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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!