https://odb.org/MY/2022/02/25/avoid-the-door

Wisdom is multi-facetted. There is insight like the ability to see between issues or read between the lines. There is also prudent behaviour in terms of wise dealing. There is prudence in terms of good judgment or good sense. Wisdom also encompasses knowledge and this includes knowledge of how the world works in dealing with people and the world and how the spiritual world works in dealing with spiritual forces and the heavenly realm. There is also discretion whether in terms of planning ahead or preparing a course of action with foresight or just plain ability to know what to say at the right time and right place. Wisdom also involves discernment especially in spiritual matters. As was mentioned yesterday, everything is permissible but not all things are beneficial and wisdom helps us make that distinction.

Thus when it comes to doors, it is wise to open the door of our heart when Jesus comes knocking as it leads to Jesus coming to live inside us as we enthrone Him as King in our lives. With the door of our heart opened to Jesus, God opens the door to the heavenly realm to us as well as our mind to the mysteries of His kingdom. We can exercise our authority and power as children of God seated together with Christ in the heavenly realm and partaking in our rich inheritance of glory even while still living here on earth as mere mortals but born again spiritual beings.

It is also wise to open the door of our heart to the person God has chosen for us to be our life partner so we may navigate life and our spiritual journey together. Two is better than one in most instances including wisdom as two heads will always be better than one. The counsel of another provides cover for our blind spots and complements our weaknesses. Our views and actions become more balanced when we have the counsel and wisdom of our loved one.

Therefore it is wise to avoid the door of temptation or the seductress. The devil is here to kill, steal and destroy. To kill our relationship with God, to steal our joy and anointing in Christ and to destroy our faith and ministry. But Jesus is instead the way, the truth and the life! Ask and it shall be given, seek and you shall find and knock and it shall be opened.

Wisdom is knowing which door to knock, open and enter, which door to flee from. Not every open door leads us to God. Not every door leads us to freedom, joy and salvation. Solomon was wise to choose wisdom above all else. In choosing wisdom, he actually chose God and the ways of God although in the end, he did not use his wisdom wisely. Will we use the wisdom God has given us wisely to avoid doors that lead to destruction and only open doors that lead to God and eternal life?

https://odb.org/MY/2022/02/24/follow-the-leader

It’s a prevailing theme in Christian life of putting others first ahead of self. It speaks of selflessness rather than selfishness. We think of the interests of others before ours. It is a strange and somewhat unnatural position to take as human nature dictates that we take care of ourselves first before others. The mind and body is programmed to be self protecting to be naturally putting self preservation as first priority. I can think of two instances where we cannot put others first before ourselves. One is when we are in a plane and the oxygen masks come down. We are to take our own first before attending to others as we will not be useful to anyone if we ourselves are dead. Second is if we are on climb up Mount Everest and reach an area above 8,000m (its height is 8849m) that is known as the Death Zone or Everest’s Graveyard. The oxygen level is so low and it is so difficult to get up there that anyone who is there can only save themselves. If you are in trouble there, you are on your own. That is why people who died there remain there as no one could go so far up there to have the strength to retrieve the dead bodies. It is a zone where you can only use your strength for yourself as that itself is barely enough.

Thus, the conclusion is that it remains a debate that in putting others first should we endanger ourselves in the process? Should we put our lives at risk? Very relevant in our present Covid times. Only Jesus had put everything aside and sacrificed His life for us, for all mankind. There have been other humans who have done so in the past and present but that is not something that is demanded of us as we are in most cases more useful alive than dead unless of course it is a question of denying Christ.

However, so long as it doesn’t involve our life, the standard is to put others first and that includes their conscience as Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 10:29. We seek the good of others and in everything we do, we make sure others do not stumble and may keep their conscience clear. We must not act in such a way that will make others feeling doubtful or feeling guilty and so if any act of ourselves may cause someone’s conscience to be affected, then we refrain from doing that thing. So we may do anything, but not everything is beneficial to everyone, nor everything is constructive, not everything is edifying. That is why even though there are actually few restrictions in Christian life, we follow the standards of the community that we live in. We should blend in harmoniously rather stand out like a sore thumb. Always seek the good of others and not ourselves so that they may be saved as Paul advised in 1 Corinthians 10:33. Follow the example of Paul as he follows the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

https://odb.org/MY/2022/02/23/the-challenge-of-the-stars

I just like to point out this morning that even in ancient times during the time when the Psalms were written, God already was regarded as having looked upon mankind as above all other creatures on the earth. That God treated humans with dignity and had crowned us with glory and honour and made us rulers over all the works of His hands. All creatures are under us, whether flocks or herds, wild animals, birds in the sky, fish in the sea and all other marine life. This was in contrast to other faiths existing then which looked at mankind as mere insignificant slaves only to do the bidding of the gods, that mankind existed merely to serve the desires and wishes of the gods.

Why is there a need to challenge the stars? Even as mankind is able to travel to outer space, it is not able to outdo the stars! The stars are just too far away and numerous. The stars are like the sands on the seashore and we a peck. No matter what we do, the stars will remain. Despite the vastness of the universe, God knows us personally. He knows the exact situation we are in every time and all the time. Even as no one knows our thoughts and inner desires, God knows. Our motivations, our sincerity, our weaknesses and blind spots, God knows. The devil doesn’t know but God knows. God knows our exact thoughts and our heart.

What is the message this morning? Know that despite the vastness of the universe as evidenced by the stars that are in the millions and are also millions of miles away from us, God knows us and wants to relate to each and every one of us. There are billions before us, billions now and there will be many to come so long as Christ has not returned and yet we are never just a statistic to God. We are not part of a number in an Excel sheet. We are real people, real flesh and blood who need to care for many other flesh and blood like us around us. There is a face to each and every one of us. There are thousands of thoughts and motivations in each and every one of us. Every second of time something independent is happening with every single one of us and yet God knows every single moment in every single human being, alive today or having existed in the past and coming into existence in the future. Nothing is synchronised, nothing is scripted and yet God is able to make all things come together for good for all who love Him and who are called according to His purposes.

Know that God knows and loves us. Trust in Him, place our hope in Him – He will make our paths straight and smooth despite these trying times. There will be a future for us and our children because we are His people and He is our God. He knows and loves all mankind, but He knows and loves us more for we are His own, having been born again in the Spirit and having been redeemed by the precious blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. We are unique and special to Him. Know that.

https://odb.org/MY/2022/02/22/love-your-loved-ones

In my 40 years as a believer, I have seen at least a few instances of people in ministry having falling out with one another leading to splits in church. A lot of pain and sorrow and sometimes our faith is destroyed through disillusionment and disappointment. In fact I was part of a group who left our previous church and started an independent church. But I am glad that after nearly 15 years, a few of us did meet up with the senior pastor of our previous church and shared a meal together and prayed for one another. There is a need to be reconciled and let bygones be bygones, forgetting the past and moving on toward the goal that Christ has set for us for our lives.

The story of Paul and Barnabas and Mark in the book of Acts highlights one important aspect of Scriptures. They are real as to describe what happened then and real to describe what is happening now in the church two thousand years later. The strife, conflicts, tensions, disagreements and falling out which happened then are also happening today. Why? Because believers then and now are just ordinary people moved by the Spirit of God to do great exploits. We are all ordinary people with jobs, life challenges to face, work and family issues to deal with and yet doing ministry to the best of our ability for the good of the congregation and the Kingdom of God. Our current challenges are compounded by the pandemic and the disruptions it brings to our daily lives that a new normal for some churches is perhaps perpetual online or at least hybrid services. It may be many more years to come before we can meet together on site as a church congregation worshipping God corporately like we used to.

With so many things happening in the world and the changes brought about by the pandemic and we know that these are the end times with Jesus possibly coming again in our generation, why do we want to let our past to continue to hound and haunt us? Not a question of sin and guilt but broken relationships waiting to be mended and made whole. Forgive and forget and reconcile. God has lots more stuff ahead of us for us to possess and actualize. The world is still our oyster. Mend and heal whatever destructions we left behind. God heals but we must also heal. If a tank destroys everything in its path with its weight and iron chain wheels, it is time to come down and replant those vegetation and plants that we had flattened before. As we heal our past, God will heal our hearts and lead us on to greater heights. Paul later forgave and accepted Mark, also known as John Mark and regarded as the same Mark the Evangelist who wrote the Gospel of Mark. Always be a Barnabas, the encourager and reconciler of men and women.

https://odb.org/MY/2022/02/21/never-say-cant

I’ll say that this is often a situation faced by many of us in responding to our call from God. God has a calling for each and every one of us. But as we contemplate responding to His call, we look at ourselves and most of the time we feel we are inadequate, not qualified or don’t meet the requirements; and there could be a variety of reasons for that. Maybe we are not ready to lay down our lives for God. Perhaps, we feel we don’t have the right skill sets or the right tenacity of character. Or there are other responsibilities we need to fulfil like meeting the expectations of our parents or we need to take care of our family first.

If we look at the lives of the great men and women of God, we will see that most are defined by their call from God. Abraham is regarded as the father of faith because he responded by faith and uprooted his family to follow after God across thousands of miles by bringing along all of his possessions including livestock and servants. Joshua responded and brought the Israelites across the Jordan into the Promised Land to conquer fortified cities, strong armies and giants and in the process experienced the mighty hand of God working through them to give them victory after victory. The disciples of Jesus dropped everything and followed Jesus when Jesus called them to be fishers of men. They followed and learned from Christ throughout His ministry and later after Christ’s death and resurrection, they continued His ministry and later with the help of Paul, they preached the Gospel to the Gentiles out of Jerusalem and Judea and to the rest of the world. It is through the response and faith of these great men and women of God throughout generations since ancient times that we today have the privilege to hear the Gospel and to respond to God’s gift of salvation and eternal life.

Therefore, we have a responsibility to respond – not only to become the person that God wants us to be but also for the sake of the many who will be blessed by our response whether in the present time or in the time to come. Our response to God’s call will define us in Him as well as define us in the world. Will we be known as someone after God’s heart or will we be just like everyone else, chasing after our own dreams and desires?

The message today I believe is that if we are worried that we don’t have the right credentials whether in terms of our skills set, our spiritual condition, our character, our ability to speak in public – don’t be as God will provide and equip us accordingly like He did in the case of Moses. So in the case of Moses, why did God not choose Aaron to confront the Pharaoh instead of using Aaron as the spokesman for Moses but nevertheless sticking with Moses? It could be who Moses was, being formerly a Prince in the court of Pharoah. It could be because Moses had the heart for the children of Israel. Whatever may be the reason, God chose Moses and then chose Aaron to complement him.

I therefore believe that God’s call is unique to us and only we may respond to it. If we are inadequate, God will provide the adequacy. If we have a weakness, God will be the strength. If it’s a call to be a missionary and we have no finance at present, God will make a way when there is no way. Keep God’s call upon our lives in our heart, respond to it and start our preparations. The day will come when we will all meet our Egypt and Pharaoh. The day will come when we will come face to face with our Red Sea and the long journey in the wilderness and finally the challenges in taking our Promised Land by going across our Jordan. Take the step of faith forward, believe that God the creator of heaven and earth shall surely able to make His Word for us come to pass. He created heaven and earth and all things by His Word, surely He is able to bring our calling to pass!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/02/19/spotting-god

Today’s ODB life example of spotting as a technique to overcome the dizziness that comes from doing a ballet spin or pirouette is an excellent illustration on how to keep God in focus when we face problems in life. A ballerina will get dizzy and fall when doing a pirouette if she lets her focus to spin along as she spins but if a point of constant focus is established, that point focuses the brain and the dizziness goes away. The ballerina then is able to maintain her balance while doing the spins.

Therefore, when trouble comes and problems surface, focusing on God and not the problems helps us maintain our balance in life as focusing on the problems will inevitably overwhelm us and cause us despair. Fear of failure will paralyse us.

This immediately reminds me of Peter who jumped out from the boat into the water and walked on water even as he focused his attention on Jesus, who was walking towards him on the water. He was full of faith and I guess adrenaline. But the moment he focused on his surroundings, he sank and Jesus had to reach out to him to pull him off the water.

We cannot avoid focusing on our problems when we face trouble. This is because we are right in the middle of it. We have to deal with it. Avoiding it will not make it go away. Problems and challenges have to be resolved one way or another.

I guess focusing on Jesus at such times simply means we are to constantly pray and seek God for strength and guidance even as we tackle our problems and challenges. It also means keeping our standards intact when resolving our issues. It means we put God first as we find a resolution. It means we preserve and protect the character and glory of God in our lives as we deal with the issue at hand. Not our own needs and desires or our wants but what’s best for God and His Kingdom. Will the Lord be pleased with our decision and action? Are we putting God first? Will Jesus take the same action and make the same decision as ours?

https://odb.org/MY/2022/02/18/lift

I had seen a documentary on aircrafts and aircraft carriers and didn’t quite understand until this morning the concept of the aircraft flying into the wind to achieve lift even as the aircraft is catapulted into the air due to the short runaways. The British resolved this issue by using Harrier jump jets that take off vertically like a helicopter. But even the Harriers (introduced in 1969) are now nearly fully retired having been transitioned to the modern F-35Bs.

Actually the natural logic is that the aircraft should fly with the wind behind it but if you research how boats sail against the wind, you’ll realise that sailing boats can still travel against the wind at 40-45 degree angles. In fact that’s how modern sailing boats travel in all directions, whether with or against the wind. For the aircraft taking off from a carrier, the lift is presented when it is launched against the wind and I guess the logic is that as the wind blows against the aircraft, it is lifted up but as it is jet powered, the wind will not overpower it but instead gives it a lift. The lift is thus caused by going against the wind. If it had been reversed, the wind would have helped the aircraft with some speed which the aircraft doesn’t need since it is jet powered, but there will be no lift. The going against the wind or the challenge itself causes the lift.

The launching of the aircraft against the wind appears illogical and yet it is perfectly logical as we know that faith without works is useless. Life without challenges although peaceful amd serene is boring. How will we ever experience God if we are not challenged? How do we walk by faith if our faith is not tested? The eaglet will never fly if it doesn’t dare to take the first step of faith to launch itself off the cliff and trust on the abilities of its wings to “catch the wind”. The same logic applies to paragliding.

Joshua needs to be strengthened internally – be bold and courageous. Yet externally he needs to face the challenges ahead of him – the strong armies, the fortified cities and the descendants of Anak at the Promised Land. But if he didn’t take the step of faith to cross the Jordan River, he would have remained in the wilderness like Moses and the 600,000 Israelites who fled Egypt, who died there.

Every believer I believe faces this quagmire – remain and rot or move forward and risk certain death. Except that when we have God with us as in the case of Joshua (and Caleb and all those who were born during their 40-year sojourn in the wilderness), we will face our challenges and be victorious! The LORD our God exalted them to be strong and courageous because He the Great I Am will be with them wherever they go. As they face the fortified cities, the strong armies and giants, God will deliver their adversaries into their hands. In fact if we were to read on in the Book of Joshua, we will see that the news and reputation that God was with the Israelites had terrified the communities across the Jordan (see Joshua 2:8-9).

The message today is that we need the challenge to bring the lift from God as we respond to His call and step out in faith. We need to fly into the wind to get that lift. It may look illogical and unnatural but it is actually very logical and natural as without friction, there is no resistance, and without resistance there is no push and without the push there is no lift. Cross our Jordan and face our adversaries and we will conquer our Promised Land, our land that is flowing with milk and honey – with the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God!

https://odb.org/MY/2022/02/17/being-seen

As leaders or seniors or managers serving or working in teams, we constantly need to be on a lookout for promising people under or around us. This is relevant at work as well as in ministry or church. At work, we call this succession planning, basically, identifying others who may take our place in future. At work, we may want to move on to do other work, leave for another organisation or retire and thus having a replacement is the right and responsible thing to do. Of course, there are some of us who are afraid of losing our place and thus may put others down to show and prove that we are irreplaceable. But we know that at work, no one is indispensable. Just a question of how much stress an unplanned vacancy will cause. Even Apple continued to thrive after the passing of Steve Jobs. I believe it is the same in church and ministry too. No one is indispensable. God will raise us up and God will raise others up. Joshua and Caleb took over from Moses and Aaron. Solomon took over from David. Elisha continued the work of Elijah with a double portion of his anointing.

The stories of Barnabas taking in Saul (as Paul was originally known) and later believing in Mark when Paul himself didn’t are real life biblical examples in the book of Acts on how we should look out for and hone the potential in others. This is pertinent in the church and ministry to ensure that we are not led by old men and women who will eventually become older and slower and thus less agreeable to change. Church and ministry will thus become like a slow moving gargantuan ship either drifting aimlessly or on a collision course to hit a gigantic iceberg one day.

Another reason is that the transitioning from old to new usually takes a long time, even years. Leaders need to be made sub leaders first before becoming true leaders. In church and ministry, the congregation needs time to look up to and accept the new leaders and thus if the fresh blood have been around doing leadership tasks for a long time, the transition will be smooth and without much drama. That is why new and current leaders should serve alongside each other with the current leaders ceding more and more responsibilities over time.

The message today I believe is we should emulate Barnabas to see the potential in those around us and encourage and support them to achieve greater heights in their walk with God and their service in the Kingdom. Their personal testimony is important and that needs to be developed and moulded by God over time as no one can be transformed in a blink of an eye. Everything I believe is work in progress, from the laying down of our lives to serve others to leaving behind our dreams and desires for God’s plans and purposes for us. Spiritual maturity and leadership qualities come over time. But if we don’t start on them now, we cannot expect any one to take our place in future and for that I believe a time horizon of 5 to 10 years is not unreasonable, especially in church and ministry.

https://odb.org/MY/2022/02/16/wise-advice

I think in life we realise that it is not always what is said but who says it. And it doesn’t matter what is the context – it is quite a similar situation whether at work, in school or in church. Who says what matters more than what was said. I think that is because any idea or suggestion must be carried with credibility and thus the person with a reputation carrying it brings credibility, realibility and a certain standard to the table.

Thus, will we listen to the suggestion or idea of a subordinate or a younger person? Or conversely, as a younger person in position of authority, will we listen to the suggestion or advice of an older subordinate. In today’s ODB’s life example, the Fire General chose to listen to the advice of a firefighter named Remi and as a result saved the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. In 1 King 12:8, Rehoboam, who succeeded Solomon, refused to listen to the counsel of his elders and as a result, he lost most of Israel to Jeroboam.

In the Asian context, if we are in position of authority and we listen to those under us, whether young or old, we may “lose face” as not being a true leader. This is because there is this perception (perhaps a misconception) that the boss knows all, he or she should be the most knowledgeable in the team. Perhaps that is the traditional approach. In the contemporary context, with the younger ones being more exposed through the information highway and they being constantly online, there is likelihood that new and fresh ideas will come from them. Thus it is silly and a waste of resource to disregard the views of those under us, especially the younger ones. Every idea or suggestion should be evaluated on its merit, rather than solely based on the experience or expertise of the person carrying it. There is merit in credibility of the person but it is also right to evaluate an idea on its own strength.

I think the lesson for today is we should learn to take advice, whether from God as we seek Him out or from those around and under us at work or in church or school. The contemporary context is to work as a team although we may be the leader. Take all advice and evaluate each on its merit but in the end, we make the decision and take the responsibility for our decision. We learn as we decide, even if we make mistakes along the way. I take the cue from the billionaire owner of my organisation. I know for a fact that when he needs to make major decisions, he never listens to only one person or one adviser, even if that person is his right hand man. He had multiple advisers and consultants. In the end, the decision is his to make but he listens to advice.

https://odb.org/MY/2022/02/15/we-are-one

Romans 12:2 is a well known verse that encourages us to not to conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we may be able to test and approve the good, pleasing and perfect will of God. It basically means we don’t follow the world, inter alia, in terms of our world view, our value systems, our beliefs, and motivations. We need to transform or change to be like Christ, and one of those changes is to be able to sacrifice our own needs or desires for the sake of others.

In today’s ODB example, the farmers all got together and colluded to allow the farmer who had lost his land due to financial difficulties (the bank foreclosed) to win it back at the auction when every single one of them refrained from bidding. Everyone of them farmers sacrificed the opportunity so that the farmer concerned was able to get back his land. This is definitely not the pattern of the world as the world usually looks to self interest first before that of others. In a queue for food relief, one fills one’s plate first without thinking of whether there are more needy folks behind us. What if the food finishes before the needy people get their turn? Will we think like that? Will we be as considerate as that? If not, isn’t it shameful if we as the redeemed of God behave exactly how others in the world would in self interest and self preservation? It may be natural and justifiable, but it is not necessarily the right way.

Thus, interestingly Romans 12:2 was preceded by Romans 12:1 which speaks of living a life that is a living sacrifice. I have always looked at “living sacrifice” as a concept of personal sacrifice to God, in terms of our own choices ceding to God’s choices for us. As Paul rightly puts it, due to God’s mercy that we should offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. More like to reciprocate God’s grace and kindness, and since He had redeemed us, we now belong to Him – thus our bodies are to be lived in sacrifice to Him, to serve Him, to do His work, in denial of our own desires and wants.

However, living sacrifice is also a concept of living a life of sacrifice as I found out today, of putting the interest of others first. Like sacrifice and going the extra mile are prerequisites to love, putting others first is also a prerequisite to a living sacrifice. Christian living is a challenge because it is always going against what’s regarded as normal, as natural or even justifiable by worldly standards. But ours is a life of living sacrifice – rightside up living. We put Christ first and as we put Christ first, we also put others first.

It goes against the grain and thus we need to transform our minds. But the end result is we will be able to test and approve the will of God, meaning to say, we will experience God in such a way that we will know that His will is good, pleasing and perfect. In the end, it will all make sense as God will work all things together for good to those who love Him and who are called in accordance with His purposes (Romans 8:28). Putting others first is not a “lose-win” situation but a “win-win”. In the long run, we will not lose out but will instead gain something deeper in God as we all in the faith know; the more we give, the more we will receive. That’s the magic of how the Kingdom of God works. Test it and you will approve of it!