https://odb.org/MY/2022/09/06/a-hole-in-the-wall

It’s mooncake season now in Malaysia and as it comes once a year, I tended to eat too much at one go. Mooncakes are getting more and more expensive these days. So fortunately some places make them smaller at the same price. Fortunately, because then I will be eating less! I had just finished one whole piece yesterday night and then was relieved that it was a smaller one! ☺️

Proverbs 25:16 advises that if we find honey, eat just enough or else we will vomit. Anything that is nice and rich, we must exercise self control and eat in moderation. That is why Proverbs 25:28 teaches like a city whose wall is broken through, so is a person who lacks self control. It reminds me of the many movie stories of people finding treasure and dying with it. Like a cave full of gold and instead of just taking a bar and run before the cave closes, most will want to cart a whole case. But the point is a bar of gold alive is better than a cart of gold dead!

There is wisdom in the Proverbs because it is based on observations on human nature over time but most importantly it is the Word of God. Surely as wise as Solomon is, God is wiser. There is thus no need to always take the maximum. In negotiations, if we only go for the maximum, it is unlikely to be win-win. It is much better to cut a deal for ourselves with the other side thinking that we were dumb and had left too much on the table than have the deal deadlocked for months. Robert Kuok was willing to fund an entire venture, and own and take less than half of the profits because that was the only way to do that business in that country. The major shareholder of my former company once remarked to me in person that for some ventures we must never go in alone but as a consortium.

I think it is wise to always exercise self control and be contented. We get some of the pie, that’s good enough. No need to get all of the pie. Like a small hole in the wall that will compromise the entire city during ancient times, greed and always wanting the most will one day destroy us. Greed has caused many to risk the whole barn and lost! Cultivate self control and contentment and we will go far in life as God will see our heart and honour us as we honour Him in our lives.

https://odb.org/MY/2022/09/05/lego-lessons

One of the traits we must all have as believers is perseverance. We have heard of the phrase and we know that Christian life is not a bed of roses. In fact, in a question we discussed at our Young Adults bible class just yesterday, we realised that there is more trouble after we come into the faith. Not that God brought more problems to us but with Kingdom principles to follow, some things become more complicated than before. For example, we may be able to hold a grudge for a wrong done to us previously, but now we need to forgive and sometimes these situations add complexity to our relationships as forgiving others is not an easy task. Yet we know that we could do it because greater is He who is in us than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). We are able to overcome our weaknesses and follow the way of the Kingdom because Christ is with us, the Holy Spirit lives in us and empowers us.

It is nevertheless not an easy task to become more like Christ each day, to cultivate and reap of the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives. It is a process and a life long one. We are transformed and changed from glory to glory. Bit by bit, we need to allow ourselves to be transformed to the image of Christ. It needs perseverance. We must toil through to become who God wants us to be in Him. Not an overnight thing and will certainly take a lifetime but we must start somewhere and progress on. We cannot be a believer and disciple of Christ if we remain our old self for too long. Christ needs to be real but He will not force us. We need to respond to Him. We need to persevere on.

Life with its many toils and struggles, storms and upheavals will not make it any easier for us to be a better Christian. Not that anything is on purpose but the world is never neutral. It is exacting and not forgiving. Everyone is after his own interests, his own KPI. So if we are a casualty or in war-speak, collateral damage – the world will not bother. The wheels of life will turn. But Christ cares, God cares and that is why we must persevere on in our faith. Events in life will unfold but it is how we respond in our faith that matters. Will we hold on to God? Will we cling on to our Lord Jesus? Will we hang on to the boat as it battles the waves and storm? Will we not let go and persevere on? James is right, only with perseverance will we build character. See James 1:4. We need to let perseverance finish its work so we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Persevere on and we will one day receive our crown of life (James 1:12)!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/09/04/rediscovered

The rediscovery of the Book of the Covenant comprising of the first 5 books of the Bible hidden away in the Temple is a significant event that defined the reign of Josiah as one of the few kings of the Southern Kingdom of Judah who followed, obeyed and honoured God. Unlike the Northern Kingdom of Israel with its capital in the city of Samaria, Judah’s capital was in Jerusalem, the City of David. The Temple was repaired and restored during Josiah’s reign and idol worship undone and broken up.

The rediscovery of the Book of Covenant is the discovery of hidden treasures as there is so much wisdom and insight to be gleaned from the Word of God and thus we are so privileged as modern believers to have full access to the 66 books of the Bible and all accompanying materials and commentaries written over the centuries! So much wisdom and knowledge contained in the Word is now open to us.

But I think the rediscovery of the Book of Covenant is also a picture illustrative of the revelation and insight that we can get as we read His Word. As we read and go deeper, we rediscover hidden truths in the Word. As we study the Word more, the mysteries of the Kingsom are revealed to us. It is a process of rediscovery of what God had placed in Scriptures.

So every time we read the Word, ask ourselves why God allowed that passage of Scripture to be there and why was that fact or perspective presented in that manner? Why certain events were recorded and why others were not? Why a certain perspective or a certain person’s viewpoint was written down but not others? At the same time, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what God is speaking to us at that moment of time – what is the rhema word that He is saying to us, something of direct personal application that may perhaps be a lamp unto our feet?

But in reading and understanding the Word, I think the fundamental principle all of us must hold on to, no matter how young or old, how advance we are spiritually or who we are in ministry or the church – the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). Meaning to say we need to love and want to follow and obey Him in order to understand Him and His Word. We are always in pursuit of the wisdom of the Bible, not just the knowledge, and the wisdom of the Bible is to always point us toward following and obeying the LORD, His laws and His percepts and Jesus Christ, His Son. Follow that lead and we will never go wrong!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/09/02/lighting-candles

As believers, we know that the world as we see it today will one day come to an end. Christ will return and usher in a new era before judgment day comes and before the end of time as we know it arrives. There will be the great tribulation as revealed in Revelations which is expected to run for around 3 years. There is a debate whether we will be raptured before or after tribulation but the end is that there will be a new heaven and a new earth, a new Jerusalem and God will dwell among His people. The Kingdom of God will be established physically on earth following the Second Coming of Christ.

The question today is are we ready to face Christ if He comes again today? He will come when we least expect like a thief in the night, yet are we ready and prepared for Him like the servants that are fully dressed, ready to serve the Master? Jesus spoke about this in Luke 12:35-40. Are we ready?

How do we want to be when Christ returns? Perhaps like Abraham Davenport, we want to be doing the thing God appointed us to do? Perhaps we want to be serving God in church when Christ comes again? Leading worship, leading a bible study or preaching a message or sharing Christ with someone? To be ready like that we need to be doing the thing God had planned for us and comtinually serving God in church and ministry.

I think the lesson and message today is that we will never know when exactly Christ will return although we know He will. The best we can do is to be ready and that means we do what He has called us to do and serve Him in His Kingdom of Grace. Continue to do those things and do not neglect meeting with one another. Keep our lives upright. Live in the glory of His grace. Then whenever He comes which He certainly will, we are “dressed” and ready!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/09/01/hygge

The pandemic had caused churches to close their doors with services going online. There are pros and cons, the obvious being that with online services, prayer meetings and bible studies, attendance is not restricted by distance or space. We can attend despite being thousands of miles away or even in another time zone. Zoom is probably the next best thing to teleporting, which I believe some of us are looking forward to as one of the perks of our glorified bodies!

There is however a strong case to be made for actual physical attendance, notwithstanding the reach of online platforms. That is probably why there will be tekeporting in the end of days even with the advent of technology! Seeing each other in the flesh brings a different experience and binds us together in a stronger way. WhatsApp messages, telephone or video calls are good for communicating but the bonds of human relationships are better built when we see each other in the flesh. The TV or mobile screens are still 2D and thus lack the depth and clarity of actual 3D breathing human bodies. Somehow although we are communicating, online interactions do not genuinely feel like we are meeting together. That’s also probably why companies and businesses are insisting that employees come back to office while retaining the flexibility to work from home for some days. While we can work from anywhere with technology, explanations and discussions are still the best when done in person face to face.

Therefore, like the writer of Hebrews (believed to be Paul) encouraging the mainly Jewish audience (who came across as somewhat wavering in their faith) to come together to worship God as a group, we must likewise not neglect meeting up together as churches open up and encourage physical on site services. Ultimately, physical meetings also serve as checks and balances to help each of us to remain strong in the faith. Our presence is also an encouragement to the others of their faith. Moreover, it is part of our society’s migration to the endemic phase of the pandemic to turn the Covid-19 virus into something like the common cold. People will get it eventually but they will also get over it with vaccinations and strengthened internal immunities achieving herd immunity.

Let’s meet together in church or outside for meals or at our homes in fellowship to foster and grow our relationships with one another for the betterment of the community of believers!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/08/31/when-knowledge-hurts

It is true that knowledge brings sorrow as there are certain truths when discovered would make us sad. Like the case of a famous Christian apologist, it was shockingly discouraging. Or there could be family secrets buried deep in history when finally discovered or made known to us that made us cringe in shame. While knowledge may bring sorrow and misery, the truth reveals the stark reality of our human nature. We are humans after all, not angelic beings. We are capable of committing sin and evil. We can and will do wrong.

The other thing about the discovery of certain past truths is that we need to realise it was a different world back then. While some may be in pursuit of the finer things in life, most I believe, were just struggling back in the day to put food on the table for the family. Most families were relatively large and some men even had a few wives and I’m not talking about Solomon! That compounded the struggle. Just go back in time to 100 years past and we will see life back then was very different. We will then understand why certain things could have occurred in our families, things kept as dark secrets over the years.

The book of Ecclesiastes is strange as the book of Proverbs is familiar. There is a sense of despair and life being meaningless. We are just a fleeting moment in time. We exist for a while and are gone like the flowers in the field. Of course, time is relative – the flowers live for a few weeks but we live for an average of 80 years but to God, thousands of years is also just a moment, a flicker of the eye.

The concept of eternity and eternal life didn’t really come into play until Jesus appeared on the scene, yet the conclusion from Proverbs and Ecclesiastes is that true wisdom is to know God and follow Him. Cling to Him. Then we will realise that life is not meaningless because we don’t exist for a fleeting moment. God has put eternity in our hearts. We live forever in the spirit, our souls are eternal. Then we realise that what we do while on earth while we are still breathing matters! Life is indeed not meaningless. The meaning to life is actually to know God and be in fellowship with Him through Christ! Amen! Praise the Lord indeed! Hallelujah!

A hotel leaving its porch light on in a sea of darkness as a sign to show that guests and travellers are always welcome is an apt illustration of a Christian being a light to the world. As a light of the world, we are the “go to” place for the lost to find the way to eternal life. We are the stairway and bridge to Christ. We point the way to Jesus and God as Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. The Kingdom of God is where we are, we are the light of the world.

As a light for the world, we are not only the entrance and pointer to God’s kingdom but we ourselves also illuminate the way for others, for the world. We are the source of God’s wisdom for the world, a place of counsel and good advice. We illuminate the path like the Word of God is a lamp unto our way. We have the Word of God in us as Christ and the Holy Spirit are within us, living in us. We are thus Christ to the dying and broken world, the source of joy and comfort, of encouragement and edification, the place of counsel and wisdom.

Practically, in Matthew 5:3-10 aka the Beautitudes, Jesus had listed the attributes of those who are in and thus the Kingdom of God. Good deeds, humility, meekness, showing mercy, righteousness, a pure heart and peacemaking. These are the attributes of us as children of the light, besides our countenance that displays the glory of God. Thus being the light for the world is certainly not a mere assertion but an attitude of wanting and being the person pointing others to God the Father, Christ and the Holy Spirit. It is also the attitude of wanting and being the person with wisdom and counsel of God and most crucially it is having the character of God with good deeds, humility, meekness, mercy, righteousness, pureness of heart and peacemaking. As we display and have the attributes of God in our lives, others will look to us as a beacon of hope in the dying and broken world, and thus a light in the sea of darkness! Therefore let’s go out there into the world today and start being that light that shines forth in and for the darkness!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/08/29/seeds-of-time

The Parable of the Good Soil is easy to understand because Jesus explained it clearly, spelling it out blow by blow, somewhat like parentheses by parentheses. The point made is we must be good soil in our hearts in order that the Word that is spoken will take root and grow in our lives, that we will grow in maturity and in the grace and countenance of the Lord. The point applied however is that it is for us to sow the seed and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. Just share and preach the Gospel in whatever way or form we can, one day the seed will germinate like the seeds buried in a bottle for 142 years as was done by William Beal in 1879. Some of those seeds still bloomed after so many years buried. Likewise the seeds of faith that we plant may bloom many years from now in someone’s heart.

But I like to just say a bit more about the good soil that we should be, not just for salvation but for our own spiritual growth over the years in the faith. There are two aspects to a Word as spoken or preached. The logos as it was written and serves as knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom as it is revealed to us. The other is the rhema which is the living Word spoken to us directly for us to apply and live out. Every time we read the Word or hear the Word being spoken or preached, reach out to the Holy Spirit for both the logos and the rhema. It doesn’t matter that the speaker is not so good at presenting or is not funny. What matters is what we may learn from it and what God is speaking to us about our life. Both will help us grow in the faith. Our role is to be that good soil that Jesus spoke about. A heart that embraces and puts into action the Word spoken to us and not mere knowing. Not always an easy task but certainly one that will strengthen and grow the faith within us! Be that good soil!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/08/28/love-and-lean

I attended a conference on counselling some years back and learnt that depression is not merely a feeling but a medical condition. It is not just feeling down or being depressed as we probably commonly thought but a serious medical condition of continually feeling down or depressed. People having depression usually can’t help it. So just telling them to snap out of it or cheer up will not really work. It is dangerous as depression induces suicidal thoughts and there would have been those who had taken their lives because of that. It is a mental health issue and because it is a medical condition, the best people to deal with it are health care professionals.

However, as believers I think a key to avoid going into depression is to lean on God and others. If we allow ourselves to go into depression, we will not be able to avoid the downward spiral where we will then require medical intervention. I believe that as much as things may not be going well for us like losing our job or a loved one or being bypassed for a promotion, trust God that He has His plans for us. Trust that God wants the best for us despite the seemingly adverse situation. Have faith that God will turn things around for us in time to come. If we had lost a loved one, we cannot reverse that. That person is now in a better place if he or she was a believer. God loved him or her more to take him or her away from the miseries of this sad and broken world. We who are still here will have to deal with what the world brings us, storms and all and yet we know we can go through all that because we have Jesus in our lives and God is with us.

Lean on the Lord as we have Him with us like Ruth had leaned on Naomi and clung to her instead of returning to her people. She followed her mother in law and determined in her heart that although she will be a foreigner in Israel, Naomi’s people will be her people and Naomi’s God, the Great I Am, the Almighty One of Israel shall be her God. God honoured Ruth as a result, that although she was not born Jewish, in tracing the lineage of Jesus, Matthew in his Gospel, mentioned Ruth.

Lean on the Lord as well as His people. Fellowship with those who are in the Lord so that we will celebrate the goodness of God amongst His people that instead of sadness and tears, we will experience joy and love. Allow the presence of God to engulf and heal us from our pain and sorrow. Serve Him, keep ourselves busy with work and ministry and soon we will discover and know that there are more things in life to come from the the grace and goodness of God. He is indeed our God and our salvation, our Rock and our Stronghold!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/08/26/just-ask

Paul’s advice in Philippians 4:6 is really good advice. Do not be anxious about anything but in all situations by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Whatever we are going through, present it to God in prayer and supplication but with thanksgiving. What Paul basically means is that we pray and communicate with God no matter what is the situation we are going through? We talk to God, we pray. Don’t let our situation overcome us, beat us down no matter how depressing it looks like. But also with thanksgiving. We are thankful for who He has been for us all this while. For how far He has brought us in our faith and ministry. From a little baby in the faith to a grown and matured man in the Lord. We are now strong although we were weak. We are now an encouragement and an encourager when we needed to be encouraged in the past. We are now a pillar of faith, steadfast and faithful when we were wavering and unsteady in the past.

Paul’s advice is excellent because when we go through crises and storms in life, as human beings, we have a tendency to focus on the present, forgetting the past and in a way, being ungrateful for what God had done before and all this while. While this is common at work and in the world where the focus is always on the present numbers and not our past contributions, as followers of Christ, we must never be like the world only looking at the present and forgetting the past. That is why Paul says in all situations pray and petition God but with thanksgiving. Be thankful to God for all that He had done and been to us while presenting our present situation to Him. Acknowledge His grace and mercy all this while. We wouldn’t be where we are today without Him by our side, in our life, without Him being in the boat with us.

God is not obliged to continually be good to us all the time but He actually is and will. We must therefore be thankful and grateful to Him for all that He has and had done in the past, for us and our family and loved ones, blessing our work and ministry. We don’t know what will lie ahead; in the next week, the next month and the years to come but we are confident that we will ultimately be with God in the end as Jesus had already died for our sins and is resurrected. The death and resurrection of Christ is our hope of glory!