https://odb.org/MY/2022/11/16/keep-your-guard-up

When things are going smoothly especially our spiritual lives, we have a natural human tendency to let our guard down. Meaning we are less cautious and more care free. There is a place for throwing caution to the wind and yet there is a need to be cautious at the same time. In trying out new things and moving out of our comfort zone, we need to be less cautious, less risk adverse. Take the risk that things may not work out as planned as no venture, no gain. If we don’t try, we will never know the outcome. If we are always cautious and conservative, then we will just remain at status quo and this is not good if we are a church. We might be stuck in an era that is 20 years outdated. What worked and was useful 20 years ago will not cut it anymore in this present Tik Tok generation. The world is different now. We need to move out of our old mindsets to conquer the present generation for the Lord.

Yet there is a place for caution. There is a place to be risk adverse. Like our spiritual lives. We must never let our guard down lest the devil will come in and attack us. Don’t give the devil a footing into our lives for him to make inroads and dilute our spirituality and relationship with God. We must always keep our guard up and put on the armour of God as taught by Paul in Ephesians 6. The helmet of salvation. The breastplate of righteousness. The shield of faith. The belt of truth. The shoes of peace. The sword of the Spirit. The people who are likely to perish in a snow avalanche are the seasoned snow trekkers as they throw caution to the wind and take chances with nature. The more spiritual and the more experienced we are in God, the more likely we will fall if we let our guard down.

The message this morning is simple. Be on guard. Keep our guard up. Don’t let our guard down. There are places to take risk and to move out of our comfort zone but not in the area of our spiritual lives. Always be careful and cautious. Guard it carefully and constantly. Don’t rest on our laurels if we are having a great time of fellowship and worship with God. Keep up at it and don’t break the momentum. The devil is just waiting for any opportunity, any opening to step in and deceive, entice and tempt us away from God with the fancy attractions of the world, the earthly riches or just plain fame that will feed into our pride. Always remember to build up our treasures in heaven where the thief may not steal and the moth and rust may not destroy. Any other treasures we can’t bring across.

https://odb.org/MY/2022/11/15/using-your-voice

When I was very young in primary school, I used to read Marvel comics (yes, there was a time when they were available for sale or rent!) and imagine that I was one of the super heroes, with Iron Man being one of my favourites. It was of course my own make believe world, the fantasy of a child. Later when I grew older, I wanted to be handsome, read and write and study well. I recall I was so happy to be able to read in Standard Two, one of my major achievements to be able to read like adults. Of course nowadays kids start at a much younger age. Later I wanted to be able to sing and play the guitar. Never had the chance to learn the piano though. I always dreamed of being good at this and that but for many years struggled with my self confidence, especially speaking in public – somewhat like Moses.

As I became an adult I realised that I cannot be good at many things, only some. As I needed to study and later work, my ability to be good at something somewhat is constrained by the time I have. I can only learn or train or practice so much at a time. In my later years, I realised that I’m better at writing than speaking. Although both use words, speaking needs the gift of the gab – some have it and some don’t and I’m more of the latter. Yet God has given me the opportunity to speak from the pulpit for nearly 15 years now and although I still find it challenging to stand in front of a congregation and speak, I’m motivated more by the message than my lack of natural ability.

Each of us will have our own unique journey and struggles. We are good at something but not so good at other things. Some of just wish we could play an instrument and sing for God. Some of us wish we could preach like those seasoned and famous pastors. There are surely other wishes too.

I think ultimately God will use whatever talents He has given us for His glory if we avail ourselves to Him. That’s the fundamental principle. We are that brick on the wall, that unique peg as we are all fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-14). Yet the story of Moses tells us that even if we are not so good at something, God can still use us powerfully. So I don’t speak so well but God can and will use me to preach His message to reach out and touch hearts and bring change and transformation as His Word will not return void. Focus first on our unique God-given talents but don’t discount and underestimate the ability of the Father to use us even in areas that we are not great at. God uses the weak to shame the strong and the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. It is best to be like Moses who surrendered and yielded his will unto the will of the LORD. If that’s His will and we are a part of it, it will work despite and in spite of our limited natural abilities.

https://odb.org/MY/2022/11/14/the-love-of-god-2

We know life like the weather is unpredictable. It may be smooth sailing for some of us but there are and will be turbulence. There are ups and downs. Happy and sad moments. Times of joy and sadness. As we find our way in the world, we will have milestone achievements and yet failed expectations, disappointing results even unrealised potential due to lack of opportunities. We want to shine but was not given the avenue.

In Psalm 57, David had the misfortune and bad experience of needing to deal with Saul, the king he had been anointed by Samuel the prophet to replace. God had chosen him over Saul and yet Saul instead of yielding, seeks to kill him! As much as it is natural for people to preserve their position, Israel was a nation with a covenant with the LORD, with a God appointed prophet who has spoken. Isn’t that an open defiance against God when Saul sought to kill David?, God’s appointed successor?

For David, it must have been heart wrenching to experience this development of events. From a shepherd boy to the famous one who killed Goliath and redeemed Israel, to a successful army commander designated to be king one day and now a fugitive being hunted like a wild animal and needing to hide in caves. Caves are smelly, suffocating and dark but to save his life and fulfil God’s plan and purpose for him, he needed to persevere and stay alive.

What’s the message this morning? There are and will be difficult and disappointing times. Whether at work, in college or even in church. Like David in Psalm 57, we must find refuge in God and reach out to His unfailing love. Let Him be exalted above the heavens and let His glory fill all over the earth. His love is great, reaching to the heavens and His faithfulness reaches to the skies. Most importantly, we must not give up because if we do, we will not be able to do His will for us. Plough on despite the setbacks, despite the discouraging turn of events. Like David, we need to turn to God and not give up so that His plans and purposes for us remain intact. David needed to stay alive so that He can be king one day, as anointed and appointed by the LORD.

We need to persevere on so that whatever the Lord wishes to achieve through us may be fulfilled. Never lose sight of Christ but turn to Him in times of despair and disappointment. Surely He will lift us up and strengthen us as there is yet much to be done for Him!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/11/13/small-kindnesses

The thrust of Paul’s chapter 3 of his letter to the church in Colossians is that since God had been compassionate to us by calling us to Him, we having been forgiven and chosen by Him, we must likewise in return be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient with others. It is only right to have compassion and love as we first experienced it with the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.

That is why it is inconceivable that as a believer we can harbour evil in our hearts. Not just a question of perception but the reality of who we truly are, deep inside us. Never a mask or a persona. We are who we are, inside and out, as a grace-saved child of God. Like an orphan given a new home, a new family, a new identity in Christ – we represent Christ. We are the Kingdom of God, our corner of the world is an extension of God’s Kingdom. Why? Because our life is where Christ reigns as our King. He is our Lord. He saved us to be His, servants and soldiers in His army and yet co-heirs with Him. Do I sound like Paul? That’s because I’m using the terms and words that Paul uses to describe who we are in God.

But to be practical, we are not Mother Theresa overnight although we can eventually be like her; I’m sure we can. For now, let’s focus on just little acts of kindness. God is not asking us to give away our possessions to the poor. We need to live and provide for our families, old age and for His church and ministry. There are people who are dependent on us and our finance.

Small acts of kindness go a long way. As the little girl in today’s story found out, people generally just wished for a small act of kindness to make their day! A simple gift of a chocolate or a candy. A meal at the hawker centre. A cup of nice latte. Some peanuts. A good book. A pot of plants. As we give we are lifted up as we see the joy in face of our recipients. A RM20 or RM50 donation to a proper NGO in need, doing social work.

This Sunday as we come together to bring our sacrifice of praise unto the Lord, let’s remember to be kind to one another and to others. Let’s make it our mission next week to be kind, compassionate, humble, gentle and patient with others. Always remember who we are in Christ and that we are the Chosen Ones of God!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/11/11/the-source

A fundamental teaching that Jesus introduced which is logical to us now but considered radical at that time was the question of what defiles us. The Jews have the concept of not eating certain food as these are considered unclean. Till today, religious Jews only eat Kosher food and have separate kitchens for diary and non-diary food. Like the Muslims, they are particular about food, just more particular.

However, as believers, Jesus taught that what defiles us is not what goes into our bodies but what comes out. While that is true in the spiritual sense as taught by Jesus, we have to be aware that what goes into our bodies may still physically be harmful to us although it doesn’t defile us spiritually. So drugs can kill us. Alcohol will affect our liver. Red meat is bad for our heart and blood stream. Sugar may lead to diabetes. Smoking will destroy our lungs.

The source of our defilement lies in the fact that we are sinners due to the first sin by Adam. But as Jesus died for our sins, we are now free from the sting of sin which is death. We will still die and yet we live because we have eternal life in Christ. As God has put eternity in our hearts, we will have eternity in Christ Jesus. We have an inheritance in God that we can realise even here on earth as we go deeper into Christ and His Word as we fulfil His plans and purposes for our life.

Thus, at the most basic level, we are sinners and yet as wretched a sinner we are, God saw it fit to call us His own through His beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the end, we are the ones that will defile ourselves. What lies within us will defile us. Our evil thoughts, vengeance, hatred will defile us. What comes out of our hearts and not what we eat that will defile us spiritually. No matter what rituals we perform (in the olden days) or how many church services we attend (in the present context) can redeem us if we don’t allow the blood of Christ to cleanse and His Holy Spirit to transform our hearts.

“Create us O Lord a clean heart each day that we may see Your face as we worship You and bow before You”. Being a believer is the real deal. Pretense is useless, it will divert us from the narrow path. Our faith must be real and genuine. Our hearts must be for God. That’s the crux of the matter, the raison d’etre of our faith. It must stand the test of time and life!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/11/10/legacy-of-friends

Even if we are living in an isolated place deep in the jungle away from civilisation, we will in most likelihood still have a friend in the form of a pet cat or dog. But if there are nomadic or jungle living people near us like the Orang Asal, they will likely then be our friends. As human beings, we cannot avoid having friends no matter how insular or how an introvert we are. Friends come with life. In fact it’s a necessity in life.

Thus wounds from a friend can be trusted, while an enemy multiplies kisses (Proverbs 27:6), speaking that ultimately it is the sincerity of the heart that matters. Your enemy is the one who speaks with sweetness of honey but wishes evil and misfortune for you. As a believer, we may not believe such people exist but they do. A friend is thus someone who may correct not with sugar coated words, but in his heart wishes us progress, peace and happiness. A friend will be happy for us to see us succeed in life. No envy or malice, just pure and sincere joy and pride that someone we know has done well.

What’s interesting in today’s ODB message which I like to highlight is not only the importance of friends but the importance of being a friend. As we know the goodness of having friends, we must in turn be that true and sincere friend to our friends. Be someone our friends can trust and count on. Be a friend that will want to see the success and victory in our friends. Be that someone who will be a shoulder to cry on in times of sadness and disappointment. A comforter in times of grief. An encourager in times of failure. Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice (Proverbs 26:9). And thus it is “better a neighbour nearby than a relative far away” (Proverbs 26:10).

This morning remember to be that neighbour friend to our friends and speak with sincerity of heart wishing the best for our friends. Be a good friend that others may see the glory of God shining forth from within us.

https://odb.org/MY/2022/11/09/wise-or-unwise

When I first started out as a believer we had this issue of whether we should listen to secular music. Not just pop music but any genre. Of course as a musician, I didn’t quite take that to heart but neither did I get seriously into pop or other music. Over the years I found the genre I liked most – and in the end, I still play and sing mostly worship songs. Not because I have anything against secular music, it’s just that my role and calling in the church necessitated that I play worship songs and thus that’s what I ended up doing the same way as I play and sing mostly in the key of G and A, with the occasional C, D, E or even F keys. Do I have anything against Bb or Eb? No! But as a guitarist, those are more difficult keys to play although a capo will solve the problem quite easily. A pianist will not understand this struggle of a guitarist but throw a pianist the key of B or even C# and they might run all over! 😀😀😀

After going through those Charismatic movement aspersions, fears and even prejudice towards anything worldly, we now realise that we are very much part of the world and we need to know the world to relate to them. Not listening or playing worldly music, or watching TV programmes or going to the cinema or even reading secular books is actually quite self defeating. We are just limiting the scope of our perspective, knowledge and skills (in the context of a musician). That’s quite unimaginable in the current world of YouTube and Google! Although it is true that the world and television and other media have a powerful negative subtle influence on us, we should always hold on to the Word that, “Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world”. Jesus in us is stronger and as we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us by the renewing of our mind, we will not conform to the pattern of this world. We will eventually develop our own world view and move in faith instead of sight. Believing and trusting in the power of prayer to move mountains as even faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain, which figuratively speaking, means that if we have faith, little or more is less important, we can do wonders in both the spiritual and physical realms!

Still at the end of the day, there is the question of whether something is wise or not. It may be permissible but may not be wise. Nothing wrong to drive a Porsche 911 but is that a wise use of our money and is being flashy the image we want to portray? We might like to collect watches but seriously, should we go round wearing a Richard Mille or a Patek? Should we eat Japanese kobe beef steak or the finest abalone or lobster every weekend? Or drink only the finest and rarest wine? Look at Jesus. Was He the flashy or the simple and moderate type?

I guess as we mature in the faith, we will know and realise that the debate on whether to listen to secular music is trivial. There are many more pertinent things and issues in life that we will need to ask ourselves whether it is wise or unwise. Ultimately we need to ask whether it will glorify the name of the Lord or not, will Jesus be pleased or upset? Will God say well done or will He say, “C’mon what’s happening there?”.

https://odb.org/MY/2022/11/08/loving-our-neighbors

It is interesting to note that as we dwell deeper into the Word, we learn the rationale and background as to why certain instructions or commandments were instituted. For example, love your neighbour. It was meant to instill unity in the community so that there is harmony between the people who were closely knitted and depended on one another for protection against attacks from outsiders. In that context, we will harm ourselves if we have hatred or ill feeling towards another person within our community, the same way everyone should be together in an infantry platoon fighting a battle or a team playing football.

The point is our action against a neighbour will harm ourselves. We see this clearly in the recent pandemic where it actually affected the whole world. If indeed it is true that it was an intentional US biological warfare deployment as China had contended or it was a failed Chinese biological warfare experiment as the US had contended, it certainly affected everyone including the alleged perpetrators themselves! Covid was the perfect example of how something if it had been done on purpose did not only affect the intended person but everyone as well as the perpetrator.

The LORD set rules for our own good. We don’t see it immediately but often times our adverse actions will come back to bite us. In actual situations like disunity in a community may bring about defeat in a battle or purely divine retribution like some sort of punishment for sin as in the case of David. There is and will be justice whether we see it or not and whether it is now or later. Thus the best way forward is always to do good and not evil. There is much wisdom when the LORD instructs us to love our neighbour. Likewise there is much wisdom and good for us when Jesus taught us to love our enemies. If we plot to destroy our enemy, we may end up harming ourself. Worse, as in most cases, we can’t do much as the person who did us wrong is much more powerful than us but our hatred and resentment within us just eats us up. By hating our enemy, we ended up killing ourself slowly but surely. We become a worse person. Moody and angry and easily offended when Christ wants us to be joyful, compassionate and loving. So there is a good reason why we should love instead of hate.

Covid has proven that our lives are intertwined as the world is now global. The NATO action against Russia via Ukraine had led to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and as the US and the West continue to fuel the war, the consequences are felt across the world including the West themselves with rising inflation and inflated energy costs. The US in waging a proxy war from far away may think it is insulated but globalisation has made that impossible. Harming others has the effect of harming ourself. That is why it is always better to love and care for others as it will be overall better for everyone. A community where everyone is doing well is much better than only some are doing well while others are left behind. God is God, He is the wisest among any of us. So let’s follow His law and His Word. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom indeed!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/11/07/thankful-for-monday

I used to dread Mondays. After the spiritual high of a Sunday worship service, it’s back to the grind on a Monday. Or after a weekend of a short holiday somewhere, we are back to face reality on Monday. Mondays bring us back to earth so to speak, from our weekend daydreams to the harsh reality of life. We are back to facing and resolving issues at work, documents to clear, transactions to close, deadlines to meet. Sometimes on Mondays I feel like the ox that needs to go round and round again with heavy yoke around my neck. I guess Jesus also understands our Monday blues when He asked us to cast our burdens on Him for His yoke is light and He will give us rest – see Matthew 11:28-30.

I used the past tense at the start because since I started at my new job, I don’t dread Mondays anymore or rather, I dread it much less! My wife and I have developed this routine where we stay in our condo in the big city during the week and return to our abode in our smaller city during weekends. In addition, I also return home once in the middle of the week and work from home for a day. It’s not that far away, just a little over an hour’s drive during off peak periods. I’m thankful to God for my new job. I’m much happier here and although the future remains uncertain as my new employer is a start up and the economic outlook is gloomy over the next few years, I believe that the Lord is and has been implementing His moves to make His plans for my life come to fruition. It’s really exciting to see Him working in me as I wait upon Him and discover what He has in store for me for my next chapter in life. Perhaps the time to serve Him in a different way will come.

Although work can be meaningless to some of us in the sense that we are only earning a living and perhaps not doing something meaningful like helping the poor – as pointed out by Solomon who wrote Ecclesiastes in chapter 2 verse 24, it becomes meaningful when the LORD is present in our midst. All that we toil for, we can’t bring with us. We must leave it to the one behind. Yet we find meaning in all that in God. Work becomes meaningful when we relate to God in all that we do although we may not be in full time ministry. Secular work can be meaningful if we treat it as working unto the Lord. Jesus is our Master and Lord and we do it unto Him, for His glory.

Monday blues may be less of a dread if we find the presence of God amidst the chaos, the deadlines and assignments. Find the meaning of our job in God and we will find fulfilment in the things we do although superficially our work may not be directly beneficial to society. Of course ministry and charity work are the most meaningful but if we have God in us and we relate to Christ in our work, our work can be meaningful too although mundane and boring. Perhaps our labour of love and our faifulness to the “land” given to us by the Lord will be one of our subtle ways to build up our treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and thieves do not destroy! Have a great week ahead as we look forward towards Christmas! 😀😀😀

https://odb.org/MY/2022/11/06/hope-from-gehenna

Topheth or the Valley of Hinnom in Jeremiah 7:30-34 was described as “Gehenna” in Greek by Jesus and used by Him to compare hell in Matthew 5. It is a place of atrocities not committed by the Canaanites but by Israelites themselves, a place where they sacrificed even children and burned incense to idols, in total defiance to the LORD. So bad that Jesus compared the fires burning there to hell. So bad that the LORD via Jeremiah vowed to destroy them in future, which happened when the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem and killed many and burned their bodies at the same place. Yet in the midst of all that fury and prophesy of disaster, someone had the confidence to carve out the blessings of God in an iron scroll declaring Numbers 6:24-26 that “the LORD bless and keep you, the LORD make His face shine on you and be gracious to you, the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace”. That iron scroll from the time of Jeremiah is presently the oldest bits of discovered Scripture today.

We know the story of the Babylon invasion, the punishment it wrought on the Temple, on Jerusalem and its people and how they were exiled and yet 70 years later they returned to Jerusalem and began to rebuild the Temple. Yet about 100 years before the invasion in 597 BC, someone in the seventh century BC was already proclaiming the blessings of God, the protection of God which foretold what happened when the Israelites returned from exile, about 200 years in advance! His Word is all about His goodness despite the insolence and wicked disobedience of His people, His punishment and yet His redemption and mercy.

What’s the message today? I believe if we are suffering the consequences of our rebellion towards God or our stubborn disobedience, know that despite the punishment, He loves us. David suffered the consequences of his action towards Uriah due to his lust for Bethsheba as he lost a few of his sons (including his first son with his union with Bethsheba) and yet the LORD preserved David’s legacy and bloodline to Jesus via Bathsheba’s later son, Solomon. Jerusalem was invaded by Babylon and the Assyrians and yet in both instances, He later rebuilt the Temple and Jerusalem.

Be like the sculptor who etched those blessings of God in the iron scroll. Despite our sufferings which are our own doing, know that the LORD will nevertheless bless us and shine His face upon us. The time will come when the period of punishment is over and we will have His peace and countenance. His punishment will not be forever!