https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/16/legacy-of-faith

2 Timothy 1:5 is a well-known verse where Paul attributed his protégé Timothy’s sincere faith to that of the latter’s mother and grandmother, Eunice and Louis. It speaks of the role of women, but it generally also speaks of the role of elders in becoming an example to the younger ones. Thus, we should likewise leave a legacy of faith for our children and our children’s children to emulate and look up to. A life that is fully given over to God for His glory, fervently serving Him in the Kingdom of God, whether in the church or out in the world at our workplace or our sphere of influence. If we are single or do not have biological children, our faith should nevertheless be an example to our spiritual or foster children, in fact to any of the younger ones in our church and community.

I recall that my late mother was a fervent prayer warrior, praying for her children and grandchildren whenever she had an opportunity. Thus, we were covered spiritually by the prayers of the saints. This was pertinent as I was travelling overseas quite frequently during that period of time. My late dad before he passed was also very active as a cell group leader and attended our local church’s prayer meetings faithfully every Saturday morning. They were both shining examples of pillars of faith until their last day on earth. By remaining steadfast in our faith, my family and I know that we will all see them again on the day of resurrection where all who had passed on in the faith will rise again to take our place in the new heaven and new earth. That is our hope of glory.

The message today I believe is that every time we want to give up, remember that there are others who look up to us in our faith. Don’t disappoint them or be a stumbling block. Instead, be that shining example that they can continue to emulate. Be a source of hope and inspiration. As they look at us, if they see Jesus, then they will want the same for their lives. May the glory of God shine forth from us, and may it result in the glory of God shining forth from them!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/15/friends-for-life

The love that Jonathan had for David, as revealed in the pages of the book of First Samuel, is legendary. Despite him being the heir to Saul’s crown, Jonathan supported and protected David for the latter to ascend into the throne. In 1 Samuel 20: 26-34, we can see how Jonathan spoke for and protected David and, as a result, was nearly killed by Saul. Jonathan’s dedication and faithfulness to David are amazing as most heirs would have joined in with their father king’s plan to eliminate any rival to the throne so that the throne is preserved within the family. In fact, after Saul, most if not all of the kings of Israel and Judah were passed down from fathers to sons. Saul was the exception as the LORD saw it fit to break the cycle and passed on the throne to David, who lived to rule as the greatest king Israel ever had! A line that even our Lord Jesus Christ is proud of!

After Jonathan passed away, David remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to him by taking care of Jonathan’s crippled son, Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9), giving him a permanent place at his table and restoring to him the lands and servants of his family although Mephibosheth’s grandfather, Saul had tried to kill him numerous times in the past.

I believe the message today is that we must all develop close friendships with others, particularly spiritual relationships that will help us be accountable to one another and to spur us on in our walk with God. Everyone should, at the minimum, have a David-Jonathan type relationship. It can also be like that of Paul and Barnabas before their disagreement or the Paul-Timothy type relationship. Besides other close friends, we should have a close friend to just explore the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, to expound on the Word, and to stir up our spiritual journey and service in Christ. One who will stand with us through the thick and thin of life as we both give our lives to God for His glory. There is much to be achieved in the Kingdom, and two is always better than one!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/14/in-his-hands-3

The picture of outer space being covered by darkness while earth is a blue just goes to show how vast and deep darkness is. There are many solar systems with suns as a source of light as the many stars in the sky are all sources of light, just that they are light-years away. Yet everything else in between is still darkness. Even those facing the source of light, like planets in our solar system, we only face the sun and get light half of the rotation of our planet. There is still night and day at the local level despite the existence of a sun, unless the planets face two suns in either direction.

This picture reminds us that as powerful as God is in our lives and as faithful we are to Him, we are nevertheless surrounded by darkness out in the world. We are the light of the world, like the sun in our solar system or the stars in the faraway galaxies. We could be the sole light in the sea of unbelievers. That is why we need to stand out for God, for His cause, for His love. We are representatives of Jesus Christ on earth, wherever we are. As lights are far in between, we need to shine bright and strong for God. Our light. If not, the darkness will envelope and overpower us. Don’t leave it to other lights to light the way. We lead the way. We be the light to shine forth the way through the darkness. It is OUR job to establish the Kingdom of God in our midst and defeat the work of the evil one. Rather than becoming a torch light lighting parts of the room one at a time, let’s be that ceiling light that illuminates the whole room, eliminating darkness and opening up spiritual eyes.

Let’s all of us always be the light in the darkness around us!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/13/the-meaning-of-life

Humankind has always been fascinated with immortality as depicted in popular culture with the search for everlasting youth. People have for centuries looked for the elixir of youth, also known as the elixir of life. It’s a potion with magical powers that was supposed to grant the drinker eternal youth and eternal life and cure all diseases.

If you have seen the movie Highlander or the recent Netflix movie, Old Guard, starring Charlize Theron or even the Norwegian Netflix series on Thor called Ragnarok, you will see the depiction of immortals living among mortals throughout centuries. Except in the case of Ragnarok, which had a group of gods in Norse mythology masquerading as a family living among mortal humans, the main problem faced by the immortals is outliving their loved ones over and over again. They remained the same when people around them grew old and died. That is why death in our present fallen world plays a role in putting things to finality. There is closure to life with death.

Jesus speaks of eternal waters. He is the source of living waters. In other words, the elixir of youth is found in Him. Not just a potion but rivers of it. The origin of the fountain of life is, of course, the tree of life in Eden, which God banished access by humankind after the fall but with the victory (nikos in Greek) of Jesus over death on the Cross, we will have access to the tree of life again at the end of time. You can read this in Revelation 22:1, where John described seeing the arrival of the water of the river of life with the tree of life at either side of it.

The eternal life that Jesus offers is given to all who accept Him as Lord, not confined to an elixir for a select few. It is a life lived with loved ones in the Lord in the new heaven and earth with God dwelling among us. As His people, we will enjoy His presence and glory continually for all eternity. We will be immortals in our glorified bodies but will not outlive our loved ones who are in the Lord. There will be everlasting fellowship amongst the brethren. It is our hope of glory. So, as Paul exhorted in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Stand firm, always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know your labour in the Lord is not in vain!”. In an instant at the sound of the last trumpet, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, death has been swallowed up in victory!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/12/i-heard-the-bells

The Psalms contained lamentations to God in the sense that they are not confined to only praise. There are instances like in Psalm 43 that the psalmist just pours his heart out telling God the misery and despair they are going to. Somewhat like the cries of the Israeli slaves in Egypt, which the LORD heard and rescued by raising up Moses. These may sound like complaints, but they always end up trusting that the LORD will one day redeem and save them and nearly always end up in praise that God is to be praised and that their hope and salvation is the LORD.

Same as the case of Job. He went through a lot, but never once did he condemn God. He still placed his hope and faith in the LORD. His heart remained faithful to God. His righteousness was unwavering. He did not worship other gods or find other means to recover what he lost. He never once changed his allegiance. He was and had always remained true and sincere towards the LORD, his God.

If our life is not going well or the present economic slowdown has somewhat affected us more than others or we are still waiting for that spiritual breakthrough, nevertheless carryvon striving to be that person God wants us to be and not sulk or get angry at God or condemn Him. Lament to Him our situation. Cry out to Him. But always remain steadfast in our faith. Don’t ever turn to other gods or get into the other side and dabble in the occultic or spiritualism.

Always maintain the belief and faith that our time will come one day, and like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – we will say, even if our God does not rescue us, we will still not bow down and worship that golden calf. The day may come sooner than later when all of us may need to make that stand and go through intense suffering and hardship as a result and to remain in the faith. Compared to people who are undergoing severe persecution, what is the mild discomfort we are facing in our present life that is less than rosy? Is it justified that we can be angry with God or even to lament to Him? Are we still or forever a child? Have we not achieved some measure of maturity? Come what may, Jesus will always be our Lord and Saviour.

https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/11/clinging-to-whats-good

In Romans 12:9, Paul teaches us that love must be sincere, cling on to what is good, and hate what is evil. When we love one another and others, it must be with sincerity. We must not be pretentious. It must be real, not fake. We have to remember that there are a few aspects of love and the love in the love one another is brotherly love or philia love. It is not love between husband and wife as that is eros. In the context of the New Testament, the love amongst and in the fellowship of believers after the resurrection of Christ is koinonia. However, in Romans 12:9, Paul uses the highest form of love, which is agape. A love that is sacrificial and was displayed by Christ on the cross for us.

But in general love amongst believers should either be philia or koinonia and thus there need not be any fear of misunderstanding that as we love someone in Christ, we have romantic inclinations. If so, then we are not sincere and have an ulterior motive. Then it is wrong as we are then pretentious by pretending to love someone in a brotherly fashion, but actually, we desire a romantic relationship.

So when we love one another in a brotherly sense, it sometimes becomes difficult as not everyone is pleasant. Some are obnoxious and temperamental. Some are moody and insular as well as very introverted. Some are sharp in words or always complaining. There are all sorts of people in the world as well as in the church. Humans come in all types and shapes, personalities, and characters. The tendency is to pick and choose, but Paul is saying not to pick and choose but to hate what evil and cling on to what is good in a person so that we may love everyone in sincerity.

The message today remains that we are to love one another, even our enemies. But love sincerely without any ulterior motive, and that includes romantic inclinations. Love one another in a brotherly manner as part of a congregation in a philia or koinonia way. Hate what is evil and cling on to what is good.

Shall we then make it a point to show love sincerely to one new brother or sister or friend or colleague this week?

Have a blessed Sunday, everyone! Have a fantastic time in worship and listening to the Word being preached. May the Spirit of the Living God touch and transform us this morning as we worship Him and heed His message to us!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/10/running-to-our-shelter

Who is the first person we call when we run into trouble or get ourselves into a bad situation? For most people, it will be their loved ones, their spouse, or their life partner. For children, it will be their parents. For some, it could be their sibling or a close friend as there are among us singles, widows, and widowers.

But perhaps the first person we should turn to is our God in heaven, Christ our Saviour and our Lord and the Holy Spirit? Perhaps we should pray and seek their guidance first. It could be a trial from Him, or we ran into a trap set up by the evil one? Or perhaps in our foolishness, our own folly or curiosity, we landed ourselves in trouble. The saying goes, “curiosity killed the cat.”

Actually, at our moment of despair and trouble, I think whoever or whatever is to blame is less relevant than our predicament. We could look back later and see where we went wrong. Even if our own disobedience to God brought us to that place of trouble, we should still turn to Him first for help. In the case of David, it was more the disobedience of Saul and his evil desire to hold on to his throne that led to David being pursued. Saul sought to kill David so that he could remain king, forgetting that even if he kills David, the LORD could raise another David against him since his place as king is God to choose and anoint.

I don’t know what each of us are facing or the mistakes we could have made that could have landed us in the less than ideal situation we are in. But I think whatever may be the origins, we must go to God first, and if we had wronged Him, seek His forgiveness and repent from our sin. Accept whatever consequences that come with our disobedience and then move on. Whatever is lost is lost. There are new adventures to get on to, new exploits to do, new lands to conquer for God. Setbacks are setbacks. Disappointments will be disappointments. Mistakes have been made, but we reconcile with God and strive on for Him. He is and will be the rock of our salvation, our stronghold in times of trouble, our refuge, and our saviour! He is our hiding place. He is our King and our God!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/09/lighten-the-load-2

A church is always a community, a gathering of believers for a common purpose. We don’t just meet for two hours on Sundays, but our lives are intertwined spiritually and socially. When we are in a church, we are part of God’s purposes for our lives as well as His purposes for the lives of our brothers and sisters in that church. We have a spiritual destiny together. A spiritual direction dictated by the Holy Spirit and cascaded down to the pastor and leadership of the church. We seek to do God’s will for our church to align with God’s move amongst us. Spiritually, we must move together as a church. In this respect, my local church’s move for all cell groups to use the same book for study is a good move to drive everyone towards the same direction.

That is why Paul teaches in Galatians 6:1-10 that if someone sins, we should correct that person gently, and he goes on to say that we should carry each other’s burdens. We know that any group or community can progress only as fast and as far as its weakest link. Thus, in order to bring a community of believers forward, we need to make sure no one is left behind. We must move together. Thus, we must always carry each other’s burdens. We are ultimately personally responsible and accountable to God on our own, and yet we are obliged to help each other in our quest for spiritual maturity in Christ. We can’t say to Christ that we didn’t help that brother because he was personally responsible and accountable to Him! Instead, our obligation and responsibility is to say, he ain’t heavy, he’s my brother!

As a believer, it is never a solo quest to reach our finish line. We must always interact with others. We must always be part of a community to help, encourage, and strengthen each other. Our faith is never something only inside us but must be an expression of the goodness and glory of God. The river of living waters flowing within us must flow out to touch the community of believers in our church and the people amongst us – our family, friends, and colleagues. Make it our mission to touch someone’s life today and each day forward!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/08/fast-food-encouragement

I like the phrase “God’s heart is revealed in the stories in Scriptures,” very much. We know these stories we read are of real people living real lives facing real issues in life, and when we see the goodness of God manifested in their lives, we know God’s heart is for His people. These are not make-believe works of fiction but rather documentary-like depictions of past events and occurrences written in the literary style of that time.

Thus, as we read the story of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz; we can see how the widows were provided their subsistence by the generosity of a man, who turned out to be their close relative and guardian-redeemer. The source of their good experience at a time when women depended on men for their livelihood was a Mosaic law that required landowners to leave something behind in their fields for the widows, the fatherless and the poor to glean so that they will not go hungry. It is, in essence, in return for the LORD giving them the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey. In them living in the abundant blessings of God (compared to their time as slaves in Egypt), they need to make sure no one in their community is left behind. The law itself is the source of God’s goodness. But the story of Ruth is the reality of God’s goodness and gracious heart materialising right in front of our eyes. The law and the grace of God coming to life in the pages of Scripture. We can analyse and preach sermons on why God was kind to Naomi and Ruth, but the reality is that He was and it is a testament that we as His adopted children in Christ can and will experience the same goodness and grace as His heart is for us.

I think the message today is that while God’s heart is for us and we may be able to live in the shadow of His wings and partake of His goodness and grace, we must never take God for granted. Be thankful and grateful to God. Be appreciative and on our part, be gracious and kind to others like Boaz did to Ruth. Remember this principle of repricocity was taught by Jesus Himself in the Parable of the Ungrateful Servant (see Matthew 18:21-35). As much as we experience the goodness of God, be that goodness of God to others around us!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/12/07/gods-sure-pursuit

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me for the rest of my days, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever! That’s the confident ending to Psalm 23 as penned by David, proclaiming and affirming that the LORD is our shepherd, who leads us to green pastures and still waters. His rod and staff protect us even as He leads us through the valley of the shadow of death; we will fear no evil. He will prepare a table of feast for us in the presence of our enemies. He is indeed our Shepherd even as Jesus also proclaimed that He is the Good Shepherd whose sheep will recognise and know His voice and who will lead us through the narrow gate and who will go out of His way to find us if we are lost.

The emphasis in today’s ODB reading is that the “follow” at the ending of Psalm 23 is not one that is passive but in its original Hebrew forceful and even aggressive. Meaning to say the goodness and mercies of God will pursue and run after us as we live in the glory of His presence. Exactly as written in the song, Goodness of God by Bethel Worship – the goodness of God will run after us. It is as though we are a magnet that just attracts and pulls the goodness and mercies of God as we live in His will with Jesus as our Shepherd!

In the end, what really matters in life? We want peace, love, and joy. We want to live a good life fulfilling God’s plans and purposes for us. We want to live a long life for the sake of our loved ones so we may be together as long as possible here on earth. Are riches that important? Are we seeking fame and fortune in the world? A name for ourselves in the history books? Ultimately, what really matters is God, and so if His goodness and mercies aggressively pursue after us, we are set for life! We will have the best that anyone can ever have! Be the person God wants us to be, live in the glory of His presence and then surely goodness and mercy will follow us for the rest of our lives as we live in the house of the LORD forever! Amen!