The Perfect Word of God

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect,^[c]
    reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
    making wise the simple;
⁸ the precepts of the Lord are right,
    rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
    enlightening the eyes;
⁹ the fear of the Lord is clean,
    enduring forever; (Psalm 19, NIV)

“Reviving the soul” — I recall how the Gospel of Matthew drew me in when I chanced upon it as a child; there was peace, stillness, calmness when I read it — something that was a rarity in a tumultuous household. Indeed, my soul revived under the influence of His Word.

“Making wise the simple” — the longer I walk with the Lord, the more I realise that though the Gospel is simple in its basic message, it isn’t simplistic. While in theological college we were admonished to read the newspaper with one hand and the bible in the other, I have been occasionally challenged by surprising spiritual experiences to read the Word from a new perspective.

Jesus Himself challenged the Scribes and Pharisees to read the Word in a different way when He said the Sabbath was for man, not man for the Sabbath. What a fresh and freeing perspective — and from the Lord Himself!

“Rejoicing the heart” — I was 31 when I first read the Gospels in its entirety. It struck me how welcoming Jesus was of women. Raised in an environment where the males, regardless of character or aptitude are frequently preferred over the females, I had expected Jesus after his resurrection to appear to one of his male disciples. That was the conclusion I anticipated.

I was astounded when He appeared to Mary. For a whole day, or more, I couldn’t get over it.

“Jesus — You love Mary. Jesus — You love women. Jesus — You love me.”

I still am astounded.

“Enlightening the eyes” — after reading the bible in its entirety, I found myself able to think better, faster, and with greater clarity. Much of the confusion that had plagued my earlier thinking disappeared as the Word gave me the grid through which to evaluate life and come to better conclusions. I think it’s no coincidence that some of the greatest universities in the world were founded by Christians.

“The fear of the Lord is clean” — I would juxtapose that with Jesus saying to His disciples that He had cleansed them with the Word (John 15:3). Somehow, coming to the Lord with reverence for His Word and reading it as a journey of spiritual discovery has had a cleansing, calming effect on spirit and soul.

The Lord is in charge. Be at peace.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

The Power of Blessing

COMMUNITY MONDAYS

Living in community is difficult. In his day, Paul wrote of the Corinthian church: “I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder” (2 Cor 12:20). Two thousand years later, not much has changed.

Someone asked, “How do you reconcile the fact that this is church and these are Christians?”

I said I don’t bother to reconcile.

Paul has already said that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6:12). And their favourite sport is to pit Christian against Christian, using another favourite weapon — lies and suspicions planted in their minds, manifesting in destructive words and actions aimed at their target.

But Jesus has already given us a counter strategy: “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:28). So we are to build up in prayer, those who desire to tear us down.

To be honest, it took time for me to get to that point. As a new Christian, I just gritted my teeth and decided to pray for the person because God said so. But that Christian discipline guarded my heart from stewing in anger and bitterness.

Later, I learned to get my hurt ministered to by the Lord and then pray from that healed place because anyone who would systematically tear down another is seriously wounded herself.

I also saw the fruit in the lives of those who would slander others: inner darkness and torment, disease, and even death. Once, I saw a heavy cloud hovering over them, oppressing them and reaching a dark tentacle out towards their listener. When I saw that in the spirit, I told the speaker and asked her to stop. She did so and the cloud disappeared.

The Word tells us to stop slandering others. The Spirit showed me in one brief instance what was happening in the invisible realm.

Another story:

Years ago, I met someone who was so offended with another that she went to each church friend to rant against her target. I was rather taken aback by her abrupt approach and couldn’t make head or tail of her story and honestly, didn’t care to. I already knew the problem was her. Her target stayed silent and as far as I know, said nothing against her.

(One thing I have observed throughout the years is that people who are walking in the Spirit can discern the truth. So, if you’re the victim of a smear campaign, take heart. The people who matter are for you.)

One day, she suddenly fainted and her lips and nails started turning blue — a precursor of death; fortunately, she was with other Christians who interceded fervently for her life and rebuked the spirit of death. She revived; a subsequent medical checkup showed nothing wrong. After that incident, she stopped her activities.

God does judge; He also shows mercy.

And so, I learned to let offences go and be at peace.

You can’t change people’s minds about you. Much of it is projection because your looks, mannerisms and attitudes — innocuous to others, but triggering to them — remind them of someone, usually in childhood, who hurt them seriously.

You can only pray for them and then, move on.

Photo by Guillaume de Germain on Unsplash

The Cost of Freedom

You cannot know what Luke 14 means unless you have lived it out.

²⁵ Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

I have pondered over the phrase, “hate… even his own life”, and it’s true for me. As a child, I was too young to understand the implications and the motivations behind destructive behavior. Now, having paid thousands of dollars to healing ministries to attend their seminars and buy their materials, having flown thousands of miles to learn, even staying six months in the UK in the process, I have a much better understanding. And I got a lot of healing along the way.

²⁷ Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

I contrast this with Matthew 11:

²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

I have learned over the years to release my burdens to the Lord and to receive His rest. That cross, just as it was for Jesus, was something that was put on me by others. At first, we trudge after Jesus with it. But as time goes on, as we mature in Christ, as we learn to transfer the weight of the cross to Him, it shrinks. And it becomes something that is light and easy — only what Jesus wants you to carry.

²⁸ For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? ²⁹ Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

³¹ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³² And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.

Following Jesus is a life-long journey with many ups and downs and detours. Many give up along the way and make peace with the enemy because in their mind, it costs too much to follow Jesus — whether it’s time, money or more likely, having to risk trusting someone, a minister you don’t really know with a fragile piece of your heart.

It takes courage to risk; I have been misunderstood, judged and talked down to by a minister who failed to see their own issues. But I picked myself up and went on. Why? Because I know that I too can make mistakes, and because I want to be forgiven, I forgive them too. And I moved on to others.

And in the process, I have come to know people that are on fire for the Lord, people I wouldn’t have imagined meeting in my wildest dreams — not perfect, but who are on a journey and are willing to face their own issues and apologise when they’re in the wrong — and who forgive me too, when I inadvertently hurt them. And with sincere apologies, the relationship is restored as before. That’s how healed they are.

 ³³ In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

We have to give up everything we’re holding — our pride, suspicions, cynicism, unbelief, our fears, our money, our past bad experiences — and start taking risks.

I have found that when I risk something for Jesus, do something that I know is helpful for me even though I’m afraid to try it, the rewards are great. Words fail to describe it.

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

The God of Small Things

Today, I decided to fix the bathroom sink that had started to drain s-l-o-w-l-y. So, assured by Mr Google that it’s easy, I proceeded to unscrew Top A from Middle B, took out Screw C and cleaned out the gunk that hadn’t been flushed down the pipe but rather, had accumulated over two years.

Then, it was time to put A,B,C back together. First, I had to put Screw C in the right place. I tried to put it on top of Nail D. Nope, didn’t work despite all the wiggling. I was desperate. “I’ve messed up”, I thought. I may need to call the plumber.

Then, God dropped a picture in my brain which disappeared as fast as it arrived. But I got it.

I had to put the loop in Screw C through Nail D that was sticking out a few inches down the pipe. That accomplished, Middle B had to go through C, which was tricky as C wasn’t stable. I said, “I need some help, Lord”. Immediately, B went through C. And then putting A on top of B was easy-peasy.

The God of Detail that does not forget five sparrows that are sold, that numbers the very hairs on our head, is also interested in helping one of his children fix the bathroom sink.

Selah.

Image by WarrenMae Investment Group from Pixabay

A Season of Quiet

I have been cutting down from social media activities since the beginning of this month, and it has led to an increasingly greater quietness within. I don’t know how long this season will last — the last time God led me into this, it was for 10 years — but I’m enjoying it. I wonder if this is a little of how the saints of old felt when they retreated into the cells of their monasteries or into their caves to seek Him.

“A little” as I’m not living the ascetic lifestyle they lived, but as I cut down on my activities, I become more aware of how social media saps our soul and distracts us from ourselves. Conversely, as we step away from all the noise, we become aware of the inner stirrings of our heart and so can tend to them; as we tend to them, a greater wholeness and quietness settles within.

Most people I know live in frantic interaction with others and pay scant attention to their own selves, and it’s to their loss. Frankly, I think many people don’t want to look at what’s in their heart. But as we do, as we pay attention and tend to our own heart, the reward is peace and quiet within and a greater awareness of the presence of God.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8, ESV)

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(Picture was taken at the Learning Forest, Singapore Botanic Gardens).

God’s Giant Washing Machine

WEDNESDAY’S WORD

 ⁶ David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God. (1 Sam 30: 6)

One of the hazards of being a leader is that you run the risk of being stoned by your own followers for your errors, real or perceived.

In the above passage, David had taken his men to battle, but his enemies took advantage of his absence to raid their stronghold and kidnap their wives and children. His men, enraged by this tactical mistake and embittered by the loss of their loved ones, spoke of killing him.

Talk about being thoroughly demoralised! The very people you had trained and counted on over the years, turn on you in a moment of crisis!

“But David found strength in the Lord his God.” David knew God’s heart for him. He knew God’s opinion of him is always favorable despite what others may say.

No matter what others may think of you now, God’s opinion of you is of much greater importance. His viewpoint and subsequent actions are an expression of His nature.

⁵ The Lord is gracious and righteous;
    our God is full of compassion.
⁶ The Lord protects the unwary;
    when I was brought low, he saved me. (Psalm 116 NIV)

He knows you’re in process; He’s chipping away at the rough edges; He’s allowing you to be washed in the giant washing machine that is the community of His people — just like the way clothes get washed by the friction in the washer, so are His people, through friction against one another. And the result, hopefully, is a cleaner, brighter you.

Before He loads you in the washer again.

Original public domain image from Wikimedia Commons

No Secrets with Jesus

WEDNESDAY’S WORD

Have you ever wondered why Jesus called out the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years and embarrassed her? As an Asian growing up in an Asian society, it’s practically taboo to cause a person to “lose face”. But Jesus isn’t someone who’d just conform to cultural norms, as we well know. Here’s the passage:

⁴³ And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years but no one could heal her. ⁴⁴ She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

⁴⁵ “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

⁴⁷ Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. ⁴⁸ Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” (Luke 8, NIV)

Here is someone carrying a deep, secret shame. A woman’s menstrual flow is considered unclean in biblical times, and to have it ongoing for 12 years, for the doctors to discuss her case and for this issue to be quietly whispered about in her neighborhood — she must have felt so alone and outcast.

And so, she hears of this man Jesus who had the power to heal. Quietly, she sneaked up under the cover of the crowds and received healing from the anointing that was just overflowing from Him. She desired to sneak away quietly too, but it wasn’t to be so.

Jesus called her out in public. Trembling in acute embarrassment, fear and shame, she testified to her healing to those around her.

There were a few reasons why Jesus called her out: First, this public testimony served to tell the neighborhood that she was “clean”, and there was no need to shun her. Second, making her speak out about it made the healing real to her. Third, it gave Jesus the opportunity to affirm her faith — not just because she went to Him, but that she persisted for 12 years to look for healing and didn’t give up. Indeed, she had faith that she would be healed, and she was.

But I also think that Jesus was enabling her to take a stance against the strongholds of shame and secrecy that had been haunting her for over a decade. In order to be free, she had to do the opposite of what she had been habitually doing, and Jesus made her take the first step.

Do you need to take a stance against the stronghold of shame and secrecy? For sin — whether you did it, or others did it to you — opens the door to shame, which opens the door to secrecy. Secrecy gives the enemy the power to mentally torment. Mental torment, as we know, often results in physical ailments.

Confession to the right person is powerful and effective to stop the cycle.

¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5, NIV)

Photo by Rosie Sun on Unsplash

Psalm 121

A Song of Ascents

A guided meditation

May the pictures and the verses speak to you

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?

² My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;

⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;

⁸ the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore. (NIV)

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South Korea, Dec 2021

Pictures by Abby Chua