Jesus Revealed

No way could I ever saved myself from my corrupted sinful nature. No way could I turn back the clock to undo those regretful decisions made. No way I can reverse the consequences due to my unwise sowing in the past. No way trying hard to live right in the law. It only reveals greater consciousness of me in sin. I was doomed.

Not until He reveals Who He is to me - My Saviour, My Righteousness, My Redeemer, My Jesus.

He stretches out His nailed pierced hands to a sinner like me. Like the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4), He invited me to first thirst for Him. Revealing His righteousness to me and clothed me with it. He delivered me from sin and pointed me to the finished work of the cross. He taught me to live in His grace and bearing the law within my heart. He redeemed me from my past and assured me with no more condemnation. He leads me to live a victorious life through the power of His Spirit and set up seasons where I can partake with Him in His sufferings. He reminded me to be wise in my living and not allowing carnality to rule over spirituality, not serving sin but serving righteousness. Promising me to becoming more like Him when my life is centred upon Him.

Studying the Book of Romans taught me much.

Most of all, it points to Jesus, God's righteousness revealed.

I was, onced a sinner saved by grace.

Living now in grace

Diligence is Wisdom

The pursuit of His wisdom and living it out adds much more to life. The opposite is also true. The lack of wisdom takes away something in our life. We live below our potentials and sin easily invades an unguarded heart.

Verse 23 stood out for me as I studied Proverbs 4.

“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issue of life.”

The state of a person’s spiritual life depends on the good or evil condition of his heart. The heart is a critical centre of life which touches and impacts all we are and do. Therefore, it is only reasonable that it should be guarded ‘with all diligence’.

It is interesting to note that the scripture calls us not only to guard our hearts, but to guard it with all diligence. It must be intentional. Why is it so? I cannot agree more that without diligence, one easily falls prey into compromise.

While most of us are mindful and careful not to fall into sin, not many of us are intentional enough to take note of the compromises that we so easily make. Little compromises here and there will eventually lead us into sin. The reality is most compromises appear harmless and most of the time, noble and reasonable.

Recently I was confronted with the issues of punctuality and integrity. Do I deliver as what was stated in a flyer and video? Do I honour time even in meetings and be early for work? These seem insignificant and harmless but nonetheless are issues of compromise. And compromises, if not dealt with will eventually open doors to sin.

That explains the need for us to be diligent, especially in guarding our heart. It is an added value of life. It will lead us to a much more life in Christ. Something never to overlook and be taken lightly. Beware of the little foxes that will ruin and destroy our vineyards. (Song of Solomon 2:15)

Let us remind one another to be diligent in whatever we do and in reading the Word. Most importantly, guarding our hearts with all diligence.

The Wise Walk with God

“He who walks with the wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.”
Proverbs 13:20 (NKJ)

I appreciate it very much when people recommend me a good book or a good show. But I appreciate it even more when their lives recommend the good way to live. This happens only when we are in the right company of friends and intentionally engaging in providential relationships.

Right relationships can make a difference in our lives. Wrong relationships can bring us to ruin.

Proverbs 13:20 instructs us to ‘walk with the wise men’ for he who walks with the wise grows wise. Day 12 devotional explained extremely well who a wise man is and contrasted him with the foolish. It provided a mirror for us to square our lives against and ask if we belonged to the wise or the foolish.

Today’s Proverbs caution us to be careful and deliberate about the kind of friends we choose and mix with. Proverbs 12:26 says, “A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” We often become just like the people we hang around with. Apostle Paul picked up on this when he wrote, “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Corinthians 15:33)

I remember those days when I was in the insurance industry. I was literally ‘sucked’ into and indulged in the company of friends whose talk only revolved around material gains, status and prestige; the kind of country clubs we joined and the expensive places we dined in. We spend our nights in pubs, drinking and convincing ourselves we deserved the fill for we worked hard for it. This was the good life according to my equation till I was proven wrong by God. We seemed to have gained much, yet possessed nothing. There was a void and a sense of emptiness within the soul, searching for the real worth in life.

There is a ‘much more’ life in Christ. I learned this through seeking and living the greater life, not without the walking with the wise. Wise men know how to find wise company while foolish men get lost in their folly. I attribute my spiritual growth to my walk with the wise.

• "Enoch walked with God". (Genesis 5:22)
• "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God." (Genesis 6:9)
• "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked." (Genesis 48:15)
• "I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people." (Leviticus 26:12)

The wise first walked with God and then invite others to walk with them.
Choose to walk with the wise today for they know wisdom begins by walking with God.

Are you in the company of the wise today? If not, take the next step now to join a cell group; AGM or AGF. They are the wise walking with the wise, knowing that walking in wisdom begins first with God.

A Good Thing

“He who finds a wife finds a good thing. And obtains favour from the Lord"
Proverbs 18:22

I realized that many wives love quoting this verse to their husbands, including myself. Wives consider their husbands ‘fortunate’ to have them as their wives as the saying goes, “Man, you have found a good thing.”

A good thing! What exactly good has the men found? What is there to behold in this ‘good thing?’

There are many attributes that builds up a woman of inner beauty. The bible has enough scriptures to support that. The best example we can learn and draw from is none other than that found in Proverbs 31. As I ponder through the attributes of that ‘good thing’ a man could proudly behold in his wife, the following three outshines the rest:

Honour – Honouring others is not an option but a command based on Romans 12:10.
It simply means to value someone more than ourselves; to treat people as precious and with respect. Love and humility play an important part in someone who truly knows how to honour others. As a wife, honouring our husband is ‘non-negotiable’. It is given regardless of what he has done or not done; it is about honouring the person per se. The common mistake many wives tend to make is in degrading the man’s ego by refusing him his due respect. This is not only dishonoring but also damaging. Another reminder is that we bring honour to our husbands when we honour their parents. Learning to honour someone adds to that attribute of ‘a good thing’ in a woman.

Contentment – Learning the secret of being contented adds beauty to the woman. It is not about having little and being poor, but the state of mind and heart that overflows from a grateful soul, knowing that God is All-Sufficient (Philippians 4:12). Imagine a wife who carries with her a heart of contentment. She knows how to give praises in plenty and in scarcity. She learns the virtue of spending below her means. She complains little, praises much and stays joyful in all circumstances. She is the ‘good thing’ to behold indeed.

Giving – God has created women uniquely to be givers. Many of them have assignments in their home, workplace, congregation or community. Yet they have the amazing capacity to give sacrificially and even much more when the call arises. They give their time, their love and release life through child-bearing. Giving increases the heart of contentment. Giving and contentment go hand in hand. Have you been giving your love to someone underserving lately? What about giving your time to serve in the Children’s Church? Or investing into someone’s life besides your own children? Be a giver; a cheerful one.

While Proverbs 18:22 is obvious for the men, it is also applicable for us as women, single or married. If you are someone’s wife today, take time to really ask yourself the honest question, “How have I been that ‘good thing’ that my husband proudly beholds?
Singles or marrieds, we all have a legacy to live up to and pass on. We have a responsibility to teach and impart.

Cultivation of Words

"There is a great difference between having to say something and having something worthwhile to say." These words caught my attention as Ps Edmund emphasized them at the IDMC Conference 2006. This statement has since stayed with me.

Wisdom calls for one to live wisely. One area of our orientation in life is the cultivation of words. Watch our words for they impact the listener. Careless and harsh words can easily kill one’s spirit.

It is sobering to note in Proverbs 10 that God measures wickedness and righteousness according to one’s spoken words. Words have the power to either hurt or heal.

Hence, it is important that one should start to re-orientate one’s life towards allowing gracious words to flow. Careless words are harsh and hasty. The bible calls careless words as ‘foolish talking’. Foolish talking can lead to negative impact and destructive consequences. How many times have relationships broken down because of careless and irresponsible foolish talking!

Verse 19 says “In the multitude of words, sin is not lacking. But he who restrains his lips is wise.”

The fool is someone who multiples words. There is volume and quantity but lacking the quality within. There is also a right place where silence is golden. I believe Proverbs calls us to the ‘much more’ and greater life.

Proverbs calls us to practice moderate speaking. It is important to know when to speak; what to speak and how to speak. It is the wisdom of balance that one learns to speak with grace and truth at the appointed time.

We cannot re-orientate our words until we re-orientate our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 is hence, foundational - “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issue of life.”

Words are tied to pride or humility. So when God measures a righteous or wicked man, He measures us according to ‘our mouths’. (v 6, 11, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 31, 32)

A person who learns to measure his words is a person who has learned humility.

Let’s continue to spur one another towards wise living today as a community. Practice all that you have heard and learned. The challenge I would like to pose to you today is, “Begin it at home.”
“How are your words to your loved ones today? Are they words of healing or words that hurt?”

Proverbs 24:3 says “Through wisdom a house is built. And by understanding it is established.”

Too Much of a Good Thing

“Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need.

Lest you be filled with it and vomit.”

– Proverbs 25:16 –

I love to eat buah duku (a kind of tropical fruit). I can eat as much as 3kg all by myself in one sitting and I won’t get tired of eating them every day. However, too much of buah duku can be a bad thing. When I eat too much before bedtime, my stomach would hurt with cramps. Occasionally it gives me constipation. But I simply love buah duku so much that many times, I willingly endure the discomfort after my binge. I really like it!

Proverbs 25:16 indicates that too much of honey makes one vomit. There is a principle that applies here. Too much of the pleasures of life can make you sick. And we can have too much of a good thing.

There is nothing wrong with things that give us pleasure. In this verse, the thing that brings pleasure is honey. God intended for the things He created to bring us pleasure and enjoyment. The problem is not with the things, but our overindulgence in the things.

We live in a world of temptations and we are easily drawn to have more than what we need. It is important and wise for us to learn to be self-controlled and self-disciplined to pry ourselves from these dominating desires.

A greater life is one in which self-control and self-discipline is practiced; where we rule over our cravings and fleshy indulgences. We probably need to say ‘No’ to the number of hours we spend on Facebook and neglect other areas of importance in life. For some, you should have one piece of cake instead of three. For a handful, it is time to stop using your visa credit limit. For some ladies, before you pick up another pair of shoes or another handbag, ask if you really need it or just plainly want it.

Indeed! Contentment is an art to a much more life.

Proverbs 25:8 says: “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self control.”

What are those indulgent areas you need to say ‘NO’ to? They are road blocks to a much more life in Christ.