https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/28/in-all-our-dealings

One characteristic of us as believers is to have integrity and Godly sincerity in our dealings with others – our friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and the public at large. Integrity in the sense that we are not out to cheat anyone. In fact, we think of others when we do something, not just ourselves or our interests or our benefit only. But it’s even more than all that. Integrity means having a clear conscience in all our dealings, that we do the right thing. We give what’s fair and due. We don’t over bargain. We leave something on the table like God did for the poor, widows, orphans, and foreigners at the harvest fields. Everyone needs to earn a living. Everyone has a family to take care of, mouths to feed, bills to pay. Everyone needs to save for a rainy day, for their old age.

If we are in business, we earn a margin that’s fair, reflecting our effort put in but also to compensate for the down times, the stock losses due to expiry or pilferage or times we had to sell below cost to clear our shelves to make room for new stocks arriving. At most times, prices are dictated by the market, for which we have no or little control. Even a near monopolistic large broadcasting organisation where I used to work for many years has to consider market forces in the pricing of their consumer offerings. Gone are the days when we could raise prices to turn in a comfortable margin as customers will nowadays not think too much in leaving. Times have somewhat changed. Content consumption patterns to choices in the market.

We are not perfect. Sometimes, we fall. Sometimes, we don’t do the best we can. But we know whenever we fall short, our conscience tells us. The Holy Spirit convicts us. We are not clueless, and neither can we pretend we do not know. I think when it comes to integrity and Godly sincerity, we need to be honest with God and ourselves. If we fail, we do better the next time. Don’t ever be immune to the voice in our hearts, to God speaking to us. Don’t be indifferent or have a hardened heart. Always have a heart that is sensitive to the Holy Spirit. We may get away with one or two indiscretions, but in the long run, it is better to be true to God and trust God for our future. Let the Lord take care of us rather than take matters into our own hands and have short-term gains. Scam someone and get away with RM2,000 and that may be a lot to us now, but in years to come, we could be earning RM200,000 annually and consistently with the LORD on our side, with us having integrity and Godly sincerity.

https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/27/beating-as-one

Allow me to point out a few interesting facts about today’s Scripture reading at Genesis 1:1, 27-31 for some of us who may not be aware. The first thing is that the Bible starts at Genesis 1:1 with the creation of the present world but ends at Revelation 21 and 22 with the end of the present world to the start of a new world of the new heaven and earth with the tree of life freely available again to the blessed ones of the Lord.

Thus, the Bible is essentially the story of God creating man in His image to have dominion over the creatures of the earth, but the fall of man led to his banishment out of Eden. Without access to the tree of life came mortality to the human body, but nevertheless, the spirit and soul live on in God after man dies. God then sent Jesus, a man given birth by a woman but not of a seed of another man but of the Holy Spirit and thus was sinless, and He saved mankind from eternal damnation by dying on the cross for our sins. Therefore, when we reach the coming era of Revelation 21-22, we will then have the eternal life as God had originally planned for us at Eden, the time when God will once again live amongst His people and creation. But note that not all have the privilege and right to enter the gate of the city and access the tree of life – see what was written in Revelation 22:15.

The other interesting fact is that living creatures were originally created with plants as food for the animals, including man. Thus, there was no need to shed blood and kill to live. Life was too precious for anyone to kill just to survive and live on. If we read on at Genesis, we will discover that the first animals killed by the LORD were to provide covering for Adam and Eve, who felt ashamed by their nakedness after they had sinned for the first time. After mankind’s first sin, God required the shedding of the blood of an unblemished animal (lamb or ram) to atone for their sins as set forth in Mosaic law which was ultimately fulfilled once and for all by Jesus Christ, the sinless son of man and son of God. This paved the way for the redemption and reconciliation of man and God, which one day will culminate in the new world as revealed in Revelation 21 and 22.

The right and privilege to enter the gates of the new city of God and access the tree of life is only given to the blessed ones of the Lord. We don’t want to be those left outside the gates, unable to enter the new city but are left at the place where there are eternal flames and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus had declared before and is declaring again even this morning – “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me though he die, yet he shall live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.” (John 14:16, John 11:25-26).

As we close 2022 and enter into the new year, don’t ever lose sight of where we are heading and where we will be one day in the Lord! Even though we expect 2023 to be a challenging year, we know where we will be one day if we hold on to God all the way!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/25/christmas-card-perfect

For those who had been involved in Christmas presentations in church before, we know that it takes a lot of hard work and practice sessions to come out with the “perfect” presentation. There are churches that prepare 3 to 6 months in advance, but most of us probably start in November/December with some week day nights and most weekends dedicated to practice. Due to time constraints, some modifications inevitably would need to be made to the script as the road to perfection is ardous and is usually impossible for Christmas presentations! We make do with what the team can produce, although talented, rarely do this for a living in the church Christmas context.

As much as God in His wisdom had planned the birth of Jesus meticulously, the actual birth was not without its challenges. King Herod heard about it and was threatened that a King of Jews were to rise from his midst in his watch and thus used the decree by Ceasar that a census be taken for all male prospective births to secretly find and kill baby Jesus. When Joseph and Mary arrived at the inn after the census, there was no room left except a place at the stable among the animals. Thus, our Lord was born in a manger all forlorn. Yet the 3 Kings from the East (aka as the Magi or wisemen) manage to find Him following the star and the shepherds in the field, too, after angelic beings appeared before them proclaiming the birth of Christ! All ended well, but once in the natural, even our Immanuel (God with us) had to contend with nature and her elements.

This Christmas, be thankful that we have a God who created this world for us and yet took the trouble to come and lived amongst us as a man to die for our sins. He came to experience and showed us an example of dealing with what life throws us. As much as we can plan and script our lives, we know that things do not always turn out fully as expected. There are twists and turns, valleys, and mountain tops in this journey of life.

This Christmas, remember that God sent His only begotten Son to us so that we will not perish but have life eternal. Though He may lead me to the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for His staff and His rod comforted me. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me for the rest of my days as I dwell in the house of the Lord forever!

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to this world to live among us and die for our sins! We are forever grateful for your love and mercy and promise that we will do our best to fulfil your plans and purposes for our lives, that the will of the Father may be fulfilled here on earth through our lives as it is in heaven!

Blessed and merry Christmas, everyone! Have a joyous Christmas in church worshipping God and have a lovely time with friends and family!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/24/the-power-of-gods-word

Isaiah 55:11 is the Scripture preachers hold on to whenever we minister from the pulpit, trusting that the message as preached will accomplish the work God had set out for it to do in the hearts of those who hear it, touching and changing lives. The verse reads: “…so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty (void) but will accomplish what I desire and will achieve the purpose that I sent it”.

There is power in the name of Jesus, in the sense that demons tremble and flee at the name of Jesus. There is also power in the Word of God as read and spoken. Because Jesus is the Word, and He was with God at the beginning (John 1:1). The power of the Word can be seen in Genesis 1 when the LORD created the world and all that is in it, just with His Word. He said it, and it came into being. That is why some churches make it a point to read Scripture during their worship services, believing in the power of the Word, to heal and cause transformation from within us. I also make it a point to read the Word of God out loud whenever I am tasked to preach, believing in the power of the spoken Word.

But of course, in preaching, we need to focus and dwell on a text lest we digress too much from the message the Lord has planted in our hearts to speak. A sermon must always have a message from God to the congregation, a message that is current and contemporary to our situation, the happenings in our lives, and the life of the church. Both the logos and the rhema aspects of the Word are equally important for teaching and edification of the brethren. The message in the context it was written but applied in the context of what we are going through; the written as well as the spoken Word.

What’s the message for us this morning? As we read the Word each day, gain the knowledge, even the revelation that the Lord bestows upon us as He opens our minds to understand the mysteries of His Word and opens our hearts to receive it. But do seek out what He is saying to us today so that our quiet time is a time He ministers to us as we worship Him. What is His still small voice saying to us, to our hearts of hearts? Can we hear Him? Will we listen and obey? Will we do as He says, as He guides and encourages? Knowledge is important, but application is more so, and necessary.

Blessed Christmas, everyone, and have a great and joyful Christmas Eve!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/23/granny-whale

As a person, I’ve always been fascinated by nature and animals since I was young. With Astro, my favourite programmes were documentaries, and having once been involved in initial discussions in possibly commissioning a documentary, I know how much effort is involved in producing one and their high cost. Nowadays, with YouTube, we can pick and choose what we like to watch.

Orcas were one of my fascinations, being one of the most intelligent apex predators out there in the sea; basically, their use of group tactical manoeuvres to capture prey and their communication skills. As they move in pods, new births to the pods are taught the language, their tactics, and their hunting grounds. Like elephants, Orcas have the ability to pass on knowledge to their young, and thus, the traditions and practices in the pod are perpetuated, passed on from generation to generation. Today’s story of a grandmother teaching and caring for the grand baby killer whale is likely a norm in most Orca pods. The great white shark will flee by diving nearly 500m into the depths and travelling thousands of kilometres away when they sense the presence of Orcas in their midst as Orcas just love to kill them for their nutrient rich livers.

This brings us to the question of the day: Are we passing on the legacy of faith to our children and our children’s children? Like we make it a point to pray before meals. That our family attends and serves in a local church, giving our tithes and time for the furtherance of the Kingdom. That we have quiet time and family prayer time. Like we do not dabble in the occultic. But most importantly, the tradition of putting our faith in God for the significant matters in our family.

A family that prays together stays together, the same way that a family that eats together stays together. Each family has its own quirks, idiosyncrasies, and even dark secrets. Amidst all that, the legacy of our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, Father God, and the Holy Spirit must be preserved within the family and passed on to our children and our children’s children. It is our prayer that all will remain in the faith until the end of time. Amen!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/22/bending-low

Today’s story of a mom comforting her child who fell while cycling, which prompted the child to continue cycling points to the Lord keeping Paul going despite the afflictions the latter suffered. When Jesus chose Paul to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, He did tell that he was chosen to suffer for the sake of the Gospel when the Lord spoke to Ananias in Acts 9:15-16: “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and the kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

Today’s story also reminds me of Pastor George Chen, who spent 18 years in prison for his faith persecuted by the Chinese Communist regime back in the day. He spent most mornings cleaning a cesspool, but the Lord comforted by being with him in those long and difficult days dealing with human excrement. He experienced the Lord Jesus Christ being with him in the garden where he sung hymns and worshipped.

https://www.asiaharvest.org/in-memory-of-george-chen-forever-in-the-garden

Paul’s suffering was in a way voluntary as he knew what awaited him, and yet for the sake of Christ, he went ahead. George Chen’s was forced upon him by his cruel captors. Whether our suffering is voluntary or not, if we suffer for the sake of Christ, Christ will find a way to ease our suffering. The promise is that He will give us comfort and joy in our obvious pain and discomfort.

I recall taking a bus trip every Thursday afternoon from Pasir Puteh to Kota Bharu to serve and attend church on Friday (the Malaysian East Coast weekend) when I was 17 to 19, during my peak public examination years. 20 years later, I was doing the same ferrying my whole family to serve and attend church in another city for 6 years every Sunday, early morning. This is not a suffering but a sacrifice and dedication that brought about faithfulness in faith and perseverance and discipline responding to a call from God.

The message this morning is that whatever we are going through for Christ, whether it’s persecution or just our faithfulness to serve Him, come what may; Christ will find a way to make something good out of our suffering, pain or sacrifice or dedication. If we clean the church toilets every weekend after everyone has gone home, Christ will be there to accompany us. If we prepare the sacraments for Holy Communion every week or teach the children every Sunday, Christ will be there with us as we serve Him with our hearts. Persevere on our walk of faith. We will reach the finish line one day with Christ at our side in the journey every step of the way!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/21/treasured-prayer

When I first read Revelation 5 about two weeks back, I wondered about those golden bowls of incense that the 4 living creatures and the 24 elders were holding that contained the prayers of God’s people. Like a lot of things we read about in Revelation, the significance is usually lost on us the first time we read it.

The golden bowls contained the prayers of the saints, and that means every sincere and genuine heartfelt prayer by us is remembered and kept by the LORD. It’s a sweet incense unto Him. Whether it’s fulfilled in part or in whole or during our lifetime or later in life or only after the end of time is less significant than it’s a sweet incense unto the LORD. Meaning to say, as we pray, God is pleased the same way as when we praise and worship Him, He comes and dwells in the praises of His people.

The other point is that the prayers came from His saints, His people. That’s pertinent to Him. He rejoices that His saints are praying to Him for themselves and others and for His will be done in heaven as on earth. Trusting Him and putting their faith, dependence, and reliance upon His grace and mercy upon His goodness and love. Our faithfulness and faith pleases God. We will be safe and protected under the shadow of His wings. As we wait upon the LORD, we will rise up with wings like eagles. The God of Israel neither sleeps nor slumber. He watches over His people day and night. He is the one and only Great I Am, the Almighty God who created heaven and earth, and every single living thing in it and the seas and the earth and the sky, the mountains and the valleys. He is the Almighty, and we are His saints, His people, and He is our God!

Do not cease praying for others, our family, our loved ones, our cell group members, our church, our communities, our country, and the world, for their needs and in their time of need but also that everyone will hear the Gospel and accept in due course Jesus Christ as their Lord and saviour. Our prayers make a difference in the spiritual realm. God collects them in golden bowls as sweet incense. He remembers and keeps every single one of them and I believe will fulfil them in accordance with His will. Keep it up, and don’t give up! Keep on praying!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/20/no-cursing

The story of Balaam, a non- Israelite soothsayer and diviner in Numbers, is also one of the better-known stories of the Old Testament. The story stands out because Balaam is a pagan who was hired by the King of Moab to curse Israel so that they are weakened and thus will be easier to defeat in battle. Instead, Balaam ended up blessing Israel and foretold the birth of the Messiah, becoming one of the ancient prophesies proclaiming the birth of Jesus Christ. This can be seen in Numbers 24:17 – “I see him but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a sceptre will rise out of Israel.”

This story illustrated the point that God can literally turn curses for His beloved people into blessings, even the curses of a non-believer. He loves and will protect His people even if they are unfaithful and disobedient even though sometimes He allows calamity to fall to bring them back to Him.

In our present context, I believe that as followers of Christ, we will likewise be protected by God if someone were to curse us or put a spiritual occultic spell on us. Not that we are immune from the effects of spiritualism, but the Lord will be a shield over our home and our household. I have read stories about witchcraft curses failing to work on believers. I believe that if we are righteous before God, He will be our refuge and protector from the fiery darts of the evil one.

But God can go beyond that. He not only protects but can turn curses into blessings. A spell that is meant to destroy or weaken us will strengthen and prosper us instead. Not only will the curse not work, but the effect will be opposite and will thus confound our enemies! If the LORD is for us, who can be against us! Hallelujah, for the Lord, is good and greatly to be praised! Amen!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/19/standing-firm-by-faith

The story of King Ahaz of Judea seeking an alliance with Assyria when he heard of Israel combining forces with Aram to attack Jerusalem is one of the well-known stories of the Old Testament illustrating the folly of relying on our own strength instead of God. This is despite the LORD having spoken to Isaiah and his son to tell King Ahaz to stand firm. The verse is Isaiah 7:9 – “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” This is because when Ahaz heard of the alliance, he and his people were fearful, “shaken as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind” (Isaiah 7:2).

King Ahaz’s action was compounded by the fact that God had actually spoken to him to hang on and not to panic. Instead, he took matters into his own hands and ended up fulfilling the prophesy. Saul did the same thing, and the consequences were dire.

An important lesson of faith for us as believers is that we need to trust God and rely on Him instead of taking matters into our own. Perhaps in our case, it is less clear-cut as we are not likely to have an oracle of God speaking to us directly like Isaiah did to King Ahaz. Yet we must find God’s voice in the midst of our turmoil and indecision. It’s something we need to learn and cultivate as there will be many instances in our lives that we will need to use this skill and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. We need to be like Elijah – finding the still small voice of the LORD amidst the thunder and the lightning. Start to seek God and find His voice in the smaller things in life, and then as we mature in the faith, we will know His direction and guidance in the bigger things in our lives or even for the church. The answer that is quite obvious to the world may not be the right one in God, as clearly seen in the case of King Ahaz.

https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/18/the-miracle-of-christmas

As we prepare for Christmas – it’s exactly one week away – let’s ponder and reflect again on the significance of Christmas in our lives. Not generally but in our own life, our own family. Some of us may be busy planning out what to cook for that day, how we will celebrate with family and friends. Some may be doing last-minute Christmas shopping, for titbits, presents, or just to take advantage of the year-end sales. Maybe we need another pair of shoes or a sweater or a nice shirt. Still, some of us are busy preparing for our Christmas performance in church, going for rehearsals and practice sessions. Others may just be in some land far-away, on holiday, perhaps in snow-covered cold!

The miracle of Christmas is that God came in the form of His Son to do what humanity couldn’t do on their own. We couldn’t atone for the sin of Adam on our own. Moses gave the Israelites the law, but they struggled throughout the centuries to follow and obey it. Sometimes obeying it literally but missing out the spirit. So Jesus came to fulfil the law and put the law in our hearts, that as we live in the Spirit, and not the flesh, we will have life and life eternal.

Jesus came on Christmas Day (symbolically, as the real day is subject to debate) as a baby through Mary’s womb, conceived by the Holy Spirit but fully human in form – 10 fingers, 10 toes. He grew up and worked like you and I, but His birth foretold many, many years before in Isaiah 9:6 and 7:15 and elsewhere. The Jews expected Him to come as a King, the Messiah, to deliver and save them from the Romans. Instead, He came to save mankind from their sins, in a lowly manger, among the shepherds in the field. He came from and lived among the common people, not nobility, although He was the King of Kings as He was there even before the foundations of the world.

Have a good Sunday worship today, but perhaps take today and this week to ponder upon the gift that we have received in the miracle of Christmas. The gift of eternal life brought by Christ is now ours. We are grateful and thankful for His goodness and mercy, for His abundant love in calling us to be His own. How are we repaying His kindness and grace, His death on the cross for our sins? Do we remember Him and the law written in our hearts in all that we do and in the words that we speak?