Armour of light

https://odb.org/2024/04/09/put-this-on-every-day

We are a new creation when we are born again in Christ, having awakened our spirit who was dead to Yahweh, God the Father. The Holy Spirit lifted the scales from our eyes to see the light, having an understanding of the salvation Jesus brings through His death on the cross and how His resurrection defeated the sting of sin which is death. Thus, the phrase, “two births and one death,” for believers, in contrast to “one birth and two deaths,” for the others. Paul’s mission in life after He saw the light was to preach Christ crucified and Christ resurrected.

But true transformation takes time. Some people are still nasty, manipulative, and selfish after accepting Christ and sadly even after years of knowing God. That’s a tragedy because it’s a contradiction of who we are in Christ. If we had remained the same all these years, then, perhaps we are just a nominal Christian, a believer only in name and appearance.

As much as transformation takes time, it has to be started and progressed. God has to be the potter, and we, the clay and not that clump of unrefined and unworked earth from day one till the end. WIP, yes, but God needs to be able to work in us, and there must be some semblance of beauty in us, a silhouette of who we can and will be in Christ.

Paul teaches us in Romans 13:11-14 to step away from darkness and to put on the armour of light that we remain in the light from henceforth. Put aside the deeds of darkness. Leave them behind as we journey with Christ into the path of the light, the path of righteousness that leads to eternal life. The light illuminates our path and also protects us. That is why it is the armour of light. It shields us from the attacks of the evil one.

Put on the armour of light, stand firm, and persevere through. As we walk in the light, we will destroy the works of darkness and bring everything to light. May the LORD our God bless and anoint our paths as we walk the path of righteousness with the armour of light! Amen!

Joy in the city

https://odb.org/2024/04/08/joy-in-the-city

Proverbs 11:10 teaches that when the righteous prosper, the city rejoices. I think not so much that the city is happy for the prosperity of the righteous but more the fact they know that the blessings of the heavens are opened to also bring prosperity to the city. The righteous prosper because God is with them. The providence of God follows them. People are fearful of divine retribution, but they rejoice in divine providence.

Thus, when God blesses us as the righteous, He blesses our family, our church, and our community. Everyone will be impacted one way or another. That is why when Christ is accepted in poor urban neighbourhoods or ghettos, entire neighbourhoods may be transformed over a generation or two. With Christ in their lives, they turn away from cigarettes, booze, drugs, and crime. They turn to regular jobs. Their children grow up with proper education, and some become lawyers, engineers, doctors, IT professionals, and proper businessmen. From poverty to working class to middle class. That’s the wonderful thing about God working in our lives, in families and communities.

It is not wrong, in my view, to postulate that the pursuit of righteousness is one of the better ways to elevate the standard of living of families and neighbourhoods as righteousness brings divine blessings and providence. It doesn’t mean that we will not face life challenges. But as a people, we will become stronger and more resilient in the face of difficulty and adversity because God is with us.

The message this morning is to always pursue righteousness in all that we do. As the righteous propers, the city rejoices!

5 things to be thankful

https://odb.org/2024/04/07/five-good-things

It is good to be thankful for who we are today and for the things that we have, especially to Creator God, our Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Saviour. As today’s ODB article teaches, there are positive benefits to thankfulness and gratefulness. For example, research indicates that people who are intentionally grateful have better sleep, fewer illnesses, and more happiness. It’s not that we will face fewer challenges in life. It’s likely we will be in a good mood much more!

If I were to list 5 things, my first will be my salvation. It gives me the everlasting hope and assurance that I will not be condemned to hell for eternity or just disolve into nothingness. I have the final destination in the new heaven and new earth where there will not be pain and suffering anymore, and where God will live among His people.

My second will be my calling and service in God that my life is not just about facing life’s challenges to put food on the table. I have a greater purpose in Christ to serve Him in His church with the little I have to repay Him for His sacrifice on the cross for me. I am thankful that I may live a redeemed and victorious life here on earth because of Christ.

My third will be my wife, whom I have known since I was 21. She has stood by me through thick and thin, despite my weaknesses and imperfections and in spite of my idiosyncrasies and behavioural traits. I came from humble beginnings, and through her support all these years, we have built a family together to raise our standard of living while always keeping our feet grounded and at the same time, always serving God together as a couple. She plays for me when I lead in worship while she’s my number one advisor when I preach.

My fourth will be my two boys, the apple of our eyes. We have seen them grow since they were babies and gave them all we could as they grow from infancy to adulthood. Although they were latchkey children with both parents working, we have been to all of their major events at school, their concerts, and sports days. Watched them performed since their kindy days, and we have been with them at every stage of their lives. As much as they will grow old and raise families of their own, they will always remain our babies until our dying day.

My fifth will be my career and the jobs that I have had since I graduated from university. We didn’t have any earthly inheritance (but we know we will have our inheritance in the saints). Thus, we started from scratch from our first paycheck. We have had to save up for everything we wanted. I am thankful that although there were ups and downs, a constant and regular income, if saved and used prudently, will eventually become something substantial after many years.

What about you? What are the 5 things that you are thankful to God for? It’s good to write them down and ponder and thank the LORD for His grace and mercy over the years. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

He has put eternity in our hearts

https://odb.org/2024/04/05/now-and-forever

Ecclesiastes is indeed a peculiar wisdom book in the Bible as Solomon seemed to say everything is vanity or meaningless. Except for one thing, and that is knowing God. Thus, we live and die. We work hard to earn a living. We start a family and raise children. We have possessions. But we can bring nothing over to the other side when we die, and most of us will not live more than 80 or 90 years. There is a constant tension in humans to have a balance – we need to save for the rainy day and yet not too much. Someone advocated that our wealth is not really ours until we are willing to spend our children’s inheritance!

But then God has put eternity in our hearts. We are made in the image of God. That is why we don’t think our lives will really end when we die. We won’t just fade away into nothingness. Most, if not all, religions believe in some sort of judgment after we die. An opportunity to give a good account of ourselves or be condemned for our evil deeds while on earth. I believe heaven and hell, eternal life and everlasting damnation are all real. These are not concepts created by man to keep humanity in check on a high moral ground. Our souls live on when we die, and there will be a time of reckoning.

But if we believe in Jesus Christ, His blood saves us from the Great White Throne judgment of God. We need not go through that as we are justified by our faith in Christ. We will nevertheless need to face Christ Himself, our Lord and Saviour, in the Judgment Seat of Christ (also called the Bema judgment). We still need to give an account of who we have become after knowing God. Have we been faithful servants of God? More importantly, have we fulfilled His plans and purposes for our lives? Or did we waste our entire Christian life doing nothing for God, just giving in to the desires of our flesh? We may not have the ability to decide where and who we are born as, but we certainly have all the power in the world to decide who we are as believers of Christ! God has called us to be His own. Are we living a life worthy of God’s grace?

He has put eternity in our hearts indeed. There is life after death. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. Eden will be recreated. Will we have our own corner in eternal life? Will we have our inheritance in the saints? Will we obtain the prize that Christ has prepared for us as we had fought the good fight and finished the race? The choice is very much ours to make.

Reassurance from the LORD

https://odb.org/2024/04/04/in-his-arms

I think the picture of a young child sitting on the lap of his father on the dentist’s chair is an excellent picture of who God is and how He is a force of reassurance when we are going through some tough patches in life. God will also be that tower of strength when we are embarking on a journey of faith, trusting on His word, or His calling upon our lives. For example, some of us may take up a challenge to be a missionary in a closed country by taking an overseas job in that country. Or some may stay back in our host country after graduating to work and minister to the people of that nation. Europe, for instance, may have been the centre of the faith years back, but may now be drifting into atheism, eastern religions, new age, witchcraft, and the occultic.

This reminds me of what the LORD said to Joshua as he was about to take the step of faith to lead the Israelites into Canaan after Moses had passed on. In Joshua 1:9, the LORD encouraged Joshua to be strong and of good courage (some versions, be bold and courageous) as He will be with him wherever he goes. If you read on the book of Joshua and arrive at the end of his life, at chapter 24, you will see that the LORD faithfully kept His word all the way. In fact, the book of Joshua is a myriad of the great exploits of God through Joshua and the children of Israel conquering fortified cities and strong armies as they take hold of their inheritance that was promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

This morning, I would like to encourage us that we are not alone in our quest as we walk the path of righteousness. Jesus is right there with us. The LORD our God encourages us as the Holy Spirit guides and strengthens us. It feels like a lonely walk, but it is not. Like the footsteps in the sand, there are times when there are only two instead of four as Jesus carries us into His arms as we traverse through our tough times. In our weakness, Jesus strengthens us. In our despair, He answers us. In our fears, He emboldens us.

Be strong and courageous, and do not be afraid or be discouraged. For the LORD, your God will be with you wherever you go. Be careful to obey His Word and meditate upon His Word so that we may be successful wherever we go. Do not turn to left or to the right. Be careful to do everything that is written.

Hearing Jesus’s voice

https://odb.org/2024/04/03/i-hear-you-god

I think it’s a given that once we accept Jesus Christ into our lives as our Lord and Saviour, we will eventually know and recognise His voice. In John 10:1-10, Jesus uses the picture of a shepherd and his sheep to convey this message. Basically, the sheep will know and recognise the voice of their shepherd and follow him. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Those who enter through Him will be saved. They will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to kill and destroy, but Jesus has come that they may have life and have it more abundantly. With the Holy Spirit guiding us, we will be able to distinguish the various voices speaking to our hearts. It will take practice and time, but we will eventually get it.

The issue we will likely face, however, is I reckon, more of obedience. Do we want to listen to the voice of Christ like sheep? Or are we like that wayward sheep charting our own way to our own pasture even as the Good Shepherd is leading us to green pastures? If we are the former, we risk being devoured by wolves and other predatory animals like the thief Jesus spoke about, who seeks only to kill and destroy. Obeying the voice of God and following His Word ensures that we are safe in the shadow of His wings. As Jesus soars with wings like the eagle, we are able to follow suit. It is thus crucial that we fashion our lives in accordance with His will, His plans, and purposes for us that He remains our Good Shepherd until the very end of our days here on earth. It is good to start well, but it is more important, in fact, imperative and critical that we end well! 2 Timothy 4:7-8 that we have fought the good fight and finished the race must be our ultimate goal in this walk of faith.

The message this morning is to hear, listen, and obey the voice of Christ. Take heed when He prompts us. Obey His Word as we read and meditate on Scripture. Our lives will then be on the path of righteousness that will lead to eternal life.

Political leaders

https://odb.org/2024/04/02/psalm-72-leaders

Public office politics is inherently difficult as there are many often competing interests to meet and balance at the highest levels. On the one hand, they can’t meet everyone’s demands and, on the other hand, some needs are more urgent than others. It’s a question of priorities, and yet it’s also a question of support. Political personalities and parties need to take care of the needs of their constituents in order to remain in power, their own voting area as well as the power base of their party. In Malaysia, political power is delienated along racial, religious, rural-urban, and East-West Malaysia territorial lines. It is both simple and complex as voters in any group are not necessarily homogeneous. Throw self interests and self enrichment into the mix, and you’ll have a morally reprehensible cauldron of soups.

We may want to criticise, but as believers, we are also part of the system. As much as we identify ourselves as Christians, true believers are hardly a powerful bloc in any jurisdiction. I believe even in the bible belt of the United States of America. Like the Psalmist in Psalm 72, we want a fair and just system where the poor and underprivileged will not be marginalised and the righteous prosper. Unfortunately, public office is sick, likely everywhere in the world.

What we can probably do as an individual believer of Christ is to do our part in the voting process and pray for our leaders that doing the right thing is among their top priorities. They may not be able to do so every single time due to competing interests, but at least they try to. We pray that they do not put self interests at the top of everything they do as that can not be a good thing. The government paying inflated prices will surely contribute to inflation, although the public sector spending is catalyst to economic growth. Inefficient use of resources will lead to waste, especially of hard-earned taxpayers’ monies. It’s already tough to earn a living nowadays, and we still need to pay income and consumption taxes and how disheartening it is if the taxes we pay are abused and misused!

My view is that ultimately, we focus our eyes on Jesus. We give to Caesar what’s due to Caesar, rightfully or otherwise, and fix our eyes on Christ. Ultimately, we are passing through to a better place in eternity. In the meantime, we pray for our rulers and leaders that they will do good for the people at large, if not all the time, at least most of the time!

Meeting together in Christ Jesus

https://odb.org/2024/04/01/meeting-together

Yes, it’s a mistake to avoid meeting together when we are going through something. Perhaps it is OK to miss a meeting or two, but we should never do this on a prolonged basis. This is because congregational meetings allow for corporate worship and fellowship among the brethren. That’s why churches whose congregations share a meal together after service experience a closeness that is very different from those who leave for home or elsewhere almost immediately after the service ends. I recall nearly 15 years back when we used to travel 70km to attend church and were very close to that congregation because we share a meal together nearly every week either potluck, catered or at the restaurant downstairs.

The other thing about meeting together is that our very presence encourages others as people are generally happy to see so many people coming together to worship God. The crowd itself is an encouragement. All we needed to do was to be a part of the crowd. Further, when we lend our voices to the worship, we add on to the atmosphere and make the worship blending harmoniously with the musicians and worship leaders to create a sweet incense of worship unto the LORD. Scripture teaches that the LORD dwells in the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3).

Sometimes, in the ensuing fellowship, we could offer a word of encouragement or edification even though we ourselves may be going through a crisis situation of our own. The blessing we may receive from blessing others may cheer us up or give us renewed hope for the future or help us see and imagine the light at the end of the tunnel.

Do not neglect meeting one another. Blessings from heaven will flow even as we encourage and cheer each other in this race to the finish line, as we edify and exalt one another to keep on the track of righteousness on the narrow path that leads to eternal life.

I took a break last week to take advantage of a bank holiday to do a bit of local travelling during the Muslim fasting month. There were indeed fewer cars on the road, and we enjoyed driving on the new West Coast Expressway. It is not fully completed but smooth drives wherever it was already done up. https://wce.com.my/wce-highway-map/

Have a good week ahead, and may our Lord Jesus Christ be with us, and may we all be guided by the wisdom and discernment of the Holy Spirit as we face the challenges of life and the spiritual realm at work, in college and at home! Do our best for our God wherever we are not because we have to, but because we want to!

Sheep and goats

https://odb.org/2024/03/25/love-god-by-loving-others

Matthew 25:31-40 is in a way scary as there will come a time when our Lord Jesus Christ will separate us into sheep and goats. Below is a deeper analysis of this topic, which may be contentious to some.

https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/christ-the-king/commentary-on-matthew-2531-46-7

I tend to agree that as Jesus spoke about having helped or being kind “to the least of my brethren”, this discourse on goats and sheep is about those in the church and not about those within versus those outside. The doctrine of salvation through justification by faith (as opposed to by works) may not be so clear in the Gospels as it was something better articulated by Paul in his letters. But Scripture does not contradict. Thus, even in the post Gospels books, we have the concept of “faith without works is dead” in James 2.

The point is that as much as salvation is a free gift to us by the grace of God in the sense that we can not work for it, there is much work to be done once we are inside. Jesus Christ opens the door for us to enter into the Kingdom of God, but when we are in, it is not for us to just cruise along until our last dying breadth. We have to pull our weight the same way we need to do so at work. We were bought with a high price. We are now servants serving the LORD our God most high, the Great I Am.

One of the things we must do is to love one another as in John 13:34. Jesus says this in another way in Matthew 25 – to be sheep like those who fed, gave drink, and clothe the least of the brethren. It is inconsistent and inconceivable if we know Jesus and yet do not treat our fellow believers kindly, with love and compassion, grace, and mercy.

As scary as Mathew 25 may seem, and as surprised as some being categorised as sheep or goat, we need not worry if we have always been close to Christ, walking in His ways and hearing His voice as prompted by the Holy Spirit. As Jesus has said before, His sheep hears His voice, and He knows them – John 10:27-28. If we have always been hearing His voice and following His ways all these many years, how can we then turn out to be goats? Being kind to others is now second nature to us anyway. Have a good week ahead, everyone!

Renaissance

https://odb.org/2024/03/24/renaissance

The period of Renaissance is that period of time in history between the 14th to the 17th centuries when the Europeans transitioned from the Middle Ages to modern times. It was probably best known as the time of Leonardo da Vinci, the brilliance of his art coupled with his scientific prowess and foresight, the marvel of his engineering insights. It was also the advent of Western imperialism with the use of bullets and guns and, thus, their superiority over the rest of the world still using swords and bows and arrows.

But today, we are actually talking about the renaissance of us as human beings as we transitioned to become children of God through Christ Jesus. He became the sole and only worthy seed who died to give birth to millions of us who bear His name and carry His witness. He is in us, and His presence is with us wherever we go. His Kingdom of Heaven is here on earth through us as where we stand is where His Kingdom is. We are the physical extension in the natural of His spiritual Kingdom of God.

But to truly experience that renaissance that Christ brings, we like Christ, need to die to ourselves for our born-again spirit man to take full control of our body, soul, and mind. That we may live by the Spirit instead of by our flesh and our carnal desires. A life led by the Spirit leads to eternal life, while the latter leads to destruction.

Blessed Palm Sunday, everyone! As we remember the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in fulfilment of ancient prophesy, let’s prepare ourselves for the coming Good Friday and Easter celebrations to commemorate the death and resurrection of Christ. The Apostles dedicated and gave their lives to preach Christ crucified and resurrected, which forms the basis of our faith. We are who we are today in Christ, and we will be with God one day in the new heaven and the new earth because of Christ crucified and resurrected! Make that Renaissance a reality in our lives today, and male sure we are on the narrow path of righteousness that leads to glory in Christ!