Psalm 68:19

"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens."  (NIV)

"Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation!"  (NKJV)

"Praise the Lord, God our Savior, who helps us every day."   (NCV)
 
I was reading and meditating on Ps 68:19 recently especially constrasting the versions given by NIV and NKJV.  This verse encourages us to praise God, our Saviour, who daily bears our burdens.  All of us have burdens that we face on a regular basis, some more regular than others.  Burdens relating to the broad categories of health, finances, work/study and relationships.  Where health is concerned, an adverse report from the doctor can often turn our world upside down.  As for finances, we could be saddled with debts and find making ends meet difficult.  Projects, assignments and examinations are common in work & study.  And in almost all spheres of life, we have to interact with people, which often time poses a great challenge for many of us.  For all these burdens and more, the psalmist David praised God for His daily carriage of our burdens.   Indeed, Jesus has carried the weight of the world's sins on His body when He was crucified on the cross.  We therefore have to learn how to transfer our burdens over to God. 

The wonderful thing is that God not only takes away our burdens, He loads us with His benefits on a daily basis. The psalmist David tells us some of the benefits God has provided for us: sins forgiven, healed bodies, deliverance from the pit of hell, good gifts from heaven and renewed strength.
"Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s."  Ps 103:1-5 (NIV)

The only way we can tap upon God's benefits for our lives is to begin to focus on Him.  The praises of God certainly releases the power and blessings of heaven.  God is ever ready to help us everyday if we're prepared to surrender ourselves to Him.  If you have a burden right now, turn it over to God in prayer.  Remember, He daily bears our burdens and loads us with benefits instead.  Hallelujah!

Man with an unclean spirit

The passage I want to consider today is taken from Mark 5:1-13 (NIV):
¹ They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. ² When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. ³ This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. ⁴ For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵ Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
 ⁶ When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. ⁷ He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” ⁸ For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”
 ⁹ Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
   “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” ¹⁰ And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
 ¹¹ A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. ¹² The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” ¹³ He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

Matthew's account in chapter 8 mentions two men instead of one.  What is common in the two passages is that there's demonic activity going on.  We notice how demons operate through what they do to the man and the pigs.  Jesus called the spirit within the man, impure or unclean spirit (v 8).  The man was living among the tombs, the resting place of the dead.  One of the characteristics of an unclean spirit is that it is also the spirit of death.  The unclean spirit caused the man to cut himself with stones (v 5), apparently trying to kill him, and it caused the 2000 pigs to drown (v 13).   Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy."  (Jn 10:10a).  The Norwegian gunman who killed many young lives in cold blood last year must have come under demonic influence to commit such a hideous crime. 

Another characteristic of an unclean spirit is the manifestation of supernatural strength.  Notice that no one nor thing was able to subdue him (v 4); he broke the chains and iron apart easily.  Apparently, there was more than one unclean spirit within the man; he had a legion in him (v 9).  A Roman legion could comprise of between 3000 to 5000 soliders.  Little wonder then that nothing could subdue him.   Demonic activity can also be loud to induce fear and trepidation.  The man cried out at the top of his voice when he saw Jesus coming; rather it was the demonic spirit within yelling.  When One who has the greater authority comes, the lesser must yield and submit.  Jesus was commanding the demonic spirit to leave the man.  It had no choice but to leave. 

The lake of fire has been reserved for the devil and his angels (Rev 20:14).  The demons were begging Jesus not to throw them there before their time  (Mt 8:29).  Why did Jesus allow the demons to go into the pigs?  Well, pigs under the OT ceremonial laws were considered 'unclean' animals (Lev 11:7).  So in the eyes of  the Jews, losing the pigs was of no consequence to them.  But in the eyes of the Gentile owners living in the Garasenes, it was their livlihood.  They couldn't see beyond the redemption that Christ has brought to this demonised man; all they saw was their stocks falling and so they begged Jesus to depart.  There are many things that are taking place in the natural that has spiritual ramifications.  If we could only see them with our eyes of faith and start interceding, things would have turn out for the better. 

There is no anxiety in the spirit

Fear and anxiety comes from the soulish part of man.  This is the part that consists of the mind, will and emotions.  When we see or hear bad news, our natural tendency is to feel sad, anger, fear, anxiety or a mixture of them.  Our minds will process the information and come to a logical conclusion which will inevitably affect our emotions.  The spirit part of man consists of our ability to commune with God, hear what He has to say and quicken our conscience to obey Him.  If we fail to 'feed' our spirit man through regular reading/hearing of God's Word and prayer-cum-worship, we would operate more on the soulish level using our minds to reason and rationalise things, and finally act on what we have carefully thought through.  However, what we see or hear may not be the actual reality because there's a spiritual dimension beyond the physical. 

The story of the prophet Elisha illustrates what I am trying to say very well.  Reading 2 Kings 6:1-23, we are first introduced to a missing axe head that fell into a river.  The cry of one of the prophets, "Alas, my master! For it was borrowed."  revealed fear and anxiety because it was borrowed.  Many prophets in those days were poor and had to rely on the generosity of others.  Elisha's response was to enquire where it fell for he knew what to do recover it.  He was in communion with God and displayed no anxiety at all.  What he did was even more amazing (as it has no logical explanation), he threw a stick and made the axe head float.  This is equivalent to the miracle of Jesus walking on water, defying the law of gravity. 

The other incident which followed concerns the attendant of Elisha, which was probably Gehazi.  The king of Aram had sent his soldiers to capture Elisha in Dothan.  They surrounded the city with horses and chariots.  Elisha's servant cried out in fear, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?"  Again, Elisha's response was one of calm, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."  This reminds us that the Holy Spirit in us is greater than he (the devil) that is in the world (1 Jn 4:4).  Elisha was able to see beyond the natural to the immense spiritual army of God surrounding them.  He prayed for Gehazi's eyes to be opened to see this vast army protecting them. 

When we are in close communion with God, our prayers become effective and powerful.  Look at what Elisha prayed and how the Lord acted on his requests.  Firstly, the eyes of his servant was opened and secondly, the eyes of his enemies were closed (blinded).  And later on he prayed for their eyes to be opened when they were in Samaria.  God humbled the Syrian army through Elisha without any of them being killed.

We live in a world where we have to contend between the spirit and the flesh (Rom 7:14-25). Praise God He has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ by empowering us with His Spirit to overcome the deeds of the flesh in this world.  The more we feed the flesh, the more we would rely on the carnal part of us but the more we feed on the spirit, the more we would rely on God's Spirit to lead and direct our lives.  Let us follow the example of Elisha by learning to commune with God and listening to His voice.  When we learn to subject our soulish man to the spirit man, then and then only can all fears and anxiety be banished.

Ask! What shall I give you?

The question was asked of young Solomon who started to reign when he was probably in his late teens.  It did not come from a genie in a bottle but from God Himself, albeit in a dream.  Let's look at the circumstances that led to this 'blank cheque' being given to our young king.

And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.  Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.  At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”  1 Kg 3:3-5 (NIV)

When David committed adultery with Bathsheba, she became pregnant with his child.  But the child was struck with illness and later died, despite David pleading with God for his life.  God dealt with David through Nathan the prophet concerning his sins (2 Sam 12:13-23).  Bathsheba conceived again after David had taken her to be his wife.  She bore him a son named Solomon and it was said that the LORD loved him and sent word through Nathan that he should be named Jedidiah, which means beloved of the LORD (2 Sam 12:24-25).

The text above tells us that Solomon loved the LORD which is seen in two areas.  For one, he walked in the statutes of his father David and the other is that he offered sacrifices to the LORD in abundance.  Putting it in today's context, it would be to walk in obedience to God's Word and to offer the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to God on a regular basis. 

What did Solomon ask for?  At such a young age, he could have asked for fame (to be popular) and fortune (great wealth).  However, he recognised the great burden of leadership responsibility on his shoulders.  Solomon did not have any military or fighting skills, unlike his father David who fought with bears and lions when he was a shepherd boy, and eventually fought Goliath and won.  At such a young age, he probably had no leadership opportunities available, being overshadowed by his elder half-brothers.  At least some of the teenagers today may have leadership opportunities available to them either in schools or in the military. 

Solomon pleased the LORD by asking for an understanding heart that He gave him wealth and honour as an added bonus (1 Kg 3:6-15).  We can say that he had a three in one wish granted.  However, having an understanding heart does not mean that we would make the right choices all the time.  In his latter years, Solomon, who had 1000 wives and concubines, was led astray by them to serve and worship other gods. 

What would you ask the Lord if He were to give you a 'blank cheque'?  There are certainly many things we can ask God for but if it was limited to one request, what would it be?  A few possibilities come to mind:
1. Salvation of loved ones and friends
2. Healing for the sick and infirmed
3. Success in our work/business/school
4. To right the injustices done on earth
5. To alleviate the plight of those struck by natural disasters

Many of our requests would either be of things given or done on our behalf.  If we are to learn from Jesus, we ought to ask not for things but for a Person (Holy Spirit) to be given (Lk 11:13).  When we have the Holy Spirit, we have everything He brings with Him, including gifts and fruit.

Lord, evermore pour out Your Spirit on our lives in greater measure!   

The seven-fold anointing

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.  The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD .."  Is 11:1-2 (NIV) 


The passage talks about Jesus Christ coming from the David's line (Jesse is the father) and how he would be anointed with the seven-fold anointing:
1) Spirit of the Lord: Jesus was anointed to preach the good news, heal the sick and deliver people from demonic bondage (Lk 4:18)
2) Spirit of Wisdom: this has to do with the application of knowledge, just as how the Lord ministered to the Samaritan woman when He knew about her having 5 husbands (Jn 4:16-18)
3) Spirit of Understanding: ability to discern the hearts and true intentions of men (Jn 2:24-25)
4) Spirit of Counsel: guidance in life's journey (Is 30:21); Jesus probably waited for God's counsel before replying to the accusers of the woman caught in adultery (Jn 8:1-11)
5) Spirit of Might: divine enablement to heal the sick and alter the course of nature, like Jesus turning water into wine (Jn 2:1-11)
6) Spirit of Knowledge: this is a special revelation not previously known before, like what the Lord spoke concerning Nathanael (Jn 1:48)
7) Spirit of the Fear of the LORD: honors God by living righteously and reverencing Him; not led by human impulses (Is 11:3-5)


And how we need this anointing daily for our lives! Pray daily for the seven-fold anointing to rest on you and your loved ones.


Shalom

The story of Gideon (Judges 6-7)

God uses the weak things of the earth to confound the strong (1 Cor 27).  Gideon is a case in point; his family was  the least in Manasseh  and he was the youngest (5:15).  God did not look at his current situation, but the potential Gideon has to defeat the Midianites (6:14).  Likewise in life, we shouldn't be looking at the failures of our kids in school but guide them along with proper instruction and values to help them realise their full potential.

God instructed Gideon to tear down his father's altar, as that was a stumbling block to the victory He was about to accomplish.  Because of his fear of God, Gideon did what he was told.  However, because of his fear of men, he did it at night (6:25-27).  Often times the battle in the natural is predicated on the battle in the supernatural.  Once the idolatrous spirit has been bound and the Lord enthroned in His rightful place, victory is easily secured.

Next came the anointing of God upon Gideon (6:34), empowering him to lead the Israelites into battle. We note that Gideon had his doubts and hence he tested God through the signs of the fleece (6:36-40).  It can only be God's supernatural working when the fleece is wet for one and dry for the other occasion.  In our desperation, we may 'test' God nowadays by promising to do certain things if He answers our prayer for certain needs.  Jephthah learned a painful lesson when he made a tragic vow to the Lord (Jud 11:29-40).

God didn't want Gideon to rely on the arm of flesh lest the people become conceited (7:2).  He whittled Gideon's army down from 32,000 to 300 men, which was less than 1% of his original force.  With 300 men, God said that He would deliver Israel from the hands of the Midianites (7:7).  But God also knew the fear in Gideon's heart and assured him with yet another sign to confirm that victory is theirs (7:10-15). Indeed, by the testimony of two or three witnesses, every word shall be established (Dt 19:15).  In every major decision that we are making, we need to seek confirmation and not rely on just one word spoken.

When Gideon heard the word of confirmation that God would deliver Israel, he bowed down in worship (7:15).  That's the kind of posture we should adopt in any venture we undertake.  God must have given Gideon the battle strategies to defeat the enemy (7:16-20).  As we acknowledge His lordship over our lives, He will do the battle on our behalf.  We just need to stand and see the deliverance of the Lord taking place on our behalf (7:21-22).

In many  ways, we can identify with Gideon - his fears and insecurities.  We may also put God to the test.  But more often than not, God is gracious towards us and would come to aid us in our hour of need.  He is never too slow nor too early, but on time!  So wait patiently for the Lord (Ps 40:1).

Eli and Samuel

For over 200 years, Israel was ruled by judges whom God raised up to deliver the children of Israel from the hands of their enemies.  Eli and Samuel were the last of the judges, with Samuel being the protege of Eli, the priest.  Samuel was dedicated to the Lord by Hannah his mother before he was born (1 Sam 1:11).  As a young boy, he heard the voice of God proclaiming judgment on Eli's household (1 Sam 3:11-14).  He became a prophet of God who saw Israel's transition from theocracy to monarchy (1 Sam 8:7ff).  Due to the godly influence of Hannah and Eli, Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men (1 Sam 2:26).

When we look at the children of Eli and Samuel, we notice that they were not similar brought up in godly values and discipline. The Bible's account on Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, was that they were scoundrels; they had no regard for the LORD (1 Sam 2:12ff).  The NASB version states that they did not know the LORD and the custom of the priests with the people.  Eli's sons abused their position but were not rebuked nor disciplined by their father for their sacrileges.  Likewise, Samuel's sons, Joel and Abijah, did not walk in his father's ways but turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes and perverted justice (1 Sam 8:1-3).   This led to Israel demanding a king to rule over them, just like the other heathen nations (1 Sam 8:4ff).

Today, as we commemorate Father's Day, these two so-called godly characters provide us with a snapshot of how one can be so focused on ministry (or work) at the expense of the family's spiritual well-being.  Likewise, we can be so busy doing the Lord's work (or advancing our career), seeing lives of people saved and touched by the power of God, but fail to instruct our own children in the ways of the Lord.  Paul exhorts, "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Eph 6:4 (NIV).  The role of fathers is to teach their children the Lord's instruction as found in His Word.  This can be done through family times or casual conversations (Dt 6:5-7). This training should start when the children are still young so that they would not depart from the teachings when they grow old (Pr 22:6).

Our children may be attending church currently.  However, there is no guarantee that they would continue to worship God and acknowledge Him in the future.  With the influence of the world (through the net and peers) bombarding them constantly, if they do not have any spiritual anchors in life, they can be easily swept away by the teachings and enticements of the world (Eph 4:14).  As parents, how do we go about insuring their salvation and rich welcome into God's kingdom?  One way is to get the Word of God into their spirit man; teaching them how to go about feeding themselves on God's Word.  At the same time, teaching them how to commune with God, both speaking and listening to Him.  It won't be easy, as it requires effort on the part of both parent and child to build a good habit of having daily devotion with God.

A prayer that we can pray for our children centred on 5 Ps:
Principles: they be built up based on the principles of God's Word, knowing right from wrong.
Practices: their words, actions and attitude would be pleasing to the Lord.
Productive: they would grow in the grace and knowledge of God.
Peers: they would not be influenced negatively by their peers/friends but rather influence them positively.
Partners: their life-partners in future would be god-fearing; following and serving the LORD (Dt 13:4).

May God forgive us for our shortcomings in bringing up our children and give us His wisdom to be good fathers.  Have a blessed Father's Day!
  

Remembering to Forget

Then he (God) adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”   Heb 10:17 (NIV).  This is such a wonderful promise to every human being living on earth.  The biblical meaning of forget is "not to hold it against the person and let if affect your relationship."  David wrote in Ps 103:10 that God does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  If He were to do so, I guess none of us would find our way into His holy presence.  Because of God's great love and because of Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross, the psalmist David was able to say, "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."  (Ps 103:11-12).  The greatness of the depth of God's love is seen in the greatness of the expanse of sins removal.

In life, we may have encountered situations whereby people have treated us below our dignity.  We could be forced into doing things against our will or be terribly humiliated.  Being raped, kidnapped, robbed, imprisoned (esp believers living under repressive regimes) or forced into prostitution (people involved in this are known as traders of human flesh) are examples of the former.   Some examples of the latter would include being abused verbally or backstabbed by co-workers.  There are also cases whereby people feel that they have been cheated by others through acts of unfaithfulness. The reverse could also happen when we treat people less than what they ought to be treated.  Such encounters often engender fear and hatred towards those who have perpetrated such demeaning acts. 

It is definitely not an easy thing to forgive those who have hurt us the most.  How do you forgive someone who has tortured you and brought about the death of your sister?  Corrie ten Boom, who hid the Jews during the Nazi holocaust, suffered greatly under the Germans. Her sister, Betsie, died while interned in the Nazi concentration camps.  Many years later, Corrie spoke about forgiveness to a church audience where her perpetrator was in attendance.  When he stretched out his hand to shake hers at the doorway of the church, Corrie confessed her inability to raise her hand up but eventually did so through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.  As humans, we cannot forget the painful memories of the past but we can allow God to heal it by remembering to forget.  Inasmuch as God has freely forgiven us through the blood of Jesus Christ, we ought not to hold the sins of men (and women) against them.  Allow God to do His work of vindication in your life.

Let's be reminded of the scriptural injunction found in Rom 12:19-21, "Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.'  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (NIV).  The Old Testament law was an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth (Dt 19:21).  This meant that an equivalent punishment must be mete out to those who did harm to the people. However, under grace, this has been superseded by "But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." (Matt 5:39-42).


"I can do all this through him who gives me strength."  (Phil 4:13)

Receiving a prophet's reward

Jesus was giving instructions to His twelve disciples before He sends them out to preach the gospel, heal the sick and cast out demons (Matt 10).  Towards the end of His instructions, He gave them this exhortation, "Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward." (v 40-41 NIV).

As disciples of Christ, they represented Him in ministering to the people.  Hence the notion that we are the extended hands of the Lord.  People who accorded welcome to the disciples are in fact welcoming the Lord, and also God the Father Himself.  This is kind of like the transitive property we learn in mathematics: if A implies B, and B implies C, then A implies C.  The corollary to the statement by Jesus would be those who reject the disciples would also be rejecting Christ and the Father.  But that is not what I want to focus on today.  I want to focus on the second statement made by our Lord, that is, those who welcome a prophet or a righteous person would receive a prophet or a righteous person's reward.

When people in a community warmly accepts and welcomes a prophet (by this I am ruling out fly-by-night prophets), they would be able to receive much from his ministry through the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  On the other hand, if there's unbelief or an indifferent atttude towards the man of God, there would be little or no benefit to the community.  Jesus made it clear to His disciples that the people who took care of their needs would be more than adequately compensated.  The nature of these rewards may vary from person to person, but one thing for sure, it comes from the hand of God through the prophet or righteous man. 

A case in point is seen in Ebed-melech, the Ethiopian who rescued the prophet Jeremiah from the cistern after interceding the king on his behalf (Jer 38:1-13).  Had he not done so, Jeremiah would have died in the cistern.  Because of this and his trust in God, Ebed-melech received the word from God that his life would be spared when Jerusalem is overtaken by the Babylonians (Jer 39:15-18).  What an encouraging word! That's the reward he received for taking care of Jeremiah.  As you read the two chapters of Jeremiah mentioned, you would notice that the king of Judah and the princes rejected Jeremiah's words and as such faced the consequences of their disobedience. 

What's the implication for our lives?  If we discern a genuine man of God coming, we should warmly welcome him.  When our faith level rises, we can expect miracles (of salvation, healing and deliverance) to take place in our midst through the ministry of that man of God.  If you go on a mission trip to some third world countries, you would find it easy to see miracles taking place because the hearts of the people are hungry and they display simplicity of faith in you (a representative of Christ).  Inasmuch as we don't want false prophets to minister to us, we are to ensure that we who minister in a different culture are righteous in Go's eyes.   Then and then only can the reward of a righteous person be transmitted to the community we are ministering to. May God help us to be His righteous representatives!

Listening

Much has been said in the recent General Elections that the government has not been listening enough to the people.  Hence the groundswell of discontent gets magnified in the megaphone of the opposition voices.  And after the results of the election, there has been a lot of soul searching in the ranks of the PAP.  Ministers are saying that listening must cascade down to the rank and file of the civil service as well as at the grassroots level where MPs interact with the populace.  This would hopefully make for more robust debates in parliament where the elected representatives are to be sounding boards for the people they serve.  Certainly the needs of various segments of our community should not be neglected as the nation seeks to progress.

The tagline of Prudential is "Always Listening. Always Understanding."  Implicit in this is that they would listen to the needs of their clients to see how they could serve better.  Listening is an art and for those of us who are not the auditory type, it would take a lot from us to register what was spoken.  We know from experience, too, that if we listen to a speech or a lecture only a small percentage (10%) gets retained unless it is supplemented by visuals and actions (like writing down).  It is often embarrassing if we speak to a person and we forget his/her name half way through the conversation.   One way to overcome this is to try to associate the name with something or someone.  Going one step further, it would be good to jot down the name somewhere to remind you of the conversation you had with so and so.  With mobile phone devices easily available, this shouldn't be difficult unless one is simply too lazy.

I was reading Jeremiah 25 recently: "So Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people of Judah and to all those living in Jerusalem: For twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—the word of the LORD has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened. And though the LORD has sent all his servants the prophets to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention. They said, “Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land the LORD gave to you and your ancestors for ever and ever. Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not arouse my anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you.”  “But you did not listen to me,” declares the LORD, “and you have aroused my anger with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to yourselves.” (v2-7 NIV)

For the above passage, we see that the Israelites were not listening or heeding the voice of God spoken through His servants the prophets.  Three times within the six verses is the indictment, "You have not listened".  Many of them were practising selective hearing, that is, they prefer to hear the words of false prophets who promised them greater ease rather than the judgment God was about to bring on the nation.  Because they chose not to hear and as a result chose not to obey God's word, they brought calamity on themselves (v8-11).  Jeremiah himself suffered greatly due to his proclamation of God's words to His people. God preserved his life to see the destruction of Jerusalem, in which he lamented over her in the Book of Lamentations.

What about us?  Are we listening to God when He speaks?  Inasmuch as we would like people to listen to us when we speak, God wants us to accord Him with the same kind of respect when He speaks.  When we read the Bible or listen to the Word being read, do we listen attentively or selectively?  The Holy Spirit is in the business of sanctifying us by setting us apart for the Master's use.  He convicts us to enable us to repent and get back on the right path once again.  In contrast, the devil brings condemnation and seeks to douse our spiritual flame. 

In the coming age, God promises, "Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear." (Is 65:24).  Isn't that amazing - God listening to the deepest longing of our hearts!  May we learn to be like Him as we serve/interact with people on a daily basis.  As they say, "Seek to understand before you can be understood."

Prayer of Deliverance - Psalm 64

This is a wonderful prayer of David, asking God to preserve his life from the attacks of his enemies (v 1).  More importantly, it's a prayer we can pray against the work of terrorists who hold fast to themselves an evil purpose, laying snares (explosives) secretly (v 5).  Their target is the blameless (v 4) and their modus operandi is to work in stealth.  No wonder Osama bin Laden was able to live in Pakistan undetected for quite a period of time until his untimely demise.  Terrorists are often devising injustices, and their plots are often pretty well-conceived (v 6).  Their words and actions are like poisoned arrows aim at destroying innocent lives (v4-5).

Thank God for the 'but' in v7.  This is where the contrast begins.  The Message Bible says the God of Arrows shoots and they double up in pain (v 7). Instead of the enemies having the upper hand, they would be defeated and the righteous will shake their head (v 8).  The marvelous workings of God will produce a holy fear among all men, declaring the work of God (v 9).  The righteous would be glad in the Lord and take refuge in Him (v 10).  We can certainly hide under God's wings in the storms of life.  The storms we face may not be from terrorists, though it's a potential threat in a small country like ours, it could come by way of gossip and people backstabbing you.   Whatever the situation we may be in, we can call on the Lord to preserve our thoughts and attitudes, so that we do not react in a rash manner. 

Whenever we think about taking revenge or hurting people, know that these thoughts do not come from God but from the pit of hell.  Like what the psalmist says, these are the inward thoughts of man and they are deep (v 6).  But God is able to search the innermost recesses of our hearts to bring conviction of sin within.  We have to be trained to discern good from evil; seeking forgiveness from God and learning to yield our lives to the Master and not allow the devil to have a foothold in our lives.  The hallmark of the righteous is that he will glory in the Lord and be glad in Him (v 10).  May the Lord preserve you from the secrt counsel of evildoers as well as from the evil thoughts planted in your mind (v 2).

Call to Repentance

Earthquakes are occuring at an increasing frequency these days.  Apart from those in Japan, we now have the recent one in Myanmar.  The physical shaking that are occuring now represents the spiritual shaking that God is going to do.  Firstly in the hearts of all men and secondly, in the kingdom of darkness. 

As part of our family devotion, we were reading Luke 13:1-9 the other day.  We were talking about the triple whammy afflicting Japan and why it happened.  It's always so easy to apportion blame to people over unfortunate things that happen; the cause and effect rationale thinking in our human make-up.  In the days of Christ, they had incidents that come close to what is known as "acts of God" - for example, the tower in Siloam that fell and killed 18 people.  Jesus, reading the minds of the people who first came and reported the atrocities committed by Pilate against the Galileans, asked a rhetorical question, "Do you think they were worse culprits than all other men in Jerusalem who lived?"  And to address the report, He asked, "Do you suppose these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because of the fate they suffered?" 

Jesus cleverly side-stepped the issue of apportioning blame and directed their attention into looking at the larger scheme of things in God's economy.  God is interested in the repentance of all men; He wants us not to look outwards but to search our own hearts.  All of us will die one day, whether through violent/peaceful means or otherwise.  The calamity that had befallen the Jews could very well have fallen on His hearers.  The important thing is to be ready to meet your Creator.  The people may have wanted to fighten Jesus into not going to Jerusalem because wicked Pilate was around, and his notoriety preceded him. Jesus had by this time set His face like flint towards Jerusalm to accomplish His Father's will (Lk 13:22) and He was not going to be swayed by what men can do to Him. He came to earth of His own accord to lay down His life for lost humanity (Jn 10:17-18). 

Putting things in our context today, are the people of Japan, NZ and Myanmar worse sinners than the rest of the world that are not afflicted by earthquakes?  Certainly not, unless we repent, we shall likewise perish; not only physically but spiritually as well, separated from the love and presence of God.  Jesus also brought up the point in the fig tree parable following His rhetorical questions, that God is looking for fruits (of repentance) among the people of Israel and He has given them time and grace to produce them.  However, His patience has a limit, after which they would incur His wrath of being cut down.  In the light of what is happening around us, may I humbly suggest a few things we can do:

1.  Pray for ourselves that God would continually soften our hearts to repent of our sins.
2.  Pray for the people affected by natural disasters - search & rescue work, reconstruction of life and society, comfort and consolation, financial and other necessary resources needed, expertise and manpower support, God's love and peace to flow, moving forward and not being paralysed by what has happened, etc.
3.  Help through giving of cash and kind.

When we repent individually and collectively as a community or nation, we are pushing back the kingdom of darkness that envelops us.  God will one day destroy the powers of darkness that is actively working to bring lives to bondage and slavery.  Praise God that the unseen hosts of angels are greater than the unseen hosts of darkness (2 Kg 6:16-17).  And the good news is that God ultimately triumphs despite the chaos we're currently experiencing!

Presenting our requests to God

I was reading Isaiah 36 and 37 this morning. Chapter 36 talks about the threat of the King of Assyria against Judah. Sennacherib, the King of Assyria, sent his Chief of Staff, Rabshakeh to put fear in the hearts of the Jewish people. Isn't this what the devil is trying to do all along? He is the master of deception, putting up all kinds of half-truths and lies to make people fearful or anxious. Let's take a look at the deception spoken by Rabshakeh:

1. He equated the high altars that Hezekiah removed with that of the LORD's (36:7).
2. Overstating the strength of the Assyrians (36:9).
3. Putting the LORD on the same pedestal as the gods of the heathen (36:19-20).

I was talking to a Buddhist colleague recently and he was trying to paint me a picture that all religious paths lead to the same God. And certainly we can see this playing out in the internet whereby there are teachings trying to marry the different scriptures of the various religions. So we can see that people in our day and age are putting Christ in the same pedestal as other religious founders.

King Hezekiah did the right thing when he heard the taunts of the Assyrian King - he humbled himself in sackcloth and sought the LORD (37:1). He sent his emissaries over to Isaiah the prophet (37:2). The prophetic word given by Isaiah was very encouraging, "Do not be afraid ... I will make him fall by a sword in his own land." (37:6-7). And that's what we need in times when we are really down and out - to hear a word from the LORD that would strengthen us and keep us going in life. This word can come from the still small voice of the Holy Spirit residing within us or it could come from God's people speaking into our lives or it could come directly from God's Word.

King Hezekiah presented the letter of threat to the LORD (37:4). He praised God as the creator of the heaven and earth and prayed that all kingdoms may know He alone is the living God (37:16-20). Isaiah sent to Hezekiah another word of encouragement, "Because you have prayed to Me ..." (37:21). God sent His angel into the Assyrian camp and destroyed 185,000 people and also the eventual death of Sennacherib (37:36-38). I believe we should also pray like Hezekiah of old that all the nations may know that the LORD God is the only living God, and there's none like Him. I mentioned to my friend that Christ is coming back to judge the world and that's where the separation of the sheep and goat would take place. There are currently wheat and tares growing side by side and we can't tell the difference between one and the other. Many religious people will claim that we are all alike in our outlook, but ultimately judgment day would prove otherwise.

The Call of God

I was meditating on Isaiah's commission in Isaiah 6 today. This event occurred at the end of the reign of King Uzziah around 740 BC. Uzziah, king of Judah, was generally considered a good king. However, towards the latter half of his reign, he grew powerful and proud, leading to his downfall. He wanted to assume the priesthood by burning incense in the temple of God till he was struck with leprosy and had to quickly vacate the temple (2 Chron 26:16-21). He remained leprous till the day of his death.

When Isaiah saw the Lord, He was seated on a throne, high and exalted. Though earthly kings and rulers may pass away, the Lord continues to rule on His throne in heaven. Isaiah was transported to the temple in heaven in a vision to capture this divine sight. God's self revelation of Himself was followed next by the sounds that Isaiah heard. It was the heavenly choir by the seraphs (a kind of angels) singing "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty ..." bringing a realisation to Isaiah that he was terribly unclean in the presence of a Holy God. He immediately confessed his sins and unworthiness, resulting in his cleansing by an angel.

The work of the Lord requires vessels that have clean hands and pure hearts. God has called all His children out of darkness into His wonderful light (1 Pet 2:9), and this entails our sanctification. The general will of God for every believer is
i) our sanctification (1 Th 4:3-8) - being set apart for His use.
ii) our joyful, prayerful, thanksgiving attitude (1 Th 5:16-18) - we can take everything to the Lord in prayer; a powerful weapon God has put in our hands.
iii)our acts of kindness and obedience to God's laws (1 Pet 2:13-21) - if we live under God's authority we will walk in a higher plane of spiritual authority on earth.
iv) our witness of God (2 Pet 3:9) - He desires us to shine for Him wherever He placed us.

Despite the above, there is still a specific will of God for individuals called by Him to accomplish His purposes on earth like Moses, Isaiah
and Jeremiah. Such a call of God is clear and distinct, often being confirmed through many ways. Our Senior Pastor had no less than two prophetic word to confirm the vision he saw in the clouds. But rest assured that when God calls you, He would empower you for every good work. One of the ways we can equip ourselves is to read the Word of God daily (2 Tim 3:16-17) and to pray (Jn 16:24).

The call of God requires a response from us and Isaiah spoke simply, "Here am I send me!" Would you be willing to respond positively, if He calls you into His service? It could be into so-called full-time ministry like serving in a church or para-church organisation, or it could be to serve as a tentmaker like the apostle Paul in the market places where God puts you. The world in its various fields like government, media, education, family, religion, military, etc. needs servants of God to not only shine for Him but be effective in their area of influence. May you be such a person as you answer the call of God.

The Book of Proverbs

At the end of this month, those of us who have been faithfully following the daily Bible reading would have completed the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. Keep up the readings and you'd have wisdom beyond your years! May I congratulate you on your perseverance and diligence in reading God's Word.

The Book of Proverbs has many brief, pithy sayings that reflect the experiences of Solomon and other wise men of that time. Someone has said that proverbs are "short sentences drawn from long experience." Every culture has proverbs, some unique to a particular group, others similar to those of other people. Both the OT and NT contain many proverbs that grew out of the experiences of the Jewish people, which the Holy Spirit has recorded and preserved for our instruction.

Proverbs is not organised as a sequence of ideas that flow from one to the next. It is rather a patchwork with a variety of segments that can be studied independently. The first nine chapters contain the closest approach to an extended discussion of a theme. Following the introduction (1:1-7), comes a series of 12 parental admonitions introduced by "my son" (1:8,10, 2:1, etc.) These were designed to strengthen a young man's resolve not to fall for wicked companions and beguiling women, but to whet his appetite for the pursuit of wisdom.

The heart of the book, and the source of its name, begins with chapter 10 right up to 22:16. This contains the major portion of Solomon's recorded proverbs, consisting of 374 of the 3000 proverbs he is said to have spoken (1 Kg 4:32). Next comes two collections called "the sayings of the wise" (22:17-24:22; 24:23-34). They are given by other men known for their wisdom and tend to be more extended. Then comes another collection of Solomon's proverbs (25:1-29:17), collected and transcribed at a later time by scholars working under King Hezekiah. Many are expressed as similes or comparisons here. Ch 30 contains the words of Augur; Ch 31 is ascribed to King Lemuel, both personages we know nothing much about other that what was stated.

There are different types of proverbs (similar to what was mentioned about psalms):
1. Contrast: second line says something in opposition or contrast to the first. When read as an entity, the two lines reflect different dimensions of the same truth. Contrasting proverbs predominate in Ch 10-15. eg. "The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous." (15:29, NASB)

2. Parallelism: the same thing is stated in two different ways so as to reinforce or bring out additional aspects of the main idea; found mostly in Ch 16-20. eg. "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling." (16:18)

3. Addition: the second line completes and enlarges the meaning of the first, which cannot be properly understood by itself. Appears frequently in Ch 17, 20-21. eg. "He who returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house." (17:13)

4. Comparison: usually in the form of a simile; found in the second collection of Solomon's proverbs beginning at Ch 25. eg. "Like apples of gold in the settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances." (25:11)

5. Extension: basic proverb consists of two lines but some are longer, which occurs mostly in "the sayings of the wise". eg. Pr 22:17-21

As you read the Book of Proverbs, let the wisdom of the wise guide you in your everyday living. "Strike while the iron is hot" - a contemporary proverb reminding us to seize the day whenever opportunity presents itself, to do good rather than evil. Many proverbs give us practical advice as to what we ought to do. For instance, Pr 1:10ff counsels us not to follow the ways of sinners but to walk away from them. Of course, sinners here could also be the tempter who comes to put evil thoughts into our minds, in order that we may accomplish his plans and purposes. Do not consent has to do with resisting the devil (Ja 4:7) that he may flee from you. Seize each moment to live for God.

Carpe Diem!

God notices (Mark 12:41-44)

Jesus observed how people put money in the treasury. He saw the rich putting in money out of their abundance and a poor widow putting in a lepta (two small copper coins) out of her poverty. The lepton was a currency used in ancient Greece; and a lepta has the equivalence of 1/64 of a denarius, a Roman currency. In early Roman Empire, the daily wage for an unskilled labourer and common soldier was 1 denarius. So even though it was a very meagre amount, she was commended by our Lord for her generosity. I wonder how she lived after that? At any rate, those who sow bountifully shall reap bountifully (2 Cor 9:6).

James said that pure and undefiled religion is to visit the orphans and widows in their distress (Jas 1:27). Earlier on, the religious leaders were plying Jesus with questions, trying to trap Him. But they were unable to do so. Jesus ended the exchanges with the remark that religious people like to make a show of themselves. And unlike what James advised, they would not hesitate to take advantage and swindle widows (Mk 12:38-40). It takes a widow, and a poor one at that, to demonstrate what God looks at. God does not look at the external performances of men but rather the internal workings their hearts.

God also notices when we give to Him today. Whether we give tithes or offerings, He knows because Malachi talked about the nation of Israel robbing God (Mal 3:8). We open ourselves to curses if we fail to pay our tithes and give our offerings. On the other hand, we if honour the Lord with our substance, He would open heaven's windows to rain down blessings on us. Those who fear God and esteem His name will be remembered by Him and will be a part of His special possession (Mal 3:16-18). The arrogance of men is again taken note of by God (Mal 3:13-15). Let's examine daily our hearts' condition before God that we may present unto Him acceptable offerings of both our praise and substance.

The Book of Galatians

This is an epistle on freedom - not a freedom to do anything we like but a freedom given to us through faith in Jesus Christ. The key verse is found in Gal 5:1, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Apparently, some Judaizers who professed to be Christians were demanding the people to obey the Jewish law for full salvation and spirituality. Paul had to correct the Galatians for their erroneous thinking by telling them that Christ has indeed set them free from observing the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament (Gal 5:2-3). What's important for believers is that they walk by faith and be led by the Holy Spirit (5:16-18).

We are free in Christ but that freedom does not mean we can indulge in the deeds of the flesh (5:19). Paul listed specifically what these acts of carnality are:
1) Desires: immorality, impurity, sensuality (sexual sins & perversion)
2) Divination: idolatry, sorcery (witchcraft/deception/bondage)
3) Disharmony: enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger
4) Disunity: disputes, dissensions, factions, envying
5) Destruction: drunkenness, carousing
The ultimate goal of Satan is the destruction of our soul/body.

The antidote against licentious living is to live by the Spirit, allowing Him to reproduce His fruit in our lives (5:22-26). Notice the singular fruit consists of 9 aspects: love, joy, peace (Godward attributes), patience, kindness, goodness (outward attributes), gentleness, faithfulness and self-control (inward attributes). When we exercise the fruit of self-control, we prevent disharmony, disunity and destruction from rearing their ugly heads.

How do we cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in our lives?
1) Spend time communing with God.
2) Respond to the Holy Spirit's conviction.
3) Pray and ask God for His fruit to be reproduced in us.
When you act on #3, be prepared that God will bring about situations in which you would be put to the test. It does not matter how many times we may have failed God, the important thing is to rise up again and walk with God, repenting of our wicked ways and seeking His ways once again.

Gal 2:20 is a verse which I memorised when I was in Sunday School, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." This verse talks about our identification with Christ in His death; our carnal flesh should be crucified with Him. When we are in the body, that is still on earth, we need to exercise faith in the Son of God. And this we will continue to do until we see Him face to face in heaven, by then there would be no need for faith. The verse ends with the fact that God loves us dearly. Let us reciprocate that love by living for Him.

Sowing Generously (2 Cor 9:6-11)

The apostle Paul wrote 2 Corinthians in defense of His apostleship. Apparently false teachers had challenged his authority and right to be an apostle. They accused him of vacillating in his promise to come and as such his words could not be trusted (1:15-24). However, Paul was legitimately delayed until he knew of their repentance since he wished to come in order to carry the collection to Jerusalem and exercise apostolic authority in disciplining the unrepentant (2:1-11). There were most likely two other letters which Paul wrote to the Corinthians which were lost (1 Cor 5:9; 2 Cor 7:8).

Coming back to our text at hand, "Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." (v 6). Whatever holds true in the agricultural sense, is also true in real life. A farmer who sows plenty of seeds would naturally expect a bountiful harvest compared to one who sows very little, baring any unforeseen circumstances. Paul was encouraging the people to give generously to help the poor in Jerusalem. And when they do so, God would cause all grace to abound to them (v 8). Notice that this grace enables one to keep doing good work at all times and with all our needs being met.

There are certainly many opportunities to give apart from the church tithes and offerings. I remembered in my school/uni days, I used to support a child under World Vision for several years; contributed to para-church organisations for Bibles/Christian materials to be printed and exported to countries where there were great needs. I also supported a fellow church brother who did missions work with Operation Mobilisation in U.K. In non-monetary terms, we can give through providing services or goods. I remembered giving free tuition to some church friends during vacation period.

When we give, we don't expect anything in return because God's grace will continue to abound in us. We cannot outgive a God who is generous towards those who exercise faith (Jas 1:5). God provides seeds for us to sow or bread for us to eat (v 10). For all of us who are able to work to earn a living, we should be thankful that Jehovah has given us the ability to make wealth (Dt 8:18). We are to be wise stewards of the manifold blessings (be it money, goods or services) God has bestowed on us. Certainly we can put bread on the table for our family to eat and at the same time give of our additional resources to help others. That's should be a good working model for a believer (Eph 4:28).

Ask God to show you whom you can bless today. For some, it may be a financial need and yet for others, it may be an encouraging word or help that could be rendered. As we give, God will enlarge the harvest of our righteousness. Hopefully the people whom we touched would be drawn closer to the Lord.

In Praise of God (Ps 145)

This is a lovely psalm to meditate on as it declares the praises of God, who is the object of our worship. The psalmist, David, began by extolling God himself (v1-2) and then brought in the generation(v4), followed by the whole of creation (v10). God is praiseworthy and we can't do enough praising by ourselves. So we see the progression from the single to the many.

Next, we note the frequency of praising God. David talked about praising God everyday (v2). Do we do so, or is it just on Sundays or days when we meet together as a church? This is one major pre-occupation of the angelic hosts in heaven and would be ours too when we get there (Rev 5:11-14). So we had better learn how to praise God aright here, because as David declared, "I will praise Thy name forever and forever." Within his heart, David knew that he would continue living beyond this world's existence because God's kingdom is everlasting (v13).

We moved on to the name or character of God. The Hebrew concept of a person's name carries with it the identity of the person. Just as the name Daniel means "God is my Judge", Daniel lived his life to a ripe old age walking righteously, knowing that the pagan kings whom he served were not really his judges, but God alone. When we bless or exalt the name of God, we are declaring His worth as a person of character and substance. Let's take a look at some of the characteristics of God that David praised Him for:

1) Great God & King (v1,3) as seen in His glorious splendor (v5) and through His mighty acts (v4) and awesome works (v6).
2) Abundant goodness and righteousness (v7,17)
3) Gracious and merciful (v8)
4) Slow to anger and rich in love (v8)
5) Faithful to all His promises (v13)
6) Kind (v17)

We can follow David's example in praising God by declaring His worth. God is our Protector (v14) and our Provider (v15-16). This psalm closes with wonderful promises to those who

a) call upon Him in truth (v18) - His presence is assurd
b) fear or reverence Him (v19) - His provision is abundant
c) love Him (v20) - His protection is encompassing

Let's speak of the praise of the LORD and bless His holy name forever and ever (v21).

Hallelujah!

1 Timothy

This book is like a leadership training manual, very much like the book of Titus. Paul began by telling Timothy, his son in faith, the noble aspiration one has if he aspires to the office of an overseer (3:1). Having a desire to be a leader is one thing, having the qualities of a leader is another. Paul envisaged the leadership structure of the church to be male (2:11-12). He went on to list some of the qualities required in being an elder/leader:

1. Blameless (v2,7): not one where people can point an accusing finger at but having a good testimony
2. Husband of one wife (v2): practising monogamy
3. Well-disciplined (v2-3): temperate, sober-minded and of good behaviour/gentle, not violent/quarrelsome
4. Hospitable (v2): a people's person, caring for their needs
5. Able to teach (v2): probably the truths and principles found in the Word
6. Well-controlled (v3): not addicted to wine or liquor
7. Not envious (v3): not greedy for money nor covetous
8. Manage own house well (v4): children are in submission or obedient
9. Not a newbie (v5): would still be subjected to a lot of temptations

A slightly shorter but somehow similar list is given for deacons to be (v8-13). The key idea Paul told Timothy was to put candidates to a test first before giving them a leadership position. From the qualities listed above, it seems that God wants us to be blameless in body, soul and spirit.

In body, we have to learn how to control ourselves and not be easily enticed by various lusts. In our soul, we have to imbibed the Word of God in order to be able to teach and we are not to allow the devil to throw his fiery darts at us. In spirit, we have to be strong in faith in order to extinguish the enemies' fire power. Prayer is featured quite prominently where Timothy was instructed to pray for all men especially those in authority (ch 2). The Scriptures is emphasized in 2 Timothy 3. Together, prayer and the Word make for a mighty combination that prepare and equip every believer for every good work (2 Tim 3:1-17).

It is good for Timothy to have a mentor in Paul. Likewise, for new believers, it is good that they be mentored by someone more senior in spiritual age. The relationship should not just be an impartation of knowledge but also of life's lessons learnt. When we do that, the multiplier effect kicks in (2 Tim 2:2) and the lives we touch could very well touch many other lives in return.