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.

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!