https://odb.org/MY/2023/05/04/how-to-pray-2

With Jesus having reconciled us to God, as believers, we have the privilege and the honour to approach God in prayer. Thus, for every seemingly impossible situation we face, help is just a prayer away. As we connect with our Father in heaven, He may unleash forces in heaven to make a difference for us here on earth, in His time, for our petitions and supplications that are in His will.

In this respect, 2 Chronicles 20:1-12 teaches us a posture for prayer in the person of Jehoshaphat that we should all consider when approaching the holy and righteous throne of God.

I think the first point to take note of is Jehoshaphat’s humility in seeking the LORD’s intervention and help. He is seeking help but not demanding. As much as the Israelites in Judah are God’s people and they are all fasting and as much as God should protect His people, it is for Him to decide whether He will and when. If God doesn’t intervene, then He didn’t, and that’s that. He has His reasons, and we mustn’t question or challenge Him, for He is still our creator and Lord as much as He is our friend. It is like at work. We may rationalise and put forth arguments for our point of view, but in the end, the call and accountability lies with our boss. Once he decides, we execute. With God, nothing is as of right since we are relying on His grace and mercy. In fact, grace is defined as being given something that we don’t deserve, and mercy is not being given something unfavourable that we deserve. It is always, in my view, a question of love, compassion, and discretion of God.

Yet as we approach God, we must also be bold and confident because there is now no condemnation in Christ. We may freely approach the throne of God in prayer with the blood of the Lamb covering us, making us unblemished and white as snow before God. In this connection, for our own faith and confidence, we should, like Jehoshaphat, remember the times in the past when we had experienced His goodness, grace, and mercy. Those times when He had answered our prayers in our moments of desperation and hopelessness. Those times when we really felt His love for us. When we remember those milestones, we have confidence but also gratitude and thanksgiving. Thus, even if God, for some reason, doesn’t answer us now, He had answered us before, and we are thankful for His grace and mercy during those tough and difficult times.

Have the right posture within us when approaching God. It is now the era of the church, the new testament time, and yet God is still God, whether in the old or new testaments. He must be given the full reverence that He deserves as it was Him who created the vast universe and all things that are in it. His power, reach, and authority are infinite compared to us. We have no right to demand anything from Him.

https://odb.org/MY/2023/05/03/tired-tents

Paul likes to use the expression “tent” to refer to our earthly bodies. I guess tent is a good analogy as it is temporal and moveable. Tents are also symbolic of our faith forefathers, who were nomads who left their permanent abodes by faith for a faraway land in response to a calling from God, for a place flowing with milk and honey where their descendants will be like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore.

As we grow older, we can not avoid the effects of ageing. We are not as strong as we used to be. We are slower in movement. Our eyesight is getting worse. If we could easily do 30,000 steps a day when young; 17,000 steps are challenging now. Now, we will probably take a week to recover from an overseas trip. Even our memory is failing. Our tents do get tired and worn out.

Thus, 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:5 give us that hope that even as our earthly tents are decaying, our spirit man is getting stronger. Our inner being, which was created by God before the foundations of the world to be holy and blameless before Christ (Ephesians 1:4), is getting stronger by the day. One day, our inner man will become our new physical self as we are transformed into our glorified bodies as the spiritual realm merges with the physical in the new heaven and earth, in the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:1-2).

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, do not be dismayed if we are afflicted by ailments and medical complications. Some are due to the years of neglect, and yet some are just unavoidable as we age due to wear and tear. Focus on what is unseen as what is unseen is eternal – the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:18. But note his words again in 2 Corinthians 5:1 – for we know if our earthly tent is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. If we had neglected our temporal tents all these years, don’t make the same mistake with our eternal bodies!

https://odb.org/MY/2023/05/02/life-everlasting

I always recall the movie Highlander whenever the topic of immortality crops up. It is about a Scottish swordsman who was born in 1518 and lived through the centuries. In a subtle way, a movie like that, although pure fiction, embodies our human desire to live forever. The novel Count Dracula (that has been adapted into numerous movies) is another example of man’s pursuit of immortality. Throughout the ages, we have been known to search for the elixir of youth that cures all diseases. Even in contemporary times, we have stem cell technology to rejuvenate our bodies and preempt diseases so that we may live longer, although not forever. We, as believers, of course, know that we age and die because of sin, and the only way to eternal life is believing in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour.

The movie Highlander and other movies like Charlize Theron’s Netflix’s The Old Guard highlight a fundamental issue with immortality, and that is, living forever is a very lonely experience. This is because if we are immortal, we will outlive all our loved ones who will age and die, and we have to restart that process of loving someone over and over again, and that also means loss and grief throughout time. It is ironical, but mortality then becomes the quest of immortals.

Is the hope of eternal life promised by Christ immortality? In a way, it also embodies the desire of man for immortality. But the big difference is that although we die, we live as Jesus said in John 11:25. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. We need to die in Christ in order to live.

The other significant difference is that the hope of eternal life advocated by Christ has more to do with being with God than living forever. Jesus’s death on the cross reconciled us to God, and thus, that is why Christians proclaim that eternal life can somewhat be experienced here on earth now while we are living here on earth, in our brokenness and sin. We have a glimmer of eternity as Christians.

Man was created by God to have fellowship with Him as He originally intended in Eden. Sin disrupted that. So God had to send His only Son to earth so that we may not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). When we read Revelation 21 and 22, we will see Eden recreated at the end of time with a new beginning with God dwelling again among His people. Heaven and earth become one. The spiritual realm merges with the physical. With sin and the devil banished forever, we will live forever, but that’s not the point. We will live forever with one another and with God, and that’s really the point of eternal life!

https://odb.org/MY/2023/05/01/multitude-of-maples

I have just returned from my vacation travel to Taiwan, and it was indeed a tiring (we each walked about 17,000 steps most days) but refreshing trip, seeing how advanced and structured Taiwan is, with her efficient high speed rail, metro, inter-city trains and buses. The food was especially good, suited to our Malaysian tastes, and didn’t cost a bomb like in Europe. Although it was already warmer, we had a couple of chilly days due to rain and with humidity at around 10%, it was a very pleasant experience compared to the hot humid tropical weather we are used to over here. I think I’ll make it a point, if possible, to travel in the future to only 4-season countries for vacation – just to experience the cold again!

Peter makes a good point for us to ponder in 1 Peter 3:15, to always being ready to give an answer for the hope that we have in Christ Jesus. When people look at our lives and the testimony we bear, they may be curious to know why. Why do we live right side up, based on Godly principles that do not conform to the standards of this world? Why do we repay evil with blessings as advised by Peter in 1 Peter 3:9? Why do some of us willingly face persecution because of our faith and principles? Why do we want to do good, instead of evil?

I think as a believer, we must invest some time to formulate and articulate our own answer if anyone were to ask us the reason for our hope. It could be an object lesson in apologetics or just a summary of a few favourite verses, but whatever it is, it must be grounded on our own experience of the goodness of God. As much as we look to the eternal life as promised, we experience heaven here on earth now in terms of the spiritual blessings and the manifestation of His power and glory in our lives. Our faith is not only for eternity but also while we are yet sinners and pilgrims passing through. In our brokenness, we experience His blessings. In our weakness, we find strength in Jesus. In our sorrow, we find comfort in Him.

The takeaway today is not to be afraid to live for God. We will not lose out. We may suffer a little, but in the suffering that we endure, we will see the goodness and strength of God arising from within us to overcome and be victorious. In suffering, we develop perseverance and through perseverance character and character, hope (Romans 5:3-5). We must never be neither here nor there, living in the peripherals. If we are neither hot nor cold, Jesus will spit us out!

https://odb.org/MY/2023/04/18/future-faithfulness

In this era of the church, we know Jesus will come again. Although no one except the Father knows the exact time, predictions are rife that it will be within our generation. It is predicted that it should be within the lifetime of a human being from the day Israel was established as a nation in 1948. Thus, if we postulate that a human being can live at the most 105 years now, then the prediction is Christ should come again on or before 2053 or thereabouts. That’s exactly 30 years away, max.

If we believe in this prediction, there may not be any use to invest in the future since the second coming heralds the end of times, and places us in a trajectory that will end with the day of judgement.

Yet as much as we know and believe Christ will return, Christ Himself has said before that we will not really know exactly when although there will be signs. You can read what Jesus said about His Second coming in Mathew 24:36-44, but it will be like in the days of Noah.

My view is that we need to be prepared for the Great Tribulation, and thus keep our faith strong and alive so that we will withstand all forms of persecution if and when the time actually comes in our lifetime. That is, in itself, an investment in the future as the foreseeable future itself may include the second coming of Christ. Be faithful in the path of righteousness and serve God. Fulfil His plans and purposes for our lives, and I’m sure He will ensure that we will be protected like He promised in Jeremiah 32:38-39. “They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them.” In Jeremiah, God asked him to purchase land even though the LORD knew that Babylon would invade and leave Israel burning and destroyed. Why? Because the LORD will bring restoration in the future. Because one day He will bring His people back to the land.

Life goes on in the meantime. Our church needs us. There is much work to be done in the Kingdom of God. We still need to work to survive. There is still a future to build for we know not when exactly Christ will come again. We still need to build a foundation for our children and our children’s children. Therefore, as much as we invest in the possible coming of Christ within our generation, we also invest in a future that transcends that time. We commit our lives and our future to the Father, who knows what’s best for us and our loved ones.

For those who take the effort and time to read my blogs diligently, I thank you very much for your constant support and encouragement. Having an audience motivates me to keep on writing as much as I’m motivated to fulfil God’s calling for me for this season of my life. I’ll be travelling over the next two weeks and thus may not be able to pen out my thoughts as regularly. Please bear with me before I resume the norm after my travels. God bless and take care, everyone!

https://odb.org/MY/2023/04/17/remembering-to-praise

I led worship yesterday at my local church and had the privilege to play with a talented guitarist who played electric and blended well with my acoustic guitar and my wife’s digital piano, as we intermixed the basic chords of the songs with melodies and harmonies. We also had an up and coming drummer who played his heart out to give us rhythm and keep time for us.

I started the worship by mentioning that although the world also sings, we worship by singing in spirit and in truth. Truth means the proclaiming of God and His greatness and goodness as expressed in the words of the songs, all of which are true as well as declaring that Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. We exalt His name high above the earth above all gods.

Yet there is the spirit component in worship. As believers redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, worship is where we see God face to face in the spiritual realm as our spirit is born again. Worship is the moment we enter into His presence and just love and adore Him as we speak our hearts out to Him.

One aspect of worship that forms its foundation is thanksgiving. We enter into God’s presence at His court with thanksgiving in our hearts. We are thankful for all that He is to us, for where He has brought us thus far and for calling us to be His own, into His family. Thus, one of my favourite songs in worship is a song that proclaims His greatness, which declares that when we call upon His name, He will answer us and ends lovingly by declaring His great love and His great faithfulness! Another song I love is the song that says that our Lord is forever in our lives, that He sees us through all seasons and leads us to His righteousness. He covers us with His hand as we look to Him and wait upon Him.

In all seasons, praise Him. Enter into His presence with thanksgiving. Remember all that He has done for us and our loved ones. Remember His grace and compassion for all our loved ones who are now with Him. The future may be unknown, but with the Lord in our lives, we know where we are headed, and it is a place where Eden is recreated! Hallelujah and Praise the Lord!

https://odb.org/MY/2023/04/16/greater-love

It is indeed true that greater love has no one than one who lays down his life for another. Jesus did this for us at the cross for our sins. Officer Arnaud Beltrame did the same thing when he offered himself to be substituted with the last hostage of a terrorist in France and was killed in a subsequent exchange of gunfire. Some say he did this because of his faith in Jesus. This occurred in 2018, and you may read about it here:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43525267

In John 15, Jesus elevated us to the level of friends and not mere servants in describing His relationship with us. Somewhat putting us as believers in the same realm as Abraham, who was regarded as a friend of God. But Abraham is, of course, the father of the nation of Israel, and we through Christ are adopted spiritual children of Abraham. The reason is because, as believers, we will know the business of the Father, which servants will not. God will fulfil His plans and purposes through us, through our lives as we live in the center of His will.

Will we ever be placed in a situation like Officer Arnaud Beltrame? Probably not. But I do know of a real-life father who had donated one of his healthy kidneys for his son nearly 20 years back, and the son is now around 30. Or in the sinking of the Titanic, there were stories of people preaching the Gospel at the last hours and letting others take their place in the lifeboats because they knew where they were going and were thus not afraid of perishing. In John 3:16, it was written that for God so loved the world that He sent His one and only begotten son to us so that whoever believed in Him shall not perish but have life eternal. In John 11:25, Jesus declared that He is the resurrection and the life and that even though we may die, we will live.

As believers, we should be ike Paul, to die is gain, but to live is Christ. We need not be afraid of death as we will be with Christ, but if we live, then we live for Christ.

Have a great Sunday worship today! Praise and worship the Lord with thanksgiving in our hearts, for we have a permanent abode in heaven. We have no fear of death. We are friends of God. Teach us, O Lord, to love another with Your love. We will all have our own individual stories of our love for one another!

https://odb.org/MY/2023/04/14/uphill-all-the-way

King David is the second king in Israel prior to its split into Israel, the northern kingdom (with the cities of Sechem, Samaria), and Judah, the southern kingdom (with Jerusalem and the Temple). The split occurred at the reign of Rehoboam, the grandson of David and the son of Solomon. While King Solomon was regarded as the wisest and wealthiest of the kings of Israel and Judah and thus the greatest in the natural – David, Solomon’s father, was regarded as the greatest in the more spiritual sense as he was a man after God’s heart. Even Jesus Christ, our Lord and God incarnate, identified Himself as being from the House of David, meaning that He was from the lineage of the greatest king of Israel. David also has a special place in the heart of Israel as he was a warrior king and had led and won many wars and battles for Israel. The reign of David was thus regarded as the golden age of Israel.

2 Samuel 15:26 I feel perfectly summaries David’s heart. While being pursued by his own son, Absalom, who was out to kill him and undertake a coup d’etat, David, in returning the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem told his people that he will let the LORD do to him whatever is right to Him. He was willing to be at the mercy of the punishment from God, and even as the LORD punished him for his sins, the most notable being his adultery with Bethsheba and the killing of her husband, Uriah, the Hittite general in his army. The LORD punished him with the loss of his first son with Bethsheba and a few of his other sons as well as his other son, Absalom, rebelling against him. Yet, curiously enough, David’s successor was Solomon, from his union with Bethsheba, from whom Jesus Christ was descended from.

David was somewhat like Job. He never rebelled or went against or cursed God in his heart. Verse 25 of 2 Samuel 15 was particularly poignant. David said to Zadok (a Levite), “Bring the Ark back to the city and if I find favour in the LORD, He will bring me back and let me see it and His dwelling place again”. David knew he was being disciplined, but as he had said in Psalm 30, the anger of the LORD is for a moment, but His favour lasts a lifetime. David expressed not just a hope or desire but a fact based on his own experience facing the discipline and wrath of God.

The message this morning is that as much as the Lord may punish or discipline us for our iniquities or indiscretions, let our hearts remain pure towards Him even as we go through those tough times periods. Know that He has not and will not abandon us. His love for us is steadfast and renewed every morning like dew. Be like David, a man always after God’s heart. Since this is the will of God, accept it and move on in our spiritual walk. Don’t fret, complain, or haggle with God. Don’t sulk or curse God. Let Him do with us what is right with Him. Know that there will always be a rainbow at the end of the tunnel, no matter how long and endless it may appear to be!

https://odb.org/MY/2023/04/13/tears-of-praise

One of the beauty of the Psalms is that if we choose any one, chances are the Psalmists were praising God. This is because, in general, Psalms are praises for God.

The other thing is that we are taught to praise the Lord regardless of what we are going through. Life, as we all know, has both valley and mountain top experiences. So praising God in times of joy and rejoicing comes naturally, but to do the same during sorrow and sadness, that requires some getting used to and faith. Thus, the phrase, tears of praise. We are crying, and yet we are praising God. Comes across as being somewhat pretentious and fake, but the reality is we praise the Lord because we know God knows best.

For example, if a loved one who is in the Lord passes away, as much as we miss him, we are assured he is in the good hands of Jesus Christ, our Lord, at a much better place as they say in funerals. If he was not in the faith, we believe God has given all the chances to him to accept Jesus, and he needs to face the consequences of his decision. We still praise God because we trust in His eternal justice system.

Other instances are something bad or an accident that has happened, but we praise God as it could have been worse, much worse. Or if there was a setback, we praise the Lord knowing that He will work things out for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

If we read Psalm 30:5, we will see that His anger is only for a moment, but His favour lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Meaning to say, there will be a rainbow at the end of every tunnel of life we are going through, although some are longer and more endless than others.

So long as we are in the Lord, there will be rejoicing. Thus, we praise the Lord regardless of the present for the future can only be good no matter how gloomy the present may appear to be in our eyes. He is our Lord and Saviour. Why would He save us for a lifetime of suffering, misery, and sadness only? Surely goodness and mercy will follow us the rest of our days as we dwell in the house of the LORD forever? We will have eternal glory and reward, but here on this earth, while living in the centre of His will and serving in His Kingdom of Grace, we will have the favour of God and that can only mean peace, love, joy, compassion and the goodness of God. His favour lasts a lifetime! Amen!

https://odb.org/MY/2023/04/12/the-caller

1 Samuel 3:3-10 shows us how God spoke to a young Samuel, who was then mentored by Eli, and how Samuel, while hearing the voice, did not recognise it as the LORD speaking to him. It was only the third time after being instructed by Eli that Samuel answered and asked the LORD to speak, for His servant was listening.

This well-known story of Samuel occurred during a time when prophets were spoken to by God in an audible voice. Not really of general application as these prophets were specially chosen people during those ancient times to become the voice piece of God, an oracle, to His people, the children of Israel.

In our modern context, in the era of the church, post the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we too can hear the voice of God in our spirit through the Holy Spirit, who was given to us as our Helper. The Holy Spirit convicts and prompts us when God speaks and gives us an understanding of what God is saying to our hearts.

Initially, as we embark on this journey in relating to God, the Lord mostly speaks to us for us. It can be through the Word or just a prompting of our hearts. Of course, the prerequites are righteousness and forgiveness. If we are unforgiving of others, God can’t really speak to us.

But as we mature in the faith, God may also speak to us for others. We could be God’s messenger for someone else for God to convey His message for that person through us. We may call this a word of knowledge as it is the Lord who gave us knowledge of what is happening in the spiritual realm and if He wants us to convey a Word to another person, we have become in a way a prophet for God. We could be conveying a prophesy, which is a message of things to come from God or just a word of encouragement when that person is going through something that no one knows except God.

To start this ministry and activate this spiritual gift, we could call or meet up with our close friends and relatives and offer to pray for them. As we pray, God may give us an idea of what is happening in their lives and in the spiritual realm. The Lord’s compassion and love will flow as we pray, and as we operate in the word of knowledge, that person’s faith will be strengthened because the knowledge of his situation will cause him to be confident that it is indeed God speaking through us. It will certainly boost his confidence in his walk with God. Go ahead and be that oracle for God for the lives of others! Amen!