The Word of God

https://odb.org/2024/01/03/spotting-hope For those familiar with the creation story in Genesis 1, we know that God spoke creation into being. The LORD said let there be light, and there was light. Thus, to create, God used His words as spoken. This is opposed to the Big Bang theory that postulates that everything just evolved over timeContinue reading “The Word of God”

Vanity of vanities

https://odb.org/2024/01/02/the-son-also-rises Life, as we know, it is, in a way, meaningless. We are born, and our parents raise us up. We go to school, then later to university (some straight into the workforce after school). We learn about life in school and mix with our friends. Celebrate birthdays. Go through things we fear, like seeingContinue reading “Vanity of vanities”

Righteousness

https://odb.org/2023/12/31/the-righteous-city Once we have believed in Jesus and accepted Him, our pursuit in life becomes a pursuit for righteousness. We are made righteous before God because of the blood of Christ shed on Calvary, and we want to be righteous henceforth in the things we do, the words we say, and the thoughts we think.Continue reading “Righteousness”

Crown of life

https://odb.org/2023/12/29/keep-running-2 A recurring theme in these pages is that of perseverance, something common in the New Testament letters of the Apostles. This is because during the 1st century era, just after the death and resurrection of Christ, believers of the Way were under tremendous persecution. In the early days, it was mostly economic persecution, andContinue reading “Crown of life”

The Berlin Wall

https://odb.org/2023/12/22/a-wall-torn-down The Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989 and was a historical event unimaginable then. I remember thinking how impossible it was, and yet it happened. Two years later, in 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. The difference was that with the fall of the Berlin Wall, East and West Germany were genuinely reunited. ButContinue reading “The Berlin Wall”

Wrestling with God

https://odb.org/2023/12/19/the-meaning-of-a-scar The story of Jacob wrestling with God in Genesis 32:22-32 was a breakthrough that changed Jacob from a cunning and conniving man (who tricked his father Isaac to give to him the blessings of his brother Esau) to one who prevailed in persistence. Jacob named the place he wrestled with God as Peniel becauseContinue reading “Wrestling with God”

Equal before God

https://odb.org/2023/12/15/equal-before-god Life is never equal for everyone. I used to wonder and even lament why I was born in Malaysia to ethnic Chinese parents (with Baba Nyonya blood in my mum’s side) where we faced institutional discrimination from when we were young. They say the Chinese are rich, but we were certainly not. Until theContinue reading “Equal before God”

Perseverance triumph trials and tribulations

https://odb.org/2023/12/13/overcoming The story of Anne Sullivan, the subject matter of today’s ODB, bears similarities to Joseph son of Jacob of the Bible. Despite one misfortune after another, they prevailed in the end. In the case of Anne, she developed a method to teach deaf and blind people how to read, especially Helen Keller, a well-knownContinue reading “Perseverance triumph trials and tribulations”

Naomi and Ruth

https://odb.org/2023/12/11/more-than-enough-4 The story of Naomi and Ruth really shows off God’s grace and compassion that despite the misfortune of losing her husband and two sons in their sojourn to a foreign land due to famine, Naomi persevered on in life and returned to Israel. Ruth, a Moabite, followed her mother in law to the latter’sContinue reading “Naomi and Ruth”