https://odb.org/MY/2022/08/17/the-making-of-me

The story of Paul, Barnabas and John Mark in Acts 15:36-40 is a real life example in the book of Acts on how to encourage and believe in someone despite someone else of authority thinking otherwise. Paul dismissed the idea of bringing John Mark along a missionary trip because he had previously deserted them but Barnabas stood his ground and thus parted ways with Paul. Later in 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul asked Luke to go bring John Mark along as he was helpful to Paul’s ministry. In the end, John Mark went on to write the Gospel according to Mark and Barnabas lived up to his name as the son of encouragement as he encouraged and believed in John Mark despite Paul’s earlier dismissal.

As elders of the faith and leaders in church, we must follow the example of Barnabas in believing in someone despite their past misadventures. Paul despite his theological brilliance and church planting and apostolic talents made a wrong judgment call on John Mark as proven by history.

In my own life, in my previous church, there were many who were spiritually much more advanced than me but not all of them remained serving God in the church until today. Our spiritual journey and involvement in ministry is a long haul. Many fall on the wayside and are no longer active and yet there are some who were not a model of spirituality in the past and yet are still serving God and are still with Christ until today. Sometimes we need to have a longer view term of things – like 20 or 30 years instead of just 12 or 24 months. Some people are like the hare who runs very fast but others are like the tortoise who takes one step at a time at its own pace. But the race is a long one, one that could stretch maybe 60 to 70 years of our human lives. Whether we are the prima donna hare or the average but steady tortoise, it actually doesn’t matter too much in the larger scheme of things as what’s important is we all reach the finish line victorious and with our faith intact.

Believe in ourselves and in others. Be a Barnabas to ourselves and to others. Encourage rather than dismiss. Build up rather than tear down. Walk on and never give up. Christ is the hope of our glory!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/08/16/crushed-and-beautiful

For almost a year, David refused to acknowledge and confess his double sin of sending Uriah out to the battle front to die, while he commited adultery with Bathsheba. It was only when the LORD sent the prophet Nathan to confront him that he relented and repented of his sins. Bathsheba was the mother of Solomon, who succeeded David as the King of Israel and Solomon was probably the wisest king ever to have lived.

Two important points I like to highlight today from this story of David with Uriah and Bathsheba. The first is that the writers of the Scriptures wrote the story as it was, they didn’t hide the sin or wrongdoing of David, particularly when David was regarded as one of the icons of the faith. In fact, the pinnacle of God’s relationship with Israel was during the reign of David, the golden years of Israel. Yet the shame of the sin of David was for all to see.

Secondly, God chose to raise Solomon out from David’s originally adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. The adultery and murder were big blemishes in David’s otherwise near excellent character and reign as someone after God’s heart and yet God continued that line from David till Christ through Bathsheba.

I think it goes to show that when we seek forgiveness and repent from our sins, God can and will use the broken pieces of our lives to make a great painting like the intricate and complex painting Consider the Lilies, by Makoto Fujimura. The forgiveness of God is real and genuine even if there are consequences to our actions. In the case of David, he lost a few of his sons as a result of his sin.

If we had sinned against God and turned our back from Him, return to Him for forgiveness and in repentance. Christ has died for us and fully paid for our sins on the cross. The LORD will take our broken and contrite heart and make it into a beautiful sunflower that will stand tall and proclaim the grace and goodness of God to everyone! Christ will lift us up from the slimy pit, the miry clay and make us whole again!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/08/15/the-marriage-metaphor

By end of this year, my wife and I would have been married for 29 years and in those 29 years, we have had quarrels and tiffs, usually caused by my insensitivity or carelessness or tardiness. Our personalities are quite different as I’m more laid back and relaxed while she’s quick and efficient. There are ups and downs but ultimately we reconcile quickly. Both sides need to exercise patience to live with one another’s idiosyncrasies and personality traits.

Paul uses the marriage metaphor to describe the relationship between Christ and the church and I guess the ups and downs in marriage cannot really be applied here. The church doesn’t quarrel or have disagreements with Christ! But the loving-kindness, faithfulness and care that Christ has for the church are things we can probably apply from the marriage metaphor. Likewise, we love and care for Christ and are faithful and loyal to serve Him.

But one thing that we can certainly apply from the marriage metaphor is the vow to be true and faithful and loving to one another till the very end. Until Christ returns or till death do us part. That’s the marriage vow and covenant and we are sure that Christ will be with us till the very end, until our dying day or until He returns again and we as the church becomes His true bride. Likewise, we are with Him too until the very end, until our last breath or until His second coming and the end of days.

Christ’s encouragement for us today is that He will be with us till the very end. As we go through the storms of our lives or trials and tribulations, be strong and of good courage for Christ is with us in our boat of life and will make sure we will reach our destination in life that we will fulfil our purpose and calling in God! Till death do us part or till He returns again as the triumphant and victorious King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/08/14/grace-for-trials

There is a sense that the same way the LORD promised to be with Joshua and the Israelites as they cross the Jordan into the Promised Land, that He will likewise not leave us as we journey through life. We can therefore be strong and courageous for we know that if God is for us who can be against us? Be strong and courageous means we are brave and bold as we face adversaries, as we face trials. We don’t flinch or run away. We face life head on. We don’t get defeated. We may be discouraged or down but we will never give up or surrender. We will push and plough on. The Lord is our Rock and our Salvation, our Stronghold and Resting Place. He is our Peace and our Grace and Mercy.

I do agree that perhaps what’s most important as we face trials and tribulations that we have God’s grace with us. By now, we should know that some trials and tribulations last for many months and even years. Like the Covid-19 and the devastation it brought throughout societies and nations. We are slowly recovering but things are not the same anymore. Prices have gone up even as the world tries to restore damage done to supply chains and supplies. Old jobs are replaced and substituted but the numbers are not fully restored as businesses are cautious of the outlook. That is why there were chaos in the airports in Europe in the current summer holidays. The airports were basically understaffed. People laid off during the pandemic lockdowns were not rehired or replaced quickly enough for various reasons. In my recently concluded trip to the UK, we queued for a whole 4 hours to check-in, clear passport and security, and board at Heathrow. We started queuing at 11.30 am and finally boarded the plane at 3.30 pm when the flight was originally scheduled to take off at 3.05 pm!

Have a blessed Sunday worship today as we soak and revel in His awesome presence. He is God and He is our Lord and Saviour! Seek and pray for the grace and mercy of God as we face trials and tribulations and the storms of life. Pray for His strength and encouragement. Like Joshua, Caleb and the Israelites, pray that the Lord will go before us as continue our life’s journey. We know and are rest assured that He will never leave nor forsake us! We will dwell in the House of the Lord as His goodness and loving kindness follow us for the rest of our lives!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/08/12/drawn-by-disaster

A similar pattern emerges in the Old Testament of the Israelites living in the goodness of the blessings of God then forgetting Him and consequently disaster strikes for them to repent and remember the LORD. The disaster can come in the form of natural calamities or being overrun by the Assyrians, Babylonians or the Persians with the Israelites captured and brought to exile in foreign lands in the latter situations.

In the case during the time of Joel, the Israelites were over enjoying the wine made from the vineyards so much so that in their revelry God was far from their minds. They were drunk from the success of their toil. It was not undeserved as hardwork rewards but in all things, whether good or bad, we must give thanks to God and appreciate His work in our lives. They were His people and He their God and yet they had forgotten Him and ignored His laws and percepts. Thus God allowed the locusts in millions to swarm and devour their vineyards and fig trees with no more wine and olive oil to produce until the next harvest. All the hardwork gone and laid to waste. What was not eaten by the older locusts were devoured by the younger ones and what was not devoured by the younger ones were taken by even younger ones. It was a complete disaster. It brought them together to cry out to the LORD, to pray together in repentance for their sin and disobedience.

Some disasters are unavoidable or not directly attributable to our action or inaction. Yet some things happen because God wants to bring us back to Him. If it was avoidable, why don’t we avoid it? Be thankful and remember the Lord for His goodness. Testify of His great love and mercy. Give glory to His name. Don’t be greedy and over indulge. Don’t get drunk by strong drink or wine and forget we are children of God. We belong to Him and carry the name of Jesus with us. Don’t take the love, grace and mercy and goodness of God for granted. Serve Him and respond to His calling for our lives! Be a good and faithful servant, not the prodigal son!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/08/11/untold-riches

Someone who is pursuing a Masters in Theology post graduate degree, the most difficult of all the seminary studies, recently told me that he felt like he is just at the entrance of a room the size of a football stadium! The knowledge of God and the things of God, of Christ is just so immense that no one could ever grasp and understand everything there is to learn about God, Christ and the Holy Spirit. Even those 3 years plus of the ministry of Jesus Christ on earth, John had remarked that if everything that Jesus did and taught were to be written down, the world itself could not contain the number of books that would be written (see John 21:25).

Just like 16 Psyche, the asteroid between Jupiter and Mars holding trillions and trillions dollars worth of minerals, there are untold riches in the knowledge and wisdom of God. As Paul describes it in Romans 11:33, oh the depth of the knowledge and wisdom of God! That is why Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is like someone who found a treasure in a field and sells everything he has to buy that field. The knowledge and wisdom of God is definitely worth all that we have, and more, much more!

The question this morning I feel God is asking us is what are we willing to lay down to pursue the knowledge and wisdom of God. There is just so much in the Kingdom of God to learn about and understand and grasp. Are we willing to give up everything to pursue Christ and His purposes for our lives? Are we willing to lay down our lives to follow Him? Is His calling for us worth everything we have and more? Do we have the confidence and faith to trust God that if we were to drop everything to pursue Him, we will still be able to live life? Will the pursuit of Him make a difference in our relationship with Him? Will the knowledge and wisdom of God gained help us deepen our relationship with Christ and transform us to be more like Christ? I think these are questions we should be thinking about as we progress in life as there will come a day we would need to make a decision on how much we are willing to let go and lay down to follow and pursue Christ all the way.

https://odb.org/MY/2022/08/10/standing-boldly

The story of Esther 4:7-14 is about an evil scheme made by some of the officials in the Persian Royal Court to kill and annihilate the Jews that were brought to Persia in exile after Israel was defeated in battle. Mordecai got wind of the scheme and sought the help of Esther to speak to the King as she was the Queen in the Persian Royal Court. However Esther replied that she can’t go to the King without being summoned. The law was that if you do so you risk being put to death unless the King signifies his consent by extending the gold spectre to them and spare them their lives. So Esther faced a real dilemma. But Mordecai then told Esther if she doesn’t speak to the King (and risk death), it doesn’t mean that she and her household will be spared from the destruction that comes from the evil scheme. Furthermore, God will use someone else or other means to rescue the Jews. Then Mordecai asked her don’t you think there is a purpose for you to be the Queen of Persia at this specific time? Meaning to say, don’t you think God put you in that position at this time for a special purpose?

I think the question we should ask ourselves is what is our calling and purpose at the place we are in right now? Does God have a calling and purpose for us that requires us to take some significant risk that requires us to be bold to step forward in faith? Or is Jesus calling us to step out in faith with boldness because He has called us out of where we are to another place? The place, time and position of Queen Esther were crucial to her fulfilling her calling and purpose by the LORD but what was more crucial was her calling. She was called to rescue the Jews from the evil scheme and it came with a significant risk to her life. As for us, we may not be in the place, position and time yet to fulfil our calling for God but will we dare to move out in faith like Father Abraham did? When the LORD called Abraham out of the Url of the Chaldeans to uproot himself and his family and go towards Canaan, he did not know exactly what was his destiny and calling. In the end, God made a Covenant to be the God of his people (starting with his family) and to make him a father of many nations (eventually through Christ, extended beyond Jerusalem to Samaria and to the Gentiles of the world) and to give his people an inheritance in the Promised Land (initially Israel and through Christ our place in heaven).

If we don’t make that move, God’s calling for our life will not materialise but God will achieve His purposes through someone else or other means. But if we take the challenge and move out in faith, we will see the fruits of our boldness like Esther and Abraham did!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/08/09/humility-is-the-truth

Another fundamental principle coming out across the bible is humility. If we are a believer, we cannot avoid this teaching that we need to be humble, before God and before man. God exalts the humble and opposes the proud. Pride of life is one of those things that may bring about the downfall of a person. We have seen that in countless stories and it a theme often repeated in literary works whether in novels or for the small screen (mobile), the big screen (TV) or theatrical releases. Most often, pride or proud peoples’ fall from grace are attributed to some divine attribution and this is both in popular culture as well as the bible. Lucifer bring banished from heaven was also attributed to his pride in thinking that he is greater than God Himself and he employed the same trap on Adam and Eve appealing to their pride to be like God knowing good and evil and causing them to doubt God’s word that surely they will die if they eat of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Pride is also subtle and thus deceptive. Will we as mere humans think that we are greater than God? Surely we are not like Lucifer. Surely we as mere mortals will not be able to be like God and yet there are times we may behave like that. How? When we ignore the wisdom passed down to us from the bible and think that we will do better on our own.

What’s the wisdom in the bible, the prevailing theme in Proverbs, for example? It is still that we should love the LORD our God with all of our heart, soul and mind and ultimately the wisest among us is to choose Him over every other thing. Obey and follow His laws and percepts to honour our Covenant relationship with Him. In other words, we do as He says and Christ teaches and as articulated by Paul, John, James and all the Apostles. We follow their advice and lead. We do as the bible says as the bible teaches, and the bible is the Word of God. That’s humility! Thus humility is the truth is true because God is the truth.

The moment we say we don’t need the bible, we don’t need to obey and follow God’s laws, no need to listen and follow Christ or the teachings and advice of the mighty men and women of God in the bible, we have allowed pride to seep into us and that pride will destroy us. Not so much divine retribution but losing that fellowship, protection and relationship with God. A proud person is one who doesn’t need to follow what the Word of God says. He lives by his own principles and rules. A proud man is a man who doesn’t need God.

Thankfully we as believers know that we need Jesus every moment of our lives and we want to live under the shadow of His wings and want to do as the bible, the mighty men and women of God taught from Genesis to Revelation, from the Old Testament to New across the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the various Epistles.

God exalts the humble but opposes the proud. We should all constantly remember that.

https://odb.org/MY/2022/08/08/discerning-right-paths

Those of us who are parents will always want the best for our children. So we see what are their strengths, inclinations and interests, and we prayerfully direct them to a path we hope will bring the best out of them. In the process we teach them independence – like they drive themselves (but we still repair and service the car ourselves), they get their own food or cook themselves (but of course we buy or cook for them too), do their own laundry and iron their own clothes etc. As much as they still live with us, we want them to make their own decisions – of course, in consultation with us.

Yet as much as we plan and pray, there are times when things don’t go according to plan. An opportunity could have presented itself or circumstances could have changed. Or perhaps our child wants to breakaway from the planned schedule and take a gap year? Or perhaps he wants to explore more of the world or gain experience working overseas before coming home? What do we do? Do we religiously stick to the schedule? Or are we flexible enough to accommodate changes to the plan because in the end, it is their life and not ours anymore? In my case, I’m already at the last leg of my working life before I embark on a different adventure but my own children are just about to make their entry into the working world (actually the elder has just graduated while the younger is still in college).

I think we should make adjustments where necessary but ultimately they must be on the right path with God. They must know their appointed place in God even as they find their place in the world. They must be assured of their salvation and know their Saviour and Lord. Even in the changes that they make, they must seek God and find the reality of God in their midst as they look for a job and even a place to stay. Christ must be present in their lives even as the plan and schedule is revised.

As seniors in the faith, we have a responsibility to not only guide our children but those that we shepherd so that they are on the right path in their careers, ministry and their walk with God. We have the experience and knowledge of the world and the faith; thus must impart that as much as possible to our children and sheep. As believers, it is definitely possible to work our way in the world and yet still remaining firm for God and His Covenant relationship with us, living according to His laws and percepts, upholding His name in all that we do. We can surely be in the world but not of the world. Earn our living without compromising our beliefs and faith in God. Trust and believe God for our children and our sheep. God will be their shepherd and their protector! Amen

https://odb.org/MY/2022/08/07/strength-to-let-go

One of the prevailing themes in the bible is God giving strength to the weak and weary. The LORD gives strength to those who are weak and weary. There are many examples. David, when he was being hunted by Saul and declared the LORD is my strength when the LORD delivered him from Saul. Moses when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea as the only way to get away from the chasing Egyptian army is to cross the Red Sea to safety and leaving the army behind in the sea!

I think finding strength in God is a personal journey every believer should go through to see for ourselves and experience the reality of God – the love and compassion, the grace and mercy of God. It’s an experience that will have a lasting effect on us and will remind us of His goodness every time we face storms of life. We remember that He brought us out of the miry clay, out of the pit of darkness and thus we have confidence and faith the next time we face a difficult and tough situation in life. We know that the LORD is our strength. He is our deliverer. Like David and Moses, we will dare to believe in Him and put our full trust on Him.

Are we feeling weak and weary? Are we at the end of road? Are we facing a cross road? Are we perplexed and do not know where to turn? Is it to the left, the right or straight ahead? Do we stay or move on? How do we live on after losing a loved one? These situations may put our faith to the test and the best way forward is still one that places our total hope and full reliance on Christ. That Jesus is our strength since God gives strength to the weak and weary.

I will say that I had experienced God being my strength when I had faced life crises before and the aftermath of those crises had deepened my trust and strengthened my dependence on Him. My faith in Him grew. It is indeed true that He gives strength to the weak and weary. We are not afraid of the future when we know that God is with us. We are not afraid of our next move because we know the Lord is with us. We seek Him and we follow His lead. It will not lead us to destruction but eternal life!