Healing of the blind

https://odb.org/2024/02/27/when-jesus-stops

I think that the fact Jesus stopped and asked for the blind beggar to be brought to Him as recounted in Luke 18:35-43 (also told in the other Gospels with slight differences in the details) was touching as it showed His compassion and love. Jesus was not so focused on the task at hand to teach and preach in Jerusalem that He ignored the need that was present before Him. Consequently, we know that as we relate to Jesus, there is no detail too minor for Him to deal with if we were to bring it up to Him. As we pray and commit our challenges and difficult situations to Him, He is there to guide and help us. He will give us the strength and wisdom to persevere through, especially if it touches our faith and heart.

But what I like to highlight this morning is Jesus as a good example for us to follow and emulate. We can not ignore the minor details around us even as we focus on the major tasks at hand. For example, the need to be compassionate and kind although we are in a hurry. Or we can not ignore our other responsibilities at home like vacuuming and cleaning even when we are preparing for our sermon or for worship leading. This is because as a child of God, we need to be compassionate and kind and hardworking. We also, for example, need to be fair to the others in our household. Everyone has to do his or her part for the house.

Just like Jesus took the trouble to call for the blind beggar on his journey to Jerusalem towards Jericho, we can not ignore the needs and details around us as we journey in life. We can not just focus on our jobs but ignore the needs of our subordinates or those around us, especially when they are struggling to complete their tasks. Like what Jesus did to the blind beggar, we must try to help those around us. As we commit our needs to Him, He will ultimately help us along as we help others.

Sound sleep

https://odb.org/2024/02/26/sweet-sleep-2

I’m sure everyone has experienced nights, which we found very difficult to go to sleep. My wife, who usually falls asleep very quickly, struggles when she drinks just more than one cup of strong coffee in the later part of the day. I, on the other hand, will face the same issue when I drank tea, but I have no issues with coffee.

There are times we are restless in bed and could not sleep well because we have issues running in our heads. Not because of stimulants like tea or coffee or a lack of strenuous physical activities like gym time or playing a sport. We are worried or anxious over a major meeting that is coming up. We have a deadline to meet for a college assignment or a work task. Or we just have work piling up, all demanding our urgent attention. Or we have a substantial payment to make, and we do not have sufficient funds yet. Or, sometimes, we might have slept late and yet need to wake up early the next day. That by itself compounds to the issue at hand.

Many things could be troubling us and make it difficult for us to fall into a deep, restful sleep. In the case of David, he was running away from his beloved son, Absalom, who was out to kill him and take his throne. How heartbreaking that would have been! In defending your own life, you or the people loyal to you might end up killing the one you love. It is believed David wrote Psalm 3 during his run from Absalom (another famous psalm he wrote during those tumultuous times was Psalm 23). You can see that despite his struggles, David was able to find restful sleep. He said that he sleeps and wakes, and the LORD sustains him. David was able to find rest in God when he slept. He knew and had full confidence that the LORD would deliver him from his enemies. He will not lose his life. The LORD would protect and preserve him. He proclaims that God is His shield, and as he calls upon the LORD, He answers him.

This morning, as we begin a new week, let us commit our tasks, responsibilities, and deadlines ahead of us unto Him. No matter how bad a situation may look, just be thankful and rest assured that we still have breadth. We may live to fight another day. It’s not the end. Commit our work, our deadlines, and the things in our minds to our Lord Jesus. He will give us the strength to persevere and keep our hearts pure and righteous before Him. We will then sleep as soundly and restfully as David!

Have a good, blessed, and productive week ahead!

Luck or Godly intention

https://odb.org/2024/02/25/not-luck-but-christ

The main distinction between our Christian view of creation versus that of the Big Bang Theory is that God intentionally created the earth and the universe and everything in it. The evolution doctrine, however, theorises that everything evolved over time and started all of a sudden at the beginning and rejected any intervention by any supreme being. In fact, this dichotomy is sometimes depicted as the religious view versus science. But even ancient Greek thought believed in logos as some supreme force that existed at the beginning, and John pointed out that Christ was that logos who existed before all things, upon which all things were created by Christ with God the Father and the Holy Spirit as the Holy Trinity. In other words, creation was by divine intention and not pure chance or luck.

What about us? Are we then pure chance or pursuant to God’s intention? In Ephesians 1:4, Paul asserts that we were chosen before the foundation of the world. In Psalm 139:14, the Psalmist praises God for he is fearfully and wonderfully made. In Jeremiah 1:5, the LORD declared that He knew him before He formed him in his mother’s womb. God said before Jeremiah was born, He had set him apart. All the above Scriptures confirms that as many as there are billions of us having walked the earth and lived and with many more to come, each of us was and is uniquely made by God. God has a specific plan for each and every one of us to be a part of His family and to serve Him in His Kingdom. We did not exist by pure chance or luck.

As we worship God this Sunday morning and celebrate His goodness in our lives, be thankful that as the Holy Spirit had convicted us previously, we had responded and accepted Jesus Christ into our lives as our Lord and Saviour. Salvation can not be earned. It is by the grace of God through Christ. But it is freely available to all who respond to His call. Let’s be reminded that we are all, each and every one of us, unique and special before God through Christ. Discover His plans and purposes for us and serve Him with all our heart, soul, and mind.

Good character

https://odb.org/2024/02/22/walk-in-my-shoes

We all know Christian life is a journey to eternity that passes through this life on earth. Our passage through this life is temporal since eternity is our destiny. But like animals on the African plains, we need to eat to continue living although air is for all to breathe. As human beings living in an evolved civilisation, most of us need to work to put food on our tables. Few are born with a silver spoon.

As much as our passage through this earth in its present form is temporary, it is not to be taken lightly. Besides needing to face the realities of life and its challenges, we need to be cognizant that our relationship with God also requires us to be of good character as a person, and we are judged by His standards and not our own arbitrary ones. That means what constitutes good character is not up to us but as per the Scriptures. Paul taught that to the Colossians in his letter to them at chapter 3 verse 12 to clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Elsewhere in Galatians 5:22-23, Paul expands these virtues and calls them the Fruit of the Spirit. Basically, there are certain virtues we need to nevertheless develop in this life as much as we are pilgrims passing through. Not subject to negotiation despite us needing to face the realities and challenges in life. We can not rationalise that sometimes we need to be evil to live, that it is the survival of the fittest out there. No, that is clearly wrong. It is non-negotiable that we need to be of good character to be a disciple of Christ and a servant of God. Treat this as the Holy Spirit preparing us for our eternal life in the new heaven and new earth.

10 years from now, after having Christ in our lives for another 10 years, we should be more compassionate, kinder, more humble, more gentle, and more patient. Yes, a leopard doesn’t lose its spots, but in our case, we have the Holy Spirit working in our lives. What is impossible for man is possible with God. Miraculous healing, signs and wonders, and the gifts of the Spirit are all well and good. But most crucially is our character. Those things are all tools or a means to an end. Who we have become today in Christ is the end. Those things should make us become of good character, not make us rich, famous and powerful. Like a healthier and well toned body after hours of gym work, years of relating with Christ must make us a better person of good character.

Open doors

https://odb.org/2024/02/21/an-open-door

As we go through life, there are times when we have doors closed on us. We applied for a job, but we didn’t even get called for an interview. Or we secured the interview but not the job. It could be that promotion or even someone we were attracted to. Or a mision opportunity overseas. There will always be closed doors as we journey through life.

In Revelation 3:7-11, Christ spoke to the church in Philadelphia and promised them an open door that no one could close because He saw their deeds. He saw that despite them having little strength, they kept His word and did not deny His name. An open door that no one could close would mean a place in heaven as the Philadelphians perserved on in their faith until the very end despite going through difficult times as the city faced several earthquakes with lasting damage.

As we persevere on in our faith and place our trust in Jesus, we will find that God may open some doors that were closed previously. An opportunity to move on to another job may open up. We may have that less stressful job after all – a job that gives us more time to serve God and to prepare for our ministry tasks. That opportunity to minister will come our way, whether in prayer, as a worship leader, or in preaching. Or the opportunity to reach out to our friends will present itself as a stepping stone for us to share our testimony and the Gospel.

A word of caution, though. An open door by itself does not necessarily mean it’s God’s will or the path that God wants us to follow. We still have to pray and commit our endeavours to Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us and guide us. We still have to see the open door in the context of God’s plan and calling for our lives. Does it facilitate us serving God, or will it draw us away from God? Will we be too stressed by our situation to pray and have our quiet time with the Lord? 

As much as there are open doors, be watchful and always pray for wisdom and discernment to always act in the best interests of God’s plans and His calling for us.

How long more, O Lord?

https://odb.org/2024/02/20/nothing-happened

Today’s post will explore the some times frustrating and anguish wait for the Lord to answer our prayers. It feels like a long wait. We pray and pray, but God appears to be waiting for the right time to intervene when we feel that now is the time. If it’s a miracle or healing, it could be a long shot, but we know that our God is a miracle working God who heals us. How long more, O Lord, will you turn Your face away from me? How long more, O Lord, before You answer my prayer? This is the lamentation of David in Psalm 13. Read it and meditate upon it, and we will understand what David is going through. It might be similar to what we are going through.

I think that as much as the wait is frustrating and sad, God is God and sovereign. Our emotional response towards God must remain controlled and measured. We must never get angry at God or have the attitude that we are entitled to what we are praying for. It must always be at His grace and mercy. His timing is perfect. Most importantly, His will is good, pleasing, and perfect (Romans 12:2). If we are afflicted with an illness or a medical condition, it could well be His will that we go through it for a season. In the case of Joni Eareckson Tada, it was a lifelong paralysis despite her repeated prayers for miraculous healing. But Jesus used her condition to reach out to millions. I was just a very young Christian when I read her book nearly 40 years ago!

Most importantly, we remain faithful and committed to Him and His causes. We still love Jesus and appreciate His death on the cross for our sake. As much as God’s love for us is unfailing and steadfast, our love for Him is also steadfast and unwavering. We serve Him with all our heart, mind, and soul despite the wait, despite our condition. We still fully trust in Him and His promises for us. Jesus is and will always be our Lord and Saviour!

Habit of prayer

https://odb.org/2024/02/19/prompted-to-pray-2

I have heard before of testimonials by believers experiencing supernatural interventions in their lives in the form of a good Samaritan suddenly appearing out of practically nowhere to extend help. As suddenly as the help appeared, that person sort of vanished into the crowd, never to be found again. These believers later found out that at that precise moment, someone, in some cases in a far land, was praying for them. Thus, as the words of the song say, prayer moves the hand of God. Prayers also help in spiritual warfare as it gives strength to angels battling demonic forces in the heavenly realm.

Thus, as Paul teaches in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and in Colossians 1:3, we need to continually pray for one other. That the grace and mercy of God will always be there to safeguard and protect us, especially our hearts, when facing difficult and challenging situations. So that we keep our faith and maintain our course heavenward in this race. In addition to developing this habit to pray in the morning during our quiet time with the Lord, we should also pray before we enter into our dream world as we retire to sleep. And then, on top of that, we can pray whenever we are free. Instead of daydreaming, pray for someone. Pray as the Holy Spirit leads. That is probably what Paul meant to pray continually. We are always praying and communicating with God. We express our thoughts to Jesus any moment that we can.

Besides drawing us closer to God, prayer will help others and in the process we will become a vessel for God’s grace and mercy, love, joy and peace, His providence and blessings and supernatural powers to flow through us. As we pray, God’s transforming powers would flow through us. We are changed in the presence of a Holy God, the one and only, the Great I Am! Let Your will O Lord be done here on earth as it is in heaven! Let Your will O Lord be done through us, Your sanctified vessels of righteousness! Amen!

Love each other

https://odb.org/2024/02/16/love-all

When it comes to the commandments, the first is always love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37). The second is to love your neighbour as yourself (Matthew 22:39). The third is love each other as I (Jesus) have loved you (John 15:12). The third commandment is higher because Jesus laid down His life for us. He died for our sins on the cross. In John 12, Jesus taught that there is no greater love than a man who lays down his life for another. That reminds me of stories of men who gave up their places in the life boats for women and children, and Christians for non-Christians when the Titanic sank so that the latter ones may live on and still have a chance to embrace Christ and be saved for eternity.

Are we able to lay our lives down for others? Yes, in terms of our service in church and ministry. Yes, in terms of being kind and caring towards our brethren. In exchange for our life? Perhaps only for our spouse and our children. There are limitations as to how much we are willing to lay down our lives for one another. This third commandment of Christ is surely the most challenging. We could take heed of Paul’s declaration that for him to die is gain, but to live is Christ (Philippians 1:12). If we were to die for another, we would definitely and surely be with Christ, and thus, it will be our most significant gain in this life for eternal life.

If we were to live to go through the coming Great Tribulation, we could be tested whether we are willing to die for Christ or for another. Let’s make the right and wise choice if we were ever required to make such a call in time to come.

Humility and Cooperation

https://odb.org/2024/02/15/humilitys-perk

Ancient Godly wisdom teaches in Proverbs 22:4 that humility is the fear of the LORD, and its wages are riches, honour, and life. As the fear of the LORD is the beginning of understanding or wisdom, humility is the key to wisdom as the wise always chooses God over everything else. Thus, the best way for man to gain access to God and His grace and mercy in the olden days is to be humble as God loves the humble but opposes the proud.

But what does it mean to be humble before God? In my view, it is to recognise deep within us that all that we are and have are because of God’s grace and mercy. It may be our hard work, but if God hadn’t made our circumstances such, we would not be where we are today. If we had capitalised on opportunities, remember that it is by God’s grace that the opportunities presented themselves to us. Our paths to college and university were made possible because God opened doors for us. We may have qualified on merit, but I was the 33rd person to squeeze into a racial quota of 30 in a class of 100 undergraduates. How was that possible? 3 original acceptees declined and went overseas.

Humility also breeds cooperation among others as humility means we are willing to listen and accept other viewpoints. We are humble if we don’t think that we are the only ones with the right answer. Humility among people means we are willing to admit our mistakes and say sorry when we are wrong. Human nature is such that if we are humble, people are attracted to work with us, to cooperate rather than resist or comply grudgingly. Humility breeds willingness, unity, and harmony, and such a combination will lead us to collectively reach greater heights whether at work, in church, or in ministry. But it would be easier to be humble before man if we are already humble before God.

Make it our lifelong quest to be humble before God and man. Ultimately, we will surely reap its wages – riches, honour, and life as promised by Proverbs 22:4!

Love and Commitment

https://odb.org/2024/02/14/motivated-by-love-2

One of the greatest blessings of having a husband or wife in the context of a Christian marriage is the commitment to be with one another through thick and thin. We build our lives together in Christ throughout the years, building our family and career while serving God in ministry and church. As time goes by, we know why God chose us for each other. Some of us may have chosen our other half based on our emotions, but over the years, we will realise and see God’s wisdom in joining us together as a couple. Usually, opposites attract like positive and negative points of a battery, but the reality is that shared interests will keep us together for years to come. For example, my dear wife likes dramatic movies, and I prefer action ones, but every now and then, we will find something that we both like, and we watch these together for a long time. Like we are now watching a Youtube channel called Little Chinese Everywhere, which showcases less known cities, towns, and places in China.

The commitment that comes with love is important when we are just starting out in our lives and careers but become more pertinent as we grow older into our senior years. Once the children grow up and leave the nest, we will be left with one another. It is part of life to allow our children to find their own way in life and in God. Ultimately, how they love and serve God is really up to them to reconcile with the demands of their lives. We will encourage and support, but we can no longer compel. They need to find their own balance between the natural and the spiritual, the present, and the eternal.

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul taught about love, and the bottom line is that all that we do and who we are are quite meaningless and count for nothing if we don’t have love. Love must be the foundation of all that we do. If we do not have love, we do not have God. This is because God is love. But remember, love and commitment come hand in glove. In most cases, love means commitment, whether it is with regards to the love of our life, our children, our family members, or God.

Today, as the whole world celebrates Valentine’s Day, let us remember and appreciate our love for each other, for our loved ones and Jesus Christ, and renew our commitment to each other and God. We will never ever forsake our loved ones or God but will remain faithful to each other, and we shall be on the path of righteousness together for all eternity!

Happy Chinese New Year, Xin Nian Kuai Le and Gong Xi Fa Cai, too!