https://odb.org/MY/2023/01/28/the-pink-coat

As believers, we are often confronted with the issue of giving. Non-believers usually can not fully understand the motivation for Christians to give as the default position in the world is to measure most actions with cost and benefit. If we incur a cost (when we give), we must see what’s the benefit to us. In fact, the less the cost but the bigger the benefit, the better! The benefit, however, need not be immediate for the discerning as it can be a long-term investment or even intangibles like a better health condition or more favourable living environment. But it is nevertheless a cost benefit analysis. That is why, in line with the prevalent thinking of the world, advocates of the prosperity gospel preach that if we were to pledge or give to their cause, God will reward us 10x more. So many jumped onto the bandwagon to exploit this heavenly principle, and although many may have benefited, it is, in my view, not the correct approach to giving to the Lord and His cause.

I have experienced churches that advocate the giving of 10% of our income as tithes with another 10% as offerings, the distinction being made for tithes to be for full-time ministers and offerings for the upkeep of the church. Any other giving, whether for the poor or the needy, are to come out of our income post the 20% and for some churches the other giving also includes the giving for their building fund.

I remembered nearly 30 years ago, when a well known outside preacher came to town and preached for Christians to give into his ministry to break open heaven’s doors for the outpouring of God’s blessings, local churches were alarmed that their source of income may be affected. Perhaps that’s the reason for the emergence of the teaching that we must first prioritise our local churches in our giving. Give that 10% or 20% first, then if we still have excess or more to give, then give to external causes. I have also heard of the extreme where members are required to give even if they have to borrow to do so. There could be peculiar reasons why this was taught, but in my view, it takes giving to the edges of what is right and wrong.

I think while there are good biblical justification (Malachi 3:10) to advocate the giving of 10% of our income since tithes literally mean 10%, I am sure we should not limit ourselves to only 10% or to have the artificial segmentation like some churches do. In the end, it’s not the quantum that matters but the motivation and the thought.

I think the important thing is to give the amount that God has placed in our hearts to give and to give consistently to the best of our abilities. It should be something we could afford, and we should be at liberty to give to worthy causes and to help the poor and needy, including our friends, colleagues, and family who are in need because that is what is dear to God’s heart.

We give as prompted by the Spirit because we are thankful and grateful for His grace and compassion for us, for calling us to eternal glory. We don’t give with the hope to receive more, but we give because we want to give something back to God for His love and sacrifice on the cross. As we give into His Kingdom, we pray that more will get to hear the Good News and have their lives turned around. When we have the opportunity to give into the Kingdom and that I believe includes helping the poor and needy, we are actually sowing riches in heaven. What better way to store up treasures in heaven than to use our God-given and God-blessed earthly riches for the furtherance of His Kingdom? Be a cheerful and generous giver. It’s only right that as God blesses us that we bless others!

https://odb.org/MY/2023/01/27/mercy-for-you-and-me

Allow me to reproduce below a few verses from Psalm 103:

Verse 8: The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. Verse 10: He does not treat us as our sin deserves or repay us according to our iniquities. Verse 11: For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him. Verse 12: As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Basically, the Psalmist was trying to convey the fact that God’s compassion and love are boundless and exceed all barriers. It is as much as the distance between the heavens and the earth in terms of His love and our sins and transgressions are so far removed as the distance between east and west!

But note verse 11; His great and abundant love is for those who fear Him. This means those who are righteous before Him and whose hearts are for Him. Not so much perfection, which is unattainable in our present broken state or sinless but justified by the blood of Jesus, and who always strive to do better in our quest to be more like Christ. It means having the spirit of not giving up for Christ, always looking to the Holy Spirit to guide us on what we should do in all situations to glorify God. A life that is lived for the glory of God.

As much as I was imperfect, and as much as I was not sinless, I recall critical moments in my life that God’s compassion and love brought me out of heart-wrenching and very sad moments when others threw me under the bus. When the world left me in the lurch, the Lord gave me a new road to travel on. He was like the Good Samaritan that Jesus spoke about who was compassionate and kind when I was bruised and wounded. He redeemed not only my soul but also my honour and restored my self-confidence and faith as I looked to Him for strength and support.

The message today, I believe, is that so long as we remain righteous and our heart is for Him, His love and compassion will be with us as much as the distance between heaven and earth. That is how broad and wide His love and compassion are. There is just so much room and breadth for forgiveness and patience and tolerance on His part as He has removed our transgressions as far as the east is from the west.

The takeaway this morning is, thus, what is our response to those around us? Will we likewise be like God when it comes to those whom we love and those who had hurt and done evil to us? Will we also be like the Good Samaritan that Jesus spoke about before? We are assured of His love and compassion. Can others depend on our love and compassion? Will we give others a new road to travel on, a fresh start elsewhere, a second chance? Always remember the Parable of the Ungrateful Servant. Jesus actually taught about this crucial lesson in life before.

https://odb.org/MY/2023/01/26/love-that-forgives

In a marriage relationship, there are bound to be quarrels, fights, and disagreements. But as marriage is a lifelong covenant, we need to reconcile. It’s best to be good before the sun rises again. In fact, Paul teaches do not let the sun set on your anger so as to not give any opportunity to the devil – see Ephesians 4:26-27.

Thus, one of the keys to a lifelong marriage that also works for all relationships is forgiveness. Forgiveness is the virtue that keeps relationships alive and well. People do make mistakes. Voices could be loud. Tone could be off. We tend to be forgetful and insensitive. As the LORD has forgiven us our sins, forgive those who have trespassed against us, who had wronged us. This is true for everyone but particularly with our spouses. Because we will be together for a lifetime – growing old together, seeing our children grow up and have children. How are we to last 50, 60 years or more, if we harbour ill feeling and resentment for long? Unforgiveness will be the seed that will poison the soil and kill the crops if we imagine that our marriage is a plot of land. With love and compassion and kindness (Colossians 3:12), the soil will be properly fertilised and will produce two-fold and even five-fold crops. We will have beautiful and healthy produce to enjoy from the fruits of our labour.

For relationships to thrive and work well, it has to be a labour of love. We have to put in the effort, and the most important ingredient is forgiveness. If we are stingy with forgiveness, the results will be upheaval, tears, and broken relationships. Sometimes, it is difficult to forgive but forgive we must. Time will heal our hurts, but forgiveness will hasten the process.

If we are married or planning to marry, remember that as believers, marriage is a lifelong commitment and covenant. The key to its long life and to us keeping our marriage vow of “till death do us part or till the Lord returns” is to forgive. Forgive and fill our relationships with love, compassion, and kindness, and we will not fail!

https://odb.org/MY/2023/01/25/fighting-flashy-things

One of the things we face as believers is the temptation of the attractions of the world. The fancy and flashy things. They distract and could potentially draw us away from God. Nothing wrong with the things themselves as most things are neutral. But the glam and the flash, if we are into them too much, may just make us forget who we are in God, and thus, there lies the danger.

Just to illustrate and as an example and is not meant to implicate anyone. If we are so much into the glam and flash, we will always be looking at acquiring the latest Louis Vutton handbags, the latest Versace clothes, or the latest Rolex watches. The brands could be a few notches down, and they could be fashion statements and yet investments, in the sense that they have resale value. But if we are obsessed with such things, our attention will be very much focused on earning money to buy those stuff, and in the process, we could potentially be comprising our principles to earn that extra buck because of our obsession. Soon, we will be caught up in the razzle and dazzle of the high fashion world, and Jesus will be far from our hearts and minds.

The world has its attractions, but at the spiritual level, please be aware that there is such a thing as the spirit of the world. Its job is to seek and destroy. Whether to drown us in its bottomless pit or just draw us to the other side, where its end is destruction. It is like a magical journey of beautiful flowers and berries, green fields, and fascinating scenery, and yet at the back of all that, just dry and desolate lands and dead trees. The world is very much a beautifully crafted facade; beneath that beautiful picture lies just emptiness and loneliness. It’s an endless journey of deception, of chasing after the next “in” thing, the latest in design, colours, and textures. Positioned to fulfil our deepest needs and desires, and yet it does not. A lot of the glam is mere marketing ploys to make us spend and buy more. Material things are in the end temporal. We know that.

Only God can fulfil our deepest needs and longings. Only Jesus can and will lead us to eternal life. All other roads, and that includes the world, will only lead us to destruction. As believers, we should live simpler and more moderate lives. We may still indulge in flashy things, but just remember not to overdo or get overwhelmed by such things. Remember who we are in the Lord. Buy and use good quality stuff, some of which are investments, but never get obsessed by them. Live instead in the centre of the will of God and His plans and promises for our lives!

https://odb.org/MY/2023/01/24/no-loss

Meeting up with classmates whether school or college mates for reunions may sometimes be an intimidating experience and may even be thought-provoking. There are bound to be others more successful than us, and perhaps there are some who are less, and we usually define success in terms of material wealth or recognition in the world. For those who chose the narrow path as believers and even more so for those who chose to go full-time serving God, the question may come whether if we had not chosen God, would we be equally wealthy and successful as our more successful classmates?

The answer is that it may not be necessarily so! If we had chosen to walk the broader path, it would not mean that we would be wealthy and at the top of our game like our more successful classmates. In fact, the opposite could be true – we might have fared worse.

Ultimately, I think the question should never be asked because the Kingdom of God is like a hidden treasure in a field. Once discovered, one would sell everything we have to buy that piece of land so that the hidden treasure is ours. It is also like a precious pearl that we would sell everything in exchange for. In other words, God is worth all that we have or will have and much more. We would have it no other way. If we could turn back the clock, we would still choose Jesus to the riches of the world. Jesus was offered the world in exchange for bowing to Satan, but Jesus was not tempted. He chose to run with His destiny to sacrifice Himself for the sake of the world. To go out there to try to convince humanity to turn from their wicked ways and return to God. Jesus had faith that humanity is worth His sacrifice and efforts.

Paul was a top up-and-coming Pharisee schooled by the well-known and respected teacher, Gamaliel. A thorough-bred Jew, the creme de la creme, and yet in comparison to his new-found faith in Christ, he considered it all dung, rubbish (Philippians 3:8). He lost everything, but he didn’t regret it at all. Instead, he chose to go through the sufferings he knew he would go through for the sake of Christ, who revealed Himself to him in person on Paul’s journey to Damascus.

Whatever path our life in Christ has taken us, rejoice that we are living in the centre of His will for us. We would not be where we are today if not for Christ. We would have no other life even if given a choice to turn back the clock. We will not be where we are today in ministry or career if the grace and blessings of God were not upon us. We are who we are in our faith today because our Lord Jesus Christ was beside us all this while. Therefore, may we push forward without looking behind and continue fulfilling His plans and purposes for our lives and continue serving and living in the centre of His will!

Happy Chinese New Year, everyone! Xin Nien Kuai Le!

https://odb.org/MY/2023/01/19/but-im-telling-you

In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus taught us to love your enemies as a departure from the then conventional wisdom to love your neighbour but hate your enemy. Popular religion, even till today, still expounds both love and hate together in the sense that if you can love someone, you can also hate someone else. So Germans hated the Jews and that led to the Holocaust in WW2, and the Arabs also hated the Jews and that has led to wars between the Arabs and Israel. Hatred leads us to love our own and our kind and hate not our kind. So, there is animosity among the whites and blacks in the US, and in Malaysia, there is no true unity among the races because there is still deep-rooted distrust and resentment born out of hatred for other races gaining a place in this land that was originally the Malays pre-colonisation by the British.

There is no place for hatred as believers because we are children of God, and God is love. God can get angry, but He has no hatred in Him as ultimately all humanity is His creation. Although He chose the Israelites first, since the death and resurrection of Christ, Jews and Gentiles are equal sons of the Kingdom of God as co-heirs of Christ.

There is Godly wisdom in banishing hatred and replace with only love, instead of having love and hatred going hand in hand. Hatred consumes us from within and may lead us to destructive behaviour. Cain murdered Abel due to jealousy and resentment, but ultimately, it was hatred that drove him to kill. If Cain had only love, he would not have killed Abel. So what if God liked Abel’s offering more? Will killing Abel solve the issue? Will that cause God to love him more?

However, we are all human, and it’s difficult not to hate and resent when we are wronged or bypassed or treated unfairly. It’s is part of the human psyche to love and hate. We could as believers hate sin, but not another human, and the reason is that God loves him too, no matter how evil he may be now. Perhaps one day, he will see the error of his ways and repent and accept Christ?

History has proven that with hatred for fellow humans, wars are started, and lives are lost. No man will kill another if he only had love and no hatred. Accept that we must love even our enemies and learn how to do this in our lives. Since Jesus taught it and it forms the foundation of our faith, having no hatred for other people will only be good for us. It will transform us to be a more caring, understanding, and compassionate person and make us a better believer, one that is transformed and worthy of our crown of righteousness at the finish line of our faith. If we had banished hatred from our hearts, we would have succeeded in becoming more like Christ! It’s definitely a development that will be good for our spirit and soul.

https://odb.org/MY/2023/01/18/heart-problem

In this day and age, it is unlikely for a believer to be in Christ and yet be openly and directly worshipping idols. Chances are, if they are both, they are likely nominal Christians – Christians in name only, not genuine bible believing ones. This is because both are incompatible with each other unless one subscribes to the deception and lie that all gods lead to heaven like the saying, all roads lead to Rome, that Jesus is not the only way but one of the ways. Idols are a clear-cut no since we can not be worshipping two spiritual powers at the same time.

Yet idols go deeper than just visible gods or deities that people pray to or worship. This is because anything that takes the place of God in our hearts is an idol. Anything that draws us away from God is an idol. It could be our job and career. Or even our real-life idols like people we idolise that obsess us, even Korean soap operas and their actors and actresses if we are very much into all that. Or our music and musical heroes, people we emulate and ‘worship’, and that could also mean leaders that we idolise; business leaders, or even world or political leaders.

Having said that, in my view, as much as idols can take many forms, the prohibition to worship other gods remains a clear-cut prohibition against other gods in the literal sense. The commandment is that “Thou shall not have other gods besides Me” (see Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5). The context remains other gods as in those worshipped by those living in and around the Promised Land; Baal, and the Asherah poles – basically the gods of Jezebel whose prophets Elijah confronted and killed. Those are the deal breakers for our hearts as we can not worship and serve two spiritual powers. They can not exist side by side in our hearts.

The message today, I believe, is that as much as we must be wary of other idols that can draw us away from God and create an obsession within us, there may come a time in the near future when we may need to choose between Jesus and death or an idol and live; or in a more subtle form, Jesus and misery or another god and prosperity. Will we renounce Jesus to avoid persecution or trials and tribulations that come our way because of our faith? Will we follow Jesus all the way through the narrow road, or will we give in to other idols and choose the path of least resistance? It may well be a one-off decision or something we continually have to contend with. In the end, the commandment can only be fulfilled by what’s really in our hearts. Who is our true Lord and God?

https://odb.org/MY/2023/01/17/never-late

The resurrection of Lazarus recorded in John 11:17-27 is significant in proving the deity of Jesus in that, like the ancient prophets of Elijah and Elisha, He had raised the dead, not once but a few times in the course of His ministry. But the resurrection of Lazarus was extra ordinary and supernatural as he had died for 4 days, well past the traditional belief that a spirit still lingers near the body for 3 days. We, however, know that decomposition starts immediately after death, and thus, unless artificially preserved, a 4-day-old corpse is already in the advanced stage of decomposition. Thus, a person who is raised from the dead after 4 days will be a zombie as the brain and other internal organs had decayed and the walking dead will not be the same person as the person who died. Of course, that is all medically impossible and is only the stuff of movies!

But Jesus did it! He raised Lazarus from the dead, notwithstanding that he was long dead. Thus, it was asked why He didn’t rush to Bethany immediately upon hearing about the death of Lazarus when Bethany was just 2 miles from Jerusalem, probably just an hour walk away? Instead, Jesus delayed the journey, so as to quash all doubts of the magnitude of the miracle! This is to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that this was a true reversal of a decomposed body bringing back the soul and spirit that originally dwelled in that body. Only Creator God could do that, and Jesus was precisely that!

As much as the resurrection of Lazarus was a true and true miracle, an even more significant miracle awaits us as His saints in that one day we will all be raised from death in a glorified body like the body Jesus was resurrected in after His death on the cross. That will be the ultimate defeat of sin and death as conquered by Christ through his crucifixion and resurrection, for all mankind who believe in Him and call upon His name. Lazarus was resurrected, but he eventually died because his was still a broken human body, unlike the glorified body. Also, at the end of times at the new Jerusalem, we will have access to the tree of life. Thus, we will live for all eternity.

The lesson today remains that God’s timing is perfect. Martha said to Jesus, “If You had been here earlier, my brother would still be alive.” Yet as we can see, he still lived although Jesus was 4 days late! If we are waiting for Jesus to come through for us and we know it is God’s will, continue to pray and believe and wait. He will be there for us in His perfect timing. He makes all things beautiful in His time.

https://odb.org/MY/2023/01/16/be-filled

Isiah 58:6-12 speaks of a common but misconceived idea that some of us may have that God will accept our fasting and answer our prayers despite us not having a kind and compassionate heart. It is as though there is a set of rituals or practices we can adopt to bring in the blessings and power of God while side-stepping the issue of our character and personal traits. Our faith is, however, not something only personal to us with our deeds and actions only in relation to our religious obligations done in isolation to the people around us. We can not worship God in church and yet not have a transformed heart, a heart that is kind and compassionate.

For example, we can not claim to be a Christian and thus be in a relationship with God, and yet scam others contending that this is how we earn our living. Or if our tenant needs to terminate our tenancy due to a family emergency, we should be considerate not to forfeit the deposit, although we may be fully entitled to do so under the contract. Of course, if at the end of a tenancy, we find excuses not to return the deposit with the intention to oppress the tenant, then we are probably not genuine in our faith. This is because our faith is not only in terms of our religious obligations but encompasses all areas of our lives. If we oppress the poor and needy, then we are clearly off-track as we are to help them whenever we can.

Jesus gave the example of the Scribes and Pharisees praying loudly for all to hear, to show off their prowess, and to let people know they are doing their religious duty. But our worship of God and our public prayers are never meant as a way to boast, and neither are even our involvement in social causes. Do things sincerely and for God, but at the same time have a transformed heart that emulates the heart of the Father. Don’t do things to show off to boast, and when we serve God, make sure our hearts are likewise transformed. In the end, God is more interested in our transformed hearts than our service or ministry for Him. The Lord will be truly happy seeing us being kind and compassionate to the poor and weak, rather than receiving our prayers and fasting when our hearts are still evil and conniving, selfish and calculative.

Our faith can never be superficial or lip service. It must be real and reaching deep within us. Not everyone can be transformed overnight. It is a journey, and we may still be “work in progress”; but we must at least be on the journey. We can not say we are but are not really so within us!

https://odb.org/MY/2023/01/15/from-lament-to-praise

In some depressing situations like societal injustices, especially in the multiracial society in Malaysia, where government support and funding are racially driven, we lament to God. For example, our home born Malaysian world famous actress, Michelle Yeoh, who just won a Golden Globe for best actress. It was a culmination of 40 years of hard work, but when some Malaysian authorities tried to claim Michelle as our own, those in the local film and arts industry lambasted such people for their hypocrital attitude having done nothing for Michelle over the past 40 years. There were many others who had to take their art abroad in Taiwan and Hong Kong due to a lack of local institutional support.

It’s an injustice prevalent in Malaysian society that cuts across public institutions from education to government service to probably all layers of where there’s government support and funding. The non-Malays need to find their own, although they pay the most taxes with those in the government, only thinking along the lines that national interests mean Malay interests and not Malaysian interests. Like any other non-Malay, I have lived with these injustices since I was young and over the years have accepted and am resigned to the fact that we are very much on our own to make it in this land with many having migrated abroad to find more level playing fields to pursue their dreams and passions.

As believers, we may lament God on such societal injustices. It affects us directly and yet not just us but nearly everyone who is like us. It’s not really a personal predicament and yet personal all the same. Will the LORD hear us out? The consolation is that this is never a question of life or death or personal liberties. This is not severe persecution experienced by other believers in other places. Institutional discrimination places us a few steps back to allow the favoured ones a head start and easier passage in life because, in the end, most of us eventually make it. Just takes a longer time and via a more complicated route.

In lamenting God, it is a good practice like in Habakuk 3:17-19 to lament and praise, knowing to our Lord is God and is able to turn adverse situations around. Just a question of time. We may not see it in our generation, but God is God. So long as Christ has not returned, we have hope that things will be better in time to come, in 50 years or 100 years. God will make this land a better place for our children and our children’s children. So don’t just lament but praise too, even in seemingly hopeless situations. Justice will prevail one day, even in the face of the most powerful. Because God is God, He loves and cares for His people.