Selfishness versus selflessness

https://odb.org/2025/10/06/making-room-for-others

Philippians 2:1–11 (NIV): 1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.

At electric vehicle charging stations across the United States, some drivers overstay their time at “fast-chargers,” which are designed to help drivers quickly charge their cars and get back on the road. To resolve this unkind behaviour, one of the largest charging networks has implemented strict time limits at some of its busiest stations. When a vehicle’s battery charge reaches eighty-five per cent, the driver must make room for the next car in need of a charge. (Marvin Williams, ODB 6 Oct 25)

I’m not sure whether we have the same system in Malaysia as fast DC chargers become more common, and more and more electric cars now have higher charging capacity. For example, the just launched Xpeng G6 facelift can reach a state of charge of 80% from 20% in just 12 minutes as its 80.8 kW/h LFP battery architecture supports 5C charging with a charging capacity of 451 kW! But what I have seen in Malaysia are ICE cars parking at EV charging bays! Of course, the solution to this issue is not just education and civic-mindedness but also laws and enforcement. Humans, by nature, are a selfish bunch!

But as Christians, it’s a totally different kettle of fish. We, on the other hand, are moulded by the Holy Spirit to be selfless. As we move away from our old self and embrace our born-again spiritual nature, we will inevitably become less and less selfish. As we think and consider more of the needs of others, the world may laugh at us or call us stupid. But will that bother us? No, because we put Christ first in all that we do. We have an eternity mindset and people who are minded as such, always putting the interests and needs of others first. For example, in a buffet, when we see that there are only 10 large juicy and succulent prawns left at the tray, a believer will just take two so that others will have their fair share but a selfish individual may just take all 10! As for me, I will probably take 3 – I’m not that selfless!

Selfishness and selflessness are virtues we need to deal with as part of our spiritual formation and character building. There is no need to maximise our gain. Always leave a fair share for others. In the end, if we had taken the 10 prawns, it may look like a win, but in economic theory, we know that too much of a good thing is never a good thing! Not only two will taste better than 10, but it will leave us more room to savour other delicacies! Put others first, and not only that it pleases God and confounds the world, it may well be good for us, actually!

Have a good week ahead, everyone, and start putting others first!

Eternal perspective

https://odb.org/2025/10/03/representing-jesus

2 Corinthians 5:9–10 (NIV): 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Saying we’re Christian and wearing clothes with Christian messages are good things. However, the Bible teaches that the way we live and love as we share the gospel is the true identifier of those who follow Jesus. The apostle Paul and the other believers in Corinth were compelled, or driven, to please God by living with an eternal perspective while sharing Him with others (2 Corinthians 5:9-14). (Xochitl Dixon, ODB 3 Oct 25).

I think one of the best ways to reflect Christ in our actions and spoken words, besides developing our character in Christ, is to always have an eternal perspective when living out life. If we think eternal, we will be less likely to indulge in temporal pleasures or intentionally commit sin or ruin our testimony before others. It is also much easier to go through difficult and hard times as what awaits us in eternity will be so glorious that the little sufferings we go through for Christ in the present pales in comparison. In other words, I should be able to endure tough times while on earth as I wait for my reward in eternity. While the former is temporal, the latter is for all eternity. As Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, we make it our goal to please Him, for we will appear before the judgment seat of Christ to receive what is due to us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Have an eternal perspective! Open ourselves up to the spiritual realm. Be sensitive to what’s happening there and how it impacts the world today. The master of deception is at work. There are dark forces at work in the entertainment world, in media, or even in AI (artificial intelligence). Not that we can’t use these present-day contemporary tools. We just need to be careful and mindful that the devil’s objective in these end days is to distract and draw us away from our eternal purpose and destiny. Think eternal always! Have an eternal perspective in all that we think and do! Amen!

Remain teachable in the Lord

https://odb.org/2025/10/02/remaining-teachable

Proverbs 9:1-6, 13-18 (NIV): 1 Wisdom has built her house; she has set up its seven pillars. 2 She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table. 3 She has sent out her servants, and she calls from the highest point of the city, 4“Let all who are simple come to my house!” To those who have no sense, she says, 5“Come, eat my food, and drink the wine I have mixed. 6 Leave your simple ways, and you will live; walk in the way of insight.” 13 Folly is an unruly woman; she is simple and knows nothing. 14 She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city, 15 calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way, 16“Let all who are simple come to my house!” To those who have no sense, she says, 17“Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” 18 But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.

Remaining teachable may be one of the most difficult things we can do. The Bible speaks of having a teachable heart that’s open to God’s wisdom. The poetry of Proverbs paints a picture of two women calling out to passersby—Wisdom and Folly (Proverbs 9:1-6; 13-18). Those who listen to Wisdom receive correction with grace. They “add to their learning” and become even wiser (v. 9). They habitually “walk in the way of insight” (v. 6) and seat themselves at Wisdom’s table for instruction. Their obedience leads to a full life (v. 11). In contrast, those who listen to Folly hate being corrected or criticized. (Karen Pimpo – ODB 2 Oct 2025).

The genius of Proverbs as a book of the bible is that it always points us to choose wisdom over everything else, including riches, because this is what its writer, King Solomon, chose when given the choice by the LORD. But the real “wisdom” in choosing wisdom is that it is actually  choosing God over everything else. That is also the backbone and underlying message of Ecclesiastes, another book written by Solomon, considered the wisest human ever lived. Jesus taught the same thing as recorded in Matthew 6:33 – “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”

In living our Christian lives, it is imperative that we remain teachable, especially from God. Being teachable ensures that we continue to learn as we develop our careers with new technical and soft skills to encourage, support, and influence others. In the spiritual realm, it ensures that we remain on the narrow path that leads to eternal life and, in parallel, fulfilling our full potential in the Kingdom of God. When we are teachable, we will fulfil God’s plans and purposes for our lives as we mend our ways to conform to his moulding of us and develop a Christlike character. Even as we do not conform to the pattern of this world and are transformed by the renewing of our minds to discover (test and approve) the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Choose wisdom above all things, and that also means being teachable. In choosing wisdom, we will choose God above everything else. Commit our dreams and ambitions unto Him that He will sanctify the desires our hearts and align our dreams and ambitions with His plans and purposes for our lives that we may always live in the centre of His will!

Out of darkness into light

https://odb.org/2025/10/01/out-from-the-dark

Isaiah 9:2–7 (NIV): 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. 4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. 5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace, there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

In the natural realm, it is hard to imagine what it is like to be in complete darkness even for a few hours. This is because for most modern homes nowadays, street lights and large windows will ensure that our homes are not in complete darkness even if we were to switch off every light source inside at night. But this was what happened to Harrison Odjegba Okene after his boat capsized, and he found an air pocket at the hull. He waited there in complete darkness for 3 days before he was rescued. It must have been the same experience for the Thai football team, who was stranded in a cave a few years back. I think for us, complete darkness will perhaps be in the middle of a forest on a moonless night, but if the trees are tall, the moon light may not reach the ground, and we will experience complete darkness.

In the spiritual realm, however, we were in complete darkness before we knew Christ. We had no idea of the path that Christ had prepared for us. The road to eternal life. Our reconciled relationship with God brought us back to fellowship with our Creator. A renewed purpose in life. Not only to achieve our own dreams but also the aspirations placed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Other faiths have different meanings for seeing the light, but in our faith, it means being an integral part of the Kingdom of God. The scales of our spiritual eyes have been lifted. We see the vast world and potential within the Kingdom of God, which will last for all eternity. It’s like there is a whole new world out there beyond the natural world that we see. A wealth of experiences awaiting us as we serve Him in His church with all our heart, soul, and mind!

Although we have 5 senses, our sight only “sees” things reflected by light. Thus, in darkness, which is the absence of light, we see nothing. We could still hear and feel things, but our eyes see nothing. It is as though we are blind.

Now, after seeing and experiencing “the light” in the spiritual realm, do we really want to withdraw back into “darkness” and reject all things God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and His Word? Surely, remaining in the light with a road map and a sanctified journey to everlasting life in all eternity is the wiser choice! We have a will and the freedom of choice. Choose wisely and not recklessly!

A leap of faith

https://odb.org/2025/09/30/a-leap-of-faith

Ephesians 2:1-5,8-10 (NIV): 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

A yatch that has lost its rudder and rigging basically has lost control of its directions. It is dead on the water. It will go wherever the wind or tide brings it. It could drift far into the open seas or just go round and round in circles within a certain area. Whatever it is, it will not likely reach its destination unless help arrives.

It’s a good picture of who we were before we knew Christ. We were dead in our transgressions and sins as Paul puts it in Ephesians 2:1. That was how we used to live when we followed the ways of the world and of the ruler of the air. There was a time when we lived gratifying the cravings of our flesh, following its thoughts and desires. But because of His great love for us, God made us alive in Christ, although we were dead. For it is by the grace of God that we were saved through faith. It is a gift of God, not by works so no one can boast. Indeed, we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

The question this morning is: Are we still like our old self even after knowing Christ? Are we still living gratifying the cravings of our flesh, its thoughts and desires? Or have we genuinely taken the leap of faith, lovingly and willingly embracing the transformative power of Christ? There is a question of our service, and yet, more importantly, there is the question of our character. Have we made peace with God, or are we still waiting until our dying breath? Are we still unwilling to lift our one foot off the land and sail off in our boat into the horizon with God at the helm? I believe most of us who know Christ have had to make that call to give our all to Christ. Most of us hesitate and keep our options open, with our feet on both sides of the divide. We need to take that leap of faith, and we need to do it now! Not tomorrow or one day, as tomorrow or that day may never come.

The Resurrection Power of Christ

https://odb.org/2025/09/29/christs-resurrection-power

John 11:38–44 (NIV): 38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time, there is a bad odour, for he has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

The raising of Lazarus from the dead is one of the more popular events from the Gospel that preachers touch from the pulpit. Rightly so because it is phenomenally supernatural! Jesus didn’t arrive moments after his death but four full days after he died! In fact, He delayed his arrival on purpose to prove that it was not some pure coincidence or the use of some CPR techniques to revive the heart. It was past the 3-day period when Jewish traditions believed the soul would have left the body. Modern science confirms that decomposition would have started by then with cells (including blood) having started breaking down. That is why there was a foul smell.

While theologically, it confirms the diety of Christ as resurrection is not just the healing of a disease or ailments. But the recalling of the soul after death. As souls returned to God after death, it proved that Jesus was indeed God since He was able to command the soul to return to the body after it had departed.

This is, however, not the resurrection that Jesus Himself pioneered after His own death. This is not the victory over sin and death that forms the basis for our faith. Jesus’s resurrection was into a glorified body that we place our hope on that one day we will likewise be resurrected (if we had already died by then) to be with Christ when we meet Him in the air on rapture. The difference is that on rapture, we will not die anymore and will actually live forever (the everlasting or eternal life in John 3:16), unlike Lazarus who eventually died a natural death in old age.

Applying this to our lives, there is a sense there was a resurrection when we first accepted Christ. Our spirit, which was dead, was made alive by the Holy Spirit. This was spoken of even during ancient times in Ezekial 36:26.

In Christ, we have a new heart and a new spirit. A spirit that is born-again, made alive, resurrected. A spirit that is enabled and empowered to connect with God and receive of His wonderful blessings and goodness. A spirit revived that reaches out to fulfil the will of God, to respond to His calling, and to make His plans and purposes for our lives a reality. We can tap into the spiritual, are sensitive to the happenings of the spiritual world, and can pray for God to intervene in our midst as children of God and co-heirs with Christ.

Christ’s resurrection also speaks of resurrecting and transforming our dreams and desires of the past buried by our dark moments into new rebirths, new starts, and new beginnings. The Lord will restore what the locusts have devoured. Our path to eternal life will be filled with joyful moments of faithful service even as we strive to achieve His will here on earth as it is in heaven. Indeed, let us let the Kingdom of God reign victorious in our midst over our ailments, sicknesses, and weaknesses. May our lives be an extension of the Kingdom of Grace. Where is the Kingdom of Heaven today? It is in our midst, in the midst of our natural and broken lives, resurrected and empowered by the power of the Holy Spirit!

Have a good week ahead, everyone!

Beauty out of tragedy

https://odb.org/2025/09/26/beauty-out-of-tragedy

Genesis 2:8–9 (NIV): 8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 3:1–6 (NIV): 3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

In the beginning, God created the Garden of Eden for man to live in and take care. Eden had everything that humankind ever needed – unpolluted air, streams of water, fruits and vegetation for food, dominion over the animals, and birds of the air, the tree of life (ensuring immortality) and most importantly, the presence and in-dwelling of God Himself. Adam and Eve were in direct contact and interaction with the LORD then.

Tragedy occurred when Satan, in the form of a serpent, deceived Adam and Eve by first planting doubt in their minds as to the consequences of eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan also planted the idea that they could be like God if they ate the fruit. As the saying goes, curiosity kills the cat. So they ate of the fruit and committed the first sin that got them banished from Eden.

God had to send His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to the world to die for our sins so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16 paraphrased). In Revelation 21, the new heaven and new earth were revealed to John as the hope of our glory that one day, those of us whose names are written in the Book of Life will inherit our place in this new heaven and new earth. This is Eden recreated and is the mansion of many rooms that Jesus had gone ahead to prepare for us. Like the first Eden, God will dwell amongst His people. With there being sin no more, there will not be tears, sorrow, and sadness. The tragedy of Eden will be turned into joy at the end of the age.

The promise of God today that we can cling on to is the new heaven and new earth at the end of time if we remain faithful to the very end.

In the meantime, there is a sense that He is able and will turn our own tragedies into places of beauty. A beautiful and fruitful tree with fruits and flowers in full bloom will be birthed from the tombstones of our sad episodes of life. He will turn our mourning into joy. From the dark and frigid winter, God will bring the beautiful colours of spring into our lives. We will once again experience His presence even as He dwells in the praises of His people. His promise for us is beauty out of tragedy, even as we remain faithful in serving Him and fulfilling His plans and purposes for our lives!

The LORD is with us

https://odb.org/2025/09/25/its-gonne-be-okay

Psalm 118:5-14 (NIV) –

5 When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
    he brought me into a spacious place.
6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
    I look in triumph on my enemies.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in humans.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in princes.
10 All the nations surrounded me,
    but in the name of the Lord, I cut them down.
11 They surrounded me on every side,
    but in the name of the Lord, I cut them down.
12 They swarmed around me like bees,
    but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord, I cut them down.
13 I was pushed back and about to fall,
    but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and my defence; he has become my salvation.

One of my daughter’s most vivid childhood memories is the day her dad taught her to ride a bike without training wheels. At one point in their outing, my husband balanced his feet on the hubs of her rear wheel (while she kept hers on the pedals and they shared the handlebars) so they could coast down a small, gently sloping section together. She remembers her dad laughing with joy—a sharp contrast to her own fearful experience of the moment. The ride was so short that the entire episode happened too quickly for him to stop and empathize with her. As they reminisce about the incident today, my husband’s gentle response to her recollection is to reassure her that he knew everything would be okay.

The above is the starting paragraph of today’s ODB article by Kirsten Holmberg. It’s a good metaphor for who God is in our lives. There are things that we need to experience in life. Some experiences are painful and disappointing. Like a breakup in a relationship or the death of someone. Or, like the recent but annually recurring brouhaha over local university admissions, we may have been extremely disappointed with the course offered to us previously. For the latter, I’ll say now that after more than 35 years from my time, nothing much has changed except that there are many more opportunities outside that system today with more reputable local private universities and the government higher education loan system. In other words, nowadays, we don’t need to forget about university education and enter the workforce if we don’t score well for STPM. In fact, nowadays, fewer even bother taking STPM altogether. Whatever we may have gone through in life, God is and has always been with us.

I believe the message this morning when we ponder upon God being with us is to look at life in terms of many years and not a few days or weeks or even months. Maybe we went through difficult and sad times. In the present or the past. But God was and will always be with us in the background, and when it really matters, He does intervene. Not always, and not all the time, but He does. Personally, I experienced His grace and mercy countless times, although, like many others, I had also faced and had gone through tears, disappointments, and sadness. Just 3 years back, when I was about to resign from my previous employer and abandon my 27 years of service there, in fact, just moments before I was about to push the button, I was offered a severance package for my long service. It was a touching and pleasant surprise and was testimonial of God’s grace and mercy. It is proof that He is always in the background, keeping a close eye on what was going on in my life. Or how my late dad had survived a very bad heart attack in 2009 and lived another 13 years with renewed vigour and life serving God and even marrying my much younger step-mum. We wished he had lived much longer, but we rejoice in His goodness and grace, giving him a new lease of life.

God is always with us! Amen! He is indeed our strength, defence, and salvation!

Providence and care of God

https://odb.org/2025/09/24/no-coincidences

2 Kings 8:1–6 (NIV): 8 Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the LORD has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years.” 2 The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family went away and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years.
3 At the end of the seven years, she came back from the land of the Philistines and went to appeal to the king for her house and land. 4 The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and had said, “Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done.” 5 Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to appeal to the king for her house and land.
Gehazi said, “This is the woman, my lord the king, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” 6 The king asked the woman about it, and she told him.
Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, “Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now.”

You can read the story of the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4 and 8. She was a wealthy woman who invited and later prepared a room for Elisha to stay whenever he was in Shunem. Elisha often stopped at Shunem when he travelled between Mount Carmel and Samaria. She was later blessed with a son because of her kind hospitality and generosity towards the prophet. However, a few years later, the son fell ill and died, and Elisha restored him to life by raising him from the dead.

Interestingly, her story didn’t end there. Later, the prophet advised her to leave Judea as a severe famine was coming. When she left, she relinquished her right to her house and title. She returned 7 years later and appealed to the King for her home and land to be restored to her. Due to her past association with Elisha, as pointed out by the prophet’s servant, the King assigned an official to her case and ultimately returned her home and land.

The Shunammite woman’s story is interesting as quite a bit of biblical real estate was dedicated to her story. Yet she was unnamed. But her story highlights her recognition of who Elisha was as a prophet of God and the respect she bestowed upon him. It also highlighted her sincere kindness and hospitality towards Elisha. As a result, she experienced the providence, provision, and care of God in crucial moments of her life, from the blessing of a son to the resurrection of her son and the restoration of her home and land.

What can we learn and apply from this story? I believe if we are kind and hospitable towards servants and ministers of God, whether in kind or monetarily, God will remember and bless us in His special way. I’ve said before in these pages that our LORD God remembers every single good thing that we have ever done, more so if it is towards His servants and ministers. Often, these exemplary men and women would have given up a lot of the comforts and trappings of life to respond to the calling of God upon their lives. The LORD treasures their obedience and commitment, and so should we in our small gestures of kindness and hospitality towards such mighty men and women of God. Amen! Praise the Lord for His goodness and mercy! His love endureth forever!

Saving lives

https://odb.org/2025/09/23/saving-lives

Acts 20:17–24 (NIV): 17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. 22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city, the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

Adolfo Kaminsky knew how to remove indelible ink from paper. As a member of the anti-Nazi resistance in France, he altered identification cards to save hundreds from concentration camps. Once, he was given three days to forge nine hundred birth and baptismal certificates and ration cards for three hundred Jewish children. He laboured two straight days without sleep, telling himself, “In one hour, I can make thirty blank documents. If I sleep for an hour, thirty people will die.”

The above is an excerpt from today’s ODB, which was courageous and exemplary behaviour. However, in retrospect, it was a criminal act, and while we do not advocate going against the law, there are times when lives matter more than the consequences of our actions.

In the case of Paul, he did not hesitate to travel to Jerusalem to preach, knowing that much pain and hardship await him there. He was eventually arrested, and as he was a Roman citizen, he appealed to Caeser and was granted the right to be tried in Rome and in the process preached Christ at the highest stage of the known world then. Paul’s mission was to preach Christ as spiritual lives matter more than hardship and even his death.

What matters more to us? Is it a successful life lived to the fullest for God’s glory or for our own comfort and security? We may not be called to live like Paul, but surely there must be some risk we need to take for the sake of the Gospel? For example, if we preach Christ, we risk rejection. Nevertheless, the real work to convict someone of his sins is not ours. We just need to share the Gospel or our testimony and let the Holy Spirit use us as His mouthpiece. In the end, every human being has the will to choose for himself, where his heart lies. I think, at the very least, we must prepare a testimony of what God has done for us, His goodness and blessings upon us and our family, and share that with others wherever we have the opportunity. Surely, the spiritual lives of others matter more than our fear or shame of rejection?