https://odb.org/2023/11/22/shining-stars-2

In Philippians 2:12-16, Paul teaches about two elements. One is that we need to continue working out our salvation in fear and trembling. We already know by now that salvation is not only saying the sinner’s prayer, and we are set for life for eternity. Although we can not work for our salvation as it is by the grace of God that we are saved, we need to work out our salvation. We need to allow God to work in us to fulfil His good purpose in us. Salvation is not about getting that train ticket to heaven but about getting that ticket into the Kingdom of God where we each have our respective roles already carved out for us. The angels guarding the entrance will let us in because we hold the ticket with Christ’s name written on it. Admission, however, is not like into an amusement park to play and enjoy the rides but more akin to be staff or crew. There is much to be done in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The second thing that Paul teaches is that we should do everything without grumbling or arguing. It’s like we know this is our job and we just do it. Like my elder son, who works his daytime job and yet runs a small business – there is much work to be done to take orders, buy and receive stocks, sort and then pack and deliver the orders to customers. There is no time to grumble or complain as the work needs to be done to get the business moving. Take your hands off the wheel, and the cycle may be broken, and there may be more problems to solve later on. Yet he also needs to sort out all the issues coming his way in his day job. Or if you are in sales, you need to bring in the business. If not, the factory will be idle or like my company providing professional services, many specialised resources will be on the bench doing nothing. The company can not go on like that as every unbilled resource is a cost, which will bleed the P&L. Likewise, the factory can not be idle as there are overheads and staff costs to pay.

I think we always need to remember and be reminded that there are two judgments at the end of time. The Great White Throne Judgment of God and the Judgment Seat of Christ (Bema Judgment). The former is for unbelievers, while the latter is for those who have accepted Christ into their lives. As Paul teaches in Philippians 2, we need to work out our salvation with fear and trembling to achieve God’s purpose for us and to do everything without grumbling or arguing so that we will be blameless, particularly when we face Christ in the Bema Judgement. What will we say if we are asked to give an account for our lives? Will we say that we started with fire, but the flame died down a few years later and remained dead for many years? Or will we say that we have been striving for God all these years and have given Him our best until our dying breadth? Did we do everything without grumbling or arguing? Are we blameless before Him? Was His death for us justified? Are we worthy of our names in the Book of Life?

https://odb.org/2023/11/21/precious-to-god-2

I believe most of us would have heard of the impact of our relationship with our natural father with regards to our relationship with God the Father. It is unavoidable that our experience on earth colours our experience with God in the spiritual realm. This is because as God is our Father, we will see Him as though He is like our earthly father. Thus, those who had a bad experience relating to their earthly fathers tend to struggle a little relating to God. Not that we expect God to treat us badly, too. Just that we are likely to feel that He is distant, cold, and unsupportive.

For example, if we had grown up being rejected 9 out of 10 times when we asked for things, we would likely feel that God would reject our prayer requests. Thus, the coping mechanism that we have built up over the years dealing with rejections from our earthly father will automatically kick in when we relate to God. This may be detrimental to us as we may be unconsciously praying with little expectation or hope. But we know faith, trust, and hope are necessary when praying and seeking direction from God.

There is, therefore, a need to reeducate and reorientate our minds to relate to God as we journey with Christ in faith. Over time, we will know and experience that God as our Heavenly Father do actually grant us the deepest sanctified desires of our hearts as we strive to live in the centre of His will for our lives. We may not have gotten the table fan or the nice clothes or Adidas sneakers we so wanted when growing up, but God, as the creator of the world, is definitely infinitely more capable than our earthly father could ever have been. Most of the times our earthly fathers would have wanted to give us the things we wanted, but there is always a question of affordability and the best practical use of money.

We will all relate to God differently based on our unique relationship with Him over time. The message today is to discard the lens of looking at God like we looked at our earthly fathers. Our earthly father loved and still loves us dearly. He may have his own way of relating to us amidst his own struggles with life, his job, and raising the family. Our Heavenly Father, however, is loving, compassionate, and gracious. He will work all things out for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. We hold on to this exaltation of Paul in Romans 8:28 and trust Him that He always has our best interests in His heart at all times!

https://odb.org/2023/11/20/priceless-results

We usually use the word ‘cheerful’ to describe a giver to encourage the congregation to give willingly and happily and not begrudgingly. This is because the Lord loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).

But Proverbs 17:22 also teaches that a cheerful heart is good medicine as a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Mood or spirit is transferable in the sense that if we are of good cheer, we may “infect” everyone with our good cheer as compared to affecting everyone to be downtrodden or downcast. Cheerfulness also brings in an atmosphere of victory instead of defeat. When we are cheerful, we are more likely to move forward and progress.

Good cheer is like joy, except that perhaps joy is something we feel internally, but the manifestation of joy is a good cheer – a pleasant and happy appearance and demeanour. A good cheer also reflects contentment that we are at peace with where we are in life as per our blessedness by God. We could achieve more in a year’s time, but we are content with our achievements to date.

Be of good cheer, my dear beloved brothers and sisters, for God loves us and has called us according to His purposes. In fact, He will make all things good for those who love Him and who are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). A good cheer is infectious. It brightens up the atmosphere. It is positive and reflects God’s glory in our lives.

In John 16:33, Jesus declared that: in the world, you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.

https://odb.org/2023/11/19/gathering-strength

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9. It’s an exhortation from our Lord Jesus Christ that affirms that He is working on our weaknesses in the natural as we journey with Him in our spiritual life.

No one is perfect, even the most successful of people except Christ. All of us will have weaknesses. Even in analysing deals and transactions, there are bound to be cons as there are pros. In business analysis, we weigh the pros and the cons and consider which outweigh the other? There can never be a business without risks. If so, the premium is prohibitive, or the returns will be low when compared against the outlay. Case in point is investment in government securities, which is incidentally a fiscal tool used by central banks to regulate liquidity and thus inflation. Malaysia government securities are bonds issued to raise funds that are long-term in nature with a relatively low coupon rate that are tradable with a discount to the rate. It comes with a sovereign risk rating. In other words, it is one of the safest of investments as it is pegged to the government’s risk rating. For something like a minimum of RM5 million, we will tie our money down for 10 years for a return of, say, around 5% per annum. High entry point, long-term, and relatively low return.

I think we have to accept that as human beings that our genius somehow comes with some deformities. It is rare to be athletic, beautiful, tall, strong, brainy, a mathematical wizard, an accomplished artist, profilic writer, inventor, and multi instrumentalist to boot. In human history, only Leonardo Da Vinci comes to mind, and even he is not without weaknesses.

However, as believers, our God delights in human weakness as it is in our weakness that His strength is made perfect. Our weaknesses keep us humble in the Lord, for we need Him to overcome our gaps and inadequacies. His glory shines forth as we see His power working in our weaknesses to perfect and make us complete. For example, as we grow older, we are slowly weakened by afflictions. Just a simple muscle pull will stay with us for weeks! But life goes on. We need to strive on in our work and spiritual journey, for our own sake, and for the sake of our loved ones. It is the Lord who gives us the strength and encouragement to continue fulfilling His will and His plans and purposes for our lives.

Don’t despair our weaknesses and human afflictions and shortcomings. Instead, rejoice that God’s power may be perfected in our weaknesses. We will see His grace, mercy, and compassion working in our lives as we humble ourselves before Him. He will rescue and redeem us in our times of trouble. He will make complete and perfect us day by day and strengthen our inner man, and one day, we will be complete in Him.

https://odb.org/2023/11/17/the-adventure-2

In Ephesians 1:13-14, Paul speaks of the Holy Spirit as a seal and a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance in Christ Jesus. 6 years back, I received a prophesy that God would bless me with a big inheritance. I can’t forsee any in the natural and thus assumed that the preacher was speaking of this Ephesians 1 inheritance we have in Christ Jesus.

A deposit is a down-payment before the real thing comes. So we pay a deposit to buy a house before we use a bank loan to settle the balance of the purchase price. It makes the offer and acceptance legally binding on both the seller and the purchaser. Thus, a seller can not subsequently change his mind on the sale after accepting the deposit as there is a remedy of specific performance in equity by the purchaser to enforce the sale. Correspondingly, the purchaser will forfeit the deposit if he changes his mind.

The Holy Spirit is both a seal and a deposit. As a deposit, it means that our heavenly inheritance is guaranteed. It will come through one day. God will not change His mind about us. The power and authority of the Holy Spirit working supernaturally in the natural is a foretaste of heaven for us as believers. As Jesus performed miracles and signs and wonders while on earth, we may do so too with the power and authority of the Holy Spirit. As a seal, He will ensure that our destiny and place in heaven are assured and fulfilled, as planned for us by God, before the foundations of the earth. We are marked as belonging to God by the seal of the Holy Spirit.

I think the only complication we may face is that we still have our own free will and freedom of choice as human beings despite being children of God. It’s a no-brainer to choose God as the rewards are infinite – we have eternal and everlasting life. But will we? Will we live our lives as a living proof of us having chosen God?

https://odb.org/2023/11/15/one-thing-needed

Every now and then, we come across this issue of Mary and Martha as enumerated in Luke 10:38-42. Do you serve the guests or sit down and listen to the teacher? Do you do the work or just commune with God? For example, the church needs to be vacuumed, and the toilets are to be cleaned. Someone needs to prepare the message. The worship team needs to prepare for worship, and that includes not only singing the songs but preparing the slides for Zoom and projecting the lyrics. We need to make sure the sound system and the microphones work and the musical instruments are tuned. We can not have a worship service if everyone just comes to church and silently listens to God. If we are breaking bread, someone needs to prepare the bread and the juice or wine.

Yet, in the midst of all the activities needed to run a church, in particular, a Sunday worship service, we need to remember what’s the most important thing. The work must continue, but the objective and goal must always be remembered, and that is to sit at His feet and listen to Him. That is why, in addition to all the work and preparation that everyone else is doing, we must prepare our hearts to listen to Jesus when we go to church. We must open up our hearts to receive from Him as the congregation. His Word to strengthen and encourage and guide us along our lives, especially our spiritual life. Even those of us who are doing the work, we must remember the ultimate objective of reaching out and touching the train of His robe. We want to have a touch of Him, to see Him face to face in the spirit as we worship Him. To hear His voice speaking to us as the preacher delivers the message. What is God saying to us through all the noise, words, and music? Can we allow His Word to cut through all that as it is, after all, a two-edged sword?

We always need Martha as time waits for no man – life goes on. We can not freeze time to catch a breadth. Reach out to God and seek Him amidst the “busyness” of our lives. We need to be Mary, to just chill and listen to Jesus as He speaks and comforts us. The guests needed to be attended to, but we also need to sit down at His feet to listen to Him. Find that quiet time and pray and commune with Him as our Lord always does Himself when He was ministering on earth. It will make a difference, believe me!

https://odb.org/2023/11/14/remembered-no-more

Jeremiah 31:27-34 is interesting because it was written in ancient times, and it foretold what Jesus did many years later in Jerusalem. It’s a prophesy of God making the New Covenant with His people and putting His law in their minds and writing it on their hearts. They will be His people, and He their God. All of them will know Him, from their least to the greatest, for He will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.

As believers of Christ, we have no issues coming to terms with God’s forgiveness of our past sins. We had started anew and He had placed us on a fresh piece of paper when we first accepted Christ. What occurred in the past is in the past. It will not be brought up again. God will paint our lives in a new white canvas with His master brush strokes.

The issue is, do we still intentionally sin? Do we still intentionally sin when God has written His law in our hearts and minds? Even then, Father God still forgives us. But can this pattern go on indefinitely, in perpetuity? That we still sin despite our redemption by the blood of the Lamb, despite being filled with the Holy Spirit? Yes, we are human, and we are “work in progress,” but surely the fruit of the Spirit is already manifesting in our lives? Surely, the Holy Spirit is already working in our lives to change and transform us?

There is no need to live a life filled with condemnation and guilt as there is no condemnation in Christ. Break free and break through from recurrent and intentional sins and live victoriously in Christ and in the Holy Spirit! Then there is true meaning to the phrase that He remembers our sins no more and forgives us our iniquities, for we are strong and courageous for Him, living our lives to the fullest for His Kingdom and His purposes! Praise the Lord!

https://odb.org/2023/11/13/the-card

As believers, we have the unique ability to reach God the Father through prayer. Our access was restored because Jesus died for our sins. He became the Lamb of God, the Son who was sent to earth that whosoever believes in Him shall have everlasting life per John 3:16. But we know that everlasting life is not just heaven. It is also heaven on earth. It is the Kingdom of God in our lives here on earth. We have an ongoing relationship with God while living here in our earthen vessels, waiting for the trumpet call to be united with our Lord in the sky when He returns. Our spirit and soul will be clothed in our glorified bodies. We will be like Christ after He was resurrected.

As we pray, I’m sure there were times when things misplaced were found because God helped us remember where we placed them earlier. Or the times when we found a parking spot after praying. The sceptic in us may want to contend that it was pure coincidence, but we know that there is something supernaturally natural there – supernatural in the natural as God in the heavenly realm penetrates into the physical realm here on earth. The same principle works when confronted with spiritual forces of the air. Prayer can contain and destroy their evil plans. Prayer moves moutains as Jesus taught that if we have faith the size of the mustard seed, we may move mountains. Prayer moves the hand of God, no matter how dire a situation looks from the outside. Nothing is impossible with God.

This week, as we start work after the public holiday, let us focus a little more on our relationship with God and begin to talk to Him more constantly. Speak to Him if we are troubled. Pray when we face obstacles at work. Pray when we are frustrated by our work environment. The LORD both hears and remembers. God remembered the Israelites in misery and raised up Moses, an adopted son in the house of the Pharoah, to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. He will not forget us too! Commit our troubles to Him, He will make our paths smooth.

https://odb.org/2023/11/12/cling-to-me

I have probably read the story of the woman with the issue of blood many times but didn’t see the challenge she faced and the significance in her determination to touch the cloak of Jesus. It was, of course, a miracle and significant because just touching Jesus’s robe healed her. The incident has the vibes of Isaiah 6:1, where Isaiah declared that the train of His robe filled the Temple.

In other words, the edge of a man’s robe or that of the LORD in Isaiah 6:1 speaks of His power, authority, and covering (protection). Seen in that context, the woman in Matthew 9:18-22 actually knew the significance of touching the edge of Jesus’s robe. It’s not just a question that even His robe can heal but rather the edge of His robe signifies His authority as the Son of God, and therefore, it can surely heal.

But it was no ordinary woman facing an ordinary illness. It is a long, outstanding illness that must have weakened her considerably. Coupled with the social stigma associated with it as women having their periods, they were considered unclean, and this woman have been having this condition for 12 years! It is somewhat similar to the social shame associated with HIV in our current context.

We could be facing an illness that we are too shy to voice out. But if we have the determination and faith of the woman in Matthew 9, the Lord in His grace and mercy will heal us and make us whole again. Trust in Him and act on His power and authority. It will come to pass.

https://odb.org/2023/11/10/love-through-prayer

I think the commandment to love your enemies like yourself is probably one of the most challenging and perplexing to come out of Christianity. It is counter-intuitive, and although there have been reported instances of believers doing so in terms of forgiveness of crimes done to their family members, I doubt that it is commonplace. If this commandment is freely practised by many of us, there will certainly be fewer conflicts, misunderstandings, and feuds among believers. Churches will not split up and go separate ways. Love and forgiveness go hand in hand. You can not love without forgiving. They are very much two sides of a coin.

Forgiving those who had hurt us may be rationalised by the metaphor of drinking poison to kill someone else. If we keep hate and spite because we have a vengeful spirit, we are only destroying ourselves from within. So it becomes easier to forgive once we see the utility in forgiving and letting things go. We need to move on with our lives from a natural perspective. We need to move in God and take hold of His specific will for us in the spiritual realm. We can not afford to live and dwell in the past. It is both inhibitive and destructive.

To conquer this commandment to love your enemy – perhaps we could look to God Himself. The rationale is that He is actually like that. He loves everyone and even those who are against Him, who persecute and oppress Him. Jesus was the perfect example. He died on the cross willingly and focussed on His mission until the very end. He could have called upon the legions of angels to rescue Him, but He would have compromised His ultimate objective to become the second Adam and reconcile man to God. Until today, the Jews do not believe in Jesus and reject Him. So we see the current situation in Gaza. Israel has vowed to kill every single Hamas militant and will turn Gaza into rubble to do so. Certainly for them, it is not forgiveness and loving your enemies!

The message today is to pray for your enemies in order to love them. If we take the effort to pray for our enemies, we will somehow see God’s heart in all that. That’s the key to how we may actually love our enemies. Practically pray for both Israeli soldiers as well as Hamas militants and Palestinian civilians. Everyone deserves God’s love and compassion! Pray that there will be a reasonable resolution to the conflict. Pray that both sides will be able to live in peace with one another and accept certain realities of the situation.