Small but mighty

https://odb.org/2026/01/08/small-and-mighty

John 6:5–15 (NIV): 5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

On December 9, 1987, a squirrel chewed through a power line in Connecticut, and the Nasdaq’s vast financial machinery blinked, sighed, and went dark. Some of the world’s largest corporations stood limp and listless. Global economies watched, sweating bullets for nearly an hour and a half. All because of one tenacious, furry rodent.

When we ponder the many complex global crises in addition to the bewildering concerns in our own neighborhoods and families, we’re tempted to believe that our seemingly small efforts lack power. But Scripture tells us to act in obedience and trust as God helps us—assured that with Him, small things can become mighty (John 6:10-12). (Winn Collier, Our Daily Bread 8th January 2026)

The miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand men (more when you count the wen and children) with just five barley loaves and two fish, and in another recorded event, His feeding of four thousand (Mark 8:1-10), both highlighted that He is the Messiah as well as the spiritual principle that much may be achieved through small contributions.

They also speak of the abundance of God’s provision in our lives. During ancient times, Elijah miraculously provided a widow, about to have her last meal with her child, with endless flour to continue to make bread for 3 and the half years for the whole duration of the drought/famine.

Although what we may be able to give is small seen in the context of the larger scheme of things (a few hundred to a few thousand Ringgit), God is able to multiply and use it for His glory in His Kingdom. Sometimes a gift of a thousand makes a difference when the recipient was just short of a thousand for that month. So don’t despise your small giving. Like the child with the 5 loaves and 2 fish, Jesus was able to feed five thousand men (more when women and children were counted), Jesus is able to do much with your small giving. In fact there is a famous story of a girl giving just a few cents leading to an avalanche of donors contributing towards the eventual building of a university. Google the story of Hattie May Wiatt, a poor girl who gave 57 cents that was used as a catalyst by her pastor to raise enough funds to buy land that one day became the Temple University and the Temple Hospital.

The other aspect of the feeding of the five thousand is God’s provision for us that may well be endless as augmented by the widow’s experience with Elijah. As small could do a lot also speaks of God’s provision and abundance. There is much God can give and provide for us as we believe in Him and commit our lives to Him.

If we are facing financial difficulties, know that God provides if we put our trust in Him. At the same time, don’t hesitate to give when prompted as our small gift may lead to the opening of the abundant blessings in the heavens for the Kingdom of God that may in due course also bless our own lives!

To stand or to stand down

https://odb.org/2026/01/07/the-bone-wars

Philippians 4:1–3 (NIV): 4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!
2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

In the American West in the late 1800s, the search for dinosaur bones created the Bone Wars, in which two paleontologists battled one another in their pursuit of making the most historic find. One writer noted how the two “used underhanded methods to try to outdo the other in the field, resorting to bribery, theft, and the destruction of bones.” He noted how, in trying to ruin each other’s work, both destroyed their own reputations as well.

Conflict and competition are inevitable in our broken world. How we choose to engage those conflicts reveals what’s in our hearts. Paul learned of conflict between two women in the church at Philippi and wrote, “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.” He asked a fellow believer to “help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel” (Philippians 4:2-3). (Bill Crowder, Our Daily Bread 7th January 2026)

It is indeed true that conflict and competition are inevitable in our broken world, unfortunately, even among redeemed believers of Christ. Despite having been saved by the blood of Jesus, we are still dwelling in our earthly bodies. We suffer diseases and illnesses like everyone else. We go through emotional moments like the person next door. We face stress and are not exempt from the rigours of life. Yet there is an expectation and rightly so for us to behave and react differently when confronted with conflict and competition, particularly in relation to fellow believers. Rightly so because the Holy Spirit in us compels us to reflect Christ to people we meet and interact with. These issues are not new as they were faced by the community of believers even during Paul’s time when our Christian faith was still at its nascent.

All I can say this morning is that we should act and react as the Holy Spirit prompts. We pray in our heart on what we should do. Sometimes it is appropriate to make a stand but sometimes it is better to stand down. We can likewise demand the same from the fellow believer. Yet the Lord is more interested and concerned with our own action and reaction. How he or she should act and react is one thing but what’s more important is how should we act and react? I just pray that as we pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit, not that He would guide us but that we would obey as He leads. Will we choose the path that leads to spiritual maturity? Just remember that unless we are already 100 years old, we have a long way more to go in our spiritual journey. Do we seriously want to let a minor issue bog us down?

Seek Him and you shall find Him

https://odb.org/2026/01/06/seeking-the-christ-child

Matthew 2:7–12 (NIV): 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

When writing teacher Peter Turchi sees a map, he looks for the adventure it holds. “To ask for a map,” he says, “is to say, ‘Tell me a story.’ ” I seized on that idea when preparing to teach a Sunday school class during Christmas on the “Faith of the Wise Men.” As I studied maps, I learned the Magi traveled some nine hundred miles—perhaps over several months—to find the Christ child, finally finding not a babe in a manger but a toddler living with His parents in a house. Their reaction after such a long trip? “They bowed down and worshiped him” (Matthew 2:11).

Distance didn’t deter their worship. Nor did danger or delays. Herod’s deadly demand was ironic: “Go and search carefully for the child” (v. 8). Nobody had searched more diligently for Jesus than the Magi. (Patricia Raybon, Our Daily Bread, 6th January 2026)

I always believed that if we seek God with all our heart, we will find Him as Jeremiah 29:13 proclaims. The reason, theologically, is simple – we were created by God in His image to fellowship with Him. So if we seek Him hard enough, we will surely find Him. He doesn’t play a game of hide and seek with us where He stays hidden until we find Him or does He dissappear once we are near. Instead the more we seek Him, the closer will He come near us and before long, we will be staring at Him right in front of us. The scales that blinded us from seeing and believing in Jesus will be lifted if we search for Him wih all our heart. Not the work of man, but the work of the Holy Spirit.

The thing is once we have gotten to know Jesus and accepted Him into our lives as Lord and Saviour, the mysteries of the Kingdom will be opened to us. The LORD will reveal Himself and His mysteries to us. So the more we read His Word, the more we will gain in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and of God.

As we obey His Word, we will experience Him and mature in our faith and grow in our relationship with Him. So long as we persevere on, much will be gained by us of the spiritual realm. Perhaps we may experience what Paul saw and heard when he was brought unto the third heaven by Christ (2 Corinthians12:2-4). In first century Jewish thought, third heaven means beyond the first heaven (sky) and second heaven (outer space). We could see things we may not be able to reveal to anyone in the land of the living. In the book of Revelation, John was explicitly told not to reveal certain things he saw (Revelation 10:4).

As we pursue Him more and more, there will be things we will see and experience that will edify and strengthen our faith, and some of which we may not be allowed by God to reveal. Ultimately if we seek Him with all of our heart, we will surely find Him! Amen!

Praying for others

https://odb.org/2026/01/05/care-prayer

1 Samuel 12:19–24 (NIV): 19 The people all said to Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”
20 “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 21 Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. 22 For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.

A woman was unusually nervous as she sat in the dentist’s chair. Family burdens troubled her greatly, and it was noticeable. Her dentist sensed her anxiety and asked her about it. Her story led him to ask, “Can I pray for you?” When the dental hygienist came into the room, she also prayed for the woman. Two prayers and one completed dentist’s visit later, the woman left the office knowing that she’d truly been cared for. Praying for others is one of the best ways for us to show that we care because it calls on the greatest resource we know—our heavenly Father—to be actively involved in the lives of others. (Dave Branon, Our Daily Bread 5th January 2026)

One of the easier things we could do in reaching out is to offer to pray for others. It takes less time compared to sharing our testimony and I believe is perceived as being less controversial. In fact praying for someone may be considered as neutral or even caring as we are calling upon the supernatural in the spiritual realm to break into the affairs of the natural world. Everyone loves a positive outcome. So if we pray and God answers, it’s win-win. Also praying for others is one of the best ways for us to show our empathy and compassion, our genuine care and love because it calls on the greatest resource we know—our heavenly Father—to intervene in the lives of others.

Our heavenly Father is the creator of the universe and everything in it and we have access to Him through prayer. Of course we can never be sure He will answer our prayers or when He will do so. That’s up to His will and His timing. Ultimately, God is sovereign. But at least we made the effort to make the connection. It is up to the Holy Spirit to do the rest. We trust in God’s wisdom and timing.

Blessed 2026! In a blink of an eye, 2025 is now history. But the things we went through – our work challenges, our health issues, the changes in our lives – will remain memories etched in our minds. I pray that all our tears and heartbreaks will serve as a lesson and reminder for us not to repeat the same mistakes in 2026 and beyond. There may be significant changes for some of us in 2026. We may need to adapt. I pray that we will all come out victorious as we make lifestyle changes to adapt to those changes. In the end, we will need to persevere through for the sake of our family and loved ones, for the sake of God’s plans and purposes for our lives. I pray that the Lord will grant us the strength, resilience and wisdom to overcome the challenges of 2026! Have a good year ahead, everyone!

Favouritism in the church?

https://odb.org/2025/12/23/no-favoritism

James 2:1–4 (NIV): 2 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant was stopped for recklessly driving his carriage through Washington DC. One published account says that the officer, an African American named William West, warned Grant, “Your fast driving, sir . . . is endangering the lives of the people who have to cross the street.” Grant apologized, but the next night he was racing carriages again. West stopped Grant’s horses. “I am very sorry, Mr. President, to have to do it, for you are the chief of the nation and I am nothing but a policeman, but duty is duty.” West arrested the president.

I admire this brave man for doing his duty. So did Grant. He praised West and made sure he kept his job. God also was pleased, for He hates the injustice of favoritism. James wrote, “Believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism” (James 2:1). That includes not giving special favors to the rich and powerful, leaving only leftovers for the poor (vv. 2-4). Instead, we’re called to love our neighbor as ourselves (v. 8). If we play favorites, serving our platinum club neighbors rather than the less privileged, we “sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers” (v. 9). (Mike Wittmer, Our Daily Bread 23rd December 2025)

Showing favouritism is a human issue we face everywhere including at work, but sometimes unfortunately also in the church. The rich and famous are somewhat favoured, the former perhaps because of their contribution to the coffers of the church and the latter likely because of the fame itself. We tend to be proud if we have someone famous in the family, and the church or its community are no exceptions.

This favouritism shouldn’t be prevalent as it creates a class divide within the church, from the haves and the have nots. James already warned of this many years back but it’s still an issue to this very day. The church must not treat the rich as special because each and every one of us are special in the eyes of God. In fact, God’s heart is for the poor and the underprivileged when He made a law to favour the widows, orphans and the foreigner. When Jesus came, He went to the masses to heal the sick and not the select few in the synagogues or the Temple.

I’ll say that fortunately most churches do not actually and consciously favour the rich. They have programs to reach out to the poor and underprivileged instead. In fact, it is the rich with their money who contributed most to the efforts by the church to reach out. In the end, every one, whether rich or poor, will have a place at the table of the Lord and thus a seat in the congregation to worship the Lord, whether you pay your tithes or not. Everyone in the congregation has an equal opportunity to be involved in ministry, in fact, some ministries like hospitality or hospital visits may be self initiated. I’ll say most churches are aware and conscious of James 2 and are doing pretty well in this regard. Praise the Lord!

Send me your people

https://odb.org/2025/12/22/send-me-your-people

1 Corinthians 12:12–20 (NIV): 12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

When my friend Maritza took a job that required traveling to many different cities by herself, she often felt lonely. But over dinner one night, she leaned in and told me, “Jen, I prayed and asked God to send me His people.” She went on to say it wasn’t long before she’d begun to meet other believers in Jesus on a regular basis. Once, she met three in one day!

When we encounter others who have faith in Jesus, we share a spiritual connection. In a hard-to-explain way, this lights a spark within us. We have the most important thing in common because we believe what the Bible says about Christ and how it’s possible to have a relationship with God through Him (Romans 10:9). (Jennifer Benson Schuldt, Our Daily Bread 22nd December 2025)

I’ve never prayed like Jen’s friend, Maritza, for God to send His people to meet her when she traveled alone to multiple cities for work. There was a time in the early 2000s that I traveled a lot for work at my previous workplace but it never occurred to me to pray for the LORD to send His people my way. I was mostly alone and missed home. However, I don’t believe I have knowingly ever met a fellow believer in those business travels which I estimate numbered around 50 times! How good it would have been if I had met with a fellow believer in my travels! Somehow there would have been a connection because we both believed in the same Lord Jesus Christ and have the same Holy Spirit living in us.

As Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 12, we all have a connection with one another because we are all part of the same body of Christ. We all have our respective roles to play based on our God-given talents and giftings and our calling in God. Yet we are all one. We are all part of the universal body of Christ. We need to work together and function as one to be effective for Christ.

The next time we travel, pray for God to connect us with His other children in the Kingdom of God. I’m sure we will revel in the fellowship and praise Him for the time together, connecting in the Spirit as we share our testimony with one another and our role in the body of Christ!

Have a good week ahead, everyone and have a great and blessed Christmas! I’ll be working until Christmas day as I’ve exhausted my annual leave this year travelling twice to Europe, partly for a tour and at the same time to see my son in Cardiff. But I’m sure most of you are now clearing leave and can’t wait for the festivities to start! Have a good time in the Lord in fellowship with one another!

Rest in God

https://odb.org/2025/12/19/still-sleeping

Acts 12:5–11 (NIV): 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. 6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. 8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. 11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

Did the apostle Peter feel likewise after being thrown into prison (Acts 12:4)? He was likely to face execution, yet the usually impulsive disciple “was sleeping between two soldiers” (v. 6). The angel had to “[strike] Peter on the side” to wake him up (v. 7)—suggesting that he was completely calm and at peace. Was it because he knew his life was in God’s hands? Verses 9 and 11 suggest that it wouldn’t have mattered whether he was rescued or not; perhaps he recalled the assurance of salvation and glory that Jesus had given him (Matthew 19:28), as well as Christ’s call to simply “follow me” and not worry about what would happen to him (John 21:22). (Leslie Koh, Our Daily Bread 19th December 2025)

One of the things I learned from my recent battle with high blood glucose is that insulin resistance can be caused by stress. Of course the primary reason is an inactive lifestyle due to the body cells having been permeated by fatty deposits over time leading to resistance towards insulin. Consequently, the glucose in the blood are unable to enter the cells and thus remain high in the blood which may lead to numerous health complications if left untreated. Medication, coupled with exercise and resistance training as well as dietry restraints will thus break down those fatty deposits and bring back the natural balance.

Stress at work however is unavoidable in this modern world as work demands and deadlines will always be there. Some cope better than others but ultimately if stress leads to sickness like high blood pressure, high cholesterol or high blood glucose (prediabetes or diabetes) or even mental illness, there is case for a change of job or the job environment. For us who are on the verge of retirement, we may want to consider early retirement.

From a spiritual standpoint, stress in life may be lessened if we rest in God. Like the case of Peter in jail, about to be sentenced and likely executed the next day, he slept like a baby in jail and in chains flanked by two guards! We always look at Peter’s story in Acts 12 as more of a supernatural rescue by God through an angel but often overlook the demeanour of Peter who faced certain death the next day. But actually I believe if we dwell deeper into the annals of recorded history, we will find that all martyrs of God are at peace when thrown into the arena of the beasts or just plain executed. They are at peace because they are 100% certain that Christ will be at the other side to welcome them when they cross over into life after death.

This morning, I believe, that the calmness of Peter in facing possible death is a lesson for us on how to deal with stress in life. Rest in the Lord. Trust in Him. For we know that God will make all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Our lives are no longer ours when we accept Christ. “To die is gain but to live is Christ” is Paul’s rallying cry.

Have a good weekend ahead, everyone! Rest in the peace of God and may He give us peace that’s beyond our understanding! Amen!

God calls and equips

https://odb.org/2025/12/18/gifted-by-god

Exodus 31:1–11 (NIV): 31 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. 6 Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent—8 the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, 9 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand—10 and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you.”

Beethoven also had ample opportunity and exposure to music (which developed the aptitude he did have). Yet neither talent nor opportunity fully account for God’s role in endowing us with the abilities we have. Our Creator equipped two men, Bezalel and Oholiab, with specific skills to be used in building the tabernacle. God filled Bezalel “with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—to make artistic designs” and appointed Oholiab “to help him” (Exodus 31:3-6). God gave “ability to all the skilled workers to make everything [He] commanded” (v. 6). (Kristen Holmberg, Our Daily Bread 18th December 2025)

In a recent sermon, I shared on the calling of God. One of the points I raised was that we were chosen even before the foundations of the world (Ephesians 1:4) and God already called us before we were formed in our mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5). These verses speak of God’s plans and purposes for our lives, conceived well before we were even born. There’s a sense of destiny in who we are in the Lord.

On the point of overcoming doubts over our calling, I spoke on trusting God’s timing as well as believing that the Lord will equip all whom He calls. We just need to respond in faith and He will prepare and equip us. Exodus 31 today is the perfect example of how God prepared and equipped two ancient men, Bezalel and Oholiab, with specific skills to build the tabernacle during the time of Moses. God had a purpose and He prepared and equipped the people necessary for that purpose.

Likewise when God calls us and He has a specific purpose in mind for us, He will prepare and equip us. Our skills could be our God-given talents that we were born with, honed with the natural skills we acquired from our upbringing, education, social exposure and work experience. Most importantly, trust that He equips whom He calls, even in areas we may have nothing!

God’s compassionate discipline

https://odb.org/2025/12/17/inestimable-worth

Isaiah 43:1–7 (NIV): 43 But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your stead.
4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

The Bible paints another picture of underestimated value and forgotten worth. Isaiah the prophet, inspired by the Holy Spirit, told God’s people that even though they would be taken away to a foreign land where they would suffer and be devalued, He would still be with them: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine,” He assured them (Isaiah 43:1). Though they would “pass through the waters” and “walk through the fire” (v. 2), His faithfulness to them would not change. With words that point to His coming kingdom in Christ, God promised that He would one day restore “everyone who is called by my name” (v. 7) and bring them home to Him (James Banks, Our Daily Bread 17th December 2025).

We all know by now that the Israelites in Judah (Judeans) were brought into exile by the Babylonians due to their disobedience towards God. They were exiled for 70 years. This was their second exile, the first was by the Assyrians. That was against the Northern Kingdom of Israel and led to the loss of the ten northern tribes as there was no documented return of the northerners. In other words, those who were exiled then, over time, effectively became part of the Assyrians by assimilation. In the second exile, Babylon was subsequently overrun by the Persians and the Judeans were permitted by the Persian King, Cyrus the Great, to return to Israel to rebuild the Temple and Jerusalem (see the biblical account in Nehemiah).

Isaiah 43:5-7 is postulated as one of the ancient prophesies that foresaw the modern return of the Jewry from all over the world to Israel with the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Pastor Peter Tsukahira, a naturalised Israeli, often preached on this. However it is to be noted that after 70 years in exile, the Judeans did return to Israel even during those ancient times.

The exile and return of the Israelites during that Babylonian/Persian era speaks of both God’s judgment and compassion. He judged and yet He did not forsake them. It is a theme of God’s heart that we as modern-day believers in Jesus Christ must know. As much as the LORD may discipline or punish us for our disobedience, He is compassionate and forgiving if we were to repent from our wayward ways. Jesus taught this very clearly from the parable of the Prodigal Son.

Do not be afraid or run further away from God if we had been disobedient. Return to Him like the Judeans did after 70 years in Babylon. In our case, He will forgive us. He is a loving and compassionate God. For as proclaimed in Isaiah 43:4 – we are precious and honoured in His sight, because He loves us. Amen!

The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25–34 (NIV): 25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.

The key to understanding the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) lies in knowing how first-century Israel answered the question, “Who is my neighbor?” (v. 29). They’d distorted the command “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) into “love your neighbor and hate your enemy” (Matthew 5:43). The Jews defined a neighbor as a fellow Israelite, for gentiles were accursed. For the Pharisees (experts in the law), it referred to a fellow Pharisee, for those who knew nothing of the law were accursed (John 7:49). Jesus turned this thinking upside down by making a hated Samaritan (people of mixed race whom the Jews viewed as heretics) the hero of the story. The Spirit can help us today to show compassion to others instead of simply passing by. (Bill Crowder, Insights Our Daily Bread 16 December 2025)

Unfortunately, the world, likely influenced by Satan’s indirect propaganda over the ages capitalising on human nature, had accepted the axiom that one should love one’s own but hate others. Most take the latter slightly or even moderately but some to extremes. But this ingrained thinking likely led to prejudice, racism, bigotry fueling hatred among races over centuries, for instance, between Arabs and Jews.

There are examples everywhere, between whites and coloured people, the British and the French and at home, between the 3 main races in Malaysia – the Malays versus the Chinese and Indians. Amongst the Malays, there is this preconceived idea that the non-Malays, whose ancestors were brought into Malaya to work at the tin mines and rubber estates, are out to take their inherent right to the riches of Malaya. Unfortunately, it was the British who exploited the situation as part of their global colonialism and present-day non-Malay Malaysians are just descendants of their ancestors. They are not migrants but descendants of migrants. Of course, this is not unique to Malaysia. Prejudice, racism and hatred exist everywhere in the world, even in homogeneous societies.

The issue is how can we as believers not only take a different view (which I believe most of us already have) but also make a difference? Can we be the Good Samaritan in situations we encounter in life? Can we put aside our ingrained prejudices, shaped by years of social conditioning, and love our “neighbour” as Jesus intended – everyone else, not just our kind or fellow believers? We probably can’t change others or society at large, but we can be the Good Samaritan!