a helping hand. He is our refuge and our protector. We may run to Him for strength so that our new inner man will overcome our old flesh, the latter always wanting to assert control and draw us away from God.

Remember that the fight is not only about issues of morality but also who is in control of our destiny and future. Are we ourselves asserting control, or are we fully surrendered to Jesus as our Lord and Saviour? Are we living in the glory of God’s plans, purposes, and promises for our lives, or are we wanting to live our own lives? The LORD our God, Jesus Christ, our Lord is our refuge and the protector of our lives. We may and must seek Him in times of trouble and challenges.

Just yesterday, I offered words of encouragement to a Muslim colleague who recently suffered a mild stroke and is still undergoing medical treatment. It has been more than 4 weeks now. I wished her that may the Almighty God be her protector in her difficult time of struggle to normalcy. This is also my prayer for all of us that as we may sometimes struggle in life, to outlive the temptations around us, we must make the LORD our God our protector. Seek Him out in prayer and supplication, for He is indeed our refuge!

Salvation and good works

https://odb.org/2024/03/06/good-works-ready

I like this phrase – we can not be saved by our good works, but we are saved so that we may do good works. Salvation is by the grace of God. We are saved by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour and by confessing our sins and asking God to forgive our sins. As we repent and turn away from our sins, Jesus brings us into the Kingdom of God as co-heirs to His eternal glory and as children of God. We thus become a part of the family of God, a part of the universal church. Our mission in life here on earth would thus be to serve God and do good. Even though our good works may not save us, as believers and disciples of Christ, we are called to do good works. Doing evil is definitely out of the question – it is as far as the east is from the west.

This fundamental principle of our faith that addresses the age-old question – is salvation just a matter of saying the sinner’s prayer? Is it a question of registering our names in the Book of Life? Once registered, eternally registered? I think not. But I also think that it is neither a question of one day there, another day not there and then there again.

My view is that once we accept Christ into our lives, our names are written in the Book of Life. Then, it is a question of us living a life worthy of His name. Are we on the narrow path that leads to eternal life? Are we on that spiritual trajectory to heaven? Are we on the road of righteousness to salvation? Are we doing good works with our lives? Faith without works is dead. We have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Is our love for Christ and God genuine and real? Will we do what’s in the heart of the Father? These are questions that only we ourselves may answer with God. But ultimately, it’s a deep personal decision. Have we given our lives fully to God, or are we still holding back and denying ourselves the opportunity to live in the fullness of His grace and anointing? The more we do His will here on earth, the more we are prepared for our life of eternity.

Christ dwelling in us

https://odb.org/2024/03/04/he-dwells-within

When we accept Jesus into our lives, He comes and stays within us. He dwells in our lives. That is why Paul describes our bodies as a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), and thus, even though our earthen vessels are in a fallen state and we age, get weaker and decay by the day, our bodies were nevertheless redeemed at a high cost by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Therefore, we need to honour God with our bodies. The argument that our fiesh is sinful and only our soul is holy and thus we may do anything we like with our flesh is clearly wrong. We need to respect our body as it is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the decisions we make in this world will determine where we will be in the afterlife.

With Christ in our lives, He becomes the head of our family. In fact, where Christ dwells and is the Lord is the Kingdom of God. He makes changes and transforms families. For example, with Christ as our head, we go to church every Sunday. We serve God in church and at our workplace. We refrain from immoral and unethical conduct. We do what is right. We respond to God when we see a need. We give to others when prompted by the Holy Spirit because all we have is not ours. We are stewards for His eternal glory. We worship no other gods except the Great I Am, Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our Heavenly Father. As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. We will not let the worries of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the Word in our lives.

As we begin the week this morning, let us be reminded that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and that we are ambassadors for Christ on behalf of our family and our church. Work with integrity and diligence and discipline. Make our Father in heaven proud of who and what we are at our workplace and wherever we are and wherever we go. Have an anointed and blessed week ahead, my dear friends!

Owner or steward

https://odb.org/2024/03/01/owner-or-steward

Are we really the owner of our assets and money, or are we a steward for God? That’s an interesting question. Legally and in the natural, we are owners. The law recognises that. No one can just take them away from us if we had paid valuable consideration.  The law is very clear. Any third-party purchaser acquires a good title if he had paid a valuable consideration in good faith unless the asset was tainted with illegality. Thus, a thief can not pass on a good title, but in land law only in cases of forgery, that title can not be passed.

But vis-a-vis God, we recognise that all that belongs to us is because of Him. He, as the creator of all things, doesn’t need anything from us. But He nevertheless demands sacrifices from the Israelites for them to demonstrate their devotion and allegiance to Him. As they obey His law and make sacrifices to Him for the atonement of their sins, He becomes their God, their protector. Jesus abolished that by being the ultimate sacrificial lamb.

As modern-day believers, what is our position – are we owners or stewards? It is for us to decide. I believe Jesus will not take away our possessions, but for humility’s sake, we should position ourselves as stewards so that whenever He prompts us, we may extend a helping hand to support a brother in Christ or a Christian work. It is best to hold lightly to our earthly possessions. We can not bring them along when our time is up. At the other side of eternity, what counts are the treasures we have built up in heaven where moth and rust will not destroy, and the thief will not steal.

There is a need to work to acquire and accumulate wealth for our old age when we can no longer earn. But dont be a miser and hold on to millions until our dying day. Someone once said our wealth is not our own until we spend it. So don’t be afraid to spend our children’s inheritance. For us in the faith, our wealth is because of God’s grace and mercy. So don’t be afraid to give it away for His purposes as we are stewards for His glory!

Even Leviticus

https://odb.org/2024/02/29/even-leviticus

Some books in the Bible we have difficulty relating to because they were meant for an era of time for people living then. So the issue with the skin diseases was whether that makes someone ceremonially unclean as a Jew but it was also meant to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. See today’s Scripture reading of Leviticus 13:1-8. There was a requirement for quarantine to be decided by the Chief Priest. Of course, modern-day medicine has established its own protocols for such diseases.

When it comes to Scriptures, I always believe that everything written is true and is there for a reason. In fact, the presentation of an event was inspired by God for a purpose. Because we know there are a few ways to write anything. Perhaps Leviticus 13 may not be directly relevant to us today. But the principle remains that isolation is required if there is a contagious disease, and for the church, if someone has a major spiritual affliction, he or she should also be isolated lest everyone is affected by his spiritual state. Spiritual recovery takes time like healing of a skin disease. Of course, when it comes to dealing with church disciplinary issues, we give precedence to Paul’s teachings in his letters as those are directly in point.

So, as much as the creation story in Genesis 1-3 may be universal, we follow the details in Genesis 1-3 and apply the principles enumerated there, especially the lessons from the fall of Adam and Eve. We also look towards the Garden of Eden as something we may relive for eternity at the end of age as the new heaven and earth with the LORD our God living amongst us, His people. If there is no more shedding of blood for food, then perhaps everyone will be eating fruits and vegetables for sustenance, but we live forever because the Tree of Life is freely available. When it comes to the Gospels or even the events narated in the Old Testament, always ask the Holy Spirit why the LORD allowed the events to be depicted in a certain fashion. Why are some personalities named while some are nameless? Why was Ruth highlighted? Just to trace the geneology of David? How about the tensions between Saul and David? Or the adventures of Elijah and Elisha? Or the exploits of Joshua and Caleb leading the Israelites back to Canaan? Or the breaking up of the kingdom into Israel and Judah and why those 10 tribes carried into exile from Israel are now lost, but the two tribes of Judah remain? There is history, but there may be a reason for such a history.

The Word of God contains the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. The more we learn, the more we will know. We will never lose out if we know the Bible better. We will end up knowing God and Jesus more, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, some may get a glimpse into what lies ahead as revealed to John and Paul and the many other mighty men and women of God. Paul didn’t say much of his heavenly experience, and he certainly never boasted about any of it. John was commanded to write a whole book, and yet there were things he saw that he didn’t reveal.

Read and study the Scriptures as much as we can, to the extent our time permits. It can only benefit us. As the Psalmist says in Psalm 1, “Blessed is he who delights in the law of God and who meditates on His law day and night.”

Help my unbelief

https://odb.org/2024/02/28/help-my-unbelief

Mark 9:24 is indeed a paradox as it expresses both belief and unbelief in the same breadth. The man with a son who was demon possessed believed and yet had unbelief. I guess we face this issue too every now and then. We believe God could do something, but perhaps we do not believe He will do it for us. We know God heals, and we have been given spiritual authority to heal, and yet we may not believe strongly enough that God will heal us or others. The human logic is surely God will not heal in every instance. It’s a logic supported by facts. The reality is that healing does not take place in every instance. There is still the question of God’s mercy and grace, as well as His divine timing. We may believe that now is the right time, but is that God’s timing?

Fortunately, Mark 9:24 helps us out of this quagmire. If we have unbelief, we may pray and ask the Lord to help us overcome this unbelief. Sometimes, God helps us by giving us smaller victories so that we may be able to believe Him for bigger things. In all things, start small although we may dream big. Take small steps first. As they say, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Take one step at a time and walk before we run.

On the other hand, faith should not be blind. There are times we could trust and believe without understanding. We can not see how this could happen, but we believe in God and trust Him to somehow make it happen in His time. Yet, we should believe in understanding. Not only with God but other things as well. People are scammed because they blindly believe. With things of God, we have the approach in Mark 9:24, which may be better paraphrased as “I want to fully believe, but I can’t – help me, O Lord.”

The beauty of our faith is that it is a relationship with Jesus. When we are weak, even in matters of faith, the Holy Spirit will help and strengthen us. All we need to do is ask and pray. We are made strong in our weaknesses. We are made rich in our poverty in spirit. It is rarely a test of how much faith we have but more opportunities for Christ to give us more as we reach out to Him.